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Most Active Stories
Wed November 23, 2011
It's Crowded Out There Again, Got A Holiday Travel Tip To Share?
News nuggets like these are holiday classics:
-- "42.5 million Americans will travel 50 miles or more from home during the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, a four percent increase from the 40.9 million people who traveled one year ago," the AAA says.
-- "Los Angeles' LAX, Chicago's O'Hare (ORD) and Orlando International (MCO) will be the nation's busiest airports this Thanksgiving," Orbitz Worldwide predicts.
-- Travelers are "at the mercy of the weather," says The Associated Press. "Heavy rains and scattered thunderstorms prompted flood warnings and closed some roads across swaths of New Jersey, Pennsylvania and New York early Wednesday. Snow mixed with sleet and freezing rain to make for treacherous driving and thousands of power outages across parts of New England and upstate New York."
-- "Forecasters say some of the worst weather in the country for mid-week will be on the coasts and could back up some of the busiest airports such as those in Boston, New York City, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., San Francisco and Seattle," ABC News adds.
-- Some motorists were delayed for hours last night and early today on the Pennsylvania Turnpike near Pittsburgh when "a tar-like substance ... leaked from a tanker," the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
-- "A car crash on the freeway just north of San Francisco International Airport is snarling traffic on one of the year's busiest travel days," says the AP. "Television footage shows a car flipped over on Highway 101 south near the airport exit as traffic slows to a crawl. Lanes have been blocked on both sides of the freeway.
Now, we know many folks have strategies for coping with Thanksgiving travel. For one thing, as The Baltimore Sun says, "Tuesday is the new Wednesday." As in: the Tuesday before Thanksgiving "is becoming the new Wednesday before Thanksgiving" as more travelers take to the roads, rails and skies a day earlier than in the past.
But there must be many other tips — get up early; stay over until Friday; don't travel? Please share in the comments thread. | <urn:uuid:e4ab7deb-fb24-4178-ae71-7ac4df8c4b4f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://wuky.org/post/its-crowded-out-there-again-got-holiday-travel-tip-share | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00014-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.948735 | 463 | 1.515625 | 2 |
When it comes to innovation, a corporate leader needs to be judicious.
After all, if you adopt every emerging trend in digital media, you’ll find your company brutally pulled in every direction, like Justin Beiber dropped into a crowd of crazed thirteen-year-old girls.
But when it comes to the trends of data utilization and personalized media, now is not the time to be cautious.
If you ignore these trends, I have a Blockbuster store I'd like to sell you. If not, read on.
The digital landscape has changed dramatically even in the last few years. Media fragmentation and personalized media are the new normal. You only have to look to the rise of platforms like Pinterest and Flipboard, as well as video apps like HBO GO and Netflix, to see that users crave and create media experiences unique to them.
Simultaneously, marketers are collecting and mining mountains of data about those users — from the pages they visit to the items they search for and the social graphs they share with — and using it to tailor the delivery of relevant and unique messages. We call this practice "programmatic marketing," and it’s still relatively new.
But it’s also clearly the future of digital marketing. Those who fail to catch on now will be left behind.
Consider one example of a type of programmatic marketing known as site retargeting: If you look at a J. Crew cashmere sweater and then surf around to other sites, you might well encounter a display ad for that very same sweater. Or consider search retargeting, another increasingly popular technique.
Whereas site retargeting is designed to increase revenue from someone who has already visited your site, search retargeting makes it possible to find new customers based on their search behavior.
Someone who searches for “cashmere sweaters” on Google, for example, might then surf to another site and discover display ads for J. Crew cashmere sweaters — despite never having visited the company's site.
Gathering the data for precise targeting is only half of the programmatic marketing equation. The other half is actually serving these ads to users via Real-Time Bidding (RTB) on ad exchanges, which enable buyers to choose how much they’re willing to pay to reach their targets and then to reach them instantly — that is, if they’ve got the winning bid.
Recall that J. Crew sweater you keep seeing across the internet as you're browsing. After seeing those display ads on Mashable, you might check Facebook, where an ad reveals that dozens of your friends are J. Crew fans.
Then you might head over to The Wall Street Journal, where you encounter yet another ad for the sweater, this time it offers a 10% discount. Your confidence in the purchase is strengthened at each step. This cycle, repeated over and over, delivers a better ROI for the marketer and higher CPMs for the publisher. Everyone wins.
It doesn't stop at display advertising
The incredible success and effectiveness of data-driven targeting hasn't stopped at display advertising. Thanks to programmatic marketing, we can now say goodbye to the one-size-fits-all newsletter. For example, if an email subscriber just looked at your product page, you want the next email that user receives to highlight that product — and you want to send it ASAP.
Meanwhile, if someone on your list has just read an online review of your product, it only makes sense to send that user accurate product info — and perhaps a coupon as well.
Programmatic marketing is even reinventing B2B campaigns. When a potential customer arrives at a B2B marketer’s site, it’s one of the first steps in the sales journey, but not necessarily the very first one. Usually, there’s a signal, such as a referral source, that can tell the marketer what type of content to serve to a prospect during a first visit.
For instance, if a prospect arrives at a creative agency’s site from an article about creating viral videos, the agency might display information on the homepage about its award-winning content studio. If someone arrives via a tweet about “responsive design,” the agency could tailor the website content accordingly.
The same principles hold for larger companies that operate multiple sites. By analyzing the information a prospect has consumed on one company site, smart marketers can tailor the creative on the second site.
Grab the data reins
This brings us to another critical point. All the data in the world won't do you much good if you can't control it. Now, more than ever, CMOs need to wrest control of their company’s data.
When properly analyzed, data tells you what your users want, how they’re behaving, and the best ways to reach them — essential factors to effective marketing. A CMO who fails to gain control of his company’s data is like a quarterback who lets an offensive lineman call the plays in the huddle.
So, what's it all come down to? Essentially, this: If you want to compete in the digital marketing game, you can’t ignore programmatic marketing. It’s the essential marketing trend of the moment.
If you don’t believe us, give us a ring. Even if we can’t convince you otherwise, at least we can talk to you about buying that Blockbuster store. | <urn:uuid:035d1068-b3e9-4aab-8255-02ad213b2b5e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://econsultancy.com/ie/blog/11362-why-you-can-t-ignore-programmatic-marketing | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704392896/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113952-00008-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.938078 | 1,127 | 1.5 | 2 |
A series of disturbances aloft will emerge off the Central Rockies toward the Mid/Upper Mississippi Valley. Each of these impulses should provide enough lift in the atmosphere to produce an axis of moderate to heavy rainfall. Plenty of daytime heating will allow thunderstorms to erupt with a peak intensity in the late afternoon/early evening.
An upper trough across the Northern Plains will lead to a more organized axis of frontal showers as the system sweeps through the north-central tier of the country by late Friday and into Saturday. While pockets of severe weather will be possible with any thunderstorm which develops in the corridor stretching from the Central Plains toward the Upper Midwest, the coverage should be rather widespread. A dry line located in the lee of the Rockies from the Colorado/New Mexico/Oklahoma Panhandle border to southwestern North Dakota will be the site of possible severe thunderstorms throughout much of Friday.
There is a slight risk of severe thunderstorms for the central and northern High Plains. Over 260 reports of severe weather were received yesterday, including two tornadoes in Colorado and one tornado in Kansas. High wind and hail reports were scattered across the Southeast and Gulf Coast, and through the Plains states from Western Wisconsin to Western Texas. One injury was reported when thunderstorm wind gusts tore the roof off a temporary structure at Bama Jam near New Brockton, Alabama.
At 200 AM PDT (500 AM EDT) the center of Tropical Storm Carlotta was located about 190 miles south-southeast of Puerto Angel Mexico or about 400 miles southeast of Acapulco Mexico. Movement was toward the northwest near 10 MPH. This general motion is forecast to continue for the next 24 hours with a gradual turn toward the west-northwest expected on Saturday. On the forecast track the center of Carlotta should move near or over the coast of southern Mexico late tonight and Saturday. Maximum sustained winds were near 70 MPH with higher gusts. Additional strengthening is expected during the next 24 to 36 hours and Carlotta is forecast to become a hurricane by this afternoon. | <urn:uuid:8e81d869-ffec-4616-8de2-86d562c61f6b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://westmorelandtimes.com/news/2012/06/your-national-weather-outlook-150612075752017400/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697974692/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095254-00003-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.966322 | 408 | 1.5 | 2 |
Call for Ped Safety Measures on Third and Fourth Avenues
A third-grader was hit on her way to school here two weeks ago.
You have to move fast to beat the turning traffic on Fourth Avenue.
DOT Deputy Commissioner for Brooklyn Dalila Hall faced some tough questioning from members of the public at a meeting on pedestrian safety on Third and Fourth avenues in Brooklyn on Saturday.
"Why should we have to run across the street?" demanded Melissa Torres, whose daughter attends PS 24 in Sunset Park, near the busy intersection of 38th St. and 4th Ave.
Sometimes running isn't enough. A third-grader was hit by a car two weeks ago as she crossed at the spot, where vehicles roar down a ramp off the Gowanus Expressway and make a left turn right into a crosswalk on Fourth Avenue.
That girl survived the crash, but Third and Fourth avenues have been fatally dangerous streets for many children -- like six-year-old Andry Vega, who was run over at the corner of Third Ave. and 46th St. last December, and four-year-old James Rice, who was struck and killed at the corner of Third Ave. and Baltic St. in February.
They were just two of the fatalities that showed up as blue crosses on the map of the Third and Fourth avenue corridor at the back of the auditorium -- interspersed with many, many red circles indicating crashes that resulted in pedestrian injuries.
The meeting, organized by the Community Education Council for District 15, was designed to give the public a chance to voice their concerns directly to DOT officials and to police. And the parents, teachers and students who attended made the most of it, requesting traffic-calming measures and better enforcement for specific intersections, like the one at 38th and Fourth.
According to Transportation Alternatives' Brooke DuBose, who made a presentation at the meeting, several residents marked trouble spots on the map, and representatives from Community Board 7 and the offices of various elected officials expressed interest in following up the meeting with further workshop and planning opportunities.
Representatives of the 72nd and 78th precincts, which cover the area, said that truck enforcement is a priority. In the 72nd, according to Sgt. Alfredo Rosario, summonses for trucks are up 50 percent over this time last year. He welcomed the input from the community on specific dangerous intersections. "It's actually very helpful to us," he said after the meeting.
Several of those present wanted more immediate action from the DOT to make crosswalks safer. "When a kid gets killed here, god forbid, then they'll do something," said Raymond Mercado, who lives around the corner from PS 24 and has two children in the school. He said he constantly sees near-misses as kids travel on the traffic-filled streets.
He and others wondered if the DOT needed to study the situation.
But the DOT's Hall said a new study, with all the time and money that entails, wasn't necessary. The completion of the Downtown Brooklyn Traffic Calming Report in 2004, she said, had been "seminal" for the agency. "It really brought traffic calming into the agency and made us think about streets in a different way," said Hall. Now, when the agency becomes aware of danger spots on streets, she said that they are dealt with in a different way. "Our toolbox has grown," said Hall.
That toolbox, she said, now includes traffic-calming measures like leading pedestrian intervals for lights at crosswalks, which allow pedestrians to get out ahead of cars and be more visible. She pledged to look into installing such an interval at the corner of 38th and Fourth.
But considering the DOT's record of implementing the traffic-calming proposals called for in the report, some in the audience were skeptical. Jim Devor, a Carroll Gardens resident, said he is still waiting for a promised neckdown to be installed at the corner of Smith St. and Second Pl., where he lives. And he suggested that because the Third and Fourth avenue corridor is home to many low-income residents, safety there is a low priority for the city.
"I don't think the accident data we have would be acceptable on First and Second avenues in Manhattan," said Devor. "The prioritizing of traffic over children is not acceptable."
The DOT's Hall countered, "The agency's priority is safety."
Photos: Sarah Goodyear | <urn:uuid:d9765184-f6cc-4484-8803-482ea5b65e7a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.streetsblog.org/2007/06/11/call-for-ped-safety-measures-on-third-and-fourth-avenues/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.976285 | 916 | 1.679688 | 2 |
The Apple, Amazon battle over "app store" continues
Amazon and Apple are facing off in an Oakland courtroom in a case that could decide whether Apple has the exclusive rights to the term "App Store." According to a report in Electronista, Amazon argues that the term is generic, while Apple claims it was "the first successful brand" in this market and that people associate the term with the company's iOS devices.
Apple popularized the term "App Store" when it launched its iTunes App Store in 2008. The iOS App Store took off and other platforms adopted a similar model of selling mobile apps. Google created the Amazon Market for its Android apps and changed the name of its app store to the Google Play Store earlier this year. Amazon launched its Appstore for Android in early 2011 and was quickly sued by Apple over this choice of a name.
Amazon and Apple are facing off in an Oakland courtroom in a case that could decide whether Apple has the exclusive rights to the term...
Deals of the Daymore deals
Software Updatesmore updates
- Evernote introduces reminders to Mac, iOS apps
- Poser 10 and Poser Pro 2014 available, bringing new characters, physics and more
- Agile Partners releases Lick of the Day 2.0
- Google announces new Hangout app to hit iOS today
- Microsoft Office for Mac 2011 Update 14.3.4
- Pixelmator 2.2 available with over 100 new features and improvements | <urn:uuid:27723b16-4a33-4c84-a8cf-df0ba3d5f98c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.tuaw.com/2012/11/01/the-apple-amazon-battle-over-app-store-continues/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00011-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.930736 | 298 | 1.5 | 2 |
The chief blot on Sonia Sotomayor's otherwise stellar professional record is a comment she made deprecating the capabilities of any judge lacking a Y chromosome and Iberian ancestry.
"I would hope," she said in a 2001 lecture on law and multicultural diversity, "that a wise Latina woman with the richness of her experiences would more often than not reach a better conclusion than a white male who hasn't lived that life."
The question for her supporters is: How do we spin that? It's not sufficient grounds to reject her nomination, given her excellent credentials. But it's still an embarrassment.
One possible way to handle it is a mea culpa by the nominee. She could say, "Let me explain what I meant to say," or "I used to believe that, but I now realize I was mistaken," or "Oh, man -- what was I thinking?" Any of those tactics would defuse the controversy and allow the debate to proceed to a topic more advantageous to her.
Maybe when she gets to her confirmation hearing, Sotomayor will disavow the remark. But her supporters are taking another tack. They say this criticism is unfair, because critics have taken the quotation out of context and grossly distorted her meaning.
Sotomayor, they point out, also said judges "must not deny the differences resulting from experience and heritage but attempt, as the Supreme Court suggests, continuously to judge when those opinions, sympathies and prejudices are appropriate."
Her allies have a point. Anyone who reads the whole speech will indeed find that her comment wasn't as bad as it sounds. It was worse.
What is clear from the full text is that her claim to superior insight was not a casual aside or an exercise in devil's advocacy. On the contrary, it fit neatly into her overall argument, which was that the law can only benefit from the experiences and biases that female and minority judges bring with them.
She clearly thinks impartiality is overrated. "The aspiration to impartiality is just that -- it's an aspiration because it denies the fact that we are by our experiences making different choices than others," she declared, a bit dismissively. She doesn't seem to think it's terribly important to try to meet the aspiration.
That's apparent from the context. She said, "Whether born from experience or inherent physiological or cultural differences, a possibility I abhor less or discount less than my colleague Judge (Miriam) Cedarbaum, our gender and national origins may and will make a difference in our judging." | <urn:uuid:7000523c-6b06-4ded-a5a6-724ba1c0a0bd> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://townhall.com/columnists/stevechapman/2009/05/31/sotomayors_aversion_to_impartiality | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00011-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.982338 | 518 | 1.609375 | 2 |
posted on July 22, 2009 07:59
This just in from the Londolozi Game Reserve in Sabi Sand, South Africa, about the beloved female leopard whom many of us here at Savvy Navigator observed, loved and respected over the years:
It’s another typical July winters day. The halcyon blue and honey hued bushveld is treading its way to the wind and dust of august and another season – something new. The bizarre and the surreal is something you get used to around here, like the changing of the seasons. But in this particular run-of-the-mill July week, two quite dramatic events are unfolding. The first, not ten kilometres from the lodge a friend lies dying. If you have passed through Londolozi in the last 17 years you will probably have met her. If you lingered to work and share the dream you will probably have befriended her. If you were a ranger or tracker you will probably have come to love her. I am talking, of course, of the 3:4 female.
Her life story is told somewhere else - in fact in many places. So I am not going to rehash her remarkable life for you here. Rather, I would like to comment on the alluring effect she has on so many. As I write this, she has not yet passed to wherever good mother leopards go. And over the past two years she always seemed on death’s door, but this time her back legs can no longer bear her weight, she cannot climb trees and to follow her piece of shade, she has to crawl around using her front legs. Skeletally thin, with sunken eyes she waits, probably for a hyena, to close the chapter on what for a leopard is probably an ordinary tale. So many of the staff at Londolozi have gone to say their last goodbye to a leopard who was able to bridge the gap between man and wild animal. That is no ordinary tale.
She has shared her 17 years with us, her trials and tribulations of motherhood, her constant battles with other predators and her successes and failures on hunts. She has posed for photographers and at times frustrated our best efforts to find her. Truthfully, how do you bid farewell to such an awe inspiring animal. Do you watch her last breath or just let the end become another of those wonderful bushveld mysteries?
I’m not sure what the answer is, but the second dramatic event is the respect that is being accorded her in a very Shangane fashion. Rangers and trackers are all wearing small black ribbons attached to their shirt sleeves with safety pins, in memory of her. This is normally reserved for important members of the Shangane community. To say that she has had a pronounced effect on those that have known her is a profound understatement, just like the one Elmon uttered a few weeks ago while watching her in good health “this one is a good leopard."
[Read the rest of this article...] | <urn:uuid:16648ce9-aec0-4225-8821-009fc6aac354> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.savvynavigator.com/SavvyBlog/tabid/58/articleType/ArchiveView/month/7/year/2009/Default.aspx | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00002-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.976431 | 629 | 1.648438 | 2 |
It seems I'm not the only historian who discovers unrelated historical items of interest while researching a topic. Mike Engle, the diner historian, wrote the following in an email on Saturday, Aug. 11: "I was doing some research at the state library and in Restaurant Management [Magazine]; I found a 3 page article about Pinter's which was obviously in your town. I know you would enjoy the article."
Attached to the email were scans of the entire June 1947 article, "How Quality Quadrupled Our Gross - An Eternal Quest for the Best That is Paying Out in Steadily Mounting Profits" by Anthony Pinter, Proprietor, Pinter's Restaurant, Westfield N.Y.
Apparently written in early 1946, Pinter begins, "Four years ago my wife and I thought a small restaurant that the two of us could comfortably run might be a nice way to make a living. As so often happens, after we had rolled up our sleeves and looked at blueprints, the project began to get out of hand. But we had spent thousands of dollars. The final outcome was a cocktail lounge and restaurant combined, planned to be one of the finest in our area. And now we must admit that it runs us rather than our running it.
Pictured is one of the postcards described by Anthony Pinter in his June 1947 article. The back of the postcard reads, “Pinter's — 5 East Main Street — WESTFIELD, N.Y. — Finest Eating Place Between — BUFFALO, N.Y. and CLEVELAND, OHIO — Modern Cocktail Bar”
"This is all right with us, however, for every year since the opening our gross has increased. In our four years here our sales have jumped from $25,000 to approximately $100,000 - the 1946 total. If there is one reason or word for this success, it must be 'quality'... A Slogan...We borrowed a compliment given us by a business man who travels a lot between Buffalo and Cleveland, and we now call Pinter's 'the finest eating place between Buffalo and Cleveland.'"
Pinter goes on to describe the costs and details of the construction of the restaurant, which was remodeled from the former W. R. Douglas grocery store which was at the same location from 1870 to when it closed in the fall of 1941. Just the cost of equipment - ranges, mixing machines, dishwasher, kitchen accessories and air conditioning system - cost about $23,000. And the front of the building was completely refaced with white composition tile, a double entrance with glass brick walls lining the sides and neon signs alone costing $3,000. This was in 1941.
The interior was exquisitely decorated with mirrors, tables with cloth tablecloths and napkins, small table lamps, window drapes, indirect ceiling lights, potted plants and a comfortably furnished lounge at the end of the short bar for waiting customers. The Pinters, "developed a few promotional stunts that are paying dividends. On each table is a four by eight-inch folding postcard with a colorful tropical picture and the following printed message: 'From a single sandwich to an eight-course dinner is our range. Good food, well served and your choice of the finest in liquors.' ... We buy these folders at $15 per 1,000. They have room for a message and a three-cent stamp, and if the patron forgets the latter and leaves a written card on the table, the waitress mails it at Pinter's expense. The publicity we receive in this way more than pays for the postage."
The office of the Westfield Historian is located at 117 Union Street, in the small green building on the north side of driveway. Office hours are Monday through Friday, 9 to 11 a.m., or by appointment. The Westfield Historian phone number is 326-2457, and the email mail address is firstname.lastname@example.org.
Other promotions included small, decorated cocktail napkins, free postcards reproducing color views of the exterior and dining room and matchbooks advertising Pinter's at the Westfield traffic light on Route 20, imprinted with their slogan.
Pinter's wife was a champion cook in Chautauqua County, and they proudly displayed 15 blue ribbons she won at the annual County Fair.
Prior to establishing Pinter's Restaurant, which opened in January 1942 with a full-page article and complimentary ads from local businesses in the Jan. 14, 1942 Westfield Republican, Anthony Pinter, in 1936, purchased the Murray Hill Hotel located at Grove and East Main, renaming it The Pinter Hotel. He operated it until it was resold to Murray Bartley of Fredonia, in July of 1941, as noted in the Pick-Ups column of the July 16, 1941 Westfield Republican.
After Anthony Pinter died on Sept. 1, 1952, his wife, Theresa, and family members continued to operate Pinter's Restaurant for about another 15 years. Anthony T. Baideme then ran Anthony's restaurant in the building for several years, after which Carter's Yankee Rebel took over 5-7 East Main and expanded the facility to include 9-11 East Main, the former Miller's Restaurant, in the early 1980s. When the Yankee Rebel folded, the double restaurant buildings stood empty for several years until about 2003 when the Gollnitz family restored 5-7 East Main and opened Caf Barista. In February 2008, Tony and Rebecca Pisicoli purchased Barista and opened Sapore restaurant, coffee and wine bar, operating until February 2012. | <urn:uuid:06db889b-34c7-4790-a7f9-b9d82120aa60> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.westfieldrepublican.com/page/content.detail/id/518624/Remember-Pinter-s-Restaurant-at-5-7-East-Main-Street-.html?nav=5065 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00005-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.969041 | 1,163 | 1.609375 | 2 |
(Then American champion) George Hincapie rides with teammate (then World Champion) Cadel Evans at the 2010 Tirreno-Adriatico race. Notice Big George's body size relative to his bike.
