text stringlengths 211 577k | id stringlengths 47 47 | dump stringclasses 1 value | url stringlengths 14 371 | file_path stringclasses 644 values | language stringclasses 1 value | language_score float64 0.93 1 | token_count int64 54 121k | score float64 1.5 1.84 | int_score int64 2 2 |
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Honors Program Advisory Board
The Honors Program Advisory Board is an enthusiastic and involved group of faculty and students who help develop and implement the Honors Program's vision and mission. Representatives from all three colleges and the Honors student body serve on the advisory board.
Honors Read is a book discussion series in which an Honors student and faculty member team up to lead a small-group discussion about a book of their choice. Two or three Honors Reads are held each semester and usually include pizza or snacks. Books can be selected from any genre of fiction or nonfiction. If you are interested in co-leading an Honors Read book discussion, please contact the Honors Read committee chair listed on the Honors Student Organization page. | <urn:uuid:03885485-8247-4447-9ae8-552327a6d8f0> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.ship.edu/template.aspx?id=4036&LangType=1033&ekfxmen_noscript=1&ekfxmensel=eb6dc5b3e_334_647 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00011-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.95015 | 150 | 1.515625 | 2 |
Faking News is a website that has news content with no reliable sources. We simply fake news to attract your attention. And we are honest about admitting it.
We aim to provide clean humor in shape of fake news reports, a style not unique with us. We try to be funny, most of the times.
We also try to be satirical and sarcastic about various elements of Indian social life and news media. We try to act smart and intellectual, sometimes.
Being humorous or satirical is a hugely challenging job, so excuse us if you think we are just being stupid.
Content of this website, unless categorized as “Editorial”, is a work of fiction.
The content, despite being fictional, might prove to be a little offensive to various parties; we apologize for hurting your sentiments in advance. After all we are just faking it, so don’t take us seriously.
You can also try to hurt our sentiments by contacting us or by commenting on this site. Please don’t try to hunt down and kill us, that would be really sad.
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The website is intended to humor people over the (physical and mental) age of thirteen years. So if you are yet to get into your teens, you are advised to close this window at once.
Please don’t visit this website if you are too religious, too political, too sentimental, too serious, too liberal, or too anything.
On a serious note
Faking News is a news satire website, and our intentions are not to hurt anyone’s sentiments or spread rumors or bring disrepute to anyone (person, organization or an idea) living or dead. If at all it appears so, it’s either completely unintentional or thoroughly misinterpreted by someone.
You are advised not to read the content of this website if you are not too comfortable with the idea of news satire.
News Satire is a writing style that uses fake news reports as means to bring out the absurdities of real life in our society. On some occasions, real events and personalities could also be a part of such fake news reports to help convey the message easily.
You are advised not to confuse the literal content of the news reports of Faking News as being genuine and true. Faking News uses fictional names of people in its “news reports”, except when public figures and/or organizations are being satirized. The fictional names have every chance of being real names in the real world, but their use by Faking News is purely coincidental and is not intended to satirize or mock that person and/or organization.
If you are still not convinced, and have been offended by any content on this website, or have any other objection in general, please get in touch with us with your point of view and contact details, and we’d try to address your concern.
Leave a feedback
We’d love to hear from you, even if you aim to hurt our sentiments. Do let us know your thoughts, suggestions, complaints, well wishes, etc. | <urn:uuid:cd97e13c-796c-452a-8296-8039c7d2dad7> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.fakingnews.com/about/ | 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 | 0.954537 | 638 | 1.734375 | 2 |
Captain was a two year old German Shepherd dog who was discovered on July 18, 2012 wrapped in a bloody sheet and left in a dumpster in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. When Captain was found he was emaciated, and had also been stabbed and brutally beaten with a heavy chain and baseball bat,
Every day across Africa, wild elephants are being slaughtered to meet the insatiable demand for ivory. Entire herds are being poached out of existence to supply the illegal trade of ivory carvings and trinkets in Asia. The scale of illicit activity is staggering in places like Thailand. Poachers
FUR IS HORRIBLE! Boycott the Fur Trade! The Cruelty Of Fur Farms! HOW CAN YOU HELP TO GET THIS CRUELTY STOPPED >> Links: http://protection4animalsstopfurtrade.wordpress.com/
DID YOU KNOW? Each female kangaroo shot usually has two dependent joeys, one in the pouch and one at foot. Both joeys also die when the mother is killed. The dependent ex-pouch joey flees in terror when it's mother is killed, and dies of exhaustion and exposure. The Code of Practice that the
by Sayno Tobsl
Bobo needs to be back with his family. It will be a year on March 20 since he was torn from his home. Do not let Bobo be killed. | <urn:uuid:a728c746-8c5e-48ee-839d-f1b4f5a4315e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.causes.com/profiles/82350033 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00015-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.969393 | 290 | 1.554688 | 2 |
Rooting the Galaxy Note is pretty complicated, which is only exacerbated by the fact that there are so many variants. Here's a good starting point to getting your device rooted.
For more information on what rooting is, what it can do for your phone, and what all those confusing terms mean, check out our always up-to-date guide to Android rooting.
The Galaxy Note, like all Samsung phones, has many variants, meaning there's no one rooting method that will work for everyone. Your rooting method will depend on which carrier you're on, as well as what country you're in. Here are the different versions you'll have to deal with:
- The AT&T version, also known as the I717
- The T-Mobile version, also known as the T879
- The GT-N7000, which is the international version available in most (but not all) countries—some countries, like Japan or Korea, have their own versions you'll need to look up on your own.
Because of all the variants, we can't cover every single guide here. But, here are a few links for the more popular variants.
AT&T users should check out this fantastic guide, aimed at newbies, to rooting the Galaxy Note. It works on Gingerbread or Ice Cream Sandwich, and will give you a custom kernel that contains the ClockworkMod Recovery which will let you flash any ROM you choose.
T-Mobile users can check out this guide, though it assumes you know a bit more about rooting and the ODIN tool than many people do. In that case, I recommend reading and watching videos from the AT&T guide, then following those instructions with any changes from the T-Mobile guide. When you're done, you'll have flashed a recovery image and rooted your phone, after which you can flash any ROM you want.
International users should read this guide for the N7000, which includes a number of different rooting methods depending on which version of Android you're using right now. Be careful and do your research, since one rooting method may brick your device if used on the wrong version of Android.
As always, for more information on your device, check out the sticky threads in the XDA forums for your Galaxy Note, whether it be the AT&T version, the T-Mobile version, or the international version.
We don't own every Android device out there, so there's no way we could possibly test all these methods ourselves. In addition, it's very difficult to stay up to date on which rooting methods work and which don't. So, we're relying on you to help us out! If you find that one of the methods we list is outdated please send us an email (preferably with an up-to-date method, if you've found one) and we'll get everything squared away. | <urn:uuid:99a042d9-b89b-4412-875b-a41508f327c9> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://lifehacker.com/5907143/how-to-root-the-samsung-galaxy-note?tag=not%7Ciphone/not%7Cmac/not%7Cmacosx | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00002-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.952034 | 590 | 1.679688 | 2 |
Posted on Tue, Jan. 13, 2009
last updated: January 13, 2009 08:37:59 PM
WASHINGTON — Sen. Hillary Clinton promised to return diplomacy to the center of U.S. foreign policy, to abandon ideology and oversee a more aggressive, better-funded State Department as she began on Tuesday what likely will be a quick and relatively painless path to confirmation as secretary of state.
Clinton got a warm welcome from the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. She implicitly criticized the unilateral, military-dominated approach that characterized much of the Bush administration.
"I believe that American leadership has been wanting, but is still wanted," Clinton said in her opening remarks.
"We must use what has been called 'smart power,' the full range of tools at our disposal," she said. "With 'smart power,' diplomacy will be the vanguard of foreign policy."
On some of the key crises facing the incoming Obama administration, however — Iran, the Arab-Israeli conflict, Sudan's Darfur region — Clinton declined to lay out the specifics of her plans and President-elect Barack Obama's, pending policy reviews.
In several cases, she embraced positions that are similar to President George W. Bush's.
For example, Obama won't negotiate with the militant Palestinian group Hamas, locked in fighting with Israel in Gaza, unless it renounces violence, recognizes Israel's right to exist and abides by past peace agreements, she said.
On Iran, Clinton said twice that Obama wouldn't rule out military force to stop it from obtaining nuclear weapons.
Still, she said, "We're going to be trying new approaches" with Iran "because what we've tried has not worked. They are closer to nuclear weapons capacity today than they were."
On Cuba, Clinton renewed Obama's election promise to ease restrictions on U.S. citizens' visits and remittances to relatives on the island.
Democrats and Republicans predicted that Clinton would have little problem being confirmed.
In the day's only testy note, several Republican committee members expressed concern about potential conflicts of interest from the sweeping global activities of her husband, former President Bill Clinton, and his nonprofit William J. Clinton Foundation. The foundation, which works on HIV/AIDS, climate change and poverty, has accepted more than $131 million from foreign governments, including Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Norway.
The lawmakers pressed Clinton and her husband to go beyond a promised annual disclosure of donors to the foundation, which last month released a list of contributors for the first time.
"The core problem is that foreign governments and entities may perceive the Clinton Foundation as a means to curry favor with the secretary of state," said the ranking Republican, Sen. Richard Lugar, R-Ind.
Lugar proposed four more steps he said the Clintons could take to increase the transparency of donations. The Clintons, however, rejected additional curbs on foreign donations to the foundation and agreed to just one of the proposed changes, to provide more detail on donations in its annual disclosure.
In a tense exchange with Sen. David Vitter, R-La., Clinton made clear that she planned to go no further.
The former president wasn't at Tuesday's hearings, but the Clintons' daughter, Chelsea, was, sitting just behind her mother.
The confirmation hearing captured a unique Washington moment: A former Democratic presidential candidate, Clinton — who was chosen by Obama, her Senate colleague and primary rival — appeared before another former presidential candidate, Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., now the committee's chairman. Kerry, by some accounts, had hoped to become Obama's secretary of state.
In last year's heated presidential primary, Clinton had called Obama naive and unprepared to handle the international dangers facing a new president. Obama, for his part, challenged Clinton's international credentials beyond having visited foreign countries as first lady, a largely ceremonial role.
However, Clinton's and Obama's views of the world appeared in sync on Tuesday. She noted that they're both committed to ending the war in Iraq with a "responsible" withdrawal of troops. That had been a point of difference between them during the campaign.
"The president-elect and I believe that foreign policy must be based on a marriage of principle and pragmatism, not rigid ideology; on facts and evidence, not emotion or prejudice," she said in a not-so-veiled dig at Bush.
Clinton signaled that revitalizing the State Department and other civilian agencies working overseas will be a priority, and she noted that she's chosen two deputies: James Steinberg for policy and Jacob Lew, who'll oversee budget and management issues.
Civilian agencies saw their budget and authority eclipsed by the Pentagon during the Bush years, she said.
"The disparity of resources is such that when you've got more than 10 times the resources going to the Defense Department," she said. "The Defense Department has been, in effect, re-creating mini-State Departments."
On another issue of both policy and management, Clinton said the Obama administration would give greater priority to arms control, including a new nuclear treaty with Russia, than Bush did. She pledged to reinvigorate the State Department's arms control section, saying she and her transition team had found it "significantly degraded."
Kerry said that he hoped to have a vote on Clinton's nomination by Thursday.
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McClatchy Newspapers 2008 | <urn:uuid:258c10f7-59de-4a91-9079-e68ec648c964> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2009/01/13/v-print/59597/clinton-gets-warm-reception-from.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00012-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.971247 | 1,107 | 1.515625 | 2 |
Line of vulnerability
The LoC will continue to signify more vulnerability than stability
DR MALEEHA LODHI
The latest flare-up of tensions along the Line of Control (LoC) in Kashmir is a reminder of the accident-prone nature of Pakistan-India relations in a strategic environment unaltered by the improvement in trade and political ties. The border hostilities witnessed last week are inherent in the unresolved status of bilateral disputes. This makes the LoC susceptible to advantage seeking by one or both sides.
Despite trading accusations in the past several days, both countries have shown a mutual interest in defusing present tensions to keep the process of normalisation on track. Even so questions have been raised about whether existing arrangements are adequate for escalation control or need to be strengthened by more formal and robust mechanisms? If last week’s cross-LoC clashes had their genesis in India’s construction of new bunkers that are barred by a 2005 agreement that followed the 2003 ceasefire, how can similar violence be averted in the future?
Recalling the sequence of events so far will help to answer these questions. Let us therefore consider the known facts about the incidents of January 6, 8 and 10 and the developments that led up to them.
The Pakistani version of how it all started focuses on the attempt by the Indian army around three months ago to build new observation posts around the village of Charonda in the Haji Pir sector.
Here it is important to recall the joint statement agreed between the two countries in 2005. This followed the LoC ceasefire agreed at the prime ministerial level in 2003. In the August 8, 2005 joint statement issued after the second round of expert-level talks, both countries agreed not to “develop any new posts and defence works along the LoC.” This commitment was reaffirmed in subsequent joint statements. When efforts to build new posts were made or suspected in the past, border flag meetings were sought to resolve the matter.
This time around when Pakistani military authorities detected new constructions being built near the LoC they asked for the customary flag meeting to address the issue. The directors general of Military Operations from both countries also spoke twice on the hotline. When Pakistan’s objection to the construction work was conveyed it was met by the Indian insistence that this was routine maintenance of old fortifications and not a ceasefire violation. During October warnings over a loudspeaker by Pakistani troops in the area also yielded no results. Thereafter the construction became the cause of exchange of fire between the two.
An action-reaction cycle followed. Mortar fire led to Indian claims of civilian casualties in the village. Then followed a cross-border Indian attack on the Pakistani position at Sawan Patra from where the firing is said to have come. While exchange of fire across the LoC is not unusual, crossing the Line is relatively rare and represents an escalatory step regarded by both sides as a serious ceasefire violation. The Indian incursion within 30 metres of the Pakistani post was repulsed. The raiding party was chased away but the January 6 clash claimed the life of a Pakistani soldier and left another wounded.
Pakistan’s account was supported by a report in The Hindu of January 10. According to the newspaper, the Indian army’s bunker construction sparked the spiral of cross-border violence – the worst since the ceasefire went into effect. When India’s defence ministry sought to refute the report, the paper insisted that the official denial in fact accepted key elements of its story including the construction around Charonda, which triggered the clashes.
The day after the Indian attack, on January 7, Pakistan’s DG, MO spoke on the hotline with his Indian counterpart to lodge a complaint about the “unacceptable” provocation. A day later, Pakistani troops were accused by Indian officials of conducting a cross border raid in another sector, at Hotspring, allegedly killing two soldiers, one of whom was said to have been beheaded.
On the morning of January 9, the two DGs spoke again. This time the Indian official protested and demanded that Pakistan ‘return’ the head of the Indian soldier. Pakistan’s military and foreign ministry spokesmen denied this incident took place and described it as an Indian fabrication to divert attention from the first incident and instead malign Pakistan. Tellingly an Indian army statement of January 8, attributed to a spokesman of the Northern Command, made no reference to any mutilation of soldiers’ bodies, only to a firefight in which two soldiers died.
Meanwhile as much of the Indian media whipped up a frenzy Pakistan’s media remained muted in its response. When opposition parties assailed the Congress government for its “weak response” more hawkish statements emerged from India’s political and military leaders. It didn’t stop there. On January 10 at Hotspring in Azad Kashmir, sniper fire from Indian troops claimed the life of a Pakistani soldier.
In the two capitals, high commissioners were summoned, protests lodged and demands made for investigation into the disputed incidents. Islamabad’s offer to hold an independent inquiry of ceasefire violations by the United Nations Observers Group for India and Pakistan (Unmogip) was rebuffed by Delhi, to no one’s surprise. India has never allowed Unmogip to operate on its side of the LoC and since 1972 also refused to report complaints to the observer group.
Border tensions are likely to subside in the days ahead. But the fragility of the LoC in the fraught context of a festering dispute will persist. And in the absence of any accommodation over Kashmir, the 2003 ceasefire will continue to serve as a way of maintaining a tenuous peace in a heavily militarised and volatile region.
The ceasefire has by and large held since 2003 despite periodic exchanges of fire and occasional skirmishes. It was also observed during the most serious escalation in tensions in recent years that followed the 2008 terrorist attacks in Mumbai. After 2008, Indian authorities frequently acknowledged that cross-LoC “infiltration” had substantially declined. But complaints of ceasefire breaches have been increasing. These mutual complaints were most recently reiterated during the expert-level talks on military CBMs in Delhi on December 28, 2012.
If the ceasefire is not to become a hostage to incidents like the recent ones, triggered by contention over new constructions, it would make sense to formalise the agreement on non-construction of new posts along the LoC. Last week’s hostilities illustrate that this mutual commitment can be undermined by disagreements over whether constructions are within the barred range.
Reconciling these differences to conclude a comprehensive confidence building measure might help strengthen the ceasefire’s operation. Chances of future contention can also be minimised if this incorporates an explicit mechanism for dispute resolution. This will not eliminate the incidents that become flashpoints for border clashes but it would address an aspect of an easily inflamed situation.
A more fundamental question is raised about the future of the normalisation process. Can this process be sustained if contentious issues remain unaddressed while movement is made on ‘softer’ issues?
Ultimately durable détente depends as much on the two countries’ ability to overcome their divergences as on pursuing areas of convergence. Unless meaningful steps are taken to improve the security climate and resolve disputes, the normalisation process will be at risk of relapsing into tensions. Until this broader context evolves, the LoC will continue to signify more vulnerability than stability.
(The writer is special adviser to the Jang Group/Geo and a former envoy to the US and the UK)
Lastupdate on : Wed, 16 Jan 2013 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Wed, 16 Jan 2013 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Thu, 17 Jan 2013 00:00:00 IST
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"It’s All About Power on the Docks"
Shipping bosses have thrown down the gauntlet to West Coast dockworkers–and the entire labor movement. The employers’ Pacific Maritime Association (PMA) has locked out more than 10,500 longshore workers from Seattle to San Diego, and International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) members are picketing.
With $300 billion of goods passing through West Coast ports every year, the stakes of this struggle are clear. As one worker on the picket line in Oakland, Calif., told Socialist Worker, “It’s all about who’s got the power on the docks. We don1t make enough money for them to worry about.”
What’s more, the Bush administration has threatened to use the anti-union Taft-Hartley law to ban any work stoppage–effectively giving management a gun to hold to the union’s head.
“The issues are the survival of the longshore union and even the very survival of the American trade union movement,” said Jack Heyman, a business agent in ILWU Local 10 in San Francisco. “Because if the ILWU goes down the tubes, other unions will follow. The labor movement must learn from the history of PATCO,” the air traffic controllers union busted by President Ronald Reagan in a 1981 strike. “This is not a PATCO, a union that had supported Reagan, but a union with a long tradition of supporting social struggles around the world.”
Ken Riley, president of Local 1422 of the International Longshoremen’s Association, which represents dockworkers on the East Coast, recalled the support that the ILWU gave his union during the victorious struggle of the Charleston Five–longshore workers put under house arrest for nearly two years after a police attack on their picket line.
Riley pledged to return that support. “Workers in Charleston recognize the type of solidarity that was given to them and recognize that we could not have come out of the South with a victory like that without it,” he told Socialist Worker. “We are forever joined at the hips.”
The AFL-CIO Executive Council has pledged to support the ILWU, and the San Francisco Labor Council authorized member unions to honor the picket line of ILWU Local 10.
In July, ILWU President James Spinosa offered changes in the contract that would cost hundreds of union jobs due to technology changes and outsourcing. But the PMA–and big U.S. importers like Target and Wal-Mart in the West Coast Waterfront Coalition–want much more.
The bosses want to break the union’s control over the pace of work by weakening the hiring hall system and speeding up the number of containers loaded and unloaded per hour. These changes would endanger workers’ lives. Several workers died in just the past few months because of speedups and old or missing safety equipment.
The PMA has also used the “war on terror” as a cover for its union bashing. With the contract due to expire July 1, Homeland Security chief Tom Ridge called the ILWU to say that any job action could damage “national security.”
Although Spinosa declared that the ILWU wouldn1t be intimidated, he has adopted a conservative strategy in the face of the PMA onslaught. ILWU officials hoped that their concessions at the bargaining table would satisfy management’s greed–and that support from Democratic lawmakers would force the White House to back off threats to intervene.
For weeks, Spinosa opposed job actions–and he still refuses to call a strike authorization vote. Instead, he has tried to claim the mantle of “national security.” The ILWU is “the first line of defense for anything that may happen like September 11 again,” Spinosa said in a September 30 press conference. The ILWU, he said, has “told the military that our obligation to this country and to our military effort is one that we will not move away from.”
In fact, the military isn1t part of the PMA and is unaffected by the lockout. And trying to wrap the ILWU in the flag will only help justify intervention on “national security” grounds.
What’s more, Spinosa is opening the door to government intervention by agreeing to meet with a federal mediator–something that he had vowed repeatedly never to do.
Tensions on the waterfront have been building since the old contract expired July 1. The agreement was extended on a day-by-day basis through Labor Day until negotiations broke down, and the ILWU refused to extend the deal. That gave the union the right to take job actions such as a work-to-rule–but union leaders at first refused to authorize them.
Meanwhile, the employers pushed harder and harder at the terminals, imposing speedups and firing workers without cause–until anger from the rank and file began to break through.
In a series of spontaneous actions that stand in the best traditions of the ILWU, workers in Portland protested management’s decision to terminate night shifts. Some workers in Oakland refused to work excessive overtime, and individual ILWU locals began passing resolutions to enforce the safety code.
This anger from below at employer speedups, along with stonewalling from the PMA at the bargaining table, finally forced the ILWU leadership to call for a “work safely” campaign last week.
The PMA immediately charged that this was a work slowdown–which is legal when there is no contract–and locked out the workers. After first announcing that the lockout would last only 36 hours, the PMA declared that it would continue indefinitely.
Now, the fight is on–and the union has to make up for lost time by mobilizing. Every shift on every gate will need picket captains and a plan to mobilize dockworkers and supporters in case the PMA tries to pick out strategic gates to open with scabs.
If union leaders refuse to act, the rank and file should take the initiative. And now is the time for union leaders who have pledged to support the ILWU to put their money where their mouths are–and mobilize members of all unions to support picket lines and organize rallies and marches up and down the coast.
The ILWU motto–”an injury to one is an injury to all”–has never been more fitting.
Todd Chretien and Sue Sandlin write for Socialist Worker, where this article originally appeared. | <urn:uuid:6053fe9f-853a-4f56-8a2e-4206c2678e90> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.counterpunch.com/?p=3891 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00015-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.96363 | 1,375 | 1.78125 | 2 |
|menú principal > reseñas > Cichlids From Central America
Cichlids From Central AmericaA book study of Central American cichlids
Autor: Ad Konings, 1989
Published by T.F.H. Publications
por Juan Miguel Artigas Azas, 1996.
This book on Central American Cichlids by Ad Konings it is one of the most complete and thoughtful written to date. The large format 21.5 x 28.0 cm book contains more than 550 color photographs by several authors, printed in very good quality paper and process. The most interesting part of this book is perhaps the Central American cichlids evolution theory by Ad Konings based on feeding specializations found among them. Based on available literature Ad designed a possible scenery of evolution of the species that gives something to think about. The book is accompanied with ranges for many species as well as an atlas section included by T.F.H. | <urn:uuid:f1a3a609-cc91-4994-bbf7-d0b77bb44fe1> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.cichlidae.com/review.php?id=12&lang=es | 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 | 0.932085 | 199 | 1.664063 | 2 |
Rush Limbaugh was listing his theories on why Benghazi-gate happened. He offered reasons such as the cover-up for lack of security at the consulate, that the deaths gave lie to the Obama narrative that Al-Qaeda has been irreparably damaged or he also opined it was just a cover up of Obama’s lack of interest. It could easily be a far more sinister reason.
The Fast and Furious program, now a scandal, was designed to intentionally sell U.S. guns to Mexican drug gangs. Those guns, they knew, would ultimately be used to kill people in Mexico and the United States. With proof of U.S. guns, sold by American gun shops to drug cartels, the Obama administration would have the evidence they needed to start controlling gun sales in border-states. Obama said as much in a 2009 speech in Mexico. But, guns are easily transportable, so the ring of gun restrictions would ultimately have spread across the U.S. If it had not been for some untimely murders and a few, now harassed whistleblowers, it could have succeeded.
Instead of disinterest, could the White House have seen this “unfortunate bump in the road” in Libya, as an opportunity? Former Obama advisor Rahm Emanuel once said “You never want a serious crisis to go to waste.” I’m not suggesting the Obama administration set this up. Logistically that would have been impossible, but following the Saul Alinsky principle of letting no crisis go un-utilized, could the anti-Christian Obama White House have seen the death of our ambassador as yet another way to suppress Christian free speech? read more » | <urn:uuid:3336712d-e4d5-4c81-9866-4acf52cc49f8> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.conservativeoutpost.com/print/taxonomy/term/9321 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00015-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.982571 | 341 | 1.554688 | 2 |
British Go Journal No. 65. July 1985. Page 5.
Here are another three problems proposed by Richard Granville to allow you to compare your skill with that of our panel of experts.
Look at the positions below, and work out where you would play next. Don't just glance at them and let your water pick a move at random. Instead, try and analyse what is happening over the whole board, decide on the most important area, then look for the best local move. You'll find the effort well worth it.
The two readers whose replies most closely match the sugestions of our panel of top dan players will win £5 token for the BGA bookshop.
Send your answers to Richard at: [address omitted]. Good luck!
Answers to BGJ 64's competition are on page 26 .
Problem 1 White to play. |
Problem 2 Black to play. |
Problem 3 Black to play. |
The answers to this competition are on page 24 of BGJ 66 . | <urn:uuid:cb78a87e-02c7-480b-8fdc-df5565d0203b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.britgo.org/print/1285 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00006-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.932609 | 209 | 1.617188 | 2 |
Girls are losing ground in mathematics and science education in NSW, with the number of female students studying no maths for their HSC more than doubling in ten years, according to a new report from the University of Sydney.
The percentage of girls studying no maths jumped from 9.5% in 2001 to 21.8% in 2011. Just 13.8% took one maths and one science subject for their higher school certificate in 2011, according to the report, compared with 18.6% for boys, for which there had been a marginal decline.
The research by John Mack and Barry Walsh reveals a growing gender disparity over the last 10 years, with just 1.5% of girls studying advanced maths alongside physics and chemistry.
“That’s a shocking figure,” said Dr Rachel Wilson, senior lecturer in educational assessment and research methodology at the University of Sydney’s Faculty of Education & Social Work.
The report reveals the gender disparity in maths and science participation is now greater than it was in the 1980s.
Dr Wilson said 10 years ago Australia was well positioned on performance rankings such as PISA and TIMMS, but a more recent decline is likely to be compounded by falling maths and science participation levels.
“The scores are down, the ranks are down with them, but the participation is looking really bad, so that means we’ve got a long path ahead of us to recover.”
Dr Wilson said education choice was a major contributor to the decline in maths and science participation, with 13.5% of girls choosing to study family and community studies in 2011, a subject that was not on offer in 2001.
“Something’s gone wrong there that you have nearly as much educational value put on community and family studies as you do on maths.”
Dr Wilson said while many educators did not want to compare Australia with the higher performing nations of Japan and Korea, for cultural reasons, even comparisons with the UK and US left Australia falling behind on maths.
“I don’t think it’s an issue of parenting it’s of educational choice and quite possibly having too much of it.”
The report comes after the Federal Government committed $22.5 million for the Australian Maths and Science Partnerships Program in last year’s Budget, following recommendations from Chief Scientist Ian Chubb to boost participation in science, technology, engineering and maths.
Dr John Ainley, principal research fellow at the Australian Council for Educational Research, said boosting the uptake of science and maths required generating a sustained interest in the field and allowing students to develop a level of competence so they felt confident in what they did.
“The early experience of engagement with science and mathematics is really important,” Dr Ainley said.
“The crucial thing is not just to have novel things that catch people’s interest, but novel things that are built on in a sustained way.”
Dr Wilson has suggested maths be made mandatory in order to improve Australia’s international education rankings.
However Dr Ainley said this could simply result in more students studying basic maths.
“I’m more concerned about getting kids engaged at a higher level at maths and that involves putting in the hard work before they get to Year 10.” | <urn:uuid:b125b382-fe67-48e6-9bac-e9d1a321a242> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://theconversation.com/study-finds-more-girls-opting-out-of-maths-and-science-12221 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697380733/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516094300-00008-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.964235 | 681 | 1.6875 | 2 |
by guest contributor Christian Esquevin
“I don’t wear suits, and I don’t wear gray. Another thing, I don’t wear black pumps,” said Kim Novak to Edith Head, the costume designer for Vertigo. “I don’t care what she wears as long as it’s a gray suit," Hitchcock retorted when Edith reported this conversation to him. Thus began the creative tension over the costuming of Vertigo. But in a clash of opinion over the visual aspects of a Hitchcock film, Hitch always prevailed. Indeed, he had the colors already in mind along with the costume types he wanted even before pre-production for Vertigo began. Kim Novak wore the gray suit with the black pumps - her iconic look in Vertigo. “I had never had a director who was particular about the costumes, the way they were designed, the specific colors,” said Novak about Hitchcock later.
The story theme within Vertigo is based on obsession, and the costume looks for the Madeleine/Judy character are a key symbol of that dysfunction. The “clash” that Kim Novak had with Hitch and Edith Head over her costumes was nothing new in Hollywood, but Alfred Hitchcock’s very specific clothing demands in type and color speaks volumes about Vertigo being for him a very personal film. The combination of the costumes and look of Kim’s Madeleine, the psychological tension caused by the character Scottie’s clash of opposite impulses towards Madeleine/Judy, and the ultimate futility of his possession of her, were all deeply embedded in Hitchcock’s psyche. As far as the costumes being good fashion, it didn’t matter that Kim’s pumps were black. They would have looked better in gray or brown, or as she wanted, in tan to match her nude-toned hose. Wearing flesh-toned pumps was an old trick she’d learned from Marlene Dietrich, a device to make your legs look longer. The gray suit was in a neutral and sedate color. Hitch believed it revealed how the Madeleine character felt about herself. Edith Head often designed gray suits for her film costumes, and wore them regularly believing that it gave her a non-competitive look when working with the stars. But Marlene Dietrich had worn a gray suit for Hitch in Stage Fright, as had Doris Day in The Man Who Knew Too Much, and as Tippi Hedren would wear in The Birds. So the gray suit and black pumps touched something within Hitchcock, and along with the blonde hair of his leading actresses, denoted for Hitchcock the “woman of mystery,” the cool and subtle beauty with a blazing inside.
As the character Judy, Kim Novak is costumed by Edith Head to appear dowdy. She wears green – a green sweater made bulky by being worn over a blouse. The blouse is green with white polka-dots and with a peter-pan collar turned over the sweater. The look is accentuated by an unflattering hair style. The total look is purposefully unappealing. This look has several purposes: to define the character of Judy in contrast to Madeleine’s; to appear that she is “hiding” her identity; and to provide a stark difference with Madeleine in order to dramatize her make-over. When they go on a date and later go shopping for her clothes, she is dressed better but still very simply. The make-over itself is a key dramatic moment in the film, Judy’s reluctance, Scottie’s obsession in turning her visually into Madeleine, complete with gray suit and blonde hair, provide dramatic tension and then release at the conclusion of the scene. This scene is accomplished through various film techniques that dramatize her unveiling as the re-incarnated Madeleine – making her entrance bathed in a pale and ethereal green light and leading to a climactic kiss. Her gray suit, here as before, tightly accentuates her curves. In its contradictory fashion, it is sedate but seductive.
The nature of the costumes, and the make-over, reverberated not only with the character’s roles, but with the actor’s and the director’s deep psychology. Hitch exercised his darker side in molding an actress into his own obsession, while directing Jimmy Stewart to do the same. Kim Novak as Judy wondered why Scottie couldn’t love her as she was, just as Kim Novak really felt about Hollywood in general. But the gray suit worn with the black pumps allowed Kim Novak to not only be in character, but by taking her out of her comfort zone in dress enabled her to more effectively be an actress that plays a part of a character that is pretending to be someone else.
Hitchcock must have recognized his own dilemma in creating Vertigo. At the climactic end, Scottie demonstrated his tragic disappointment with Judy, “He made you over just like I made you over,” he says accusingly to Judy. Only he (Elster) had made her over first, and thus Scottie was only re-creating another man’s fantasy. And perhaps worse, he accused her of being “an apt pupil,” which she hadn’t been for him. That demonstrated to Scottie, and served the film’s underlying theme, that the pursuit of an empty ideal is futile. For Hitchcock, it was a deeply ingrained motif, one that would keep repeating itself as he tried to mold one Hitchcock blonde after another into his fantasy, only to have her leave him. With the character Scottie, this creation fantasy was played out not as a means of domination, but rather one where once his fantasy woman was created, he could surrender and succumb to her. But we know that that too would have been another fantasy - another twirling and spiraling movement creating a feeling of vertigo.
Vertigo received several Oscar nominations, including Best Art Direction. Edith Head was not nominated for Best Costume Design, which was won by Cecil Beaton’s florid Gigi. And she had just been snubbed for her outstanding costumes for Grace Kelly in Hitchcock’s To Catch a Thief. It seems that a fabulous gray suit as character-delineating costume was too subtle to pick up awards. No matter, she had already won five of her eight Oscars by then. Worse, Hitch wasn’t nominated either for this iconic classic.
Christian Esquevin is the author of Adrian: Silver Screen to Custom Label, published by the Monacelli Press in 2008. The book is about the life and career of MGM’s famed Golden Age costume designer Gilbert Adrian and his subsequent fashion business. Christian also produces the Silver Screen Modiste blog covering classic film fashion.
Christian was born in Marseille, France, and moved with his French parents to Los Angeles when he was four. Los Angeles had a small but close-knit French community at the time that provided the social context for his youth in 1950s and 1960s L.A. One of his great-aunts was the vendeuse for lingerie at the art-deco palace Bullock’s Wilshire. Another one of Christian’s great-aunts had been the Head Cutter-Fitter for the old RKO Studio Wardrobe Department in the 1930s, where she worked under Walter Plunkett and supervised the fabrication of the costumes for Ginger Rogers, Katharine Hepburn, Lucille Ball, Anne Miller, and the other RKO stars. Her knowledge and skill in making period costumes was an influence on Plunkett’s specialty in that area. While she had retired by the time Christian arrived in L.A., she used to dress him and his mother and other French-heritage participants in traditional French folk costumes for the Disneyland holiday parades and other ceremonial occasions. She bequeathed him her collection of costume sketches and photographs that started his interest in classic film costume design.
Christian has a Master’s degree in Library Science from USC and is the Director of the Coronado, California, Public Library. Christian’s book on Adrian was the result of several years of research and collecting. The lack of an “Adrian archive” and the disposal of much of the early film studios’ material heritage has fueled his efforts to preserve at least one aspect of film history. He is currently working on a combined biography of the costume and fashion designers Walter Plunkett, Irene (Lentz Gibbons) and Helen Rose. He is a collector of original costume design sketches and has organized several exhibits featuring film costume design based on his collection. Christian launched Silver Screen Modiste in 2009 in order to cover the history, heritage, and fashion influence of classic Hollywood costume design. He has written about Edith Head in several posts and considers her work with Alfred Hitchcock to be among her finest. | <urn:uuid:9ada488f-d1f5-4691-ba21-af66704c8d7d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://eves-reel-life.blogspot.com/2012/01/costumes-of-vertigo.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00011-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.977458 | 1,875 | 1.609375 | 2 |
STONEHOUSE, Duke (c.1601-63), of Stock House, Great Bedwyn, Wilts.
Available from Boydell and Brewer
Family and Education
b. c.1601, o.s. of Nicholas Stonhouse of Boxley Kent and Clerkenwell, Mdx. by Joan, da. of Richard Duke of Otterton, Devon. educ. Trinity, Oxf. 1617; I. Temple 1620. m. c.1649, Sarah, da. of Francis Goddard of South Standen, Wilts., 5s. (3 d.v.p.), 5da. suc. fa. 1641, kinsman Sir Walter Smith at Great Bedwyn 1648.1
J.p. Wilts. Mar. 1660-d., commr. for militia Mar. 1660, assessment Aug. 1660-d., corporations 1662-3.2
Stonehouse's father, the uncle of Sir George Stonhouse*, died on the eve of the Civil War, desiring God to bless his four children 'and that little I leave behind me'. Boxley and all his personal went to provide dowries for the three unmarried daughters, while their middle-aged brother was to receive nothing till the death of his mother, and continued to live in chamber at the Temple. He is not known to have taken part in the Civil War, but probably shared the royalist sympathies of his kinsman Sir Walter Smith, Member for Great Badwyn in the Long Parliament, whose composition he helped to prosecute. On Smith's death he presumably inherited or renewed his lease of Stock manor in Great Bedwyn, which he held under the Hungerfords; but far more valuable was the town property, chiefly in St. Sepulchre's and St. Dunstan's parishes. He did not enter public life till he was nearly sixty, but at the general election of 1661 he was returned for Great Bedwyn on both indentures. He was not an active Member, being named only to the committee of elections and privileges and perhaps two others; but his appointment to the local commission for corporations shows that he was acceptable to the Court. He died on 9 Feb. 1663 and was buried at Great Bedwyn.3
Ref Volumes: 1660-1690
Author: John. P. Ferris
- 1. Vis. Kent (Harl. Soc. xlii), 71; Coll. Top. et Gen. v. 35; St. James Clerkenwell (Harl. Soc. Reg. xvii), 245; Misc. Gen et Her. (ser. 5), v. 127.
- 2. B. H. Cunnington, Annals of Devizes, i. 133.
- 3. PCC 10 Evelyn, 23 Juxon; Keeler, Long Parl. 343-4; Wilts. Arch. Mag. vi. 302; SP23/174, ff. 654, 669. | <urn:uuid:09d11dde-300b-41dc-8464-de27a4fad6bb> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.historyofparliamentonline.org/volume/1660-1690/member/stonehouse-duke-1601-63 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00011-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.939038 | 626 | 1.539063 | 2 |
How to Motivate Yourself to Exercise When It’s Hot Outside
After suffering through subfreezing temperatures all winter, it might sound silly to complain about hot weather. But just as “it’s too cold” is a common excuse to scrimp on exercise during the winter months, “it’s too hot” is a go-to reason to forgo a workout during the few months that it is actually warm in Montana.
Discomfort, of course, is part of getting — and staying — in shape. But some people don’t handle the heat as well as others.
To those who cringe at the thought of slogging down the road in a sweat-drenched T-shirt, I offer the following advice: make it fun.
“Fun? What could possibly be fun about sweating so much that my eyes burn from the saltiness of my own perspiration?” you might ask.
Well, obviously running/walking/jogging in the heat is not inherently fun. To make it fun, you have to add an element of challenge. Here a few of my favorite hot-weather running “games”:
1. The Shade Game: As you might have guessed from the title, this game involves running in the shade. Instead of setting a route before I head out, I head in the direction of the first patch of shade I spot. From there, I chase down another patch of shade, then another, and so on. This strategy keeps the course interesting and unpredictable while giving my body a break from the draining effect of direct sunlight. The residential streets surrounding the University of Montana campus are great for the Shade Game, as there is an abundance of tall, leafy trees.
2. The Sprinkler Game: This game is very similar to the Shade Game. As you run down the street, keep an eye out for lawns and gardens with active sprinklers. When you spot one, head toward it — no matter how far out of the way it is. After running through it, challenge yourself to find another one before the water lingering on your skin and clothing has dried. Not only will the sprinklers help you stay cool and refreshed, but also you will get in some good speed work as you hustle from spout to spout.
3. The Otter Pop Game: This isn’t so much a game as it is a reward system. Go to the grocery store and buy a box of your favorite frozen treats, but resolve to only let yourself have one at the end of a sweaty workout. I can tell you from experience that Otter Pops taste much better at the end of a long, hot run. In fact, I find the taste to be disappointing in all other contexts — which, in a twisted sort of way, serves as further motivation to run myself to sweaty exhaustion.
Brooke is a 2010 graduate of The University of Montana, where she ran track and cross country for the Grizzlies. She is currently working as a writer and editor in Missoula. | <urn:uuid:61b9c36e-5d17-43d3-8f34-d1584fbaea84> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://1075zoofm.com/how-to-motivate-yourself-to-exercise-when-its-hot-outside/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00003-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.961172 | 631 | 1.71875 | 2 |
IN THE deep history of women's tennis, there has never been a bigger headline act than Martina Navratilova.
Billie Jean King, herself a former No.1 and champion of the game, claimed Navratilova was "the greatest singles, doubles and mixed doubles player who's ever lived".
Navratilova, who will be in Adelaide for the World Tennis Challenge at Memorial Drive, won 18 Grand Slam singles crowns, a record 31 major women's doubles titles and 10 major mixed doubles trophies.
It was a triumphant ride after she turned her back on her Czech birthplace as a teenager to allow her career to flourish in the US.
The left-hander changed the way women's tennis was played, with her power game dominating the circuit.
Off the court, Navratilova's lifestyle also attracted a flood of comment.
There had been constant speculation about her sexual preference before her decision to publicly confirm she was gay in 1981 - shortly after receiving US citizenship.
That said much about her character.Navratilova has not been afraid to speak her mind and fight for her beliefs.
And in an era when high-profile people were reluctant to reveal they were gay, the tennis legend had no issue telling the world.
She has since been vocal in her fight for gay rights and same-sex marriage.
When Margaret Court hit out against same-sex marriage, Navratilova returned volley at last year's Australian Open in Melbourne with an open letter condemning the Australian tennis great's attitude.
Her partners have included a former Miss Texas.
It is almost three years since Navratilova had another fight on her hands - breast cancer.
She beat the disease with the same unwavering attitude adopted to conquer the best tennis could throw at her.
Late in 2010, she was again hit by health issues and was hospitalised after developing high-altitude pulmonary edema while attempting a mountain climb in Tanzania.
Navratilova has supported animal rights, environmental issues and child welfare and is an outspoken opponent of communism.
It was the systems of the former Eastern Bloc power that prompted Navratilova - who was told by the Czechoslovakian Sports Federation she was becoming too Americanised and must return to school, putting tennis in second place - to seek political asylum in the US in 1975, aged just 18.
Navratilova won her first Grand Slam singles title at Wimbledon in 1978, beating Chris Evert in three sets in the final and capturing the World No.1 ranking for the first time. | <urn:uuid:56b0de2c-7a72-4067-8c5b-0f374e52f322> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.news.com.au/sport/tennis/martina-navratilova-still-an-on-court-inspiration/story-fndkzym4-1226548402982 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00004-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.980601 | 525 | 1.84375 | 2 |
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Ethos and Policy
Our Ethos is to produce the best available training and in so doing offer the best opportunities to young people who want to work in the horseracing industry and who want to develop their skills and talents. We are therefore committed to continuous improvement, not only of the trainees, but of the training itself.
