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There are more people in the labor force and more people employed, but six more unemployed than the previous month. According to the latest statistics from Georgia Department of Labor, there are 29,305 in the labor force in Spalding County, of which 26,139 are employed and 3,166 are unemployed for the month of September to come up with the 10.8 percent unemployment rate.
For the month of August, there were 28,969 people in the labor force with 25,809 employed and 3,160 unemployed for the 10.9 percent unemployment rate in August. The 10.8 percent unemployment rate is almost two percentage points down from 12.7 percent in September 2011, when there were 29,066 people in the labor force, 25,370 employed and 3,696 unemployed.
The 10.8 percent unemployment rate for September is the highest in the Atlanta Metropolitan Statistical Area, and second only to the 11 percent unemployment in Upson County in the Three Rivers Regional Commission. Spalding County is in both regions for statistical purposes and all of these numbers are not seasonally adjusted.
For the month of September, the national unemployment rate was 7.6 percent, the state rate was 8.6 percent, the 28-county Atlanta MSA rate was 8.4 percent and the Three Rivers Regional Commission rate was 9.2 percent. Statewide, the highest unemployment rate by county was 17 percent in Jenkins County, while the county with the lowest unemployment rate was Banks at 6.1 percent.
The highest rate of the 14 MSAs was 11.2 percent in Dalton, with the lowest at 6.4 percent in Athens-Clarke County. Of the 12 regional commissions, the highest unemployment rate for September is 10.9 percent in Heart of Georgia Altamaha, while the lowest is 7.2 percent in Georgia Mountains.
In the Three Rivers Region, the lowest unemployment rate was in Coweta County at 7.8 percent followed by Pike County at 8.7 percent, Carroll County at 8.9 percent, Troup and Heard counties at 9.5 percent, Butts County at 9.9 percent, Meriwether County at 10.2 percent, Lamar County at 10.6 percent, Spalding at 10.8 percent and Upson County at 11 percent.
Of the other contiguous counties the highest unemployment rate was 10.5 percent in Clayton County, followed by 8.5 percent in Henry County and 7.3 percent in Fayette County.
While Griffin is not listed in city unemployment rates, as the Department of Labor only compiles data on cities with population of 25,000 or more, the Spalding County rate of 10.8 percent in September is equal to the unemployment rate of the Fulton County portion of the city of Atlanta, but just above the 10.7 percent in Lawrenceville and Rome.
Spalding County’s 10.8 percent unemployment is less than the rates in the cities of Albany and Macon at 11.1 percent, Dalton at 11.8 percent and Statesboro and East Point at 12.7 percent, which were the highest in the state for September.
The lowest unemployment rate in the state by city is 6.3 percent in Alpharetta, followed by 6.5 percent in Roswell and 6.6 percent in Sandy Springs all in Fulton County. Of nearby cities, the lowest unemployment is 7 percent in Peachtree City, 8.7 percent in Newnan and Columbus, 10 percent in LaGrange and 10.6 percent in Stockbridge. | <urn:uuid:71d1777e-d26e-4d80-8783-b4b028960f15> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://griffindailynews.com/view/full_story/20660926/article-Unemployment-down-to-10-8-percent-in-September?instance=home_news_lead_story | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705195219/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115315-00017-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.954749 | 725 | 1.78125 | 2 |
No dogs at Glen Park, for now
A popular park in Williamsville says no to dogs, but residents are eager to change the rules. Some want to be able to walk and play with their pets in Glen Park, but as YNN's Natalia Martinez reports, others say they are just barking up the wrong tree.
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WILLIAMSVILLE, N.Y. — It's a beautiful park, a destination for weddings. But some residents say pets should be allowed to enjoy Williamsville's Glen Park too.
"I think it's really important that obviously another member of the family, our pets, are included when we want to go for walks in the park," Williamsville resident, Elizabeth Lytle told YNN.
But dogs are not allowed here. People have been sounding off about the issue on Facebook.
Dave Saj has visited this park for 20 years and sees dogs here all the time, despite the several signs posted throughout. But Saj says it's nothing bark at.
"Let the people and the dogs enjoy the freedom of the park," Cheektowaga resident,
No dogs were in sight when we visited, we did find the paw prints in the snow. Monday night, opponents told the Village Board that permitting dogs here would make it rough for the ducks, and other wildlife that call this park home.
"There's really a lot of other parks in the village they can use. That particular park I don't think is in the best interest for anybody," said Williamsville resident Beatriz Slick.
State Law requires dogs to always be walked on leashes, and then there's complaints about people not picking up after their pups.
"People don't listen, they don't obey the rules," one resident told board members.
The Village Board pressed the "paws" button on a vote.
"I want to hear what the public has to say," Village of Williamsville Board Member, Christopher Duquin said.
The park's board will now discuss the issue before another public hearing, which will be held soon. | <urn:uuid:06e4077a-76ef-440c-838f-80be4232e65a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://buffalo.ynn.com/content/top_stories/642545/no-dogs-at-glen-park--for-now/?ap=1&Flash | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00014-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.971486 | 455 | 1.5 | 2 |
A digest of news that affects Oregon’s economy, now on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
Oregon’s economy lost ground in July, snapping a yearlong growth streak, according to a Federal Reserve index. It’s the state’s biggest slowdown in more than two years.
The Oregon Coincident Index has climbed almost every month since July 2009, when it began its rebound from the recession. July 2012 marks only the second time during the 36-month stretch that it has faltered.
The index fell about one-tenth of a percentage point -- a relatively small drop -- yet the largest since the recovery took hold. To calculate the measure, the Fed’s Philadelphia branch takes into account four state-level indicators, including the unemployment rate.
That likely played into Oregon’s uptick. The state’s jobless level climbed in July to 8.7 percent, up from 8.5 percent the previous month.
The Oregon index now stands at 201.79, up 3.4 percent from a year ago. Analysts use 1992 as a base year, measuring the economy’s expansion since then in all 50 states.
More focus on Oregon and its economy:
CBS: Will August job report propel the Fed into action? (University of Oregon economist Mark Thoma)
Fed Watch: Another Jobs Disappointment (U of O's Tim Duy)
Oregon Workforce & Economic Information: Paid vacation available to more than half of U.S. workers
Am I missing anything? Leave your news in the comments section. | <urn:uuid:3fd72db1-ee1f-4013-819f-47c1879ce6b7> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.oregonlive.com/money/index.ssf/2012/09/states_growth_streak_snapped_i.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00006-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.943938 | 327 | 1.554688 | 2 |
My flask is marked on its cap with sterling, B & F, an anchor, a lion, and a small b in a square. Is it valuable?
What it is: CUT-GLASS PERFUME BOTTLE
What you have is a lay-down perfume bottle, not a flask. Amethyst crystal was cut in a pattern to reveal clear glass beneath. Both the bottle and its domed sterling cap are in perfect condition. Perfume bottles, which came in a variety of sizes, shapes, and materials, were luxury items produced by fine craftsmen: Women would bring their bottles to the store to have them filled with their favorite fragrance. The lion and anchor markings indicate that the piece was made in Birmingham, England, while the small b in a square signifies that it was crafted in 1901. Silversmiths in the town stopped indicating the names of glass manufacturers in 1850, so there is no way to identify the maker, although the glass is both elegant and of high quality.
What it's worth: $400 | <urn:uuid:489111cf-23a1-4e7a-9f4c-23183ba884ba> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.countryliving.com/antiques/appraisals/perfume-bottle-0609 | 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 | 0.975001 | 213 | 1.75 | 2 |
Reviewed by Cooper H. (age 8)
Willy needs to win the race because his grandfather needs the $500.00 prize to pay his taxes. The lesson in this book was to stick to something. Willy stuck to his dogsledding and never gave up.
My favorite part was when Searchlight (Willy's dog) went so fast that the sled lifted up off the snow. I liked this part because it seemed like they were going as fast as lightning.
I felt excited when I read this book. It was exciting when Willy won the dog sled race.
I recommend this book to kids in 2nd grade and up because it has a lot of action in the story. They could read it themselves or have it read to them. | <urn:uuid:b2c1824b-5a9b-4b34-a863-0d73e2a4e9eb> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://spaghettibookclub.org/review.php?review_id=5426 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00013-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.996061 | 156 | 1.679688 | 2 |
My friend David has recently shown me some of what he’s been working on with his site for learning Chinese, Popup Chinese. Popup Chinese has always had a great technical backbone, amazing talent in its instructors, and lots and lots of free MP3 lessons. That said, this last batch of upgrades is still pretty impressive.
This a cool writing application that has teaches how to write Chinese characters. The only thing I’ve ever seen like it is Skritter, also a neat tool. The writing pad enforces correct proportions in characters as you write them and also enforces stroke order. The strictness of the stroke order is a little bit frustrating for me, since stroke order isn’t entirely uniform amongst all writers and the stroke order conventions my teachers taught are slightly different than those in the Writing Pad. This issue would be irrelevant to any beginning students who aren’t already accustomed to writing a certain way, though. The app will teach you how to write correctly as well as any app I know of at this point.
– The Writing Pad
You don’t hear much about the HSK here in Taiwan, but if you ever want proof of your Chinese skills so you can go to college in China or brag to a prospective employer, this is the test to take. There’s an impressive array of materials on Popup Chinese to help you get ready for it:
I was pleasantly surprised to see that one of my suggestions months ago made it into the site! For anyone signed up, the site remembers which flashcards they’ve answered right and which ones they’ve missed on and calculates the ideal time to show them again for review. Even for students who are unfamiliar with spaced repetition, this is a huge plus.
Practice Speaking Lessons
I’ve heard about these types of lessons before. I guess if you’re living someplace where Chinese tutors are hard to find or expensive, this option might be worthwhile. People can get one-on-one feedback on their spoken Chinese with a premium subscription.
– Practice Speaking Lessons
The prices have come down quite a bit. For the first time it’s in the price range of something I would have bought as a student. At just under fifty bucks, the “basic plus” subscription is far, far more useful than textbook in existence at roughly the same cost. I sure wish they had this stuff around back when I was in school! | <urn:uuid:59f80261-d65f-4a05-8449-5506ae6f2ad6> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://toshuo.com/tag/david/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00013-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.964507 | 508 | 1.5 | 2 |
Got enough to retire? Think again
If you've enjoyed a prosperous working life, don't count on finding big savings once it ends.
(Money Magazine) -- It's one of the most widely accepted benchmarks in retirement planning: You'll need just 70% to 80% of your pre-retirement income to maintain the same standard of living when you leave work behind.
This rule of thumb can be traced to the replacement-ratio studies done for 20 years by Aon Consulting and Georgia State University. The idea is that since you'll no longer have to plow money into 401(k)s and other accounts and your expenses and taxes are likely to drop, you'll be able to live well on less.
But the latest study by Aon shows that you shouldn't be too quick to rely on this yardstick.
As you can see in the chart at right, you'll need to replace far more of your pre-retirement income if you made the big bucks during your career.
That's largely because your tax bill won't go down as much as you'd expect, in part because up to 85% of Social Security payments are taxable at higher incomes. Notice too that for high earners, Social Security kicks in less.
And finally, let's not forget that these ratios represent average spending. Your actual budget will depend on everything from whether or not you retire with a mortgage to how you want to spend your days.
So how can you settle on a retirement income target that will give you a reasonable shot at achieving the lifestyle you envision? Here are three suggestions.
If anything, we have a tendency to underestimate how much money we'll need in retirement. When the Employee Benefit Research Institute queried workers and retirees earlier this year for its 2008 Retirement Confidence Survey, it found that while almost 60% of those still working said they expected to spend less in the first five years of retirement, more than half of retirees said they had actually spent the same or more.
Given the inherent uncertainty of predicting your spending, I think it's prudent to err on the conservative side. That way you'll be able to handle higher than expected health care expenses or energy spikes in stride. Whatever the average replacement rate is for your income, set your target five to 10 percentage points higher. If you're hoping to travel a lot or otherwise loosen the purse strings, you might take it up another five or 10 points.
Once you have an income goal, go to our Retirement Planner to get a savings target. If you can handle that amount, great. But if you find that building a portfolio large enough for you to retire on, say, 90% of your current earnings requires you to save more than you can afford, lower your sights.
Just remember that if you set the savings bar too low, you may be relegating yourself to a meager retirement lifestyle. To avoid that possibility, go back to our tool periodically or visit a financial planner to see what sort of retirement income you're on track to generate. Then boost your savings rate as your income rises.
Once you're within 10 years of retirement, stop planning on the basis of an estimate and do an actual budget. Ideally, you want to use budgeting software or an interactive online worksheet, such as the one included in Fidelity's Retirement Income Planner (available at fidelity.com; registration required).
You can't predict your future expenses down to the penny. But do as rigorous a job as possible, dividing your budget into essentials (food, shelter and such) that are largely fixed and discretionary items (travel, entertainment). Also consider whether you should build in a reserve for helping out aging parents or grandchildren.
Or you can ignore such nuances and just go with the 70% rule - and hope that a retirement based on the averages is the one you've always dreamed of.
Sign up for Updegrave's weekly e-mail newsletter at cnnmoney.com/expert. E-mail him at email@example.com.Send feedback to Money Magazine | <urn:uuid:18c1fe00-e890-4640-af48-59eebb16eb51> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://money.cnn.com/2008/10/22/pf/expert/ask_the_expert.moneymag/index.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00009-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.955424 | 826 | 1.539063 | 2 |
A Supreme Court justice’s observations about a dearth of commutations in recent years and a high-profile whistleblower’s clemency petition have breathed new life into a public discussion about reforming the pardon program.
Meeting behind closed doors, Justice Department and White House officials have been considering changes to the system since the start of the Obama administration, though the White House appears to have scaled back its ambitions after key personnel changes.
Former White House Counsel Greg Craig, now a partner at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, led a push for major reforms before stepping down last November, according to two people with knowledge of the discussions. He received support from then-Deputy Attorney General David Ogden, who recently returned to his practice at Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP, the individuals said.
Attorney General Eric Holder — whose involvement in the controversial pardon of fugitive financier Marc Rich at the end of the Clinton administration threatened his career — also expressed interest in making the clemency program “more systematic,” said one of the individuals.
The Justice Department’s Office of the Pardon Attorney receives clemency applications and makes recommendations to the White House via the Office of the Deputy Attorney General. A backlog in the pardon office, coupled with fewer clemency grants in recent years, has driven applicants to reach out to the White House directly.
Some critics say the current system is obsolete because it provides the president with no assurances that his grants will be free of political consequences. Meanwhile, they say, a tool used in the past to “correct injustices that the ordinary criminal process seems unable or unwilling to consider,” as Justice Anthony Kennedy once wrote, has fallen into disuse.
An idea favored by Craig was the creation of a blue-ribbon commission or an advisory process inside the Justice Department but apart from the pardon attorney, the people said. After he stepped down in November, however, discussions turned to developing criteria under which clemency petitions should be granted in the existing program.
“Like every administration, we are updating the policy guidance for DOJ on requests for executive clemency,” a White House official said.
Craig and Ogden declined to comment. A Justice Department spokeswoman declined to comment while the policy was under review.
The clemency issue gained attention after the Supreme Court heard arguments last month in Dillon v. U.S., a case brought by a federal prisoner who was sentenced in 1993 to 27 years behind bars for trafficking in crack cocaine.
Percy Dillon, described as a model prisoner, asked the court to decide whether the U.S. Sentencing Commission erred in limiting federal judges’ discretion in new sentencing hearings under Congress’ 2007 reduction in the crack guidelines. A federal judge had called his original sentence “unfair” and “entirely too high.”
At one point, Justice Kennedy asked the government’s lawyer whether the Justice Department ever recommends clemency for prisoners like Dillon. He also questioned whether the lack of commutations last year and the five the year before signaled that “something is not working in the system.”
Margaret Love, a solo practitioner who was pardon attorney in the George H.W. Bush and Clinton administrations, wrote on the American Constitution Society’s blog that the government’s inability to respond to Kennedy’s question “spoke volumes about the deteriorated state of the Justice Department’s clemency program.”
Jenner & Block LLP partner Kenneth Lee, a former White House associate counsel who assisted President George W. Bush with presidential pardons, called on President Barack Obama to make immediate use of his clemency powers.
“Obama should not hesitate or further delay exercising this power with vigor,” he wrote in an April 12 op-ed in The National Law Journal.
The next week, an ex-banker who blew the whistle on mass tax evasion at Swiss bank UBS AG filed a clemency petition, again nudging the issue to the forefront. Bradley Birkenfeld, whom the Justice Department said was crucial to its investigation, is seeking a reduction to time served on his 40-month prison sentence for a fraud conspiracy conviction.
His lawyer, Dean Zerbe, said Birkenfeld’s role in the massive tax case presented a question of policy that made him an attractive candidate for clemency: whether the federal government is sending mixed messages by seeking prison time for a tax whistleblower while encouraging whistleblowers to come forward in its aggressive pursuit of offshore tax evaders.
“Brad certainly provides a good case that reasonable people can look at and say, ‘Let’s think this through and see what we accomplished here,’” said Zerbe, of Zerbe, Fingeret, Frank and Jadav. But Zerbe acknowledged that seeking a commutation “is certainly not an easy road for folks, and it’s an even tougher road for folks who haven’t finished their sentence.” | <urn:uuid:fad7ed42-01bd-4286-a005-1ec66d122505> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.mainjustice.com/2010/04/20/despite-efforts-pardons-system-still-unchanged/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00002-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.950244 | 1,051 | 1.617188 | 2 |
Survey the Scene
For nearly 20 years, Service International has been a force in the restoration of communities stricken by wars and natural disasters--at home and abroad.
We provide what's needed most when it's needed: food, water, and essential supplies for immediate needs; volunteers, tools, equipment, and materials for rebuilding; and skilled medical and dental professionals to bring health and strength. But the greatest and most enduring commodity SI provides is hope. Simply put, Service International is not just about rebuilding houses--we are also about rebuilding lives.
With the hands-on experience gained in the recovery efforts in Chesterfield, Missouri, after the flood of 1993, Service International developed a model to organize and equip communities and volunteers for restoration. SI has used this model in recovery efforts in Kinston, North Carolina; Falmouth, Kentucky; Victoria, Texas; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; and Arcadia and Pensacola, Florida. Many of these areas are now fully recovered from the disaster that struck their region. | <urn:uuid:341f8dec-9de3-4527-baf9-83cf4a4338d8> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.serviceinternational.net/aboutUs/overview.shtml | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00016-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.940542 | 204 | 1.59375 | 2 |
For more than thirty years, Nick Tosches has been the preeminent archaeologist of American popular music. His earliest books—Country: The Twisted Roots of Rock ‘n’ Roll (1977), Hellfire, a life of Jerry Lee Lewis (1982), and Unsung Heroes of Rock ‘n’ Roll: The Birth of Rock in the Wild Years Before Elvis (1984)—eulogize the soundtrack of our culture before it became “Muzak on the elevator to middle age.” Tosches believes that only in the material released before Elvis initiated the process whereby raw power turned into schmaltz can one discover the hopped-up heart of American society. The exceptions to that rule are few and far between, for subsequent to the emergence of rock ‘n’ roll, an ominous sense of purpose took over the music industry. Rather than pursuing excess and energy for their own sake, musicians lived and died by the record charts. The artists Tosches most admires—Big Joe Turner, Louis Jordan, Louis Prima, and Roy Brown, to name but a few—are virtually forces of nature rather than figments of commercial calculation. Tosches only values material like theirs that aims to illustrate the risk and rapture of our limited lives. As he writes of Jerry Lee Lewis,
The truth is that Jerry Lee has always known the end is almost here, must be almost here, and that the almost-here end is the heart of it ; without it, there is no rock-and-roll, no jukebox epiphany, just pale, soft people looking from the window. Without the obsession or the fever or the fear of the almost-here end, all is reasonable and mere.
In order to uncover that obsession and fever, Tosches believes we must reach into our past. Though it may come as a surprise, beneath the surface of Tosches’s hipster patois and rude-boy posturing lies someone committed to the classic verities. Tosches frequently uses the Latin and Greek classics as illustrations of his ideas and is also obsessive in his search for origins. Tosches possesses no interest in novelty for its own sake. He believes that all culture, musical or otherwise, recycles and revises a body of preexistent materials. “What we claim as originality and discovery,” he states, “are nothing but the airs and delusions of our innocence, ignorance and arrogance; that whatever is said was said better—more powerfully, beautifully, and purely—long ago.”
The frequency with which Tosches constructs lists of performances that precede events we presume to be touchstones illustrates his desire to demolish our obsession with innovation. It is difficult to read one of Tosches’s books and not want to purchase a stack of obscure music, for the urgency and passion with which he describes his favorite material is altogether infectious (I should know, for I ended up collecting releases by virtually every artist covered in Unsung Heroes). Tosches makes one feel as if a concerted effort has been made to keep the most volatile and affecting American music hidden away and allow the mediocre and mundane to usurp the rightful position of the hell-bent and heartrending.
The manner in which Tosches presents his ideas is as compelling as the energy of his facination with the material he loves. Tosches characteristically mixes divergent forms’ voices. A paragraph by him will typically incorporate the most latinate of language along with a deliberately gutbucket vocabulary. When this practice achieves an elegant symmetry, Tosches modulates between these seemingly antithetical styles as effortlessly as a musician switches keys. Hellfire, for example, is a masterful exercise. Its transformation of the events in Jerry Lee Lewis’s cataclysmic life into a kind of sermonic rhetoric reads as if the Puritan preacher Jonathon Edwards were narrating VH1’s Behind the Music . On the other hand, his most recent work, The Devil and Sonny Liston (2000), fails to achieve a similar balance. Perhaps it might be my own lack of interest in boxing, but here the shifts in style jar and collide like misplaced punches. The practice, however, is also notably successful in his novels, Cut Numbers (1988) and Trinities (1994). Superficially, these works are thrillers, but the exploits of Tosches’s low-life characters come across as if Herodotus collaborated with Dashiell Hammett.
Tosches’s new book When Dead Voices Gather brings to a conclusion his long-term obsession with an obscure vocalist, Emmett Miller (1900-1962). He introduced him in Country, and the elusive Miller has remained the object of Tosches’s persistent fascination ever since. The initial words he wrote about Miller dubbed him “one of the most intriguing and profoundly important men in the history of country music.” In the years since, Tosches has extended Miller’s importance beyond that genre alone. He elaborates in the present volume: “The very concept of him—a white man in blackface, a hillbilly singer and a jazz singer both, a son of the Deep South and a roue of Broadway—is at once unique, mythic, and a perfect representation of the schizophrenic heart of what this country, with a straight face, calls its culture.” Since 1974, when Tosches first heard Miller’s voice, he has doggedly pursued whatever fugitive scraps of evidence still exist that fill out the image of this nearly phantom figure.
So who was Emmett Miller, and is Tosches’s estimate of his talents mere hyperbole or the genuine article? Until 1996, when Sony reissued Miller’s twenty tracks under the title The Minstrel Man From Georgia, only record collectors and the purchasers of a 1969 bootleg were in any position to judge. Miller began to appear on stage as early as 1919, and he allied himself with a form of performance that time and custom was soon virtually to abolish: blackface minstrelsy. He had seen a traveling troupe at the age of ten and declared his life-long allegiance to the style then and there. Throughout his professional career, Miller would paint his face in cork and imitate the voices and manner of African-Americans. As he frequently recorded portions of his blackface routines in the form of introductions to his songs, Miller’s catalogue remains one of the few documents we possess of this frequently reviled but crucially influential form of performance.
In addition, Miller crafted a unique manner of vocalizing that was to have an indelible effect on many others, most notably Hank Williams. Drawing upon sources we can only imagine, Miller teased his singing with a quavering yodel. It resulted in a sound that, in Tosches’s words, was “congested, nasal, full of after-hours liquor and crazy times.” On his most famous track, “Lovesick Blues,” recorded in 1928, Miller weaves in and out of the melody, swooping along the pitch-line like a drunkard absent-mindedly tracing his erratic path down the street. The yodel does not come across as a simple flourish or outlandish idiosyncrasy. Miller appears instead to abandon himself to the pure pleasure of the sound of his own voice. Hank Williams drew directly upon this practice in his 1949 recording of the song. Tosches also hears echoes of the style in such diverse individuals as Jimmie Rodgers, Gene Autry, Jimmie Davis, and the Western Swing pioneers Bob Wills and Milton Brown. Obscure and commercially unsuccessful as Miller’s recordings may have been, they let loose a form of statement that eventually permeated the national consciousness.
Where Dead Voices Gather does not simply eulogize Miller’s short-lived recording career, which only lasted from 1924 to 1930. Tosches has an equal interest in the more mundane elements of Miller’s life. The impact of the Depression and the waning pubic interest in Miller’s material led Columbia to dismiss him. For the rest of his life, Miller played whatever few remnants of the minstrel circuit remained until passing away in Macon, Georgia in 1962, the same year as William Faulkner, who, like Miller, ventriloquized the voices of African-Americans, only in prose and not song. His surviving relatives remember Miller as a balding, heavy-set, snappily dressed alcoholic who enjoyed a good cigar and retained his sense of style whether driving in a limousine or carrying his belongings in a bandana. His brother-in-law told Tosches, “He always had a good press on his trousers, and his shoes were shined.” What led Miller to his fascination with blackface or his commitment to the form way past its influence on the public remains a mystery.
For Tosches, Miller’s existence amounts to more than the simple sum of his professional achievements or private peccadilloes. Even though Tosches cynically states, “Meaning is the biggest suckers-racket of all and any regard for it, no matter how fleeting, befits a middle-aged fool like me,” he doggedly pursues all the available evidence for the importance of Miller’s career with the tenacity of a private eye. The number of recordings and musicians Tosches brings up either as an influence upon or a consequence of Miller’s music is awe-inspiring. One finishes Where Dead Voices Gather eager not only to hear Miller’s work but also the material by such obscure individuals as the talking bluesman Julius Daniels or the troupe the Southern Negro Quartette. Tosches describes the latter’s “Sweet Mama (Papa’s Getting Mad)” as “black-on-white berserk, with the wildest harmony conflagrations to be heard on any of these forgotten recordings. One regrets, however, that the book fails to contain a discography and therefore hearing these and other tracks would require a fair degree of effort.
There are some other unsatisfying elements of Where Dead Voices Gather. Tosches’s assessment of blackface as a cultural force places too much emphasis upon the permeable relationship between the worlds of black and white entertainment and the color-blind tendency to masquerade. Tosches seems unwilling to grant that the motive for engaging in the practice was anything more complicated than a desire for money on the part of impoverished performers. Bringing the matter down to such an ordinary level may seem to be simple common sense, yet to dismiss blackface as neither a “racist relic” nor a “textbook manifestation of ideology or psychology” fails to come to terms with such a complicated and contradictory matter. One wishes Tosches had the determination to tackle this daunting subject with the ambition that led him over almost thirty years to doggedly track down every possible piece of information about Emmett Miller.
When Dead Voices Gather inevitably brings to mind Greil Marcus’s Invisible Republic (1996), his examination of Dylan’s Basement Tapes and another effort by a prominent music critic to resurrect an essential portion of our by-passed cultural heritage. But where Marcus too often engages in wool-gathering and aimless speculation, Tosches convinces the reader through his wealth of detail, his skill at story-telling, and his commitment to the importance of such a seemingly minor individual. In the end, however, Tosches is forced to concede that much about Miller will remain a mystery despite all his dogged investigations. Nonetheless, Tosches’s elegantly written and emotionally satisfying case for the singer makes one think of American music in an altogether different manner. Tosches convinces us that hearing Miller and the expansiveness of his yodel redraws the landscape of our cultural environment. It is as if the very topography of our knowledge can be shifted in a subtle but substantial way by one man’s “wry, bizarre phrasing” and “uncanny swoons of timbre and pitch.” | <urn:uuid:575f99ea-657f-4d13-aceb-1cf92e6a6856> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.popmatters.com/pm/tools/print/41426/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00017-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.959221 | 2,514 | 1.71875 | 2 |
24th August 2011, 01:34 PM
Training Multiple Dogs
How do you train multiple dogs?
I'm having a heck of a time taking them out on their leashes, I need an extra hand or 2
24th August 2011, 02:35 PM
extra hands would be great!!! hahaha. If you mean training as in obedience, each dog will need seperate training sessions to learn the command first, then you can do combined training, but seperate training must be continued for the dog to "remember" how to perform. If you just want them to walk nicely with you together-good luck-I have never been successful walking more than two...the third one always seems to weave the leashes.
24th August 2011, 11:04 PM
The simplest way of walking two dogs is to put them on a coupler - a pair of short leashes joined together with a ring to which you attach one ordinary leash. You only have to use one hand and they can manoeuvre round each other without getting tangled up. They are not expensive, just Google 'dog coupler'. If you use the coupler in conjunction with harnesses, they walk very nicely together (though my two do get delusions of grandeur and think they are huskies!). I find the front clip harnesses much better for preventing pulling than the back clip ones.
Kate, Oliver and Aled
PS I think you can get triple 'couplers' for three dogs - otherwise two on a coupler and one on the other side should work. And if you couple a youngster to a steady older dog, the older teaches the younger to walk nicely.
25th August 2011, 04:45 PM
Oh boy, two puppies at the same time is usually not recommended, although it is possible if you have the time! First, you want to be careful about how the two will bond with you. Often times puppies brought home together will bond more closely to each other, rather than their strongest bond being with you. This is why it is SO important that they are taken out seperately and spend plenty of time with you alone.
You will train them both the same, spend 10 minutes teaching one to sit, lay down, come, walk on the leash, etc, then alternate pups. I would also take them each to training classes alone. I was a trainer for 4 years and it was always very problematic having two puppies in the same class that lived together, they would whine and cry and not listen and not be interested the entire time we tried to separate up and practice, and then when reunited did nothing but try to get to one another. | <urn:uuid:5682d46c-5131-4ed4-8031-41c824e3b18d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.cavaliertalk.com/forums/showthread.php?39361-Training-Multiple-Dogs&p=400902 | 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 | 0.967614 | 544 | 1.796875 | 2 |
This man makes 137,000 iPhones a daySeptember 10, 2010: 11:16 AM ET
Foxconn's production rate is one of many revelations in a new profile of its chairman
"I should be honest with you," Foxconn founder and chairman Terry Gou told Bloomberg Businessweek on the subject of the suicides at his company's massive factory complex in Shenzhen, China. "The first one, second one, and third one, I did not see this as a serious problem. We had around 800,000 employees, and here [in Longhua] we are about 2.1 square kilometers. At the moment, I'm feeling guilty. But at that moment, I didn't think I should be taking full responsibility." After the fifth suicide, in March, Gou says, "I decided to do something different."
After the ninth, Foxconn hired one of the world's largest PR firms, Burson-Marsteller, to devise a media strategy, which included giving Bloomberg Businessweek's Frederik Balfour and Tim Culpan unprecedented access to the factory and a rare three-hour interview with the chairman.
Among the nuggets they brought home:
- Gou on Warren Buffett ("He's too old"), the uselessness of business degrees ("You can't read a book to learn to swim"), Steve Jobs ("I forced him to give me his business card") and New York bankers who "see the Hudson River and say, 'I'm a king of the world.'"
- A sampling of Gou's collected aphorisms: "work itself is a type of joy," "a harsh environment is a good thing," "hungry people have especially clear minds," and "an army of one thousand is easy to get, one general is tough to find."
- That Gou dropped his libel lawsuit against two China Business News reporters who exposed harsh working conditions at Foxconn's iPod factory at the behest of Apple (AAPL) and Hewlett-Packard (HPQ), two of his most important clients.
- That it's the threat of getting sued that concerns him as he prepares to move some of his production facilities from China to the U.S. "If I can automate in the U.S.A. and ship to China, cost-wise it can still be competitive," he says. "But I worry America has too many lawyers. I don't want to spend time having people sue me every day."
Foxconn, a publicly traded subsidiary of Taiwan's Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., is the world's largest producer of electronics components and China's largest exporter. In addition to Apple and HP, its clients include Amazon (AMZN), Cisco (CSCO), Dell (DELL), Motorola (MOT) and Sony (SNE).
The full Bloomberg Businessweek story, "The Man Who Makes Your iPhone," is available here.
- Foxconn stages anti-suicide rallies
- Foxconn's 11th: Death by exhaustion
- Foxconn needs a better trade union
- Apple investigating Foxconn suicides
- Reporter roughed up by Apple supplier
- Report: Foxconn paid iPhone suicide's family $44,000
[Follow Philip Elmer-DeWitt on Twitter @philiped] | <urn:uuid:5c65e8f2-9ec2-4939-8f8f-a77cfebf805f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://tech.fortune.cnn.com/2010/09/10/this-man-makes-137000-iphones-a-day/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00017-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.968533 | 666 | 1.585938 | 2 |
KOPEL: SOME DOCTORS WOULD WORK FOR FREE
Uninsured or poor patients will benefit
Doctor Dave is bored. After spending three decades as a specialist in internal medicine, he retired. Now he wants to again practice after three years of golf and travel. The Dept. of Regulatory Agencies (DORA) recognized the value of a reinvigorated Dave as part of the medical practice of Colorado.
DORA’s recent Sunset recommendations for medical practice totaled 27 statutory revisions and two administrative changes. The total of revisions offered will allow an open-ended ability for legislators with social priorities to seek new regulations not part of the DORA package.
DORA suggestions include possible ways to provide citizens with low or no incomes with additional medical care. Presently, retired physicians away from the practice more than two years face barriers in returning because of lack of knowledge about new medical alternatives.
The law provides the doctors must demonstrate continued competency. That may include a period of supervised practice. DORA wants a new special license to facilitate the doctor’s transition back into practice and, by statute, avoid it being listed as a disciplinary license, where it is presently improperly placed.
If the doctor deals only with patients who cannot pay, 25 other states offer pro bono or volunteer licenses. Those states include Arizona, Kansas, Nevada, Oklahoma and Wyoming.
‘To qualify for an Arizona pro bono license, the doctor ‘may not have had the license revoked or suspended, may not be the subject of an unresolved complaint, and must meet all the qualifications required for full license at no fee or salary, or through charitable organization at no cost to the patients or the families.”’ In Arizona, the pro bono license fee is waived.
Colorado dentists and nursing boards presently allow a retired-volunteer status license if the service to patients is free. The license is at a reduced fee.
DORA’s thinking is “providing physicians who are no longer charging fees for medical services with the opportunity to secure a pro bono license would increase access to health care service for the indigent and underserved population across Colorado.”
COPIC, the company that provides liability coverage to many physicians in Colorado, could waive premiums for liability insurance for those retired physicians providing service at no cost. These doctors are restricted from performing invasive surgery, and the number of hours allowed to work is limited. And the doctors are subject to the same oversight as fully licensed physicians. (DORA does not believe liability insurance should be waived.)
The same approach would be useful for physician assistants who have retired and now are willing to work at no cost to the patient.
Another approach suggested: Allow physicians to supervise up to three physician assistants, instead of just two. That adds additional medical service. Physician assistants do not have their own practice. They practice only under the personal and direct responsibility and supervision of a licensed physician, including the authority to prescribe medication.
DORA points out that a state commission has suggested “exploring ways to minimize barriers for mid-level providers, especially in the rural areas where there is a shortage of physicians.” Over the past five fiscal years, a smaller proportion of complaints were filed against physician assistants than complaints against doctors.
Half of the states allow supervision of three or more assistants for physicians. Five states have no restrictions on numbers and Connecticut allows six assistants.
Malpractice insurance. The minimum level of malpractice insurance that must presently be carried to be a licensed doctor is $500,000 per policy for one claim against a doctor and three times that for aggregate liability (possible three claims) per year. That was the sum placed in statute 22 years ago. DORA wants to raise those sums for minimum coverage to $1 million per incident and a total aggregate of $3 million (three claims in a year). DORA states the present minimums “are woefully inadequate” based on statistic levels of payments presently ordered in lawsuits or arbitration. COPIC claims a vast majority of doctors already carry the proposed minimums recommended by DORA.
In the past 32 years, claims DORA, medical costs have increased 113 percent and liability insurance coverage has increased 52 percent.
? ? ?
Many of the same DORA researchers came to similar conclusions in a Sunset review of the Colorado statute regulating podiatrists. A podiatrist may use the title “Doctor” or “Dr” if he or she follows it as “Doctor of Podiatric Medicine” or “DPM” or “practice limited to treatment of the foot and ankle.”
Malpractice insurance for podiatrists who perform surgery should be doubled, similar to the same DORA decision regarding all physicians under the medical statute.
A volunteer license, states DORA, should be provided at a reduced fee for those podiatrists who are no longer charging for services.
DORA reports “podiatrists in Colorado who are closing their practice often call the division to request a license at a reduced fee because they are interested in giving back to the community by providing care at clinics for the indigent or the working poor. However there is no such license type available.”
Reduced malpractice insurance premiums are consistent with those offered by COPIC to other physicians working at no cost to patients.
Podiatry licenses tend to be more expensive than other licenses. The Sunset report shows 195 active and six inactive podiatrist licenses for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2008.
The medical and podiatry bills should move forward together so that there is no conflict in the final revisions of each. There are 18 DORA recommendations for changes in the podiatry statute.
Jerry Kopel served 22 years in the Colorado House. | <urn:uuid:bf205964-8239-4abe-8105-15c6ced4b353> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.coloradostatesman.com/kopel/991466-uninsured-or-poor-patients-will-benefit | 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 | 0.947591 | 1,206 | 1.820313 | 2 |
All Americans have a natural right to life, liberty and property, and those rights are sacred and important to the general welfare, but they are under attack – that was the message communicated Friday and Saturday to hundreds of Southern Utah residents who gathered for the “Great American Constitutional Revival Event.”More.
Strung out across multiple meetings over two days, the event was meant to educate residents on the Constitutional history of the United States, and also share some philosophy on what America’s God-ordained role in the world should be, said Steve Millet, the local author and historian who helped organize the event.
Sunday, October 21, 2012
Posted by Dan Ernst
Under the title, "Residents Gather for 'Constitutional Revival,'" the St. George (Utah) Spectrum reports: | <urn:uuid:c10775c1-5df2-4a82-95db-92f82e20051b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.legalhistoryblog.blogspot.com/2012/10/constitutional-revivalism.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697380733/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516094300-00001-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.939266 | 163 | 1.609375 | 2 |
Back on my now inaccessible blog, I talked about the need for product managers to practice economic indifference. I used the mathematics of manifolds to show how decisions make at one level of a system can be independent to those made a another level. I say “can” here because the decisions made at subordinate levels need to be consistent with the constraints placed on them by those above them. But, there is a flip side. That being enablers provided by those above them. Economic indifference is one such enabler.
