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President Barack Obama Newspaper Headlines Collage
When Barack Obama was elected as the new American President, the Newspapers pictured him with so many different Headlines accompanying. The Giant Obama Collage is a result if that.
This President Barack Obama Mosaic was created using over 600 Newspaper Headlines of November 5, 2008. With the election subject on everyone’s mind, the Newspapers were ready and flooded the world. It is great that someone found a great alternative to reading the papers and simply making some Barack Obama Art. I know is created with easy to use mosaic software or something, but c’mon, it looks great.
Obama is a definitely popular, for this is not the first (or the last) we will some creative piece made of this new American figure. We have seen some other versions, such as the 16 different Barack Obama Figures, Super Barack Obama World Game, and even a sneak peek into perhaps will be Obama’s New Ride. | <urn:uuid:096f6639-cbf5-4f8b-850d-ce6ac940eae3> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://walyou.com/president-barack-obama-newspaper-headlines-collage/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00001-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.971635 | 198 | 1.523438 | 2 |
December 13, 2010
On 13 December 2010, AIBS submitted comments to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) regarding their proposed Open Internet initiative. The proposal, which is scheduled to be voted on by the FCC later this month, would bar Internet service providers from discriminating against online content provided by competing companies. Some experts, however, fear that the proposal does not provide sufficient protections for Internet users, application developers, and content providers.
The comments submitted by AIBS recommend that the FCC clarify the non-discrimination rule, include a clear ban on access charges for application and content providers, and provide the same protections for wireless Internet service as for wired Internet service.
To read the full comments submitted by AIBS, visit http://www.aibs.org/position-statements/20101213netneutrality.html. | <urn:uuid:a3f9b556-b911-45c7-a8be-5c69098207e0> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.aibs.org/public-policy/news/aibs_expresses_concerns_to_fcc_regarding_net_neutrality.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00019-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.932951 | 169 | 1.6875 | 2 |
Catholic Relief Services has always been changing during my many years here, never standing still. Often this is because we are working to see how we can better carry out our mission, how we can better serve the poor of the world, and how we can better serve you as you fulfill the gospel of Jesus Christ by being in solidarity with them.
Sometimes these changes are thrust on us from the outside. Few were more profound than the one that came in 2003 with the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief. Popularly known as PEPFAR, it provided billions of dollars to battle the pandemic of HIV and AIDS that was then sweeping through the poorer countries of the world with little in its path.
While promoting good health has always been a big part of what we do at CRS, we had never done anything on this scale, of this complexity. As a result of PEPFAR, we developed a consortium, in conjunction with our partners, called AIDSRelief. For the first time, we began to do more than just help hundreds of thousands of people live with the virus and offer palliative care to those who, all too often, die from it.
Now we were able to treat them, many with antiretroviral medicines that bring them back from the brink of death—treatment that had been too expensive before. Such work is now a big part of our annual budget.
As with everything we do, we look at this work through the lens of our faith. And that faith tells us that we are all part of one human family. From our largest donor to our poorest beneficiary, we are all God’s children. We are all brothers and sisters. If it were a member of your family who was infected, would you hand them a pill and walk away? No, you would make sure that they took the pill, that day and every day, and that their other needs were met. That’s the holistic approach CRS takes, empowering communities to care for their own, to look after their family, our family.
We go even further because we know that HIV does not affect just those who have the virus. Much of our work is with children who have become orphans or are vulnerable as a result of HIV and AIDS. Some of them do have the virus, very often from birth. They don’t just face health issues, they also have to deal with stigmatization and other problems. We help them face these challenges, preparing them for what now, with antiretroviral treatment, can be very long and productive lives.
And the virus also impacts many children who are not infected. Some are orphaned at a very young age. Others are teenagers who find themselves the heads of households after their parents have died, taking care of brothers, sisters and often cousins, years before they should have such responsibility. Still others are forced to miss school to care for ailing parents. Their needs are of all sorts, from food to school fees to psychological support.
CRS is a leader in helping orphans and vulnerable children, and that’s no surprise. Because the whole point of such work is to recognize that while HIV and AIDS might infect individuals, the disease affects entire families. And family is so important to CRS. We know that following the gospel of Jesus Christ, we must strive to care for the entire human family.
This is the time of year when many of us gather together as families, for Thanksgiving, for Christmas. A number of our CRS staff working in far-flung locales will return home during these months to be with their family. We are grateful that you are part of the CRS family, that you allow us to serve you by helping your brothers and sisters among the poor around the world.
Thank you for your continued support and your prayers.
2 Responses to “When HIV Strikes, CRS Helps the Whole Family Deal With it”
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Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive. | <urn:uuid:75fdaebd-d8b1-4628-8505-f06ae4c8baf6> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://crs-blog.org/when-hiv-strikes-crs-helps-the-whole-family-deal-with-it/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00005-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.983379 | 831 | 1.796875 | 2 |
On Trayvon: Is the issue of race distracting us from the real issue? Scared, angry people with guns
Wading through a disturbing morass of arguments about whether George Zimmerman is white or Hispanic, whether Trayvon Martin attacked Zimmerman before Zimmerman killed the unarmed 17-year-old, and, stupidest of all, how much anxiety should be produced by the sight of a hoodie, I'm a bit dumbstruck that few seem to want to argue about the obvious: The direct cause of this tragedy was a frightened (and unbalanced) man with access to a handgun.
Given the American fetish for buying and displaying firearms of all types, maybe we shouldn't be surprised. But when things like this used to happen--Columbine, for example--there was at least some debate about whether and when certain types of weapons should be available to the general public. Now it appears that the National Rifle Association has so handcuffed, straight-jacketed, and bought the political conversation about guns, no one bothers to ask the question anymore.
But the fact of the matter is undeniable: Guns may not kill people by themselves (as a rule anyway), but scared people with guns do, angry people with guns do, mentally ill people with guns do, racist people with guns do. Remove the guns from the equation, and it gets a lot more difficult for those scared, angry, mentally ill, and racist people to kill anyone, not to mention all the other people who use guns driven by other motives.
I'm sure the NRA will start waving the Constitution if anyone raises this issue too strongly, but if the 2nd Amendment actually means that we have the legal right to pack heat anywhere and everywhere, it's a dumb, immoral law that results in the deaths of thousands of innocents every year. It ought to be repealed. | <urn:uuid:394c98b4-83c6-47dc-ba9e-8d3a4269a448> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.uscatholic.org/blog/2012/03/trayvon-issue-race-distracting-us-real-issue-scared-angry-people-guns | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700958435/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104238-00008-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.967304 | 370 | 1.570313 | 2 |
This spring, as you start cleaning out your homes, please think of your local animal shelter to donate items they can use.
Shelters are always in need of food, towels, blankets and toys, among other things, because of the tremendous number of animals that pass through their doors each day. I often stop by yard sales in my neighborhood to pick up stuff I can bring to the shelter, and the staff is always grateful.
One nifty trick is to clip newspaper coupons for sale items on cat and dog treats and food. Using these, I get products really cheap or even free (especially during store sales). The shelter distributes the food and treats to pet parents who might be facing hard times and cannot afford to feed their animals. It is a great way to keep animals in homes with loving parents and out of shelters.
Here's a list of some common items animal shelters are always in need of. Used items are perfectly fine, unless otherwise indicated.
* Blankets, towels, heating pads and animal beds
* Grooming items (brushes and combs)
* Tennis balls and hard rubber dog toys such as kongs
* NylaBones (new)
* Canned dog food, dog treats
* Esbilac for puppies
* Litter boxes (new only) and liners
* Cardboard scratching post
* Cat grass/nip
* Clay cat litter; Care Fresh Litter; Nonclumping
* Plastic or rubber cat toys (nothing furry)
Now for this week's paws:
As some of you already know, I highlight regularly one dog and one cat up for adoption at the Washington Humane Society in my hometown of Washington DC. My hope is to raise awareness about the wonderful pets available at animal shelters. You can also check Petfinder for other wonderful animals up for adoption in your area.
This week's dog is Dougie, a handsome 5 month old Lab mix who was surrendered by his owners because they were moving to a home that doesn't allow dogs. The shelter says Dougie is a very playful, goofy pup who loves to give licks! He adores squeaky toys, gets along well with other dogs and responds well to handling and touch. Dougie is so smart, he is a member of a training program run by the humane society called SIT!
Our featured kitty for the week is Cannoli (what is it about cats with food names?). Cannoli is a gorgeous 2 year old black and white beauty who is a fan of face rubs and nose kisses. The shelter says that once she warms up to you, she can be a real purr machine!
How gorgeous are those two?
Finally, here's today's recipe for quick and easy chocolate-cheesecake bars that will have you licking your fingers.
I know the word "cheese" sounds weird on a vegan blog, but we are talking vegan cream cheese here which tastes very much like regular cream cheese, and is great in baked goods like cheesecakes.
The bars are very much like brownies, but cakier and moister, and I used pine nuts to give them a buttery punch.
I also experimented here a little bit, and I am pleased to say it worked beautifully: I used silken tofu as a binder instead of the cornflour that I normally would use in such a recipe to substitute for eggs. I'd be lying if I didn't say I was a tad nervous, but once the bars were baked and ready, no one would ever have guessed that part of their decadent richness came from this healthful ingredient. And that, to me, constitutes a winner!
Chocolate-"Cheesecake" Bars with Pine Nuts
1 cup whole-wheat pastry flour
1 cup sugar
4 ounces of vegan cream cheese (I used Tofutti brand from Whole Foods)
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp almond extract
2/3 cup soft silken tofu
1/2 tsp baking powder
2 tbsp non-hydrogenated vegetable shortening
2 tbsp canola oil
1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted slightly
2 tbsp chopped bitter chocolate (Ghirardelli's has a great vegan version)
A pinch of salt
In a bowl, beat together the shortening, oil and sugar until fluffy with a hand-mixer or in a stand-mixer set to a low setting.
Add the cream cheese and beat in until smooth and well-blended.
Add the tofu in three batches, beating in well after each addition.
Add the two extracts and cocoa powder and mix well.
In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
Now add the flour to the cream-cheese-cocoa mixture, stirring it in gently.
Add the pine nuts and the bitter chocolate. (The bitter chocolate is optional, but gives the brownies a nice chocolatey boost without being cloyingly sweet).
Scrape the batter into a 9-inch square, greased baking pan, and smooth down the top with a spatula.
Bake in a 350-degree preheated oven about 25 minutes until the top feels firm.
Remove and cool on a rack at least 15-20 minutes before cutting in. | <urn:uuid:df7267eb-4814-4f74-92b5-f7120266e2fd> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.holycowvegan.net/2008/04/paws-off-plate-chocolate-cheesecake.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705195219/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115315-00016-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.948936 | 1,100 | 1.570313 | 2 |
We have big news -- it is finally actually possible to end the AIDS epidemic once and for all.
New research shows that by providing medication to everyone with HIV, new infections drop by 96%. This groundbreaking news means there is finally a light at the end of AIDS epidemic.
But instead of being motivated by the new science, world leaders have used the financial crisis as an excuse to cut funding for AIDS programs. The result is grim -- instead of scaling up access to treatment, which costs less than $300 per person per year to begin with, people around the world are instead being told they must wait. In too many cases, they are simply waiting to die.
Next week in Washington, thousands of people from all over the world will gather for the International AIDS Conference. It's the first time in over two decades that it has been held in the US, and is a real opportunity to press world leaders to end AIDS. On Tuesday, July 24th, ACT UP Philadelphia will be taking 500 people to DC on free buses to call for world leaders to step up to the plate and finally end AIDS. Will you join them?
Yes, I'd love to come! I'll be on the bus on July 24th at 7am leaving from Broad and Walnut.
No, but I can write a message of support for the marchers.
The AIDS epidemic isn't just some far away problem. Because of the example of cities like Philly -- and the constant pressure of AIDS activists -- three years ago, Congress agreed to lift the federal ban on funding of syringe exchange. For a brief moment, federal money was finally going to go to support this simple, massively cost-effective harm reduction intervention. But then this year, right-wing forces in Congress succeed in reinstating the ban on funding of syringe exchange. Now more than ever, activism is needed, and hardly any group has a better track record of using direct action to win than ACT UP.
ACT UP has been on the front lines fighting this epidemic for 25 years, and our direct action approach has saved the lives of literally millions of people. But much of that progress is at risk because of the financial crisis. With the International AIDS Conference in the United States for the first time in 20 years, this is a huge moment to make sure that international media is shining its spotlight on the failure of world leaders to take the steps needed to end AIDS.
Can you join us in DC? Head to http://bit.ly/actup2dc to RSVP for your seat on the free bus. | <urn:uuid:2cca182d-ee89-4848-b891-1f078c128937> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://actupphilly.blogspot.com/2012/07/we-can-end-aids-by-bus.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00009-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.957273 | 521 | 1.765625 | 2 |
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A comment about this video on this video:
Your public educational system at work. Why a woman that can’t string two words together is an educator in anything other than a port-a-potty, is a mystery. Furthermore her attempt to stifle dissent is anti-educational. She should be encouraging her students to express different viewpoints, not force uniformity or worshiping a human being. No worries – the Teachers Union will make sure she keeps her job, even though she’s incompetent and arrogant.
Note to teacher: It is not disrespect/slander if Obama himself wrote about it in his own book.
The above text comes directly from President Obama’s first memoir, “Dreams From My Father” and recounts an incident which occurred while he was in middle school. When our president became the subject of taunts from his fellow classmates, he decided to shove a little girl named Coretta. Although he chronicles his feelings of regret, he never does not offer her an apology.
**This teacher didn’t even know that Rep. Joe Wilson was admonished by the House of Representatives about yelling “You Lie.”**
via USA Today
September 15, 2009
Wilson has declined to back down on his position that he owed the House no apology for the outburst. Wilson did express sorrow to Obama, who accepted the apology.
The resolution added to the already-toxic atmosphere of partisanship in the House.
“At issue,” House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer said earlier, “is whether we are able to proceed with a degree of civility and decorum that our rules and our democracy contemplate and require.”
Wilson, speaking after Democrat Hoyer, refused to back down. “I think it is clear to the American people that there are far more important issues facing this nation than what we’re addressing right now.” He said Obama had “graciously accepted my apology and the issue is over.”
The resolution marks the first time in the 220-year history of the House that a member had been admonished for speaking out while the president was giving an address, according to the Office of the House Historian. A resolution of disapproval is less severe than other disciplinary action available to the House, including censure or expulsion.
Appearing on Fox News Sunday, Wilson reiterated his regrets for shouting “You lie!” in the middle of Obama’s health care speech to a joint session of Congress on Wednesday. “I would never do that again,” Wilson said. But he rejected demands from some of his colleagues, including House Majority Whip James Clyburn, D-S.C., that he deliver a formal apology on the House floor.
“I have apologized to the president,” Wilson said. “I believe that is sufficient.” | <urn:uuid:dec754ea-9ca5-4296-ab62-89783662cc1b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://romanticpoet.wordpress.com/tag/nc-high-school-teacher-yells-at-student-about-obama/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00012-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.967385 | 608 | 1.578125 | 2 |
America's Top Executives Can't Lose -- Even When Everyone Else Loses Big
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Billionaire Mark Cuban, the owner of the Dallas Mavericks basketball team, knows jackpots. He hit his big one in 1999 when he swapped the dot.com he had founded for over $5 billion in Yahoo stock. Earlier this month, in a Dallas Morning News column, Cuban graciously shared some of his jackpot know-how -- and, in the process, gave cubicle America an unusual glimpse into how corporate life operates inside top executive suites.
Our contemporary CEOs, Cuban related, can't lose, mainly because they take the bulk of their pay in stock, either as options to buy company stock at some future date or as outright grants of company shares. Year after year, ever more shares pour into executive pockets. If the price of these shares should rise, even slightly, CEOs can do spectacularly well.
And if the share price stalls? CEOs still can do spectacularly well. Corporate boards, Cuban points out, regularly reissue or reprice executive stock awards that have lost any appreciable part of their value.
But CEOs don't have to wait for boards to reprice their options. Top executives have the power, on their own, to artistically inflate a stagnant share price. They can take one simple step that demands not one iota of talent or managerial creativity. They simply cut what their company is spending to do business. That fattens their corporate quarterly bottom line, and that makes Wall Street happy.
This cash cost-cutting, adds Cuban, does have a downside for employees who get paid in cash -- and that's "everyone who works" for the company except "the top few in management" who get most of their pay in stock. Cutting cash outlays automatically places all average employees "at risk -- of losing their jobs, benefits, raises, you name it."
The end result: "a huge disconnect," says Cuban, "between the CEO and shareholders doing well and those who work for the company doing well."
An interesting analysis. But Cuban is only telling half the story. Yes, employees certainly do suffer when CEOs start scrambling to inflate their company share price -- and guarantee themselves a personal windfall. But the ranks of sufferers go beyond employees in these situations. Consumers suffer, too.
Take Citigroup, the banking giant that has been generating king-size executive jackpots ever since the 1998 merger that fused Citicorp and the Travelers Group together under one Citi roof. Citigroup's current chairman emeritus, Sandy Weill, now ranks 271st on the Forbes list of America's 400 richest. In 2000 alone, Weill pocketed $214.6 million.
Weill retired, as Citi CEO, in 2003. His successor, Charles Prince, left last November, vacating his chief executive suite with a $10 million bonus, $28 million in unvested stock and options, and $1.5 million in annual perks.
Citi's current CEO, Vikram Pandit, didn't come cheap. To get Pandit to join the Citigroup executive team, the bank last year bought the hedge fund that Pandit had founded in 2006 -- for $800 million.
What have Citigroup's top executives been doing to earn all these mega rewards? Weill and Prince steered Citi into the subprime mortgage meltdown, the most reckless blunder in modern financial industry history. Current CEO Pandit, news reports noted last week, has so far "presided over nearly $15 billion" in losses.
So what's Pandit's strategy for setting things right? For starters, he's following the standard CEO cash-cutting playbook, just as Mark Cuban has described. He's lopping off employees right and left. Citigroup last year announced 17,000 firings. In January, Pandit added 4,200 more employees to the must-go list. Last month, he added another 8,700.
But Pandit has a "strategic vision" that goes far beyond layoffs. He's now busy trying to undo the acquisitions and mergers that made Sandy Weill a billionaire -- and turned Citigroup, as Reuters has observed, into a "sprawling mess." And he's squeezing consumers.
No originality here. Other banking giants are squeezing, too, "jacking up fees and rates and tightening rules on all sorts of consumer loans -- from credit cards to auto loans -- to cushion their losses," says USA Today , from subprime loans gone bad.
Citi and the nation's other top lenders last year collected $18.1 billion in credit card penalty fees alone, 69 percent more in penalties than they collected in 2003. Many penalized consumers, public interest groups fear, will this year be paying credit card interest at 32 percent, this at a time when the Federal Reserve is reducing the cost of what banks pay to get their capital.
Banks like Citi have made penalizing an art form. One neat trick: Banks change their monthly credit card payment due dates. Consumers who pay by automatic electronic fund transfer then find themselves "guilty" of late payment.
One Indiana man, for instance, told ConsumerAffairs.com that he had set up his accounts to pay his Citibank credit card bill on the 24th of every month. But Citi "moved my due date to cause me to be late and give them the ability to charge a late fee."
That consumer's monthly bill went from $211 to $495.
Last September, Citi CEO Pandit purchased a ten-room Manhattan apartment, complete with 20 windows facing Central Park and eight walk-in closets, for $17.9 million. He probably isn't worrying about making any monthly payments.
Sam Pizzigati is the editor of the online weekly Too Much, and an associate fellow at the Institute for Policy Studies. | <urn:uuid:c68dbbd6-62a3-4e85-a601-9acb0945f95f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.alternet.org/story/86097/america's_top_executives_can't_lose_--_even_when_everyone_else_loses_big?qt-best_of_the_week=0 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697380733/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516094300-00005-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.958366 | 1,220 | 1.59375 | 2 |
On a cold Monday night a couple weeks ago, a group of stalwarts gathered at the Hudson Opera House for a meeting organized by Sustainable Hudson Valley (SHV). The purpose of the meeting, as SHV Executive Director Melissa Everett defined it, was to "sound an alarm about climate change" and "seed an idea."
It was a meeting in two parts. In the first part, Barbara Ettinger and Sven Huseby, creators of the film A Sea Change (and, of course, Two Square Miles), talked about their experiences in Copenhagen at COP15. What I found most compelling (and, as a "gossip" instead of a reporter, I get to use the first-person singular) was not what they had to say about the conference but what they said about the experience of being in Copenhagen.
More than thirty years ago, as a consequence of the 1973 oil embargo, Denmark, after a three-year debate, made the commitment to sustainability. Today, Copenhagen is the model of sustainability. Ettinger talked about the preserved architecture of Copenhagen and about the bicycles of Copenhagen. Fifty-five percent of the people in Copenhagen cycle to and from work--and that includes tradespeople, such as electricians and plumbers, who carry their equipment on specially designed tricycles that have the two wheels in the front and the single wheel (and the steering mechanism) in the back. The design creates "cargo space" in front. For plumbers and electricians, this space is used for tools and supplies. For others, it's used for groceries, children, and/or dogs. Ettinger told how when it snows--as it did while they were there--the snow plows clear the bike lanes before they clear the roadways for cars. Sounds good to me.
In the second part of the meeting, Michael O'Hara, Director of Operations for SHV, held out the possibility of Hudson becoming a little Copenhagen. He proposed that Hudson accept the challenge of "10 Percent in 2010"--that is, that there be a concentrated campaign in Hudson to reduce carbon emissions--both individual and municipal--by 10 percent in the next year. O'Hara clued the audience in to Earth Aid, an online service that lets you track your energy usage. He also told about Bedford, NY, where the municipality took a bond to create a fund for energy-reduction improvements. Individual property owners could borrow from the fund to finance the installation of solar panels, individual wind turbines, or whatever, and their repayment would become part of their property taxes. The enabling legislation for such programs has already been passed by the New York State legislature.
On the municipal level, the idea was that the City of Hudson make a commitment to reducing its energy consumption by 10 percent in 2010. In pursuit of this, O'Hara was going to make a presentation to the Hudson Democratic Committee the next night. Hudson is, after all, controlled by Democrats. The mayor, the treasurer, the Common Council president, and nine of the ten members of the Common Council are Democrats--albeit Democrats of very different stripes.
The word is that meeting was very successful. Common Council President Don Moore reported that "the buzz is growing and looks genuine." Victor Mendolia, chair of the Hudson Democratic Commmittee, reported that Hudson elected officials had an informational meeting today--January 25--at Solaqua to learn about the requirements for Energy Efficiency Block Grants (part of the federal stimulus package) and to talk about which city buildings might be good candidates for the grant. The deadline for applying for Energy Efficiency Block Grants is February 17. | <urn:uuid:fb0f1684-3d3e-4f9d-8671-bb304f45656c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://gossipsofrivertown.blogspot.com/2010/01/10-percent-in-2010.html | 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 | 0.963365 | 741 | 1.75 | 2 |
Religion News on the Web
Selected religion-related news from around the Web
April 29, 2011
- Religion News Service
RNS: Feminist pioneer challenges Orthodox patriarchy
Tova Hartman opens the door to her apartment with a warm smile,
speaking softly and casually dressed. With her down-to-earth femininity,
she doesn't exactly look like a rabble-rouser within Orthodox Judaism.
March 24, 2011
- The Independent
The Independent: Does God belong in the classroom?
As many as 100 parents braved gale-force winds on a Sunday to find out
more about the new primary school opening on their doorstep. It was a
testament to the appeal of the new school – the first state-sponsored
Hindu school to be proposed under Education Secretary Michael Gove's
flagship "free" school policy.
March 21, 2011
- The Toronto Star
Toronto Star: Opinion: Women shape change in Muslim world
a widely circulated article published last month under the title, “The
rightful place of gender equality within Islam,” international human
rights consultant Janine Moussa commented on the current turmoil in the
March 08, 2011
- The Associated Press
AP: Chinese official touts softer line on restive west
The new Communist Party chief for China's restive western region debuted
a softer line on the remote area Tuesday, calling for less
discrimination against its largely Muslim population and more
initiatives to help win their trust and support.
March 02, 2011
- The Washington Post
Wash. Post: Religious blacks' views nuanced on Obama and DOMA
When same-sex marriage was upended in California by popular vote in 2008, gay rights activists pointed to one factor: religious African Americans who came out in record numbers for President Obama but who also largely voted against the marriage proposal, according to exit polls.
February 06, 2011
- Los Angeles Times
LA Times: Terrorism meets xenophobia in Russia
If current demographic trends continue, within the next half-century
Muslims will constitute a sizable part, perhaps even a plurality, of
Russia's population; indeed, Moscow currently has more Muslim
inhabitants than any other European city. | <urn:uuid:db0ef2d7-6470-4917-8ca6-70d0003038d4> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.pewforum.org/religion-news/religion-news-on-the-web.aspx?filter_tax=195&filter_date=older&page=4 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705195219/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115315-00001-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.934578 | 463 | 1.75 | 2 |
(a) The Legislature finds and declares that:
(1) Changes in the permissible charges on loans, credit sales or transactions, forbearance or other similar transactions requires specialized knowledge of the needs of the citizens of West Virginia for credit for personal and commercial purposes and knowledge of the availability of such credit at reasonable rates to the citizens of this state while affording a competitive return to persons extending such credit;
(2) Maximum charges on loans, credit sales or transactions, forbearance or other similar transactions executed in this state should be prescribed from time to time to reflect changed economic conditions, current interest rates and finance charges throughout the United States and the availability of credit within the state in order to promote the making of such loans in this state; and
(3) The prescribing of such maximum interest rates and finance charges can be accomplished most effectively and flexibly by a board comprised of the heads of designated government agencies, university schools of business and administration and members of the public.
(b) In view of the foregoing findings, it is the purpose of this section to establish the West Virginia Lending and Credit Rate Board and authorize said board to prescribe semiannually the maximum interest rates and finance charges on loans, credit sales or transactions, forbearance or similar transactions made pursuant to this section subject to the provisions, conditions and limitations hereinafter set forth and to authorize lenders, sellers and other creditors to charge up to the maximum interest rates or finance charges so fixed. The rates prescribed by the board are alternative rates and any creditor may utilize either the rate or rates set by the board or any other rate or rates which the creditor is permitted to charge under any other provision of this code.
(c) The West Virginia Lending and Credit Rate Board shall be comprised of:
(1) The director of the Governor's office of Economic and Community Development;
(2) The West Virginia State Treasurer;
(3) The West Virginia Banking Commissioner;
(4) The deans of the schools of business and administration at Marshall University and West Virginia University;
(5) The Director of the Division of Consumer Protection of the Attorney General's Office; and
(6) Three members of the public appointed by the Governor with the advice and consent of the Senate. The members of the public shall be appointed for terms of six years each, and until their successors are appointed and qualified; except that of the members first appointed, one shall be appointed for a term of two years, one for a term of four years and one for a term of six years. A member who has served one full term of six years shall be ineligible for appointment for the next succeeding term. Vacancies shall be filled by appointment of the Governor with the advice and consent of the Senate, or if any vacancy remains unfilled for three months, by a majority vote of the board. The West Virginia Banking Commissioner shall serve as chairperson of the board and the rate or rates set by the board shall be determined by a majority vote of those members of the board in attendance at the respective board meeting.
(d) The West Virginia Lending and Credit Rate Board is authorized and directed to meet after December 31, 1983, on the first Tuesday of April and on the first Tuesday of October of each year or more or less frequently as required by the circumstances and to prescribe by order a maximum rate of interest and finance charge for the next succeeding six months, effective on June 1 and on December 1, for any loans, credit sales or transactions, forbearance or similar transactions made pursuant to this section. In fixing said maximum rates of interest and finance charge, the board shall take into consideration prevailing economic conditions, including the monthly index of long-term United States government bond yields for the preceding calendar month, yields on conventional commercial short-term loans and notes throughout West Virginia and throughout the United States and on corporate interest-bearing securities of high quality, the availability of credit at reasonable rates to the citizens of this state which afford a competitive return to persons extending credit and other factors as the board may determine.
(e) Any petition proposing a change in the prescribed maximum rates of interest and finance charges must be filed in the office of the Banking Commissioner no later than February 15 in order to be voted on at the board meeting on the first Tuesday of April and no later than August 15 in order to be voted on at the board meeting on the first Tuesday of October. Whenever any change in the prescribed maximum rates of interest and finance charges is proposed the board shall schedule a hearing, at least fifteen days prior to the board meeting at which the proposed rates of interest and finance charge will be voted on by the members of the board, and shall give all interested parties the opportunity to testify and to submit information at such public hearing that is relevant. Notice of the scheduled public hearing shall be issued and disseminated to the public at least twenty days prior to the scheduled date of the hearing.
(f) The board shall prescribe by order issued not later than April 20 and not later than October 20, in accordance with the provisions of subsection (d) of this section, the maximum rates of interest and finance charge for the next succeeding six months for any loan, credit sale, forbearance or similar transaction made pursuant to this section and shall cause the maximum rate of interest and finance charge to be issued and disseminated to the public, to be effective on June 1 and December 1 for the next succeeding six months.
(g) Notwithstanding the other provisions of this chapter, the West Virginia Lending and Credit Rate Board shall not be required to meet if no petition has been filed with the board requesting a hearing and interest rates and economic conditions have not changed sufficiently to indicate that any change in the existing rate order would be required, and there are not at least two board members who concur that a meeting of the board is necessary. If the board does not meet, the maximum rates of interest and finance charges prescribed by the board in the existing rate order shall remain in full force and effect until the next time the board meets and prescribes different maximum rates of interest and finance charges.
(h) If circumstances and economic conditions require, the chairperson or any three board members, at any time, may call an emergency interim meeting of the West Virginia Lending and Credit Rate Board, at which time the chairperson shall give ten days' notice of the scheduled emergency meeting to the public. All interested parties shall have the opportunity to be heard and to submit information at the emergency meeting that is relevant. Any and all emergency rate board orders shall be effective within thirty days from the date of the emergency meeting.
(i) Each member of the board, except those whose regular salary is paid by the State of West Virginia, shall receive $75 per diem while actually engaged in the performance of the duties of the board. Each member shall be reimbursed for all reasonable and necessary expenses actually incurred during the performance of their duties, except that in the event the expenses are paid by a third party the members shall not be reimbursed by the state. The reimbursement shall be paid out of the special revenue account of the Division of Banking upon a requisition upon the State Auditor, properly certified by the Banking Commissioner.
(j) In setting the maximum interest rates and finance charges, the board may set varying rates based on the type of credit transaction, the term of transaction, the type of debtor, the type of creditor and other factors relevant to determining the rates. In addition, the board may set varying rates for ranges of principal balances within a single category of credit transactions. Note: WV Code updated with legislation passed through the 2012 1st Special Session | <urn:uuid:78b2e4be-c5f8-4972-b4cf-033fd1a3d319> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.legis.state.wv.us/WVCODE/ChapterEntire.cfm?chap=47A&art=1§ion=1&year=2012&sessiontype=rs&btype=bill&input=4046 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704713110/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516114513-00012-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.953638 | 1,549 | 1.539063 | 2 |
PICKENS COUNTY—Pickens County residents gathered at the court house in Pickens for a message of unity and equality celebrating Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on Monday morning.
The seventh annual event, hosted jointly by Pickens Presbyterian Church and Griffin Ebenezer Baptist Church, featured speeches from Mayor David Owens and Sheriff Rick Clark, singing and the reciting of Dr. Kings “I have a dream” speech.
“To me, this day represents unity and equality,” Pickens Mayor David Owens said. “That’s what Martin Luther King Jr. fought for. Equality for everyone.”
The event began with a walk from the Presbyterian Church to the court house steps at 10 a.m. Celebrations then continued downtown until about 11 p.m.
“We are all equal, and we all deserve the same opportunities,” Owens said. “I will stand up for anyone in this community, just like they would do for me. We’re brothers and sisters. That’s just the way I feel.”
City councilmembers expressed excitement for the day.
“It’s just unbelievably real to see the whole community together,” Pickens Councilman Carlton Holley said. “It’s the way it should be. Black, white and Hispanic (ethnicities) should be able to work together, not only today, but every day.”
Holley, who has spent 50 years in Pickens County, says he can remember a time when unity and equality were not the message.
“It means a lot to have unity and equality,” Holley said. “There were a few times as a little boy where I couldn’t go in some of these doors on Main Street, and now I can. It means a lot.”
Holley said growing up in Pickens, however, was a little different.
“It has really been good,” Holley said. “As a little boy, I didn’t realize that we were growing up in a society that was prejudice because I was always treated fair. Pickens is a good place to live and a good place to raise a family and it’s only getting better.”
Owens said it was a day for the community to get together, and it needs to happen more often.
“It’s always a good time when everybody can come together,” Owens said. “Whether we’re different races or ethnic backgrounds, I think we need more unity. This needs to happen more than one time a year.”
Holley said he hopes one message was conveyed.
“I think people understand that we are all one and we need to live together in peace,” Holley said. | <urn:uuid:759c670c-e8b9-48d7-8e10-d1cdaa7e8aea> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.theeasleyprogress.com/pages/home/push?class=next_page&x_page=52&per_page=5&rel=next | 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 | 0.971528 | 595 | 1.679688 | 2 |
Ga. Gov. Deal delivers State-of-the-State speech
ATLANTA (AP) - Gov. Nathan Deal has outlined a 2013 legislative agenda focusing on public safety, education, health care and economic development.
The Republican governor addressed a joint session of the General Assembly late Thursday morning outlining a budget proposal that trims most state agency budgets, but still covers enrollment increases in K-12.
Deal wants to restore Georgia's pre-kindergarten instruction to 180 days and add money to the HOPE scholarship program.
The governor told lawmakers he would back an aggressive juvenile justice overhaul that is intended to grow community based programs and divert minor offenders from prison. He also asked lawmakers to tighten drunken boating laws.
Deal urged lawmakers to avert steep Medicaid cuts, but defended his decision not to expand the program as part of President Barack Obama's 2010 law. | <urn:uuid:e4e92531-58ad-4600-b3f6-ccd3df0f1227> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.newscentralga.com/news/local/Ga-Gov-Deal-delivers-State-of-the-State-speech-187311401.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704392896/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113952-00016-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.948815 | 177 | 1.523438 | 2 |
The U.S. military intervention in Panama last week suddenly brought on a new phase in the convoluted, often tragic Panamanian drama of recent years.
There is every indication that militarily speaking, in the short term, the intervention has been a success, except that the head of the Panama Defense Forces (PDF), Gen. Manuel Antonio Noriega, has escaped capture, seeking asylum in the Vatican embassy. This is true despite the regrettable but predictable loss of American and Panamanian lives and property.
Unfortunately, however, U.S. policymakers still have a lot of tough choices to make. In fact, the ultimate success or failure of the intervention will depend on what Washington does in the months ahead.
Some are already asking what happened to reduce our options last week to military action. This is a critical question, but we should put it on hold now while we deal with the more pressing needs of a country in chaos.
Of course Americans want U.S. service personnel to return home as soon as possible. Few want to be in a shooting war, particularly during the holiday season. What is more, it is in the interests of the United States and the new Panamanian government that U.S. forces not stay so long as to be seen as an occupation force.
But precipitate withdrawal would be a disaster. Already the United States has paid a high political price in its relations with many Latin American countries. We would be double losers if we were to bypass the positive opportunities offered to the U.S., Panamanian and international interests by the current situation.
The United States must work closely with the elected government of President Guillermo Endara, focusing at first on three main areas:
apprehending Noriega, restructuring Panamanian institutions and getting U.S.-Panamanian relations off to a new start.
If we succeed in these tasks, we will help restore declining confidence in the long-term viability of the canal and improve the security conditions of Americans living in Panama.
The major military failure so far has been to our inability to capture Noriega. He is not poised to regain power in Panama, but he could cause great mischief by retarding the institutionalization of democratic norms and delaying the orderly withdrawal of U.S. forces from the country.
For the time being, the United States must retain the offensive against active resistance by members of the PDF and Noriega`s thug squads, the Dignity Battalions. And since the PDF incorporated the Panamanian police, there now is no formal police force in Panama, thus the looting that has occurred around Panama City. The U.S. must assume the role of policeman until a new Panamanian force is constituted.
We are not going to help ``restore`` democracy to Panama since this political system has never been the norm and current institutions there pose immediate and ongoing threats to democratic processes in the future. The democratic core of the country is in the team of officials elected last May by a margin of 3 to 1, only to be denied office by General Noriega. This team, headed by Endara, should take the lead in all changes.
Endara`s administration must immediately call an assembly to remove the current constitution, which provides for the supremacy of the PDF. Other steps must follow.
The PDF, in which the U.S. played such an active role developing, must be disbanded and replaced by a constabulary, patterned on the one in Costa Rica. President Bush should reinstate the security assistance program in Panama, with the stipulation that these monies be used exclusively for the
establishment of this constabulary. Some of the more professional members of the current PDF may be a part of the new force, though the government must remember that the primary characteristic of the PDF-institutional loyalty-will not change overnight.
While the legislature and judiciary must be reformed as well, the government bureaucracy will suffice for the time being.
