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How To Claim
If you have taken out a mortgage, personal loan, store or a credit card in the last ten years then you have probably also been offered a PPI policy by your lender. PPI stands for Payment Protection Insurance which is a type of insurance cover sold alongside financial products. The cover is designed to protect the borrower by covering repayments in the event they cannot work due to accident, sickness or redundancy. The cover has become the subject of controversy; however, as it has been frequently mis-sold. Read on to find out whether your PPI was mis-sold and how to claim your money back.
In 2006 The Office of Fair Trading and The Financial Services Authority investigated the payment protection insurance market and found many failings. Several firms were handed larges fines and all lenders were issued with a stark warning that standards must improve. Although most lenders have now changed their processes it is feared millions of customers were mis-sold policies over a period of almost thirty years.
We have already helped more than 60,000 victims of mis-selling and claimed back more than £50 million. If you believe your policy was mis-sold you have a right to make a complaint. If you are unsure whether your policy was mis-sold, take a look at our check list below and see details of how to claim your money back.
Mis-selling can be divided into roughly two types:
- Were you not given adequate information or given information that was incorrect?
- Were you sold the policy even though your circumstances made you unsuitable?
Were you given inadequate information or information that was incorrect?
In many cases lenders failed to adequately train staff selling Payment Protection Insurance policy. As a consequence, customers were frequently given incorrect or incomplete information. If you were not given all the information regarding your policy then you could not make an informed decision as to whether it was right for you.
Many people were sold policies without the full costs being explained to them. Payment Protection Insurance can cost anywhere between 13-56% of the original loan value. On a £10,000 loan this could be an addition £1,300-£5,600 plus interest. On a store or credit card PPI is added on a monthly basis depending on the outstanding balance.
Typically PPI costs around £1.50 for every £100. On a balance of £10,000 this equates to £150 per month, that's £1800 a year.
If you feel the cost of your policy was not clearly explained you should make a complaint. Read the 'How to Claim' section at the bottom of the page to find out what to do next.
-Length of Cover
Many people were sold single premium PPI policies. These type of policies generally only last for a fixed period of time, usually around five years. If your loan was for longer than five years this could mean you would be without cover for part of the repayment period. Unfortunately, many people were not advised that the premium wouldn't cover the life of their loan. If this happened to you, read our 'How to claim' section to find out what to do next.
-Degree of Cover
Most PPI policies only cover the bare minimum of repayments for a maximum of one year. Most policies also do not cover common ailments such as back pain, stress and depression. Your lender should have made the terms of your policy clear to you prior to sale. If you do not feel the terms and conditions of your policy were adequately explained you can register your complaint today. Read our 'How to claim' section to find out how to start reclaiming your money.
Were you sold the policy even though your circumstances made you unsuitable?
PPI cover is not for everyone and there are many personal circumstances that could make someone unsuitable for the cover. For example, most PPI policies do not cover pre-existing medical conditions or people over the age of 65. Unfortunately many people over the age of 65 or with an existing medical condition were sold this type of cover. Many people contact us keen to find out how to claim back their money after realising they have been sold a policy that they cannot use or is unsuitable for their needs. Another common example is people who are unemployed, retired or in full time education who were sold policies. The primary purpose of PPI is to take over repayments if the policyholder is unable to work for a short period of time - if a customer is not in employment they clearly have no need for this type of cover!
How to Claim
If you believe your policy was mis-sold and you would like to make a claim, complete our quick claim form above. We will send you out a pack in the post to complete and return. Once we have your completed pack we guarantee to start your claim in 24 hours. We will negotiate with your bank and in many cases can claim your money back in just 8 weeks. If you have any questions call our team on 0207 471 2000.
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Payson School Board candidates almost all expressed skepticism about basing teacher evaluations chiefly on student test scores. Candidates include Lynnette Brouwer, Shirley Dye, Carmelita Locke, Jim Quinlan, Gerald Rutz, Ron Silverman, Barbara Underwood and Devin Wala.
Photo by Pete Aleshire.
Despite huge differences in background and philosophy, almost all of the nine candidates for a seat on the Payson School Board came to a perhaps surprising agreement: They don’t think teacher evaluations ought to rest mostly on student test scores.
All agreed school principals must carefully evaluate teachers, but all of those who addressed the question at a recent school board candidates forum expressed qualms about impending state and federal reforms that will dramatically increase the role student scores play in teacher promotions, layoffs and firings.
The question comes in the shadow of twin efforts by the state and federal government to link teacher pay, promotions and retention to whether students make progress on standardized tests in core academic subjects.
The National “No Child Left Behind” mandates in the next two years will force a complete overhaul of curriculums throughout the country and tie billions of dollars in federal funding to an effort to compel the states to rate teachers based on student test scores.
Meanwhile, the state’s recent reforms that include grading every school based mostly on student scores — especially the weakest students —have made academic testing crucial to schools’ ratings and funding.
But the nine candidates seeking three seats on the Payson School Board all expressed varying degrees of skepticism about basing so much on test scores. They wondered aloud about whether the emphasis on academic testing will crowd out consideration of things like sports, music, art and leadership classes.
Moreover, Payson Unified School District administrators have criticized the heavy reliance on test scores in school rankings issued by State Superintendent John Huppenthal. Julia Randall Elementary Principal Rob Varner, Rim Country Middle School Principal Will Dunman and Director of Special Education Barbara Fitzgerald agreed that testing students is a hit or miss proposition.
They noted that students from households with two college-educated parents on average have much higher test scores, no matter what the school does. However, with 25 percent of the Payson student body defined as homeless and 70 percent on free or reduced lunches, economics and family structure will often affect test scores more than what happens in the classroom, say administrators.
At the candidate forum, Payson High School Key Club moderator Janine Tantimonico asked each candidate to offer an opinion of House Bill 2823, which requires the State Board of Education to adopt model evaluations that would evaluate each teacher based at least in part on student test scores starting in the current school year.
Most of the candidates agreed linking test scores with teacher evaluations is a losing proposition.
“If the purpose (of the evaluation) is improving teaching, it’s a good idea. Teaching towards a standardized test is a mistake. It does not indicate a high level of conviction,” said former teacher Gerald Rutz.
Lynnette Brouwer, also a former teacher, agreed an evaluation is necessary, but testing? “We absolutely need an evaluation. If we do tests, are we measuring their contributions? We need to create whole people, not just do they test well,” she said.
Devin Wala, a self-employed, activist parent, said evaluations are a wonderful idea, if done right. However, he wants to make sure students get the individual attention they need.
Former Payson High School teacher Ron Silverman said, “If we increase rigor across the board, achievement will follow. Students could be absent at the day of testing for family reasons. Tests are not the way to go.”
Both former teacher Carmelita Locke and Gila Community College English teacher Jim Quinlan felt those administering the evaluation should make the decision based on many factors.
“Evaluations need to be balanced,” said Locke. “When a child comes in with primer level in third grade, it’s the teacher’s responsibility to see progress is made. They should also be evaluated on how they get along with their colleagues and parents.”
Quinlan worried that the administrators doing the evaluation had no oversight and could take advantage of the situation. “What role does the principal play in the education of our children?” he asked. “The evaluation tool is put together by a lot of people — it’s pretty scary if the administration is not held accountable.”
Former businesswoman and Payson Tea Party activist Shirley Dye felt schools spend too much money on evaluation tools. She would like to see the process streamlined at the local level.
Incumbent Barbara Underwood had trouble answering due to concerns over a recently deceased middle school teacher. She started to answer, but then stopped to compose herself, over distress about the unexpected death of the popular teacher. | <urn:uuid:ec8733be-bce3-4e9c-8535-8b2ed9458602> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.paysonroundup.com/news/2012/nov/02/candidates-leery-using-tests-judge-teachers/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00018-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.956026 | 1,013 | 1.523438 | 2 |
CO-CHAIRMAN HASTINGS CHAIRS MEETING IN ISRAEL ON COUNTERING DISCRIMINATION IN THE MEDITERRANEAN REGION; MEETS WITH PRIME MINISTER OLMERT
By Marlene Kaufmann, General Counsel
During two days in December 2007 a unique meeting of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) occurred in Tel Aviv, Israel. For only the second time in eleven years, Israel was chosen by the OSCE participating States to host the annual Mediterranean Seminar -- a meeting designed to encourage dialogue about, and strategies for, improved cooperation between the OSCE participating States and their Mediterranean Partners for Cooperation -- Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Morocco and Tunisia.
As Special Representative for Mediterranean Affairs of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, Co-Chairman Hastings had worked tirelessly to bring the Partners together in Israel for their annual seminar. Unfortunately, official participation by the Partner States was limited, with only Jordan and Egypt sending representatives to the plenary sessions. However, more than seventy delegates from thirty-five countries attended the seminar and robust participation by NGOs from both sides of the Mediterranean yielded spirited discussion and specific recommendations for future OSCE efforts to combat discrimination.
Prior to joining the seminar, the Co-Chairman traveled to Jerusalem for a private meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. The two discussed prospects for negotiations toward a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict following the Annapolis conference, as well as continued threats to Israel’s security including Iran’s ongoing nuclear program.
Co-Chairman Hastings also met with Jordanian Ambassador to Israel, Ali Al-Ayed, to discuss his country’s views on the security situation in the region as well as the impact of the massive displacement of Iraqi citizens, including more than a half million who have sought refuge in Jordan. More than 4.7 million Iraqis have been displaced since 2003, including 2 million who have fled to Syria, Jordan and other countries in the region. This is the largest population displacement in the Middle East since 1948. Co-Chairman Hastings has introduced legislation to address this growing humanitarian crisis which provides aid for Jordan and other countries in the region that are hosting Iraqi refugees.
The Co-Chairman’s visit also included a briefing by Israel’s Director for relations with the United Nations and International Organizations and a tour of a newly constructed desalination facility in Ashkalon, the largest in the region. Desalination is a critical part of the social and economic infrastructure of the Middle East as it is in the Co-Chairman’s congressional district and the entire State of Florida.
Under the broad theme “Combating Intolerance and Discrimination and Promoting Mutual Respect and Understanding,” seminar participants examined such topics as the implementation of OSCE tolerance-related commitments in the participating States and the Mediterranean Partners for Cooperation and lessons learned; promoting respect for cultural and religious diversity and facilitating dialogue; and countering discrimination in the OSCE and Partner states.
In his opening remarks to the session on Countering Discrimination in the OSCE Participating States and the Mediterranean Partners for Cooperation, Co-Chairman Hastings pointed out that combating discrimination against individuals because of their race, religion, national origin or gender is a core principle of the Helsinki Process and is essential to stable, productive, democratic societies.
“The reality,” said Hastings, “is that none of our societies is immune from the ignorance, indifference or outright hatred that fosters discrimination, intolerance, and ultimately destruction of every sort.”
Co-Chairman Hastings noted that hate crimes had increased 8% in the U.S. during 2007 amidst the resurgence of the noose and swastika, unfair equation of Muslims and migrants with terrorism, violent attacks on gays, and the derogatory parodying of minority groups in the media and elsewhere in society.
“Elsewhere in the OSCE, the situation is not any better,” he said. “A number of European countries have voted extremist political parties into office that openly espouse xenophobic, racist, and anti-Semitic views in the name of preserving national identity and security.”
These scene-setting remarks were followed by presentations from a distinguished panel including Slovenian Ambassador, Mr. Stanislav Rascan, European Commission Ambaassador Mr. Lars Erik Lundin, Israeli lawyer Ms. Gali Etzion and Professor Gert Weisskirchen, a Member of the German Bundestag and Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office on Combating anti-Semitism. Their remarks, and the discussion that followed, focused on combating discrimination through legal measures, including legislative initiatives, as well as implementation by courts; education, in particular for young people; special challenges regarding discrimination against women, including religious laws; and the necessity of continuing dialogue between governments, parliaments and NGOs on ways and means to empower individual citizens.
In his closing remarks, Co-Chairman Hastings strongly urged the participants to focus on implementation of anti-discrimination laws and regulations and promotion of civic programs that encourage tolerance. He pointed out that all of us as individuals, and in particular government officials, have an obligation to combat intolerance and discrimination, as well as promote mutual respect and understanding. Hastings also stated his intention to visit all Mediterranean Partner countries within a year in his capacity as Special Representative for Mediterranean Affairs of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly.
On May 16, 2008, Co-Chairman Hastings again traveled to Israel, accompanying Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, and other senior Members of Congress to mark Israel’s 60th Anniversary. Co-Chairman Hastings and the delegation met with President Peres, Prime Minister Olmert, Defense Minister Barak and Foreign Minister Livni, as well as with the leaders of the Jewish, Christian and Muslim communities in Jerusalem. The Co-Chairman also accompanied Speaker Pelosi on a side trip to Baghdad where they met with Prime Minister Maliki and the Speaker of the Iraqi Parliament, the Council.
December 2008 offered the opportunity for Co-Chairman Hastings to fulfill his promise to the OSCE Mediterranean Partners Seminar and again visit all the Mediterranean Partner countries. The Co-Chairman traveled to Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Egypt and Israel where he met with parliamentarians and senior government officials. Co-Chairman Hastings also met with Jordanian officials in Egypt and expressed his intention to visit Jordan to complete his tour of the region in 2009. For details of the Co-Chairman’s December 2008 visit, see “U.S. Helsinki Commission Co-Chairman Alcee L. Hastings Visits OSCE Mediterranean Partners to Advance Regional Cooperation,” Helsinki Commission Digest, Volume 40, Number 34.
Citizenship and Political Rights
Equality of Opportunity for Men and Women
Freedom of Association
Freedom of Thought, Conscience, and Religion or Belief | <urn:uuid:260d57a4-683f-40e6-8a7e-c15ee12bdbaa> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.csce.gov/index.cfm?FuseAction=ContentRecords.ViewDetail&ContentRecord_id=458&ContentType=G&ContentRecordType=G&UserGroup_id=149®ion_id=149&year=0&month=0&Subaction=Reports&CFID=14096495&CFTOKEN=74247092 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.944511 | 1,418 | 1.726563 | 2 |
Last week, the Copyright Office published in the Federal Register thefinal decision of the Copyright Royalty Board on the statutory rates for Internet radio royalties - royalties paid by webcasters for the noninteractive streaming of sound recordings. As we have made clear before, these are royalties that are paid in addition to the royalties paid to ASCAP, BMI and SESAC for the public performance of the musical compositions (see our memo on Using Music in Digital Media, here, that explains the difference between the sound recording and musical composition royalties). The rates adopted by the CRB are the rates to be paid by any webcaster who has not elected alternative rates available under one of the many settlement agreements between SoundExchange and groups of webcasters, which were entered into under the Webcaster Settlement Acts. The Final Decision corrects a few typos in the initial decision, but otherwise leaves the substantive holdings of the decision unchanged. We described those holdings here. While the publication of the final decision starts the clock running on filing an appeal, the new rates are unchanged from those that were in effect for 2010 for commercial webcasters who had not elected any available alternative set of rates. Thus, these webcasters will continue to pay at the rate of $.0019 per "performance" (a performance being one listener listening to one song - e.g. if there are 100 people listening to a stream that plays 10 songs in an hour - there are 1000 performances in that hour) for the remainder of 2011. The publication of these rates has, however, triggered a number of questions about the comparative royalties that different Internet radio services pay for streaming music on the Internet - rates summarized below.
As set out below in detail, there are significant differences in the royalties paid by different services for the 2011-2015 royalty period. Broadcasters who are streaming their programming on the Internet pay lower per performance royalties than webcasters paying the statutory rate in the first years of the 5 year period, but higher rates at the end of the period. (See a summary of the Broadcaster royalty agreement here). "Pureplay" webcasters, like Pandora, pay significantly lower per performance royalties than either broadcasters or those paying under the statutory rate, but are required to pay a minimum fee of 25% of the gross revenue of their entire business - ruling out these lower rates as an option for any service that has lines of business other than webcasting. (See a summary of the Pureplay deal here). The broadcaster deal and that which applies to the Pureplay webcasters were both arrived at pursuant to settlements reached under the two Webcaster Settlement Acts, passed in 2008 and 2009. These allowed the groups covered by these agreements to negotiate with SoundExchange over the rates that would cover the industry for the digital noninteractive performances of sound recordings. The statutory rates were arrived at by a decision of the Copyright Royalty Judges after litigation which took place last year.
The differing royalty rates for these three groups of webcasters can be summarized as set forth below.
Broadcasters Per Performance Royalties
- 2011 - $.0017 per performance
- 2012 - $.0020 per performance
- 2013 - $.0022 per performance
- 2014 - $.0023 per performance
- 2015 - $.0025 per performance
Statutory Webcasting Per Performance Royalty Rates
- 2011 - $.0019 per performance
- 2012 - $.0021 per performance
- 2013 - $.0021 per performance
- 2014 - $.0023 per performance
- 2015 - $.0023 per performance
Pureplay Webcasters Per Performance Royalty Rates
- 2011 - $.00102 per performance
- 2012 - $.00110 per performance
- 2013 - $.00120 per performance
- 2014 - $.00130 per performance
- 2015 - $.00140 per performance
As set forth above, there are different aspects to each of these rates that bring different benefits and costs. Pureplay webcasters pay the higher of the per performance royalties set out above and 25% of their gross revenue for all business lines - hence the name "pureplay", as only businesses that do virtually nothing but webcasting can benefit from these rates. Broadcasters actually get an additional benefit from their rates that is not available to other webcasters - where they are simulcasting their on-air signals, they need not abide by the Performance Complement - which limits the number of songs from the same artist that other webcasters can play within specified periods (see the details on this waiver here).
What do these rates mean? On a cost per thousand basis, services playing 10 songs an hour to 1000 listeners would be paying $10.20 per hour under the Pureplay deal, $17.00 an hour under the Broadcaster deal, and $19.00 an hour under the rates set out in the CRB decision. By 2015, those rates would be $14.00 under the Pureplay deal, $25.00 per hour under the Broadcaster deal, and $23.00 per hour under the CRB decision. Obviously, to pay for such royalties, broadcaster and statutory webcasters will either need to sell more commercials, or sell at a higher CPM than would a Pureplay webcaster.
There are other rates available under these and other deals to smaller entities who cannot afford the per performance royalties set out above (though there is always some question about whether the services that pay these per performance royalties can really afford them). For small commercial webcasters with less than $1.25 million in annual revenue, they can pick a percentage of revenue royalty of 10-12% of gross revenues for services with less than 5 million aggregate tuning hours per month, or 12-14% for those with more monthly hours. Noncommercial services can pay at several different rates - including a royalty structure with limited reporting requirements and higher per performance fess if certain minimum listening levels are exceeded, or one with more reporting but lower royalties after the minimum levels are exceeded (see our comparison, here). NPR stations have their own deal - where streaming is paid for all affiliated stations by CPB.
It is a confusing royalty world - with services paying differing amounts for essentially the same service. These rates will be in place until the end of 2015. After that, who knows what rates will apply - as there will either be new negotiations for new rates, or another CRB proceeding to set rates for the industry. | <urn:uuid:7573752f-bac1-4716-86a5-12ac459c37d4> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.lexology.com/library/detail.aspx?g=e2b64337-50d5-4f33-9cdd-e2abdc64020e | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00003-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.944954 | 1,309 | 1.585938 | 2 |
City Street Map
Roseville is divided between two school districts consistently ranked among the best in the state: Mounds View School District 621
and Roseville Area School District 623
. The northwest corner of the city is in the Mounds View School District. Click on the City street map on the right to view the map fullscreen. The school district boundary lines are represented by blue dashes.
Roseville is also home to: | <urn:uuid:07e2e340-f827-4329-bfe7-6e5162b39adc> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.cityofroseville.com/index.aspx?NID=252 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00001-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.959566 | 90 | 1.570313 | 2 |
Art Institute of Pittsburgh to host 48-hour Global Game Jam workshop
By Kim Leonard
Published: Friday, January 25, 2013, 12:01 a.m.
Updated: Tuesday, February 19, 2013
A 48-hour computer gaming marathon this weekend is billed as the world's largest game-creation event.
More than 130 students, professional game developers and enthusiasts will work around the clock at the Art Institute of Pittsburgh, taking an idea for a video game and turning it into a playable prototype.
Similar events will run at 100 other locations worldwide. About 10,000 people in 47 countries took part last year.
The Downtown school will host the 48-hour Global Game Jam Pittsburgh for the second time in five years, and provide coffee.
Computer gamers, called “Jammers,” enter the challenge individually and pick teammates during the contest, or arrive as a group. Either way, they'll get a theme when the event starts at 6 p.m. Friday, then start brainstorming.
In contrast to the jam's two- to five-person teams working at a frenzied pace to come up with a rudimentary game, slick, multi-feature games released commercially may involve 30 to 100 people working for a year or two, said Sabrina Culyba, who coordinates the event for the Pittsburgh chapter of the International Game Developers Association.
The video game industry is big. For all of 2012, total game sales topped $13.2 billion, despite a 22 percent decline from the previous year.
The industry is changing rapidly, as more game enthusiasts move from PCs and laptops to online or mobile play.
Global Game Jam Pittsburgh is not a contest per se, although sponsors will provide prizes such as tablet computers or software when the event ends on Sunday night.
“The event is about the participation and the game industry as a whole, experimenting together for the weekend,” said Culyba, a game developer at Schell Games LLC in the South Side.
The Global Game Jam, billed as the world's largest game creation event, starts when a secret theme is revealed. The 2012 theme was a drawing of a snake eating its tail.
Jammers are asked to refrain from talking about the theme on social media websites until the last group, in Hawaii, gets it at 10 p.m. Eastern time, Culyba said.
Participants use their own laptops, or Art Institute computers in classrooms. They work on Apple Macs, Windows PCs or other platforms and decide whether their game will run on a game console such as X-box or Playstation, the Internet or a mobile phone. They're urged to bring sleeping bags, deodorant and extra clothes.
Young jammers have the chance to network with industry professionals.
“Last year, I know three or four of the jammers got hired by one of our judges,” Culyba said.
Enrollment for the game challenge has more than doubled from about 50 people a few years ago, said Hans Westman, chairman of the game art and design and media arts and animation programs at the Art Institute.
Most jammers are students, with heavy participation from the Art Institute and Carnegie Mellon University. Technology companies Mozilla and Google are among the sponsors.
The Art Institute has about 265 students studying game design and related fields, Westman said.
Kim Leonard is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. She can be reached at 412-380-5606 or email@example.com.
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Subscribe today! Click here for our subscription offers. | <urn:uuid:0ddce93c-b84c-4ba9-af53-994808bd3ce7> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://triblive.com/business/headlines/3355850-74/game-art-institute | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705953421/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120553-00005-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.931803 | 887 | 1.53125 | 2 |
1 The Lord said to Moses, "Depart; go up from here, you and the people whom you have brought up out of the land of Egypt, to the land of which I swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, saying, To your offspring I will give it. 2 I will send an angel before you, and I will drive out the Canaanites, the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. 3 Go up to a land flowing with milk and honey; but I will not go up among you, lest I consume you on the way, for you are a stiff-necked people." 4 When the people heard this disastrous word, they mourned, and no one put on his ornaments. 5 For the Lord had said to Moses, "Say to the people of Israel, You are a stiff-necked people; if for a single moment I should go up among you, I would consume you. So now take off your ornaments, that I may know what to do with you." 6 Therefore the people of Israel stripped themselves of their ornaments, from Mount Horeb onward.
7 The Tent of Meeting
7 Now Moses used to take the tent and pitch it outside the camp, far off from the camp, and he called it the tent of meeting. And everyone who sought the Lord would go out to the tent of meeting, which was outside the camp. 8 Whenever Moses went out to the tent, all the people would rise up, and each would stand at his tent door, and watch Moses until he had gone into the tent. 9 When Moses entered the tent, the pillar of cloud would descend and stand at the entrance of the tent, and the Lord[a] would speak with Moses.
10 And when all the people saw the pillar of cloud standing at the entrance of the tent, all the people would rise up and worship, each at his tent door. 11 Thus the Lord used to speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend. When Moses turned again into the camp, his assistant Joshua the son of Nun, a young man, would not depart from the tent.
12 Moses' Intercession
12 Moses said to the Lord, "See, you say to me, Bring up this people, but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. Yet you have said, I know you by name, and you have also found favor in my sight. 13 Now therefore, if I have found favor in your sight, please show me now your ways, that I may know you in order to find favor in your sight. Consider too that this nation is your people." 14 And he said, "My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest." 15 And he said to him, "If your presence will not go with me, do not bring us up from here. 16 For how shall it be known that I have found favor in your sight, I and your people? Is it not in your going with us, so that we are distinct, I and your people, from every other people on the face of the earth?"
17 And the Lord said to Moses, "This very thing that you have spoken I will do, for you have found favor in my sight, and I know you by name." 18 Moses said, "Please show me your glory." 19 And he said, "I will make all my goodness pass before you and will proclaim before you my name The Lord. And I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy. 20 But," he said, "you cannot see my face, for man shall not see me and live."
21 And the Lord said, "Behold, there is a place by me where you shall stand on the rock, 22 and while my glory passes by I will put you in a cleft of the rock, and I will cover you with my hand until I have passed by.
23 Then I will take away my hand, and you shall see my back, but my face shall not be seen."
Top 10 sermons on Exodus 33
- Living in His Presence
- The Power of His presence
- God, Show Me Your Glory!
- Seeing the Glory of God
- The Secret of Success | <urn:uuid:5df7d4f3-e109-4800-931b-621bd0330b3b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.sermoncentral.com/bible/esv/Exodus-33.asp | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00002-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.977661 | 902 | 1.789063 | 2 |
G’Shoals Council discusses gravel trucks
November 29, 2012, 10:55 pm by Alexandria Randolph
Granite Shoals Council discussed regulating heavy material trucks in a meeting Thursday night.
City Manager Judy Miller said that she added the issue of gravel trucks to the agenda after residents and city employees had noticed a recent increase in mining activity and industrial truck travel through the city.
"I’ve had residents tell me that trucks have gotten lost winding through the residential area,” Miller said in a presentation to council.
The council discussed adding an ordinance that would define mining as a land use.
"This has been talked about for many, many years,” said Councilmember Shirley King. "I think it’s about time we do have a mining ordinance.”
City Attorney Brad Young said that a previous ordinance considered by council was stringent.
"What this does is classify mining as a nuisance- that’s the bolder approach,” he said. "The conservative approach would be to define mining as a land use and identify zones for mining... The other regulatory approach is to regulate the trucks themselves.”
Councilmember Peggy Metzger had done research on the damage done to city streets by heavy weight trucks.
"An 18-wheeler typically weighs 80,000 pounds,” Metzger
said. "I don’t think there’s any question that they are contributing to the
damage to our roads.”
For more on this story, see Tuesday's Highlander.
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homilies of St. John Chrysostom,
archbishop of constantinople,
first epistle of St. paul the apostle
1 Thessalonians i. 1-3
“Paul, and Silvanus, and Timothy, unto the Church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace to you, and peace. 928 We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers; remembering without ceasing your work of faith and labor of love and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, before our God and Father.”
Wherefore then, when writing to the Ephesians, 929 and having Timothy with him, did he not include him with himself (in his salutation), known as he was to them and admired, for he says, “Ye know the proof of him, that as a child serveth the father, so he served with me in the Gospel” (Philip. ii. 22.); and again, “I have no man like-minded who will care truly for your state” (Philip. 2.20.); but here he does associate him with himself? It seems to me, that he was about to send him immediately, and it was superfluous for him to write, who would overtake the letter. For he says, “Him therefore I hope to send forthwith.” (Philip. ii. 23.) But here it was not so; but he had just returned to him, so that he naturally joined in the letter. For he says, “Now when Timothy came from you unto us.” (1 Thess. iii. 6.) But why does he place Silvanus before him, 930 though he testifies to his numberless good qualities, and prefers him above all? Perhaps Timothy wished and requested him to do so from his great humility; for when he saw his teacher so humble-minded, as to associate his disciple with himself, he would much the more have desired this, and eagerly sought it. For he says,
“Paul, and Silvanus, and Timothy, unto the Church of the Thessalonians.” Here he gives himself no title—not “an Apostle,” not “a Servant”; I suppose, because the men were newly instructed, and had not yet had any experience of him, 931 he does not apply the title; and it was as yet the beginning of his preaching to them.
“To the Church of the Thessalonians,” he says. And well. For it is probable there were few, and they not yet formed into a body; on this account he consoles them with the name of the Church. For where much time had passed, and the congregation of the Church was large, he does not apply this term. But because the name of the Church is for the most part a name p. 324 of multitude, and of a system 932 now compacted, on this account he calls them by that name.
“In God the Father,” he says, “and the Lord Jesus Christ.” “Unto the Church of the Thessalonians,” he says, “which is in God.” Behold again the expression, “in,” 933 applied both to the Father and to the Son. For there were many assemblies, 934 both Jewish and Grecian; but he says, “to the (Church) that is in God.” It is a great dignity, and to which there is nothing equal, that it is “in God.” God grant therefore that this Church may be so addressed! But I fear that it is far from that appellation. For if any one were the servant of sin, he cannot be said to be “in God.” If any one walks not according to God, he cannot be said to be “in God.” 935
“Grace be unto you, and peace.” 936 Do you perceive that the very commencement of his Epistle is with encomiums? “We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers.” For to give thanks to God for them is the act of one testifying to their great advancement, when they are not only praised themselves, but God also is thanked for them, as Himself having done it all. He teaches them also to be moderate, all but saying, that it is all of the power of God. That he gives thanks for them, therefore, is on account of their good conduct, but that he remembers them in his prayers, proceeds from his love towards them. Then as he often does, he says that he not only remembers them in his prayers, but apart from his prayers. “Remembering without ceasing,” he says, “your work of faith and labor of love and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, before our God and Father.” What is remembering without ceasing? Either remembering before God and the Father, or remembering your labor of love that is before God and the Father, or simply, “Remembering you without ceasing.” Then again, that you may not think that this “remembering you without ceasing” is said simply, he has added, “before our God and Father.” And because no one amongst men was praising their actions, no one giving them any reward, he says this, “You labor before God.” What is “the work of faith”? That nothing has turned aside your steadfastness. For this is the work of faith. If thou believest, suffer all things; if thou dost not suffer, thou dost not believe. For are not the things promised such, that he who believes would choose to suffer even ten thousand deaths? The kingdom of heaven is set before him, and immortality, and eternal life. He therefore who believes will suffer all things. Faith then is shown through his works. Justly might one have said, not merely did you believe, but through your works you manifested it, through your steadfastness, through your zeal.
And your labor “of love.” Why? what labor is it to love? Merely to love is no labor at all. But to love genuinely is great labor. For tell me, when a thousand things are stirred up that would draw us from love, and we hold out against them all, is it not labor? For what did not these men suffer, that they might not revolt from their love? Did not they that warred against the Preaching go to Pauls host, and not having found him, drag Jason before the rulers of the city? (Acts 17:5, 6.) Tell me, is this a slight labor, when the seed had not yet taken root, to endure so great a storm, so many trials? And they demanded security of him. And having given security, he says, Jason sent away Paul. 937 Is this a small thing, tell me? Did not Jason expose himself to danger for him? and this he calls a labor of love, because they were thus bound to him.
And observe: first he mentions their good actions, then his own, that he may not seem to boast, nor yet to love them by anticipation. 938 “And patience,” he says. For that persecution was not confined to one time, but was continual, and they warred not only with Paul, the teacher, but with his disciples also. For if they were thus affected towards those who wrought miracles, those venerable men; what think you were their feelings towards those who dwelt among them, their fellow-citizens, who had all of a sudden revolted from them? Wherefore this also he testifies of them, saying, “For ye became imitators of the Churches of God which are in Judæa.”
“And of hope,” he says, “in our Lord Jesus Christ, before our God and Father.” For all these things proceed from faith and hope, so that what happened to them showed not their fortitude only, but that they believed with full assurance in the rewards laid up for them. For on this account God permitted that persecutions should arise immediately, that no one might say, that the Preaching was established lightly or by flattery, and that their fervor might be shown, and that it was not human persuasion, but the power of God, that persuaded the souls of the believers, so that they were prepared even for ten thousand deaths, which would not have been the case, if the Preaching had not immediately been deeply fixed and remained unshaken.
p. 325 1 Thess. 1:4, 5. “Knowing, brethren beloved of God, your election, how that our Gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance; even as ye know what manner of men we showed ourselves among 939 you for your sake.”
Knowing what? How “we showed ourselves among you”? Here he also touches upon his own good actions, but covertly. For he wishes first to enlarge upon their praises, and what he says is something of this sort. I knew that you were men of great and noble sort, that you were of the Elect. For this reason we also endure all things for your sake. For this, “what manner of men we showed ourselves among you,” is the expression of one showing that with much zeal and much vehemence we were ready to give up our lives for your sake; and for this thanks are due not to us, but to you, because ye were elect. On this account also he says elsewhere, “And these things I endure for the Elects sake.” (2 Tim. ii. 10.) For what would not one endure for the sake of Gods beloved ones? And having spoken of his own part, he all but says, For if you were both beloved and elect, we suffer all things with reason. For not only did his praise of them confirm them, but his reminding them that they too themselves had displayed a fortitude corresponding to their zeal: he says,
1 Thess. 1.6. “And ye became imitators of us, and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Ghost.”
Strange! what an encomium is here! The disciples have suddenly become teachers! They not only heard the word, but they quickly arrived at the same height with Paul. But this is nothing; for see how he exalts them, saying, “Ye became imitators of the Lord.” How? “Having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Ghost.” Not merely with affliction, but with much affliction. And this we may learn from the Acts of the Apostles, how they raised a persecution against them. (Acts xvii. 5-8.) And they troubled all the rulers of the city, and they instigated the city against them. And it is not enough to say, ye were afflicted indeed, and believed, and that grieving, but even rejoicing. Which also the Apostles did: “Rejoicing,” it is said, “that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the Name.” (Acts v. 41.) For it is this that is admirable. Although neither is that a slight matter, in any way to bear afflictions. But this now was the part of men surpassing human nature, and having, as it were, a body incapable of suffering.
But how were they imitators of the Lord? Because He also endured many sufferings, but rejoiced. For He came to this willingly. For our sakes He emptied Himself. He was about to be spit upon, to be beaten and crucified, and He so rejoiced in suffering these things, that He said to the Father, “Glorify Me.” (John xvii. 1-5.)
“With joy of the Holy Ghost,” he says. That no one may say, how speakest thou of “affliction”? how “of joy”? how can both meet in one? he has added, “with joy of the Holy Ghost.” The affliction is in things bodily, and the joy in things spiritual. How? The things which happened to them were grievous, but not so the things which sprang out of them, for the Spirit does not allow it. 940 So that it is possible both for him who suffers, not to rejoice, when one suffers for his sins; and being beaten to take pleasure, when one suffers for Christs sake. For such is the joy of the Spirit. In return for the things which appear to be grievous, it brings out delight. They have afflicted you, he says, and persecuted you, but the Spirit did not forsake you, even in those circumstances. As the Three Children in the fire were refreshed with dew, 941 so also were you refreshed in afflictions. But as there it was not of the nature of the fire to sprinkle dew, but of the “whistling wind,” 942 so also here it was not of the nature of affliction to produce joy, but of the suffering for Christs sake, and of the Spirit bedewing them, and in the furnace of temptation setting them at ease. Not merely with joy, he says, but “with much joy.” For this is of the Holy Spirit.
1 Thess. 1.7. “So that ye became ensamples 943 to all that believe in Macedonia and Achaia.”
And yet it was later that he went to them. But ye so shone, he says, that ye became teachers of those who received (the word) before you. And this is like the Apostle. For he did not say, so that ye became ensamples in regard to believing, but ye became an ensample to those who already believed; how one ought to believe in God, ye taught, who from the very beginning entered into your conflict.
“And in Achaia,” he says; that is, in Greece.
Do you see how great a thing is zeal? that it does not require time, nor delay, nor procrastination, but it is sufficient only to venture ones self, and all is fulfilled. Thus then though coming in later to the Preaching, they became teachers of those who were before them.
Moral. Let no one therefore despair, even though he has lost much time, and has done nothing. It is possible for him even in a little p. 326 while to do so much, as he never has done in all his former time. For if he who before did not believe, shone so much at the beginning, how much more those who have already believed! Let no one, again, upon this consideration be remiss, because he perceives that it is possible in a short time to recover everything. For the future is uncertain, and the Day of the Lord is a thief, setting upon us suddenly when we are sleeping. But if we do not sleep, it will not set upon us as a thief, nor carry us off unprepared. For if we watch and be sober, it will not set upon us as a thief, but as a royal messenger, summoning us to the good things prepared for us. But if we sleep, it comes upon us as a thief. Let no one therefore sleep, nor be inactive in virtue, for that is sleep. Do you not know how, when we sleep, our goods are not in safety, how easy they are to be plotted against? But when we are awake, there needs not so much guarding. When we sleep, even with much guarding we often perish. There are doors, and bolts, and guards, and outer guards, and the thief has come upon us.
Why then do I say this? Because, if we wake we shall not need the help of others; but if we sleep, the help of others will profit us nothing, but even with this we perish. It is a good thing to enjoy the prayer of the Saints, but it is when we ourselves also are on the alert. And what need, you say, have I of anothers prayer, if I am on the alert myself. And in sooth, do not place yourself in a situation to need it; I do not wish that you should; but we are always in need of it, if we think rightly. Paul did not say, what need have I of prayer? and yet those who prayed were not worthy of him, 944 or rather not equal to him; and you say, what need have I of prayer? Peter did not say, What need have I of prayer, for “prayer,” it says, “was made earnestly of the Church unto God for him.” (Acts xii. 5.) And thou sayest, What need have I of prayer? On this account thou needest it, because thou thinkest that thou hast no need. Yea, though thou become as Paul, thou hast need of prayer. Do not exalt thyself, lest thou be humbled.
But, as I said, if we be active also ourselves, the prayers for us avail too. Hear Paul saying, “For I know that this shall turn to my salvation, through your supplication, and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ.” (Philip. i. 19.) And again, “That for the gift bestowed upon us by means of many, thanks may be given by many persons on our behalf.” (2 Cor. i. 11.) And thou sayest, what need have I of prayer? But if we be idle, no one will be able to profit us. What did Jeremiah profit the Jews? Did he not thrice draw nigh to God, and the third time hear, “Pray not thou for this people, neither lift up cry nor prayer, for I will not hear thee”? (Jer. vii. 16.) What did Samuel profit Saul? Did he not mourn for him even to his last day, and not merely pray for him only? What did he profit the Israelites? Did he not say, “God forbid that I should sin in ceasing to pray for you”? (1 Sam. xii. 23.) Did they not all perish? Do prayers then, you say, profit nothing? They profit even greatly: but it is when we also do something. For prayers indeed coöperate and assist, but a man coöperates with one 945 that is operating, and assists one that is himself also working. But if thou remainest idle, thou wilt receive no great benefit.
For if prayers had power to bring us to the kingdom while we do nothing, why do not all the Greeks become Christians? Do we not pray for all the world? Did not Paul also do this? Do we not intreat that all may be converted? Why do not the wicked become good without contributing anything of themselves? Prayers, then, profit greatly, when we also contribute our own parts.
Would you learn how much prayers have profited? consider, I pray, Cornelius, Tabitha. (Acts 10:3, Acts 9:36.) Hear also Jacob saying to Laban, “Except the Fear of my father had been with me, surely thou hadst now sent me away empty.” (Gen. xxxi. 42.) Hear also God again, saying, “I will defend this city for Mine own sake, and for My servant Davids sake.” (2 Kings ix. 34.) But when? In the time of Hezekiah, who was righteous. Since if prayers availed even for the extremely wicked, why did not God say this also when Nebuchadnezzar came, and why did He give up the city? Because wickedness availed more. Again, Samuel himself also prayed for the Israelites, and prevailed. But when? When they also pleased God, then they put their enemies to flight. And what need, you say, of prayer from another, when I myself please God? Never, O man, say this. There is need, aye, and need of much prayer. For hear God saying concerning the friends of Job; “And he shall pray for you, and your sin shall be forgiven you.” 946 (Job xlii. 8.) Because they had sinned indeed, but not a great sin. But this just man, who then saved his friends by prayer, in the season of the Jews was not able to save the Jews who were perishing. And that you may learn this, hear God saying through the prophet; “If Noah, Daniel, and Job stood, they shall not deliver their sons and their daughters.” (Ezek. 14:14, 16.) Because wickedness prevailed. And again, “Though Moses and Samuel stood.” (Jer. xv. 1.)
And see how this is said to the two Prophets, p. 327 because both prayed for them, and did not prevail. For Ezekiel says, “Ah Lord, dost thou blot out the residue of Israel?” (Ezek. ix. 8.) Then showing that He does this justly, He shows him their sins; and showing that not through despising him does He refuse to accept his supplication for them, he says, Even these things are enough even to persuade thee, that not despising thee, but on account of their many sins, I do not accept thy supplication. Nevertheless He adds, “Though. Noah, Job, and Daniel stood.” (From Ezek. xiv.) And with good reason does He the rather say this to him, because it is he who suffered so many things. Thou badest me, he says, eat upon dung, and I ate upon it. 947 Thou badest me, and I shaved my head. Thou badest me, and I lay upon one side. Thou badest me go out through a hole in the wall, bearing a burden, and I went out. Thou tookest away my wife, and badest me not mourn, and I did not mourn, but bore it with fortitude. (Ezek. xxiv. 18.) Ten thousand other things have I wrought for their sake: I entreat for them, and dost Thou not comply? Not from despising thee, says he, do I do this, but though Noah, Job, and Daniel were there, and were entreating for sons and daughters, I would not comply.
And again to Jeremiah, who suffered less from the commandments of God, but more from their wickedness, what does He say? “Seest thou not what these do?” (Jer. vii. 17.) “Yea,” he says, “they do so—but do Thou do it for my sake.” On this account He says to him, “Though Moses and Samuel stood.” Their first lawgiver, who often delivered them from dangers, who had said, “If now thou forgivest their sins, forgive it; but if not, blot me out also.” (Ex. xxxii. 32, Sept.) If therefore he were now alive, and spoke thus, he would not have prevailed,—nor would Samuel, again, who himself also delivered them, and who from his earliest youth was admired. For to the former indeed I said, that I conversed with him as a friend with a friend, and not by dark sayings. And of the latter I said, that in his first youth I was revealed to him, and that on his account, being prevailed upon, I opened the prophecy that had been shut up. For “the word of the Lord,” it is said, “was precious in those days; there was no open vision.” (1 Sam. iii. 1.) If these men, therefore, stood before Me, they would profit nothing. And of Noah He says, “Noah was a righteous man, and perfect in his generations.” (Gen. vi. 9.) And concerning Job, He was “blameless, just, true, fearing God.” (Job i. 1, Sept.) And concerning Daniel, whom they even thought a God; and they will not deliver, says he, their sons and daughters. Knowing these things, therefore, let us neither despise the prayers of the Saints, nor throw everything upon them: that we may not, on the one hand, be indolent and live carelessly; nor on the other deprive ourselves of a great advantage. But let us both beseech them to pray and lift up the hand for us, and let us adhere to virtue; that we may be able to obtain the blessings promised to those who love Him by the grace and loving-kindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, with whom, &c.
[Some mss. and editions add, “from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ,” as it is added in Text. Rec. of the N.T.—J.A.B.]323:929
This mistake cannot be charged on the transcribers, as Timothy is mentioned in Philip. i. 1 [and it is Philippians that he proceeds to quote from.—J.A.B.]323:930
[The natural explanation is that Silas was an older man, Timothy being at the time of writing 1 Thess. (prob. A.D. 52) quite young, and indeed still noticeably young a dozen years later (1 Tim. iv. 12.). Chrys. seems to have made no systematic study of the chronology of the Epistles.—J.A.B.]323:931
αὐτοῦ, perhaps “of the thing.”324:932
[Here the same Greek word (systema) is translated “body,” “congregation,” and “system.”—J.A.B.]324:933
[Most editions have “the word God,” and one ms. has “in God,” both obviously alterations, and really unsuitable to the connection.—J.A.B.]324:934
ἐκκλησίαι. Churches, or assemblies. New converts would be more familiar with the word in its secular sense.324:935
[Most editions omit this sentence, but it is found in several mss., and the amplification is quite after the manner of Chrys.—J.A.B.]324:936
[This seems to belong (as Hales suggested) after the next sentence, which is a remark upon the foregoing.—J.A.B.]324:937
See Acts xvii. 9.324:938
προλήψει. Assuming good of them before trial.325:939
[It is very doubtful whether Rev. Ver. of N.T. is here right in omitting ἐν (as in 1 Thess. 2.10.), and so translating “towards.” Chrys. has the ἐν, and so must be tr. “among.”—J.A.B.]325:940
οὐκ ἀφίησι. Perhaps, “does not forsake us,” as just below.325:941
Song, ver. 27.325:942
διασυρίζοντος, as Sept. Dan. iii. 28.325:943
[Rev. Ver. right for N.T., “an ensample”; but Chrys. has the plural, employing (as he commonly does) that which spread from Constantinople, and became the prevalent text.—J.A.B.]326:944
i.e. worthy to pray for him.326:945
So B. Edd. om. one, &c.326:946
[Quoting from memory. So below.—J.A.B.]327:947
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A few months ago, I read the memoir of a lieutenant who served in Afghanistan in 2008, which I argue had to have been the most frustrating year to fight in Afghanistan because it was the last year before policy makers had started paying attention to the war again but also one by which the Taliban had been fully reconstituted. The memoir was as depressing as you might imagine, but it was also a great reminder, contra Rajiv, of the incredible people we have sent to war. We have sent our fair share of lemons, true, but also some amazing Americans as well. I got to break bread with Matt Zeller over lunch a few weeks after reading his book and was blown away by the guy, who is something of a national treasure. Hopefully you will be as impressed as I was and will buy his book.
1. Your book opens with you as a somewhat idealistic young officer eager to serve in Afghanistan. It ends with your intense frustrations at the way the war was being fought. Walk me through that transition.
I come from a long tradition of American military service. My great-grandfather nine generations ago served under General Washington in the Continental Army during the War for Independence. My great-great-great-great-grandfather's Civil War Union Army uniform currently hangs in my closet along with the uniforms my great-grandfather wore in Europe in World War I and my grandfather wore in the South Pacific in World War II. So when the 9/11 attacks occurred, I felt a strong sense of not just patriotic duty to serve, but also a familial obligation. I struggled with the question of "how can I look at my children in the future and not do what my ancestors did before me?"I couldn't justify my relatively privileged middle class existence, for I hadn't really earned any of it -- my ancestors had. So after a few weeks of struggling with whether to drop out of school or shirk my civic duty, I walked into a mall in New Hartford, NY to buy a Christmas present and promptly enlisted to the first person I saw in uniform -- a National Guard recruiter. Two years later I earned my officer's commission through ROTC and finished college. Upon graduation, I was awarded the David Boren National Security Fellowship, which allowed me to go to grad school in fall 2004. While at grad school I was recruited into the Central Intelligence Agency. Thus, in the summer of 2007, when I learned my reserve unit would deploy, I had just begun my agency career.
