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Live from the Homesick Jamboree
Adrian Blevins (English and creative writing)
Wesleyan University Press (2009)
With this follow-up to her award-winning debut collection, The Brass Girl Brouhaha, Assistant Professor of English and Creative Writing Adrian Blevins has established herself as an expert at her craft. An honest, fearless poet, her breathless narrations transfer their need to be told to the audience’s need to hear them.
The poems in Live from the Homesick Jamboree narrate the life of a Southern girl through childhood and adolescence and into adulthood and motherhood. Forthrightly and without sentimentality, the speaker of these poems confronts the frequently painful events of that journey as they intertwine with the raucous joy of life. Blevins is a storyteller who has honed a fine skill with music and diction. “…we lock our mouths / to mourn our losses from the insides of our jackets and black wool caps / with just our eyes in our faces and the lungs in our chests / in the flabbergasted shut of sucking and sucking and sucking it in” (from “First Winter in Maine”). She is not a soft and cuddly poet—she tells it frankly and often with a sharp tongue. The reader’s reward is a sharpness of experience, a role as confidant to Blevins’s speaker. “From the beginning it was our innocence, it was our impertinence, it was a bent outhouse / in the dead dead double-dead clot of twisted winter” (from “Why the Marriage Failed”).
Grounded in place, the poems in this book are not ethereal constructions that exist only in poem land. When her words and her poems mean more than one thing it suggests the poet’s wisdom that life should not, cannot, be taken at face value, and her belief that a well-shaped poem must sound that alarm.
A masterful use of sentence structure shapes Blevins’s linguistic acrobatics. Long sentences drive many of these poems, twisting and turning and building and building upon themselves until the final period—which is more yield sign than stop, as momentum carries the poem out again over the white space to linger there. Her colloquial ease with the sentence is in part what connects us so strongly to these poems—why we get them, how they so naturally belong to us, too.
Matt O'Donnell is editor of From the Fishouse, an online audio archive of emerging poets. | <urn:uuid:6da2f7bd-efdd-41fc-b9e4-90467bc4045e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.colby.edu/colby.mag/issues/52/article/1042/new-from-poet-adrian-blevins/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00008-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.953905 | 541 | 1.773438 | 2 |
The same argument can be made for most languages, and also as a serious question, why wouldn't they be interested in learning Celtic languages?
Most people aren't interested in languages, period - they won't learn one unless they're forced to for some reason.
So given that, why is it surprising that when someone is actually motivated enough to learn a language, then don't necessarily choose one with the most general "utility"? As I look at it, people who learn languages for fun are freaks to begin with. Is it a surprise that they often end up choosing freakish languages?
I'd been studying Welsh on my own for a couple years before I went to college and met my first honest-to-goodness Welsh-speaker. He was a learner like me, but he'd had the opportunity to go to the Llŷn Peninsula and be immersed in the language. "Don't try to explain why you want to learn Welsh," he told me.
Someone once told me that if you really want to learn a language, it's not enough to hang out with it. You have to marry
it. By the same token, explaining why you love a language enough to want to learn it is like explaining why you love a person enough to want to marry them. Which is to say it defies rational explanation altogether. | <urn:uuid:7be8fecd-4e5f-494c-9d74-0237674b0300> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.omniglot.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=6120 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700958435/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104238-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.984153 | 276 | 1.53125 | 2 |
You want to start a marketing campaign for your law practice that focuses on email.
You know that Virginia’s spam laws are pretty strict and you don’t want to end up blacklisted or a permanent resident of everyone’s spam box.
How do you negotiate the laws and regs that cover your proposal?
There’s a class for that.
It’s from the University of Virginia’s School of Continuing and Professional Studies. The class, entitled “Legal Aspects of eMarketing,” is held online one night a week from July 19 to Sept. 27.
The course is one of the offerings from U.Va.’s online graduate certificate program in emarketing. Registration is now open. Further details are available at the U.Va. SCPS site.
The class will cover how the Internet faces pressure from consumer groups and government regulators, and it will examine trends in emarketing laws and regulations, as well as techniques to comply with same. Some of the material to be covered includes recent court cases and final actions by regulatory agencies.
David O. Ward, a senior legal advisor at the Federal Communications Commission, teaches the course. | <urn:uuid:1a6e3420-c80a-400a-8eda-859ed43fa79d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://valawyersweekly.com/publishers-blog/2011/04/21/emarket-emarket/ | 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 | 0.946885 | 250 | 1.578125 | 2 |
The world of phenomena, life of thoughts, every day is transforming into something more, in something which we call another world. That something new, something different become my new reality in which I am, and in which I came throw observing and living our fears, our fights, magnitude and hopes; living our own myths which always made like that, which are needs to surpass evil and nothappiens, which are also collective memories. Those myths are fight of man to overrun him, to be closer to enternity, they are need for man like stories for kids, the collective dream to understand life.
The value of myth are never refuted, it always been a real opportunity to understand reality, and it is not possible to not find name in art which isn’t whit his work go thro mythological, and exactly in that looking for way for his realize. One of that ways, like was said Djuzzepe Mazzini “is looking for idea hidden in symbol “, which in my case will be liberated idea from sculpture from drawing, from performance, from word. Waking up from collective ream I was met myself in a big measure with that mythological in man, in women, which aspire to be exceeded. Feeling transformation of that cognition of reality, I was going throw deep roots of material as spiritual. Together with my sculptures I felt transformation of female, mythological, physical, in to something more, in o a bird, like symbol of freedom, like symbol of something knowing, entirety. Meeting with myself – women and women- surroundings, I couldn’t to notice that motherly attributes not that they only have positive meanings, but they are usually use to something negative. Those motherly attributes are sometimes weapon of seduction and subject of adoration, and then myth become, like something which women sometimes built by herself, or man about her. And exactly cause of that kind of myth in women, it was start my fight, and my need to understand it and find for it some new dimension. In the trace I met myself with one primeval myth, which existing from past till now, whit bird- Ikar, with myth of bird – man, who always have desire to put up a human race above from knowing reality, and who give him opportunity to transcend himself, and all that material which was since always rewarded. Exactly those myths wake up in me possibility to become above of physically; but by comprehend, that myth is cradle in which we are console ourselves, and guns that we take in fear. Myth was one of my promoters for understanding value of spiritual above of material, and exactly that transform women in a bird, body in to eternity. Material in sculpture I presented like female torso, on which we can notice round forms of breasts and stomach, which takes symbol of maternity. Like women’s strength, like concentrate energy which can develop, and which can also destroy. Womens body can be symbol of immortal, and also something archetypical, which is I base of every myth. Bird like extreme form of women’s body have tendency to example, and also have something on which we all desire- enlighten. With knowing that human body is something which is use to be exceeded, I allowed myself to use blue color with which I paint every form of sculpture which don’t have association on spirituality. With value I disproved sculpture’s being, giving to her non- material meaning, as like in dictionary of symbols said: “ Blue is the most deepest, she is the least material color, she is road to endless, she is the color of bird of happiness, blue bird, unattainable but completely adjacent. Blue color dematerializing everything which she takes. Surface painted in blue is no more surfaces. Movement, noises and cloud’s in blueness despaired, sinks in one, they lose like bird on the sky.” Looking relation of sculpture like material and myth like need to understand that material, I find myself on a road of comprehension, I was going thro process of transformation, no less, and no more then any of us, with believe that we are, like that, become worthy of liberation like birds of divine. | <urn:uuid:cfffb55e-d01b-4aec-b7e4-dadfd05b98d8> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.design21sdn.com/share/1058/Most_popular | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697380733/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516094300-00002-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.976697 | 861 | 1.71875 | 2 |
Normally, I have little use for the Army Corps of Engineers. After all, they are the ones who have worked hand-in-hand with the City to build the ugly concrete walls in Fort Wayne that were erected to stop flooding in a number of areas. Unfortunately, stopping flooding in some areas just increases the flow and direction somewhere else. And that somewhere else has become my corner of Nelson, Thieme, and West Berry. And I blame the Corp and the City for their ill-planned barriers.
So, when I see a Corps project that looks to be doing some good, I will certainly give credit. The Tamiami Trail project slated for southern Florida will open up a segment of highway so that water can return freely to the Everglades. To accomplish this feat, the Corps recently signed an $81 million contract that will raise a one-mile segment of Highway 41 – named the Tamiami Trail – in Miami-Dade County, Florida. The raising of the highway will remove a “plug” of the road which has stopped water on the north side of Highway 41 from returning in a natural flow to the south side of the road and back into the Everglades.
The Trail – also known as the “Poor Man’s Alligator Alley” – requires no toll and drops down south of Interstate 75, the stretch that requires a toll. Both cut across the southern part of Florida and through the Everglades. On the north side of the Trail, the public is paying billions of dollars to store and clean water before it gets to the Everglades. On the south side of the Trail is Everglades National Park, which needs the water.
The project – authorized over 20 years ago – would create a roughly 5-foot clearance so that water could flow under U.S. 41 to where it is needed in the Everglades. In addition to raising the 1 mile, the Corps will raise the elevation of another 9.7 miles, to create enough gradient that water from the “River of Grass” can flow under the bridge.
My own adventure into the The Everglades occurred in May 2001, and it was not planned. My one son was set to be married in Nassau, Bahamas, so I drove down to Fort Lauderdale where I hopped onto a small plane and flew out to Nassau. My route took me along the western edge of Florida so I could see my oldest son who was living in Valrico at the time. My plan was to head south and drive across Alligator Alley – Interstate 75 – and then on to Fort Lauderdale.
I am usually pretty prepared when I am on the road. I planned on stopping along 75 – silly me – and fill up with gas since my tank was pretty low. What I didn’t realize was that once you hop onto 75, the gas stations disappear. One lonely gas station exists between the Naples and Weston tollbooths – something I didn’t learn until it was too late.
As I was tooling along 75, I kept watching my gas needle as it slowly sank lower on the dial. I anxiously watched the horizon for signs of a gas station – those small signs that say “gas, exit ….” None appeared, and the miles kept slipping by. I started to panic somewhat as I knew I did not have enough gas to get me to the other side of Florida. My mind began to fill with pictures of being stranded on a highway aptly named Alligator Alley for a reason – alligators.
Then I saw the exit for Highway 29 which promised it would take me south to Everglades City. I could only hope at that point that Everglades City was big enough to have at least one gas station. I drove along 29 – somewhat dazed at my lack of preparedness and absolutely scared to death I would run out of gas on a forelorn road where alligators would creep up and snap at me. I didn’t notice any fences or barriers along the two-lane road – oh my God – what if I blew a tire, what if I accidentally got too close to the side of the road, what if – what if.
My lord, there was a lot of water on each side. I was truly losing it. I really began to feel sick – I didn’t see any mileage signs to tell me how far Everglades City was, and I kept glancing at that expanse of water and grass stretching for miles on each side of the road. Finally, I saw signs of what was a small town. I could see a gas station sign and several other small businesses popped into view. I had made it to Everglades City. I filled up with gas, and I can’t tell you how relieved I was to head back up to 75 again to complete my journey.
The Everglades is a marvelous and beautiful place, and, had I not been so preoccupied with my fears of being gasless and encountering alligators, I know I would have appreciated it much more.
The Corps’ project is critical to saving what remains of the Everglades. So, much as I often complain about the Corps, this Tamiami Trail feat is a much-needed solution to saving the Everglades. And, I hope that one of these days I will be able to see in person the success of that project. | <urn:uuid:694ede82-f5b1-4183-a70a-4135fb49d43f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://berrystreetbeacon.wordpress.com/2009/10/04/army-corps-to-begin-tamiami-trail-reverse-engineering-feat/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00008-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.975593 | 1,111 | 1.820313 | 2 |
It’s a common temptation of middle age to think that the present is significantly worse than the past—to mistake a herniated disc in the L4-L5 region with America’s declining global power, or annoyance at public iPhone conversations with the erosion of all social norms. Certain pieces I’ve written in this space and elsewhere, not to mention a new book being published today (“The Unwinding: An Inner History of the New America”), might lead readers to believe that I spend my days wallowing in nostalgia for Jimmy Carter and Boz Scaggs, if not J.F.K. and Perry Como. Not true! There are many, many things about the year 2013 that I would not want undone, and many other things about the year 1978 that I would not want back. It’s worth remembering them, as a kind of fact-check exercise, before considering whether—as so many Americans I’ve interviewed over the past few years believe—something has gone wrong.
On Monday afternoon, a tornado more than a mile wide rolled through Moore, a suburb of Oklahoma City, leaving behind scenes of devastation, including the wreckage of the Plaza Towers Elementary School. By midnight Oklahoma time, more than ninety people were confirmed dead, with others still missing. Here are images of the tornado’s wake.
A field near the collapsed Plaza Towers Elementary School in Moore, Oklahoma. Photograph by Sue Ogrocki/AP.
A damaged church at South Janeway Avenue and Southwest Fourth Street in Moore. Photograph by Alonzo Adams/AP.
Two men check for victims in a parking lot west of I-35 South in Moore. Photograph by Jim Beckel/The Oklahoman/AP.
A damaged home near Shawnee, Oklahoma. Photograph by Brett Deering/Getty.
Volunteers help clean out Jean McAdams’s mobile home near Shawnee. Photograph by Brett Deering/Getty.
Candice Lopez and Stephanie Davis help clean debris from Thelma Cox’s mobile home near Shawnee. Photograph by Brett Deering/Getty.
I believe in something I call the Sportswriter’s Fallacy, but you could call it the Pundit’s Fallacy, too. It’s adaptable. It means that the people who haven’t done the thing they are describing, whether athletics or statecraft, are frequently mistaken in their assumptions. Not only are they working in the context of concealed information but they don’t know the intimate terms of the engagement. They’re guessing. (Among the reasons that David Gergen is compelling is that often he isn’t guessing.)
I can’t even guess what’s wrong with the Rangers’ power play, which is habitually dreadful. The obvious things—they should move the puck faster and not simply wheel it around the periphery or along the blue line; they shouldn’t stand so much in place; they shouldn’t enact that umbrella formation, with three players near the blue line and no one in front of the goal; they should shoot the puck more and hope for rebounds; they should just have better ideas and more of them—are so obvious that everyone has thought of them, including the coaches. The Rangers, after all, have reasonably talented players, and ought to have at least an average power play, but they don’t. This year they were twenty-third out of thirty teams, efficient about sixteen per cent of the time, while the leader, Washington, managed nearly twenty-seven per cent. Power-play goals alone don’t win games—the Rangers beat Washington in the playoffs, after all—but they help. The Rangers efficiency on the power play in the playoffs has been pathetic, around five and six per cent, next to last.
On Monday afternoon, one of the tornadoes that have been careening through the plains hit a suburb of Oklahoma City called Moore. What happened, how many people were killed or injured, and how many lives and livelihoods were destroyed aren’t clear yet. (At midnight Oklahoma time the count was ninety-one dead, twenty of them children, with more missing.) The images are wrenching: an elementary school that was all but flattened, highways with gashes across them, housing lots scraped bare, buildings on fire. The tornado’s destructive path was apparently two miles wide. (“It seems that our worst fears have happened today,” Bill Bunting, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Oklahoma, said, according to Reuters.) There were warnings before the tornadoes hit, but those only get you so far from danger—and don’t mean that you will have a home to go back to. People were advised to get to a real cellar, not a simple storm shelter, and that it was time to abandon mobile homes. Many got word just sixteen minutes before the storm touched down and smashed their streets.
The big news of the past week had nothing to do with the I.R.S. or Benghazi. It was the confirmation that, while the American economy continues to recover from the disastrous financial bust of 2008 and 2009, Europe remains mired in a seemingly endless slump.
On this side of the pond, the Congressional Budget Office announced that, with the economy expanding, tax revenues rising, and federal spending being restrained, the budget deficit is set to fall to about four per cent of Gross Domestic Product this year, and to 3.4 per cent next year. The latter figure is pretty close to the average for the past thirty years. At least for now, the great U.S. fiscal scare is over—not that you’d guess that from listening to the public debate in Washington. In Europe, things are going from bad to worse. New figures show that in the seventeen-member euro zone, G.D.P. has been contracting for six quarters in a row. The unemployment rate across the zone is 12.1 per cent, and an economic disaster that was once confined to the periphery of the continent is now striking at its core. France and Italy are both mired in recession, and even the mighty German economy is faltering badly.
There aren’t supposed to be hate crimes in Greenwich Village these days, especially ones involving people with guns and victims who die. There aren’t supposed to be anti-gay hate crimes taking place almost in the shadow of the Stonewall Inn, the birthplace of the modern gay-rights movement more than forty years ago. In fact, there aren’t supposed to be shootings of any kind in Greenwich Village—in all of last year, there was only one homicide.
Yet this weekend, residents of the Village and all of New York were shocked to hear that a man named Mark Carson was stalked and gunned down in the heart of their tolerant neighborhood, apparently because the way he was dressed—a tank top and shorts with boots—suggested to the assailant that Carson was gay. Prior to the actual shooting, the alleged shooter taunted Carson, who was openly gay, with homophobic rhetoric. Police Commissioner Ray Kelly said that “this is clearly a hate crime.”
“Are you Starfleet or private security?” Lieutenant Commander Scott asks a man—a very big man—who is pointing a phaser at him. “You look like private security.” And “Star Trek Into Darkness” looks like an allegory about drones or civil liberties—or something. But in neither case are the questions posed answered: the big man with the gun is swept out of an airlock before we learn whether he will reveal the twenty-third-century name for Blackwater. (There will be spoilers in this post.) And by the time, close to the end, a falling spaceship slices into some tall, shining skyscrapers, causing the towers to collapse on themselves, the movie’s efforts to make a coherent point about counterterrorism have already done the same.
The setup to the movie does have promise. There is a mystery attack on a library that kills a few dozen people. Starfleet gathers its commanders, including James T. Kirk, who is in trouble for recent rule-breaking. (Long story, involving a volcano: basically, Kirk was more of a humanitarian interventionist than the Prime Directive allows.) Kirk correctly but belatedly guesses that there will be a follow-up attack—the model is the second I.E.D. that takes out the first responders, a sequence we’ve seen often in the past few years—and watches his mentor die. Someone called John Harrison, supposedly a member of Starfleet military intelligence, is identified as the terrorist. He has fled to the federally administered tribal areas—actually, to an uninhabited region of the Klingons’ home planet. It would be an act of war for troops from the United Federation of Planets to just march in. So Admiral Marcus, a hawk, tells Kirk to go to the edge of the Neutral Zone with secret torpedoes he’s not supposed to open and fire one at Harrison. “This is a manhunt,” Marcus says. Don’t try to capture; just kill.
The Washington Postreported today that, in the course of a leak investigation of a State Department employee who allegedly provided Fox News’s James Rosen with classified information, the Obama Justice Department not only subpoenaed Rosen’s private e-mails but also said that Rosen was “an aider and abettor and/or co-conspirator” in the alleged crime.
Rosen was not charged with any crime, but it is unprecedented for the government, in an official court document, to accuse a reporter of breaking the law for conducting the routine business of reporting on government secrets.
Here is the full forty-four-page Justice Department application for the search warrant of Rosen’s Gmail account.
“Hello Angel! Doesn’t he have a great voice? I told him he’s gotta start doing voice-overs. I’ll be your agent, man. We can make things happen, brother.”
“She brings me flowers sometimes. I’m like, ‘It’s not gonna get you free phone storage!’ It’s awesome. You gotta be careful with these kids, though—make sure that you’re properly handling them in a professional manner.”
“Where you been at, man?”
“I’ve been at home.”
“Home is not good! You should be in school, brother!” | <urn:uuid:6e6512ac-72c5-4878-aa1e-dd86160b720d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/newsdesk/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00001-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.962663 | 2,217 | 1.5625 | 2 |
1 In the mean time, when there were gathered together an innumerable multitude of people, insomuch that they trode one upon another, he began to say unto his disciples first of all, Beware ye of the a of the Pharisees, which is b.
2 For there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; neither a, that shall not be known.
3 Therefore whatsoever ye have spoken in a shall be heard in the light; and that which ye have b in the ear in c shall be proclaimed upon the housetops.
4 And I say unto you my a, Be not b of them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do.
5 But I will forewarn you whom ye shall a: Fear him, which after he hath killed hath power to cast into b; yea, I say unto you, Fear him.
6 Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings, and not one of them is a before God?
7 But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore: ye are of more value than many sparrows.
8 Also I say unto you, Whosoever shall a me before men, him shall the Son of man also confess before the b of God:
9 a he that denieth me before men shall be denied before the angels of God.
10 And whosoever shall speak a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but unto him that a against the Holy Ghost it shall not be forgiven.
11 And when they bring you unto the synagogues, and unto magistrates, and a, b how or what thing ye shall answer, or what ye shall c:
12 For the a shall b you in the same hour what ye ought to say.
13 ¶And one of the company said unto him, Master, speak to my brother, that he divide the inheritance with me.
14 And he said unto him, Man, who made me a judge or a divider over you?
15 And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of a: for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.
16 And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully:
17 And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to a my fruits?
18 And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods.
19 And I will say to my soul, a, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, b, drink, and be merry.
20 But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy a shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?
21 So is he that layeth up a for b, and is not rich toward God.
22 ¶And he said unto his disciples, Therefore I say unto you, a no b for your life, what ye shall eat; neither for the body, what ye shall put on.
23 The life is more than meat, and the body is more than raiment.
24 Consider the a: for they neither sow nor reap; which neither have storehouse nor barn; and God feedeth them: how much more are ye better than the fowls?
25 And which of you with taking thought can add to his stature one cubit?
26 If ye then be not able to do that thing which is least, why take ye thought for the rest?
27 Consider the a how they grow: they toil not, they spin not; and yet I say unto you, that Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
28 If then God so clothe the grass, which is to day in the field, and to morrow is cast into the oven; a much more will he clothe you, O ye of little faith?
29 And seek not ye what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink, neither be ye of a mind.
30 For all these things do the nations of the world seek after: and your Father knoweth that ye have need of these things.
31 ¶a rather seek ye the b of God; and c these things shall be added unto you.
32 Fear not, little a; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the b.
33 Sell that ye have, and give a; provide yourselves bags which wax not old, a b in the heavens that c not, where no thief approacheth, neither moth corrupteth.
34 For where your a is, there will your heart be also.
35 Let your loins be girded about, and your a burning;
36 And ye yourselves like unto men that wait for their lord, when he will return from the wedding; that when he cometh and knocketh, they may open unto him immediately.
37 a are those servants, whom the lord when he cometh shall find b: verily I say unto you, that he shall gird himself, and make them to sit down to meat, and will come forth and serve them.
38 And if he shall come in the second watch, or come in the third watch, and find them so, blessed are those servants.
39 And this know, that if the a of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched, and not have b his house to be broken through.
40 Be ye therefore ready also: for the Son of man a at an b when ye think not.
41 ¶Then Peter said unto him, Lord, speakest thou this parable unto us, or even to all?
42 And the Lord said, Who then is that a and wise b, whom his lord shall make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of meat in due season?
43 Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so a.
44 Of a truth I say unto you, that he will make him a over b that he hath.
45 But and if that servant say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; and shall begin to beat the menservants and a, and to eat and drink, and to be drunken;
46 The lord of that servant will come in a day when he looketh not for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in sunder, and will appoint him his a with the unbelievers.
47 And that a, which knew his lord’s b, and c himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes.
48 But he that a, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be b with few stripes. For unto whomsoever c is d, of him shall be much e: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more.
49 ¶I am come to send fire on the earth; and what will I, if it be already kindled?
50 But I have a a to be baptized with; and how am I b till it be accomplished!
51 Suppose ye that I am come to give peace on earth? I tell you, Nay; but rather division:
52 For from henceforth there shall be five in one house divided, three against two, and two against three.
53 The father shall be divided against the son, and the son a the father; the mother against the daughter, and the daughter against the mother; the mother in law against her daughter in law, and the daughter in law against her mother in law.
54 ¶And he said also to the people, When ye see a cloud rise out of the west, straightway ye say, There cometh a shower; and so it is.
55 And when ye see the south wind blow, ye say, There will be heat; and it cometh to pass.
56 Ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky and of the earth; but how is it that ye do not discern this time?
57 Yea, and why even of yourselves judge ye not what is right?
58 ¶When thou goest with thine adversary to the magistrate, as thou art in the way, give diligence that thou mayest be delivered from him; lest he hale thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and the officer cast thee into prison.
59 I tell thee, thou shalt not depart thence, till thou hast paid the very last a. | <urn:uuid:f0a599ce-cb7d-4529-bba6-9b5bf84302ec> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.lds.org/scriptures/nt/luke/12.44?lang=eng&country=afe | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00002-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.960998 | 1,827 | 1.53125 | 2 |
80 years of history are celebrated for the iconic reversible watch
2011 is the year of the Reverso watch, which celebrates 80 years of rich history, having adorned the wrists of polo players and illustrious personalities. Yet, before we can begin to glorify these eight decades of watchmaking history, we need to go back to 4 March 1931, when it all began. Looking back to 4 March 1931, at 1:15 pm, at the INPI (National Industrial Property Institute) in Paris: René-Alfred Chauvot officially patents his invention of a "wristwatch which can slide on its base and flip over on itself”. A unique and ingenious invention: the Reverso watch was born! Yet another secret of the now legendary reversible watch that Jaeger-LeCoultre is proud to deliver to all lovers of history and fine watchmaking! To mark this date of 4 March 1931 forever in the Manufacture history, Jaeger-LeCoultre wanted to celebrate this anniversary in grand style across the world! After its Virtual Museum to which stories and exceptional items are added every day, and its Treasure Hunt completed symbolically this 4 March 2011 to mark the patent’s anniversary, the Reverso has not yet divulged all its secrets… Jaeger-LeCoultre has other treasures and watchmaking tales in store to share throughout the year. Join us in this extraordinary adventure! Reverso, the iconic watch that has become a cult object!! | <urn:uuid:5eeeb107-ac9f-4f32-ba40-b96f4c57ec55> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.jaeger-lecoultre.com/US/en/content/4-march-1931-the-reverso-was-patented.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00016-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.942639 | 304 | 1.734375 | 2 |
We put this page in for fun and so you can see where we spend our days, but also so you will understand why building trees, at least the way we do it, isn't something you can easily do in your basement in the winter.
We built our shop in the spring of 1998 to be 30’ long by 16’ wide. In the summer of 2007, we added an additional 12’ in length to accommodate the new dust collection system.
Walking through the main door of the shop, ahead of you is the rough lumber storage on the back wall. Below the lumber is one of the drying areas for the trees. The trees are placed on the perfectly flat marble slabs and weighted to keep them square as they dry. We have a wood stove as our main heat source in the winter and a furnace as back up because we can’t let the glues and varnish freeze. Behind the stove are storage shelves for horns, screws and nails and other supplies we use.
The center of the shop is dominated by the 8 1/2 foot high, 32” band saw. Although designed to saw logs into lumber, we need the height for the jigs we use to make the cuts on the bars for the fork and cantle to fit into. The table tilts so we can cut at different angles, and the wood blocks you see stored in front of the bottom door are used to keep all those angles consistent.
Beyond the band saw is the modified belt sander. The belts run up to stand idlers on the wall and are now completely enclosed, except for the wheels at the bottom where the shaping is done, to capture the dust. The 3” wheel on the right is used for gullets and horns and the 6” wheel is used for everything else. Hanging on the wall to the left of the sander are the jigs used to make those all important cuts in the bars. The white, 6” piping is for dust collection from all the machines.
In front of the sander is the 12” jointer/planer combination machine. It is used as a jointer when the table top is flat to plane one side of the wood. Then the main tables are flipped open and it becomes a planer, with the blades on top and the wood sliding over the small table in the middle of the machine. This levels the other side and gets the wood an even thickness all the way across.
Past the jointer planer is the varnishing table and beyond it are the doors to the “dirty room” and the cyclone room. Moving further around the addition, we have another work bench with more room for drying trees underneath. The jigs on this wall are used to set the correct cantle angle when cutting the glue surface of the cantle. This is also the area where Rod rawhides the trees.
The “dirty room” was built to confine the dust from the side grinder with the carbide grinding disc when Rod can’t work outside. The wood is clamped in the vice which is twisted and turned all directions as Rod carves away with his grinder. The table, besides being handy for holding tools as Rod works, also has a built in downdraft table to collect dust when rasping and hand sanding.
The cyclone room contains our Clear Vue cyclone and filter set up. The system will move about 1400 cubit feet of air a minute, collecting the dust and chips where they are made and dropping the majority of them into the bin beneath the cyclone. The exhaust air is then either piped straight outside or re-circulated through the filters inside the box when it is too cold to heat replacement air fast enough.
The two glue presses are used for the final laminations after the different layers have first been glued edge to edge using the clamps or, where possible, pinch dogs. The wall behind the main glue press holds cantle and fork patterns. On the wall to the left hang some of the precision angles and T squares we have had specially made so we can mark the patterns on the wood very precisely. Beneath the table are assembled forks waiting to be used and pieces waiting for gluing.
Above the large workbench are more patterns and marking and measuring tools. The orders currently being worked on are hanging on the back of the bench while the parts for those orders that have been marked out or already cut out ready for shaping sit underneath.
Behind the door is the drill press used to make screw holes in the metal horns. The humidifier helps to keep the trees from drying too quickly in our relatively dry climate. Through the doorway is the rawhide room which includes a small furnace room just to the right. The large freezer you see just on the left holds the rawhide that isn’t used immediately.
The rest of the room is used to make rawhide when the weather is too cold to do it outside. The cement mixer stands in the far corner by the water and drain to tumble the hides. The 8’ by 4’ fleshing pole is brought inside on rawhide making days. The barrels hold hides in water while waiting for processing or soaking and rinsing afterwards. | <urn:uuid:13c1d960-82de-4804-9ef7-237765fc3f4d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.rodnikkel.com/content/index.php/tour-of-shop/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00008-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.944298 | 1,084 | 1.695313 | 2 |
November 27, 2012
Document Destruction, Houston
All shredding is not destroying. It comes as a big surprise to most people that if they hire a mobile shredding company that their documents may not be destroyed. The easiest and safest way to protect yourself and your clients is to look at the shred. At On-Site Shred we use state-of-the-art pulverizing shredding technology. We are so proud of our shred we have windows on the side of the truck so our clients can see our shredded product.
An investigation has been launched after it emerged that confidential police records – including documents about Mitt Romney’s motorcade – were used as confetti at the Thanksgiving Day parade in New York City.
The shredded documents rained down on thousands of parade-goers who lined the streets to watch the parade near Central Park on New York’s Upper West Side on Thursday.
Closer inspection revealed that the shredded strips of paper were still readable and contained details about serving police officers, including their names, social security numbers and bank details as well as references to crimes that took place in the area.
The documents appear to have originally belonged to the Nassau County Police Department, which polices parts of Long Island, just outside New York City.
Some of the confetti strips include references to former Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney’s motorcade, presumably related to the fact that the second presidential debate took place at Hofstra University in Nassau County last month.
Ethan Finkelstein, a university student, was watching the parade when he and a friend noticed a strip of confetti on her coat.
He told the Pix11 television news channel: “It landed on her shoulder, and it says ‘SSN’ and it’s written like a social security number, and we’re like, ‘That’s really bizarre.’”
Mr Finkelstein, 18, said he and his friends picked up other pieces of confetti and found more apparent police records.
“There are phone numbers, addresses, more social security numbers, license plate numbers and then we find all these incident reports from police.
“I’m just completely in shock. How could someone have this kind of information, and how could it be distributed at the Thanksgiving Day Parade?” Inspector Kenneth Lack, from the Nassau County Police Department, said: “The Nassau County Police Department is very concerned about this situation. We will be conducting an investigation into this matter as well as reviewing our procedures for the disposing of sensitive documents.”
It was, however, suggested that the confetti had perhaps been thrown from a window overlooking the parade route.
A spokesman for Macy’s, the parade’s sponsor, said that they used: “commercially manufactured, multicoloured confetti, not shredded paper.”
Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/macys-parade-confetti-contained-shredded-police-secrets-2012-11#ixzz2DUBlBPfB
January 11, 2012
Document Destruction, Houston
The start of a new year brings new resolutions. What better time to address information management and secure shredding services in Houston Texas! Did you know that a recycling program is not the same as a destruction program. Many of the recyclers will tell their clients that their information will be destroyed during the recycling process. The question that should be asked is “Where do our documents go after the recycler picks them up? Who has access to those documents?” Most people are unaware that recyclers bale white paper perfectly intact and the bales are shipped overseas. Shipping containers arrive from China packed with goods to be sold in the United States and are returned packed with recycled paper. Those bales of paper and their contents find their way to Chinese ports. Scared? You better be. Through the years China has been notorious with stealing proprietary information, Identity theft, and the biggest threat these days is cyber attacks. Think of all the back doors that a team of hackers could discover into your network from discarded printed emails. It’s happening thousands of times a day. So as we embark on the New Year, be smart and let a Houston Shredding services company help you protect yourself, your company, and your clients.
February 3, 2011
Anything Houston, Funny & Random
Valentine’s Day is quickly approaching Houston! And what better way to say I love you more than secure document shredding! On-Site Shred wants to be part of your Valentine day success! Is your Valentine tired of getting the same dozen roses every year? Imagine their joy when they find you have arranged to have their most loved documents protected by shredding! We will be offering two different packages for this very special day.
Option 1 – The Valentine’s Day Destruction – Our trained document destruction specialist will arrive on site and recite to your Valentine
”Roses are red,
Violets are blue,
someone thinks all day and night,
about protecting you!
Option 2 – The Shredmance Package – contains everything in Option 1 and also includes a box of Sweethearts!
Operators are standing by, call today to reserve your Valentine’s day secure document destruction!
June 27, 2010
identity theft houston, Shredding services
What sets an individual apart? It is his or her identity. We take many precautions to safe guard our identity. But why is this safeguarding necessary? How does a person’s identity get compromised? What causes this? And what are the effects? In this article we aim to answer these questions and bring upon awareness for the prevention of identity theft.
To start with, one must understand what compromising identity can do. A person’s identity consists of his personal, financial, and social details. A number of documents that one owns contain references to this information. A person’s social security number, passport details, travel details, credit history and such reveal the credibility of an individual. Identity pirates steal this information from improperly disposed documents. Such stolen information can be used to assume the identity of the individual and misappropriate funds, make unauthorized purchases, create hoaxes and panic. The unfortunate victim is left with the disgrace and disrepute.
An information pirate could be anybody from a spiteful neighbor to a business rival or it could be a complete stranger seeking to benefit from using your personal information. No matter what the reason for the theft, ultimately it destroys the victim’s reputation. One who is affected by such an act of piracy is left feeling the blow of the blame. Businesses lose client and credibility and individuals lose their reputation and standing in the society.
Once reputation is lost one finds it difficult to find new clients, jobs or even apply for a loan. This stress the point that proper disposal of the documents is essential for peace of mind. The proven method of disposal of documents is to shred. To shred one’s document is to prevent identity theft. Shredded documents ensure disposal by finely chopping the document and the resulting mass of shredded paper can be sent for recycling without the worry of information getting stolen.
Numerous movies have elucidated the fact that personal information stolen from faulty disposal is used by the information thieves to pose as the victim and participate in illegal activities. A victim of this nature also suffers from loss of trust and creates dangerous situations. Though the case might seem extreme, it is one’s duty to protect one self, one’s family and clients from embarrassment. It is one’s duty towards one’s family, client and country to prevent theft of this nature.
So shred to safeguard one’s life, livelihood and relations. Let us shred to curb opportunistic thieving of private information.
On-Site Shred is a secure mobile document destruction company providing shredding in Houston Texas
June 15, 2010
Houston, Shredding Services Houston
Secure information – Use Document shredding
A great deal of attention is paid to secure important data while they are still in use. We password protect electronic documents, lock important files in safes and create privacy policies. Once we are done with the documents and are ready to discard them do we pay as much attention to their disposal?
You might be surprised to know that improper disposal of documents leads to theft of important and private information that they still contain. Whether it is a phone bill or a service contract, they contain personal or important client information that need safeguarding from prying eyes. Individuals and businesses are aware of the need for safe disposal of the documents. This is where Houston document shredding comes into play.
In Houston homes there are numerous bills, credit card statements, personal letters, old videos that contain personal details like social security number, credit card numbers, passwords, addresses, etc., that may be misused. Frauds are committed by information thieves that could affect the victim’s credit ratings, financial status, and reputation. Misuse of important credit details might cause the victim to lose their both financially and lose further credit opportunities due to bad ratings. This would create considerable stress in lifestyle and make uncertain one’s future.
Imagine the plight of a Houston business that cuts a sorry face to its client due its negligence and accidental leakage of client’s private data caused by the improper disposal of used documents. Documents carelessly discarded, is the same as business thrown away. Once information has leaked of a company’s contract rival companies can make competent offers and snag businesses away. A company is also liable to lose its reputation with the people they service if they unwittingly compromised private details of the client, thereby losing the client as well.
Privacy laws and right protection methods adopted by many countries help in curbing this theft to an extent. However the real responsibility of safeguarding and thereby preventing loss of information lies with individuals and companies. On-Site Shred ensures complete destruction of documents. It is reassuring to note that shredding gives the guarantee that information cannot be accessed from the documents.
Other than paper documents one also needs to carefully discard other forms of documents carefully. Information is also stored in the form of CDs, DVDs, videos, ID cards, old credit cards, etc. Used computers also contain personal information which when discarded can be read and misused. Purging files alone does not ensure data protection. These disks must also be shredded to prevent misuse.
Shredding is the best way to protect secure information. It is not only the best method but also the safest.
June 3, 2010
Document Destruction, Houston
paper shredding service
Document shredding has been recognized as the efficient method for the disposal of documents. In homes shredding is cumbersome and inefficient. Businesses find it difficult to maintain a dedicated employee to perform the task of document shredding.
Most companies don’t generate the necessary volumes to warrant the use of dedicated personnel for shredding tasks. The employee in charge of maintaining the records is also required to perform the task of destroying them. This eats into the productivity time of the employee. It could also cause a stressed employee to lax on the proper shredding for documents leaving room for information theft.
This has led to the birth of a line of service that is dedicated to the shredding of documents. The professional Houston shredding services provide dedicated service of destroying documents. Through their secure document shredding services they provide businesses with the necessary protection for their information.
A professional shredding service offers a responsible way of document removal and destruction. The general method employed by these companies includes secure document retrieval, document removal, shred and disposal of the shredded materials in a clean and efficient manner.
Most professional shredding services provide offices with a secure bin which is maintained under lock and key, to deposit their documents into. An employee of the service then visits the office in his official truck that holds the shredding device in it. He uses his set of keys to securely remove the bag containing the documents that are inside the bin to the waiting truck. Then these documents are taken inside a locked and secured room inside the truck and shredded. The company can choose to supervise the process of shredding if they so choose. The service provider then issues a certificate of completion of shredding to the business. The shredding is done with high quality blades that turn all the documents into meaningless confetti thus ensuring proper destruction. These bales of paper are then sent for recycling and that fulfils your duty for environmental protection.
Without the use of these services a company is bound to lose valuable time and productivity can also be compromised. There are many such services available. Finally, a word of caution, businesses must consider the credentials, the trust policy of the service and proximity before handing over sensitive documents.
June 2, 2010
Houston, Paper Shredding
Identity frauds are the growing concern of the information world today. We are already aware of the different means adopted by identity thieves for tapping into personal information that is sent electronically. However research has shown that identity frauds and business espionage are committed more from the information stolen from traditional paper based documents rather than electronic media. An individual’s credit rating and reputation are compromised, as are those of family members and business associates.
Strict laws are in place to punish identity thieves and law makers use efficient tracking methods to bring offenders to justice. These are always a step too late for the victims. So prevention is not just the best policy but it should be the only policy. Shredding documents helps eliminate this problem. Document shredding ensures that the paper based documents are kept from falling into the wrong hands. Shredded documents are impossible to reattach protecting the information the page contained.
Homes and Businesses alike accumulate document that need to be destroyed due to a number of factors. May be the information has turned outdated or you might have converted to an electronic media for storage or it might just be to make more space. The only safe method of discarding documents is to shred them, be it credit card or phone bills at home or delicate customer information.
Even a noble idea of recycling paper waste might impact your reputation or your business. Crumpling paper to discard, leaves open the sensitive information it contains at the mercy of thieves and competitors alike. Information thieves are not above dumpster diving. Shredded documents can be segregated for recycling instead. This ensures security as the document cannot be pieced together a second time.
Document shredding is not restricted to the print media. It extends to discarded CDs, hard drives, diskettes, DVDs, film, ID badges, X-rays, Binders, credit cards, video tapes and the list is endless. Any number of things that have out lived their use may contain a lot of personal information.
Professional shredding services are available to take on a bulk of work. This enables to save precious time and helps increase employee productivity. A professional service also eliminates time spent on segregating paper from binders. And it is fuss free and takes care of the hassle of dedicating valuable employee time. Most services offer onsite shredding that enable you to witness firsthand that your documents are indeed destroyed.
With importance of protecting private information and client interests being foremost in our minds shredding has come as an answer to a disturbing problem.
April 14, 2010
Houston, On-Site Shredding in the Press, Paper Shredding
shredding Services Houston
Advantages of document shredding or paper shredding
Identity thefts are one of the greatest concerns, today, all around the world. There is constant news of misuse of personal information coming from across the globe. Electronic medium of disbursing information is constantly revising their privacy policies and introducing high levels of encryption for their data. However, information theft is not local to the electronic media alone.
It would be surprising to note that majority of information thefts and business espionage still happen from the traditional paper documents. Disposal of these documents is now in focus as they contain plenty of sensitive information that could be misused. We are now aware that misuse of private information can lead to loss of respect and trust. These are recognized as the basis of businesses. Therefore, the focus now is not just on document disposal but efficient document disposal.
The most sought after method of document disposal is document shredding or paper shredding. Shredding of documents ensures that the important pages are turned into a mass of meaningless confetti. Shredders are a must in all businesses to protect the identity of client or their products.
It would be most disappointing to find that your competitor has gotten hold of your businesses’ new proposal data. Or there has been a leak from your client database. It would be embarrassing to have to inform your client or employee of the unfortunate leak of their private data. It would cause the personnel working for you and the client to distrust you in the future. A client might withdraw a contract or not approach you for further work.
Business espionage counts on your negligence to properly discard your documents for obtaining access to company secrets. It can result in great financial and client base loss if your competitor out quotes you. Many times one might throw suspicion on trustworthy employees when the mistake would be on sheer negligence. Such situations cause a bad taste on the part of the company and leave the employee displeased. A displeased employee may either show low productivity or might leave for a different job.
Such unpleasant situations can be prevented by adopting proper paper shredding methodologies. A safe disposal system guarantees a business against loss of personnel, finance and safe guard’s client details.
February 17, 2010
Houston, Paper Shredding
Document Shredding – Types of Documents to Shred
The world faces extreme challenges of terrorism, and identity thefts are becoming a menace that is abused frequently in terror acts. As a citizen of this world one has to take responsibility for the correct disposal of documents. There is now greater awareness for the need to shred documents.
Paper documents are readily recognizable documents that require shredding. This is already practiced in many organizations. We immediately think of legal organizations when we think of paper shredding. These images have been ingrained in our memory by the frequent use of such scenes in movies. However, it is a misconception that shredding is exclusive to such high level firms and their documents. Among this list of misconceptions is the kind of documents to be shred. Paper documents are not the only kind of documents that need to be disposed by shredding.
To understand the types of documents to be shred, one must first acquire an understanding of the different types of personal documents and the different media that is used for its storage. Personal and private documents range from contact details to details of medical treatments. It begins with the many recognized details of a person’s or client’s contacts. It extends from this to the project records, training manuals, presentation materials, home videos, medical scans, x-rays, treatment records, and many more.
The Medias used are not restricted either. It definitely starts with paper documents, IDs, credit cards, ATM cards, ID cards, x-ray sheets, CDs, DVDs, cassettes, Microfilm, film, prototypes, product samples, computer backups, hard disks, casino chips, money, lottery tickets, checks, pill bottles, misprints, clothing, shoes, toys, recalled items, and many more.
The media ranges from paper, plastics and metals. Any disposing of these materials must be done by the responsible shredding of the documents. Shredding and incinerating of the media makes them theft proof.
February 7, 2010
Houston, Paper Shredding
paper shredding service
The paper shredders that are available today, are used widely in homes and offices for destroying various kinds of documents. These paper shredders are useful in cutting paper into very fine strips or chips so that there are no visible traces of the content on these documents. The shredding benefits of paper are used widely by different government organizations, business and private enterprises and even individuals. Shredding has become one of the best ways to destroy the private papers like credit card bills, bank statements and other private or sensitive documents that are confidential. Shredding of these documents also helps in reducing the risks of identity thefts.