Bush has taken the right first step by lifting economic sanctions and releasing escrowed accounts. Now the focus must be on restoring the international credibility of the banking system as well as on international transportation and free port affairs.
The daily operation of the canal, a critical lifeline for many Latin Amerian countries, had not been threatened by Noriega. But the corrupt dictator`s very presence, in addition to his conflict with the United States, had cast doubt on the viability of the canal under Panamanian control a decade hence. International confidence in the long-term value of the canal will only follow successful reforms.
The U.S. and the Panamanian government will have to cooperate closely on these reforms. In addition to policies suggested above, Washington should send immediate medical supplies, emergency food and supplies to restore the nation`s basic infrastructure.
This crisis has been developing relentlessly for many years and will not be overcome overnight. Patience, common sense, good will and sound planning will be indispensable from Panamanians and North Americans. If these qualities prevail, Panamanians and the entire international community will benefit greatly from the result for years to come. | <urn:uuid:3175683c-ef44-41a4-9676-44057d48466c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1989-12-27/news/8903210086_1_president-guillermo-endara-panamanian-panama-defense-forces | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.951093 | 1,049 | 1.796875 | 2 |
Egyptian political parties must deliver 10 key human rights reforms to deliver the new Egypt promised by the “25 January Revolution”, Amnesty International said today.
A month ahead of parliamentary elections, the organization is asking all candidates in Egypt’s elections to sign a “manifesto” to signal that they are serious about meaningful human rights reform.
“The political parties competing in next month’s elections have a big responsibility – the Egyptian people have a right to expect that they will finally see the changes which, almost a year since 25 January, still seem so far away,” said Amnesty International.
“Justice and the end of repression were among the key demands of Egypt's demonstrators. Political parties now need to set out their programmes to address a legacy of abuse and make concrete human rights pledges”.
“Under the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, Egyptians fear that one repressive rule is being replaced with another. They are now looking to political leaders to take decisive action to end the injustice and abuses which have marred Egypt for the last 30 years.”
Since the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces assumed power in February, the end of the state of emergency has been promised, but the Emergency Law has been expanded. And despite the apparent abolition of the State Security Investigations Service, arbitrary detention has gone unabated and thousands of civilians have unfairly been tried by military courts.
Amnesty International also called for an end to the marginalisation of women in Egyptian political life, releasing a new briefing paper on the barriers to women’s participation in the public life of the country.
In Women Demand Equality in Shaping New Egypt Amnesty International calls on the Egyptian authorities to take concrete steps to ensure that women are central in shaping the future of the country.
Only nine of the 454 seats in parliament were held by women after the 2005 elections, with five of the nine appointed by President Mubarak. The number increased in the 2010 elections because a quota system was introduced, although all the seats were eventually won by women from the ruling National Democratic Party, now disbanded.
“The optimism of earlier this year, when women played a crucial role in protests against former President Mubarak, has been dampened by the reality that women are still largely being excluded from political participation,” said Amnesty International.
“Now is the moment for the Government and political parties to match their stated commitment to women’s rights with real action to support their aspirations.”
The 10 pledges in Amnesty International’s Human Rights Manifesto for Egypt are:
1. End the state of emergency and reform the security forces
Repeal the Emergency Law. Fundamentally reform the security forces in line with international law and standards. Their structure and chain of command must be made public, and an oversight body established to independently and impartially investigate reports of abuse.
2. End incommunicado detention and combat torture
Detainees must have access in law and practice to the outside world, regularly and without delay, including to their families, lawyers of their own choosing and independent medical care. Torture and other ill-treatment must not be tolerated, and must be criminalized in line with international law. Reports of torture and other ill-treatment must be investigated. Places of detention must be publicly listed and subject to regular, unannounced, unrestricted and independent inspection.
3. Ensure fair trials
Everyone charged with an offence must have a fair trial by a competent, independent and impartial tribunal established by law. Military trials of civilians and trials before emergency courts must end; those convicted must be retried before civilian courts or released.
4. Uphold the rights to freedom of assembly, association and expression
Laws criminalizing the peaceful exercise of these rights must be repealed or brought in line with international law and standards. These include several articles of the Penal Code, the Law on Associations and Law No. 34 of 2011, which criminalizes demonstrations and strikes.
5. Investigate past abuses
There must be an independent, thorough and impartial inquiry into human rights violations under the rule of President Hosni Mubarak. It must make recommendations to prevent future abuses and to provide truth, justice and reparation to the victims.
6. Realize economic, social and cultural rights for all
People must have access to essential public services, including water, sanitation and health care, regardless of their place of residence or income. Workers’ rights, including the right to strike and the right to a fair minimum wage, must be upheld.
7. Uphold the rights of people living in slums
People living in informal settlements must be meaningfully consulted and able to actively participate in decisions affecting their future. They must have legal security of tenure. Forced evictions, which are dangerous, humiliating and illegal under international law, must end. There must be a comprehensive plan to address inadequate housing conditions that threaten lives and health.
8. End discrimination
Legal provisions discriminating against individuals on the basis of race, colour, religion, ethnicity, birth, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, or other status, must be brought in line with international law and standards or abolished. This includes Presidential Decree 291/2005 on Christian places of worship. Sectarian attacks must be prevented and fully investigated and perpetrators brought to trial.
9. Protect women’s rights
Women must be full partners in the process of political and human rights reform. Women and men must be accorded equal rights in law to marriage, divorce, child custody and inheritance. Women must have legal protection from domestic violence, including marital rape, and sexual harassment. Penal Code articles 260-263 must be amended to allow abortion for women and girl survivors of rape and incest – or when a pregnancy poses a grave risk to health. Law No.126 of 2008 must be amended to prohibit female genital mutilation in all cases.
10. Abolish the death penalty
A moratorium on executions must be imposed pending abolition of the death penalty. | <urn:uuid:2eb30bde-a8af-4c75-8a0e-281a3c80e7a5> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.amnestyusa.org/research/reports/pressure-on-egyptian-political-parties-to-deliver-on-25-january-expectations?page=show | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00004-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.952538 | 1,237 | 1.78125 | 2 |
GNS and Other Matters of Role-Playing Theory, Chapter 3
by Ron Edwards
Chapter Three: Stance
Chapter Two was about what a person wants out of role-playing; this material is about specific acts and moments of role-playing, that is, what a person does. Stance is defined as how a person arrives at decisions for an imaginary character's imaginary actions.
Stance and GNS
Stance is very labile during play, with people shifting among the stances frequently and even without deliberation or reflection.
Stances do not correspond in any 1:1 way to the GNS modes. Stance is much more ephemeral, for one thing, such that a person enjoying the Gamist elements and decisions of a role-playing experience might shift all about the stances during a session of play. He or she might be Authoring most of the time and Directing occasionally, and then at a key moment slam into Actor stance for a scene. The goal hasn't changed; stance has.
However, I think it's very reasonable to say that specific stances are more common in some modes/goals of play. Historically, Author stance seems the most common or at least decidedly present at certain points for Gamist and Narrativist play, and Director stance seems to be a rarer add-on in those modes. Actor stance seems the most common for Simulationist play, although a case could be made for Author and Director stance being present during character creation in this mode. These relative proportions of Stance positions during play do apparently correspond well with issues of Premise and GNS. I suggest, however, that it is a given subset of a mode that Stance is facilitating, rather than the whole mode itself. Some forms of Simulationism, for instance, may be best served by Director Stance, as opposed to other forms which are best served by Actor Stance. Similarly, some forms of Narrativism rely on Actor Stance at key moments.
Consider the previous example of a group who has arrived at the agreement to role-play a vampire-character game, with three members who have radically different GNS and Premise approaches but share a superficial commitment to "story," undefined. What sort of Stances might be most common during play, from each of them? (In this example, each person represents one possible approach within each of the modes, and does not represent the entirety of a mode.)
Let us take pity, though, and suggest that they do happen to share enough Stance preferences, of some sort. They don't have to be exactly alike! Getting the most out of a GNS mode of play does not mean cleaving unswervingly to a Stance, but arranging Stances relative to specific types of scenes, decisions, and moments of play. Again, speaking historically rather than by definitions,
Misunderstandings and complications
A great deal of attention and rhetoric is devoted to "in-character" (IC) and "out-of-character" (OOC) role-playing, but I think that this topic is not related to Stance. IC role-playing, at its most literal, means that the role-player is using first-person diction to communicate the character's actions, and OOC role-playing means that he or she using third-person diction. However, that issue and the decision-making aspects of the Stance issue do not precisely correspond. Otherwise-excellent discussions and guidelines can be derailed or muddied by this problem. In the text of Nobilis, for instance, IC/OOC terminology is consistently used to indicate, as far as I can tell, Actor vs. Author Stance.
Another common misunderstanding of Actor Stance is to confound it with "acting" in the histrionic, communicative sense - using a characteristic voice, gestures, and so on. The communicative and demonstrative aspects of "acting" are not involved in Actor Stance at all, which only means that the player is utilizing the character's knowledge and priorities to determine what the character does.
Taking the above two points together, Actor Stance may be seen in the most technical-realist style play (which may use entirely third-person diction) as well as in the most channel-the-PC Turku play (which may use entirely first-person, in-character-voice diction).
Immersion is another difficult issue that often arises in Stance discussions. Like "realism" and "completeness" and several other terms, it has many different definitions in role-playing culture. The most substantive definition that I have seen is that immersion is the sense of being "possessed" by the character. This phenomenon is not a stance, but a feeling. What kind of role-playing goes with that feeling? The feeling is associated with decision-making that is incompatible with Director or Author stance. Therefore, I suggest that immersion (an internal sensation) is at least highly associated with Actor Stance. Whether some people get into Actor stance and then "immerse," or others "immerse" and thus willy-nilly are in Actor stance, I don't know.
The term Audience Stance has been proposed elsewhere, but at this point I am not convinced that the phenomenon exists. It remains as a potential topic for discussion. | <urn:uuid:6e4a7c3f-0fe1-436c-9a48-6bb5e4eb1288> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.indie-rpgs.com/articles/4/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00005-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.969671 | 1,097 | 1.585938 | 2 |
Aubrey Gardner and Gaston College were made for each other.
In 2000, she was a dropout with a strong desire to finish her education. Gaston’s adult high school offered her the opportunity. Thirteen years and the loss of her waitressing job later, she’s closing in on an associate degree in one of Gaston’s technology programs.
Her admirable perseverance is paying off with academic success and, she recently learned, recognition awarded to only one Gaston student annually.
Gardner is this year’s worthy recipient of the N.C. Community College System Academic Excellence Award at Gaston.
Not only has she done what it takes to equip herself with employment skills that will carry her into the future, she’s done it while fully participating in student life opportunities that Gaston offers – student government, the student ambassador program, Rotaract Club and Honor Society.
Educational opportunity is what Gaston College is all about, the chief reason it contributes so much to life in our community.
While more and more traditional students are turning to the community college for both a quality and affordable education, Gaston excels at offering second chances for students like Gardner.
Without Gaston, there’s a good chance these students would spend their lives scratching for the fewer and fewer low-paying jobs that are available for people with no or limited skills. Too many burden society with their support and upkeep and raise another generation to do the same.
Gaston offers an alternative. Its low cost, coupled with available financial aid, makes it affordable for anyone determined to pursue a better life without leaving their community.
College staff and faculty excel in helping students who need flexibility in obtaining an education. Many juggle school, work and family life. The strong support system on campus helps them carry the load. Classes are held days, evenings and online.
In particular, Gaston offers programs that equip students for the real world. The focus is on education that leads to employment.
Gaston County has been fortunate to have Gaston College for nearly a half century. Its story is best told by students like Gardner who experience success at Gaston in ways that they have never known.
Learning that she had been chosen to receive this year’s prestigious award brought tears to the young woman’s eyes.
“It was a sure sign that my life was starting to turn around and that good things were starting to come my way, sooner rather than later,” she said.
Congratulations, Aubrey Gardner!
And to you, too, Gaston College, for offering second chances to so many people who first taste success on this community’s college campus. | <urn:uuid:c7d34df0-bcb8-4ea9-ac14-0acc1f364ab9> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.gastongazette.com/opinion/our-opinion/editorial-gaston-college-offers-second-chance-for-success-1.103770 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00003-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.971416 | 559 | 1.53125 | 2 |
Most businesses venture into social media expecting to see a big return on investment. The hope is that new customers
will come in droves, and that the benefits and revenue generation will be huge. However, this is rarely the case. It takes time to build momentum with social media, and the benefits aren’t always as obvious as we would like.
If you’re feeling a bit skeptical about social media marketing and whether or not it’s worth the effort, following are some reasons why it may be working better than you realize.
1. Brand Recognition – One of the most powerful ways to use social media is as a brand-building tool. With social media, you get to decide how you want to position your company and what you want people to know about what you do. With consistent effort and great content, you can build a reputation for your brand around your company’s values, benefits, and advantages.
2. Community – There is nothing like social media when it comes to cultivating a community. When your followers become part of your community, you gain instant access to them. That means you can find out what challenges they are facing and what they like and don’t like about your offerings. You can engage in ongoing dialog that can be more valuable than any kind of paid market research.
3. Repeat Exposure – There is an old marketing adage that says it takes six to eight exposures to a product before a customer decides to buy. A clear benefit of social media is repeat exposure with your network. You have the opportunity to remind them over and over again about what you have to offer, which can shorten your sales cycles dramatically.
4. Authority – For coaches, consultants, authors, speakers, and other service-based businesses, social media can be very powerful in helping you establish authority in your field—making you the go-to resource for your target audience to seek out for help. Share great content, answer questions, and serve your audience, and you will inevitably build loyal fans.
5. Influence – As your following increases, your influence grows. Having a substantial social media audience creates a snowball effect that can attract new customers, media interviews, joint venture partnerships, and all kinds of other opportunities. It’s a bit like when you see a crowd hovered around something. You can’t help but want to see what all the fuss is about, so a large audience will only attract more interest.
6. Website Traffic – Many people don’t realize that social media can be a leading traffic generator. When you share blog posts, videos and other content from your website, you give your audience a reason to click through and visit your site. Once there, you have the opportunity to inspire those visitors to take action by inviting them to sign up for your mailing list, make a purchase, or call to schedule a free consultation. Install traffic monitoring service, such as Google Analytics, and if you are committed to your social media efforts, you will clearly see that social media brings traffic. Also, make sure that your visitors receive a clear call to action when they visit your site so that you can convert that extra traffic into business opportunities.
7. Ahead of the Curve – Whether you realize it or not, your prospects and clients are checking to see if you are engaging in social media. I always find it a bit odd when I’m investigating a potential service provider online and I can’t locate a social media presence or worse, I find Facebook pages that haven’t been updated in months, empty Twitter feeds, and a clear lack of interest in engaging. Social media isn’t a fad and it’s not going away. Even if it’s not your top priority, if you stay current with activity, your prospects will notice.
8. Mindshare with Lurkers – There may be days when you wonder if anyone is paying attention to your social media networks. But if your efforts are consistent, I guarantee that more people are paying attention than you realize. Give it time and you’ll start to understand what’s happening behind the anonymity of the internet. You will eventually hear from people who say, “I’ve been following you on Twitter for ages. I love your posts!”
9. Competitive Advantage – The reality is that most of your competitors aren’t likely doing a very good job with social media (most companies aren’t), which gives you the chance to stand out. Also consider the flip side. If you avoid social media, you leave a big opening that allows your competitors to capture your audience.
10. Big Wins – While many businesses large and small are trying to justify the cost and time investment for managing social media marketing, an important benefit often gets overlooked: Big Wins. For example, if someone from LinkedIn connects you with a significant government contract, then that would certainly qualify as a Big Win. If a major media outlet finds you on Twitter and interviews you for a national article, then that is also a Big Win—one that you can’t measure based on revenues directly generated.
Big Wins don’t happen often, but when they do, they make it all worthwhile. It’s easy to forget results like these six months down the road you’re trying to assess whether your social media efforts are paying off. But that one contract you landed could cover your social media marketing costs for years. And that major media interview could lead to subsequent interviews and a line item on your resume that impresses a corporate sponsor three years from now. Never forget to factor in the Big Wins in social media.
Stephanie Chandler is a professional speaker and author of Own Your Niche: Hype-Free Internet Marketing Tactics to Establish Authority in Your Field and Promote Your Service-Based Business. She writes a small business blog, a publishing and social media blog, and she is addicted to Twitter. | <urn:uuid:7cbe1a8c-0d19-4632-9830-6ef39ed82c53> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.forbes.com/sites/work-in-progress/2013/03/12/the-hidden-benefits-of-social-media-marketing-why-your-strategy-may-be-working-better-than-you-think/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.940393 | 1,221 | 1.539063 | 2 |
Free H1N1 Flu Vaccine Clinic at County Community Services Center
(Santa Ana) The Orange County Health Care Agency (HCA) expects H1N1 activity to continue throughout the influenza season and is recommending that all individuals, especially those on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention target list, get vaccinated as another increase in H1N1 illness could occur later this season. Due to an increase in the availability of the vaccine in Orange County, the Health Care Agency has lifted all restrictions on the use of H1N1 vaccine and is now making it available to all interested individuals.
There will be a free H1N1 flu vaccine clinic at the County Community Services Center (CCSC) on Friday, February 5, 2010 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The CCSC is located at:
15460 Magnolia Westminster, CA 92683 (714) 889-4105
“Now that the restrictions have been lifted, I would encourage everyone to get the H1N1 vaccination,” said Supervisor Janet Nguyen, Chair of the Orange County Board of Supervisors. “This has been a particularly severe flu season, so it is important that people get vaccinated and take all proper precautions.”
If you are unable to attend this clinic, you can also receive a vaccine from the Health Care Agency. Call the Health Referral Line at (800) 564-8448 for additional information. A list of additional community clinics offering the H1N1 vaccine can be found by visiting the HCA Web site at http://www.ochealthinfo.com/.
In addition to getting vaccinated, it is important to remember that you can do simple things every day to reduce your chance of getting sick. One of the most effective measures to protect yourself is washing your hands with soap and water. If you cannot wash your hands, use a hand sanitizer. Also, remember to cover your cough and stay home if you are sick.
The most current local information about H1N1, including target groups of individuals at highest risk for complications of H1N1 influenza, can be found at http://www.flu.gov/ or on the HCA Web site at http://www.ochealthinfo.com/.
Supervisor Janet Nguyen serves as Chair of the Orange County Board of Supervisors and represents the First District. She also serves as Chair of the OCTA’s Transit Committee. She represents more than 600,000 people, covering the cities of Garden Grove, Santa Ana, Westminster and the unincorporated community of Midway City. Orange County ranks sixth in the nation as the most populous county and has the nation’s seventh highest annual budget.
Contact: Diane Nguyen 714.834.3110 | <urn:uuid:7576a1dd-4880-45de-ab8c-baadc5feeb0e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://ocgov.com/gov/bos/1/news/details?NewsID=240&TargetID=23 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00005-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.950092 | 570 | 1.789063 | 2 |
Waste your life. Be an artist.
Is being an artist a waste of time? The struggles and uncertainty certainly don’t make such a career very inviting. But they’re no deterrent for curator Scott Wood, who, along with 17 other artists, will winkingly prove art is worthwhile with the seventh annual Waste your life. Be an artist group show. And how strongly do they feel about “wasting” their lives? Some have tattoos of the show’s theme — literally and figuratively.
Roxy Montoya: “It’s not an ordinary portrait, it’s of a hard-working artist’s hand holding some tools of the trade. I wanted to incorporate the show title in there somewhere, and figured branding it on the hand as a tattoo was fitting! I really wanted the painting to reference my own hand, but holding the four items plus taking a decent photo was frustrating! So I used [husband and artist Albert F. Montoya] as a hand model …”
Juan Muniz: “I even have the logo tattooed on myself. My painting depicts my character, Felipe, as a child painting away franticly onto the canvas, getting paint all over the place, only to put down a heart on the canvas. The excitement of a child when they create it is limitless. … Pablo Picasso once said, ‘Every child is an artist — the problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up.’ My art is based on that belief. We get jaded as we grow up [and] become what society believes we should be …”
If you miss Waste your life during First Friday, you can also see the show during the Family BBQ on Saturday, July 7, at the Bunkhouse, where acts like Deadhand, One Pin Short and Outside Looking In will perform.
Waste your life. Be an Artist. Seventh anniversary show, July 6, 5-11 p.m., Common Ground First Friday Gallery Booth on Casino Center Boulevard. Waste your life. Family BBQ July 7, 7 p.m., The Bunkhouse, 124 S. 11th St., $7, www.wasteyourlifebeanartist.com.
Fact or faked? Local photographer Nathan Douglas takes advantage of the wild social landscape of Las Vegas, re-creating surreal and outrageous scenarios, playing out situations to their limits.
Douglas: “I did this series to show people my world and how I see the relationships and human interactions that take place around me. … My friends’ bright red 1990 Mustang 5.0 inspired the image ‘Good Time.’ It just gave me the gritty feeling of two wild young adults going out to have a good time. No romantic blanket and picnic basket, this is about escaping and going to the desert, where you can get away with this kind of stuff and have a sort of unruly and raw freedom.
“I shot this image outside of Blue Diamond. It doesn’t seem like a lot happens in that town. About five minutes into the shoot, we got quite an audience. Lots of onlookers and honking horns from those slowly passing by … the models definitely took note of the onlookers and started to play it up even more, as if they were putting on a show for them.”
Through July 28. Brett Wesley Gallery, 1112 S. Casino Center Blvd, 433-4433, www.brettwesleygallery.com.
Katie Baldwin, Nichola Kinch, Katie Murken
The Garden of Forking Paths
Wandering through a transparent lattice of garden walls, viewers encounter framed drawings of trees, totems and a winding, knitted ribbon of water snaking through the exhibit. Each work by Katie Baldwin, Nichola Kinch and Katie Murken serves to complement and strengthen the others. The porous stone walls and windows throughout the Contemporary Art Center — crafted by Kinch — create conflicting sensations of exterior and interior spaces, enhancing similar ideas found in Baldwin’s woodblock/collage landscape prints. Meanwhile, Murken’s columns, composed of logs and casts of deflated basketballs, waiver between spiritual totems and the naked trees of a fractured wooded landscape.
Offering a little insight into the collaborative process of creating the installation, Baldwin explains: “For me, an important part of the process of developing work for this show was meeting weekly for group critiques. Perhaps it is no surprise that listening to others talk about my work helped me to see my work in a new way — opening up new possibilities. It’s amazing how helpful it can be to hear from someone else that knitting a river, cutting tedious shapes out of paper or building columns out of logs are all good ideas.”
Through August 18. Contemporary Art Center, 107 E. Charleston Blvd, 382-3886, www.lasvegascac.org.
A great ball of shoes sits on a tray table (on top of two more tray tables) and is lashed to the ceiling. Several attached cables create the impression of a bizarre, unruly comet that might blast off. The exhibit’s goal? Addressing nuclear warfare.
Jevijoe: “The project was initially inspired from nuclear fusion, a process by which two or more atomic nuclei join together, or ‘fuse.’ The shoes tied together [into] a ball suggests community, unity in diversity … they are worn by diverse people.
“With a pair of shoes … you have the left shoe and the right shoe … and in the Cold War era, you have the right usually associated with United States and its allies, and left with communist countries, like the USSR. They are different, but basically the same. They split, they fuse [but] they need each other today in order to survive.”
Through July, 5th Wall Gallery, Emergency Arts, 520 Fremont St., 592-1467. | <urn:uuid:f8bc82a0-dcc5-45de-a185-a86e758934ab> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://lasvegascitylife.com/sections/ae/art/july%E2%80%99s-first-friday-roundup.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704713110/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516114513-00011-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.943922 | 1,245 | 1.6875 | 2 |
Will it be difficult to have two kids two years apart?
The optimal age gap to leave between children is often debated. Many parents discuss whether it is better to have siblings far apart or close in age. What are the pros and cons of having two kids two years apart?
In the past psychologists have said that the "ideal" time between children is 3 years. However my two youngest are 22 months apart. The only "difficulty" I faced was having 2 kids in diapers at the same time and that was not really difficult. It simply inspired me to encourage the older one to get potty trained.
The best thing about it I discovered as the boys got older was that the older of the two felt very protective of his brother and still does to this day when they are 31 and 33!
I did not plan to have them that close together but then the saying goes "Man plans, God laughs".
i dont think so i had my kids two years apart and i never had a problem if anything it was easier because i had my daughter first and two years after my son she loved the idea of being an older sister and that helped her to mature and be more independent over the years they shared a bond that they still share up to today they are 20 and 18 and i must say watching them grow up together was a joy i myself was and only child and although being an only child had it's perks it was really lonely at times so as long as you know it would'nt be a problem financially it should'nt be difficult at all
I am just going to be honest I don't think it really matters how many years kids are apart. Kids will be kids and have their own personalities. Which means sometimes they will collide with each other or maybe have a lot in common. Some may get along great while others want to strangle each other. My kids are 10 (boy), and two girls who missed sharing the same bday by 4 hours so they are almost exactly 2 years apart. My kids get along great of course there are the moments like all kids have but for the most part they are wonderful with each other. I haven't had any complaints other than the diapers yes that gets pricey. I am blessed to be a SAHM so I think that helps out because they are around each other more and have to learned to get along. When they start arguing I quickly make them resolve it so that they learn to fix their problems rather than drag them out. Money of course will always be an issue no matter what age gap your kids have :)
My kids are 6 4 2 and 11 months soon to be 7 5 3 1 lol but yes they fight and argue but then theres 11 years between me and my sister and we fight !! its up to you to have the patience to have a baby and a toddler ... Potty training can be time consuming and if your planning to breast feed it can be tricky...I have the younger two at home now and its great they play well together and they all are the best of friends I think a two year gap is perfect .
I have 5 with the 6th on the way... my girls are 16 & 7 yr old and my boys are 6, 4 and 1. I'm not sure want the baby will be yet, should know that next week when I go for my ultra sound. My 7 yr old and 6 yr old are about 15 months apart and my 1 yr old and baby will be about 16 mo apart.
My 16 yr old doesn't much want anything to do with her siblings, cause they just don't have the same interest. My 4 yr old seems to be the odd man out sometimes, since the 6 & 7 yr old are into the same things and they don't want a "baby" around and the 1 yr old just isn't ready to play like the 4 yr old does. Out off all the gaps I liked the less then 2 yr gap the best... but after a baby in 2004, 2005, a sugery in 2006 and a baby in 2007 - my body needed a brake which is why we waited to have the baby in 2010 whihc ended with post-partum complications and the latest due in Nov was a suprise, but a blessing and will be our last.
Anyways the reason I like the less then 2 yr gap is because they seem to be close... altough you don't have twins, they somewhat act like twins. The 2 that are only 15 mo apart do almost everything together... including finding them in the same room every morning eventhough then have seperate rooms. When they are apart, they look for eachother eventhough when they are together they do fight some. But who doesn't fight with siblings or spouses now and then? The only down falls are the cost of diapers and trying to cuddle with eachone and give them special time, but we have mannaged to be able to do both without to may issues. Man I have had at least one in diapers for over 7 yrs now... I'm not going to know what to do when they are all out and potty trained in a few years.
I have heard that they say that 3 yrs are needed for the body to fully recover & to decrease issues with baby & delivery and also to give baby a lot of needed attention to start of on the right foot. But all in all I think it is a presonnal preferance thing. All gaps have pros and cons to them - when you are ready for the next then it is time.
My kids are 12 months and 20 days apart... they're both girls. They will be turning 2 and 3 in July. I LOVE having them this close. It makes it difficult on me sometimes, and sure - they fight... but they have a built in playmate all the time. My siblings and I were all spaced out so much, that we really had NOTHING in common but DNA until we were adults, or nearing adulthood. No one can promise you that your children will be best friends, but I think siblings are important - having them teaches you a lot about life in general. We're expecting baby #3 in December, so he or she will be 2 1/2 years younger than my youngest. We'll see how that goes :) I may be singing a different tune a year from now.
My children are 2 years apart. I thought they would be closer if the age was closer...being able to hang out together and enjoying the same things. My brother and I are a little less than 2 years apart and we got along great! I was wrong though...my children argue alot. They only have a few common interests and the hormones of puberty make them act rediculously towards eachother. I can't really say if it is a good age difference or not. I personally think there is no age difference that will be perfect. I think it is more the personalities of the children that makes or breaks it.
I have a currently 16 month old daughter and I'm 27 weeks pregnant with my second (a baby boy - how perfect?!). My daughter will be 19 months old when he's due and a lot of people have said to me that they think it's too close in terms of their age, however I feel it's gonna be better. I think as long as you can cope with having children as close together as having two in two years then it's not a problem - it's personal preference.
I think that having two kids any length of time apart can be difficult. I have a daughter that's 16 months and a son that's 9 weeks, and even though some days I feel like pulling my hair out, I wouldn't change it for anything. My daughter is so helpful and sweet towards her brother, it's adorable to watch, and he just lights up and smiles when she gives him kisses. I think as they get older it'll be easier than it is right now, but I'm going to enjoy them as babies because they grow up too fast.
i had 3 in four years. before i had 1 everyone thought i wouldn't have the patience needed. when she was handed to me there was nothing greater. no one could believe how patient i was. then number 2 then number 3. girl, boy, girl. everyday wasn't perfect but i wouldn't trade one. my mom was the most amazed as she watched me make cookies on the holidays flour everywhere on us the floor, burned slightly raw and icing of all colors too. that was our typical day. it was nice they were close and they would change sides against each other too and cause fights but now they are 28, 26,24, the 26year old son is married and made me a grandma. are there cons? i suppose when i was going through it but just like the pain of labor that memory is all distant and only the good ones
remain and the relationship they shared and share now is worth everything we went through.
I think 2 years apart is pretty special. They can be in the same school for a couple years atleast and I believe that the bond is stronger if it is less years apart. But that's my only experience so I can't say having older siblings wouldn't be great either. But I have a 13 year old son and 11 year old son and 11 year old daughter and they seem to hit it off pretty good. Ofcourse the boys hang out more together and my daughter feels left out but then it changes because the boys get sick of eachother.
I have a 5 year old, a 2 year old, 1 year old and baby due this October - so I will have 3 one year apart (and 4 five years or under!) What I have found is that I tend to suffer a bit from guilt - that I am unable to spend the same time exclusively with the 1 year old as I was able to with the 2 year old - that sort of thing. I have to keep reminding myself that they only know what they experience, they aren't making the comparisons, I am. The children are completely in love with one another and I find that getting things done (especially now that I am 31 weeks pregnant) is much easier when they are able to entertain one another and play for hours on end. They are already sharing secret jokes and coming up with their own silly songs. My 1 year old just loves following the bigger kids around and is such a tolerant and easy-going little boy, I am sure much of that results from observing his siblings and 'learning' to enjoy being rough and tumbled from an early age! My 2 year old daughter is extremely nurturing and loves 'making cups of tea' and bathing her baby dolls... she can't wait for the new baby to arrive and has already claimed that she will be the one that feeds it, changes it and puts it to bed! She also has her older brother to look up to and is potty trained, experimenting with cutting with scissors, holding her pen correctly and cutting her food with her knife etc - her younger brother, in turn, is anxious to get started too! It's hard to know what the 'best' age gap is, to be honest, I don't know that there is one, there must be pros and cons for every scenario and in the end, the way it is is the only way they experience it - and, hopefully, they are all having the time of their lives!
As far as sibling rivalry goes...
My aunty waited 3-4 years between her 3 boys because there was a theory around that a baby needed 3-4 years to bond with mom before the next came along. Now they are 30, 26 and 23 and they only talk to each other when they absolutely have to.
I have a lot of siblings, we are 33, 31, 30, 28, 24, 22 yrs old and we all get along great. Outside of my husband they are my greatest source of comfort and support and I wouldn't swap one of them for the world. My mom is still on the scene and of course I love her very much too. I am just as close with my brother who is 8 yrs younger as with my sister who is 1 yr older.
In terms of giving your kids the best chance to become friends I think it is more important to look at your parenting style than the age gap. Try and make sure not to play favorites.
There are always difficulties in having more than one child, however far apart they are in age (unless there are more than 14 years apart and you can get the oldest to help out!).
A lot of people I know seem to have had kids around 3 years apart (although this has been changing recently). Nowadays, people seem to have kids either really close together or really far apart.
I have two sisters. One is 6 years older than me, the other is 1 year younger. I get on better with my older sister most of the time (although the two of them used to get on better than I did with either of them when we were younger). There are 5 years between my kids (that wasn't deliberate, it just happened that way). It was good in a way because my oldest didn't get pushed out as he was already at school and I could concentrate on spending time with the little one without neglecting the oldest.
However, I know people who have had 3 or 4 children within a very short space of time (one even having 2 sets of twins within 18 months of each other!). Of course, it would be difficult although a good thing would be that routines can be continued rather than changed and rearranged and then changed back again. Once all of the kids are out of nappies, sleeping through the night, eating "proper" food, etc. it can be seen as a good thing to have got it all out of the way rather than having to go back to it.
Also, sometimes (not always). If, say, there are children only 1 or 2 years apart and one is, say, potty training. The other may want to follow. Saying that, if there are more years apart, the younger one might want to copy the older one at things.
It's really a difficult thing to answer. There are pros and cons to close or far apart. Neither is better or worse. Although I don't think that having them 10 years apart is good, you end up with a toddler and a teenager. I wouldn't like that!
I have 3 children with 21 months between each birth. I found that number 2 fitted in to our lives very easily. I was still in baby mode and soon adjusted to life with two babies. I really struggled when number 3 was born though. 3 under 3 1/2 was tough! Now they are a bit older (5 1/2, almost 4, and 2) it's easier, but number 1 and 2 fight like cat and dog, although they both adore the baby. I chose to have my children close together as there's 6 years between my sister and I, and we never had anything in common as we were growing up.
My daughter was 2 when our son was born. She immediately informed me "that is her baby" . After discussing it was not hers but mine, she was satisfied that it was "her brother". She was the best helper. The second child was much easier because I had a paci retriever, bottle holder, and champion diaper fetcher. I dont know what I would have done without her.
I have 3 girls, the oldest 4, middle 2 and baby was born in April. Let me tell you this, it is very challenging at times, but they are very close to one another. Especially the oldest 2. They fight a lot - as it is in our human nature, because no 2 persons can be the same, but I don't think they fight more than other sisters and brothers. As long as you give them the same amount of attention, I don't think it would be more challenging than having more than 1 child no matter what the age difference. Some days I think that I will end up in a loony bin before I reach my next birthday, BUT to be perfectly honest, I wouldn't have it any other way. A mother just has the strength and patience to carry it through to the next moment, the next day and the next years to come, because of that instant love she has for her child while it is still growing inside of her. Parenting is one of the most challenging tasks one can have - as my mother would say, No one said it would be easy, but it will most definitely be worth it!!
I have a 5 yo, a 3 yo, a 1 yo, and I'm pregnant. While things haven't been super easy, things haven't been difficult either. My older two are 22 months apart to the day. My middle two are 21 months and 5 days apart. My younger two will be approximately 28 - 29 months apart. The three children I have now have all been different and have all handled the same situations differently. Lily (1st) is independent. She taught /herself/ how to do most things, such as eat with utensils, use the toilet, and even read. She potty-trained shortly after Iris was born. Iris (2nd), on the other hand, cares very little about things that don't interest her. She doesn't care to eat with a spoon or fork, doesn't care if she's in a diaper until she's 40, and the only learning activity she wants to do is see how many buttons she can press on her sisters. Rose is the most observant. She doesn't talk much, but she mimicks everything her sisters do, which the older two did not do at that age and the oldest would not stop yapping. She also understands Spanish better than her sisters do. I am positive that Daisy/Dorian (unborn) will be just as different as her/his sisters. The pros and cons of having children close in age doesn't truly matter by age gap; it really depends on the parents' and the children's personalities.
We have three boys - ages 4, 2 and 1. Most days are crazy, but I wouldn't trade it for anything. I love that they are at the same stages and growing up together. Yes, there are a lot of diapers and laundry, but the blessings far outweigh the burdens.
my daughters are 1yr and 4mths apart and it was the best thing ever. i can potty train both at the same time and they are learning together and are the best of friends. however there is some of that sibling rivarly in there too. but that is too be expected.
I had 2 boys 25 months apart, it was fabulous!!! The older one was my helper and liked that! The third one was 14 months after and it was more difficult!
My children were two years apart and I loved it...I was always busy, nursed one while the other sat on my lap and I read him a book, sometimes they both took a nap at the same time, that was heavenly. However, when my daughter slept, it gave me time with my son as well.....Yes, it was trying at times, but I would do it all over again....As they grew older, they were best friends and remain the same best friends at 28 and 30 years old.....
I can personally answer this question on my Mom's behalf, my sister and I are only 13 months. I am the eldest so I actually helped my sister be potty trained, help her by holding her hand to walk and to sit down and color so Mom could do work. She quotes that it was easier to have children that close in age because your pretty normally teaching certain things in life at the same time. Me and my sister seem to be closer than other sibling today than other siblings.
My kids are 10months apart. Girl is 6 and boy is 5. I love having them where they are they really are each others best friends. It has it struggles too but that is just kids. I always remind myself god will never give u more then u can handle.