(Photos: Yuzuru Sunada)
The Alpha rider on my Tuesday/Thursday club ride says I should be riding the smallest frame size I can comfortably fit. I noticed his saddle is pushed back almost all the way on the seat post, and he uses a very long stem. Are there any good reasons for this?
RBA: The correct frame size is always best. The legend of the small-size frame took root when everyone raced lugged steel frames that weighed between three and four pounds. Back then, weight weenies opted for the smallest frame they could ride, because removing three inches of steel tubing saved about three ounces—and the smaller frame was stiffer in a sprint. The downside of riding a tiny frame is that the longer stem makes the bike steer poorly on rough descents, and the setback saddle (while it can assist low-rpm climbing while seated) puts a strain on the lower back and reduces the efficiency and smoothness of your pedaling cadence.
Here's a close-up of George Hincapie - the dramatic camera work helps illustrate Big George's bike frame size relative to his tall body frame.
The funny thing is that the seatpost and stem extension are among the heaviest tubes on the bike, so replacing thin sections of frame tubes with a heavy, longer seatpost and stem to reduce weight is a foolish move. Besides, the whole small-frame theory is blown apart now that frames are made from carbon fiber. The length of a larger frame is added to the center of the tubes where the carbon is so thin that the weight saved by switching to a smaller frame amounts to less than 10 grams. Carbon also eclipses the stiffness- to-weight figures of any other frame material, which conclusively drops the hammer on the smaller-is-better theory.
This is long-legged, Italian Mirko Selvaggi's Ridley Helium. The Vacansoleil rider fits this frame size, but his long legs require a tall seatmast.
Competitive cycling is populated by enough freaks who ride convincingly fast using odd setups and funky body positioning to substantiate almost any deviant theory on proper bike fit. Science says otherwise. Wind tunnel testing shows that a reasonably flat back is nearly as good as a perfectly flat one when it comes to low drag numbers. Power meter devices, now standard equipment on most ProTour racers’ machines, support what top bike fitters have been saying for decades: that a proper fitting bike and a comfortable body position are the key ingredients to maximizing a rider’s physical performance and the handling and efficiency of his or her bicycle.
Here's Mirko Selvaggi during the 2010 Tour Down Under. Notice his long legs and their relation to his saddle height.
Professional racers are among the earliest adapters when it comes to evolving towards science-based improvements in bike and body positioning, so the recent shift in the pro peloton's bike setups to facilitate a smoother, more efficient cadence carries a lot of weight. Bottom line: the correct frame size is best. If you are satisfied with your bike's size and fit, ignore Mister Mini and stick with your present setup. If not, invest in a professional bike fit session and ride into the future with confidence. | <urn:uuid:9ebc68c8-2eaa-41a3-bd17-d63c60690d8e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.roadbikeaction.com/ARCHIVE-TECH--FEATURES/content/67/3926/RBA-QandA-Frame-Sizes.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697380733/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516094300-00010-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.935255 | 712 | 1.8125 | 2 |
The golfing advice continues with our series, “Tips from a Golf Pro.” In the latest installment, Jae Suh, certified golf instructor with the Leadbetter Golf Academy at PGA National Resort & Spa, gives some practical advice on preparing and playing through the heat and humidity of a South Florida summer.
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Golf is hard enough under ideal situations, but when stifling heat and humidity start to enter the picture, you really have to prepare for the round ahead. Preparation for a hot day of golf starts at home. I make sure I wear light-colored clothing as much as possible in breathable synthetic material. Cotton shirts absorb too much moisture and become extremely heavy as the day goes on. Wide-brimmed hats and sunscreen are a must to avoid overexposure from the sun. One of the most important things I do when I get to the golf course is to make sure I drink enough fluids. Dehydration can happen quickly when it’s 90 degrees-plus with high humidity. Drinking 16 ounces of water every other hole should be a good benchmark.
Typical summer weather patterns include rain at some point during the day. This usually keeps the golf course wet, which means the average 6,800-yard layout can be playing much longer. If you find yourself with longer clubs into the greens, don’t be surprised. And expect very little roll this time of year.
One thing you can do to combat the extra length of the course is to include hybrids in your bag. These clubs range from various lofts to lengths to cover most of your needs. The key benefit is the added height and carry that hybrids give, which is essential in wet conditions.
Also, if you typically hit your driver low and rely on roll to get your distance, consider a higher lofted driver or the 3 wood as a substitute off the tee. You’ll find that the added loft helps to increase carry distance. And keep in mind that under extreme humidity, the ball will travel less. Water vapor will provide enough resistance so you may need to club up.
- If you have a golf question you would like answered by Jae Suh, email the online editor.
A native of Seoul, South Korea, Jae inherited his love for golf from his father, an avid golfer. After a successful junior career and a hiatus from the game during college, Suh returned to golf, trying his luck as a professional golfer. While playing the grueling mini-tour circuit, essentially the PGA Tours’ minor-league, Suh rediscovered the importance of proper golf instruction.
Suh’s experience on the mini-tour circuit and his meticulous attention to swing mechanics have made him a highly sought-after instructor.
400 Avenue of the Champions
Palm Beach Gardens, FL 33418
at PGA National Resort & Spa | <urn:uuid:fed89eca-947d-4977-91f5-cc8750fff561> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.palmbeachillustrated.com/TipsfromaGolfProSuh | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00012-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.953443 | 594 | 1.585938 | 2 |
Approximately 2,000 students live in the Narragansett area. The vast majority of students who rent homes off-campus are well-behaved and are an asset to their community. Every year the University contacts a small percentage of this population because of police reports or hot line calls, usually related to problem parties. Both residents and students can report problems or concerns by calling the URI Hot Line at 874-5393.
Essentially there are two reasons, one behavioral and one organic. Most students begin their University career with a good upbringing and a strong sense of community responsibility. However, some 19 or 20 year olds have not finished growing up. They are no longer under their parents' roof, or under the watchful eyes of residence hall staff. They make mistakes and have to learn to live within the boundaries of their new community.
Secondly, college students are biologically different from other town residents. They are nocturnal creatures. Until their early twenties, their body clocks are set to optimally function later in the day. Thus, residents are just achieving REM sleep when a slamming car door announces their student neighbor is ready to go out for the evening. This is one of those perversities of Mother Nature that has contributed to the war between the generations for eons.
It is doubtful that either students or residents have changed. However, there have been profound changes in the demographics of both the town and the University. There are more year-round residents in Narragansett than there were years ago and there are more students. Back in the good old days, noise from student residents wasn't a problem when only a few houses on the street were occupied and people were spaced out. So while there is not a proportional increase in problems (i.e., students haven't become more ill-behaved); it may feel like an increase because more residents and students are living in closer proximity.
The most frustrating thing for residents has got to be the yearly repetition of the problems. Student neighbors eventually settle down and the school year ends. Come September, a new crop of students moves in and there are adjustment problems all over again. To residents, this repeating problem is all one amalgam of "students" who make their life difficult. In reality, they are different people every year and every year new people need to learn the expectations of their community.
As long as there is a generational mix in housing, it is unlikely the problem will entirely disappear. This does not mean we are helpless to suffer the consequences. An active university-community coalition has made significant improvements and continues to work to further diminish the problem.
No. Hundreds of college towns across the country, and some within our State have similar difficulties. Some of them have problems much more serious than ours and some of them serve as models in finding effective solutions.
Become a good neighbor. Get to know the people who live near you and keep communication channels open. Join the Narragansett-URI Coalition to help find common ground and build community.
May 16, 2006
Coalition Update on Common Ground, Mark Wood
March 21, 2006
Coalition Presentation, Dan Graney
October 18, 2005
Narragansett-URI Coalition Member Survey Results
March 22, 2005
Rhody Rides Program Presentation
October 13, 2004
"Common Ground Overview and Update", Mark Wood and Fran Cohen | <urn:uuid:3453456b-2a5f-401c-b6f7-d4115cebe686> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.uri.edu/student_life/coalition/faq.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00012-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.973379 | 692 | 1.757813 | 2 |
Those who carved the country's landmark development blueprint, Vision 2030, trumpets the extent to which they had gone to consult a broad spectrum of the Liberian people in both the "visioning process" and the vetting process that was just concluded in Gbarnga, Bong County. But it seems the claim is a far cry from reality, not only because a number of organizations continue to lament exclusion from processes, but also because a horde of national stakeholders weren't seen at the final vetting ceremonies. Though there are wild outcries that important personalities stayed away, reports are also emerging that some were just not counted--invited. One of such groups is the National Democratic Coalition, which released a position statement in Monrovia on its perspectives about the National Vision program. The Analyst reports.
Contrary to pronouncements by the secretariat of Vision 2030 that all important political blocs were invited to participate in the final adoption of the Vision, the National Democratic Coalition ( NDC ) says it was not inviting and is therefore seeking clarifications from the Government of Liberia as well as all of its organizing structures, including the Governance Commission, that crafted the Vision why it was excluded from the vital national exercise.
"We are seeking clarifications from the Government of Liberia because since the formal launch of the National Visioning Program the national leadership of the NDC has never been invited to participate in any and all programs and proceedings of the Visioning National Agenda while other political parties were invited to participate in this national endeavor," the NDC of former University of Liberia professor and now businessman, Dwe Tuan-Wleh Mayson, said.
"For example," the party noted, "were never invited to the ongoing National Visioning deliberations being held in Gbarnga" unlike other major national stakeholders are in attendance, including all other political parties.
The Party said prior to the current Gbarnga meeting, other political parties of Liberia officially met with the President of Liberia on Monday, December 4, 2012 in order to deliberate on issues concerning the National Visioning program but we of the NDC was not accorded similar invitation.
"We would also like to further observe that unlike other political parties, we have never received any invitation to participate in any of the Visioning sectoral group discussions, as well as its nation-wide tour," the Party further indicated.
The Party's statement comes amid criticisms proffered by traditional chiefs and other citizens against political parties and members of the National Legislature that these important institutions and stakeholders willfully refused to be part of the adoption of the National Vision.
The NDC believes that the National Visioning Exercise of the government would be considered incomplete and unrepresentative of the totality of Liberia without the inclusion, involvement, participation, and subsequent endorsement by the NDC.
"We also like to state unequivocally that there is no segment of the Liberian political class that can claim to be more knowledgeable of Liberia than we in the NDC," the Coalition said, adding, "that not only is the NDC as a political party knowledgeable about Liberia, but also because we know exactly what is to be done to fix Liberia, how to get it fixed, as well as the required voltage of political will needed to address the complex Liberian situation."
Further, we would like to say here that no one group should seek to design the future of Liberia at the exclusion of the critical mass of the people including groups like the NDC, which represents one of the most politically experienced, ideologically clear, scientific, and consistent groups of people of Liberia.
The NDC, among other political groupings, is represented and led by two of Liberia's foremost political parties, namely, the New Democratic Alternative for Liberia Movement (New DEAL Movement), Liberia's only social democratic party, and the Free Democratic Party (FDP).
Both parties fought fearlessly with their bare hands against the forces of belligerence in Liberia for peace during our civil war, when others dared and fled the country.
The New DEAL Movement and the FDP were architects of, and signatories to the 2003 Accra Comprehensive Peace Agreement that brought final and lasting peace to Liberia, after more than a quarter of century of political violence, including fourteen years of a bloody civil war that tore the guts of our country.
The NDC is represented in the 53rd National Legislature, among few of the many political parties of Liberia, with six (6) legislators, including a senator from Bong County, who obtained the highest legislative vote count in the 2011 National Elections, as well as five (5) Representatives in the Lower House, emanating from Sinoe, Montserrado, Rivercess, Bong, and River Gee Counties, cutting across the geo-political spectrum of the country respectively. This is the minimum of what the NDC represents in the difficulty of struggle in Liberia!
The Party reminds the Government of Liberia that it is fully aware of the intrigues employed, aimed at ostracizing us from this noble national exercise and "we insist that any process of this undertaking that is characterized by intrigues, exclusive, and discriminatory politics cannot adequately reflect the aspirations of the broad mass of the people, and hence cannot survive the complex challenges of national renewal and post-war reconstruction and development."
Liberia is not the personal fiefdom of any individual or any group of people that feel that they are the only set of people that own this country, the Party stressed, stating further that such efforts in the past failed to create a stable and peaceful Liberia and one that was torn asunder by tensions and cleavages that inevitably led to war and destruction in our country.
"Therefore, not to learn this lesson and embark on a vital national process at the exclusion of other political bodies like ours is only a repeat of the very things the National Visioning process ought to be guided against. This is recipe for failure once again," says the party. "We are not grumbling or complaining for inclusion or recognition; we are only setting the record straight for posterity!" not the personal fiefdom of any individual or any group of people that feel that they are the only set of people that own this country, the Party stressed, stating further that such efforts in the past failed to create a stable and peaceful Liberia and one that was torn asunder by tensions and cleavages that inevitably led to war and destruction in our country. | <urn:uuid:c6436713-0889-47ce-b7b0-8eb7017d25c3> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://allafrica.com/stories/201212171411.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704392896/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113952-00002-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.967958 | 1,304 | 1.625 | 2 |
My girlfriend’s cat supporting gay rights. :P
(via lgbtgivesmehope)Source: nobodyknowsimlesbian
The American Academy of Pediatrics declared its support for same-sex marriage for the first time on Thursday, saying that allowing gay and lesbian parents to marry if they so choose is in the best interests of their children.
The academy’s new policy statement says same-sex marriage helps guarantee rights, benefits and long-term security for children, while acknowledging that it does not now ensure access to federal benefits.
When marriage is not an option, the academy said, children should not be deprived of foster care or adoption by single parents or couples, whatever their sexual orientation."
We have an old farmhouse table in our kitchen. Nothing fancy, but its sturdy legs and pitted top give us a place to eat family meals, do homework, and create Play Doh sculptures. On any given day it is covered with mason jars of crayons, piles of magazines and drawings, crumbs from the last snack, a bowl of fruit, and a container of buttons, rubber bands and homeless paperclips. It is a perfect reflection of our slightly messy life. Sometimes Little Dude sits there to keep me company while I make dinner, narrating the scene outside the window or telling me about his school day. He brings an intense, but erratic, enthusiasm to things I barely notice. “Wook Mommy!!!! Robin red chest!!!” he might exclaim, before wandering off to play with the dog and returning to remind me that he has to wear a black T-shirt to school on Thursday. I never know what to expect.
Last week, he came home from school and informed me of his thwarted plans to marry one of his classmates.
“Mommy, I want to marry Victoria, but her brother Robert says I can’t. Her friend Kyle says I can.”
Oh, poor Robert, I thought. That boy is in for a rude awakening.
“I don’t think Robert gets to decide who his sister marries. I think Victoria will choose who she wants to marry.”
Victoria is a very nice little girl, so I’m not opposed to his plans, although I asked him if he could wait to get married until he was a little older. I’m still dealing with kindergarten registration — I can’t handle wedding invitations too.
His mouth full of crackers, Little Dude nodded.
“So, when I grow up I can marry who I want to and Victoria can marry who she wants to and Robert can marry who he wants to?”
“Yep. Victoria can marry whomever she wants. She can marry you, or she could marry Kyle if she wanted to.”
Little Dude burst out laughing.
“Victoria can’t marry Kyle mommy! Kyle is a girl. Girls have to marry boys and boys have to marry girls.” He gave me an exasperated look.
And there we were. At the kitchen table eating a snack, staring the issue of gay marriage in the face.
Now, I know there are parents out there who have prepared themselves for this talk. I thought I was one of them. I realized in this moment, however, that there are parents who are truly ready to converse with their kids about gay marriage, sex, death, religion, divorce, adoption, and global warming and then there’s me. I talk a good game, but I am more of a “fly by the seat of my pants” girl. Which is why I had about thirty seconds to figure out how I was going to respond.
My hesitation confused me. I am very clear about where I stand on gay marriage and the subject of homosexuality. I think we love whom we love. Period. I think we should be able to marry whomever we love. Full stop. I want my son to know that and believe it with all his heart. I don’t want him to “accept” or “tolerate” gay marriage. I want him to advocate for it and believe that marriage should not be a privilege afforded only those whose have opposite sets of genitals. The only thing I’ll teach him to “tolerate” are the people who stand in the way of that equality — because even the incredibly wrong-headed can change their minds. I hope.
So with all that, why didn’t I just plunge right in? I wondered if he was too young to talk about being gay? I considered distracting him and avoiding the subject entirely. I cursed Kyle’s androgynous name. I asked myself if I was putting too much pressure on myself or on him if I launched into a serious talk. I prayed that a book would magically appear with a script for the whole damn thing. I had only a few seconds before things got awkward and I was stalling. This was not my best parenting moment.
I realized I was letting the social noise of other people’s hang-ups change what I wanted to say to my son. I was channeling commentators and pundits and loud voices from people who have never met me, or my son, to determine what I wanted him to know about the world. I had forgotten that this is a boy who has been raised in love and that this issue isn’t about anything but love. My 5-year-old is perfectly capable of handling a conversation about that. We can talk about politics and religion and social stigma when he’s 6.
So I got a grip. I remembered what parenting is about. I reminded myself that this was my opportunity to raise a boy into a man who could treat himself and every other person he meets with respect. This was my first shot to teach him that families that our different from ours aren’t anything special — they’re just families.
It suddenly got very, very easy.
“Well, it’s true that a lot of times boys marry girls and girls marry boys. But sometimes girls fall in love with girls and boys fall in love with boys. If they do, they can get married too.”
“Ok. I still want to marry Victoria though.”
“Fine by me.”
And just like that, we were done.
SAN FRANCISCO [April 9, 2013]: California’s Department of Managed Health Care (DMHC) has issued guidance clarifying the obligations of California’s health plans under the Insurance Gender Nondiscrimination Act (see below) In a groundbreaking directive to health plans, the DMHC confirmed that California’s Insurance Non-Discrimination Act of 2006, authored by former Assemblymember Paul Koretz, guarantees all people the right to access coverage for medically necessary care regardless of their gender identity or gender expression. The directive also provides that patients who are denied coverage can appeal the decision for review by the Department.
The DMHC directive applies to HMOs and PPOs regulated by the Department of Managed Health Care.
The newly issued DMHC letter instructs health plans to revise current plan documents to remove exclusions and limitations related to gender transition.
THIS IS HUGE NEWS. I am so happy for all insured Californians.
NOTE: I was sure whether this applies to private insurance plans or not. Here’s some better news:
The Department of Managed Health Care (DMHC) oversees all HMOs in California and some other kinds of health plans.
The Department of Managed Health Care (DMHC) oversees Blue Cross of California and Blue Shield of California PPO health plans. The California Department of Insurance oversees most other PPOs in California.
(via transqueery)Source: neutrois
No, JK, JK. Everyone’s manhood and womanhood and non-binaryhood is still intact, no matter what the conservative gender-apocalypse-mongers are sure to do with this story. You can still be whatever gender you want to be, and embody whatever stereotypes you want—from swaggering alpha douche to…
The Chicago Police Department is installing two new private “changing rooms” with showers at its training academy to better accommodate transgender police recruits.
A CPD spokesman said the facilities are for “anyone who may feel uncomfortable in the men’s or women’s showers,” and are not… | <urn:uuid:aa81b094-04ae-4786-850d-7ad80392a131> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://lgbtrc.tumblr.com/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00013-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.967565 | 1,771 | 1.523438 | 2 |
speaking of the other sex in the same breath as Freemasonry, I am aware that I
could be regarded by brethren as committing sacrilege. Perhaps readers, however,
should bide their time until the chapter has been completed.
the role of women in society has changed dramatically in recent times. Women now
take their place in areas of activity which would have been denied to them only
a very short time ago. More and more women are making their presence felt in the
political arena, the business world, the various professions, sport, television
in all manner of places.
inclusion of women in the Masonic organisation is expressly prohibited as
referred to in our ritual and, also, as stated in the laid-down basic principles
of recognition between Grand Lodges, the relevant clause of which states,
"that the membership of the Grand Lodge and individual Lodges shall be
composed exclusively of men; and that each Grand Lodge shall have no Masonic
intercourse of any kind with mixed Lodges or bodies which admit women to
membership." The Masonic authority, Mackey, in the 18th of his 25 Landmarks
stated ". . . that certain qualifications of a candidate for initiation
shall be that he is a man
however, it was not considered appropriate in days past for women to join with
men in a particular organisation, it should not necessarily mean that they be
barred from such association forever - especially when one realises how the
status of women and the degree of their participation in so many streams of
community life have changed so comprehensively. Is tradition to be the principal
objection to the entry of women into an order such as Freemasonry!
aspect that warrants consideration is that Freemasonry today is not proving
completely satisfying, not only to the male population at large but also to many
brethren. For the last 20 years, as indicated earlier, the drop-out from the
order, universally, has been alarming.
proposal relating to women, however, is not advanced merely for the shallow
purpose of trying to restore our sagging numbers. It is submitted because I
wonder whether there is a possibility that the introduction of; bi-sexual basis
into our order, in other words, the injection of what could be called the
beginning of a family concept in Freemasonry, may be just what our institution
needs at this particular period of its existence.
are bound by their professed beliefs to adhere to a number of laid-down
principles and virtues in the conduct of their lives. But, many women, probably
more women than men, also believe in basing their live on similar values.
there not be, therefore, much to be gained by providing a forum where both sexes
can work together for their mutual benefit and for the development of a more
powerful organisation, an organisation which could set an example to the
community by spreading the principles of morality virtue and goodness throughout
a world which needs as much moral leadership as it can get at all levels of
women have already acted on their ideals and joined organisations of a
moralistic, quasi-religious and, in some cases, Masonic nature developed
principally for women. At least five such bodies exist in Victoria, namely, The
Order of the Eastern Star, The Order of the Amaranth, The White Shrine of
Jerusalem, The Order of Ancient, Free and Accepted Masonry for Women, and
five organisations function in different overseas countries especially in the
United States, and in varying degrees in the Australian States. The orders are
designed mainly for women but, in all but one case there is a small male
the United States all or most of these organisations are recognised as
"Bodies identified with Freemasonry" or "Appendant Bodies".
