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MOUNT VERNON — It wasn’t March Madness but a small group of west side residents worked Tuesday in bracket fashion to narrow down a list of 25 possible grant projects to help the city prepare for a $300,000 Community Development Block Grant application due this summer.
The group went through a list developed over the course of two Brown Bag Chats at the Public Library of Mount Vernon and Knox County to determine which projects residents would like to see in their neighborhoods.
Overwhelmingly, the small group agreed that paving and drainage upgrades on West High Street should be the top priority. Following heavy rains, deep water wells accumulate where some side streets intersect with High Street because the state highway sits much lower.
“This would really benefit everyone,” said one resident.
Alley maintenance was another hot topic for residents. Mount Vernon Mayor Richard Mavis explained the city is waiting for the ground to dry out before it can bring out its maintainer to level out the potholes.
“The water holes look like small lakes,” Mavis said. “It wouldn’t do any good to move the mud around.”
Residents would like to see some kind of top coating placed on the alleys like gravel or even recycled milling from paving projects to create a nice driving surface that keeps mud build-up down.
Adding water shut-off valves is also on the priority list. The older sections of the city have fewer shut-off valves which mean more residents would lose water service in the event water would need to be turned off in order to do repairs, Mavis said.
A new shelter house at Riverside Park make it to the final round of projects. The proposed idea for the park came about after city officials realized the pavilion at Riverside Park was the most requested shelter in the city. Adding an additional shelter, as well as more handicap accessible parking at the site of the old horseshoe pits would provide another venue for family functions.
Adding a community garden to Arch Park as well as new signage was also on the priority list. Residents said upgrades to the park will make it more attractive and they hope city residents will realize what a gem the small park could be.
Continued efforts to clean up the west side of dilapidated and neglected structures rounded out the top six possible candidates. Although this is a continued function of the Dilapidated Buildings Commission in the city, residents felt it is important to continue to clean up the neighborhood to bring more pride in ownership to the area.
The meeting was facilitated by Whitaker Wright, a representative of CDC of Ohio which is assisting the city with gathering information from residents. Wright helped residents prioritize options in four categories: parks and recreation, sidewalks, streets and area wide. Because there was very little interest in sidewalk upgrades, that category was eliminated from contention.
“Here is a group of residents who went back and forth sorting the options by pairs,” Wright said. “Now we have six projects the city can look at.
The city will now work to create cost estimates for the proposed projects. | <urn:uuid:390ab9a1-e521-4642-9abb-9c7d6a8d068f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.mountvernonnews.com/local/11/05/11/city-residents-narrow-list-of-possible-projects | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368711005985/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516133005-00003-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.967651 | 635 | 1.523438 | 2 |
A British civil servant and a former researcher appeared in court on Tuesday in the latest skirmish of an unfolding legal battle over claims that US President George W. Bush proposed bombing al-Jazeera's television headquarters.
Bush's reported remarks were disclosed in a leaked document, the contents of which were published in a British newspaper late last year. The comments raised questions here about whether Britain might be drawn into questionable military operations as a result of its alliance with Washington.
Indeed, in an interview published on Tuesday, General Michael Rose, a former commander of UN troops in Bosnia, called for the impeachment of British Prime Minister Tony Blair for taking the country to war on false pretenses.
The remarks were unusually blunt for a commander of such rank.
"People have seen their political wishes ignored for reasons now proved false," Rose told the Guardian, referring to Blair's prewar insistence on the presence of unconventional weapons in Iraq.
He added: "No one can undo the decision to go to war. But the impeachment of Mr. Blair is now something I believe must happen if we are to rekindle interest in the democratic process."
In the latest legal maneuvers, David Keogh, 49, a government communications officer, and Leo O'Connor, 42, a former parliamentary researcher, face charges under the Official Secrets Act. They were indicted last November.
Keogh is accused on two counts. One is that he passed a memo to O'Connor between April 16 and May 29, 2004. The second, made public on Tuesday, is that he, "without lawful authority, made a damaging disclosure of a document dated April 16, 2004, which had been in his possession by virtue of his position as a crown servant."
O'Connor has indicated that he plans to plead not guilty. Keogh did not say how he would plead in the trial, scheduled for Jan. 24.
The document was described last fall by the Daily Mirror as a transcript of a conversation in the White House on April 16, 2004, in which Blair dissuaded Bush from bombing al-Jazeera's headquarters in Qatar, in the Persian Gulf.
At that time, US generals were complaining publicly that al-Jazeera's coverage of Iraq on its Arabic-language channel was inflaming anti-American sentiment.
Neil Clark, a lawyer for O'Connor, said he was shown the memo for the first time on Tuesday on condition that he discuss it only with his client. But, Clark said, he would seek the disclosure of the document in court.
"I didn't think there was anything in there that could embarrass the British government," he said.
The court hearings came as Peter Kilfoyle, a legislator from Blair's Labor Party, said he and another lawmaker, Tony Clarke, who employed O'Connor as a researcher, had tried to publicize the document in the US in 2004. | <urn:uuid:621100d2-9c10-46e5-b1fc-4b02a360bdf6> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/world/archives/2006/01/12/2003288620 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706890813/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516122130-00007-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.983283 | 585 | 1.601563 | 2 |
This is one of my favorites from a previous employer. It requires a bit of background, so stick with me. I’m going to try and explain this is somewhat generic terms for those of you without a biology background. Let me know if this isn’t clear
I used to do computer-based genetic analysis. The lab used to depend on my team to help them create good, clean data for our product and research.
When processing a new batch of tissue, the lab did something called a “pilot” in which they sequenced a small amount of the DNA from that tissue to test the results of their processing. I then put this pilot through our computer programs to analyze how much if the information was “junk” and how much was viable and unique sequences. We used this information in the pilot to estimate the results when we did a full-scale run of that tissue.
So I get a phone call one day and it is Lisa, the head of our lab. The following conversation takes place.Lisa:
Hi, so we’ve got customer X coming in today, but I’ve just realized their pilot is only just now going through sequencing. They should be able to get you the data by 3m today, but the meeting is at 2. How quickly can you do your analysis?Me:
The processing time is usually about 2-3 hours, so the earliest I’d have information is about 5pm.Lisa:
Well that is too late, the customers are only stopping by for a quick meeting, so they’ll be gone shortly after 3.Me:
I’m sorry, but I can’t make the computers run faster than they do. I can drop everything and work on your data as soon as it shows up, but that is the best I can do.Lisa:
Hmmm, well could you tell me what you think the results of this pilot will be?Me:
You want me to predict the results of the test run?Lisa:
Yes.. if I had estimates, that would make the customer happy.Me:
I can’t predict the results because I have no idea if your processing was successful. A pilot is a test run, used to predict the results of the full run; I can’t predict the results of a test run because I haven’t seen the data.Lisa:
Well can’t you just give me an estimate.Me:
Explaining the concept of “test run” again.
Cycle repeated a few more times…Me:
Lisa, I’m not sure what you want me to do. Do you want me to go down to the lab, place the dish with the samples in it up to my forehead, and then use my psychic powers to determine how many of the samples are junk DNA? Because really, it sounds like that is what you are asking for.Lisa:
Well, ok maybe I was asking you for something impossible. | <urn:uuid:59da03c1-4f06-4542-8201-a339fa674021> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.etiquettehell.com/smf/index.php?topic=46148.msg1089279 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00007-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.962598 | 627 | 1.585938 | 2 |
Romney battles to get back on economic messagePosted on Saturday, May 12, 2012 - 12:28 pm
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Likely Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney battled to get back on his economic message on Friday after being sidetracked by a debate over gay rights and a reported bullying incident from 1965.
Romney’s drive to keep the focus on President Barack Obama‘s handling of the fragile U.S. economy took a back seat this week when Obama declared his support for same-sex marriage, a move that energized his liberal base and gave the Democratic incumbent a splash of news coverage.
Obama’s decision on gay marriage, after resisting the step for two years, contributed to a big surge in fund-raising for his campaign. Obama hauled in $ 15 million at a single, star-studded event in Los Angeles where he played basketball on Friday with stars George Clooney and Tobey Maguire.
Far from Hollywood, Romney visited North Carolina, a state that will be central in determining whether he can defeat Obama in the November 6 election.
Romney skirted the same-sex issue in a visit to Charlotte and stuck to the economy, saying Obama represents “old-school liberals” who want to continue to borrow money from countries like China in order to spend it recklessly in Washington.
“This recovery’s been the slowest, most tepid since Hoover,” said Romney in a reference to Depression-era President Herbert Hoover from the 1930s.
Romney wants to avoid making same-sex marriage a major focus of the campaign because Obama is much more vulnerable on the economy. Polls show a growing number of Americans favor gay marriage, but the slow economic recovery is by far their major concern.
“There will come a day when Romney will need to debate Obama on stage, but we don’t need to have that debate now,” a Romney adviser said. “We want that debate to be about economy and jobs. And number two, we believe the net results of this will be to our benefit.”
A new Gallup survey said 60 percent of Americans reported that Obama’s support for same-sex marriage will make no difference to their vote. Twenty-six percent said it would make them less likely to vote for him.
BULLYING ALLEGATION LINGERS
In North Carolina, a crowd of about 600 at the Charlotte Pipe and Foundry Company received Romney enthusiastically, booing almost every mention of Obama or his economic policies and cheering Romney’s pledge to “take America back.”
As Romney spoke in North Carolina, Obama touted mortgage relief in Nevada, another battleground state.
With Romney breaking no new ground on the economy, he could not escape questions in North Carolina about allegations of bullying a student in high school who was believed to be gay.
“If anybody was offended, I apologize for that,” Romney told Charlotte’s WSOC-TV when asked about a Washington Post story about the incident at the prestigious Cranbrook School in Michigan. Romney was said to have clipped off the bleached blond hair of a classmate who had been tackled and pinned down by Romney’s friends.
The student, John Lauber, was later presumed to be gay.
Romney has been on the defensive about the episode, which he says he cannot precisely recall.
The former Massachusetts governor also will need to address gay rights when he speaks at the evangelical Liberty University on Saturday. He will allude to traditional marriage as “an enduring institution that deserves to be defended,” an aide said.
The Romney campaign has sought to use the candidate’s wife, Ann, to attract more support from women voters who favor Obama. She also has tried to make Romney, who can sometimes come across as stiff and robotic, more accessible.
Ann Romney wrote an opinion piece for USA Today and conducted a series of interviews in advance of Mother’s Day on Sunday.
Her status as a stay-at-home mother who raised five sons has been ridiculed by some Democrats who contend the wealthy Romneys are out of touch with many women who raise children while they try to hold down jobs and struggle to make ends meet.
“On Mother’s Day, Mitt always brings me lilacs, a tradition he started the year I became a mother,” she wrote in USA Today.
The Restore Our Future SuperPAC group that supports Romney released a video accusing Obama supporters of denigrating Ann Romney for being a stay-at-home mom.
(Additional reporting by Sam Youngman in Charlotte; Editing by Stacey Joyce) | <urn:uuid:6e3afba8-8f4e-4962-9d76-e2191112b7bc> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://stocksmarket.in/45436/2012/05/12/romney-battles-to-get-back-on-economic-message-2/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00018-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.967156 | 960 | 1.664063 | 2 |
Open your doors, O Lebanon, so that fire may devour your cedars!
Wail, O cypress, for the cedar has fallen, for the glorious trees are ruined! Wail, oaks of Bashan, for the thick forest has been felled!
Listen, the wail of the shepherds, for their glory is despoiled! Listen, the roar of the lions, for the thickets of the Jordan are destroyed!
Thus said the Lord my God: Be a shepherd of the flock doomed to slaughter.
Those who buy them kill them and go unpunished; and those who sell them say, "Blessed be the Lord, for I have become rich"; and their own shepherds have no pity on them.
For I will no longer have pity on the inhabitants of the earth, says the Lord. I will cause them, every one, to fall each into the hand of a neighbor, and each into the hand of the king; and they shall devastate the earth, and I will deliver no one from their hand.
So, on behalf of the sheep merchants, I became the shepherd of the flock doomed to slaughter. I took two staffs; one I named Favor, the other I named Unity, and I tended the sheep.
In one month I disposed of the three shepherds, for I had become impatient with them, and they also detested me.
So I said, "I will not be your shepherd. What is to die, let it die; what is to be destroyed, let it be destroyed; and let those that are left devour the flesh of one another!"
I took my staff Favor and broke it, annulling the covenant that I had made with all the peoples.
So it was annulled on that day, and the sheep merchants, who were watching me, knew that it was the word of the Lord.
I then said to them, "If it seems right to you, give me my wages; but if not, keep them." So they weighed out as my wages thirty shekels of silver.
Then the Lord said to me, "Throw it into the treasury" a —this lordly price at which I was valued by them. So I took the thirty shekels of silver and threw them into the treasury b in the house of the Lord.
Then I broke my second staff Unity, annulling the family ties between Judah and Israel.
Then the Lord said to me: Take once more the implements of a worthless shepherd.
For I am now raising up in the land a shepherd who does not care for the perishing, or seek the wandering, c or heal the maimed, or nourish the healthy, d but devours the flesh of the fat ones, tearing off even their hoofs.
Oh, my worthless shepherd, who deserts the flock! May the sword strike his arm and his right eye! Let his arm be completely withered, his right eye utterly blinded!
New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved. (New Revised Standard Bible Version Online) | <urn:uuid:3a6ae108-29e9-415c-bc5a-886b6816de9c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.biblestudytools.com/nrs/zechariah/11.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00007-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.973364 | 672 | 1.585938 | 2 |
If we think the cold fronts are gone l guess that is not true as l am hearing that the trend is ..they have gone ( migrated)south for the winter LOL
However.. Take a look at the current MSLP dynamics!!
and thanks ROVES l will check out the SAM time series
There is currently mid latitude a CAT 3 forming in the southern ocean
I think this is the second 973 hpascal low in the past few weeks.
Its centre is located latitude 40 deg C ( which is equivalent to just south of Hobart)
Now this cat 3 has winds of 190km/hr towards its centre
The front has just been on the eastern flank and WA have just been experiencing that with 140km /hr winds on the periphery of that system
It is massive and powerful
The concern or trend as far as l have read in earlier posts
ROM said they shift south before reaching Vic and BOM has some research underway as to whyIf the current trending for those exceptionally strong lows at sub polar latitudes continues into winter when the westerly belt shift north. The whole southern quadrant of VIC will be pummelled with high winds rain, snow.
.and we might be eating our words re cold fronts in Southeast Australia
I am encouraged by this latest sat pic
This is a monster
Check out the sat pic . That low is just barrelling in
The forecast is for that low to subside south .
But my point is if the trend for these monsters continues into winter we may cop a few doozies!!
Look forward to following that low pressure belt in the sub polar region this winter .
Just wondering if winter has some super special weather events in store
and as an aside . That ECL/subtropical low east of OZ is a CAT 1 | <urn:uuid:18e14a9d-a4a0-4315-a063-8e8cd49c40db> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://forum.weatherzone.com.au/ubbthreads.php/topics/1109040/Re_Cold_fronts_disappearing_ac | 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 | 0.947342 | 373 | 1.664063 | 2 |
Image uploaded by CC Chapman
I first heard about Chris Brogan over a year ago. Since then—he's become a textbook example of how a single person can build a HUGE audience of literally thousands of people who TRUST him and look to Chris for what's next and why. If you are interested in building your own personal brand—listen carefully to what Chris has to say and start with the basics. Be "helpful".
DA: Do you believe that people can actually act like brands? Why or why not?
CB: I believe they can, but boy is that water choppy. Brands are things, and they involve a connection to a visual or audio queue (when we hear the Intel bong, or when we see the Nike swoosh). People who attempt to brand themselves by simply using visual or audio queues run the risk of coming off as fake or contrived. And yet, there are ways that I believe people can engage in the practices AROUND branding in such a way as to derive value and meaning in a genuine fashion.
DA: How has building a personal brand helped your career? Have their been any downsides?
There are downsides for the companies who choose to partner with a personal brand. I call this the "Age of the Half-Owned Brand," I talked about it http://www.chrisbrogan.
DA: How about your personal life—can you share any pros and cons?
The drawback is that I'm a dad, and I have a wife and two lovely young kids and all this travel can really grind one down.
DA: What's the one piece of advice you would give to someone looking to create their own "Brand U.0"?
DA: Do you think "all of this" is a bubble or something more?
DA: You come across as very likable. How important is this to who you are?
DA: In terms of a personal brand—who is your hero? Why?
DA: If you were to sum up the brand of Brogan in what word—what would that be?
DA: Tell us one thing about Chris Brogan that we might not already know.
CB: You might not know that I went to the Breadloaf Young Writer's conference in Vermont instead of attending my prom, and that my girlfriend and I square danced in blue jeans while everyone back at school waltzed in tuxes and satin. Nerd much? Yeah! | <urn:uuid:0c5a4ce3-f500-4256-a8bb-235cbe080361> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://darmano.typepad.com/branduo/2008/09/chris-brogans-b.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00015-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.97231 | 507 | 1.601563 | 2 |
About 50 farmworkers and supporters of Immokalee farmworkers picketed a Publix in Naples on Saturday morning, calling for the Florida-based grocer to pay more for tomatoes and take a stand against inhumane conditions for tomato pickers.
The Coalition of Immokalee Workers is asking the grocery store chain to pay a penny-per-pound increase on tomatoes, to be passed on to the tomato pickers, similar to what several fast food chains have done in deals with the coalition.
Despite rain, protesters stood for one hour in the median at U.S. 41 in front of the Publix across from Coastland Center mall chanting, “farmworkers are people too” and “Publix Listen, we are a movement.”
The coalition has picketed, protested and received a penny-a-pound increase from major restaurant chains and other businesses such as Taco Bell, McDonald’s, Burger King, Subway, Whole Foods and Compass Group.
The group also wants Publix to adopt a code of conduct that would include a zero tolerance on slavery and for the grocer to engage in a conversation directly with the coalition, said Kim Kavazanjian, with Interfaith Action of Southwest Florida and a spokeswoman Saturday for the coalition.
“Right now Publix is buying from two companies implicated in slavery case in 2008,” she said, referring to slavery victims that were taken to work on farms owned by Six L’s and Pacific Tomato Growers. The case was prosecuted last December.
“For Publix it is really very simple, to say they would like to join the fast food companies that have signed with the coalition,” she said.
Tomato pickers earn 40 cents to 45 cents for each 32-pound bucket of tomatoes they pick, said Cruz Salucio, 24, a tomato picker, with the help of an intepretor. He doesn’t work for any one farm now because it is planting time now.
A Publix spokeswoman, who arrived from Lakeland, said this is the first time the coalition has demonstrated outside of Publix.
“Our official position is, we don’t get involved in the middle of labor disputes between suppliers and other organizations,” said Publix spokeswoman Maria Brous. “We urge both groups to come to the table to find a resolution.”
Brous said Publix has over 35,000 products and couldn’t get involved in all disputes with suppliers.
About half of the 50 demonstrators were Naples or Bonita Springs residents who support the coalition.
“We would just like Publix to get on board with the rest of the purchasers like Burger King, Taco Bell and McDonald’s that have recognized there is a social responsibility,” said John Dwyer, 66, who said he has supported the farmworkers for years, even before they organized the coalition.
“They need to take a stand against modern slavery and low wages,” his wife, Karen Dwyer, 51, said.
Susan Abell, 59, of Bonita Springs, said she doesn’t know much about the coalition but wants to help with their cause.
“I believe they should be paid a minimum living wage like any one else,” she said. “It’s hard for them, they can’t get unemployment. We all have got to help each other. They have helped us all these years.”
The coalition was scheduled to protest later Saturday outside Publix stores in Port Charlotte and Venice and on Sunday in Sarasota. They plan to wrap up the weekend protest with a candelight vigil at 7 p.m. outside the federal courthouse in Fort Myers with a walk to a nearby Publix on McGregor Boulevard. | <urn:uuid:72bb21d6-9779-40aa-8ee9-0db5900e0dd7> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.marconews.com/news/2009/oct/17/farmworkers-picket-publix-wanting-grocery-chain-pa/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00004-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.966454 | 804 | 1.5 | 2 |
Most Active Stories
Sat April 28, 2012
Civil Liberties Groups See Holes In Cyber Defense Bill
Originally published on Sat April 28, 2012 5:07 pm
GUY RAZ, HOST:
Here in Washington, the House of Representatives passed its version of the Cyber Intelligence Sharing And Protection Act or CISPA, as it's known. Backers say the bill is meant to protect the country's Internet infrastructure from cyberattacks. But civil libertarians and other opponents believes CISPA will give the U.S. government unprecedented access to all sorts of private information about you that is now online without ever having to go to a judge and ask for it. NPR's Steve Henn reports.
STEVE HENN, BYLINE: The outrage over the Cyber Intelligence Sharing Protection Act or CISPA has been building all week. The ACLU has called it a horrible bill. The White House has threatened to veto it. But broadly speaking, tech companies here in Silicon Valley are pretty fond of this thing.
DEAN GARFIELD: Businesses like it because it makes the Internet a much more secure and safe place.
HENN: Dean Garfield is president and CEO of the Information Technology Industry Council. His group represents giants like Microsoft and Apple. And he likes this bill because it protects his members from getting sued if they share information while trying to stop a cyberattack.
GARFIELD: It's helpful because one of the barriers to the free exchange of information was concerned about litigation.
HENN: Garfield says right now, when a company detects a possible attack, it has to sift through the data involved and decide just what information it can legally share with the federal government or other companies to help stop the attack. This bill basically gives companies a free pass: It would trump all other privacy laws and allow firms like Internet service providers or Apple, Google and Facebook to share any cybersecurity information with anyone they want, including the federal government, even the NSA, quote, "notwithstanding any other provision of law."
LEE TIEN: So those are very, very powerful provisions that destroy accountability.
HENN: Lee Tien is a senior staff attorney at the Electronic Frontier Foundation.
TIEN: It grants very broad authorities for private entities to share information and - not only that - to conduct surveillance and do all sorts of undefined cybersecurity things with blanket immunity.
HENN: But the bill's supporters like Dean Garfield say it's not going to create a giant funnel that ships data about you and your friends and mass to domestic spying agencies. Companies, he says, not the government, will decide for themselves what information to share. And that information is supposed to be related to possible cyberattacks, or at least a threat.
GARFIELD: The bill sunsets in five years. And then, two, the bill calls for the inspector general to actually do an annual report that will outline if this new law is creating new encroachments on privacy or civil liberties.
HENN: But not everyone's convinced this bill actually makes us or our information online any safer. Scott Shackelford's an assistant professor at Indiana University.
SCOTT SHACKELFORD: And do you think there needs to be more than just a kind of old voluntary scheme here?
HENN: Shackelford says this bill protects businesses from lawsuits. But it doesn't actually create any minimum standard about what companies have to do to protect critical infrastructure or private information. He says that's what's really needed.
SHACKELFORD: Yes. There has to be some role here that the government had - needs to play in enhancing cybersecurity.
HENN: The debate over the bill now moves to the Senate where both sides expected to be taken up next month. Steve Henn, NPR News, Silicon Valley. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR. | <urn:uuid:363f6b86-89cc-4237-bc26-b03dffcbbcad> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://wwno.org/post/civil-liberties-groups-see-holes-cyber-defense-bill | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704392896/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113952-00011-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.940765 | 785 | 1.835938 | 2 |
I'm trying to be careful about the way I ask this as to not makes this a lewd question. I've been reading some Ayurvedic literature (for better or for worse) while reading TS Wiley and wondering, thinking about the Ayurvedic fear of regular ejaculation. Have sex or imitating sexual acts stimulates the endocrine system (in men DHT, DHA, testosterone, cortisol, luteinizing hormone, etc). Sperm is also rich in nutrients. Every time ejaculation occurs there is a loss of nutrients and an endocrine response. Over utilizing this in nature was likely not an issue do to seasonal endocrine and climate changes and the lack of super-stimulus (i.e. pornography). In a world without seasons and with super-stiumulus, people are engaging in this nutrient demanding, endocrine stimulating act with increasing regularity. What are the negative implication of this world in which a dry spell never occurs? What would be a paleo solution to the potential problems?
Addendum -- Sex on whole: healthy. But what is the J curve? When (at what frequency and to whom) do detrimental effects start to occur? Can sex exacerbate hormonal imbalances?Could too frequent of sex (or simulated sex) become a chronic stressor? | <urn:uuid:6f14a956-49da-4a92-b5b4-8cb27b46772e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://paleohacks.com/questions/48184/at-what-dose-does-sex-become-unhealthy-and-endocrine-disrupting | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704392896/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113952-00018-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.937931 | 264 | 1.695313 | 2 |
New barber shop exhibit opens on Yorktown
Thanks to the support of a local business owner, Patriots Point Naval and Maritime Museum has opened a redesigned exhibit aboard the USS Yorktown.
The display, a Barbershop on the Yorktown’s Tour Route 5, features an authentic 1950s chair that was generously donated by Mount Pleasant resident and owner of Elite Barbershop, Joe Roberts.
The idea came to Roberts, a third generation barber, after speaking with Patriots Point executive director Mac Burdette about the museum’s efforts to “bring the ship to life.”
“I’m very supportive of the ship. I think it’s a great thing for our community and a good thing for people to see,” Roberts said. “Mac was telling me about their plans for the Yorktown and I had an extra chair from the 1950s that was in decent shape. I thought it would fit right in.”
Working with the Patriots Point Museum Services Department, Roberts was able to donate the chair, which is now the centerpiece of the display.
“We’re working hard each day to create an authentic experience for our visitors,” said Burdette. “The USS Yorktown was one of the Navy’s toughest warships during WWII and Vietnam; but when not actively engaged in battle, the Yorktown was a floating city – with medical and dental facilities, mess halls and even several barbershops throughout the ship.”
“The addition of this redesigned barbershop, complete with an authentic 1950s chair, allows our visitors to ‘walk in the steps of heroes’ and to experience what life was like each day for the sailors who served,” Burdette continued.
Mayor Billy Swails, of the Town of Mount Pleasant, was on hand to celebrate the opening of the exhibit. “It’s great when our local business owners recognize the importance of attractions like Patriots Point,” said Swails, who also serves as ex-officio member of the Patriots Point Development Authority Board.
“I’m sure Joe could have sold that chair for a fair amount of money, but he chose to donate the historic piece so that visitors to Patriots Point could gain a better understanding of life aboard the ship. His generosity is very much appreciated, and we’re proud he calls Mount Pleasant home.” | <urn:uuid:c507b284-9e08-40d9-8d06-1d312fdf33d9> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.moultrienews.com/article/20130306/MN02/130309899/0/raising-cane-x2019-s-wins-top-awards | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00016-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.970313 | 503 | 1.710938 | 2 |
The Peace Egg
A Christmas Mumming Play
Hints for Private Theatricals, I., II., III.
Old Father Christmas
of Darkie's leg, stood defiantly on his dignity (and his short stumps). He always placed himself in front of the bigger dog, and made a point of hustling him in doorways and of going first down-stairs. He strutted like a beadle, and carried his tail more tightly curled than a bishop's crook. He looked as one may imagine the frog in the fable would have looked, had he been able to swell himself rather nearer to the size of the ox. This was partly due to his very prominent eyes, and partly to an obesity favoured by habits of lying inside the fender, and of eating meals proportioned more to his consequence than to his hunger. They were both favourites of two years' standing, and had very nearly been given away, when the good news came of an English home for the family, dogs and all.
Robert's tongue was seldom idle, even at meals. "Are you a Yorkshirewoman, Sarah?" he asked, pausing, with his spoon full in his hand.
"No, Master Robert," said Sarah.
"But you understand Yorkshire, don't you? I | <urn:uuid:1cfcae01-eaf6-443a-9709-bf0281160430> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://manybooks.net/titles/ewingjul2042520425-8.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700958435/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104238-00007-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.993252 | 265 | 1.679688 | 2 |
This is a photo of the Cookstown Tavern, circa 1906, as photographed
by my grandparents, Samuel Rogers, and
Emily Bird Wright. They were
visiting the Jacobstown and Cookstown, Burlington County, New Jersey area
(Cookstown/Crosswicks Map [377KB, 150 dpi])
** with other family members, among them my great grandmother,
Laura A. (Lamb) Wright.
My great grandmother lived in this residence as a little girl,
when her parents, Nehemiah Lamb and
Mary Ann Worth owned this property.
Nehemiah bought this property on
11 February 1856 (See Deed transcription below) and sold the property on 24 March 1864 to Aaron Eldridge of Millstone Township, Monmouth County, New Jersey. (NJ State Archives Deeds, Burlington County Deeds, Reel #3641, Vol. A7, pp. 428-430) Nehemiah bought this property for $2,500 and sold it for $3,000. When he sold the property, it was referred to as "all that certain tavern property." As one can see by the dates of ownership, the Inn/Tavern was occupied by my great great grandparents during the Civil War, and my great grandmother, Laura A. (Lamb) Wright shared stories with her grandchildren about Civil War soldiers coming to the Tavern during this time, at which time she would be sent upstairs, being somewhat fearful of these uniformed men on horseback. Because Nehemiah was of Quaker background, one can only assume that he was no longer a practicing Quaker at this point, since he owned a tavern. (Nehemiah's first wife, Ann Patterson is buried in the Springfield Quaker Burying Grounds.)
**This is an 1876 map taken from the photostat negative collection of my late aunt, Laura E. Rogers, and is viewable online at almost 200%. You may save it, thus being able to view it with Adobe Photoshop or some other image editor. You will note the "Wid. Mary A. Lamb" on this map. This is
Mary Ann (Worth) Lamb, widow of the Nehemiah Lamb who bought this Cookstown Tavern in 1856. Nehemiah died in 1872, four years before the date of this map, and by 1880, Mary Ann had remarried Theodore Huster.
In the 1883 publication, History of Burlington and Mercer Counties by Woodward and Hageman, there is some brief history of the Cookstown area. This history mentions that "George C. Davis built a substantial Federal-style tavern/hotel in 1825, The Cookstown House. In 1883, the town consisted of two stores, two hotels, a church, a blacksmith shop, a post office, a hay press, grist mill, a fertilizer and agricultural implement depot, and houses sheltering a population of about 150."
In 1975, the Burlington County Inventory and Survey of Historic,
Architectural and Cultural Resources apparently used 1938 photos of this
building (then Cox's Tavern), from the files of
(Historic American Buildings Survey) to determine in part, if this building qualified for the National Register of Historic Buildings.
It was considered a possibility, but apparently nothing ever came of it, unfortunately, as the building was a grocery and deli in 1991. (About the only original part of the building left at that point was the basement, which my family and I were graciously shown, by the then current owners.) According to the 1975 survey, the building's address was Main Street and Bunting Bridge Road, Cookstown, New Jersey. The original building was a five-bay house, with two equal sized rooms on either side of the stairwell, the actual building measuring 20' x 40'. For those interested in architecture, the survey also mentioned that there were classical motifs, including roundels in door frame, columns framing dormers, and fireplace mantels. The original building was described as a "carefully detailed, well-proportioned piece of Federal architecture."
Following is the transcription of the deed showing when Nehemiah Lamb bought this Tavern/Inn property. You are certainly able to use this deed for your personal research, but kindly source it "from whence it came." The transcription was done by me, and the source is Donna Speer Ristenbatt's web site, On the Trail of Our Ancestors. For the original source notation, you may write to me by e-mail.
This Indenture made this Eleventh day of February in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and fifty six Between Joseph Cliver and Sarah his wife of the village of Wrightstown in the township of New Hanover and George Sykes of the township of Springfield in the County of Burlington and state of New Jersey parties of the first part and Nehemiah Lamb of the village of Cookstown in the township of New Hanover in the County of Burlington and state aforesaid.
Whereas Charles Ivins claimed title to a certain farm or plantation and mill property of which the hereinafter described premises are a part by virtue of a deed of conveyance duly executed under the hands and seals of Benjamin Rogers and wife bearing date the third day of March Anno Domini one thousand eight hundred and twenty five and recorded in Book U.2. of Deeds page 292 in the Clerk's office at Mount Holly and the said Charles Ivins and Elizabeth his wife by deed dated the thirtieth day of March in the year last aforesaid and recorded in Book S2 of Deeds page 508 in the Clerk's office at Mount Holly aforesaid granted ninety seven hundredths of an acre, part and parcel of to George C. Davis in fee who with Ann his wife granted and conveyed the said ninety seven hundredths of an acre of land to Benjamin W. Rogers in fee by deed dated the twenty third day of March eighteen hundred and thirty three and Recorded in Book E?3 of Deeds page 483 in the Clerk's office aforesaid And the said Benjamin W. Rogers by deed dated the fifteenth day of January eighteen hundred and thirty five and recorded in Book I3 of Deeds page 586 in the Clerk's office aforesaid granted and conveyed the said lot of land to George W. Ivins in fee and the aforesaid Charles Ivins and Elizabeth his wife by deed dated the third day of September Eighteen hundred and thirty three and recorded in Book H3 of Deeds page 297 in the Clerk's Office at Mount Holly aforesaid granted and conveyed the remainder of the said farm or plantation and Mill property to Joseph Hartshorne in trust for the use of John B. Keeler and the said Joseph Hartshorne trustee as aforesaid by deed dated the first day of June Anno Domini eighteen hundred and thirty five and recorded in Book N3 of Deeds page 110 in the Clerk's office aforesaid granted and conveyed one other lot or parcel of land to the said George W. Ivins in fee and the said George W. Ivins being seized of the two above described lots or parcels of land adjoining each other with Eliza his wife granted and conveyed the said lots or parcels of land to his nephew Thomas W. Ivins in fee by Deed dated the third day of April Anno Domini Eighteen hundred and forty one and recorded in Book A4 of Deeds page 131 in the Clerk's office at Mount Holly aforesaid.
And whereas William M. Knight of the Borough of Bordentown claimed title to the two above described lots or parcels of land by virtue of a deed of conveyance from Edward Fields and wife bearing date the tenth day of July Anno Domini Eighteen hundred and forty five and Recorded in Book S4 of Deeds page 72 in the Clerk's office at Mount Holly, and the said William M. Knight and Martha his wife by deed bearing date the twenty fifth day of March Eighteen hundred and forty seven granted the said lots of land to Isaac Cliver which deed is Recorded in Book B5 of Deeds page 327, in the Clerk's office aforesaid And Whereas Abraham Gaskill Sheriff of the County of Burlington by virtue of an execution to him directed levied and seized upon the aforesaid two lots or parcels of land and conveyed the same as the property of the said Isaac Cliver to George B. Pancoast by deed dated the thirtienth[sic] day of December eighteen hundred and fifty and recorded in Book B5 of Deeds page 329 in the Clerk's Office aforesaid at Mount Holly, and the said George B. Pancoast and Deborah his wife by deed dated the twenty first day of December in the year last aforesaid and Recorded in Book B5 of Deeds page 340 in the Clerk's office at Mount Holly aforesaid granted the two above described lots or parcels of land to the said Joseph Cliver and George Sykes the grantors herein first named in fee and the said Joseph Cliver and George Sykes claim title to one one [sic] of the lot or parcel of land containing two hundredths of an acre by virtue of a deed of conveyance from Ezekiel Sexton dated the sixteenth day of July Anno Domini Eighteen hundred and fifty three and intended to be forthwith recorded in the same book with this indenture in the Clerk's office at Mount Holly which last mentioned lot includes a small strip or gore of land adjoining the two above described lots or parcels of land as by reference to the above recorded deeds or the record thereof the Chain of Antecedent title will more fully appear.
Now this Indenture Witnesseth that the said Joseph Cliver and Sarah his wife and George Sykes parties of the first part for and in consideration of the sum of two thousand five hundred dollars lawful money of the United States to them in hand or ??? by the said Nehemiah Lamb at the ensealing and delivery hereof the ?? payment whereof is hereby owned and acknowledged ??? sold conveyed and confirmed and by these ??? (The lower right hand corner of this deed page has darkened and is difficult to read.) fully clearly and absolutely grant bargain sell and convey and confirm unto the said Nehemiah Lamb and to his heirs and assigns forever all the following described lot or parcel of land including the ? first and third lots herein before described and the principal part of the second lot situate in and near the village of Cookstown in the township of New Hanover in the County of Burlington and state of New Jersey and butted and bounded as follows.
Beginning at a stone at the Easterly edge of the main road or street running southerly through the village of Cookstown and at the Southerly edge of the road leading to Horners Bridge over Crosswicks Creek which stone is also the beginning and Northwest corner of William Pancoast's lot and is also the Beginning Corner to John B. Keeler's Mill property and farm or plantation which stone is distant twenty six links on a course North sixty four degrees and fifteen minutes West from the Northwest corner of the cellar wall under William Pancoast's dwelling house and also distant eighty four links on a course South thirty eight degrees and fifteen minutes West from the South west corner of the cellar ? under the Brick Farm house on the premises hereby conveyed and from said stone or Beginning running along the main road or street according to the magnetic position of the needle as the several courses around the premises were run by Joseph K. Hulme and George? Sykes in June Eighteen hundred and fifty two.