I focused my life to national service because of 9/11 and had hoped to serve in Afghanistan. I wanted revenge. The attacks had both profoundly angered and frightened me. Moreover, I wanted to ensure that I did my part to provide my children with the freedoms my ancestors provided me. I was thrilled to be headed to Afghanistan, for I felt that it was there I could make the most difference. The Army had ordered our unit to undertake the training of the Afghan Army and Police -- which to me, was the most important thing we could be doing in Afghanistan, even more important than killing Taliban, for by leaving a security force behind that could adequately replace us, we could ensure that the Taliban and Al Qaeda would never rise to power in Afghanistan again.
So yeah, I'd say I was overwhelmingly naive when we entered training at Fort Riley, Kansas in January 2008. But my naivety began to morph into angered frustration as we progressed through our pre-deployment training. I'll never forget how nearly every classroom training session began...
A sergeant would stand in front of our group and with an authoritative voice say, "Good Day gentlemen! Today I'm here to tell you how the enemy uses IED's (or whatever weapon/tactic/etc...) in Iraq!" Then they'd turn around to make sure their powerpoint presentation had started. When they'd turn back to face us, caught off guard to find all of our hands would be up. The sergeant would find our Colonel's hand and ask for his question. We'd all lower our heads as the Colonel would say, "Sergeant, we're not headed to Iraq, we're headed to Afghanistan...." The sergeant would get a deer-in-the-headlights look, pause, breathe, regain his composure and say, "well sir, I've never been to Afghanistan, I've only been to Iraq, but I'm sure its all the same..." And we'd resign ourselves to another likely meaningless two hour lecture. By the end of training, we had turned rather jaded, but still anxious to take on the mission.
We entered Afghanistan not really sure of what to make of it -- almost none of us had been there before. We found it to be the 5th World -- calling it the 3rd World is an insult to the 3rd World, for few places on Earth share Afghanistan's level of poverty and destruction. But, few places also share its natural beauty. People instantly loved or hated it there -- I fell in love the 2nd morning as I watched the sun rise over the snow packed mountains that ring Kabul.
That afternoon, the commanding General of CSTC-A at the time, MG Robert Cone, spoke with all 300+ of us -- the newest class of Embedded Combat Advisers. He asked by a show of hands how many people in the room had served in Iraq -- half of the people in the room raised their hands. And then he said the most profound statement I probably heard all of the war, "Men, I want you to understand something right now. This is NOT Iraq. This is Afghanistan. In Iraq, we do everything we MUST to win. Here in Afghanistan, we're doing everything we can." He then went on to contrast the time of response for a QRF in Iraq (which at that time was 12 minutes) to Afghanistan (2-4 hours), the time of flight for a medivac in Iraq (20 minutes) to Afghanistan (1-2 hours)...He told us we'd be alone, work under extremely austere conditions, and that the Army would ask more of us than it would ever be able to give. The speaker who followed him showed video of our predecessors getting blown up by Taliban IEDs and that's when it started to hit home -- not everyone in this room would go home alive.
The next day I packed up my bags and headed to join a convoy on its way to my new post in Ghazni on a small FOB called Vulcan. While loading up my gear I met the guys we were replacing. I asked what their year had been like, was Ghazni dangerous, and had they seen combat. They got really silent and then one of them smiled the strangest smile I had ever seen -- I'd later come to know it as the "I cannot believe I'm going home alive smile" -- and said "yeah man, Ghazni is fucked up. Really fucked up. Don't worry, you'll all earn your CIBs and CABs, every single one of us did..."
Two weeks later I had my Alive Day as I joined 14 of my brothers in an hour long firefight against approximately 45 Taliban who tried to overrun our position as we guarded one of our MRAPs that had just been destroyed by an IED. I ran out of grenades during that fight. The last thing I remember is a mortar round landing about 10 feet in front of me, its blast sending me flying backwards. In that split second between consciouness and the dark, I remember thinking "they're walking the rounds in on us, the next one will almost certainly kill me." When I came too, someone yelled "Zeller, friendlies to your six, DON'T SHOOT!" I lifted my head and saw the most beautiful sight -- three of our unit's hummers flying up the hill behind me. SFC Robinson swung his door open and in his South Carolina drawl exclaimed "Hey sir! I hear you're in a pickle. But I brought ya some help, including my MK-19, where do you need us?" To which both I and CPT Dean pointed to the ridge line at the crest of the hill. SFC Robinson's hummer charged into battle, its MK-19 blazing and the ridge line turned into the napalm scene from Apocalypse Now. The battle ended with all of us, by some miracle, still alive.
Whatever naivety remained on the morning of April 28th 2008, died by 1615 that afternoon, its fate sealed by the RPG rounds that initiated the assault on our positions.
So why this day? Well it personifies MG Cone's speech. Our QRF took an hour -- and they weren't even supposed to be our QRF, they were technically the radio retrans unit sent out to relay our comms as we think the Taliban were jamming us. Our air support consisted of two Dutch F16's, whose pilots didn't speak English and flew off the minute the Taliban attacked us. The 101st that was the actual QRF? They arrived three hours after the fighting stopped. And why were we there in the first place? Because our patrol that day had got lost as our maps were from the 1980's (when the Soviet Union still existed as a nation and fought in Afghanistan) and we ended up going down the wrong road, driving right into a Taliban ambush site. Our initial standard operating procedure following an IED was to secure all casualties and simultaneously assess if we held a defensible position. If not, we were to move to a position that was defensible. We quickly realized our position on a road outside an unfamiliar village, lost in some part of Waghez District, Ghazni Province, was not that defensible and thus we should employ our SOP -- i.e. move to better ground and destroy whatever equipment we couldn't take with us, which in this case was the $1.3 million paperweight that had been our convoy's lead MRAP. We radioed our intentions to the 101st (the unit to which we were op-conned) to which their battalion commander personally responded, "if you don't bring back that blown up vehicle don't bother coming back at all. We don't leave monuments to our failure like the Russians." And thus, our die-in-place mission and my alive day.
From that day forward, I watched as the war slowly fell apart at the hands of our Army's middle management -- typified by that battalion commander. Case and point, GEN McChrystal's tenure in Afghanistan. To me, the most compelling part of the Rolling Stone article is the scene where a sergeant down range writes an email to McChrystal stating he believes GEN McChrystal doesn't get the war and has ordered policies that are killing men on the front lines. GEN McChrystal gets on the next flight to this sergeant's FOB and goes on patrol with the sergeant's unit. Afterwards, he holds an After Action Review with the sergeant and his men in the outpost's makeshift chowhall. During the AAR he notices a laminated list posted on the chowhall's wall that reads something like "Rules of Engagement As Ordered By COMISAF." Upon reading the list, McChrystal says aloud "these aren't my rules." And thus my point, somewhere between GEN McChrystal issuing orders and the point at which these front line soldiers received them, the Army's middle management bureaucracy altered them to be significantly risk adverse.
This risk adverse mentality drove our operations by the end of our tour -- hard as we tried to fight and ignore it, it came to dominate our every movement, or lack thereof. On 26 JUN 2008, a unit in our bridage embarked on a trip from Paktika to Kabul. They ended up taking a route that bisects Logar and Wardak province, a road known as the Tangi Valley Road. In 2008, allied efforts in Afghanistan had two divergent commands, ISAF and CSTC-A. These commands divided the country differently and often had their field units residing on different FOBs. ISAF had all the resources and most of the men, CSTC-A had all the embedded combat advisers training the Afghan Security Forces. ISAF had deemed the Tangi Valley Road a black route. For whatever reason, CSTC-A never put this information out, so when the convoy traveled down the road, they had no idea that they'd drive straight into a horrendous ambush that would leave two of their three hummers destroyed and three US soldiers and one interpreter dead. As a result of this attack, the next day, CSTC-A declared that all of its units (i.e. we mentors) could only travel in convoys with six or more vehilces -- and that we needed to get permission for every mission from an O6 (Colonel) 72 hours prior to each movement. That one, risk adverse call, nearly sidelined us for the remainder of the war. We lived on a base of approximately 40 US soldiers divided into 5 teams. Six vehicle convoys meant that two-three teams had to travel together on each mission. As a result, every time a team went out, two Afghan units went without our mentoring, simply due to this vehicle restriction.
Indeed, throughout my tour, I also saw this middle management come into country for the first time, declare all policies before them to be 100% failure, and attempt to implement some new regime -- simply for the point of implementing new policy. Remember, no-one ever got promoted by maintaining the status quo, regardless of its effectiveness. By the end of our tour, we had two boards in our makeshift TOC -- "You Can't Make This Shit Up" and "Oh My God, Something Actually Went Right." The former had over 100 check marks, the latter had two.
I didn't want to leave Afghanistan this frustrated, but I realized early on that fighting a war with 100% organizational turnover every 365 days accomplished two things -- we repeated the mistakes of our predecessors and we never had a firm consistent set of goals that continuously directed our strategy and actions.
2. The year you spent in Afghanistan was arguably the toughest year of the war for U.S. servicemen -- the year before the Bush and Obama Administrations devoted new resources to the war. Did you feel neglected by the country? Did you feel your efforts were overshadowed by the war in Iraq?
Yes, totally. Look no further than what MG Cone said to us on Day One. Everything we MUST vs. everything we can. We had three route clearance patrol units for all of RC-East during my deployment. By the end of our tour, 80% of our territory was off limits without an RCP leading your travel on a mission. We went from running multiple missions a day to sitting on our FOBs waiting for one of those three RCPs to be available and capable (i.e. not in maintenance or repairs). And if we couldn't drive, flying was hardly an option either. In 2008, we had one aviation brigade for all of RC-E.
I'll never forget sitting in Kuwait, waiting for a flight home to take leave, and having soldier after soldier coming out of Iraq walk up to me and ask we what it was like to fight in a war where there really was a war still going on. That floored me, because they had everything and we had nothing. My FOB didn't have SIPR or even internet -- each man paid $50 a month to a guy named Baktash who lived in Kabul and in return he made sure that the satellite dish we bough received satellite internet, with speeds that rivaled dial-up from the mid 1990's.
The first time I went to Bagram I walked into one of their chowhalls and just stared in disbelief. I hadn't seen an ice machine in 6 months -- I had forgotten what it was like to have choices for food, let alone desert.
3. You served as an analyst in the intelligence community after you served in combat. What is the difference between the perspectives on the war one gets from each job?
As an analyst in the IC I had every tool and resource imaginable at my disposal and I couldn't share almost any of them with the guys who'd benefit most -- the front line soldier. Our military fights at the Secret or SIPR level. The IC fights at the Top Secret level. Very few FOBs in Afghanistan have Top Secret level connectivity, let alone personnel cleared to use top secret information. Its a problem that persists to this day and one we must fix.
Additionally, as an analyst in the IC, I found that there is too much duplication of effort throughout the 16 organizations that make up the US Intelligence Community. As a congressional candidate, I actually called for the consolidation of the IC into one US Department of Intelligence, headed by a Secretary of Intelligence. The current duplication of effort results in a gross waste of scarce budget and personnel resources and serves up too much confusion to US policy makers -- who are left wondering who to believe when Organization A reports the exact opposite of Organization B.
4. If a young man approached you and said he wanted to serve in the U.S. Army, what would you tell him?
That true leadership and respect are earned, always do what's right regardless of difficulty or popularity, always listen to his sergeants, and to only sleep under his sheets in basic training the night before linen turn-in.
5. You ran for Congress after returning from combat. Assuming we need more veterans serving in the Congress, what are some pitfalls that prevent veterans from doing so?
Money. During my run for office I came to realize that too often Americans send the best funded candidate to office, rather than the best candidate. Too much of my election was dedicated to raising money in order to put television ads out in the fall. Unfortunately, many Americans learn about candidates for office via political ads that air on TV -- hence, the importance of fall TV ads. Unfortunately, it costs around $2.2 million to win a seat in the United States House of Representatives. I don't know many veterans with $2.2 million to kick around. Moreover, running for Congress is a full time job (between the meetings with constituents, town halls, debates, fundraising, media events, press interviews, and parades). Thus, anyone who seeks to take on the burden of running for federal office must either have an employer who is willing to keep them on the payroll while they're off running an election, or suffer unemployment.
Regardless, I think veterans make ideal legislators, mayors, governors, and Presidents. Veterans are natural leaders who put their team (i.e. their constituents) and the mission (serving their constituents) ahead of themselves. If we could only take money out of the equation, then I think veterans would trounce any opponent, as they'd be competing on an equal playing field.
6. The last question is always about food or drink. What food or drink did you miss the most while deployed?
Bourbon and a good burger.
Not hard to understand why. Buy Matt's book here. | <urn:uuid:1b0de6d0-b253-494b-884a-4cf698c23171> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.cnas.org/blogs/abumuqawama?page=2 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00015-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.980831 | 3,949 | 1.5 | 2 |
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- Wed Nov 24, 2004 10:04 am
I have been diagnosed with CFIDS about five years back. I am constantly feeling sick still. i will get a low fever. About 97 or 96 and start sweating and shaking like i have a high fever. also the lymph nodes in my arms and hips will swell and in my stomach. I was wondering if this is normal for cfids. it seems to be getting worse. i walk around feeling like i have the flu really bad. and most doctors i have been to don't have any answers for it. I have monitored my diet but it doesn't seem to help. I am getting worried and frustrated. It seems everyone in my family has a history of cancer and i am starting to get a little paranoid. If anyone has suggestions i would be greatful.
| Theresa Jones, RN
- Thu Nov 25, 2004 5:19 am
CFIDS is a mystery illness that is very difficult to treat. There is an exceptionally wide range of symptoms. Chills, night sweats, or a low body temperature are some of the symptoms. If diet changes have not helped you pain or flu like symptoms, you may want to ask you doctor what medications can benefit you. There is a very informative website on this illness called CFIDS Association of America. I hope this helps. | <urn:uuid:aad0b6f1-6538-462f-a9f9-9f35b63b2ac5> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.doctorslounge.com/oncology/forums/backup/topic-2621.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368711005985/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516133005-00019-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.96662 | 323 | 1.617188 | 2 |
Article by Chris Hall, Matt Cottom, Douglas McCaffrey and Craig Heap
continued from part 1
The Margarita is a stone cold classic. It’s got pedigree. Tradition. It’s been around so long that no-one knows who came up with it. Most people seem to agree that it surfaced in Mexico during the 1940s and began to wind its seductive way into popular culture. There are claims that it derives from the American Prohibition cocktail the ‘Daisy’ (Margarita means Daisy in Spanish) with the Brandy replaced by Tequila.
I like this story because it evokes an image of hundreds of thirsty Americans flooding over the southern border, in search of sweet, sweet liquor and making do with the local speciality. Others claim that it was made by a Texan bartender for singer Peggy Lee (ask your Dad).
However it came into being, the Margarita has an elegant simplicity that is at the core of its many variants. Below is the International Bartenders Association (Best. Association. Ever.) recipe for the classic Margarita:
Rub the rim of the glass with the lime slice to make the salt stick to it. Shake the other ingredients with ice, then carefully pour into the glass (taking care not to dislodge any salt). Garnish and serve over ice.
Simplicity itself, although the rimming (hurhurhurhur) can be awkward. It is best to pour salt into a saucer or plate and dip the wetted rim in to coat it evenly. Give the base of the glass a bit of a tap to get rid of excess.
My own preference is to use Triple Sec as opposed to Cointreau, I feel it gives a more pleasant result. Also, I like to have the minimum amount of salt possible on the glass. Everyone will have their own way of making a Margarita. The one I go for is the half and half Tequila and Triple Sec mixture and as much lime juice as you can squeeze out of one of the little green bastards. Sweet and sharp with a clean after-taste, the Margarita can win over even the most ardent of Tequila nay-sayers.
Most variant Margaritas will replace the orange liqueur with another ingredient. Limoncello makes for a tart, bitter citrus experience whilst Blue Curacao will make a bright blue, intensely sweet cocktail. I’ve a mind to try swapping in Midori this summer and enjoying something the colour of Kryptonite. The possibilities are endless.
Margaritas are my favourite summer cocktail as they lack the pretentiousness of other drinks. Three core ingredients that come together quickly and create a clean, crisp and refreshing drink. There’s no messing about with muddling sugar and mint, you don’t need a degree in chemistry or a steady hand. Even the rimming (still funny – I’m 27) is an absolute breeze once your plate of salt is set up and your limes are cut. Do yourself a favour. If the sun ever returns to our fair shores and the BBQ-fever strikes, consider the Margarita for your non-burger flipping hand.
Alright, simmer down at the back there. I’m well aware a jug of Pimm’s is neither the epitome of cool, nor the quickest thing to put together – you have to massacre half a grocery to properly make it. But, when you make it right, you have to admit it’s damned impressive. Everything has its place, and the Pimm’s jug is the ideal summer beverage for when your partner’s parents, the neighbours, the parish priest, your MP – whoever – come to visit.
It’s one made for social sharing, you get all of your five-a-day from just looking at it, and the effort taken to make it is always appreciated by all. It kills a thirst and makes you look classy. All you need is some cucumber sandwiches and the priest will immediately marry you to your partner with her parents’ blessing while the neighbours applaud and the MP fantasises about having a scandalous affair with you, right there and then on the patio. What other drink can do all that?
Serve in a large jug (adjust the Pimm’s and lemonade in accordance with the jug. Remember, it’s 1 part Pimm’s to 3 parts lemonade)
Pour into highball glasses over ice, and decorate with a slices of lemon and/or strawberries.
Dirty Vodka Martini
You know that heat? The really, really hot heat? The heat where you can’t move, can’t think and can’t eat? The problem with that heat is, sooner or later, you’ve had so much that the drink will kill you if you don’t eat – but it’s too hot to eat, and too hot not to drink. What to do?
The answer is simple: you need an aperitif. When you have to build up a hunger, no matter the weather, and keep drinking in style, you need a Dirty Vodka Martini.
So-called because it is made with olive brine (yes, the off-colour liquid your olives float in), the DVM is quick to make, cooling, and like a mini-lunch in a glass. Necking the salty liquid contents of the olive jar may sound revolting, but when mixed with vodka and vermouth it is genuinely delicious. It’s guaranteed to trick your stomach into wanting solid food.
It can be made with gin, but for my palate there’s too much of taste clash between the botanicals and the brine. The inclusion of chilled vodka gives it a sharp clarity which helps whet that appetite.
50ml ice cold vodka
1 tablespoon dry vermouth
2 tablespoons olive brine
3 olives on a stick
Shake the liquid ingredients with ice in a cocktail shaker, strain into a chilled martini glass, add the olives and eat up.
Corn and Oil
Decadence, sleaze and excess distilled into an oozing, soothing, tongue-titillating liquid form. You won’t find Corn and Oil in most cocktail books, and a rudimentary search of the Internet brings up recipes with warnings of how hard it is to make. This is codswallop. Corn and Oil is easy to make: the problem is that it’s so good people quickly develop their own exactingly precise, personal preference.
The (approximate) recipe is:
¼ – ½ shot of velvet falernum
2 – 3 dashes of Angostura bitters
Squeeze of lime
The ingredients themselves are immutable, and while the volumes are more or less similar, an extra dash of bitters or a few more millimetres of falernum can make the difference between mouth-gasm and ‘meh’.
Velvet falernum is a lime liqueur, and quite sweet, so the bitters give balance. It’s like the vermouth in a martini; everyone has their own view on how much is right. It’s bloody hard to find, but find it you must. You will use so little of it and the longevity of the drink means it will last forever. Unless you really like caning Corn and Oils, but you would need to drink 4 bottles of rum to see the end of your falernum.
As to the rum, more or less each recipe you will find will say you must use this rum. Again, that’s just personal preference. They usually say the darker the rum, the better, but I’ve had better results with Mount Gay Eclipse (a golden rum) than Old Vatted Demerara (very dark). Go explore and see what you like, though I would advise against a white rum (please do prove me wrong and let me know, though).
You may be worried that Corn and Oil is not a suitable drink to serve to a guest, given how subjective it is. Don’t worry. Everyone’s first is amazing (most people have never had velvet falernum, so it’s always a new experience); after you’ve opened the door for them, let them go on their own journey of self-discovery to find out how they like their Corn and Oil. Meanwhile, you swagger off like some mystical cocktail-guru. | <urn:uuid:5ff88ee7-5f4c-4742-b1bf-702c47062438> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://rumandreviews.com/2012/04/27/summer-cocktails-part-2/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00015-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.933201 | 1,795 | 1.507813 | 2 |
Comic Book Legends Revealed #340
Welcome to the three hundredth and fortieth in a series of examinations of comic book legends and whether they are true or false. This week, learn the inspiration behind both the Trial of Reed Richards and Knightfall! Plus, did the Katzenjammer Kids have to change their name because of anti-German sentiment during World War I?
Click here for an archive of the previous three hundred and thirty-nine.
COMIC LEGEND: “The Trial of Reed Richards” came about in response to a two-page bit in an issue of Uncanny X-Men.
John Byrne’s classic “Trial of Reed Richards” story from Fantastic Four #262 is one of the most fondly remembered issues from Byrne’s excellent Fantastic Four run.
In it, Reed Richards defends his actions in allowing Galactus to live (as he did in an earlier storyline in Byrne’s Fantastic Four run
arguing that Galactus is beyond ideas of “good” or “evil.”
Interestingly enough (especially following Meta-Messages Month), the story came about in response to a Fantastic Four cameo in Uncanny X-Men that Byrne had no idea was coming!
In Uncanny X-Men #167, Chris Claremont addressed the earlier Fantastic Four storyline (where the Fantastic Four and the Avengers pass up the opportunity to kill Galactus) by having Lilandra pay Reed Richards a visit…
I suppose Claremont was likely irked at the notion that Phoenix “had” to be killed because she destroyed a planet and then Galactus did not. I can’t say for sure what Claremont’s motivation was.
Byrne was shocked to see the Fantastic Four appear in an issue of X-Men without he or his Fantastic Four editor consulted, so he went to the Editor-in-Chief, Jim Shooter, who suggested that Byrne do a “response” to it.
Byrne already had his run all planned out and did not want to have to interject a story like this, but he felt he did need to have some sort of response, so he used the “Assistant Editor’s Month” concept to fit in the Trial storyline.
Byrne even guest-starred in the issue, where it is definitively answered that Galactus is NOT “evil”…
Thanks to reader Bernard the Poet for suggesting this one!
COMIC LEGEND: Peter Milligan originated the idea for Knightfall.
STATUS: False enough for a false
Awhile back, reader Cass noted:
According to something I read…it was Milligan who pitched the idea of Knightfall to Denny O’Neil, even though the actual scripting was passed onto Moench and Dixon.
I posed the question to Milligan awhile back and he gave a general no, but he elaborated even further in an interview with Kiel Phegley in Comic Book Resources’ Bat-Signal feature here.
Getting ready for this interview, I saw a lot of references to you being the person who inspired the Batman mega-epic “Knightfall” before leaving “Detective,” but I never saw confirmation from you on the particulars of that fact. Can you tell me a little about your role in the bigger Bat-plans of the time?
This has all probably got a little out of control, and I can’t throw too much light on it. In fact, I think it was “Sword of Azrael” that I had some influence on…It was towards the end of my tenure on “Detective” (I had some other things I wanted to do, so I asked to leave the book) and I had a meeting with then editor Denny O’Neil. I said that though I wasn’t going to write it, “A good idea would be to…” and I then described something that Denny liked and which morphed into Azrael. I seem to remember getting a call from Alan Grant where he said something like “Ach, Peter. You bastard. Thanks a lot.” There was never ever any sense of DC pinching an idea from me or anything like that, in fact they were pretty generous in recognizing my contribution to the storyline.
When Milligan says “Azrael,” he doesn’t mean Azrael specifically, but rather the notion that there might be a character out there who is “more Batman than Batman himself.”
This, then, inspired O’Neil to do the Knightfall storyline, which was always about how O’Neil wanted to demonstrate that there was a specific need for Bruce Wayne to be Batman and that an “edgy” hero just would not work in the role.
So I think (and I know Milligan agrees) that it is too much of a stretch to go to “Milligan pitched the idea for Knightfall,” although O’Neil has always been quite vocal in crediting Milligan’s involvement in the process.
Thanks to Cass for the suggestion and thanks to Milligan and Phegley for the information!
COMIC LEGEND: The Katzenjammer Kids got a name change during World War I.
With today being Veteran’s Day, which was originally Armistace Day (as it is still called in other parts of the world) to celebrate the end of World War I, I figured it only right to deal with a legend related to World War I.
The Katzenjammer Kids is one of the longest-running comic strips in American history. It debuted in 1897 and continues to this very day!
Created by German immigrant Rudolph Dirks, the strip was about two young boys who got into all sorts of trouble….
while their father figure, The Captain, would work as a comic foil to the boys…
After a dispute with the paper, Dirks took the characters to a rival newspaper in 1914 (initially without a name and then under the name Hans and Fritz, the first names of the boys), while the original strip continued under the Katzenjammer Kids name under the pen of Harold H. Knerr (who drew the strip for decades).
During World War I, though, anti-German sentiment was strong in the United States. It was SO bad that BOTH newspapers actually re-named their comics!
Hans and Fritz became Captain and the Kids, a name it kept until it folded in 1979 (yes, rival versions of the same strip were able to stay in business for over 60 years!).
And, for a few years, the Katzenjammer Kids became the Shenanigan Kids! Here’s a strip from 1920…
Pretty amazing, huh?
Thanks to Barnacle Press for the strip scans! And thanks to Mary Warner for reminding me that it was both strips that got their name changed, not just Katzenjammer Kids.
Okay, that’s it for this week!
Feel free (heck, I implore you!) to write in with your suggestions for future installments! My e-mail address is firstname.lastname@example.org. And my Twitter feed is http://twitter.com/brian_cronin, so you can ask me legends there, as well!
Follow Comics Should Be Good on Twitter and on Facebook (also, feel free to share Comic Book Legends Revealed on our Facebook page!). If we hit 3,000 likes on Facebook you’ll get a bonus edition of Comic Book Legends the week after we hit 3,000 likes! So go like us on Facebook to get that extra Comic Book Legends Revealed! Not only will you get updates when new blog posts show up on both Twitter and Facebook, but you’ll get original content from me, as well!
Here’s my book of Comic Book Legends (130 legends – half of them are re-worked classic legends I’ve featured on the blog and half of them are legends never published on the blog!).
The cover is by artist Mickey Duzyj. He did a great job on it…(click to enlarge)…
If you’d like to order it, you can use the following code if you’d like to send me a bit of a referral fee…
See you all next week! | <urn:uuid:35b65e37-0d0a-4696-a66d-7e275a7c9f8c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/2011/11/11/comic-book-legends-revealed-340/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00014-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.959009 | 1,758 | 1.625 | 2 |
Written by Brock Monday, 28 February 2011 06:00
The war being waged between 3rd person and 1st person shooters is a relatively recent one, but it is no less hard-fought. Here are some advantages the 3rd person has over the ubiquitous 1st person perspective.
Take Cover! The first and clearest advantage to playing a 3rd person shooter is evident with the presence of cover - whether or not a dedicated cover system is present. Your character can duck behind a wall or barrier to avoid enemy fire, either by simply moving behind a barrier, or entering into an "official" cover mechanic in the game. In a 3rd person game, this means a chance to plan out your strategy, and a protected view of the battlefield. In a 1st person game, however, this usually means a clear view of the wall or barrier.
A 3rd-person character can fire blindly from behind cover, sacrificing accuracy for safety, or pop/lean out of cover to deliver more accurate shots, while slightly exposing the player to enemy fire. From a 1st-person perspective, the player must expose his/her head and torso to fire their weapon, usually without any blind-fire or peeking-over-cover option. Peeking from cover and being able to manipulate the camera from a protected spot has been allowing sneaky gamers to get the jump on the bad guys since games like Tenchu: Stealth Assassins.
Get to the Chopper! Movement is a very basic part of games, and nobody does it better than the 3rd-person action hero (this section is mostly inspired by the likes of UNCHARTED 2: Among Thieves. If all game characters moved like Nathan Drake we'd all be better off). If you were to ask members of law enforcement or the military what they do when they're being shot at, you can assume "strafe" would not be at the top of their lists. Yet this is what we're given in terms of evasive techniques in 1st person games. As a crafty 3rd-person hero, one can run for cover while simultaneously looking in a different direction, at their attacker. You can even fire a few shots of your own while running the opposite way, and the 3rd person perspective is perfectly suited for these types of agile movements during firefights.
These pictures pretty well sum up the point about movement (source):
It's All In Your Mind: This initially may seem backwards, but a 3rd-person perspective allows for a more powerful emotional and sensory connection than a 1st-person experience. In your real-life human body, your mind processes and interprets visual and non-visual cues that you don't even notice; you perceive limb position, balance, any slope in terrain, and a myriad of other details to help you navigate your world. 3rd-person perspective allows a better depiction of the "big-picture" stuff your brain does automatically, significantly also including a better sense of peripheral vision.
In terms of emotional response, seeing how your character reacts to events can provide a powerful connection. Uncharted 2 has a section that depicts Nathan Drake supporting an injured character while escaping down an crumbling alleyway. This limits the player to only his pistol, and slows your movement considerably to compensate for the added weight of the injured character. It's a powerful emotional scene, made more so because we can see the characters react. Drake is a great example in other ways; the character guides his movements, but Drake reacts to his environments with surprising realism; shielding himself from gunfire or explosions, and crouching when undetected by enemies.
None of this is to say that 1st-person games can't immerse the player; just that 3rd-person games provide more versatile gameplay, giving the player a better and more enjoyable "human experience" by incorporating peripheral vision and spatial awareness more effectively than a 1st-person game. | <urn:uuid:16f3468c-eb42-4bb0-bb66-96be33f05b7c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.goozernation.com/video-games/index.php/news/422-the-preferred-perspective-hooray-for-the-third-person | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368711005985/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516133005-00012-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.961246 | 796 | 1.710938 | 2 |
Iowa utility agrees to stop using coal at five generators
- Article by: DAVID SHAFFER
- Star Tribune
- January 22, 2013 - 8:51 PM
An Iowa utility owned by Warren Buffet-led Berkshire Hathaway said Tuesday it would stop burning coal at five electric generators in a settlement that ends the threat of litigation by the Sierra Club over their smokestack emissions.
MidAmerican Energy Co., that state's largest electric company, also agreed to install a solar array at the Iowa State Fairgrounds and to complete pollution-control upgrades on two other Iowa coal-burning generating units by the end of next year.
The company said it will cease burning coal in the five Iowa generating units by April 2016 and hasn't decided whether to convert them to burn natural gas. The units, ranging in age from 40 to 63 years old, are at three power plants in Sergeant Bluff and Council Bluffs on Iowa's western side and Bettendorf on the eastern side.
MidAmerican's decision comes as utilities across the nation are weighing whether to upgrade or retire aging coal-burning power plants in the face of deadlines to control mercury and other pollutants. In Minnesota, six older generators originally fired by coal in Rochester and Burnsville are being retired, and decisions on several others are expected this year.
MidAmerican spokeswoman Tina Potthoff said during an interview that the company had been considering an end to coal at the five units, and that Tuesday's settlement made it official. She said upgrades to two coal units in Sergeant Bluff had been approved by regulators in December.
The Sierra Club, as part of its "Beyond Coal" campaign, last year notified MidAmerican that it intended to file a federal lawsuit alleging violations of the U.S. Clean Air Act at the Iowa power plants. The company denied that it has violated the law, but decided not to go to court. A proposed consent decree was filed Tuesday with the U.S. District Court for Iowa's southern district.
"The retirement of these plants means our campaign has achieved an important milestone: we have helped retire more than 50,000 megawatts of coal power," said New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, whose Bloomberg Philanthropies has contributed $50 million to the Sierra Club's Beyond Coal campaign. In a statement, Bloomberg said Iowans join those "who are helping to end our nation's dependency on coal and move the U.S. toward a cleaner energy future."
Berkshire Hathaway, based in Omaha, acquired MidAmerican in 2000 and, since then, the utility has become the U.S. leader in company-owned wind power. The company serves 732,000 electric customers and 714,000 natural gas customers in Iowa, Illinois, Nebraska and South Dakota.
"More and more it is making economic sense for utilities to be retiring these units," Emily Rosenwasser, a Chicago-based spokeswoman for the Sierra Club, said of MidAmerican's decision. "They were already considering it, and they looked at the numbers and realized coal was not the path forward for them."
David Shaffer • 612-673-7090 • @ShafferStrib
© 2013 Star Tribune | <urn:uuid:08097c9f-50ef-4a73-b582-96101cb68aa2> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.startribune.com/printarticle/?id=187984691 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00013-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.96642 | 649 | 1.84375 | 2 |
It will begin at 3 p.m. in the auditorium of James Buchanan High School, Mercersburg.
Charles Brightbill Environmental Center, behind the high school, will be open from 2 to 3 for visitors to view artwork from Tuscarora Area School District's elementary schools.
The center will reopen for a short period following the program by ZooAmerica, based in Hersheypark, Hershey.
Admission is $4; and $2 for school-age children. There's no charge for TWEP members. In case of snow, the program will be moved to March 3. For more information, call 328-2126 | <urn:uuid:39625bad-2e8b-4607-9af1-57c25853756b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.publicopiniononline.com/weekender/ci_22472703/zooamerica-program-comes-mercersburg-paws-claws-scales-and | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00002-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.94025 | 133 | 1.578125 | 2 |
A young boy who drowned in the Kansas River last year was honored with a memorial at his school Thursday morning.
Michael Zapletal was just 9-years-old when he was swept away while on an outing with other children August 15th 2007.
It's been 10 months since that day that changed the lives for the Zapletal family. Michael is on their minds everyday and now a memorial statue will be a reminder of his love.
The statue stands tall St. John Vianney's near Maple Hill, Kansas, a place that meant so much to Michael.
"Being at the school is a great privilege," Michael’s father, John Zapletal who teaches at St. John Vianney’s said.
This year Michael doesn't walk the hallways at St. John Vianney’s School but he certainly hasn't been forgotten.
"It's interesting the kids in class want to talk about Michael, they have probably accepted it better than I have, I've probably learned more from these kids then they have learned from me. I can't say enough for the school," said Zapletal.
Now the school has the statue meant to honor Michael forever. The statue is meant to not only while unite the school but also the small community of Maple Hill.
“With the support of this community it has made it a bit easier. We’re thankful to live in this place, we have a lot of people who pray for us."
Prayer and dedication led family and friends from the school to the cemetery where Michael's headstone was blessed, a final resting place they hope where one day Michael can rest in peace.
"I kept telling people I’m not going to look in the river anymore, but I wont be able to. I’m going to keep looking for him till we can find him. I’d appreciate if people could still look for Michael at the river."
For the Zapletal's, they continue to have faith and support from family and friends and now they pray this prayer, "We pray that we can become someday like Michael is today," John Zapletal said.
These memorial dedications come in Michael's birthday month. He would be turning 10-years-old on May 19th. | <urn:uuid:0728b7df-95de-4819-808b-1059e113d122> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.wibw.com/13newsat4/headlines/18777389.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00017-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.981968 | 469 | 1.71875 | 2 |
Today I thought I would post Part 2 of The Business of Being Ananda Leeke. Being Ananda Leeke is rooted in the experiences I had while attending an all-girls school in the late 1970s and early 1980s. What a powerful time in my life!
This morning I listened to a recording of WCPN 90.3 FM’s The Sound of Ideas show. The theme was “Lessons from Girls’ Schools.” Click here to listen to the podcast: http://www.facebook.com/ext/share.php?sid=103850168630&h=0v6RV&u=_TnQ2&ref=nf. It made me think about St. Elizabeth Seton High School (http://www.elizabeth-seton.pvt.k12.md.us), the all-girls Catholic school that I attended in Bladensburg, Maryland . My mother Theresa is the reason I went to Seton. She gave me the same gift of support her mother Dorothy gave her when she decided to attend St. Mary’s Catholic High School in Indianapolis, Indiana during the 1950s.
Seton gave me the opportunity to find my own voice, dream big dreams, develop and share my own opinions, and speak my truth. I learned to be who I wanted to be without concern for what boys might think. My academic experience gave me confidence, promoted my creativity, and established my courage to take risks. Seton also taught me how to manage my time, be independent, serve my community, and actively pursue learning as a passion. The Sisters of Charity and lay teachers challenged me to be the best and achieve at very high levels. They did not accept mediocrity. They reinforced the lessons my mother taught me: own your own abilities and shine your higher self at all times. That’s why I decided to become a lawyer at 16. That’s why I learned how to be a public speaker and entrepreneur through Junior Achievement in my junior and senior years. That’s why I was a student leader, member of the Gospel Choir, and budding artist and writer.
How did your high school years influence you?
Peace and Creativity, | <urn:uuid:eee150ea-9ac8-47d0-b6e4-ff1135bfbc15> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://authoranandaleeke.wordpress.com/2009/07/14/the-business-of-being-ananda-leeke-part-2-the-power-of-an-all-girls-school/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00006-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.965539 | 464 | 1.59375 | 2 |
Plano Star-courier > News
Fair trade market planned for this weekend
Jewelry, clothing, food and crafts from dozens of countries will be on display this weekend at Chase Oaks Church as part of the church's annual Trade as One weekend.
All items at the sale are classified as fair trade, meaning the people that made them in far-flung places such as Rwanda and Bangladesh were paid a fair, livable wage. Since all goods are handmade, each will have its own unique character.
"These third-world producers typically live in small villages," said Cheryl Coleman, the church's communications director. "A single mom for instance may have a business making jewelry. These people are not looking for a free handout; they are earning their money and getting a fair wage."
John Stanley, a pastor at the church, said the church has partnered with Trade as One, a nonprofit fair-trade retailer, for several years in an effort to transform lives and end the cycle of poverty in developing countries.
"Every product purchased helps sustain a developing world individual and his or her family by providing a fair income for the product they produce -- making a positive impact rather than a detrimental one such as in slave-type labor," Stanley said. "As followers of Jesus we believe this is in line with his call for injustice in the world to be righted and to restore the world to what God always intended it to be."
Plano residents who are not able to make it to Chase Oaks, but are interested in fair-trade goods, are not out of luck. In September, a store in downtown McKinney that sells only fair-trade products was opened by Plano native Kate Jones and her husband Andrew
Fair and Square Imports currently features goods from 38 separate countries, with all continents represented except for Europe, Andrew said, adding that fair-trade goods showcase the unique cultures found throughout the world.
The lack of sweatshops and forced child labor in the fair-trade community also help make sure the people who did the work are the ones who are paid, Andrew said.
"For an average product you buy at the store, you might be lucky to have pennies on the dollar go back to the worker that made the product," he said. "In this scenario it is usually around 25 percent that goes back to the worker."
While anyone can sell items and mark them as fair trade, Andrew said third-party monitors such as the World Fair Trade Organization and Fairtrade International are in place to certify products are truly fair trade. Each organization has a seal that will be attached to verified products, Andrew said.
Fair and Square Imports is located at 219 E. Louisiana Street in historic downtown McKinney. For information, visit fairandsquareimports.com.
Chase Oaks' Trade as One market runs from Friday night from 7:30-8:30. The market will also be open Sunday after each of the church's services. Sunday times are 9:30-10:30 a.m., 11:15 a.m.-12:15 p.m., and 1-2 p.m. The church is located at 241 Legacy Drive, just south of Chase Oaks Golf Course.
Copyright © 2013 - Star Local News | <urn:uuid:d37ccaf7-ee29-41a0-9d9c-c11e6bbd99be> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://lewisvilleleader.com/articles/2012/11/27/plano_star-courier/news/7910.prt | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700958435/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104238-00006-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.974866 | 668 | 1.609375 | 2 |
Pact avoided any decision on out-of-control spending (1/6/13)
The Issue: A last-minute agreement avoids a plunge off the so-called fiscal cliff.
Our Opinion: The move postpones the inevitable. The next crisis will arrive in February.
Although Congress and the president managed a New Year's Day deal that avoided a plunge off the proverbial fiscal cliff, it was only a temporary reprieve. Continued intransigence on both sides likely will have the country teetering on the edge of another financial crisis as early as February.
The agreement to raise taxes on individuals making $400,000 or more annually and couples making $450,000 or more each year did little to stop the red ink as Congress avoided making any sort of serious spending cuts. As a result, the government will need to raise its debt limit beyond the current $16.4 trillion in order to be able to meet its obligations.
That could come as early as next month, and it will offer another opportunity for House Republicans to insist on cuts in entitlement programs, such as Social Security and Medicare, something the Democrats have been unwilling to consider.
In August, after Democrats and Republicans failed to reach a timely agreement on raising the debt ceiling, Standard & Poor's rating service lowered the AAA rating on government obligations. As a result both parties pointed fingers at the other as the cause for the crisis, while each side ignored its own culpability.
David Axelrod, a top campaign strategist for President Barack Obama, blamed the downgrade of the U.S. credit rating on Tea Party Republicans, who he said were unwilling to compromise on how to reduce the federal debt.
House Speaker John Boehner pointed to the Standard & Poor's action, saying, "Democrats who run Washington remain unwilling to make the tough choices required to put America on solid ground."
Does any of this sound familiar?
Last week lawmakers again postponed tough decisions on federal spending, kicking the can down the road one more time.
"Nothing really has been fixed," Joseph LaVorgna, an economist at Deutsche Bank, told The Associated Press. "There are much bigger philosophical issues that we aren't even addressing yet."
And until those issues are addressed, the U.S. economy is likely to continue stumbling forward at an anemic pace.
Mark Vitner, senior economist at Wells Fargo, predicted an expansion of just 1.5 percent this year, down substantially from earlier predictions that were in the rage of 3 percent.
In addition, Ben Schwartz, chief market strategist for Lightspeed Financial told The Associated Press that he sees unemployment, which was 7.7 percent in December, rising slightly, while retail sales may fall as consumer confidence continues to be weak.
"The federal government obviously is dysfunctional, to say the least," Schwartz said.
Ethan Harris, head of global economics at Bank of America Merrill Lynch asked the million dollar question: "What induces the two sides to stop fighting and start compromising?"
Thus far it seems to be a deadline, which if missed means financial heartache for virtually everybody.
Republicans made a small concession this time, allowing a tax increase on the wealthiest among us. Now it is time for the Democrats to show they have the best interest of the country at heart by considering options that would begin to rein in out-of-control spending. | <urn:uuid:1e51860a-6825-4fdb-8b8b-84ef7e966767> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://readingeagle.com/mobile/article.aspx?id=441727 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00014-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.955438 | 684 | 1.664063 | 2 |
Re: Video Camera Steadi Cam
You wouldn't need motors or NXTs to do this, really. You could do it with 3-D hinge and a counter weight, the way Steadicam do it
However, if you want to do this with motors and an NXT, you will need as many Gyros as axes you want to keep track of. Gyros are much more suited for this than accelerometers, since they will tell you how fast you are rotating about a certain axis. They are also very fast. An accelerometer is -not- a tilt meter. The Mindsensors sensor does provide information about the current tilt position, though. However, it cannot (directly) tell you how fast you are rotating about a specific axis, you would need to calculate that yourself.
So if you are on a tight budget but are a confident programmer, you could use the Mindsensors Accelerometer: [LINK
] or if you want to make it with gyros and you have a bit of money to spare, you can use 3 of these: [LINK
Linear actuators are quite slow and will not be able to counter act movement very quickly, I think. You could speed it up by using PF Medium motors, they turn about 2.5 times faster than an NXT motor.
| Some people, when confronted with a problem, think, "I know, I'll use threads,"
| and then two they hav erpoblesms. (@nedbat)
| My Blog: I'd Rather Be Building Robots
| ROBOTC 3rd Party Driver Suite: [Project Page | <urn:uuid:4757e609-bc03-416b-83f2-223bbbf3f22d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.robotc.net/forums/viewtopic.php?p=11696 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368711005985/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516133005-00005-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.959656 | 336 | 1.507813 | 2 |
What is the best method for 1D numeric differentiation? Something as glorious as Gaussian quadrature for numeric integration.
Maybe differential quadrature is such a method? What is its accuracy?
I'm well aware that it is really easy to have symbolic differentiation in the program (automatic differentiation or truly symbolic algorithm). However to use such methods it is necessary to rewrite all functions to be differentiated. Thus one can't differentiate functions imported from libraries.
I need differentiation almost with the machine precision. | <urn:uuid:0457e656-6498-483d-97c3-2b20a241b510> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://mathoverflow.net/questions/64302/numerical-differentiation-what-is-the-best-method | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.956371 | 101 | 1.53125 | 2 |
Eight more states granted NCLB waivers
by Cindy Long
The Obama administration approved eight additional states for flexibility from key provisions of No Child Left Behind (NCLB) yesterday, bringing the total number of states with waivers to 19. Eighteen other states and Washington, D.C. also applied for waivers and their applications are still under review.
U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan announced waivers for Connecticut, Delaware, Louisiana, Maryland, New York, North Carolina, Ohio and Rhode Island, which were granted in exchange for state-developed plans to prepare all students for college and career, focus aid on the neediest students, and support effective teaching and leadership.
One of the provisions that No Child Left Behind requires is that all students be proficient in reading and math by 2014. Reading and math proficiency is a goal all educators are determined to help students reach, but the current form of the law doesn’t allow them to get there. The waivers allow states to scrap the 2014 proficiency requirement if they can provide a viable alternative plan.
“These eight additional states are getting more flexibility with federal funds and relief from NCLB’s one-size-fits-all federal mandates in order to develop locally-tailored solutions to meet their unique educational challenges,” Duncan said.
Duncan pointed out that many of the new state-created accountability systems capture more students at risk, including low-income students, students with disabilities, and English learners, adding, “States must show they are protecting children in order to get flexibility. These states met that bar.”
Who better to talk to Congress about protecting student learning conditions and retirement security than the nation’s most experienced educators? Read More | <urn:uuid:08c1dd51-c979-47cf-b6ee-a84b95b4641c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://educationvotes.nea.org/2012/06/03/eight-more-states-granted-nclb-waivers/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00007-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.948083 | 353 | 1.578125 | 2 |
The Seven Day Weekend
by Ricardo Semler
Grade: A (a quick and entertaining read)
Semler, the Brazil-based CEO of Semco, believes corporations and employees can become successful by bucking tradition and thinking wildly outside the box. He attempts to explain Semcos success (a company with $212 million in annual revenue and "no official structure no organizational chart no business plan or company strategy") and how its principles can be applied in other companies to make working environments more appealing and opportunities for growth and achievement limitless.
Nine chapters (one for each day of the week, as well as one for "Any Day" and one for "Every Day") explore the ways in which the traditional workweek stifles creativity and fosters distaste for working days.
But Semler also looks at how to shake things up. The Wednesday chapter leads off with the following to-do list: attend a board of directors meeting; dump a deal rather than pay a bribe; tell the company it stinks.
While Semlers ideas often seem counter-intuitive, the idea is not to provide specific guidelines but rather to encourage readers to view their organization and professional lives in a new way. The books premise is promising, but the actual steps to achieving a seven-day weekend still seem unattainable to the average worker.
According to Ricardo Semler, author of The Seven Day Weekend, Change works well only if it is a nonissue. An organization that constantly, and artificially, coaches its people to change (accept change! Recognize change!) is like a Darwinist standing next to a giraffe shouting: Stretch that neck! Stretch that neck!