Thinking again of the family concept, it is of interest that United States
recognition extends, in many cases, to two organisations for girls (the Orders
of the Rainbow, and Job's Daughters) and to the De Molay Order for boys. It is
of interest, also, that a significant proportion of the De Molay membership
moves on later to join the Masonic order.
following basic particulars are now presented concerning the predominantly
OF THE EASTERN STAR
order, which has it origins in Scotland, dates back some 200 years. The ritual
is based on the lives of five Biblical heroines. Three come from the Old
Testament, Adah - the daughter, Ruth - the widow, and Esther -- the wife, and
two from the New Testament, Martha"- the sister, and Electa - the mother.
While its rites contain only one ceremony, that of the initiation, the ritual
incorporates five degrees which teach the lessons of fidelity, constancy,
purity, hope and charity. The order's great theme is womanhood. Its lessons are
described as scriptural, its teachings as moral and its purposes as beneficent.
The order has "signs" and "words".
aim of the order is for its members to become co-workers in the service of
humanity, giving comfort in affliction, sympathy in sorrow and aid in
misfortune. Members are expected to cultivate the moral virtues and promote the
interests of true religion, based on a belief in the existence of a Supreme
is available to both women and men. Any woman seeking membership must be a
daughter, widow, wife, sister or mother of a Freemason, while men must be master
masons in good standing, including unaffiliated brethren.
many years the order required a direct degree of collaboration from the Masonic
order in that Freemasons in good standing were needed to preside at meetings and
were also necessarily involved in the sponsorship of candidates. These
requirements, however, have been modified in more recent times.
a long period, Grand Lodges generally, including our own in Victoria, placed a
ban on Freemasons associating in any way with the order. But, today, the United
Grand Lodge of Victoria and many other Grand Lodges have removed the bans, and
now recognise the Eastern Star as a worthy community organisation alongside such
bodies as Red Cross, Legacy, Carry On, etc. Freemasons are now permitted to
associate with the order in a private capacity.
change of approach from the Masonic side has been adopted by all Australian
Masonic jurisdictions, excepting Western Australia, where brethren are still
banned from any association with the order.
order has 11 chapters in Victoria. No regalia is worn but officers wear jewels
of office on multi-coloured ribbons together with sashes. Ladies wear white
dresses and men wear dinner jackets or suits. Much work is done for community
charities. Chapters meet in various halls; two, in fact, meet in the Masonic
temples at Fairfield and Frankston. The order is not short of candidates.
ORDER OF THE AMARANTH
order, originally, was a chivalric and equestrian order founded by Queen
Christina of Sweden in 1653. It consisted of 15 knights, 15 ladies and the
the next relevant development appears to have been the creation of what was
called French Adoptive Masonry early in the 18th century when several French Freemasons conceived the idea
of a movement designed to provide a practical means of giving their wives and
daughters a share of what they had experienced and enjoyed in their Masonic
assemblies. The term "Adoptive" was used as part of the title on the
basis that the Freemasons were to formally adopt the ladies to whom the
mysteries of the degrees were imparted.
development, however, did not arouse any particular degree of interest and
approximately another 150 years passed before two Prominent American Freemasons
introduced an imitation of the French rite, calling it the American Adoptive
Rite. Their stated aim was "to associate in one common bond with master
masons their wives, widows, daughters and "sisters".
Supreme Council was established in New York in 1873, and a ritual was devised
incorporating three degrees called by the following names:
Queen of the South (about which little is known)
Order of the Amaranth
Order of the Amaranth was incorporated in its own right in 1915 with its own
ritual, emblems, etc. Its units are called "Courts", and membership is
available to the wives, widows, mothers, daughters and sisters of Freemasons and
master masons in good standing (as is the case with the Order of the Eastern
order has a ritual and ceremonial which had its origins in the proceedings at
Queen Christina's Court. There is an initiation ceremony only.
ideals of the order relate to home, friendship and hospitality. The principal
objects are fraternal, social and charitable, and the cardinal virtues are
truth, faith, wisdom and charity. No regalia is worn. Women wear formal evening
gowns with long white gloves and men wear dinner jackets. There are some 15
Amaranth Courts in Queensland and a further 15 in New South Wales, three in
Western Australia and one each in South Australia and Victoria. The Victorian
Court, formed about 35 years ago, has a membership of some 80, including
approximately 10 men, mostly husbands of women members. The Amaranth has a
dictionary meaning of "everlasting flower".
WHITE SHRINE OF JERUSALEM
organisation operates only in a small way in Victoria. There is at present only
one local Shrine, named "Ruth". Membership is restricted to members of
the Order of the Eastern Star. It is understood that the operations of the order
are based on the birth of Christ.
OF ANCIENT, FREE AND ACCEPTED MASONRY FOR WOMEN
order, which is exclusively for women, originated in France just over 100 years
ago. A Supreme Grand Council was formed in the United Kingdom in 1925, and the
order commenced operations in Australia two years later. The Australian
headquarters are in Sydney.
are a number of lodges meeting in New South Wales and Queensland. In Victoria,
there are two Craft lodges and one Mark lodge. The organisation is of a direct
Masonic nature, and its workings are based on the Ancient and Accepted Scottish
Rite -- 10
the order is a small one, its members are said to have a most dedicated belief
in Masonic principles. Although clearly of a strictly Masonic character, the
organisation regards itself as an exclusive and independent order, and has
introduced various modifications of its own into
CO-MASONRY ("LE DROIT HUMAIN")
order, which also had its birth in France just over 90 years ago, affirms the
essential quality of man and woman. It is composed of so-called Freemasons of
both sexes, and has prescribed a ceremonial and symbolic method by which members
can "raise their Temple to the perfection and the glory of humanity or to
the Glory of the Great Architect of the Universe". Members of the order are
encouraged to seek the greatest degree of moral and intellectual development.
Its aims are said to be closely related to those of male speculative
Freemasonry. The motto of the order is "Ordo ab Chao". meaning order
out of chaos.
was introduced into Victoria in 1911. In Victoria, there are six lodges
corresponding to our Craft lodges, two Mark, two Chapters, two Royal Ark
Mariners, one - 180
and one - 300.
In the Craft lodges, five are called "white" and the remaining one
"black". The term "black" refers to the colour of the
dressing worn by the women members.
is open to any woman or man regularly proposed and accepted. Any Freemason
wishing to join is expected to give up his Craft association. While any man can
join, male visitors to Co-Masonic lodges must be Freemasons and are
"proved" before admission.
ritual and ceremonial are very similar to that used in the male Craft. Regalia
is also similar. Because of the almost identical nature of the operations of
Co-Masonry, Freemasons are not permitted to associate with it. To do so would be
regarded as a breach of a Freemason's obligations. This can, of course, make for
awkward situations where wives and other female relatives of Freemasons are
members of Co-Masonry.
will be appreciated that the foregoing presents only a brief and sketchy picture
of the women's organisations. The research I have been able to pursue in this
area leads me to the firm opinion that all of these bodies and their members are
imbued with the highest of ideals. All, in their own particular ways, are
searching for light, for betterment of the human soul, and are actively working
for the spread of goodwill, charity and happiness throughout society.
relation to our own womenfolk, we have made sure that our ladies have not been
forgotten in the measures taken to achieve a greater degree of acceptability and
understanding of the Craft's activities. Official sanction was given some years
ago to the holding of "Ladies in the South" nights where our ladies
are not only entertained but are offered explanations of Masonic aims. Lodges
may also have their ladies join with the brethren at installation banquets.
Generally speaking, Masonic womenfolk, today, are much more conversant with the
workings of the order than hitherto. And, in passing, it is of interest to
report that many of the members of the women's orders are wives or other female
relatives of Masonic brethren. Following my review of this matter, my feelings
may be summarised in the following way.
Freemasonry's numerical decline is merely a cyclical phenomenon soon likely to
pass away with man moving from the present fetish of materialism and the
mindless "knocking" of established institutions, and seeing the
Masonic environment as something special, membership of which may enable him to
get a sense of real purpose and balance into living, then we may all feel happy
and relieved that the art of the masculine mystic tie has prevailed and will
continue, in its existing form, to maintain the stabilising influence on society
that it has exercised over many generations.
the other hand, if interest in Masonic principles continues to deteriorate,
membership continues to dwindle and, hand in hand, standards of community
morality continue to waver, should serious thought be given to examining the
basic structure of our order? The Craft has slipped. Some strengthening action
seems necessary. Operational and procedural modifications to Craft processes
have not succeeded in reversing the trend.
need a new enthusiasm, a new dedication. In all the circumstances, could there
be value in examining a proposition that possesses a good deal of realism in
modern times! Should we amend our entry qualifications from "male
only" to a bi-sexual or more family-oriented basis, although at the same
time, restricting admission to close female relatives of Freemasons at this
stage? We could, perhaps, endeavour to establish what could be called an
Australian Adoptive Rite as the Craft (and the world) enters what is being
described as the age of the nuclear family.
however, such thinking is regarded as too radical and unacceptable, should we
look at the American approach and, in relation to at least some of the mainly
female organisations referred to herein, consider providing some form of
practical recognition of their existence and endeavours? This would be a timely
gesture to organisations whose aims and purposes seem so linked with our own. | <urn:uuid:f68c2ee3-6150-4f5b-a91c-ea6e47bceb1d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.freemasons-freemasonry.com/orders_women_freemasonry.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00016-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.951965 | 3,303 | 1.789063 | 2 |
Issue 20, October 15
The monkeys only made one new venture this week, exploring Holly Hill down toward the construction area and crossing into the trees that line Elephant Walk near the bamboo screen. They moved past the bench holly and through the trees along the back of the picnic area. They crossed Elephant Walk through the paulownia near the path on that side and also moved down into the construction area about 20 feet past the fences.
The family’s main new hangout this week was tree nine, the hollow stump. They spent a portion of everyday exploring and scent marking it and then finally spent the night in one of the holes on the back side of the tree on Thursday.
October 8: Grounded
The tamarins were just waking up and emerging from the lower level of the nest box at 6:55. They climbed straight up in trees zero and 2A probably seeking the sunshine but not finding much warmth on this cloudy morning. They foraged in the exhibit briefly before crossing to Holly Hill over the low black walnut. After moving about in the bench holly for 45 minutes, they all headed down toward the shed holly. They foraged in and around the holly, high in the branches. They headed back toward the low black walnut at 9:30 and after a brief rest in the bench holly, they crossed back to the main exhibit just before ten. They foraged and ate from the food tray for a few minutes before Laranja led them all back to Holly Hill.
After crossing over the low black walnut, they moved past the bench holly into the high black walnut, the white ash and the tupelo to forage. From there they continued through the trees along the back wall of the picnic area in the beech trees by the soda machines. After foraging for half an hour, they moved back toward the bench holly, but moved into the oak and then the smaller holly that lies close to Elephant Walk.
Shortly before 11, Baby 2 fell from a branch in the oak tree and hit the ground, missing the pavement walkway by about a foot. He was ok and immediately ran back up to join the family as they foraged through the branches. They settled into the Holly, sitting in a monkey ball and grooming each other on and off for two hours.
At 1:35, Laranja moved out of the holly, into the oak and moved into the tupelo and off toward the bench holly. The rest of the family followed soon after, all taking slightly different routes through the trees. They sat in the bench holly for a few minutes before moving into the small trees across from the low black walnut. Just before 2, Mara was playing with a nut in a tree and dropped it. Laranja watched it intently as it fell and then followed it down, hopping onto the ground to forage. After a minute, all four kids followed her and they all foraged and played on the ground. Mara discovered an open Coke bottle and played with it, thankfully losing interest before she found a way to get at the drink left inside.
They were all back up in the trees by 2:40 and Laranja jumped onto the low black walnut to cross a few minutes later. They all ran down and along the fence into their exhibit area. They foraged in the exhibit. Mara played in the Have a Heart trap for ten minutes by herself, reassuringly comfortable in the live trap should we ever need to catch them that way. At 4:30, they foraged in the hemlocks. Mara and Eduardo jumped to the ground to forage and Mara followed a squirrel around. At five, they moved back to tree zero and moved in and out of the nest box for a few minutes. By seven, they were all in and out of sight below the platform.
October 9: A Visit to the Neighbors
The monkeys were up and moving about their exhibit at 7 a.m. They crossed to Holly Hill shortly after 7:30, settling into the bench holly amidst the fog of the dreary morning. At 8:45, the GLTs moved into the white ash to forage. After a few minutes, a large flock of crows flew through, swooping low over the monkeys in the high branches. Most of the monkeys moved down lower in the canopy but Mara seemed torn between that and chasing them. They left after a minute or two and the GLTs resumed foraging.
At 9:30, they all moved through the white ash, into the tupelo and then into the trees along the back of the Picnic Area. Instead of moving into the holly like yesterday, they continued moving through the beech trees by the soda machines. At 9:50 Eduardo seemed intent on chasing a squirrel and followed it up and over the bamboo screen on Elephant Walk, crossing through the paulownia into the trees that line the Elephant Yard. The rest of the family followed and Laranja brought up the rear.
They foraged in the dense branches and bamboo until they discovered the elephants in the yard beyond them. Laranja let loose the alarm and they all moved as far out onto the branches toward their giant neighbors as they could manage, scolding them for invading their territory. The elephants paid them no attention and after a few minutes, the monkeys moved back into the trees to forage.
At 10:18, Mara made the cross back to Holly Hill and everyone quickly followed her. They moved back down into the beech trees by the pop machines. Instead of turning around and heading home, Laranja went the opposite direction into the trees in the construction area. The rest of the family followed and they foraged for about 20 minutes. Eduardo appeared to be looking for an easy route into the trees further into the construction area but gave up as the kids moved back toward Elephant Walk. At 10:52, everyone except Eduardo crossed back into the trees lining the Elephant Yard and they once again yelled at the elephants. Mara played in the bamboo, jumping onto a shaft of bamboo and hanging on as it bent under her weight, then running along it and climbing back up to jump on another one and ride it down.
Just after 11, they all crossed back to Holly Hill and then headed back toward the bench holly. They kept moving straight up and over the low black walnut into the main exhibit and down the fence. They foraged about the main exhibit for half an hour. At 11:30, Laranja led them all back to Holly Hill and again and they settled into the bench holly. They were mostly out of sight in a monkey ball high in the branches for three hours.
At 2:30, they moved down Holly Hill toward the shed holly, stopping to forage in the magnolia near Tamarin Run. Everyone except Eduardo jumped to the ground to forage and play for a few minutes before going back to the low black walnut. They crossed back to the main exhibit at 2:54. The GLTs foraged through the hemlocks and the trees by tree three.
At 4:30, they all jumped to the ground and played. They jumped on and off the ground from tree to tree and even onto the small black fence! Just before five, they all moved back into the trees and headed back to tree zero. They began to move in and out of the nest box at six and by seven, everyone was inside and settled under the platform for the evening.
The family foraged in the trees behind tree zero at 7 a.m. At 7:30 they moved to the low black walnut and crossed to Holly Hill. They all moved about the bench holly for half an hour before heading down toward the shed holly. They moved past the second holly and foraged in the trees by Olmsted Walk near Tamarin Run.
Shortly after nine, they turned around and headed for the low black walnut which they crossed over to the main exhibit at 9:30. They foraged briefly from the food tray and then moved through the hemlocks and up tree three. At ten, Mara crossed into the Red Light District, (the area of trees between the bathrooms and the main exhibit), through the branches over the path. While she foraged, Laranja took off down the ropes toward the low black walnut crossing and the rest of the family followed her back over to Holly Hill.
It took Mara a few minutes to realize that she was alone and when she did, she traded long calls back and forth with Laranja. After a minute or two, she crossed back into the hemlocks and went up tree four. She crossed from the top of tree four into the top of tree five and then went over the path into the high black walnut and joined her family in the bench holly. They settled into their favorite holly, moving in and out of a monkey ball for two hours.
Shortly after noon, they moved down toward the shed holly, stopping briefly to forage in the magnolias near Tamarin Run before continuing on. They foraged high in the branches of the shed holly for about 45 minutes before heading back to their typical crossing place and returning to the main exhibit at 1.
The kids played in the box for a few minutes, wrestling and pulling each other down below the platform. At 1:45 they all foraged in the trees behind tree three coming very close to the path along Valley Trail. At about two they moved in the hemlocks and rested and groomed one another in between bouts of foraging.
Shortly after 4:30, they moved back to tree zero and started their late afternoon movement in and out of the box. By 5:45, they were all in and settled under the platform for the rest of the evening.
October 11: Overnight in the Vacation Home
The monkeys were up and moving about their exhibit at 7 a.m. as usual. They crossed to Holly Hill at 7:45 over the low black walnut. They moved about restlessly but were unable to find the sun on this chilly, overcast morning. They foraged through the trees all along the hill, finding a squirrel’s nest here and there and moving halfway down toward the shed holly before turning around and coming back to the low black walnut.
They crossed back to the main exhibit at 9:15. At 9:25, a horticulture employee entered the exhibit to cut some ivy and the monkeys reacted typically, yelling until he left. They foraged about their exhibit and then moved down the ropes to tree nine. They explored the hollow tree stump, moving in and out of the holes on the back side for half an hour. At 10:45 they headed back to the main exhibit and foraged. Shortly after 11, the GLTs moved into the nest box and spent some time together out of sight under the platform. At 11:45 they moved back out into the cool air and head back to tree nine again. They disappeared into the holes or their vacation home for 45 minutes.
At 12:45 they moved back to their main exhibit area once again, foraging through the trees. At 1:45 they were in the nest box, snuggled together under the platform for warmth until 2:20. Then they emerged into the windy afternoon for another hour of foraging. At 4:15 they were back in the box and appeared to be settled in for the evening. At five, there was a mass exodus from the nest box as a deer entered the exhibit. They yelled at the deer until it was out of sight and then Laranja led them all down the ropes toward tree nine. They disappeared into the holes of the hollow tree stump and were out of sight for the rest of the evening.
October 12: Sleeping In
The family slept late in the vacation home, not emerging from the holes on tree nine until 7:40 a.m. Laranja was the first one out and the others followed her back toward the nest box and the food trays to eat. They crossed to Holly Hill over the low black walnut at 8:15 and settled into the bench holly. They stayed mostly out of sight in the high branches in a monkey ball in the sun for an hour and a half.
At ten they moved down toward the shed holly, foraging high in the branches of the trees along the way. They made it as far as tree 32 before turning around and moving back toward the low black walnut. At 10:48 they crossed back to the main exhibit, everyone taking the ropes except for Mara and Eduardo who ran along the fence line. They moved about the hemlocks, foraging and then settling into a monkey ball for most of the afternoon.
At 4:30, they moved down the ropes to tree nine and disappeared into the tree holes. It appeared that they might spend a second night in their new nest but shortly before five, they emerged and headed back to the nest box. By 5:15, they were all below the platform inside their box on tree zero and were out of sight for the rest of the evening.
October 13: Tug of Worm
The GLTs were out of their nest box before 7 a.m. and moving around their exhibit area. At eight they moved down the ropes and briefly explored tree nine before heading past it into Tree 13 and the fence holly. They foraged among the china berry vines for almost an hour before heading back to tree nine. Eduardo scent marked the openings to the holes on the back side of the tree and then followed the rest of the family back to the main exhibit.
Moe did not follow and was nowhere to be seen as the rest of the family foraged near tree five. After a few minutes, he long called a few times and Laranja replied. He did not join the family until a new food tray was hung up and he emerged from the tops of the trees to join in the feasting. Just before ten, they all crossed to Holly Hill over the low black walnut and settled into the bench holly. They were mostly out of sight very high in the sunny branches for two hours. At 12:15 they moved out of the holly and foraged along the hill, going as far as tree 33 before turning around and crossing over the low black walnut back to the main exhibit. They foraged about the exhibit area for the next few hours.
At 2:40, Mara was climbing high up in tree four when a blue jay flew over close to her. She ran and dropped from the branch, perhaps thinking it was a hawk and fell six meters before catching herself in the hemlock. The GLTs entertained themselves for a while foraging for mealworms and earthworms from the PVC feeder. Everyone gave up after a few minutes except for Moe, who continued to pull determinedly at the PVC rings covering the holes. Twice he succeeded at pulling out an earthworm but twice a baby swooped out of nowhere and stole it, running off to eat the prize himself.
Finally, Moe caught a third and sat eating it slowly. A baby came by to investigate and Moe chattered loudly, running up in the holly to the left of tree four. Eduardo came over and solicited a food share but Moe chattered a warning at him too and continued to eat it. Eduardo grabbed one end of the worm and the tug of war resulted in both of them having half a worm. Moe continued to savor his prize until Laranja came over and took it from him despite his frantic efforts at avoiding her.
At 4:30 they headed to tree nine, moving in and out of the tree holes and foraging along the trunk. At 4:45, Eduardo led them all back down the ropes toward the main exhibit and they settled into the nest box. Aside from a monkey coming to the top level now and then to groom or look briefly outside, they were out of sight below the platform for the rest of the night.
October 14: Sun Soaked
The family slept in again, not leaving the nest box until 7:12. The monkeys foraged about the main exhibit and moved high up into tree five. At 8:25, the babies initiated a crossing by moving through the branches high over the path into the high black walnut. Mara followed them and they moved into the bench holly. Laranja and Eduardo moved toward the high crossing but changed their minds, perhaps due to the visual gap created now that the leaves have fallen from the small branches to which they usually jump. Moe hung back for about ten minutes but finally crossed into the top of the low black walnut and over to join them. They settled into the high branches of the bench holly for three hours, again seeking the sun on this cool fall morning.
At 11:40, they all crossed back over the low black walnut, Laranja and the babies taking the ropes and the rest running along the fence. They foraged briefly near the nest box and then congregated on the extra nest box holder on tree 2A, making it brilliant with the golden color of monkeys in the sun. They headed straight up the trunk into the very top of the tree and moved about foraging for half an hour. When they moved back down, they headed into the trees behind tree zero and foraged there as well, moving very close to Tamarin Run and for a brief time it appeared they might cross to Bird Hill.