Our policies are agreed by the Trustees and developed for their consideration and agreement by the Management Team.
It is a fundamental principle of the main training area of Work Based Learning for 16-18 year olds that it is delivered free of charge to the individual. Therefore there is no charge for the training, the accommodation or the food. In so doing, it is intended that this training is available to any individual regardless of their means or background, provided they meet the criteria of Government Work Based Learning.
Duty of Care
We take very seriously our responsibilities in looking after the trainees at the School. It is therefore very important that we have in place a comprehensive arrangement to fulfil this obligation. Trainees have a weekly 1:1 interview with their Instructor and they have access to both male and female members of staff with whom they can discuss issues of concern. The Chaplain to Horseracing visits every week and is available as a neutral and confidential source of counselling where needed. We believe that it is very important for trainees to have effective contact with their parents whilst at the School and at this challenging time in their lives, and therefore each bedroom in the hostel has a private telephone line which allows parents to ring in. Similarly we have effective policies on bullying to ensure that any allegation is properly and effectively dealt with.
Health and Safety
Because of the inherent risks of working with racehorses, considerable emphasis is placed on health and safety. We have comprehensive procedures in place to ensure that we eliminate where possible, any potential health and safety risk. To provide this, health and safety is integrated into all our activities and we employ a dedicated Health and Safety Consultant.
We are committed to reducing our impact on the environment. As part of our policy, all staff and trainees are encouraged to be involved and to contribute to this policy. As an example of our commitment, we now have a Biomass Boiler which will dramatically reduce our consumption of oil and make use of the stable waste which we produce.
We believe that it is very important the School has strong links with both the local and the racing community. This is done through a wide range of activities. It includes members of staff contributing to various industry and other committees connected with our training. It involves hosting visits from groups who wish to visit the School and the Newmarket and Mildenhall School Partnership. It also involves members of staff contributing to the local community.
Advice and Guidance
We put particular emphasis on the need for young people to have appropriate information, advice and guidance so that they can make informed choices of the options available to them whilst they are training. We therefore have comprehensive procedures in place ranging from the first tentative enquiry from a potential trainee to ongoing advice throughout the training process. To demonstrate this commitment we have recently achieved Matrix Accreditation.
We think it is really important that young people are trained within what we term as a 'quality environment'. By this we mean that the buildings, the grounds and the training facilities are all equipped and maintained to the highest standard. Particular attention is paid to the menu to ensure we provide the best possible food within the budget available. Rooms are very well appointed with good quality furniture and pictures. We hope that in so doing, we demonstrate the importance of high standards and the value that we place on each and every one of them as human beings. | <urn:uuid:1c627b6e-670a-44c8-b5b6-1d54a9d97b4b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.brs.org.uk/About_Us/ethos/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00009-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.96753 | 757 | 1.507813 | 2 |
»NOVIEW« is a critical debate on the theme of techniques of manipulation, examinating the gap between what one can see and what is not shown.
For this project Katrin Thomas has been working with psychoanalyst Dr. Dan Lutzker from New York. Models are being hypnotized within issues of the pop culture and then photographed: they "become" icons of the fashion world or are playfully put into scenic sequences with suggestions like "dieting" or "plastic surgery" to touch base with their emotional being. The photographs of these performances give a glance onto the media world’s subtexts. Photography and Hypnosis are being used as techniques in terms of memory and realization. The question "what can I see" is complemented by the question "what do I want to see". It creates a second Self, a double, which is not drawn from reality. The hypnotized person, like the viewer of a photograph, is able to see images under the hypnotic influence: pictures that are created by the person itself. This is where the analogy of photography and hypnosis becomes obvious: Both, photography and hypnosis are techniques to create images.
The moment that has already passed is being reproduced as an image. The effect of hypnosis is directed inward rather than outward here. In these images hypnosis-actually a rather ‘private’ subject- turns public. Where is the borderline between the private and the public? Who has the right to take photographs of whom? Under which circumstances? These questions evolve and become ever more critical in the face of an ongoing expansion and restructuring of ‘public space’ by our modern communication technologies. | <urn:uuid:e80ca97c-f9bc-4ce0-a902-7728c7bfb84b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.katrinthomas.com/books/noview/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00001-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.960675 | 343 | 1.742188 | 2 |
The Mitchie Mitchell Foundation provides academic scholarships to high school students who are survivors and immediate family members of people injured or killed by drunk drivers. The foundation also provides counseling and educational support to city and state agencies, corporate entities, schools, churches and individuals on the impact of drunk driving on society.
Photo by Patti Moeng-Mfoloe.
No one should lose their loved one to the criminal negligence of a drunk driver. Together, we will eliminate this threat to families across the world. But there is much work to be done and we need your help.
At the heart of the Mitchie Mitchell Foundation is our commitment to serve victims of drunk driving. Our goals are to prevent future drunk driving by working to stop underage drinking and bring more public awareness to this serious crime. Your support at any level will enable us to continue our mission to eradicate this senseless menace to society. | <urn:uuid:ac05fa32-dc5c-4841-b3b8-3fbe1b62f6b0> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://mitchiemitchell.org/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00013-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.952389 | 179 | 1.640625 | 2 |
New youth baseball and softball programs for middle school students have been a big hit this spring in the WoodRiverValley. The early arrival of spring-like weather has enabled the kids to get out on the fields and to learn more about the diamond sports.
The developmental programs are organized under the auspices of the Wood River Baseball and Softball Association’s Babe Ruth division with the support of the BlaineCountySchool District and administrators at Hailey’s WoodRiverMiddle School.
The Idaho Mountain Express contacted two of the prime movers and asked them to comment on the progress.
It’s worth noting that the school district has not officially welcomed baseball and softball into the list of school-sanctioned sports, which include football, basketball, volleyball and track. Currently the programs are “club sports.”
Spokesmen are softball’s Tim Rierden, an eighth-grade special education teacher at WoodRiverMiddle School, and baseball’s Lars Hovey, a WoodRiverHigh School physical education/health teacher who co-founded the high school baseball program in 1992 and coached it for many years.
Rierden said, “It’s been a real privilege to be involved in a healthy program on the rise. Last year we were able to field two teams. A lot of us thought that might have just been one of those rare years. This year proved it was no fluke. We have two solid rosters of 12-13 players each. Each grade level at the school is well represented.
“So far we’ve traveled to Twin Falls and Jerome and also hosted them here. We held a mini-tourney last weekend, playing teams from Jerome and Twin at the high school and middle school fields. Each team has five games remaining, two at home and three on the road. The girls are improving each week and showing great enthusiasm for the game.
“We are a developmental program. Our philosophy dictates that winning is not a goal. Winning is a byproduct of preparation and play by those with a sound foundation in the fundamentals of the game.
“We want our players to learn the game from many positions and develop the attitude that the most important skill they bring to the team is a desire and ability to contribute from any position on the field. We try to find the player’s personal strengths and coach them to apply what comes naturally to a softball skill-set. When a player knows she can compete at two or three positions it improves her confidence and understanding of the game.”
As for the future, Rierden said, “It’s our hope to have the School District adopt it as a regular team sport. This would create the natural path from sixth to 12th grade that other ball sports enjoy.
“We are fortunate that Dale Martin, Jim Bradley and the high school coaches and players have taken us under their wing. We regularly have high school players and coaches at our practices working with our players. That kind of support goes a long way to improve the quality of instruction.”
The baseball program has 36 boys divided into three teams coached by Hovey and Sam Urbany, by Larry Lloyd and Mike Levy, and by Jon Peavey and Kirk Felger. The program covers eight weeks and features about 12 games before the season-ending tournament the first week of June.
Hovey said, “We’re trying to foster a cohesive unit of baseball players, coaches and parents rather than three individual teams. We’ve done this by having position-specific and combined team practices, rather than separate team practices. We’ve had the high school staff attend practices.
“The emphasis is on instruction and the focus is on increasing the numbers at the high school level. The School District has contributed a great deal to the ‘middle school program,’ although it’s officially a Babe Ruth program under the auspices of the WRBSA.
“The development of the baseball and softball fields at the middle school has been a terrific asset, as well as the opportunity to practice immediately after school. We are also utilizing School District transportation (vans) to reduce the time and cost of travel for parents to away games.
“We definitely feel a partnership with the BlaineCountySchool District and the WoodRiverMiddle School and wouldn’t have been able to accomplish nearly what we have without their support.
“As for the future, I personally feel that we are in a position to take the next step and become a school-sanctioned sport. There are 12 sports sanctioned by the Idaho High School Activities Association including baseball and softball. We support all 12 at the high school level and are only missing baseball, softball, golf and tennis as feeder programs at the middle school level.”
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The Idaho Mountain Express is distributed free to residents and guests throughout the Sun Valley, Idaho resort area community. Subscribers to the Idaho Mountain Express will read these stories and others in this week's issue. | <urn:uuid:20c66072-dbf3-4adf-a681-b89ccc234821> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.mtexpress.com/story_printer.php?ID=2005142079 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00012-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.967674 | 1,135 | 1.734375 | 2 |
If you want to earn some additional reputation, you can help improve existing knowledgebase topics or make suggestions for new topics. Once a new (placeholder) topic is created you can start improving it.
There are some things to keep in mind when contributing to the Knowledgebase.
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- Tips & Tricks for formatting posts on the Tracker | <urn:uuid:f13a4761-acca-43c5-9a37-e81438061eb3> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://community.mediabrowser.tv/permalinks/1394/tips-tricks-for-adding-improving-knowledgebase-topics | 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 | 0.934654 | 345 | 1.734375 | 2 |
Surfacing Equipment Options
When it comes to surfacing equipment options for today's engines, the main issue is how smooth the sealing surfaces need to be. Do you need the ability to produce a mirror-like finish?
By Larry Carley
On older cast iron engines with conventional soft-faced head gaskets, as long as the surface finish on the cylinder head and block deck is roughly 60 to 100 microinches Ra (roughness average), the head gasket should cold seal and remain leak-free for the life of the engine. But on late model bimetal (aluminum head/cast iron block) and all-aluminum engines, smoother surface finishes are required for a couple of reasons.
Aluminum expands and contracts at a much higher rate than cast iron as it heats up and cools down. As a result, the head gasket typically requires some type of low friction coating such as Teflon, graphite or moly so it won't stick to the head and be pulled apart. A smoother surface finish also helps. Most gasket manufacturers now recommend a surface finish of 30 to 60 microinches Ra for bimetal and all-aluminum engines with conventional soft-faced head gaskets. And if the engine has a multi-layer steel (MLS) head gasket, a surface finish of 25 Ra or less is typically required because OEM MLS gaskets have very little conformability and require almost a mirror-finish to seal properly.
With performance engines, smoother finishes have also become the norm. Most NASCAR engines today are running MLS gaskets, and the people who are putting these engines together typically want finishes in the low teens or even single digits! That level of smoothness can only be obtained with surfacing equipment that has the rigidity, accuracy and control flexibility to produce an ultra-smooth finish.
If there's one thing most equipment suppliers agree upon, it's that yesterday's surfacing equipment can't cut it in today's world. Older milling machines and grinders usually can't hold the tight tolerances that are needed to achieve really low RA surface finishes required for MLS gaskets. Lack of rigidity in the machine itself or fixturing, and play in the travel mechanism, cutter head or spindle can all have an adverse effect on the finish.
In the good ol' days, it was possible to get a satisfactory surface finish with almost anything that could remove metal whether it was a grinder, carbide flycutter, broach or belt sander. But to achieve the high quality finishes required for today's engines, you need a high speed resurfacer to mill cylinder heads and block decks.
In some cases, older grinding equipment can be upgraded and converted to milling by changing the head. But some equipment suppliers say you can't get the same results using a cutter head in a modified grinder. It's better to go with a dedicated milling machine. Yet there are combination grinding/milling machines that can do both equally well and provide the flexibility to use whichever method works best in a given situation.
Though the trend in recent years has been away from wet grinding to dry milling, grinding is still used to resurface diesel cylinder heads with precombustion chambers as well as diesel engine blocks with hard cylinder liners. Milling a diesel cylinder head with the precombustion chambers in place is difficult because the precombustion chambers are much harder than the head. Grinding eliminates the need to remove the precombustion chambers. But if a smoother finish is required than can be obtained by grinding, you may have to remove the precombustion chambers to mill the head.
Shopping For New Surfacing Equipment
Dry milling heads and blocks requires surfacing equipment that can deliver a smooth, flat, high-quality finish. The OEMs and many production engine builders use surfacers that have high speed multi-cutter heads. The more inserts there are in the cutter, the faster it can transverse the surface. Faster cutting saves time and boosts productivity in a high volume shop. But multiple inserts also increase the cost of the equipment and maintenance, and requires more skill and effort to set up than a simple single insert cutter head.
Many shops like the simplicity of a single insert cutter because it is so much easier to set up and adjust. If a cutter head has two or more inserts, all the inserts must be set to the same height or else it will leave an uneven cut on the surface. So that's why many shops prefer the single insert setup.
To achieve the best possible finish, you should use a higher rpm and lower feed rate with a very shallow cut on the final pass (less than .001"). With a single insert cutter spinning at 1,000 to 1,500 rpm, the feed rate should probably be less than two inches per minute to achieve a surface finish in the low teens. If you bump up the cutter rpm, you can also increase the feed rate while still maintaining the same surface finish. Using a surfacer that has an adjustable rpm and feed rate, therefore, gives you the flexibility to play around with the settings so you can find the optimum combination that gives the best surface finish.
Buying a surfacer with higher rpm capability also allows the use of special cutters like shell mills, which are becoming increasing popular for resurfacing the intake side of cylinder heads.
You can also get a programmable surfacer that can do a two-step milling job. You tell the machine how much metal you want to remove for a rough cut to restore flatness across the surface of the head or block deck, then how much additional metal you want to remove for a final finish cut (and at what speed and feed). After the machine takes the first cut, it automatically recycles and adjusts the speed and feed rate before taking the final cut. Fully programmable equipment is expensive, but also frees up the operator to do other tasks, which may save labor cost and help boost your overall productivity.
You can spend anywhere from around $12,000 for a basic entry-level surfacer up to $50,000 or more for a top-of-the-line model. The price ultimately depends on the tooling, fixturing and other features you want. The higher the price, the more "extras" you get like programmable controls, multi-bit cutter heads, special gauging, etc.
Some surfacers are dedicated milling machines while others are dual-purpose machining centers that can also be used for boring/milling or even valve and seat work. A dual-purpose machine gives you more flexibility and takes up less floor space but limits you to performing one type of job at a time. A dual purpose machine may be a good choice if you operate a smaller shop and are limited on space, or you want one machine that can do more than one thing. On the other hand, if you have a larger, high volume shop, you would probably want a dedicated milling machine - maybe even several such machines depending on the type of work you do. You might need a standard sized machine for resurfacing car and light truck heads and blocks, and a second larger machine for resurfacing heavy-duty diesel heads and blocks.
To achieve today's flatness and smoothness requirements, a surfacer must be a very rigid machine. The work table, cutting head, shaft and motor must all be very strong and constructed to extremely tight tolerances. Any flexing or movement in these parts will affect the quality of the surface finish.
Motors should have zero tolerance bearings. Play in the bearings may allow the motor shaft to move up and down when the motor changes speed or when the cutter encounters resistance. There should be no vertical movement in the motor or cutter head while the milling process is taking place.
The type of feed mechanism the surfacer uses is also important. Hydraulic surfacers have been around for many years and offer infinitely variable feed speeds. A hydraulic feed uses pressure to push the table along on slides. At low feed rates, though, the table may stick momentarily as it moves, creating a "stick and slip" motion that may leave an uneven finish on the head or block. That's why many surfacers now have electric drive ball screw feed mechanisms. A motor driven ball screw mechanism provides a higher degree of control and consistency, which helps the machine achieve ultra-low Ra surface finish numbers. Some machines with ball screw mechanisms can hold tolerances to within .0001".
Ease of setup is also an important feature to look for if you are shopping for new equipment. The fixturing should be capable of accommodating a wide variety of different cylinder head configurations as well as different lengths. If all you do are passenger car and light truck engines, all you need is a standard sized surfacer with fixturing for these applications. On the other hand, if you do heavy-duty diesel heads and/or blocks, you'll need a larger machine with oversized fixturing to handle the larger parts.
Ease of setup includes being able to mount a head or block on the surfacer quickly, level it and align the cutter head. The "Winfield" fixture is very popular and can accommodate both heads and blocks. It usually takes only 5 to 8 minutes to set up, which can really save a lot of time in a busy shop.
Less expensive universal "economy" fixtures are also available, and may save you some money up front. But you also have to consider what your needs really are and which type of fixturing will best meet those needs year-round in your shop. You also have to compare set-up times and how it affects productivity.
Setup accuracy is absolutely essential because there's so little margin for error on most engines today. In most cases, you will be removing very little metal and just skimming across the surface to clean it up. Some surfacers have a built-in dial indicator that makes it easier to set up the machine. Time is money and the less time it takes to set up a cylinder head or a block to be resurfaced, the more time can be spent resurfacing metal. Faster turn around means more production and hopefully more profit at the end of the day.
Milling machines can use carbide inserts, specially coated carbide, CBN (cubic boron nitride) or PCD (polycrystaline diamond) inserts.
Carbide can be used on aluminum or cast iron, is the least expensive type of insert and gives a high quality finish. Coated carbide inserts provide improved cutting action and deliver even better results than plain carbide. But carbide does not last as long as the more expensive superabrasives such as PCD or CBN.
PCD is generally recommended for milling aluminum. But PCD doesn't like cast iron and may shatter. CBN works great on cast iron and can be successfully used to mill aluminum provided some type of lubricant is used. A light coating of soap, wax or WD-40 can prevent the aluminum chips from sticking to the CBN tooling and scratching the surface.
Some shops change their tooling back and forth from CBN to PCD depending on what type of head they're resurfacing (cast iron or aluminum), while others use CBN on everything.
If you're shopping for new equipment, look for a surfacer that is designed for high speed CBN/PCD tooling. Superabrasives cutting at high speeds do not like any vibration or harmonics. They must be stable to cut evenly and cleanly. So look for a rigid table, power head and a large diameter shaft for the cutter head. | <urn:uuid:a42833d1-2ce5-428c-b3a7-d4c22b5ed065> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.enginebuildermag.com/Article/1076/surfacing_equipment_options.aspx | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00014-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.941881 | 2,403 | 1.765625 | 2 |
I caught the late show of Narnia last night. Paid full price. Worth it without question.
The unfortunate thing for Narnia is that it will inevitably be compared to Lord of the Rings. It can't quite stand up to that comparison. The main difference is that the Narnia stories are really intended for children, whereas the LOTR tales are written without an age group in mind. Thus, Narnia doesn't carry the same terrible feeling of impending doom or massive relief at the escape from doom.
One of the primary factors that makes Narnia so much less threatening is that we see so much of the villain, the evil queen. In LOTR, the ultimate villain is always beyond our grasp. So ancient, dark, and terrible, one can only strive in near blindness to prevail on faith. Here, the Queen is bad, but quite manageable by comparison. Like I say, Narnia is a children's story. They can't handle as much. In a way, Narnia is like The Passion of the Christ if you tried to make it endurable for kids. The result is entertaining, beautiful, reverent, and something that adults can enjoy, but is not FOR adults.
My distinction between what is for adults and children would possibly not hold up so well in an age where adults were not as world weary and jaded as we are. I suspect an audience from an earlier time would have all the violence and threat they would need to be pushed to the max by this film. That may be part of why C.S. Lewis wrote for children. They are still impressionable and in a good way. | <urn:uuid:a61f5bea-8ac5-4160-9b52-1c43a440fccb> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://reformclub.blogspot.com/2005/12/narnia-from-another-non-reviewer.html?showComment=1134492360000 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00004-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.976395 | 337 | 1.554688 | 2 |
photo: Robert Gaal
This week I’m thinking about what might be the ultimate first-world problem. I bought a new laptop and am trying to decide what to do with the old one, which still basically works.
If I keep the old laptop, I can use it as a spare for when the new one breaks and has to spend a few days at the You-know-what Store. Every time my laptop is in for service (and this happens to me more than I deserve), I complain loudly about how much work I am not getting done. A spare would save my wife a few days of torment. (Instead, I could start complaining about how I have to use this old, slow laptop.)
On the other hand, I could get several hundred bucks for the old laptop on Craigslist. I never complain about cash. What to do?
I sat on the problem for a couple of days before realizing that turning it around made the answer obvious. If I had the cash in my lap instead of the old laptop, would I use the money to go out and get a spare laptop? Of course not. I’d spend some here and save some there and go back to complaining when my laptop occasionally breaks.
There’s a lesson here that has little to do with laptops and everything to do with one of the most common questions in investing: when do I sell and investment whose performance is no longer up to snuff?
Okay, when do I sell?
It’s a question I hear all the time: “I have this investment that has lost money. Should I sell now or wait for it to go back up?”
Seen in the spare-laptop context, though, the question is posed the wrong way. Whether you already own the investment is irrelevant.
The right question is: “Say someone took away your investment and gave you the current market value in cash. Would you use the cash to buy the investment back?”
No? Then sell it. As investment expert Larry Swedroe put it recently:
“If I didn’t already own the asset, how much would I buy today as part of my overall investment plan? If the answer is, “I wouldn’t buy any,” or, “I would buy less than I currently hold,” you should sell. That is true of a bottle of wine, a stock, a bond or a mutual fund.”
And we can go further. As you continue to invest, are you buying more of that same asset each month? If not, why not? If you’re holding onto it, you must think it’s going to grow. Why not buy more?
The wrong way to invest
But the question about when to sell is even dumber than I’m making it sound, because people tend to ask that question when they’ve invested in something interesting.
In investing, “interesting” is just another word for “risky.” Beyond that, when you feel like you’ve gotten in on a special offering or at a special time, it’s harder to let go. Say you bought some Apple (AAPL) stock back in the pre-iPod era, and it’s been very good to you. It’s hard to sell today without feeling disloyal, even if you wouldn’t buy more at the current market price. (Not that I have any opinion on Apple’s future stock movement.)
By contrast, nobody falls in love with boring index funds, and it’s a snap to buy and sell them with no commission and no guilt any time you want.
Of course, a portfolio you’d buy again is no guarantee against bad times. I can’t predict the future of the market, and the evidence is good that nobody else can, either. But a portfolio full of interesting old chestnuts is probably too expensive and out of line with your overall risk tolerance and strategy—if there’s a strategy there at all.
January is coming soon. Here’s a New Year’s resolution you can actually keep: take a look at your portfolio. If there’s anything in there you wouldn’t buy again today at the current price, dump it and buy a boring index fund. If it’s going to cost you to unload the investment–say it’s a mutual fund with a redemption fee or an annuity with a surrender fee–make a note on your calendar on the day you can sell without a penalty.
I sold my old laptop on Craigslist. The proceeds are going into a nice, boring investment. I’ll avoid having a “should I sell?” moment—and I should wrap this up, because with my luck my new laptop is going to break any second now. | <urn:uuid:296b604c-202f-4be4-95fd-22bb28aae00c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.mint.com/blog/investing/dumping-bad-investments-11232010/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.962296 | 1,024 | 1.53125 | 2 |
These are teacher-consultants from the Hoosier Writing Project, located at IUPUI, with programs in Indianapolis, South Bend, and surrounding counties.
One of my students wrote in his semester-end portfolio last year, “Some days I hated this class because we had to think too much.”
As a teacher, those were some of the sweetest words I’ve ever heard.
And the reason for those words, and everything else that happens in my classroom, every day, is the National Writing Project. Everything. There is literally nothing that happens in my classroom that is not in some way a result of NWP. My students read everyday, even the ones who claim to hate reading. They write everyday, even the ones who claim to hate writing. And they think (some students would like to argue “think too much”…) everyday. They think like readers, they think like writers, they think like thinkers. My students hit the world prepared: prepared for college, for work, for life. And they do so because the National Writing Project helped me set up the conditions in my classroom for the reading, the writing and the thinking they are asked to do while they are there.
I need the National Writing Project. It helps me become a better teacher each morning when I flip on the lights to my classroom. But my students need it more than I do. They will leave my class one day, and they deserve the opportunity to walk into another NWP teacher-consultant’s classroom. Students in those classrooms learn more, achieve more, succeed more. Study after study after study after study confirms that; it’s indisputable. So let’s say it again: now more than ever, kids need the National Writing Project. If we, as a society, truly value education, if we truly value STUDENTS, then we need to prove it. Keep the National Writing Project alive. It’s the right thing to do.
Department chair, Noblesville High School
From 1997 until I retired in June of 2010, the Hoosier Writing Project has remained one of the most influential forces in my twenty-five year teaching career. I considered myself to be an effective teacher, always looking for ways to better my craft, working to engage more students. Through a colleague whose work with students I had unabashedly admired, I was pulled into the writing project and made into an even better teacher. After that first intensive summer training, I have, year after year, participated in the Advanced Institutes. These summer sessions fueled my inspiration and added tools to my teaching work belt that sent me back each August ready to take on the challenges that awaited. The project’s components reflect what I believe are key to teacher development. Obviously practicing what one teaches is at the core; reflecting on that practice, learning and applying teacher research strategies, as well as reading and discussing current educational research, are basic to the process. Probably most important, however, is the collegial aspect of teaching. Teachers share practices, texts and support freely. When each of us returned to our own schools, our professional generosity continued. Some of the most remarkable changes at my school (Penn High School) were driven by fellow HWP teachers and our commitment to the practice of writing and the practice of effective teaching. What appealed to me then, and continues to appeal to me now, is the sound academic basis for the work of the project, the practical nuts and bolts of scaffolding effective learning experiences, and the continued inspiration, the constant goal driven passion that spurs these members to work at their best. It is not clear to me why those behind educational reform fail to consult this model. Funding this initiative is vital to educational reform. It will maintain a professional network that pulses everyday with what is at the heart of educating young people . The Hoosier Writing Project, as an affiliate of the National Writing project, makes better teachers one summer at a time!
Retired Teacher of English
Being a part of the HWP opened doors to relationships with incredibly talented and dedicated teachers who willingly share great ideas, great books, new strategies, and steady encouragement. Being part of such a network means that I have daily opportunities to inquire of others, and invite my students to enjoy the challenges of inquiry as well. Before working through the HWP Summer Institute, I was a teacher who did a few things well, and relied upon those few things — I had found my comfortable niche, and saw no need to move from it. After 3 weeks of challenge, exposure to research, and extraordinary resources (most of them human), I awakened to just how unsatisfactory my comfortable niche had become — the HWP substantially altered my ways of learning about literacy, writing and true inquiry. Whenever teachers are learning, they become extraordinarily better teachers. Education must always focus on the next generation of learners — and the NWP must remain a vital component of encouraging, training, and inspiring teachers who have the privilege and responsibility of teaching that next generation. The HWP profoundly impacted my methods of instruction — my students reap those benefits every day. Simply the best professional development I’ve ever known – and it doesn’t end after three weeks, because the resources on the NWP website, and the teachers who are now my colleagues and friends are available to me every single day — the HWP really did change my teaching life.
The NWP and the HWP totally transformed what I do in the classroom. Experiencing the professional development I found while participating in NWP events made me a data-driven teacher who thinks more about student acheivement and growth than “getting the worksheets done.” The NWP provides meaningful and relevant growth for teachers and, by extension, their students. To eliminate funding for the NWP would be a tragic setback for student learning.
Department chair, Center Grove High School
I encourage every thoughtful teacher I know to participate in the National Writing Project. As a result of my own participation eleven years ago, I felt—and continue to experience in advanced summer institutes—a profound effect upon my teaching and my attitude. Writing is, in my opinion, the hardest aspect of language arts to teach; as with all teaching, being good at something personally makes it harder to teach because all the nuances that I understand as a writer do NOT come naturally to student writers, so I have do write and examine what I do in order to help duplicate those experiences for students. My NWP experience helped me to do that—with the help of my fellow teachers who shared their best lessons to enhance my repertoire of tools to draw upon.
Here’s how the NWP network has helped me:
1. I have a community of professionals to contact and get immediate ideas from for powerful lessons.
2. We constantly share resources and methods to improve our lessons.
3. As a high school teacher, I get feedback from teachers of younger and older students to see where my instruction fits on the continuum.
4. When I’ve had to seek teachers to interview for open positions, an NWP teacher (or one recommended by an NWP fellow) goes to the top of my list.
5. I learn of the latest research to apply to lesson design and best results in writing.
6. NWP fellows are the type of teachers who are willing to go “above and beyond,” so their influence keeps me positive.
The actual experience of NWP is meant to be duplicated in the classroom, so here’s how I’ve changed my instruction:
- I write with my students so I can show / model the writing process and realize how to make instruction more clear if my directions fall short.
- Students explore their real questions as we research topics that are meaningful and useful.
- Students write and develop their writing in peer groups, and I teach them to offer useful feedback so they don’t have to wait on me to be there for all their questions (I have about 1 1/2 minutes per student to offer each day if I work with each student one-on-one).
- Students’ assessing their own work is recommended as a best practice, so this offers them an opportunity to practice that within groups.
- I consciously assign writing on all three levels: personal, transactional, and formal; therefore, I am using “writing to learn” on a daily basis.
- Students create portfolios of their writing and writing process. Best practices of a.) choosing meaningful topics, b.) displaying growth over time (something standardized tests can NEVER duplicate), c.) writing about their writing process/thinking, d.) completing and collecting much more writing than in my former classroom, e.) showing evidence of revision and editing/ multiple drafting, f.) examining their writing weaknesses and strengths, and g.) sharing techniques others in their group use in kid-delivered language.
- I continuously update reading selections so they are the most engaging and relevant choices for today’s students.
- Students have a small-group – and later a sharing with the whole class – audience for which they write, and they experience the gratification that comes with others’ admiration for a piece that is well-written. This creates a cycle of always wanting to improve and write for intrinsic rewards.
I am a professional development junkie. I have attended local and national conventions and workshops all over the country. NONE has compared with my experience with NWP when it comes to improving my daily instruction. No other network I have keeps me constantly on my toes when it comes to actively seeking out ways to continually grow as a professional. No other group of people keeps up my spirits against media criticism, naysayers on my faculty, misguided administrators, or not-in-the-trenches state leaders. Every summer I attend an NWP advanced institute for one week to rejuvenate my planning for the coming school year. I consider myself very well-read in research and methodology, but I always come away with pages of ideas, teaching materials, and resources to explore in improving my practice.
My NWP experience has proven to be the one most-valued, profound, growth-producing influence on my professional life.
Inclusion, gifted, honors, advanced placement teacher; literacy coach, department chair
HWP/NWP has provided me with an endless resource for curriculum ideas and innovation as well as professional collaboration and support.
I wrote the entire curriculum for a Creative Writing class, this year, almost solely using ideas and works read through the writing project and suggestions from it!
Hamilton Southeastern Schools
I did my Summer Institute at IUSB in the summer of 2001. At that point, I knew I’d been laid off from teaching at Washington HS, but the folks were gracious enough to let me join y’all anyway. I moved to Chicago, and came back for an Advanced Institute at ND the following summer. Since moving to Texas in 2005, I joined up with the Heart of Texas Writing Project. I’m now the associate director, a post I’ve held for going on 3 years. As a grad student, that basically means I do a lot of the administrative duties, but also get to be in on big decisions about the direction of the project, how we use our energies, and what it is we really value. I am also serving on the Inservice Leadership Team as we plan for the ELL-focused Inservice Retreat in Cleveland this summer.
I was able to connect to the NWP community through HWP and it has been such a wonderful experience.
Language & Literacy Studies
HTWP Associate Director
Participating in the NWP summer workshop seven years ago helped me to understand that as an English teacher, writing is the most important part of my curriculum. The workshop gave me both an overarching philosophical approach to teaching writing and specific strategies to use with students in the classroom. Continued contact with the Project since my first workshop has inspired me to work toward an M.A. in English and view professional development as an essential, on-going aspect of my teaching career.
I feel lucky to be associated with the organizers of the Hoosier Writing Project and look forward to the crucial role they will continue to play in my professional life.
Arsenal Technical High School
My experience as a member of the Hoosier Writing Project has had a huge effect on who I am as an educator. From watching other educators demonstrate how they teach, I have learned how to be a better educator. Through having a chance to be a student in a Hoosier Writing Project class I have gotten to see what it is like for a student sitting in my class, facing the challenges of writing. Finally, participating in such a rewarding example of professional development has given me skills I can bring back to my fellow educators to make our common planning time and meeting more effective. In short, not only has HWP helped me, but it has helped the other teachers at my school who have never attended an HWP class.
John Marshall High School
I completed the summer institute after my first full year of teaching (back in 1993) and that experience, along with ongoing NWP related networking with knowledgeable and reflective TCs, ongoing professional learning opportunities and ongoing professional leadership opportunities, has been, hands down, the most important and lasting professional development work of my career in education.
As I now complete a graduate degree and apply for jobs in both schools of education and educational consulting, I routinely note in application materials the profound impact that the NWP had for me in tuning my attention to the diverse needs and powerful capacities of student writers. This is no time to reduce support for NWP; it is time to employ it more broadly as a way to engage and support teachers of writing (all teachers).
Ph.D. candidate, IUPUI
I can’t begin to explain the positive impact the National Writing Project summer institute has had on me as a university faculty member and on my students over the past eleven years. I would need to write an entire book to list all the outstanding results of my having been a participant and consultant. Here are just a few highlights:
- I better understand teacher research and have presented/published my results to share outcomes with colleagues both locally and nationally
- I employ engaging pedagogies in my classroom that were developed from the summer institute for which my students benefit
- My students and I have access to all the excellent resources available from the National Writing Project
- I continue to interact with a network of highly-dedicated and competent faculty across the State of Indiana and around the U.S.; this network provides strong professional development opportunities on an ongoing basis
Writing teachers and their students have come to rely on the excellent guidance and resources of the National Writing Project to provide quality educational practices to strengthen students’ writing skills nationwide. Employers consistently report that good communication skills, including effective writing, are and will continue to be imperative for a viable 21st Century workforce. I can think of no other program as well designed to provide educators with sound and useful strategies for teaching writing to our future workforce; the National Writing Project must continue to be funded to ensure our national prominence as a leading economic power.
David J. Sabol
Faculty, Department of English
Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI)
The experience of the summer institute had the greatest impact on me as a writing teacher. The purpose of the summer institute is two-fold: to develop teachers as writers themselves and to extend teachers’ ability to assist students in growing as writers. How can one teach writing without the experience of being a writer and a member of a writing community? After the summer institute I was able to go back and help my elementary level students see themselves as writers, enhance their writing skill, and thoroughly enjoy the process!
Without NWP, I never would have had the courage to pursue my MFA in Creative Writing, which, in turn, has opened up so many opportunities for my students, through our partnerships with Second Story and other writers. Before NWP, it never would have occurred to me to partner my students with real writers, but because of NWP, I realized that the most authentic instruction of writing comes from experiencing what real writers go through… the panic, the starts and stops, and ultimately, the growth, instead of focusing on a final product.
Middle School Teacher
Center for Inquiry at School 2, Indianapolis
In my 24 years of teaching, the National Writing Project has been the single most important professional development in which I have been involved.
Since 1993, I have been involved with the Hoosier Writing Project, first as a fellow in their invitational summer institute (ISI), and then as a co-director of the ISI. Through facilitating the 17-day institute, I have met hundreds of teachers from throughout the state who are passionate about their work and focused on their students’ achievement. I have had the privilege of working with my former students who have gone on to be teachers; this special relationship humbles and awes me. In turn, the teachers I work with in the summer go on to teach hundreds of Hoosier schoolchildren, kindergarten through college. In this way, my Writing Project work replicates and duplicates, kind of like DNA.
As a writer myself, I look forward to the summer institutes to spend time on my craft. During the year, I jot ideas in a notebook so that when I have the luxury of time during the Writing Project, I can develop my thoughts. I am a better teacher of writing because I experience the process of writing myself; I know what it is like to wrestle with words. My students are better writers because I write. I write because the Hoosier Writing Project gives me the time to do so. Writing is an essential skill for the 21st century, and my work with the National Writing Project allows me to help my students become stronger writers. Please restore funding to this premiere educational professional development program.
Mary B. Nicolini
Writing Center Director
Penn High School, Mishawaka
My first opportunity to participate in discussions and workshops about the teaching of writing, with teachers of writing, came when I was a graduate intern with the Hoosier Writer Project. The dedication to teaching that I encountered there was contagious, and it was impossible not to be inspired by it when I first began teaching my own classes. During my first fall teaching at a community college, I found my time with HWP to be of equal value to the theory I had encountered in grad school.
Teaching at a community college that offered little professional support, the NWP conference I attended that fall provided me with many of the practices I implemented in the classroom. It is likely that without my experience with the HWP, my first semester of teaching would not have been the positive experience it was—and without this positive experience, I’m not sure that I would have continued to pursue the teaching of writing as a career. In addition to the professional support and encouragement provided by the HWP, I have found the knowledge it offers about the teaching of writing at various levels (K-14) to be incredibly useful in the college classroom. I now teach at IUPUI, and knowing the types of writing instruction my students have encountered in the past allows me to better understand their experiences, knowledge, and needs. Through the annual NWP conferences I have attended, I have been able to maintain these relationships with instructors at various levels, and I continue to use this knowledge to shape my pedagogy.
Associate Faculty, IUPUI
The HWP was one of the most renewing experiences I’ve had as a teacher. I completed my Master’s degree shortly after graduating from college and a Teacher Leadership Academy right after that. Both of those experiences were informative and helpful, but they weren’t focused on how to make my students better readers or writers. They didn’t help me become a better reader and writer either.
Having time each and every day for nearly three weeks to sit with other practitioners of my craft creating, sharing, honing, and demonstrating was the highlight of my educational experiences. I learned from amazing professionals that I continue to share ideas with via the listserv, emails, get-togethers, and workshops. I was given an opportunity to read some of the best literature about my profession to garner further ideas and better understand the research behind best practices. It helped me to become more masterful of my craft.
The most amazing thing about HWP was that we all came from different walks of life–urban, suburban, rural; Caucasion, African-American, Asian-American; young and old; elementary, middle school, high school, and college. Yet at the end of each day, we were family that lifted one another up in our writing small groups and cheered each other during author’s chair. And at the end of three weeks, we walked away renewed and committed to doing the best work for our students. We went back to our own schools and created the same family of writers that we had at HWP. That is more beneficial than any standardized test score in the world!
Fishers High School
I have been a member of the National Writing Project since 2005. For years, I found myself teaching composition by using different philosophies and ideas. They worked for me and helped to engage my students. While my methods also helped me to develop a rapport with my students, there were few colleagues that acknowledged or agreed with my teaching style. That is where NWP came in. After attending my first conference, my colleagues took me in, made me feel like one of them, and corroborated and affirmed my teaching methods.
The advantage of attending the yearly Summer Institute is two-fold. Not only do I get to revisit old friends and meet new ones, but we get to gather together and share teaching ideas. We also discuss and dissect some of the old ones that didn’t quite pan out. Attending the SI is also a chance for me to write . . . something we all should continually practice as we expect that of our students. My one week in the SI serves as a time of learning about new things, and rejuvenating my sometimes “old” spirit.
As an African American maneuvering my way through the educational and teaching process, I am often the “minority” at various organizational events and conferences. The NWP was one of the first organizations, of which I belong to, that addressed this. We have not only looked at the issue, and worked to recruit teachers of color, but we are constantly looking at new approaches to acknowledge, teach, and address race and equity for teachers, students, administrators. I hope that funding for this project is continued for the sakes of all involved.
Lecturer, IUPUI, Indianapolis | <urn:uuid:fe2a4e4f-d502-43be-bf4c-4b963d1118ef> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://coopcatalyst.wordpress.com/2011/04/05/blog4nwp-hoosier-writing-project-testimonials/?like=1&source=post_flair&_wpnonce=c7a699f16c | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00018-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.967303 | 4,697 | 1.664063 | 2 |
By Mike Mount
A hypersonic aircraft launched by the Air Force Tuesday spiraled out of control and was destroyed before it could reach its goal of speeding to 4,600 mph, Pentagon officials said Wednesday.
The third test of the X-51A Waverider was launched Tuesday off the California coast from a B-52 modified bomber aircraft and was to fly for 300 seconds, reaching hypersonic speeds of Mach 6, but only flew for 16 seconds, according to the Air Force.
Officials said a problem with a tail fin caused the missile-like vehicle to fly out of control before the main engine could be ignited, leading researchers to destroy it early. FULL POST | <urn:uuid:8284f8fb-b9f2-4169-924e-3c0c17887d4c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://security.blogs.cnn.com/category/x-51a-waverider/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368711005985/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516133005-00009-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.96342 | 137 | 1.507813 | 2 |
Blizzard Entertainment has informed gamers regarding a security breach in its gaming service, Battle.net.
The video game developer and publisher has notified players of World of Warcraft and Diablo III that hackers accessed email addresses and hashed passwords, but clarified that they do not contain financial information. Now it urges users to update their accounts and modify passwords.
According to Blizzard’s post on Battle.net, hackers infiltrated its North American servers, which cover several regions that include North America, Latin America, South East Asia, Australia and New Zealand.
Here’s a summary of the data that we know was illegally accessed:
North American-based accounts, including players from Latin America, Australia, New Zealand, and Southeast Asia
- Email addresses
- Answers to secret security questions
- Cryptographically scrambled versions of passwords (not actual passwords)
- Information associated with the Mobile Authenticator
- Information associated with the Dial-in Authenticator
- Information associated with Phone Lock, a security system associated with Taiwan accounts only
Accounts from all global regions outside of China (including Europe and Russia)
- Email addresses
However, Blizzard cleared the air by saying cryptographically hashed passwords, not plain text passwords, got stolen alongside personal user security questions. It firmly believes hackers will not have the ability to access accounts using that user information only.
Regardless of the mishap, the game developer has highly recommended that players of its games change their Battle.net passwords, together with all other similar passwords for other services.
Blizzard has shut down the unauthorized access and is now cooperating with authorities to hunt for the perpetrators.
Battle.net currently caters to millions of players, 10 million of which play on the World of Warcraft series.
Blizzard CEO/president/co-founder Michael “Mike” Morhaime apologized in an open letter addressed to players, saying,
We also know that cryptographically scrambled versions of Battle.net passwords (not actual passwords) for players on North American servers were taken. We use Secure Remote Password protocol (SRP) to protect these passwords, which is designed to make it extremely difficult to extract the actual password, and also means that each password would have to be deciphered individually. As a precaution, however, we recommend that players on North American servers change their password. Please click this link to change your password. Moreover, if you have used the same or similar passwords for other purposes, you may want to consider changing those passwords as well.
In the coming days, we’ll be prompting players on North American servers to change their secret questions and answers through an automated process. Additionally, we’ll prompt mobile authenticator users to update their authenticator software. As a reminder, phishing emails will ask you for password or login information. Blizzard Entertainment emails will never ask for your password.