Change also means that a company must be willing to shed or undo elements of itself that no longer have a future. It must be ready to unilaterally sell, spin off, or close units--it must be ready to cannibalize itself. | <urn:uuid:ca8883ba-b537-44ba-80f9-a6fdaa6f67f8> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.adventureassoc.com/resources/newsletter/nlbr-seven-day-weekend.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00017-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.955079 | 383 | 1.523438 | 2 |
|All dressed up in their pajamas and ready to go "Where no man has gone before."|
For many today is a red letter holy day. I am talking about the universe of dedicated nerds and geeks who are taping their glasses frames back together today to settle in for a marathon viewing of the original Star Trek series which made its debut on NBC Television on September 8, 1966.
Writer/Producer Gene Roddenberry had pitched the science fiction series to Desilu Studios as “Wagon Train in space,” referring to a perennially popular network western in which the wagon master, scout and other regulars interacted with new people and situations each week as it made its way west. And when you think about it, it was as good a description of the basic plot and plan as any.
Roddenberry was born in Texas in 1921. His father was a police officer. The family relocated to Los Angeles while he was young and where he attended public school planning to follow in his father’s footsteps. He took classes in police science at Los Angeles City College and went on with his education hopping from Columbia University, to the University of Miami, and the University of Southern California all without ever obtaining a degree.
Along the way he picked up a fascination with aviation and obtained a pilot’s license. With the outbreak of World War II he enlisted in the Army Air Corps where he became a B-17 pilot in the Pacific Theater. He survived one crash, flew 89 combat missions, and was awarded both the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Air Medal before leaving the service in 1945. After the war he joined Pan Am World Airlines as a commercial pilot. He earned high praise for his rescue efforts after his plane crashed in the Syrian desert in 1947.
While flying he developed an interest in writing. In 1949 he resigned from the airline to take up his long abandoned career as officer with the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) both so he could stay home with his wife and family and to be close to Hollywood where he hoped to sell his scripts. Roddenberry rose to sergeant of patrol by 1953. He used his knowledge of police work to peddle scripts the Broderick Crawford’s syndicated program Highway Patrol using a pseudonym to avoid complaints from the force. He also contributed scripts to Richard Boone’s classic Have Gun Will Travel.
In 1957 Roddenberry took a leap of faith and quit the police force to concentrate on writing full time. He became a moderately successful member of the legion of freelance script writers. Dissatisfied with not having control of his own career, he took another chance to become a producer, pitching series ideas to the networks. After one failed development he sold The Lieutenant, a drama about the peace time Marine Corps starring Garry Lockwood and Robert Vaughn. The series was a critical success and a moderate hit for NBC but was cancelled after one season because the escalating Vietnam War made the lead characters’ fate uncertain. Also Vaughn wanted out to take a role in the upcoming The Man From Uncle.
Desilu green-lighted Roddenberry’s pitch for his proposed space adventure and a pilot was made starring Jeffrey Hunter as Starship Enterprise Captain Christopher Pike and Lenard Nimoy as his alien second in command. The pilot went way over budget and was rejected by the studio. A second pilot was made with Roddenberry on a tight budget leash and William Shatner as Captain James T. Kirk. NBC picked up the series for its fall 1966 season. In later episodes there would be references to Captain Pike, a doomed former commander of the starship.
The Space Race with the Soviet Union and the exploits of Mercury and Gemini astronauts helped whet the public appetite for a series set far in the future when intergalactic travel was possible and a powerful but benign United Federation of Planets could afford to let one of their prized starships go on a five year voyage to “boldly go where no man has gone before.”
Despite somewhat cheesy sets and costumes and special effects not much more advanced than the days of Buck Rogers serials, the show quickly developed a devoted, but small audience. Key was the three way chemistry between the swashbuckling, decisive Captain Kirk; Spock the half alien science officer whose dominant Vulcan heritage relies on cold logic and suppressed emotion; and Dr. Leonard “Bones” McCoy played by Deforest Kelly, a former country doctor who wears his sympathies on his sleeve and lets emotion rule.
Although the Enterprise served a multi-species planetary federation, the rest of the deck officers and most of the crew were Terrestrials notable for their multi-ethnicity. African American Communications Officer Uhura was the woman on deck portrayed by Nichelle Nichols; Helmsman Hikaru Sulu played by George Takei; and Walter Koenig as Navigator Pavel Chekov. The ships mysterious warp drive engines were in the capable hands of Chief Engineer Montgomery “Scotty” Scott portrayed by James Dugan. The crew was meant to be living testimony that the ugly history of national conflict on Earth, which had once nearly resulted in the planet’s destruction, could be overcome by goodwill and different people could work together.
The none-too-subtle message was all part of Roddenberry’s plan. Although he sold the studio “wagon train in space,” he told friends he really wanted to make a version of Gulliver’s Travels with picaresque adventure masking little morality plays. Episodes of the series took on all of the issues of the day—racism, authoritarianism, conflicts like Vietnam and those involving planetary destruction, environmental catastrophe, class warfare, feminism, and crime—all seen through Roddenberry’s notably liberal philosophy. He often expressed gratitude that network censors, busy looking for sex, missed the symbolism obvious to everyone one else.
NBC nearly cancelled the series after the first year, but an unprecedented letter writing campaign saved it. It was however, moved to Friday nights, the “death spot” because it was the least watched night of the week. The shift was especially hard for the core audience, which skewed younger and male, some of whom might actually be out on Friday doing other things. The budget, never high, was also cut back. Nielson rationings remained low and the series was canceled after its third season. Subsequent examination of data, however showed that the program was a hit with what became the most desired of all network demographics, 18-30 year olds.
Star Trek became a phenomenon when it went into syndication in 1969. It has not been off the air or on cable since. Devoted fans could see and re-see each episode until they had memorized all of the details and immersed themselves in the Star Trek universe.
The success of the series in re-runs sparked one of the most successful motion picture franchises in history with the original cast members reprising their roles, a Saturday morning animated series, and four more syndicated series—Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Star Trek: Next Generation, Star Trek: Voyager, and Star Trek: Enterprise. In addition there have been countless novels—some by Shatner—fan fiction, comic books, and merchandising of every sort. Star Trek conventions have become a cultural phenomena and Treckies—or Treckers as they prefer to be called—a recognizable sub-culture.
And it continues. The 2009 film Star Trek “rebooted” the franchise into an alternative time line with the major characters from the series re-uniting in Star Fleet Academy. The film was a summer block buster and two more are planned in the alternate universe.
Creator Roddenberry oversaw most of this until his death on October 21, 1994 at the age of 70. At his family’s request his ashes were later launched into space. | <urn:uuid:4f3bbb1b-c59e-4019-b36d-57296dac9155> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://patrickmurfin.blogspot.jp/2012/09/its-geek-holy-day.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00019-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.978874 | 1,630 | 1.84375 | 2 |
We’re really going to learn a lot more from the 2010 census about the browning of America, as well as how many of us identify racially — understanding that “race” is an artificial construct. The white supremacists’ worst fear will be realized — we’re increasingly mixing up the gene pool; most would say that’s a good thing (for those thinking of hybrid vigor), but from the supremacist’s perspective the white race is being contaminated. How can you hate when you can’t tell what anyone is? Oh, so sad. Bring out the tiny violin.
When my brother and sister-in-law came down to visit the other weekend, we discussed how my little biracial nephew Mr. E (seen with me at left) will view the world when he’s old enough to understand the bizarre notion of race. Many questions ran through my mind, such as how he will identify? Nearly everyone who sees Mr. E and I together see the strong family resemblance, even down to our complexions. My brother, who is a bit darker than I am, had straighter, darker hair; he and I are not biracial, but the products of two light-skinned black parents who themselves were born of lighter-skinned blacks and black/Native American and West Indian heritage. Neither of us can pass for white, but obviously we have white relatives somewhere in there, but they are generations back in the family tree.
But it’s also interesting to think about those who deal in the politics of race when it comes to mixing black and white. For instance, our biracial President has chosen on the census to select “black.”
He may be the world’s foremost mixed-race leader, but when it came to the official government head count, President Barack Obama gave only one answer to the question about his ethnic background: African-American.
The White House confirmed on Friday that Obama did not check multiple boxes on his U.S. Census form, or choose the option that allows him to elaborate on his racial heritage. He ticked the box that says “Black, African Am., or Negro.”
And that’s his prerogative. Biracial could have been a write-in option, or more than one race could be selected.
Mr. Obama could have checked white, checked both black and white, or checked the last category on the form, “some other race,” which he would then have been asked to identify in writing.
There is no category specifically for mixed race or biracial.
Instructions for the census’s American Community Survey, which poses the question in the same way as the 2010 form, say that “people may choose to provide two or more races either by marking two or more race response boxes, by providing multiple write-in responses, or by some combination of marking boxes and writing in responses.”
That the President selected “”Black, African Am., or Negro,” suggests he politically and culturally identifies as black AND because he cannot pass for white. Some who are biracial or multiracial can pass, or come across as some vague ethnicity — in those cases my guess you’ll likely see a boost in mixed identifications written in on census forms. When it comes to Latinos, as you see there is a separate question there. And there will be many more minority babies likely to be born in United States during 2010 than white babies, according to a recent study.
There may be more minority babies born this year in the U.S. than white babies for first time ever.
It could be a “tipping point” that propels our population toward minorities becoming the U.S. majority over the next 40 years.
In 1990, 37% of children born in the U.S. were minorities, but by 2008 it was 48%. This means the country is on track to become a minority-majority country by the middle of the century, according to Kenneth Johnson, of the University of New Hampshire. He researched many of the racial trends in a paper being released Wednesday, the week before the 2010 population count, which begins in earnest next week when more than 120 million U.S. households receive census forms in the mail.
The baby trend doesn’t hold true everywhere, however. In New York City, Manhattan and Brooklyn kids are more likely to be white, he said.
Who’s biracial in this series of photos?* The answer is below the fold.
Another oddity of the census, something that my wife Kate, who is Lebanese and white has noticed, is why those of Arab descent are officially counted as “white,” unless the self-identify otherwise. This clearly this seems bizarre, given many Lebanese-Americans are darker than I am, and certainly the KKK wouldn’t classify them as white either, but when it comes to race, so much doesn’t make sense. The history behind it.:
Among the great ironies of Arab life in the US is that Arabs and other Middle Easterners are legally white in the eyes of government categorization. The reasons for this are complicated; basically, first wave Syrian/Lebanese Christian immigrants who arrived as part of the great wave of Southern and Eastern European immigrants in the late 19th and early 20th century successfully lobbied to be considered white under naturalization law, which only allowed for free white persons to become US citizens. (This was during the period of the Asian Exclusion Act; not a good time to be ambivalently white.) Because the folks in question were Christian, phenotypically no darker than other European immigrants of the time, and generally working their way into the middle class, their petition to become white folks was accepted. Fast forward seventy years to the 1990s. Arabs and Muslims are highly stigmatized in pop culture and politics: they’re the terrorist bad guys in every movie, their campaign contributions get returned, their political opinions go unheard. Classifying Arab Americans as white, and leaving them ineligible for protection and benefits under federal guidelines, seems vaguely insulting in this context. Worse, for scholars of the community, this means that information on Arab ancestry was only collected on the long form, which structurally undercounts small groups like Arab Americans. (This year, in fact, the long form has been eliminated entirely.) This is when the campaign to add an ‘Arab’ or ‘Middle Eastern’ origin question, parallel to the Hispanic origin question, began.
It’s also noted that many people read: Arab = Muslim, which is of course, ludicrous. Many Arabs are Christian, and many Muslims are white. Kate’s family happens to be Maronite Catholic. It seems a huge detriment that the census doesn’t break some of these numbers down so that we get a more accurate picture of the browning and seasoning of our country over time — and how they perceive themselves racially.
When I compare my heritage to that of Obama’s, I often wonder how being officially identified as biracial is perceived in this country today in comparison to someone who is a fair-skinned black who is not biracial. When you start breaking it down like this it all begins to sound absurd, but the political reality is that claiming your racial identity, one way or the other, has social consequences, a fork in the road, as it were, because other people want to be able to put you in a box they can easily identify.
I guess for two-year-old Mr. E., seen here doing his first Easter Egg hunt, he can enjoy a blissful existence for while longer, innocent of the insanity we color-aroused adults have created and continue to foster.
I joke with Tim and my sister-in-law that Mr. E has the same blondish hair that I had as well at his age, so there’s a good chance those little curls are going to nap up into a ‘fro around 5 or 6 years old, and maybe darken as mine did.
* Here we go – now I’m a ‘half-breed’ for criticizing the admin
* CNN does Black in America 101
* The browning of Top 10 surnames
* Bigoted Louisiana Justice of the Peace: ‘I’m not racist, I let blacks use my bathroom’
* The answer to the biracial question above the fold? Only the baby (Mr. E, the top row, second from right).
In other news related to the census…
Census Bureau To Unveil 2010 Census Lgbt PSAs With Actor George Takei And Honorable Christine Quinn
Historic ceremony to mark new chapter in Census Bureau outreach to LGBT community
New York, NY – On Monday, April 5th, the U.S. Census Bureau will officially present a series of six public service announcement (PSA) videos, which will comprise the first-ever round of Census video communications specifically focused on encouraging the LGBT community to fill out and mail back their census forms. Each of the six videos features a different well-respected community leader appealing to the LGBT community. The videos can be found on the Census Bureau’s YouTube page: www.youtube.com/user/uscensusbureau# and at www.2010Census.gov in the Multimedia section.
Special guests include actor George Takei (Star Trek, Heroes) and husband Brad Altman, who will deliver special remarks, and screen their own 2010 Census PSA, “Be Counted,” which was made by the Equal Roots Coalition in Los Angeles. NYC Council Speaker Christine Quinn and the Executive Director of the LGBT Center, Glennda Testone will also speak. Timothy P. Olson, Assistant Division Chief, Field Division of the U.S. Census Bureau will speak on behalf of the U.S. Census Bureau.
Logo will begin airing the six Census PSAs on their network on Monday evening, April 5th in partnership with the Census Bureau. Lisa Sherman, Executive Vice President & General Manager of Logo says “Logo is honored to assist with this historic initiative. The Federal Government is reaching out to the LGBT community in a way we’ve never seen. The Census Bureau’s progressive message of inclusion is something we support whole-heartedly. We are proud to be able to do our part as LGBT Americans.”
The press conference will be streamed live on the web at http://glaadbackup.com/LIVEFEE…
Journalists and members of the public also may submit questions to the speakers during the Q&A portion of the conference by emailing LGBTCensusPSA@gmail.com.
LGBT Census FAQ’s:
How does the 2010 Census count lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people?
The 2010 Census does not ask about sexual orientation or gender identity. LGBT people living with a spouse or partner can identify their relationship by checking either the “husband or wife” or “unmarried partner” box.
How do same-sex couples answer the relationship question?
The 2010 Census will be the first to report counts of both same-sex partners and same-sex spouses. The person filling out the form (Person 1) is asked to identify how all other individuals in the household are related to him or her. Census data are based on how individuals self identify and how couples think of themselves. Same-sex couples who are married, or consider themselves to be spouses, can identify one other adult as a “husband or wife,” Other same-sex couples may instead decide to use the term “unmarried partner.” In general, people who identify as unmarried partners are in a close personal relationship but are not married or do not think of themselves as spouses. Census data are based on how individuals self identify. This includes same-sex couples who live somewhere their relationship is not recognized.
What about transgender individuals?
The 2010 Census asks a question about each person’s sex. Transgender respondents should select the sex with which they identify. Mark only one box.
A note to bi-racial/ethnic couples:
Census reports some statistics on the race/ethnicity of the “household.” Bi-racial/ethnic couples should note that this is determined using the race/ethnicity of Person 1, the person who fills out the Census form for the household. | <urn:uuid:3624ba97-9216-4016-b89f-5eec56541eec> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://pamshouseblend.firedoglake.com/2010/04/05/the-2010-census-and-the-browning-and-seasoning-of-america/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697974692/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095254-00001-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.959845 | 2,591 | 1.640625 | 2 |
“Is it a Revolt? No Sire, It’s a Revolution”
A press clipping freshly received from your French correspondent NKN shows the dramatic picture of a former Greek right wing minister in shock after a rocky encounter with the crowd during a protest (see below). Angry constituents went after him while shouting “thief! thief!”. (He ended-up being evacuated by his bodyguards, and is ok)
Whilst Greek riots are not making international headlines anymore, popular anger is not going away. Moreover, popular exasperation against the established order of things seems to be spreading across all sorts of channels and means of expression. Seemingly unrelated events such as the Greek riots, the protests against pension reform in France or the rebellion of anonymous hackers trying to bring institutional sites down in the wikileaks saga, all contribute to reinforce the palpable climate of rebellion against ‘a system’.
Are we just witnessing a revolt or a true revolution?
Le serment du jeu de paume (The Tennis Court Oath): a pledge signed by the members from the Third Estate who declared themselves as ‘the National Assembly’ – The Oath signified the first time that French citizens formally stood in opposition to Louis XVI
Outbreaks of unrest are not new: 1776, 1789, 1848, 1917, 1968… you know the music.
However in a recent past, global neoliberal victories were supposed to have made social class struggle irrelevant. When an economic crisis struck, the IMF & Associates would intervene with “structural adjustment programs” achieving the double outcome of ‘fixing’ the crisis at hand, but also implementing long term neoliberal pro-market reforms.
This is the core of Naomi Klein’s Shock Doctrine: distress and the urgency of crises are used by pro neoliberal reformists to push their programs. The theory is that people being so stunned would accept the financial sacrifices required to put their country back on track.
Argentina, Brazil, Russia, Asia, are all dominos that transitioned from the old world to the global economy in that manner.
When Greece’s sovereign debt crisis was at its peak, we posted on the Greek double whammy: Lehman-ization + Shock Doctrine observing that a similar dynamics what at play.
The trouble is that countries have become increasingly weary of those imposed reforms.
In Argentina for example, President Néstor Kirchner did not agree with the IMF structural adjustment programs. His criticisms were supported in part by former World Bank economist Joseph Stiglitz, who opposes the IMF’s measures as recessionary. In 2005, following Brazil’s initiative, Kirchner announced the cancellation of Argentina’s debt to the IMF. In other words, he kicked them out.
In the last year, this resistance has been starting to turn into open rebellion.
The cliché of The Perfect Storm really comes to mind if you add up the headlines gleaned from around the world. @Dr_Tad wrote about this in a recent post on the ‘left flank’:
“There is a confluence of moments:
- Mass movements against austerity rapidly emerging in Europe
- The collapse of the American Empire’s legitimacy through quagmires in Afghanistan and Iraq”
- We now also have unrest online with the WikiLeaks saga and the attempts of anonymous hackers to bring corporate and institutional websites down.
“Despite a prolonged period of defeats and quiescence for the subaltern classes, there is a palpable sense of systemic crisis, the very crisis that neoliberal victories were supposed to reverse.”
“While developments are uneven globally, it is hard to miss the fact that each of these symptoms is being expressed in a more acute fashion than we could have imagined even 12 months ago, when commentators were making much of how the GFC had produced merely a more pliant population, rather than any significant social disturbance.”
For @Dr_Tad “The point is not to suggest we are one the verge of social revolution — we are most definitely not. Rather, it is to make clear the significance of the destabilisation we are living through”.
On the other hand other commentators argue that we are actually witnessing significant shifts that will have a lasting legacy; one of the most extreme cases of enthusiasm being the “Everything is different now” published on The Drum.
Indeed the next few months will tell us whether the unrest currently happening URL and IRL is just a blip on the radar – and things will get back to ‘normal’ -, or whether it is the sign that more systemic changes are happening.
In the meantime, we are really re-enacting the exchange that Louis XVI, King of France, and the Duc de la Rochefoucauld-Liancourt had in July 1789 as the unrest was growing across Paris: “Mais, c’est une révolte ?” (it’s a revolt?) said the King, to which de la Rochefoucauld responded: “Non Sire, c’est une révolution !” (no, Sire, it’s a revolution!). | <urn:uuid:c5fc2995-dcbc-423a-8917-a9174fe82ba4> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.theotherschoolofeconomics.org/?p=1679 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00018-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.949932 | 1,081 | 1.640625 | 2 |
Fish & Chips
A Monthly Marine Newsletter
September 1999 Issue
By Elizabeth M. Lukan 9/10/99
Carol E. Keen and Theresa Ulrich are at it again in the September issue of Freshwater And Marine Aquarium Magazine (FAMA). Carol and Theresa are collaborating on a three part article called "Very Simply Seahorses" and part one is in the September issue. The title is most appropriate as even the newest saltwater hobbyist will not be overwhelmed by catch phrases and science lingo. It was a great article and I look forward to the next part. You'll remember Carol from the Saltwater Sail-Fin Mollies article in the July issue of Fish & Chips, and in last month's FAMA her and Theresa wrote about Project Seahorse and did a book review. Carol Keen can be reached at her website, Fish To The Nth, at http://home.earthlink.net/~fish2nth/ (address updated 4/19/00).
A new section debuts this month. What's Up @ ReefsUK will let you know the latest happenings at Mark T. Taber's ReefsUK Web Site and the hobby in general. Some items may be UK specific, but not all, so please check it out. Forgive the length of this month's section, I'm catching up on Mark's writings.
Photos Wanted! Any budding marine photographers out there looking to have their photos published? Fish & Chips needs photos! It's very time consuming for me to search the net for images to go with my articles. It's also very disappointing and even more time consuming when my requests for image use go ignored. So, if you've got any photos, please email them to FishNChips@mail.com (address updated 4/26/00) and include your name so I can give credit where credit is due! Photos wanted include any saltwater fish, coral, or clam - basically anything in your tank. Oh, and you must be the photographer - I won't get into any copyright battles!
Tridacnid Clams: Friends, Enemies & Ailments
By Elizabeth M. Lukan 9/15/99
Hello and welcome to the third article in my series on Tridacnid Clams. This month's article covers pests, parasites, diseases and commensals.
Genus: Aiptasia spp.
Common Name: Glassrose Anemones
Everyone knows about these small anemones and the scourge of the reef tank that they can become if allowed to gain a foothold in your tank. As mentioned in last month's article, Aiptasia can sting and irritate a clam to death, so take whatever means are necessary to rid your tank of them. This article is already long enough so I won't go into detail on how to rid your tank of them, but I will give you some hints to research further.
Some methods of Aiptasia removal: addition of Peppermint Shrimps (Lysmata wurdemanni) - watch out for your other zoanthids like the Yellow Polyp - or Copperband Butterflyfish (Chelmon rostratus) - watch out for your annelids like feather duster worms - or Caribbean nudibranch (Spurilla neapolitana or Dondice occidentalis) - the first nudibranch should only be put in a tank with no other corals or anemones (a new setup) and the second nudibranch "may" not bother other anemones or corals. Other methods include injecting products like Chem-Marin's Stop Aiptasia or kalkwasser into the Aiptasia itself.
As I've said before, I prefer the more natural way - find something that eats it in nature and won't go after anything else in your tank. A word of warning, any damage done to Aiptasia will result in a population explosion - so don't try to scrub them off your rocks! It's a battle, I know!
As mentioned last month, macroalgae like Caulerpa can irritate the clam if allowed to grow under the byssal opening.
Algae that cover everything, including your clam, will block out its light source and lead to, if not cause, its death. This would be particularly true of that pest, hair algae.
Bacteria & Viruses
There hasn't been too much research on the kinds of bacteria and viruses than affect corals and clams. It is obvious that this research is needed as bacteria and viruses could be more devastating than what storms and humans do. More research has been done on bivalves (mussels and oysters in particular) because, simply, they represent billions of dollars in cash crops. Very few studies have been done on pathogens affecting tridacnids. Hopefully, more research will be done in the future.
There are a number of bacteria, pathogenic and non-pathogenic, that affect tridacnid clams. Vibrio alginolyticus and V. anguillarum have caused deaths in larval and adult oysters. These organisms are also commonly found in healthy clams. Bacterial infections are thought to have caused mass deaths of larval cultured tridacnids in Australia. Antibiotic treatments proved effective for increasing the survival of tridacna clam larvae.
Bacterial and viral diseases are very difficult to identify and treat. Many treatments can stress or kill the other inhabitants of a reef tank.
Bristleworms / Fireworms
Common Name: Bristleworms and Polychaetes
Many polychaetes are carnivores or omnivores and have strong, chitinous jaws that can be extruded from a protrusible pharynx. The two main genera that cause trouble are Eunice and Nereis. Larger species can reach up to 20 inches (50 cm) in length. These large worms can cause a good deal of damage in the aquarium. They are recognizable by their pronounced body segmentation, parapodia and setae. They are mainly active at night and are usually added to the tank hidden within the live rock. Both Eunice and Nereis will feed on corals, clams and even small, sleeping fish.
The Fireworm (H. carunculata) also preys on corals, anemones, and clams and should be removed as soon as possible.
Check out Richard S. Hogg's Home Page at
http://www.his.com/~rshogg/home.html(url dead 8/24/04) for an image of a Fireworm. I requested permission to use the image of the Bearded Fireworm on this site, but have not yet received a response.
The polychaete Oenone fulgida eats snails and clams. Approximately 0.1 inch (0.25 cm) in diameter and 4 to 12 inches (10 to 30 cm) long, this worm is bright orange in color and secretes a mucus which it uses to trap and suffocate snails, eating the tissues when the snail dies. This worm attacks clams by boring a perfectly round hole in the clam's shell and feeds on the living clam's tissues. The worm retracts into the live rock and returns to it's meal through the same hole or bores a new one. A healthy clam can block the hole with a protein matrix and seal it with new calcareous shell. The clam, now weakened, eventually gets an infection and dies. This worm is common in live rock and the only way to remove it from your tank is to remove the rock it retreats into.
Common Name: Stone Crabs
Crabs in this family are mostly carnivorous. Bristle Crabs (Pilumnus spp.) is one genera that can cause considerable damage to a reef tank. These crabs are tiny and have a dense covering of bristles over the majority of their legs and claws. They eat nearly anything in a reef aquarium - clams, stony and soft corals, anemones, and tube worms.
Common Names: Box and Shame-Faced Crabs
These crabs prey on molluscs such as clams and snails. They will quickly eliminate your herbivore snails. These crabs are recognized by the depressions in their shells which they retract their legs, claws, and eyes into. This gives them a box-like shape. They are also called Shame-Faced Crabs because the retracted claws are so broad and flattened that the crab's face is hidden. They are brightly colored with pink or red patterns on their carapace. They are normally found buried in the sand and are rarely encountered in aquariums. They shouldn't be kept in reef tanks since they will eat almost anything.
Common Name: Pea Crabs
These crabs live in molluscs and are rarely encountered. Mostly living in harmony with their host clam, they are always found in male and female pairs. They spend their entire life in their host.
Common Name: Lobsters
Most of the small lobsters for sale to hobbyist belong to the genera Enoplometopus (Reef Lobsters) or Panulirus (Spiny Lobsters). These are omnivorous scavengers and can be destructive to your reef tank. They will feed on your clams, corals, small fish, shrimp, and probably many other inhabitants of your tank.
Common Names: Ciliates and Protozoans
To explain best what a protozoa is I'll use an example, "brown jelly". This protozoal infection usually attacks corals.
Tridacnids collected throughout the Great Barrier Reef have been found to contain a protozoa from the genus Perkinsus. This protozoa's role in clam deaths is unknown.
Also, an unidentified ciliated protozoan was found that invades the mantle and ingests the zooxanthellae.
Common Names: Mantis Shrimp and Thumb Splitters
Added to your tank with live rock, these "shrimp" are voracious predators and will feed on small fish, shrimp, worms, clams and crabs. Just about any living, or once living, creature in your tank is a meal to this thing. There are many species, ranging from 2 to 12 inches (5 to 30+ cm) in length. The smaller genus, Gonodactylus, are the ones most found in aquarium. Methods of removal include: baited traps, removal of their rock lair, using sharp, pointed scissors to skewer or cut the shrimp in half, and more.
Marble Shrimp (Saron marmoratus) are large, reaching 3.6+ inches (9+ cm) in length. Shy and nocturnal, they can attack tridacnids, corals, mushrooms, anemones and small polyped corals (e.g. zoanthids).
Common Name: Snails and Sea Slugs
These critters are usually added to your tank with shipments of live rock, corals and clams. These must be removed immediately or they will make a quick meal of your tank's clams, corals, gorgonians, anemones, and zoanthids. The hardest part of doing this, is recognizing a predatory snail or figuring out that a sick coral is the result of snail attacks! Prevent this problem by examining each and every item you put in your tank carefully.
Common Name: None
Cymatium muricinum is a known clam predator. It is a problem for clam farms that are ocean based. Found throughout the Indo-Pacific and in the western Atlantic, adding it to your tank with a live rock shipment is a possibility.
The snail's larvae settle on the tridacnid and undergo metamorphosis. The snails enter through the byssal opening and lodge between the shell and mantle. The clam shows little reaction to the snails presence as it begins to feel on the mantle's juices. The clam will eventually react by closing its valves and it may even try to enclose the snail inside a pearl-like blister. Eventually the clam exhibits wide gaping and dies.
The grown snail moves on in search of another victim. Large snails, 1 to 2 inches (25 to 50 cm), wait at the bottom of the clam, next to the byssal opening, extending their proboscis into the opening and feeding on the tissue inside. Larger clams are usually not bothered by these snails because their weight presses the byssal opening down into the substrate so deeply that the snails can't reach it. Also, Hippopus spp.'s byssal opening is usually too small to allow these snails entry.
Majority of the snails that feed on clams and oysters belong to the family Pyramidellidae. There are a least 1000 species in the Pacific alone.
These are small snails with a maximum length of 0.08 to 0.16 inches (2 to 4 mm) and they look like small grains of rice. Majority of what we know about these snails is from the species that have been found feeding on oysters and clams in commercial setups. Very little is actually known about how many species affect tridacnids.
Tathrella iredalei and Pyrgiscus sp. are two species that were isolated in Australian clam farms. Studies of Pyrgiscus in aquaculture systems show it to have an very rapid reproduction rate when in land-based seawater tanks or in trays raised about the substrate in the wild.
These snails are simultaneous hermaphrodites. A 0.1 inch (2.5 mm) snail is capable of producing 2 to 3 egg masses a day. Each egg mass has up to 120 eggs. The eggs are held in jelly-like masses on the clam's shell. There are often several egg masses close together. The young snails tend to remain on the clam they hatch on.
Pyramidellidae snails feed mostly at night. During the day they stay out of direct sunlight and can usually be found near the base of the clam or between the scutes in species with large scutes (ee.g Tridacna squamosa). At night, they work their way up to the lip of the shell and extend their proboscis and, using their needle-like stylus, poke a hole into the mantle of the clam. They then suck out the fluid of the mantle. Depending on the size of the clam, these snails can easily kill it within days or months if left unchecked.
According to the Reef Aquarium Volume One by Delbeek and Sprung, these snails are relatively rare in the wild which means that some type of biological control must be in place. Some natural predators:
Unless the snails are visible on the shell during the day, the fish won't be able to see them. Since these snails are nocturnal, removal by the hobbyist may still be needed.
- Portunid crab (Thalamita sima). These crabs have been used in aquaculture systems with some success. Unfortunately, they have also been known to feed on small (1.6 inch / 4 mm) tridacnids.
- Halichoeres Wrasses. Specifically H. melanurus and H. chloropterus have been seen feeding on these snails in the wild.
- Six-Line Wrasse (Pseudocheilinus hexataenia) and Four-Line Wrasse (P. tetrataenia) have been known to eat these snails in the aquarium.
Disease & Disease Like Symptoms
A bleached clam will appear white, pale yellow, or pale green. The tissue is still alive, but the loss of zooxanthellae makes the it look transparent. Clams that have undergone bleaching appear generally less healthy and may show poor tissue expansion. Sometimes, with bleaching, there is no loss of zooxanthellae, just a decrease in the pigment content. Pigment reduction is related to changes in light intensity. Zooxanthellae expulsion occurs with temperature changes. Sudden bleaching can occur when exposed to water that is too hot (over 86oF or 30oC) or too cold (below 66oF or 19oC). This can also happen if the light field has changed radically. Inadequate or too much light can lead to slow bleaching.
Clam bleaching can also be caused by the excessive use of activated carbon and the reduction of trace elements, especially iodide. This is most common in stony corals, but can occur in clams and soft corals. Iodide loss can cause rapid bleaching and death.
A break in the brown protein material that joins the two shells happens rarely. Re-align the shells and place a rubber band loosely around them to hold the hinge position. Make sure the rubber band isn't too tight - the shells need to be able to part far enough for the mantle to extend and receive light. In about two weeks, the clam will secrete a new hinge.
Brown Mucus Underneath
A clear, brown, thick gelatinous mucus is sometimes found around the byssal opening. The clam is trying to protect itself from contact with irritating substances (ex. coral mucus) and keeping worms, snails, and crabs, etc. away. Although considered a harmless condition, I would make a definite effort to find any possible irritating critters.
Tridacnids normally release some clear mucus from around their mantles and upper surfaces. The mucus often has some air bubbles within it. The clam is getting rid of excess carbon from photosynthesis. Excessive mucus can clog mechanical filters and is a sign of irritation. The irritation may be from something in the water or form a nearby coral. Avoid handling your clam since you don't want to irritate it anymore, but provide it with a stronger flow of water - remember clams don't like a strong current so only do this to remove the excess mucus. If this doesn't clear up the problem, do some water changes and add some good quality carbon. Obviously, if the clam is being annoyed by a coral, move the coral.
Hole in the Mantle
Your clam may develop a hole in the center of its mantle, between the inhalant and exhalent siphons. This is potentially fatal but usually heals and may or may not leave a scar. Move your wounded clam and make sure it is not being preyed upon. Healing should occur within a few days. The causes include:
- Physical injury.
- Infection (bacterial or protozoan).
- Light damage. Placing your clam less than 8 inches from a metal halide bulb can result in a burn which causes a hole to develop. These bulbs can also burn your corals. Metal halides kept more than 8 inches from your tank will not cause this problem.
Poor Tissue Expansion
Sometimes a clam won't expand fully and may remain contracted for several days or longer. There may be a number of reasons for this happening, some of which are mentioned in this article:
- A pH that is too high or too low. Maintain a pH between 8.0 and 8.5.
- Too strong or too weak water current.
- Being downstream of a coral releasing terpenoids into the water. Move the coral or the clam. If more of your tank's critters are affected, use protein skimming, carbon, and water changes to remove the compounds from the water. If this doesn't work, the offending coral will have to be removed from the tank.
- Stinging sweeper tentacles from neighboring corals. Move the coral away from the clam.
- Fouling or over-growth of algae, bacteria or mucus. Siphon the stuff away and alter the water flow around the clam.
- Being irritated by a fish or other tank inhabitants.
- Excessive UV light. Move the clam lower in the tank and make sure iodide is being added in proper quantities. You may need to put UV shielding between your lights and the tank.
- Too intense light. Move the clam lower in the tank.
Tridacnids have been known to release packets of zooxanthellae from their exhalent siphons. These packets will look like dark brown strings or pellets. This is a sign that the clam is regulating its population of zooxanthellae. This may happen from time to time. You can expect it when you first add the clam to your tank or if you move it around within your tank. Also, changes in the clam's environment (temperature, light intensity and spectrum) will cause the clam to readjust it's zooxanthellae population. It is possible to shock your clam with too great a change (too much or too little light or a photoperiod that is too long or too short). The shock may cause the clam to expel all of it's zooxanthellae. This is known as bleaching.
Aiptasia Anemone image (aiptasiaet.jpg) provided by David Brough of Exotic Tropicals (http://animal-world.com/ (url updated 03/09/08, originally http://www.exotictropicals.com)).
Pyramidellidae Snail image (pyramildellineha.jpg) provided by Harbor Aquatics (http://www.harboraquatics.com (url dead, 10/02/05)).
Mantis Shrimp (Odontodactylus scyllarus) image (mantis.jpg) provided by Don Trowbridge and was found on The Lurker's Guide To Stomatopods (http://www.blueboard.com/mantis/).
(information updated 5/3/00: The original image had to be replaced when a hard drive crash took the permission for it's use with it and attempts to re-confirm that permission went unanswered. The image was replaced with Odontodactylus scyllarus male photographed by Jeffrey Rosenfeld. Jeffrey's website, The Vibrant Sea, can be found at
http://divingis.rad.washington.edu/scuba/jeffr/home.html(url dead 8/24/04). Thanks Jeffrey.)
Pea Crab image (peacrabsm.jpg) provided by Robert M. Metelsky of Simplified Reef Keeping (
http://www.connix.com/~reefkeep(url dead 8/24/04)).
By Torrey Schonder
Edited By Elizabeth M. Lukan, 8/27/99
This is a colt coral I cut from a good sized mother. It is only 1 week old and showing great growth and the mother has already started growing a new branch from which it was cut. I took a new razor blade and made one quick slice of a branch. Then, I took a rubber band and wrapped it in the center of the cutting. Just leave the rubber band there it will break off and the cutting will be attached to the rock. It doesn't take long. This piece has already adhered to the rock. This also works for tree corals. Closely related leathers and toadstools can be done very similarly. I cut a segment out of the coral but not part of the base. It can be cut at the base and work as well but I don't like to affect the appearance of my corals for long periods of time. Take the cut piece (1/2 to 1 inch in size) and adhere to a rock with a rubber band, stick, or a toothpick through it into another rock, or superglue it. I'll explain that technique later. Always take a cutting from a large sized, well established piece. Never cut any from a new addition or a small coral.
These are 2 cuttings from a lettuce leather colony. I used 2 different parts of the coral to see which grows the best. They were both successful and open their hairy little polyps every day. The larger one I pulled from the base and when I did it left 2 little pieces on the rock and they have already started to grow. Very pleased with that! I then attached it by taking it out of the water and putting a drop of superglue on its base and gluing it to the dry piece of rock. Then I put it in the tank 15 seconds later. The smaller piece I cut a lobe of a larger lettuce piece in the colony. Then superglued it using the same method.
These button polyps were simply pulled from the mother colony and moved. This works with all soft polyps. Encrusting polyps can be propagated by laying a flat rock like slate near the edge of the colony. As the colony grows it will grow on the rock then remove it. You can also take a chisel and carefully break the colony in half.
These mushrooms were found growing in the substrate. I picked them up. They were attached to little pieces of crushed coral so I superglued them to larger rocks.
The stony branching corals like frogspawn, torch, or favite branching can be propagated by taking a pair of cutting pliers and removing a branch from the mother colony. Make the cut as low as possible away from the flesh of the coral. With this method, you are not even cutting the meat of the coral so no stress is involved to the coral.
Any questions, send me an email at firstname.lastname@example.org
The article above was obtained, with permission, from Torrey's website at
http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Park/7604/page1.htm(url dead 8/24/04). Editing was limited to re-working the html to the Fish & Chips format and correcting a few spelling and grammar errors.
All images with this article were obtained, with permission, from Torrey's website at
http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Park/7604/page1.htm(url dead 8/24/04).
No Guarantee's In Saltwater
By Taylor Whipple
Edited By Elizabeth M. Lukan, 8/23/99
Reprinted from the
Treasure Valley Marine Aquarium Society News
January 1, 1999, Volume 2, Issue 1
Edited and published by Kim Gross of Jen's Saltwater Haven
Those of you who keep saltwater fish, or other organisms, know that unlike freshwater fish, most saltwater fish do not come with a 14-day guarantee, or any for that matter. (Editors note. It is possible to find stores that do offer guarantees, some will charge extra for the guarantee, others will provide it free. Make sure you ask about the guarantee policy before you purchase any livestock.) This is due to the many factors involved with the water and tank, because of this you should take extra precautions when buying saltwater fish. Here are a few guidelines to help you when purchasing a new saltwater fish.
-Know the specifics- Do not attempt to put a fish in your tank that you do not understand the long term needs required to keep it alive. (Editors note. This is true for invertebrates as well as fish.) Find out what it eats, what it can eat, or what will eat it. You do not want to put in that beautiful butterfly fish in your reef tank, to find out that its favorite food is your expensive coral polyps. You will also need to find out how large the fish will grow. It may be small enough for your tank today, but will it still be small enough in 6 months, how about 2 years? Then you can narrow it down to what will be a suitable fish for your tank. Also, feel free to ask questions about the fish to any store representative. That is what they are there for. (Editors note. Many stores have books that they will allow you to look the fish up in to see what the book lists for as food for the fish. It is much better to ask questions first than to try to catch a fish out of your tank that you really do not want later on.)
-Ask to watch it eat- This is a very important step. If you have not seen the fish eat, how do you know if it is eating at all? It is sometimes not enough to have the sales person tell you 'oh yeah it's been eating for days now'. If they tell you that they cannot feed it at the moment ask when they can. It may mean returning to the store at another time but this way you will see for yourself. This is very important when buying more expensive fish.
-Avoid New Fish- Fish that have just arrived at the store less than a few days should be avoided. Often fish come in from a long and stressful trip from their supplier, which make it very susceptible to disease. Saltwater fish are also very sensitive. Wait for it to be accustomed in the dealer's tank before adding it to yours. This way you will have a better chance of having the fish survive in your tank.
-Avoid Expensive Fish- If you buy a $100 dollar fish and it dies within the next few days most stores will not give you a refund or reimburse you. It should be known that fish in this price range can do excellent in your tank, just make sure you take extra precautions to lessen your chance at losing a lot of money. (Editors note. When it comes to expensive fish, you do not need to avoid them, but you do need to make sure that your tank and your skills are ready for the risk involved.)
Most importantly, make sure you are comfortable with your decision. Don't take a chance if you are unsure. Once all these steps have been completed you should have much better luck keeping your new fish.
The Treasure Valley Marine Aquarium Society News is the baby of Kim Gross of Jen's Saltwater Haven. The complete issue can be found on the Jen's Saltwater Haven website ( http://www.jensalt.com). The article above was reprinted here with Kim's permission. The italicized "Editor's Notes" above are Kim's notes, not mine. Editing was limited to re-working the html to the Fish & Chips format and correcting a few spelling and grammar errors.
Counter Current SkimmerGeneral Information:
- A Hobbyist Skimmer Review -
Edited By Elizabeth M. Lukan, 8/27/99
All ratings are 1 through 10 (10 being the best or yes, 1 being the worst or no). The items in parentheses are only given as a more detailed explanation and to give you an idea of what was meant by the category. Permission to publish these reviews was obtained through a clause in the survey. See the end of this article for review, survey, and article credits.
Construction Quality (Acrylic thickness, polish, glue job, etc.):
Aesthetic Quality (Does it look good, etc.):
Performance (Does it keep your water clean, must you adjust it all the time, etc.):
Foaming (Does it do it consistently, is it nice and thick, is it dark, etc.):
Ease Of Installation:
Would you buy it again?:
Electrical Efficiency (Does the pump it uses work well, etc.):
Plankton Level (Do you have a lot, etc.):
Overall Value (Did you get what you paid for, etc.):
Overall Satisfaction (Do you like it, etc.):
This is my first skimmer. It is still in operation on a utility tank. It is a 30" x 4" hang on counter current no name brand. At least I think it is a counter current. The water is pumped in at the top and there is a wooden airblock at the bottom. A collection cup with a drain sits at the top. This skimmer is a pig to clean. The collection cup is hard to remove. The bottom part of the column is impossible to clean. I have broken pieces occasion. There is an inherent design flaw that allows bubbles to enter the tank. Comparing the skimmate of these two skimmers (Editor's note: Hobbyist also submitted a review on the Red Sea Berlin Classic Skimmer which appeared in the April 1999 issue of Fish & Chips.) is interesting. The venturi pulls out the nastiest, foul smelling crud I have ever seen. The counter current is a little less aggressive and has a tendency to act up (overflow a lot of clear water).
Review, Survey, and Article Credits:
Review by Keith.
Survey created and hosted by Ian McDonald (IANsSnakes@aol.com) The Survey is closed.
Ian would like to extend his thanks to Chris Paris (aka Cap) and Steve Wolfe (aka NerveGas) for all their assistance in getting the survey going.
Editing was limited to spelling corrections and some grammar (capitalizing the beginning of a sentence, adding a period at the end, etc.). No other editing was done, what you read was exactly what was sent to Ian by the reviewer.
Since the skimmer's brand name is unknown and I could not determine it from the description, no images or further information can be provided.
What's Up @ ReefsUK
- http://www.reefsuk.org -
By Elizabeth M. Lukan 9/9/99
8/18/99 - Mark Taber is looking for someone to head a section of the ReefsUK Web Site called "Minimum Requirements For A Marine/Reef Aquarium." This section would list the basic requirements needed before attempting to keep a marine or reef aquarium. The articles in this section need to demand high standards and must explain the reasons behind such high standards. And, they shouldn't be afraid to dismiss old fashion methods. Mark has already started on this project and has some articles written, but he needs someone to take over. Anyone interested should contact Mark via email at email@example.com.
8/16/99 - The following is from a post sent out on a reef conservation email group. Although the post never stated whether the corals were alive or dead, the affect is the same, hobbyists will be blamed for the destruction of the reefs when in truth illegal trade and other human activities (like destructive fishing practices) are more at fault. A US federal investigation of illegal coral trafficking, spearheaded by the US Fish and Wildlife Service, resulted in the 8/9/99 criminal convictions of a Tarpon Springs, Florida man and his business for smuggling internationally protected corals from the Philippines to the US. Petros "Pete" Leventis and Greek Island Imports, Inc. and Ester T. Flores, owner and operator of a seashell and souvenir exporting business in Cebu City, Republic of the Philippines, were indicted in November 1998 for smuggling protected corals and seashells into the US. The Philippines banned the export of corals in 1977 and Mr. Leventis and Ms. Flores had been doing this since 1991. Mr. Leventis will be sentenced in November and is looking at up to five years in jail and fines up to $250,000 for each of his three felony convictions. His company faces fines of up to $500,000 per count. The US has filed papers with the Philippines seeking the extradition of Ms. Flores.
8/18/99 - Another post on a reef conservation email list had this to say: A debate currently rages in Fiji regarding coral harvesting. Their Fisheries Department commissioned a paper and the recommendation is to allow the fishing industry to go ahead and harvest corals. There is great concern in the country about the potential damage this could cause to the environment which they feel has not been adequately addressed in the report. A call for support was made.
8/18/99 - A new book, "The Global Trade In Coral," by the World Conservation Monitoring Centre under the heading WCMC Biodiversity Series No. 9. This is a small book being distributed by TMC and goes into detail on the quantities of corals being imported/exported around the world for the aquarium trade. The book can be ordered directly from TMC for £7 (shipping and handling included). TMC can be reached at the following:
+44 (0)923 284151
8/31/99 - A new article has been added to the ReefsUK Library. Luis Magnasco of Argentina adds his article on raising Yellow Tailed Damsels (Chrysiptera parasema). The article can be found in the "Articles" section under "Captive Breeding."
8/18/99 - More articles on captive propagation of corals and captive breeding of fish and other livestock are needed. Article length is not important, as long as you explain what has been achieved. It is important to get this information out to other hobbyists. The more information available, the more likely others will be to try these methods.
