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Jobs: No DRM-free video
Despite the landmark agreement with EMI for DRM-free music, Apple may not be the same position to negotiate for video distribution without copyright protections. Based on comments at following the EMI announcement, Apple CEO Steve Jobs doesn not appear to be pushing for DRM-video, according to IDG News Service. During the teleconference, Jobs was asked about the potential of distributing video with copy protection technology: "Video is pretty different from music right now because the video industry does not distribute 90 percent of their content DRM free. Never has. So I think they are in a pretty different situation, and I wouldn't hold it to a parallel at all."
Referencing the CSS (Content Scramble System) technology used on DVDs, Jobs is essentially saying that "CSS makes the video market different than the music industry because music CDs don't come with copy protection. "As a result, Jobs' argument has been that digital music should be sold in an equivalent manner as CDs -- without copy protection," the report said.
Jobs argument, however, may only be technicality that won't sit well with the public, but it may be a necessary position while iTunes' video sales have to yet to mature. Movie studios, the analyst claims, would not support the store if Jobs pushed DRM-free video content.
"Most people believe he's taking advantage of a technicality when he says that," said James McQuivey, a principal analyst at Forrester Research told the publication. Programs that let users get around CSS are readily available and widely used, so it's not a strong argument for why the DVD industry is different from CDs.
While a major player in the music industry with over 10 percent of all retail sales, the iTunes Store has yet to become a major player in the video content sales. The result is that Jobs may need wait until Apple is in a better position to negotiate with movie studios.
"No movie studio would ever support the iTunes store if it was clear that Jobs would be pushing them to remove DRM," he said. If Jobs did start offering Disney content on iTunes without copy protection, the other studios might fear that he'd start pushing them to do the same, McQuivey told IDG News. | <urn:uuid:36a66966-9371-4358-8ad2-88a66274e089> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.macnn.com/articles/07/04/03/jobs.no.drm.free.video/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00010-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.948388 | 476 | 1.546875 | 2 |
The Volunteer Projects
|TVP July 2011
In this issue:
• Main Story - Donor Shipment Arrives
• What's New? - Intern Position Open
• Featured Projects - Teaching
• Latest News
• Downloads & Links
Chicken Coop Produces Eggs
We are delighted to announce that our first micro-project, a Chicken Coop in a partner orphanage, has begun producing income-generating eggs!
In March we puchased 200 chicks to populate the coop that we'd built using a donation from a group of volunteers from Tullow, County Carlow, Ireland in 2010. The chickens were supposed to begin laying eggs in November 2011 but have matured already which means that we are ahead of schedule.
The benefits of the Chicken Coop include the following:
1.Provide food for the staff and children of the Orphanage
2.Provide income by the sale of excess eggs
3.Create employment for someone to feed and care for the chickens
The revenue produced will also be used to purchase feed for the chickens which costs $150 per month although we are constantly seeking funding for this.
Volunteer Donation Will Help Hundreds
This month we received an extremely generous donation from a group of volunteers from Kilkenny, Ireland. The donation will be used in numerous Projects which include the building of a kitchen in one of our partner orphanages and the provision of running water and electricity in another.
Other funds will be used to equip the Womens Project with sewing machines and furniture and more will go towards a HIV/AIDS Outreach Programme.
More still will go towards further initiatives within KCOS which provides education to over 300 children!
Donor Shipment Arrives
This month we sent a shipment from Dublin to Dar Es Salaam containing the instruments for the Moshi School of Music and other donated items.
These other items included medical supplies doanted by a TVP volunteer and childrens books donated by the Irish educational childrens book publishers 'The Educational Company of Ireland (EDCO)' and 'Folens'.
The books will be used in our partner orphanages and nursery schools while the medical supplies will also be distributed to worthy Projects.
As we could only ship the delivery as far as Dar Es Salaam the in-country team had to endure an 18 hour round trip to collect it. This involved an overnight drive from Moshi during an extremely busy period and we are very grateful for their efforts.
While this was the first shipment we've ever sent we hope it will not be the last!
Sponsorship Required as New School Year Approaches
13 children in one of our partner Orphanages are hoping to begin/return to school in September. Unfortunately, however, without sponsorship for school fees many will not get the chance.
School fees range from €50 (Nursery) to €110 (6th Class) per term depending on the age/level of the student. A uniform costs €22 while lunch costs from €7 to €25 depending on age/level.
If you would like to sponsor an orphans education you can contact us here.
Do you want to fight poverty in the Developing World?
If you are interested in supporting our work and staying involved in International Development there are many ways to do this.
You can help us to recruit volunteers, make regular donations, sponsor specific Projects or hold fundraisers in your college, workplace or community.
More information on this can be found here!
Intern Position Open
Last month we announced the arrival of a new Head Of Marketing to TVP. Unfortunately Abdul has since left us to focus on college and we are seeking an Intern to take his place.
The role will be quite varied and include fundraising, marketing, recruitment and admin duties all in the context of International Development and Aid.
The position should appear
Construction Work Commences on Projects
Construction work has just begun on numerous Projects including the building of kitchens in KCOS Nursery. This will be followed by the building of a kitchen and painting of a partner orphanage and the provision of electricity and running water in another.
Volunteers assist local builders in Building Projects.
More to come on this in our August Newsletter.
Education is the cornerstone of any successful society and Teaching plays a vital role in our humanitarian efforts in East Africa. Other Projects, including Orphanage Work and Gender Inequality/Womens Group, also involve teaching. While a qualification in Teaching is obviously an advantage no experience is neccessary as training and sample lesson plans are provided pre-departure.
We have a number of options for those wishing to teach...you can spend a full day in a primary school, nursery or young offenders home, you can teach in an orphanage, HIV/AIDS or Womens Project, you can even combine Projects by spending mornings in a nursery and afternoons in secondary, adult, school completion or the young offenders home!
More info can be found in the Downloads & Links section.
EYV Roadshow Comes To Ireland
2011 is the European Year of Volunteering (EYV) and the EYV Roadshow is visiting 27 cities around Europe throughout the year.
Dublin is the 17th stop and TVP will be there to take part in the week-long event!
The EYV Roadshow will be visiting Dublin from Monday 22nd - Friday 26th August. The venue for the various exhibitions is EC House, 18 Dawson Street, Dublin 2.
TVP will have a stand on Thursday 25th August to promote our volunteer opportunities and everyone from past to future volunteers and interested members of the public are welcome!
More information on the European Year of Volunteering can be found in the Downloads & Links section.
World Cup 2014
Tanzania are to play Chad for a place in the World Cup 2014 African Qualifying Group C which contains Ivory Coast, Morocco and Gambia.More here.
Tanzanian Women Encouraged To Breastfeed
Women in Tanzania are being encouraged to breastfeed to combat malnutrition and disease. Tanzania has one of the highest rates of infant mortality in the world and malnutrition contributes to over half of all child deaths. More here.
Farming Key To Development
A recent initiative by Oxfam aims to increase the capacity and productivity of subsistence farmers and identified the "huge untapped potential of small-scale farmers in developing countries".
Downloads & Links
• Our Website
• Join us on Facebook
• Teaching Projects
• EYV Roadshow - Europe
• EYV Roadshow - Ireland
• Folens Publishing
• EDCO Publishing
|Copyright © The Volunteer Projects (TVP) Designed by Templatesbox.com
|If you do not wish to receive this newsletter please email firstname.lastname@example.org or click here | <urn:uuid:8b796597-9130-42c9-8c79-983364286e69> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.thevolunteerprojects.com/Documents/Newsletter%20July.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00015-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.937396 | 1,407 | 1.804688 | 2 |
FindLaw KnowledgeBasePublished: 2012-04-02
On Dec. 17, 2010, President Obama signed the Tax Relief, Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization, and Job Creation Act (TRA 2010). The law contained changes to the federal estate taxes, gift taxes and generation-skipping transfer taxes for 2010, 2011 and 2012. People need to be aware of these changes so they can take advantage of the benefits these new rules may offer by updating their estate plans.
TRA 2010 changed the federal estate tax so that the first $5 million of an estate is tax-free (provided no taxable lifetime gifts had been made by the decedent) and the tax rate on anything above that amount is 35 percent. Formerly, only $1 million of an estate was tax-exempt and the tax rate ranged as high as 55 percent. Additionally, the law made it so that the estate tax and generation-skipping transfer tax as well as the gift tax exemptions are all indexed to inflation starting in 2012. As of Jan. 1, 2012, the exemptions are all $5.12 million
Furthermore, married couples now may share any unused portion of the $5 million exemption (the so-called "portability" rule). For example, if one spouse dies and only has an estate worth $3 million, the other spouse can use the leftover $2 million in addition to his or her own $5 million exemption.
Generation-Skipping Transfer Tax
The generation-skipping transfer tax applies to assets that pass two generations or more. For example, if a grandparent leaves property to a grandchild as part of an estate plan, it is subject to this tax. Similar to the estate tax, the generation-skipping transfer tax exemption increased to $5.12 million, and any amount above that is also taxed at a 35 percent rate.
TRA 2010 increased the amount that a person can give as a tax-free gift for 2011 to $5 Million, once again unifying the gift tax with the estate tax. Previously, the gift tax exemption had been locked in at $1 million. The new law also reduced the gift tax rate to 35%. As in the case of the estate and generation-skipping taxes, the gift tax exemption has been increased to $5.12 million for 2012 to account for inflation.
Consult an Attorney
Tax laws change frequently, and the changes can have a big and often adverse impact on a person’s estate plan. The new $5.12 million gift, estate and generation-skipping tax exemptions are scheduled to be reduced to $1 million effective January 1, 2013 (with inflation adjustment only for the generation-skipping tax). Thus, 2012 is the last opportunity for making large gifts unless and until the law changes again.
If you have not updated your estate plan recently, consult soon with an experienced estate planning lawyer who can review your circumstances and help you take advantage of current laws, maximizing the tax benefits that are now available. | <urn:uuid:d2b1e047-94bc-4bb0-a8d8-dbf2c57d8b78> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://knowledgebase.findlaw.com/kb/2012/Mar/588272.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00001-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.958446 | 612 | 1.632813 | 2 |
We may have alluded to this in our round-up on Friday, but we actually think this is deserving of a bit more attention – Debenhams, one of Britain’s best-loved department stores, is breaking boundaries in the world of fashion by banning airbrushing from its summer swimwear campaigns.
Which, when you study images of women in bikinis as much as us (we know you do too), is a sweet sigh of relief.
You see, Debenhams believes that the use of digital retouching to create idealistic body shapes and flawless skin actually makes women feel insecure about their own shape and appearance – and so, by exposing the bluffs of the brush along its way, the retailer’s pledging to promote positive body image.
“As a responsible retailer we want to help customers make the most of their beauty without bombarding them with unattainable body images. Our campaign is all about making women feel good about themselves – not eroding their self belief and esteem by using false comparisons,” says Mark Woods, director of creative & visual at Debenhams.
“As a rule we only airbrush minor things like pigmentation or stray hair and rely on the natural beauty of models to make our product look great,” he adds. “We are proud to bring the issue of re-touching into the main stream when the likes of Britney Spears and Madonna are using un-airbrushed but over-lit images as a shock tactic.”
Debenhams will be trialling the ground-breaking images this summer in store windows for customers to give their feedback.
Well here’s ours – Amen. | <urn:uuid:e12a277e-f141-4b5c-ad8d-382ada39f3da> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.myfashionlife.com/archives/2010/06/21/debenhams-bans-airbrushing/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00007-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.946697 | 352 | 1.523438 | 2 |
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — A veterans charity already under scrutiny for how it raised hundreds of thousands of dollars in Tennessee handed out only a fraction of the money in the form of gift cards and threatened to fire workers if they didn’t meet fundraising quotas, former employees say.
The Stuart, Fla.-based Veterans Support Organization has been criticized by other groups for how it uses donations raised outside retail stores and supermarkets. It had been fined by Tennessee for making false claims about the benefits it offered, and Connecticut lawmakers called for a federal investigation before the group’s Tennessee branch closed last month.
However, former employees interviewed by The Associated Press shed new details on how the charity operated. For instance, it claimed to help veterans and non-veterans by providing them jobs, but disciplined people who didn’t meet fundraising quotas. It also claimed to provide housing and help for poor or homeless veterans, though the former workers say that amounted to little more than a rented home in Tennessee where the workers were charged $400 a month for bunk beds and plastic dressers.
It’s not the first such charity to be scrutinized as thousands of veterans leave the military after serving in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. In Ohio, for instance, a man has been charged with running a $100 million scam through a bogus charity collecting donations for Navy veterans. Other charities around the country have been scrutinized for spending large portions of the donations they receive on operating expenses.
VSO reported raising nearly $8.5 million nationwide during the last fiscal year, but leaders emptied its office in Madison and laid off about 20 workers the day before Thanksgiving. Charity officials declined to answer questions about the workers’ claims, but provided a short statement.
The Tennessee chapter was raising tens of thousands of dollars a month at its peak, former chapter manager Kurt Jones told the AP, who was among those laid off. However, he said, its only donations were about $400 worth of Walmart gift cards given every other month to Veterans Affairs facilities in Tennessee and Kentucky.
Jones estimated the chapter raised almost $1.5 million in his two years as manager, but very little benefited veterans in those states. | <urn:uuid:2df19326-5ed4-4426-bb09-6ce40e83e533> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://iowntheworld.com/blog/?p=161035&cpage=1 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700958435/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104238-00002-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.971658 | 445 | 1.640625 | 2 |
Posted in Architecture | Comments Off
This bright apartment in Manhattan, New York, which resembles a kind of surreal sketch. The interior reflects the style of minimalist and futuristic design, which was designed by Dash Marshall. Nicknamed “KGA”, this apartment is 715 square feet and white power. They have a funny, and only separated by a bathroom, closet and pantry. To visually expand the space, chosen as the predominant white and bright interior parts laconic added buoyancy.
Minimalism usually favors aesthetics over functionality or comfort – a necessary sacrifice inherent in the exposure of the essence of a design. However, simplification can be a very functional solution to expand a small space. KGA, for example, use the space by eliminating aisles and transfer of square meters for the rooms themselves. Specifically, movable partitions are used to allow flexible combination of siege throughout the apartment.
The intention of the designer in the production of these “zones” resulted in what he called the Black Hole. This area could be annexed Black Hole to either the room or bedroom, or held closed by additional cabinet space. The apartment is wrapped with an integrated storage layer to hide any ugly possession. | <urn:uuid:fad02737-12c2-4edb-9e00-4511ae8e51cc> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.furnime.com/minimalist-and-futuristic-apartment-design-in-new-york-by-dash-marshall-006167.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705195219/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115315-00017-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.936004 | 247 | 1.835938 | 2 |
Nightly News | October 22, 2012
>>> another prominent son of south dakota is being remembered tonight. russell means has died, one of the first american activists, to show the plight of tribes, helps with the battle of wounded knee . the first time many realized the struggles of native americans tamas the struggles they saw every day. he appeared in several hollywood films and died at his ranch in porcupine, south dakota , at the age of 92. | <urn:uuid:ea35f852-43fd-41ee-ba9f-a10dcef452d1> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.nbcnews.com/video/nightly-news/49510612 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00006-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.983927 | 101 | 1.835938 | 2 |
O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens. 2 Out of the mouth of babies and infants, you have established strength because of your foes, to still the enemy and the avenger. 3 When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, 4 what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him? 5 Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor. 6 You have given him dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under his feet, 7 all sheep and oxen, and also the beasts of the field, 8 the birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea, whatever passes along the paths of the seas. 9 O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!
What does Psalm 8 have to do with the resurrection of Jesus? The answer is: When verse 6 says, “You [God] have given him [man] dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under his feet,” it leads us to the truth that all who belong to Jesus Christ will one day rule with him over creation, and that Christ brings us to that position by becoming man, and by dying for our sins and rising from the dead triumphant over all God’s enemies.
Psalm 8, Man’s Dominion, and the God-Man
Or to put it another way, when you look at God’s creation today in its fallen condition—filled with diseases and natural disasters of every kind, not to mention the evils of man against man, and finally death everywhere coming to every person—verse 6 simply sounds naïve. “You [God] have given him [man] dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under his feet.” That is so far from being true now in this fallen age, one wonders, “David, what are you talking about?” Or: “When are you talking about?” Either you don’t have eyes in your head, or you are talking about some future time. If man had dominion now over the creation, the way God means for him to have dominion, there would be no disease or disaster or death. It looks more like cancer and depression and Alzheimer’s and malaria and AIDS and global warming have dominion over man, not vice versa.
Therefore, Paul quotes this very verse—Psalm 8:6—in 1 Corinthians 15, the longest chapter in the Bible about the resurrection. And the connection is: Man will one day have dominion over all creation, but before that happens the Son of God must become Man—the representative Man, the Man who does what the first man, and all men, failed to do, so that in him all who belong to him, all who trust him, might share in what he does—lives a perfect life, dies because of sin, rises from the dead, and rules all creation to display the majesty of God.
That’s what we want to see and understand. So let’s start with Psalm 8 and review what we saw last week and then look at the connection in 1 Corinthians 15.
Psalm 8 and Triumphal Entry
The main point of the psalm is clear from the first and last verses. Verse 1: “O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!” Verse 9: “O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!” God’s name—“I am who I am,” my absolute rule—is majestic everywhere. And that is as it should be. That’s the main point.
But verses 3-8 add something crucial to the main point. This majesty of God’s name is the more majestic because God defeats his foes with the weakness of children, and he rules his world with the weakness of men. Verse 2: “Out of the mouth of babies and infants, you have established strength because of your foes, to still the enemy and the avenger.” God will silence his foes with what comes out of the mouths of infants. Verse 4: “What is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him? Yet . . . [verse 6:] You have given him dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under his feet.” So the point of verses 3-8 is that the majesty of God is more majestic because he triumphs over his foes with the lowliness of children and he rules his world with the lowliness of man.
That was the mark of majesty that Jesus wore when he entered Jerusalem that last week of his life and quoted this psalm about the praise of children (Matthew 21:16). Jesus embodied in himself God’s strength magnified in human weakness. God’s victory achieved through childlike lowliness. God’s rule over the world established through humble servanthood. But it’s this last phrase that we have not yet seen: God’s rule over the world established through humble servanthood. God’s rule of creation through mere man. That is the point of Easter and the resurrection of Jesus from the dead.
Before we see how the Bible teaches this, let’s make sure we have the big picture of God’s purposes in view from Psalm 8. Six brief observations to sum up the big picture.
Six Big-Picture Observations
1. God is absolute. That is, he has no rivals. That’s the point of his name Lord in verses 1 and 9. Yahweh: I am who I am (Exodus 3:14). He always was. He is. And he always will be. Therefore, all things depend on him, and he depends on no one and nothing.
2. God is majestic in all the earth. And he means to be. This is the point of verses 1 and 9. These are not only statements of fact. They are also acclamations. When someone says, “How majestic is your name!” the name is being praised, not just described. The point of this psalm is not just that God is majestic, but that he should be known and praised as majestic. That is why he has created the earth and why he put people with minds and hearts on it—to know and praise his majesty. This is our great joy—to see and savor God’s majesty—and his great honor.
3. God has enemies. Verse 2, right in the middle of the verse: “because of your foes.” The foes of God are those who rebel against his majesty. They do not see him as majestic, and they do not want to praise him as majestic. They get far more pleasure out of getting praise for themselves than giving praise to God. The world has been ruined because of these enemies. And for the world to return to its proper purpose, these enemies will have to be dealt with.
4. God’s intention is to defeat these enemies with the voice of children and to give the dominion of his creation to men who are not his enemies. That is what we have seen in verses 2 and 6.
5. The reason God defeats his enemies with the voice of children is to give joy to the weak who love his majesty and to make plain to all that the majesty of this triumphant power is God’s and the joy of sharing in it belongs to the children.
6. The reason God shares his dominion over creation with human beings is to give joy to the kind of human beings who do not rejoice in usurping God’s prerogatives but who rejoice in making God’s majesty their supreme treasure.
The Main Point of Psalm 8
The main point of the Psalm 8 and the main point of history is “O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!” And the reason children and people in general in this psalm are so prominent is that God loves to share the joy that he has in his own majesty. God’s majesty is magnified when human beings—old and young—are satisfied to glory in it rather than to grab it.
So what we are left with when this psalm is over is a victory over God’s foes that is not yet complete, and a dominion for man over creation that is not yet realized. Therefore, the psalm is prophetic. It is pointing to a time yet to a come and a work of God yet to be done that will defeat his enemies and bring all of creation under the dominion of human beings who treasure his majesty above everything.
We saw last week on Palm Sunday that Jesus quotes Psalm 8 in a way that helps us see that the time was at hand, and the work of God to subdue his enemies and give dominion to his people was about to be done in Jesus’ own work. Now let’s go to 1 Corinthians 15 and see how Jesus’ spokesman, the apostle Paul, describes the fulfillment of this psalm in the resurrection and reign of Jesus and his people.
First Corinthians 15 and the Gospel
The chapter begins with the heart of the Christian gospel. Verses 3-4: “I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures.” What this makes plain is that God sent Jesus Christ into the world to save his enemies—the ones we saw in Psalm 8:2 who do not exult in his majesty, but love themselves to be made much of. God offers them a way to be forgiven, namely, by putting his Son in their place to bear their sin.
So no one who hears this gospel of Christ dying for sinners should feel hopeless, as though all their sins make them God’s enemy forever. God has made a way for reconciliation. First Corinthians 15:2 makes clear that anyone who believes in Christ—who holds fast to him as their only hope—will be forgiven. It says, “By [this gospel] you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain.” The word Paul preaches is “Christ died for our sins . . . and was raised on the third day.” If you will believe that and hold fast to Christ—cleave to him and embrace him and cherish him—as your only hope, then you will be forgiven from all the ways you have dishonored the majesty of God.
First Corinthians 15 and the Resurrection
That’s the way the chapter starts. But mainly this chapter is about the resurrection of Jesus and its implications for us. And its implications are relevant for us at every level. Two of the most basic levels are whether Jesus’ death really does obtain forgiveness for us and whether it really obtains eternal life for us. In other words, Paul says that the resurrection of Christ is absolutely essential to establish these two effects of his death.
Look at verses 17-18, “If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished.” In other words, the death of Christ to save us from our sins and from perishing would not work if Christ stayed dead. So the resurrection is essential for his death to have any of its saving effects—our sins are forgiven and we will not perish because Christ died for us—and this dying work is only valid because God declared it to be so by raising Jesus from the dead. So our forgiveness and our eternal life hang on the resurrection of Jesus.
Now what about the dominion over creation that Psalm 8 said was God’s purpose for his people? What does the resurrection of Jesus have to do with that? Remember Psalm 8:6 said, “You [God] have given him [man] dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under his feet.” How does the resurrection of Jesus relate to that?
The Relationship Between the Resurrection and the Reign of Psalm 8
We can see it in four steps.
1. The Risen God-Man Assumes Dominion
Christ at his resurrection assumes dominion over all things as Man—the God-man. In verse 27a, Paul quotes Psalm 8:6 and applies it Jesus: “God has put all things in subjection under his feet.” Psalm 8:6b says, “You have put all things under his feet.” So when Jesus was raised from the dead, he took his place as Man over all things. He rules all things.
2. The Risen God-Man Is a Representative
He does this as the head or the representative of all those who belong to him. Look at verses 21-22, “As by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.” Adam represented all those who were in him. Christ represents all those who were in him. He is the second man, the representative man.
See this again in verses 45 and 47. Verse 45: “Thus it is written, ‘The first man Adam became a living being’; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit.” First Adam . . . last Adam. Verse 47: “The first man was from the earth, a man of dust; the second man is from heaven.” Amazing phrase for Jesus: the “second man.”
The point is that just as Adam was the head and representative of those who were in him (all of us) and brought sin and ruin on the human race and the creation, so Christ is the head and representative of those who are in him and brings them forgiven and restored as a new humanity into his reign over the creation.
3. The Risen God-Man Represents Those Who Are His
The ones that Christ makes alive and brings with him from the grave and into dominion over the creation are “those who belong to him.” Look again at the connection between verses 22 and 23: “As in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. [Who are the “all”?] But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ.”
In other words, two thousand years ago when Christ rose from the dead, it was like the first part of a harvest. The rest of the harvest happens at the second coming of Christ which could be very soon. And who will that harvest be that rises from the dead to reign with Christ? Verse 23b says: “Then at his coming those who belong to him.”
Who belongs to Christ? Romans 8:9 says, “Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.” So having the Spirit of Christ is the mark of belonging to Christ now. And Galatians 3:2 makes clear that we receive this Spirit of Christ by faith in Christ—not by things we do, but by trusting in the one who died for us and rose again. “Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith?” So, “those how belong to him” are those who put their faith in him. If you want to be among the number of those who belong to Christ at his coming, and who will be raised to reign with him and have dominion with him over the creation, trust him now.
4. The Risen God-Man and Those Who Are His Keep the Mark of Divine Majesty Forever
Finally, notice that Paul makes something clear about the dominion of this new humanity over creation. And in doing this, he reaffirms the main point of Psalm 8 and the main point of history and of the universe. He makes clear that human dominion over creation serves to magnify the supremacy of the majesty of God. Look at verses 27-28 to see how Paul says this.
Verse 27: “‘God has put all things in subjection under his feet.’” That’s the quote from Psalm 8:6. Now Paul interprets. “But when it says, ‘all things are put in subjection,’ it is plain that he [God] is excepted who put all things in subjection under him.” In other words, God the Father himself is not subjected to man, not even to the God-man.” Instead Man—the God-man Jesus Christ—and all who are his and who are reigning with him joyfully magnify the supreme majesty of God the Father. Verse 28: “When all things are subjected to him [that is, to God the Son, Jesus Christ], then the Son himself will also be subjected to him [the Father] who put all things in subjection under him, that God [that is, God the Father] may be all in all.”
In other words, the mark of divine majesty remains uniquely on the Son forever. He is humble and submissive and obedient to his Father. And in this, he is not less than God but all the more majestic.
And we who belong to him, we now bear this mark of divine majesty as well, not that we are God, but like God—bearing the image of God. We reign with Christ in all humility and find our everlasting joy not in usurping the majesty of God but in saying with all creation: “O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name—not ours—in all the earth.”
This is what you were made for. And if you will receive Christ as your redeeming king you will belong to him and reign with him and have dominion with him over all creation forever. | <urn:uuid:8337e9d4-80ab-4076-8ecc-f4ef5b73bddf> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.desiringgod.org/resource-library/sermons/the-peculiar-mark-of-majesty-part-2?turn_off_admin_bar=true | 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 | 0.975502 | 3,823 | 1.601563 | 2 |
Officials at Penn State published an open letter this week about an incident that has brought the university under scrutiny once more.
Members of the university's Chi Omega sorority chapter celebrated Halloween at a Mexican-themed party. They wore sombreros and ponchos and pasted fake mustaches on their faces. They held signs that said: "Will mow lawn for weed + beer." Another sign said: "I don't cut grass. I smoke it."
Then they took a photo and posted it online. Outrage spread over the insensitive nature of the photo. Some said it perpetrated stereotypes and were culturally insensitive. Latino students on the Penn State campus demanded a direct apology from Chi Omega, which issued a statement of regret to the college newspaper.
The university president, the president of the board of trustees and other officials expressed their own feelings of deep disappointment.
"How any constituent groups or individuals in the university could behave with such insensitivity or unawareness is a question we must both ask and answer," they said in a letter Thursday.
"Our university is a place of learning and discovery, and there certainly are lessons to be relearned, or even discovered for the first time, from these incidents," the letter said. "The simplest of those lessons is that costumes that include blackface, or that parody or imitate a person or groups of people, are always offensive to someone. They convey either a lack of awareness about the human condition and human sensitivities or, worse yet, disdain for the thoughts, feelings, histories and experiences of others. They suggest a failure to empathize or even a failure to think. They make all of us small."
The incident comes in the wake of this year's conviction of former Penn State assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky for sexually abusing 10 boys over a period of 15 years. He was sentenced to a minimum of 30 years in prison. The scandal led to the dismissal of legendary head coach Joe Paterno, who died only weeks later, and severe NCAA penalties against the school's storied football program.
Reaction to the Chi Omega story, however, has not all been of dismay or outrage.
Some CNN.com readers commented that the picture was just plain old college fun. "Anyone who is offended by this needs to take a pill," said one reader.
Two people who identified themselves as Latino wrote on CNN's Facebook page:
"As a Hispanic-American, I don't find it "offensive" at all," wrote Will Jiminez. "Just a bunch of college kids having fun, if it was offensive I would have cut my wrist every time Family Guy made a joke like this. Kids having fun, that's all! If you're actually offended by this, you're an idiot!!!!
And Adrian Briones said: "I'm Mexican-American myself and I think this pic was just meant to be funny/harmless. The media just trying to make this an issue, like everything else."
But fun doesn't necessarily mean there's no insensitivity, said sociologist David Pilgrim, a specialist on diversity and race relations.
"The two are not mutually exclusive," he said.
When he heard about the Penn State incident, Pilgrim was reminded of a Martin Luther King party held at Tarleton State University in Texas at which attendees showed up in Afro wigs and gang apparel and ate fried chicken and watermelon. One woman even dressed as Aunt Jemima.
"At those parties you don't typically have the people being caricatured in attendance," said Pilgrim, who is also the curator of the Jim Crow Museum of racist artifacts at Ferris State University in Michigan. "That means you have created a safe space in which to defame them."
But is it inherently wrong to wear clothing associated with a racial or ethnic group?
"No," said Pilgrim. "This is why I would say: Ask them what they did at the party."
Did they change the way they spoke or the way they walked? Did they perform a brown-face minstrel show?
"I, obviously, think that's wrong," Pilgrim said.
The signs the sorority women were holding were perhaps an indication that it wasn't all innocent, he said. Those signs made him think of a T-shirt he once saw on a Chicago Cubs fan: "Albert Pujols mows my lawn."
"Even a rich, successful, iconic figure can be reduced to a one-dimensional stereotype," Pilgrim said of the baseball great.
Others who commented on Facebook and Twitter said they wouldn't care if Mexicans poked fun of their blond hair or blue eyes. In other words, no one is protected from mockery.
But Pilgrim said there's arrogance in the assumption that all people are the same -- and ignorance of the history of discrimination in America.
Still others said the sorority women had constitutional rights to freedom of expression. | <urn:uuid:a3046bcd-322c-4c77-85b5-1b023ec488ed> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.wfmz.com/news/Penn-State-reacts-to-photo-controversy/-/121458/17700060/-/xsidhcz/-/index.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00002-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.980638 | 1,000 | 1.585938 | 2 |
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The European Union is reportedly considering launching an antitrust investigation into Intel’s planned $7.68 billion acquisition of security software vendor McAfee.
Last week, The Wall Street Journal reported that scrutiny from the EU could delay the McAfee transaction, which is scheduled to close in the first quarter fo 2011. According to sources cited in the report, the EU's antitrust regulator has expressed some concerns in private following the EU's preliminary review of the acquisition. The regulator could keep the deal from closing if those concerns lead to a prolonged examination of the acquisition.
The European Commission, the executive branch of the EU, is primarily concerned with Intel's public plans to incorporate security features into its microprocessor chips, which power 90 percent of systems worldwide. The Commission believes Intel could threaten competition in the market by prioritizing the inclusion of McAfee security solutions on Intel microprocessors over competing security vendors' offerings, according to the The Wall Street Journal report.
The European Commission's other concerns in this case include whether Intel might be able to use McAfee's technology to determine which applications are allowed to run on its microprocessors, launch promotional pop-ups for McAfee software using a "sleeper agent," or withold processing capabilities from McAfee's competitors in favor of its new security division, according to the report.
Despite these concerns, many security vendors publically welcomed the Intel-McAfee deal , saying it was a positive development for the market as a whole because it highlights the importance of security within the technology industry.
Intel has pledged to operate McAfee as a separate security division within Intel, and McAfee partners welcomed this, as it settled some uncertainty regarding the margins, pricing structure, and support available to McAfee's partners.
The EU has been keeping close watch on Intel and its attempts to expand its portfolio. Last year, the European Union levied a record $1.45 billion fine against Intelfor undermining competition by excluding rival AMD from markets.
"The commission's decision finds that Intel abused its dominant position in the market for computer chips known as 'x86 central processing units' in violation of Article 82 of the EC Treaty. This violation lasted for more than five years—from late 2002 to the end of 2007," said Neelie Kroes, the European Commissioner for Competition Policy, in a statement at the time.
NEXT: Intel's Settlement With the FTC | <urn:uuid:e3688bbc-c8e3-4e01-9d43-c806489ea8e0> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.crn.com/news/components-peripherals/228801017/report-european-union-considering-antitrust-investigation-into-intel-mcafee-deal.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697380733/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516094300-00008-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.944508 | 488 | 1.640625 | 2 |
U.S. raps Palestinian report on Western Wall
(Photo: Jews pray at the Western Wall in Jerusalem, March 15, 2010/Baz Ratner)
The U.S. State Department has condemned an official Palestinian report last week asserting that Jerusalem’s Western Wall, one of Judaism’s holiest sites, is not Jewish. Al-Mutawakil Taha, deputy information minister in the Palestinian Authority, published a five-page study last week disputing Jews’ reverence of the shrine as a retaining wall of the compound of Biblical Jewish Temples destroyed centuries ago and saying it is a “Muslim wall and an integral part of al-Aqsa mosque and Haram al-Sharif.”
“We strongly condemn these comments and fully reject them as factually incorrect, insensitive and highly provocative,” State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley told reporters on Tuesday. “We have repeatedly raised with the Palestinian Authority leadership the need to consistently combat all forms of delegitimization of Israel, including denying historic Jewish connections to the land,” he added.
The wall is adjacent to a politically sensitive holy complex in a part of Jerusalem that Israel captured in a 1967 war. The area, known to Jews as the Temple Mount and to Muslims as Haram al-Sharif, is home to al-Aqsa mosque and the Dome of the Rock. | <urn:uuid:5de6b798-edda-4ab5-a86f-39b1c4ce245c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://blogs.reuters.com/faithworld/2010/12/01/u-s-raps-palestinian-report-on-western-wall/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00014-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.947272 | 287 | 1.78125 | 2 |
In the USA...
February 13, 2013
Extending a Theme, Obama Promotes Resurgence in U.S. Manufacturing
By MARK LANDLER and JONATHAN WEISMAN
ASHEVILLE, N.C. — The day after President Obama charted an expansive new view of the government’s role in society, it seemed less and less likely that many of his proposals would survive the political riptide on Capitol Hill.
On Wednesday, as Mr. Obama took to the road and visited a Canadian engine-parts factory near here to sell his vision, Republicans and even some Democrats expressed doubt about whether plans to raise the minimum wage or provide universal access to prekindergarten would ever be enacted — especially on top of ambitious White House efforts on gun violence and immigration.
Mr. Obama chose a politically friendly corner of Republican-leaning North Carolina to promote the resurgence of American manufacturing, one of the central messages of a State of the Union speech that also included initiatives on education and energy.
“What’s happening here is happening all around the country,” Mr. Obama said against a backdrop of three hulking engine blocks. “Just as it’s becoming more and more expensive to do business in places like China, America is getting more competitive.”
The far-reaching nature of the president’s agenda took lawmakers from both parties by surprise, even though it built on his assertive Inaugural Address. Republicans, whose policies are focused on deficit reduction, reacted incredulously.
“It’s not like we’ve solved all of the problems we’re working on now so we have to be looking for other things,” said Senator Roy Blunt, Republican of Missouri. “The federal government taking over prekindergarten programs in America? The federal government deciding Washington, D.C., is the best place to administer elections? I don’t see it.”
Some Democrats counseled that the presidential wish list laid out Tuesday night should not be taken literally in a suspicious Capitol.
“You can disagree with the president, but you cannot say he has no vision, no dreams or aspirations for this country, and that’s what he was laying out,” said Representative Joseph Crowley, Democrat of New York.
Asheville was the first of three stops in a campaign-style swing that has become a tradition after the State of the Union speech. Speaking to a sympathetic audience of factory workers, Mr. Obama played up his proposed increase in the federal minimum wage, to $9 an hour from $7.25. “If you work full time,” he said, “you shouldn’t be in poverty.”
Yet even in stronger economic times, minimum wage increases have been heavy political lifts. The last increase passed in 2007, after Democrats swept to control of Congress, and even then it had to be tacked onto an Iraq war financing and Hurricane Katrina relief law.
Republicans swiftly rejected Mr. Obama’s latest attempt, saying it would only exacerbate the jobless rate.
“I’ve been dealing with the minimum wage issue for the last 28 years that I’ve been in elected office,” House Speaker John A. Boehner said to reporters on Wednesday. “And when you raise the price of employment, guess what happens? You get less of it.”
Democrats, however, said that after a first term marked by failed outreach to Republicans, Mr. Obama appears intent on marshaling support outside of Washington to bring pressure to bear inside. That could yield different results from those of the last two frustrating years, said Senator Charles E. Schumer, Democrat of New York.
If nothing else, the president’s push gives Democratic senators something to do after they tackle gun violence and immigration. Democrats in the Senate and House said they would work together on a bill to raise the minimum wage to $10.10.
“I think the Senate is hungry to do things that will help the middle class,” Mr. Schumer said.
During his 2008 campaign, Mr. Obama proposed an even larger increase in the minimum wage, to $9.50 an hour. Jason Furman, the deputy director of the National Economic Council, said the net benefit to workers would be the same, or slightly greater, because of refundable tax credits that the administration granted to working families.
As he toured the factory, owned by Linamar of Canada, Mr. Obama showcased his goal of making the United States a magnet for manufacturing. Linamar, which makes parts for heavy-duty engines, recently opened its fourth American manufacturing plant here, taking over a closed Volvo construction equipment factory. The plant has hired 160 workers and plans to take on 40 more by the end of 2013.
“A few years ago, a manufacturing comeback in North Carolina, a manufacturing comeback in Asheville, may not have seemed real likely,” Mr. Obama said. “This plant had gone dark.”
Mr. Obama has a fondness for Asheville, a picturesque town of bookshops and bed-and-breakfasts in the shadow of the Blue Ridge. He vacationed here with his family, and mentioned that he and his wife, Michelle, mused about retiring here.
Voters in Asheville broke heavily for Mr. Obama over his Republican challenger, Mitt Romney, making Buncombe County an island of blue in deeply red western North Carolina.
At the factory, south of Asheville, Mr. Obama reiterated his proposals for bolstering manufacturing, which include eliminating tax breaks for companies that move jobs overseas and offering incentives for them to build factories in the United States.
Among his new proposals is a $1 billion plan, modeled on one in Germany, to create a network of 15 institutes that would develop new industries. He extolled a pilot project in Youngstown, Ohio, that he said had turned a shuttered factory into a lab where workers are honing skills in three-dimensional printing.
Linamar’s decision to put its plant here in 2011 predated most of the president’s proposals, but officials said these ideas would encourage other companies to do likewise.
Mr. Obama boasted of his record in luring well-paying manufacturing jobs back home. “After shedding jobs for more than 10 years, our manufacturers have added about 500,000 jobs over the last three,” he said.
He pointed to Ford, Caterpillar, Intel and Apple as examples of companies that had recently built plants or decided to make products in the United States after investing abroad.
The flicker of life in manufacturing is one of the more persuasive parts of Mr. Obama’s case that the country has made progress on his watch.
Even the return of manufacturing jobs shows some evidence of tailing off. The Labor Department said employment in the sector was flat in January and essentially unchanged since July.
Mr. Furman said the leveling-out reflected depressed growth rates in Europe because of the euro crisis, which hurt American exports, as well as uncertainties over the fiscal negotiations at the end of 2012. Both of these, he said, were only temporary brakes.
Still, after inspecting the factory floor, with its highly automated milling and lathe machines, Mr. Obama struck a realistic note.
“I want to be honest with you,” he said. “We’re not going to bring back every job that’s been lost to outsourcing and automation over the last decade.”
Mark Landler reported from Asheville, and Jonathan Weisman from Washington.
February 14, 2013
Details Emerge on Obama’s Call to Extend Preschool
By MOTOKO RICH
President Obama’s call in his State of the Union address to “make high-quality preschool available to every single child in America” rallied advocates across the country who have long argued that inequity in education begins at a very young age.
In details that emerged early Thursday, the administration proposed that the federal government work with states to provide preschool for every 4-year-old from low- and moderate-income families. The president’s plan also calls for expanding Early Head Start, the federal program designed to prepare children from low-income families for school, to broaden quality childcare for infants and toddlers.
While supporters herald the plans as a way to help level the playing field for children who do not have the advantages of daily bedtime stories, music lessons and counting games at home, critics argue that federal money could be squandered on ineffective programs.
In the 2010-11 school year, the latest year for which data is available, 28 percent of all four-year-olds in the United States were enrolled in state-financed preschool programs, according to the National Institute for Early Education Research.
According to W. Steven Barnett, director of the institute, which is based at Rutgers University, only five states, including Oklahoma and Georgia, have a stated objective of offering preschool slots to all 4-year-olds. While about 1.1 million students across the country are enrolled in federally financed Head Start programs and others attend private preschools, that still leaves millions of children on the sidelines.
The president’s plan would provide federal matching dollars to states to provide public preschool slots for four-years olds whose families earn up to 200 percent of the poverty level. President Obama would also allocate extra funds for states to expand public pre-kindergarten slots for middle-class families, who could pay on a sliding scale of tuition.
President Obama’s early education proposals come as a handful of states have been more aggressively pushing taxpayer-financed preschool.
In Alabama, for example, Gov. Robert Bentley, a Republican, has called for a $12.5 million increase — or more than 60 percent — in the state’s preschool budget, with the eventual goal of increasing financing over 10 years to the point where every 4-year-old in the state could have a preschool slot.
The governor’s proposal is supported by a coalition of early-education advocates and business leaders, who see preschool as an important component of future job readiness.
“We’re trying to invest in a work force that can compete in 20 years with other states and other nations,” said Allison de la Torre, executive director of the coalition, the Alabama School Readiness Alliance.
Alabama is one of only five states whose preschool program received top marks based on an assessment of its quality standards by the National Institute for Early Education Research, but only 6 percent of 4-year-olds there are enrolled in a state-financed preschool.