1st. North one degree west two chains and Eighty one links to the South East corner the bridge where the said main road or street crosses the mill stream or creek a little Easterly from the Mill then 2nd) down the south? edge of the mill creek or brook which was formerly called North run or Tomlinsen's run the several courses thereof (as per deed by Charles Ivins and wife to George C. Davis aforesaid) the general course being North eighty one degrees and thirty minutes East four chains and two links to a stake or stone on the south side of said run or creek the Beginning Corner to lot conveyed by Joseph Hartshorne to George W. Ivins then along the southern edge of the creek. 3rd. North eighty nine degrees East three chains and forty links then still along the Southerly edge of the creek. 4th. South eighty two degrees and thirty minutes East four? chains and seventy five links then still along the southerly edge of the creek. 5th. North fifty one degrees East one chain and sixty seven links to the line of Thomas N. Emley and Henry Emley's land then leaving the creek and running along said Emley's line. 6th. ?-four degrees and fifteen minutes East two chains and two chains and twenty-? links to a stone on the slope of the bank then by land conveyed by Joseph Cliver and George Sykes to Thomas N. Emley and Henry Emley. 7th. South eleven degrees West four chains and forty links to a stone in the aforesaid road from near the bridge at Cookstown to Horner's Bridge on Crosswicks Creek and which stone is corner to said Emley's land then along said road. 8th. North seventy nine degrees west? eleven chains and thirty nine links to a stone in said road corner to Ezekiel Sexton's land it being also the beginning ? to the strip or gore of land the said Joseph Cliver and George Sykes purchased of Ezekiel Sexton their part by said Sexton's land and part by William Pancoast's land. 9th. South eighty seven degrees and forty five minutes West two chains and ninety two links to the beginning containing five acres and eighty six hundredths of an acre of land strict measure.
Together with all things thereunto appertaining or in anywise belonging as Vol. W-5 part or parcel of the same or reputed so to be and the reversions and remainders rents issues and profits thereof and all the estate, right, title, interest, property, possession, use, claim and demand whatsoever either in law or equity of them the said Joseph Cliver and Sarah his wife and George Sykesor either of them of in and to the same. To Have and to Hold the above described lot or parcel of land with the buildings and improvements, and appurtenances to the said Nehemiah Lamb his heirs and assigns to the only proper use, benefit, and behoof of the said Nehemiah Lamb his heirs and assigns forever.
And the said Joseph Cliver and George Sykes for themselves their heirs, executors and administrators do by these presents covenant and agree to and with the said Nehemiah Lamb his heirs and assigns that they the said Joseph Cliver and George Sykes and their heirs all and singular the land and premises herein above described and granted or ? mentioned or intended so to be with the appurtenances unto the said Nehemiah Lamb his heirs and assigns against them the said Joseph Cliver and George Sykes and their heirs and against all and every other persons whomsoever lawfully claiming or to claim the same or any part thereof by from or under them the said Joseph Cliver and George Sykes shall and will by these presents warrant and forever defend. In witness whereof the said Joseph Cliver and Sarah his wife and George Sykes have herunto set their hands and affixed their seals this eleventh day of February Anno Domini one thousand eight hundred and fifty six. Signed sealed and delivered in the presence of us, Daniel Lame.
Signed Joseph Cliver, LS, Sarah Cliver, LS, Geo.Sykes, LS
This deed was taken and acknowledged before Daniel Lame, one of the Masters of the High Court of Chancery and recorded 5 March 1856. | <urn:uuid:a4651839-35a2-4f8c-bde2-cc4f9099850a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.ristenbatt.com/genealogy/cookstwn.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00001-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.960458 | 3,244 | 1.84375 | 2 |
Albert J. Marro / Staff FILE Photo
The proposed site for a methadone clinic in Rutland is in building 10 at The Howe Center.
Rutland may need to wait a year for a proposed methadone clinic to open.
Originally scheduled to open in October 2012, the drug treatment program for addictions to opiate drugs such as heroin and prescription painkillers will be delayed at least a year from that date and maybe longer, according to state Department of Health officials.
In November, Health Commissioner Harry Chen said he hoped the facility would open at some point this year — the sooner the better.
Last month, Deputy Health Commissioner Barbara Cimaglio, who oversees Vermont’s Alcohol and Drug Abuse program, told legislators the clinic would be open by January 2014.
In an email interview Friday, Cimaglio said she anticipated an earlier opening date of October or November.
But whether the clinic opens nine months or 11 months from now, Rutland officials said Friday they’re upset with the delays.
“I’m very frustrated,” Rutland Police Chief James Baker said. “It’s a big part of what’s needed to address the opiate problem in this city. I’m frustrated that it will be at least a year later than expected.”
Baker spoke out at a number of public hearings held last month to inform city residents and hear their feedback to the proposed facility where addicts would be administered their doses of methadone — a drug that blocks the cravings for opiates without producing a high.
Supporters of the methadone clinic, including Rutland Mayor Christopher Louras, also deferred to public concerns about two proposed locations for the treatment center before achieving public consensus for a site inside the Howe Center.
Building 10 in the industrial complex is still the intended home for the clinic although renovations to the space still need to be made.
After all the work put into garnering public support and finding a home for the facility, Louras said the continued delays in opening the center were unacceptable.
“I was willing to accept a six- to nine-month wait from (the October 2012) date. Anything further than June or July would be very disconcerting,” Louras said. “The city did a lot of heavy lifting to make this happen and it’s needed even more now than it was before.”
The delayed opening has been mainly due to a financial impasse between the state and Rutland Mental Health Services, which had originally agreed to run the center.
Dan Quinn, CEO of RMHS, said last year the state’s plan of serving no fewer than 400 patients in the clinic’s first year would have cost his organization as much as $300,000 in uncovered expenses during the first two years of operations.
On Friday, Quinn, who operated a methadone clinic in Massachusetts, said the state’s plan of opening the clinic by October was doable but a challenge.
“I think you’re looking at a good five months until the doors could open,” he said. “If someone signed a contract to run it today you would still need five months minimum to find and train the staff, renovate the space, and get it all up and running. It’s not a small issue here.”
Alan Aiken, the director of methadone clinics in Berlin, St. Johnsbury and Newport operated by Baart Behavioral Health, said he too believes the state will be faced with a logistical challenge to open the clinic this year.
“It can be a slow, tedious and time-consuming process, and 400 patients in one year is certainly a challenge,” he said. “Just recruiting certified or appropriate people is a challenge in itself. There’s not a lot of people in the workforce who have that kind of training coming in.”
Cimaglio said earlier in the week she hoped the state and Rutland Regional Medical Center, which is assisting the department, are just weeks away from reaching an agreement with a provider to run the facility — a first step that would allow work on every other aspect of the start-up to begin.
While the methadone treatment clinic might be delayed for months, Cimaglio did say the health department has approved three primary care facilities in Rutland to help treat opiate addictions.
Those doctors will help by providing other forms of medication treatment, such as buprenorphine, and counseling, she said.
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INNSBRUCK, Austria - The International Olympic Committee is hoping the Winter Youth Games bring new sports and new formats to the traditional Olympics.
"We need to rejuvenate," IOC President Jacques Rogge said Friday at the opening of the inaugural Winter Youth Olympics. "We need to adapt to the wishes of the youths and not stay too conservative."
The event in Innsbruck, which ends Jan. 22, features sports such as snowboard slopestyle and ski halfpipe, which will be added to the Sochi Olympic program for 2014. Other events are in new formats with teams of mixed genders.
The first junior Summer Olympics in Singapore in 2010 experimented with new formats as well.
"We saw new sports and new formats there, and also here," Rogge said. "They might enter the traditional Olympic program in the future."
Some of the 14 new events in Innsbruck will be included into the 2014 Sochi Games, like ski halfpipe and women's ski jumping, which fought an unsuccessful legal battle for inclusion at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics.
"They were not ready in Vancouver," Rogge said. "But they will be in Sochi 2014. It's of symbolic significance that they start here at the Winter Youth Olympic Games. There will be a lot of attention for that competition."
The 10-day event will feature 1,059 athletes aged 15-18 competing in 63 medal competitions.
Rogge is confident the first Winter Youth Olympics will become successful as national federations have been backing the event.
"We have 70 nations competing here, which is a great figure for Winter Olympics," Rogge said. "The idea to combine sports with education and culture has proven itself in Singapore as appealing to not just athletes but coaches and officials as well.
"I believe in this idea to give education to athletes at an age where they are very receptive to that." | <urn:uuid:70c15c38-394c-4080-b446-883dd654c5c0> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://adirondackdailyenterprise.com/page/content.detail/id/528737/Rogge-hopes-Youth-Olympics-bring-rejuvenation.html?nav=5154 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00013-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.970682 | 383 | 1.523438 | 2 |
Sente sits under an acacia tree smiling as she works on her beading. She was the sixth wife of a Maasai warrior and the youngest before her husband passed away fifteen years ago. She has three children of her own and is also responsible for raising three other children from her “co-wife” (in the Maasai culture widows sometimes live together to raise children) who died of HIV five years ago. She has taught all her daughters to bead, hoping to continue this ancient craft.
Although Sente’s dream is to send all six of her children to school, she currently is only able to afford to send one son and one daughter. | <urn:uuid:e7dad793-de60-4d9f-a603-417255b3b29d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://infinitesafariadventures.com/dog-collars-for-africa-6/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00016-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.987606 | 139 | 1.71875 | 2 |
In my last post I tentatively suggested that William Greene and Elizabeth Elliott, who were married in 1676 or 1677, might have been my 8 x great grandparents. I pointed out that many of the details in their marriage allegation match what we already know about Captain William Greene of Ratcliffe, Stepney, and his wife Elizabeth, the parents of my 7 x great grandfather Joseph Greene.
In this post, I’m going to assume (for now) that these are indeed my ancestors, and report what I’ve been able to find about Elizabeth Elliott – my possible great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-grandmother. We know from the marriage allegation that she was a widow, living in Stepney, and that she was about 35 years old when she married William Greene. Armed with this information, I searched for evidence of Elizabeth’s first marriage. I was looking for a Mr Elliott living in the Stepney area, who died sometime before 1676/7, and who was married to a woman named Elizabeth.
When I searched in the usual places, only one candidate suggested himself. I came across christening records for three children of John and Elizabeth Elliott– Elizabeth (1663), Mary (1665), and John (1667) – all of them born in the hamlet of Ratcliffe and all christened at St Dunstan’s, Stepney. The parish register describes John as a house carpenter, perhaps to distinguish him from the many ship’s carpenters who must have worked in that waterside village.
My next discovery was the record of John Elliott’s burial, which occurred at St Dunstan’s on 25th March 1674, two or possibly three years before the marriage between Elizabeth Elliott and William Greene. Searching earlier records, I then found a record of the marriage of John Elliott of Ratcliffe Highway, carpenter, and Elizabeth Leete, which took place at St Dunstan’s on 11th May 1656, the parish register helpfully giving John’s age as 30, meaning that he was born in about 1626. Elizabeth was said to be a ‘mayde’- still a girl. In fact, if the age on the allegation for her second marriage is correct, then she might only have been 14 years old when she married John.
Finally, I was fortunate to find a copy John Elliott’s will at Ancestry. It’s a refreshingly clear and well-preserved document, written in 1672 and proved in 1674. John’s wife Elizabeth is named as executrix, while only one surviving child – their eldest daughter, Elizabeth – is named. One of the two overseers appointed by John Elliott is his friend, Thomas Sumerly, scrivener – the same person who recorded the marriage allegation on behalf of William Greene in 1676.
John Elliott’s last will and testament might provide us with useful background information to help us in our quest, so I’ve taken the time to transcribe it in full. I’ll share my transcription, and my thoughts about what the will might tell us, in the next post. | <urn:uuid:1cbf22ca-1511-4475-8d3a-a8b2f52a77f3> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://mprobb.wordpress.com/2012/06/28/john-and-elizabeth-elliott-of-ratcliffe/?like=1&_wpnonce=1e4d043b68 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00007-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.977724 | 665 | 1.570313 | 2 |
Case 4: Ischemic Branch Retinal Vein Occlusion
An 81-year-old man noticed a sudden painless loss of vision in his right eye. His vision had been relatively good up to this point, ever since he had his cataracts removed 5 years earlier.
He had mild hypertension for which he was taking hydrochlorothiazide(Drug information on hydrochlorothiazide). His other medications were aspirin(Drug information on aspirin), 81 mg/d, and a daily multivitamin supplement. His previous eye examination 1 year earlier was unremarkable except for bilateral pseudophakia.
Visual acuity was 20/100 in the right eye and 20/25 in the left eye. There was no afferent pupillary defect. The rest of his ocular examination was unremarkable except for the dilated funduscopic evaluation of the right eye. This showed a wedge-shaped area of intraretinal hemorrhages extending peripherally from a junction of a branch retinal artery that crossed over a corresponding branch retinal vein. The hemorrhages involved the macula. Numerous yellow-white lesions (cotton-wool spots) were present in the superficial retina.
This patient had a branch retinal vein occlusion. Because the macula was involved, his vision was significantly decreased. The cotton-wool spots are coagulated exudates of plasma and fibrin; they represent focal areas of hypoxia and are signs of retinal ischemia. Patients with cotton-wool spots need to be monitored closely (every month until the lesions resolve) because they are at increased risk for retinal neovascularization.
Patients with macular involvement are usually observed for 3 months to see whether the macular hemorrhages and edema resolve on their own. If macular edema persists after this period, focal laser treatment may be indicated.
This patient’s blood pressure was elevated (142/92 mm Hg). He was referred back to his family physician for reevaluation of his antihypertensive therapy. He is being monitored monthly with ophthalmological examinations. | <urn:uuid:dff2fe4d-0e80-49d3-892b-b0cc886418ae> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.consultantlive.com/display/article/10162/1401886?pageNumber=4 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00016-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.968153 | 436 | 1.773438 | 2 |
A plan to build a multi-use path in the Everglades
Workshop set for Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday
Several workshops being held about creating a pathway in the Everglades. The meetings are being held at Edison State College in Collier Co. Video by fox4now.comvideo
NAPLES, Fla.- How does taking a jog or a bike ride through the Everglades sound?
A meeting on Tuesday night at Edison State College in Naples is discussing a plan to build a multi-use path from Collier County to Miami-Dade County.
The next Everglades Ride is set for April. The event is to create excitement for a project called "River of Grass Greenway." It's an idea to build a multi-use pathway into the Everglades.
"Be able to safely bike ride, walk, bird watch, and it will have wheel chair access," said Michelle Avola Reese, Executive Director of Naples Pathway Coalition.
The pathway would run from Naples to Miami, parallel to Tamiami Trail. It would run through portions of the Everglades including the Big Cypress National Preserve.
"it would be 75 miles going form Collier County all the way to Miami-Dade," said Avolareese.
The first phase of the project is to create a master plan and do a feasibility study.
"That's going to take into account everything from right of way...driver issues, drainage issues, where there's going to be a potential impact to the environment," said Avola Reese.
The Naples Pathways Coalition is just one player in the game. Agencies from Miami are also involved. The Coalition says this pathway would make it easier and safer for people to sight see.
"Instead of people just pulling off the side of the road as they currently do... creating traffic concerns as well as safety nightmares," added Avola Reese.
Several workshops on this plan are schedule for Tuesday (Jan.29), Wednesday (Jan.30), Thursday (Jan.31) and Saturday (Feb. 2). The workshop will be held at Edison State College, Collier Campus, Building J, Room 103 (7007 Lely Cultural Pkwy). | <urn:uuid:69ae8f38-fae5-472c-b137-eb38afb4fcd3> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.fox4now.com/news/local/188899881.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704392896/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113952-00012-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.955942 | 456 | 1.75 | 2 |
IN THE NEWS: A rift between the leagues develops over widespread charges of ticket speculation during the World Series, and accusations that officials of the Giants and A's were involved. The American League passes a resolution refusing to participate in another World Series until it has control of ticket sales in its own parks. The National Commission investigates the charge that speculators were given large blocks of tickets, but takes no action and releases no findings. The following spring, the Commission finds that much scalping occurred, but there is no evidence either team was involved, and peace is declared.
IN THE NEWS: At the National League meetings at the Waldorf-Astoria, The Sporting Life reports that "For the first time in history a woman sat in at a major league meeting. Mrs. H.H. Britton, owner of the St. Louis Cardinals, remained throughout the entire session of the National League on the second day. Mrs. Britton took no voice in the meeting. She allowed President Steininger to do all the voting."
The Boston Rustlers (formerly the Doves) are bought by New York politician James E. Gaffney and former player, now attorney, John Montgomery Ward. The team will be called the Braves because of Gaffney's Tammany Hall connections.
IN THE NEWS: Pirates owner Barney Dreyfuss proposes that each team in the World Series be required to turn over one-fourth of its share of the gate to the league, to be divided among the other teams. Until now, 10 percent of the gross has gone to the National Commission, 60 percent to the players, and the rest to the two pennant-winning clubs. The National League will pass the resolution and send it to the American League. It marks the beginning of changes that ultimately give players of the first four clubs a percentage of the World Series money.
The Earned Run Average is adopted as an offical statistic. | <urn:uuid:d7e04f42-7478-4fcd-8420-dd67c4507b40> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.baseballlibrary.com/baseballlibrary/chronology/1911DECEMBER.stm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00005-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.968597 | 389 | 1.8125 | 2 |
Analysts cast doubt upon UK Treasury’s emergency measures.
Analysts have warned that the British government’s emergency measures to help banks and boost lending to businesses and individuals have already run into difficulty.
Britain’s Treasury has announced plans for boosting the economy by encouraging banks to increase lending to trade and individuals. Under the “funding for lending” scheme, British banks would have access to cheap multiyear loans.
Moreover, the Bank of England has announced plans for injecting a minimum of £5 billion a month into the country’s financial system. The two plans are aimed at boosting the British economy at a time when worries are growing over Europe’s “debt storm”, as described by British Chancellor George Osborne.
“The government, with the help of the Bank of England, will not stand on the sidelines and do nothing as the storm gathers. We are rolling up our sleeves and doing everything possible to protect British families and firms”, said Osborne.
Nevertheless, analysts have turned a skeptical eye towards plans introduced by the UK Treasury and the Bank of England, arguing businesses would be reluctant to take loans fearing further debts.
“The core problem remains. Companies alarmed by the euro crisis will not be eager to borrow regardless of the cost”, said Graeme Leach, chief economist at the Institute of Directors.
The British economy entered a double dip recession earlier this year after the Office for National Statistics announced Britain’s economic growth contracted by 0.3 percent in the first quarter of 2012 following a 0.3 percent decline in the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) during the last three months of 2011. | <urn:uuid:b313bee5-4935-4c29-bb63-2f15568704a5> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://presstv.com/detail/246460.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00001-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.939179 | 347 | 1.789063 | 2 |
On Justia's Verdict today, you can read the second of a two-part series in which I analyze the Supreme Court's recent decision in Howes v. Fields, holding that a suspect serving jail time may be interrogated by police without receiving the Miranda warnings, because being incarcerated does not necessarily qualify as "custody" for purposes of triggering an entitlement to warnings. I take the position that this ruling represents a departure from both the precedents and the underlying philosophy of Miranda v. Arizona.
In the Dorf On Law blog post that appeared here last week, I argued that to suggest that a person can be in jail but not in custody is fundamentally dishonest in ways that anesthetize our conscience against reacting to what may in truth be grave wrongdoing, a function served by dishonest language in other contexts as well, including the use of the word "necessary" in describing practices required to satisfy consumers' demand for animal-based products such as dairy, eggs, fish,and meat.
In this post, I want to call attention to an interesting disparity between how people with right-leaning and left-leaning political alignments, respectively, view the criminal justice system in two seemingly similar contexts. One context is the interrogation of a detained criminal suspect awaiting trial or serving a sentence. The other is the arrest of a person suspected of committing murder.
As we see in Fields, the Supreme Court expects criminal suspects who are incarcerated to feel free to assert their rights and resist the interrogation efforts of law enforcement officials. Randall Fields, for example, was serving a jail sentence at the time that he was brought to an interrogation room and questioned by armed officers for at least five hours into the night. Yet, because of an assortment of facts -- including that the officers who interrogated Fields did not physically restrain him and that they told him he could return to his cell -- their interrogation of him did not, in the Court's opinion, impose the sort of pressure experienced by suspects in "custody" and thus triggered no obligation on the part of the officers to provide the warnings.
If Randall Fields felt anything but free to cut off questioning at any time, it was his own internal, subjective experience that was to blame rather than the fact that he was incarcerated and underwent prolonged questioning about a serious criminal offense. The officers were accordingly not required to notify him of his rights.
Though the U.S. Supreme Court's views here do not entirely track that of right-wing ideologues, there is substantial overlap, and the Court's resolution of the Miranda issue in Fields is generally in keeping with a characteristically conservative, "tough on crime" approach. Liberals, on the other hand, have found the Court's decision in Fields disappointing and regard the suspect's alleged freedom to cut off questioning illusory.
Turn now to the "Stand Your Ground" ("SYG") laws of the sort that Florida has. These laws have lately come into the news because after George Zimmerman shot and killed seventeen-year-old Trayvon Martin last month, Zimmerman managed to avoid being arrested on the spot for the homicide, an outcome for which the police have cited the SYG law.
For this post, I will put to one side the argument that the SYG law did not in fact dictate that police allow George Zimmerman to remain free after he killed an unarmed Trayvon Martin. Whatever one might think of SYG laws, my reading of the one in Florida does not strike me as prohibiting the arrest of George Zimmerman under the circumstances. Nonetheless, the police and Florida prosecutors evidently understand the law to do precisely that, and the the number of Florida homicides deemed "justifiable homicides" since passage of the SYG law has reportedly tripled as a result. This understanding, in turn, means that when a suspect says that (a) he felt scared of being killed by another civilian, and that (b) notwithstanding his fear, the civilian chose to remain the presence of the feared civilian and even to follow the latter to avoid losing sight of him, then the suspect was entitled to use deadly force against the civilian rather than, for example, choosing not to follow the feared civilian at all.
Assume that the Florida law -- a law that, like the twenty-three other SYG laws, reflects successful lobbying efforts by the right-wing American Legislative Exchange Counsel ("ALEC") -- protects the use of deadly force under these circumstances. This means that if a person feels afraid of being killed by another person, regardless of whether the other, feared person said or did anything suspicious to reasonably give rise to such an extreme state of fear, the law is prepared to honor the fear of the frightened person even to the point of protecting his right to pursue his target and use deadly force. The police, in turn, must defer to the asserted fear of the suspect and overlook the circumstances that suggest that there was nothing for the suspect to have legitimately feared. Police must refrain from arresting the man who first pursued and then killed an unarmed civilian, because the man asserts that he felt scared.
Note the juxtaposition between Randall Fields and George Zimmerman: a prisoner in an interrogation room with armed officials who interrogate him for five hours is presumed to be fully capable of asserting his right to remain silent (and retreat to his cell). A free civilian on the street who sees a "scary" person is, by contrast, presumed to have a legitimate fear for his life, despite the fact that he not only has the option of retreating but can actually just stop following the source of his fear, as he was specifically advised that he could do by a police operator whom he had called to report his fear in the first instance.
Police need not concern themselves with the fear experienced incarcerated convicts confronting armed interrogators for hours into the night. But police may not even reject the assertions of a free person chasing and then gunning down a skinny teenager who allegedly looked suspicious. What distinguishes the two cases, for conservatives who favor such potentially inconsistent outcomes?
One possible distinction is that in one case, Fields, the suspect in question was afraid of the government, and in the other, the suspect was afraid of a civilian. This difference should not help George Zimmerman, however, because the premise of the Court's decision in Fields is that suspects may reasonably fear the police in some circumstances (e.g., when police place them under arrest) but not in others (when they are seasoned prisoners, used to jail, and no longer shocked by it). Similarly, we might expect that suspects could reasonably fear other private people in some circumstances (e.g., when the private people are visibly armed and chasing them) but not in others (when the private people are walking and then running away from them).
In both cases, in other words, a suspect allegedly felt fear and then acted on that fear (in one case, by killing a child, and in the other, by reluctantly providing self-incriminating statements to police during a five-hour interrogation). Law-and-order conservatives accept the first one's fear but reject the second's. Criminal procedure liberals, on the other hand, reject the first one's fear but accept the second's. Why?
My suspicion is that people, including judges, scholars, and others who take a position in these cases, find themselves identifying with one or the other protagonist/suspect in the two dramas but not the other. Liberals identify with the suspect in Fields, because they can imagine a decent person finding himself behind bars for a crime that he either did not commit or that does not merit incarceration. They imagine themselves in Fields's shoes and find the notion of long, unwarned interrogation invasive and oppressive. At the same time, they do not identify with George Zimmerman, because they either reject his claim of fear or believe that if he was scared, he should not have chased Trayvon Martin. While Fields might have felt unable to retreat from the police, in other words, George Zimmerman could easily have done something short of retreating by remaining in place, yet he chose instead -- with the law's apparent protection -- to pursue and kill.
For law-and-order conservatives, on the other hand, Randall Fields was in prison and therefore almost certainly belonged there. As such, he had no reason to be afraid, because whatever conditions prevailed in prison were just and fair conditions, and he would have had the opportunity to understand that truth after living there for a while. He accordingly did not need any warnings and could easily have asked to return to his cell if he did not want to answer questions. Conservatives, in other words, identify with the police in this circumstance and presume that the police were decent, law-abiding people who treated Fields appropriately and could have given rise to no legitimate fear on Fields's part. In George Zimmerman's case, by contrast, some conservatives may identify with his fear of teenagers in hooded sweatshirts who seem out of place and want to do something about it.
To state the differing identifications is to highlight an important fact about the sorts of debates that liberals and conservatives tend to have: the role of state action, even within the criminal justice system, is less important than it may seem. Randall Fields -- in jail for disorderly conduct and wishing he were read Miranda warnings by his interrogators -- is a private person. George Zimmerman -- calling the police to report a "suspicious" character and then pursuing his prey and shooting him dead in "self defense" -- is also a private person, one who wishes not to be arrested for ending a young man's life.
Neither liberals who side with Fields and against Zimmerman nor conservatives who side with Zimmerman and against Fields can claim to be "rugged individualists," because they oppose the government's intrusion on individual freedom in only one of the two cases. What distinguishes the two situations, however, concerns me greatly. In both instances, someone exercised power over someone else who failed to successfully resist that exercise of power: Randall Fields submitted to police interrogation, indicated his displeasure in an unassertive manner (by saying that he did not want to continue to talk to the deputies), and ultimately provided a confession. George Zimmerman, on the other hand, responded to his fear by pursuing and killing the man who made him afraid. Randall Fields acted in a stereotypically submissive fashion, while George Zimmerman behaved in a dominant, stereotypically macho fashion.
Why does this trouble me? I worry about what I regard as an inclination to identify with the character who responds to his own fear by lashing out violently. People may imagine themselves feeling nervous after seeing someone on the street whom they fear (perhaps out of racism, perhaps not) and fantasize about turning the tables and making the scary person run for his life. That fantasy of triumph is fine as fantasy. But the reality is people will regularly experience fear without being in actual danger -- our danger-detection circuitry, in other words, has a high rate of "false positives." This is one of the reasons that the common law historically asked private individuals to retreat, if it was safe to retreat: it was not because the threatening criminal is entitled to dictate where the frightened people go, but because of the potentially enormous chasm between the fear in the mind of the would-be vigilante and the reality on the street.
To take a more nuanced approach to the stories of Randall Fields and George Zimmerman is to understand that each of them had a perspective and a set of fears and assumptions that played a role in determining their behavior. I do not fault either man for feeling scared -- they felt what they felt, and who am I to condemn an emotional state? Indeed, if George Zimmerman had felt scared and crossed the street when he saw Trayvon Martin, some would consider his behavior rude, but we ought to be prepared to tolerate overly-self-protective but insensitive behavior from an anxiety-ridden person. Deadly force, on the other hand, should require something more.
Fields's approach to fear in the interrogation room -- when in doubt, submit to authority -- poses far less of a threat to the public safety than Zimmerman's approach to fear on the street -- when in doubt, chase down and shoot to kill. To approve of Zimmerman's behavior (or of a law that would treat it as legitimate) is to embrace violence as the preemptive antidote to fear, an embrace that brings us that much closer to a Hobbesian state of nature.
Posted by Sherry F. Colb | <urn:uuid:58865c7a-46e6-4dad-8d03-1e61bee1d9d2> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.dorfonlaw.org/2012/03/miranda-custody-and-standing-your.html?showComment=1332978341295 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00006-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.972943 | 2,521 | 1.523438 | 2 |
Direct marketing often gets a bad rap. People don’t like talking about mailing lists and CRM if they can instead jaw on about this or that viral/disruptive/engaging/[insert jargon] campaign. But Facebook will soon give brands a new reason to care about direct marketing.
Next week, Facebook will begin allowing brands to put ads in front of users who may or may not be their fans on Facebook. As first reported by Inside Facebook, advertisers will be able to target users by user ID, email address or phone number, akin to how magazine publishers offer subscribers’ mailing addresses to direct marketing companies.
A Facebook spokesperson said the company has been testing the new targeting options with a select group of advertisers for a few months. In one case, a financial services company sought to convert current customers into fans of its Facebook page; the brand ended up doubling its fan base. Meanwhile, an app developer wanting to give its users a heads up about a new update witnessed an ROI two to three times that of its prior Facebook campaigns.
Privacy concerns are an issue, considering advertisers will be able to target Facebook users based on personal information, but the social net's spokesperson stressed it is information the advertiser already has and that Facebook will not be sharing data with brands.
Here’s how it works. A brand uploads a file including the email address or phone number a consumer provided when he or she made a purchase in a brick-and-mortar store or online; an app developer can upload the user ID it received when a Facebook user connected his or her account with the app. That file is hashed, so an email address is transformed into a set of numbers, letters or symbols that disguises the actual address. Facebook then looks at its own hashed data to see where it matches with the advertiser’s information. Facebook informs the advertiser of the number of matches it found—actually, the number of an advertiser’s current customers it can target with a Facebook ad—and then the advertiser can run the campaign against those users.
Advertisers will be able to layer in Facebook’s existing targeting options—age, gender, interests, etc.—to better message their existing customers. That will help brands that have little information about their customers beyond an email address or phone number. Because customer databases are often full of customer entries with information such as name, address, age, gender and purchase history, brands can look at that information to infer profiles of customers for whom they lack information. Having observed that a majority of its customers are women who live in affluent neighborhoods, a luxury retailer, for example, could then create a list featuring customers for whom it has only an email address or phone number and target them with Facebook ads geared towards women interested in jewelry and traveling. | <urn:uuid:54c019f5-6c74-4d36-8897-08f21681dea4> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.adweek.com/print/143295 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00005-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.941852 | 576 | 1.578125 | 2 |
The Tennessee Valley Scottish Society (TVSS) is dedicated to furthering the interest in all things Scottish through educational and recreational activities. TVSS presents several activities throughout the year to introduce the Tennessee Valley and surrounding area to Scottish traditions. These activties include the Scottish Festival, St. Andrew's Dinner, and Burn's Night dinner.
If you are interested in joining the Tennessee Valley Scottish Society, please click on the "Join TVSS" link at the top of this page.
The Tennessee Valley Scottish Society was established in 1986 to promote and preserve Scottish culture and heritage by providing the residents of the Tennessee Valley and surrounding areas with an opportunity to experience the music, dance, dress, athletics and history of Scotland.
Formed by a small group of friends who met to celebrate "Hogmanny" (the Scottish New Year celebration), the organization grew rapidly. Within a year TVSS had grown to over fifty members, and today is going strong with a membership of over 200.
TVSS is a Federally recognized 501(c)3 tax-exempt educational organization, governed by a Board of Directors elected from the membership at large, and an Executive Committee elected from within the Board of Directors.
TVSS has been the starting point for three other organizations within the Scottish family of activities: The Glen Astar Pipes & Drums, The Tennessee Valley Highland Dancers, and The Tennessee Valley Scottish Country Dancers. Each of these organizations, while a separate entity in and of its own right, had its beginnings within the membership of the Tennessee Valley Scottish Society.
TVSS coordinates with local service and social organizations, schools, the City, County, and Chamber of Commerce to provide Scottish Activities and entertainment for events in this area. Through our "Scottish Ambassadors" group, TVSS provides speakers, dancers and bagpipers, in a variety of attire to explain Scottish history, culture and activities. | <urn:uuid:cc3ac3d1-691e-4d1b-b807-de2801cbcaf6> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.tennesseevalleyscottishsociety.org/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00003-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.949196 | 385 | 1.632813 | 2 |
[Homestead] Running water that cleanses the soul
erthnsky at bellsouth.net
Wed Jan 7 13:32:40 EST 2009
Gene GeRue wrote:
>> The monster beds themselves contain no soil, just organic matter
>> and compost. A 3 foot tall mass of waste hay, grass, leaves,
>> sticks and manure holds a lot of water.
> Almost ready for filling at Heartwood is a new ferrocement raised bed
> four feet wide and fifteen feet long. Vase shaped. Waist high for
> Chris on the uphill side and for me on the downhill side. My plan
> calls for, from the bottom: rocks, small rocks/gravel, good-sized
> rotten oak branches, small rotten oak branches, mower catches of
> grass and leaves for a filter, then growing soil on top.
That is exactly what I did with the exception that I put wire and old
fencing in the bottom to thwart moles and voles...then added the rocks,
etc. If you ever get to my albums, I have one just on the bed
construction. I have some beds that are 4x14, one 4 by 12, and then I
went to 3x15 and 3x12. I like the 3ft beds better..easier to work.
> Sounds perfect for gravity irrigation. Digging it out by hand would
> get you in primo shape. There are organic sealing methods. I have
> read of a Russian process for creating a waterproof pond bottom; I
> think they call the stuff glee. It's layers of organic matter that
> rot but short of dissipation due to lack of oxygen. Old timers did
> much the same thing by putting hay or straw in the pond bottom, then
> feeding pigs there. The little hooves pack the fibers and poop into a
> water resistant bottom.
Yes, we seriously considered putting the pigs up there, and had it been
dug out, I would have. The problem is fencing the pigs in the
pond...I'm not exactly sure how to do that...the banks are steep, but
pigs dig...I would have to ring them, I think. But yeah, compacted pig
poop was going to be step one.
It has been a year now that we have been on the new well. Flow is
great, I have no complaints. There have been a couple of times, I'm
ashamed to say, that we have left the water running for an hour or so
and even with that, we have never run out of water. We do have a silt
problem though, and it seems to get worse in rainy weather. I think the
rain pushes the silt into the aquifer. We have a filter, of course, and
that takes care of the problem, but the filter still needs replacement
more than I would like. The plan is to add another filter with a larger
capacity, and we have purchased that, but we can't install it until we
rebuild the well house and redo the plumbing. There is simply no room.
That task is on the agenda for the Spring, when there is little chance
of working in freezing conditions.
I took a few more pictures of the creek today. The debris that clouded
the water is gone and the water is crystal clear now. It is beautiful,
but fleeting. The flow is already dropping. The fire is going now, on
this cold, windy, and beautiful day.
"The world is my country, all mankind are my
brethren, and to do good is my religion."
Thomas Paine (1737 - 1809)
More information about the Homestead | <urn:uuid:5102f4b9-9d32-430e-b8f4-275dca81cc7c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://lists.ibiblio.org/pipermail/homestead/2009-January/030968.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00010-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.962278 | 792 | 1.609375 | 2 |
Mia Leonin is the author of two books of poetry: Braid (Anhinga Press) and Unraveling the Bed (Anhinga Press), and a memoir Havana and Other Missing Fathers(University of Arizona Press). She has been awarded an Academy of American Poets Prize. Her poetry and non-fiction have been published in New Letters, Indiana Review, Prairie Schooner, North American Review, and Chelsea. She has received a Money for Women Grant by the Barbara Deming Memorial Fund and a 2005 Florida Individual Artist Fellowship. Leonin has been writing about theater, dance, and performance in Miami since 2000. She was the theater critic for the Miami New Times and is the recipient of a Green Eyeshade Award for theater criticism. She frequently writes about dance, performance, and Spanish-language theater for the Miami Herald. In 2007, she was selected to be a fellow in the National Endowment for the Arts/Annenberg Institute on Theater and Musical Theater.
Life philosophy: Listen.
A few years ago, I started asking my students: “When your parents and grandparents were your age, what were they doing?” Some have answered, “Attending university,” but more frequent responses include: “Working,” “Coming to this country,” “Fighting in a war,” “Having children.” So far, no one has ever mentioned writing a poem, or creating anything for that matter. Viewing the creative writing class through this lens almost always renders it as nothing less than a privilege. It’s an honor to read a poem or story and to hold a beautiful passage up to the light. It’s a luxury to write and examine our work, to consider this word over that one. I strive to infuse my classes with this sense of awe and honor – and to extend it into the writing process.
Few things are more strengthening and character building than the act of practicing a discipline. Writing happens to be the discipline I feel most comfortable sharing with others, but as we talk about craft and the writing process throughout the term, my students bring fresh analogies to the discussion via their varied experiences as athletes, musicians, workers, performers, writers etc. Writing a poem or story shouldn’t be a rarefied experience. As with any discipline, it’s inherently worthwhile, for students who intend to follow the path of a professional writer and those who don’t.
The discipline I practice and share is process oriented and reflective. My classes are shaped and driven by the concept of “reflection” as an inward and outward act. Outwardly, via workshop and discussions of student writings, we strive to reflect the work back to its author as clearly as possible. I'm not interested in teaching students to evaluate or “fix” each other’s writing, but rather to clearly communicate impressions and raise thoughtful questions. With this, and other tools, the writer can turn inward and consider what his or her work is projecting to the reader, what was intended, and what might be done in revision to come closer to the mark (or to completely reinvent “the mark”). This inward reflective act is essential to the writing process and as the semester progresses, it becomes a vital component to the course work. I value a writer’s thoughtful and creative reflection as much, if not more, than a vivid image or an effective piece of dialogue. In the long run, what I hope for my students is that they will experience the heartbreak, frustration, revelation and delight of having genuinely engaged in the writing process.