The history of the paper shredder goes back to almost a century ago. The first paper shredder had been invented by the prolific Abbot Augustus Low from Horseshoe New York. At that time the device to destroy these paper documents was known as the ‘waste paper receptacle’ and it had also been patented. This device provided a better way of improving the methods of paper disposable and waste paper. The patent had been filed on the 2nd of February, 1909 and the patent for the same was received on the 31st of August with the patent number 929,960. But the invention of Augustus was never manufactured.
Then the paper shredder by Adolf Ehinger was made. This shredder had been based on the popular pasta maker and it had been manufactured in Germany in 1935. It is said that Aodlf had to shred some of his anti Nazi propaganda so that inquiries from the authorities could be avoided. The shredder had been marketed to various government and financial agencies. This device was then converted from hand crank to electric motor. The first cross-cut paper shredders had been made in the year 1959 by EBA Maschinenfabrik, which was owned by Adolf. The company continues to make paper shredders till date in the name of EBA Krug & Priester GmbH & Co. in Balingen.
The U.S embassy in Iran would use strip cut paper shredders for shredding paper. Till the 1980’s the use of paper shredders had been used mainly by non government institutions. After the 1984 judgment of the Supreme Court, where the court stated that the fourth amendment does not prohibit the warrant-less seizure of garbage from homes, the use of these paper shredders became more popular and are used widely now.
« Previous Entries | <urn:uuid:ea919e6b-6b18-488b-a31f-7dd4374119a0> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.shreddinghouston.net/paper-shredding-blog/tag/shredding-houston/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00002-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.949273 | 4,565 | 1.554688 | 2 |
Do you ever just smile? Because its easier to fake happiness then deal with being upset. Easier to be passive, and bypass aggressive?
When someone casually asks, How are you doing?
It is not socially acceptable to respond, Well, my goldfish just died, I stubbed my toe last night and it still hurts, and I have a migraine coming on from the plethora of useless questions Im asked throughout the day.
What would people think of you if you countered in this manner – even if it is the truth? No, instead you are required by the keepers of the social norm to reply, Fine, and you? So whomever asked can feign fine-nes as well.
So then, why do we feel obligated to ask people how they are? You bump into someone whom you havent seen in a while, and the first words out of your mouth are, How are you? They jump out there into the void before you have time to think about what you are saying. And then you sit there annoyed, because this person, this inconsiderate person, actually has the nerve to take your precious time and answer the question youve nonchalantly asked them.
So the question now is, why ask, if you dont really want to know?
Sorry, comments are closed. | <urn:uuid:9f59de70-7a10-4b8a-bb46-a315ba8eb510> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.norcalblogs.com/iconoclastic/2007/04/17/quotable-thoughts-ani-difranco/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00001-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.973521 | 268 | 1.695313 | 2 |
WASHINGTON--(American Institute of CPAs (AICPA) of its members also found that the vast majority are concerned that individuals and families will be affected most severely if policy makers are unable to reduce the federal debt.)--Cutting the federal budget deficit should be the government’s top economic priority, according to a survey of CPAs. The recent survey by the
“Knowing what’s at stake, three quarters of those taking part in our survey (76 percent) are sending a clear message to federal policy makers to deal with our debt crisis without delay. Fiscal responsibility is essential to our country’s economic sustainability.”
Fifty-four percent of the nation’s CPAs identified deficit reduction as the top economic priority for the United States in the online survey, ahead of creating jobs (23 percent), tax reform (18 percent) and ensuring the long-term stability of Social Security and Medicare (5 percent).
Asked how an inability to reduce the federal budget deficit is likely to be felt by their clients or company, hiring freezes (55 percent), reduced capital spending (53 percent), reduced benefits (52 percent) and job layoffs (52 percent) were chosen most frequently from a list of seven options.
“CPAs in communities large and small and from coast to coast are increasingly troubled by the government’s inability to come to grips with this economic calamity-in-the-making,” said AICPA President and CEO Barry Melancon, CPA, CGMA. “Knowing what’s at stake, three quarters of those taking part in our survey (76 percent) are sending a clear message to federal policy makers to deal with our debt crisis without delay. Fiscal responsibility is essential to our country’s economic sustainability.”
Asked what concerns them most about the federal budget deficit, 58 percent of the AICPA members cited its impact on our nation’s economy. Seven in 10 CPAs surveyed (73 percent) said individuals and families would be affected most severely if policymakers are unable to reduce the budget deficit. Another 14 percent pointed to small business as likely to be affected most severely.
Expressing concern about the growing federal debt and its impact on the long-term fiscal health of the United States, the AICPA Board of Directors last November adopted a resolution underscoring the need to put America on a better economic path and supporting two non-partisan efforts, the Campaign to Fix the Debt and the Comeback America Initiative. Earlier in 2012, the AICPA developed What’s At Stake? A CPA’s Insights into the Federal Government’s Finances, a resource calling attention to how and why the financial sustainability of our nation is at stake.
The AICPA’s online survey of members was conducted December 4-24, 2012. More than 1,700 CPAs responded.
About the AICPA
The American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) is the world’s largest member association representing the accounting profession, with nearly 386,000 members in 128 countries and a 125-year heritage of serving the public interest. AICPA members represent many areas of practice, including business and industry, public practice, government, education and consulting.
The AICPA sets ethical standards for the profession and U.S. auditing standards for audits of private companies, nonprofit organizations, federal, state and local governments. It develops and grades the Uniform CPA Examination and offers specialty credentials for CPAs who concentrate on personal financial planning; fraud and forensics; business valuation; and information technology. Through a joint venture with the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA), it has established the Chartered Global Management Accountant (CGMA) designation to elevate management accounting globally.
The AICPA maintains offices in New York; Washington, DC; Durham, NC; and Ewing, NJ.
Media representatives are invited to visit the AICPA Press Center at aicpa.org/press. | <urn:uuid:a65a53a6-c5fc-43a7-832f-f53a4aa94d35> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://eon.businesswire.com/news/eon/20130109005361/en/defecit-reduction/debt/aicpa | 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 | 0.939392 | 831 | 1.78125 | 2 |
Poll: 9 In 10 Americans Still Believe In God
A poll released by Gallup on Friday found that 92 percent of Americans still say "yes" to the simple question, "Do you believe in God?"
A breakdown of responses finds American women to believe in God at a higher rate than men (94 percent to 90 percent) and a clear distinction between younger and older demographics. Only 84 percent of 18 to 29 year olds responded "yes" to the question, compared to 94 percent of older respondents.
Despite what seems like a remarkably high number, this result marks the lowest rate of positive responses since Gallup began measuring Americans' belief in God in 1944. In that year, 96 percent of respondents said "yes". The question received a 98 percent affirmative response in a series of polls conducted between 1953 and 1967.
Other analysis of the poll results show only slight variation associated with levels of education, regional geography, and political affiliation.
The largest shift in responses resulted when the phrasing of the question was changed to allow for levels of doubt or the alternate response of belief in a "universal spirit". To this question, 86 percent said they believe in God and 12 percent a "universal spirit". This sum of 98 percent indicates that there is at least a notable 6 percent segment of the population that expresses some level of belief but is not willing to call it by the term "God".
Salon noted the large disparity between these results those of similar polls conducted among residents of other countries, particularly Canada and the United Kingdom.
Meanwhile, The Christian Post found significance in the fact that "no" responses had risen from only 1 percent in 1944 to 7 percent in 2011. | <urn:uuid:a7469344-5f79-4801-b268-1c35fbdd7fd3> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/06/06/belief-in-god-poll_n_872059.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00003-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.953325 | 336 | 1.78125 | 2 |
I’ve got a question:
- Olga, can you tell me how to walk from the Metro station to the observation platform?
It’s my pleasure to answer:
1. I recommend to leave subway station “Universitet” by escalator, which is close to the last carriage if you come from the city center.
2. Outside look around. You will find at some distance a spire of the main MSU building. It will help you to orient yourself.
3. Cross the road and go to the left along Lomonosovsky prospect as if to the main building (you can see the spire).
4. Turn right at the first crossing. Very soon the main building will be on your left, go forward, pass the building and turn left.
5. Now you are at the opposite side of the main MSU building. Turn right and keep going in this direction up to the observation platform. If you pass the fountain (does not work in winter ), you are on the right way.
The church of the Intercession of the Virgin at Fili, a lithograph of the early 19th century.
The Church of the Intercession of the Virgin at Fili is located at Novozavodskaya Street. Fili metro station is a short walk, not more than 200m. The church was built between 1689 and 1693 by a boyar Naryshkin, the uncle of Peter the Great. Actually it consists of two churches, a winter one in the basement and a summer church above it, which was never heated. The new architectural style was formed at the end of the XVII century in Moscow. It is known as the Naryshkin Baroque and is also called Moscow Baroque style.
Independent travelers sometimes complain that it is difficult to find the entrance to the Kremlin museums. It’s quite easy.
The main entrance is through the Kutafya tower.
1. First of all, please, do not try to enter the Kremlin from Red square. It is useless and even unsafe if you insist.
2. Look at the map. There are two entrances for us (shown by red arrows), both are located on the side of Alexandrovsky gardens (Alexandrovsky Sad in Russian). The main one is through the Kutafya tower (1). To visit the Armoury chamber and the Diamond Fund go to the end of the Gardens along the Kremlin wall to the Borovitskaya Tower (2).
The Caravaggio exhibition at the Pushkin Fine Arts Museum runs until February 19, 2012.
If you want to escape long queueing and freezing come at 10am.
An exhibition dedicated to the 120th anniversary of one of the most famous Soviet architects Boris Iofan at the Schusev State Museum of Architecture, Vozdvizhenka St., 5 (M. Biblioteka imeni Lenina, Alexandrovsky sad, Arbatskaya) will be opened until February 26, 2012.
Boris Iofan is mainly known as an author of the “House on the Embankment” and the Soviet Pavilion with a sculpture of the “Worker and Collective Farm Girl” by V. Mukhina created for the World’s Fair of 1937. Although never realized, the ambitious Palace of Soviets, became the project of his life. For me, the initial project of Moscow State University and those interior designs for the Palace of Soviets halls looking like Pantheon or a Christian church proved to be particularly interesting.
,, Read more
One of Moscow’s most famous baths is known as Sanduny or Sandunovskie bani.
I was asked how to get to the catholic church of the Immaculate Conception in Moscow.
It is located on Malaya Gruzinskaya, 27.
I invite you to visit an estate and house, designed by the famous Russian painter Vasily Polenov for himself and his family and built on the bank of the Oka river 130 km south of Moscow in 1892. You will love well preserved artist’s collections, the views from the house windows and from surrounding hills.
I was asked how to get Park Museon if metro station Park cultury is closed?
It is easy to get there from M. Oktyabrskaya. Look at the map below.
540 meters (1,772 feet) tall Ostankino TV tower was completed in 1967. In those days it was the tallest free-standing structure in the world. You can estimate the view and perspective from the height of 337 meters on its observation deck and get great shots from up there. | <urn:uuid:38db129d-91e8-46da-aebf-9a612b050a7d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://askmoscow.com/tag/places-to-visit-in-moscow/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00015-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.964493 | 976 | 1.578125 | 2 |
For Immediate Release
32 NGOs Urge UN Secretary General Ban to Pressure Sudan to Accept a Joint African Union/United Nations Peacekeeping Force for Darfur
Cambridge, Mass - 01/18/2007
Thirty-two human rights, humanitarian, religious and conflict prevention organizations praised UN Secretary General Ban in a statement released today for his intention to make ending the violence in Darfur a top priority, while strongly urging him to continue pressuring the President of Sudan, Omar al-Bashir, to accept a joint African Union (AU) – United Nations (UN) peacekeeping force of 17,000 soldiers and 3,000 police.
Meanwhile, despite Bashir’s December 27, 2006 acceptance of the phased deployment plan for the AU-UN peacekeeping force, the security situation in Darfur continues to deteriorate. Fighting has spread into neighboring Chad and the Central African Republic. Villages in Darfur have been bombed by the Sudanese Air Force as recently as January 16, 2007.
"We are concerned that Sudan may not act in good faith,” said Susannah Sirkin, Deputy Director of Physicians for Human Rights. "President Bashir is the same man who violated the terms of the Darfur Peace Agreement almost immediately upon signing it, and even now continues to attack villages in Darfur as he negotiates with the United Nations over the deployment of the peacekeepers.”
The first phase of the three-phased plan would add 105 military officers, 33 U.N. police, 48 international staffers, 36 armored personnel carriers, night-vision goggles and Global Positioning equipment to the African Union force, according to a U.N. report last month. The second phase would include the deployment of several hundred U.N. military, police and civilian personnel to the African Union mission along with substantial aviation and logistical assets. The third and final phase would be the enlargement of the current AU force of approximately 7,000 troops to the 17,300 military personnel and 3,300 civilian police originally outlined in UNSC Resolution 1706 passed last year.
While President Bashir has accepted Phase I and 25 advisors have arrived in Darfur, he has yet to formally agree to Phases II or III. There is neither a timeline nor a decision on the composition or size of the force to be deployed in Phase III. Bashir’s deputies have announced that the UN can only contribute financial and logistical support to the mission, but that Sudan has no intention of allowing UN troops to be deployed.
"We appreciate the Secretary General’s recent attempts to broker an agreement with the Government of Sudan (GOS), but we will not trust the government’s intentions until there is a fully equipped force -- a combination of UN and AU forces -- deployed that is capable of protecting civilians,” said Moataz El Fegiery Programs Director of the Cairo Institute of Human Rights Studies. "Mr. Ban must continue to press President Bashir for a timetable for troop deployment and for the composition and mandate of the force for Phase III.”
The Government of Sudan and its proxy forces, the Janjaweed militias, are responsible for the loss of hundreds of thousands of lives and the displacement of nearly three million people from their homes in Darfur since violence erupted in early 2003.
Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) is an independent organization that uses medicine and science to stop mass atrocities and severe human rights violations against individuals. We are supported by the expertise and passion of health professionals and concerned citizens alike.
Since 1986, PHR has conducted investigations in more than 40 countries around the world, including Afghanistan, Congo, Rwanda, Sudan, the United States, the former Yugoslavia, and Zimbabwe.
in times of armed conflict and civil unrest during the Arab Spring
the Congo, Kenya, and Syria on the proper collection of evidence in
sexual violence cases
our mobile app that documents evidence of torture and sexual violence | <urn:uuid:62a93009-f789-418e-8662-7aec194594f4> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://physiciansforhumanrights.org/press/press-releases/news-2007-01-18.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00005-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.943518 | 803 | 1.695313 | 2 |
Harvest House Publishers, 2010
Genre: Spirituality, Self-Help
My Rating: 3 stars
The book title says it all. This little book offers words of comfort for times of loss. And, unfortunately, the authors know of what they write. Cecil Murphey experienced loss to a degree that staggers my mind:
Two weeks after my father suffered a ministroke, a massive stroke took his life. On the day of his funeral, my older brother, Ray, died of cancer. Over the next eighteen months, I lost my two brothers-in-law and my mother.
Several years later, Cecil’s house burnt down and his son-in-law died in the fire.
Liz Allison, who was married to race car driver Davey Allison, lost her husband in a helicopter crash, leaving her with two young kids.
Inspired by their own experiences with grief and loss, Liz and Cecil decided to write a book to help others through the process. As people who have lived through it and “come out the other side,” they offer their advice, experiences and stories from others who have experienced loss. It is important to know that the book has a strong Christian focus and includes Bible quotes and prayers throughout. For this reason, it may not be the best choice for someone who does not follow the Christian faith, although the basic advice would apply to anyone. Here is an overview of the twelve “chapters” and the basic messages of each.
- Little Joys. Although grief can seem all-encompassing and never ending, Cecil and Liz write about how the power of little joys—”those moments when you feel lifted beyond your pain; those brief interludes when peace fills your heart and you sense God’s presence.” Liz found her little joys in nature during her daily walks. Although every one’s little joys will be different, we all can find solace in them.
- You’re Not Alone. Although many well-meaning people try to offer comfort with the words “you are not alone,” the authors write how each of us feel our loss in our own unique way and we do feel alone in our private grief. Yet the authors remind those who grieve that Jesus and God are always with us.
- One Simple Thing. In the aftermath of loss, many people will ask “What can I do for you?” Yet those who are grieving often don’t even know what do for themselves. Liz writes about how she just wanted people to say “Here is how I can help you”—no matter how small or simple that thing is.
- Accepting Help. “After weeks of ignoring offers of assistance from well-wishers,” Liz writes, “a good friend insisted I needed help, and she was going to help me figure out exactly what I needed. That was one of the best gifts a friend could have given me—a gentle but firm intervention.” The authors also remind us that “receiving help is also a way to honor and encourage those who offer.”
- Make It Go Away. The pain and hurt after losing a loved one can feel soul-crushing and as if it will never go away, and it will take each person a different amount of time to work through their pain and grief. The authors remind us that sometimes the only way out of the pain is through it … even if you only let yourself feel the pain for one minute, one hour or one day at a time.
- Why Did You Leave Me? Although this question might seem irrational, it is very common. The authors recommend working through these feelings of abandonment and anger by talking to the person you lost and realizing that “…feelings are emotions—they are not reality.” By accepting and acknowledging our feelings, no matter how irrational, we begin to own them and deal with them.
- If Only I Had… It is understandable to have regrets about what we did or didn’t do when faced with a loss. The authors write about how instead of trying to get past these feelings, we realize that “in time the power of these emotions will diminish” and to not let them dominate our lives.
- What’s Wrong with Self-Pity? The authors distinguish between self-pity and self-absorption. It is perfectly natural to feel sorry for yourself upon losing a loved one. The key is not let it reach an unhealthy and crippling state.
- Perfect Grieving. Many people have an idea that grief should be done within a certain amount of time. One mother who lost her newborn son told Cecil: “I wanted an A-plus on my grieving report card. By the time I went for my six-week checkup, I expected to be over all that grief. At least a year passed before I could honestly acknowledge that I was healed.” The message here is that no one can push you through your grief—especially yourself.
- Am I Crazy? People who are grieving often experience extreme highs and extreme lows—moving from tears one moment to hysterical laughter the next, from anger to sadness and back again. Liz writes of asking herself over and over: “Am I losing my mind?” The authors provide reassurance that not feeling like yourself and experiencing ups and downs is a normal and expected part of the grief process.
- Material Possessions. The authors write about the process of dealing with a loved one’s material possessions, and how that process can be fraught with pain and indecision. Yet the authors write that, when ready, letting go of a loved one’s material possessions often offers a feeling of release. The act says: “I’ve decided to let you go. I am not going to forget you or ever stop loving you, but I have to do this for me.”
- Facing Those Special Days. As anyone who has lost someone knows, dealing with special days like birthdays, anniversaries and holidays can be some of the roughest days to get through. The authors talk about the benefits of letting go of the old way of doing things and starting something new—a process that can be difficult but ultimately healing.
The book itself is very attractively packaged. It’s small square size, making it ideal for picking up and putting down as needed. And the short chapters aren’t too overwhelming for someone who is grieving and may not have much energy or interest for long complicated writing. But what really puts the book over the top are the illustrations by Michal Sparks. The book is lavishly illustrated with watercolor nature scenes that might offer peace and comfort in and of themselves. Here are a few examples.
I think this compact and attractive little book would be a good choice for giving to someone who has experienced a recent loss. However, with its strong Christian focus, I might think twice about offering it to someone who is not open to Christian-themed messages.
About the Authors
Liz Allison was married to NASCAR driver Davey Allison until his tragic death in 1993. Widowed at 28 with two young children to raise, Liz faced the long journey of pain, loss and grief with great faith. Committed to encouraging others, she returned to her work in TV reporting, has published eight books and hosts a weekly radio show. Please visit www.lizallison.com for more information.
Cecil Murphey is an international speaker and bestselling author who has written more than 100 books, including the New York Times bestseller 90 Minutes in Heaven (with Don Piper). No stranger himself to loss and grief, Cecil has served as a pastor and hospital chaplain for many years, and through is ministry and books he has brought hope and encouragement to countless people around the world. Please visit www.cecilmurphey.com for more information.
The Whys and Wheres
I was offered this book for a blog tour organized by Kathy Carlton Willis Communications. I accepted the offer because, sadly, my family has experienced a lot of loss and grief in the past year, and I was hoping this book would be helpful to me and my mom. I will be giving my copy to my mother, in the hopes that she will find some solace in it. However, as part of the tour, each blogger who hosts a blog tour stop can submit the name of a person who left a comment on their post to be entered in a grand prize giveaway. The grand prize consists of the following items:
- Words of Comfort for Times of Loss
- Heaven Is Real
- Gift Edition, 90 Minutes in Heaven
- Potato Soup
- Oyster crackers
- Dove silky smooth milk chocolate
- Dove silky smooth dark chocolate
- Ultra-plush spa socks
- Large gel eye mask
(If nothing else, you now have a great idea of what to put into a gift basked for someone who just experienced a loss.) So, if you leave a comment on this post, on April 9th, I will select one name via Random.org and submit it to KCW Communications for entry into the drawing for the grand prize.
To find out what other bloggers are saying about the book discussed in this post, visit theBook Blogs Search Engine. | <urn:uuid:07c009e9-732e-42da-ab0d-f97fb8bc41ce> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.lifewithbooks.com/2010/03/review-words-of-comfort-for-times-of-loss-by-liz-allison-and-cecil-murphey/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705195219/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115315-00018-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.964027 | 1,940 | 1.617188 | 2 |
Washington, DC - To support long-term financial security, the United States should open savings accounts for every child, New America Senior Research Fellow Phil Longman told MSNBC yesterday afternoon.
"American Stakeholder Accounts" would improve prospects for college attendance, homeownership and a secure retirement, which were damaged by the Great Recession, Longman explained on MSNBC's "The Cycle."
"We need to take steps to get more Americans saving and relying less on expensive credit," Longman said. "Saving automatically, from birth, will give our next generation a real shot at the kind of American Dream their grandparents enjoyed."
He suggests the accounts be paid for through reforms in the tax code, adding that the recent Supreme Court ruling on health care affirms the plan's constitutionality.
Longman made the case for these accounts in the current issue of the Washington Monthly. Under his proposal, the accounts would:
* Be endowed at birth with $500; accounts for children of low-income parents would be eligible for additional funds of up to $500.
* Be eligible for up to $500 a year in matching funds for contributions from low- and moderate-income families.
* Automatically save 4 percent of every worker's paycheck into their own account.
* Be available to pay for post-secondary education and training at age 18 and purchase of a home at age 25.
* Convert into an annuity at age 67 to support retirement alongside Social Security.
An embeddable clip from "The Cycle" can be viewed here. The Washington Monthly article is available here.
"The Cycle" (3pm - 4pm EST) is interviewing authors of the Washington Monthly issue each day this week in a series focused on "The Future of Success":
* Wednesday: Kevin Carey on college credit for "The Assets Between Your Ears"
* Thursday: John Gravois on the CFPB, "Too Important to Fail"
* Friday: Reid Cramer on pro-savings policy solutions, "The Assets Agenda"
To interview Phil Longman or any of the other writers, please contact Clara Hogan. | <urn:uuid:ed377908-898e-412d-a40f-0b61427d6e26> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://newamerica.net/pressroom/2012/longman_americans_should_be_issued_a_stakeholder_account_at_birth | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700958435/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104238-00017-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.935988 | 433 | 1.84375 | 2 |
OTTAWA—The Harper government said Wednesday it expected the “rule of law to be upheld” as aboriginal activists called for rail and border crossing blockades, the same day a First Nations chief on a hunger strike suggested relations with Ottawa were becoming more “volatile” and strained.
The language from both sides came as Chief Theresa Spence, who has subsisted on fish broth and water for three weeks, called for unity between native chiefs and the grassroots movement that has blossomed into Idle No More.
Spence’s spokespeople said Wednesday in a written statement that the situation “is becoming more volatile” with each passing day that Prime Minister Stephen Harper doesn’t meet with Spence.
The statement added that chiefs who met in Ottawa last week plan to launch “countrywide economic disturbances” if Spence’s request for a face-to-face with Harper went unanswered.
Rail blockades have so far had little commercial effects, according to CN Rail, which owns much of the rail being targeted. A blockade near Seton Lake, B.C., north of Vancouver, ended over the weekend after demonstrators left a secondary rail line they had occupied for three days. A blockade in eastern Quebec has affected Via Rail passengers, who were also affected by a three-hour shutdown Sunday in eastern Ontario.
In Sarnia, Ont., a judge on Wednesday ordered demonstrators blocking rail traffic there to end their blockade.
“We urge an end to illegal blockades and expect the rule of law to be upheld,” Harper spokesman Andrew MacDougall said Wednesday.
Demonstrations continue around the country and overseas under the Idle No More banner. On social media, some activists called for an escalation of action and blockades of border crossings on Saturday “to show the government that we are willing to escalate this to a point where we shut down the country.”
Idle No More has grown into a national movement that is now receiving international attention. The movement, which started as a series of teach-ins on a small Saskatchewan reserve, has faced growing pains as the founders of the movement distanced themselves Monday from native chiefs who claim to be acting on behalf of the campaign.
On New Year’s Day, a close aide to Spence sent a letter to the founders of Idle No More which quotes Spence as saying that chiefs “must humble themselves and be one with the brave grassroots citizens of our nations.
“(Spence’s) message is that the chiefs must and will redeem themselves despite an imperfect past; the time has come for the leaders of our nations to become one and the same as the people,” reads the letter from Angela Bercier.
“The chiefs have made mistakes in the past, but don’t shame them for these. They are, after all, our people. The chiefs are ready now to humble themselves for the people.”
The focus of Idle No More began with opposition to bill C-45, the government’s budget implementation bill, which makes changes to environmental laws as well as changes to the Indian Act. The changes to the Indian Act would allow aboriginal people to sell or lease their land to non-natives through a community vote.
Critics say those changes violate treaty rights, while the government argues the changes are designed to help the economy.
But since her hunger strike began on Dec. 11, Spence has become a public face for Idle No More. She has said she’ll starve herself to death if Harper doesn’t meet with her, but has also suggested that a meeting between the government and native chiefs to discuss treaty concerns would suffice.
Harper has so far not said if he will meet with Spence. Aboriginal Affairs Minister John Duncan has offered to meet with Spence, but she has declined.
A spokesman for Duncan said Wednesday the minister will “continue trying to engage the Chief and other First Nations leaders.” | <urn:uuid:b3915c4e-add0-4dcc-a6aa-4caea4a430c0> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.edmontonjournal.com/news/national/idle+more+movement+grows+situation+becoming+more/7766665/story.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368711005985/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516133005-00006-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.972388 | 821 | 1.78125 | 2 |
Frostburg State University will participate in “Enough Is Enough,” the national campaign to end campus violence, from Monday, March 25, through Friday, April 5. Each day will have a different theme. Events, workshops and information will be offered throughout. All events are free and open to the public.
On Thursday, April 4, anti-racism author and activist Tim Wise will lead the annual Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration and Harmony Walk, the highlight of the “Enough Is Enough” campaign. The walk starts at 6:30 p.m. at the Wall Fountain in the lower lobby of the Lane University Center. Then, at 7:30 p.m., Wise will speak in the Pealer Recital Hall of the Performing Arts Center. Wise has spoken before at FSU and on over 500 college campuses about combating racism. His published works include “Dear White America: Letter to a New Minority,” “White Like Me: Reflections on Race From a Privileged Son” and “Between Barack and a Hard Place: Racism and White Denial in the Age of Obama.”
The next session in the Sustaining Campus and Community Dialogue Series will be Tuesday, March 26, at 5:30 p.m. in the Lyric Theater at 20 E. Main St. in Frostburg. It will feature guest speakers from the Frostburg faith community, Pastor Everett Spence from God’s Ark of Safety; the Rev. Tim Smith, senior pastor of the Frostburg Church of the Nazarene; and Ken Fisher, president of Neighborhood Friends Care, an ecumenical network of care based at the Frostburg Presbyterian Church.
Each day, an information table will be hosted in the Lane University Center from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday, March 25, is kick-off day. Black and white ribbons along with Enough Is Enough explanation cards will be handed out. Tuesday is “Take the Pledge” day, when members of the campus community can sign a pledge to take a stand against violence. On Wednesday, students from the V-Day committee will host the table to provide information about violence against women. On Thursday, for “Be the 1” day, participants can create visual displays with an anti-violence and/or unity message. On Monday, April 1, the information table will host a Random Acts of Kindness postcard display from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. This initiative builds a sense of campus community and unity by allowing students and community members to share positivity through postcards. On Tuesday, the table will host “These Hands Don’t Hurt,” in which students, faculty and staff can leave their handprints as a visible pledge to their commitment to being peaceful members of the campus community and the world.
A series of brown bag lunches will be held from noon to 1 p.m. in Lane Center room 111. The first one is on Tuesday, March 26, and it will begin with an interactive presentation of “(No More) Violence in My Life” by Robin Wynder and the National Coalition Building Institute team. The next is on Tuesday, April 2. The BTGlass video “It Gets Better” will be shown.
The Delta Zeta Sorority will present its Womanless Pageant in the Alice R. Manicur Assembly Hall of the Lane University Center at 7 p.m. on Monday, March 25. The pageant will feature men dressed as women. The purpose is for men to understand what women go through to get ready, what it is like to wear heels and how beauty pageants can objectify women. Delta Zeta is raising awareness of violence against women as a challenge at FSU and elsewhere and within the Greek community overall. They are committed to increasing awareness about this issue by providing information concerning violence through a fun, interactive format. Proceeds from the event will go toward Delta Zeta philanthropic efforts and to an organization that works to end violence against women.
For more information, contact the Diversity Center at 301-687-4050.
FSU is committed to making all of its programs, services and activities accessible to persons with disabilities. To request accommodations through the ADA Compliance Office, call 301-687-4102 or use a Voice Relay Operator at 1-800-735-2258. | <urn:uuid:1a06e53d-4e03-45fc-880f-16f446ec80cc> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.frostburg.edu/news/searchnewsdt/?id_number=6770 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700958435/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104238-00006-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.939799 | 908 | 1.609375 | 2 |
This week, the Mission Motors Mission R electric superbike appeared on Jay Leno’s Garage. It’s a great looking bike—perhaps bettered only by Honda’s RC-E concept, and has some very impressive statistics. It has a 55-degree lean angle, a 14-kWh lithium-ion battery pack, and a 120-kW electric motor. That setup produces 161 bhp.
Engine-braking is useful for spirited riding on the street, but electric motors don’t provide the same level of off-throttle drag. To provide the illusion of engine-braking, the Mission R engages regen when the throttle is shut. There are street and race regen settings, and it’s fully tunable. Regen is a great solution to the lack of engine braking (It should be noted that it’s possible on some electric motorcycles to twist the throttle backwards and vary the regen on the fly).
Mission Motors produces hybrid and electric vehicle technology that’s used by a whole range of car manufacturers, but created the Mission R to show off the very best of their battery and software technology. The packaging on a motorcycle is constrained and the batteries are very important in an all-electric bike.
When Jay rides it at the end of the episode, it looks fantastic, and sounds like a spaceship. We’re not quite ready to trade in our superbike, but if this is the future, we’re excited for it. | <urn:uuid:95a6cf53-8c61-4cfb-ba6e-5b0e731c4062> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.ridexperience.com/tag/superbike/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697974692/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095254-00013-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.93443 | 311 | 1.5625 | 2 |
The U.S. House of Representatives Thursday overwhelmingly passed a new version of the Stolen Valor Act, a bill aimed at people who lie about receiving military medals and then attempt to profit from the deception.
The first version of the Stolen Valor Act was struck down by the Supreme Court as a violation of the First Amendment.
The bill focuses not on people who lie about having medals they didn't earn, but on any profits they make from lying about the medals, which is essentially criminal fraud.
Rep. Joe Heck (R-Nevada) sponsored the new bill. His office issued a release saying the bill passed by a vote of 410-3.
Heck said in a floor speech this week that the bill would survive judicial review because it resolves the "constitutional issues by clearly defining that the objective of the law is to target and punish those who misrepresent the alleged service with the intent of profiting personally or financially."
The bill targets those who falsely claim to have earned certain major military decorations, including the Medal of Honor, Distinguished Service Cross, Navy Cross, Air Force Cross, Silver Star, Purple Heart or a medal signifying you served in combat.
A similar bill is moving through the Senate, but has not reached a floor vote yet. | <urn:uuid:5426a859-8fe2-43bd-8a5c-2cbfef322ea2> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.clickorlando.com/news/politics/House-passes-revamped-Stolen-Valor-Act/-/1637100/16598060/-/pobqy2z/-/index.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00007-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.973699 | 258 | 1.65625 | 2 |
KALAMAZOO, MI -- WMU jazz is alive and swingin'. University Jazz Orchestra director Tom Knific said the evidence will be heard at the 30th Annual Tribute to the Great Swing Bands on Friday, Nov. 16.
"There was this horrified sense that all these people had left, Steve and everybody. But man, what we got cookin' now is kind of ridiculous," Tom Knific, professor of music and director of the University Jazz Orchestra, said.
The WMU Jazz Studies program had lost two of its founders: Gold Company director Steve Zegree left for Indiana University, and University Jazz Orchestra director Trent Kynaston retired. They, plus Robert "Bobby" Davidson (who retired in 1983 and died June 2, 2012) and Knific, helped to established and grow WMU's award-winning jazz program over three decades ago.
"I dedicated most of my summer toward building the most amazing program for the future that I can," Knific said.
But he's also had to keep the University Jazz Orchestra swinging. Trumpet professor Scott Cowan was named new director of WMU's big band, but since he's on sabbatical, Knific is directing. This academic year is his third time leading the orchestra.
The orchestra already had the chops, he said, and were able to learn Knific's primary lesson on swing: "One of the things the young people need to be reminded of is, that that was the pop music of the time," he said.
From the '30s into the '50s, swing was what got the country dancing. "It was embrued with the energy of the time ... it was the dance music, it was the party music. The bands that were working, they were working like nuts. They would do two or three gigs a day, some of the bands."
Music includes classics like "Well, Git It," by Sy Oliver. Oliver was born in Battle Creek in 1910, played in Jimmie Lunceford's band then joined Tommy Dorsey as a writer and arranger. The 1942 tune is a burst of energetic horns and drums -- "It's a trumpet duel. It's a lot of fun," Knific said.
They'll also perform works by John Clayton, bassist and performer who'd visited WMU in October. "He writes in that tradition, and was a member of the Count Basie big band," Knific said.
Guest vocalist will be grad student KeJuan Carter of Chicago. Carter will perform his original, "Come Rain or Come Shine." And Knific will "break out of the swing tradition for one piece, because I can," with "That Day in May." It's Knific's composition written with his son John, and arranged for big band by Micke Crotty.
"It's one of the best groups we've ever had," Knific said. "The band is really on fire." He's been teaching the orchestra that they should generate the energy of a rock concert. "People ought to be moved to get out of their seats -- they should want to even if they don't." | <urn:uuid:582ab629-42c4-4eec-9d3d-252e425bc17c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.mlive.com/entertainment/kalamazoo/index.ssf/2012/11/wmu_jazz_program_to_present_30.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704392896/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113952-00017-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.989173 | 647 | 1.570313 | 2 |
"Rebellious Women in Poetry" is a monthly column produced by Jessica Dyer and Susan Yount for Rebellious Magazine for Women. Each month, the column will feature a single poet/poem the columnists deem fits the theme of “rebellion.” The sole purpose is to share with a wider audience poetry that empowers women across all differences. As rebellious women, we seek to create and support a space where we can share poems—our small rebellions with big messages—with a wider audience. We find rebelles in poetic form, in rhyme or not, in content, in experiment; we find rebelles in the way they live their lives and the ideas they hold dear, in the activism they work toward. Modeled after former U.S. Poet Laureate Ted Kooser’s “American Life in Poetry” series, “Rebellious Women in Poetry” is made possible by rebellious women. All material is copy written by the authors. | <urn:uuid:0e1c32db-0cb9-42db-90cc-9d88cdb2edf8> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.rebelliousmagazine.com/_blog/REBELLIOUS_WOMEN_IN_POETRY | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00001-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.938399 | 209 | 1.6875 | 2 |
DYER | At less than 6 months old, already time is not on Seth Petreikis' side.
After his open heart surgery at 2 1/2 weeks old went so well, doctors were talking about letting the boy, born in July, go home just three days after the procedure. However, his parents soon were devastated to learn he was diagnosed with Complete DiGeorge syndrome, a rare and fatal condition that means his body can't fight infections or viruses.
The only way to fix the problem is through a procedure done by only one doctor at only one hospital in the country.
Seth's parents, Becky and Tim Petreikis, of Dyer, quickly learned the procedure isn't covered by their son's Medicaid, and their two appeals to the state's Family and Social Services Administration have been denied. Petreikis will need the shunt in his heart replaced by February, but he can't have the surgery done unless the Complete DiGeorge syndrome is addressed first.
"It's like he's been sentenced to death," Becky Petreikis said.
Marcus Barlow, a spokesman for the state's FSSA, said the procedure, called a thymus transplant, is considered experimental and therefore not covered by the state's Medicaid.
"These cases are rare and the reason why state regulations exist," he said. "We don't want them reviewed on a case-by-case basis. ... There's quite a bit of due process based on very specific rules."
While his family attempts to figure out its next step, including the possibility of filing a petition for judicial review, Seth spends his time in a world of isolation, according to his mother, who said her home now looks like a hospital. He has seven cousins whom he's never met. Aside from his parents and his 3-year-old sister, Julia, anyone who comes into contact with Seth must wear gloves and a mask.
Seth's mother said only about five to 12 children are born each year with Complete DiGeorge syndrome, and Seth is the first in Indiana.
Dr. M. Louise Markert, of Duke Hospital in North Carolina, is the only physician who does thymus transplants. According to her physician bio on dukehealth.org, 60 infants with Complete DiGeorge anomaly have been transplanted and 43 have survived, a 73 percent success rate. The hospital has told the family the procedure could run between $350,000 and $500,000.
Becky Petreikis said about half the children who have been treated by Markert have had the procedure paid for by their state's Medicaid. Others, international patients, had the transplant paid for by their country.
"Different states have different judgments," Barlow said. "Some states are stricter (than Indiana), other states are less strict."
The Petreikis family is hoping Gov. Mitch Daniels will step in on the family's behalf.
Jane Jankowski, Daniels' spokeswoman, said Tuesday the office was just receiving information about the situation and will review it.
If Seth receives the procedure, he could develop a normal immune system by the time he is 3 years old, and doctors believe while he will have shunts in his heart his whole life, his heart condition is fixable, his mother said.
"We're not fighting for a life in a hospital, we're fighting for a normal life," she said.
On Tuesday, the Petreikis family established a bank account, should anyone want to help Seth afford the surgery. But the family, which has never been able to afford regular health insurance from their family's flooring business, understands money is tight for most people.
"It would mean the world to us if parents would realize every moment you have with your child is precious," Tim Petreikis said. "Grab your child and look to the heavens in thanks. Every child, do our family a favor and honor, show gratitude and love to (your) parents." | <urn:uuid:4c5fec84-d126-4164-afda-ee89f8e8775c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/lake/dyer/article_7a7a152f-3230-512c-8e6b-881082fc1221.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00007-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.985787 | 820 | 1.773438 | 2 |
The new is chewing up the old. A set of hybrid products analysts call "Phablets" are eating deep into the shipment of traditional PCs, and causing grief for PC vendors with no strong offerings in the segment, according to industry consultants and research firms.
Phablets, which DisplaySearch's Richard Shim defines in a recent report as a "phone and tablet combination," helped drive PC shipment into negative growth in the fourth quarter of 2012, as well as for the entire year, according to a report from IDC. The research firm confirmed this is but one of the challenges PC vendors are facing. It said further:
The lackluster fourth quarter results were not entirely surprising given the spate of challenges the PC market faced over the course of 2012. IDC had expected the second half of 2012 to be difficult. Consumers as well as PC vendors and distribution channels continued to be diverted from PC sales by ongoing demand for tablets and smartphones. In addition, questions about the use of touch on Windows PCs vs. tablets slowed commercial spending on PCs.
This development shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone. Aside from the improvement in processing power and storage, the PC had not evolved beyond its traditional functions until recently. Even now, whatever advancements we are seeing in the PC segment (touch screen technology in Microsoft's Windows 8, for example) are being copied from the smartphone and tablet PC market.
For years, PC vendors were satisfied with renewal purchases in saturated Western countries, and new users in developing economies.
That strategy hit the rocks when non-traditional PC makers began rolling out smartphones and tablets that offer many of the same functionalities as computers.
This development, coupled with the lightness and ultra-mobility of "Phablets," is frightening to PC vendors -- rightly, in my opinion. Smartphones initially offered users the ability to get online, but the screens were often too limited for serious web surfing. That has changed with the advent of larger screen smartphones, compact tablets, and larger varieties.
The trend has even extended into the enterprise space, with many companies buying tablets for workers in place of notebook computers. Nowadays, it's no longer surprising to attend conferences where most participants show up with tablet PCs rather than laptops. I've even been at events where people use tablets to film and take pictures. They look funny carrying around 10.1-inch equipment and using it to film or take pictures, but I bet the tablets get the jobs done.
Let me repeat that: Tablets get the job done. This is the crux of the matter and the main challenge facing PC vendors. In any economic segment, the emergence of a new product class that has the same functionalities as an existing device at a lower price or other distinct advantages, can immediately result in significant market share losses by sellers of the currently-dominant product. PC sellers didn't anticipate this development, and it shows in their performance.
IDC said global PC shipment fell 3.2 percent in 2012 to 352.42 million, compared to 363.89 million in 2011. Of the top 5 vendors, only Lenovo and Asus recorded an increase in sales, of 19.2 percent and 17 percent, respectively. Hewlett-Packard, which retains its No. 1 position in the market, experienced a 7 percent decline in unit shipments; No. 3 vendor Dell tumbled 13 percent, and Acer sank 10 percent.
None of these companies is a major player in the phablet segment. They should expect more turbulence and shipment declines in 2013, unless they develop a killer application/device that knocks phablets from their current perch atop the food chain. It won't happen in 2013. | <urn:uuid:eeb57afb-92ec-46bb-a5ac-ed4164993b57> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.ebnonline.com/author.asp?section_id=1115&doc_id=257207&piddl_msgid=902996 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00012-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.961219 | 745 | 1.546875 | 2 |
One Blood Expedition
In 2008 Branndon wanted to kick off his launch of his non profit One Blood Initiative by attempting to climb with his brother Greg, the three tallest mountains in Africa: Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, Mt. Kenya in Kenya, and Mt. Stanley in Uganda. Their goal was to use only human power to move from mountain to mountain. They climbed Kilimanjaro with a team of 9. Everyone summited including their most amazing team member which summited with one leg, and became the first amputee to summit Kili’s most difficult route, Umbwe. They then biked from a town outside of Mt. Kilimanjaro to Mt. Kenya with a vehicle support crew. They made it to Mt. Kenya exhausted. They quickly climbed to 15,000 feet then made the technical climb to the summit of Mt. Kenya’s highest point, Batian using the North Standard which is 17 pitches of climbing. After 40 hours of non-stop climbing the brothers had to turn back only 150 feet from the summit. They then huddled on a ledge 1,000 feet off the ground waiting for sun to come out. They made it back down safely and drove to to Lake Victoria, (the largest lake in Africa). They transfered to a foldable canoe and spent a week crossing the lake. After severe waves and tough conditions they made it to Jinja, Uganda. They put their bikes back together after having paddled with them across the lake. They loaded up their bikes with their PakBoat Canoe, and climbing gear and made their way to Kampala, Uganda. They spend a week in meetings with various malaria NGO’s then made there way to the last mountain, Mt. Stanley. Unfortunately due to logistics they were not able to climb the last mountain.
To read a detailed account of their trip with blog entries go to the One Blood website listed below. | <urn:uuid:c2d49b1f-3628-4cda-a69b-bb0213efea47> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://live-adventure.com/blog/trips/expeditions/past-expeditions/one-blood-expedition/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00007-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.979959 | 393 | 1.726563 | 2 |
We learn the inner secret of happiness when we learn to direct our inner drives, our interest and our attention to something outside ourselves.
Ethel Perry Andrus
You are more likely to act yourself into feelings, than feel yourself into action.
Dr Jerome Brunner
What we achieve inwardly will change outer reality.
Most people do not really want freedom, because freedom involves responsibility, and most people are frightened of responsibility.
The struggle is to synchronize the potential being with the actual being, to make a fruitful liaison between the man of yesterday and the man of tomorrow.
Dreams have only the pigmentation of fact.
The stellar universe is not so difficult of comprehension as the real actions of other people.
Believe those who are seeking the truth. Doubt those who find it.
The prettiest dresses are worn to be taken off.