At one, they turned around and settled near the nest box instead, then moving down into the hemlocks to forage and form a monkey ball. Shortly after four, Moe went down the ropes toward tree nine. Everyone but Eduardo followed him but they only made it as far as tree six before turning around. At 4:20, they all settled into the nest box, moving between the levels. Shortly after five, it appeared that the babies were attempting to nurse on Laranja. After that, they all settled below the platform and were mostly out of sight for the rest of the evening. | <urn:uuid:a1cf0b0a-1f86-4522-a3a8-218d1128ba17> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://nationalzoo.si.edu/SCBI/EndangeredSpecies/GLTProgram/FreeRange/MonkeyMessages07/20.cfm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00003-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.979686 | 3,748 | 1.585938 | 2 |
Government bonds have been selling off over the past month. Since mid October the 10 year gilt yield has risen from 2.85% to 3.63%, the 10 year bund from 2.25% to 3.00%, and the 10 year US Treasury from 2.40% to 3.40%. The damage has been even greater in peripheral Europe – Spanish 10 year yields are up by nearly 150 bps over that same period. Part of this reflects the return to a “risk on” world, where equity valuations looked compelling as the economic data came in generally stronger than expected, leading to less demand for safe haven assets – especially as those safe haven assets were trading around record low yields. The other important part of the move is about a rise in inflation expectations. This had already started in mid 2010, as commodity price inflation (for example cotton, coffee, energy) had taken off, but the move was exacerbated by the US Fed’s announcement of QE2 in early November. 5 year inflation expectations as derived from TIPS yields have risen from a low of 1.13% at the end of August to 1.95% now. Add to this fears about sovereign creditworthiness (others have now joined us in worrying about the US’s AAA credit rating, and Europe faces its own default crisis) and it is no wonder that bond yields have risen. Might this be a re-run of 1993/1994, when government bonds rallied hard in 1993 before the Fed unexpectedly hiked rates in February 1994, provoking a 200 bps sell off in 10 year Treasury yields?
I went back to look at the economic environment at the time, to see how different it was to today. The thing that surprised me was that inflation had been steadily falling throughout 1993, both on a core and a headline measure. It didn’t start to pick up until the second quarter of 1994, after the Fed had hiked.
The inflation picture is similar now – the starting point is lower, but actual inflation had been coming down throughout 2010, towards record lows on the core measure. So when the Fed hiked in 1994 they were doing so in a falling inflation environment. What is different is the employment situation. In 1993 the unemployment rate was falling decisively, and was at a much lower level than it is today – i.e. the unemployment rate was falling towards 6.5%, with some estimates of full employment at just under 6%. The US currently has an unemployment rate of over 9%, and whilst it may have come off its peak, it is miles away from full employment. In fact some would argue that the unemployment rate is understated at this point thanks to a significant fall in the labour force participation rate, as discouraged workers stop looking for jobs, the young go back into education, and people retire early. Over the past couple of years the participation rate has fallen from 66% to 64.3%, compared with over 66% in `93/`94.
We think the Fed is still massively more worried about the jobs situation than it is about generating inflation. We’ve been following the chart on the left for years – it shows that the Fed’s reaction function means that they wait for unemployment to start falling on a sustained basis before they start to hike. In the last two cycles the lag was a year to twenty months from when the unemployment rate started to fall. You could argue that US unemployment did start to fall towards the end of Q1 last year, which means that the Fed might hike later this year. But in our view the level of unemployment is still way too high, and the fall in the participation rate is too severe. In any case, in the US you can rule out an early 2011 rate hike.
Is that also true in the UK? Unemployment here is sticky too, just below 8% on the ILO measure. And the public sector job cuts are yet to bite. But inflation is very sticky here and the Bank of England has missed its 2% CPI target and been at or above 3% for all of 2010. RPI inflation is at 4.7%! The 2.5% VAT hike will start feeding into retail prices from this month onwards, and utility and petrol prices are rising sharply. The money markets are already pricing in two 0.25% rate hikes in the UK this year, with a small chance that there will be a third rate hike by year end.
Rate hikes would kill core inflation (although remember that mortgage rates are a component of RPI, so that measure of inflation would likely rise with every rate hike) – but they would also be GDP-suicide in this fragile economy, bringing deflation risks back into play. Hopefully the Bank still feels it can target future inflation, and has the confidence to ignore those reacting to current inflation newsflow and calling for imminent rate hikes. But I don’t think that the Bank of England has much breathing room left, and with persistently high current inflation the Bank’s credibility is under attack. I think we’re only one surprisingly robust inflation print away from a UK rate hike. Let the policy errors begin… | <urn:uuid:62d06020-b26c-4943-8fc2-d9d15156f6f5> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.bondvigilantes.com/blog/2011/01/13/its-not-1993-1994-in-the-government-bond-markets-unemployment-is-still-way-too-high-to-provoke-a-fed-hike-but-the-bank-of-england-might-be-on-the-brink-of-a-policy-error/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697974692/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095254-00017-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.973239 | 1,049 | 1.671875 | 2 |
Make sure your information matches ours. Soon you will be receiving your W-2s from your employer(s) and tax information from the IRS. Carefully check your name, Social Security number and all of the data on your W-2s and on your Social Security Statement or card to make sure they match up. If you can’t find your card or Statement but know your Social Security number, make sure the number and information is correct on your W-2s. A mismatch could delay your tax refund and cause problems with your Social Security benefits in the future. Such errors are easy to fix now.
A name change is the main change. If you’ve legally changed your name due to marriage, divorce, court order or for any other reason, make sure you change your name with Social Security by applying for a new Social Security card. Make sure you change your name with your employer as well. If you change with one source but not the other, it could cause your earnings to be improperly recorded. A minor detail could cause a major mix-up. You can learn more about Social Security numbers and cards at www.socialsecurity.gov/ssnumber.
Don’t forget the kids. If you are the parent of a newborn, you want to make sure that the newest family member has a Social Security number too. Most people apply for their baby’s Social Security card while they’re still in the hospital at the same time they apply for the birth certificate. But if you didn’t, you’ll need to apply for your child’s Social Security number in order to claim the child as a dependent on your tax return. You’ll also need it if you ever apply for government benefits on behalf of the child or your family.
Go online if you can’t find your 1099. Social Security Benefit Statements (Form SSA-1099) for tax year 2008 are automatically mailed to beneficiaries and should be received by January 31, 2009. If you receive Social Security and haven’t received your 1099 in the mail by the end of January, but need it to file a tax return, just go online. Beginning in February, you can request a replacement 1099 online at https://secure.s sa.gov/apps6z/i1099/main.html.
For more information about Social Security, visit www.socialsecurity.gov. | <urn:uuid:e95200a3-d926-43ad-96da-bddba753d30a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.loganbanner.com/pages/full_story/push?article-Getting+ready+for+tax+season%20&id=1903774 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00006-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.930283 | 499 | 1.554688 | 2 |
What amount of course maintenance and related costs are involved?
Much depends on whether holes are mostly in the open or in the woods. Wooded holes have much higher upfront costs for clearing, depending on who does the work. However, maintenance can be minimal other than occasionally trimming some new growth limbs and possibly spreading wood chips on the fairways every few years. Open holes require some level of regular grass mowing but every 2-3 weeks may be fine. Hard surface tees may need to have dirt or gravel added in front of the tees every year or two to deal with wear. If natural tees are used, then it may be necessary to move them every few years and fill in the worn areas. Some park departments regularly dump wood chips around the baskets every year to reduce the natural wear that occurs from player traffic. | <urn:uuid:a666ce0f-a0c5-425d-9d3e-e3d399573b1a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.pdga.com/faq/course-development/maintenance-cost | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368711005985/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516133005-00014-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.9639 | 168 | 1.601563 | 2 |
Cache-poisoning attack snares top Brazilian bank
Google Adsense spoofed
One of Brazil's biggest banks has suffered an attack that redirected its customers to fraudulent websites that attempted to steal passwords and install malware, according to an unconfirmed report.
According to this Google translation of an article penned in Portuguese, the redirection of Bradesco was the result of what's known as a cache poisoning attack on Brazilian internet service provider NET Virtua .
DNS cache poisoning attacks exploit weaknesses in the internet's domain name system. ISPs that haven't patched their systems against the vulnerabilities are susceptible to attacks that replace the legitimate IP address of a given website with a fraudulent number. End users who rely on the lookup service are then taken to malicious websites even though they typed the correct domain name into their browser.
"That's pretty serious when you're talking about a banking organization," said Paul Ferguson, a security researcher with anti-virus provider Trend Micro. "If people are trying to log in to their account and they get rejected, they'll try again and again with the same user name and password."
DNS cache poisoning has been around since the mid 1990s, when researchers discovered that DNS resolvers could be flooded with spoofed IP addresses for sensitive websites. The servers store the incorrect information for hours or days at a time, so the attack has the potential to send large numbers of end users to fraudulent websites that install malware or masquerade as a bank or other trusted destination and steal sensitive account information.
In 1998, Eugene E. Kashpureff admitted to federal US authorities that on two occasions the previous year he used cache poisoning to divert traffic intended for InterNIC to AlterNIC, a competing domain name registration site that he owned.
Makers of DNS software were largely able to prevent the attacks by adding pseudo-random transaction ID numbers to lookup requests that must be included in any responses. Then, last year, IOActive researcher Dan Kaminsky revealed a new way to poison DNS caches , touching off a mad scramble by the world's ISPs to fix the vulnerability before it was exploited.
The article from Globo.com cited a Bradesco representative who said that about 1 percent of the bank's customers were affected by the attack. It went on to suggest that customers who were paying attention would have noticed Bradesco's secure sockets layer certificate generated an error when they were redirected to the fraudulent login page.
It's still not clear exactly how the caches were tainted. Representatives for the ISP and the bank hadn't responded to requests for comment at time of publication. ®
This story was updated to spell the name of the bank that was attacked. | <urn:uuid:8e0d5c67-911a-4d6c-a650-f943f67329ea> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/04/22/bandesco_cache_poisoning_attack/print.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368711005985/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516133005-00016-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.957441 | 546 | 1.765625 | 2 |
Ever since I was a little kid, covering my ears to avoid the BOOMS of fireworks, I have loved the Fourth of July (yes, I’ve always loved fireworks despite my sensitive ears). July 4th meant swimming, parks, BBQs, family and friends, and a magnificent fireworks show. I’ve seen Independence Day celebrations in 5 states and in Washington DC, and they always stir me.
This year, I’ve heard about an incredible new Fourth of July show in Atlantic City, just 3 1/2 hours away from Washington DC. The Atlantic City Alliance (ACA), along with the new media and entertainment studio, Moment Factory, developed a brand new 3D projection show to be shown on the façade of Boardwalk Hall. Not only is the show visually spectacular, but it’s FREE entertainment to Boardwalk visitors. The show kicks off this week with the 4th of July celebrations, but the Sound and Light Show will be a permanent installation to Atlantic City to provide entertainment every night, all year long.
A Few Facts About the Atlantic City Sound and Light Show:
- The sound and light show premiers Wednesday, July 4, shortly after the fireworks show around 9:30 p.m.
- The free show will run twice per hour, and lasts for approximately 8 ½ minutes. It is best seen from Kennedy Plaza on the boardwalk.
- A light show is architecturally consistent with the building. When Boardwalk Hall was first built in 1929, novel approaches to theatrical lighting were incorporated into the structure. The 196,000 square-foot barrel ceiling of aluminum painted tiles became the reflector for a dazzling show of lighting technology, anticipating the future of using artificial light to enhance and define exterior and interior space. The design brought an “electric sun” inside the auditorium, creating entertainment for tourists, and further highlighting the building’s grandeur.
- When Boardwalk Hall was first built in 1929, inscriptions were carved into the limestone above the façade, summarizing the building’s commitment to recreation, social progress and industrial achievements as well as its use for festivities, athletics, education, science, art and industry. The dynamic sound and light show evokes the history of Atlantic City with a nod to these characteristics woven throughout.
- This is the first permanent lighting installation of its kind in Atlantic City. Moment Factory has designed other multimedia light and sound shows around the world, including on the façade of the Ottawa Parliament building, as well as installations in Vancouver, Montreal and Lyon (France). Moment Factory is also responsible for the light show accompanying Celine Dion’s Las Vegas show, and Madonna’s current MDNA world tour.
- The design and production of the show took three months and over 35 team members to create. The team is led by Genevieve Forest (Producer) and Nelson de Robles (Multimedia Director). It is a permanent installation and the show music, theme and lightning colors will change throughout the year.
- There are twelve 20,000 lumen video projectors installed on the façade of Boardwalk Hall, and a surround sound speaker system that will bring the building itself to life during the presentation. Special care had to be taken to not compromise the integrity of historic Boardwalk Hall, and the installation took two weeks and 14 specialized technicians to put in place.
- The show will also feature an original music score created by musician and composer Vincent Letellier. Using Boardwalk Hall as a canvas, the multimedia show reflects the personality of Atlantic City and is meant to be an uplifting and joyful experience for all visitors to the boardwalk.
FREE activities to do in Atlantic City with your family
In addition to the new light and sound show (did I mention it’s free?) here are some more FREE things to do with your family in Atlantic City:
- Free Jazz on the Beach Summer Concerts at Kennedy Plaza on Thursday nights (7-10pm during July and August)
- Atlantic City Beaches – with no beach fees
- The Atlantic City Airshow “Thunder Over the Boardwalk” (my boys would LOVE this!)
- Farmers Market at Center City Park – July 5 through Sept 29
- Stroll around the AC Boardwalk
- Enjoy free movies on the beach with Movies Under the Stars – at various locations on the beach on Sunday, Monday and Fridays.
- The Water Show at the end of The Pier Shops – water shows happen every hour!
There’s a TON more to do in Atlantic City (this is just a sampling). Have you been to Atlantic City before? What was your favorite activity?
Disclosure: This post is brought to you with the support of the Atlantic City Alliance. Join the conversation about the new Atlantic City at #HowIDoAC on Twitter. Find AtlanticCityNJ on Facebook and @visitAC on Twitter.
© 2012, Lolli. All rights reserved. | <urn:uuid:7cc41acf-3aba-453a-9f8d-3d90e7146103> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://betterinbulk.net/2012/07/what-to-do-on-the-fourth-of-july.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00001-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.943446 | 1,025 | 1.742188 | 2 |
General Motors Co. refuted reports today that the Chinese are after the intellectual property contained in the Chevrolet Volt extended-range electric car.
“We have had no requests for intellectual property around the Volt from our partner or the Chinese government,” Vice Chairman Steve Girsky told reporters on a call to discuss a new electric car project between the U.S. automaker and its longtime partner, Shanghai Automotive Industry Corp.
Girsky explained that the Volt, which it plans to export to China, will not qualify for subsidies for locally manufactured new energy vehicles — the Chinese term for plug-in hybrids and electric cars — but “we knew that up-front.”
Concerns that China was trying to pressure GM into turning over intellectual property were renewed by a recent story in The New York Times that said the Volt wouldn’t qualify for subsidies unless GM revealed the car’s engineering secrets. Michigan’s elected representatives cried foul and demanded action to stop China from forcing American companies to hand over their technology secrets.
Industry experts based in China say that under the New Energy Vehicle Development Plan, electric and plug-in vehicles must not only be produced in China by a Chinese carmaker or a joint venture with one to be eligible for incentives – but the manufacturer must have intellectual property rights and “mastery” of one of three key components: the motor, battery or power electronics.
They say that reflects an unofficial quid-pro-quo: foreign automakers are allowed to generate big sales and profits in the world’s biggest market, but they’re also expected to help the Chinese develop their own industry. Girsky seemed to be alluding to that when he said that GM is making good money in China and is No. 1 in sales, with its ventures.
This is a balancing act automakers are going to have to maintain for a long time. China has understandable aspirations as well as a poor record on intellectual property issues. And as often happens on stories involving people and companies in the Far East, there’s no quick public response or explanation from the other side. Communication between Americans and Asians is hindered by the big difference in time and language difficulties. And in this instance, communication among the Americans themselves hasn’t been clear either. | <urn:uuid:33e7ed2e-9368-429b-b09d-d655328a2766> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://blogs.detroitnews.com/overdrive/2011/09/20/gm-tries-to-quell-china-volt-flap-questions-linger/ | 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 | 0.959492 | 470 | 1.742188 | 2 |
Be Careful: The Job Market Is Still Ugly Even For Graduates Of Some Of The Top MBA Programs
Be very careful before diving into an MBA program right now. Even students from the top MBA schools are frequently without job offers, and those in mid-tier schools are jobless in droves as shown below in the chart from Econompic. You can see the rate of graduates' joblessness in red.
Now we're pretty sure that MBA's from top schools will always benefit their recipients, if only for the network of contacts they build for the long-term.
However, those considering lower- or mid-tier schools should do some serious homework into the financial cost because as shown above you could very well end up without the career advancement you hoped for and just a large debt to show for it. Two years of additional real world experience might be the better choice.
You also need to be more pick than ever, since while some schools have only experienced a moderate deterioration in the chart above, others have seen graduates' joblessness triple, quadruple, or more.
As the Reformed Broker says, "Degrees don't necessarily equal Skills."
Get Business Insider Emails & Alerts | <urn:uuid:3f01c404-a6b6-45e3-af95-aa2cba262c77> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.businessinsider.com/unemployment-by-mba-program-2010-10 | 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 | 0.938228 | 246 | 1.507813 | 2 |
CAIRO – A British primary school has been taken to court over refusing to allow a female pupil to wear hijab (Muslim headscarf).
“The school is being taken to the High Court by parents of a Muslim girl,” Kate Magliocco, head of St Cyprian’s Greek Orthodox Primary School in Thornton Heath, told London Evening Standard on Wednesday, January 2.
A Muslim couple have filed a lawsuit before the High Court to force the school to allow their nine-year-old child to wear hijab in classes.
|Hijab: What’s It All About?|
“They believe that, because she is nine, she has reached puberty and it would be a sin for her not to be covered because the school has male teachers,” Magliocco said.
Hijab is an obligatory code of dress for Muslim women, not a symbol that shows ones religious affiliation.
The headscarf came to the spotlight after France banned the Muslim outfit in schools in 2004. Several European countries followed the French suit.
"At the heart of this is a girl who has been unable to return to school… If it does go to court then it cannot be a positive thing,” Magliocco said.
This is not the first time the wearing of hijab at schools sparks controversies in Britain.
In 2006, a Muslim schoolgirl sued her secondary school for refusing to allow her to wear a traditional gown. The school later won the case.
Last year, a north London school was also found to have broken anti-discrimination laws when it turned down a pupil for wearing cornrow braids in his hair.
Britain is home of a Muslim community of nearly 2.5 million.
Officials argue that the Muslim headscarf does not fit with the school uniform.
"The school has a very particular uniform policy, which is shared with parents and, as head, I must follow the plan,” Magliocco said.
According to the school’s website, students are required to wear a dark blue coat, an optional blazer, a skirt, white blouse and a navy blue pullover.
The guidelines, however, fail to mention a ban on the Muslim headscarf.
"The decision not to allow her to wear a headscarf was taken by the governing body,” Magliocco said.
The British headmistress insisted that the Muslim parents were notified about the school’s uniform rule before the enrollment of their child.
“The pupil in question came to us from a private school,” she said.
"Her parents actively chose us and, before she arrived, we held a meeting which included details of the uniform plan.
“They are a really nice family and it is a regrettable situation for both sides,” she said.
Government guidance on uniforms says that schools should “act reasonably” in accommodating various beliefs relating to clothes, hair and religious artifacts.But it says heads should have the ultimate power to restrict the “freedom of pupils to manifest their religion” if it is justified on health and safety grounds or to protect other children.
Related Links:"My Hijab Symbolizes Britishness"
Hijab in House of Commons
Hijab Asserts Women: Rowan Williams
UK Muslim Group Ignites Hijab Debate
Muslim Minorities More British Than Whites | <urn:uuid:6daea45f-0656-439f-bc76-b89ab5c4e3e6> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.onislam.net/english/news/europe/460717-hijab-ban-takes-uk-school-to-court | 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 | 0.969853 | 712 | 1.671875 | 2 |
Amid the excitement and announcements made at Google’s I/O conference, Google announced a TV-connected device called the Nexus Q. The Nexus Q is similar to devices like the Apple TV and Google’s on Google TV sets in its ability to stream video and music from providers like Netflix and YouTube. Where it stands out aside from its round shape is in the fact that Google chose to include an NFC chip in the device.
NFC, short for Near Field Communications, is a technology standard and communications protocol. It specifies and enables devices to communicate without any configuration to exchange small bits of data. To communicate devices need to be near each other, normally to the point of touching or tapping. The main uses devised for NFC include things like train and bus tickets, payment systems (Visa PayWave, Google Wallet), billboards that send you to websites for additional content (Samsung), and even devices that talk to each other to spare you the configuration.
Google is a big believer in NFC and made it simple for device makers and software developers to build smartphones and applications that use its Android operating system. Google’s first NFC initiative had to do with payment – which is where most of the attention around NFC resides. Its Google Wallet service lets you pay with a credit card (presently just a Citibank credit card) by tapping NFC-enabled payment devices. But the Nexus Q brings into the fore something that is closer to Google’s bread and butter – advertising.
If you were unaware of this, Google is primarily an advertising company. The search engine lets Google make billions of dollars selling ads and placement to companies who want to be found when you search for products and services. While search makes Google huge amounts of money, the company always sought to expand on that base. Google’s forays into newspaper and radio advertising failed, yet its television advertising offering is still around.
With smartphones in every home and nearly every pocket, advertisers are looking for ways to activate consumers beyond showing them the television commercial. Commercials are meant to get you off the couch and into the store, online or the phone to buy the stuff brands are pushing. TV commercials are expensive but in most cases it works. Problem is that so far it was difficult to build a bridge between the television and the smartphone (or tablet).
Some attempted to use QR codes, square barcodes app can read using the smartphone camera, in television commercials. This was cumbersome as you had to make sure the TV viewer was ready, had an app that could read the barcode and you had to show the barcode for several seconds. All in tall that’s a lot of work.
Another angle is to use Shazam. Shazam is a popular smartphone app that identifies the artist and song by ‘listening’ to a short bit of music. Shazam is currently used to identify commercials using their soundtrack. The advertiser flashes the Shazam logo on the corner of the screen and hopes that you can get the app ready in time, that the room is not too noisy and that the audio is playing loud enough. It is also assumed that the app is installed on your phone and that you actually identify the icon on the screen. Again, quite a list of assumptions and a tall order for viewers to follow.
The hurdle can be summarized into awareness, activation and transmission. You need to be aware you can get something from your television – a link to a website, a coupon, an offer. You need to be activated – be able to react to a signal – an icon on the screen or some message in the television commercial. Finally, somehow the data or content needs to be transferred between the television and the smartphone.
NFC in the Nexus Q accomplishes two of the three tasks easily. With the Nexus Q Google can now activate viewers with smartphones with minimal effort. The bookcase example, in my opinion, is coupons. Imagine yourself watching a Tide laundry detergent commercial on television. A light turns on the Nexus Q, a message or an icon show up during the commercial to invite you to tap your phone on the Nexus Q. The tap sends your smartphone to the website where you can get the coupon. No apps necessary. It just happens, because that’s what NFC is: tap and go.
This can be taken a step further into instant commerce. With Google Pay or Wallet you can even order products from a TV commercial right to your home. You tap the Nexus Q, and with Google knowing your account information, an order can be made instantaneously.
Like with coupons, the Nexus Q can drive you to content that enriches your engagement with the currently playing TV show. Things like an app or a website, elements that extend your viewing experience. Transmedia (http://j.mp/LRFnAj) will become easier to accomplish for creative producers and visionaries.