I didn’t come to writing from another discipline although it has led (and accompanies me) in my pursuit of other obsessions – performance, dance, theater, Spanish, Spanglish, Colombia, Cuba, and Peru. Writing has always been about survival for me. It has always felt urgent and necessary. The teachers, mentors, and writers who have marked me most indelibly have carried that sense of urgency and intensity into the classroom – and to the page. | <urn:uuid:ff2e21cf-f8f2-4923-a171-432f829fbf0d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.as.miami.edu/english/creativewriting/faculty/mialeonin | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705953421/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120553-00004-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.967282 | 844 | 1.578125 | 2 |
How Immigrant Repression and U.S. Incarceration Serve Global Capitalist Interests
Chandra Russo is working on her PhD in Sociology at the University of California in Santa Barbara. Having spent some of her formative years in Denver as a member of CFIR (Coloradans for Immigrant Rights, AFSC’s ally project), she gives much credit to both CFIR and the AFSC for much of her current analysis of social justice and immigrant rights.
As of August 18, 2011, the Obama Administration had deported over one million immigrants, more deportations than under any other president to date (Dinan, 2011; D’Almeida, 2011). Many of those deported spend at least some time being detained in an immigrant detention center, often a for-profit prison. In the face of such inhumane treatment and with families being torn apart, many of us are left asking: why is this happening? In this paper, prepared for Coloradans For Immigrant Rights (CFIR) and the American Friends Service Committee Denver Office, I will explore this question.
More specifically, I will examine who benefits from the deportation of immigrants and incarceration of both immigrants and citizens. CFIR has asked if immigration policy and practices can be related to mass incarceration in the United States? I suggest that yes, these two phenomena are linked, and that understanding the operations of neoliberal capitalist globalization helps us see how. The U.S. government’s failure to legalize the undocumented, the mass detention and deportation of immigrants, and the incarceration of certain segments of U.S. citizenry are parts of a common system. | <urn:uuid:8f93a6cc-ff1e-4ec3-bc8c-fc68c0fd3480> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.afsc.org/document/how-immigrant-repression-and-us-incarceration-serve-global-capitalist-interests | 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 | 0.947247 | 335 | 1.632813 | 2 |
Gold 2013 – What is the trend for the gold price in 2013 and beyond?
By the end of 2012 the gold price had increased on an annual basis in each year of the last decade. But in the first months of 2013 we saw a decreasing gold price. What is the forecast for the gold price 2013 and beyond? Will the 10-year upwards trend of the price of the precious metal continue in 2013?
A majority of investors views gold more as an insurance or store of value than as a means of speculation. These investors therefore regularly take a longer-term view on gold as an investment. What trend of the price of gold can we expect in 2013 and for the following years? Gold price forecasts will never be completely accurate, but we collected some information on the key drivers influencing the gold price and analysts’ price forecasts for 2013.
Review of Gold in 2012
The gold price started into the year 2012 at US dollars 1,531 per ounce. Over 2012 the price had increased by about 8% to about US dollars 1,657. In September 2012 the price of gold had even peaked for that year at roughly US Dollars 1,792.
In euro terms the price increase for 2012 was nearly 6%.
In the first three months of 2013 the gold price has fallen by about 5% to US dollars 1,552 on April 3rd. In Euros, the decrease was much lower with only about 2%, and in British Pound the gold price even saw a slight increase of about 1% over the same period.
Drivers of the gold price
The gold price is – as the price of any commodity – driven by the basic laws of supply and demand. The demand for gold falls into four sectors: The official sector, i.e. central banks, jewellery, technology, i.e. industrial and dental sectors, and private investment.
In 2010 the central banks have developed from net sellers to net buyers of gold, driven by a decrease of sales from developed countries and an increase in buying activity from developing countries. The central banks continued to increase stocks in 2011 and 2012. Given the low percentage of central banks asset allocation into gold of emerging countries like China (2% versus about 70% in countries like the United States, Germany and France), there is a solid chance that the official sector will continue to be a net buyer of gold in 2013 and even beyond 2013.
Over the last decade jewellery demand for gold decreased in relation to demand from other sectors, mainly the investment sector. High gold prices and economic uncertainties will likely keep gold demand from jewellery moderate in 2013. Nevertheless, demand from jewellery amounted in 2012 with 43% to the largest share of total gold demand.
Gold demand for industrial purposes and dental uses accounted for just about 10% of total gold demand in 2012. As for jewellery demand, high prices and potentially low/volatile growth could further dampen demand for gold for industrial uses in 2013.
As the second largest driver of gold demand, the demand from the investment sector accounted for about 35% of total demand in 2012. Amidst the money and debt creation by major economies and following the financial crisis, which started in 2007, the demand for gold as an investment sustained its high levels 2012.
While during the previous gold price peak in the second quarter of 2010 the demand came nearly in equal parts from gold securities like Gold ETF and physical gold in the form of bars and coins, this changed at the gold price peak in the third quarter of 2011, when nearly 80% of investment demand flowed into physical gold, e.g., in the form of professionally vaulted gold. Also in 2012, about 82% of investment demand came from physical gold products. This indicates that safety is a major concern for gold investors, who usually view physical gold or vaulted gold as more safe than so called ‘paper gold’ (see our comparison of different forms of gold investment).
The second important driver of the gold price in addition to the demand factors is the supply side. The supply of gold is composed of mine supply, i.e. gold production, and gold recycling.
Mine production reached a new high in 2010 and increased a little bit further in 2011. In 2012, overall supply of gold – from mine production and recycling – decreased slightly, i.e. there is currently no negative pressure on the gold price to be expected from the supply side.
Scenarios for 2013 and the gold price trend
The overarching driver of the gold price for the year 2013 and beyond will be the development of the global financial crisis or more potentially more correctly regional financial crises. The levels of debt piled up by many Western governments (not to forget Japan) and often also corporate/private sectors seem still often not sustainable. There is basically one scenario to get rid of this burden: disciplined deleveraging, i.e. reduction of debts. The alternative, which was pursued over the past years, is to create more debt. This could eventually lead to inflation levels significantly above the inflation rates we saw during the last decade in Western currencies.
Either way, both a deleveraging, which will probably be long and painful (‘the lost decade’), or a reduction of the real debt pressures by means of higher inflation will potentially preserve gold as an attractive insurance asset or store of value for many conservative investors in 2013 and beyond. Geopolitical risks, e.g. in relation to Iran, will support this position of gold as a ‘safe haven’ further.
Gold price forecasts 2013
For the fourth quarter of 2013 analysts surveyed by Bloomberg in November 2012 forecasted a level of US dollars 1,925.- per ounce of gold.
The bullion bank ScotiaMocatta forecasts a rising price in 2013 and would not be surprised to see a gold price above US$ 2,200.- per troy ounce of gold.
The French Bank BNP Paribas estimated in November 2012 gold to reach US dollars 1,675 per ounce in 2012 and US dollars 1,865 per ounce in 2013. On the other hand, Thomson Reuters GFMS expects the peak of the gold price for end of 2012 or beginning of 2013 and a following decrease in the price of gold from 2013 on. In November 2012, members of the London Bullion Market Association forecast a gold price of US dollars 1,843.- by September 2013. The global bank HSBC predicts a very similar gold price of 1,850 US dollars per ounce of gold in 2013.
The CEO of the largest US gold mining company Newmont Mining estimates that the price in 2013 may increase to US dollars 2,550.
After the decline of gold prices in the first three months of 2013, several analysts updated their forecasts for the gold price. For example, Societe Generale lowered its estimated gold price for 2013 from 1,700.- US Dollars to 1,500.- US Dollars and the price forecast for 2014 from 1,600.- to 1,400.- US Dollars. Historically speaking, analysts have often followed the actual gold price movements and extrapolated current trends. It is to be seen, what quality the current forecasts will have in the future.
Outlook on Gold 2013 and beyond
The diversity and fluctuation of analyst predictions with regard to the gold price in 2013 and the following years mirrors the uncertainties in the global markets.
An interesting fact about gold is that it often performs well in scenarios of deflation (for instance driven by global debt reductions) but also in scenarios with higher than usual inflation rates (which could potentially occur as public debt level increases further).
Gold therefore tends to perform positively in times of economic uncertainties as well as in acute crises. Unfortunately, the global financial problems are not yet sorted out. Some credible commentators expect several more years of uncertainty and painful deleveraging, which could end only when we are approaching the next decade.
Thus, in the foreseeable future a moderate allocation to gold will remain the imperative for many investors and could result in a positive trend of the gold price 2013 and beyond. Portfolio diversification, i.e. the allocation of funds to different asset classes and investments, should remain an imperative for safety-orientated investors over the coming years.
As with every investment, fees are a key performance driver to be considered when investing in gold. Vaulted gold, i.e. gold stored in professional vaults, can offer investors outright gold ownership at reasonable fees combined with high liquidity and safety. Investors would be well advised to compare gold investments.
[Last update: April 4th, 2013] | <urn:uuid:d2ceaa76-dc13-4b14-9f94-47d121d92167> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.trustablegold.com/gold-2013/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.946183 | 1,738 | 1.617188 | 2 |
- Take a bus tour to get around town
- Enjoy a nice walk through Park Güell
- Try some pan tomaca and crema catalana
As the second largest city in Spain and capital of Cataluña, Barcelona is a top destination in Spain for most. In Cataluña, the two official languages are both Catalan and Spanish, so don’t be surprised if you hear a little of both. I admittedly would like to spend more time there, so I hope to add more to this section soon!
A brief history
Some stories say that Barcelona was found by Hercules some 400 years before the creation of Rome. The city and region were home to the Romans until it was conquered by the Visigoths in the early fifth century, followed by the Moors in the early eight century, then it was reconquered by Charlemagne’s son Louis in 801, eventually merging with the Kingdom of Aragon (another region within Spain) in 1137.
What to do
First of all, to get around the city, I highly recommend taking a bus tour. I’m not usually a “bus tour” kind of person, but many of Barcelona’s sites are quite spread out and taking the bus allows you to stop and see whatever you want, wherever and whenever you want. There are three lines – blue, red and green – the blue and red lines will take you just about everywhere in the city.
Barcelona is full of sites to see, probably more so than any other Spanish city (at least in my opinion anyway), making the bus even more worthwhile. My personal favorites are the Barri Gotic (Gothic quarter), La Sagrada Familia, La Pedrera and Park Güell. In the Barri Gotic you get a real taste for what medieval Barcelona must have been like, with its narrow streets and old cathedral, in addition to being home to the old Jewish quarter.
Being an epicenter for Art Nouveau between 1885 and 1950 has left a great mark on Barcelona – particularly the architect Antoni Gaudi. La Sagrada Familia, La Pedrera and Park Güell, among many more places, are just some of the footprints left behind by the famous architect. La Sagrada Familia, the most famous work by Gaudi, is the cathedral that he commissioned in 1882, and which is still be financed by donors and should be completed in 2026 (I’m not holding my breath). La Pedrera is a fantasy-like building full of unexpected details that make you feel like you’re Allison in Wonderland. I particularly enjoyed the roof where you can really appreciate how the architecture of the building complements the view of the landscape. Lastly, Park Güell is the ultimate blend of Gaudi’s artwork and its natural surroundings – Barcelona.
There are countless other spots to see, from La Rambla, to Montjuïc (Barcelona’s largest park), to the amazing museums (of particular interest to me – the Picasso and Miro museums).
Experiences from my blog | <urn:uuid:d524660f-44a8-4486-ac19-1c20a17b1ff5> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.latortugaviajera.com/travel/destinations/city/barcelona/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00002-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.943025 | 648 | 1.523438 | 2 |
The internet can be a wonderful tool. At a moment's notice we can locate directions, a recipe, a remedy, an old friend. It serves as a medium to keep in touch with long lost cousins, to book entire vacations, to coordinate events and activities. But on the dark side, the information superhighway has become the bane of our existence. It seems some people forgot or simply no longer have the competence to speak to each other in real life. They rely too much on emails, SMS, and wall comments to communicate, whereby endangering old-school face-to-face interactions. The advancement of technology also encourages lots of ugly habits - cowardice, TMI, false bravado, embellishment, laziness, and catatonia. We have become socially challenged.
It's disheartening to see my young relatives incapable of attending family occasions sans their iPod or iTouch in-hand. When I was little it seemed the possibilities of fun were endless - building forts out of blankets (which I called "comps"), playing games of Uno or rummy 500, exploring the adventure that was Nanny's attic...
Or when there's beef. It's kinda irksome to have someone confront you through your inbox. If there's something on your mind, talk to me. Please. I'm not gonna get into it with you over some volleyed, pinging emails.
Whatever happened to getting a good old-fashioned card in the mail for your birthday? Not even a phone call anymore?
Or what about the mother who checks in with her children via Facebook? Don't you LIVE with them?
It's these things that make me overwhelming thankful that I wasn't born a Gen Z baby. I'll take my cassette tapes, stoopball, Chutes and Ladders, and Sweet Valley High over any of this digital age doohickey ish, any day. | <urn:uuid:31328bb1-2f0f-4daf-9428-7dd2ebb719a5> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://blog.silive.com/islandgirl/2009/02/technology_can_be_a_wonderful.html | 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 | 0.962854 | 390 | 1.578125 | 2 |
For a long time now I have been trying to cure the buzzing that occurs at medium-to-high volume when the amplifier is connected to my PC. This is not a hum that sounds like the typical ground loop at either 50hz or 60hz. This is an electric hissing noise with occasional clicks, and a high pitch buzz whenever I move around the mouse on the desktop. The most terrible noise comes when I launch a 3D application, such as a game. Then a loud hum appears which is very audible even when the volume knob on the amp is turned to zero; this noise only occurs when the GPU is stressed, though I can't tell if the interference radiates from the graphics card or the power supply - or both. I highly doubt it is due to the PSU since it is of high quality and power: Corsair HX1000W...
In any case, I was wondering if any of you have any ideas of how to remedy this issue. Thus far I have done the following to try and resolve the problem (mostly treating this as a ground loop):
DID NOT WORK
1. Connect all devices to the same power outlet
2. Tried higher quality + double shielded RCA interconnect from Supra, which should enhance immunity to electro-magnetic interference.
3. Muted all unused channels for the mic input (NOTE: before I started using a USB mic, I had the same irritating sound whenever I used my analog mic)
4. Chassis grounding (though I'm speculating I made errors in this part)
5. Connecting all devices to the same high quality power strip with transient filter through an ungrounded power outlet.
6. Disconnect one device at the time, in this case PC and monitor. Monitor does nothing. Disconnecting PC while turned off and RCA connected to the RCA out on sound card removes the hum (when volume on max). As soon as the PC is connected again the hum resumes, and becomes louder when PC is turned on. Same happens when connecting RCA to 3.5mm jack on mobo (onboard device). Also tried this on another PC where the buzz became significantly worse. BUT! The same thing happens with the same noise, and buzz under GPU load, when the amp is connected to the monitor (my monitor has a headphone jack + 2x USB ports).
7. (This step is mostly here to confirm it being a ground loop issue and not a faulty amp or an interference issue) While the amp is powered on for a while and connected to the PC, listen intently to the buzz/hum (very audible when GPU is stressed) and then disconnect the power cable to the amp. The amp will still be on and process sound/music until its power supply capacitors run out. All buzz instantly stopped, which confirms the ground loop occuring when more than two power connects are made to the sound system.
8. A medical grade A/C isolation transformer is generally known to be an effective way to obtain galvanic isolation/separation, but it did not work in my case.
9. Tried medium priced ground loop isolator at circa $60. This worked in eliminating the ground loop buzz but perhaps at the cost of some frequencies; which is something I want to avoid. Even the more pricey option with Jensen and Lundahl transformers will degrade the audio quality to some extent, though significantly less than a cheap transformer.
10. Another thing that worked was connecting an external DAC via optical S/PDIF. Optical is generally considered the best alternative to avoid noise from interference. Haven't tried Coaxial RCA yet.
Will a better brand/quality of RCA interconnects help prevent the amp from picking up the noise of the computer? I had planned to upgrade my current cables for the Signal Cable Analog II for better shielding and overall quality.
I also tried a fairly cheap ground loop isolator-transformator which eliminated every interference noise coming from my PC and left me with a slight white noise on maximum volume only (but at the cost of some frequencies, I fear; though not that audible.) I have considered buying the Jensen CI-2RR which is a renowned transformator of high quality which should not degrade the audio signal as other cheaper devices do. I understand computers are very noisy environments and not ideal for audio in the first place, but since I am no longer using an external D/A I have to rely on my internal sound card which I so much adore. There got to be something beside an expensive transformator that can fix this.
Edited by Monir - 11/29/12 at 9:10am | <urn:uuid:061de28c-82b8-43b7-90c6-5f9053c1b89b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.head-fi.org/t/634541/how-to-prevent-amplifier-from-picking-up-interference-from-computer | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705195219/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115315-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.955053 | 952 | 1.6875 | 2 |
Edith Cowan University
The Drug Court of Western Australia provides treatment and diversionary options to offenders whose addiction to drugs and/or alcohol has played a part in their offending. There are concerns regarding the potential impacts on the therapeutic relationship when counselling a court-referred client and whether or not court-mandated counselling is effective in assisting clients to address their drug use and offending behaviour. Ten counsellors of drug court referred clients were interviewed to identify the counsellors’ perceptions of drug court referred clients and the potential impact on the therapeutic relationship and effectiveness of counselling. Semi-structured interviews were analysed using thematic content analysis to identify common themes among the data. The research findings will provide a better understanding of the issues facing counsellors of drug court referred clients and may identify the need for further training and development within treatment providers and the drug court. | <urn:uuid:3c09d305-51bf-4fe6-8865-f414bd87ea03> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://ro.ecu.edu.au/spsyc_pres/6/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00017-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.936235 | 174 | 1.640625 | 2 |
HOUSTON -- A University of Houston professor is helping produce a movie about his own life, and one of Hollywood’s legendary actors has a starring role.
Nick Flynn teaches creative writing at the University of Houston. He also writes non-fiction, publishing books of poetry, plays and eye-opening memoirs.
One tells Flynn’s personal story about growing up in Massachusetts without father, then working at a homeless shelter where his father re-enters and then drastically changes Flynn’s life.
Flynn’s father, Johnathan, is a self-proclaimed poet, alcoholic and con man who did time in federal prison. After leaving his family Johnathan sometimes spoke to his son through letters. In their reunion their shared love for writing and Flynn’s own substance abuse stirred conflict.
With Flynn’s help and an $8 million budget, filmmaker Paul Weitz turned this into a movie starring Robert De Niro, Paul Dano, and Julianne Moore.
“The thing that sticks out to me is the father who is a writer who couldn’t get himself together enough to do it and the kid finally does it,” De Niro said.
But the movie can’t show you everything.
“The very tail end of the film it sort of condenses 20 years of my life into one scene,” Flynn said.”Where now I’ve written a book. I have a wife. I have a child. Those things in the film suggests I figured those things out in a year or two. But in real life it took me 10 years to write a book, and another 10 years to have a child and a relationship.”
One thing that hasn’t changed is his work with the homeless. You’ll see him at rallies and inside city hall advocating for people like his father, a man whose life inspired both a book and new movie. | <urn:uuid:79d02dc8-6503-46cf-b952-92abe1523946> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.khou.com/entertainment/local/Robert-Di-Nero-plays-University-of-Houston-professor-in-new-movie-146765705.html?ref=prev | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697974692/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095254-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.969844 | 402 | 1.585938 | 2 |
|By Robert Cohen Executive Director|
Casein: the fountain of mucus
Florence Griffith Joyner (Flo Jo) died with finger marks on her throat, evidence of how, in her final moments of life, she had choked herself, gasping for precious breath. She had no chance to survive. The bronchioles of her lungs were filled with mucus, and on his autopsy report, the coroner described her internal organs as "acutely congested." Flo Jo's last meal was pizza. Fifteen hours after ingesting that mozzarella cheese, a brick-sized lump (250 cubic centimeters) remained undigested in her stomach, causing systemic distress and congestion. The autopsy revealed: "Kidneys: Section shows marked acute congestion...the pyramids of the kidneys are congested." Kidney congestion was not the cause of Flo Jo's death. It was merely one of many symptoms of cheese consumption. Flo Jo tested positive for one over-the-counter drug in her system, Benadryl, an anti-histamine. Eighty percent of milk protein is casein. Casein triggers histamine production, which in turn, triggers mucus production. Flo Jo choked to death on the internal secretion of her own thick, viscous body fluids. Which brings up to the New Jersey NETS newest basketball star acquisition. During the off-season, the NETS signed Alonzo Mourning to a contract. Alonzo is a 6' 10" center who averaged over 20 points and ten rebounds per game during the first eight years of his illustrious all-star career. His presence is just what the doctor ordered for the New Jersey Nets franchise, who have for two years in a row been the bridesmaid, and not the bride, when it came to to winning an NBA championship. Unfortunately, last year, the doctor ordered that Alonzo Mourning not play basketball, for acute kidney disease threatened to end his life. Kidney disease often leads to anemia, and Alonzo Mourning also suffers from anemia, the subject of yesterday's notmilk column: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/notmilk/message/1431 Anemia results from low levels of hemoglobin, a protein in blood cells that transports oxygen throughout the body. Milk and dairy products often cause intestinal bleeding, usually not detected, resulting in iron loss. Flo Jo's kidneys were "acutely congested." The cause of Alonzo's kidney disease is not the point of this column. The hope is that Alonzos's kidneys function to the best of their potential. With congestion, the kidneys will be compromised. The system will be compromised. The man's life will be in danger. Most people give Alonzo Morning very little chance of playing an entire season. I give him an enormous chance, if only he eliminates all milk and dairy. No ice cream. No pizza. No Parmesan cheese on his pasta. Alonzo Mourning's doctor knows more about kidney disease than any living physician. His attorney and agent got Alonzo the best of the best in Dr. Gerald Appell. Trouble is, Dr. Appell will not find this information in a medical journal. He and other doctors would refer to Flo Jo's congested kidneys as "anecdotal" evidence, not scientific evidence. No such kidney study has ever been performed. No such study has ever been funded by the dairy industry, or by any other group. Curing Alonzo's kidney disease might be as simple as eliminating one food group from his diet. Alonzo Mourning's agent Grace Castro (305)-476-0095 x-114 Dr. Appel (212) 305-3273 For More on FloJo click here.
Robert Cohen, author of: MILK A-Z
Executive Director (firstname.lastname@example.org)
Dairy Education Board
Do you know of a friend or family member with one or more of these milk-related problems? Do them a huge favor and forward the URL or this entire file to them.
Do you know of someone who should read these newsletters? If so, have them send an empty Email to email@example.com and they will receive it (automatically)! | <urn:uuid:be37f49a-e34d-431e-95c1-0a96502e2cbe> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.notmilk.com/mucus.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00010-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.95609 | 885 | 1.578125 | 2 |
Interesting. I've bounced ppl off if they come to grab me in that position using intent. But I can't do it if we start from static. In the first scenario, I 'intent' an atemi into his center. It is possible that attached to this intent I do move maybe 2-3mm to the front. Perhaps that is why I find it impossible to this from static without moving at all.
Can you tell me how you do this from static?
Also can you tell me if you can draw uke in without moving your hands inwards? I've been trying to achieve this too.
It's easy to cover up any inadequacies by moving, not so easy to do so from static.... so be prepared to not be able to do this, and not for a very long time, until you gain some conditioning. Having a good uke who understands what they are meant to do, and knowing how they can help you find it is a big plus.
If you look at it the other way, from big movement to small, a static position is simply the opposite of small to big. Does that help?
Intent is obviously involved, but it's not really the intent to atemi. It's more or less about using uke's own force against himself + a little of your own. After all, it IS a purely defensive martial art isn't it??? Newton's 1st, 2nd and 3rd laws ring any bells?
A pull is a push in the opposite direction. Where are the vector forces going in a "pull", in which you're not moving your hands? Where does the power come if you don't actually move your hands inwards? | <urn:uuid:788def7e-5783-48f1-b7f2-4a4a069f8e5c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.aikiweb.com/forums/showpost.php?p=239197&postcount=52 | 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 | 0.972358 | 349 | 1.804688 | 2 |
The Conference Board is delaying the release of its Consumer Confidence Index for October until Thursday because of Hurricane Sandy.
The survey was scheduled to be released Tuesday morning, but the Conference Board said it decided on the delay to help ensure the safety of its staff and people who follow the index. The storm has made travel difficult or impossible in many places and left millions of people without power.
Dozens of companies have postponed quarterly earnings reports for the same reasons.
The Consumer Confidence Index is watched closely because consumer spending drives nearly 70 percent of US economic activity. The index has fluctuated sharply this year. It has fallen five times in the past nine months, hitting a low for the year in August before rising in September. | <urn:uuid:678636a4-67f5-40bf-9292-b0a8890246e4> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.bostonglobe.com/business/2012/10/30/conference-board-delays-consumer-confidence-index/6SXk3b2rcNMT34rimIu7NN/story.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00003-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.971408 | 146 | 1.523438 | 2 |
4 Michigan Facilities Linked to Hepatitis C Investigation
LANSING - The Michigan Department of Community Health (MDCH) has been investigating the employment history of a hepatitis C-positive health care worker who was arrested recently in New Hampshire for allegedly obtaining injectable narcotics and infecting patients with the hepatitis C virus.
Hepatitis C is a blood-borne viral infection, estimated to infect 1.6 percent of the U.S. population. It can cause inflammation of the liver that may lead to chronic health issues. Most infected individuals do not know they have the virus because hepatitis C can damage the liver for many years with few noticeable symptoms.
MDCH has confirmed that this individual previously worked in at least six Michigan facilities from 2003-2007 and is known to have been infected with hepatitis C since at least June 2010. The investigation has not uncovered evidence that the individual was infected with hepatitis C while employed at any Michigan facility. A negative hepatitis C test result at one hospital during his employment allows MDCH to exclude two hospitals from further examination as there was no risk posed by this individual to patients at these facilities.
MDCH recommends that all individuals with known risk factors for hepatitis C virus be tested. If you were a patient at one or more of the facilities listed below during the identified time periods and you received an injectable narcotic, you may have a risk factor of which you were previously unaware. You should consult the facility contact identified below and/or your primary care provider regarding hepatitis C testing. While the receipt of an injectable narcotic at these facilities during these time frames may represent a possible increased risk for hepatitis C for patients, it is clearly not the only risk. If you do not know if an injectable narcotic was administered to you, contact the facility to find out more information. While this testing is important, it need not be considered an emergency procedure.
"Hepatitis C is a chronic condition that can damage the liver for many years without noticeable symptoms," said Dean Sienko, Interim Chief Medical Executive of the MDCH. "Our goal of recommending testing is to ensure the appropriate use of the modern medicine now available to prevent deaths from hepatitis. In order to help potentially affected individuals, we are asking patients to get tested to protect their health."
Due to the length of time since potential exposure as well as the prevalence of the disease in the general population, a positive test result for patients of the facilities named below may not conclusively prove that hepatitis C was acquired from the individual currently under investigation at these facilities.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that more than 2 million U.S. citizens born from 1945 through 1965 have been infected with the virus and is currently recommending testing for everyone born in that time frame. Hepatitis C can be detected with blood tests and treated with antiviral medications.
Identified Michigan hospitals, dates of interest, and facility contact information:
Sinai Grace Hospital* June-October 2005, 1-888-300-3627 or www.dmc.org/mdch
Harper Hospital**October 2005-September 2006, 1-888-300-3627 or www.dmc.org/mdch
University of Michigan Hospital (Main Campus)September 11-December 8, 2006,1-877-233-4040
Oakwood Annapolis HospitalJanuary 15-September 15, 2007, 1-734-467-4111
*Patients who underwent procedures in interventional radiology that required intravenous narcotics
**Patients who underwent procedures in the cardiac catheterization laboratory
Because this is an ongoing investigation, MDCH will continue to identify past employment history and work with all identified facilities in Michigan as well as the CDC. The MDCH will provide any updates to this information as it becomes available.
For questions and information about hepatitis C, please visit the MDCH website at www.michigan.gov/hivstd or the CDC website at www.cdc.gov/hepatitis | <urn:uuid:583ee65d-9f2f-4f32-ae1e-15ae4dce3d9e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.fox47news.com/news/topstories/164288236.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697974692/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095254-00011-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.949834 | 823 | 1.726563 | 2 |
I have been divorced for three years now. the proceedings were done through a solicitor. my ex husband did not contest therefore it was done through agreement between us. what i would like to know he has never verbally said 'talaq' to me. i have asked a few people, they tell me that under the islamic law i am divorced, and some people tell me that he has to say it verbally. please clarify this for me, as it is affecting me. i initiated the divorce on grounds of violent behaviour
Praise be to Allaah.
It is not a condition of divorce that the husband should speak the word in front of his wife or that she should know of it. When the man speaks the words of divorce, or writes them down, this is regarded as a valid divorce that takes effect, even if the wife does not know of it.
If your husband has completed divorce proceedings with a lawyer then this divorce is valid and effective. Please see questions 9593 and 20660.
Shaykh Ibn âUthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him) was asked:
A man has been away from his wife for a long time, and he had divorced her to himself, even though he did not inform her of that. Has divorce taken place?
The divorce has taken place, even if he did not convey that to his wife. If a man utters the words of divorce and says, âI divorce my wifeâ, the wife is divorced whether she knows it or not. Hence if we assume that the wife does not come to know of this divorce until after she has had three menstrual cycles, then her âiddah is complete even if she did not know. Similarly if a man dies and his wife does not come to know of his death until after the end of the âiddah period, then she does not have to observe âiddah because in this case it is already over.
Fataawa Ibn âUthaymeen, 2/804.
-- Islam QA | <urn:uuid:71da0674-f3a9-4095-b8ff-f4f76a1d7915> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.islamonline.com/news/print.php?newid=392394 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00001-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.992115 | 422 | 1.65625 | 2 |
Back pain. Those that suffer from it know just how aggravating and potentially debilitating it can be. Fortunately, there are key secrets available in how to relieve back pain that you can begin implementing today. Each of these suggestions on how to relieve back pains are relatively easy to begin with; the key ingredient between them all is consistency.
My own personal top recommendation for how to relieve back pain is found by using an affordable product I very recently became aware of. RTPR or Real Time Pain Relief removes pain instantly, according to my own experience (with my wife) and other people we have shared RTPR with. According to my findings, about 90% of those we sent samples to reported significant improvements with just one application. Continual usage over a long period of time improves those results, according to my own personal findings.
I highly recommend using RTPR in conjunction with the following 5 tips on how to relieve back pain:
Hot Tips on How to Relieve Back Pain
Putting these tips on how to relieve back pain into motion can result in significant improvements with your own personal back pain issues:
- Limiting Loads
- Exercising Regularly
- Balancing Nutrition
- Drinking Water
- Posturing Properly
How to Relieve Back Pain by Limiting Loads
Do not lift more than you can handle, and, when you do, team up with someone else for best success. Load lifting tools like dollies can also greatly assist in lifting heavier loads. Straps and scooters designed to help with managing heavy loads are also available. Whatever you do, do not stress your body unduly unless you want to experience the complications of doing so.
How to Relieve Back Pain by Exercising Regularly
Our bodies are meant to move. Unfortunately, today’s society finds us much more sedentary than we should be. One idea presented to me recently was to take a 10 minute walk after every meal. Combine this 10 minute walk with stretching every 30 minutes when doing activities like working on the computer and you are headed in the right direction.
How to Relieve Back Pain by Balancing Nutrition
Did you know that food can play a major roll in answering the question of how to relieve back pain? It can. This is the very reason it is highly recommended to stay away from foods that cause inflammation. Choosing a diet with plenty of fruits and vegetables is highly recommended.
How to Relieve Back Pain by Drinking Water
Another secret to eliminating back pain is to drink plenty of water. You likely know our bodies are largely made of water. What you may not realize is that the majority of people are dehydrated. Dehydration can lead to a number of preventable health related issues had proper amounts of water been consumed. Target consuming 8 to 10 glasses of water daily and increase this amount when the weather is hot or you are exerting yourself more.
How to Relieve Back Pain by Posturing Properly
Proper posture when sitting or standing is yet another way of relieving back pains. It is indeed important how we hold ourselves. Correct posture can also have dramatic effects on your mental attitude perhaps because the body is not stressed as much as it is with incorrect posture.
Concluding Thoughts on How to Relieve Back Pain
Implementing just one of the tips above can help your back pains be relieved. The more you do to care for your back the more your back will care for you.  My recommendation would be to follow all the tips listed above to discover just how to relieve back pain.
Article edited by Valerie Robins, owner of WordsWellRead editing and creative services.  Contact Valerie for inquiries and costs at email@example.com. | <urn:uuid:4b0fc05a-6f7e-492f-9466-f9c1095f180c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://painkickers.com/how-to-relieve-back-pain/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00014-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.952997 | 778 | 1.679688 | 2 |
Statement on the Cancellation of the CLOVER Project
6th April 2009
The Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) recently announced that it is cancelling CLOVER, a microwave background polarisation experiment.
The CLOVER team is exceedingly disappointed that the STFC is withdrawing its support after so much effort, technical expertise, and money have been expended, and with the project within sight of deployment. The team is grateful for the financial and administrative support that the STFC has provided throughout the life of the project, but now find it very difficult to understand the decision. The experiment is widely regarded as being competitive with the best in the world, and would have delivered world-class results.
The cancellation will prevent the UK from undertaking pioneering science having the objective of discovering gravity waves in the earliest moments of the creation of the Universe. The role of gravity waves has been studied theoretically, by the international community, and they are known to be intimately related to the origin and structure of space-time itself. The experimental observation of the moment when the Universe was much less than a billionth of a billionth of a second old would not only be of immense scientific importance, it would have profound cultural significance, and would have provided one of the most iconic images of our time.
It is disappointing the UK will not now be able to maintain its international profile in this rich area of science. The first discovery of the presence of gravity waves will lead to the emergence of a new area of physics, which will mature over some 10-15 years. In anticipation of this new science, the CLOVER team has established a technical capability in the UK that is second to none. Within the life of the project, the team has developed some of the world's most sensitive far-infrared superconducting cameras, it has pioneered the design of new long-wavelength optical systems, it has developed multi-axis telescopes and control systems, and it has created sophisticated computer models of the physics it is seeking to understand. It has also secured a site in the Atacama Desert in Chile, which is one of the world's most sought after locations for astronomy. We strongly believe that this project had in abundance the key elements of a pioneering experiment: in particular the development of innovative and fundamental new technology for the purpose of exploring the physical mechanisms that were at work when the Universe began.
The CLOVER team would like the following operational details to be known: CLOVER was funded in 2004 at the level of 4.78M pounds, under the old pre-FEC system of funding. Two factors have served to increase the cost. First, the original grant did not include the costs of setting up a site, which was to be provided by overseas collaborators. When this option fell through, the site costs of approximately 0.8M pounds had to be absorbed by the project. This was a known risk at the time of funding, and it was clear then that this cost was outside the scope of the initial contingency, and that it would require an uplift. Second, there have been delays due to the large amount of technical development that has been required, which is inherent in a cutting-edge project. We stress, however, that this investment has enabled the UK to become world leading in technologies that are need to underpin this new area of physics. The additional funding that is now sought, 2.55M pounds, has been calculated using the new FEC formula in which staff costs are very much higher, hence the apparent large increase in cost to completion to 7.54M. In like-for-like terms the increase in resources required is around 20%.
The CLOVER team recognises that the STFC is struggling with financial problems at the present time, but is concerned that this decision does not only mean that an important instrument will be lost, but that the UK will be locked out of a profoundly important area of science for many years to come. The loss of the technology and science base that has been accrued in the context of CLOVER will be very difficult to replace when it has gone. Above all, the CLOVER team is acutely aware that many, young gifted scientists have worked on CLOVER for a number of years, and the cancellation of the project will do nothing to encourage talented young people to seek careers in physics and engineering.
The statement made by STFC to the project team is as follows:
"As you know, STFC Council considered the action to be taken on Clover at its meeting this week. Council was assured that the science to be addressed by Clover remained first rate, that technical progress was good, and that the project remained timely, but that additional funding was needed. The Chair of Science Board discussed the consideration of Clover at PPAN and at Science Board. Council was asked to make a clear decision, given the uncertainty that has surrounded the future of the project. Council decided, regretfully, that additional funds could not be made available in the current financial situation and therefore Clover should be cancelled.
I realise that this is not a decision that you or the project team will be happy with, but I hope it finally brings some certainty, albeit a disappointing outcome. I would like to emphasise that this is in no way a reflection of Clover’s science goals or of the ability of the project team, and I understand the high level of personal frustration involved. "
Contact in Manchester
Prof. Phil Diamond | <urn:uuid:ed7b3c6f-f9bd-4a2e-8249-6bc09e5c30e6> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.jb.man.ac.uk/news/2009/CLOVER/ | 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 | 0.973984 | 1,096 | 1.804688 | 2 |
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School districts face cutback in state funds
AREA — Local school districts are bracing for the fallout from state spending cuts resulting from a $35.5 million revenue shortfall.
SAD 17 is facing $215,946 in cuts, RSU 16 $113,228 and RSU 10 $157,432.
On December 27, Governor Paul LePage signed an executive order for a budget curtailment to deal with the revenue loss.
According to the Maine Department of Education, $12.58 million of the cuts will come from its general purpose aid to local school districts.
The drawbacks will be outlined in a supplemental budget the governor's office is set to release Friday, according to State Representative Tom Winsor (R-Norway), a member of the Legislature's Finance and Appropriations Committee.
The committee met last Friday to review the curtailment plan.
Winsor says no one wants to make spending cuts, but without a revenue increase, the cuts will come from the state's most expensive programs.
"The bulk of the money is in education and human services," Winsor says. "You could zero-fund the state police, but that's not going to raise enough money to meet the shortfall."