A very dangerous state of mind: thinking one understands.
One evening I sat Beauty on my knees --And I found her bitter --And I reviled her.
The poets were not alone in sanctioning myths, for long before the poets the states and the lawmakers had sanctioned them as a useful expedient. They needed to control the people by superstitious fears, and these cannot be aroused without myths and marvels.
She wanted something to happen - something, anything she did not know what.
We do not die because we have to die; we die because one day, and not so long ago, our consciousness was forced to deem it necessary.
No two persons ever read the same book.
Never pass up a chance to have sex or appear on television.
You never know what is enough unless you know what is more than enough.
Travel can be one of the most rewarding forms of introspection. | <urn:uuid:b6b08d9c-6bdc-41ba-9c8e-81ad340a3e0d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.iwise.com/vid/Anais_Nin_video | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00001-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.930643 | 364 | 1.742188 | 2 |
Beverly Hills, CA (PRWEB) December 25, 2012
According to recent reports, artist to President Barack Obama’s self portrait in the Library of Congress, Fiona Hawthorne, has been diagnosed with Bell’s palsy, a form of facial paralysis, which can occur quickly and without warning. Babak Azizzadeh, MD, FACS, and expert facial paralysis surgeon in Beverly Hills explains that the condition can be very difficult to deal with.
“Bell’s palsy is a form of facial paralysis that can affect people of all ages and prevents facial movement on one side rather quickly. Its cause cannot be identified one hundred percent, though it is believed to be a re-activation of the herpes virus,” said Dr. Azizzadeh.
Fiona became afflicted with the condition nearly two years ago and initially believed that she may be suffering from a stroke. Prior to developing Bell’s palsy, Fiona underwent eardrum surgery and thought that her symptoms of facial paralysis may have been related. Upon seeking professional help from a medical doctor, Fiona was told that she was suffering from Bell’s palsy.
“When Bell’s palsy occurs, many patients are completely unaware as to what is happening to their face. It’s very common, as happened with Fiona, that people believe that may be suffering from a stroke because half of their face becomes immobile,” said Dr. Azizzadeh
In nearly 90% of cases, Bell’s palsy is not permanent and usually clears up in several months following an initial diagnosis. At the Facial Paralysis Institute in Beverly Hills, Dr. Azizzadeh provides his patients with several different treatment options that can help alleviate symptoms and improve facial symmetry, including Botox.
“Sufferers of Bell’s palsy often do not want to undergo invasive surgery until it becomes clear whether or not their condition will be permanent. At my practice, I treat a great deal of patients with Botox therapy, which allows the paralyzed muscles to relax and achieves facial balance,” said Dr. Azizzadeh.
Since his extensive and prestigious training at Harvard Medical School, Dr. Azizzadeh has helped hundreds of people with varying degrees of facial paralysis. Dr. Azizzadeh is the director of the Facial Paralysis Institute and one of the leading figures in the field of Facial Nerve Paralysis. Dr. Azizzadeh has been recognized for his work on several occasions, and has appeared on the Oprah Winfrey Show and countless other media outlets.
Dr. Azizzadeh is trained in Facial Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery, as well as Head & Neck Surgery, giving him a distinctive insight into facial nerve function and facial aesthetics. For more information regarding Bell’s palsy and other treatable conditions relating to facial paralysis, please contact the Facial Paralysis Institute by calling (310) 657-2203 or by visiting http://www.facialparalysisinstitute.com. | <urn:uuid:8064c533-93cf-491a-a49d-f9bc921c8cf0> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.prweb.com/releases/2012/12/prweb10234470.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697380733/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516094300-00015-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.961084 | 635 | 1.796875 | 2 |
In total, there are 26 puzzles available in 4 different puzzle-variations and difficulties.
A very aesthetically app for children between 2-7 years to improve concentration, cognitive abilities and memory.
Animal Puzzles offers:
- Farm Scene (horse, sheep, cow,pig, ...)
- Forest Scene (owl, deer, fox, raccoon, ...)
- Arctic Scene (seal, penguin, seal lion, ...)
- Safari Scene (elephant, camel, giraffe, ...)
- Normal puzzles
- Set puzzles
- Solo Animal puzzles
- easy to learn and handle
Once the puzzle is solved little stars appear which can be popped by your child. This way your child can also practice responsiveness and enjoy his or her success.
Enjoy the nice animal graphics and experience the progress of your kid.
Animal Puzzle was designed especially with children in mind and without complicated menus.
The first 3 puzzles are for free, if your kid like it please unlock all puzzles.
Animal Puzzle for kids and toddlers is compatible with all Android-Devices.
Animal Puzzle was developed by TapDevStudio. We are an independent company and we are specialized in developing Apps for kids. Animal Puzzle will be regularly updated and improved. Please help us and send your ideas and suggestions.
Visit our homepage and see more of our App`s for you and your child! | <urn:uuid:643ae338-1ca4-4da9-bf00-3042ff565e0e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.androidpit.fr/fr/android/market/applications/application/com.tapdevstudio.animalpuzzle.kids/Animal-Puzzle | 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 | 0.938401 | 286 | 1.742188 | 2 |
A task force convened by Gov. Chris Gregoire has recommended the state raise an additional $21 billion over 10 years to spend on roads, bridges, buses, ferries and other transportation needs.
State voters would likely have the final say on most of the taxes and fees that would pay for the package. A bipartisan cast of lawmakers will start working on the specifics next month with an eye to putting the question to voters on the November ballot.
House Transportation Committee Chairwoman Judy Clibborn and other members of the task force acknowledge the difficulty of persuading the public, especially if lawmakers also ask voters to raise the sales tax in April or May to stave off education, health care and public-safety cuts.
“There’s never an exact right time to do any of this,” said Clibborn, D-Mercer Island.
“That’s always going to be a difficult task,” Port of Tacoma Commissioner and task force member Don Meyer said of winning over voters, “but the reality is, we have, particularly in the case of the gas tax, we have a broken system.”
The state expects to collect far less than it once thought from the gas tax because of the economic downturn and the trend toward more fuel-efficient vehicles.
Yet the task force’s recommendations for revenue lean heavily on gas taxes, even though it also recommends eventually exploring more exotic options, such as a tax on miles traveled or on car emissions.
Task force members – drawn from government, business, labor and environmental groups – didn’t itemize the revenue sources that would raise the $21 billion but agreed on a menu of possibilities, including:
• Adding 15 to 20 cents to Washington’s 37.5-cents-a-gallon gas tax, raising $3.3 billion to $4.7 billion that could be used for maintaining roads and building new ones. Another approach would be to raise gas taxes anywhere from 2 cents to 22.7 cents, and then use that money to borrow up to $10 billion for new road projects.
• A 1 percent statewide tax on vehicle purchases to raise $4 billion, similar to what was used to pay for ferries, mass transit and other needs until 2000, when lawmakers repealed it a year after voters called for its demise.
• An increase of at least $15 and up to $50 in the weight fees for passenger cars, raising $757 million to $2.5 billion. The fees, charged when drivers renew their car tabs, range from $10 to $30 now.
• Tolls on roads and bridges.
• An increase in taxes on toxic substances such as oil, raising $1.8 billion.
• An assortment of new or increased fees such as for driver’s licenses, electric vehicles and commercial trucks.
“They put everything on the table,” said Gregoire, who plans to use the ideas to start forming her own recommendations next week.
Lawmakers need simple majority votes to raise fees unilaterally or to send a tax package to voters. But to raise taxes on its own without voters, the Legislature needs two-thirds majorities, which would be difficult to attain. Many in the Republican minority support asking voters to raise transportation taxes, but are unlikely to back a unilateral tax increase.
Members of the task force said lawmakers have a responsibility to find new ways to pay for basic maintenance of roads and other infrastructure without turning to the voters, who should be asked to approve only new projects.
“Just like our trucks, we have to maintain them first,” said Stan Vander Pol, CEO of Federal Way-based Peninsula Truck Lines and a task force member. “After that, then you can start targeting things that have economic impact. For the freight industry, that would remove bottlenecks.”
But Clibborn said maintenance would be a key part of what voters will be asked to approve. Unlike previous tax packages, she said, this one would be less “project-oriented” and more “multimodal,” including money for helping transit agencies and replacing ferries.
Voters passed two increases in the gas tax over the past decade, money that is largely tied up paying off debt on projects that are finished or under way, such as the Alaskan Way Viaduct replacement and carpool lanes on Interstate 5.
Clibborn said the new package would still include money for mega-projects including an extension of Route 167 to the Port of Tacoma, a top priority for the port and Pierce County lawmakers.
Transportation Secretary Paula Hammond said the revenue envisioned by the task force could cover work on 167, the Columbia River Crossing, the North Spokane Freeway, Interstate 405, Route 509 near Sea-Tac Airport, Interstate 90 near Snoqualmie Pass and perhaps a cross-base highway at Joint Base Lewis-McChord.
“It knits together what we’re trying to solve,” Hammond said, “a bad economy, lagging jobs and a transportation system that’s choked up in many parts of the state.”
Jordan Schrader: 360-786-1826 | <urn:uuid:7dc77b8d-8c36-4052-80b1-a4c727d10bf0> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.thenewstribune.com/2011/12/14/1944485/task-force-says-state-needs-billions.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00002-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.949274 | 1,078 | 1.71875 | 2 |
Scotland's 'loony dookers' have started 2013 with a splash, as 1100 bathers took to the water to welcome in the new year.
Countries all across the world have welcomed 2013 with spectacular fireworks displays.
The 100-metre-high New Century Global Centre in Chengdu is a symbol of the spread of China's boom, 500m long and 400m wide, with 1.
Frankston is Australia's home of sand sculpting. This year the exhibition on Frankston's shore, 'Under the Sea', drew professional sculptors from all over the world.
Santa Claus is coming.
As shown in this collection of photos from around the world, Santa has been busy in the build up to Christmas. Despite his tight schedule, he promises to arrive on time Christmas day.
Melbourne Aquarium has unveiled a new exhibit which features bright, weird and wonderful species from the Seahorse family.
Celebrity Solstice was the first ship in the Solstice class, and at the time she was launched, held the record for the largest cruise ship ever built in Germany, however, her record was surpassed in...
Locals and tourist flock to Rio de Janeiro's famous beaches as summer arrives early and temperatures soar.
Japanese macaque, commonly referred to as "snow monkeys", relax next to an open-air hot spring bath, or "onsen" at the Jigokudani (Hell's Valley) Monkey Park in the town of Yamanouchi, Nagano...
Santa makes a splash
Santa makes a splash at aquariums and water parks around the world as Christmas approaches.
Nearly 400 divers and snorkelers have spent the past two weeks discovering whether or not there really are plenty more fish in the sea - by counting them.
Snow has blanketed many parts of Europe with meteorologists forecasting even more in the coming days.
Indonesia correspondent Michael Bachelard explores schoolies week in Bali, as young revellers come to play in increasing numbers.
Age photographer Angela Wylie takes a ride on Melbourne's first city loop water taxi. The historic wooden boat, The Grower carries 43 passengers and will commence service September 1, linking WTC...
Under the lens
One week in a black neighbourhood in Los Angeles, the next in the bright lights and buzz of Tokyo ... Louise Hawson continues her photographic journey of the world's back streets.
More than 4000kg of fruits are used during the annual Monkey Buffet Festival, an event to promote tourism at the Pra Prang Sam Yot temple in Lopburi province, 150 km north of Bangkok.
2012 marks the 80th Anniversary of the construction of Victoria's Great Ocean Road.
The 86th annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade kicked off in New York, putting a festive mood in the air in a city still coping with the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy.
The $500 million Voyager of the Seas will become the largest cruise ship ever to call Australia home when it arrives in Sydney.
Pushkar Fair Festival 2012. Pushkar is a sacred town for the Hindus in Rajasthan, where an annual five-day camel and livestock fair is held. | <urn:uuid:a9ae5457-8e1c-4edb-8f3f-993784296f03> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.smh.com.au/travel/type/photogallery?offset=100 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.937267 | 651 | 1.5 | 2 |
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Spiderman.. .a process study.
I am big fan of the Comic art of Humberto Ramos and Francisco Herrea and especially the way that they draw Spider man. Their work has inspired me to have a go at a funky sculpture of the webbed fella, and the above image is the first stage in its creation. I though that I could use this as a case study to look at how I put these things together, seeing as a few people have been asking my advice at work lately. Righty-tighty - off we go.. .
1. First I wound two pieces of aluminum wire together, and arranging them in shape and proportions of my design I epoxied them at hips and chest to make a strong yet flexible armature that I can adjust as I fine tune the weight of the Piece. I use thick enough wire to be able to hold the pose at the brace of the foot and the ankle. This is where the most weight is being taken so it's the weakest, and if I have a character with a thin ankles, standing on one toe then I'll use Steel and then attach that to aluminum wire at a point of less strain.. the hips of shoulders.
2. I like to 'key' the armature by winding cotton thread around it and then covering it in plastic cement glue. This helps the clay stick to the wire.. .always tricky thing.. .especially with thinner characters. Some people will bulk up some areas of the armature with putty but I find that that makes me less flexible with the design. Unless I have a really clear set of plans I won't do this. I want to be free to adjust the core of the shape as it forms.
3. This armature is pegged into the base using sleeved K&S brass square section - male on the figure and female on the base. This is very important.. it makes the figure solid and controllable. You want to be sure that my figure can support it's own weight when it's hardened. This might sometimes mean adding supports whilst I work on it and taking them off after baking (I did this with Man Holding Bear). But if the thing still can't take it's weight when it comes out of the oven without some horrible support sticking out of it's crotch then your stuck trying to paint the unsightly thing to look like something inconspicuous. Use your imagination.. . :)
4. To start sculpting I covering the whole armature in a thin layer of Super Sculpy. And then I sculpt a foot. I need a foot to start.. .it's where all of the weight goes and if I don't believe in the foot I cant believe in the weight of the model. Perhaps this comes from Stop motion and 'tying' down models with threaded bar, but there has to be one foot before I will continue the model. That foot could change completely.. .and probably will, but I NEED IT to get going. FOOT...!
Posted by Spungle-Bungles at 2:00 PM | <urn:uuid:02def573-f8e7-429b-8c2f-02657a92fd71> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://spungleblonglewongle.blogspot.com/2009/12/spiderman-process-study.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00010-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.963699 | 633 | 1.601563 | 2 |
Coyote Stole My Baby
Hari Kunzru’s sprawling, messy dreamscape of a novel explores the myths and mysteries of the Mojave.
Illustration by Derf Backderf.
In Gods Without Men, the fourth novel by English novelist Hari Kunzru, a hedge fund manager takes his protégé, Jaz, to the Neue Gallerie in New York to show him a silver coffee set made by the Wiener Werkstätte. “There’s a tradition that says the world has shattered,” he tells Jaz, “that what was once whole and beautiful is now just scattered fragments. Much is irreparable but a few of these fragments contain faint traces of the former state of things, and if you find them and uncover the sparks hidden inside, perhaps at last you’ll piece together the fallen world.”
The manager implies that perhaps the coffee set is one of these fragments with the hidden sparks. But he could also be talking about Gods Without Men itself, a novel with chapters like scattered fragments, which go backward and forward in time, each containing echoes, sometimes faint, of the others. The book is populated with spiritual seekers from four different centuries, all of them drawn, for one reason or another, to the Mojave Desert in Southern California.
by Hari Kunzru
If Kunzru’s novel has a central story, it belongs to Jaz (short for Jaswinder) Matharu, the son of Punjabi immigrants, and his wife Lisa, a Jewish woman from Long Island who worked in publishing before their son was born. That son, named Raj, has been diagnosed with severe autism, and the difficulty of raising him has strained the marriage; when we first meet the couple, they’re on a “healing vacation” near Joshua Tree National Park. When they finally visit the nearby desert, they come upon a formation called the Pinnacle Rocks. And there, Raj disappears.
The riddle of Raj’s vanishing propels the novel, but around it Kunzru wraps three or four enigmas and a history lesson. The book does not begin with Jaz and Lisa but with a cryptic, American Indian-inspired prologue, and then a chapter about Francisco Garcés, a Spanish monk who really existed and kept a daily record of his 1775 trek through the Mojave. Kunzru concocts for Garcés an encounter near the rocks with “an angel in the form of a man with the head of a lion,” making him the first in a series of desert visionaries that also includes a 19th-century Mormon moving west in search of silver and a 1940s engineer seeking succor for the despair he feels at his partial responsibility for the bombing of Hiroshima. This latter figure, called Schmidt, thinks aliens will someday arrive and teach us how to be good; he hooks up with a would-be guru who attracts a hoard of UFO chasers and, in their wake, a hippie commune. All these seekers gather around the Pinnacle Rocks, which bear some family resemblance to the monolith in Arthur C. Clarke’s 2001: A Space Odyssey. (One of the novel’s epigraphs is a line from that book.)
These shards of stories, all chronicling efforts at mystical understanding, seem to reflect each other, the visions within prompted somehow by the blankness of the desert. Other characters look not for mystical understanding but scientific knowledge—and Kunzru seems, if anything, even more skeptical of these folks. Consider Deighton, an anthropologist who comes to the desert in 1920 to study the Indians and their culture, and who gets a few chapters of his own. Deighton regards the Indians as “primitives” and obsesses over their “purity.” He seems no freer from the colonial mindset shared by Garcés, or the Mormon miner, who each hope to convert the Indians.
American imperialism continues, of course: Today, the Mojave Desert is the site of ersatz Iraqi villages built by the U.S. military to train its soldiers in urban warfare. Iraqi-Americans, some of whom fled their homeland after it was invaded by the United States, play the natives in these simulations. Gods Without Men gives a long chapter to one such refugee, a teenage goth whose father was murdered in Baghdad. One night, during a training session, she spots Raj wandering alone in the middle of this imaginary Iraq. | <urn:uuid:f969e7eb-096c-4137-ba7c-857f0e82eae4> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/books/2012/03/hari_kunzru_s_gods_without_men_reviewed_.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00001-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.958908 | 937 | 1.75 | 2 |
Beyond Broccoli, Creating a Biologically Balanced Diet When a Vegetarian Diet Doesn’t Work is full of very interesting facts that concern the vegetarian lifestyle and your health. I’m not a vegetarian or a vegan. I like my steak once in awhile. But I really learned a lot. Who knew: I have a vitamin B12 deficiency! I don’t have enough protein in my diet either.
If you are a vegan/vegetarian against eating and drinking all things pertaining to animals, it would be good for your health to read this book. I was so happy that the author, Susan Schenck, included the Biblical perspective of one man in particular, Paul Nison, God did tell us to eat certain animals and I’m not about to disobey. There’s a reason we need to eat meat and other animal products (i.e. milk & eggs) and God knows more than we do. Our bodies need certain nutrients provided by them.
Animal products are actually crucial for pregnant and nursing women and children. “Becoming pregnant after years is even riskier, as stored nutrients needed by the developing fetus may be depleted. You can compensate somewhat by taking algae for DHA, but algae contains toxins.” And in another paragraph, “Dr. John Fielder doesn’t agree with veganism. He found that of his vegan patients, three percent had mentally retarded babies, and there was no environmental toxin exposure to explain this.” What a scary thought! There’s a risk involved when raising our children vegan as well. Our growing children don’t need those diet restrictions either.
Chapter 15 was one of the most eye opening chapters for me. I learned about specific food items, such as nuts. There isn’t as much protein as we think in those little guys. Not only that, but if you aren’t watching the amount you consume, it can cause health issues. Flaxseed can be toxic & can cause weight gain by suppressing the thyroid. We really need to make sure we aren’t over consuming this product. I have read before that soy is not the best thing to consume. I found it again in this book. Soy oil is actually used in paints and glue….yum. There was so much more including information on seeds and greens. Everyone needs to read this book just for this chapter alone! So many eyes would be opened to the dangers of our diets.
I am not a fan of raw meat. I don’t even like to see pink in my steak. That could be from my fear of catching some ungodly disease, and I can’t know the health of the cow the meat came from. This book shares some of the safer meats and how to prepare it correctly. I’m still not taking my chances.
A lot of research went into the creation of this book. You can tell she did her homework.
This book is full of great information. I think if I was a vegan or vegetarian I could have related more, but I got a lot of great information on healthy eating.
Blog: Live Food Factor | <urn:uuid:d7803653-e6e3-44e1-9b8c-22d730463f94> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.selfpublishingreview.com/blog/2012/01/review-beyond-broccoli-by-susan-schenck/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00010-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.969132 | 653 | 1.84375 | 2 |
Writing situation comedies isn't really that hard. So much of what you need to know is already defined for you. You know that your script needs to be a certain short length, with a certain small number of characters. You know that your choice of scenes is limited to your show's standing sets and maybe one or two swing sets or outside locations. You know how your characters behave and how they're funny, either because you invented them or because you're writing for a show where these things are already well established. Sitcom is easy and sitcom is fun. Sitcom is the gateway drug to longer forms of writing. It's a pretty good buzz and a pretty good ride, a great way to kill an afternoon, or even six months.
And now, thanks to comedy writing guru John Vorhaus, writing situation comedy is easier than ever. In The Little Book of Sitcom, you'll find a whole trove of tools, tricks, and problem-solving techniques that you can use - now, today - to be the sitcom writer of your wildest dreams. Ready to write? Ready to have fun? The Little Book of Sitcom is the big little book for you.
©2011 John Vorhaus (P)2012 Spoken Word Inc
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If you find this review inappropriate and think it should be removed from our site, let us know. This report will be reviewed by Audible and we will take appropriate action. | <urn:uuid:d3f1a990-e76b-40a4-a4d9-0d8668684acf> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.audible.co.uk/pd/ref=cat_6?asin=B008FRHZGM | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00016-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.963748 | 305 | 1.765625 | 2 |
On the 2010 Authors website we're each supposed to make a list of top 10s. It can be top 10 anything, but all the good topics have been taken (chocolate, movies, etc.). I flirted with the idea of doing Top 10 Reality Shows of all-time since I'm one of the preeminent scholars on this subject, but admitting to loving Paradise Island above all might just lower my credibility with these literary folks. My time to post a list has come, so I chose:
Top Ten — Favorite books on/about writing. I know! Titillating!
1. Making a Literary Life by Carolyn See - This great book comes with a bonus: an embarrassing back-story in which I give the book to someone, it ends our budding friendship, I write about it on my blog, she finds the post and makes a comment on the blog entry, and I respond. If you like awk-ward, you’ll love this post.
2. The Elements of Style Illustrated – This is the Strunk & White classic, updated with amazing paintings by Maira Kalman, the illustrator responsible for quirky kids books like Sayonara, Mrs. Kackleman and Max Makes a Million. A great gift book for writer friends.
3. Red Herrings and White Elephants: The Origins of the Phrases We Use Every Day by Albert Jack – I absolutely love books about the origins of clichés. This is because I am a dork.
4. On Writing by Stephen King - Though I’m not a big fan of his fiction, this book is fantastic. It’s entertaining and informative and his anecdotes are great—King has had a very interesting career and he has really worked for all the success he’s had. (But I still say shame on him for criticizing Stephenie Meyer; that’s what critics are for. Shouldn’t there be a code of honor among writers?)
5. Children's Writer's & Illustrator's Market by Alice Pope - In addition to being the ultimate reference on the market, there are really great interviews and articles by authors, illustrators, and publishing people and lots of great how-to stuff.
6. Dictionary of Problem Words and Expressions by Harry Shaw - This is an old book with a groovy 70s cover, but it’s one of those I keep on my desk for spontaneous learning. Like if I’m stuck on something I’ll open it up to a random page, learn the difference between, say, a dais and a lectern, and close it again. Sometimes the information even sticks; i.e. one of those things is a raised platform.
7. Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation by Lynne Truss – This is the funniest book on punctuation you will ever read. And we all know how high that bar is!
8. The Best American Short Stories of xxxx (insert any year between 1915 and 2008 here) – I always look forward to this collection. Edited by a different writer each year—2008 is Salman Rushdie—this is a survey of great writing. It’s interesting to go back and read stories from past years; you definitely see subtle changes in theme and style attributed to both the editor who picks the stories and trends. Good stuff.
9. Scholastic Children's Dictionary - I’ve stolen this one from my daughter. In addition to being a pretty decent little dictionary, the back matter includes reference info on random bits you may or may not have learned in middle school (Braille and American Sign Language alphabets, international flags, info on presidents, etc.)
10. The Forest for the Trees: An Editor's Advice to Writers by Betsy Lerner – Betsy was a poet, then an agent’s assistant, then an editor, and now she’s an agent married to a publisher. This book includes lots of comforting info on why writers are neurotic. In addition to having a varied perspective on the publishing industry, she is also an incredible writer. I enjoyed this book as much for the information as I did for her writing.
If you could only recommend ONE book to writers, what would it be?
2 days ago | <urn:uuid:0cc4d10d-8e4d-4a70-8449-f9efbec85aad> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://raedeke.blogspot.com/2009/02/ten.html | 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 | 0.942712 | 893 | 1.507813 | 2 |
close to 100 companies (if not more) under his Virgin brand. Virgin has plastered its name on everything from airlines to wine clubs to underwear.
It's not surprising that he would have a few failures under his belt. And given the over-the-top way that Richard Branson does business, it's also not surprising that some of them are pretty spectacular.
In fact, Branson has lost count of the number of times he has been told that one of his ventures was a goner. Many times he would try to save the business by coming at the problem from a different angle, he wrote in an American Express Open Forum blog post, but some ideas can't be saved.
It is those times, Branson has said, recognizing mistakes and recovering are essential skills for an entrepreneur:
My mother drummed into me from an early age that I should not spend much time regretting the past. I try to bring that discipline to my business career. Over the years, my team and I have not let mistakes, failures or mishaps get us down. Instead, even when a venture has failed, we try to look for opportunities, to see whether we can capitalize on another gap in the market.
After all, “Business opportunities are like buses, there's always another one coming,” says Branson. | <urn:uuid:aa6e5134-63c0-4566-a895-d111a6d942bb> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.businessinsider.com/richard-branson-fails-virgin-companies-that-went-bust-2012-4 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00010-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.983447 | 272 | 1.765625 | 2 |
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Pritchett Profiled; Karl Remembered
Posted by Dan Ernst
I've recently noticed accounts of two scholars of interest to legal historians that might not automatically appear on our radar screens. The first is a profile in Rutgers's alumni magazine of Wendell Pritchett (right), the author of Robert Clifton Weaver and the American City (2008), who recently became chancellor of the Rutgers-Camden campus. The other is Stanley Katz's remembrance, in a Chronicle of Higher Education blog, of his coauthor and former colleague at the University of Chicago Law School Barry Karl (left), who died this summer. Katz takes Karl's reading of Frederick Jackson Turner's career as a point of departure for a reflection on scholar's commitments in general and Karl's in particular. The posts are here and here. | <urn:uuid:7e11048f-a189-45c7-b3f1-b4b1d458fc8e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://legalhistoryblog.blogspot.com/2010/09/pritchett-profiled-karl-remembered.html?m=0 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00017-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.960073 | 171 | 1.546875 | 2 |
Staff Photo: Jason Braverman More than 50 studnets took part in International Walk to School Day at Summerour Middle School in Norcross.
NORCROSS -- Braving wet weather Wednesday morning, more than 50 students of Summerour Middle and volunteers put on their rain jackets and hit the streets as part of an International Walk to School event.
Summerour's second walk and bike to school day was a successful one said Arlene Beckles, one of the event's organizers.
"The weather wasn't the greatest, but we had great participation considering that," Beckles said.
The effort was sponsored by the city of Norcross and Georgia Department of Transportation's Safe Routes to School Georgia program.
Andy Pittman, a representative with the safe routes program, said the organization "assists schools and communities with education and encouragement to get them out and walking if it's in a safe area ... and if it's not in a safe area, to make it safe for them."
Parent volunteer Maria Rosario Jasso volunteered to help because she heard the event needed "people to look out for the children while they're walking."
Beckles said thanks to volunteers like Jasso, the event wasn't short on help. "I think it went great," Beckles said as she finished the mile-long route from a local apartment complex to the school.
"It's a fun activity to get kids out in the community," Beckles said.
After the students finished their walk Wednesday morning they were rewarded with breakfast.
Assistant Principal Michelle Ransom thanked them for participating.
"You were super responsible this morning," Ransom told the group of students as they ate breakfast.
"I'm glad you were all able to show up and start the day on a great note," she said. "Walking is healthy for you. It's good for your heart, and we all got to come together today as a community." | <urn:uuid:03a34bcc-f9d8-4053-9f87-9ad0886c74e7> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.gwinnettdailypost.com/news/2011/oct/19/summerour-students-hit-streets-for-walk-to-school/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00017-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.982459 | 394 | 1.5625 | 2 |
New device will help combat multi billion dollar global crime.
Tracerco, part of the Johnson Matthey group, has developed what it touts to be the world’s first fully portable, lightweight and rugged system to test for tampering in fuel. Dubbed Nemesis, the company claims it is the only analyser of its kind, and is the latest addition to Tracerco’s range of Product Assurance technologies and is expected to play a significant role in the global fight against fuel adulteration, substitution and smuggling.
Fuel adulteration is a global problem in both the developed world and emerging economies, driven by significant price differentials between subsidised or rebated fuels, non-rebated fuels and industrial solvents. In the UK, the commonest form of abuse is the removal of marker dyes from rebated diesel which is then sold at or near the price of fully taxed fuel.
Tracerco leads the world in the research and development of launder resistant fuel markers. Previously, fuel analysis to detect non launderable markers had to be undertaken at a central laboratory location which can lead to unacceptable delays in subsequent enforcement action. Nemesis represents a bespoke solution to combat this problem. The system’s fuel markers are highly resistant to all known laundering methods and multiple markers can be detected within a single sample.
Nemesis is field portable and provides rapid sample analysis with marker detection down to extremely low levels. Results are available at the touch of a button and presented in a clear and precise quantitative format which eliminates the risk of ambiguous interpretation. Collected data can be transmitted instantly using 3 or 4G technology to a central control, thereby avoiding the potential for tampering or interfering with the results.
Measuring 50cm by 31cm by 46cm and weighing 22 kgs, Nemesis is fully portable and can be powered from a car battery, making it ideal for use in the remotest of locations. The analyser unit is weatherproof, extremely rugged and doesn’t require a lengthy start up making it ideal for rapid deployment. | <urn:uuid:5e934930-43bf-49a9-ab85-49d5f1da24b8> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.marinelink.com/news/tracerco-targets-fraud350939.aspx | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00018-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.931338 | 421 | 1.84375 | 2 |
According a special category status to Bihar would lead to development and employment following which the dignity of the people would be restored elsewehere in the country, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar said on Sunday.
"I am striving for special status demand so that the people of Bihar cannot be insulted by anybody as has been the case in Maharashtra and some other states," he told a public meeting in Madhubani district.
"I am fighting to restore the dignity of the people by bringing fruits of development at their doorsteps so that they will not have to go outside in search of employment and suffer insult and abuse from any one in future," Kumar said.
The chief minister said the grant of special category status was imperative for development so as to make the people proud of themselves and their state.
Stating that the state lagged behind in terms of development deficit, per capita income and industrial development, Kumar said that the grant of special status will bring private investment in the industrial sector and make additional funds available in the exchequer as the state will have to contribute only ten per cent in the implementation of the centrally-sponsored schemes.
This fund could be utilised by the state government for launching fresh development schemes for the benefit of the people, the chief minister said.
Image: Bihar CM Nitish Kumar | <urn:uuid:915aec49-3344-43b3-886c-3447fc17263f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.rediff.com/news/report/development-key-to-pride-of-bihari-people-nitish/20120923.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00008-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.973367 | 264 | 1.53125 | 2 |
The Committee on Maintenance of Union Membership, known as the MUM Committee, is charged with the responsibility of administering the Proportional Dues Program. This dues program is the method by which the congregational members of the Union for Reform Judaism have agreed to assess themselves in order to provide financial support to the Union and Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion (HUC-JIR).
The funds raised through the system help:
To train rabbis, cantors, educators and community workers
To provide visionary leadership and direct services to congregations in order to ensure that Reform Judaism flourishes in every community, large or small, in which Reform Jews live
To develop and produce new religious education curricula, books, programs, and tools for synagogue management
The Proportional Dues Program and the delegation of the administration of the program are found in the Bylaws of the Union for Reform Judaism. As a point of general interest, there are only two committees established in the constitution of the Union -- the Executive Committee and the Committee on Maintenance of Union Membership. | <urn:uuid:c3dc5f60-d4c6-4bee-b086-f8a7c0c5fdd7> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://urj.org/cong/finance/mum/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368711005985/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516133005-00016-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.940623 | 216 | 1.773438 | 2 |
Health Headlines Local Edition: We are Number One! Too Bad it's for Drug-Related ER Visits.
Plus: A gym is offering a ‘nap’ class, a head-lice-only salon opens, and more health headlines.
Boston is first in the nation for drug-related emergency room visits, according to a new report released yesterday by the Massachusetts Health Council. According to the report, the Greater Boston area had the most drug-related emergency room visits in the nation in 2011, about four times as high as cities like New York City, Chicago, and Detroit. Even worse, the region also was four times above the national average among metropolitan regions for emergency room visits involving heroin. Four times! In addition, the South Shore saw high reports of overdoses, with one person dying from an overdose every eight days last year. This is the worst news we’ve heard in a while. What is going on Boston? [Metro Boston]
Equinox Boston will be offering a Powernap Class throughout the month of December at their Dartmouth Street location. That’s right. A nap class. The class is a meditative workout combining yoga and soothing music. It’s 45 minutes to an hour long and starts with a yoga flow and ends with a 20 minute brain wave restorative session where attendees take a nap. Crazy fad or much needed retreat during the busy holiday season? You decide. [Equinox Boston]
A head lice treatment center is opening this weekend in Southern New Hampshire. Basically, it is a head lice salon. Nits End started in 2011 as a mobile business, but after a busy first year they decided to open their own salon. Apparently, lice have become savvy and developed a resistance to traditional removal methods. They use the LouseBuster, an FDA-cleared medical device that kills all stages of head lice, including the eggs, in a one-time, 30-minute treatment. [Nits End]
The owner of the compounding pharmacy linked to the fungal meningitis outbreak plead the Fifth today at a congressional hearing. His company, New England Compounding Center (NECC), could be responsible for hundreds of cases of fungal meningitis and at least 32 deaths (as of today). Health and Human Services Secretary, Dr. JudyAnn Bigby, told the Globe she was “disappointed” that Cadden did not respond to questioning, because much remains unanswered about the company. According to the Globe, after NECC owner Barry Cadden pleaded the Fifth to every question, he hopped in a black SUV and sped away. Way to keep it classy, Cadden. [Boston Globe]
Ultrasound images and personal data for about 14,000 patients have disappeared from facilities in Rhode Island and Massachusetts. Officials at Women & Infants Hospital said there is no indication that the information has been improperly accessed or used in any malicious manner, but they did say that they cannot find unencrypted backup tapes containing ultrasound images. The missing information is for patients who visited walk-in facilities in Providence and in New Bedford, Mass. between 1993 and 2007. The records contained personal information, like names, birthdates and, in some cases, even Social Security numbers. [Boston Globe] | <urn:uuid:27659a70-851b-4c01-83fb-dc8943c2f4dd> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.bostonmagazine.com/health/blog/2012/11/14/boston-drug-emergency-room-headlines-health/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00008-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.955808 | 675 | 1.703125 | 2 |
Updated 10/23/2012 10:28 PM
Initiative Announced To Protect EMTs And Paramedics From Assaults
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Brooklyn District Attorney Charles Hynes is supporting legislation that would increase penalties for assaults against paramedics and EMTs.
Under the proposed law, those types of assaults would be assigned to an Assistant DA in the Investigations Bureau, who will review and prosecute the cases.
The legislation would also change the definition of second-degree assault from serious physical injury to just physical injury.
NY1 spoke with some EMTs, including one who says she suffered a neck sprain and emotional trauma when a patient punched her in the face, causing her to fall out of the ambulance.
"I think they should make it felony assault because what happened to me was a felony assault, and when I see it happen to my co-workers, I feel they need justice for what happened to them," said Betty Higdon, an EMT.
"I've had glass bottles thrown at me from building roofs, amongst other things," said Shaya Gutleizer, an EMT. "We've been threatened. I've been pushed around."
According to the EMT union, there have been 51 assaults so far this year. | <urn:uuid:8a03e741-57ab-4e2e-8eae-fbf79f2f2170> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.ny1.com/content/top_stories/171213/initiative-announced-to-protect-emts-and-paramedics-from-assaults | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00016-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.965336 | 286 | 1.570313 | 2 |
Can a kohen serve as chazzan for mussaf on days when there is birchas kohanim? If so, what is the proper procedure for him to follow?
If I'm reading Shulchan Aruch 128:20, 22, 25, with Mishna B'rura, correctly, the rule is as follows. But contact your local, orthodox rabbi for any practical cases.
Is the shatz (leader, "chazan") the only kohen, or are there others?
In all cases, someone not a kohen should prompt the kohanim and say "kohanim" (though not "elokenu..."); however, if no one present is able to who's not a kohen then the shatz should prompt the kohanim and say the introduction, unless he's doing birkas kohanim.
The Sephardic mesora is that the Sha"tz who is a Kohen covers his eyes and stays silent for the duration of the prayer, as he is essentially taking himself out of the room. Then a non-Kohen calls out "Kohanim!" and leads the entire Birkat Kohanim.
I am not sure what happens when the sha"tz is the ONLY Kohen in the room. He probably says the "Barekhenu baBerakha..." as the Ashkenazim do. | <urn:uuid:8a7d5aee-72a2-4e44-aab6-15c8e5e2ed46> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://judaism.stackexchange.com/questions/6939/kohen-as-chazzan-during-birchas-kohanim/9391 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00011-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.945271 | 290 | 1.601563 | 2 |
The day Cleveland’s been waiting for has arrived. Art Modell is taking his soul to the great owner’s box in the sky.
Curiously, whoever runs the Modell Death Watch hadn’t updated the website by midday. Could they have suffered an attack of conscience?
Most Clevelanders hopefully are above celebrating a man’s death. But there are always the holdouts.
“He was still public enemy No. 1,” the retrospective in the Cleveland Plain Dealer said.
The paper sampled the local social media reaction. There was some sympathy, some indifference and a fair amount of glee. If the Dawg Pound can’t stop gnawing at Modell’s leg today, it never will.
That says more about the haters than the hated. Modell has his flaws, but any balanced look at his 87 years would see the good outweighed the bile.
Yes, Cleveland. He did move the Browns to Baltimore in 1996.
No, Cleveland. Modell did not talk LeBron into taking his talents to South Beach, draft Tim Couch or get Blondie into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
What he did was more than enough to deserve a bust in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Modell was one of the visionaries who made the NFL an American religion.
He shaped the TV deals that brought us Monday Night Football and established NFL Films. He helped negotiate the first collective bargaining agreement, and he paved the way for the NFL-AFL merger.
You would never find a more beloved owner among the players, whom he loved to a fault. Modell gave fans something to cheer for, with two NFL titles and 28 winning seasons in 43 years.
He made Ozzie Newsome the NFL’s first African-American general manager, and donated millions of dollars to charity.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
All that, and the first thing you thought of Thursday was, “That’s the guy who ripped out Cleveland’s heart.”
Books have been written debating the move to Baltimore, so we sure aren’t going to settle things here. It’s apparent both Cleveland politicians and Modell share the blame. But it’s always easier and more satisfying to bash the owner.
Modell became the national caricature of the Robber Baron in the skybox. Sports Illustrated ran a cartoon cover of him hitting a Cleveland fan/Dawg in the gut.
“Art Modell sucker-punched Cleveland, but the city is fighting back,” the caption read.
The city sued, its citizens vilified, the Modell Death Watch began. “November 6, 1995 Until Forever,” it says.
It hasn’t been updated since last October, but you can still click to read testimonials from fans vowing to urinate on Modell’s grave.
Losing an NFL team hurts, but sheesh. Modell was a Cleveland pillar for 30 years. In his younger days, he’d hang out in bars with fans. At the end, he needed two armed bodyguards if he went out in public.
Modell was 15 when his father died, and he dropped out of school to work in the Brooklyn shipyard. He became a classic American success story.
He said he’d have gone bankrupt if the Browns had stayed in Cleveland. For a man raised in the Depression, leaving nothing for his family was unthinkable. Staying at decrepit Cleveland Municipal Stadium was not an option.
“The politicians and bureaucrats saw fit to cover their own rear ends by blaming it on me,” Modell said in a 1999 interview.
Ohio historians can debate that for eternity. But the city came up with money to build a basketball arena, a baseball stadium and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
It found a way to finance a new football stadium after Modell left. Cleveland also got worldwide sympathy. It got to keep the Browns’ nickname and colors.
It got a new team in four years. Houston, St. Louis and Baltimore could only wish they’d been shafted like that.
No matter, Modell could never set foot in Cleveland again. The locals have all but threatened anarchy whenever Modell gets nominated for a bust in Canton.
“I believe Art belongs in the Hall of Fame,” former Giants owner Wellington Mara said. “I don’t think I know a person who has done more for the league.”
Mara was elected in 1997 and died eight year later. Modell should have lived long enough to make his own acceptance speech, but he died of natural causes early Thursday morning.
Someone please alert the Modell Death Watch that forever has arrived.
Public Enemy No. 1 will be buried next to his wife in a cemetery outside Baltimore. Surely, even the most bitter Cleveland fans will let him rest in peace.
The days of Modell wanting a new stadium are long gone. Now just a little respect would be nice. | <urn:uuid:76ee7bf9-f9a7-484f-beb8-72bf03f459a9> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.sportingnews.com/nfl/story/2012-09-06/art-model-dead-cleveland-browns-fans-reaction-owner-moved-team-baltimore?modid=recommended_5_5 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706890813/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516122130-00015-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.967333 | 1,061 | 1.640625 | 2 |
Say you’re sitting at a dinner party. Conversation has started to wane and you find yourself sweating into your shrimp cocktail because of the awkward silence. Now, imagine you have a random tidbit of useless information that you can interject, re-energizing the discussion and becoming the hero of everyone around you. This can all happen if you just read this list of 50 amazing, but completely useless, facts.
1. In Japan, they have live lobster vending machines.
2. Wedding rings are placed on the third finger of the left hand because ancient Egyptians believed the vein located in that area ran directly to the heart.
3. The brightest star in the sky is called Sirius.
4. Upon exiting a cave, a bat will always turn left.
5. There is a small town in Kentucky called Monkey’s Eyebrow.
6. Factoring in inflation, what was worth $1.00 in 1950 is worth $0.12 today.
7. The sentence "Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo" is grammatically correct. It utilizes the three meanings of the word “buffalo” – the city, the animal and the verb “to bully.” In the most simplified terms, the sentence means, "New York bison whom other New York bison bully, themselves bully New York bison.”
8. Every one of the sweaters Mr. Rogers wore on Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood was hand knit by his mother.
9. One of the ingredients of dynamite is peanuts.
10.The most money ever paid for a cow at auction was $1.3 million.
11.On average, the human head has 120,000 hairs; however, natural blondes can have as many as 140,000 while redheads often have as few as 90,000.
12.In Italy, police drive Lamborghinis.
13.Beetles taste like apples, wasps taste like pine nuts and worms taste like bacon.
14.What English-speakers call a “French kiss,” French-speakers call an “English kiss.”
15.On average, right-handed people live nine years longer than left-handed people.
16.The skeleton of Jeremy Bentham, an English jurist, philosopher and social reformer, is present at all major meetings at the University of London.
17.A little over a century ago, the majority of the Icelandic dog population was killed by an epidemic.
18.Honey is the only food consumed by humans that has been found to not spoil. In fact, honey found in ancient Egyptian tombs was sampled by archaeologists and deemed edible.
19.Dolphins sleep with one eye open.
20.Queen Elizabeth I took great pride in her cleanliness, once declaring that she bathed once every three months, whether she needed it or not.
21.Slugs have four noses.
22.The number “57” on a Heinz ketchup bottle refers to the number of products the company sold. Even though they sold around 60 products at the time, Henry Heinz thought 57 was a lucky number.
23.In the film E.T., the sound of the alien walking was produced by a sound engineer squishing her hand in jelly.
24.Lucy and Linus from the Peanuts comic strip had a little brother named Rerun who sometimes played baseball with Charlie Brown.
25.In China, the three most well known Western names are Jesus Christ, Richard Nixon and Elvis Presley.
26.Due to time zone shifts, if you had flown from London to New York on the Concord, you would arrive two hours before you left.
27.You burn more calories sleeping than you do watching TV.
28.The largest number of children born of a single woman was 69. The woman, a Russian peasant, gave birth to 16 sets of twins, 7 sets of triplets and 4 sets of quadruplets from 1725 to 1765.