We take the security of your personal information very seriously, and we are truly sorry that this has happened.
Morhaime said that the stolen encrypted passwords have Secure Remote Password protocol (SRP) protection, which he claims will make them very hard to crack.
Image: Juan Pablo Olmo via Flickr (CC) | <urn:uuid:c2f9ab8c-e1fb-4a60-aee1-8cda707e11ac> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://socialbarrel.com/blizzard-entertainments-battle-net-gaming-service-hacked/41752/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704392896/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113952-00013-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.937784 | 647 | 1.734375 | 2 |
Inspiring stories about increasing energy, positivity and upgrading your lifestyle. more
How can I help my little girl have a positive body image?
My daughter has just turned four. For the past three weeks she has wanted to have her arms covered even though it is boiling hot. When I ask why, she wants to know if her arms are beautiful. She also always wants to wear a dress lately asking for her knees to be covered and "Are my knees beautiful, Mummy?".
I can't believe she has become so body conscious so early in life, especially as we have made a conscious effort since birth never to comment on her looks or what she's wearing precisely to avoid this sort of thing. Up until now she's never bothered what she wears or how she looks.
Do we ignore what's happening and not make issue of it or is this something we should address immediately? We're worried that this could just be the start of bigger body issues.
Dr Justin says:
I’m going to answer this question in two parts. First, I’ll deal with the issue of your daughter having preferences for particular clothing in general. Then I’ll discuss your daughter’s questions about how beautiful her arms and knees are.
Kids and Preferences
As you would have noticed, from around the age of two or three, children begin to express strong preferences about a range of things, from what they eat to what they play, who they cuddle, and of course what they wear. This is entirely normal and developmentally appropriate, and we can help them by offering them choices we both feel good about. As you are experiencing, from time to time children may express a preference for something that we don’t want them to have. And this is where it gets tricky.
My personal policy is that if something is a matter of principle (that is, it involves safety or morality) I’m generally firm on limits. When it’s a matter of preference (such as what your daughter wears), I generally shrug my shoulders and allow my children to choose for themselves. As such, my children have gone to preschool in their pyjamas (only once – and when we got there and she saw everyone else dressed properly we returned home so she could change), and they have also had several other seemingly odd experiences due to preferences.
So, my first suggestion would be that if your daughter expresses a preference to wear long sleeves in hot weather, go along with it. Don’t make a big deal about it in any way. Just smile and say “OK.” You may choose to share a different opinion. But I recommend doing so gently and kindly rather than in an “I told you so” kind of way. If your daughter gets hot later, smile and kindly offer an opportunity to change.
Girls, far more than boys, are exposed to messages about body image. I’m not sure that parents can do anything at all to stop that exposure. However, parents can teach a healthy approach to body image through being a good example themselves, and by watching the things they say about themselves and others (including their kids). I’m guessing from your email that you’re fully aware of this yourself.
So what do you do?
You’ve asked whether you should ‘ignore’ the issue, or if you should be more pushy.
I don't think either of these positions would be helpful. The ‘ignoring’ suggestion could arguably be considered as either neglectful (at worst) or laissez-faire (at best). Neither of these approaches are associated with positive outcomes for children. Alternatively, becoming pushy and authoritarian generally promotes unsatisfactory outcomes for kids as well. But … there is a third (and far more helpful) option:
A positive way forward
I recommend that you try the following three things:
When your daughter wants to wear something you think is strange, have a chat about it. Ask why? If it’s merely preferences (and not about principles) then it’s usually best to allow it. Chances are she’ll get hot and get changed later on. Even obstinate kids want to be comfortable eventually. If it’s simply not allowable (like wearing a thermal fleece jacket on a 40°C day), set an appropriate limit by saying “No, but you can wear X or Y.” It won’t always go well, but you’re the parent and it’s your role to make the tough calls sometimes. If it’s about an issue related to beauty (so it’s a principle rather than a preference) try this second approach.
I’m strongly anti-praise when it comes to looks. Research clearly tells us that it can have terrible undermining effects on kids and their feelings of worth. But I’m also a big believer in talking about what we see. Research shows that descriptions can be helpful in children forming their own evaluations of things. My response would be, “Well, I see two perfectly formed arms with soft, clean, smooth skin that I LOVE to touch and tickle.” That will provide reassurance – but it’s not praise, nor is it making any judgement of beauty myths. You’re simply saying what you love. The key to this ‘chat’, comes next. After you offer reassurance, ask questions. “What do you think about your arms?” Or, “You seem to be asking lots of questions about arms and knees lately. Why is that?” Sometimes you will be surprised by your daughter’s insight and answers. Other times she may not have a clue why she’s asking. Regardless of her responses, be gently reassuring, not through praise, but by confirmation of what you see. (And it can also be helpful to talk about that what a person looks like is not nearly as important as how a person treats others).
- Avoid ignoring the issue, but also avoid making a big deal about it. Instead, approach it like you might approach an untidy kitchen. Shrug your shoulders, deal with it briefly and gently (don’t want to go breaking dishes) and then move on.
More parenting advice from Dr Justin
- How do I stop a three year-old with potty mouth?
- My six year old boy is still in nappies at night. Can I help him to stop wetting the bed?
- How do I teach my four-year-old that she doesn't rule the world?
- My son has started school and having tantrums. What should I do?
- Raising smart, curious children
- What parents must know about play dates
- Teaching your child resilience
- My child says she hates me. What should I do?
This article was written for Kidspot by Justin Coulson, Ph. D. Justin is a relationships and parenting expert, author and father of five children. Find him on Facebook, Twitter, and at happyfamilies.com.au.
You can get parenting advice from Justin Coulson by emailing your questions to firstname.lastname@example.org.
- 1. Help! My little boy won't poo!
- 2. How do I help my teen's anxiety?
- 3. Leaving kids unsupervised: what the law says
- 4. My 18 month old is too attached to the breast. How do I wean him?
- 5. My preschooler is rude and defiant. How do I cure him of this behaviour?
- 6. My 22 month old won't use her words. What should I do?
- 7. My daughter doesn't cope with disappointment. How can I encourage her?
- 8. How do I stop a three year-old with potty mouth?
- 9. How do I talk to my daughter about her diet without making it an issue?
- 10. My child is always hungry and eating too much. What am I doing wrong? | <urn:uuid:a2912882-e7ea-45bb-8819-bb06bf178c7c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.kidspot.com.au/schoolzone/Parenting-Baby-How-can-I-help-my-little-girl-have-a-positive-body-image+7224+239+article.htm | 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 | 0.969187 | 1,687 | 1.664063 | 2 |
Today Nizar Latif (The National) reports, "According to officials and residents living along the border zone close to Basra, 590 kilometres south of Baghdad, the problem of waste water, thick with salt and toxins, seeping in from Iraq has become acute poisoning the land and making farming all but impossible." From the story:
The effect on underground reservoirs and agriculture has been severe, forcing many farmers off the land and rendering the water undrinkable. The local government last year had to step in and send tankers of potable water out to residents.
It has also led to thick layers of salt forming on the surface of the land, both on the Iraq and Iranian side of the border, that kill off plant life. To clean the soil for agriculture, the salt must be washed off - but the process of flushing it away only ends up creating more polluted water.
Thursday night's entry was supposed to deal with e-mails but I focused on one that had just come in -- a good one to focus on, in my opinion -- and didn't have time to address another issue. More and more, in the snapshots especially, we're using foreign media in other languages. The US outlets rarely cover Iraq. I can speak and read a number of langagues, some better than others. I do have a working knowledge of Arababic (which I also spent the Christmas break brushing up on) and we're utilizing a larger number of those outlets. The January 5th snapshot containted the water issue and a number of visitors e-mailed to say of the Furat News article, "It's in some foreign language [Arabic] and how can I check you?" You can't unless you learn to read it. I don't know what to tell you.
It's not my job to footnote everything for visitors. US outlets pay less and less attention to Iraq, English language outlets around the world pay less and less attention to Iraq. More and more we'll be going to Arab media for Iraq coverage. Your concern shouldn't be my summary or synopsis. Your concern -- and mine -- should be whether or not it's accurate? The actual reporting, was it accurate or is it based on some sect's grudge or bias? I have no idea. But there is far too much in the Arab media that is not getting reported on in the US media and we've moved over to covering those outlets. If you can't read Arabic and don't want to trust me, you've got two choices: Learn the language or stop reading The Common Ills. Make your choice but stop sending e-mails about "I can't read it! How do I know you're telling the truth!"
In England, War Hawk Tony Blair's in the news as the days dwindle between now and Friday when he's recalled by the Iraq Inquiry. A book by Alastair Campbell and the big question there should be: Why?
Are we forgetting Campbell's Iraq Inquiry testimony? (See the January 12, 2010 snapshot and the January 13, 2010 snapshot.) The testimony of which Jason Beattie (Daily Mirror) observed, "The Godfather of Spin bobbed and weaved his way through a five-hour long grilling without once displaying a hint of humility or a glimmer of self-doubt." So we get Daniel Martin (Daily Mail) telling us Tony "allowed his wife Cherie to wear a pendant to 'ward off' evil spirits" and Nicholas Watt (Guardian) writing:
In a powerful illustration of the impact of Blair's faith on his actions, Campbell writes that a New Testament story about Herod and John the Baptist prompted prime ministerial jitters hours before the launch of an Anglo-American bombing mission against Iraq in December 1998.
Campbell, who famously dismissed questions about Blair's faith by saying "we don't do God", admits in his diaries that the former prime minister often read the Bible before he took "really big decisions".Sorry, but he lied before an audience last January. I don't know why I should then give any credence to his published diary. Are we assuming it's not edited for publication or that someone who would lie so willingly in public wouldn't lie in their diary?
I have no idea. But it goes to credibility and Campbell no longer has any.
We may have to include that in a snapshot next week due to the amount of e-mails on the topic but that's my position: If you're a known liar, we're not greatly interested in your claims.
The following community sites updated last night and today:
We're at the middle of the month. Next month Iraq Veterans Against the War has this event:
February 25, 2011 9:30 - 10:30 am
Richard Rowely (Big Noise Films)
The e-mail address for this site is firstname.lastname@example.org.
the national newspaper
the daily mail
anns mega dub
like maria said paz
sex and politics and screeds and attitude
thomas friedman is a great man
the daily jot
cedrics big mix
mikey likes it
oh boy it never ends | <urn:uuid:28e4a564-0b01-4ffa-abf6-5f3549278db6> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://thecommonills.blogspot.com/2011/01/credibility.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00001-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.96124 | 1,063 | 1.789063 | 2 |
Words Temitayo Ogunbiyi
Nigerian photographer JD 'Okhai Ojeikere has long been a pillar of the Nigerian visual arts scene. He is internationally renowned for his striking black and white photographs – the most famous of which depict Nigerian hairstyles (pictured above). His works double as a historical archive, highlighting the diverse aesthetics and cultures that characterise his country.
Though Ojeikere has been a successful photographer for decades, his perspectives are ever prescient as is his engagement with contemporary times. As part of a wider feature on the contemporary Lagos art scene (published in Issue 13) , ARISE spoke to Ojeikere about visual art in the Nigerian capital, young photographers and embracing new technology.
How has the visual arts scene in Lagos changed over the past few years?
I think that there has been a lot of improvement, compared to what it used to be. The photography side of the visual art was not taken to be part of art but now [curators] incorporate it in anything that they do. In any area they now invite photographers. Before it was not always like that. Just about three years ago, they started recognising photography as part of art. And on the photography side there has been a lot of development between then and now. As you know, almost every photographer uses digital cameras nowadays. When I started photography, there was nothing like even ordinary flash. We would use daylight, the only available light. But now we use studio light, we use flash guns, so it has changed a lot.
Have you started to use some of these new developments in your practice or have you stuck to the ways you worked in the beginning?
I try to use new technology to some extent – I use flashguns now, I use studio light. Only, I don’t use digital cameras at the moment. I have just told [my son] that I would like to buy one digital camera because I see a little advantage over the conventional camera, in that with the digital camera, when you take photographs, you can preview, see what you’ve taken, right on the spot, which was not available with the old technology.
Have you had much interaction with the young photographers working in Lagos today?
Of course, yes. They come here every now and again to ask one question or another. Some people come and ask, "How do I get published?" Then I ask, "How long have you been practicing photography? Take time, take it easy. Three years' experience cannot catapult you up there. You have to have more experience, take more pictures. You will get to the stage of getting published and holding exhibitions." Apart from that, we have trained a few young, new photographers. One is running a photography studio in Lagos and another is practicing his photography in London.
So you’ve worked with a mixture of commercial photographers and contemporary artists?
When [aspiring photographers] come to me, they go through general training. Those people who have an interest in commercial photography, we talk to them on that level. Those who want to be studio photographers, we talk to them on that level.
What are you currently working on?
I have more than enough [material]. You know, I was doing analog photography. Now I’m working on scanning them into digitalised images. There are archives of various subjects. No new projects at the moment. The newest project is the Nigerian ladies’ gele hairstyle, which is a continuous exercise.
What do you think could help to move the arts forward in Lagos?
Whoever wants to pursue the arts has to be very focused and dedicated in his profession. You have to be patient. You cannot be in a hurry. I have over 60 years' experience. You cannot start today and want to compare yourself. You cannot go back to what I did yesterday and want to do it today. You have to take it easy and get really focused and do what you want to do.
And lastly, what do you see for the visual arts in Lagos, all of the visual arts?
Ah. It’s going to explode very soon.
Read Temitayo Ogunbiyi's feature on the Lagos contemporary art scene, Home is Where The Art Is, in Issue 13 of ARISE magazine – out now. | <urn:uuid:06257de1-1598-4a3e-8b26-c65e53eaae8f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.ariselive.com/articles/jd-ojeikere-a-snapshot/96626/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00003-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.977721 | 901 | 1.5 | 2 |
MIAMI - Slow-moving Tropical Storm Debby's outer bands lashed Florida with rain and kicked up rough surf off Alabama on Sunday, prompting storm warnings for those states and causing at least one death.
The death in Florida was blamed on a tornado spawned by the storm, while a man went missing in the Gulf of Mexico at an Alabama beach.
Coastal Alabama and parts of Florida, including the Panhandle, were under tropical storm warnings. Underscoring the storm's unpredictable nature, forecasters discontinued a tropical storm warning for Louisiana after forecast models indicated Debby wasn't likely to turn west.
Debby already has dumped heavy rain on parts of Florida and spawned some isolated tornadoes, causing damage to homes and knocking down power lines. High winds forced the closure of an interstate bridge that spans Tampa Bay and links St. Petersburg with areas to the southeast. Residents in several counties near the crook of Florida's elbow were urged to leave low-lying neighbourhoods because of the threat of flooding.
Debby's centre was essentially stationary about 110 miles (180 km) south-southwest of Apalachicola, Fla., on Sunday evening. While storm tracks are difficult to discern days in advance, a forecast map predicted that the storm would meander north as the week unfolds.
Debby's top sustained winds were at about 60 mph (95 kph).
Chris Landsea, a meteorologist at the National Hurricane Center, said forecasters rely on computer models which were contradictory until Sunday.
"They came into a bit more of an agreement that the westward turn is less likely," he said.
Landsea said every storm is different and has different characteristics, "and in this case it's a very unpredictable storm." He said Debby could become a hurricane.
A major concern will be flooding from heavy rainfall. The storm is moving slowly, allowing its clouds more time to unload rain. A public advisory said parts of northern Florida could receive 10 to 15 inches of rain, with some areas getting as much as 25.
The Highlands County Sheriff's Office said in a news release that several tornadoes moved through the area southeast of Tampa, damaging homes.
Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Nell Hays said a woman was found dead in a house in Venus that was destroyed in the storm. A child found in the same house was taken to the hospital. No further information was available on the child's condition or either person's age.
"This is quite common with this type of storm," senior hurricane specialist Stacy Stewart with the National Hurricane Center said of the twisters. "They tend to not be very large or long-lived, which can be difficult to detect on radar. So people need to keep an eye on the sky."
Authorities urged residents to leave low-lying neighbourhoods in Franklin, Taylor and Wakulla counties because of flooding. Shelters were open in the area.
Wind tore the roof off a marina in St. Pete Beach, and a pier was heavily damaged, said Tom Iovino, a Pinellas County government spokesman. He said no injuries were reported.
In Orange Beach, Ala., a 32-year-old man went missing Sunday in rough surf kicked up by the storm, said Coast Guard Lt. j.g. Torry James. Further information wasn't immediately available.
Near the mouth of the Mississippi southeast of New Orleans, Plaquemines Parish President Billy Nungesser said officials were making preparations to protect the main highway from tidal flooding. Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal also declared a state of emergency to make it easier to send supplies and workers to areas that may need it.
However, despite warnings in the Panhandle, Debby hadn't totally dampened vacations.
Thousands were on the beach at Pensacola Beach, Fla., on Sunday morning. Many used their phones to take photos of huge waves crashing into the concrete supports of a fishing pier. There wasn't any rain yet; just gusty winds and dark, fast-moving clouds.
Few people were in the water. Red flags warned tourists to stay out of the surf, and lifeguards cruised the sand on all-terrain vehicles, blowing whistles at anyone who got near the waves.
Workers from rental companies used pickup trucks to gather chairs and umbrellas as a precaution against an unusually high tide.
As of Sunday morning, 23 per cent of oil and gas production in the region had been suspended, according to a government hurricane response team. Employees have been evacuated from 13 drilling rigs and 61 production platforms in the Gulf of Mexico.
The storm was not expected to result in higher oil and gas prices.
"It's largely a non-event for oil," said Tom Kloza, chief oil analyst at the Oil Price Information Service.
Laboy reported from Miami. AP Auto Writer Dee-Ann Durbin in Detroit contributed to this report. | <urn:uuid:33c589da-49f0-4ba6-ba7b-4689d2cb8b85> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.yorktonthisweek.com/article/GB/20120623/CP01/306239950/-1/yorkton0102/tropical-storm-debby-forms-in-gulf-1st-time-since-1851-that-4-storms&template=cpart | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00011-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.973631 | 1,001 | 1.539063 | 2 |
This site is devoted to copyright and issues of 'intellectual property,' particularly the issue's analytical aspects. It also concerns itself with the gap between public perception and the true facts, and with the significant lag time between the coverage on more technical sites and the mainstream press. For site feed, see: http://grafodexia.blogspot.com/atom.xml To see the list of sites monitored to create this site, see: http://rpc.bloglines.com/blogroll?html=1&id=CopyrightJournal
Thursday, October 28, 2004
Courts finally grok DMCA.
Rosen like the Creative Commons. Go figure.
SNIU, but not one the RIAA would like.
I've never quite understood the logic of using proprietary formats in standards, and particularly a Microsoft standard.
Saturday, October 23, 2004
More on the DOJ's odd priorities.
Peerio. Major, major, huge, SNIU.
Yet another example of SNIU, from the ashes of Napster 1.0.
Lessig's P2P Politics site hits mainstream. SNIU.
FTC hosting P2P workshop. Wonder how biased it will be...?
Online downloads plateau.
NEONet, a new P2P service. Aims for faster searches.
MPAA gives plum lobbying job to Democrats. Republicans cut $250M in subsidies. Why were they getting these in the first place?
Friday, October 22, 2004
Wednesday, October 20, 2004
It is by poking about inside current technology that hackers get ideas for the next generation. No thanks, intellectual homeowners may say, we don't need any outside help. But they're wrong. The next generation of computer technology has often-- perhaps more often than not-- been developed by outsiders.
Not only did Diebold lose its attempt to censor pertinent election information using copyright law, but now they have to pay for it.
Choice quotes from Ashcroft on the eve of Kahle v Ashcroft.
Tuesday, October 19, 2004
Tuesday, October 12, 2004
Experimental use evaporating. I started writing an article a good while ago about the perils of the corporatization of universities. At Penn, GET-UP is one example. This is another.
eDonkey most-used now. Amusingly enough, last I checked, Kazaa was still the most-sued, meaning record companies are still behind the curve.
Senate stalls unfortunate legislation.
Sup. Ct. lets lower court's ruling against non-judicial DMCA subpoenas stand.
Monday, October 11, 2004
Sunday, October 10, 2004
$260M: The price of "all human knowledge." It's breathtaking in its scope when you sum it down to a relatively small figure, how much benefit to society is being removed by things like the SBCEA and DMCA and IICA.
SNIU on the Internet2. Binghamton U. apparently feels the need to restrict its virtually-unlimited bandwidth on the I2 down to sub-cable-modem speeds.
Saturday, October 09, 2004
Wednesday, October 06, 2004
As latest round of lawsuits hits, more stories of recalcitrant parents suffering hit the media.
Scrawford on why legislating good v bad P2P is unfortunate.
1996 law legislating what people can view on the Internet still not enforce(d/able). Any hopes for anti-P2P legislation?
We've seen before how Microsoft is using DRM as a tool to sustain its monopoly, and now the EU agress.
Tuesday, October 05, 2004
Lawsuit mania spreads.
Iceland P2P raids cause 40% drop in net traffic. I'd like to see this controlled for other factors...40% is too huge to be real.
Apple to open borderless music store. At least pan-Eu.
Sony tries to justify discontinuing ineffective DRM with ineffective publicity campaign.
Format wars A bad idea. | <urn:uuid:c8513d32-3f18-415f-9a1a-3571bf8b4726> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://grafodexia.blogspot.com/2004_10_01_archive.html | 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 | 0.936722 | 833 | 1.539063 | 2 |
The family of a Perth teenager who is fighting for his life with methanol poisoning have warned others about consuming potentially lethal brews in Indonesia.
Liam Davies, 19, is in a critical condition in a Perth hospital after a new year party went horribly wrong.
Mr Davies, who was on holiday on the island of Lombok with friends, fell ill on New Year's Day and was urgently flown to Perth on Thursday.
His family released a statement on Friday saying Mr Davies was a fun-loving and active man with dreams of travelling the world.
"In consultation with Australian specialists a decision was made to medivac Liam back to Perth for treatment. He arrived at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital in the early hours of January 3," the family said.
"He has been diagnosed with methanol poisoning and is currently in a critical condition."
A former representative of Australia's under-18 lacrosse team, Mr Davies is the latest tourist to be affected by methanol in Indonesia.
"We would like to make people aware of the risks associated with consuming locally brewed drinks where you cannot be certain of the quality," the family said.
"We would like to thank Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital for the specialist care he is receiving and the quality of support offered by the staff there."
In September 2011, 29 year-old Perth rugby player Michael Denton died in Bali after consuming arak, which is described as a colourless, sugarless beverage with a 20 to 50 per cent alcohol content. It is distilled from rice or palm sap.
It is usually produced legally and safely, but unlicensed distillers also produce it. A by-product of incorrect distillation is methanol.
At Mr Denton's inquest in Dunedin, coroner David Crerar said foreign ministries should warn citizens about the dangers of consuming the local concoction, which also blinded an 18-year-old Australian school leaver in Bali last month.
"It's difficult to know whether these drinks are being deliberately spiked or there's just unprofessionalism in the distillation process and the methanol's not being filtered out," said AMA vice-president Michael Gannon.
"I think the best thing for people to do is acknowledge that these type of things might happen in places like Bali and Lombok and to treat these places differently." | <urn:uuid:a1407129-1603-4244-8d23-b96fc97f35ab> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.news.net/article/88246/Top%20Stories | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00016-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.977383 | 484 | 1.796875 | 2 |
Hip hop vs. homophobia
Wednesday, September 26, 2012
Two-time National Poetry Slam champion, activist, writer and educator Kyle “Guante” Tran Myhre will headline Hip Hop Against Homophobia 5-7 p.m. Oct. 18 in the ballroom of Atwood Memorial Center.
The free public event will combat speech and actions that express irrational fears about lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) communities. It's one of many events across the nation marking LGBT History Month. View a calendar of campus LGBT History Month events in October (PDF).
Parking is free on streets adjacent to campus and a dollar per hour in the 4th Avenue Parking Ramp.
“We wanted to create space for healthy community collaboration. To highlight the overlap that already exists between the Twin Cities’ big, vibrant, diverse hip-hop scene and big, vibrant, diverse LBGTQ culture,” said Guante. “We wanted to throw fun rap shows that were also explicitly safe spaces for people, no matter how they identify.”
View these video clips by and about Guante:
Other artists slated to perform include Toki Wright, Big Cats, See More Perspective, Heidi Barton Stink and Kaoz.
The event is co-sponsored by KVSC 88.1 FM, the University's student-run radio station.
“KVSC plays these artists and supports the Minnesota hip-hop scene that has taken a stand against homophobia, something that is unfortunately present in the commercial hip-hop scene,” said Jo McMullen-Boyer, station manager.
Teaming with KVSC is the LGBT Resource Center, which provides an inclusive and educational environment for students, staff, faculty, alumni, allies and the community at large.
“I believe SCSU students and members of the greater St. Cloud community can expect a thoughtful, inclusive message that challenges the perception of hip-hop,” said Brandon Johnson, LGBT Resource Center director. “In particular, the mainstream hip-hop message that tends to support a homophobic and heterosexist message.”
Hip Hop Against Homophobia is an all-ages concert funded by the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund. | <urn:uuid:1fc9b02c-dd20-4b3a-b7f3-3f4946c6d36a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.stcloudstate.edu/news/newsrelease/default.asp?pubID=3&issueID=33750&storyID=39308 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700958435/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104238-00008-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.932692 | 467 | 1.679688 | 2 |
S.C. fishing proves "Life's Better Outdoors"
South Carolina has it all for anglers of all experience levels. From saltwater, flat water, to trout streams South Carolina is known throughout the southeast to have some of the best striper, crappie, and catfish fishing to be found. Your perfect day on the water is likely right in your neighborhood, but never more than a couple of hours down the road.
As the weather continues to get warmer the fish in South Carolina are biting as is evident by the three record breaking or near record breaking fish caught already this spring. On April 3rd, Terry McConnell of Eastanollee, Ga. caught a record breaking 63 pounds striped bass on the Coldwater Creek section of Lake Russell. Not to be outdone, on April 18th Lori Murphy, of Myrtle Beach, caught a 13 pound 5 ounces Atlantic Sharpnose Shark off of Murrells Inlet. Within the week, on April 24th, a flathead catfish was caught near Murrell’s Inlet that weighed in over 80 pounds. The current state record for flathead catfish is 79 pounds 4 ounces. Unfortunately, the catfish was never weighed on state certified scales and the enormous catch cannot be documented as a new state record.
Find a boat ramp or pier/bank fishing opportunity near you. Don’t worry if you don’t have your own fishing tackle. The S.C. Department of Natural Resources (DNR) sponsors 26 Fishing Tackle Loaner sites throughout the state at many state parks.
Don’t miss you chance while the fish are biting. Get out and buy your South Carolina fishing license today by calling 1-866-714-3611, or visiting your local License Sales Agent. Your license purchase is your ticket to catch a memory that will last a lifetime.
It also helps DNR continue to manage the state’s aquatic resources. You help DNR conserve the state’s aquatic resources by buying a South Carolina fishing license. Over 50 percent of DNR’s budget to conserve South Carolina’s natural resources comes directly or indirectly from the sale of hunting and fishing licenses. DNR greatly appreciates your continued support.
DNR protects and manages South Carolina’s natural resources by making wise and balanced decisions for the benefit of the state’s natural resources and its people. | <urn:uuid:02e7f9b9-f751-4285-9cbc-3c3a7e968115> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://dnr.sc.gov/news/yr2009/may18/may18_fishing.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697974692/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095254-00016-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.935386 | 493 | 1.539063 | 2 |
The customer buying cycle defines the stages a customer goes through while making a purchasing decision.
The purchasing cycle is important because customers need different information at each stage of the process.
In order to maximise the effectiveness of your website in generating revenue you need to optimise your website to help the customer at each stage.
The Purchasing Cycle
Lets look at each stage of the customer purchasing cycle.
Recognition of a Need
The customer has identified that they need a certain product or service.
This is where your marketing campaigns can be used to raise awareness of your products and services. Think email newsletters, search marketing campaigns etc…
This is the information gathering stage. The customer maybe weeks or months away from making a purchase.
The internet is increasingly becoming a tool for product research, so it’s vital that you provide as much information on your website as possible to help potential customers at this stage.
Because a customer maybe months away from making a decision it's a good idea to try and make sure you can proactively contact them to remind them of your company’s products and services.
Try to get them to sign-up to email newsletters, request a call back at a specified time etc.
The customer has decided they need your product or service but they have not yet committed to purchasing it from your company.
They are now looking into the features and benefits of your product/service and comparing it to your competition.
You need to provide your customers with your unique selling proposition (USP) - Why should they purchase from you?
Consider the power of testimonials from previous customers to give people confidence in your company and its products and services.
Make it easy for the customer to compare the features of your product/service with your competitors solutions.
Provide detailed and accurate product specifications so the customer can determine whether it meets their needs.
The customer has decided to purchase and is buying your product.
This is your opportunity to offer them special offers, convince them to purchase a different product or service or additional products.
Post Buying Stage
Product/Service has been purchased. You will need to follow up the purchase with good customer service keep your customers satisfied.
Remember: Retaining existing customers is important as attracting new customers is much more difficult and costly in comparison. | <urn:uuid:40a3331a-b8e1-495b-970d-2a470208d8f2> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.odysseyagency.co.uk/blog/category/Ecommerce.aspx | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00012-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.950908 | 474 | 1.601563 | 2 |
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News: Analysis & Commentary
Commentary: MY OTHER CAR IS A GARBAGE SCOW
First, a confession. The interiors of my two Japanese cars are crusted over with the rich effluvia of childhood. Just as rock strata reveal the passage of time, so do layers of baby formula, bananas, apple juice, Cheerios, and Chicken McNuggets catalog the progression of my two daughters from infancy into girlhood. I know I'm not alone in this.
Therein lies the official explanations out of Tokyo for the U.S. recall of 8.8 million Japanese-made cars with Takata Corp. seat belts. Americans, it seems, are messy. Tests by Japanese carmakers on vehicles driven in America revealed the presence of animal hair, food, and soft drinks in the belt latches, interfering with the mechanism. That means, insist Honda, Nissan, and the Japanese Transport Ministry, that the "voluntary replacement" of belts is a convenience for consumers and emphatically not a safety matter. It's the customers' fault, you see.
"IRRELEVANT." Yet the American subsidiaries of Honda and Nissan readily admitted on May 23 that the problem is a defect in the belt mechanism. The release button sometimes splinters and jams the entire gizmo. "I guess there could be food contamination, but that's irrelevant to the issue of button breakage," says a Nissan North America Inc. spokesman.
So here again is the essence of Tokyo's argument for the cause of America's $66 billion merchandise trade imbalance: a profound clash of cultures. Or, as the Japanese put it: Nihonjin-ron--the unique attributes of the Japanese people and their land.
As always, economics, not culture, is the true cause. But the issue of absolute Japanese singularity crops up frequently in trade talks. For years, Tokyo trade officials insisted that Japanese intestines are longer and therefore unable to digest foreign beef. Japanese snow is "different," they said, making non-Japanese ski bindings unreliable. And the dirt at Kansai Airport could be moved only by Japanese construction companies familiar with its peculiarities.
Now, add a new attribute to the list: Japanese car owners are neater. It's true, the cars in Tokyo are cleaner. But here again, the reason is less cultural than economic: Japanese cars, which have to undergo a $1,000 inspection after three years and ev-ery two years thereafter, don't stay on the road as long as they do in the U.S. It's cheaper just to trade that cream puff in for a new one. Used cars are shipped to the rest of Asia.
Japanese trade officials fault U.S. carmakers for not trying hard enough to crack its market. They note, for instance, that only Jeep Cherokees and Ford Probes are available with right-hand drive. Fair enough. But how about this: In return for well-placed steering wheels, let's see a seat-belt buckle from Japan that can stand up to the corrosive effects of bubble gum, lollipops, and Fruit Roll-ups.Magnusson reports on economic and social trends from Washington. | <urn:uuid:38e493c1-888a-473d-9739-a4ab1982945b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.businessweek.com/stories/1995-06-04/commentary-my-other-car-is-a-garbage-scow | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00015-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.942072 | 671 | 1.5625 | 2 |
Options a good deal for companies, too
Seal of the US Securities and Exchange Commission
MARK AUSTIN THOMAS: Stock options have become a big part of executive pay packages. In 2006, the average big-corporation CEO received $7.3 million in exercised stock options — or almost half their total compensation.
The ability to buy company stock at a set price for a specified period of time is a popular benefit for employees. But this morning, a Senate subcommittee is looking at another beneficiary of stock options: the companies themselves. John Dimsdale reports from Washington.
JOHN DIMSDALE: New rules require companies to give the Securities and Exchange Commission an estimate of how much stock options will cost the company once employees have cashed them in. At that point, the company can claim a tax deduction.
Senate investigators have found those deductions can be far higher than the reported expenses — sometimes by more than 500 percent.
Minnesota Republican Sen. Norm Coleman says the gap between expenses and tax deductions gives companies a big incentive to boost stock option pay.
NORM COLEMAN: You got a hidden system. The fact is, under SEC law the stock options were granted, the companies did not have to report anything. Then when the option was exercised, there was deductibility, so there was an IRS implication differing from an SEC implication.
The IRS say companies are claiming billions in tax deductions without giving the SEC all the details. That's prompting senators to look at legislation to bring tax deductions more in line with reported expenses.
In Washington, I'm John Dimsdale for Marketplace. | <urn:uuid:eb21643e-f134-4da9-811a-05e7b579dfef> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.marketplace.org/topics/your-money/options-good-deal-companies-too | 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 | 0.959766 | 329 | 1.570313 | 2 |
The owner of the Highway 77 Zoological and Exotic Wildlife Refuge needs help.
The zoo has been financially strapped for more than a year now, but all the owner has received so far is complaints.
For the past 12 years, the 77 Zoological and Exotic Wildlife Refuge has served as a learning place for the Sand Hills community. But since the zoo’s owner, Georg Koll, narrowly escaped a lion attack more than a year ago, health and financial difficulties have kept Koll from properly running the facility. Now, there’s a for sale sign outside.
"I put a lot of money, a lot of work, and a lot of excitement into this zoo. I did it for the community and kids, and it didn't work out," Georg Koll says. Koll says if he doesn't get an offer for the zoo and he doesn't receive any community support, he will have to close down the zoo by next fall.
Along with his financial problems, Koll has also endured some complaints about how the zoo is being kept. At least one patron says the zoo's panther looks malnourished and the alligator's cage is too small.
Fish and Wildlife Officials actually completed an inspection inside the zoo today, and found no violations. Koll says the complaint is ridiculous.
“Don't complain. Do something for the animals. Complaining doesn't help. Get active. Show us how to do it right," Koll says.
Koll says it will be up to the community to decide in the end if they want a zoo or not.
Fish and Wildlife inspectors say the zoo had only minor infractions since its inception, and overall, it’s kept up to regulatory standards. | <urn:uuid:5af39ca4-3023-48b8-be38-f810eb31385a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.wjhg.com/home/headlines/650856.html?site=mobile | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00016-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.975569 | 359 | 1.695313 | 2 |
Brandon Savage has posted some of his thoughts on when it's okay to write bad code in your development lifecycle:
I've been there myself. I recently needed to prototype something. As I sat down to work on it, I had absolutely no idea how I was going to write the component I was working on. And so, I started working - without a plan, without writing tests, without designing an architecture, and without really knowing how the component was going to end up. You know what? The component came out working, but when I was done it was ugly. Totally ugly. The code was bad. But I had a solution, and a solution that worked.
He points out that sometimes, doing things "the right way" can stifle creativity and experimentation - two things that a developer needs to solve the problems they face day to day. He notes that refactoring is a part of their job and moving from a rough prototype to a finished product often improves this skill and can find issues not discovered before.
This does NOT mean that developers can push bad code into a repository. Nothing lives longer than temporary code; see to it that your finished code is always good. | <urn:uuid:4242ffe4-d89c-4113-bede-10485c746d01> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.phpdeveloper.org/tag/creative | 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 | 0.988846 | 240 | 1.664063 | 2 |
NKF KDOQI GUIDELINES
II. CLINICAL PRACTICE GUIDELINES AND CLINICAL PRACTICE RECOMMENDATIONS FOR ANEMIA IN CHRONIC KIDNEY DISEASE IN ADULTS
CPG AND CPR 3.3. USING PHARMACOLOGICAL AND NONPHARMACOLOGICAL ADJUVANTS TO ESA TREATMENT IN HD-CKD
Several pharmacological agents and nonpharmacological manipulations of the HD prescription have been examined for potential efficacy as adjuvants to ESA treatment. Studies are not available to address the use of pharmacological or nonpharmacological adjuvants to ESA treatment in patients with ND-CKD and PD-CKD.
3.3.1 L-Carnitine: In the opinion of the Work Group, there is insufficient evidence to recommend the use of L-carnitine in the management of anemia in patients with CKD.
3.3.2 Vitamin C: In the opinion of the Work Group, there is insufficient evidence to recommend the use of vitamin C (ascorbate) in the management of anemia in patients with CKD.
For the purposes of these recommendations, we consider adjuvants to ESA therapy to be therapeutic agents or approaches that aim to enhance responsiveness to ESA therapy in iron-replete patients. The target patient population may include both ESA-hyporesponsive and relatively responsive patients, although the focus of interest often is the hyporesponsive patient. A positive response to an adjuvant treatment consists of either an increase in Hb level at a given ESA dose or the attainment and maintenance of a specific Hb level at a lower ESA dose (see Executive Summary).
In the opinion of the Work Group, there is insufficient evidence of efficacy to recommend use of L-carnitine in the management of anemia in patients with CKD. The role of carnitine deficiency in the pathogenesis of the anemia of CKD, if any, is unclear. Levocarnitine (L-carnitine) is a carrier molecule involved in the transport of long-chain fatty acids into the mitochondria, where they are oxidized to produce energy. L-carnitine is also thought to be involved in the metabolic conversion of acyl coenzyme A, which accumulates in patients with renal failure and is toxic to cells, to the less toxic acyl carnitine.191 Deficiency of carnitine in patients on maintenance HD therapy was demonstrated nearly 30 years ago.192 L-carnitine, which has been studied primarily when administered IV to HD patients, has been postulated to have beneficial effects on ESA-hyporesponsive anemia, HD-related hypotension, myocardial dysfunction, impaired exercise tolerance and performance status, muscle symptoms, and impaired nutritional status. However, no pathogenic mechanism by which carnitine deficiency might contribute to anemia or provoke ESA hyporesponsiveness has been conclusively elucidated. Furthermore, the therapeutic mechanism by which L-carnitine administration might improve anemia or enhance ESA responsiveness has not been determined. Finally, no consistent relationship between baseline plasma carnitine levels, anemia, and response to L-carnitine administration has been demonstrated.193,194
In considering L-carnitine administration, the Work Group confined evaluation of efficacy outcomes to RCTs in which the effect of IV L-carnitine on Hb level and ESA dosing had been reported in patients with CKD. Thus, Work Group conclusions and the resulting guideline statement 3.3.1 address the limited use of L-carnitine as an ESA adjuvant in patients with CKD. Guideline 3.3.1 does not address use of L-carnitine for potential nonhematologic indications.
In the United States, Medicare coverage for L-carnitine is available for patients who have been on dialysis therapy for at least 3 months, have a plasma free carnitine level less than 40 µmol/L, and have “erythropoietin-resistant anemia…that has not responded to standard erythropoietin dosage…and for which other causes have been investigated and adequately treated.”195 Hyporesponsiveness to ESAs is not specifically defined other than having a persistent Hct less than 30% despite erythropoietin dosage that “is considered clinically appropriate to treat the particular patient.”
The statement There is insufficient evidence to recommend use of L-carnitine in the management of anemia in patients with CKD is supported by results from 6 available RCTs of IV L-carnitine administration to ESA-treated HD patients (Table 32). 196-200 No RCTs are available in patients with PD-CKD or ND-CKD (Table 32). Anemia was the primary study outcome in only 3 of these studies.196-198 No available RCTs were judged to be of high quality. Five of the 6 RCTs were judged to be of low quality. The RCTs were characterized by small numbers of enrolled patients, short duration of observation, concomitant use of IV and oral iron, adjustments in ESA dosage, high dropout rates, and uncertainty about specific ESA and/or iron dosing during the study. Between-group comparison, the result least subject to bias, was available in only 2 studies; there was no difference in either Hb level or ESA dose outcomes in 1 of these studies, and in the other, the comparison was only of erythropoietin resistance index (ERI). Serious limitations in method quality, important inconsistencies, major uncertainty about the directness and applicability of results, imprecise data, and a probability of bias rendered the overall quality of evidence very low (Table 33). None of the studies specifically enrolled patients with anemia and ESA hyporesponsiveness or identified a specific subset of patients particularly likely to respond to L-carnitine administration. Therefore, whether L-carnitine enhances the effect of ESA therapy in such patients is not known. The Work Group found no specific evidence of adverse drug effects associated with IV L-carnitine in patients with CKD. The absence of high-quality evidence for efficacy and safety supports the opinion of the Work Group that there is insufficient evidence to recommend use of L-carnitine in the management of anemia in patients with CKD.
The conclusion of the Work Group differs from those of selected previous reports. A meta-analysis concluded that L-carnitine administration was associated with higher Hb levels and lower ESA doses in ESA-treated patients with HD-CKD.201 However, the meta-analysis included only 3 of the 6 RCTs examined by the Work Group and incorporated results from studies outlined in 3 abstracts, but that were never published in peer-reviewed journals. An NKF Carnitine Consensus Conference recommended the use of IV L-carnitine in selected ESA-hyporesponsive dialysis patients.202 However, the consensus conference lacked systematic data abstraction and analysis of method quality.
Previous guideline development processes using systematic evidence review and rigorous evaluation for method quality have reached conclusions consistent with the current guideline statement, there is insufficient evidence to recommend the use of L-carnitine in the management of anemia in patients with CKD. These include NKF-KDOQI Guidelines for Nutrition in CKD,203 previous NKF-KDOQI anemia guidelines,2 and the Revised EBPGs for Anemia in CKD.16
Finally, although oral L-carnitine has also been studied as an ESA adjuvant, no RCTs are available. Direct comparison of IV to oral L-carnitine has not been reported in HD or other CKD patients.
Vitamin C (Ascorbate)
In the opinion of the Work Group, there is insufficient evidence to recommend use of vitamin C (ascorbate) in the management of anemia in patients with CKD. Vitamin C has been reported to increase the release of iron from ferritin and the reticuloendothelial system and increase iron utilization during heme synthesis.204,205 Although many HD patients may have plasma ascorbic acid levels less than the normal range,206,207 whether this reflects a clinically significant deficiency is uncertain; in other studies, ascorbic acid levels have been normal or elevated.208 It has been suggested that 150 to 200 mg of vitamin C daily is needed to normalize vitamin C levels in most HD patients.206
Several anecdotal reports, small case series,194,209 and nonrandomized studies (primarily in HD patients with iron overload, elevated serum ferritin levels, and functional iron deficiency) using IV vitamin C in doses of 100 to 500 mg 3 times weekly have suggested a possible beneficial effect.210-213 Plasma levels of ascorbic acid were not measured in most of the studies in which vitamin C was administered as an adjuvant to ESA therapy.