The reduction in GPA may not be set in stone, Winsor says – the appropriations committee might be able to find a way to lighten the blow if it can find other areas to make cuts, but it won't know for certain until it can examine the supplemental budget further.
Absent a significant revenue increase, however, the state will be required to curb its spending.
"When the money isn't coming in to the degree we expect, then there are choices that aren't necessarily pleasant," Winsor warns.
The $215,946 reduction to SAD 17's aid may leave the district scraping the bottom of its coffers.
According to District Business Manager Cathy Fanjoy-Coffey, the district budgeted $100,000 to offset a possible curtailment and the remaining funds will come from the district's contingency funds.
The aid shortfall, however, means the district's carryover into next year's budget will be reduced by $215,946.
That will create a gap of around $500,000 in the 2013-2014 budget, Fanjoy-Coffey says.
Despite the consequences, using the carryover is the district's only realistic solution, Fanjoy-Cofffey says.
"We've already frozen the budget, we've eliminated so many positions in the past few years. We really could no see any way we could make any adjustments this year so the superintendent has decided to use the carryover and that reserve to address it."
According to a letter from Superintendent Rick Colpitts to the SAD 17 Board of Directors, the district's budget committee and administration are considering recommendations to deal with the gap.
Michael Wilhelm, RSU 16 superintendent, says the district plans to freeze all discretionary spending to deal with a $113,228 cut in GPA.
The spending freeze will affect items like books, supplies and professional development that were budgeted, but haven't been purchased yet.
"We put together a pretty tight budget," Wilhelm says. "The only reason we have money in those accounts is that people haven't gotten around to buying what they intended to buy."
RSU 10 Superintendent Tom Ward says the district implemented a spending freeze in November in an effort to build carryover for next year.
But the district's $157,432 share of the curtailment will "wipe out" those funds, Ward says.
Field trips, hiring and overtime are being suspended as part of the spending freeze, Ward says, but he predicts the curtailment could have been much worse.
"This could have been twice as much," Ward says. | <urn:uuid:5cd7a052-a1ee-4312-a391-ce744ba9b1d9> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.advertiserdemocrat.com/news/news/2013/01/10/school-districts-face-cutback-state-funds/186516 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00008-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.951683 | 898 | 1.617188 | 2 |
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Network World - Like cleaning the windows, IT security can be a thankless task because they only notice when you don't do it. But to get the job done in the era of virtualization, smartphones and cloud computing, you've got to avoid technical and political mistakes. In particular, here are five security mistakes to avoid:
1. Thinking that the business mindset of the organization is the same as five years ago.
It's not. Your power and influence are being whittled away as the organization you work for flings open the doors to allowing employees to use personal mobile devices at work, and pushes traditional computing resources and applications into the cloud -- sometimes without your knowledge. You have to be proactive in introducing reasonable security practices onto what are fast-moving technology choices which are sometimes made by those outside the IT department altogether. It's a "mission-impossible" assignment, but it's yours. It may involve developing new policy guidance to clearly spell out risk factors so there are no false assumptions.
VIRTUALIZATION SECURITY: Shift to virtualized environments shaking up security practices
2. Failing to build working relationships with IT and upper-level managers.
IT security divisions are typically small in relation to the rest of the IT department. IT security leans on IT staffers to get basic security jobs done. The security professional may have specialized knowledge and a pocketful of certifications like the CISSP, but that doesn't mean he or she is necessarily admired or liked because of that -- especially as security people are usually the ones saying "no" to other people's projects.
Moreover, don't think the power structure is always pointing toward the chief information officer as top decision maker. A fundamental shift is occurring in which the traditional role of the CIO as commander of IT projects is declining in favor of the rise of the chief financial officer having the final say on IT projects. Some evidence shows the CFO doesn't even like the IT department. The CFO's ideas about security may only go as far as the general legal idea of "compliance." The job for the security professional must be to communicate, communicate, communicate.
3. Not understanding that virtualization has pulled the rug out from under everyone's security footing.
Organizations are well on their way to achieving 80% virtualization of their server infrastructure, and desktop virtualization projects are increasing. But security is lagging, with many incorrectly assuming it begins and ends with VLANs. The reality is that virtualization architectures change everything by opening new pathways that can be exploited. As has happened so many times before in the IT industry, groundbreaking technologies have become available for use with inadequate attention paid to the security impact.
Some traditional security products, such as anti-virus software for instance, often don't work well in virtual machines. Physical appliances may have new "blind spots." Today, specialized security products for virtualized environments are finally coming to market -- and security professionals need to figure out if any of them should be used, while also keeping up with evolving security plans from vendors such as VMware, Microsoft and Citrix. Virtualization holds tremendous promise in eventually improving security, especially disaster recovery. | <urn:uuid:bdf3e24c-b972-471b-9f87-e8b9413869c7> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.networkworld.com/news/2011/072511-security-mistakes.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00013-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.953536 | 693 | 1.617188 | 2 |
The Supreme Court today bolstered the Government's power to hold banks and other lenders that directly or indirectly pay the wages of their customers' employees liable for failing to withhold Social Security and income taxes.
The Court ruled unanimously that the Government may sue lenders for taxes that should have been withheld and paid to the Government even if it did not provide the banks with the timely notice of the alleged violation that would be required for a suit against the employer itself.
The decision resolved a conflict among lower Federal courts about the applicability of the notice requirement and cleared the way for the Government to proceed with its suit against Jersey Shore State Bank, in Jersey Shore, Pa., for unpaid taxes that the Government says should have been withheld from the wages of employees of Pennmount Industries. The bank made loans to Pennmount to meet its payroll.
Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist wrote the opinion in the case, Jersey Shore State Bank v. United States, No. 85-1736. | <urn:uuid:a889bac6-b74c-497a-8eac-6c7a1dae3720> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.nytimes.com/1987/01/21/business/lenders-lose-us-tax-case.html?src=pm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00009-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.96467 | 196 | 1.609375 | 2 |
Sandra Davis, head of family, Mishcon de Reya
Opinion: Prenups will always play second fiddle to court rulings
24 January 2011
17 January 2011
13 July 2009
6 July 2009
23 May 2011
Publication of the Law Commission’s consultation on prenuptial agreements this month raises once again the role these contracts ought to play in English matrimonial finance law.
Last October in Radmacher v Granatino the Supreme Court went about as far as it could to recognise, in appropriate cases, the decisive effect a prenup could have in the redistribution of assets on divorce. Without legislative change, however, the justices accepted that whether or not a prenup was binding on a couple ultimately remained a decision for the court.
The Law Commission waited for the Supreme Court’s decision before publishing its consultation. While it is not making any recommendations of its own at this stage, the executive summary gives a pretty clear steer as to the way the debate will pan out. According to the commission, “cast iron” agreements that unalterably settle the division of assets on divorce are not “appropriate in English law” and “almost certainly unacceptable as a matter of public policy”.
This debate has arisen because of the development of matrimonial finance law in the past decade, which saw the introduction of ’fairness’ as the overriding consideration for the courts when redistributing assets on divorce. Until 2000 the courts had constrained (usually) the wife’s claims by reference to her ’reasonable requirements’. No matter how much wealth had been accumulated in the marriage, she was only entitled to a sum that met her needs, with any remainder retained by her husband.
The decision of the House of Lords in White v White (2000) removed the constraint of reasonable requirements and paved the way for development of the principle of equal sharing of matrimonial assets by the Law Lords in their later decision in Miller v Miller (2006). This case made London the divorce capital of the world for wives and, as awards became larger, calls for the recognition and enforcement of prenups became louder.
With the default position being a fair division of assets, the question the Law Commission now has to grapple with is whether the existence of a prenup is capable of making fair an agreement that the court would otherwise consider unfair.
Arguments about the validity of prenups are binary in nature. The ’yes’ camp contends that decisions reached by a couple about what ought to happen in the event of a later divorce should be respected. The opposing view is that the future is unknowable: what may, years before the event, appear to be fair may, as a consequence of life’s exigencies, no longer be so.
In squaring the circle the Law Commission appears inclined towards a third way - a kind of ’prenup lite’, whereby preacquired, inherited and gifted assets can be excluded from division on divorce, with only assets acquired during the marriage regarded as marital property.
On this model the court would still be the final arbiter, maintaining its statutory obligation to decide whether the exclusion of assets would lead to a fair outcome on divorce and, if not, whether it should ignore the terms of the prenup in part or in whole. This is not so far removed from the current position in law and, in many respects, sidesteps the argument.
Most couples who marry or enter into civil partnerships do so in the hope that their union will last a lifetime. Sadly, the statistics are not good. Forty three per cent of first marriages end in divorce, on average after 11 years. The divorce rate following remarriage is even higher.
For many couples the debate on the legal status of prenups is a sterile one. Their assets and income will be divided purely on the basis of their and their children’s competing needs for housing and to make ends meet. It remains to be seen whether the rest will appreciate a recommendation that respects their agreement, but only to the extent that it accords with what a judge later considers to be fair. | <urn:uuid:afd4639f-923d-47b9-b919-212fe7c0e634> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.thelawyer.com/opinion-prenups-will-always-play-second-fiddle-to-court-rulings/1006702.article | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00011-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.959069 | 862 | 1.78125 | 2 |
Lets hear em.There are completely secular reasons to oppose both abortion and gay marriage.
So explain how you can oppose something based on your religious beliefs yet you are not trying to impose your beliefs? That makes no sense, what are you trying to do?The fact that most opposition is based upon religious belief neither invalidates that opposition, nor does it indicate an attempt to impose religious belief.
It doesn't I stated earlier the opposition was rediculous.How does the inclusion of the word 'God' in a poem, in a third person narrative usage, no less, impose religious beliefs upon any one?
Yep.Does, or does not, the unconstitutional suppression of free religious expression, as occurred in the OP, in fact impose the secularist belief of the supposed atheist/agnostic onto those who believe in God?
In the case of the OP, it is not the rights of the secularist that are being trampled, but the rights of the student. | <urn:uuid:bbaa8f0e-4bf8-4744-8918-571ff4b06847> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.conservativeunderground.com/forum505/showthread.php?53658-School-Removes-God-From-First-Grader-s-Poem/page8&p=541501 | 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 | 0.967839 | 199 | 1.59375 | 2 |
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Proceedings of Symposia in Pure Mathematics
2003; 357 pp; hardcover
List Price: US$87
Member Price: US$69.60
Order Code: PSPUM/71
Since 1961, the Georgia Topology Conference has been held every eight years to discuss the newest developments in topology. The goals of the conference are to disseminate new and important results and to encourage interaction among topologists who are in different stages of their careers. Invited speakers are encouraged to aim their talks to a broad audience, and several talks are organized to introduce graduate students to topics of current interest. Each conference results in high-quality surveys, new research, and lists of unsolved problems, some of which are then formally published. Continuing in this 40-year tradition, the AMS presents this volume of articles and problem lists from the 2001 conference. Topics covered include symplectic and contact topology, foliations and laminations, and invariants of manifolds and knots.
Articles of particular interest include John Etnyre's "Introductory Lectures on Contact Geometry", which is a beautiful expository paper that explains the background and setting for many of the other papers. This is an excellent introduction to the subject for graduate students in neighboring fields. Etnyre and Lenhard Ng's "Problems in Low-Dimensional Contact Topology" and Danny Calegari's extensive paper,"Problems in Foliations and Laminations of 3-Manifolds", are carefully selected problems in keeping with the tradition of the conference. They were compiled by Etnyre and Ng and by Calegari with the input of many who were present. This book provides material of current interest to graduate students and research mathematicians interested in the geometry and topology of manifolds.
Graduate students and research mathematicians interested in the geometry and topology of manifolds.
Table of Contents
AMS Home |
© Copyright 2012, American Mathematical Society | <urn:uuid:d243302b-268f-4706-be26-85e4faa55a12> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://ams.org/bookstore?fn=20&arg1=pspumseries&ikey=PSPUM-71 | 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 | 0.934561 | 418 | 1.710938 | 2 |
Towns & Villages A-Z
- Castle Eden
- County Durham
- Durham City
- Esh Winning
- Fence Houses
- Framwellgate Moor
- Hutton Henry
- Langley Moor
- Langley Park
- Nevilles Cross
- Newton Hall
- Pity Me
- Ushaw Moor
County Durham Town & Village Information
Framwellgate Moor, County Durham - OAKLET Property Management & Letting Agent
Framwellgate Moor is a village and civil parish in County Durham, England. It is situated to the north of Durham, and is adjacent to Pity Me and Newton Hall.
It is the location of New College Durham, the major further education establishment of the city. In addition, it is the location of Framwellgate School Durham which is a large and successful comprehensive school, science college and sixth form centre.
The civil parish is based on the village of Framwellgate Moor and also includes neighbouring Pity Me and Brasside.
Framwellgate Moor is now a suburb to the north of Durham City, but was once an area of open land to the west of the River Wear. The river was a focus for some of the earliest occupation in this area. A large number of Mesolithic flint tools have been found at Union Hall and Frankland Wood. These early settlers would not have been farmers- they would have moved across the landscape hunting wild animals, gathering wild plants and fishing from the rivers.
Despite these very early remains, we have little other evidence of prehistoric occupation around Framwellgate Moor. It is almost certain that during the Neolithic and Bronze Age this area became increasingly settled. The first farmers would have cleared the land of trees to make simple fields in which crops could be grown. Sadly, no remains of this period have been found. They often leave only very slight traces, most of which have probably been destroyed by the construction of the housing that now covers much of the area.
This lack of archaeological evidence is also apparent for the Roman and Anglo-Saxon periods. It is thought that Cades Road, an important Roman road from Roman East Durham leading up to Newcastle and The Wall, passed through the area. There were probably small settlements in the area, but none of these have been discovered. There place-name evidence suggests that there may have been some Anglo-Saxon occupation. Framwell probably comes from the Old English for 'strong spring', and Gate is the Old Norse word gata, meaning street. So Framwellgate means literally 'the street to Framwell'. This suggests that there must have been some kind of Anglo-Saxon or Viking settlements nearby.
In the medieval period the area was an agricultural area, and probably supplied much of the food for Durham City. The so-called 'moor' was probably used to graze cattle, both those farmed locally, and as a place to rest cattle from further away being brought into the city to sell at the market. Crops were also grown, and the corn was probably ground at the watermill recorded in the area.
The area was certainly seen as distinct from the city of Durham, unlike today. Monks from the abbey in Durham even used nearby Finchale Priory as a kind of 'holiday home'. It was suggested that the remains of a building excavated in 1953 may have been the traces of the original house and chapel of Saint Godric, but it is now thought to be an 18th century farmhouse.
Framwellgate Moor saw its biggest period of development in the 19th and early 20th century with the growth of the coal mining industry. Four coal mines were built in this area: Frankland, Dryburn, Framwellgate and Brasside Collieries.
The main colliery was Framwellgate Colliery, often known as the Old Pit. A row of cottages called Old Pit Terrace still mark its site, along the road on the western edge of Newton Hall Housing Estate. It was worked from 1838 and 1924, and was built by the Northern Coal Mining Company. Sadly, all these mines have now closed down, and much of the area has become built over with modern housing
Landlords & Tenants can access the Interactive Map of County Durham by clicking on the map to the right, Simply double click on area you wish to zoom in.
This useful map will be of particular use to landlords who are looking purchase property in County Durham, you can use the features on the interactive map to assess the neighbourhood and general layout as part of your research before a purchasing and investing in a particular area.
Tenants will also find the interactive map of County Durham very useful when looking to move to a new neighbourhood, town or village in County Durham. Checking the general layout or the property and searching distance to amenities such as schools, shops, and commuting distance to place of work. | <urn:uuid:359940f6-220a-44d8-b281-22f4e22f0c82> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.oaklet.co.uk/framwellgate_moor.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00005-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.971918 | 997 | 1.828125 | 2 |
OUTSIDE THE CITY
Evening Tour of the Governor Gore Mansion
January 11, 2013
Enjoy an evening tour of the beautiful 1806 Governor Gore Mansion. With its spiral staircase, marble floors and oval rooms, the elegantly furnished mansion has been called “the Monticello of the North” and architectural historians consider it to be the most significant Federal period mansion in New England. | <urn:uuid:b527ac2a-c8b0-41b5-91a1-7c0434545828> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.artsboston.org/event/detail/441655315/Evening_Tour_of_the_Governor_Gore_Mansion | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.948712 | 80 | 1.679688 | 2 |
GWION GWION ROCK ART TOUR
3rd to 10th June 2008
10th to 17th June 2008
Departure Months: June 2008
Wunambal Gaambera Country
Flybridge Cabin AUD$12,985.00 per person
Superior Cabin AUD$11,895.00 per person
Double Cabind AUD$10,435.00 per person
3rd June - Broome end in Kununurra
10th June Kununurra end in Broome
With grace and elegance the silhouetted panel of lithe, mulberry-hued human figures appears to float above the ground, commanding our gaze and respect.
Wielding boomerangs or multi-barbed spears and attired with dillybags, armbands and tassel skirts, the figures in such paintings display a range of remarkable headdresses and hairstyles. Often the rock art features ceremonies with medicine men involving healing, law or religion. The journalist Nicolas Rothwell, writing in 2000, called these images the most splendid and most mysterious of Australias many rock art traditions. Equally tantalising are other images of similar antiquity, showing crews of up to six paddling what appear to be large seagoing craft constructed from elongated bundles of reeds. Were these the craft that brought prehistoric man to first settle Australia? These examples of Gwion rock art, or Bradshaw paintings, confined to the shattered sandstone country of the North Kimberley, are believed by experts to date from more than 17,000 years ago, before the last ice age ended. This makes them at least as old as the famed European cave paintings of prehistoric animals at Lascaux, in France.
Wunambal Gaambera traditional owners of the North Kimberley tell one tale that the figures were the work of the Gwion bird (sandstone shrike-thrush), famed for its beautiful, echoing song. The story goes that this bird, which has the power to see spirits invisible to ordinary people, hit its beak until it bled and used the blood to paint the figures with feathers plucked from its tail. It was not until 1892 that the outside world learnt of Gwion rock art, when the exploring pastoralist Joseph Bradshaw sub-mitted for publication some rough sketches, depicting cave art he saw in a remote Kimberley river gorge. It was not until relatively recently that academic interest in this art was revived with a variety of interpretations and controversial theories being put forward.
Due to the inherent qualities of the expedition a moderate level of health, fitness and agility is required for participation. The nature of the expeditions offered, means that in some places and under some circumstances, passengers may experience some discomfort and even danger. As an explorative journey there are risks involved and it is expected that passengers accept and understand that these risks are a part of the cruise. The management and crew undertake to provide every possible safety precaution and to take all due care in the course of the expedition, but ultimately all responsibility for illness, accident or death, or any property damage or loss lies with the passenger.
any enquiries regarding booking this tour, or for more information
about what Diverse Travel Australia can offer, please contact
For additional itineraries that feature more of Australia | <urn:uuid:52cb379d-d526-4b78-b54d-9af4532f29b5> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.aboriginalaustralia.com.au/tour_info.cfm?id=169 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704713110/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516114513-00010-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.938571 | 671 | 1.78125 | 2 |
Dennis Prager defines the challenge for America.
Dec 24, 2012, Vol. 18, No. 15 • By MICHAEL WARREN
In this freshly extended era of Barack Obama, conservatives and Republicans are evaluating, re-evaluating, pondering, questioning, tossing out, and shoring up basic principles and ideas. What does the Republican party stand for? What should, or shouldn’t, be part of the GOP’s agenda? What’s the conservative vision for America? What, exactly, do conservatives want to conserve? Is the Republican worldview out of step with that of the rest of the country? Is there a need to return to First Principles to preserve America?
These questions, and a multitude of answers, will continue to flood newspaper columns, blogs, and radio airwaves until at least the end of next year. But Dennis Prager, author and radio talk show host, is dealing with a much wider scope: “There are three ideologies competing for the allegiance of mankind,” he writes. “This competition shapes much of the present world, and the outcome will shape humanity’s future.”
And that’s just the introduction. Prager’s three competing ideologies are (in his words) “Islamist, Leftist, and American.” The first two are easy enough to understand. Islamism is the sort of violent radicalism embraced by al Qaeda, its imitators, and governments such as Iran’s, while leftism is mostly concerned with big government, permissible social mores, materialism, pacifism, and anti-Americanism. Throughout Still the Best Hope, Prager explores, in laborious detail, what these ideologies profess, how their practitioners seek to change the world, and why their worldviews threaten all things American.
More interesting, however, and perhaps more important, is a consideration of Prager’s third contender. He calls this viewpoint “American,” but it just as well could be called “conservative.” Prager identifies a “trinity” of values—liberty, belief in God, and the concept of e pluribus unum—that define Americanism, and insists that it is only through a recommitment to these values and a dedicated effort to export them to the rest of the world that the American way can prevail over the leftist and Islamist elements with which it clashes.
Liberty is straightforward enough. Freedoms of all kinds, from political to religious to speech to economic, are so basic that most schoolchildren in America can comprehend them (left-wing pedagogy notwithstanding). Liberty is the theme of our national anthems, and the message of our most cherished monuments. We all know the rejoinder, “it’s a free country.” Indeed, the concept of “liberty” is so deeply ingrained in the American consciousness that the language and imagery of liberty is used by political movements across the spectrum: from the pro-life movement to the civil rights movement; by those defending gun rights to those extolling gay rights. We Americans instinctively cling to our liberty, and Prager argues that a smaller, leaner government fosters and protects liberty best.
Belief in God and the more nebulous idea of e pluribus unum (“out of many, one”) are more complicated. On the subject of God, Prager has an important, if not entirely original, insight: Liberty without a moral guide leads to anarchy. As he notes, the left, too, recognizes this truth:
But how strong is our trust in God? The Gallup Organization reported earlier this year that confidence in -organized religion is at a historic low (44 percent) and that church attendance is down. Outside of the country’s more conservative realms—the Deep South, Utah, certain pockets of black America—faith in God and religious practice is more countercultural than not.
With regard to the idea of e pluribus unum, Prager disagrees with the left’s doctrine that America’s strength is its diversity. “Much of America’s strength does indeed lie in its diverse origins,” he writes, “but America’s strength is diminished by diverse primary identities. It is not diversity, but the ability to unify the diverse, that is America’s strength and greatness; and that can only be done by celebrating the individual and the nation those individuals form, America.” | <urn:uuid:0a83cee7-b3f2-4fef-b9c0-68b7a5fd7daa> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.weeklystandard.com/articles/first-principles_666583.html | 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 | 0.930299 | 935 | 1.5 | 2 |
Special Need: FIV+
As you look at Charlie's photos, you are probably thinking that he does not look particularly friendly. And you'd be right. Charlie is a feral cat (feral describes a domestic cat that has reverted to its wild status) and he does not trust nor like humans one bit. Tabby's Place has a policy of not knowingly accepting feral cats (because they do not often adapt to being kept indoors).
But Charlie was rescued by a kind samaritan who couldn't keep him because he was FIV+ (and she had other cats). And when Charlie arrived at Tabby's Place he was so petrified that he was actually well-behaved for his intake exam. So, now Charlie is ours and will receive the same care as our other FIV+ residents.
Cats that are FIV+ have been infected with the Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV). This virus disables or destroys the white blood cells, and leaves the cat susceptible to infections. Once a cat is infected with FIV, the cat is infected for life and can transmit the virus if he or she bites another cat.
Our FIV+ cats have their own suite and we are extra-careful about disease control procedures in their suite. In addition, they are fed a higher-quality (and more expensive) diet than our other cats, in hopes of boosting their immune systems. We love Charlie, but he has two big strikes working against his chances of being adopted: he is FIV+ and he is feral. We have started working with Charlie and have now gotten to the point where we can pet him if we approach him very, very slowly. But he has a long way to go and he will require a very special adopter. Please sponsor Charlie and help us to give him the care he deserves. | <urn:uuid:e5b761bd-e5cc-4bc9-a922-b4d8c7fac852> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.tabbysplace.org/SN_page.php?id=41 | 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 | 0.983902 | 377 | 1.679688 | 2 |
Vladimir on dogs, sheeps and wolves:
If you wish to protect sheep from wolves, then you need some tame wolves, i.e. dogs. The sheep cannot protect themselves, and the wolves cannot resist attacking them. Something must stand in the way, something that the wolves fear.
I think the analogy can be extended to cover civilisation in general. The sheep are relatively weak. They are not fighters – they have some other role in society. The dogs are strong but civilised – the army, the police. And the wolves are both strong and uncivilised – criminals, barbarians.
I’m reminded of my own status whenever I encounter uncivilised behaviour, for I’m a sheep. I have no intrinsic defence against the wolves. I am not particularly strong, I do not own any weapons, I live in a house instead of a fortress. Someone wishing to take my possessions would only require a moderate level of force. My only defence is extrinsic – I rely on the dogs to protect me.
One of the many problems with Decent People is that they just don’t believe that dogs are necessary. They think that the wolves can be civilised – that a wolf is merely a hungry sheep, raging against the inequality and social injustice of a world that provides plenty of food for the favoured few, and nothing to the rest. The Decent People do not know many wolves.
The abolition of the dogs is a slow process throughout the West.
George Friedman on declarations of war:
I am making the argument that the suspension of Section 8 of Article I as if it is possible to amend the Constitution with a wink and nod represents a mortal threat to the republic. If this can be done, what can’t be done?
Worth a read. I only wish he would have added that Congress seems all too happy to let the President take their power. They’d rather not take responsibility – so much for checks and balances.
The Western Confucian found a great interview with Hoppe on monarchy and democracy.
Sonic Charmer has some thoughts on democratic foreign policy.
Half Sigam on Hispanics and crime. I think the bigger concern with Hispanic immigration is that they no Hispanic countries have a very good track-record when it comes to good government. | <urn:uuid:68c12356-6716-4c11-8840-6833d05606bc> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://foseti.wordpress.com/2011/03/29/randoms-of-the-day-38/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00013-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.950629 | 477 | 1.671875 | 2 |
It’s a busy time of year but Valley organizations are reminding residents not to forget about safety during the holidays.
Sheree Lee, community programs officer for the Phoenix Police Department, said there are a number of simple tips people can follow to stay safe and keep their home from being a target.
If you plan on traveling, use automatic timers for your lights to make it appear that people are still home. Ask a trusted neighbor to watch over your home and pick up any packages or newspapers that are delivered. Also make sure your garbage can is not left out after collection day as that’s a sign that the home is empty.
If you’re leaving just for the night, leave the lights or a TV on. Make sure all doors are locked and keep gifts out of sight.
While shopping it’s important to stay alert. Park in well-lit areas and keep your car doors locked. Hide valuables in the trunk and avoid carrying large amounts of cash. Never leave a purse in the shopping cart while you browse and keep wallets in an inside coat pocket or the front pants pocket.
If any solicitors come to your home ask for ID. If you have any reason to be leery, call police. The number for Crime Stop is (602) 262-6151. If you need immediate assistance, dial 911.
Fires are also a problem during the holiday season. Fire officials suggest having your chimney cleaned before using the fireplace for the first time. It’s also a good idea to not overload electrical outlets with too many appliances or lights. Some decorations can be prone to fire if left near hot lights too long.
When shopping for a Christmas tree, choose one that is green and fresh. If a needle doesn’t bend without breaking, it’s too dry. When you bring it home make sure the tree has plenty of water to stay fresh longer. A dried out Christmas tree can be consumed by fire in less than 30 seconds, according to the fire department. Always turn off the lights on your tree when you leave the house.
Keep all bulbs turned away from any gifts or paper ornaments. Keep candles in places where they can’t be tipped over and never use candles near the Christmas tree.
Dispose of wrapping paper as soon as possible once the gifts are opened and get the Christmas tree out of the house as quickly as you can.
As always, make sure smoke alarms are in working order.
Contact writer: (480) 898-7914 or firstname.lastname@example.org | <urn:uuid:8d0c6c9c-1803-41cb-8701-00b82764710b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.ahwatukee.com/holly/2012/article_0b10aeee-2e8a-11e2-8ed6-0019bb2963f4.html?mode=story | 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 | 0.946265 | 532 | 1.789063 | 2 |
The problem with semi lactics is that they age very fast while blues take their time. For this you need to begin by modifying your recipe to age slower.
The second issue is that you are not wrapping the outside and all your growth is focused on the outside. It gives you an insane volume of blue and accelerated proteolysis which could cause the cheese to bitter up. You really want this to be a random thing that grows inside the cheese and not all over the outside. Additionally using veggie rennet may have contributed to the bitterness.
The other thing is, this looks like a tiny cheese. Form factor is important and you need a reasonable volume and seperation between one side of the rind to the opposite side, as well as sufficient surface total to allow the cheese some time before it is covered all over. Another aspect of that is that if you are using small cheese and drying it rapidly, it will shrink and the rind that was created originally will now be loose and wrinkly - which is what your photo has.
My suggestion is to do a larger volume cheese, use yeast, ultra-dry that curd and then break it down in a bowl. Toss the loose curd with the salt in the bowl and then simply and gently take pieces of curd and move place them in the mould. Don't push them or tighten them, just pile them up so lots of air can be trapped mechanically in between them (you can only do that with curds that has dried enough).
As soon as the blue growth seem to take over the outside, pierce the cheese and cover the rind with foil. Age it in cool temperature. The blue thrives in it and the curd will knot slowly -thus preventing the bitterness. | <urn:uuid:f611f529-958e-41fe-8144-b6303a0eecff> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://cheeseforum.org/forum/index.php/topic,8433.msg79710.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00002-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.968297 | 358 | 1.734375 | 2 |
The home of Major League Hall of Famer Carlton Fisk
BRADENTON, Fla. - Carlton Fisk is best known for his famous 12th inning homer in Game 6 of the '75 World Series.
But the former Red Sox catcher who protected home plate from those trying to steal was not home this week when burglars broke into his home in the upscale Panther Ridge Neighborhood outside Bradenton.
"We responded when someone there at the home working pest control saw that there was a forced entry at the residence," said Manatee County Sheriff's Office spokesman Dave Bristow.
Fisk, out of town for the holidays, was notified of the break in. 24 years worth of Major League baseball memorabilia was shockingly left untouched. Detectives say they only discovered the theft of a valuable coin collection.
"A lot of silver coins ... thousands and thousands of dollars worth of silver coins," said Bristow.
Whether the thief just didn't like baseball or knew specifically about the coins remains a mystery.
"They were in an area where you would think the person going in there probably had a pretty good idea, I'm going in there for this," suspected Bristow.
The Panther Ridge neighborhood is filled with incredibly beautiful but very secluded homes. In fact, many neighbors we talked to say they had no idea the Fisk home had even been broken into.
"It's certainly surprising because this area is very uneventful and very peaceful," said neighbor John Hargiss. "To our knowledge, we've been here a couple of years now, there hasn't been any break-ins or crime activity."
Longtime Yankee fans, the Hargiss family feels horrible about what happened to their neighbor so close to Christmas.
"To think this happened four doors down from us, even though we're a couple acres apart is concerning and certainly we feel badly for them."
The Manatee County Sheriff's Office says they're hard at work on the case and say they'll be checking local pawn shops and coin stores for any sign of the missing coins.
Anyone with information on the case is urged to contact the Manatee County Sheriff's Office. | <urn:uuid:d7699aca-2330-45f9-82e4-2d406f4592aa> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.wtsp.com/news/article/288366/8/Thieves-target-valuables-inside-home-of-Carlton-Fisk | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00001-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.982336 | 444 | 1.507813 | 2 |
January 9th 2011 7:30 pm
[ View A Comments (4) ]
One of our favorite memories of Remo was how he loved our son's ferrets, Clarke and Belle. He was introduced to them at a very young age, and was taught "don't you hurt that baby". Remo understood that meant he had to lay down and play gently with whatever animal was around.
Remo loved to play hide and seek with Belle and Clarke. We would first prepare the playing field by lining up all of the dining room chairs along the wall of the hallway, and by making other "safe passage" barriers between furniture. Then we'd let Clarke and Belle out to roam.
The ferrets would scurry through the house behind the chairs, furniture and other barriers. Remo would follow them, half crawling on his belly, frantic to keep up, until they all made it into the living room. Then Belle and Clarke would have their fun. Ferret #1 would sneak up behind Remo and do the Happy Ferret Dance, bouncing around complete with an excited vocalization of "shnuck-shnuck-shnuck". Remo would whirl around on his belly and chase Ferret #1 back under the couch, table or chair. He'd lay there whining, tail wagging furiously, nose pressed up to whatever piece of furniture the ferret dashed under.
Then it was Ferret #2's turn to sneak up behind Remo, do the Happy Ferret Dance, cheering "shnuck-shnuck-shnuck". Remo whirls, chases Ferret #2 underneath something. Then Ferret #1 sneaks out... shnuck-schnuck-shnuck... whirl... chase... whine... Then Ferret #2. Then Ferret #1. Then Ferret #2. Around and around and around Remo would go! They would play this game until Belle and Clarke were tuckered out and then, like all ferrets, they'd drop right where they were and go to sleep.
It was really something to see these tiny little creatures spin 89 lb Remo around like a top. Remo the Red, Whirlin' Dervish...
That is such a wonderful and joyous memory !!
Oh what a beautiful memory for your pawrents Remo! I hear those wiley Ferrets can really do the Kung Poww to us pups. Ask your furblings to make that Harley ferret go easy on me when we do meet,bol!Mom says I am Dog Motherhen at his wiley service. Hugs & Pokes, xoxoxo
Oh, what a cute and endearing memory of Remo and Belle & Clark! How funny that must have been to watch. Loved the story and thanks for sharing it with us!
Sully & Socks & Mom | <urn:uuid:36852220-bc34-4d95-8258-e56ccce14601> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.dogster.com/dogs/106064/diary/Yes_im_red_and_no_im_not_an_irish_setterby_remo_the_red/706726 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00011-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.971103 | 598 | 1.546875 | 2 |
Posted Sunday, June 1, 2008, at 6:17 PM
While flying home after a week of vacation, I read this brief in the International Herald Tribune , via the Associated Press :
ZAGREB, Croatia—A court convicted a retired Croatian general of war crimes Friday for failing to stop his soldiers from torturing and killing Serbs in a wartime operation once deplored by UN peacekeepers as a "scorched earth" campaign.
General Mirko Norac condoned crimes committed by those under his command, the Zagreb district court judge Marin Mrcela said in the ruling. He sentenced Norac to seven years in prison.
The judge acquitted another retired general, Rahim Ademi, in the case.
Of course, the important thing here is the crime with which Norac was charged. Norac did not stand accused of personally torturing and killing Serbs. Or even directly ordering those acts. Rather, the court convicted him of "condoning" such crimes under his command. In reaching this verdict, the court relied on a principle deeply ingrained within the law of war: that of command responsibility. Simply stated, the rule makes a commander responsible for all his unit does, either where he knew of the conduct or should have known of the conduct, although scholars and jurists continue to debate this knowledge requirement. In a famous WWII case , the Supreme Court affirmed a war crimes conviction for Tomoyuki Yamshita , a Japanese field commander charged with "unlawfully disregarding and failing to discharge his duty as a commander to control the acts of members of his command by permitting them to commit war crimes."
In this case, it appears that Norac did indeed know of his troops' crimes, making this an easier case in some respects. Nonetheless, this decision reaffirms the general rule, and it should remind senior military commanders everywhere of their duty to heed the law of war. "It was his duty to prevent" the crimes, the judge wrote in his ruling, continuing that "by not taking legal actions against the soldiers after learning that they committed war crimes, a commander (Norac) in fact provided a pattern on how soldiers should behave." | <urn:uuid:7049a387-c6a1-41ce-8863-e5acc3f9976a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.slate.com/blogs/convictions/2008/06/01/command_responsibility_in_croatia.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704713110/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516114513-00006-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.975843 | 444 | 1.8125 | 2 |
—(1) No person shall be deprived of his life or personal liberty save in accordance with law.
(2) Where a complaint is made to the High Court or any Judge thereof that a person is being unlawfully detained, the Court shall inquire into the complaint and, unless satisfied that the detention is lawful, shall order him to be produced before the Court and release him.
(3) Where a person is arrested, he shall be informed as soon as may be of the grounds of his arrest and shall be allowed to consult and be defended by a legal practitioner of his choice.
(4) Where a person is arrested and not released, he shall, without unreasonable delay, and in any case within 48 hours (excluding the time of any necessary journey), be produced before a Magistrate, in person or by way of video-conferencing link (or other similar technology) in accordance with law, and shall not be further detained in custody without the Magistrate’s authority.
(5) Clauses (3) and (4) shall not apply to an enemy alien or to any person arrested for contempt of Parliament pursuant to a warrant issued under the hand of the Speaker.
(6) Nothing in this Article shall invalidate any law —
in force before the commencement of this Constitution which authorises the arrest and detention of any person in the interests of public safety, peace and good order; or
relating to the misuse of drugs or intoxicating substances which authorises the arrest and detention of any person for the purpose of treatment and rehabilitation,
by reason of such law being inconsistent with clauses (3) and (4), and, in particular, nothing in this Article shall affect the validity or operation of any such law before 10th March 1978.
—(1) No person shall be held in slavery.
(2) All forms of forced labour are prohibited, but Parliament may by law provide for compulsory service for national purposes.
(3) Work incidental to the serving of a sentence of imprisonment imposed by a court of law shall not be taken to be forced labour within the meaning of this Article.
—(1) No person shall be punished for an act or omission which was not punishable by law when it was done or made, and no person shall suffer greater punishment for an offence than was prescribed by law at the time it was committed.
(2) A person who has been convicted or acquitted of an offence shall not be tried again for the same offence except where the conviction or acquittal has been quashed and a retrial ordered by a court superior to that by which he was convicted or acquitted.