When I tell you to build me a car, you can build any car. I can’t come back and say, I want a truck. Nor, can I come back and say I want a red car. My specification error is my problem, not yours. I left you the freedom, and you took it. My bad. Actually, it’s my bad for now wanting something more specific than what I had specified. The granuality of my spec dictates what I will have to accept, or put in different terms the amount of economic indifference I have to accept. Or, from the perspective of the developer, the degrees of freedom I left them. And, Agilists want as many degrees of freedom that they can get.
That said, today I’ll use the mathematics of vectors, to talk about many things around product management.
The Basic Vector
A vector! What does a vector have to do with business? Well, strategy, vision, forecast, capabilities, processes, projects, competition, and ultimately economic indifference.
From Here to There
When we need to figure out where a shop is in the mall, or which bus to take, we look for a map, and hopefully, it has a You Are Here indicator. Then, we look for our objective. The map provides us with a convoluted path to take to get there. We could draw a vector on the map, an as the bird flies view, but it doesn’t help much on the ground. That vector would be representative of our economic indifference. The shops along the way might catch our attention, we might get sucked in, we might buy something, we might have to take that something to the car, or grab a bite to eat before we finally arrive at the pointy end of the vector, our destination. Why did I come here, we wonder. Ah, Saturday, and I’m not at work? What’s wrong with me, playing hooky. The team….
Getting There--How One Vector Summarizes a Bunch of Vectors
Our path around the mall is shown in red. We decompose our objective vector into a collection of vectors. That collection of vectors get us there. That collection of vectors is closer to actuals, or the reality, and a little less economically indifferent than our objective vector.
Decomposed Yet Again, More Vectors
Leaving our mall example behind, we have a business objective (black), and we have these capabilities, resources, and staff (red) to get us to the our goal. The goal incorporates the matter of time into the vector. We arrive at a time and place. But, one of the capabilities is just a plan. It’s realization shows up as another collection of vectors (blue.) The red vectors represent ongoing operational capabilities. The blue vectors represent a project that will put the process into operation. We don’t have that capability right now, so its a risk.
How did we determine our goal and draw the objective vector? We did our forecast.
Forecast Factors as a Collection of Vectors
You build a forecast with metrics that show where you’ve been over time, and where you expect to be over time. It might be a set of rates. Each forecast factor heads off in its own direction.
Vectors Collected, a Morpheme
We can bring move the vectors around, so that they all start at the same point. Oddly enough, it starts to look like a morpheme, the meaning consitutents of words. Just an aside.
From Forecast Vectors to Strategy VectorHere I've added all the forecast vectors together to arrive at my strategy vector. I did not weight the forecast vectors. Strategy as an Organized Collection of Capabilities
Remember that the forecast variables were derived from time series data. A time series assumes that the policy basis and capabilitity basis haven’t changed. If they change, the old numbers become unreliable. When you build an estimation database, you end up creating an estimate based on averages. You are estimating your existing capabilities. The red vectors represent those capabilities. If our strategy was a real strategy, the red vectors would converge on the black vector not at the arrow, because you would divide the strategy into timeframes.
Strategies are supposed to be long-term propositions. Capabilities are created to support them. The capabilities persist for a long time. They may persist longer than the strategy that birthed them. Those capabilities improve over time. At the same time the capabilities become constraints on strategy.
Vision is not based on a forecast, or on a collection of capabilities. With a vision, you point off in a direction, and build the capabilities to get there. A product might be a strategy where it’s improvements would be linear, or in otherwords sustaining or continous. A product might be a vision where it’s improvements would be non-linear, radical, or discontinous. A vision departs strategy, and costs quite a bit more than doing the same old same old day in and day out.
Strategy (Yesterday) and Vision (Tomorrow)
Vision requires us to let go of the prior strategy and get with the new program. You might run into a vision when you get a new CEO. You will run into a vision if you ever face a market transition as described by Moore’s technology adoption lifecycle. It amounts to leaping into the new boat. The old boat is sinking. Well, maybe not yet, but its sinking is anticipated.
Transition to Vision
As you move to the new vision, you will use existing capabilities (red), reduce existing capabilities (gray), enhance existing capabilities (green), and add capabilities and processes through projects.
Moving your product to a new market, or extending your existing market would require the same kinds of efforts. Your product is a vector.
In the past few weeks, there has been a lot of discussion about fast followers, the lost of differentiation and price premiums, and commoditization. When your customers will no longer pay for additional capabilities you’ve incorporated into your product, you have been commoditized. Some customers may continue to pay, but never use those additional capabilities. In this case, your customers are overserved, and you can find yourself being attacked by a new entrant with a product based on a new technology. That entrant might not meet your performance threasholds, because they compete on other drivers. All of this involves messing with our vectors.
Commoditization forces you to find new drivers, new vectors of differentiation.
Fighting a fast follower depends on proprietary technologies or slight of hand.
Routes to a Feature
A feature can be created quickly (red). It will be thin. It might involve adding a dialog, a button or menu option, a column or two to your database tables, and a few computations. The same feature can be create richly (blue). You do this to explore future opportunites, and to build things that don’t show up in the interface, or in the reverse engineering efforts to capture behavior. If SaaS does anything for us, it removes executable code from the hands of our competitors, so reverse engineering is about what is seen under testing at the interfaces. You might not expose the APIs for some of the depth you’ve created in your rich project. Expose just enough to make it look quick. Then, when the fast follower releases their catch up, you release the next layer to exposure.
That exploration might increase the conceptual surface area or create a much richer conceptual geography for later exploitation. Let them follow. You can keep on rolling out premium. Maybe you’ll teach them to slow down, or look deeper. “Now eating time at the lunch counter.”
You could also take a vector view of your team. You could use those n-dimensional charts in Excel to map our the abilities of your team members, their estimation factors, your influence with each of them, and your communications effectiveness with each of them. You could then add their morpheme views together to form words if you will, which add up the vectors to a team score or vector.
That might be a bit much, but much is possible with a good representation of the problem of shipping on time and hitting your P&L numbers.
Getting distance from the details grants economic indifference. The big vector doesn’t care, but the comprising vectors determine the success of the big vector.
And, for all those product managers who want the stick, instead of the hard work of building influence, one last vector veiw.
The Stick and the Goal
When hit with a stick, the capability leaves with some portion of your gantt chart. Congrats! Forget the stick. | <urn:uuid:9271db4a-05ff-4619-99cb-db52f237348f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://productstrategist.wordpress.com/category/manifolds/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00018-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.946485 | 1,934 | 1.625 | 2 |
This is the first piece of art I bought. It’s a silkscreen print created by Robert Rauschenberg. He titled it ”Signs.”
Rauschenberg conceived of “Signs” as a summation of the 1960s. The piece was an aborted commission for a magazine cover. Rauschenberg released the work in June, 1970, through his gallery affiliation, Castelli Graphics, in an edition of 250 signed impressions.
The 60s had turned Rauschenberg into a politically engaged artist, and he probably welcomed the challenge of coming to terms with a decade of seering experiences. Exercising his natural affinity for collage, he would try to make sense out of an explosive arc of events that most observers felt defied all sense. Raushenberg said the print “was conceived to remind us of love, terror, violence of the last ten years. Danger lies in forgetting.”
I see “Signs” as an achievement at once topical and timeless. Topical, obviously, since the artist has brought together a dozen immediately recognizable 60′s images – photos that were then still fresh with pain and joy. Topical in a slightly broader manner as well, since the picture serves to encapulate the baby boomer generation’s creation myth. But timeless also, thanks to the artist’s genius in re-fashioning stark images into something whole, something coherent, something aspiring to the redemptive.
“Signs” belies the rap too often laid on Rauschenberg — that he surrendered to an aesthetic of “messiness.” I was surprised to find such trash talk being repeated by the perceptive Louis Menand in his recent essay on Donald Barthelme, a modernist author who, Menand argues, boldly borrowed Rauschenberg’s collage approach, and with it made a notable contribution to literature. (The article, “Saved From Drowning; Barthelme Reconsidered,” appeared in the February 23, 2009 issue of The New Yorker, available online here.)
Distinguishing Rauschenberg’s methods from those of previous collagists, Menand makes the following assertions: “[T]raditional collage arranges fragments into a form, and Rauschenberg’s collages are not organized in any ordinarily legible manner. … Most of Rauschenberg’s work … has no center. Form, in the conventional sense of a hierarchical order, is one of the things he is trying to eliminate.” Menand sees Rauschenberg’s signature work as embracing ”the illogic . . . the apparent absurdity . . . the arbitrary juxtapositions of radically disparate materials.”
My purpose in this post is not to quibble with Menand’s characterization. His article focuses on style, not on the decipherment of any particular work of visual art. And who can deny that “messiness” nicely recapitulates the ’60s decade itself.
Rather, my purpose is to celebrate Rauschenberg’s triumph over formlessness when constructing “Signs.” I want to praise his decision not to echo chaos or succumb to absurdity. I want to show how he chose instead to commandeer art’s arsenal against entropy.
How did he do this? Through compositional devices, juxtapositions, reconciliations, and slights of hand that are deft, resonant, poignant, and funny. Logic, not illogic, informs this work of art. It’s there for all to see:
Tripartite form: I think even on first encounter the viewer senses both stability and energy in ”Signs.” A feeling of stability derives chiefly from Rauschenberg’s reliance on a structure of three vertical segments nestled in a rectangular confinement. Up the left side we see a moon-walking Buzz Aldrin claiming a large chunk of space in the frame; above and behind Aldrin is a four-man Army jeep, and above and behind that is a candlelight peace vigil. The right side is topped with another black-and-white photo, this one of students attending an anti-war teach-in (the left and right corners are nicely balanced). Below this the artist has positioned a professional photo portrait of a visionary-looking John F. Kennedy, tucked beneath which are a few stills from the Zapruder film that captured JFK’s assassination. Sandwiched between left and right flanks are puzzle pieces that rise like a totem pole. Starting from the base, this central composition comprises five elements: (1) the body of Martin Luther King as he lay in state at the U.S. Capitol; (2) a fallen victim of an urban riot; (3) two Vietnam soldiers flanking and supporting a wounded comrade; (4) Bobby Kennedy in earnest oration; and (5) Janis Joplin in wild performance. The five stations of this central vertical segment are strengthened by an overlapping and interweaving of its parts: for example, two arms, one begging, one blessing, reach over MLK; RFK’s hand slices through the Vietnam scene, in a call to halt the bloodshed.
Hierarchical order: This piece most definitely has a “center.” The central totem is a well-ordered pillar of life, a hierarchy of energy, a flow of life force. It begins in silence with a photo of MLK in his coffin, his blood stilled by death. It steps up to the bloodied man fallen in an urban riot. It rises next to a trio of troops, wounded, bleary, yet upright. It climbs to catch Robert Kennedy in the middle of an impassioned but controlled speech. It crescendos with the ecstatic singing of Janis Joplin. Think of it also as a fountain of youth – all of its featured players are young (MLK, 39; RFK, 42; Joplin, 27) – but one tinged with irony. Only a few months after Rauschenberg completed his composition and released it to the world, Janis Joplin, his friend and fellow escapee from Port Arthur, Texas, died of a drug overdose. With that death, the vector of the totemic form was altered. No longer an unstoppable upward force, it now circles back on itself. It has become a circle of life.
Cohesion through repeated motifs: With the possible exception of eyes, the human organ or appendage most crucial to an artist is, I would argue, the hand. “Signs” is largely a composite portrait, which means it is all about faces. But to my eyes it is the hands in “Signs” that resonate most strongly. Notice how Rauschenberg emphasizes their physical meaning while also teasing out their symbolic importance. A hand may choose to grip a bayoneted rifle to control others, or hold a candle in a hopeful prayer, or grasp a tool of communication (a microphone) to express freedom. A hand’s fingers may splay to signify peace or extend to confer a blessing over the dead. Our pride in seeing the iconic image of an American astronaut standing on the lunar surface is tempered when we realize that the sole visible hand of Buzz Aldrin is, in fact, not visible at all. The hand is protected, swaddled like a mummy, rendered uncommunicative, unlike the vulnerable but expressive hands of earthlings here below. As for the “face” of America’s technological triumph, it too is so denatured by protective gear as to become literally a “faceless” achievement.
Unifying light: The strong sun and shadow on Buzz Aldin’s space suit blend seamlessly with the other wholly disparate components of the assemblage. Rauschenberg achieves compositional coherence by making two tears in the material, at the top and right edges, to reveal a white underlayer. We “read” this exposure as the source of bright light unifying all parts of the composition. In addition to its formal function, the light poignantly supplies a sacred nimbus around the late RFK’s head. It may remind us of a painfully ironic fact: in the 1960′s, men of heart were extinguished, one after another, by head wounds.
Meaning through color, direction, and tilt: To begin with the most obvious color cliche, Janis Joplin is red hot. Then, in the upper left corner’s overlapped images, note how the intense color of the guards gives way to calmer gray tints of a time-hallowed prayer for peace. Consider also the way in which the dull unlit eyes of the vehicle’s headlights are shamed by the insistent glow of lit candles. See how the quartet of uniformed men looks left (symbolically toward the past), their eyes shrouded from view, while the lone female representative of the vigil crowd turns her face rightward to meet the future. If you stare at “Signs” long enough may experience a mild case of vertigo, as there appears to be no pure vertical line anywhere in the composition, no steadying plumb line straight down to the earth. With the possible exception of the central image of wounded troops, every component is tilted slightly, as if confounding gravity and the comfort of rest. This floating quality is consistent with Rauschenberg’s practice, in art works he called ”combines,” of eschewing a sense of up or down. In “Signs,” I think these off-kilter notes lend energy and flow to the work. This is an appropriate way to express a dynamic, unstable period.
Surface versus depth: In their original condition, the dozen photos that Rauschenberg selected to fill the rectangle differed in their objectively measurable proportions, lighting sources, coloration, and focus, and many other inherent qualities — not to mention differences in the sensibilities of a dozen different photographers responsible for the images. There is every reason for the assemblage to fly off in all directions beyond the frame. Yet somehow the pieces settle into position, inviting the viewer to proceed with decipherment. One thing that locks the parts into place is a bit of legerdemain, namely, the appearance of a round, clear glass paperweight on the flattened surface plane, just to the right of Joplin’s microphone. Its clever purpose is to arrest fugitive movement. We also notice a scraped trail, yellow in color, leading up to the paperweight’s current resting place, suggesting that the weight recently migrated diagonally from a position atop the fallen riot victim, stopping atop Janis’s tossed hair — hair the large convex lens magnifies and swirls into a psychedelic hallucination.
Generosity of details: After all these years there are parts of “Signs” that newly intrigue me. I’ve mentioned the intricate interweaving of imagery in the central “totem” which required careful scissoring of figures; why then is the JFK photo the only one with a sharp right angled corner left intact? Why no contouring, no integration of that photo? And is that a snippet of a Lichtenstein pop art painting under the President’s nose? What is the meaning of the eleven blue dots in the lower right corner, traditionally the location for the creator’s signature? Bullet holes? Is it fair to say the decade was “signed” by gun violence?
Irony and humor: Ironic visual juxtapositions abound in Rauschenberg’s work. Here, in the upper left a military jeep purports to escort a trailing “CONVOY,” while the only group that’s “FOLLOWING” is a peace vigil in repose. Also on display is tongue-in-cheek ribaldry. Note how RFK’s mouth, at a moment formed into a suckling shape, approaches Joplin’s breast. The rectangle’s black border can sturdily contain every image, except for two forces that pierce the top margin: the thrust of a bayonet (does its violation of the skin of the piece account for the drops next to RFK’s hand?) and the force, like rising red molten lava, of a volcanic Janis Joplin. In a final flourish, the artist asserts his dominance: small block letter initials — R.R. — resting on the bottom margin, are so powerful that their strength can lift up, and playfully tilt, a hero astronaut.
“Signs,” screenprint (silkscreen, silk screen, screen print) in colors, 1970, signed in pencil, numbered [my impression is numbered 40/250] and dated, lower right, on wove paper, published by Castelli Graphics, New York, 35 1/4 by 26 5/8 inches; 895 by 677 mm. Purchased from Makler Gallery, Philadelphia, March, 1977. I first saw the work not at a gallery but at a museum exhibition, the 1976 Rauschenberg retrospective exhibition staged at the Smithsonian’s National Collection of Fine Art (now the National Museum of American Art) in Washington, DC. One room in the show was devoted to prints, one of which was “Signs.” I was so bowled over by its power that I vowed to acquire an impression of the print, at whatever sacrifice it took.
UPDATE 06-14-2009: Today I came across a blog posting that provides additional background on the genesis of “Signs,” including key details that I believe had not previously been published. According to an article posted on hamiltonselway.com on July 21, 2008, entitled “Rauschenberg – part 1,” the work was initially commission by Time magazine:
“’Signs,’ 1970, was originally created as an illustration for a Time magazine cover that would herald the 1970s. Rauschenberg felt, however, that the 1970s was really a continuation of the 1960s and inserted images of Janis Joplin, Martin Luther King, the moon landing, and the Kennedy Assassination. The cover was rejected by the Time Magazine editors who wanted to look forward to hopefully better times than the tumultuous 60s. Leo Castelli (Rauschenberg’s dealer at the time) stepped in and published a photosilkscreen edition of the collage.”
I’m struck by the joy expressed by Rauschenberg enthusiasts, as in this essay by John Haber on the occasion of the Rauschenberg retrospective in NYC over a decade ago: http://www.haberarts.com/rschberg.htm. Can any other recent artist match him? | <urn:uuid:87f83d2f-99fb-42cb-abd5-839d226a5f8e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.mikeettner.com/tag/martin-luther-king/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00006-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.936688 | 3,134 | 1.835938 | 2 |
Thank goodness that some kind people in North Regina had the heart to take in poor Paisley and contacted People for Animals of Saskatchewan for help.
People for Animals of Saskatchewan Inc. (PFA) is a Regina-based, non-profit, volunteer-run animal welfare organization and registered charity* which works to assist companion animals in need and to educate people about the humane treatment of pets and other animals.
Just a kitten, Paisley has had to endure an eye injury that will be treated by removing her eye. Were it not for the compassion of these people, Paisley’s fate could have been much different. Lost, abandoned, and orphaned animals may end up in shelters, euthanized for “lack of space” or deemed “unadoptable”. Or worse, sold to a research lab to suffer untold horrors.
But this is a happy story! A big THANK YOU to the family who took in Paisley and to PFA for supporting them!
Below is Paisley’s story and info on how you can help.
This gorgeous little girl is Paisley, a 4.5 month old kitten who was hanging around stray in a North Regina neighbourhood. A kind family noticed her plight and took her in when they realized that there was something seriously wrong with her eye and that she needed vet care.
It turns out that Paisley suffered a puncture wound to her eye somewhere along the way, and it was never treated and thus never healed. There is a hole in her eye through which the eye fluid is leaking, and there is nothing that can be done to fix her eye or restore the vision. The only option is to have the eye removed so that it no longer causes her pain.
Paisley is a sweet young kitten who is quite healthy otherwise and who has a very good prognosis for a long healthy life once her bad eye is removed. It is sad that such a young kitten has already suffered so much in her young life, but we are hoping to give her a happily ever after ending, with the surgery she needs and a loving (and responsible) adoptive family.
For more information on Paisley, please contact us at email@example.com. To make a donation towards Paisley’s eye surgery, please visit our website at www.pfasask.com to make a secure donation through PayPal, or donations can be mailed to People for Animals, PO Box 33066, Cathedral Postal Outlet, Regina, S4T 7X2. | <urn:uuid:348a2374-e35a-4e65-b592-89e79401a5d9> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://savingdinah.com/Wordpress/thank-you-people/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00018-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.96498 | 531 | 1.585938 | 2 |
The Good Guys Must Be Flawed
The main character – the hero – in the first novel-length story I wrote many years ago was perfect. He was strong, wise and handsome. He knew everything and controlled his emotions and temper like an ancient monk. All his friends loved him and would risk their lives for him. He was a master swordsman who had little trouble subduing a monster. A few times I had him struggle with a large beast, but truthfully, I was just toying with it, like a cat does a mouse, all the while knowing – as readers knew – he’d slay it and move on without a scratch to the next thing standing in his way.
The man was so perfect there was no room for improvement.
That was a huge problem.
For one thing, perfect people, or at least people we perceive to be perfect, are not loved by everyone. There’s always someone who wants to knock them off the pedestal and claim if for themselves. That person might be the hero’s friend. If the hero is perfect, he’ll spot this traitor before action is taken and eliminate the threat. No threat, no tension. No tension, no conflict. No conflict, no story.
Another thing I realised since creating Mr. Perfect was perfect characters are boring. Boring. I love cheering for the underdog and the underdog is never perfect. Think Forest Gump. The underdog often misplaces his car keys, thinks he knows where he’s going when he doesn’t or forgets to pick up his kids at school. All of this can lead to conflict which translates into a story.
An interesting flaw to give a character is one another character in the story praises. I’ve done this in my fantasy novel, Shadows in the Stone. The hero is always going on about honour and truth and expects these qualities from himself and everyone around him. Unbeknownst to him, his female counterpart is keeping secrets that could harm them both. She knows she can’t live up to his expectations. Eventually this creates a lot of conflict which will either destroy them both or bring them closer together.
Another important fact I’ve learnt since Mr. Perfect is characters must grow between the first and last page. How could a person grow in a positive way if they’re already perfect?
To accomplish this growth, the hero must be imperfect. He needs something to overcome. It needn’t be gigantic like changing his entire personality and going from an evil-doer to the best neighbour you’ll ever have. It can be as little as opening his eyes to the fact he’s neglected his family and spends too much time at work.
Slapping characters with flaws gives the author something to work with. As the hero strives to overcome whatever the plot throws at him, he can be literally tripped-up by his inability to properly tie his shoes. Perhaps he must overcome his fear of snakes to save Marion before the cave collapses or use his inhaler to continue the chase after the bad guys who kidnapped his daughter.
See where I’m going here? When you give a character flaws, you make them more interesting, more realistic.
The wonderfully flawed characters I’ve created since Mr. Perfect have made me laugh, cry, shake my head and root for them. Hopefully, they’ll make my readers do the same.
The flip side of this is beginning with Mr. Perfect and bringing him to his knees by delivering one horrific blow after another. After all is said and done, he’s changed drastically. Change for the bad is also growth just not the type I prefer to write about. I might even call that rot, not growth. Still, the character changes and that’s the journey readers want to learn about.
Whether characters improve or go down-hill, the important thing is the flaws they overcome or develop along the way.
Diane Lynn Tibert is freelance writer living in central Nova Scotia. Her current project, Shadows in the Stone, will be released later this year. In her spare time, she writes a genealogy column for several Atlantic Canada newspapers. Readers can follow her fiction writing on her Writer ~ Dreamer blog (http://dianetibert.com) and her genealogy ramblings on her Roots to the Past blog (http://rootstothepast.com).
If you liked this post, please do share.
- Mr. Perfect or Bad Boy Hero (susansheehey.wordpress.com)
- Got Villain? Use these 5 ideas to write him (or her) real (theaatkinson.wordpress.com)
- Holding Out for a Hero: Characterization (christinalibooks.wordpress.com) | <urn:uuid:baf22bf4-1a12-4f12-838b-ecbc72e9550d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://theaatkinson.wordpress.com/2012/03/14/perfect-characters-are-boring/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00003-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.972532 | 995 | 1.789063 | 2 |
The 16 instructors, who teach in the Seoul area, spent Tuesday morning at Cal State San Bernardino where they were welcomed by campus educators. The South Korean teachers are scheduled to follow Tuesday morning's activities by visiting San Bernardino area elementary schools and studying how local teachers teach English to students who are learning the language.
"We hope that after these four weeks, you will come out as better teachers," said Tatiana Karmanova, interim dean of Cal State San Bernardino's College of Extended Learning. "You will have better class management, better language skills, (be) more fluent."
One of the visiting teachers, Jee Yeon, said learning English is compulsory in South Korean schools. Yeon said she and her compatriots were lucky to have an opportunity to visit the United States to hone their language skills.
"We have a duty and they (our students) are waiting," she said.
The government pays for teachers to undergo these lengthy training programs if they wish, which consist of five months at the Korean National University of Education and usually one month abroad.
The next article is from Thursday, about nine middle school English teachers who visited New Jersey:
"They are not only so intelligent and professional of the highest quality, but they communicate with a beautiful grace," [Superintendent] Dr. Arilotta noted. The visitors attended classes for nine days and had four weeks of training from Jan. 6 through Feb. 2. They also joined the teaching faculties for staff development activities on the Jan. 18 when students had off for the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday.
The guests have indicated that their expectations have been exceeded by the overwhelming welcome they have received: "The administrators and teachers have been incredible. They go out of their way to make us feel included and at home. And the children are so respectful. These are clearly the best schools. The students work intensely with the teachers all day long. Everybody is blessed to have such superior schools and teachers. We are learning so many methods to bring back to Korea where we will mentor other teachers to improve how we teach English to Korean children."
The teachers underwent a "rigorous selection process," according to the director of the placement agency, who said:
"They needed to have at least seven years teaching experience, over 800 hours of staff development training and to pass a classroom teaching performance in front of a panel of judges."
The article concludes by mentioning these teachers were awarded "Teaching English in English - Masters" degrees by the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education (I've written about those here and here). There are two TEE certificates---"Ace" and "Master"---with a prerequisite of the latter being at least seven years' teaching experience.
I've been wanting to do a post on teacher training programs for a while, and am still collecting opinions to flesh it out (feel free to email me yours at the address on the side of the site). Elementary school teachers could benefit from overseas experience because the curriculum doesn't focus on grammar or writing---well, it did when I saw really shitty homeroom teachers do it---and have accompanying CD-ROMS that essentially do all the work for you, they can thus be taught entirely in English, even by teachers with a very limited command of the language.
On the other hand, observational and anecdotal evidence, together with what Korean English teachers have told me, indicates that these programs for secondary school teachers are probably not the best investment. In spite of these TEE certificates and the experience abroad---which, remember, supplements a lifetime of exposure to the language, decades of study, and four years of training in university---they are still placed back into schools that teach English entirely for standardized grammar tests which make spoken English a sideshow at best and a hindrance to comprehending the subject at worst. Teachers who have attended month-long intensive English programs at the Jeollanam-do Educational Training Institute (전라남도교육연수원) in Damyang county told me they generally had fun and learned a lot, but can't apply any of these skills because:
1) Their students aren't interested in speaking English.
2) Their students' English levels aren't good enough to understand spoken English.
3) The activities they learned in Damyang can't be applied to large class sizes like those in public schools.
4) Teachers must follow and complete the textbooks and teach toward standardized tests, and don't have time to waste on speaking English.
And keep in mind that since in these programs all teachers "pass," regardless of performance, there is no accountability. Just like there's no accountability when native speaker English teachers [NSETs] aren't given the opportunity to evaluate their Korean co-teachers, meaning nobody except blog readers and Facebook friends know when teachers don't participate in lesson planning, don't participate in class, or don't show up at all.
I've posted those thoughts before, and I took those four items from a post in December about a a National Assemblyman complaining about how expensive NSETs are. Similar points were made a few days earlier, in a post about a Seoul National University of Education professor bitching about NSETs for, among other reasons, how much they cost. When looking at the costs of English education, and criticizing the relative costs of imports, they're going to need to look honestly at what goes on in the English classrooms here and whether their training programs are working toward that. | <urn:uuid:5cebef23-a9e5-49ac-b5aa-0c9cd03af78b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://briandeutsch.blogspot.com/2010/02/korean-teachers-going-to-us-for.html?showComment=1265571501448 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00010-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.974222 | 1,134 | 1.6875 | 2 |
In late 2010, the House of Representatives passed the DREAM Act, so-named because it was always a complete fantasy for a far-reaching piece of legislation to make it past the dysfunctional Senate, where 60 votes are needed to shut off an opposition party filibuster. The bill would have extended conditional legal status for five years to undocumented immigrants who were younger than 16 when they entered the country, have lived in the U.S. for at least five years, and earned a degree from a U.S. high school.
Needless to say, the DREAM Act died a quiet death in the Senate and moldered beneath America's Latino-manicured lawns until it was resurrected, today, in the form of an executive order by President Obama…
Under the administration plan, illegal immigrants will be immune from deportation if they were brought to the United States before they turned 16 and are younger than 30, have been in the country for at least five continuous years, have no criminal history, graduated from a U.S. high school or earned a GED, or served in the military. They also can apply for a work permit that will be good for two years with no limits on how many times it can be renewed. The officials who described the plan spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss it in advance of the official announcement.
Unlike a legislative solution, this action offers no path to citizenship — it's neither amnesty nor legalization, but merely a semi-permanent stay of deportation — but it still represents good news for friends of Jesus.
Firstly, because there are few things more unChristian than deporting young people to countries they may not even remember. Secondly, because Jesus has positively working his ass off, getting a GED, joining the military, and trying to start his own restaurant, despite a lack of documentation, and why would we ever want to be rid of this cool guy?
Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images News/Getty Images
Tags: Barack Obama, Dream Act, Hispanic, Immigration, Latino
Unless you've been living in a cave for the last few months, you've probably heard the name "Marco Rubio" come up quite a bit in the context of VP speculation. And if you have been living in a cave, then I have some bad news: Your favorite candidate, Ron Paul, will not win the nomination this year.
Since Rubio is Latino and hails from the crucial swing state of Florida, he seems like the perfect running mate for Romney. There's only one problem. He has reasonable views on immigration…
Florida Sen. Marco Rubio has thrust himself into the raging illegal immigration debate, proposing a plan that would create a path to legal status for children of illegal immigrants — putting him at odds with an immoveable wing of the Republican Party on this issue.
It’s a risky move for a potential vice presidential candidate, and it puts presumptive GOP nominee Mitt Romney in a pickle as he may have to decide whether to back an immigration plan rolled out by one of the party’s rising Hispanic stars, or stick to the strident anti-illegal immigrant positions he staked out during the Republican primary…
Rubio’s version [of the DREAM Act] does not have a citizenship option, as Democrats propose, but it would open the door for children of illegal immigrants who have completed high school to be awarded "non-immigrant visas" before obtaining a more permanent status. The Romney camp is closely watching Rubio's moves on immigration.
Yes, Romney wouldn't want Rubio to treat immigrants too humanely. Perhaps if undocumented workers declared themselves to be corporations, the GOP would treat them like actual people. You know, with actual lives, families and career goals.
Hopefully, Romney can look past the DREAM Act and give Rubio a shot. After all, Romney and Rubio are very similar. They're both ashamed of their Mormonism, look great in suits and have no definable personality. Sounds like a match made in non-denominational Christian heaven.
Photo by Win McNamee-Staff/Getty Images News/Getty Images
Tags: Dream Act, Florida, Immigration, Marco Rubio, Mitt Romney, Republicans, vice president
Laugh now, but one day President Santorum will erect a monument to this chimichanga…
Jim Messina, who is helming the president's reelection effort, tweeted a line from a column written by The Washington Post's Dana Milbank, in which he argues that Republicans will struggle to attract the Latino vote after coming out against the DREAM immigration reform act.
"Line of the day from WAPO's Dana Milbank: 'The chimichanga? It may be the only thing Republicans have left to offer Latinos,' " Messina tweeted.
But the comments drew rebuke from Republicans, who argued the reference to the deep-fried burrito was culturally insensitive.
Aw, man! What a rookie mistake! Never ever never reference a chimichanga — or, for that matter, any type of stuffed tortilla-based foodstuff — to a person of Latin American heritage. It's almost as bad as talking about a stromboli in front of an Italian. Or meatloaf in front of a WASP. (Actually, if I'm not mistaken, an ill-timed meatloaf quip was a contributing factor in the Protestant Reformation.)
Photo by Erik Abderhalden/Wikimedia Commons
Tags: Barack Obama, Dream Act, Food, Republicans, Twitter
Republicans are known for their stiff opposition to government programs that benefit immigrants, children and other disadvantaged groups. But it's not everyday that a presidential candidate promises to literally destroy an immigrant child’s DREAM…
Mitt Romney said Saturday that he would veto legislation that would allow certain illegal residents to become American citizens.
"The answer is yes," Romney said during a campaign stop here in western Iowa, when he was asked if he would refuse to sign what's known as the DREAM Act.
Romney has said before that he would oppose the legislation, which would legalize some young illegal immigrants if they attend college or serve in the military. But Saturday was the first time he's explicitly said he would veto it.
It's simple. If those kids wanted to be legal citizens so badly, they shouldn’t have allowed themselves to be carried across the border when they were babies.
As a former management consultant, Romney surely knows just how expensive a child's citizenship can be. For every 3,928 dreams funded, the U.S. could purchase one nuclear missile, a half a predator drone or part of Warren Buffett's elbow.
While some voters will be disappointed with Romney’s firm disavowal of the DREAM Act, it's totally in line with his previous opposition to the National PUPPY RAINBOW Bill and the Emotional BLACKMAIL Act of 2005.
Photo by Richard Ellis/Getty Images News/Getty Images
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Heritage Home Educators (HHE) Drama will present “Louisa’s Little Women,” a play in two acts in performances at 2 p.m. and at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 16, at Living Word Fellowship, 321 E. Robinson St., Knoxville.
Based on the life of Louisa May Alcott and on her American classic novel, “Little Women,” this play tells two interweaving stories: the story of the fictional March family—four teenage girls and their mother, during the American Civil War—and the story of their creator, Louisa May Alcott. The story line begins and ends with Christmas, covering both great and small events in these women’s lives from 1861 to 1862.
Under the direction of Shelley Cowden, with Necole Loftis and Natalie Ogbourne,
“Louisa’s Little Women” is a unique adaptation which places greater faith in Louisa May Alcott’s original creation, relying on her words and choices more scrupulously than its predecessors. It is also a vehicle for her words and life to come to the stage.
Tickets are $6 in advance, $1 for children 5 and younger, and can be purchased at The Coffee Connection, 213 E. Main St., Knoxville. For more information or to reserve tickets, call Lori Raymie at 641-218-8260. Tickets will also be available at the door for $6.50. | <urn:uuid:0e126378-528f-4762-8a83-55b73bb2f36a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://journalexpress.net/local/x1837424986/Home-Educators-to-put-on-production | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00009-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.955895 | 311 | 1.585938 | 2 |
Given that the director has made what might be dubbed the Penguin Modern Classics canon of French authors something of a specialism over the past few years, this comes as quite a surprise. But at last Laing's vision of Genet's power-play between two servants who act out their fantasy of killing their mistress will be brought to the Citizens Theatre's main stage, where Genet's work hasn't been seen since the 1980s. That was when Philip Prowse directed and designed Robert David Macdonald's translations of three Genet plays: The Balcony, The Blacks and The Screens.
The Maids itself hasn't appeared in the Gorbals since Lindsay Kemp directed Tim Curry in the play back in 1971. Kemp was a long-time admirer of Genet, and also produced Flowers, a seminal dance-theatre interpretation of Genet's novel, Our Lady Of The Flowers. The only recent sighting of The Maids at all in Scotland was a mini-production by Pauline Goldsmith at the Tron's Changing House space in 2011. So, given his extensive back catalogue both at the Citz and with French work, what kept Laing -– Tony Award-winning designer and founder of Untitled Projects –so long in bringing this particular play back to what might just be its spiritual home?
"I've wanted to do it for years," he admits, "but when Giles [Havergal], David and Philip were running the Citz, Philip wouldn't let me do it, because he said it was a play that too many students did. He said it had had too much exposure."
Genet drew The Maids from a real-life murder case involving two sisters who bludgeoned their mistress and her daughter to death before being found in bed with a blood-soaked hammer. The case scandalised 1930s France, and captured the headlines even more when intellectuals including Simone de Beauvoir claimed that the sisters were victims of a bourgeoisie who treated their servants with contempt. In some respects this echoed how Genet himself had been championed by the likes of Cocteau and Sartre when he was threatened with a life sentence in prison following numerous convictions for petty thievery. All of which cemented Genet's status and reputation as the ultimate literary outsider.
This was no more evident than in a famous BBC TV interview recorded in 1985, a year before Genet's death. The hour-long programme was led by playwright Nigel Williams, who would go on to adapt Genet's play, Deathwatch, for the stage. What followed saw an initially monosyllabic Genet turn the tables on Williams and his crew, questioning the false constructs of such a set-up in what turned out to be a final, wilfully singular performance.
"I've been watching it a lot recently, and I'm tempted to use it in some way," Laing, muses. "I think there's something about Jean Genet that he sees a metaphor for the world in any situation. He saw that interview as a metaphor for the whole of society, and so started to say 'I don't understand why I have to sit here and you have to sit there; why don't we swap places?', and that was his entire take on society. The person in prison is as interesting, if not more interesting, than the person in government living the ideal of a middle-class life."
In keeping with Genet's provocative instructions for the play, Laing has cast three very young male actors in all three female roles.
"In the 1940s the divisions between genders was much more clearly proscribed," Laing points out, "whereas now, I can see in 19 and 20-year-olds that gender is a much more fluid thing in terms of how they behave. So it's a particularly interesting moment to go back and look at that, and to look at what drag, for want of a better word, is actually about, and what it means now in a transgender world to do drag. There's a political way of doing the play, which some people see as a kind of revolutionary emancipation of the maids, but for me it's more about gender and how reality and fantasy blur between these three people onstage. The theatricality of that situation is really interesting."
Laing's interest in the French canon was evident from when he directed live artist and some-time Michael Clark foil, Leigh Bowery, in Copi's The Homosexual at Tramway. At Dundee Rep, Laing directed Jean Cocteau's Les Parents Terribles, while with Untitled, An Argument About Sex was Laing and writer Pamela Carter's response to Marivaux's La Dispute. An earlier collaboration between Laing and Carter, Slope, looked at the messy lives of poets Verlaine and Rimbaud, while the soon to be revived The Salon Project, in which Laing dressed the entire audience in period costume for an intellectual exchange of their own making, was loosely derived from Marcel Proust.
"I've done so many French plays," Laing admits. "I sat down the other day and made a list of everything I'd directed, and about half of it is to do with French culture. It's something that I don't quite understand, because I don't speak French, and I don't spend a lot of time there, but it's something that I keep on coming back to, and that confuses me. It's maybe something to do with me growing up in East Kilbride, and my first experience of theatre being coming to the Citz with the school. I think there was something about that which opened my eyes to the fact that there was a bigger world out there. It expanded your parameters."
Genet, and The Maids in particular, it seems, has always trickled into popular culture. Peter Zadek, who directed the first UK production in French at the ICA in London, enlisted sculptor Eduardo Paolozzi as set designer. It was Lindsay Kemp, of course, who taught mime to the then-fledgling pop singer David Bowie, whose 1972 single, The Jean Genie, drew a portrait of a Warhollian character he christened with what he admitted was a clumsy pun on Genet's name. As with The Maids, Bowie made gender-bending a creative stock in trade.