Technically this Nexus Q NFC capability is very feasible. The main challenge will be to identify what you are presently watching. Companies are already doing that (http://j.mp/MZhpAB) which means that Google can develop its own technology or buy one of the players. Knowing what you are watching then enables Google to sell the NFC extension capability to advertisers and producers. These will in turn set up trusted web services that will communicate with Google’s own services to identify or just provision content to the Nexus Q owner. Sounds easy, right?
In summary, the Nexus Q brings NFC to television. Television makers do not have the vision or the motivation to put NFC in their sets, mostly because advertising is something they do on the demand side, not on the supply side. Google saw the opportunity and it is now coming. It is now only a matter of cost and adoption. And hopefully you also know that all of this is just conjecture and prognostication. I’m just really eager to see NFC do something meaningful. Beyond payments. | <urn:uuid:760fc07d-a0b9-4726-9e7f-3080cf684e84> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.enavigo.com/category/mobile/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00009-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.956422 | 1,215 | 1.757813 | 2 |
GUANTANAMO BAY NAVY BASE, Cuba — Some days, America's lone convicted terrorist here amuses himself by calling out ''All rise,'' like a court bailiff, as guards pass his cell.
Mostly, Salim Hamdan passes the time with photos of family from home in Yemen.
It's been six weeks since a military jury made Hamdan a war criminal for working as Osama bin Laden's $200-a-month driver in Afghanistan, and the Pentagon has yet to say precisely when his 66-month prison sentence ends. Or where he will go.
What to do with Hamdan illustrates how much the Pentagon is still improvising war-on-terror detention policy -- six years after the Bush administration opened the prison camps here in remote southeast Cuba.
For now, he is segregated, the only prisoner in a corridor set aside for convicts at Camp 5.
But until someone else is convicted at the first war crimes tribunals since World War II, Hamdan, 40, is a category of one.
''A Detainee Socialization Management Plan will be implemented,'' says Army Maj. Rick Morehouse. The goal: "To avoid linguistic isolation and solitary confinement.''
Read the complete story on miamiherald.com | <urn:uuid:453dc974-925d-4b4e-9fae-8bdc588f05f5> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2008/09/23/52944/bin-ladens-driver-still-a-test.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00012-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.939222 | 260 | 1.71875 | 2 |
In the first chapter of 1 Thessalonians, the great theme of salvation was unfolded. There is nothing in all the world that thrills the heart like a real experience of trust in the Lord Jesus, which the Thessalonians had experienced. Chapter 2 presented the challenge of Christian service. Paul speaks of his own service and the rules of ministry, as well as the service and faithfulness of the Thessalonian church as it will be recognized at the judgment seat of Christ in glory. Chapter 3, before us now, has the theme of sanctification, which continues into Chapter 4 through verse 12.
In 1 Thessalonians 3:1-10 Paul relates the testimony of the Thessalonian church as it was brought to him. In a word, this is what happened: When Paul was meditating upon the need of the Thessalonian church and his heart was burdened in prayer for them, he had sent Timothy back to find out how they were getting along. He is described as “our brother, and minister of God, and our fellow-labourer in the gospel of Christ.” Gracious words here from the great apostle! The purpose of sending Timothy was “to establish you, and to comfort you concerning your faith.” Timothy was to do what Paul longed to do himself, but could not. Paul wanted the Thessalonians to continue steadfast in spite of affliction of which Paul states, “We are appointed thereunto.” He was concerned lest the trial uncover superficiality in their faith and “our labour be in vain.”
Timothy had gone to Thessalonica and had brought encouragement to them, continuing to teach them the Word of God. Now Timothy has returned to Paul with the message that the Thessalonians were standing fast in the faith, that they longed to see Paul, that they were just as he had left them — their hearts fixed upon the Lord Jesus Christ and looking for His coming. Paul’s own heart overflowed as he contemplated the goodness of God in blessing his testimony there and working so abundantly in the lives of these Thessalonians.
There are a number of things that could be said about this portion of Scripture. Paul recites how he was comforted and how the tidings came. It is summed up more or less in verse 8: “For now we live, if ye stand fast in the Lord.” More expressively translated, it states: “Now we are really living, if you are standing fast in the faith.” In other words, his whole spiritual joy and happiness is linked with the experience of victory in this Thessalonian church. Consider for a moment the background of this statement. How interested and how concerned would we be if we had been in Paul’s position? Paul had been there just a few weeks and had led these few souls to Christ, but now it seems that his very life depended upon the success and the prosperity of this church. His whole heart was wrapped up in the spiritual prosperity of these his children in the faith.
What a challenge this should be to us that we may have that same sensitivity of the soul, that we may have that passion, that love which was in the heart of Christ Himself for the sheep, for the people of God. In the Bible, men of God, men who really served God had a heart for the needs of souls. Too often in our modem life our theology is in one compartment and our heart is in another. We believe that souls are lost without Christ and recognize human suffering and human need, but it is never translated into prayer, or into helpfulness, or into doing what we can to meet the needs of others. What a contrast to Paul!
In verses 9 and 10 we get a picture of Paul’s great heart. “For what thanks can we render to God again for you, for all the joy wherewith we joy for your sakes before our God; night and day praying exceedingly that we might see your face, and might perfect that which is lacking in your faith?” Here is the compassionate heart of Paul toward the Thessalonian believers and his concern lest they lack something of completion of their spiritual faith and experience. Modern Christians are so prone to ignore a need like this. While recognizing that so many Christians are ignorant of the great truths of Scripture and are not going on with the Lord, they do not have a real prayer life; they do not give themselves to the study of the Word; they are not soul winners. It is a tragedy that in our hearts there can be such coldness and such a lack of response to spiritual need. What a challenge Paul is! In his own spiritual experience his heart is overflowing in praise to God for hearing his prayer. It was not just a few minutes or a few sentences of prayer, but he tells us here he spent hours, day and night, praying to God for the continuance and faithfulness of this little band of Christians. If we had prayer like that and if our hearts were stirred like Paul’s, we would have a spiritual revival such as this nation has never seen. What we need is revival first of all in the hearts of the people of God.
What does Paul say to us in this passage? He is saying that if we are really committed to the Lord—if we are really letting the Holy Spirit rule supremely in our hearts and lives—that there should be the evidence of the love of the Spirit and the compassion of the Spirit toward our fellow Christians as well as toward those who do not know the Lord Jesus. The challenge of this passage is to let the Spirit of God transform our hearts and make them tender, that we may not follow the pattern of this careless and indifferent generation which is unmindful of the spiritual needs of those about us.
Are we really concerned about souls? Do we pray for the salvation of that neighbor in the next apartment or in the next house? Are we concerned in our churches about the backsliders and the indifferent who are not serving the Lord as they should? Paul tells us that the secret is to pray. If we have a real burden of prayer we will have Paul’s experience of the joy of answered prayer. Certainly these are important and most practical verses.
In verses 11 and 12 Paul breathes another prayer that he might go back and see the Thessalonians again. “Now God himself and our Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ, direct our way unto you. And the Lord make you to increase and abound in love one toward another, and toward all men, even as we do toward you.” In other words, Paul said: “Let us go on in our Christian faith.” The most dangerous thing in our spiritual experience is to ease off and to rest on our oars. Normal Christian growth brings with it an increase in love to each other and to all men. While the Thessalonians were a model church, there was still room for growth and improvement.
The coming of the Lord is mentioned again in verse 13. In Thessalonians every chapter deals with the Lord’s coming. The last verse of Chapter 1 dealt with waiting for the Lord’s return. Chapter 2 spoke of the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at His coming in verse 19. The last verse of Chapter 3 deals once again with the coming of the Lord. Paul, as he is praying for these Thessalonian Christians, has in mind not only their present holiness, but also that they should go on to perfection.
In verse 10 the word perfect is mentioned, “That we … might perfect that which is lacking in your faith.” There are some in our day who think that it is not possible to be saved unless one reaches a stage of moral perfection. They attribute to the word perfect ideas which are contrary to the Word of God. Paul was praying that “God might perfect that which is lacking.” What did he mean? It seems clear that he was not doubting their salvation because he speaks of “knowing, brethren, your election” (1:4).
There are two main ideas about perfection in the Bible. There is first of all the idea of perfection which is the thought of coming to the end of a journey or the fulfillment of a purpose or a design. It is fulfillment or perfection in the sense, for instance, of a perfect man, one who has grown through boyhood and youth until he has the full stature of a man. He is a perfect man in the sense that he has reached the goal of growth. He is perfect in the sense that he has completed the man. There is another word used for perfection which has the thought of equipment. It means to be completely equipped, in other words, the details are in order. A home, for instance, can be spoken of as being fully equipped. It has everything that a home ought to have: furniture, curtains, rugs, and everything else. It is perfectly equipped. This is what Paul had in mind here.
Paul accordingly prayed that God might perfect that which was lacking in these Thessalonian Christians. Their faith needed to be enlarged. Their lives were not complete in their spiritual experience. Paul wanted God to deal with them and to bring them on to that further step of perfection. Nowhere in the Bible is the word perfect used to mean sinlessly perfect. In fact, that is not the idea at all. There is need for another word in English into which we could translate these words, because the word perfection in the ordinary sense is not exactly the idea. It is only the thought of completion or attainment but not the idea of sinless perfection. Paul is praying that the Thessalonians might be complete and in the end might stand unblamable in holiness before God.
In verse 13 Paul’s prayer for them is that they may abound in love “to the end he may stablish your hearts unblameable in holiness before God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints.” Some may recall how H. A. Ironside, that great expositor of Scripture, in his early years struggled with the problem of holiness, seeking earnestly an experience of complete sanctification. The story is told in his book, Holiness, the False and the True, in which he says he thought he had to be completely holy in order to be saved. Accordingly, he would have some experience and would believe he was saved and completely sanctified. He would go on for a week or two and then suddenly be aware that he was not perfect after all. Then he came to the conclusion that he was not saved. So he would do the whole thing over again. In this difficulty, he discovered Hebrews 12:14 where he read: “Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord.” He reasoned correctly that when one follows he has not attained, but that it will be attained when we see the Lord.
This same thought is in 1 Thessalonians 3:13: “to the end that he may stablish your hearts unblameable in holiness before God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints.” While we are imperfect in this life, constantly falling short and having to come to God in confession of our sins, the day is coming when we shall be perfect, absolutely unblamable, not only in our position before God but in our spiritual state. That day will be when we stand before Christ at His coming. We are rightly concerned about our imperfections, but, thank God, if He has saved our soul He will never let us go until He has brought us to perfection which will be realized when Christ comes for His own. This is the great expectation behind Paul’s prayer that these Thessalonians may grow in grace and attain the ultimate goal of being unblamable in holiness before Christ at His coming.
Verse 13 has attracted students of the Word from another standpoint in regard to the expression,” at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints.” Many Bible teachers teach, as does the writer, that the Lord is coming for His church at any time. We believe in the imminent return of Christ, that 1 Thessalonians 4 is going to be fulfilled, that the dead in Christ are going to arise, and that living Christians will be translated without dying into the presence of God. We further believe that after this event there will take place a great time of trouble in the world, predicted by Daniel and Christ Himself, culminating in the great tribulation. We believe that at the end of the great tribulation Christ is coming back in power and glory from heaven with the saints and with the holy angels and that He will establish His righteous government on the earth as predicted many times in the Bible, which will last, according to Revelation 20, for one thousand years and ultimately will be followed by the eternal state after the judgment of the great white throne.
Where does this passage fit into this background? Many expositors, in considering this particular expression, “at the coming [lit., in the coming] of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints,” have distinguished His coming for His saints (the rapture) and His coming with His saints (the second coming to establish the millennial kingdom). While this is a bona fide distinction, it raises the question: “Just when will Christians be presented unblamable in holiness before God?” If we believe that Christ is coming before the great tribulation, we are going to be presented unblamable in holiness before God long before His second coming to set up His kingdom. If that is true, how can we explain this portion of Scripture?
The secret of it is in the word coming. There are at least three great words in the New Testament used to express the truth about the coming of the Lord: epiphaneia, apokalupsis, and parousia. All three of these words are used of Christ coming for His church. They are also used of His coming to set up His kingdom on the earth. They are not technical words, then, but general words, and all of them have to do with the coming of Christ. One of them (epiphaneia)simply speaks of His appearing, that is, that we are going to see Him. We are told also that when Christ comes to set up His kingdom on the earth every eye will see Him.
There is another word (apokalupsis) translated revelation. It is the word used for the name of the last book of the New Testament, the Revelation of Jesus Christ in the sense of the revelation of His glory. When Christ came the first time He came in humiliation. His glory was veiled except on the Mount of Transfiguration and perhaps in the Garden of Gethsemane. In the latter place, when those who came to take Him asked if He was Jesus and He said “I am,” they all fell before Him to the ground, apparently struck down by a momentary flash of the glory and authority of Christ. For the most part, however, His glory was veiled even after His resurrection. When He comes the second time we will see Him in His glory and this will be a revelation.
The word that is found here in 1 Thessalonians 3:13 is the third word, the Greek word parousia, which means presence, but is usually translated coming. This word is derived from two words: a preposition (para) meaning along, and ousia which is a form of the verb to be; hence the word means, to be along side of, or to be present. While commonly translated in the Bible by the word coming, the word itself does not strictly mean coming and is used with other meanings. It means presence and is so translated in 2 Corinthians 10:10 and Philippians 2:12.
What does this word coming or presence mean here in Thessalonians? When someone is coming, we also speak of his presence. For instance, a visiting preacher might be welcomed with the words,” We are happy for the coming of the Reverend John Doe.” What would be meant by that? How he came would not be important; the point would be that he is here. What is meant is that we are glad for his presence. His coming was just the means to the end. Even in English we use the term coming in the sense of presence. That is precisely the thought here. But when are we going to be in the presence of the Father?
According to Scripture, Christians are going to meet Christ in the air. We are going to be present with Him at that moment. After we meet Him in the air, He will take us home to glory to be in the presence of the Father and the holy angels. After that we are coming back to the earth with Christ. This word coming here may not refer specifically to the coming of Christ with His saints to the earth, but rather the coming to heaven when they will be in the presence of the Father. That is the same thought considered in 2:19, “in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming,” literally,” before our Lord Jesus Christ in his presence.” In 3:13, the verse, translated literally, reads, “before God, even our Father in the presence [italics supplied] of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints.” There is a coming to the earth, but there is also the coming to heaven. What an event that arrival in heaven is going to be! All the holy angels will be in attendance on that day. When the dead in Christ and living Christians are caught up to be with the Lord and arrive in heaven as the trophies of grace, the marvels of God’s resurrection power, they will be presented as a spotless bride, as a holy people, as those who are the workmanship of Christ. At the coming of Christ with all His saints to heaven, we will be “unblameable in holiness before God, even our Father.” In that day we will not be “unblamable” because of any works on our part. It will rather reflect our entering in God’s marvelous grace—unblamable because every sin is washed away, every unholy thing once and forever removed.
Having held before them this glorious prospect, in Chapter 4 Paul goes on to deal with the great doctrine of sanctification: “We beseech you, brethren, and exhort you by the Lord Jesus, that as ye have received of us how ye ought to walk and to please God, so ye would abound more and more.” He was never content with past spiritual achievement. There was always the appeal to be growing, expanding, having more. In verse 2 he reminds them that this is the commandment he had given them by the Lord Jesus, “For ye know what commandments we gave you by the Lord Jesus.”
In verses 3-8 the great subject of sanctification is discussed. Verse 3 reads: “For this is the will of God, even your sanctification.” Too often when this verse is read, those reading stop in the middle of verse 3 and do not go on to study the context. Furthermore, there is a tendency to read into this word sanctification the thought of moral perfection. That is not what Paul meant. What he is saying is that the Thessalonian believers were already sanctified. In other words, they had already been set apart as holy to God.
Just what does it mean to be sanctified? Suppose one were living in the time of Christ and wanted to make a gift to the temple. He would bring his gift of gold coins and lay them on the altar. What happened to those gold coins? The moment they were given to God they became sanctified. They were set apart for holy use. The sanctification did not change the character of the gold coins, but it did change their use and the purpose for which they were directed. So, every true Christian has been set apart as holy to God, even though he falls short of perfection.
Even a casual study of the Bible will show that holiness in the Bible does not necessarily mean moral perfection. For instance, consider the expression that is found in 2 Peter, that holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit. Of whom is this speaking? Peter was referring to the Old Testament writers of Scripture and to prophets who spoke the Word of God. Were those men holy? Yes, they were. The Scripture says so. Were those men perfect? Certainly not. Was Moses perfect? Was David perfect? Yet Moses wrote the law and David wrote some of the most beautiful psalms. They were not perfect, but were nevertheless holy. God had set apart these prophets to His own holy use. Though they were not perfect, He guided them so that they wrote perfect Scripture. The Word of God as it came forth from them was inspired of God. But they were still imperfect and had to strive just as we do for holy living.
Does this mean Christians should not strive for holiness? Certainly not. As Paul deals with these Thessalonians he says to them: “This is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication.” The idol worship from which some of these Thessalonians had been saved included the most abominable and immoral rites. The Thessalonian Christians who were Gentiles had come out of that background, where immorality and religion were all mixed up. There is no holiness in heathen religion. Holiness was an entirely new idea. For the first time they were faced with the fact that worshiping God involved a holy life. Paul had to deal with them as he did with the Corinthians and others, reminding them that as Christians their bodies were set apart as holy to God.
In keeping with the high moral standards befitting Christians, Paul exhorts them not to give themselves to the lust of desire as the Gentiles do. In verse 6 he writes: “That no man go beyond and defraud his brother in any matter.” He has in mind here a man running off with another’s wife. He forbids this, because God “is the avenger of all such.” In verses 7 and 8 Paul adds: “God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness. He therefore that despiseth, despiseth not man, but God, who hath also given unto us his holy Spirit.” Once again we are reminded that our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit and therefore we are set apart as holy to God. How we need to enter into this! Do we realize that our lives have been bought by the precious blood of Christ? Do we realize that our bodies are a holy temple occupied by the Holy Spirit? That is true whether we recognize it or not. Paul is appealing to the Thessalonian believers to live a life of holiness, a life of being set apart to the holy things of God.
In verses 9 and 10 Christian love is introduced in contrast to lust. What a difference! He tells them: “But as touching brotherly love [which ought to characterize the Christian] ye need not that I write unto you: for ye yourselves are taught of God to love one another. And indeed ye do it toward all the brethren which are in all Macedonia: but we beseech you, brethren, that ye increase more and more.” Love is a growing experience. We should increase more and more in our love. Do we love the Lord Jesus Christ more today than we did a year ago, or two years ago, or three years ago? We ought to. If we have been going on with the Lord we know more about Him, and the more we know about Him the more we are going to love Him. If we do not love the Lord Jesus it is because we are not very well acquainted with Him. He is altogether lovely.
In verses 11 and 12 there is a very practical admonition: “That ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you; that ye may walk honestly toward them that are without, and that ye may have lack of nothing.” These are words of sound wisdom. Sometimes Christians get so concerned with the coming of the Lord that they forget that there is a task to do right now.
Paul is a very practical man. He believed in the glory to come, but he also believed that we should lead a practical life. One of the things he commands is to study to be quiet. God honors the person who is quiet, particularly about his own exploits. We are exhorted also to mind our own business. No one gets into trouble minding his own business, but if he starts minding someone else’s business, that usually causes a lot of trouble. They were exhorted to mind their own business, and to work with their own hands. Honest toil is a good thing, and God’s people need to work to earn an honest living.
There are many illustrations of this in the Bible. It is recorded of Haggai and Zechariah, the great prophets who exhorted Israel to build the temple, that they worked with their own hands. When Paul ministered the gospel and ran out of funds, he did not wring his hands and say, “Now God has not been faithful to me.” Oh no! He made some tents. He worked with his own hands. That is perfectly honorable. Today the standard too often is to do as little as one can for as much as one can. The Bible standard is just the opposite. The purpose of it is “That ye may walk honestly,” in other words, pay our debts. Sometimes Christians are not too careful in their business relationships.
This business of sanctification, this call to holiness, extends to every aspect of our life. May God challenge us. We have been sanctified by the blood of Christ, by the power and presence of the Holy Spirit, by the purposes of God in our life in time and eternity. May we give ourselves to these things as the Holy Spirit speaks to our hearts.
1. Whom did Paul send to Thessalonica and what report did he receive from him?
2. How did Paul’s response to this report indicate his great heart?
3. What was Paul’s prayer for the Thessalonians?
4. What does Paul teach about sinless perfection now and in the future?
5. On what prophetic note does Chapter 3 end?
6. What three important words are used for the Lord’s coming?
7. What is meant by sanctification?
8. What is the difference between love and lust?
9. What practical advice does Paul give in verses 11 and 12? | <urn:uuid:097bb9e8-c783-4c0b-929c-be5314db6908> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://bible.org/seriespage/chapter-3-unblamable-holiness | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00002-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.980065 | 5,653 | 1.648438 | 2 |
I already tried Rosetta Stone, for a short time (so my review could be not exactly the best), also a lot of methods for learning languages. And I get very impressed when I see people talking about it.
Here are my thoughts about Rosetta Stone software:
The learning system is repetitive. (this is the principle of it, but it didn't work for me) Images and words appear so many times in a lesson. It's likely that you will be bored in the middle of it.
The correction system is automatic. You will talk, and the software will analyse your voice and compare with the correct.
Something I find important: you won't have the support and be motived from others.
Also, the cost of Rosetta Stone is VERY high. I think it's not worth, all in all.
So has anyone here used Rosetta Stone to become fluent in French?
Please tell me which version of the software you used.
Well, fluency is a hard thing to get. But it's tangible, of course. Even in 1 year. If you study and have discipline, it's perfectly doable.
Well, about FREE alternatives, there are a lot of sites:
http://www.languagepod101.com Some things are free, but mostly are paid. (you can get a good discount, googling)
http://pt.babbel.com/ Very nice site, clean and intuitive.
http://french.about.com/library/reviews/aatp-toolsb.htm About.com site is very good to give you an idea about any language. Very recommended.
Here are my golden tips for you:
- Create a blog. When you create a blog, search for content to post and think about how to write it, you learn a lot.
- Have a notebook When you handwrite something, you fix it easier than just seeing and typing in the keyboard.
- Talk and write with native speakers. This is very interesting, because only reading a book will never give you fluence. Also, it's fun!
- Buy magazines and books. They are interesting and help you increase your vocabulary. One great is Écoute: http://www.ecoute.de/
- Travel guide and dictionary. Both are very handy for conversations and quick search. After sometime, a monolingue will be better.