—(1) All persons are equal before the law and entitled to the equal protection of the law.
(2) Except as expressly authorised by this Constitution, there shall be no discrimination against citizens of Singapore on the ground only of religion, race, descent or place of birth in any law or in the appointment to any office or employment under a public authority or in the administration of any law relating to the acquisition, holding or disposition of property or the establishing or carrying on of any trade, business, profession, vocation or employment.
(3) This Article does not invalidate or prohibit —
any provision regulating personal law; or
any provision or practice restricting office or employment connected with the affairs of any religion, or of an institution managed by a group professing any religion, to persons professing that religion.
—(1) No citizen of Singapore shall be banished or excluded from Singapore.
(2) Subject to any law relating to the security of Singapore or any part thereof, public order, public health or the punishment of offenders, every citizen of Singapore has the right to move freely throughout Singapore and to reside in any part thereof.
—(1) Subject to clauses (2) and (3) —
every citizen of Singapore has the right to freedom of speech and expression;
all citizens of Singapore have the right to assemble peaceably and without arms; and
all citizens of Singapore have the right to form associations.
(2) Parliament may by law impose —
on the rights conferred by clause (1)(a), such restrictions as it considers necessary or expedient in the interest of the security of Singapore or any part thereof, friendly relations with other countries, public order or morality and restrictions designed to protect the privileges of Parliament or to provide against contempt of court, defamation or incitement to any offence;
on the right conferred by clause (1)(b), such restrictions as it considers necessary or expedient in the interest of the security of Singapore or any part thereof or public order; and
on the right conferred by clause (1)(c), such restrictions as it considers necessary or expedient in the interest of the security of Singapore or any part thereof, public order or morality.
(3) Restrictions on the right to form associations conferred by clause (1) (c) may also be imposed by any law relating to labour or education.
—(1) Every person has the right to profess and practise his religion and to propagate it.
(2) No person shall be compelled to pay any tax the proceeds of which are specially allocated in whole or in part for the purposes of a religion other than his own.
(3) Every religious group has the right —
to manage its own religious affairs;
to establish and maintain institutions for religious or charitable purposes; and
to acquire and own property and hold and administer it in accordance with law.
(4) This Article does not authorise any act contrary to any general law relating to public order, public health or morality.
—(1) Without prejudice to the generality of Article 12, there shall be no discrimination against any citizen of Singapore on the grounds only of religion, race, descent or place of birth —
in the administration of any educational institution maintained by a public authority, and, in particular, the admission of pupils or students or the payment of fees; or
in providing out of the funds of a public authority financial aid for the maintenance or education of pupils or students in any educational institution (whether or not maintained by a public authority and whether within or outside Singapore).
(2) Every religious group has the right to establish and maintain institutions for the education of children and provide therein instruction in its own religion, and there shall be no discrimination on the ground only of religion in any law relating to such institutions or in the administration of any such law.
(3) No person shall be required to receive instruction in or to take part in any ceremony or act of worship of a religion other than his own.
(4) For the purposes of clause (3), the religion of a person under the age of 18 years shall be decided by his parent or guardian. | <urn:uuid:e65ee5c9-b97f-43d3-be6f-865b0da8a5b1> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://statutes.agc.gov.sg/aol/search/display/view.w3p;ident=1c961483-74d1-41ab-927f-9e4295c1a997;page=0;query=DocId%3Acf2412ff-fca5-4a64-a8ef-b95b8987728e%20Depth%3A0%20ValidTime%3A01%2F07%2F2010%20TransactionTime%3A01%2F07%2F1999%20Status%3Ainforce;rec=0 | 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 | 0.943927 | 1,388 | 1.703125 | 2 |
North Carolina: We’re not.
The two states on Tuesday were the latest to announce their intentions on the Affordable Care Act’s health insurance exchanges. States have until Feb. 15 to tell HHS whether they’ll retain even some control over the exchanges, or let the Obama administration run the exchanges for them.
By Friday, we’ll know where half a dozen other states stand, too.
Background on Partnership Model
The Affordable Care Act didn’t originally spell out the partnership model; under the law, states faced a binary choice of running their own insurance exchanges or punting the responsibility to the government.
But HHS officials realized they needed to tweak the ACA’s approach, as more than 30 states — increasingly led by Republicans, who took over 11 statehouses in the 2010 election — announced they planned to opt out of the exchanges altogether. This would leave HHS officials with “an awesome task in establishing and operating exchanges in [so many] different states and coordinating those operations with state Medicaid programs and insurance departments,” before open enrollment begins in October 2013, Paul Starr writes in The American Prospect.
As a result, the agency in 2011 introduced the partnership model in hopes of shifting some of the responsibility for running exchanges back to the states.
Under the hybrid approach, the federal government takes on setting up the exchange’s website and other back-end responsibilities, while states keep functions such as approving health plans and setting up consumer assistance programs. HHS also hopes that the partnership model will be a path for states that weren’t ready to run their own exchanges to take them over eventually.
Filed Under: THCBTagged: Affordable Care Act, Arkansas, Avalere, Costs, Dan Diamond, Dan Mendelson, Delaware, Dylan Scott, GOP, HHS, Hybrid Health Insurance Exchanges, Medicaid Expansion, New Hampshire, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Partnership Model, Tennessee, The States, Virginia, West Virginia Feb 13, 2013 | <urn:uuid:5e8e849f-e0e8-4b38-8755-8f48d7fb3464> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://thehealthcareblog.com/blog/tag/west-virginia/ | 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 | 0.93735 | 406 | 1.679688 | 2 |
The 2014 Chevrolet Spark EV will have a $27,495 price tag when it goes on sale in...
Expert: Fisker Karma's engine packaging, not batteries, likely caused fire
Update: Fisker responds to expert's assessment of Fisker Karma fire
A garage fire last week in suburban Houston has been linked to a Fisker Karma plug-in hybrid, but the company quickly noted that the battery remained intact and unplugged -- and did not appear to be the cause.
But if not the battery, then what?
More likely, poor packaging in the engine compartment and exhaust routing generated excess heat. When combined with a fluid leak, that would be enough to create a fire, said Jon Bereisa, CEO of consultancy Auto Lectrification.
Bereisa was chief engineer of General Motors' EV1 and was the systems architect for the Chevrolet Volt, so he knows his way around these sorts of complex problems.
Bereisa has driven the Karma and has nosed around the car's inner workings. When he saw the cramped engine compartment of his test car, he was immediately alarmed.
"That engine is shoehorned into that bay, because they had to use a larger engine, because it was too heavy a car. As a result, there's no room for exhaust routing and heat shielding to route the heat away," Bereisa said in an interview.
The Karma is "using the hell out of that motor-generator," Bereisa said. As a result, a "thermal condition" would be created under the hood or along the tightly packed exhaust routing path. With that sort of heat, an oil, fuel or coolant leak can cause a risk of fire. A major ingredient in coolant is glycol, itself flammable.
Jeremy Gutierrez, the owner of the Fisker Karma, said he smelled rubber when the fire started, according to an account published by Autoweek.
Bereisa said: "You don't smell rubber with batteries, but you will if it's something on the engine."
Why else wouldn't it be the battery?
Bereisa said the battery pack's state of charge likely was mostly used up during its errand run, so it would take a lot of energy and heat to make a heavy battery pack hot enough to ignite. The compartment would have had to been breached -- unlikely for a car that showed no faults during its drive.
By contrast, the recent Chevrolet Volt crash-test battery pack fires were started when engine coolant splashed across a printed circuit board with live voltage, Bereisa said. When a coolant leak runs across a printed circuit board, it makes a conduction path and creates its own short circuit, making the board hot enough to ignite, Bereisa said. But no such event should have happened with the Karma.
"If the pack were to burn down the car, you would see where it started and reached the [battery] case," Bereisa said.
Like the rest of us, Bereisa is awaiting the fire department's official report, but he says, "There's more odds that it's a conventional, heat-related problem in packaging and heat-related leaks."
So far, Fisker is denying that its battery pack is at fault for the fire, but has dispatched its own squadron of engineers to reach a conclusion.
Fisker spokesman Roger Ormisher said Thursday the cause of the fire still "has yet to be ascertained."
"There are myriad combustible materials that could be in the garage, in the wheel arch, or picked up on the roadside. They think the source is around the Karma, but they have not determined any cause yet. We have investigative teams, three insurance companies and the local fire chief all with their opinions. There are some question marks," Ormisher said.
Ormisher said he did not want to debate Bereisa's theories, but he said that, "The Karma has been through all regulatory and certification checks."
Robert Baker, the chief fire inspector for Fort Bend County, Texas, told Autoweek that the fire started in the Karma, not elsewhere in the garage.
"Yes, the Karma was the origin of the fire," Baker said. "But what exactly caused that we don't know at this time."
This article was originally published in Automotive News.
Update: Fisker fires back, refutes expert's theory on garage blaze
So what caused the Sugar Land, Texas, garage fire this week that destroyed a Fisker Karma plug-in hybrid and two other cars?
The local fire inspector told Autoweek that the fire started in the Karma, but said he didn't know the exact cause. On Thursday, EV expert Jon Bereisa suggested to me that the Karma's cramped engine-bay packaging could have created conditions that led to the blaze.
Now Fisker Automotive has fired back, refuting Bereisa's speculation in a detailed statement to Automotive News.
As I noted in a Friday blog, Bereisa said the Karma's tight engine compartment packaging could result in a "thermal condition" and the car's possible inability to diffuse heat away from the engine bay and exhaust system.
Bereisa -- formerly chief engineer of the GM EV1 and systems architect of the Chevrolet Volt, and currently CEO of Auto Letrification LLC -- said: "That engine is shoehorned into that bay, because they had to use a larger engine, because it was too heavy a car. As a result, there's no room for exhaust routing and heat-shielding to route the heat away."
But Fisker says the thermal management of its Karma plug-in hybrid adequately diffuses heat in hot-weather and high-load conditions.
The company says the Karma passed safety certification following, "extreme testing of the vehicle, involving laboratory simulations of thermal incidents and on-the-road tests in extreme climate conditions… No incidents of any kind involving engine systems were found."
In the statement, Paul Boskovitch, Fisker director of powertrain, said: "Our technologies and engine design have been fully tested and certified at the highest level."
"It is irresponsible and ill-informed for technology pundits to suggest otherwise in order to secure media attention for unfounded claims," he said.
Bereisa said he doubted that the battery pack was to blame for the fire that burned the garage and house of Karma owner Jeremy Gutierrez.
But Fisker says: "Cooling algorithms have been developed to ensure that, at power off and under certain conditions, the vehicle cooling fan maintains circulation in the engine compartment in order to remove any excess heat.
"Packaging of the engine and surrounding components has been done within competitive benchmark standards and heat protection sleeves are placed on and around all hoses in or near high heat zones. All exhaust components have properly engineered heat shields and maintain the recommended separation distance between the shield, shielded components and affected components."
Bereisa suggested that a fluid leak of gasoline, oil or coolant could have ignited under such hot operating conditions. But while many coolants contain glycol, a flammable compound, Fisker says it is "using DEX-COOL 50/50 coolant with a zero flammability rating, according to the Chevron Manufacturers Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) #10445."
As for the engine compartment layout, Fisker says: "The brake system booster which contains the brake system fluid is in a protected region behind the fender on the 'cold'side of the engine. The power steering pump and fluid are also located on the 'cold'side of the engine, near the front of the vehicle."
In addition, the cooling system of the Karma has been over-engineered to account for potential high-load situations, the company says.
"The engine power required at 125 mph (top speed) is less than 115 kw, well below the maximum capability of the engine for continuous operation. In addition the engine controls maintain a thermal watch of the engine and at a temperature of 117 [degrees Celcius] begins to limit power in order to maintain coolant temperature below this point. This is well below the engine manufacturer's recommended maximum temperature rating of 127 [degrees Celcius]."
The company also said that the engine was designed "using the latest Computational Fluid Dynamic (CFD) software packages."
"Evaluations of the results were performed both by the Fisker Thermal team and external consultants. Testing involved thorough road and lab exercises, including multiple hot weather trips over thousands of miles of incident-free operation in Death Valley and Palm Springs, Calif. Additional testing was also performed successfully at maximum and sustained speeds [125mph] on the Autobahn in Germany."
Wind-tunnel testing also mimicked conditions in the Middle East and Africa, according to Fisker.
This article was originally published in Automotive News | <urn:uuid:ff9ad197-fc4c-4b61-b0cf-d2f454ea10e9> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.autoweek.com/article/20120511/carnews/120519976/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00006-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.96814 | 1,836 | 1.625 | 2 |
The U.S. continues to experience a very marked slowdown in the growth of health-care costs, despite some widely misinterpreted new reports. And a growing body of evidence suggests the deceleration is driven by more than a temporarily weak economy -- which is good news for the federal budget and for workers.
National health expenditures rose just 3.8 percent from August 2011 to August 2012, according to an Oct. 11 report from the Altarum Institute. And Medicare spending increased by only 3.2 percent in the fiscal year ending in September 2012, according to the Congressional Budget Office.
These are remarkably low growth rates. Consider that over the past four decades Medicare spending increased by more than 10 percent a year.
Nevertheless, last month, many commentators falsely declared the end of the slowdown -- largely exaggerating the findings of a report issued by the Health Care Cost Institute. That report showed expenses for those with employer-sponsored insurance rose 3.8 percent in 2010 and 4.6 percent in 2011.
This modest change was initially described as a "surge." Yet by historical standards even 4.6 percent growth is very low -- and one shouldn't make too much of a 0.8 percentage-point change from one year to the next. What's more, employer- sponsored insurance is only one component of total health spending.
The Altarum figures, which cover total national-health expenditures, also showed a modest acceleration in 2011 -- but then the pace slowed again. "Our data indicate that the 2011 acceleration was not sustained," the report notes. "Spending growth declined in the latter half of 2011 and dropped even further in the most recent months."
So long live the slowdown! | <urn:uuid:d9528b2b-7fe3-4a30-bf0f-2859050e734c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.cfr.org/economics/slower-growth-health-costs-saves-us-billions/p29302?cid=rss-fullfeed-slower_growth_in_health_costs_-101812 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697380733/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516094300-00007-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.959211 | 344 | 1.789063 | 2 |
Although fighting has reached Damascus and Aleppo and momentum seems to favor the rebels, the Syrian military is still robust and the end of the conflict is unlikely to come soon.
Ugarit News via AP video/AP
Despite reports last week that suggested rebel forces were on the verge of major triumphs in Syria, the last few days of fighting there show that a long battle still looms.
Forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar Assad in recent days have tightened their grip on the Lebanese border, re-established control over at least one neighborhood in Damascus and perhaps reached an accommodation with the country’s Kurds that will free up more troops for battle.
Government forces continued to shell parts of Damascus on Monday, a sign that rebel forces were still active there, but Midan, a central neighborhood that rebels took over last week, appeared to be back under government control, and many residents who’d fled the fighting were said to be returning home.
“My family left their houses last Wednesday,” said Abu Omar, a young man from the neighborhood who was reached by phone in Amman, Jordan, where he’d gone to escape the fighting. He asked to be identified by a pseudonym because he feared government retribution for speaking publicly. “They haven’t got back home, but lots of the neighbors did. The shelling has stopped but the soldiers remain.”
South of Midan, government forces reportedly were shelling the neighborhoods of Tadamon, Hajar al Aswad and Yarmouk, and fighting was reported in Barzeh, in north Damascus. But rebel troops were said to have abandoned the neighborhood of Mezzeh after weekend fighting killed at least 13 rebels.
The Syrian military also claimed to have cleared the capital’s Qaboun neighborhood of rebels, though anti-Assad activists said government forces had shelled the area Sunday, suggesting that it remained under rebel control.
Rebel sympathizers reported that fighting also continued in Aleppo, the country’s largest city, though it was unclear whether the rebels had captured any neighborhoods. The Syrian Network for Human Rights, a London-based group that tracks civilian and rebel casualties, reported that 33 people had died in fighting in Aleppo over Saturday and Sunday, and that 94 were killed during the same period in the capital.
Fighting broke out last week in Damascus and Aleppo in what was widely described as the rebels’ first sustained offensive in Syria’s two most important cities, coinciding with a bombing in Damascus that killed the defense minister, his deputy, a senior defense adviser and the deputy intelligence chief.
The bombing, coupled with the offensive, prompted rebel celebrations and speculation, in Syria and elsewhere, that Assad’s end could be near.
But reports in the subsequent days have made it clear that while fighting has spread to the capital and the country’s business center, the Syrian military hasn’t slowed its offensives in other parts of the country and that while momentum may favor the rebels, the end of the conflict isn’t in sight.
Fighting in Homs, the country’s third largest city, continued unabated; the Syrian Network for Human Rights reported a total of 43 people killed Saturday and Sunday. The months-long standoff between rebels and loyalist forces in the city appeared to be unchanged.
“The army is still where it was a month ago,” said Mahmoud Najjar, a spokesman for rebels in Talbiseh, a city of about 60,000 just north of Homs where rebels routed the Syrian army in June. Since then, the military has made a handful of incursions into the city but mostly has shelled it from its outskirts and manned checkpoints on its periphery.
“We still need some help from the air,” Mr. Najjar said, referring to the rebels’ lack of heavy weaponry. In past months, the rebels have proved adept at attacking Syrian army checkpoints and small bases, but they’ve been unable to dislodge the military from larger installations, from which it shells and rockets rebel-held territory across the country.
Rebel control of some border crossings between Syria and Turkey and Iraq appeared to be of questionable strategic value. Iraq reported that it had sealed its borders with Syria, and Syrians in Jordan said that country largely had shut its borders, allowing in only Syrians who could prove they’d been in Jordan previously or who own property in the country.
Syrian activists in Lebanon said a tent camp had been set up near the main border crossing between Beirut and Damascus to accommodate those fleeing the violence. But the Syrian military appeared to have closed most smuggling routes between Syria and Lebanon, the closest border to Homs.
There’s no official tally of deaths in the conflict, but July clearly is headed toward being the conflict’s deadliest month since the anti-Assad uprising began 17 months ago. As of Sunday, the Syrian Network for Human Rights had recorded 2,033 deaths in July. It recorded 2,336 deaths in all of June.
The Syrian government news agency, SANA, which for months had been issuing a daily tally of state funerals for Syrian soldiers and police officers, last published a list of the dead on June 26. Up to that point, June had been the bloodiest month for the Syrian military, with 649 soldiers reported killed.
Other sources indicated that recent fighting has taken a heavy military toll as well, including more than two dozen soldiers and police officers who were executed after rebels captured them.
News agencies quoted Iraqi officials last week as saying that Iraqi troops stationed at the Syrian border had witnessed the deaths of 22 soldiers who’d surrendered when rebels took a border crossing point, and rebels in the town of Al Tal, north of Damascus, told a McClatchy correspondent that they’d executed eight of more than 40 security personnel they’d captured in fighting there. Twenty-five of the captives were freed and the rest, all members of the Alawite religious minority, were being held for a possible prisoner exchange, said the rebels, who are Sunni Muslims.
There were conflicting reports from the country’s Kurdish north that the Syrian government had reached an agreement with Kurdish militiamen and political parties to withdraw from majority Kurdish areas, including Qamishli, the largest city in northeastern Syria. If that’s true, the agreement would free those forces to combat rebel units in other parts of the country.
Syria’s Kurdish minority, which makes up about 10 percent of its population, has largely avoided taking a side in the conflict. Many Kurds remain suspicious of the government and the rebels, and videos of anti-government demonstrations there often prominently feature Kurdish flags in addition to the one the rebels wave.
Massoud Barzani, the president of Iraq’s semi-independent Kurdish region, told the satellite television channel Al Jazeera on Sunday that Kurdish Syrian fighters have been training in Iraq for months and could be deployed to Kurdish cities in Syria. He also said that some parts of northern Syria were already under the control of Kurdish fighters, after the Syrian military had withdrawn, and that Syrian Kurdish groups had won an agreement from the rebels not to attack the Syrian government in Kurdish-controlled territory.
McClatchy special correspondent Austin Tice in Al Tal, Syria, contributed to this report. Enders is a McClatchy special correspondent. Email: firstname.lastname@example.org; Twitter: @davidjenders | <urn:uuid:a64922f4-7a00-4775-b69d-511596849613> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://m.csmonitor.com/World/Latest-News-Wires/2012/0724/Despite-recent-rebel-gains-Assad-s-end-isn-t-imminent | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00013-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.980532 | 1,534 | 1.585938 | 2 |
|This article does not cite any references or sources. (March 2007)|
|First appearance||Titus Groan|
|Last appearance||Titus Groan|
|Created by||Mervyn Peake|
|Title||Earl of Groan|
|Children||Fuchsia Groan, Titus Groan|
|Relatives||Cora and Clarice Groan (sisters)|
He is afflicted by an intense melancholia that leaves him psychologically paralyzed for most of the novel. The movements of his every waking hour are dictated by the “immemorial rites set down in the books of the lore of Groan”, a canon of meaningless, endlessly cross-referenced and encoded ritual that forms the foundation of the decaying Gormenghast society.
This lore is interpreted for Sepulchrave by his Master of Ritual, Sourdust, who meets him at a lavish breakfast every morning; a breakfast that is never eaten and which is left to waste. Sepulchrave has no appetite and is moved by no emotion other than weary and unrelenting depression. However, his frozen heart is mildly stirred at the outset of 'Titus Groan' by the news of the birth of his son.
The only relief afforded to Sepulchrave from his misery is literature. He is variously described as having a powerful but listless intellect. His imbecile sisters Cora and Clarice remark; “He’s very clever but he learns it all from books.” His sanctuary or fortress of solitude is the Library, a building in Gormenghast to which he retires every night after his ceremonial duties have been discharged and in which he remains reading until the small hours of the morning. The Library is located in the shadow of the Tower of Flints, the heart of Gormenghast and a Dark Tower that comes to dominate Sepulchrave's mind. His melancholia infects the very air of the library; ‘imparting its illness on either side.’ He reads of every subject but he is drawn particularly to poetry. Fragments of the fictional poets that he reads allow Peake to exercise his considerable poetic gifts within the novel.
And his appearance, as described in Titus Groan: Sepulchrave’s appearance and age are ambiguous. He is described almost entirely in terms of his emotional state. However, we learn that he possesses a fine aquiline nose and seems to be a tall, slender, elegant and quixotic figure, with a pale complexion and large expressive eyes. He dresses in the robes and vestments prescribed by the rituals of Gormenghast; they may be rags or silk. He sometimes wears the iron crown of Groan, with its four arrowhead points from which depend slim linked chains.
After the burning of his library, Sepulchrave goes mad, believing himself to be the ‘The Death Owl’; this affects his appearance: his nose becomes “more forceful”, his eyes become round and devoid of all emotion, his mouth “might as well not be there”.
Birth of Titus
On the day of Titus’s birth, Sepulchrave is engaged in another round of empty ritual. However, after the birth, he meets with Doctor Prunesquallor in an upper corridor outside the room of his wife, Gertrude. During the course of the conversation, he displays some interest in the condition of his child and inquires whether the doctor “…notices anything strange, unusual about his (Titus’s) face.” The Doctor replies that “Professionally speaking. I should say the face was irregular.” Sepulchrave is distressed: “Tell me the truth; have you ever delivered a more hideous child?!”
The Fire
The destruction of Sepulchrave’s library is entirely masterminded by Steerpike, the ruthlessly Machiavellian scullion, to further his personal interests, although he pretends that he is doing it in order to advance Sepulchrave’s idiot sisters, Cora and Clarice, who are monomaniacs obsessed with power. Steerpike engineers a daring rescue from the flames of several characters including Sepulchrave, Titus, Gertrude, Fuchsia, Flay, Doctor Alfred Prunesquallor and Irma Prunesquallor. The Master of Ritual Sourdust, however, perishes of asphyxiation and is consumed.
The Holocaust drives Sepulchrave insane; he at first seeks solace by playing with pine-cones with Fuchsia, pretending that they are his lost books, before undergoing a psychological transformation into the character of the Death Owl: He howls and hoots, perches on the mantelpiece, eats mice and has to be frequently sedated by Doctor Prunesquallor. At the dinner table, in the chapter entitled ‘The Reveries’, Sepulchraves mind is filled with the thoughts of the owls “whose child I am”.
Death of Sepulchrave
After Mr. Flay duels with and eventually overcomes his nemesis Abiatha Swelter, Sepulchrave appears, ghost-like and claims the gigantic corpse in the name of the owls to whom he intends to offer it. He drags the body to the Tower of Flints, where it and he are torn apart and devoured. He thus characterizes his suicide as a form of dark catharsis or transformation. The impression is not one of freedom, however, but rather his absorption into the shadow-life of the castle.
His death remains a mystery to all but Flay until he relates the manner of it to Fuchsia and Titus during his exile. | <urn:uuid:27c77919-1617-43c1-9e1f-8dcaeeda11e3> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sepulchrave | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704392896/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113952-00007-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.96502 | 1,226 | 1.757813 | 2 |
IT is Scotland's version of Canary Wharf - and it's made in Govan.
In one of the most unlikely transformations, a site at the forefront of Glasgow's Industrial Revolution is now taking shape as the heart of Glasgow's digital revolution.
Pacific Quay, a 60-acre former dockland site which became the home of the Glasgow Garden Festival in 1988, is the city's new media quarter.
By the end of this year both BBC and STV and a host of smaller multi-media organisations will have relocated there.
The Science Centre is already a popular tourist attraction and a cafe society culture is now expected to spring up on the south bank of the River Clyde.
In five years' time, more than 3500 people will be employed at Pacific Quay and there will be ultra-modern transport links to the city centre - including futuristic tram-style buses (Clyde Fastlink) which will run across the Squinty Bridge.
The quay, which is directly across the Clyde from the SECC, is costing £500million to redevelop.
It will even be home to the Glasgow base for the Clyde to Loch Lomond seaplane service, due to begin operations later this summer.
Colum Halforty, Scottish Enterprise Glasgow's director of competitive infrastructure, said: "Scotland has the highest concentration of companies in the creative industries sector outside of London.
"Although development is focusing on Pacific Quay it is expected to have significant knock-on benefits for the wider Govan area. The digital media and creative sectors account for 21,000 jobs in the city including broadcasting, publishing, the arts and multimedia industries.
"This new media quarter presents a great opportunity to create a distinctive and dedicated centre of excellence with a range of property options for the creative industries within the city."
Mr Halforty said the area has also been marketed internationally in a bid to attract foreign media companies.
He added: "It is all very well people in Glasgow and Scotland knowing about this place but we want to reach a wider audience. Word is already getting out."
Pacific Quay is already home to Glasgow Science Centre, which features an IMAX cinema and the 127-metre high Glasgow Tower.
Radio station XFM Scotland is based there, as are Film City Glasgow and STV's owners Scottish Media Group.
And the BBC has started its move from Queen Margaret Drive into its new Scottish headquarters next to the Science Centre.
Over the next few years more buildings will sprout up around the old canting basin, where ships used to turn before heading back down the River Clyde.
Next to the IMAX cinema, a new high-quality "signature" restaurant will be built.
Next to that will be the 30,000sq ft Medius building, which is expected to be complete in December. It will house a number of smaller digital media companies.
And on the site beside that a 70,000 sq ft building will be home to more companies as well as a cafe and media conference centre. A media business centre will be built at the entrance to the quay which Mr Halforty hopes will be seen as a "gateway building".
On the south side of the basin there will be smaller units built to meet demand.
Mr Halforty said: "We see this very much as an extension of the city centre and particularly as part of the SECC development."
He pointed out the site was accessed by the Clyde Arc - or Squinty Bridge as it is affectionately known - and by two pedestrian bridges, the Bells Bridge and the Millennium Bridge.
"In the next few years the new Clyde fastlink service will come into operation and that will put this area on the public transport map.
"We are also talking about how we can link in with the rest of Govan and how this work can benefit the people who already live here."
He said European money had been granted for the project on the understanding that more than 3000 people would be employed there by 2012.
"We are well on our way to achieving that figure, in fact I am sure we will exceed it." The new STV building is a key part of the new Pacific Quay development which will offer Glaswegians a whole new range of services How Prince's Dock looked in 1960 Dock was at heart of shipyards' golden age
THE dockland which now houses Pacific Quay was one of the busiest Clydeside docks during the river's shipbuilding heyday.
Originally a market garden, work began in 1890 to create Cessnock Dock. Seven years later it was officially opened by the Duke of York and renamed Prince's Dock.
It had three inner basins, more than two miles of quays and 35 acres of water space. It was the first dock in Glasgow to use heavy cranes to lift engines and boilers.
There were two-storey warehouses, coal hoists and a maze of railway sidings and it was used to export coal from the Lanarkshire pits and to import limestone and iron ore from elsewhere.
The Clyde Navigation Trust spent more than £1million to equip the dock, including building a hydraulic power station at the south-eastern tip of the site to power the cranes.
The A-listed red brick power station has been converted to offices and is known as the Four Winds building.
In 1971 the quays were closed down, all the sheds flattened, cranes removed and all the basins - except the canting basin - infilled with rubble from nearby demolished tenements.
The site was redeveloped by the Scottish Development Agency to house the Glasgow Garden Festival in 1988.
It was inherited by Scottish Enterprise Glasgow and the new developments have been almost 20 years in the planning.
Yesterday the Evening Times told how Scottish enterprise Glasgow boss Stuart Patrick believes he can put up to £8000 in every Glaswegian's pocket by creating 50,000 well-paid jobs in the next 10 years. | <urn:uuid:4b60b5b7-a21a-4d8f-8a06-d2f8790dd3ac> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/technology-is-the-quay-1.951231 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00004-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.967781 | 1,225 | 1.828125 | 2 |
Elections in Belarus criticised by observers
WESTERN OBSERVERS and European Union states have condemned the conduct of elections in Belarus that filled parliament with supporters of autocratic president Alexander Lukashenko.
Two opposition parties boycotted Sunday’s vote, saying it would be a sham, and they ridiculed results that gave 109 parliamentary seats to pro-Lukashenko candidates and put voter turnout at 74 per cent.
“The blatant violations in these elections make it clear to everyone that Belarus is the last dictatorship in the heart of Europe,” said German foreign minister Guido Westerwelle. “Together with our European partners we will increase our efforts to push for the release of political prisoners, to strengthen Belarus civil society and to isolate president Lukashenko and his regime even more.”
Matteo Mecacci, co-ordinator of a short-term observer mission from the 56-nation Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), which is chaired this year by Ireland, said: “This election was not competitive from the start.
“A free election depends on people being free to speak, organise and run for office, and we didn’t see that in this campaign. We stand ready to work with Belarus to take the steps forward that are in our common interest.”
The OSCE reported the election campaign “was barely visible” and media coverage “did not provide a wide range of views. Candidates who called for an election boycott had their free access to media coverage denied or censored. Media coverage focused on the president and government, with minimal attention given to candidates.”
Poor counting procedures and the alleged bias of the election commissions also undermined the ballot, the OSCE claimed. Observers from Russia and other ex-Soviet states found no fault with the elections. Parliament in Belarus serves largely to stamp the edicts of Mr Lukashenko, who has ruled his country of 9½ million people for 18 years.
Hopes of an improvement in relations between Minsk and the West were dashed in December 2010, when police cracked down hard on people who rallied in protest at Mr Lukashenko’s allegedly fraudulent re-election.
Several opposition leaders were jailed and the EU subsequently broadened sanctions against Belarusian firms and officials and businessmen close to Mr Lukashenko.
He does enjoy widespread support in Belarus, however, particularly among older people and in the provinces. They see him as a guarantor of stability who will ensure the provision of basic payments and services while preventing the kind of upheaval seen in other ex-Soviet states such as Ukraine and Georgia over the last decade.
Western states that desire change in Belarus hoped Mr Lukashenko would be weakened by a severe financial crisis that struck the country last year, but Russia stabilised the situation with a multibillion-euro loan in exchange for an opportunity to buy Belarus’s gas pipeline network.
After voting in Minsk on Sunday, Mr Lukashenko called opposition leaders “cowards who have nothing to say to the people”. | <urn:uuid:a4e2a608-be16-4a46-ac55-2edc50dd4ce9> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.irishtimes.com/news/elections-in-belarus-criticised-by-observers-1.537564 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00018-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.96891 | 636 | 1.820313 | 2 |
By Louis Charbonneau
UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - A shipment of graphite cylinders usable in a missile program and suspected to have come from North Korea was found in May aboard a Chinese ship en route to Syria in what appears to have been a violation of U.N. sanctions, diplomats said on Tuesday.
South Korean officials seized the shipment of 445 graphite cylinders, which had been declared as lead piping, from a Chinese vessel called the Xin Yan Tai, U.N. Security Council diplomats told Reuters on condition of anonymity.
South Korean authorities stopped the ship at the South Korean port of Busan, the envoys said, adding that the cylinders were intended for a Syrian company called Electric Parts.
South Korean officials briefed the Security Council's North Korea sanctions committee about the seizure on October 24, the envoys said, and China had offered to help investigate the circumstances surrounding the incident.
"It appears the cylinders were intended for Syria's missile program," a diplomat said. "China assured us they will investigate what looks like a violation of U.N. sanctions."
Another diplomat said: "It's possible that the crew of the Chinese ship had no idea what this shipment really was. It's good that China's expressed a willingness to investigate."
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said that China strictly followed U.N. resolutions and its own non-proliferation export controls.
"China will handle behavior that violates relevant U.N. Security Council resolutions and China's laws and regulations according to the law," he told reporters in Beijing.
Diplomats said the graphite cylinders appeared to be consistent with material usable in a ballistic missile program and that South Korea would be jointly investigating the case with China.
The shipment to Syria was arranged by a North Korean trading company, diplomats said. One diplomat said the Syrian company that was to have received the cylinders may be a subsidiary of the North Korean trading firm.
North Korea is barred from importing or exporting nuclear and missile technology under U.N. Security Council sanctions imposed on Pyongyang because of its nuclear tests in 2006 and 2009.
There are U.S. and European Union sanctions on Syria, but no U.N. arms embargo against the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, who has led a 20-month military campaign against an increasingly militarized opposition.
Russia and Iran have been Assad's main arms suppliers.
Earlier this year, the Security Council's Panel of Experts on North Korea, a group of independent experts that monitors compliance with the U.N. sanctions regime, said it was investigating reports of possible weapons-related deals between Pyongyang and Syria as well as Myanmar.
"The DPRK (North Korea) continues actively to defy the measures in the (U.N. sanctions) resolutions," the panel said in May.
(Additional reporting by Michael Martina in Beijing, Editing by Jonathan Thatcher) | <urn:uuid:63f0864b-b558-4b0d-85d2-0b10a4fab6d1> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://wixx.com/news/articles/2012/nov/14/suspected-north-korea-missile-parts-seized-en-route-to-syria-in-may/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00011-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.972765 | 588 | 1.726563 | 2 |
Citizens Medal: Behind the Scenes
On October 20th, President Obama presented the 2011 Presidential Citizens Medal to 13 individuals, recognizing the incredible work they have done to improve the lives of their neighbors, their fellow Americans, and people around the world.
I first spoke with the honorees almost a month earlier, when I had the privilege of calling to inform them that they had been selected from a pool of nearly 6000 nominees to receive the nation’s second-highest civilian honor. Each person’s reaction was memorable in its own way: some were in disbelief, others began to cry, and some, like Ida Martin, responded to the news that they would be receiving a presidential award with an excited, “When?”
In the following weeks, a team from the Office of Public Engagement helped the honorees prepare for the trip to Washington and for the ceremony itself. As we developed relationships with each of them, we grew more and more excited for the big day. What struck us most was that although the honorees were accomplished activists and leaders of life-changing organizations, they were also sincere, down-to-earth people. They would often begin phone calls by thanking us for our time and saying how humbled they were by this honor, and always conveyed their appreciation for the help we provided.
From these small moments, we could tell that the medals were going to people who truly deserved them. The honorees spoke to us using the same philosophy that they took to work each day: that everyone should be treated with kindness and respect.
President Barack Obama greets the 2011 Presidential Citizens Medal recipients in the Blue Room of the White House prior to a medal ceremony in the East Room, Oct. 20, 2011. The Citizens Medal, the nation's second-highest civilian honor, recognizes Americans who perform "exemplary deeds of service." (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
On the day of the ceremony we finally had the opportunity to meet the honorees in person, as well as their friends and family. Roberto Perez invited a mentor who had inspired him to devote his life to public service; Michelle McIntyre-Brewer was joined by her husband, U.S. Army Captain Steven Brewer, and their children; many families had three or more generations represented, including parents, children and grandchildren.
It was a memorable day for everyone involved. Meeting such inspirational leaders and recognizing them for their service to their fellow citizens and to individuals across the globe reminded each of us why we love working for the Office of Public Engagement.
Be sure to check out the Citizens Medal website to learn more about the honorees and their incredible stories.
Anne Filipic is a Deputy Director in the Office of Public Engagement.
White House Blogs
- The White House Blog
- Middle Class Task Force
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- Office of Public Engagement
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- Open Government
- Faith and Neighborhood Partnerships
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- Office National Drug Control Policy | <urn:uuid:a25d454b-b483-44ce-85b4-b6d658245d59> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2011/10/28/citizens-medal-behind-scenes | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00015-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.976787 | 666 | 1.75 | 2 |
§ 79. Air-Commodore Harvey
asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many murders have taken place in Greater London and elsewhere in the country since 1st January, 1948; and how many convictions have taken place.
91. Mr. Wilson Harris
asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many murders were committed in England and Wales in the fourth quarters of 1947 and 1948, respectively.
§ 94. Mr. Benson
asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will give the known number of cases of murder, other than those of children under one year of age, for each month of the year 1948.