29.The word ‘nerd’ was first used in the Dr. Seuss book If I Ran the Zoo.
30.In Paraguay, dueling is legal as long as both parties are registered blood donors.
31.The United States has never lost a war – in which mules were used.
32.Nobody knows who built the Taj Mahal.
33.The Neanderthal’s brain is believed to have been larger than the modern day human’s brain.
34.According to scientists, dolphins were once four-footed land dwellers.
35.On average, people have four dreams per night. That’s 1,460 dreams per year.
36.The cost to run a 30-second commercial during the 2011 Super Bowl was $3 million.
37.J.K. Rowling was the first person to earn $1 billion as an author.
38.Fortune cookies are not Chinese; they were invented in San Francisco in 1920.
39.According to Nielsen, Americans spend, on average, 53 billion minutes a month on Facebook. That averages out to 4 hours, 39 minutes and 33 seconds per person, per month.
40.An octopus has three hearts.
41.Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone, but could never call his mother or his wife – they were both deaf.
Every human was but a single cell for approximately one half hour.
43.The number one employer in Brazil is Walmart.
44.Shakespeare was 46 when the King James Bible was written. In Psalm 46 of that work, the 46th word from the first word is “shake” and the 46th word from the last word is “spear.”
45.You cannot taste salt until you are four months old.
46.More than 37 percent of Americans begin their Christmas shopping before Halloween.
47.An Iowa man named Charles Osborne had hiccups for over 68 years. Studies claimed he likely hiccupped 430 million times.
48.In her lifetime, the average woman will do 215 miles worth of ironing.
49.Percy Spencer was inspired to invent the microwave oven after the chocolate bar in his pocket was melted by a vacuum tube.
50.Two-thirds of the world’s eggplant is grown in New Jersey. | <urn:uuid:a3d206fc-0c5f-4a37-bcb0-88639139178f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.imakenews.com/eletra/mod_print_view.cfm?this_id=2238116&u=bredemanntoyota&show_issue_date=F&issue_id=000551439&lid=b11&uid=0 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00018-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.965705 | 1,329 | 1.796875 | 2 |
LAKEWOOD - Ernie Aguilar was a warrior on the battlefield of Kuwait. Today he's a warrior for his fellow veterans on the campus of Long Beach City College.
For his service and work helping other local veterans - especially those with PTSD - the Lakewood resident was recently awarded the National Defense Service Medal, along with being named the 39th Congressional District's "Veteran of the Month" by Congresswoman Linda Sanchez in December.
Sanchez described him as a "tireless advocate for veterans" who has "dedicated himself to advancing the rights of veterans and raising awareness of veterans' issues."
Aguilar joined the Army in January 1995. He served in the 1st Calvary Division as an infantryman and medic during Operation Desert Shield, and honorably discharged in June 1997.
"When the Gulf War happened I was one year from graduating from Cal State Los Angeles and I wanted to go in (the Army). I felt like it was my patriotic duty to go in and aid other people," he said. "I had three uncles killed in Vietnam and two came back. My grandfather was a right hand to Cesar Chavez, so I come from a lineage of serving the military and I felt in my heart I needed to do this."
His service, however, was cut short due to post traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, a mental health condition that can occur after someone goes through a traumatic event like war, assault, or disaster.
"We had a hard service, sometimes training in places
According to the Center for PTSD, 7 to 8 percent of the population will suffer the mental condition at some point in their lives. About 5.2 million adults have PTSD during a given year, a small portion of those who have gone through a trauma.
After Aguilar's discharge he says PTSD was not a subject he could discuss:
To add to the distress, there was no special homecoming for the troops.
"When we we got back there were no banners, no bands, no welcome back. Just grab your gear and keep trucking," he said.
Aguilar said he was "trained to kill and to save lives," and that his transition into civilian life was very difficult.
"I became a workaholic and I got into trouble, drinking, drinking and driving. I went to jail," he said. "But, it gave me a second to reflect on my life and think about what was causing me to do that."
Aguilar said it took treatment to realize he was reacting to what he now knows as "triggers," including the smell of diesel fuel, and loud sounds or noises.
Some years later, when Aguilar tried to return to college, he found it wasn't a veteran-friendly place, he said.
He left and returned in 2009, where today he works along with other veterans on campus to ensure veterans' needs are met. He plans to go to California State University, Dominguez Hills.
Thanks in part to Aguilar, the veterans club at LBCC ensures veterans find resources such as counseling, jobs and financial benefits.
"It's not just me, it's all of us," he said. "We are a group of individuals who say, `We will be damned if the younger generation of veterans (doesn't) get their just deserves."'
He said he's "flattered that they gave me an award, but I'm just as human as anybody else. I have my errors in my life and probably those I will commit in the future."
Aguilar, who still receives counseling for PTSD, also speaks to veterans about the effects of the disorder.
"I was tired of hearing of a lot of people trying to commit suicide," he said. "A lot of our younger veterans are brilliant, but because of the PTSD, depression, alcohol or whatever triggers it, people are dying because of senseless stuff."
Sanchez said Aguilar's work with veterans has saved lives.
"We all owe Mr. Aguilar a debt of gratitude for his dedication," she said.
Aguilar, however, believes all veterans deserve similar recognition. Americans love their rights, he said - but forget who helps them attain rights.
"That's our guys and girls in the service," he said. "We got to learn to say `thank you, welcome home.' " | <urn:uuid:9b69d157-26bd-478b-9691-039b6689c4e8> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.presstelegram.com/search/ci_19995053?source=pkg | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00010-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.988194 | 900 | 1.515625 | 2 |
Last week I spent three unforgettable days with my family in Cambodia. There we saw signs of Jesus’ Kingdom shining in a land still under the shadow of death. I now find myself thinking daily what it would look like for the light of Christ to shine even stronger there and here-- so people can really see it.
Gracie and I were invited by Servants of Asia’s Urban Poor—a team of people from New Zealand, the Philippines, Australia, Japan and Canada called to live and minister in slum communities in Phnom Penh. The first day I led a short retreat for the staff and Gracie and I prayed for each of them. We visited some of the families in their homes amidst the squalor of the slum communities where they are seeking to live humbly among the poorest of the poor, bringing Jesus’ light.
A highlight for our family was being driven from place to place around the city in a Tuk Tuk assigned to us for our stay. Looking out at Phnom Penh we saw myriads of motorcycles, often with three-four people. They moved like tropical fish in schools, flowing through intersections, turning in front of on-coming traffic, often with people texting or talking on cell phones as they drove their worn-out motorcycles. A father and his three two sons laughed as we took their picture— the older boy clutching two turkeys on the seat between he and his younger brother.
We had an alarming visit to the genocide museum Tuol Sleng, the former office S.21 of the “Kampuchea Democratic” from 1975-1979. Pol Pot had established this office to detain, interrogate and eventually send off to the “killing fields” thousands of people deemed enemies of the regime.
We wandered through the cells and torture chambers, reading the stories of victims and perpetrators, looking at instruments of torture, and the photos of hundreds of young people who were executed. These photos still haunt me. Young men and women, their shoulders pulled tightly back as their hands were bound behind them, exhaustion and terror in their eyes. Many had been forced to lay for days side-by-side like sardines in rooms, shackled, forced to remain silent, before being tortured for days while being held in narrow wood-walled cells. Eventually their captors would tell them they were being taken to study. They were photographed, blindfolded then driven 30 minutes out of town to a big field with pits. There they were forced to kneel on the pit’s edge, where their captors executed them and buried them in mass graves. Somewhere between 750,000 and 2.5 million Cambodians were killed during the Khmer Rouge’s reign.
I have since read historians who argue convincingly that the United States’ secret carpet bombing of Cambodia from 1965-1973 is directly linked to Pol Pot’s rise to power (http://www.yale.edu/cgp/Walrus_CambodiaBombing_OCT06.pdf). The 2,500,000 tons of bombs dropped on targets in Cambodia (more than all the bombs dropped during WWII) traumatized the country—and unexploded ordnances (bombs) still litter the countryside today. Unexploded spiritual ordnances in the people and the land most certainly require detection and removal too—a massive task that needs to be done with great sensitivity.
Walking through the Tuol Sleng genocide museum disturbed me on another level—genocide on display as a tourist attraction. I first noticed this when a beggar with a severely burnt face and another maimed man approached us as we got out of our Tuk Tuk at the museum to join throngs of mostly foreign tourists to look on the shame of atrocities committed. The museum was poorly kept up: an introductory movie of the poorest quality, photos fading and pealing— reflecting the very shame that it exposed in it’s featuring of crimes committed by Cambodians against Cambodians.
That very day judges were deliberating on the sentence of Dutch—the head of that very prison—and the next day his 19 year sentence was announced—over 30 years after these events. In one of the nicer neighborhoods along the river, restaurants drew tourists by advertising free movies after dinner on the Cambodian genocide and “killing fields.” Shining light that exposes atrocities and shames perpetrators does not bring the desperately needed healing and deliverance—but rather numbness, resignation or even anger and further destruction and abuse. True repentance comes through the light of Christ.
“Repent, for the Kingdom of heaven is at hand,” preaches Jesus. Confession and repentance are most certainly needed in Cambodia—but larger global powers like the USA (and most certainly aware Christians) need to be involved. Last week’s commemoration of the 65th anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki was a missed opportunity for the USA to publically apologize for the 214,000 killed there. Yet the work of peacemaking is more hands-on then simple apologies.
We visited some of Servant’s many ministries to the poor that they have turned over one-after another to Cambodians: a rehabilitation center to street youth addicted to sniffing glue, Justees, a silk-screening operation run by young graduates of the rehab program that makes tee shirts with justice statements, a nutrition center for malnourished children, an outreach to people with disabilities (see www.servantsasia.org).
Gracie and I prayed for several people suffering from pain, and found that Jesus was quick both heal and to reveal hidden terror and anxiety from trauma rooted in Cambodia’s wartime violence. We saw a deep need for spiritual mine sweeping, and found ministry workers desperate for more of Jesus’ anointing to address widespread abuse, infidelity, HIV/Aids and other issues and to keep energized themselves.
Since last Friday, when Eastern Orthodox Christians celebrated Jesus’ transfiguration, I find myself thinking how critical it is to right now, in the midst of ongoing conflicts in Afghanistan, Iraq and Israel/Palestine to pay special attention to the Father’s spotlighting of Jesus’ person, teaching and way of redemptive suffering, that Moses and Elijah discussed with him before the watching disciples. “This is my son, my chosen one; listen to him!” (not to misunderstood OT justifications of violence via Moses/law and Elijah/the prophets!).
“And we ourselves heard this utterance made from heaven when we were with him on the holy mountain. And so we have the prophetic word made more sure, to which you do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts” (2 Peter 1:18-19).
Please pray for the many Christian workers seeking to bring the light of Christ into the darkest places in Cambodia. Please pray for Om Neang, a Cambodian woman working with Servants who established the nutrition center-- that Jesus would heal her of lung cancer. Pray for the other many workers of Servants of Asia's Urban Poor, for great wisdom, strength, health and more of Jesus' anointing so they can bring the best news of God's Kingdom to the people of Cambodia. | <urn:uuid:e14a5ffa-81d6-4c72-b805-c004ba75e3cf> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.bobekblad.blogspot.com/2010/08/cambodia-transfigured.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706890813/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516122130-00015-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.966877 | 1,523 | 1.742188 | 2 |
Editor's note: in the rush of early semester activities, I failed to post in a timely manner this guest contribution from Jeffrey Scholes, who is finishing his PhD at Denver University. So, although a bit late for the news cycle, here is his take on Hillary Clinton and what constitutes a faith-based foreign policy.
Facts, Fundamentals and Foreign Policy
by Jeffrey Scholes
Hillary Clinton’s confirmation hearing for Secretary of State was notable not because there was much doubt in the outcome but for what she said. http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=99290981&ft=1&f=1003
In it we find not so much a brazen, novel path to be forged by the new administration into foreign lands but more a statement of contrast to the approach of the Bush administration.
Here’s a quote from Clinton: “The president-elect and I believe that foreign policy must be based on a marriage of principles and pragmatism, not rigid ideology. On facts and evidence, not emotion or prejudice. Our security, our vitality, and our ability to lead in today's world oblige us to recognize the overwhelming fact of our interdependence.”
On the surface, heads nod unconsciously to this statement. Yet it is code for, “The Bush administration acted with emotion and prejudice fueled by a rigid ideology in a spirit of utter American independence.” She is largely echoing Obama, especially on the “facts and evidence” part that is based on the popular belief that the Bush administration deliberately glossed over facts and evidence (lack of WMD in Iraq) with the aid of a neo-con ideology that pushed the declaration of war.
Several thoughts: On one level, this point of contrast made by Clinton is overstated. Facts and evidence, of course, mattered to the Bush administration—it is nature of the interpretation that bothers the left. But no one is naïve enough to think that the Obama administration will only deal with raw, unmediated facts and evidence. It will interpret on an ideological grid too. In addition, the other theme of Clinton’s hearing is that there will be a restoration of American values regards foreign policy (diplomacy not commands, interrogation without torture, etc.)—a card from generally played off of the Republican deck.
Most interesting about the “just the facts, ma’am” rhetoric is that it plays on a hundred and fifty year historical divide between Evangelicals and liberal Christians/secular modernists. With evolution forcing each group into separate camps in the later 19th c., the “facts” of evolution were largely subordinated or dismissed altogether by Evangelicals and later fundamentalists in favor of acting on a clear moral conscience. The “world” came be identified with scientific facts and its burgeoning ideology when set of principles that can guide action was all that was necessary. Then, the external results, which translate quickly into facts, are far less important than the internal foundation off of which decisions were made. It is this “internal moral conscience vs. external facts” that constitutes the core of Clinton’s remarks and speaks to frustration of those on the left when Bush defends results by saying, “I merely acted on principle.” | <urn:uuid:afa49192-322e-4d1e-abd5-612d40f0d28b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://usreligion.blogspot.com/2009/01/facts-fundamentals-and-foreign-policy.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00003-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.950255 | 685 | 1.773438 | 2 |
- Special Sections
- Public Notices
New Year’s has passed and those who made New Year’s resolutions probably already have given up on them. Most people who make New Year’s resolutions do it because they feel social pressure. They don’t set goals because they are fully committed to the hard work of goal setting.
If you are serious about reaching an important goal and are willing to do the hard work to reach that goal, you will want to use a different process. You do not want to use a simple New Year’s resolution to set and meet a goal.
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Thousands of mostly Syrian prisoners were exchanged Wednesday for a few dozen Iranians in Damascus, a Turkish charity said.
The Syrian government released 2,130 civilians, 76 of them women, in exchange for the release of 48 Iranians who had been held by Syrian rebels, said Huseyin Oruc, deputy president of the Humanitarian Relief Foundation in Turkey.
Iran has backed the Syria government during the nearly two-year war that has pitted rebels against the regime of President Bashar al-Assad.
Iran's semi-official news agency FARS reported Wednesday that the released Iranians were pilgrims who had been "abducted by terrorists in Syria in August."
Al-Assad and Iran routinely refer to Syrian rebels as foreign-backed militants or terrorists.
The exchange took place after a speech delivered Sunday by al-Assad in which he vowed to continue to push back against the rebels.
"It's a huge victory for us," said Louai al Miqdad, a political and media coordinator for the Free Syrian Army. It's a huge victory for the revolution. And it's a huge victory for the Syrian people."
He added, "It shows the whole world that Bashar al-Assad only understands the language of force. Today, we released them by our hand."
Oruc told CNN in a telephone interview that four Turkish nationals and one Palestinian were also released by the Syrian government as part of the deal.
The foundation's teams in Damascus handled the exchange, which took place at various police stations, he said. | <urn:uuid:ca78a11a-4e8e-46b6-bf37-07851e7d8f35> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.wxii12.com/news/national/Syria-swaps-2-130-prisoners-for-48-Iranians/-/9677834/18061668/-/m2irp6z/-/index.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368711005985/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516133005-00006-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.984477 | 310 | 1.695313 | 2 |
- GRAMMY Live
Has video killed the radio star…again? The Buggles' video of the same name famously launched MTV in 1981, and 30 years later television is continuing to make its unique mark within the music world.
Music and TV have been partners in creating pop stars since the dawn of the medium in the late '40s, when the popular radio show talent competition "The Original Amateur Hour," hosted by Ted Mack, segued to the small screen, helping to launch the careers of Gladys Knight, Ann-Margret and Pat Boone, among others. Programs such as "The Ed Sullivan Show," a variety show featuring musical acts that ran until 1971, and "Star Search," a talent show debuting in 1983, continued the trend. But it wasn't until "American Idol" debuted in 2002 as a Fox summer replacement series that the concept reached critical mass.
Based on the UK pop series "Pop Idol," which was a spinoff of the Australian show "Popstars," the idea behind "American Idol" was a singing contest, judged by industry professionals, in which the viewers voted for the winner by phone and text. The show was a success from the very start, averaging 12.7 million viewers per episode as that summer's highest-rated show in the 18–49 demo. By 2006 "American Idol" was attracting an average of 31.7 million viewers per episode, while the next year's season premiere peaked at 41 million viewers.
Since those heady times, "American Idol" viewing had been eroding precipitously, and before this year's 10th season, returning producer Nigel Lythgoe made several significant changes, including hiring new judges Steven Tyler and Jennifer Lopez to join original judge Randy Jackson, signing on industry veteran Jimmy Iovine as a mentor, and lowering the eligibility age for contestants to 15. The moves helped stabilize ratings, with May's finale averaging 29.3 million viewers and a 9.2 rating in the 18–49 demo, up more than 21 percent in viewers and 12 percent in ratings compared to last year. It was the first time the finale received such a viewership bump in five seasons.
"It became tune-in television again," says Shirley Halperin, music editor for The Hollywood Reporter and author of the show's authorized history, American Idol: Celebrating 10 Years. "You wanted to hear what wackiness would come out of Steven Tyler's mouth next."
"American Idol"'s success has spawned a group of similar music-based shows, including NBC's "The Voice" and "The Sing-Off," a show for a cappella groups featuring Sara Bareilles as a judge; Bravo's "Platinum Hit," a competition for songwriters; Simon Cowell's new show "The X Factor," scheduled to debut in September; and arguably the most successful music show of all time, the fictionalized music-based comedy drama "Glee." Each show has arrangements with major music companies to help break discovered talent, including Sony Music Entertainment ("The X Factor," "Glee" and "Platinum Hit") and Universal Music Group ("American Idol" and "The Voice").
Featuring GRAMMY-nominated recording artist Jewel as host and ex-"American Idol" judge Kara DioGuardi, "Platinum Hit" is Bravo's pop tunesmith answer to "Top Chef" and "Project Runway." Jes Hudak, a singer/songwriter from Saratoga Springs, N.Y., who was a contestant on the show's first season, says it has been a boon for her career.
"The whole goal is exposure, and getting my music to the people it's going to mean something to," says Hudak. "We get such harsh feedback from people in the industry, and what really matters are the people who listen, buy your music and connect with what you're saying."
While major labels are on the receiving end of previously vetted talent, artists that already have name recognition and legions of Facebook and Twitter followers, platinum sales for TV show contestants and winners isn't a given. Does the show's democratic voting process result in a lowest-common-denominator winner, preventing what truly makes a musical superstar — something unique and compelling and sometimes even off-putting? And while "Glee" has sold millions of downloads and albums, has anyone yet emerged from its cast as a superstar?
"It's no longer about record sales," says Halperin, who points to Adam Lambert as an example of a unique "American Idol" alumnus. "You have to think about Broadway, 'Glee,' making a viral video, blogging about 'American Idol,' [or] becoming a Fox News correspondent covering the show. If you didn't win, you have to be willing to embrace your past."
What separates "American Idol" from its competition is the glimpse of transformational reality we get into how pop stars are groomed, allowing the audience to become vested in its chosen favorites' destiny.
"Scotty McCreery started out as [someone] who couldn't even carry on a conversation," says Halperin about "American Idol"'s season 10 winner. "Fourteen weeks later, he was this engaged, charming and media savvy professional who's being molded into a potential country star."
It is precisely that feeling of emotional involvement the other music competition shows are also trying to convey.
"The competitive atmosphere is not for everybody," says Hudak. "I wanted to show enough of my personality so people could relate to me as a human being as well as an artist. This is a way to really push my skills. It's all about pure feedback, growth and getting better."
With shows such as "American Idol" now producing artists who have been fans from the show's beginning, it makes it much more difficult to find where reality ends and artifice begins, especially in a landscape where these series are proliferating.
"The traditional route of becoming a pop singer is not an option for [new contestants]," observes Halperin. "Their problem is the 120 finalists who came before them, and have had that much more time in the media and public consciousness. The smart ones take the [money] they make from the ['American Idol'] tour and put it in the bank."
While the current industry climate presents a mountain of challenges for aspiring pop stars, music TV shows will likely continue to be a magnet for them.
"It gives you the best possible chance to succeed," says Halperin. "But a lot of things have to come together for it to ultimately happen."
(Roy Trakin has been senior editor at HITS magazine since he still had hair, and has written for every defunct rock publication that did and didn't matter. He is also the author of biographies on Jim Carrey, Tom Hanks and Sting.)
These are the most read, shared and discussed articles on GRAMMY.com right now. | <urn:uuid:f9f4b3c7-49a3-4e6f-a26b-345cc243596f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://content.grammy.com/news/antenna-for-the-stars?quicktabs_featured_news=2 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00008-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.975102 | 1,427 | 1.53125 | 2 |
President Barack Obama was due in the small Connecticut community of Newtown on Sunday to join in vigils for the 20 small children and seven adults slaughtered by a young gunman.
The president’s visit comes two days after the heavily armed 20-year-old, Adam Lanza, stalked into the Sandy Hook elementary school and raked students, teachers and administrators with gunfire, after first killing his mother in their home -- in one of the worst mass shootings in US history.
The tragedy has revived calls for a debate on gun control, though the White House has scotched any suggestion that the politically explosive subject would be quickly reopened.
And the political ramifications were far from the minds of most in this picturesque dormitory town, where parents of the survivors and the dead alike were struggling to come to terms with the stunning loss.
Robbie Parker, a 30-year-old hospital physician's assistant who cares for sick newborns, said the death of his loving six-year-old Emilie should “inspire us to be better, more compassionate and caring toward other people.”
And he included the family of the apparent shooter, 20-year-old Adam Lanza, in his condolences, addressing them through the news media to say: “I can't imagine how hard this experience must be for you.”
Robert and Diane Licata described how their six-year-old son Aiden ran past the shooter in his classroom doorway to escape after seeing his teacher gunned down -- and recounted their desperate search for him.
“When you're standing there waiting, and no one will tell you anything. It's an indescribable feeling of helplessness.”
Licata eventually received a text that her son was safe at a nearby police station, and he was later able to explain his escape.
She said his class heard noises that initially “they thought were hammers falling. Then they realized that it was gunshots,” she said.
“Aiden's teacher had the presence of mind to move all of the children to a distance away from the door... and that's when the gunman burst in,” Licata said.
The gunman had “no facial expressions” she said, adding that he “proceeded to shoot their teacher.”
Following drills that many US children are taught as to how to react during an emergency, Aiden and his classmates quickly made their way to the door where the gunman was standing and ran past him. Some of them survived.
“He really, really, really cared about his teacher. He was very close with her, and she really loved that class. He keeps saying, ‘I really hope she's okay, I hope it’s not her.’” the boy’s mother said.
“He knows that she's been hurt but he doesn’t know the end result. He knows the kids that he saw getting shot.”
A police spokesman said Lanza is believed to have shot his mother at the home they shared before heading to the nearby school and launching his attack.
He had two handguns, but the coroner told reporters that most of the children and staff were killed by multiple gunshots from his assault rifle, a .223 caliber Bushmaster, a civilian version of the US military's M4.
Connecticut Chief Medical Examiner H. Wayne Carver said the rifle fires rounds “in such a fashion that the energy is deposited in the tissue, so the bullet stays in.”
Lanza’s father Peter expressed shock and grief at the horror caused by his son.
“No words can truly express how heartbroken we are,” he said in a statement vowing to continue cooperating with law enforcement.
“We, too, are asking why,” he said. “Like so many of you, we are saddened and struggling to make sense of what has transpired.”
Connecticut State Police released the identity of the victims, aged six to 56. They included 16 six-year-olds and four seven-year-olds.
Twelve of the 20 slain children were girls and eight were boys.
The six adults killed were all women, including the school’s principal and its psychologist.
The motives of the shooter were the biggest mystery. Carver was to have conducted a post-mortem on Lanza and on his mother late Saturday.
Connecticut State Police spokesman Lieutenant J. Paul Vance said detectives had begun to “peel back the onion.”
Asked whether any suicide note, emails or other clues into the killer's mind had been found, he said investigators have gathered “some very good evidence.”
Vance said the crime scene investigation could go through the weekend.
Bodies were removed from the school overnight, and relatives were privately given formal identification of the dead.
-- Shy, awkward and nerdy --
Although he was remembered as a shy, awkward and nerdy boy, Lanza had not apparently given any warning sign that he was a mass murderer.
The weapons, news reports said, were registered in his mother's name, but she was widely seen as an unremarkable and upstanding resident in the town.
The tragedy drew messages of support from around the world, and candlelight vigils have sprung up in the area.
The National Football League announced its games will hold a moment of silence Sunday to remember the victims, with the New York Giants and New York Jets planning to wear an adhesive strip on their helmets marked “SHES,” the acronym of Newtown's Sandy Hook Elementary School.
Of all US campus shootings, the toll was second only to the 32 murders in the 2007 massacre at Virginia Tech University.
The latest number far exceeded the 15 killed in the 1999 Columbine High School massacre, which triggered a fierce but inconclusive debate about relaxed gun control laws in the United States.
However, the White House has scotched any suggestion that the politically explosive subject would be quickly reopened. | <urn:uuid:07fada21-1fc7-4200-8731-5453178527cf> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.alarabiya.net/articles/2012/12/16/255393.html | 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 | 0.986752 | 1,251 | 1.773438 | 2 |
By Karen Pallarito
First part of two-part series
WEDNESDAY, Sept. 19 (HealthDay News) -- Under the Affordable Care Act, the Obama administration's controversial reform of health care, states are supposed to assist uninsured Americans in buying health coverage by setting up so-called "insurance exchanges."
But, many states are dragging their heels on building the necessary infrastructure -- and some have outright refused to do so.
This lack of action poses a significant challenge to get the law up and running.
Continued Republican opposition to the 2010 law, the U.S. Supreme Court battle to determine its constitutionality, and ongoing uncertainty over the future of health reform after the upcoming presidential election have stymied progress on exchange development, policy experts say.
"The ACA (Affordable Care Act) cannot be implemented without an insurance exchange in each state. It's a go or it's a no-go. It's that simple," said Robert Laszewski, president of Health Policy and Strategy Associates Inc., an Alexandria, Va.-based consulting firm.
So far, only 15 states and the District of Columbia have established exchanges, and three others -- Arkansas, Delaware and Illinois -- have indicated that they will partner with the federal government to do it, according to the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation.
Creating insurance exchanges -- which are designed to make it easier for consumers to shop for insurance -- is just one of two big hurdles facing the health reform law. The Supreme Court ruling in June upholding the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act also allows states to opt out of the law's Medicaid expansion provision -- a key piece in the drive to bring insurance to an estimated 30 million uninsured Americans.
Critics of "Obamacare" hope that state resistance on both fronts will stop the reform effort in its tracks.
State-based health insurance exchanges are a critical part of the planned January 2014 expansion of insurance coverage through the Affordable Care Act, President Barack Obama's signature policy initiative.
Beginning with enrollment in October 2013, individuals and employees of small businesses who are uninsured can go to the exchanges to compare private health plan options across four levels of coverage -- bronze, silver, gold and platinum -- and purchase coverage.
The exchanges must ensure that each health plan offers a sufficient number of providers and meets other minimum standards. To participate in an exchange, an insurer must offer at least one "gold" and one "silver" health plan.
Each state's exchange must also maintain an up-to-date website with comparative health plan information; maintain a toll-free, consumer call center; and fund a "navigator" program to assist individuals and families with obtaining coverage. The exchanges are also the vehicle for people who meet certain income thresholds to qualify for tax credits to reduce their premium costs and federal subsidies to lower out-of-pocket expenses.
The federal government is offering premium assistance in the form of refundable tax credits to people with incomes up to 400 percent of the federal poverty level ($44,680 for an individual and $92,200 for a family of four in 2012) and out-of-pocket spending caps on covered services.
Some GOP governors critical of exchanges
Republican governors in six states have decided not to create a state-based health insurance exchange, and New Hampshire Democratic Gov. John Lynch, in the face of GOP opposition, signed legislation barring the state from creating its own exchange. As many as 16 states are still exploring their options and nine states have shown little progress in planning their next steps, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation's latest tally.
In states that do not create an exchange, the federal government has the authority to do it for them.
States have until Nov. 16 to notify the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) of their plans to create an exchange or partner with HHS to help create one. That gives states precious little time after the Nov. 6 election to submit plans and get an exchange up and running by October 2013.
"It looks like 35 states won't be ready, at least," Health Policy and Strategy Associates' Laszewski said.
The federal government insists that it's up to the task of working with states to ensure that the exchanges are in place by the deadline.
"We can guarantee that consumers in every state will have an exchange in place by 2014. There's no question about that," said Fabien Levy, HHS press secretary.
Laszewski isn't so sure. "The administration has been emphatic this last month that they will be ready, but they're not being at all transparent about it. We have no idea how much progress they have or haven't made," he said.
Although HHS issued a final rule on the design and implementation of insurance exchanges in March, many issues remain unresolved, explained Cristine Vogel, associate director in the Chicago health care office of Navigant Consulting Inc., a specialty global consulting firm. The unknowns range from how the government will resolve consumer appeals to how much it will cost states to use the federal exchange, she said.
Detractors, supporters debate exchanges' value
What do states gain by refusing to establish an exchange?
"We look at state refusal as one of the ways that states can protect themselves from the overreach of federal law," said Twila Brase, a registered nurse and president of the St. Paul, Minn.-based Citizens' Council for Health Freedom, which opposes the Affordable Care Act. One way the delay protects states, she said, is by avoiding the high cost of operating an exchange, estimated to run anywhere from $10 million to $100 million a year, depending on the state.
Others see state refusals on health exchange creation as little more than political posturing.
"I think they're taking a political gamble hoping that President Obama is [not reelected], and that is really putting all your money on one number," said Navigant's Vogel. "[They're saying] 'I did not support Obamacare at all.'"
Jon Kingsdale, managing director and co-founder of the Boston office of Wakely Consulting Group and former executive director of the state agency serving as Massachusetts' health insurance exchange, doesn't believe states will shut themselves out of the process of creating an exchange.
"My own sense is that even if the state backs completely away from doing the exchange, there'll still be some coordination" with the federal government, he said.
Even though many people would benefit from the tax credits and consumer assistance that exchanges will offer, exchange implementation, for the most part, isn't even on consumers' radar.
"I really doubt too many people even understand the health-care reform law and the exchanges," Vogel said.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has more information on health insurance exchanges.
SOURCES: Robert Laszewski, president, Health Policy and Strategy Associates, Inc., Alexandria, Va.; Fabien Levy, press secretary, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Washington, D.C.; Twila Brase, R.N., president and co-founder, Citizens' Council for Health Freedom, St. Paul, Minn.; Cristine Vogel, associate director, health care practice, Navigant Consulting, Inc., Chicago; Jon Kingsdale, Ph.D., managing director and co-founder, Wakely Consulting Group, Boston, and former executive director, Commonwealth Health Insurance Connector Authority; Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, issue brief, August 2012; "Taxation Without Representation: The Illegal IRS Rule to Expand Tax Credits Under the PPACA," Social Science Research Network, July 16, 2012
Copyright © 2012 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
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Today's guest blog was written by Todd Setter of the Colon Cancer Alliance, National Director Undy 5000 series. The Colon Cancer Alliance (CCA) is a community that provides hope and support to patients and their families, while saving lives through screening, access, awareness, advocacy and research. Learn more at www.ccalliance.org.
All puns aside, the Undy 5000 is raising eyebrows and awareness across the country for colon cancer.
The Colon Cancer Alliance’s Undy 5000 is a nationwide family-friendly 5K run/walk that works to raise awareness about colon cancer and the importance of getting screened. People are afraid to talk about this disease and, as a result, many don’t get screened in time. By making colon cancer a subject that’s okay to talk about we are literally saving lives!
One of my favorite parts about this series is that it’s not all talk – proceeds from each event benefit screening, awareness, research, education and patient support programs that assist local residents and communities.
It’s easy to support these programs and make a difference. You can help by spreading the word, forming a team, becoming a sponsor/exhibitor, or offering to volunteer at one of the Undy 5000 events. Our upcoming locations include:
Find a race near you at www.undy5000.org and take $5 off your registration fee with discount code LILLY.
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May 22 2013 Latest news:
by lizzie parry
Thursday, December 6, 2012
A PATIENT was forced to wait more than 15 hours before receiving treatment at Ipswich Hospital’s A&E department.
New figures released by the NHS Information Centre show in July, despite the longest wait, the average time a patient had to wait was 74 minutes – within the four-hour target time.
The snapshot reveals 6,873 patients passed through the Garrett Anderson Centre’s doors at the Heath Road site in July, with 3.2 per cent of those patients leaving before they were treated - just above the national average of 3pc.
Of all the patients through the doors in July, 322 had to revisit the department at a later date – a rate of 4.7pc, below the national average of 7.3pc.
Concerns have been raised by patients at the long waits in the A&E department following the move of the minor injuries service from The Riverside Clinic to Heath Road in July.
But a hospital spokeswoman said: “Our emergency department team works extremely hard to see all patients as quickly as possible.
“Occasionally the demand is so high our patients do experience longer than usual waits and on these occasions we always prioritise according to clinical need.
“There are very rare and exceptional situations where patients need treatment but for legal and/or ethical reasons we are unable to provide it within the usual timeframes, regardless of how busy the department is.
“There are also cases where a patient is not a fit enough to receive treatment, for example, those influenced by alcohol or drugs.
“In all cases, the time to treatment figure does not mean the patient is not cared for. Patients are triaged by a nurse on their arrival and where necessary given medical reviews.
“The number of patients being brought to the hospital by ambulance is significantly growing. From April to November this year we saw an average of 113 extra ambulance conveyances a month. Despite that, we are consistently meeting the national target of seeing and treating 95pc of emergency department patients within four hours.”
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Grandma8 I have 3 jobs because my wife and I choose to have her stay home with my new son. I'm not incensitive I just don't have the patience to complain about the idea that I have to work harder to make the same income I once did. I haven't worked for minimum wage since 1998 because i instead developed employable skill sets and a work ethic that was given to me by my parents. I know very few people who are unemployed because people I associate with do what is necessary to survive even now in this "recovery."
Watch a couple of minutes of Occupy Atlanta, when they refuse to let Congressman John Lewis speak. Very creepy. These call-and-response people make the NY occupier who did you-know-what on a police car, and the other NY occupiers who have lived outside for days and days look almost normal.
For the record, the origin of the 99% (and the 1%) is from an article published last spring in Vanity Fair by Nobel prize winning economist Joseph Stitlitz entitiled "Of the 1%, by the 1%, for the 1%". His explanation of the totally distorted distribution of wealth is readily understood and devastatingly pointed. When 1% of the citizens own 40% ot the total wealth and 25% of the total income, the mechanisms that support that are completely gamed against the middle and lower class. Read the article, then act out of knowledge rather than emotion.
Such insensitive and truly ignorant comments saying that "they should occupy jobs and a business." ...and "class envy"?! Do you know the unemployment rate in Tucson? Do you know how many people apply for each available "minimum wage" job? Do you know that many must have more than one job today just to pay their bills and feed their families? How many unemployed people do you personally know? This "class warfare" was started by the wealthiest decades ago; and now the "other 99%" of us are speaking up and speaking out. We are all ages...and will be meeting Sat. in Tucson. occupytogether.org
"They have a strategy that's working. And like me, they now know a lot more about economics and government than they ever wanted to." What they don't know how to do is build wealth. They should occupy jobs until they can occupy better ones. Or they could occupy a business they start until it occupies more sales. Your class envy is irritating to even read. I think I'll stick to reading Danehy because I can guess we couldn't even have a polite conversation if we chatted at a bar.
I QUIT GOING TO MOVIES IN THE START OF THE '70'S WHEN ALL MORALITY WAS DROPPED. POOPY MOUTHS, TOILET HUMOR, AND ALL THINGS IN THE 'BODILY FUNCTION' CATEGORY BECAME STAPLES. THEN TELEVISION TURNED TO TOILET VISION. YOU CAN HAVE IT BUT WHY WOULD YOU WANT IT. I STICK WITH THE 60'S DOWN. RERUNS YES BUT AT LEAST I'M NOT ASSAULTED WITH THE TOXIC MATERIAL THEY CALL ENTERTAINMENT. I KNOW, I KNOW, I'M OUTTA STEP. FOR A FREE COPY OF OUR FAMILY MOVIE WE FILMED GO TO Leesleyfilms.net. YOU SEE IT'S GOTTEN SO BAD WE HAVE TO MAKE OUR OWN CLEAN MOVIES TO WATCH. DEVON LEESLEY, PRODUCER OF YET PRODUCTIONS
BTW- have you ever seen the movie "Matinee"? It takes place during the Cuban missile crisis, and the main character, not the John Goodman character, is a kid exactly my age who was interested in monster movies and magazines, just like I was. I may still be a nerd.
I 999.9% agree with you, Ms. Downing. Except for the one episode that featured George Reeves as Superman.
You mean you didnt care for the episode with lucy working in the chocolate factory? :O
I hope everyone will email this to the radio stations that they know that still use FOX news. There are some country stations that come in where KXCI doesn't that still think that FOX is as good as any American news corp. It is not.
Your faith in insurance gurus is sickeningly misguided, Ms. Downing. If you believe the companies in question wouldn't hesitate to use the information gathered to raise rates or kick someone out of their programs entirely, then you have entirely too much faith in corporatism.
I hope your weight stays within acceptable parameters for the bean-counters. Otherwise, you may well find yourself in the "uninsured" auto with other former acolytes of allowing the corporate camel's nose under the tent for the alleged purpose of good intentions, barreling towards Hades with frightful speed.
The monetary system is a phase. After it's inevitable collapse and countless billions dead, then and only then may we be able to enter the next phase ov our evolution. When respect for all life is understood to be a real part ov who we are and what we are capable ov...wish us luck,
You are so right on! As an old, alone, disabled and low income woman,
I am scared for my medical future. In addition to that, generics do not
work for me. I don't feel that politicians, who could make laws governing
this mess are interested. I have a thought - let's outlaw lobbies.
Renee, Sorry to hear about your aunt but maybe if aunt joyce and uncle jay had signed a living will or advance directive making them DNR/DNI they would not be in the predicament they are in.
How about opening up the competition for insurance? How about Tort reform? How about setting up programs that plan ahead?
Or maybe just watch MSNBC if Fox is the problem.
Ryan's plan is a GO.
Yes Renee its the big bad medical-industrial complex. Never mind that those "overpaid doctors" have not had a real raise in medicare rates since....Bill Clinton was president. What was your salary in 1999 and how about now? Doctors are now seeing more and more patients, that makes sense...not. Never mind that you said it yourself, "Since I'm insured and don't have to pay these ridiculous bills, why should I care about the costs?" You have no skin in the game Renee, if you and all patients did those "outrageous" costs would be less likely. Very likely the free market (I know that is a dirty word here) would come to play and decrease costs. Speaking of the "outrageous" costs, was this the amount billed or the amount the insurance company actually paid. In my experience the amount paid by the insurance company is actually 10-50% of the amount billed.
People this is the crux of the issue. American health care cannot do everything for all the people all the time....period. You want a European-type system that covers all for a reasonable price (defined by the government) then very simply we as Americans will have to accept rationing....period. There is nothing wrong with that. The European system does ration but by and large in a "rationale" way. We certainly don't. The Europeans do not pay for outrageously expensive drugs in cancer treatments. The Europoeans by and large do not allow people over 65-70 not getting dialysis or CABG's (this is country specific). In my opinion Americans have never been accepting of this trade-off. I certainly have not seen a politician bring up this important conversation. it needs to happen but it won't because Americans by and large a too selfish to look at what is best fro society as opposed as for themselves. Case in point Europeans are MUCH MUCH better at recruiting for cancer research studies than Americans are. Americans are infamous for not accepting anything but the most aggressive care...no matter what. Honestly Renee speaking of research do you know that recent research shows that outside of acute MI's that medical management for coronary syndromes has the same results as stents/angioplasty. The problem is most docs know this research but also know if they counsel for less aggressive care (ie medical management) and things go south, a lawyer will be serving them. Renee, America is the land of unrealistic medical expectations. Are you really surprised at the cost? But do shoot the messenger.
Ronni, I offer my concern for your precarious situation you share with more and more underinsured or uninsured Americans. I saw a television program on world-wide national health care or socialized medicine as some call it. Seems all modern developed countries have successful national health care. I was particularly impressed with how low costs are. For example, in Japan an MRI costs the equivalent of $60US.
USA is the only Western country without national health care I read. We only have it for seniors and disabled through Medicare and now we are told Republicans want to destroy Medicare.
No country in the world pays anywhere near the outrageous, greed driven medical costs we do. And in no other countries do medical corporations make such obscene profits and their CEOs make multimillion dollar salaries, doctors live in multimillion dollar houses and hospital administrators make million dollar salaries/perks such as free stock from chemo and drug companies, radiation machine manufacturers and medical device makers to assure their products are used.There is no regulation of medical costs in USA. That is a big problem.
Organized medicine will not allow regulation of medical costs.
Their lobbists show up with loads of money for politicians to see that there is no restriction of medical costs. And insurance companies show up with loads of money in hopes of forcing us into private insurance policies with no cap on premiums but limits on coverage. We are owned by the corporatocracy. And some say, ripe for revolution, to taking to the streets to demand we have our government back from the corrupt corporations.That is the only way I can think of that it could happen. There will be no honest politician to step up and save us, we will have to save ourselves.
"I'm afraid at least SOME of the outrageous bills is going to cover people who they have to treat, and who have no insurance or savings/income"...
It's easy for some of us to claim this as the big problem, but as an under-paid, under-insured, working-class mother who was forced to combine my daughter's and my own insurance, for the ridiculous deductible of $5000, I can tell you that something more insidious is afoot here.
Who regulates these costs, does anyone really know? I don't mean just the insurance premiums, but hospital costs, procedural costs, basic medicines? Is it really necessary to charge $200 for a "saline solution infus?" I believe it is the fault of a system out of balance: there are seemingly no checks and balances for our healthcare system, as it stands now.
It is a system in transition, and along with transition and change comes a whole lotta scrambling for another way to make a buck. What about physician/hospital malpractice insurance? That has to be pretty costly. You don't suppose this has ANY effect on soaring medical care costs? And yes, there are those pesky illegals, darned poor people, and other ne'er-do-wells...surely they are to blame for jacking up these costs. Ummm....wait a minute, isn't it the sworn duty of the physician to "do no harm" and actually save lives? Why should race, creed, or social standing make one damn difference?
If the hospitals, the insurance companies, urgent care clinics, pharmacies, etc., etc. continue to allow these costs to soar out of control, during times like these, they are simply going to see more "no insurance/income" types pouring out of the wood-work, because the system has thus far been unable to control itself. And if you think it's bad now, just wait.
I have had to change jobs this year, take a cut in pay, and now I will probably (likely) have to drop my own medical insurance, in favor of being able to continue to pay my daughter's premiums. Meanwhile, with Health Care Reform, the insurance companies are mobilizing to find ways to make coverage even more difficult to navigate and utilize, just to save their own skins. Why the hell are we all putting up with this? Socialize medicine, for cryin' out loud! It may be the only way out from under this mess.
I'm afraid at least SOME of the outrageous bills is going to cover people who they have to treat, and who have no insurance or savings/income. So, I suppose we should be happy only PART is going to greed.
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The latest and greatest on CNN iReport, brought to you by Team iReport.
It's been an eventful year for everyone involved with iReport. We can tell because we've seen nearly 185,000 iReports shared through this platform, of which nearly 15,000 submissions were approved for possible use on CNN.
With a pool of participation that large, we were inspired to take a closer look at the numbers.
On average, we received 511 iReports per day in 2011, but the actual number of iReports shared spiked and dropped to the tune of the news. The East Coast earthquake, a singular and rare event which affected millions of well-connected U.S. residents, provided the highest spike in contributions this year. Other events like Osama bin Laden's death, the Japan tsunami, and Hurricane Irene, also fueled an increase in submissions.