To receive state money in Alabama, a preschool must employ teachers with bachelor’s degrees in early childhood education or child development, keep class sizes under 20 children, and follow a state-approved curriculum. The Obama administration is proposing similar standards for its federal matching program.
At one of the state-financed sites on Wednesday, the Nina Nicks Joseph Child Development Center in Mobile, Tina Adair, the lead teacher in a class of 18 students, most of whom come from low-income families, helped Amiyah Wilson, 5, copy the words “Happy Valentine’s Day” onto a card for her mother. Elsewhere in the classroom, Donovan Smith, 5, and Henry Hinojosa, 5, used a scale to compare the weights of two loads of blocks.
Ms. Adair said that the children had plenty of time to paint, sing or play with dress-up clothes and toy trucks. But she said they were also preparing for kindergarten and beyond through letter and number games, science experiments and writing.
As a former middle-school teacher, Ms. Adair said she could tell when students have had academic preparation from an early age.
“As fast-paced as our public school system is right now,” she said, “any little advantage that they can get is a bonus.”
Advocates for early education frequently cite research on the long-term benefits of preschool, by James J. Heckman at the University of Chicago and others, showing a link to reduced crime rates, lower dropout rates and eventual higher incomes among those who attend preschool.
Critics say the federal government has already tested a national preschool program with Head Start. A national study sponsored by the Department of Health and Human Services of 5,000 3- and 4-year-olds in 84 local programs found few lasting benefits by third grade.
“It’s one thing to say that there are a handful of small pre-K programs that may have had lasting and significant benefits,” said Andrew J. Coulson, director of the Cato Center for Educational Freedom, a unit of the Cato Institute, a conservative-leaning research organization. “It’s another to imagine that the federal government can scale them up nationally.”
But other education analysts say that Head Start, which receives about $7 billion in federal money annually, is hampered by inconsistent standards and low pay for teachers, who are typically paid less than public school educators.
“When I hear people say, ‘We’ve tried to replicate high-quality preschool programs, and it hasn’t worked,’ I always stop and say, ‘We haven’t yet tried to replicate high-quality preschool programs, because we haven’t yet tried to pay preschool teachers the same that we’re paying our K-12 teachers,’” said Lisa Guernsey, director of early education at the New America Foundation, a nonprofit and nonpartisan policy institute. “It’s pretty hard to imagine that we’re going to be recruiting great teachers if we’re paying them a poverty-level or just-above-poverty-level wage.”
The Department of Health and Human Services, which oversees Head Start, has started changing the program, including requiring local providers to compete for financing every five years and imposing structured evaluations on classrooms.
In a report released last week, the Center for American Progress, a left-leaning research organization, estimated that providing preschool for all 3- and 4-year-olds would cost about $98.4 billion in federal spending over 10 years.
In Alabama, business leaders see the benefits of both educating future workers early and saving future potential spending on remedial schooling or prison cells.
“The evidence is, if we don’t make this investment and we don’t make it wisely,” said Bob Powers, president of a real estate and insurance company in Eufaula and chairman of the Education Workforce Development Committee of the Business Council of Alabama, “we’re going to pay for it later.”
Meggan Haller contributed reporting from Mobile, Ala.
February 13, 2013
On Immigration, Obama Draws Bipartisan Praise
By ASHLEY PARKER
WASHINGTON — President Obama’s nonconfrontational tone on an immigration overhaul in his State of the Union address on Tuesday night probably did more to advance the issue, lawmakers said, than if had he offered a fierce rallying cry, as he did about gun restrictions.
As senators gathered Wednesday for the first hearing on the proposed sweeping changes in immigration law, they said the president’s decision to give members of both parties room to maneuver on the delicate politics of immigration was a strategic choice that could pay off as negotiations continued.
“He’s walking a tightrope here, trying to allow Congress on a bipartisan basis to come up with a comprehensive immigration reform bill in the Senate,” said Senator Richard J. Durbin of Illinois, the No. 2 Senate Democrat. “He encouraged us, told us he doesn’t want this to drag on forever, and if we can’t get it done he’ll play more forceful role.”
Mr. Durbin, a member of a bipartisan group of eight senators working on an immigration bill, added, “The reason he’s on this tightrope is the Republicans don’t want to make it appear that they are bending to the president on this issue.”
Influential Republicans praised Mr. Obama as well. Representative Paul D. Ryan of Wisconsin, the party’s vice-presidential nominee last year, said the president’s tone on immigration was measured and constructive.
“I thought on immigration he used the right words and the right tone, which tells me he actually doesn’t want to politicize this, which is conducive to getting something done,” Mr. Ryan said.
Given their losses in the Congressional elections in November, Republicans in both the House and Senate have demonstrated a new openness to immigration changes that could lead to legal residency for millions who have entered the country illegally. At the same time, polls have shown that the president’s involvement in the debate decreases Republican support.
White House officials said the president was just as aggressive on immigration as he was on firearms, though his appeal for changes in gun laws was one of the emotional peaks of the night.
Cecilia Muñoz, director of the White House Domestic Policy Council, said immigration was “an issue on which we expect an outcome and we expect it soon.”
The president, who most recently laid out his own immigration principles in a January speech in Las Vegas, told Congress on Tuesday night that “the time has come to pass comprehensive immigration reform.” It was a refrain he repeated several times to applause.
Mr. Obama proceeded to highlight what he believed are the three goals of any immigration deal — ensuring that the borders are secure, creating a meaningful path to citizenship, and overhauling the system to deal with legal immigration. But when talking about immigration, he seemed to lack the emotional resonance, not to mention the forceful call to action, that he exhibited when discussing gun control, where he exhorted the country to remember that all victims of gun violence “deserve a vote.”
Which may have been exactly the point.
Senator Charles E. Schumer, Democrat of New York, began his remarks at Wednesday’s hearing by thanking the president for his State of the Union comments on immigration.
“His remarks last night on immigration were just right,” Mr. Schumer said. “He importuned us to act, he stated how important it was to get this done for the future of America, but at the same time he did not make it a wedge issue. He made it clear that we had to act in a bipartisan way and gave us, in our little group, the space to come up with a bipartisan proposal, which we know is really our only hope.”
Senator Jeff Flake, Republican of Arizona, and a member of the bipartisan group, said he had “no complaints — actually I thought it was good for the process.”
“If he were to be seen as leading the effort, it likely wouldn’t be that helpful,” Mr. Flake said. “But to say that he’ll sign the bill we put on his desk, that’s helpful.”
The hearing focused largely on border security and enforcement, with an entire panel devoted to just one witness — Secretary Janet Napolitano of the Department of Homeland Security. Ms. Napolitano said that border security was often used as an excuse to prevent meaningful changes.
But in a glimpse of the debate to come, Ms. Napolitano met resistance from key Republicans — including Senator Charles E. Grassley, Republican of Iowa, the committee’s ranking member, and Senator John Cornyn, Republican of Texas — over enforcement. “I do not believe that the border is secure,” Mr. Cornyn said. “And I still believe we have a long, long way to go.”
The four Democratic senators in the bipartisan group — Senators Michael Bennet of Colorado and Robert Menendez of New Jersey, as well as Mr. Durbin and Mr. Schumer — were to meet with Mr. Obama at the White House on Wednesday evening to discuss the group’s progress. They hope to introduce their legislation in March.
Jonathan Weisman contributed reporting.
February 13, 2013
Senate Democrats, Accusing G.O.P. of Obstruction, Try to Force Hagel Vote
By JEREMY W. PETERS and MARK MAZZETTI
WASHINGTON — Accusing Republicans of a new level of obstruction, Senate Democrats moved on Wednesday to force a vote on President Obama’s nomination of Chuck Hagel to be secretary of defense.
Mr. Hagel’s nomination was endorsed by the Senate Armed Services Committee along party lines on Tuesday. But with Republicans demanding more information before allowing a vote on Mr. Hagel by the full Senate, Senator Harry Reid of Nevada, the majority leader, took procedural steps to limit floor debate on his nomination and bring the partisan clash to a head by Saturday.
“This is the first time in the history of our country that a presidential nominee for secretary of defense has been filibustered,” Mr. Reid said on the Senate floor. “What a shame. But that’s the way it is.”
Republicans, sensitive to the accusation that they were filibustering Mr. Hagel, tried to draw a distinction between a filibuster and delaying the vote because of unanswered questions.
“There’s nothing unusual about this,” said Senator James M. Inhofe, the senior Republican on the Armed Services Committee, who on Tuesday suggested without evidence that Mr. Hagel was “cozy” with Iran, an accusation that caused the committee meeting to erupt with Democratic outrage. “There’s not a filibuster,” he added.
Even if Republicans succeeded in dragging out the vote into the weekend, Democrats said they remained confident that he would be confirmed by Saturday because Republicans did not appear to have the 40 votes necessary to block the nomination. Such a move would be an extraordinary step, and one that Republicans seem wary of taking should they find themselves in the White House four years from now.
Senator Rand Paul, Republican of Kentucky, meanwhile, said on Wednesday that he intended to try to block the nomination of John O. Brennan, Mr. Obama’s choice to be director of the C.I.A., until Mr. Brennan provides answers to questions he had on the scope and legality of the Obama administration’s drone operations. Democrats have also sought to extract more information from the White House about those operations.
Senator Dianne Feinstein of California, the Intelligence Committee chairwoman, said she expected to schedule a committee vote on Mr. Brennan’s nomination when the Senate returned from recess the week after next. She said that Mr. Brennan would make a “strong and capable C.I.A. director.”
According to the Senate’s historian, Donald A. Ritchie, only 5 percent of presidential cabinet nominees have been blocked or rejected by the Senate. Only twice since 1917, when the Senate’s modern filibuster rules were created, has a cabinet-level nominee been subject to a supermajority vote of 60, as Republicans are forcing with Mr. Hagel.
In the case of Mr. Hagel, a former Republican senator from Nebraska, the opposition is especially striking because senators have traditionally afforded their former colleagues a high level of courtesy. But many Republicans still nurse a grievance against Mr. Hagel for his opposition to the war in Iraq, and others have sought to make an issue of statements he has made on Israel and Iran. Senators Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and John McCain of Arizona want the Obama administration to provide information about the timeline of its actions on the day of the attack on the American diplomatic mission in Benghazi, Libya, an episode that has become a point of conservative ire against the president.
When Mr. Hagel testified before the Armed Services Committee he was pummeled.
As Mr. Obama’s counterterrorism adviser, Mr. Brennan has been the chief architect of the administration’s drone policy, and his nomination has focused new attention on it. In his State of the Union address on Tuesday, Mr. Obama said that he planned in the coming months to work with lawmakers to “ensure not only that our targeting, detention and prosecution of terrorists remain consistent with our laws and system of checks and balances, but that our efforts are even more transparent to the American people and to the world.”
White House officials on Wednesday did not give any details about Mr. Obama’s plans for more transparency about the targeted killing program, which has long been shrouded in secrecy.
Democrats on the Senate Intelligence Committee have expressed frustration that the White House has not allowed lawmakers to read the legal memos, written by the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel, which provide the justification for the targeted killing operations in Pakistan, Yemen, Somalia and elsewhere and that have been expanded during the Obama administration.
The committee said that the Justice Department had written 11 secret legal memorandums related to the targeted killing of terrorism suspects but said the Obama administration had shown the committee only four of them.
Senator Feinstein did, however, provide new details about the extent to which her committee has been briefed by the administration about drone strikes.
“The committee has devoted significant time and attention to targeted killings by drones,” she said in a statement. “The committee receives notifications with key details of each strike shortly after it occurs, and the committee holds regular briefings and hearings on these operations” to review their basis and effectiveness.
She added that Intelligence Committee staff members had held 35 monthly oversight meetings with government officials “to review strike records (including video footage) and question every aspect of the program.”
Charlie Savage contributed reporting.
February 13, 2013
Calmly, Pick for Treasury Offers Replies to Senators
By ANNIE LOWREY
WASHINGTON — Jacob J. Lew, President Obama’s nominee for Treasury secretary, faced some fierce questioning on Wednesday from the Senate Finance Committee on his tenure at the bailed-out Citigroup and on an investment based in the Cayman Islands. But the even-tempered, bookish Mr. Lew parried the blows and appeared likely to win the committee’s approval and Senate confirmation.
“Frankly, I think you’ve done really well today,” said Senator Orrin G. Hatch of Utah, the ranking Republican on the committee. “My gosh, I have nothing but respect for people like you who give yourself to our government.”
Many questions from Senate Republicans seemed intended to rankle or ruffle Mr. Lew and score some political points. Senator Richard M. Burr of North Carolina asked about the Benghazi attack in Libya. Senator Charles E. Grassley of Iowa, referring to Mr. Lew’s lucrative but short time at Citigroup, commanded him to “explain why it might be morally acceptable to take close to a million dollars out of a company that was functionally insolvent and about to receive a billion dollars of taxpayer support.”
Mr. Lew calmly responded, “I was compensated for my work. I’ll leave for others to judge.”
He emphasized that he had worked in operations at Citigroup, albeit for a time at an investment unit that made proprietary trades on behalf of the bank.
“I was not in the business of making investment decisions,” he said. “I was certainly aware of things that were going on. I was working in a financial institution. I learned a great deal about the financial products. But I wasn’t designing them and I wasn’t opining on them.”
Aside from his time on Wall Street from 2006 to 2008, Mr. Lew has spent most of his career as a Democratic budget official — and the White House chose him in no small part for that experience. Much of his testimony focused on the trillion-dollar budget battle he would face immediately after becoming secretary. On March 1, automatic cuts to military and nonmilitary programs, known as the sequester, will start to take effect. Republicans and Democrats are both struggling to unwind or delay them, with hundreds of thousands of jobs at stake.
Mr. Lew said Congress needed to undo the sequester. He also said political dysfunction in Washington was threatening the real economy.
“The short-term-crisis, deadline-driven practices that we’ve seen over the last couple of years are undermining the economy,” Mr. Lew said. “It’s the first time in my nearly 30 years in public life that I felt that the actions of government were actually working against the goal of getting the economy moving.”
Mr. Lew also described tax reform as a top priority, with an eye to raising more money, lowering rates, reducing loopholes and generally rationalizing the code. He said cutting the tax rate on corporate income to 25 percent from its current 35 percent would be difficult. He also called for a minimum tax on foreign profits. And he said there was “room to work together” on creating a tax system in which income is taxed only in the country where it is earned, a change long sought by large American companies that operate around the world.
Over and over, Mr. Lew asserted his longtime budget bona fides and willingness to work with Republicans. “Working across the aisle while serving under President Clinton, I helped negotiate the groundbreaking agreement with Congress to balance the federal budget,” he said in his opening statement. He added that he had been involved in “almost every major bipartisan budget agreement over the last 30 years,” and that “the things that divide Washington right now are not as insurmountable as they might look.”
But as one of Mr. Obama’s main budget negotiators in the last few years, Mr. Lew has at times clashed with Republicans, particularly in the House. Former Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner, not Mr. Lew, acted as a main negotiator during the talks over the automatic tax increases and spending cuts, the so-called fiscal cliff, that Congress cut a deal to avoid last month.
During the hearing, Republicans also targeted a money-losing investment Mr. Lew had made in a fund based in the Cayman Islands. Mr. Grassley noted that Mr. Obama had derided Ugland House, which provides an address for thousands of investment entities — including the fund Mr. Lew bought into — and said he saw some hypocrisy in Mr. Lew’s nomination, given the investment.
But the attacks seemed mostly tactical. “Jack Lew paid all of his taxes and reported all of the income, gains and losses from the investment,” said Eric Schultz, a White House spokesman. “There are no new facts that provide a basis for senators to reach a different conclusion about Mr. Lew’s nomination than they reached twice before in this administration.”
Some senators — including Jeff Sessions, Republican of Alabama, and Bernard Sanders, the left-leaning independent from Vermont — have said they do not support Mr. Lew. But it seemed unlikely that he would face a filibuster that might delay his confirmation or end his candidacy.
“Mr. Lew has been confirmed by the Senate three times already,” Senator Max Baucus, Democrat of Montana and chairman of the Finance Committee, said in a statement released before the hearing, referring to Mr. Lew’s service in both the Obama and Clinton administrations. “I don’t expect there to be any reason why he should not be confirmed this time around as well.”
Republicans Don’t Want You to Know That Obamacare Is Working
By: Becky Sarwate
Feb. 13th, 2013
There’s a subtle story going around this week that you definitely won’t see covered on Fox News. You won’t hear Speaker John Boehner or Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell discussing these results in their usual rote talking points about Obamacare and the socialist takeover of the country by the President’s policies. Between all the baying about the deficit, the budget and the huge negative impacts of the upcoming sequestration plan that will be implemented in the absence of fiscal resolution, if you blinked, you could almost miss the headline:
Slower Growth of Health Costs Eases U.S. Deficit
The New York Times ran this piece on Monday morning, and to be fair, it might have been difficult for anyone to focus what with Benedict XVI’s stunning announcement that he would be the first Pope in six centuries to resign his post. There’s also the President’s first State of the Union Address since winning re-election in 2012. It has undoubtedly been a busy news cycle and that will likely continue as we move through the week.
But come on! This is a big deal!According to the piece by writer Annie Lowrey, “A sharp and surprisingly persistent slowdown in the growth of health care costs is helping to narrow the federal deficit, leaving budget experts trying to figure out whether the trend will last and how much the slower growth could help alleviate the country’s long-term fiscal problems.”
Excuse me for asking this obvious, but isn’t this precisely what both political parties claim to be after? Going back to the 2008 Presidential campaign, then candidates John McCain and Barack Obama devoted near equal time to lamenting the spiraling costs of healthcare and its affect on deficit spending. Both men vowed to do something if elected. It seemed to be an issue that most Americans and politicos could get behind.
Then low and behold, early into his first term, Obama and the Democrats actually got something accomplished – with the GOP fighting them every step of the way. It wasn’t pretty. It was embarrassing and painful for almost everybody, and the end result was a far cry from the single payer system that many liberals badly desired. But in the end the Patient Protection and the Affordable Care Act was a huge pivot away from a throughly broken system that seemed to exist for the benefit of health insurance companies, rather than the sick and injured they were created to serve.
Republicans wasted no time decrying the Act as the largest increase in government bureaucracy since ___ (fill in the blank), a measure that would drive medical costs and the Federal deficit up rather than down. Through it all, Obama held steady, confident that history would have the final say.
It didn’t even take a leap year. Lowrey goes on to write, “In figures released last week, the Congressional Budget Office said it had erased hundreds of billions of dollars in projected spending on Medicare and Medicaid. The budget office now projects that spending on those two programs in 2020 will be about $200 billion, or 15 percent, less than it projected three years ago.”
President Obama is way too gracious a person to perform the “I told you so dance” on Capitol Hill to which he is richly entitled. So I will do it for him. BOOM!!! How’s that for change you can believe?
Here’s hoping the President and his team use this data to their advantage, to head naysayers and sycophants off at the pass who stand to gain much by protecting the status quo. As the POTUS seeks to take on a host of issues this calendar year that seem to draw crazies out of the woodwork (I’m thinking gun control and immigration), let this early data from the effects of health care reform empower him to keep doing what is right.
Obama’s Attack on Medicare Fraud Reaps Record Results for Second Year in a Row
By: Adalia Woodbury
Feb. 13th, 2013
We’re about to shoot down two Republican myths with a single post. First, the Obama Administration cut Medicare costs by attacking Medicare Fraud instead of attacking benefits. Second, Government can do things, and do them well.
For years, the Republican Party claimed that benefits are the problem. They tried to sell us several versions of coupon care and privatization while claiming that eliminating Medicare was the best way to protect it for future generations.
The Justice Department and Department of Human Services found a way to reduce Medicare costs without reducing benefits, without coupons and without privatizing it. Instead of attacking seniors access to healthcare, they attacked Medicare fraud, otherwise known as the means by which Florida’s Governor, Rick Scott became “a maker” in GOP speak.
According to a report on The Health Care Fraud Prevention and Enforcement Act Team’s (HEAT) performance released Monday, for the second year in a row, Obama’s plan to attack Medicare Fraud reaped recording breaking results.
The Feds recovered $4.2 billion of taxpayers’ money last year from legal proceedings, settlements and penalties. In 2011, joint efforts to attack Medicare fraud resulted in a record of $4.1 billion dollars. That is compared to the $2.86 billion recovered in 2010 before Obama’s policies to attack Medicare Fraud existed.
In May 2012, Medicare Strike Force teams charged 107 people, including licensed health care professionals in seven cities, who were allegedly involved in schemes involving over $452 million in false billing.
In 2011, the same teams charged 115 people, including health care professionals, companies and executives for suspected participation in Medicare fraud schemes that involved over $240 million in false billing. In another case, 91 suspects were charged for their alleged involvement in a Medicare fraud scheme that involved $290 million + in false billings.
According to the HHS’s press release :
“A key component of HEAT is the Medicare Strike Force – interagency teams of analysts, investigators, and prosecutors who can target emerging or migrating fraud schemes, including fraud by criminals masquerading as healthcare providers or suppliers.”
The Department of HHS attributes success to HEAT and several additional steps President Obama’s Administration took to combat Medicare Fraud – including provisions in Obamacare. That’s the law that Republicans spend almost as much time trying to destroy as they spend on trying to shield the rich from paying taxes.
Aside from establishing tougher sentencing and more jail time for Medicare fraudsters, recovering funds obtained by Medicare fraud is easier. In other words, it reduces Medicare costs without reducing benefits.
When the President told us that Obamacare reduces Medicare costs without touching benefits, he was honest. Thanks to Obamacare, Medicare fraudsters will receive 20 to 50 percent longer sentences for crimes involving more than $1million dollars in lost taxpayer money. It also makes it more difficult for Medicare fraudsters to transfer their scams to another state or between Medicare and Medicaid. Under Obamacare, if Medicare, Medicaid or a State terminates a scammer’s billing privileges, all other states must terminate their billing privileges.
Once again, the Republican Party is on the wrong side of policy. Not only does their policy seek to deny Americans access to healthcare, it also makes the Republican Party soft on crime, namely Medicare Fraud.
If they really want to get rid of their image as the Party of Stupid, defending criminals over seniors isn’t the way to go. Just sayin’.
Ironically, the HEAT report also shows once again that the Republican Party’s fiscal responsibility begins and ends with its rhetoric.
Obama Rolls Into North Carolina and Challenges Decades of Republican Minimum Wage Myths
By: Jason Easley
Feb. 13th, 2013
President Obama did something significant that could change the lives of millions today. In Asheville, NC, the president linked raising the minimum wage to creating jobs.
The president began by saying the economy is still not where it needs to be. He said it is our job as Americans to restore the basic bargain that says you can get ahead by working hard and meeting your responsibilities. Obama calls the middle class the true engine of our economic growth. The president repeated his three questions related to jobs in his State of the Union. He said, “That’s part of the reason why I said last night that it is time for an increase in the minimum wage.”
He discussed the role of expanding expanding education from pre-school to college. The president also said, “I believe in manufacturing. I think it makes our country stronger.” Obama talked about the recovery of manufacturing in Asheville.
Obama is challenging decades of Republicans lies and mythology centered around the false belief that raising the minimum wage destroys jobs.
Fox News has wasted no time in reviving the right’s false minimum wage myths:
What should be frightening for Republicans is that President Obama is subtly linking economic growth to increasing the minimum wage. A 2011 report by the Center for Economic and Policy Research found that increasing the minimum wage has no discernible impact on employment, and they found that raising the minimum is likely to result in more, not fewer, jobs.
The president’s speech focused on his plan to bring even more manufacturing back to the United States but included in that plan is acknowledgement that employees need to earn higher wages. Obama was linking the creation of new jobs to higher wages. The media has mostly ignored it, but one of the biggest reforms in Obama’s second term agenda is the push to raise wages for minimum wage workers.
This effort will likely be a centerpiece behind the Democratic push to retake the House next year. For the last few years, Republicans have floated the claim that lowering the minimum wage will increase employment. Paul Krugman debunked this by writing, “So let me repeat a point I made a number of times back when the usual suspects were declaring that FDR prolonged the Depression by raising wages: the belief that lower wages would raise overall employment rests on a fallacy of composition. In reality, reducing wages would at best do nothing for employment; more likely it would actually be contractionary.”
Most of the mainstream media isn’t getting it, but President Obama has stealthily launched an effort that could boost the economy and sink the Republicans.
The focus is on the big issues of guns and immigration, but it might be the minimum wage issue that impacts the most lives and determines the outcome of the 2014 election.
Most Americans Are No Longer Fooled By Republican Buzzwords and Dishonest Slogans
Feb. 13th, 2013
Perspective is the subjective evaluation of relative significance, or point of view, and unfortunately it can be perverted depending on one’s veracity and grounding in reality. It is entirely possible for one to understand their perspective has no founding in reality, and yet still put forward an argument based on lies, buzzwords, and catch phrases in hopes their point of view, however faulty, makes sense to their audience. In the past, Republicans have had a measure of success convincing ignorant Americans their perspective on economic policy based on a pro-growth, anti-government agenda is the path to economic prosperity for all Americans, but after being exposed as abject failures and rejected at the polls, they cannot face reality that the people have come to understand their catchy slogans are as dishonest as they are contradictions.
In Republican parlance, pro-growth means tax cuts for the rich and corporations, deregulation, and slashing government spending regardless the damage to the economy, and dreaded “big government” is any federal spending that is not relegated to defense or tax cuts for corporations and the rich. In the President’s brilliant State of the Union speech, he laid out a vision that incorporates everything Republicans hate and have opposed from his first day in office; so-called big government that means investing in infrastructure, jobs, education, clean energy alternatives, and maintaining Social Security and Medicare that are key to a strong economy. It is curious, but Republicans deplore big government unless it works to their advantage to deny Americans personal liberties such as women’s reproductive rights, gay rights, minority’s rights (voting rights), and freedom from fundamentalist religious tyranny. However, big government aside, it is their pro-growth canard that will further retard economic growth and decimate the poor and middle class they now claim to hold in the highest regard.
Republicans fallacious esteem for Main Street America is belied by their “pro-growth” policies that, after thirty years, have reduced the middle class through wage cuts, job outsourcing, increased income inequality, and austerity in the form of education cuts, public sector job losses, and denying funding for infrastructure improvements. The push for austerity defies reason as one European nation after another that incorporated severe austerity suffers from slow, or no, growth and soaring unemployment, and yet it is the GOP’s sole remedy for creating jobs, growing the economy, and reducing the nation’s debt and deficit. A perfect example is the rapidly approaching sequestration cuts due to cripple the economy beginning on March 1st, and instead of working with the President to reach a balanced approach of new revenue and spending cuts, Republicans appear willing to let sequester cuts go into effect under the guise of pro-growth.
Senate Minority leader Mitch McConnell is the latest high-ranking Republican to indicate no interest in doing anything to prevent sequester cuts. Yesterday McConnell said “I think we ought to keep the commitment we made, if the super-committee failed, these reductions (sequester) were made without raising taxes” referring to the President’s proposal to replace the cuts with a balance of new revenue and budget cuts. McConnell, like nearly all Republicans said, “It is pretty clear to me that the sequester is going to go into effect,” because as far as he is concerned, “the tax issue is over.” Another Republican, Senate Minority Whip John Cornyn said, “We’re waiting for the president to tell us how he wants to avoid the sequester,” but they oppose scrapping tax breaks for the oil-and-gas industry and eliminating tax breaks and loopholes unique to the largest corporations. Their offer is replacing sequester cuts with Draconian cuts to social programs, and in lieu of President Obama capitulating social program austerity, Republicans will allow sequester austerity, or as they call it; “pro-growth.”
Republicans understand what it will take to foster economic growth, rebuild the nation’s infrastructure, and create jobs that are intrinsic to a strong recovery, and they know beyond a shadow of a doubt that the proposals the President conveyed in the State of the Union are the best approach to ensure prosperity for the nation and every American. Americans not mesmerized by the GOP’s buzzwords like “pro-growth” understand it was President Obama’s stimulus that saved the economy and staunched massive job losses, and his historically low spending is reducing the deficit and debt Republicans have made a priority to cut Social Security and privatize Medicare. However, they will be loath to consider any of the President’s proposals and are resolute to impose austerity whether by sequester or Draconian cuts and it informs their new-found regard for the middle class is as phony as their pro-growth agenda; because from their perspective, growth is for corporations and the rich, and austerity is for the people. If the economy crumbles like the nation’s infrastructure, then as Boehner says, so be it.
Panetta laments ‘meanness’ of U.S. politics
By Agence France-Presse
Wednesday, February 13, 2013 20:03 EST
Looking back at a long political career, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta on Wednesday lamented an increasingly bitter atmosphere in Washington, saying there was “too much meanness” on display.
His comments come amid a mounting budget crisis in a deeply divided Congress and after Republican lawmakers renewed threats to block the appointment of the man nominated to succeed Panetta at the Pentagon, former senator Chuck Hagel.
Panetta, who served for decades in Washington as an influential lawmaker before holding powerful posts under two Democratic presidents, said his only “disappointment” in his job as Pentagon chief was how Congress sometimes failed to play a constructive role.
“I always felt that — you know, that the leadership in the Congress and the leadership of whatever administration was involved here, that when it came to the big issues facing this country, that there was a willingness to work together to resolve those issues,” he told a news conference.
“There will always be party differences. There will always be political differences. There will be ideological differences,” he said.
“But there are also some lines that are there that make that process work, lines that involve mutual respect; lines that involve, you know, courtesy and a degree of respect for each other, despite whatever their decisions are.”
But traditions of courtesy and civility were “breaking down” among lawmakers, he said.
“It becomes too personal. It becomes too mean,” he said.
“Everybody’s got legitimate points, but there’s a way to express it in a way that compliments our democracy, doesn’t demean our democracy. And I think, you know, what you see on display is too much meanness.”
Panetta first entered politics as an aide to a Republican senator, Thomas Kuchel, in 1966, then served under president Richard Nixon in the Office for Civil Rights, before resigning over differences with the White House.
He left Washington and worked for New York City Mayor John Lindsay and later was elected as a Democrat to Congress from California, serving for 17 years.
During Bill Clinton’s presidency, Panetta served as budget director and later chief of staff. Under President Barack Obama, Panetta led the CIA from 2009 to 2011 and then served as defense secretary.
Look out Idaho, A New Herd of Paranoid Survivalists Are Heading to Your State
By: Dennis SF
Feb. 13th, 2013
Attention Idaho: You’re getting some new neighbors compliments of Citadel Land Development, already duly incorporated in your state.
Maybe as many as 7,000 incoming souls will be populating something called a developing community of Patriots. They’ll be guarding against those fed black choppers whirling overhead and that Kenyan gun control President of ours who clouds their every waking hour. Looming large in the distant Idaho Mountains is the figure of convicted felon, Christian Kerodin by way of the DC suburbs and 30 months in stir for a shopping mall shake-down protection racket.
But post-slammer, Kerodin is energized and convinced that he and a few lower-profile business colleagues have stumbled onto a potential bonanza to be headquartered in a yet to be determined mountainous section of Idaho.
Kerodin is the nominal head of the ” lll Citadel Project.” He’s also throwing in a gun manufacturing facility titled lll Arms for good measure. Apparently 20 acres have already been set aside for the latter. The lll Arms company has received permission from AFT to start putting their kill sticks together but are having trouble getting parts.
The parent lll Citadel Project is already accepting applications and money from patriots who want to get in the queue to have their wallets lightened.
Before you U-haul it to Idaho, a Citadel Patriot Agreement must be signed and included with an application prior to having even the slightest chance to hole up in a walled fortress. The agreement is made up of a preamble and 13 conditions that you must pledge to obey.
Here are samplings from 9 of the 13 conditions that apply to firearms imperatives or militia activities. Agreement two: Every able-bodied patriot, 13 and up must demonstrate proficiency with a rifle annually. A later agreement spells out the same requirement for a handgun.
Agreement four seems to be the most self-serving for the Citadel leadership. It reads in part; Every able-bodied Patriot of age within the Citadel will maintain one AR15 variant in 5.56mm NATO and at least 5 magazines of 1,000 rounds of ammunition. Guess who’s going to be selling AR15′s in the near future? Why it’s the Citadel affiliated lll Arms; that’s who.
Agreement eight mandates that all qualified Patriots pack an on-person loaded sidearm whenever visiting the Citadel Town Center. Again, guess who makes a 1911 semi auto sidearm? Yep! And it’s priced at $1,550 and up. Sort of mid-range as these pieces go, but still not cheap. You’re not required to buy a lll Arms pistol, but if I were you, I would.
In what seems like a lot of mandates for an anti-government crowd, here’s another one. Once a month Militia training is required for every household. Trainees are to be 13 or older. So, an ATF agent may have a 13-year-old draw an AR15 bead on his noggin while visiting the Citadel Project.
Agreement Ten calls for a twice a year “Full-Scale” Town Defense Drill.
So it’s all guns, all the time for the estimated 7,000 families on the Citadel wish list. Residents will lease their residence on a yet to be purchased 2,000-3,000 acre tract. A total of 640-1280 of those acres will be walled in. Locations are being scouted in the mountainous regions of Idaho.
It’s now online application time. When the agreements and the application are completed and you PayPal or Visa a $208 fee to corporate, you’re on your way. If approved and if and when this Fortress is ever built, you’re officially on the waiting list. If you’re not wacky enough to get selected, all but a $33 administration fee will be returned to your current address at the home. The real money sacrifice comes later when you lease your house (trailer?) from lll Citadel. No word on how much such a lease will set you back.
Are your feathered quill pens at the ready? Is your tri-corner cocked at a jaunty angle? Here are a few family secrets you’ll have to expose on the application. You’ll have to do all the routine stuff; name, address, family members and the like. And you’ll have to have to agree with the agreements of course.
You also have to promise to live in accordance with Thomas Jefferson’s “Rightful Liberty.” As idealistically defined on Citadel’s Website, “Rightful liberty” according to Jefferson, is “unobstructed action according to our will within limits drawn around us by the equal rights of others.” This is the edited version with only the first sentence in the answer. Missing is Jefferson’s next sentence; “I do not add ‘within the limits of the law’, because law is often but the tyrant’s will, and always so when it violates the rights of the individual.” Aha! The federal government as tyrant.
I suspect the full text of “Rightful Liberty” has been the extreme right-wing, survivalists and militia mantra all along. Google “Rightful Liberty” and you’ll get 3,190,000 hits. Interesting how it was coded into the Citadel application.
Immediately following the “Rightful Liberty” question, the application asks “Do you agree to abide Constitutional laws of the state of Idaho and the United States Government? Funny question for a project that I’m sure will claim virtual sovereignty.
You’re then asked if you’ve ever been associated with any racist or subversive organization. “Just a second; this Klan robe is getting in the way of my ‘no’ answer.” There’s no more welcoming state to Aryans than Idaho.
Some boilerplate questions follow. Do you want to farm, raise livestock, live inside or outside the walls of the compound? Those who are really attracted to this kind of oddball community are going to lie on virtually every question involving true intent. People who would pick up and relocate to Citadel nation hate blacks, despise the government and think guns are the answer to everything.
The only question the organizers are truly interested in isn’t even on the application; “Do you posses a bloated bank account?”
Pistol-packin’ Patriots should prepare for a long winter’s nap before hearing back from this crowd. At present Citadel doesn’t even pay staff who all work as volunteers. A number of contributors to a survivalist blog I recently read, questioned whether this project would ever get off the ground. They likened it to the Bo Gritz “Almost Heaven” developments, founded in 1994 in Central Idaho. He pitched Almost Heaven as escape mechanisms from a “predator government.” Almost Heaven attracted a similar clientele to that expected to respond to the Citadel Project. Armed to the teeth and spoiling for a confrontation with the feds, most of the residents were too far right for even Green Beret war hero Gritz, who ended up moving out of the planned community, fleeing to Nevada.
I’m inclined to agree with the blog doubters, though walling in nutbags in a distant wilderness is a dream come true. Citadel promoters liken their project to Disneyland. I agree except there are far more Goofy’s.
February 13, 2013 07:00 AM
GOP 'Savior' Rubio Votes No on Violence Against Women Act
By Diane Sweet
The U.S. Senate voted overwhelmingly to pass legislation reauthorizing the Violence Against Women Act on Tuesday, despite the efforts of a group of Republican men who tried to block it.
Florida senator Marco Rubio led a group of 22 male Republicans who voted against the bill, which established a system for helping women in danger from domestic violence. No women or Democrats opposed the bill and it passed 78-22. That's right, the guy that Time magazine hailed this week as the "GOP Savior" voted against helping protect women from violence.
In fact, Rubio was also one of eight Republican senators who last week voted against moving to debate on the revived legislation.
One of the most contentious issues of the bill is that the updated version grants additional protections to immigrants which would encourage undocumented women to report assaults done to them.
Another issue some of the gang of 22 are hiding behind is that they object to the updated VAWA extending protections to LGBT and Native Americans.
The spending and grant provisions of the bill may have had something to do with the no votes, as well.
The Senate bill also prohibits discrimination against LGBT victims in grant programs to help victims, and would let illegal immigrants stay in the country to receive help if they are victims of domestic violence or rape.
VAWA provides grants to victims of domestic violence in order to encourage victims to leave their abusive situations. Some feel they can’t get away from their abusers because they might not have another form of family income, so the grants can provide housing assistance and cellphones for victims. Under this reauthorization bill, these programs would continue for another five years.
It seems that those who voted "no" feel some women are more deserving of help than others.
The senators who voted against the bill were: John Barrasso (R-WY), Roy Blunt (R-MO), John Boozman (R-AK), Tom Coburn (R-OK), John Cornyn (R-TX), Ted Cruz (R-TX), Mike Enzi (R-WY), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Orrin Hatch (R-UT), James Inhofe (R-OK), Mike Johanns (R-NE), Ron Johnson (R-WI), Mike Lee (R-UT), Mitch McConnell (R-KY), Rand Paul (R-KY), Jim Risch (R-ID), Pat Roberts (R-KS), Marco Rubio (R-FL), Jeff Sessions (R-AL), John Thune (R-SD) and Tim Scot (R-SC).
In a statement released on Tuesday, Rubio said that though he continues to support programs "to combat domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence, and stalking", he did not support all elements of the expanded bill. He objected to programs that would divert funding from domestic violence to sexual assault programs.
Women's groups were scathing about Rubio's attempts to derail the bill and said that it would cause problems for the GOP among women voters, a key demographic that deserted them in the last election.
The bill authorizes $659 million over five years for VAWA programs. It also expands VAWA to include new protections for LGBT and Native American victims of domestic violence, to give more attention to sexual assault prevention and to help reduce a backlog in processing rape kits. Created in 1994, VAWA has helped to strengthen programs and services for victims of domestic violence, dating violence and stalking.
Ahead of the vote, Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT), the bill's sponsor, questioned why anybody would vote against his legislation since it just expands protections to vulnerable groups.
"It is difficult to understand why people would come in here and try to limit which victims could be helped by this legislation," Leahy said. "If you're the victim, you don't want to think that a lot of us who have never faced this kind of problem, sat here in this body and said, 'Well, we have to differentiate which victims America will protect.'"
Senators voted on a few amendments to the bill. They voted 93 to 5 to include a provision targeting human trafficking, and 100 to 0 on a provision to ensure child victims of sex trafficking are eligible for grant assistance. They rejected amendments by Coburn to consolidate certain Department of Justice programs and to allow grants for sexually transmitted disease tests on sexual assault perpetrators.
VAWA typically gets reauthorized with little to-do. But Congress failed to do so last year amid House Republican objections to provisions in the Senate bill that expanded protections for LGBT, Native American and undocumented immigrant victims of violence. This year's Senate VAWA bill includes the LGBT and Native American provisions, but leaves out the piece for undocumented immigrants. Leahy has pledged to attach that piece to immigration reform legislation.
In a statement Tuesday, Joe Biden -- the chief author of the original law -- called on the House to pass the legislation expeditiously.
“Delay isn’t an option when three women are still killed by their husbands or boyfriends every day,” Biden said. “Delay isn’t an option when countless women still live in fear of abuse, and when one in five have been victims of rape.” | <urn:uuid:930be100-7e48-4adb-8305-e912a5fab70f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://schoolofevolutionaryastrology.com/forum/index.php?topic=268.msg16675 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704713110/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516114513-00016-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.963064 | 13,066 | 1.65625 | 2 |
Four seconds is the maximum length of time the average online shopper will wait for a web page to load before potentially abandoning a retail site.
In the research by Akamai, poor site performance ranked second only to high product prices and shipping costs as leading factors for dissatisfaction among online shoppers.
The consequences for retailers with an underperforming site include negative brand perception as well as lost sales.
Previous research has suggested that consumers will punish an online retailers’ high street counterpart if they have a frustrating online experience, so it could be argued that this rule is even more important for multichannel retailers.
Findings of the research included:
• Around 50% of ‘mature’ online shoppers (those who have shopped online for two years or more, and those who spend more than $1,500 annually) said loading time was a crucial factor in their choice of site.
• 46% of shoppers demand a fast checkout service, 55% of high spenders demand the same.
• 65% of online shoppers are more likely to return to a site that is easy to navigate and performs well for registration and the checkout process.
Almost half of sites on the Internet Retailer Top 500 list still experience site response times of over four seconds.
Remember when this used to be the 'eight second rule'? We've previously suggested that this "might now be closer to four seconds" due to faster internet connections and lower tolerance levels among internet users. | <urn:uuid:5109d135-3a14-499e-b2ce-3fef2a629d8a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://econsultancy.com/us/blog/500-eight-second-rule-for-e-commerce-websites-now-halved | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00007-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.947216 | 298 | 1.671875 | 2 |
Federal judges finalize new political maps in Kansas that mean big changes in Southeast Kansas.
Senators and House members are scrambling to adapt to these changes which were approved and released Thursday night.
The new maps have added and subtracted certain counties to new districts, opened up Senate and House seats, and they're also forcing politicians to quickly get into campaign mode.
Same lawmakers believe the changes were not necessary.
"It could have been avoided, yes," says Senator Bob Marshall, of the 13th District. "The Senate and the House, had we done what we were supposed to this would not have happened, and we would have been pretty much the way we would have been before."