I have two boys that are less than a year and half apart but two school grades and they are great friends. They basically had the same friends a built buddy at home, did the same stuff got along great. I think it was a major plus the minus is one is always better at stuff usually the older one and so sometimes the younger one feels less than. Its best to find there strengths and tell them about them explain there difference in a good way. My boys are 21 and 20, so far it hasn't been a bad thing its actually been a really good thing. AT a young age its really hard chasing two toddlers around but its such a short time it will done and gone before you know it. Enjoy your children they grow so quickly and sometimes you are struggling just to get through it that you miss on a lot so try to see what enjoyment there is now.
I think it really does not matter the age differences. I come from a rather unique family, with multiple sisters, aunts, cousins and assorted other relatives, the main feature being a DEARTH of males. My eldest sister is nearly 12 YEARS older than the next eldest, and yet my little sisters ( 5 of them between my age and age 15!) are all spaced between 14 and 18 MONTHS apart. MY eldest is 5, her next younger (triplet) sisters are just turning 2 in January ( 2013) I have then twins who turn 1 in December and am pregnant now. In my family we ADORE our children, (and they DO seem to keep on arriving!) ,born to all my sisters, aunts and cousins. So between us all, i'd think we can have experienced just about EVERY interval.. and you know what? there is pretty well NO difference in how the kids adjust, OR their mothers. OUR benefit comes from having so MANY relatives, it is never difficult to find a willing volunteer to sit with the girls.. I can see it would be much more difficult for single mothers, or persons who don't HAVE the loving father, or partner,, or who don't have the community of family we do at my house. My mother, she had children from the time she was 16 until she could no longer, ( she's 48 and had her most recent, a single girl, born in 2011), but that will be her last, as she had so many difficulties due to a bungling and incompetent doctor in Germany, that she can no longer. In total i have 12 sisters.. So "lucky 13" proved itself worthy of her auspicious number.. We have a wonderful relationship all of us,, even with our new baby sister, who was born the same day as my most recent twins. We love them all, don't we? so what else matters??
I had my daughter when my son was 2 years 2 weeks and to be honest it wasn't hard at all, however I had my 4th son when my 3rd son was 1 yr 1 mth and a year age gap is hard because they r both baby's and both need lots of attention, mind u I do have the eldest who also want attention just not as much as they r 8 and 6 now. On the other hand my sister had her daughter when her eldest was 7 and she found it hard as her 7 year old was used to having mummy to herself and was abit jealous not to mention getting on off to school and starting again with the sleepless nights. It's just personal choice.
I have 6 children aged 31, 30, 29, 27, 25 and 25.
The pros of having them so close together far outweighed the cons. They were playmates for each other, the ones who started school the year before were able to assist in teaching the newbies how things had to be done, they were into the same things most of the time when young, etc.
The cons were the bickering as they got older, the crying in unison when not given into, different tastes in food and clothes as they got older ( could be cooking 4 different meals each evening for dinner!)
They would argue like cats and dogs with each other but lord help any outsider who picked on any one of them - they would have the rest of them to deal with afterwards!
When small they were hard work but you are so busy 'getting on with it' that you don't realise just how hard. As they got older they were able to take on helping do chores around the house and make my load a little easier.
Saying all that, I wouldn't change what I had with them all - good and bad - for a lottery win!
i have t boys who are 2 years and 4 days apart, we had some streeful times but over all it was good for them to have a built in friend and playmate.some normal sibling rivaly,but are now to great grown men so they did surive :)
my two children were 17 1/2 months apart....and yes they were planned! My oldest was potty trained so just had one in cloth diapers. To me was so easy, they took naps at same time and played so good together.
Mine are 2yrs 5 months apart both girls, we have good days and bad days sometimes they get along great and sometimes they don't I think that's normal. They are now 7 and 10 the biggest problem between them is more that our oldest is in 6th (she is a summer baby having started k at 5 actually on her bday LOL and then skipped a year) and our youngest in in 2nd so while there is not much time between them there is a big gap in emotions and interests on the other hand when our oldest wants to just play like girls that are her own age she has a buddy to do so with bc our youngest just loves and idolizes her big sister. So they work as kind of a check and balance for each other right now big sister not letting little sister give up on things that are a bit more difficult for her and little sister keeping the older one from being too serious in the long run reminding her that its ok to just play sometimes.
Maybe this isn't so much about how the kids are with each other but the welfare of a woman. Having children closely spaced is physically, emotionally and mentally demanding especially if you breastfeed and/or the children don't start sleeping through the night at the right age. It also means you, as a mother, won't have special time with the older child without a sibling, that he/she will remember as they grow up.
You will often be harried, tired and consumed in the day to day activities of caring for multiple babies and toddlers. For instance, it will be constantly taking focus off a 2 year old who has to bend to the feeding, napping and eating schedule of an infant. There will be far fewer outing, beach trips, social opportunities, quiet time with Mama, etc. because taking one young child somewhere can be fun. Taking 2 is a potential nightmare, lol.
With, say, 5 years apart, the older child is more independent, can communicate better, is in school and there is a break for the mother to care for the infant at home. ( If she's a SAHM).
If a mother is able to withstand the sleep deprivation, toll on her body, lack of personal time and space, and inevitable hit to her relationships with other adults, including the children's father, then at least you can say having them close together gets childbearing out of the way early on.
However, if you are trying to create a healthy family where everyone's needs are met, then perhaps churning out kids in a short period of time is not the best plan.
My first two children, both girls, were 18 months apart. My third child, also a girl, was born three years after the second child. My forth child, a boy, was born 13 months after the third child. If you have a choice, I recommend a birth span of at least 17 to 18 months up to 30 months. I personally think children born within 15 months of their sibling will not be able to have the same quality time the other child experienced. I promise you, you will be too busy and too exhausted. Three years is a little long and has its own consequences, especially the effects on their relationship with each other during their preteen and teen years.
i rarther have kids five years apart because then one is out of diapers. or have one when the other one is potty training. i think it is easier. i grew up with a brother who was five years apart from me. my other two brothers were year apart and they always fight. me and my five year old brother did not fight hardly at all
Most of my kids are 20 months apart. I love that. They have common interests and share a lot of things. The set of kids I had 42 months apart, fight a lot more and just didn't bond the same way. The elder tries to mother the younger, could be her own personality, but I really couldn't say. I guess 24 to 30 months apart would be ideal for me.
My first 2 are 19mths apart ( 8 and 7) number 2 and 3( almost 6) are 14 mths apart and then I have a almost 2 year old, I love having them close together and wouldnt want it any other way in fact I hate having the last one so far behind makes me sad for him that he wont have a sibling closer to his age in fact thought about having ONE more just to give him that but after 4 c sections i thought my body had enough!
Mine are 17 1/2 months apart and man, I wouldn't have it any other day. A little rough for the first 3 months, but I got use to it after 2 weeks. My girls are BEST Friends. And the sleep thing, I wouldn't dare wait 3 yrs. and be sleep deprived all over again.
My first two son's have the 25 month separation, and there is a two and a half year separation between son #2 and son #3. With providing my body the break between children allowed me to lose some of the baby wieght that was gained during my pregnancy before I started to put in on again. This break between the pregnancy also allows one child to be almost out of diapers before another one is born. You don't have to worry about what the professionals are telling you, listen to what your body is telling you, looking back 14 years when my last son was born I wouldn't change a thing.
I have 5 girls ages 11 twins, 5, 3, and 5 mths. I honestly think it is easier to have them closer together because my 11 year olds want nothing to do with the 5,3, and 5 mth old, and my 5 and 3 year old are best friends. I really wish I had not spaced my first 2 pregnancys out . I think their are lots more pros than cons to having them 2 years apart. They will have alot more in common with each other and get along better. Less stress for mom less stress for kids.
I have no experience yet, but my daugther will be 21 months old when baby#2 arrives. We know it would not be a pice of cake, but we love the fact we will be able to enjoy many family activities directed to children of similar age. It took us kind of by surprise. We had planned to start looking for baby#2 in december, when the oldest was 18months, but we are excited, happy, scared, challenged and pretty much amazed!! So I'll guess in a few months I'll tell you all about it! | <urn:uuid:49671fe9-4c03-484d-85e8-eba5c887be2c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.circleofmoms.com/question/difficult-have-two-kids-two-years-apart-1700623 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00019-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.988923 | 6,538 | 1.773438 | 2 |
Fifteen years ago, Mairs first wrote about her faith journey in Ordinary Time, the book she calls her spiritual autobiography. In this book, she becomes more of an observer -- albeit an often acid-tongued one -- because of the progression of her multiple sclerosis, but she writes clearly and beautifully about the tenet of Catholic belief that undergirds her faith: incarnation, the idea "that we bear God into the world, in all God's complexity, and so God is always with(in) us."
This sense leads Mairs to undertake as many of Catholicism's corporal works of mercy as she can handle. She describes herself as a "radical pacifist," part of a group called the Women in Black (not all women, and not limited in wardrobe choice) who sit on a Tucson street corner to witness for peace. She and her husband George volunteer in a soup kitchen and periodically visit a condemned prisoner on death row in the Arizona prison system. And she worships as part of a group called the Community of Christ of the Desert, a group of former activists in the Sanctuary movement who love Catholic beliefs and forms of worship but decry what they see as the rigidity and growing irrelevance of the official Church hierarchy.
Despite being "not especially sanguine about humanity's prospects," Mairs is refreshingly candid, and her message is one of persevering amid the Big Questions. "If large numbers of perfectly ordinary people began to take care of each other and the creation in which we are all embedded," she writes, "a lot of people who trade in human misery would lose their access to wealth and supremacy." And that's a message that resonates among people of good will, regardless of religion. | <urn:uuid:c47d1b09-33bf-4676-a1c5-535e48869c53> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.inlander.com/spokane/article-13608-book-review.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00016-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.970005 | 352 | 1.695313 | 2 |
Venus Over Manhattan: Art heist at UES gallery snags Dali painting
An art thief managed to lift a famed painting off the wall of an Upper East Side gallery and walk out the door unnoticed.
The thief, who was captured on surveillance video, went after Salvadore Dali’s “Cartel de Don Juan Tenorio” at Venus Over Manhattan gallery on Wednesday afternoon. He reportedly told a security guard that he wanted to photograph the painting. The guard told him he could, as long as he didn’t use a flash. The guard then walked away, distracted by another gallery patron, and the thief made his move.
After the thief lifted the Dali from the wall, he slipped it into a shopping bag and left the gallery, according to the New York Post.
The watercolor-and-ink painting, worth about $150,000, was created by Dali in 1949. It was selected for Venus Over Manhattan by the gallery’s owner, art dealer Adam Lindemann.
The crook is described as a white man, 5-foot-6, 160 pounds and 35 to 42 years old, wearing a black and white checkered shirt. | <urn:uuid:b48e726d-a008-4e59-88db-863e08227207> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.metro.us/newyork/entertainment/arts/2012/06/22/venus-over-manhattan-art-heist-at-ues-gallery-snags-dali-painting | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00011-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.961666 | 250 | 1.71875 | 2 |
Two-Phase Waterfall: Implementation Considered Harmful
Robert C. Martin
Two-Phase Waterfall began to germinate in my mind while I was sitting in a QA meeting. Some quality assurance imp was droning on and on about defects and bug lists and customer complaints. Every time a defect was mentioned, the programmers whined endlessly about how the system wasn't designed to do what the customer needed. As the designer I knew that this was nonsense. But I was deeply concerned with what was happening to my design. The coders were ruining it!
As I sat their daydreaming, I realized that this always happens. My beautiful and elegant designs never seem to survive the coders. The designs always rot into some parody of their former glory.
And then it hit me. The designs weren't the problem, it was the code! Code ruins designs. The solution to this problem seemed so obvious that my jaw nearly hit the floor. All we have to do to preserve our designs is refuse to code them!
So I bought an MDA tool and started drawing designs that the tool could execute. What a joy! There were no programmers to ruin my design. There were not crass coding issues to destroy the abstract beauty of my structures. I was sure this was the answer.
Alas, it was not to be. I quickly found that even my executable models became sullied by the need to make them work. The horrid little details of actually making a system work were polluting and degrading my perfect designs. So I realized that it was not code that was to blame; though code certainly played its part. No, it was the details of execution that was ruining my designs. What a dilemma!
And then one night I was watching The Bridge over the River Kwai and drinking Guiness; and I heard Alec Guiness say: "It's got to be a proper bridge." And suddenly I knew!
If designs are ruined by execution details, then we should divorce designs from execution. Implementation is harmful to designs! Implementation ruins the elegance, beauty, and symmetry of designs. The problem is execution; and so it is execution that must be eliminated. As a community of designers we need to insist that our designs remain unexecutable!
All we are saying, is give design a chance. The code lies and designs die. The only good design is an unexecutable design. Stop all code. Pay for design, not for code! Code is not the answer! | <urn:uuid:203b22a6-7342-4a27-b07a-8220a50049a6> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.waterfall2006.com/martin.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00016-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.984689 | 512 | 1.5 | 2 |
Welcome, we trust your association with the school will be both challenging and rewarding.
International students are warmly received into our school's community and we value this opportunity for contact with other cultures. The school acknowledges that the learning it provides today needs to prepare all students for life in a global world.
Our aim is to provide the education best suited to the needs of our international students. We stress the importance of an academic curriculum supported by all the important sporting, cultural and social aspects of education.
At Timaru Boys' High School we aim to prepare our students for future tertiary and vocational opportunities and to provide international students with the necessary qualifications and fluency in English to succeed in their chosen career. International students will be fully supported in their learning and well cared for.
"We look forward to sharing the experience of our school and culture with you."
Mr Kevin O'Sullivan
Timaru Boys' High School is a signatory to the Ministry Of Education's Code of Practice for the Care of International Students. This means that when you enrol at our school you can be assured that the quality of care you will receive will be of the highest standard. Copies of the Code are available on request from the school or from the New Zealand Ministry of Education website at www.minedu.govt.nz.
Timaru Boys' High School is home to students from many different parts of the world. Our international students come mainly from the People's Republic of China, South Korea, Thailand, Japan, India and the Pacific Islands. Gap students come mainly from Europe.
Fee paying students are joined by students from other countries who are here on exchange with students from our school. Increasingly, we are seeing students from North and South America as well as Europe and Australia entering our school for both short and long term stays.
If you are interested in coming to New Zealand as an exchange student why not contact your local AFS branch, or us, for further details. We welcome contact from GAP students.
Before contacting the school, take time to read through the information contained in this site and especially the "Useful Information" page. There is a lot of detail there and in the downloadable PDF resources. If, after browsing through our website, you think Timaru Boys' High Shool is right for you but still have questions please Contact Us to find out more. | <urn:uuid:63047284-2fd8-4161-924a-58784eb005fe> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.timaruboys.school.nz/international/index.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00004-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.962201 | 482 | 1.5 | 2 |
How does your phone identify you as the owner?
Consider you’ve left your (smart)phone behind somewhere. A random good Samaritan picks it up and wants to return it to its rightful owner (you). How does he discover the means to contact you?
What if the phone is locked? What if the battery is dead?
This question is in the General Section. Responses must be helpful and on-topic. | <urn:uuid:ba8ad40f-314e-42c1-9a2a-950dc9748cf8> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.fluther.com/142554/how-does-your-phone-identify-you-as-the-owner/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00012-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.948279 | 89 | 1.632813 | 2 |
The staff of the Committee on Open Government is authorized to issue advisory opinions.
The ensuing staff advisory opinion is based solely upon the information presented in your
I have received your letter of June 7. You wrote that the Southold Town Board has
designated an "Anti-Bias Task Force that serves "as a community resource to which the
public is encouraged to turn with complaints about bias-related incidents." The Task Force
"would like to maintain a logbook in order to keep a record of incidents by date, facts, names,
etc.", and you asked whether "the information in such a logbook [would] be available to the
public, including the individual complainant's name and type of bias incident reported." You
added that the Task Force is "concerned for individual privacy rights as they relate to bias
issues such as race, sexual orientation, religion, marital status, nationality."
In this regard, first, the logbook or any documentation maintained in relation to the
matter would fall within the scope of the Freedom of Information Law. As you may be
aware, that statute pertains to agency records, and §86(4) defines the term "record" broadly to
"any information kept, held, filed, produced, reproduced by,
with or for an agency or the state legislature, in any physical
form whatsoever including, but not limited to, reports,
statements, examinations, memoranda, opinions, folders, files,
books, manuals, pamphlets, forms, papers, designs, drawings,
maps, photos, letters, microfilms, computer tapes or discs,
rules, regulations or codes."
Second, as a general matter, the Freedom of Information Law is based upon a
presumption of access. Stated differently, all records of an agency are available, except to
the extent that records or portions thereof fall within one or more grounds for denial
appearing in §87(2)(a) through (i) of the Law. I note that the introductory language of §87(2)
refers to the ability to withhold "records or portions thereof" that fall within the grounds for
denial that follow. The phrase quoted in the preceding sentence indicates that there may be
instances in which a single record includes both accessible and deniable information, and that
an agency is required to review a record that has been requested to determine which portions,
if any, may properly be withheld.
Third, as you inferred, the exception to rights of access of primary significance
pertains to the protection of privacy, and §87(2)(b) permits an agency to deny access to
records insofar as disclosure would constitute "an unwarranted invasion of personal privacy."
In the context of your inquiry, irrespective of whether a complaint is made by an adult or a
minor, it has generally been advised that those portions of a complaint or other record which
identify complainants may be deleted on the ground that disclosure would result in an
unwarranted invasion of personal privacy. I point out that §89(2)(b) states that an "agency
may delete identifying details when it makes records available." Further, the same provision
contains five examples of unwarranted invasions of personal privacy, the last two of which
"iv. disclosure of information of a personal nature when
disclosure would result in economic or personal hardship to the
subject party and such information is not relevant to the work
of the agency requesting or maintaining it; or
v. disclosure of information of a personal nature reported in
confidence to an agency and not relevant to the ordinary work
of such agency."
In my view, what is relevant to the work of the agency is the substance of the complaint, i.e.,
whether or not the complaint has merit. The identity of a member of the person who made
the complaint is often irrelevant to the work of the agency, and in most circumstances, I
believe that identifying details may be deleted.
If a complaint is directed at an individual and that person is accused of bias or
misconduct, I believe that his or her privacy may merit protection as well. When a complaint
is made against an individual, and the complaint has not been substantiated, identifying
details pertaining to the person against whom the complaint is made may, in my opinion, also
be withheld or deleted.
It is suggested that a logbook or similar document be formatted in a way that enables
Town officials to identify and separate those items which typically may be withheld from
other aspects of the records, such as a description of an event or incident, the status of
investigation, and other elements that do not included personally identifying details, that
should be disclosed.
I hope that I have been of assistance. Should any further questions arise, please feel
free to contact me.
Robert J. Freeman | <urn:uuid:ab940789-3132-4196-a3a4-a7d513ee7380> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://docs.dos.ny.gov/coog/ftext/f12201.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00014-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.940133 | 1,012 | 1.5 | 2 |
I've been playing RTW and BI on and off for a long time but I've not really tried my hand at modifying the game. I'd like to try that now but I want to see what the limits of the game are for modifying. I have a few questions, if nobody minds...
1. Would it be possible to take the troop types from RTW and use them in BI?
2. Can you extend the boundaries of the map so it includes lets say, all of Scotland? Where can I find a tutorial to do this?
3. Alternately can I take a part of the map and enlarge it to make it the whole map? Like instead of the whole of Europe and North Africa, to just have, let's say, the Eastern Mediterranean? Would there be a tutorial to help me do this?
4. Can I make a whole new culture / religion - I've seen something to this effect but I'm not sure if you have to change an existing culture or religion to do it or if you can make a new one whole cloth.
5. Can the year be changed so it has like 11 summer turns and 1 winter turn to comprise a year?
I would like to focus on the reign of the first Caesars from Augustus to around the time of Nero in depth and particularly to focus on the rise of Jewish nationalism (leading to the great revolt of 70AD) as well as the rise of proto-Christianity. So it's not really a new scenario but more of an in depth treatment of a particular time period - with the length of the 'year' the different characters would become more involved and more important and allow the player to invest more time developing the character because it would be a long time before that character dies.
I hope there are still some players or gamers here who can help me! | <urn:uuid:089676f9-3a37-4a91-b37f-eeb5778104e8> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showthread.php?537388-What-are-the-limits-of-modifying-BI&s=50850b22c94f713c493391e65d1dd5f8&p=11383594 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368711005985/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516133005-00015-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.963794 | 376 | 1.523438 | 2 |
After I published my story on the 20th anniversary of the Gay-Straight Alliance at Phillips Academy Andover, I received this letter from alumna and writer Robin Chotzinoff, who now lives in Texas. She shares not only her reaction to how times have changed, but also what her 11-year-old daughter is doing to support LGBT rights. She's given me permission to repost it.
It's heartening to me to find such allies, especially of the younger generation. As I said in my article, I think the future is in good hands.
I read your story with great interest and optimism. In 1973, when I entered Andover in the first class of females, there was no such thing as a gay prep-school student, either male or female. At least, not until I got a few years older and realized there are gay students everywhere, always had been, always will be. I remember a wonderful story in the Andover Bulletin at least ten years ago, by K. Kelly Wise, simply called Gay At Andover, in which he interviewed alumni who were old even then, as well as openly gay. As a writer, I was fascinated by the truth and the history. I was also proud of Andover for acknowledging its gay history, even if it took several hundred years to get around to it. I'm also impressed that your student group was the second oldest in the country. [Not really "my" group; just one I covered for the article. —Dana]
There is not much to be encouraged by in society these days, but I am constantly heartened by the way my daughters (ages 11 and 19) and their friends completely accept gay classmates, parents, friends, etc. I remember my father's transition from typical 1950s-man-creeped-out-by-homos to 78-year-old man-about-town with any number of gay and lesbian friends, who no longer understood the prejudice he used to have. Ironically, I had no knowing consciousness of gay people or gay culture until about 5 minutes after I graduated from Andover. Since then, it has been as constant a presence in my life as atheism, and then Judaism, music, reading, writing, dogs, weather, humanity—you know what I'm saying. And in case you're wondering, I'm straight. It seems that regular Americans are slowly becoming more enlightened.
On the other hand, as my husband Eric says, the issue of gay civil rights is "the only no-brainer political issue there is." When my younger daughter Gus found out recently that gay couples are not allowed to marry in Texas, she was innocently appalled. I still have a copy of her letter to Governor Perry, in which she accused him of being "silly" and "afraid of anyone who's different." After that, she became something of a small-time pro-gay-marriage activist, out of sheer incredulity, and has raised a surprising amount of money for the Human Rights Campaign. She does not react warmly to people who scream "quit being so gay!" on the playground, I can tell you that. And what interests me is that there's nothing particularly personal or revolutionary about her message. It's just that we seem to have moved into the lesbian capital of the world, and she can't believe that our friendly, generous, entertaining and funny neighbors wouldn't make better parents and partners than so many other people who take those rights for granted. I haven't yet found the courage to explain don't ask/don't tell. She'll hit the ceiling.
Here ends my rambling letter. I just wanted to commend you on your work and your story. It means a lot to me.
(Robin also blogs about gardening at People with Dirty Hands and about writing at Letters to My Agent.) | <urn:uuid:c8e62a71-369f-4935-9af2-270458700c9f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.bilerico.com/2009/03/an_allys_response.php | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00012-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.984581 | 787 | 1.578125 | 2 |
Meet the programmers: eaReckon
Philippe Decuyper is the founder of eaReckon, the company behind plug-ins EAReverb and, more recently, the Analog87 Series. Computer Music spoke to him recently to find out about his background in music software programming.
Tell us about your background in music and programming.
"I've been playing music ever since I was given a plastic saxophone at the age of six. My parents were so delighted by the sound of this instrument that they bought me a recorder and enrolled me into a local music school.
"My recorder and, later, my guitar and first keyboard were never enough, so I began to build instruments from almost everything I could find in the house. As soon as the first computer arrived, I did my best to figure out how it could be used to create music...
"Finally, I studied computer science at university, did some mastering in a small studio, etc, but always kept building and programming noisy things while dreaming about instruments I could not afford. Later I joined the Toontrack beta team and became one of their consultants. They gave me the confidence I needed to create my company."
What's your advice for someone who wants to make plug-ins?
"Maybe you can start by analysing your needs as a musician - there is a good chance that what you need can be useful to others. Then you can use tools such as SynthMaker to experiment with ideas. These tools are fantastic because you can instantly hear the result of a modification. As soon as your first prototype is ready, go to www.teragonaudio.com – it provides excellent resources to get started with plug-in development."
There are loads of reverb plug-ins out there already. What's special about yours, eaReverb?
"I wanted a flexible (algorithmic) and smooth reverb that sounds very natural in order to simulate real acoustic environments; something that does not change wood into metal, whatever the applied settings.
"One of the biggest challenges was to avoid any metallic artifacts in the late reflections. The whole thing's taken a lot of fine-tuning to get to the point of being satisfied with the results.
"Finally, optimising the code without any compromise on these results has been a difficult task. The first prototype was a real CPU-killer!"
You're behind the eDrum For Free project, which details how to make DIY electronic drum pads. What do you see for the future of electronic drum kits?
"Electronic drums have evolved a lot since the first Simmons kits, and they're now considered good enough to be widely used in small gigs and recording sessions. However, drums are complex instruments and it can be disappointing to switch from acoustic to electric (the opposite is also true).
"Now we have amazingly realistic sample libraries at our disposal and pads that feel more and more like the real thing. Finally, electronic drums can also be used to trigger electronic sounds - in this context, all kinds of crazy things may appear in the future."
What's coming next from eaReckon?
"I'm working on a new effect plug-in and hope to reveal it before the end of 2012. The primary goal was to build something that can create rhythms from anything, but it has the potential to be used in various applications. I'm very excited about it - the current prototype is lots of fun." | <urn:uuid:36638b0a-5daa-411d-a4a3-5bf92c6ef4c0> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.musicradar.com/news/tech/meet-the-programmers-eareckon-552248 | 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 | 0.975441 | 708 | 1.625 | 2 |
On today’s episode of The Tyra Banks Show, I – along with two smart, engaging and fun ob/gyns, Dr. Shieva Ghofrani and Dr. Afriye Emerson – discussed myths and facts related to pregnancy. Being a sex researcher and educator, I focused on debunking common sex myths related to conception and pregnancy and provided tips for enjoyable sex during pregnancy. Tune into Tyra’s show for all the details! In addition to the information I provided on-air, here are 5 facts to know about sex, conception and pregnancy:
1. There is no one sex position that is a sure-fire way to conceive. The bottom line about sex positions and pregnancy is that a couple should aim to get ejaculate inside the vagina – and it doesn’t hurt to keep as much of it inside a woman’s vagina as possible for a little while. Granted, much of it will come out at some point – when a man withdraws his penis, when a woman stands up, or when she goes to the bathroom. That is okay – it’s just gravity doing its job! Fortunately there are so many sperm in a typical amount of ejaculate that there are often more than enough available, even after much of the ejaculate leaves a woman’s vagina, for a couple to have a fair chance at becoming pregnant. Sex positions that are likely to keep a fair amount of ejaculate inside a woman’s vagina include missionary, raised legs missionary (for the very flexible – woman lying on her back with her hips tilted up and legs in the air, similar to the Plow position in yoga), the coital alignment technique (discussed here), the shoulder holder (discussed here) and spooning positions. [Learn more about adapting sex positions in my new book Because It Feels Good: A Woman's Guide to Sexual Pleasure and Satisfaction.]
2. For most women, it is safe to have sex during pregnancy. Because every pregnancy is different, you should always ask your healthcare provider questions about your own pregnancy and any potential risks. Ask your healthcare provider if it is safe for you to have sex during pregnancy. In most cases, women can continue to have sex during pregnancy right up until the day they deliver. Having a high risk pregnancy or a history of miscarriage are some of the concerns that might prompt a woman’s doctor to advise against sex during pregnancy. [Learn more about healthy pregnancy in Our Bodies, Ourselves: Pregnancy and Birth.]
3. Sex changes during pregnancy. Just because most women can have sex during pregnancy doesn’t mean that it feels exactly the same as it used to. Although some women report increased levels of sexual desire during pregnancy, desire often decreases during pregnancy. A woman’s ease of orgasm may change during pregnancy, too. For some, orgasm feels easier to attain, as more blood fills the pelvic cavity thus putting (possibly pleasant) pressure on a woman’s genitals. For others, orgasm feels more difficult to attain, perhaps particularly if they find it difficult to find a comfortable position in which to have sex. Try to be gentle with yourself and your partner during this time. Pregnancy is a dynamic process that no couple can possible adequately prepare for – one cannot predict what it will feel like to be pregnant or how one’s body will change.
4. Sex positions change during pregnancy. As a woman’s pregnancy – and her belly – grows, comfortable sex positions change, too. Missionary may be a position that many couples use to try to become pregnant, but fewer couples engage in missionary during the late second trimester or during the third trimester. In fact, a few research studies have suggested that the missionary position may pose risks during the third trimester. Couples often find that woman-on-top, spooning and rear entry sex positions are more comfortable as a woman’s pregnancy reaches its later stages.
5. Be mindful. To reduce risk to yourself and your baby while pregnant, consider avoiding cunnilingus (receiving oral sex from a partner) if your partner has cold sores on their mouth or if you know that your partner has oral herpes (herpes on their mouth). If you are prone to yeast infections, you also might want to avoid receiving oral sex while pregnant as pregnant women are already more vulnerable to yeast infections and cunnilingus can raise this risk even more for some women. Finally, if you are having sex with a new partner while pregnant or with someone who you suspect may be at risk for infections, use a condom or enjoy sexual activities other than vaginal intercourse such as breast play, sensual massage or hand stimulation of each other’s genitals.
Follow me on Twitter – I am @mysexprofessor.
Related MSP Articles:
- How does sex change after childbirth?
- Postpartum depression, antidepressants and breastfeeding
- How to be happier in your relationship: emotional bids
- Me, Tyra and My Wondrous Vulva Puppet (Fall 2008 episode)
You can learn more about sex and pregnancy in a brief article I wrote for Indiana University’s Active for Life newsletter – click HERE to read it – or in the brief backstage video I taped for the Tyra Banks Show about sex and pregnancy (pictured below; click HERE to view it). | <urn:uuid:ae00ff70-99c8-434f-bc43-5c9f56d23693> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://mysexprofessor.com/how-to-have-sex/pregnancy-and-sex-sex-positions-safer-sex-and-more/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704713110/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516114513-00011-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.956546 | 1,101 | 1.671875 | 2 |
A few weeks ago we took you into the world of Nani, our oldest dolphin. This week we’d like to take you into the world of one of our younger dolphins, Maya!
Maya is known as the “princess” of the pool. She is a girly-girl and loves shiny objects. She is just 8 years old, but one of the stars of the new dolphin show, Our Ocean Planet. She has incredible athletic ability, which she loves to show off during shows. You may catch a glimpse of her abilities on TV in one of the Aquarium’s new commericials:
Maya was born at the National Aquarium in 2001 and is the daughter of Shiloh, who also lives at the Aquarium. Weighing 380 pounds, she eats about 21 pounds of fish a day! When she is not performing, Maya is typically playing with Spirit, another 8 year old dolphin, and looking for attention from the trainers.
You can catch Maya in action during Our Ocean Planet, shows now running daily at the Aquarium. Join us for the grand opening April 4 & 5 and enjoy special dolphin activities and giveaways! | <urn:uuid:21429efe-273f-4847-8c81-68443da017f5> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://nationalaquarium.wordpress.com/2009/03/31/explore-mayas-world/?like=1&source=post_flair&_wpnonce=7f81158ee4 | 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 | 0.978972 | 242 | 1.5 | 2 |
I have four children ages 4 to 11. I still have all of them in either in car seats or booster seats because they don't quite meet the standards for using a regular seat belt. Sometimes the kids at school tease my children because they still have to use car seats. I don't get it. The rules are quite specific for car seat usage yet I see small children who don't meet the criteria to do away with a car sear riding in the back seat and even the front seat. I even know a few APD families at the school whose parents let their little ones ride in the police cruiser without anything. I'm just amazed how parents just don't seem to care.
The law in New Mexico requires all children up to their 7th birthday, regardless of weight, and all children less than 60 pounds, regardless of age, to ride in a child safety seat (car seat or booster seat). The law also states that children ages 7 to 12 must ride in a booster seat until the adult seat belt fits them properly.
Kids should ride in a back seat until age 13
This drives me crazy. It's a conversation I have at least once a month with my parents, because they're concerned that my two year-old is still facing backwards in a carseat made to do just that up to thirty pounds. They try to make me feel bad because they think his legs are cramped, even though he's never once complained about this. I try to explain to them that we *could* turn him around, but it's safer if we keep it the way it is for as long as possible. Then I get the general attitude from them that I'm being over-protective and that I certainly survived childhood without such restrictions. And I think to myself, sure, and most cars weren't required to have seatbelts until the late '50s/ early '60s, and we have a family story where my grandmother rolled her car with her unrestrained baby (my dad) sleeping in the backseat, but I'm sure my parents aren't going to advocate that we all stop wearing our safety belts just because my dad survived! But I keep it to myself, smile, and try to explain that the carseat situation is what it is for my son.
It's only really important if you want your children to actually survive a car wreck. Otherwise, let 'em roam free..
As a kid my parents had a Ford Galaxy XL fastback with a rear package tray large enough for me to lay on it. I remember heading up to my grandparent's place for Xmas well after dark when I would lay under that massive sheet of tempered glass and look up at a sky littered with stars. I remember it quite fondly but in the event of any turbulence my little butt would have been flung forward in the car, likely injuring or debilitating the driver and other passengers. Let's just say I figure I learned my lesson and now won't start moving until everybody is buckled in tight.
jimmy- I worked over 20 years in neonatal and pediatric intensive car, including 5 years as a flight nurse for an emergency helicopter attached to the hospital I worked out, when needed to transport from smaller hospitals without PICUs and some accident scenes. I also worked with the State Police on a project to educate parents to use car and booster seats. I guess that does not happen anymore- maybe it is assumed people know better. Obviously not.
You are doing the right thing and I have seen first hand, both in emergency rooms and at accident scenes, what happens to a child not properly restrained or sitting in the front seat when they are too young and having the airbag deployed. Maybe the parents of the kids doing the teasing need a little education and a reminder about teasing. A cop friend of mine had a great video of a watermelon being dropped from a second floor window. The watermelon landing on the pavement is about what happens to a child's head in a car accident at about 40 mph, when not restrained properly. There is no going back from an accident like that.
And please report the APD families. They really should know better. Maybe the principle at the school would like to entertain the idea of a little parent education.
"It's only really important if you want your children to actually survive a car wreck. Otherwise, let 'em roam free.."
Jimmy~ Drop your kids off a block or two earlier, maybe?
I feel sorry for your kids getting teased by the other children, but they are more safe like this. You are doing the right thing. I remember when I was a kid I also had to wait until I was 13 before I was allowed to sit at a front seat (and I was very proud then :))
safety is more important than coolness ;)
My very small 10-year old was also teased for still being in a carseat. I found one that looked "cool" enough but still has high safety ratings. It has a high back and reading lights, which apparently made it just acceptable enough among fifth graders. I have fond memories of playing in the back seat of a big ol' '70s car, too, but we were just lucky that we were never in an accident. (Jimmy, if you want the model name of the car seat we're using now, reply and I'll look it up. Sorry, it escapes me now.)
We've been getting this a little from our youngest (6). What I tell her and her brother (11) is that they should understand that not doing this and having an accident could mean a VERY SERIOUS injury and maybe even death. Its not like falling out fo a bed or skinning a knee. The consequences are serious (and I tell them this about crossing the street as well) and I would be a BAD PARENT if I did not insist on it. They usually understand this, especially if I ask them if they really think I would be doing my job if I allowed them to go without.
The issue with the booster, of course, is that it changes where the cross belt touches the body. Without a boost, one risks serious head/neck damage or worse.
My father was in the air force back in the 1950s and was involved in developing the federal seatbelt guidelines that were subsequently required for all cars sold in the US. This was down south at White Sands. He got out in 1958, took a job in Massachussetts, and packed up their little TR3 (a 2-seater) and drove across the country WITH MY INFANT BROTHER LAYING ON THE PLATFORM IN THE BACK! No restraints, not even a seat. Just laying there with pillows packed around him and diapers stuffed into the air gaps where the windows didn't seal.
Times have changed, but we're safer for it. Plus there are a lot more cars on the road these days. Big, heavy cars. Your kids will survive the ridicule, but they may not survive an accident if they aren't in their car seats.
I read this thread yesterday, and then got behind someone in line for the drive-thru teller at the bank in a Mercedes SUV (natch) who was allowing her two children to bounce around in the backseat like ping-pong balls. No restraints in use at all that I could see, given that the two little girls appeared to be wrestling each other and attempting to throw each other into the back cargo area. I am sure the Mercedes mom will be super-happy when the two little girls heads look like crushed ping-pong balls, after the accident where she rear-ends someone because she was too busy talking on her cell phone while driving.