Some assignments seem to work like magic. For example, iReporters end up documenting history in the making, or the submissions somehow tap into cultural zeitgeist. The number of contributions an assignment receives is one way to gauge what topics matter the most to our community, and to the CNN audience.
Let's take a look at the 10 most popular assignments of 2011.
Assignments with the most iReports submitted, in 2011:
|4)||Travel photo of the day||...||3728|
|7)||Occupy Wall Street protests||...||3235|
|10)||East coast earthquake||...||2151|
The "On CNN" stamp allows us to feature iReporters' original, well-produced, and relevant content on CNN. In 2011, veteran iReporter Kathi Cordsen had the most vetted contributions. Chris Morrow, another veteran iReporter, wasn't far behind. She was vetted 166 times and broke the mark of 1,000 vetted iReports, a first in our platform.
These iReporters were successful because they focused on specific beats, such as geographic or topical, and because they followed our assignment desk closely and made thoughtful contributions to iReport projects throughout the year, like iReport boot camp, Destination Adventure, Freedom Project, and the cultural census.
Most approved iReports in 2011:
A community like ours wouldn’t be successful without a steady influx of new iReporters. In 2011 we grew by an amazing 37%, to reach nearly one million registered users! We’ve had some standout additions in 2011. Fatima Puskar shared with us a steady stream of iReports from Cairo, Egypt, throughout a year that has marked history for the African nation. Rachel Cauvin and Craig Smith have done an exceptional job of documenting New York City happenings and globe trotting expeditions respectively. And one newcomer iReporter shined brightly from down under the down under. Jerry Gonzales has delighted us time and again with well-produced iReports giving us a glimpse into the sights and stories of his hometown of New Plymouth, New Zealand.
Rookies with the most "On CNN" iReports in 2011:
If an iReport story is generating a lot of conversation in the comments area, that's a fairly reliable indicator that it's resonating at some level in our community. We've already compiled a list of some of our most-commented stories. Tops was a story about a boy's love for his dad. We also took a look at the usernames who have commented the most in 2011. There's lots of ways to participate in CNN iReport that go way beyond uploading stories, and commenting is one of the most important ways users can contribute to the community. The most prolific commenter from 2011, iReporter NuYwk, regularly chimes in with opinions about issues in the news, and provides encouragement for other users.
Usernames with the most comments in 2011:
While our strengths lie in stitching tapestries of stories and ideas, we couldn't achieve that without strong, captivating, and sometimes controversial individual efforts. Our most-viewed iReports were about a surprising variety of subjects. We saw some big news stories represented, like the Japan earthquake and tsunami. But then, we also saw fun stories like Snake in the Christmas tree.
These are highly unique stories that were featured on CNN.com, and struck a nerve with our audience.
Most viewed iReports of 2011:
|1)||Swaying ground in Chiba, Japan||...||306,892|
|2)||Judgement Day: May 21, 2011||...||250,015|
|3)||Tribute to Bryan Nichols||...||213,042|
|4)||Black Friday violence||...||212,813|
|5)||F16 crash at aviation convention||...||182,223|
|6)||Malaysian newspaper controversy||...||180,377|
|7)||Snake in the Christmas tree||...||153,978|
|8)||Horse showering in the sprinkler||...||152,311|
|9)||Pepsi can celebrating September 11th?||...||140,872|
|10)||Green Bay ice shoves||...||136,794|
In just a couple of days we'll welcome 2012 and the new challenges and opportunities that it will bring. Help us say goodbye to 2011 and celebrate the New Year, wherever you may be.
We first met Chris Morrow during San Diego Comic-Con 2008, and soon she was iReporting, not just from her hometown of San Diego, but all over Southern California.
Chris has returned to Comic-Con every year, getting a rarely seen look at preparations for the annual event. And it’s safe to say, she is the first iReporter to have a life-size cartoon image of herself present at the Con.
But her contributions have gone far beyond comic book conventions. Chris interviewed Olympians like Lindsay Vonn at the 2010 Winter Games, the late Hollywood legend Tony Curtis, and countless other celebrities, including like Adam Lambert, Tony Hawk and Paula Abdul. She even asked adult film actors what they thought of body scanning at airports.
She documented the artist Wyland’s journey to paint the largest picture of the planet earth atop the Long Beach Convention Center, as well, and her iReports became part of a documentary, for which she won an award at the San Diego Film Festival.
She has been there for breaking news as well.
Then there was her trip to Haiti, shortly after the earthquake in 2010. She ranks that among her most memorable experiences iReporting, along with posts on charities dealing with multiple sclerosis and autism. Food is also a frequent topic (she has posted videos on how to craft beer and make a vegan Thanksgiving, not to mention food charities). And she says her experience this year on the oldest active sailing ship “was also a major day for me.”
She may be the first, but Chris is sure she will be is far from the last iReporter to have 1000 iReports reach "on CNN" status.
“There are so many other great iReporters out there who give their opinions daily, document the world, capture a significant moment in history and who just want to share life,” she says. “This small town journalist uses CNN iReport to reach the world, and with the help from the talented and thoughtful iReport producers, I've been able to learn a new craft of storytelling with video … We are in a unique place to be able to be part of the world’s largest news source and to have a voice.”
Congrats to Chris Morrow on this achievement! Click here for more on what she iReports, and watch her 2009 HLN interview below.
2011 sure kept us busy. From natural disasters to revolutions to the end of modern day slavery, iReporters were on the ground throughout the world helping to tell the stories of the year. Since it's the time of year for list making, here are our 17 favorite moments:
1. Revolutions sweep the Arab world
It all started in Tunisia when a street vendor’s self-immolation sparked protests throughout the country. On January 25, Egyptians took to Cairo's Tahrir Square, calling for their leader to step down. Before we knew it, we were getting iReports from all over the Middle East, north Africa and other regions of the world. We chronicled the perspectives of five people in countries experiencing the unrest and featured iReporters all over TV and CNN.com.
2. Earthquake in Japan
We received more than 1,200 iReport submissions in the first 10 days after the March 11 earthquake in northern Japan. Ryan McDonald, Harrison Peyton and Richard Dong were among our first eye-witnesses, picking up their cameras while the ground was still shaking and shooting dramatic footage. CNN invited several iReporters on air to share their experiences and showcased their photos of post-disaster Japan.
3. September 11, 10 years later
We marked the 10-year anniversary of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks by connecting 5 pairs of iReporters who had never met but whose lives were forever changed that day. The connections were surprising and powerful -- like Steve Jauregui and DeLicha Germany, who were 17 in 2001 and said the attacks motivated them to join the armed forces; or Brian Branco and Shelley Ram-Saban, who both escaped the South tower of the World Trade Center that day. Hundreds of other iReporters from around the world also shared their stories of how 9/11 impacted their lives in a scrolling interactive.
4. After Osama bin Laden
In the hours after U.S. forces killed terrorist mastermind Osama bin Laden in Pakistan, celebrations erupted around the U.S. We received more than 400 iReports, including this piece from documentary filmmaker Zack McTee, who captured the feeling in New York City that night.
5. Taking a stand to end slavery
When CNN launched a international campaign to end modern-day slavery, iReporters in dozens of countries helped spread the message in simple and beautiful ways. More than 300 iReporters contributed to our "Take a stand to end slavery" project, including an entire school in South Korea, and iReporters in at least 32 countries made paper airplanes with messages about human trafficking. Others made efforts to educate their own communities about the problem.
6. iReport turns five
CNN iReport celebrated its 5th birthday this year and we wanted to celebrate with our community. We couldn't bring everyone to Atlanta, Georgia, so we sent party kits out for iReporters around the world to host their own birthday meetups. It was the first time we've tried anything like that and it turned out better than we ever imagined. We ended up having meetups in 41 cities, including Kandy, Sri Lanka; Cairo, Egypt; San Diego, California; Abuja, Nigeria; Hong Kong, China; Houston, Texas and Manila, Philippines. We also celebrated the milestone with a series of "Top 5" blog posts and looked back at our five years in this video.
7. 10 years in Afghanistan
October marked the 10th anniversary of the U.S. war in Afghanistan, a conflict that has drawn passionate praise and criticism since its beginning. To look back on 10 years of war, CNN asked service members, contractors and Afghans how the conflict changed their lives. We featured 10 perspectives outlining 10 very different experiences in the years of war, but the contributors all seemed to have one thing in common: Their lives will never be the same.
8. Son honors fallen dad
On August 6, a Chinook helicopter was shot down in Afghanistan, killing 30 Americans including Bryan Nichols. After watching news coverage of the crash but not seeing his father's photo, 10-year-old Braydon Nichols turned to iReport. He posted a photo of his father with a simple message: "My father was the pilot of the Chinook. I have seen other pictures of victims from this deadly mission and wish you would include a picture of my father." Before long, Braydon's iReport went viral, getting more than 200,000 page views and leading to several CNN.com stories and a huge outpouring from readers. Just as he hoped, Braydon ensured that his father would not be forgotten.
9. Occupying Wall Street
On September 17, hundreds of people inspired by populist movements in Europe and in the Middle East descended on Manhattan's Zuccotti Park for what would be the beginning of a prolonged encampment and demonstration. In the following weeks the Occupy Wall Street movement spread to cities and towns across the world. CNN iReport received more than 3,000 submissions from demonstrations in more than 300 cities and 30 countries. You can explore their contributions in the Occupy Wall Street Open Story and a portait gallery of 100 people who joined the movement.
10. Irene's aftermath
Hurricane Irene barreled through the Caribbean and swept up the East Coast in August, leaving behind a swath of destruction. iReporters were there in droves, telling stories that mirrored the path of the storm. Their images and videos were featured in the Irene Open Story, our new storytelling tool that spotlights iReports alongside footage from CNN journalists in an interactive timeline and map. It was a true collaboration between iReport and CNN and one of the most successful Open Stories to date.
11. Defining America
CNN took on a huge task in 2011: Defining America. Literally, that’s what we called the project. Our goal was to paw through the 2010 census data, and nationwide data from other sources, and report on any interesting trends we could. iReporters’ contribution to Defining America was the cultural census, which paired your personal submissions with hard data to get at some of the nuances and explanations behind these trends. You helped put a personal spin on some of the most interesting analysis pieces of the year, like why our Facebook profile pictures look the way they do and whatever happened to cursive handwriting.
12. The things we carry
Atlanta photographer Jason Travis was the inspiration behind the iReport Persona project, a look at what people carry on them and what they deem essential. We took the project to the South by Southwest Festival in Austin, Texas, where more than 700 attendees took pictures of themselves and their possessions –- including R.E.M.’s front man, Michael Stipe -- and yielded some interesting trends.
13. Comments in the spotlight
Sometimes the reaction to a story is just as interesting as the story itself -- or even more so. Our Overheard on CNN.com feature really took off in 2011. The goal was to find the great conversations happening on the site and let people know about them, in turn generating new discussions. We weren't sure what would happen, but people started to really enjoy the stories and add comments of their own. Readers shared their opinions on topics ranging from "oops" debate moments to Jesus on trial to Thanksgiving leftovers.
14. William and Kate get hitched
Oh, the hats, the scones, the dress. Jason Sauter was CNN’s first official Royal Wedding iReporter, beating out thousands of contestants to report first-hand on the festivities surrounding Prince William and Kate Middleton. And on the day of the nuptials, we heard from royal wedding watchers the world over sacrificed sleep to watch the big event. Our favorite came from a remote territory in the South Pacific that normally has electricity for just 10 hours a day but kept the power on so locals could watch the wedding on CNN.
15. iReport joins Instagram
We started an account on the mobile-only photo app for the iPhone to share some of the special moments we enjoy around the office. Before long, thousands of followers found our #cnnireport hashtag and impressed us with their passion and talent. We tapped into that community when we partnered with Mashable to ask how people use technology in their everyday lives. We love the creativity in the mobile photography space, and we can't wait to see what else happens in 2012.
16. Muppets take iReport
iReporters have interviewed the President, the cast of “The Walking Dead,” and Kim Kardashian. But when it came to the stars of the latest Muppet movie, once just wasn’t enough. So many great questions came in for Kermit, Miss Piggy and Walter that we gave Muppet fans (puppet and human alike) three opportunities to get their questions answered and share how much the Muppets have meant to them. Check out the first two interviews with Kermit and Miss Piggy and the interview with Walter, the newest Muppet.
17. iReport relaunches
We couldn’t write a post about 2011 without mentioning the brand-new iReport. We completely rebuilt the site to focus on the most important part of our community: Its people. The new iReport has a personalized home page so you can see the stories and assignments you're interested in and lets you favorite the stories you think deserve attention. To top it off, we've rebuilt our media player so that every video and photo iReport can now be seen in beautiful high definition format.
It was a great year, but it's not over. Help us say goodbye to 2011 and ring in 2012 iReport style.
The holidays are fast approaching but things haven't slowed down at the iReport desk. Let's take a look at this week's highlights.
Lights, camera, ho ho ho!
It seems not too long ago that we received the first jaw-dropping, over-the-top video of thousands of blinking lights livening up the neighborhood. This year's "Holiday tech light displays" assignment, a collaboration with Mashable, was a hit. Through it we were entertained by rocking homemade productions and larger-than-life commercial displays. We even had a love story! Mashable compiled some of the best; for more, head over to the assignment page and bask in the bright lights from nearly 100 iReporters who contributed.
Holidays without God
We asked atheists and other nonbelievers how they spend the holidays and received more than 500 responses. Turns out, they celebrate a lot like everyone else. "This is the time of year where you put special emphasis on your loved ones," said Scott Pigeon, of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. "This matters to everyone, regardless of belief in a deity." Check out Michael Saba's quote wall highlighting the stories, sentiments, and holiday rituals of our contributors.
A controversial can
A Diet Pepsi can in the Middle East has been raising eyebrows among Americans who see in it images conjuring the terrorist attacks on New York City's Twin Towers. A Pepsi spokesman told us the company has stopped production of the can, which was "inspired by the Dubai skyline." But iReporter Lyndsay Brock, an employee at the Baghdad Diplomatic Support Center in Iraq, found the can and said, "I think it is at best in very bad taste and at worst direct anti-American marketing to people in this area." Her iReport inspired more than 360 comments and was viewed more than 138,000 times.
Newly homeless Philippines couple marries
Flash floods in the Philippines following Tropical Storm Washi have left some 285,000 people homeless. Perhaps none lost their home in as dramatic a fashion as did Lilian and Edward Ferrer, whose modest dwelling and nearly all their possessions were washed away just hours before their wedding. American David Larson, the Asia and Near East Director of a Christian relief organization called Cross International, and a friend of the newlyweds, sent us the story and was interviewed on CNN International's World Report.
Witnessing conflict at Tahrir Square
A new iReporter from Cairo, Egypt, Ahmed Raafat, has been a steady source of information and images coming out of the protests and clashes in Tahrir Square and its surroundings this past week. Egyptian security forces and protesters have clashed, sometimes violently, as a segment of Egyptians seek to pressure the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces into accelerating the transition of power to democratic institutions.
Think you have a story to share? Check out our assignment desk for ideas, or submit your own view of the news.
Have you ever given someone a bunch of bugs for Christmas?
No? We can't blame you. Seems like it's barely above a lump of coal on the present scale. So why, then, is iReporter Penelope Penn giving a good friend just that?
Well, turns out he loves praying mantises -- it's as simple as that. So she decided to get him some for Christmas.
He "just happens to think that praying mantises are beautiful, and loves watching them and letting them crawl on him. He also loves to grow his own vegetables, so it seemed the perfect gift for him," explained Penn.
Penn thought she’d buy about 20 live mantises for her friend from a local garden store. But when she inquired, she learned that the minimum number available for purchase was 10,000. Yes, 10,000. And she went for it!
"He'll have plenty to choose from, and plenty to give the neighbors for some pesticide-free gardening in 2012. All the neighbors for blocks and blocks," joked Penn.
It just may be the most bizarre gift we've seen on iReport, and it inspired us to ask the whole community: What's the weirdest, strangest, most outlandish present you've ever gotten or given? The responses were hilarious -- and cringe-inducing.
10 years ago, Renee Kammer and her now-husband were moving into their first apartment together around Christmastime. He gifted her the most practical of items: paper towels, toilet paper, and a shower curtain for their new place.
"I thought it was a joke at first. I said something like, 'Are you kidding? Seriously?'" Kammer remembered. "Eventually I just said 'Thank you, how thoughtful.'"
Apparently, her husband wasn't aware that this might be a less-than-ideal present: "My sister-in-law received diamond earrings from his brother," said Kammer. "When I commented on this, he said, very practically, 'But your ears aren't pierced.'"
And speaking of fancy gifts, Laurie Hime's aunt was an interior designer, so as a 14-year-old, she expected something "classy and age-appropriate" from her aunt for Christmas. You can imagine her surprise when she unwrapped seemingly the most random gift in the world: a roll of Life Savers encased in Lucite.
Hime remembers being "less than thrilled" with the odd objet d’art and thinking, "I rather expected some nice jewelry."
She's not sure what she did with it, and only hopes she wasn't the only confused person subjected to the piece:
"I hope she did not use it as an interior design element in any of her clients' homes!" she said.
Hime wasn't the only iReporter to be surprised by décor that didn't match her tastes -- it was a common theme among the responses we received. In Lorena Isla's case, she thought her brother really ought to have known better.
Isla is an artist and painter, so she was a little surprised when her brother gave her a Christmas gift of...a painting.
It’s a cartoonish painting of a soccer player, which he thought she’d like since she’s into soccer.
"But...me being a painter, I don't think I needed a painting," said Isla, who admits to being "a little picky" when it comes to presents. She ended up giving the picture to her 13-year-old nephew, who’s also a big soccer fan.
Think you can top these? Tell us the story of the strangest gift you've ever given or received in the comments below.
Politics, race and religion are touchy subjects, but they can also inspire fascinating conversations. CNN iReporters had a lot to say in 2011 -- from debates on atheism, gay marriage and interracial relationships to an unlikely Confederate flag controversy in South Carolina. They also took time to comfort a young boy whose father was killed in Afghanistan.
Here's a look at the iReports that attracted the most comments of 2011:
7. Occupiers take K Street -- 627 comments
Armando Gallardo's dramatic photos of arrests during an Occupy protest in Washington this month inspired a spirited discussion about the future of the Occupy movement and whether the demonstrations were doing more harm than good.
6. Same-sex marriage brings out love and hate in NYC -- 673 comments
Julio Ortiz-Teissonniere was outside the city clerk’s office in Manhattan on the first day that New York state allowed same-sex couples to get married. He captured a festive series of photographs as couples smiled and posed while waiting in line as well as pictures of protesters who objected to the ceremonies.The debate on the story was also mixed: Some commenters wished the couples well, while others were upset that the weddings were allowed. But some didn't see what the fuss was about.
5. Struggles of an interracial couple -- 821 comments
Janna Lynn Imel says some of her relatives won't talk to her because she's white and her boyfriend is black. She says it hurts that the people she cares about look down on her and even call her names because of her relationship. Her post drew more than 800 comments from others in interracial relationships, people who wanted to offer support and some who tried to explain her family's attitudes.
4. Judgment Day -- May 21, 2011? -- 964 comments
Frequent iReporter Greg Reese spotted a billboard that warned the world was coming to an end on May 21, 2011. Reese went to downtown Cincinnati and asked people what they thought. His video sparked a passionate conversation on the Bible and the possibility that Judgment Day was coming. The discussion also got a little silly at times.
3. 'I will NOT take my Confederate flag down!!!' -- 1,025 comments
Byron Thomas is a proud Southerner and was upset when the housing office at his college told him not to fly a Confederate flag in his dorm room. He's also black. His iReport raised questions about race and heritage and whether symbols such as the Confederate flag and the swastika could escape their infamous pasts.
2. Atheist billboard goes up for the holidays -- 1,319 comments
Lulis Leal took these photos of an atheist billboard on the New Jersey side of the Lincoln Tunnel and said she was surprised how angry it made people. The story got a lot of reaction from Christians as well as from atheists who enjoy the Christmas season. It also inspired us to ask how nonbelievers celebrate the holidays.
1. Son's tribute to a fallen soldier -- 1,714 comments
Braydon Nichols, 10, posted a tribute to his father because he didn't want people to forget his dad. Army Chief Warrant Officer Bryan Nichols was one of 38 U.S. and Afghan troops killed when their Chinook chopper was shot down in August. The outpouring of support was heartwarming, with hundreds of comments thanking Braydon for his sacrifice, offering advice and promising never to forget his father. True to their word, many people didn't forget and posted comments months later because they were thinking about Braydon as school started and during the holiday season.
We invite our readers to be part of each and every story we tell on CNN. If you want to be a part of the conversation, you can leave your comments below, or share your thoughts in a short video.
From heartwarming stories that made us say "aw" to devastatingly beautiful in-depth photographs, here are the some of the top stories that caught our eye this week on iReport.
iReporter Brett Hinson proposed to his girlfriend earlier this month by decorating their home in Christmas lights and writing out "Marry me" in rope lights on the roof. She loves Christmas lights and the holiday season, so "there was really no other way for me to propose to her," he said. The proposal in lights worked. She said "yes." And, we got another holiday lights proposal on iReport the next day!
As the U.S. withdrew its last troops and ended its involvement in nine-year Iraq War this week, veterans shared their personal experiences from the war. One exceptional submission came from Jim Lewandowski, 48, who deployed to Iraq in early 2004 as a member of the South Dakota National Guard. He made a beautiful slideshow of images chronicling life on the highway as a gun truck commander.
We were moved by a heartwarming video of photographers organizing free portrait sessions for people in need through a project called Help-Portrait. “All I saw through out the day were smiles. And that's really what the world needs right now ... is to just to smile,” said iReporter Abdullah Raslan.
Toby Binder captured haunting photographs of Nigerian children who have been condemned as witches. The freelance photographer from Munich, Germany, spent 10 days at a children's home in Eket, Nigeria, last month. "Children branded as evil are being abused, abandoned and even murdered while the preachers make money out of the fear of their parents and their communities," he said.
Here's a true CNN International fan – he tattooed the logo on his face! iReporter Sherbien Dacalanio was with some other iReporters in Legazpi City, Philippines, when they spotted the man, Carlos Pasahol. We were amused to hear that when the iReporters asked him who his favorite anchor was, he said he didn’t know. He just likes to watch the news on CNN.
Think you have a story to share? Check out our assignment desk for ideas, or just submit your own view of the news.
Beautiful photography comes to iReport in multiple forms, whether it's imagery from professional gear or crafty cell phone cameras. With the boom in mobile storytelling, photography apps have given people a new way to share their stories. Instagram, one of these photo-sharing apps and social media platforms for the iPhone, uses photo filters to make unique Polaroid-style images.
For those of you who remember Tyson Wheatley, former iReport editorial lead and now CNN Digital's Senior Editor for Asia/Pacific, he’s become an influential Instagram user. He’s got a posse of more than 19,000 followers and he’s a budding mobile photographer. (Yes, this is my former boss, but I speak the truth.)
Wheatley moved to Hong Kong about a year ago and he’s been documenting his new life via Instagram.
"It was my first time setting foot in Asia. I didn't know the place or anyone in it," he said. "Not only could I share my photos with the friends and family I'd left behind, but I quickly connected with Instagram's incredibly supportive community, and made real, lasting friendships with local Instagramers."
A year later, he's seeing things in a new light. "I'm looking at the world in a new way, and experiencing Hong Kong's people, architecture, nature -- whatever catches my eye -- through filters, and the lens of a really smart phone."
A collection of Wheatley's "iPhoneography" is being featured on CNN Photos today. See his colorful images and read about how he does it in his full post here.
What you may not know is that CNN iReport also has a massive following on Instagram: We're almost 77,000 users strong. The Instagram community has used the platform to share everything from breaking news to slice-of-life moments in time.
For all of you on Instagram already, we invite you to join iReport and start sharing your stories. There’s a lot of powerful photography in the mobile world and we’d love to see more of it on our site.
If you've got a story to tell with Instagram photos, upload your images to the photo essay assignment. We're looking for a series of images that conveys a fascinating story. So, let the message be heard: iReporters and Instagramers unite!
Please join us here in the blog at 2:30 p.m. ET for the iReport roundtable discussion. We're looking forward to talking with everyone about what's going on in the community.
We'll open comments at 2:30 p.m. ET so you can share your questions, comments and concerns.
We'll look forward to talking with you.
We’re always excited when we have the opportunity to launch an assignment with one of our awesome partners, but this one was extra special. Why’s that, you ask? Because Mashable visitors can upload directly to iReport without leaving their site thanks to a fancy widget we call a portable uploader.
Here’s what it looks like on Mashable. Sleek, huh?
As we continue to work with partners like Mashable, Vimeo, GOOD, Team Coco and others, we want the uploading experience to be as easy as it is for community members visiting our site.So this is an important step towards that goal.
If you are the proud owner of a holiday display that's powered or inspired by technology or know of one in your area, share your videos and photos with iReport by Friday, December 16. The best submissions will be featured on CNN and Mashable!
We wanted to let you know that our developers have fixed a couple of video issues and added some new features that we're pretty excited about. Monday's software update solved a problem that was causing videos bigger than 200 MB to fail, as well as an issue with videos getting cut off at the end.
The team also added filter buttons to the profile pages so you can sort individual iReporters' stories to see which ones were approved for use on CNN, shared most often, or garnered the most page views or comments.
Finally, we rolled out a joint assignment feature for projects with our partners around the Internet. We couldn't wait to try that one out, so we launched an assignment with our friends at Mashable to find people who are incorporating technology in their holiday decorations. If you go all out with your holiday decorations, or know someone who does, please share your photos and videos.
As always, if you see something that looks strange on the site, please email firstname.lastname@example.org and we'll take a look at it.
For the second time ever, here's a look at some of the most striking, funny, or just plain unusual stories we saw on iReport this week.
On Wednesday, protesters swarmed Washington, D.C.'s K Street, home to many powerful political lobbying firms -- a frequent target of criticism in the Occupy Wall Street movement. Armando Gallardo was there when it all went down: “The protesters, defying rain, sat down on 14th and K, blocking traffic and a few others on 13th and K laid on the floor,” he said. “Soon enough the police came with horses, and a bigger than expected police force. After three warnings regarding blocking a highway violation, the police started arresting the protesters.”
Usually, the most outrageous thing you expect to find in a Christmas tree is, say, a tacky beer mug ornament that holds sentimental value for one of your loved ones. Casey Baine's family found a slithering surprise nestled in the needles of their coniferous evergreen: A snake! “The snake, whose name is Tinsel, now appropriately lives in the woods,” she said.
Janna Lynn Imel has witnessed racism from her friends, family and community for being a white woman in an interracial relationship with a black man. She shared this powerful video explaining her thoughts and struggles with the discrimination she faces: “I made this video in hopes of showing people that their attitudes toward my boyfriend and I are not right,” she said. “Racism is not dead, as many people believe. It still exists in our lives everyday and it's time that more people take a stand.”
Janna's iReport sparked a fascinating conversation in the comments section -- join in on the discussion and weigh in with your thoughts.
In the aftermath of the hotly contested Russian elections, Irina Kruchkova witnessed a massive anti-Putin protest on December 6 in Moscow's Triumfalnaya Square. “We have youngsters appearing on the protests to provoke aggressive reaction amidst the crowd. These poor young boys and girls do not really comprehend what is happening and are only capable to repeat what they are told to say. It is the first moment of my video that shows kids with a leader some holding their teddy bears as they shout out 'Putin, Medvedev, Russia,’” she said.
Irina was interviewed on CNN International's Connect the World program -- Check it out!
Longtime iReporter Luis Leal has been visiting Key West since the '80s, and she always makes sure to check out the amazing performing cats in Mallory Square. Feline impresario Dominique Le Fort has trained housecats to do all kinds of stunts, like jumping through a fiery hoop.
Think you have a story to share? Check out our assignment desk for ideas, or submit your own view of the news.
Heads up: We're not hosting an official roundtable discussion this week, but we wanted to open a thread where you can ask questions and share your thoughts. Whether you want to know more about a CNN iReport feature or you would like to suggest a new project, we're all ears.
We did hear about some issues uploading files over 200 MB, and our techs are working on a fix that should be ready by Monday.
You've shared some remarkable stories, including a very personal and thought-provoking story about what it's like to be an interracial couple. We've also seen tales of a snake in a Christmas tree and cats leaping through fiery hoops.
We've also got a lot of new assignments you might want to check out. Here are some of the highlights:
Check out these links and share any questions in the comments area below. We'll be checking back here and responding to your posts. Looking forward to seeing what you have to say!
Tara Miller is legally blind. Her eyes can see less than 10% of what an unimpaired person can see. She's also an award-winning art photographer.
Miller took up photography as a hobby when she was a kid, but gave it up when she started to lose her vision to glaucoma - until about two years ago. That's when she realized that, using a digital camera and her computer, she could blow the photos up big enough that she could see them again.
"It woke up something inside me," Miller said.
After shooting, Miller enlarges her photos anywhere from 200% to 500% to make sure everything is crisp and clear. Blurry images "drive me crazy," she says. "I want to produce an image that I'd be happy to sell. If a client is paying for something, it has to be 100%." She's memorized the settings on her camera since she can't see them, and uses her hands and arms as guides to judge angles and distance when she's setting up lights and other equipment.
"It took me about six months to learn [to set up the equipment] because I was so scared that I was going to drop something. But I knew that I had to have the skills to use the equipment," she says. Her husband, also a photographer, helped her figure it all out. They balance each other well when they're working together: "He was commercially trained, and I'm more the artistic one," says Miller.
The image above, which Miller shot in summer 2010, is "just the most incredible photo I've taken." It won the grand prize in the 2011 Canadian National Institute for the Blind Eye Remember national photography competition, which was open to all photographers, sighted and non. Miller enjoys photographing weather events, and says the timing for this Manitoba, Canada picture was perfect - just before the rain started.
If you're thinking the image looks Photoshopped - it is. After shooting a photo, Miller usually adjusts the coloring to match what she sees rather than what a "normal" eye may see.
"I bring the colors back to how I see it," she explains. Because of her condition and many treatments, "I'm able to see UV light, so I tend to see colors differently."
Since winning the competition, Miller has been in the spotlight of the Canadian media - "I had to join Toastmasters because I had speech requests!" - but she sees all the attention as a positive thing, since she hopes it will help educate others about vision loss.
"I like to educate people on eyesight and how important it is to go to the doctor," she says. "I do a lot of volunteering."
Miller is active on Facebook and welcomes questions about her condition and requests for advice from the visually impaired. "I answer all my email!"
Believe it or not, Tara Miller isn't the first blind photographer to show off her work on CNN - she's the third! Check out the others: Kurt Weston creates art photography mostly about his vision loss, and Craig Royal uses autofocus and slow shutter speeds to create his abstract works.
Hello iReporters! Last Thursday we introduced some new features and fixes thanks in part to your feedback and comments. Unfortunately, it looks like we also introduced a new bug which is affecting uploads of files larger than 200 MB.
We've been informed by our development team that a fix will be introduced next Monday, December 12, which will raise the upload file size limit to its customary 600 MB.
In the meantime, if you're having trouble uploading files, we invite you to use this alternate upload mechanism.
As we look forward to making iReport better every day, we welcome your feedback always.
Today, GOP presidential primary contender Herman Cain officially suspended his campaign following weeks of scrutiny for alleged sexual harassment and an extramarital affair. We asked iReporters what they thought of the collapse of Cain's campaign, and most agreed that the allegations had tarnished his reputation. Others cited his lack of experience and readiness to lead.
Sonya Renee Taylor believes that the only reason Herman Cain was popular in the first place was so that the Republican party could challenge the perception that it is unfriendly to African Americans. "[Republicans'] focus on business, the reduction of taxes and the elimination of major social programming in a country that still disproportionately disenfranchises people of color makes the needs of African Americans often invisible in Republican rhetoric," she said.
"'Cain's success is greatly tied to the policies of the Republican party. He would like to believe that the GOP sees him as a businessman first and a black man second," she said. "He is currently learning that he is black man in America, which means his contenders such as Newt Gingrich can have extramarital affairs, even presidential predecessors such as Bill Clinton can have sexual harassment charges (Paula Jones). The bar of being blemish-free is a bit higher for the black presidential candidate, and the fall is often hard and fast."
Egberto Willies, on the other hand, thinks that Cain was never serious about winning the nod, and was using the media attention as an opportunity for self-promotion. He believes that Cain's campaign was being supported by the GOP establishment as a strategy to ensure that Mitt Romney is the eventual nominee.
Mark Ivy believes that "the Cain campaign self-imploded by not being prepared for what the campaign should have been aware," he said. "The campaign should have been ready to respond when the personal character issues and concerns were brought up during the primary vetting process. What appeared at first to be a viable candidate devolved into a series of increasing displays of not being prepared, not being ready and not being able to divert focus back to the national issues away from personal imperfections."
And Jay O'Conner sums it up this way: "At the end of the day, it's Mrs. Cain and his family whom he has embarrassed greatly. It's time for Herman Cain to turn out the lights and take a long vacation with his wife."
Here at iReport, we get a variety of stories from people all over the world any given day. It’s almost impossible to keep track of them all, which is why we’re starting something new: A look back at five of the most interesting, compelling, or just plain unusual stories of the week.
This week’s offerings didn’t disappoint. Here are five of the best iReport stories we received:
iReporter Jerry Gonzales visited a lumberjack show in Stratford, New Zealand, last weekend that featured log-rolling, wood-chopping and climbing up 40-foot poles in record time. Gonzales said he enjoyed “every minute” of the action-packed event.
Anelia K. Dimitrova was on the scene Wednesday in Waverly, Iowa, as local students challenged Republican candidate Michele Bachmann on LGBT rights and bullying. “They were very gutsy as you can see in the video,” said Dimitrova, referring to the students. “It takes tons of courage to identify yourself as the ‘other’ in rural Iowa.” Likewise, she was impressed that Bachmann didn’t back down on her views and allowed the students to continue asking questions.
Lizzy Showman and Kathleen Fitzgerald, students at the School of Visual Arts in New York City, used design to show appreciation for the drivers on the M15 bus line, the second busiest in the nation. They designed custom seat cushions and shot video as they delivered them to bus drivers. Just try not to smile as one gentleman exclaims “this is the nicest thing anybody’s ever done for me."
iReporter Byron Thomas is a proud Southerner who believes he should have the right to hang a Confederate flag in his dorm room at the University of South Carolina-Beaufort. He's also black. Thomas shared a video expressing his opinion and sparked a passionate discussion about racism and tradition.
Freelance photojournalist Matt Hartman rushed over to the San Gabriel Mission after 70- to 80-mph Santa Ana winds tore through California and damaged the historic church yesterday. "The crucifix, the wood part was standing, but the Jesus part had fallen off and was really badly damaged. … The hands were knocked off and the arms and hands were pointed upward to the sky," he said, describing it as an eerie scene.
Think you have a story to share? Check out our assignment desk for idea, or just submit your own view of the news.
The hard-working iReport development team rolled out a new site update on Thursday that fixed some of the issues that you've reported since the relaunch. We appreciate everyone's patience and your help chasing down bugs. A lot of the improvements were behind the scenes, but there are two big changes that we think you'll be excited about.
1) You can now see all of an iReporters' stories from their profile page. That was probably one of the biggest complaints that we had, so we're glad to have that fixed.
2) We added a bunch of new groups! Think of groups as a personalized assignment desk that keeps you up-to-date on the topics you care about. When you join the travel group, for example, you’ll get an update in your activity feed every time we post a new travel assignment. If you’re not in the group, you can still participate in an assignment by .
Here’s a list of all of the groups:
TV shows and partners
We’ll be adding new groups regularly, so let us know if you think of something we missed.
The developers are already working away at our next batch of updates, so we’ll keep you updated on their progress.
Hirsute gentlemen the world over took part in a follicular challenge during the month of November: Start the month freshly-shaven, and see how wicked of a 'stache you can grow over the next 30 days. Dubbed "Movember" (a portmanteau of moustache and November), the movement aims to raise awareness of men's health issues. Naturally, iReporters got in on the action.
Mark Vincze lost an aunt to lung cancer recently, and said the Movember project "seemed like something I could do to raise money for cancer awareness." Despite his solid impersonation of Tom Selleck, he couldn't wait to shave it off after his thirty days were up, since he thought his moustache looked "kind of creepy."
A large number of moustache-aspirants in Chad Grossman's office took part in this year's Movember en masse. "The good thing about Movember is that it raises awareness about men's health issues, and allows us to make a difference in the community as well," he said. Overall, his office raised more than $2,500!
Do you have any before and after photos of your Movember achievements? Or do you just want to share your well-honed arsenal of facial hair-maintenance tips? Either way, join in on the fun with iReport!
Please join us here in the blog at 2:30 p.m. ET for our roundtable discussion.
We'll be talking a lot about groups and how they can help you keep up with the projects you're interested in.
We'll also be happy to answer any questions or concerns you may have.
Comments will open at 2:30 p.m. ET and we'll talk with you then. | <urn:uuid:7a1ba7e6-4a00-44d8-ba64-11fb8d21a9cb> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://ireport.cnn.com/blogs/ireport-blog/2011/12 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697380733/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516094300-00010-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.966638 | 10,404 | 1.648438 | 2 |
TRENTON – As the New Year arrives, Department of Banking and Insurance Commissioner Tom Considine urged New Jersey consumers to make smart choices, carefully review their coverage and shop around as they renew their auto insurance policies. Many times consumers neglect to update their information when they renew their policy and can end up paying higher costs needlessly.
“As consumers renew their auto policies in the New Year, they should first look at any recent life changes, including a new job or relocation, and see how that impacts their insurance needs,” Commissioner Considine said. “Consumers should also review their policy line by line and determine if the coverage they had in 2011 is what they need in 2012.”
Commissioner Considine offered these tips to consumers:
Factors That Affect the Cost of Insurance
- Consumers who married within the last year should alert their auto insurers. Statistically, young married couples tend to have a lower incidence of accidents and claims than unmarried individuals. This may result in lower premiums.
- People who have changed jobs and are now working closer to home are traveling fewer miles and lowering their exposure to risk. Insurers will calculate premiums based on the average distance driven on an annual basis.
- Getting older could also mean a change in your rate. Younger drivers who are new behind the wheel may be considered riskier than older drivers with more experience. Consumers should check with their insurance agent to see if they have aged out of a younger bracket and are now considered a less risky driver.
Inquire About Discounts
- At renewal time a consumer may want to adjust the coverage from the previous year’s levels. Collision and comprehensive coverage are not required by the State but are strongly recommended, especially for newer cars. However for older cars, drivers may be able to save money be eliminating their collision insurance.
- To lower a rate, consumers can adjust the amount of their deductible. A higher deductible will mean paying more in the event of an accident, but it will also mean a lower premium.
- Married couples may want to insure all of their cars with the same company, as this may lower the cost of the premium.
- Consumers who pay their premium in one payment as opposed to in installments may pay less.
- Bundling insurance is another possible cost saver. Insuring your home and your car with the same company can highlight you as a loyal customer and may lower the premium.
- Consumers with teenage drivers with good grades could decrease the cost of insurance. Good grades help depict the driver as responsible and may mean they are less risky on the road.
- A new year may result in new offers or discounts that were previously unavailable. Consumers should contact their insurance agent to inquire about new updates or offers.
- Drivers with a few bad experiences on the road may want to start off the New Year by completing a defensive driver’s course. An approved course will help consumers behind the wheel and may also qualify them for a discount with their insurer.
- Consumers should always shop around and learn more about what each insurance company has to offer before purchasing a policy. Shopping around can be time consuming but it may lead to significant savings.
- Every insurer has its own rating system which will affect premium costs. Some may offer accident forgiveness policies while others may not. Accident forgiveness means an insurer agrees not to increase a premium after an insurer is involved in an accident. Since these policies come with higher protection they also come with higher premiums. Accident forgiveness policies will vary by insurer so it is important to get the details before choosing this option.
- Violations and accidents, which may increase your costs, eventually expire over time. When they do, rates may decrease. Consumers should keep tabs on these items to ensure they are removed in a timely manner. Each insurance company has their own method for determining how long it takes for a violation or accident to expire. Consumers should contact their individual insurance agent or company to learn more.
- The National Association of Insurance Commissioner’s also maintains a buyer’s guide on their web site that can help consumers with auto insurance questions. That guide can be found at: www.naic.org/documents/consumer_guide_auto.pdf.
“Auto insurance renewal gives consumers the annual opportunity to evaluate their costs and coverage and change their policy or their insurance company so that it is a better fit,” said Commissioner Considine. “I strongly urge consumers to take full advantage of this opportunity.”
For more information, consumers can visit the Department of Banking and Insurance web site at www.njdobi.org or an online shopping guide is available at. | <urn:uuid:b257f9b5-7efd-40f1-bec7-9074742a751e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.nj.gov/dobi/pressreleases/pr111227.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00011-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.960277 | 953 | 1.664063 | 2 |
Alpharetta received notification from the Georgia Department of Community Affairs that the incentive program has been approved beginning Jan. 1.
“We began working on the creation of Opportunity Zones early in 2012, and are very excited that the State has now approved the first one,” said Peter Tokar, Alpharetta’s Economic Development Director. “The work continues, however, on the second and largest of the zones we hope to create.”
The newly approved Opportunity Zone is concentrated on a small area located between Windward Parkway and Cumming Street, just west of Westside Parkway.
The second zone, which has not yet been approved by the State is proposed to cover much of the commercially zoned area of the city.
The incentive, which is available to new or existing businesses that create two or more jobs, is a jobs tax credit which can be taken against the business’s Georgia income tax liability and payroll withholding tax.
The maximum job tax credit allowed under Georgia law is $3,500 per job created.
In order to qualify for the jobs tax credit, businesses must be within the defined boundaries of Alpharetta’s new Opportunity Zone and the jobs must meet three criteria:
· Must be permanent, full-time jobs working a minimum of 35 hours per week;
· Must pay in excess of the lowest average wage of any county in the state; and
· Must be offered health insurance upon employment, although the employer is not required to pay for such insurance.
There is no limit on the maximum number of jobs that may be claimed under the program, and the tax credit has a 10-year carry forward provision from the year in which the jobs are created.
“What makes this such a powerful tool is that the incentive is focused on the creation of jobs rather than the size of the business,” Tokar explained. “Whether you are a mom and pop shop or a Fortune 250 company, if you are located within the Opportunity Zone and create at least two qualifying jobs, you can take advantage of the incentive.”
Businesses seeking additional information on the Alpharetta Opportunity Zone should contact Peter Tokar, the city’s Economic Development Director, at firstname.lastname@example.org. | <urn:uuid:f71eaad3-2b30-42ea-a3ac-642851f6f101> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.neighbornewspapers.com/view/full_story/21304377/article-Alpharetta-secures-job-creation-incentive | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00016-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.961134 | 471 | 1.578125 | 2 |
There is a reason hot water bottles have been around for over a hundred years: they work! Requiring only water, this Water Bottle and Soft Cover is safe and environmentally conscious. Whether for health benefits or cozy comfort, hot water bottles are a welcome addition to every living space. They can provide isolated heat or cold to swollen ankles, crick necks, stubborn cramps, and a variety of other areas, to soothe aches and pains.
Beyond the health applications, a hot water bottle with a Soft Cover also proves to be the perfect companion on a cold night. When bedtime comes, a hot water bottle can turn cold, uninviting sheets into a comfortable, welcoming bed. Simply place one in between the sheets a few minutes before you go to sleep, and it'll be toasty and warm when you climb in. The Soft Cover for the water bottle is Made in the U.S.A. of poly blend fleece fabric lined with muslin. It is machine washer safe. The Water Bottle is made in China of natural rubber. Bottle is the standard size and measures 7 1/2" x 10" when empty and laid flat. | <urn:uuid:9ad4f52a-54b0-4dab-afe6-2e60a88273f7> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.atoygarden.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/product.display/product_id/3126/index.cfm?CFID=14615230&CFTOKEN=555873c1dc3d6f5c-02415B51-D61C-E357-D44225E850240ABD | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00004-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.939506 | 236 | 1.609375 | 2 |
Foreign players thriving as key parts of teams
Published: Monday, October 15, 2012
Updated: Monday, October 15, 2012 18:10
When senior Frida Nilsson, a native of Sweden, was looking at colleges, her parents suggested she attend a university in the United States. Nilsson, an avid golfer in Sweden, said she wanted to find a college that had first-rate academics and a good golf program.
She ultimately opted for the University of Idaho before transferring to Delaware after two years. Nilsson now competes with Delaware’s golf team and is one of more than two dozen student-athletes at the university who originate from other nations, such as Spain, China and New Zealand.
Men’s soccer head coach Ian Hennessy, who grew up in Ireland and played soccer at Seton Hall University, said international student-athletes tend to fit in well at Delaware because it is somewhat of a melting pot.