The new lines have shifted district boundaries and the numbers of constituents.
"It's about 72,000 people have to be in each Senators district," says Senator Marshall. "I had about 67,000 people."
Senator Bob Marshall used to represent most of Bourbon County in the 13th District. He's lost a majority of that county but has gained constituents in all of Cherokee County, which used to be split up between the 13th and 14th Districts.
"It's never good for the constituents to make a change because many don't understand the organization, and they don't understand how to find to make contact with someone," says Marshall.
Cherokee County Clerk Crystal Gatewood says having a single representative for their county will make things simpler.
"Explaining to voters 'no you live in the 13th district, you know, that isn't your senator, you need to call this person or that person,' now they will know they only have one senator, one representative," says Gatewood.
"I think it will be good having just one senator for the whole county instead of two different opinions," says Baxter Springs resident Angela Redden. "One opinion's easier to get stuff done then going back and forth with two."
"As long as we get adequate representation, I don't have a problem with it," says Columbus resident Dennis Elbraden.
The new lines are not only changing and adding constituents, they're also putting Senators and House members in a race against opponents they wouldn't have had otherwise.
Marshall is now up against fellow Republican Jacob Lurner, a Cherokee County native.
Marshall says he's not the only Kansas lawmaker rushing to campaign.
"There will be 40 house districts that will have competing representatives, so yeah it's going to cause a lot of grief," Marshall says.
Senator Dwayne Umbarger used to represent Columbus and Baxter Springs in Cherokee County before it was moved from the 14th to the 13th District.
Umbarger has now been put into the 15th District where he will run against fellow Republican incumbent, Jeff King.
Redistricting left the 14th District covering Wilson and Woodson County without a representative. Today, John Grange from El Dorado filed to run for that seat. | <urn:uuid:8e302ec8-157c-4590-88c2-d3f6fa60b3fe> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.koamtv.com/story/18760193/state-redistricting-means-big-changes-in-southeast-kansas | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00012-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.984216 | 606 | 1.578125 | 2 |
Welcome to Kitchen Queries, where the nigella.com team will answer your cooking or food related questions. We’d love you to submit some of your recipe problems, dilemmas or queries for us to get our teeth into!Submit your query
Please note, we are only able to answer questions selected for publication and aren't able to enter into personal correspondence.
My husband and son are both allergic to nuts - what can I use in cakes in place of ground almonds to give the same type of texture? I have tried flour in many recipes and it doesn't seem to work properly. Thanks.
As many of Nigella's recipes contain nuts (eg the pesto with almonds and the pudding with hazelnuts in the recent TV show), is there anything that could be used instead for those with a nut allergy? It seems a shame to miss out on what seems a very easy recipe. Is it possible for a footnote at the end of the recipes in future to give alternatives for nut allergy sufferers? It seems that the current trend is to put nuts in everything so surely there must be a general ingredient to offer crunch without anaphylaxsis!
Posted by Piper121. Answered on 21st Oct 2012 at 12.00
Quite often ground almonds are used in cakes to add moisture and sometimes to give a gluten free cake suitable for coeliacs, instead of one made with wheat flour. If you are substituting the ground almonds with another ingredient then you really need to consider how much of the cake is made up by nuts. If it is a large amount then it is unlikely that a successful subtitute will be found.
Some people suggest breadcrumbs, ground rice or semolina as possible substitutes, but again the result will very much vary according to the individual recipe so each recipe would have to be individually adjusted and tested accordingly. However Nigella's website has plenty of cake recipes which are nut free.
Nigella's Chocolate Olive Oil Cake in Nigellissima is made with ground almonds but this particular recipe does have an alternative using flour. You can substitute 125g plain flour for the 150g ground almonds. The recipe, and the alternative, are available on the BBC website with other recipe featured in NIgellissima.
For the Chocolate Hazelnut cheesecake you could try using just a milk chocolate spread rather than the Nutella, and omit the hazelnuts from the base and topping of the cheesecake. However we would empasise that we have not tested this and so cannot vouch for the results.
Need some help in the kitchen?
Ask NigellaSubmit your query | <urn:uuid:23a9444b-5a26-4838-bb75-6319134c515d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.nigella.com/kitchen-queries/view/Alternative-to-Ground-Almonds-Nuts-/3588 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704392896/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113952-00015-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.957059 | 537 | 1.84375 | 2 |
The View from the Turret is a site dedicated to board, miniature, and computer wargaming and related historical topics. Look here for reviews, news, and more by wargamers for wargamers. It is not our intention to cover everything available to the hobby, only the best.
We concentrate on 20th Century and science fiction topics with just a smattering of Napaloeonics. You will find no fantasy coverage here.
Why ‘The View from the Turret’? We get asked this more frequently than we thought we would. If you have never seen a tank in person they are rather large. They are also rather tall especially Allied WW2 tanks. The tank commander not only stands up in the turret but also often has a commander’s cupola as well that may be even higher than the turret. The WW2 M4 Sherman tank was 9 ft tall. This means the tank commander, when standing in his hatch, was about 12 feet high! This configuration is designed to give the tank commander the best possible field of view. He is the only member of the tank crew who can see 360 degrees around the tank. Because our objective is to look out onto the field of gaming and report back to you, the reader, we thought this a good analogy. Besides, all true wargamers love tanks!
Enjoy and go game! | <urn:uuid:8545ba2e-5b9c-4626-99ee-e67e8977ddcf> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://viewfromtheturret.com/about/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704713110/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516114513-00001-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.963717 | 283 | 1.671875 | 2 |
This article was originally distributed via PRWeb. PRWeb, WorldNow and this Site make no warranties or representations in connection therewith.
SOURCE: Appmosphere Inc.
App will put first responders in touch with parents in emergencies
Minneapolis, MN (PRWEB) December 31, 2012
As an app development company working with Newtown Township and South Windsor, CT for their community mobile application, Appmosphere has been deeply affected by the tragedy. They are therefore donating an app that will assist the community in staying informed during a crisis. As the nation grieves this tragedy, Appmosphere is designing a mobile tool that, while won’t prevent tragedies like the one at Sandy Hill Elementary, will help citizens of a community communicate better in these situations.
Appmosphere will develop an app that gives real-time information about a given community, and will be available to all parents, guardians and concerned citizens.
It is a mobile application that alerts the public of an emergency and is a direct communication between parents, teachers, family, and law enforcement. It will alert parents to the status of an emergency and allow them to talk directly with the first responders. Nathan Ooley, the President of Appmosphere says, “Currently, traditional media is better informed than parents, and as parents, we would rather hear about an emergency in our community from authorities and first responders, as opposed to the media.” In the future, parents will no longer be given the horrible news of the possible death of their child in text message form, as were the parents of the Sandy Hill Elementary students.
As application developers, Appmosphere can offer a service to parents by helping them stay informed about their children when emergencies occur. As first responders are at a disadvantage in these situations, Appmosphere need some assistance from the public in allowing information to flow freely. Newtown had approached them earlier this year to develop a community app. They were inspired by the town’s vision to improve communication amongst its citizens. Sadly, this work was not completed before events of December 14th. Hopefully, in the future, this app will provide some assistance to families in similar situations.
Once this application has been approved for use in Newtown, Appmosphere will offer it to other communities for a service fee, with a donation model included to help victims of tragedies such as this. Appmosphere will be developing the application for release in mid 2013.
Appmosphere is a full-service provider of mobile application development and mobility services, located in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
For the original version on PRWeb visit: http://www.prweb.com/releases/prweb2012/12/prweb10264108.htm | <urn:uuid:4da65a60-f4b6-42e3-98cc-842885446a65> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.abc6.com/story/20475021/appmosphere-inc-developing-mobile-app-for-parents-in-a-public-crisis | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.96242 | 555 | 1.742188 | 2 |
Pakistan blocks Twitter access over "blasphemous content"
ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Pakistan on Sunday blocked access to Twitter in response to "blasphemous" material posted by users on the microblogging and social networking website, a senior government official said.
"This has been done under the directions of the Ministry of Information Technology. It's because of blasphemous content," said Mohammed Yaseen, chairman of the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA).
"They (the ministry) have been discussing with them (Twitter) for some time now, requesting them to remove some particular content," he said.
Pakistan blocked access to Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and about 1,000 other websites for nearly two weeks in May 2010 over blasphemous content.
Any representation of the Prophet Mohammad is deemed un-Islamic and blasphemous by many Muslims, who constitute the overwhelming majority in Pakistan.
PTA chairman Yaseen did not specify which users or messages had prompted the ban. The Internet Service Providers Association of Pakistan said its members have been asked to block Twitter indefinitely, but no reason has been provided by the government.
Yaseen said the ban would be lifted after ongoing discussions between the Pakistan government and Twitter about the allegedly blasphemous material are resolved.
Officials from the Ministry of Information Technology and from Twitter were not immediately available for comment.
Twitter has become increasingly popular in Pakistan in recent years, its users including politicians and government officials.
(Reporting by Qasim Nauman; Editing by Daniel Magnowski)
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- Digg this | <urn:uuid:0709f9f2-a98c-4139-b09c-3da60c8d1e42> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://uk.reuters.com/article/2012/05/20/uk-pakistan-twitter-ban-idUKBRE84J05520120520?feedType=RSS&feedName=worldNews&rpc=477 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00001-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.949575 | 333 | 1.6875 | 2 |
Victoria's Dirty Secret
Did you know that Victoria's Secret mails out 1,000,000 underwear catalogs a day? Until recently, virtually all of the paper for those catalogs was coming straight from forests -- particularly the Boreal Forest in Canada. Sierra Club Radio host Orli Cotel interviewed Kristi Chester Vance of ForestEthics to learn how they convinced Limited Brands, the parent company of Victoria's Secret, to clean up its act.
You can hear the program here, or you can subscribe to the Sierra Club Radio podcast and get "green news you can use" automatically downloaded to your iPod every week.
Hurray for the Clean Energy Act of 2007
Congressional members on both sides of the aisle moved America further along the road to cleaner, more secure energy when, by a vote of 264 to 163, the House approved the Clean Energy Act of 2007, which will repeal giveaways to Big Oil and instead invest money in the smart energy solutions that will benefit the American people.
"The new Congress took an important first step by repealing the billions of dollars in unnecessary subsidies given to outdated energy industries and redirecting the money to programs that benefit American jobs and families and help end our dangerous oil dependence," said Dave Hamilton, director of the Sierra Club's Global Warming and Energy Program.
In response, President Bush is said to be working on a State of the Union Address that will acknowledge the global warming crisis for the first time, but whether he will endorse smart energy solutions remains to be seen. If you think he should, you can still send a message to the White House from our Action Center. And don't forget to ask your Senators to follow the lead of the House of Representatives.
Let's make smart energy solutions a reality!
A Twin State Wildlands Protected
Just before the 109th Congress adjourned on December 1 of last year, the New England Wilderness Act of 2006 was signed into law, protecting more than 75,000 acres of the Green Mountain and White Mountain National Forests as designated wilderness.
The bill combined separate Vermont and New Hampshire wilderness bills into one piece of legislation -- a move conservationists in both states had hoped for in order to put forth a strong bipartisan package. Read about it in Stories on our new Grassroots Web pages
Milestone In Madison
In Madison, Wisconsin, Sierra Club pressure has already prompted an announcement from the city's dirtiest coal-fired power plant that it will stop burning coal by 2011. Now, a notice of intent to sue by the Club has led to a commitment from the state to study alternatives for retiring two other dirty coal plants in the city.
Learn more about what your fellow activists are up to in the Scrapbook, on the Club's new Grassroots Web pages
Mongabay is a website created by a young man named -- no kidding -- Rhett Butler, who has carved out an enviable career for himself as an Internet publisher and educator on tropical rainforests and the conservation challenges they present.
His website, Mongabay, (named for a beloved patch of forest in Borneo that would later be cut down) is blog-like but not truly a blog. While the postings are regular and frequent, they are more in the style of lengthy newspaper articles as opposed to the quick hits and off-the-cuff editorializing common to most blogs. Neither are there reader comments. Still, Mongabay does what most blogs do, only better: It synthesizes and digests information from a variety of sources in a way that enriches your understanding of a subject.
If you care about biodiversity, tropical ecology, and rainforests, be sure to bookmark Mongabay today.
View previous editions of the Sierra Club Insider at the Insider Archives.
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Subscribe to the Sierra Club Insider.
Unsubscribe from the Sierra Club Insider. | <urn:uuid:dcf54f53-0826-4ad2-bb47-34009460fd38> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://action.sierraclub.org/site/MessageViewer?em_id=8301.0 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00017-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.935129 | 795 | 1.796875 | 2 |
Earlier this month DC chapters of the Women’s Transportation Seminar, Young Professionals in Transportation and the Transportation Research Forum met to discuss creating and funding a national freight policy. The event featured Dr. Sandra Rosenbloom, Chair of the Transportation Research Board Executive Committee, Jack Basso, Director of Program Finance and Management at AASHTO and was moderated by Dr. Jack Wells, Chief Economist at USDOT.
Each of the three speakers discussed different aspects of freight. Dr. Rosenbloom discussed the recent RAND Research Monograph: A Federal Role in Freight Planning and Finance which she co-authored with Dr. Martin Wachs. Mr. Basso discussed the recent National Cooperative Freight Research Program Report 15: Dedicated Revenue Mechanisms for Freight Transportation Investment. Dr. Wells discussed political challenges of any new freight policy.
Dr. Rosenbloom detailed that a Federal Freight Transportation Policy should have four elements. The first element is developing a new federal freight capital investment program. This would be a federal grant or loan program using benefit-cost analyses. Federal funding would comprise substantially less than 50% of the total funding. Other public and private entities would pay significant shares. The second part is investigating and informing regulations particularly those that affect prices and inhibit the involvement of the private sector. These reforms would solve three of the biggest objectives of U.S. freight policy: reforming regulations, allowing the private sector to finance freight projects and creating better data on the effectiveness of regulations.
The third element is encouraging and increasing user-based payments. Freight congestion could decrease significantly is variable pricing was used. Adopting direct fees such as MBUF and requiring projects receiving federal assistance to use such fees will increase such pricing. This approach also requires studies to see how various freight segments respond to price increases and to determine where to build new capacity. The fourth part is improving freight data, information and agency capacity. Activities that would help gather data include: improving existing programs to develop better data; disseminating practice-based findings; and developing more effective ways to help planners use appropriate economic methods.
The biggest issue with any transportation program is how to pay for it. Jack Basso suggested several different funding possibilities. Options include mileage based user fees, freight waybill taxes, a surcharge on customs duty, a fuel excise taxes, a truck tire excise tax and the addition of tolling. Diesel fuel taxes with tax refunds in addition to vehicle registration fees yield the most money in the short-term since they build on existing collection systems. Mileage-based user fees show the greatest long-term potential with e increasing efficiency as the fee rises. A national system for passenger vehicles would increase the efficiency of an MBUF funding mechanism. Collection and enforcement, truck conversion from diesel to gasoline, and road to rail shifts will all affect the amount collected. Mileage-based user fees, diesel and gas taxes, and registration fees all raise similar amounts in the long-term. All methods should be indexed for inflation.
Rosenbloom and Basso also discussed whether a user fee covered all of the expenses. Trucks transport durable goods to consumers. Many of these goods are transported 1,000 miles or more. Are consumers paying an appropriate amount for transport?
Dr. Jack Wells added some political perspective. He reminded attendants that from a revenue perspective, any of the proposals could work. However, the greater challenge is political. Researchers should consider which proposals could pass Congress; such proposals would need to overcome pressure from powerful lobbying influences. While Wells views mileage based user fees and tolling as excellent long-term solutions, truck industry opposition to tolls and Congressional opposition to studying mileage-based fees make implementation of those technologies more challenging. | <urn:uuid:644a4b48-8dc7-492f-be04-12567b43abfe> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://reason.org/blog/show/improving-freight-planning-and-fina | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00005-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.945245 | 754 | 1.578125 | 2 |
There really is a lot more to Body Building than what you will find in this article, we know, but we can add to what you already know, for sure. There was a time when we knew absolutely nothing on the matter, but that was a long time ago.
We do have a preference for taking care of things on our end, even though you can certainly talk to experts on the subject. As for us, we like to be hands-on and learn how to manage and take care of it for ourselves.
The most important thing to keep in mind is what will be comfortable for you and be able to work the best for you.
If you want to do more, then by all means go for it because we would never suggest anything less to anybody.
It`s easy to get drawn into the bodybuilding marketing machine out there today. They have so much money at their disposal (literally billions of dollars) and professionals to sell you anything they can. Most protein formulas are very different. Not all are created equal, regardless of the labeling. There are quality assurance standards for ingredients and manufacturing standards as well. If you are really into this, you will take the time to find out what exactly you will be putting in your body before you buy anything. This is actually worth your time so you can prevent the needless waste of your money and time.
Anyone that takes whey protein will see significant gains when working out. Cheese comes from milk, and this protein comes from the production of cheese. When you are bodybuilding, branched chain amino acids help with post workout recovery. Rest and supplementation of various compounds is absolutely necessary and then allowing your muscles to recover. There is an ideal protein structure within the whey protein that helps with recovery very well. The ideal preparation for one type of whey is to treat it with enzymes so the digestion phase is reduced.
When looking at bodybuilding, especially on a professional level, both nutritional and real science must be looked at. Proteins are comprised of amino acids and there is great variety. How much you lift, and depending upon your goals, the amount of nutrition your body requires will vary from person to person. In regard to the biochemical process of depletion and restoration of glutamine, it became important to supplement the body with this particular amino acid. Muscle tissue has a lot of glutamine in it. Also, the glutamine found in the blood will decrease after an intense lifting session. Taking the supplement will definitely help weightlifters with their glutamine levels.
Perhaps you have heard of green tea? It is a healthy drink known in the West that has many benefits for those that drink it. Lately, within that last several decades, green tea has attracted the attention of dieters. There are substances in the key that increase your body`s natural metabolic processes causing weight loss. Another great finding is the oxidation of fat is increased and that just means it helps to burn fat. The best way for bodybuilders to take advantage of this is to include green tea throughout the day. You can burn fat simultaneously along with providing a healthy tonic for your body too. So far, you have discovered a few things concerning Buy Steroids along with the significance it has for you. We encourage you to seriously look at the backdrop of your own life and how what you are reading about will help. Of course you have to be the one to decide since it is your life, and it will impact others around you. We tend to believe a firm foundation with a broad base is effective. We know that is very helpful to do even though all of us are very busy and maybe do not have the time. We all have the same amount of time each day, but we think what normally occurs is people learn to focus. At least until your knowledge is broader, try to determine what directly applies to you if possible.
It is important that you find out what you need to take in regard to bodybuilding supplements today. However, you really have to know how to navigate through the waters. Slick marketing can often sell you useless body building supplements that will do nothing but deplete your bank account and leave you wanting. You just have to do your homework very well and do not make a quick buying decision.
Everybody is caught off-guard at one time or another with new areas of information, much like steroid, because they walk away feeling like there is so much more. Even though the points encompasse a potentially vast scope, there are always details that exist and which you should never overlook.
Bring an open mind to the table as you do this, though, and many important tips will jump out at you. Going beyond what has been talked about here, you may want to pick something that appeals to you or is relevant. Then, since you know it is important, simply drill down to discover more about it.
In the end, though, this is clearly your option to pursue or not.
Are you aware of all that is encompassed with Build Muscle as a subject matter? You can really become an expert if you put your mind to it. Hey - we are really not any different from where you are; so hopefully that will help a little bit.
There were people ahead of us with knowledge, and we are the same with others like you - nothing different. There are so many positive benefits to keeping the level of curiosity high, and we think you know that all too well. So, continue reading this and definitely take the initiative to go forward and learn more.
Then all those things that are not as imposing will not be much of a problem for you.
The majority of people think of the bodybuilders and cover models on exercise publications when they think of building muscle. Even though strength training is an important part of bodybuilding, anyone can benefit by learning to build muscles. The type of exercise required can be done at your local gym or at home based on what is best suited for your lifestyle. This is true since you can do weight training at a gym with various exercise equipment or you can use free weights along with your own body weight at home. Keep reading to discover how you can enhance your health by learning to build muscle on your own.
To start with, the first thing you will notice when you start muscle building is how your appearance changes. You will be shocked at how rapidly your appearance changes as you work on specific body parts including your arms and legs. We know that you are enjoying all that is offered about Body Building. If you think this is all there is, then that is not true at all which is only to your favor. As you go through this, some things will standout more than others, but do not throw the baby out with the bathwater, either. Once you have more time to think about things, we think you will arrive at the conclusion that it actually is helpful. We urge you to be open to information even if at first glance it does not seem like it will help you. In the rest of our discussion, we will offer more information that will reinforce what you have already learned, and then you will be better equipped to understand. That is never a bad thing even though it can seem like a lot to take in. By working with an exercise regime that suits your fitness level and body type, you should be able to get the nicely toned body that you want. It goes without saying that as your body changes for the better you will end up motivated to stick with your program of muscle building. It will be a pleasant change not to mind other people seeing your body, especially when you`re off to spend time on a sunny beach.
Combining strength training with cross training program can provide numerous benefits too. You can actually improve your results in various physical activities by building muscle. In terms of basic fitness, you can include resistance training to your aerobic program in order to achieve a great balance in your program and to keep you interested in continuing it. It is a good idea to create a workout plan where you will do various activities on different days and muscle building exercise can be one of the elements to this.
Beginning a weight training exercise program can be quite beneficial in keeping your body young as you get older. Many people assume that as they age they will be more restricted physically. To some degree this is correct but working out to build muscle can actually help you stay more active. The fact is, there have been research studies showing that muscle aging has shown signs of being reversed through strength training as well as increases in bone density. So, if you would like be as youthful as you can, you should take a look at resistance training.
You will not only observe an improved body with muscle building, you will begin to see that you feel more self-assured and more healthy generally. A well toned, muscular look will get you noticed and feeling physically stronger can make you feel more assured in your day to day life. It is obvious that with the many advantages to be gotten it is worth your effort and time to make muscle building and weight training a part of your fitness regime.
There are any number of things that can cause unique challenges any time you are trying to learn more about HGH or anything else. It is a little amusing about the internet in that so many ordinary people feel this great desire to create content - we think it is great.
There is nothing unusual at all about conflicts between points of view and what people find in their own research. When you read about particular strategies for your online business, keep those points in mind as we are certain you will encounter this phenomena.
The need for you to take strong measures that ensure your belief in only the most stringent facts is not subject for debate, ever.
Concerning Anabolic Steroid, it is pretty interesting to note how many people are talking about this in the most unusual places. It is tough to say with certainty how many people understand its importance, today. That is what we found out, and it is good to know, plus discovering the nuances will essentially be an empowering experience. One of the great aspects of the net is you read this article, for example, and then can pick and choose what is most relevant and immediately gain additional knowledge.
A much wider perspective is addressed in the following, and then you will easily be able to discern relevant direction.
Bodybuilding can be a very satisfying activity, but it can also be frustrating when you don`t achieve the results you want. It is apparent that whether we want to increase our muscle mass or lose weight, our bodies are stubborn and do not want to accept change. Nevertheless if you are persistent and make the efforts to uncover the ideal methods, you can continue to make progress. Throughout this article we will be talking about some bodybuilding suggestions that will assist you in getting to the next point of your training.
If you want your results to turn out the best, every single day, you need to write down what you are doing in your bodybuilding workouts. It is important for you to know how you are feeling, along with how much weight you are lifting and what exercises you are doing, and this should all be written down. It is inevitable that you will need to make changes in your workout routine, and having a journal will best show you what you need to change. Your diet and lifestyle habits should be kept track of as well. Quite often there are patterns in your life that you are barely aware of that, that are taking away from the efforts you are making. After you get started doing this, you will realize that it isn`t all that difficult. Don`t be concerned about the method of keeping track of what you are achieving, it is only important that everything you are doing is being written down. If you belong to a gym or fitness center, chances are you have a choice when it comes to strength training. These facilities can provide free weights and a course that exists through the use of exercise machines. Which is more effective for bodybuilding purposes? Most strength trainers will choose the free weights because this system works the muscles in a variety of ranges. This doesn`t mean you can`t make gains using machines, but there`s little doubt that barbells and dumbbells give you more options. If you`re having trouble deciding between the two, you may want to do both. You can interchange between the machine circuit and the free weights; or you can mingle the two in your entire fitness regimen. If you are intent on only picking one; the free weight system is the one that will give you the best workout. Talk about only seeing the tip of the iceberg; but that is what we have presented so far about Anabolics - there is so much out there. Once you begin to truly see the breadth of knowledge available plus what it all can mean, then that is a pretty cool thing.
Of course you are here because you have a need to know more, and of course you need some additional support in the way of leveraging the work of others. That particular state will allow you to operate from a greater position in your life. Even if you cannot control a lot, and who can, you will be much better prepared through learning and amassing knowledge.
The next quandary will be whether or not bodybuilding supplements are a good idea. If you pay attention to the hype; according to them, these supplements are absolutely vital. Actually, supplements can enhance your efforts somewhat, but are certainly not a substitute for wholesome meals and exercise. You can try different supplements based on what you feel your diet isn`t giving you, whether it`s extra protein or certain amino acids. Just keep in mind that supplements are not meant to do your job for you. If you do decide to use supplements; make sure you choose brands that have earned a good reputation. If you really want to succeed as a bodybuilder, you need to be prepared to do a lot of work. Don`t get the idea that it will only take three months to get the body you want, and then you can give it up. It can be worthwhile, however, because there will be consistent gains, as long as you are putting in the effort. Consistency is the key to getting results, so focus on the workouts with that mindset.
Of course Dianabol is important to you otherwise you would not have been searching for it. The curious thing to never forget is that what lies beyond the horizon on this topic is pretty expansive. None of us can ever see everything coming, but at least you can minimize the possibilities. So it is definitely in your best interest to implement further attempts to broaden your knowledge. Even with that in mind there are so many resources available that that is easily done. Be sure you only take solid information from trusted sources on the net because we all know how it is. We have all seen sites that sure looked pretty suspect with their content, and you always need to pay attention.
Yes, there sure seems to be a lot of attention being paid to steroid, and we know that for an absolute fact. While that is all happening, maybe people are becoming more aware of what is going on and why it matters so much. You have to live your own experiences, and when you do you will learn lessons far and above what you will gain from anything you read. We know the value of what you are about to read, and while it may not all be directly applicable we are confident some of it will be.
A much wider perspective is addressed in the following, and then you will easily be able to discern relevant direction.
If you`ve always watched the big bodybuilders working out in your gym and have wished to have a similar physique, the good news is that you can do it. Anyone can. However, the secret is persistence and commitment because it isn`t easy and it does take time. The benefits are immense though and it is certainly worth the hard work. The following tips given to you in this article will allow you to get the best returns from what you put into bodybuilding, so don`t forget them.
That can be quite powerful if you take what is known about Anabolic Steroids and put it to use. The only way you will ever make a difference in your own life is by overcoming inertia that binds so many others.
We do not really know why most people do not advance themselves, but that seems to be the common thing to do, or not do. The phenomenon of inertia is something that plays out in the lives of so many millions of people, and it has to be dealt with in your life.
Everybody with a need to know this information can do something with it, just make sure you are one who does. We are about halfway there, so let`s press ahead and discover some more. To achieve an epic transformation you must take post workout nutrition very seriously. Whatever you eat right after your workout will be absorbed very quickly so that the body can try to repair itself from the strenuous workout. Most experts recommend that a post workout meal should actually consist of a protein shake, as it increases the level of protein synthesis which leads to a higher level of strength gains. Whey protein is the preferred choice with bodybuilders as it gets to work very quickly, letting your body use it much quicker. The ultimate aim is to increase your protein absorption rates because as you may know you need protein to build muscle. Also some people have discovered that straight after intense exercise they can`t eat solid food, which is another good reason for taking a protein shake. Fat is not evil and, in fact, at least 25% of your calories should come from fat, such as animal fats, olive oil, flax oil and salmon oil. Your body needs to use fats for many fundamental functions which is why removing them from your diet or limiting your intake to really low levels will have a negative impact on your health. Additionally fats are an energy source that is burned off by the body slowly, meaning you stay satisfied for longer periods of time and therefore you`re less likely to eat again.
Exercises that use multiple muscle groups are recommended for gaining muscle mass quickly. When doing isolation exercises you are working your slow twitch muscle fibers, which is great for strength but not so much for adding on muscle mass. You want to try doing squats and dead lifts for muscle mass. To make the most gains you should make sure you do some compound exercises, that way your time in the gym isn`t wasted. Keeping track of your progress is very important to ensure that you continue to progress and make more gains.
Bodybuilding isn`t easy by any means, however the benefits it provides are worth it. Simply follow the guidance of this article and you will be able to start building up your dream body.
Everybody is caught off-guard at one time or another with new areas of information, much like Anabolics, because they walk away feeling like there is so much more. So if it suits your fancy, or need, then you are at your leisure to delve into it and know all about it.
As we always say, it is usually the little things that can turn out to be the most important.
What we find valuable is augmenting our source knowledge with related searches that are based on sub-topical interests. What needs to be done, then, is well known and you will run with it.
Whether you choose to commit to more timely research is of course you decision, and we find many people do exactly that.
The Essentials Of An Effective Body Building Training One of the best ways to strengthen your muscles, build them up and keep them healthy is to participate in regular body building exercises. Body building workouts are how many people stay healthy and strong. You have lots of options available to you if you want to work on your body and exercise. Achieving these goals is best done through body building—an activity that is primarily popular among young men. It is important that you remember that the primary goal of body building is to get healthy and not to build muscles twice as big as your head. Huge muscles are okay as a goal for the future, but right now your goals should center on your health. If you want to get over the body building stereotypes you`ve encountered, keep reading. Make sure that you work out all of your muscles at least once each week. Plotting out your routine ahead of time is the best thing to do when you are a new body builder. You`ll want to do this so that you make sure all of your muscles get the attention they need. As you get better you can switch your workout routines around. Many experienced body builders plan out different routines each week. This helps them make sure that they are working out correctly and that they won`t get bored. Some body builders find that too much of the same thing will kill their motivation and dedication to their workouts. Our treatment of DBol in this article is not as comprehensive as it can be, but that is only because it is such as wide area of knowledge. Rather than interject our own personal opinion on these matters, it is best to let you be the judge. You can get the input of others around you about all this, and of course that is your call, to be sure. If you get too bogged down with the minute details, you can easily get lost in the haze. That is would be the ideal scenario, here, but you will not always have the time to do what is necessary for that to happen. So just find what ever spare time you have, and be sure you pay attention to the most important issues. What we mean by that is some aspect will have greater meaning for each of us, and then you can go off and discover more for your self on that one thing. Set goals you know you can reach. Don`t try to go too far too fast. Focus on healthy and realistic goals. Being able to meet your goals will help keep your motivation levels high. Keep setting goals: set new ones as you achieve the ones you have in place. Setting reasonable and reachable goals keeps your motivation up and keeps you from being tempted to do something stupid like taking a shortcut. Always remember: before you can build your muscles you must first strengthen them. When you focus on seeing results in an unrealistic time frame, you run the risk of building too quickly and hurting yourself. Let yourself have a moment to rest when you transition from one part of your routine to another. If you push yourself too hard you will be more likely to develop an injury that could have otherwise been avoided. Letting yourself take a moment or two to rest is the best thing you can do if you want to lengthen your routine and increase your stamina. Dehydration is often caused by someone trying to complete a workout without stopping. This kind of thing will almost always cause you to strain or pull at least one or two muscles. You might find that you aren`t strong enough to finish your workout! Even the pros let themselves take some time to rest now and again! Body building, as an activity, can be incredibly rewarding. It helps you to get healthy. It helps you get your body in shape. It helps you build your endurance and stamina. As you work to improve your strength and to build your muscles it is important that you take steps to stay healthy and to protect your muscles from being torn down too much. When you take the right steps to stay healthy and functioning you have quite a lot of body building success.
Of course you had little or maybe even no idea of what you would discover when you set about looking for more information about D-Bol; that is always the case. Even though the points encompasse a potentially vast scope, there are always details that exist and which you should never overlook.
Plus it is true that the amount of overlapping smaller yet related areas will reveal much more in the end.
What we all naturally do is zero-in on something that is very relevant to our situation and focus on that. Then, since you know it is important, simply drill down to discover more about it.
You can work with that until you are satisfied and then expand or do the same with another point from this article. | <urn:uuid:37a58599-ca62-42e6-8443-db2767e87087> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://thislexicalgap.tumblr.com/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705953421/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120553-00003-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.973877 | 4,939 | 1.554688 | 2 |
HOW TO FIX THE OIL SPILL
by Joe Shea
American Reporter Correspondent
May 25, 2010
BRADENTON, Fla., May 25, 2010 5:30PM ET -- Have you ever wielded one of those little New Year's Eve noisemakers that roll out and straighten as you blow your heart out at midnight?
That's what we need in the Gulf of Mexico - a mile-long roll of heavy duty plastic sheeting, carefully stitched and sealed to form a circular tube about 36 inches in diameter, with a strong roller at the center and a heavy-duty rubber band - or any workable closure - at the business end.
The force of the gusher won't stop you from setting the closure at the bottom because it will already be starting to fill out the tube, dissipating that energy upwards, as you fit it over the broken drill pipe.
You get a submersible, guide the role down with cables holding the roller as it descends, and then with robotic arms fit the closure ring over the broken pipe-end. As soon as the oil begins to gush into it, you pull up the roller, and when the gushing oil has pushed your tube to the surface, voila! It's midnight. You've got a noisemaker. You dump the oil from the tube into a container ship and carry it away. It's sort of like a giant condom, but nothing's wasted.
Many plastic extrusion companies make and stitch miles of half-inch heavy plastic sheeting every day. Some, like straw companies, even create it as a single, seamless sheet of tubing. The roll will weigh 20-30 tons, so you need a big, well-anchored crane to play out the cables attached to the roller as the whole roll of sheeting descends from the tanker to the sea floor. You may be able to reduce the thickness of the plastic. You need to partially fill the tanker so it doesn't get dragged down into the sea by the weight of the oil in the tube. Very strong cables will be required to control its descent, and very powerful motors to slowly but precisely haul up the unfolding roll as it fills. The unspooling roll should be just ahead of the oil flow as the tube floats and is gently tugged upward.
Don't let it open on the way down or you'll have the oil and water running into and condensing air in the pipe. Remember, the pressure is not against the tube sides but its unrolling end. Ice won't have time to form.
Finally, pipe can be fitted over the plastic sheeting length by length by sliding each well-oiled length down the plastic tube and sealing it to the next. However, this will endanger the diagonal on which the tube is created, so measures must be taken to ensure the sheeting is not ruptured as pipe begins to ascend the tube. Oiling the inside of the pipe-lengths may avoid tearing the tube, while simply greasing it might fail because the grease would become solid near the sea floor. If the tube is ruptured, a quick sealing process must be devised to reseal it. At a certain stage, with suction applied, the pipe-covered tube can be righted to vertical.
This solution saves the oil. At 75,000 barrels a day, if that is the flow, it can provide $5 million each day towards the cleanup. This solution is based on several adages: First, "Ride the horse in the direction it is going;" i.e., let the oil flow as it would if released normally, rather than try to stop it. Second: "Nothing in nature is wasted;" i.e., throwing junk into the pipe may stop the oil flow, but all that energy is then lost to us, and everyone and everything that died from it has died in vain. This way, the oil flow is captured and the revenue stream can be put to productive use in the coastal cleanup. | <urn:uuid:ba81593d-c205-42a8-83e4-ad8c3a532b17> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.american-reporter.com/4,566/490.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00002-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.95575 | 820 | 1.773438 | 2 |
Most arrests end in plea deals rather than actually going to trial.
KNIGHT RIDDER NEWSPAPERS
WALNUT CREEK, Calif. -- The federal case against a Lodi, Calif., father and son accused of ties to Al-Qaida terror training in Pakistan rings familiar to legal scholars who have tracked the Justice Department's pursuit of terrorism convictions since the Sept. 11 attacks.
First come the arrests, alarming allegations and hints of terrorist plots forged in a town near you. Then comes the hard part.
The Bush administration has seen mixed results in prosecuting high-profile terrorism cases since the Sept. 11 attacks. Usually, as with most federal cases, they end in plea deals, often on lesser charges unrelated to terrorism. Or in outright acquittal. Few result in jury trials.
Critics blame overly aggressive tactics in pursuit of terrorists, leading to overblown charges that fall apart. But some legal experts point to another factor: a legal system built on constitutional protections, jury-rigged for a newfound war on terror.
"It's the 'Minority Report' problem," said Syracuse University law professor William Banks, referring to the futuristic film about a team that sees crimes before they happen and busts criminals before they act.
"It's a new frontier for the FBI," said FBI spokeswoman LaRae Quy. "To actually bring these individuals to prosecution in this country, a threshold of evidence needs to be presented, and rightly so. If there is no terrorist attack, maybe there is no evidence. So that makes it very difficult."
The government has claimed success in securing guilty pleas and long prison sentences for seven Muslims from Portland, Ore., accused of trying to join the Taliban after the Sept. 11 attacks; from six U.S. citizens of Yemeni descent from New York accused of traveling to Afghanistan to train with Al-Qaida. Justice officials also say their aggressive tactics have churned new information.
Other cases have churned embarrassment.
A judge threw out convictions in a highly touted case against suspected members of a Detroit sleeper cell, citing prosecutor misconduct. A jury acquitted an Iowa student on charges he created Web sites to recruit terrorists. Authorities admitted the bad arrest of an Oregon man, wrongly saying his fingerprints were found in a van tied to the deadly Madrid train bombings.
"Unfortunately a lot of the federal government's actions have been to cast guilt in the court of public opinion before the court of law," said Arsalan Iftikhar, national legal director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations.
"Most cases since Sept. 11 have led to minor immigration [violations] or a minimal criminal conviction," Iftikhar said. "Most of the time the charges never come up in regards to terrorism."
Cases related to terrorism fall under several statutes, and no reliable figures exist on the number or outcome of all terrorism-related cases brought since the Sept. 11 attacks. The frequent use of immigration enforcement, rather than criminal charges, adds to the uncertainty.
Hamid Hayat, 22, and his father, Umer Hayat, 47, face charges of lying to federal agents about Hamid's alleged participation in a terrorist camp in Pakistan. Three other men tied to the investigation face immigration violations. | <urn:uuid:2df24d11-b6cb-4a37-ad93-df545eee4066> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.vindy.com/news/2005/jun/13/terrorism-few-suspects-face-trial-by-jury/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00017-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.954942 | 663 | 1.734375 | 2 |
Public Interest Alberta (PIA)
Campaign messaging, logo, identity, visual and website
The Who Cares? Alberta campaign was started by a coalition of 10 organizations representing hundreds of social service agencies and thousands of social workers. Lack of government funding and planning has led to staff-shortage crisis in the social services sector, and this campaign is designed to raise awareness of the problem and get the government to give proper support. Our campaign delivered results: in the media the campaign made front-page news on the launch of the campaign, and regular media reports since. The website has seen 500 letters sent to the premier and media through our letter-writing application. The website also has almost 100 heart-felt stories posted by social service workers dealing with the crisis. | <urn:uuid:5a5d96aa-897e-46d9-a0f1-c015b879b07b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.viscom.ca/int_whoCares.php | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704392896/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113952-00006-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.958786 | 153 | 1.804688 | 2 |
Our culture does not know how to deal with legacies. We either treat the dead with some combination of awe and fear, or we think of our forebears as unworthy of remembrance, to be cast behind our own pursuits and discoveries.
Christians, however, can take a different tack. Ours is a historical faith, containing gifts each generation must re-open—some to be treasured, some to be viewed and sent back.
In this issue of Comment
, we reject both our tendencies to ignore and to idolize the past. Instead, we seek to draw the good out of legacies, as we acknowledge that all legacies east of Eden will always be, at best, mixed.
How will you respond to the gifts of these legacies in your own life and work?
Get Comment for yourself
Stay current with Comment - subscribe to our . | <urn:uuid:df480b86-3e55-445b-a2c5-1a09882a45eb> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.cardus.ca/comment/print_issues/3113/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704713110/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516114513-00005-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.948417 | 178 | 1.835938 | 2 |
Obama Advisor: Tax Cuts More Effective Than Gov't Spending
Maybe Obama will turn out to be a Keynesian and a supply-sider. We know that the incoming President plans to boost the economy by spending big on infrastructure (Keynesianism) but maybe he'll put faith in the tax cut gospel as well. Greg Mankiw points to a paper by Obama econ advisor Christina Romer (.pdf) suggesting that the multiplier effect on tax cuts is on the order of 3-1. Meanwhile the multiplier effect on government spending is somewhere around 1 to 1.4-1.
Why do tax cuts produce such a robust multiplier?
Suppose, for example, that tax cuts are not lump-sum but instead take the form of cuts in payroll taxes (as suggested by Bils and Klenow). This tax cut would reduce the cost of labor and, if labor and capital are complements, increase the demand for capital goods. Thus, the tax cut stimulates demand not only by increasing disposable income and consumption spending (the textbook Keynesian channel) but also by incentivizing more investment spending. A similar result might obtain if the tax cut included, say, an investment tax credit.
This hypothesized channel seems broadly consistent with the empirical findings of Blanchard and Perotti, Mountford and Uhlig, Alesina and Ardagna, and Alesina, Ardagna, Perotti, and Schiantarelli. The results of all these authors suggest you need to go beyond the standard Keynesian model to understand the short-run effects of fiscal policy.
My advice to Team Obama: Do not be intellectually bound by the textbook Keynesian model. Be prepared to recognize that the world is vastly more complicated than the one we describe in ec 10.
That one of Obama's key advisors has argued forcefully in favor of tax cuts is hopeful, since we think it would be suicidal to raise taxes in this economy. Besides, when you can raise money for free, deficit spending is the way to go.
The big hurdle to tax cuts, however, is the concept of fairness, which is an important issue for Obama and his supporters. Even with out a good macro argument for raising taxes, the idea that the wealth gap is too large motivates many of the interest groups that helped Obama win the election. But hopefully they'll be aware that the situation has changed. The same investment vehicles that helped the wealthy build up outsized-returns over recent years -- private equity funds and hedge funds -- have been eviscerated. In addition to housing, finance has been obliterated. So if the goal is fairness or egalitarianism, hopefully Obama and his team appreciate the market is already pushing us towards that.