8/29/99 - Mark received an article from a contact in the NY Aquarium. The article, "Will Seabeds Go the Way of the Birds?", was reprinted from the July 1999 PetLetter of the Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council (PIJAC). To summarize the article, the US government is moving forward with efforts to ban the removal of corals and livestock in general from the reefs. A controversial subject usually and in the heat of the arguments on this matter is the true cause of reef degradation. Most in the hobby will agree that it's not fair to ban us from the reefs when we are not the main cause of the problem, find the true sources and STOP that. But, regardless of this fight, our role is clear, if we wish to keep our hobby, we must do everything within our power to keep our pets alive, healthy, happy, and propagate them!
To join the ReefsUK Mailing List, send an email to Mark T. Taber at firstname.lastname@example.org.
Information in this section covers the latest happenings at Mark T. Taber's ReefsUK Web Site. Mark has given me permission to publish any information from his mailing list that I feel would be of interest to Fish & Chips subscribers. So, the above, although reworded by me, should be credited to Mark. The dates in bold coincide with Mark's mailings and are provided as a reference.
Caught In The Net
By Elizabeth M. Lukan 9/11/99
New Articles On #reefsPaul Auger on Berlin versus NNR SystemsLog of Paul Auger's 8/15/99 talk on data attained to compare nutrients found in a Berlin versus a NNR system. Some very interesting results were collected by Paul.
http://www.reefs.org/library/talklog/p_auger_081599.htmlKeeping Anemones by Rob ToonenShould we really be keeping anemones in an aquarium? Rob Toonen discusses this in his new article in the #reefs Library, "Keeping Anemones."
This Month's Selection From The Fish & Chips Site List
Informational & Educational SitesThe above list matches a portion of the site list maintained on the Fish & Chips Website as of the date of this publication. What you see above is what was listed as on their site by the submitter. The date that follows in parenthesis is the date submitted to the list. For the complete up-to-date list, check out the Fish & Chips Website at http://www.marinefiends.com/ (updated 8/24/04).
http://www.fishroom.com(url dead 8/24/04) (7/29/99)
"We are a community. Always looking for people to help."
- Reefers - http://www.acropora.com (1/12/99) (url dead 10/03/05) (Listed by ELukan, Fish & Chips)
Site Submission and Updating: To submit your site for inclusion in the Fish & Chips newsletter and website based Site List, please go to the Fish & Chips website at http://www.marinefiends.com/ (updated 8/24/04) and complete the Site Submission Form. Please do NOT send any site submission or update requests via email - I will not process them. Of course, emails are welcome if you are having trouble submitting the form or if your browser doesn't support forms.
Marking Your Specific Gravity
By Elizabeth M. Lukan 9/11/99
I've seen it recommended that you should make a line on your sump for the water level at the Specific Gravity that you keep your tank. This way you know exactly when and how much you need to top off your tank and maintain your levels. This is a great suggestion, but doing it with a magic marker isn't the best idea. I've found that whenever I do water changes, the level of water in my sump for my specific gravity is in a different spot. So, I've taken a piece of masking tape (the beige/tan looking tape) and I can move it around along with my water level.
To Submit Your Tip: Send your tip via email to FishNChips@mail.com (address updated 4/26/00)
with a subject of Tip Submission(information updated 4/26/00: coding replaces need for subject notation) and I'll publish it in an upcoming issue of Fish & Chips. I'll write it up for you or you can do it yourself if you are so inclined. Make sure you let me know if I can include your name and email address or if you'd rather go anonymous.
By Elizabeth M. Lukan 9/11/99
The 1999 Eastern PA Reef Club Symposium
Date and Time: Saturday, October 16, 1999. Registration starts at 9:00 AM, Seminar starts at 10:00 AM. The event will end around 6:00 PM.
Guest Speakers: Joyce Wilkerson, Todd Gardner, Noel Curry.
Location: East Stroudsburg University, 200 Prospect Street, East Stroudsburg, PA, USA 18301-2999
Cost: EPARC Members: $15, Non-EPARC Members: $20, ESU Students: $13
Info: For more information go to
http://www.eparc.com(url dead 8/24/04) or direct link to http://www.eparc.com/fall1999/symposium.shtml(url dead 8/24/04). To order via a credit card go to http://www.acropora.com (url dead 10/03/05), click Catalog and then EPARC. If you have any questions please email William Horst, President of the Eastern PA Reef Club at email@example.com(url dead 8/24/04). They are limited to 125 people in the amphitheater seating at the University, so please order your tickets today. You will definitely not want to miss this event!
To Submit Your Event: Send your event and all the specifics (date, time, location, pricing, contact info, etc.) via email to FishNChips@mail.com (address updated 4/26/00)
with a subject of Event Submission(information updated 4/26/00: coding replaces need for subject notation) and I'll publish it in all issues of Fish & Chips prior to the event.
What the ... ?
By Elizabeth M. Lukan 9/11/99
- Relating to or belonging to or characteristic of any worms of the phylum Annelida. Worms with cylindrical bodies segmented both internally and externally.
- Composed of or containing calcium carbonate, calcium, or limestone.
- A flesh-eating animal.
- Chitin -ous
- A tough protective substance that is the principal component of crustacean shells.
- Cilia / Cilium / Ciliated
- A microscopic hairlike process extending from a cell or unicellular organism and capable of rhythmical motion. Ciliated means having cilia.
- Commensal / Commensalism
- A symbiotic relationship between two organisms of different species in which one derives some benefit while the other is unaffected.
- Genera / Genus
- Genera is the plural of genus. In the taxonomy classification, the genus is the category ranking below a family and above a species. Simply said, it's a class, group, or kind with common attributes.
- An animal in which both male and female sex organs are present. Rarely do both systems operate simultaneously.
- Larva -vae -vas / Larval
- The newly hatched stage of any of various animals that differ markedly in form and appearance from the adult.
- Large, pigmented fleshy portion of tridacnid clams that is exposed to the light by gaping of the shell valves. Also called siphonal tissue. Also coral tissue is fleshy polyps (ee.g Catalaphyllia).
- Biologically speaking, matrix is the intercellular substance of a tissue.
- A change in form and often habits during development after the embryonic stage.
- An omnivore is an animal who will eat both meat and vegetables.
- Parapodium / Parapodia
- One of the lateral appendages of an annelid. Also called a foot tubercle. They may serve for locomotion, respiration, and sensation, and often contain spines or set[ae]. When well developed, a dorsal part (notopodium) and a ventral part (neuropodium) are distinguished.
- Pathogen / Pathogenic
- An agent that causes diseases especially a living microorganism such as a bacterium or fungus.
- The section of the alimentary canal that extends from the nasal cavities to the larynx, where it becomes continuos with the esophagus.
- In the taxonomy classification, the phylum is the category ranking below a kingdom and above a class.
- A long, flexible snout or trunk, such as an elephant has.
- A protozoan is a single-celled, microscopic (usually) organism. For example, an amoeba.
- Part of the skeletal/structural support in soft corals. They are composed of calcium carbonate imbedded in the tissue of most soft corals (octocorallia).
- Set -ae
- Any slender, more or less rigid, bristlelike organ or part; as the hairs of a caterpillar, the slender spines of a crustacean, the hairlike processes of a protozoan, the bristles or stiff hairs on the leaves of some plants, or the pedicel of the capsule of a moss. One of the movable chitinous spines or hooks of an annelid. They usually arise in clusters from muscular capsules, and are used in locomotion and for defense. They are very diverse in form.
- The classification of organisms in an ordered system that indicates natural relationships.
- Organic compounds produced by soft corals for defense and aggressive colonization of new substrate.
- Wart-like projections on sclerites.
- These are the tiny plants called dinoflagellates (single-celled microscopic organisms which belong to the Protista kingdom) that live symbiotically with corals, tridacnid clams, and some sponges. They provide food for the host and in return get the nitrogen, phosphorous, and carbon dioxide they need for growth. The scientific name is Symbiodinium spp.
By Elizabeth M. Lukan 9/13/99
The American Heritage Dictionary, Third Edition, Copyright 1994 by Houghton Mifflin Company
Dictionary.com, http://dictionary.reference.com/ (updated 8/24/04)
Exotic Tropicals, http://animal-world.com/ (url updated 03/09/08, originally http://www.exotictropicals.com)
Freshwater And Marine Aquarium Magazine, August 1999, Buyer's Guide To Corals Part 3: Assorted Reef Animals by Michael P. Janes
Harbor Aquatics, http://www.harboraquatics.com (url dead, 10/02/05)
The Lurker's Guide To Stomatopods, (http://www.blueboard.com/mantis/)
Neuroscience Florida State University Online Dictionary,
http://www.neuro.fsu.edu/diction.htm(url dead 8/24/04)
The Reef Aquarium Volume One by J. Charles Delbeek and Julian Sprung, First Printing July 1994, Published by Ricordea Publishing
The Reef Aquarium Volume Two by Julian Sprung and J. Charles Delbeek, First Printing June 1997, Published by Ricordea Publishing
Richard S. Hogg's Home Page, (
http://www.his.com/~rshogg/home.html(url dead 8/24/04))
Simplified Reef Keeping,
http://www.connix.com/~reefkeep/(url dead 8/24/04)
The Wave - Eastern PA Reef Club Newsletter Volume #1, Issue #9, July 1998, Tridacna Clams By Todd Kunkel, found on the Eastern PA Reef Club Website,
http://www.eparc.com(url dead 8/24/04)
To subscribe to Fish 'N' Chips,
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Washington's Dangerous New Military Strategy
March 5, 2012 · By Jim Cason
Drones may seem like a way to wage war on the cheap, but the moral cost of this kind of warfare is too high.
The Iraq War was a disaster, so the United States needs a new foreign policy. Instead of invading foreign countries with tens of thousands of troops and trying to occupy and control the political process, President Barack Obama has embraced a new foreign military policy relying on "unmanned" drones and limited counterinsurgency forces.
The poster child for this new war effort is the ongoing U.S. military action in Pakistan. But Washington has also dramatically expanded the use of armed, unmanned military drones in East Africa and part of the Arabian Peninsula. The Congressional Research Service reports that our military has more than 7,000 drones in its arsenal.
The arguments for drones are easy to make. In an era of federal budget deficits, drone warfare is cheaper than deploying soldiers, and apparently has widespread public support — 83 percent of people interviewed in a February 2012 ABC News/Washington Post poll said they approved of the president's use of drones strikes to kill "terrorists."
The Obama administration's new military strategy released earlier this year calls for shrinking the number of troops and relying more on drones and small-footprint military interventions. Following a series of interviews with administration officials, the journalist David Rohde dubbed this the new "Obama doctrine."
Before embracing this new strategy, Congress should consider its consequences. Our country doesn't need a new era of secret wars with armed, military drones as the leading edge of covert or semi-covert military campaigns around the world. Yet that's what we are getting. The operations that have been reported in the media include Somalia, Yemen, and of course Libya. And the results now include the extrajudicial killings, without charge or trial, of U.S. citizens.
The explanation usually provided is that these were really bad people. "I want to make sure that people understand that drones have not caused a huge number of civilian casualties," President Obama declared in January. "For the most part, they have been very precise, precision strikes against al-Qaeda and their affiliates."
Leaving aside the fact that people in Pakistan would dispute his count of civilian casualties, this is a slippery slope. We're a nation of laws, not a nation of assassins. We have these laws precisely because we don't want the president to become judge, jury, and executioner. What's more, we don't even know the scale of these killings because they are almost all secret. When Sen. Ron Wyden asked for details about the legal basis for using drones to kill U.S. citizens in another country, the Justice Department refused to provide details in public.
Rohde saw the impact of drones firsthand during the seven months he spent as a Taliban captive in the tribal areas of Pakistan. He has concluded that the Pakistani state is failing and the Obama administration's drone war is only making things worse. "Pakistan is more unstable today than it was when Obama took office," he writes in the latest issue of Foreign Policy. "And the percentage of Pakistanis supporting the use of the Pakistani Army to fight extremists in the tribal areas…dropped from 53 percent in 2009 to 37 percent today."
In Yemen, Obama's drone strikes have increased the ranks of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula from 300 fighters in 2009 to more than 1,000 today.
Washington now seems intent on exporting this same strategy to East Africa, where the Obama administration is using a combination of drone strikes and mercenary trainers for East African military forces to help stabilize Somalia.
Rather than relying on a new type of military force, the Obama administration needs to invest in more diplomacy, development, and international cooperation. Unlike drones, they are proven tools for building peace. | <urn:uuid:4271548e-52c9-4811-9b9f-0ce1ead42a6e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.ips-dc.org/articles/dangerous_drone_strategy | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00008-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.958924 | 783 | 1.78125 | 2 |
OTTAWA – The high-flying Canadian loonie may soon be joining the elite club of global reserve currencies.
The International Monetary Fund signalled in a new report it is considering asking foreign countries to report their holdings of Canadian and Australian dollars separately, which would technically make them global reserve currencies.
It would be the first addition to the list of five reserve currencies — the U.S. greenback, the Japanese yen, the euro, the British sterling and Swiss franc — since 1999.
Previously the two were lumped together in the “other currencies” category.
The notice was contained in an appendix of the new IMF report, which took note that at least two other countries held the Canadian and Australian dollars in their foreign reserves.
Bank of Montreal economist Doug Porter called the addition a “seal of approval” for Canada, but could carry some repercussions, both negative and positive.
“This more or less would make it official that Canada and Australia are seen as relatively safe harbours and places that countries feel comfortable keeping their foreign exchange (reserves) in,” he said.
“I would suspect it could put even more upward pressure on the loonie, at least over the next year or two,” he added.
The value of the loonie has flirted with par for the past year as investors increasingly view Canada’s economy as a relatively safe harbour.
The loonie again traded above parity in markets Monday, a level that many exporters complain makes them uncompetitive in the global marketplace. The rise of the loonie in the past decade has also been blamed for the continued deterioration of Canada’s manufacturing sector in Ontario and Quebec.
A higher value for the loonie, however, is a positive for Canadian tourists, businesses that import machinery and equipment, and helps inflation in check. | <urn:uuid:0fa9634b-8862-4b48-a5ee-ef413d48f2ef> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www2.macleans.ca/2012/11/19/imf-eyes-elevating-loonie-to-elite-club-of-global-reserve-currencies/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00010-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.967772 | 386 | 1.617188 | 2 |
Click to learn more about the other Massachusetts Sea Grant program!
May 21, 2010
High School Students from San Diego, CA; Newton, MA; & Andover, MA Chosen for MIT Ocean Engineering Summer Internships at MIT Sea Grant College Program & the MIT Center for Ocean Engineering
May 14 – Two Boston area high school students, Cole Kerr (Newton North) and Stephanie Liu (Phillips Andover Academy), and two students from High Tech High in San Diego, Beth Lacarra and Jake Neighbors, have been chosen for the MIT Ocean Engineering Summer Internships. The Ocean Engineering Internship Program is jointly sponsored by the MIT Sea Grant College Program and the MIT Center for Ocean Engineering. The paid internship will run from July 12 through August 20, 2010.
ABOUT THE OCEAN ENGINEERING INTERNSHIP
The Ocean Engineering Internships offers four high school students an opportunity to gain hands-on experience in a variety of marine science and technology fields. Interns work with faculty and research staff, including policy experts, research engineers, and marine biologists, at the MIT Sea Grant College Program and the MIT Center for Ocean Engineering. Each intern also works semi-independently on a project designed by the intern and an assigned advisor from one of the following disciplines: marine biology, oceanography, physical and ocean science and engineering. The project will culminate in a written and oral report to be presented at the end of the program.
The Ocean Engineering Internship program is open to rising high school sophomores, juniors and seniors. Two students are chosen from a pool of MIT’s “Blue Lobster Bowl” participants each year and two from High Tech High in San Diego.
THE BLUE LOBSTER BOWL INTERNS
For over 13 years the Blue Lobster Bowl has been testing Massachusetts high school students in marine sciences including biology, chemistry, physics, geology, maritime history, and ocean engineering. Each year approximately 2,000 students from 300 schools across the nation compete in their regional tournament. Winners of regional competitions are invited to compete in the National Ocean Sciences Bowl. The Blue Lobster Bowl is co-sponsored by The MIT Sea Grant College Program, The MIT Center for Ocean Engineering, and The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.
For the second year, MIT offered the two Boston-area Ocean Engineering Internship slots exclusively to Blue Lobster Bowl participants. Cole Kerr, a rising junior from Newton North High School and Stephanie Liu, a rising senior from Philips Andover Academy, were been selected from a pool of applicants. They will be working on sensors for the Sea Perch, a small underwater robot used by MIT Sea Grant in its educational programs. The interns will be responsible for field data collection and input into online database and conducting quality control on the sensor itself.
Brandy M. M. Wilbur, Educational Consultant for the MIT Sea Grant College Program comments,
"The Blue Lobster Bowl students are passionate about the ocean - the students that apply for the internship are seeking to learn more about the marine realm. MIT Sea Grant developed this internship opportunity for these top marine science students of Massachusetts to provide them with a hands-on opportunity to learn more about the science and engineering that happens when studying the ocean. This summer experience gives them an insight into these areas of study for college and careers."
THE HIGH TECH HIGH MEDIA ARTS ENGINEERING INTERNS
High Tech High Media Arts (HTHMA) is a school serving approximately 390 students in grades 9-12 at High Tech High (HTH) Village in San Diego. Founded in the fall of 2005, the school implements all HTH design principles and features a focus on a strong liberal arts and sciences foundation enhanced through the media arts. Early in 2009 MIT Sea Grant was introduced to HTHMA by Dan Sura, a consultant to MIT Sea Grant who commutes between San Diego and Cambridge. MIT Sea Grant director, Chrys Chryssostomidis, was delighted to supply the dynamic science and engineering focused HTH with two kits to build Sea Perch remotely operated vehicle (ROV) which is the cornerstone of MIT Sea Grant’s K-12 outreach program.
Ultimately, HTHMA engineering instructor, Karl Wendt, decided to pursue a custom ROV project with his group of talented and technically advanced students. Wendt’s students developed an array of ROV and Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) platforms comparable in size to the Sea Perch but with digital control systems and sensors that allow them to have interesting capabilities. Throughout the MAE program, Dan Sura continued to provide overall guidance, giving presentations to the students and facilitating communication among MIT Sea Grant, MAE, and the Office for Naval Research which funds the Sea Perch program and sponsored the HTH group to continue ROV developments in through the spring of 2010. Sura comments,
"I've been quite impressed by the fact that Karl has given these kids exposure to some hands on engineering they would normally not see until at least their sophomore year at MIT or any engineering college. They are going to arrive at MIT as high school students with that experience, and apply the skills they learned towards a real-world problem in the Ocean Engineering field."
Through a competitive process that included a written application and interviews, Beth Lacarra and Jake Neighbors were chosen from MAE for the internship. Jake Neighbors is a senior at High Tech High Media Arts graduating this June, 2010. He considers himself an engineer because he likes researching the latest technology and thoroughly understanding how it works. Beth Lacarra, a life-long San Diego resident, has always been interested in science and what makes things work including; gears, electrons and quarks. Chryssostomidis plans to have the MAE summer interns build upon two main concepts, a power docking station to recharge an AUV, sensor integration onto their AUV platform for environmental sensing.
ABOUT MIT SEA GRANT
The mission of the MIT Sea Grant College Program is to employ innovative research, education and outreach strategies to responsibly use and sustain the vital marine resources of Massachusetts. The issues we address manifest locally but many are global in nature. Compelling challenges demand our attention as a solo entity and in partnership with other groups living and working on the coasts and at sea. MIT Sea Grant brings the substantial intellectual abilities of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and our sister universities to bear on ocean-related challenges requiring an extraordinary technical contribution. In meeting these challenges, we expand human understanding of the ocean and establish the infrastructure to sustain the initiatives and talent pool needed to address complex issues of critical and fragile marine resources.
For immediate release: May 14, 2010
Call: 617 253-9305
MIT Sea Grant College Program
Mail to: 77 Massachusetts Avenue, E38-300, Cambridge, MA 02139
To visit: 292 Main Street, Cambridge, MA 02140
Beth Lacarra and Jake Neighbors from High Tech High, San Diego | <urn:uuid:cd1335d5-55f9-40df-864f-93c5e860a515> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://seagrant.mit.edu/press_releases.php?ID=136 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.931966 | 1,429 | 1.546875 | 2 |
SCC partners with Washington County for Early College Program
St. Catharine College is excited to partner with the Washington County School System in the creation of an Early College Program that will assist high school students in becoming college and career ready. SCC believes that part of the intent of Kentucky’s Senate Bill 1 (2009) is to increase collaborative efforts to introduce high school students to post-secondary experiences and to offer wrap-around services to help assure their success.
Strategic partnerships with St. Catharine College, Elizabethtown Community & Technical College – Springfield Campus, Marion County Area Technology Center, Advance Kentucky, and the Kentucky Department of Education have enabled the Washington County School system to implement one of the most innovative high school college and career readiness systems in the state.
"Students who complete the Early College Program will be able to graduate from St. Catharine College with either an Associate of Arts (AA) degree in Liberal Arts or an Associate in Applied Science degree (AAS) in Early Childhood Education at the same time they earn their high school diploma," said Dr. Don Giles, SCC’s Vice President for Academic Affairs. "The AA/AAS degree will allow them to either continue at a four-year higher education institution with their first two years completed or enter into the job market with stronger credentials than their fellow high school graduates. This competitive edge is critical in today’s challenging economy."
St. Catharine College welcomes this opportunity to partner with the Washington County Schools and recognizes the potential for both institutions to grow in their understanding and appreciation of the skills required for student success in the 21st century global economy.
In order to prepare for this innovation, Washington County teachers have worked throughout the spring and summer to develop and implement a new curriculum aligned to Kentucky’s new Core Academic Standards as well as to the College Board’s Advanced Placement standards, the ACT’s Quality Core standards, and the course syllabi and expectations of ECTC and St. Catharine. Students in their junior or senior year of high school will have the opportunity to participate in classes led by adjunct college faculty as well as by college professors while the students work to achieve college credits that will place them semesters as well as dollars ahead of their teenaged peers.
With the goal that every graduate from WCHS will earn credits toward a postsecondary degree or industry certification, Washington County has taken on a rigorous and demanding goal. With the support of educators throughout the district on all four campuses, high school students will reap the benefits. | <urn:uuid:f8826260-5002-4858-b82c-1950370decac> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://sccky.edu/news/earlycollege.php | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00015-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.960851 | 518 | 1.5 | 2 |
Jennifer Tyrrell, who was ousted as a den mother for her son's Cub Scout troop because of her sexual orientation, is fighting back. Tyrrell talks to msnbc's Thomas Roberts about her petition to change the Boy Scouts of America's long-standing policy on banning gays and lesbians.
The Boy Scouts of America will keep their controversial policy banning gay scouts and leaders after a confidential two-year review, the organization said Tuesday.
The announcement comes amid a stepped-up campaign from activist groups urging an end to the membership standards.
“The vast majority of the parents of youth we serve value their right to address issues of same-sex orientation within their family, with spiritual advisers, and at the appropriate time and in the right setting,” said Bob Mazzuca, Chief Scout Executive of the Boy Scouts. “While a majority of our membership agrees with our policy, we fully understand that no single policy will accommodate the many diverse views among our membership or society.”
The Boy Scouts convened a committee of 11 senior volunteers and professional leaders to decide whether the policy was still in the organization’s best interests after a resolution was put forward to reconsider it, the private group said in a statement that was first reported by The Associated Press. The nearly two-year-long review began in 2010.
The committee reached a "unanimous consensus" that it was the "best policy" for the BSA, Scouts' spokesman Deron Smith said in an email. That conclusion was shared at a February board meeting and recently reviewed by the officers of the board, he said.
“The committee included a diversity of perspectives and opinions. The review included forthright and candid conversation and extensive research and evaluations -- both from within Scouting and from outside the organization. The committee’s work and conclusion is that this policy reflects the beliefs and perspectives of the BSA’s members, thereby allowing Scouting to remain focused on its mission and the work it is doing to serve more youth,” the statement said.
The review was conducted confidentially "to allow the committee to make the best decision for the organization," Smith said.
In June, the Boy Scouts said the organization was considering another resolution proposed at the group's annual meeting the month before that also called for ending the policy. But the decision announced Tuesday means the Scouts’ board will take no further action on that resolution, Smith said.
"Resolutions can always be submitted as defined by our bylaws, but the officers of the board have no plans to further review this issue," he said.
Boy Scouts review controversial anti-gay policy
Eagle Scout son of lesbian moms: Boys Scouts must end gay discrimination
Gay mom upset after dismissal by Boy Scouts
Boy Scouts board member opposes anti-gay policy
The Boy Scouts’ policy became a focus of the U.S. Supreme Court in 2000, when the justices sided with the organization in a lawsuit involving a former assistant Scoutmaster who was gay, citing the protections of the First Amendment.
Courtesy of Jennifer Tyrrell
Tyrrell, a 32-year-old stay at home mother of four, said she agreed to become the den master on the day she signed up her son, Cruz Burns, for the local troop, last year. She had concerns about the Boy Scouts' policy against homosexuals, but a Cubmaster said that – locally -- they wouldn't have problem.
Zach Wahls, an Eagle Scout who is the son of a lesbian couple, has recently campaigned for changing the policy, along with Jennifer Tyrrell, who was ousted from her post as a Tiger Cubs’ den leader in April because she is a lesbian. She started an online petition to seek changes to the Boy Scouts policy.
Smith said the Boy Scouts would accept Tyrrell's petition on Wednesday, but did not plan to discuss the policy. Another big batch of petition signatures was delivered by Wahls to the Boy Scouts' annual meeting in May.
Wahls denounced what he said was "the secretive nature surrounding how this conclusion was reached" and called the announcement "old news."
"We've heard this line before, and we'll hear it again before this is all said and done. I've said this before and I'll say it again: this will be the official BSA policy up until the day it finally ends," he said in an email to msnbc.com. "Regardless of your thoughts on homosexuality, surely we can agree that gay people who serve our troops and communities deserve our respect and gratitude."
BSA board member James Turley, global chairman and CEO of consulting and tax firm Ernst & Young, said in mid-June that he was working within the organization to encourage dialogue on the policy, which is not one he would “personally endorse.” When contacted Tuesday, his firm's media representatives said he would have no comment beyond his earlier remarks.
“Scouting believes that good people can personally disagree on this topic and still work together to achieve the life-changing benefits to youth through Scouting," the BSA National Executive Board said in the statement. "While not all Board members may personally agree with this policy, and may choose a different direction for their own organizations, BSA leadership agrees this is the best policy for the organization and supports it for the BSA.”
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- Missing Iowa girls' families fear they were kidnapped
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- 17 hurt, four critical, in Alabama bar shooting
- Crews drag lake in search for missing young Iowa cousins
- Battle brews over Trayvon Martin memorial | <urn:uuid:3f3ed61b-2eb6-4f5c-906d-1706e3269ba8> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/07/17/12790471-boy-scouts-were-keeping-policy-banning-gays?lite&__utma=14933801.298932075.1342433926.1342537017.1342541235.10&__utmb=14933801.5.10.1342541235&__utmc=14933801&__utmx=-&__utmz=14933801.1342541235.10.7.u | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00010-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.976416 | 1,161 | 1.570313 | 2 |
In the 1930s, two decades into the new Capital and a few years after New Delhi was formally inaugurated, it was Connaught Place that held all the indicators of how the new city was doing, and where it was headed.
To go by "media reports", including those in the Hindustan Times, columnists and political commentators made CP the mascot for New Delhi.
Renowned columnist of those days, Captain RL Rau of HT took a round of CP one evening in 1936 to find answers to questions like "Is there truth in the rumours that New Delhi had become more cosmopolitan?" or "Is the talk of Delhi becoming the centre of the hub of future politics, or is it all part and parcel of the natural growth of a rising young city?" What he found paints a picture of a place poised to become a commercial juggernaut, one that was already being compared to the 'hip' markets in Bombay and Calcutta.
"Three years ago it was impossible to get a tray of tea and a piece of cake for a price of two annas in New Delhi. Today one can have an excellent tea for this sum in one of those numerous restaurants in Connaught Circus as one is accustomed to in Bombay for instance," Rau observed in his column.
Connaught Place had already become Delhi's stepping board to a more modern lifestyle in entertainment, shopping and of course eating out.
Wenger's, the confectioners, owned the largest restaurant in New Delhi on the first floor of their present A-Block outlet. Established in 1926 as Spencers in Kashmere Gate, Wenger's was one of the first shops in CP. Owned by the Wengers, a Swiss couple, it introduced Delhi to the joys of pastries, tarts, mousses and homemade Swiss chocolates.
"It took years for ordinary Delhiites to warm up to these items. Only the royalty, British officers and foreign-returned businessmen patronised Wenger's," says Charanjeet Singh, manager at Wenger's, who joined in 1965.
Keventer's, Galgotia, Snowhite were some of the early movers into CP. Maharajas and their queens from the royal houses in New Delhi flocked the shops for everything from designer clothes, artefacts, shoes, and even pianos. Eating was high on their agenda too.
"The restaurant menus were such superhits that most establishments have retained their old favourites," says Sunil Malhotra, owner of Embassy Restaurant, one of the old favourites started in 1948.
Davico's overlooking the Connaught Plaza and then Standard restaurant carried the mantle of food and beverage scene for decades before fading away in time. But the mainstay of the high life those days was Regal.
The Regal theatre hosted renowned artistes of Western Classical music, Russian ballet and British theatre groups. Famous Hollywood movies such as Paul Robeson's Emperor Jones, Metro Goldwin Mayer's Mata Hari were some of the biggest attraction for cine-goers, including the Viceroy.
Along with Odeon and Rivoli, there was Indian Talkie House that opened in 1938. The "talkies" were so famous that ticket prices started going through the roof. The HT columnist complained: "A movement should be started for cheaper tickets at these houses of entertainment. For a seat, one pays more than one does in Calcutta or Bombay".
But the boom was rudely interrupted for about 10 years. World War-II coupled with the upheaval for Independence brought about a recession in the markets in the next decade. But by the 1950s, CP was back on its feet, never to look back again. | <urn:uuid:b6a6890b-4df2-4a54-afa2-8516570b482b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.hindustantimes.com/India-news/NewDelhi/The-heart-of-Delhi-even-then/Article1-660169.aspx | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697380733/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516094300-00006-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.977866 | 758 | 1.523438 | 2 |
This looks like rather flimsy evidence to me, but it's an interesting thought that might put some things in perspective that otherwise don't make much sense.
"This video will mark a turning point in the minds of our public and make it easier for the government to fulfil its commitments toward the (Hague war crimes) tribunal," said Minister for Human Rights Rasim Ljajić, a Muslim.
His words are code here for the arrest of General Ratko Mladic, former commander of the Bosnian Serb army. He is indicted for genocide in Europe's worst atrocity since World War II, the July 1995 massacre at Srebrenica of 8,000 Muslim males.
The most obvious of these concerns the timing of the publication and the arrests. Human rights lawyer Kandić is thought to have dropped the tape off on 23 May. A week later it was shown at The Hague, but with a good number of the faces shown on it identified by first and last names, or in some cases by first names or nicknames only. Was that work done while the tape was in the prosecution's possession? Didn't the prosecution have the obligation to alert the defense to its existence right away? More importantly, how did they manage to put names on faces? It is here that things start getting interesting: just hours after the video airs on Serbian TV, the authorities announce that several of the paramilitaries shown on the tape had been arrested, including one of the executioners. (The numbers are hazy, but most reports put them at seven or eight.)
If, as the defense witness claims during whose testimony at The Hague the tape was shown, the Scorpions were not operating in Bosnia under interior ministry command, how come the government seems to have pretty complete files on these guys, including their current whereabouts? This happened ten years ago, so a good number of them would be retired by now; how does the government have their address? I think there's a fair bit of explaining to be done.
Moreover, there seems to have been some sort of complicity -- perhaps tacit rather than overt -- between Kandić, the prosecution, and the Serbian authorities. Otherwise, action could simply not have been taken so swiftly. I imagine that something like this might have happened: Kandić gets the tape and passes it on to the prosecution. She sits on it while the prosecution, perhaps with her help, is trying to identify the folks on the tape. (Incidentally, nobody seems to have worried too much about identifying the vitcims; Reuters quotes a woman who says she recognizes her son among those executed.) Once they're getting there, she passes it on to the government, perhaps already with names attached. The government is notified by the prosecution that this will be shown at some point during the trial, and the authorities are preparing to make these arrests.
The prosecution and Kandić don't care about the political constellation; their overriding interest is, rightly, to see Mladić in the dock. The Serbian government feels it has to do something to maintain the momentum of the last few months, when droves of indictees "surrendered" to the ICTY, some more and some less voluntarily. Perfect congruence of interests?
[Update, 4 June: a Reuters report (no link available) shed new light on this today. It said, "The video was obtained last December from an unnamed and now protected source by Hague prosecutors and Natasa Kandic, a Serbian human rights activist. They spent months authenticating it and investigating the men it showed. It was shown to Serbian war crimes prosecutors a week ago and its broadcast to a national audience was coordinated with the government of Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica."]
But what I don't get is the broader context. The victims seem too young to have been of any intelligence value. The question then is, were they shipped all the way from Srebrenica to Trnovo or Jahorina (again, the details of where the killings took place are hazy) just to be killled? If they were just to be killed, why not kill them right there, in Srebrenica, as happened to thousands of others? Why were these guys special? Why bother to get special police from Serbia to kill them?
Even thought he footage seems clear enough, this tape is hiding a secret -- whatever it may be. | <urn:uuid:261bea34-977a-4e3d-8522-682a9ab4d8e9> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://eastethnia.blogspot.com/2005/06/mladi-arrest-imminent.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368711005985/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516133005-00012-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.981458 | 904 | 1.664063 | 2 |
Author: Toma Rei | Artist: Toma Rei
Chapters: 39 | Updated: Dec 23 2012 | Status:
Summary: "On that day, I became the enemy's possesion," Nakaba thought as she stood there, knowing her destiny was to be married for convenience to keep the peace between her country Senan and Prince Caesar's country, Belquat; two neighbor countries on an island.
Between the two countries, there has been a constant war for 200 years and Nakaba has become a sacrificial goat for her country despite the discrimination of her red hair and of the sub-person (half-human, half-animal) Loki, who is her only friend and attendant at Caesar's estranged palace.
But what will Nakaba do when she foresees an event pertaining to Prince Caesar's demise? Will she save him? Or let him die in return to all the hate directed towards her by the people of Belquat? | <urn:uuid:357250e6-6a80-47cd-a42e-950a270ae3ba> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.ourmanga.com/Reimei_no_Arcana/5 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00006-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.972062 | 196 | 1.578125 | 2 |
Logistics in China: Thinking ahead
October 01, 2011
By Bill Fu, Brooks A. Bentz, and Mark T. McCalla, Accenture
To varying degrees, China has become the world’s factory: supplying North America, Europe, and other locales with all manner of apparel, electronics, food products, appliances, and components for manufactured goods. But how is China’s transportation and logistics infrastructure coping with such rapid growth? Even more important, what is the country doing to ensure the efficiency and effectiveness of those global supply chain networks that have tapped its resources and fueled its rise to power?
Despite China’s huge successes, it’s never been a smooth ride. According to the China Federation of Logistics and Purchasing, logistics costs accounted for 18 percent of the country’s GDP in 2010. This is twice the level of most developed countries. Tax burdens, expensive tolls, and chaotic competition in the logistics market are the main reasons logistics costs are so high. In fact, some of the country’s manufacturing concerns are moving to nearby lower-cost countries as China’s costs—particularly labor—continue to rise.
Still, China’s logistics infrastructure has improved significantly during the implementation of the country’s eleventh Five-Year Plan (2006-2010). Acknowledging that economical labor wouldn’t be enough to ensure long-term growth, China has increased its investments in highways, railways, and other transportation facilities.
However, logistical inadequacies still exist, including sub-par distribution facilities, roads, and railway networks—especially in the western (less developed) provinces. This is a clear reflection of China’s unbalanced economic growth and a major detriment to its ongoing competitiveness.
Trends and developments
In a logistics context, China is clearly thinking ahead. On June 8, 2011, Premier Wen Jia Bao announced that “we must make a complete set of policies and measures, and promote the healthy development of the logistics industry.” The resulting logistics improvement initiatives, known as the Eight State Regulations, focus on:
land policy support;
road traffic improvement;
business environment improvement;
technology innovation and application;
government investment and bank credit support; and
- logistics support for agriculture.
These initiatives should help buoy logistics and transportation performance in at least seven major supply chain areas:
1. Domestic freight. The domestic freight market, while very fragmented, is making progress in procedure standardization and oversight. As noted above, China’s State Council promulgated the new Eight State Regulations to stabilize and reinforce development discipline in the logistics industry. China also is making efforts to regulate the freight market—a potentially impactful move designed to deal with rising labor costs and more expensive fuel.
Thus far, pending regulatory increases haven’t dissuaded some Chinese transport companies from becoming competitive players in the global logistics market. The emergence of domestic 3PL providers is also viewed as a step toward better efficiency in the freight market.
2. Marine freight. China’s investment in ports has been unrivaled globally, with more than $357 billion Yuan invested during the last Five-Year Plan alone. These investments have enabled China to experience strong and sustained progress in spite of poor global economic conditions.
The top Chinese mainland ports handled 13.5 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) in January 2011. This translates to 17 percent year-on-year growth, which is relatively consistent with increases at major coastal ports from 2001 to 2010. During this period, Shanghai became the largest port in the world, with 29.06 million TEUs exported in 2010.
In the bulk cargo markets, surplus capacity resulted in a drop in freight rates, especially for oil tankers and dry bulk cargo. The problem here is simply an imbalance of supply and demand. On the one hand, numerous Chinese ships have come on-line, thus increasing capacity. On the other hand, debt crises in many developed countries have suppressed global demand.
As a result, port investments are actually going down relative to China’s previous Five-Year Plan. In fact, enough capacity already exists to handle reduced demand from the European Union and the U.S.
3. Rail transport. China has invested heavily in its railway infrastructure for both freight and high-speed passenger services, and this is playing a critical role in the growth of the country’s logistics industry. In the first half of 2011, total goods transported by rail in China increased to 1.94 billion tons—an 8 percent year-on-year increase.
By the end of 2011, China’s total miles of rail is expected to top 99,000 km. The volume of goods transported by rail should also increase, given accelerated railway construction and expansion, and more high-speed railways. Longer term rises in rail freight are also expected, even though military traffic, resources, and passenger rail take precedence over the transport of goods.
4. Road transport. The largest portion of Chinese domestic freight—as is the case in North America and the EU—moves by highway. To accommodate these high volumes, China’s road-transport network is improving gradually, especially in the country’s second- and third-tier cities. Road transport network expansion is a particularly high priority among local governments. Road-oriented service levels are also improving, due largely to fierce competition in the logistics market. More multinationals in China, including more U.S. conglomerates, are sourcing logistics services locally.
Despite the popularity and rising demand for road transport, cost concerns keep topping the list of development stress points. Rail transport prices are 20 percent to 30 percent cheaper than road transport. Barge shipments are approximately 50 percent cheaper. For these reasons, many believe that better-integrated transportation networks will become the dominant new trend in the Chinese freight market.
5. Air freight. While air cargo volume has risen steadily, approximately 6 percent annually, the increase is not dramatic when compared to China’s overall logistics market. Like many countries, China uses air transport mainly to move high-value or highly compact goods.
In this sector, international logistics giants are facing fierce competition from local Chinese air companies. China Southern, the leading Chinese air-freight carrier, reported revenue of 42.4 billion Yuan for the first half of 2011—a year-on-year increase of 22.3 percent. UPS achieved 10 percent revenue growth in the China air-freight market.
6. Inland and short-sea shipping. Short-haul waterborne transport is taking a more important position in the economic growth of mid-western China. A primary reason is that traditional manufacturing is moving west due to increasing costs in China’s eastern cities, and supply chain decision makers are striving to carve new channels into inland areas.
7. Forwarding. Forwarding and brokerage services are enjoying sustained growth. Chinese forwarders, for example, are providing more complete, more customized supply chain solutions for international customers and thus reaping the benefits.
They’re also opening new branches in the U.S., Europe, and elsewhere. These moves should help foreign companies trade more closely and effectively with China. Kerry Logistics, headquartered in Hong Kong, is a good example of a China-based 3PL expanding within China, across APAC countries, and in the EU.
Down the road
China’s logistics industry faces great opportunities and challenges. However strong support exists throughout China’s government, and this could allow new domestic entrants to compete more effectively against the country’s traditional players and perhaps even on the global stage.
But established companies should enjoy success as well. Take China Ocean Shipping (Group) Company—China’s largest global shipping and logistics specialist. China Ocean Shipping was the sixth largest shipping company in the world at the beginning of 2011. Within six months, it had jumped to fourth place, with a capacity of 650 thousand TEUs.
Integrated transport will likely be an increasingly hot logistics topic in China. Combined marine and road freight is being used more and more to move goods to inland provinces. Transport from inland locations to major ports is also growing fast, thanks to construction of improved road networks, river routes, and logistics facilities. Other forms of integration could become more prominent. In some Chinese coastal cities, for example, buyer consolidation is being used by major logistics companies to optimize costs and efficiency.
Traditional transport modes, such as rail and water, are already seeing a significant revival as viable modal choices, with large-scale investments enabling expansion and improvement. Rail transport volumes, however, will probably grow faster than ever, given rapid rail-system expansion and significant progress in railway technologies. More supportive policies will be issued and more positive measures will be taken by the Chinese government for development of rail transport.
In China’s recently issued Eight State Regulations, tax rationalization is a top priority and could bring welcome changes to the logistics industry. A uniform tax rate for the logistics industry is not out of the question.
Logistics enterprises could also receive more tax incentives due to a series of accommodative government policies. In fact, for promoting export, preferential tariff rates are now provided by some local governments. Companies will need strong local knowledge and deep local relationships to keep on top of emerging incentives and regulatory changes.
It’s also a given that positive moves in China’s logistics industry will be driven by factors that many westerners find unfamiliar or even distasteful: extensive government guidance and intervention. Chances are good, in fact, that governmental policies and supervision will strongly favor logistics.
Constructions of logistics parks, rail tracks, and ports will be given priority in terms of funding, credit, and permissions. Not surprisingly, domestic companies will be the principal beneficiaries.
Nonetheless, non-Chinese companies will also have myriad chances to leverage improvements in China’s logistical underpinnings. China clearly recognizes its growth potential and wants a world-class transportation and logistics infrastructure to support its progress.
Toward this end, 700 billion Yuan will be invested annually in rail projects, according to the country’s twelfth Five-Year Plan. By the end of 2015, road networks will connect 90 percent of all municipalities. More than 1.5 trillion Yuan will be invested in aviation. The net effect is extensive opportunities for any company with strong ambition, strategies, and operational capabilities—combined with serious supply chain smarts.
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entire logistics operation. Start your FREE subscription today! | <urn:uuid:5bb7ddd9-1f1a-45be-bb10-26b3afa9929e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.logisticsmgmt.com/article/logistics_in_china_thinking_ahead/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.94891 | 2,166 | 1.703125 | 2 |
FREDERICTON, NEW BRUNSWICK--(Marketwire - Sept. 7, 2012) - Thirty-nine New Brunswick farms will swing open their gates to the public on Sunday, September 16, for Open Farm Day.
"Open Farm Day provides the public with an opportunity to meet local farmers, see life on the farm, and find out how local food is produced," said federal Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz. "It's a great way for families to learn how Canadian farmers produce some of the highest-quality food in the world."
The agriculture industry plays an important role in creating jobs and keeping the economy strong. Canada is the world's fifth-largest exporter of agriculture and food products, with exports hitting an all-time high of more than $40 billion in 2011.
"Open Farm Day 2012 is an excellent opportunity for the public to explore farm operations throughout the province," said New Brunswick Agriculture, Aquaculture and Fisheries Minister Michael Olscamp. "I encourage everyone to come out and meet the farm families that are dedicated to the production of our agricultural food and products."
The agriculture and food industry is a leading industry in New Brunswick. Latest data report that this sector generated $532 million in farm cash receipts and a further $1.1 billion worth of processed food shipments in 2011.
A total of 125 farms in Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick are participating in this year's Open Farm Day.
The event is being supported by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Sobeys Inc., provincial governments, and agriculture awareness committees in the Maritimes.
"NB Open Farm Day 2012 is an excellent opportunity for consumers to visit farms, meet producers, expand their awareness of modern production and marketing practices, and learn why we have some of the best food in the world grown right here," said Jennifer MacDonald, Chair of the Agricultural Alliance of New Brunswick's Promotion and Relations Committee.
A list of Open Farm Day locations in New Brunswick is available at: www.fermeNBfarm.ca. | <urn:uuid:7c88f7d6-bdff-494c-ba5c-8ec8ab4aeb98> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.marketwire.com/press-release/open-farm-day-in-new-brunswick-1698792.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00019-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.935078 | 418 | 1.679688 | 2 |
Wounded Warrior Diaries: Marine Uses ‘Real Warriors’ to Help Others
By Navy Lt. Jennifer Cragg
Special to American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, May 28, 2009 A Marine who returned home from his second deployment from Iraq knew that “something was definitely wrong” with him.
Marine Corps Sgt. Josh Hopper was wounded in Iraq, and later sought help for post-traumatic stress disorder. He now encourages other servicemembers to do the same. Courtesy photo
(Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available.
“It really didn’t start setting in on me until I was back three or four months,” said Marine Corps Sgt. Josh Hopper, assigned to Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 115 at Beaufort Marine Corps Air Station, N.C. “It probably took me about nine months after I returned from Iraq to get help, [which] is why I ended up being a chronic case of [post-traumatic stress disorder], because I let it go too long.”
Hopper is part of the Defense Department’s new “Real Warriors” campaign. The campaign highlights stories of warriors who admitted they needed help, and after receiving treatment, are pursuing their military careers. Hopper -- a Purple Heart recipient who’s married and the father of two -- sought help, found help, and now is helping others.
The sergeant served a brief three-month tour in Djibouti, Africa, and two tours in Iraq in 2005 and 2006. He was awarded the Purple Heart Medal after a roadside-bomb strike in Iraq’s Anbar province, and he participated in numerous firefights. The accumulated stresses of Hopper’s time in Iraq led to PTSD.
“If you think something is wrong [when] you get home from deployment, [it] doesn’t matter if it is a month or nine months later, like it was for myself,” Hopper said. “A lot of people think if you get help for PTSD or any psychological issue, they think it is almost a weakness.”
Hopper enlisted into the Marines on Nov. 2, 2003, and recalled his first injury in November 2006, when a double-stacked mine was detonated near his Humvee. Hopper’s Humvee was the lead vehicle in a six-vehicle convoy. After the mine detonated, Hopper recalled, he slipped in and out of consciousnesses many times. He was taken to Balad, Iraq, for follow-on treatment.
“I stayed in Balad for almost two weeks,” he said. “I finally got out and started walking around, and got my senses back. They flew me back to Habinea, where the rest of my company was. I stayed on [for] two weeks on mandatory light duty, and after the two weeks was up, I went right back out to mobile security patrols, and on my [first] day back we were hit by another IED.”
Hopper recalled enduring the second blast and many more to follow. When was back home, he said, he noticed his short-term memory was gone. He couldn’t remember phone numbers or birthdays. Afull nuero-psyche evaluation led to a diagniosis of traumatic brain injury.