“The university has over 4,000 students, graduate students, visiting scholars and teachers internationally, so we really kind of fit in and add to the diversity in a positive way,” Hennessy said.
Of the 25 players on the men’s soccer team, 10 are from other countries, making it the most diverse of the university’s 21 teams.
Hennessy attributed the team’s large international presence to both his background and Delaware’s historic lack of success in the sport.
“The kids that we want are the same kids that Duke, UCLA and Stanford want,” he said. “And we have to be honest, we’re probably not going to get those guys.”
The field hockey team also has several international players. Three of the team’s players have come from Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands, countries traditionally considered to excel at the sport.
Head coach Rolf van de Kerkhof, who is from the Netherlands, said the union of foreign and local players can help both sides.
“There’s a benefit that they can bring to us, and at the same time we have benefits with the American players that we can share with the foreigners,” he said. “And so, indirectly, if they can work together we can create a synergy effect that will allow us to be better than we would be without each other.”
Van de Kerkhof said field hockey players from other nations are often more technically sound and have more tactical awareness, while American players tend to be more physically skilled.
Freshman midfielder Michaela Patzner, who played for the Under-18 Junior National team in Germany, said the biggest transition for her on the field was the increase in difficulty with regard to physicality. She also said the American game was not quite as advanced in terms of tactics and technique.
Patzner chose to study abroad and received a number of offers from schools hoping to have her play field hockey with them. She chose Delaware, she said, because she wanted to help build a program.
“There were also a lot of good schools, but I wanted to play at a school where a new program starts,” Patzner said. “I can be a part of that. Not playing on a team which is already established but building something.”
However, foreign student-athletes are not immune to the challenges associated with transitioning to a new culture with different customs.
Van de Kerkhof said the hardest part of transitioning to the United States is generally adapting to the lifestyle.
“If you compare where I’m from in the Netherlands with America, America’s 24 hours,” he said. “It never stops, it never stops.”
Van de Kerkhof and Hennessy both cited differences in food as a challenge for many foreign student-athletes. Van de Kerkhof also said since English is now commonly spoken around the world, the language barrier is not a huge problem.
Nilsson said she was initially optimistic when coming to the United States.
“First of all, I went to the University of Idaho for two years to play golf there,” she said. “I wanted to combine golf and school, so that’s why I went there, and then, it wasn’t really what I expected.”
She said after she left Idaho, she was contacted by Delaware’s golf coach, Patty Post, who recruited her for the university. Nilsson said it gave her an opportunity to continue to play golf as well as study.
She said there were a number of things she had to get used to initially in the United States, as simply interacting with people was different than in her homeland. Nilsson also said Europeans often travel more to other countries than Americans and are more knowledgeable about other nations.
Nilsson, who spends about four months of the year visiting family in Sweden, said she would like to stay in America after college.
Van de Kerkhof and Hennessy both said they often hear of foreign players from contacts they have made over the years.
“The question is, ‘Are they a good fit culturally, academically?’” Hennessy said.
He said his goal is ultimately to increase the Delaware soccer program’s profile so he can count on recruiting more elite American players. Hennessy also said he is pleased with the mix of players on the team currently.
“It’s a human spirit,” he said. “It’s a UD spirit, it’s not international spirit or American spirit.” | <urn:uuid:2552105e-e290-4e9c-b848-8f5f45e5d03c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.udreview.com/sports/foreign-players-thriving-as-key-parts-of-teams-1.2927607 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706890813/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516122130-00002-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.979618 | 1,182 | 1.671875 | 2 |
From the Windup: Is It Time for a Salary Cap?
From the Windup is FanHouse's extended look at a particular portion of America's pastime.
Salary Cap. There's not a more controversial phrase in baseball economics. The prospect of one hung over the strike of 1994 and 1995 before the owners and players managed to settle without implementing a true cap. Since then, baseball has instituted a luxury tax that acts as a sort of soft cap, but it's set high enough that it only really affects the Yankees annually, and they regard it in the same manner that a rhinoceros regards a mosquito.
For the most part, a salary cap hasn't been part of the conversation in baseball for several years. The Yankees ridiculous spending spree this winter, however, has changed things. In the days and weeks since their signings of CC Sabathia and Mark Teixeira, Brewers owner Mark Attanasio and Astros owner Drayton McLane have once again begun to call for a salary cap. They're the only two owners to have spoken directly on this issue, but it's hard to think they're alone.
A salary cap in baseball is not a simple thing. In most sports, there's only one line in labor negotiations: the line between the players and the owners. In baseball, there's actually a three-way divide between the players, the "big-market" owners (for lack of a better term), and the "small-market" owners. The MLBPA isn't the only thing that stands in the way of a cap. Some of the owners (think John Henry, the Steinbrenners, naturally, the Wilpons, Frank McCourt, Arte Moreno) would likely be opposed to one as well. After the jump, we'll look at all the obstacles and problems with implementing a cap.
I'll start this by being entirely up front. I'm a Pirate fan. Obviously, I think a salary cap would be a nice thing. But I don't think it is absolutely necessary, I don't think it's a cure-all, and I don't think it's something that's going to happen anytime soon. With that out of the way, here we go.
Money does not equal success
First things first, let's look at the Yankees. This winter they've lost Mike Mussina, Jason Giambi, Bobby Abreu, and probably Andy Pettitte. They've added Sabathia, Teixeira and A.J. Burnett. It's an upgrade, yes, but it's not as dramatic as the huge salaries attached to it would seem to indicate. As we stand today, I'm not really convinced they're the favorites in the AL East and I'm not convinced they're better than either of the teams that finished ahead of them in the standings last year. Rebuilding through free agency is always going to result in sinking huge sums of money into players that are in or past their prime. It's just not the best method to build a team.
It's certainly true that teams in smaller markets are at a disadvantage, but the teams that haven't had success in recent years can't blame that on the lack of a cap. The Rays and Brewers were awful for decades, but lately they have embraced true rebuilding plans and stocked their minor league systems with talent. In 2008, both clubs made the postseason. The Pirates, on the other hand, let Dave Littlefield run their team for seven years and they're still losing. The same can be said for the Royals and Allard Baird.
Money is clearly a big part of success in baseball, but the past few years have shown that being well-run is more important than how much you spend.
A salary cap is not a cure-all
Where, exactly, do you set a salary cap in baseball? Do you set it at $100 million? Because 13 teams were more than $25 million under that threshold and six were more than $40 million under that number. Setting a salary cap in baseball won't mean that the Pirates or Marlins or even the Rays will meet that cap. It might rein-in the highest spenders, but it won't necessarily level the playing field.
Many baseball fans point to the NFL as the paradigm of the parity that they would like to see in baseball. This year's Atlanta Falcons are a great example of how quickly a team can turn around in the NFL. Last year, their franchise player got sent to jail, they hired a bad coach and things looked generally hopeless. A year later, a new coach and some shrewd personnel decisions helped them reach the playoffs. My question is this: Would they be in the position they're in now if they were still saddled with Mike Vick's contract? Because baseball contracts are not easily voided and the player's union would be fighting something like what the Falcons did with Vick every step of the way.
A salary cap is a useful thing. Every other major sport in America uses one and reaps the benefits from it. The problem that baseball has at the moment is that the environment that it operates in is so extremely different from every other sport, that a salary cap probably wouldn't even start to chip away at the competitive imbalance that exists. The well-run teams would continue to have success and the poorly-run teams would continue to fail.
The majority of the involved parties don't want a cap
The obvious problem with actually implementing a cap is that there are three sides to all labor negotiations (the MLBPA, the ulta-rich owners, and the much less rich owners) and only one of those groups (the less rich owners) really desire a cap. The players would oppose a cap on all fronts like they did in '9. Hank Steinbrenner isn't going to care what Bob Nutting or David Samson wants when it comes to a new labor pact because what benefits them certainly won't benefit him. The small-market owners don't have anything to hold over the larger-market owners as leverage because most of the money the league brings in from things like TV contracts etc. is generated by the large-market clubs. The small-market owners in turn pocket an even share of that money.
Even if a salary cap is somehow agreed upon, we just loop back up to the second problem listed above. It's unlikely to be set at a level which will help the clubs that most need it. And if the MLBPA somehow were to acquiesce to a salary cap, it's unfathomable that they'll make any other allowances (say, a system that limits contract ceilings like in the NHL and NBA, or non-guaranteed contracts like in the NFL) to help encourage parity.
The bottom line is this: People are upset by the Yankees spending spree, but that's going to subside. For now, having a good front office is generally enough for small-market clubs to compete with the outrageous spending of the Yankees. Unless the Red Sox win eight of 10 World Series because they both have money and knowhow to spend it (unlike their divisional counterparts in New York), that's not going to change. It's not necessarily a fair system, but it's not as unfair as people think. Implementing a salary cap wouldn't be nearly as effective in creating greater competitive balance as people think it would be. | <urn:uuid:a2dc6cde-11ca-47d3-ad45-fd1e7750b3e8> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.aolnews.com/2008/12/31/from-the-windup-is-it-time-for-a-salary-cap/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00015-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.981291 | 1,507 | 1.5625 | 2 |
Only in the area of foreign affairs was there a substantive policy difference and in that area one candidate — Ron Paul — stood out. He was the sole isolationist (or even relative isolationist) on the stage. Every other candidate was considerably firmer than the incumbent president in his or her support for a strong American defense, not to mention for a steadfast opposition to a nuclear Iran. Paul was by himself on the opposite side, further to the left on national defense than Barack Obama.
So it was Ron Paul’s foreign policy views that were repudiated by Iowa Republicans on Tuesday.
And they were roundly repudiated — 79 to 21 by the vote percentages.
Paul was defeated by Rick Santorum, a foreign policy hawk who called Paul’s views “disgusting,” and by Mitt Romney, whose opinions are similar to Santorum’s (as were all the other candidates’ in the Iowa caucus).
Paul sought to place a positive spin on his third place finish in a “victory” speech, but it rang hollow as his son, Senator Rand Paul, standing behind him, conspicuously stopped applauding when his father’s words turned to foreign policy. The Senator had the look of someone who wished he were someplace else.
keyboard shortcuts: V vote up article J next comment K previous comment | <urn:uuid:940ca2c9-b8be-496c-b361-a098f756f0e0> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://dbe928.newsvine.com/_news/2012/01/04/9948140-roger-l-simon-ron-pauls-foreign-policy-dies-in-iowa | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00010-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.988576 | 277 | 1.609375 | 2 |
Ben Affleck has wasted little time in turning the spotlight back on the more important things in life, namely the unfolding humanitarian crisis in the eastern Congo.
The 40-year-old director and actor, fresh off a Best Picture win for his film "Argo," appeared on the TED2013 stage last Thursday (Feb. 28) kicking off Session 10, “Secret Voices,” and discussing his work to help the Congolese people.
"At the Academy Awards, I mentioned my wife, and I said: The people we love, we have to work on those relationships," Affleck said. "The other thing that I work on is Eastern Congo."
"I felt like I wasn't doing enough to give back to the world. So I found one of the most damaged, suffering places in the world, where 1 in 5 children die before the age of 5. It's a place where a million people are displaced, regularly, inside the country. Where there's the worst gender-based violence in the world…There are a lot of things to lament, particularly in the last 15 years when 5.5 million people died from conflict-related violence."
In a beautifully animated video recently released by his Eastern Congo Initiative, Affleck further explains his reasons behind starting the organization — stating that his work to help the Congolese will remain his proudest achievement.
"No question in my mind, that down the road, when I'm an old man and I look back on my life, this will be the thing I most respect," he says.
Check out the short film below.
The opinions expressed by MNN Bloggers and those providing comments are theirs alone, and do not reflect the opinions of MNN.com. While we have reviewed their content to make sure it complies with our Terms and Conditions, MNN is not responsible for the accuracy of any of their information. | <urn:uuid:d4f93124-a98a-4a98-9722-52ba182aa944> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.mnn.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/blogs/ben-affleck-narrates-story-behind-eastern-congo-initiative | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00014-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.975098 | 388 | 1.539063 | 2 |
Lawsuit Seeks to Change Secretive BLM Policy
NORTH FORK VALLEY – One aspect of the secrecy surrounding oil and gas leasing in America is being challenged by a local group.
Activists with the Hotchkiss-based Citizens for a Healthy Community and their law partners, the Western Environmental Law Center, filed suit on June 26 in U.S. District Court, in Denver, to force the Bureau of Land Management and its parent, the Department of the Interior, to release the names of those who nominate public lands for oil and gas development.
BLM policy is not to release the names of nominators, those individuals and energy companies who file Expressions of Interest, the process used to place lands into quarterly lease auctions, until after the auctions are complete. Residents of the North Fork Valley and the three towns of Paonia, Hotchkiss, and Crawford, were facing the lease sale of 30,000 acres in 22 parcels, many of them adjacent to the towns and their water supplies, at the sale this August. When the parcels were announced in December of last year CHC asked, through the Freedom of Information Act, who had nominated those parcels. But the BLM, citing “competitive harm” to nominators, refused to divulge their identities.
As it happened, the BLM’s Uncompahgre Field Office made a surprise announcement on May 5, 2012 withdrawing all 22 North Fork parcels from the August sale. The only reason given was to allow the agency time for “additional analysis.” (Press statements from CHC cited “overwhelming public opposition” to the leases as reason for the BLM’s change of heart.)
Despite the withdrawal, which is likely temporary, CHC and WELC went ahead with their lawsuit under the FOIA and the Administrative Procedure Act (APA).
According to CHC Director Jim Ramey, the suit aims not only to help his organization in its effort to protect the North Fork’s organic farming, recreation, real estate and other economies, it also seeks to change the BLM confidentiality policy nationwide.
“The public has a right to know which companies are nominating our public lands for oil and gas development,” Ramey said. “This is just another example of how the government bends over backwards to protect the interest of an industry with deep pockets instead of the interests of the public.”
WELC Attorney Kyle Tisdel said in a CHC release: “The public is not allowed to know who these ghost entities submitting the EOIs are until after the lease sale is held – depriving the public and organizations such as Citizens for a Healthy Community from engaging in the BLM’s decision-making process in a fully-informed basis. As Justice Brandeis once wrote, ‘Sunlight is said to be the best of disinfectants.’”
The Taos, New Mexico attorney handling the case for CHC, Megan Anderson, told The Watch she is not aware of any earlier challenges to the secrecy built into the nominating process. “I don’t know why,” she said. “It may be that the focus has been on the developers of the leases after they have acquired the leases.” Sometimes the bidders are the energy companies themselves; sometimes they are speculators looking to sell the leases to drillers at a later time.
Anderson pointed out that “some of the biggest developers in the [North Fork and Gunnison County] area do not have the best track record of fair bidding.” Gunnison Energy Corp., and Texas-based SG Interests VII Ltd., each paid $275,000 in fines this year for conspiring to rig a lease sale in the Ragged Mountains.
“It would be nice to know if it was BP, or Encana (Enron Canada), or Gunnison Energy that had nominated your parcels,” Ramey said.
When CHC asked in December for the North Fork nominators’ names, the BLM sent copies of the EOIs with the names redacted, blacked out, citing their 1995 policy of “competitive harm.”
But neither the CHC’s Ramey nor attorney Anderson understands the BLM’s reasoning. “The lease sales are, by definition, competitive,” Anderson wrote in an email. “BLM seems to be arguing that disclosure of the names will somehow cause substantial competitive harm to the nominator because other parties will know that the nominator is interested in that parcel. However, at the lease sales, the bidders must bid on the parcels against one another (thus disclosing their identities) . . . So we are not sure how disclosure of the name of the nominator beforehand would result in substantial competitive injury to that party.”
Ramey even suggested that revealing the nominators’ names ahead of time could potentially result in more competitive bidding, and thus a better return for the owners of the mineral rights, the American public.
CHC’s lawsuit seeks to “establish that Defendants [BLM and Department of Interior] have violated the FIOA and Administrative Procedure Act[s].” And asks, first, that they provide the requested EOIs and, second, that the court “enjoin Defendants from relying on an invalid regulation.”
If successful the suit could force a nationwide change in the way public lands are nominated for energy development.
As of press time, the Uncompahgre Field Office of the BLM, in Montrose, had not responded to a request for comment. | <urn:uuid:9402e9c8-025e-4cfd-abb3-0c499bde8856> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.watchnewspapers.com/pages/full_story/push?article-%E2%80%98Sunlight+Is+the+Best+Disinfectant%E2%80%99%20&id=19190429&instance=secondary_stories_left_column | 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 | 0.958584 | 1,162 | 1.546875 | 2 |
Calling all book people!
By Guest Blogger on May 31st, 2012
Recently, one of our literacy partners, Reading Is Fundamental, launched Book People Unite, a campaign raising awareness about childhood literacy. Today, Jay Brown, RIF’s director of integrated marketing, is here to tell you more about it. Thanks. Jay!
I have a horrible memory. My wife can recount vivid narratives from her childhood, but my brain works in pictures and flashes – often brought on by my own kids. And it was like that when my daughter brought home her first Scholastic Book Club flyer from pre-school.
Checking off the boxes on that thin newsprint to mark my selections. Carefully spending down the allowance my mom would give me for each order. Remembering the excitement of taking home those new books every month.
I was one lucky kid. Fast forward a few decades and my daughters now have their own Scholastic books on the shelf. And I’m now at Reading Is Fundamental, where we’re working with partners like Scholastic to give kids who otherwise wouldn’t have books on their shelves the ability to pick out books of their very own.
But there are more kids than we can reach. Millions more.
With 16 million kids living in poverty today, there are countless kids whose parents have to make the difficult choice between a monthly book selection and putting food on the table.
That’s why we’re unveiling Book People Unite, a bold new campaign to raise awareness about children’s literacy and help put books in the hands of kids who need them most. It’s anchored by a new PSA featuring beloved storybook characters – including Clifford – coming together on a journey to unite as Book People.
Will you join us? Visit www.bookpeopleunite.org to watch the video and the pledge. Every kid deserves the memory of choosing a book of their very own. | <urn:uuid:a8500810-ae4d-4c3d-ae84-d7a90ef5e695> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://oomscholasticblog.com/2012/05/calling-all-book-people.html | 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 | 0.95939 | 405 | 1.570313 | 2 |
A record five blacks have made the 2008 Forbes magazine’s list of the world's wealthiest people - billionaires - for the first time. They come from Ethiopia, Sudan, South African, Nigeria and the United States.
Ethiopian-born Mohammed Al Amoudi is the richest black person in the world with a total net worth of $9 billion, followed by Nigerian commodities mogul Aliko Dangote, with assets worth $3.3 billion. African American TV personality Oprah Winfrey is worth $2.5 billion, while Sudanese-born telecommunications mogul Mo Ibrahim is worth $2.5 billion and South African mining magnate Patrice Motsepe is worth $2.4 billion.
Amoudi, who emigrated to Saudi Arabia and made his fortune in the construction and real estate businesses, is ranked 97th richest man in the world, while Dangote, who owns a string of businesses in the commodities industry, is ranked the 334th richest person in the world, and Motsepe, who owns a 42% stake in the African Rainbow Minerals (ARM), is ranked number 503.
Two other white South Africans also made the Forbes list: mining magnate Nicky Oppenheimer and cigarette and luxury goods maker Johann Rupert. Oppenheimer ranks number 173, while Rupert is number 284.
According to Forbes magazine, Dangote’s wealth is “inherited and growing” and comes from sugar production, flour milling, salt processing and cement manufacturing. His business interests also now extend to oil and textile processing. Dangote recently told a Nigerian newspaper that he was grateful to God, but was confident that more Nigerians would make the list next year.
“The country is moving in the right direction,” he said, according to This Day newspaper in Lagos. “Things are happening. I am very confident that in the years to come, Nigeria alone will boast of 100 billionaires who are entrepreneurs. The signs are very good for Nigeria. Next year, I expect at least five Nigerians to be on the list.”
Steve Forbes, the former Republican presidential candidate who’s editor-in-chief of the family-run Forbes magazine, was equally optimistic about the future of wealth. "The reason for this explosion in wealth is that we're in the midst of a phenomenal global boom," he said.
The 2008 Billionaire List includes American Warren Buffett, who for has knocked off Bill Gates and Carlos Slim as the world's richest man, with a fortune estimated at $62 billion, up $10 billion from last year. Slim, a Mexican telecommunications mogul, is now the second richest man on earth, with net worth of $60 billion, followed by Microsoft chairman Bill Gates, whose net work is about $58 billion, according to the magazine.
At the age of 21, Dangote became a stock trader using a loan from his uncle. After he built his company, The Dangote Group, into a conglomerate with interests in sugar, flour milling, cement and salt processing, his company was listed on the Nigerian stock exchange last year The Dangote Group dominates the sugar market in Nigeria and is the country's largest industrial group.
Meanwhile, Motsepe has been dubbed the "prince of mines" by some of his countrymen because of the vast fortune he has amassed. Over 15 years, Motsepe has turned a low-level mining services business, ARM, into an industrial giant, which is now South Africa’s first black-owned mining company, with 2007 revenue of $875 million and is listed in the Johannesburg Stock Exchange.
Driven by the Asian commodities boom, ARM's share price has rocketed in the past year from $12 to $24, pushing Motsepe's net worth to $2.4 billion. | <urn:uuid:a7aa441b-af8c-4cb2-9b26-235c14dc440c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.tnj.com/newsarticles/mar08/news03142008_billionaire.php | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704713110/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516114513-00014-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.961745 | 788 | 1.765625 | 2 |
Here's an example of a page from my website wisewomenofthewest.com The website also features my hand-made herbal products, astrological services that I provide, and information on subjects, such as the healing qualities of sea weed and black cumin seed.
Every year the International Herb Association chooses an Herb of the Year. This year it's Calendula officinalis. Calendula has so many uses, both culinary and medicinal. It has been used to color and flavor soups, cheese and butter - thus the name "pot marigold". Traditionally the dried leaves were used as a saffron substitute.
Medicinally, Calendula officinalis is anti-inflammatory, astringent, anti-fungal, and it promotes wound healing. Calendula may be used safely whenever there is inflammation on the skin whether due to infection or physical damage. It may be applied for any external bleeding, bruising or sprains. It is of benefit for slow-healing wounds and is an ideal first-aid treatment for minor burns. Since it is in the Asteraceae family, it may be an allergen for those with that kind of sensitivity.
Taken from: Medical Herbalism: The Science and Practice of Herbal Medicine, by David Hoffmann.
Calendula is featured in two easy to find and informative magazines: The Herb Companion which has a great article. Here are some of the recipes:
calendula cornmeal crisps
banana cake with calendula
maple cream cheese frosting
egg salad with calendula and chives
The other great magazine is: The Herb Quarterly
A great little book that is all about calendula by Mindy Green is: Calendula, one of the series by Keats Publishing, Inc. 1998. One from the series is called: A Keats Good Herb Guide.
Some great recipes from the book:
simple calendula rice
calendula cheese ball
calendula salad dressing
calendula ice cream
calendula cardamom custard
orange whipped cream
Saturday, May 10, 2008
Thursday, May 8, 2008
For all those who still wonder what they will be when they grow up or if they will ever find their calling or their mate, I offer this Sufi story. I first heard it during a Jupiter return many years ago. Caroline Casey on the "Visionary Activist" show on KPFA read it. The story was so inspiring and relevant to my life, that I have taken it on as "my story". Interestingly, after hearing this, I actually did go to "The Farthest West" (Morocco), Alexandria (Egypt), Crete and Istanbul. I have yet to go to Java or China, but who knows?
Once in a city in the Farthest West there lived a girl called Fatima. She was the daughter of a prosperous spinner. One day her father said to her: ‘Come, daughter; we are going on a journey, for I have business in the islands of the Middle Sea. Perhaps you may find some handsome youth in a good situation whom you could take as husband.’
They set off and travelled from island to island, the father doing his trading while Fatima dreamt of the husband who might soon be hers. One day, however, they were on the way to Crete when a storm blew up, and the ship was wrecked. Fatima, only half-conscious, was cast up on the seashore near Alexandria. Her father was dead, and she was utterly destitute.
She could only remember dimly her life until then, for her experience of the shipwreck, and her exposure in the sea, had utterly exhausted her.
While she was wandering on the sands, a family of cloth-makers found her. Although they were poor, they took her into their humble home and taught her their craft. Thus it was that she made a second life for herself, and within a year or two she was happy and reconciled to her lot. But one day, when she was on the seashore for some reason, a band of slave-traders landed and carried her, along with other captives, away with them.
Although she bitterly lamented her lot, Fatima found no sympathy from the slavers, who took her to Istanbul and sold her as a slave.
Her world had collapsed for the second time. Now it chanced that there were few buyers at the market. One of them was a man who was looking for slaves to work in this wood yard, where he made masts for ships. When he saw the dejection of the unfortunate Fatima, he decided to buy her, thinking that in this way, at least, he might be able to give her a slightly better life than if she were bought by someone else.
He took Fatima to his home, intending to make her a serving-maid for his wife. When he arrived at the house, however, he found that he had lost all his money in a cargo which had been captured by pirates. He could not afford workers, so he, Fatima and his wife were left alone to work at the heavy labour of making masts.
Fatima, grateful to her employer for rescuing her, worked so hard and so well that he gave her her freedom, and she became his trusted helper. Thus it was that she became comparatively happy in her third career.
One day he said to her: ‘Fatima, I want you to go with a cargo of ships’ masts to Java, as my agent, and be sure that you sell them at a profit.’
She set off, but when the ship was off the coast of China a typhoon wrecked it, and Fatima found herself again cast up on the seashore of a strange land. Once again she wept bitterly, for she felt that nothing in her life was working in accordance with expectation. Whenever things seemed to be going well, something came and destroyed all her hopes.
‘Why is it,' she cried out, for the third time, ’that whenever I try to do something it comes to grief: Why should so many unfortunate things happen to me?’ But there was no answer. So she picked herself up from the sand, and started to walk inland.
Now it so happened that nobody in China had heard of Fatima, or knew anything about her troubles. But there was a legend that a certain stranger, a woman, would one day arrive there, and that she would be able to make a tent for the Emperor. And, since was as yet nobody in China who could make tents, everyone looked upon the fulfillment of this prediction with the liveliest anticipation.
In order to make sure that this stranger, when she arrived, would not be missed, successive Emperors of China had followed the custom of sending heralds, once a year, to all the towns and villages of the land, asking for any foreign woman to be produced at Court.
When Fatima stumbled into a town by the Chinese seashore, it was one such occasion. The people spoke to her through an interpreter, and explained that she would have to go to see the Emperor.
‘Lady,’ said the Emperor, when Fatima was brought before him, ‘can you make a tent?’
‘I think so,’ said Fatima.
She asked for rope, but there was none to be had. So, remembering her time as a spinner, she collected flax and made ropes. Then she asked for stout cloth, but the Chinese had none of the kind which she needed. So, drawing on her experience with the weavers of Alexandria, she made some stout tent cloth. Then she found that she needed tent-poles, but there were none in China. So Fatima, remembering how she had been trained by the wood-fashioner of Istanbul, cunningly made stout tent-poles. When these were ready, she racked her brains for the memory of all the tents she had seen in her travels: and lo, a tent was made.
When this wonder was revealed to the Emperor of China, he offered Fatima the fulfillment of any wish she cared to name. She chose to settle in China, where she married a handsome prince, and where she remained in happiness, surrounded by her children, until the end of her days.
It was through these adventures that Fatima realized that what had appeared to be an unpleasant experience at the time, turned out to be an essential part of the making of her ultimate happiness.
From Tales of the Dervishes, by Indries Shah | <urn:uuid:2ce141ff-840f-4074-8206-02f0dce75451> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://mysteryranch.blogspot.com/2008_05_04_archive.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00009-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.9856 | 1,803 | 1.601563 | 2 |
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May 14, 2010 06:53 AM|LINK
Good morning to every one. I am new to MSTest. I am still learning. I am seeing existing test-cases, based on them I am writing new Test Cases.
Oneday my onsite coordinator showed wondering expression that my test-cases are always passing. What does it mean? Don't they need to necessarily pass? What is the logic behind that?
One more thing: How can I get some basic idea on MSTest? Any .pdf books? or any resource?
One thing to be noted is that currently I am doing project in MVC. Hence, I have to write test-cases on MVC framework.
Thanks in advance... | <urn:uuid:a2b8dbf4-54bf-4358-b46f-ff4f2739d24e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://forums.asp.net/post/3836560.aspx | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00011-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.933526 | 168 | 1.820313 | 2 |
Photo by Rachel Denny Clow // Buy this photo
CORPUS CHRISTI — State district and county court-at-law judges greeted men and women, promoting for jury duty Monday to spread breast cancer awareness.
The judges will show up early at the Nueces County Courthouse each Monday in October, which is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, to pass out pink ribbon stickers to the more than 500 people who report to jury duty.
The female judges wore pink robes early Monday while male judges wore ribbons attached to their black robes. The judges will not wear the pink robes in the courtroom
In 2007, 123 out of every 100,000 women were diagnosed with breast cancer, and it is estimated there will be 230,480 new cases this year in the United States, according to advocacy group Susan G. Komen for the Cure. | <urn:uuid:0a1598f6-ae58-410e-afbb-90a05334be51> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.caller.com/news/2012/oct/09/judges-to-wear-pink-robes-ribbons-each-monday-in/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00019-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.956355 | 171 | 1.734375 | 2 |
The case of Philip Portington has not loomed large in law reports. But it is one which highlights the difference in the quality of justice for Britons at home and abroad. And whatever critics may say about our courts, UK justice comes out on top.
Portington was arrested in Salonika, Greece, in 1985 for the murder of an Englishman. He had little in the way of funds to engage a lawyer and spent three years in jail pending trial in 1988.
The evidence at his trial largely consisted of rumours and hearsay. He was not provided with an official interpreter and the court, realising he could not speak any Greek, asked if there was anyone in the court who could translate proceedings. A courier volunteered but was inadequate for the task, with the result that Portington had no idea what was happening at his trial. He was convicted and received the death penalty.
He appealed against his conviction but it was eight years before his appeal moves led to a retrial in February this year. Again no interpreter was provided and Portington was once more in the dark about the proceedings. The death sentence imposed on him was commuted to a life sentence.
The case is now on the books of solicitor Andrew McCooey, based in Sittingbourne, Kent, and founder of the Freedom Now organisation which fights for the rights of Britons in trouble in overseas jurisdictions.
Portington’s only recourse is a complaint to the European Court at Strasbourg which has indicated concern that the Greek government had delayed so long in hearing the appeal.
An early hearing at Strasbourg is hoped for.
McCooey, whose cases under the Freedom Now banner have included fighting for Britons facing death sentences in the US and winning freedom for teenager Tara Kelly, who was wrongly charged with starting a fire at her Miami hotel which led to the death of several tourists. In Kelly’s case, it was only after McCooey intervened and obtained forensic evidence to show the fire was accidental that the prosecution abandoned the case on the first day of the trial.
“We live in an era of increasing foreign travel, with the result that increasing numbers of people from this country are finding themselves in trouble with the laws of foreign countries,” said McCooey.
“People from the UK tend to forget that authorities in other countries have a less relaxed attitude towards so-called soft drugs and that bail, which is relatively easy to get here, is far from easy to get in some foreign countries.”
He also warned that courts abroad adopt a different attitude to bail - they want hard cash, not security.
McCooey added that with the price of foreign travel continually dropping, UK lawyers will find themselves involved in similar situations and said that the profession must gear itself up accordingly. | <urn:uuid:1626532c-59e9-4458-9ad6-be9cdd24bf0d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.thelawyer.com/all-greek-to-a-defendant-abroad/79161.article | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705953421/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120553-00018-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.982 | 565 | 1.84375 | 2 |
Flames erupted inside a vacant home at around 8:30 Thanksgiving night on Schuylkill Avenue near North Front Street. And things nearly took a tragic turn when the flames hit live wires causing sparks to fly. The alert firefighter had to jump through a window to avoid those sparks.
Fortunately, nobody was injured. Firefighter Ray Carl wasn't hurt after jumping through that window and he continued to work with fellow firefighters to put out the flames.
The fire and flames engulfed the back of a vacant Reading home.
"It was a vacant," said Firefighter Ray Carl, "It's connected to occupied and surrounded by occupied dwellings. So, even though it's a vacant and it's dangerous we have to go the extra mile."
Carl looked like he was engulfed in flames as he stood on the roof.
"We vent the roof to the highest point of a building to let the hot smoke and gases out so it's easier for the guys inside to do their job," said Carl.
Even though he was surrounded by fire that wasn't what worried him.
"The flames don't bother me, but electricity and I don't mix real well," said Carl, "It was a split-second reaction to dive back into the window to escape from the sparking wires at the time."
He said he reacted so quickly because he knew how dangerous electricity can be.
"You don't mistake that," said Carl, "You hear it, you see it, it's bring bright blue flash and sparks flying all around you."
"It would have been a 10-foot drop he would have been injured if he had jumped off the roof," said Deputy Chief Mike Lessar.
Lessar said Carl did what he had to do.
"The safest thing for him would be to go back through the window which he came," said Lessar.
Lessar said he's been down two men for six months because of injuries during fires in vacant buildings. If Carl was hurt they could have handled it.
"Every fire we have a dedicated group of firefighters standing by to rescue a firefighter should he become in trouble," said Lessar.
But that wasn't necessary.
"No issues, all is good," said Carl.
"Firefighters come to work everyday knowing this could be their last day," said Lessar.
They put out the fire in 20 minutes. Investigators determined it was arson.
"I spoke with the fire marshal today this was an intentionally set fire," said Lessar.
The deputy chief said fires in vacant buildings can affect attached homes. If you know of an unsecured vacant building you can call city codes to have it secured. | <urn:uuid:ff21041f-b7c6-487c-955e-d837cf0954ac> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.wfmz.com/news/news-regional-berks/Sparks-fly-during-dramatic-house-fire-in-Reading/-/121418/17526420/-/pgjo60/-/index.html | 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 | 0.990765 | 547 | 1.804688 | 2 |
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|Too much confidence
Written by Cheryl
(9/27/2005 12:22 a.m.)
How uncomfortable this must have been for Anne, to have everyone pouncing on her, wanting her to "persuade" others, for a change. I think P2 caught this moment in the book perfectly. ;-)
Contrast this with Kellynch, where she was ignored and no one talks to anyone. At Uppercross, everyone talks, and talks to Anne about everything, poor dear, and usually having to do with Mary. Anne, "whose word had no weight," is suddenly thought to have much influence over Mary, and she does, to a degree, but not what others might wish!
But to go from a place of almost sensory depravation, to the almost overwhelming noise and chatter, must initially be a shock to the system. But we read that "Her own spirits improved by change of place and subject, by being removed three miles from Kellynch." Yes - wouldn't that cheer up all of us! ;-)
Groupread is maintained by Myretta with WebBBS 3.21. | <urn:uuid:492e0fcd-a1ec-4787-9c90-bc542227b1e6> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.pemberley.com/bin/library/persuasion2005.cgi?read=15080 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705195219/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115315-00016-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.975946 | 244 | 1.570313 | 2 |
Is beating your wife approved? Read This…
It has been a matter of great debate that whether the society which has always remained a male dominated and have only consider about the desires of a man.
Since time unknown women have faced the suppression at the hands of their male counterparts.
The world has always wondered whether it is justified to act violently against women. Recently a book sparked a new row of outrage in the entire international community especially in the conservative Muslim society. This 160 page guide book written on Islamic marriage by Maulavi Ashraf Ali Thanvi who is a prominent Islamic scholar based in India.
The book titled as ‘A Gift For Muslim Couple’ have come under the huge controversy among the various faction of the Muslim society itself. There are some paras where the writer has actually come out openly with writings to encourage husbands to beat their wives. It is evident enough that in the book’s opening pages it states that ‘it might be necessary to restrain her (wife) with strength or even to threaten her’.
“The husband should treat the wife with kindness and love, even if she tends to be stupid and slow sometimes,” the book says. The book says that the wife must ‘fulfill his (husband’s) desires’ and ‘not allow herself to be untidy… but should beautify herself for him.’
Maulavi Ashraf Ali Thanvi, advises that a husband shouldn’t beat his wife too hard, but pulling her ears and hitting her with a hand or a stick is all right for discipline.
According to the report, the book, which came to light after going on sale in Canada, has faced a backlash from moderate Muslims who claim that it encourages domestic violence,
“I wouldn’t say it’s hate, but it is inciting men to hit women,” Canadian political campaigner Tarek Fatah told the Canadian Media. “This is new to you, but the Muslim community knows that this is widespread, that a woman can be beaten. Muslim leaders will deny this,” he added.
As said above in one of the statements that domestic violence is widespread in Muslim community which is to very extent is true to the fact and the book is just out of several reasons of encouragement which has now created a new definition to the already victimized feminine gender in the world of so called modernity.
Women are not subject of comfort or luxury. They too are human beings and have equal rights as the man himself has. These kinds of thoughtless attempts to bring false in society not only ruin the efforts of those who have been struggling to maintain the social order on equality framework but also motivate those who are already being violent against the being of nobility and humanity.
The writing and views of raging society along with the respected Maulavi Ashraf Ali Thanvi are the slap on the face of every woman and on those who are working to maintain a better equal and positive society at large. It is the slap on the believers of all faiths who have thought their religions to be unbiased and equal rights in gender terms. It is a certificate of authenticity for those who have been inhuman and love to crush their women desires and her choice and her rights.
The humans are born equal and women in particular must be respected at all cost. Their choice and acceptance must be given top priorities against the personal priorities or preferences. It is the woman who plays the multiple roles in the society and thus it is she who nourishes the entire humanity with her grace and modesty. If women are respected and will regularly be treated as slaves of desires than how can a society would be called as civilized, it is the time now that we all irrespective of any believes of faiths must come together should have unified thought on the issues pertaining to woman. It is the responsibility of each and every body to respect women and their rights. It is our duty to protect her presence and to provide her a equal status in the society.
If radicals say whatever is being done to women is in the name of religion and on the order it has put for its believers than it means that they are cheating on society while making not only fool to the people but also cooking their own meal of the day through these kinds of falsehood preaching.
These kinds of writings or content must not be encourage by media and promoted by the publishing community for retail or any kind of publication. The writers or publishers who are publishing these kinds of anti social stuff which provoke domestic violence in the silent corners of the society behind the close doors of personal lives should be punished and perpetrators who support this kind of acts must bring to trail in the court for inciting negative sentiments against the entire feminine society.
Maulavi Ashraf Ali Thanvi who is the writer of “A Gift for a Muslim Couple.” It was published in India and distributed in Canada by Idara Impex must be brought to trail and the publisher must be charged with severe penalties. Even the title is very well misleading, how can a book be gift for couple which encourages domestic violence. Is “A Gift for a Muslim Couple” protected by free speech and the exercise of free religion or does it go too far?
Let’s see what the world would gives out of modernity and civilized communities, may be something like this which has no meaning or sense in it but has now became a source of contention between the two already divided worlds of human genders. | <urn:uuid:4ec03b87-d011-4343-b63c-c85def14d3f0> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://hatefmokhtar.tumblr.com/tagged/A-GIFT-FOR-MUSLIM-COUPLE | 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 | 0.972771 | 1,115 | 1.570313 | 2 |
With the proliferation of digital cameras and the ability to share photos in ever-more interesting ways, primarily via internet-based applications, people are showing greater interest in photography than ever before. Just about everyone now has the ability to turn the once-humble snapshot into a work of art worthy of sharing with the world. Fundamental to this photographic explosion is photo editing software that allows shutterbugs of all ability levels to attain results that were once reserved only for talented professionals. Photoshop Elements adds to the exceptional track record of previous Adobe products with even more creative editing features, organizational functions and sharing ease. It earns our TopTenREVIEWS Silver Award for photo editing software.
At the heart of Adobe Photoshop Elements is the ability to edit ordinary photographs in ways that make them works of art. This application offers both new and enhanced capabilities to show off your inner artist. Whether you're fixing flaws in new or old photos to take advantage of the latest enhancement technologies or creating your own images digitally, Photoshop Elements likely has a tool that's perfect for you.
A side effect of digital photography is that most people take far more pictures than ever before. Since there's no need to worry about running up a huge bill for film, numerous shots of the same thing are commonplace. Photoshop Elements upgraded organizing functionality allows you to get rid of duplicates you don't want and to organize related photos in the way that best suits your needs.
Finally, Photoshop Elements provides easy ways for you to share your creative genius. Whether you're creating impressive photobooks or uploading your masterpieces to the internet, you'll find the task easier and more versatile than ever before.
At first blush, photo editing software can be intimidating. That's true for Photoshop Elements and any of the other products in the category. Modern photo editing software has numerous capabilities that can make you look like a photographic genius. The good news is that there's no need learn everything at once. Any given operation is easy to accomplish and can be mastered in a relatively short time with just a bit of practice. You also don't have to worry about spoiling your original photograph because Photoshop Elements applies nondestructive changes to your pictures so that, even if you do something dreadful, you can undo the alterations, and the original file remains intact. The key to becoming an expert is to master individual tasks one by one and to allow your knowledge to build upon itself.
Among the most valuable features of Adobe Photoshop Elements are the Guided Edits. They offer simple ways to start with a good photo and make it great by following step-by-step, on-screen directions. Even with the prescribed process, you always retain the ability to make custom edits to your exacting standards based on other processes you learn along the journey.
Photoshop Elements imports photos directly into a separate application known as Elements Organizer. It's a standalone media management hub that houses video clips as well as still images. As such, there can be some confusion because a particular functionality that seems to be part of Photoshop Elements may actually reside in Elements Organizer. In general, the two applications run seamlessly together. Furthermore, since many digital cameras can record video as well as still photography, Elements Organizer is ideally suited for both. The catch is that opening a video clip automatically opens another Adobe product, Premier Elements. If you don't happen to have that application installed on your computer, you'll be asked to install it. Adobe offers a 30-day free trial of Premier Elements to give you the opportunity to see if it's something you want to purchase.
You can import photos from your camera's memory card or from scans, and they'll be separated according to your designated preferences. The importer automatically separates them by date, and it can group related photos can by subject matter such as people, pets, travel or objects based on your customized settings.
Although Adobe Photoshop Elements has a broad feature set, the main reason you'll likely want to use the application is for photo editing. Using PSE, you can accomplish any editing task, from fixing defects in cherished heirlooms to showing off your creative side with the newest image-manipulation techniques. The most common single edit that people use is cropping an image to emphasize important subject and eliminate superfluous content. This product features crop guides, including the Golden Ratio and Rule of Thirds, to help your edits look even more aesthetically pleasing.
We particularly like the addition of Guided Edits to Photoshop Elements. This is a set of three different editing techniques that help create great photographic effects. These three functions are known as the Orton effect, Picture Stack effect and Depth of Field effect.
The Orton effect was originally created using slide photography and typically combines an in-focus image with an out-of-focus image for a unique look. You can easily use Photoshop Elements to accomplish this by adjusting the blur, noise and brightness of your photograph to create an artful, impressionistic image.
The Picture Stack effect allows you to create a collage feeling to a photo. It divides pictures into eight components that you can then manipulate to get just the look you want. Finally, the Depth of Field effect allows you to add a professional touch to any snapshot by blurring or sharpening specific portions of the image.
To make the most of your photographic projects, Photoshop Elements features the ability to enhance color in video clips just as you would in photos. It also offers the ability to use custom panning motions and zooming to give your images a life like feel.
These days, sharing is all about social media sites. Photoshop Elements lets you tag your photos using your Facebook Friends list directly in the Elements Organizer prior to sharing them. The People Recognition feature can automatically apply your Facebook information to the photos in the organizer. You can also make scrapbook pages, photo books or cards easily using built-in templates or express your completely customized creativity.
You can save images in Photoshop Elements in a vast array of formats including GIF, JPEG, JPEG 2000, Photoshop EPS, Photoshop PDF, PNG, TIFF and several other formats as well. You can also use this application to create CD or DVD labels and jackets and photo collages.
Because digital photography lends itself to taking multiple shots of the same thing, we often end up with huge photo libraries containing many duplicate or very similar images. The Elements Organizer can now recognize the duplicates and automatically organize or even delete them. You can also use the Visual Search function to find similar photos or photos of a specific person or object. The software also includes a feature called Auto-Analyzer that applies smart tags to photos and video clips when they're imported. You can then easily filter and sort the images to find the highest-quality photos and clips.
Photoshop Elements is compatible with Windows 8, Windows 7, Vista and XP, and with Mac OSX. Adobe offers several support options for Photoshop Elements. Technical support via telephone is available Monday through Friday from 5 a.m. to 7 p.m. Pacific Time. Your questions and concerns may also be addressed by accessing the FAQ section on the Adobe website. You can find further support in the product's user manual, online tutorials and in online, user-moderated forums.