95. Mr. Paton
asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will give the number of murders known to the police in England and Wales in each of the following periods: seven weeks ended 14th April, 1948, seven weeks beginning 15th April, 1948, seven weeks ended 18th November, 1948, and seven weeks beginning 19th November, 1948, respectively.
§ Mr. Ede
Following are the particulars so far as they are available. The figures, which relate to England and Wales are provisional and are compiled from returns received from the various police forces which are subsequently checked against returns received from the courts. Not all the court returns are yet available, and the figures given for the latter part of 1948 include a number of cases which have not yet been dealt with by the courts. Moreover, the court returns 169W as they become available, will show that, in a number of cases, verdicts other than "guilty of murder" have been returned.
MURDERS AND CONVICTIONS DURING 1948 Murders Convictions Metropolitan Police District 39 5 Remainder of the Country 134 25
MURDERS DURING THE FOURTH QUARTERS OF 1947 AND 1948 1947 1948 42 55
MURDERS (OTHER THAN THOSE OF CHILDREN UNDER ONE YEAR) FOR EACH MONTH OF 1948 January … 11 July … 8 February … 11 August … 12 March … 8 September … 12 April … 14 October … 13 May … 13 November … 12 June … 9 December … 25
MURDERS DURING FOUR PERIODS OF 1948 7 weeks ending 14th April, 1948 … 19 7 weeks beginning 15th April, 1948 … 25 7 weeks ending 18th November, 1948 … 17 6 weeks beginning 19th November, 1948 … 28 (Figures are not yet available for any period after the 31st December, 1948). | <urn:uuid:039caadd-dc0f-43f2-ab66-7f60f8961f55> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://hansard.millbanksystems.com/written_answers/1949/jan/27/murders-and-convictions | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00010-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.945149 | 527 | 1.59375 | 2 |
1. Who was your favorite character? Why?
2. Which character do you identify with the most strongly?
3. Each character, to some degree, feels her self-worth is determined by what a man thinks of her, particularly in terms of her beauty. Do you think this has changed or is the 21st century essentially like every other century?
4. Karen's mother is the most loving and involved of all the mothers represented yet she is a mixed bag. She reinforces the message that girls are judged by their looks; do you think this was kind of her or cruel? What was her motivation?
5. The four main characters are very different yet they are drawn together and form a firm, lifelong bond. What do you think it is that binds them?
6. The story is told from the perspective of four women. What was your impression of the men in the book?
7. Why do you think Karen was in love with Greg for so long? Why do you think she was unfaithful?
8. Doug Anderson plays a pivotal role in the lives of the women and in their relationship to each other. Have you ever had a man impact your female friendships like that?
9. Do you know anyone like Laurie, someone who is habitually attracted to the wrong sort of man, the kind who can't commit?
10. Ellen's self-esteem is bruised by her father's continual mocking of her appearance, yet she's a fighter by nature. Do you think she was successful in her ability to leave the messages of childhood behind?
11. In loving Megan, the women see echoes of themselves at her age. Has Megan learned from their experience? Do you think she loves and accepts herself more than they did at the same age? Is it possible for older women to teach younger women to like themselves?
12. What ideas did you have about sorority girls before reading the book? Did the characters change your perspective or reinforce it?
13. Did you ever consider joining a sorority? Why or why not? If you were in a sorority, are you happy you joined? | <urn:uuid:d4385577-0f53-4c9f-8240-1d4dd66114e6> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://claudiawelch.net/reading_groups.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00011-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.988186 | 434 | 1.507813 | 2 |
President Abbas condemned the attack on a Palestinian refugee camp in Syria on Thursday which killed at least 20 people and wounded 65, a statement from his office said.
Witnesses in Yarmouk camp told Reuters by telephone that mortars hit a busy street as people were preparing a Ramadan meal to break their fasting.
"I saw it all, I was going to my house when the first round hit the street, people ran to check the damage when the second one hit the same area," a resident said.
"Many people were killed immediately," she said.
Doctors at three nearby hospitals said at least 20 people were killed and 65 wounded.
Yarmouk camp is the largest Palestinian refugee community and is home to more than 100,000 people.
It was not immediately clear what prompted the shelling.
President Abbas' office stressed that the Palestinian position towards Syria was not to interfere in Syrian internal affairs, and that refugee camps in the country would remain neutral.
The office of the presidency called for an end to violence in refugee camps.
Last week, forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar Assad bombed a hospital in Damascus' Yarmouk refugee camp, Palestinian sources had told Ma'an.
The Syrian army was targeting the hospital because medics were treating wounded from all sides, while Assad's regime only allowed its own soldiers to be treated, sources said.
A Red Crescent medical complex also suffered widespread damage from shelling. There is now only one functioning hospital in Yarmouk camp.
The following day, forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar Assad detained injured patients from the Palestine Hospital in Damascus, taking them to an unknown destination, sources said.
Syrian President Bashar Assad is trying to crush a 17-month revolt against his rule in which more than 18,000 people have been killed. | <urn:uuid:cfa704fc-f918-4c4a-93eb-ca23870babdb> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://palestinechronicle.com/old/news.php?id=3275&mode=details | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00008-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.984439 | 363 | 1.53125 | 2 |
New economic numbers and reports are easy to come by, but they don't seem to help us understand what's going on in the U.S. economy. One day things look positive, then there's reason to worry. Why are we getting mixed economic signals, and how can we make sense of them?
From The Washington Post:
"Just as economists began hoping that the recovery was reaching takeoff speed, Britain has slipped into a double-dip recession.
'Now you have boomlets... but you don't have a sort of consistent pattern,' said Dennis Jacobe, chief economist at Gallup. 'It's trying to run with weights on your legs.'"
Jacome will join The Daily Circuit Tuesday to help us make sense of the latest economic reports. Russell Roberts, research fellow at the Hoover Institution, will also join the discussion.
We've also received a lot of general questions from listeners about the economy. We'll take some time to answer questions about some of the basic economic ideas that are shaping our world today. | <urn:uuid:9e070b1d-6ef5-44d6-89e3-c4620250cdf9> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2012/05/01/daily-circuit-mixed-economic-signals | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00013-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.971924 | 209 | 1.585938 | 2 |
"Prophet Puzzle" Revisited by Dan Vogel (Off Site)
Joseph Smith's Civil War Prophecy (Off Site)
Did Joseph Smith make an accurate prophecy or was his 'prophecy' just a product of his environment?
Joseph Smith biography by C. Clark Julius (Off Site)
Joseph Smith's various First Vision accounts (Off Site) compiled by W. V. Smith
Joseph Smith as a Prophet by Richard Packham (1998)
Joseph Smith fails to pass the test of a true prophet, even by his own standards or those of his followers.
|Top of Page| | <urn:uuid:cd5452cb-b0b2-4810-9b7a-4f6ab55508d6> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.infidels.org/library/modern/theism/mormonism/smith.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697974692/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095254-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.95574 | 125 | 1.507813 | 2 |
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- Kundera, Milan Born 1929. Czech-born writer best known for his novels, including The Joke (1967), The Book of Laughter and Forgetting (1979), and The Unbearable Lightness of Being (1984), all of which exhibit his extreme, though often comical, skepticism.
“Kundera is really telling us that when the state becomes so powerful that trustfulness between human beings is destroyed, then men and women become ruthless towards each other.”
“Apparently, Milan Kundera is causing untold suffering in his native country:”
“Kundera is definitely WHAM material, and other more recent authors.”
“Well, I think The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera is pretty good.”
“As a beginning writer and a long time reader, I find myself thinking Kundera is an example of what I don’t want to be and Atwood is an example for what I dream of becoming.”
“For years now the nice Mr. Raman has been introducing me to books I've very much enjoyed by authors such as Kundera, Vikram Seth, Bulgakov, Orhan Pamuk, R.K. Narayan and Saramago.”
“To a large extent, we try to present living writers and very young writers, but we cannot ignore established writers such as Kundera, Kafka or Hrabal because, thanks to them, Czech literature is known throughout the world," he said.”
“Ms. Schnier cites the Czech dissident writer Milan Kundera, who described the "men and women who were falsely charged with crimes against the state, convicted in sham trials, and hanged.”
“He is different from Hesse or, say, Milan Kundera in that he is a philosopher first and a novelist second.”
‘Kundera’ hasn't been added to any lists yet.
Looking for tweets for Kundera. | <urn:uuid:b34dba92-057c-4d2c-9ddc-ef114e6c9a0f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.wordnik.com/words/Kundera | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00020-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.966461 | 440 | 1.695313 | 2 |
By Michelle Floyd
COVINGTON - With school starting again Monday, school system and Sheriff's Office officials are urging drivers to use caution in neighborhoods and school zones.
"Traffic is going to be bad Monday," said Newton County Sheriff's Office Lt. Charles Ledford.
Although all school zones will be heavy with traffic during pick up and drop off times, he said Newton County drivers should expect especially heavy delays at South Salem Elementary and Liberty Middle schools on Salem Road and the new Live Oak Elementary on Kirkland Road. He also said the area of Jack Neely Road and Fairview Road with Clements Middle and Fairview Elementary schools may be heavy since they have limited bus transportation.
"Everybody needs to be careful because there's going to be a lot of confusion with the new schools and new school zones," Ledford said.
Sherri Viniard, director of public relations at the Newton County School System, advised that parents or those who plan to drop off or pick up students should visit the school before the first day to familiarize themselves with traffic patterns and any changes.
"The car rider traffic or parking procedures may be different," she said. "Every year we have someone who will pull into the bus lane instead of the car rider lane on the first day of school, and it impedes the flow of traffic."
Some schools also may prefer parents of younger children to walk in their children to the school on the first day, rather than drop them off, but they need to park in the appropriate areas.
"We've actually had parents park in the car rider line and walk their kids in, and that backs up traffic," Viniard said.
During the school year, some schools also may not let parents check out students after a certain time due to the strain on already heavy traffic.
Ledford said schools will have staff helping move along parents and students, and at least one officer will be stationed at each school, but traffic tends to be heavy for the first few days of school.
"It usually takes two to three days to get it all worked out," Ledford said. "Usually it smooths out after that. Until then, be careful and be patient."
Adult drivers and students also need to pay attention to buses in neighborhoods and in school zones, officials said.
Chuck Brasher, director of transportation for NCSS, said students and parents should be punctual and patient.
"We advise that children be at the bus stop at least five minutes early and everyone should be prepared for it to be slow for the first few days," he said. "Parents should expect some changes as we always have to adjust routes once school begins.
· When backing out of a driveway or leaving a garage, watch out for children walking or bicycling to school.
· When driving in neighborhoods with school zones, watch out for young people who may be thinking about getting to school, but may not be thinking of getting there safely.
· Slow down. Watch for children walking in the street, especially if there are no sidewalks in neighborhood.
· Slow down. Watch for children playing and congregating near bus stops.
· Be alert. Children arriving late for the bus may dart into the street with out looking for traffic.
· Get to the bus stop at least five minutes before the bus is scheduled to arrive.
· When the bus approaches, stand at least three giant steps (6 feet) away from the curb, and line up away from the street.
· Wait until the bus stops, the door opens and the driver says that it's OK before stepping onto the bus.
· If you have to cross the street in front of the bus, walk on the sidewalk or along the side of the road to a point at least five giant steps (10 feet) ahead of the bus before you cross. Be sure that the bus driver can see you and you can see the bus driver.
· Use the handrails to avoids falls. When exiting the bus, be careful that clothing with drawstrings and book bags with straps don't get caught in the handrails or doors.
· Never walk behind the bus.
· Walk at least three giant steps away from the side of the bus.
· If you drop something near the bus, tell the bus driver. Never try to pick it up because the driver may not be able to see you.
· Teach children to follow these common sense practices to make school bus transportation safer.
Source: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
SideBar: Georgia Sales Tax Holiday
· When: 12:01 a.m. July 30-midnight Aug. 2
· Where: stores statewide
· More Information: www.dor.ga.gov
· General school supplies up to $20 per item
· Clothing and footwear up to $100 per item
· Single purchase of personal computers and related accessories up to $1,500
· Books that aren't children's books, dictionaries and thesauruses
· Medical supplies
· General clothing accessories
· Rented or leased items
· Action and adventure computer games and software
· Digital cameras | <urn:uuid:364107ce-1ce1-4228-9300-7172faa92905> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.newtoncitizen.com/news/2009/jul/31/ready-for-schoolbr-officials-urge-traffic-safety/?news | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00003-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.961368 | 1,050 | 1.53125 | 2 |
Looking for peace of mind that my cat wasn't in pain before she died.
My cat appeared to have trouble eating; I thought she might have bad teeth causing her pain so I took her to the vet. Vet said she did have a bad tooth but it was unlikely to cause her so much pain that she would have trouble eating and was more concerned that her bladder was full. Was told to keep an eye on her at home and check whether she was urinating.
At home she was still using her litter try but I never saw any urine. It was hard to tell if she was urinating because she spent time in the garden. Then a few days later she looked like she was finding it hard to get comfortable. Usually she would curl up and sleep on my lap for hours but she started stretching out on the floor and sleeping there.
I took her back to the vets who examined her bladder and abdomen. The cat then appeared to go into shock, started breathing rapidly, urinating and defecating. Vet said the way she was breathing was not good, she was in pain and injected her with Vetergesic for pain relief and antibiotics (to rule out infection). She said it wasn't looking good and it would be best for her to leave her to be x-rayed and collect her later.
She called me later at home to say the x-ray had shown an internal mass that may be pressing on organs and the kindest thing would be to put her down. She also said something may have popped when she was being examined.
I said I would like to see her before making the decision to put her down. They said that she was sleeping from the sedation given for the x-ray. I feel awful as they gave her a reversal sedative so she would wake up and I would be able to say goodbye. I feel extremely guilty that when she woke up she may have been in pain and the shock of everything caused her to pass away.
They were not sure what caused her to pass away but said it would be likely if I have left her at home she would have died from the internal mass.
My main questions is - is it likely that the x-ray sedative and reversal would have counteracted the Vetergesic, meaning she would have been in pain when she woke?
Looking back the kindest thing would have been to leave her to sleep rather than me getting them to wake her up. But I wasn't thinking straight at all at the time, all I wanted to do was collect her and take her home to make the hard decision overnight. | <urn:uuid:e4056908-9516-4896-a5ba-a74fcbbb8db2> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.emmathevet.co.uk/askthevet.asp | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00012-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.996672 | 529 | 1.515625 | 2 |
January 22, 2009
from WebOfDebt Website
On a recent visit to Tucson, where I was invited to give a presentation on monetary reform, I was disturbed by a story of strange goings on in the desert. A little over a year ago, it seems, a new industrial facility sprang up on the edge of town. It was in a remote industrial zone and appeared to be a bus depot.
The new enterprise was surrounded by an imposing security fence and bore no outward signs identifying its services. However, it soon became apparent that the compound was in the business of outfitting a fleet of prison buses.
Thirty or so secondhand city buses were being reconfigured with prison bars in the windows and a coat of fresh paint bearing the “Wackenhut G4S” logo on the side.
The new Wackenhut operation is shrouded in mystery.
It has been running its
fleet of empty prison buses night and day, apparently logging miles on a
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) contract. Multiple buses can be seen
driving all over town and even on remote desert back roads. Oddly, except
for the driver and one escort guard seated in front, these buses appear to
Observers originally thought that the purpose of the new Wackenhut operation was to outfit prison buses to be distributed in other parts of the country.
But it soon became apparent that none of the buses was leaving the Tucson depot. Recently, a passerby observed what appeared to be a training operation there. In what seemed to be strange activity for 10:30 PM on a Saturday night, the depot yard was fully illuminated, the entire fleet of buses was up and running, and drivers and guards were scrambling around the yard.
The question is, what were they
But if so,
There is another interesting piece to this puzzle.
On the desolate plain between Phoenix and Tucson is a tiny town called Florence, Arizona, which features a population consisting largely of prisoners. For decades, Florence has been the home of two of the largest county and federal prisons in the state; and in 2007, a vast new DHS prison was built there as well. Like the Wackenhut buses, this shiny new facility, which literally disappears into the horizon, has gone unannounced and unnoticed by the general public.
facility for imprisoning illegal aliens? It is hard to imagine such
expensive infrastructure being built for that purpose when U.S. policy has
been to simply return illegals to their home countries.
Since the World Trade Center disaster in 2001, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has grown to monster proportions, claiming a projected $50 billion of the federal budget in 2009.
DHS includes the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), which earned notoriety in 2005 for its gross mishandling of the Katrina disaster in New Orleans.
Al Martin, a retired naval intelligence officer and former contributor to the Presidential Council of Economic Advisors, has linked the remilitarization of FEMA to the civil unrest anticipated along with economic collapse.
He wrote in a November 2005 newsletter called “Behind the Scenes in the Beltway”:
1. Al Martin, “FEMA, CILFs and State Security: Shocking Updates,” wwwalmartinraw.com (November 28, 2005).
Of course, there may be another, more innocent explanation for all this.
But anyone living near one of these facilities should be asking to hear it. In the meantime, the ominous implications would seem to warrant exploring alternative sources of funding for the federal budget and the federal debt. There are other ways to deal with the national debt than relying on the waning appetites of the Chinese and the Japanese for U.S. securities.
innovative possibilities for funding both the federal debt and President Obama’s new economic stimulus package will be the subject of future | <urn:uuid:252e1e74-1ef2-4d3c-996a-cb24fe9b09bf> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.bibliotecapleyades.net/sociopolitica/esp_sociopol_wackenhut09.htm | 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 | 0.966312 | 798 | 1.710938 | 2 |
The arts is a broad subdivision of culture, composed of many creative endeavors and disciplines. It is a broader term than "art," which as a description of a field usually means only the arts.The arts encompasses visual arts, literature and the performing arts - music, drama, dance and film, among others.
The List Cafe is an all-around entertainment website with great lists of trivia on every topic under the sun, featuring the odd, fun, and interesting. There’s also a strong social component for our members, and lots of new stuff to be added over time. So come on and join us at the List Cafe, we’ll give you a cookie… seriously!
Modern Acoustic is devoted to music that interests me. What kind of music is that? Well, it can be anything from acoustic to electric, from singer-songwriter to full bands, and from folk to rock to jazz. What you won't find are celebrity interviews or musicians heard regularly on commercial radio stations. | <urn:uuid:b1266e05-5fc0-424a-9d92-8cb05229f5ae> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.addyourblog.com/arts-culture_12.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00008-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.966106 | 204 | 1.507813 | 2 |
, is a musical
Musical theatre is a form of theatre combining songs, spoken dialogue, acting, and dance. The emotional content of the piece – humor, pathos, love, anger – as well as the story itself, is communicated through the words, music, movement and technical aspects of the entertainment as an...
Pantomime — not to be confused with a mime artist, a theatrical performer of mime—is a musical-comedy theatrical production traditionally found in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Jamaica, South Africa, India, Ireland, Gibraltar and Malta, and is mostly performed during the...
written by Sandy Wilson
Sandy Wilson is an English composer and lyricist, best known for his musical The Boy Friend .-Biography:Wilson was born Alexander Galbraith Wilson in Sale, Greater Manchester, and was educated at Harrow School and Oriel College, Oxford. During the war he served in the Royal Ordnance Corps in Great...
for the inaugural Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
Pantomime at the newly refurbished Lyric Theatre, Hammersmith. It played during the Christmas pantomime season of 1979/80 at the theatre, (opening on 21 December 1979) and starred Richard Freeman, Joe Melia, Aubrey Woods
Aubrey Woods is an English actor. He was born in London.His television credits include: Z-Cars, Up Pompeii!, Doctor Who , Blake's 7, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Auf Wiedersehen, Pet and Ever Decreasing Circles...
, and Ernest Clark
Ernest Clark was a British actor of stage, television and film.-Early life:Clark was the son of a master builder in Maida Vale, and was educated nearby at St Marylebone Grammar School. After leaving school he became a reporter on a local newspaper in Croydon...
The Aladdin story
Aladdin is a Middle Eastern folk tale. It is one of the tales in The Book of One Thousand and One Nights , and one of the most famous, although it was actually added to the collection by Antoine Galland ....
(sometimes combined with Ali Baba
Ali Baba is a fictional character from medieval Arabic literature. He is described in the adventure tale of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves...
and other Arabian Nights tales) had already been a traditional pantomime subject in England for nearly two hundred years, and numerous versions of this tale have been presented. http://www.its-behind-you.com/aladdin.html
Sandy Wilson was apparently asked to write a conventional pantomime in this tradition, but (quoting from the sleeve notes he wrote for the cast recording):
"Instead of writing a pantomime — a form of theatre about which I know very little — I decided to make Aladdin a musical, and based it on the original story in the Arabian nights"
This is a trifle disingenuous, to say the least, as the show actually follows the traditional pantomime presentation of the Aladdin story quite closely — including the "pantomime dame
A pantomime dame is a traditional character in British pantomime. It is a continuation of en travesti portrayal of female characters by male actors in drag. They are often played either in an extremely camp style, or else by men acting 'butch' in women's clothing...
" character of Widow Twankey
Widow Twankey is a female character in the pantomime Aladdin. The character is a pantomime dame, portrayed by a man; and is a comic foil to the principal boy, Aladdin – played by an actress.-History:...
(renamed Tuang Kee Chung for the programme). In fact, as a cast recording was released, this is a valuable record of what a traditional Aladdin pantomime (albeit one by a composer/lyricist/playwright of superior talents) is like. To be fair, the plot has fewer completely gratuitous twists, and the songs a little more to do with the plot, than is usually the case with a "pure" Aladdin pantomime.
The wicked wizard Abanazar, in his desert home in Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
, summons the spirits to tell him how he may obtain the magic lamp — source of all power. He is somewhat bemused to discover that the source lies in a Chinese Laundry in Peking, and the launderess' ne'er-do-well son Aladdin. The ghostly chorus of the spirits takes us into the next scene, where Aladdin himself is discussing with his mother the virtues of idleness.
The emperor's herald
A herald, or, more correctly, a herald of arms, is an officer of arms, ranking between pursuivant and king of arms. The title is often applied erroneously to all officers of arms....
proclaims that anyone looking upon the Princess Badroulbadour
Badroulbadour is a princess from the far east whom Aladdin married in The Story of Aladdin; or, the Wonderful Lamp...
as she passes on her way to the baths will be instantly executed. This is just the kind of challenge that Aladdin likes, so he rushes off to try to catch a glimpse of the Princess. When he returns from his quest the Widow is relieved that he is alive, but very concerned that the young couple are in love. Everyone, including the emperor himself, has a pretty shrewd idea of what has happened — but, as he explains in song to his daughter, "Loves's a luxury" that royals must forgo for reasons of state.
Abanazar's arrival seems like just the thing. He quickly convinces the widow and her son (neither of whom is very bright) that he is the boy's long lost uncle and that he will make Aladdin rich. The upshot of this finds Aladdin trapped in the cave — where he inadvertently summons the genie
Jinn or genies are supernatural creatures in Arab folklore and Islamic teachings that occupy a parallel world to that of mankind. Together, jinn, humans and angels make up the three sentient creations of Allah. Religious sources say barely anything about them; however, the Qur'an mentions that...
of the ring — a sympathetic young lady who readily agrees to take him to his mother's house, after a few tears over the sad fact that "Genies have no mothers". The Widow Twankey starts to clean the rusty old lamp which is all her son has brought home — thus summoning another, much more powerful genie who makes it clear he will do anything for anyone unless they make unkind remarks about his green colouring. In no time at all Aladdin is a prince, and happily married to the princess of his dreams.
The Widow Twankey is now the Royal Mother-in-law — and manages to dispose of that rusty old lamp to Abanazar (disguised as a pedlar
A peddler, in British English pedlar, also known as a canvasser, cheapjack, monger, or solicitor , is a travelling vendor of goods. In England, the term was mostly used for travellers hawking goods in the countryside to small towns and villages; they might also be called tinkers or gypsies...
). He is now the Genie's new master — and he quickly takes the palace (complete with the princess and her mother-in-law) to Morocco.
Under sentence of death from the emperor, Aladdin follows the palace to Morocco with the aid of the genie of the ring, and, obtaining the lamp, he gets the palace and the princess back to their wonted places. Abanazar however follows Aladdin back to China, where it becomes apparent that in a contest of brains
Intelligence has been defined in different ways, including the abilities for abstract thought, understanding, communication, reasoning, learning, planning, emotional intelligence and problem solving....
our hero hasn't a chance. What is he to do? A bit of old fashioned violence ("the old Kung-Fu
Chinese martial arts, also referred to by the Mandarin Chinese term wushu and popularly as kung fu , are a number of fighting styles that have developed over the centuries in China. These fighting styles are often classified according to common traits, identified as "families" , "sects" or...
") is called for. This remedy applied, Abanazar is carried off by the Great Roc and all ends happily.
- The spell
- The proclamation
- Tuang Kee Po
- It is written in the sands
- There and then
- Love's a luxury
- Dream about me
- Song of the genie of the ring
- Song of the genie of the lamp
- All I did
- The dirge
- Life in the laundry
- Give him the old kung fu | <urn:uuid:6ff5f103-83fc-4242-8ceb-3f1f907b02b4> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/Aladdin_(musical) | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00013-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.96558 | 1,957 | 1.84375 | 2 |
Learning is central to the mission of the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences. To this end, we are committed to promoting student, faculty and staff success by providing a rich variety of learning environments. We guide our students toward insightful and useful knowledge and skills to effectively apply that knowledge. We provide opportunities for students, faculty and staff to become effective and responsible citizens and leaders in our community and the world.
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We hold diversity as a fundamental value in educating our students, informing our practice, and building our learning communities both on campus and beyond. We define diversity as an abundance of differences among students, faculty and staff founded on culture, ability, ethnicity, gender, religion, socio-economic backgrounds, age, and sexual orientation. Our definition includes intellectual diversity. Richness of difference reflects all communities within which we live. We welcome diverse points of view as we discuss and debate them in our college community.
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“To this end we value and encourage creative and positive critical thinking in addressing the needs of the college.” | <urn:uuid:600305d8-eec9-4364-a9e0-8e0303de07fa> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.csuchico.edu/bss/about/values.shtml | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00013-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.938662 | 521 | 1.84375 | 2 |
European Central Bank council member Ewald Nowotny said a “tri-polar” global currency system is developing between Asia, Europe and the U.S … leaders of the U.S., France and the European Commission will ask other world leaders to join in a series of summits on the global financial crisis beginning in the U.S. soon after the Nov. 4 presidential election, President George W. Bush, French President Nicolas Sarkozy and European Commission President Jose Barroso said in a joint statement yesterday.
European leaders have pressed to convene an emergency meeting of the world’s richest nations, known as the Group of Eight, joined by others such as India and China, to overhaul the world’s financial regulatory systems. … Sarkozy wants the G8 to consider re-anchoring their currencies, the hallmark of the 1944 Bretton Woods agreement that also gave birth to the International Monetary Fund and World Bank.
Europe’s Been Onto Something … While the US gently weeps
The EU region calling for a ‘G8 + India & China’ conference to thrash out this global monetary issue – and has been twisting the knife in the reluctant US side. The US has been dragging its feet. While the EU has been going gung-ho on this, the US has been floating many trial balloons. Warren Buffet, Paul Volcker and Lawrence Summers have been co-opted by the likely President of the US - Barack Obama. There has been talk of a manipulation in bullion prices - which may be required for re-anchoring currencies. Interesting deals – considered impossible till a few years, are being done in a tearing hurry.
Imagine! The EU in the middle of a global crisis goes out and restores diplomatic ties with Cuba.
The US Gameplan
US analysts, led by Paul Krugman, have been calling for Barack Obama (or maybe McCain) to emulate Roosevelt - who waded into WW2, with 25,000 tons of nationalized gold. If gold is nationalized, it may depress demand in the short term – giving rise to huge volatility in gold prices. But Warren Buffett has been on the silver bandwagon for a while – and that is making the gold-silver equation hazy. What if Warren Buffet becomes the new US Treasury Chief? There is the real risk of another fraud like the gold standard happening all over again.
The US has been making its moves – differently. Paul Krugman’s Nobel Prize is an indication of this. Will the US use Paul Krugman as the Keynes of the Bretton Woods. The background of Bretton Woods itself, is of course something that the US and Europe do not want the world at large to know. The other ploy that is being bandied about is the re-launch of the fraud called the Gold Standard - now in a better packing.
What Has Been India Upto?
While the US has been resisting calls for action, busy doing post-mortem, Asia and Europe have been moving. Interestingly, Manmohan Singh has done some huge work in the last 60 days – the nuclear deal with the USA and NSG, the IBSA Summit, the ASEAN free trade agreement – and now his three Asian nation visits. India’s Trade and Commerce Minister, Kamal Nath, has been talking about a multi-lateral set up. The UN was made to issue a statement on this. Am I reading too much into this? At times, India has seemed clueless.
After the ministerial meeting, both Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Finance Minister PC Chidambaram talked about how the ‘developed’ world’ was now ‘listening’ to the developing world – and was willing to ‘give more representation.’
This language itself indicates the distance that the Third World needs to travel.
China and Russia
The big issue is of course, China and Russia. China has 2 trillion of US dollars – and what does China do with this? Russia has come out from a default about a decade ago – with a nearly US$400 billion reserves – flexing its muscles in Georgia and dependent on a high oil prices. What happens to Russia if a new Pacific Republic (Cuba, Haiti, West Indies, etc) were to start drilling for oil? In 5 years, the world would be awash with oil – and Russia’s mineral earnings could evaporate. This crisis seems to have made the Chinese Premier shaky. So, the world may not trust China and Russia too much. Russia and China can be the party poopers – but they cannot be the life of the party.
For financial and military reasons, the inclusion of Russia and China is useful – though not essential to the emergence of a tri-polar currency system. The cost of Russian and Chinese inclusion is high degree of influence that these ‘super powers’ will want – which the developing world will not approve.
Why supplant one form of exploitation with another?
Contours Of The Deal
The EU-USA-Asia may agree on a broad a global regulatory and oversight body to monitor and maintain oversight over a multiple currency regime – an improved, better IMF.
The new 3rd currency may take some time to figure out. Not that it is difficult, expensive, or impossible. Some of Asia may want to cling to the dollar skirt. The new currency may be an Asian-Developing world currency. This may see the emergence of a tri-polar currency regime – which the US and Europe duopoly is desperate to avoid.
The 2ndlook proposal for the Third Global Reserve Currency has been in circulation for some time now.
Prequel to Bretton
Keynes’ first book that gained him some following in the world of economics was the ‘Indian Currency And Finance‘. This work examined in significant detail the workings of the Indian currency system. The Indian colonial currency system was anchored to the British pound – and various other local Indian currencies were in use – and even legal tender in large parts of India.
Thus there was always great pressure on Britain to keep the British pound on gold standard – as there was always the option for the common citizen to use coinage from other kingdoms and princely states. In 1900, the British colonial Government tried to enforce circulation of British sovereigns in India - which failed.
Of course, gold importation into India was severely restricted. The gold blockade against India was effective as the major gold production centres were under Anglo Saxon occupation (Australia, Canada, USA, South Africa, Rhodesia, Ghana, etc.).
The Birth Of Bretton Woods
As WW2 was winding down, the Anglo Saxon Bloc went ahead and devised the Bretton Woods system. This system was a copy of the Indian currency system – where instead of the British pound, the American dollar became the Index currency.
Instead of milking only India, the Anglo Saxon Bloc could now milk the whole world. Keynes noted how America when dealing ‘her dependencies, she has herself imitated almost slavishly, India.’ So, when the time came, it took very little time for the US to scale the Indian currency model on the rest of the world.
The success of Bretton Woods-I depended on blockading India from buying gold – which was effectively done by Morarji Desai. (I wonder why the ungrateful Anglo Saxon Bloc has not made a statue of Morarji Desai at Mount Rushmore). He has after all been the single biggest contributor to their prosperity for the last 50 years.
What was Bretton Woods
The world stamped their approval on Bretton Woods.
As per the agreement, all countries of the world would use the dollar as the index currency – for international trade and foreign exchange reserves and for nominal exchange rate fixation. This system allowed the USA to print ‘excess’ dollars. These ‘excess’ initially in limited quantities, but soon at an accelerating pace. Today the USA has flooded the world (and the USA markets with more than US$50 trillion) of excess currency. The housing bubble, the M&A frenzy, the credit crisis are by products of this printing of dollars. With these excess dollars, the US consumers and others bought what they wanted – and US went ahead and printed some more dollars.
Behind Bretton Woods – Gold
If the Bretton Woods system was defective, unfair, weighted et al, why was it accepted? Why did the world believe that only the Anglo-Saxon Bloc could deliver.
In 1944, the Anglo Saxon Bloc (countries, colonies and companies) controlled more than 90% of gold production and reserves. The largest private gold reserve in the world, India was still a British colony. Hence, it was fait accompli.
For the last 150 years, the ABC countries (America, Australia, Britain, Canada) comprising the Anglo Saxon bloc (countries, colonies and companies) have controlled 90% of the world’s gold production. Till (a large part of) India was a British Colony, they also controlled more than 50% of the above-the-ground gold reserves. This gave them absolute liberty to print depreciating currency and flood the world pieces of paper(called dollars and pounds), manipulate the world financial system and keep other populations poor and backward.
Bretton Woods – Broken Promises
The promise of the Bretton Woods system was stability. USA promised the world that they will redeem the US dollar for gold – at a rate of US$35. Anyone could (except Indians and Americans) buy an ounce of gold from the USA for US$35 – managed by the the London Pool system. Within 20 years, the first promise was broken. Redemptions of dollar for gold to individuals was stopped in 1968 (March15th).
The Bretton Woods system worked for 20 years because Indians were not allowed to buy gold. India’s finance minster during that crucial period, Morarji Desai, (allegedly on CIA payroll during Lyndon Johnson’s Presidency 1963-1968), presented a record 10 budgets, between February 1958, up to 1967.
His break with Indira Gandhi began when the Finance portfolio was taken away from him. Morarji Desai’s ban on gold imports allowed the sham of Bretton Woods to continue for 20 years. His adamant attitude on gold cost the government popularity and electoral losses – and the Indian economy and Indians much more. Was it a co-incidence that many of the RBI functionaries later got (and even now) plum postings at LSE (IG Patel) and BN Aadarkar (IMF)?
The Bretton Woods Twins
Bretton Woods also gave rise to the the Bretton Woods twins (the IMF and the World Bank) which are run and managed by the Anglo Saxon countries. The ABC countries, their client states like Japan, OECD, etc. have 65% of the voting rights. With this huge voting majority, less than 5% of the world’s population (of the ABC countries) decide how 95% of the world lives.
The Bretton Woods twins (the IMF and the World Bank) been significant failures. Aid (spelt, ironically, very similarly to AIDS) projects are approved – which are tied to imports from these Anglo Saxon countries.
Bretton Woods Fraud
The Bretton Woods system was technically created by more than 700 delegates from the 44 allied nations. But the match was fixed.
It was designed by the Anglo-Saxon countries (America, Australia, Britain, Canada), for the benefit of the Anglo Saxon countries. Notice how much Britain resisted and finally did not join the European Currency Union. This system has swamped the world with accelerating inflow of dollars (American, Australian, Canadian) and British pounds. Producers and exporters are left with vast reserves of a depreciating currencies.
Nixon Chop And Bush Whack
From the Nixon Chop to the Bush Whack final months of Dubya’s Presidency, the Bush Family has been in the Presidency for 12 years of the 37 years. And in positions of lesser power for the entire period. George Bush Sr. was the US representative to the UN during the Nixon era – when Nixon made his infamous remarks to Kissinger about the ‘sanctimonious Indians’ who had pissed on us (the US) on the Vietnam War’. George Bush Sr. was also the US Vice President during the 8 years of Reagan Presidency.
During these 37 years – between the Nixon Chop (1971) and the Bush Whack (2008), the world has changed significantly.
On August 15th, 1971, President Nixon after a two day huddle with 15 advisers at Camp David, delivered the Nixon Chop to the world. The Nixon chop (my name for this event), one month after his China breakthrough, cut the convertibility peg of US$35 to gold as US gold reserves were severely depleted.
The French had been regularly redeeming gold for their dollar earnings – and for this ‘perfidy’ the US had not forgiven France. This was much like the pre-WW2 French methodology of devaluation, new peg, old debt for new gold routine which got the US hackles up. Many decades have passed since these redemption by France, and the new French President, Sarkozy believes it is now possible to renew US-French relations again.
On the opposite side of the world, a beleaguered Indian Prime Minister was celebrating 24 years of Independence with a “ship-to-mouth” economy, dependent on PL-480 grain. Private gold reserves in the Indian economy after nearly 25 years of post-colonial rule, were steadily rising. Over the next 10 years, the western world (and most of the rest) blamed OPEC for post-1971 inflation, gold scaled US$800 an ounce; the Hunt Brothers launched their bid to corner the silver market; stagflation made an entry and Soviet power grew. Nixon Chop , itself the result of many years of gold reserves erosion, was one in many steps that brought the US$ to its knees.
On August 15th, 1971, the world got the Nixon Chop - where even Governments could not redeem dollar holdings. The dollar was put on float. In little time, dollar value depreciated from US$35 per ounce of gold to US$800 in 1980. Over the next 20 years, through various clandestine methods (check out the Edmond Safra and the Yamashita stories links), gold prices were managed and brought down to US$225 per ounce – but still 80% reduction in value of dollar value. Foreign reserves of poor countries got eroded. It was a gigantic fraud on the world – especially the poor, developing countries. And the fraud continues.
Every Few Years
Every 10-25 years, the world seems to go from one financial crisis to another. Trucks full of economic analysis follow each crisis – and everyone agrees after each meltdown, that there will not be another catastrophe. What the poor (and not so poor) economists don’t see is that the Anglo Saxon bloc with 80% of the world’s gold production in a choke-hold does what it wants.