More recently, while Katie Mitchell took a naturalistic approach at the Young Vic, Neil Bartlett directed a production in a Brighton hotel, in which the performers would toss a coin each day to decide which part they'd play. This year will see a major production of The Maids in Sydney, starring Cate Blanchett and Isabelle Huppert.
"I find that reassuring," Laing says. "Genet's plays aren't on the shelves in Waterstones, so he's getting lost. I think he's become quite unfashionable, so for me, that's as good a reason as any to be doing his plays."
The Maids, Citizens Theatre, Glasgow, January 17-February
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How close is Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s regime to obtaining nuclear weapons?
By Michael Singh
How Tehran is outflanking Obama
We have failed to understand Iran’s motives
Last week’s talks in Baghdad between Iran and the P5-plus-1 — the United States, Britain, China, France, Germany and Russia — yielded no agreement. Paradoxically, however, both Washington and Tehran are likely to view the negotiations as successful, but for vastly different reasons.
There is an interest that both Iran and the United States hold in common: staving off military action, whether by the U.S. or Israel. From there, however, U.S. and Iranian motivations diverge; understanding this divergence is key to understanding why the talks thus far have failed.
Iranian officials publicly dismiss but likely privately worry about the consequences of war, while U.S. officials often seem more worried about the consequences of military action than about the Iranian nuclear program a strike would be designed to destroy.
Indeed, for many within the United States and other P5
-plus-1 countries, the mere fact of “intensive” talks about Iran’s nuclear program is itself a success. There is a narrative, espoused by then-candidate Barack Obama during the 2008 presidential campaign, that at the root of the Iran nuclear crisis is U.S.-Iran conflict, and that the root cause of that conflict is mistrust.
As a candidate, Obama pledged to meet personally with Iranian leaders and predicted that
ians “would start changing their behavior if they started seeing that they had some incentives to do so.” And as President, in his famous June 4, 2009, speech in Cairo, Obama spoke of the need to “overcome decades of mistrust.”
In this narrative, talks are successful insofar as they end not in collapse but in a sustained negotiating process — that is, more talks.
For Iran, meanwhile, there is little indication that the talks are aimed at building confidence or opening up the broader possibility of U.S.-Iran rapprochement. Indeed, there is ample evidence that the Iranian regime views normal relations with the United States as undesirable, even threatening, while it views a nuclear weapons capability as strategically vital.
Giving up the latter for the former would make little sense to Tehran.
Prolonging the talks serves a threefold purpose for Iran beyond merely buying time or delaying an attack: first, to enhance Iranian prestige by sitting as co
-equal with the world’s great powers and discussing the great regional and global issues of the day; second, to secure tacit acceptance of nuclear advances once deemed unacceptable and third, to gain relief from sanctions without making major concessions.
In this round, Iran appears to have made progress toward the first and second goals, but not the third. Regarding the first, Iran reportedly included in its proposals items relating to Syria and other regional issues — clearly legitimizing its role as a regional power player.
Regarding the second, Iran’s low-level uranium enrichment appears off the table for discussion, and Western analysts now frequently assert that insisting on the full suspension of enrichment and reprocessing by Iran is “unrealistic,” even though it is called for in a series of UN Security Council resolutions.
The focus instead is now on Iran’s 20% enrichment. While the recent discovery of 27%-enriched uranium at Iran’s Fordo facility may have an innocent explanation, it would come as little surprise were Iran to pocket the P5
-plus-1 concessions and move the goalposts once again.
While Iran failed to meet its third likely objective — sanctions relief — it has little reason to rush. It is true that oil sanctions have had a harmful effect on the Iranian economy, but history suggests that authoritarian regimes are willing to allow their people to endure severe hardship for the furtherance of the regimes’ own survival.
For any negotiation to succeed, one must begin by understanding the interests of the other side. The fundamental bargain offered by the U.S. asks Iran to trade something it apparently values enormously — the ability to produce nuclear weapons — for something in which it has no demonstrable interest and likely regards as threatening
, closer ties with the West.
To change this and give negotiations a chance of succeeding, Iran must be presented with a different bargain: end its nuclear weapons work or face devastating consequences. Iran must be convinced that continued pursuit of a nuclear weapons capability will threaten, rather than ensure, the regime’s ultimate survival, and that talks are not a substitute for but a complement to a broader strategy, which includes ratcheting up the pressure on Tehran and bolstering the credibility of the U.S. military option.
The true failure of Baghdad and previous rounds of talks is not the failure to reach an agreement, but the failure to correctly apprehend Iranian ambitions and implement a strategy to counter them.
Singh is managing director of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy and a former senior director for Middle East affairs at the National Security Council under President George W. Bush. | <urn:uuid:b374dc39-c9b1-42a5-a878-d4754c126a53> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://zameer36.com/how-close-is-mahmoud-ahmadinejads-regime-to-obtaining-nuclear-weapons/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00012-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.958595 | 1,050 | 1.671875 | 2 |
ANAPA, Russia (AP) — After years of delays and negotiations, Russian gas company Gazprom on Friday formally started construction of its €16 billion ($20.65 billion) Europe-bound South Stream pipeline, key to its strategy of strengthening its supply to its most important export market.
The South Stream pipeline will connect Russia's Black Sea coast with the Balkans, Austria and Italy, carrying up to 63 billion cubic meters of gas annually. Europe currently gets about two-fifths of its gas from Russia and the pipeline's route bypasses transit nation Ukraine to ensure safe shipping of its gas. Pricing and payment disputes between Russia and Ukraine have caused major disruptions in the past, cutting off gas for millions of customers in Europe.
The project, funded by Gazprom, Italy's Eni, France's EdF and Germany's Wintershall, is due to start operating in 2015. Gazprom holds 50 percent in the joint company and is the main investor in the project. However, investors and industry experts have criticized the €16 billion project as too costly.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, the pipeline's most powerful promoter, took part in Friday's ceremony in which two 6-meter steel pipes were welded together to mark the start of the construction.
"South Stream will create the conditions for a reliable gas supply for the main consumers in southern Europe," Putin said.
By beginning construction, state-controlled Gazprom steals a march on of its European Union-backed rival, the Nabucco pipeline, which has been plagued by a lack of funds and a reliable supply of natural gas.
"South Stream solves two problems at once," Gazprom CEO Alexei Miller said. "First, it does away with restrictions in the volumes of Russian gas exports and it minimizes transit risks by expanding our transportation network."
Gazprom in October also opened Nord Stream, a pipeline under the Baltic Sea directly linking Germany with Siberia's vast natural gas reserves with a capacity of 55 billion cubic meters. The construction of South Stream and expansion of Nord Stream will leave Gazprom with a surplus capacity of 50 to 100 billion cubic meters, according to analyst estimates.
The pipeline will go under the Black Sea to reach Bulgaria, Serbia, Hungary, Slovenia, Austria and Italy in one leg, and Croatia and Greece in a second.
With so much free capacity and a largely unchanged client base, South Stream seems to be built with the main aim of securing supplies to its existing European customers. But it will pick up a number of new energy company customers in Serbia and Croatia as it goes through their countries.
"Gas will simply change its direction and flow to the same destinations," said Alexei Kokin of the UralSib investment bank.
South Stream will be able to carry a third of the gas that Europe currently buys from Russia. Investors are concerned that the demand won't be there when the pipeline comes on line in 2015.
But Gazprom's deputy chief executive Alexander Medvedev told journalists that the company has agreements for the entire 63 billion cubic meters, although he refused to specify how firm these agreements are. He also said that one-fourth of the gas supply running through South Stream would be bought by new clients, likely referring to energy companies in Serbia and Croatia.
South Stream was conceived in 2007 after a pricing dispute with Ukraine. The need for the project increased in 2009 after an even fiercer dispute with Ukraine left tens of millions across Europe without gas for three weeks.
Ukrainian leaders are concerned by the project, fearful that it will push the country out of the European energy market and mean the end to the vital proceeds it gets from allowing natural gas to be transported from Russia to European consumers.
Associated Press writer Maria Danilova contributed to this report from Kiev, Ukraine. | <urn:uuid:5525d603-9853-4209-99dc-1b8636cc6b8b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.khou.com/news/world/182527361.html | 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 | 0.959622 | 769 | 1.820313 | 2 |
Bahrain's King Hamad University Hospital Adopts Comprehensive RFID and RTLS Solution
The system combines Wi-Fi RTLS with UHF and HF passive RFID technologies and wireless sensors on a single platform, to track patients, staff members, equipment, medications and temperatures within the new state-of-the-art facility.
Nov 27, 2012—When management at Bahrain's King Hamad University Hospital (KHUH) was considering technology alternatives for tracking assets, employees and patients, they had a number of choices available to them. These ranged from real-time location systems (RTLS) to passive RFID tags—all of which offered certain benefits, says Major Sheikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa, KHUH's CIO.
"We had identified RFID and RTLS as areas we wanted to explore," Al Khalifa recalls. "We found that the applicability of the technology is very vast." So while the hospital was initially interested in tracking assets, with the goal of reducing the number of labor hours that nurses spent searching for equipment, it decided it could also benefit by tracking patients, along with physicians and other workers.
In addition, the facility wanted to track the maintenance of equipment and the administration of specific medications to patients, as well as confirm that medical goods being transported from a warehouse located 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) away have arrived at the hospital on time, and that they have not been intercepted. RFID- and RTLS-related data would need to be integrated with the facility's Indra patient-management software, Oracle enterprise resource planning (ERP) system, Lenel access-control system and Infor enterprise asset-management software.
As a result, KHUH opened in February 2012 with an extensive solution combining Ekahau's RTLS technology, Wi-Fi-based active RFID tags, passive high-frequency (HF) and ultrahigh-frequency (UHF) RFID tags, and a single software platform. The solution, provided by Bahrain systems integrator Azimuth Gulf and its offshore partner, MCT India, is designed to enable KHUH to track and manage patients, staff members, pharmaceuticals and assets, as well as the temperatures within refrigeration units.
The 311-bed, state-of-the-art hospital—constructed under a royal decree issued in 2010 to support members of the Bahrain Defense Force, as well as civilian patients—has been dubbed the most technologically advanced hospital in the Middle East. Its management decided to implement the system in pieces. Although the hardware infrastructure and software platform are now in place, Al Khalifa says, the facility is testing and launching each new functionality in a measured way, in order to allow the staff and management to fully understand every function without interfering with health-care operations.
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This article was originally distributed via PRWeb. PRWeb, WorldNow and this Site make no warranties or representations in connection therewith.
SOURCE: MonolithIC 3D Inc.
Startup now has 17 issued and 3 granted patents in the field of monolithic 3D integrated circuits.
San Jose, CA (PRWEB) December 04, 2012
MonolithIC 3D Inc., a Silicon Valley startup, announced today that it has been granted its 20th patent on monolithic 3D-IC technology. The company holds in its portfolio 17 issued and 3 granted patents for the breakthrough technology that can revolutionize the semiconductor industry. Monolithic 3D-IC technology provides IC designers and manufacturers 10,000x higher vertical connectivity than state-of-the-art Through-Silicon Via (TSV) 3D technology. In addition to the 17 issued patents, the company has more than 50 patents pending, making it one of the key players in the 3D-IC field. MonolithIC 3D Inc. was selected as a Finalist of the “Best of Semicon West 2011” for its disruptive technology. On the company’s webpage you can find the complete list of issued patents and details about the innovative technology it provides.
Recently the industry has seen NAND Flash vendors announcing and gearing up production for monolithic 3D NV memories utilizing polysilicon based architectures. MonolithIC 3D technology is based on monocrystalline technology, which offers an even better foundation for this emerging new trend. In addition, the monolithic 3D technology empowers older wafer fabs to offer competitive new products and could offer advanced fabs a longer effective manufacturing road map. The MonolithIC 3D IP portfolio now covers logic devices, memory devices such as NV NAND R-RAM and DRAM, and electro-optic derivatives such as micro-displays and multi-spectrum imaging. Further, the company was granted broad coverage for its wafer-scale-integration technology.
“Monolithic 3D provides a very attractive alternative to dimensional scaling, especially in view of the uncertainty and costs associated with next generation lithography,” said Zvi Or-Bach, President and CEO of MonolithIC 3D Inc. "MonolithIC 3D Inc. is committed to the promotion of the 3D IC as the preferred path to continue device integration per Moore’s Law. We believe these issued patents will help us motivate early adopters to bring monolithic 3D IC to the market by providing the early adopters an exclusive position to have a differentiated IP. This will protect their pioneering efforts and justify the extra cost and risk associated with introducing new technology to the market".
In the semiconductor industry a strong IP portfolio could enable companies to keep high margins. This is ever more critical as the investment in fab capacity is growing at an accelerated rate. Zvi Or-Bach, Founder and CEO of MonolithIC 3D Inc. described in the company’s latest blog post, that in some cases, even a giant company with years of tradition could lose its market value and be passed over by a smaller company that has a differentiated IP for its products.
“The USPTO has continued to recognize the innovative methods, devices, and systems that MonolithIC 3D Inc. is bringing to the semiconductor industry. We are very pleased to see that our innovation is clearly different than prior work in the space and this has been recognized by the very broad claims that have been allowed in these patents. We are still expanding our IP portfolio by continued innovation in the space of monolithic 3D IC technology”, said Brian Cronquist, VP of Technology & IP at MonolithIC 3D Inc.
About MonolithIC 3D Inc.
MonolithIC 3D Inc. is an IP company dedicated to innovation in semiconductor design and fabrication. It invented and developed a practical path to the monolithic 3D Integrated Circuit, which includes multiple derivatives for Logic, Memory and Electro Optic devices. The company was selected as a finalist of the Best of West 2011, which recognizes the most important product and technology developments at Semicon West. More information about the company, including detailed technical information, can be found at its website.
For the original version on PRWeb visit: http://www.prweb.com/releases/prwebmonolithic3d/20patent/prweb10193952.htm | <urn:uuid:70a2fe13-d557-4837-b4c3-5863683aec2e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.kndo.com/story/20254408/monolithic-3d-inc-granted-its-20th-patent-on-3d-ic-technology | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00018-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.949477 | 918 | 1.617188 | 2 |
Boy Scouts & Girl Scouts (all ages)
Howell Woods has over 2800 acres to explore with more than 35 miles of trials that cross many types of natural habitats. This is an ideal setting for Scouts to fulfill requirements for environmental and nature-oriented badges. Please contact us to discuss the possibility of our staff tailoring a program to meet badge requirements or to work with you on organizing a service project at Howell Woods. Also, you are welcome to bring your troop and hike our trails or visit our birds of prey and museum which houses native reptiles and amphibians.
Clubs may visit Howell Woods to hike our nature trails or visit our birds of prey and museum which houses native reptiles and amphibians. Leaders, please contact us to discuss a visit from Howell Woods at your regular club meeting. We will work with individual 4-Hers to help with nature and wildlife projects.
Howell Woods can provide nature programming for the young people of your church either at Howell Woods or at your meeting site. | <urn:uuid:c293fc9a-e50a-4fef-9355-79469be0928f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.johnstoncc.edu/howellwoods/youth_group_programs.aspx | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00015-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.939552 | 202 | 1.804688 | 2 |
Accidents that can change your life and ruin you financially can happen in a matter of seconds. That’s why it’s important to have a personal umbrella policy.
In this actual claim:
The insured’s 18-year-old son was driving his parents’ car to the store with his girlfriend. He left the roadway and hit a tree. The son told police that another car cut him off, but there were no witnesses and his girlfriend had no memory of the accident. She was hospitalized for over a month with multiple fractures and internal injuries and received extensive physical therapy.
Her parents sued the 18-year-old and his parents for unpaid medical bills, lost wages, unreimbursed expenses associated with the physical therapy, and for her pain and suffering. The court awarded the girl and her parents $1.5 million, of which $500,000 was the maxiumum that could be paid by the automobile policy. The remaining money came from the parent’s $1 million umbrella policy that cost them less than $300 a year.
A personal umbrella policy is additional protection above what is provided by your automobile and homeowners’ policies. Limits of $1 million to $5 million are commonly available.
For the cost of a cup of coffee a day, you may purchase a personal umbrella policy with a limit of $1 million. Give E. R. Munro and Company a call at 877-376-8676 or visit our Web site at www.ermunro.com to learn more about a personal umbrella policy. | <urn:uuid:071a73d1-9e5b-484c-9220-d4924f4537f6> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.ermunro.com/2012/04/do-you-have-a-personal-umbrella/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704392896/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113952-00004-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.974713 | 321 | 1.617188 | 2 |
I’ve been looking for a book on Hungarian embroidery (in English) for some time and while Treasures of Kalocsa is not strictly about embroidery, but rather the variety of folk art from this region of eastern Hungary, embroidery certainly figures prominently.
While I have yet to read it cover to cover, I’m pleased that my mom agreed to give this rather pricey ($77 including shipping from Hungary) volume to me as a birthday gift. At least half of the book is devoted to background on the area, the role and development of the folk arts (focused on embroidery and decorative painting). The author Kati Fejer takes you on a tour of the town and profiles the “women and one man” who are involved in continuing this tradition and keeping it current. Some aspects are a bit scholarly and are enhanced if the reader has some knowledge about the history and politics that impact the area.
The book is generously illustrated with full color photographs of gorgeous examples of regional embroidery on clothing, household and religious items in a wider range of styles and color schemes than I was previously aware of, from white on white cutwork and Madeira to riotously colored flat stitched pieces. While there are some drawings and stitch diagrams in the hand embroidery section, I found it to be more of a source of inspiration than a how-to manual. The section on Kalocsa “machine embroidery” (which has NOTHING to do with fancy new-fangled machines and computerized templates) does provide step by step instructions for a unique style which uses a straight stitch machine to create lace like creations in combination with hand embroidery. | <urn:uuid:89257a03-83f7-47ca-a9a8-1e9f8058f9bb> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.feelingstitchy.com/2007/06/featured-book-treasures-of-kalocsa.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704392896/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113952-00014-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.949184 | 349 | 1.65625 | 2 |
All I used was 3 x Tectite lights and a small white led for the top of the mast.
1st Tectite is the 4 LED with a white cover and I fit it on a short pvc pole mounted just behind the seat as my 360 degree white anchor/stern light.
2nd two Tectite's are 1 LED in both green and red lens which I have made mounting tubes from pvc that clip onto the lug and velcro to the rear aka brace at the bend above the amas.
Small LED is mounted on the top of the mast and I am currently looking at a different type of light and mount as the last one fell off and was not bright enough.
There are rules that must be followed when displaying lights on a boat. The lights you display tell other boats things like whether you are a power boat or a sail boat and what direction you are going in relation to other boats. As an example if you have red and green side lights and a 360 degree stern light you are a power boat so other boats might treat you as such when determining which boat is the give way vessel. (When looking at a boat sailing at night you should only see one light if you see either a red or green plus a white you're a power boat.)
Making your own lights is difficult but possible but it sounds like you went with the more is better rule instead of complying with the rules.
The rules are very simple. When sailing you should display red and green bow lights and a white stern light. That means when you look at the boat from the front you only see the red and green lights and when looked at from the rear you only see a white light. These lights are readily available from any chandlery. You can optionally mount a tri-color light on top of your mast and use it instead of the 3 separate lights.
A 360 degree white light mounted on top of your mast is an anchor light and should only be used when you are at anchor.
For sailboats less than 7 meters you have the option of carrying an "electric flashlight or lighted lantern ready at hand to be shown in time to prevent a collision.
I have spent a lot of time on the water sailing and motoring in the dark and displaying improper lights can be very confusing to other boaters. It would also be very difficult to see a TI or AI displaying proper navigation lights. My recommendation is that if you have to be out after dark carry a very powerful flashlight that can be used to light up your sail when close to another boat. The down side of this is that when you turn it on you will ruin your night vision. As they say there is no free lunch. Personally I don’t sail after dark.
The civil penalty for violating the Inland Navigation Rules is not more than $5,000 for each violation.
For more details on navigation lights go to Chapman Piloting Seamanship & Small Boat Handling.
Thanks dosjers, I do know I am not doing it completely right and need to do so.
I will check out your link as well.
I do only use the anchor light when at anchor, but agree I do need to bring the red green together. I do also have a head torch & hand torches (dive lights) that I carry, one a 21 watt HID but once it's turned on, it has to stay on, blinds the poor bloke at the other end as well. Once it's on, I either stick it in the water to keep it cool, if there are a lot of boats around, then it goes inside the hull to light it up (fluro banana
When I started out, I honestly took no notice of the light regulations and just threw some white lights front & back and like you said, the front light really does bugger your night vision. I then removed all the lights and just used a torch (even at anchor) but after a few near misses I decided to make myself a little better seen. I do not mind dropping the mast to turn on a light for anchor and think it is best seen from there. My two coloured lights I know they are supposed to be together but the width and low profile of the amas always worried me, so I added the two (red/green) off the amas.
I love sailing at night, as it's so quiet on the water, no jet ski's and the fisherman that are out, are generally already at anchor and in for the long night. Some times I just stay in close to the beach and troll deep divers so the bounce off the shallow sandy bottom or some surface lures. If I see any small sand octopus, then I net them up, put them on for a live bait and head out to deeper water and either anchor or troll them deep on the downrigger. | <urn:uuid:1e0f56d6-a930-4a4b-b668-30386e61c741> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.hobiecat.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=148215 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00013-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.959992 | 997 | 1.609375 | 2 |
"Born in Hawaii and ends up a snow boarder...I think she's on the wrong board."
You can thank your Mom for all the times she nagged you to "sit up straight."
She was right; it's good for your health. You can also thank Dr. Tim Brown, the founder of IntelliSkin, who makes posture-friendly apparel.
With clients like Kelly Slater, Layne Beachley, Bubba Stewart, Derek Fisher and Jack Johnson-- just to name a few-- Dr. Tim Brown has made it his mission to improve posture and performance for optimum health.
Recently, we spoke with the doctor himself to hear about what makes IntelliSkin work:
"We have always been told to stand up straight, sit up straight." Why is that even more important for athletes?
Being a successful athlete means you must be connected to your body consciously and unconsciously. The brain, nervous system, and muscles must connect and communicate fluidly for you to move well and recover efficiently. Good posture is of paramount importance in virtually every sport, from football and surfing to golf and dance. Maintaining proper alignment while you move allows you to be nimble, stable and strong. Good posture also improves respiration. So as your breathing improves, your brain and muscles can receive a greater volume of oxygen for endurance and focus.
What compelled you to create IntelliSkin?
For years, athletes on the AVP and ASP tours were complaining about back and neck injuries. So I created a way to treat these injuries by figuring out their muscle imbalances-- with soft tissue release techniques and sports chiropractic techniques-- properly re-aligning their areas of pain. Over time, I created a hybrid functional sports taping technique using unique sports and surgical tapes. I named it S.P.R.T. (Specific Proprioceptive Response Technique) and used it extensively to help support injuries during competition.
How did that grow into the current IntelliSkin technology?
One night while working on the ASP tour, I got a call from AVP star, Singin Smith. He proceeded to tell me that it would be easier on me and the athletes if I would just invent something similar to the new way I was taping, but something that they could just throw on and wear whenever they wanted.
I woke up in the middle of the night with a vision in my mind, broke out the hotel sewing kit, cut up a wetsuit, and by morning I had created a shirt for shoulder injuries based on the S.P.R.T. system.
From there, after many prototypes generated from crucial feedback from athletes, orthopedic surgeons, chiropractors, physical therapists, and trainers, IntelliSkin was born.
How long does it take for someone to see the benefits/results?
You will feel immediate benefits. The technology in the back of the shirt cues your upper back muscles to draw your shoulders back and down and rotate your arms and shoulders open and slightly outward.
You will instantly feel it. You are holding your body in a whole new posture. It's not uncommon for us to hear feedback such as, "Wow! I feel stronger, lighter, taller, and have more endurance."
To check out out more of the product and to get your own, head over to the IntelliSkin website.
You can also follow them on Facebook and Twitter for helpful posture and health tips. | <urn:uuid:f0815cf5-342f-48fe-b90a-eb7dfe145d1f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.grindtv.com/profile/kat+hoffman/blog/33135/-/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705195219/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115315-00010-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.956287 | 705 | 1.507813 | 2 |
|Courtesy Aspen Film Society|
Like practically everything in the world of Masonic research publishing, you never know exactly when to expect it, but evidently the new edition of Ars Quatuor Coronatorum is hitting mailboxes in the United States now.
AQC is the annual book of transactions of Quatuor Coronati Lodge No. 2076 in London, the first Masonic lodge of research ever chartered, having received its warrant from the United Grand Lodge of England in 1884. What we have now is Volume 124, representing the lodge’s output for the year 2011. Receipt of this book each year is the principal benefit of membership in the Quatuor Coronati Correspondence Circle—the corporate side of the lodge’s endeavors—which unites Masons from all over the globe in the joy of advancing in Masonic knowledge.
To join QCCC, click here. (Membership in QC2076 itself is exclusive, but QCCC members who are regular/recognized Masons may attend the meetings of the lodge.)
Contents of this edition include:
- “The Little Man,” a Masonic biography of Bro. T.N. Cranstoun-Day, with a look at early Freemasonry in South Africa – the inaugural paper by the Worshipful Master, Bro. Thomas V. Webb.
- “Early 17th Century Ritual: Ben Jonson and His Circle” by Bro. John Acaster. (I turned to this one first, having met John a few times over the years.)
- “Thomas Dunckerley: A True Son of Adam” by Susan Mitchell Sommers. I assume it is part of, or at least sidebar to, her eye-opening new book titled Thomas Dunckerley and English Freemasonry, a most welcome fresh look at the highly influential figure in early Masonry. Look for my book review in The Journal of the Masonic Society soon.
- “Opposition to Freemasonry in 18th Century France and the Lettre et Consultation of 1748” by Michael Taylor.
And there is a lot more. Check it out. Support your local research lodge. Bring informed lecturers to your lodges. Show your brethren that there is more to Freemasonry than feting the VIPs and showing the Stewards when to ground their rods. There is culture. There is history. There are things tangible and intangible that are worth handing down to future generations. | <urn:uuid:ebc6b0d9-6e8f-453c-a42b-d22e23097cf8> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://themagpiemason.blogspot.com/2012_12_01_archive.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 | 0.93228 | 510 | 1.703125 | 2 |
Au Joli Bois
Wednesday, 9 May 2007
I don’t understand why records are hardly considered as art objects. I mean, apart from a small group of record collectors, there is little or no interest in LP’s as artefacts. Considering the amazing beauty of many record sleeves, that can be bought for the price of a donut, it is a miracle why there are so little LP’s hanging on the walls in homes. But maybe it is better not to say this, because records should be on record players, and not on walls, of course.
The LP that the Dutch band Au Joli Bois recorded in 1977 is a good example. It has been hanging on the wall of our living room for years. I bought it because I loved the painting on the cover, made by Goddefroy. But the music is also interesting. The LP contains a collection of mainly instrumental songs from the days of Pieter Brueghel and Jeroen Bosch. It is music that was played for ordinary people, in bars and on festivals. Au Joli Bois uses instruments that were used in those days.
Unlike several other of such projects that I heard, this LP really gives me an idea how this music was for the people who listened to it centuries ago. It is pop music!
Here is an example, a tune called De Morendans. The sound quality is a bit pour, but that is because the sun has turned the LP into a more 3-dimensional object than it originally was. | <urn:uuid:6fbed7a6-7333-4a6f-ac43-58561ed7edcf> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://showcase.thebluebus.nl/soundtrack-of-my-life/may-2007/au-joli-bois | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00008-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.97778 | 318 | 1.609375 | 2 |
Second Grade – Journal
What a PRAYERFUL First Communion celebration we had on Saturday. Thirty-five young children grew even closer to Christ. In their beautiful white or cream dresses and veils for the girls, white, black, or navy blue suits for boys, they adorned the Church with their vibrant spirits and subtle attitudes. We praise and thank God for them. Thank you parents, Godparents, grandparents and many others who attended this beautiful celebration. God bless you.
This week in reading, we will read a realistic fiction, My Dog is Lost, by Ezra Jack Keats. We will follow Juanito as he goes through the streets of New York looking for his shaggy dog Pepito. Pepito is lost. Juanito’s problem is compounded by the fact that he only speaks Spanish. Some children he encountered along the way helped him find Pepito. We will be learning some Spanish words with which to impress Senora Anna during our Spanish lesson.
In math, we have ended our study of the number of faces, sides, edges, and vertices of plane and solid shapes. We will review and complete chapter assessments this week. We will introduce telling time by the hour, half hour, and five minute intervals.
We will continue with MARE science activities this week. Our classroom will be a home for some hermit crabs. We will also examine what happens to ocean life when oil spills in the ocean.
Mark your calendar for May 29th. Come join the staff of Saint Jerome school and other Saint Jerome school families for an evening of fellowship and thanksgiving for all our successes this year Come and do your part to make our first-ever Parent Appreciation Fiesta a memorable one. It’s from 6:00pm-7: 30pm in Red Balloon. Childcare will be provided.
Look at for more info coming home this week about “ Heroes Day “ celebration.
Here is a quick something you can do on Wednesday mornings after you drop the kids off at school. Join Ms. Wilkie:
A note from Ms. Wilkie’s desk:
Lastly, do you enjoy walking and chatting? I invite each of you to join me on the remaining Wednesday mornings of this school year. We will leave the campus directly after morning assembly for a half an hour walk around our beautiful neighborhood. It is important to me to be available to the parents of St. Jerome to answer questions and catch up regarding various activities and events at the school, and I thought that this would be a great way to accomplish that and promote healthy habits at the same time. There is no need to RSVP, and you can join me for 1 or more Wednesdays. I hope you will put on your tennis shoes and join me! | <urn:uuid:d87f5dd7-7e5a-4066-8fe2-2ca1728b9e61> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.stjeromecatholicschool.org/second-grade-journal/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00020-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.956771 | 567 | 1.765625 | 2 |
(CNN) -- A 16-year-old student who blasted a California high school classroom with a shotgun Thursday was targeting two classmates because he felt he'd been bullied, the local sheriff said Thursday night.
One student was hit and was in critical but stable condition Thursday night, and the shooter was in custody after a teacher and the school's campus supervisor talked him into putting his shotgun down.
Kern County Sheriff Donny Youngblood said he did not know whether bullying had actually occurred between the Taft Union High School students.
"But certainly, (the shooter) believed that the two people he had targeted had bullied him," Youngblood said at an evening news conference in Taft, about 30 miles from Bakersfield.
The young shooter was still being interrogated Thursday evening, Youngblood said, adding that the youth will be charged as a juvenile with attempted murder. It will be up to prosecutors to decide whether he should be charged as an adult, the sheriff said.
The name of the student in custody was not released.
Youngblood laid out a detailed scenario of the hours before the shooting, saying the student planned the assault the night before and took a shotgun belonging to his brother.
The student did not show up for school on time Thursday, Youngblood said, instead appearing about halfway through the first period of classes. He was caught on school surveillance cameras, the sheriff said, using a side entrance instead of the school's main door and "appearing nervous" as he tried to conceal the shotgun when he entered the school.
The gunman fired directly at one student, who was hit, and then as students rushed to flee, the gunman fired again, Youngblood said.
"Miraculously, (the second shot) didn't injure anyone."
Youngblood credited the teacher and the campus supervisor -- a campus monitor on the school's staff -- with bravely facing off with the young gunman. Youngblood identified the teacher as Ryan Heber and the campus supervisor as Kim Lee Fields.
"They stood there face-to-face (with the gunman), not knowing whether he's going to turn that shotgun on them," Youngblood said.
The assailant's pockets were "filled" with ammunition, Youngblood said, adding that he did not have an exact account of how many shotgun cartridges were recovered.
In addition to the wounded student, who was being treated in a Bakersfield hospital, two other students -- both girls -- suffered injuries in the confusion amid the shooting, Youngblood said. One girl apparently close to the shotgun blast was taken to a hospital with hearing damage, authorities said. The second girl received minor injuries trying to flee, authorities said.
The teacher suffered a pellet wound to the head from one of the shots fired earlier, authorities said.
Earlier Thursday, Youngblood said the teacher and campus supervisor "engaged in a conversation that talked him into putting that shotgun down. ... (The student) said, 'I wasn't aiming at you,' and said the name of the student he was aiming at."
Added Taft Police Chief Ed Whiting, "We commend the teacher and campus supervisor for all they did to bring this to a quick resolution before anybody else was harmed."
An armed police officer is assigned to the school, but he wasn't at the school at the time of the shooting because snowfall in the area prevented his arrival, authorities said.
Investigators recovered a shotgun they believe was used in the incident, said Ray Pruitt of the Kern County Sheriff's Office.
Authorities were still searching and securing the school Thursday evening. Investigators also were searching student backpacks to ensure no additional firearms were in the school, Youngblood said.
Tia Savea, who lives across the street from Taft's science building, said she saw a youth, about 15 or 16 years of age, walk by her window with a gun shortly before the shooting.
She thought the gun was a toy, she said.
The youth walked into the school, and Savea heard two distinct shots, she said. Her son is a 10th-grader at the high school, she said.
Classes are canceled for Friday, and the school is scheduled to reopen, with additional counselors, on Monday, officials said.
U.S. Rep. Kevin McCarthy expressed sympathies to the Taft community, which is in his district.
"I am deeply saddened and troubled by news of the shooting," the Republican lawmaker said.
U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-California, said her father attended Taft Union High, which she has visited over the years.
"Today comes word of another tragic shooting at an American school," Feinstein said. "At this moment my thoughts and prayers are with the victims, and I wish them a speedy recovery.
"But how many more shootings must there be in America before we come to the realization that guns and grievances do not belong together?" Feinstein asked.
CNN's Kate Bolduan, Steve Brusk and Kyung Lah contributed to this report. | <urn:uuid:46c29089-4cc3-4133-b56c-1fc32139fdf4> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://us.cnn.com/2013/01/10/us/california-school-shooting/index.html?hpt=hp_inthenews | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00009-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.982455 | 1,028 | 1.710938 | 2 |
It's good that she changed her attitude, but the role of a government official making decisions about people's lives is not to experience personal transformations and revelations. It was an abuse of power. It's good that she learned from it, and it's interesting that she was opening herself up and telling such a personal story now. It exposed her to criticism, and her understandably sensitive boss fired her. It's important to acknowledge that Sherrod not only admittedly discriminated against the farmer (years ago), but she saw fit today to speak as if she were proud of the story with its narrative arc of personal growth.
ADDED: The incident with the white farmer occurred when Sherrod worked for the Georgia field office for the Federation of Southern Cooperative/Land Assistance Fund, and I don't know the specifics of that work and how it might affect the extent of her duty not to discriminate based on race. I don't mean to express an opinion about whether Sherrod should have been fired. There is a lot going on in this story, and I'm interested to see how it unfolds. I'm holding a position of neutrality here, and I will make my observations as they come to me.
One thing I'm seeing that I don't think many people are talking about is that Sherrod brought religion into her work and her narrative. Her speech began with a genuinely moving story of her childhood. It brought me to tears when she spoke of the murder of her father. Because of that murder, she made a "commitment to stay in the South and devote my life to working for change." The commitment seems to have been a promise to God, as she continues:
God is good. I can tell you that. When I made that commitment, I was making that commitment to black people -- and to black people only. But you know God will show you things and he'll put things in your path so that you realize that the struggle is really about poor people...This ties to the line in the anecdote from the video clip: "That's when it was revealed to me that y'all, it's about poor versus those who have, and not so much about white -- it is about white and black, but it's not -- you know, it opened my eyes..." Toward the end, she repeats this idea: "Like I told, God helped me to see that its not just about black people, it's about poor people. And I've come a long way. I knew that I couldn't live with hate, you know. As my mother has said to so many, if we had tried to live with hate in our hearts, we'd probably be dead now."
That's a beautiful idea. It is impressive that she resisted hate, but a public servant has a duty not to discriminate based on race, whatever her personal background is and whether God revealed something to her or not. | <urn:uuid:7055a07d-e75a-448a-bedb-039549997d9b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://althouse.blogspot.com/2010/07/i-watched-full-shirley-sherrod-video.html?showComment=1279751784713 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00020-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.989048 | 584 | 1.546875 | 2 |
I'm wondering if we need some discussion about inclusion in this category. I mean, are the Old Believers heretics or merely schismatics? There's an important difference, right? Typos may be heresy for writers, but I'm not sure they count for other folks. Ecumenism may well be an ecclesiological heresy if it means the branch theory, but is this really what most Orthodox mean when they speak about "ecumenism"? (Usually it seems to me to mean something like "talking to other people".)
I suspect for some of these things Category:Disputed issues might be more appropriate. Otherwise just about every opinion in church life will end up being framed as heresy!
Maybe we should restrict this to classic heresies? Or someone should attempt a definition of what "heresy" means. In fact, I think we'll have difficulty keeping things neat and clean here...
I'm just worrying aloud, but does anyone else have suggestions? | <urn:uuid:e501354f-b893-409c-bbb5-29eb803b05b7> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://orthodoxwiki.org/index.php?title=Category_talk:Heresies&direction=prev&oldid=14768 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.962519 | 199 | 1.59375 | 2 |
Presidential campaign season is upon us once again, one party's convention having just ended while the other's has yet to begin. That's a little like having a colonoscopy behind you (no pun intended) and a root canal still looming ahead.
In this giant spectator sport that is American politics, call it halftime. And since every good halftime needs entertainment, I offer another in my periodic updates of The Devil's Dictionary, originally penned by early 19th-century newspaper man and satirist extraordinaire Ambrose Bierce.
For example, Bierce defined "politics" as "the conduct of public affairs for private advantage." A politician, he said, is "an eel in the fundamental mud upon which the super-structure of organized society is reared. When he wriggles he mistakes the agitation of his tail for the trembling of the edifice. As compared with the statesman, he suffers the disadvantage of being alive."
As you watch the conventions -- OK, as you read about them on Yahoo! -- you may hear terms that are unfamiliar or that you don't recognize in context. In the spirit of Ambrose Bierce, allow me to offer a few timely definitions:
-- Convention, n. A gathering, every four years, of all current practitioners of the world's two oldest professions.
-- Democracy, n. Also known as "majority rule." A system of government by which those who do not understand the issues seek to impose their will on those who do.
-- Democrat, n. A member of a political party whose ideology is nearly as impoverished as its constituents.
-- Development, n. The process by which tree-lined streets in shaded suburbs are converted into well-lined pockets for shady politicians.
-- Election, n. In a democracy, the process by which leaders are chosen. In Georgia, a periodic affirmation of the status quo.
-- Free, adj. Paid for by someone else.
-- Media cycle, n. Coverage of an event ad nauseam, via television, radio, newspaper and Internet. Events that actually impact world affairs are generally exempt.
-- News, n. A form of entertainment occasionally based on the truth.