Bah, what's the worst that could happen? My crazy old uncle Joe refused to wear his seatbelt. He kept a pillow next to him in the passenger seat. "If I ever get into a wreck," he'd say, "I just grab it and put it in front of me like this. No problem."
He also didn't have a front door on his car; he cut a screen door in the right shape and duct taped it on.
I don't think I have to say it, but a man with that sort of resourcefulness and ingenuity is no longer with us.
I remember being a kid and standing up on the bench seat of my family's old Chevy Nova. We didn't wear seatbelts but I got clotheslined or elbowed everytime they threw an arm out to catch me. That was also when cars weren't made of plastic.
I used to ride facing backwards in a Pontiac LeMans station wagon with my brother---boys were forced to sit in the back. Lets just say if we had every been rear ended, I don't think we would have come out of it unscathed. | <urn:uuid:0d7fc3be-2b21-42bd-9f4b-be2c93d3cdcd> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.dukecityfix.com/forum/topics/are-car-seats-really-not-that-important?commentId=1233957%3AComment%3A702423 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00012-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.985672 | 1,816 | 1.601563 | 2 |
Saturday, April 21, 2007
Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut
Slaughterhouse-Five is perhaps one of the most recognizable anti-war novels. I had blushingly never read this one before. It's one of Megan's favorite books, and she's tried to get me to read it for years. And now I have, and I'm so glad that I have.
Slaughterhouse-Five is Kurt Vonnegut's satirical tale of Billy Pilgrim, a World War II veteran who is "unstuck in time." What this means is that Pilgrim often disconnects from the present and picks up again at some other time in his life and usually at a different location. Pilgrim was in Dresden during the bombings, he was in Nazi concentration camps, he was at home with his wife, visiting with his recently married daughter, visiting with his son who was a green beret, being abducted by aliens and taken to the planet, Tralfamador, where he is put on display at a zoo.
I found this book to be quite powerful. It's a touching story at times, very light-hearted and almost humorous at times, and at other times just disturbing. It's a story that will always remain relevant in these days of war. It shows how powerful of a thing war is and the traumatic toll that it can have on the life of a soldier.
Vonnegut's writing style is amazing. I found myself asking "what makes a book a classic?" This book is the perfect example of a classic. It's a writing style that's totally in a league of it's own. The book flows so easily, yet there's so many complex connections made in it. Little tiny lines that stand out at first come back in a major way later in the book tying into the main plot. Vonnegut was a master of the American novel.
This book was read for the banned book challenge. I can see how this book would unfortunately be banned for so many reasons. Most of them to do with politics and war. There are probably some religious groups that have tried to ban this book as well for some of it's references to Jesus.
It's a sad thing that Kurt Vonnegut died recently. The world is a little less fortunate without him in it. He's contributed so many other classics to American Literature and I look forward to reading some of them. He's an author that will be missed by a huge number of fans...So it goes... | <urn:uuid:6629029d-0216-45c3-a985-42e61ce4bcb6> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.dream-stuff.com/2007/04/slaughterhouse-five-by-kurt-vonnegut.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697380733/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516094300-00018-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.985988 | 510 | 1.679688 | 2 |
Chinese army aviation unit has developed a new military transport helicopter project
after the earthquake in Sichuan, China purchased two meters -26 helicopters. The picture shows one meter -26 April helicopter fire in Heilongjiang River Forest in southern Iraq. Our reporter Wang Songshe
data for: Hafei to deliver the first aircraft Eurocopter helicopter fuselage straight -15 Photo: Yan Jiaqi
Data for: to participate in relief of the army aviation helicopter meters -171
International Herald Tribune correspondent in the winter from Beijing these days, Chengdu reporter Lin Zhenhai note that such a clue yet to confirm the news: last year’s earthquake in the near m -171 the first anniversary of the helicopter crash, the helicopter crashed in place, local people will organize a celebration.
In fact, where the Chengdu Military Region army aviation helicopter crashed regiment created the first relief 5; However, in the difficult task in front of the Sichuan earthquake relief work, China’s existing rescue helicopter appear stretched. It sighed with regret for the martyrs sacrificed at the same time, can not help another “accident” of anxiety – why China is not yet a helicopter R & D power?
this anxiety lies not only in private. Processing Tangjiashan lake, the Chinese had leased Mi-26 helicopters to foreign countries, “it is very hurt my heart,” last winter, Premier Wen Jiabao visited Beijing University of Aeronautics at the case to the students about his Wenchuan earthquake experience.
Fortunately, a year later, it has been from the Chinese aviation disaster relief system to see hope at the same time, in a wider range of rescue emergency mechanisms, China has handed over a preliminary answer.
aviation disaster rescue system soared
It is reported that after the earthquake the development of the central leadership of the helicopter made an important instructions.
Aviation Yin Wan Li, former director of the Institute told the “International Herald Tribune”, “we buy Chinese-foreign cooperation in the form of helicopters has formed a preliminary research and development pattern, in straight -9, -11, etc. until light machine-made has been with the conditions, is currently developed in cooperation with the European medium-sized multi-purpose helicopter Z-15, as kind of like the Mi-26 heavy-lift helicopters also require long-term technological progress, has also only Russia has the world’s production of this heavy-lift helicopters ability. “
reported, Eurocopter announced in the April 21, Harbin Aircraft Industry Corporation and China cooperation in the development of the first medium multi-role helicopter Z-15 will be at the end of flight, the aircraft will fill the 6 to 7-ton medium-sized domestic market blank helicopter to assume general transport, offshore support, search and rescue, marine monitoring, emergency medical and rescue mission.
the General Staff of Army aviation equipment, Former Vice Minister Liu Guohua Major General Aviation in March this year a seminar on the rescue system, China is developing a new military transport helicopters, now has been approved, is expected to two to three years will appear in front of people. The new transport helicopters or aviation disaster relief efforts in China’s core models.
independent research and development in cooperation and at the same time, China has also matured through direct purchase of foreign aircraft to make up for the domestic shortage. November 2008, China and Russia signed the Mi-26 heavy helicopter transfer and purchase agreement, thus China will have two world’s largest helicopter load.
professional rescue teams ready to go
a catastrophic disaster to change China. Aviation disaster in China soared, while the rescue system, a professional rescue team as the core, the PLA, police, armed police, militia and reserve forces and volunteers to organize the rescue coordination team is forming.
2008 年 5 13 morning, the Chinese national earthquake disaster emergency rescue team with the fastest speed in the face of Dujiangyan of the affected people. After the earthquake, the rescue mode in the growing professional, national rescue team expanded from the current 222 to 500, the state intends to invest 100 million yuan equipment search, rescue, communications, instrument scene, audio-visual facilities such rapid information transmission, Chengdu will invest 100 million yuan in building search training base.
National 26 provincial rescue team is also recruiting, May 9, Zhejiang Province, professional earthquake rescue team set up, this Secret Service officers and men from the fire, earthquake experts and health emergency response team of experts will be Zhejiang and even major domestic disaster prevention and mitigation rescue the main force, the majority of 105 members have witnessed the earthquake relief and rescue.
“This year, our medical equipment than before the earthquake has been greatly improved, and some rural hospitals already have a level of secondary level hospitals.” Mianyang, Sichuan Province Health Bureau, Wei Lei told the “International Herald Tribune. ” “5.12″ on the eve of the first anniversary of the earthquake, both on-site rescue, but also for medical treatment of the professional rescue teams to emerge, the first domestic support emergency medical rescue teams set up in Tianjin, People’s Armed Police Academy.
disaster mitigation awareness to the public
If the government, military and professional rescue force is the nerve center of the rescue system and aorta, the civil power is to the rescue independent function of organs.
China Seismological Bureau, Chief Engineer of the emergency rescue center wins country song recently disclosed that the government is studying the formation of self-help people play, “the first rescue teams to respond to people.”
Again, the experience of a year ago, earthquakes and other emergencies, students are the most vulnerable groups. Over the past year, local education departments to various crises self-help education. March 20, by the Ministry of Civil Affairs emergency rescue center, organized to promote “the first national university emergency staff training” in the opening ceremony held at the University of Liaoning. Wang Shihua told students, “International Herald Tribune,” and “’5 * 12 ‘after the earthquake the students have this idea, system, and practical training to avoid the drawbacks of paper.” The model will be introduced in the nationwide promotion of primary and secondary schools.
army armed Story
in Sichuan after the earthquake, the army and armed police were deployed 146,000 troops, militia and reservists mobilized 7.5 million people, the use of various types of aircraft and helicopters over 4,700 vehicles, vehicles 533,000 times, and rescued survivors of 3338 people, 1.4 million people trapped in the transfer, transportation and air dropping relief supplies to 1.574 million tons. Sent 210 medical teams, rescue teams and mental health and epidemic prevention teams, 136.7 million rounds treat injured people.
recommended “International Herald Tribune” blog: http://blog.sina.com.cn/m/xqdb | <urn:uuid:8dd543fe-d57b-4b60-a710-c25870c08071> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.9abc.net/archives/39140 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.937504 | 1,444 | 1.703125 | 2 |
Chinese Party Congress begins in Beijing
Leaders begin transition of power
Chinese President Hu Jintao, set to begin handing over power to his successor, warned Thursday that a failure to deal with corruption could bring down China's ruling Communist Party and the state it controls.
Hu was speaking at the party's 18th National Congress in Beijing, a key meeting of top officials that will usher in a new set of leaders of the world's most populous nation. After a decade in power, Hu is expected to hand over the party's top job to Vice President Xi Jinping.
"If we fail to handle this issue well, it could prove fatal to the party, and even cause the collapse of the party and the fall of the state," Hu said of corruption during his speech at the start of the congress in the Great Hall of the People in the heart of the Chinese capital.
His comments to a vast room full of delegates stood out in light of the huge political scandal that has rocked the party this year. The controversy involved the former high-flying politician Bo Xilai who is now under criminal investigation after being ousted from his posts and the party itself. He is accused of corruption, abuse of power and improper sexual relationships; official news reports have said Bo made "severe mistakes" related to the killing of a British businessman -- a crime for which Bo's wife was imprisoned -- and a diplomatic incident involving his former police chief in Chongqing.
More than 2,200 delegates from across China are gathering for the Congress, and they in turn select the 200-plus members of the party's Central Committee, who in turn appoint the Politburo and ultimately the all-powerful Politburo Standing Committee -- the country's decision-makers.
But most, if not all, of the outcomes are predetermined after a long period of secretive deal-making between party power brokers.
The congress itself meets every five years. It is designed to assess the country's progress, and set new directions. Every 10 years it selects the new leadership.
This year, the legacy of the Hu years is under the microscope. Under Hu and Premier Wen Jiabao, China's economy has continued to grow, lifting tens of millions of people out of poverty.
China is now the world's second-biggest economy and closing fast on the United States. But there have been disappointments and discontent along the way, and Hu's much vaunted "harmonious society" is showing signs of cracking.
Chinese leaders have endured a tumultuous year. The veil of secrecy around the party has been lifted, with reports of rifts and infighting. And the fall of Bo brought about China's biggest political scandal in decades.
Bo, once party chief of the massive metropolis of Chongqing, is now in disgrace awaiting trial. His wife, Gu Kailai, is in prison, convicted of murdering a British business associate.
Senior party leaders and their leaders have had to deal with unusual scrutiny of their affairs, with Western news organizations publishing investigations into the wealth accumulated by the families of Xi and Wen.
Chinese authorities responded to the reports by blocking the websites of the news organizations involved: Bloomberg News and The New York Times. But China's army of censors is having to grapple with the rapid rise of social media platforms on which information moves and mutates at a dizzying pace.
China is treading many fault lines: a widening gap between rich and poor, rising unrest about issues like pollution and land seizures, and a slowing economy that some say is in need of serious reform.
Hu mentioned some of those tensions Thursday along with several other contentious issues -- like food safety, health care and law enforcement -- acknowledging that "there are a lot of difficulties and problems on our road ahead."
Another issue Hu's government has struggled to tackle during its decade in power is the discontent and unrest among Tibetans living under Chinese rule.
Authorities were given a grim reminder on Wednesday of the disillusionment and desperation of many Tibetans in western areas of China after four people set themselves on fire to protest Chinese rule.
One teenage Tibetan monk died and two were injured after self-immolating in a majority Tibetan region of Sichuan Province, said Penpa Tsering, a spokesman for the Tibetan parliament in exile in Dharamsala, India. And a 23-year-old Tibetan woman died a separate incident in Qinghai Province, Tsering said, citing unidentified people in Tibetan areas.
Dozens of Tibetans are reported to have set themselves ablaze in the past 18 months to express their unhappiness with Chinese rule.
In his speech Thursday, Hu also made a case for China to strengthen its presence on the seas off its coast. Beijing has become embroiled in a string of territorial disputes with countries like Japan, the Philippines and Vietnam over areas thought to contain large reserves of natural resources under the sea bed.
The leadership should "build China into a maritime power," Hu said, citing the need to exploit marine resources and "resolutely safeguard China's maritime rights and interests" among the goals.
Copyright 2012 by CNN NewSource. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. | <urn:uuid:8b3d4947-b7d3-4cdd-ba5d-c3ef4b2c1eec> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.clickondetroit.com/news/Chinese-Party-Congress-begins-in-Beijing/-/1719418/17321840/-/view/print/-/nljux0/-/index.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697974692/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095254-00006-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.968552 | 1,057 | 1.609375 | 2 |
Black Russian Terrier Breed Information
Breed Group: Working
Weight: Male: 110-160; Female: 80-120 lbs
Height: Male: 26-30; Female: 25.5-28 inches
Color(s): black, black with some gray hair
The Black Russian Terrier is a large size dog with square or slightly stretched frame, efficient, easily adaptable to different climatic conditions and owners life-style, intelligent, well trainable. He is active, but dignified, and will delight in joining you in fishing, swimming, biking or hiking. He's happiest with an owner who can give him plenty of jobs to do (like playing games, obedience, agility training).
Black Russian Terriers are intelligent, loyal, strong, enduring, courageous, self-confident protective and reliable. Balanced temperament and good trainability allow successful use in many working modalities and canine sports. Black Russian Terriers are a wonderful companion and a loyal family member.
Active, hardy large breed with stable temperament, but very lively, with strong reactions of defence: unwanted visitors are stopped. This dog is tough, brave, alert, and loyal. This breed gets along fine with children and other animals, provided proper socialization has taken place.
Weekly grooming with a brush and comb is required. The ears, nails and teeth require ample attention. Scissoring or clipping for a Black Russian Terrier is sufficient 3-4 times a year.
The virtually non-shedding hair is rough, hard, ample and extremely dense, between 1.6 and 3.9 inches long and covers the entire body with dense and well-developed undercoat. The coat forms a rough, bushy moustache on the upper lip and a beard on the lower lip. On the neck and the withers, the coat is longer and forms a mane. The forelegs down until the elbows and the hind legs until the thighs are covered by a rough and long coat.
Training is a breeze as this breed rates higher than average in learning speed and problem solving skills.
This breed will do well in urban, suburban or country setting with reasonable amounts of exercise. Black Russian Terriers are happiest when doing some type of work, such as playing games, agility, obedience, or protection. Over-exercising when young can cause damage to growing bones, joints, and muscles.
If you are looking for Black Russian Terrier puppies for sale from reputable Black Russian Terrier breeders or to adopt Black Russian Terriers from a Black Russian Terrier rescue then make sure you understand as much about the dog breeds you are interested in as you can. Every puppy breed is different. Begin your research by reading the breed information about the Black Russian Terrier puppy above. Search our dog breeds section to find Black Russian Terrier puppies that make great pets.
Rate this Breed Information - Provided by Next Day Pets
4.8 out of 5 based on 9 ratings for the Black Russian Terrier puppy breed profile. | <urn:uuid:aa929be8-3c95-405c-bffa-470915831cef> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.nextdaypets.com/Black-Russian-Terrier.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00013-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.934648 | 616 | 1.726563 | 2 |
August 18, 2005
Shoe Print at Crime Scene Not Lisker's, FBI ConfirmsExperts at the FBI crime lab in Quantico, Va., have determined that a bloody shoe print used to help convict a San Fernando Valley teenager of killing his mother 22 years ago was not made by the teen's shoes.
FBI analysts also determined that the shoes worn by Bruce Lisker, now 40, did not match an apparent shoe impression found behind his mother's right ear.
The findings, which strongly suggest the presence of another suspect, confirm the earlier work of an analyst in the Los Angeles Police Department's crime lab.
David Cunningham III, the outgoing president of the civilian Police Commission, which oversees the LAPD, said the bureau's findings have convinced him that the department should reopen its investigation into the 1983 slaying.
"I absolutely think it warrants further investigation," Cunningham said.
Prior to leaving the commission this week, Cunningham asked department officials to press forward on the case, but he said they were non-committal. Fearing the matter may get dropped, Cunningham said he had written to incoming commissioners appointed by Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, offering to brief them on important matters, including the Lisker case.
"I hope that they will recognize that this is an important issue," he said.
Only one commissioner, Alan J. Skobin, will remain on the panel from the board appointed by former Mayor James K. Hahn. He and four new commissioners will hold their first meeting next week.
One of the those commissioners, John W. Mack, said in a brief interview Wednesday that he was troubled by what he knew of the case and planned to "study up" on the matter.
"On its face, it's very disturbing to think that an innocent man might be in prison," said Mack, former president of the Los Angeles Urban League.
The FBI's findings, he said, "add a lot of credence to this person's innocence."
William Genego, one of Lisker's attorneys, said the FBI's results further supported his client's claims of innocence.
He said LAPD officials "have been told twice that what they told the jury is absolutely, indisputably false, and I would hope they would not have to be told a third time. Someone should take responsibility for correcting the injustice that resulted from that false information."
Genego said he hoped the new Police Commission would follow through on Cunningham's desire to reopen the case.
Deputy Chief Gary Brennan, who oversaw an internal review of the Lisker case, could not be reached for comment.
Brennan said in June, however, that the new shoe print evidence did not mean that Lisker had been falsely convicted. He said the LAPD had no plans to further investigate the case.
"An innocent man is not in prison," Brennan said. "If we thought there was, we would continue to press forward in the interest of justice."
Genego said there was a difference between what the police may believe and what the evidence supports.
"Whatever they may subjectively believe is not a basis for keeping Bruce Lisker in jail," Genego said.
Dorka Lisker, 66, was fatally beaten and stabbed in her Sherman Oaks home on March 10, 1983.
Her son, Bruce, then 17, told police that he had returned home to find his mother near death and called paramedics for help.
Lisker, who had a history of drug abuse and fighting with his mother, immediately became the prime suspect.
He was arrested the day of the killing and has been behind bars ever since, having been sentenced to 16 years-to-life in prison.
Over the years, he twice confessed to the killing but now says he confessed out of desperation, to minimize his time behind bars for a crime that he did not commit.
In May, The Times published an article detailing new and previously overlooked evidence that raised doubts about Lisker's conviction.
Even the prosecutor who convicted him told reporters that he had developed "reasonable doubt" about Lisker's guilt.
The evidence included a bloody shoe print left in the bathroom of the Lisker home. At trial, the prosecutor said Lisker had left the shoe print.
But last year, an LAPD crime lab analyst determined that the print did not come from Lisker's Pacer tennis shoes.
At the request of Times reporters, the same analyst determined that the shoe print impression found on Dorka Lisker's shaved head during an autopsy was "similar in size and dimension" to the mystery shoe print in the bathroom.
The findings bolstered Lisker's statements that he had returned home to find his mother near death, and that the assault had been committed by an unknown intruder.
In June, LAPD officials asked the FBI for a second opinion on their own analyst's work. The FBI report, a copy of which was obtained by The Times, confirmed that neither the print in the bathroom nor the mark on the victim's head, were made by Lisker's shoes. The report does not address whether the two prints were made by the same shoe or whether the impression near the victim's ear was made by a shoe.
Lisker, in a telephone interview from Mule Creek State Prison, said Wednesday that he was pleased — but not surprised — by the FBI's findings.
"I wasn't worried," he said. "It's one of the benefits of having truth on your side."
Last month, a U.S. magistrate judge found that Lisker had made a persuasive "preliminary" case that "he is innocent of the crime for which he has been convicted." As a result, he ordered an evidentiary hearing for October to further consider his claim of innocence, a development that legal experts said was rare.
Buoyed by the recent attention to Lisker's case, his stepmother, Joy Mitchell Lisker, has launched a letter-writing campaign aimed at persuading Los Angeles County Dist. Atty. Steve Cooley to join defense attorneys in seeking to have Lisker's conviction overturned.
"The D.A. has the power to do this," Joy Lisker said in a letter to Lisker's supporters. "Government officials pay attention to letters from the public. It's time to create an outcry from those of us who care."
Sandi Gibbons, a spokeswoman for Cooley, said the district attorney's office is monitoring the Lisker case.
"The district attorney's office has been in contact with the California attorney general's office, which is handling this matter in U.S. District Court," Gibbons said. "We will take the proper action when this latest legal challenge is resolved."
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By Abdul Malek
LASHKAR GAH, Afghanistan (Reuters) – Afghanistan is ready to feed thousands if they flee a major assault by NATO troops, but officials hope fighting will be limited and civilians can safely stay home, President Hamid Karzai’s spokesman said.
NATO forces, led by thousands of U.S. Marines, are massing for an attack on Marjah, billed as the last big Taliban stronghold in Helmand, Afghanistan’s most violent province and heartland of its opium industry.
The operation, one of the biggest of the 8-year-old war, will be the first big show of force since President Barack Obama ordered 30,000 more troops to Afghanistan last December.
Commanders are under pressure to achieve decisive military gains this year to turn the tide in the war, before troops begin to withdraw, which Obama says will happen in mid-2011.
Hundreds of civilians have so far left Marjah, but NATO has advised villagers to stay in their homes and not flee, and most of the population, estimated at up to 100,000, has stayed put.
“We have been assured both by our forces and by international forces that they will make sure that this operation is conducted in a way that has minimum impact on civilians, and hopefully no casualties in terms of civilians in the area,” Karzai’s spokesman, Waheed Omer, told a news conference on Wednesday.
“Our information is that about 100 families have left the Marjah area and we have enough food items for about 6,000 families,” Omer said. NATO and provincial authorities say fewer than 200 families have fled so far. An Afghan family averages around six people, though many are much larger.
British forces have already begun small-scale “shaping” operations in the area around Marjah. The International Committee of the Red Cross said “increasing numbers of war casualties” have already been arriving at a clinic it runs in Marjah.
“Civilians and injured fighters are finding it more and more difficult to go to places where they can obtain care, owing to mounting security problems and numerous roadblocks and checkpoints throughout Helmand province,” it said in a statement.
Human rights groups say that since NATO has encouraged people to stay, it bears an additional legal and moral responsibility to avoid heavy fighting that would cause civilian casualties.
“It would be better if they had relocated all the civilians before any massive military battle,” said Anwar Khan, a shopkeeper in the provincial capital Lashkar Gah.
“The Taliban hit and run and will hide where civilians will be at great risk,” he said. “I don’t know if the Taliban will ever be defeated, but many innocent civilians will lose their lives.”
The assault on Marjah, a densely-populated warren of desert canals, is intended to be a demonstration of NATO commander General Stanley McChrystal’s counter-insurgency strategy, which emphasizes seizing control of population centers.
McChrystal has strongly emphasized precautions to avoid killing civilians, and the number of civilians killed by NATO troops has declined since he took command in mid-2009.
During the next year, NATO troops say they plan to open roads and bring government institutions to wide swathes of Helmand and neighboring Kandahar now under the grip of insurgents.
Western leaders have signaled new backing for efforts by Karzai to reach out to insurgents for reconciliation, moves dismissed by the Taliban as a sign of weakness and desperation.
Omer said Karzai would next week formally announce a “peace jirga,” or conference of elders, designed set conditions for a future peace process. Taliban members will be invited to attend, but only if they renounce the use of force first, he said.
Helmand and Kandahar are the heartlands of Afghanistan’s huge opium industry, which supplies more than 90 percent of the world’s crop of the raw material for heroin.
In a setback, a U.N. survey said efforts to curb opium planting had failed over the past year, with farmers planting as much opium for the upcoming 2010 harvest as last year’s, ending a positive trend of two years of declines.
“The message is clear: in order to further reduce the biggest source of the world’s deadliest drug, there must be better security, development and governance in Afghanistan,” said Antonio Maria Costa, head of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime. | <urn:uuid:a5bf5137-88b6-444d-956e-a4be504a6da9> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://apeaceofconflict.com/collaborative-peace-and-conflict-dictionary/z/media-watch/february-2010/february-10-2010/afghanistan-says-ready-if-thousands-flee-assault/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00001-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.954252 | 942 | 1.625 | 2 |
I really enjoy the story of Ruth. It's a classic gospel story of how God takes someone who society rejects (Ruth came from Moab...the land of losers) and makes them a faith hero.
You can download it now here.
We often sing about God being our Redeemer...but do you know what that is? My sermon outlines it for you. Boaz redeemed Ruth, pouring out his love on her in such an abundant way that she became a blessing to others. That's the effect God wants to have on us.
Ruth's story reminded me of Jesus honoring the Roman soldier who believed Jesus for his daughters healing. Jesus told him that he had never seen such faith in all of Israel. Wow!!!!!!!!!! That's like a major diss to the Israelites but a HUGE compliment to the Roman. Jesus took a spiritual outsider and made him a faith hero with his simple declaration.
It reminds me of what he said about the rocks. If God's people don't praise him, the rocks (Romans, Moabites, losers of this world) will praise him.
And the apostle Paul talked about how God has grafted on branches (non-Jews) onto God's vine.
Isn't it great to know that no matter how far from God you might have been or may even be yet today that you can be an insider RIGHT NOW by faith? I hope you'll let God "redeem" you fully so you are so blessed that you can't help but bless others. | <urn:uuid:a1560641-1e1e-4274-9ce5-83efed7c1761> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://cedarbrook.blogspot.com/2010_12_05_archive.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697974692/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095254-00018-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.97652 | 310 | 1.53125 | 2 |
Here is an excerpt from an article written by Roger Martin for the Harvard Business Review blog. To read the complete article, check out the wealth of free resources, and sign up for a subscription to HBR email alerts, please click here.
* * *
When Auburn’s Cam Newton was picked by the Carolina Panthers as the first overall selection in Thursday’s NFL Draft, he became the eighth quarterback to go number one in the last 10 years. While not all of those picks have worked out swimmingly for the teams in questions (see: JaMarcus Russell and the Oakland Raiders) the trend speaks to the allure of the superstar QB. Great NFL quarterbacks, like Tom Brady, Drew Brees and Aaron Rodgers, are a valuable commodity; they are the field generals that can lead their teams to Super Bowl victories.
By and large, NFL starting quarterbacks are tough, leaderly, and proud. They stare down blitzing linebackers and fleet-footed cornerbacks on the field and face a sea of microphones immediately after the game, win or lose. Those postgame press conferences can make for compelling viewing. In a win, the QB gives credit to his coach, his teammates, and notes the schemes and plays that made it possible. In defeat, he typically faults his own performance and tips his hat to the play of the opposing team.
* * *
Why is it that what is inconceivable in football is standard in business? The answer is that compensation is largely based in the expectations market in business and is strictly based in the real market in football. CEOs have a large portion of their compensation based on the performance of their company in the stock market, so CEOs spend their time shaping and responding to expectations. Quarterbacks have no part of their compensation based on the performance of their team against the point spread, so they focus completely on winning games.
Football has figured this out a lot better than has business. Football focuses its key players on the real game; business focuses its key players on the expectations game. Football gets 100% useful activity from its key players; business has them engaging plenty of their time in non-value-adding activities, like talking to analysts. It is time business learned a few things from football.
* * *
To read the complete article, please click here.
Roger Martin is the Dean of the Rotman School of Management and the author of The Opposable Mind: Winning Through Integrative Thinking, The Design of Business: How Design Thinking is the Next Competitive Advantage (Harvard Business Press, 2009), and his new book, Fixing the Game: Bubbles, Crashes, and What Capitalism Can Learn from the NFL. | <urn:uuid:ba9aceca-8bce-4212-8e97-766af0ce2c26> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://ffbsccn.wordpress.com/tag/auburns-cam-newton/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00003-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.973844 | 542 | 1.570313 | 2 |
Whether its My Week with Marilyn, The Help, Moneyball or The Descendants, we can learn lessons from the stories and the storytellers. For example, from Brad Pitt‘s Moneyball, we can learn how to commit to something we believe in and stay the course. From The Help, we are reminded of the struggle many African-Americans went through and our overwhelming challenge to love our neighbor as ourself, even when our life and reputation is on the line. In Hugo, we can see how important it is to remember the past sometimes and to celebrate the beauty in life and art. The Descendants shows us the power of forgiveness, even in the midst the darkest of situations. Even My Week with Marilyn reminds us to embrace the now and not take it for granted.
Amidst the flashing lights of the red carpet, the couture dresses and the million dollar Henry Winston necklaces, we can find lessons and challenges to live the life we dream of living. I’ll try to remember that while secretly voting on who I think is going to win Best Picture. What are some great movies you’ve seen recently and learned from? Oh yeah, and who are your picks for the Oscars this year (just curious)? | <urn:uuid:d8422bce-c9e2-4f65-8693-2f79b212385f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://storeystyle.com/Entertainment,Inspiration,Motivation,Spiritual,Hollywood,TimStorey,LifeCoach,LifeAdvisor,Author,Speaker/billy-crystal/ | 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 | 0.934947 | 255 | 1.828125 | 2 |
As the U.S. men's gymnastics team struggles to adjust to the London arena, where they will compete, they're thinking more about pink than gold. That's because the competition floor is covered in hot pink. In a room Barbie would love, the men's team says it's not about gender norms but rather an array of colors making it hard to spot the high bars. As one gymnast put it, real men do compete on pink floors.
It's MORNING EDITION. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright National Public Radio. | <urn:uuid:084feac6-80ce-4e4d-aeb9-d76fded3d3a4> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://kunc.org/term/britain-uk?page=126 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00004-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.955345 | 110 | 1.546875 | 2 |
All the Trimmings
An array of seasonal side dishes adds to anyone's holiday entertaining.
Mashed potatoes are a hearty side dish any time of year.
There’s nothing like a wintry blast to make people want to move indoors and eat hearty, warming foods. The season is also a time of feasting with friends and family celebrating the holidays. Early to late fall is the time to look for root vegetables, winter squash, pumpkins, brassicas, dark leafy greens, nuts, apples, pears, persimmons and cranberries at your local farmers’ markets and roadside stands – they can be purchased then and if stored in a root cellar or other cool place, you can eat these hardy vegetables, fruits and nuts through the cold weather into spring. I store my winter veggies and fruits in a cold room in my basement; a cool garage or the crisper drawer in the fridge.
Root vegetables, as well as squash and pumpkins, are a part of my winter repertoire for soups, stews, gratins, side dishes, salads and desserts. My favorite way to prepare any of these vegetables is simply to roast them in the oven with a bit of olive oil, salt and freshly ground pepper. This method showcases their simple, delectable, earthy sweetness. Once roasted, they can be eaten as is, or added to wonderful soups, purees or salads; not to mention used in bread, biscuit, scone and cake batters, pie fillings, puddings or flans.
Look for freshly dug potatoes, sweet potatoes, turnips, parsnips, carrots, beets, rutabagas and celery root, and for fall-harvested winter squash and pumpkins as the season progresses. Vegetables should be firm to the touch with no dark or soft spots. Leafy greens like kale, chard, dandelion, cress, collards, beet or turnip greens and spinach should be crisp and vibrant – not limp or wilted. These should be stored in the fridge and used as soon as possible. Seasonal fruits like pears and apples, if firm and free of blemishes, will keep in cold storage for a few months. Cranberries will hold in the crisper drawer of the refrigerator for a few weeks; freeze for longer storage.
Once your bounty is gathered, plan your holiday menu with all the trimmings. The following dishes, otherwise known as the fixings, are tried and true favorites at my family gatherings. Mix and match them as you desire, or make them all! These side dishes are perfect accompaniments to a roast turkey or goose – you can stuff either with the Cornbread Stuffing, or bake it in a dish. Any of these accompaniments would be delicious with baked ham, roast beef or pot roast, or for the vegetarians in your family, I have included a Savory Nut Loaf that can be sliced like a meatloaf and served with the delectable Mushroom Gravy. (Even the most passionate turkey eaters in our family go for the mushroom gravy over the turkey gravy, hands down!)
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| Next >> | <urn:uuid:67463ec1-f3bc-473c-a40f-6e5d684ee250> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.grit.com/Food/All-the-Trimmings.aspx | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00011-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.93497 | 658 | 1.703125 | 2 |
Chris is a roofer and doesn’t get coverage from his employer. It’s a dangerous job, but he’s in no financial position to buy health insurance. Danielle supplements their income with part-time work at Turkey Hill, a convenience store.
What did they know about health reform? Danielle told me: “I know it’s government health care like everyone would get.”
“Like Canada,” Chris chimed in. “Didn’t they say if you have a company plan, you could get a government plan?” Danielle admitted the debate has been hard to follow. “You hear ten different things. It’s hard to put in words what it means. It’s so confusing,” she said.
How would health reform benefit them? Chris said it would make it easier for him to get insurance, and that health care wouldn’t be so expensive. “It would definitely benefit me,” he said. “I think I make too much money for insurance from the state.”
Sixty-seven-year-old Barbara had strong opinions. She wouldn’t give her last name, but said she was a Republican who lived in the Boston suburbs and had a home in Pennsylvania. As with Fullem, I didn’t have to say much before she blurted out: “I’m very much against national health care. There are too many people who can afford insurance, but don’t have it. I had to pay for insurance for a long time. It used to cost $800 a month.” That was before she went on Medicare.
Why was she so against national health insurance? “I want to choose my own doctor. I want to choose what I want. I don’t want anyone telling me what I can have. My surgery wouldn’t have been allowed under his [Obama’s] plan,” she said. Barbara made it clear she didn’t like the president. “I think President Obama is the devil,” she told me.
Barbara was also upset with Obama’s advisers, Rahm Emanuel and his brother Ezekiel. She cited an article Ezekiel had written some time ago that was floating around the Internet. In it, she said, was information that the administration was planning to spend health care money on people ages fifteen to forty, not on elders like her. So what’s going to happen to old people, I wanted to know. “They will give them the pill,” she said.
I wanted to probe her thoughts on national health care a bit more and asked why that was different in her mind than Social Security, a social insurance program. Isn’t it like Social Security? I asked. “But I paid into it; it’s mine,” she told me as she moved down the aisle. I thought of the genius of FDR and his payroll taxes that gave everyone who paid them a right to a benefit in old age. With those taxes in there, no damn politicians have ever scrapped Roosevelt’s plan. Ardent Republicans like Barbara believe in it, even if they don’t quite believe in health reform.
Robert and Theresa Moore, from Glen Rock, N.J., have been following the debate and said they knew about Obama’s plan “in broad strokes.” “We don’t think he wants to kill grandma,” they said. The Moores thought the president was well-intentioned and reform was needed, but he was taking on too much. “Not everything is wrong,” Therese said. “Certain things are okay. The things that need to be reformed glare out at you.”
“Like the involuntarily uninsured,” Robert interjected. “The voluntarily uninsured—they ought not to be forced to have health insurance.”
“We have to look at more preventive care,” Theresa believed. “There are certain things people have to do for themselves.”
Robert, seventy-four, is on Medicare and has a supplemental policy from his former employer. Theresa, sixty-three, is still entitled to benefits under his old company coverage. Robert told me that a high percentage of people are satisfied with their insurance. “I would be in that category,” he said, adding that he wouldn’t mind sacrificing a little so others could have insurance. “Didn’t Marx say something about the greatest good for the greatest number?” he asked. Robert said he was a broadminded Republican, but that didn’t mean he disagreed with everything Marx said. | <urn:uuid:84a06637-3acf-4de0-b633-bcdae5178f08> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.cjr.org/campaign_desk/cjrs_town_hall_meetings_part_iii.php?page=2 | 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 | 0.988209 | 995 | 1.75 | 2 |
Google Admits To Accessing Email & Passwords While Creating Street View Project
Google has admitted that it violated consumers' privacy while creating Google Maps with Street View and has promised to clean up its act. As part of a settlement in a case brought against the online giant by 38 states, Google both acknowledged that it accessed the passwords, email and other personal information of unknowing users, and promised to make amends. For the first time, the company promised "to aggressively police its own employees on privacy issues and to explicitly tell the public how to fend off privacy violations like this one," reports The New York Times. Despite the $7 million fine, a slap on the wrist for Google, privacy advocates consider the settlement a win because changes at Google could influence the entire industry's approach to privacy. | <urn:uuid:dc450778-ef04-409c-9aad-b530b4b25ebf> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/195669/google-admits-to-accessing-email-passwords-while.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00014-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.945281 | 160 | 1.507813 | 2 |
1a.)(verb) When someone works with the celerity and efficiency of THE joomy of PC Fort Lauderdale.
2.) (Noun) A joomy works very hard in school, and is often very good with their gender counter-parts. Joomy's are often used to describe an azn whom watches anime secretly behind everyone else's back. A joomy is typically very respected in her grade. Everybody loves a joomy but a joomy doesn't love everybody.