Get Finance Emails & Alerts | <urn:uuid:e044da34-102c-4ef4-bbac-6dd092fabd50> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.businessinsider.com/2008/12/obama-advisor-tax-cuts-more-effective-than-govt-spending | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00018-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.94865 | 559 | 1.789063 | 2 |
Patricia Nanon is back in the barn. She may need her dancers as a barre to balance herself these days, she may choreograph with the aid of a rehearsal assistant, but there she is in the Chilmark studio that bears her name at The Yard. Now in her eighties, the tiny dancer who founded this unique performing arts colony is there entrancing the elite dancers, preparing to debut another new work.
"Every year we think, ‘Is she going to do this again?' And she does," marvels Linda Tarnay, the head of dance at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts. "Pat is definitely one of the wonders of the dance world."
The new work is called Today Tomorrow Yesterday. On a chilly day in June, early in the six-week rehearsal of the piece which premiered later that month, Ms. Nanon sat in a rocker outside the Chilmark Store, wrapping herself in a purple suede coat and in memories.
"I've always been so lucky," she says, breaking off a piece of an oversized chocolate chunk cookie. She is under doctor's orders to try to gain weight; less than five feet tall, she would need hefty baggage to tip 100 on the scales.
The luminous blue eyes, now deeply recessed amid tanned laugh lines, belonged in the 1940s to an accomplished ballerina who proudly arrived at Bennington College to study at what was a hotbed of modern dance. "But I had never been to a modern dance class," she says. "I was in shock. And then my ego was hurting."
Not for long, though. She loved the expressiveness of the modern movement vocabulary. "Turns were never my forte," she says with a wave of her cigarette, perilously long with ash.
Ms. Nanon left college and landed a part in Sing Out Sweet Land with Alfred Drake and Burl Ives. How? "It was pretty much, there I was in a Broadway show!" She studied with the pioneering Martha Graham, danced with leaders of what was at the time radical modern choreography, such as Doris Humphrey and Hanya Holm. "I was born in a golden era," she says of her contemporaries.
When the show went on the road, she did not want to go with it. A choreographer by nature, she didn't fancy the idea of repeating steps endlessly. So she landed next at Cornell University, a young woman barely out of college herself, suddenly teaching.
"They were all so tall!" she marvels of her students. How did she get them to pay attention? "They had to!" she laughs. She tried to crack jokes. When it didn't work, she tried attitude. It worked, then and always. "She has always displayed humor, determination and perseverance," says former, longtime Yard general manager DiAnn Ray.
Ms. Nanon squashes the cigarette under her tiny brown suede earth shoe and opens a slim, gold-rimmed case for another.
"But I thought 57th street was the centre of the universe," she says. "I couldn't stay away too long."
Back in New York, she presented new works of modern dance through the Choreographers' Workshop. She only left that when she scored a gig with Dumont television, producing new dances every week for a nationally broadcast show as variety television was enthralling America. "I loved it - the place wasn't unionized then and I got to do everything."
The boys there didn't even notice the swelling of her belly, but soon Ms. Nanon had a child, then a second. She left the job and the family moved to Westchester. "Still I took whatever opportunity I could have or invent to keep a finger in art," she winks.
While raising her three daughters, Ms. Nanon taught dance. "I particularly loved the little ones, like four years old, and the teenagers - the ones lots of people don't like to teach," she says. The Broadway star remembers the children's productions - the stories, the costumes, the choreography, even the little performers - as vividly as her professional turns.
As her children grew, Ms. Nanon discovered Martha's Vineyard. "I fell in love hook, line and sinker," she smiles. "I was a very formal person, with a very formal upbringing, and I was entranced by the seven o'clock sunset at the cliffs at Gay Head, the whole relaxed way of being here." She badgered her husband until they finally found their own home here.
Then, piece by piece, she built what has become her legacy to the Island and to modern dance, The Yard. Meanwhile, her teenaged daughters were working at art galleries on Circuit avenue, cleaning houses, teaching art. Now, all three come to her annual premieres at The Yard, bringing their own growing children. They were all at the premiere of Today Tomorrow Yesterday, to watch this piece Ms. Nanon describes as more like a novel than a short story.
She has spent a lot of time alone developing this piece, a study in the contrasts of manic depression. "They call it bi-polar these days," she nods.
With intimate detail and deep understanding, she introduces and develops the "hypers" as she calls them - wildly dancing, mad Sunday driving, jumping like deer - and the "despressives." But in act three, they transform one to another. Because, she says, slowly and thoughtfully, "nobody is one or the other."
Ms. Nanon has decades of sophisticated choreography behind her, but she admits she struggled with how to end this piece. She knew neither group could win. "I had a hell of a time, thinking what to do," she says. "I thought, there is no way of getting out of this." Yet each side, she muses, needs the other, a point she believes is made in the dance.
At the time of the interview she was still finalizing steps. "I got off on the wrong track in the third section, and, oh, I panicked because I had much too much material but still it just wasn't saying what I wanted it to." At last it worked.
She smiles, but she is distracted, working out the week's rehearsal schedule with emerging choreographer Adam Hougland, who this year has the prestigious Patricia Nanon residency at The Yard and will present work in the same program.
Her music is done. Her costumes are to be fitted that day. She has a deadline for the program notes, and is still torn about how much to reveal in her explanation of Today Tomorrow Yesterday and how much to leave for the audience to interpret.
Is it as much fun as ever? "No," sighs Ms. Nanon. "Because I get too tired. The joys and the despair - that's another dance - are there as they have always have been there, but the despair comes more quickly. I do get very tired. There just isn't enough time. I do so little else. I used to even go to the beach sometimes during the six weeks [of the residency and rehearsal]. Now, are you kidding? I really don't get to do anything else. And I don't like to talk about my health either."
Her doctor has told her he knows no one else her age who do as much as she does. But she suffers for it, waking up aching.
Most of the time, she doesn't let on. She zips through up-Island dirt roads in her shiny convertible, even though the rheumatoid arthritis in her fingers makes it hard to get the thing in gear.
Few people like to age, fewer still dancers. Friends say Ms. Nanon has done pilates for years, had a hot tub and tried other ways to keep her body going. They also suggest, however, that the limits of the body have had an expanding impact on her choreography. Legendary choreographer George Ballanchine said there was a benefit to his being injured young, because he learned to work with movement vocabularies beyond his own.
Some close to Ms. Nanon believe she is doing some of her best work in years. "Absolutely not," she scoffs, though agreeing her issues have become more complex and personal.
Ms. Ray notes: "As Patricia has matured and has dealt with the issues of family and loss and things like that, she has become increasingly reflective about life with a big L."
Of course, Ms. Nanon's own life's work has been not just her own dancing, but building this place of experimentation for other dancers.
When it began 34 years ago, The Yard had none of the professional patina it has today. Like much of the Vineyard, it retains its relaxed environmental feel while actually becoming a slick operation. It is hard to recall that once there were no formal application guidelines, deadlines or even a theatre. "I just wanted a place for people to be creative," Ms. Nanon simply explains. Sometimes, dancers are mistaken that The Yard's funding is as lavish as its opportunities. One who complained about taking the bus from Boston drew a tongue-in-cheek retort from Ms. Nanon: "Tell him the corporate jet is not available."
NYU's Ms. Tarnay, who is on the board of directors, recalls when she came for her first residency at The Yard in the 1970s: "We were being rehearsed in a hay barn, which Pat rented from David Flanders off Middle Road. There was literally hay in one end and a stage in the other. We had a blue outhouse and we changed costumes in an old school bus."
There were no stage lights. Ms. Ray recalls "at least one piece lit by headlights from a car in the back side of barn."
In her glassy, contemporary Island home, Ms. Nanon became a legendary cook and entertainer. Ms. Ray says, "Pat loves social occasions, loved a party, social dancing, loved to flirt - in the innocent sense - with those gorgeous big blue eyes."
Islander and friend Anne Gallagher agrees. "She is never, never dull. But whatever conversation you start with Patricia, you end up talking The Yard. It all comes back to that," she says.
Ms. Gallagher says Ms. Nanon has educated the Vineyard to modern dance.
"I am so impressed with her vision to have a place where artists could come without pressure of a performance. I have watched the calibre of students, and what she has done is unique. She put her own money in. She danced, she put on pieces of her own, she interviewed the dancers, she saw every detail to fruition. She would go to schools or adult groups, anybody, she spread herself all around for this cause. A lot of people have a vision, but not too many pull it off like she has," Ms. Gallagher says.
Ms. Tarnay adds: "Just the blessing of having the dancers there with nothing to do but dance - they don't have to run off to their part-time job, scrounge every week looking for a studio to rehearse in . . . ."
Is the need as great as it was when The Yard began 34 years ago? "Absolutely," Ms. Tarnay says.
Will it outlast Ms. Nanon? "It has to," Ms. Tarnay says, "because it helps choreographers at the most perilous stage in their careers, when they are still emerging."
But she agrees, nothing is certain in the arts. "I think it's a miracle it has kept going. Few arts organizations go three decades, especially one that supports such an edgy kind of art. This is not The Nutcracker, it's unpredictable, cutting-edge art," she says.
Few have such a feisty, unpredictable woman behind them, either. Patricia Nanon smiles at that, but shrugs off a comment. She stubs out a cigarette in an old coffee can and heads back into the latest incarnation of the barn, a 100-seat theatre where her life's work continues. | <urn:uuid:bfe18287-cccd-4957-89a6-3608f370c1ba> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://mvgazette.com/news/2006/07/21/patricia-nanon-still-dancing-her-own-yard | 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 | 0.986193 | 2,529 | 1.664063 | 2 |
Operation Yes We Can
Ongoing Food Drive
Operation Yes We Can is Rolling!
Since its launch in early December 2008, our Mandell JCC community has generously participated in Operation Yes We Can, enabling us to deliver full shopping carts of kosher and non-kosher food each week to area food pantries.
Yes, together we can make a difference in the lives of a growing number of families in need. We have launched Operation Yes We Can!, an ongoing food drive at the Mandell JCC, and request the participation of every member and guest. The Center is available for donations from anyone, whether or not they are members of The Mandell JCC.
Following is a letter from David Jacobs, Executive Director of the Mandell JCC
The following is not a new story. Still, sometimes it helps to remind ourselves of our privileges.
FACT: Over ten percent of families in Greater Hartford depend on private charitable food programs for their survival.
These figures were reported before the current economic crisis.
In fact, as our failing economy tears at a rapidly growing number of families, social service agencies are already experiencing significant increases in demands on food banks.
Importantly, our current hunger crisis is reaching beyond the usual borders.
Hunger America reports that "the number of middle class working families seeking food is where we are seeing the most growth. We don’t expect the lines to get any shorter at local food pantries anytime soon, and we won’t know how bad it really is until the future USDA numbers are released next year.” Those who go hungry can’t wait for “the numbers.”
Each and every one of us who does not experience the tragedy of hunger in our everyday lives can do our share. Consider the thousands who come through our Mandell JCC every week. Imagine if we could collect just one can each week from each person! We are committing Operation Yes We Can as an ongoing campaign, because hunger is not just a holiday phenomenon. Operation Yes, We Can is an opportunity for our members to play a leadership role in helping to create a hunger-free community.
Operation Yes We Can will feature shopping carts conveniently placed around our Center. Each week, cans collected will be donated to the food pantry at Jewish Family Service and to Foodshare. Also, we will periodically provide information about resources in the community, ways to discuss hunger with children, political action opportunities, and special projects and programs through which you can be involved.
The Jewish value of Ma’akhil R’evim – to feed the hungry – harkens back to the time of Abraham and Sarah who, with a kind and willing heart, fed the strangers in their tent. Donating food through Operation Yes We Can is akin to the days when we purposefully left a portion of our fields not harvested, so the poor could take what they needed – without the shame of having to ask. By willingly donating items to a food drive, we are following the leads of Abraham and Sarah. And we are setting an important example for our children and for the community.
Food is the most basic of human needs. Knowing that people spend their days and end their evenings worrying about their next meal, or more tragically, how they will feed their children is something that concerns us all. Operation Yes We Can is just one small way that together we can make a difference.
My thanks to you all for your generosity and support. | <urn:uuid:db63e59c-1acb-4ea3-a2e1-174a02ace57b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.mandelljcc.org/index.php?submenu=CommunityServices&src=gendocs&ref=FoodDriveYesWeCan&category=Community%20Service | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704713110/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516114513-00003-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.948388 | 708 | 1.835938 | 2 |
Pessoa in an Intertextual Web
Editor: David G. Frier
Extent: 200 pp.
Publication: January 2012
Publisher: Maney Publishing (Oxbow)
This volume brings together a number of experts at the forefront of Pessoa studies internationally, with chapters examining his literary relations with Italy, Spain, France, England and Portugal, as well as his contextualization in realation to major philosophers such as Kant and Nietzsche. It features essays examining his work from a range of perspectives to complement the multi-faceted nature of Pessoa himself (psychoanlaytical, philosophical, political and artistic) and it includes consideration of his prose masterpiece, The Book of Disquiet, as well of various aspects of his poetic oeuvre.
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You need to login to post comments! | <urn:uuid:cd3c56f6-1922-4ffd-a7d2-d28095eaa203> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.iberianbookservices.com/pessoa-in-an-intertextual-web/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704392896/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113952-00008-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.953791 | 172 | 1.640625 | 2 |
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on Thursday called for a sharp reduction in the number of domestic airlines and said the country may have to resort to buying foreign-built aircraft to improve its shaky air safety record. Medvedev made the comments after visiting the crash site of a Yak-42 about 150 miles north of Moscow that killed 43 on Wednesday, most of them members of a Russian ice hockey team.
"We must support our own people. If we are unable to sort it out, we must buy foreign aircraft,” Medvedev said on Thursday. “I am giving the government an order and they will have to find the money. It will be a big program.”
Medvedev did not give details, but his remarks could signal a shake-up of Russian aviation as the country aims to bring its safety record up to the standards of the rest of the developed world. Many small private air companies have popped up in Russia since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, with most relying heavily on Soviet-era fleets.
Medvedev also acknowledged that previous efforts to improve safety have been unsuccessful.
"The number of air companies must be radically reduced and we need to do it very quickly," he said, speaking at the crash site near Yaroslavl's Tunoshna Airport.
The three-engine Yak-42 took off for Minsk at 4 p.m. local time on Wednesday when it crashed into river bank in clear weather. There were two survivors among the dozens of passengers, many with ties to the NHL.
Built in 1993, the Yak-42 belonged to a small Moscow-based air charter company called Yak Service. The short- and medium-range Yak-42 has been in operation since 1980. | <urn:uuid:35ebce90-6cb1-4416-a3ff-05d74494ad20> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.flyingmag.com/news/russian-president-demands-air-safety-improvements?quicktabs_most_popular=1 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368711005985/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516133005-00019-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.979842 | 356 | 1.515625 | 2 |
August 10, 2012 In new ads, President Obama and Mitt Romney seek to raise doubts about each other's character. Romney accuses the president of being willing to do anything to stay president. Obama's ad accuses Romney of making a "blatantly false" claim.
August 9, 2012 The president supports extending the credit that's due to expire at the end of the year. His GOP rival does not. Their positions may have consequences in two battleground states: Iowa and Colorado.
August 7, 2012 Mitt Romney's campaign charged President Obama with weakening work requirements for welfare recipients by offering waivers to the law. But Obama's campaign says that, as Massachusetts governor, Romney requested waivers as well.
August 3, 2012 The monthly jobs report pretty much left the presidential race unchanged, though it may benefit President Obama. The news that the economy had created far more jobs than were forecast was clearly good news for the incumbent. But Republican Mitt Romney jumped on an uptick in the jobless rate.
August 1, 2012 Campaigning in Ohio, President Obama leaned heavily on a new analysis of Mitt Romney's economic plan that concluded the Republican's proposal would mean higher taxes for middle-class families while lowering them for the superwealthy.
July 31, 2012 A political scientist observes that President Obama and his immediate White House predecessor, George W. Bush, spent a disproportionate amount of their first terms visiting battleground states.
July 31, 2012 Julian Castro, the high-achieving and young mayor of San Antonio, will become the first Hispanic American to give the keynote address at a Democratic convention.
July 30, 2012 A new poll shows voters, even those who say they support President Obama, do not think raising taxes on the wealthy should be a top priority of the next president.
July 27, 2012 It may have just been a coincidence that on the eve of Mitt Romney's visit to Israel, President Obama signed legislation that increases U.S. military and security aid to the Jewish state. But the timing showed once again the benefits of incumbency in an election year.
July 26, 2012 Rebecca Smith owns a construction-management firm that does a lot of work overseeing the building of schools, jails and other projects for state and local governments. She explains why she is "disgusted" by President Obama's thesis that government had a significant role in her success.
July 26, 2012 "It was a train wreck," Lt. Fred Mestas told the San Francisco Chronicle. For 30 minutes, many officers couldn't communicate with each other, the newspaper reports.
July 24, 2012 President Obama's campaign released a new swing-state ad aimed at stopping the damage being done by Mitt Romney's campaign harping on Obama's "you didn't build that" line. The ad accused Romney of twisting the president's words. The Romney campaign showed no indication that it planned to stop.
July 24, 2012 Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein's criticism of the Obama White House for intelligence leaks were picked up by Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney. This didn't please Feinstein, who backed away from some of her statements. | <urn:uuid:cc81c816-e35a-4734-b6eb-1282b5d8c903> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.npr.org/templates/archives/archive.php?thingId=126026613&date=10-04-2012&p=46 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00011-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.970261 | 626 | 1.65625 | 2 |
Many people are not aware that an ant problem within the home actually starts with an ant problem outside of the home. That is why it is so important to lay down preventative measures outside the home before you have to call your local business for ant control in Sacramento. Try some of the se tips on your home today to help you rid yourself of these pesky pests.
Know Your Pest
While many people think that ants are not really that pesky, they are. Indirectly, ants can cause serious damage to not only your home, but to your plants. Honeydew is a resource that ants love. They actually are known to herd around aphids that produce this sweet substance and protect them from predators. That means that your ladybugs and praying mantises will not be able to kill those nasty pests that destroy your garden. Continue reading
Your lawn is one of the most beautiful aspects of your yard. You look forward to the end of winter, when the dry, brown, and crackly dead grass turns into fresh, green pieces of new grass. Not only is it nice to look at, but it also provides a functional playground for your family, a running track for your dog, and a place to entertain family and friends on cool, summer evenings. Most lawns, however, require careful maintenance. They need to be regularly mowed and they need to be watered everyday. Installing a sprinkler system is the easiest way to make sure your lawn gets enough water. Sprinkler repair in McKinney can take care of all you sprinkler needs, ensuring that your grass stays green and healthy all spring and summer. Continue reading
Are you a novice to the world of plumbing? Do clogged toilets scare you? Do leaky faucets baffle you? Do words like plumber’s snake, silicone caulking, or sump pumps leave you glassy-eyed and blank? If so, you may need to do a crash-course in basic plumbing problems and fixes.
A basic knowledge of plumbing can save you a lot of time, money, and hassle. Of course, there are times when you need the help of a professional; some plumbing problems are too time-sensitive or too complicated to risk trying to fix on your own. That’s when you need to find a good plumbing service in Miami. Continue reading
Salt Lake City had one of the coldest winters on record this last year. With temperatures in the single digits for most of the month of January, no one wanted to head outside or work on unnecessary home improvement projects. Now that the ice has thawed, the snow is melting and the birds are chirping, roofing issues caused by the prolonged cold start to pop up. If you experience a roofing issue, you may need to find a good Salt Lake City roof repair company.
Don’t panic if you have evidence of a leak. Chances are, if you haven’t had problems before and you catch it quickly, you won’t have any structural damage. The longer you wait around to have the leak checked, the more damage will occur. Roof leaks can be kind of tricky; they don’t always show up in the house right Continue reading
So you’ve just bought your first house and you are excited to start planning what your first yard will look like. Or maybe you are a longtime homeowner simply looking for a change of scenery. Regardless of your circumstances or your reasons for considering an overhaul to your yard, there is one thing that you simply must not forget: a San Jose landscape design specialist can help you transform your yard into a beautiful modern oasis. Sure, you could rely on your own limited experience and vision, but you don’t have the training or the experience necessary to plan out a yard that is cohesive looks good, and that will thrive in your climate. Unless you have formal training in these areas, it is a good idea to leave the planning and implementation to the professionals. Still not convinced? Here are a few of the benefits that come with leaving your landscape design needs to the professionals. Continue reading
Reliable home security in Oklahoma City should not be overlooked. Effective home security systems are crucial to helping protect your home, its possessions, and its inhabitants. There are a variety of systems to choose from so you can easily find the perfect solution for your home or business.
Prevent and Deter Crime
A home security system is designed to prevent a criminal from breaking in and harming you, your family, or your possessions. Simply displaying that you have a reliable alarm system can also be enough to help deter potential crime. Most security specialists will include a sticker or sign with the purchase of a system that you can proudly display in your windows to frighten criminals away. Continue reading
When looking for ways to add value and style to your home, you know that Brooklyn kitchen remodeling is one of the most effective methods to accomplish this. When you put your home on the market and try to get the top dollar for it, one of the things every potential buyer will be looking for is a remodeled kitchen. Aside from the bathrooms, your kitchen is the best way to improve your home. However, the term “kitchen remodeling” is a bit vague. It may sound very daunting to try and remodel your entire kitchen. Below are some individual components of kitchen remodeling so that you can see the process as a series of little projects rather than a large, overwhelming one.
The fastest and easiest way to add value to your kitchen is to get rid of your old, outdated appliances and get new ones. You can Continue reading
Of all insect infestations in the United States, there is none so economically devastating as the termite. Termites cost U.S. homeowners close to $2 billion every year in prevention and eradication. However, this number doesn’t have to be so high. There are many things you can do as a home owner to prevent and treat termite infestation. Even recognizing when to seek out termite control in Houston can save you money in the long run. Check out the following information so you can be ready when these winged pests come knocking.
Decrease Risk of Termite Infestation
Obviously, the best thing to do is act before termites take over. Because termites thrive in areas with a great deal of wood and moisture, these areas of your home need the greatest amount of attention. First, make sure all wooden parts of your home’s foundation are at least 6 inches above ground. Continue reading
New entrepreneurs, and even some that have been in business for a while, may feel overwhelmed when they need to buy office furniture in Grand Rapids, MI. The task may seem daunting at first, but can actually be quite easy when following a straightforward purchasing guide, like the one mentioned below.
Before even opening a catalogue, browsing through websites, or visiting showrooms at Michigan furniture stores, determine exactly which pieces you need for your residential and commercial office. It would be a tremendous waste of time to focus on vertical filing cabinets when you already have two, but no decent reception desk. Make a list of the items you need. Look at it every time you research your options. Continue reading
During the warm spring months, many people will get the urge to plant flowers, bushes, trees, and vegetables. Most people love to get their hands dirty and make something grow, which can be truly rewarding if their efforts are met with success. Sadly though, growing plants can be a difficult task that can be extremely hard for some people. While everyone wants a pretty yard, it may seem impossible for some people. Luckily, there are a variety of different products that a person can use to make their yard look nicer while increasing the health of their plants. One of the most popular products in use today is mulch. Local mulch in Orlando has a variety of different benefits, though it requires some skill to apply. Here are some of the basics of using mulch in your yard.
Mulch is used in many yards in the United States because of the nice look that it can give to any property. Mulch is also useful for retaining moisture and heat in the soil, which helps to protect plants from extreme temperatures. This is extremely useful for places that experience constant high temperatures in the summer or that are prone to drastic drops in the temperature during the night. Mulch is usually made of small chips of wood, though almost any other material can be used. There are a variety of different types of wood that can be used to make mulch, all of them having different textures and colors that can match with the style of any home. Continue reading | <urn:uuid:3885dc32-500f-4147-a138-364a47236977> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.highlandpk.net/ | 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 | 0.956427 | 1,775 | 1.84375 | 2 |
Muttiah Muralitharan took 1,334 international wickets: 800 in Tests and 534 in one-dayers. Shane Warne had 1,001: 708 in Tests and 293 in one-dayers. Yet, no one remembers any of us losing sleep when they conquered the 1,000 mark.
Yet, why does Sachin Tendulkar‘s “100th international hundred” (he has 51 in Tests and 48 in one-dayers) send commentators, newspapers, TV channels, advertisers into a tizzy, when we should really be looking at the real number, which is 78?
Mukul Kesavan in The Telegraph, Calcutta:
“The real cricketing illiterates are the people who believe that adding ODI centuries to Test centuries and arriving at a hundred gives you a heroic landmark. It doesn’t. This isn’t just a meaningless statistic, it’s a pernicious one because it equalizes two different orders of achievement…
“It is to speak and think like a child with 99 coins in his piggy-bank, 51 made of silver and 48 of lead, who is dying to acquire one more coin of either kind because he will then have a hundred metal coins. The child can be indulged because he’s too young to know better but what of the grown men and women who follow cricket and report and comment on it, who carry on as if something monumental is about to happen each time Tendulkar crosses 50 and then mime tragedy when it doesn’t?
“Even children know that winning a game of checkers isn’t the same as winning a game of chess even though they’re played over the same 64 square….
“Tendulkar, whose 22-year career shadows India’s history since ‘liberalization’, has become, through no fault of his own, the totem of New India’s self-congratulatory middle class. He is at once their redeemer and their guarantee of self-worth. He must, therefore, be a singular genius: in the heaven of cricket, there must only be one god: Tendulkar. And so a copywriter’s meaningless catchphrase becomes a cricketing statistic: a hundred international hundreds.”
Read the full article: Trivial pursuit
Photograph: Coca-Cola commemoration can still waiting to be uncorked | <urn:uuid:7e080e0b-ae2a-4761-8610-bbfdd8692fef> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://churumuri.wordpress.com/2011/12/02/liberalistion-sachin-tendulkar-the-elusive-100/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704392896/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113952-00006-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.949174 | 512 | 1.59375 | 2 |
These trees are another one of those crafts that you've probably seen online in various places. In fact, if you go into Hobby Lobby you can buy them pre-made in various sizes and patterns, however, making them is way more fun and easier on the pocket book.
There are a few different variations on how you can make these. In fact, one of the best tutorials I've seen was by Cyndy at the Creativity Exchange. She made some out of fabric and poster board. I liked hers but I wanted something simpler, smaller, and quicker for the tables so I made mine without making a pattern and just used scrapbook papers. I ended up making 51 trees, here's how I did mine ....
You will need:
Paper - you can do this with any size, 8.5x11 or 12x12. (I mostly used 12x12)
Trimmings - ribbon, tassels, beads, etc...
Step 1: Start at one corner of your paper and begin to roll. You want to keep the paper rolled really tight at the corner but it can be as lose, or as tight, as you want further down.
Step 2: Once it is rolled how you want it, add a little hot glue along the exposed edge of your paper and seal the cone closed. You could use other adhesives but I like hot glue because it's fast. With regular glue you have to sit and hold the paper until it dries - ugh, that's a pain.
Step 3: Now that the paper is rolled and glued together you need to trim off the ends. Start cutting where the two edges cross over each other, see photo above. Then, cut all the way around the paper until you have a flat, even base like shown above.
Step 4: Next you just need to decorate your tree. Trim it with ribbons, tassels, or beads along the bottom and top it off with a bead or two on the top. You could use a little wooden star on top too, that would be cute.
You can totally be creative with the trimmings, add a little or a lot. Plus, it's fun to use a lot of different styles of trimmings. Check Hobby Lobby for rolls of trimmings, they are usually 50% off. If you don't have a Hobby Lobby near by, go to Warmart. You can buy it on the roll or have it cut by the yard there.
Step 5: Once you have your trees all completed, gather some candlesticks. This is optional as the trees can stand on their own. However, putting them on the candlesticks will add a nice touch to your project, plus if you plan to make a grouping of trees, it will help to give height to your set.
So, that's it. Simple, simple, simple!
Oh, and the tan tree on the left that looks fluffy, it was easy to make too. Start by making a cone just like the steps above. Then, take some tissue paper and cut it into small 1 inch squares. Then roll those squares over a pencil eraser, dip in glue and then glue to your cone. It is time consuming but I like how it looks. | <urn:uuid:c626a738-a470-40f0-add7-247b1928d40d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.thenshemade.com/2011/11/paper-trees.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00007-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.969695 | 673 | 1.726563 | 2 |
The Bell Helicopter/Northrop Grumman Fire-X completed its first flight on 10 December, as the companies race to catch up with a quickly-emerging market for unmanned helicopters.
The maiden flight of the modified Bell 407 at the Yuma Proving Ground, Arizona, comes seven months after the companies launched the self-funded demonstration programme. It was also achieved only three days after an original goal of 7 December set by the companies in early May.
Northrop and Bell have pushed the Fire-X concept quickly as the US Navy and Marine Corps have signed up two competitors - the Boeing A160 Hummingbird and Kaman Aerospace/Lockheed Martin K-Max - to demonstrate the ability of an autonomous aircraft to deliver cargo in a combat zone.
Northrop's previous offering, based on its MQ-8B Fire Scout, was rejected by the navy in August 2009 for not being able to carry enough payload. The Fire-X (concept image below) offers the ability to lift up to 1,450kg (3,200lb) of useful payload, Bell says. The aircraft also can remain airborne for up to 16h, according to the company's claims.
© Northrop Grumman
Beyond the upcoming demonstration, the US Marine Corps is in the formative stages of launching an autonomous cargo unmanned air vehicle programme of record called "ship-to-objective manoeuvre" in the 2013-14 timeframe, Northrop says.
Last April, the USN also disclosed interest after 2016 to acquire a persistent, ship-based unmanned air system capability, with requirements for up to 76h endurance. | <urn:uuid:121ca23f-583b-4d1f-9fc8-64549e1600f6> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/fire-x-first-flight-revives-teams-bid-for-cargo-uas-market-351009/ | 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 | 0.952639 | 332 | 1.734375 | 2 |
- Oct 16, 2008 2:31 AM EST
- [num] Comments
Another scareware campaign is using an impressive deceptive technique: A fake Windows Security Center.
Check out the screen shots in this CA Security Advisor Research Blog. You don't get this installed on your PC unless you run the malware itself. The fake security center is disarmingly similar to the real one except for the signature bad grammar (Note: Windows detect unregistered version of 'WinDefender 2008') and persistent pestering of the user to buy a license for the software.
The program goes as far as to block outgoing Internet connections in its efforts to get the user to download the "full" copy of WinDefender 2008. This Trojan is also quite difficult to uninstall, partly because you can't download a legitimate program to remove it. The nagging is so typical of scareware and so unlike Windows that it may blow the scam, at least for somewhat experienced users.
With this, as with most malware. once you run it you've basically lost the battle. Don't run executables you don't know are safe. | <urn:uuid:9bc42558-6502-440d-acb8-f08dbe16f4fd> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://securitywatch.pcmag.com/none/284909-beware-the-fake-windows-security-center | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705953421/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120553-00019-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.930237 | 226 | 1.625 | 2 |
I'm not giving my chid fruit- bad?
My son is almost 9 months old. He's still on formula and I feed him vegetables and multi-grain cereal. He's never had fruit. I'm worried he won't like vegetables later if I do. But I worry too about him not getting enough nutrients? Should I give him fruits- or keep on with what I'm doing?
Posted: 08/24/2007 by chnnature
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Try putting fruit in his cereal- part liquid part pureed apples, pears, etc. My daughter doesn't care for the fruit by itself because it is so sweet, but the cereal tones it down. Or, maybe do fruits with breakfast and veggies the other meals. I'm sure he will always have an appreciation for veggies thanks to you.posted 09/13/2007 by Spacey Graci
Answer this question | <urn:uuid:35bf3f23-3e04-4ff4-bfe7-dbc238df6b68> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.babycenter.com/400_im-not-giving-my-chid-fruit-bad_925206_359.bc | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00004-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.979077 | 196 | 1.71875 | 2 |
Between 28 April and 7 July 2012 Saltram is co-hosting an exhibition of contemporary art exploring the cultural influence of China on the west. Saltram is of course already home to a significant historic collection of Chinese wallpaper, which I have featured before.
The exhibition has been curated by Eliza Gluckman and is part of the National Trust-sponsored Sinopticon project which explores the interface between chinoiserie – the western use and imitation of Chinese art and design – and contemporary art.
Artists include Suki Chan (UK), Gayle Chong Kwan (UK), Stephanie Douet (UK), Christian Jankowski (Germany), Isaac Julien (UK), WESSIELING (UK), Grayson Perry (UK), Ed Pien (Canada), Meekyoung Shin (South Korea), Karen Tam (Canada), Erika Tan (UK), Tsang Kin-wah (HK/China) and Laura White (UK).
The exhibition demonstrates how chinoiserie is still a relevant concept in view of the persisten cultural barriers between ‘the west’ and China, which can lead alternately to fascination and mistrust, inspiration and misinterpretation.
The works on show engage with these barriers in different ways and explore the nature of cultural identity.
Seeing this exhibition in the context of the National Trust’s historic collections, I find it fascinating to realise how globalised the world already was in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, with international trade carrying East Asian objects into the most personal and private areas of European homes.
Equally, that sense of wonder in the face of a different culture and that longing for what is distant is still very much with us today. | <urn:uuid:4125d2fc-bd09-4ee5-9829-2f3456ee9fb6> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://nttreasurehunt.wordpress.com/2012/04/26/china-returns-to-saltram/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00013-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.934478 | 346 | 1.703125 | 2 |
Sue Taylor has been a private law librarian since 1977. Sue is the Reference Librarian at the Los Angeles office of Katten Muchin & Zavis.
For information on purchasing this Special Libraries Association videotape, visit SLA's Virtual Bookstore where it can be purchased for $45.
I recently attended a video presentation of the above SLA program hosted by our Lexis Librarian Liason, Gail Robbins. If you have a chance to see this video (it is for sale from SLA, but Gail tells me that she is planning on sharing it with her Liason counterparts in other parts of the country), don't miss it. Below are a few highlights to whet your appetite.
Knowledge management is the creation, capture, exchange, use and communication of an organization's intellectual capital.
John Peetz, Chief Knowledge Officer at Ernst & Young made the point that you can't have one librarian for every 3 users. Users must be self sufficient in retrieval of basic information. He has developed EY/InfoLink to empower each person "with the use of externally-generated, electronic knowledge ... direct to the desktop, without interfacing with a librarian..." He also spoke of knowledge navigation which is to train the requester (or caller) to find the answer rather than finding the answer for them. And finally he commented on the barriers. One of the toughest things to do is to contribute to the organization's or department's knowledge base. It is hard to sit down at the end of a long day or on the weekend and summarize or report on what you have learned so that it may benefit others. Yet, without this sharing, the knowledge base will not increase.
Lois Remeikis at Booz, Allen gave us the four unnatural acts required for knowledge management. They are:
- Sharing - creating awards for sharing will help it to increase
- Using - it takes courage to use someone else's "product"
- Collaboration - need to break down the knowledge silos
- Improving - need to constantly weed out the old and superseded thinking, just as we do for our print materials
Kris Liberman from Lotus Development spoke of her product designed to put customized content at the user's desktop. She mentioned that the human brain is still the best filter. She also spoke of the container. An appealing container, the graphics, links etc., compels the client to look at the content.
Nancy Lemon at Owens Corning spoke about her knowledge product. But what caught my attention was a question from the telephone audience which asked about her policy of allowing users to order their own documents via a document delivery service. The question was how can she control costs and aren't there lots of duplicates. She answered that it works extremely well. The document delivery service they use has a list of Owens' publications and will refer the user to their own library for those requests. The end user is ultimately responsible for allocating and justifying which weeds out unnecessary requests. | <urn:uuid:9a8e8621-e368-410b-9785-ce1fb81d976e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.llrx.com/node/611/print | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706890813/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516122130-00013-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.953805 | 614 | 1.601563 | 2 |
Posted: April 19th, 2013 | Author: tim.soo | Filed under: All, Startups, Thoughts | No Comments »
This post is one of personal reflection, so it may not pertain, or even make sense, to most. But if you’ve ever known yourself to have a slight rebellious streak, it just might.
My Kindle tells me I’m at 46% percent of Steve Job’s biography. Now, for any of those who haven’t read it, the book at first seems frame Jobs in a negative light. He cries, he whines — he’s the guy that almost always gets his way. Yet, I constantly found myself in awe of his eccentricity. At some point reading through Jobs’ adult life, I realized there was no slander or overt praise occuring; rather, the author painted the truth of Jobs’ life in its raw, stark form.
I identify with Jobs. That’s perhaps what scares me the most. True, there are many philosophies of his with which I don’t agree. For instance, his obsession with counter-culture or his aptitude for negative reinforcement. But I cannot help but notice similarities between comments made of Jobs and those made of me by people in my immediate circle. And it’s not just about the perfectionist streak; I share with him a similar definition of perfection and the inability to allow any other future than that perfect vision to come true. If it doesn’t, expect a meltdown.
The similarities continue. The inability to think in any other way than binary. And its corollary, the inability to deal with the ‘gray’. His obsession with design, with purity, with elegance. His lack of complete understanding of social realities and norms, or at least the ability to abide by them. The belief in his early death. The desire to take any product, company, or other complexity and boil it down to an idea so simple that any unsuspecting audience has little choice but to intuitively understand.
With every page turn I encounter a parallel into my own life: in women, in friendships, in mistakes, in failures, in the horrid but unconscious ability of bending the truth to our own will (read: lying without knowing you are). But all of these, I believe are simply effects of the same root cause: the desire to change the world on a large scale, and the unwillingness to see any other reality but that one.
No I don’t think I am nor will I ever be Steve Jobs. And have no desire to be. But if I can make even an ounce of the impact that Steve Jobs made on our current reality, I’ll consider myself successful.
To infinity and beyond.
Posted: January 26th, 2013 | Author: tim.soo | Filed under: Advice, All, Thoughts | No Comments »
“If you expect something in return for being a nice [person], you’re not a nice [person].” –Paraphrased from Reddit and probably countless wisened individuals.
The subject of “being nice” has been on my mind for a couple weeks now. The beauty (and beast) that is the New York subway is that everyone is too busy to wear their daily mask of courtesy. Only smile for those who you need to impress, right? Or at least it feels that way sometimes. Don’t give a damn for those who you subconsciously consider beneath you. But on the subway we see everyone’s true colors; we see how people act when there isn’t much to benefit from being nice. Someone holds the door open for you, let’s you pass when you’re in a hurry, or smiles at a fellow passenger — true signs that these individuals are nice when no one’s looking.
Another popular saying is that one should “observe not how they treat you, but rather how they treat the waiter.” Or cashier, or taxi driver, or otherwise. The majority of the people who’ve read this probably agree with it. That same majority probably believes they live it. And yet only a minute fraction actually do.
No, I don’t think I’m part of that minute fraction; I very much have a breaking point. The point at which the stresses of life hit so hard that my own negative emotion spills onto others who really don’t deserve it. But I’ve learned and more realistically continue to lean to keep that breaking point lower and lower (or higher, depending on how you look at it). Luckily I’ve had some great role models to emulate along the way.
Like most of my posts, there is no point or purpose in writing this, only the hope that we’ll smile when unnecessary, be kind when no one’s looking, and see the good in people before the bad. There’s enough negativity in the world. The best I can do is not spread it around.
Posted: September 10th, 2012 | Author: tim.soo | Filed under: All, Medicine, Startups, Thoughts | No Comments »
Those of you who know me personally know that I’m half deaf. It’s not really a source of embarrassment or even significant difficulty. Often, it’s quite hilarious. (Jokes involving ”can you hear me now?” verizon commercials, or what’s been designated the “Tim move” wherein I move you to my right side so I can hear you.) But it’s often easy to forget how powerful the gift of a sense can be.
Any product you interact with, whether an addictive “I should be working” website or a simple can opener, caters to your senses. Meaning, someone on the other end of your use as the consumer had to intelligently design and be considerate of your specific needs. I used to think product design was easy; as consumers it’s easy to be critical. It’s probably the hardest part of my job so far. Once you’ve doven into your project, you no longer can view it objectively.
Well this post is about one simple feature and consideration Apple made and just how powerful such a feature can be.
I usually only listen with one headphone in, since only one ear works well anyways. When I went to adjust the sound settings on my mac, one of the prominent settings is the left-right pan. Maybe PC’s have this too, or maybe there’s an external app that might let me control how much volume goes into each ear, but it was one of the few settings I could change in the mac sound settings — I couldn’t not notice it.
So I decided to jack up the volume into my left (deaf) ear as loud as it could go. And while my hearing is nearly non-existent in that ear, the volume was high enough that it vibrated the bones in my ear, bypassing my defective ear canal. In short, I could hear. (To preempt suggestion for hearing-aids, they don’t work well for my type of hearing loss. I’ve tried.)
I began panning back and forth between left and right and for one of the first times in my life, I felt I had directional sense (this is what you lose when you only have one good ear), a taste of what hearing what two ears must be like. The emotional response was unexpected, but how odd it must have looked to see someone tearing up with near giddiness at the joy of a pan function.
Now this is definitely an extreme case, but I share it to illustrate a single point. Your design matters.
Posted: August 17th, 2012 | Author: tim.soo | Filed under: Advice, All, Meddik, Startups, Thoughts | 1 Comment »
In response to Sorry Dan Shipper, you are wrong.
@crranky, you are wrong. (post linked above)
Dan Shipper, you are wrong (referring to The Now Syndrome).
Jeff Atwood, you are wrong (referring to Please Don’t Learn to Code)
But you’re all also right. Step back and see the full elephant.
Preface: I’m still very much a novice when it comes to both programming and start-ups, but I’ve learned much in my short time in the field. The “how do I find a technical co-founder” conversation has become a well-choreographed mantra for me, and as my audience is generally composed of physicians and medical students — people who (like in many other fields) have little time for.. well, anything.
To recap, Dan in his post says that:
When I ask many non-technical founders why they haven’t learned to code this is a pretty common response: I don’t have time, I want to get this out now.