-- Platform, n. In politics, a metaphysical structure erected to support hot air. During a political convention, a physical structure built for the same purpose.
-- Republic, n. A form of government in which representatives are elected to fleece the public on behalf of those not in a position to do so for themselves.
-- Republican, n. A member of a political party dedicated to decreasing the size of government, preferably by eliminating elected officials from other parties. In Georgia, Republicans were up until recently known as "Democrats."
-- Reform, n. The process of changing a system in order to make it more efficiently corrupt or to remove it further from the realm of logic. (See tax reform, education reform, etc.) Vi. To adopt more effective measures for concealing one's bad habits.
-- Victim, n. An individual who, despite decades of social engineering, has been unsuccessful in avoiding the consequences of his or her choices.
Rob Jenkins is a local freelance writer and college professor. Email him at email@example.com and follow him on Twitter@rjenkinsgdp. | <urn:uuid:dce0f1bc-8824-48d9-b739-bbd048424aaf> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.gwinnettdailypost.com/news/2012/aug/31/jenkins-updating-the-devils-dictionary-political/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00005-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.95847 | 675 | 1.773438 | 2 |
"Light is like a perfume" 6/22/12
Check this out! Great content! Here's an interview I watched the other day with Henri-Cartier Bresson (August 22, 1908 – August 3, 2004) here:
Within which he enormously claims that the image he made of the man jumping over the puddle:
of which may be seriously considered one of the most important images ever made in photography, was produced solely "pas hazard", -by chance!
"In between planks I tipped the lens through but I couldn't see anything through the viewer", Henri-Cartier Bresson explains as he shot the image above through a fence behind the train station Gare Saint Lazare, in 1932, the year my father was born-
He goes on to say, incredulously, "it's always luck, it's luck that matters, it's all a matter of chance."
interviewer say's: "that was lucky."
H.C.B. "You have to be receptive, that's all."
So, this was one of the most impactful images I had ever seen when I first came across it while i was first studying photography, and to think that he is claiming that it was "all a matter of chance", as if by some reflex action he irresistibly thrust his lens unknowingly through a gap in between worlds and for just a moment, for just a brief 1/100 of a second depressed the trigger- is completely b.s.! Totally hogwash! But that's just me editorializing, so take it for what it's worth.
But it gets better: he say's "You have to be receptive, that's all. It's a matter of chance, if you want it you get nothing. Just be receptive and it happens."
Then he goes on to talk about geometry within the frame and the divine proportion [golden mean].
H.C.B. "Intuitively I know how it sits, but that's all I can say. It's the physical rythm. We know how it sit's, a compass will tell you, but it's in the eye."
Love it! To hear the original street shooter talk about composition is absolutely priceless.
He goes on to say: "I go for form more than for light. Form comes first. Light is like a perfume for me."
Which is such a beautiful way to put it, but,
tell that to Mitch Dobrowner: http://mitchdobrowner.com/!
Anyways, all that talk makes me think about when it's picture making time. When it's picture making time we have a plan, and we have a goal, and we have a location, or we are "Sunday driving" looking for what we might find- and how often, at least it seems to me, that isn't it the light first that we are seeking and then to make it a composition we "look for a foreground", like- but isn't it that Henri is saying the opposite?
Personally I am pretty iffy on the topic of perfume as it's not my favorite thing- I'd rather smell the clean sweat of a woman's being then something cloaked in aftermarket expense, but there is a time and a place. But that's neither here nor there.
Most certainly the gist of the conversation was feeling and balancing a composition, just his excellent French accent made it seem all so much more intentional and artistic!
Right then, now go make some pictures people! And have a nice day -Nate from Maine, Usa. | <urn:uuid:7cd0d1f6-8db5-48c9-95c2-701a7f64cdfa> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://nateparkerphotography.com/blog/2012/7/words-of-wisdom-a-la-henri-cartier-bresson | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00012-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.982343 | 743 | 1.59375 | 2 |
- Jason Pontin
- Cambridge, MA
- United States
Editor in Chief/Publisher, MIT's Technology Review
"Why Can't We Solve Big Problems?"
I'll be giving a TED U Talk in Longbeach at the end of the month. I'll be asking "Why Can't We Solve Big Problems?" I think that blithe optimism about technology’s powers has evaporated as big problems that people had imagined technology would solve, such as hunger, poverty, malaria, climate change, cancer, and the diseases of old age, have come to seem intractably hard.
I'd love to know what the TED Community thinks our difficulties are - or, even if the idea is true at all.
Here's a URL to the story I wrote in MIT Technology Review on the subject: http://www.technologyreview.com/featuredstory/429690/why-we-cant-solve-big-problems/ | <urn:uuid:7fc5babe-3376-4f05-b67e-7b45837569f8> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.ted.com/conversations/16435/why_can_t_we_solve_big_proble.html?c=604395 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00012-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.954338 | 199 | 1.554688 | 2 |
Botswana and De Beers have been entrenched together for a while and in many ways its been a good deal for Botswana. The country has been able to use the profits from diamond mining to develop much-needed infrastructure. But the global diamond slump has been hard on the nation. Speaking at the World Federation of Diamond Bourses (WFDB) meeting in Antwerp in November, Dr. Akolang Tombale spoke about the need for Botswana to use diamonds to stretch beyond diamonds. Currently the country mainly exports rough stones but Tombale believes that Botswana needs to be more involved in the diamond industry, in cutting, polishing and trading stones. Diamonds.net has a great piece on Tombale’s speech and why it is so key that Botswana get the most value from its natural mineral resources. As diamonds move along the supply chain from mine to jewelry store they collect value. Selling out at the rough stage cuts off the potential to earn more.
De Beers set up its main sorting facility in Gaborone in March 2008 and established the Diamond Trading Company Botswana (DTCB). So far 15 factories are up and running, with the last one is due to launch soon. Under the guide of DTCB sightholder Safdico, the Diamond Technology Park was launched in January 2009 creating a new potential hub for Botswana’s diamond cutting industry meaning that more diamond value will stay in the country as it switches from exporting mainly rough stones to exporting both rough and cut stones. Tombale told Rapaport News that the next step is to set up a diamond trading platform in Botswana for third-party trading. Currently Botswana and De Beers are in a symbiotic relationship, they have joint venture agreements as equal owners of the mining company Debswana and of DTCB. The Botswana government has a 15 percent stake in De Beers. The potential of a trading platform means that Botswana wouldn’t need to rely on De Beers to sell all its stones. Tombale says that going forward some but not all of Debswana’s production would be sold through De Beers? DTCB. Tombale would like a new diamond trading platform in place by the end of 2010 allowing others to trade in the country with the independent marketing of Botswana diamonds taking place a year later.
This move seems to be part of the global trend away from the stranglehold that De Beers had on the diamond market decades ago. De Beers once had absolute sway over the diamond industry, setting prices and completely controlling supply and demand. Now the market is opening at a rapid rate. For Botswana, moving away from the De Beers relationship is the next phase in its development, a way of declaring that it is part of the future diamond industry, not part of its past.
As seen in the photo above, the relationship between Botswana and its diamonds is complicated. The photo shows a protest in front of De Beers by Survival International meant to draw attention that the Bushmen of the Kalahari were pushed out of ancestral lands when diamonds were found there. While overall the stones have been good for the country’s economy and citizens there are those who have suffered and had their way of life forever altered. | <urn:uuid:2a6f39f3-c066-4dd1-941e-b4ddfc0aeee8> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.faycullen.com/blog/botswana-plans-a-diamond-future-beyond-de-beers/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704392896/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113952-00002-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.960043 | 670 | 1.84375 | 2 |
The Tri-Institutional Training Program in Laboratory Animal Medicine and Science is dedicated to providing qualified veterinarians with the knowledge and technical skills necessary to develop a successful career in laboratory animal medicine and science in an academic or industrial setting. The program meets the training requirements prescribed by and is accredited by the American College of Laboratory Animal Medicine.
Postdoctoral fellows gain broad exposure to the animal resource and research programs at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, The Rockefeller University, and Weill Cornell Medical College, the three participating organizations that make up the Tri-Institutional community. The three-year program consists of two major components: clinical, management, and administrative training and research training. In addition, fellows receive exposure to regulatory and policy issues by participating in the activities of each of the three participating institutions' Institutional Animal Care and Use Committees. Knowledge and skills are gained through both experiential and didactic activities. | <urn:uuid:f24fa993-9ea3-415c-9d35-e4bb9f551f13> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.mskcc.org/research/comparative-medicine-pathology/tri-institutional-program-laboratory-animal-medicine-science | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700958435/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104238-00012-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.942725 | 183 | 1.640625 | 2 |
Posted on | May 7, 2012 |
A recent poll of Arizonans is evidence of how many Americans have more nuanced beliefs on illegal immigration than the emotional debate on the issue would indicate.
Arizona, of course, is the home of SB 1070, one of the strongest anti-illegal-immigration laws in the country. A constitutional challenge to the law is now before the U.S. Supreme Court.
Arizona is also home to Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, a national symbol of anti-illegal-immigration fervor.
Yet 73 percent of Arizonans support the Dream Act. That is the proposal that would allow many undocumented immigrants who graduate from college or serve in the military to eventually become citizens.
Support was highest among Latinos, but even a majority of Anglos – and of Republicans – backed the proposal. Here’s a summary of the results of the Merrill/Morrison Institute Poll, which is out of Arizona State University: http://bit.ly/KeG0it
Separate polls have shown that about 60 percent of Arizonans support SB 1070.
In my line of work, I generally hear from people who are firmly on one side of the issue. They either strongly support SB 1070 AND oppose the Dream Act or strongly oppose SB 1070 and support the Dream Act.
I’d love to talk with folks who have mixed opinions on the issue.
When in 2010 I interviewed a number of residents to find out opinions on immigration in Hemet, I came across a variety of views.
The city council there had just passed a resolution supporting the Arizona law. Yet I found out one of the leading proponents had developed a close friendship with an illegal immigrant and regularly had dinner with the man and his family (the man moved away before the resolution passed).
Another man I talked to said he’s proud of his Mexican ancestry but supports the Arizona law. He also backs deportation of all illegal immigrants, who he says have taken away jobs from him and others.
Polls show a large majority of Latinos in favor of legalization of millions of undocumented immigrants, but this man’s opinion is a reminder that beliefs on the issue are more diverse than many people might think (one of the best-known Inland opponents to illegal immigration, Raymond Herrera, is Hispanic).
For some, illegal immigration is a simple, black and white issue. But the reality is a lot more complex. | <urn:uuid:ed8e18f8-b41f-4824-a6bb-bfcddd126cbb> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://blog.pe.com/multicultural-beat/2012/05/07/nuanced-views-on-immigration/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704392896/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113952-00018-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.962312 | 495 | 1.570313 | 2 |
Rwandan Genocide Suspect's Trial Resumes
A high court will resume hearing the case involving Leon Mugesera after the expiry of the 27 days that the court had granted him.
Léon Mugesera being handcuffed (file photo): Mugesera, a linguist and former politician, is accused of incitement to genocide in a 1992 speech. He was extradited from Canada after a 15-year battle against extradition.
Rwanda: Mugesera Trial Postponed Again
Hirondelle News Agency, 20 November 2012
A Rwandan court Monday postponed again the genocide trial of Léon Mugesera, nearly a year after he was extradited from Canada. Judges on Tuesday set December 17 as the new ... read more »
The New Times, 20 November 2012
The High Court yesterday granted Genocide suspect, Leon Mugesera, 27 days for his defence counsel to prepare before the trial can commence in substance. read more »
Rwanda Focus, 20 November 2012
The High Court yesterday granted 26 days of delay to Leon Mugesera for comprehensive preparation of the trial against him before it starts in substance. read more » | <urn:uuid:0b1bb37a-da40-496b-8199-496f9473f1dd> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://allafrica.com/view/group/main/main/id/00021121.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00008-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.939572 | 239 | 1.578125 | 2 |
Like an entire set of encyclopedias rolled into one gorgeously designed book, Pick Me Up is filled with cool entries on stuff you should know. Like . . . what if a Viking girl had a blog? What would she write? How many new species of fish are discovered each week? What does more damage to a floor: stiletto heels or an elephant? What is a fractal? What plants have superpowers? Was Beethoven a punk? How do you throw up like a movie star? Why is the sky dark at night? The book also tells you how to make maps, how to convey certain messages with body language, how to make shadow puppets . . . all kinds of fun info you can impress your friends and family and more importantly, your teachers with. The book also features one of our most favorite things: a lenticular cover. You know, those 3-D covers that change when you move them back and forth.
Check it out now at DK.com. | <urn:uuid:68ac42f8-3ff6-43a3-80ee-c7e396712df4> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.seventeen.com/teenmag/hot-list-july16-4 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705195219/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115315-00008-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.954685 | 205 | 1.539063 | 2 |
A new initiative, ShamROCK Chicago 2013, has launched a petition to have the Windy City officially dubbed “the” United States headquarters for St. Patrick’s Day.
The group, made up of distinguished Council of Chicago and civic leaders with strong Irish ties, plan to highlight the city’s Irish pride by presenting their petition to Aidan Cronin, the Consul General of Ireland, before St. Patrick’s Day.
Mick O’Rourke, President and CEO of Signature Bank and ShamROCK Chicago Council member said, “More than any other city in the United States, Chicago exemplifies Irish pride. ShamROCK Chicago is an ideal opportunity for all Chicagoans to show their green pride and build community goodwill.
“By encouraging people in the city and beyond to affirm Chicago as the ‘U.S. headquarters of St. Patrick’s Day,’ it will demonstrate to the rest of the country our dedication to promoting our strong Irish ties.”
Chicago’s St. Patrick’s Day celebrations are known around the world. Since 1962 the city has shown their dedication to being “Irish for the day” by dying the Chicago River green. However they may have some competition in winning the title for the St. Patrick’s Day HQ in the US with New York, Boston, and San Antonio also boasting of world famous St. Patrick’s Day celebrations.
Read more: Irish to lobby U.S. Congress to have St Patrick’s Day as national holiday
Jeremy Hogan a spokesman for ShamROCK Chicago said “While other cities might claim older traditions or greater Irish populations, we can safely say that nobody outside of Dublin celebrates St. Patrick’s Day like Chicago does. Thanks to our city’s strong Irish ties and beloved traditions, Chicagoans and visitors from all over anticipate the nearly week long celebration in our city that they can’t find anywhere else.”
It remains to be seen what kind of competition they find from the strong Irish and Irish American communities across the United States. In fact, Scituate, a pleasant seaside town thirty miles from Boston, was named the “most Irish” town in the United States in 2011.
Nevertheless the petition is now live on the ShamRock Chicago 2013 site.
As well as naming Chicago the United States HQ for St Paddy’s day those working as part of the initiative, prominent Chicago business people will promote the effort throughout their communities. These include Tom Boyle of Chicago Gaelic Park, Seamus Byrne of Ireland Network Chicago, and Michael Clune of Clune Construction, to name but a few.
For more information on their initiative visit www.shamROCKchicago2013.com. | <urn:uuid:78854c60-e731-474e-a756-880808359ea1> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.irishcentral.com/travel/Chicago-launches-petition-to-name-city-as-official-headquarters-for-St-Patricks-Day-in-US--186517291.html?mob-ua=mobile | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697380733/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516094300-00003-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.93683 | 578 | 1.609375 | 2 |
Malt whisky is the ‘original’ whisky of Scotland. Malt whisky is made only from malted barley, in two (occasionally three) copper pot stills, by a batch process. ‘Single’ malt whisky is the product of an individual distillery. Read More »
A recent release of the now-legendary Glenlivet 1964 Cellar Collection bottled in 2004 (one of Sukhinder's all-time favourite Glenlivets). This is now in Glenlivet's smart new packaging with the clear glass and the sliding wooden box.
A legendary Ardbeg, the 1974 Provenance appeared in 1997 shortly after Glenmorangie's takeover of the distillery. This version of Provenance was for the European market, other bottlings were done for the USA and Asia.
Glen Garioch is a distillery with a comparatively low profile, and quality has varied over its lifetime under a succession of different owners - but real aficionados will tell you that the older expressions are some of the best malts in Scotland. This is a whisky with fruit and floral notes, but also, crucially, some restrained peat.
Extraordinarily rare malt, even by Kinclaith's standards: just 64 (!) bottles were yielded when G&M bottled it in 1996 from what must have been, judging by the colour, an exceptional refill sherry hogshead. Kinclaith was founded in 1957 and closed in 1975. This incredibly scarce Lowlander has never been officially bottled as most of its output went into parent company Schenley International's Long John blend.
A long aged bottle from Gordon & Macphail, a mystery single malt simply labelled as "Macphail's". It doesn't list a bottling date but with a distillation year of 1946 it must be topping 60 years old - an incredible slice of history.
An impressive and long awaited bottling from Old Pulteney - their oldest release yet, at a hefty 40 years old. It's presented in a hefty box with a book tracing the history of the distillery and the hand blown bottle, capped with a polished stone stopper, is decorated with silver waves, blown across the glass while the metal was molten.
A rare bottling of whisky from Ben Wyvis from Signatory's extensive collection of weird and wonderful whisky. The distillery opened in 1965 and closed 12 years later, making this one of the rarest obtainable whiskies out there. | <urn:uuid:ab04d023-11b9-4de1-a56b-f7fdbb6c8929> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.thewhiskyexchange.com/C-40.aspx?pg=125 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00014-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.949029 | 509 | 1.507813 | 2 |
Delta Education announces winners of $20,000 Science Classroom Makeover Contest
NASHUA, NH - July 25, 2005 - Delta Education, the leading publisher of K-8 inquiry-driven science programs, has selected four classroom teachers and their schools as grand-prize winners in their Science Classroom Makeover Contest and four teachers as regional winners. The four winning teachers will each receive a science classroom makeover valued at $4000 while regional awardees will receive a gift certificate valued at $1000 to be used for classroom science materials and resources.
Contest entry was available to any classroom teacher who responded to a nationwide advertising and/or mailing campaign. Each contestant was required to write a short essay of 200 words or less explaining why a science classroom makeover would enhance their effectiveness when teaching science. The winning contestants were those who best explained their passion for teaching science and the positive effects that the use of the equipment will have as an instructional tool.
The winners were notified of their successful entries during the summer so that they could order the new equipment in time for the start of the new school year. The grand-prize winners were:
- Mary Lara, fifth-grade teacher at DiMiguel Elementary in Flagstaff, Arizona
- Donna Turner, fourth-grade teacher at Jose Antonio Navarro Elementary in Corsicana, Texas
- Donald Parker, fifth-grade teacher at Henry Hudson School in Rochester, New York
- Chandra Garcia, science teacher at Luke O'Toole School in Chicago, Illinois
Each winner will select from a comprehensive list of more that 2000 science programs published and marketed by Delta Education. This array of products includes the award-winning FOSS‘ program (Full Option Science System‘), Delta Science Modules, focused science kits, and numerous other classroom resources in life, earth and physical science.
Regional winners included Rebecca K. Field of Kolb Elementary of Bay City, Michigan; Sandra Harris of Rohoic Elementary in Petersburg, Virginia; Tracey M. Ramirez of Lackland Elementary in San Antonio, Texas; and Kelly Jaspers of Columbia Valley Gardens School in Longview, Washington.
Delta Education would like to express the warmest appreciation to the nearly 800 teachers who submitted entries. The essays were all of the highest quality and indicated the sincere dedication these teachers have for science education. Each teacher who entered has received a $10 gift certificate.
About Delta Education
Delta Education is the largest producer of curriculum-based elementary school science kits in the United States. Delta Education supports science education by providing the highest-quality hands-on science programs and materials and by providing programs that are correlated to NSES and state standards. Delta Education complements its line of educational products with CPO Science, high-quality inquiry-based science programs for grades 6-12; Educators Publishing Service (EPS), trusted literacy solutions for every child; and Neo/Sci, innovative means for teaching curriculum-based science topics to secondary and elementary school students | <urn:uuid:5bd19477-239a-48f1-ad82-7c16ca22945e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.delta-education.com/delta/pr_0805.shtml | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00006-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.956333 | 607 | 1.820313 | 2 |
Portraits of the minority Uigur people from north-west China will be on display at the National Portrait Gallery
as part of this year's BP Portrait Award exhibition. The portraits are by Emmanouil Bitsakis, winner of the BP Travel Award 2008. Bistsakis won a £5000 bursary to travel and paint the Uigur following his winning proposal 'to record in portrait form the uniqueness of this minority culture to demonstrate a small part of the vastness of China.'
Bitsakis visited the Xinjiang Uigur Autonomous Region of China in October 2008. The Uigur are a far eastern branch of the extended family of Turkic peoples who live in a large region extending through Central Asia. They are culturally distinct from the majority Han Chinese and alongside their religion of Islam, their music and dance idiom, 'Muqam' is the core of their identity and culture.
Urumqi, the capital of Xinjiang was Bitsakis's base during the trip and from here he had access to the main Uigur centres, such as Kashgar and Turpan. During his trip Bitsakis wandered into the Uigur neighbourhoods attempting to speak the local language and record their life by sketching or making portraits of them. He says, 'Focusing on each person's uniqueness helped me to avoid 'exotism'. I illustrated my portraits by using various local, picturesque forms. In these portraits I emphasized the personal features of the sitters in order to penetrate into their own microcosm, which was completely unfamiliar and yet in some ways common and recognizable.'
Colourful miniature oil painted portraits of some of the people Bitsakis encountered will be on display alongside the small notebooks he took on his travels. He used these notebooks to record the lives and habits of the Uigur people with detailed observations and intricate pen drawings. Bitsakis lives in Greece and studied at the Athens School of Fine Arts and at Vakalo School of Art and Design.
Each year exhibitors in the BP Portrait Award exhibition are invited to submit a proposal for the BP Travel Award. The aim of the award is to give an artist the opportunity to experience working in a different environment, in Britain or abroad, on a project related to portraiture. The artist's work is then shown as part of the following year's BP Portrait Award exhibition and tour. Last year for the first time we asked for submissions for the 2008 Award to only be based in China. The National Portrait Gallery and BP decided to make this link with China, to celebrate the hosting of the 2008 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Beijing, and the China Now festival which took place in the UK in 2008.
On Tuesday 16 June the winners of the BP Portrait Award 2009 - and BP Travel Award 2009 -will be announced. The three artists shortlisted for the BP Portrait Award 2008 are: Annalisa Avancini for Manuel, Michael Gaskell for Tom and Peter Monkman for Changeling 2.
The BP Portrait Award, now in its 30th year at the National Portrait Gallery and 20th year of sponsorship by BP, is a highly successful annual event aimed at encouraging artists to focus upon, and develop, the theme of painted portraiture within their work.
The BP Travel Award 2008 was judged by;
Sarah Howgate, Contemporary Curator, National Portrait Gallery, London
Liz Rideal, Art Resource Developer, National Portrait Gallery, London
Des Violaris, Director, UK Arts and Culture, BP | <urn:uuid:10680514-9ff6-4072-8b51-ad39abcbac9e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.artdaily.com/index.asp?int_sec=11&int_new=31233&int_modo=1 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705195219/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115315-00011-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.958914 | 725 | 1.84375 | 2 |
History bursts from nearly every street corner in this city, but the beauty of Boston is that one need not only be a history buff to enjoy all that the area has to offer. From museums to shopping to dining, Boston offers plenty for a variety of different tastes. But if you're starting from scratch, we suggest these 10 destinations in order to get you started.
The Freedom Trail presents the easiest way to soak in Boston’s sights and history, while getting some exercise to boot. The two-and-a-half-mile walk passes 16 significantly historic sights, including Boston Common, the Old South Meeting House, and the USS Constitution. Feel free to explore on your own, though tours are offered through the Freedom Trail Foundation.
Most residents consider it a tourist trap, but that doesn’t lessen its pull any on both visitors and natives alike. Part shopping, part dining, Quincy Market and Faneuil Hall Marketplace is always a bustling center of the city. It is just steps from most anywhere downtown, including Government Center, the Boston Harbor, and the North End, making it a perfect – yet busy – spot for lunch.
3. Duck Tours
It’s a car. It’s a boat. It’s…yes, both. These World War II-style amphibious vehicles are the perfect way to tour the city. On land, you’ll see the State House, Bunker Hill, and Newbury Street. By sea, you’ll get a picture-perfect view of Boston and Cambridge from the Charles River.
4. North End
Here you’ll find the city’s Little Italy, with a bevy of Italian restaurants, bakeries, and coffee shops lining the cramped streets. Ask any number of people for recommendations, and you’re liable to get different answers from everyone. Truth is, you really can’t go wrong, particularly on a sultry summer evening, when this neighborhood comes alive.
5. Fenway Park
Can’t score Red Sox tickets? No problem. You can still get to Fenway Park, even when the team isn't playing. The Sox give tours of the nearly 100-year-old ballpark daily, affording you the opportunity to go places in the park you normally wouldn’t on game day. Hint: Try the tour when the Sox are out of town. On game days, the visit can be shorter than normal.
This interactive museum dedicated to science never disappoints. In addition to a number of revolving events, the museum features dozens of time-tested exhibits through its halls, good for all ages. If those don’t grab you, the IMAX Theater will certainly envelop you into the world of science.
One the most serene areas in the city, the Charles River Esplanade offers great recreation opportunities, including biking, kayaking, and jogging. The Hatch Shell stage plays host to the Boston Pops on July 4, free movies during the summer months, and various other concerts throughout the year.
8. Museum of Fine Arts
With nearly 450,000 works of art, the Museum of Fine Arts is one of the most comprehensive museums in the world and the largest in New England. Its collection ranges from from contemporary art to textile and fashion art to art of the ancient world.
Celebrating its 40th anniversary this year, this Boston institution is well-known as one of the best aquariums in the country. The highlight here is the central, four-story tank, visible throughout most of the building, and filled with a grand variety of sea life.
10. Newbury Street
Eight blocks filled with fashion boutiques, salons, and trendy restaurants, this is a shopper’s paradise. If that’s not your thing, this Back Bay area still affords plenty of opportunity to window shop, or simply, people-watch. | <urn:uuid:80449651-18fa-48c4-8750-5996a05d3ba5> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://boston.about.com/od/history/tp/Top10Bostonattractions.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700958435/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104238-00019-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.938056 | 808 | 1.539063 | 2 |
Proposition 8's narrow win in California is a defeat for basic equality, which is more than just a political issue: it's a theological one. Jesus' vision for the new community that he called "the kingdom of heaven" was fundamentally about breaking down the walls of separation often defined by un-equal treatment. Martin Luther King, Jr., captured this essential piece of Christian theology when he popularized "the beloved community" as a vision of God's future for the human family and all of creation.
Speaking as an American citizen, Prop 8 represents a sorry collision between the democratic ideals of the referendum process and the obligation of the judiciary in a democracy to uphold the basic rights of minorities -- over and against the potential tyranny of the majority. The irreconcilable conflict of rights now written in the California state constitution will be the subject of many court battles to come, and rightly so. However much the Prop 8 proponents may cheer at their victory this day, I take hope that their success has far less margin than the referendum vote of only a few years ago -- one that they argued they were defending.
And what were they defending?
Those of us who live in communities where gay and lesbian couples are openly sharing covenanted relationships -- yes, that's what I and many other Christians call marriage -- and some of them raising families. . . Well, we see no threat whatsoever to heterosexual marriages. Indeed, my marriage has been strengthened by their witness.
Prop 8 rode a dubious, hollow case that somehow its rejection would mean gay and lesbian marriage would be taught in schools. State educators made it clear this was not at all true. Another spurious claim was that clergy would be forced by the state to marry same-sex couples. This is as naked a red herring as there ever was. Then there's the idea that traditional marriage, whatever we mean by that, needs to be "protected." Again, I ask (and I have yet to hear a cogent answer) from what, exactly?
Behind these flimsy arguments are the real questions that need to be addressed, if we listen closely. Here are only two of them:
Is there truly a threat that same-sex marriages pose to the integrity of the household, Christian or otherwise?
Do we still dare to believe that people can "catch" homosexuality, as though it's a disease?
Proposition 8 is a sham and a shame. It enshrines fear and discrimination at the constitutional level in California. It affirms ignorance over compassionate knowledge. It throws a thin veil of abstract morality over bigotry and intolerance. It idolizes gender and sexuality, when true marriage is fundamentally about neither. And contrary to its disciples' assertions, Prop 8 will not save marriage. Nor will fear. I wish and pray that many setting out to "save marriage" would stop attempting to do so through fear. Fear has destroyed many a marriage, after all. And fear undermines the God-given dignity of the human family.
I only echo Martin Luther King, Jr., by writing this:
Given the long arc of history in this country, Proposition 8 will not ultimately stand. Hollow cases built on fear and ignorance cannot remain for long in God's time. Nor can they, by definition, withstand the light of reason.
My thoughts and prayers are very much with our sisters and brothers who are hurt by this mean proposition. Their dignity and future security is what is truly threatened, and that of their children. This is the true offense to morality.
Long may we defend them: with renewed and prayerful patience, solidarity, and witness to the fruits of covenant already among us. | <urn:uuid:8cb01652-04ed-491a-816b-7be766ca0d8a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://caughtbythelight.blogspot.com/2008/11/hollow-case-wins.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00018-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.966772 | 736 | 1.554688 | 2 |
Students get adventurous
STUDENTS from Duchy College Rosewarne enjoyed an adventurous trip recently as they got to grips with some daring activities at BF Adventure in Penryn.
Level 1 and Level 2 Animal Care students got a taste of the outdoors in a team building day where they tried their hand at archery, had a go at problem solving and team building games and challenged their fears on the zip wire!
Sue Emery, Student Liaison Officer, said: “It was a great trip and helped the students feel more confident, improved their team working and communication skills and they also got to participate in activities they wouldn’t normally have the chance to. The students learnt that they can achieve anything if they try and they are already saying that they’d like to go back and try the different activities that BF Adventure has to offer - fun was had by all!”
The trip was arranged as part of the students’ enrichment time and was subsidised by Cornwall College Students’ Union (CCSU).
Andrew Counsell, Head of Duchy College, said: “This was great experience for the group; students learn so much from trying new things and working together.”
For more information about the courses available at Duchy Rosewarne please call 0845 605 0455 or visit our website www.duchy.ac.uk | <urn:uuid:4ff0d9a7-069c-4c79-b0a6-243571b78aa8> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.cornwall.ac.uk/duchy/index.php?page=_News&subpage=_News_Archive&campus=duchy2008&pagetype=item&newsid=4058 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704392896/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113952-00005-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.977692 | 285 | 1.671875 | 2 |
[e2e] 0% NAT - checkmating the disconnectors
David P. Reed
dpreed at reed.com
Wed Mar 8 04:56:12 PST 2006
Saikat Guha wrote:
> Is there a way to architect the Internet to give the network operator
> full control over his network? So, when his boss (who paid for the wires
> and routers) asks him to block application X, he can do just that and
> not cause the collateral damage that firewall-hacks cause today.
> Shameless plug: we believe signaling is one way to work _with_ the
> network, and not against it
> (http://saikat.guha.cc/pub/sosp05wip-guha.pdf). But, this is just one
I'm amazed. The network operator in this case wants to join the
Internet, but not join the Internet.
The Internet is a fully interoperable network. That means inherently
that all operators that carry Internet traffic agree to carry their fair
What you are describing is not the Internet, but something else. The
"cooperation-optional" network, perhaps? Or maybe the "screw you" network?
If the network advertises that it routes packets to a destination, how
is the source to know that its packets will be destroyed based on their
At that point, it's time for those who agree to the original terms of
the Internet social compact (which is far more than social) to
blackball, boycott, and refuse to connect to that operator. Screw him.
More information about the end2end-interest | <urn:uuid:cb51ae88-d6ec-4e2d-aae8-c3b83fffa4d8> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://mailman.postel.org/pipermail/end2end-interest/2006-March/005788.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00012-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.935517 | 348 | 1.664063 | 2 |
10 Boston Red Sox and Fenway Park Facts You Never Knew About
The Boston Red Sox are the most storied franchise in baseball, and Fenway Park is the country’s most beloved ballpark. But even after 110 seasons and thousands of games, there’s still quite a bit the average Red Sox fan doesn’t know about his/her favorite team.
Now, there are least 25 diehard Red Sox fans that can say they do.
That’s because Chase Marriott Rewards recently gave 25 lucky card members a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity featuring an exclusive tour of Fenway Park and a dinner with Red Sox legend Luis Tiant. Along the way these fans learned a piece of baseball history firsthand from some of those that lived it.
Here’s a look at 10 Red Sox facts you probably never knew.
The Legend of the Ted Williams Seat
If you’ve ever been to Fenway Park you may have noticed a solitary red seat (Section 42, Row 37, Seat 21) in the bleachers. This is the place where Ted Williams hit a 502-foot home run on June 9, 1946, which is, to this date, still the longest home run in Fenway Park history.
But the legend goes a bit deeper.
Sitting in that seat that day was 56-year-old Joe Boucher, a construction worker from Albany, NY. Legend has it that Williams saw Boucher dozing off under his straw hat and decided to teach him a lesson by launching a ball into the right field bleachers.
The ball tore through Boucher’s hat and hit him in the head. Boucher joked that he was a Yankees fan (he was really a diehard Red Sox fan) and that he should take the home run as a sign from the baseball gods to never root against the Red Sox.
The headline in the Boston Globe the next day read: “Bullseye! Ted Williams Knocks Sense Into Yankees Fan.”
Why Was the Green Monster Built?
The Green Monster has been a part of Red Sox history as long as Fenway Park has, and it was introduced in 1914 alongside the rest of the ballpark.
However, why would the Red Sox even want a 37-foot wall in left field in the first place?
The answer, it seems, is to keep cheapskates from watching the game.
According to the legend, the Red Sox owner was walking down Landsdowne St. in downtown Boston when he noticed that all the restaurants and bars lined along the street had an unobstructed view of the ballpark.
Determined not to let anyone watch his Red Sox for free, Tom Yawkey ordered the construction of a wall tall enough to stop passersby from stealing a peak at the game.
Where Did the Green Monster Get Its Name?
The “monster” part is fairly obvious. The left-field wall at Fenway Park is the highest in all of baseball at a record 37 feet. But why “green”?
The original Green Monster was actually covered in advertisements until 1947, when it received a nice coat of Fen Green that is now known as “Monster Green.”
A journalist later proclaimed it the “Green Monster,” replacing its previous designation as “The Wall.” Yeah, I like the new name too.
What’s Inside the Green Monster?
Besides a scorekeeper and several rather large rats, the Green Monster is home to hundreds of signatures from current and former baseball players.
It’s a long-standing tradition in major league baseball—and a sort of rite of passage—for opposing players to sign their names on the inside of the wall the first time they come to Fenway Park.
Maybe that’s what Manny Ramirez was doing in 2003 when he disappeared into the Green Monster in between innings.
The Yawkeys Live on in Morse Code
Thomas A. Yawkey and Jean R. Yawkey bought the Red Sox and Fenway Park in 1933 and revitalized a losing team. The Yawkey's held on to the team until 1992, but their names will live on forever within the ballpark.
The Yawkey's loved the Red Sox so much that they decided to inscribe their initials on the Green Monster. If you look at the vertical white stripe between the “E” and the “P” and the parallel one directly underneath the “N” in “American League” you’ll see a series of broken lines.
This is Morse code, and it spells out “TAY” and “JRY.”
The Fisk Foul Pole
Most Red Sox fans know the story behind the Pesky Pole, the pole on the right field line that stands a measly 302 feet from home plate and is the shortest porch in all of baseball.
But how many fans know what the other foul pole is called?
The left field foul pole actually has a name too, and a pretty important one if you’ve been following the Red Sox since 1975.
The Fisk Pole is named for, of course, Carlton Fisk, who in Game 6 of the 1975 World Series hit a game-winning home run that miraculously stayed fair and ricocheted off the pole.
The Fisk Foul Pole was named in 2005, making Fenway Park the only ballpark in major league baseball to have two named foul poles.
Duffy’s Cliff Gets Flattened
The Fenway Park of 2011 is vastly different from the Fenway Park of 1912, but one distinguishing feature that you may haven ever heard of is called “Duffy’s Cliff.”
Named after legendary left fielder Duffy Lewis, this “cliff” was a 10-foot inclined slope that occupied left field from 1912-1933. Lewis was famous for running up the hill and catching fly balls before they reached the Green Monster.
Tom Yawkey decided to flatten “Duffy’s Cliff” in 1934 as part of a large-scale renovation that transformed Fenway Park forever.
The Birth of the Wave
Streeter Lecka/Getty Images
The origin of the wave is one of the great unknowns remaining in sports, and it may not even have started with baseball. However, the folks at Fenway Park seem to enjoy their version of the story.
According to them, the wave owes its existence to a section of tightly packed seats behind home plate at Fenway Park. These seats are so close together (yes, they’re still there) that whenever a fan had to stand up to, say, get a beer, everyone else in the row also had to stand. The fans in the next row, frustrated that they couldn’t see the game anymore, also got up. This created a domino effect with the entire section rising in rhythmic unison.
Thus, the wave was born.
Believe it if you want to, but there are certainly more far-fetched stories out there.
At Least One Thing at Fenway Park Is Big
Fenway Park, by any measurement, is the smallest ballpark in all of baseball. It’s also by far the oldest. But one important part of the park isn’t so small (and no, it’s not the Green Monster).
I’m talking about the press box, which is the largest in the majors. Built in the late 1980s, the press box is composed of three rows of seats (local media, national media and other media) and can hold upwards of 50 journalists.
However, even that sometimes is not enough.
When Daisuke Matsuzaka joined the Red Sox in 2007 he brought a slew of Japanese journalists with him. There was no room for them in the press box, so these journalists were sent to a back room where they reported “live” on the game while watching it on TV.
Guess that won’t be a problem anymore.
Who Spells “Socks” with an “X”?
Jim Rogash/Getty Images
The Boston Americans were dubbed the Boston Red Sox in 1907 after a uniform change made red the official team color. Players wore red socks, so naturally the decision to change the team name was a simple one.
However, the owner decided that “SOCKS” didn’t look good when spelled out on a jersey, so he shorted it to just “RED SOX” with the six letters evenly split down the middle.
The strangest part of this story is that the original Boston Red Stockings were actually a different team. You may now know them as the Atlanta Braves. | <urn:uuid:f4897343-6527-4f1a-923f-c07e150ca440> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://bleacherreport.com/articles/724329-10-boston-red-sox-and-fenway-park-facts-you-never-knew-about | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00018-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.960963 | 1,831 | 1.75 | 2 |
Creative Loafing, Charlotte, the leading alternative weekly publication in Charlotte, N.C., for over 25 years, has recently pledged to drop the i-word. The weekly made the change thanks to the local Drop the I-Word campaign led by United 4 the Dream, the youth group of the Latin American Coalition. This is a huge victory for the youth in Charlotte and for all of us working to get journalists to Drop the I-Word.