On December 31st, 1974, nearly forty years after Roosevelt nationalized private American gold stocks, Americans were allowed to invest in gold again. Again Indian liberalization (1991) of gold imports happened a good 17 years after the US laws (1974) were liberalized. I wonder, how that was tied.
And that is what has happened for the last 60 years. Of course, all good (for the Anglo-Saxon Bloc) things come to an end. And so has Bretton Woods – I & II.
The India China Relationship
To most in India, China is possibly the biggest defence threat and is a ‘feared’ competitor.
However, the 2ndlook blog has discounted the ‘threat of the Chinese dragon’ based on an active engagement with China – and not benign neglect.
No less than Arun Shourie has weighed in on the ‘Chinese threat’ side of perception. This puts the 2ndlook blog in a minority. In the 2ndlook blog dated May 31st 2008, there was a significant analysis of the China-India face off. More on that later.
Two Books – Opposite Themes
In the meantime, Arun Shourie’s book has evoked scant interest – excerpted below.
… important parallels, as Shourie points out, between the situation pre-1962 and the situation now. Border talks are regressing, Chinese claims on Indian territories are becoming publicly assertive, Chinese cross-border incursions are rising, and India’s China policy is becoming feckless … India has always been on the defensive against a country that first moved its frontiers hundreds of miles south by annexing Tibet, then furtively nibbled at Indian territories before waging open war, and now lays claims to additional Indian territories. By contrast, on neuralgic subjects like Tibet, Beijing’s public language still matches the crudeness and callousness with which it sought in 1962, in Premier Zhou Enlai’s words, to “teach India a lesson”. (Stagecraft and Statecraft: Lessons for today’s India from the 1962 Chinese invasion).
The lack of coverage in Indian media for an important book like this is a matter of concern. At the same time, another book on a similar subject, from an American perspective is vastly different – and closer to the views of the 2ndlook blog.
This one, … (by) Ms Shirk (former deputy assistant secretary of state who dealt with China) … should become a must read for every Indian who cowers and cringes at the very mention of China. For, as Shirk shows, there is no reason to do so. The core of her message is that only one thing has changed over the last two decades: instead of being a paper tiger, China has become a cardboard tiger.
… recall how China responded to the Tibetan uprising just before the Olympics to get a sense of its vulnerabilities and the resultant paranoia. The Chinese embassy in New Delhi was surrounded by three rings of defence against attacks by Tibetan women. You don’t become a super power merely because you have some money and some guns.
the Chinese leadership no longer has to fear the foreign devil who speaks English; it has to fear the average Chinaman who does so. She also shows how there is no shortage in the variety of unrests in China: you name a type of discontent, and it is there. But unlike India, China has not had the sense to develop political outlets for the head of steam that is building up. The only way it knows of dealing with mass discontent is repression.
Shirk also deals with the aspect that the Chinese leadership is most anxious to hide: a split not in the ranks of the party, but in the highest echelons of the leadership. And the second- and third-level Chinese leadership knows this. The drive against corruption, for example, when mayors are hanged, is seen as just a tea leaf, a straw in the wind that the big boys are pulling in opposite directions.
contrary to popular belief, especially in India, China can’t get along with anyone. Japan, Taiwan, Korea, India all have difficulties with a neighbour whose word can’t be trusted and who tends to rely more on strong-arm tactics than diplomacy. This, too, seems to be a part of the Communist party repertoire, merely their way.
As we see in this book, when push comes to shove, China always backs down. Its leaders simply don’t have the stomach for a confrontation because they don’t know how it will turn out for them personally. That’s the key thing: the personal interests of the Chinese communist leaders. It now always comes before the country’s interests, or is at least seen as being coterminous with it. (Book Review of FRAGILE SUPERPOWER by Susan L Shirk).
The Chinese Paper Dragon
The Chinese success is similar story. Much like USSR’s break-up, the Chinese monolith is more fragile than apparent. Apart from the usual suspects of democracy, economic disparities, social upheavals, etc, there are 3 factors, which most Chinese analysts miss.
One, the Tibetan’s are held together by force – and no one imagines that this holding them together by force, can be in perpetuity. The Muslim provinces of Xinjiang (another one-third of China) is usually ignored. These issues are usually minimized by the current strength with which China holds these provinces together.
But possibly, the biggest issue is the share of revenues of the Chinese central governments.
Secondly, the Chinese Central Government commands less than 25% of the total tax revenues - and the 75% goes to provinces. This, possibly is why the Chinese Government cannot reduce cigarette usage in China. Most expenditures on health, education, pension, unemployment, housing etc. are borne by the local government – and hence there is patchwork of systems which run across China. Most of executions and imprisonments of bureaucrats (including the Mao’s Cultural Revolution) is to demonstrate central authority. The PLA is the only factor that keeps China together. A Chinese Lech Walesa or a Nelson Mandela could unwind China very quickly.
Significantly, and thirdly, the Chinese diaspora and Western MNCs are biggest investors in China – and also the main beneficiaries. This currently keeps resentments of the local Chinese under control – as the neighbour is not getting much richer. But at one stage the domestic Chinese will want to greater say and control over the Chinese economy. He may not be happy with just a well paying job and abundant, low quality goods.
India vs China
On these three counts India scores significantly better than China. India’s problems with Kashmir are a British legacy, an external creation – as is the North East problem, to a degree. India’s significant issue (probably temporary) is the Naxalite problem. India’s central Government has greater control and share over total revenues – than the Chinese. India’s recent economic and political successes are entirely home bred – with the exception of remittances from the expat workers in the Middle East.
2ndlook blog proposes a different way out of this India-China stalemate.
As various colonial powers were forced out of various colonies, left behind was the garbage of colonialism. This post-colonial debris has become the ballast, that is dragging down many newly de-colonized countries. And it is the stereotypes and images of each other that seem to be determining the relationships between the two countries.
Vietnam suffered from a prolonged war (1956-1976) – and finally peace had a chance after 20 years of war. Korea remains divided. The Cyprus problem between Turkey, Greece and the Cypriots has been simmering for nearly 100 years. The role of the Anglo Saxon Bloc, in Indonesia, the overthrow of Sukarno, installation of Suharto and finally the secession of East Timor is another excellent example. The Israeli-Palestinian conflict (1935 onwards) will soon enter its 75th year. The entire Arab-Israeli-Palestinian conflict is a creation of the Anglo-French-American axis. The many other issues in the West Asia and Africa are living testimony of the Western gift to the modern world.
Closer home is the Kashmir problem. After 60 years of negotiations, India-Pakistan relations have remained hostage to the Kashmir issue. Similarly, between China and India, the border issues remain 60 years after the eviction of Britain from India.
We Hereby Resolve
Let us (India and China) decide that for the next 60 years, these legacy border issues will remain in cold storage! There are far more pressing issues that need our attention. Let us focus on those issues. We have a lot of catching up to do. | <urn:uuid:58201555-db07-47fd-ab8a-247a717eb1b6> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://2ndlook.wordpress.com/tag/asia/page/3/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697974692/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095254-00007-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.957031 | 4,987 | 1.515625 | 2 |
EAST ST. LOUIS – Facebook friends engage in free speech when they tell each other what they like, Facebook owners argue in a suit accusing them of exploiting children.
“Expressions of consumer opinion, such as the plaintiffs’ Like statements challenged here, have repeatedly qualified as matters of public interest under the First Amendment,” Matthew Brown of San Francisco wrote for Facebook on Aug. 1.
He asked U.S. District Judge Patrick Murphy to dismiss a suit Stephen Tillery filed in June on behalf of parents Melissa Dawes and Jennifer DeYong.
“When a user says he or she Likes certain content, whether it is the Facebook page of a brand, a service, a politician, or a cause, that user is communicating to his or her Facebook friends an affinity for content that the user’s friends have an interest in receiving,” Brown wrote.
“In such a circumstance, the free flow of information from the speaker to the audience receiving the communication is indispensable.
“Facebook provides a forum for authentic endorsements by persons who, without pecuniary motive, have expressed their approval of a particular product, service, or cause.
“This serves a particularly valuable public interest because the information is republished only to the user’s friends – persons for whom a user’s opinion may be of particular interest, and with whom the user has already decided to share that information.”
He also urged Murphy to dismiss the complaint because Tillery failed to specify what law Facebook broke.
He wrote that “vague references to unspecified state law render their claims unintelligible.”
“They allege that Facebook used their names and likenesses for the purpose of marketing, advertising, selling, and soliciting the purchase of goods and services,” Brown wrote.
“Plaintiffs do not allege that they Liked or shared any content with their friends on Facebook, nor that their profile pictures actually contained their likenesses.
“Plaintiffs do not allege that their personal information had any ascertainable value or any facts supporting the claimed lessening of that value.”
He wrote that they mentioned laws of five states but didn’t set forth elements those laws required to prove violations.
“Plaintiffs’ mere mention of five different state statutes amounts to no more than a conglomeration of legal theories,” Brown wrote.
“Plaintiffs do not allege which advertisements their names or likenesses were purportedly used in connection with, nor when the advertisements appeared.”
He wrote that a user who has shared content with friends for free can’t claim to be owed money for republication of the same content to the same people.
He wrote that a federal judge in San Francisco dismissed a similar suit in June.
He wrote that the judge found plaintiffs must plead mental anguish.
“Plaintiffs here have pled neither mental anguish nor a plausible supporting factual basis for any such assertion,” Brown wrote.
Jeffrey Gutkin, an associate of Brown, worked on the brief. So did Charles Swartwout of Boyle Brasher in Belleville.
The case is assigned to U.S. District Judge Patrick Murphy.
His wife, Patricia Murphy of Energy, teams with Tillery in a federal suit alleging weed killer atrazine contaminates water supplies.
Tillery and Patricia Murphy jointly appeared for plaintiffs in the most recent hearing before District Judge Phil Gilbert in that case in Benton on July 27. | <urn:uuid:417610fa-b586-4c8c-a885-60e4a7c03ae4> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://madisonrecord.com/news/237433-facebook-argues-like-statements-qualify-as-matters-of-public-interest | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00008-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.945248 | 729 | 1.703125 | 2 |
Next Up Young Workers Summit: Helping Those in Need
Nearly 800 young working people, activists and students from across the country kicked off the AFL-CIO Next Up Young Workers Summit in Minneapolis today by doing what union members do best—helping others in need.
The young working people partnered with the service organization Tubman and the AFL-CIO Community Services Network to create back-to-school care packages for children who live in the Twin Cities. Tubman helps women, children and families struggling with relationship violence, substance abuse, trauma and mental health issues.
Tubman also provides safe shelter, legal services, mental and chemical health counseling, youth programming, elder care resources and community education to more than 54,000 people across the Twin Cities metro area.
The summit, which runs through Oct. 2, is part of the AFL-CIO’s efforts, led by Secretary-Treasurer Liz Shuler, to reach out to working people under age 35. Young activists, including organizers and actors Lucas Neff and RJ Mitte, also will speak at the conference.
Be sure to watch a live webcast of Shuler and U.S. Labor Secretary Hilda Solis as they formally kick off the conference here today, beginning at 5 p.m. CDT. Young activists also will speak in the opening session.
On Friday, the young workers will march through downtown Minneapolis carrying “I Want a Job” signs. In an interview with The Nation, Shuler explains that young workers are facing an economic tsunami:
Youth face an abyss now: coming out of college, not being able to find a job, carrying extraordinary debt, delaying adulthood. More people are living with their parents than any time since World War II. Even if you find a job, it’s at a lower wage rate than before the recession. So you’re starting behind and you never end up catching up.
She said the summit will provide a space for young workers to network and exchange ideas.
It’s an education platform to talk about the issues facing young workers. It’s also to provide leadership development, because we need it in the labor movement, where we have very few opportunities for young people to ascend to leadership positions.
Read the entire interview here. | <urn:uuid:b5d168ec-56ba-49bc-a782-6e11477aa5c1> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.4ibew.com/2011/09/29/next-up-young-workers-summit-helping-those-in-need/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00018-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.951865 | 473 | 1.507813 | 2 |
LEWISTON, Maine — In 2011, 1,256 people were receiving pensions through the Maine State Retirement System and were rehired by the same or other public employers.
Most of those are school employees, but others include employees of Maine State Prison, Department of Conservation, Department of Marine Resources, Public Utilities Commission, Maine State Library and the Department of Public Safety, among others.
SAD 17, the Oxford Hills School District, last year had 15 employees listed as once retired and since rehired.
According to Superintendent Richard Colpitts, it doesn’t happen often that an employee retires and is rehired, but this year one teacher did retire and will return in a teaching position and another retiring teacher will return as an education technician.
“Having a retiree who is willing to work, despite the reduction in pay and no benefits, is actually a service to the district,” Colpitts said, especially given that retiree’s “expertise and experience.”
Said Colpitts, defending his district’s rehiring, “We don’t exclude retirees who have an interest in applying for jobs from applying.”
However, he said, “we always tell our principals that they have to interview all non-retirees first because we’re looking for people who are going to be with us for the next 20 years. Then, in the absence of finding a qualified candidate, we will look at the retiree. We’re always looking at the best-qualified person.”
For instance, last year a physical education health care position opened up and Colpitts said he recommended that rehiring the retiree because, after going through the interview process, “we just didn’t find another qualified candidate.”
Even though the district’s hiring procedures discourage rehiring retirees unless another qualified candidate can’t be found, Colpitts said, “I’d hate to say I’m going to exclude a class from the candidate pool if they’re most qualified.” But, he said, that’s a decision superintendents are entitled to make in their respective districts.
According to the Maine Public Employee Retirement System, the Auburn School Department had 16 public-sector retirees working in 2011.
Superintendent Katy Grondin said she requires employees to reapply for their jobs if they want to retire, get a pension and return to earn a paycheck. If they’re the best candidate, she said, they get the job. If they’re not the best candidate, they don’t.
“We say to them, ‘If you want to retire, you’re welcome to retire, and then you’re welcome to apply,’” she said.
Although Grondin could name some retirees who accepted other positions within the school system — former teachers who became ed techs, for example — she could not recall any who had returned to their former jobs.
Grondin acknowledged that rehiring retirees could save the school system money, but she said that savings would be short-term at best and it isn’t something the school system has strongly considered.
“If I were in a big budget crunch and we were looking [to save] major funds, absolutely, we’d say, ‘OK, is it fiscally responsible for us to start looking at that?’ We haven’t had to do that at this point,” she said.
In SAD 9, which covers the Farmington area, 18 retirees were listed as working there last year — including Superintendent Michael Cormier. He declined to comment on being a rehired retiree.
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A major overhaul of funding for postgraduate taught students is being proposed today by the National Union of Students.
The proposed funding model would see government, business, professional and voluntary bodies work in partnership with institutions to provide students with income-contingent loans of at least £6000 to put towards the cost of study.
The 20-page document, Steps toward a fairer system of postgraduate funding in England, outlining the proposals provides a model which has been costed using the government’s own ‘ready reckoner’ used to calculate the losses to the Treasury on undergraduate student loans. The model is made up of three ‘streams’ of finance:
Access to the professions, designed for government to work with professional bodies to provide loans to those with the greatest need to encourage diversity to the professions.
Part-time professional development, with student loans part-funded by employers for those wishing to study any kind of postgraduate qualification part-time alongside employment.
General masters study, where a discrete number of government-backed loans will be available for full-time or part-time masters study
In the wake of reports from Alan Milburn and the Higher Education Commission calling for government to provide greater access to postgraduate funding for students, NUS are confident that their model will be taken very seriously.
NUS Vice President for Higher Education, Rachel Wenstone, is calling on the government to consider the clear benefits of a loan scheme, asking them to take into account the vast contribution that the postgraduate sector to the economy and society as a whole:
‘The current system is grossly unfair. Our proposals are a first step towards making postgraduate education accessible, and based on merit rather than on wealth. In the long term, PGT should be properly funded by the government, who need to recognise the public value of the sector. They need to realise that funding postgraduate education will lead to growth, innovation and a fairer society’
Luke James, NUS officer for postgraduate taught students, has referred to the plans as a ‘huge step towards fair access and widening participation in postgraduate education’, and supports the piloting of similar schemes in Wales and Scotland. But Luke also warns that a loan scheme would be useless without assurances from government that direct public funding of postgraduate study will not continue to be cut.
As well as calling for the continuation of public funding via the block grant for PGT courses, the proposals also suggest measures should be taken to prevent further above-inflation rises in fees. As Luke explains:
‘We need a reasonable cap on fees that allows leeway for universities to cover their costs and have financial security, whilst not allowing students to be overcharged and laden with obscene debts’.
You can download a full copy of the document here.
A summary of the NUS proposals can also be found here. | <urn:uuid:8336c529-bf77-4d2e-a26b-0861810b2ddf> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.nusconnect.org.uk/news/article/highereducation/NUS-launch-postgraduate-funding-proposals/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700958435/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104238-00007-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.957666 | 591 | 1.75 | 2 |
Year 1 and Year 2 visit Hillier Gardens
On a damp Thursday in May Year 1 and 2 visited the Sir Harold Hillier Gardens in Romsey. Year 2 looked at Art in the garden and Year 1 focussed on Light and colour.
"We looked at plants. We played a caterpillar game which was like follow my leader with a blindfold on. We had to feel and smell the plants. We had to find different petals and flowers that matched with the colours on a card. We had lots of fun!" Jessica, Hattie, Avani and Emerald (Year 1)
"It was full of wildlife, colourful flowers and loads of trees. It was very exciting. We made prints of different leaves in some plastacine and made a hanging sculpture." Molly, Erin and Katherine (Year 2) | <urn:uuid:dd6c0dca-f450-4ff8-8cb7-e4f2cc582572> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.stgabriels.co.uk/news/default.asp?storyID=35&pid=36&nid=5 | 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 | 0.981092 | 167 | 1.757813 | 2 |
Which word would you most likely use to describe your ideal home: “haven,” “showcase,” “unique,” or “carefree”?
You see, the words we use reveal a lot about how we see ourselves and are a reflection of our personalities. In the same way, our personalities are reflected in our homes. After all, there are few places on Earth where you have as much freedom to be yourself than in your home!
The neighborhood you choose…the home design you fall in love with…products and finishes you select for your home…even personal items you love to display...all of these reflect your personality. Many aspects of our lives are “learned”, but personality is a gift we were born with. And personality influences only grow stronger with age.
Even though our magazine "Her Home Magazine" is published from “her” perspective, all women don’t want to be thought of (or treated) the same. That truth inspired our woman-centric team at Design Basics to go deeper with their research into women’s preferences in the home, its design and products used, to look for personality-based influences. The research suggested four primary personas, and they were given names: Margo, Elise, Claire and Maggie.
A fun, interactive quiz (“Finally About Me!”) was developed to help women identify which of the four personas were closest to her personality. While no one is “purely” or “exclusively” one of the personas (to varying degrees, everyone is a blend of the different personas), quiz results identify the primary personality.
It’s simply uncanny how knowing your personality helps you understand your preferences in home design and product choices. The quiz, which takes about 3 minutes, will likely save you hours by helping focus on your priorities and avoid wasting your time on things you’re probably not interested in.
For more regarding the quiz and all four personalities, start HERE!
For more regarding the HER Home Magazine, start HERE! | <urn:uuid:653a5e8a-5e6d-48c6-a336-3af477b56177> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://designbasics.com/blog/post/2013/02/06/Do-you-have-a-new-home-buyers-personality-Sure-you-do!.aspx | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00007-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.955723 | 436 | 1.585938 | 2 |
Chicken with snake venom is off the menu in China.
As weird as it sounds, the poisoned poultry is a popular dish in parts of China, known for its "detoxifying" effect. But a video that raised awareness of the bizarre slaughtering techhnique prompted Chinese authorities to crack down on restaurants serving snake-bitten chicken.
The widely viewed video, posted on a Chinese website last week, shows a man crouched on kitchen floor forcing a snake to sink its fangs into a struggling chicken. The dish is popular in some parts of Guangdong and Chonqing, according to Reuters.
The video spawned an outpouring of criticism in the Chinese media and blogosphere leading health officials to step in.
"Although nobody has been poisoned, this at the very least is an irregular way of slaughtering poultry," a Chinese health official told the Chongqing Business Daily.
Authorities have already told food-establishments to cut out the practice that opponents have called cruel, blood-thirsty and disgusting. | <urn:uuid:af97649e-f1da-4264-a23b-1d40eb51b1a1> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.nbcdfw.com/news/weird/Snake-Bitten-Chicken-Ban-in-China.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00016-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.959421 | 209 | 1.585938 | 2 |
NYSUT members are gearing up to visit lawmakers in their offices next week. This is after they do their jobs all day. You can support your sisters and brothers as they advocate for what our schools, campuses and communities need. Write or call your lawmaker on any, or all, of the issues outlined below. Remember, others are out there advocating for their issues. We need every voice possible to provide a counterpoint.
On K-12 issues, ask them to:
- Redirect the proposed $203 million Fiscal Stabilization Fund to general operating or “foundation aid” that districts depend on each year.
- Provide additional funding towards the goal of restoring the school aid that has been cut since 2008.
- Allow reasonable adjustments to the tax cap for costs that are extraordinary or beyond the control of school districts, such as emergency weather-related expenses like districts suffered due Hurricane Sandy, or one-time costs to improve school safety, or even fluctuations in fuel costs.
- Replace the 60 percent supermajority requirement needed to exceed the tax cap with a simple majority vote.
- Restore funding for Teacher Centers.
- Provide special education schools and human service organizations with a desperately needed Cost of Living Adjustment so the staff, students, programs and recipients of special services can receive the support they need.
On higher education, ask lawmakers to:
- Increase state funding for operating costs for SUNY and CUNY. They need to begin restoring the $1.4 billion in cuts to these institutions that date back to 2008.
- Restore the state subsidy to SUNY’s hospitals and health science centers. This subsidy was created more than 20 years ago to recognize that New York has a responsibility to at least partially compensate the hospitals for their service to indigent populations.
- Increase state base aid to community colleges by $260 per full-time equivalent student. The 2013-14 Executive Budget proposes flat funding for community colleges. During these economic times, NYSUT supports SUNY’s rational five-year funding plan of increasing state base aid by $205 per FTE student to get the state to a 33 percent state funding share. Last year, the state provided an increase of $150 per FTE student, which is $55 short of the $205 increase sought in the first year of the rational plan.
- Ultimately, the state should provide a 40 percent share of funding to live up to its statutory obligation for operating costs for these institutions. The reality of how community colleges are being funded is quite different from the requirements of the education law. In fact, the direct opposite is occurring. Students are now funding more than 40 percent of the operating costs of these campuses.
On retirement security, ask lawmakers to provide some form of smoothing option to school districts that will provide them with a tool to help put an end to the education program cuts we have seen in recent years. Remind them that any option provided to school districts should also take into account the need to maintain the integrity of the states’ retirement systems. The retirement security of both current and future public retirees must be protected. We have the strongest public pensions in the nation and we need to keep it that way.
Thank you for all you do on the job, and for all you do to make our communities work. | <urn:uuid:7fd7a509-a6a3-40d5-85d2-00028df14da1> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://blogs.nysut.org/blog/2013/02/01/fight-back-friday-fair-funding/ | 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 | 0.96516 | 674 | 1.5625 | 2 |
Ringling Museum Dedicates New Building to Strong Supporter
Sarasota, FL – Jan. 25, 2007 – The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art dedicates the new Visitors Pavilion in honor of former State Senate President John M. McKay during a special ceremony at 5:30 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 1, 2007.
In 2006, the Florida Legislature named the Visitors Pavilion, the new entrance to the Museum, in honor of McKay. Sen. McKay was the individual chiefly responsible for securing state funding for the Ringling Museum/Florida State University Master Plan to restore and enhance the Museum for generations to come.
McKay’s name, to be unveiled as part of the ceremony, is displayed on the east façade of the Visitors Pavilion, visible through the original Cà d’Zán Gate House.
The Visitors Pavilion opened in January 2006 as the Museum’s main entrance with expanded ticketing and first-rate visitor amenities. It was the first new building to open as part of the Master Plan.
“Senator McKay shares FSU’s vision of creating a cultural campus at the Ringling Museum,” said FSU President T.K. Wetherell. “The building in his name will stand as lasting testimony to his vision and accomplishments in the areas of cultural enrichment, excellence in education and tourism in the State.”
Sen. McKay played a critical role in the museum’s transformation that took place beginning in 2000, when governance of the estate was transferred to Florida State University. His leadership helped ensure the state budget for 2002-2003 included $42.9 million in the FSU allocation to fund the entire Ringling/FSU Master Plan. McKay and the local delegation strategically included the funding line item in FSU’s overall budget. FSU then directed the construction funds to the Ringling Museum when the museum’s board of directors committed to raise a $50 million endowment in five years with $10 million secured in the first year. The museum not only was able to meet this challenge, but raised a total amount of $56 million. In effect, McKay’s influence helped lead the Museum to expand and establish a sound financial footing for future growth.
“Senator McKay helped prop open new doors for the Ringling Museum and its future. We would not be where we are today if it weren’t for the leadership and support he provided,” said Executive Director John Wetenhall. “In that same spirit, it seems most appropriate that his name appear above the first doors that open to our visitors.”
McKay is a sixth generation Floridian, born in Winter Haven. He graduated from FSU in 1971 and built a career in commercial real estate. He was first elected state senator in 1990. He represented District 26, which includes Manatee, Hardee, DeSoto, Highlands and Sarasotacounties. McKay serves on the Ringling Museum Board of Directors.
The Visitors Pavilion was built directly behind the original Cà d’Zan Gate House. Building architect Yann Weymouth from HOK in Tampa transformed the Gate House into the main pedestrian entrance to the Ringling Estate.
After passing through the restored Cà d’Zán Gate House, Museum guests enter the grand lobby of the Visitors Pavilion. With a bank of admission stations for faster service, the lobby also provides entry to the Museum Store, the popular Museum restaurant Treviso, an orientation video theater, a children’s gathering area and the restored Historic Asolo Theater.
The Visitors Pavilion opening was concurrent with the opening of the Circus Museum’s Tibbals Learning Center in January 2006, the Education/Conservation Building in December 2006 and the Ulla R. and Arthur F. Searing Wing in February 2007. The Searing Wing officially opens to the public on Feb. 3, 2007, two days after the McKay dedication.
The dedication ceremony will begin at 5:30 p.m. on Feb. 1 in front of the Cà d’Zán Gate House, and immediately followed by a VIP preview of the Searing Wing and its inaugural exhibitions.
# # # | <urn:uuid:60b90d36-fc51-479d-88ac-cbb8b0df4764> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://ringling.org/NewsRoom2.aspx?id=1224 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700958435/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104238-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.945948 | 869 | 1.5625 | 2 |
This time of year, it is easy to get caught up in the trappings of the holiday season. Even when we can retain perspective and remember that Christmas is a time for family togetherness, we sometimes become so focused on our own families that we forget there are others who will wake up on December 25 without stockings, trees or family feasts.
That is why I am writing to you today. At Samaritan’s Purse, we are organizing a Christmas appeal that will spread Christmas cheer to children around the world who find themselves with little to celebrate. Operation Christmas Child, otherwise known as the “Shoebox Appeal,” is your family’s chance to make a difference.
The concept is simple. We ask that you decorate an old shoe box and then fill it with gifts for a little boy or girl, marking it with the appropriate label. When your shoebox is ready, you can bring it to one of our many drop-off points or any participating church or school, along with a small donation to cover our overhead. Samaritan’s Purse will then ship these boxes around the world to children in dire need.
In these days of climate change, more and more worldwide communities are finding themselves faced with grim poverty. Air pollution and dramatic natural disasters are shaking these nations, and their children are some of the worst victims. This is why your participation this year is more vital than ever.
We do ask that you choose your gifts carefully and consult the list of approved items. Since gender stereotypes are universal, please only include toy vehicles if your box is for a boy. If your box is for a girl, consider items such as makeup or hairclips, as these will allow her to look especially pretty while she sits about hungry for most of January. Please do not include anything practical like clothing or food, as we only wish to provide these children with the same frivolous gifts your own children will be enjoying this holiday season.
We also ask that you check the origin of the items you are buying. We prefer toys or trinkets manufactured at least 1000 miles from wherever you live. When we ship them to Mozambique, we will be adding another 5,095 miles to their total distance traveled, but if you purchase imported goods, you can ensure the highest possible CO2 emissions for your little box of Christmas surprises. Please do your part to help support the oil companies this holiday season.
Last year, over one million shoe boxes were distributed worldwide. We need your help to ensure that this year’s campaign reaches all those in need and that no child is left empty-handed on Christmas morning. They may not have shoes, but please help us make sure they all have shoe boxes.
Randolph Q. Jones, President Samaritan’s Purse International
This is part of the Monday Mission over at Painted Maypole. Today’s mission is to write a post in the form of a charitable appeal. Please note that Samaritan’s Purse states its mission as “Meeting critical needs of victims of war, poverty, famine, disease, and natural disaster while sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ,” so presumably they sometimes send things somewhat more useful than stuffed animals. | <urn:uuid:605ca1c1-983b-4c1b-b5b4-3a786e62fb30> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://wheelsonthebus.wordpress.com/2007/11/19/charitable-appeal/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368711005985/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516133005-00014-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.954462 | 667 | 1.59375 | 2 |
Wednesday, June 19, 2013
More and more we are beginning to understand that marijuana is far more than a street-level ‘drug’. In fact, research shows that it’s a healing plant — and it doesn’t have to get you high. And as we learn more about this healing plant, we learn there are really a multitude of uses and methods to obtaining its benefits.
One of the latest methods of reaping its benefits is juicing, as one woman learned the hard way.
Juicing is a great way to get the best stuff out of plant materials. It makes digestion easy and allows your body to really make the most of what you put into it. So, it stands to reason that many of the benefits associated with smoking, vaporizing, or eating cannabis could be enhanced through juicing.
High-aside, some argue juicing raw cannabis to be the most beneficial, and it does all of this without getting users stoned. Raw cannabis is not psychoactive. The beneficial compounds within are known as cannabidiols (CBD) and they are not the THC responsible for getting you high.
Instead, as NaturalNews reports, CBDs “bridge the gap of neurotransmission in the central nervous system, including in the brain by providing a two-way system of communication that completes a positive ‘feedback loop’”.
Dr. William Courtney, founder of Cannabis International, is largely considered the biggest proponent of raw cannabis juicing. His patient (and wife) has also become a visible advocate after a video featuring her testimony went viral.
Wednesday, June 19, 2013 by RiseEarth · 0
Eating a low salt diet is widely believed to be a healthy choice. Is this true? It’s time to question this widely-believed dietary dogma.
No matter how much mineral content animals derive from plants in their diet, they still instinctively seek out natural salt licks in order to make their diets complete… or they die.
Dietary intake of salt is so vital that biological life as we know it cannot exist without it.
In this article we’re going to go over the importance of salt, and then make the essential distinction between healthy salt and unhealthy salt. The difference is similar to eating factory farmed beef pumped full of growth hormones vs. eating meat from animals that were fed on green pasture – one will kill you and one will nourish and heal you.
Salt: The Essence of Life
The function of the human body is entirely dependent upon its conductivity and the ability of it to transmit information electrically.
Every one of your 4 trillion cells has an electrical charge. The communication between your body’s cells and systems requires a proper environment for electrical signals and impulses to be exchanged.
No salt = no conductivity = no life!
We’ve all seen the experiment in highschool science class where we try to run electricity through distilled water (devoid of minerals) in attempts to complete a circuit and light up a light bulb. Here it is again in case you skipped that day of class to do mushrooms with your friends:
With all the controversy circling in the mainstream media about the necessity of GMO farming due to world population explosions and a diminishing global food supply, it is time to debunk some of the biggest myths about GMO foods. Don’t be fooled by the propaganda being fed to you by Monsanto and other corporate industrialists who want to keep you on their fishing line with lies about the ‘importance’ of genetic modification. Natural Society is here to bust the myths with solid proof:
1. GMO seeds are sterile. FALSE. However, GMO seeds have been called suicide seeds or terminator seeds because they have an approximate termination date so that farmers have to keep purchasing new seed from the companies that make them, like Monsanto. This, in turn, allows those companies to maintain a monopoly on the world food supply. Once all our major crops are sewn with patented seeds with specific termination dates, Monsanto and its cohorts will be able to collect royalties just like Michael Jackson’s family does on the song ‘Thriller.’
2. GMO foods taste as good or better than organics. FASLE. Most people can taste the difference between an organic apple and a poison one. Even squirrels can taste the difference in organic vs. non-organic food.
3. Monsanto can sue farmers who grow organic crops but later grow ‘contaminated’ or GMO cross-bred plants – FALSE. However, organic farmers recently lost a federal court battle with Monsanto when they tried to sue the company for contaminating their organic fields. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit affirmed a previous ruling that found ‘organic growers had no reason to try to block Monsanto from suing them as the company had pledged it would not take them to court if biotech crops accidentally mix in with organics.” This still makes Monsanto-crops a concern for farmers who don’t trust that Monsanto will be good for their word. Monsanto, is after all, suing farmers who save seed, claiming they are violating patents.
There seems to be a lot of confusion about what the NSA is actually doing. Are they reading our emails? Are they listening to our telephone calls? Do they target American citizens or is it only foreigners that they are targeting? Unfortunately, the truth is that we aren’t going to get straight answers from our leaders about this. The folks running the NSA have already shown that they are willing to flat out lie to Congress, and Barack Obama doesn’t exactly have the greatest track record when it comes to telling the truth. These are men that play word games and tell lies for a living.
So it would be unrealistic to expect them to come out and tell us the unvarnished truth about what is going on. That is why it is so important that whistleblowers such as Edward Snowden have come forward. Thanks to them and to the brave journalists that are willing to look into these things, we have been able to get some glimpses behind the curtain. And what we have learned is not very pretty. The following are 21 facts about NSA snooping that every American should know…
#1 According to CNET, the NSA told Congress during a recent classified briefing that it does not need court authorization to listen to domestic phone calls…
Rep. Jerrold Nadler, a New York Democrat, disclosed on Thursday that during a secret briefing to members of Congress, he was told that the contents of a phone call could be accessed “simply based on an analyst deciding that.”
If the NSA wants “to listen to the phone,” an analyst’s decision is sufficient, without any other legal authorization required, Nadler said he learned. “I was rather startled,” said Nadler, an attorney and congressman who serves on the House Judiciary committee.
America’s Invisible Crises – Connecting the Dots (Part 1):
Modern technology is growing by leaps and bounds. The corporate-controlled media extolls its virtues, but does not cover the known harm of its dark side. Most of this technology goes unchecked for human safety.
The following is a short synopsis of the hazards of several invisible technologies that are already an unreported and grave danger to all of us.
For example, nano-technology, including nano-biotechnology, brought in $2.13 billion to corporations in 2012; but consumers are never told of the many dangers they pose. It is estimated by next year (2014), this unregulated industry may be worth $24 billion.
Nanotechnology is a manipulation of matter and works with the very basic building blocks of life. The scale is incredibly small: one nano-meter is one-billionth of a meter. So, it’s invisible, rarely listed in ingredients (although there are more than an estimated 1,000 products now on the market – no one knows the exact number of products); and it is unregulated and untested for either short or long-term dangers.
Tuesday, June 18, 2013
The health benefits of coconut oil include hair care, skin care, stress relief, maintaining cholesterol levels, weight loss, increased immunity, proper digestion and metabolism, relief from kidney problems, heart diseases, high blood pressure, diabetes, HIV and cancer, dental care, and bone strength. These benefits of oil can be attributed to the presence of lauric acid, capric acid and caprylic acid, and its properties such as antimicrobial, antioxidant, anti-fungal, antibacterial and soothing properties.
Coconut oil is used extensively in tropical countries especially India, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Philippines etc., which have a good production of coconut oil. The oil was also once popular in western countries such as United States and Canada; however, there was a strong propaganda in 1970s spread by the corn oil and soy oil industry against coconut oil. Coconut oil was considered harmful for the human body due to its high saturated fat content till the last decade (2000s) when people started questioning this propaganda. Let us get into some details of how coconut oil works for our body.
How is lauric acid used by our body?
The human body converts lauric acid into monolaurin which is claimed to help in dealing with viruses and bacteria causing diseases such as herpes, influenza, cytomegalovirus, and even HIV. It helps in fighting harmful bacteria such as listeria monocytogenes and helicobacter pylori, and harmful protozoa such as giardia lamblia. As a result of these various health benefits of coconut oil, though its exact mechanism of action was unknown, it has been extensively used in Ayurveda, the traditional Indian medicinal system. The Coconut Research Center has compiled various benefits in both traditional and modern medicine.
Before we move on to the benefits of coconut oil in detail, let us understand its composition.
Tuesday, June 18, 2013 by RiseEarth · 0
Late last week, a story broke that revealed glyphosate -- the chemical name of Roundup herbicide -- multiplies the proliferation of breast cancer cells by 500% to 1300%... even at exposures of just a few parts per trillion (ppt).
The study, published in Food and Chemical Toxicology, is entitled, "Glyphosate induces human breast cancer cells growth via estrogen receptors." You can read the abstract here.
There's a whole lot more to this story, however, but to follow it, you need to understand these terms:
ppm = parts per million = 10 (-6) = number of parts out of a million
ppb = parts per billion = 10 (-9), which is 1,000 times smaller than ppm
ppt = parts per trillion = 10 (-12), which is 1,000 times smaller than ppb and 1,000,000 times smaller than ppm
The study found that breast cancer cell proliferation is accelerated by glyphosate in extremely low concentrations: ppt to ppb. The greatest effect was observed in the ppb range, including single-digit ppb such as 1 ppb.