Note: Joomy is also the sound of onomatopoeic sound of bouncing boobs.
1.) Stop joomying, you're working too hard.
2.)Jonathan: Wow, she's really cool. I wish I could be like her, with those straight A's and yet still have that aura of coolness; avoids the nerdiness. I respect her a lot for that.
Jason: She's a joomy.
Jason: Yeah. She secretly watches anime. She just doesn't tell anyone. | <urn:uuid:346787fd-1e4d-4621-8192-6f9a3a9d9d8f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Joomy&defid=3320008 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00014-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.966525 | 209 | 1.570313 | 2 |
A listings website inspired by Wikipedia and Craigslist, created by 15 year-old Rosa Blaus with the help of her father Paul Youlden, has incurred the wrath of Yellow Pages.
site has been accused of passing itself off as a legitimate arm of the telephone directory. Yell, which owns the Yellow Pages and Yell.com
brands in the UK, confirmed this week that it was taking legal action against the site, which it claims has infringed trademark rights with its name, logo and business directory.
The Yellowikis site allows any company to add and edit its own listings. Yell.com has closed listings paid for by the advertisers. Although the Yellowikis site is based in Britain, only around 175 of its 5,000 listings are for businesses in the UK. But because the service is hosted on the mainland, Yell claims it is a violation of its trademark rights.
Yellowikis plans to fight the action, claiming that it is not trading off its rival. Many users of the site have pledged small donations to the legal fund, and it has also garnered support from a high-profile backer, Jimmy Wales, founder of online encyclopedia Wikipedia. "We have offered Yellowikis financial help if they need it," he said.
Join the AOP group on LinkedIn
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to join Subscribe
to AOP's e-newsletter. | <urn:uuid:1245db67-aaa8-4386-a6be-17e6b9bbf430> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.ukaop.org.uk/news/15yroldfaceswrathofyell1348.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00005-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.964341 | 285 | 1.84375 | 2 |
Public sector job cuts imposed as part of the government's austerity drive have sent unemployment back through the 2.5m barrier, according to official figures released on Wednesday.
The Office for National Statistics said the number of people out of work rose by 80,000 in the three months to July, reaching 2.51m, mainly due to a sharp rise in youth unemployment.
Despite ministerial hopes that the private sector will be able to compensate for the squeeze on the public sector, the ONS said the May to July period had seen the sharpest rise in unemployment in two years.
The unemployment rate using the internationally agreed yardstick for calculating joblessness rose to 7.9% for May to July, from 7.7% in February to April.
Officials said that employment in the public sector had fallen by 111,000 in the second quarter of 2011, the biggest drop since recent records began in 1999.
The government's alternative measure for unemployment – the claimant count – indicated that an additional 20,300 people were out of work and claiming benefits in August, a smaller increase than the City had feared following an increase of more than 30,000 in July. The claimant count total now stands at 1,580,900.
Unemployment on both measures has been rising in recent months as the UK's recovery from the deep recession of 2008-09 has stalled. Economic output has increased by just 0.2% in the nine months to June.
The ONS data showed that employment in the three months to July fell by 69,000, the weakest performance since spring 2010. Employment minister Chris Grayling, said: "Today's figures underline the scale of the challenge that we face particularly given slower growth across Europe and North America. Unemployment remains lower than it was six months ago but clearly we must continue to focus our efforts on supporting business growth and ensure that people who do lose their jobs have the best possible support to get back into employment."
Youth bear the brunt
Unemployment among 16-24-year-olds, the age group worst affected by the slowdown in the labour market, rose to 972,000 in the three months to July as school leavers and graduates struggled to find work. Among those aged between 18 and 24, the unemployment rate now stands at just under 19%, more than double the jobless rate for the UK as a whole.
TUC general secretary Brendan Barber said: "These are terrible figures. They are further evidence that the recovery has been choked off by a self-defeating rush to austerity. Government policies are hurting, but they aren't working.
"Most worrying are the signs of a second wave of rising young unemployment – with the number of 18-24-year-olds out of work now higher than at any point during the recession – making the government's decision to slash the support to young people through Educational Maintenance Allowances and the Future Jobs Fund look even more short-sighted and cruel," Barber added.
A breakdown of the ONS data showed that public sector employment was 3.8% lower in the May-July period of 2011 than it was a year earlier, while private sector job growth has slowed – up 0.2% on the quarter and 1.2% on the year.
The number of people working part time because they could not find a full-time job reached a new record level.
Michael Saunders, economist at Citi, said: "Worse news probably lies ahead. The number of redundancies is up 40% quarter on quarter, while vacancies are falling. Private sector employment is likely to weaken further as firms cut back on labour use, and firms may well cut back rather more quickly than in the early stages of the recession because there currently is less offsetting stimulus from new falls in interest rates. The jobless total is likely to rise above the recession peak soon, and probably will reach 2.7-2.8 million people (8.5%-9% of the workforce) during next year." | <urn:uuid:4265fe71-9db1-4a9f-b94c-4d44a8247426> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2011/sep/14/unemployment-rises-2-5-million | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700958435/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104238-00007-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.973709 | 811 | 1.5 | 2 |
North Carolina School Board Votes To Allow Facial Piercings After Lawsuit
SMITHFIELD, N.C. -- A North Carolina school system that had been involved in a dispute with a student over her nose piercing has now changed its dress code to allow such jewelry.
The Johnston County school board voted unanimously Tuesday to allow students to have nose rings and facial jewelry as long as their school principal doesn't see it as a disruption.
The school system was sued last year by the American Civil Liberties Union on behalf of Ariana Iacono (eye-uh-KOHN'-oh). The student said she wore a small nose stud as a reflection of her religious beliefs. The school suspended her, saying such jewelry violated the dress code.
In June, the school dropped its objections to Iacono's piercing.
Superintendent Ed Croom says Tuesday's vote is not related to the lawsuit. | <urn:uuid:b91e9053-9684-431e-bcaf-123b0ed457ae> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/09/14/north-carolina-school-boa_n_961913.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00006-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.982607 | 183 | 1.539063 | 2 |
Raising $100 million is newsworthy for any company, but when it happened to Twitter this week, it also seemed to raise a hundred million eyebrows. Most notable was the company’s $1 billion valuation, which was labeled “exospheric” and “a new manifestation of the dot-com bubble” and invoked numerous comparisons to 1999 — aka, the Year of Investing Dangerously. But are Twitter’s new investors really crazy? Not at all.
The skeptics have a point: From the perspective of fundamental analysis, there’s no rationale here whatsoever. The private investment valued Twitter at the same $1 billion as the public markets have accorded companies like TiVo, which saw revenue of $250 million in its last fiscal year, and Ariba, which made $330 million. Google is trading around seven times its revenue — using that ratio, Twitter should be raking in about $140 million annually.
As is often pointed out, Twitter has yet to make a dollar, and may not do so by the time we reach the end of 2009. Meanwhile, the company is facing a series of tech glitches, slowing traffic and a reluctance among mainstream users to embrace it as they have Facebook. With $100 million, Twitter, which employs 60 people, can hire another 500 and pay them $75,000 each for the next two-and-a-half years. By then, surely one of them will have figured out a way to make a buck.
But Twitters’ new investors have at least two options. The first, of course, is getting Twitter to make money, which isn’t beyond the pale. There is evidence that Twitterers are for some reason more likely to click on an ad, and if that doesn’t work Twitter can just buy one of the companies that makes money through its service. The harder part is making a profit and keeping it growing.
That may or may not happen in the next few years, which brings us to the investors’ second option. A cynical one, in my view, since it relies on the greater fool theory, which says that you can ignore fundamental analysis as long as you sell out at a higher price to someone even more reckless with their money than you are. The last decade has seen many tech and media giants all too happy to play the greater fool: Time-Warner with AOL, eBay with Skype, Google with YouTube, News Corp with MySpace. Even when the acquired company started churning out a profit, it was often too puny to justify the sale price.
The buzz around Twitter is so loud, and media companies are so awkward about using social media that they’ll jump at the chance to buy the startup and make it their own. But if past is prologue, here is what’s likely to happen: A rival (Facebook, Google) will find a way to steal market share from Twitter. Twitter will poke around for potential buyers, likely a media giant that has more cash than it does instinct for social media. Twitter’s new owner will plaster the service with ads, alienating longtime users and shrinking its market share even more. By then, Twitter’s early investors will have cashed out.
In the meantime, the Twitter investment does not herald another tech bubble. The IPO market is shifting into a higher gear this week, but valuations of tech IPOs like Vitacost.com — an online retailer trading at two times revenue — are nowhere near the insane levels of 1999. Similarly, as PricewaterhouseCoopers and the NVCA noted recently, venture investments in 2009 will be on par with those of 1996, well before the dot-com bubble. Twitter may be a one-company bubble, but that doesn’t mean it’s a regrettable investment.
At least not right now.
Image courtesy of Twitter. | <urn:uuid:4715abf5-2358-43e9-8c25-17d253ba014b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://gigaom.com/2009/09/26/why-investing-100m-in-twitter-isnt-crazy/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705953421/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120553-00013-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.960584 | 802 | 1.671875 | 2 |
|HOME | NEWS | ASSEMBLY ELECTION '98 | REPORT|
|November 23, 1998||
Madhya Pradesh Congress chief seeks a hat-trick in Ghansor
The Bharatiya Janata Party is facing an uphill task in Ghansor, where tribal leader and Madhya Pradesh Congress president Urmila Singh is making all efforts for a third victory.
The BJP has fielded a woman candidate, Vimla Marskole to take on the MPCC chief, who is also a minister in the Digvijay Singh cabinet.
Having an electorate of over 127,000, of whom 48.52 per cent are women, the seat is reserved for scheduled tribes, as the Bhilala tribe of the region dominates local politics.
Besides Urmila Singh and Vimla Marskole, Dhul Singh Sallaya (Janata Dal), Kishan Lal Kalyan (Gondwana Ganatantra Party), Mohan Kumre and Jeevan Lal (both Independents) are also in the fray.
Singh is seeking votes on the basis of the welfare and development initiatives taken by her during the last five years. Her main rival Marskole, though well known as a social worker, is a new face in the political arena of the region.
It is believed there is some resentment in the BJP camp over her candidature as Faggan Singh, the BJP member of Parliament from Mandla, failed to get his brother nominated for the seat.
Singh seems to have better chances of winning. For, since the formation of the segment in 1977, the Congress has retained the seat four times while the BJP bagged it just once. Even during the Janata Party wave of 1977, Vasant Rao Uike retained the seat for the Congress.
Singh secured her first victory from Ghansor in 1985, defeating Kanthilal Dhruve (BJP) by over 9,000 votes. She was, however, defeated in 1990 by Thakur Dal Singh (BJP), who rebelled against the Congress and joined the BJP.
Singh avenged her previous defeat by trouncing Dal Singh (BJP) in the 1993 election.
SHOPPING HOME | BOOK SHOP | MUSIC SHOP | HOTEL RESERVATIONS
PERSONAL HOMEPAGES | FREE EMAIL | FEEDBACK | <urn:uuid:1fd351fd-5d44-4e90-8cc7-af89e69195e9> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.rediff.com/news/1998/nov/23ghan.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00004-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.958461 | 494 | 1.507813 | 2 |
Not since the snail darter has a creature so infuriated -- and inspired -- conservatives around the country. The all-but-inedible, bottom-feeding suckerfish, which makes its home in a lake that feeds this normally fertile agricultural valley, has become the latest rallying cry in the battle to rewrite the Endangered Species Act.
A federal decision to cut off irrigation water in a year of record drought to protect the endangered suckerfish has left 1,400 family farmers and ranchers here seething in resentment and reignited a debate over the federal law that conservatives most love to hate.
The region has been without irrigation water since April 7, when the Bureau of Reclamation ordered the cutoff to guarantee maximum protection to the suckerfish and to the threatened coho salmon.
The silencing of the sprinklers has turned people's lives here upside down, with at least 200,000 acres of farmland parched and no clear idea when the water might flow again.
The farmers and their supporters have denounced what they call an unconscionable betrayal. And now -- to an extent not seen since the battles over the spotted owl in the early 1990's and the snail darter before that -- conservatives are embracing their cause as the best example yet of what is wrong with a law they say demands revision. Lawmakers are flocking to Klamath Falls to show common cause with its people, and conservative voices like The Wall Street Journal's editorial page are turning up the heat.
''This is ground zero in the debate over the Endangered Species Act,'' Representative Greg Walden, Republican of Oregon, said on Saturday, kicking off a field hearing in a fairgrounds hall where bleachers were filled with thousands of angry men and women who wore cowboy hats and boots and carried bitter, sardonic signs like one that read: ''No water, no crops, no jobs, no farmers. Thank you, United States.''
With a federal court having rejected pleas to order a resumption of the water's flow, Mr. Walden and Representative Wally Herger, Republican of California, have asked Gale A. Norton, the interior secretary, to convene the Endangered Species Committee. The panel, made up of seven cabinet-level officials informally known as the God Squad, is charged with weighing economics against extinction and has the power to override provisions of the law that promise primacy to the protection of listed plants and animals.
The group has considered such a request only three times before, in cases involving the whooping crane, the snail darter and the spotted owl. Only once, in the 1991 case of the spotted owl, has the panel authorized action that could further jeopardize a species, and in that case planned timber sales were ultimately dropped because of accusations of illegal lobbying.
The administration has not yet made a decision on the suckerfish request, but a top Interior Department official has held out some prospect for change, promising at Saturday's hearing that the administration would ask outside experts to review an opinion issued in April by the Fish and Wildlife Service that led to the decision to cut off the water.
The opinion was prepared by career officials at the wildlife service, which is headed by an acting chief because the new administration has not chosen its own. In her testimony, Sue Ellen Wooldridge, Ms. Norton's deputy chief of staff, said the water-level recommendations contained in that opinion had left the reclamation bureau, also still headed by an acting chief, no option but to order the water cutoff. | <urn:uuid:38ba05ac-2b81-401a-af01-a3db38a6f1c4> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.nytimes.com/2001/06/20/us/cries-of-save-the-suckerfish-rile-farmers-political-allies.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00018-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.964083 | 710 | 1.734375 | 2 |
Happy, healthy cows are always ready to greet you at the farm. Photo Submitted.
Ballston The workings of a dairy farm are wide and wonderful, and if you’ve ever been curious about where milk comes from, your annual chance is fast approaching.
Sunday, June 17 (also Father’s Day) marks Saratoga County’s 17th Annual Sundae on the Farm at Eildon Tweed Farm in Charlton from noon to 4 p.m. The free event generally draws more than 2,000 visitors from far and wide and highlights one of the greatest resources of the county: agriculture.
“Most farmers are willing to work on Father’s Day. We’re used to seven day weeks,” said David Wood, owner and operator of Eildon Tweed Farm. He also noted June is Dairy Month, which part of why the event always takes place this month.
The New York State Agricultural Society and Cornell Cooperative Extension are sponsoring the event, which has been held on farms in Northumberland and Saratoga in the past. Events of the day include a farm tour, horse-drawn wagon rides and cooking demonstrations. There’s also plenty of food to be had (not free), including sausage and peppers, hotdogs, hamburgers, Stewart’s ice cream and pie a la mode featuring pies from Smith’s Orchard Bake Shop in Charlton.
“It’s a great opportunity for people to see how food is produced… and to learn about the foods and fibers … the things that agriculture brings,” Event Co-chair Penny Heritage said.
She also said holding a farm event draws attention to the fact farmers are stewards of open spaces and of businesses important to local economies. “Ideally, you want farmland in the economy,” she said.
Wood and his wife Connie are happy to be hosting Sunday’s event after first hosting it in 2000. Theirs is one of the biggest dairy farms in the region, with over 1,000 cows. In comparison, many herds in the area range from under 100 up to several hundred. | <urn:uuid:115fc6a3-16c3-4f8d-9494-88e19965d212> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.saratogacospotlight.com/news/2012/jun/15/dairy-day-away/?News | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00017-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.951 | 445 | 1.632813 | 2 |
Posted by Saraline , Tuesday, September 23, 2008 6:29 PM
PETA often doesn't treat women's issues very delicately. Apparently we're not as important as animals. There was the ad linking animal abuse to Robert Pickton's victims, and the ad labeling women who don't shave their pubic hair as unattractive, and of course the numerous ads portraying idealistic and unrealistic images of women's bodies. Now they're taking on breastfeeding mothers.
This morning PETA sent a letter to Ben and Jerry's asking them to replace cow's milk with human breast milk. PETA argues that breast milk is better for the health of Ben and Jerry's customers, but they don't take into consideration that mothers may prefer to reserve their milk for their infants.
Animals will also benefit from the switch to breast milk. Like all mammals, cows only produce milk during and after pregnancy, so to be able to constantly milk them, cows are forcefully impregnated every nine months. After several years of living in filthy conditions and being forced to produce 10 times more milk than they would naturally, their exhausted bodies are turned into hamburgers or ground up for soup.
So a better option would be to forcefully impregnate women every nine months and to force them to produce 10 times more milk than they would naturally? Screw you, PETA. | <urn:uuid:c3f17856-3e82-45c2-966d-7d7b27028e84> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://newfeministmom.blogspot.com/2008/09/peta-asks-ben-and-jerrys-to-replace.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700958435/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104238-00003-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.983613 | 275 | 1.84375 | 2 |
The United States said it was taking measures to protect its citizens worldwide after protesters angry about an online film considered offensive to Islam attacked U.S. diplomatic compounds in Libya and Egypt on Tuesday, killing an American.
In Cairo, several men scaled the walls of the U.S. Embassy and tore down its American flag, according to CNN producer Mohamed Fadel Fahmy, who was on the scene.
In Libya, witnesses say members of a radical Islamist group called Ansar al-Sharia protested near the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, where NATO jets established no-fly zones last year to blunt ground attacks from then Libyan strongman Moammar Gadhafi.
The group then clashed with security forces in the city, blocking roads leading to the consulate, witnesses said.
A U.S. State Department officer was killed in the violence in Benghazi, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said in a statement late Tuesday.
"We are heartbroken by this terrible loss," Clinton said. "Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and those who have suffered in this attack."
Clinton said that she condemned the attack on the U.S. facilities "in the strongest terms" and that following Tuesday's events, the U.S. government was "working with partner countries around the world to protect our personnel, our missions and American citizens worldwide."
Libya's General National Congress also condemned the attack, saying it "led to the regrettable injury and death of a number of individuals." Lawmakers said in a statement Tuesday night that they were investigating.
It was unclear whether the two attacks were coordinated, CNN national security contributor Fran Townsend said Tuesday night.
"One such breach of an embassy or consulate's walls or security on any given day would be tremendous news. ... The fact that two of them happened on the same day that is the 9/11 anniversary where Americans are remembering those that we lost, you have to ask yourself, what are American officials trying to understand about this and whether or not these two are related?" she asked. | <urn:uuid:614f0dec-f938-4ccb-9195-3ffd9e8598e1> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.kitv.com/news/national/Protesters-hit-US-offices-in-Egypt-Libya/-/8905418/16571024/-/12gtee9/-/index.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00004-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.97353 | 417 | 1.71875 | 2 |
Bringing a festive mood to the school cafeteria in the midst of winter
As the days of December roll by and the year speeds along its merry way, the holiday season’s arrival raises all sorts of expectations and anxieties. We hustle and bustle and fight the holiday crowds to buy gifts that may not be appreciated or wanted. If they’re not, the receiver spends time in long lines waiting to return them. Christmas is, in reality, the celebration of the birth of the Christ child. Why don’t we slow down and allow the real meaning of Christmas to surround us? Why don’t we embrace the spirit of love, forgiveness, and kindness to our fellowman? After all, these are the most wonderful gifts and they hold lasting meaning for the entire year.
Make your school cafeteria shine for the holidays!
I have seen a lot of school cafeterias over the years and have observed what wonderful jobs the staffs always do in making the dining areas and serving lines look festive and fun. Many times they do it with little or no cost to the system, but with great reward. The students’ eyes light up as they eagerly anticipate going to the school cafeteria to see what awaits them as a new season or holiday rolls around.
Just as we like to decorate our tables at home for certain holidays with a few special pieces of glassware, china or trays that we traditionally use each year, we all know how very important the presentation of food is to our customers, students, and guests.
Here are some ideas that you may want to consider that, with a few dollars invested in special colors or presentation pieces, can be used to rev up the festivity of the season in your school cafeteria and some of these can be used on a number of occasions throughout the year.
• Using just a few red, green, pastel, or other colorful market trays to display fresh fruits, salads, and sides can certainly add that extra eye appeal that says, Try me.
• Disperse a few seasonally-appropriate colored serving trays in with the color you are currently using (you will still get the look without having to replace all your serving trays) to make your school cafeteria line look festive.
• Use a large colored or festive-looking bowl at the beginning or end of the line to make fresh fruit available to students and staff.
• Add a few colored bread baskets for a choice of breads on the serving line.
• Colored tongs can add a punch of color and interest to a salad bar or serving line.
These ideas can help to soften the institutional look of a school cafeteria and make the serving line look much more festive and appealing to your students. For a price quote on any of the above items or other items you find on our website at www.KaTom.com, call 800-541-8683 or e-mail us at firstname.lastname@example.org. | <urn:uuid:04f08623-73fb-46b2-9197-a4bed1e942d4> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.katom.com/learning-center/mary-lous-k-12-december-newsletter.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00005-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.946431 | 608 | 1.703125 | 2 |
To be honest, the past month dragged me into a convoluted state. I had to make ends meet by finishing my writing deadlines. These were interspersed with a lot of things to think about – worries about physical and financial preparations for a retreat I was about to attend. Then, I focused on the rest of the retreat during the last few days of Holy week. After the retreat, however, an inner storm has stirred up. I had less energy to write and too much cluelesness to mull over. Up until now it has been a long period of me trying to come to my senses.
It is quite hard to admit, but I felt depressed. Like every average person, I have my own share of personal issues and concerns. They all make me feel uncertain. I am stepping upon the instability and unpredictability of life, fearing the uncharted regions of the unknown. I sometimes feel like trying to hold something on water as if it is solid. The more I struggle, the more I get drowned.
But this kind of depression is more than just psychological or mental condition. Medicine and psychology often pin down that “abnormal” experience into something clinical and void of humanity. Yet I believe it is more than just abnormality or plain sadness. Depression is always an intersection of exterior mess and interior contemplation and I have had a direct experience of it. It was something that cannot just be accorded to as an “illness” or “disorder”.
Thomas Moore, a psychotherapist and spiritual author, writes in his book The Care of the Soul: “Depression grants the gift of experience not as a literal fact but as an attitude toward yourself.” Reflecting Moore’s energy, it is not about glorifying depression. It is neither glamorizing medical infirmity nor justifying our emotional woundedness; it is, in fact, honoring a temporal experience, an opening of the soul towards its richness as a point of becoming aware of what it is to be human. Because in such awareness, the core of depression is revealed, like the haunting yet magnificent truth poetically expressed by Kahlil Gibran: “The deeper that sorrow carves into your being, the more joy you can contain.”
Because to rest is to deeply touch the stillness of the soul.
I think – and feel – for the first time, I am attempting to share this soft spot, this hidden shadow. It is a crisis of the soul. I am wrapped within that mysterious black hole. Encouraging myself to reveal it is to enlighten this darkness more. Love is precisely paradoxical, and within such truth, darkness dazzles like light, similar to how most mystics had always described. Therefore, even in such seemingly absence of Love, I have a deep knowing that I am never unloved. Being deeply honest brings back that awareness that Love is always present.
I have a friend in her late fifties whom we fondly see as everybody’s mother. Her husband died about a decade ago. She had become so depressed that it took her some 2 years hiding and grieving. Her depression had cost her her health. She became paralyzed with stroke and some inexplainable illness. In one of her dreams, a cure was revealed. This cure, a specially made turmeric powder, became an inspiration of her recovery. She shared this wisdom and helped people heal and change their lives. Along the way, we were able to become friends and connect our souls. She was the first person I told my epiphany: she was not really depressed after all. She was just in deep rest.
It was a vivid revelation to me. I am sharing this basic but timeless suffering of humanity. And it is never an empty echo; being “depressed” is a melodious call to have a “deep rest”. To rest is to pause from the speed of the world. To rest is to breathe (Filipino: rest, pahinga; breathing, paghinga) – to breathe deeply and become aware that Life, amid the disturbing stirring of sadness and void, is always present. Returning to that constancy, I believe I have no need to be depressed. I am called to rest deeply in the cradle of my inner joy. Because to rest is to deeply touch the stillness of the soul. By doing that, I am always sure that I am in touch with Love. | <urn:uuid:cf79ff87-94ce-4028-aafe-dc91baf19823> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://pathfinderscommune.com/2012/05/03/deep-rest/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00005-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.979718 | 915 | 1.507813 | 2 |
Posted: Dec 8, 2011 3:29 PM by John Reger
Updated: Aug 9, 2012 8:28 PM
Fall colors and road construction in Paso Robles are the subjects of Good Question tonight. First from Sylvia Jaron of San Luis Obispo. She wants to know: Is there a reason the fall colors seem to be more vibrant than usual this year? Good Question.
Cal Poly Biology Professor Matt Ritter agrees the colors have been especially spectacular this year. He says cold weather in early October got the leaves changing early. The green chlorophyll in the leaves starts to break down exposing yellow, red and purple pigments. But then mild temperatures in October and November kept the leaves on the trees and allowed the colors to develop longer.
Here's a question from Mario Eckles of Paso Robles. He asks: What's all the road construction in Paso Robles near Highway 101. There's lots happening. Two left-turn lanes are being added at Highway 46 heading south. The 16th street southbound off ramp is being taken out. At 17th Street, new on and off ramps are going in heading south. And new sidwalks are being added to the 13th street bridge over the highway. It should all be done by summer of 2014.
I know you have a lot more questions so send them to ksby.com or facebook.com/JohnRegerKsbyNews. The only bad question is the one you don't ask.
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KSBY is your official CA Lottery station for San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara Counties | <urn:uuid:b93c6d47-e796-40fa-9b07-5db90db201a2> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.ksby.com/news/why-are-the-fall-colors-more-vibrant-this-year-what-kind-of-road-construction-is-going-on-in-paso-robles-near-highway-101--229434/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00017-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.936811 | 472 | 1.679688 | 2 |
By Melanie Mason
1:06 PM EST, January 14, 2013
WASHINGTON -- President Obama said Monday that he will unveil a package of proposals to combat gun violence later this week, but acknowledged the daunting politics of getting all the legislative components through Congress.
Speaking at a news conference a month after the mass shooting at an elementary school in Newtown, Conn., Obama said members of Congress “are going to have to have a debate and examine their own conscience” when it comes to considering gun legislation.
“If everybody across party lines was as deeply moved [by the Newtown shootings] and saddened as I was, then we’re going to have to vote based on what we think is best,” he added.
Vice President Joe Biden, along with several cabinet secretaries, have compiled a list of “common sense steps” to reduce gun violence, Obama said — the fruits of a nearly month-long working group that consulted with law enforcement, gun rights groups, mental health advocates and gun control supporters, among others.
Obama will discuss the recommendations with Biden over lunch Monday. The White House will reveal details of the plan later in the week.
In the White House news conference, Obama reiterated his policy priorities, which he had endorsed immediately after the school shooting: strengthening background checks on gun purchasers, limiting access to high-capacity ammunition magazines, and “an assault weapons ban that is meaningful.”
But he acknowledged the steep political challenge of pushing firearms legislation through Congress, where the Republican-led House of Representatives has shown no inclination to sign on to new gun restrictions.
“Will all of them get through this Congress? I don’t know,” the president said.
Obama said his administration also would consider administrative steps to tighten gun laws, such as improving data collection to track guns used by criminals.
The president attributed the booming gun sales occurring across the country, in part, to “those who oppose any common sense gun control or gun safety measure [having] a pretty effective way of ginning up fear on the part of gun owners that somehow the federal government is about to take all your guns away.”
Obama said his first-term record makes it “pretty hard to argue that somehow gun owners have had their rights infringed.”
Copyright © 2013, Los Angeles Times | <urn:uuid:0d655c3f-9187-40bf-b2ca-a5ea102d48d8> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.mcall.com/news/nationworld/la-pn-obama-gun-control-proposals-20130114,0,1919011,print.story | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00002-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.965258 | 481 | 1.625 | 2 |
~ ~ SalvationFirst Ministries ~ ~
A Non-Denominational Ministry of Our Heavenly Father
Sharing the Word of God... World-Wide
Why is it important to understand Marriage
Marriage is a term used in The Word of God. It means much more than united by the laws of the State of Ohio or any other Government, It means HOLY Matrimony.
The Word of God tells us this is a SPECIAL HOLY UNION, as it is also used to describe the very union we are to have with Jesus Christ when He returns for "His Bride" In the Book of Genesis, we read God made Man as "Male and Female", But he did not have them as Husband and Wife. These were not His Special Creation. Adam was his first Special creation. Adam was the FIRST to have a WIFE. Notice that this Female was not called female, but was called WOMAN by Adam. God made her because He knew "It was not good for man to be alone" Our Creator had us BOND as ONE to a woman as He made her our wife. How do we know Eve was one with Adam? Notice the order of scripture.
Our Creator made Eve from the rib of Adam for a reason. She was truly "A Part of Adam" This is also shown when Eve was with the serpent. She said God told her not to eat from the "Tree of Knowledge" However nowhere in The Bible is she told this as Eve. ADAM was told this BEFORE she was taken from his rib. So she heard this FROM God, THROUGH Adam. She heard it as a rib inside Adam. She was a part of the BODY of Adam. All these terms are also used to explain our relationship with God. So we must understand them, in order to understand our TRUE relationship with Our Father and Our Savior Jesus Christ. (If you can understand how we are one with our wife / husband, then you can understand that Our Heavenly Father, Our Savior Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit, are also ONE.)
As stated earlier, there were "Male and Female", (They were NOT called Man and Woman) created at the same time as Adam. These humans were told to "go forth and multiply" It was with these humans that Cain found his wife. Remember, Cain feared OTHERS would kill him, and God used the term "ANYBODY" These words would not be used to describe Adam or Eve. We have covered in other messages that there is a difference between IMAGE and LIKENESS, and that we were not made in his LIKENESS at this time. (Image is what we see in a mirror, our OUTSIDE or Flesh. His Likeness is Spirit , and Jesus did that at the Cross.
Genesis 1:26-28 26 Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground." 27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. 28 God blessed them and said to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground."
16 And the LORD God commanded the man, "You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; 17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die." 18 The LORD God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him." 19 Now the LORD God had formed out of the ground all the beasts of the field and all the birds of the air. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name. 20 So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds of the air and all the beasts of the field. But for Adam | <urn:uuid:2aa306f5-6caa-4790-8bd0-ae1d400791a6> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.salvationfirst.org/Understanding_Marriage.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00018-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.988761 | 867 | 1.664063 | 2 |
"The element of it specifically now that people seem to be catch onto is the design of the city and this notion of a future where there is no middle class -- it's either very rich or very poor," Johnson said. "Design elements like that, which took place during the pre-production phase -- you can't help but be influenced by what you see on the news every day and by what are the common fears in the air. It's impossible not to be influenced by the world around you."
Unfortunately, what happens with a film and its relation to news events once that film is released is completely out of a filmmaker's control -- and viewers will likely find one scene particularly unnerving in the aftermath of the mass shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newton, Conn.
While he doesn't know what he would have done to reshape the film if the shootings had taken place while it was still in production, Johnson takes comfort in knowing that the purpose of "Looper" -- which was released more than two months before the Newtown tragedy -- was to take a stand against violence.
"This goes not just for the violence in that scene, but for the violence in the film overall -- it's something that I was very, very conscious of when making it," Johnson said. "It was something that I ultimately felt was necessary, and something I can stand behind because of what the film itself ends up saying about violence."
Ultimately, Johnson said, the violence is non-gratuitous -- and is a necessary means to the story's end.
"It uses violence as a very strong case against violence as problem-solving. It really ends up putting all its chips on that argument by the end of the film," Johnson said. "I think a frank depiction of that violence was necessary to get the film to that point."
That's not to say that Johnson isn't sensitive to the potential arguments against the way filmmakers use violence in film. Johnson said it's a responsibility that filmmakers shouldn't take lightly.
"The cultural context of the images you're putting out there -- it's not something that as a filmmaker you can just dismiss," Johnson said. "I think with art you have to take a look at the bigger picture. You have to look at what the piece of art is, what you're using it for and what you're trying to say." | <urn:uuid:3bad6ece-3798-4669-a563-04cf1e3ef9aa> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.wxii12.com/news/entertainment/-Looper-recognition-throws-filmmaker-for-loop/-/9677474/18088982/-/item/1/-/pfk26i/-/index.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00014-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.988747 | 480 | 1.765625 | 2 |
One of Those Days
This Perry Hall mom had a terrible day, but we've all been there.
Have you ever had one of those days? I have. You know, when you feel like anything and everything that could go wrong does go wrong.
Most days, I feel like I’ve got it together and I can handle whatever is thrown at me. But occasionally, I'll wander through the day, completely disheveled and uncoordinated—a mistake waiting to happen. I'm lucky I don’t have my shirt on inside out or toilet paper stuck to my shoe. I can’t help but think, what must people think of me?
The most recent disaster started at the library. I attempted to get some help looking for a book. My 1-year-old then leapt out of my arms. He started walking around and pushing books over on every shelf he could get his grimy little fingers on. I desperately tried to hold an intelligent conversation with the librarian who was trying to help me, but my 4-year-old went one way and the 1-year-old went the other. Both were wreaking havoc on the library.
We got the book. Then I realized that my stinky child needed changing. I corralled everyone in the bathroom, got him on the changing table, took off his diaper, reached into my bag and found that I didn't have a clean replacement. Seriously? How did this happen? What do I do? I actually had to put the dirty diaper back on, race to check out the books and head home. Fortunately, we live close. Both his diaper and his outfit were then changed.
We were then off to Target, where I dealt with several meltdowns because I was not buying toys. I had to endure my unruly preschooler crying and deeming me the “meanest mommy ever.” Finally, we got to the register. The 4-year-old was still crying. I looked down and saw that my 1-year-old was missing a shoe. You have got to be kidding me, I thought. They were brand new! Frazzled, I looked helplessly at the cashier and at the woman next in line, who was sneering at me. I paid for my items, pulled my hair, sighed and retraced my steps. We found the shoe. I'm convinced the security guard was laughing at me during this escapade. Let's hope I don't show up on YouTube.
I should have gone home, but I didn’t. I went to the grocery store to grab something for dinner. My kids insisted on one of those dreadful carts with the car on the front. They are like driving a boat. I was almost ready to leave the store. I then turned toward the registers and bumped into a display of Easter candy and in slow motion, I knocked the entire thing over. Tears dripped down my face and sweat was flowing from every pore in my body. An older man came to my rescue and helped me pick it up. All the while, the kids were going crazy. He told me to relax. We cleaned it up. He had no idea what I had been through, but he was so incredibly nice.
We finally made it home.
I kept thinking about what a mess my day had been and then my 4-year-old came up to me. Unprompted, he gave me a hug and said he loved me. And somehow, the comically chaotic day just melted away. Fortunately, we stayed home and the rest of the day wasn’t nearly as stressful. I may never leave the house again.
I know we've all been in this situation. But when it happens, it can really question your ability to function as a parent. I believed in my own incompetency and felt embarrassed. My kids and I put on quite a show sometimes, but those boisterous and occasionally disobedient children are my life, my reason for being. And I love them. Chaos and all.
So the next time you see some struggling woman with two kids who are going wild, say hello to me and offer a kind word, because you know you’ve had one of those days too. | <urn:uuid:867aa8b3-e562-404c-a8d6-225ee7732d5e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://perryhall.patch.com/articles/one-of-those-days | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00010-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.990679 | 882 | 1.5 | 2 |
Speed skates are a high performance apparatus so it is not always easy to have one size chart that will please everyone because some skaters like their skates tighter than others. So, what we have done is provide you with the exact last sizes in the chart above and you can use it to determine your Bont size. As a basic rule, most skaters like their boots to be 3-4mm longer than the last. This allows for your feet to grow in length when the boots are tightened. If you like your boots super tight, then just add 1-2mm but be warned, your toes will touch the end and possibly be scrunched.
We have added a new row called WIDTH. It makes it easy to determine if you have wide or narrow feet. For example, a size 4 boot will fit a 86 - 90mm wide foot. If you have a 91mm wide foot, then you would probably be better off with a wide boot.
To find your size, place a tape measure on a flat surface up against a wall. Stand on the tape measure with your heal against the wall. Look down and take the measurement from your longest toe. Then use the MM scale on the size chart to find your size.
Here are some examples of mm sizes for speed skates and the boot size that we would recommend:
253mm + 4mm you should order size 6.5
268mm + 4mm you should order size 8
273mm + 4mm you should order size 9
291mm + 4mm you should order size 11.