Creative Loafing’s print edition reaches more than 276,000 readers and last week that audience saw the campaign on the cover. But more importantly, moving forward they will see immigration pieces that refer to people as being “undocumented immigrants” and not “illegal immigrants.”
Drop the I-Word members spent a few hours celebrating by spreading the news downtown, passing out copies of the paper. They are energized about reaching more outlets and getting them to change their i-word policies. They’ve reached other print and broadcast outlets locally that are now considering policy changes. Thanks to their tireless efforts, last year, Mike Collins, host of “Charlotte Talks” at WFAE, the local NPR station, signed the pledge to drop the i-word and Jennifer Roberts, chair of the Mecklenburg County Commission also signed the pledge.
The journalists at Creative Loafing came to know about the Drop the I-Word campaign in January. When the Charlotte Observer announced the first baby born in the city in 2012, he happened to be Latino, and he was met with hate and the i-word in the comment section of the article that announced his birth. The Drop the I-Word campaign reached out to The Observer again to drop the i-word in an open letter, given that the racially charged connection could be drawn so explicitly in the Observer’s pages. They published the open letter from the group, but they did not drop the i-word. Creative Loafing, however, did take notice and last week they took a stand. United 4 the Dream is hoping others, including the Charlotte Observer, will follow.
In the pages of last week’s Creative Loafing, the letter from Editor-in-Chief Mark Kemp was devoted to the power of words and he promised that moving forward, no one will be described as “illegal” in the publication. News and culture editor Ana McKenzie wrote a column explaining the reasons as why they decided to drop the i-word. She was joined by guest columnist Anthony W. Hager, with a rebuttal column defending use of the i-word—the idea was to show both perspectives, but also to model healthy discussion.
The bulk of Hager’s argument conflates undocumented people with criminality. He says that “if journalists won’t admit the obvious fact that illegal immigrants have immigrated illegally, they have little to contribute toward solving the issue.” At Drop the I-Word we inform journalists that the i-word is not a legal term and that if there are other terms and descriptions that can be used that are not harmful, like “unauthorized immigrant” or “overstayed visa” why not use them?
I spoke with MacKenzie, who joined Creative Loafing in the spring, and she says that as an editor she wanted to start her tenure well. Growing up in Brownsville, Texas, she knew people who didn’t have papers and in the community people were not slandered with the i-word. I asked McKenzie what she thinks about the assertion many journalists still make that the i-word is neutral language. She says, “it kind of amazes me that mainstream papers are so quick to say that it’s neutral language because anytime a story is posted on a newspaper’s site when immigrants are mentioned, undocumented or otherwise, there is a massively negative response from commenters. Oftentimes papers will completely shut off the commenting on those articles, many of them never even mention people being undocumented.”
When McKenzie asked United 4 the Dream what outlets they had received the most positive reaction from, they told her that Spanish language papers were very supportive. She says, “Spanish language papers know the community better than we or the Charlotte Observer because they cover the community more regularly and more regularly speak to undocumented immigrants. If it’s a no-brainer for them to sign onto the Drop the I-Word campaign, then it’s in our best interest to sign onto it because they know the community better than we do.
McKenzie says she takes the AP stylebook very seriously and knows it well. One thing she’s noticed is that “they do struggle with how to identify minorities in this country and a rule that may exist today, may not exist in 2013.” She believes that upon further review, “the editors at the Associated Press who decide things very practically and who do handle a lot of their decisions with a lot of care, will come to realize that it is code language, that it isn’t neutral at all.” She says that just because the Associated Press or the dictionary say that something is correct, doesn’t make it so, because they are not always looking at the different ways the terms will be applied. | <urn:uuid:30c967cc-1e12-4cda-9507-195fb5584d70> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://colorlines.com/archives/2012/07/charlotte_journalists_pledge_humane_treatment_of_immigrant_subjects.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00007-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.974572 | 1,102 | 1.585938 | 2 |
The California Supreme Court heard arguments Tuesday on whether local governments can ban retail pot dispensaries within their borders, a question that could lead to the medical marijuana industry’s expansion or further contraction depending on the outcome.
About 200 cities and counties already have outlawed storefront pot shops, according to the pro-dispensary group Americans for Safe Access, but this will be the first time the state high court considers if such all-out prohibitions are legal or barred by California’s medical marijuana laws.
Many of the local bans were enacted after the number of retail medical marijuana outlets exploded in Southern California after the U.S. Department of Justice said in 2009 that prosecuting pot sales would be a low priority under the Obama administration.
Medical marijuana advocates maintain that the state’s medical marijuana laws, the nation’s first, allow local governments to set limits on dispensaries, but not to outlaw them.
“If it’s the case localities can ban, you could end up with the entire southern and middle portion of the state banning dispensaries, which clearly does not promote uniformity throughout the state or safe access” to marijuana, said Americans for Safe Access Legal Director Joe Elford.
Those in favor of local bans say municipalities retain the right to regulate dispensaries similar to that of any other entity that applies for a use permit in business districts.
The case’s outcome will have significant implications for Nevada County and its municipalities, as the county, Grass Valley, Nevada City have enacted outright bans, while the town of Truckee does not allow for dispensaries in its zoning language.
Nevada County Counsel Alison Barratt-Green said the county prefers that the state supreme court uphold the city of Riverside’s right to ban dispensaries.
“We are hopeful the court will uphold the right to enact local land-use restriction,” she said.
City of Grass Valley Administrator Dan Holler said the city will reconsider the ban if directed by the court, but would use zoning to restrict the number and location of operations, much in the way of Truckee.
“The way our zoning operates is that if it is not specifically allowed, it is prohibited,” said Truckee Town Manager Tony Lashbrook, who added it was not a major issue for the town as there has been little demand to open such operations.
County Executive Officer Rick Haffey echoed Lashbrook’s sentiments, saying the county’s dispensary ban, which went into effect in July 2011 after a temporary moratorium, affected only unincorporated areas.
“Dispensaries are commercial retail operations so a ban affects cities more than counties,” Haffey said.
The Grass Valley City Council voted to ban medical marijuana dispensaries in January 2011 based on a variety of issues, Holler said.
According to previous reports, Grass Valley Police Chief John Foster noted the crime issues spawned by medical marijuana dispensaries, including increases in burglaries in those areas.
Allowing a dispensary also conflicts with federal law, which does not recognize marijuana as a medicine, Foster said in 2010.
Nevada City enacted a ban in 2009, in a 3-2 vote, passing a resolution that said a lack of a satisfactory location made it necessary to enact a ban on dispensaries.
“We know of the (ongoing case at the supreme court),” Nevada City Attorney Hal DeGraw said. “Depending on the outcome, we may have to reexamine our position.”
Preliminary indications demonstrate the local municipalities will likely not have to do much reexamination.
During oral arguments Tuesday, several California Supreme Court justices said they were bothered by the fact that neither a 1996 voter-approved law that legalized marijuana use for health purposes nor companion legislation adopted by the Legislature in 2003 expressly stated that cities and counties must accommodate retail marijuana stores.
Justice Joyce Kennard noted that the California Constitution grants local governments authority to control local land use matters through zoning.
“The relevant issue before the court is to note the city’s regulatory authority over land use … and that power does not derive from the medical marijuana program. It’s a preexisting power,” Kennard said.
But J. David Nick, a lawyer representing a dispensary Riverside officials have sought to close, told the court that lawmakers clearly intended to make marijuana available for eligible residents statewide, a goal that dispensary bans thwart.
Nick said while the Legislature authorized local governments to set operating conditions for pot shops, “the word regulation does not in any way signal prohibition.”
To contact Staff Writer Matthew Renda email email@example.com or call 530-477-4239. | <urn:uuid:074993cd-31dd-4557-ad2a-c7a1cd111528> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.theunion.com/news/sports/4668973-113/marijuana-ban-dispensaries-county | 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 | 0.935985 | 967 | 1.578125 | 2 |
Rediscovering a Neglected Conservative Mind
Although proclaimed by Sir Ernest Barker as “the finest exposition of conservative thought in the later half of the nineteenth century,” Liberty, Equality, Fraternity never received the attention it deserved. First published in 1873, and revised and republished the following year, this conservative classic, notes the editor, “figured prominently in the mid– to late nineteenth century Victorian debates on two concepts at the heart of politics in the modern world—liberty and equality.” Yet, this forcefully written challenge to classical liberalism remained curiously out of print until Cambridge University Press brought out an edition in 1967. That too went quickly out of print. Then in the 1990s, by coincidence, two editions appeared almost simultaneously; the one reviewed here and another published by the University of Chicago Press (1991).
Until recently then, this book could only be found in the better libraries, and there possibly only on microfiche. Consequently, despite its significance to the contemporary discussion of normative political and moral theory, few within conservative intellectual circles have actually read it. Most knew of Stephen’s greatest work only through secondary sources, most especially Russell Kirk’s The Conservative Mind. Kirk, in his history of conservative ideas, explicates and summarizes Stephen’s vigorous defense of ordered liberty and the rule of law against the humanitarian and collectivist utopian views of John Stuart Mill. If Kirk had never written about Stephen, it would be fair to say that today only a few scholars of Victorian politics would even recognize Stephen’s name.
Sir James Fitzjames Stephen (1829–94) was a baronet, a barrister, a jurist, an essayist and, for two and a half years, a colonial official in India. The brother of Leslie Stephen and the uncle of Virginia Woolf, Stephen joined such notable conservative Victorian historians and legal scholars as Henry Maine and W. E. H. Lecky to oppose England’s drift into expansive and collectivist democracy. Although Kirk places him within the Burkean conservative tradition and celebrates his blistering blasts at Utilitarianism, Stephen did not reject wholly the Utilitarian label. “In a certain sense I am myself a utilitarian,” he confessed, but by this admission he meant only that any moral system must entail some reference to “happiness” and “expediency” or else be dismissed as hopelessly unrealistic and irrelevant. Stephen’s social and moral thought, however, had been shaped far more by the hard-headed realism of Hobbes, Calvin, and Burke, and by what Patrick Henry called “the lamp of experience” than by the narrowly constricted abstract, materialistic, and hedonistic ideology of Jeremy Bentham and Mill (although he did express a qualified admiration for both).
Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity offers a cogent analysis of John Stuart Mill, especially of Mill’s idea as developed in On Liberty (1859). The title of this work was taken, of course, from the slogan shouted by the Jacobin radicals during the French Revolution. Stephen held that the beliefs suggested by this popular slogan amounted to a dangerous new religious creed that threatened to sweep away the ancient moral foundations of Western civilization. His intention in this work, therefore, was “to examine the doctrines hinted at rather than expressed by the phrase ‘Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity,’ . . .”
The Mill/Stephen debate is instructive today because it goes to the heart of the issues dividing Left and Right. Although the particulars of their quarrels may change, the fundamental philosophical positions at stake have remained constant. For instance, their sharply conflicting views on the nature and possibilities of politics are ultimately rooted in a fundamental disagreement about the human condition. Accordingly, Stephen condemned Mill’s views on man’s supposed rationality and goodness as naively optimistic. “The great defect of Mr. Mill’s later writings seems to me to be that he has formed too favourable an estimate of human nature,” he wrote. The practical experience Stephen had acquired while a member of the India Council convinced him of man’s fundamental depravity. In his Preface, Stephen revealed that his “Indian experience confirmed the reflections which the book contains.” This experience had undoubtedly taught him “there are and always will be in the world an enormous mass of bad and indifferent people.” As Professor Warner points out in his foreword, “Stephen’s own conception of human nature animates Liberty, Equality, Fraternity,” and so the book should be understood “as a meditation upon human nature as applied to the practical world of political associations.”
Mill’s concept of liberty is his most enduring contribution to the liberal tradition. The “sole end for which mankind are warranted individually or collectively,” Mill declared in his famous principle of liberty, “in interfering with the liberty of action of any of their number is self-protection.” This libertarian ethic Stephen condemned for being “violated not only by every system of theology which concerns itself with morals, and by every known system of positive morality, but by the constitution of human nature itself.” Are we not to be concerned about our neighbor’s private character as long as it does not affect us? Would any reasonable person “desire gross licentiousness, monstrous extravagance, ridiculous vanity, or the like, to be unnoticed, or, being known, to inflict no inconveniences which can possibly be avoided?”
Mill’s defense of freedom of thought and expression was rooted in his belief that out of the discussion of adverse opinions truth would emerge. The majority of mankind cannot rightfully silence even one person because that lone dissenter might be right. No truth claims can be made until all possible opinions had been considered. Stephen found unpersuasive such complacent expressions of faith in man’s capacity for reasoned judgment. The “notorious result of unlimited freedom of thought and discussion is to produce general scepticism on many subjects in the vast majority of minds,” he observed. Unrestricted questioning of all settled opinions and traditions would lead not, as Mill believed, to the improvement of mankind, but to an empty, dissipated existence in which the will of the mass of mankind becomes either paralyzed with doubt or is perverted by licentious and socially destructive temptations.
Panglossian optimism characterizes, as Stephen would agree, the liberal and social democratic worldview. Mill believed that mankind was progressing from a “law of force” toward an existence based on equality and consensus, in other words—toward the end of politics. Social order, however, insisted Stephen, requires the imposition of force. Law, religion, morality, tradition—all are necessary civilizing restraints upon man’s lower destructive impulses. Even Mill would admit, Stephen observed, “that the political and social changes which have taken place in the world since the sixteenth century” have been “eminently beneficial to mankind; but nothing can be clearer than that they were brought about by force.”
All common sense and experience, Stephen affirmed, disproves the notion that people are equal. “To try to make men equal by altering social arrangement is like trying to make the cards of equal value by shuffling the pack. Men are fundamentally unequal, and this inequality will show itself arrange society as you like.” Attacking Mill’s famous celebrated defense of women’s rights, Stephen dismissed the whole notion of gender equality. “Men are the stronger,” he averred. The social responsibilities of the genders are accordingly unequally distributed. “Men, no one denies, may, in some cases ought to be liable to compulsory military service.” In the event of war, conscription is necessary, but should both sexes “be subject to it indiscriminately? If anyone says that they ought, I have no more to say, except that he has got into the region at which argument is useless.” Even the often prophetic Judge Stephen could not have foreseen the contemporary absurdities into which Mill’s egalitarianism would eventually drive us. Gender equality irreparably damages the institution of marriage. “If the parties to a contract of a marriage are treated as equals, it is impossible to avoid the inference that marriage, like other partnerships, maybe dissolved at pleasure.” Equality, then, would make “women the slaves of their husbands.” While, admittedly, the equalization of gender roles under the law may not have transformed women into slaves, many feminists today are openly admitting that one unexpected consequence of easy divorce is the feminization of poverty.
Stephen recognized that “equality has no special connection with justice, except in the narrow sense of judicial impartiality. . . .” Democracy does not guarantee greater equality. Rather, democracy, while destroying old hierarchical social structures, creates new inequalities. In aristocratic societies, power is wielded by a ruling class which inherits its rank and social position; in a democracy “the ruling men will be the wirepullers and their friends. . . .” As James Burnham, Samuel Francis, Paul Gottfried and other critics of modern democracy have persuasively argued, the end result of the march of democracy is not the expansion of liberty, but rather the emergence of an irreversible managerial, therapeutic state in which all the vestiges of liberty become progressively extinguished.
Can the movement toward greater equality be halted or reversed? Stephen was doubtful. “The whole current of thought and feeling, the whole stream of human affairs, is setting with irresistible force in that direction.” But to admit that equality will continue to grow as a force permeating all human relations does not imply that civilized persons must submit before it obsequiously. “The waters are out,” proclaimed Stephen in the most frequently quoted passage from his work, “and no human force can turn them back, but I do not see why as we go with the stream we need sing Hallelujah to the river god.”
Stephen treated dismissively Mill’s hymn to fraternity expressed as the all-embracing universal love of mankind. “It is not love that one wants from the great mass of mankind, but respect and justice.” Mill mistakenly believed that the source of all strife, vice, and evil in the world lies in hierarchically based social institutions and the unequal distribution of power. Stephen rejected this assertion, affirming instead the belief, rooted in the Judeo-Christian and Classical tradition, that evil originates in human nature itself. Eliminate all inequality and free everyone from all coercion and authority and, contrary to the notions of sentimental humanitarians, the bulk of mankind will not suddenly embrace each other as brothers and proceed to labor cooperatively for harmonious peace. Human nature cannot be fundamentally transformed by such social reforms. Rather, “enmity and strife” will continue to characterize social relations.
Despite his impassioned disagreement with Mill’s social and moral thought, Stephen respects the object of his criticism. He even did Mill the favor of improving upon the explication of his positions. Always the reader feels himself to be in the presence of a fair, judicious, and temperate mind who is genuinely striving for understanding and knowledge, rather than to “best” an adversary.
All the same, the book illustrates the inability of superior thought, logic, and argumentation alone to alter the reigning ideas of a society. As Russell Kirk notes, “the sentimental equalitarianism of Mill’s later days . . . has won ten or twenty times as many readers as Liberty, Equality, Fraternity.” I would only add that the influence of Mill’s ideas in our society is even greater than Kirk estimates. Vulgarized, but still recognizable, Milisian notions have insinuated themselves into our social fabric. The first amendment of the Constitution has been interpreted as if On Liberty had been incorporated into it.
My young classroom charges, although wholly ignorant of Mill, have absorbed unreflectively his platitudes about tolerance and equality. If they agree on any moral principle, it could be summarized simply as, “You can do whatever pleases you as long as you don’t bug me.” They also believe, inconsistently like Mill, that government has the responsibility of guaranteeing more personal liberty while simultaneously bringing about greater equality. And social scientists confidently inform us that crime and social pathologies are mere manifestations of society’s failure to eliminate ignorance entirely. Mill flattered the mass of people with the notion that they are rational and good. Such beliefs, even though all experience refutes them, operate more strongly on the popular imaginations than the bleak assessment of human nature offered by Stephen.
Stuart D. Warner, Assistant Professor of Philosophy at Roosevelt University, should be commended for his competent and admirable editing. His copious explanatory notes greatly assist the reader in understanding some of Stephen’s more obscure references. His well-written and impressively researched foreword provides a valuable introduction to Stephen’s thought and life. In addition, he includes a useful comparative table of subjects discussed in Liberty, Equality, Fraternity and On Liberty. This table will enable the reader to compare the ideas of Mill and Stephen on utilitarianism, education, democracy, justice, and the law. Students of Mill, Stephen, and Victorian political thought will find this volume to be an invaluable research tool.
Wesley McDonald is associate professor of political science at Elizabethtown College, Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania.
Posted: October 7, 2012 in Best of the Bookman. | <urn:uuid:8f8d8793-17db-44a2-a315-4e3368610bb3> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.kirkcenter.org/index.php/bookman/article/rediscovering-a-neglected-conservative-mind/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00011-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.958174 | 2,831 | 1.820313 | 2 |
(CNN) -- The crew of a Japan Airlines Dreamliner loaded with 181 passengers apparently was unaware of fuel spewing from a wing as the jetliner prepared to thunder down the runway on Tuesday in Boston.
It was only due to an alert from the pilot of another plane that Flight 7's takeoff for Tokyo was abandoned and the Boeing 787 towed to the gate, the second problem in two days for a JAL Dreamliner at Logan International Airport.
An electrical fire on Monday damaged an empty Dreamliner on the same tarmac.
The unusual twin incidents added to service questions about the highly touted plane that experienced a very difficult development and clearly has growing pains, according to safety experts.
Boeing's chief project engineer for the 787 said in a conference call with reporters Wednesday that he is "100 percent convinced the airplane is safe to fly."
"There are issues we have seen that we will need to work through, and just like any new airplane program we work through those issues and we move on," said Mike Sinnett.
The fuel leakage was due to an open valve, Japan Airlines spokeswoman Sze Hunn said Wednesday.
The leak came from the left wing surge tank vent, Hunn said.
"Further inspection of the cockpit messages showed that one of four valves connecting the center tank and left main tank was opened and had resulted in fuel flowing from the center tank to the left main tank and subsequently into the surge tank near the wing tip and out the vent," Hunn said.
"The valve that the indicator showed was opened (the left outboard refuel valve), was deactivated/made inoperative and the flight was cleared to depart again," Hunn said in a statement.
Air traffic control recordings from LiveATC.net captured Tuesday's incident as the the wide body was on the taxiway.
"Hey, that Japan Air may know it but they have fuel spewing out the leftward wing quite a bit," the pilot of another plane told the control tower, which radioed the JAL crew and halted takeoff.
"You mean fuel leak from left wing?" came the response from the JAL cockpit, according to LiveATC.net.
"Yes ... there appears to be a fuel leak from your left wing," controllers said again.
Airport fire and cleanup crews responded to the spill.
The Federal Aviation Administration said it was investigating the matter, but the National Transportation Safety Board said it would not do so.
No safety board involvement indicated the reason behind the leak was probably determined quickly and remedied. The flight took off later in the day.
It appears Monday's electrical fire that injured a firefighter was a more pressing issue for investigators, the manufacturer and the global airline industry that has embraced the 787 as a technologically advanced and efficient long-haul aircraft.
Fire in the belly of the aircraft broke out not long after arriving in Boston from Tokyo. All of the 172 passengers and 11 crew had already disembarked.
Boeing said in a statement that the fire was traced to a battery unit that helps power electrical systems when the engines are idle -- typically while a plane is being serviced or cleaned. The Dreamliner was being readied at the time for a return flight to Japan.
The battery unit sustained severe fire damage, the safety board said, adding that it had sent two additional investigators to Boston.
Japan's ministry of land and transportation ordered inspections of the same batteries in all Boeing 787s. So far, no irregularities have been found, but the results will be shared with U.S. authorities, the ministry said.
United Airlines, a Dreamliner operator, inspected its six 787s following the Boston fire as a precaution, but would not comment further.
Boeing said the fire appeared unrelated to previous problems involving 787 electrical power systems and that it was cooperating with the safety board.
On Wednesday All Nippon Airways canceled a domestic flight in Japan because of an error message on the braking system of a 787. An airline official said it was not a mechanical problem, but a computer error on the electric brake system controls. Passengers on the flight were moved to a later flight and the computer part will be replaced, an ANA official said.
In previous incidents, one of the 787 test flight aircraft lost primary electrical power in 2010 and was forced to make an emergency landing in Texas. All aboard evacuated safely.
An engine failed during tests on the ground in South Carolina last July and inspectors found a similar problem on another aircraft in September.
In December, another new 787 operated by United diverted safely to New Orleans after experiencing mechanical problems.
Some safety experts are concerned, but not alarmed, about the mechanical setbacks with the Dreamliner since its delivery to airlines beginning in 2011, following years of manufacturing delays and cost overruns.
They say new aircraft models often have "growing pains." Other experts have said any Dreamliner service problems would be magnified because of its problematic history during development.
As the first commercial jetliner built mostly from lightweight carbon fiber, the twin-engine Dreamliner has been touted for fuel efficiency in an era of soaring fuel prices. It has attracted enormous interest from airlines, with most orders coming from overseas carriers initially.
Boeing shares were off sharply on Wall Street relating to its Dreamliner problems this week.
CNN's Marlena Baldacci, Aaron Cooper, Todd Sperry and Michael Martinez contributed to this report as did James O'Toole of CNN Money | <urn:uuid:4272ce53-503c-4e5f-b259-fe5b1b6a3ce5> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.cnn.com/2013/01/08/travel/dreamliner-fuel-leak/index.html?hpt=hp_t3 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00010-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.972134 | 1,123 | 1.515625 | 2 |
Social media metrics are about to become coin of the realm. Start collecting.
By Madeline Laurano
Social media sets the pace in talent acquisition. At one time considered a technology enabler, social media has quickly become the backbone of any successful talent acquisition strategy.
According to Aberdeen’s Talent Acquisition Lifecycle report published in September 2011, 67 percent of organizations using social media tools in recruiting are training recruiters in their use. Organizations are leveraging the power of social media throughout every component of talent acquisition (employer branding, sourcing, screening, assessment, hiring, and onboarding). It’s clearly a game changer.
Despite the obvious benefits of social talent acquisition (engagement, connectivity, and interactivity), organizations still struggle when asked to show the value. According to the same Aberdeen talent acquisition study, only 22 percent of organizations have defined success metrics for the use of social media tools. As this area matures, recruiters will be held more accountable for social media initiatives.
In order to stay prepared, recruiters need to shift their perception. They need to view social media as a way to drive change throughout the entire organization, rather than as a tool to simply source top talent or strengthen branding. This is only possible through a more innovative and comprehensive approach to talent acquisition analytics. What exactly does this mean? What role will social media play in analytics?
Similar to social media, analytics has evolved dramatically in the talent acquisition space. Organizations are no longer concerned with filling positions as quickly and as cost-effectively as possible. Instead, they are using data to make more informed decisions around their talent in order to predict long-term success. Next generation analytics can prepare and position organizations to identify, attract and retain top talent. Engagement, communication, and a positive candidate experience all help organizations achieve this goal. As a result, social media needs to be a part of that equation.
What do organizations need to consider?
• Think Beyond Influencers: With sites like Klout, PeerIndex, and Twitalyzer gaining momentum, measuring “influence” is a popular trend in social talent acquisition. Although staying relevant, connected, and transparent has its value, measuring “influence” is no replacement for true data—especially when looking to gain credibility with the business. Organizations need to be able to measure the effectiveness of these efforts in ways that resonate with the overall corporation, including being able to respond quickly to business change and increasing visibility for accessing talent. Dell is an example of an organization that credits social media with helping to align talent acquisition with the overall business.
• Understand the Human Side: Social media breaks down communication barriers and challenges and redefines traditional models. One of these models is analytics. Organizations can no longer rely solely on tools and technology to measure the effectiveness of talent acquisition. Individuals need to be able to interpret the data, translate the data for the business, and include the necessary context behind this data. Social media is about relationships. Relationships are human, so the data needs a human element.
• Leverage the Right Technology: Although technology is not the only “solution” for measuring social media, it cannot be ignored. Without technology to track the social media efforts, recruiters are left with no history of communications or candidates or a way to manage talent pools. Organizations need to consider the role of their existing technology providers as well as communication tools such as Google alerts, Radian 6, and PR Newswire’s Social Media Metrics.
The benefits of social media in the world of talent acquisition are hard to deny. Organizations are achieving greater engagement, strengthening their brands, and opening a more effective channel to reach passive candidates. Yet, in order to gain support for these initiatives, organizations need to show the value of social media by rethinking traditional analytics and identifying ways to impact the business.
Madeline Laurano is the Aberdeen Group’s research director for talent acquisition solutions. She can be reached at firstname.lastname@example.org. | <urn:uuid:8cc7d412-cf4f-42d8-bd24-af0a412b7855> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.hrotoday.com/content/5040/tweeting-talent | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00002-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.933622 | 825 | 1.515625 | 2 |
Dr Marc Daley
- Studied: Marine Science with Honours, plus PhD
- Now works as: Coastal Advisor, NSW Office of Environment and Heritage
Growing up on Sydney’s northern beaches, Marc Daley forged a close relationship with the coast from a young age. “I was part of the local surf club and was in the water pretty much every day,” remembers Marc.
This daily exposure to the beach enabled Marc to see first-hand how his local coastline was being managed, and the problems in balancing public access, development and protection of the coast. “From then on, I wanted to play a key role in coastal management,” he says.
In keeping with his childhood dreams, Marc is now a Coastal Advisor for the NSW government and in his role, provides advice on managing the impacts of hazards on NSW coasts, beaches and estuaries.
Marc’s path to winning his dream job started with a marine science degree at Sydney, where he studied marine biology, oceanography, geology and coastal zone management. Next, Marc enrolled in Honours, which he says was essential in opening the door to his PhD and future job.
Through contacts developed during his PhD, Marc was offered a 12-month temporary job as Coastal Advisor with the Office of Environment and Heritage, which he now holds on a permanent, full-time basis.
“The professional network I developed during Honours and PhD was essential in helping me secure my job,” says Marc. “University is a great time to build networks, and you can also make contacts through groups like the Australian Coastal Society.”
After two years on the job, Marc says the best thing about being Coastal Advisor is the variety. “Any day could see me implementing policy reform, improving planning and management within the coastal zone or writing briefing notes for the Minister.”
Although Marc credits on-the-job experience for teaching him much of what he knows, he says the technical skills developed during university are needed for almost every task. “It’s helpful to have good communication skills and be able to liaise across all levels of government and with stakeholders, but you also need scientific skills like interpreting and analysing data, and using specialised tools such as simulation modeling software,” he says.
Not only did Marc’s postgraduate study provide the technical grounding for his job, but it also marks a highlight of his career. “Completing my PhD gave me a real sense of achievement. I feel lucky to have landed a job that’s in-line with my studies in the field I’m passionate about, and it’s rewarding to be making an ongoing difference to how we manage our coastline for both our and future generations.” | <urn:uuid:b41c4c48-b4f4-463c-817f-2ba47b6326d7> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://sydney.edu.au/science/career/graduate_profiles/daley.shtml | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00014-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.973493 | 576 | 1.6875 | 2 |
When John Cullum first received the script to Urinetown The Musical, it made him angry. "I was almost cursing," he recalls. But the two-time Tony Award winner--for Shenandoah (1975) and On the Twentieth Century (1978)--soon changed his mind. "If a script can provoke that kind of a reaction," he realized, "it means that something is working."
Cullum plays Caldwell B. Cladwell, the proprietor of Urine Good Company, a firm that controls the public lavatories in a large metropolitan city ravaged by drought. Private toilets have been banned, and the greed-driven company keeps jacking up the prices for the privilege to pee. The show skewers the totalitarian mindset as well as the anything-goes tactics of revolutionary anarchists. "It's an up-to-date satire," says Cullum. "It's about us."
The satire goes beyond the play's subject matter, which the press materials acknowledge as "an appalling notion, fully realized." Written by Greg Kotis and Mark Hollmann, the show also functions as a parody of other musicals, with winks and nods toward works like West Side Story, Les Misérables, and Fosse. Concidentally, Urinetown enters into a theatrical season that already includes Bat Boy and The Producers, two other musicals that are parodies of musicals to one degree or another. Asked why this seems to be a trend of late, Cullum replies that he thinks it has to do with the success of Broadway musical revivals. "Younger writers have seen how effective old-fashioned musicals are," he ventures. "People who want to make a new statement have learned to use the old techniques to suck us in."
However, it's one thing to simply ape successful musicals of the past; it's an entirely different matter to create a parody that says something meaningful on its own. Cullum believes that Urinetown achieves this. "John Rando, who directed the production, was constantly selling us [the actors] on the seriousness of the piece," he says. "John made us go full throttle and believe in the material, in order to make it real and give it an energy that you can push further without it becoming shtick."
Cullum has nothing but compliments for his fellow cast members, whom he believes are some of the finest he's worked with. This is high praise from someone with a career as illustrious as Cullum's. In his younger days, the actor performed in plays by Shakespeare, Shaw, and Moliere. His first major break came when he understudied Richard Burton as King Arthur in the original Broadway production of Camelot; watching the legendary Burton create that part remains one of Cullum's fondest memories. He has also starred in many non-musicals, including the Roundabout Theatre Company's 50th anniversary revival of Arthur Miller's All My Sons and, most recently the world premiere of Wendy Wasserstein's Old Money at Lincoln Center.
Still, despite his extensive stage credits, lots of people know Cullum best from his TV role of Holling Vincoeur, the bartender on Northern Exposure. Even his fellow actors on that series were unaware of the veteran actor's stage resumé. "When I started, no one knew that I had won two Tonys," says Cullum. "Out there, it's all about how much exposure you've had in TV and film."
After six years on that show, Cullum was ready to return to the stage; he told his agent, "The next thing I want to be in is a big musical!" He was subsequently cast as Cap'n Andy in Show Boat, replacing John McMartin in Hal Prince's Broadway revival of the Kern-Hammerstein classic. But that part didn't require much singing, whereas his role in Urinetown gives him the opportunity to more fully display his vocal talents. He's even got a bit of dancing to do in the show.
"I recently saw Fosse," Cullum remarks. As a result, he claims to have altered some of his Urinetown choreography: "I added a pelvic thrust." | <urn:uuid:170cbf1d-8c1e-49b1-b2ec-b5b06551695f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.theatermania.com/new-york-city-theater/news/04-2001/the-only-john-in-urinetown_1358.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00008-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.982804 | 861 | 1.5 | 2 |
Respond to a Restraining Order
This section helps you respond to a request for a workplace violence restraining order. Read the introduction in the Workplace Violence section
to get more information about workplace violence restraining orders and the restraining order court process.
What Is a Workplace Violence Restraining Order?
A workplace violence restraining order is a court order that helps protect an employee from stalking, violence, or threats of violence at the person’s place of employment. It must be requested by the employer, who asks the court to issue an order that will protect the employee from someone who is committing violence, stalking, or threatening the employee.
A workplace violence restraining order can order you to:
- Not contact or go near the protected person;
- Stay away from the protected person’s home, work, school, or his or her children’s schools;
- Not contact and stay away from other family and household members of the protected person and other employees; and
- Not have a gun or firearm while the order is in effect.
If There Is a Restraining Order Against You
1. Read the order carefully. If you disobey the order, you can go to jail or be fined.
Make sure you stay away from all the people and places in the order. You CANNOT own, possess, buy or try to buy a gun or firearm while the order is in effect. If you have a gun now, you have to turn it in to the police or sell it to a gun dealer. Read How Do I Turn in or Sell My Firearms? (Form WV-800-INFO).
2. Go to the court hearing on the restraining order. The hearing date is on the Notice of Court Hearing (Form WV-109).
If you do not go to court, the judge can make the restraining order without hearing your side of the story. And the order can last up to 3 years.
3. If you want to tell your side of the story, file a response (answer) BEFORE your court date.
- You can fill out and file a Response to Petition for Workplace Violence Restraining Orders (Form WV-120) where you tell the judge your side of the story about what happened. Read the section "Responding to the Restraining Order Request" for instructions on filing a response.
- Even if you do not file an answer, GO TO YOUR HEARING!
You do not need a lawyer to respond to a restraining order. BUT it is a good idea to have a lawyer. Having a restraining order issued against you can have very serious consequences, so by having a lawyer you can protect your rights as best as possible. Click for help finding a lawyer.
Your court’s self-help center may also be able to help you respond to the restraining order.
- IMPORTANT! If you also have a criminal case related to the abuse, stalking, or violence in this case, it is very important you talk to a lawyer. Anything you say or write in the workplace violence restraining order case can be used against you in your criminal case.
Responding to the Restraining Order Request
If you decide to answer the request for the restraining order, follow these steps:
STEP 1. Fill Out Your Court Forms and Prepare to File
STEP 2. File and Serve Your Response
STEP 3. Get Ready and Go to Your Court Hearing
STEP 4. After the Court Hearing
1. Read How Can I Respond to a Petition for Workplace Violence Restraining Orders? (Form WV-120-INFO).
2. Fill out your response (answer) and other forms:
- Response to Petition for Workplace Violence Restraining Orders (Form WV-120)
- Additional Page (Form MC-020), if you need more space to write any of your answers.
- Declaration (Form MC-030) or Attached Declaration (Form MC-031) for any statements of witnesses that will support your side of the story.
3. Fill out your court’s local forms (if any)
Ask your local court clerk if there are local forms you have to fill out. Some courts also have forms on their website. Find your local court’s website.
4. Have your forms reviewed before filing
If your court’s self-help center helps people with workplace violence restraining orders, ask them to review your paperwork. They can make sure you filled out your forms correctly.
5. Make at least 2 copies of all of your forms
One copy will be for you and 1 will be served on the employer. The original is for the court.
Once you have filled out all your forms, you have to file them with the court and “serve” (give a copy to) the employer. You must do this at least 2 days before your court hearing. Keep in mind that procedures for filing papers for restraining orders vary from court to court, so check with the court clerk for the procedure in your court. In general, you have to follow these steps:
1. File your Response in court
Take the original and 2 copies of your form to the court clerk to file. The clerk will file the originals and return all of your copies to you stamped “Filed” in the box in the upper right corner. To “file” means that the court clerk will make the forms an official part of the court’s record of your case. If you need more copies, you can make them yourself.
- If the employer claims in the Petition that you committed or threatened acts of violence against the employee, made the employee afraid of violence, or stalked the employee, you will not have to pay a filing fee. Otherwise, the court may charge you a filing fee. If you cannot afford the fee, you can ask for a fee waiver. Find information to help you ask for a fee waiver.
- If you do not speak English well, ask the clerk for an interpreter for your hearing date. If a court interpreter is not available, bring someone to interpret for you. Do not ask a child, a protected person, or a witness to interpret. Get tips to help you work with a court interpreter.
- If you are deaf, hard-of-hearing, or have another disability, ask for an interpreter or other accommodation. For more information for persons with disabilities and a form to ask for an accommodation.
2. Serve the employer with a copy of your forms
Get someone 18 or older (NOT YOU) to mail a copy of your Response and any other forms to the employer at least 2 days before the court hearing. The person who does this is called the “server” or “process server.”
3. File your proof of service
Have your server fill out a Proof of Service of Response by Mail (Form WV-250) and give it to you. Then, file it with the court or bring it with you to the hearing. Keep a copy for yourself. This form tells the judge that the employer got a copy of your Response.
If you are unable to file and serve your forms before the hearing, bring them with you to the hearing anyway.
Get Ready for Your Hearing
This section will tell you how to get ready for your hearing.
- Get your papers together. If you did not already file your forms with the court, take the original and 2 copies of each form, including the Proof of Service, with you to the hearing. If there are any other documents that help your case (trying to disprove what you are accused of), take those with you.
- Get your evidence together. You can bring witnesses with you to the hearing to help support your case. Witnesses may or may not be allowed to speak. But you can bring a witness’s written statement (declaration) of what he or she saw or heard. You can use a Declaration (Form MC-030) for any statements of witnesses that support your side of the story. You should file and serve the witness statements at the same time that you file your Response (Form WV-120). If you did not have time to file them ahead of time, then take the original plus 2 copies to your court hearing.
- If you do not speak English well, check to see if the court will be providing an interpreter at the hearing. If not, take someone (but not a child, a protected person, or a witness) with you to interpret for you. Get tips to help you work with a court interpreter.
- Most courtrooms do not allow children to attend hearings. If you have young children, ask the clerk if there is a children’s activity room in the courthouse. If not, arrange for child care.
Do not miss your hearing!
If you miss it, the judge can make the orders without hearing from you.
Get there early:
- Find the courtroom.When the courtroom opens, go in and tell the clerk or officer that you are present. If the employee who is seeking protection is present, do NOT sit near him or her or try to talk to him or her. Watch the other cases, if any, so that you will know what to do. When your name is called, go to the front of the courtroom. Your hearing may last just a few minutes or up to an hour.