Photoshop Elements offers a remarkable suite of photo editing, organizing and sharing tools that is tough to beat. Its automated functions allow photo hobbyists to produce professional-looking results, yet it has enough customizable features to be valuable to pros. Its basic functionality is easy to master, and you can even learn its more-advanced features quickly with a little practice. Organizing photos is more efficient than ever before, which makes sharing your photos on the internet or mobile devices very easy. This application is an all-around winner for anyone who's interested in making the most of digital photography.
Guided Edits make it easy for anyone to create photographic masterpieces, and the organizing features are unbeatable.
Photos are stored in a separate application, which can lead to a bit of confusion.
Photographers of any level can make their work more appealing and creative using this excellent application. | <urn:uuid:c6e49f5a-4987-4b4f-9455-3688ad16f115> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://photo-editing-software-review.toptenreviews.com/photoshop-elements-review.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00006-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.939487 | 1,650 | 1.601563 | 2 |
Super Guide is a Nintendo developed feature intended to appeal to young and casual gamers alike that allows you to stop the game and continue with it playing itself. It was designed so that when a gamer gets to a difficult spot in the game, they are able to complete it. The first title to feature this was New Super Mario Bros. Wii.
Games featuring Super GuideEdit
- New Super Mario Bros. Wii: In New Super Mario Bros. Wii, Super Guide could only be used after a player died eight times on a level. A green block will then appear that, when hit, will activate Super Guide, indicated to be in use by replacing Mario with Luigi. Super Guide can only be played in the single player mode.
- Super Mario Galaxy 2: While not called a Super Guide, Super Mario Galaxy 2 contains this feature and has it renamed the Cosmic Guide. After repeatedly dying in a level, the Cosmic Spirit will appear and ask if the player would like to start the Cosmic Guide. Using this will only allow the user to gain a Bronze Star rather than a Power Star.
- Donkey Kong Country Returns: The Super Guide can be activated at the checkpoints when the player has lost enough lives in the level. The Tutorial Pig will be waving a flag to get the players attention, and if talked to the Super Guide can be turned on. The level will be finished by a white Donkey Kong.
It is speculated that various other video games will also use Super Guide. | <urn:uuid:92d1f826-295d-4a7d-8e8b-f20b8a51c682> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://nintendo.wikia.com/wiki/Super_Guide | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00004-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.943612 | 297 | 1.648438 | 2 |
April 14, 2003
UNDERCOVER TOBACCO TEENS KICKING BUTT
Push During School Break Reports 85% Compliance Rate Citywide
Some kids go on vacation during school break. Others smoke out tobacco retailers breaking the law.
Eighty kids participating in the New York City Department of Consumer Affairs (DCA) Youth Tobacco Enforcement Program went undercover with agency inspectors to pound the pavement last week inspecting nearly 800 tobacco retailers citywide for underage sales. After an aggressive push during the school break (April 21-27), DCA inspectors cited 117 retailers for illegally selling tobacco products to minors and 30 vendors for operating without a license. Penalties include fines of $1,000 for a first offense and $2,000 and possible license revocation for a second offense.
"We're pleased so many businesses are complying with the law, but there's still work to do," said DCA Commissioner Gretchen Dykstra. "The program is the best of both worlds, helping us make sure businesses are in compliance and giving the kids the opportunity to take pride in what they're doing and experience all the responsibilities that come with a regular job."
During the week, Queens had the highest compliance rate of all five boroughs at 92% followed by Brooklyn at 87%, the Bronx at 83%, Staten Island at 82%, and Manhattan at 81%.
DCA's Youth Tobacco Enforcement Program, the largest youth undercover initiative in the nation, is made possible by a New York State grant administered by the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. Since the program began in 1997, the citywide compliance rate has increased by an impressive 30%. From October 2002 to the present, 5,500 inspections have been conducted and 968 violations have been issued for selling tobacco products to minors.
The program pays $7.25 an hour (plus MetroCards) and is open to teens ages 14-17 years old. On average students can work 20-25 hours per week with flexibility, as inspections are conducted everyday. Those participating are also required to take a no-smoking pledge.
DCA enforces the New York City Consumer Protection Law, as well as other related laws, at thousands of businesses throughout New York City. DCA licenses more than 60,000 businesses in 55 different categories in New York City and educates both consumers and businesses alike through free community seminars, licensing forums, and other informational materials.
For more information or to file a complaint with DCA, call 3-1-1, the City's 24-hour citizen service hotline, or go online at http://www.nyc.gov. | <urn:uuid:7a97c485-5090-4aae-b0aa-22659ea82e3f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.nyc.gov/html/dca/html/news/tobacco_teens.shtml | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00005-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.947825 | 533 | 1.679688 | 2 |
‘Our Hearts’: A good way to ‘get something out of Mass’
The book’s title says it all: “Our Hearts at Sunday Mass: 10 Steps to a Joyful Life” (Spirit of Hope Publishing, Irvine). Most of us bustle through the week attending to the needs of work and family and community. But on Sunday, we are called from the cares of the world, to gather with the priest who leads us in procession to worship at Mass. It is the time when we gather those cares and needs and give them to God as we raise our hearts and minds in prayer.
This book presents a practical guide to our worship at Sunday Mass. In 10 steps Father Phillip (a member of the Passionist community at Mater Dolorosa Retreat Center) shows us how to prepare, how to enter more fully into this Eucharistic celebration, and in doing so, how we can live a more joyful life the rest of the week. For example, in steps one and two, we prepare for Mass with a humble and a forgiving heart.
Father Phillip begins step one --- on humility --- with a quote from Kate Halverson: “If you are all wrapped up in yourself, you are overdressed.” In other words, we prepare by recognizing our dependence on God. Humility breaks open the way for our full participation at Mass. The companion to a humble heart is a forgiving heart. We cannot enter into the celebration with hearts clutching anger and resentment toward another. We prepare by praying, “I forgive you.”
The 10-step guide (with a foreword by Auxiliary Bishop Gabino Zavala) continues with the Liturgy of the Word and a listening heart, and moves to the Eucharist with a grateful heart. By the Rite of Sending Forth, we are prepared to go back out into the world with a serving and compassionate heart. Father Phillip writes with clarity and simplicity about something he knows and loves deeply and this book will help to know and love the Mass more deeply.
---Deacon Manuel Valencia
Deacon Manuel Valencia ministers at St. Rita Church in Sierra Madre and is a member of the preaching team at Mater Dolorosa Retreat Center. | <urn:uuid:3768f142-d8fb-481e-8980-fdb98d294cee> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.the-tidings.com/index.php/ent/books/2331-our-hearts-a-good-way-to-get-something-out-of-mass?FontSize=font-medium | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00013-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.940075 | 464 | 1.710938 | 2 |
[MLton] Int Overflow detection
Sat, 19 Mar 2005 10:46:24 -0800
> But I think the "problems" it exposes could help the typical SML
> program as well. All programs have loops, and most computation time
> is spent in loops. In SML people don't see them as much since they
> are hidden behind our folds, and maps but they are there.
You are correct. In fact, transforming functional programs into loops
is something that MLton does very well.
> And given the high tech representations that mlton has perhaps some
> of these optimizations would not be incredibly difficult to
Unfortunately, we haven't taken advantage of loops nearly as much as
we should have. Some folks gave a pretty good try at implement
SSA-PRE in MLton, which in principle should enable a lot of code
motion. But it never got beyond the experimental stage.
One problem with code motion in SML is that precise overflow detection
disables a lot of it, or at least makes it a lot harder. And it's
probably not worth the effort to focus on the 'detectOverflow false'
case, since that violates the semantics of SML.
Anyways, X86 definitely comes to our rescue. Even for your pretty bad
case, we see a slowdown from 2.44s to 3.51s, i.e. 44%. BTW, how much
worse is it with overflow detection on? | <urn:uuid:f6fc681d-366a-40f6-9493-2214096134cb> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.mlton.org/pipermail/mlton-devel/2005-March/026881.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00007-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.964382 | 314 | 1.765625 | 2 |
Art in the Library
The Lee's Summit High School LMC is proud to display artwork created by LSHS students. Look for a rotating collection student art throughout the library, and don't miss the permanent collection of student art along the back wall near the Missouri History section. Here is a sample of the student art on display during the 2008/2009 school year.
Additionally, the Lee's Summit High School Library Media Center is a national grant recipient through the National Endowment for the Humanities. The large prints featuring famous art located in and around the podcasting suites are part of this generous grant. For more information on each print, visit the National Endowment for the Humanities website. Teachers may check out the entire collection or individual prints for classroom use.
Donating Student Art
The LMC is happy to accept student art for our permanent collection. Artwork must be created by a current or former Lee's Summit High School student. We would like to know the date or year the artwork was created, as well as some biographical information for the display. Donated art becomes part of the permanent library collection and is not returnable. Our hope is to create a larger art display area in a new or renovated library media center. | <urn:uuid:45cf50e7-8157-4321-9eb0-f8f411a1f78c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://lshs.leesummit.k12.mo.us/lmclshs/Events/artinthelmc.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00016-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.956929 | 250 | 1.75 | 2 |
violated every rule of management. He was not a consensus-builder but a dictator who listened mainly to his own intuition. He was a maniacal micromanager. He had an astonishing aesthetic sense, which businesspeople almost always lack. He could be absolutely brutal in meetings: I watched him eviscerate staff members for their “bozo ideas.” . . . He never mellowed, never let up on Apple employees, never stopped relying on his singular instincts in making decisions about how Apple products should look and how they should work.
Likewise, Adam Lashinsky recalled in Fortune a few months ago the moment in 2008 when Jobs gathered the team that had developed the MobileMe e-mail system and demanded to know
“Can anyone tell me what MobileMe is supposed to do?” Having received a satisfactory answer, he continued, “So why the fuck doesn’t it do that?”
For the next half-hour Jobs berated the group. “You’ve tarnished Apple’s reputation,” he told them. “You should hate each other for having let each other down.”
Lashinsky went on to observe that “to Apple’s legion of admirers, the company is like a tech version of Wonka’s factory, an enigmatic but enchanted place that produces wonderful items they can’t get enough of. That characterization is true, but Apple also is a brutal and unforgiving place, where accountability is strictly enforced, decisions are swift, and communication is articulated clearly from the top. . . . Apple’s ruthless corporate culture is just one piece of a mystery that virtually every business executive in the world would love to understand: How does Apple do it?”
Not according to the usual rules, that’s for sure. In the words of Jeffrey Pfeffer, a Stanford University professor, “Most books about leadership read like the Scout manual: CEOs and top managers should be authentic, considerate, sensitive, and modest, as well as creative, smart, and strategically brilliant. All true – but not very useful in the real world, where the person in the corner office might be as approachable as the junkyard dog. Exhibit A: Steve Jobs.”
There’s a reason Steve Jobs is Exhibit A, and not even B or C. It is because his exceptional and unique vision and certainty of what he saw excused his tyrannical behavior. Or, no, they didn’t excuse it but made it necessary. And the power of his personality and the sweep of what he achieved meant that even after all his punishment of disappointing staff and others, all his berating of many of those around him, people at Apple were heartbroken to see him step down from the chief executive’s job this week.
Go ahead and behave the way he did yourself, as a CEO—as long as you’ve got all of Steve Jobs’ charisma, revolutionary vision, and innovative genius, along with his relentless drive and temper. | <urn:uuid:ccfc8e02-ac34-4f11-bade-43b972494ec9> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.forbes.com/sites/frederickallen/2011/08/27/steve-jobs-broke-every-leadership-rule-dont-try-that-yourself/?commentId=comment_blogAndPostId/blog/comment/965-1981-1069 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00011-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.97408 | 635 | 1.507813 | 2 |
We've featured some great articles recently on the value of downsizing our belongings. Yet even with the best intentions to pare down, it can be hard to part with certain things. If you have items you're waffling over donating (the microwave you barely use, the business suit you wore once) here's a list of 25 organizations that will happily take your stuff and put it to great use.
I think we can all agree that we probably have too much of something or items that serve no real purpose in our homes, whether it's clothes, DVDs we never watch, unused kitchen gear, the list goes on. National charity organizations like Goodwill and the Salvation Army are always great places to donate, but while looking for more specific ways to donate some children's toys I came across multiple websites for children's hospitals that are collecting gently used books and toys for their waiting rooms and activity centers.
This got me thinking that there are likely lots of ways to donate items to fill a direct need. I find it incredibly motivating to think of de-cluttering in this way; if someone else can put my stuff to better use, that's exciting.
Feel free to include any organizations you know of that are seeking specific items in the comments section.
1. Operation Paperback sends new and gently used books to troops overseas. They also distribute children's books to the families of troops in the U.S.
2. Books for Africa sends books to students in Africa. They accept many types of books, but are especially interested in current textbooks.
3. Local children's hospitals (or children's wings) are often looking for new and gently used books. Contact your local hospital for more information.
4. Soles 4 Souls and Clothes 4 Souls work to provide functional footwear and clothing to those who need them. They accept new and gently used shoes (all styles) and clothing.
5. Dress for Success provides stylish, professional clothing to women who are seeking employment. They accept all forms of business coordinates as well as handbags and coats.
6. Career Gear provides suits and dress clothes to men seeking employment. They accept all forms of business attire as well as briefcases, portfolios, watches and cufflinks, and coats.
7. One Warm Coat holds coat drives nationwide during the fall and winter to help local charitable agencies distribute warm winter coats to those in need, free of charge.
8. Hopeline from Verizon provides cell phones to survivors of domestic violence, helping them stay connected to their support system as well as providing a necessary tool for achieving a fresh start. They accept used but functional cell phones.
9. Lifecell Project recycles used cell phones in bulk, collects the funds from bulk recycling, and uses the funds to purchase Lifestraws (an award winning water filtration system) for those without access to clean water.
10. DVDs 4 Vets provides DVDs to veterans who are unable to obtain access to films or who are in rehabilitation.
11. Kids Flicks helps create movie libraries in children's hospitals and children's wings throughout the U.S. They accept children's and young adult-oriented movies and shows.
12. World Computer Exchange strives to expand access to technology in the developing world. They accept a wide variety of used (but must be in fine working condition) computers and electronics.
13. Gift my PC works with local educations organizations as well as the Wounded Warrior Project to provide students and veterans with working computers and electronics.
Furniture & Home Goods
14. Furniture Bank Association of North America collects gently used home furnishings and donates them to families in need. FBA has national drop-off centers and accepts any items that will help a family start over, such as beds, tables, chairs, and lamps.
15. Habitat for Humanity's ReStore has locations nationwide and provides everything from home furnishings, appliances, and decor to building materials and paint. They accept new unused and gently used items and materials.
16. Freecycle is a well-known organization that offers an online forum for people to give away their goods to those in their community. It's a nice way to offer up furniture and home goods to those in your community who may not be able to afford them.
Fitness & Sports Equipment
17. Bikes for the World collects bikes and usable bicycle parts to provide transportation to those in the developing world.
18. Fitness for Charity provides gently used fitness and sports equipment to individuals and organizations, such as foster homes, schools, and rehabilitation centers. They accept a wide variety of equipment as long as it is in working condition.
19. One World Running collects running shoes and running gear to distribute them to those in need in the U.S. and around the world. They have nationwide drop-off locations.
Baby & Children's Gear
20. Loving Hugs provides stuffed animals to children in hospitals, refugee camps, natural disaster areas. They accept new and gently used soft stuffed animals.
21. Local women's and family shelters are often in need of gently used toys and games.
22. KIDS distributes new baby and children's clothing to children whose families are experiencing economic distress. I know I had quite a few duplicates and outfits my children never wore as babies, and this is a great opportunity to re-gift those items.
Art & Craft Supplies
23. Carewear knits hats, blankets, and outfits for premature babies in neonatal units. They accept donations of yarn, knitting supplies, as well as handmade items.
24. The Knitting Connection makes handmade items for children in need. They are looking for donations of yarn, knitting needles, books, as well as finished knitted or crocheted items.
25. Dreaming Zebra provides music and art access to underserved children. They accept donations of art supplies as well as gently used instruments. | <urn:uuid:7be987b0-8b12-4d44-9522-875abe30eae6> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/25-places-to-donate-your-stuff-175389 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697380733/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516094300-00016-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.961974 | 1,209 | 1.515625 | 2 |
OAKLAND, CA—The Alameda County Sheriff's Department made its first public pitch on Thursday to the county’s Board of Supervisors (PDF) to authorize the purchase of “one to two drones,” coming from a $31,000 state grant.
If eventually approved, the county agency would become the first law enforcement agency in California to deploy a drone. The board did not vote on the item. Coincidentally, the hearing was on the same day that two members of Congress introduced legislation that would regulate the domestic use of drones.
Last week, the City of Seattle canceled its own drone program due to public outcry.
Here, dozens of local citizens came out to voice their opposition to the proposed drone purchase, citing privacy concerns. Many wore bright pink “NO DRONES” stickers on their shirts and jackets.
“I think it's important to know about the larger context that we're now hearing, that's the militarization of law enforcement that is progressing at a breakneck pace,” said Susan Harmon of Code Pink, an anti-war group.
The tiny drone, which was displayed at the hearing and fits disassembled into a small suitcase, can fly for up to 24 minutes at a height of 400 feet and only has a maximum radius of a quarter-mile from the operator. Alameda County Sheriff Gregory Ahearn argued that the drones will be used primarily for search and rescue operations.
Privacy vs. public safety
The sheriff sparred publicly with dissenters from the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). Both activist groups have argued forcefully for the county to impose much stricter privacy limitations, and some worried that they could further be weaponized.
“We will not use this for surveillance,” Ahearn re-iterated. “We will not use this for weaponry.”
Ahearn claimed that his department had consulted extensively with the ACLU, while Linda Lye, an ACLU attorney who was present and testified before the board, vociferously disagreed with that assessment.
“The vast majority of our recommendations were rejected,” she said.
The EFF also expressed the need for such rules to be codified, despite the sheriff's promises.
"First, I would like to underscore the current and future capabilities of this technology," Trevor Timm, an activist at the EFF, told the board. "Drones can be equipped with many different types of surveillance equipment. All drones carry some sort of camera with recording capabilities. Some newer high-definition cameras—previously used only by the military—are so powerful they can see the color of your shoelaces from a mile away."
"The drone the Sheriff is asking for now likely won’t be the Office’s last drone purchase. The technology will likely be obsolete in months, if it isn’t already. This is why it is crucial to have rules of the road in place now. Because once the door is opened, it will become much harder to restrict drone use in the future."
Chemical sniffing could come later
Sheriff Ahearn did add that the department would eventually like to add various physical sensors, however.
“We'd like to add a chemical component where we could fly it through a cloud, like from refinery smoke, and return it to us and examine what hazards were in the cloud,” he told the board.
Ahearn told Ars after the hearing that his department has been investigating the use of drones over the past two years, and Alameda County needs this new hardware because it has many semi-rural and rural areas, including forests, hillsides, and valleys.
“I think this is one of the things that would benefit the community,” he said. “I think it’s such a great idea that I’m willing to listen to arguments on both sides.”
The Alameda County Sheriff's Department did release a five-page draft document, outlining a “general order,” for operations of the drones.
It outlines ten possible “authorized missions,” including “Post-incident crime scene preservation and documentation,” “Explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) missions,” “Response to hazardous materials spills,” “Public safety and life preservation” such as a hostage scenario, and “pursuant to a search warrant.”
“Upon completion of each sUAS [drone] mission the recorded data shall be reviewed and evaluated for evidentiary value,” the order states. “Data of identifiable individuals captured during a sUAS mission shall not be retained unless there is reasonable suspicion that evidence of criminal activity is present. All retained data shall be maintained or destroyed pursuant to Sheriff's Office records retention and evidence policies and in compliance with applicable laws and regulations.” | <urn:uuid:04110c89-479e-4cdb-a2cc-401bafb5cc72> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2013/02/heres-the-drone-the-county-sheriff-wants-to-fly-over-your-backyard/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368711005985/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516133005-00017-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.960161 | 1,022 | 1.734375 | 2 |
The travesty of the Health and Human Services mandate in the Affordable Care Act continues to rankle. The mandate requires employers to underwrite for employees contraceptives, including abortion-inducing drugs such as Ella, and female sterilization through their insurance programs. The law is driving complainants of many religions to court.
Some religious non-profits have a safe harbor and do not have to fund health plans that cover contraceptives and sterilization until after August 2013. For-profit companies, however, are under the gun now. The for-profit business owners who object to the mandate either must violate their consciences and pay for plans that include services they morally oppose or hold to their principles and face backbreaking fines.
The Becket Fund reports that there are 43 cases and over 110 plaintiffs challenging the mandate in court. So far, at least 12 for-profits have obtained initial rulings that take up the merits of their case, and nine of those rulings have granted the companies preliminary injunctive relief against the mandate.
Reasons for the decisions vary. In some instances the court recognizes that the government is likely violating the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, which forbids the federal government from substantially burdening religious exercise, unless it is the least restrictive means of furthering a compelling government interest. One plaintiff suggested that if the government is bent on saturating the nation with contraceptives, it might hand them out for free rather than force churches and others to pay for them.
A Federal Court in Missouri issued a temporary restraining order on December 31 invoking both the First Amendment and RFRA in Sharpe Holdings, Inc. v. United States Department of Health and Human Services. According to the blog Religion Clause, “the court concluded that under the Religious Freedom Restoration Act the mandate and its penalties would substantially burden plaintiffs’ free exercise rights.” It added also that “for 1st Amendment purposes, the mandate is not a neutral law of general applicability.”
Said the court: “[T]he ACA mandate is not generally applicable because it does not apply to grandfathered health plans, religious employers, or employers with fewer than fifty employees.” It agreed with plaintiffs’ argument that the “mandate’s exemptions clearly prefer secular purposes over religious purposes and some religious purposes over other religious purposes. Burdens cannot be selectively imposed only on conduct motivated by religious belief.”
In Michigan, a federal district court held that the property management company, Domino’s Farms Corp., and its owner Thomas Monaghan (founder of Domino’s Pizza) had adequately alleged that the mandate imposes a substantial burden on Monaghan’s Catholic religious beliefs. The court noted that the Supreme Court has held that “‘putting substantial pressure on an adherent to modify his behavior and to violate his beliefs’ substantially burdens a person’s exercise of religion.” The district court added that for itself, “the Court is in no position to decide whether and to what extent Monaghan would violate his religious beliefs by complying with the mandate.... Other courts have assumed that a law substantially burdens a person’s free exercise of religion based on that person’s assertions.”
The court added that the government had not carried its burden under the RFRA showing that it had a compelling interest or used the least restrictive means in burdening plaintiff’s free exercise.
Decisions conflict. The judge in Grote Indus. v.Sebelius in Indiana ruled against the plaintiff and declared that the burden of the mandate is “likely too remote and attenuated to be considered substantial.”
Personally, it is hard to see how forcing someone, against his conscience, to purchase insurance coverage that includes abortion-inducing drugs could not be a substantial burden. In a Chicago courtroom, the Seventh Circuit judges in Korte v. Sebelius got it right when they responded to similar arguments that “the religious‐liberty violation at issue here is inherent in the coerced coverage of contraception, abortifacients, sterilization, and related services, not—or perhaps more precisely, not only—in the later purchase or use of contraception or related services.”
Simply put, the issue is not about using contraceptives, it is being coerced to offer or purchase a plan that covers them. Clearly courts should not be in the business of telling people – be they businessmen or bishops – what constitutes a substantial burden on their exercise of religion. The few courts that have ruled the wrong way so far have impermissibly delved into a moral analysis of religious claims. | <urn:uuid:0f775990-a7cb-4691-95ad-c73076d16736> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://usccbmedia.blogspot.com/2013/01/courts-offer-mixed-rulings-on-hhs.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00003-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.960468 | 941 | 1.585938 | 2 |
Bart Gets an "F" is the first episode of Season 2. It originally aired on October 11, 1990. The episode was written by David M. Stern and directed by David Silverman. The episode ranked 31st on Entertainment Weekly's 1999 list of "The 100 Greatest Moments in Television."
Mrs. Krabappel warns Bart that his grades are slipping, and that if he fails another test, he may probably have to repeat the fourth grade. In a last-ditch effort to avoid being held back, Bart enlists the aid of the class brain and nerd (Martin Prince) to help him pass a history test.
When Bart presents his book report at school on Treasure Island, it is clear to everyone that he has not read the book. Mrs. Krabappel tests Bart by asking him to name the main pirate in the book, which he cannot do. She warns him that his grades have gotten steadily worse since the beginning of the term, and that there will be an exam on Colonial America the following day. Bart, however, does not pay attention to a word she says. He tries to study, but he repeatedly procrastinates until late at night, whereupon he falls asleep over his textbooks.
When he wakes up the next morning, he is worried he will flunk. He goes to Sherri and Terri for help while riding to school, and they offer him false answers in hopes that he will fail the test. Martin warns Bart of the faulty information he has received, so, right before the test, Bart "collapses". He goes to see the nurse, who suggests that Bart stay home because she believes he has amoria phlebitis. At home, Bart procrastinates again and calls Milhouse to copy his answers on the test. When he takes the test, Mrs. Krabappel tells him that he did worse than Milhouse. Homer and Marge have an interview with Mrs. Krabappel and the school's psychiatrist, Dr. J. Loren Pryor, who sees Bart as an underachiever and suggests that Bart be held back a grade. Bart, however, is strongly against this idea, exclaiming "As God is my witness, I can pass the fourth grade!" Homer then says, "And if you don't, at least you'll be bigger than everyone else."
With Bart worried he might be held back, he looks to Martin for help. He helps Bart study, and Bart reciprocates by showing how to be more popular, which encourages him to take on some of Bart's bad attitudes. Bart reminds the "new" Martin about the test the following day, but he ignores it, and now Bart must study on his own. He prays to God that something will happen to make him miss school the next day so he can have more time to study. That night it snows and schools are closed the next morning. Bart immediately rushes downstairs to go outside and play in the snow. After Lisa reminds him of his wish, he decides to study for the rest of the day, while everyone is outside having fun. Bart actually concentrates while he is studying. However, even Bart's studying is a distraction; as he tries to picture himself as a member of the First Continental Congress on July 4, 1776 witnessing the signing of the Declaration of Independence, he then pictures it somehow snowing in July, to which the signers then go out and have fun in the snow (In the background someone comments about John Hancock writing his name in the snow). Bart forces himself to pay attention by slapping himself in the face repeatedly (he does this until the next day when Mrs. Krabappel tells him that the test is over). As soon as he finishes the test, he asks Mrs. Krabappel to grade it immediately. She gives it back to him and he sees that he got 59%, another F. Extremely upset at this failure after his honest effort, Bart bursts into tears. Mrs. Krabappel is surprised to see Bart cry; she always thought that he was used to failing her class. As she tries to comfort him, Bart laments that now he knows how George Washington felt when he surrendered Fort Necessity to the French in 1754. The stunned Mrs. Krabappel, realizing that he did study after all, gives Bart an extra point for demonstrating applied knowledge, pushing his grade up to 60%, a D-, the lowest passing grade. Bart becomes so joyful about passing that he gives his teacher a kiss on the cheek and runs out shouting out about passing, then realizes that he kissed his teacher. At home, Homer proudly hangs the test on the fridge, and Bart states: "Part of this D- belongs to God."
When the FOX network decided to show The Simpsons on Thursday at 8:00 P.M. EST against NBC's highly-rated The Cosby Show, many were expecting this to be a war for ratings. Surprisingly, this episode of The Simpsons drew higher ratings in its first airing than The Cosby Show, and it would lead to The Cosby Show's cancellation in 1992.
The episode was ranked 31st on Entertainment Weekly' list of the 100 Greatest Moments in Television.
It marked the first time that The Simpsons aired at the same time as The Cosby Show on NBC. It averaged an 18.4 Nielsen Rating and 29% of the audience. In the weeks ratings, it finished tied for eighth behind The Cosby Show which had an 18.5 rating. However, an estimated 33.6 million viewers watched the episode, making it the number one show in terms of actual viewers that week. At the time, it was the most watched episode in the history of the Fox Network. At the time, NBC had 208 television stations, while Fox only had 133. It is still the highest rated episode in the history of the show. | <urn:uuid:58581721-c10b-4cec-851f-3b283dfe5e29> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://simpsons.wikia.com/wiki/Bart_Gets_an_%22F%22 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00019-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.979555 | 1,194 | 1.757813 | 2 |
What's wrong with people getting a big bonus?
Last updated at 11:39, Wednesday, 08 February 2012
They say that if you pay peanuts you get monkeys. That’s the argument in favour of high salaries and massive bonuses for top bankers and company directors.
But these days, when thousands of people are suffering a pay freeze and joblessness creeps towards 1980s levels, can bonuses to people on already huge salaries ever be justified?
Not to two Cumbrian trade union officials. Deborah Hamilton of Unison and Willie Whalen of builders’ union UCATT both condemn them as “immoral”.
Yet two of our highly paid bosses seem to have taken the objections on board, and have turned down their bonuses this year.
Stephen Hester, chief executive of Royal Bank of Scotland, has handed back his bonus of £963,000 – which would almost have doubled his salary.
And Sir David Higgins, his counterpart at Network Rail, who is expected to be offered £340,000, has promised that he and other directors will donate theirs to a safety fund for level crossings.
But as Mrs Hamilton points out, they are the exceptions. She is secretary of the Cumbria County branch of Unison, representing thousands of council workers who haven’t had a pay rise for two years yet have seen prices go up relentlessly. So she describes the bonuses as “morally wrong”.
Mrs Hamilton says: “We’ve seen a sharp rise in the cost of living, day to day products are getting very expensive, so a pay freeze is effectively getting a pay cut.
“The value of a banker’s job is being considered higher than the value of a care worker, or a teaching assistant, or a social worker – people who are on the front line, and give the most valuable support to vulnerable people.
“They are not after a bonus for the work they do. They just want their salaries to keep up with inflation.”
And she sees Mr Hester’s and Sir David’s refusals of their bonuses as empty gestures. “It was only because of political pressure. Plenty of others are accepting theirs. We find it almost disgusting.”
Nonetheless no-one could argue that it’s easy being the boss of a troubled organisation like RBS or Network Rail. Many believe that to get the best people in the top jobs, high salaries and generous bonuses have to be offered. If one company won’t offer them then they will move to another that will.
The argument over bonuses first arose with bankers – who many blame for our current economic woes – but as Suzanne Caldwell of Cumbria Chamber of Commerce explains: “It is now emerging into a wider debate about bonuses elsewhere in the economy.”
Many organisations offer them, not all at the high levels offered to Mr Hester and Sir David, and she says: “Businesses need to be able to reward staff – at all levels – for their contribution, and to attract and retain the right calibre of people.”
Nor should they all be tarred with the same brush. “We must not allow this issue to spiral into a demonisation of those who work extremely hard, take calculated risks and are rewarded for their success – whether small business owners or those running large corporates. Business is fundamental to our economic recovery.”
However RBS is 82 per cent owned by the public, and Mrs Caldwell argues that this gives us more right to take an interest in what it does.
“For most businesses bonuses are a matter for their boards and their shareholders. The area that’s most contentious is around the payment of bonuses where a business is seen not to be performing – particularly when the business is largely or wholly publicly funded. This does need to be looked at seriously and logically.
“If you are shedding staff or cutting salaries then personally I think they are very difficult to justify.”
Perhaps what people object to most is not the principle of bonuses, but the high level of some of them. Cumberland Building Society pays bonuses, but deputy chief executive John Leveson points out that they have never been controversially high – and all staff, not just the bosses, can qualify for them.
“We have only ever had very modest bonuses, so it’s not something that has been an issue for us,” he says. “We pay bonuses at all different levels, throughout the company.”
But what other companies do should be up to them, he adds.
“It really has to be a matter for their boards, their remuneration committees and their shareholders, if they have shareholders, to decide what they think is appropriate.”
To Willie Whalen, Labour county councillor and branch secretary of UCATT, high-level bonuses make a mockery of David Cameron’s claim that ‘we’re all in this together’.
“For a cabinet full of millionaires to say we all have to take the pain is just arrogance,” Mr Whalen says.
“There are people who have lost their homes and lost their jobs, who are in real financial difficulties – and then they see these bonuses going to the people they feel are to blame. That is politically and morally wrong.”
Like Mrs Hamilton he regards the rejections of bonuses by Mr Hester and Sir David as the result of political and media pressure rather than selflessness.
“I’m pleased that they’ve done it. But they are not making some tremendous sacrifice. Who knows what benefits they’re going to receive in the future?”
First published at 11:29, Wednesday, 08 February 2012
Published by http://www.newsandstar.co.uk
Have your say
bonuses are meant as an incentive to work harder. I can understand the justification of rewarding workers with bonuses, but if that worker is already on a high salary should they be rewarded at all? it seems like a slap in the face to the working class!
View all 10 comments on this article | <urn:uuid:fdc752ae-29c6-4a9e-b43d-b2749381a396> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.newsandstar.co.uk/features/what-s-wrong-with-people-getting-a-big-bonus-1.922722?referrerPath=/business_2_1694 | 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 | 0.972679 | 1,282 | 1.523438 | 2 |
Trinity Sixth Form
Year 13 Leavers 2012
Year 13 had their last ever day at school on Tuesday 29th May so we did our best to give them a good send off and wish them well for the future.
The day started with an assembly by Mr Dexter focussing on how the foundations that they have laid down over the last few years will prepare them well for the future and all the challenges that it brings. They were warned that not everything is as it appears, and to find out all the facts before reaching a conclusion! We looked back at their early years here with their photographs from Year 7. My how some have changed (and some have not)! There was also the chance to see a few photographs of their teachers when they were young and they have definitely changed!
The students then went to lessons until lunchtime, although this was really a time for them to say goodbye to their subject teachers. We all had lunch together in the common room, which was laid out as one giant table for everyone. It was a real party atmosphere and everyone was in good spirits (with only a few tears)!
Liturgy and Laughter
After lunch we went down to the social area for a final liturgy together arranged by Mrs York. The theme for this was to put behind them the mistakes of the past and start thinking about the great achievements they would make in the future. Also on the theme of looking ahead, Mrs York presented the students with a booklet with quotes and final ‘words of wisdom’ from all their tutors. Mr McKeever also took the chance to say a few words, thank them for what they have done for the school, to wish them well, and to ask them to “keep in touch”.
Period 5, the last of the day, was set aside for some entertainment. It started with a short ceremony with awards for a number of students who have made a tremendous contribution to the school throughout their time here. These were students who had supported the school council, the house system and the wide range of performance activities that the school produces. This was followed with some ‘entertainment’ provided by a few of the braver sixth form tutors. This was very entertaining but following the advice from our legal department I am unable to comment further!!
After 3:30pm it was then time for the sporting challenges. The Year 13 girls took on the female staff at netball and the Year 13 boys challenged the male staff at football.
The boys proved too strong for the staff in the football. The first half saw them reach an unassailable 5-1 lead, with the staff struggling in the heat. However, the introduction of Mr Parr in the second half saw a more solid staff team who managed to shore up the defence and achieve a staff win of 1-0 ( well in the second half) and the final score was 5-2.
The netball was a much closer affair with the teams level most of the game. A late (and possibly controversial!) goal in the last few minutes saw the students take the lead and run out winners at 11-10. The staff vowed to return better and stronger next year, so watch out Year 12! I understand some staff will be sacked and new blood brought in.
So it was congratulations to the students who picked up both trophies in what was a great afternoon of sport. Drinks and nibbles were enjoyed by the players and the crowd as the trophies were presented.
We will miss you :(
So it’s goodbye to another Year 13 group. They have been a fantastic year group, a pleasure to teach and a pleasure to know. We wish them all the best of luck in their exams and for the future and we will miss them all.
Thanks to the teachers who helped and took part in all the activities on the final day and also to all the students who really joined in and made the whole day very memorable. | <urn:uuid:197b77a9-a365-4720-9476-c70c5d09d1cf> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.trinity.nottingham.sch.uk/sixth/2012/y13Leavers/default.aspx | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00001-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.987851 | 809 | 1.546875 | 2 |
Reviewers have described Randall Shinn’s music as “lyrical,” “compelling,” and “lusciously beautiful.” His compositions range in mood from witty to fiercely passionate, and reviewers have praised their expressive power, calling them “stunning” and “spell-binding.”
Shinn has written that his compositional style is grounded in the “cultivated traditions of Western art music,” from the Renaissance to the present. But he also enjoys “playing with language,” and his music frequently incorporates elements derived from vernacular sources such as American roots music and Latin American music. This mixture of influences has led to what reviewer called “a sound that is uniquely his.”
His orchestral music has been performed by the Phoenix Symphony, ProMusica Chamber Orchestra of Columbus, Mesa Symphony, Flagstaff Symphony, Arizona State University, and the Greater Twin Cities Youth Symphonies. His operas have been staged by Arizona State University, New Mexico State University, and the University of Colorado. His choral, vocal, and chamber works have been performed in the United States and Europe. He has received support from the National Endowment for the Arts (as both librettist and composer), the Arizona Commission on the Arts, and ASCAP.
Shinn began composing music as a teenager, but his primary focus until his mid-20s was mastering the French horn. Then, in 1968, after completing a master’s degree in performance at the University of Colorado, he turned his creative energy toward composition. He completed a doctorate in music composition in 1975 at the University of Illinois, taught for three years at the University of New Orleans, and then joined the faculty of Arizona State University. He retired from university teaching in 2006 to compose and write full time.
Shinn has had composer residencies at New Mexico State University, the University of Colorado, Montalvo, Ucross, and Brush Creek Ranch. He now resides in Fort Collins, Colorado with his wife, visual artist Carol Shinn. As a writer Shinn has written original librettos for three operas, and has been a correspondent for DeepGlamour.net | <urn:uuid:3583dbda-5dde-43cb-b867-7a6ee64d0d7f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://randallshinn.com/bio.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705953421/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120553-00004-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.9787 | 459 | 1.523438 | 2 |
Geographical Index > United States > Wisconsin > Bayfield County > Report # 11026|
Submitted by witness on Thursday, March 24, 2005.
Possible vocalizations heard by deer hunter in the Chequamegon National Forest
(Show Printer-friendly Version)
COUNTY: Bayfield County
LOCATION DETAILS: North of Hwy 2 and West of Washburn in the Chequamegon National Forest near Horseshoe Lake Camp. Approximately one mile north of forest road 245 and one mile west of forest road 427.
NEAREST TOWN: Washburn
NEAREST ROAD: forest road 245
OBSERVED: Just after hunting hours on November 16, 2004 I started to gather my gear and got ready to climb down and head to my atv after bowhunting from my treestand when I heard several loud howls followed by a hair raising scream. It sounded like it was several hundered yards down the valley and deeper into the woods. Instantly I couldn't recognize what I had heard. I have been hunting for over twenty years and logged hundreds of days in the wood in Wisconsin, Canada and out west. I have personally heard every known animal in Wisconsin during my outings. My immediate reaction was to leave the area, quickly. I raced out of the tree, up the valley, and out to the logging road and my atv. I drove back to camp which was around 3.5 miles from my stand.
OTHER WITNESSES: No, I was the only one.
OTHER STORIES: The next day while I was out setting up a deer stand a hunter stopped into our camp and asked if anyone was there the night before around 9:30pm. When he was told that everyone went into town he proceeded to explain that he, and several others had heard something very strange which they had never heard before and it was just down the logging road from our camp. They were out baiting their hunting sights for the upcoming deer season which was opening on Saturday.
When I returned to camp they told me about what these fellow hunters had heard and that is was almost 4 hours later and 4 miles from my incident.
After that the entire hunting camp believed my experience.
TIME AND CONDITIONS: 4:45pm
Just after dark.Very Dark and Calm night with no wind. It was dead still.
ENVIRONMENT: The environment was a pine forested valley with areas of thick logged overgrowth.
Follow-up investigation report by BFRO Investigator Paul Schnabel:
I spoke with the witness by phone. He seemed to be honest and credible.
As he states in his story, it became dark he turned on his red headlamp to climb down the tree. At this moment he heard three whoops followed by scream. He had logged many hours in the woods and had never heard anything like this before. He quickly gathered his gear and l left the area.
[Added by Editor MM]
Below is a comment regarding this report submitted to the BFRO after the report had been published.]
I came across your website by accident while “exploring” Chequamegon Forest on Google Earth. A “pin” in the map took me to a page on your site about a possible vocalization experience west of Washburn, Wisconsin. This caught my attention as I live on Madeline Island, one of the Apostle Islands and am somewhat familiar with this area. This triggered a memory that I had nearly forgotten about and has prompted me to write this email.
I have lived in this area for over five years and in that time, developed an interest in the local Indian culture and teachings. One of the first books I ever read about the Anishinaabe people was the “Mishomis Book” by Edward Benton-Banai. It is the spoken oral traditions written in a book for Indian kids for learning their culture and heritage.
The book is in story form as if an tribal elder were telling the stories first hand. If you are not familiar with the book, I think you will find this interesting. Here is an excerpt from the book…
"Waynaboozhoo dozed off but soon awoke with a start as if someone or something had prodded him. He looked around slowly. Even though he did not see anything, he knew he was not alone. Suddenly he noticed that just out of his direct eyesight was a being - a huge, dark figure with red eyes that peered out of a shadowy face. Again he felt his fear rising to an uncontrollable level. He wanted to run. He thought fleetingly of defending himself - of fighting - but violence was unknown to the world at that time. He was able to control both his fear and terror but still he felt a new, strange sensation. What was this strange feeling that possessed him? For the first time in many years, violence was evident on the Earth. But with Waynaboozhoo it was only a thought. He was able to put it aside. Violence, which is the twin of peace, must always be secondary and subservient to peace just as it was with Waynaboozhoo.
"The shadowy being spoke:
" 'I am Bug-way'-jinini [wildman]. Some of the people who follow you will know me as Sasquatch or Yeti, but they will seldom see me. It will be forbidden for them to look into my eyes. Some will not ever know of me. Many will not believe that I exist. I am your oldest brother!
" 'I have been with you on your journey. I have been ahead of you at times and behind you at times. Sometimes I have watched you walk by. The Creator sent me here to guide and care for those who become lost. I am to watch over those who go into the forests, swamps, hills and mountains to gather medicines and other things. If those who seek the medicine roots, bark, and berries will ask me in a good way, if their thoughts are good, and their concern is for others, I will help them to find the medicines they seek. I shall know their thoughts. Also I am to help those who choose to meditate, pray, and fast in the bug-way-ji' [wild and natural places]. I am the caretaker of all these places - the deep forests, swamps, mountains, and deep valleys. I am a natural man. I am to be the different one, different in all ways, I shall not build a home or gather in o-day-nah-wing' [towns]. Nor will I assemble with my own kind in tribes or nations. I will make no trails. Nor will I build ji-mon'-nug [canoes]. I am to be alone in the quiet solitude and majesty of the natural world of the Creator. I shall know of man's presence, and I will know his thoughts. But only the Anishinabe will know me. I am not to desire the companionship of Anishinabe or others...but only the Anishinabe shall know or honor me.
The Ojibwa people knew of these creatures long before the arrival of the Europeans.
You can type the name of this book into the internet to find out more about it. It’s a rather hard book to find, but one that validates the belief in such creatures by people pre-dating modern times.
The Chequamegon Forest area is sparsely populated and may be as good as place as any for a future expedition. The Apostle Islands even more so as only Madeline Island is populated. The rest of the islands experience human activity mostly in the summer months. A winter expedition could yield interesting results, especially if there were sufficient snowfall for tracking.
Personally, I have never heard of any BF stories or sightings in my time up here, but usually approach such topics with an open mind.
If you would like more information, please feel free to contact me.
PS. I also read about sightings near Spring Valley, Minnesota. I am also familiar with that area as well. During the years of about 1998 to 2002, I was a member of the Minnesota Speleological Survey, the states officially recognized “caving” club. During this time I explored area caves and occasionally assisted the group with various cave related projects. I also learned that there are many caves in this area, unknown to the general public. The terrain is somewhat hilly and wooded around the streams and rivers. Otherwise is flat or gently rolling farm land. Many of these caves can be accessed quite easily and some are quite large enough to provide protection from the elements, even during the winter months as caves in this area are slightly less than 50 degrees Fahrenheit.
If memory serves me right, Filmore County has the most sinkholes per square mile, or so I’ve heard others proclaim. New caves are discovered every year. The nearest, publically known cave, is Spring Valley Caverns, a private cave ran by John Ackerman, a devout Karst preservationist. His cave system, last I knew, contained almost 5 miles of passages in less than a square mile of actual surface area with new passages being discovered all of the time.
Minnesota’s biggest cave, Mystery Cave, is in Forestville State Park, maybe about 20 miles from Spring Valley. It has over 13 miles of passages under about 2 or 3 square miles. There are many other caves in the area as well.