Hopper said his TBI treatment included hand-eye coordination exercises to help him relearn some of the basic skills most of us take for granted. “It is almost like the effects from [the] IED blasts are gone,” he said.
But when Hopper first returned from Iraq, he said, it took him several months to realize something was wrong. Nearly nine months after returning home, he realized that he was suffering from more than TBI. His PTSD not only was starting to affect his job, but also was causing problems at home.
While the causes and effects of PTSD may vary for each servicemember, Hopper said, he believes many events led to his PTSD from enduring countless IED blasts and losing close friends for the first time.
“You just see things, and do things and be around certain situations you only see in movies, and you don’t think exist in life,” said Hopper.
Back home, the surreal scenes were gone, he said, but that didn’t mean everfything was OK. “I would find myself in situations that I didn’t know how to deal with,” he said. Many servicemembers who suffer from PTSD might not recognize it, he added.
While others wake up and put their clothes on in the morning, he explained, people with PTSD wake up and put a mask on. “We can fool everybody throughout the day, eight to 12 hours, however long we work,” he said. “[And], you go home and you have to take it out on someone -- your wife, your kids, your mom or dad, those closest to you.”
Hopper said family members usually are the first to notice something isn’t quite right. His wife recognized the subtle differences, Hopper said, and his commander and sergeant major also noticed his range of emotions, temper and bad attitude.
Hopper said at first he would deny his commanding officer and sergeant major’s questions about whether he thought he might be suffering from PTSD. It took him another two or three weeks to go back to his commander to seek help, he said, and when he did, his commander immediately called around to seek help for him.
“I had a hard time trying to go get help first,” Hopper said. “I thought of every way I could go and get help and not let anyone know about it. But you really can’t do that in the military these days.
“At first I was kind of hesitant,” he continued, “and didn’t want to be labeled. I wanted everyone to think I was good to go, nothing is wrong with me, but basically it got to the point I didn’t have to say a word about it and my CO, my sergeant major was one of the first to notice it.”
Hopper said that after recognizing that he needed help, he wouldn’t let anything get in his way. He said people he knows chose to use destructive means, such as alcohol, to self-medicate their PTSD instead of seeking help. “If they get pulled over, it can be a career ender,” he said.
With strong support from his command and family, Hopper participated in a three-month in-patient program at the Martinsburg, W.Va., Veterans Affairs hospital. Hopper said they “pushed me to get help.” When he returned from the program, he said, he was a new man and wanted to thank his commanding officer for saving his life.
“I walked in my CO’s office and shook his hand and thanked him,” said Hopper, who asked his CO what he could do for him. His commanding officer replied, “You don’t owe me a thing; the way you can repay me is by paying it forward. There will be a lot of people coming home from these wars in the same boots as you, and they will need help. If you see them, help them get the help they need.”
Hopper said that he has taken an active role in “Real Warriors” to help other servicemembers who were like him.
“Well, we’re human beings still, and [PTSD] will bother some of us,” he said. “A lot of people think it makes you weak. I went and got help with PTSD. I can still run just as fast or faster, I can still lift, I can still climb rope, I picked up rank. … I have done nothing but advance after I got help for PTSD.”
(This is the ninth installment of the Wounded Warrior Diaries series. Navy Lt. Jennifer Cragg serves in the Defense Media Activity’s emerging media directorate. Jim Garamone of AFPS contributed to this article.) | <urn:uuid:c9071cd2-1c7e-490d-8f8c-ae62fe033e61> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.defense.gov/News/NewsArticle.aspx?ID=54545 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704713110/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516114513-00010-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.985418 | 1,735 | 1.804688 | 2 |
They came to pay their respects and remember Taylor as the Queen of the Blues and for her ruckus party classic, “Wang Dang Doodle.â€
Songstress Dorothy Moore performed a capella at the service, and offered a tribute to one of the many legends who had inspired her.
“She was the Bessie Smith of today’s blues and there’s not another. I’m glad to have known her,†Moore said in a release.
Born Cora Walton in 1928, her lifelong nickname, Koko, was attributed to an early love of chocolate. Reared in Bartlett, Tenn., Koko was orphaned by 11. Along with her five siblings, Taylor developed a love of music from a mixture of gospel she heard in church and blues she heard on radio stations beaming in from Memphis.
When she was in her early 20s, Koko and her soon-to-be husband, the late Robert “Pops†Taylor, moved to Chicago looking for work. With nothing but, “35 cents and a box of Ritz crackers,†the couple settled on the city’s South Side, the cradle of the rough-edged sound of Chicago blues.
Like most blues legends of the 50s, Taylor supplemented her income working as a domestic, cleaning houses for wealthy families in a northern suburb of Chicago. The couple became regulars of the Chicago Blues nightlife, and after much prodding from her husband, Koko eventually took to the stage to perform alongside performers like Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, Magic Sam, Little Walter, and Junior Wells. Taylor’s big break came in 1963, when songwriter Willie Dixon caught one of her performances.
Dixon recorded Koko for USA Records and then secured a Chess recording contract for her. He produced several singles and two albums for her—including her 1966 hit single “Wang Dang Doodleâ€â€”firmly establishing Koko as the world’s number one female blues talent.
“I don’t care where you go down South, when a real party is about to get started, you got to throw Koko Taylor on first to announce to the folks carrying straight razors, pocket knives, and a mess of trouble, that it’s time to ball,†said Tonia Phillips, 43, a former announcer in Clarksdale, Miss. “Koko will be missed.â€
Though blues ceased being a huge moneymaker in mainstream arenas, Koko remained a staple among blues aficionados and fans. She went on to earn two Grammy Awards, eight Grammy nominations, 29 W.C. Handy & Blues Music Awards, and an induction into the Blues Hall of Fame in 1993.
“Blues is my life,†Koko Taylor once said. “It’s a true feeling that comes from the heart, not just something that comes out of my mouth. Blues is what I love, and singing the blues is what I always do.†| <urn:uuid:fe71b3b5-c8a1-4c65-a185-f7a3466b93bb> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://washingtoninformer.com/index.php/lifestyle/item/9154-legendary-blues-woman-koko-taylor-dies-at-80 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00010-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.959237 | 680 | 1.507813 | 2 |
Apple has announced iOS 5, the next big operating system for iDevices, a while ago. The company had announced that iOS 5 will be available for download from 12 October. iOS 5 is supposed to have more than 200 new features which will make your iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch even better. Some of the changes are significant, even if they do riff on signature features of other platforms (cough Android!). Here is a list of seven new things Apple has brought to your device with iOS 5.
1. Use volume button to capture photos
The camera app in iOS 5 has received a lot of improvements and new features. It is accessible right from the start screen. You can use grid lines, pinch-to-zoom gestures, and single-tap focus and exposure locks to compose a picture on the fly. You don’t even have to unlock the phone to access the camera, just touch the camera icon next on the slider in the lock screen and you immediately get to camera. You no longer have to touch the screen to capture the photo which is a little awkward and does not guarantee best results, just push the volume up button to capture the picture.
2. Edit images right on your phone
Photos taken on phone sometime don’t look that good and it needs to be edited before it can be shared with friends and family on social networking sites like Twitter, Facebook, etc. The photos app now lets you crop, rotate, enhance and remove red-eye from your pictures and make them sharable. Even organize your photos in albums—right on your device. With iCloud, you can push new photos to all your iOS devices. So if you’re taking photos on your iPhone, iCloud automatically sends copies to your iPad, where you can quickly touch them up before you share them with friends and family.
3. Tweet from anywhere in the OS
iOS 5 has tweet integrated deep into the operating system which means once you sign in at the settings you can tweet directly from Safari, Photos, Camera, YouTube, Maps and many other apps that you install in your device. You can reply to your friends, attach pictures and even add location to your tweet.
4. Attach pictures, videos and music files to your messages
This is a really cool feature in iOS 5. With iMessage you can send unlimited text messages via Wi-Fi and 3G to other iOS devices (iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch) you can add text, photo, video, location or even contacts to your messages. It supports group messaging and lets you track messages via delivery receipts and optional read receipts.
5. Wirelessly sync your device with iTunes
Now you no longer have to connect your device to your computer to synchronize them. Once you enable the option of wireless syncing, whenever your device is in the wireless range, it will automatically sync all the data. Easy and simple.
6. Read website and blogs without clutter
In iOS 5, Safari has received Safari Reader and Reading List. Safari Reader takes out the ads and other clutter and reformats the page you are reading to look better on your iPad or iPhone screen. The Reading List feature saves your pages for offline reading.
7. Set up and update your device without connecting it to PC
You no longer have to connect your device to iTunes to activate it. Activation and set up is now done right on the device wirelessly. You will also receive software updates right on your device. You can do more stuff with your apps like creating new email folders or editing the photos that you have just taken. You can also select to backup all the data in your device automatically to iCloud so that all your data is available in the cloud and in all your devices.
Besides these seven cool new features some other important updates in iOS 5 are - Dictionary integration into OS – first there was dictionary only in iBooks app. Now all your apps have dictionary built in at operating system level. So now you don’t have to start another app to look up word definitions. You can set up location aware reminders; iOS 5 has received a new feature called reminders. It is good for reminding you about appointments and stuff but what makes reminders even better is that they are location aware. They pop up when you are in the location where some things needs to be done. You can receive and reply to alerts from lock screen; it is now easier to check all the alerts right from the lock screen. You also get option to slide to reply or view the alert and respond to it.
This article is sponsored by Consumer Electronic Gadgets from Made-in-china.com . | <urn:uuid:dce06b70-9c87-4204-b85a-c847fa2dfa09> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.gizmowatch.com/entry/ios-5-brings-device/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00017-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.935542 | 942 | 1.554688 | 2 |
I have no idea where to put this. Oh, well, Words are "fun," so...
So I like words. Talk about words. Neologisms, etymology, favorite words, and why. Whatever. Talk about words.
I'd say that today, my favorite word, for a while now, is a simple, and, so I'm told, dirty word, that can mean any variety of things: The "F" Word. I'm not going to say it, as it may not be proper, considering that this is a topic-heading post in a public-access forum. Some kid may log on, see it, run to Mommy, and next thing you know, you have the BF,E township PTA on here whining. I've seen it happen before. But I digress. This is a wonderful word. It can express lust, rage, detachment, surprise, or nothing at all. It has the power to arouse, inspire, disturb, and offend. It's considered lowbrow, yet it appears in nearly every great work of modern literature. Yet, it's only one syllable. This is a truly great, multifunctional word. Use it. Often. And be not ashamed.
Vote Pieces for Pope! She didn't buy me off with the funny hat, I swear!... She made me a cardinal. | <urn:uuid:54c21565-913b-4d1b-83ba-dd5665b75d69> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.venganza.org/forum/viewtopic.php?p=346101 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.972373 | 281 | 1.523438 | 2 |
AOELUA, LOA, FAASUA and TAGOAI of Afono, Plaintiffs
SUA of Afono, Defendant
High Court ofAmerican Samoa
Civil Jurisdiction, Trial Division
[Land: "Suatiama" at Afono]
H. P. WOOD, LUTU , and MULI, Judges.
The parties in this case are Sua of Afono and Aoelua also of Afono. The land in dispute lies along the sea at Afono and is bounded on the east and west by lands of Tela.
Sua claims that the land in dispute is called Suatiama and has had it surveyed and offered it for registration in this Court under this name.
Aoelua claims the land offered by Sua for registration under the name Suatiama, includes lands called by him Failafua, which land he claims belongs to him as the holder of the name Aoelua.
The evidence points to the fact that Sua received the land Suatiama from his father Paselio, who formerly held the name Sua and that Paselio received the pule of the land from his father who was also a Sua, who received it from another Sua, Paslio's grandfather. Sua (Paselio) it [1ASR391] appears at one time, authorized the father of Aoelua (Ieremia) who was a Missionary to build a house on the eastern side of the land Suatiama, this was because Ieremia was a Missionary and had no other place in Afono for his guest house and school. From this license granted to the father of Aoelua, the claim of ownership has grown up and is pressed by Aoelua.
The witnesses of Sua, Paselio and Tela are unshaken in their testimony that there is not now and never has been any division of the land Suatiama and that the testimony of Aoelua's witnesses that the land Failafua is a Separate entity over which the name Aoelua has the pule is without foundation. They testified that the land called by Aoelua and his witnesses Failafua is and always has been a part of the land Suatiama.
The testimony of Aoelua and his witnesses is not convincing. They say that the pule of the land called by them Failafua is in the name Aoelua and that the Aoelua in this case had the land from his father Ieremia and yet it appears that Ieremia never held the name Aoelua; that the predecessor of Tela had the name Aoelua and it was he who had the pule of the land called Failafua and transmitted this pule to the father of Aoelua, Ieremia. Tela who should know, said that there was no land named Failafua belonging to Aoelua, that the lands of Tela are called Failafua and Falesoa.
It is believed that the claim of Aoelua arises out of the original license to build a house granted by Paselio to Ieremia and that long continued residence by Aoelua and his father has developed a claim of ownership in Aoelua and his fellow Plaintiffs. This belief is strengthened by the fact that Aoelua and his predecessors have not cultivated the land until very recently and have exercised no pule over it except the building and rebuilding of houses on the original site granted by Paselio to Ieremia. [1ASR392]
The judgment of the High Court will be in favor of Sua, that he has the pule of the land Suatiama as surveyed and filed here for registration; that Aoelua lives on this land under a license granted to his father Ieremia by Paselio and that this license is revocable by Sua who has the pule of the land Suatiama as surveyed and filed for registration.
In view of the fact that this case has occasioned very hard feelings among the people of Afono and that prior to trial Sua expressed his willingness to County Chief Leiato and District Judge Pele to give the land occupied by the house of Aoelua to him, it is recommended that this generous offer be renewed by Sua, but only on the condition that Aoelua absolutely waives any claim to the pule of the land on which he may be permitted by Sua to live. | <urn:uuid:da204bfe-3c94-4c4b-b354-db50829e18bb> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.asbar.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=147:aoelua-v-sua&catid=43:1asr&Itemid=228 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00019-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.985648 | 927 | 1.765625 | 2 |
October 25, 2011 > Gorbachev says he would join Wall Street protests
Gorbachev says he would join Wall Street protests
By Bob Moen, Associated Press
LARAMIE, Wyo. (AP), Oct 14 - Former Soviet Union President Mikhail Gorbachev (mih-kah-EEL' gohr-bah-CHAHV') says he is sympathetic to the protest movement against poverty, corporate greed and injustice that has sprung up in the United States and elsewhere.
Gorbachev said in a speech to about 6,000 people at the University of Wyoming on Friday that he would join them if he were on Wall Street.
But the 80-year-old Nobel Peace Prize winner warned that extremists must not be allowed to exploit the protests. He didn't specify what he meant by extremists.
Gorbachev is popular in the West for the role he played in ending the Cold War but is disliked by many in Russia for the collapse of the Soviet Union and the years of social and economic turmoil that followed. | <urn:uuid:9245b26f-43d4-4e38-978a-1eb8c2e27617> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://tricityvoice.com/articlefiledisplay.php?issue=2011-10-25&file=Gorbachev+++TCV.txt | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00002-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.973191 | 213 | 1.742188 | 2 |
Date of this Version
In November 1996, the New Yorh Times ran a front page article dealing with the crisis in publishing monographs in the humanities. The piece opened with the experience of a young scholar in Oregon who had sent a book manuscript on Theodor Adorno to a major university press who refused to read it for reasons of "marketability" (Al). As the report continued, it outlined the economic and editorial reasons why many researchers in the humanities, especially at the beginning of their careers, encountered significant difficulty landing contracts at presses that would have published their work in the past. At the moment the story appeared, it was relevant to my situation in that I was in the fourth year of my job at a research institution where a book, though not in all cases needed for tenure, is generally a decisive factor in retaining one's position. Within a month's time, the editorial board of the press to whom the manuscript had been submitted would vote on my project. While trying to fight off the natural apprehension that comes from waiting for an issue to be resolved, I was nonetheless relatively confident in a vote for approval. The press had conducted an extensive review process, which in effect took over two years. Both of the referees to whom the book had been sent recommended publication, though the first required significant revisions which accounted for about six months of this time frame. Senior colleagues whom I consulted about the situation suggested, quite reasonably, that acceptance was all but assured given that 1) the reader's reports were from two of the most noted names in the field (French sixteenth- and seventeenth-century literature), 2) the press had published several titles in this discipline, and 3) the press had held the script for an especially substantial amount of time.
After the vote was taken, the story of the Oregon scholar in the Times began to resemble my own. I received first an email message, then a formal letter from the director of the press saying that the text had been turned down because of market concerns and, correspondingly, because a book on my topic did not correspond to current titles on the press's list. The director of the press expressed regret that the situation had not worked out in my favor, and thanked me for my patience during the review process. In my response, I asked the director for further details and for advice as to where now to send the text, whereupon he simply repeated what had been said before and told me to consult the directory of the Association of American University Presses. Although the surprise of the press's action was personally disappointing, I realized that from a legal and professional point of view, I had no recourse. The only option was to accept the decision, start the submission process from scratch after 26 months, and find a suitable publisher (which occurred seven months later). Fortunately, there was still time to look elsewhere. Nonetheless, the consequences for tenure could have been disastrous if the manuscript had not been tendered at a relatively early date.
The situation did resolve itself, but in the two years that have elapsed since this event, I have come to believe that the experience is significant because it is symptomatic of grave problems in academic publishing, and calls attention to systemic and often unnecessary difficulties authors face during the submission process. My story is not atypical, and indeed, as I have related it to others, I have encountered other incidents strikingly similar to mine. These cases range from manuscripts that have been held for well over a year only to have the script rejected even in light of favorable external evaluations, to the basic quandary of sending a text to a press that historically published works in the author's field, but now opts not to do so for economic reasons. The purpose of this article, however, is not to malign a particular press, nor university presses in general because of unfortunate experiences. Without question, one could argue quite plausibly that the cases just cited do not constitute the professional norm. Nonetheless, it is true that a growing number of authors, especially those without contracts, suffer increasingly from instability in humanities publishing, and that university and trade presses, as well as the academic community as a whole, have done little to address the issue. In recent years, the Chronicle of Higher Education has run a number of opinion pieces on this problem, and I will refer to some of these contributions over the course of this essay. Yet, unlike the Chronicle articles, I seek in this paper to describe the problem from an author's point of view, and to propose solutions from this perspective that will in some ways render authors in search of a publisher less susceptible to the uncertain nature of editorial policy. | <urn:uuid:d189964d-6745-4446-a84b-63afa3a35ce7> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/modlangfacpub/19/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00008-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.976539 | 934 | 1.546875 | 2 |
It's impossible to be elected president without misrepresenting the truth. Is it hurting America when we too readily concede as much?
Mitt Romney's unusually frequent flip-flops, shameless misrepresentations of the truth, and brazen pandering has caused some pundits to marvel at how dishonorable he is. "How did this happen?" Scott Galupo asks. "How did we come to this pass, where a man like Mitt Romney -- whose candidacy represents a breathtakingly cynical, borderline nihilistic pursuit of power on behalf of a tiny sliver of the population -- sits within striking distance of the highest office in the land?"
I won't defend the Republican nominee. But I am a bit confused by all the folks who aren't as disgusted by President Obama's performance on these metrics. This is, after all, a man who misrepresented his core to the electorate in 2008, constantly asserting that systemic reform would be his first priority in Washington, D.C., only to arrive in the White House and work within the system. The incumbent also accepted huge amounts of cash from Wall Street, staffed his administration with insiders from big finance, continued to bail out their industry, and failed to hold it accountable for its role in the financial crash. Meanwhile he shamelessly reversed himself on numerous national security matters, breaking explicit campaign promises and pursuing policies that he once denounced as immoral, illegal, and harmful to the United States of America. For those voting Republican or Democrat this November the choice is between two phonies.
So how did we get here?
The same way that Mike Campbell of The Sun Also Rises fame went broke: "gradually, and then suddenly." Politicians have always lied because they've always had powerful incentives to do so. Over time, some level of mendacity became an expected part of the process; for American voters, it only seemed pragmatic to accept some lies from candidates, else who would there be to support? Only particularly egregious mendacity was penalized under the evolving norm. But "particularly egregious" relative to what? For politicians, the incentive to lie just a bit more always existed, and so the expected level of lies kept getting ratcheted up to new levels.
It's now easier than ever to get elected despite telling brazen lies. But on some level Americans are aware of what's gone on, and so they accord decreasing amounts of respect to elected leaders. The conventional wisdom is that in order to be a successful politician these days, you've got to gradually compromise many of your core principles and perhaps your integrity.
Ask yourself this question: Can anyone become president without lying? Without misrepresenting their opponent? Without using people as a means to an end? I don't think anyone can. And I have no idea how a nation would go about reversing the ratchet effect successfully. I'll be voting for a third party this November, but I don't really expect it to make any difference.
Most Americans have grown so used to mendacity that it's taken for granted. I wonder if, despite its inevitability, we'd be better off if we raged against betrayals of what we believe is right a bit more. | <urn:uuid:cc90b18e-42db-49ff-a8fd-711a77d42c51> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2012/07/a-brief-reflection-on-lying-politicians/259609/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00011-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.971541 | 639 | 1.5 | 2 |
It’s Time For…
Song By My Friend “Tha Truth”
Post created by Jennifer Kiley
Video Created by j. kiley
Created May 19th 2013
Posted May 22nd 2013
Tha Truth is a political hip hop artist and “rap-tivist” known around the Philadelphia area for battling imperialism, inequality, corruption, and discrimination. He has performed in countless venues at concerts, colleges, demonstrations, conferences, and benefits. He is acclaimed for infusing lyrical content of critical importance for those concerned about social justice, while still being able to hold his own talent wise against any artist in the hip hop industry.
Tha Truth put out his debut CD “Tha Civil Rights Movement” in 2006. His second CD “Tha Civil Rights Movement Part II” was released in 2007. In late 2008 Tha Truth unveiled his third CD “Tha People’s Music,” which was heavily inspired by Howard Zinn’s classic book “A People’s History of the United States (from 1492 to Present)”. On this CD Tha Truth sums up the suppressed, real history of the United States from 1492 to 2008 (starting with the pillaging of Columbus) in just two songs (“The Real History of the US” and “The Real History II”).
Throughout the project Tha Truth alerts listeners to the most critical issues occurring throughout the US and the world. Through his complex and at times astounding rhyme patterns, he describes how these issues go back through time, and specific ways to take action to fix them. Tha Truth takes on bigotry, poverty, air pollution, war and occupation, worker’s rights, U.S healthcare, corporate privatization of resources, the prison industrial complex, corporate media, New Orleans recovery efforts, military recruitment, the poverty draft, the death penalty, immigrant rights, police brutality, NAFTA, US foreign policy/empire, and so much more.
When Tha Truth began making music in 1998, he was engaging in the typical mainstream rap content he grew up around. Throughout his life however, he always despised bigotry and questioned inequality. As he grew and became more educated, he began to think about the message he was promoting. The catalyst to his drastic turnaround was a conscious emcee from NJ he befriended who questioned Tha Truth’s material. Years later, as his lyrical skills and life experience grew, Tha Truth was convinced by those around him to pursue a place in the music business.
In a time where most musicians drone on apathetically about trivial, negative, and unoriginal subject matter, Tha Truth represents a breath of fresh air; he is an artist in every sense of the word. Utilizing originality, creativity, and a desire to use his talent to move the world in a better direction, Tha Truth is a rapper one ignores at their own risk.
When it was conceived, hip hop’s rhythmic poetry gave a voice to the voiceless on the streets of New York City. Tha Truth’s music continues the tradition in providing a voice representing another side… the side often ignored in the media’s agenda and the government’s spin. Put simply, Tha Truth makes the case that to be politically neutral or uninterested is to condone what is taking place in the world. Tha Truth’s music presents the aesthetic artistry, flair, and sonic mastery of the best rappers, while leaving listeners with content capable of provoking life altering critical thinking, empowerment, and awareness. One can only imagine what kind of world we would be living in if most kids listened to Tha Truth, instead of the latest egotistical, stereotype driven, corporate creation churned out by the hip hop industry to amass huge profit for their multinational conglomerate and its stock holders. Overall, hip hop may have been taken from the streets to the corporate offices, but underground artists like Tha Truth keep the roots of the tradition strong.
This biography was provided by the artist Tha Truth.
I was fortunate to discover the following song, It’s Time For… on MySpace before Rupert Murdoch corrupted it and took away the lefts’ and free thinkers’ corner to represent and communicated with each other. It was one of the best hang outs to discover the latest in what was seriously wrong in the world, including the US and one found the truth. Well, I found the other truth, I found this song and I found the owner and creator of It’s Time For… I posted it on my page on MySpace. I loved listening to it everyday. It soothed me inside. One day I got a message from the singer/songwriter thanking me for sharing his music on my page and for my comment about loving his song. It held such deep meaning for me. I have not stopped listening to it since. And Tha Truth, known by another name, we developed a really good friendship. We both have gone and are going through our struggles with our lives and wrote to each other about them.
Last time I wrote, which was a short while back, I asked if I could use his song someday on my blog. I wanted to add some lines to his song. Would that be okay with him. He told me anything that I wanted to write would be fine with him. I finally got to a place where I feel I am ready to add those lines, more in the form of a poem or poetic prose. I hope he likes what I do. When I have finished the project I will send him a message to let him know, so he can check out what I have done. I hope I do justice to his already brilliant lyrics. This song is amazing. His music of Rap/Hip-Hop is not the kind you will find that has sold out to money but he tries to help change the world with his activism. He calls himself a rap-tivist. Making people aware of the injustices and inequality. He wants to see the world change into a better place. Now that sounded familiar. Channeling Michael Jackson. My friend has several albums out.
I made the video of his song. At the very beginning, it shows his professional name and group and two of his album covers. One that he told me I had inspired. He mentioned my other name inside the second CD. That was so sweet of him and made me blush. He is a gentle and kind and amazing man. I have been blessed to have met him and to know him. Both of us are so busy that we try to keep in touch in some way. I think that this will be a pleasant surprise to him. So I think once I finish this project I will send him that message.
We bonded over his song and both of us had a thing about watching Bill Maher on Real Time. I am a progressive liberal leftist and I would say he is even more radical than I am. He has the guts of his convictions and so do I but I am not ready yet to vote for a third party candidate, with the exception of Bernie Sanders, Independent from Vermont and an outspoken Senator, until I am more certain that they have the ability to win. The Goddess only knows I do not want a repub getting elected. Not that it seems to matter, because they just won’t allow anyone other than their party to do anything to this country. And I meant to this country. The repubs want to totally destroy it and they won’t let the democrats improve it.
Now I need to work on my part of coming up with the best lines I can think of that start with the title of this song:
It’s time for…the republicans to be put down.
It’s time for…the tea party to get out of town.
It’s time for…Harry Reid to get some balls.
It’s time for…Obama Care to be accepted. No more bull shit challenges by the opposing parties.
It’s time for…free medical care for anyone who needs it.
It’s time for…cannabis to be accepted. Legalized. Grown free. No more gun needed to protect it. No more lumber people with a vested interest prohibiting it as they did with Prohibition. Free what grows naturally now.
It’s time for…education to be for everyone. Going to college should be a right.
It’s time for…guns to be well protected. Taken away from anyone who wants one.
It’s time for…the police to surrender their guns too. Apprehend the criminals by subduing them gently.
It’s time for…peaceful drug offenders to be released from prison walls.
It’s time for…growing our own pot if we need it or want it or want to sell it so we have a job. It’s call farming.
It’s time for…immigration department to get over itself. Let free people in. Stop judging them on how they look or who they sleep with or what country they are coming from.
It’s time for…poor people to stop being poor. Give poor people a living.
It’s time for…homelessness to end. No more will people have to live on the street. Technically they don’t. Maybe on the sidewalk or parks. We need to supply housing for everyone. Decent and clean. Meals come with the deal and some clothing and a few luxuries too.
It’s time for…the 1% to diminish and the 99% to grow from what the 1% will share with all the rest of us. We all know you don’t need it all.
It’s time for…corporations to open up their doors and the corporate heads to be sent away. The corporation must die. This seems like a really good day.
It’s time for…equality with the worlds money be spread to every woman, man and child. No one should ever go hungry again.
It’s time for…the capitalist system to crumble and a new world should take its place. Where jobs are more and people are less so no one who can work will go unemployed and there will be more jobs then there are workers.
It’s time for…putting money into education. Into the infrastructure of every nation. To build houses up and tear down the corporations, where the rich greed festers. Give life back to the people and time to live it too.
It’s time for…a revolution. Non-violent as can be. We just want the rights to live free lives. So do the animals who live in zoos.
It’s time for…taking back the forests that have been destroyed now we will rebuild. It may take time but the Earth has almost forever and lots of jobs would be created and animals would have their homes returned. Now that’s a satisfying reward.
It’s time for…freeing the imprisoned who are not a danger to society and putting those away forever who are. Murderers. Rapists. Pedophiles. Domestic Abusers. Predators. You get the basic idea.
It’s time for…Lesbians. Gays. Transsexuals. Bisexuals. To be free from Hate crimes. Bullying. Offenses of any kind that comes from being different and not Heterosexual or Asexual or Non-Sexual.
It’s time for…Bullying of kids stop. Bullying of Teens must stop. Tormenting must stop. Teen suicide or any suicide caused by Bullying or mistreatment of any kind must stop.
It’s time for…Sexual Abuse to be stopped and the offenders thrown in prison for the rest of their lives. And I am speaking of true offenders. Not teenagers who are having sexual relationships with other teenagers with consent. The Law needs to get a grip.
It’s time for…the Law to get a grip. Laws need to change. Moral Laws. Religious laws that prohibit people behaving naturally without intent of harm.
It’s time for…Education to be respected. To teach creativity. Individuality. Music. Art. No more standardized testing. Education means growing the imagination. Letting children grow inside. Letting them have their healthy daydreams.
It’s time for…Sexuality to have it’s inhibitions overhauled. No more of this morality about Sex. Touch is good if it is coming from someone who is respecting boundaries and is not molesting a child or forcing themselves on someone else.
It’s time for…no more Sexual Harassment. Really-Respect the boundaries.
It’s time for…conglomerates to lose their control. Give people choices. No one has to accept TV stations they do not want from cable companies out to make a fortune on something that use to be free.
It’s time for…the Film Industry to make better films. Not just the occasional hit or miss possibly Oscar/BAFTA film qualifier.
It’s time for…for the Film Industry to stop paying exorbitant amounts of money to “Stars” who make crappy movies. Support good to great acting and allow the talented to shine in the Film Industry. Respect the Screenwriter. Who the Hell do you think comes up with the brilliant scripts that get rejected by those who haven’t the talent to judge anyone.
It’s time for…Creativity to be respected and encouraged. We need to support Artists of all kinds who have the gifts that will help to make the world a better place in which to live. They who see the future and make it grow and change.
It’s time for…everyone to stop supporting mediocrity and the high paying jobs where the person does nothing to earn the millions they are paid.
It’s time for…People to stop being slaves to jobs. No one should have to work more than one job with reasonable hours in order to survive. One’s life is important and making McDonald Burgers, then going to another job and another job just to be able to afford only slightly what it cost to live and have a home and food and clothing. No more living on the edge of homeless and poor.
It’s time for…People to be able to live the dream. Their dream. To go to school. To go to college and not be bankrupt and jobless after graduation. There is no reason that there are no jobs available everywhere.
It’s time for…those that have to give to those who have not. Stop what you are thinking if it involves being greedy. You really need all that and all those houses and mansions and cars and pairs of shoes. When there are people starving all over the world. This has got to stop.
It’s time for…it all to stop being an imbalanced world where people are so fucked up in the head and don’t care about the world and universe around them.
It’s time for…violence to stop. Those that feel a need for violence and perpetrate must be put somewhere they cannot harm anyone else. No Lord of the Flies for adults in this world anymore.
It’s time for…people being prejudice because of difference. Someone is white or black or both or gay or not. Likes cats not dogs. Doesn’t like animals at all so they don’t treat animals with respect. Most animals and species and life forms and plant forms and rock forms and any other forms deserve respect.
It’s time for…Respect. If we all respect then maybe everything else would fall into place. But there are haters out there who don’t give a shit about anyone but themselves. Those people need a better education.
It’s time for…a major change everywhere.
It’s time for…lists like this one to help us get some idea of what needs to change. See how well anyone is aware. I know I am not perfect. No one is but we need to get our shit together and take care of each other and the world and the universe. We need to save the planet and stop trying to destroy it in the many ways that so many are trying to do every second of every minute of every hour of every day and night and week and month and year and decade and century. We need to fix things now. It really has gone beyond the line of too late but maybe if we all do out part we can hopefully reverse the trend and prove the Angel wrong. Humans are not going to destroy this plan. Instead they are going to save it. If we don’t do it then the world will have to save itself. You do know what that means? Who is ruining this planet? Leave garbage everywhere including in space. We can’t even keep our shit on our planet we have to litter in space. What do suppose the fine should be for that kind of littering?
It’s time for…me to stop for now but I will continue if anything else comes to mind and I am sure there will be more. There always is.
QUOTATIONS on CIVIL RIGHTS:
“I agree with Dante, that the hottest places in hell are reserved for those who, in a period of moral crisis, maintain their neutrality” ― Martin Luther King Jr.
“If a bullet should enter my brain, let that bullet destroy every closet door.” ― Harvey Milk
“The only real prison is fear, and the only real freedom is freedom from fear” ― Aung San Suu Kyi
“The amount of money and of legal energy being given to prosecute hundreds of thousands of Americans who are caught with a few ounces of marijuana in their jeans simply makes no sense – the kindest way to put it. A sterner way to put it is that it is an outrage, an imposition on basic civil liberties and on the reasonable expenditure of social energy.” ― William F. Buckley Jr.
“In the end we will remember not the words of our enemies…but the silence of our friends. – Martin Luther King, Jr.” ― Mark Long, The Silence of Our Friends
“The question is not if we will be extremists, but what kind of extremists we will be. The nation and the world are in dire need of creative extremists.” ― Martin Luther King Jr.
“People demand freedom of speech as a compensation for the freedom of thought which they seldom use.” ― Søren Kierkegaard
“Religious institutions that use government power in support of themselves and force their views on persons of other faiths, or of no faith, undermine all our civil rights. Moreover, state support of an established religion tends to make the clergy unresponsive to their own people, and leads to corruption within religion itself. Erecting the ‘wall of separation between church and state,’ therefore, is absolutely essential in a free society.” ― Thomas Jefferson | <urn:uuid:39814f1f-e4d8-4be0-959d-a27a1db5fc3b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://thesecretkeeper.net/tag/musician/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00007-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.960412 | 4,005 | 1.640625 | 2 |
There is a "high probability" that Syria deployed chemical weapons in the ongoing civil war, but final verification is needed, the chairman of the U.S. House Intelligence Committee told CNN on Tuesday.
"I have a high probability to believe that chemical weapons were used," Chairman Mike Rogers (R-Michigan) told CNN's Wolf Blitzer. "We need that final verification, but given everything we know over the last year and a half, I would come to the conclusion that they are either positioned for use, and ready to do that, or in fact have been used."
Rogers and Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-California), chairwoman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, struck ominous tones in an interview on CNN's "The Situation Room" about the possibility that Syria had crossed what President Barack Obama has said was a "red line" that could lead to the United States getting involved militarily in the conflict.
Rogers' statement comes as the specter of chemical weapons attacks in the Syrian civil war emerged Tuesday, with the government and rebels each blaming the other for using such munitions.
In remarks earlier Tuesday, White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough told Jake Tapper on CNN's "The Lead" that the president takes the issue of chemical weapons in Syria "very, very seriously."
If reports of chemical warfare are substantiated, McDonough told CNN, "this is a game changer, and we'll act accordingly."
Intelligence Committee members received the same briefing given to the White House, Feinstein said.
"The White House has to make some decision in this. I think the days are becoming more desperate. The regime is more desperate," Feinstein said in the interview. "We know where the chemical weapons are. It's not a secret that they are there, and I think the probabilities are very high that we're going into some very dark times."
Feinstein and Rogers stressed that a final verification is needed.
CNN national security contributor and former homeland security adviser Fran Townsend said the United States should be able to get verification in "pretty short order." | <urn:uuid:ee1e21c5-bdc6-401b-8caa-18ca7ffed32b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.wapt.com/news/national/U-S-Syrian-chemical-arms-high-probability/-/9157010/19372192/-/11koscoz/-/index.html?absolute=true | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00013-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.971878 | 425 | 1.726563 | 2 |
Explore The Loire
The Loire has a justifiable reputation as one of the greatest, grandest and most striking rivers anywhere in Europe. In its most characteristic stretch, from the hills of Sancerre to the city of Angers, it flows past an extraordinary parade of castles, palaces and fine mansions; unsurprisingly, when it came to choosing which should be awarded the title of World Heritage Site, UNESCO simply bestowed the label on the entire valley. Although the most striking feature is the beautiful views, there are simpler pleasures, such as the outstanding food and drink and the noticeably gentler pace of life.
The region’s heartland, Touraine, long known as “the garden of France”, has some of the best wines, the tastiest goat’s cheese, and the most regal history in France, including one of the finest châteaux, in Chenonceau. Touraine also takes in three of the Loire’s pleasantest tributaries: the Cher, Indre and Vienne. If you have just a week to spare for the region, then these are the parts to concentrate on. The attractive towns of Blois and Amboise, each with their own exceptional châteaux, make good bases for visiting the area upstream of Tours. Numerous grand châteaux dot the wooded country immediately south and east of Blois, including Chambord, the grandest of them all, while the wild and watery region of the Sologne stretches away further to the southeast. Downstream of Tours, around handsome Saumur, quirky troglodyte dwellings have been carved out of the rock faces.
Along with its many châteaux, the region has a few unexpected sights, most compelling of which are the gardens at Villandry, outside Tours, and the abbey at Fontevraud. The major towns of Angers, Tours, Nantes, Le Mans and Orléans have their own charms, from Orléans’ astonishing cathedral, to Angers’ lively nightlife.
The Loire itself is often called the last wild river in France, mostly because unpredictable currents and shallow water brought an end to commercial river traffic as soon as the railways arrived, and the many quays remain largely forgotten, except by the occasional tour boat. Such an untamed river also makes for dramatic floods, but for most of the year it meanders gently past its shifting sandbanks, shaded by reeds and willows, and punctuated by long, sandy islands beloved by birds.Read More
First things first; though it is tempting to try and pack in as many châteaux as you can in a short period of time, this is counter-productive and frustrating. It’s far better to aim to visit three or four of the best in the area in which you’re staying, possibly with a one-day trip to one of the most spectacular set-piece châteaux.
Entry prices are undeniably steep, particularly for the châteaux that have remained in private hands – and there are a surprising number of French aristocrats still living in their family homes. This means that picking and choosing the best really will help you. There is no consistency in concessions offered, and children rarely go free. If you’re over 65, under 25, a student or still at school, check for any reductions and make sure you’ve got proof of age or a student card with you. Here’s a rundown of the very best châteaux to aim for:
Chenonceau Renaissance-period château in a glorious setting by the river.
Azay-le-Rideau A marvellous encapsulation of a long-gone period of grandeur and power, in a beautifully serene setting (surrounded by a moat).
Blois With its four wings representing four distinct eras, Blois is extremely impressive.
Chambord A monstrously huge château, the triumph of François I’s Renaissance. The key feature here is the dual-spiral staircase; legend has it this was designed by Leonardo da Vinci.
Cheverny A prime example of seventeenth-century magnificence.
Amboise Urban château which rears above the Loire like a cliff; it’s one of the most compelling and striking Loire châteaux, even if the interior decoration leaves something to be desired.
Loches For an evocation of medieval times, the citadelle of Loches is hard to beat.
Langeais Impressive interiors are the main attraction here, especially the tapestries and intricate tile work.
Other châteaux are more compelling for their contents than for their architecture:
Valençay The interior of this Renaissance château is Napoleonic – and it’s a great spot for children.
Beauregard Most famous for its wonderful portrait gallery.
La Bussière Witness the obsessive nineteenth-century decoration, entirely dedicated to freshwater fishing.
Angers This stark, largely ruined medieval castle houses the Tapestry of the Apocalypse, the greatest work of art in the Loire valley, and worth a visit in itself.
The Loire by bike
The Loire by bike
Thanks to the Loire à Vélo scheme (wloire-a-velo.fr), the Loire valley is now one of the most charming places in the world to have a cycling holiday or take a day out on a hired bike. A mix of dedicated cycle paths and meticulously signposted routes along minor roads now runs all the way along the Loire from Orléans to beyond Angers – a distance of more than 300km. The region around Blois offers an additional 300km network, Châteaux à vélo (wchateauxavelo.com). These routes thread inland among the forests, linking the area’s many châteaux.
Tourist offices provide detailed maps and other information, and you can download most details, including maps, online. French villages are accustomed to cyclists, and most importantly, car-drivers are too.
All larger towns have at least one hire agency. Bikes can also be hired at hotels, campsites, tourist offices, train stations and even restaurants along the way. Orléans and Angers have share-bike schemes like the Paris Vélibs. Many have signed up to the Détours de Loire scheme (wlocationdevelos.com), which allows you to pick up a bike in one place and drop it off in another, paying inexpensive drop-off costs per zone crossed – on top of the bike rental charge.
Food and drink of the Loire
Food and drink of the Loire
The Loire is renowned for the softness of its climate and the richness of its soil, qualities that help produce some of the best fruit and vegetables you’ll find anywhere. From Anjou’s orchards come greengages, named Reine Claude after François I’s queen, and the succulent Anjou pear, Doyenné du Comice. Market stalls overflow with seasonal fruits, particularly local tiny sweet strawberries. Tours is famous for its French beans and Saumur for its potatoes and shallots. Asparagus, particularly the fleshy white variety, appears in soufflés, omelettes and other egg dishes as well as on its own, accompanied by vinaigrette made (if you’re lucky) with local walnut oil. Finally, from Berry, comes the humble lentil, whose green variety often accompanies salmon or trout.
Given the number of rivers that flow through the region, it’s hardly surprising that fish features on most restaurant menus, though this doesn’t guarantee that it’s from the Loire itself. Favourites are sandre (pikeperch, a fish native to Central Europe), usually served in the classic Loire beurre blanc sauce; stuffed bream; matelote (a kind of stew) of local eels softened in red wine and little smelt-like fishes served deep-fried (la friture).
The favoured meat of the Loire is game, and pheasant, guinea fowl, pigeon, duck, quails, young rabbit, venison and even wild boar are all hunted in the Sologne. They are served in rich sauces made from the wild mushrooms of the region’s forests or the common champignon de Paris, cultivated on a huge scale in caves cut out of the limestone rock near Saumur. Both Tours and Le Mans specialize in rillettes, or potted pork (rillauds in Anjou); in Touraine charcuteries you’ll also find pâté au biquion, made from pork, veal and young goat’s meat.
Touraine makes something of a cult of its goat’s cheese, and a local chèvre fermier (farm-produced goat’s cheese) can be a revelation. Four named goats’ cheeses are found on most boards: Ste-Maure is a long cylinder with a piece of straw running through the middle; Pouligny-St-Pierre and Valençay are pyramid-shaped; and Selles-sur-Cher is flat and round.
Though not as famous as the produce of Bordeaux and Burgundy, the Loire valley has some of the finest wines in France. Sancerre, the easternmost Loire appellation, produces perhaps the best white wines in the region from the great Sauvignon grape, and the whites of Muscadet around Nantes are a great accompaniment to the local shellfish. Touraine’s finest reds – Chinon, Bourgeuil and St-Nicolas de Bourgeuil – get their ruby colour from the Cabernet Franc grape, while many of its attractive white wines are made from the Chenin Blanc including the highly fashionable Jasnières. At the other end of the spectrum is the honeyed complexity of Côteaux du Layon’s dessert wines – best with blue cheese or foie gras rather than pudding. Saumur and Vouvray both have sparkling varieties, a fraction of the price of champagne and easily equal to the taste. The orange-y liqueur Cointreau is made in a distillery close to Angers and appears in many cocktails and puddings in the region.
Staying in a château
Staying in a château
One of the great privileges of visiting the Loire is that there are a variety of châteaux that accommodate visitors. The standards range enormously: at the top end of the market, you are guaranteed deluxe accommodation, with room service, all mod cons, excellent food and all the amenities you would expect from a top-class hotel; at the other end, you are effectively staying in a bed and breakfast in someone’s house, which can be pot luck. The following are the pick of the hotels in the Tours area:
Château D’Artigny Nr Montbazon (take D17 from there) t02 47 34 30 30, wgrandesetapes.fr/en/Chateau-hotel-artigny. Stunning, beautifully restored château originally owned by the perfumier François Coty, and decorated in a Neoclassical style. The rooms are all large, lavishly appointed and very comfortable, and the excellent restaurant has sweeping views across the Loire valley. You can take cookery classes and enjoy wine tastings. If that all sounds too tiring, note that there’s a pool, jacuzzi, steam room and sauna to relax in, along with spa treatments.
Domaine de Beauvois Nr Luynes t02 47 55 50 11, wgrandesetapes.fr/en/Chateau-hotel-beauvois/index.html. Much of the appeal of this beautiful sixteenth-century mansion comes from its peaceful seclusion, with long country walks and beautiful bike rides the order of the day. There are some lovely, quirky touches in the rooms, too, which have beamed ceilings and painted frescoes, and the restaurant offers excellent food.
Domaine de la Tortinière Nr Montbazon t02 47 34 35 00, wtortiniere.com. Delightful family-run hotel, with friendly bilingual owners. Rooms range from the modestly comfortable to the spectacularly luxurious (such as the suites in the turrets, complete with circular bedrooms) and very good food is served in the dining room, overlooking an open-air swimming pool. | <urn:uuid:5e28ad2b-ee44-4838-9d7f-8818c6cf4d4c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.roughguides.com/destinations/europe/france/loire/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00011-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.932737 | 2,691 | 1.726563 | 2 |
Since the election as president of longtime opposition leader Abdoulaye Wade, Senegal has become a bit of a darling of the international community. A smooth, democratic transfer of power. A sauve president who knows exactly what words and phrases foreign diplomats and international donors want to hear. While things are certainly better off in Senegal than in most of its neighbors, things are not all they seem in le pays de la Terenga.
I've already written about Wade's autocratic political tendencies (I've done so more extensively in my francophone Africa blog).
Yet, the problems are not simply political. The economic problems are more pressing for most Senegalese. Global Voice reports on a Senegalese blogger who been chronicling the perils faced by his countrymen who try to migrate clandestinly to Europe.
Despite the well documented risks(some mortal) and the likelihood of being stopped by authorities before reaching the European mainland, thousands of Senegalese have reportedly braved this perilous journey this year alone.
A powerful video report on the subject posted by the francophone site Seneweb has provoked hundreds of responses.
The quantity and passion of the responses (of which Global Voices have helpfully translated a few) demonstrate how important this issue ranks in the minds of many Senegalese.
Sadly, this phenemenon is not limited to Senegal or even to Africa. | <urn:uuid:9fe8d0ba-103e-4d13-8881-9bbccf2f96f9> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://blackstarjournal.blogspot.com/2006/05/migration.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00015-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.941074 | 286 | 1.710938 | 2 |
(CNN) -- Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer vetoed a bill late Monday that would have required President Barack Obama and other presidential candidates to prove they were American citizens, born in the United States, before their names could have been placed on the state ballot.