Practice what you want to say in response to what the employer said about you in the Petition:
- Consider each order requested and decide whether you disagree with the order. If so, write down what you want to say and practice saying why you disagree.If you get nervous at the hearing, just read from your paper. Use it to make sure that you tell the judge about everything you disagree with.
Go to your court hearing
During your hearing, the judge may ask questions.
- Wait for your turn to speak. When the judge asks you for your side of the story, tell the truth. Speak slowly. You can read from your paper if you prefer.
- Try to be brief. If you ramble on about things that are not really relevant or important, it may affect your chances of winning.
- Do not use profanity or other inappropriate language. Stick to the facts.
- Stay calm. Any display of anger toward the employee will only make it appear that any fear of violence that he or she has is reasonable.
- The employer or his or her lawyer may also ask you questions.
- Give complete answers.
- If you do not understand a question, say so.
- If the other side lies in court, wait until he or she finishes talking. Then tell the judge the truth.
- Speak only to the judge. Do not talk to the employee unless the judge gives you a chance to ask him or her questions.
- If you are given an opportunity to ask questions, only ask questions. Do not take it as a chance to argue with or berate the employee or to repeat things that you have already said.
- When someone else is talking to the judge, wait for him or her to finish. Wait patiently for your turn to talk.
The judge’s decision
At the end of the hearing, the judge will say what the orders are. The judge may:
- Give the employer all of the orders requested to protect the employee.
- Give the employer some of the orders requested, but not others.
- Deny all orders requested.
- Postpone the decision and give you a new court date. This means you will have to come back another day. The judge can do this if:
- You need more time to get a lawyer or prepare your Response.
- The judge wants more information.
- Your hearing is taking longer than planned.
- If the judge postpones your case and a temporary restraining order was issued and served on you, the judge will probably keep the order in effect until the new hearing date.
See Going to Court to read more information about how to prepare for your court hearing.
If the judge issues a restraining order against you at the hearing, you MUST obey it. If you do not, you can be arrested.
In general, you will be served with the Workplace Violence Restraining Order After Hearing (CLETS-WHO) (Form WV-130) either immediately after the hearing or within a few days of your court date. If you were at the hearing, the petitioner does not have to legally send you a copy of the order, so get a copy from the court yourself. If anything on the order form is different from what the judge ordered, talk to the court clerk right away to see what you can do about it. If the clerk cannot help you, talk to a lawyer right away. Or talk to your court’s self-help center to see if there is anything that they can help you with.
If the judge issues a restraining order against you, you are not allowed to own, buy, or try to buy a firearm. If you own 1, you will have to sell it to a licensed dealer or turn it in to law enforcement, and file proof with the court. To file this proof, you can use the form Proof of Firearms Turned In or Sold (Form WV-800). For more information on what to do, read How Do I Turn in or Sell My Firearms? (Form WV-800-INFO).
Click for help finding a lawyer. Your court’s self-help center may also be able to help you respond to the restraining order request.
Batterer Intervention Program Information
You can find batterer intervention programs in your area at California Department of Public Health Violence Prevention Resource Directory which lists help by county.
If you need an “approved” batterer intervention program, contact your county probation department. | <urn:uuid:0540cfc9-2f97-48fd-b844-c7597d797eee> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.courts.ca.gov/1012.htm/1284.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706890813/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516122130-00005-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.944239 | 2,863 | 1.625 | 2 |
Diaries of Mario M. Cuomo: The Campaign for Governor
Random House, 484 pp., $19.95
“[Bernard of Clairvaux] seems to have preserved as much reason and humanity as may be reconciled with the character of a saint.”
To the governor of New York, language is a device for making oneself look better than one probably is. To the mayor of New York, language is a device for making oneself look worse than one could possibly be. The governor would seem to have entered upon the third of his wrestlings with the mayor with the advantage of intention. Charm would not belong among the absolute virtues if it were not the product of unwearying effort to keep one’s bad side out of sight.
Diaries of Mario Cuomo offers an abundance of charm. There beats through its pages the pulse of an artisan ancestry. We might be reading the notations of a cottage handicraftsman. Writing as governor-elect and awaiting inauguration, Cuomo digresses to provide us with a short treatise on the shining of shoes, and even those purists who might be puzzled by the intrusion of liquid polish into that rite must commend this entry as a model of technical exposition. By now he has ascended to the possession of five pairs of shoes; and there is every reason for confidence that, even if he gets to ten, he will go on shining them all himself.
But then the governor seems to manage his private life and his public career the way a peasant would his farm. An endearing scent of domesticity pervades these diaries; it seems only natural that when Mario Cuomo set out to expand his holdings, to the astonishment of his neighbors, he felt it a duty to the modern to solicit the counsel of the professional political agronomists. But he then proceeded to plant and plow in accordance with his own instincts and handled his own affairs with so close a hand that, when it came time to choose a chief steward and overseer, he selected his son Andrew.
Mayor Koch’s autobiography achieves its most alienating pitch in those passages where he savors the pleasures of a woman’s tears; and Cuomo’s diaries are at their most engaging when he records an occasion when a woman has set him to reflecting upon his inadequacies. His mother makes it plain that she is far from assured that he did not disgrace his inheritance when he chose politics as a vocation; his wife cannot understand why he refuses to ease his family’s straitened fortunes with the private practice of law during his intervals of freedom from the none-too-taxing toils of a lieutenant governor; his eldest daughter tells him that his aspirations to be governor are just an ego trip. There is something irresistibly old-fashioned about any man who cherishes Woman by no means least because she is so fruitful an inspiration for feelings of guilt.
We would be foolish to assume that the nobility of impulse that breathes through these diaries is an unvarying manifestation of Cuomo’s full … | <urn:uuid:c135a975-6612-4dbf-8afe-937f118b6fa8> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.nybooks.com/articles/archives/1984/jul/19/a-hard-case/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705953421/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120553-00008-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.982752 | 628 | 1.820313 | 2 |
Many people are now using their smartphones and tablets at work. As IT departments nationwide accommodate this bring-your-own-device trend, Aruba Networks (Nasdaq: ARUN ) stands to benefit.
Aruba specializes in enterprise solutions that unify wired and wireless infrastructures into one cohesive network -- specifically, securely connecting devices via wireless. This expertise positions the company well because the enterprise WLAN (wireless local area network) market is growing -- particularly in the enterprise segment, demanding the solutions Aruba can provide.
According to Forrester, by 2016 some 350 million workers will use smart devices. Just over half will take their own personal devices to work. Currently, most IT networks are fragmented: Each network has its own infrastructure, management platform, and security. This fragmentation puts a lot of stress on IT departments -- not only to connect these devices to the network but also provide security on them. This is Aruba's forte.
Aruba offers a centralized infrastructure of wireless, wired, and remote networks. This infrastructure is designed so that all the employees on any device (desktop, iPhone, iPad, Android, laptop, VPN, and so on) can run through a single network. This allows IT departments to authorize network access, monitor the activity (i.e., see how many employees are playing Angry Birds on their iPads), and apply security policies over just one network instead of for separately for wireless, wired, and remote devices, thus solving the fragmented IT network (and possibly the Angry Birds epidemic).
The downside to a centralized network is security. Security and wireless have not meshed well in the past, thereby causing companies to have a major concern over security of wireless devices. This is why Aruba's emphasis on security is paramount to their success.
The competition in the WLAN and LAN space is highly competitive; the 800-pound gorilla Cisco (Nasdaq: CSCO ) alone owns about half the market. Yet Aruba has grown its market share -- strengthening its second-place position with 12% market share in front of Hewlett-Packard (NYSE: HPQ ) and Motorola Solutions (NYSE: MSI ) , both with less than 6% market share. Gartner recently positioned Aruba as a Leader in the 2012 Magic Quadrant for Wired and Wireless LAN Access Infrastructure (see the PDF report). The recent market penetration and Gartner's research show that Aruba has the capability to be a disruptive force in the WLAN space.
In danger of repeating myself, two things that Aruba focuses on, and with which it sets itself apart, is getting people onto Wi-Fi (WLAN), away from wired devices, and on keeping those wireless connections secure:
- By recognizing the market trend into more of a wireless world, Aruba's technology has seen rapid acceptance by enterprises, growing revenues by more than 30% the past two years.
- The focus on security has proved to be a great value for Aruba. Aruba has become the most widely used WLAN by the U.S. military -- not to mention major software companies such as Microsoft and Google.
Security will continue to be an important issue, if not the most important issue, as this wireless market expands. And the reputation of being secure will be crucial to success in this market.
Foolish bottom line
The Dell'Oro Group forecasts that WLAN market revenues will reach close to $10 billion by 2016 (a 50% jump from 2011 revenues), with the enterprise segment consisting of just over half of that mind=boggling number. This expanding market gives Aruba exceptional growth potential over the next several years; however, some risks still stand in the way.
If Aruba starts losing market share to competitors or returns to being unprofitable, it could spell disaster. Overall, I think short-term headwinds (IT spending, macro environment, and the like) have punished Aruba's stock, allowing investors to be a part of this growth story at a reasonable price.
If you wish to dig deeper into Aruba Networks with me, let's continue this chat on the ARUN Board.
Add all these companies to My Watchlist.
Aruba is well positioned to take advantage of the coming mobile revolution -- but it's not alone. To discover another company poised to capitalize on our collective shift to on-the-go computing, grab a free copy of our special report, "The Next Trillion-Dollar Revolution." | <urn:uuid:f3439e33-9315-467c-85d5-1b2e364eb0e5> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2012/07/10/1-stock-to-capitalize-on-this-booming-tech-trend.aspx | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704392896/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113952-00012-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.940939 | 915 | 1.523438 | 2 |
The main person of my story, he walks into a house and into a room upstairs and starts a conversation with the antagonist...
If I were to write fiction the sentence above is about as much detail as I could provide. Right now reading is a big Kansas for me and I am scouring Amazon and other sites for what books I should read. When reading I am amazed at how much detail is written into it because, as shown above, detail is something I overlook.
Is it that I overlook it or is it that I have a different priority? In my book Finding Kansas I believe I give great detail, much like a great fiction writer, but instead of describing the rancid smells or describing the aqua blue from the crimson red I put my detail into the way the mind works and why.
For me, when I write, I have to force myself to put external detail. I can remember on occasion doing that on here or in my book and each time I want you to realize that putting detail just doesn't come naturally. Since it isn't important to me I know it isn't to you (another case of my concept, "I think therefore you should know") therefore why should I waste my energy and describe it.
Now that I'm thinking about this I wonder how much detail I have left out and if any of my stories would be deeper if I described the surroundings a bit more. I don't know if it would, but would it then detract from my natural form of writing or take away the importance of what I do normally write? I think back to my grocery store experiences way early on in my blog and I wonder if I added detail would it add to my story or would it minimize the internal strife I was feeling? I'm going to have to think about this more but I might just try and challenge myself to add some descriptors to my stories. | <urn:uuid:9d788cbf-d064-4490-906e-4844885532a8> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://lifeontheothersideofthewall.blogspot.jp/2012/06/why-i-could-never-write-fiction.html?showComment=1338940524221 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00015-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.980854 | 381 | 1.71875 | 2 |
At the heart of the latest release from Jon Scieszka, former National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature, is a lesson on media literacy. The author doesn’t hide his contempt for the advertising tactics and ubiquitous sloganeering of the modern era—his protagonist Michael K. is a savvy fifth grader with a healthy dose of skepticism. That’s a quality that Scieszka is eager to instill in his readers. To foster a better understanding of the media blitz directed at today’s children, Spaceheadz includes clever, interactive Web material designed to allow readers to create their own content. Here, the former teacher spoke with Kirkus about his fifth-grade friends at Brooklyn’s P.S. 58, incorporating new technology into basic storytelling and diplomatic immunity.
Curiosity inspired Truus Matti to write her debut novel, in which two stories—one fantastic, the other realistic—intertwine. Told in alternating chapters, the book begins with a third-person account of a girl named Mouse, who arrives at a dilapidated hotel run by a fox and a rat, unable to remember her past. “I wrote…the first scene in the book more or less by accident; it came out of nowhere, and I had no idea what it was about,” says Matti. “The girl made me want to know who she was and what she was doing…So I followed her to find out.” That girl led Matti to the novel’s second plot line, told in the first person by a girl who makes her father promise to come home for her 11th birthday. When he doesn’t, the girl writes him a scathing letter only to learn that he died while touring with his orchestra.
Stowaways, sea chanteys and sirens—they’re all here in Aaron Renier’s rip-snorting new graphic novel. Drawing on motifs from sources as diverse as the great Homeric epics, Moby Dick and the snarky romp of The Pirates of the Caribbean movies, Renier reinvents adventure at sea for a new generation. The first in a series of five, Walker Bean began “as a parade of my ideas and fantasies…masquerading as an adventure story,” he says. “I wanted to use all the usual tropes—a shadowy stranger, a cursed object, the journal from an elder to come to the rescue—and try to use them in a way that worked with my personality. I wanted it to be fun to draw. And it was.” The frenzied pace of the storytelling, the cluttered chaos of the images and the faded palette, designed with colorist Alec Longstreth, combine to get readers’ hearts pumping with excitement, scrambling to turn the next page.
When Newbery Honor author Carolyn Coman (What Jamie Saw, 1995) first conceived of lovable Hope Scroggins with her collaborator, Rob Shepperson, both realized early on that the waif was a character sure to resonate with young readers. What child can’t relate to a girl whose parents are so abhorrent that they simply abandon her little sister? Hope’s response—sleeping as much as possible—brings her to the attention of the Dahl-esque World Wide Memory Bank. “From the moment we entered the Bank, we were goners,” they say. “Everything about it—the Dream Vault, the Memory Receptor, Sorters, Retrospectors—engaged us. Hope simply rose to the occasion: a champion dreamer, a terrific sister, a good sport under trying circumstances.”
A mortally ill boy is prematurely transported to the afterworld through the inept agency of Frank Gallows, a ghost wrangler on the skids. It is a creepy land, populated by specters, mummies, will-o’-the-wisps, zombies and ghostly skeletons, all under the thumb of a dark master. But it is also just the kind of place where Darwin meets God on the road to Oz. Doug TenNapel draws the copious panels in a spidery hand, with sponge-soaking colors. “Being a writer/artist isn’t like wearing two hats,” he says. “It’s like wearing two halves of a hat. I have to meticulously write the story before I know if it’s even worth drawing.” This one’s worth it, a tale of loss, discovery, phantasmagoria and return. “My children are at the age when they ask the tough questions about life and death,” says the author. This is his apocalyptic, happily-ever-after answer.
Tea is best served with droll mystery. At least, that’s what’s bountifully dished out in Maryrose Wood’s unapologetically Anglophile series opener that follows a well-established age-old tale: girl becomes governess, governess is employed at sprawling estate for three certifiably wild children, governess unearths multiple mysteries on premises. “I don’t receive many—or to be precise, any—books for middle-grade readers that combine a riff on Jane Eyre and feral children,” says Donna Bray, VP and co-publisher of Balzer + Bray. “I was powerless to resist.” Wood admits “there’s no greater satisfaction as an author than to write something so close to my own admittedly quirky heart, and to discover that readers find it engaging as well.” The book is a bona fide buffet of everything delightfully British: creaky carriages, dusty antiques, tea cakes, silken gowns, fanciful parties and…children raised by wolves. Yes, wolves. | <urn:uuid:75d2c771-57f8-424b-ae12-1d940b3b0494> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.kirkusreviews.com/best-of/2010/children-and-teens/children/fantasy-and-science-fiction/ | 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 | 0.951832 | 1,226 | 1.804688 | 2 |
By JIMMY LAWTON
CANTON -- Fire departments, police officers and first responders may get some relief if the St. Lawrence County emergency services director’s plans to form a Citizens Corps come to fruition.
Emergency Services Director Joseph Gilbert said the organization would free up emergency service workers by allowing citizens to take action when problems arise.
"They wouldn't be fighting fires or responding to accidents, they would perform other functions like volunteering at emergency shelter operations or helping find a child that is lost in the woods," he said.
The Citizen Corps program was created under the Department of Homeland Security. It provides training to volunteers who can then assist in the recovery after a disaster.
Gilbert said the entity would not be funded by the county or be under its supervision.
"It would be its own 501(c)3 non-profit group," he said.
Currently a committee of seven community members are working to establish the St. Lawrence County Citizens Corps, which Gilbert says would be the 18th such organization in New York State.
"They are becoming more and more common," he said.
Gilbert says enlisting the help of the public can relieve the strain on existing responders and fire departments. He said members of the group would need training to ensure they could perform their duties safely and know the proper chain of command for reporting and responding.
"There are numerous functions this group could provide," he said.
Gilbert said the idea is still in the fledgling stages, but the committee is hoping to establish a Citizens Corps by next summer.
Gilbert said the committee is reaching out for a grant that would cover the costs of training. | <urn:uuid:70ca2605-ec5b-40ff-aaea-091d732bd923> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://northcountrynow.com/news/st-lawrence-countys-first-responders-could-be-getting-some-volunteer-help-068609 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00019-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.977226 | 338 | 1.679688 | 2 |
Posted by vmsalama on March 14, 2012
I have days when I really, REALLY miss living in Lahore, Pakistan. The energy that city possessed was unlike any other (and having lived in Cairo, I KNOW energetic cities). People were always out, and there was always something happening in the city center. There were streets that smelled of spices and little outdoor shops that served a dozen different kinds of tea. (My recommendation: Kashmiri tea. It’s very unique and very delicious!) There was also the amazing Lahore fish market (near Taka Takk) which featured an endless strip of outdoor dining restaurants serving fresh fish just the way you like it! On winter nights when it rained, the air was so crisp. My housemate and I used to ride around town on his little motorcycle/scooter. I used to cover most of my body and tuck my hair under a hood – not because I was trying to be modest, but I was always trying to conceal the fact that I am a woman since, in Pakistan, women side-saddle motorcycles and bashfully hold on to the male driver. (I, on the other hand, would straddle the motorcycle and hold onto my male friend for dear life. But I digress….)
The memory that came to me today was that of Coco’s Den, a brothel-turned-restaurant in the historic old city, overlooking Lahore Fort. The restaurant, which serves traditional Pakistani food, is run by Iqbal Hussain, whose mother was a madame at the brothel. Iqbal, also a artist, painted many controversial images of women in the brothel, often looking out over Lahore Fort at the adjacent mosque. The paintings are displayed throughout the restaurant. It was one of my favorite places in Lahore, and one of the country’s many pleasant surprises. It’s amazing that for all the country’s problems with extremism, places like that (and others) are acknowledged and untouched. People accept that it’s part of their history. I hope to visit again very soon. | <urn:uuid:f7bb5cfe-0317-49c9-b891-1ef007402e69> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://viviansalama.wordpress.com/2012/03/14/lahore-nostalgia/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00005-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.979929 | 436 | 1.65625 | 2 |
The final piece of Hanson Hall is now in place. Finishing touches have been made to "The Ribs of Humanity," a public art sculpture located in the outdoor James and Carmen Campbell Plaza. Designed by local artist Craig David, who also created several mosaic murals outside the new Target Field in downtown Minneapolis, The Ribs of Humanity represents, in David's words, the "burning passion of the business world."
The central motif of the sculpture is a large blazing fire, weighing more than six and a half tons and carved out of a 33,000-pound block of red granite. Surrounding this piece are several abstracted life-size figures carved from various colored granite. These figures represent the meeting of minds and the importance of communication in the global business process.
According to David, The Ribs of Humanity is the celebration of the primordial warmth and social aspects of gathering around a fire. "It is a study of personal reflection," he said. "It is the moment that we seek to understand how our judgments affect us, and the world around us."
Minnesota law encourages that state building projects with budgets above $500,000 dedicate funds for the purchase or commission of original artwork for the building site. The Ribs of Humanity joins the Carlson School building's public art piece, the suspended globe, as a metaphor of the school's dedication to international communication and knowledge sharing. | <urn:uuid:7f2412ff-9bd4-4bcd-9b0f-4024e4bd621a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://carlsonschool.umn.edu/news/07/%202/10/New-Public-Art-Completes-Hanson-Hall | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00003-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.956357 | 281 | 1.789063 | 2 |
Now as for the practice in the Antiochian Archdiocese, the Bishop has the perogotive to read the opening psalm, Chant the "Lord I have cried," chant the prokemenion, recite the evening prayer, read St. Symeon's prayer, and chant the dismissal hymns. The only ones of these things that are also not at the perogotive of the priest to do is the opening psalm because he is doing his prayers at this point.
This is pretty standard for the Greeks, except that the priest doesn't attempt to "take" what is the Bishop's "perogative" as far as chanted hymns go.
Personally, I don't like how the Bishops and Priests decide to chant things that should really be done by Cantors, and read things that should be read by Readers. This idea that successively "higher" orders of clergy also contain all the charism and responsibilities of the "lower" ones is, in my mind, too much of a change from the traditional structure of the Church. Some of this is a "clericalism" movement within Orthodoxy; some of it is indicative of the fact that people don't take on these traditional roles of the Church (sexton, Reader, Cantor, Subdeacon) anymore, leaving the clergyman to do more than what he is originally supposed to do; some of it is due to the phenomenon of "horostasia," when the Bishop doesn't vest for a service he is attending. This last point is particularly troubling for me - he is the Head of the Eucharistic assembly, the place and type of Christ, and he doesn't act as Chief celebrant at many of the services. | <urn:uuid:abaa5913-454d-4f28-ae4d-6e9b3a819dfa> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.orthodoxchristianity.net/forum/index.php?topic=13221.msg181722 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00018-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.982101 | 356 | 1.53125 | 2 |
The Satya Interview with Diane Beers
By Colleen Patrick-Goudreau
I had the privilege of hearing Diane Beers,
Ph.D, speak at the 2006 “Strength of Many” conference in
Los Angeles. To say that I was absolutely blown away is an understatement.
Diane, a professor of history at Holyoke Community College in Massachusetts,
teaches courses in social, environmental, African American, civil rights
and women’s history. Her other areas of research include labor
history, queer history and animal rights. It is her work in AR that brought
her to the conference to speak about her new book, For the Prevention
of Cruelty: The History and Legacy of Animal Rights Activism in the United
States (Ohio University Press, 2006.)
Never before has the legacy of the animal protection movement in the U.S. been
examined. This meticulously researched and eloquently written book traces the
history of organized animal advocacy in the U.S. from its earliest beginnings
up until 1975, when Peter Singer’s book Animal Liberation appeared on the
scene. Diane’s book tells of our history, introducing us to the amazing
leaders—most of them women—upon whose shoulders we stand. It was
their courage and conviction that helped shape the animal rights movement as
we know it today.
Diane is an activist in the truest sense of the word, raising awareness about
the links that tie together all forms of oppression. Her scholarly attention
to detail, respect for subject matter and fluid writing style make For the Prevention
of Cruelty an enjoyable and riveting read. I was honored to speak with Diane
Beers about her book, which I recommend not only to animal activists but to anyone
who has ever loved a dog or cat.
Can you talk a little about what prompted you to write For the Prevention
The book really represents a union of beliefs that drive me both professionally
and personally. Like many folks who support or participate in animal advocacy,
I have a lifelong love and appreciation for nature and the nonhuman species that
share the world we live in. I was the kid who brought home stray dogs and cats.
I was the college student who pondered becoming a veterinarian or environmental
activist. I am now the adult committed to animal advocacy.
While I have always had compassion for all creatures, I have also been passionately
interested in social justice movements. I believe teaching is a form of activism
and many of the courses I teach focus on these movements and their history. In
graduate school I realized I could combine all my interests and make them part
of my professional life. I ended up studying women’s rights, African American
history and environmental history. Those areas of study led to my dissertation,
which led to this book.
You use the phrase “historical amnesia” to refer to the fact that
contemporary animal activists—and society as a whole—know nothing
of the legacy of animal activism in the U.S. What are some of the effects of
having “historical amnesia”? Why is it so important to know our legacy?
Animal advocacy has an amazing history, yet it is essentially an untold story.
African American activists will often say, “A people without a history
is like a tree without roots.” Indeed, if activists don’t know the
history of their cause, they can have no sense of their movement’s struggles,
long-term strategies, achievements and heroes. In addition, they can’t
promote their long impressive movement to the public, and their opponents—the
meat industry, medical research industry and the government—will fill the
void. They have been the ones most aggressively and successfully constructing
negative images and outright myths of animal advocacy that the public often believes.
For example, by promoting our history, animal activists could smash the myth
that we are misanthropes—that we don’t care about humans and are
weirdly obsessed with animals. History shows this to be patently false as most
animal advocates were involved in multiple social justice movements. This myth
comes from our opponents who have done a better job of controlling the story,
the history and the perceptions of animal advocacy. If animal advocates made
it part of their mission to get our true history out to the public, I firmly
believe it would benefit the movement overall.
The link between animal rights and other social justice movements is clear in
the fact that so many early advocates were involved in many social causes, particularly
the abolition and suffrage movements. However, it seems animal advocacy has become
more isolated from the causes with which its early founders were linked. Why
do you think that is? How can bridges be created?
This is a crucial issue. I think it is changing slowly, but [our isolation] can
still divide rather than unite different causes. Awareness of the linkages between
different forms of oppression and injustice seems to be key. To paraphrase ecofeminist
thinking, “oppression is a circular affair.”
We need to educate ourselves more on the connections between various social justice
causes and take the lead in educating fellow activists. A good way to do so is
through coalition building. Work with other movements and make them aware of
the ties that bind their cause. I believe once caring people become aware of
an injustice, they want to do something.
In terms of the deeper root cause of “why,” I think animal advocates
have done a better job of confronting the issue of speciesism. By the very essence
of their movement, animal advocates must examine humans’ roles in relation
to nonhumans and that, in turn, often leads them to question the entire ideology
of human superiority. Movements that focus more exclusively on human issues are,
I think, much less likely to even consider the concept of speciesism; thus, there
emerges a kind of social justice blind spot that prevents them from bridging
their human cause with that of nonhumans.
I think our use of language reveals so much about our perceptions
and values. I appreciate your very thoughtful use of language to refer to animal
and wonder if you could talk about why you use the word “humanitarian” to
refer to early activists?
I use the word humanitarian because it reflects how early activists saw themselves
and referred to themselves, at least in part. We must remember the entire historical
context. These were folks who certainly challenged the very bedrock of human
superiority, but one of their goals was also to change humans morally. They wanted
to make human society more moral and humane, thus they were humanitarians in
the sense that stopping cruelty was also about bettering humanity. Ending animal
cruelty was directly connected to human welfare. In addition, “humanitarian” could
be applied to someone involved generally in social reform. But they also referred
to themselves using many other terms including protectionists, humane agents,
zoophilists, rightists and welfarists.
I was amazed to learn that the Ringling-Barnum & Bailey Circus eliminated
its animal acts for five years because of public pressure and an unrelenting
campaign. I think most activists would be surprised to learn that, too. What
are some examples of early strategies and campaigns that would surprise or benefit
The first successful headline campaign for animal advocates was the workhorse
campaign. For me, this campaign reveals the movement’s depth of commitment
and creative use of multiple strategies. First, one must remember the context
and the cruelty of the time in relation to workhorses. This is pre-automobile,
so many thousands of horses moved people, goods and information on a daily basis
in any city. It was also perfectly acceptable to work and beat a horse to death
right out in the open. This movement successfully changed both the treatment
toward horses and, equally important, attitudes about such cruelty. The campaign
strategies were multiple and included laws, prosecution, raising public awareness
through information and protests, and convincing the public to get involved through
boycotts. Its success really established a precedent: now animal cruelty was
in the public discourse.
What are some things you think early advocates did well that we can use
And what are some things that our predecessors weren’t as skilled at that
we can learn from and improve upon today?
Some of the things activists did well in the past are the legacies that activists
today have inherited and still do well. For example, this is a movement that
historically has advocated a diverse agenda which I view as a strength because
it has a wide appeal and the potential to speak to a large audience. In addition,
activists right from the start go after cruelty with multiple strategies. Animal
advocacy has also been very effective at the grassroots level, building upon
hard work and small but significant victories at the local level.
In the book, I discuss two areas where the movement struggled historically: the
formation of alliances with other causes and internal division and squabbling.
Now in some ways these are struggles common to many movements, but nonetheless
important measures of a movement’s health and success. For example, internal
ideological or strategic differences can invigorate a movement with new ideas
and energy, or they can tear it apart. Fortunately, animal advocacy has successfully
weathered many of its internal struggles and remained a family of activists,
but historically, divisions have at times threatened and even undermined potentially
successful campaigns, especially regarding animal experimentation. Activists
should keep this in mind today. Different opinions and ideas should not be silenced,
but how does a movement best embrace them?
In my work, I’ve found that people respond well to the truth about animal
suffering and the fact we have the power to stop it. Yet throughout history and
including today, some advocates claim the public doesn’t want to make what
are considered “radical” changes. Do you think this more cautious
attitude helps fosters people’s complacency—that if you tell them
enough times that lifestyle changes are “hard” or “radical” they’ll
actually believe it?
I agree truth is a powerful force and people often respond to it. I see it with
my students all the time. Once the door of awareness is opened, it is really
hard to shut it again. However, I do think animal advocates confront another
entrenched and powerful societal force that also shapes human complacency: speciesism.
I think activists need to understand, confront and deconstruct speciesism which
is like racism, sexism, ageism, etc.
Speciesism is the idea of human superiority that defines animals as inferior “others” and
thus rationalizes their oppression. Humans need to see our supposed superiority
is a social construction made to justify exploitive and cruel treatment of nonhumans.
This is why the conservative perspective sometimes wins because it does not really
challenge the essence of the problem: speciesism. Until we get people to deconstruct
this ideology that condones such behavior, piecemeal reforms will be the norm.
But I am an optimist and, although I do think confronting speciesism is hard
given where the public mindset currently is, we have taken great steps toward
the dismantling of such ideas. If we can go from a time where beating a workhorse
to death was okay to a time when the term “animal rights” is familiar
to most people, I feel the optimism of an activist and an educator.
Related to that last question, many welfarists advocate small reforms
that they believe reflect public sentiment and ultimately help animals more in
reducing the most egregious forms of cruelty. This has been the welfarist’s
line for over a century now, and yet more animals are killed and harmed on behalf
of human pleasure than ever before. Do you think welfare reforms have had a significant
impact on the big picture?
I think we cannot deny the foundation that all forms of activism have built for
us. Yes, undoubtedly some welfarist reforms have been woefully inadequate and
leave major aspects of exploitation or cruelty intact. But let’s look at
this historically. They began their efforts in a time where there was literally
no context for public acceptance for their cause. The way I see the history of
this movement is that it has slowly but surely chipped away at cruelty, often
against overwhelming odds. And each time even a small victory was secured it
represented a bigger victory in terms of establishing a precedent for greater
change and influencing public attitudes.
Sometimes the victories achieved were piecemeal, but those small victories then
inspired new activism for even better laws based on the precedent of the weaker
law. Equally important, in my view, animal advocacy is really a vibrant dynamic
between conservative and more radical activists. At some points, conservatives
may have held more sway with the public, but radicals were always there pushing
the movement to demand more, which over the years it did.
In addition, in an interesting way, conservative activists created a climate
increasingly conducive for more radical demands and organizations. As the weaknesses
of conservative reforms became more evident, radicals began to hold more influence
with the movement and the public. The inadequacies of laws led to more defiant
forms of activism, which we particularly see after 1975 when “animal rights” really
emerged as the driving force of animal advocacy.
How has writing this book changed you?
I believe knowledge is power and empowering, and conversely ignorance disempowers
and creates apathy. Writing this book took me on a journey to other times and
places I did not know existed. I spent many a day looking at the photographs
taken by humane agents in their cruelty investigations. In those images, I saw
examples of our alleged “superiority” that would make the most callous
person catch their breath, and I often went home with vicious headaches. Some
images I will never forget and there were times I considered giving up on the
whole process—it was just so hard. But in my journey to the past I also
got to know and spend time with some of the most amazing, committed activists
I have ever encountered. They changed who we are and how we interact with nonhumans.
In other words, they changed history. As someone who teaches the history of social
justice, I take that kind of inspiration into my classroom each and every day.
I remind my students, and myself, that one person or a group of people can change
the world for the better. And we all need to hear that message more often. Inspiration,
Do you have any companion animals?
I have four companion animals, all rescued from various situations of neglect
or abuse. Baxter is a mixed lab dumped in Tennessee, whose current favorite pastime
is hiking. Zak, the elder kitty of the house, is a refugee from the streets of
Philadelphia. Skip is a survivor of a steel leghold trap and now Wonder Cat on
three legs. And Levi, abandoned with his littermates in an apartment to die,
is now known as Mr. Affection.
Colleen Patrick-Goudreau is the founder and director of Compassionate Cooks (www.CompassionateCooks.com)
and a Satya contributing writer.
© STEALTH TECHNOLOGIES INC. | <urn:uuid:70028351-01ae-4f6a-a65f-07de31ca4f1c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.satyamag.com/apr07/goudreau.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00019-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.962802 | 3,269 | 1.71875 | 2 |
Some Examples of Solo Drills
When solo grappling drills are used properly they can improve a grappler’s coordination, endurance, strength and speed. They can be used as part of a warmup session or to specifically improve aspects of your grappling game.
Let’s start with one of the most fundamental solo exercises: backwards shrimping. This is a drill that should be in every grappler’s repertoire.
How many times have you heard the advice “move your hips”, whether you were escaping from a pin or trying to apply a submission? Lateral, or side-to-side, hip movement is critical to a grappler’s game, especially when playing the guard game or escaping from bad positions.
Practicing backwards shrimping (or “ebi” in Japanese) is an effective shortcut to developing efficient side-to-side hip movement. Once mastered, there are many more challenging variations of shrimping to further improve hip mobility on the ground.
An example of a more specialized solo drill is the wall spinout. Intermediate and advanced guard players often end up spinning and rotating in their guard, both to prevent guard passing and to set up their own attacks. Becoming comfortable with this sort of body position and movement via a drill like the one in the video below can improve mobility in the guard when it comes to sparring time.
Now spinning upside down to finish a stalled-out armbar might not be part of your game – fair enough. But I guarantee that there are other solo drills you can come up with that will help you develop some aspect of your game, no matter what your game is. | <urn:uuid:9f97619b-0527-40ec-a7f2-6b258b236729> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.grapplearts.com/Blog/2005/01/some-examples-of-solo-drills/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705953421/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120553-00002-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.939188 | 344 | 1.734375 | 2 |
Oak Hills has a safety plan and supplies to handle emergencies. Drills are held with staff and students to be prepared in the event of an emergency. In the event of a disaster, school is one of the safest places for your child. We will first protect, then account for, then begin releasing students.
The parking lot will be off limits to all but emergency personnel.
Parents/Guardians or designated contacts should pick students up from
the Kindergarten Playground.
In case a parent or guardian cannot be reached by telephone only the person(s) listed on the “Emergency Card” may be contacted. It is imperative that you keep this information up-to-date for the safety of your student.
Should you need to update your Emergency Contact Information, please visit our school office. | <urn:uuid:2445873b-617f-4728-a0d2-83676f58c3cf> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.oakparkusd.org/domain/593 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00018-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.936456 | 165 | 1.601563 | 2 |
There are those who ascend one step at a time and there are those who skip steps.
Both styles for tackling new challenges are equally valid – but not if you're 23-year-old Kate Fischbeck.
After her 101-mile race, Kate Fischbeck celebrated with her crew. From left: brother Tucker Fischbeck, Mandi Nilsen, Daniel Munoz, Fischbeck, boyfriend Ryan Kennedy, father Tom Fischbeck, Karen Kennedy, Mike Kennedy.
COURTESY OF KATE FISCHBECK
A University of Irvine graduate, Fischbeck doesn't just skip steps. She leaps.
A few months ago, Fischbeck entered her first ultra-marathon, an event longer than a regular marathon's 26.2 miles. Most ultra-runners start with a 50K or a 50-miler. Fischbeck's first ultra-distance race covered 101.4 miles.
Fischbeck was the fastest women.
On Sunday, Fischbeck ran the Surf City Marathon in Huntington Beach. She placed second in her division, in 3 hours, 18 minutes.
Understand, Fischbeck doesn't have a professional coach, isn't sponsored and has a regular full-time job. Her secret? Well, Fischbeck has three secrets to success: Training hard, confidence – and understanding what it takes to be a champion.
That means suffering. Her motto, and it's shared by others, is, "Pain is temporary, winning is forever."
UNDER THE WIRE
In high school, Fischbeck played soccer and ran track and cross country. She was mostly a middle of the pack kind of runner. But she burned with passion to push herself.
As a 17-year-old high school junior, Fischbeck and a friend entered the San Diego Rock 'N Roll marathon. Their supposedly tender age meant they had to sign an agreement stating they wouldn't try to run faster than a 4:30 finish. But the pace felt like they were being reigned in.
They looked at each other and said what the heck. Fischbeck crossed the finish line in 4:20.
Before Sunday's marathon, which ended before the Super Bowl began, Fischbeck and I shared a laugh about the rule. She explained, "I don't like being told I can't do something. I'm very determined. I'm really motivated."
Her tone was soft. But her explanation was hard-core.
A few years after that first marathon, she returned to San Diego and cut 12 minutes off her old time.
But Fischbeck wanted a bigger challenge. She turned toward triathlon. She could have started with a sprint-distance, an Olympic distance, even a half-Ironman.
Instead, Fischbeck entered a full Ironman – a race that includes a 2.4-mile swim, a 112-mile bike race and a full marathon.
At age 20 in Louisville, Ky., she completed her first triathlon and her first Ironman in 15 hours and 26 minutes – well before the race's cutoff time.
Then Fischbeck, who works at Live Wire Energy in Anaheim, returned to her first love, running. On her blog, Fischbeck writes, running "makes me feel free, and that I have some kind of control over where my life will take me."
Soon, she was running marathons fast enough to qualify for the legendary Boston Marathon. But she knew there was something out there larger than Boston.
IN THE ZONE
Fischbeck isn't one to seek out the latest running gear, the fanciest gizmo or the newest fad.
Her outdoors philosophy is basic: "The faster you move your legs the faster you run. Plain and simple."
Simple is good. Some of us get so sucked into the vortex of intervals, fartleks, GPS-assisted times that we never emerge from the whirl.
I went through a period of taking running to the next level by timing everything I did, monitoring my heart rate. For some, that's great. For me, I misssed being in the zone where time and distance disappear, where endorphins take over, where trail running transforms into flowing like water through the natural world.
Fischbeck puts her zone this way: "Running is a way to help someone think. I always say, 'After a run I have my whole life figured out'."