If you need to fax your feet tracings to us, click here | <urn:uuid:8f3c094b-ea39-435e-8c84-994bd5a7d827> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.bont.com/shorttrack/items/sizes.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00017-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.940498 | 338 | 1.585938 | 2 |
Lately I have been thinking about Spielberg’s movie “Saving Private Ryan”. Not because we just celebrated Veteran’s Day or because I am particularly inspired by war movies, but because I have been researching models for effective teacher leadership. And not-so effective models, too. And because, for a moment there, we lost sight of our mission, just like Captain Miller’s troops.
It happened yesterday when my staff watched Sir Ken Robinson’s video clip on the relative zaniness of the American public education system. We all seem to share a common loathing for standardized tests and what they do to our teaching. The absence of science and physical education and critical thinking and poetry and joy is conspicuous in our efforts to meet this year’s version of the AYP. There is deep stress in that.
Moreover, we are healing from a self inflicted (though well-intentioned) wound since we expanded from seven multi-age classrooms to 21 in one year. Our teachers are struggling. Searching for support. Venting. Identifying their frustrations and cursing our commitment to innovation. And cursing me for promoting the idea in the first place. Fair enough.
But in the emotions of the moment during our weekly staff meeting when all of our teachers’ patience was at the boiling point, we all forgot that our school is driven by a mission. Eleven years ago we vowed to get 90% of our students to grade level. At the time, only 19% were there. That was considered par for our demographics- a low income school 7 miles from the border to Tijuana. But we knew that our students and families and teachers were better than that. We knew our students had it in them. We knew our kids would be saddled by low expectations for the rest of their lives unless we changed the culture of achievement at our school and throughout our community. And so we did. And now 70% are proficient…and climbing.
Our mission is decent and worthy. We are not inspired by NCLB or the superintendent or the fear of being labeled an underperforming school. We are driven, purely, by the boundless potential of our students.
So we promote authentic teacher leadership and democratic models of decision making because we believe that that is the pathway to achieving our goals. It is the way in which we will get that final 20% proficient. There is no other roadmap. No one person has the “right answer’ so we count on all of our teachers to share their expertise for the good of the whole. It just seems like lately we have gotten distracted by the challenges of implementing large scale change and we have lost our acuity for identifying the alternative tactics and strategies necessary to move forward. It is killing morale. It is testing our resolve.
In the end I am sure Sir Ken Robinson is right and we are all complicit in the destruction of America’s system of public education because we defer to the standardized test. But that is the game we are in. That’s the deal. Even when the troops are restless. Sometimes leadership is pointing the compass back to “true north” and holding on to the rudder for all you are worth.
There is a scene in “Saving Private Ryan“ where Captain Miller’s battalion disintegrates into a dangerous rabble of griping hot heads armed to the teeth and threatening to shoot each other. They had had enough of ‘the mission’. But he stood his ground in the midst of the chaos. He was calm and decisive. And for the sake of dramatic effect and unity of purpose, he reminded them all of their lives back home. Earlier, they had placed bets on what their captain did for a living. Remember his answer?
He was a high school history teacher. Mission-driven. A model of teacher leadership. | <urn:uuid:6694c514-f114-4885-acdd-3563ff20da7a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://kriley19.wordpress.com/2010/11/20/saving-sir-ken/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00017-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.972947 | 793 | 1.601563 | 2 |
on't esactly envy yer the jaunt. Guess there'll be more rain bime-by. Good day. Giddap."
"Wall, I reckon," said Henry Burns, dryly, imitating the man's manner of speech, "that I don't ask any more of these farmers how many miles we've got to travel. According to his reckoning, we'd get to Benton sometime to-morrow night. The next man might say 'twas fifty miles to Benton, and then you'd want to turn back."
"Never!" exclaimed Jack Harvey, grimly. "Let's go for the canoe."
They got the canoe on their shoulders, and made short work of the carry. But it was after ten o'clock when they set their craft afloat in Dark Stream; and the real work of the day had just begun.
Knowing they were really on the right course, however, cheered them.
"Say," cried Harvey, in a sudden burst of enthusiasm, "we'll not stop at Benton, at all, perhaps; just keep on paddling down Mill Stream past the city, down into Samoset river, into the bay, and out to Grand Island. Make a week of it." | <urn:uuid:36f57a29-c5f6-4575-bddc-70e219e0a7f1> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://manybooks.net/titles/smithrs2850428504-8.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.979028 | 255 | 1.75 | 2 |
SANTA FE - Gov. Susana Martinez sees one clear path to victory in her relentless campaign to stop illegal immigrants from obtaining New Mexico driver's licenses.
"If legislators vote the way their constituents want them to, the law will be repealed," Martinez said.
Just beginning her second year in office, Martinez perhaps has pressed harder on the licensing issue than any other.
The legislative session starting Tuesday will mark her third try to repeal the law. She lost attempts in March and September.
Martinez, citing a 2010 Albuquerque Journal poll, said state residents oppose by a 3-1 margin issuing driver's licenses to people who are in the country illegally. But, she said, the people's will has been thwarted by Democrats in the Legislature.
"This is not an immigration issue. It is a public safety issue," said Martinez, a Republican.
She said issuing driver's licenses to those in the country illegally weakens border and national security.
But Democrats, particularly those in the state Senate, say the law really is about immigration and family security. It allows people with a raft of identifying documents to receive New Mexico driver's licenses, regardless of immigration status.
The law has been on the books since 2003. It was championed by former Gov. Bill Richardson, who said immigrants essentially invited to New Mexico to pick crops or do other jobs Americans will not touch should be able to drive to work legally.
New Mexico's Catholic bishops are
Nonetheless, Martinez's complaint about the law is shared by many ordinary citizens. They say the state government should not license drivers who broke the law by entering the United States illegally.
Martinez's campaign to repeal the law has substantial support in the state House of Representatives. Forty-two of the 70 House members voted last winter to stop licensing illegal immigrants. She likely can win again in the House.
Even Rep. Nick Salazar, the longest-serving legislator with 40 years In office, said he could vote with the governor this time after opposing her last year. Salazar, D-Ohkay Owingeh, is running for re-election in a redrawn district.
But Martinez may have little chance of getting her way in the state Senate. She actually is weaker there than she was last year.
Republican senator Kent Cravens of Albuquerque resigned his seat to become a lobbyist. Democrat Lisa Curtis replaced him this month.
That change gives Democrats a 28-14 advantage in the Senate. Most in the majority party say the licensing law is benign.
Sen. Mary Jane Garcia, D-Dona Ana, is one of them. She said she will vote to keep the existing law because it helps people and law enforcement agencies too. Those with driver's licenses are in police databases and can be tracked more easily.
Still, Garcia is willing to compromise by restricting driver's licenses to one or two years for foreign nationals who do not have proof of immigration status. Other New Mexico driver's licenses are good for four or eight years.
Garcia said this limitation would lessen the chance of illegal immigrants traveling to New Mexico for the sole purpose of defrauding the state to get a driver's license. The existing law specifies that only people who live in New Mexico can obtain a license.
Forty-seven states do not issue driver's licenses to applicants unless they have proof that they are U.S. citizens or are in the country legally. New Mexico, Utah and Washington are the exceptions.
This makes New Mexico a magnet for illegal immigrants, and fraud is an ongoing problem for workers in the state's motor vehicle offices, Martinez said.
Only one Senate Democrat is squarely behind Martinez on the licensing repeal. He is John Arthur Smith of Deming.
But even Smith, one of the Legislature's financial hawks, said he was worried that debate over driver's licenses would dominate this 30-day legislative session. Smith said other issues, particularly those related to budgeting, could get insufficient review if there is another protracted debate on driver's licenses.
Foreign nationals account for about 6 percent, or 92,000, of the state's 1.6 million licensed drivers. Not all of those people are in the country illegally. The foreign database also includes immigrants with permission to study or work in the United States.
Rep. Andy Nunez, an independent from Hatch, is again going to sponsor the repeal bill that Martinez favors. He said it may have a better chance than ever because this is an election year, and those who support the licensing system risk alienating voters.
Smith, though, said a repeal bill may never survive Senate committees, much less win in a vote of the full body.
Santa Fe Bureau Chief Milan Simonich can be reached at 505-820-6898. His blog is at nmcapitolreport.com.
Balance of power
House of Representatives
•Gov. Susana Martinez and Lt. Gov. John Sanchez are Republicans.
•Sanchez presides over the Senate but only votes on proposed legislation in case of a tie. | <urn:uuid:6a628b83-d7cf-4347-b627-7c97bc2600f5> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.lcsun-news.com/new_mexico-legislation/ci_19746183 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00014-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.960853 | 1,024 | 1.585938 | 2 |
Video game makers use art, storylines to lure new players
LOS ANGELES Menacing alien machines descend on Earth, and amid all-out war, a soldier searches a building to find a frightened boy hiding in a vent.
"It's OK," says the soldier.
"Everyone's dying," the boy replies.
The soldier must choose: Help the boy or tell him to flee.
BLOG: Game Hunters
Though it's full of dramatic tension and realistic animation, this isn't a scene from the next Hollywood blockbuster. It's actually from upcoming video game Mass Effect 3.
Game makers are crafting more sophisticated story lines and creating characters that evolve based on their experiences within a game. It's an attempt to interest new customers and reverse a decline in video game sales as the maturing business fights for people's attention in the face of new devices such as the iPad.
A new crop of games calls for players to make choices that go beyond selecting a weapon. Among other things, players are asked to make moral decisions that force their characters — and the game's narrative — to evolve in different ways. Upcoming games such as Bioshock Infinite and Star Wars: The Old Republic tap into this vein.
These storytelling games couldn't come at a better time. U.S. sales of gaming consoles and video games hit a peak in 2008, at $21.4 billion, according to market research firm NPD Group. Since then, however, annual sales fell 13% to $18.6 billion in 2010. So far in 2011, sales are flat compared with last year.
With the recent Supreme Court decision protecting violent games as free speech, it's more appropriate than ever for games to have more of a message.
Part of the goal of involved storytelling is to keep players occupied for longer, playing out stories through to the end. Video game makers are trying to stop players from getting bored and quickly offloading games onto used game shops, which can sap sales.
The new games merge first-person shoot-em-ups with movie plotlines to develop what some in the industry are calling a new art form.
In the past, games mostly sandwiched so-called theatrical "cut scenes" between bouts of trigger-finger action. In Grand Theft Auto IV, for instance, players are given missions on a roughly linear progression as other hoodlums call by cellphone and recruit them to participate in crimes that will elevate the player in rank. Players can follow along or ignore the story lines in favor of other pursuits, such as discovering hidden details like the giant, chained heart inside the Statue of Liberty lookalike.
Gradually, non-action scenes are becoming more central to games and the story is the focus. Grand Theft was a start in that direction, with two different endings depending on player choices. The new Star Wars game will have about 20 different endings and a billion ways to get there.
Levine's studio is poised to release BioShock Infinite next year. The shooting game confronts main character Booker with moral decisions — like saving a man from execution or putting down a horse — all the while roaming around an immersive floating world that resembles early 20th century America.
"My mom's not going to connect to the story of Mega Man 2," Levine said, referring to the pixelated Capcom game from the late 1980s. "But hopefully she can connect to a story like this."
These storytelling games represent yet another way the video game business is reaching out to people who have not traditionally considered themselves "gamers." Mobile games including Angry Birds and addicting social-network games such as FarmVille have gotten more women to play. Motion controllers from Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo have turned video gaming into a physical workout that appeals to young and old.
Storytelling games could appeal to those attracted to character development more than killing.
Lindsay Grace, professor of interactive media studies at Miami University, said the video game industry is trying to accomplish what Hollywood has turned into a science: entering new markets by offering a little something for everyone — a little romance, a little action, a little this and that.
"Games have started to understand this in the last four to five years, but they are later to understand that than film," he said. "Before, it was a shooting game, and that's what you do."
Grace, who's been studying video games for seven years, believes the answer is not in more big-budget shoot-em-ups, but in independent video games pushing the boundaries of entertainment.
"From indie games to more mainstream offerings, in the next decade or so we are going to be seeing a greater diversity in subject matter," said Scott Steinberg, the chief executive of video game consulting company TechSavvy Global. "The selection of games will more closely resemble your selection of movies."
Market tracker NPD Group doesn't track or categorize "storytelling" games specifically. But many of the games that have had commercial success dive deep into narrative territory. Grand Theft Auto IV has sold 20 million units since its record-breaking April 2008 launch. L.A. Noire was the top-selling game in the United States in May, with an estimated 899,000 units, despite an industry downturn.
A-list actors, writers and directors are increasingly participating in the industry, lending their voices, faces and ideas to the medium.
Guillermo Del Toro, the Oscar-nominated director behind such hits as Pan's Labyrinth and Hellboy, recently cut off work on the unfinished The Hobbit movies in part to free himself to work on video games. One of his first new projects is with game maker THQ on a future release called "Insane." Guillermo envisions the making of the game to take up eight to nine years of his creative life.
"We are in the infancy of people recognizing video games as art," Del Toro said in a recent interview.
He believes game releases will become major cultural events someday, much like big-budget movies. "In order to be a storyteller in the 21st century, we urgently need to learn to tell stories through video games," he said.
Aaron Staton, an actor from the Emmy-winning television series Mad Men, said he signed on to play detective Cole Phelps in the epic crime game L.A. Noire, to be part of the cutting-edge method of storytelling that the game explores.
Staton studied 2,200 pages of script in order to act out all the story lines that evolve from player choices. A key game mechanic is determining how the detective will react to suspects in the interrogation room. Deciding to believe or doubt them moves the story into what he describes as "its own separate reality."
Many recent games have featured actors' voices, but in L.A. Noire, their facial expressions and voices become "an important aspect of the story of the game and the game play itself," Staton said. "So I thought that it would be exciting."
Actions in these games are meant to have consequences that go beyond passing levels or gaining points. They unlock new, unexplored chapters, like a book that has dozens of endings, and provide lessons for the characters along the way.
A love triangle is expected to develop in Mass Effect 3, but only if characters created romances in the earlier two versions.
In Star Wars: The Old Republic, gamers can choose to play do-good Jedi Knights, evil Sith lords or six other classes of characters. Sparing an enemy's life, for instance, will determine which direction the game heads and whether companions cooperate or betray the player later on.
Daniel Erickson, the lead writer of the Star Wars game, said the amount of storytelling content was unprecedented. The studio behind it, BioWare, created more than 10,000 characters to talk to and used voices from more than 1,000 actors.
The alternate paths amount to more than 60 Star Wars novels worth of content in a script that, if read completely, would last longer than the entire 86-episode run of the HBO television show "The Sopranos," which would take three days without sleep.
"BioWare is a lot closer in structure to an ongoing TV series studio when it comes to the writing department than it is to a classic game design studio," Erickson said. "It is story that drives everything."
AP Technology Writer Barbara Ortutay in New York and Entertainment Writer Derrik J. Lang in Los Angeles contributed to this report.
Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. | <urn:uuid:65c020a6-f3d5-4764-b06c-e007412bfe30> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/tech/gaming/2011-07-09-video-games-storylines_n.htm | 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 | 0.964621 | 1,764 | 1.757813 | 2 |
Most of us spend way too much time indoors.
We know this, and yet because of work, lifestyle, family or maybe just habit, we continue to do so anyway. And too much time indoors can lead to unhealthy lifestyle choices. (Example de jour: walking through the kitchen, grab a snack; stay rooted in your favorite chair for hours, etc).
Great news: the answer might be just waiting for you outside your front door. Just to be sure, I tested it myself this morning: dropped the kids at school, grabbed a bottle of water and some sunscreen, and headed for the hills. Being outside, taking advantage when possible of nature (or even a city block), has many proven health benefits. I believe that much of chronic disease can be treated with lifestyle modification, specifically exercise, stress management and improved nutrition (and fortunately, a growing body of sound scientific evidence backs me up on this one!).
Walking around the block, hiking in a canyon, watching a sunset...these are easy ways to improve your physical fitness and reduce your stress levels.
But what if your work or family life make it difficult to take advantage of nature. Then what? Fortunately, this is where your creativity gets to play: what about bringing in a few beautiful leaves to decorate your table? Or maybe pick a handful of acorns and put in a bowl. Or just opening your front door and sitting on the steps. Or stopping at night before your get in your car to look up, see if you notice the moon or perhaps a constellation (big dipper, anyone?).
Get some inspiration from these ladies and learn to appreciate your behind.
Say "goodbye" to winter dryness and get your skin ready for the sunny days ahead!
From cave paintings to Kim Kardashian, a review of the bright side and the dark side of the backside.
Could you boycott beauty for a year? This author did.
Return to the Mobile Site | <urn:uuid:3b06753f-a22c-473e-9085-8587ae97ffaa> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.youbeauty.com/health/columns/everyday-wellness/force-of-nature | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00005-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.942381 | 396 | 1.804688 | 2 |
Chicago experienced its 500th murder of the year on Thursday night, when a 40-year-old man was shot to death in the Austin neighborhood. It was only the second time in the last ten years the city has reached that mark. In 2008, 513 people were murdered.
However, this year’s violence has attracted unprecedented national attention to Chicago. In October, Diane Sawyer held a town hall meeting at St. Sabina’s Church, hosted by Father Michael Pfleger. The killings have earned the city the nickname “Chiraq” and have been inspired an emerging Chicago rap form known as drill.
“The toughened reality of living in these neighborhoods is what shaped Drill music, a slang term for retaliation and a new style of hip-hop that represents a turning away from Chicago’s socially conscious wave represented by Kanye West, Common, Lupe Fiasco, the Cool Kids and others to a darker, more hard-core sound, recognized by sinister keyboards, brittle beats and voyeuristic tales involving girls, Kush smoking, but primarily violence,” Salon wrote in an article on rapper Chief Keef, who was investigated for his connection to the shooting of a rival named Lil Jojo.
The city’s murders have also made it a case study in the debate on gun control. Second Amendment defenders point to the fact that Chicago has some of the strictest gun laws in the nation as proof that gun control is not only ineffective, but causes more violence.
“The reality is that the only people being denied guns under Obama's scenario are law-abiding citizens,” wrote Breitbart.com, in an article titled “Obama‘s gun control not working out in Chicago.” “And this means criminals are beginning to understand they can carry out their misdeeds with a impunity, as the citizens they accost or attack have no weapons with which to fight back. As a result, Chicago is on track to have more than 500 gun-related deaths for this year alone.”
Probably the most read article in the history of Ward Room is a piece entitled “The Deadliest Global City,” which pointed out that Chicago has a higher murder rate than any other Alpha world city. It’s been popular with conservatives who believe gun control is responsible for the murders.
Whatever is causing it, as we move into 2013, the most important issue facing this city and this state is not education, or the pension crisis, or the parking meters -- it’s murder. | <urn:uuid:7e8a0061-8e0b-4352-a1d8-a5eeb3b4f5df> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.nbcchicago.com/blogs/ward-room/What-Chicagos-500th-Murder-Means-185037341.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697974692/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095254-00007-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.974327 | 526 | 1.765625 | 2 |
Boosting Your Metabolism For Dummies
The easy way to boost your metabolism and lose weight... for good!
People often wonder why their dieting and exercise efforts seem to result in little or no weight loss. Some people may have to work hard to simply maintain their current weight. With such a dilemma, they may blame their woes on a "slow metabolism". Unfortunately, there is no miracle diet that works for everyone because everyone has a unique body type and traits which impact their metabolic rate. Boosting Your Metabolism For Dummies helps you identify why your efforts have failed in the past and determine how to shift your unique metabolism into high gear by eating specific foods and performing particular exercises. Transform your mind and body for good with what Boosting Your Metabolism For Dummies offers:
An explanation of common misconceptions about metabolism
How to calculate and influence one's metabolic rate
How to get in the right mindset and embark on the path to lifestyle change
How to navigate the grocery store for metabolism boosting foods and 40+ quick and easy recipes
Meal planning tips and smart strategies for eating out
Metabolism boosting workouts
Tips to get family onto the healthy metabolism wagon
If you're looking for a fun and easy-to-understand guide that shows you how to put your metabolism to work, increase overall health, and get the body you've always wanted, Boosting Your Metabolism For Dummies has you covered. | <urn:uuid:680900af-1d16-4a91-bdc5-e727c17d1fc2> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.dummies.com/store/product/Boosting-Your-Metabolism-For-Dummies.productCd-1118491572.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697974692/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095254-00005-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.935652 | 293 | 1.734375 | 2 |
Set in the 1980’s, “The Americans” is about Philip (Matthew Rhys) and Elizabeth Jennings (Keri Russell), KGB agents living undercover as a married couple in the suburbs of Washington, D.C. They carry out missions while raising two children and running a travel agency. It’s not hard to imagine this as a premise for a comedy but “The Americans” is a compelling drama that isn’t afraid to make you think.
The show’s strength is that it spends little time on how Philip and Elizabeth balance their dual lives. While we see them in both their spy and parent roles, Elizabeth doesn’t steal state secrets before dashing off to a PTA meeting. Rather, the series focuses on deeper issues of national identity, patriotism and the psychological impact of living a lie for more than a decade.
This is not to say that “The Americans” lacks action. In one episode, Philip and Elizabeth are ordered to kidnap a Russian defector before he talks and disappears into protective custody. The plan goes wrong and things get violent. When their new neighbor turns out to be a curious FBI agent, the situation gets more intense and Philip starts to panic. He suggests they turn themselves in, get a deal and start a new life. Elizabeth however, is a true believer who would die before betraying Russia. Circumstances eventually lead Philip to change his mind but the stage is set for one of the more interesting tensions of this series. Namely, how does a couple keep from self-destructing when their belief systems start to move in opposite directions?
Posing this question within the larger context of political ideology raises the stakes between Philip and Elizabeth whose arrangement has started to turn into something resembling real love. Elizabeth is a mother who loves her children and maybe Philip but her love for mother Russia appears to be deeper. She sees Philip’s weakness for American culture as a character flaw but is it really so easy to resist the seduction? For Philip, life in the United States means comfort, security and a real family. For Elizabeth, this comfort breeds a softness that she finds alarming in her children.
Elizabeth is less sympathetic than Philip whose approach to who he is and who he could be for both his wife and his family are in stark contrast to her icy resolve. Yet, she isn’t an unlikeable character. She has tender moments with her children and there’s something admirable about her steadfast loyalty. While Philip is easier to empathize with as a protective and attentive father and a husband who loves his wife, he isn’t the guy next door. The storylines make sure you don’t get too comfortable with either character by reminding you that their identities are fluid. In one mission, Elizabeth poisons the son of a housekeeper and Philip terrorizes her by withholding the antidote until she completes a task essential to their orders.
The spy craft of “The Americans” gives the series action and a degree of suspense but it’s not the reason to watch this show. What’s more intriguing is the questions it raises. Can you create a real relationship based on a lie? What does it mean to be an American?
“The Americans” is on Wednesday at 10:00 p.m. EDT on FX. | <urn:uuid:b43c9646-1455-4e7f-8fd1-065e9c1d3fb1> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.herkimertelegram.com/community/blogs/melissa-crawley/x694776875/-The-Americans-Spies-like-us?rssfeed=true | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00011-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.965578 | 686 | 1.601563 | 2 |
JERUSALEM (AP) - Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was expected to win a third term Tuesday in the first election in decades in which the Mideast peace process didn't take center stage, with many Israelis focused more on economic woes than ending their conflict with the Palestinians.
The election comes at a troubled time for Israel. Netanyahu's hard line on concessions to the Palestinians has put Israel into conflict with the international community, increasing its diplomatic isolation.
Source: AP. Read full article. (link) | <urn:uuid:579b8721-88dc-49fd-be59-1179f288e35b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://reason.com/24-7/2013/01/22/israelis-head-to-the-polls | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00004-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.968005 | 104 | 1.5625 | 2 |
The European Commission approved Roche and Plexxikon’s melanoma drug Zelboraf (vemurafenib) for the treatment of BRAF V600-mutation positive unresectable or metastatic disease. Roche’s cobas 4800 BRAF V600 mutation test, which is used to identify patients suitable for Zelboraf therapy, has already been granted a CE mark in the EU. Zelboraf and the companion cobas test were approved in the U.S. in 2011, and approvals have been granted or filed in other territories globally.
Zelboraf is an oral small molecule kinase inhibitor. Approval of the drug in the EU was based on data from the 675-patient Phase III BRIM3 trial, which demonstrated that in comparison with standard first-line dacarbazine chemotherapy, use of Zelboraf to treat BRAF V600 mutation-positive metastatic melanoma reduced the risk of death by 63%. A subsequent post hoc analysis after longer follow-up also showed that the kinase inhibitor boosted overall survival from 9.6 months to 13.2 months. The cobas 4800 BRAF V600 mutation test was validated through the BRIM3 trial and open-label Phase II BRIM2 study.
Zelboraf is being developed under 2006 license and collaboration agreement between Roche and Plexxikon, which is part of Daiichi Sankyo. The drug is being co-promoted in the U.S. by Daiichi Sankyo and Genentech. Roche and Genentech are progressing a broad development program for the drug as monotherapy and combination therapy in a number of tumor types. | <urn:uuid:651757f9-1cde-4bc3-9eea-216a6e247992> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.genengnews.com/gen-news-highlights/ec-clears-roche-plexxikon-s-zelboraf-for-braf-v600-mutated-melanoma/81246384/?kwrd=Melanoma | 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 | 0.938775 | 343 | 1.78125 | 2 |
Tips for Thriving in Long-Term Unemployment
The sagging economy forced many people from their jobs and left the young and old alike searching for income. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 8.6% of the U.S. labor force is unemployed, as of November 2011, and the unemployment rate in the U.S. has remained in the 8-10% range since February 2009. Additionally, millions of the long-term unemployed have fallen off the official unemployment rolls, and these folks are labeled as "discouraged workers." Here are some tips to making your long-term unemployment an opportunity for advancement. (See also: Help! I Lost My Job!)
Use All of Your Resources
There are many new and innovative job resources available to help you find a job and put some food on your table. Many community colleges and community centers host career fairs to allow members of the community to meet prospective employers, so be sure to check your local listings for career fairs in your area. If you went to college, you still may be eligible for career guidance from your school. Consider contacting a career counselor at your alma mater or checking your school’s career advising websites for job postings in your field. Otherwise, social media has turned many websites into personal job boards. Check for job postings on sites like Mashable, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook. Some of these sites have separate areas for job postings, but your friends may also post an opportunity in your newsfeed.
Build Your Resume While Unemployed
It sounds horrible if you tell a prospective employer that you’ve been doing nothing but searching for a job for the past three years because you were unemployed. Instead, find something to productively occupy your time. Volunteering is a great way to gain job experience to put on your resume and show potential employers that you’re a productive go-getter. Most businesses, political campaigns, organizations, hospitals, and religious groups love having extra hands to assist with free labor. Look for opportunities in your field or in a field you’re passionate about, and see if a business or organization in that field will let you help out for a few hours a week. You’ll pick up some job skills and experience, and you can add the extra line to your resume to show that you were not sitting on your butt while the unemployment rate was high. With the 2012 elections coming up, there are many opportunities to volunteer for your favorite candidates.
Learn New Things
Look for training classes in your area that you are interested in. It is possible to start a completely different career than what you had before. I have heard of laid off police officers who became barbers and laid off engineers who went back to school and became dentists. It really depends on your interests and motivations. You could also just go to the library, borrow books, and learn skills. You could even read about how to improve your interview skills.
Supplement Your Income With Odd Jobs
Babysitting and mowing lawns may sound like jobs for teenagers, but young people do them because they provide quick, easy, and tax-free money. Do your kids’ friends always need rides to school or after-school activities? Consider forming a chauffeur service for kids in your neighborhood. Also, there are multiple, legitimate opportunities to make money online. From taking surveys to writing blog posts, there are virtual odd jobs that can fit anyone’s interest and skill level.
Work on Your Own Business
I have talked about having your own side income before, and if you are unemployed it is actually a great time to work on a side business. You have more time to try out different ideas that you had and perhaps bring your business to the next level. Sometimes being unemployed lights a fire under people's butts and successful businesses are born. The key is to use your energy and time in a productive manner.
The job market may be dismal, but there are still so many opportunities for financial gain, no matter how big or small. Be creative, be enterprising, and find your opportunities. Remember that every dollar helps, and every work opportunity may open a new door for you. Use your unemployment as an opportunity for advancement and don't be a "discouraged worker."
What are your experiences? Have you been unemployed for more than a year? | <urn:uuid:35b9561f-9547-448e-a3d7-1af316596fa4> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.wisebread.com/tips-for-thriving-in-long-term-unemployment?quicktabs_2=2 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00004-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.967694 | 897 | 1.820313 | 2 |
Susan is not a person but a boat. I suspect she was built at the beginning of the 20th century, a large, wide bellied uncompromising boat, ugly even, but built for the Chelmer and Blackwater Navigation river. A river that I've fallen in love with, mostly for its sleepy, curving round the fields in the countryside making a slow journey down to the estuary we had visited last week. This river is an extraordinary peaceful place, dark sluggish waters meandering by, swirling small different currents chasing each other - floating lily pads, ducks and waterbirds.
Back end of the boat
But the river's character lies in the fact that it was a navigational water road taking goods to and fro from the coast up to Chelmsford. A work horse in more senses than one for it serviced the corn mills along its bank. As ponds, leats and bridges were built, each thing became beautiful in its own right as nature softened and claimed the sharp edges of the built environment. We 'industrialise' our countryside, though it may looks beautiful and wild, every inch is laid down in service for us humans - forests, woods, fields and rivers.
The boat resides at Sandford Mill, now an offshoot of Chelmsford Museum, 30 acres approximately (now derelict) belonging to an industrial time of the early 1950's, it now houses part of the Marconi collection, and that delight of all museums a miscellaneous bundle of Victoriana, bikes, waggons, blacksmith tools and much more kept hidden in a old steel barn.
Susan would have brought wood up from the coast into the centre of the town to the old warehouses that once stood along its banks. In a later semi-retired life, the boat would have been filled with rows of chairs, and the upstanding citizens of Chelmsford would be drawn up the river by a barge horse as in the photograph at the top of this blog, perhaps to picnic somewhere, or to meet and have an annual ceremony at one of the bridges.
She was restored a couple of years ago, had her bottom scraped of worms and gribbles. This fascinated me at the time when I read it, did'nt quite believe it but Deakin in his book Wildwood also talks of this phenomena and to quote him from the chapter on Driftwood...
"much of the sediment in the estuaries of great rivers is actually the remains of wood. Deconstructed by gribbles and shipworms, it is a major source of food for marine animals and plants. Tuna and other fish regularly congregate round floating driftwood and logwood at sea...to go on "there are several theories to explain this. There may be the way cattle use rubbing posts, to remove external parasites. But it is likely that a food web grows up with small fish following the driftwood"
The boat wasn't the centre of the 'Open Day' yesterday, it lay in the water slightly forlorn and neglected before the great rush of the weir as the river tumbled down round the buildings, a small island of green, with a sleeping swan on the nest nestled close to the bank, another swan patrolled the calmer pool.
|The female swan curled up asleep on the nest| | <urn:uuid:8758e3ed-6c21-4ef6-994a-28dfa94cacb3> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://northstoke.blogspot.com/2011/05/susan.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00006-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.969156 | 680 | 1.515625 | 2 |
What defines ‘adult content’ and what exactly do you mean by explicit?
APC’s women’s programme has started a really cool research project on sexuality and the internet. The first researchers meeting is about to happen next month and I’m lucky enough to be invited. So I’ve been reading around and thought I’ll try and share some of the good stuff that I see.
The EroTICS (as the project is known – a play on the Spanish work for ICTs being TICs, a language we use a lot in APC) research team includes folks from one country in each region. In North America the researchers are from the USA and they are a collective called Sex Work Awareness. They pointed out that Ning, the networking site used for the Erotics project, has a policy excluding ‘adult’ groups.
SWA says: “Ning’s blog points out that the adult groups were the subject of more complaints than others and required more work for the company than other groups because of this. This is reasonable. However, if complaints are the criteria, such justification could be used to shut down forums about any topic, including non-adult themes like our research project discussion, if enough people complain. [..]
Ning has not eliminated sex workers’ groups and hosts groups like ours that address sexual issues. But where is the line where these groups become ‘adult’? It is imperative not to let complaints be the only criteria because then complaints become a tool that could be used politically to censor ideas and discussions that some people don’t want to happen. Sensitive topics could include sexual harassment, breast health, reproductive health, and many more.”
It’s well worth reading SWA’s full post What defines ‘adult content’ and what exactly do you mean by explicit? | <urn:uuid:f78a20d3-4619-4dc1-8235-4f600e16da36> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.apc.org/fr/blog/what-defines-adult-content-and-what-exactly-do-you-0 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00006-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.960516 | 395 | 1.734375 | 2 |
Allison Bell is on a mission. The 29-year-old Surrey, B.C., resident is looking for a place to call her own. She's determined to purchase a condo solo, but she has a big hurdle to jump to get there: scraping together enough cash for a down payment.
"I'm at a place in my life where I'm ready to get into the market," Bell says. "I really want to do this on my own, without having to go to my parents for help. But it's hard to save up this big lump sum."
Like so many Canadians entering the housing market for the first time, Bell is faced with a tough question: With interest rates currently so low, do you get into the market at five-per cent down or wait and save for the conservative 20 per cent knowing rates can only go up?
How much do you need for a down payment?
Although you can break into the market with as little as five per cent down, the amount you put down determines whether you'll have a conventional mortgage or an insured, high-ratio mortgage.
With at least 20 per cent of the home's purchase price as a down payment, you get a conventional mortgage.
A down payment that's less than 20 per cent, meanwhile, requires a high-ratio mortgage and has to be insured by a third party (such as the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, Genworth Financial Canada, or Canada Guaranty) and involves you paying an insurance premium, which could run you thousands of dollars.
According to CIBC, the mortgage-default insurance premium you'll have to pay depends on how much you're borrowing and the percentage of your down payment, but premiums typically range between 0.5 per cent and 2.75 per cent of your total mortgage amount.
This fee can be added to the principal balance and paid off as part of your mortgage or paid in a lump same when you buy the home.
Do the math
Gibbard Hoffart Financial Group, shares an example of the costs of getting into the market now with a high-ratio mortgage and waiting to save a 20 per cent down payment to avoid that insurance premium.Vancouver independent mortgage broker Karen Gibbard, of
She's assumed a 25 year amortization period with a five-year fixed term and a purchase price of $300,000. "I think that's probably close to what first-time buyers are experiencing as average entry level purchase prices across Canada," Gibbard says.
Take Scenario A, with a five-percent down payment:
Purchase price: $300,000
Less five percent down payment: - 15,000
= base mortgage: $285,000
+ high-ratio fee: + 7,837.50 (2.75 per cent of the loan amount)
= total mortgage: $292,837.50
"At today's near-historical low interest rate of 3.09 per cent for a five-year fixed term and 25-year amortization, the monthly payment for this would be approximately $1,399.40 per month," Gibbard says.
And Scenario B, with a 20-per cent down payment:
Purchase price: $300,000
less 20 per cent down payment: - 60,000
= base mortgage: $240,000
"If the interest rates were six per cent by the time they could save up the money, their payments would jump up to $1,535.54, approximately $136 per month more than in that first scenario with five per cent down.
"Over five years the difference adds up to about $8,168 which is just a little bit more than what the high-ratio fee was in that first scenario, with five-per cent down [$7,837.50].
"Factoring the rise in potential home values and the possibility of higher rates in the future, there is a case to be made to look at purchasing now," Gibbard says. "Can first-time buyers really save $60,000 after-tax dollars in a few years or will it take even longer?"
She points to the projections of Canadian wealth advisor Gordon Pape, who, like most financial experts, says that with interest rates so low, they can only go up.
"I have always believed that home ownership is one of the four pillars of financial security," Pape writes in his BuildingWealth.ca newsletter. "So I would never discourage anyone from buying a primary residence as long as they can afford it.
"When mortgage rates move higher, as they inevitably will, the market price of houses will fall. That is an historic fact because affordability is a combination of house price and mortgage interest rates. As carrying costs go up, fewer people can afford the payments.
"So if you are buying a residence now ... be sure you can afford an increase in payments when rates move higher," he states.
Potential home owners are always advised to sit down with a financial advisor — whether it's an independent planner, someone through their bank, or a credit counsellor — to pore over their budget with an eye to the future. | <urn:uuid:31992db6-77bd-4203-b7a9-e11591448953> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://ca.finance.yahoo.com/blogs/insight/down-payment-dilemma-wait-save-20-151157818.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00015-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.969786 | 1,071 | 1.703125 | 2 |
Hundreds of activists from indigenous groups, environmental organizations, and labor and social movements from around New England and Quebec greeted the 36th Conference of New England Governors and Eastern Canadian Premiers in Burlington, Vermont on Sunday with protests, demands and direct action.
The conference, taking place from July 29-30, involves closed-door discussions on transportation, trade, energy development and climate change. Activists protested the conference’s exclusivity and the major dams, oil pipelines, highways and other infrastructure and energy projects focused on at the meeting.
“It is really good that people are coming here from all over the region because so many of these issues, especially with the environment, don’t stop at state or national lines,” environmental writer and activist Bill McKibben told Toward Freedom.