He then goes on to explain the ultimate decisions these non-technical founders face: to hire a dev or to learn to code. From their perspective, the former seems like the more time efficient option. They then spend monumental amounts of time trying to find a developer, spending more resources than they would have if they’d just learned to program in the first place.
@crranky rebuts in his post, saying that there sometimes there are legitimate unsurmountable constraints. He/she says that learning to code isn’t a ‘few months’ ordeal. He compares it to learning to become a physician or some other profession. It’s not just a one-off task.
I want to learn to code. But what if I’m not built to be a coder? Guys, am I missing the point here?
So, Dan and others, they’re not false constrains, really, seriously, they are not.
This discussion reminded me of Atwood’s post, where he asked people to “please don’t learn to code”. He does advocate learning a little code for the sake of understanding what code is, but does not want everyone to market themselves as a developer.
The “everyone should learn to code” movement isn’t just wrong because it falsely equates coding with essential life skills like reading, writing, and math.
As someone who didn’t pick up web development until December 2011 for the purposes of starting a company, let me reiterate the answer I always give non-technical founders.
- Learn to code. @crranky, the point of this is NOT to become a full-fledged developer; becoming one does involve some very real constraints. However, high level languages + architectures like Ruby on Rails and Python / Django has made building a simple app almost trivial. I’ve yet to meet a single person who is incapable of going through a basic tutorial. Follow the recipe and you’ll automatically learn something passively. If you’re not willing to take a few weeks or months to at least attempt to build the product that solves your problem, then apologies, you’re not ready for the hustle that’s necessary to start a company.
- You’re learning to code for understanding, not to become your own dev team. @Dan, you separated the ‘find a dev’ tasks into hiring a coder or learning to code. They’re not separate tasks. Your chances of finding a good dev increases exponentially if you know how to hack something together, if you’ve coded before. It’s not just so you can speak the speak and fool your hires with fancy technical words. No, it’s to prove yourself and your developer partner that you understand the pains and difficulties of development. You understand that developers don’t code for the sake of coding; it’s a tool to solve a problem that you and your developer both believe in. Your tools might be your sales ability; his are a terminal window and a text editor. Your tools are different, but your vision should be the same.
- Jeff, the ”everyone should learn to code” movement sure might be sullying github with more poorly written code than ever, and I agree that learning to code b/c you want the nice paycheck and lifestyle is ridiculous (it’s the same reason I deter people from arbitrarily going pre-med even though I’m a medical student myself). However, I very much do support companies like Codecademy or others that “try to get technical” (in the words of Fred Wilson) — the keyword here being ‘try’. No, not everyone is made to become a professional developer, but tools like these make it easier for people to get out of their comfort zone, to show that they have the balls and gumption to do whatever they need to to solve their problem… even a seemingly monumental task like coding. The companies just make that tasks a little less scary and offer the window necessary to the 1% of people who would not have otherwise thought of becoming devs, even though they’re adequately suited for it. Ultimately, if they’re not made to be a coder, they naturally won’t be one for long.
tl;dr. Learn to code for understanding. Stop whining. Sack up. | <urn:uuid:2870b0a2-e161-4eee-bf63-3a34fa893194> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.timsoo.com/category/thoughts/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00009-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.956173 | 2,823 | 1.515625 | 2 |
Like Syd Barrett, a common point of reference, Roky Erickson rose to cult-hero status as much for his music as for his tragic personal life; in light of his legendary bouts with madness and mythic drug abuse, the influence exerted by his garage-bred psychedelia was often lost in the shuffle. Born Roger Kynard Erickson on July 15, 1947, in Dallas, TX, he began playing the piano at age five; by age 12, he had also taken up the guitar. The child of an architect and would-be opera singer, Erickson dropped out of high school to become a professional musician. In 1965, he penned his most famous composition, "You're Gonna Miss Me," which he first recorded with a group called the Spades. The song and his high, swooping tenor brought him to the attention of another area band, the psychedelia-influenced 13th Floor Elevators, whose lyricist and jug player Tommy Hall invited Erickson to join; the Elevators soon cut their own version of "You're Gonna Miss Me," and took the single to number 56 on the pop charts in 1966. | <urn:uuid:a7e181e2-08ce-4496-8f29-46c3d73441b6> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.wjrr.com/iplaylist/artist/4199/bio.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704713110/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516114513-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.989505 | 235 | 1.765625 | 2 |
A trip to the historic information center is a must for first time travelers to Jasper. Apart from information on almost everything in the park, it is dedicated to sharing the history of Jasper. From recommended accommodations to avalanche conditions to suggestions for the best areas to view wildlife, the center has all the information needed for a traveler. The helpful Parks Canada staff can give you advice on how to have a safe and memorable holiday. There are brochures from most local tour operators and businesses, as well as maps of the area and directions to local attractions and landmarks.
Attractions & Landmarks | <urn:uuid:bd840e7a-851f-498c-834f-6f3f9bc72b14> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://travel.aol.com/travel-guide/canada/canada/jasper/jasper-information-centre-national-historic-site-thingstodo-detail-275128/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704713110/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516114513-00009-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.937819 | 116 | 1.617188 | 2 |
Re: Got a Visit from the Bee Inspector.
Slash and burn is a medical phrase for treating cancer, actually it is slash, burn and poison. It refers to surgically removing the infected area, radiation and chemo. I shouldn't use phrases that everyone doesn't understand. We were talking about medicating so it just popped out.
Originally Posted by sqkcrk
I apologize for the insulting phrase and I have removed it. What I said was not what I meant. Please forgive.
Zone 5a, Practicing non-intervention beekeeping | <urn:uuid:02692fb8-e384-4013-8515-a0df94514259> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.beesource.com/forums/showthread.php?269718-Got-a-Visit-from-the-Bee-Inspector&p=804715 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00018-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.972521 | 116 | 1.6875 | 2 |
May 24, 2012
This is part II of a three part article. Part one is found here.
At first light, the train stands in Tula. The conductor pours boiling water into my tea glass. "Visiting relatives?" he asks.
I nod as I take my first sip of the wonderful railways brew. Ninety five years have passed since my grand father, to escape the Bolsheviks, loaded his wife and children on a horse cart and drove south to meet the advancing White Army.
"Visiting relatives is good," The conductor takes his own tea and we go to the platform where I offer a Prima cigarette, the cheapest smoke in Russia. We watch the sun rise over the far, undulating horizon. The train begins to move and my heart beats faster. In twenty minutes my family's history will come full circle.
Two people are on the sunlit platform. Marina Zherzdeva and her husband Vasiliy. Marina is a historian specializing on the Bobrinskys. She hugs me like a long lost brother-
Two hundred and fifty years ago, almost to the day, Empress Katherine II, also known as The Great gave birth to a child out of wedlock. She named him Alexey Bobrinsky Though having him raised in foster care, Kathrine was very fond of the boy and made sure he got the best education, gave him land and had an impressive residence built for him in Bogorodittzk. After she died, Emperor Paul acknowledged Alexey Bobrinsky as his brother and gave him the title of count (Graf).
Alexey was very interested in science, especially astronomy and put together an impressive scientific library. His descendants distinguished themselves in government service, developing modern agricultural methods, the emancipation of the serfs and building the Russian railway system. They always maintained close links to the Imperial family.
In 1920 Count Vladimir Alexeyevich Bobrinsky, his wife Maria and children Georgiy, Natalia, Julia and Sophia, under fire from the Bolsheviks left Russia from the port of Tuapse.
What happened to the Bobrinsky family after that, is mostly unknown in Russia. In two days, I will be reading a paper bringing up to date a conference of historians.
We enter the city of Bogoroditzk. Vasiliy turns the car into a driveway and stops. "Look to the right," he says.
I look down the wide street that descends to a lake. Beyond the lake, like a jewel in a forest. rises the Bobrinsky palace where my mother, Julia, was born.
"Welcome home," Marina says. Now, letīs have breakfast, you look like you need a vodka.
Historian Marina Zherzdeva
Comment on this article here! | <urn:uuid:d359ad79-e8ce-4ad2-9d74-8a37a8688a28> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.useless-knowledge.com/1234/12may/article004.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 | 0.966643 | 575 | 1.78125 | 2 |
Jersey – Budget Statement 2011 tax proposalsFriday, January 21st, 2011
The following increases in the income tax exemption limits are proposed for 2011, reflecting the 1.1% increase in average earnings during 2010.
The historically generous tax thresholds in Jersey mean that many Islanders still pay less tax than in most neighbouring territories.
The income tax payable by a married couple in 2010 with a joint income of £40,000, without children or a mortgage, is as follows:
- Isle of Man – £2208
- Jersey – £4109
- Guernsey – £4380
- United Kingdom – £5805
The income tax payable by a married pensioner in 2010 (aged 63+) with an income of £25,000, without a mortgage, is as follows:
- Isle of Man – £260
- Jersey – £480
- Guernsey – £720
- United Kingdom - £3312
A specific proposal is made with regard to the calculation of the Income Tax Instalment System (ITIS) effective rate to statutorily factor in any significant shortfall in the collection of tax due on employment income.
This tends to happen when an individual’s earnings increase significantly and the change will ensure that the tax is collected earlier, prevent the individual from falling into arrears and potentially reduce the level of tax written off when an individual leaves the Island with tax outstanding. | <urn:uuid:d3eac943-6786-42cf-9fcf-d830fb09f914> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.payroll-help.com/2011/01/jersey-2011-tax-proposals/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704392896/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113952-00002-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.949103 | 290 | 1.710938 | 2 |
Question: View How do I go about becoming a coach?
Question: View What types of coaching education are available?
Question: View Are there minimum standards for coaching with an MYSA club?
Question: View How can I find out if clubs have coaching openings?
How do I go about becoming a coach?
Response: If you are one of the many people each year looking to coach youth soccer within MYSA, helpful hints on how to get connected and involved are located at Coaches/Manager > Resources > Become a Coach.
What types of coaching education are available?
Response: MYSA offers numerous coaching courses for coaching various age groups and for a variety of coach experience levels, training sessions, articles and sports medicine tips, and Coaches Corner, a free monthly e-newsletter.
US Youth Soccer offers a Coaches’ Connection website and monthly newsletter.
Are there minimum standards for coaching with an MYSA club?
Response: MYSA requires coaches to complete an annual background check through their clubs, and encourages but does not mandate a coaching certification or license. Be aware that some clubs do have minimum standards for their coaches so you should check with each club for its policy. MYSA encourages all coaches to seek at least some coaching education and training through their own club offerings, MYSA coaching clinics and courses, MYSA’s Annual Winter Symposium and PACT training seminars.
How can I find out if clubs have coaching openings??
Response: MYSA offers an online Coaches Exchange where clubs and coaches can connect with each other. You can also find individual club contact information through the MYSA Affiliate Club Directory. | <urn:uuid:fcb93e2a-fc66-4575-ad21-f5fa0a97360a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.mnyouthsoccer.org/page/show/695976-coaching | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00003-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.95935 | 337 | 1.5 | 2 |
Years of observations in WFC3 (which offers a unique combination of high sensitivity and wide spectral coverage), Hubble's primary camera, the Advanced Camera for Surveys (which offers three independent, high-resolution channels covering the ultraviolet to the near-infrared regions of the spectrum), and the Wide Field and Planetary Camera 2 have given scientists varied views and detailed pieces of … Read more
The ceaseless succession of new Canon and Nikon SLRs has a certain predictability, but an unusual model came out of left field today: Canon's astrophotography-oriented EOS 60Da.
The 60Da is a close cousin to the Canon EOS 60D, a higher-end 18-megapixel model geared for enthusiasts. But the 60Da has one big difference: its infrared filter has been modified so it doesn't screen out so much "hydrogen-alpha" light, a deep-red 656.28-nanometer wavelength of light produced by excited hydrogen atoms.
By letting in about three times the amount of hydrogen-alpha red as a regular 60D, the $1,500 60Da can capture much better photos of energetic nebulae, Canon said. It's due to go on sale this month. … Read more | <urn:uuid:88ad36cc-fb04-4873-90dd-563824a1658a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://news.cnet.com/8300-5_3-0.html?keyword=astrophotography | 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 | 0.934607 | 252 | 1.695313 | 2 |
JURIST Columnist Edsel Tupaz of Tupaz & Associates argues that the coming impeachment trial of Philippine Chief Justice Renato Corona must be undertaken in a manner that preserves the integrity of both the Congress and the Supreme Court, while impartially addressing the serious allegations of abuse of power leveled against Corona...
n Monday, the Philippine House of Representatives voted to impeach
Chief Justice Renato Corona for allegedly violating the Constitution and betraying the public trust in connection with the trial of former president Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, who originally appointed Corona to the Supreme Court. In his separate concurring opinion in Francisco, Jr. v. House of Representatives
, Corona cited my own work
to describe the extraordinary remedy of impeachment as a final option: "Impeachment under the Philippine Constitution, as a remedy for serious political offenses against the people, runs parallel to that of the U.S. Constitution whose framers regarded it as a political weapon against executive tyranny. It was meant 'to fend against the incapacity, negligence or perfidy of the Chief Magistrate.'"
Corona is the first Chief Justice and Justice of the Supreme Court to be impeached by the House of Representatives. (In 2003, the House dismissed an impeachment complaint against then-Chief Justice Hilario Davide, and the Supreme Court subsequently held 13-0 that the complaint was unconstitutional). Under the Philippine Constitution, the House of Representatives has the exclusive power to initiate cases of impeachment against the President, Vice President, members of the Supreme Court and constitutional commissions, and the Ombudsman. The impeachment proceedings required at least 95 signatures, or one-third of all members of the House, to move forward. In the end, 188 of the 284 members of the House of Representatives voted to impeach Corona, transmitting the case to the Senate on Tuesday. Amidst ongoing political scandals, Corona's impeachment provides an ideal situation in which to draw lessons from the experience of the US, whose constitutional practices and provisions were written into our own Constitution almost verbatim, and whose jurisprudence is usually directly cited by the Philippine judicial system.
Justice Samuel Chase, appointed by President George Washington in 1796, remains the only US Supreme Court justice who has ever been subjected to the impeachment procedure, and his acquittal played an important role in preventing the overt politicization of the process. The core of the allegations against Chase was that his extreme Federalist Party bias had led to his treating defendants and their counsel in a deliberately unfair manner. Meanwhile, in response to the articles of impeachment against him, Chase argued that all of his actions had been motivated by adherence to precedent, judicial duty to restrain advocates from improper statements of law, and considerations of judicial efficiency. The Senate acquitted Chase of all charges, supporting the view that grounds for impeachment should be either criminal or abuse of office, rather than partisan.
Ironically, Corona himself argued that the Framers of the US and Philippine constitutions "intended impeachment to be an instrument of last resort, a draconian measure to be exercised only when there are no other alternatives available." He writes that a great deal of prudence must be exercised in the impeachment process, which should not be used as a bargaining chip or a weapon for political leverage. Since the time of Jefferson, all presidents and most members of the US Congress have generally eschewed the impeachment process as immensely partisan and cumbersome. The latter is not a surprising viewpoint, as the time allocated for legislative work is instead diverted to the impeachment effort. This situation is potentially destructive to the life of the nation, as exemplified in 2001, when the Philippine economy suffered a serious blow during the impeachment trial of former president Joseph Estrada.
The eight charges brought against Corona, which will serve as the articles of impeachment when his trial proceeds, include culpable violation of the Constitution, graft and corruption, and betrayal of public trust citing specifically his "undue closeness" to Arroyo (who is under hospital arrest for electoral sabotage and plunder), and suspected affinity for siding with her administration in politically-significant cases. Supreme Court Spokesman Jose Midas Marquez confirmed that Corona will not resign, and will squarely face the impeachment case against him, calling it "an assault on all the rights, powers and privileges of the entire judiciary." Corona's supporters further point to the impeachment as a form of political maneuvering buttressed by a perceived popular opposition to Corona and the Supreme Court itself, which they believe is being forced to surrender its constitutionally mandated functions and powers to "the whim and caprice of political machinations."
In recent weeks, President Benigno Aquino has openly criticized the Supreme Court in several interviews and speeches for its lack of impartiality, which culminated in its issuance of a temporary restraining order against watch list orders issued by the Department of Justice that prohibited Arroyo from leaving the country. While this seems to be a dangerous strategy for Aquino's camp, pitting the executive (and now, legislative) branch against the judiciary, the viewpoints of the opposing sides in the impeachment issue are not unfounded. It is only reasonable to expect our Supreme Court Justices to rise above politics, as well as personal gratitude and affinities, and make decisions based on constitutionality, fairness and impartiality interpreting the country's laws and settling controversies through an appreciation of a given set of facts and applicable laws, while taking into consideration their respective beliefs and legal philosophies. When a Justice commits wrongdoing and falls short of these expectations, it is necessary to take action. Impeachment is a legal process that is part and parcel of a healthy democracy. Although viewed by the opposition as an attempt to destabilize the Court, the impeachment process is nevertheless a legal and constitutional remedy that aims to exact accountability for possible abuses committed by those in the High Tribunal.
Meanwhile, the House prosecution must be exact in addressing potential weaknesses in the case. Corona's supporters in Congress and the courts maintain that he is being singled out for collegial decisions of the Supreme Court, and that some issues have already been addressed by Congress and the Office of the President, such as Corona's "midnight appointment" and the alleged gerrymandering of local government units. When Aquino himself admits that the Chief Justice is the last stumbling block to his reform agenda, it will not be surprising to see the Senate tasked to try and decide on the impeachment incorporate partisan politics during the trial. As judges during the impeachment trial, the Philippine senators must ignore political affiliations and thoroughly scrutinize and vote on the merits of the case that will be presented, so that the proceedings will not be seen as another political scandal that unfairly diverts attention away from more pressing legislative issues.
There are tough times ahead for the country's judiciary. At a time when the political and public pulse often dictates collective decision-making in the Philippines, the country looks to the judicial branch and the Supreme Court to be an impartial entity, capable of deciding on the most difficult and politically divisive legal matters with exactitude and fairness. Given Corona's track record revealing his partiality to Arroyo, trust is a big issue. As citizens of this country, we expect our Justices to be persons of proven competence, integrity, probity and independence. The rarity of impeachment and reluctance of lawmakers to utilize this constitutional tool is a measure of the gravity of the situation. The process is not invoked by mere suspicions of wrongdoing and other less than serious grounds, or even the espousal of controversial or unpopular points of view, but by criminality or substantial abuse of power. Thus, conviction must happen only if it is clear-cut. It is the task of the House prosecution panel to provide substance to its allegations against Corona himself, without compromising the authority and independence of the Supreme Court as an institution.
Author's Note: A special thanks to Joan Martinez for her research assistance.
Edsel Tupaz is the founder and managing partner of Tupaz & Associates, a public-interest law firm. His expertise lies in comparative constitutional law, trade and development law and court systems design. Tupaz is also a professor of international and comparative law, teaching at law schools in the US and the Philippines. He was senior counsel and senior executive assistant of the Philippine Truth Commission created by President Benigno Aquino III, which was later declared unconstitutional by a Court majority led by Chief Justice Corona.
Suggested citation: Edsel Tupaz, Impeachment and Institutional Integrity in the Philippines, JURIST - Sidebar, Dec. 14, 2011, http://jurist.org/sidebar/2011/12/edsel-tupaz-impeachment.php.
This article was prepared for publication by JURIST's professional commentary editorial staff. Please direct any questions or comments to them at email@example.com | <urn:uuid:142d9dd7-c2cc-466c-82fa-b5ddd8d3cff3> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://jurist.org/sidebar/2011/12/edsel-tupaz-impeachment.php | 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 | 0.95983 | 1,784 | 1.835938 | 2 |
Will the Post Office meddling ever stop?
In the latest chapter of Congressional interference with the workings of the mail delivery service, the U.S. House passed a temporary spending measure to keep government running. But it includes a proviso that the U.S. Postal Service keep delivering mail six days a week.
Just last month, the agency said it would cut deliveries to five days a week in an effort to lessen the agency’s losses. Cutting Saturday delivery of mail (package delivery would continue) would have saved the Post Office $2 billion a year.
As configured, the Postal Service loses $25 million a day. Though it has been self-financed since the 1980s, federal lawmakers still have authority over its operations. And they have all kinds of reasons, many of them political and few of them business-savvy, to try to dictate how the agency runs.
Last year, the Postal Service crafted a bold plan to get its finances in order that involved closing 3,700 rural post offices. Federal lawmakers moved to stall the idea, even conjuring up a post office closure commission, similar to the one that looked at which military installments ought to be shut down.
It’s long past time for Congress to get out of the way and let the agency make the changes necessary to adapt to the changing way Americans conduct business and communicate. | <urn:uuid:ab0fd92f-b8ea-4780-a02a-3e41b17b859a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://blogs.denverpost.com/opinion/tag/congress/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00001-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.957479 | 278 | 1.765625 | 2 |
This from the Idaho Statesman:
(and perhaps a message to the upcoming Oregon Legislature)
By ROGER PHILLIPS
A new law passed in the Idaho Legislature earlier this year requires a
"restricted vehicle" license plate for all off-highway motorcycles, ATVs and
utility vehicles starting Jan. 1.
The restricted vehicle plate and the traditional off-highway vehicle
registration sticker will both be required to operate your vehicle, even if
you never ride on roads.
The new license plate is through the Idaho Department of Transportation and
is separate from the traditional OHV sticker program through Idaho Parks and
According to Troy Elmore, OHV program manager at Parks and Recreation, the
new plate was developed because Idaho Transportation Department did not want
to issue red, white and blue motorcycle plates to ATVs because ATVs don't
meet federal motor vehicle standards, which could jeopardize federal funding
for Idaho's state highways and interstates.
"ATV owners voiced their concern about no longer being able to travel on
roadways and insisted that a plate be issued that would allow the continued
use of their vehicles on roads other than state highways and interstates, "
The law ended up requiring all off-highway vehicles to have the new plates,
OHV stickers will still fund the same things as in the past, like building
and maintaining trails and trailheads, and similar work for motorized
vehicles, he said.
Here's a Q&A from Parks and Recreation that helps explain the details of the
new restricted vehicle license plate for off-highway vehicles.
Q: How do I get the new plate?
A: A restricted vehicle license plate and OHV registration sticker can be
obtained only at county assessor motor vehicle offices in 2009.
The license plate fee is $3. OHV registration is still $10.
In order to receive a restricted vehicle plate, your vehicle must be titled
in your name.
You need to bring ownership documents with you to register. Include any
signed title from the seller, manufacturer's certificate of origin, prior
registration, and bills of sale you may have. Applicable sales tax will also
Q: Where does the money paid for the new license plate go?
A: The money only covers the cost of the plates. Sales of the new plate do
not go to Parks and Rec's trails program, which is still funded by the
Q: Do I have to renew the plate every year?
A: No. Restricted vehicle plates must be replaced every seven years.
OHV registration stickers still must be renewed annually, and will be
available at Parks and Recreation and regional registration vendors in 2010.
Q: Where can I ride with my restricted vehicle license plate and OHV
A: All roads, excluding state highways (which are signed as highways) and
interstates will be open to motorcycles, ATVs and UTVs with a restricted
vehicle license plate and current year OHV registration sticker unless a
local ordinance is adopted to close a road to such use, or it is otherwise
closed by an authorized land manager.
Designated OHV riding areas, areas open to cross country motorized travel
and designated motorized trail systems will also require both the restricted
vehicle plate and the OHV registration sticker.
Q: What must I have to operate my motorcycle, ATV or UTV to travel on a
A: The required equipment includes a working brake light, a horn audible at
200 feet, headlight and taillight after dark or during poor visibility, and
a mirror showing roadway 200 feet behind the vehicle.
Also, the rider must have valid liability insurance and a drivers license,
and anyone under 18 must wear a helmet.
Q: What does the restricted vehicle license plate look like?A: The plate
will be the same size and made from the same material as the current, red,
white and blue motorcycle plate, but it will be white with black lettering.
Q: Will the OHV registration sticker be the same?
A: No. The OHV registration
sticker has been resized to fit on the restricted license plate,
The sticker will be valid for one year, and after 2009, it will be renewable
at any Idaho recreation registration vendor, County Assessor Motor Vehicle
Offices or Parks and Recreation vendor.
Q: If a dirt bike or ATV doesn't have a bracket for a license plate, where
should it be attached?
A: It has to be attached to the rear of the vehicle. License plate brackets
are available at dealers.
Q: Is the license plate for enforcement purposes so people can be more
easily identified if they are riding illegally?
A: There was a voice from the law enforcement community that expressed a
need for a more visible way to identify OHVs, and the plate was intended to
aid in that effort.
Q: I own an ATV or UTV and already have a red, white and blue motorcycle
plate on it. Can I continue to operate with that plate?
A: No, on Jan. 1, all ATVs and UTVs must have both the restricted license
plate and a valid OHV registration sticker.
Q: What if I have a dual sport motorcycle with a red, white and blue plate,
do I still need the other plate? A: No, but you still need an OHV
registration sticker if you ride on trails. The sticker must be affixed to
the motorcycle license plate.
Q: If a person has an old motorcycle or ATV that has never been titled, or
the title has been lost, what would they do? A: The Idaho Transportation
Department is responsible for vehicle titles. There is a process to title
vehicles that can be completed at your county assessor's motor vehicle | <urn:uuid:c2041bcb-11ef-4628-8481-a927484374bc> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://blog.oregonlive.com/billmonroe/2008/11/idaho_passes_atv_license_law.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00010-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.939896 | 1,226 | 1.65625 | 2 |
Today we talked with United States Air Force Reserve Lt. Col. Jon Talbot, Chief Meteorologist and Capt. John Brady, weather officer for the 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron.
Lt. Col. Talbot supervises twenty Flight Meteorologists who are responsible for acting as mission directors aboard WC-130J weather reconnaissance aircraft. The Flight Meteorologists coordinate, collect and communicate critical weather data to the National Hurricane Center in Miami, Fla., during flights into hurricanes and tropical storms.
Capt. Brady is responsible for directing weather reconnaissance aircraft into hurricanes and tropical storms to collect information, including storm center and intensity.
They discussed the winter-storm tracking missions that take place in the Northeast and Northwest corners of the United States as well as hurricane tracking. | <urn:uuid:8084ca0a-f111-4aa0-a17e-5b9a63691ebf> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.dodlive.mil/index.php/2013/01/dodlive-bloggers-roundtable-chatting-up-a-storm/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.942437 | 151 | 1.8125 | 2 |
- NATO to Survey Patriot Missile Sites in Turkey
- NATO to Discuss Patriot Missile Request by Turkey
- Russia Pressuring Assad for End to Violence – Syrian Opposition Group
- Syrian Opposition Accuses Turkey of Allowing Mercenaries
- Syrian Opposition Coalition to Open Office in Turkey
ANKARA, December 3 (RIA Novosti) – NATO military experts have selected sites for the deployment of at least three Patriot air defense systems along Turkey's border with Syria, local media reported on Monday.
NATO member Turkey formally requested Patriot missiles from the military alliance after weeks of talks with NATO allies about how to shore up security on its 900-kilometer (560 mile) border. Syria is believed to have several hundred surface-to-surface missiles capable of carrying chemical warheads.
Damascus has repeatedly stated that it would not use chemical weapons against its own people, but could deploy them to thwart "external aggression."
According to NATO sources cited by Turkey’s private NTV television network, Germany has agreed to provide Ankara with two Patriot PAC-3 systems, while the Netherlands will deliver one Patriot PAC-2 missile system.
The missiles will be deployed within a triangular area including the provinces of Gaziantep, Malatya and Diyarbakır in southern and eastern Turkey, CNN-Turk reported.
Their deployment is expected to be formally approved during a ministerial meeting of the 28 NATO allies in Brussels on December 4-5.
US Patriot surface-to-air missiles were deployed to Turkey in 1991 and 2003, during the two Gulf Wars. At that time the missiles were provided by the Netherlands.
Russia has repeatedly voiced concern about plans to deploy Patriot missiles on Turkey's border with Syria, although Moscow avoided directly criticizing Turkey.
Russia believes the deployment would mean the direct involvement of NATO forces in the Syrian conflict, further undermining the already unstable situation in the region.
Russian President Vladimir Putin will raise the issue at a meeting with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan during his current visit to Turkey, his spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Monday.
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Image Galleries: Monkeys from Borneo and Other Animal News
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Cartoons: Dreams of Space
The failure of the Islamist political parties who came to power in the dramatic events of the Arab Spring would allow the military to reenter the political arena. Political Islam was successful in the opposition, but it could fail in power, as the negative experience of Egypt and Iraq have shown. | <urn:uuid:aa39607f-333c-44da-aa19-cb8137d11dd7> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://en.rian.ru/military_news/20121203/177893311.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00019-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.956248 | 527 | 1.601563 | 2 |
Date published: November 16, 2010
Bishops from the Middle East, summoned by the pope to the Vatican, ended their two-week meeting with a statement that called on Israel to end its "occupation" of Arab lands and to stop using the Bible to defend injustices.
The dwindling numbers of Christians living in the Middle Fast was to be the principal reason for the meeting called by Pope Benedict XVI, but the joint communiqué also warned Israel about "injustices" against Palestinians.
The synod's message said that "recourse to theological and biblical positions which use the word of God to wrongly justify injustices is not acceptable," in an apparent reference to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
But tensions arose with the interpretation given by Melkite bishop Cyrille Bustros of Newton, Massachusetts, at a final press conference October 23 at the Vatican. According to Catholic News Service, Bustros told reporters that Jews could no longer regard themselves as God's "chosen people" or Israel as "the Promised Land" because Jesus' gospel showed thai God loved and chose all people to be his own.
Israeli deputy foreign minister Daniel Ayalon quickly responded in a statement that the Vatican should distance itself from Buslros's remarks. Israel's ambassador to the Vatican, Mordechay Lewy, told Catholic News Service that the Melkite bishop's comments were "outrageous" and would make Israelis wary of rapprochement with the Catholic Church.
Lewy said he had "no problem" with the 44 resolutions approved by the synod, though he look issue with parts of the final message, "'!lie Israeli government does not use the Bible to determine our politica! borders," he said to CNS.
Vatican spokesman Federico Lombardi said October 25 that the remarks of the U.S.-based bishop should be considered his personal opinion. The final message of the assembled 185 bishops and patriarchs was the only approved text, said Lombardi, a Jesuit priest.
Rabbi David Rosen, who directs interreligious affairs for the American Jewish Committee and was the only Jewish figure to address the synod, termed trie bishops' final message "appalling" for making the Israeli-Palestinian conflict their primary focus. "The bishops did not have the courage to address challenges of intolerance and extremism in the Muslim countries in which [the bishops] reside," Rosen said. | <urn:uuid:cd8aebd6-853c-45be-88a8-8bba2f2af37d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.readperiodicals.com/201011/2196663841.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697380733/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516094300-00014-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.965774 | 489 | 1.765625 | 2 |
The soil might be more acid in one area. Try a soil test at both parts of the field. Some form of lime might be required in the sour area.
They will only eat the best grass and not eat anything that could either make them ill or wont get much out of nutritionally unless they are starving.
Usually with horses those its more to do with if they or another horse has been to toilet in that area, they wont eat from that area again for a good few weeks and that is if the droppings are cleared.
Im not sure about goats other than that i know they dont eat much grass compared to sheep and are better on brush type land or fed plenty of hay and branches alongside the grass
You can do more advanced tests that you can send soil samples off to check for more things than just PH levels but ph levels tell you alot. once you have it sorted if they still wont eat it and you are worried about the rest getting worn down you could section it off whilst the rest grows back.
Is the rest of the grass getting long? you could also cut it down but make sure you collect all of the grass clippings as they can give colic, the new grass growth might tempt them | <urn:uuid:7c3186ae-6ad0-4f25-9098-e048d98ca3c3> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.accidentalsmallholder.net/forum/index.php?topic=25206.msg257119;topicseen | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00010-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.9753 | 250 | 1.53125 | 2 |
We live in the middle of some mighty imaginary worlds. In one corner, you’ve got Star Wars, turning out toys and videogames; over there, Marvel is taking over Hollywood and churning out half a dozen Avengers books a month. Lego seems to launch a new property every week, and while J. R. R. Tolkien’s been dead for decades, his name plus an “-esque” still seems to define half the fantasy properties that ship to this day. And then you’ve got Japan. Don’t even get me started on Japan; I’m too old to catch up and I know it.
You have your pick of alternate realities to dwell on, all of them creative powerhouses that spin a simple idea into multiple multi-million dollar channels of product. But I wanted to pick one. I figured if I could single out one transmedia world as somehow greater than the others, it would serve as an example for all the ideas we’ve been talking about. And luckily, it wasn’t that hard. In fact, I had absolutely no trouble settling on the one property that most dominates our culture and all of our media. And I will name it after the jump.
The story starts with a far-off land, ancient but familiar. A war breaks out. A relentless enemy rolls its armies across one country after another. On the other side of the world, its ally starts a war with its neighbors and threatens to throw the entire globe into turmoil. Things are looking grim – until suddenly, there’s a new hope: a new country, young, a little naive, but brave and strong, jumps into the fight.
The tide starts to turn. Our heroes in this plucky upstart nation win one battle after another. But the bodies are piling up, and the final foe – ruled by an almighty Emperor who claims divine power – refuses to surrender. And then all of a sudden, a miracle weapon appears, an almost science-fictiony superbomb that can end the war in one fell swoop (or okay, maybe two). It’s so perfect it’s almost corny, a deux ex machina, but it fits the myth: the young, brave and true heroes defeat the Emperor and finally bring peace to the world.
In broad strokes, this is the story of World War II. It’s a true story – our grandparents lived through it and everything – but it is also the greatest imaginary world we have.
Let’s count the reasons.
It’s a fight between good and evil. The Axis powers were the bad guys. They were really bad. The Allies beat them. That was really good. This is a clear conflict between well-defined adversaries, and it’s easy to latch onto.
Around this clear core, thousands of stories are possible. Let’s take a look at just a handful of stories from around the world and across the decades that are all united by the era and the context of this single war. Catch-22. Gravity’s Rainbow. The English Patient. Castle Wolfenstein. Captain America. The Thin Red Line.. Saving Private Ryan. Atonement. The Diary of Anne Frank. City of Thieves. Velvet Assassin. You’ve got heroic stories and anti-heroic stories. Comedy and tragedy. Stories of people on the fringes of the conflict; stories of the people who set it in motion. New perspectives, alternate histories, works of experimental or fantastical fiction – all united by the core mythos of the biggest conflagration our planet’s ever seen.
World War II was filled with strong personalities, but it didn’t depend on them. Churchill, Roosevelt, Eisenhower, Patton – you can rattle off a lot of names from the War. But the War went on even when, for example, Truman replaced Roosevelt. Like our last point, this is the key difference between a world and a story: you have plenty of heroes and villians, but this is not the story of any one of them.
Likewise, you can tell a story with your own characters without injecting any of the big names into it. In most properties, if you create a new storyline in a new locale, your central characters at least need to make a cameo. Most new Marvel comics throw in Captain America or Spiderman. The world of The Last Airbender barely exists outside Aang or Zuko. But in World War II, you can tell vast stories about the men on the front without sticking in a big-name general. We know we’re in the War, and that’s enough.
Nazis. Who’s worse than the Nazis? Who’s worse than Hitler? Pundits keep fretting that if we keep wheeling out the “so-and-so is as bad as Hitler” analogies about every single leader we don’t like, we’ll start to wear it out. But it hasn’t happened yet. It doesn’t get any worse than Hitler.
And yet, so broad and mature is this property that it also holds up under satire. I could wheel in one of those Hitler rant videos that’s been making the rounds of YouTube, but this is still my favorite:
Character is action, and there was plenty of action. A professor of mine once told me that military history and biography are the lowest form of history writing. It’s not hard to write a book about a bunch of tanks rolling from point A to point B; and likewise, it’s not hard to inject drama into a situation where millions of people are dying. This is why there are dozens of videogames set in World War II, and pretty much none set in hipster coffee shops.
… And you can tell a great story without action, too. The suffering on the homefront, the plight of refugees, the wives left at home waiting for letters from their husbands – the quiestest stories get more dramatic against this backdrop. Nobody needs to slap you in the face every other page and remind you what’s going on at the front; how could you forget?
Awesome technology. From codebreakers to submarines to the A-bomb, there are plenty of reasons to geek out over the war and the tech it produced. People like gadgets, and the inventions of the war were instrumental to its progress and its conclusion.
With the passage of time, reality can lift into fantasy. The PlayStation exclusive Valkyrie Chronicles emulates the themes and era of the War, but its world is made-up and magical. The recent Wolfenstein lets us shoot zombie Nazis. And then there’s this:
There’s just one drawback to my choice: World War II was real. It took the lives of millions of our relatives, and starved millions more. It paved the way to the Cold War and set America for a several-decade fall from whatever innocence we imagined we had.
World War II is a world, but it’s not strictly a “fictional” world. And yet it sets the stage for millions of works of fiction. All its complexities have been boiled down to a narrative as linear as the one in Avatar: The Last Airbender. All of these made-up worlds aspire to the same complexity, the same drama and the same importance as this single, several-year conflict. Every time Star Wars tries to be more than the story of Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader, every time Lord of the Rings throws a bazillion orcs at a fortress, every time a writer tries to scare us with the ultimate evil, and every time a sci-fi story tries to make us believe that this miracle weapon that appeared in the last act is more than a convenience; every time a publisher tries to stretch into more and more media, and bring us more and more entry points into their property; every time anyone waves a screen at you and says, “Seriously dude, this is important! This isn’t just any war! This is like, a war for the whole world!” – every single time, they’re reaching for the bar that was set over sixty years ago.
I don’t know why Hollywood hasn’t cooked up a sequel. | <urn:uuid:72e91e59-fe9c-400d-a7cb-65d16f9b2051> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://savetherobot.wordpress.com/2010/09/02/just-another-world-the-world-to-end-all-worlds/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.93899 | 1,725 | 1.65625 | 2 |
Pay It Forward
The clock is ticking for 44 of Burlington’s poorest public-housing residents caught in a battle between their landlord and two housing nonprofits. Depending on which side wins, the low-income and disabled tenants could face eviction later this winter.
As Seven Days noted last year, Pizzagalli Properties is trying to sell its Wharf Lane building. It’s one of thousands of affordable housing complexes built 30 years ago using taxpayer-subsidized mortgages and rental subsidies provided by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The deal was: At the end of the mortgage, the developers would have the option to sell the low-income housing to the highest bidder.
How much could Wharf Lane fetch on the open market?
A recent private appraisal reportedly estimates the building’s market value at $4.8 million, more than double the city’s 2006 assessment of $1.6 million. The lower figure reflects the building’s current use: home to 37 units of affordable housing. The higher number measures potential revenues based on converting those into high-rent units for college students.
That’s what happened recently at a HUD-subsidized, six-unit apartment building at 113 Maple Street. Rent for a three-bedroom unit there has gone from $930 for a subsidized unit to $1950.
Vermont Housing Finance Agency and the Burlington Housing Authority want to buy Wharf Lane and keep it affordable. But talks with Pizzagalli broke down in recent weeks, in large part because the nonprofits can’t afford to pay top dollar for the building.
City officials are watching closely.
“The city and our housing partners are doing all that we reasonably can to prevent the loss of this critical housing resource,” said Brian Pine, assistant director at the city Community Economic and Development Office. “We are talking about folks who will experience a real hardship if they are forced to move out.”
If the deal falls through, tenants will receive eviction notices by month’s end. Their leases run through March 31.
“Some of us are panicked, and some of us are frustrated because there is no information coming from anyone,” said Vera Newman, president of the tenants’ association at Wharf Lane. “March 31 is coming up fast, and everyone just wants to know: Are we staying? No one is prepared to move during the winter.”
If they do have to go, Newman added, residents will face a very tight housing market, armed with subsidized housing vouchers that are difficult to get. In December, Chittenden County’s rental vacancy rate was 1.4 percent; only a small percentage of the available units are handicapped accessible.
BHA executive director Paul Dettman said he’s confident the vouchers will come through in time. And he predicts that by week’s end, Wharf Lane tenants will know for sure if they can remain in their homes or not.
Newman is not only worried for her neighbors but the people who live in the nearby 57-unit Bobbin Mill apartments, which are sandwiched between Pine and South Champlain streets. That property, also owned by Pizzagalli, will be up for sale later this year. Many of the tenants there have small children.
“What’s happening to us is small beans compared to what’s going to happen to Bobbin Mill,” said Newman.
U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders is still getting heat for mixing fundraising and politics in an email appeal to supporters that arrived the day after the Arizona shooting of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ).
The email missive began, “Given the recent tragedy in Arizona, as well as the start of the new Congress, I wanted to take this opportunity to share a few words with political friends in Vermont and throughout the country. I also want to thank the very many supporters who have begun contributing online to my 2012 reelection campaign at www.bernie.org. There is no question but that the Republican Party, big money corporate interests and right-wing organizations will vigorously oppose me. Your financial support now and in the future is much appreciated.”
Say what you will about the intent of Sanders’ four-page email, but the timing — and tone — was horrendous.
Sanders defends the email, claiming he wasn’t trying to raise money off the tragedy in Arizona, but rather indicating some of the ways in which Republicans, corporations and the media are trying to destroy the middle class. Same old, same old.
The “right-wing media” took his mention of the Arizona shootings out of context, said Sanders, who went to great lengths to note that it was the Weekly Standard, a Rupert Murdoch-owned publication, that first reported news of the email’s content.
Not so fast. Even Vermont Public Radio took Sanders to task.
Last Thursday, during a five-minute interview on “Vermont Edition,” host Jane Lindholm repeatedly asked Sanders about the email’s timing and content. Sanders pushed back, asking listeners to read the email for themselves.
Sanders was trying to end the interview when Lindholm pressed on: “I have read it. I do have a question for you about it. You make it very clear in the letter that you consider this a politically motivated shooting, though, you reference several other acts of violence in Arizona…”
Sanders interrupted, “No, what I said was…”
Refusing to be bullied, Lindholm continued, “You said, quote…”
“I know what I wrote,” blurted Sanders. “What I wrote is, and, again, I would urge people to read it … I think there are concerns about the kinds of not only violence that we have seen, but the tone that exists in some parts of this country, including Arizona. And I hope that we can deal with that in the coming months. Jane, thank you very much.”