After much research last summer – you don't leap stairs without knowing what you're doing – the Yorba Linda resident decided on her first ultra, a 100-miler.
She picked something called the "Javelina Jundred" in McDowell State Park outside of Phoenix. Her reasoning was sound.
An ultra rookie, the course was a series of laps around a 15.4-mile loop and meant that she'd repeatedly be passing her support crew. Smart.
She worked up to running 8 miles a day, Mondays through Wednesdays. Thursdays, she ran 12 miles; Fridays, 15; Saturdays, 35.
Her coach and support crew included friends, family and her boyfriend, Ryan Kennedy.
When some wondered about the sanity of Fischbeck's plan, Kennedy offered support, saying, "You can totally do this."
Finally, it was the end of October, race day. As Fischbeck says, "I was ready to do battle."
Then she discovered something unexpected.
PAIN AND GAIN
Fischbeck favored training on the Santa Ana River Trail while Kennedy rode his bike alongside.
The trail in Arizona was marked with rocks. For O.C. trail runners, rocks might sound like no big deal. Our rocks are nothing like the rocks in the hills of the Sonoran Desert. Running those bad boys is like running on a field of baseballs.
Fischbeck started in the back of the pack. But after the first loop she found her pace and started flying – despite temperatures in the 90s.
She ran through mental challenges mid-race, and by mile 75 discovered to her surprise that she was the leading female. Then her body started falling apart.
Fischbeck's back was in such pain, she had to run bent over. The rocks pounded her feet so badly all her toenails fell off.
But her crew that included Kennedy, her brother Tucker, and her father Tom – mother Teri wisely stayed home knowing severe suffering was involved – kept Fischbeck going.
"My biggest motivation was seeing my crew," the runner said. "I kept thinking just a few more miles until I get to see my friends and family."
On the last loop, a runner in second place started gaining. But after 19hours and 59minutes, Fischbeck was the first woman to cross the finish line.
This race report puts her accomplishment in perspective: "Fischbeck won a thrilling women's race, edging Lindsay Scheiwiller, with the two runners only five minutes apart at the finish.
"Of the 364 starters, only 160 finished within the 30-hour time limit."
Yes, Fischbeck was asleep before the race was over.
Fischbeck is planning on giving her crew a break. Her next big race isn't until next year. That's the Bryce 100 Trail Run in Utah.
In typical Fischbeck fashion, she says, "I just like doing the next biggest thing."
That philosophy will always help Fischbeck — regardless of her path.
Contact the writer: email@example.com | <urn:uuid:752cfe6f-1010-42df-978f-1acd12b8063a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.ocregister.com/articles/fischbeck-479077-running-race.html | 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 | 0.970613 | 1,567 | 1.523438 | 2 |
Unfortunately it's impossible because the fpga core file is a compiled binary file (including crc). Even with included rom image you will not find any of C64 rom fingerprint inside "minimig1.bin". Its all extremely translated to run inside the fpga as block-ram and logic gate components.
I may be able to store the rom image in s-ram by using an Amiga program. This would allow fpga64 to handle different C64 rom image and the fpga is not that loaded. It also would need to start the Amiga core first, upload the rom image to a special ram address and reboot Minimig with a different sd-card to use fpga64 core file. To make this work I have to reorganize those fpga64 rom module structure and to write an Amiga assembly program to pre-upload the rom image files.
Its all a bit complex to use but maybe the only way to release the core file. Pls give me time | <urn:uuid:43adb7da-4395-4749-bdfe-09e9e1dd873f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.minimig.net/viewtopic.php?p=375 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00017-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.935371 | 209 | 1.835938 | 2 |
A quick step-by-step overview of some of the enduring treasures of the Christian faith. Best used alongside the classic itself - either in individual or group study. The faithful of all generations have found spiritual nourishment in the Scriptures and in the works of the Christians from earlier generations. Martin Luther and John Calvin would not have become who they were apart from their reading Augustine.
Customer Reviews for Shepherd's Notes: City of God
This product has not yet been reviewed. Click here to continue to the product details page. | <urn:uuid:4d24e0db-eef1-4abe-b1c0-e1c1683f3f26> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://reviews.christianbook.com/2016/9345X/b-h-publishing-group-shepherds-notes-city-of-god-reviews/reviews.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00004-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.95671 | 105 | 1.679688 | 2 |
Abramoff and His New Pals
Rehabilitation, Washington style.
Dec 5, 2011, Vol. 17, No. 12 • By MATTHEW CONTINETTI
Today Abramoff is less skeptical of government power. He proposes to ban political contributions from lobbyists, contractors, and all those taking public dollars. He wants a lifetime ban on lobbying by elected officials and their staff. Having already sullied the conservative movement with his vulgar thievery, he is now saying the only way to stop people like him is to restrict political speech and further regulate the interactions between representatives and those they represent.
We have progressed so far in exiling the language of morality from politics that it never seems to occur to the likes of Abramoff that what is needed is a sense of decency and shame. The right to petition the government for a redress of grievances—the right to lobby—is embedded in the Bill of Rights not to protect lucrative consulting contracts but to ensure that no faction or interest predominates in government. But this right presupposes that individuals will try to act justly, behave honestly, and keep in mind the common good. The widespread belief that everyone in politics is a crook has become an explanation and an excuse for self-dealing. Yet the Jack Abramoff scandal would never have happened if those involved had been able to distinguish right from wrong and had acted as if the distinction mattered.
Tinker with the rules that determine the relations between government and the influential all you want. As long as Congress and the regulatory agencies insert themselves into every nook and cranny of American life, individuals and firms will try to protect their interests and influence outcomes. It’s revealing that Abramoff, in his new guise as public scold, does not emphasize the connection between the size and scope of government and the growth of the lobbying industry. In a system where government was limited to its enumerated powers, and where citizens and their representatives aspired to virtue, the list of Abramoff’s potential clients would be short. There would be few opportunities for him to use the government to lie, cheat, and steal—and pretend to instruct the rest of us how to live after he is caught.
Matthew Continetti is opinion editor of The Weekly Standard and author of The K Street Gang (2006). | <urn:uuid:253bb74c-6eb6-4907-9afa-7a1e8185e71f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.weeklystandard.com/articles/abramoff-and-his-new-pals_610141.html?page=2 | 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 | 0.971532 | 470 | 1.546875 | 2 |
The old model of focusing on industry and large business to bring jobs and build our economy is no longer working. We have a new model, but no one is paying attention to it and Northeast Missouri's growth is being retarded. We could and should be doing better.
Traditionally all economic development in this region has been focused on industry and larger businesses. Because of this, much of what is being done is “top secret” and cannot be discussed. How many large businesses have been brought to Northeast Missouri in the last several years? The answer is none. That's because our focus is wrong.
A more successful focus would be on small business growth and development. Small business is the foundation of our community and our country. Small businesses when properly attended to, can grow and develop into larger businesses that hire more people. Small business is easier to attract and easier to grow.
Owning a business of your own is part of the American Dream. Colleges and Universities are focusing more on entrepreneurship because of documented need throughout the country. Let’s be proactive and try something different – something that works.
The Provenance Project brought many artists/business people to this region. It’s been proven that a simple invitation is a powerful force. Artists are buying buildings, homes, and building their businesses, with no help from the city, county or economic development. Just think how much better each business could be if there was some place or someone they could go to and get information about incentives, training, incubators, loans and tax credits.
It’s time to refocus. To pay attention to the companies that have chosen to be in this region, to help them grow, and to encourage more small businesses start ups in Northeast Missouri.
Finally, I am also advocating for a more transparent process. If you’ve been to any chamber meetings you’ll have found that all economic development is “top secret” and can’t be discussed. Economic development affects every person in Northeast Missouri and our region deserves better accountability. | <urn:uuid:068eb6c6-0d16-4719-bf16-f81300774cf8> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.hannibal.net/article/20130131/blogs/130129623/0/news%20now | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00001-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.976049 | 421 | 1.632813 | 2 |
When I first started quilting in the early 90s I think this was called a biscuit quilt because of the puffiness.
My neighbor made one back in the late 50s - early 60s. That's the only one I've ever seen. She worked on it while she watched TV.
My mother made one in the mid-70s out of seersucker fabrics and stuffed with.....old pantyhose. she still has it but is embarrassed to show it to anyone. She's gone on to be an award-winning quilter, but I think her biscuit quilt shows that everyone has to start somewhere.
I've seen these in pictures, but not in person. I think that Stephanie is right in that they were also called biscuit quilts.
My best friend's grandmother used to make these quilts out of old polyester clothes and used up pantyhose. I would guess she made them in the 70's and 80's... I haven't actually seen one more recent than that, but I did see a book a few years back that had directions to make them. I think the book called it a biscuit quilt...
these quilts were very popular in the 1970's. I don't think that quilt is 65 years old because the fabrics look like the 50's, 60's or 70's. We made one for the hospital auxillary to raffle and we used the nylons in it. It was so heavy you could hardly lift it. I had made them with polyester batting before that. McCall's magazines showed how to make them and called for the poly batting.
I knew a lady who made one about ten years ago and swore she would never do it again. The history of this quilt can be found at this link:http://www.womenfolk.com/quilt_pattern_history/biscuit-quilt.htmWhat are you going to do with it?
I thought you were going fishing!
Only in pictures, but I have seen one of these before...
I not only have seen biscuit quilts, I even took a class in how to make one back in the 70's....only I made triangles instead...."artistic license"???
I also remember these from ones my mother made. Hers had a little pleat or tuck on each edge so there was more puffiness to it. Not sure what she used to stuff it but, if she could use up nylons or pantyhose, she probably would have used those. She was recycling long before it became fashionable.
I have one of these quilt! My Mom made it for me in the late 60's and I still have it and it is indeed stuffed with nylon stockings. I took it to college with me and now my grandsons use it. I love looking at the fabrics in this and seeing some of the vintage prints in it. I never knew there was anothe one out there like it. I'll have to post a picture of mine.
My godmother made me one of these in the early 80s. I don't know what it's stuffed with but the squares are scrappy just like the one in your picture. It's puffier, though -- each square has folded corners to make it more box-like. I still have the quilt and display it on the back of a chair in my living room.
Yes! Back in the 70's (!) when I was a teenager, my aunt gave me a Simplicity book of quilted projects and they had one in there that was done in rich color prints and corduroy! Everything old becomes new again at some point.
Stuffed with pantyhose?
Oh yes, my Mum made dozens of baby 'puff' quilts when I was in my early teens in the mid 80's. I begged her to keep one, a purple and lavender one for when I had a baby - well when I grew up and had my first, I asked her for it and she had no idea what I was talking about!!! Love those puff quilts:) | <urn:uuid:98c8717e-33de-4538-a839-80df95c5c251> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://bumblebeans.blogspot.com/2010/05/puff-quilt.html?showComment=1275149502948 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706890813/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516122130-00016-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.991868 | 855 | 1.539063 | 2 |
Facebook Welcomes Newbies With Privacy Grand Tour
Facebook's latest privacy upgrade is more educational than functional, but it's a good step, said Internet marketing expert Brian Carter. "It's good to educate users how Facebook privacy features work. I think there is a generational subset Facebook will always have trouble with -- some of those who grew up without computers find many interface features confusing," Carter noted.
Facebook has rolled out a new round of security features intended to better educate new users about what information they can keep private and how.
Now, when a new user signs up for the site, they will have the option to go on an online privacy tour to get information on the site's privacy policies. It will include descriptions of how third-party applications and games access user data and suggestions on how to keep certain information as private as possible.
The tour also features information on tagging people or things in photos, including the notice that if someone tags you, you will be notified, and vice versa.
The updated features also allow Facebook users to select an audience for personal data including a user's school or employer. Existing users will be able to adjust these settings by choosing "update info" on their profile pages, and new users will receive a prompt to choose their settings during the sign-up process. The update started rolling out Friday.
Facebook did not respond to our request for further details.
Been Here Before
This is not Facebook's first round of privacy adjustments. The site has taken heat from consumer advocacy groups and privacy proponents before for allowing outsiders to access too much personal information and for not educating consumers on how their data could be used.
Facebook took the recommendations of the Irish Data Protection Commissioner's Office into consideration when developing the new privacy settings. Since its European operations are in Dublin, the office is the regulatory oversight committee for all users outside of the U.S. and Canada.
Last year, the commissioner of the agency looked into Facebook's privacy policies and recommended that it better educate users on how their information could be used.
It urged Facebook to reconsider some of the facial recognition software it uses to tag photos and warned that it should not rely on third-party developers to keep user information secure and private.
Facebook also settled a case with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission where the company agreed to change the way it keeps user information private.
This Time's the Charm?
This latest round of improvements is only a step in the right direction, especially since it is focusing on the site's newest joiners, said Renay San Miguel, chief content officer for Splash Media.
"Newbies to Facebook can be some of the biggest security risks regarding what information they might disclose to the social network, and how receptive some can be to social engineering tricks," he told TechNewsWorld. "Facebook is always going to have its privacy critics, and it does have a checkered history when it comes to this vital topic, but any attempts to give users more help with this should be appreciated and noted."
This latest round of improvements is a step in the right direction, said Internet marketing expert Brian Carter. It may have taken the company a while to get to where their privacy policies are good enough to please consumers, but it is certainly getting there, he pointed out.
"It's good to educate users how Facebook privacy features work," he told TechNewsWord. "I think there is a generational subset Facebook will always have trouble with -- some of those who grew up without computers find many interface features confusing. Many of the digital natives don't understand why someone wouldn't understand the features already."
That doesn't mean the tension surrounding Facebook and its privacy settings is over, Carter noted, but for now the company seems to be making privacy a priority. What's more, in an age when computer use is becoming more of a part of daily activities, it is crucial that the consumer take some of the responsibility in keeping their information private.
"In my opinion, the privacy issues were already dealt with previously," he observed. "A website a billion people's private information will always cause some worry for some people. What if hackers expose my private data, and so on. I think that for any Facebook privacy concerns, the ball was already in the user's court." | <urn:uuid:ec499649-57c5-4d7c-9139-b63bd17c422d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.technewsworld.com/story/76552.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368711005985/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516133005-00011-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.958942 | 870 | 1.765625 | 2 |
With the 49th state's economic health harnessed to the oil industry, Alaskans are no strangers to wild fiscal rides. But as the state's 2012's books come to a close, the current dip in oil prices is not how Alaska financial experts prefer to start a new year.
The new fiscal year begins July 1, and the state is heading into it with oil prices slumping.
The oil industry is Alaska's main money-maker. Oil production funds nearly 90 percent of the things that make the state tick: roads, schools, police officers, bridges, ports and more. On Thursday, Alaska North Slope crude sold for $93 per barrel, about $17 less than the average value the state predicted when it built its $7.6 billion spending plan for 2013.
'We're watching it'
To get the books to balance 12 months from now, the state will need the oil market to deliver an average price of $104 per barrel, the sweet spot between breaking even and coming up short.
"We're watching it," Karen Rehfeld, the state director of Management and Budget, said Thursday when asked if current prices have the state headed for trouble. "The current price heightens the concern that's ever present."
Ever-present concerns are a fact of life for any oil-reliant state. Oil prices, the number of barrels produced, and spending levels must align for the state to stay out of the red. Yes, Alaska has healthy savings to rely on in lean times. Yet Alaska budget hawks are loath to dip into it. Their goal is to avoid diminishing the reserves, knowing that days with far less oil will eventually arrive.
"It's a huge concern," Rehfeld said.
Since late February of 2011, the state has enjoyed oil prices above $100 per barrel, with an occasional bump above the $125-per-barrel mark. In June of this year, oil dipped below $100 a barrel for the first time in more than a year.
The drop is largely attributed to global market forces outside the United States. Among them: geopolitical instability in Europe and beyond, a European financial crisis and shifting oil production in the Middle East. There, in the wake of U.S. sanctions that effectively reduced Iran's oil output, Saudi Arabia has put more oil on the market.
The key to knowing whether current prices will cause heartburn over Alaska finances is determining how long lower prices will last. Some analysts predict that the downward trend is nearing its end, due in part to the seasonal nature of price fluctuations.
The state's budget forecasts are based on averages. Months of lower values can be offset by months of higher ones. In a forecast published two months ago, the state offered a telling example. If a state needed a $50-per-barrel average to break even, and had experienced three months of $75 per barrel prices, it would only need prices for the remaining nine months to hover near $30 per barrel to hit the $50 average, it explained in a footnote.
Simply put, it's too early to know whether Alaska's 2013 budget may need some shaving to offset an unanticipated shortfall.
"We certainly would have to take a look at where we are in a few months. It's early and we know that number is going to change," Rehfeld said.
The silver lining
While lower crude prices don't pad the state's bank accounts the way higher prices do, there is a short-term silver lining for Alaska drivers: cheaper prices at the pump. In recent days, prices at some service stations' prices have fallen below $4 per gallon for the first time in a while.
According to the website gasbuddy.com, a Shell station in Wasilla has the best price in the state, coming in at $3.88 per gallon. AAA is reporting Alaska's current statewide average as $4.14 per gallon for unleaded, three cents higher than the same date in 2011, but 38 cents a gallon lower than in May.
AAA regional spokeswoman Tara Hanley projected that for the July Fourth holiday, Alaskans could see prices continue to drop, perhaps to an average of about $4.10 per gallon. The national average for the holiday weekend is expected to be about $3.34 per gallon.
Contact Jill Burke at jill(at)alaskadispatch.com | <urn:uuid:0f248567-67e9-4f41-b50e-3ce4ad1ea7a7> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.alaskadispatch.com/article/alaska-oil-prices-trading-well-below-states-expectations | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00009-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.952412 | 903 | 1.796875 | 2 |
This transcript is automatically generated
-- -- FaceBook founder and co-founder Eduardo us average and he's saying that taxes had nothing to do with him giving up his US citizenship.
That he's gonna continue to invest in the US even though we no longer lives here lawmakers are not buying into senators of course unveiled the plan this morning saving they want to meet impose taxes.
-- average and bar him from ever come back to the US.
This is outrage and of course the big question is is it justify joining us now Susan Brown -- partner at international tax advisory services.
Susan I don't I feel about this but do you feel like this is justified that's the big question well that's to a degree of political question -- is down.
Anyway to in my opinion not the law provides what it provides and done it provides for him to expatriate and he ex -- -- last year so people should understand that.
As a citizen of the United States no matter where you bell on this fine planet.
Uncle Sam can come back -- gets you.
And you have to pay taxes on everything you -- everywhere in the world.
Yes and what a lot of people don't realize some discussing this -- the story with people is that the United States is very unique in the world as to how they tax -- US citizens.
In fact the -- countries in the world to my knowledge is up there only two countries that tax or citizens like the United States to get a does.
On the United States and a small country in Africa called Eritrea.
So don't go live very that OK but so what -- are hot dozens are now looking at is as a -- tomorrow.
Shattering could be worth about four billion dollars they're looking at like -- 67 million dollar tax receipt if he ever did sell his shares.
And now they're saying you know what not fact he left before that was assessed.
We want to back -- blunt when he -- from what I've read and in newspapers about what happened to and this is public knowledge as well because the individuals that had ex patriot -- that's published in the federal register on a quarterly basis of his name appeared in the federal register.
Because he renounces citizenship.
There's certain steps you have to take in order to do that town it's not enough to just kind of to passport -- that special steps you have to take.
And he is what is subject to a certain type of mark to market -- attacks and we've been talking about that as is that he sold his assets the day before -- he left any -- capital gains.
Now how easy is it to prove more difficult I should say to prove that.
He left for tax purposes -- eight.
It's an accent well really -- into the the rules have changed quite a bit over the past two years so there was one set of rules in effect for part of 2004 to 2000 -- -- And then they changed.
On again in 2000 in eight for people that renounce your citizenship or long term residents people that had green cards.
For -- more than seven of the past fifteen years isn't the bigger problem though our tax system I mean it's no different than someone from.
New York State moving to Florida because there's no state tax there right exactly they exactly and I've used that illustration people may wait to welcome to the -- that -- -- that people do become super that you know everyone's coming down on -- -- this selling out his assets but it could be bigger than that too we also.
Potentially have a 55% estate tax coming down the pike -- -- so.
This -- not getting.
Died this money well and there are some other taxes as well that people on have been talking about next should there's a three point 8% Medicare tax and investment -- -- that's going to start.
The long term capital gains tax rate is scheduled to expire at the end that they share and -- -- talking about the state income taxes as well.
It's there's so many different taxes and it he he could -- actually it's left for a myriad every reason that I think.
What we have to start doing is focusing on fixing our tax problem because we are not we're not kind -- people that make money.
Well also for people that have anything international about their profile there -- just a lot of complex rules.
On that there are -- bank account reports that are due at the end of next month.
There's -- a form 8938.
Part of the -- The foreign account rights compliance -- -- cut.
Right so there's all -- make new rules and regulations can talk about what you're seeing in Europe practice -- are people are more and more wealthy people renouncing their citizens well I'm more more people are and also people with green cards as well and on the list that's published in the federal register those are people -- -- US citizens.
That meet the requirements or long term were a resident green card holders but there are people that give up their green card.
In the six year for example.
And those names to my knowledge -- not on the list yet exactly you're right let's -- and fitted isn't everybody's Susan Brown -- thank you so much is in. | <urn:uuid:51e74582-6916-40fd-bc77-db13435a4f98> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://video.foxbusiness.com/v/1644567493001/facebook-co-founder-sparks-tax-debate/?playlist_id=87061 | 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 | 0.978983 | 1,074 | 1.515625 | 2 |
Recently, the FTC has been urging the Web industry to come up with tracking protection from online advertisers. Similar to the “Do Not Call” list that the public can put themselves on to avoid telemarketing, people will soon be able to opt out from having advertisers track their web surfing with a “Do Not Track” function in their browser.
My question is: Do internet users really want to opt out? According to the Los Angeles Times, 67% of internet users are opposed to targeted advertising – in my opinion this is a shocking statistic! I would much rather see advertisements that are of direct interest to me as opposed to random ads that have little or no relevance to my life.
Of course, there are those annoying advertisers who do not restrict the amount of times that you see their ads and appear to be web stalkers. Instead of promoting a “Do Not Track” browser, does it make more sense to just promote an easy one-click way to clear your cookies and cache?
So what effect would a “Do Not Track” browser have on the pay-per-click (PPC) advertising industry? It is possible that it would be detrimental to many aspects. Google AdWords Remarketing, conversion tracking as well as analytics to name a few will no longer be completely reliable tools for advertisers to accurately measure the success of their campaigns.
However, I believe it will have less of an impact than people are speculating. The “Do Not Track” browser option seems similar to the launch of Google Instant which caused quite the uproar in the PPC industry at first, but seems to have fizzled out with little damage. For the average, every day user, I believe it will go unnoticed and the PPC industry will see little to no effect.
It will be interesting to see the reality of the “Do Not Track” browser once it is implemented. But as for myself, I happily agree to be a focused target of PPC advertisement. | <urn:uuid:ef9a1708-a90d-425a-a9f3-4eb8f7632cf3> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://blog.jumpfly.com/public/item/author/carolyn-stein | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00006-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.965197 | 411 | 1.71875 | 2 |
How to Find The Best Satire Topics to Write About
The editor of a top political humor, spoof news and satire website discusses how to find the best topics to write about.
In my own not particularly humble personal opinion, satire can be one of the most rewarding forms of writing to get involved in. Not only do you get to make people smile and perhaps even laugh, which is itself a very valuable social service and a rewarding thing to do, but you also get to have your say on the big issues of the day with a much more receptive audience than would be the case if you were writing straight political blog articles or something of the ilk, which can often be a little boring to most people. The best satire appeals to both the serious political and current affiars audience, and also those interested in humor, celebrities and entertainment.
But there is one little problem with this type of writing – and that is the constant search for new topics to write about. Although there is definitely a substantial audience out there for satire and it is very possible for you as a writer to build up a substantial readership for yourself, it is also true that satirical articles rarely produce perennial content (content which stays relevant and keeps getting read for a long time) as they often relate to the news stories of the day or what is currently happening in the lives of celebrities and political figures. That means that you need to keep producing new content on a regular basis, and that means finding new topics.
Of course the best way to find new satire topics is to keep up to date with the news and politics of the day, including reading serious columnists and opinion pieces as well as the main news headlines and the work of other satirists. But sometimes just watching or reading the news is not enough and you need to find inspiration from elsewhere. But where?
One tip is too look at various online trends. You can go to google trends to see what people are searchin for right now, or you can go to the twitter website and look at the current topics trending on that website. These things can be a great inspiration for new ideas, and will also point you towards topics that people are actually interested in reading about.
Some other places that I have found good for inspiration include: Advertising, both on tv, and other places such as magazines or the internet. Celebrity gossip websites, or even the websites, twitter accounts and so on of celebrities themselves. Magazines articles or serious website articles, especially on social issues or in-depth current affairs.
And if you are still short of ideas, here are some of the most popular topics from the website I work for:
- (David) Cameron | <urn:uuid:b95326e8-b24f-4e63-8688-f8366e4356de> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://newsflavor.com/satire/how-to-find-the-best-satire-topics-to-write-about/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00005-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.960005 | 542 | 1.59375 | 2 |
1/23/2013 2:38 PM
by Lauren Haviland
OAK HILL- United States Post Offices are raising prices, but these prices shouldn't break the bank.
Sunday, January 27, the price of first class mail services will be going up, but only a penny, such as stamps from 45 to 46 cents and postcards from 32 to 33 cents.
"No one's every happy when prices increase. I wish I could say 'hey we could are cutting and reducing the prices of stamps the prices of stamps' that just isn't going to happen. The Postal Services has the biggest fleet of services in the entire world, except for the U.S. Military. and when you start talking about consumption of fuel of the investments and our investments in technology, it takes money to do those things," said Postmaster, Herb Balser.
Balser says even with the penny raise, the Postal Service is still the biggest bang for the buck in delivery companies. | <urn:uuid:9e83c5be-3384-4742-8399-5f2fd9c32a45> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://woay.com/News.aspx?nid=5790 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00018-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.971064 | 203 | 1.726563 | 2 |
"I ran across material from George Barna and others that said that if a church has plateaued or is declining, humanly speaking it's a waste of time to revitalize it—it's better to shut it down and start a new church," she recalls. "Just because a factory moved out of town and the numbers in the church decline doesn't mean that God is no longer working there."
These declining churches she describes as "left-behind," arguing that their potential is often overlooked as they stand in the shadow of larger churches. Recently, Ministry Today sat down with Tucker to discuss her book—and her conviction that one size does not fit all.
Ministry Today: Are megachurches a new phenomenon or is it just that they've received more media attention of late?
Tucker: This is not a new phenomenon. Spurgeon, Moody and others were megachurch pastors. In fact, one of these incredible stories was Mike King's church—Ebenezer Baptist Church. Mike took a trip to Europe shortly after he became pastor, followed in the footsteps of Martin Luther and changed his name to Martin Luther King. His son was Martin Luther King Jr. King would put megachurch pastors to shame today.
Ministry Today: You believe there's a place in God's plan for "left-behind" churches. Is there a place for megachurches?
Ruth Tucker: Yes, they're here whether we like it or not. Wal-Mart puts smaller stores out of business. Is Wal-Mart part of God's plan? I tend to shop at Wal-Mart on some occasions. However, what I'm saying in this book is that the megachurch should not be the standard.
Ministry Today: So, are "left-behind" churches qualitatively better than megachurches?
Tucker: No, there are terrible church fights—in fact, it's hard to mask these family fights. In this book, I don't make "left-behind" churches little utopias. But, there are ministries that a left-behind church can have that are simply not available to megachurches.
Ministry Today: Such as …
Tucker: I was in a megachurch not too long ago—more than 2,000 people—but the parking lot will not accommodate its way to 5,000 which is the church's goal. So, the church is leaving this beautiful campus and moving to the outskirts of town. The result is that the church is no longer near the needy people. That's the advantage of the left-behind church—it's near the needs.
Ministry Today: So, smaller churches can reach people that megachurches cannot.
Tucker: Yes. For instance, I know a pastor on the Indiana-Illinois border, whose church is in the shadow of a huge megachurch that everyone wants to go to. So, a lot of little churches nearby have lost members. But the church I visited sees this megachurch as no threat because this church has been built up around the concept of homeschooling. These families are not at all tempted to go to the megachurch because their needs are being met in the smaller church setting of about 200 people.
Ministry Today: Are you seeing more specialization of smaller churches, in response to the megachurch phenomenon?
Tucker: Yes. I just read in the paper about a church that has a lot of families with adopted children. Also, if a family is involved in the community and they go off to a suburban megachurch, they will lose that opportunity to serve in the neighborhood.
Full Gospel, Fractured Minds?
by Rick M. Nanez ( Zondervan)
Ideal reader: Nanez would be most pleased if every person in the charismatic/Pentecostal movement took to heart the exhortations in this book.
Rate the book from 1 (poor) to 5 (excellent) on these criteria: Practicality (5); Insight (5); Theological depth (5); Readability (5)
Core message: The charismatic/Pentecostal movement (hereafter referred to as "Full Gospel") shares with the surrounding culture a crisis of the mind. Despite being a technically advanced society with a proliferation of media, we live an anti-intellectual society.
The author explains that anti-intellectualism is "a prejudice against the careful and deliberate use of one's intellect … Like worldliness, anti-intellectualism, more than anything else, is an attitude."
This attitude is inculcated in Full Gospel adherents by the incessant and unnecessary suggestion that there is a dichotomy between being spiritual and being a reflective thinker. Nanez wants his readers to take seriously the injunction to love the Lord with "all your mind" (see Matthew 22:37).
Summary: In the first four chapters, the author methodically shows that there is not a biblical basis for believing that knowledge gained by study or reflection is inferior to that imparted supernaturally. The adage, "all truth is God's truth," exemplifies the author's research.
The first chapter is particularly helpful as the author surveys the Scriptures to show that the terms heart, soul, mind and spirit are used interchangeably. His conclusion is that "there is no fundamental war between our minds and souls—between our heads and hearts."
The author is aware of the texts that his critics will attempt to rebut him with—he addresses them thoroughly and with sensitivity. In fact, a charitable and sensitive approach characterizes this treatise.
Nanez is an impassioned Full Gospel believer. He is just impassioned not only about worship and charismata, but about the study of the Scriptures and the life of the mind, as well. He takes time to show how revivalists and Full Gospel people ever got to the posture of anti-intellectualism; it was not the posture of their forebears like John Wesley.
Rather that just identifying a crisis, Nanez concludes by both showing what the mind should be engaged in (e.g. theology, apologetics, philosophy and science) and practical suggestions on how churches might cultivate the mind. His suggestion that individuals in local churches dedicate themselves to becoming expert in a topic then cross-pollinating with their fellow 'experts' is innovative and is an example of the constructive thrust of this book.
Quote: "When cold reason rejects the fire of God's manifest presence, disillusionment and injury rise to the surface. Likewise, when the charismata are not tethered to good thinking, the same confusion and injury will surely follow." Reviewer: Jon Rising
The Creative Leader: Unleashing The Power Of Your Creative Potential
by Ed Young (Broadman and Holman)
Ideal reader: Though Ed Young suggests the book could help anyone interested in creative leadership in any sphere (business, educational and so on), it is first and foremost a book written by a senior pastor for other senior pastors.
Rate the book from 1 (poor) to 5 (excellent) on these criteria: Practicality (5); Insight (4); Theological depth (3); Readability (5)
Core message: The bad news: If creativity is not the controlling value of your ministry, then it's doomed to failure. The good news: God has hardwired everyone with creative potential. It only needs to be unleashed.
If you accept the challenge to make creativity the defining virtue of your ministry, you are in for a great adventure. To succeed you must constantly trust in God's creative power, surround yourself with creative partners, and refuse to settle for a once-for-all formula that works. The 15-year history of Ed Young's church (from 150 to 20,000) is a story that shows how creativity can impact the world.
Summary: Young wastes no time in getting to what he sees as the quintessential element of leadership: creativity. He starts with an apologetic for creativity: creativity is downright Trinitarian- God invented it, Jesus modeled it, and the Holy Spirit empowers it. The benefits that flow from a creative leadership team are countless, so leaders must be gutsy from the start and not let "vision vandals" get in the way. Young challenges leaders to create an environment that is "consistently inconsistent" regardless of the critics' who fight against it.
After establishing this foundation of creativity, Ed Young could have subtitled the remaining three quarters of the book, "What I Did at Fellowship Church and Why It Worked." That's not a criticism; it really is a fascinating story. Young does better when defending his innovations from culture rather than Scripture.
The reader will likely nod in agreement when he says a sermon should not be longer than thirty minutes, but he'll probably raise an eyebrow when Young suggests that Paul was too long winded when sleepy Eutychus nods off and falls to his death in Acts 20.
After a series of great stories about creative worship, preaching, and advertising, he persuasively sells his premise "It's The Weekend, Stupid." Young effectively demonstrates that without a first-rate weekend service for seekers and believers, there is little use fretting over other church initiatives.
One of the most provocative sections is his "staff-led" church model, a structure where only staff members lead the church. I'd love to see the letters he gets on this!
Ed Young's tone is easy-going conversational, and the "Q & A" sections in the book are some of the most interesting. Young's passion for reaching people through creativity stirs the heart from cover to cover.
Quote: "Something that helps keep me balanced in the way I plan and deliver messages is remembering to speak to the chairs. I envision a table with four chairs. I am sitting in the head chair and in the three other chairs are a hell-bound seeker, a baby Christian and a mature believer. ... I have become convinced that any growing, vibrant local church is going to comprise one-third hell-bound seekers, one-third baby Christians and one-third mature Christians."
Reviewer: Greg Dutcher
The Great Giveaway
by David E. Fitch, 2005 (Baker Books)
Ideal reader: Pastors and congregational leaders seeking to know what is really going on in the American church culture. The people who aren't pleased with what is being done but do not want to condemn or escape local church life
Rating (from 1-5): Practicality ( 5 ); Insight ( 5 ); Theological depth ( 4 ); Readability ( 4 )
Core message: Dave Fitch is pastor of Life on the Vine Christian Community in Long Grove, Illinois. In this book, he seeks to find more practical and biblical ways for local churches to reclaim her true mission. Including historical tradition and postmodernism, he reveals how modern translations of success are not equal to biblical strategies.
He doesn't just criticize what today's churches are doing; he analyzes and asks legitimate questions. Among the many practices he questions, Fitch wonders why we include "numbers" for converts who skip from one church to another, and why we have become just like the world in order to win the world. He contends we win people to "ourselves" rather than to the kingdom.
Summary: Fitch questions expository preaching of three-point-sermons-and-closing-illustrations which miss the "story." He contends most countries understand the Bible being narrative centered, not textual study centered. His debate reveals how American churches are centered on "goods and services" rather than changed lives.
He offers interesting ideas for change. To today's churches, he suggests more Bible reading during worship and prayer while continuing a true freedom of worship, teaching ancient songs to the young generation, serving communion more often, arts and drama, preaching through the lectionary, performative reading, and ending narrative-based sermons with one question to evoke a practical response.
If done properly, he believes other means of spiritual mission work would not need to come from parachurch groups, but would instead be grounded in the local church. Elaborating on this, he writes, "Our focus on numbers, bigness, and large institutions is therefore rooted in two of America's sacred cows: the autonomy of the individual and the necessity to organize for economic efficiency."
Fitch believes congregations should include the children in what is happening rather than getting rid of them for "children's church." His argument is interesting: "The megachurch threatens to turn our children's moral formation into another slotted program to be paid for and organized like any of the other myriad children's programs of our day."
To bring life to teaching, he suggests smaller groups discussing sermon themes and inner hurts. He highlights relational congregations. Fitch contends large churches are not "churches," but are big businesses which might include many churches inside themselves. Each pastor and church leader can learn from his questions and dares while not seeking to become clones of any popular trend.
Quotable: "If postmodern culture is for real, seeker services are running out of time. The next generation seeks community over anonymity and is overdosed on consumer appeals to felt needs."
Reviewer: Chris Maxwell
O Shepherd Where Art Thou? A Minister's Tale
by Calvin Miller (Broadman-Holman)
Ideal reader: Pastors who serve in average size congregations and battle the thoughts of failure. Calvin Miller's narrative and notes allow each person serving in ministry positions to know there is value in loving people.
Rate the book from 1 (poor) to 5 (excellent) on these criteria: Practicality ( 5 ); Insight ( 5 ); Theological depth ( 5 ); Readability ( 5 )
Core message: Calvin Miller brings application to fiction, compelling readers to investigate church growth's true motives. His major theme reminds today's spiritual leaders that honoring God and personally caring for people are the primary goals for local churches after all. Strategic leadership is vital. But Miller reminds readers that "professionalization" should never push pastoral care away from congregational life.
As modern Christianity hits the headlines in our fast paced world of numbers, splendor, names and games, lonely voices are asking the same question: "O shepherd, where art thou?"
Summary: Fresh tales are often hard to find in the church world searching for quick solutions. Attendance growth stats hit headlines, new success stories cover highlight clips and few people seek to imitate pastors who serve as true shepherds. Calvin Miller reminds us of this reality in his fable which merges comedy and conviction, O Shepherd Where Art Thou?
The well-known author and storyteller exposes realities of today's corporate megachurch world through the life of Pastor Sam. Once a normal pastor, Sam learns what works best for rich and famous clergy. The result? He refuses to visit people any longer. He chooses to play golf and allow laity to organize committees who can carry the load of pastoral care.
Are pastors disappointed if their personality profiles and spiritual gift tests highlight pastoral care instead of purpose pushers? Do the normal ministers in average size congregations rank as low in God's view as they do in today's polls? Can't traditionalism and postmodernism merge while keeping Christ-like love as a top priority?
Miller's humorous tale is very real. Pastor Sam can read statistics provided by fictional pollster Barnie George, learn from the fictional book titled Physician, Heal Thyself: How to Kiss Pastoral Care Good-bye Forever and notice how the fictional Right Behind novel series has influenced so many readers.
A church growth friend seeks to convince Sam toward "putting the 'me' back in 'mega.'" Sam battles to know which side to take. Another friend with small numbers but a true pastoral heart hopes Sam stays with his original calling.
Quote: "The success syndrome builds many rationales. Is it possible that many success-driven pastors rationalize their lack of pastoral care by agreeing it is better to preach to many than pastorally serve a few?"
Reviewer: Chris Maxwell | <urn:uuid:f3aaea35-d062-45a5-b4c3-e6031b80dd4d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://ministrytodaymag.com/index.php/ministry-today-archives/196-tools-words/12962-downward-mobility | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00009-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.957791 | 3,335 | 1.664063 | 2 |
Tze Chun's short film Silver Sling takes place in a near-future New York City and tells the story of Russian immigrant Lydia, who is considering becoming a pregnancy surrogate for the third time. In the world of Silver Sling, surrogates are given an injection that accelerates pregnancy, shortening it to three months. While acting as a surrogate comes with a good deal of money (enough so that Lydia could bring her little brother over from Russia), a third surrogate pregnancy usually leaves the surrogate sterile. Lydia struggles to balance the needs of the present (finding the money to take care of her brother) with the possibilities of the future (having children with her boyfriend Stephen).