But you will ask, where to find native people willing to talk and help you with languages?
I know these two good websites:
You can chat directly from the site, watch lessons, do exercises and have your exercises reviewed by natives. And all for free (there is a premium version for both, but it's not needed).
Also, french have two courses: French 101 (for vocabulary) and Active French (listening and speaking)
Just to give you an idea about how good Livemocha is: I have talked with several people around the years, even met a teacher of french for foreigners, made friends and partners of learning.
And finally, here you can write anything you want (texts or questions), and get a quick answer: | <urn:uuid:55aa97e6-5e21-4311-953e-5654a74e9e0f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://french.stackexchange.com/questions/3160/is-rosetta-stone-effective-at-teaching-french/3163 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00003-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.948935 | 655 | 1.773438 | 2 |
How we know that Dark Matter Exists.
Dr. Robert A. Knop, also known as Prospero Frobozz, delivers his talk on Dark Matter. Presented at the Meta Institute for Computational Astrophysics in Second Life as part of the Ask an Astronomer series on 2 May 2009.
Witness education in action.
Loading more stuff…
Hmm…it looks like things are taking a while to load. Try again? | <urn:uuid:f78ada16-db65-46a7-b51a-cdf0046c4754> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://vimeo.com/4559703 | 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 | 0.962122 | 91 | 1.804688 | 2 |
Well this question stems from a long argument that a friend often brings up about computing power and video card features. In short he simply refuses to acknowlage that video card hardware acceleration features have enough of an impact on game performance on newer and more currently released games.
On my laptop, which is getting rather old and it's video card which is a few generations below the current generation of video card, has a ATI Rage Mobility M1 (2x) AGP (with 8MB of physical video RAM, AGP expandable). Now I'd call that ancient as far as video processing goes. And I cannot count the amount of missing hardware features for 3D graphics processing from todays cards and games.
So, to further my interestin the topic. What are the major 3D acceleration hardware features of today's video cards? | <urn:uuid:31d111f4-1de2-4e94-83d1-394fab592cdc> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.pascalgamedevelopment.com/showthread.php?2474-Hardware-Features-and-Video-Cards&p=16057&mode=threaded | 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 | 0.960281 | 169 | 1.546875 | 2 |
Field Notes: a Northwest nature blog
One of the reasons many of us live in the Pacific Northwest is the natural wonders that amaze us all. On this blog Seattle Times writers and photographers will share their explorations of the natural world from snowcaps to whitecaps. Write us at email@example.com with your own sightings, questions and wonders to share.
Selected Northwest animal webcams
See it for yourself: How to get out and explore the Elwha
Now is the time to get out and go see the amazing changes underway in the Elwha for yourself. The road access to the Whiskey Bend trail has been reopened, and the lower dam is entirely gone ... what are you waiting for?
The emerging landscapes of the former lake bottoms of the reservoirs of the Elwha dams make for fascinating hiking. These cliffs are at former Lake Mills.
There are a whole range of ways to explore and enjoy the emerging landscape. Here are some suggestions: take binoculars, wear sturdy boots, dress in layers and prepare to be in a very open, exposed landscape with wind, sun, the works. Mostly, bring your camera. What you see in the Elwha today is history in the making, year one in a changing ecosystem that will never look precisely like this again.
Here are some ways to go see it for yourself:
For elderly, wheel chair users, or others who want a quick easy sample:
The National Park Service has provided an overlook viewpoint to observe what was the lower dam site, where the river now runs free. There's free parking, a portable toilet and easy strolling or rolling access road to the overlook, easily managed in a wheelchair. You will want binoculars to better appreciate the view, which is distant. There is a second overlook that is not handicapped-accessible, but reached by a short and easy hike. A good place to share a picnic lunch and think about all that has come and gone at this vista.
The overlook is clearly signed, and reached immediately after turning off Lower Dam Road from State Route 112 just off State Route 101, toward Forks. You'll see the turn off on your left.
Another option for people who want to get out and explore with a nice long hike: two choices here, one at the former Lake Aldwell, the other at what is left of Lake Mills, above Glines Canyon Dam. Both are wonderful and not to be missed.
The former Lake Aldwell site is quite spectacular in part for the sight of the revealed stumps of giant trees that the draining of the reservoirs reveals -- these were the big trees cut before filling the reservoirs and the size of some of them, particularly the monster cedars, is astounding.
Buried stumps exposed in the former lake beds are relics from the forest lost when the reservoirs flooded some 800 acres along the Elwha River channel back in the 1900s. Loggers slicked off the timber before flooding the bottom lands. Many of the stumps revealed as the reservoirs have dropped are marked with scars from loggers' springboards.
Enjoy too the weird, lunar landscape of sediment, gray and mysterious, ever shifting and eroding in the wind and changing pathway of the river.
The pageant of emerging seedlings near the forest is a sight to behold, as are the patterns of cracking in the drying sediment. Notice the spiderweb configurations over buried stumps not yet showing. A photographer's paradise.
To get to the access point, drive State Route 101 toward Forks. As you cross the 101 bridge take the immediate right just on the far side of the bridge and continue past a kayak rental store on your left. Proceed to the parking lot to what was the boat ramp to Lake Aldwell. Simply walk onto the sediment delta, and begin your explorations. The big stumps that intrigued me most are found as you head north, toward the former dam site, but it's all good.
For exploration of Lake MIlls:
This is most easily done by driving to the Whiskey Bend trail head. As you near the parking lot, you will see, to your right, a clearly signed trail that leads down to the delta. It's a steep walk and will require a strenuous hike back up. Not at all impossible but if you have knee issues the other exploration at Lake Aldwell might be more suitable.
Parking is available at the Whiskey Bend trail head, as well as a portable toilet. Just walk back to the trail access.
To get to the Whiskey Bend trail head, take US 101 toward Forks, and before you hit the Route 101 bridge, make a left onto Olympic Hot Springs Road. Follow the road into the park -- be sure to pay your fee at the ranger station -- and continue to the Whiskey Bend Road, where you turn left. It's a narrow, twisting gravel road but recently repaired and easily passable in any city car, no special four wheel drive or SUV required.
Sedum intermingles with moss on a rock at the Goblin Gates
One thought about dogs: the Lake Aldwell dam site is not in the park, and therefore dogs are allowed on leash. The leash is a good safety precaution. There are unstable sediment cliffs everywhere, the river is cold and fast and unpredictable ... use an extra measure of attention and common sense both with kids and dogs. The Lake Mills delta is in the Olympic National Park and dogs are not allowed.
As for places to stay and getting there ... I like to use the Edmonds ferry; it is less crowded than the other routes, and you avoid the dreadful traffic through Poulsbo that the Bainbridge ferry subjects you to.
There are lots of lodging options, from camping at the Elwha Campground -- it's open -- to motels in Port Angeles. The Quality Inn is comfortable but expensive. I like the Downtowner, if you choose a shared bathroom down the hall it's quite reasonable. There are lots of independently-owned fishermen-style places throughout town any of them just fine. Don't miss Port Book and News on Main Street, an outstanding independent book store. And then there is The Haven for amazing fresh-made pastries and excellent coffee just across the street.
One of the best surprises in Port Angeles is the book store at the Clallam County Historical Society on Lincoln Street, in the old Carnegie Library. You'll find books for sale there you won't find anywhere else. The North Olympic Public Library System's Port Angeles branch also has outstanding early photographs of the river, the dams under construction, and Port Angeles to flip through in the Northwest Room.
Now is also the time to enjoy the spring birds and lush foliage by hiking the trails of Olympic National Park. The deliciousness of this place at this time of year is reason enough to make the trip. A hike suitable for any fitness level is the Whiskey Bend trail, and be sure to make the side trail trip from it to the Goblin Gates, where you can watch the Elwha muscle into a rock canyon, and get yourself down to the beach.
The Elwha River pounding through Goblin's Gate
The native plants are just now in their splendor and the river above the dams is still clear and clean,there is no sediment loading from dam removal going on there. From the tiny delicate up close beauty the flowers coming into bloom to the sweeping grandeur of the river, this is a place to savor richly and slowly. Pack a lunch and give yourself a whole day.
Ferns grace the rocks along the Whiskey Bend trail
For fun, read Robert Woods' Across the Olympic Mountains before you go, to be able to picture the Press Expedition explorers floundering along this same geography in the dead of winter. What were they thinking.
If you want to really get into it, head to the Special Collections at the University of Washington Libraries and ask for the original edition of the explorers' account of their trip, written up in an 1890 edition of the Seattle Press. They've got the whole thing pasted up, original size, on boards, no fussy microfilm required. It's really a treat and a great way to stoke your imagination for an exploration of the Elwha, now and then.
The sediment cliffs left behind by the draining reservoirs are ridged by the dropping water levels.
Lynda Mapes, photos
Here are some amazing photos too from the National Park Service on the agency's dam removal blog, documenting the demise of the powerhouse at Glines Canyon Dam. | <urn:uuid:a13a56e7-47fa-41d9-8679-4a7b95fa0140> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://seattletimes.com/html/fieldnotes/2018188707_see_it_for_yourself_exploring_the_elwha.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00019-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.950718 | 1,761 | 1.835938 | 2 |
Fresh Hope Produce – An approved 501(c)(3) Non-Profit Charity as defined by the Internal Revenue Service
Fresh Hope Produce, Inc. was approved for a federal tax designation called 501(c)(3). Non-profit organizations that apply for this designation are religious, charitable, or educational groups. To be tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, an organization must be organized and exclusively for exempt purposes set forth in section 501(c)(3), and none of its earnings may inure to any private shareholder or individual. In addition, it may not be an , i.e., it may not attempt to influence legislation as a substantial part of its activities and it may not participate in any campaign activity for or against political candidates.
Organizations described in section 501(c)(3) are commonly referred to as charitable organizations. The IRS has determined that Fresh Hope Produce, Inc is a Public Charity. Organizations described in section 501(c)(3), other than testing for public safety organizations, are eligible to receive tax-deductible in accordance with Code section 170.
The organization must not be organized or operated for the benefit of, and no part of a section 501(c)(3) organization's net earnings may inure to the benefit of any private shareholder or individual. If the organization engages in an excess benefit transaction with a person having substantial influence over the organization, an excise tax may be imposed on the person and any organization managers agreeing to the transaction.
Section 501(c)(3) organizations are restricted in how much political and legislative (lobbying) activities they may conduct.
For more information about charitiable organizations visit - www.irs.gov/charities/charitable. | <urn:uuid:f00923f1-853a-41a9-bedb-84b5c4b667c1> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.freshhopeproduce.org/about/501c3.php | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00019-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.943602 | 361 | 1.585938 | 2 |
Tips For Traveling With Your Pet
Think about your animal's nature
Unfortunately, not all domestic pet owners would be recommended to bring their pet with them on vacation to Perrysville pet friendly hotel. Prior to fitting your favorite pet into your trip plans, give consideration to his or her age, predisposition, and physical health. In the event that your pet is youthful, lively, along with decent disposition, you may well be ready to bring him/her along and thoroughly savor your vacation in . Should your pet is older, however, or perhaps not within their most healthy years, it may be far better to leave them at home within care of an acquaintance or loved one.
Bring along a pet carrier
When taking your trip to Perrysville - , your safest way for your family pet to travel around is normally inside a transporter. Certainly never allow them to ride in people's lap or perhaps unfastened in any spot of the family car, back or front. Select a pet carrier that can be big enough for the family pet, however, not too big that it really is not protective. The right overall size pet transporter is barely big enough so as that he / she may fit inside it by itself as well as stand, turnaround, sit and lay down easily as they're enroute to your pet friendly Perrysville hotel destination. Domestic pet carriers are really a requirement if you find yourself traveling by air, but if you will be driving and do not have sufficient room, protect your animal using a special seat belt for animals in the center of your back seat.
Ready your four-legged friend for the prolonged drive.
Any time you will be traveling to Perrysville by family car, make sure that the animal is at ease for the traveling. Prepare them for the lengthy drive by taking them over a variety of easy drives beginning a couple weeks just before the get-away. Slowly stretch the amount of time in the vehicle so that your four-legged friend will become more well-off and much less vunerable to car sickness.
Nourish your animal at appropriate time frames
Your pet's stomach may well be more temperamental to motion sickness as compared to your own. That said, keep away from feeding your pet just before you depart towards your pet friendly Perrysville place. Give your pet a light weight amount of food 2-3 hours before traveling or 4-6 hours in advance of flying. Never feed your pet animal in a moving car or truck. | <urn:uuid:d1b62593-bc03-4748-9b05-94790860d605> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.istaygreen.org/petcity.cfm/st/OH/city/Perrysville | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00008-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.962667 | 505 | 1.59375 | 2 |
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia — Investors started poking around for deals here five years ago, as the war-torn country began to move past its legacy of genocide and coups. When the global financial crisis struck, Cambodia’s fast-growing economy crashed and the dollars flowing from abroad evaporated.
Douglas Clayton stayed put. In the midst of the crisis, he raised $34 million, starting the first investment fund focused on Cambodia.
“High risk also means the potential for high returns,” said Mr. Clayton, the founder of Leopard Capital.
Persistence can pay in this frontier market of 15 million people. Despite some rocky deals, the fund over all has posted solid gains on several investments, according to Leopard Capital. The three investments sold so far by Leopard have generated average annual returns of 36 percent.
“We got in early and have done well,” said Mr. Clayton, 52.
Building on the experience, Mr. Clayton is expanding into other regions with similar characteristics. This year, Leopard Capital started the first big investment fund in Haiti, backed by economic development organizations like the World Bank’s International Finance Corporation. In coming months, he plans to start portfolios focused on Myanmar, Bangladesh and Mongolia. He also plans the first investment fund for Bhutan, which has been reticent about outside money.
“We are trying to pioneer this investment class,” he said. “We can put money in places it’s never really been, and get good results.”
He will have to tread cautiously. Mr. Clayton is moving into treacherous investment territory, plagued by infrastructure problems, corruption, political instability and weak or nonexistent regulatory leadership. For example, Mongolia’s economy is on shaky ground after a series of political maneuvers left foreign investors nervous.
“We’ve proven ourselves here in Cambodia, and feel we can go anywhere,” Mr. Clayton said.
The potential payoff can be substantial. Some investors can double or triple their capital, according to Kathleen Ng, managing director at the Center for Asia Private Equity Research, which tracks fund performance in the region.
Ms. Ng said that China has been the hottest area for investment in Asia for years, but as returns have peaked, many began looking further afield, to places like Vietnam and Indonesia. Countries like Cambodia, Laos and Bangladesh — all Leopard targets — are just now getting on investors’ radars.
“Frontier markets really attract a different investor,” Ms. Ng said. “For the right fund — and a first mover — you can make a lot of money.” Even now, Ms. Ng notes, Leopard remains one of the few private equity funds focused exclusively on the region.
Still, investors need strong reserves to make money in such far-flung places. Returns can be choppy. Over the last five years, an index that tracks the frontier markets around the world is off nearly 42 percent, according to data from Thomson Reuters.
“On the surface, there is so much opportunity here,” said Nicholas Lazos, an investment manager at Insitor, a fund in Cambodia. “But executing is quite difficult.”
Mr. Clayton knows the challenges, having spent much of his career in Asia,
Originally from Madison, Conn., Mr. Clayton graduated from Cornell in 1982 and then served four years in the Army. While stationed in Korea, he became enamored with Asia.
After leaving the Army in 1986, he moved to Hong Kong and persuaded Sun Hung Kai Securities to give him a job as a trader, despite his lack of experience. “China was just opening up,” he said. “This company wanted some foreigners. I got hired and traded to learn.”
Three years later, he was hired by Kerry Securities to head its investment research in Thailand. In 1999, he opened his own firm in Bangkok, Abacas Equity Partners. The firm specialized in distressed assets, plentiful in Thailand after the Asian currency crisis of 1997.
He made his first trip to Cambodia in 2005, during a period of personal reflection. His first marriage had ended, and he was weary of the frenetic pace in Asian hot spots like Singapore, India, Thailand and Hong Kong.
Cambodia reignited his drive. “It was kind of spooky and scary,” he recalled. Yet he also sensed unique opportunity. “Nobody was here yet. It was really unknown, and exciting.”
He started the Leopard Cambodia Fund in April 2008 with $10 million, mainly from family and friends. Then prospects dried up in the global crisis. Many other firms withdrew from the country.
Mr. Clayton remained committed. Over the next two years, he visited 50 cities around the globe, pitching investment opportunities in Cambodia. He originally aimed for a goal of $100 million for the fund, but scaled back during the global financial crisis. “It was a hard sell,” he said.
Since then, he has invested about $36 million in a dozen companies, placing small bets in various industries. He put $5 million into Acleda Bank, a stake that has soared, and earned double-digit gains on telecoms and utilities in the region.
The money manager has experienced his share of difficulties. The firm took an aggressive stance with Nautisco Seafood, buying debt and forcing a restructuring.
Leopard wound up in court over the deal. The founders charged Leopard with interference, a situation that resulted in big layoffs and an eventual takeover. Leopard denied the allegations, and the suit was eventually dismissed.
Mr. Clayton is applying his experience to investment opportunities across Asia and beyond.
The private equity firm has started the Leopard Haiti Fund, supported by the International Finance Corporation, the Netherlands Development Finance Company and the Multilateral Investment Fund. These three agencies committed $20 million to the fund, which will focus on shifting capital into food processing, tourism, affordable housing and renewable energy.
“This is a big signal to investors looking at Haiti,” said Sergio A. Pombo, an investment officer at the I.F.C.
Mr. Clayton has also looked to the I.F.C. for support in Bangladesh, where Leopard plans to start a $100 million fund. Mr. Clayton compared Bangladesh to neighboring India a few decades ago, with a large, low-cost labor force.
Leopard is also contemplating starting a $15 million to $20 million fund for Bhutan, a former Buddhist kingdom in the Himalayas. Bhutan has no investment funds operating in the country, few industries and only 700,000 people.
Mr. Clayton is most bullish about Myanmar, which is going through major political changes. Largely closed to Western investment by the military regime that has ruled for decades, Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, is suddenly open for business.
“This will be a real core country for Leopard in the future.” He predicted the trajectory will follow other Asian nations in the 1980s to 1990s, only at a more rapid pace. “It really seems full speed ahead.”
Still, he cautioned that challenges remained. Foreign investment laws have only recently been announced, and many industries remain closed. Hotels in the capital of Yangon are packed with business delegations, but many outside investors complain that there are few surefire deals, and corruption is a major worry.
Still, Mr. Clayton is focused on the long-term picture for these frontier markets. “These places can be good for investment,” he said. “You just need to do your research, build good local teams and make the right deals.”
A tower being built on Park Avenue is part of Manhattan’s booming ultraluxury construction business, a trend that is warping the real-estate market and driving up overall costs.
A journey across Pakistan’s crumbling railway presents a picture of the country’s troubles: natural disasters and hardened insurgencies, abject poverty and feudal kleptocrats, and an economy near meltdown.
A document due Monday is the latest of three studies by the British government meant to sway opinion in Scotland ahead of a planned referendum next year on independence.
In Brady, Tex., a vote to approve the purchase of smart meters played a large role in the recall of the city’s mayor and the electoral defeat of two council members.
Grass-roots protests against Chinese oil projects are worrying Beijing as it competes for influence in Myanmar with the United States.
Beach nourishment projects will restore shorelines but require expensive upkeep and affect ecosystems; federal taxpayers will foot the bill.
Among other topics, Mr. Miles, who specialized in unearthing lost material about forgotten subjects, made films about the history of Harlem and a black regiment that fought in World War I.
Sony Pictures is under pressure this summer, and not just to produce hit movies. Daniel S. Loeb, an activist investor, wants Sony to spin off part of its entertainment unit.
Mr. Venturi won the 1964 United States Open, nearly collapsing from heat exhaustion. He later became a chief golf analyst for CBS Sports, where he worked for 35 years.
A federal judge’s ruling could halt the resale of digital music as well as other digital good like e-books.
A world-renowned physicist meets a gorgeous model online. They plan their perfect life together. But first, she asks, would he be so kind as to deliver a special package to her?
The Winklevoss brothers have moved on from their battle with Mark Zuckerberg and are more active than ever.
As Republicans and Democrats in Texas House and Senate hash out the details of the state’s 2014-15 budget, one issue they are not arguing about is support for mental health.
The Illinois Senate has voted to approve the use of marijuana for medical purposes, which if signed into law would make it the second-most-populous state after California to do so.
The secretary, Eric Shinseki, is being held accountable for his overwhelmed agency’s problems dealing with claims for disability compensation.
Sign up for the DealBook Newsletter, delivered every morning and afternoon, and receive breaking news alerts throughout the day. | <urn:uuid:0ec4a8cc-4b8c-4abe-8832-a9aad8b72eeb> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2012/12/26/investing-in-asias-frontier-with-eyes-on-the-horizon/?ref=business | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697380733/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516094300-00011-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.966591 | 2,126 | 1.59375 | 2 |
Beginning in 1975, Charlton published 11 issues of Scooby Doo comics. The short Charlton era makes these comics very unique.
Scooby Doo comic books hit the market in December 1969, just a few months after Scooby Doo first aired in September of that same year. These original comics were from Gold Key and were adaptions of the original Scooby Doo show. Gold Key continued publishing the comics through 1974. A total of 30 issues were [...]
Gold Key was the original publisher of Scooby Doo comic books starting in December 1969 through 1974. Only 30 were published by Gold Key. These are great collectible items for the Scooby Doo fan. | <urn:uuid:3bd1d502-87d3-4858-907f-d117251eee4e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://thescoobystore.com/tag/comics/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00008-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.981138 | 139 | 1.648438 | 2 |
A few weeks ago, I mentioned that I was in Santa Fe for an educational training course. Since returning I've been thinking a lot about some of the things that were said there by the Master Instructor, a.k.a., YODA.
In fact, a few of the tidbits that he offered have been wedged in my brain to the point of obsession. It took me 40+ years to learn some of this and now I am dying to share it. If you are a boss, a manager, or an employee, it applies to everybody, and the information has been valid for as long as mankind has been on this earth.
SSCS . . . yep, that's it. SSCS. If you knew what these letters stood for, you could stop reading now, but let me explain. In any group of workers, volunteers, employees, leaders, there are four very distinctive types of people. There are the stars, and we all know the stars. No, not the, I'm going to get paid a million dollars to pose for a magazine or for selling the rights to my make believe wedding stars, these are the bust your butt, on the right seat in the bus, make it happen, hard working, cooperative, dedicated stars. They're the people who lead the way and make things happen.