I think you can probably see where I’m going with this. Karst areas may warrant a closer look to see if there are any correlations between the number of sightings verses the number of known caves. This would include areas of Tennesse, Alabama, and Georgia as well. Or maybe you’ve already looked at that. If not, I just thought I would point out these details about the Spring Valley area that you may not have been aware of.
In my neck of the woods, the only caves in the Chequamegon Forest area that I am aware of are the “sea” caves, formed by erosion from Lake Superior in the red sandstone which makes up much of geology. These are not really caves, but more like dead ended tunnels in the rock. However, as an “retired” caver, the possibility of finding a new cave always excites me and I have looked at some interesting geology here in hopes of finding one.
About BFRO Investigator Paul Schnabel:
Paul Schnabel is a letter carrier for the U.S. Postal Service and an EMT for the area search and rescue.
Paul attended the BFRO's 2006 Wisconsin, 2007 and 2008 Michigan U.P. expeditions and the 2008 Minnesota private expedition | <urn:uuid:c8ae94cd-544d-45cd-903a-a165a3df6b47> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.bfro.net/GDB/show_report.asp?id=11026 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00008-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.977055 | 2,244 | 1.84375 | 2 |
I agree, it is important to make it easier for parents to find excellent reading material for their kids.
And, as Jen explained in her post, there are several good sources for find good reading recommendations.
Not surprisingly, children's book awards are one of them.
Maybe one of the best.
So in that spirit - let's celebrate together, as the shortlists of the Carnegie and Kate Greenaway children's book awards 2013 in Britain have just been announced by the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals.
The Carnegie Medal was instituted in memory of library champion Andrew Carnegie. The medal is awarded by children's librarians every year to the writer of the most outstanding book for children and young readers.
If not, maybe you will be after you hear that previous winners include C.S. Lewis, Philip Pullman, Eleanor Farjeon, Mary Norton and Terry Pratchett. Eight books have been shortlisted this year.
The Kate Greenaway Medal was established in 1955 and named after popular children's book artist Kate Greenaway. It is awarded by children's librarians every year for an outstanding book in terms of illustration for children and young people.
Previous winners include Raymond Briggs, Shirley Hughes, Janet Alhberg and Quentin Blake. Eight books have been shortlisted this year for this medal, as well.
OK, Read Aloud Dad will not keep you waiting any more.
Drumroll.... so who are the shortlisted candidates for the UK's oldest and most prestigious children's book awards?
The Carnegie Medal 2013 shortlist (8 outstanding books):
A Boy and a Bear in a Boat by Dave Shelton
The Weight of Water by Sarah Crossan
A Greyhound of a Girl by Roddy Doyle
In Darkness by Nick Lake
Midwinterblood by Marcus Sedgwick
Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein
The Kate Greenway Medal 2013 shortlist (8 best illustrated):
I Want My Hat Back by Jon Klassen
King Jack and the Dragon by Helen Oxenbury (illustrator) and Peter Bently (author)
The winners of the CILIP Carnegie Medal and the CILIP Kate Greenaway Medal will be announced by CILIP: the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals on Wednesday 19th June 2013 at an afternoon ceremony at the Natural History Museum in London.
The winners will each receive £500 worth of books to donate to their local library and the coveted golden medals.
Please tell me - do you have a favorite?
- Reviews of great book sets, illustrated editions, chapter and picture books
- Advice for improving your read-aloud sessions
- Tips on how to become a read-aloud ninja and more
Enjoyed this post? Please share it! | <urn:uuid:1b913824-694b-4a8f-8248-02d3b0cc0baa> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.readalouddad.com/2013/03/2013-carnegie-kate-greenway-medal-awards-books.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00010-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.954179 | 570 | 1.59375 | 2 |
Posts Tagged ‘business’
Mary Meeker from venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins recently gave a presentation at Stanford University on the the state of the web. The slide deck is filled with industry trends and statistical data to back it up.
So, I went through the deck and if you’re paying attention to the world we live in, nothing in the deck should be a surprise to you. Every presentation of this kind is backward-looking. That is, it describes trends that everyone can observe. These sorts of presentations do not “look around corners” nor do they speculate on a discontinuous or non-linear future. Of course, these latter events in history represent the significant opportunities for society and culture.
All that being said, there is interesting trend data and statistics in Mary Meeker’s deck.
The linear societal doom
It was going good until I looked at the last few slides in the deck. One slide shows US spending on entitlements and debt as percent of GDP. Another slide shows the distribution of taxes among entitlements, defense, interest and other. The US spends 57% of taxes on entitlements. A third slide shows that entitlement and interest expense will exceed GDP by 2025.
What Jay-Z knows
We were kids without fathers… so we found our fathers on wax and on the streets and in history. We got to pick and choose the ancestors who would inspire the world we were going to make for ourselves. – Jay-Z
What Jay-Z knows is about peer groups. Pick your peer group, don’t let it fall to chance.
Everyone who walks on the face of the earth encounters peer groups. Each peer group has it’s own culture and set of standards. Whether you are going to be successful in life (a sort of difficult self-referential idea inside the group) depends on what peer group you hang with.
We could probably all agree that being part of the entitlement system which represents 57% of tax revenue spending is, in a sense, making one group of people pay for the existence of another group of people. If this entitlement peer group continues to grow then a well-functioning economy is unsustainable. When entitlements and debt exceed GDP (Gross Domestic Product) then that will be the end of the “late great USA”.
Pick who will inspire you…
Reading the slide deck its easy to see that the folks who consume these sorts of decks believe that “the future has unlimited possibilities”. And, as Jay-Z says, “we pick and choose… [those] who would inspire the world we are going to make for ourselves.”
But what about the other peer group? What about the people who consume 57% of the taxes that other people pay?
There are people everywhere where the temptation of having someone else pay your way is too strong to resist. I encounter these people from time to time. They have little regret or embarrassment for their situation. They would rather spend their time “working the system” to try to get benefits than spend their time positioning themselves to be productive members of society.
Read the Jay-Z quote again and then page through the slide deck linked below.
Who will you pick to inspire the world that we collectively will make? Are you the “Meekers’s” or a recipient of the 57% of tax revenue?
Read some related postings
How do organizations deal with changes in the external environment? | <urn:uuid:b9e4578c-d358-4c76-a18b-ef21e6dad73d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://frrl.wordpress.com/tag/business/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00016-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.953498 | 720 | 1.578125 | 2 |
U.S. Senators Tim Johnson (D-SD) and John Thune (R-SD) Thursday joined Senator John Barrasso (R-WY) in reintroducing the Good Neighbor Forestry Act, which would allow for cooperative agreements between the federal government and State foresters. This bill would allow cooperation between federal agencies and State foresters to provide certain forest, rangeland and watershed restoration and protection services on U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management lands in western states.
"This legislation would allow South Dakota and the federal government to work together on critical issues facing our forests, such as the mountain pine beetle epidemic," Johnson said. "These partnerships will help increase efficiency and make our federal dollars go further in addressing this crucial problem."
"One of my highest priorities is providing our foresters the necessary tools to effectively battle pine beetles in the Black Hills" said Thune. "This important legislation would cut red-tape and bring together conservationists, state and federal agencies, and local governments to fight against pine beetle threats. Coordinated efforts are needed in order to effectively manage infested lands and to prevent the spread of pine beetle infestation. I look forward to working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to protect and preserve some of our Nation's greatest treasures that are under attack from the pine beetle infestation."
The partnerships created by the Good Neighbor Forestry Act would allow federal agencies to contract with State foresters for activities including treating insect infected trees, hazardous fuels reduction, and restoring or improving overall forest, rangeland and watershed health, including fish and wildlife habitats. The legislation would help promote and coordinate projects that deal with both State and federal lands.
Good Neighbor Authority pilot programs have been ongoing in Utah and Colorado for several years. The bill would expand the authority and apply it to states west of the 100th meridian, including South Dakota. The federal agency would continue to be responsible for conducting the applicable environmental reviews and planning under the National Environmental Policy Act.
Johnson and Thune both cosponsored the bill last Congress. | <urn:uuid:5212ee3e-6634-499d-b215-a6816566d698> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.kotatv.com/story/21217402/johnson-thune-barrasso-reintroduce-good-neighbor-forestry-act | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706890813/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516122130-00011-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.955277 | 419 | 1.8125 | 2 |
Hibachi chefs are entertainers and culinary arts experts that wow dinner guests with seemingly impossible coordination, skill, and sometimes humor. Unlike an executive chef who works behind closed doors in a commercial kitchen, a Hibachi chef entertains dinner guests during the entire food preparation process. For food aficionados that love to tell stories and have a knack for flair, becoming an entertainment chef is only a few, well-planned steps away.
There are two ways to become a chef entertainer: school or work experience. Although it is possible with many years working as an underling, the fastest path is to attend a culinary arts school where you must first learn the basics of food preparation and cooking. Working at a restaurant that uses hibachi chefs to entertain guests is a good step toward becoming a chef entertainer, but prior training or knowledge of food is necessary.
One can learn how the chef does the job at a hibachi grill, but it is more important to know why. Because food is prepared in front of a live audience, it is very important for a hibachi chef to know all about the food, the cooking techniques, nutritional values, and more. People ask questions and a good chef will always know the answer. (A great hibachi chef is usually great at making that answer as entertaining as possible.)
During culinary arts school, chefs are trained in all things food-related. Most students start with basics (nutrition, food groups, and tools) and then move on to advanced courses in preparation methods, cooking techniques, and presentation. Once a chef is an expert on all of the knowledge required to be an ‘executive chef’ in a commercial kitchen, then he or she is ready to train as a chef entertainer.
The most reliable method for hibachi chef training is to ‘put yourself into the fire’, so to speak. This means taking a job at an establishment that is already working with hibachi chef entertainers. As a new chef, you will learn how to prepare foods for the hibachi chef that works in the dining room. With time, hibachi chefs in training will observe the role of the hibachi chef.
To be a great chef entertainer, you need to be able to tell stories and perform various tricks that will delight your dinner guests. This can include special knife techniques, working with open flames, juggling, and a number of other special skills. Trained hibachi chefs pride themselves on having a ‘unique’ talent – so you will need to spend some time developing a talent that makes you special as a chef entertainer.
If you hope to be hired by the establishment where you spend time as a hibachi chef in training, it is important to practice responsible work ethics. It goes without saying, but showing up on time, being excited about the job, and always paying attention to the details will go a long way in securing a job in the future. Disclose to your supervisor and to hibachi chefs that you want to become a chef entertainer.
So, to sum up: Becoming a trained chef entertainer takes time and dedication, but there are only 4 steps in getting there.
- Go to school. Learn all that you can about the culinary arts.
- Find kitchen work at a restaurant or establishment that hires hibachi chefs.
- Express your desire to learn and closely observe other chefs. Let them train you over time.
- Consistently show your interest and dedication while cultivating your own unique style.
In time, you could be promoted to ‘chef in training’, which allows you the ability to actually work with a trained chef. Learning the trade can take six months to a year, but is well worth it if you truly enjoy the art of entertainment as much as you enjoy the art of cooking. | <urn:uuid:ba6cd8c4-53ba-4619-a6ae-ff3c5524e9b1> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://cooking-schools.us/articles/how-to-become-a-chef-entertainer-hibachi-chef-training/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00007-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.952366 | 793 | 1.765625 | 2 |
PDT Staff Writer
The Scioto County Drug Court has seen a number of successes in its three years of existence. The court is operated by volunteers from various agencies that have seen it work in other cities and want to make sure it works in Scioto County.
Judge William Marshall was a former Portsmouth City prosecutor for 13 years.
"My philosophy when I was prosecutor, when it came to drug addicts, was to lock them up and throw away the key. That's what I kept going for. When I became Municipal Court Judge, within a year or two Daniel Cassity appeared at my door," Marshall said.
Cassity told Marshall the way they were doing things was not working, and the judge agreed.
"We were throwing people in jail or putting people in prison and they are coming back worse than they left," said Marshall. "They come back better drug addicts, they knew how to hide their addictions better. They were better liars. He and I sat down and that's when we first decided to get a drug court going."
In drug court, if the victims are on board, first-time non-violent felony offenders are given a chance to beat a felony conviction.
"If they can successfully complete the program, we will dismiss the charge against them," Marshall said.
Once the program is complete and everything is met, "we will seal their records, so they are not stuck in low-paying industries for the rest of their lives," Marshall said.
He went on to explain that drug court is more intensive than probation. Participants have to meet with court officials on a weekly basis in a group session.
"About a year-and-a-half is about the fastest you can get through the program, and that's if you do not have any backwards steps. As is the pattern with most drug addicts, they fall off sometimes, but you cannot give up on them --the idea is to give them support and positive reinforcement instead of negative," Marshall said.
It has taken the court a long time to get up and going. The court has been looking and applying for grants, but have not received one yet.
The court operates through the probation department with Tami Martin as the director. All the people on the drug court staff are volunteers.
"No one has received a single cent for their time. All that is, is time, devotion and the fact that we think we are doing something good for the community," Marshall said. "Drug addicts are not bad people, they are people who have gotten addicted to drugs for one reason or another. A lot of them start out legitimately taking pain medication and then the doctor pulls them off their pain medication and they cannot stop taking it, and that's what we see the most of.
"The people that I have put in prison as drug addicts, I would say 80 percent of them re-offend within a year of their release. Of the people who have successfully completed drug court, none have re-offended," Marshall noted.
Marshall thinks the court is having a beneficial effect in the community. They are turning people back, who are getting more than minimum wage jobs and are back with their families again and leading productive lives.
"The thing that I have noticed that's so prevalent around here is the young mothers who get addicted to drugs. It ends up being the grandparents who are raising their children. Through the court, we are reuniting the mothers with their children," Marshall said.
Currently there are 14 participants in the program. "Once (participants) go into our program, they have to be in some kind of treatment whether that be outpatient, or inpatient. If they do have a relapse, we put them into an in-house rehab," said Tami Martin, probation officer and Drug Court coordinator.
The in-house rehab can vary from The Counseling Center's Marsh House, Stepping Stone House or a variety of other places.
"We are not saying they are going to have a relapse, but we understand if they do. With their addiction, we give them the tools, the options and the opportunity to get clean," Martin said. "We put people back into the workforce. Some participants have never worked; they have been with the addiction so long they have lost a job or never had one."
The Counseling Center provides treatment to the Drug Court participants to try to get them back on task and provide them with the necessary tools to live a clean and sober life.
The Counseling Center provides its services at no cost to the drug court.
"We are not necessarily dealing with bad people, but sick people who are trying to get better. We monitor that throughout The Counseling Center through a twelve-step recovery process," Cassity said.
Cassity said he gets calls any time of the day or night. "We would prefer to have that phone call from them, than a phone call from the police department. It's about forming these relationships, it's about forming these bonds as an extended family."
When people show up at drug court, resistance to the addiction is always prevalent. Cassity said its the nature of the beast.
"The incentives the judge is giving these people is a very good incentive. It helps with resistance and motivation," Cassity said.
For those that relapse, there are sanctions placed on them. They spend some time in jail.
"Between knowing that there are consequences for their behavior and knowing there are positive things in the end. It squashes a lot of that resistance," Cassity said.
The volunteer staff with the Drug Court went through quite a bit of federal training for the operation of the court.
"One of the things we learned from the federal sanctions is that it's not a good idea to put people in jail during times they are working. We find out when they have weekends off and that's when they serve their time in jail," Marshall said. "You take away a person's weekend that really hurts them. You take them out of the workforce, they lose their job and that benefits no one."
The court tries to work around the participant's work schedule to enforce the sanctions.
"The bottom line is, when it's all said and done, what we are trying accomplish is that we are not just making a drug addict sober, but rather have a drug addict who is sober and is a productive member of society again," Cassity said.
It's also mandatory in Drug Court that participants have at least a GED once they finish the course.
"It's important for the family (of the one effected) to understand the process. We also offer education for the family. We host the Loved One's Group every Wednesday night to help better get the families on the same page as the client," Cassity said. "Family members can either be detrimental to the recovery or they can be a positive influence. We run across a lot of codependency issues -- where people will defend and be in denial over their loved one to begin with. That has to be overcome so they can set those boundaries for the individual."
The Loved One's Group is for the family and friends of the effected individual. They meet for an hour, 6 p.m. - 7 p.m., and is free of charge and remains confidential. The group is open to anyone who has a family member who is afflicted with the disease of addiction.
Cassity said that it's very important the family remain a positive support system for the individual.
"At the same time, to know what the signs are if a person starts to fail or slip again. The family will know to get back in touch with us and we can try to get the person back on board before they get too far gone," Cassity said. | <urn:uuid:f9460f6e-4a04-49c6-9f7d-6942ff623b94> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.portsmouth-dailytimes.com/view/full_story/1623007/article-New-drug-court-the-site-of-many-successes | 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 | 0.984067 | 1,593 | 1.523438 | 2 |
Prayer plays role in places of healing
Published: Monday, November 26, 2012 at 9:46 p.m.
Last Modified: Monday, November 26, 2012 at 9:46 p.m.
Shateria Williams was told she would never get pregnant.
She'd been trying to conceive since she married at age 20, but a year later, she was diagnosed with cervical cancer. She had one of her ovaries removed, significantly decreasing her chances of ever bearing children.
But earlier this month, Williams' doctor had wonderful news: Williams, now 29, is pregnant. She's also cancer-free.
Stories of medical miracles and inexplicable healing experiences occasionally trickle down from the medical establishment. At the heart of these stories is oftentimes, at least for patients, the power of prayer. People often turn to prayer and faith when they are sick, and even if they are never cured in the flesh, experts say the process of getting closer to God constitutes a sort of spiritual salvation that itself is healing.
"Prayer is a form of communication between an individual and the creator," said Louis Ritz, the director of the University of Florida Center for Spirituality and Health. "As long as that line is open, healing is going to take place."
But some patients whose prayers are not answered begin to struggle with their faith. Williams hadn't been to church in three years until last month.
"You get to the point when you think the preachers are lying. I'd been told by at least 100 pastors that I would get pregnant, and nothing happened," she said.
But Williams got "a different feeling" one day in mid-October, at her doctor's appointment at North Florida Regional Medical Center, when a woman working there gave Williams a pamphlet about a guest preacher at the Jones Temple Church of God in Christ in Williston. Williams decided to give church one more try.
She and her family went to the Williston church on the night of Oct. 20, and when the preacher touched Williams, she said she felt a burning sensation in her body and started to scream.
"The power of prayer burned out that cancerous condition," said Pastor Shalonda Session-Willis, the preacher that night. "Prayer is more or less the tool God gave us to bridge the gap between the natural and the supernatural."
A week later, Williams found out the cancer was gone, and three weeks later, that she was pregnant.
While stories like Williams' might represent the miraculous outcomes that some people associate with prayer, at its most basic, prayer reduces patients' anxiety, said Peter Fauerbach, a chaplain at Shands at UF. "It helps them feel there is power beyond them, beyond the doctors that are there with them," Fauerbach said. "Prayer helps them turn over what's happening to them to God, and that can relieve their worry."
Alfonso Harris, a 32-year-old from Ocala, has been in and out of hospitals with sickle-cell anemia since he was born. He prays at night and throughout the day.
"When I'm feeling good, I walk down to the chapel and write my prayers in the book," said Harris, who is now hospitalized at Shands. "It gives me something to look forward to. I figure the more I do it, the stronger I'll get." Praying has helped him feel better physically, too. "It keeps me moving. If I didn't do it, I'd be stuck," he said.
Thomas Johnson, a chaplain at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Gainesville and Alachua County prisons, attributes the power of prayer to his recovery from AIDS and a brain tumor he said was the size of his fist. While prayer "defies the natural order of life," said Johnson, it should never be substituted for medical treatments.
"This is not what God says. Even Luke in the New Testament is a doctor."
Doctors and medical students are frequently called on to pray with patients, said Ritz, who conducts workshops for third-year students on end-of-life issues.
"(Praying) is an opportunity to bond with your patients. It's an opportunity to share (with) a patient that you really care."
And that's appropriate, since a physician's role is in part to relieve patients' suffering, and prayer can relieve the mental turmoil associated with physical suffering, Ritz added.
How prayer actually alleviates pain and suffering is still somewhat of a mystery, although studies have shown that both prayer and meditation can positively affect circuits throughout the brain, said Ritz, who is also a professor in the department of neuroscience at the UF College of Medicine and McKnight Brain Institute.
But pinning science to what appear to be miraculous events is another story. Ritz said he hears about recoveries similar to Williams' all the time.
"I don't doubt them. Throughout history, all sorts of miracles have taken place," Ritz said. "I'm confident that someday we will understand the laws behind them."
Contact Kristine Crane at 338-3119 or firstname.lastname@example.org. | <urn:uuid:0b8c80f2-4e56-42b0-bb24-24ef4b83af80> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.gatorsports.com/article/20121126/ARTICLES/121129696/0/GUARDIAN | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00015-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.979511 | 1,078 | 1.71875 | 2 |
IBM Cranks Up Compute Centers' PowerBy Jeffrey Burt | Posted 06-23-2006
The Armonk, N.Y., company will add more computing power to the Blue Gene supercomputing systems in the centers, as well as more BladeCenter blade systems powered by Advanced Micro Devices' Opteron processors, said David Gelardi, vice president of deep computing at IBM.
IBM also will add systems running on its own Power5+ processors. Up to this point in the 3-year-old Computing Capacity on Demand project, IBM has offered only a small amount of computing resources on the Power platform.
Gelardi said requests by some software partners, such as MSC Software, as well as the growing interest in running AIX and some Linux workloads on Power persuaded him to add more Power5+ systems into the mix.
The addition of more BladeCenter LS20 blade servers running on Opteron is part of a growing trend at the centers toward blade servers for x86 workloads, he said. The density and networking improvements of blades over traditional rack servers offer benefits for both IBM and end users, he said.
Big Blue introduced the first blade server to the centers a year ago, and already they account for 40 percent of the non-Blue Gene servers, Gelardi said. He expects that percentage to grow.
"As I'm replacing technology, I'm moving in the blade direction," he said.
The centers house massive computer systems that customers can tap into when they need additional computing capacity. Gelardi said IBM officials initially expected that demand was going to come primarily from businesses seeking extra power over a short amount of time to complete workloads.
Read the full story on eWEEK.com: IBM Cranks Up Compute Centers' Power | <urn:uuid:a9b5f49e-43b9-49e5-9878-5164f1c5bda7> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.cioinsight.com/print/c/a/Past-News/IBM-Cranks-Up-Compute-Centers-Power | 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 | 0.944849 | 366 | 1.710938 | 2 |
A hundred years had passed since Arthur’s death. Arthur watched as Merlin never failed to visit the Lake of Avalon. He appeared to spend a lot of his time by the shore of the lake. Arthur hoped that Merlin at least had a home to live out his days in. That he wasn’t living outside, the fire his only source of warmth.
Arthur dearly wished he could reach out to Merlin, tell – no – demand of him to move on with his life. To be happy, to have a fulfilling life. To come back to the site of his funeral for a hundred years was unnatural.
Even if Merlin was the most powerful sorcerer to have ever existed and blessed with immortality – although Arthur could see in Merlin’s eyes that this ‘blessing’ was more of a curse --, he was still human. To Arthur, Merlin was still Merlin. His servant and close confidante with flaws and faults like any human. And since Merlin was human, he shouldn’t be grieving this long, so lost in the past.
It hurt Arthur to see Merlin alone knowing how his heart ached for Arthur. The former King of Camelot knew this feeling well because he felt the same for Merlin. His heart ached for him, his body and soul was full of love and affection for the amiable yet infuriating man he’d grown to love and call friend. The truest friend he’d ever had.
Arthur felt like what he had said to Merlin before he’d died hadn’t been enough. His ‘thank you’ seemed inadequate, lacking, in return for Merlin’s devotion and loyalty to him. But he couldn’t think of any proper way to reward the man, the sorcerer, he owed so much to. Arthur didn’t miss the fact that he wouldn’t have lived as long as he’d had without Merlin’s vigilant watch over him.
Merlin had been the guardian angel that had helped him with the unforgettable blue ball of light that time when Arthur was stubbornly determined to save Merlin’s life – for Arthur could have never lived with himself to have Merlin die so that he might live.
All that time. All those years. Merlin had been his secret guardian angel for years and Arthur had been unaware.
Well now, Arthur would be Merlin’s guardian angel. He had to see him, advise him about what he should do. For Arthur couldn’t watch Merlin live so miserably. Merlin had had years, decades, to grieve Arthur’s loss. It was time for him to move on, to start truly living again, make the most of his immortal life.
It was Arthur’s greatest wish to see Merlin smiling again, laughing again. Even be a father because Arthur couldn’t think of a more loving man than Merlin.
He spoke to the Lady of the Lake for only she could allow him to see Merlin. Arthur knew she would understand. She cared for Merlin and she would want him to be happy.
“I can’t let Merlin be like this. I need to speak to him face-to-face,” Arthur explained to her.
“It is not your time to return, Arthur Pendragon.”
“I know.” Arthur said, bowing his head.
“But I share your concerns about Merlin. I can allow you to visit him in his dreams. If anyone can get through to him, you can.”
“Thank you, My Lady,” Arthur said solemnly.
~ * ~
Merlin could scarcely believe it. He saw Arthur alive before his eyes. Yet he looked like a ghost, pale and grey.
“Arthur…Arthur, is it truly you?” Merlin uttered in hope.
Arthur smiled, looking as happy as Merlin felt. “Yes it is,” he assured her. “You’re dreaming, Merlin. I came to tell you something.”
“What is it? What do you need to tell me?” Merlin asked, overwhelmed with emotion to see Arthur again no matter if it was in the midst of his dreams.
“My final wish for you. It has been a hundred years, Merlin. While I’m flattered at your devotion to me, I can’t let you continue to do this. Please move on with your life. I want you to be happy, to smile and laugh again. I want to see tears of happiness not of sorrow.”
“I miss you so much,” Merlin only said, sounding defeated.
“I know. I wish I can return to you now, but it’s not my time yet. I know it’s difficult for you to listen to me, Merlin…it has been one of your more enduring qualities, but if there’s one time you heed my words, let it be now. I know it won’t be easy yet know this. I would be the happiest man in Avalon if I see you happy and cheerful again. I’ve missed your smiles, Merlin. If you don’t want to do it for yourself, then do it for me. Please, Merlin. You know I don’t like to beg, but I am now. You’re still alive. You should --”
“—live a fulfilling life and not spend every waking moment anticipating your return.”
Arthur nodded. “Maybe instead every other day you can think of me,” he joked lightly.
Merlin gave him a small smile, accepting the teasing. “All right. I will try. Before…when you were dying, we didn’t get to talk properly about all I did for you and for Camelot.”
Arthur raised his hand. “There will be time for that when I return. I can only see you briefly now. You can tell me all your stories of intrigue and magic when I can leave Avalon.”
Merlin nodded, and then he bit his lip. “Can I --?” He asked tentatively.
He reached out to touch Arthur’s cheek. His fingers went through Arthur’s cold-feeling skin.
“Sorry…I can feel you though, in my own way,” Arthur was quick to reassure him. “I’m glad I’m able to see you at all.”
Merlin smiled. “Me too.”
He kissed Arthur lightly, a brush against his mouth that left Merlin feeling a cold breeze. He sighed. No matter that the two of them couldn’t touch each other as they desired, Merlin was grateful to have Arthur here with him in his dreams. If only for a brief time.
“I don’t want to say goodbye,” Arthur told him. “So I’ll just leave you with my wish for you to be happy. I’m not worth you being sad for the rest of your life. I’m not.”
“You are to me. You told me once that no man is worth your tears…but you are worth them, every single one,” Merlin said firmly. “But I will try to live my life as you wish it.”
“Merlin, if I’d known that man had been your father, I wouldn’t have said that.” Arthur said with a frown.
“How do you know now?”
“I’ve been able to meet with him during my time at Avalon. He told me.”
“How was he?”
“Hoping you would be all right. I’m sure your father would be glad that I’d be telling you to move on with your life.”
“Two against one?” Merlin mused.
“And don’t forget it,” Arthur retorted with a crooked smile. Then he started to fade away gradually, and sadly, Merlin realized his fleeting reunion with Arthur was coming to an end.
“I hate that you have to go,” Merlin uttered almost like a lost child.
“I will always be with you, Merlin. Even if you can’t see me. Just close your eyes, and you’ll feel my presence… I’m certain with your magical abilities, you can sense me. As long as you believe you can.”
“I wish you could have told me that years ago,” Merlin said to him with a sigh. “Yet I always felt you in my heart, a part of you remained inside me.”
“As you are forever in my heart,” Arthur confided in him. “I discussed you with the Lady of the Lake, and she was very agreeable to having my presence be felt by you. That you would know I was there. She and I both agreed that you have grieved for too long. Though I cannot be with you physically, there is this chance. It was the best I could do.”
“I understand. I await your return,” Merlin said with a nod.
Arthur smiled, and he could only say, “Until the next time, old friend,” before he finally disappeared back to his present home at the Isle of Avalon.
Merlin watched the space Arthur had occupied. He smiled to himself, thanking Freya in a whisper for allowing Arthur to be with him in some form as he lived out the rest of his long life.
He wished he could see Freya again to thank her in person, but Merlin didn’t doubt that Freya, his beloved Lady of the Lake, heard his words of gratitude.
~ * ~
Merlin thought he had seen all that there was in the world, but one morning changed all of that.
He encountered his first mermaid. Or, actually, a mermaid who had apparently lost her fish tail and was left with a set of legs she could barely stand up with. Of course legs were foreign to her, so it wasn’t too easy to get them cooperate.
Merlin watched her collapse on to the seashore, frustrated, her brilliant red hair spread around her head.
He just knew he had to help her because, well, she was completely naked and could use some clothing. Perhaps a dress. And she looked miserable – possibly almost as miserable as he’d been over the last century without his King.
“Er, hello,” Merlin said slowly with as friendly of a smile as he could manage. “I’m Merlin. I mean you no harm,” he was quick to reassure her when she sat up and stared at him in alarm. She looked down at herself as if to check that yes, she wasn’t wearing anything, and a man was seeing her naked. “I just want to help you,” he said kindly, keeping his distance.
The mermaid rearranged her long locks to cover her chest as best as she could.
“Some clothing would be nice,” she said almost defiantly, as if she were trying to compensate for her disorientation with her strange new circumstance. “I’ve fallen in a bad way…and I have to try to be human now,” she explained, sounding like it was the worst fate possible.
“I can help with that,” Merlin offered. He summoned his magic to create a simple but warm blue dress for her to wear.
The dress covered her body instantly, and Merlin added a dark blue cape at her back as well. He put comfortable shoes upon her feet as a final touch.
The red-headed former mermaid stood up shakily, impressed by the magical display. She looked at him. “I’ve always wanted to meet a wizard. How lucky am I! Thank you,” she praised him. “My name is Amelia,” she introduced herself.
Then she overbalanced, falling forward, as her legs continued to deceive her. Merlin was ready to catch her in his arms before she fell awkwardly.
Amelia sat down in a huff, frowning. “I can’t use my legs very well…sorry…must be silly to you. Walking is supposed to be easy, isn’t it?”
“Oh no, not at all,” Merlin assured her as he sat down beside her. “Everything takes practice. I can help you with walking.”
“I don’t want to be a nuisance,” Amelia confessed.
“No, don’t ever think that. I like helping people, and I’m glad to be of service to you,” Merlin said to her, smiling.
He knocked shoulders with her, trying to get her to smile.
She did. “Well then. I appreciate it.”
Merlin grinned at her.
~ * ~
He hadn’t expected to fall in love with Amelia. Her red hair reminded him of the red of Camelot, of the Pendragon House – comforting old memories of his past life. And that always led him back to Arthur. He was surprised that the pain of loss wasn’t as strong and deep as his thoughts settled on Arthur.
Maybe it was because he had been able to sense Arthur as he’d reassured him he would. Always a warm presence that made Merlin think of all the times Arthur had smiled, had laughed his joyful deep laugh and had just been happy.
Remembering the good times helped to ease the aching hole in his chest. Everything would be all right.
One night, with Amelia sleeping beside him, Merlin spoke quietly aloud to the empty room. He felt that Arthur was there, watching over him as Merlin had done for Arthur many years ago.
“I won’t love another in the way I love you, Arthur. You will always be my King,” he declared. “But you wanted me to be happy, and I cannot deny that Amelia makes me happy.”
He nodded to himself, glad to get that admission said. He hadn’t been expecting a response, never hearing Arthur say a word – and assuming he was not allowed to.
But this time, this glorious time, Merlin heard Arthur’s blessed voice.
“Love her, you idiot,” Arthur’s voice ordered him – ever the King, though Merlin could almost see the pleased look on Arthur’s face.
Merlin couldn’t help but laugh at that. “Prat,” he shot back at him affectionately.
Amelia stirred in her sleep. “Merlin?” She asked him, wondering. She must have heard him speak.
“It’s nothing, dear. Go back to sleep,” he assured her, kissing her softly on the lips.
She smiled, her green eyes lighting up, as he kissed her. She deepened the kiss. “You and your magical ways…” Amelia teased him.
“That’s me,” he said cheerfully.
“Hmmm…you don’t fool me,” she said before sleep claimed her.
Merlin smiled down on her, grasping her hand with his, and he fell asleep himself, still holding her hand.
Yet he didn’t miss the last thing Arthur said to him before then.
“I’m glad you found her,” he told Merlin.
“Me too,” Merlin replied back with a yawn, succumbing to sleep shortly thereafter.
~ * ~
Merlin’s first child was a girl. Amelia named her Lily. Two years later, his next child was a son, and Merlin could choose no other name but Arthur for him.
One afternoon, Merlin was watching both Lily and Arthur while Amelia was away at the market. His son was cradled in his arms while Lily was sitting nearby making headpieces out of flowers. That was when he felt Arthur’s welcome presence beside him.
“Hello,” Merlin said, smiling.
“He has your eyes,” Arthur’s voice said.
“I thought they were more close to your eyes.”
“Don’t be contradictory, Merlin. He can only have your eyes.”
“That’s why I named him after you,” continued Merlin with his explanation.
“I thought it was because he was handsome.”
“I thought being at Avalon would humble you.”
“It would have to take a lot more to humble me.”
“Yeah, you know, I’m not surprised about that revelation,” Merlin said with a roll of his eyes.
“It’s a wonder how we ever became friends,” Arthur said jokingly.
“Absolute miracle,” Merlin shot back without heat.
He heard Arthur laugh. Merlin grinned at hearing the wonderful sound.
“Fatherhood suits you, Merlin. I expect when you become a grandfather, you’ll grow a ridiculous beard.”
“Just for you, I wouldn’t dare.”
“Spoilsport,” Arthur retorted. “See you later, Grandpa,” he teased him.
Merlin felt Arthur’s presence leave him. He shook his head. Arthur the clotpole, he thought – recalling that long ago memory when he first called him that.
Lily came over to show him what she had made, and his son chose that moment to start crying, so Merlin put aside all thoughts of Arthur to focus on his children.
Hopefully soon, Merlin would get to speak to Arthur again and get his revenge for the ‘grandpa’ remark.
~ * ~
~ * ~
A blue lorry passed an old Merlin on the road as he walked down it. He knew he was walking past the Lake of Avalon as he’d done many times before. He had lost count actually.
While he was tempted to look at the Isle of Avalon and the tower situated there, he resisted. He hadn’t felt Arthur’s presence since the turn of the 19th century. He had hoped that absence meant Arthur would return soon, but to his disappointment, Arthur hadn't. One hundred years later, a time of fascinating inventions had come in the early 20th century, and Merlin had been intrigued by them -- the interest becoming a welcome distraction back then. Two world wars had come and gone, and Arthur remained in Avalon – the days when Merlin had felt his presence, heard his voice, had become an old cherished memory.
Despite the radio silence, so to speak, from Arthur; Merlin kept busy. Over the many centuries, he'd magically tracked the descendants of his and Amelia’s children and protected them from afar some of the time. Other times, he had managed to become a part of the family, becoming a close family friend, an uncle, godfather... He made up stories for who he was, and had succeeded, to his surprise, in leaving little suspicion about him and his immortality. Of course altering his appearance had helped.
Now, for the past fourteen years, he had looked after one of his descendants – his great-great-great and so on granddaughter – Merlin had long ago not bothered with the appropriate number of greats. It always made him feel ridiculously ancient, so he just kept it to one great. After his great-granddaughter’s parents had died in a terrible car accident, Merlin had taken in a two-year old Ophelia as his own. As her godfather, he’d actually been babysitting her when her parents had been killed in the accident.
So he'd adopted her and became her official guardian. As Ophelia had grown up, she'd told him about the dreams and nightmares she had. Merlin soon realized that Ophelia had the abilities of a Seer. At first, Merlin had been anxious about this development as he thought of Morgana and how she had gone mad and turned against Camelot. But Merlin knew that the solution was to help Ophelia and be honest with her as he wasn’t with Morgana.
On the wild yet earnest hope that Ophelia being a Seer meant Arthur returning soon, Merlin had even told Ophelia about Arthur. He hoped that maybe she would See him in her dreams and foretell when Arthur would return.
Ophelia was only sixteen, and Merlin knew she was still young and had years to foresee Arthur’s return. But he had waited so long to have Arthur back properly, to finally touch him as he wanted, that Merlin’s patience was beginning to wear thin.
With that unhappy thought, Merlin returned home. He removed his old man disguise enchantment, only going under the disguise when he was out in public and wanted people to leave him alone. Putting on a grim and sour face helped in getting a wide berth from others. He knew that Ophelia was not thrilled with this disguise, but she accepted it as just something he did.
Merlin couldn’t forget Arthur’s long ago comment about him growing a ridiculous beard. While Merlin didn’t think the beard of his disguise wasn’t as ridiculous as the one that Disney version of Merlin had, he still found it ironic that he still stuck with the disguise. In a small way, he hoped that going under the disguise would somehow entice Arthur to visit him. Even if he couldn’t see him as he’d been used to for all those centuries. He could almost hear Arthur’s laugh, thoroughly amused at Merlin’s disguise.
Yet even the chance to tease Merlin hadn’t gotten Arthur to see him for a little over two centuries now.
“I’m home, Ophelia,” Merlin announced as he shut the door.
Ophelia came to meet him with a very happy look on her face. “Oh Dad! It’s happened! I’ve seen Arthur! He’s at the Lake! Oh, you must go!” She told him excitedly.
Merlin stared at her for a beat as if he couldn’t realize what she had just revealed to him. But he had just passed the Lake – had Arthur come back after the Lake had been out of his sight?
“Are you sure, Ophelia?” Merlin asked.
She nodded. “Yes, yes. Now go! You’ve been waiting for so long.”
“Thank you, my dear. I – thank you. I’ll bring him back here and you can meet him,” he told her.
He embraced her, and she hugged him back. Merlin could feel how happy Ophelia was – he had told her about how much Arthur had meant to him so he wasn’t surprised that she was so pleased that he finally could see him again.
Merlin pulled away, grinning at her and feeling like a kid again. “I’ll be off now.”
“Good luck!” She wished him as he practically floated out the door in his joy.
~ * ~
Arthur was at the Lake of Avalon as Ophelia had said. He was stepping out of the Lake, clothed in the same clothes Merlin had laid him to rest in all those centuries ago.
“Arthur!” Merlin exclaimed.
He rushed up to meet him, grinning so hard it almost hurt.
“Well there you are. I’ve been hoping you’d be here,” Arthur said lightly, though he was smiling too.
Merlin pulled Arthur toward him, enveloping in a hug. It was a wonderful thing to properly feel Arthur again, to touch his skin and feel warmth, to hear him breathing and his heart beating.
Arthur returned the hug. “I’ve missed you.”
“I’ve missed you too,” Merlin told him. “And I’ve been waiting to do this for ages.”
“What?” Arthur asked.
Merlin leaned forward and kissed Arthur deeply on the lips.
Arthur responded, and then he whispered, “One of your better ideas, Merlin,” in between breaths.
After a few long moments of enthusiastic kissing, Merlin reluctantly pulled away first.
“I was wondering about something,” Merlin began, looking carefully at Arthur.
Arthur idly fixed his hair that Merlin had ruffled up in the heat of the moment. He nodded at Merlin. “Yes, what is it?”
“I hadn’t felt your presence for two centuries now. You just stopped coming without a word of warning. Was there any reason for that?”
Arthur shrugged. “I’m not sure. I think I just fell asleep…I was dead, Merlin. I guess I had to have a rest. If I’d known that would happen ahead of time, I would have told you…but it came on suddenly.”
“You had to rest for two centuries?”
“I guess so… you were all right, weren’t you? I mean, what’s two centuries with how long you’ve lived.”
Merlin shook his head in disbelief. “Right, of course. I was fine. I kept an eye on my descendants like I told you the last time I saw you. I’m taking care of one of them now after her parents died. I was made her godfather after she was born.”
“So a great-great-great-great--” Arthur was really getting into it before Merlin cut him off.
Merlin made a face. “Shut up. Great-granddaughter is good enough. Ophelia is her name.”
Arthur laughed and Merlin couldn’t help but smile. He was glad to hear Arthur happy and laughing again even if it was at his expense.
Arthur put his arm around Merlin’s shoulders. “Well come on then. I want to see where you live.”
“Wait. You can’t go around looking like that in the year 2012. Unless you fancy going to a RenFair.”
Arthur stared at him in confusion. “What in the world is a RenFair?” Arthur wondered.
“I’ll get to that later. First I should tell you what you missed in the last two hundred years.”
“Please spare me and give me the short version, Merlin,” Arthur requested.
“As you wish, Your Majesty,” Merlin said solemnly, doing an overly formal bow as he finished speaking.
Arthur took that as an opening to give him a noogie. Merlin tackled him to the ground in revenge and somehow, the world seemed to stop and all that mattered to the Once and Future King and his devoted Sorcerer was one another.
As it should be.
~ * ~ | <urn:uuid:8a1615f8-0918-423a-9f97-fecf8ad4d3f0> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://archiveofourown.org/works/666773 | 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 | 0.987877 | 5,830 | 1.765625 | 2 |
The Situation of Poor Education
Posted by Adam Benforado on June 3, 2010
Nicholas D. Kristof had an interesting take in his N.Y. Times column, Moonshine or the Kids?, published last week.
According to Kristof, “[I]f the poorest families spent as much money educating their children as they do on wine, cigarettes and prostitutes, their children’s prospects would be transformed. Much suffering is caused not only by low incomes, but also by shortsighted private spending decisions by heads of households.”
In the article, Kristof profiles a Congolese family, the Obamzas (yes, you read that right). The family is behind on its $6-a-month rent and cannot afford to send the three Obamza children to school at a cost of $7.50 a month. The Obamzas do, however, spend $10 a month on cellphone usage and Mr. Obamza spends $12-a-month drinking at the village bar.
Kristof’s point is well taken—many poor families around the world spend more on alcohol, tobacco, and other “non-essential” goods than they do on educating their children. However, he does not go far enough in searching for the roots of the problem.
Kristof does offer some situationally sensitive solutions: encouraging aid groups and U.N agencies to help women to take “more control over purse strings” and developing microsavings programs that can support a savings culture. Yet, he ultimately seems to place blame on parents like Mr. Obamza. Indeed, the column comes off as being about “personal responsibility” and making wise choices.
This seems particularly shortsighted given the main vices that Kristof mentions: cigarettes, alcohol, and cell phones. These are not goods that people freely “choose” to consume. The first two have been clearly established as addictive. And all three are now actively marketed to people in the third world by various corporate interests eager to hook a new consumer base.
Ultimately, Kristof has identified something that we should all pay attention to—the dreadful state of education for the poorest people in Africa—but he’s asking the wrong questions. He shouldn’t be asking why Mr. Obamza “prioritizes alcohol over educating his kids.” He should be asking about Heineken’s efforts to market its beer and Altria’s efforts to market Marlboro cigarettes to young men and boys in the Congo Republic.
* * *
For a sample of related Situationist posts, see “Inequality and the Unequal Situation of Mental and Physical Health,” “Missing the Situation Leads to Optimism Among Powerful,” “Should Addiction Be Criminalized?,” “The Addictive Situation of Fatty Food,” “Merchants of Discontent – Abstract,” “A “Healthy” Alternative or the Latest Trick?,” “Market Manipulation – Assuaging Cognitive Dissonance,” “Without the Filter,” “Deep Capture – Part VII,” “Promoting Smoking through Situation,” and “The Science of Addiction, The Myth of Choice.” | <urn:uuid:c8bf1ebf-a84e-426f-b135-86c79b08ede5> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://thesituationist.wordpress.com/2010/06/03/the-situation-of-poor-education/?like=1&source=post_flair&_wpnonce=a832ba55c5 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704392896/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113952-00007-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.957043 | 697 | 1.773438 | 2 |
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