Four RCTs of vitamin C in ESA-treated HD patients have been reported (Table 34). Although the uncontrolled studies mentioned tended to focus on a possible role of IV vitamin C in patients with HD-CKD with iron overload and functional iron deficiency, only 1 RCT included patients with functional iron deficiency.214 One RCT included patients with iatrogenic iron overload.215 None of the studies specifically included patients with ESA hyporesponsiveness. These studies have not shown consistent benefit of IV vitamin C in either within-group or between-group comparisons.
Oral vitamin C, which can augment absorption of iron from the GI tract, has been evaluated as an adjunct to ESA therapy in small uncontrolled studies.216-218 Oral and IV vitamin C were compared in 1 recent RCT in a small number of HD patients for 8 weeks; in a larger number of patients, oral vitamin C or no treatment were compared for 3 months.219 There was no significant difference within or between groups in Hb levels or ESA doses in either comparison.
The long-term safety of IV ascorbic acid in HD patients remains undefined, with secondary oxalosis being the primary concern,220,221 although this was not described with short-term use in any of the studies described. Plasma oxalate levels increase with IV vitamin C administration. A risk for calcium oxalate supersaturation in plasma recently was reported in HD patients administered IV vitamin C.222 Aside from the potential for systemic oxalosis, concern is also warranted because a pro-oxidant effect of high-dose vitamin C, either directly or through its effects on mobilization of iron, has been reported.223,224
In summary, the Work Group concluded that serious method limitations and important inconsistencies render the quality of available information on vitamin C efficacy very low (Table 35). At the same time, information on the potential serious adverse effects (oxalosis) of chronic vitamin C administration is altogether lacking. Thus, the Work Group concluded that there is insufficient evidence to recommend use of vitamin C (ascorbate) in the management of anemia in patients with CKD. None of the RCTs enrolled patients with ESA hyporesponsiveness, and only 1 enrolled patients with functional iron deficiency214; therefore, whether IV vitamin C enhances the effect of ESA therapy or iron metabolism in such patients is not known.
In addition to the lack of definitive evidence of efficacy and safety, there is no evidence that clinical outcomes—such as reduced hospitalizations, improved cardiovascular status, and reduced mortality—are improved in patients for whom IV vitamin C treatment is initiated as an ESA adjuvant. Whereas the putative mechanism of action of IV vitamin C as an ESA adjuvant is an increase in the release of iron from ferritin and the reticuloendothelial system and increased iron utilization during heme synthesis, none of the studies reviewed showed reduced utilization of administered iron therapy. IV vitamin C has not been evaluated in patients with PD-CKD.
Therefore, given the low quality of evidence for efficacy and unresolved concerns for serious AEs of chronic administration, the Work Group concluded that there is insufficient evidence to recommend use of vitamin C (ascorbate) in the management of anemia in patients with CKD.
Androgens should not be used as an adjuvant to ESA treatment in anemic patients with CKD. Before the availability of epoetin therapy, androgens were used regularly in the treatment of anemia in dialysis patients despite the need for intramuscular (IM) injection and a variety of AEs, including acne, virilization, priapism, liver dysfunction, injection-site pain, and risk for peliosis hepatis and hepatocellular carcinoma. Proposed mechanisms of action of these drugs include increased erythropoietin production from renal or nonrenal sites, increased sensitivity of erythroid progenitors to the effects of erythropoietin, and increased red blood cell survival.
Three RCTs explored a possible role for androgens in combination with ESA therapy in HD patients (Table 36). All were small short-term studies, currently recommended Hb levels were not achieved, and in 2 of the studies, the ESA doses used were lower than those used in most patients with HD-CKD on chronic ESA treatment. The studies did not enroll patients with ESA hyporesponsiveness, so it is not known what effect, if any, androgens would have in such patients. It is unclear whether any enhanced erythropoietic effect caused by androgens would confer clinical benefits that outweigh the potentially significant AEs of androgens or the effects of simply allowing patients to remain at somewhat lower Hb levels without androgens. Short-term and long-term toxicity of androgens limit their use, especially in women.
In short, evidence for efficacy of androgens is characterized by serious method limitations, important inconsistencies, and sparse data (Table 37). The Work Group, as a result, considered the quality of evidence to be very low. The Work Group judged mild to severe drug-related AEs in the target and general population as being highly important. Given the very low quality of evidence for efficacy and demonstrated AEs of androgen therapy, the Work Group concluded that androgens should not be used as an adjuvant to ESA treatment in anemic patients with CKD. (Strong Recommendation)
Other Pharmacological Agents Not Addressed in Guideline Statements
A growing body of literature indicates that there may be clinically important, non–lipid-lowering effects of the hydroxymethylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase inhibitors, or statins, including antiproliferative, anticoagulant, immunosuppressive, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and cytoprotective effects. Because a component of anemia in patients with CKD may be related to underlying inflammatory processes, a potential role for statins in enhancing epoetin therapy may be plausible. Only a single small retrospective study addressed statins as adjuvants to ESA therapy.225 Given the nature of this study, further investigation of the effects of statins as ESA adjuvants may be warranted, but their utility, if any, remains to be determined.
One small uncontrolled open-label study of 16 patients with CKD (HD, PD, and transplant recipients) with ESA-resistant anemia evaluated the effect of pentoxifylline as an ESA adjuvant.226 Further studies may be warranted, but the utility, if any, of pentoxifylline as an adjuvant to ESA treatment in patients with HD-CKD remains to be determined.
Vitamin Supplements Other Than Vitamin C
Although deficiencies of vitamin B12 and folate are recognized causes of anemia and rarely are the basis for ESA hyporesponsiveness, there are no RCTs showing that supplementation with vitamin B12, folate, or other vitamins (in the absence of documented vitamin deficiency) is an effective adjuvant to ESA therapy. One RCT of ESA-treated HD patients did not find a benefit of pyridoxine (vitamin B6) as an ESA adjuvant.227
There was insufficient evidence for efficacy to recommend use of statins, pentoxifylline, and vitamin B12 and folate supplements (other than when used to correct documented vitamin deficiency) as adjuvants to ESA therapy in patients with CKD. Because these therapies are not in widespread use as ESA adjuvants, they are presented here primarily for general information, but were not considered by the Anemia Work Group for inclusion in Guidelines or CPRs addressing ESA adjuvants.
Modifications of Dialysis Treatments Not Addressed in Guideline Statements
The effects of modifications of the HD dialysis prescription and various components of the HD treatment on anemia in patients with HD-CKD have been studied. Unlike the pharmacological agents discussed, it is not likely that these dialysis treatment modifications would be undertaken for the primary purpose of enhancing ESA responsiveness, and they therefore were not considered by the Anemia Work Group for inclusion in Guidelines or CPRs addressing ESA adjuvants.
Distinguishing between the effects of increased HD dose (ie, urea reduction ratio [URR] or Kt/V) from effects of concomitant changes in membrane on response to ESA therapy is difficult because most studies compared different Kt/V levels using membranes of different types. The effects of dialysate composition, primarily in comparisons of standard bicarbonate dialysate to ultrapure dialysate, also have been evaluated. No RCTs have been reported that compared HD and PD (or different doses of PD) on anemia outcomes or ESA dose in ESA-treated patients.
HD Intensity (“dose”), Membrane Type, and Other Dialysis Modifications
A few studies have examined the relationship between dialysis dose and dialysis membrane type and anemia outcomes,228-236 with conflicting results. Because in most of these studies, patients in the higher versus lower Kt/V (or URR) groups were dialyzed with membranes of different composition and flux, the role of dialysis dose cannot be separated from the effects of membrane permeability or biocompatibility. One of these studies, which was not an RCT, compared different levels of Kt/V with the same membranes236 and observed an inverse correlation between ESA dose and Kt/V, but no relationship between Kt/V and Hb level, in HD patients treated with unsubstituted cellulose membranes. In a subsequent report, which also was not an RCT,235 it was suggested that this relationship holds only for patients with a Kt/V less than 1.33, and above this level, there was no correlation between Kt/V and ESA dose.
Three RCTs were performed in HD patients in which anemia-related outcomes were compared for high-flux and low-flux dialyzers.229-231 No difference in Hct or ESA responsiveness was found between groups. Assessment of these studies is complicated by the use of membranes of different composition, attainment of different Kt/V levels, short study duration, and inclusion of patients not on ESA therapy. In another RCT of HD patients who were unable to reach a target Hb level of 11 g/dL or greater with at least 200 U/kg/wk of recombinant human erythropoietin (rHuEPO), low-flux and high-flux polysulfone dialyzers were compared.228 Kt/V values were similar in the 2 groups at baseline and the end of the 6-month study. Hb levels were higher and ESA doses were lower in the high-flux group by 3 months and remained so to the end of the study.
Vitamin E has been considered as a potential adjuvant to ESA therapy based on the consideration that antioxidant properties of vitamin E may prolong red blood cell life span in patients with CKD and anemia. Oral vitamin E has not been studied in prospective controlled trials of ESA-treated patients. Vitamin E–bonded dialyzers were studied in a single RCT in which the primary focus was the effects of a vitamin E–bonded hemodialyzer on carotid artery atherosclerosis and rheological properties of red blood cells.237 Mean ESA dose decreased after 1 year on the vitamin E–bonded dialyzers, but Hb levels and other important parameters, such as amount of iron administered, were not reported. The safety of vitamin E also must be considered: a recent meta-analysis in the non–kidney-disease population suggested that doses of 400 U/d or more of vitamin E were associated with an increase in all-cause mortality.238
Inflammatory cytokines are proposed to interfere with the erythropoietic effect of ESAs both directly and through impaired mobilization and utilization of iron. An inflammatory stimulus in HD patients may be endotoxin or bacterial contamination of dialysate. Standards for bacterial and endotoxin content of water used for dialysis and for dialysate vary around the world. For dialysate, recently revised voluntary standards (Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation) include an upper limit for bacteria of 200 CFU/mL, and for endotoxin, of 2 EU/mL.239 In some countries, limits of 100 CFU/mL and 0.25 EU/mL for bacteria and endotoxin have been applied, respectively. Ultrapure dialysate has 0.1 CFU/mL or less of bacteria and less than 0.03 EU/mL of endotoxin.239, 240 Ultrapure dialysate is produced by generation of microbiologically purer water than used for standard dialysate, minimizing potentially contaminating biofilm, and use of ultrafilters. Some uncontrolled observations suggest that the response to ESA treatment may be enhanced by the use of ultrapure dialysate solutions.241 Three RCTs examined the effects of using online-produced or filtered ultrapure dialysate on anemia outcomes in HD patients.242-244 ESA doses were significantly decreased by up to 33%. The use of ultrapure dialysate typically was associated with lower C-reactive protein and interleukin 6 levels compared with standard dialysate, thought to be indicative of reduced inflammatory responses.
Hemodiafiltration (HDF) has been evaluated prospectively in a few RCTs with conflicting results. A small randomized study that compared acetate-free biofiltration and low-flux HD in ESA-treated patients suggested that ESA doses were lower with HDF.245 In a comparison of online HDF with high-flux HD, no differences in Hb levels or ESA dose were observed.246 Another study, in which only about 40% of patients were being treated with an ESA, compared HDF and high-flux HD. It found no difference in Hb levels or ESA doses.247 HDF with online production of pyrogen-free solutions also may have an advantage in terms or anemia outcomes compared with conventional solutions.248
Daily and Nocturnal HD
There are no RCTs comparing either daily HD or nocturnal HD with conventional intermittent HD for effects on anemia or ESA requirements. In the most recent report from a small nonrandomized comparison of short daily, long nocturnal, and conventional HD, only nocturnal HD patients had a statistically significant increase in Hb levels during 18 months; ESA doses also tended to increase, although the difference was not statistically significant.249 In 1 study, conventional HD patients with a baseline single-pool Kt/V of at least 1.3 were changed to short-daily dialysis 6 times per week with the same weekly dialysis time.250 Weekly Kt/V increased by 31%. In the patients studied for 12 months, mean ESA dose decreased 45% compared with baseline, with stable or increased Hb levels. Doses of ESA were trending upward between 6 and 12 months of observation. Other studies, none of which were RCTs, reported variable results.251-254 To our knowledge, it has not been studied whether changing from conventional HD to daily or nocturnal HD specifically enhances ESA responsiveness in ESA-hyporesponsive patients.
Although observational data have suggested that patients treated with PD may have lower ESA requirements than HD patients,255,256 no controlled trials have been reported comparing HD and PD or different doses of PD on anemia outcomes or ESA dose in ESA-treated patients.
Whereas the Anemia Work Group does not recommend changing patients with HD-CKD from standard bicarbonate dialysate to ultrapure dialysate for the purpose of enhancing ESA responsiveness, studies suggest that the use of ultrapure dialysate results in lower ESA doses in patients with HD-CKD. There is insufficient evidence at this time that other modifications in the HD prescription or various components of the HD treatment enhance ESA therapy.
We acknowledge the limitations of these guidelines. For lack of evidence, we do not address the potential adjuvant effect of pharmacological agents or alterations in dialysis prescription on anemia outcomes in patients without concomitant ESA therapy. Among patients receiving ESA therapy, available evidence is restricted to patients with HD-CKD. Among available ESA agents, evidence is restricted to use of epoetin alfa. As reported elsewhere in this document, a guideline needs to be based on both high- or moderate-quantity evidence and consistently demonstrated net medical benefit. Therefore, we considered appropriately designed, adequately powered RCTs to be the required foundation. Few such RCTs currently are available. Among available RCTs, only hematologic outcomes were assessed: no evidence exists to confirm the assumption that hematologic outcomes gained with adjuvant therapy share the same risk-benefit profile as those gained with ESA and iron therapy alone. Finally, although the primary motivation behind adjuvant therapy is to decrease cost by decreasing ESA doses, information on the comparative costs and benefits of ESA with and without proposed noniron adjuvants is lacking.
|© 2006 National Kidney Foundation, Inc.| | <urn:uuid:02ce1765-eec9-4549-9eb5-a21a3de5c2ae> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.kidney.org/professionals/KDOQI/guidelines_anemia/cpr33.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00001-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.938085 | 5,462 | 1.695313 | 2 |
Personal Wellness Porter TX
Personal wellness is all about you and the choices you make, from diet to exercise. Read the following articles to learn how to maximize your personal wellness
We face a fundamental problem that our whole healthcare system is still geared principally toward repair and recovery as opposed to health promotion and disease prevention.
Feeling smug about all that calcium-fortified soy milk you drink? Not so fast: A new study shows that the actual calcium content of a glass of fortified soy milk, rice milk, or orange juice may be quite different than what’s on the label.
See below to find local dieticians in Porter that give access to nutrition programs planning, food service system management, and daily nutritional analysis, as well as advice and content on healthy diets.
When I was growing up, Sunday supper was the only time I could count on all four of my siblings showing up at the table at 6 p.m. sharp. No late arrivals because of football practice. No reprieves for dance lessons. No break for TV shows.
We’ve all heard it before: Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. But if you exercise regularly, another feast deserves front-page news—the one you eat post-workout. While researchers haven’t even begun to identify all the super combinations, they know these six power couples will give your health a boost.
Our bodies make DIM from indole-3-carbinol (I3C), found in cruciferous veggies like broccoli and cabbage. I3C on its own has been shown to limit the most active form of estrogen, protecting against estrogen-related breast cancers. But new research shows DIM is more stable, safer, and protects against a broader range of cancers than I3C.
In interviews with the press, the researchers stressed that their study in no way minimizes the importance of how much or what types of food we eat or how much energy we burn through exercise—instead they say it points to the oversimplification of an extraordinarily complex problem.
Too bitter to eat right off the tree, olives are first fermented and cured in oil, salt, or brine (a combination of salt and water or wine). The method and ingredients determine the olive’s final flavor, texture, and color. While olives come in an amazing variety of sizes, colors, textures, and flavors, their nutrient profiles are remarkably similar.
Stay with us for a little more science. The more saturated with hydrogen atoms an oil is—that is, the fewer spots it has to react with oxygen—the longer it lasts. Saturated fats like butter take much longer to go rancid than polyunsaturated fats, like soybean oil. Heart'damaging trans fats (partially hydrogenated oils) are created by adding hydrogen to the oil’s fatty-acid chains to keep the oxygen out.
Ideally, you want a ratio of 4'to-1 for omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids. Most people get far too many omega-6s, but in an attempt to lower the O-6s and up the O-3s, a growing number of people load up solely on flaxseed and fish oils; not such a good idea, it turns out.
Warm, wet, and dark conditions—the exact conditions found on the toenail area beneath socks—encourage fungal growth. Doctors call this type of fungal infection onychomycosis. You can prevent onychomycosis (and also help treat it) by changing the environment to something the fungus doesn’t like—cool, dry, and light. So wear open toe shoes or sandals whenever possible.
Aging takes its toll on sight. The lens becomes less transparent and flexible. And the retina—the paper'thin, light'sensitive tissue at the back of the eye that acts like the film in a camera—falters due to reduced blood supply and a lifetime of sun exposure.
In a small jar, combine 1/4 cup fresh'squeezed orange juice, 1 tablespoon each of grated orange peel, finely grated ginger, sesame oil, rice vinegar, and minced cilantro, and 1/2 teaspoon toasted sesame oil. Shake well to blend, season with salt and pepper, and serve over a salad of cold soba noodles, grated carrot, snow peas, and black sesame seeds.
Indeed, the popularity of low-carb diets is most likely responsible for the four percent drop in sales of refrigerated juices over the past year. Though it's not news that juice is high in sugar and low in fiber, it may be the first time juice has been penalized for these nutritional deficits.
Try drinking 1/2 cup of organic aloe vera juice each day for its cooling, cleansing effects on your liver and skin. One cup of freshly made cucumber or zucchini juice daily on an empty stomach can also do wonders for reducing pitta skin problems. To relieve heat rash, smooth pure aloe vera gel on your skin.
While free radicals are necessary for life and play a vital role in maintaining health, in excess they damage the body itself and contribute to aging and most major diseases, including heart disease, stroke, arthritis, and cancer.
While this is great news for closet chocoholics who've been trying to placate themselves with carob bars, it’s not quite a license to set up camp inside Willy Wonka's factory. Since chocolate is fairly high in calories and fat, experts still say we should eat it in moderation—probably no more than an ounce a day, says Zanecosky.
Coconut oil, which is the fat in coconut milk, has gotten a bad rap for its high saturated fat content. Lately, though, it’s been making a nutritional comeback. Read on to gain more information on coconut oil.
It’s gorgeous, it’s tasty, and it’s politically correct—so naturally, most of us assume that organic produce is healthier, too. But research on the subject has been surprisingly sparse. Now a new Danish study adds credence to the notion: Rats that chowed down on organic fruits and veggies had stronger immune systems and less body fat than rats who ate conventional produce.
By buying and consuming organic foods fairly consistently, consumers can easily double their daily intake of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.
The staunchest organic proponents have had to concede there was little proof that food grown without pesticides contained higher levels of health-promoting nutrients.
Choosing whether or not to go with a natural shampoo has typically boiled down to one question: How much do you like suds? Until recently, going the natural route meant living without them, because the chemicals left out also happen to be the main source of lather.
True teas—white, green, oolong, and black—all come from this same ancient plant and contain varying levels of caffeine, tannins, trace elements, and vitamins, as well as a diverse array of antioxidant-packed polyphenols. But the hot summer months are hardly the ideal time to curl up with a cup of hot tea—and iced tea gets old after awhile.
Toothpastes are almost as old as teeth. Early humans used abrasives like crushed oyster shells, bone and egg- shell mixed with flavoring and powdered charcoal. Along the way someone discovered that a dash of peppermint or cinnamon made brushing more pleasant and helped kill bacteria at the same time.
Insist that your caterer use local foods and that all fish served carries certification from the Marine Stewardship Council. Use eco-friendly paper and vegetable-based inks for invitations. Check out www.custompaper.com for ideas.
There’s growing evidence that moderate consumption of alcohol can enhance a healthy lifestyle; for instance, the phenolic compounds and antioxidants in wine appear to protect against ills such as heart disease, diabetes, and gallstones.
Walk into a liquor store, and the row upon row of options can daunt the most determined-especially since you can't look to nutrition labels for help. Because the FDA doesn't classify alcoholic drinks as food-no matter how thick the Guinness'the labels for wine, beer, and spirits don't list calories, vitamins, additives, and so forth the way a bottle of orange juice does.
Oriental Medicine offers a number of alternatives to Western over'the-counter medicines that provide a significant health advantage. Whereas the typical drugstore remedies tend just to reduce symptoms, often with some unwanted side effects, Chinese remedies, many of which were first documented 1800 years ago in the Shang Han Lun, or Treatise on Damage from Cold, engage the immune system and actually fight pathogens, which leads to a faster healing process.
If you think osteoporosis is a geriatric disease, think again. New research shows that for girls as young as eight, getting too little calcium can increase the risk of brittle bones later in life. The seven-year study, among the first to follow girls from childhood into early adulthood, showed that during girls- growth spurts, taking calcium supplements is actually critical.
Why do children’s ear infections keep coming back despite multiple courses of antibiotics? Because they’re mostly caused by viruses, not bacteria. Antibiotics don’t treat the cause of the problem—the virus. What treat virus then? Read on to find out.
At high heat, the protein in beef, pork, poultry, and fish reacts with a compound in muscles called creatine to form cancer-causing heterocyclic amines (HCAs). Numerous studies have found an association between eating barbequed, well'done, or fried meats and an increased risk for cancers of the breast, pancreas, stomach, and colon.
The doshas govern nature much as they do bodily functions. For instance, a particular dosha dominates each season—kapha governs spring, pitta summer, and vata fall and winter. Since our physiologies are so connected with nature, we tend to accumulate the dosha of the season.
Anyone can suffer an isolated panic attack, especially during times of great stress. But if you experience them frequently—several times a month or regularly over longer periods—then you have what’s called “panic disorder.” Thankfully, in most cases, you can manage both varieties without resorting to long'term drug therapy.
Rich in calcium, magnesium, and potassium, almond butter strengthens bones and helps maintain muscle and nerve function, making it ideal for athletes. These nutrients also boost the body’s immune system and help ward off disease and infection.
The increasingly popular salon pedicure has its dark side, however; each year some customers endure outbreaks of potentially dangerous fungal infections caused by the procedure.
Fighting inflammation is a critical part of any treatment for arthritis. In fact, it's an important part of fighting many other conditions, too, including heart disease, cancer, diabetes, Alz-heimer's disease, and even aging.
The liver and gallbladder meridians commonly detoxify through the ear, Lankenau explains. Thus chronic ear infections may signal the presence of some common liver or gallbladder irritants: poor-quality food, food allergies, vaccinosis (vaccine-induced chronic disease), or exposure to environmental toxins like commercial weed killers or chemical-laden household cleaners.
Bales was using infrared technology to identify stress fractures in turbine engine blades for NASA. He also knew that medical doctors had been studying the infrared light emission patterns of the human body, and that many diseases could be diagnosed with this information. He became determined to go one step farther and find a way of using infrared light to actually promote healing and ease pain.
Treat existing warts as early as possible to prevent more from growing. You can easily distinguish them from corns and calluses by searching your soles for small grainy bumps, hard flat growths with well'defined boundaries, or gray or brown lumps with black pinpoints.
Before jumping in the pool, warm up to prevent cramps and reduce your likelihood of injury. Efficient swimming demands supple twisting and bending with each stroke. Here are Scott's favorite swim warm-ups to make life in the lap lane flow. | <urn:uuid:a820de82-a48d-463c-ac48-2675f7abb68e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://local.naturalsolutionsmag.com/SectionRegion.aspx?SectionId=4687&RegionName=porter+tx&start=280 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00014-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.937983 | 2,562 | 1.820313 | 2 |
Port users, especially importers, exporters and freight forwarders, have given reasons why there are low business activities in the nation’s seaports.
The lull in business activities is in sharp contrast to the high volume of trade associated with Yuletide with more importation of goods. These high volumes of cargoes are often carried out by importers who often take advantage of high sales associated with the Christmas season to do brisk business.
However, those who spoke to THISDAY said there is a lull in business activities in the nation’s seaports, airports and international borders in spite of the fact that the Yuletide is a few days away.
A Lagos-based importer who did not want his name in print attributed the lull in the ports to the fiscal policies of the Federal Government since the beginning of the year. According to the importer, who is known for the importation of food items, especially rice, these fiscal policies have hindered many business as they could barely meet their set goals.
Lending credence to the importers’ position, a veteran licensed customs agent, Prince Olusegun Ologbese, put the blame on the lull business in the ports on the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN)’s mop up operation which has resulted in the inability of importers to get loans at competitive interest rates to import goods into the country.
Ologbese, who is also the Managing Director of Ogbese International Limited, told THISDAY that despite the fact that the period is often associated with brisk business, this has not been the case this year. He called on the government to do something tangible immediately to reverse the fortunes of the nation’s seaports, airports and international borders.
Ologbese said the worrisome situation would have adverse effect on not only the economy of the nation but also on the citizens in the weeks ahead.
“Already, this has started manifesting in so many aspects of the nation. The CBN regulating policy is actually a major contributing factor because the door of lending to small scale business as well as large scale business as well as major entrepreneurs has been closed”, he said.
He stated that even the Bureau de Change, which the importers run to for foreign exchange, is no more in business.
“It has become problem for the importers to get money to pay their foreign manufacturers who at times send goods to them on credit. Terminal operators and service providers are not helping the matter because they do not drop containers on demand. They give five to six days and they still charge the importer/agent for demurrage which they did not cause and it ought not to be so”, he said.
He alleged that many of the bonded terminals have been thrown out of business because the concessionaires who took over the nation’s seaports in the wake of the port reforms decline to stem containers to them despite repeated assurances to do so in the past. | <urn:uuid:45110182-4aac-4290-94c3-04e2257d40dd> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/why-there-is-lull-in-business-in-the-ports/133510/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00007-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.975325 | 617 | 1.578125 | 2 |
Your safety is our top priority. It’s one of the main things we consider when designing and operating our trips. Here’s some of the ways we help to keep you safe, and a few of the things you can do to make your trip memorable for all the right reasons. Before you travel We monitor travel alerts provided by the Australian, UK, USA and Canadian governments on a daily basis. Before a tour goes on sale we assess any risks and decide how to reduce and manage these. If we determine that an entire trip, part of a trip or an activity is too risky we won’t do it. It’s as simple as that. If we can’t address the issues and improve conditions we might modify an itinerary, change the accommodation or even decide not to travel to a certain location. Our overseas staff and local leaders are trained to address any health and safety concerns during trips. Before you travel, we’ll give you an emergency phone number. You’ll also get comprehensive pre-departure information, with information about vaccinations and other relevant health issues. We’ll also tell you if there’s any special clothing or equipment you need to bring. During your trip: You local leader is trained in first aid and always carries a first aid kit. Being a local means that if something does go wrong they know fastest and most effective way to get help. We’ll also give you a 24-hour emergency number in addition to the emergency destination telephone number. What you can do: Read through all the information we send you. If you’ve got any questions we’re always available to help. Keep an eye out for travel alerts by consulting your local Foreign Office. We also monitor these daily so that we can modify tours if necessary. Get some medical travel advice about the countries you are visiting, particularly about vaccinations and the type of personal first aid kit you should carry. Make sure you tell us any medical conditions, special needs or dietary requirements you might have. Get your vaccinations and take relevant medication well before travelling so they have time to take effect. | <urn:uuid:88c8485d-46bd-42a9-9137-7a5e6dd88eb4> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.peregrineadventures.com/europe/switzerland | 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 | 0.935289 | 434 | 1.632813 | 2 |
Looking to get rid of old electronics? Rocky Point will be the place to be Saturday. Pender County will be collecting any, and all electronic devices tomorrow at the Rocky Point Medical Pavilion. Beginning at 9:00 a.m., folks can swing by and drop off computers, cell phones, old TVs and any thing else that plugs in. The Heide Trask Junior ROTC will be on hand to do the heavy lifting, and you won't even need to leave you car. It's a great way to help the environment. “Depositing them in the landfill means that's its going to be a long time before they ever break down. So we're getting real creative because we're starting to realize there's a limited life on our landfills,” said Melinda Knoerzer of Pender County Utilities. “We have got to get creative into what we can put in there and what we can't, and we are finding markets for the recyclables.” Beginning in 2011, it will be illegal to dispose of electronic devices in any North Carolina landfill, meaning Saturday is a great way to start recycling.
- Video Central
- About WWAY | <urn:uuid:2af363d2-f613-44c0-aa3a-a68af750e119> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.wwaytv3.com/comment/reply/19314 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00002-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.938775 | 244 | 1.820313 | 2 |
PORTSMOUTH — The vast array of retirement options for baby boomers seems to be growing as fast as the aging population itself. There is every indication that people will be living longer and having more choices than ever before, yet it’s easy for busy parents to avoid or put off planning for the future.
The fact of the matter is, “later” is often too late, and planning ahead is not as difficult and time-consuming as many believe.
In an effort to help people understand their financial and lifestyle options, a diverse group of senior planning and retirement living experts is inviting the public to attend a free panel discussion, “Get Ready for the Changing Realities of Retirement: New Options and Perspectives for the Future.”
This first-ever panel is a fresh collaboration among some of the top experts on retirement planning, senior living, home care and insurance. The group will address some the unique challenges and opportunities that boomers face when thinking about their future.
Attendees will gain new insight on how to redefine retirement, as well as the trends to watch for, from a financial, lifestyle, and emotional point of view. The informational event, that includes refreshments, is set for Oct. 24 from 6 – 7:30 pm at the Sheraton in Portsmouth.
The panel will be moderated by Everett Moitoza, Ed.D., MBA, and includes Lisa Ganem, owner and president, Home Instead Senior Care; Brooks Kennedy of Secure Planning, Inc.; Tom Sedoric, The Sedoric Group of Wells Fargo Advisors; and Cathleen Toomey, vice president of marketing at RiverWoods Continuing Care Retirement Community in Exeter.
“Each of us knows first-hand how easy it is to put off your retirement planning,” says Toomey. “We established this panel to provide succinct and useful information for busy people.”
Attendees will receive a complimentary copy of one of three books recommended by the panel. Cocktails and light refreshments will also be available.
Seating for this event is limited. RSVP by calling Diane Burch at 603-658-3014 or email firstname.lastname@example.org for more information.
Event details can also be found at: www.riverwoodsrc.org/eventsportsmouth — | <urn:uuid:49ab23f9-7fbc-4d88-b368-716f718bdd9b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://fosters.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20121011/GJCOMMUNITY_01/121019757/-1/FOSNews0313&template=PortsmouthRegion | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00001-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.9421 | 483 | 1.523438 | 2 |
Even though the kitchen is often called the heart of the home, it is also a dangerous place for children. Every year, more than 67,000 kids are injured in the kitchen. Here's how to make sure your child isn't one of them.
Want some quality time alone with your spouse but don't have the money for a sitter? Start a babysitting coop with your friends and neighbors, and you can all reap the baby-free benefits! (Let the date nights begin!)
Nothing says "spring" like a fruit salad. And it's not only tasty, it's healthy, too! Best of all, the whole family can pitch in to make this easy, delicious dessert. So head straight to the fruit aisle then get cooking!
The sky is full of stories waiting to be discovered. For centuries, people have seen these same points of light in the night sky; you can too. All you need is a clear night, a little patience, and some imagination.
After falling out of favor for many years, cooking and garnishing with flowers is back in vogue once again. Your kids will love helping you prepare these flower-enhanced recipes... but don't count on their wanting to eat them.
*DISCLAIMER*: The information contained in or provided through this site section is intended for general consumer understanding and education only and is not intended to be and is not a substitute for professional advice. Use of this site section and any information contained on or provided through this site section is at your own risk and any information contained on or provided through this site section is provided on an "as is" basis without any representations or warranties.
WHBQ-TV | Fox 13 485 S. Highland St. Memphis, TN 38111
Main Station: (901) 320-1313 Newsroom: (901) 320-1340 | <urn:uuid:d1be74a8-311d-4990-a9bd-a5a82bb42b24> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.myfoxmemphis.com/category/125685/from-real-families | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00013-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.946235 | 380 | 1.632813 | 2 |
US 4810384 A
Hydrophilic semipermeable membranes which retain their capacity for filtration, even after drying, and which are well adapted for either ultrafiltration or microfiltration, are comprised of at least 70% by weight of polyvinylidene fluoride (PVFD) and up to 30% by weight of a hydrophilic polymer compatible therewith, e.g., a cellulose acetate or sulfonated polysulfone.
1. A hydrophilic semipermeable membrane comprising at least 70% by weight of polyvinylidene fluoride, and a minor effective amount, no more than 30% by weight, of a hydrophilic polymer compatible therewith selected from the group consisting of sulfonated polysulfone and copolymers of acrylonitrile and sulfone monomers.
2. The semipermeable membrane as defined by claim 1, comprising at least 85% by weight of polyvinylidene fluoride and no more than 15% by weight of sulfonated polysulfone.
3. The semipermeable membrane as defined by claim 1, comprising at least 85% by weight of polyvinylidene fluoride and no more than 15% by weight of a copolymer of acrylonitrile and sulfone monomers.
4. The semipermeable membrane as defined by claim 1, comprising a hollow fiber shaped article.
5. The semipermeable membrane as defined by claim 1, comprising a planar shaped article.
6. The semipermeable membrane as defined by claims 4 or 5, comprising an isotropic shaped article.
7. The semipermeable membrane as defined by claims 4 or 5, comprising an anisotropic shaped article.
8. The semipermeable membrane as defined by claim 7, comprising a reinforcing porous support layer.
9. The semipermeable membrane as defined by claim 1, heat-treated to a temperature of from 65
This example demonstrates that a PVDF membrane devoid of the hydrophilic polymer loses its filtering properties after having been dried.
The following materials were charged into a stirred, thermostatically controlled reactor;
(i) 2,475 g of dimethylformamide,
(ii) 15 g of distilled water, and
(iii) 30 g of lithium chloride.
Stirring was cariied out for 15 min (minutes) at 23 the lithium chloride.
The following material was then added as a fine spray, under stirring:
(iv) 480 g of polyvinylidene fluoride (marketed by Atochem under the trademark Foraflon 1000HD).
The temperature was then raised to 95 maintained thereat for 5 hours. The resulting solution obtained was filtered through Diatrose WRJ and was then stored in a holding tank at 25
This solution was cast continuously, by means of a die fed by a metering pump, onto a web consisting of a monofil polyester fabric 85 microns in thickness and having a mesh opening of 75 microns, which was travelling on a steel band, and simultaneously with the latter at a speed of 1 m/min (1 meter per minute). After one pass in a controlled atmosphere (35% relative humidity, temperature 23 solution was coagulated for 12 min in water at 19 treated in water at 80
A membrane of asymmetrical porous structure was produced, a portion of which was maintained in distilled water and the other portion of which was dried for 24 hours at 50
Both samples were used to measure the flow rate for distilled water and the degree of retention of bovine albumin. An Amicon model 52 cell was used for this purpose. For determining the degree of retention of albumin (molecular weight 67,000 daltons), an aqueous solution was used at a concentration of 2 g/l, buffered to a pH of 7.4.
The dried membrane sample was clearly hydrophobic in nature and a pressure of 1 bar had to be attained before obtaining a very slow flow rate for water, less than 1 liter/hr/m.sup.2, 1 bar (liters per hour, per m.sup.2, at a pressure differential of 1 bar). Thus, this membrane could not be used for ultrafiltration.
On the other hand, the membrane which was kept wet had very different properties. Its water flow rate, measured at a pressure differential of 1 bar, was 200 liters/hr/m.sup.2 and the degree of retention of bovine albumin was 80%. The degree of retention of gamma globulin (MW 157,000 daltons) was 100%.
This example demonstrates the production and use of a membrane according to the invention.
The following materials were dissolved:
(i) 480 g of polyvinylidene fluoride (marketed by Atochem under the trademark Foraflon 1000HD); and
(ii) 60 g of cellulose polyacetate, the degree of acetylation of which was 55% and its viscosity at 23 was 297 centipascals per second, in the following mixture:
(iii) lithium chloride: 30 g
(iv) distilled water: 15 g
(v) dimethylformamide: 2,415 g
For this purpose, the dimethylformamide, demineralized water and lithium chloride were charged into a thermostatically controlled reactor and were stirred at 23 dissolved. Cellulose polyacetate, followed by polyvinylidene fluoride, were then charged therein, under stirring, over 10 min and the temperature of the mixture was raised from 23 The temperature of 95 maintained for 5 hours. The resulting solution was then filtered through Diatrose WRJ and was poured into a storage vessel and remained therein for 8 hours to ensure its degassing and its stabilization at 25
This solution was then cast continuously, by means of a die fed by a metering pump, onto a web consisting of a nylon 66 monofil 120 microns in thickness and having a mesh gap of 71 microns. This web was carried by an endless steel band (rotating around 2 rolls at a certain distance from each other) which travelled at the same speed as this band, at 1 m/min. After one pass for 45 seconds in a controlled atmosphere (23 35% relative humidity), the polymer film was coagulated for 12 min in water at 20 80 structure characteristic of the ultrafiltration membranes produced by phase inversion.
A sample of this membrane was kept wet in distilled water, while a second sample was permitted to dry for 48 hr in a ventilated oven at 50 C.
Both samples were employed to measure the flow rate of distilled water and the degree of retention of bovine albumin (molecular weight 67,000 daltons), and of gamma globulins (MW 156,000 daltons).
An Amicon model 52 cell was used, at a relative pressure of 20 grams and with a protein concentration of 2 g/l at pH 7.4.
Virtually identical results were obtained from the sample which was kept wet and with the dried sample, namely:
______________________________________ THICK- WATER DEGREE OFMEM- NESS FLOW RETENTIONBRANE (total) RATE bovine gamma-TYPE microns 1/hr/m.sup.2, 1 bar albumin globulins______________________________________kept 167 3,600 30% 81%wetdried 165 3,500 30% 81%______________________________________ The degrees of retention were calculated using the formula: ##STR1##
It will thus be seen that the drying did not adversely affect the characteristics of this membrane. It could be reused without a preliminary treatment after it had been dried. It will also be seen that the water flow rates obtained using this membrane were much higher than those obtained using the membrane according to Example 1.
This example also demonstrates the production and use of a membrane according to the invention.
A solution having the following composition was prepared in the same manner as in Example 2:
(i) polyvinylidene fluoride: 12.6%, i.e., 378 g
(ii) cellulose polyacetate: 1.4%, i.e., 42 g
(iii) lithium chloride: 1%, i.e., 30 g
(iv) distilled water: 0.5%, i.e., 15 g
(v) dimethylformamide: 84.5%, i.e., 2,535 g
An asymmetrical porous membrane, but which was reinforced with a monofil polyester woven fabric 85 microns in thickness and having a mesh opening of 75 microns, was prepared, also in the same manner as in Example 2.
As in Example 2, a sample of wet membrane and a sample of dried membrane were used to measure the flow rate for distilled water and the degree of retention, using an aqueous solution of bovine albumin at a concentration of 2 g/l and buffered to pH 7.4 and a solution containing 2 g/l of gamma globulins. Identical results were obtained for both samples.
______________________________________ DEGREE OFMEM- THICKNESS WATER RETENTIONBRANE (total) FLOW RATE bovine gamma-TYPE microns 1/hr/m.sup.2, 1 bar albumin globulins______________________________________kept 187 8,220 11.5% 80.3%wetordried______________________________________
According to the invention, therefore, PVDF-based membranes can be produced which have high water flow rates with a cut-off threshold which, in this case, was in the region of 200,000 daltons.
This example also demonstrates the production and use of a membrane according to the invention.
160 g of polyvinylidine fluoride (Foraflon 1000 HD) and 20 g of a sulfonated polysulfone (obtained according to Example 1 described in Rhone-Poulenc's French Patent No. 2,040,950) were dissolved, in the same manner as in the preceding examples, in a medium consisting of 10 g of lithium chloride, 5 g of distilled water and 805 g of dimethylformamide.
This solution was used to prepare a membrane according to the process described earlier in Example 3. In this example, a nylon monofil-based woven fabric 120 microns in thickness and having a mesh opening of 75 microns was incorporated into the membrane.
The properties of the dried membrane and of the membrane which was kept wet were compared. The results are as follows:
______________________________________ DEGREE OF RETENTIONMEMBRANE WATER FLOW RATE bovineTYPE 1/hr/m.sup.2, 1 bar albumin______________________________________kept 1,740 32%wetdried 2,380 32%______________________________________
While the invention has been described in terms of various preferred embodiments, the skilled artisan will appreciate that various modifications, substitutions, omissions, and changes may be made without departing from the spirit thereof. Accordingly it is intended that the scope of the present invention be limited solely by the scope of the following claims, including equivalents thereof.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to novel hydrophilic semipermeable membranes which can be dried without loss or deterioration in the properties thereof, and which are based principally on polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF).
2. Description of the Prior Art
PVDF-based membranes are highly attractive, particularly in the field of ultrafiltration and/or microfiltration, because such membranes have good mechanical properties, good resistance to chemical materials, especially to the common organic solvents, and they are easily heat-sterilized (125 is a notable disadvantage, especially when they are destined for ultrafiltration and/or microfiltration operations wherein aqueous solutions are employed.
After semipermeable PVDF membranes have been dried, they must be treated, for example, for a few minutes with an aqueous solution containing 80% of alcohol, to impart hydrophilicity thereto, but this procedure is not particularly convenient in industrial facilities requiring the use of such membranes.
Another technique for rendering permeable PVDF membranes hydrophilic consists, for example, in treating it with a base and then reacting it with polyethyleneimine, as described in published Japanese Application, Kokai No. 53/110,680. Such technique, however, entails complex chemical processing.
Accordingly, a major object of the present invention is the provision of improved semipermeable PVDF membranes which are conspicuously devoid of those disadvantages and drawbacks characterizing the PVDF membranes heretofore known to this art.
Another object of the present invention is the provision of improved semipermeable PVDF membranes which, while retaining the advantages offered by PVDF membrane material, are also hydrophilic, which property is retained even after the subject membranes have been dried.
Another object of this invention is the provision of isotropic or anisotropic, hydrophilic semipermeable PVDF membranes which can be dried and are advantageously in the form of planar membranes or hollow fibers, with the range of cut-off regions thereof being very wide.
Yet another object of the present invention is the provision of semipermeable membranes having all of those advantages described above and which can additionally be prepared in very simple fashion, without the necessity for surface treatments of a preformed PVDF membrane and without the necessity for a PVDF copolymer containing hydrophilic functional groups provided by monomer(s) other than the PVDF monomer.