The so-called "birther bill" got final approval in the state House last week. Now that Brewer, a Republican, has vetoed it, the bill will not become law unless legislators vote to override her veto.
"As a former Secretary of State, I do not support designating one person as a gatekeeper to the ballot for a candidate, which could lead to arbitrary or politically-motivated decisions," the governor wrote in a letter addressed to the Arizona House speaker.
Under the measure, if there were any dispute about whether a candidate had proved he or she had been born in the United States, Arizona's secretary of state would have the final say.
"This measure creates significant new problems while failing to do anything constructive for Arizona," she added.
Obama has been hounded by allegations since he began running for president in 2008 that he was not born in America. Critics contend, among other things, that he was born in his father's home country of Kenya. The U.S. Constitution stipulates that only "natural born" citizens are eligible to be president.
Obama has insisted that he was born in Hawaii, and the allegations against him have been repeatedly discredited in investigations by CNN and other organizations. Nevertheless, the issue remains politically potent among segments of the electorate and has served as a rallying cry for many of the president's opponents, most recently potential GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump.
The author of the so-called "birther bill," Arizona State Rep. Carl Seel, has said the bill was not targeted at Obama, but at "maintaining the integrity of the Constitution."
Among other things, a candidate would have to show a copy of his or her birth certificate. If a birth certificate couldn't be produced, a candidate would have to show a combination of baptismal or circumcision records, hospital birth files, postpartum medical records or other documents. Candidates also would have to submit affidavits declaring their citizenship as well as sworn statements regarding their residency for the previous 14 years.
"I never imagined being presented with a bill that could require candidates for President of the greatest and most powerful nation on earth to submit their 'early baptismal or circumcision certificates' among other records to the Arizona Secretary of State. This is a bridge too far," wrote Brewer.
Fourteen other states are considering similar legislation this year, according to Jennie Bowser, a senior fellow with the National Conference of State Legislatures. Measures have failed in three states -- Connecticut, Maine and Montana.
In an effort to counter the charges of the birthers, Obama's 2008 campaign produced a "certification of live birth," a document traditionally accepted legally as confirmation of a birth.
Both the current Hawaii governor, Neil Abercrombie, a Democrat, and the previous governor, Linda Lingle, a Republican, have insisted that Obama was born in their home state.
Nearly 75% of Americans believe Obama was definitely or probably born in the United States, according to a March 11-13 CNN/Opinion Research Corp. poll. More than four in 10 Republicans, however, believe the president probably or definitely was not born in America. | <urn:uuid:c352682b-27b8-4b63-b3d6-fb24620bdf2f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.cnn.com/2011/POLITICS/04/18/arizona.president.bill.veto/index.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705953421/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120553-00008-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.98331 | 695 | 1.640625 | 2 |
Spain is in a state of 'total emergency', the country’s former prime minister has warned, with Madrid facing punitive borrowing costs and the prospect of needing a Greek-style bail-out.
Felipe González, the country’s elder statesman, said: “We’re in a situation of total emergency, the worst crisis we have ever lived through.”
Global financial markets lurched yesterday at the spectre of the eurozone’s fourth biggest economy being locked out of international capital markets and being unable to fund itself.
Spanish borrowing costs soared, while the Madrid stock market fell 2.6 per cent, the euro sank to a 22-month low against the dollar and the price of Brent crude dropped 2 per cent.
Meanwhile, global investors fled to “safe havens” sending UK bonds to another low. The FTSE 100, however, dropped 1.7 per cent, along with European and American stockmarkets.
The rout on global markets paused briefly around midday when the European Commission published a report calling for radical new support for “sinner states” across the eurozone.
The report said the eurozone should create a “bank union” under which all countries would stand behind stricken banks. The Commission’s top economic official also said he was “ready to consider” relaxing Spain’s deficit reduction targets.
However, stocks and bond markets lurched again when traders realised the ideas were just recommendations and were likely to be dismissed by Berlin anyway.
International confidence in Spain has drained since Mariano Rajoy, the prime minister, announced plans for a €23.5 billion (£18.8 billion) rescue of Bankia, the country’s fourth biggest lender.
Economists have warned that Spain does not have the resources to rescue the bank and Brussels has refused to help. A raft of other Spanish banks are also struggling under toxic property loans. The European Central Bank said savers withdrew €31.44 billion from Spanish banks in April alone.
On Tuesday night, Miguel Ángel Fernández Ordóñez, Spain’s central bank governor, resigned abruptly, before testifying to the senate that he had been muzzled to avoid inflaming events. Spanish tax revenues have collapsed, replicating the pattern in Greece. Fiscal revenues have fallen 4.8 per cent over the last year and VAT returns have slumped 14.6 per cent, while the cost of servicing debt has risen by 18 per cent.
Andrew Roberts, credit chief at Royal Bank of Scotland, said Spain was caught in a classic deflationary vice: a rising debt burden on a shrinking economic base. “Once you get into such a negative feedback loop, you can move beyond the point of no return quickly,” he said.
Yesterday Olli Rehn, the EU economic affairs commissioner, said he was “ready to consider” giving Madrid an extra year to cuts its budget deficit from 8.9 per cent to 3 per cent of GDP. However, Mr Rehn said Spain would first have to curb the spending of its regional governments and produce “solid” budget plans for the next two years.----
|Liveleak on Facebook| | <urn:uuid:22a42607-8f83-4438-a2c0-499f5b824601> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=2f9_1338525196 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.94814 | 666 | 1.664063 | 2 |
Summer Program Aims to Transform Educational Outcomes for Mantua Youth
July 9, 2012
Theater Program Director Nick Anselmo instructs students in playwriting, as part of the Mantua in Action summer program.
Mantua in Action, a new summer program serving 178 Mantua middle school students, launched on June 25 and will continue through August 10. The 7-week program brings together sports and enrichment opportunities to help students develop athletic skills and academic abilities, benefit from peer and adult role models, and demonstrate greater competence and hope for the future.
During the program’s first week, students had the opportunity to try a range of different activities to determine which would be their focus for the duration of the summer program. Students are now participating for 10-25 hours each week for the next six weeks in the activity of their choice, in addition to attending health and nutrition workshops.
Students chose from the following sports:
Tennis (sponsored by Legacy Youth Tennis)
Fencing and Lacrosse (sponsored by Black Women in Sport Foundation)
Squash (sponsored by SquashSmarts)
Wrestling (sponsored by Beat the Streets)
Long-Distance Running (sponsored by Students Run Philly Style)
Students also could choose to participate in an intensive playwriting program taught by Nick Anselmo, theater program director in the Antoinette Westphal College of Media Arts & Design.
The program also has a workforce development component. Seventeen young adults from Mantua are receiving coaching training, supervision and support from Drexel’s Sport Management Program in the Goodwin College of Professional Studies, working as junior coaches for the summer program. The junior coaches will receive professional training in sports education and will get a basic coaching certification at the end of their training.
Mantua in Action is a broad partnership between Drexel University, Philadelphia Parks & Recreation, the Philadelphia Youth Sports Collaborative (PYSC), the We Are Mantua community planning effort, the DB4 youth task force and the Mantua Community Improvement Committee (MCIC). It is being coordinated by CustomED.
“It is truly inspiring to see such a broad set of partners come together to provide high-quality, challenging youth programming for middle school students in the Mantua community,” said Rusty McCarty, president and CEO of CustomED. “The work being done by each of the partners is the truest definition of teamwork and dedication.”
The summer program is part of the We Are Mantua
community planning effort. Mantua in Action
will serve as the basis for an after-school program, which the partners hope to launch in September. This pilot program aims to begin transforming educational outcomes for Mantua youth.
Drexel, a key partner in a major initiative to support Mantua, is committed to providing opportunities for Mantua’s youth, including a comprehensive system of programming during key transition points, such as early childhood education and middle school transitions. | <urn:uuid:90b9f637-1b75-4799-ba42-2d17107cdf5b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.drexel.edu/now/news-media/releases/archive/2012/July/Mantua-in-Action/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00006-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.95465 | 609 | 1.515625 | 2 |
The Dow Jones industrial average hovered near 13,000 Tuesday morning as uneven economic reports held the stock market's gains in check.
Consumer confidence jumped in February to the highest level in a year. Improved perceptions of the job market pushed the index sharply higher, but the number is still below the level that indicates a healthy economy.
The report, issued at 10 a.m., pushed the Dow Jones industrial average above 13,000, a marker it has broken through repeatedly in the past week during the trading day. The Dow still hasn't closed above that level since May 2008.
The Dow's New Year's rally has faded since the index first cracked the 13,000 milestone last week. It has been trading sideways after gaining 6.5 percent in the first two months of the year. The Standard & Poor's 500 rose 9.1 percent in that time, the Nasdaq 14.6 percent.
Ryan Detrick, senior technical strategist with Schaeffer's Investment Research, said the index often loses momentum after hitting a big, round number, as short-term excitement about the market's rise gives way to more thoughtful analysis.
The Dow has dropped by an average of 0.4 percent in the two weeks after hitting a 1,000-point increment, according Detrick's research on the past 39 such events. The Dow typically gains 0.3 percent over a two-week span.
Detrick believes stocks will keep rising this year as growing economic optimism and market stability draw billions back into the stock market. He said retail investors and hedge funds have invested too little in stocks — a threat to their performance if stocks rise faster than other investments.
"Two months ago, we were talking about a double-dip recession; now consumer confidence is growing," Detrick said. "A major milestone like 13,000 wakes up a lot of investors who have missed a lot of this rally."
The Dow Jones industrial average rose 20 points, or 0.2 percent, to 13,001 as of 11:10 a.m. Eastern time. The Standard & Poor's 500 index rose 3, or 0.3 percent, to 1,371. The Nasdaq composite index rose 19, or 0.6 percent, to 2,985.
Earlier economic reports were weaker, pushing stock futures lower and leading to a mixed open.
Orders for long-lasting manufactured goods plunged 4 percent last month, the most in three years. Economists expected a drop of just 1 percent.
Much of the decline came from a pullback in business spending on machinery and equipment in January. Spending surged in that category late last year, before a key tax break expired. It fell last month by the most in a year.
The Standard & Poor's/Case-Schiller index of home prices fell in December for a fourth straight month in most major U.S. cities.
Among stocks making big moves:
— Homebuilder Hovnanian Enterprises Inc. rose 1 percent after saying its first-quarter contracts climbed 27 percent and February's numbers remained strong.
— Auto parts retailer AutoZone Inc. gained 2.4 percent after saying its profits increased 13 percent in the most recent quarter.
— Domino's Pizza Inc. surged 10.1 percent after its fourth-quarter profit spiked 28 percent.
Follow Daniel Wagner at ww.twitter.com/wagnerreports.
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. | <urn:uuid:b00b93c1-30fb-40dd-a360-afda828b1216> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.timesrecordnews.com/news/2012/feb/28/stocks-edge-higher-after-mixed-economic-reports/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705953421/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120553-00010-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.954928 | 698 | 1.546875 | 2 |
Mattel's Fisher-Price recalls 1.5M toys
The toys, which include popular characters like Elmo and Dora the Explorer, may contain excessive amounts of lead.
(Reuters) -- Mattel Inc.'s Fisher-Price division is issuing a global recall of 1.5 million toys made in China because their paint may contain too much lead, marking the latest in a string of recalls that have fueled U.S.-China tensions over the safety of Chinese products.
Mattel (Charts, Fortune 500) said the plastic toys, which include popular preschool characters like Elmo, Big Bird, and Dora, were made by a contract manufacturer in China using a non-approved paint pigment containing lead, which is in violation of its standards.
The products were sold at retail stores across the United States between May and August, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said, and sold for between $5 and $40.
Mattel said it is working with retailers to identify the affected products and have them removed from shelves. It also said it is intercepting incoming shipments.
The recall is likely to increase worries over the safety of Chinese products.
President George W. Bush has ordered a high-level review of U.S. rules intended to keep out harmful imports following a series of scares involving imported Chinese seafood, wheat gluten, toothpaste and pet food.
The incidents have drawn attention to the low rate of inspections of food and other goods and prompted calls in Congress for more aggressive surveillance of Chinese goods.
In recent years, about 66 percent of all U.S. product recalls have been of imported goods, with a majority of those products made in China, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission.
In late June, concern about the safety of farm-raised catfish, shrimp and other seafood from China prompted the FDA to put a hold on those imports until suppliers prove they are free of harmful residues.
That followed a recall of more than 1 million Chinese-manufactured toy trains on June 13 because some may have contained lead paint.
Earlier this year, melamine, a chemical used in plastics and fertilizers, surfaced in pet food from China, killing animals and prompting wide recalls.
A poisonous chemical often found in solvents and antifreeze was recently detected in some Chinese-made toothpaste.
Mattel said consumers should contact Fisher-Price to arrange a product return and to receive a voucher for a replacement toy. Consumers can visit Mattel's Web site for a full list of items included in the recall. | <urn:uuid:7764b5d1-d5d8-4dbc-b2f0-b43e2408814d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://money.cnn.com/2007/08/01/news/companies/fisherpricerecall/index.htm?postversion=2007080212 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704392896/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113952-00008-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.956197 | 522 | 1.734375 | 2 |
Sohail Rana is the son of renowned poet Rana Akbar Abadi. Young Sohail started showing interested in the arts at a very early age, first in painting and then in music, which he took up as his love and profession.
His first break came in 1962, when he was appointed as a composer in Radio Pakistan and also began composing in EMI. After that he did his first musical score and song for the movie Jab Say Dekha Hai Tumhain. The songs from this movie instantly topped the charts and proved to be a stepping stone in Sohail Rana’s brilliant career. Great film productions like Arman gave Sohail the opportunity to maximize his musical talents by embedding his fresh style of music and turning and twisting the mood of the entire movie.\
The video above is of one of Sohail Rana’s – and Pakistan film industry’s – greatest hits ever. The forever green ‘Akailey na jaana.’ The video below is a recent rendition of the same, with Sohail Rana conducting the music in Geo TV’s tribute show for him:
Sohail Rana understood the power of music and the effect it has on people. During the 60′s he observed that Western music was taking Pakistan by storm and people were beginning to forget the native folk music of the land.
During this period, in addition to doing music for films, he flexed his muscles as a composer and started working on private records such as Folk tunes of Pakistan, Shahbaz Qalandar and Khyber Mail. Many songs from these albums are still admired and re-performed by modern bands.
Listen to some wonderful instrumental tunes from ‘Khyber Mail’, here:
To accomplish his goal of fusing together the modern music with folk melodies, he started a show on PTV in 1968 called Kaliyon ki Mala. He would take this opportunity to not only introduce traditional music to Pakistani kids but to also teach them about music. Kaliyon ki Mala stayed alive up until mid 80s under different names such as Sung Sung Chalein. In all these years of teaching youngsters to sing and understand music, Sohail Rana produced some of the most popular artists not only for Pakistan, but all of South Asia. He composed over 2000 songs for the childrens musical show.
Mr. Rana has received the prestigious Presidential Award the Pride of Performance, The Nigar Award for film Arman, Gold Discs from EMI for the vinyl album, Khyber Mail and the United Nations Peace Messenger Award, conferred on him, at the United Nations in New York in 1987.
Sohail Rana’s achievements in music are uncomparable to his triumph in causing rippling changes in the Pakistani society, where musicians and music were looked down upon and impermissible in the middle class. Overall, Mr. Rana has achieved what most people dare not dream in their entire lives. Sohail Rana now resides in Canada, runs a music school and is busy composing symphonies. His passion for music lives on and perhaps the best is yet to come, Inshallah!!!
Some of his best film work:
Ye khushi ajab khushi hai
Jab say deikha hai tumhain, dil ka ajab Aalam hai
Saye ki talab karney walo
Akele na jana,
Bay taab ho udhar tum
Jab pyar mein do dil miltay hain
Meri Qismet bata, hai meri kya kheta
Mujhay tum say mohabbat hai
Ik naye maur pay
Aye mere zindigi aye meray hum safar
Do akhian, ye do sakhian
Wada karo milo gey
Raatain theen chandni
Aashiyaan jal gaya
Hai bay qarar tamanna
Tujh jaisa dagha baaz
Bansiri bajanay walay
Aaj janay ki zid na karo
Dheeray, dheeray paoon rakh gori
Some of his other great songs:
Sung sung chaltay rehna
Dosti aisa nata
Shawa bhy shawa
Mein bhee Pakistan hoon
Some of the Artists that he introduced:
Mohammad Ali Shehki; Habib Wali Mohammad; Amjad Hussain; Alamgir; Mona Sisters; Benjamin sisters; Nazia Hasan/Zohaib Hasan; Afshan Ahmed; Anwar Ibrahim; Fatima Jaffery; Adnan Sami Khan; Hadiqa Kiyani
This is a re-post from original posted at ATP in October 2006 (videos added). | <urn:uuid:94303133-eb92-4b5e-8895-5bd316e6fcab> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://pakistaniat.com/2009/08/05/sohail-rana/?cp=5 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697380733/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516094300-00003-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.940258 | 1,025 | 1.75 | 2 |
Harvest of the month: Island Grown pick is kale
Martha's Vineyard Times File Photo
Island Grown's Harvest for December is kale, a nutritious leafy vegetable that can tolerate sub-freezing weather. A great source of vitamins A, C, and K, it is also high in calcium and iron.
The Island Grown Harvest of the Month program features a different locally available crop each month of the school year in school cafeterias, restaurants, and grocery stores.
"The goal is to help children, their caregivers and the broader community experience healthy, seasonal, whole foods based meals while supporting local and regional farmers," Noli Taylor, Island Grown Schools Coordinator, said.
"On Martha's Vineyard, kale is available at farm stands and the Farmer's Market from June through December," Ms. Taylor said.
Pick up a few bunches and steam some with dinner for a nutritious side dish.
Recipe for Kale Salad
by Chris Fischer
2 bunches of kale, stripped from stem and washed and dried well
2 tbs. olive oil
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a mixing bowl take half the kale and massage half the olive oil into it, place on a baking sheet and put in the oven. Every 8 to 10 minutes mix the kale to ensure proper crisping. The end result should be crispy like a potato chip and will take about 20 minutes. While the kale is cooking in the oven, place the remaining kale in a salad bowl, dress with remaining olive oil and start with the juice of half a lemon, salt and pepper to taste. Massage the dressing into the kale well, which should be done half an hour in advance of serving to break down kale and make it tender. When kale has crisped up well in oven, remove and sprinkle with salt. Taste both for seasoning and adjust as needed. Serve a bed of raw kale with crispy kale over the top.
For more information, go to islandgrown.org. | <urn:uuid:6cdbbf2e-1c53-45b7-918d-8dd85cba31a6> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.mvtimes.com/2012/12/12/harvest-month-island-grown-pick-kale-13660/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705195219/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115315-00019-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.935099 | 409 | 1.523438 | 2 |
LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's Supreme Court held the first secret session in its history on Thursday to consider evidence about an Iranian bank's alleged links to Tehran's nuclear program that the British government does not want to make public.
The court's decision to go into a so-called "closed hearing" to hear part of the government's case for imposing sanctions on Bank Mellat is contentious because it means the bank itself will not be shown all the evidence against it.
"This is a decision which is reached with great reluctance," the president of the Supreme Court, David Neuberger, said in a statement in open court just before Bank Mellat's lawyers, the media and the public were asked to leave for about 45 minutes.
"No judge can face with equanimity the prospect of a hearing, or any part of a hearing, which is not only in private, but involves one of the parties not being present or represented at the hearing," Neuberger said.
Civil rights campaign group Liberty, which had intervened in the case to try and stop the court from holding a secret hearing, said the decision of the judges was "a sad landmark in British legal history".
"The creep of secrecy has now reached our highest court, a body with a noble tradition for upholding justice and the rule of law," Liberty's legal officer Corinna Ferguson said in a statement.
The British government decided to impose sanctions on Bank Mellat in 2009, under the terms of the Counter-Terrorism Act, on the grounds that the bank had indirectly aided the Iranian government's nuclear program.
Bank Mellat, Iran's biggest private sector lender, denies it helped the nuclear program in any way is appealing against the decision to impose sanctions. It won a separate legal battle to have EU sanctions against it lifted in a European court in January.
The problem for Britain's Supreme Court is that a lower court that considered the case in 2010 heard part of the government's evidence against Bank Mellat behind closed doors, and issued a judgment that was partly "closed", or secret.
The bank's lawyers have never had access to the closed part of the judgment and do not know what evidence the court was shown to reach that judgment.
The government's lawyers have argued that the Supreme Court, Britain's highest appeals court, should consider the closed part of the 2010 judgment so that it could have the full picture when deciding on Bank Mellat's appeal against the sanctions.
Neuberger said the Supreme Court judges were "very dubious indeed" about the government's arguments but had nevertheless decided to go ahead with "this unhappy procedure".
He said when it eventually gave its judgment on the appeal, the court would give as much detail as it could about what it had seen during the secret hearing to Bank Mellat and the public.
Bank Mellat's lawyer, Sarosh Zaiwalla, was not immediately available for comment.
In a previous statement about the case, before the secret hearing took place, he said: "The right for any individual to see the case against them and answer it directly is a fundamental principle."
(Editing by Andrew Heavens)
(c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2013. Check for restrictions at: http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp | <urn:uuid:3d9b19d0-8409-4c83-8625-2713af4f1ba7> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.nbcnews.com/id/51277280/ns/world_news-mideast_n_africa/t/uk-supreme-court-holds-first-secret-session-iran-bank-case/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00015-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.97571 | 668 | 1.734375 | 2 |
|Read a follow-up commentary by Dr Spitzer|
The commentary “A Warning Sign on the Road to DSM-5: Beware of its Unintended Consequences” by Allen Frances, M.D., submitted to Psychiatric Times contains factual errors and assumptions about the development of DSM-V that cannot go unchallenged. Frances now joins a group of individuals, many involved in development of previous editions of DSM, including Dr. Robert Spitzer, who repeat the same accusations about DSM-V with disregard for the facts.
The facts are:
The process for developing DSM-V has been the most open and inclusive ever. The process began with a planning session that led to 13 NIH-supported international research conferences and a series of monographs. These conferences included more than 400 scientists, clinicians and others in the field. The DSM-V Task Force and Work Groups include more than 150 experts in various specialties and sub-specialties from 16 countries, including both scientists and clinicians. Over 200 advisors have thus far been asked to share expertise with DSM Work Groups. The DSM-V Task Force established a Web site, www.dsm5.org, to accept comments and provide work group updates. Unfortunately, to bolster his unjustified ad hominem attacks, Dr. Frances used the readily available DSM-V updates and misrepresented them as final decisions, rather than as statements of work in progress.
“Confidentiality agreements” Frances and his colleagues cite as evidence of secrecy around DSM-V are in reality legal documents designed to protect intellectual property. Attorneys for the APA worked with the DSM-V Task Force and Work Groups to develop these agreements to protect the work product of these volunteers. As a matter of practice, these agreements have clearly not inhibited free discussion. Task force and work group members have presented and participated in open discussions at psychiatric, subspecialty, and major medical meetings around the world. They have also published in peer-reviewed journals and trade publications and have given countless interviews to the medical and mainstream press about the DSM-V process.
The DSM-V development process is scientific, and it contains the same elements as the DSM-IV process described by Dr. Frances, including literature reviews, secondary data analyses, and field trials. This is in addition to the comprehensive pre-revision scientific review conferences. A key difference in the DSM-V process versus the DSM-IV process is that our focus is not on keeping things as they are but instead on determining what is working with the current DSM, what is not working, and determining how to correct what is not working. The DSM-V revision groups are looking for ways, for example, to better deal with high levels of co-occurring disorders and Not Otherwise Specified (NOS) diagnoses, to better specify treatment targets for routine clinical practice as well as for treatment development, and to dispense with imprecise criteria and unused/poorly used features. Although the DSM-V work groups were freed from the constraints inherent in DSM-IV’s conservative process, three principles were clearly stated to them from the beginning: the highest priority in modifying DSM-V should be optimizing clinical utility, recommendations should be guided by research evidence, and continuity with previous editions should be maintained.
As documented in the recent American Journal of Psychiatry (AJP) article (Regier, et al., 2009), the use of dimensional assessments to reconceptualize psychopathology represents the most practical and evidence-based way of moving our field forward. Recent studies underscore the readiness of clinicians in both primary care and specialty mental health settings to adopt dimensional instruments on a routine basis (Duffy et al., 2008, Trivedi et al., 2006). Interestingly, Dr. Robert Spitzer’s work in developing such measures as the PHQ-9, the GAD-7, and the PHQ-15 actually bolster the support for a dimensional approach to diagnosis, as noted in the above AJP article and in an article he co-authored (Löwe et al., 2008). Such assessments will inform a measurement-based approach to patient care that will improve clinician tracking of symptom threshold, severity, and treatment outcomes.
A document detailing the issues that the work groups have been examining in relation to the DSM-V field trials will be produced; however, given advances in communications technology, it may not be in book form and may not be called an “options book.” In addition, draft criteria will be released with sufficient time for review. Recognizing changes in technology and the need for continued updates and revisions of DSM-V, we are setting up a process that will allow the new DSM to change with new developments, rather than being reified for a decade or more. New publishing technologies, not even imagined in the early 1990s, will help make this possible.
The DSM-III categorical diagnoses with operational criteria were a major advance for our field, but they are now holding us back because the system has not kept up with current thinking. Clinicians complain that the current DSM-IV system poorly reflects the clinical realities of their patients. Researchers are skeptical that the existing DSM categories represent a valid basis for scientific investigations, and accumulating evidence supports this skepticism. Science has advanced, treatments have advanced, and clinical practice has advanced since Dr. Frances’ work on DSM-IV. The DSM will become irrelevant if it does not change to reflect these advances.
Finally, Dr. Frances opened his commentary with the statement, “We should begin with full disclosure.” It is unfortunate that Dr. Frances failed to take this statement to heart when he did not disclose his continued financial interests in several publications based on DSM-IV. Only with this information could the reader make a full assessment of his critiques of a new and different DSM-V. Both Dr. Frances and Dr. Spitzer have more than a personal “pride of authorship” interest in preserving the DSM-IV and its related case book and study products. Both continue to receive royalties on DSM-IV associated products. The fact that Dr. Frances was informed at the APA Annual Meeting last month that subsequent editions of his DSM-IV associated products would cease when the new edition is finalized, should be considered when evaluating his critique and its timing.
|Visit Psychiatric Times' DSM-V Topic Center for the latest articles, blogs, and resources| | <urn:uuid:ff3de939-ee26-43fc-bb0c-be51618cd9d7> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.psychiatrictimes.com/neuropsychiatry/content/article/10168/1425806 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697974692/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095254-00017-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.95215 | 1,307 | 1.78125 | 2 |
Students who are shut out of classes they need at Santa Monica College, which is part of the California community-college system, may soon be offered another option—at a significantly higher price, the Los Angeles Times reported. The college is pursuing a plan to set up a nonprofit foundation that would offer some high-demand courses at a cost of about $200 per unit. Fees for regular community-college courses, set by the Legislature, are now $36 a unit, and scheduled to rise to $46 a unit this summer.
Critics question the fairness of Santa Monica’s plan and say it is tantamount to privatizing a public institution, but college officials defend it as a way of increasing access despite drastic cuts in state support. They also believe the plan is on solid legal ground. A spokesman in the state system’s chancellor’s office, however, said it does not appear to comply with state education codes. | <urn:uuid:34b96032-2f4c-404e-8a5a-20a7daac4a34> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://chronicle.com/blogs/ticker/community-college-in-calif-plans-to-offer-2-tier-course-pricing/41407 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00006-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.954946 | 189 | 1.648438 | 2 |
A few years ago I went on a 15-day retreat at Loyola House in Guelph, Canada. One beautiful afternoon, I went on a 2-hour walk through the woods, along the creek, through a marsh. I had been praying a lot with questions about the connectedness, the interdependence, of life. As I walked and watched the birds and animals and insects and flowers – all of nature around me – my thoughts turned toward a theme of “cooperation and competition.”
I realized how our culture turns toward competition as the primary model for how we interact, not only with people but with all of creation. The stories of our lives – and the stories of TV, movies, books, songs, and commercials – are mostly about who “wins.” Who is the best, brightest, and most beautiful? The most profitable, most powerful, most popular? Who “dominates the airwaves” and “rises to the top of the polls”? Our language is filled with the metaphors of competition.
As I kept walking, I realized that God’s intention for creation was for cooperation rather than competition. The beauty around me came out of the reality of animals, plants, weather, time – and even people – working together in an entirely natural way. When I got to a particularly moist, damp spot in the woods, and the mosquitoes swarmed around me and settled on my skin to draw some blood, I did wonder about the “beauty” of cooperation. I did not feel particularly cooperative at that moment. Yet it was more their habitat than mine, and I departed quickly.
The Scriptures, especially in the New Testament, speak of a new age, a new creation, that God is bringing to reality. Through Christ Jesus, we are part of that new creation and called to help create this new age. The spirit of this age is cooperation and not competition, recognizing our interdependence rather than claiming an unreal independence, and connecting with one another and with all of creation through God’s Spirit. | <urn:uuid:4a834c09-a33e-4e32-ae94-cfb55363a895> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.lifelistening.com/jimmyreader/tag/competition/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00016-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.972446 | 428 | 1.539063 | 2 |
LONDON: Britain's Foreign Office issued a hasty apology on Sunday to Pope Benedict XVI after publication of an internal memo in which officials joked he could open an abortion clinic, launch a range of condoms or sing a duet with Queen Elizabeth II during a four-day visit in September.
The document, sections of which were published in the Sunday Telegraph newspaper, also proposed the Pope could bless a gay marriage, and acknowledge the clerical sex abuse scandal by establishing a hot line for abused children, or honoring abuse whistleblowers.
Junior officials wrote the memo following a brainstorming session intended to discuss ideas for the visit, the first to Britain by the head of the Roman Catholic Church since Pope John Paul II in 1982.
Though some included advice for Britain's government on how to approach the abuse scandal, the ministry condemned many of the proposals as "ill-judged, naive and disrespectful."
Britain's envoy to the Vatican, Francis Campbell, met senior Vatican officials to offer an apology and one individual involved in drafting the memo has been transferred to other duties, the ministry said.
"The Foreign Office very much regrets this incident and is deeply sorry for the offense which it has caused", the ministry said in a statement. "We strongly value the close and productive relationship between the UK government and the Holy See and look forward to deepening this further with the visit of Pope Benedict to the UK."
The document featured a diagram listing people likely to have an influential role during, or in commenting on, the visit — which ranked Scottish singer Susan Boyle, the surprise reality television star, as more important than Archbishop of Westminster Vincent Nichols, the head of the Catholic Church in England and Wales.
An accompanying note acknowledged many of the ideas contained in the memo were extreme. "These should not be shared externally...," it read, saying the document was "the product of a brainstorm which took into account even the most far-fetched of ideas."
Vatican spokesman Rev. Federico Lombardi said an apology from Britain had been received through the Holy See's embassy. "They supplied all the explanations, and there is nothing to add," Lombardi said.
Pope Benedict's trip from Sept. 16 to 19 will be the first papal visit to Britain since 1982. He is due to meet the queen and the Archbishop of Canterbury, spiritual head of the Anglican Church. During his visit, Benedict will also give a speech in London and conduct a public mass in Glasgow's Bellahouston Park. | <urn:uuid:8a640e1a-8619-43df-b709-62522ad8a022> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2010-04-02/uk/28146064_1_abuse-scandal-senior-vatican-officials-memo | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00013-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.970299 | 502 | 1.59375 | 2 |
Raised on a combination of traditional Mexican music and North American pop, Venegas arrived at Mexican-made rock late, only after moving to that nation's capital seven years ago. Rather than imitate the Anglo- and African-American pop she heard growing up, Venegas lifted elements for her own use, in her native tongue. “It never occurred to me to sing in English,” she says simply. “[Spanish] always came more naturally, even if I did grow up next to the United States and even if we did go to movies and concerts in English. There's a certain temperament. Not just in Tijuana, but in all of Mexico. To not try to be like them, even if you do listen to stuff in the United States. You still listen to rancheras and cumbias. That makes the music more interesting and more rich.” The bicultural performer straddling the musical border may be Venegas's best invention. | <urn:uuid:375014fe-774c-4ba8-8190-cd43afdc77d5> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.miaminewtimes.com/2000-10-05/music/drama-queen/2/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00004-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.955775 | 201 | 1.835938 | 2 |
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DESPITE AUSTERITY MOST OF US ARE HAPPY
London, UK (02 April, 2012) – Despite the difficult economic times most people in the UK, according to a new YouGov poll, are broadly content about their personal relationships but nearly half are worried about money.
The poll, commissioned to mark the high level meeting organised by the Kingdom of Bhutan and focused on “Happiness and Wellbeing: defining a new economic paradigm” at the United Nations in New York on 2nd April 2012. This follows the UN General Assembly resolution introduced by the Kingdom of Bhutan with support from 68 Member States, and unanimously adopted by the UN, which called for a “holistic approach to development” aimed at promoting sustainable happiness and wellbeing.
It marks a year since the launch of the Campaign, a year that has included a series of road shows at universities around the country, a conference about the riots and the publication of a series of “Making the Case for Social Science research” reports.
The Campaign is now actively exploring the impact of social science on government policy making focussing on public engagement.
The Academy of Social Sciences is the learned society for the social sciences in the UK. Its members include 750 academicians from both universities and the policy and practice communities and 43 member learned societies. Its mission is to promote social science in the UK for the public benefit.
The Campaign for Social Science was established by the Academy to raise the profile and importance of social science for government and amongst the wider public. A key objective of the Campaign is to create a popular vision of the impact of social science, what social science can do and demonstrate its impact on policy making and the delivery of public services.
With new investment from independent academic and professional publisher SAGE, the Academy of Social Sciences has marked the one year anniversary of its Campaign for Social Science with the appointment of a Campaign Officer.
All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc. Total sample size was 2140 adults. Fieldwork was undertaken between 19th - 21st March 2012. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all UK adults (aged 18+)
The YouGov poll was commissioned by the Campaign for Social Science, with funding from SAGE Publications Ltd.
SAGE is a leading international publisher of journals, books, and electronic media for academic, educational, and professional markets. Since 1965, SAGE has helped inform and educate a global community of scholars, practitioners, researchers, and students spanning a wide range of subject areas including business, humanities, social sciences, and science, technology, and medicine. An independent company, SAGE has principal offices in Los Angeles, London, New Delhi, Singapore and Washington DC. www.sagepublications.com | <urn:uuid:eb1389d8-befd-4054-ac33-45cda03d8170> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.uk.sagepub.com/aboutus/press/2012/apr/2_apr.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705195219/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115315-00008-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.951211 | 588 | 1.507813 | 2 |
I recently gave my five year old twins a Nintendo DS for their birthday. They had been playing their sisters' games and enjoying them regularly so I wasn't surprised when they pulled them out every chance they got.
But I was surprised when I heard them giggling at the same time and it occurred to me...if they are playing two different games, then why are they laughing at the same time? I went to investigate and this is what I discovered.
They were texting each other!
First of all, I didn't know that a Nintendo DS had this feature. Second of all, my twins are non-readers and non-writers. So how were they texting? In rebus style!
I shouldn't be surprised. This is why I love technology. Kids do things with technology that exceed my expectations. All. the. time. | <urn:uuid:f7ccb2af-e00e-4147-b12c-05a8bf0e4ac3> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://onceuponateacher.blogspot.jp/2008/11/why-am-i-surprised.html?showComment=1226976420000 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00007-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.992891 | 173 | 1.546875 | 2 |
ADDRESS OF HIS HOLINESS JOHN
What can I say, what do I wish to say to you, at this meeting while all of us are certainly still moved by the ecclesial events of these days?
In the first place I thank the Cardinal Dean for the noble words which, interpreting your sentiments, he has addressed to me. And in particular I express gratitude for the act of extraordinary confidence which you have shown with regard to my humble person, electing me as Peter's Successor in the See of Rome. Only in the light of faith is it possible to accept with interior tranquillity and with confidence the fact that by virtue of your choice it has fallen to me to become the Vicar of Christ on earth and visible Head of the Church.
Venerable Brothers, it was an act of confidence and at the same time of great courage to have wished to call a "non-Italian" as Bishop of Rome. One cannot say any more, but can only bow one's head before this decision of the Sacred College.
Never, perhaps, as in these recent events, which have involved the Church, depriving her twice in two months of her universal Pastor, has the Christian people felt and experienced the importance, the delicacy, the responsibility of the tasks that the Sacred College of Cardinals had to perform. And never as in this period—we must recognize with real satisfaction—have the faithful shown such affectionate esteem and such benevolent understanding for Their Eminences. The intense and prolonged applause addressed to you at the end of the Mass "Pro eligendo Papa" and at the announcement of the election of the new Pontiff, was the most expressive, exalting and moving proof.
The faithful have really understood, revered Brothers, that the purple you wear is the sign of that faithfulness "unto the shedding of your blood", which you promised the Pope with a solemn oath. Yours is a garment of blood, which recalls and presents the blood that the Apostles, the Bishops, the Cardinals have shed for Christ in the course of the centuries. I remember, at this moment, the figure of a great Bishop, St John Fisher, created cardinal—as is known—when he was imprisoned for his faithfulness to the Pope of Rome. On the morning of 22 June 1535, while he was preparing to offer his head to the executioner's axe, he exclaimed facing the crowd: "Christian people, I am about to die for faith in the Holy Catholic Church of Christ".
I would also venture to add that also in our times there are persons who have not been spared, who are still not spared, the experience of prison, sufferings, humiliation for Christ. May this unshakeable faithfulness to the Bride of Jesus be always the badge of honour and the pre-eminent boast of the College of Cardinals.
I would like to stress another element in this short meeting of ours: the sense of brotherhood, which in this recent period has been manifested and strengthened more and more within the Sacred College: "Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity!" (Psalm 132 (133):1). The Sacred College has had to deal twice, and in a very short space of time, with one of the most delicate problems of the Church: that of the election of the Roman Pontiff. And on this occasion the true universality of the Church has shone forth. It was really possible to see what St Augustine affirms: "The Church itself speaks the languages of all peoples... Spread among the peoples, the Church speaks all languages" (St. Augustine, Tractates on the Gospel of John, 32.7; PL 35, 1645).
Ecclesial experiences, needs and problems that are complex, varied, and sometimes even different. But this variety has been—and certainly will be—always concordant in one faith, as the same Bishop of Hippo reminds us when he emphasizes the beauty and variety of the clothes of the queen-Church: "These languages constitute the variety of the vesture of the queen. Just as every variety of dress is harmonized in unity, so, too, all languages in regard to the one faith" (St. Augustine, Expositions on the Psalms, Ps. XLIV, 23: PL 36, 509).
It is difficult for me not to express deep gratitude to the Holy Father Paul VI for the fact that he decided to give the Sacred College such a wide, international, intercontinental dimension. Its members, in fact, come from the furthest ends of the earth. That makes it possible not only to accentuate the universality of the Church, but also the universal aspect of Rome.
In a few days you will all return to your posts of responsibility: most of you to your dioceses: others to the Departments of the Holy See; all to continue with ever increasing commitment the pastoral ministry, which is weighted down with responsibilities, worries and sacrifices, but also comforted by the grace of the Lord and by the spiritual joy he gives his faithful servants. But, though at the head of the particular Churches, always participate in concern for the whole Church, living and putting into practice with all your might what the Second Vatican Council recommends: "As lawful successors of the apostles and as members of the episcopal college, bishops should always realize that they are linked one to the other, and should show concern for all the churches. For by divine institution and the requirement of their apostolic office, each one in concert with his fellow bishops is responsible for the Church" (Christus Dominus, 6; cf. ibid., 3; Lumen Gentium, 23).
Invoking on you all, on the faithful entrusted to your pastoral zeal and on all dear to you, the grace of Christ and the watchful protection of Mary, "Mother of the Church", I would like to impart my Apostolic Blessing with great affection. I would like to do so first for you, and afterwards with you all: in this way let the Church be blessed everywhere by the new Bishop of Rome and by the whole College of Cardinals, whose members come from all over the world and are close to him.
© Copyright 1978 - Libreria Editrice Vaticana | <urn:uuid:ea58b37c-d18f-4ef1-b6c0-58825d6dcbd5> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/speeches/1978/documents/hf_jp-ii_spe_19781018_cardinali_en.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00014-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.966475 | 1,282 | 1.734375 | 2 |
The Portland Police Bureau's Mounted Patrol Unit patrols primarily the downtown area, combating street crime. In addition, the MPU has the ability to trailer to other parts of the city to be used for special events, crowd control and park problems. The officers assigned to the MPU perform standard police functions: make arrests, conduct investigations, issue citations and handle routine calls. The activity level of the unit is high due to the fact that they are able to patrol problem areas in a slower, more thorough manner. The mounted officer is an effective method of crime prevention especially in the downtown area due to the high visibility factor and quick response capability in congested areas.
Personnel Currently,officers work a 10-hour day, four days a week, and are responsible for preparing and tacking up their assigned mounts prior to their tour of duty.
The Police Bureau employs stable attendants who take care of feeding the horses, maintain the horse barn, and provide basic training to new horses and mounted officers. The stable attendants also bathe and clip all of the mounts prior to the beginning of the work week, treat minor injuries to the animals and perform worming and inoculations.
The Mounted Patrol Equestrian Facility is located within walking distance of downtown Portland in a renovated flour mill. There is a 100' x 200' covered riding arena that allows the officers and the horses to train year-round on site. The facility has the ability to board up to 16 horses in 12' x 12' stalls.
Horses and Equipment The horses currently used by the Police Bureau were either purchased or donated. The average purchase price is $3,000. The Police Bureau uses only geldings of various breeds, who are normally eight to twelve years of age when purchased, and are about 15.2 hands in height. The horses wear Australian stock saddles with saddlebags and a cantle bag.
The horses are boarded at the Police Bureau horse barn which is located downtown. They are fed twice a day with Timothy Grass hay, dixie feed, and receive a vitamin supplement. The stalls are 12' x 12,' contain automatic waterers and have a two-inch bedding of shavings.
Training The Mounted Patrol Unit provides its own training for both the officers and the horses. The officers are given about six weeks of basic riding training prior to actual deployment. The training of the horses varies with each animal, but basic training procedures are applied.
Horse Specifications and Qualifications
Color: Solid colors (no off color), with minimal markings.
Blemishes: Minor blemishes acceptable if the blemish does not represent physical impairment or limit free movement of the horse.
Age: Eight to twelve years.
Sex: Gelding only.
Height: 15.2 hands minimum.
Weight: Weight of horse must be proportionate to the horse's height.
Equitation Standard: The horse must be broke to ride and neck rein. The horse must be capable of entering and departing a horse trailer. While mounted, the horse must demonstrate the ability to stop, turn, side pass, and back up with the appropriate leg, seat, and rein cues.
Disposition: During the initial evaluation, the disposition of the horse will be evaluated. Undesirable disposition characteristics can include: biting, charging, kicking, rearing, bucking or obvious nervousness and uneasiness.
Temperament: This area refers to the sociability of the horse. Specifically, if a horse is stimulated to do a specific act several times, the horse must not get mad and rebel. Rebelling in a violent manner is unacceptable.
Physical Condition: An unsound horse can include the following conformation faults:
Loaded shoulder, bull neck, thick throttle, small nostrils, parrot mouth, mutton withers, roman nose, shallow-narrow chest, crooked forelegs, spavins, rafter hips, long cannons, puffy hocks or sickle hocks, improperly set hind legs, incorrectly set forelegs, obvious deformation of the hoof including cracks and thrush.
Evaluation: Suitable horses are accepted by the Portland Police Bureau on a 60-day consignment pending further evaluation by the Police Bureau's horse trainer and a licensed veterinarian. Prior to the horse being accepted for consignment, a physical exam will be performed by a licensed veterinarian to determine the soundness of the horse. If accepted for consignment, the horse will then be transported to the Portland Police Bureau's horse barn where the horse will be evaluated for 60 days. The Police Bureau can accept or reject any horse at any time during the evaluation period. If the horse is deemed unacceptable, the horse will be transported back to the consignor. | <urn:uuid:703a9861-8a16-44ce-9aca-f5ee1cf00444> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.portlandoregon.gov/police/article/250328 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706890813/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516122130-00003-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.937428 | 976 | 1.671875 | 2 |
I have never been to Missouri, but from what I read the whole sounds like an amusement park short on rides but with plenty of amusement:
HB 291, the "Missouri Standard Science Act," redefines a few things you thought you already knew about science. For example, a "hypothesis" is redefined as something that reflects a "minority of scientific opinion and is "philosophically unpopular." A scientific theory is "an inferred explanation...whose components are data, logic and faith-based philosophy." And "destiny" is not something that $5 fortune tellers believe in; Instead, it's "the events and processes that define the future of the universe, galaxies, stars, our solar system, earth, plant life, animal life, and the human race."
The bill requires that Missouri elementary and secondary schools—and even introductory science classes in public universities—give equal textbook space to both evolution and intelligent design (any other "theories of origin" are allowed to be taught as well, so pick your favorite creation myth—I'm partial to the Russian raven spirit.) "I can't imagine any mainstream textbook publisher would comply with this," Meikle says. "The material doesn't exist."
The bill also establishes a nine-person committee (who must work for free) responsible for developing ad-hoc textbook material until appropriate textbook material is found.
Months ago, Paul highlighted a depressing article about how fiction is disappearing from public school curricula because nonfiction is stupidly considered more useful or something. But perhaps you can't chase fiction out of public schools; I'd like to think that bills like this are destiny's way of ensuring that children get an equal dose of engrossing absurdism to counteract all that practical nonfiction.
And I would gladly volunteer for an ad-hoc science textbook committee. I think, given Missouri's standards for education, I'd be more than qualified. | <urn:uuid:c977be47-5a82-4dc2-b912-5a59e724cef2> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/02/11/science-enthusiast-introduces-bill-to-teach-the-science-of-destiny-in-missouri-schools&view=comments | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368711005985/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516133005-00014-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.94892 | 395 | 1.6875 | 2 |
Brian Field, rabbi, Judaism Your Way, judaismyourway.org
For the past eight years in an unassuming storefront in Cherry Creek, a different style of Judaism has been flourishing under the tutelage of Rabbi Brian Field. With a mission to keep Judaism resilient and relevant, Judaism Your Way (JYW) has been experimenting with methods to increase the engagement of local Jews.
What was the impetus for Judaism Your Way?
There appeared to be an increasing disconnect between the lifestyles, life choices, questions, and spiritual vocabulary of Jews and what organized Judaism in the Denver-Boulder area was offering. People were being invited to do Judaism a denomination’s way, an organization’s way, or a rabbi’s way; we wanted to send a signal that instead of trying to bring people to Judaism, we were trying to bring Judaism to people.
So what does that look like?
Our thesis is that somewhere along the way, the Jews who are disengaged have heard some kind of a “no.” So we wanted to expand Judaism. That means finding Jewish ways to officiate a wedding between a Jew and a non-Jew; that means finding Jewish ways to create a naming ceremony for a baby born to a mixed-faith couple; that means finding a way to Jewishly solemnize a ceremony for a same-sex couple. We are here to find as many Jewish ways of saying “yes” as possible to as many Jews as possible.