What I liked best about this film was the way it let the technology itself be value-neutral while focusing on how our cultural and economic structure shapes the technology's use. Accelerated surrogacy is positioned as a smart choice for busy professionals; the company's promotional film contains lines like "In a world where you shouldn't have to wait for anything, why wait 9 months for your child to be born?" and "At Silver Sling, you can have the baby you've always wanted—in a time frame appropriate for the fast-paced world of today." Though this part didn't make the film, the synopsis on the film's web page says, "corporations offer financial incentives to their high-ranking female employees to pay for chemically accelerated surrogate births." The United States is economically polarized and highly focused on consumerism and convenience. It makes sense that a convenient but unnecessary service like this would be pitched to upper class women, just as it makes sense that the women hired to do the actual labor are, as the film's synopsis states, "people on the lower end of the economic spectrum—often immigrants or people looking to make their rent." Director Tze Chun said he wanted to explore how "immigrants function as a life support system" in New York City: "They cook food, they nanny children, they take out the trash. What if they literally became the life support system for the city's future generations?"
The spokesperson in the Silver Sling promotional film refers to the "reproductive revolution," comparing it to earlier revolutions: industrial, political, and sexual. Bioethics writer Kyle Munkittrick thinks this is a fitting comparison: "Just as with the earlier revolutions, though the change began with a new technology, ultimately it was the shift in lifestyles, social mores, and culture itself that had the real impact" (Science Not Fiction).
This film reminds us that as we try to envision our technological future, we need to pay close attention to who and what is valued by our culture, as that is the real indicator of how much a certain technology will change us.
- Film, images, and director quotes from futurestates.tv.
- Munkittrick, Kyle. "Get your baby quickly and easily with accelerated surrogacy!" Science Not Fiction, Discover Magazine, July 6, 2010. | <urn:uuid:28f56ba7-b2b2-49ec-a28a-b2570f2265bc> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://blog.lib.umn.edu/jcf/pretergenesis/2011/11/accelerated-surrogacy-in-silver-sling.html | 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 | 0.959718 | 610 | 1.820313 | 2 |
- GRAMMY Live
The Recording Academy actively represents the music community on such issues as intellectual property rights, music piracy, archiving and preservation, and censorship concerns. In pursuing its commitment to addressing these and other issues, The Recording Academy undertakes a variety of national initiatives. ArtsWatch is a key part of an agenda aimed at raising public awareness of and support for the rights of artists. To become more involved, visit Advocacy Action @ GRAMMY.com and sign up for Advocacy Action E-lerts.
On April 27 the Computer & Communications Industry Association released a study seeking to quantify the economic contributions made by U.S. industries that rely on fair use or other copyright limitations and exceptions, such as safe harbor protection for Internet service providers. The report summarized fair use industries as accounting for $4.7 trillion in revenue and 17.5 million jobs in 2007. The Copyright Alliance objected that CCIA's methodology takes an overly inclusive approach to defining fair use industries, skirts over the fundamental role played by copyright-protected material, and lumps licensed uses within its overall estimates. When CCIA released its original 2007 fair use study, it provided a comparison to entertainment industry efforts — making the point that copyright has value but fair use also has considerable value. Several recent ArtsWatch columns touched on new demands for rigorous quantitative estimates of piracy. The CCIA report suggests other types of intellectual property data that could be added to policymakers' wish lists.
World Intellectual Property Day was celebrated on April 26. In recognizing the event, the Department of Justice announced that 15 U.S. attorneys will be added to its Computer Hacking and Intellectual Property program and 20 FBI special agents will form four regional intellectual property squads. This year's World IP Day was also the 40th anniversary of the World Intellectual Property Organization, which used the occasion to unveil its new logo.
The Federal Communications Commission had an impressively busy April, moving ahead on its National Broadband Plan as summarized by Chairman Julius Genachowksi on April 21. Genachowski also testified before a Senate Small Business Committee hearing held April 27 on "Connecting Main Street to the World: Federal Efforts to Expand Small Business Internet Access." On April 29 the House Commerce Committee's Subcommittee on Communications, Technology, and the Internet heard testimony on "The National Broadband Plan: Competitive Availability of Navigation Devices." This effort to separate cable set-top boxes from cable subscription services is a favorite of many consumer and technology advocates, who would like to see a competitive marketplace develop between service-neutral devices that could add innovative features, including broadband Internet.
On April 21 Facebook announced plans for improvements to its social media environment at a developers' conference, including alterations to its default privacy settings. On April 27 the company heard from four senators, led by Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), who expressed concern about the changes and anticipation regarding the Federal Trade Commission's examination of social media privacy issues. On April 29 both Facebook and the FTC testified before the Senate Commerce Committee at a hearing regarding children's privacy. Facebook Director of Public Policy Tim Sparapani described the firm's approach to protecting minors and privacy as well as its extensive efforts to help users understand how to interact with the Web site's privacy settings. Sparapani expressed the hope that lawmakers will take a legislative approach providing incentives for innovations they would like to see, and added that the way Facebook handles privacy on a technological level is so carefully tailored to statutes presently in place, changes to the regulations could require the company to redesign the underpinnings of its technological approach.
Digital media identification leader Audible Magic and licensing firm Music Reports officially announced a strategic partnership on April 22 to match song information in their respective databases. Music Reports Senior VP of Business Affairs and Business Development Les Watkins said, "For too long, digital music users have had no way of knowing which songs are controlled by which music publishers and by which collecting societies.... Through this partnership with Audible Magic, we will open up lucrative direct licensing opportunities for music publishers, while reducing transaction costs and overall royalty payments for social media Web sites and other music users."
On April 26 the Internet Streaming Media Alliance and the MPEG Industry Forum announced that ISMA will cease its independent operations, the two organizations will merge memberships, and MPEGIF will go forward within ISMA's California non-profit corporation status and no longer exist as a Switzerland-based organization. This consolidating merger reflects the perception that ISMA's role helping develop MPEG streaming video standards — now commonplace on the Web — is "mission accomplished" and that the industry forum promoting the use of MPEG standards will be stronger and more efficient by taking over ISMA's residual assets.
These are the most read, shared and discussed articles on GRAMMY.com right now. | <urn:uuid:3850cfbe-83a6-4363-bce8-8688f6d7dbef> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.grammy.com/news/artswatch-trillions-of-dollars-in-fair-use | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705953421/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120553-00010-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.936762 | 971 | 1.65625 | 2 |
The word contrite in Hebrew is 'dakah' which means one that is crushed to pieces. Paul wrote of being a 'living sacrifice' holy and acceptable to God. Being a living sacrifice means we often can walk off the altar. To be a continual living sacrifice we need to renew our minds day to day! Let your mind be renewed -- off the things which are worldly and onto those things which are Godly. When our minds are focused on those things above, on His holiness, His righteousness, His grace, and His mercy -- we realize that we can always be closer to Him! We understand what Isaiah meant when he said, "our righteousness is nothing but filthy rags before the Lord."
When God provided for Himself the perfect sacrifice, the Messiah, 2000 years ago -- His heart bursted! His heart was cut through -- cut for you! God desires you to be a living sacrifice and a necessary ingredient is a heart that has been cut through by God's sharp knife. When you allow your heart to be continually cut through by God's Spirit, then your life will be a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable before Him!
It's wonderful what God can do with a broken heart, especially when we give Him all the pieces! | <urn:uuid:147041bf-a434-41d5-9a61-36fae0815d5a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.raptureforums.com/forum/personal-testimonies/1563-broken-post8807.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00015-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.936157 | 254 | 1.679688 | 2 |
When less is more
My book, Reimagined, is about the importance of simplifying life to it's most basic elements, the redesigning your life strategically from that point. For many people who live exceptional lives, this also includes the physical notions of house and home. Like many today, I have accumulated a great deal over the years – and clutter is something I simply cannot deal with, but unfortunately accept in my life to some degree. Even for myself, however, one of the hardest things to address in my life is all the s"stuff" I've accumulated over the years.
What I do know is I could easily do without most of it. As a sailor, I learned early on that not having so much stuff is rather liberating. There's less to care for, fix,repair, and carry along with me. There's also less to keep me from experiencing my world. For some reason, however, I have some problems carrying that over to my house and home.
In this clip, Graham Hill explores a rather radical exploration of why having less might mean more to you and your happiness. Although I am not sure I am ready to go to his level, many of the ideas and motivations he shares provide insightful thoughts that are worthy of personal exploration.
Graham Hill: Less stuff, more happiness
It’s not simply about living life. It’s about loving it!™ | <urn:uuid:0302f319-c678-44a9-aa02-9cd32b84db20> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://ianbreck.com/wordpress/2012/05/why-older-people-are-happier-people-3/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705953421/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120553-00001-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.978571 | 287 | 1.789063 | 2 |
PAKISTAN TERRORIST ATTACK
Mr NATHAN REES
(Toongabbie—Premier, and Minister for the Arts) [2.18 p.m.]: I want to place on record the Government's deep sense of sadness and dismay at yesterday's terrorist attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team in Lahore. I know all honourable members will join me in condemning the perpetrators of this cowardly crime. Whatever insane motivation lay behind it, it was more than an attack on individual players, on a particular team, or on cricket itself. When our grandfathers, and some of our own generation, use the phrase: "It's just not cricket", it is usually because someone is cheating, acting inappropriately or with insufficient kindliness in a situation fraught with difficulty.
What happened yesterday in Lahore went well beyond that pleasant cliché. It was not cricket, it was not appropriate, it was not civilised—it was terrorism. It was not within the rules of a just war or anything like a proportionate response to provocation. It was not forgivable in any political context, in even the post 9/11 world. Like all acts of terrorism, it was an assault on the values of a peaceful world order, on the foundations of civilised society, and as such it will surely fail. As some members would be aware, eight Pakistani citizens died yesterday, some Australians were injured and, of course, the confidence of a nation was smashed. Among those who narrowly escaped injury was Trevor Bayliss, the coach of the Sri Lankan players. Mr Bayliss hails from Penrith. To his wife, Julie, and their family, I convey our goodwill and the thoughts especially of the people of western Sydney.
I believe the Australian captain, Ricky Ponting, now touring in South Africa, spoke for all Australians, and the entire cricketing world, when he condemned the attack and expressed sympathy for the victims. On behalf of the Government I extend our sympathy to the families of all victims, to the grieving people of Pakistan, and to the relatives of the injured Australians. This is the least we can do in support of our allies and friends and fellow Commonwealth members. This is the least we can say on behalf of cricket, whose excellence, charm and thrill will survive even this: its darkest hour.
Mr BARRY O'FARRELL
(Ku-ring-gai—Leader of the Opposition) [2.20 p.m.]: I join with the Premier in expressing our condolences, our shock and our horror at what since the Munich Olympics has been the first direct attack on international sports people. In 1972 we saw things that should never have been associated with the Olympic movement and yesterday we saw things that should never be associated with a game of sport. Australia has a close association with Pakistan, India and Sri Lanka, which is helped in part by the bonds of that magnificent game of cricket. One of the most popular teams to tour this country is the Sri Lankan cricket team. Not only were cricketers targeted but also—if the reports are to be believed—the intention was to stop the bus and walk through the bus cold-bloodedly assassinating each of the cricketers.
When you realise the likes of Muralitharan were on board, you know the impact that would have had on those countries around the world where cricket, as in this country, is strongly supported. The five Sri Lankan cricketers injured, largely by shrapnel, included the captain, the vice captain, and one who in the second test of the series scored his second double ton in a row. They are extraordinary young men aged between 25 and 31, the cream of their country. They are the cream of all that we hold as good in a sport that is often remarked to be the gentlemen's game. As the Premier said, it is not cricket. We share our horror and abomination. We condemn those who perpetrate it. As Gandhi said, "Victory attained by violence is tantamount to a defeat, for it is momentary." | <urn:uuid:90660821-4008-4ea0-9006-ff7c3a893086> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/prod/parlment/hansart.nsf/V3Key/LA20090304011?Open&refNavID=HA8_1 | 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 | 0.977125 | 835 | 1.5 | 2 |
You’ve said you are obsessed with global health policy. Why do you say that?
I am employed full-time here in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, for a donor-funded international aid project that works on health policy in Central Asia. We focus specifically on tuberculosis and HIV. We’re looking for ways to improve the quality of health care provided for tuberculosis and HIV, which are both huge health issues for Central Asia.
I’m a co-founder of a group called SMART Aid. We’re working to educate donors and startup projects about international aid. We try to highlight the best ways to do it, and criticize efforts that aren’t working. We provide support and constructive criticism — identifying the things that are working, and flag things that aren’t.
So what things are working, and what things aren’t, in international aid?
Lately we’ve been very excited about new efforts in transparency and reducing corruption. The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria just established a new policy on fighting corruption and on transparency so that we can see what happens to their money. And USAID just developed new rules on evaluation on transparency. I feel like that’s a really good trend.
Another trend we’re glad to see is that some organizations have moved away from donating used stuff to the developing world. Donating used items is not an efficient way of giving. A lot of times it’s more about the donor feeling like they did something useful with their old things, than any benefit in the developing world.
In particular: After disasters, money is pretty much always the most efficient means of donating. People often have this concern that if they give money, then it will go astray. But honestly, if you don’t trust the group you’re donating to to actually use your money wisely, you shouldn’t give your stuff, either. Because, you know, they could just sell your stuff and take the money if they’re not trustworthy.
If you look at reporting on Haiti, they are already starting to get big piles of things they don’t need — out-of-season clothing, expired drugs — that have been shipped by the containerload to Haiti. It’s too hard to know what someone else needs, and it’s not that common for what someone else needs to be exactly what you want to get rid of. I worry that the same thing will now happen in Japan.
You describe your writing as “without diplomatic varnish.” Why did you decide to write so frankly?
In the beginning it was an accident: I didn’t realize how unusual it was to be saying what I was saying. Over time, it started getting more deliberate. I began to realize that it wasn’t dangerous to me; it hasn’t harmed me yet. A lot of people are legitimately extremely careful, because they have careers to preserve, and jobs and families to protect, and work to do. It would absolutely kill me if my blogging ever affected my day job. I am careful in what I say; I don’t share opinions I can’t back up, but I also don’t spend a lot of time worrying about the right bureaucratic language to use.
I love my writing and I feel that it’s a way that I have impact on the world, but I also really love the work that I do every day — the work that earns me my salary. And I would feel like I’d lost a limb if I were deprived of that.
There is a real appetite for genuine writing and criticism. And, like I said, I think it’s not as dangerous as it seems at first. I think sometimes what seems really brave and blunt is actually just using ordinary words instead of international development jargon. Hearing development work described in everyday vocabulary seems revolutionary, but the content of what I am saying doesn’t differ much from everyone else.
At one point on my blog, I said, “Honestly, I’m not saying anything very unusual or interesting. Most of my blog posts are just the stuff that everybody I know talks about over dinner or beer. I’m just codifying the knowledge that already exists in the system, and putting it out there so that new people can absorb it.”
Blood and Milk is a very striking name. Where did your blog’s name come from?
I started the blog in 2003, back when it was just a collection of links I found interesting (I now use Twitter for that). “Blood and Milk” struck me as a powerful name. It’s a Russian phrase, and it represents health and beauty. I guess in England they say a “peaches-and-cream complexion.” In Russia they say a “blood-and-milk complexion.” There are fairy tales about the heroines who are so beautiful, they have a face like blood and milk.
It also has a health resonance for me. Milk makes me think of breastfeeding, and all the things that make kids sick in the developing world: all the categories like diarrhea, respiratory infections, all those things. And then blood makes me think of all the diseases of the developed world: cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and so on.
What change is most urgently needed in the world of global health?
It’s hard to prioritize just one. I think that there needs to be a recognition that global health is genuinely global. It doesn’t mean health in poor countries that you don’t have to worry about if you’re wealthy. Global health genuinely affects everyone on this planet, and we need to think of it that way. It’s not about sharing, it’s about mutual survival.
There are so many ways now that we’re interconnected. In little ways, like how infectious diseases spread much faster across the world than they used to, because of people traveling more. And in bigger ways: the ways our economies are interconnected. If there’s a country that’s stuck being poor because it has a health burden it can’t get out from under, that’s a drag on the whole global economy. That affects everybody.
Another example is that a country with a high rate of maternal mortality means a lot of motherless children. Research shows motherless children tend to grow up into violent adults. That leads to conflict. Conflict in one place hurts the whole world — politically, economically. There are so many linkages that it’s a matter of benefit to the developed world, not just the developing world, to focus on global health.
Which of your many projects are you most proud of?
One of the projects I’m proud of was during my time working on women’s health issues in Turkmenistan. We were looking at the health of pregnant women in particular, and it was a strange situation. Literacy rates are very high in Turkmenistan. Women are educated. They knew what they needed for a healthy pregnancy, but they still were not taking care of themselves. The problem was that they had trouble, based on their status in the family — as women — actually getting what they needed.
It wasn’t enough for them to know that they needed to be eating a variety of foods. And it wasn’t enough to know that they ought to be getting protein on a regular basis. Because if the man ate first because he had a job and she didn’t, it didn’t particularly matter what she knew she needed, she still couldn’t have it.
So we helped teach women how to talk about these issues with their husbands and their mothers-in-law. That way, they could actually explain why it mattered to the family, to the baby, and to their health, that they get a share of protein, that they avoid certain kinds of agricultural work that involves pesticides, things like that.
I liked the program because it took a little bit of extra research to figure out why women couldn’t put their knowledge in action. And helping them do that was inspiring. But we didn’t directly train pregnant women. We trained outreach nurses, and the outreach nurses went on to work with women in the population. We were investing that capacity in the government program so it could go on without us.
That’s one of the things I’m proud of: seven years later, the outreach nurses are still doing that.
You’ve said you like to talk about fan fiction, where fans re-create stories or elaborate on their favorite books, TV shows, films, etc. Do you write fan fiction?
I don’t write fan fiction, but I do read it. I think that it’s a way of reclaiming human creativity from corporate culture.
I primarily read fan fiction for television, where people write alternate episodes of shows. I think because television is written, in essence, by committee, and processed through so many corporate filters, that if you look at mainstream television, it’s very white, very heterosexual, and it’s very male. It’s disappointing.
As a woman of color — my father is Pakistani and my mother is Canadian — there aren’t a lot of people on TV that look like me. One of the joys of fan fiction is that people are reclaiming that and reshaping things to reflect the lives they actually live and the people they actually see.
There are many aspiring social entrepreneurs out there who are trying to take their passion and ideas to the next level. What is one piece of advice you would give to them based on your own experiences and successes?
I’m really not a social entrepreneur or entrepreneurial at all, but I do have a perspective on social entrepreneurship, since it’s a big force right now in new startups in international aid efforts.
There are two key elements. First of all: passion. You need to be able to put your heart into it and keep going, because international development is a really tough field to make a difference in. You don’t see change for 10, 15 years in this field. It doesn’t come quickly, and it doesn’t come easily.
Secondly, there’s a lot of value to actually doing your research first and making sure you’re not repeating something that already failed in 1973. There’s a real depth of knowledge about what works and what doesn’t, and scanning that first will save you a lot of wasted effort.
How has the TED Fellowship influenced you?
The ideas that I ran into at the TED Conference really changed the way I see the world, in directions I didn’t necessarily expect. Sometimes it would be the strangest TED talks that would give me some little nugget that suddenly shifted my perspective on things. In that sense, it was a broadening and shifting of angles in how I see everything I do.
Particularly impactful was Sunitha Krishnan’s TEDTalk about working with children and women who had been sexually trafficked in India. At TEDIndia, people were spontaneously standing up to give her money. Afterwards, I kept thinking, “What was it about her and her story that was so compelling, that made everybody want to stand up and be a part of that?”
I realized that in the stories she was telling us, she was telling us about these people as people. As people with agency, and an ability to act, and who care about other people. She wasn’t telling us about victims. She was telling us about strong individuals. It made me think about the way development projects work in communities. It made me think how we need to recognize that power, sense of hope, and sense of possibility in everybody we work with. Because that’s what’s powerful about what we do.
Learn more about how to become a great social entrepreneur from all of the TED Fellows on the Case Foundation | <urn:uuid:d982fe44-dc71-4ef9-a7b2-fa1ab5c83ea7> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://blog.ted.com/2011/03/18/fellows-friday-with-alanna-shaikh/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00010-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.971159 | 2,528 | 1.648438 | 2 |
Back in 1995, Mobb Deep, two 21-year-old stick up kids from Queensbridge, created The Infamous, a bleak rap masterpiece that detailed the daily struggle of living in one of America’s roughest housing projects. Likening the 41st Side of Queens to a war zone, the album weaved together a hellish cast of corrupt cops, crack fiends and shady drug dealers against a back drop of hard knocking eerie beats chopped together from old jazz and soul records by Herbie Hancock, Patrice Rushen, and Teddy Pendegrass. Featuring anthems such as “Shook Ones Pt II”, “Give Up the Goods” and “Eye for an Eye”, Havoc and Prodigy laid their lives open in the most brutal fashion possible, and in the process became flag bearers for the East Coast rap scene.
As part of Red Bull Music Academy’s Five Out of Five tour, a series of hip hop gigs and seminars taking place this week around NYC’s five boroughs, the Mobbsters took over Webster Hall on Sunday night to talk about their classic record, followed by a show packed full of their greatest hits. Dazed Digital caught P and Hav before they hit the stage to find out why The Infamous still packs a punch, 17 years after its release.
Dazed Digital: On The Infamous you rhyme about the bleakness of your situation; what did you find inspiring about that environment?
Havoc: The tenacity of the people in the neighborhood, people who don’t have a lot of money, and they still survive and have a smile on their face. That’s inspiring in itself. Some people from different walks of life would probably see the way that we were living and hang themselves. We had to face a challenge, face death. This inspires me, knowing that we’re strong enough to make it through.
Prodigy: We were just in it and living it. It was fun. A lot of people might have seen it as dangerous, they would not take those types of risks, but we were just having fun. Everything was fun, that’s the way we looked at it. You know you get older and you look back like, wow!
DD: Were you really that bad?
Prodigy: Yeah, we were troublemakers!
Havoc: Yeah, for sure! We put in the record so many things we were going through, it was drama everyday.
DD: When you look back at this record now in your mid-thirties, why do you think The Infamous caught so many people off guard?
Prodigy: At that time there was nothing like it at all, it was in a class of its own. It stood out from everything else that was out yet, we definitely were something new that the world never heard or seen before. It was attractive to people: the life style, the style of the beats, the style of the lyrics, the dress code, slang, everything that we did was really attractive to people because a lot of that stuff they had never seen before.
Havoc: I believe that they were attracted to the honesty, more than anything. You felt the honesty from the music, so naturally people are going to be attracted to something that is honest.
DD: Was writing these hardcore experiences down your way of escaping the craziness of your situation?
Prodigy: Yeah it’s definitely good way to vent, using lyrics and music to get a lot of your frustration and pain out. Actually doing a song, going to the studio and just getting out on paper your anger makes you feel a little better sometimes. It’s like punching the heavy bag in the gym to get your frustration out instead of punching someone’s face.
Dazed Digital: Is ever be the time when you think that the music you made could get you killed?
Havoc: Everyday going out there performing, you might run into someone who’s at your show just because they don’t like you, so everyday we were performing we were always taking the chance! That’s what we signed up for. It’s all good.
DD: On the record you liken your neighbourhood to a war zone. Was that what it was really like?
Prodigy: I would say it’s actually worse than the record because there is a lot of things you cannot put on the record, a lot that you cannot talk about. Violence, certain things that actually happened, murder…
Havoc: Shootouts… it’s like you may be cool with two different people but if they have beef with each other and you’re hanging around with one of them you could catch the shots too regardless, andvice versa.
DD: How does that affect you as people?
Prodigy: It can turn you into a cold person.
Havoc: Yeah, that’s what I was going to say.
Prodigy: It can make you cold hearted and antisocial because your mind is always on animal mode because that’s the environment we come from. We’re stuck in that animal mode, and you’ve got to learn to adjust once you step outside of that world to the different platforms where the music takes us.
DD: How do you stay tied into the Trife Life as you put on the record, are you still tied into the kind of stuff that you are writing about in 1995?
Havoc: We’re going to be forever connected to it. We’re always will be from the streets, we’re in the streets; our studio’s in the hood. You have business, the music business, you have the real life and you have got to balance the two.
DD: How do you think you changed from the kids who made this record, to where you are now?
Prodigy: We definitely are more business-oriented. In the beginning, we might have been focused on totally just music and being famous, just wanting to have fame and make hot music, but as we got older we had to understand that this is a business and that our moves need to be calculated. It’s like a chess game, you have got to make sure you make the right music, so that the business continues to be successful.
I guess that is how we changed most. Our first name was the Poetical Prophets, before we changed it to Mobb Deep, and when I look back on it now that was like a ill name for us because that is what we really were. A lot of things that we were saying, the success that we wanted and that didn’t have at the time when we wrote the songs, but we made it come true, we prophesized what it was going to be for us.
DD: Prodigy, you came out of prison earlier this year, was it strange to come out and witness all this renewed interest in your music?
Prodigy: Not so much strange but definitely I feel blessed, the success that we have and for the people to love what we do so much, and they are still be interested in what we are doing, I definitely feel blessed. But before I went in, I had already seen the effect that our music had on people and I saw it, it is powerful. That is one of the things that keep us doing what we are doing, that keep us together and focused on doing it because we know how powerful our music is.
DD: What do you think the legacy of this record has been on the wider popular culture?
Havoc: I think the legacy is that it’s a real honest record from the streets – two brothers trying to make it out, describing stories of what we have been through. The music is immaculate, people just love it. It’s like classic material and there will never be another like it. It only could be made once, at one time. People will never hear an album like that again.
DD: Has it been hard to live up to?
Havoc: I do not try to live up to it, I just keep it going. If you don’t do that you’re setting yourself up for failure. That was one baby, now you have to have another baby – you are not going to make the same baby twice.
Mobb Deep’s new EP, Black Cocaine is out on Nov 25th. ‘Five Out of Five’ is part of the Red Bull Music Academy World Tour. It concludes in London on October 13th with ‘Revolutions in Sound’ - a one-night, 30-gig takeover of the London Eye. Click HERE for more info | <urn:uuid:605a927e-e50c-4416-8883-b0fcd87351a6> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.dazeddigital.com/music/article/11584/1/mobb-deep-on-the-infamous | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00013-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.978048 | 1,839 | 1.570313 | 2 |
Location Mountain View, California
Client Silicon Graphics, Inc.
Scope Landscape Architecture
Size 26 acres (105,218 m2) - 10.5 hectares, park - 5 acres - 2 hectares, office - 500,000 sf - 46,451.5 m2
As a winner of the ASLA’s Centennial Medallion, this project is recognized as one of the most significant landscapes of the last century. The design of SGI’s campus and the adjacent Charleston Park challenges conventional thinking about public and private space. The project began as the winning entry in a competition held by the City of Mountain View to develop the 26-acre brownfield site with an R&D campus and a five-acre public park. The design creates a strong identity for the campus and provides a much-needed civic space, while blurring distinctions between the private and public realms. SWA collaborated closely with the architects, developer and city from master planning through implementation, and played an essential role in securing public approvals. This creative collaboration led to two key planning decisions: first, to treat the campus and park as one landscape; and second, because of the large building footprints, to assert the presence of the landscape by raising the buildings and locating most of the 1,700 parking spaces below podium level. At the east and west ends of the project, the landscape slopes up to the podium from natural grade, providing a seamless connection from the park on the east through the campus to the improved creek corridor on the west. The landscape, like the architecture, was designed to reflect the purpose of SGI and its unofficial corporate philosophy of "serious fun." The coexistence of pleasure and work is ensured by the character of outdoor spaces and further expressed by the two formal systems that shape circulation through the site. Sweeping curves suggest leisure. Straight lines, derived from the building column grid, express efficiency. At the lower level of the park, a brick plaza provides for frequent concerts and civic gatherings. The plaza’s bold striped pattern continues up the slope through a series of terraces and shallow pools. Rows of cherry trees and horsetail reinforce the graphic clarity of the composition. The presence of water suggests the fluid boundary between the park and campus. A grove of Grecian laurels at the top of the slope marks the literal, although imperceptible, line between public and private land. A sinuous yellow brick path ties the campus’ three gardens together. The contemplative East Garden’s circular mounds echo the Calaveros Hills seen in the distance beyond. The Central Garden is a place where the entire SGI community can gather. Since this space cannot structurally support the weight of trees, umbrellas become the vertical shade-giving elements. The West Garden is devoted to recreation, and a volleyball court within a grove of elms is in constant use. Just to the north, a bocce court is contained within a small, elegant, rectangular garden. Within each of the major gardens, at the building stair towers, the ground is cut away to create openings which naturally ventilate the garage without the need for mechanical equipment. The site was bought by Google in 2004 to be their Corporate Headquarters. | <urn:uuid:97ad0d20-ef9f-4472-b997-ba682e3c3e38> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.swagroup.com/project/sgi--google-headquarters-.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00002-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.936914 | 656 | 1.65625 | 2 |
Week Five – Day 5
TODAY’S FAST – Daniel Fast (Fruits, vegetables, nuts and water only)
I find Matthew 10 a pretty unsettling passage of Scripture. Consider how Jesus describes our calling to share the Gospel…I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves (v. 16)…Beware of men, for they will deliver you over to courts and flog you (v. 17)…you will be dragged before governors and kings (v. 18). That’s not real encouraging news, is it? In fact, it can be downright frightening. And then, in the midst of these dire predictions, Jesus says, “Don’t worry!” (v. 19).
Don’t worry! Are you kidding me? Don’t worry! Why would Jesus say that?
The answer is found in two great promises of the Bible. The first is the #1 most-often-repeated promise in the Word of God. It’s God’s promise to never leave us or forsake us. In other words, He is with us through all things. God walks through every bit of trouble with us and as He does, He brings strength, comfort and courage…even joy! The second great promise is in verses 19-20. God says that when you witness for Him, do not be anxious because His Holy Spirit will guide you and give you the exact words to say.
As you fast and pray for boldness this week, be encouraged. God is walking with you and is already preparing your heart and mind for exactly what you will say. Just open your mouth and let Him speak! Pray that God will give you the right words to say at the right time to the right people.
“I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves. Be on your guard; you will be handed over to the local councils and be flogged in the synagogues. On my account you will be brought before governors and kings as witnesses to them and to the Gentiles. But when they arrest you, do not worry about what to say or how to say it. At that time you will be given what to say, for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. Matthew 10:16-20 NIV | <urn:uuid:c2539caf-019a-4cd8-a98f-52e36f7731ea> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://redirectfast.com/devotionals/week-5-overview/day-5/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00012-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.9453 | 499 | 1.546875 | 2 |
Cicero, NY -- Three Cicero children raised $1,257 for childhood cancer research at their annual lemonade stand.
Every summer, Madison King, 8, Owen Greco, 8, and Nadia Greco, 6, earn money to buy toys and other goodies by hosting a lemonade stand at their families’ annual garage sale, but this year the children wanted to give the money to a good cause.
This year, 100 percent of their proceeds will go to Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation, which raises money to help find a cure for childhood cancer.
Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation was founded as a registered charity in 2005 in memory of Alexandra “Alex” Scott from Pennsylvania. Scott lost her battle with cancer in 2004. She was 8.
When Scott was 4 years old, she wanted to set up a lemonade stand to raise money to help find a cure for all children with cancer. Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation is now a national organization that has raised more than $50 million and funds more than 200 research projects nationally.
“The kids were blown away by how much they raised,” said Lisa King, Madison’s mother. She said the kids plan on doing the fundraiser again next year. | <urn:uuid:fc1fb839-cd98-41ef-a73d-0880c3c3bd2f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/2012/07/cicero_children_raise_more_tha.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00015-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.960088 | 263 | 1.648438 | 2 |
So many people think of quitting smoking as a negative experience: dealing with cravings, fighting the habitual smoking action, adjusting your life to a different way to cope with stress, and then there’s the Tar. It’s not something you think a lot about when you’re still smoking – it’s often no more than an inconvenience. Brown on your fingers, teeth, and the odd bit of brown stuff in the phlegm you cough up every morning, but other than that, Tar doesn’t seem to bother you so much… or does it?
Some Facts About Tar
You see the thing is, you have a ‘secret stash’ of Tar deep in your lungs while you continue to smoke, which may have built up to truly frightening levels over years of smoking. It’s down there in the bottom of your lungs, dark brown or black, mixed up with thick phlegm and sticky as sin, full off thousands of toxic chemicals and damaging your body with every day that goes by. Tar makes it hard for you to breathe, hardening your lung tissues to make it more difficult for you to draw breath. Along with thick heavy phlegm (produced in reaction to irritation of your airways by smoke, known as Chronic Bronchitis), the Tar fills up a lot of the space in the alveoli – air sacks at the edges of your lungs were gas exchange takes place. Toxins in the Tar leach out into your lung tissue and then into the rest of your body, damaging almost every part of your person and greatly increasing the risk of cancer.
Basically, you have a toxic time bomb in your lungs, and you definitely don’t want that in there!
A Common Experience
Here at lungdetoxification.com we get regular letters from users of our products, concerned when Tar starts coming away from a recent ex-smokers lungs. Here an example:
Dear William and Mark,
I’ve been using The Complete Lung Detoxification Guide for several weeks now, and I’m concerned with the quantity and color of the mucus I’ve been regularly coughing up. It’s thick and black, and it’s been coming up for nearly two weeks now.
My questions are, is this normal (I’m not dying, am I?!?), and how much longer will it go on?
On the up side, I am breathing a bit easier, and my chest feels a bit freer after doing the exercises you outline, so things are improving daily.
The really important point with this experience, which is shared by most ex-smokers is, you are definitely NOT dying, it’s quite the opposite in fact. You are beginning to LIVE again! That black gunk in the mucus is Tar, the stuff I talked about earlier that you definitely WANT out of your lungs ASAP! That’s what a good Lung Detox is all about. Removing those toxins from your lungs, and allowing your body to function properly again.
Speaking Of Functioning Properly Again…
You know why your lungs don’t eject all this trapped mucus and Tar until you quit smoking? Because toxins in the cigarette smoke paralyze and sometimes destroy small hairs on the inner surface of your lungs which are the lungs natural cleaning system. Once you quit, they start to regrow and reactivate, sluggishly coming to life to start moving that vile gunk out of your airways. Problem is, this can take up to 10 (!) years when your body is not fortified or helped in any way with this task. You don’t want Tar hanging around in your lungs for nearly a decade after you quit; you want to get it out of there as quickly as possible, because each and every day it’s still in there, your chances of cancer stay up, and a whole bunch of other diseases are continuing to damage your body, even though you’ve quit smoking.
So that’s why a good, well planned and well executed Lung Detoxification Program is vitally important to get you on the road to health as quickly as possible. You owe it to yourself to give a Lung Detox a try after quitting smoking, as smoking cessation is only half the answer to improving your health. Try our Complete Lung Detoxification Guide series for the most in depth, comprehensive Lung Detox available today. Get that Tar out of your lungs fast, and live healthy sooner.
Until next time,
stay well, stay quit, and lung-toxin free. | <urn:uuid:dd3a0e1d-34fd-413b-8bf5-e642fd8d8f19> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.lungdetoxification.com/blog/tag/coughing-up-tar/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00001-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.946588 | 952 | 1.539063 | 2 |
Yep, I love Jim Groom’s description of the florescent light of the LMS.
I completely support the concept of leaving the LMS behind when it is clunky or commercially cyborged. I truly understand the argument for the use of multiple tools and weaving together “whatever” works for instructors. Yet, is this expectation realistic? There are a handful of people I know who can do this…well. Other instructors need the well-structured universe of a standardized tool or “system.”
Good instructors take some risk, great instructors experiment and bring their students along with them. Unfortunately, I think that most people (students and instructors alike) feel that the stakes are too high to experiment. The student says, “I pay too much money for this.” (Whatever this is.) The instructor thinks, “I don’t want to look like a fool.” So, I think the edupunk movement has two-sides to the coin: instructor risk and student satisfaction.
My dilemma now that I am in an employee training field, is that we need to track employee course completion. Has the employee reviewed OMB circular A-21 or has she completed the necessary online training to handle radioactive material? How can we do this on an institutional scale where we can apply reporting and analytics to ensure that we have met the legal training requirements?
Yet what is really interesting to consider is how the edupunk movement can evolve or expand employee training too, not just what we consider “standardized” k-12 education. Todd Hudson at the Maverick Institute considered this when he wrote the article “Lean Knowledge Transfer.” How can we bring a new philosophy into training? He cites the lack of responsivity that formalized corporate training embodies. And that it is better to implement a “lean” approach where the learner is driving the experience.
I do think that the edupunk philosophy is critical to the advancement of education and should possibly be the foundation of all learning:
1. Reaction against the commercialization of education
2. DIY attitude
3.Thinking and learning for yourself. (quoted from Wikipedia)
Ultimately, it probably is time for instructors to get some real-life sunshine and step out of the LMS’s artificial shadow.
- Is the LMS Dead? (managingelearning.com) | <urn:uuid:6e0e812b-11b5-455e-90a0-5aa3a1403c01> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://janneduc.wordpress.com/2012/10/19/florescent-lights-of-the-lms/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00002-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.950356 | 500 | 1.632813 | 2 |
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You gain a dual qualification in the Spanish language and tourism. The language modules include traditional linguistic studies and intercultural studies and literature. The tourism modules introduce you to the business of tourism.
Careers or Further Progression...
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Conn. congressman calls for tighter gun control
HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) -- U.S. Rep. John Larson of Connecticut is calling on Congress to ban assault weapons and take other action to reduce gun violence in the wake of the deadly rampage at an elementary school in his state.
The Democrat said in statement Saturday that Congress should require background checks for all gun sales, close terrorist watch list loopholes and ban assault weapons and high-capacity clips.
He says his suggestions won't end gun violence, but that they are a start.
A gunman opened fire at a Newtown elementary school on Friday, killing 20 children and six adults.
It's not the first time Larson has spoken out on guns. After the attempted assassination last year of then-U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, Larson questioned whether sweeping changes to congressional security were possible. | <urn:uuid:c1c2b8d6-0a51-428c-bf49-394782f36302> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www1.whdh.com/news/articles/local/south/12009329496647/conn-congressman-calls-for-tighter-gun-control/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00016-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.939015 | 178 | 1.570313 | 2 |
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