And then Sanders simply hung up.
No Contest Council
Monday is the deadline for Burlington City Council candidates to announce their intentions, but it doesn’t appear many citizens are lining up.
Every year, half of the council’s 14 seats are up for grabs. So far, only one of the seven looks to be contested.
Incumbent councilors Sharon Bushor (I-Ward 1), Bram Kranichfeld (D-Ward 2) and Joan Shannon (D-Ward 5) are seeking reelection without opposition. Shannon defeated Progressive-turned-Democrat Carina Driscoll in a recent caucus.
Councilors Mary Kehoe (D-Ward 6) and Nancy Kaplan (D-Ward 4) are not seeking reelection, but two Democrats have stepped up in their stead — Norm Blais in Ward 6 and Dave Hartnett in Ward 4.
Burlington’s Republicans are running just one candidate: incumbent Vince Dober (R-Ward 7). The GOP won’t challenge Democrat Hartnett in the conservative New North End. Hartnett is pals with Republican Kurt Wright, who holds the other Ward 4 council seat.
Democrat Greg Jenkins is challenging Dober in the only contested race to date.
Democrats decide Wednesday night if they’ll challenge Vince Brennan (P-Ward 3). He was elected in November to fill out the remaining term of Marrisa Caldwell, who resigned her seat because she moved.
For their part, Progressives aren’t trying to recapture Kranichfeld’s Ward 2 seat, which they held from 1981 until Kranichfeld’s victory in 2009.
Welching on Promises
U.S. Rep. Peter Welch returns to Washington this week, ready to continue his fight against GOP plans to repeal last year’s health care reform law. Earlier this month, he helped lead the Democratic effort to push back against the GOP’s repeal vote by forcing up-or-down votes on key items in the heath care bill. That effort failed, but Welch earned plenty of face time on national TV news outlets.
“It looks like Republican leaders have gone down the rabbit hole. Just last year they were calling for less spending, more debate and an open amendment process,” Welch said. “Now, their first move out of the gate is to increase the deficit by $140 billion, shut down debate and prohibit amendments. Before it even begins, the 112th Congress is starting to feel a little like Alice in Wonderland.”
Like Alice, Congressman, it appears you’ll have to sit through a tea party.
Yet another legislative debate has begun concerning state recognition of Vermont’s indigenous tribes. In past years the process has left many Native Americans and their allies feeling frustrated and betrayed. Will this time be any different?
That’s the hope of the Vermont Commission on Native American Affairs, the members of which will formally recommend the state recognize the Elnu and Nulhegan tribes, according to VCNAA chairman Luke Willard — himself a former chief of the Nulhegan tribe. An independent historian vetted both applications.
More Vermont tribes are lining up, including the Koasek and the Missisquoi.
Former “True North Radio” host Rob Roper has launched True North Reports, a daily e-newsletter and website devoted to covering the legislature from a conservative point of view.
Roper, the former chairman of the Vermont Republican Party, halted the daily radio program after last fall’s election.
Roper is working part time as TNR’s news director, while Angela Chagnon of Burlington is the site’s full-time reporter. Last fall Chagnon ran for a seat in the Vermont House as a Republican and lost, to Democrat Mark Larson.
Roper hopes to have TNR’s website up and running next week. It’ll be a for-profit enterprise, which means he’ll be selling ads to pay the bills.
Meanwhile, the search continues for two new scribes at the Vermont Press Bureau. The bureau covers the Statehouse and state administration for the Rutland Herald and Barre-Montpelier Times Argus.
Peter Hirschfeld is the lone holdover from last session’s bureau; Louis Porter and Dan Barlow have both since departed to work for lefty nonprofits.
Pitching in to help report on legislative happenings is Herald heir Rob Mitchell. He’s also interviewing press-bureau prospects, and plans to hire at least one investigative reporter. | <urn:uuid:ef3d8159-b3fa-4feb-9e6f-1cfc2045a0f8> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.7dvt.com/2011pay-it-forward | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00007-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.955579 | 2,226 | 1.554688 | 2 |
Singers are Earning big
This article is about Singers who are earning big while doing live stage shows.
Singers are getting opportunity to Earn big
In India, Music and Dance are becoming more popular. The Dance shows and Singing Shows are attracting many People from India and World. Indian Music is very famous in the world. Before in late 70s and 80s, Kishor Kumar used to have huge popularity because of his music. He used to sing and just could get less than 1 lakh. The popularity of singer were not that much as of film stars.
But, now a days the musicians are also getting more money in singing. Still the Actors and Actress in bollywood earns more than singers, but singers are also coming in the lime light. Earlier they don’t used to get more for singing, but now they are performing various stage shows. These Stage shows are giving them huge money.
Honey Singh the popular man in India and in the world for his rap, gets 70 Lakh rupees for a stage show. Yes, this is very huge money for a singer. But the popularity of this person is also there. His voice and different kind of music has attracted many people in the world. Singers are getting huge importance. This is good for the Indian music.
Sunidhi Chauhan, who is one of the best singer in the India, also earns good in stage shows. Her main income from her earning is from Stage shows. Singers have got the path to earn a big amount. Stage shows are also becoming very popular in india. Singers are in demand for the stage shows and in a month they try to as many stage shows to earn big. A Normal singer can get from 6 to 8 lakhs and a Popular singer can get 22 to 30 lakhs, according to the popularity.
There are many singers of India which are busy in stage shows. Vishal-shekar is the pair which are paid big in live stage shows. Now a days, live stage shows are picking up its speed and main income of the singer comes from these live stage shows. Sonu Nigam, right now, he is in the tour of Canada.
Alka Yagnik, in her days used to do a lot of stage shows. Right now, she is the judge in one singing show in one Bengali TV Channel. She has roam all over the world and did lot of stage shows. She was very famous in the world.
Even the new singer, who have just stepped in the singing industry are earning big amount by doing various stage shows in a month. Rahul Vaidhya who did not got opportunity in singing in Movies, does 14 to 15 TV shows in a month. He changes 8 lakh rupees for one stage show. This is good source of income singers are earning.
There are many big corporate people who like to have singing show and they like to call the big singers there. Sunidhi Chauhan is one of the singer, which is usually seen in big corporate parties. She get 12 lakh per show. | <urn:uuid:c44bb6c5-2227-433d-99be-4d06521f0823> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://celebrities.wikinut.com/Singers-are-Earning-big/3pqpd7e5/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00014-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.987409 | 632 | 1.609375 | 2 |
Video contest for Catholic teens; deadline Jan. 10
Updated: April 3, 2013 6:57PM
Chicago — The Archdiocese of Chicago has announced a video contest for Catholic teens as part of the ongoing emphasis on the Year of Sunday Mass.
All Catholic high school students from Archdiocesan parishes in Cook and Lake counties are invited to show witness to their faith by creating an original, two-minute video about the importance of Sunday Mass.
Prizes will be awarded for first-, second- and third-place entries.
Original videos, submitted as a DVD, may be created and produced by one individual or by a team of teens who agree to share the award money. A matching award will also be given to the Catholic parish, Catholic school or Catholic church charitable organization designated by the winners.
The first prize winner and designated organization will each receive $5,000; second prize is $2,500 and third prize is $1,000. The video contest is being co-sponsored by Mercy Home for Boys and Girls.
Contest participants will be asked to participate in a small-group reflection process called “Circles of Witness for Teens,” create and produce a two-minute video, show the video to other teens and gather feedback and submit the completed entry form and DVD to the Archdiocese.
Deadline for submissions is 5 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 10, 2013.
Details and entry forms are available on the Archdiocesan website, archchicago.org. | <urn:uuid:9bcf5147-ae78-4148-a63f-3c10d8fc86dd> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://elmwoodpark.suntimes.com/news/schools/15968116-418/video-contest-for-catholic-teens-deadline-jan-10.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00018-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.957669 | 315 | 1.53125 | 2 |
Playing for the Detroit Pistons in 1990, Vinnie Johnson -- known as "The Microwave" because he could instantly heat up the Pistons' offense -- hit the title-clinching shot in the NBA finals. Today Johnson is manhandling the competition in a different arena, as chairman of the Piston Group, a Detroit-based automotive supply company with nearly 500 employees and $227 million in 2003 sales.
Johnson expects to crack a half billion in revenue by 2008.
The business hasn't always moved so fast, however. Johnson began his entrepreneurial career with teammate Bill Laimbeer in 1995; they started a firm that sold packaging supplies to automakers. By 1996 they'd split. With encouragement from a General Motors executive, Johnson segued into manufacturing auto parts.
The Piston Group's location is in one of Detroit's toughest neighborhoods, and Johnson grappled with absenteeism and high turnover among workers in the early years. Teaching people to work in a complex manufacturing environment required tons of training, and the payoff from that investment was at times slow to materialize. For his troubles, Johnson received a $3,000 tax credit per employee as part of Detroit's Empowerment Zone. Today the Piston Group has a stable base of workers. "When you're dependent on people to help you succeed, you have to make sure you have the right team, the right chemistry," Johnson says.
Now the company is focusing on creating a stable base of customers. GM, which spends $6.6 billion with minority suppliers annually, has been one of Johnson's champions. Ford has been another. But both automakers are struggling, which is why Johnson is eager to sign up Japanese automakers. "We're constantly calling those guys," he says. For a man who first made his mark on the floor of the Palace, perseverance comes naturally. -- Daniel McGinn | <urn:uuid:e269ae17-4a04-438e-bc8f-b27adcce79fa> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.inc.com/magazine/20050601/inner100-teambuilder_Printer_Friendly.html | 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 | 0.977498 | 379 | 1.648438 | 2 |
Making It Real
In February 2012, Adults and Communities, in partnership with the Service User-led Quality Board for Assessment and Support Planning, signed up to be part of the Think Local, Act Personal 'Making it Real' programme. This is a way of checking how well we are doing in offering support that is individual to the person and that they have choice and control over the care they receive.
Making it Real is based on statements developed by people who use services that express what people want to see and experience in adult social care services.
We have been working with people who use our services and carers to agree 3 'Making it Real' priority work areas which are based on the following 3 "I" statements:
1. Information and Advice:
"I have access to easy-to-understand information about care and support which is consistent, accurate, accessible and up to date".
2. Active and supportive communities:
"I have access to a range of support that helps me to live the life I want and remain a contributing member of my community".
"I have access to a pool of people, advice on how to employ them and the opportunity to get advice from my peers".
For more information, you can see our Making it Real action plan.
You can find out more about Making it Real and more information about what we have been doing here: http://www.thinklocalactpersonal.org.uk/Browse/mir/ | <urn:uuid:714632f9-34c2-4841-b5af-64e86c951eb2> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://birmingham.gov.uk/cs/Satellite?c=Page&childpagename=Adults-and-Communities-General%2FPageLayout&cid=1223404906342&pagename=BCC%2FCommon%2FWrapper%2FInlineWrapper&rendermode=liv%2CQ%C3%83%C2%A8e | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00006-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.964087 | 299 | 1.742188 | 2 |
A man huddles under an umbrella as rain blankets Sacramento, Calif. The storm swept through Northern California bringing rain to the lower elevations and snow in the mountains. / By Rich Pedroncelli, AP
FRESNO, Calif. (AP) - Fall looked a lot like winter across Northern California on Monday as the first major storm of the season brought out snow plows on Interstate 80, prompted travel advisories at higher elevations and showered the rest of the parched region with much-needed rain.
Forecasters were calling for up to 2 feet of snow at the highest elevations in the northern Sierra Nevada, a good sign for a state dependent on winter snow accumulation for its water supply.
"It looks like Mother Nature threw us our first snowball," said Rochelle Jenkins of Caltrans, which was enforcing chain controls above 4,300 feet on I-80, the state's northern east-west corridor.
Baseball fans are hoping for clear skies at 5:07 p.m. as the San Francisco Giants and St. Louis Cardinals play the deciding seventh game of the National League Championship Series at AT&T Park.
The forecast is for a 30 to 40 percent chance of scattered showers across the region at game time, said Charles Bell, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.
"It's one of these cases where one city could pick up a little, but one 20 miles away would be dry," he said. "If any go through it will be relatively light - less than a tenth of an inch - and fairly brief."
Early Monday chain controls also were in effect on U.S. Highway 50 southwest of Lake Tahoe. By late morning nearly an inch of rain had fallen on Sacramento.
Law enforcement authorities were working to clear five jackknifed big rigs that forced the closing of Highway 20 east of Nevada City, where at least 6 inches of snow had accumulated by midmorning.
"This is a good storm, especially for being our first," Jenkins said.
A winter storm warning above 5,500 feet will remain in effect until 5 a.m. Tuesday. The heaviest snowfall was expected on Monday, though snow showers were expected into Tuesday night, said Karl Swanberg, a forecaster with the National Weather Service in Sacramento.
More widespread precipitation was expected to move across Northern California on Wednesday.
In the southern Sierra, the California Highway Patrol issued a chain warning for Highway 168 above Shaver Lake. Yosemite National Park was expecting about 8 inches of snow above 6,000 feet. Tioga Pass and Glacier Point Road were closed at 10 p.m. Sunday, but officials there will assess conditions on both as weather improves.
The storm system originated in the Gulf of Alaska and has stalled over the Pacific northwest, bringing colder temperatures and gusty winds of up to 80 mph at the crests of the Sierra.
Highway officials say a series of storms brewing in the Pacific could wallop the northern half of the state through Friday.
Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Read the original story: Calif. storm brings two feet of snow | <urn:uuid:2779dcea-64ab-4715-b5f3-a9e48dbd9f37> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.marionstar.com/usatoday/article/1650059?odyssey=mod%7Cnewswell%7Ctext%7CFrontpage%7Cs | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700958435/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104238-00009-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.960483 | 650 | 1.726563 | 2 |
There are a verity of Local Machine shop to look at, from oilfield, car, tool and die, and the nuts and bolts of the local machine shops. They all serve a wonderful purpose to every need of the customer of small and large cities would have need of. Some Local Machine Shops uses old railroad axles to produces heavy wall 1040 tube and short drops; the heavy wall tube comes in all sizes, from 2 x 5 to 4 x 8. Local Machine Shops are small and cluttered with all types of metals shavings, and debris, it give an on looker the idea of very hard work going on and long hours. The owners and operators of the local machine shops travel all over selling their wares, and leaving their kind smiles with everyone they meet. There are smells of old oil and dirt that is in the atmosphere, and gives this local machine shop uniqueness that only the shop owner can appreciate. The Local Machine Shop of a large City or metropolis has a taste of its own appeals. For the Local Machine Shop in the larger local, can provide heavy metal, parts, tools, and tubing. Most of the time, a larger Metroplex local machine shops will have the latest technology, with the faster turn around jobs. | <urn:uuid:36921623-3bf6-4a33-a88c-3320ce285e8b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.pointcom.com/KY/Lexington/business-search/Machine%20Shops/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705953421/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120553-00001-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.961349 | 256 | 1.546875 | 2 |
“A healthy mind with a healthy body”
The objective of Physical education is to bring about co-ordination between the body and the mind which imbibes leadership quality, discipline, good character. Sportsmanship, team spirit, confidence, courage along with good physical and mental health.
60% of the campus area of 5 acres is developed for sports activities. The school has facilities for both outdoor and indoor games. | <urn:uuid:1e23750c-4ef3-4eb9-84c7-31a27ca3aea9> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.rvkb.edu.in/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=97&Itemid=191 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00015-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.956635 | 87 | 1.640625 | 2 |
Much now depends on President Mohammed Morsi.
It would be easy to write off Egypt's convoluted new constitution, approved by voters Saturday, as marking the impending death of the Arab Spring. Whether measured by its words or by its provenance, the document that was supposed to usher in an era of stability seems destined instead to produce a contentious mess.
It is appropriately despised by the democrats whose protests ended the 30-year rule of Hosni Mubarak. The unwieldy document pays homage to democratic values, then leaves future parliaments free to subvert them, which victorious Islamists are openly eager to do.
Nor does the constitution have the broad-based legitimacy that foundational documents need for a competitive democracy to thrive. It came to a vote only because Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi claimed near-dictatorial powers to make sure courts couldn't block his will. Even then, barely a third of the dispirited electorate turned out to vote.
A constitution is supposed to be bedrock. This one is gravel.
But it's also true that first attempts at constitutions have failed in many countries — including the United States — and Egypt's vibrant political discussion assures that this is not the final word.
The most immediate question is what Morsi intends to build on this flimsy foundation and what the circumstances will allow.
The Islamists have undoubtedly gotten a strong upper hand, and they attained it democratically. But Morsi knows that if they push too hard, international aid will evaporate, worsening a weak economy. The Muslim Brotherhood will get the blame.
Less clear is whether the secular opposition can capitalize. So far, it has shown little appetite for the nitty-gritty political organizing needed to compete with the Islamists at the polls.
Much now depends on Morsi.
He has at least shown signs of recognizing that he overplayed his hand. He partially rescinded his dictatorial decree, though only after scheduling the vote, and he surely sees the need to improve the economy.
From a U.S. perspective, he has also shown himself to be a cunning pragmatist in the international arena. When Hamas provoked a conflict with Israel, many expected Morsi to side with the Brotherhood offshoot and begin to break away from Egypt's peace treaty with Israel. Instead, he brokered a cease-fire and stuck to the treaty.
But at home, he faces a Herculean task — forging a workable, democratic system in which secularists and Islamists peacefully compete in successive elections. With no mutual trust and now a weak constitution, renewed rebellion seems more likely.
The contest between democracy and religious law set off almost two years ago was always certain to be a long one. Egypt's new constitution is a step backward. But it is not the end of the story. | <urn:uuid:e3bbbf28-5410-4f87-93dc-db7045ae0c45> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2012/12/23/egypt-constitution-vote-morsi/1788161/ | 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 | 0.961513 | 560 | 1.765625 | 2 |
May 16, 2013 Sometimes the government has to kick in to convince developers to reclaim "brownfield" sites. The EPA says it's developed a good partnership in Atlanta.
May 7, 2013 Lisa Prevost's new book, 'Snob Zones: Fear, Prejudice, and Real Estate,' looks at towns that have used zoning laws to keep low- and middle-income families out, in favor of the rich moving in.
Apr 18, 2013 Thankfully, it seems it's just a paperwork snafu.
Apr 16, 2013 Housing starts in March rose at the highest rate in five years. Which begs the question: What kind of house do people want these days?
Apr 12, 2013 Now that the housing market is picking up, making improvements on your home is worth it if you want to put it on the market. Which ones pay off in a quicker sale?
Apr 12, 2013 Would-be homeowners balance the risks of buying with benefits like building their assets and bettering their children's chances.
Apr 9, 2013 A growing number of U.S. homeowners are renting rooms to recovering addicts and turning their properties into so-called ‘sober homes.’ It's a hot but sketchy new real estate market.
Apr 3, 2013 According to a report in the Washington Post, President Obama's administration is worried that the housing recovery is leaving too many people, including young people, behind.
Mar 25, 2013 No down payment mortgages died in a wave of foreclosures -- for nearly all Americans. But now they’re crawling out of the grave, for the wealthy, at least.
Mar 28, 2013 Buying a house is a huge emotional decision. It's important to know the market you're buying in -- and just as important to construct a relationship with your realtor. | <urn:uuid:ea82e045-4099-4218-b19f-f4b0fbe8e7c3> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.marketplace.org/story/related/21%203226%203189%20844/51716 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00001-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.960386 | 375 | 1.710938 | 2 |
From under Benedict's nose, Paolo Gabriele used the photocopier in the small office he shared with the two papal secretaries that adjoined the pope's library, studio and chapel—and, he says, started copying them all.
At first he kept the documents to himself. Then he found a journalist he trusted, and the intrigues and injustices he saw around him spread around the world in the gravest Vatican security breach of modern times.
A three-judge Vatican tribunal on Saturday will decide whether Gabriele is guilty of aggravated theft, accused of stealing the pope's private papers and leaking them to journalist Gianluigi Nuzzi, whose book "His Holiness: Pope Benedict XVI's secret papers" became an immediate blockbuster when it was published in May. Gabriele has pleaded innocent, claiming he never took original documents, though he said he was guilty of "having betrayed the trust of the Holy Father, whom I love as a son would."
From court documents, trial testimony and the book itself, the anatomy of the scandal has taken shape: They describe how a 46-year-old father of three, said by court-ordered psychiatrists to be unstable, desperate for attention and with illusions of grandeur, came to consider himself inspired by the Holy Spirit to expose the Vatican's dirty laundry for the sake of saving the church. They demonstrate how he instigated a Hollywood-like plot to sneak the documents out of the Apostolic Palace under the cover of darkness to a waiting journalist outside the Vatican walls, who then exposed them on TV and in the most talked-about book of 2012.
Gabriele himself told the court this week that he became increasingly "scandalized" when, as he would serve Benedict his lunch, the pope would ask questions about issues he should have been informed about. That suggested to Gabriele that the pope was being intentionally kept in the dark by his advisers.
"I had a unique and privileged occasion to mature the conviction that it's easy to manipulate someone with decision-making power," Gabriele said of the pope. "With the help of others like Nuzzi, I thought I could help things be seen more clearly," he told prosecutors in a July 21 interrogation.
Gabriele told Nuzzi that he started copying documents sporadically soon after Benedict became pope in 2005, and then in earnest in 2010 and 2011, when the No. 2 Vatican administrator began complaining about a smear campaign launched against him for having uncovered corruption and waste in running the Vatican City state.
In his testimony, Gabriele almost boasted that he would copy the letters in broad daylight, during his 7 a.m.-2:30 p.m. shift, while Monsignor Georg Gaenswein and the other papal secretary, Monsignor Alfred Xuereb, were at their desks facing his. He was free to sort through the mail that would come in daily to the office inboxes, even documentation that was on Gaenswein's desk.
"The photocopier was in the corner, on the opposite side of the office," Gabriele told the court as his lawyer handed out a floor-plan of the shared space. "I did it while I was in the office, since I was free to move around and didn't have any wicked aims. I did it calmly, even in the presence of others."
At the same time, Gabriele would also discuss Vatican problems with any number of trusted acquaintances he would run into on his walk home from the palace. On foot, the walk should take three to four minutes, he said, but sometimes he didn't get home until 4 p.m. because he would be stopped by so many highly-placed people who wanted to speak to him.
He named names, including cardinals and monsignors. But in his testimony this week, Gabriele insisted he had no accomplices, recanting statements to prosecutors that his plot had been "suggested" to him by others.
Once home in the Vatican City apartment he shared with his wife and three children, Gabriele would file the papers away, "hidden"—police would later say—in between hundreds of thousands of pages of Internet research on Freemasonry, secret service units, Christianity, Buddhism and yoga. He filled a floor-to-ceiling armoire with the documentation in the study near his children's' PlayStation. A dining room cabinet held the rest.
"'See how much I like to read and study,'" Vatican police officer Stefano De Santis quoted Gabriele as telling the four officers who searched his home May 23, the day Gabriele was taken into police custody.
In all, it took 82 moving boxes to cart out all the documents they found, though police said only about 1,000 pages were pertinent to the investigation. Police and Gaenswein have said that—contrary to the butler's claims—they also contained original documents, obvious because of the seals, stamps and internal processing codes used in the Vatican.
Some bore the pope's own handwriting, including with the word "destroy" written at the top in German, police told the court.
It was Gaenswein who found the "gotcha" documents that pointed him to the culprit: three letters reproduced in Nuzzi's book that he said had never left his office.
Other documents had come from other Vatican congregations, so they could have been leaked at any point along the internal mail chain. These three, though, were addressed to Gaenswein: one from Italian TV host Bruno Vespa with a check for (EURO)10,000 and a request for a private papal audience; another from a Milan banker also containing a check; and an email from the Vatican spokesman that Gaenswein had printed out.
"These three didn't leave the room," Gaenswein testified. "This was the moment I started to have doubts."
He convened a meeting of the tiny papal family on May 21, a day after Nuzzi's book came out: Gabriele, Xuereb, the four consecrated women who tend to the papal household, and Birgit Wansing, who transcribes the pope's tiny handwriting. Cristina Cernetti, one of the women, testified she knew it was Gabriele because she could "exclude everyone else" in the papal family.
Gabriele denied he was the leaker that day. Two days later, Gaenswein again convened the papal family to tell Gabriele he was suspended. A few hours later, he was in a Vatican jail cell.
Gabriele has denied to prosecutors taking any originals, insisting he only made copies. And he has denied having ever seen a nugget believed to be gold and a check for $100,000 made out to the pope that police said were found in his apartment. In their testimony, police were unable to say where exactly in his study they found the items.
Nuzzi has all but confirmed Gabriele was his main source, sending him a good luck tweet at the start of the trial and telling The Associated Press on the eve of the first hearing that he hoped the testimony would "unveil the motives and convictions that compelled Paolo Gabriele to bring to light documents and events described in the book."
The handoff of documents from Gabriele to Nuzzi was something out of Hollywood.
Nuzzi wrote that he first met with his source, code-named Maria in the book, in January 2012. The first meeting was a test of whether Nuzzi could be trusted. Another meeting began with a long drive around Rome to ensure they weren't being followed. Finally, there was a nighttime encounter in an unfurnished apartment, with a single chair in the living room where his source was sitting—in which "Maria" began spilling secrets.
In all, he said, the security precautions were more excessive than those used by Mafia turncoats he has interviewed. In one meeting, Maria turned up empty handed. Nuzzi recounted that his source then took off his jacket and turned around: There were 13 pages taped to his back.
Gabriele made copies of the documentation he gave to Nuzzi and gave them, in a box with the papal seal on it, to his confessor between February and March, court records show. The priest, identified by Gabriele only as Padre Giovanni, told prosecutors he burned the documentation soon after, knowing that it had been acquired illicitly.
Gabriele said he had made the copies because he knew he would eventually have to pay for what he had done, and wanted first to absolve himself spiritually.
"When the situation degenerated, I soon realized that I would need to face justice in some way," Gabriele testified.
Gabriele faces four years in prison if convicted.
The Vatican does not have its own prison, and Gabriele was held in a secure room at Vatican police barracks for the first two months after his arrest. He was then transferred to house arrest. The Vatican says Gabriele would serve out any sentence in Italian prison, though it's not clear how that would be arranged given Italy is a separate state.
No such arrangements may be necessary—as a papal pardon is expected in the event of a conviction.
Follow Nicole Winfield at http://www.twitter.com/nwinfield | <urn:uuid:d51e4b51-63a6-42b7-a15d-1266f92a5f21> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.alamogordonews.com/world/ci_21705946/anatomy-vatican-scandal-how-butler-did-it | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00002-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.987454 | 1,950 | 1.640625 | 2 |
What's Trending: Breaking Guinness World records
Did you know the Guinness Book of World records itself is actually record breaking? It's the most frequently stolen book from the public library.
Everyone wants to have their name go down in history. In the past, some wanted to be President, while others have dreamed of fame. But now, it’s the dream to break a record. No matter how ridiculous or life-threatening that record is.
It all started in the 1950s, when there was no publication to record world records. It was then that the Guinness Book of Records was first printed, which evolved into the best-selling book-series. Now, it is the official authority on world records, and has ultimately inspired millions to epic feats.
There are records for everything and anything including a record for most records.
Some of the record holders risk a lot for the title, like their lives. Ted Batchler broke the record for longest full body burn without oxygen for almost 3 whole minutes.
Other records are not so dangerous to your health, like the Japanese woman who holds the record for largest Hello Kitty collection.
While some attempts fail, like the woman who tried to retain the most water while riding a roller coaster, others come out triumphant, such as this guy who did the 100 meter-dash on all fours.
Where there's a will or a way, ordinary people do the extraordinary to get their name in the history books – and that's what's trending.
What would you get a world record for? Leave your record breaking goal in the comment section below.
Copyright 2012 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. | <urn:uuid:1b8436ad-3f2f-45a2-aea3-f68162320cb7> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.thelistshow.tv/the-list/whats-trending/whats-trending-breaking-guinness-world-records | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705953421/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120553-00002-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.951645 | 355 | 1.804688 | 2 |
Topic: Audrey Singer
As states take unilateral actions on immigration, Obama lays out his administration's accomplishments with border security and makes the economic case for comprehensive immigration reform.
Allowing all illegal immigrants 'safe passage' out of the country is one proposed solution to the tangle of problems presented by federal immigration reform and the Arizona immigration law.
President Obama gives a speech Thursday on the need for federal immigration reform. He may be directing attention to the issue in a bid to turn up the heat on Congress to act, some analysts say.
The 2010 US Census starts soon. At stake are billions of federal dollars – and maybe your representative's job. | <urn:uuid:4d4be6ef-bd46-477f-8b56-cb89add992cf> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.csmonitor.com/tags/topic/Audrey+Singer | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00017-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.945621 | 131 | 1.578125 | 2 |
NHS Forth Valley encourages patients to make views known
Putting health boards in charge of prisoners’ health care has led to a rise in complaints.
NHS Forth Valley recorded Scotland’s second highest increase, new figures show. Complaints went up nearly a third, from 441 in 2010-11 to 567 this year. NHS Lothian was the board with the highest number of complaints, according to the health service’s information services division.
A total of 889 issues were raised in the complaints with 385 about treatment and 265 regarding the attitude and behaviour of staff.
Almost 60 per cent of the complaints were upheld, or partly upheld with just under 52 per cent dealt with in 20 working days.
The majority of concerns raised involved acute care, 20 were about psychiatric treatment and four maternity. Others concerned waiting times (74), delays (25), environment/domestic (104), procedural issues (20), treatment (385) and transport (11).
A spokeswoman for NHS Forth Valley said: “We actively encourage service users to report any concerns they have about our services and provide a number of different ways for them to do this.
‘‘Our services are regularly audited and surveys are carried out in wards and departments so that patients feel comfortable raising issues and giving feedback on their experience.
She added: “We have taken over responsibility for prison health services which has contributed to the rise in the overall number of complaints received.”
NHS Boards were given this new responsibility in November last year. Forth Valley has three of Scotland’s 15 jails; Cornton Vale, Polmont and Glenochil.
NHS staff now cover prison health centres, treating wounds and providing general health care but also dealing with mental health problems, drug and alcohol misuse.
NHS Forth Valley has launched a new online system to encourage patients to share views and has been working with families to resolve issues as they arise to help prevent future problems.
The spokeswoman added: “This has led to a significant reduction in the number of complaints relating to attitude and behaviour.
“It’s also important to point out that the vast majority of patients are very happy with their care and treatment and we regularly receive positive feedback from patients and their families.”
Councillor Linda Gow, who serves on two NHS boards, said: “I am confident NHS Forth Valley will treat any complaint very seriously and take action where required.”
Central Scotland list MSP Margaret Mitchell claimed the rise in complaints is down to government cutbacks.
She said: “A significant proportion, 29.8 per cent at NHS Forth Valley, of these complaints are about staff who are clearly feeling the strain of the various cutbacks.”
A Scottish Government spokesman said: “Previous research showed that patients were often reluctant to complain about their care so we have introduced measures to make sure that everyone knows that the NHS welcomes all feedback – good and bad.
“The Patient Rights Act, which came into force earlier in the year, gave all patients a right to give feedback or comments, raise concerns or complaints about the health care they have received. This is the best way to make sure that our NHS is delivering the high quality care that people want and expect.”
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Weather for Falkirk
Monday 20 May 2013
Temperature: 9 C to 22 C
Wind Speed: 15 mph
Wind direction: North west
Temperature: 7 C to 17 C
Wind Speed: 16 mph
Wind direction: North west | <urn:uuid:a88e6658-f8bb-4d40-b8a7-e8cef6a38ce6> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.falkirkherald.co.uk/news/local-headlines/nhs-forth-valley-encourages-patients-to-make-views-known-1-2567815 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00013-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.96322 | 755 | 1.523438 | 2 |
“Gordon has a staff of professors that are passionate about educating. That sort of genuine enthusiasm can be infectious. Gordon has opened doors for me employment-wise. Area schools regard it as an institution that puts out well-prepared educators.”
Christopher Love, M.A.T. Moderate Disabilities
Teachers desiring to make a difference in the lives of children who have learning disabilities may choose to seek this master's degree. This license meets the needs of teachers teaching at all levels. The latest strategies for working with children who have disabilities in the inclusion classroom are modeled and emphasized throughout the program.
The Moderate Disabilities concentration offers a focused curriculum designed for students with learning disabilities who are not severely disabled. These students are mainstreamed or included in regular education classrooms as much as possible, for the benefit of the student.
The moderate disabilities program is offered for: | <urn:uuid:8b82810a-7cd3-48c4-ba42-9d7e837fe5c4> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.gordon.edu/graduate/moderate | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00013-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.964238 | 179 | 1.59375 | 2 |
It must be a Polish Christmas cultural spill-over: we put out our lone Halloween decoration — a modest Jack-o-Lantern — on the twenty-ninth. Poles traditionally put up the Christmas tree just a day or two before Christmas, so I guess out late J-o-L is a sort of cultural cross-contamination. That or our hectic schedule.
This year, at least, we managed to make the time. Two years ago, we managed something, but last year it was a wash: the J-o-L-to-be sat in the carport, abandoned and unloved, until well after Halloween.
Naturally, as we worked on the pumpkin, the obvious comparisons came to mind: The Girl is now old enough to help, even if her help is a little more hindrance than anything else: a tentative hand in the pumpkin, a brush with the slimy entrails, followed by a sudden decision. “I don’t want to help.”
But she’s already helped enough by planning the design and serving as consultant. This year’s J-o-l was simple: a princess with a crown.
The Girl choosing a princess: how unexpected.
Once upon a time, there was a terrible, wicked queen. As a prisoner, she held a poor girl from a small, humble village. She fed the girl daily, played with her, took her to school, and inflicted other tortures too sadistic to mention here among polite company.
She was especially fond of binding the young girl’s wrists with Mardi Gras beads and flinging the poor, frightened girl onto the couch.
How those binds tore at the little girl’s flesh! But tight as the queen made the beads, she could not break her little prisoner’s spirit.
Her little captive still had the ability to melt hearts and frustrate daddies in an instant.
Thirty-three years ago today, Karol Józef Wojtyła became the only Pole elected by the College of Cardinals as Pope. It goes without saying that the logical thing for Poles to do on this date is to celebrate the event as only Poles can.
A picnic — in reality, an informal potluck, as everyone shares with all — is a good start, but just the Polish community did in May for the beatification of John Paul II, the afternoon really started with the outdoor Mass.
As always, when Poles gather together to celebrate some occasion or other, there must be some kind of performance. The children got a chance to show off their newly-acquired Polonaise skills, performing the same routine they did several weeks earlier at a local international festival.
And what would a Polish gathering be without singing? I can’t imagine American ex-pats gathering to do something like this, with the exception of Thanksgiving or Christmas. Even then, only Christmas would incorporate song, and probably not very willingly.
We can’t forget soccer.
Thank God for loving Babcias who send entire boxes of educational materials from Poland so that little granddaughters around the world can work on their Polish language skills.
Thank God for loving Polish mamas who daily work with stubborn half-Polish little girls in an effort to keep them bilingual.
Kiszka, potatoes, and sauerkraut with bacon.
I’ve never been much of a non-winter hat person. It’s not that I worry about hat head: I have no hair (or short hair at best). I only use hats to keep my head warm, and in the summer, the additional layer only makes me slightly miserable.
At the beach recently, though, I bought a sun hat with which I’m reasonably pleased.
It also works well as a hat rack itself.
It’s a yearly tradition now, the herald of autumn, and if we lived in a colder climate, it would serve as a bookend to the summer.
The selection is diminished at this time of year: the McIntoshes are long gone, if that’s your apple. Honeycrisp tress are long bare, and Pink Ladies are still not ripe. Of course, there’s always Red and Golden Delicious, as well as Granny Smiths, but those are at the very bottom of our list of favorites.
There are a few Cortlands on the tress, though, and if you look hard enough, you’ll find a McIntosh or two still hanging around.
And of course there are loads of Fuji apples.
We can easily fill the baskets with Fuji, and the Girl adores that particular cultivar.
The apples, of course, are only a means to an end, which is spending time with close friends.
With time, one’s definition of beauty evolves to include that which was once not beautiful, like compost. | <urn:uuid:6652b66c-a001-46a7-bad8-e033fd8b86bf> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://matchingtracksuits.com/2011/10/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00010-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.954351 | 1,029 | 1.8125 | 2 |
A couple weeks ago I had dinner with a few industry friends at a Washington DC restaurant. We had just come from the grand opening reception for The Art of Video Games at the Smithsonian American Art Museum, rubbing shoulders with legends like David Crane and Don Daglow. Needless to say, the "good old days" were on our minds -- more specifically, the challenge of preserving the history of video games, a subject that just kind of tends to come up when I'm in the room.
Inspired by an article I'd read a little over a year ago, I told the table my favorite go-to example of just how far behind we are: we have no idea when the original Super Mario Bros. came out in the United States. Our history books seem conflicted with this event, and the date that Nintendo officially gives doesn't seem accurate either, based on my prior research.
"Did you check copyright records?" a friend asked. Yes, of course.
"Newspaper articles? Advertisements? Press releases?" Yes, yes and yes again.
This sparked a pretty heated discussion about what could be done. I watched my dinner companions put their heads together, start namedropping friends and friends of friends, figuring out who that guy was they worked with at Nintendo, thinking about which resources they still had access to. Ultimately it made me realize that I wasn't the only one interested in solving this mystery, and that there was still a lot that could be done.
I spent the last couple weeks digging as deep into this as I could. I stretched every resource I had, tracked down former employees through occasionally stalker-like digging, called in a few favors, dug through every news archive I could access and talked to every company involved with the launch that I could think of.
Did I find the date? Sort of. Maybe. I documented my journey in this Gamasutra feature, which ran earlier this week.
What I've come away with is more questions than answers. I'm less sure about when the game came out than ever before, and thanks to a few emails and tips I've received since the article's publication, I'm not even sure we've got it narrowed down to the right year anymore.
My experience was a bitter reminder of just how delicate and mysterious history can be...even if it's the history of a consumer entertainment product introduced less than 30 years ago that sold over 40 million copies and spawned a merchandising empire.
But the feedback I've gotten about my journey, along with the widespread coverage -- being written about in USA Today was certainly unexpected -- just affirms what I'd hoped all along: people do care about this stuff. Preserving the history of the art and business of making games is something many of us seem to value.
The Smithsonian is recognizing video games going back to the Atari 2600 as art. The "Classic Postmortems" series at GDC has been the talk of attendees these past two years. The Library of Congress has started a video game archive (more on that in an upcoming article), we're seeing more history books than ever get publishing deals, and last year alone, two video game history museums found funding to open their doors.
So that raises the question: is more of this kind of content what you, our readers, would like to see on Gamasutra? Would you like to see us tackle history in the same way we tackle game design and business? As a video game professional, is this information useful to you? If you've been around for a while, is sharing your story something you're interested in?
Let us know in the comments below. If you'd like to discuss this with me directly, I'm available at email@example.com. | <urn:uuid:5cea36d0-dbed-496b-9b65-6957a1656774> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/167708/Super_Mario_Bros_release_mystery_raises_the_question_Does_our_history_matter.php | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00003-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.97571 | 767 | 1.5 | 2 |
The art collecting couple, Ulla and Heiner Pietzsch, officially signed a donation agreement with the state of Berlin that should pave the way to their internationally renowned collection being bequeathed to the city. The Pietzsch Collection is one of the most outstanding German private art collections from the high modernist period. It principally consists of Surrealist works from Paris and Abstract Expressionist works by the New York School, encompassing paintings by Max Ernst, René Magritte, Joan Miró, Salvador Dalí, Paul Delvaux and Jackson Pollock, Ad Reinhardt, Mark Rothko, Robert Motherwell and Barnett Newmann, as well as Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera.
The donation comprises some 150 paintings, drawings and sculptures, with an estimated value of 120 million. The agreement will only come into effect under the condition that Berlin city council places the collection, in its entirety, in the hands of the Foundation of Prussian Cultural Heritage as a permanent loan, and that the Foundation guarantees that parts of the collection are placed on permanent display within its own collection of modern art.
Hermann Parzinger, President of the Foundation of Prussian Cultural Heritage, had this to say about the donation: 'Today's agreement is a decisive step towards integrating the Pietzsch Collection into the National Gallery's collection at the National Museums in Berlin. I am convinced that the Foundation of Prussian Cultural Heritage will find the space to exhibit the works in the way Heiner and Ulla Pietzsch see fit.'
Klaus Wowereit, simultaneously Mayor and Cultural Senator of Berlin, said: 'I am immensely grateful and truly delighted to be able to accept this magnificent donation on behalf of Berlin. The fact that the Pietzsch's collection perfectly complements the collection of 20th century art at the New National Gallery
is nothing new - some 200,000 visitors were able to see that for themselves last year during the 'Bilderträume' exhibition. I am sure that today marks the first step in us ensuring that the Pietzsch Collection can in future go on permanent display within the National Gallery's collection.'
The married couple were heartened by the official acknowledgement of the donation agreement with the state of Berlin. Heiner Pietzsch said: 'My wife and I are happy that the first and decisive step has been made today to ensure that our Surrealist collection permanently stays in Berlin and at the National Gallery in particular. We are aware that our donation could close a painful gap in the National Gallery's collection [of works missing as a result of both the Nazi's campaign against 'degenerate art' and the Second World War].
We very much hope that the plans put forward by the Foundation of Prussian Cultural Heritage to create more space so that a significant part of our collection can be placed on permanent display will be realized one day. I personally feel very attached to the National Gallery, and have acted as treasurer on the board of its society of friends for several years. In addition to that I have spent countless happy hours wandering around the National Gallery's collection together with my wife and am delighted that there is now a very real hope that our own collection will one day be able to be shown there too.' | <urn:uuid:c66e8ae3-e74f-4a18-8a85-0fbafc7b7b0c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.artdaily.com/index.asp?int_sec=11&int_new=43727&int_modo=2 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00011-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.945297 | 661 | 1.671875 | 2 |
10-25-2011, 11:36 PM
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Originally Posted by dfbiggs
I'm not trying to have a reef tank here..I have some pretty aiptasia that came in on my live rock and I think its beautiful. Other than stinging corals and taking over should I have any concerns when it comes to fish? Can they hurt my fish? This is in my puffer & eel tank...I do have some Eagle Eye Zoanthids in here also. I know, can it be, puffers and zoanthids can coexist? :) If it can sting my puffers then that's probably why I caught them making weird facial expressions the other day..cracked me up..but I don't want them to get hurt.