Briefly, the present invention features hydrophilic semipermeable membranes capable of being dried, while at the same time retaining the chemical and physical properties thereof, and which novel membranes are based on polyvinylidene fluoride, comprising at least 70% PVDF by weight thereof and a minor amount, i.e., no more than 30% by weight, of a hydrophilic polymer.
This invention also features a facile process for the preparation of hydrophilic semipermeable membranes which can be dried without deterioration of the properties thereof, and wherein said membranes are cast from a homogeneous solution of PVDF and of the hydrophilic polymer.
More particularly according to the present invention, the subject semipermeable membranes may be in the form of hollow fibers, that is to say, small tubes, the outer diameter of which is typically less than 1500 microns and the inner diameter of which is typically greater than 100 microns. Preferably, the outer diameter is smaller than 1000 microns and the inner diameter is greater than 150 microns. These hollow fibers may be isotropic, namely, their pores are distributed uniformly throughout their thickness, or they may be anisotropic, namely, such fibers have at least one active separatory layer supported by a porous layer, the pore diameters of which are larger. This active layer, designated the skin, may be on the outer and/or inner wall of the said fibers. The distance between the outer and inner walls of the hollow fibers, also referred to as the wall thickness, typically ranges from 50 to 450 microns, preferably from 100 to 300 microns.
In particular, insofar as the diameter of the pores in these fibers is concerned, this generally fluctuates between 30 Å and 10,000 Å (angstroms). As regards the hollow fibers which are useful for microfiltration, these are typically isotropic and the pore diameters thereof range from 100 to 10,000 Å. In the case of hollow fibers useful for ultrafiltration, these are advantageously anisotropic or asymmetrical, which means they comprise a skin layer, the latter having pores which typically range from 30 to 300 Å, while the underlying porous layer has pores of larger diameters. The thickness of this skin generally varies from 0.05 to 10 microns. When used for ultrafiltration, the hollow fibers according to the present invention have a wide range of cut-off thresholds (regions). The cut-off threshold (or region) of a membrane refers to the approximate limiting molecular weight of proteins, beginning at which said proteins are retained by the membrane in a proportion of more than 90% by weight. The determination of this limiting molecular weight is preferably carried out using protein standards.
The semipermeable membranes according to the present invention may also be in the form of planar membranes, that is to say, films or sheets. These membranes may be isotropic or anisotropic (having a skin) and the dimensions of their thickness or of their pore diameters correspond to those of the hollow fibers set forth above. If desired, these planar membranes may be mechanically reinforced by a woven or a nonwoven fabric, designated in the art as a "web", it being possible for this woven fabric to be, for example, a woven monofilament fabric made of polyester, for example polyethylene terephthalate, nylon, for example nylon 66, or polypropylene having a weight per unit area of from 40 to 150 g/m.sup.2 (grams per square meter).
The membranes according to the present invention comprise at least 70% by weight, and preferably more than 85% by weight, of polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF). This polymer is widely commercially available, particularly by Pennwalt (under the trademark Kynar), by Solvay (under the trademark Solef) or by Atochem (under the trademark Foraflon).
The hydrophilic polymers which comprise the semipermeable membranes containing more than 70% by weight of PVDF, which can be dried without deterioration in the hydrophilic and separatory properties thereof, are advantageously selected from among:
(i) cellulose polyacetates, especially the diacetate;
(ii) sulfonated polysulfones, especially sulfonated polyarylethersulfones, such as those described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,709,841;
(iii) copolymers of acrylonitrile with comonomers containing sulfonic groups, such as, for example, copolymers of acrylonitrile with sodium methallylsulfonate and, if desired, methyl methacrylate, etc.
It is not necessary to draw or stretch the membranes according to the present invention after the production thereof. They are prepared simply by dissolving PVDF and the hydrophilic polymer in a solvent, or a mixture of solvents, to produce a homogeneous solution, that is to say, a solution which remains clear at rest (without stirring) and at ambient temperature, without the appearance of turbidity, opalescence or the formation of separate layers which are visible (to the naked eye) over time (for example 24 hours).
The solvents employed are advantageously the polar solvents such as, for example, dimethylformamide, dimethylacetamide, N-methylpyrrolidone, dimethyl sulfoxide, or mixtures thereof.
The procedure used to prepare the membranes according to the present invention is as follows. First, a homogeneous solution of PVDF and of the hydrophilic polymer is prepared in a polar solvent, with the PVDF constituting at least 70% by weight of the total weight of polymer. Thus, the hydrophilic polymer and PVDF are gradually introduced into the polar solvent at ambient temperature, under stirring. The temperature of the mixture is then raised to from 65 stirring is continued at this temperature for from 2 hours to 6 hours. Advantageously, the solution obtained after cooling to ambient temperature may be filtered, for example through Diatrose WRJ, marketed by La Rochette CENPA, and then the resulting homogeneous solution may be stored at ambient temperature for from 1 to 48 hours. In certain instances it may be advantageous, before the polymers are introduced into the polar solvent, to add small amounts of water, for example, amounts of water of less than 2%, preferably less than 1%, based on the weight of the polar solvent. There may also be added to the mixture of the polar solvent and water small amounts of lithium chloride, generally less than 2% based on the weight of the polar solvent, which are completely dissolved in the latter before the polymers are introduced. When water has been added, it is preferable not to exceed a temperature of 100 during the time when the polymers are being stirred therein.
The homogeneous polymer solution is then continuously passed through an annularly shaped die to produce hollow fibers, or through a slit-shaped die to produce planar membranes.
To produce planar membranes, more particularly, the homogeneous polymer solution exiting the die is cast onto a web which is traveling forward at the same time as and on an endless metal belt, namely, a belt turning around two rolls spaced a certain distance from each other. The solution deposited on the web is then immersed in a bath, essentially containing water, at a temperature of from 1 Advantageously, the membrane obtained is then subjected to a heat treatment in an aqueous medium at a temperature of from 65 95
In order to further illustrate the present invention and the advantages thereof, the following specific examples are given, it being understood that same are intended only as illustrative and in nowise limitative.
Citations de brevets | <urn:uuid:e9638f55-1b3f-4274-9c37-4e53c9728641> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.google.fr/patents/US4810384 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00012-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.937976 | 4,463 | 1.523438 | 2 |
Contributes to well-being**
Includes important vitamins, minerals and other important nutrients
Liquid formulas mix readily into your favorite drinks for easy consumption
Helps promote healthy digestive function**
Aloe Vera has been taken internally by people the world over for thousands of years. It has many uses, including its ability to support a healthy digestive system.** Aloe Vera contains a host of nutrients, including vitamins, minerals, amino acids, polysaccharides and phenolic compounds to promote overall well-being.** Our Aloe Vera liquid and gel formulas make it easy for you to get your daily dose of this important nutrient—they mix easily into water, or your favorite fruit or vegetable juice. No pesticides have been used on the Aloe Vera plants we rely on for the production of our products, and the inner gel has been only minimally processed, so you are guaranteed an Aloe Vera that is as thick and as potent and nature intended it be.No Artificial Color, Flavor or Sweetener, No Sugar, No Milk, No Lactose, No Soy, No Gluten, No Wheat, No Yeast, No Fish, Sodium Free. | <urn:uuid:a7d44a28-6f9d-4afc-a189-185304cecd8b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.puritan.com/liquid-vitamins-106/aloe-vera-gel-993-percent-001600 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00011-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.933183 | 234 | 1.554688 | 2 |
[Boycott - Cultural]
UK writer urges Brits to join Israel boycott
19 December 2006
A respected British writer and artist has called for a cultural boycott of Israel.
Today, Palestinians teachers, writers, film-makers and non-governmental organizations have called for a comparable academic and cultural boycott of Israel as offering another path to a just peace. This call has been endorsed internationally by university teachers in many European countries, by film-makers and architects, and by some brave Israeli dissidents. It is now time for others to join the campaign…
Letter from British writers and artists
In a letter to the Guardian newspaper on Friday, John Berger calls on writers and artists to undertake a boycott, saying it "could be a factor in Israeli policy changing."
The Guardian also dedicated a quarter of a page article in the paper's national news section on Friday to the boycott call, which was signed by 95 others, including musician Brian Eno and writer Arundhati Roy. Berger, a Booker Prize winner, calls for artists to decline being published by mainstream Israeli publishers.
The letter accuses Israel of killing children, land grabbing and breaching UN resolutions. The letter says: "There is a fragile cease-fire in Lebanon, albeit daily violated by Israeli over-flights. Meanwhile the day-to-day brutality of the Israeli army in Gaza and the West Bank continues. Ten Palestinians are killed for every Israeli death; more than 200, many of them children, have been killed since the summer. UN resolutions are flouted, human rights violated as Palestinian land is stolen, houses demolished and crops destroyed."
It also compares Israel to the apartheid regime in South Africa. It says: "Meanwhile, western governments refer to Israel's legitimate right of self-defense, and continue to supply weaponry. The challenge of apartheid was fought better.The non-violent international response to apartheid was a campaign of boycott, divestment and UN-imposed sanctions which enabled the regime to change without bloodshed."
In the letter Archbishop Desmond Tutu and South African minister Ronnie Kasrils are quoted saying the situation of the Palestinians is worse than that of black South Africans under apartheid.
The signatories say a boycott offers "another path for peace", and conclude: "Today, Palestinians teachers, writers, film-makers and non-governmental organizations have called for a comparable academic and cultural boycott of Israel as offering another path to a just peace. This call has been endorsed internationally by university teachers in many European countries, by film-makers and architects, and by some brave Israeli dissidents. It is now time for others to join the campaign…"
The situation of the Palestinians is worse than that of black South Africans under apartheid
Archbishop Desmond Tutu & South African minister Ronnie Kasrils
The letter follows the call made by British film director Ken Loach in August for a boycott of state sponsored Israeli cultural institutions.
"I support the call by Palestinian film-makers, artists and others to boycott state sponsored Israeli cultural institutions and urge others to join their campaign," Loach said.
Painting a bleak picture, he added that "Palestinians are driven to call for this boycott after 40 years of the occupation of their land, destruction of their homes and the kidnapping and murder of their civilians. They have no immediate hope that this oppression will end."
In August the Edinburgh International Film Festival returned a donation from the Israeli Embassy in London after pro-Palestinian activists inundated the organizers with mail and phone calls and threatened to demonstrate at the event.
The Irish Film Festival also cancelled its sponsorship arrangement with the Israeli Embassy in Dublin for the screening of an Israeli film, following the outbreak of the Lebanon conflict.
Mark Mulqueen, director of the Irish Film Institute, said in a statement: "The decision is taken in light of the current activities of the Israeli government and prompted by the performance of your ambassador in explaining these acts to the Irish public. It is important for us to separate the screening of an Israeli feature film from activities of the Israeli government."
Source: http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1164881929869&pagename= JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull
Also Of Interest
Page URL: http://inminds.com/article.php?id=10070 | <urn:uuid:baf1aefd-3033-40bc-a67d-36a3a80b0971> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://inminds.com/article.php?id=10070 | 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 | 0.955094 | 881 | 1.726563 | 2 |
rowyourboat wrote:Hi Kirk,
The difficulty of anyone who has seen and understood that there is only the five aggregates, through vipassana, is to communicate that insight (ie that way of 'seeing') to someone who hasn't. This ultimate reality/ conventional reality dichotomy is a hurdle in developing a Right view before the start of vipassana meditation. It is litterally the difference between seeing actors on a tv screen vs seeing the pixels of the screen which make up those 'actors', who don't ultimately exist.
So sometime to communicate the deep dhamma the Buddha has to use conventional terminology sometimes. Why should the Tathagata be hard to see? The conventional Tathagata is very easy to see. What is hard to see is the aggregates that we 'erroneously' label as the tathagatha. The pixels do exist, but they are deep and hard to see. Hope that makes some sense.
So then it is the aggregates
which are "deep, boundless, hard to fathom, like the sea"?
"Even so, Vaccha, any form... feeling... perception... fabrication... consciousness by which one describing the Tathagata would describe him: That the Tathagata has abandoned, its root destroyed, made like a palmyra stump, deprived of the conditions of development, not destined for future arising. Freed from the classification of form... feeling... perception... fabrication... consciousness, Vaccha, the Tathagata is deep, boundless, hard to fathom, like the sea."
It is the aggregates which the Tathagata "has abandoned" which are deep and boundless, like the sea?
"When one thing is practiced & pursued, ignorance is abandoned, clear knowing arises, the conceit 'I am' is abandoned, latent tendencies are uprooted, fetters are abandoned. Which one thing? Mindfulness immersed in the body." -AN 1.230 | <urn:uuid:67044ac3-1feb-4e5a-9854-88fd203ba81b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.dhammawheel.com/viewtopic.php?p=122338 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368711005985/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516133005-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.94927 | 409 | 1.671875 | 2 |
of Chinese Communist Party
The Washington Post
China on Thursday completed its once-in-a-decade leadership transition, naming, as expected, Xi Jinping, the 59-year-old son of a famed Communist revolutionary general, to the party’s top position, general secretary. He will also take over in March as the country’s president from outgoing leader Hu Jintao.
The transition ends months of internal rivalry, secrecy and speculation, and will determine the country’s future at a time of economic worries, increased regional tensions and widespread clamor for reform.
In a surprise, Hu also relinquished his title as chairman of the Central Military Commission, the body that runs China’s 2.3 million-member army. With Xi now taking over the chairmanship of the military body, China’s transition is now virtually complete, lessening the prospect of a lingering rivalry for influence between the outgoing and incoming leaders.
Xi, in his remarks, said the party’s trust and people’s expectations “are a source of tremendous encouragement for us, and put enormous responsibility on our shoulders.”
“The people’s desire for a better life is what we shall fight for,” Xi said. He said his main job was to “steadfastly take the road of prosperity for all.”
He said the ruling Communist Party would be “proud but not complacent, and we will never rest on our laurels.” He said the party suffered from problems of “corruption, taking bribes, being out of touch with the people, [and] undue emphasis on bureaucracy and formalities.”
What direction Xi and the other new leaders will take is not known. While waiting in the wings for five years, Xi has carefully avoided giving any hint of his priorities, remaining strictly neutral to avoid endangering his status as heir among the party’s competing factions.
Any changes to the system envisioned by Xi are likely to be constrained by several older party leaders considered more conservative in outlook who were named Thursday to the Politburo Standing Committee. The body effectively runs the country and was shrunk from nine to seven seats, ostensibly for faster decision making and greater ease for reaching consensus.
Xi and the other leaders, in look-alike dark suits and most of them wearing red neckties, walked onto a stage at the Great Hall of the People at 11:55 a.m., more than a half-hour later than expected. Xi introduced his new leadership team and spoke for about 10 minutes before they filed off the stage.
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SATURDAY, 14 JANUARY 2012
PHILIPSBURG–There are two types of social benefits fraud trending in St. Maarten: employers’ evasion of paying employer premiums and pensioners who unlawfully put in to receive pensions from both the Dutch and French governments.
This according to the report “Crime Pattern Analysis CBA,” a near-300-page document presented to Justice Minister Roland Duncan by Attorney General Dick Piar on Wednesday.
As in the case of health insurance fraud, the agency for social and sickness insurance USZV advises that more information must be exchanged between government agencies to handle these types of fraud properly.
USZV has estimated that fraud relating to the General Old Age Pension Insurance (AOV) runs up to several hundred thousand guilders.
AOV fraud is the collecting of a higher pension amount than the pensioner has right to. A common example cited has to do with persons living on the French side, but still registered at the Dutch civil registry. By doing this, they receive pensions from both governments. Often these same persons have homes they rent out to increase their monthly income. Pensioners have received AOV subsidy wrongfully.
In the second category, USZV has established that approximately 30 per cent of local employers neglect paying the employer premiums as required in the labour sector. For example, it was realised that premium evasion is considerably higher in the construction sector than the banking sector. Also, some employers simply pocket the money. Yearly, millions of guilders are lost because employers do not pay their legally required premiums.
USZV is also aware that in the construction sector employers are placing employees on sick leave when there is not enough work. By doing this, these employers try to minimise the amount they pay in wages. This also is fraud.
To combat frauds related to employer premiums, health insurance and pension, information exchange is needed between the various departments. USZV advises that the first priority must be to invest in better information collection, before fraud can be properly contained or even detected.
This type of work is outside of police responsibilities. Therefore, USZV also advises that a commission be selected and given specific knowledge of the laws and rules relating to these areas. The commission can search through various department systems for administrative clues that will help it detect fraud. | <urn:uuid:7f9a8e46-c5f3-4119-afe1-425974a545b6> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://bearingpointcaribbean.com/news/cba-inter-departmental-communication-st-maarten-key-to-combating-social-benefits-fraud/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00003-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.953384 | 478 | 1.679688 | 2 |
when water street extended from swann creek to riversidee park it was an important road. development over the last fifty years has taken care of that and ensured it will never be continuous in our life time.
i think johio83 mis-spoke - levis square is on the st clair side of where madison use to come through. i think johio83 meant the old federal building site.
here is what i would like to have happen:
- close off water street between monroe and madison. get rid of the parking lot behind fort industry square and extend promenade park along the waterfront there as well and connect that to bochenstein park ACROSS monroe. this will make the park/path complete from the erie street market all the way to the MLK bridge.
- on the old federal building site, build a facility that:
a - has loads of bathrooms and concession booths built into the facade on the side facing promenade park - for the love of god, lets be classier than rows of port o lets being what people look at when they look from summit down onto the park.
b - keeping jefferson and madison as stub streets, build a large multi-level parking garage on the internal portion of the structure. this, built now, could take over the terrible eyesore garage that exists across the street and provide the parking fort industry is going to need in exchange for losing their surface lot - it will also serve promenade the convention center and the arena very well.
c - on the summit street side, build the structure in a manner that would allow office/retail store fronts to be built in at ground lelvel eventually as demand increases - yes we do have to be optimistic and believe that day will come.
- extend madison through from st clair to summit. the number of roads shut off in downtown in the last couple decades requires this. we have greatly limited peoples ability get around by car which over stresses those few streets/paths that do remain. this would help every business and acticty in downtown. | <urn:uuid:3e089b47-38b6-4976-b9f8-da51f98e6555> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://toledotalk.com/cgi-bin/tt.pl/article/89707/Downtown_Toledo_last_night | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00012-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.963516 | 436 | 1.515625 | 2 |
Some folks wore, or carried in their pockets, a small cloth pouch containing plants, herbs and/or spices believed to have medical benefit. Others believed in the magic of a tonic, home made, and administered in ample dosage at the right time of the year. There were as many different recipes for the tonics as there were people making them. Many of these ingredients were the same as those sewn into the aforementioned pouches.
The chief requirement of these ingredients, whether for the pouch or the tonic, was that they be natural and easily obtainable. They were rarely, if ever, “store bought stuff,” for the simple reason that most folks back then lacked the wherewithal to make such purchases and many did not have access to vendors selling such. Of course, a trip to the shack of a “white witch” or a “conjure man” could produce the necessary secret ingredients, provided one carried the price, which could run anywhere from a plump hen to a kid goat or a suckling pig. Dabblers in the mystic arts rarely dealt in the coin of the realm.
In my mother’s family, the flu retardant of favor was based on the belief that a body, clean on the inside, cannot be infected by outside sources. Thus was born the ritual of the yearly cleaning out. The cleaning out was accomplished with a two tablespoon dose of castor oil.
If you are one of those fortunate people who have never been subjected to the castor oil treatment, I have two things to say to you. First, you have been truly smiled upon by the gods. Second, pray fervently that you continue to lead your charmed life. There is no way to describe the experience, or the taste of castor oil, except to say that the vilest, nastiest, most repugnant taste sensation you can imagine would taste like a chocolate malt when compared with a shot of castor oil.
I fought, like a wounded and trapped animal, the taking of the vile stuff, to the point of being spanked and sent to bed with no supper, only to find the dreaded concoction sitting at my place the next morning. Many a day I went to school with no breakfast because of my defiance of the “devil’s concoction.” Out of desperation, my parents decided to try mixing the castor oil with something. Oranges could be had cheaply at that time of the year in west Texas. So, my mother would squeeze the juice from a couple of oranges into a glass and pour in the dreaded castor oil. Here is where the plan went awry. Orange juice is a liquid. Castor oil is, after all, oil.
The blending process was, to say the least, less than desirable. Though successful in getting me to force down the despised medication, it was also successful in, forever, ruining the taste of orange juice. To this day, 65 years after my last taste of orange juice and castor oil, I still taste castor oil when I attempt to drink orange juice.
Since the Saturday after Thanksgiving, I have been suffering with a severe case of the flu, which has rendered me mostly inactive. I spend a lot of time in my recliner, affording me time to think. The total lack of integrity in daytime TV forces one to revert to the art of reminiscing or just sitting for hours with a blank look on one’s face. At my age, sitting still and expressionless for long periods of time can prompt questions like, “Poppa, are you still with us?”
So I have spent a great deal of time this past week weaving in and out of memories of illness, cures, tonics, castor oil, asafetida bags, mustard plasters, menthol rubs, etc.
Everyone’s cure for the flu started with instructions on the use of the medication, then ended with, “Do that, get plenty of rest and drink liquids, you will be better in a week or 10 days.”
I finally went to my modern 21st century doctor, last Friday. He gave me a prescription and the name of an OTC product. He said, “Take those meds, get plenty of rest and drink liquids and you will be better in a week or 10 days.”
Well, at least we haven’t gone backward in 70 years.
Pete Borden is a retired masonry contractor in east Cobb. | <urn:uuid:43d318fd-d30f-4e70-a259-b82019ca3c34> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.mdjonline.com/view/full_story/21011958/article-Having-flu-is-the-pits-%E2%80%94-even-in-21st-century?instance=secondary_story_left_column | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00005-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.970287 | 939 | 1.5 | 2 |
- Wetsuits are probably the most vulnerable and sensitive waterskiing items to care for. Always thoroughly rinse your suit with water after use, especially those exposed to salt water. Salt water is great at corroding your suit.
Never store your wetsuit before it is completely dry. As a rule of thumb, turn it inside-out temporarily after rinsing until it is completely dry. After it is dry, turn it right-side-out to avoid stress on the seams and material.
One option is to lay the wetsuit flat and store it somewhere away from sunlight. Another option is to hang the suit on a wide hanger. These hangers may be purchased through a ski shop, or a sturdy suit hanger will do also. The thicker the hanger, the better. The thin wire hangers will cause creases and stretch the seams, which can result in cracks.
A third option is to find a thick rod or pole that runs horizontally, like ones found in your closet, and lay the suit at its waist around the pole.
- Store your dry suit the same way as described for wetsuits. There is one exception, however. Many dry suits are made with metal or steel-like material. Dry suits with this feature should be stored with the zippers open to avoid the seal becoming set. Those suits with plastic zippers should be stored closed to avoid kinks, which could result in leaks.
- A zipper's life will be prolonged if you lightly lubricate the teeth of the dry zipper. Aquaseal makes a product called Zip Care, which cleans and lubricates plastic, nylon, or metal zippers. It can be found in several waterskiing catalogs such as Bart's Watersports Catalog or Overton's Catalog. A beeswax or parafin will also usually do for lubrication.
Aquaseal also makes Seal Saver which is a dry suit seal conditioner, and Seal Cement, which repairs neoprene and urethane. They too, may be found in the above water sports catalogs. | <urn:uuid:d763da34-2278-4333-bcc8-07d8815e6c67> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://waterski.about.com/od/wetsuitcar1/a/wetsuit_storage.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00001-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.94778 | 428 | 1.640625 | 2 |
Beautiful Lady, Gray Day
The Thames Estuary in winter is not necessarily a place you'd choose for a cruise. For many yachtsmen, even in summer it's a necessary evil: the strangely blank, slightly foreboding link between the river and the sea.
Thousands of boats pass through every year. Local motoryachts based in the scenic upper reaches of the river make an annual pilgrimage downstream—from bucolic Henley, where the famous rowing regatta provides the high-water mark of the summer social season to the breezy suburbia of Maidenhead or the Georgian stonework of Richmond-upon-Thames—eventually bound for the agreeably foreign ports of Belgium and Holland, or the no-less-alien saltwater marinas of the English south coast harbors.
Passing them to port, yachtsmen from the Continent make the long slog inbound—intrepid Dutchmen in sturdy steel craft, wandering Frenchmen aboard weather-beaten, bluewater sailboats, exploratory Scandinavians—to moor, finally, at St. Katherine Haven in the shadow of London's Tower Bridge, there to spend a week or a month savoring the world's most cosmopolitan city.
Few of them stop en route. It's 60 nautical miles from London to where the English coast turns the corner at North Foreland, and most yachtsmen aim to make the trip on one tide, holding their breath as they negotiate the estuarial shallows that lie between the safety of open water and the security of port. The very names on the chart have a doom-laden edge: Sunk Head Tower, Foulness Sand, Four Fathoms Channel, The Warp.
It was here, famously, anchored off Gravesend to await a favorable tide, that Joseph Conrad's Marlow lit his pipe, paused, and began to regale his crewmates with a tale from the heart of darkness. The Thames Estuary is that sort of place: Nowhere else in the south of England feels quite so close to the dark side of the moon.
It was perhaps fitting, then, that when I joined the Royal Denship 82 in London, she reminded me of a spaceship. Never has a sleek, Med-styled motoryacht looked more out of place. I say London, but it was actually the old redeveloped docklands several miles downstream of the city. A generation ago—or maybe two—these giant basins were the pumping heart of an oceanic empire, but now they're little more than water features for condominiums. A waterside site provides the big, new exhibition center with a certain allure and, for the last few years, the site of the capital's annual boat show, but you have to be a special kind of boat nut to enjoy pounding the pontoons in January's bitter winds.
This article originally appeared in the July 2006 issue of Power & Motoryacht magazine. | <urn:uuid:a5d795da-1de0-48a2-bf1a-7b5ef29ffa16> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.powerandmotoryacht.com/megayachts/beautiful-lady-gray-day | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00016-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.948079 | 612 | 1.5 | 2 |
Austin - Senator Kevin Eltife, R-Tyler, today filed a proposed constitutional
amendment to discontinue issuing bonds for cancer research. The amendment would not
abolish the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT), the agency
created to approve research grants to pharmaceutical companies and other entities.
Research and prevention activities could be supported by other state revenue.
"Like many Texans, I have lost a loved one to cancer and I understand the importance of
research for cures and treatments," said Senator Eltife. "However, I do not support the
State of Texas going into debt to accomplish these objectives, and would prefer that it be
funded on a 'pay as you go' basis."
Senator Eltife did not support the constitutional amendment submitted to the voters in
2007 because of the funding mechanism. Recently, CPRIT has been beset by reports of
improprieties in the grant awarding process. Proposals have already been filed in an
attempt to address those problems.
"I believe this agency will be held much more accountable if they have to compete for
general revenue dollars like other agencies rather than operating on borrowed tax
revenue. We cannot continue to put this state further into debt and we must prioritize
our spending," concluded Senator Eltife.
If passed by the House and Senate, SJR 19 would be presented to the voters on
November 5, 2013.
For more information about state government, Senator Eltife encourages interested individuals
to contact his office at (512) 463-0101, e-mail him at firstname.lastname@example.org, or visit the
State of Texas website at www.texasonline.com. | <urn:uuid:855fb227-5e38-4532-a54b-b26ebda1d55c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://gilmermirror.com/pages/full_story/push?article-ELTIFE+FILES+LEGISLATION+TO+STOP+ISSUING+BONDS+FOR+CANCER+RESEARCH%20&id=21481071 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00009-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.958895 | 361 | 1.546875 | 2 |
June 29, 2010
BOONE, Iowa—As expected, the Iowa Department of Transportation closed US Highway 30 because of the rising flood waters of the Des Moines River. Unfortunately, Boone County authorities report a problem with people moving the road closed signs and trespassing. This year, an existing construction project on the Highway 30 bridge over the Des Moines River has created a concern by contractors. Officials say the DOT has instituted a zero tolerance for those moving or going around barricades. | <urn:uuid:ac09d118-897c-49b8-8158-d3aa23aac9e7> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.kwbg.com/2010/06/29/highway-closed/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00017-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.94692 | 95 | 1.617188 | 2 |
Voice-controlled video game goes 'biu biu,' not 'pew pew'
Biu! Biu! Biu biu biu—er, no. I haven't lost it at all. I'm just trying to give you an idea of what it'd be like to play Tian Gao's final project.
Cornell University student Tian Gao went ahead and made a video game that can only be operated with the sound of human voices. According to Hack a Day, the the in-game jet fighters shoot projectiles whenever you say "biu," and they ascend when you go "aaah."
Silence, obviously, will cause the virtual vehicles to neither go up nor down, nor shoot at things.
While the single-player mode doesn't seem particularly interesting, the two-player mode of actually makes me want to test it out. The game sets you and your opponent on opposite sides of each other. From there, you must then attempt to shoot your opponent, avoid bullets, collect a panoply of possible buffs and try to maintain a straight face while you shout "biu Biu" and "aaah" at one another.
On the hardware front, Tian's uses an ATMega1284 microontroller to handle both voice recognition and video output, a pair of 3.5mm audio-in jacks, the requisite microphones, and NTSC output, among other odds and ends.
If you're curious as to exactly what went into the creation of this auditory masterpiece, head on over to Tian's website for a fairly comprehensive overview of the project. | <urn:uuid:3cc94e10-14b4-4697-be22-e575c0c6e8d5> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.techhive.com/article/2019711/voice-controlled-video-game-goes-biu-biu-not-pew-pew.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705195219/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115315-00007-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.944178 | 329 | 1.664063 | 2 |
mpollock July 4th, 2011
HAFNARFJORDUR, ICELAND: Guest blogger: Lindsey
Today we wrapped up my field work in Undirhlíðar by double-checking our annotated photos and a brief tour of the West wall to confirm our hypothesis that the olivine rich pillow unit continued consistently along this section. We had a quick lunch before heading off to Krysuvik, about 30 minutes south of where we were staying to see some sights we had read about yesterday but had unfortunately missed on our excursion. We first came to Kleifarvatn, a large lake with black sand beaches with a legendary worm-like monster residing in its depths. We spotted it immediately:
We then traveled a little further to Seltun, a large geothermal field seated at the base of a ridge. This area was drilled to supply energy to nearby Hafnarfjordur, but a silica build up in the borehole caused the area to explode in 1999. Another interesting thing to note about this area is the legendary Hverafugl, or “hot spring bird” that supposedly hops into a geothermal vent to hide from humans when they approach. People don’t really believe they exist anymore as a picture has never been taken of one, but older generations believe the birds are apparitions in the steam that represent spirits of the dead. We did not see any Hverafugls, they were clearly hiding.
I decided to stick my hand in to see if it was hot- it was. Can you imagine what the vikings must have thought when they first saw water boiling up out of the ground?
We then continued a little further to Graenavatn, a strange green lake that is supposedly an old explosion crater. The green color is due to the minerals from the nearby geothermal field as well as algae.
At this point we turned around and came back as we had seen a lot of the peninsula yesterday, and seeing as we haven’t shared the sights on the blog yet, we thought our Estonian colleagues would appreciate seeming some coastline with real cliffs- no offense Nick, your study site is really cute! We started in Hafnarfjordur and ended in Rekjavik (bad map) but saw some incredible things along the way!
The first stop was at Leif the Lucky’s bridge, a spot where you can travel across the bridge from the North American to the Eurasian plate. It was so cold, rainy and windy!
Stop number 2 was Valahnukur, a coastal area with dramatic black cliffs and powerful waves. We added Icleandic horses to our wildlife list as some were in a field right off the road to the ocean.
The cliffs hosted a large population of seabirds, the most famous of which was the Great Auk, a now extinct breed of flightless bird. The last Great Auk was apparently shot, killed and eaten on a small island 10 km off the coast. Some countries try breeding programs, Iceland has a BBQ.
Our last stop of mention yesterday was in Gunnuhver, a geothermal area named after Gunna-a legendary witch/vengeful woman depending on the guide book you read. The story that I like best is that Gunna didn’t like her neighbor, so killed him and his wife. The other villagers instructed her to hold on to a knotted rope, she complied and they then dragged her into the geothermal springs where she perished. We all thought that this story was missing some explanations and was probably literally translated from Icelandic.
After a long afternoon of sightseeing, we headed back home to cook dinner at our cozy guesthouse.
Happy Fourth of July to our Estonian colleagues in return! Today we found BBQ sauce and corn-on-the-cob at the grocery store and had a lovely celebratory dinner!
Perhaps if we had been able to combine the Estonian weather with our Icelandic dinner we would have had a pretty good approximation of an American Fourth of July!
Off to Travis’s study site in Blonduous tomorrow. | <urn:uuid:732f18f2-1ccd-4817-8f0c-64cd0005d98d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://woostergeologists.scotblogs.wooster.edu/2011/07/04/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705953421/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120553-00014-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.976459 | 855 | 1.5625 | 2 |
Intrinsically safe design boosts reliability, safety, productivity
The future is innovative IS solutions that meet demand for high-speed data communication
By Parag Shah
The current demands for drilling in the oil exploration industry include environmentally clean solutions that are efficient and safe while seeking reservoirs, which are significantly harder to access.
The challenge to service companies then is the task of integrating new technologies with increased reliability at higher safety standards.
Industry wide, management is continually challenging the operations team to minimize downtime, improve the efficiency, and lower the costs of the drilling process. For example, the set-up of the surface equipment, which typically is a six to eight hour process with the cable layout taking 70% of that time, is always under scrutiny for productivity improvement review. In addition, cabling costs are one of top three recurring expenses for field districts as well as component failures, which require quick replacements to avoid costly delays.
These circumstances necessitate the engineering groups within the organization to support the operations team by designing smaller, lighter, safer, and more reliable products.
The designers have to do that while continuously improving functional performance—by providing higher bandwidth communication between the safe and hazardous areas.
One option to overcome these challenges would be to integrate intrinsically safe (IS) designs into these systems.
Electronics on rig floor
In the last few years, the complexity of the execution of drilling services has driven the technological evolution of electronic surface equipment. From dials, gauges, and actuators, service companies have evolved to the use of high accuracy sensors, data acquisition systems, and computers.
Displaying information that enables drillers to be more efficient and accurate, logging data for proof of service, and attaining real-time information for safer drilling have become standard practices.
The rig floor environment is hazardous (explosion-prone) and replete with harsh area applications, where the equipment often sees extreme temperatures, high shock, vibration, and EMI/RFI requirements. In addition to the environmental harshness, rig hands manage the equipment, and their main priority is on getting the job done. Given these conditions, the equipment also needs to tolerate rough handling.
The rig floor environment can have various ratings of hazardous areas, which typically stem from conditions like the distance from the well, weather conditions, and obstacles. These classifications in North America are Class I, Division 1 or 2 and in Europe, Africa, and Middle East as Zone 0, Zone 1, and Zone 2.
While the optimal control of the drilling process improves with the proximity to the well, it also mandates a mechanism to respond to a down-hole event to ensure the safety of the installation as well as the personnel.
Exploration drilling is occurring in all parts of the world from the extreme cold of the Alaskan slopes to the scorching heat of the Middle East. The environment is far from ideal, with minimal protection from the elements such as direct sunlight, rain, drilling mud, high shock, and vibration.
There is inconsistent power, potential radiation, and emissions from high-powered motors and generators or even radios.
The duration of time the surface equipment resides on site varies by the service, the rig type, and the location. In some rigs, the equipment stays for months and years and in others for a much shorter period of time, even measured in days.
Since drilling operations are extremely costly, the service companies want to perform their task quickly and efficiently, with a maximum return on the productive drilling time.
Therefore, having a technical solution that enables quick equipment setup capability, quick rig-up and rig-down can have a direct impact from a financial as well as an operational perspective as it relates to the surface equipment reliability, safety, and productivity.
There are multiple versions of exploration rigs that the surface equipment must operate on such as land rigs, submersible rigs, jack-ups, and drill ships, and within each one of these rig categories there are variations that are currently in use.
On some rigs, the equipment is laid out on different levels, up to 300 feet away from the rig floor, and in other cases, it is adjacent to operation. These variations require flexible mounting and communication options.
The system designers face the challenge of choosing the right methods for equipment design that meets the hazardous area regulations in addition to surviving the rig-floor environment.
Selections of these methods have technical and financial tradeoffs that have a bearing on product reliability, safety, and productivity.
Explosion proofing: This method utilizes specially designed enclosures. The enclosure contains an explosion, internally, without causing any hazardous impact to the environment outside the enclosure. This method affords flexibility in the design of electrical circuits for power, stored energy, component selection, and the like. This is the common practice in fixed installations, but in rig-floor applications, there are several disadvantages:
- These enclosures are typically heavy, bulky, and costly.
- Since the enclosure is not explosion-proof when it is open, performing any maintenance requires the entire area to be temporarily decommissioned, which is not always possible.
- Permanent enclosures make it difficult to enhance and reconfigure equipment as well as accommodate any change in processes.
- High power components such as processors release a lot of thermal energy that needs to dissipate for proper operation and life expectancy. The typical explosion-proof enclosures are not for high power dissipation.
- The data and power inputs and outputs (I/O) take significant management expertise. Even if the I/O interface is intrinsically safe (IS), the cable connections need to go through cable glands with special cable jackets (or armored cable) to provide flame cooling or through a connector that is explosion proof.
Purging: In this method, technicians pump fresh air into the enclosure before powering up takes place. This removes the hazardous gases, hence the ignition sources such as arcs, and sparks cannot cause an explosion.
After the power up, we maintain the system at a positive pressure as compared to the outside atmospheric pressure to prevent hazardous gases from entering the system.
Just like the explosion-proof method, this method allows a greater flexibility in the design of the internal components. The purging method also allows the use of standard connectors for I/O if using the IS barriers. The non-IS signals must be connect through cable glands.
The major disadvantages in the rig-floor applications are:
- Accessibility to a clean and reliable air supply—this is often expensive and not always available in the field.
- The system has to shut down immediately upon any loss of internal pressure (air supply). This could happen in the middle of a critical operation and an abrupt system shut down may be highly undesirable.
Intrinsically safe: These designs operate at low energy and prevent electrical devices from creating arcs, sparks, or generating heat (during normal or fault conditions) that could ignite the explosive gases (or substances) present in the environment.
The term for such a system is “intrinsically safe.” In comparison with the explosion proof and purging methods, there are certain limitations in the IS designs related to high power and high speed requirements. Though the problems are technically challenging, the companies with expertise in IS design have been able to solve them.
The major advantages in the rig-floor applications are:
- Flexibility in the selection of cable and connectors
- Ability to connect and disconnect the I/O connections while the unit is in operation
- Lower weight and smaller packaging as compared to Explosion-proof devices
- Inherent IS design provides excellent protection against ESD and lightning
- It is a far superior solution in terms of increased reliability, ease of setup, and global safety standards.
IS barriers are widely used to interface with sensors in hazardous areas. Barriers are available for common analog signals such as 0-5V, 4-20mA, or RS232/485 communication protocols.
There is a growing need in the rig-floor applications for the higher bandwidth communications (high accuracy sensors as well as Ethernet). However, these types of products were not available until now.
In addition to hazardous area certifications, systems should support the field operations by providing high reliability as well as an ease of installation, maintenance, and repair.
A system that has the capability of a quick rig-up and rig-down has many advantages. They are:
- Increases product reliability as fewer hands are getting in to the system for setup
- Minimizes the overhead to the drilling company
- Higher utilization of the same piece equipment on more jobs
- Shorter down time when the equipment needs replacement due to failure
Connectors: The benefit of using connectors is to ensure a quick rig-up and rig-down system. There is another important reason one should not overlook when evaluating whether to use connectors—the absence of connectors leads to the use of cable glands.
However, to be able to wire the end of the cable via a gland, one has to open the system, usually while rigging-up or rigging-down the unit in the harsh environment. Once the system is open, it is common technicians do not close the systems properly.
This, in addition to exposing the electronic components to the environmental elements, reduces the reliability of the system. While, adding connectors does create an additional point of failure in the system as well as increasing the cost depending on the type of connector required, cost containment can be effected by designing a barrier in front of the connector to negate the requirement of expensive explosion proof connectors.
Cabling: Cabling has a major financial impact on the over all system. If the output into the hazardous area is not IS, the requirements on the cables are stringent requiring specialized jacketed (or armored) cables that meet explosion proof ratings.
This results in direct and indirect costs due to several reasons:
- The cable cost is higher because of the requirement for the special jackets or armored cable. This cost suffers further by the fact that the most common damaged components of a rig-up kit are the cables and therefore the need for a requisite supply of backups.
- The cost of transporting the cable to the rig increases due to the weight, considering the average cable distance between the rig-floor to the safe area is 300 feet and the cable usually comes by the reel.
- The majority of time spent on a typical surface system installation is on the layout of cables. Service, support, layout, and the handling of armored cables make the cabling process more expensive.
The service companies have made significant investments in cables and connectors over the years. Using the existing cables and connectors would be a major cost savings. The intrinsic safety concept makes this a feasible option.
One-person operation or more
Having a system that is lightweight and compact, easy to transport to the rig site and up to the rig floor, without requiring much real estate, that is at a premium in the rig, are some of the major factors in the rig-up and rig-down process. In some cases, this can be the difference between a one-person installation and one that needs multiple people.
The latest communication trend utilizes Ethernet protocols to communicate between the data acquisition box, the rig floor system, and the company’s main office. In some cases, the data beams via satellite back to the corporate location, where centralized control rooms monitor the entire activities worldwide.
Ethernet TCP/IP has become a standard protocol that has sufficient bandwidth, hardware, and software support from manufacturers, and it is becoming easier to support at all service levels.
Up to this point, there were two feasible options to run Ethernet in hazardous area:
- The fiber optic medium is safe to use in hazardous areas, since there is no electrical energy present in the fiber; however the total cost of installation between cabling and connectors as well as the difficulty and expense of maintenance does have a financial impact. For example, a complete set of industrial rated cable-connectors and cable (for quick connect) can cost up to $2,000, and repairing a broken or cut cable in the field is not feasible due to the tooling involved.
- The copper (CAT5 Ethernet cables) is used successfully in the industrial applications where IS is not required. There are hardened cables and sealed RJ45 connectors available in the market that are suitable for such applications. The major limitation of using copper Ethernet in the rig floor applications is the hazardous area certification. Recently, the solution has become available that is IS Ethernet with the features desired in rig floor application. The benefit of this solution is the ability to use standard cable and connector, quick plug-in due to use of standard connector, ease of set-up, and the like.
- The wireless Ethernet technology (IEEE 802.11 a/b/g) is still in its early stages in industrial applications, and a few organizations in the vanguard in rig-floor applications are using it. The use of wireless technology in hazardous areas requires hazardous area safety certification. There are a couple of solutions that have become available in the market recently.
By successfully designing quick rig-up and rig down systems that integrate IS technology in the systems and eliminating the requirement for purge and explosion proof technologies, we see a more efficacious solution.
We see the use of IS technology as permitting flexibility in the product packaging and system architecture, which in turn improves serviceability, transportability, and the reduction in system cost.