Indeed, many of the speakers and organizations at the convergence emphasized how all of their struggles are connected, from movements against plans for the Canadian tar sands oil pipelines to the decades-long struggle to shut down Vermont Yankee. A common thread throughout Sunday’s activities was the need to defend human and environmental rights in the face of regional extractive industries and energy projects, plans advocated by many of the participants in the conference.
Elyse Vollant, an Innushku woman from the Maliotenam indigenous community in Quebec traveled to Burlington as part of an Innu First Nations Delegation to protest Hydro Quebec and Plan Nord, a multi-billion dollar plan involving four massive hydroelectric dams, spillways, dikes, canals and reservoirs which Vollant says will destroy the rivers and land in her region – all to produce electricity sold in Vermont and elsewhere.
“I am here for the defense of the Nitassinan [our land] for our future generations because now [Quebec’s political leaders] are destroying the entire territory,” she explained as children from Maliotenam stood around her. Vollant said that the energy plans were developed without the approval of her indigenous community. “Plan Nord it will destroy the Nitassinan land and Hydro Quebec will damage the rivers.”
She traveled all the way to Burlington with others from her community “because it’s here that they want to sell the hydro-electricity that is from our territory.” (For more on her struggle, see this article.) When giving a speech on the steps of Burlington’s City Hall, Vollant said, “We are calling on all people to help defend the earth.”
Others from around the region, from Quebec to Massachusetts, gave speeches on the steps of City Hall Park on Sunday afternoon, describing their shared motives for protesting the governors’ convention.
Alicia Maddox, from the Vermont Workers’ Center and Vermont Parents United, said she was participating in the day’s events in part because of her five children, “I am deeply concerned about the future they will inherit.”
Maddox quoted from the Vermont Workers’ Center call to action on the conference: “The people of New England and Eastern Canada will no longer settle for the crumbs that fall from the table upon which corporations feast, because we recognize that it is the feast — not the crumbs — that belongs to us, and there is plenty to share, once we are all at the table."
Montreal student organizer Antoine, of the CLASSE organization, spoke of the current student movement in Quebec, which he said was inspired in part by other similar struggles against austerity measures in Greece, Spain, Argentina and the US, with Occupy. “This shows that in the struggle against neoliberalism, we are not alone,” he told the crowd.
As the march left City Hall Park to weave around the city on its way to the Governors’ Convention held at the Hilton hotel, Antoine told Toward Freedom, “Our struggle is about more than just student tuition. It’s about changing a whole system.” He talked about how the political leaders of Quebec are slashing public spending while extracting resources that impact indigenous people. “It’s important to resist universally to problems that are universal.” As we finished talking, the boisterous march turned up Church Street while marchers cheered, “Burlington to Montreal, education is for all!"
People of all ages participated in the lively march, which included diverse cheers, dancing and ongoing music from Burlington’s Brass Balagan band. Many of the participants banged pots and pans in an act of solidarity with the “casseroles” widely used in Quebec’s student movement. After an impromptu dance party in front of the Hilton, a number of cheers were lodged against the guarded hotel. The march then continued to Battery Street Park where food from Food Not Bombs was distributed, and what was deemed the “world’s largest human oil spill” was organized.
The human oil spill involved hundreds of people dressed in black clothing and lying down in front of the governors’ convention in an act of protest against the tar sands oil pipelines, which would go through New England. The black-clad activists spread across the sidewalk and road in the hot July sun singing, “This Land is Your Land.”
McKibben, speaking to the crowd before the oil spill moved to the hotel, said he believed protests such as this would help prove to governors that they are “biting off more than they can chew” with the tar sands pipelines. He positioned the activities in Burlington alongside other national actions and protests against the petroleum and mining industries, saying “If they are going to take away our planet and our future, we’re going to take away their money.”
Later in the afternoon, dozens of activists blocked convention delegates from leaving the hotel for a dinner at Shelburne Farms. Police in riot gear forcefully dispersed the activists using rubber pellets, allowing the buses to pass. Activists have denounced the unnecessary use of violence against the peaceful protesters.
Avery Pittman, the Media Spokesperson for the Welcoming Committee which helped to organize many of the day’s activist events surrounding the conference, spoke to Toward Freedom of the motives behind the action to block the buses. “Organizers felt like we had not seen to or talked to any of the governors at all yesterday, they were prioritizing their business over the people who are being affected by these decisions. They didn’t address us in any way yesterday. That was motivating the action to impede the buses.”
As far as the violence used by the police against the protestors, Pittman said, “I think it was really surprising for the protesters and activists there to be met with such an armed police force in riot gear and with dogs. The police were even pointing their guns at the media who were there. It was just an incredible surprise that the police escalated this while everything the protesters were doing was non-violent.” Pittman said that “the relationship between the organizers and the police have not been antagonistic. There have been ups and downs, but the sentiment among organizers was that this was not normal for Burlington, and it has generated a lot of shock and surprise.”
The diversity of activities, demands, actions and representation from many movements and organizations underlined the interconnectedness between struggles throughout the region and the urgency of their demands.
As Chris Williams of the Vermont Yankee Decommissioning Alliance told the crowd, “We stand with everyone here today because our fight is the same.”
Benjamin Dangl is the editor of the Burlington-based TowardFreedom.com, a progressive perspective on world events, and is the author of Dancing with Dynamite: Social Movements and States in Latin America, (AK Press). | <urn:uuid:6825a27e-ef8a-4129-9666-555f436b409e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.towardfreedom.com/home/americas/2916-connecting-the-struggles-regional-activists-greet-new-england-governors-conference-with-protests | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00016-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.9682 | 1,616 | 1.765625 | 2 |
Alice Brown remembers the moment of dread when doctors diagnosed her with cancer. She imagines her terror and despair were much like what Jesus felt when he was sentenced to die on the cross.
Surgery, radiation and chemotherapy seemed to defeat the disease. But just when she thought she had conquered death, she absorbed another blow — doctors diagnosed her friend Carol Lydecker with cancer, too. After three decades of shared memories, this was one experience that Brown wished they didn't have in common.
To cope, Brown, a stage actress and parishioner at St. James Roman Catholic Church in Arlington Heights, turned to her craft and an ancient Catholic tradition that commemorates Christ's suffering and death — the 14 Stations of the Cross.
Just as Christians believe Christ's story didn't conclude on the cross, Brown realized her journey and Lydecker's didn't end with a diagnosis. There is always the prospect of the 15th Station — the grand finale of Easter, when Christians celebrate the miracle of Christ's resurrection.
And so began Brown's latest production: a modern adaptation of the Stations for those whose lives have been touched by cancer. She enlisted Lydecker and others to help. The show was performed at churches in the Chicago area during the days of Lent.
"On Easter, we celebrate moving from darkness to light," said Brown, 55, of Arlington Heights. "We celebrate moving from despair and hopelessness to hope and new birth. That's what the message of the Stations is. There is hope for you."
Within the Stations of the Cross, a typically somber series of meditations marking each phase of Christ's journey to the cross, Brown discovered a road map for rising above pain. She found consolation that she did not suffer in solitude and grasped that she had not been forsaken after all.
"Every day, whether it's Easter, whether it's tomorrow, whether it's today, there are people to help you through this," she said.
With closely cropped silver hair and a slender frame that never stops moving, Alice Brown is such a bundle of contagious energy that it's hard to believe she was ever sick. In fact, it was difficult for her to accept the diagnosis when she first heard the word "cancer" on June 15, 2009.
Before the end of the month, she had undergone surgery to remove the lump in her breast and a half-dozen other lymph nodes. She got a second opinion and a third opinion and a fourth on what to do next, and decided to go after the cancer with vehemence.
By the following February, chemotherapy had taken her hair. Combined with 30 radiation treatments, it also had eradicated the disease. Every three months, the doctors check to make sure.
"It's OK to be on a tight leash because I know there are a lot of people looking out for me," she said.
One of those people has been her parish priest, the Rev. Bill Zavaski, a cancer survivor himself, who knew Brown had a gift. A couple of years before, she had adapted and staged a Stations of the Cross for survivors of the 1958 fire that killed 92 children and three nuns at Our Lady of the Angels School on Chicago's West Side.
Brown's two older sisters had escaped the fire. Brown, only 2 at the time, had no recollection. But when she accompanied her sister to a memorial Mass 50 years later, she witnessed the unbreakable bond that united the survivors. She also realized the overwhelming grief that haunts them still.
"I can remember sitting in the church thinking: 'This is as close as you can get to Jesus walking to his death on the cross,'" she said.
Zavaski had seen how her modern twist on the ancient devotion had soothed audiences. He encouraged her to do it again, this time drawing from her own experience with cancer.
"One advantage cancer survivors have is we never take another day for granted," he said. "That's a great gift of having to take up that cross."
"As a person going through it, I didn't think about it that way," Zavaski added. "It's so beautiful to be able to step back and reflect on it now, to approach it from a very positive standpoint."
Ancient tradition, new look
Each of Brown's stations, presented by one of five readers, echoes the voice of someone touched by cancer: the husband who lost his wife, the oncology nurse awed by her patients, a woman who loses her hair.
All of the perspectives are based on real people who have inspired Brown or injected joy into her life. Brown wrote each part with the five readers in mind, including herself and her husband, Bill. He composed the musical refrain that follows each Station.
The original Stations of the Cross date to fourth century Jerusalem, when devotions were developed to commemorate the anniversary of Christ's crucifixion on Good Friday.
For some Catholics, the Stations conjure dismal childhood memories of parents dragging them to church, trudging around the worship space and struggling to recite the prayers tied to each step of Christ's brutal death march.
But many clergy and congregants have adapted the Stations to address social causes, appeal to certain audiences, or pay tribute to a loss. Some, such as the Via Crucis, or Way of the Cross, in Chicago's Pilsen neighborhood, come alive as reenactments performed in period costumes.
The Rev. Edward Foley, a Capuchin priest who teaches liturgy and music at Catholic Theological Union, said the ritual always held more purpose than simply retracing Christ's footsteps to the cross.
"One of the reasons why over the centuries people have contemplated the death and suffering of Jesus is to recognize that also in our own lives our suffering can be life-giving," he said.
A friend in need
Of course, it took a while for Brown to appreciate the gifts that cancer had laid on her doorstep: the unexpected kindness of acquaintances, a greater sense of purpose.
She had just begun to celebrate her recovery and breathe her first sighs of relief when her best friend Carol Lydecker, 56, complained of a mysterious pain in her hip. Within months, doctors linked it to advanced colon cancer.
Brown met Lydecker in 1979 when Lydecker choreographed a ballet for Brown's character in a production of the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical "Carousel." At the first rehearsal, they plopped on the gym floor in their leotards and chatted for an hour before remembering they had work to do.
"You know how you just like someone right away?" Brown said.
At one point, the two quit their jobs and drove across the country to Oregon. They returned to Chicago when they realized there were far fewer theater jobs in Oregon. After a while, they met their husbands and pursued different paths.
Brown, an actress, raised a family in the north suburbs. Lydecker, a dancer and choreographer, lived in the west suburbs and pursued her passion. They shared the stage only once, in a community theater production of "A Chorus Line." But they never grew apart.
The day after Brown's surgery in June 2009, Lydecker drove up from Forest Park for the afternoon. When Brown debated undergoing chemotherapy, Lydecker urged her to do it because she wanted her friend to stick around a while longer.
Looking back, though, Lydecker wishes she had called more often, the way Brown does for her now. Brown believes her cancer taught her to anticipate Lydecker's needs, including the longing to perform. Within a few months, Brown began to write her version of the Stations.
"The Stations were written with her in mind and for her to be a part of it," Brown said. "Carol may not be able to do pirouettes across the stage or sing a song ever again. But she's touching people's lives and feeling like her life has meaning more now even in these simple Stations of the Cross that she can share."
Taking up their cross
While chemotherapy and radiation wiped out Lydecker's colon cancer, the cancer already had spread to her lungs. It has now spread to a lymph node that has pressed and paralyzed one of her vocal cords.
Still, Lydecker never missed a rehearsal.
"I don't get to perform anymore and reach people," Lydecker said in a raspy voice during a recent chemotherapy session with Brown by her side. "This reaches people. We're hoping people leave knowing they're not alone."
The Stations transcend the Lenten season and the Catholic Church, she said, adding that the troupe plans to perform at a United Church of Christ in June.
"While Easter comes only once a year, the reality is that people walk the cancer journey 365 days each year," Brown said.
On a recent Friday, Lydecker rose from her chair next to the altar at St. Mary of the Woods Catholic Church, lit a candle and stepped to the podium to present Brown's take on the second station — Jesus taking up his cross. Though the words reflected Brown's perspective, Lydecker identified with the script.
"The bottom line is, I didn't want to be the poster child for cancer — nobody does," she strained to tell the audience, her hoarse voice crackling. "It's just the cross we take up. Underneath our diagnosis, we're still the people we always were — looking for answers, needing positive support and praying for God's grace."
Later, Brown rose from her chair to share the ninth station — Jesus falling the third time.
"I had gotten through surgery, chemo and radiation, and before my hair even had a chance to grow back, my best friend was diagnosed with cancer," she told the audience.
"In less than a year's time, she went from being my rock and my refuge, to looking cancer in the face herself. It was just too much. My spirits hit rock bottom and I was powerless to pull myself up — until I saw my friend walk by carrying her cross. … Now, we walk together, my friend and I — hand in hand, heart to heart."
She returned to her seat beside Lydecker. They each exchanged knowing glances and reached for the other's hand. | <urn:uuid:a755d014-6464-43c1-a6aa-aa68bcff4197> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.courant.com/health/ct-met-cancer-stations-of-the-cross-20120408,0,2217951,full.story | 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 | 0.979571 | 2,135 | 1.515625 | 2 |
Imagine going to your doctor with a high fever and having him focus intently on a hangnail on one of your fingers.
The fiscal equivalent of that scenario is now playing out in Washington, as Republicans and Democrats debate the federal budget that President Bush proposed last week. The Bush budget makes some nods toward short-term fiscal discipline, and those moves are gaining a lot of attention. But his plan does almost nothing to address the severe long-term budget problems facing U.S. taxpayers.
President Bush, for example, proposes to freeze domestic discretionary spending this year to help pay for the war against terrorism-a big change for a president who up until now has increased discretionary spending across the board.
He also wants to eliminate or cut 141 small programs and to make his earlier tax cuts (some of which helped increase federal revenue by encouraging work and investment) permanent. Taken together, the president says his budget plan will cut the deficit in half by 2009.
These proposals are fine, say many conservative analysts, much like it's good to take care of a pesky hangnail. But the budget plan's silence, or at least near-silence, on the growth of three programs-Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid-amounts to ignoring a dangerously high fever.
A look at the numbers, courtesy of Heritage Foundation budget analyst Brian M. Riedl, shows why. Many Americans do not realize it, but fully 40 percent of all federal spending goes to just three programs-Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid, which account for about $1.1 trillion in a $2.7 trillion budget.
The problem is that these three already-mammoth and growing programs are slated to grow even faster in coming years as 77 million baby boomers start drawing benefits from them. Left alone, spending on the three big entitlements will more than double by 2015, and then really spike in the decades after that.
Mr. Riedl points out that without cuts in these three programs, future lawmakers will face three unsettling options: raise taxes until they are 60 percent-or $11,000 per household-higher than they are today, eliminate every other program in the budget by 2045, or watch the federal debt threaten the economy in a few decades. The total unfunded liability for the three programs stands at a staggering $46 trillion, more than 10 times the current national debt.
This reality makes Democratic charges that Mr. Bush is trying to eviscerate Medicare with his new budget almost comical. The president's budget finds "savings" of $36 billion in the program over five years, an idea that has sent Democrats and some Republicans to the barricades. "The only good news," Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) told The New York Times, "is that it is so deep and wide, and affects the whole nation, that we have a very decent chance of reversing a good part of it."
What's left unsaid is that President Bush's budget would increase Medicare spending by 66 percent between 2005 and 2011. Left alone, Medicare spending would rise 70 percent over the same time period. Mr. Bush's slight restraint in growth is what Sen. Schumer decries as a "deep and wide" cutback.
But the broad outlook for entitlements also makes the president's pledge to cut the deficit in half by 2009 less important than it first sounds. If anything, it "distracts policymakers from the real issue of unsustainable trends in long-term entitlement spending," according to Mr. Riedl.
With tens of trillions in future entitlement costs, whether the deficit is $400 billion or $200 billion in 2009 is not the biggest issue facing Washington. "Even if the budget were balanced today, entitlement reform would be no less important," argues Mr. Riedl. "Lawmakers should focus on the long term." | <urn:uuid:44ebcf05-4f4b-4fca-9b31-d34baf5d8c41> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.worldmag.com/2006/02/political_malpractice | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00012-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.957708 | 792 | 1.796875 | 2 |
Aggregating food related news worthy of digest.
November 16, 2010 The upcoming holidays, for many, is a time of preparing special, time-honored recipes. Many are family traditions to be passed down from generation to generation. This is one of those dishes that the Sylvester family, of Minnesota, does year after year: making lefse. What is a lefse? Simply put, it’s a “traditional soft Norwegian flatbread”. It’s made from potatoes, flour, butter, salt and sugar. Simple ingredients, yet an experienced hand might be handy to have nearby!
Go to original post (Link removed by host site).
For those who would like to see them being made, here is a video of a woman who has been making them for 25 years. She offers her recipe and instructions, too. | <urn:uuid:2c2b2af2-e435-4f47-bf9f-8c5e44f9790b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://cookingupastory.com/lefse-lessons-with-grandma | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00013-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.967697 | 178 | 1.796875 | 2 |
Measure I deserves your no vote: It is ill-conceived, and overly expensive. The surface water project will exceed the cost estimates presented to the electorate, therefore, costs and rates will increase significantly. CDM/Smith’s Jan. 23 letter to the water agency stated among its reasons for withdrawing, “RFP requirements may drive the project cost to exceed (the agency’s) budget. Examining the details of the benchmark project in documents released on Dec. 21 … raises a question as to public acceptability of RFP compliant proposed prices.”
What does this mean? The letter in its entirety could be construed to mean a variety of things about the qualifications or motivations of whoever developed the benchmark treatment system. What is apparent are higher project costs and higher future rates. Did the City Council know about this when it developed the language for Measure I? Notice that the language in Measure I is vague on project specifics and costs. Proposed project costs started falling once West Sacramento looked attractive.
Granted, CDM/Smith has agreed to continue interest in the project; the operative statement in its Jan. 29 letter is “… (the agency) is considering changes to the procurement process.” There is the open door for higher costs. Has the water agency told CDM/Smith that the cost issue will disappear after the vote on Measure I? Perhaps this is the reason the agency is down to two bidders and the fourth refused to participate!
So after spending more than $7 million on the description of a benchmark project, it is possible that no one will bid on it. Changing the agency’s project budget is the only way to keep interest in submitting a bid.
CDM/Smith states, “Since starting to track this important project in 2009, we have provided extensive input as to the method of procurement…” and then references the Stockton delta water supply project as an example of a successful project, accepted by the public. The owner’s representative must have had another objective in mind, as he specifically excluded aspects of the Stockton project that could save money, and included elements that increased costs. Vote no on Measure I; insist on public accountability.
Walter E. Sadler | <urn:uuid:594aa16e-c9a4-4902-9e5a-f6e5a35f5bde> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.davisenterprise.com/forum/letters/inconvenient-truths-on-costs/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00015-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.953213 | 459 | 1.53125 | 2 |
The Euro-Mediterranean area: a place of encounter for quality assurance agencies in southern Europe
The JISER-MED project (Joint Innovation & Synergies in Education and Research) was launched in January 2010. Coordinated by the University of Barcelona, the project forms part of the TEMPUS programme funded by the European Commission and involves higher education institutions (HEIs) and quality assurance (QA) agencies from the three regions that make up the Euro-Mediterranean area: the Maghreb, the Middle East and southern Europe.
The fundamental object of the project is to promote the mobility and employability of doctoral students within the Euro-Mediterranean area, with particular attention on the dimension of quality assurance across all three regions. In addition, JISER-MED has also served as a privileged place of encounter for university quality assurance agencies from higher education systems in southern Europe (Spain, Catalonia and France) whose institutions form part of the project. Rafael Llavori de Micheo - ANECA and ENQA Board Member | <urn:uuid:16ccd9f9-67ba-4423-9ac7-b7feee26e76a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.aqu.cat/elButlleti/butlleti59/opinio_en.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00002-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.935815 | 211 | 1.617188 | 2 |
Versatile teachers can inspire student excellence – CM
Posted on July 4, 2012, Wednesday
KOTA KINABALU: A versatile teacher would help create excellent and quality students, said Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman.
Therefore, he urged teachers to improve their knowledge and academic performances to reach a world class and quality education system.
“The teachers’ responsibility is not limited to mastering knowledge and skills, but it also involves other values such as morale, ethics and self-esteem.
“Such efforts would help to generate quality human resource and to meet the national agenda of education development,” he said
He said the teachers’ roles have grown to educating the students both theory and practical, and also to guide them to move in line with the nation’s development objectives.
Musa said this in his speech, read by Minister in the Chief Minister’s Department Datuk Nasir Tun Sakaran, at the launching of the State-level Sabah Islamic Affairs Department’s (JHEAINS) Teachers’ Day Celebration 2012 at Wisma Muis, here, yesterday.
“A proactive and efficient attitude towards all disciplines and skills should be instilled among the teachers. At the same time, teachers should also be creative in creating a fun learning environment for the students in the classrooms,” he said.
The parents, he added should also share the responsibilities and play their role to help create the children’s personalities.
“Family institution plays an important role to ensure the students’ success,” he said.
Meanwhile, JHEAINS director, Datuk Amri A Suratman, said at least 300 teachers are needed to meet the demands from schools under the department.
He said to date some 700 teachers are teaching at 108 schools under JHEAINS statewide.
“This includes Sekolah Agama Negeri (SAN), Sekolah Agama Rakyat (SAR) dan Sekolah Menengah Agama Negeri (SMAN),” he said.
At the event, five awards were presented, namely excellent service, leadership and dedication, best SAN administration, best SAR administration, and best kindergarten administration. | <urn:uuid:8c51a8f9-2e8f-48fa-b861-b70a7f503eac> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.theborneopost.com/2012/07/04/versatile-teachers-can-inspire-student-excellence-cm/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00005-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.939318 | 465 | 1.523438 | 2 |
Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU)
Autism Spectrum Disorders Career Links
September 30, 2009
(2 PM CDT, 3 PM EDT)
About the Webcast
The presenter will describe the Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) Autism Spectrum Disorders Career Links project. The NIDRR-funded project conducts evidence-based research on vocational rehabilitation (VR) service models for individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). The project is a collaborative initiative between VCU and the Virginia Department of Rehabilitative Services (DRS).
The project includes research in four areas: (1) the impact of intensive, community-based work experiences on the employment outcomes of youth with ASDs; (2) the postsecondary school participation and ultimate employment of college students with ASDs; (3) the impact of personal digital assistants (PDAs) on the employment outcomes of individuals with ASDs; and (4) a longitudinal analysis of VR service delivery and employment outcomes among DRS clients with ASDs. The project also includes dissemination activities such as web casts, fact sheets, evidence-based journal articles, and a toolkit on how to enhance VR employment models for youth with ASDs.
About the Presenters
Jennifer Todd McDonough has been a faculty member at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) and working in the field of employment for people with disabilities for over 10 years. She earned her M.S. from the Medical College of Virginia at Virginia Commonwealth University in Rehabilitation Counseling. Jennifer is the Associate Director of Training at the VCU Rehabilitation Research and Training Center where she provides technical assistance on employment issues for individuals with disabilities. Ms. McDonough is also the Project Coordinator for the Vocational Rehabilitation Service Models for Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders DRRP. Additionally, she provides technical assistance and disseminates resources nationally to individuals interested in pursuing self-employment. Ms. McDonough is a national expert on Social Security Disability Benefits and Work Incentives. Throughout her career with VCU-RRTC, Ms. McDonough has worked directly with individuals with disabilities assisting them in locating employment and determining accommodation needs.
Dr. Carol Schall is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Special Education and Disability Policy and the Director of the Virginia Autism Resource Center. She has over 20 years experience supporting adolescents and adults with ASD as a teacher, group home supervisor, administrator, and consultant. She was honored by TASH in 2005 with their Positive Approaches Award for exemplary support of people with disabilities through the use of positive behavior support. She has authored multiple articles and book chapters focusing on the needs of young adults with ASD, a new book due to be published by Paul H. Brookes in the fall of 2008 with the working title Growing up with Autism. Her research interests include transition from school to work and adult life, psychotropic medication management and monitoring for individuals with ASD, and training for parents and professionals serving individuals with ASD.
Dr. David H. Dean is the Associate Professor of Economics at the University of Richmond and Director of UR's Bureau of Disability Economics Research (BDER). Dr. Dean has served as principal investigator on both federal and state grants and contracts (including the U.S. Department of Education, the Veterans Administration, the Social Security Administration, and DRS) examining the efficacy of programs serving persons with disabilities. Previously, Dr. Dean served as project director on a five-year project funded by the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research examining the efficacy of disability income systems. Dr. Dean has published the results of many of these research projects in refereed economics journals and rehabilitation journals.
Richard Kriner, LPC, CRC, has 10 years of experience in working with and for persons with Autism Spectrum Disorders and other disabilities. Richard's most recent work experiences came as a Virginia Department of Rehabilitative Services (DRS) Program Manager with oversight responsibilities to the Virginia Statewide Independent Living Council and for Virginia's statewide network of Disability Services Board (DSB). In other roles with DRS, Richard has worked with the Virginia Disability Program Navigator Initiative, a statewide project focused on enhancing access to workforce service for all persons with disabilities, and as Vocational Counselor. Prior to coming to DRS Richard worked in community and facility based settings providing therapeutic recreation services, substance abuse counseling, and supported employment.
Go to Archived Webcast- http://www.ilru.org/Media/2009/ILRU30-09.ram (uses RealPlayer)
Download transcript of the webcast (MS Word 100kb)
Complete the brief Webcast Evaluation form
Note: There are no CEUs for the September 30, 2009 webcast.
This webcast is supported through SEDL's Vocational Rehabilitation Service Models for Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders project and the National Center for the Dissemination of Disability Research (NCDDR), which are funded by the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR) in the U.S. Department of Education. The webcast is supported in part by ILRU. The opinions and views expressed are those of the presenters and no endorsement by the funding agency should be inferred. | <urn:uuid:70dd50a7-6ae9-44d2-a20c-08ff3d135efd> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://autism.sedl.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=79&Itemid=37 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00004-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.935492 | 1,052 | 1.734375 | 2 |
In Romans 1:16-17, Paul says the following:
For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone who is faithful, to the Jew first and also to the Greek; for the righteousness of God is revealed in it from faith(fulness) unto faith(fulness) (ἐκ πίστεως εἰς πίστιν), just as it is written, “but the righteous one will live from faith(fulness).”
I said yesterday that v. 16 is a pastoral statement of confidence in the gospel to a dispirited community. The return of the Christian community’s former leaders and the renewed emphasis on Law-observance have produced tension and division. There is a loss of confidence in the gospel, which is the reality of God’s mission to reclaim creation and unite humanity in Christ by the Spirit. The radical implications of God’s new move have left many in the church unsettled. Paul expresses confidence, however, that God is indeed unleashing his saving power through this new move in Christ rather than through Israel.
I think that this explains Paul’s enigmatic statement in v. 17b, ἐκ πίστεως εἰς πίστιν, and his quotation of Habakkuk 2:4.
Regarding ἐκ πίστεως εἰς πίστιν (“from faith[fulness] unto faith[fulness]“), there is nothing in the text of Romans that ensures any singular interpretation. Is this God’s faithfulness that elicits believers’ faith? Is it believers’ faith that grows, one step of faith at a time? Any interpretation fits here, frankly.
I think it has to do with the outworking of God’s saving power that is at work among God’s faithful people, whatever form that human response of faithfulness will take and whatever God requires. This may make sense once we consider the Habakkuk quote.
Hab. 2:4 is paradigmatic for Paul’s ministry. It emphasizes God’s approved response to his word. God’s approved person responds to God’s word with faithfulness, fidelity, and loyalty, however surprising the revelation or contrary to human expectations.
In Habakkuk 1, the prophet cries out to God because of the wickedness of Judah. God answers Habakkuk by revealing his plans to judge his people by calling upon a nation more wicked than Judah–the Babylonians. Habakkuk complains about this to God, asking how God can do this. How can this be? You are too pure to approve of evil! This isn’t like you at all!
As Habakkuk 2 opens, the prophet readies himself to receive the answer. God confirms that he will also judge the Chaldeans for their wickedness, but his intentions to use this pagan nation to judge Judah are set. And God’s approved person will not respond with proud resistance (v. 4a), but with fidelity, faithfulness, loyalty to God no matter how upsetting or disturbing the word of the Lord is (v. 4b). Hab. 2:4 emphasizes God’s approved response to his word that flies in the face of expectations and established assumptions of how God must act.
This passage is paradigmatic for Paul because it highlights the required posture of nimble readiness to do whatever God asks of his people. They must be willing to adjust previously well-established patterns of behavior and thought in the light of a new word from God.
God’s ways, while surprising, are always completely consistent with God’s self-revelation. It’s just that it’s so easy to assume that God shares our prejudices and assumptions—those conceptions that grow unnoticed and creep into our thoughts about God.
The problem is not that God’s ways are always radically changing. It’s that we don’t know God and his ways as well as we think we do.
Paul envisions his ministry and the problems in Rome through the lens of Hab. 2:4. The Roman church is struggling with the form of Christian faithfulness. What shape does it take? What does a community created and sustained by the God of Israel look like? The church is struggling to embody Christian faithfulness whereby Jews and gentiles participate in community together. Paul quotes Hab. 2:4 in order to emphasize that something radically new is going on in light of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ and the sending of the Spirit. God is forming multi-ethnic communities of Jesus-followers in which Jews and non-Jews embrace one another as siblings in God’s new family.
It’s hard for us to grasp how upsetting this was for the early church. In the experience of the first Christian generation, faithfulness to the God of Israel could only be rendered within Judaism. The revelation of the gospel, however, is that God is now saving people without regard to their ethnicity. Just as in Habakkuk’s day, this is something radically new—even though it is in complete continuity with God’s acting all along.
Just as with Habakkuk, this radical move of God calls for that nimble readiness to make adjustments out of loyalty and fidelity to the God of Israel. God is doing something that challenges the assumptions and developed prejudices of how God must act, and he is calling for a Jesus-oriented faithfulness in which fidelity to the God of Israel outstrips all other loyalties and commitments. | <urn:uuid:fd04fc9a-8a0a-47b5-a771-68a7a374ed6a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://timgombis.com/2013/01/15/paul-habakkuk-faithful-improvisation/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00011-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.947652 | 1,210 | 1.570313 | 2 |
A plan for revamping and replacing the Perl debugger.
There is a little bit of overlap here with the first blog on Devel::Trepan. I apologize for that, but I don’t see how this can be avoided. The focus here though is more on the existing Perl debugger rather than Devel::Trepan which is given as one concrete example from which to draw lessons from.
A number of people, myself included, have talked about modernizing or replacing the venerable Perl debugger, perl5db.pl. Here I’d like to suggest a plan of action.
First the situation. It is in many ways similar to the challenges faced say in going from Perl5 to Perl6 — and in other languages Ruby 1.8 to 1.9 or Python 2.7 to Python 3K. What is there is:
- well known
- battle tested
- has lots of features, and is therefore…
- useful …
- used by a large number of people …
- and comes with Perl
That’s the good side. On the bad side, what is there is doesn’t represent current modern programming practice. In particular it is one large 10K file. It isn’t modular in two aspects. First, it doesn’t use Perl Modules or namespaces very effectively. Second, it doesn’t have an API that facilitates extension of its debugger commands or provide an API that allows front-ends to easily hook into it. This is not to say that, people haven’t extended tor written front ends for it. But these all feel like uncoordinated, custom, and heroic efforts.
Related to perl5db being large and not modular, there aren’t many tests for it, especially not the smaller “glass-box” unit tests. Even with the recent activity of adding tests to perl5db.pl, those tests and coverage pale in comparison to those that comes with Devel::Trepan. And to be honest, the coverage in Devel::Trepan leaves something to be desired. But comparing the number of tests does give a feel for how much is probably missing in terms of testing for perl5db.pl.
Finally, perl5db feels to me one-off in its command set. There is no other debugger that I know of that is similar to it to any great extent. Sure, all debuggers allow some sort of stopping, stepping and evaluation of expressions, but that is about where the similarity ends.
There have been some inquiry about using Devel::Trepan or something else as a replacement for perl5db.pl. It appears to me that in the past there have been efforts, and understanding why those have not succeeded might be instructive.
The challenges in replacing perl5db.pl are suggested by looking at perl5db.pl’s advantages. One of the harder challenges that I see is, again, similar to revamping Perl itself. How does one migrate programmers from perl5db given that there are already a number of people using perl5db.pl, either directly or via a front-end and are happy with it and the features it provides no matter how arcane or fragile they may be?
The overall approach I suggest is really two fold and again not unlike what I see for example in Perl5 versus Perl6. One approach is to work on a replacement such as Perl6 or Devel::Trepan. The replacement debugger aspect is what I have been doing. The other is approach to rework the existing debugger to modernize it. (For Perl5 there is perl5-porters which is trying to modernize Perl5). One hopes that the two disparate efforts meet in the middle, hopefully more towards Devel::Trepan or Perl6 side since both ends of the efforts are moving presumably forward.
But how does that specifically apply here to Perl debugger(s)? I’ve offered some specific suggestions on writing tests on the perl5db.pl project proposal.
At some point I should probably write more about how I test Devel::Trepan. I find it relatively easy, although it really needs more explanation as it might not be as self-evident until after the fact.
The other area I think very important is defining more of a debugger API as opposed to a command-line interface. The DB API effort was from a while ago, but it looks like that was also abandoned long ago.
In Devel::Trepan I am pretty convinced I have laid the ground work for using parts of the DB API but equally important isolating and breaking out other modules. There is something called an “interface” that glues together I/O layers so output could very easily be XML (or XML over a socket) rather than less-structured text. And there is a “Command Processor” which has command-oriented part but there are more API-ish things available separated from the specific command-line commands.
An interesting exercise is that someone should be able to replace Devel::Trepan::CmdProcessor so that it handles exactly the perl5db.pl commands using the other parts of Devel::Trepan — the Interface part with its separate I/O routines and the lower-level DB part which sort of subsumes the DB API. To date though, all of the people I’ve mentioned this to have felt that the perl5db.pl is ugly and are therefore are not interested in. However, I suspect there are people out there who don’t want to switch from perl5db.pl.
Right now in Devel::Trepan there is a DB layer that ultimately should be pulled out of Devel::Trepan and turned into a separate package that Devel::Trepan uses. This similar to what perl5db and the DB API both use. This is another area where I feel there should be a “meeting in the middle”. The two reasons I have not separated this out right now is that the DB namespace is special in its powers and that namespace is taken. So I can’t register that. Secondly, right now Devel::Trepan is the only user of this. So breaking this out adds gratuitous complexity for Devel::Trepan users. For example, if I change that lower-level API in an incompatible way, Devel::Trepan will also have to change. And users of Devel::Trepan will have to update two packages where they would have had to update only one when they are bundled together.
Still, if Devel::Trepan becomes more popular or there is a desire in other packages to use some of the lower level routines, this can be changed. For example, DB::LineCache caches Perl source code lines. When there is another package that wants to use that, I’ll make the split.
Let me close this off by listing things that a new debugger should have, some of which has been alluded to above:
- It needs to be modular and represent current programming practice. However it probably needs to handle lots of older Perls as well.
- It needs to work in minimal and hostile environments. And that’s why in Devel::Trepan I don’t use Moose.
- On the other hand it should be extensible so that environments it can use things that many environments might have. For example terminal coloring, nice data structure formatters, disassemblers, interactive shells like Devel::REPL.
- It should facilitate hooking into front-ends like Padre or Eclipse and so on, and out-of-process or out-of-host remote debugging (which for example is useful in debugging web server modules).
- It should facilitate different styles of debugging and debugger entry: non-interactive tracing, or pulling in the debugger in via a signal handler or Josh Ben-Jore’s Enbugger. | <urn:uuid:fcef7b32-3543-40a5-a7d4-2b4f381977ac> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://blogs.perl.org/users/rockyb/2012/09/a-plan-for-revamping-and-replacing-the-perl-debugger.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00016-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.944763 | 1,643 | 1.617188 | 2 |
(recorded in April 2012)
Listen or download interview (mp3, 30 minutes, 28MB)
In the span of about four years, Tom Jordan went from flunking out of college to teaching at an Ivy League university. But that dramatic turnaround isn’t the only drama in Jordan’s life. The Panama-born geophysicist specializes in the drama of the deep. His research has revealed the deep structures underlying continents, the inner workings of plate tectonics and new insights into how earthquakes happen.
Tom Jordan is the W. M. Keck Professor of Earth Sciences at the University of Southern California, where he also directs the Southern California Earthquake Center. He was elected to the National Academy of Sciences in 1998.