The next group of employees is the skeptics. Skeptics are generally really good people, slightly below the star category but they question everything in a meaningful, truth-seeking manner. The only problem with the skeptics is that they take a lot more energy than the stars. You must keep them informed, up to speed and appeased. Once they do get it, they are on board and make things happen in a big and important way. It's just a little harder to get them there.
Next we have the cynics. These people are insincere, and they are motivated by self-interest. They question everything, but more importantly, they dis everything, don't cooperate and try to block every idea, action or activity. They are the ones who work behind the scenes to make sure that things don't get done, that people don't cooperate and then openly criticize each and every idea no matter how sound the concept may be.
Finally, there are the slugs. Usually they are nice enough people, but on a scale from one to 10 with the stars being a 10, the slugs are exactly what they sound like. In fact, in reference to printing, the word slug came from traditional hot-metal printing where a strip of type metal is used for spacing that is less than type-high, hence a slug to fill in SPACE! They are space fillers.
So, here's what they told the leaders who were present at this workshop. The cynics suck your life out of you by continuously challenging and undermining everything, and the slugs add no value to the organization. The problem with stars is that they are often taken for granted, or passed over because they are always amazing and because we spend so much time dealing with the cynics and redoing everything the slug don't do.
His solution? Fire 'em. Now if that seems a little harsh, maybe it's because we all know and love both slugs and cynics. Unless you're a tenured professor or someone's kid, it's really tough to stay in a job where you do these sluggish and cynical things over and over again. Of course if you fall into either of those categories, you could change!
Final advice? Be kind and nice and wonderful to the stars and the skeptics, and spend time explaining everything to the skeptics so that they embrace the concepts and dreams and vision and move forward with the rest of the team. Oh, yeah, and help the slugs and cynics find work, especially if you can find them work with a competitor because they will be the gift that keeps on giving cause they'll be cynics and slugs for them, too.
(Nick Jacobs, Windber, international director for SunStone Consulting, LLC is the author of the blog Healinghospitals.com.) | <urn:uuid:2628569a-e845-4020-9259-7a3641eb9d71> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.dailyamerican.com/ourtown/da-ot-people-you-need-and-others-you-dont-20111101,0,1400364.column | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00014-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.977018 | 846 | 1.507813 | 2 |
Open Small Business has a list of steps to turn services into products:
1. Identify something you can replicate repeatedly – The idea behind a product is that you want to be able to get paid for selling a “thing” and not selling your time.
Also, you want to sell the “same” thing over and over if you are to achieve operational efficiencies and decent profits.
Look around at what you do. Chances are, if you’ve been in business for a while, you have developed a process you follow closely for at least one service.
You may not even realize you have a distinct process until you set out to identify it – but you have something. If that something is in reasonable demand, you have the start of a “product.”
2. Document it – Turn your process into a manufacturing-like assembly line. Break it down into steps that can be performed over and over, by people you can train for the job. Document those steps in detail so that you can calculate the costs involved, and so that your knowledge is transferable.
3. Put limits around your offering – Many services are “squishy” and open ended. For a product you need the opposite — an offering that is well-defined. Set limits to your offering: time limitations; the deliverables included; a flat fee price; a name you can refer to your product by.
Continue Reading: “Turning A Service Into A Product”
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Abdul Arif, an American immigrant, opened the Mayflower Clinic in 2010 as a way to give back to a community he says has given him so much. The clinic gives uninsured working adults free medical care. Nursing Director Mary Burke says, "We have a lot of people in their 50's. Mostly because they've been laid off and they're too old to get a job."
A recent move to a new building allows the clinic to now offer mental healthcare everyday of the week, free of charge. Arif says, "The need for mental health services is enormous. Especially if you notice the kind of waiting periods that is required for some of the non-profits can go on for quite some time before they're seen." Governor Sam Brownback joined the board Friday for a ribbon cutting at the new facility.
Arif believes this free service could help prevent small issues from becoming major problems. He says, "In light of these mass killings, school shootings and what not, all of these tragedies have an element of mental health."
Burke sees the change it's making in one man's life, a man whose mental state keeps him from working. Burke says, "He has anxiety problems and he wants to look for a job. So he's on his way to do that. He's not ready yet, but he's on his way."
The doors stay open with small donations, while the volunteers strive to make a big difference. Arif says, "It's been our lifelong dream. It's not just me, there are others too, we feel especially grateful to the United States for coming here and having the opportunity to be successful. This is our way of giving back."
The clinic also offers free flu shots. Anyone needing a shot is asked to call and make an appointment first. | <urn:uuid:3b7e1ccc-dad6-4092-84f1-45bceec74622> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.herald-mail.com/news/news-les-kwch-mayflower-clinic-helps-mental-health-patients-for-free-20130126,0,2358275.story | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00011-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.981623 | 368 | 1.625 | 2 |
Drivers in North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) spent over 50,000 hours in 161,000 kilometres of traffic jams in 2012, making the state’s roads the busiest in the country, it was reported on Monday.
NRW’s traffic jams accounted for more than a quarter of all jams nationwide in 2012, drivers’ association ADAC told the Westdeutsche Allgemeine Zeitung – and its prognosis for the coming year looks little better.
Köln, for example, has problems with ageing bridges that would mean shutting some of them off for repairs, spokeswoman Jacqueline Grünewald told the paper. “Things probably won’t improve in the new year,” she warned.
Grünewald’s prediction was confirmed on many people’s first day back to work from the Christmas break when 100 kilometres of traffic jams were recorded across the state.
Most affected is the A1 autobahn where people sat in traffic for 8,800 hours last year. On the A3, drivers sat motionless for 8,600 hours, while the A40 between Venlo and Dortmund was a little more free-flowing, racking up 5,900 hours of jams. | <urn:uuid:3dcd1668-9fa0-4bf2-9643-106a4a01f727> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.sixth-sense-newspaper.de/garrison-news/paderborn/2012?view=archive&month=1 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00001-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.950412 | 259 | 1.5625 | 2 |
How Does South Carolina Work Its GOP Crystal Ball?
Saturday's South Carolina Republican primary may be the last good chance for Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney's challengers to stop his march to the nomination. Every election year since 1980, the winner of South Carolina's Republican primary has gone on to win the nomination.
The state's Republicans do seem to have an unerring ability to pick the eventual Republican nominee, and one reason is pretty simple. South Carolina is a red state — a deep dyed red state — with more Republican voters than Iowa and New Hampshire combined. By definition, it's more representative of Republican preferences than the other early primary states.
"We've got Iowa, New Hampshire and Florida, all voted for Barack Obama in 2008," says Dave Woodard, a Clemson University professor and former Republican consultant. "South Carolina hasn't voted for a Democrat since 1976. We're a red state, we're a base Southern state, we're more in the base, really, under the bell curve, of what mainline Republicans are than some of those, shall we say, 'different' states."
South Carolina Republicans don't have an activist culture or as many single-issue voters as those "different" states. That's one reason moderate Republicans have done well there, despite the state's large number of conservative and evangelical voters.
South Carolina Republicans have a history of not only picking the eventual winner but also of choosing the candidate who came in second nationally the last time. Think John McCain or George H.W. Bush or Bob Dole — or maybe Romney, who lost the GOP nomination to Sen. McCain in 2008.
"Republicans generally, and Southerners specifically, are hierarchical," Republican strategist Ed Rogers says. "We appreciate someone coming up through the ranks. I worked for a long time for [one-time Republican National Committee chair] Lee Atwater. South Carolina, for all its reputation for rough politics, has actually showed a lot of maturity, and a lot of seriousness in who they end up electing."
McCain's victory in South Carolina in 2008 is a model Romney would like to follow. McCain won with 33 percent of the vote because former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee split the conservative vote. The same dynamic could still work for Romney this year, says South Carolina Republican Sen. Jim DeMint.
"What happens a lot, and it happened in the last presidential primary, could happen here, is that conservatives divide their vote among a number of conservative candidates, and sometimes the more moderate establishment candidate wins. That's not altogether bad," DeMint says.
Bad or good, the split vote is why moderate, establishment Republicans, like Romney, have in the past been able to win this deep red state with so many populists and religious conservatives.
But this year might be different, if conservatives in South Carolina can finally unite behind one candidate. Texas Gov. Rick Perry dropped out of the race Thursday and endorsed former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, who has been surging in the polls.
But former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum and Texas Rep. Ron Paul are still in the race, competing with Gingrich for the same pool of conservative voters.
South Carolina's Republicans pride themselves on picking a winner every time. This year, we'll find out if that historical pattern is a predictor or merely a precedent. | <urn:uuid:af822502-44bc-444c-bf1d-a0dd467cdbd3> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://wcbe.org/post/how-does-south-carolina-work-its-gop-crystal-ball | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00007-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.95366 | 681 | 1.796875 | 2 |
Although they probably won't make up the majority of your financial aid, writing competitions are a great way to help finance your legal education without going into more debt. They can also help you hone your writing skills, show specialized interest in an area or areas of law, strengthen relationships with professors, and make yourself stand out when it comes to interviewing time.
Be sure to check your own school's website for school-specific opportunities and also this list of some of the best sources for finding writing competitions for law students:
ABA Law Student Division list of writing contests sponsored by all specialized divisions of the organization from Antitrust to Criminal Justice to Entertainment and Sports Law.
List of writing competitions that offer over $100,000 in prizes.
Written by Kathryn Sampson, Assistant Professor at the University of Arkansas Law School, this blog keeps up to date information on writing competitions open to law students.
A comprehensive list of writing contests for law students in an easy-to-navigate format with interactive features.
Organized by deadline month and also by topic. | <urn:uuid:98a6e433-20b0-4489-85ad-66f0d4f78754> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://lawschool.about.com/od/financialmanagement/tp/writingcompetitions.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368711005985/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516133005-00001-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.951773 | 215 | 1.671875 | 2 |
CNN LIVE SUNDAY
Interview With Riccardo Orizio
Aired May 25, 2003 - 16:07 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: If Saddam Hussein is still alive, he's in plenty of company as a deposed dictator in exile. Italian journalist Riccardo Orizio has been spent years finding and interviewing actually some of modern history's most notorious exiled individuals. He's written about them in his book "Talk of the Devil." And Riccardo Orizio joins us now from New York. Good to see you, Mr. Orizio.
RICCARDO ORIZIO, AUTHOR OF "TALK OF THE DEVIL": Yes, hello.
WHITFIELD: Let me ask you, there has been much talk that Saddam Hussein and his sons are very much alive. However, on the other hand, something like up to 30 of the 55 most wanted in the deck of cards are now in custody. Realistically, how might the U.S. or the coalition forces go about getting them to talk, to perhaps reveal information about where Saddam Hussein and his sons might be?
ORIZIO: Of course, but even if Saddam Hussein is going to be caught by the American and British forces, actually let's not forget that the bizarre thing about a deposed, disgraced dictator is that in five years' time, ten years' time, he's going to be forgotten if not forgiven. But certainly forgotten. Some of the people I met and interviewed, like Idi Amin of Uganda, like Bocasa, the self-proclaimed emperor of central Africa, like Mengistu, the Red Nagus of Ethiopia, or maybe Dr. Duvaliers from Haiti. They are living peacefully. And all of us have forgotten about them.
WHITFIELD: Did any of them, during the times of your conversations with Idi Amin or Duvaliers, any of them ever express that they had a desire to return back to their homeland or even try to find some kind of support, even know they were living in exile?
ORIZIO: Oh, yes. Of course. They all talk about coming back to a triumphant return. But obviously this is not realistic. They actually claim that they've been betrayed by more important people and higher powers and super powers. They all say, our only thought was to be labeled monsters for propaganda reasons. But many other people like us committed the same mistakes, made the same mistakes. And they were not labeled monsters. So why us?
WHITFIELD: How realistically should the coalition forces consider the fact that if Saddam Hussein is indeed alive, and that he is trying to garner that support from some of those Ba'ath party loyalists, to try to have some sort of overthrowing of this temporary infrastructure in place, governmental infrastructure in place in Iraq, and that perhaps he might find a way to work his way back into power? ORIZIO: Yes, of course, this is very realistic. It is realistic that Saddam Hussein will try that. It is also realistic to think that the other alternative Saddam Hussein has is what I call the Milosevic- Noriega mentality, meaning that once he is definitely lost, even is captured, he still has the opportunity to go on trial and try, from his point of view, to embarrass the enemies, making revelations about past business deals. For instance, between American companies, Russian companies, and the Iraqi regime. This is what General Noriega of Panama tried but failed to do during his trial in Florida. It's what Milosevic is trying to do now in the Hague.
WHITFIELD: Well if, in the case, Saddam Hussein were to take a very similar path, who or what country would actually come to his aid in his defense if it were to go to custody and eventually some sort of tribunal or trial as you say?
ORIZIO: Let's not forget that Saudi Arabia is providing a safe harbor to Idi Amin, a real monster responsible for the death of hundreds of thousands of Ugandis. And that is done in the name of Islamic solidarity that is due to a former head of state, Muslim head of state, whose life is in danger. And there's also internal reasons for making this hypothesis. If an Islamic regime provides safe harbor to Saddam Hussein, automatically is gaining brownie points with the internal opposition, for instance.
WHITFIELD: OK. Riccardo Orizio, analyst and author of the book "Talk of the Devil, Encounters with Seven Dictators," thanks very much for joining us.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com | <urn:uuid:d1c842d4-5fd2-4665-87a8-925c86d21fc0> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0305/25/sun.03.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00018-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.971775 | 1,010 | 1.515625 | 2 |
(CNN) -- Wendy Duren thought she did everything right.
Wendy Duren says she doesn't get as much sleep but loves her adopted daughter, Madison.
She broke off relationships with men who didn't want to settle down. She refused to get pregnant out of wedlock. She prayed for a child.
Duren's yearning for motherhood was so palpable that her former fiancé once offered to father a child with her. But he warned her that he wasn't ready for marriage.
"I get bored in relationships after a couple of years," he told her, she recalls.
Those events could have caused some women to give up their dreams of motherhood. But Duren, a pharmaceutical saleswoman, didn't need a man to be a mom. At 37 years old, she decided to adopt.
"It's the best decision I could have made in my life," Duren says, two years later. She's now the mother of Madison, a 1-year-old daughter she raises in Canton, Michigan.
"People say I have never seen you so happy," she says, "but it's also the hardest thing I've ever done."
What's driving more single African-American women to adopt
Marriage and motherhood -- it's the dream that begins in childhood for many women. Yet more African-American women are deciding to adopt instead of waiting for a husband, says Mardie Caldwell, founder of Lifetime Adoption, an adoption referral and support group in Penn Valley, California.
"We're seeing more and more single African-American women who are not finding men," Caldwell says. "There's a lack of qualified black men to get into relationships with."
The numbers are grim. According to the 2006 U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey, 45 percent of African-American women have never been married, compared with 23 percent of white women. Sound Off: What are the biggest challenges for black families?
Yet the decision to adopt isn't just driven by the paucity of eligible African-American men, others say.
Toni Oliver, founder and CEO of Roots Adoption Agency in Atlanta, Georgia, says her agency sees more single African-American women adopting because of infertility issues.
Some of the infertility issues may be related to advancing age or health issues, she says. But the result of not being a mother for many older African-American women is the same: panic.
"Their doctors, friends and family are telling them the same thing: 'You're not getting younger; you better hurry up,' '' Oliver says.
The unfulfilled desire to be a mother can damage a woman emotionally, Oliver says. Her agency provides counseling to prospective mothers who have invested so much of their self-worth into being mothers.
"In many cases, it [the pressure to be a mother] begins to set up feelings of unworthiness, poor self-esteem and the feeling that 'I'm not fully a woman,' " Oliver says.
That pressure can cause some African-American women to rush into a marriage with a man they should not partner with, says Kenyatta Morrisey, a 34-year-old mother of three adopted children in Raleigh, North Carolina.
Morrisey wants to be married, but says she'd rather become a mother now and wait for God to guide her to the right man.
"I am not going to settle and get married just for the sake of being married," Morrisey says. "I'd rather trust God to fulfill all of my dreams instead of relying on a man to fulfill my dreams."
Some single African-American women deal with another challenge: criticism for bringing another African-American child into a single-parent household.
Kaydra Fleming, a 37-year-old social worker in Arlington, Texas, is the mother of Zoey, an adopted eight-month-old girl whose biological mother was young and poor.
"Zoey was going to be born to a single black mother anyway," Fleming says. "At least she's being raised by a single black parent who was ready financially and emotionally to take care of her."
Yet there are some single African-American women who are not emotionally ready to adopt an African-American child who is too dark, some adoption agency officials say.
Fair-skinned or biracial children stand a better chance of being adopted by single black women than darker-skinned children, some adoption officials say.
"They'll say, 'I want a baby to look like a Snickers bar, not dark chocolate,' " Caldwell, founder of Lifetime Adoption, says about some prospective parents.
"I had a family who turned a baby down because it was too dark," she says. "They said the baby wouldn't look good in family photographs."
'You have so much love to give'
Skin tone didn't matter to Duren, the pharmaceutical saleswoman. She says she just wanted a child to love.
She was so natural with children that all of her friends predicted that she would be the first to marry, she says. But adoption was "never an option" for her.
"I wanted my genes, my looks to be passed on," Duren says. "I wanted to see me."
The African-American men she dated, however, didn't want to marry, she says. She dated African-American professionals: engineers, attorneys and managers. But there were so many eligible African-American women, and they still wanted to play, she says.
Time was running out for her. At 37 years old, Duren had earned an MBA degree, a six-figure income and had traveled widely. But she couldn't find the right man to raise a family.
One man she thought she would marry broke off their relationship because he said he wasn't ready to be a father. Then he had a child out of wedlock with another woman, she says.
"He broke my heart," Duren says.
The persistent heartache ate away at her.
"I was struggling," Duren says. "I prayed: 'You know Lord, I worked so hard. I have my integrity, morals -- how did this happen?' ''
A turning point came when she was playing with her niece and nephews. Her brother, their father, asked her why she didn't adopt a child when there were so many black children who needed adopting.
"You have so much love to give," he told Duren.
Duren didn't have an answer. She then went online and learned about Lifetime Adoption, the agency based in California. The agency referred her to a married woman who already had five children, but says she couldn't afford to take care of another.
The woman put her through an interview process. She asked about her family history; how she would discipline her child; and what she would do if her baby woke up screaming in the middle of the night.
The woman eventually picked Duren. When the woman gave birth, she invited her to the hospital and handed Duren her daughter.
The adoption process -- from the beginning to receiving her child -- took eight months, Duren says. It cost about $15,000.
"It was so smooth," she says of the adoption process.
What single moms lose and what they gain
The adoption process will go smoothly if a prospective mother prepares well, Caldwell says.
She suggests that prospective single mothers prepare a notebook that will answer vital questions: Who is going to be the guardian of my child if I get sick? Who are the men in my life that could serve as good role models? Do I have life insurance?
Becoming a single mother means a "complete lifestyle change," Caldwell says.
"You might have to give up getting your nails done," she says.
But you gain something better in return, Duren says. Her life is tougher, but its purpose has shifted.
"Tired is my middle name now," she says. "I'm always tired. Naps don't exist anymore."
And at times, being a single mother can be scary, Duren says.
"When my daughter got sick in the middle of the night in the middle of a snow storm, I didn't have anyone to turn to," she says. "I had to do it. There was no one to talk to."
And at times, there is the temptation for an open-ended relationship with men to take away a little of the loneliness.
One ex-boyfriend came around one day with gifts for her daughter, Duren says. Duren told him to make it his last visit because he was still seeing another woman who had his child.
She told him she wasn't going to be his woman on the side.
"I refuse to be a woman with a man tip-toeing in the middle of my house late at night with toys for my daughter," she says. "No one is going to disrespect me."
Duren says she still wants to be married. But in the meantime, she can barely wait to get home to see Madison.
Her life is now shaped by purpose, not regret.
"I have someone to hang out with. I can never say I'm lonely," Duren says. "She lies across my stomach every night, and I just stare at her."
|Most Viewed||Most Emailed||Top Searches| | <urn:uuid:f9b8aa92-8206-49b7-850c-e8a351cbb8f4> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.cnn.com/2009/LIVING/07/01/bia.single.black.women.adopt/index.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00018-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.986327 | 1,948 | 1.742188 | 2 |
November Elections & Referendum
Tuesday, November 7th is the big day across America with the election of a new president. Here in Dexter, Maine we also have plenty on the ballot to consider. Besides a number of State Referendum questions there will be an opportunity to elect two seats on the Town Council as well as filling positions on the School Board, Hospital District Board of Directors, and Utility District Board of Trustees. Voters will also be asked whether or not they wish to repeal the Dexter Land Use Ordinance that was adopted last November, and will also be presented with the question of whether or not to accept revisions to the Town Charter that were recommended by the Charter Commission. Voters will also be casting ballots in a new location for the first time in nearly twenty-five years. Be a part of the action and vote!
To Repeal or Not to Repeal
The issue of adopting a local land-use plan has raised the interest and emotions within many towns across Maine during the past several years. Locally we’ve been on a “roller coaster” ride when it comes to adoption of such a plan. Two years ago, after months of work in the development and review process, the Town Council adopted a Dexter Land-Use Ordinance; however, a citizen petition was immediately filed to seek repeal of the new ordinance. In the November 1998 referendum the ordinance was successfully repealed by a narrow margin. However, in early 1999 another citizen’s group reintroduced the ordinance and succeeded in having it placed on the November, 1999 ballot. Voters approved the ordinace, but once again a citizen’s group filed filed a petition attempting to block the results of the November 1999 elections by again seeking repeal of the ordinace by referendum. So here we are, two years later and we’re still grappling with the issue of getting a local land-use ordinance adopted. On the November ballot is a referendum question that seeks to repeal the Dexter Land-Use Ordinance that was approved by Town voters in November 1999. The question will be presented as follows: “Shall the ordinance entitled ‘Dexter Land-Use Plan” be repealed?” Voters will be required to vote either yes or no. If you vote yes the current ordinance will be repealed, and we will have no municipal land-use plan. If you vote no, the plan adopted during the November 1999 election, will become effective immediately.
Town Charter Revision
In November 1999 Dexter voters approved the creation of a Charter Commission to undertake a review of the Town’s existing charter. By law, the Commission functions as an entity indedpendent from the Town Council, and their proposal for revision must be presented to voters. The nine-member commission has completed their task and a referendum question dealing with changes to the charter will be on the November ballot. Copies of the proposed revision may be viewed at the Town Office, at the Library, or on the Town Web Site.
Where Do You Go To Vote?
Many of you may recall that earlier this summer we held our last election at the Julian P. Clukey Army Reserve Center.