IS technology is at the cutting edge of the design effort to address the continuous improvements in products and services that require increased-data bandwidth for real-time information and enhanced accuracy.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Parag Shah (email@example.com) has a B.S. and Masters degree in electrical engineering. He is vice president technology and solutions at Azonix-Dynalco (www.azonix.com). He has two patents related to Ethernet technology.
Safety survey: Human error top culprit in accidents
By Gregory Hale
Unplanned downtime is the enemy in a manufacturing environment, but that is not the only opponent automation professionals face on a daily basis. Ensuring a safe manufacturing environment remains the top priority across the board.
Ensuring a safe environment remains a key element to any manufacturing site, and the InTech Market Study on safety shows automation professionals from all aspects of control disciplines—process, discrete, batch, hybrid and systems integration—find accidents happen and human error is usually the main culprit.
While a majority of respondents, 52%, said there were no accidents at their facility in the past year, 48% said there was some form of an accident at their plant.
In most cases, 80%, found human error was responsible for the accident, while 12% said management oversight was an issue, 6% said equipment was a problem, and 2% said there was a flaw in the process.
Safety is a mindset, and when asked what is driving their overall safety strategy, 50% of respondents said there was an increase in the culture, while 17% said standards are a driver, followed by government regulations at 11% and employee still level at 10%.
When asked if the facility had a safety instrumented system, 84% of respondents said yes, while 16% said no.
Sometimes safety instrumented systems have to be separate from the control systems, but the numbers were a bit closer than anticipated with 59% said their safety instrumented system was standalone, while 41% said it was not.
Does your safety system run in conjunction with your control system? Overwhelmingly, 74% said yes it does, while 26% said it does not.
Being aware of policies and procedures is key to any safety system; so when asked if their facility conducted regular safety meetings and/or training for its personnel, 93% said yes they did. While the actual percentage is small, 7% of respondents said they failed to hold safety training or meetings.
Systems age, and they need attention, so 56% of respondents said they have updated their safety instrumented system in the past year, while 19% said two years ago, 10% said three years ago, 4% said four years ago, 5% said five years ago, 4% said 6 to 10 years ago, and 3% said 11 years ago and above.
The top issue that necessitated the most recent update came down to age; 24% said that was the top cause, communications was the next issue at 17%, interconnectivity came in third at 13%, cost of upgrade vs. cost of future upgrades tied with other at 11%, continued viability of supplier came in at 9%, while product not supported by vendor came in at 8% and global concerns at 7%.
In terms of maintaining their safety instrumented systems, a huge majority, 77%, said they took care of things internally, while 9% said their supplier maintained the system, 8% said a system integrator handled the chores, and 5% said other.
Consistency is a good thing, and 60% said their service and support for their safety system remains consistent, while 31% said it was improving and 9% said it was worsening.
Safe and secure
With the cyber connection to safety systems, you have to ensure you are safe and secure. So, when asked if they felt their safety instrumented system was secure, 83% said yes, while 17% said no. Along those lines, when asked if they knew if outsiders ever breached their safety system, 8% said yes, while 92% said no.
Cyber is not the only area of security. When asked as to the physical, electronic, and cyber security layers, which of the following exist at your facility? Respondents said:
When it comes to physical security and safety and where respondents could give multiple answers, 41% said they use fences, 36% said they use guards, and 23% said they use barricades.
Regarding electronic security and safety, 33% of respondents said they employ access cards, 30% said they use video cameras, 25% said they use closed circuit television, and 12% said they used motion detection equipment.
When talking about cyber vulnerabilities to safety and process control systems, respondents’ top choice for what their facility engages in was best practices, policies, procedures, and change management at 15%, followed by physically separated process control and enterprise networks with limited access points at 14%, physically separated process control and process safety systems with limited access points at 12%, regular risk and vulnerability assessments and disaster recovery at 11%, hierarchical architecture with cyber-security access restrictions at each network level and security hot fix and antivirus deployment strategy at 10%, high security model deployed on PCs and servers at 9%, and dedicated service team responsible for cyber security at 7%.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Gregory Hale is the editor of InTech magazine.
Boomers and safety strategies
One of the top issues in the last few years, not to mention the coming five years, is Baby Boomers leaving the industry.
When it comes to safety, whether Boomers are there or not, it should not affect the strategies employed by manufacturers, according to an InTech Market Study on safety.
It looks as though when Boomers do decide to call it a day and leave the industry, safety strategy will not feel the affect, with 85% of respondents saying it would not, while 15% saying yes it would.
Intrinsic safety (IS) is a protection technique for the safe operation of electronic equipment in explosive atmospheres. The theory is to ensure the available electrical and thermal energy in the system is always low enough that ignition of the hazardous atmosphere cannot occur. Ensuring only low voltages enter the hazardous area and all electric supply and signal wires have Zener safety barriers is how this can happen.
Explosion-proof apparatus is an apparatus enclosed in a case capable of withstanding an explosion of a specified gas or vapor that may occur within it and of preventing the ignition of a specified gas or vapor surrounding the enclosure by sparks, flashes, or explosion of the gas or vapor within and that operates at such an external temperature that a surrounding flammable atmosphere will not be ignited thereby (NFPA 70).
Purging is the process of supplying an enclosure with a protective gas at a sufficient flow and positive pressure to reduce the concentration of any flammable gas or vapor initially present to an acceptable level (NFPA 496).
Pressurization is the process of supplying an enclosure with a protective gas with or without continuous flow at sufficient pressure to prevent the entrance of a flammable gas or vapor, a combustible dust, or an ignitable fiber.
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Via Michael Krieger of Liberty Blitzkrieg blog,
I guess Americans just haven’t heard of a little something called the stock market. Isn’t that right Bernanke? Wasn’t the stock market rally you engineered supposed to make everyone feel all nice and confident? Well the great middle class squeeze continues, as the stock market is for the 1% what food stamps are for the poor. (Read more…) They are just strategies to keep these groups apathetic and obedient. The middle class isn’t buying it though, as is evidenced by this recent Gallup Poll conducted January 7-10, 2013.
PRINCETON, NJ — U.S. President Barack Obama begins his second term at a time when Americans are as negative about the state of the country and its prospects going forward as they have been in more than three decades. Fewer than four in 10 Americans (39%) rate the current status of the U.S. at the positive end of a zero to 10 scale. This is about the same as in 2010, but it is fewer than have said so at any point since 1979. As they usually are, Americans are more upbeat in their predictions of where the U.S. will be in five years (48% positive), but this is also lower than at any time since 1979.
The 39% of Americans who give a six to 10 rating when asked to evaluate the nation’s current status is similar to the 37% who said the same three years ago. Prior to that, however, assessments were generally more positive, including a 73% six to 10 rating in January 2001 — the highest on record. The three previous points in time when ratings were as low as or lower than the 2013 rating were in August 1979 (34%), April 1974 (33%), and January 1971 (39%). The 1979 measure came at a time when the economy was in bad shape and inflation was rampant, while the 1974 measure came in the midst of the Watergate scandal. When Gallup first asked the question in August 1959, 68% of Americans rated the state of the nation in the six to 10 range.
What about the future?
The 48% who give a six to 10 ranking when asked to project the status of the U.S. five years from now is tied with the 1979 measure as the lowest in Gallup’s history of asking the question. Additionally, the 40% who give a negative rating (zero to four) when asked to look ahead is lower than at any point in history. These negative ratings include 10% who say the situation of the country in five years will be zero, the worst they can imagine.
Not so much. Don’t worry Bernanke, I’m sure another 50 S&P handles will make everything better.
Full Gallup article here.
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ARTICLE 6: PERSONAL DATA
6.1 Passengers shall provide the Carrier, or its Authorised Agent, with their personal information for the purpose of making a Reservation, obtaining complementary services, facilitating immigration formalities and entering the territory of a State. The personal information disclosed to the Carrier in connection with the conclusion and execution of the Contract of Carriage may be subject to data processing. All personal information is collected and processed in accordance with the Dutch Personal Data Protection Act (Wet Bescherming Persoonsgegevens), based on EU Directive 95/46/EC.
6.2 Information provided by the Passengers is primarily used for the purposes of (i) Reservation and purchase of their Ticket, (ii) provision of specific services in associated with the transportation service, (iii) canvassing, retention, guidance and commercial information, and (iv) performance of statistical studies. It may also be used for the purpose of facilitating the completion of administrative formalities relating to immigration and entering a territory, preventing non-payment and combating fraud, as well as guaranteeing the security and safety of flights.
6.3 Passengers are advised that any incident occurred during the execution of the Contract of Carriage which could possibly jeopardise the safety or security of a flight will be registered in a computerised system and may be disclosed to the appropriate Government Authorities.
Passengers are informed and accept that the provision of certain specific ancillary services like special meals and/or medical assistance may require the Carrier to record in its data base data that is likely to fall in article 16 of the Dutch Personal Data Protection Act. This data is only used for the specific additional services requested by the Passenger.
6.4 The data collected may be made accessible to authorised staff of the Carrier, or its partners (Authorised Agents, Carriers as defined in Article 1 above, etc.) or of its ancillary service providers, as part of the fulfilment of the requested services referred to above.
6.5 In accordance with applicable laws and regulations both in the Netherlands and internationally, the Carrier is also occasionally obliged to make personal data available to authorised Dutch or foreign authorities (e.g. customs, police, immigration, etc.), in particular for the purpose of preventing and combating terrorism or other crimes.
It is stipulated that some of the recipients mentioned above may be based outside the European Union and have access to some or all personal data collected by the Carrier (surname, first name, passport number, travel details, etc.), for the performance of the Passenger’s Contract of Carriage or due to a specific legal authorisation. Data transfers conducted outside the European Union are carried out in accordance with the conditions defined in the Dutch Personal Data Protection Act.
6.6 Under the Dutch Personal Data Protection Act, Passengers have rights to access, correct, remove or object to data collected relating to themselves. These rights are to be exercised by sending a letter to the following address: KLM Privacy Office – AMSPI, P.O. Box 7700, 1117ZL Schiphol, the Netherlands.
6.8 Unless Passengers object either at the time at which their data is gathered or by writing to the aforementioned address, the Carrier reserves the right to use the Passenger's data or to pass it on to its partners in order to be able to send the Passenger appropriate commercial offers.
6.9 Where required by law (electronic marketing), a Passenger’s data shall not be used for marketing purposes by the Carrier or its partners unless this Passenger has given their approval for such use when providing their personal data. The Passenger may, subsequently, object to it’s data being used for such purposes by sending a letter to the address mentioned in Article 6.6.
6.10 It is stipulated that the collection of certain personal data is essential to make the Reservation possible and to fulfil the Contract of Carriage. Passengers can exercise their right to object to the collection and processing of their data, but shall be informed that this may result in cancellation of the flight or inability to receive some of the specific requested ancillary services (e.g. special meals, etc.). It is also specified that, in accordance with applicable laws and regulations in the Netherlands and internationally, the lack of some personal information or the inaccuracy of the supplied information may lead to a decision to deny boarding or entry into a foreign territory. This without the Carrier incurring any liability as a result.
ARTICLE 7: SPECIAL ASSISTANCE
7.1 The carriage of unaccompanied children, Passengers with Reduced Mobility, and persons with illnesses or any other persons who require special assistance, may be subject to special conditions. In certain situations the carriage shall only be performed subject to the Carrier’s prior consent. The Carrier reserves the right to require a medical certificate with regard to particular medical conditions. Acceptance for carriage of pregnant women may be subject to prior arrangement with Carrier. The special conditions relating to the carriage of Passengers as referred to in this Article 7.1 are available from the Carrier and its Authorised Agents on request and on the KLM Website.
It is advisable for Passengers to inform the Carrier of their disability or of any need for special assistance when making their Reservation. Should a request for special assistance be made following Reservation or in accordance with the applicable regulations, less than 48 hours prior to departure, the Carrier will do everything in its power to fulfill the request pursuant to the applicable regulations, taking particular account of the time frame and the specific nature of the assistance requested. Should the Passenger, when checking in or boarding, require special assistance for which a request has not timely and in accordance with this Article been made, then the Carrier has the right to refuse the Passenger pursuant to Article 9 (o).
7.2 If a Passenger requires a special meal, they must enquire as to the availability thereof when making the Reservation (and/or changing a Reservation) or within the time limits published by the Carrier for this purpose. Otherwise, the Carrier cannot guarantee the presence of said special meal on board the flight concerned.
7.3 If a Passenger has a medical background or a specific medical condition which may be affected by travelling in a pressurized cabin, it is recommended that the Passenger consults a doctor before taking a flight, particularly a long-haul flight, and take all necessary precautions for their flight to take place without incident.
7.4 If the Passenger fails to inform the Carrier of a mental or physical condition, or incapacity within the meaning of Article 7.1, and in connection with that condition the Carrier diverts the aircraft to an unscheduled place of destination, the Carrier is entitled to recover the reasonable costs of the diversion and other related costs from the Passenger, unless in case of Force Majeure on the side of the Passenger.
ARTICLE 8: CHECK-IN/BOARDING
8.1 Check-In Deadlines (CID) vary from one airport to another. Passengers must imperatively comply with Check-In Deadlines in order to facilitate their journey and avoid their Reservations being cancelled. The Carrier or its Authorised Agent shall provide Passengers with all requisite information on the Check-In Deadline for their first flight with the Carrier. If the Passenger’s journey includes subsequent flights, it is the Passenger’s responsibility to check they are in possession of all the information relating to Check-in Deadlines for these flights.
8.2 Passengers must arrive sufficiently in advance of the flight in order to be able to carry out all necessary formalities for their journey; in any event, they must comply with the Check-In Deadline. Should the Passenger fail to do so or should the Passenger not present all the documents allowing them to be checked-in and therefore be unable to travel, the Carrier may cancel Passenger’s Reservation and seat reserved for such Passenger, without having any further obligation towards the relevant Passenger and without any liability on the part of the Carrier.
8.3 Passengers must be present at the boarding gate prior to the boarding time specified at check-in. The Carrier shall be entitled to cancel a Passenger’s Reservation and seat reserved for such Passenger if the Passenger is not present at the boarding gate at the latest by the boarding time specified to the Passenger, without having any further obligation towards the relevant Passenger and without any liability on the part of the Carrier.
8.4 The Carrier shall have no obligation (including, without limitation, no obligation to carry or pay a refund) or liability whatsoever towards a Passenger who has not complied with the conditions of this Article.
ARTICLE 9: REFUSAL AND LIMITATION ON CARRIAGE
The Carrier may refuse to transport Passengers and their Baggage, if one or more of the following cases has occurred or is likely to occur:
(a) Carrier in its reasonable discretion determines that such action is necessary in order to comply with any applicable laws, regulations or orders of any state or country to be flown from, into or over.
(b) The Passenger has expressed himself in such a way or displayed such behaviour that (i) doubt exists with respect to safety and/or (ii) the Carrier, its crew and/or ground staff, its aircraft/assets and/or property, its services (including any loyalty programme of the Carrier) or its Passengers has suffered any damage, either direct or indirect. Such expression or behaviour includes the use of threatening, abusive or insulting language towards ground staff or crew and Passengers threatening to endanger or who have already endangered the safety of one or more persons, goods or the aircraft itself (which includes those who make a hoax bomb threat.
(c) The Passenger’s physical or mental state, including any condition caused by the consumption of alcohol or the use of drugs or medication, could present discomfort, a hazard or risk to themselves, the other Passengers, the crew or property.
(d) The Passenger is, or appears to be in the unlawful possession of drugs.
(e) The Passenger has compromised security, order and/or discipline when checking in for the flight or, for connecting flights, during a previous flight and the Carrier has reason to believe that such conduct may be repeated.
(f) Immigration and/or customs authorities and/or any other government authority informed the Carrier (either orally or in writing) that the Passenger is not allowed to travel and/or the Carrier has notified the Passenger (either orally or in writing) that the Carrier will not carry the Passenger on his flights, for a certain period or forever. This includes situations in which the Carrier has received a negative travel advice regarding the Passenger from such authority, for example in cases where the Passenger is suspected of (intent to) drug smuggling and situations where the authorities have notified the Passenger in writing that the Carrier shall no longer carry the Passenger on its flights.
(g) The Carrier itself has decided in its sole discretion, not to carry the Passenger on its flights for a certain period due to the Passenger’s (criminal) misbehavior against the Carrier, its crew and/or ground staff, its aircraft/ assets and/ or property, its services (including any loyalty program of the Carrier) or its Passengers, and has informed the Passenger thereof either orally or in writing.
(h) The Passenger has refused to undergo the security as outlined in particular in Articles 10.1.3 and 18.6 below or has refused to provide proof of his identity.
(i) The Passenger is not in a position to prove that they are the person referred to in the box “Passenger name” box on the Ticket.
(j) The Passenger (or the person who paid for the Ticket) has not paid the Fare Including Tax in force and/or the applicable Issue Fees and/or Taxes.
(k) The Passenger does not appear to be in possession of valid travel documents, may seek or has sought to illegally enter a country through which he may be in transit, or for which he does not have a valid entry document, has destroyed travel documents during the flight, has refused to allow copies thereof to be made and kept by the Carrier, or the Passenger’s travel documents have expired, are incomplete in light of the regulations in force, or appear to be fraudulent or otherwise suspicious (for example: identity theft, forgery or counterfeiting of documents).
(l) The Ticket presented by the Passenger:
- appears to be invalid, or
- was acquired unlawfully or purchased from an organisation other than the Carrier or its Authorised Agent, or
- has been reported as stolen or lost document, or
- has been forged or appears to be counterfeited, fraudulent or otherwise suspicious, or
- has a Flight Coupon that has been damaged or modified by someone other than the Carrier or its Authorised Agent.
(m) The Passenger refuses to pay an additional fare and/or the Administration Fees under the conditions specified in Article 3.4 above.
(n) The Passenger refuses to pay a surcharge under the conditions specified in Article 10 below.
(o) When checking in or boarding, the Passenger requires special assistance that was not requested when the travel Reservation was made, or in accordance with the applicable regulations, at least 48 hours before the announced departure time of the flight, in accordance with Article 7.1, and which the Carrier cannot reasonably provide.
(p) The Passenger has not complied with the instructions and regulations relating to security and/or safety.
(q) A Passenger benefiting from a fare reduction or a Fare that is subject to specific conditions, is unable to provide the supporting documents required for the allocation of this specific Fare and refuses to pay the Fare readjustment defined in Article 3.1 (i).
In cases (i), (k), (l), (m) and (n) above, the Carrier shall be entitled to cancel the Passenger’s Ticket. In the cases of (f), (j) and (l) the Carrier has the right to refuse a refund of the Ticket of the Passenger as defined in Article 14.4 (f).
ARTICLE 10: BAGGAGE
10.1 General Provisions
10.1.1 Passenger’s Obligations
(a) Passengers declare that they are fully aware of the content of all of their Baggage.
(b) Passengers undertake not to leave their Baggage unattended from the moment they pack it and not to accept items from another Passenger or from any other person.
(c) Passengers undertake not to travel with Baggage entrusted to them by a third party.
(d) Passengers are advised not to include perishable or fragile items in their Baggage. If however the Passenger includes such items or objects in their Baggage, they must ensure that that these are properly and securely packed and protected in suitable containers in order not to damage these items and objects as well as Baggage belonging to other Passengers’ Baggage or the Carrier’s aircraft.
10.1.2 Prohibited Items
Passengers shall not include in their Baggage any items for which carriage is prohibited or restricted by the applicable regulations and the law in force in any departure, arrival or transit State or State over which the aircraft flies, including in particular:
(a) Items that are liable to endanger the aircraft, the persons or property on board, such as those specified in the Dangerous Goods Regulations of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and in the Carrier’s regulations, as applicable (additional information is available upon request from the Carrier); these items include in particular but is not limited to, asbestos, explosives, pressurised gas, oxidising, radioactive or magnetised substances, inflammable substances, toxic or corrosive substances articles, liquids or other substances which are capable of posing a significant risk to health, safety or property when transported by air.
(b) Items which in the reasonable opinion of the Carrier are unsuitable for Carriage because of the weight, dimensions, unpleasant odour, configuration or fragile or perishable nature, make them unsuitable for Carriage, in particular in light of the type of aircraft used. Information on these items shall be provided to Passengers, upon request;
(c) Firearms and ammunition other than those intended for hunting or sport which, in order to be accepted as cargo or Checked Baggage, must be unloaded and suitably packed and have the safety catch on. The carriage of ammunition is subject to the ICAO and IATA Dangerous Goods Regulations, as stated in paragraph (a) above;
(d) Cutting weapons, stabbing weapons and aerosols that may be used as attack or defense weapons, antique weapons, replica of weapons, swords, knives and other weapons of this type. This type of weapon may not be transported in the cabin under any circumstances. They may nevertheless be contained as cargo or Checked Baggage, subject to acceptance by the Carrier.
(e) Live animals, except as provided for in the provisions of Article 10.4.
Furthermore, additional information on prohibited items which may not be carried as Unchecked Baggage, including but not limited to carriage liquids and gels as well as pointed/edged weapons and sharp objects, blunt instruments and lighters, are available from the Carrier and on the KLM Website.
10.1.3 Right of Search
For security/safety reasons, and/or on the request of the authorities, the Passenger may be asked to undergo for themselves and/or their Baggage, a search or any type of scan (using X-rays or another technique). If a Passenger is not available, their Baggage may be scanned or searched in their absence, with a view to checking, in particular, whether it contains the items referred to in Article 10.1.2 above. If a Passenger refuses to comply with such requests, the Carrier may deny them and their Baggage carriage. If said scans damage the Baggage and the contents thereof or cause Damage, the Carrier shall not be liable, unless the Damage is caused by the Carrier’s gross negligence or willful misconduct.
10.1.4 Right to Refuse Carriage to Carry Baggage
(a) The Carrier may, for security and/ or safety reasons, refuse to carry or continue to carry a Passenger’s Baggage if it contains any of the items listed in Article 10.1.2 above or if the Passenger has failed to comply with the obligations of Article 10.1.1(a), (b) and (c). The Carrier has no obligation to take custody of refused Baggage and/or items.
(b) The Carrier may, in particular for security, safety, hygiene and/ or operating reasons, refuse to carry any item that is incompatible with Air Carriage because of its dimensions, shape, weight, contents, configuration or nature, or refuse to continue to carry them should they be discovered during a journey. The Carrier has no obligation to take custody of refused Baggage and/or items.
(c) The Carrier may refuse to carry Baggage for which the Passenger has refused to pay the surcharge as defined in Article 10.2.2 (b). The Carrier has no obligation to take custody of refused Baggage or items.
(d) The Carrier will not agree to carry animals that do not have the documents required by the applicable regulations such as defined in Article 10.4.
(e) The Carrier may refuse to carry in the hold Baggage that has not been handed over by the Passenger to the Carrier prior to the Check-in Deadline under the conditions defined in Article 10.2.1 (a).
10.2 Checked Baggage
10.2.1 General Provisions
(a) The Passenger must hand over Baggage at the Carrier’s check-in desk or at the self service drop off point for the purpose of checking in prior to the Check-in Deadline.
(b) As soon as Passengers have handed over their Baggage at check-in, under the aforementioned conditions, the Carrier shall take custody thereof and issue Passengers with a Baggage Check, for each item that of Checked Baggage.
(c) Passengers must affix their name to their Baggage.
(d) Carrier will try, as much as reasonable possible, to arrange that Checked Baggage is carried on the same aircraft as the Passenger. Amongst others, for operating or security/safety reasons, the Checked Baggage may be carried on another flight. In this case, the Carrier will deliver the Baggage to the Passenger, unless the applicable regulations require the Passenger to be present for a customs inspection.
(e) Checked Baggage must be able to withstand normal handling and protect its content.
(f) Passengers are advised not to put in their Baggage currency, jewellery, works of art, precious metals, silverware, securities, or other valuables, optical or photographic equipment, computers, electronic and/ or telecommunication equipment or devices, musical instruments, passports and identity documents, keys, business documents, manuscripts or deeds, whether individualized or fungible etc. In this respect, it is specified that in the event of destruction, loss or damage of Checked Baggage, the Carrier will only be liable to the extent defined by the Convention and Article 19 of these General Conditions of Carriage.
(g) Subject to applicable regulations, Passengers are advised not to carry any medication in their Checked Baggage.
10.2.2 Baggage Allowance
(a) Where applicable according to fare conditions the Baggage Allowance corresponds to carriage in the hold of a quantity of Baggage per Passenger limited in number and/or weight and/or dimensions, determined on the basis of the destination and the Fare paid and appearing on the Ticket.
(b) Passengers may travel with Checked Baggage that exceeds the Baggage Allowance, subject to payment of a surcharge. The conditions relating to this surcharge are available from the Carrier and its Authorised Agents and on the KLM Website.
(c) In all cases, the Checked Baggage may not exceed a maximum number per Passenger. Information relating to this maximum number is available from the Carrier and its Authorised Agents and on the KLM Website.
(d) Passengers can obtain all relevant information about the applicable Baggage Allowance, if any, from the Carrier or its Authorized Agent and the KLM Website.
10.2.3 Special Declaration of Interest
(a) For all Checked Baggage with a value that exceeds the liability limits in the event of destruction, loss, damage or delay, as defined by the Convention, Passengers can either purchase insurance coverage prior to the journey or, when handing over the Baggage to the Carrier, make a Special Declaration of Interest limited to a certain amount. In this case, a surcharge made known upon request, must be paid by the Passenger. Compensation will be paid in accordance with the provisions of Article 19.
(b) The Carrier reserves the right to verify the adequacy of the value declared with the value of the Baggage and the contents thereof.
(c) All Special Declarations of Interest must be made by the Passenger to the Carrier prior to the Check-in Deadline. The Carrier may refuse any Special Declaration of Interest if a Passenger does not comply with the afore mentioned time limit. The Carrier also has the option of capping the level of the declarations. The Carrier also reserves the right to prove, in the event of damage, that the amount declared was higher than the Passenger’s genuine interest at the time of delivery.
(d) Passengers can obtain all the relevant information regarding this Special Declaration of Interest and surcharge specified in Article 10.2.3 above from the Carrier.
10.2.4 Collection and Delivery of Baggage
(a) Subject to the provisions of Article 10.2.1 (d), it is the responsibility of Passengers to collect their Checked Baggage as soon as made available to them at the Place of Destination or Stopover. If a Passenger does not collect Baggage within three months from the Baggage being made available to them, the Carrier may dispose of said Baggage, without being liable to the Passenger in any way.
(b) Only the bearer of the Baggage Check is authorised to collect Checked Baggage.
(c) If a person claiming Baggage is not in a position to produce the Baggage Check, the Carrier shall only hand over the Baggage to such person on the condition that he/she establishes his/her rights thereto in a satisfactory manner.
(d) Receipt of the Baggage by the bearer of the Baggage Check without complaint is prima facie evidence that the same has been delivered in good condition and in accordance with the Contract of Carriage (subject to proof to the contrary by the Passenger).
(e) For the collection of Checked Baggage in the event of prematurely interruption of the journey, the provisions under Article 3.4 (d) apply.
10.3 Unchecked Baggage
(a) All Tickets allow for carriage in the cabin of a quantity of Unchecked Baggage which is limited by number and/or weight and/or dimension. Should this information not have been specified to the Passenger, a single Unchecked Baggage item will be accepted and Unchecked Baggage must be able to be placed beneath the seat, in front of Passengers or in a locker provided for this purpose. Should the Carrier be required to check Baggage into the hold as a result of a failure on the part of the Passenger to comply with the above conditions, the Passenger may be required, where applicable, to pay a surcharge, as specified in Article 10.2.2 (b).
Certain Baggage which the Passengers wish to take in the cabin, may, for security and/or safety and/or operation or aircraft configuration reasons, at any time prior to the flight departure, be denied cabin access and must be carried as Checked Baggage.
(b) The Baggage/items that Passengers do not wish to carry in the hold (such as fragile musical instruments or other items) and that do not comply with the provisions of Article 10.3 (a) above (excess dimensions and/or weight), may only be accepted for cabin carriage if the Carrier has been duly informed thereof by the Passenger prior to check-in and granted authorization. In this case, the carriage of said Baggage may be subject to a charge, in accordance with the Carrier’s fare conditions, which can be obtained from the latter.
(c) Passengers are responsible for personal effects and Unchecked Baggage that they take into the cabin. In the event of destruction, theft, loss or damage of personal effects and Unchecked Baggage, the Carrier may only be held liable if wrongdoing on its part, or that of its officials or agents, is proven, said liability being then limited to the amount defined in Article 19 of these General Conditions of Carriage.
10.4.1 General Provisions
(a) The carriage of animals travelling with Passengers is subject to the Carrier’s prior and explicit acceptance.
(b) The number of animals that can be carried is limited per flight and per Passenger.
(c) In accordance with the regulations in force, the carriage of certain categories of animals is prohibited. Information relating to these categories is available on request from the Carrier and its Authorised Agent and on the KLM Website.
(d) Passengers must be able to provide all valid documents relating to their animal, required by the authorities in the departure, arrival or transit country, including in particular passports, health and vaccination certificates and entry or transit permits. The Carrier will not agree to carry animals that do not have the requisite documents.
(e) Depending on the destination, the carriage of animals can be subject to conditions, in particular age, weight, health checks, which the Passenger may obtain from the Carrier.
(f) The animal and its container are not included in the Baggage Allowance; the Passenger must pay a surcharge, the conditions of which are available from the Carrier.
(g) Guide dogs, service animals, and if applicable their cages, accompanying Passengers with Reduced Mobility will be carried free of charge, in addition to the applicable Baggage Allowance, in accordance with the Carrier’s regulations, which are available on request.
(h) In the event of fraud or the absence or invalidity of the required documents or if the container intended for carrying the animal does not comply with the provisions of Article 10.4.3, the Carrier shall not assume any liability for the injury, loss, delay, illness or death of animals carried (in the event that the animal is refused entry into or passage through any country, state or territory), as a result of these failures, unless this is solely caused by gross negligence or willful misconduct of the Carrier. Passengers traveling with animals who fail to comply with the applicable regulations must reimburse the fines, loss, compensation and all costs and damage incurred by Carrier due to such a situation.
The Carrier shall at all times be entitled to set such additional conditions as it deems appropriate in its discretion.
(i) Passengers can obtain all the relevant information regarding the carriage of animals and in particular, the surcharge specified in Article 10.4.1 (f) above form the Carrier and its Authorised Agent and on the KLM Website.
10.4.2 Animals travelling in the cabin
(a) Pets and their cages will in no event be accepted in the cabin when exceeding a weight fixed by the Carrier. Information relating to the maximum weight is available on request from the Carrier and its Authorised Agent and on the KLM Website.
(b) Pets must be placed in container designed for this purpose, which is closed and fully contains the animal and in which the animal is able to stand up, turn around and breathe easily and freely.
(c) Passenger undertake not to remove Pets, even partially from their containers for the entire duration of the flight.
10.4.3 Pets Travelling in the Hold
Pets must be placed in a rigid plastic or fibre glass carry cage approved by the IATA (International Air Transport Association). | <urn:uuid:7407d669-b764-4290-9718-4108e3a13727> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.klm.com/travel/kw_en/customer_support/booking_conditions_carriage/article_6_to_10.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697974692/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095254-00013-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.932652 | 6,270 | 1.726563 | 2 |
Gov. Patrick: Hoping For Best, Planning For Worst
The governor said Hurricane Sandy could hit Sunday night and linger into Wednesday.
Gov. Deval Patrick has declared a state of emergency and held a press conference Saturday afternoon to update to the public about how the state is preparing for the impact of Hurricane Sandy.
Sandy is currently a category 1 hurricane rolling up the Atlantic and is expected to turn northwest Sunday afternoon. Impact on New England from the storm is expected by Sunday night and could linger until Wednesday.
"While we continue to hope for the best, we are planning for the worst," Patrick said.
There may be coastal flooding, severe beach erosion, damaging winds, widespread power outages, and possibly 5 inches or more of rain.
"This afternoon I declared a state of emergency commonwealth-wide," Patrick said. "This enables us to cut through some of the red tape sometimes involved in securing the necessary services, supplies and personnel I want to be sure we have in advance of Hurricane Sandy reaching us."
Patrick added that there were 200 National Guard members on duty Saturday and would be 1,000 on duty by Monday to supply armories, fill sandbags, assist victims and transport emergency personnel.
The administration is also in constant contact with utility companies, as widespread power outages are expected.
Patrick advised residents to complete any errands they may have by Sunday evening. Residents may be asked to stay off the roads during the storm. For T-service updates, customers are urged to visit mbta.com.
Check with Patch for updates leading up to, during and after the storm. | <urn:uuid:3fac218f-4c5a-43ae-b0f2-351ed81e53e4> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://plymouth.patch.com/articles/gov-patrick-hoping-for-best-planning-for-worst-143b16fc | 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 | 0.963536 | 330 | 1.554688 | 2 |
Raj Nath was addressing the saints at the Mahakumbh, the biggest fair on earth whereas Narendra Modi had cleverly and carefully picked his venue - Shri Ram College of Commerce (SRCC) of Delhi, one of the best commerce and economics colleges in the country - to make his national pitch.
Incidentally, Shri Ram College of Commerce (SRCC) is the alma mater of many leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), including Awn Jaitley, Vijay Goel, Jagdish Mukhi and Vijay Jolly. He was therefore quite sure of getting good response from the students there just as Rajnath Singh was certain of getting a good audience at Mahakumbh in Allahabad.While Rajnath also raised the issue of the poor quality of water in the Ganga, expressing solidarity with the river and demanding that 'no city, big or small, should be allowed to discharge, untreated effluents into the Ganga'.
Instead he spoke about computers in the tone of a management consultant donning a Swadesi touch even though he would have never qualified as a student at SRCC, where the percentages demanded for entry are too high. But he managed to mesmerize 1800 students who cheered him repeatedly when he glorified the role of the youth, saying that the US and China were ageing nations and that our youth power would make India the greatest power as predicted by Swami Vivekanand. But there was a difference between the Kumbh and the Delhi meetings.
While Rajnath Singh was also heard with rapt attention, there were no demonstrations against him. But that cannot be said for the Modi lecture in Delhi. He might have thrilled a captive audience but outside the venue there were massive demonstrations against him. Angry leftist students shouted anti-Modi slogans, reported The Times of India. Water cannons were reportedly used to disperse the protesting students. But in Allahabad it was all peaceful. Modi is to visit Allahabad too. Will he forget computers and talk of Ram or Ram temple here?
The most popular citizen journalists' reports on merinews chosen automatically on the basis of views and comments
View more jobs | <urn:uuid:933f3795-0548-4321-9124-61ee661f6983> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.merinews.com/article/bjps-two-voices-influential-voices-rajnath-singh-and-narendra-modi/15881377.shtml | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00011-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.981833 | 445 | 1.710938 | 2 |
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- Don D., California
Using a Value Line Report: Exxon Mobil is a Rock in a Turbulent Sea – December 9, 2011
Exxon Mobil (XOM – Free Value Line Research Report for Exxon Mobil) is a giant in its industry, as the Business Description notes. While being so large affords the oil and gas giant some level of diversification with regard to the sources of its products, it does little to protect it from the often-violent swings in the commodity prices of the products it produces.
A quick look at the historical portion of the Statistical Array highlights the impact that oil and gas prices can have on Exxon Mobil. In 2008, the company earned $8.69 per share. Just one year later, following a large drop in commodity prices, share net was only $3.98. That’s a big drop and one that Exxon weathered better than many of its competitors. Still, such exposure to a market driven commodity poses material risks to a business.
How, then, does Exxon manage this exposure and still reward shareholders?
One important way, as noted above, is its diversification. It has operations around the world and the scale to focus on the regions and business opportunities that management believes will be most beneficial over the long term. This can include moving aggressively into areas through acquisitions like the XTO Energy purchase in 2010 that materially increased Exxon’s natural gas business. This move was made because of the long-term potential of natural gas, however, as that commodity is mired in a long price slump driven by increased supply. Simply put, the oil giant can throw its weight around, to some degree, in an effort to better position itself for the future.
Another way in which Exxon rewards shareholders is by keeping debt levels low. As the Capital Structure box shows, long-term debt makes up just 5% of the company’s capital structure. This is an extremely low sum for a company engaged in a capital-intensive industry. Although some might argue that leveraging the company would increase returns for shareholders, which it indeed would, such leverage would also pose a significant risk because of the volatile nature of the commodities underlying revenues. A conservative stance seems more in line with keeping shareholders from such risks as insolvency and dividend cuts.
While on the topic of dividends, Exxon Mobil pays one, providing investors with tangible returns. A long history of dividend increases, which can be seen in the Statistical Array, is clear evidence of a desire to reward investors. In fact, as the Annual Rates box shows, the historical dividend growth rate has hovered between two and three times the long-term average inflation rate of about 3%.
Although the dividend has been a clear benefit for shareholders, it could be argued that a company with the cash flow and financial strength of Exxon Mobil could probably afford to a little more generous with its shareholders. Note that even when earnings fell precipitously in 2009, dividends as a percentage of earnings (the payout ratio) was just 43%—not an onerous amount by any stretch of the imagination (this number is found in the Statistical Array).
This may be true, but again, conservative management helps protect shareholders from such risks as a dividend cut, a clearly unwelcome event for most. In flush times, however, this conservative stance leaves the company with a lot of extra cash lying around. Note that at the end of September 2011, Exxon had over $11 billion in cash on the balance sheet (this information is available in the Current Position box). In 2010, it used some of that cash to purchase XTO Energy, a long-term, shareholder friendly move.
It also issued shares in that transaction. This was an odd event for Exxon, however, as the company has a penchant for buying its own shares rather than issuing them. In fact, a look at the Statistical Array shows that, 2010 aside, the shares have been on a long-term trend lower since 1999. In fact, even after issuing shares in 2010, the company appears on track to buying back all of the issued shares by the end of 2011.
Some companies use stock buybacks to offset the dilution from executive stock grants, which can make the value of a buyback dubious at best. Other companies say they are going to buy back stock to great fanfare, only to quietly do nothing with their shares. Exxon is definitely doing a great deal on the buyback front, repurchasing about a million shares in the last decade or so. As such, this is another tangible way for management to return value to shareholders, as a reduced share count leads to higher per share earnings.
As a discretionary event, however, this is a way to return value that does not come with an ongoing commitment. Thus, true to the company’s conservative nature, buying shares will wax and wane with the oil giant’s fortunes—which makes sense given the commodity exposure inherent to the business.
For a conservative investor seeking exposure to the oil and natural gas industry, Exxon Mobil is a solid option. It may not be exciting, but management knows its business and works within a logical set of parameters to ensure shareholders get rewarded.
At the time of this article's writing, the author did not have positions in any of the companies mentioned. | <urn:uuid:c1b57d6e-1db2-48b8-815c-6385a6feeedb> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://valueline.com/Stocks/Highlights/2011_Highlights/Using_a_Value_Line_Report__Exxon_Mobil_is_a_Rock_in_a_Turbulent_Sea_%E2%80%93_December_9,_2011.aspx | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00010-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.963425 | 1,104 | 1.554688 | 2 |
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Sat January 5, 2013
Week In News: The End Of The Fiscal Cliff, Sort Of
Originally published on Sat January 5, 2013 5:10 pm
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JACKI LYDEN, HOST:
It's WEEKENDS on ALL THINGS CONSIDERED from NPR News. I'm Jacki Lyden.
(SOUNDBITE OF SPEECH)
PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA: If Congress refuses to give the United States the ability to pay its bills on time, the consequences for the entire global economy could be catastrophic. The last time Congress threatened this course of action, our entire economy suffered for it.
LYDEN: That was President Obama today speaking in his weekly address. Earlier this week, a Congress that seemed almost under siege from its own factions narrowly averted the fiscal cliff. The process is considered only a prelude to battles to come on various financial deadlines and might be expected to raise questions about America's economy and governance. James Fallows of The Atlantic joins us, as he does most Saturdays. Nice to have you back, Jim.
JAMES FALLOWS: Thank you, Jacki.
LYDEN: So I know that you caught a lot of this spectacle on television, and we were wondering and talking a bit about whether or not this has left the full faith and credit in the U.S. Treasury and government intact globally.
I think the world financial reaction this last week puts this whole question in a very different light from the way we're used to discussing it in American politics. We saw that in the immediate aftermath of the fiscal cliff averting deal the Congress and the president struck this past week, there was a stock market surge around the world. You know, the Dow Jones average went up 300 some points, and there were positive reactions in the European and Asian markets.
FALLOWS: And you would think that if the world's concern about the U.S. was what we had mainly heard over the last couple of years, which is that we're becoming too indebted, that we're not going to be able to meet our federal obligations, that we're becoming another Greece, the reaction would have been the reverse because the effect of this fiscal cliff deal was actually to make the federal deficit larger than it would've been if there was no agreement.
LYDEN: In fact, it actually added 4 trillion to our debt.
FALLOWS: Exactly. And so the fact, this positive response suggests that what the rest of the world was concerned about was not really the level of federal debt but whether we're going to sort of engineer our way into another recession, which would affect the rest of the world, and number two, the basic process of how the United States is able to do its public business. And I think this latter point is the one that really weighs on the rest of the world.
LYDEN: Jim, let me move to Afghanistan. I know you posted a blog post today in The Atlantic about the outcome there. I don't want to use the phrase graveyard of empires, but it seems as if the U.S. is facing a situation similar to what the Russians encountered.
FALLOWS: I will make clear that I am not an expert in Afghanistan. I've not been to visit the battlefield there over the past 10 years. But from having studied the American record in various wars of the past generation plus and read the history of that part of the world, anyone would have to be concerned about the omens coming out of Afghanistan over the last year or two.
Many people have noted that in 2012, twice as many U.S. troops were killed by the Afghan soldiers they were supposedly training as the year before, the level of hostility from the Karzai government itself, which is (unintelligible) our ally, and the Afghan public seems to be going up.
The oddest thing about this from American politics is that it's not a more central topic of discussion now of what the United States is going to be able to do to wind up its business there when we face this dilemma. It's difficult to get out when we haven't trained a successor force. But it also is very difficult and even impossible to stay when the hostility seems to be growing so quickly.
LYDEN: And speaking of underwhelming and less than dramatic outcomes, this week, the Arab news channel Al-Jazeera bought former Vice President Al Gore's cable network, Current TV. That was rather remarkable, $500 million deal.
FALLOWS: It was. And one often thinks of Al Gore as a person who, over the last 12 years, must have reflected on the injustice of life in various ways. But as a businessman, he's been phenomenally successful, including the $100 million that he personally reportedly will make from this deal. As somebody who's watched Al-Jazeera coverage a lot as I have from outside the United States over the last few years, I think American viewers will be positively surprised by what they see in the news coverage from this network. It's another strand of coverage and more informative than many people might think.
LYDEN: James Fallows is national correspondent with The Atlantic. And you can read his blog at jamesfallows.theatlantic.com. Jim, nice to have you with us.