Can people be involved with JYW regularly?
We have large-scale events throughout the year for High Holy Days, Hanukkah, Passover, and Tu b’Av, which is the Jewish evening of love. We do Jewish things in non-Jewish settings, such as holding High Holy Days at the Hudson Gardens or Passover at the Wellshire Event Center. We also do classes like introduction to Jewish spirituality and support groups for interfaith couples. We help with life-cycle events like weddings and baby namings, and we have a bar mitzvah program. And we are here for people to talk about their spiritual paths.
What do you mean by finding a “Jewish way”?
To participate in the rituals of Judaism, you need to be Jewish. But we see that 50 percent of weddings involving a Jew in Colorado are marriages that involve someone who’s not Jewish. Do we say Judaism can’t be part of your wedding, or do we find Jewish ways of being there for them? Our mission is to do it the second way.
One of my favorite biblical stories is the story of Moses. He led the people out of slavery. He received the Ten Commandments. But he was married to the daughter of a Midianite priest. After Moses knew he was to lead the Israelites out of Egypt, God met him and his family along their way and threatened to kill Moses. His wife took out a sharp stone and circumcised their son—and God left them alone. Moses hadn’t circumcised his son; he hadn’t brought his son into the covenant. His non-Jewish wife did. Why is this powerful? It shows a non-Jew can take charge of the ritual of Jewish covenantal continuity. When Jews were just marrying other Jews, that story wasn’t needed. Now, most of us are marrying outside, and the question is: Can Judaism follow them to this new place? The answer is yes, and we have a story in the Torah to explain why. | <urn:uuid:ccea9536-7fcd-4eea-8537-40e712a96080> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.5280.com/magazine/2012/04/religious-experience?page=0,10 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00001-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.975578 | 729 | 1.78125 | 2 |
Former G.P. Vanier graduate Kyle Coulombe competes at Olympic-style 2008 Provincial Skills Competition in Calgary
Falher resident Kyle Coulombe competed at the 2008 Provincial Skills Competition in Calgary May 22 to 23. The Olympic style games showcase trade students. He completed a arbour gate in two days,. Although he did not win for his construction, Kyle managed to completely finish building the arbour gate. He just finished his 2nd year apprenticeship program in carpentry at NAIT in Edmonton. He currently works for Turcotte construction in Falher. Kyle also received the top carpenter apprentice award for his second year studies with NAIT.
Smoky River Express
On the weekend of May 22 to 23, Kyle Coulombe of Falher competed in the 2008 Provincial Skills Competition in Calgary.
The competition is described as the Olympics of Trade.
It invites youth from across Alberta, representing high school and post-secondary levels, to compete in a variety of trade and technical events.
“Kyle is in his second year of carpentry at NAIT College in Edmonton,” says his mom Raymonde Coulombe. “He participated in the 18 to 21 years old age group.”
The skills competition showcases the best young talent in Alberta is a variety of trades.
These include; mechanics, plumbing, electrical, metal fabrication, cabinet makers, graphic design and baking, to name a few.
During the two-day competition, each student specializes in one event area and must complete a project that has been designed by experts in that field.
The philosophy of the Provincial Skills Competitions is to reward students for excellence in their chosen professional field.
Gold medalists at the provincial level are further rewarded with a selection to Team Alberta and an opportunity to showcase their skills at the Canadian Skills Competition.
Kyle competed in the two-day-event, building an arbour gate in the two days.
“Kyle said it was a great experience and he was able to see how he fared in comparison with others in his profession,” says Raymonde.
“The finished arbours constructed by all competitors were sold to the public after the competition.”
Kyle received monetary aide from Extreme Clean in Fairview to help pay for his hotel room and other expenses during his stay in Calgary.
Coulombe is in his second year of carpentry at NAIT College in Edmonton.
He received the Top Carpenter Apprentice award from NAIT as a 2nd year student.
As a result of the award, Kyle received a $250 gift certificate and choice of tools from the school.
Kyle is a 2006 graduate of G.P. Vanier high school in Donnelly.
His path to carpentry began through the school’s RAP program (registered apprenticeship program).
He currently works for Turcotte Construction in Falher under Denis Turcotte.
For more information on the competition visit www.skillsalberta.com.
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Send website suggestions to the Webmaster | <urn:uuid:1bb08201-d27a-4dbc-a9ae-6abf708c4161> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.smokyriverexpress.com/newsroom/volume42/080709/news3.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697380733/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516094300-00009-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.968311 | 653 | 1.625 | 2 |
|Swine flu cases now reported in county|
|Tuesday, 22 September 2009 18:28|
HUGO — Oklahoma Health Department officials are now reporting that cases of the H1N1 swine flu have indeed been confirmed in Choctaw County.
Regional Health Department supervisor, Rhonda Dennis, said Monday there have been two cases of swine flu confirmed in Choctaw County. Dennis said that did not mean there were not additional cases, because there is no reporting requirement from schools or area doctors.
Dennis said in all proability, any cases of flu being experienced in Oklahoma presently were all swine flu, as no cases of the seasonal flu have been identified.
Recently, more than 20 students in Hugo schools have been out with flu symptoms.
For questions about upcoming flu shot clinics for children and adults, contact the Choctaw County Health Department at 326.8821. | <urn:uuid:8b43c83b-7cdc-45f9-b1da-530f6d4d1aeb> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.hugonews.com/local/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&catid=1%3Alocal&id=75%3Aswine-flu-cases-now-reported-in-county&Itemid=7&28e5bbf660cb545fc854f5c048c7be7c=04170672204fd4233a0eee5766593c2d | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00002-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.977524 | 186 | 1.71875 | 2 |
If you have any open transaction(s); and if there is any statement that causes implicit commit, especially DDL statements; then the current active transaction will be committed and transaction will be closed automatically. Here is the list of statements that causes implicit commit in MySQL. But other day; we had an issue in production as [...]
Content reproduced on this site is the property of the respective copyright holders. It is not reviewed in advance by Oracle and does not necessarily represent the opinion of Oracle or any other party. | <urn:uuid:3746ccef-98a5-47ff-9c4c-a9bd2661db8d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://planet.mysql.com/?tag_search=8981 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00002-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.942109 | 102 | 1.515625 | 2 |
Commissioners approved three replats and the abandoning of a portion of Ferry Road at Monday morning’s regular session before moving on to consider approving an agricultural burn plan submitted by Fred Reyna, National Resources Conservation Service district conservationist, and Rodney Hooten, with Chanas Ranch.
Agricultural burning is allowed even in the event of a Burn Ban, so long as a plan is in place to ensure the utmost of safety. According to the USDA NRCS Agricultural Burning Policy, “The reasons for burning vary. The most common reasons are to reduce pre- and post-harvest vegetation that interferes with harvest, tillage or subsequent seedbed preparation. Burning is used for pest and weed control and lowers the need for supplemental herbicide and pesticide treatments.”
Although the Court does not have to approve the burn plan, Judge Wayne Brascom and Fred Reyna thought that it would be good policy to alert the county that the plan had been filed and that burning would occur on the Chanas Ranch, so that county officials could be alerted to the sanctioned burning during the Burn Ban.
Commissioner Johnnie Heck expressed concern that the matter was brought to the court, especially the prospect of the Court approving the plan, citing the possibility of Llano County being held liable if the fire were to get away from the Burn Manager.
Ultimately, the Court voted to remove the item, however, Judge Brascom thanked Reyna for letting the Court know about the plans, and encouraged him to let the Court know of other prescribed burns in the future, just for the Court’s information.
Llano Country Head Librarian Dian Ray requested that she be allowed to apply for three grants; two from the Texas Book Festival Grants, and the other a Tocker Grant. None of the grants would require matching, but they would provide much needed money to purchase books and update technology for the libraries. The Court unanimously approved the proposal to apply for the grants.
Commissioner Jerry Don Moss proposed that the county tear down and haul off the old arena, which would make upkeep of the property easier, and allow the county to use the property for something else. County Auditor Cindy Lent suggested that the county try to sell the salvageable parts of the arena, and haul off the rest for scrap metal. The court agreed, and voted to ‘take down and dispose of by sale’ the old arena.
The Court accepted the resignation of Paul O’Brian from the ESD #2 Board, as well as the resignation of outgoing Commissioner Heck as the Llano County representative to the Hill Country Transit District Board.
Commissioners approved the following appointments: John Chalmers and Cheri Lambright to the ESD #2 Board, to serve through December 31,2013 and Gina Chittim and Feddie Chappell to the HOT Grant Committee. | <urn:uuid:c2a802e4-d92c-4a4f-8275-bac20b36dac9> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.llanonews.com/news/104400/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00003-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.950884 | 583 | 1.65625 | 2 |
As a postdoctoral researcher in astronomy at the University of Arizona I spend most of my time using computer simulations to model how galaxies form and evolve over the age of the universe, but I also perform research in other areas of astronomy. I use the Arecibo radio telescope to observe fuel for star formation in other galaxies, and I have investigated how explosions occur on the surface of the Moon. I contribute code for the Enzo hydrodynamics simulation code and the yt visualization and analysis suite.
I am very involved in Astronomy Outreach, working previously at Columbia University as Director of Outreach, and having helped build up their program to be one of the premier astronomy public education programs in the country.
Outside of astronomy, I enjoy experiencing new cultures, long-distance bicycle tours, backpacking, learning new languages, and racing in triathlons and other endurance sports.
My Research Topics
Computational Galaxy Evolution
I investigate how galaxies evolve over cosmological timescales and the forces responsible for this evolution. My research goals focus on understanding the nature of star formation and stellar feedback in galaxies, the primary mechanisms by which gas, energy, and metals are injected into the intergalactic medium. These processes are crucial to the dynamical and chemical evolution of galactic systems, yet they are still not currently understood in computational and observational contexts.
I develop and use the adaptive mesh refinement hydrodynamics code, Enzo, to perform cosmological simulations following the formation and evolution of individual disk galaxies to present redshift. I am investigating new subgrid models in these simulations to better prescribe the detailed physics on small scales, specifically star formation and efficient stellar feedback. With better models for these two processes, we may be able to avoid dynamical pitfalls like the angular momentum problem and produce galaxies consistent with observations.
One new avenue for comparing observations and theoretical predictions of galaxies is the circumgalactic medium, the vast reservoir of tenuous gas surrounding each galaxy out to several hundred kiloparsecs. Observations are now being made of the state of this gas, and they are providing a very useful tool for understanding the flow of material and energy into and out of galaxies. I am actively involved in modeling this behavior in computer simulations to better understand its implications for star formation and supernovae explosions in this medium. Please visit this page with more information on my recent results as well as downloadable data.
I am a collaborator and observer on the Galex Arecibo SDSS Survey (GASS), a multiwavelength project survey targeting 1000 massive nearby galaxies. GASS will be the first statistically significant sample of massive transition galaxies with homogeneously measured stellar masses, star formation rates and gas properties. It will allow us to better understand how galaxies react to their environments and their cold gas content, and why the bimodality in the galaxy color-magnitude diagram exists.
Transient Lunar Phenomena
I had a brief foray into planetary science a few years ago, investigating how eruptions of gas out of the interior of the Moon would impact its surface. These models predicted sub-surface lunar ice with similar observational characteristics to ice discovered later that year by NASA mission scientists.
Lastly, I'm one of the core developers for the yt project, a software suite for visualization and analysis of computational hydrodynamical datasets. I'm particularly interested in creating a homogeneous set of analysis tools for use on a variety of different hydrodynamics codes (e.g. grid-based, particle-based, moving mesh). I am developing methods for building realistic synthetic observations from simulation outputs for direct comparison against observations.
One of our duties as scientists is to share our knowledge of nature with our communities. I was previously very involved in Public Outreach in the Astronomy Department of Columbia University, having been the director of the program for six years, and helping to build it up to one of the premier astronomy public education programs in the country.
I organized, lectured, and volunteered at most of the Columbia Astronomy Outreach events including our biweekly public lecture series and stargazing, Harlem Sidewalk Astronomy, Science Fiction vs Science Fact Film Series, Family Astro Events, and many school group visitations. In addition, I am one of the founding members of the Rooftop Variables scientific mentoring program, whereby graduate students mentor local high school science teachers and help them in designing astronomy curricula and in starting up astronomy clubs at their respective schools around New York City.
During the International Year of Astronomy (2009), I was awarded the position of NASA Student Ambassador to New York State & City. As part of this role, I organized an outdoor astrophotography exhibition in the middle of Columbia's campus, which brought more than 10,000 attendees from around the city and state. I also helped to design and record several educational podcasts as part of the 365 Days of Astronomy project.
I've been featured in numerous media discussing astronomy and education including: National Public Radio, Science Careers Magazine, The Village Voice, and the Brian Lehrer Show. It is my hope that by continuing to bring the beauty of science to a larger audience, we will not only touch individual lives, but aid in improving society as a whole.
Although I am currently finding my footing as a new postdoctoral researcher in Arizona, I intend to soon find a way to contribute towards scientific public education here.
When I am not doing astronomy, I like to keep active mentally and physically. I have conducted several long-distance bicycle tours, traveling from New York City to Niagara Falls and biking along the American West Coast. I regularly train and participate in endurance sports like cycling races and triathlons. In 2011, I was ranked as an "All American" duathlete (running and bicycling) for having finished top ten nationally in my age group and qualifying to represent Team USA at the world championships.
I love international travel since it means I get to meet new people, experience new cultures, and learn new languages. In these travels, I have tried my hand at numerous languages both formally and informally (with varying results). I find that its always best to have some language preparation prior to traveling to a particular region, as it enables so many other opportunities and provides more insight into a culture. I have tried to photodocument my travels and post the results online in a single location, but as of yet, they are strewn between Facebook albums, Google Plus albums and an old blog.
In line with my love of astrophysics, travel, public education and challenging experiences, I have applied to NASA to become an astronaut. I hope that one day I will have the opportunity to aid in humanity's exploration and understanding of our little neighborhood in this vast Universe. | <urn:uuid:ffbae6ef-b69a-458d-862f-9587918868a5> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://chummels.org/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00012-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.934958 | 1,381 | 1.695313 | 2 |
At home, at work or on the road, energy writer Thomas Content keeps you current as you adapt to changes in the world of energy, climate change and efforts to build a greener economy.
Rate hike hiatus to end: We Energies seeks $137 million over 2 years
We Energies electricity rates would rise by 3.6% in 2013 and another 3.6% in 2014 under a rate plan filed this afternoon with state regulators.
The state’s largest utility is seeking an increase of nearly $137 million over two years.
The main drivers of the increase are environmental control and energy generation projects, the utility said. The company is nearing completion of an air quality control upgrade at the original Oak Creek power plant that, at nearly $900 million, is the second-most expensive project in the company’s history.
The utility also will seek to include in rates the costs associated with the Glacier Hills Wind Park and to bill to customers the cost overruns that the company saw in building the new coal plant in Oak Creek because of litigation and construction delays and other factors.
The final cost of that project came in at $2.3 billion. That's about 3% above a cost cap imposed on the project by the state Public Service Commission.
A typical We Energies electric customer using 750 kilowatt-hours of electricity per month pays about $104.90 a month. The utility hasn’t yet spelled out whether residential and business customers would see higher or lower increases than 3.6%.
If it is 3.6%, the increase would tack on nearly $4 a month for a typical residential customer beginning in January. The 2014 increase would then tack on another $4.
We Energies customers have seen rates rise over the past decade to pay for new power plants, transmission lines and higher fuel costs. But utility customers then got a break from an increase in 2012 when We Energies proposed to push off a 2012 increase by a year.
In its rate filing, the utility also is seeking a decrease in local natural gas charges for its natural gas customers. Customers of the Wisconsin Electric gas utility would see a 0.2% decrease, while customers of Wisconsin Gas would see a 2.3% reduction.
Steam customers in downtown Milwaukee and Wauwatosa would also see increases. Steam customers of the Valley power plant in the Menomonee Valley would see a 6% increase each year, while Wauwatosa customers would see increases of 7% in 2013 and 6% in 2014.
The state Public Service Commission will conduct an audit of the utility’s proposal and its financial statements, and customer groups will weigh in as well. Public hearings are likely to take place in September or October, said Kristin Ruesch, agency spokeswoman, with a decision expected by the end of the year.
The total amount requested by We Energies is $210 million over two years, but the utility is proposing to issue credits to customers -- bringing the increase back to 3.6% a year -- using a renewable energy grant it expects to receive from the U.S. Treasury Department.
The grant program was created in the federal stimulus package to enable renewable energy project developers to receive cash grants instead of a tax credit over time for qualified projects.
We Energies expects to receive the grant in 2014 for the biomass power plant it is building at a Domtar Corp. paper mill in Rothshild, said Jim Schubilske, We Energies assistant treasurer. Construction began last year and is expected to be completed by late 2013. | <urn:uuid:d95c8c63-2fcd-4002-8a56-97a02886c372> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.jsonline.com/blogs/business/144020676.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00018-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.955214 | 737 | 1.65625 | 2 |
A dental salon in Tokyo’s Ginza district has become very popular with girls after it advertised a cosmetic procedure that lengthens and sharpens canines to enhance a feature Japanese call “yaeba”.
Crooked teeth are seen as imperfections in many western countries, and particularly in America, where braces are practically a God-given gift to man, but in Japan, a country where almost everything is different, they are considered cute, even adorable. Yaeba means double tooth in Japanese, but it doesn’t describe major dental deformities, but rather the vampire-like look obtained when the two molars crowd the canines pushing them forward to create a fang effect.
According to some sources, yaeba gives girls a feline look which is apparently makes them even more attractive, while others say it’s this little imperfection that makes pretty girls look more approachable as opposed to the flawless magazine cover models of the western world. There are many Japanese celebrities with yaeba, but instead of having it fixed with braces, they just show it off to the camera, and that only makes them more popular.
Yaeba has been of the hottest trends in Japan for years, and now a dental salon in Tokyo has decided to cash in on it by offering to give the crooked-teeth look to girls with perfect dentures. Dr. Yoko Kashiyama and her staff at the Plaisir Dental Salon, in Ginza district, perform all kinds of cosmetic procedures, but yaeba is definitely among the most popular.
Using non-permanent adhesive, she glues custom-made artificial teeth onto the natural canines to lengthen them and make them stand out. A Japanese TV network has recently sent a reporter to the dental salon to not only report on the yaeba procedure but actually get it done herself. You can check it out in the video at the bottom.
Source: Oddity Central | <urn:uuid:b3c20ca4-98ef-493c-a493-e65a62fb3519> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.myfatpocket.com/beauty-news/tokyo-dental-specializes-in-giving-girls-crooked-teeth.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00009-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.957784 | 404 | 1.539063 | 2 |
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DoD, DHS officials keep pressure on Congress for new cyber laws
Thursday - 5/3/2012, 5:19am EDT
A week after the House of Representatives approved four cybersecurity bills, Defense and Homeland Security department officials are warning there's trouble ahead if the full Congress doesn't pass legislation updating the nation's cybersecurity laws soon.
"Cyber week" in the House included passage of four bills: one dealing with updates to information assurance in federal agencies, another handling cybersecurity information sharing, and two others that dealt with federal cybersecurity research. The Senate, meanwhile, is working on an all-in-one approach to cybersecurity with two competing comprehensive bills.
While the debate in Congress ensues, federal agencies in charge of cybersecurity are keeping up the pressure on Congress to enact legislation as soon as possible.
Mark Weatherford, deputy undersecretary for cybersecurity, DHS
In particular, Weatherford said he's especially concerned about cyberattacks against the industrial control systems that underlie much of the nation's electric grid and other critical infrastructure, many of which were built long before the word cybersecurity was part of anyone's vocabulary.
"For many, many years, that stuff was under the radar, because no one knew you could do anything with it," he said. "That has changed, and those are the underpinnings of society. It's the critical infrastructure that makes our society function and work."
Weatherford said DHS wants cybersecurity legislation to include at least three things:
- Provisions that would let the government and private companies share threat information. "I relate this back to the time when I worked for the North American Electric Reliability Corporation," he said. "Often times, we would call a company to tell them they had a security issue, -which may or may not have been tipped to us from the government, and the first person we always talked to was an attorney. That attorney had to make sure that the information we talked about wasn't going to get them in some sort of legal trouble. That's one of the information sharing barriers right there. There are perceived legal liability impediments to sharing information."
- Codification of the patchwork of responsibilities and authorities DHS has when it comes to securing federal agencies and helping the private sector secure their systems. "DHS executes its portion of the federal cybersecurity mission under an array of existing executive and statutory authorities. Unfortunately, these authorities have simply failed to keep up with the responsibilities DHS is charged with leading," he said. "Our nation cannot improve its ability to keep up with cyber threats unless certain laws that deal with cybersecurity are updated."
- Authorities for DHS to adopt industry-led minimum cybersecurity standards for the operators of the nation's most critical infrastructure. That's perhaps the most contentious issue among lawmakers, and it was left out of last week's cyber bills in the House. A second senior DHS cyber official later clarified that the process would be "collaborative" with industry, and that DHS would only add its own standards if it determined that the private sector's own baseline protections were inadequate. The department's only enforcement mechanism would be to publicly identify those firms who were failing to meet the published standards.
DOD also wants Congress to get moving on cyber legislation.
Army Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn is currently the assistant director of national intelligence for partner engagement, and President Obama nominated him last month to be the next director of the Defense Intelligence Agency. He told the symposium DoD worries about its inability to share the threat information it already has with private industry.
"This idea of partnering is a big, big deal, and it's one of the things we have to look at in terms of our legal framework," he said. "Let's say a big company is getting ransacked of all of its intellectual property. They may not have the capability or the insight to even see that happening, they just feel it because they're losing money. They pick up the phone and call [the U.S. Cyber Command] and ask if we're seeing this, and right now we can do nothing about it. So companies are paying more for insurance, they're paying more for security, they're paying more for information assurance, which means it drags down the economy and raises the cost of just about everything."
Information sharing bill passes
One of the three House bills from last week, the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (CISPA) is intended to break down those information sharing barriers, in part, by granting legal liability protections to companies who share or receive cyber threat information. The bill has spurred an online outcry led by privacy groups who say those immunity provisions are far too broad.
The White House agreed. The Obama administration issued a veto threat over privacy concerns and because the bill doesn't give DHS the authority to regulate critical infrastructure.
Langevin was one of just 42 Democrats who voted for the bill. He said the privacy concerns were solved through amendments.
Rep. Jim Langevin (D-R.I).
But he agreed with the White House that the bill is too weak on the critical infrastructure score. He supported a separate bill, the PRECISE act, which would have given DHS the regulatory authority it wants.
"Unfortunately though, it wasn't debated in last week's so-called 'cyber week,' and I hope it that bill will come back up," he said. "But to my great frustration, the need to completely take care of our critical infrastructure needs remains, I believe, unaddressed."
Langevin, who has been working on cyber issues for several years, said overall the bills the House passed last week don't go nearly far enough toward updating the nation's cybersecurity posture. But they're a lot better than nothing.
"This is the barest of beginnings compared with what needs to be done, but they're an important reminder of how far the debate on cybersecurity has come," he said. "Five years ago we were out talking in the wilderness about an issue that most people had never heard about. Now, the cyber debate is part of our daily policy conversation, and it's universally identified by our country's top national security officials as one of the top threats to our country's security." | <urn:uuid:4291f7ab-96bd-4d0e-aa19-5bec4863e33f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.federalnewsradio.com/473/2850867/DoD-DHS-officials-keep-pressure-on-Congress-for-new-cyber-laws | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704392896/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113952-00011-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.969612 | 1,429 | 1.554688 | 2 |
Impact on Landscape and Energy Policy
As a writer, I am deeply indebted to the Northeast Kingdom, from which I’ve drawn inspiration for almost 50 years: its woods, fields, ponds, hills, its people, its other creatures. Like most of my neighbors, I favor conservation and renewable energy. The fear of climate change has been with me for many years, ever since I felt the early, subtle signs of it. But I do not support the proposed UPC industrial wind facility.
From Barton, Vermont, to the German border with Denmark and from the shores of Lake Huron, to the Romney Marches of southern England, wind power advocates are fighting crosswinds from local residents.
In Barton in mid-January, a referendum overwhelmingly rejected the wind power turbines that were planned near this upper Vermont community. ...In Germany, where one-third of the world's current wind power is generated, doubters have provoked a loud debate. The company that owns the grid that includes nearly half the wind-farms in Germany reported its wind farms generated only 11 percent of their capacity. The company said the winds vary so much the wind farm had to be backed 80 percent by the conventional power grid.
The “turbine syndrome” - characterised by complete indifference to public opinion - has spread its tentacles throughout the whole of the Scottish community and we need, urgently, to deny it further progress. If we fail to remove from office these modern barbarians, we will suffer the ignominy of becoming mere ciphers in a submissive, uncontesting, unresponsive society with all that that entails.
Some day large overhead power lines will become dinosaurs. Vermonters are forward-thinking, creative people. We should be looking ahead today. Who wants to be the last ones stringing these lines across the landscape, with all the environmental and dollar costs that they entail?
Because of the pressures on the countryside in the North East, DCPRE, perhaps more than its parent organisation, has considered the effects of wind farms both in terms of their impact on the landscape, including the people who live and seek recreation there and on their effectiveness on the climate, particularly how they affect emissions of greenhouse gases. DCPRE considers that the impact of structures such as wind turbines on the countryside is potentially very severe and is most concerned about the potential cumulative effect of them.
Editor's Note: Submitted as a 'Consultation' to the Department of Trade and Industry
And we would still need the same amount of generating power from other plants (which would be run less efficiently, i.e., with more emissions) to keep the system running when the wind isn't perfect. With this pathetic outlook, and considering as well the fact that electricity is only a fraction of our energy use, wind looks about as far from a "serious" solution to global warming or decommissioning nuclear plants as one could get.
There are many places where it [wind energy] can work and not be intrusive. But it's not for everywhere. It doesn't belong on ridgetops where it will destroy the "viewshed" and foul the wilderness quality of the last large undeveloped tract in the region.
An adjudication by the Advertising Standards Authority, released on 21 December, confirms that the wind power industry has duped the country, despite repeated warnings from critics. Every new development, most recently the outrageous approval of Glenmoriston at Loch Ness, is hailed as saving the emission of thousands of tonnes of a year.
Is it all worth it? We need to bridle our inherent optimism for emerging technology with lessons learned from the past.
Vermonters must decide if it is worth destroying their exquisite
mountains for symbolism -- because the giant wind turbines being
proposed for the ridgelines won't produce much power.
We cannot lose sight of Vermont's distinctive place in the
world with its open spaces and gorgeous vistas. It is up to us to
continue the legacy. Real jobs, real lives depend on it.
Almost 70 years ago, Vermonters decided man's hand did not need to be
evident everywhere. Remember that spirit now as this state considers
allowing wind turbines on ridgelines.
Everyone probably agrees with the fundamental goal of the legislation --
to protect Vermont's fragile environment by increasing the use of clean
energy. But before lawmakers rush into mandates, they must ensure the
measure doesn't inadvertently harm the economy or the landscape. | <urn:uuid:1b86e3d3-9291-4464-a076-0cd1dd7933c4> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.windaction.org/opinions/c52+116/?startnum=41 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697380733/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516094300-00010-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.957662 | 918 | 1.828125 | 2 |
Kenya has become the giant of African coffee production, ever since coffee made its way over the mountains from Ethiopia. Kenya AA is the largest bean grown in Kenya, and brews up a complex, fruity, light, and very bright cup. This is an exquisite coffee with an assertive, lively personality. Trust us, in coffee that’s a good thing.
Tangy aroma with hearty body, gusty wine-like acidity and citrus flavor.
Place: Mt. Kenya, Kenya
People: The coffee industry of Kenya is noted for its cooperative system of milling, marketing and auctioning coffee, as well as the high percentage of production from small farms. It is estimated that 6 million Kenyans are employed directly or indirectly in the coffee industry.
Process: A wash processed coffee. All Kenyan coffee is graded after it is milled. Grades are based on the screen size of the bean. Beans with a screen size of 17 or 18 (17/64 or 18/64 of an inch) are assigned the grade AA; these are generally the largest beans. It is important to note that size is only one of the many factors in determining high quality coffee.
Pairing: Blueberries, caramel and butter croissant.
Brew & Store Properly
For Best Results:
GRIND only as much as you need for one cup or one pot of coffee.
CHOOSE the correct grind. Fine for espresso, medium for automatic drip, coarse for French Press.
MEASURE ground coffee to taste. Start with two level tablespoons of ground coffee per six ounces of cold filtered or bottled water.
STORE in an airtight container to protect the flavor and aroma and ensure rich, fresh tasting coffee. Do not freeze or refrigerate.
We source our coffee from the best family coffee farms around the world and buy only the top 1% of Arabica Beans.
We hand roast our coffee daily in small batches to a traditional, smooth taste profile. This is the way we've done it since 1963, when we opened our first store in Brentwood, CA. | <urn:uuid:9081d380-ab4a-4065-b0ef-3e1d12673ea8> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.coffeebean.com/kenya-aa/d/1085_c_103 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00014-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.940864 | 431 | 1.71875 | 2 |
(AP) Hungary's central bank says it is cutting its main interest rate from 7 percent to 6.75 percent, confounding analysts' expectations of no changes until later in the year.
Tuesday's decision takes effect on Wednesday. The change is the first time the National Bank of Hungary has adjusted its base rate since Dec. 21, when it raised it by half a percentage point.
The move immediately weakened the forint, Hungary's currency the euro bought over 281 forints compared with 279 earlier in the day. The rate cut could help boost economic growth by lowering borrowing costs for businesses and consumers, but could also further weaken the forint and lift the already-high inflation rate.
In the second quarter of 2012, Hungary's economy contracted by 1.2 percent on an annual basis. | <urn:uuid:63ba0afb-d60e-444f-8644-566ce8ce12ef> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://timesleader.com/stories/Hungary-cuts-key-interest-rate-to-675-percent,197774?category_id=103&town_id=1&sub_type=stories | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00003-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.969476 | 160 | 1.625 | 2 |
Q: I am really allergic to cats. My nose gets stuffed up, my eyes start to itch and I become very spacey.
My wife and I were visiting friends who have two cats. I forgot to take my allergy medicine in advance and realized I would be in trouble since we would be sleeping in the guest bedroom where the cats hang out. My friend offered me a Claritin-D to prevent problems.
bladder. What was it about the Claritin-D that had this effect?
A: The D in Claritin-D and many other allergy and cold medicines stands for a decongestant called pseudoephedrine. It is found in Actifed, Allegra-D, Mucinex D, Sudafed and Zyrtec-D. This compound can aggravate symptoms of prostate enlargement and make it difficult to urinate.
Men with enlarged prostates need to avoid decongestants. The antihistamine diphenhydramine (DPH) also may increase prostate urinary symptoms. DPH is found in Benadryl as well as many nighttime pain relievers such as Advil PM, Tylenol PM and numerous others. Check the label before taking allergy medicines to avoid urinary retention.
Q: My father was prescribed simvastatin (Zocor) and fenofibrate (Tricor) for high cholesterol. Within months, his speech started to slur, and he began to have trouble swallowing.
His doctor sent him to a neurologist to be tested for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. The test was inconclusive, but the symptoms worsened. We asked the doctors if statin drugs could have triggered this, and both dismissed the idea. Eventually my dad could not talk, eat or swallow liquids. He died at age 68, though he had been healthy until he started treating his cholesterol.
A: The connection between statin cholesterol-lowering drugs and ALS (also known as Lou Gehrig's disease) is controversial. Since a link was first proposed in 2007, some studies have confirmed it, while others have found no association. Some clinicians treating ALS patients have found that statins accelerate the decline (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, August 2008), while others deny it (Journal of the Neurological Sciences, Oct. 15, 2008).
Hundreds of people have related their experiences on our website (peoples
pharmacy.com), and many are convinced that statins triggered ALS. One reader commented: "My brother was just diagnosed with ALS. He has been taking statins for about a year and a half. He's developed weakness in his legs and hands, and chokes when swallowing."
Q: I have osteoporosis, and my doctor prescribed Fosamax. I took it for years, but it caused severe heartburn that I could not handle.
When I complained to the doctor, he offered Boniva. Reading the label, I found that it, too, could affect the esophagus. What else can I do to protect my bones?
A: Alendronate (Fosamax) and ibandronate (Boniva) are in the same class of osteoporosis drugs. There are other treatments to strengthen bones. Some are less likely to irritate the esophagus.
In their column, Joe and Teresa Graedon answer letters from readers. Send questions to them via peoplespharmacy.com. | <urn:uuid:9f1126aa-9a70-4fcb-b0f1-eb1517e018e4> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.courant.com/sports/other/sc-health-0831-pharm-20110831,0,6935286.story | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700958435/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104238-00009-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.976472 | 714 | 1.796875 | 2 |
(CNN) -- WikiLeaks' latest release of secret documents provides details on the behavior and treatment of detainees being held at the U.S. Navy's detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
Classified military files described some as being compliant while others threatened violence against guards and one stated he would fly planes into houses, according to the WikiLeaks documents.
In a statement accompanying Sunday's release of the first of 700 classified files, WikiLeaks said the documents dating from 2002 to 2008 are "shining the light of truth on a notorious icon of the Bush administration's 'War on Terror'" and were described in memoranda from the joint task force at Guantanamo to U.S. Southern Command in Florida.
"Most of these documents reveal accounts of incompetence familiar to those who have studied Guantanamo closely, with innocent men detained by mistake (or because the U.S. was offering substantial bounties to its allies for al-Qaeda or Taliban suspects), and numerous insignificant Taliban conscripts from Afghanistan and Pakistan," the anti-secrecy website said.
Most of the 171 remaining prisoners at Guantanamo have been rated as a "high risk" of posing a threat if released without adequate rehabilitation and supervision.
But, according to The New York Times -- one of several news organizations that saw the files -- an even larger number of the prisoners who have left Cuba were also designated "high risk" before they were freed or passed to the custody of other governments.
The documents are largely silent about the use of the harsh interrogation tactics at Guantanamo that drew global condemnation, according to the Times.
The documents are intelligence assessments of nearly every one of the 779 individuals who have been held at Guantanamo since 2002, according to the Washington Post, which also saw them.
The documents offer glimpses into whereabouts and operations of Osama bin Laden and his Egyptian deputy, Ayman al-Zawahiri, the Post reported.
Four days after the Sept. 11 attacks, bin Laden visited a guesthouse in Afghanistan's Kandahar province, according to the files, which detailed his movements over the next few months.
CNN was not among the news organizations granted early access to the latest files.
The U.S. government, as in previous document dumps by WiKiLeaks, expressed disapproval at their release.
"It is unfortunate that several news organizations have made the decision to publish numerous documents obtained illegally by WikiLeaks concerning the Guantanamo detention facility," said Dan Fried, the U.S. envoy for Guantanamo, and Pentagon spokesman Geoff Morrell in a joint statement. "These documents contain classified information about current and former GTMO detainees, and we strongly condemn the leaking of this sensitive information."
According to the government's statement, the WikiLeaks releases include detainee assessment briefs (DABs) written by the U.S. Department of Defense.
"The Guantanamo Review Task Force, established in January 2009, considered the DABs during its review of detainee information. In some cases, the Task Force came to the same conclusions as the DABs. In other instances the Review Task Force came to different conclusions, based on updated or other available information. The assessments of the Guantanamo Review Task Force have not been compromised to Wikileaks. Thus, any given DAB illegally obtained and released by Wikileaks may or may not represent the current view of a given detainee."
The Obama administration has repeated its determination to close the terrorist detention facility.
Under the Obama administration, 126 detainees have been approved for transfer and 59 of those still remain at the Navy base. A total of 171 men still remain in detention at Guantanamo, including those awaiting prosecution and those deemed too dangerous to release but not feasible for prosecution. During the Bush administration, 537 detainees were transferred, including almost 200 to Afghanistan.
The Obama administration announced earlier this month it would hold military trials at Guantanamo for the suspected conspirators of the September 11, 2001, terror attacks. That decision will delay indefinitely plans to close the detention facility.
WikiLeaks gained international prominence after leaking thousands of papers about the U.S.-led war in Afghanistan. Earlier this year it released a huge cache of secret American diplomatic papers. | <urn:uuid:5c0cb42b-f824-4f18-8ed4-9024389cb33a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://edition.cnn.com/2011/US/04/24/wikileaks.guantanamo/index.html?iref=allsearch | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705195219/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115315-00010-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.95732 | 834 | 1.789063 | 2 |
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Thursday, June 7, 2012
Ian Koski (Coons) at 202-224-4216
Garrette Silverman (Moran) at 202-224-6521
Senators Coons, Moran introduce bill to spark investment in renewable energy projects
Master Limited Partnerships Parity Act gives renewable energy projects access to a tax incentive available now only to oil, gas, and coal projects
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Chris Coons (D-Del.) and Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) introduced legislation Thursday to level the energy playing field by giving investors in renewable-energy projects access to a decades-old tax advantage now available only to investors in fossil fuel-based energy projects. The Master Limited Partnerships Parity Act is a straightforward, powerful tweak to the federal tax code that could unleash significant private capital by helping additional energy-generation and renewable fuels companies form master limited partnerships, which combine the funding advantages of corporations and the tax advantages of partnerships.
“Despite all the political rhetoric about the need for an all-of-the-above energy strategy, our current tax code clearly picks winners and losers in the energy space,” Senator Coons said. “The MLP Parity Act helps level the playing field by giving investors in renewables and non-renewables access to the same highly attractive master limited partnership business structure. Congress should be setting a realistic and stable policy pathway to sustain innovations in domestic energy development, and help the market work to its fullest potential. That starts with leveling the playing field and giving renewable energy the same shot at market success as fossil fuels.”
“Master limited partnerships have been largely responsible for the tremendous growth in our country’s energy infrastructure,” Senator Moran said. “In order to grow our economy and increase our energy security, sound economic tools like the MLP should be expanded to include additional domestic energy sources. This legislation simply builds on a successful model, and I look forward to working with my Senate colleagues on policies that will drive innovation, create American jobs, and grow our economy.”
A master limited partnership (MLP) is a business structure that is taxed as a partnership, but whose ownership interests are traded like corporate stock on a market. By statute, MLPs have only been available to investors in energy portfolios for oil, natural gas, coal extraction, and pipeline projects. These projects get access to capital at a lower cost and are more liquid than traditional financing approaches to energy projects, making them highly effective at attracting private investment. Investors in renewable energy projects, however, have been explicitly prevented from forming MLPs, starving a growing portion of America’s domestic energy sector of the capital it needs to build and grow.
A more detailed white paper on the MLP Parity Act can be downloaded here: http://coons.senate.gov/download/mlp-white-paper
Senators Jon Tester (D-Mont.), Al Franken (D-Minn.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), and Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) are original cosponsors of the legislation, which can be downloaded as a PDF here: http://coons.senate.gov/download/mlp-parity-act
The MLP Parity Act has been endorsed by the American Wind Energy Association, Third Way, Solar Energy Industries Association, Biomass Power Association, Biotechnology Industry Organization, Ocean Renewable Energy Coalition, American Council on Renewable Energy, Natural Resources Defense Council, Advanced Biofuels Association, Offshore Wind Development Coalition, and the Advanced Ethanol Council.
David Crane, president, NRG Energy: “The MLP Parity Act is a phenomenal idea. It’s a fairly arcane part of the tax law, but it’s worked well and has been extremely beneficial to private investment in the oil and gas space. The fact that it doesn’t currently apply to renewables is just a silly inequity in our current law.”
Josh Freed, vice president for clean energy, Third Way: “There are 2.3 trillion reasons the United States should grow our domestic clean energy market. That’s the potential size of the global clean energy market. We can win a huge share of it if our national energy policies put clean and fossil technologies on a level playing field and we get more private investment into the clean energy market. That’s why Third Way proposed expanding Master Limited Partnerships, which help finance oil and natural gas development, to include wind, solar, and other clean energy projects. This is a commonsense idea that will give mature clean technologies access to the cheap, private capital they need to get built. We’re thrilled Senator Chris Coons, an honorary co-chair of Third Way, and Senator Jerry Moran are taking the lead to build a bipartisan consensus on this issue that will help clean energy, the economy, and the country.”
Rhone Resch, president and CEO, Solar Energy Industries Association: "This bill is an excellent step toward leveling the playing field between renewable and incumbent energy sources by providing the solar industry with private capital in the same manner enjoyed by the oil and gas industry. The solar industry employs 100,000 Americans, costs for consumers are dropping nationwide and solar deployment grew by 109% last year. Senator Coons' MLP proposal would build on this success, and SEIA applauds him for putting forward an idea that has the potential to attract additional private sector investment in solar projects. We look forward to working with Senator Coons and other stakeholders to use smart policy to add market liquidity for renewable energy projects and to efficiently utilize tax incentives."
Bob Cleaves, president, Biomass Power Association: "The Biomass Power Association lauds Senator Coons for taking the lead on this very important issue. His legislation, which harmonizes the Internal Revenue Code to make Master Limited Partnership arrangements available to renewable electricity developers, simplifies the tax laws and moves away from picking energy winners and losers. By obtaining easier access to capital, renewable energy facility developers will be able to replace fossil fuels, reduce greenhouse gases, and secure the electrical grid with stable, baseload power."
Mike McAdams, president, Advanced Biofuels Association: “We are grateful for Senator Coons’ leadership at a critical point for America’s domestic biofuels industry as we are moving from the beaker to the barrel, in record time. The Coons legislation provides an innovative financial mechanism that could significantly reduce the cost of financing as companies are reaching a game-changing milestone. Substantial investments by private companies in research and development have been the catalyst for today’s success in bringing advanced biofuels to commercial markets, but stable and consistent public policies are crucial to encourage and allow additional investment dollars that will help get us across the finish line. By creating a new and more appealing option for investors, the Coons bill helps level the playing field and ultimately promotes a more cost competitive advanced biofuel alternative to conventional fuel.”
Anthony J. Orlando, president and CEO, Covanta Energy: "I want to congratulate Senators Coons and Moran for their efforts to level the playing field for renewable energy development. Master Limited Partnerships have been available since 1986 to help incentivize oil and natural gas development, and now, thanks to Senators Coons and Moran, we have legislation extending the availability of MLPs that will allow for the expansion of investment opportunites that could provide the capital necessary to promote further development of renewable energy sources, including new and expanded waste-to-energy facilities.”
Jim Lanard, president, Offshore Wind Development Coalition: "MLPs will help to support the establishment of a sustainable offshore wind industry, since they can reduce the cost of capital and attract more investors. While extension of the Investment Tax Credit (ITC) remains our industry's number one legislative priority, MLPs will serve as a nice complement to ITCs."
Brooke Coleman, executive director, Advanced Ethanol Council: "The Advanced Ethanol Council strongly supports the Master Limited Partnership Parity Act filed today by Senator Coons. If MLPs continue to be available for fossil fuel extraction projects, they should also be offered to renewable energy development. We applaud Senator Coons and the bill cosponsors for leveling the playing field for emerging technologies when it comes to this important project development tool."
Brent Erickson, executive vice president, Biotechnology Industry Organization: “BIO applauds Senator Coons' thoughtful proposal to level the playing field in the tax code and allow advanced biofuels and bioenergy to participate in Master Limited Partnerships – just as oil and gas companies can. Tax policy should be focused on driving innovation to reduce our dependence on foreign oil and create high quality U.S. based career opportunities. Senator Coons' bill creates parity among energy producers, allowing renewable producers equal access to lower cost capital and ensuring that technology developed here in the U.S. can be deployed here at home to ensure our energy security.”
Sean O’Neill, president, Ocean Renewable Energy Coalition: “The Ocean Renewable Energy Coalition (OREC) strongly supports the legislation introduced today by Senator Coons and others to allow master limited partnership investment in renewable energy. It makes sense to encourage a diverse energy generation portfolio and begin to move towards an even playing field with regard to federal mechanisms that support private investment in all forms of energy production. Extending the MLP market-based incentive structure to qualified renewable technologies, such as wave, tidal and ocean current convertors, will stimulate investment in the renewable energy sector and provide the U.S. with more home grown energy choices. The members of OREC appreciate the effort behind this legislation and will do all we can to support its passage and signature into law this year.”
Doug Sims, Natural Resources Defense Council: "NRDC strongly endorses the MLP Parity Act. The tax code currently enables the well-established fossil fuel industry to have this financing advantage while denying its use for the newer, cleaner forms of energy that Americans want and need to encourage. That makes no sense. Master Limited Partnerships should be one of the tools available to develop clean, renewable energy. MLPs provide a low risk way for Main Street to invest in renewable energy. This will create jobs and new investment opportunities while reducing pollution. Sen. Coons is right to propose this forward-looking and fair-minded step to ensure that the today's clean, domestic energy sources have the same opportunities to succeed as the fossil fuel sources of the past."
Denise Bode, CEO, American Wind Energy Association: “We commend Senator Coons for his leadership in promoting the eligibility of master limited partnerships (MLPs) to include renewable energy projects. America’s wind energy sector is a success story that has proven its strength by recruiting $15.5 billion in annual investment in America’s energy infrastructure in recent years despite short-lived policy certainty. MLPs work well for conventional energy infrastructure and will work best to spur more renewable energy investment and job creation if structured properly to match renewable tax incentives. We look forward to working with Senator Coons to enable wind power developers to efficiently utilize MLP structures.”
Judith Albert, executive director, Environmental Entrepreneurs: “The members of Environmental Entrepreneurs are supportive of Sen. Coons’ MLP Parity Act. This bill would allow renewable energy companies access to a financing structure – Master Limited Partnerships – that has long been available to the fossil fuel industry. Access to this structure will expand the sources of private capital that renewable energy companies can tap and reduce the cost of financing new, job-creating projects. If passed, this important measure would be a significant step toward continued development of clean, renewable energy.”
Vice Admiral Dennis McGinn (USN-Ret.), president and CEO, American Council On Renewable Energy: “We commend Senator Coons for his leadership in introducing important legislation to level the playing field and promote greater private investment in our nation’s abundant and affordable renewable energy resources and fuels. Enabling master limited partnership investment in renewable energy and infrastructure can help lower project costs, leading to more economic investment and a more diverse energy mix.”
Barry Granger, vice president for government affairs and government marketing, DuPont: “We appreciate Senator Coons thoughtful, constructive legislation to facilitate the commercialization of advanced biofuels and biopower technologies by extending the tax-efficient Master Limited Partnership structure to investments in these forms of energy. These tax policies have proven effective in encouraging investment in oil and gas infrastructure and can similarly help the domestic advanced biofuels industry.”
Felix Mormann and Dan Reicher, Stanford University Steyer-Taylor Center for Energy Policy and Finance: “There’s another benefit to expanding the pool of renewable energy investors: It would help democratize, and thus build support for, these new energy sources. Today, all American taxpayers fund renewable energy subsidies, but only a deep-pocketed few can cash in on the tax benefits. Publicly traded master limited partnerships … would empower all Americans to invest and have a stake in the transition to cleaner energy.” http://nyti.ms/LmGDI7 | <urn:uuid:efb8bc9c-d4de-4406-96b9-d7137511e260> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.coons.senate.gov/newsroom/releases/release/senators-coons-moran-introduce-bill-to-spark-investment-in-renewable-energy-projects | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00009-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.935952 | 2,747 | 1.617188 | 2 |
SAAC to Take Part in Making Strides Against Breast Cancer
The Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Student-Athlete Advisory Committee will take part in the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer charity walk on Saturday, Oct. 22, as part of its community service efforts this fall.