Last Updated: 02-11-2013
The audio files linked above are part of the National Academy of Sciences InterViews series. Opinions and statements included in these audio files are those of the interviewee and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Academy of Sciences. | <urn:uuid:63ce6db8-5cae-4aff-bb91-7057a8c05a89> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.nasonline.org/news-and-multimedia/podcasts/interviews/thomas-jordan.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00007-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.932263 | 209 | 1.8125 | 2 |
Mark Works on the Set of "Unshackled"
March 6, 2000
Mark worked as a carpenter on the set of the upcoming movie "Unshackled". It is part of the story of Harold Morris, who has published the story in the book "Twice Pardoned" and told his story on audio and video tape and through lecture tours throughout the country.
The Prison Infirmary
This set was very believable as the prison infirmary until you looked overhead. As shown at left, the ceiling is open to allow the insertion and positioning of cameras and lights. This is a characteristic of all the sets - very real-looking as long as you keep your gaze low where the cameras will be pointing, but open on top.
In this area Mark worked on making up the very realistic looking bars on the doors. Details of that construction are shown below.
Do you think you could break out of a door like this?
In reality, you probably could. The bars are made of 1-inch thin-walled metal electrical conduit, the cross-members are 3/8 medium density fiber (MDF), the door handles and locks are light molds, and the heavy rivets are wooden buttons. The thin conduit is essentially the only metal in the doors.
Mark worked on cutting and assembling the bars and door structures here.
A Hard Day's Work | <urn:uuid:52b4368d-6091-4d67-b79b-41b5a163daad> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/nave-html/W00/shackled.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706890813/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516122130-00011-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.958461 | 285 | 1.59375 | 2 |
There’s an interesting, and at times hilarious, thread on Chinese cooking tradition on Chowhound – lwong’s dryly witty comment had me laughing out loud:
‘We see that the posters here on the “Home Cooking” Forum are a very tough bunch. Especially when 1400 years for the technique of “stir fry cooking in a wok” is not considered a sufficient time to have passed the “long test of time” in terms being considered a classic cooking technique, nor the introduction of the New World foods, which would only be in the neighborhood of a mere 700 years.’
It reminded me of the fact that many of the professional Chinese cooking manuals I have encountered in my work begin their introductions with an account of the discovery of fire, the moment when human beings ceased being savages who 茹毛饮血 (literally ‘ate feathers and drank blood, i.e. ate birds and animals raw), and embarked on the path of civilisation by cooking their food. It also reminded me of the late Chinese premier Zhou Enlai who, when asked for his assessment of the 1789 French Revolution, supposedly replied that it was ‘too early to say’.
Anyway, the Chowhound discussion was triggered by a question about what brand of soy sauce to serve with xiao long bao (小笼包）. Actually, as some of the posters suggested, these deliciously juicy dumplings are normally served simply with a dip of rice vinegar and slivered ginger. Chinkiang vinegar, or black vinegar as it’s often called, is actually made from glutinous rice, and the dark colour comes naturally from scorched ricegrains.
Incidentally, I went recently with a chef friend to the wonderful Islington wine shop The Sampler, where you can taste small amounts of a wide range of wines. We began with modestly-priced examples of some fine Sancerres and New World Sauvignon Blancs, and ended up with a swig of a 1955 Pauillac, which was one of the most incredible things I’ve ever tasted – utterly delicious, as rich as an old Spanish ham, smooth and glorious, in a league of its own. Afterwards, we went back to my place and had an impromptu tasting of Chinese sesame oils, soy sauces and vinegars.
My friend, who is currently working as head chef at a very well-known restaurant in the West End of London, could not believe the quality of the artisanal sesame oil I’d brought back from Hangzhou, from the small factory I wrote about recently in the Financial Times. He was bowled over by it – it was SO much better than the toasted sesame oils available in the UK.
Of the soy sauces, the stand-out favourite was the Clearspring Tamari I use most often at home. It had a richer, more rounded flavour than the Kikkoman and Pearl River varieties we also tasted. I find this the closest soy sauce to the artisanal soy sauces I’ve tasted in China.
As to vinegars, I gave him a few different kinds of Chinkiang vinegar to try. We tried three produced by the famous Hengshun vinegar factory in Zhenjiang (Chinkiang), and a cheap Chinkiang vinegar that I’d bought in London’s Chinatown. Two of the Hengshun vinegars were fairly sharp, but the 10-year-old vinegar that I was given by the manager of the factory when I went there was superb, a bit like an Italian balsamic in some ways. The cheaper one tasted dull and musty by comparison. I wish the matured Zhenjiang vinegar was more widely available. | <urn:uuid:54757b3f-9450-4b36-8ab4-d1456ddefcea> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.fuchsiadunlop.com/of-vinegar-and-other-matters/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00004-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.969801 | 789 | 1.710938 | 2 |
BURGENLAND-NEWSLETTER-L ArchivesArchiver > BURGENLAND-NEWSLETTER > 2000-03 > 0953132113
Subject: [BURGENLAND-NEWSLETTER-L] BB News No. 76A dtd 15 Mar 2000
Date: Wed, 15 Mar 2000 09:55:13 EST
THE BURGENLAND BUNCH NEWS -No. 76A
DEDICATED TO AUSTRIAN-HUNGARIAN BURGENLAND FAMILY HISTORY
(issued biweekly by
March 15, 2000
This second section of the 3 section newsletter contains a "A Personal
Account of My Last Visit to Burgenland", Some Missfiled Jewish Death Records,
The Holocaust Museum & Hungary, Heanzen-A Question Of Identity and More From
A PERSONAL ACCOUNT OF MY LAST VISIT TO BURGENLAND
(Stadtschlaining, Jabing, Oberwart) From:
Dear Mr. Berghold,
Thank you for your kind welcome to the Burgenland Bunch. I embarked on my
genealogical research in a serious way after my trip there last year. I had
been collecting information for years and my recent experience was the
catalyst to begin to assemble it in a systematic way. For most of my life I
believed that most of my relatives perished in the Holocaust. My research has
revealed that impression was not accurate--many survived and dispersed around
the globe. I am feeling great excitement as I make connections with former
friends and relatives of my family from Burgenland and learn more about what
happened to them.
In October 1999, my sister Hedy Löwy Aurecchia, my niece Lisa and I visited
the region of our family's origin in eastern Austria in the province of
Burgenland. Jews no longer live there although we learned that there
formerly was a substantial and integrated Jewish population. In the little
village called Stadtschlaining where my mother lived until she was 36 years
old, we witnessed something unusual happening. There is a special effort
underway to restore the memory of the former Jewish residents and the impact
they had on the community's life and culture. My sister who was born in
Vienna in January 1939 had never previously returned to
Austria. Eleven months after my sister's birth, my family emigrated to the
U.S. I was born several years later.
In the seventies, my mother Gizella Braun Löwy and I visited Stadtschlaining
twice. (She died in 1991) During those visits we saw the obliterated remnants
of the former community, the ruins of the synagogue and the destroyed Jewish
cemetery where my grandparents are buried. My parents were the last couple
to be married in that synagogue in 1937. The birthplace of my father Eduard
was in a nearby small village Jabing, Burgenland in 1898. His family's home
and shop still stand. We met the town historian there who identified it for
us and gave us a picture taken of it either in the last century or early in
this one. Recently he sent us the Jabing's Year 2000 millennial calendar with
that picture featured on the first cover page
Later my father's family moved to a larger town, the provincial capital
Oberwart. We visited the Jewish cemetery that has not been destroyed and the
graves of my grandfather Ignatz Löwy and some of my great uncles. After the
expulsion of the Jews, the Oberwart synagogue became a garage for fire
trucks. I learned that it is now restored as a music performance center. My
relatives who were unable to leave Oberwart, my grandmother Regina Bauer
Löwy, my aunt Frieda and my cousin Lilly died at Theresienstadt two months
before I was born in 1943.
This brief background relates to the significance in my life of what I
encountered in our recent visit to Austria. The principal landmark of
Stadtschlaining is a large castle dating back to the 13th century. My
mother's former home and business were outbuildings of the castle and stand
immediately adjacent to it. Upon our arrival in the village I noted that
something very special is going on there. The sign at the castle's entrance
announced that the castle is now the site of the European University Center
for Peace Studies.
This was a stunning development for me to witness. That students are coming
there from all over the world to study peace, conflict management and how to
be peacekeepers was something almost unbelievable for me. I would never have
imagined this in my wildest dreams. The formerly desecrated synagogue built
in 1715 has been restored. It retains its original identity as a Jewish
synagogue and is being used as a Peace Library in connection with the Center
for Peace Studies in the castle. The cemetery has been restored as well and
is marked with a beautiful granite gate identifying it as a Jewish burial
ground. Seeing this gave me an overwhelming sense of relief. I will never
forget the deep grief my mother experienced in 1973 and again in 1976 when
she saw that the graves of her parents had been desecrated. Although some of
the gravestones seem to be retrieved, my grandparents' markers are missing.
The waves of revelation continued. The woman who manages the museum at the
castle gave us a copy of a book published in 1988 by Gerhard Baumgartner that
tells about the history of the Jewish community in Stadtschlaining and
Burgenland that dates back before 15th century. The names of many of my
relatives and friends of my mother's are listed in the book. The book
concludes with the statement that little is known about what happened to the
I am learning a lot about what happened to them, because I began researching
the fate of my family after I returned. After compiling the information using
the Family Tree Maker software I found more information via the Internet and
through contacting various relatives. So far I have found second cousins in
Chicago and I hope to find more. I have tracked down the survivors of the
Holocaust and their descendants. My hope is to examine the records in
Burgenland to see if I can trace my relatives to before the early 19th
century when my great grandfather lived there.
We toured the former synagogue, now a Peace Library. I realize that I possess
copies of a Hebrew/German Bible and several prayer books that belonged to my
grandfather who prayed at the synagogue. The books were printed more than
100 years ago. In her few belongings that my mother packed when she fled her
home village, she carried her father's prayer books to America.
By chance, we reserved accommodations from Vienna at the pension of an
individual who is the director of tourism (Werner Glösl ). We explained why
we were visiting; and he brought out another book about the history of
Stadtschlaining. When he opened it, I was overcome with emotion to see my
mother pictured there with a group of her friends in 1933. She was apparently
in mourning for her father's death because she was wearing a black armband.
Subsequently, Mr. Glösl sent me other family memorabilia, including an
announcement of a sale at my grandfather
Ignatz Braun's store in 1930. The sale was to celebrate his 50th anniversary
of being in business there.
We talked to several people who remembered my mother and had attended her
wedding. At the home of the family Rusz who had helped my parents escape and
subsequently suffered because of their anti-Nazi activities, we saw more
pictures of happy times in my mother's youth. She was completely integrated
into the community so that when she was forced to leave it was a shock to her
and to her friends.
The reconnection with the past, the fact that my parents live on in memory of
the people there, their children and grandchildren was a powerful experience.
I am personally dedicated to working for peace and reconciliation in the
Middle East and have been concentrating on these issues for many years. This
connection of the Peace Center of Stadtschlaining with my passion for peace
was an overwhelming discovery. It feels like more than a coincidence.
I am planning to attend a training session there in June to participate in
their Peacekeeper Training program. I also want to find out more about how
and why the remembrance of Jews is happening here in this small Austrian
village that is now the site of an international study center. I have been
collecting additional materials about the history and background of these
developments through my recent communications with the Center's Director, Dr.
Gerald Mader. There is a web site that provides pictures and information
about the Peace Center. The address is
This is a summary of one of the most important experiences of my life. I know
that many in the Jewish community are unforgiving toward the Austrians for
their acts of anti- Semitism. Those include some of my own relatives. The
recent election of Haider and his anti-Semitic reputation soured things
further. Yet there is a current flowing in another direction that deserves
acknowledgement. I always remember my mother's response when she met her
girlhood friend in the village after 36 years. This woman was the widow of
the local Nazi party secretary who had turned her back on my mother during
those horrible times. My mother's first words to her when they encountered
one another on the street were, "I forgive you".
EDITOR'S ADDITION: Burg Schlaining (in Stadtschlaining-Hungarian name
Varoszalonak) was one of the most powerful castles in the province. It was
presented to the noble Andreas Baumkirchner by Emperor Frederick III in 1445.
It later passed to the Batthyany Herrschaft. Much destruction in WWII, but it
was saved by Dr. U. Illig who turned it into a museum, then an hotel and now
a conference center as stated in the article. I visited it in 1974 when Dr.
Illig was giving museum tours and again in 1993 after it had become a
conference center. Undergoing renovation at the present time, the museum art
work is being displayed at Castle Güssing. Well worth a visit.
The village of Stadtschlaining was unique in that it was a center for three
faiths. For the Catholics there is a fine Gothic Katholische Pfarrkirche
founded by Baumkirchner. The Evangelische (Lutheran) Pfarrkirche is the
oldest "tolerance" prayer house in the Burgenland, built in 1782, after the
issuance of Joseph II's "Edict of Tolerance". Early Jewish presence can be
traced to the 17th century when a synagogue was built. About 1848,
Stadtschlaining was one of the larger Jewish settlements with Jews accounting
for 40% of the population. Part of Bezirk Felso-Eor, Vas Megye pre 1921, in
1873 it had 435 Roman Catholics, 586 Lutherans, 312 Jews and 76 Reformed.
Altschlaining (now part of Stadtschlaining along with Drumling, Goberling and
Neumarkt) had an additional 422 Catholics, 116 Lutherans and 7 Jews, all of
whom worshipped in Stadtschlaining. Catholic and Lutheran records are
available from the LDS as are Jewish records from 1841-1895 (LDS 0700744).
The presence of such a strong castle as well as an "Antimony Works" (closed
in 1990) in Stadtschlaining probably accounted for the large mixed
Where they still exist or have been restored, Jewish cemeteries will often
portray much earlier burials than the Catholic or Protestant ones which lose
their headstones and grave markers in approximately 100 years, due to reuse
of the burial plots. While the Jewish headstones reflect much older burials,
their inscriptions are mostly (if not all) in Hebrew. Their destruction is a
serious loss to genealogists. Fortunately, in the Burgenland, many of the
19th century records have been microfilmed.
SOME MISSFILED JEWISH DEATH RECORDS (from Fritz Königshofer)
When I recently looked through the microfilm with the records of the
rom.-cath. parish of Güssing (Német Újvár) in pursuit of data on the family
of Josef Reichl for Albert Schuch, I unexpectedly found a section on this
film containing the Jewish death records of Güssing for 1842-44. It is only
two or three pages, but I wonder how these pages might have gotten intermixed
with the rom.-cath. records and whether these records might be missing from
the microfilm of the Jewish records.
Perhaps you can mention this fact for the BB readers. These errant
Jewish death records are on microfilm 0700700, and are inserted between the
rom.-cath. death records of 1843 and 1844.
(Ed. Note: See newsletters nos. 37, 40, 51A & 55B for more information
HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL MUSEUM FEATURES HUNGARY (G. Berghold)
The Holocaust Memorial Museum (Washington, DC) issues a bi-monthly newsletter
called "Update". The issue for Jan./Feb. 2000 features an article concerning
"The Holocaust In Hungary". It specifically mentions the "golden age" of
Hungarian Jews from the end of the 19th Century until WWI and its aftermath
through WWII. Budapest's Dohany Street Synagogue was the largest synagogue in
Europe. Services were even conducted in Hungarian. By 1930, Jews accounted
for 20% of Budapest's population. Burgenland descendants with Jewish
ancestors may find this article of interest. Information concerning
membership in the museum and its newsletter and publications may be found at
HEANZEN-A QUESTION OF IDENTITY (Hank Dilcher & G. Berghold)
(Ed. Note: member Hank Dilcher and a relative are planning a trip to the
Burgenland. As a result they are doing the homework that all prospective
travellers should do. It will pay big dividends and make their trip much more
enjoyable. However, a question of Burgenland identity arose.)
Hank writes: Received the attached from a German relative of mine in Nova
Scotia (who may join us in our October Burgenland trip). Does this make
The relative writes:
<< Just yesterday I learned something new, when I looked up "Burgenland" in
my medium-sized German encyclopedia. The German-speaking population there
(which makes up about 85% of the Burgenland population, the rest being
Hungarians, Slovaks and Slovenes) is considered to be ethnically and
culturally different from the "proper" Austrians. In fact, they are called
"Heinzen" (alternatively spelled Hienzen or Heanzen), and came to the area
in the 11th-13th centuries from Bavaria. This was confirmed by the large
German encyclopedia which I just checked in our university library, while the
English-language encyclopedias (Britannica, Americana) made
no mention of the name of this population in their articles on the
Burgenland. The German encyclopedia article on the "Heinzen" gave as a
reference (among some German-language scholarly articles) the book
"Borderland" by A.F. Burghardt (Madison, 1962). This book is in none of the
Nova Scotia university libraries, and anyway I wouldn't have the time now to
read it if I got it through interlibrary loan. But perhaps
you can find it somewhere locally; in May I'll look for it when I'm in Urbana
again (I'll have a few days there after a conference). >>
My reply to "does this make sense?"
Hank, Not quite-"Heinzen" or "Hianzen" as it is now known is a dynastic term
which originated from one Wolfer and his brother Hedrich, sons of Count
Volvern of Wiltonia or Honnsburg (Styria-not Bavaria although parts of Styria
at one time belonged to the Dukes of Bavaria) who came to the Güssing area in
1142 AD and built the first (wooden) castle of Güssing. They brought forty
German speaking "reiters" or armed followers with them (from Gesta
Hungarorum-first history of Hungary dtd. 1282 AD.) This was the first
documented "German" presence in Burgenland if you ignore Charlemagne's
Frankish campaigns against the Avars in the 8th Century or tribal wanderings
during the even earlier Roman period.
>From Wolfer and followers descended the mighty Counts of Güssing (their line
lasted for over 200 years until the Herrschaft was taken over by the
Hungarian crown). One of the most well known Counts of Güssing was "Schwarzen
Heinz" (Black Henry) who had the title 1254-74 and was almost an independant
monarch. He brought and invited many other German speaking colonists to the
region. For some reason the name Heinzen -followers of Heinz- stuck over the
centuries, even though other aristocratic families ruled the area for even
longer periods (Batthyany from 1524-1918 for instance, wouldn't Batthyania
have a nice ring to it?).
Most descendants of these original settler families probably perished through
war and plague during the Turkish period (1500's-1700's) and were replaced by
new colonists from Croatia, Slovenia, Styria, Lower Austria-Bavaria-etc.
after the late 1600's. In the north some even came from around Lake Constance
and from Slovakia).
Heinzen (Hianzen) however, is strictly a southern Burgenland term used for
centuries to denote Burgenland peasants. The northern region peasants
referred to themselves as "Heidebauern" (heath or meadow farmers).
A southern dialect language developed which is now known as Hianzisch (Dr.
Walter Dujmovits prefers to call it Burgenländisch). There are even some
poets writing in the dialect. Chief among them was Josef Reichl, (1860-1924),
born in Güssing. In a previous newsletter we printed his poem "Mei Hoamat"
(Meine Heimat-My Home-although "home" does not connote the strong ties
associated with the word "Heimat"). Like most of his poems, it was written in
Hianzisch. There is a Hianzen Society in Güssing in which member Heinz Koller
and wife are very active. I have a book of Hianzisch poems by Mathilde Pani
of Gerersdorf bei Güssing published in 1995. There are other poets. There is
also a Josef Reichl-Bundes (club).
What differs from the Viennese and the inhabitants of the other Austrian
Provinces is that Burgenland was Hungarian until 1921 and not part of
Austria. As such, some older Austrians (born before 1921) tend to look upon
Burgenlanders as Hungarians, even though the majority speak basic German
today. See many articles concerning this in the archives nos. 31, 45, 55.
Also see Heinz Koller's Güssing web site (address from our URL list in
homepage). This site also has a Heanzen dictionary being compiled by Inge
I have the book "Borderland" and have corresponded with Prof. Andrew
Burghardt, he's one of our members. His book is out of print, but you'll find
it supports my answer.
As stated in the last newsletter, Burgenland is a modern term. It first
appeared in the newspaper "Ostdeutsche Rundschau" dtd 24 Dec. 1918. It
appeared in a poem by Professor Alfred Walheim which began:
Kehrst du wiederum zu uns zurück?
(Are you returning to us)
There was even some discussion at that time about calling the new province
Heinzenland, but the northerners objected to that name.
What are "proper Austrians"? There is no such thing. Austria has never had a
"national" geographic identity in the way most other European nations do,
although you can argue that those born within the borders of today's Austria
after 1918 (or better yet 1945 or1955) are Austrians. It's been a
conglomeration of races from the beginning in the same way that the US has.
Is there such a thing as a "proper" American? However, there is such a thing
as a "proper Englishman"- or a "proper Frenchman". Refer to any geographical
history. Freeman & Bury in "Historical Geography of Europe", Ares Publishers
reprint of the 1903 edition, spend many pages explaining why "Austria" can
not be considered a nation geographically in the same manner that England or
France can. I imagine the best you can say is that a "proper" anything is
something that has adhered to an original definition. I'd not want to try to
write the definition of an Austrian, other than to say the term refers
(today), to a person born (or naturalized) in Austria.
What your correspondent and the encyclopedia was trying to say (and doing a
bad job of it) is that "urban" Austrians (Vienna, Graz, Salzburg, Linz etc.)
differ from rural southern Burgenländers in the same way that Americans in
NYC or Boston differ from Virginians or Texans or Pennsylvaia Dutch, etc.
etc. A very important distinction. The major problem with most genealogists
who refer to German sources is that they lump all German speaking sources
together. That's like trying to find American or Canadian family history in
purely English (UK) publications. It's for this reason that we have a
Burgenland Bunch involved in micro-genealogy and I hope I've not belabored my
point. Regards, Gerry
MORE FROM THE VOLKSFREUND (by Fritz Königshofer)
When I completed my perusal of the issues of Der Volksfreund, there
were a few stories that extend on themes which were published in BB
VF of September 4, 1886, pp. 3-4 lists the highest-taxed individuals
of Vas county. Number one was Count Franz Erdödy who paid 27,207 florins and
76 Kreuzer in total taxes. Prince Edmund Batthyány was on the second
position with 26,370 fl. and 54 kr. The third place was held by (rom.-cath.)
Bishop Kornelius Hidassy with 11,785 fl. and 4 kr., while Alexander Nagy of
Alsó Paty was fourth with 10,176 fl. and 36 kr.
VF of October 30, 1886, p. 7. The Ministry of Interior approved
three Magyarizations of village names. Rettenbach became Mentse, Redlschlag
Vörösvágás, and Puszta Schmelz became Huta. [I believe all these new
Hungarian names got further modified later on, when village names were made
individually unique over the whole Kingdom of Hungary.]
VF of November 27, 1886, reported that the authorities did not
approve the Magyarization proposal of Szobár for the village of Stuben,
because, it is stated, the proposed name did not sound sufficiently Hungarian
and would also be too similar to the name of Szabar (Zuberbach). The people
of Stuben were advised to find another name.
A year later, in the VF of November 19, 1887 it is reported that the
people of Stuben decided to select the name Edeháza for their village. They
claimed they chose the name in honor of the Vizegespan (vice governor) of Vas
county, Eduard von Reiszig. [This looks to me like a case of sweet revenge
by the villagers for the forced Magyarization of their village name, as the
Vizegespan's family name looks quite Germanic.]
VF of January 8, 1887, p. 6, contained a statistic about newspapers
published at the time in county Vas. Accordingly, Szombathely had four
Hungarian and one German newspapers (the latter being Der Volksfreund); Güns
(Köszeg) one Hungarian and two German; Körmend one Hungarian; Muraszombat
one bilingual Hungarian/Wendisch (the latter meaning Slovenian); and
Oberwart one German (the Oberwarter Sonntagzeitung). In addition, an
agricultural newspaper was published in Szombathely, and newspapers about
school matters were published in Szombathely and in Oberschützen.
(Newsletter continues as no. 76B) | <urn:uuid:67a44860-5823-4a93-8c06-fc03a45eb1b8> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.com/th/read/BURGENLAND-NEWSLETTER/2000-03/0953132113 | 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 | 0.950447 | 5,509 | 1.546875 | 2 |
US Supremes deal death blow to class action lawsuits
States' rights turned on their head
The US Supreme Court has granted a whopping victory to AT&T, the US Chamber of Commerce, and supportive corporations, by reversing previous court decisions that had prevented corporations from requiring individual arbitration of customers' complaint.
By issuing its 5-4 decision on Wednesday, the Court has essentially stripped away individuals' rights to band together in class-action lawsuits should a corporation choose to include an arbitration requirement in its contracts or licensing agreements.
At core, the Court has ordered that the decisions of the lower courts, which were based on a previous California Supreme Court decision in Discover Bank v. Superior Court of Los Angeles, are preempted by the US Federal Arbitration Act – a sort of states-rights-in-reverse decision by the Court's conservative majority.
The Court's 18-page decision was written by Justice Antonin Scalia and joined by Chief Justice John Roberts and Justices Anthony Kennedy, Samuel Alito, and Clarence Thomas, who also supplied his own six-page concurring opinion. Justice Steven Breyer, joined by Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Sonia Sotomayor, and Elena Kagan, provided a 12-page dissenting opinion.
The lawsuit that wound its way through lower courts only to finally make it to the black-robed justices in Washington DC was fundamentally a dumb one – and a textbook case in how a seemingly insignificant issue can morph into a dispute with a much more far-reaching effect.
In early 2002, California residents Vincent and Liza Concepcion signed up with AT&T Mobility. In 2006, the Concepcions took advantage of an AT&T service that advertised free phones, but for which AT&T charged the Concepcions $30.22 in sales tax for those handsets. The couple then filed a complaint with the US District Court for the Southern District of California, and their complaint was soon lumped into a larger "putative class action", as the US Supreme Court called it, which among other things charged AT&T with false advertising – and the saga began.
The contract that the Concepcions had signed had buried deep inside it the requirement that any such complaints would be handled in one-on-one arbitration. In response to the Concepcions moving their complaint into a class action, AT&T called upon the district court to compel arbitration. That court denied AT&T's motion, saying that the arbitration agreement was "unconscionable and unlawfully exculpatory under California law because it disallowed classwide procedures."
An appeals court upheld the district court's ruling, and AT&T took the matter to the US Supreme Court – which is how $30.22 became the beginning of the end for class-action complaints against corporate entities who'd prefer to shield themselves from them by requiring one-on-one arbitration.
And what corporation wouldn't? A study reported by the consumer-advocacy group Public Citizen has shown that businesses prevailed a rather impressive 96.8 per cent of the time in "Business-initiated contract cases handled by the National Arbitration Forum in which an arbitrator was appointed."
As TechDirt's legal-issues blogger – the even-handed Mike Masnick – points out, businesses get to choose or approve the arbitrator in the vast majority of such arbitrations. "Unlike the court system, the arbitrator is being paid for by the parties," Masnick writes, "and if that arbitrator wants to get more business, he or she is going to view the party likely to hire him or her in the future more favorably."
Class-action suits, on the other hand, are commonly trial-by-jury affairs, and juries tend to be far more sympathetic to stories of the "little guy" being railroaded by "big money".
AT&T told CBS news that the Supreme Court's ruling was a victory for consumers. "We value our customers, and AT&T's arbitration program is free, fair, fast, easy to use, and consumer-friendly," the company said.
Deepak Gupta of Public Citizen was less sanguine. "The U.S. Supreme Court dealt a crushing blow to American consumers and employees, ruling that companies can ban class actions in the fine print of contracts," he said.
In his dissent, Jusctice Breyer wrote that "the Court is wrong to hold that the federal Act pre-empts the rule of state law," and that "we should think more than twice before invalidating a state law..."
More specifically, Breyer argues that "California is free to define unconscionability as it sees fit, and its common law is of no federal concern so long as the State does not adopt a special rule that disfavors arbitration."
We find it ironic that at a time when the US Chamber or Commerce and other conservative organizations are using states'-rights arguments against the Obama Administration's Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, which they shorten to the pejorative of "Obamacare", the conservative wing of the US Supreme Court, joined by putative centrist Justice Kennedy, has voted to invalidate a state law – and, by extension, all such state laws – that is objectionable to a large swath of corporate America. ® | <urn:uuid:a5d59ff7-4b94-412b-a16c-1df5555a7b0c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.theregister.co.uk/2011/04/28/supreme_court_class_action_decision/ | 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 | 0.967435 | 1,089 | 1.632813 | 2 |
A suburban father marches to the beat of Henry David Thoreau.
After rereading Walden in middle age, Fate (English/Coll. of DuPage; Steady & Trembling: Art, Faith, & Family in an Uncertain World, 2005, etc.) emulated his literary hero by building a cabin in the wilds of southwest Michigan. He then began the search for balance and a closer connection to nature, which he recounts in these delightful personal essays. A father of three in suburban Chicago, Fate could not isolate himself in his cabin like the hermetic Thoreau. So he conducted his quest while fully engaged with the daily rounds of life in a high-tech, material culture. Inspired by awareness of the most ordinary things—a backyard bird feeder, a bowl of lake glass, the death of the family cat—each essay explores some aspect of human experience, following Thoreau’s “invitation to a new kind of vision, to the joy of enough in a culture of more, to a deliberate life.” The author watches children lost in play and wonders when he lost his own faith in the present moment. Taking a cue from “Mr. Self-Reliance,” he attempts to trim the elm trees on his property, fails miserably, and realizes that Thoreau’s barebones way of living clearly “isn’t nearly enough for me.” With each foray into the workaday world, Fate comes closer to understanding how he might achieve balance in his hectic modern life.
Quiet, beautifully written reflections on nature and the mindful life, laced with the thoughts and writings of Thoreau. | <urn:uuid:f277a245-a263-483d-91c0-a076c5667cdf> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/tom-montgomery-fate/cabin-fever-suburban-father-wild/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00016-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.951671 | 348 | 1.679688 | 2 |
Louis Charles Lynch (also known as Lucy) is sixty years old and has lived in Thomaston, New York, his entire life. He and Sarah, his wife of forty years, are about to embark on a vacation to Italy. Lucy's oldest friend, once a rival for his wife's affection, leads a life in Venice far removed from Thomaston. Perhaps for this reason Lucy is writing the story of his town, his family, and his own life that makes up this rich and mesmerizing novel, interspersed with that of the native son who left so long ago and has never looked back.
Bridge of Sighs, from the beloved Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Empire Falls, is a moving novel about small-town America that expands Russo's widely heralded achievement in ways both familiar and astonishing.
About the Author
Richard Russo is the author of Mohawk, The Risk Pool, Straight Man, Nobody's Fool, and Empire Falls, which won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction, and a collection of stories, The Whore's Child. He and his wife live in coastal Maine.
Praise for Bridge of Sighs…
"A magnificent, bighearted new novel [and] an astounding achievement. . . . A masterpiece." —The Boston Globe"A story of constantly evolving complexity and depth. . . . [Bridge of Sighs is] Russo's most intricate, multifaceted novel . . . enormous and enormously moving."—The Washington Post Book World"A novel of great warmth, charm and intimacy . . . richly evocative and beautifully wrought."—The New York Times"[Russo's] most ambitious and best work."—USA Today | <urn:uuid:5357369a-e165-495d-808b-12baee34fb70> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.bookpassage.com/book/9781400030903 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706890813/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516122130-00017-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.967256 | 343 | 1.59375 | 2 |
My trainer at crossfit yesterday asked me something that I hear all the time: "Do you get enough protein?" The answer is YES! You can get plenty of protein in your diet with out eating meat, even if you're an athlete. I used to believe that vegetarians/vegans did not get enough protein until I tried it myself. I'm actually kind of surprised that this myth exists since we grew up with cartoons of Popeye eating cans of spinach to get strong.
So, to prove to everyone that there are plenty of plant-based sources of protein, I decided to track my protein intake in a typical day of me eating vegan.
Breakfast: smoothie with Vega One, banana, and almond milk - 16 g
Lunch: spinach salad with red pepper, avocado, chickpeas, and edemame - 14 g
Afternoon snack: apple and peanut butter - 6 g
Dinner: Mexican-style pizza with sprouted grain tortilla, Daiya cheese, pico de gallo, and black beans - 14 g (recipe on this coming soon!)
Evening snack: popcorn with nutritional yeast - 8 g
That's a total of 58 grams of protein, which is over my recommended daily value! If I didn't want to use a meal supplement like Vega One, then I would eat something like chia seeds, quinoa, or oats with nuts for the same amount of protein. Therefore, crossfitters can be vegan :) | <urn:uuid:1fc9fb60-4565-4e8e-84bd-26490529c1c3> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.healthyfitgoddess.com/2012/03/yes-i-get-enough-protein.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00019-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.943021 | 302 | 1.578125 | 2 |
Minnesota has sent two emergency management teams to Massachusetts to help in the response to Hurricane Sandy.
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - Minnesota has sent two emergency management teams to Massachusetts to help in the response to Hurricane Sandy.
Massachusetts requested the teams, totaling five people, through the Emergency Management Assistance Compact, a mutual aid agreement between states.
They include officials from the Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, the City of Excelsior, Allina Medical and Hennepin County. They're expected to stay for 10 days and work out of a command center in suburban Boston.
They include Excelsior Fire Chief Scott Gerber, who volunteered last year to help Massachusetts respond to Hurricane Irene, and Hennepin County Emergency Management Director Eric Wagge, who helped Alabama with tornado recovery last year. He says working on disasters is much better than training drills for developing emergency response skills.
(KFGO News file photo) | <urn:uuid:fd95b93b-8ea5-4fb4-b78f-ca6d51f857e0> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.kfgo.com/news-details.php?pageNum_rsNews=115&totalRows_rsNews=1155&ID=0000011706 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00018-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.940764 | 194 | 1.710938 | 2 |
Oct 22, 2011 2 Comments ›› Pat Dollard
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez on Thursday expressed anger over the death of Muammar Qaddafi, calling it an “outrage” and saying the ousted Libyan strongman was a “martyr.”
“Sadly the death of Qaddafi has been confirmed,” said Chavez, who had just returned to Venezuela from cancer treatment in Cuba.
“They assassinated him. It is another outrage,” the Venezuelan leader told reporters in the town of La Grita.
“We shall remember Qaddafi our whole lives as a great fighter, a revolutionary and a martyr,” he said.
Chavez had defended Qaddafi since the start of the uprising against the Libyan leader’s regime in February, and accused NATO of using the conflict to gain control over Libya’s oil.
“The saddest thing is that in its quest to dominate the world, the empire and its allies are setting it on fire,” Chavez said, referring to the United States by his preferred nickname.
Chavez has refused to recognize the new Libyan regime, and has ridiculed Libya’s new U.N. representative as a “puppet” and a “dummy.”
In 2004, Chavez was awarded the Qaddafi International Prize for Human Rights, a prize granted by the Libyan leader. Cuba’s Fidel Castro and Nicaragua’s Daniel Ortega have also won the award. | <urn:uuid:90b3811e-ff60-4838-9335-1867d2785709> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://patdollard.com/2011/10/angry-chavez-gadaffi-martyr/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00016-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.96829 | 314 | 1.59375 | 2 |
Understanding the benefits of tea tree oil may help you decide when to use it and how often. Some tea tree oil uses include the treatment of acne, treating cold sores, and combating dandruff when used in shampoos. It is important to note, however, that tea tree oil is to be used only for external use and when taken internally can actually lead to coma or death. And, as always, before using it for any topical applications you should make certain you are not allergic to tea tree oil.
To learn more about tea tree oil, you can read the full article here: | <urn:uuid:09264de6-23c0-496d-b3a8-afd442434b33> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.herzine.org/tag/about-tea-tree-oil/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704713110/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516114513-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.950222 | 121 | 1.820313 | 2 |
UNION — PACE (Parents for Academic Excellence), a new parent-based volunteer group in the Township of Union, in cooperation with the Township of Union public schools, is sponsoring two special meetings in March geared to help parents and children prepare for the all important NJASK test.
The first meeting is on Monday, March 19 at 6:30 p.m., in the cafeteria of Union High School, North Third Street, Union. Parents of children in grades six through eight are invited, and are asked to bring their child with them if possible. Noreen Lishak, Secondary School Curriculum Director has an exciting, inter-active program planned which will help parents understand the necessary skills to help them help their child to be successful. She will be joined by Math Supervisor Jason Mauriello and Language Arts Supervisor, Mary Malyska, who will help parents and kids work together. Students who attend will receive an ice cream coupon, donated by Carvel of Union.
Parents of children in grades three through five are invited to meet on Monday, March 26 at 6:30 p.m., in the auditorium of Hannah Caldwell Elementary School, Commerce Avenue, Union to learn some easy and fun ways to help prepare their child to obtain the best scores possible on the NJASK test. Tiffany Moutis, Elementary School Curriculum Director, will meet with parents to give them tips on helping their child, and she will distribute special materials to help the students achieve more on the NJASK. Parents who attend will receive a free "homework pass" for their child. Help your children be the best that they can be.
For further information, please contact the schools district's Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Patrick Martin, at 908-851-6407. | <urn:uuid:71287a17-2038-46d0-9f62-697a29ab1053> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.nj.com/suburbannews/index.ssf/2012/03/union_parents_meet_to_discuss.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00010-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.964599 | 364 | 1.6875 | 2 |
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