FALLOWS: Thank you, Jacki. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright National Public Radio. | <urn:uuid:6510c5de-7025-4520-9752-3bdf1ea2c207> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://wkar.org/post/week-news-end-fiscal-cliff-sort | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00015-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.976274 | 1,129 | 1.617188 | 2 |
Stimulus with interest: $1.2 trillion
As Obama lobbies critics on Hill to pass recovery plan, budget agency estimates long-term cost.
NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- The long-term cost of the $825 billion economic recovery package before Congress could rise to $1.2 trillion over 10 years, a top budget official said Tuesday.
That's because the government will borrow to fund the plan and pay an estimated $347 billion in interest, Congressional Budget Office Director Douglas Elmendorf told the House Budget Committee on Tuesday.
The calculation was made at the request of House Republicans who have questioned the size and effectiveness of the bill.
When asked at a press briefing about the interest cost affecting the overall cost of stimulus package, White House press secretary Robert Gibbs on Tuesday said, "The real price tag is how much the plan costs now, $825 billion." He likened it to being asked how much a house costs. Typically the price given is the sales price, not the 30-year cost with interest, he said.
Elmendorf, in response to a question from Paul Ryan, R-Wis., the committee's ranking member, said that this year's annual deficit could rise to 10% of gross domestic product once the cost of the recovery package is combined with the costs of other spending bills Congress will consider in the next month.
While Elmendorf described the increase in debt as "stunning," he said the depth of economic downturn is also stunning. The CBO estimates that the House fiscal stimulus package could increase GDP by between 1.3 percentage points and 3.6 percentage points this year and by a similar range next year.
President Obama on Tuesday turned up the heat on his push for the legislation when he met with Republicans critical of his plan.
A major Republican criticism of the bill: many of its provisions would not jolt the economy back to life quickly enough.
The CBO late Monday evening released its first analysis of the total stimulus package as proposed by House Democrats. The CBO estimates that roughly 64% of the $825 billion package would be put to use in 2009 and 2010, assuming a stimulus bill is signed into law in mid-February.
By contrast, Peter Orszag, Obama's budget director, vowed to congressional leaders last week that 75% of the money would be spent within 18 months.
The CBO's 64% estimate includes the money that would be spent on commitments in the bill plus the revenue loss the CBO estimates will occur as a result of the tax relief provisions in the bill.
When the spending provisions are counted alone, Elmendorf said, 52% of the money would be spent over the next six quarters. Fifteen percent would occur this year and 37% in 2010.
The question of just how fast states and other agencies can spend money to do things like fix roads and retrofit buildings to make them more energy efficient will remain central to the congressional debate in coming days.
The legislation is on a fast-track. Key committees on Tuesday debated the Senate version of the bill. And the full House is expected to vote Wednesday. Democratic leaders have said they aim to get it to Obama for enactment by President's Day.
Overall, CBO said in its report Monday that the bill's provisions "would have a noticeable impact on economic growth and employment in the next few years."
The agency also estimates that by the fourth quarter of 2010, the bill would create between 1.2 million and 3.6 million jobs.
But not all measures would be equally effective in the short run.
Provisions that involve direct payments to individuals such as increased unemployment benefits and food stamps, as well as tax relief for individuals and businesses, would take effect most quickly.
But government spending on infrastructure projects -- either directly or through grants to state and local governments -- would take place much more slowly.
For example, CBO said that provisions to increase energy efficiency and renewable energy use would ultimately be spent within seven years. The agency estimates that it would take five years to spend 85% of the money dedicated to highway and other infrastructure projects.
The bill increases infrastructure spending far above current levels. Critics of the bill charge that too much of that spending couldn't be put to use quickly.
The CBO said it contacted transportation officials in nearly half the states. Further, the report noted, congressional authorizations for sharp increases in spending have typically been followed by "a noticeable lag" in actual spending.
"CBO expects that federal agencies, along with states and other recipients of that funding, would find it difficult to properly manage and oversee a rapid expansion of existing programs so as to expend the added funds as quickly as they expend the resources provided for their ongoing programs," the agency wrote.
But in his testimony before the House Budget Committee on Tuesday, Elmendorf said "spend-out at different rates may be appropriate." He noted that the expected gap between "potential output" -- what the economy would produce if conditions were good -- and actual output will exist for the next few years even after the recession ends.
The CBO estimates that gap is $1 trillion this year and another $1 trillion next year. | <urn:uuid:b51718d1-15f8-432c-b2e7-baf46a78cf21> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://money.cnn.com/2009/01/27/news/economy/stimulus_spending/index.htm?postversion=2009012709 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00012-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.964362 | 1,054 | 1.757813 | 2 |
The European Sugar Users Association (CIUS) has criticised the European Commission’s out-of-quota sugar measures which it claims have left sugar users unable to plan ahead.
The European Commission announced in November last year that it would release an extra 1.2m metric tons (MT) of sugar onto the EU market following supply complaints from organisations such as the CIUS, Caobisco (The association of chocolate, biscuit and confectionery industries of Europe) and BDSI (German Confectionery Association).
CIUS, which represents companies including Nestlé, Mondelēz International and Coca-Cola, said the first tranche of out-of quota sugar resulted in only an added 200,000 MT onto the EU market.
“CIUS is disappointed at the limited volume released although it recognises the reduction applied to duties…Sugar users are unable to plan forward their needs until the end of the marketing year if the market is held artificially tight,” it said in a statement.
CIUS: Release total volume without levies
The organization has called on the European Commission and member states to release the total volume of out of quota sugar in the next tranche due at the end of February to ease supply tensions.
It has also requested that the remaining out-of-quota sugar be released without levies instead of tenders at reduced rates.
The Agricultural Committee of the European Parliament recently voted to extend sugar quotas until 2020 rather than abolish them in 2015. The decision is not final and a vote will be made at a plenary session in Parliament in March. A final decision must be made by June.
CIUS hopes that the EU will abolish sugar quotas at the earliest opportunity and will gradually reduce import tariffs.
Leonardo Bichara Rocha, senior economist at the International Sugar Organization, recently told this site that even if the sugar quotas run until 2020 there will be enough sugar on the EU market for the next seven years. See HERE. | <urn:uuid:86e57741-a42d-44fd-862b-2b9fee6fd6f5> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.foodnavigator.com/On-your-radar/Food-prices/CIUS-disappointed-by-EC-out-of-quota-sugar-measures | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00019-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.949414 | 409 | 1.828125 | 2 |
RICHMOND, California, September 8, 2008 (ENS) - Environmental justice groups have filed a lawsuit challenging the Richmond City Council's approval of Chevron's refinery expansion project. At issue is an environmental review that the groups claim concealed the fact that the expanded refinery would process heavier, dirtier oil, resulting in higher levels of air pollution and increased risks of accidents and oil spills.
"The City Council failed its legal and moral obligation to protect our health," said Richmond resident Torm Nompraseurt of the Asian Pacific Environmental Network, one of the plaintiff groups. "Those dangerous chemicals are going to endanger me, my family, and my neighbors but the city didn't even look at what Chevron is really going to be doing."
Communities in Richmond, particularly low-income and communities of color, are overburdened with health problems related to exposure to industrial pollution, including high rates of asthma and cancer. The Chevron refinery, located on San Francisco Bay, is the largest industrial polluter in the area.
The lawsuit was filed Thursday in Contra Costa County Superior Court on behalf of the Asian Pacific Environmental Network, Communities for a Better Environment, and the West County Toxics Coalition.
The Richmond Refinery is one of the largest and oldest refineries on the West Coast. It covers 2,900 acres, has 5,000 miles of pipelines, and hundreds of large tanks that can hold up to 15 million barrels of crude oil, gasoline, jet fuel, diesel, lube oil, wax, and other chemicals produced by the refinery.
The expansion would allow heavier and dirtier crude oil to be processed at the refinery, which would increase releases of mercury, selenium, toxic sulfur compounds, and greenhouse gases, the groups point out.
"Chevron's project would lock in a fundamental switch to dirtier oil refining that increases toxic and climate-poisoning pollution drastically when avoiding these impacts is feasible," said Greg Karras, a senior scientist with Communities for a Better Environment. "The city violated the community's right to know about and act on this information."
Hundreds of residents jammed the City Council hearings in July demanding the City Council limit the refinery from processing dirtier crude oils and re-do the environmental impact report to consider what Chevron actually plans to build.
Instead, the groups complain, Chevron made a multi-million dollar offer of funding for local projects in exchange for the city's approval of the refinery expansion with weakened environmental protections and less public review of future refinery projects. Chevron valued its offer at about $61 million.
City and Chevron officials negotiated a proposed contract to execute the deal without public input, and presented it at the City Council's hearing on the project without the public notice required by state open government laws, the groups claim in their lawsuit.
"Chevron must stop its toxic assault on poor people of color in Richmond," said Henry Clark, executive director of the West County Toxics Coalition. "The City Council is selling out our community, but our health is not for sale. We will fight this until we achieve environmental justice."
"The California Environmental Quality Act requires government agencies to look before they leap by analyzing and mitigating all significant environmental impacts" said Will Rostov, an attorney for Earthjustice, who represents the environmental justice groups in court. "The city's environmental review fails in its most basic purpose."
A poll conducted by David Binder Research indicated that 73 percent of Richmond voters opposed the approval of the Chevron expansion until the environmental and health impacts of refining heavier crude oil were fully reviewed in a revised Environmental Impact Statement.
In addition, 75 percent of voters polled said it was very important or extremely important that any projects or funding between Chevron and the City Council be determined in an open public process.
A 56 percent majority of respondents have heard "nothing at all" about the negotiation between the City Council and Chevron to provide funding for local projects, while the City Council was voting on the refinery expansion project.
David Binder Research surveyed 400 likely voters in the city of Richmond between July 8 and 10, 2008, with a margin of error of ±4.9 percent.
Copyright Environment News Service (ENS) 2008. All rights reserved. | <urn:uuid:230665b5-20dd-409d-a9a0-5cde7d0a966c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.nbcdfw.com/news/green/Eco-Justice_Groups_Sue_Over_Chevron_Refinery_Expansion.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00011-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.949387 | 855 | 1.765625 | 2 |
Crowd sourcing has become a double-edge sword in Detroit. The innovative funding tool can be both beneficial (
and The Detroit Institute of Bagels
) and controversial (Robocop
and Jack Detroit
). Rachel Lutz believes crowd funding projects need more transparency, and she's following that up with the renovation/historic preservation of the space for The Peacock Room
"I have some strong ideas about crowd sourcing to come up with start-up funds," Lutz says. "If you are having a hard time pitching an investor for a small amount of money, maybe you should rethink what you're doing."
Midtown-based The Peacock Room is a boutique in the Park Shelton that features apparel, accessories and gifts, along with upscale consignment and resale items. While she was preparing her space last year, Lutz stumbled upon
the details of the Crystal Dinning Room for the building's original occupant, the Wardell Hotel.
Lutz has since worked with the city and Preservation Wayne
to preserve the details of the historic space. She coordinated a crowd sourcing campaign with Preservation Wayne so the nonprofit makes sure whatever money is raised goes toward the preservation of the room, and not toward building her business.
"This space will be here long after the PR ends," Lutz says. "I wanted to make sure people who were contributing were contributing toward the neighborhood."
Lutz describes The Peacock Room's innovative partnership with Preservation Wayne as a way to bring order and expectations to crowd sourcing. In turn, it makes investors feel more invested in the venture and the social entrepreneurial aspect of it.
"How are you going to be accountable to how that money is spent?" Lutz says. "If you raised $5,000 from Aunt Bertha you have to look her in the eye on Thanksgiving."
Source: Rachel Lutz, owner of The Peacock Room
Writer: Jon Zemke | <urn:uuid:d746b665-7d29-452f-b736-fbffb203a523> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.semichiganstartup.com/InTheNews/thepeacockroomdetroit012412.aspx | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704713110/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516114513-00012-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.96548 | 395 | 1.6875 | 2 |
“You better cut the pizza in four pieces because I’m not hungry enough to eat six.”–Yogi Berra
How to Make the Best Pizza Crust Recipe
It’s no exaggeration to say that pizza may be the ultimate food. It incorporates all four food groups. It’s portable. It can be as working-collar as a deep-dish meat lover’s pie or as fancy as a thin-crust, hand-tossed slice topped with fresh scampi and asiago cheese. It can be an all-American slice of pepperoni and cheese or local and ethnic as fresh basil and handmade mozzarella baked in a European-style wood-burning oven.
Pizza is also very easy to make in a standard kitchen oven right in your own home. There are any number of commercially available “pizza kits” that will allow you to add ingredients to pre-made dough, or worse, pre-baked crust.
These may allow you to whip up a pizza quickly, but are ultimately a cop-out. Don’t be intimidated by the idea of a homemade pizza crust! Making your own pizza crust from scratch is an admittedly time consuming process but it’s fantastically easy, and the payoff is worth it. Freshly made pizza crust will improve the taste of your final product immeasurably. Just follow these steps to make the best pizza crust recipe.
You will need:
- 1 envelope of active dry yeast
- 1/2 teaspoon of sugar
- 3/4 cup of warm water
- 1 3/4 cups of unbleached plain flour
- 1/2 teaspoon of salt
1. Feed the yeast. Open the envelope of yeast and mix into the warm (100-110 degrees F.) water. Add the sugar to the mixture stir slightly, leaving it to sit for approximately 6 to 8 minutes. This is called “proofing the yeast,” activating the microbes that will later make your dough rise.
Note: if the instructions on your yeast packet differ significantly, follow those.
2. Mix the wet with the dry. Stir together the flour and salt in a bowl until evenly combined. You can also use a food processor for this, but it isn’t strictly necessary. Keep the bag of flour handy, as you’ll need some to prepare the dough-kneading surface.
After the yeast mixture has sat for long enough, mix this into the dry ingredients. If using a food processor, this will take approximately 30 seconds. If using a bowl, mix until you have a tight, neat ball of dough.
3. Knead, knead, knead (or toss, toss, toss)! Lightly dust both your work surface and your hands with flour. Knead and turn the dough for approximately 2 to 3 minutes, constantly folding it into a ball. If you want to hand-toss your dough, here’s where you would give it a try. Otherwise, you can stretch it out to a flat, disc shape by hand. This recipe will make enough dough for a 12-inch pizza.
You can place the pizza in a round, 12-inch pan, pressing it out to form a slight lip. Or, if you’re feeling especially authentic, you can use a pizza stone (make sure to pre-heat your stone to 450 degrees for about an hour). Add your choice of sauce and toppings.
Bake in pre-heated oven at 500 degrees for approximately 10 minutes or until golden brown. Slice and serve!
Now that you know how to make the best pizza crust recipe, you’ve opened the door to literally countless variations on delicious, fun meals you can make for you and your loved ones.
If you’re feeling adventurous, try your hand at tossing the dough to make a New York-style pizza with big, foldable slices. Or, made a Sicilian-style pizza by mixing and baking the various toppings directly into the crust. You can also roll fresh mozzarella cheese into the crust for a stuffed crust-style pizza.
Don’t be afraid of getting creative with toppings, either. Traditional meat and vegetable toppings such as sausage and bell pepper are delicious of course, but why not experiment with something more exotic like cooked shrimp or feta cheese? Marinara sauce is traditional, but why not try Alfredo or barbecue?
Interesting new pizza toppings can be a great way of introducing the finicky eaters in your family to new foods. Kids especially will enjoy experimenting, and will delight in helping add toppings. Always have an adult nearby to supervise when an oven is in use!
The possibilities are literally endless. Knowing how to make the best pizza crust is just the beginning. Bon appetit! | <urn:uuid:3bcf8b47-70d8-4984-9540-d138faa4df9e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.guidesbest.com/food/how-to-make-the-best-pizza-crust-recipe/ | 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 | 0.931403 | 1,008 | 1.734375 | 2 |
Eric Presley (left), CTO of CareerBuilder; and Roger Fugett, CareerBuilder's vice president of information technology.
Since 2007, CareerBuilder has sponsored some of its best and brightest stars in Georgia Tech’s Executive MBA programs. “We agreed to sponsor these employees because CareerBuilder places a tremendous value on education and the impact an individual leader can have on our company,” Presley says.
CareerBuilder’s CTO, Eric Presley, believes educating employees is essential to the company’s rapid international growth and success. “In our business, change is constant,” he says. “We need to develop people who can learn quickly and take their area of responsibility and consider it a mini-business. We believe education is key to this process.
“One of our company values is ‘Disciplined Freedom,’ which encourages extreme creativity in doing business. We believe these Executive MBA programs help accelerate the skills and abilities of our high potential employees by several years and expose them to experiences they may not get in any other way.”
Company Growing Relationship with Tech
Initially, CareerBuilder sponsored three employees in the Global Executive MBA (GEMBA) program and quickly saw a return on its investment. “Within six months, their critical thinking skills and new perspectives on how to solve problems developed quickly,” says Presley.
Their success has led additional CareerBuilder employees to Georgia Tech’s GEMBA and Executive MBA in Management of Technology programs.
Presley believes these programs are an excellent fit for CareerBuilder because of the school’s excellent reputation, top-notch faculty, and “dedication and vision to building a world-class program.”
He encourages other businesses to consider Tech’s Executive MBA programs because they “accelerate growth, develop leaders that can run much larger and more complex organizations, and they’re an investment in the company’s future.”
Program Helps Employee Advance to Vice President
Roger Fugett began the GEMBA program in August 2007 with full support from CareerBuilder. As director of corporate applications, Fugett was comfortable with his technical knowledge and wanted to gain a better understanding of general business operations.
“In order to provide additional value to the company and to position myself for future professional growth, I knew I had to learn to think strategically with a vision towards opportunities ahead,” he says. “The GEMBA program provided the tools and techniques to do that. Choosing a program with a global component was attractive to me because our business is expanding globally.”
In June 2008, almost a year into the GEMBA program, Fugett was promoted to vice president of information technology.
“Before starting the GEMBA program, I knew very little about budgeting and financial planning,” he says. “With the knowledge I have gained, I am now able to drive the IT budget at CareerBuilder, making decisions based on the financial impact and opportunity costs to the business. I am also using my forecasting skills to predict how the business might perform when certain strategies and plans are executed.
“I have gained more confidence when discussing business matters beyond just the technical aspects,” he adds. “I also believe you gain a bit more credibility with your business peers after you complete a program like this.”
Director of Communications
Assistant Director of Communications | <urn:uuid:df0b9f53-3e82-4974-b2f0-aa6903576eb4> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://scheller.gatech.edu/news_room/news/2008/articles/careerbuilder.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00001-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.950123 | 716 | 1.5 | 2 |
The Best Anti-aging Formula
By Christopher Caile
You hear it and see ads in magazines, in TV commercials and in a slew
of e-mails addressed to you. The messages come in many forms, but they
all declare some form of "anti-aging formula, something guaranteed
to make you younger" - from Europe, Asia, ancient Egypt or some
In fact the best formula, the only true one for anti-aging, is right
in front of you all the time: your training. Your ongoing martial arts
practice, no matter the art or style, as long as it is practiced continuously
a couple of times per week for at least an hour, helps you maintain (or
reclaim) your body and maximize its health.
Of course, martial arts isn't a panacea, and it won't cancel out bad
eating habits or injuries from debilitating training, but it will maintain
the body and mind at any age.
As you age you might reduce your workout, limit hard contact and may
have some physical limitations, but I know a number of karate-ka who
are in their 60's and 70's and still continue to train regularly.
So what are some of the health benefits?
Mentally, martial arts reduce stress and anxiety while also producing
a positive self-image and building confidence.
Regular stretching and joint movement exercises common to most martial
arts maximize the range of motion of joints and the ability to freely
and loosely move as you age. There is an old adage that plants and trees
die from the roots first, and it is the same with humans. Stretching
and moving the joints keeps the legs limber and exercise strengthens
or at least maintains muscle strength. Motion can also counter the effect
of the onset of arthritis, especially in the hips where people restrict
their range of motion in response to feeling pain - a downward cycle
of self-restriction that can actually add to the ultimate effect of arthritis.
Regular exercise also helps to maintain a healthy cardio-vascular system.
Chronic hip, knee and ankle problems can be painful, and it is only
natural to want to limit physical activity. But to do so often only acerbates
it. Correctly practiced martial arts can help offset these conditions
or at least minimize their effects.
So keep moving, keep doing those sit ups, push ups and other exercises,
keep doing kata, or tai chi, keep throwing in judo or practicing joint
locks in jujutsu. Your body follows and adapts, and you keep your vitality.
Your body is the most important asset you have. Without physical health,
wealth, material goods, position or fame mean nothing. So don’t
wither and dry up from not practicing. Against the physical limitations
that come with age, your practice becomes your best self-defense.
About the Author:
Christopher Caile is the Founder and Editor-In-Chief of
FightingArts.com. He has been a student of the martial arts for over
43 years. He first started in judo. Then he added karate as a student
of Phil Koeppel in 1959. Caile introduced karate to Finland in 1960 and
then hitch-hiked eastward. In Japan (1961) he studied under Mas Oyama
and later in the US became a Kyokushinkai Branch Chief. In 1976 he followed
Kaicho Tadashi Nakamura when he formed Seido karate and is now a 6th
degree black belt in that organization's honbu dojo. Other experience
includes aikido, diato-ryu aikijujutsu, kenjutsu, kobudo, Shinto Muso-ryu
jodo, kobudo, boxing and several Chinese fighting arts including Praying
mantis, Pak Mei (White Eyebrow) and shuai chiao. He is also a student
of Zen. A long-term student of one branch of Traditional Chinese Medicine,
Qigong, he is a personal disciple of the qi gong master and teacher of
acupuncture Dr. Zaiwen Shen (M.D., Ph.D.) and is Vice-President of the
DS International Chi Medicine Association. He holds an M.A. in International
Relations from American University in Washington D.C. and has traveled
extensively through South and Southeast Asia. He frequently returns to
Japan and Okinawa to continue his studies in the martial arts, their
history and tradition. In his professional life he has been a businessman,
newspaper journalist, inventor and entrepreneur. | <urn:uuid:68a0c571-fa50-4e93-b931-5596b3ce16ca> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://fightingarts.com/reading/article.php?id=349 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705953421/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120553-00001-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.932679 | 968 | 1.757813 | 2 |
Report says “don’t measure time and cost”
Project management firm Acando has published a new report which takes a critical look at the use of time and cost as metrics for judging the success of a project.
The firm says that the report – ‘Don’t measure time and cost’ – forms part of its “ongoing mission to reduce and eventually eliminate project failure from project management”. Acando hopes that the report, produced by the firm’s managing director Phil Jacklin, will spark change within the industry.
Don’t measure time and cost argues that time and cost are poor metrics to use, stating that they have no value as predictors of the future, only cover one side of the metric triangle and vary depending on who does the measuring.
Acando poses the example of The International Space Station, which, despite an overspend of $13bn, is still widely accepted as a successful project.
The company reported that in a recent seminar, only one of 200 people considered The International Space Station to be a “bad project”.
Mr Jacklin said: “The purpose of the metrics should be to evaluate if the project is being well managed and to create a level of prediction about how the rest of the project will unfold. Time and cost do not achieve this in any way at all.
“Having a variety of metrics, from all sides of the triangle, enforces good discipline to focus on the many aspects of the project, or focus across the project, rather than simply achieving excellence in one metric at the detriment of other parts of the project.”
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See all posts | <urn:uuid:d3838b4b-a5d2-4a2a-9215-f7bd7fa6336f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.apm.org.uk/news/report-says-%E2%80%9Cdon%E2%80%99t-measure-time-and-cost%E2%80%9D | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705195219/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115315-00016-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.942064 | 416 | 1.5625 | 2 |
High Speed Services for Internet Access (As of 12/31/07)
We summarize here information from the seventeenth semi-annual data collection, thereby presenting a snapshot of subscribership as of December 31, 2007. High-speed lines connecting homes and businesses to the Internet increased by 20% during the second half of 2007, from 101.0 million to 121.2 million lines in service, following a 22% increase, from 82.8 million to 101.0 million lines, during the first half of 2007. For the full twelve-month period ending December 31, 2007, high-speed lines increased by 46% (or 38.4 million lines). The presence of high-speed service subscribers was reported in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, American Samoa, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands, and in nearly 100% of the Zip Codes in the United States. | <urn:uuid:60d9df6c-0468-4ee9-85b3-3315fd6e60e6> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.fcc.gov/reports/high-speed-services-internet-access-123107 | 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 | 0.947302 | 187 | 1.757813 | 2 |
I have a list of words on my desk I got from a previous employer. I don’t know what made me hang on to it, but the sheet has a big, red header at the top: “NO-NO Words.” These were the words (in the context of the company’s primary business) the staff was never to use in written (probably verbal, too) communication. And no, they weren’t the obvious ones all well-mannered adults know to avoid…
The reason we weren’t allowed to use them is each one has a definition that would legally obligate the company and/or the writer to a level of performance the company didn’t want to guarantee. Not that their performance was anything less than what it should be, but those words were put together based on their years of experience, and I think with input from their bonding company. In all likelihood, some lawyers probably contributed, too. Or maybe it was just based on the best teacher of all: sad experience.
Some of the words, I hope you will agree, shouldn’t have much room in correspondence, be it letters, proposals, bids, etc.: “ALL,” “ALWAYS,” “EQUAL,” “GUARANTEE.” The reasons for avoiding them should be pretty self-explanatory.
One such instance where the words have changed is the way architects used to describe the action of a submittal they’ve received and are expected to comment on. When I started in this biz, submittals came back with one of the following boxes checked: “Approved,” “Approved As Noted,” “Revise” or “Rejected.” Many architects’ stamps have changed. They typically no longer approve the submittals, but mark them “Reviewed,” “Reviewed as Noted,” “Not Reviewed” or “Revise/Resubmit.”
My guess is that “Approved” was too broad a stroke. Architects, within the confines of their own professional liability, saying the submittal was “Approved” meant that everything on the drawing had their approval. If something on the drawing was wrong (a bolt undersized for a structural connection, for example), and then if the wall were to fall off, some lawyer’s going to ask the architect on the witness stand, “Well, you reviewed and approved this drawing, didn’t you? What does your ‘approval’ mean?” I could see where that could lead to some “hemmin’ and hawin” on the part of anybody on that hot seat.
This “Reviewed” comment might be a good thing. We ought to be responsible for the technical accuracy of our own work. After all, not many architects are structural engineers – you wouldn’t expect them to know the specific load performance of a ½”-diameter bolt compared to a smaller or larger bolt in a certain application.
It appears the architects now largely review submittals for the accuracy of the aesthetics: the drawings showed a 5’-0” mullion spacing, they can check and verify that’s what the shop drawing elevations show. The system’s 2 ½” wide, that’s correct (or not), that everything’s lined up with the adjacent work as it should be (or isn’t). Those types of corrections are what many of us in the glazing industry get back with the “Reviewed” box check. That’s about it, I guess. A consultant might weigh in on the technical issues, but that’s a different matter. In all likelihood, the consultant’s trying to assure compliance with the specification requirements, and to verify the contractor (or manufacturer, or both) are doing what’s required by the contract documents.
Bottom Line: There’s probably a vocabulary unique to each of our businesses that if you haven’t written it down yet, if you thought about it you probably could. If it’s not individual words, it’s at least expressions.
And in recognition of the campaign season, which by most signs is already upon us: I APPROVED REVIEWED this blog. I almost used one of the no-no-words…. | <urn:uuid:057a4ba8-a6b3-4ae2-b58e-a95544cece49> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.usglassmag.com/fieldnotes/?p=199 | 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 | 0.973924 | 947 | 1.71875 | 2 |
Word of the extremely minor brouhaha leaked out at the recent meeting of the Association of Food Journalists. A panel of White House chefs, past and present, were talking about the responsibilities that come with feeding the leader of the free world.
Bill Yosses, the current White House pastry chef and a native of Toledo, was singing the praises of the White House garden. The idea of the garden came from First Lady Michelle Obama as a way to encourage people to use fresh, sustainable, and local produce in their cooking. That is when Mr. Yosses' longtime predecessor, Roland Mesnier, spoke up.
Gardens at the White House are nothing new, he said, the staff always grew a portion of its own food. And then Mr. Mesnier, who has never been known to mince his words, went on to say he found it curious when he saw reports that 200 pounds of rhubarb had been cut from the garden in just one day.
It was Mr. Yosses who coined the term Rhubarbgate, with a laugh. The answer, he said, is that the garden often receives plantings, not fully grown, from area farmers to augment what the staff has been growing in the garden.
That is one secret revealed by the chefs, but others were not. Part of the job entails keeping strict silence about the personal lives of the presidents and their families, especially the children. The only nugget the journalists could pry from the chefs was that, according to Mr. Mesnier, Amy Carter used to come down to the kitchen to make cookies, and after she put them in the oven she would go off somewhere else, allowing the cookies to burn.
Christeta Comerford, the current executive chef -- she's the first woman and the first member of a minority group (she is Filipino) to hold the position -- said that the president's family pays for its own food out of its own pocket, and yes, they eat leftovers. But a state dinner is something different, she said, and not just because it is paid for by the State Department.
State dinners are complexly plotted, highly choreographed events, she said. Each course is chosen far in advance by four or five people, including the first lady, who taste and choose from several choices. According to Mr. Yosses, the idea is to make a visiting head of state feel welcome and special by making each dinner unique. The courses are new and original, and so are the settings, decorations, music, and more. A large team works to make each state dinner a once-in-a-lifetime event, from plumbers to electricians to carpenters.
Though the chefs are all among the top in their field, such strict deadlines can cause the occasional problem. Mr. Mesnier remembered one near-disaster. He was making raspberry souffles, which he needed to start making 10 minutes before the guest of honor appeared. He cracked 100 eggs and began beating the whites, but the eggs did not stiffen. So he cracked 100 more and began beating them, but again they remained completely liquid.
At this point, he was getting nervous. The time to put the souffles into the oven had passed, and he had no souffles. Just then, he happened to overhear one of the savory chefs mention that they had made mayonnaise in the mixer that day. Mr. Mesnier immediately knew what had happened: Although the bowl and paddle had been cleaned, some of the oil had splashed up onto the mixer and was dripping into the egg whites. A mere three drops of oil would keep the eggs from rising. So the machine was cleaned and the eggs cracked and beaten. Mr. Mesnier put the souffles in a water bath on top of the stove to get them hot and then put them in the oven as hot as they could take it.
Miraculously, they came out on time, with no time to spare.
Frank Ruta, who worked at the White House kitchen off and on during the Reagan and first Bush presidencies, recalled that whenever the president was out of town, he tried to cook dishes that the first lady liked but that the president did not. Likewise, when the first lady was out of town, he would make food enjoyed particularly by the president.
The chefs agreed that the presidents usually do not make extraordinary requests, except on occasion. Mr. Mesnier recalled one night before President Clinton was to leave for a trip to San Francisco. The president's daughter Chelsea was going to Stanford University at the time, in nearby Palo Alto, and he suddenly remembered it was her birthday the next day. So he called Mr. Mesnier at 10:30 p.m. to ask him to make a birthday cake by 5 a.m.
The chef went to the White House at midnight, explaining to the surprised guards that he had to work. Not only did he have to make the cake, he also had to construct a secure wooden box in which to carry it -- so he had to explain to more surprised guards that he needed the key to the carpentry shop. He made the cake, he made the box, and everything was ready to be picked up by 4:45 a.m.
"If you work for the White House, you have to be completely dedicated to the house," he said. "If you don't want to be completely dedicated, go work for someone else."
Contact Daniel Neman at firstname.lastname@example.org or 419-724-6155. | <urn:uuid:c453cb65-50fb-4202-baf3-59998375fc98> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.toledoblade.com/Food/2012/09/18/White-House-chefs-Completely-dedicated-to-the-house.print | 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 | 0.984699 | 1,158 | 1.609375 | 2 |
We’re more than a decade into the 21st century. I’d hoped– in vain– that some basic understandings of how non-Black people should interact with Black people could be something I could take for granted. But no. Somehow there are “those people” who remain entirely clueless, so much so that they will call a 9-year old the c-word, or paint a white model bronze-Black, or not even, as so-called, journalists, bother to learn the pronunciation of an Oscar nominee’s name. This is unacceptable.
Recently, I read the comments section of a post on Clutch where a male reader was baffled as how to initiate a conversation with Black women and asked for some rules. Several helpful women obliged. In the same spirit of combating ignorance, I offer rules for non-Black people to engage Black women without causing offense. If you can manage NOT to do the following, you can probably come across as a decent human being.
Humbly, I submit a basic list, my Rules of Engagement, and ask you NOT to do the following (and encourage Black women to add to the list in the comments):
1. Talk Bad About (Black) Kids
It seems ridiculous that this has to be said, much less lead the list. I’d assumed everyone knew better, but apparently not. (And you know what “they say” about assuming.) Look here, dissing kids – all kids, of all races, creeds, and color is UNACCEPTABLE. You want to talk greasy about your own kids? Eh… still unacceptable. Kids are off-limits. Period.
2. Touch Our Hair
I know our hair– braided, permed, natural, whatever– is pretty great. We treat it like art because we can and well, it is. However, it is never, ever, EVER okay to touch the hair of a random Black woman you’ve just encountered or even the familiar Black woman who you share the cubicle with. The world is not your personal petting zoo. Black people are, well, people. DO NOT TOUCH US (without permission).
3. Mispronounce Our Names/ Rename Us
Look, all Black folk don’t have multi-hypenate names. We have Janes, Marys and Beths too. And somehow our single syllabic sisters learn how to pronounce names like La’Taquisha, Marquaysa, Taiwanas, etc. You know what our secret is? Lean closer.
I’m a four syllable girl with an uncommon name (in the States.) I know it’s a challenge to pronounce and I am never offended by anyone asking, “how do I pronounce your name?” However, I am offended when you, a stranger, butchers it without care or tries to nickname me like we’re friends. Take the time to learn my name and maybe, I’ll offer my nickname to help you out.
4. Paint Yourselves Black/ Bronze
I know it’s Halloween or for my Jewish folk, Purim. I get you’re dressing up, but Black skin is not a costume. If you want to try out “ghetto” for Halloween, go right ahead. There are plenty of so-called “ghetto” white people. Wanna be a rapper? Great! Bubba Sparxxx’s, wherever he is, wants you to remember him. A basketball player? How creative of you! Just be a white one, or if you just have to go Black, get a jersey with the Black guy’s name and number so everyone knows who you are. (This means you NY Assemblyman Dov Hikind.) There’s no need to go all bronze or Blackface for that. Oh, and while we’re at it, leave off the afro/dread wigs. (I know, I know, some Black people wear other people’s hair so that seems hypocritical, but just trust me, no, the wigs just come across offensive— unless of course it’s a Jew ‘fro, which we totally give a pass to.)
5. Paint Others Black/Bronze
Do you know how hard it is for a working Black model? Of course not, because you would have to hire one to interact with her and learn what it’s like. Let me fill you in: it’s hard. And you, editor, are not making it any easier on Black models or your make-up artists by hiring white women and spraying them bronze/brown/Black. Leave the white person white or just hire a Black model already, and make it easier on everyone.
6. Try to Hook Up A SBW With the One Other Black Person You Know
Hook ups are always tricky, and I know your heart is in the right place here, but um, stop it. Just like, just how you wouldn’t introduce White Rebecca to a guy just because he too is also White, you shouldn’t try to hook up Black Regina with a guy just because he’s Black. If Regina is single and looking, introduce her to someone who she shares an interest with and you have a reasonable expectation she might click with. If he’s Black, great. If he’s not, that’s still great.
7. Drop the N-Word
Celebrities keep doing this sh** like it’s okay. Because “they”– that means you, Lisa Lampanelli – think it’s okay, you need to know that there’s no trickle down theory on this one. It doesn’t matter if it ends in “-er” or “a”, or you hear your Black friends or even your favorite rapper say it. It’s just not for you. When the lyrics in a song get to the n-word, go silent. When you’re retelling a story where someone dropped an n-bomb, just say “n-bomb” to be safe. Understand that by actually using the n-word, you not only are likely to offend every Black person in hearing distance, you will also be perceived as a racist and you may get confronted and/or physically harmed. The N-word is a fighting word. And while I, like many Black people, don’t condone violence, this is an instance where I understand.
8. Diss Michelle Obama
You got Jackie O and Princess Diana. We get the First Lady (and Oprah). You don’t like her? Think her arms are too bare? Her bum too large? She shouldn’t be dancing on Jimmy Fallon or presenting at the Oscars? Great. You’re entitled to your opinion… but tell someone else.
9. Change to the Local Hip-Hop Station When A Black Person Gets in the Car
My white friends never did this, which is how I ended up with the Oasis, Green Day, Jewel, Alanis Morissette obsession. This one is really for my cab drivers who are usually not white. I actually don’t mind AM news, and I like oldies, and rock, and jazz, and even some country. What I actually don’t like is most commercial hip-hop. I’ll take talk radio, lyric-less music or a plucked guitar over shout outs to “hos” at Spelman, wanting “hos” as birthday presents, or a “man” lamenting his inability to avoid “ratchet p****”.
10. Auto-Assume the Other Black Woman Shopping Must Work There
Every woman is not a salesgirl. Every Black woman is not a salesgirl. Say it with me: EVERY BLACK WOMAN IS NOT A SALESGIRL. More often than not, salesgirls or salespersons or whatever PC term is used now, are not wearing purses and coats on the sales floor. Salesgirls often have a name tag or a uniform and often they come right up and ask “Can I help you?” Those are salesgirls. The Black girl/woman with the coat and big-ass purse, who’s holding up the dress in front of herself in the mirror or searching the rack for her size? She’s a shopper just like you and is in no way is obligated to tell you where the [whatever you're looking for] department is. If you ask her and you get a curt, “I don’t work here” as a response? Yes, she’s being rude because you’ve been ignorant.
Demetria L. Lucas is the author of “A Belle in Brooklyn: The Go-to Girl for Advice on Living Your Best Single Life”. Follow her on Twitter @abelleinbk. | <urn:uuid:8aa2cb5d-1807-49ed-a382-3267816b44c8> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.clutchmagonline.com/2013/02/10-things-every-non-black-person-should-know-by-now-about-black-women/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00003-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.93352 | 1,894 | 1.539063 | 2 |
Doris E. Abramson Papers, ca.1930-2007 (25 linear feet).
After earning her masters degree from Smith College in 1951, Doris Abramson (class of 1949) returned to UMass in 1953 to become instructor in the English Department, remaining at her alma mater through a long and productive career. An historian of theatre and poet, she was a founding member of the Speech Department, Theatre Department, and the Massachusetts Review. In 1959, a Danforth grant helped Abramson pursue doctoral work at Columbia. Published in 1969, her dissertation, Negro Playwrights in the American Theatre, 1925-1969, was a pioneering work in the field. After her retirement, she and her partner of more than 40 years, Dorothy Johnson, ran the Common Reader Bookshop in New Salem.
An extensive collection covering her entire career, Abramson’s papers are a valuable record of the performing arts at UMass, her research on African American playwrights, her teaching and directing, and many other topics relating to her diverse interests in literature and the arts.
- African-American theater
- University of Massachusetts Amherst--Faculty
- University of Massachusetts Amherst. Department of Theater
- Abramson, Doris E. | <urn:uuid:9d48e691-a063-49bb-82dd-9aaa83aba3e2> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.library.umass.edu/spcoll/umarmot/?cat=3 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00012-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.96003 | 257 | 1.679688 | 2 |
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 17, 2010
(225) 342-6700 (o)
DCFS Awarded $1 Million for Increasing Adoptions of Children in Foster Care
Funds to enhance child welfare services and promote adoption
BATON ROUGE - The Louisiana Department of Children & Family Services (DCFS) has been awarded more than $1 million from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for increasing the number children in the state's foster care system that were placed into permanent adoptive homes.
In Federal Fiscal Year 2009, 444 families adopted 583 Louisiana foster children, including 106 children aged nine or older.
"While foster families provide safe refuge for children, we know that the best place for children is in a permanent home," said DCFS Secretary Ruth Johnson. "Reunification with the biological family is the goal for every child whenever foster care services are needed. When reunification is not possible, though, adoption provides a wonderful opportunity for families to welcome children in foster care into a permanent, stable and loving home."
Louisiana's adoption award for 2009 totaled $1,006,189 and was the thirteenth largest amount awarded to the 38 states that met the criteria.
"Using these funds to enhance Louisiana's child welfare and adoption services for children who are victims of abuse or neglect will allow us to continue our steadfast commitment to ensuring that each child in Louisiana has a safe and stable home," said Johnson.
DCFS has two years to spend the funds, which will go to approved child welfare activities and programs that support and promote foster child adoption. The agency will begin putting together recommendations in the next few months.
The Adoption Incentives program was created as part of the federal Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997, which authorized incentive funds to states that increased the number of children adopted from foster care. The Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008 provided stronger incentives for states to find children, particularly older children and children with special needs, adoptive homes.
The incentive awards for each child over the baseline: $4,000 for each foster child adoption; $4,000 for each special needs child; and $8,000 for each child age nine or older.
DCFS credits specialized training of its adoption and home development staff and concentrated efforts to recruit new adoptive and foster families for the additional 192 adoptions in Louisiana over the state's 2007 baseline figures.
In total, HHS awarded $39 million to Louisiana, Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming, and Puerto Rico
There were 4,300 children in Louisiana's foster care program as of September 2010, cared for by approximately 2,000 foster families, as well as in residential programs. More than 554 of these children are available for adoption.
DCFS recruits year-round for foster families who can house and care for a child or children temporarily. Orientation meetings are held each month across the state. Orientation schedules are posted at www.dcfs.louisiana.gov/fostercare
. Additional information on qualifications, the certification process and life as a foster family can also be found at the site.
"I encourage families who are considering adoption to visit the DCFS website to learn more about adoption services and how they can make a difference in the life of child through adoption," said Johnson.
Along with television, radio and newspaper features, DCFS launched a feature on its website, www.dcfs.louisiana.gov
, in February 2009 that profiles foster children who are available for adoption. The goal of the initiative is to link foster children who are available to be adopted with families. Of the 73 children featured on the site since it was launched, 26 of the children profiled have been paired with families and have been adopted or have adoptions in progress.
The DCFS website also features information for prospective adoptive parents, including guides to determine if families are ready to open their home to a child and instructions on how to start the adoption process. That information can be found at www.dcfs.louisiana.gov/adoption
, along with a link to a national adoption website, www.adoptuskids.org
, which features information about Louisiana foster children and sibling groups available for adoption. | <urn:uuid:8fbbf73e-2f66-4a8a-96ee-d261bd4a7887> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.dss.state.la.us/index.cfm?md=emaillist&tmp=viewcampaign&nowrap=1&msgid=534&uid=hShun@h1 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00011-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.938924 | 958 | 1.507813 | 2 |
The Kingdom of Love (Dodo Press)
- List Price:
- Buy New: $5.48
as of 6/19/2013 15:05 EDT details
- You Save: $2.51 (31%)
- Sales Rank:7,493,780
- Languages:English (Unknown), English (Original Language), English (Published)
- Number Of Items:1
- Shipping Weight (lbs):0.4
- Dimensions (in):6 x 0.2 x 9
- Publication Date:October 6, 2007
Availability:Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Ella Wheeler Wilcox (1850-1919) was an American author and poet. Her best-known work was Poems of Passion (1883), and her autobiography, The Worlds and I was published in 1918 shortly before her death. She started writing poetry at a very early age, and was well known as a poet in her own state by the time she graduated from high school. She married Robert Wilcox. Not long after their marriage, they both became interested in Theosophy, New Thought, and Spiritualism. She made efforts to teach occult things to the world. Her works, filled with positivism, were popular in the New Thought Movement and by 1915 her booklet, What I Know About New Thought had a distribution of 50,000 copies, according to its publisher, Elizabeth Towne.