This news, all by itself, sent shockwaves across the 'net all weekend. Women were asking things like: "You mean to tell me that glyphosate residues on crops in just ppt or ppb concentrations can give me breast cancer?"
FOX NEWS Reporters (Steve Wilson & Jane Akre) uncover that most of the Milk in the USA and across some parts of the world is unsafe to drink due to Monsanto Corporation’s POSILAC®, which has been proven to be a cancer-causing growth hormone.(known in short as “BGH” “BST” or “rBGH” ), but they were fired for attempting to inform people of the truth.
After a long court battle, the Court dismissed the whistle blowers protection for the reporters because the Court stated that there was no law to force that the NEWS must state the truth.
NEWS was/is no different than other TV shows/reality shows.) This is type of deceitful corruption is not just FOX news but includes almost all Main Stream Media. Self researched, alternative news and information (from multiple sources) is one of the best methods to stay well informed. Never trust or follow MSM/mega corporations such as Monsanto. The corrupt FDA has once again turned it’s back on the American public and has actually assisted in suppressing the dangers of this issue.
If you consumed or fed regular milk to your family today, there is more than a 90% chance that it was from a cow injected with BGH. (Bovine somatotropin developed by using recombinant DNA technology).
Business Insider published an article about the NSA data center being constructed in Bluffdale, Utah. The facility, being roughly 1 million square feet, will house a computing and data harvesting and long term data storage facility to be operational by October 2013. (Source)
The stated purpose of the facility is to "listen and decode all foreign communications of interest to the security of the United States." But in light of the recent revelations of NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden, the data center under construction in Utah is far more likely a tool of the United States Government (and its global masters) to collect unimaginable amounts of data on Americans and eventually every human on earth.
In fact, as far back as the mid nineteen eighties, the NSA and other intelligences agencies created and controlled a secret computer monitoring operation in New Zealand and elsewhere called project ECHELON.
Designed and coordinated by NSA, the ECHELON system is used to intercept ordinary e-mail, fax, telex, and telephone communications carried over the world's telecommunications networks. Unlike many of the electronic spy systems developed during the Cold War, ECHELON is designed primarily for non-military targets: governments, organizations, businesses, and individuals in virtually every country. It potentially affects every person communicating between (and sometimes within) countries anywhere in the world.[*]
What do executives at Kraft and Frito Lay have in common with many other heads of American Big Food companies?
Many of them choose organic foods for themselves and their families, despite their stringent marketing and support of processed foods and GMOs for the general public.
Michael Moss, an investigative reporter for the New York Times, interviewed a number of processed food officials. He writes, “it was everything from a former top scientist at Kraft saying he used to maintain his weight by jogging, and then he blew out his knee and couldn’t exercise, his solution was to avoid sugar and all caloric drinks, including the Kool-Aid and sugary drinks that Kraft makes.”
Moss goes to on describe his experience with a former top scientist at Frito Lay: “I spent days at his house going over documents relating to his efforts at Frito Lay to push the company to cut back on salt. Â He served me plain, cooked oatmeal and raw asparagus for lunch… he did not have one single processed food product in his cupboards or refrigerator… one reason they don’t eat their own products, is that they know better.”
They do indeed know better. However, it is in these executives’ best interest for consumers to remain ignorant of the dangers of processed foods, so that they can continue to make huge profits on chemical-filled products, while eating whole, organic foods themselves.
A new trick that is being used by processed food conglomerates to make their products appear healthier to an increasingly-knowledgeable consumer base is the addition of ‘flavor enhancers.’ Instead of listing salt, sugar and trans fats on ingredient labels, companies can just hide these under the category of ‘artificial and natural flavors.’
Following my last article The Law of Attraction and The Power of Your Mind, the subsequent information intends to further expand into the application of the necessary skill of discernment in order to manifest your desired reality.
To recap: Your mind is a sophisticated broadcasting system. We emit and absorb frequencies according to the frequencies (thoughts and belief systems) that we hold in our mind. In order to reset our innate power of creation, we must get our mind right by consciously applying discernment to every frequency (thought or emotion) that we emit and absorb. In other words, choosing to accept or reject frequencies is the first step in re-setting your broadcast system (your mind). It is how we begin to attune ourselves to source energy, our higher self, our life’s purpose, happiness, love, our true potential, etc.
Since the average individual’s mind broadcasts in the ballpark of 70 000 thoughts per day, we would drive ourselves absolutely mad trying to discern (monitor) every one of those thoughts. Especially since the vast majority of those are ingrained in the sub-conscious through belief systems that have deeply conditioned our habitual neuron pathways. The good news is that there is a shortcut to monitoring your thoughts and re-attuning yourself to your true manifestation potential. That shortcut is your emotions: your innate guidance system. This is a basic process that is fundamental to manifestation. Focus on feeling good! When your emotions are signaling that something (a frenquency) doesn’t feel good, apply discernment and re-focus your vibration on anything that feels good (a higher frequency). Listen to the ‘whispers’ (aka frequencies) life is offering to you as Oprah would say….
Monday, June 17, 2013
While millions around the world consume foods and beverages sweetened with Splenda (sucralose) with abandon, an accumulating body of research indicates that this synthetic chemical is far from safe, may contribute to obesity and blood sugar disorders, and more recently has even been linked to leukemia in animal experiments.
For several years now, Greenmedinfo (GMI) has consolidated scientific study abstracts from the National Library of Medicine about Splenda (sucralose) and its potential health related effects. Two articles citing the most compelling research are The Bitter Truth about Splenda and Splenda (Sucralose) Found to have Diabetes Promoting Effects, both by GMI's founder, Sayer Ji. The former refers to its xenobiotic nature, i.e. its metabolically foreign chemical properties, 1 and provides evidence that when the sensation of sweetness is disassociated from 'food,' i.e. a source of calories or nutrition, it is either unrecognizable by the body, or disrupts the body neuroendocrine system in an adverse manner. 2
The latter article focuses on the potential sucralose has to promote diabetic and /or pre-diabetic disease processes within the human body. The results delineated in the study point to just a single dose of sucralose resulting in increases in blood sugar concentration, increases in insulin levels and decreases in insulin sensitivity, all of which are possible pre-cursors to diabetes. 3
The study came to the attention of a Johnson & Johnson spokesperson, who submitted a rebuttal letter to our founder. View it here.
On the surface, the J&J rebuttal reasonably addresses the points of view expressed in these articles. However, on further analysis, it is clear that several of its criticisms are superficial: namely, that the study did not test subjects with diabetes (even though the sucralose ingestion is clearly attributed to an increase in blood glucose levels and insulin secretion in subjects) and second, the methodology of the study which, Thomas notes, was 'small.. and was not backed by scientific collective data' 4
Monday, June 17, 2013 by RiseEarth · 0
New York City Mayor Michael "Nanny" Bloomberg thinks medical marijuana is a hoax, but as far as I know he's never been to medical school, which is obvious based on the results of a new survey that found more than three-quarters of physicians would prescribe it to their patients if they could.
The results of the study, which were published recently in the New England Journal of Medicine, found that 76 percent of physicians polled would prescribe pot to patients who were experiencing pain from cancer.
According to the Journal, a non-scientific survey held in "Clinical Decisions, an interactive feature in which experts discuss a controversial topic and readers vote and post comments," received 1,466 votes from 56 states and provinces in the U.S. and the Americas, as well as 72 countries.
Participants were presented with the case of a 68-year-old woman named Marilyn who had been experiencing symptoms from metastatic breast cancer. Forum participants were asked to vote on whether physicians should prescribe medical marijuana to help her ease her symptoms. They were also given a pair of opinion pieces that were written for doctors arguing for and against the use of medical marijuana.
Glyphosate is a major component of Monsanto’s Roundup herbicide. It was created and manufactured on a mass scale by Monsanto and is one of the most widely used herbicides in the world. A number of scientific studies surrounding glyphosate have shed light on the danger it posses to the human body. A new groundbreaking study has now found that the most active ingredient in Monsanto’s best selling herbicide “Roundup” is responsible for fuelling breast cancer by increasing the number of breast cancer cells through cell growth and cell division.
The study is published in the US National Library of Medicine (4) and will soon be published in the journal Food and Chemical Toxicology. Several recent studies showed glyphosate’s potential to be an endocrine disruptor. Endocrine disruptors are chemicals that can interfere with the hormone system in mammals. These disruptors can cause developmental disorders, birth defects and cancer tumours.
Glyphosate exerted proliferative effects only in human hormone-dependent breast cancer. We found that glyphosate exhibited a weaker estrogenic activity than estradiol. Furthermore, this study demonstrated the additive estrogenic effects of glyphosate and genisein which implied that the use of glyphosate-contaminated soybean products as dietary supplements may pose a risk of breast cancer because of their potential additive estrogenicity. (4)Researchers also determined that that Monsanto’s roundup is considered an “xenoestrogen,” which is a foreign estrogen that mimics real estrogen in our bodies. This can cause a number of problems that include an increased risk of various cancers, early onset of puberty, thyroid issues, infertility and more. | <urn:uuid:e5e94a0c-f84c-4783-81fb-b3e4cc1ee56d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.riseearth.com/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00011-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.959172 | 4,637 | 1.726563 | 2 |
By The Bakersfield Californian
The veritable stampede of candidates vying for seats on the Kern County Water Agency board of directors can only mean one thing: Unrest in Kern's water world that broke the surface two years ago has not been squelched.
Far from it.
Lois Henry hosts Californian Radio every Wednesday on KERN 1180 AM from 9 to 10 a.m. You can get your two cents in by calling 842-KERN.
In this week's paper, Lois Henry will have an article introducing all the candidates for Kern County Water Agency board of directors and their answers to specific questions about the delta, budget problems and even the Kern River.
Six newcomers and two incumbents are running for seats on this very powerful but usually under-the-radar board. That's a lot of fresh blood gunning for seats that have typically been de facto lifetime appointments.
It's worth paying attention to because this board has its hand on the rudder of about 25 percent of Kern's water and because we're all on the hook, to some extent, for the bill.
Let me explain.
The Kern County Water Agency's main job is to be the point agency for water delivered here by the State Department of Water Resources.
The Agency contracts with the state on behalf of about a dozen local water districts for nearly a million acre feet of water (when it's available. In recent years it's been closer to about 600,000 acre feet, though the agency still has to pay the full amount).
The water is brought to Kern from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta via the California Aqueduct and then distributed to local water districts, which are "member units" of the Agency.
The Agency also has responsibility for groundwater management, flood control and running a water purification plant for drinking water for some parts of Bakersfield. And it owns and operates the cross valley canal, a key feature that allows Kern to move water back and forth to the aqueduct.
As its responsibilities stretched, so did its need to assess fees on the general public.
Part of the Agency's funding comes from a portion of property taxes, but it also gets special fees through "zones of benefit."
You pay an additional fee in a zone of benefit under the theory that even if you aren't getting any state water, the Agency's efforts to bring it to Kern benefit you because groundwater is replenished and ag keeps the economy going.
That's why Agency directors are elected by the public, rather than landowners within the member units. And that's why it's important for us to pay attention to who's on that board.
Frankly, until recently it was a pretty dull group.
Directors held their seats for years, typically retiring mid-term so replacements could be hand-picked. Then those guys would, in turn, stay on for years and so on.
Things changed dramatically in the 2010 election when Ted Page, openly backed by several member units including Rosedale-Rio Bravo Water Storage District, handily knocked longtime incumbent Fred Starrh off his seat.
Rosedale-Rio Bravo, in particular, was unhappy with the Agency's "prove it" attitude toward complaints that its Pioneer Project groundwater bank had allegedly pumped so much water out so fast during the recent drought that it sucked water out from under Rosedale-Rio Bravo lands and caused several wells to go dry.
Relations got so bad lawsuits were filed and next thing you know, farms throughout Rosedale were sporting "Ted Page" signs, even though he was running for a seat in another division.
Meanwhile, negotiations with state and federal entities over problems in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta have dragged on, costing member units more and more money with no certainty of how much water they will get or how much it'll cost.
Then last year, the Agency revealed it was broke, having operated on deficit budgets for several years.
The Agency went to its member units last spring and asked for an extra $2 per acre foot of water to be used to fund its efforts regarding the delta.
The member units agreed, but in exchange wanted more input into Agency decisions and strategy. They wanted to help drive the cart.
"The feeling was if we're going to fund these activities, we should have more input in the process," Eric Averett, general manager of Rosedale-Rio Bravo, recalled. "The Agency's response was, 'We don't want your money.'"
The $2 fee was never implemented.
Agency General Manager Jim Beck said it wasn't that the Agency didn't want to work with member units, he just found other ways to get the budget closer to balanced and the board opted to do that rather than charge member units more money.
This year's budget is still not balanced, but it's getting closer and Beck anticipated that next fiscal year, starting July 1, 2013, the Agency would be in the black.
He added that the Agency has worked much more closely with its member units in the last year. Averett agreed with that.
In fact, all the member unit managers I spoke with said the best outcome of the Agency's budget crisis has been increased communication. Though one manager characterized it more as member units becoming more "organized."
Whatever warmth may have been generated by increased meetings, it wasn't enough to melt concerns over the budget nor the perceived malaise in the Agency's delta dealings.
In fact, there was only one audience question at a candidates' forum Thursday night and that was "What can you do to move the ball forward" on the delta.
Both incumbents, Randy Parker and Fred Terry Rodgers, defended the Agency's actions thus far and said Kern is on the right track.
Citrus farmer Dick Porter couldn't have disagreed more, raising his voice and repeating that the Agency board had not done enough to "build a fire under management," meaning the Agency's staff.
Farmer and current Rosedale-Rio Bravo board member Royce Fast insisted that board members had to be more engaged. They should work on the political end, he said, meeting with other politicians and putting pressure on them to get things moving.
Kern River Valley rancher Bruce Hafenfeld said the board needed to be aggressive on the delta and later said he sees a real lack of leadership from the Agency board.
The frustration was evident.
We'll see if it carries through on election day.
Opinions expressed in this column are those of Lois Henry, not The Bakersfield Californian. Her column appears Wednesdays and Sundays. Comment at www.bakersfield.com, call her at 395-7373 or email firstname.lastname@example.org | <urn:uuid:42cb2561-01ff-41d1-958c-87a877e5b13d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.bakersfieldcalifornian.com/politics/local/x1903886085/LOIS-HENRY-Shake-up-of-water-board-may-be-in-the-works | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.975099 | 1,393 | 1.75 | 2 |
Over the weekend, I made an all-purpose flour version of a De Lorenzo’s clone dough, in this case using the Pillsbury Best unbleached all-purpose flour. Apart from this change, I made some minor changes to the last dough formulation, including lowering the hydration slightly to compensate for the lower absorption rate of the all-purpose flour, increasing the yeast quantity, and lowering the amount of oil. The final dough formulation, for a 14” pizza, was as follows:
|163.55 g | 5.77 oz | 0.36 lbs|
93.23 g | 3.29 oz | 0.21 lbs
0.82 g | 0.03 oz | 0 lbs | 0.27 tsp | 0.09 tbsp
2.45 g | 0.09 oz | 0.01 lbs | 0.44 tsp | 0.15 tbsp
2.45 g | 0.09 oz | 0.01 lbs | 0.55 tsp | 0.18 tbsp
3.27 g | 0.12 oz | 0.01 lbs | 0.82 tsp | 0.27 tbsp
265.78 g | 9.37 oz | 0.59 lbs | TF = 0.0609
(Note: The thickness factor used in the dough calculating tool was 0.06; the water temperature was 83° F; the bowl residue compensation factor was 1.5%; the finished dough weight was 9.35 ounces, which was trimmed to 9.23 ounces, and the finished dough temperature was 82° F)
The latest dough was prepared and managed in the same way as the last one (including use of the alternative KitchenAid dough making method), except that the dough was in the refrigerator for about 2 1/4 days before I removed it to make the pizza. Also, this time I slightly modified the dough shaping and dressing and baking. More specifically, I opened up the dough as soon as possible after coming out of the refrigerator, to 14”, and I allowed both the top and bottom of the dough to be exposed to the air to dry the dough out (by flipping the skin over part way through the warm-up period). The dough handled very well, although it was not as high a quality as the last dough that used high-gluten flour. However, the relatively low hydration of the dough, 57%, insured that the dough skin would not stick to anything. I used semolina flour on the wood peel, but in retrospect I found that the dough skin was dry enough that I didn’t really need the semolina flour, or just a very small amount for insurance purposes.
In dressing the stretched out dough skin (14”), I started by brushing a blend of olive oil and canola oil over the skin. I did this to serve as a barrier to the sauce so that it wouldn’t migrate into the dough. I then distributed shredded mozzarella cheese (a blend of Precious and Best Choice brands), followed by dollops of sauce. The sauce itself was a combination of 6-in-1 and hand crushed and drained whole tomatoes that, according to the label (Best Choice), were ostensibly the same as the RedPack whole tomatoes. I also added some sugar to the point where I could detect its sweetness.
After putting down the sauce, I then baked the pizza on a pizza stone that I had placed on the lowest oven rack position and preheated for about an hour at about 500-550° F. As soon as I deposited the pizza onto the stone, I lowered the oven temperature to about 450° F so that the pizza would bake for a longer time and help dry out the crust and make it crispier. The pizza was on the stone for about 7 minutes. I then removed the pizza from the oven and topped it with raw pieces of sausage, some thick slices of Hormel pepperoni from a stick, sauteed slices of green and red peppers and mushrooms, and some more of the shredded mozzarella cheese blend. I then returned the pizza to the oven, to the second-from-the-top rack oven position, and let the pizza finish baking there to heat up/cook the toppings while increasing the browning of the crust. The additional baking time was about 3 minutes.
The photos below show the finished product. In pretty much all respects, the pizza was like the preceding ones that included all of the abovementioned toppings. The decision to use a lot of toppings in the last few pizzas, including several wet toppings, was intentional all along. I specifically wanted to see if it would be possible to make a De Lorenzo’s clone pizza in my unmodified home oven that could tolerate all of those toppings yet remain crispy pretty much throughout. I did not succeed in that respect. Maybe I would need to prebake the skin. However, that is not to detract from the overall quality and taste of the pizza. It was delicious. I personally preferred the texture and taste of the high-gluten crust over the all-purpose crust, but I don’t think that the differences were really all that major. I believe that one can safely use all-purpose flour, bread flour or high-gluten flour and achieve satisfactory results. Of course, I would be curious as to which flour De Lorenzo’s actually uses.
I am not sure where to proceed from here. In retrospect, I have pretty much come full circle—starting with a natural starter culture, to using the natural old dough method, and finally to using commercial yeast and all-purpose flour. All work well, although clearly using commercial yeast and any one of the three types of flour mentioned above will be the easiest and most convenient approach to use. | <urn:uuid:90e450f4-2e65-447c-b18f-dae6f1da764a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php?topic=7841.msg45070 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00011-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.961607 | 1,183 | 1.65625 | 2 |
CAIRO — Mainly ultraconservative protesters climbed the walls of the U.S. Embassy in Egypt's capital Tuesday and brought down the American flag, replacing it with a black Islamist flag to protest a U.S.-produced film attacking the Prophet Muhammad. Hours later, armed men in eastern Libya also stormed the U.S. consulate there and set it on fire as anger spread.
It was the first time ever the U.S. Embassy in Cairo has been breached and comes as Egypt is struggling to overcome months of unrest after the ouster of Hosni Mubarak's autocratic regime. U.S. officials said no Americans were reported harmed in the assaults in Cairo or the eastern city of Benghazi.
The unrest in Cairo began when hundreds of protesters marched to the downtown embassy, gathering outside its walls and chanting against the movie and the U.S.
Dozens of protesters then scaled the embassy walls, and several went into the courtyard and took down the flag from a pole. They brought it back to the crowd outside, which tried to burn it but failing that tore it apart. The protesters on the wall then raised a black flag with a Muslim declaration of faith, "There is no god but God and Muhammad is his prophet."
The U.S. Embassy said on its Twitter account says that there will be no visa services on Wednesday because of the protests. | <urn:uuid:f2637053-56ee-4c86-8d8a-6fa36507657c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.gosanangelo.com/news/2012/sep/11/protesters-scale-wall-of-embassy-rip-us-flag/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00003-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.966165 | 278 | 1.5 | 2 |
Think You Can’t Make Social Media Mistakes?
Social media is all around us.
Whether you’re a small company or a large corporation, there is a good chance you are partaking in the social media phenomena that has gripped the world in recent years.
That being said, companies cannot just wing it when it comes to social media. By doing just that, they risk alienating the very individuals they’re trying to attract.
According to emarketer.com, four out of five U.S. businesses with 100 or more employees will use social media marketing this year. That’s quite an increase from 2008 when only 42% of businesses marketed via social media. With consumer usage of social media increasing in the U.S. and around the world, marketers have moved from careful engagement to a full-on attack.
While many businesses are waging an all-out battle in utilizing social media in their marketing campaigns, there are land mines to dodge along the route.
In order to steer clear of these potential problems, there are a number of practices businesses should avoid when using social media:
- Over promoting – We all get bombarded on a daily basis with emails and other electronic forms of transmissions from individuals and companies wanting to alert us to a product, sell us something or just plain want our attention. One major mistake companies can make is too much promotion. By too much promotional information, you risk turning off your followers (current and potential customers). A little self-promotion here and there is fine, but be sure to balance things out so your copy doesn’t take on the look of e-mail spam.
- Lack of engagement – When a follower comments about your business via Facebook, Twitter etc., do you respond? While you should not get caught up in an on-going discussion or dispute with a follower, responding in brief shows your interest in a follower’s question, comment or concern. By creating a relationship with those who follow you, you’re giving them an ear and keeping the lines of communication open.
- Leaving your social media profile to chance – While more and more companies try and do more with less, giving spotty attention to your social media efforts will end up costing you followers and potential sales down the road. Simply creating an account will not get the job done; manage it and be sure it receives the necessary attention to bring in a regular stream of followers.
- Know the difference between business and personal accounts – Whether a business has a written policy or verbal one, it is important for those heading up the marketing efforts to differentiate between business and personal social media. Assuming what you’re going to say is something you’d think twice about telling a boss, co-worker or client in person, then think twice about saying it on a company social media venue.
- Not measuring social media analytics – What is the sense of having a social media campaign if you are not going to follow up on it? Once your goals are in place, how will you track your results? There are different tools available for companies to track their social media footprints, including Klout, Social Mention, Twazzup, Scoutlabs and EvoApp to name just a few.
- Traveling the unknown road – You have a social media strategy but it is drawn up on a roadmap with no final destination. As noted earlier, what are your goals with social media? Are you in it just because the competition is too or are you in it to achieve something? By forming a strategic plan for your social media ventures, you stand a better chance of accomplishing something. Branding and marketing via social engagement can be a boost to your business if you know how to use it in the first place.
While these are but a few of the mistakes businesses can make with social media, there are endless possibilities too.
As more businesses reach out to consumers, are you a follower or a leader in the world of social media?
-Written by Dave Thomas | <urn:uuid:8d1be2de-4afc-4620-a5fc-da4a38a94408> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://socialmediatraction.com/2011/07/26/think-you-cant-make-social-media-mistakes/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00018-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.947053 | 823 | 1.8125 | 2 |
|How to get ATOU into your school|
Parents/Grandparents Q & A
How can I get A Touch of Understanding into my child’s (grandchild’s) school?
Please talk with your child’s teacher and/or principal and encourage them to visit this website to view the 9 minute video which gives an overview of the program. They can also read the testimonials of from students, parents, teachers and administrators. When they visit the teacher or administrator portion of this website, they will gain additional information about our program. However, it is always best to have them call us at (916) 791-4146 to talk to us about how we can work together to bring A Touch of Understanding to your child’s school. The scheduling and cost are determined for each school based on the number of participating students and the time and space available.
If they have not contacted us and you would like us to initiate the conversation, please call our office. We are eager to speak with school personnel and help you bring A Touch of Understanding into your child’s school. | <urn:uuid:a545b73a-4038-4473-8eeb-89c44100e105> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://touchofunderstanding.org/for-parents/atou-in-your-school | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00010-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.957274 | 229 | 1.789063 | 2 |
In this piece I shall address Theodor Adorno’s essay on ‘Gestures’. In this essay, Adorno wears more of a musician’s hat than his many other hats, like say, the Freudian psychoanalysis hat; the sociologist hat; or the philosophers’ hat.
Give them what they want – The Allegory of the Running Man
Perhaps the most informal way of trying to understand this essay, and that is by no means to say that I do in fact understand it; is to try and make a couple of cultural touchstones. There’s an expression among my friends which comes from the film ‘The Running Man’, which is about a totalitarian imagined future (from a 1980s perspective) where in order to ignore the reality of martial law, entertainment is used to pacify the audience, to use crass consumerism and aspiration as a ploy to accept the dominion of the status quo. One of the tools to do so is by the entertainment show ‘The Running Man’, where convicted persons go on a sadistic game show to fight for their lives. The character Killian says at the start of the show: ‘We give ’em what they want’. What an interesting parable to allude to when discussing a Marxian theorist of culture. The film itself is almost like some Frankfurt School parable. Later on in the film, Arnold Schwarzenegger’s character makes a step towards overturning the false class consciousness of the audience and then before he kills Killian, Arnold’s character (Ben Richards) recapitulates the phrase but giving it a new context: ‘and right now, I’m going to give the audience what I think they want’.
While I could say more about how this film is a parable for the Culture Industry thesis of Adorno, I might instead talk about Adorno’s damning essay on ‘Gesture’ that accuses Wagner not merely of bad character as he did in the essay ‘Social Character’, but of poor composing ability. I think the most salient and boiled down version of what Adorno says of Wagner in this essay is that the Saxony composer wrote unstylistically, and perhaps even unmusically. Wagner is putatively understood for being the composer of long phrases and lucious chromatics, building tensions and creating erotically charged dissonances, but to Adorno, there is compositional merit to this, and the reputation he has built on his composing is effectively a shallow populism: it is akin to Killian’s ‘give them what they want’.
The Wagnerian Gesture
One of the things I hate about academic writing is when a term is used, and can even be an everyday term, but it is not defined. I’m probably guilty of this myself on occaision. As this essay concerns the gesture. We might ask what is a gesture. Instead of giving a definition as such, Adorno points towards how Wagner’s work is gesture-like. Perhaps that is the closest we can get to for understanding a gesture.
One point Adorno makes is that as a person, Wagner’s traits show in his music, and both in terms of his music, and personality; Meister Wilhelm is a dilettante. Perhaps another crude way of putting this is to say that Wagner is a Jack of All Trades, and master of none. Wagner in his later operas put much effort into elements outside of the music itself: the libretti, mythology of the texts. It is even said that Wagner put much effort into the costumes and even the physical considerations of a concert venue in his Bayreuth opera house. Wagner was an ambitious person, and his music met such ambitions. However, to be dilettante is to be amateur. Adorno’s acusation is something as follows: Wagner’s ambitions were shallow, and this is reflected in the lack of depth in his music. This is what seems to me the meaning of a gesture.
Wagner as a bad composer
Adorno does not say this without reasons. There are specific things that, within the musical work of Wagner’s work (in contrast to say the mythology of the libretti). Adorno has very specific things to say to accus Wagner of being a bad composer. They are the following:
Wagner emphasises the role of the conductor as a ‘master’ of the music. In historical context one may accept this and see this as leading to a future where conductors are on a level of musical artists as say, the composer. A generation after Wagner, notable composers had reputations as conductors, in particular Mahler must be mentioned. Mahler was almost as much a superstar conductor of his day as he was a notable composer!
Adorno also makes the point that the music Wagner makes is compatible with or conducive with the emphasised nature and centrality of the conductor with specific respect to tempo. Wagner also makes a claim that I’m still trying to work out in my own head, that there is a distinct atemporality to his music. I may take this to mean the way that the harmonies and textures of the compositions are atemporal both in terms of being otherworldly and not obviously alluding to the work of past composers. Compare this to say Brahms, where in much of his work the Beethovenian and Baroque elements are quite evident (and much pleasantly so). Not being an expert on Wagner, I will take this on face value about atemporality.
The other point about atemporality may be construed in terms of being immaterial to the historical based conditions of the music and the settings of the grand stories of Wagner’s operas. Atemporality also refers to the respect that the melodies don’t go anywhere interesting. Instead they simply and frustratingly stay in the same places without a good amount of development. Atemporality is something Adorno is using in a variety of senses, some ideological, some psychoanalytic, but all musically justifiable. To provide and example of the atemporality as a lack of melodic development, Adorno appeals to the infamousTristan concert prelude.
Wagnerian gestures try to speak of a grand view through big instrumental sounds of the symphony orchestra, but they are gestures because of the poor score-writing. Adorno specifically refers to poor modulations and disapproves of the secondary modulations present in much of Wagner’s score-writing to be sloppy.
Adorno references another Wagner commentator, Alfred Lorenz. Lorenz put forward a notable study of Wagner’s work and points out specifically the use of ‘bar form’ in Wagner’s work. Adorno picks up on this as a lack of form, and this is a big part of what Adorno seems to find disapproving in Wagner. I think something that wikipedia noted to me is that Lorenz is considered as a discredited authority on Wagner, due to the former’s associations with Nazi ideology. Adorno in the purposes of this essay, however, takes the bar form (AAB melodic phrasing) as horribly generic and unstylistic.
If I were to pretend to be Zizek and be facetious, I might give a crass analogy. Adorno here is employing something of an Oedipal fascination and protection of his mother against what he percieves as a threat to his mother, the father. In this crass parody of a Freudian analogy (which I urge you not to take seriously), the unwelcome father is Wagner who is courting the mother’s affections.
So who is the mother? In this essay I might take it to mean the ideals of Viennese Classicism. But to me this is not a good enough answer. If Adorno valorises the greatness of Mozart and Beethoven, I contend it is only mediated through the other masters of Viennese form: Adorno’s own divinities: Schoenberg and Webern. But let’s take a step back and talk about Viennese Classicism.
What Adorno refers to as Viennese classicism refers to a golden age around the middle of the 18th Century (ah, the 18th century, my favourite time in philosophy), where the greats such as Mozart, Beethoven and Haydn developed stylistic innovations which emphasised a particular brand of balance, and form over feeling. I am led to feel that this historical ideal of the 18th Century is clouded by Adorno through the Schoenberg perspective. Late Beethoven cannot be said to exhibit balance in its emotional temperament. Perhaps Adorno’s understanding is anachronstic. It is often said that talk of a ‘First and Second Reich’ only came about when the Third Reich was conceptualised as a notion. Likewise, there seems to be no Viennese Classicism in Adorno without what had come to be known as the Second Viennese school. There are reasons to support this interpretation in other essays where Adorno compares and contrasts Wagner’s composing and scoring to Schoenberg. The essay ‘Colour’ comes to mind when thinking of Adorno comparing to another ‘Viennese great’, which I shall write about hopefully soon enough.
Why is Viennese Classicism so important? This to me is the real issue of this essay. If Wagner is a composer of gestural motions, it is because he does not pay attention to the innovative aspects of his forebears such as Beethoven. Beethoven and Mozart were masters of form when it came to composition, they were masters of developing melodic lines and harmonies and of transitioning keys. I take this to be more than a musical opinion but a strong personal conviction. However I am sceptical of Adorno’s disapproval. I understand the ideological and cultural grounds for saying that Wagner fails as a composer compared to Beethoven. Then again, almost every other composer fails to compare to Beethoven, and those that dare to surpass him number on a four-fingered hand. Of course Adorno would think Schoenberg numbers among that four (as do I!).
The Tristan passage which Adorno is highly distainful of, I find hard to be convinced that this is terrible part writing. Adorno talks more about the Tristan passage in his essay ‘Motiv’. Which particularly goes into what I consider as a very contraversial view about Leitmotif. If Wagner was a composer of gestures, then he has fooled even me that his harmonies are luxurious. Indeed Meister Wilhelm even convinced Nietzsche for a time. Adorno stated in his own musicological way of the shallowness of Wagner’s writing which has a simultaneous appeal to it, because it is gestural. Adorno says this where Nietzsche says in much pithier words: Only sick music makes money today.
Part of me wonders as I read this book, and as we had also written an essay on Glenn Gould on this blog some weeks ago: what would have Gould thought of Adorno? Adorno very much resembles one of the personalities that Gould adopted in his broadcasting work, of the avant-garde radical composer. Both are fans of Schoenberg, I keep emphasising this because there are very few of us in the world, living and dead! However, for very similar reasons, Gould enjoys Bach where Adorno valorises the Vienna 18th Century. Gould however, was no big fan of Beethoven or Mozart (Gould once made the infamous comment that ‘Mozart died too late’). Part of me wonders whether Adorno’s vision of music prefigured a character like Glenn Gould, or whether Gould’s later piano career could be seen as reflecting some of the musical ideology that could be said to be ‘Adornian’. This is a thought that I will try to develop more hopefully as I am going further along in assessing these essays.
A serious point is to be made here. I could take Adorno’s views here seriously, and I would respond to say I am not convinced that a lack of form is such a bad thing in something like the Tristan concert prelude. However, I find Adorno’s reasons very apt, if they were applied to other music. Something that I have also been suspecting about Adorno is finding textual evidence. Namely, that Adorno could have been a formalist aesthetically speaking. Formalism is the view that what makes something beautiful is the form of it, and the underlying rules and principles that govern that art form. Those are the things that made Beethoven great, those are also the things that made Schoenberg a great composer too. But if Wagner were a great composer, it would only be for him as a dilettante. But that said, that to me is not necessarily a bad thing. This is an essay where Adorno is uncharitable, but his points force me to take them seriously because of the strength of the psychoanalytic association between Wagner’s character and the shallowness of his writing. Perhaps if we are to take formalism seriously as an aesthetic view, we may draw from an essay like this to evaluate its merits, by looking at the demerits of its alternative. | <urn:uuid:83b7b0f0-055c-42da-8dc5-9777d7aa6c29> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://sinistredestre.wordpress.com/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00006-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.972138 | 2,811 | 1.742188 | 2 |
Although he probably wouldn't approve of the term, among Muslim heads of government, and in the context of Malaysian politics, Najib is a liberal. He has recast Malaysia's foreign policy, reached out to its ethnic minorities with a "1 Malaysia" slogan and campaign, and set the economy on a path of reform and hi-tech growth.
He is also a friend of Australia and is coming to visit in March. In a long conversation in his prime ministerial office at Putra Jaya, the lavish government administrative centre near Kuala Lumpur, Najib outlined an impressive and positive agenda of co-operation with Australia. In his view of Australia, and in many other matters, Najib is a stark contrast to his predecessor but one, the legendary Mahathir Mohamed.
Read the complete story(Some news sites require registration) | <urn:uuid:bdabe172-5106-4962-a93f-d0fbd85c4268> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.pewforum.org/Religion-News/The-Australian--Malaysia-steers-moderate-course-with-Najib-at-helm.aspx | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706890813/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516122130-00019-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.970051 | 168 | 1.578125 | 2 |
The tanoak used to dye leather was stored in drying sheds across Highway 9 from the main Salz Tannery complex. Modern forklifts replaced horse and wagon in the 1960s. The drying process took about six months. The building in this photo was used to store hides that arrived on the short rail spur. The building remains and in year 2002 is the site of Angelo's Art studio.
Place: Santa Cruz city
Source of Information: Jeremy Lezin
Original size: 8"x10"
This photograph was taken by Ansel Adams and is the property of the Lezin Family. It is displayed here with the permission of the Lezin Family and the Ansel Adams Trust. | <urn:uuid:cf899c7f-71bd-47a0-a2b0-0adbc5d29d1a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www2.santacruzpl.org/gallery2/main.php?g2_view=keyalbum.KeywordAlbum&g2_keyword=Men&g2_itemId=41 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00003-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.945956 | 141 | 1.828125 | 2 |
above: Come together. Below: detail of Come together
Australian born sculptor and painter Ricky Swallow has many talents. Only one of which are his realistic wood carvings made with Jelutong, English Lime, Walnut and Pear wood.
Although he has wonderful bronze works and watercolors, too, it's his wood carvings that emulate canvas, rubber, animals and more I want to share with you. The appearance of these sculptures suggest they are made of materials other than wood.
The majority of the sculptures below are made of Jelutong*
Field Recording/Highland Park Hydra:
Everything is nothing:
Together is the new alone:
Younger than yesterday
Growing Pains (contingency for beginners):
You can read a review or Ricky's 2006 show in the NY Times here.
*What is Jelutong?
Jelutong (Dyera costulata) is a type of hardwood also known as jelutong bukit or jelutong paya. It grows in Malaysia, Borneo, and Sumatra and has the appearance of a straight grained wood with fine, even texture. Colors range from creamy-white sapwood and heartwood, maturing to a pale straw-yellow.
It is light, soft, brittle, and weak with good stability in service, low decay resistance, and works easily with both hand and power tools.
This type of wood planes to a nice, clean surface and glues, screws, and nails without difficulty. Stains, paints, and varnishes fairly well.
It is popular for model making, patterns, wooden shoes, battery separators, and drawing boards. Also used for interior joinery and corestock for doors. Excellent wood for carving and sculpture due to its softness. Latex in the wood is extracted for chewing gum.
above: Ricky Swallow, Field Recordings
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The images, text and information by laura sweet on this site are licensed and protected under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License. If you reproduce or re-purpose, be sure to credit this blog and link back to the post. Thanks. | <urn:uuid:77fd7b4a-2f11-4d38-a872-60e44c3a9940> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://ifitshipitshere.blogspot.com/2009/12/wood-sculptures-that-look-like-anything.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00015-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.942321 | 480 | 1.710938 | 2 |
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