"This is a wonderful cause and a great event for our student-athletes and staff," SAAC advisor Kayleigh McCauley said. "Everyone knows someone who has been impacted by breast cancer and we're glad to do anything we can to help the fight. We also encourage our fans to join the walk or donate to the cause."
The event starts at 9 a.m. at Water Gardens in downtown Corpus Christi. Participants raise money by participating in the walk, with members of the public encouraged to donate to the cause. Fans can click here for more information on the event.
In 2010, more than 800,000 walkers across the country joined the American Cancer Society in our united fight against breast cancer. Together, they raised more than $60 million through Making Strides events. More than a walk, the American Cancer Society Making Strides Against Breast Cancer is a powerful and inspiring event that unites communities to celebrate people who have battled cancer, raise awareness about the steps people can take to help prevent the disease, and raise money to find cures and support programs and services for those facing the disease.
For more information on Making Strides and the American Cancer Society, click here. | <urn:uuid:4b896639-3ecc-498c-9261-2ca11f5a8c76> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://goislanders.com/information/academics/SAACMakingStrides | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00005-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.944231 | 304 | 1.804688 | 2 |
The Tempe Union High School District governing board has approved dozens of new courses for the 2009-10 school year.
Many of the classes were planned for students when classes began this past August, but the failed maintenance and operations budget override in 2007 put them on hold.
On Tuesday, the override passed. With that in place, the board moved forward during Wednesday's meeting to make the classes available when students begin preregistration in January.
"I think many of our courses address our vision, preparing our students for the ever changing world," said Cecilia Johnson, director of curriculum, instruction/assessment.
Johnson pointed to new math courses, including Integrated Algebra & Chem-Physics. The class helps students apply algebraic equations in a science setting, Johnson said.
"The student then understands the interconnectiveness of math and science," she said.
The Payne Academy will be the first school in the district to offer Mandarin Chinese.
"We recognize the importance of Mandarin Chinese in the world and how it's become so popular in the universities," said Laura Zinke, gifted program coordinator for the Payne Academy and McClintock High School. The academy, a program for gifted students, is housed at McClintock.
Students completing the class may qualify to take the Advanced Placement College Board exam to receive college credit. The academy requested all four years of Chinese be added to the curriculum. But the first year will be for level one, and then each year following an additional level will be added.
Twelve of the new classes at Tempe High School are being offered in anticipation of the school becoming a World International Baccalaureate School. There are more than 80 students now enrolled in what are called "pre-IB" classes to prepare them for the rigorous courses they'll take should they enroll in the program beginning their junior year.
Scott Greenhalgh, who is overseeing the process of Tempe High becoming an IB school, said the courses being added are part of IB schools worldwide. He called the interest in adding the IB program in the Tempe Union High School Districts "significant."
"We have seen a very distinct interest in both the IB program itself and some of the other things we're offering at Tempe High," he said, pointing out the HOPE program for students interested in medical careers and the new biotechnology program.
"They have both benefited from the interest in IB as we go around talking to parents and students alike," he said.
While the HOPE program is exclusive to Tempe High, biotechnology also is offered at McClintock, Marcos de Niza, Corona del Sol and Desert Vista high schools. As part of that biotechnology program, the governing board added a new level of applied botany to the curriculum.
"Now we will have a second year for our students to help them not only for research in higher education but for lab technician (positions) which is a major area that is up and coming," Johnson said. "We need to be contributing to the work force in that area."
Board member Zita Johnson said the new class offerings would not be possible without the positive vote given to the override this week.
In Arizona, school spending is limited by state statute and based on student enrollment. Voters can approve a seven-year override to tax themselves the funds needed to give districts up to a 10 percent budget boost.
"I'm thrilled about the overrides passing so we're able to move forward with these things, some of which have been under consideration for a couple of years," Johnson said. "The process of adopting new curriculum is such a rigorous, rigorous process. It's a hard-working committee."
During Wednesday's meeting, the board also heard a proposal to increase the number of credits required for graduation from 21 to 23 to meet state law starting for the graduating class of 2013. The board is expected to vote on the increase at its meeting Nov. 19.
The change includes adding an additional math credit, to increase it from three to four credits, and adding a science credit, to require one year of physical science, one year of life science and one year of additional science. | <urn:uuid:2b6a3593-5ade-46a0-b17e-75b8a794f0fa> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/local/article_2f91af24-5a82-55c2-a7bb-e83981614102.html?mode=story | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00011-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.965695 | 851 | 1.632813 | 2 |
Looking for some ideas to inspire you on your next scrapbooking project? With so many ideas and suggestions to ponder, we understand that sometimes you can become easily overwhelmed and can’t really decide on which direction you will take. If you are having some trouble getting started on your next project, consider some of the follow ideas.
Was a family member or friend blessed with the welcome of a baby into the world? Start creating layouts to displays photos from the pregnancy, baby shower, and birthday of the baby.
Support your favorite soldier or veteran and record their service in a form of a scrapbook. Include pictures from military basic training, boot camp, graduation and more!
What about your favorite pet? Give them the love and attention they deserve. Gather your favorite snapshots from past and present and create fun custom page layouts.
- Congratulate the graduate with a scrapbook highlighting their accomplishments to show them how proud you are. Use old school photos, field trip photos, and pictures from graduation.
Scrapbooking is a great way to store and show off your favorite photos and putting together a scrapbook is a meaningful gift for any time during the year! | <urn:uuid:cfb28770-a871-49f0-ae57-5da942e5e285> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://blog.memoryscrapbooks.com/ideas/some-wonderful-scrapbooking-ideas/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00010-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.949644 | 239 | 1.742188 | 2 |
Letters of William Gaddis
Afterword by Sarah Gaddis
Edited by Steven Moore
William Gaddis (1922-98) stands among the greatest American writers of the twentieth century. The winner of two National book awards (for J R and A Frolic of His Own ), he wrote five novels during his lifetime, including Carpenter's Gothic (1985), Agapē Agape (published posthumously in 2002), and his early masterpiece The Recognitions (1955). He is loved and admired for his stylistic innovations, his unforgettable characters, his pervasive humor, and the breadth of his intellect and vision.
Winner of the 1976 National Book Award, J R is a biting satire about the many ways in which capitalism twists the American spirit into something more dangerous, yet pervasive and unassailable . . . [continued]
The book Jonathan Franzen dubbed the "ur-text of postwar fiction" and the "first great cultural critique, which, even if Heller and Pynchon hadn't read it while composing Catch-22 and V., managed to anticipate the spirit of both." . . . [continued] | <urn:uuid:3aeda741-3bc4-468c-9eed-476b31a67a34> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.dalkeyarchive.com/book/?GCOI=15647100244880&fa=author&person_ID=2068 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705953421/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120553-00005-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.947764 | 234 | 1.546875 | 2 |
An overview of ICIT's training resources for faculty, staff, and students.
Training Resources for Faculty & Staff
ICIT's Technology Resource Center (TRC), located in TH 420, is the primary access to training facilities for Hunter faculty and staff. The TRC offers regular software workshops on commonly-used applications, as well as one-on-one consultation and support, multimedia learning software & reference materials for self-education, and online tutorials.
The TRC can be reached by phone at 212-650-3358, or by e-mail at email@example.com.
Monday - Friday: 8:00am to 5:00pm
** In the evenings, by appoinment only.
Training Resources for Students
The Technology Resource Center also offers free workshops to Hunter students! These workshops are designed to help familiarize the student body with those software applications that will be of most use to them during their college career, and after. Topics for the upcoming semester include Blackboard, Microsoft Word, Microsoft PowerPoint, HTML, and many others. | <urn:uuid:38ea2f6b-da7f-49c7-ab1d-e737c93fa842> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.hunter.cuny.edu/icit/about-icit/icit-groups/technology-resource-center/training-resources | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697380733/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516094300-00019-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.94659 | 221 | 1.617188 | 2 |
Investors in Bernard L. Madoff's giant $50 billion self-declared Ponzi scheme may have a lot more to lose than they think.
Those who redeemed all or part of their investments in Madoff's investment advisory business could be forced to return the money if it is found they had an inkling fraud was taking place. An investor can only keep money that was withdrawn if it was done in good faith.
"If the person requested the redemption and got it because they thought the fund was going under, it was not taken in good faith," says Stephen J. Nelson, a corporate attorney and partner at the Nelson Law Firm LLC.
911truthnews: Madoff Charged in $50 Billion Fraud at Investment Advisory Firm | <urn:uuid:46a443f2-b1d7-401e-8b30-79c0389ac1b8> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.clubconspiracy.com/forum/showthread.php?t=6915 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00009-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.985487 | 151 | 1.617188 | 2 |
Just like any other soul in the world, rats make no exception – they love Paris, too! With the Seine, the subway and the numerous restaurants, Paris has become a Rat Paradise of sorts.
With a width of 120m and a total length of 12m, Rue Cavallotti officially measures as the smallest open-air art museum in Paris!
The grimacing parade of 381 grotesque stone heads under the oldest Parisian bridge is hardly something you see every day, but the mascarons are a well known landmark in the French capital.
Myriads of tourists walk past it every day without so much as a second glance. But what looks like nothing more than a tiny lane between two buildings is actually the narrowest street in Paris. | <urn:uuid:04863840-673d-46f5-a2d3-2bd6d32e26a8> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.urbanghostsmedia.com/author/victoria-yonkova/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00004-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.932055 | 154 | 1.734375 | 2 |
A new release candidate for Linux Mint community edition has been released. Mint is based on Ubuntu but includes some free but closed source extras (codecs, adobe flash etc) in order to provide a better ‘out of the box’ computing experience (Mint does make ‘universal’ pure open source versions too).
I’m normally a Mac user but increasingly I’m using Linux Mint for sheer speed and customisation ability and even enjoy running Mint purely from CD on our Intel Mac.It can equally be installed on a USB drive or alongside an existing Windows or Mac operating system.
This new XFCE based linux desktop adds a user configurable firewall and Mint Nanny which lets people filter web sites by domain for a simple way to control where others (children for example) can roam on the Internet.
For the first time this version of Mint can be installed from within an existing windows desktop using Mint4win which is similar to Wubi used in Ubuntu.
More feature details are available on the Linux Mint site.
I got to play with an Acer Aspire One netbook recently. Netbooks are generally smaller than laptops and aimed more at the digital nomad who doesn’t need the full bells and whistles of a fully featured laptop. This particular Acer Aspire one had an 8GB solid state drive that can be expanded via an SD expansion port. A second SD card slot lets you use an additional flash card for storage. WiFi was easy to configure and the 8.9 inch screen presented a high resolution image for its size.
The OS supplied is Linpus, a version of the Red Hat derived Fedora Core linux and loads in seconds from hitting the on button. This version of Linpus uses a panels style interface rather than the usual desktop arrangement though it’s relatively easy to get to the terminal and apply some gentle hacking to allow access to the conventional XFCE based system that lies underneath.
For me netbooks are better value for money than a mobile phone with Internet access whilst being more portable. flexible and robust than many laptops. The Aspire one can be purchased for as little as £199 and competes well with the Asus Eeepc, especially the newer models that are being supplied with a 6 cell battery.
Slideshare presentation available in full screen here
Photos included by jarsjo (under this creative commons license) and Alexandre Fugita (under this creative commons license)
I currently use Ubuntu
on one of our computers but am always keen to try new variants especially if they can be deployed on donated machines and make it easier to pass on something useful without having to spend too much time tinkering under the bonnet.
Previously I had been installing Ubuntu and Xubuntu
but had spent time adding the extras needed to make to user experience as complete as possible (changing menus, configuring multimedia plugins etc).
Linux Mint Community Edition
I then heard about yet another Ubuntu variant called Linux Mint that came with multimedia components such as adobe flash and the ability to play real, windows media and quicktime already configured.
So I tried the XFCE Community Edition BETA 008 CD as a live CD (runs entirely from CD without installing in order to try out prior to a hard drive install) on our intel based Mac and it was the fastest performing live CD I’ve ever used. Web pages loaded faster than on our Mac mini and I could watch the BBC iPlayer without having to download flash (though I did have to upgrade the installed version of flash in order to use the full screen function). Linux Mint also places the program menu items in a configuration that many other people will be familiar with which is a bonus for anybody deploying it on machines that are being gifted back into the community.
I also tried the Gnome based edition that has more eye candy (rotating workspace desktops even on the live edition) and uses a slab style menu though inevitably the memory footprint is not as efficient as the XFCE based edition (XFCE being better for computers with less memory). For comparison I made a similar screenshot walkthrough that can be found here.
Update: All Flavours of Linux Mint ran perfectly from CD on our intel Mac though I’ve experienced a fair few problems attempting to load on older hardware circa PIII’s and Duron’s. A warning if you try to install alongside OS X as these editions will not give the correct boot loader and currently requires installing without GRUB (or you’ll mess things up in a big way for your Mac) and manual jiggery pokery in the Mac terminal afterwards to get a correct dual boot. | <urn:uuid:bd2db6b1-8def-46aa-8b4c-87242f559024> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://stuffem.wordpress.com/tag/xfce/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00012-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.931746 | 958 | 1.554688 | 2 |
My wife and I spent Independence Day in Willimantic, CT to see the local "Boombox Parade". My wife is from the area, and I lived there briefly. The Boombox Parade is quirky local event that skirts the boundaries of good taste.
The Boombox Parade has its origins in parody. In 1986, the city of Willimantic did not have the money to put a marching band into its Independence Day Parade. Formerly the thread-making capital of the United States, Willimantic is a city that has had hard times for decades. A local woman, Kathy Clark, got the idea of having spectators bring their boomboxes, all tuned to the same radio station, playing patriotic music at full blast while a random assortment of people and groups march down the street. Her recent death was a focus for this year's event.
The parade is notorious for its irreverence and its controversy. Anyone who wants to can march (or drive) in the parade with anything that they want. The first year I saw the parade a local businessman wanted to display a statue of Lenin that came with a purchase of scrap metal. He wanted the statue to be a focus of mockery, but some local groups felt that it was still inappropriate for the parade, and he did not enter the statue. Last year a pro-marijuana group wanted to have a prominent display, causing another flurry of protests (don't know how that one turned out).
This year's parade may have had no controversy from the outside, but it was rife with oddities and biting satire. Several men dressed as cereal boxes. A few others drove their lawn mowers. One group put together a float of macabre horrors, including a bizarre scarecrow that on first sight looked like a lynched man. Many men chose the parade as an opportunity to show off their classic cars. Two men portrayed former Connecticut governor Rowland, who recently quit as charges of corruption swirled around his head; one of them dragged a pail behind him to represent the governor's ill-gotten hot tub. There were other political commentaries, but the right did not produce any of them. Local politicians from the two parties marched in the parade as well. Various community organizations and businesses also took the opportunity to promote themselves.
The best were those things dealing with the "Battle of the Frogs", an usual event from local ecological history. At the height of the battles with the French and the Indians, local residents shivered in terror one night as they heard thousands of screams echoing off the hills. When day broke, they found that thousands of frogs had died in agony as they searched for water as the ponds were drying up. According to local legend, the frogs fought each other. Frogs were everywhere in the parade, but two men took to reenacted the battle as a boxing match. | <urn:uuid:582b1a3d-462b-4dc0-b2bf-3815bd628446> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://rhineriver.blogspot.com/2004/07/boombox-parade.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00019-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.984592 | 581 | 1.570313 | 2 |
JARGONIST FEBRUARY 26, 2013
THE PHRASE: "Bids Wanted in Competition"
EXAMPLE: “Jessica wasn’t particularly impressed by the crowd, but she figured she might as well smile, flip her hair, and put herself on a BWIC for the night.”
WHO USES IT? That guy from college you were stunned to learn now pulls down seven figures / 22-year-old Murray Hill residents / married bankers meddling in the love lives of their younger colleagues.
A young lady in the structured products department of Citigroup, seeking to recover from a terrible breakup, might announce to colleagues over Bloomberg chat that she was putting herself on a BWIC. At work, that’d mean seeing what the going price is for a security she wants to sell, but in this context, a BWIC (short for “bids wanted in competition”) means she wants to see what kind of market for potential suitors there might be. Her friend, offering to set her up with a guy, will “give her color,” filling her in on all his best assets (good job, good hair).
At the bar, she might decide to go for the “highest bidder”—the hottest guy she can get—or she might make a riskier long-term bet with higher potential payoff. If she’s lucky, she might happen upon the rare grown New York man who qualifies as a “discounted bond,” undervalued by the market, perhaps because he dresses poorly or hasn’t yet hit his bonus stride. If she’s interested, she’ll say she has a bid for him. And if all goes well, after three dates or too much wine, she will inform her friend that, yes, they finally “traded,” and it was not bad.
The habit of appropriating the language of work for the bedroom is an old one. The word “intercourse” itself came out of the business world, as did “partner” and “affair.” In fact, “the business” has been a euphemism for sex since the seventeenth century, points out Ben Zimmer, Boston Globe language columnist. But more recently (with some exceptions, like “he’s a closer”), we have favored slang that hints at a more leisure-driven kind of conquest—“rounding the bases,” for instance, or “rocking someone’s world.” “That may say something about society’s shifting views toward sex, which now tends to get euphemized by appropriating the language of more pleasurable pursuits,” explains Zimmer.
Still, on Wall Street, nothing gets people more worked up than a deal. | <urn:uuid:33584d63-c03e-44be-b82b-898480ddb57e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.newrepublic.com/article/112497/bids-wanted-competition-how-wall-street-discusses-dating | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00005-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.96883 | 595 | 1.835938 | 2 |
Ezra: The Post Mortem
Ezra: What was it all about?
Here, once again, we have God forcing someone to do his bidding. If he can do that, why then is there so much trouble in the world? I’m also a little confused as to why God needs so much gold and silver all the time. What good is it to him? Why all the counting of things? As I asked in Ezra 2, does it make you more virtuous if you can count higher than others? Why do we need to know how many camels somebody had? All these things may have been necessary to fill out the book, but they mean nothing. There were no morals actions taken or words spoken in Ezra. Building God a house he doesn’t even live in isn’t moral. It’s ridiculous. Why would he want it?
In Ezra 1 God wants his house built and causes it to get underway, but in Ezra 4 they stop and don’t start again till there was a new King. What the hell? Was God having a break and couldn’t keep them at it? He doesn’t seem to be the all-powerful deity they try to make him out to be.
Another point is that it was God’s fault that so many of his people were captured and taken away. So then, why is it such a problem that they married people from the country they were taken to? It could be looked on as God having sent them there. If so, then what did he expect them to do? Then to ask them to give up their spouses and any children born of them, just because they married ‘outside their people’ is freaking ridiculous. If marrying anyone other than another Israelite is wrong, how do we end up with Polish Popes? German Popes? How can God allow this blasphemy? These Popes are supposed to be God’s ‘man on earth’, his spokesperson. If you accept the word of the bible, this can’t be so. He wouldn’t allow it. Why doesn’t he strike these interlopers down? Where is his much lauded wrath when it would do some good and show the people that he really existed? As Yosemite Sam once said, “What a maroon!” | <urn:uuid:677307a8-3caf-4d19-abcf-e2a4a9fd6aab> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.distroman.com/?p=3930 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00018-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.988772 | 487 | 1.507813 | 2 |
So you decided that it’s time to buy a new phone. You’ve came to the conclusion that you want an iPhone. But now you may be asking yourself, “How much space do I need on my iPhone?”. You want to buy enough space to suit your needs, but you don’t want to spend more money then you have to. Fortunately, this article will help you decide the right model for your needs.
“How Much iPhone Space Do I Need”
The iPhone 5 is available in a 16, 32, and 64 gigabyte version. The 16 gigabyte version is $199, the 32 gigabyte version is $299, and the 64 gigabyte version is $399. Now for a second, let’s assume that the cost is simply for storage. That would bring the 16 gigabyte version to a cost of about $12.50 per gigabyte, the 32 gigabyte version to $9.34 per gigabyte, and the 64 gigabyte version to $6.23 per gigabyte. As you can see, the cost per gigabyte goes down as you purchase more space, which to some people, is a valid reason to purchase more. It’s also important to note that not all of the space is available to fill, the operating system and other base-level stuff takes up some of your space also (although not very much.)
Photos And Video
The new iPhone 5 can take high quality pictures with an 8 megapixel camera, and also record videos in 1080p. If you plan on using the camera function fairly often, you may want to consider purchasing an iPhone with a higher storage capacity. You may find that just an hour of HD video recording can take up between 8-10 gigabytes of space. Of course, the videos can always be removed or moved to another storage unit (such as a computer), but that can be inconvenient and annoying. iCloud will certainly help free up some storage if you use it, but not a lot.
There are currently over 500,000 applications ready to be downloaded on Apple’s app store, serving a enormous variety of purposes. Some applications can take up large amounts of space. If you have a lower capacity device, you’d need to pay close attention to the space of the apps that you’re downloading. You’re also limited to the amount of apps you can download, and you may end up wanting to download more apps then you think. Within two weeks of receiving my iPhone, I have already downloaded around 300 apps.
Music And Miscellaneous Content
If you have a large amount of music, you may find your space filling up very quickly. This can depend on a lot of factors, but I think it’s safe to assume that one gigabyte of space is equal to 200 songs. Additionally, small things such as saved text messages or emails, completed reminders and calendar events, and other small things can take up a small amount of space as well.
You Have To Keep This Phone For A While
Remember that when you purchase the iPhone 5, you also are signing up to a two year contract (with the exception of T-Mobile). You’re going to be stuck with the same phone for two years (assuming you keep it). Over those two years (or more) you will have your phone, you’re going to notice your space gets fuller and fuller. More events will happen in your life that you will want to capture with the video camcorder. There will be more events where you will want to take pictures. If you’re a big app downloader, new apps come out everyday. Every app you download will add up.
“I Need More Space On My iPhone”
If you’ve concluded that you need more storage capacity on your iPhone, don’t worry, it may not be a big deal. If you’ve just gotten your iPhone, you may be able to exchange it. It’s important to lookup how much time you have to exchange your phone from where you bought it. Act quick though, because some stores have a limited exchange time.
I got the 64 gigabyte version, and I’ve got a feeling that I’ll be using almost all of it.
If you have any questions, feel free to post a comment and I’ll try to get back to you as soon as I can. Thanks for reading! | <urn:uuid:8554b142-4402-4924-93e5-e2a41c769ba5> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://iosuniverse.com/general/how-much-storage-do-you-really-need-on-your-iphone | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00011-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.94143 | 923 | 1.515625 | 2 |
Inside ToyTalk, the Startup That Wants to Bring Toys to Life
One of the great promises of technology products is to push forward both art and science together. But all too often that just means nice design in a gadget, or nifty effects in a performance.
A startup called Toytalk seems to be setting itself up to transcend that multidisciplinary barrier, especially given its two founders’ pedigrees at Pixar (Oren Jacob was CTO there) and SRI (Martin Reddy researched artificial intelligence there before joining Pixar as well).
Later this year, ToyTalk plans to release an iPad app starring a character named Winston that converses with children.
I had a chance to tour the ToyTalk office and sit down with Jacob last week. His simplest description of the startup’s project: “We’re building an entertainment company on the back of synthesized conversation.”
The actual ToyTalk app will be an episodic variety show in the style of “The Muppet Show,” starring Winston and other characters, Jacob said. Kids will be able to join the show by turning their cameras on. “Imagine if you could Skype with Bugs Bunny,” Jacob said.
Squeezed into an alley in San Francisco’s SOMA district, ToyTalk’s small office houses 18 people. Half of them work on engineering: Artificial-intelligence projects like speech recognition for kids’ voices, new authoring tools for writing scripts that can go in many different directions, and building the app itself. The other half work on creative. They include writers, the first sound guy for Guitar Hero and the voice talent himself (a former server closet has been turned into a sound studio).
The ToyTalk app will personalize for each child, and it will also be updated over the air — say, with current weather or major sporting events. It’s also meant to be funny and entertaining. And hopefully natural. “The ultimate goal is raw, free-form conversation, like Terry Gross or Charlie Rose,” Jacob said. “But we’re light years from that.”
Because ToyTalk is becoming somewhat known (it has raised $16.2 million from Greylock Partners, Charles River Ventures, True Ventures and First Round Capital, among others), but hasn’t released anything beside a promo video yet, there seem to be some misconceptions about what the company is doing, Jacob said. He said he wants people to know that, one, ToyTalk is not a robot company; and two, ToyTalk is not a physical toy manufacturer (well, not yet — maybe if Winston gets super famous like the Angry Birds).
So how will Jacob be able to tell if ToyTalk is working? You know how many of today’s kids are confounded by device screens that don’t respond to touch? He said, when kids start thinking it’s weird when a character doesn’t talk back to them, that’s when. | <urn:uuid:35397191-1b36-4838-a729-abc101092ce2> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://allthingsd.com/20130214/inside-toytalk-the-startup-that-wants-to-bring-toys-to-life/?refcat=mobile | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00014-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.955301 | 625 | 1.671875 | 2 |
Paolo Gabriele, the papal butler on trial in the Vatican, told judges that for 20 days he was held in a tiny cell where he could not even fully extend both arms and where Vatican police kept the lights on 24 hours a day.
Gabriele's testimony about the conditions of his detention after his arrest in May came in response to questions posed by his lawyer Tuesday, the second day of his trial on charges of aggravated theft for allegedly stealing reserved papal correspondence and leaking it to a reporter.
After the testimony, Jesuit Fr. Federico Lombardi, Vatican spokesman, said the Vatican court had ordered an investigation into the claims.
The Gendarme Corps of Vatican City State, as the Vatican police force is formally known, issued a statement saying that Gabriele was held in a small cell for 20 days while previously scheduled remodeling work was sped up and completed on a larger room for prisoners.
The police said the work included improvements "responding to the requirements requested by the Convention Against Torture," a 1984 international agreement, which the Vatican signed.
As for the lights being left on, the police said the decision was made that it was a necessary precaution to ensure that Gabriele did not hurt himself. The statement added, however, that Gabriele was given a sleep mask.
Gabriele's Vatican physician made regular visits, the statement said, adding that Gabriele even told the doctor that he was "resting peacefully" and, in fact, was not as nervous as he had been before his arrest.
Complete meals were delivered to him three times a day, and he ate them in the company of police officers. He was taken outside each day and offered use of the police gym, though he declined that offer. Each day included "moments of relaxation and socialization with personnel from the Gendarme Corps with whom, for obvious reasons," he previously enjoyed a friendship. The officers, like Gabriele, worked together in the Vatican and accompanied the pope at audiences and on trips.
The police also said Gabriele had "constant contact" with his spiritual advisers; he was escorted to Mass with his family and was able to visit with his family or meet with his lawyers almost any time he wanted.
The police statement said if the Vatican investigation into the treatment of Gabriele demonstrates that his accusations are unfounded, the police would consider suing him. | <urn:uuid:397cb5b3-268c-413b-93ec-21f0766be8f4> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://ncronline.org/news/vatican-investigates-conditions-butlers-detention | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00019-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.991728 | 492 | 1.625 | 2 |
> > >Simplest way is to create an image (jpg) and show it that way. That's >much harder for the 'bots to read, but easy for the user to read. >Unless the user is blind or uses a text browser. > > >That's nit-picking... >1. If the user is blind, then you can provide a login that would give >the user the text-to-speech reference they need. (this login would give >almost all information in a graphics-free environment) > > Forcing a blind user (how would you determine that?) to log in is not what I would call accessible, it is making it harder for those users - one step more to take. >2. If the user uses a text browser, then they are not part of the modern >world (some 99.9% of all browsers today are graphical browsers) > > No, that is the worst possibility. However, as a "normal" visitor, I wouldn't want to see an email as an image either, as I couldn't be bothered to type that one in, and if you link it, we are back to square one. It boils down to two options: 1) Shift it to the backend with a form (this also means the visitor does not need an email client at hand - for example in internet cafes) and offer to send a copy of the email to the visitor. 2) Make your problem also the problem of the visitor by obfuscating the email in one way or another. | <urn:uuid:c63b1a65-c86e-43a5-a1fa-ae3e5e98dd4a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://lists.evolt.org/archive/Week-of-Mon-20050124/098564.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00016-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.956599 | 314 | 1.703125 | 2 |
by Joerg J. Meerpohl, Florian Herrle, Gerd Antes, Erik von Elm
Synthesizing research evidence using systematic and rigorous methods has become a key feature of evidence-based medicine and knowledge translation. Systematic reviews (SRs) may or may not include a meta-analysis depending on the suitability of available data. They are often being criticised as ‘secondary research’ and denied the status of original research. Scientific journals play an important role in the publication process. How they appraise a given type of research influences the status of that research in the scientific community. We investigated the attitudes of editors of core clinical journals towards SRs and their value for publication. Methods
We identified the 118 journals labelled as “core clinical journals” by the National Library of Medicine, USA in April 2009. The journals’ editors were surveyed by email in 2009 and asked whether they considered SRs as original research projects; whether they published SRs; and for which section of the journal they would consider a SR manuscript. Results
The editors of 65 journals (55%) responded. Most respondents considered SRs to be original research (71%) and almost all journals (93%) published SRs. Several editors regarded the use of Cochrane methodology or a meta-analysis as quality criteria; for some respondents these criteria were premises for the consideration of SRs as original research. Journals placed SRs in various sections such as “Review” or “Feature article”. Characterization of non-responding journals showed that about two thirds do publish systematic reviews. Discussion
Currently, the editors of most core clinical journals consider SRs original research. Our findings are limited by a non-responder rate of 45%. Individual comments suggest that this is a grey area and attitudes differ widely. A debate about the definition of ‘original research’ in the context of SRs is warranted. | <urn:uuid:18a4bbe0-fe2b-4815-967e-de117e1fde6b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.biospace.com/collaborative/PLos_Article.aspx?id=14016 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00010-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.948456 | 392 | 1.664063 | 2 |
Iraq - The guerilla war since 2003
In March 2003, America and its allies invaded Iraq.
In April 2003, the regime fell.
The moral responsibility for all deaths in the war lies
with the fascist regime
Since April 2003, the forces of state tyranny and religious oppression
have fought a sporadic violent guerilla campaign to try to
stop freedom and democracy coming to Iraq.
The moral responsibility for all deaths since the war lies
with the fascist resistance
for resisting the introduction of democracy.
Bruce Thornton says,
Bush and Blair should not feel guilty
about trying to bring democracy and freedom to Iraq.
If it fails, it will be the fault of the Iraqi resistance and its allies,
not of anybody who has good intentions.
Thornton (not without sadness) criticises the idea that people are logical
and will do what is in their own interest:
"every page of history proves that people are much more than machines or clever chimps. Humans have at their heart a mystery that defies predictive science: the freedom to choose
even what makes them miserable simply because they can choose. It is our quirky unpredictability, our conflicting passions, our contradictory goods, and our willful desire to choose freely that sends all the experts' schemes to the devil.
Just look at Iraq for all the evidence you need. The bloody disorder there is not a consequence of Bush's ineptitude or some better plan that wasn't tried. Ultimately, the mess in Iraq reflects the disordered souls of a critical mass of Iraqis who prefer allegiance to tribal loyalties or a dysfunctional faith to freedom and security."
All is not lost yet.
This vicious and disgusting minority need not win.
But if they do, blame them,
not anyone else.
After liberation in 2003
Having lost the war, the enemies of the Iraqi people
are desperate for the Saddam butchers
and foreign Islamofascists
to claw something back.
- Problems with the western media
- Bad news after Iraq
- The killing of Uday and Qusay, July 2003
- The capture of Saddam, Dec 2003
- Optimism after liberation in 2003
Mark Steyn a few months on
- "The barest minimum victory has already been won:
Saddam is gone, his entire leadership is dead or in US custody,
his sons have been killed, stuffed, mounted and embalmed
Even if America handed over to the UN now,
Iraq's next dictator would come to power in the shadow of
the cautionary tale of his predecessor: catch our eye and you're dead."
- Of course, America wants more than that for Iraq,
as he then discusses.
But something huge has already been achieved.
Iraqis challenge "Arabism"
by Thomas Friedman
- Free Iraqis disgusted with the Arab countries that betrayed them
(by opposing the war
and supporting Saddam's forces).
- ".. there is a dramatic gulf now between Iraqis and a lot of
other Arabs. Young people here want
to move on. In 10 years, this will be a very different place. If I can
be a part of it, it will be like Hong Kong
or Korea - but with an Iraqi face."
"Bush Good, Saddam Bad!"
by John R. Guardiano
- "we were treated as liberating heroes when we arrived four months ago"
- "The "Arab Street" I've meet in Iraq loves
- that's not too strong of a word
- America and is deeply grateful for our presence."
- "Iraqis routinely ask me to "thank Mr. Bush for freeing us of Saddam""
- "The Iraqis know who their foes are too. Two Iraqi children once spontaneously shouted to me, "France, Chirac!" while
thumbs-down sign and shaking their heads disapprovingly. The children quickly smiled and shouted "Bush!" while
The "anti-war" protests carried on even after they lost
- Peace and non-violence
- Opposition to the Iraq War
Don't you know your left from your right?, Nick Cohen, January 21, 2007
- OK, so the left was against the war, but:
"I assumed that once the war was over they would back Iraqis trying to build a democracy,
while continuing to pursue Bush and Blair to their graves for what they had done.
I waited for a majority of the liberal left to offer qualified support for a new Iraq,
and I kept on waiting, because it never happened"
- "Anti-war" demo, Nov 2003,
after the liberation of Iraq.
- "This was not so much a demonstration
as a wave of human spam"
Why this protest is deeply shameful
by David Frum
- ".. many thousands of British people
intend to converge on central London to protest against
the overthrow of one of the most cruel and murderous
dictators of the 20th century"
- ".. though I would not
quite endorse the verdict of the taxi driver with the poppy
stuck in his dashboard who dropped me off at the demos
("Not many of them traitors out tonight, I see"), he at least
saw something that they, with all their apparently
abundant education could not"
An Iraqi blogger on the demos
- "These London demonstrations, I know too well, Oh! Youth, and the Pint of Bitter
later in the nearest Pub. All you peace lovers and humanitarians of trendy London town,
spare a thought or two for
the coalition soldier out there in the dark and wilderness guarding our hospitals,
primary schools and orphanages from the bombers and assassins"
- Another Iraqi blogger responds
(Remember that Iraqi bloggers
could not comment
on the Feb 2003 marches, since they were living under Saddam's rule.
Now at last they are free to speak.)
- "I was ashamed and depressed watching those brainwashed and deluded demonstrators in London
carrying signs calling for abandoning Iraq and for an end to aggression.
... I'm sure Saddam is proud of you and clapping his hands in glee watching
from whatever gutter he is hiding in right now.
... I can only say SHAME on you."
- The tyranny-lovers, the
Stop the War Coalition
The Stop the War Coalition,
article by Amir Taheri
- "Those who can never win elections, always take to the streets."
Vice Presidents of the
Stop the War Coalition
both of whom openly support the
The chair of the Stop the War Coalition
openly supports the genocidal slave-state of
which has killed 4 million people,
and, in the 21st century, keeps hundreds of thousands of men, women and little children
in concentration camps.
The Stop the War Coalition play host to and are allied with the
whose followers are violent.
Again, it must be said, the Stop the War Coalition are not anti-war.
They are not anti-violence.
Otherwise they would not hang out with violent people.
Their motivations are not pacifism.
Their motivations are control of American power,
and the desire to see the West defeated and its enemies triumphant.
The Socialist Workers' Party (SWP),
leaders of the Stop the War Coalition
- The SWP
the killing of US troops and brave Iraqi democrats by the Saddam butchers and Islamofascists.
As has been said many times, people like this aren't anti-war.
They're pro-the other side.
The SWP are not "anti-war".
They are pro-Saddam.
Why is that so hard to understand?
- The SWP supports the Taliban.
Stop The War Coalition anti-Israel march, Aug 2006
- This march
contained banners openly supporting the mass-murdering terror group
and the mass-murdering dictator
Both of these are extremely violent people.
Again and again, it must be said, the Stop The War Coalition is not "anti-war".
Otherwise it would not tolerate banners in support of violent groups like these
in its marches.
Bizarrely, this "peace" march contains
banners with a fist holding an AK-47,
and no one seems to think that is strange.
Stop The War Coalition anti-Blair march, Sept 2006
- This march
open support for the violent group Hizbollah
open support for the violent group Hamas.
Anti-war, my foot.
from the loony left site
Again, it must be said,
if Hezbollah flag wavers
and the extremist
Muslim Association of Britain
don't like Blair,
then he must be doing something right.
Iranian Reza Moradi
during loony left-winger
Tony Benn's speech.
Reza Moradi is stupidly anti-Israel and anti-American,
but at least he is anti-Iranian regime and anti-Islamist.
He's a man with half a clue.
Hopefully he'll get a full clue eventually.
Another counter-protester, Shiva Mahbobi, says:
"Listen. We are tortured by the Iranian regime,
and the flags of Islamic regime of Iran
is right there.
How do you feel if the Hitler's banner is there?"
The arguments descend into an open demonstration by young Islamist thugs
in support of Iran.
What on earth are these people doing in Britain?
Shiva Mahbobi says she was tortured by the Iranian regime,
and yet the thugs shout "Liar! Liar!"
Hezbollah flag wavers at
Stop The War Coalition march, Sept 2006.
"Anti-war" my foot.
Baghdad's New Anti-Americans,
by Steven Vincent,
February 18, 2004
- "Human shield" idiots and other anti-American creeps
still hanging round Baghdad
whining about America,
months after they lost the war.
- Steven Vincent
Steven Vincent was murdered in southern Iraq,
apparently by Shiite Islamists,
His wife replies to Juan Cole
on his death.
Steven Vincent on Juan Cole:
"you might want to review your own site and how well it reflects love and concern for the Iraqi people.
on "Informed Comment," pro-liberation Iraqi bloggers are accused of being CIA agents,
the elections are practically dismissed as window-dressing and every terrorist
- no, I mean guerrilla, as Cole would have it
- attack is given marquis billing, as if their psychopathic bloodlust discredits
the liberation of 26 million people.
Well, I thank Cole for revealing his gut-level concern for the Iraqi people
My question to the Professor is, which Iraqi people
- the fascist thugs he calls the "resistance,"
or the police, National Guardsmen, politicians, everyday people and eight million voters
who comprise the true Iraqi "resistance?""
- his columns
- his last columns
In March 2005,
after they lost the war,
the "anti-war" protesters are still marching
You lost. Saddam is gone. He's not coming back.
History is moving on.
You lost. Go home.
The "anti-war" marches
flags of the
violent killers of innocents
and banners calling for
"Victory to the Iraqi resistance!"
- another violent group of
killers of women and children.
This is why I call them "anti-war" marches, in inverted commas.
If they were really anti-war marches,
they would not allow these people in.
Pests in freedom's way
by Amir Taheri,
March 15, 2005:
- "That remnants of the totalitarian Left and various brands of fascism should march to condemn
the liberation of Iraq is no surprise. What is surprising is that some mainstream groups,
such as the British Liberal-Democrat Party
and even some former members of Tony Blair's Labour Government,
should join these marches of shame."
- "The Lib-Dems at their spring conference last week found enough time
to reiterate their shameful opposition to the liberation of Iraq
at some length.
But they had no time to take note of what looks like a historic turning point
in favour of democracy in the Middle East."
- I love it. This really is a low moment in Liberal Democrat history
- a period that they will, once they wake up,
be ashamed of forever.
- The Iraqi blogger Husayn Uthman
replies to the "anti-war" marchers:
"So you ask me, Husayn, was it worth it. What have you gotten? What has Iraq acheived?
These are questions I get a lot.
To many outsiders,
like those who protested last year, who will protest today,
this was a fools errand, it brought nothing but death and destruction.
Now I answer you, I answer you on behalf of myself, and my countrymen.
I don't care what your news tells you, what your television and newspapers say, this is how we feel.
Despite all that has happened. Despite all the hurt, the pain, blood, sweat and tears.
These two years have given us hope we never had."
- "Before March 20, 2003, we were in a dungeon. We did not see the light.
Saddam Hussain was crushing Iraq's spirit slowly, we longed for his end,
but knew we could not challenge him, or
his diabolical seed
who would no doubt follow him and continue his generation of hell on Earth.
Since then, we now have hope. Hope is not a tangible thing, but it is something,
it is more than being blinded by darkness, by being stuck in a mental pit without any future.
Hope has been the greatest product of the last two years.
We are not going to surrender. For all that the two years have brought, the greatest thing they have given us
is a future, and a view of the finish line.
Iraqis see the finish line, the finish line of freedom and democracy and a functioning nation. We can smell it,
taste it, and like a sprinter, one who has broken his legs, but who has a heart full of passion,
we will crawl there no matter what the cost."
- "We have been brought from darkness to light. And not only has the future been made better for Iraq,
but the martyrs of our nation, their blood is watering the roots of democracy across the world.
We are watching our neighbors come closer to the light, and this only pushes us more, and makes us stronger
in our burning desire to reach the finish line, to realize the dream that our people have had for so long."
Responses to the 2 Year Anniversary
- He gets some abuse from "anti-war" freaks in the West for his post.
He nails them down perfectly:
"it is in a way a rude awakening to me of the attitudes that some people in the West hold.
Perhaps I was a bit naive in the past, I thought these were fringe ideas, but I see that you in the West
have people similar to the self-defeating terrorists who infest our nation. If the US or Europe
were in a similar situation that Iraq is in, then these people would surely be the ones blowing up innocents
so that your nation would be stopped from progress."
The disgusting violence unleashed by jihadists and Baathists after liberation in 2003
has caused both left and right to construct new arguments.
The right thinks that the lesson of Iraq is that you should not bother trying to liberate Arabs and Muslims,
because they do not want to be free.
You should destroy regimes that threaten you, and then get out.
The left thinks the lesson of Iraq is that
the Iraq War was immoral, and the allies should feel guilty in some way
for what they did.
The left also thinks the violence proved that
the anti-war protesters (many of whom supported the violence) were right.
To me, this is just saying:
If evil triumphs, then evil was right
and those who opposed evil were wrong.
- Conor Friedersdorf,
in 2013, 10 years after invasion, takes pro-war pundits to task.
His articles are worth replying to.
Behold the Hatred, Resentment, and Mockery Aimed at Anti-Iraq War Protesters, Conor Friedersdorf, 21 Mar 2013.
He thinks it obvious that the abuse directed at anti-war protesters was wrong.
But many of these protesters were morally dubious people
who would have opposed the liberation of anyone by Bush,
even if there was no post-war resistance.
Many of the protesters also
openly supported the Iraqi violence.
If anything, they did not get enough abuse.
- Imagine someone who said in 2003:
"Deposing Saddam is a noble goal,
and a good thing for the West.
But staying on to build Iraq will not go well, because Arab Muslims basically do not want to be free.
They want other things."
Anyone who said something like that (and very few did, certainly not me) would deserve respect now.
But no one on the anti-war side spoke like that.
They spoke out of hatred for America, disinterest in Iraqi freedom,
and even love for the Islamic jihad.
So they deserve no respect at all.
- Friedersdorf also claims that the
anti-Vietnam War protesters
He quotes people (rightly) saying that
the anti-Vietnam War protesters
have blood on their hands, but he provides no rebuttal to this.
He just assumes these are ridiculous statements.
Iraq Hawks Don't Realize: They're to Blame for America's War Weariness, Conor Friedersdorf, 25 Mar 2013.
- He does have a point that:
"Urging a war of choice that requires more years of fighting to win
than the citizenry will permit is itself an error."
- I agree. But the error was in thinking that Arabs and Muslims want to be free.
(Some do. But not enough.)
But Friedersdorf will never draw that conclusion.
He will never blame the Iraqi people for wasting their chance.
Instead he thinks the westerners who gave them that chance should feel guilty
in some way.
- He says: "If guys like Steyn didn't realize, when they were calling on the U.S. to invade Iraq, that Americans would tire of fighting there after a decade of conflict, thousands of troops killed, and hundreds of billions of dollars spent, they should blame themselves for missing the obvious."
But he never explains why this is obvious.
Why is it obvious that Arabs will fight their liberation from a dictator
and fight against the arrival of democracy?
The anti-war left never explained why this was "obvious" before the war,
or at any time since.
Friedersdorf claims neocons should be "mugged by reality" now,
but he never explains what they should have learnt.
Because he does not understand it himself.
- The bottom line is that we have learned something from the war.
We learnt that Middle Eastern Muslims are not Poles.
They don't want to be free, and it's pointless trying to help them.
But this is not a lesson you will ever find in Friedersdorf,
because his ideology will not allow him blame the foreigners.
He is only comfortable blaming his own people.
Victor Davis Hanson, 13 May 2013, says the Arabs blew their chance on Iraq, and that is why no one will now help Syria.
"Please, Spare Us Now “You Owe Us Help”.
If Arab reformers ever wanted a shot at democracy, Iraq was still their golden opportunity.
Instead, almost all damned the effort and caricatured Americans.
A nearly bankrupt and divided America after Afghanistan, Iraq, and Libya is not up for Syria
— and an Arab Spring that on its own chose Winter does not deserve any more American blood.
Sorry, that’s just the way it is."
- An interesting alternative:
was not a supporter of the Iraq War.
And yet he too is willing to blame the people of Iraq (and Islam) for a lot of what went wrong:
"Much of the responsibility for this disaster falls on the Bush administration, and one of the administration’s great failings was to underestimate the religious sectarianism of the Iraqi people. Whatever one may think about the rationale for invading Iraq and the prosecution of the war, there is nothing about the conflict that makes Islam look benign — not the reflexive solidarity expressed throughout the Muslim world for Saddam Hussein (merely because an army of “infidels” attacked him), not the endless supply of suicide bombers willing to kill Iraqi noncombatants, not the insurgency’s use of women and children as human shields, not the ritual slaughter of journalists and aid workers, not the steady influx of jihadis from neighboring countries, and not the current state of public opinion among European and American Muslims. It seems to me that no reasonable person can conclude that these phenomena are purely the result of U.S. foreign policy, however inept."
expresses how I feel, that the Iraqis disgraced themselves after 2003.
They were not the same as the people living under communism, who wanted freedom.
The Iraqis did not want freedom.
Or at least, not enough of them did:
"The Poles sought liberation from an oppressive occupying regime because it trampled individual liberties and imposed artificial poverty. No doubt, they would have welcome a successful foreign invasion that gave them free elections and a free economy. (Even prickly France was briefly grateful when we showed up in 1944.) The Arabs of Iraq responded by turning on their liberators and each other, turning their purgatorial country into a hell of interreligious violence. Does Cohen blame them, or draw from this experience any conclusions about the Arab world or Islam? No, he excuses them all, implicitly,
by noting that a foreign invasion offended "Arab pride.""
Shame on the Iraqis for what they did after liberation in 2003.
There were exceptions. But not enough of them.
Return to Iraq | <urn:uuid:04ad0e4e-1efe-47b7-b4c1-2068af421b2c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://markhumphrys.com/iraq.postwar.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704713110/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516114513-00016-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.953491 | 4,688 | 1.820313 | 2 |
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