CERTAIN CONTENT THAT APPEARS ON THIS SITE COMES FROM AMAZON SERVICES LLC. THIS CONTENT IS PROVIDED ‘AS IS’ AND IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE OR REMOVAL AT ANY TIME. | <urn:uuid:56eccc50-971d-4c51-9894-6f75a3e7a2ab> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.americanpoems.com/store/1052-1000-140657788X-The_Kingdom_of_Love_Dodo_Press.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00018-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.945293 | 341 | 1.585938 | 2 |
January is National Preschool Fitness Month and there’s no better way to honor the designation than going out to area preschools and having some fun with children.
Amy Bomarito, wellness director at Evenglow, along with Michele Nilson, had two special sessions with students at Noah’s Ark preschool in Pontiac Friday.
“This is through the new wellness program at Evenglow. It just started back in July. We’re really starting to get out into the public and teach the public what being well is all about,” she said.
She and Nilson led students through stretching and warm-up exercises before playing a special card game, where each student picked a card from a deck and there were specific exercises for each card. For example, clubs were for squats, and if a student picked a nine of clubs, all the children did nine squats. Other exercises with the card games included running laps around a square, jumping jacks, push-ups and high stepping. They also played a version of freeze tag.
“We’re just trying to teach kids to stay active from a young age and staying fit doesn’t always have to mean going to the gym. It can mean playing games or playing sports,” Bomarito explained.
Bomarito said that other schools are welcome to call her to set up a time for them to come do the program with preschool classes. She can be reached at Evenglow at 815-842-9040.
“Today we’re just testing out the water, but we definitely loved it and thought it was a blast,” Bomarito said. | <urn:uuid:7fbaa6e0-5b07-453f-94cd-f6903a96feb7> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.pontiacdailyleader.com/article/20130126/NEWS/130129288/0/Pets | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00009-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.980483 | 349 | 1.6875 | 2 |
WASHINGTON– The White House has been deeply involved in the effort to staunch the Gulf of Mexico oil spill from the start but may have made a mistake by failing to communicate effectively about its efforts, Vice President Joe Biden said on Wednesday.
"I think if there's any mistake made (it's) that we haven't communicated clearly enough what the president has done on this oil spill from the beginning," Biden said in the transcript of an interview with PBS' Charlie Rose television show.
"We were there the first day, the first morning after that well ... blew and that platform collapsed. We were in the Oval Office," Biden said. "He mobilized everyone in the White House in the West Wing, made it clear that every single asset of the federal government should be made available."
President Barack Obama, facing one of the biggest challenges of his presidency, is under relentless pressure to stop the gush of oil and gas from the broken BP Plc oil well far below the surface of the Gulf.
The weekend failure of a "top kill" technique BP attempted to try to seal the well has unleashed a surge of anger and public criticism that poses a major domestic challenge to Obama and his fellow Democrats in an election year.
© 2013 Thomson/Reuters. All rights reserved. | <urn:uuid:d124e16d-98a9-4ec1-89ca-32ba4542d2ee> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.newsmax.com/InsideCover/biden-spill-response-obama/2010/06/02/id/360881 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697380733/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516094300-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.98306 | 257 | 1.570313 | 2 |
Every now and again, something comes along that is completely new to me. This report from the Netherlands certainly qualifies. It suggests that nearly 20% of women who had early stage breast cancer and were being treated with mastectomy opted to preserve and re-use their nipple. I will not go into the details of the procedure; it frankly sounds quite creepy (although surely innovative) to me, and you can read it for yourself in the article below. Many (most?) plastic surgeons whom I know are usually reluctant to try to preserve the nipple/aerola complex when doing a mastectomy. The obvious worry is that there might be cancer cells in that tissue and preserving them would pretty much negate the value of the whole surgery. I have known women who were able to preserve the nippe/aerola and were pleased with the cosmetic result.
This is a summary from the study's abstract about women's satisfaction with the process:
Results: In total, 318 of the 479 eligible women (66%) completed our questionnaire. Of these, 58 (18%) had undergone nipple banking, 167 (53%) had chosen for tattoos/flap, and 93 women (29%) declined reconstruction. No significant psychological and psychosexual differences between these three groups were found. Most patients were satisfied with the offer and choice of nipple banking , though they experienced more medical complications.
Here is the report from MedPage:
Nipple Banking Favored by Some Mastectomy Patients
By Kristina Fiore, Staff Writer, MedPage Today
Published August 28, 2012
Reviewed by Robert Jasmer, MD; Associate Clinical Professor of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco
CHICAGO - Women with breast cancer scheduled to undergo mastectomy may be open to nipple banking in order to preserve something of their own breasts, Dutch researchers said here.
Nearly 20% of women with earlystage breast cancer opted to store their nipples away in their groin so that they could be attached to their reconstructed breast after surgery, Daniela Hahn, MD, of the Netherlands Cancer Institute-Antoni van Leeuwenhoek Hospital in Amsterdam, and colleagues reported during a poster session at the World Meeting on Sexual Medicine here.
Nipple banking involves removing the original nipple and temporarily transplanting it into the patient's groin area for safekeeping, for an average of 9 months, until breast reconstruction is complete, Hahn said.
Read more » | <urn:uuid:08311045-7542-46e4-8fc4-ab744e081a23> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://bidmc.org/YourHealth/BIDMCInteractive/Blogs/LivingwithBreastCancer/2012/August/Nipple%20Banking | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697380733/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516094300-00017-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.9709 | 489 | 1.695313 | 2 |
John Selby is Director of Education and Participation at HEFCE. His keynote is titled “From innovation to implementation to sector change: the view from HEFCE”
Saying that term ‘community’ is used very often in JISC – HEFCE tend to talk about ‘the sector’. Community implies sharing etc. For those outside ‘the community’ it can be less welcoming – think of a village where after 50 years you are still ‘an incomer’
John saying that when he started he was told that JISC is great – don’t bugger it up. This is still true, but environment around JISC is changing – and need to look at how JISC sits in the wider environment, and what this means for the future.
- JISC – J=Joint and C=Committee – JISC does not exist as a legal entity! It is a committee of it’s funders. It is a virtual organisation, made up of many committees, working groups etc.
- JISC is UK wide – which in today’s (political, devolution) climate is complicated.
- JISC funding ultimately comes from government – from the tax payer
- JISC is both top-down and bottom-up – balancing act for HEFCE, JISC and individual institutions
- JISC innovates in ICT on behalf of its funders and the sectors it represents – but we are seeing greater diversity in funders and sectors as devolution impacts and education sector changes (e.g. HE + FE)
- JISC operates in changing (national) political contexts – and economic climate as well – going to have huge impact on HE funding – we will not see the secure and growing funding we have seen in last decade
JISC chair is appointed by HEFCE (HEFCE principal funder of JISC), also appoint two board members. The JISC secretariat are HEFCE staff
John now moving on to Innovatin as a socio-technical system:
- Similar technologies can be applied in different ways in different contexts – just because the same technology is used doesn’t mean you can make assumptions about how it has been implemented or used
- An excellent technical solution will not work if the social environment is not conducive to it – and organisations are typically poor at learning from experiments and communicating the results of experiments
John saying that as someone intimately involved he has some idea of the work of the JISC and its value – but there are many in the sector and in government don’t understand this – ‘we’ – the JISC community – need to work on this. John tells them the great work JISC does, but also what it might be like if this work wasn’t done.
Some examples of JISC innovation emerging:
- XCRI – http://xcri.org
- Sustainable computing – IT is using around 2% of energy in the advanced world – about the same as aviation and growing faster – and though we talk about stopping flying, we aren’t switching off our computers – need to change things here
- Islamic studies identified by government as a strategic studies – JISC project to digitise materials/resources for Islamic studies
- ePrints open source software
So – ‘our’ role and the funders’ role:
‘your role’ (wthin institutions)
- think about users
- speak beyond (your immediate) community
- remember the changing political context (I do, but often find it depressing!) – during economic hard times work of JISC more important than ever, especially as tendency is to withdraw funding from innovation and stick to ‘tried and tested’
The funders’ role
- be clear about strategy – need clear prioritisation, although still maintain ‘bottom up’ drivers as well
- engage with sector-wide bodies
- engage with government
John says together we can support change in HE and FE. | <urn:uuid:ec89e1d8-3c82-4bfc-952b-afbba6d5da97> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.meanboyfriend.com/overdue_ideas/2008/07/jisc-innovation-forum-john-selby-hefce/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00008-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.958351 | 837 | 1.65625 | 2 |
Here you will find the fruits of our hobby. Well, for Maria it is a hobby; for Roland it is closer to an obsession. Still, this is where you will find some of the fruits of that work. In March of 2000, we purchased an 8-inch Newtonian reflector on a Dobsonian mount from Orion Telescopes, the SkyQuest XT8.
Using the telescope was a learning experience, especially since time and responsibilities did not allowed us to get to any star parties or meet members from any clubs in the area for nearly a year. Usenet news on sci.astro.amateur was a lifesaver. Most of the time we were viewing from our 3rd story porch in Queens (in the eastern part of New York City). Views to the west were compromised by massive light pollution from Manhattan and during the coldest months the city generates significant heat that ruins the seeing even as high as 60 degrees above the horizon. Still, there are plenty of things which can be seen with the 8-inch scope, or for that matter, with our 10x50 binoculars.
In October of 2002 we moved to Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. We no longer have the 3rd floor porch, but the skies actually seem to be darker. Some of this is because we are near the water which means that in some directions there really is less light pollution. We've also acquired some camera equipment and a several telescopes as Roland has gone on a shopping spree (not really, it just kind of accumulates). At this point we have a couple of smaller scopes includeing a 90mm f/5 refractor, its bigger brother, a Orion 120ST 120mm f/5, and older Tasco 60mm f/11 (or so, not quite sure), and an Orion Apex 127mm. And since the imaging bug bit, I've acquired a Losmandy GM-8 mount with Gemini GOTO and an older "push-to" Mountain Instruments MI-250 mount. Storage is a problem, but having enough scopes for kids activities is not.
It's that time again. Actually, Globe At Night is running multiple campaigns, the first is going on right now, but there are others later in the year including later this month. Have a look. If you've never done this before, it's a great way of participating in a citizen science project, learning a little about astronomy, and a bit more about the impact of human activities on the environment.
Well, our post-Sandy migration is nominally complete at this point. Pictures and all.
Okay, we've finally managed to get the web site transferred, but pictures aren't yet working. Yeah, I know, what's the point of a photo web site without pictures. Sorry, I'm working on it.
This morning I managed to drag myself out for a pre-dawn walk/jog and enjoyed the view of a thin waning crescent moon east (below) a brilliant Venus. Higher up was Jupiter. The jog was nice, and the view was a nice extra bonus.
A couple of dozen folks showed up in Shore Road Park hoping to get a peek at Venus transiting the Sun today, but the weather did not cooperate. After setting up shortly after 5pm, I had to cover the equipment due to some light rain which passed through. Eventually the Sun peeked through a thin spot in the clouds long enough for me to get the (filtered) binoculars pointed at it and several people were able to get a brief look before the Sun disappeared back behind the clouds. Alas, that was it for the day. Around 7:20pm, I packed up.
Event Cancelled due to Clouds/Rain.
Yes, again. The past few years, TV Turnoff Week and stargazing have not worked too well due to a string of bad weather. The clouds are not expected to clear out and the local forecasters are all mentioned that we won't get to see the "super moon" tonight. Nor much of anything else except cloud bottoms.
The original announcement is below, but again, the event is cancelled.
Blech. Had to do some manual database maintenance. Gave up on default multi-site configuration as too painful, and turned off all caching. Things seem to be working, but we'll see. | <urn:uuid:ddf2e7f6-6e42-430e-831d-56a33f3121bf> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.astrofoto.org/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697380733/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516094300-00014-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.974317 | 889 | 1.679688 | 2 |
Posted by Stephen Witkowski
'Once you pop, you just can't stop' is proved to be true in this excellent WiiWare launch title.
Pop, as the title suggests, is a game where you pop bubbles. But don’t be fooled by the deceptive simplicity of this idea; there’s more to it than might be apparent at first glance. First of all, Pop has a timer that counts down; if you don't pop bubbles, the game will end. Create chains of the same coloured bubbles fast enough and you’ll quickly become a master at keeping the timer up. The game doesn’t end there though.
There are several types of bubbles and game mechanics to consider in Pop, besides the obvious ones. Take the power ups for example. Pop the bubble with the radioactive symbol and it expands, taking out all the same coloured bubbles in its path. Pop the target-like symbol and your cursor grows larger, enabling you to pop more bubbles at once. Pop the bubble with the swirl symbol to temporarily slow time. You can even grab onto a bubble and pump it up by shaking the Wii remote up and down. After it pops, it will serve the same function as the radioactive bubble. There are things that don’t favour the player though. If you pop a bubble with a skull symbol on it, time will be deducted from the counter. Missing bubbles also costs you time.
Play the game with more people and a few more types of bubbles appear. Pop the electric bubble and touch other players’ cursors to disable them. The same happens when you pop the bubble that slows down time, while the flashlight bubble blackens the screen, save for a circle of light around your cursor. Not everybody is going to like these multiplayer bubbles, because while they do facilitate competitive play, some may find that they need to work together to keep the timer from running out.
The gameplay modes are straightforward. “Training” mode is self-explanatory. It shows players the basics of popping. “Normal” mode allows you to play through 16 levels called “waves”. While most of the waves are similar in nature, they do have their own nuances. In some, you may find that the bubbles move faster or that it’s best to avoid a certain kind of bubble. After a certain number of waves, the game rewards you with a bonus round in which you pop as many bubbles as possible with no penalty for missing. After all 16 waves, the game loops back to the first wave. “Advanced” mode will challenge players with a new goal – to see how long it takes to get 9,999,999 points! The only real difference in this mode is that it’s the time that matters in the end and not so much the points. Lastly, there is “chill” mode. Easily the simplest of the whole lot, it has no rules, no points, and no timer. Just pop bubbles to your heart’s content.
Outside of the actual gameplay, there other things that merit mentioning. The interface, for example, is very nicely done. There isn’t a whole lot to see, but everything stands out well against the bubbly background. The in-game graphics pretty much consist of bubbles, but they do catch your eye as they are always moving. You may find the music catching your attention as well. Composed by Game Audio Australia, which has done some high profile work with games like Tekken: Dark Resurrection and SOCOM 3, it serves as an example of the diverse compositions the company can produce, considering the music is very relaxing. The sound design is strong as well, although possibly not as strong as the music. While creating chains enables the player to hear more layers of the music (very cool), there are few sound effects, and your ears may grow tired of them after awhile. There are also badges to be earned by completing certain objectives, like lasting for 30 minutes, and there are worldwide high scoreboards via Wi-Fi. While these additions are small, they serve as motivation to give Pop more of your gameplay time.
The bottom line is that this game is certainly well worth the 700 wii point asking price, particularly if you have other people to play with. Developer Nnooo has certainly balanced the title well and while it's unlikely to withstand prolonged play, it offers enough depth and enjoyment to keep you coming back for short bursts. All in all, this is a very positive start for Nnooo and singles out this Aussie developer as one to watch in the future. | <urn:uuid:2a2fba31-94e5-4c6f-a43b-d81bedb2484e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.nintendolife.com/reviews/2008/05/pop | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00017-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.961146 | 948 | 1.757813 | 2 |
What is there to say about milk? It belongs to the pantheon of great American beverages, right next to Coke and Budweiser. It sat comfortably on dinner tables on black and white television shows, transforming plates of meat, peas, and mashed potatoes into a complete meal. Promotional films have been made about it! Ads featuring some of the most recognizable faces in the world are still made about it!
I have never been a big milk drinker. We always had 2% in our house – which apparently tastes like water to whole milk drinkers – and I mostly use it for cereal or baking. I’m fine with the stuff and I’m equally fine without it. I tried soy milk and liked it but not enough to incorporate it into my lifestyle. As for almond milk, I had never tried it until this past fall at my internship. I wanted to try some milk in my tea but just like you’ve undoubtedly experienced in your own house, that which you covet ain’t there. However, there was Almond Breeze almond milk. A handful of my friends had been espousing the awesomeness of almond milk for quite some time so I finally decided to give it a try.
My research tells me that on the almond milk sweetness scale, Almond Breeze tends to be on the higher end. I actually appreciated the flavor because I prefer my Earl Grey slightly sweetened. Killing two birds with one stone never gets old. Almond milk was solid in my book and I continued have it in my tea for the remainder of my internship.
Fast forward to yesterday. I met up with my friend and at one point during our conversation, almond milk came up and she started talking about how great it was and how she loves it in coffee. I decided to read up on almond milk to see if there were any nutritional reasons as to why a non-vegan, non-lactose intolerant person should drink almond milk. It turns out that almond milk has a lot of nutritional benefits: it has no cholesterol and is rich in calcium, Vitamin D, and Vitamin E. It also contains copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, riboflavin, and zinc but the amount present varies amongst brands. Original-flavored almond milk is low in sugar and serving has 60 calories versus the 90 – 150 calories per serving of cow’s milk.
Not bad almond milk, not bad at all.
Posted on Friday, June, 22, 2012, in Drink and tagged almond, Almond Breeze, Almond Breeze Original Almond Milk, almond milk, calcium, Foremost Dairies, Got Milk?, lactose intolerant, low calorie, soy milk, Triple Goodness, vegan, vitamin D, vitamin E. Bookmark the permalink. 2 Comments. | <urn:uuid:dc07cbeb-b42a-4ddd-93d8-111a531d923e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://theskinnyoffice.com/2012/06/22/almond-milk/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00004-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.964925 | 579 | 1.734375 | 2 |
By Neal Carter and Jay Kernis
Nearly four months after Rock Center’s investigation into the largest school cheating scandal in U.S. history, a new in-depth analysis by the Atlanta Journal Constitution revealed hundreds of school districts around the country had test scores with patterns resembling those of the troubled Atlanta School District.
The Atlanta paper analyzed 1.6 million records of standardized test scores across the country from 69,000 schools. The investigation sought to determine whether testing gains from year to year were legitimate.
Some of the largest cities in the country exhibited test score changes so drastic that the odds of the scores increasing naturally were 1 in 1 trillion. The AJC says the analysis does not prove cheating in any school district, but it does suggest the testing gains were unlikely to happen by chance.
Last fall, Rock Center’s Harry Smith spoke with former Atlanta School Superintendent Dr. Beverly Hall in her first television interview since leaving Atlanta Public Schools. For more than a decade, Hall had presided over a dramatic rise in test scores across her district. However, investigators Bob Wilson and Mike Bowers, appointed by Georgia’s governor, charged that Hall had fostered a culture of fear and intimidation which led to and encouraged district-wide cheating.
The cheating was done not by students, but by teachers and school administrators who erased answers from wrong to right on students’ answer sheets or prompted students to change their answers with physical or verbal cues during the exams.
Dr. Hall, a former national Superintendent of the Year, did not accept blame for the cheating, but did say that she should have made sure tighter controls were in place.
“I did not know (about cheating) and if I ever knew, it would have been dealt with,” Hall told Rock Center.
Since the release of the Georgia investigators report, 179 educators in Atlanta have been suspended or faced sanctions such as the loss of their teaching certificates. The scandal cost Georgia taxpayers at least $6 million.
Testing policy expert Greg Cizek believed that Atlanta was just the tip of the iceberg. When Harry Smith met with him in North Carolina during a Rock Center investigation, Smith asked Cizek how widespread the kind of cheating found in Atlanta was across the country.
“The interesting thing is that if you think this is Atlanta or Philadelphia or Washington, DC, limited to—to big urban centers, it’s happening everywhere. If you’re not seeing it, it's because you’re not looking for it,” said Cizek, a professor of educational evaluation at the University of North Carolina.
Cizek is one of the country's top experts on standardized test cheating. He was called in during the Atlanta Public Schools investigation to analyze data and physical evidence that had been collected. He did not participate in the AJC's nationwide study.
Cizek said that widespread cheating is likely wherever kids are at risk of not doing well on standardized tests.
“This kind of thing is all over. Wherever kids are at risk of not performing well and people want to … intervene in some way to, to make that student's performance better to make their school district be high achieving. Anywhere there are kids who are at risk of academic failure, you're going to find this.”
The new AJC investigation found alarming test results in some of the country's largest urban school systems. Baltimore, Detroit, East St. Louis, Houston and Dallas recorded some of the steepest gains that fell well outside the study's accepted norms.
At one school in St. Louis, 42 percent of fourth graders passed the state math test in 2010. After measures to combat cheating were put in place the following year, only four percent of that same class passed. Several parents in the district were already suspicious of the test preparation and instruction at schools in the district according to the AJC.
Official responses from school districts have been varied. Some attribute the testing gains to increased instructional time, while districts like Nashville Public Schools believe there were errors in the Atlanta Journal Constitution's methodology. Many districts with abnormal scores already had measures in place to combat cheating and many said they would look into the results of the AJC study immediately.
The fallout from this report could vary wildly from district to district and state to state. Despite, the widespread statistical anomalies, the AJC emphasizes the fact that most educators do not cheat.
As Aaron Pallas of Columbia Teachers College explained to NBC News, these unusual testing patterns need to be examined, but it does not mean there was definitive widespread cheating.
Editor's Note: Click here to watch Harry Smith's report, "Flunking the Test," originally aired November 28, 2011 on NBC's Rock Center with Brian Williams. | <urn:uuid:2154f6b5-3f0c-46c7-b818-7757ab97270b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://rockcenter.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/03/26/10869065-beyond-atlanta-improbable-testing-gains-found-across-the-country?lite | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00009-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.973442 | 970 | 1.703125 | 2 |
Gore Vidal After the Fact
When considering left-leaning essayists in the United States of the past half century, three names stand out in my mind. Alexander Cockburn, Andrew Kopkind and Gore Vidal. Sure, there are others, but for me, these are the troika I prefer. Kopkind has been gone for several years, while Cockburn and Vidal’s passage is considerably more recent. Kopkind’s milieu was also further to the left than the other two writers, primarily because of when he wrote the bulk of his material: the 1960s and 1970s, then the United States had a militant and fairly large left-inspired movement and culture. Cockburn certainly made a mark for himself, with his critiques of the mainstream media and his unrelenting anti-imperialist take on US foreign policy, especially when it came to Israel and the Middle East. Vidal was closer to the liberal side of leftism and closer to the power elites that represented that dying segment of the US polity.
However, it was Vidal’s tongue, when antagonized, that dripped venom cloaked in a humor that left the target of his attacks clinging to mere shreds of dignity. This is what made him so much fun to listen to and read. Like anyone who was watching television during the Democratic Convention in 1968, I will never forget his interaction with the right-winger William F. Buckley, Jr. Buckley’s attempts to bait Vidal with remarks concerning his sexuality were met barb for barb by Vidal, who finally let loose and called Buckley what he truly was: “a crypto-fascist.” This exchange took place in a year that Vidal had already made a mark on with the publication of his novel Myra Breckenridge.
That novel is one of the subjects discussed in a newly-released collection of three conversations between Vidal and Nation editor Jon Wiener. The book, simply titled I Told You So: Gore Vidal Talks Politics, includes four conversations with Vidal. They are from (in the order they appear in the text) 2007, 2006, 2000, and 1988. In addition to that novel, Wiener and Vidal also discuss Vidal’s septet of novels he called the Narratives of Empire. This collection of works includes the novels Burr, Lincoln, 1876, Empire, Hollywood, Washington, DC, and The Golden Age. These novels not only chronicle the history of the United States, they do so in a manner that disrupts the conventional narrative and toss a number of national myths into the trash heap of history. Vidal refused to call these novels historical fiction because, as he remarks to Wiener, that term “seems to cancel itself out.” Instead, he preferred to consider them as reflections on history.
This short book is full of what I can only call “Vidalisms.” His sharp tongue is matched only by his perceptive abilities. His description of the beginnings of the Cold War in the first conversation that appears in these pages is the most concise and comprehensible description I have ever come upon. Simply stated, the linchpin of the two or three paragraphs Vidal speaks is his observation that after the atom bomb became viable, the United States made a conscious decision to “wage perpetual war for perpetual peace.” According to Vidal, this decision was made by a very few men and locked the United States into the war-based economy and culture we live in today. As he notes in another one of these conversations, the end of the Soviet enemy meant the creation of another, even more nebulous one: terrorism.
While Vidal’s observations may be standard currency among the US Left (such as it is) and other outside political forces like that antiwar libertarians and many anarchists, it is how he states those observations that always set him apart from the standard rhetoric found in those circles. This little book does not disappoint in that regard. In addition, because Vidal comes from the closest thing the United States has to aristocracy, his words tended to carry more weight in the media outlets that represent that aristocracy’s viewpoint. For those in the hoi polloi, this membership through blood and his connections to the US upper crust provided a gateway into how that class actually functions. Unlike the mainstream media, Gore Vidal never saw his job to be the protection of ruling class secrets. Instead, he saw his duty as being one that ripped those secrets away. These conversations about politics are a good introduction to Vidal fulfilling that described duty.
Ron Jacobs is the author of The Way the Wind Blew: a History of the Weather Underground and Short Order Frame Up. Jacobs’ essay on Big Bill Broonzy is featured in CounterPunch’s collection on music, art and sex, Serpents in the Garden. His collection of essays and other musings titled Tripping Through the American Night is now available and his new novel is The Co-Conspirator’s Tale. He is a contributor to Hopeless: Barack Obama and the Politics of Illusion, published by AK Press. He can be reached at: firstname.lastname@example.org. | <urn:uuid:be81a4db-7f4d-4c56-8482-5502ad760a71> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.counterpunch.org/2012/11/02/gore-vidal-after-the-fact/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368711005985/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516133005-00018-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.970363 | 1,075 | 1.632813 | 2 |
The U.S. Transportation Security Administration announced that it will allow small knives and other previously restricted items like golf clubs and hockey sticks on the plane for the first time since the Sept. 11 attacks.
"This is part of an overall Risk-Based Security approach, which allows Transportation Security Officers to better focus their efforts on finding higher threat items such as explosives," the TSA said in a statement.
Knives must be less than 2.36 inches and less than half an inch at the widest point. Box cutters and knives with locking blades and molding handles are still banned, NBC News reported. The change will take effect April 25.
Overseas passengers will no longer have to check their knives as they pass through the U.S., according to Bloomberg News.
Novelty sports equipment like souvenir bats given out at baseball games and Wiffle ball bats will also be allowed as long as they're less than 24 inches long. Lightweight plastic bats are permitted even if they're more than 2 feet long.
Billiard cues, ski poles and lacrosse sticks will also be permitted.
“All TSA is doing is catching up with the rest of the world,” Douglas R. Laird, president of aviation consulting firm Laird & Associates and former head of security for Northwest Airlines told NBC News. | <urn:uuid:cda44ea8-2b0c-4f81-a42d-c5ed0bc9d9da> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/national-international/TSA-to-Permit-Knives-and-Sporting-Equipment-on-US-Planes-195313251.html?_osource=SocialFlowFB_SDBrand | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00016-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.965582 | 271 | 1.648438 | 2 |
For 15 years, teachers in three Southern states paid Clarence Mumford Sr. — himself a longtime educator — to send someone else to take the tests in their place, authorities said. Each time, Mumford received a fee of between $1,500 and $3,000 to send one of his test ringers with fake identification to the Praxis exam. In return, his customers got a passing grade and began their careers as cheaters, according to federal prosecutors in Memphis.
Authorities say the scheme affected hundreds — if not thousands — of public school students who ended up being taught by unqualified instructors.
Mumford faces more than 60 fraud and conspiracy charges that claim he created fake driver's licenses with the information of a teacher or an aspiring teacher and attached the photograph of a test-taker. Prospective teachers are accused of giving Mumford their Social Security numbers for him to make the fake identities.
The hired-test takers went to testing centers, showed the proctor the fake license, and passed the certification exam, prosecutors say. Then, the aspiring teacher used the test score to secure a job with a public school district, the indictment alleges. Fourteen people have been charged with mail and Social Security fraud, and four people have pleaded guilty to charges associated with the scheme.
Mumford "obtained tens of thousands of dollars" during the alleged conspiracy, which prosecutors say lasted from 1995 to 2010 in Arkansas, Mississippi and Tennessee.
Among those charged is former University of Tennessee and NFL wide receiver Cedrick Wilson, who is accused of employing a test-taker for a Praxis physical education exam. He was charged in late October with four counts of Social Security and mail fraud. He has pleaded not guilty and is out of jail on a $10,000 bond. He has been suspended by the Memphis City Schools system.
If convicted, Mumford could face between two and 20 years in prison on each count. The teachers face between two and 20 years in prison on each count if convicted.
Lawyers for Mumford and Wilson did not return calls for comment.
Prosecutors and standardized test experts say students were hurt the most by the scheme because they were being taught by unqualified teachers. It also sheds some light on the nature of cheating and the lengths people go to in order to get ahead.
"As technology keeps advancing, there are more and more ways to cheat on tests of this kind," said Neal Kingston, director of the Center for Educational Testing and Evaluation at the University of Kansas. "There's a never-ending war between those who try to maintain standards and those who are looking out for their own interests."
Cheating on standardized tests is not new, and it can be as simple as looking at the other person's test sheet. The Internet and cell phones have made it easier for students to cheat in a variety of ways. In the past few years, investigations into cheating on standardized tests for K-12 students have surfaced in Atlanta, New York and El Paso, Texas.
Still, most of the recent test-taking scandals involved students taking tests, not people taking teacher certification exams. Cheating scams involving teacher certification tests are more unusual, said Robert Schaeffer, public education director for the National Center for Fair & Open Testing.
Schaeffer notes that a large-scale scandal involving teacher certification tests was discovered in 2000, also in the South. In that case, 52 teachers were charged with paying up to $1,000 apiece to a former Educational Testing Services proctor to ensure a passing grade on teacher certification tests.
Teachers from Arkansas, Georgia, Louisiana, Tennessee and Mississippi took tests through Philander Smith College in Little Rock, Ark., in 1998. The college was not accused of wrongdoing.
Educational Testing Services also writes and administers the Praxis examinations involved in the Memphis case. ETS spokesman Tom Ewing said the company discovered the cheating in June 2009, conducted an investigation and canceled scores. The company began meeting with authorities to turn over the information in late 2009, Ewing said.
"These cases are rare, but we consider them to be very serious and something we have to guard against happening for all the honest test-takers, students and teachers," Ewing said.
Ewing said ETS observes test-takers and reviews test scores to try to root out cheaters. ETS also has received anonymous tips that have led them to cheaters, Ewing said.
Prosecutors in the Mumford case say he, the teachers and test-takers used the Internet and the U.S. Postal Service to register and pay for the tests, and to receive payment. The indictment does not say how much he allegedly paid the test-takers.
An experienced educator, Mumford was working for Memphis City Schools when the alleged scam took place. Authorities say Mumford defrauded the three states by making the fake driver's licenses.
"What happens at many testing centers is that a whole bunch of test-takers show up simultaneously, early on a Saturday morning, and the proctors give only a cursory look to the identification," Schaeffer said. "It's not like going through airport security where a guy holds up a magnifying glass and puts our license under ultraviolet light to make sure it has not been tampered with."
Mumford was fired after news of the investigation came out, and others, like Wilson, have been suspended. But at least three teachers implicated in the scandal remain employed with their school district.
Kingston, the university professor, said prospective teachers may not be confident in their knowledge base to pass the test. Or, the cheaters may believe they are smart enough to pass on their own but also know they are poor test takers.
Kingston said his research has shown that cheating on exams is getting more prevalent.
"The propensity to cheat on exams both through college and for licensure and certification exams seems to be increasing over time," said Kingston. "People often don't see it as something wrong."
The pressure of passing the test could make people do things they normally would not do. And it could take a while for authorities and test-taking services to catch up with the cheaters.
"When people come up with a new method for cheating, it takes some time for folks to figure it out, partly because this has been an understudied area in the field of assessment," Kingston said.
Nina Monfredo, a 23-year-old history teacher at Power Center Academy in Memphis, has taken Praxis exams for history, geography, middle school content, and secondary teaching and learning.
Monfredo, who passed all her tests and is not involved in the fraud case, said the exams she took were relatively easy for someone who has a high school education. She said some people use study aids to prepare, but she didn't. And she didn't feel much pressure because it was her understanding that she could take the test again if she did not pass.
"If you feel like you can't pass and you hire someone it means you really didn't know what you were doing," she said. "I think it would be easier to just learn what's on the test." | <urn:uuid:94d03e6c-c358-4e77-b316-e5b8549bd3e7> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://djournal.com/view/full_story/20934964/article-Feds--Teachers-embroiled-in-test-taking-fraud-- | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00001-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.980218 | 1,478 | 1.765625 | 2 |
STEVE LEWIS/Durango Herald
STEVE LEWIS/Durango Herald
The City Council on Tuesday gave preliminary approval to rate increases for parking meters that would increase rates an average of 42 cents to 60 cents per hour, possibly by summer.
The council might re-evaluate the increase next year based on parking behavior.
The new rates would help pay for more sophisticated parking meters that would take payment from credit cards, prepaid cards and smartphone apps as well as encourage turnover downtown for the benefit of businesses and city sales-tax collections.
Amber Blake, the city’s multi-modal director, said the city also needs more revenue to plan for long-term solutions for future parking needs, such as a downtown garage and more public transportation.
Councilor Sweetie Marbury said she would support a bond for a garage because she did not think the city would ever have enough money from meters to pay for a parking garage. City Manager Ron LeBlanc said long-term debt makes sense to share costs with users 10 to 20 years in the future.
Consumers would not see changes until the new parking meters are installed, which might not be until summer.
The new rates are expected to increase revenue for the city by $141,320 annually.
Councilor Paul Broderick had concerns about “jacking up the rates.”
“You’re going to push a lot of people parking in the neighborhoods,” he said.
Broderick said the city should consider the potential consequences of an increase, saying it could scare away business. “To tinker (with sales tax) is very dangerous,” he said.
But Mayor Doug Lyon said “you would hear it from merchants if there was no turnover.”
The city staff would have flexibility to react to negative consequences. While there would be a maximum rate of 75 cents an hour, the staff could always decrease rates without getting approval from council.
The proposed parking-meter rate fee changes are 75 cent per hour at three-hour meters in the Central Business District, encompassing Main Avenue from Fifth to 11th streets, and on the side streets to the alley east of Main and to Narrow Gauge Avenue west of Main Avenue, according to a city memo.
The current two-hour meters on East Second Avenue and the side streets of the Central Business District would be converted from two-hour meters currently at 30 cents an hour to three-hour meters at 50 cents per hour. Existing 10-hour meter locations will remain unchanged. However, the hourly rate will be changed from 30 cents hourly to 50 cents an hour. Existing 24-minute meter times will be increased to 30 minutes at 50 cents per half hour.
Parking-citation fees are not proposed to change.
In other business:
The city was awarded a $216,000 state grant to purchase a new trolley for service on Main Avenue and a mini bus, which circulates through neighborhoods and goes to Mercy Regional Medical Center. The grant requires a local match of 20 percent.
The council approved a $4.8 million loan for the right to store 3,800 acre feet of water at Lake Nighthorse under the Animas-La Plata Project. The loan will be amortized over 20 years at an interest rate of 1.95 percent. City voters agreed to the loan in 2011. | <urn:uuid:2377244a-9692-4c94-b75b-a435d592f103> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.durangoherald.com/article/20130205/NEWS01/130209761/0/app/Parking-rates-set-to-increase | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00001-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.964169 | 702 | 1.5625 | 2 |
Sweet Little Nothings
The tiny town of Millville was going green.
It all began with Mr. Radcliffe, the high school science teacher. Mr. Radcliffe, or Super Rad, as many of his students had begun to call him, was quite a character. He had a big mop of curly grey hair atop his head, big "bottle can" glasses, and always wore bright neon ties. And he was always eating little Andes chocolate mint squares. There was a big jar of them in his desk, and he often gave them out to students who raised their hands and answered questions correctly.
Mr. Super Rad was quite a well-known character around town, and everywhere he went, he never missed an opportunity to talk about the importance of recycling. "After all," he would say as he happily sorted through people’s piles of old newspapers and bottles, "what could be more important than saving the earth?" In his classroom, there were 4 bins: one for all trash, one for paper, one for plastic, and one just for the wrappers from his Andes candies.
"Someday, I’ll find a use for these," he would mutter to himself as he tossed one in from his desk.
The people of Millville began to listen to his advice about the environment, and soon the results were evident. Recycling bins next to every trash can. More people riding bicycles than ever before. An organic farmers market every Saturday at the park. They even began planning for a "Go Green" party at the town hall. Immediately, they decided that the guest of honor would be Mr. Fabio Radcliffe, and the theme would be of his favorite treat: candy.
In addition to plentiful piles of little Andes mints, the party decorations included hanging green M&Ms tins and Green & White Swirly Pops on the wall. Mr. Radcliffe was truly touched, but it was his students’ surprise project, presented at the end of the night, that nearly brought him to tears.
It was a complete candy eco-system. Green rock candy formed the ground; gummi frogs jumped across a lake of liquid candy. And in the background, a landscape of snowy mountains formed from hundreds of the Andes chocolate wrappers from Mr. Radcliffe’s bin.
"This is…super rad!" he exclaimed with delight. | <urn:uuid:f60aba62-f6ee-4020-9636-ac075933e5ce> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.candywarehouse.com/colors/green-candy/?F_All=&DepartmentId=49&pg=5 | 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 | 0.988256 | 498 | 1.757813 | 2 |
1.what is your opinion about arranged marriage?
Does that kind of marriages exist in our days? where? we are in the XXI Century
2.should a person live only according to the norms of his/her society?
This is a very difficult question.
If revolutionary leaders would live acording the norms of his/her society then wouldn´t changes in the world.
If people live only acordin of the norms of his her society they would becoming instruments of the governments or of the people who has power.
Persons who do sexual atack to children, narcotraficants, killers, etc., don´t live acording to the rules of the society and hurt the society.
I think we should live acording universal rules or solidarity, respectuful each other and among the coutries, tacke care of nature, and all what could help to live in peace. | <urn:uuid:81f34f21-a0ac-44c1-bc67-f57523d44b4d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.englishclub.com/esl-forums/viewtopic.php?f=222&t=32699 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00004-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.950011 | 188 | 1.796875 | 2 |
My name is Larry Curry, from Lawrence County Illinois, i am a 57 year old Black lifetime resident. My great grandfather was Joseph Portee. I understand my Portee ancestors came from South Carolina.
They were on my fathers side of the family. My mothers side of the family was Morris, also from S.C. The Portees, Morrises, Goins, Coles
all originated in S.C. in the 1700's. They were a mixed race of people that eventually migrated thru Kentucky up to southern Illinois.
There have been several Portees(Black) that i have grown up around. Not many left around here now. Please respond on any info about this group of families that came from S.C. We have some info that they were from th Camden, S.C. area. Thanks for any kind of response. | <urn:uuid:7c658c42-364f-459f-8e84-6d6dfc58bd3a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.afrigeneas.com/forume/index.cgi/md/read/id/11375/sbj/surname-portee/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00011-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.985895 | 173 | 1.570313 | 2 |
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Choosing a Wichita Collegiate School education is an investment in the life of your child. A Collegiate education pays off today, with a school experience that embraces the family, invigorates your child’s personality and intellect, and introduces students to an entire universe of ideas and possibilities. Later, a Collegiate education can help your graduate earn valuable scholarships and admission into the country’s best colleges and universities. And more importantly, a Collegiate graduate is prepared for life, with critical thinking and reasoning skills, the ability to lead and communicate effectively, a sense of responsibility and ethics, and the confidence to succeed.
Wichita Collegiate School Seeks Applicants for Malone Scholars Program
Wichita Collegiate School is taking applications for the Malone Scholars Program. The Malone Scholars Endowment was established at Collegiate in 2008 for the purpose of providing an excellent educational opportunity for academically talented students who might not otherwise be able to attend the school.
In order to be considered for the Malone Scholars Program, a student must:
The priority application deadline is April 1, 2011. Applications and a brochure may be downloaded from the WCS website: www.wichitacollegiate.com. Additional information about the program may be obtained by calling the WCS Admission Office at 771-2203.
Wichita Collegiate is one of approximately 30 schools in the country to have been selected by the Malone Family Foundation in Colorado as the recipient of a $2 million endowment. Malone Scholars Schools are selected on the basis of academic caliber; quality of faculty and staff; excellent accommodations for gifted students, including strong AP and enrichment programs; attention to the individual student’s needs, interests and talents; financial strength, stability, and commitment to financial aid; and an economically, culturally, ethnically, and socially diverse student population. Wichita Collegiate School currently has seven Malone Scholars. | <urn:uuid:ef7952ad-b3d1-4ea2-bc6a-09f9a3b3cad2> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.wcsks.com/admissions.asp?tab=0 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.940379 | 395 | 1.65625 | 2 |
The African Civil-Military Coordination (ACMC) Programme at ACCORD ran its Southern Africa Regional Civil-Military Coordination (CIMIC) Course from 2-12 May 2006. ACMC programme partner – Brigadier General Nkonyeni, the commandant of the South African National War College – officially opened this, the second Southern African CIMIC Course on 2 May 2006.
In his opening speech, General Nkonyeni urged the officers to remember that training in capacity building should no longer merely be emphasized, but that it is now a necessity. He also stressed that the contemporary world has proven that dimensions of distance and time have shrunk, in that no one state or nation can afford to be inwardly focused – thus the need for countries to learn and assist each other, and create opportunities for peace and security to be established.
The course drew 37 participants from 19 countries, mostly from SADC, while others were from the rest of the African continent and some from Europe and Asia. This course is part of a series of courses that are conducted in partnership with five peacekeeping training institutions in Africa.
The programme is coordinated by ACCORD and funded by the Government of Finland. On graduation the participants will use the newly acquired knowledge to enhance their Civil -Military Coordination responsibilities, and others will use it to train future Civil-Military Relations Officers in their respective countries and places of work. | <urn:uuid:4042b190-72ad-45f0-ae61-dd81f5224e78> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://accord.org.za/news/93-cimic/297-accord-training-in-civil-military-coordination | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00018-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.953217 | 285 | 1.6875 | 2 |
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