Wouldn't worry about the fish. The Zoos on the other hand may be stung in the future. No reason to get rid of them if you don't want to, some of them have great coloring, like Mojano. | <urn:uuid:04813912-3524-42f2-b9d5-ac449193d7b4> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.tropicalfishkeeping.com/coral-reef-creatures/aiptasia-should-i-care-84558/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00019-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.965913 | 210 | 1.585938 | 2 |
At least 8 killed in China bridge collapse
A truck carrying fireworks on an expressway bridge in central China exploded Friday, causing part of the bridge to collapse and sending dozens of vehicles plunging off the edge, authorities said.
The exact number of casualties wasn't immediately clear. Highway police in Henan province, where the explosion happened, said on their official microblog account that at least 11 people had been killed.
But that post was later deleted and replaced with one that gave the lower total being reported by Xinhua, the official state news agency. By late Friday afternoon, Xinhua was citing local authorities as saying that eight people had been killed.
The state-run China National Radio had earlier reported on its website that as many as 26 people had died in the disaster. It didn't say where it got the information from.
Authorities have closed the expressway while search and rescue efforts are under way, Xinhua reported, and 13 injured people have been retrieved from the wreckage so far.
At least 25 vehicles are believed to have fallen off the bridge to the ground about 30 meters (100 feet) below, Xinhua said.
State broadcaster CCTV carried footage of a yawning gap in one part of the bridge, with mounds of debris, including rubble and parts of vehicles, spread out below
Rescue workers in bright orange overalls clambered over upturned trucks, looking for survivors.
Xinhua said an 80-meter (260-foot) stretch of the bridge had collapsed after the explosion, which occurred at 8:52 a.m. local time in Mianchi County.
China's fireworks tradition
Fireworks are an enduring element of celebrations of the Lunar New Year in China, one of the country's most important holidays that takes place this month. But they have been at the root of accidents in the past.
In 2009, fireworks set off a huge fire that gutted a brand-new hotel in central Beijing, briefly prompting calls for the return of a ban put in place at the height of Chairman Mao Zedong's rule in the 1970s.
According to local folklore, fireworks drive away monsters and evil spirits. But under Mao they were prohibited, ostensibly on the basis that they were "bourgeois" and a "waste of money."
Beijing authorities on Friday urged residents to set off fewer fireworks during this year's Lunar New Year celebrations to avoid exacerbating the thick pollution that has cloaked the capital for much of the past month, Xinhua reported.
Copyright 2013 by CNN NewSource. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. | <urn:uuid:c723c5a4-daaa-40dc-9c89-1a84540bedb9> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.koat.com/news/national/At-least-8-killed-in-China-bridge-collapse/-/9153826/18366714/-/view/print/-/e90pv7z/-/index.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00018-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.971413 | 537 | 1.75 | 2 |
for INFO NATION
On a nice summer evening, July 28th, 1995, most of Minnesota got disconnected from the rest of the Internet. And in spite of all the buzz we've heard about information warfare, hacker terrorists and the Internet "being able to survive a nuclear attack", it was bums under the bridge that did it.
Transients had broken into a USWest work area under the Washington Avenue bridge and set up housekeeping. One possible reconstruction of the events: one, a sleeping drunk. Two, a runaway cigarette. Three, a burning blanket. Four, fiber-optic cables toasted to a crisp. A Minnesota Daily article suggests that the fire may have been set on purpose, since the transients had been told to move out by University Police not an hour before.
The rest you know. No outgoing connections to anywhere else in the world. Domain name service slowed to a crawl, so even machines in the same room with each other had trouble connecting. For all practical purposes, Minnesota had fallen into a sinkhole.
The main Internet connection for Minnesota, jointly run by MRNet and the University of Minnesota, was a scorched, melted mess. Even worse, when USWest installed the cable in the first place, they installed the backup connection in the same place under the bridge. USWest has promised that they won't do it again. The guys USWest sent out to the scene had to work until Sunday morning to get everything fixed.
The outage hit everyone who gets their Internet connection to the outside world through MRNet, meaning most colleges, businesses and retail Internet providers. Orbis/BPSI and MinnNet get connectivity through Net99, so they weren't affected. Internet providers that are based in other areas and just have a local dial-up here, such as Primenet or Netcom, weren't bothered either, nor were America On-Line, Prodigy or Compuserve. Links inside Minnesota were working (if you could get domain name service), and discussion in the mn.general Usenet group went on, if nothing else. E-mail was stored on either side of the break until it was repaired--that's how the software works. MRNet issued peevish complaints that Minnesota wasn't really "disconnected from the Internet", because hey, who needs the Louvre when you can connect to St. Olaf?
The regular media jumped on the story, latter-day luddites cheered, local net mavens called for the death penalty for arson. It was probably the most attention the local workaday media had ever given to an Internet story. Most businesses lucked out, since the outage happened over a weekend. For the record, this writer went kayaking on Lake of the Isles--it was an awfully nice day that Saturday.
You can read about the whole hoohah again at:
Report from Bridget Kromhout at the U of M
mr.net's offical blurb
Back to my net writings.
Back to my home page. | <urn:uuid:65e61622-380a-48e1-8174-53719449e626> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.gimonca.com/personal/archive/burnin.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00017-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.965391 | 624 | 1.632813 | 2 |
In recent weeks, speculation about the commercial viability of OpenStack as a non-proprietary alternative to Amazon Web Services has mounted given the launch of the OpenStack Foundation, the release of the Essex version of its code and the deployment of Beta versions of OpenStack-based public clouds by Rackspace and HP . The debate about OpenStack’s readiness for the enterprise has been rendered all the more intense because of Citrix’s surprise decision to open-source CloudStack to the Apache Software Foundation, thereby creating a competitor to OpenStack overnight. Meanwhile, Amazon Web Services continues its relentless unfurling of feature after feature, and product after product onto its cloud computing platform in an effort to become the web’s one stop shopping ground for cloud software deployment, whether that involves IaaS, PaaS, SaaS, big data, cloud automation, an online marketplace or some combination thereof.
In an effort to obtain industry insight into the three horse battle between CloudStack, OpenStack and Amazon Web Services, I spoke to Floyd Strimling, Technical Evangelist and the Senior Director of Marketing & Community at Zenoss, a leading provider of management software for physical, virtual, and cloud-based IT infrastructures. As elaborated in his responses to the questions below, Strimling noted that OpenStack is tremendously promising but faces multiple challenges in the form of competition from CloudStack, the “staggering” rate of innovation of Amazon Web Services, the danger of Android-like fragmentation within the OpenStack community, and the technical challenge of delivering a “stable, flexible, and useable release that is ready for production deployments.” Strimling also identified “Red Hat as the most likely vendor to succeed in commercializing OpenStack” but refused to count out Piston Cloud Computing and Nebula from the list of candidates that will deliver successful commercialized versions of OpenStack.
Cloud Computing Today: How would you describe the place of OpenStack and CloudStack in relation to Amazon Web Services? Technically, for example, how would you compare CloudStack to OpenStack?
Floyd Strimling: While it is very tempting to compare OpenStack and CloudStack to Amazon Web Services, it is really not a productive exercise. OpenStack/CloudStack are enabling technologies that are used to build private and public clouds while AWS is itself a public cloud. Instead, you’ll need to compare the implementations of OpenStack or CloudStack to AWS and see how they fare. Thankfully, we’ll have that opportunity as two high profile OpenStack public clouds, Rackspace and HP, are released. While most of the technical elite ponders the future of OpenStack, the fact is most AWS customers are less worried about the enabling technologies underlying AWS. Instead, customers are focused on the services AWS offers, the features they provide, and the usability and stability of the solution. This puts Amazon in an extremely powerful position as they are focused on their own path and vision while essential obfuscating the underlying technology.
With regards to the place of OpenStack and CloudStack within the cloud market, they are extremely important as the represent a disruptive force that is open, disruptive, innovative, yet unproven.
I’m not about to step into the emotionally charged arguments of CloudStack vs. OpenStack. It’s really the difference between a commercially polished solution and one that has great promise. In the end, the needs of the users themselves will determine which is the superior solution as well as risks with each product.
Cloud Computing Today: As everyone knows, OpenStack has the potential to significantly impact the balance of cloud computing market share, particularly as it relates to IaaS. What dangers do you foresee for OpenStack in the coming year or two?
Floyd Strimling: While OpenStack has the potential to impact the balance of cloud computing market share, the questions are all about execution. Additionally, OpenStack has plenty of competition within CloudStack, vCloud, Eucalyptus, and more. Will OpenStack clouds have the chance to compete against established public clouds such as Amazon and Microsoft? If so, how?
The reality is OpenStack is full of large and powerful companies with competing agendas. Does Rackspace want to “share” the cloud business with HP or dominate? Does Red Hat want to share the commercialization of OpenStack with the likes of upstart Piston Cloud? This leads these competitors to differentiate their solutions and has the potential to create fragmentation of OpenStack a la Google’s Android. While each provider starts with the same core solution, they innovate around it via features, integrations, or other capabilities.
With that said, the biggest danger to OpenStack may be its ability to create a stable and mature release for its “customers.” After all, OpenStack’s customers are gunning for Amazon and they certainly aren’t standing still. OpenStack must resist the temptation to boil the ocean and instead focus on providing a stable, flexible, and useable release that is ready for production deployments. Time will tell if the OpenStack community is up for the task.
Cloud Computing Today: How do you foresee OpenStack’s most significant technical challenge? What must OpenStack achieve in order to become a credible alternative to Amazon Web Services?
Floyd Strimling: Perhaps the most significant technical challenge for OpenStack is building a commercially viable solution that satisfies the needs of its members while keeping pace with its competitors. It’s a daunting task to know that you have competition from other open source projects as well as public cloud providers.
Again, as OpenStack is an enabling technology, it needs a commercially viable offering that is in production to compete against Amazon Web Services. However, this is only the first step. These OpenStack clouds must have the features, availability, ease of use, scale, etc. to stand up to AWS. The challenge is as OpenStack struggles for technical parity with AWS, AWS is moving forward at a staggering pace offering innovative solutions with seemingly endless price reductions.
Cloud Computing Today: Which vendor or vendors do you see as most likely to succeed in commercializing OpenStack?
Floyd Strimling: I see Red Hat as the most likely vendor to succeed in commercializing OpenStack. After all, Red Hat has done this before and they finally are focused on the cloud. However, Red Hat has plenty of work to do to make this a reality. Additionally, an intriguing partnership of sorts would be if Red Hat and Rackspace created a joint offering. Red Hat would provide the enterprise or private cloud solution while Rackspace would handle the public cloud. In essence, this would give customers the ability to create hybrid environments backed by proven commercially viable companies.
Additionally, I wouldn’t count out Piston Cloud or Nebula as they offer unique solutions that are based on OpenStack. Piston’s ability to utilize a customer’s existing network hardware, such as Arista Networks, to build a secure, open, and easy to deploy cloud is a very compelling solution. In contrast, Nebula’s appliance-based solution offers a simple way to build an OpenStack cloud that appeals to those that prefer hardware-based solutions.
Floyd Strimling is a Technical Evangelist and the Senior Director of Marketing & Community at Zenoss. Floyd has been following the Cloud computing/autonomic computing (and predecessors), datacenter automation, virtualization, networking and security areas now for over a decade. Floyd also writes on technology trends at his personal blog, The Platen Report.
Zenoss is a leading provider of management software for physical, virtual, and cloud-based IT infrastructures. Over 35,000 organizations worldwide have deployed Zenoss to manage their networks, servers, virtual devices, storage, and cloud infrastructure, gaining complete visibility and predictability into their IT operations. Customers include Rackspace, VMware, Hosting.com, LinkedIn, Motorola and SunGard. | <urn:uuid:930df747-06a7-449d-aaaf-c8c487bf26a7> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://cloud-computing-today.com/2012/05/13/assessing-openstack-cloudstack-and-amazon-web-services-an-interview-with-floyd-strimling-of-zenoss/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00008-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.941127 | 1,642 | 1.585938 | 2 |
The Washington area isn't known for it's Cuban restaurants (that would be Miami). But at one time, back in my student days about a century ago, there was a great little Cuban place in the Adams-Morgan neighborhood here in the District of Columbia called The Omega.
The wait staff consisted of older Cuban gentlemen with thick accents, all smartly outfitted in white shirts and black pants and possibly even white aprons. We'd go there when we wanted a delicious meal for cheap. I think a chicken casserole thick with meat and onions and peas was something like $4.95 and with that you got the standard sides, consisting of a bowl of runny black beans and a generous scoop of rice.
But we always had to order a side of fried plantains, or platanos, because they were simply irresistible. I remember them being more on the sweet side than savory, lightly fried and somewhat delicate. What a taste, scooping up a sweet plantain while you still had black beans and rice in your mouth. You could never make something like that up, it had to come from the original cuisine.
In any case, that's the image I had in mind when I decided to make fried plantains in our "food appreciation" classes this week. We don't normally cook with hot oil (I don't even want to think about an accident). But how can you travel around the Caribbean without eating plantains? So this week we are in Puerto Rico on our virtual world food tour making fried plantains and a simple dipping sauce. We are taking unusual precautions around our pan of hot oil so that the kids don't even get close.
Our brief stop in Cuba last week reminded all of us how food binds the world together and sometimes requires us to think about many different issues, not just cooking but questions of culture, ethnicity, politics, history, ethics. I couldn't help pointing out that while Cuba lies only 90 miles off American shores, we have maintained for the last 50 years an economic and political blockade of that country simply because we don't like Fidel Castro or his form of government. We decry the Communist regime of Castro on the one hand, but meanwhile elevate another communist regime with a horrible human rights record--China--to the position of important trading partner and principal banker to the U.S.
"Hypocrisy...." I heard one of the kids mutter.
I went on to note that Puerto Rico, while a U.S. territory, has no voting rights in Congress and the residents do not pay federal income taxes. Meanwhile, we here in the District of Columbia, the seat of our national government, also do not have voting rights in Congress but we are required to pay federal income taxes. (Imagine all the people who'd be trying to move here if we didn't?)
"Why are you telling us these things?" another student asked.
It all led to a very lively discussion of how food can take us to unexpected places and teach us more than just how to eat.
But back to the food....
For the completely uninitiated, a plantain looks like a big banana but harder and much starchier. Only toward the very end stages of ripeness do plantains begin to soften and taste mildly like a banana. Otherwise they are often used more like a potato or other starchy vegetable. They are often sold in supermarkets if you live in an area with any sizable Hispanic population. Or look for them in Latin groceries. Sometimes they will be separated into two types--plantains that are still green, intended for savory dishes such as casseroles, and the riper ones that are better for eating on their own.
I'm not a plantain expert, but I'm told that in Puerto Rico they are commonly cooked according to a two-step process. First, remove the skin by using the tip of a pairing knife to make two or three slits lengthwise on the fruit. After removing the skin, cut the fruit crosswise or on an angle into fairly thick pieces, about 3/4 inch.
Meanwhile, use moderate heat to bring about 1/2 inch canola oil in a heavy skillet to around 360 degrees, or a point where a piece of plantain placed in the oil will create fairly vigorous bubbles but not burn. Arrange the plantain pieces in the oil and cook until they are browned on both sides, using a pair of forks to flip them over. Remove the pieces to a plate covered with paper towels to drain. Allow them to cool for a few minutes before whacking them with a meat tenderizer or other heavy object.
The intention is not to destroy the plantain pieces or turn them into chips, but simple to flatten them a little exposing some of the insides. You can do this between a couple pieces of waxed paper. Then return the plantain pieces to the hot oil and brown again. This second step will cook the plantain all the way through.
For a dipping sauce, mix 1/2 cup sour cream with 2 teaspoons lemon juice and 2 teaspoons lime juice. Add 1/2 teaspoon chili powder and mix well.
Enjoy picking up the plantain pieces with your fingers and dipping them into the sauce. You might need to make more. They are quite addictive. | <urn:uuid:5c35695e-3ce2-4b2b-8e5e-c227900c6d64> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://theslowcook.blogspot.com/2009/01/kids-make-fried-plantains.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700958435/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104238-00002-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.960225 | 1,082 | 1.773438 | 2 |
Melissa Willis is an expert on homelessness.
From News & Record:
“A cold rain that sometimes turned to sleet throughout the day likely kept people away from corners where they usually panhandle, volunteer Melissa ‘Byrd’ Willis, 25, said.
Willis, who was homeless when she was in her teens, said the annual [homeless] count is important because the funding can help improve services.
‘I’ve lived it. I’ve been in their shoes,’ Willis said. ‘I know how it feels to be outside and trying your best every day to try to make things better for yourself.’”
I met Melissa when she was 16 and homeless. Today, she is a friend who I respect and admire, and who inspires me by her love for God and people, and her ministry to the homeless and poor.
The only experts on homelessness are people who’ve been homeless. I’m not an expert, just a grateful, blessed friend of experts — like Melissa.
Love you, Bird. ♥
Note: The article “Volunteers scour streets” is available on A1 of the Thursday, January 27, 2011 e-edition of the News & Record (requires registration). | <urn:uuid:8a1d2fd5-997e-4949-bac0-17e16889d969> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://chosenfast.com/2011/01/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704713110/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516114513-00002-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.966897 | 274 | 1.523438 | 2 |
Documents declassified by the government’s highest classification authority will soon be posted online in a new government declassification portal, a Federal declassification expert said at a July 25, 2012 FOIA Requester Roundtable.
William C. Carpenter of the Information Security Oversight Office (ISOO) at the National Archives provided tips on a variety of declassification issues and pointed to recent changes including posting newly declassified records via the portal, which is expected to launch later this year. The changes are a result of June 2012 updates to the bylaws of the Interagency Security Classification Appeals Panel (ISCAP), which is the government’s final appellate authority on classification issues, made up of senior intelligence agency officials. The new portal is a joint effort of ISOO, ISCAP and the National Declassification Center (NDC), which all oversee government classification matters.
Carpenter joined co-hosts OGIS and the Department of Justice’s Office of Information Policy (OIP) to discuss issues related to Mandatory Declassification Review (MDR) and FOIA with approximately 20 requesters and government employees. OGIS and OIP co-host quarterly FOIA Requester Roundtables.
As OGIS covered in its November 2011 post “Demystifying Declassification,” requesters of classified records must choose either MDR or FOIA to try to obtain those records. Each works slightly differently and the most significant difference, Carpenter said, is that requests for MDR must be much more specific than a FOIA request might be. In either case, an agency must be able to locate the specific record a requester seeks to declassify.
Under MDR, the agency determines whether information can be declassified; requesters who disagree can appeal to the agency and then can appeal to ISCAP which is the final authority — requesters cannot litigate MDR denials. The FOIA process is no different from any other FOIA request: the agency determines whether information can be declassified; requesters who disagree can appeal to the agency; requesters who continue to disagree can litigate.
While OGIS exists as the FOIA Ombudsman to assist with FOIA-related issues, the office really does not have a role in the MDR process. Rather, ISOO, also part of the National Archives, is the best government resource for MDR-related issues.
Requests for review of MDR decisions to ISCAP have grown exponentially in recent years, Carpenter said. More than 100 appeals come to ISCAP annually, up from about 20 per year in 1996. The panel, which currently meets every two weeks, adjudicates about 50 to 70 appeals per year. The panelists are not bound by a “first-in, first-out” process as with FOIA, but can determine which appeals to take based on topic, date, requester or other criteria, Carpenter said. Requesters’ success rates are high with ISCAP: “Sixty percent of the time, additional information is declassified by ISCAP,” he said.
Carpenter and others addressed several questions from requesters throughout the discussion. One important procedural point involved requesters who prevail through the MDR process. When records are declassified via MDR but redacted citing FOIA exemptions, the requester may not want to complete the MDR process, appealing through the agency and then ISCAP, Carpenter said. Rather, he suggested, the likely more productive course would be to request those records using FOIA in order to obtain FOIA review of those exemptions.
Another distinction between FOIA and MDR occurs when records contain equities, or interests, involving more than one agency. With FOIA, a request can be referred to another agency which then becomes the agency of record for that portion of the request and is where a requester would return for status updates and a response. With MDR, however, the agency receiving the MDR request must see the review through from start to finish. If another agency must be consulted, the original agency must receive the records back to respond to the requester.
This can lead to great delays with the MDR process, Carpenter said. “In many cases it takes more than a year.” In such cases, he pointed to the automatic appeal option with MDR — requesters can directly appeal a request delayed for one year to ISCAP, though they must do so within 60 days of that one-year anniversary.
For requesters seeking MDR, they should address those requests to the appropriate person or office within an individual agency — those contacts are posted on the National Archives’ website.
As ISOO, ISCAP and the NDC work to implement the new declassification portal, they welcome suggestions which can be sent to email@example.com. | <urn:uuid:3f559c54-339e-4d62-ab8f-5120e66b2e07> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://blogs.archives.gov/foiablog/page/5/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706890813/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516122130-00010-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.942768 | 975 | 1.5625 | 2 |
NAME: Krister Johnson, '13
KNOCK, KNOCK: Philosophy jokes usually imply that philosophy is impractical, idle speculation with no real-world application. On the contrary, philosophy teaches you to question, reason and argue. You learn to consider other perspectives, explore alternative worldviews, and test the foundation of your own. Rather than being impractical, I've found philosophy to be the most valuable major for my future career path.
LET'S BE REASONABLE, SHALL WE? The class Introduction to Logic rewired the way I think. A professor once said that learning logic is like fixing blurred vision by getting glasses. He is exactly right. Intro to Logic benefited how I write, debate, speak and listen. It even helped boost my LSAT score in preparation for law school.
FORREST BAIRD (right, with Johnson) ROCKS!
Forrest Baird's legend is well deserved. I had the privilege of participating in his Core 250 Europe Study Program. He packed years' worth of culture, laughter, philosophy and fun into that short Jan Term. The experience changed my life. Once I returned to campus, I got to be Forrest's teaching assistant for his Intro to Logic class, getting to experience my favorite class all over again. He has taught me about the pivotal figures of Western and Eastern thought. But most of all, he has taught me to start every day, class and activity with a smile and a joke.
WANNA DEBATE? I'm in my third year on Whitworth's Ethics Bowl team (2012 national champs!). I'm also one of the founding members of Whitworth's revived forensics program (2012 national champs!).
MEMORIES… I was recently pulled into a conversation with some freshmen in my dorm. They were posing some of the big worldview questions that all students inevitably encounter during our time at Whitworth. I began adding questions to the conversation and proposing some of the answers that Whitworth professors often give. With every minute, the students' excitement grew. Our conversation lasted for hours, well into the night.
WHAT'S NEXT? I'm going to law school after I graduate from Whitworth. I've applied to Harvard, Yale and Stanford. I want to shape public policy, in whatever role I end up in. | <urn:uuid:1afaeb0d-6c77-4641-9dd6-fcad6312aea5> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://whitworth.edu/Administration/InstitutionalAdvancement/UniversityCommunications/WhitworthToday/2012_FallWinter/ThisisWhitworth.htm | 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 | 0.960357 | 469 | 1.539063 | 2 |
There are many School of Medicine scholarship opportunities available for currently enrolled and incoming medical students for the upcoming academic year. Recipients of the Kansas Medical Student Loan (KMSL), National Health Service Corp Scholarship, Indian Health Service Scholarship, military scholarship or students enrolled in a combined degree program are ineligible for School of Medicine scholarships.
Generally, two types of scholarships exist: Those for which you apply directly to the sponsoring agency and scholarships that are awarded by the School of Medicine Scholarship Committee. Scholarship awards that are determined by the Office of Cultural Enhancement and Diversity will be based on the School of Medicine scholarship application and reviewed by the Scholarship Committee as well.
School of Medicine scholarships are generally non-renewable and may be based on financial need and/or merit as well as responses to the questions on the application. Please be aware that only those who complete the School of Medicine scholarship application will be considered for a scholarship, and you must reapply each year.
For all currently enrolled students, the deadline for completion of the scholarship application is Wednesday, February 13, 2013. All incoming students will receive an e-mail with a specific deadline date based on their date of acceptance. Applications received after specified deadlines will not be considered.
The School of Medicine scholarship application is available at https://www2.kumc.edu/som/MEDS.
Login with your MEDS User ID (First + Last Name with no spaces) and Student ID (7 digit KU Student ID). | <urn:uuid:56b89b9d-a214-4eaf-874f-8b3037a88d43> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.kumc.edu/school-of-medicine/osa/scholarships-loans-and-contests.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00005-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.963452 | 301 | 1.570313 | 2 |
In Honduras, as anywhere, we rely for the protection of students and staff on a combination of common sense and the local police. Pueblo Nuevo and Petoa have a combined population of ca. 3,000. There is a police station about two blocks from where we live. Both communities are fairly quiet but this does not mean that we can be complacent about security. The armed robbery of the program's payroll in March, 2000, highlights the need to be alert. Though this was the only time in our 33 years of working in Honduras that we were bothered in this way, we have taken steps to enhance security at the site and houses, to make certain there are no future problems. In particular, the following procedures were in place throughout the 2008 program and work very well:
All local program staff are paid by check in an office away from the site. The motivation for the 2000 robbery was the payroll that was paid in cash. Immediately after that incident, we converted to a check payment system and have had no further problems.
All vegetation around the site where we will be excavating will be cut to the ground before work begins. This enhances visibility and reduces the chance of having unannounced visitors.
There will be guards at the site equipped with two-way radios that connect them with each other, the directors, staff working in town, and the police. Should they detect any untoward activities, the guards will inform the police and receive immediate assistance.
The same arrangement will be instituted for the houses, a different set of guards watching our residences during the night. Once again, they will use their radios to alert the directors and police of any suspicious activity.
All houses will be equipped with radios so that we may communicate amongst ourselves.
We were back in Pueblo Nuevo and Petoa from May through August, 2001, and, again, from January-July, 2002, 2004, and 2008 working with students. We tested out the above procedures and confirmed that they worked more than satisfactorily. More importantly, we found that the residents of both towns were happy to see us and warmly welcomed our return. Such acceptance is comforting, and is the strongest assurance of our safety and enjoyment of life in Honduras that we can have. The security procedures outlined above are precautions comparable to those employed by any institution concerned for the safety of its members. We are not anticipating any trouble, but feel that it is prudent to take steps to ensure that all of us, students and staff alike, will have a safe and productive season. | <urn:uuid:151476c9-2278-4bdf-a068-8bef2cf3ebf6> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.kenyon.edu/x11529.xml | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.972729 | 518 | 1.726563 | 2 |
The Forbidden Woods
|Game(s)||The Wind Waker (2003)|
Link arrives at the Forest Haven in search of Farore's Pearl. The Great Deku Tree, who protects the Koroks who live there, promises to give Link the pearl once the annual Korok Ceremony, vital to the safety of the Koroks, has taken place. However, a Korok named Makar accidentally fell into the woods while flying over it, so the ceremony cannot take place. The Great Deku Tree decides that Link's arrival on the island was fated to happen. So, knowing that heroic deeds are expected of Link, he sends Link to the Forbidden Woods to rescue Makar.
One of the Koroks points out that Link cannot fly to the Forbidden Woods since he is too heavy, and he cannot sail to the entrance either. So, the Deku Tree grows a Deku Leaf on one of his crowns, which will allow Link to fly to the Forbidden Woods. Link utilizes several Baba Buds to reach the Deku Leaf and proceeds to the Forbidden Woods with the help of the "Wind's Requiem" and the Updrafts encircling the area.
At the end of the dungeon, Link finally locates Makar, but upon Link's arrival Makar is abruptly swallowed by the boss Kalle Demos. After Link defeats the enormous plant creature with his Boomerang, Makar is released from the beast. Makar feels guilty for flying over the Forbidden Woods after he learns that the Great Deku Tree sent Link to rescue him. Once the pair return to the Forest Haven, though, the Great Deku Tree forgives Makar since he is just glad that Makar is safe now.
As promised, the Great Deku Tree gives Farore's Pearl to Link. Link is also able to see the Korok's annual ceremony. Makar plays a song on his violin, and the other Koroks begin to sing as the Great Deku Tree releases seeds from its branches, which the Koroks will plant on islands across the Great Sea. After the ceremony, Link departs the Forest Haven and sets off to his next destination.
This dungeon is home to many monstrous plants and insects, including the boss, Kalle Demos. The only way in for a human is by flying over from the top of Forest Haven with the Deku Leaf with the wind blowing in its direction. Koroks can obviously fly in, but are forbidden (hence the name) by the Great Deku Tree. Baba Buds commonly grow in the dungeon and can be used to reach the many high ledges as well as to replenish magic. Some parts of the dungeon contains what looks like poisoned swamp water like the variety seen in Woodfall Temple in The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask, but the water is safe to swim in. Upon talking to various Koroks one of them says "We Koroks used to once live in the Forbidden Woods a very long time ago. If you see any very large stumps they might be ruined houses!" This leads to the speculation that the Forbidden Woods (or at least part of it) might have been part of the original Kokiri Forest.
Some believe the Forbidden Woods to be the Lost Woods, Kokiri Forest, or the remains of the Deku Tree from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. This theory can be disputed by the fact that in Ocarina of Time, this general region was not on a mountain of any great size. However, the survival of the Kokiri/Koroks and the implication that the Great Deku Tree seen in Forest Haven may be the Deku Tree Sprout lends support to the possibility that the region did somehow survive the Great Flood. Some additional evidence to this theory is the Kokiri symbol seen on the doors in the Forbidden Woods, and the mentioning by one Korok that the Forbidden Woods were once the Koroks' home. | <urn:uuid:9f5065be-84da-4ac7-a7cd-74e24a2952c3> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://zelda.wikia.com/wiki/Forbidden_Woods | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00013-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.941747 | 807 | 1.539063 | 2 |
Since 1992, an 80-foot painting of longtime Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra concertmaster Ralph Morrison, holding his Guarnerius violin, has looked down on Harbor Freeway commuters from its nine-story vista on a 7th Street parking structure.
The portrait, part of a still-incomplete Kent Twitchell mural of the whole orchestra, is permanent, but as of last month, it became drastically out of date.
Morrison, who joined LACO in 1980 and became concertmaster in 1988--announced in May that he had decided to "pursue other projects," according to a press announcement.
Commenting on the departure, LACO Executive Director Bruce Thibodeau praised Morrison: "Ralph has a wonderful charisma and great energy--the orchestra always played more vibrantly when he was around. Now that he is leaving, we will definitely miss him."
Morrison was unavailable for comment.
While the chamber orchestra chooses whom to name to succeed Morrison, Clayton Haslop, who has occupied the first-violinist's chair this season, has been appointed acting concertmaster.
And what about the huge white-tie-and-tails image of Morrison, the first of the orchestra members to have been immortalized by Twitchell?
"This mural represents the chamber orchestra in the decade of the '90s, and there is no reason to change it," says Thibodeau. In fact, instead of changing it, the goal is to finish it. Completion has been held up, he says, by the destruction of Twitchell's studio in the Northridge earthquake and financial problems at LACO.
The additional dozen-or-so portraits needed to memorialize the entire orchestra, says Thibodeau, will go up "as soon as we raise the $90,000 to $100,000 necessary." | <urn:uuid:7cbfa7cc-635e-42ac-b407-3310a4c867d0> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://articles.latimes.com/1996-06-09/entertainment/ca-13123_1_chamber-orchestra | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00017-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.974971 | 381 | 1.625 | 2 |
Dennis P. Lockhart
President and Chief Executive Officer
Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta
Business Leaders Luncheon
March 31, 2010
After the deepest and longest recession in the past half century—a recession largely precipitated by a financial crisis in which the global financial system came close to unraveling—the U.S. economy is now in recovery. Today I want to discuss the prospects that the recovery will proceed forward—is sustainable—and the implications of the outlook I will present for perhaps the most vexing current problem coming out of the recession: unemployment. I will close by connecting these views to the direction of monetary policy.
At the outset I must emphasize that my remarks today will reflect my personal views only and don't necessary reflect the views of my colleagues on the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC).
The economic situation and outlook
Today is the last day of the first quarter of 2010. I expect the first quarter to extend the recovery that began last summer and accelerated in the fourth quarter of 2009. Fourth quarter gross domestic product (GDP) growth was revised down a little last week but still was measured at 5.6 percent, a rather strong number. I don't expect growth of that strength to repeat itself in the first quarter. A big contributor to fourth quarter growth was the slowdown of inventory liquidation, in all likelihood a transitory phenomenon. When inventory liquidation slows, more activity is required to maintain inventory-to-sales ratios. For the first quarter, I expect a more moderate growth rate, a little below 3 percent.
Underpinning the continued growth we're experiencing is steady improvement in private spending in the United States. Private spending has two elements. The first, consumer spending, is expanding. Despite low levels of confidence and constrained access to credit, consumer spending, is growing at a moderate pace.
The second element is business spending on inventory and capital goods. This category of private spending has been rising quite briskly in recent months. Last week we got another positive reading for February but at levels that disappointed analysts. As a consequence, many forecasters revised down their estimate of equipment and software spending for the first quarter.
Nonetheless, business spending on equipment and software is helping to offset softer housing and commercial construction. Problems in the housing sector vary by location and have been especially acute in my part of the country, the Southeast. Nationally, the pace of home sales slowed late last year, and sales have eased further so far this year. Continued stabilization of the housing sector—especially house prices—is likely a precondition for sustained economic recovery.
The economy remains in a transitional phase from a period that depended on support of public sector programs to a period of resumed growth based on private spending. For the recovery to be sustained, we need consumers to consume and businesses to spend on inventory, investment goods, and human resources. Economic forecasts hinge on how formidable those positive forces will be and on the strength of countervailing headwinds.
Views about the economic outlook fall roughly into two narratives. The more optimistic scenario is a V-shaped bounce back from severe recession. This has been the historic experience for the most part. In this scenario, growth exceeds the underlying long-term potential of the economy for a number of quarters, and unemployment declines at a steady pace. Both consumer activity and business investment show rising growth. Exports contribute meaningfully to GDP, reflecting growth of our principal trading partners, particularly in Asia. And the banking system navigates a troubled commercial real estate sector and expands credit to both businesses and consumers, fueling a rather strong recovery.
By contrast, the second scenario is a relatively modest recovery, with slow reduction of unemployment. Various headwinds hold back GDP growth. They include (1) a banking sector that is slow to expand credit in part because of weak loan demand and commercial real estate problems, (2) a weak state and local public sector that is adjusting to fiscal pressures by cutting expenditures and employees, (3) as referenced earlier, a housing sector that is slow to stabilize, and (4) an extremely cautious business sector as regards investment and hiring. You can add to this list the impact of some level of subdued consumer activity reflecting a more frugal mindset.
In our contacts with business executives, my staff of economists in Atlanta and I have been probing the questions that underlie the headwinds hypothesis. We have been getting a lot of anecdotal confirmation. As a consequence, our outlook is closer to the second narrative.
Perspective on labor markets
As already suggested, an implication of this slow recovery scenario is the very gradual decline of today's unacceptably high rate of unemployment. For perspective, let me recount the movement of the official unemployment rate reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) in my short tenure as a Fed policymaker. I became Atlanta Fed president in March 2007, just over three years ago. When I started, the unemployment rate was 4.5 percent. Today, the rate stands at 9.7 percent, down from a high of more than 10 percent in October.
I view unemployment as a daunting economic challenge—and very likely a dominant political issue—of the period ahead. So, for the next few minutes, I'd like to attempt a deeper examination of the topic of unemployment.
Unemployment is a multifaceted problem. I will comment on what happened to labor markets through the recession, the current state of employment and unemployment in the country, and what has to happen to bring unemployment down to its optimal level. I will touch on trends in labor force participation, underemployment, job destruction and creation, and structural dimensions of unemployment.
First, let me relate what has happened since the start of the recession. Today, there are about 130 million payroll jobs in the United States, and that number is about 8.4 million lower than at the beginning of the recession. At its peak in January of last year, monthly job loss reached 779,000.
It's evident that a lot of jobs were lost. Job loss was very broad based, and the resulting unemployment has been of long duration. That said, men were disproportionately affected during this recession, specifically young men. Men's share of unemployment was greater than their share of the labor force.
Given troubles in the housing sector, it is not surprising that the construction industry has shed 26 percent of its jobs—a decline of almost 2 million jobs since the start of the recession. The manufacturing industry has shed 16 percent of its jobs, with an employment decline of 2.2 million, of which about one-fourth is related to declines in the housing sector. The construction and manufacturing labor markets are dominated by men, as reflected in their disproportionate increase in unemployment. These industries are unlikely to return to prerecession levels of employment any time soon. The challenge ahead is transitioning workers—whether men or women—to areas of growth.
About 15 million people in the United States are unemployed. Of these, about 70 percent are covered by some type of unemployment insurance, and half of those are covered under federal extended benefit programs. These extended benefit programs are helpful to unemployed workers making a transition to new jobs. But the programs also may partially explain the unusually high and persistent unemployment rate, with some estimating the effect to be 1 percentage point or even higher.
Also, underemployment is prevalent. The underemployed include both discouraged workers (defined as people who want to work but are not currently actively looking) as well as individuals who are working part-time but want to work full-time. The unemployment rate that combines the fully unemployed and underemployed workers is about 17 percent.
Another indication of underemployment is reduced hours of work. Average hours of work per week are still well below prerecession levels although up from the lowest point seen last fall.
Despite the weak state of labor markets, there are signs that the worst may be behind us. The rate of job loss is slowing. The rate of decline in payroll employment has been close to zero in the last couple of months. Also, while initial and continuing unemployment claims are at historically high levels, both have fallen.
Another bright spot is temporary employment. The temporary services sector shed more than 800,000 jobs during the recession but has seen a notable increase since last fall. This improvement is noteworthy as temporary employment is often viewed as a leading indicator.
Deconstructing unemployment and labor market rigidities
The normal state of affairs in the country's labor market is a dynamic mix of separations from employment and new job creation. There are two causes of separations—layoffs and voluntarily quitting a job, or so-called quits. The BLS began collecting data on these factors in 2000.
In 2008 and 2009, layoffs surged. Fortunately, the number of layoffs per month has recently returned to prerecession levels.
In addition, quits are at a decade-low level likely in part because of the uncertainty of job availability.
Today's slow pace of employment gains is due more to the slow pace of job creation, not the high rate of layoffs. Job gains, as conventionally understood, require two things: a vacancy and a worker able to fill that vacancy. For most of 2009, vacancies were relatively flat while unemployment continued to rise. This condition suggests the existence of what labor economists call "match inefficiencies."
There are two key types of match inefficiency. One is geographic mismatch. In 2008, the percentage of individuals living in a county or state different than the previous year was the lowest recorded in more than 50 years of data. People may be reluctant to relocate for a new job if the value of their house has declined. In addition, many who would like to move are under water in their mortgage or can't sell their homes.
The second inefficiency is skills mismatch. In simple terms, the skills people have don't match the jobs available. Coming out of this recession there may be a more or less permanent change in the composition of jobs. Skill mismatches require new training, and there is evidence that adult education institutions have responded to this need. For instance, officials at Miami-Dade College in Florida, which is the largest college in the country and a grantor of associate and vocational degrees, told us they have recently seen a strong increase in enrollment, especially of men in their 20s.
This evidence of retooling is encouraging, but, to be realistic, structural adjustment takes time.
Prospects for labor market recovery
Looking forward, the consensus forecast for March is that the economy will add 200,000 new jobs. That number includes a boost from temporary government hiring for the census.
However, according to an Atlanta Fed estimate, we need to add about that number to payrolls each month for the next year to bring unemployment down a full percentage point. This estimate assumes that the growth in the labor force stays in line with the growth in the population.
All things considered, labor market trends appear to be headed in the right direction. But it's quite possible the recovery could be well advanced before any significant reduction of unemployment materializes. It's also quite possible circumstances justifying the start of a cycle of policy tightening will develop well before the unemployment rate has found a satisfactory level.
A realistic level might be above the level I saw when I joined the Fed. I do believe the structural rate of unemployment has risen. Calibrating monetary stimulus to a goal of bringing unemployment fully to prerecession levels would be a mistake.
So let me now comment on how I'm thinking about the relationship between the Fed's employment mandate and monetary policy.
Implications for monetary policy
As you know, monetary policy is highly accommodative. And I think this stance is appropriate at present. I continue to support the substance of the policy the FOMC articulated in recent meetings. That is, economic conditions warrant a low federal funds rate target for an extended period. Markets are highly interested in the meaning of "extended period." I don't think it is appropriate to talk in terms of a specific timeframe or number of meetings. As long as inflation remains subdued and inflation expectations anchored, a key factor for me is improvement of employment markets.
Going forward, I will be looking for signs that employment gains are likely to repeat and accumulate and, once achieved, are likely to be durable.
What might such signs be? One indication would be that the process of job creation is improving. In January, we saw a sizable increase of job openings, according to the BLS. I'm looking for that to become a trend. A second sign would be a decline in the measured rate of underemployment. And the third sign would be a string of employment gains large enough to appreciably move the unemployment rate down over time.
There are hopeful, if tentative, signs of improvement in employment markets. We have a long way to go, and for that reason I believe it is premature to assume an imminent reversal of the Fed's accommodative policy. But you can interpret the fact that I am here discussing the conditions under which such a reversal will be appropriate as an indication of my conviction that we are, finally, moving in the right direction. | <urn:uuid:05ffc9ad-b23e-48bf-ac89-3bfbe684f2bc> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.frbatlanta.org/news/speeches/lockhart_033110.cfm?d=1&series= | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704392896/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113952-00015-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.958525 | 2,701 | 1.546875 | 2 |
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In the hospital we used the industrial strength electric version, which is very heavy and expensive. I wouldn't recommend it for home use.
The mini electric is a lighter and cheaper version than the industrial and doesn't have the dual phase. I found it better than the large electric pump and bought one for when I returned to work, the only disadvantage is that it's very noisy and I feel as if the whole office can hear me expressing. However you only need one hand and can type or eat while you're using it.
Embarrassed about the noise of the mini electric I also now have a harmony breast pump. This is very quiet and just as quick as the mini electric. It is also half the price. However the dual phase isn’t really necessary, you can't multi task as you need both hands and it can be tiring on the pumping hand.
I have only tried medela pumps as I have been told they are the best. I've given this item 4 stars because of the noise but I don’t think you will find a better pump.
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Search Customer Discussions | <urn:uuid:da99e5a0-53d0-4d9a-99ce-95fea18b4a60> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.amazon.co.uk/Medela-Single-Mini-Electric-Breastpump/dp/B000LP1G98 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705195219/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115315-00009-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.958396 | 631 | 1.523438 | 2 |
Your Spiritual Journey
Do you ever wonder if the person at the desk next to you believes in a higher power? Does your neighbor think there is life after death? Do other members of your family pray? Most everyone has some view of spirituality. More often than not it is unspoken and held silently. Many have questions. Some don’t believe at all.
The majority of people do believe in the supernatural in some form. Many claim to have “faith” yet never enter a church. Many pray, often in times of desperation. Yet others feel prayer is a false hope.
Powerful stories of answered prayer have come down through the ages and the generations. The question of faith is an intensely personal one. Each one of us decides in our own heart if we will believe in God or if we will reach to other forms of spirituality. You alone make the final choice as to where to place your faith.
To leave these matters unattended in our hearts is similar to leaving a ship unanchored on the ocean and hope the wind never comes up. Trying to put an anchor down in the midst of a fierce gale is a difficult task. We do well to examine our faith and set our spiritual anchor while the wind is calm. We all know how it can blow at times!
Allow me to share with you the anchor I have found for my soul as I journey through life.
The most powerful evidence of the existence of God is seen in the person and life of Jesus Christ. His story is recorded history. His power still changes lives in remarkable ways today! His teachings still apply to our daily living and His Spirit works in our spirit to direct us and empower us beyond anything we could visualize ourselves.
The Bible tells us of a personal God who gives us hope as we believe in His son, Jesus Christ.
This believing becomes a point of power in our lives. This believing
- goes beyond rituals and rules.
- it connects us to His Spirit.
- it stirs in us a realization that even our own best thinking will be surpassed with God’s wisdom when we seek it.
- it moves us toward a dependency on God as our source of strength.
- it helps us admit our weaknesses and faults and find God’s help to change
- it anchors the soul.
As we believe in the crucified and risen Jesus and declare our faith in Him we receive authority, as an adopted child of God, to bring our requests to God in prayer.
Prayer is the natural cry of the soul to God. We were created to live a life of prayer…to communicate with God. He actually waits for us to call out to Him. That longing for spirituality that you feel within your soul was put there by God so you would seek Him and find Him. It is a simple choice to believe. It is a simple thing to acknowledge the void within and ask Him to fill it. Many have found that the things they seek to fill the emptiness can end up leaving them bankrupt spiritually and sometimes even emotionally and physically.
Anchoring your soul by faith in Jesus is the foundation for a spiritual journey that will bring you fulfillment. It will bring power in praying as you begin to apply the teaching of the Bible to your daily life.
But don’t take my word for it. It is a discovery to be made for yourself. Are you tired of feeling the void within your spirit? Have you found that the things you tried in hopes of finding that lasting satisfaction have failed? Then call out to God. Tell Him you believe His son Jesus died and rose from the grave. Tell Him you are tired of going your own way and need His Spirit to direct you. Invite Him to share the journey of life with you. You have nothing to lose and oh so much to gain. Why not anchor your soul today?
Here’s a suggested prayer:
Lord Jesus, I want to know you personally. Thank you for dying on the cross for my sins. I open the door of my life to you and ask you to come in as my Saviour and Lord. Take control of my life. Thank you for forgiving my sins and giving me eternal life. Make me the kind of woman you want me to be.
If this prayer expresses the desire of your heart, pray it right now and Christ will come into your life as He promised.
If you invited Jesus Christ into your life, thank God often that He is in your life, that He will never leave you and that you have eternal life. As you learn more about your relationship with God, and how much He loves you, you’ll experience life to the fullest.
Suggestions to help you on your spiritual journey:
- Evidence that Demands a Verdict by Josh McDowell
- The Case for Christ by Lee Strobel
- The Passion of Jesus Christ by John Piper
- The Book of John in the Bible
- The Passion of Christ movie directed by Mel Gibson | <urn:uuid:4dbb8ba5-1c3c-4882-9956-778bdf6edc22> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://powertochange.com/discover/faith/yourspirit/ | 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 | 0.962429 | 1,025 | 1.515625 | 2 |
I read about this in The Wall Street Journal last week and forgot about until a reminder from Doug Ross. He’s right, you should tell everybody you know to stop sending that organization money. Unless that is, you want to go back to the Stone Age.
Ask the Sierra Club. This week, the venerable environmental organization announced its “Beyond Natural Gas” initiative, to go along with their “Beyond Coal” and “Beyond Oil” campaigns. Of course, they hate nuclear energy too.
“Fossil fuels have no part in America’s energy future – coal, oil, and natural gas are literally poisoning us. The emergence of natural gas as a significant part of our energy mix is particularly frightening because it dangerously postpones investment in clean energy at a time when we should be doubling down on wind, solar and energy efficiency.”
—Robin Mann, Sierra Club President
The Sierra Club has over a half-million members (down from 600,000) and an annual budget of $100 million. They are arguably the most influential environmental lobby in the country. People take them seriously, and politicians listen.
With their opposition to the fossil fuels and nukes, the Sierra Club takes 91% of our current energy sources off the table (see EIA chart at the end of the post). And most of the remaining 9% they’re not too crazy about. Below the fold, we’ll take a closer look.
Youthful naïvete has an endearing quality. If their proposal were merely impractical, it would be naïve. The Sierra Club is not naïve. Their plan is physically and economically impossible. They have a willfully foolish, craven and destructive agenda. They are not looking for solutions. They wish an end to our industrialized civilization. They wish us to return to mud huts.
Read the whole thing. It wasn’t too long ago that the Sierra Club was taking millions from the natural gas industry, when they thought of it as a bridge fuel. Now that they’re finding out how abundant it is, and can bring about about lower energy prices along with much-needed jobs, they’re out to destroy it. The natural gas industry is finding out the hard way that these are the kind of people who are your friends until you’re no longer useful to them, at which point they will devour you. Just like the Democrats, who they’re ideologically aligned with. They call themselves progressive, but they will bring us back to the Dark Ages if we let them.
Update: Conservative Hideout linked – thanks! | <urn:uuid:f9101d76-7668-4f70-ac4a-89eb74f7e2bf> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://lonelyconservative.com/2012/06/the-sierra-club-declared-war-on-natural-gas/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.948643 | 540 | 1.828125 | 2 |
Former State Official Now Works For Company Awarded
These early days of commercial space
tourism are heady days... bringing together imaginative
entrepreneurs, wealthy would-be space travellers, and optimistic
government agencies anxious to commit big pools of taxpayer dollars
in the hopes they'll reap future economic benefits. Coincidentally,
this also looks like the ingredient list for corruption.
The Orlando Sentinel reports a public-private partnership to
train space tourists in Florida is being marred by accusations of
Specifically, based on documents and e-mail records obtained by
the Sentinel, the paper reports Brice Harris, who worked in
Governor Charlie Crist's tourism and economic-development office,
appears to have been deeply involved in putting together a
half-million-dollar deal to train would-be space tourists at a
Panhandle sports-medicine clinic.
As ANN reported
when the deal was announced in December 2007,
the Andrews Institute -- which caters to a wealthy clientele -- was
deemed an ideal place to not only train, but to recruit space
tourists. Half of the money came through Space Florida, an agency
created to attract private space ventures to Florida's famous
launch facilities. The other $250,000 came from an agency that
directs the governor's economic-development efforts.
Problems which have come to light include Harris's resignation
from his state job to join the institute, in apparent violation of
state ethics laws which prohibit a state employee from joining any
firm holding a state contract he's facilitated.
The half of the money that came from the economic development
fund was taken from a fund earmarked, "for the maintenance and
expansion of military missions in Florida." It was supposed to be
available only to match private-sector contributions.
There's also a lingering protest from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical
University, which had proposed establishing a similar training
program, but was snubbed in favor of the Andrews institute, which
then hired Harris away from the state.
Governor Crist's inspector general
tell the Sentinel he's launched a probe in response to the paper's
report. E-mails obtained by the paper suggest the sensitive nature
of the brewing scandal had already been discussed at high levels,
including exchanges with Lieutenant Governor Jeff Kottkamp (right),
who oversees Space Florida.
For the moment, "Project Odyssey," as the training camp program
was named, is going forward. Dale Brill, the director of the
economic development agency that chipped in a quarter-million
dollars from the military missions fund, has tried to minimize
Harris's role in putting the deal together before he left his state
The expenditure of the military mission money is being justified
by a claim that the program hopes to make some use facilities at
Pensacola Naval Air Station, and the Andrews Institute claims it is
putting up some matching money. Harris's position at the institute
has been titled, "director of defense and aerospace programs,"
although it's not clear there's any actual defense connection aside
from the funds received from the military earmark.
There will no doubt be more to report in coming weeks... as the
governor's inspector general toils away under a very bright | <urn:uuid:628feb8f-e254-479a-b356-71e792d3da0a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.aero-news.net/index.cfm?do=main.textpost&id=1D987B18-3A98-4E2B-89BF-9C054F87CFC0 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00009-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.951793 | 686 | 1.648438 | 2 |
You would think that given the higher frequency of victories for the latter, projectors of the former, conscious of events such as the Arab Spring, would be reluctant to invoke preemptive powers in a face-off with the latter.
But, as the philosopher Hegel warned, the Owl of Minerva flies only at dusk.
Hegel was saying that wisdom is an attribute that tends to take hold only at the drawn-out close to events, when fatigue sets in and hubris is exposed for the trap it is.
That is why with police power clenching tightly into a repressive sweep against all forms of democratic dissent, Bersih 2.0, the march planned for July 9 to push for electoral reform, has come to be draped in the mantle of iconic pronouns in freedom's eternal battle with autocracy.
Repressive action against Bersih in the last few weeks, ridiculous, even grotesque, in some instances, is enabling the march - if its proponents evade the fast-massing ranks of the repressor to stage it - to take its place among hallowed ranks, such as Tahrir Square, Tiananmen and Edsa, to name a few - that have carved imperishable niches in emancipation's history.
In sum, the staging of the Bersih march has now become a movement that derives its force from greater than just the totality of the numbers its organisers claim they can marshal; and is stronger than the moral potency of its demands for electoral reform.
The government's myopia in opting to repress, as distinct to allowing it or even beguiling Bersih into talking rather than marching, has only succeeded in giving the planned event a voltage it would not have otherwise had.
Open admission of EC's bias
Repression is the oxygen of democratic causes.
To the government, the march has come to represent an attempted breach of a psychological threshold: Umno-BN's half-century incumbency occupies in the public consciousness the aura of the immovable object.
A repression-fuelled Bersih march is shaping and may well turn out to be the irresistible force that would shatter this threshold.
No less than the deputy chair of the Election Commission whose neutrality ought to prelude sides-taking, gave vent to the perception of the motive force behind Bersih.
He pronounced the electoral reform-seeking body a stooge in the hands of the opposition Pakatan Rakyat in its quest to dislodge Umno-BN from Putrajaya.
Wan Ahmad Wan Omar shifted from supposedly neutral umpire to spokesperson of the incumbent powerbrokers with that comment.
What he said was not a Freudian slip; it was an open admission of the EC's bias, exactly grounds for Bersih's grievances.
In the democratic arena, political parties are expected to use all legitimate methods to lever for advantage in the competition for votes. Only knaves or the staggeringly cynical complain about this.
Herein the rub: the powers-that-be grant their competitors in the political arena a highly constrained space in which to vie for influence.
When the latter push the parameters of that unequal space, the incumbent powerbrokers manipulate or, as may be required, coerce levers of state and vehicles of public influence to repress that effort at expanded democratic expression, particularly when it threatens their ultimate dislodgement.
This is how the ongoing test of wills between the authorities and Bersih has evolved.
Taut competition for July 9
Now if Bersih wavers in its push for the march, the psychological props of the scaffolding that holds up Umno-BN's domination of Malaysian politics would remain to fight another day.
But if Bersih succeeds in assembling the same number of marchers, or if it exceeds the numbers obtained at its inaugural march nearly four years back, this would be read as a breaching of the Umno-BN ramparts.
Coming, if it does, a few weeks after Umno tried to parlay through hyperbolic propaganda a figure of about 8,000 youths who attended agathering in Putrajayainto something like a million attendees, Bersih 2.0 would be irresistible proof that the ruling autocracy is on its last legs.
That perception - and perception is everything in politics - would be life-threatening to the incumbents at the imminent general election.
Hence two opposing imperatives are in taut competition for July 9: an autocracy frantically resisting the evidence its writ has run out is ranged against a movement out to show that given fairer competition that writ would have long expired.
TERENCE NETTO has been a journalist for close on four decades. He likes the occupation because it puts him in contact with the eminent without being under the necessity to admire them. It is the ideal occupation for a temperament that finds power fascinating and its exercise abhorrent. Courtesy of Malaysiakini | <urn:uuid:1c05c00a-f6f3-464e-88d3-cbdbc2c27d7f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://malaysiansmustknowthetruth.blogspot.com/2011/07/july-9-momentous-test-of-wills.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 | 0.953358 | 995 | 1.703125 | 2 |
Kenyan election disaster a lesson for aspiring democracies in Africa
What started as a well ‘organised and peaceful voting process’ suddenly turned violent as soon as the vote counting process went pear shaped. The opposition scare became a little unbearable to the establishment. This unwelcome development prompted the adoption of unorthodox tactics of counting and tallying votes reminiscent of the brutal dictatorships and banana republics of the 60s, 70s and 80s.
Kenya now presents a political calamity and a scenario too often replicated in many African countries. Kenya used to be highly respected by African standards, a beacon of African economic renaissance. It was undoubtedly one of the rare edifices of prosperity, stable economic growth of more than five percent, peace and stability -- an enviable exception to the cupidity, corruption, violence and civil disobedience that has characterised much of black Africa in the past decade.
It is a fact that Kenya will rise from the ashes of the current political mess but at what cost? Some predict that the reputation of Kenya has been once again put of the political altar and only seismic political changes from the bald and committed can rescue this proud nation from the current quandary. Incumbent President Mwai Kibaki will go down in history as a man who stole the election from resurgent opposition ODM leader Raila Odinga; this perception will only change if the former offers a credible political compromise.
It may not be known for sure as to who won the elections in Kenya albeit the court of public opinion being strongly swayed towards the underdog opposition leader Raila Odinga. President Mwai Kibaki may well have declared himself winner of the election but his legitimacy will be hotly disputed, especially given the fact that he has refused to allow an independent inspection of the vote counting process.
A lot of people have died as a result of this disputed election. It is no coincidence that Raila Odinga is bitter as his own father, Jaramogi Ajuma Oginga Odinga, a prominent figure in Kenya’s struggle for independence, Kenya's first vice-president and later opposition leader. The elder Odinga statesman was once a victim of political manipulation under Kenya’s first President Jomo Kenyatta.
President Mwai Kibaki ‘officially won’ by 47% to 44% for Odinga. Ostensibly, he won by less than 3% which is by far within the margin of error. The result of this election provides the basis for power sharing, as there was no outright winner. The two candidates should therefore agree on how to share power if at all there is going to any effective government to talk about in Kenya.
President Kibaki can circumvent the inevitable reality of power sharing with Odinga only if he can forge strategic political alliances with smaller parties, who already appear not to be interested in being associated with his proxy legitimacy.
Like other political hotbeds in Africa, ethnic affiliations played a major part in this election although analysts in Kenya say that Odinga’s support transcends across the ethnic divide. Odinga is Luo and Mwai Kibaki is Kikuyu. Both men come from tribes which believe that it is now their turn after decades of being sidelined by ex-president Arap Moi, a Kalenjin. This writer does not believe tribe is an issue in African politics, but politicians make it one for expediency and their own political gains. Unfortunately, innocent people from different tribes often fall victim to political machinations which rarely benefit them personally.
However, tribally motivated or not, the reality is that the contentious Kenyan election has claimed hundreds of lives already. Comparatively, more people have died in this country than in Zimbabwe, where President Mugabe is now reviled internationally. There is no doubt that the number of victims of this seemingly stolen election may exceed 300 by the time the situation returns to normal.
Students of history and politics in Africa will record the just ended election in Kenya as a calamity, and antithetical to democracy. Questions will also be asked as to whether First-Past-the-Post system is the best form of electoral democracy in Africa, a continent divided along ethnical lines and grotesquely ignorant of the Western types of democracy.
Western double standards
In a BBC Radio 4 interview on January 2, 2008, about the threat of sanctions on Kenya, David Milliband, the British Foreign Secretary said: ‘’Right. But I mean commercial sanctions, in the end, the people who benefit from the trade between the UK and the rest of Europe, the UK's actually the biggest recipient of Kenyan exports…so what I would say about any discussion of sanctions or others in the future is that there are two key tests. First, who does it help and who does it hurt? Secondly, does it have the desired effect?”
The above statement by the UK government shows double standards compared to their stance on Zimbabwe, a country with a significant number of white settler communities than in Kenya. The official UK stance in Zimbabwe is to pursue sanctions against the beleaguered Mugabe regime at whatever cost. Unlike in Kenya, there is no consideration for ordinary Zimbabweans being hurt by sanctions in the same way they Kenyans are. In Zimbabwe, the UK believes the sanctions policy has the desired effect unlike in Kenya. It would appear sanctions only work in Zimbabwe but not Kenya.
It appears the UK Foreign policy towards Zimbabwe requires the use of a sledge hammer unlike in other trouble spots in Africa where leaders are not as “dangerous” and as vocal as Mugabe. It’s time the UK realises the double standards characterising its application of foreign policy in Africa. They protect ordinary citizens from perceived friendly countries whilst punishing other innocent citizens from perceived belligerent African countries such as Zimbabwe. In order to win respect across Africa, the West in general should apply the same principles or pressures to all trouble spots in Africa of course taking into cognisance their own strategic interests.
The West were conspicuous by their muted response to Africa’s worst elections in Nigeria last year, yet they make a lot of noises in other African countries with similar but even less concerning electoral processes. The Elections in Nigeria warranted the country’s suspension from the Commonwealth and imposition of sanctions but none of that ever happened for well known reasons. Nigeria is no better than Zimbabwe in democracy and human rights terms and the two countries deserve similar responses from the West
Lessons for Africa
The circumstances surrounding the aftermath of elections in Kenya should be seen as very damaging to aspiring democracies in Africa. First, African leaders, be they incumbent presidents or opposition politicians, should always pledge to abide by the basic principles of democracy irrespective of whether they win or loose elections.
There is a tendency by incumbent leaders to temper with election results when they realise that the results are not going their way, thereby adulterating the whole process of democracy. In most African countries, it is very rare for the incumbent to lose mid-term elections and as such the tendency is to use every trick available in the book to secure another term in office through controversial elections resulting in their disputed legitimacy.
By the same token in situations where elections are ‘transparent, properly and freely run,’ opposition figures should concede defeat as long as there are no significant voting irregularities. However, their conceding defeat is always marred by charges of lack of transparency and fairness, a major issue affecting electoral democracy in Africa.
Often in many African countries, the opposition has been hopelessly fragmented and disorganised. Some of the opposition leaders are themselves closet dictators, exhibiting the same tyrannical propensity they so grudgingly denounce in the leaders they hope to succeed. Many are too obsessed with political power and are monstrously intolerant of criticism. It is correct to state that some of Africa’s opposition leaders have endured episodes of gross personal suffering under repressive regimes: detention without charge, police brutality, torture, exile, loss of earnings, loss of property and other forms of harassment. However, this may sound callous, but that does not give them ownership rights over the presidency of the country.
Secondly, in order to avoid political paralysis as happened in Kenya and other political hotbeds in Africa, there should be a truly independent electoral commission running elections without interference from the State. The role of election observers should also be widened to include their involvement from voter registration to vote counting. For as long as the State plays an unnecessarily huge role in running elections in Africa, it will take a long time before problems of free and fairs elections and political legitimacy could be resolved.
Thirdly, serious consideration should be made to the process of proportional representation in the legislature. This system may not be the best form of representative democracy but at least it makes everyone a winner of course with different magnitudes of power.
In the case of Kenya now, it may be necessary given that there is no outright winner to have a second round of presidential elections for Kibaki and Odinga and whoever wins should be declared president. It is true that the Kenyan situation could as well be a precedent in forthcoming elections in Zimbabwe, Angola and Malawi this year and 2009.
As such, the successful resolution of the election dispute in Kenya may help to create the necessary conditions for peaceful elections in the above countries. I believe that democracy is a process not an event and what happened in Kenya should be seen as a big lesson which every African country needs to learn from, so that the rest of Africa can develop to greater heights albeit there being pockets of resistance especially in Zimbabwe, Somalia, Swaziland and a few others.
Finally, many BBC viewers would be interested to see Archbishop John Sentamu, cutting another ribbon on live television only to wear it again once Mwai Kibaki has stepped down, an example of consistency.
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4-03-2012 @ 8:49PM
@clundgren:The argument that women make less than men for the same job is actually a complete misuse of statistics. Virtually all commonly quoted studies carried out ignore hours worked/week (men do more on average), and years of experience (men have more on average). Even worse are studies that make completely unfair comparisons by grouping jobs according to completely arbitrary educational requirements (one study actually said that someone with a 4 year arts degree should expect to make as much as someone with a 4 year engineering degree /boggle). I sat on the board of directors for our provinces PEng association and we recently did a province wide study on earnings compared across pretty much every possible demographic. Women on average had annualized earnings 22% less than men of an equivalent age in an equivalent industry. I'm sure you'd take that as ZOMG SEXISM. However, when we made a comparison of average hourly wages between men and women of equivalent years of experience rather than age, men made 6% less than women. Let me repeat that: MEN MADE LESS THAN WOMEN. It's all about how you present the data. I really wish I could supply a link, but the information has not been made public yet:(Also, here's a fact for you that I'm pretty sure you won't believe: men are victims of physical spousal abuse far more than women. The only reasons that you are probaby rolling your eyes in disbelief at what I said is that a) men almost never report abuse, and b) how men and women define abuse is completely different. A study was done that simply asked "Have you ever been a victim of physical abuse in a relationship" and "Have you ever committed physical abuse in a relationship". Not surprisingly, the number of women reporting being abused was far more than men, and admitting to being the abuser way lower. The unique thing about this study is that they didn't just stop there. They then went on to ask more specific questions. "Have you ever slapped a partner in a moment of passion." "Have you ever thrown an object at a partner." "Have you ever dumped a drink on somone." When you actually specifically list out things that could be considered abuse, the exact opposite was found. Men were far more often the victims than the perpetrators.
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There is good news for them in the life of this and in the Hereafter.There is no changing the words of God.That is the great victory!(Qur'an,10:64)
We said:"Have no fear. You will have the upper hand."(Qur'an,20:68)
The Evolution Deceit
Throughout this book, we have spoken of the incomparable blessings that God gave to Prophet Solomon (pbuh) and of the superior knowledge that He never gave to anyone before. Everyone who has read it carefully will have found in Prophet Solomon's (pbuh) life story some sound advice and interesting signs that are relevant to the present day.
Prophet Solomon (pbuh) was an ideal statesman, and every Muslim should take him as an example in the areas of justice, modesty, sincerity, intelligence, prudence, patience, and decisiveness. Everyone who follows his example will meet with success both in this world and the next.
As we said earlier, Dhu'l Qarnayn (pbuh), just like Prophet Solomon (pbuh), had great power and dominion. God gave him "power and authority in the land and granted him a way to everything"(Qur'an, 18:84).Everywhere he went, he brought people happiness, justice, and security. In addition, he made God's religion supreme throughout his realm. Muslims should do their best to emulate this powerful, decisive, and faithful person. (For more detailed information, see Harun Yahya, Signs of the End Times in Surat al-Kahf [New Delhi; Goodword Books, 2004].)
God sent these guides to inform people of the true path. If believers take these great people's lives and morality as an example, and desire only to win God's good pleasure, they will no doubt attain great success and victory.
Today, one sign after another of Islamic morality's emerging dominance is taking place. All over the world, people are turning toward God in great numbers. The most-read newspapers in the world contain news items about this development, and there are now many thousands of new Muslims. Islamic morality invites all people to peace, tolerance, and happiness. As it becomes better known, this movement will surely grow even stronger.
From these developments, we can understand that, God willing, Islamic morality's global dominance may happen quickly under the leadership of a strong nation. Even many Western politicians and strategists have begun to speak of this. Today's centers of conflict and chaos (e.g., the Balkans, Central Asia, the Caucasus, and the Middle East) will, by means of the peace and happiness flowing from Islamic morality, be rescued from the chaos in which they are drowning.
God willing, the twenty-first century will be a blessed time, in which Islamic morality will give direction to the world. | <urn:uuid:7bf3097b-2395-4675-87e5-9036fc62b50f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://evolutiondeceit.com/en/books/3007/Prophet-Solomon-(pbuh)/chapter/3425/Conclusion | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00018-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.955657 | 592 | 1.617188 | 2 |
RICHMOND -- When the bell rings at Kennedy High School, students scurry quickly from one class to another, watched closely by new Principal Phillip Johnson and his two assistant principals.
The teens don't want to be tardy because they will be locked out and required to go to the office to get a pass. They wear identification cards attached to lanyards around their necks, keep their cellphones out of sight and leave hats at home. Flaunt the rules and those items will be confiscated until the following Monday.
It's a new day at Kennedy High, one of the lowest performing high schools in the state.
Johnson's turnaround team includes Jessica Smith-Kennan, assistant principal in charge of curriculum, and Renee Lama, the second assistant principal. Lama is the only administrator held over from last year, her first at the campus.
"I wanted to make sure the campus is safe and that students are coming to school on time and are in the classroom," said Johnson, a former police officer. "I can't control what happens outside these walls, but I can control what happens inside."
The administrative turnover wasn't mandated by the state. Rather, the change was recommended by the West Contra Costa district superintendent as perhaps the best chance for the school -- and its approximately 900 students -- to climb off the bottom rung and post test results that compare more favorably with other large urban high schools.
The challenge is
The school resides in a low income area between two freeways. One of its football players who lives in the Iron Triangle was fatally shot outside his home over the summer. Fifty-six percent of the student body identifies as Hispanic or Latino, 37 percent as African-American and 7 percent as Caucasian or as members of other ethnic groups. Nearly half the students cannot speak English fluently.
In past years, rules weren't strictly enforced and teens often hung out in the halls, talked on cellphones and invited outsiders onto the campus, which sometimes sparked fights and concerns about possible gang affiliations.
Student test scores dropped so low in 2011 that the school lost a $676,000 annual Quality Education Investment Act grant that helped pay for extra teachers and smaller classes.
Based on those scores, Kennedy landed with a thud among the five lowest performing high schools in the state when stacked up against 100 similar schools in 2011. It tied with a Los Angeles campus for fourth from the bottom, outscoring one school in Yuba County and two in Oakland: Youth Empowerment; and Expression, Excellence, Community, Empowerment and Leadership.
In an effort to stop the school's decline, the district decided not to renew the previous principal's contract in June. Instead, the board promoted Johnson -- who had served as assistant principal at De Anza High, a "turnaround" school in the district.
Smith-Kennan worked alongside Johnson as DeAnza's other assistant principal and came with him at his request. Lama arrived the previous year and had already established a strong connection to the students, Johnson said.
"We have a new leadership team in there," said board President Charles Ramsey. "If we don't engage in a very conscious way about what's going on there, we won't get things done."
Built in the 1960s, Kennedy has a proud history. Christopher Darden, who prosecuted O.J. Simpson for murder by presenting a bloody glove, is a graduate, and a book he wrote stands in a glass case in the school office.
But Ramsey admits that for the past decade, Kennedy and some other district schools have not fulfilled their obligations to prepare students for graduation and future careers.
"We just made a lot of excuses," he said. "And we still make a lot of excuses because most people don't want confrontation."
Kennedy has found it hard to build on any show of progress without backsliding.
On a scale of 200 to 1,000 -- with a state proficiency goal of 800 -- the school's Academic Performance Index score rose from a low of 425 in 2002 to a high of 580 in 2008-09, before plummeting to 515 in 2011.
Although students made an impressive 29-point gain in the spring, the campus is still "failing" by federal standards established in the No Child Left Behind law. Those standards required about 78 percent of students to score proficient in English language arts and math in 2011-12. At Kennedy, only a fraction -- 16.3 percent -- of students were working at grade level in English. The math results were even more dismal, with only 3.1 percent of students making the grade.
Boosting test scores is an important part of Johnson's mission, but it's not his only goal. He and his administrators are working to bring a new culture to the school focused on increased safety, rigorous instruction and teacher training.
Students receive warnings, followed by detentions and suspensions, if they continue to break the rules.
Two months into the school year, teachers, parents and community members are reacting positively to Johnson's policies. As expected, some students complain that the rules are too severe. But they said they are taking school more seriously.
"You don't want to get detention or a suspension," said Araceli Martinez DeLeon, 17. "Now, people are starting to run to class. Last year, they never did."
Johnson, 48, is a visible presence. He roams the campus during every break, talking to students while keeping an eye on them. With a shaved head, goatee, diamond earring, bluejeans and two-tone Nike athletic shoes, Johnson appears hip, friendly and approachable. He laughs easily with staff members and students, giving high-fives and flashing encouraging smiles. In honor of the school mascot, he adopted "Eagle One" as his walkie-talkie handle.
But, when he sees students in the hallways during class time, his demeanor changes. He immediately asks what they are doing and admonishes them to get to where they need to be -- fast.
Johnson stopped one teenage boy recently after the student loped out of a classroom and headed across the quad. Although the student was wearing a hoodie and the weather was mild, the teen said he was going to get a jacket.
"No, you're not," the principal said firmly. "Turn around and go back."
After the student returned, Johnson said the teacher should have never let him out and vowed to discuss the incident with the instructor.
Like Johnson, Smith-Kennan and Lama relate easily with the students and seem to be everywhere at once. Last week, both women wore red to show their Eagles spirit, with Smith-Kennen donning a red Kennedy Eagles cap, the only head wear allowed on campus. During one passing break, Lama stood in the corridor, arms outstretched and whistle blowing, making sure students knew the bell was about to ring.
Johnson is working closely with Smith-Kennan to elevate the level of instruction schoolwide, making both teachers and students accountable for the learning that happens each day.
And Lama, Johnson said, has the pulse of the campus. She has provided stability for students and encouraged them to buy into new rules and classroom policies, while also building trust with the staff. Kennedy lost about 11 instructors when the grant was withdrawn.
The turnaround team conducts informal teacher observations and gives constructive feedback to ensure lessons are rigorous. Teachers must follow a consistent "blackboard configuration" when writing the day's lesson plans on the boards in their classrooms. These include warm-up activities, class objectives, curriculum standards to be covered and homework.
Students are required to examine what they learned and determine how much effort they put into their classes every period of every day. "Your high school experience is what you put into it," Johnson said.
Reform requires everybody on campus, in the district and in the community, to look at what they're putting into the school, said Ken Futernick, who directs a school turnaround center for the independent WestEd organization. They need to believe that students and teachers can grow and learn if they are well-supported, he said.
"There is no single magic bullet that is going to turn the corner," he said. "It's a comprehensive, systemic solution that has to be found."
Johnson and his team know it won't be easy to transform a campus culture that has allowed students to fail year after year.
"You've got to look at what you've got and deal with it," Johnson said. "I don't want to blame anyone. I just want to make this right."
This newspaper plans to follow Kennedy High's progress throughout the year.
Theresa Harrington covers education. Contact her at 925-945-4764. Follow her at Twitter.com/tunedtotheresa.
Percentage of Kennedy High students proficient or advanced over five years.
Year English language arts Math Science History/Social science
2012 16.3 3.1 19.5 9.3
2011 16.0 4.2 15.9 8.4
2010 20.7 4.4 9.5 16.3
2009 18.8 4.1 19.8 14.1
2008 18.7 3.5 12.3 11.6
To see a snapshot of data related to Kennedy High, go to www.cde.ca.gov/snapshot.
For details about Kennedy High and the West Contra Costa district, read the On Assignment blog at IBAbuzz.com/onassignment.
Source: California Department of Education
2012-13 improvement plan
The new school administration has identified three focus areas:
1. School safety and keeping students in class.
2. Rigorous bell-to-bell instruction.
3. Professional development and collaboration for teachers.
The first goal includes tougher discipline policies, while the others involve informal classroom observations by administrators, consistency from one classroom to another and team building.
Details about Kennedy High School is available by calling 510-231-1433 or by going to www.wccusd.net. Click on drop-down "Select a School" menu and choose "Kennedy High School."
To see the video of the principal and a letter he sent to parents at the beginning of the year outlining discipline policies, go to ContraCostaTimes.com/education.
Under No Child Left Behind, schools that don't make adequate progress in student achievement are placed in federal Program Improvement, which includes five levels, labeled Year 1 through Year 5. However, schools can be in each of these levels for several years, if they fail to improve.
By Year 5, schools must implement plans that could include: reopening as a charter, replacing the principal and most staff members, contracting with an outside agency to manage the school, state takeover, or any other form of restructuring.
Districts that receive School Improvement Grants for poor-performing campuses must implement one of four reforms: close the campus, "transform" the school by replacing the principal and making other improvements, "turn around" the school by replacing the principal and at least half the staff members, or reopen the school under new management.
Kennedy High has been in Year 5 of Program Improvement for eight years but does not receive a School Improvement Grant. It was not required to replace the principal but chose to do so as part of a larger improvement plan. The school was not required to replace the teaching staff.
Details about Program Improvement are available by going to www.cde.ca.gov/ta/ac/AR. | <urn:uuid:a1d739d2-23e7-4ae5-9002-b8c0775d8383> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.contracostatimes.com/twitter/ci_21863906/new-principal-new-rules-improve-kennedy-high-richmond | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00004-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.972545 | 2,382 | 1.53125 | 2 |
Nonprofits face reporting challenges
September 18, 2012
Nonprofit organizations are facing a growing demand for more accurate reporting about expenses and salaries, according to the Chronicle of Philanthropy. Donors are asking for greater insight into accounts to see what portion of contributions are actually being used for programs, and how much money is being used to pay executives, staff members and cover fundraising costs.
It can be difficult for some organizations to determine exactly how much is being put toward fundraising costs from the portion that is going to support top projects, according to the York Daily Record. Part of the problem is the result of complicated auditing processes.
"The IRS has come up with such a complicated set of reporting forms ... it takes days to complete, and a layman can't complete it anymore," Dan Busby, president of the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability told the source.
Instead, organizations may have to allocate funds to hire a CPA or invest in nonprofit accounting
programs to ensure funds are accurately being tracked. They can then turn this information into reports for stakeholders and potential donors that want a transparent look into their finances. Ultimately, this may help nonprofits gain better control over funds and accurately represent financial statements, according to the Huffington Post. | <urn:uuid:bdbfe46d-680a-42fd-8944-ca0d9a0bab14> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://na.sage.com/sage-nonprofit-solutions/product-support/resource-center/nonprofit-industry-news/article-detail?title=Nonprofits-face-reporting-challenges&id=bfd71f62-bffd-4f90-b843-aecdd9e49705 | 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 | 0.969071 | 251 | 1.585938 | 2 |
For almost a decade, the National Foreign Language Center (NFLC) has produced state-of-the-art custom e-learning and blended-learning solutions that have delighted our clients, have been within budget, and have been delivered on time. Product topics have ranged from language learning and translation to critical thinking, maps and geo-coordinate systems, and signals technology.
Our learning experts understand what motivates children and adults to learn and how they process information and apply it to real-world tasks. The design of our products is based on the latest empirical research in cognitive science and effective e-learning. Not only are our products dynamic and engaging, but they are also based on measurable performance outcomes that will translate into bottom-line results for your organization.
Our in-house multimedia production team is there to listen to and serve your needs, whether you require a product created from scratch or the repurposing of an existing curriculum from one format into another. Our team consists of expert project managers, instructional designers, systems analysts and testers, information architects, programmers, and creative media specialists who are well versed in the latest instructional and interactive media technologies. In addition, we have access to professional talent and subject matter expertise—due in large part to our affiliation with the University of Maryland—to suit the specific needs of your project.
The NFLC is proud of its onsite video production studio that was recently constructed to make use of the latest technology during all phases of production. The studio boasts both a green screen sound stage and an area suitable for interviews and panel discussions.
Our specialties and areas of expertise include:
- Advanced graphic design and 3-D models
- Animation and motion graphics
- Assessment and evaluation
- Audio production and original music
- Branding and identity
- Companion materials development (e.g., guides, job aids, posters, presentations)
- Emerging technologies
- Full video production and editing
- Instructional systems development (ADDIE model)
- SCORM conformance
- Section 508 compliance
- Simplifying complex content regardless of topic
- Technical writing and editing
- Web-based design and development | <urn:uuid:c9522afc-0da8-42ae-9c0b-99a6f274eef3> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.nflc.org/elearning/index | 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 | 0.934935 | 439 | 1.703125 | 2 |
The Guthrie is a national center for theater arts and theater education.
Thank you for your generous support!
Each year, 420,000 people from all corners of the state are inspired by the Guthrie's world-class productions and comprehensive education programs. Your donation is crucial in order for the Guthrie to continue serving all Minnesotans, regardless of age, income or ability.
From the opening of the Guthrie with Hamlet in 1963, to the tradition of A Christmas Carol, to presenting new and provocative works, Guthrie audiences have built and sustained a legacy of excellence. You have helped drive our vision for tomorrow by supporting our education programs and actor training initiatives. Together, we are fostering the next generation of theater lovers.
By giving to the Guthrie you not only support world-class theater and theater education programs, you help support Minnesota artists who delight, challenge and inspire our community.
Though the scope of our work is international, the Guthrie Theater is ultimately rooted in Minnesota and is proud to provide unique opportunities for hundreds of local artists each year. With generous support from the McKnight Foundation, whose goal is to give artists an outlet to do exemplary work thereby enhancing the quality of life in our region, we created the Minnesota Artists Fund. Your gift today, will keep the Guthrie and Minnesota artists at the forefront of the theater.
We are tremendously grateful for your support, today and for the next 50 years.
Our Mission: The Guthrie Theater, founded in 1963, is an American center for theater performance, production, education and professional training. By presenting both classical literature and new work from diverse cultures, the Guthrie illuminates the common humanity connecting Minnesotans to the peoples of the world. | <urn:uuid:25f70653-8fe9-4bb7-954b-e690ae3bd0cf> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://givemn.razoo.com/story/Guthrie-Theater-Foundation | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00014-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.930857 | 353 | 1.734375 | 2 |
"Don't ever do air duster period!" a young man exclaimed. His emphatic admonition is well-informed as he and two others were seriously injured after their friend passed out at the wheel. Despite protests, the driver huffed duster while driving.
The car accelerated to 65 miles per hour before coming to a rest. The terrified passengers frantically tried to slow it down manually but had to crash the vehicle into several parked cars. Their crash landing sent at least three people to hospital. One passenger, who shares his story below, sustained damage to his arm. Another passenger suffered serious damage to his spine while another is still in the hospital. | <urn:uuid:b76c64bd-bbfe-4531-880a-4288444a4a1d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://inhalant-info.blogspot.com/2010/06/survivor-tells-story-of-inhalant-abuse_02.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00004-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.9818 | 131 | 1.640625 | 2 |
Sprucing up brownfields
City, county prioritizing underused properties
Sam Green/Cortez Journal
Montezuma County and the city of Cortez are proceeding cautiously when it comes to targeting "brownfields" as they try to make the area more attractive to businesses and the community.
Brownfield sites are abandoned or underused industrial and commercial facilities available for use. Expansion or redevelopment of such a site may be complicated by environmental contamination, community perception and other factors.
Colorado Brownfields Foundation Project Manager Mark Walker presented Montezuma County commissioners with a report on brownfields several months ago, followed by the same presentation before the Cortez City Council. Walker said the next step in the process is the creation of an inventory of potential brownfield sites.
Walker will meet with the Montezuma County Planning Commission on Jan. 24 to choose priority projects before possibly developing an action plan.
Funding the project is still a major hurdle. Options for funding include access to state and Environmental Protection Agency grants in the fall.
"It depends on which way the county wants to go," Walker said, adding that he has spoken to County Administrator Ashton Harrison, who said he does not want to force such projects on property owners.
Walker said the county has come up with a list of more than 50 potential brownfield sites which now must be prioritized, since addressing them all is unfeasible.
Cortez City Manager Shane Hale, the town manager of Dolores and the former town manager of Mancos also met with Walker, who hopes to create a program where towns and cities in the county can work together.
"We are setting the stage to let people know what is available," Walker said, adding some are sites that can be cleaned up and redeveloped for job possibilities.
Hale said now the city is simply identifying properties that could be considered brownfields.
"Where it goes I can't say," Hale said. Some discussions may revolve around who owns the properties and any potential contaminations at the sites.
Hale said the city also will not force anyone to be a part of the program; individual property owners would decide whether they want to work with the city.
Hale said the assessment of properties is not costing the city anything and will provide an "honest look" at what is out there.
Like Walker, Hale said the funds would need to come from somewhere else, such as grants or some other organization outside the city.
"I do not think the city would pay for any cleanup out of the city coffers," the city manager said. "We are just identifying what properties can be brownfields."
Harrison said the Jan. 24 meeting between the planning commission and the Colorado Brownfields Foundation will be similar to the presentation that was given to the commission a few months ago.
After the presentation, the planning commission will take time to look at different methods and standards regarding how to prioritize potential sites, Harrision said. The planning commission will then make a recommendation to the county commission on the next steps. | <urn:uuid:7d22bd8f-0cd8-4fa5-a033-2f86f64df090> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.cortezjournal.com/article/20130111/NEWS01/130119952/0/COLUMNISTS30/Sprucing-up-brownfields | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700958435/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104238-00001-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.955792 | 624 | 1.679688 | 2 |
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