During the ensuing months we’ve considered several new
voting sites, including the Town Office, Knights of Columbus,
and VFW building. After much thought and consideration, the Town Council has selected the VFW building located on Cedar
Street. This site provides ample parking as well as plenty of space to accommodate the voting booths and registrar tables.
Polls will be open at the location from 9:00 AM until 8:00 PM on Tuesday, November 7th. If you have questions about voter registration or absentee ballot procedures please call Shelley Watson, the Town Clerk and Registrar of Voters, at 924-7351. If you haven’t registered to vote, now is as good a time as any!
Board & Committee Updates
This has been a busy year for all the Town’s Boards
and Committees. The Downtown Planning Committee and the
Cable Television Advisory Committee are two recently created
groups. The Downtown Planning Committee will be charged with the challenge of helping create a vision for Dexter’s future downtown area, and is an important element in how competitive
the Town will be when it comes time to acquire state and federal
grants necessary to achieve the changes envisioned by the Committee and Town leadership. The Cable Television Advisory Committee will be the key group responsible for
the future development and operation of local cable television programming. We have had an outstanding response from local residents and business operators for participation on the Downtown Planning Committee; however we’re still seeking candidates for the Cable Advisory Committee. If you’d be interested in being considered for appointment to a municipal Board or Committee, please contact the Town Clerk or Town Manager.
The 2000-2001 property tax bills have been mailed and should have been received by all Dexter property owners. We were successful this year in keeping the property tax rate at 20.5 mils, which mirrors last year’s rate. This translates to $20.50 of property tax on each $1,000 for which your property is valued for assessment purposes. For example, if you own property that the Town assesses at a value of $100,000, you are paying about $2,050 in property taxes for the tax year spanning the period from July 2000 through June 2001. Taxpayers are reminded that 2000-2001 property taxes are due for payment by November 30th.
Tax payers are encouraged to inquire about exemptions that may be available which could provide some reduction to the level of annual property taxes. Also the State of Maine provides a Property Tax Refund Program which may prove helpful to some property owners. Applications for the refund program are available in the Town Office, but must be filed with the State by January 31, 2001.
Economic Development Working Group
Late in 1999 we created an Economic Development Working Group composed primarily of municipal officials.
The goal of the group was to generate ideas and opportunities to promote local economic development. Over the months we've come up with some reasonably good ideas and faced some relatively tough challenges. Unfortunately, we can achieve only a limited amount of success without the support and participation of local business leaders. We generally meet on the fourth Tuesday of each month at 3:00 PM in the Town Manager's Office. If you'd like to be a part of this effort, or just unload a few ideas on the group, you're certainly welcome to participate.
Public Safety Emergency Dispatching
During the last six months we've gone through a significant
change in the way our Ambulance and Fire Departments are being dispatched; however, most residents may not even be aware of the change. The Penobscot Regional Communication
Center is now providing emergency dispatch services for both Fire and Ambulance, and during the coming months our Police Department will also transition to the regional dispatch facility.
Dexter residents still have to call three separate numbers for each service; however, sometime in the not-to-distant future
all of the numbers will be combined into a simple 9-1-1 call. As we get closer to that time we'll be providing ample information to alert the public to the change. We'd anticipated completing the transition to a regional dispatch service by mid-summer, however, delays in equipment deliveries as well as approval of an additional operating frequency for our Police Department have slowed the process.
2000 Annual Town Report
Very soon we'll begin the process of assembling the Town's
Annual Report. In past years the Report focused only on municipal operations; however, we feel the document is very important to the community from a historical perspective as well as a good source of information that can be referenced throughout the year. We're seeking to expand the Report to include activities relating to the Town's service, recreation, and professional organizations. If your group or organization is interested in being included in the year 2000 Dexter Annual Report please contact the Town Clerk or Town Manager.
Note from the Recreation Director
In April, Andy Conway took over as the Town's new Recreation Director. Andy has a long association with
Dexter Recreation and he's a great fit for the position. He certainly had a busy first summer as the Recreation Director, and participation was good for most of the programs. Looking ahead to the Fall of 2000 our Recreation Department will be offering flag football, soccer, and field hockey. Volunteers are always needed to help coach and run events. Persons wishing to help with any of our recreation activities can get an application from the Recreation Director or at the Town Office. Be on the lookout for more information regarding registration for upcoming programs and activities. Remember, the fee for each program is generally $10. If you have any questions please contact Andy Conway, at 924-7351 between 12:00 Noon and 5:00 PM, Monday - Friday. His office is located on the second floor of the Morrison building.
Economic Development Update
Recently, the Town Council approved Dexter's participation as a member of the Piscataquis County Economic Development Council. This was intended as a one- year trial effort to determine the benefits that could be derived from working in a cooperative effort with the Piscataquis County based group. Mark Scarano, Business Development Director for the organization, has been contacting businesses in Dexter during the last several months. We're hopeful that this initiative will help provide some exciting opportunities for some of Dexter's businesses, as well as attract new business to the area. If you are a Dexter business and would like to contact Mark, he can be reached at 1-800-539-0332.
Council Chamber Window Displays
The front windows of the Town Council Chambers in the Morrison Building are frequently used for seasonal displays and special events; however, we've recently started offering local small businesses, artists, and crafters the opportunity to use the windows to promote their products and services. Generally, one of the windows can be used for an entire month for an individual business display. If you'd like to know more about this great opportunity to promote your small business please call or stop by the Town Office.
Bicentennial related activities formally began on July 22nd with the ringing of church bells and a band concert presented by the Brewer Community Band. Although rain forced the concert and ice cream social indoors, the program went on as planned. A host of activities and events are planned for the months ahead, culminating in the summer of 2001 with a grand finale display of fireworks and parade. Some of the programs planned for the coming year include an arts & crafts fair, an antique auto show, a musical stage production, and much more. The Town is even sponsoring a contest to design a Bicentennial Logo. Organizers are looking to add more activities to the calendar of events. Groups or individuals who would like to help or schedule an event as part of the Bicentennial Celebration can contact Liz Breault at the Abbott memorial Library, 924-7292.
New Location for Dexter Police Department
If you’ve been following the construction activity at the corner of Main and Church Streets you know that the work on Dexter’s new Police Department is just about complete. What was once a filling station has been miraculously transformed into an impressive new facility, which should provide an excellent location for our Police Department for decades to come. It wasn’t too many years ago that the Dexter Police Department was actually operating out of a hallway and closet in the Town Office. Over the years the Town’s law enforcement needs have grown but the Police Department has continued to operate out of cramped and outmoded facilities. When the Webber Oil Building became available the Town recognized the opportunity to relocate the Police Department to a strategic and visible site on Main Street. Now, after much planning and hard work, the new facility should be fully operational by mid-October.
Creation of a Town Seal for Dexter
We’re seeking public input for the design of a new Town Seal. For years the Town hasn’t had an “official” seal, and it seemed appropriate that one be adopted during the Bicentennial Year. If you would like to submit a design proposal for consideration, they must be received by Wednesday, October 11th. Design artwork must be submitted on 8 1/2 x 11 white bond paper. It’s anticipated that a design will be selected by the Town Council in October. The individual or group submitting the winning design will receive an award of $150. The design for the new Town Seal will become the property of the Town of Dexter, with the Town retaining all rights for publication and reproduction. Inquiries should be directed to the Town Manager at 924-7351.
Congratulations To Police Officers
During the last several months we’ve had several important changes occur within the Police Department. Alan Grinnell has been promoted to the grade of Corporal and Kevin Wintle successfully completed the Maine Criminal Justice Academy in Waterville. Darrin Smith is the newest addition to the force, replacing Mike Knight, who recently took a position with the Somerset County Sheriff’s Department. We’d like to congratulate Alan and Kevin on their accomplishments, and welcome Darrin to the Department. | <urn:uuid:3bec77ba-ab05-4703-a5f9-995cd59b5ad7> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.dextermaine.org/Newsletter/fall00.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00011-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.959676 | 2,715 | 1.632813 | 2 |
A ‘good Indian girl’ isn’t supposed to be this way. A ‘good Indian girl’ is supposed to listen to her parents, stay publicly inhibited and grounded, and in these slowly changing times in modern India, is allowed to study diligently to achieve an attractive degree.
Because from Day One, a ‘good Indian girl’ is nurtured for eventual her matrimonial advertisement in the supplement copy of the Wednesday newspaper. She is taught how to cook the right Indian meals to keep her future husband happy, she is expected to build a home, churn out descendents (preferably boys) at regular intervals, and sacrifice her own ambitions to satisfy the expectations of both her and her husband’s family.
It is because a woman in India rarely exists for herself: she lives for her parents, and her siblings, and her prying aunties, and her husband, and her children, and so on and on… That’s why the story of a female athlete in India, or a female architect, a writer, a filmmaker, or anyone from a male-centric traditional background, who instead decided to live her life the way she wanted to, will never be an ordinary story.
Divya Singh, the former captain of the Indian women’s national basketball team, is one such story. At 27, Divya has already turned the stifling ‘good Indian girl’ stereotypes on its head, and instead trailblazed a career for herself in what she loved most: basketball.
Like former men’s captain Trideep Rai, who I interviewed for an article last month, Divya is also from my hometown Varanasi, which has had a reputation of being uniquely illustrious in churning out national-level basketball talents. Her early inspiration to get into the game as an adolescent was her older sister Priyanka, who received notable basketball success herself when she got a chance to play for her state team. “I used to watch my sister play, and hang around her, just dribbling,” Divya says, “That is how it all began.”
In two years, Divya’s casual dribbling drills morphed into serious interest in the game, and at 14, she got her first call-up to the Varanasi District Junior Team. Two years later, she was called up to play for the seniors. She was in her senior year at high school when she got her call-up to represent her state Uttar Pradesh (UP) in the senior nationals.
Although naturally gifted, her journey in basketball wasn’t without its share of hurdles. First and foremost, it was from her own father, a bank manager who was against his daughter’s interest in athletics. “He still feels like I should’ve tried to find a job in something related to administration,” Divya said, “He didn’t understand that I could have a future in sports.” Her mother, Divya admits, fully supported her dreams, and despite the differing worldviews in her family, Divya continued to develop her game towards stardom.
Divya received her first call-up to the Indian national team in 2000. For seven years thereafter, the young Banarasi was a force in women’s basketball in the country. The highlights of her international career included a silver medal in the 20th Asian Basketball Confederation Championship in 2005, gold in the First Phuket International Invitational Basketball Championship in Thailand in 2006, leading the Indian team as captain in the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne (Australia), and finishing at 5th place (India’s highest finish in decades) at the FIBA Asia Championship for Women at Incheon (South Korea) in 2007.
Meanwhile, she continued a stellar career domestically too. After representing UP for a few years, she moved on to play for Delhi from 2002-2007, with whom she won gold in the Senior National Basketball Championships at Hyderabad in 2003 and three silver medals from 2005-2007. While she played for Delhi, she “worked” for the Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Ltd (MTNL) as a Telecom Office Assistant. I emphasize on “worked” because, as I had written in my article on Trideep, a lot of successful Indian basketball professionals are signed on to represent a government service with a mock job placement and title, whereas in reality they are expected to focus mostly on basketball. Divya agrees that her placement has been no different.
Divya’s success led the way to her three younger sisters following her path. Prashanti, Akanksha, and Pratima Singh have all represented the Indian national team, making Varanasi Singh family a unique foursome that began to dominate women’s basketball in India. It was to help her sister’s that Divya indulged in her first stint in coaching. She has been coach of St. Stephen’s College (Delhi) and Jesus and Mary College (JMC) Delhi, as well as Manager-Coach for Delhi University.
“My sister used to play in these teams,” she said, “I coached a few tournaments whenever I had the free time to try and help them out.” This early exposure for the youngster was to shape her interest in basketball coaching in the future.
After years of success in her career, she had reached a standstill: Divya stopped and asked herself, “Now what?” 27 is a mighty young age to be having a crisis of purpose; but as Trideep (26) had mentioned earlier, after a certain point, basketball in India leaves their players disillusioned with nothing to offer any more. “I played for the national team and had success in the national tournaments,” Divya says, “But players like us soon realize that there is nowhere else to go from here.” Divya was offered contract with a club in Chile, but the deal broke early, and she didn’t wish to pursue it any further.
It was later in 2007 that another unique opportunity came knocking Divya’s way: from one of the seminars conducted from the NBA’s Basketball Without Borders (BWB) programme, Divya and fellow player Yuvika Sharma were selected by the University of Delaware’s Sports Management Department for its Higher Education Administration Graduate Programme. The programme is a collaboration between the University of Delaware and the Basketball Federation of India (BFI), and Divya, who is getting a Master’s in Educational Leadership and Sports Management there, will return to help the BFI at the end of her course in mid-2010.
“I’m learning stuff like international sports marketing and sports finance here,” she says, “I have plans to come back to India and work for the BFI, helping to promote basketball in India through the right kind of marketing and campaigning.” Aside from her degree, Divya also serves as the assistant coach to the head coach Tina Martin for the University’s senior team, which is in the D1 and is having a good season.
Unfortunately for Divya, she can’t actually play for Martin’s squad, because D1 rules imply that no player who has been paid as a professional can represent a D1 squad. It is not all disappointment for her, since working under the tutelage of Martin has helped Divya hone her own basketball knowledge, which she later wants to share with youth back in India.
“The level of players here is extremely high compared to back home,” Divya adds, “Players are physically tougher, and a lot more skillful. They train in a systematic manner, and have excellent facilities which are at least six or seven times than the facilities that we have back in our camps in India.”
Divya’s playing career seems to have been halted abruptly, a fact that she is resentful about, but realizes that with her knowledge now she could go back and help many more youngsters in India develop their basketball talent. “I didn’t want to leave sports. I love playing the game, but now I feel the right thing to do is to go back and help BFI in making basketball bigger in India.”
One of her dream projects is to be part of the system that ushers in a basketball league in India, similar to the popular Indian Premier League (IPL) for cricket. “In India, sport fans generally focus more on international games than domestic leagues – we need to help and chance that attitude,” she says, “The IPL has been very successful and we need to do something like that for basketball. Such a league will increase the competition level, provide regular games and exposure for players, and will be attractive to the fans.”
“Fans wake up at 4 in the morning to watch NBA games, and nobody knows about our own national championships.”
The league system, unlike the current service-tournament system in India, may not provide lifetime job security, but Divya believes that for the overall growth of the games as well as talent in India, it is better.
“I don’t like cricket very much,” Divya admits, “But I admire the way that it is managed. It’s possible for basketball to grow in India. There is a court in most of the schools in India, and kids play the game regularly at a young age. Their talent needs to be channelized in the right way.”
Her exposure in Delaware has shown Divya what facilities are lacking back home, like proper weight rooms, weight-trainers, dieticians, or scouts to cultivate young talent the right way. “Some of our players have had the natural talent and would’ve been able to make it into American leagues if they were nurtured properly from a young age.”
And it is with these dreams that Divya plans to return to India. “I am undecided on whether I will return to a playing career,” she says, “But I love the game, and I’ve found my calling with administrative work for the BFI in helping promote it the right way, whether through the media or through more camps across Indian schools.”
I don’t know if Divya’s step into administrative duties for the country’s basketball body was a planned career move, but they mark a strange compromise between her own dreams and her father’s. “When my sisters and I began playing the game, it was a passion, not a career,” she says, “We went against our father’s wishes and followed our hearts. That kind of passion needs to be brought back into youngsters playing basketball here.”
For Divya, it was always more than a career… Until it became one! Her story is exemplary to other young girls with dreams that conflict with their family, society, or the potential matrimonial ad. And it is girls like her who follow their dreams and positively redefine the 'good Indian girl'. | <urn:uuid:467e2ffe-3fa1-4327-b002-e5e5dfebfa96> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://hoopistani.blogspot.com/2010/01/divya-singh-good-girl-gone-basketball.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.979952 | 2,325 | 1.679688 | 2 |
Sun September 23, 2012
Giant Panda Cub Found Dead At National Zoo
Originally published on Sun September 23, 2012 1:11 pm
The giant panda cub born to much excitement at the Smithsonian National Zoological Park in Washington, D.C., last weekend was found dead this morning.
The Associated Press reports panda-keepers were alerted by sounds of distress from the cub's mother, Mei Xiang, but it was too late. The cause of death is not yet known, but zoo officials are planning a press conference at 1 p.m. ET.
On its Facebook page, the National Zoo posted this statement:
We are broken-hearted to share that we have lost our little giant panda cub. Panda keepers and volunteers heard Mei Xiang make a distress vocalization at 9:17 a.m. and let the veterinarian staff know immediately. They turned off the panda cam and were able to safely retrieve the cub for an evaluation at 10:22 a.m., which we only do in situations of gravest concern. The veterinarians immediately performed CPR and other life-saving measures, but sadly the cub was unresponsive. We'll have more updates as we learn more, but right now we know is that the cub weighed just under 100 grams and that there was no outward sign of trauma or infection. We'll share information with you as we learn more.
And we, too, will share more information as it comes in.
Update at 12:41 p.m. ET: Cub Was A Rare Surprise
As the AP notes, the cub had been a surprise at the zoo:
"Fourteen-year-old Mei Xiang had five failed pregnancies before giving birth, and only one panda cub has survived at the zoo in the past."
That would be Tai Shan, Mei Xiang's cub, born in 2005 and "repatriated" to China in 2010.
Update at 2:08 p.m. ET: 'Couldn't Have Been More Beautiful'
Zoo officials had no explanation for the cub's death at their briefing this afternoon.
"This is a very difficult time for staff and keepers and volunteers," National Zoo Director Dennis Kelly said. "This is devastating for everyone here."
The zoo is proceeding with a pathology exam to learn more about what caused the cub's death. After detailing the CPR procedures performed on the tiny little body, Chief Veterinarian Suzan Murray took a moment to share a little more:
"The other thing I'd have to say about the cub is that, as you all might imagine, the cub was just beautiful," she said. "It's a beautiful little body, a beautiful face with the markings just beginning to show around the eye – couldn't have been more beautiful." | <urn:uuid:faf282cd-2708-40ab-9ca4-c198ea454762> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://ktep.org/post/giant-panda-cub-found-dead-national-zoo | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00006-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.973665 | 566 | 1.765625 | 2 |
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NEW YORK (AP) — Superstorm Sandy grounded well over 10,000 flights across the Northeast and the globe, and it could be days before some passengers can get where they’re going.
According to the flight-tracking service FlightAware, more than 13,500 flights had been canceled for Monday and Tuesday, almost all related to the storm. By early Tuesday morning, more than 500 flights scheduled for Wednesday also were canceled.
Major carriers such as American Airlines, United and Delta canceled all flights into and out of three area airports in New York, the nation’s busiest airspace. About one-quarter of all U.S. flights travel to or from New York airports each day. So cancelations here can dramatically impact travel in other cities.
Delays rippled across the U.S., affecting travelers in cities from San Francisco to Atlanta. Others attempting to fly out of Europe and Asia also were stuck.
Narita, the international airport near Tokyo, canceled 11 flights Tuesday — nine to the New York area and two to Washington, D.C. All Nippon Airways set up a special counter at Narita to deal with passengers whose flights had been canceled.
“All flights to New York yesterday and today are canceled. What will happen tomorrow no one knows,” airline spokeswoman Megumi Tezuka said.
Sandy caused Eric Danielson to miss his first day of work at Langley Air Force Base in Virginia. He thought he’d be looking at a two-hour layover in Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport on his way from San Francisco to Norfolk, Va.
But Sandy changed his schedule. “Now it’s beginning to be a 28-hour layover until tomorrow,” he said Monday.
Hurricane Sandy converged with a cold-weather system and made landfall over New Jersey on Monday evening with 80 mph winds. The monstrous hybrid of rain and high wind — and even snow in some mountainous inland areas — killed at least 16 people in seven states, cut power to more than 6 million homes and businesses from the Carolinas to Ohio, caused scares at two nuclear power plants and stopped the presidential campaign cold.
The storm was forecast to head across Pennsylvania before taking another sharp turn into western New York by Wednesday morning, bringing heavy rain and local flooding.
The flight cancelations were on par with a major winter storm in early 2011 that forced 14,000 flights to be scrapped over four days.
Businessman Alan Shrem was trying to return home to Boca Raton, Fla. His Monday morning Cathay Pacific flight from Hong Kong to New York’s Kennedy airport was canceled.
He learned he could be stuck in Hong Kong for nearly a week because the next available seat was Nov. 4. He was put on a waiting list for seats that could become available earlier.
“They just say: Yeah, it’s a pretty big waiting list,” said Shrem, throwing up his hands. In the meantime, he’ll have to fork out $400 a night to continue staying at a nearby hotel. The airline won’t pay for accommodation for stranded passengers if delays are weather-related.
Even if storm damage is minor it could be a week before operations are normal at major East Coast airports, said Angela Gittens, director general of the Airports Council International, a trade group for airports worldwide.
“The storm has such a wide swath and so many major airports are involved that it’s going to take some time (to recover) because those airplanes are so far away,” said Gittens, who served as aviation director at Miami International Airport Dade during several hurricanes from 2001 to 2004.
Airports in the metropolitan New York City area were open, but air carriers were not operating. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey said Monday that travelers shouldn’t even try to go to Kennedy, Newark Liberty, LaGuardia and Stewart airports.
JetBlue Airways Corp. canceled 1,200 flights for Sunday through Tuesday. The airline is hoping to resume flights at its Kennedy airport hub Wednesday, but is worried about flooding of the airport’s runways since they are all basically at sea level and near bodies of water, according to Rob Maruster, the company’s chief operating officer.
Delta Air Lines Inc. has canceled 2,100 flights over the three days. American Airlines has scrapped 1,000 flights, including 260 on regional affiliate American Eagle.
The impact on airline’s bottom lines is unclear. Many of the customers on flights currently being canceled will reschedule later on, so the airlines will still collect the fares. But the cost of parking planes for days, along with potential damage, will undoubtedly cost airlines millions.
Travelers overseas could wait days to get to the East Coast of the U.S.
Frankfurt airport canceled 12 incoming and nine outgoing flights because of the storm, adding to 12 it scrapped on Monday. Spain’s biggest airports in Madrid and Barcelona axed 19 flights, on top of 13 canceled the day before.
British Airways cut another 11 return flights to and from the East Coast on Tuesday, adding to 20 on Monday, when London’s Heathrow airport canceled a total of 59 flights to and from the U.S.
Air India said its daily flights to Newark and JFK had been halted since Sunday.
South Korea’s Korean Air said it canceled three flights to New York and one flight to Washington on Monday and Tuesday. Asiana Airlines canceled its Tuesday flight to New York. Its Monday flight to JFK was delayed by 26 hours, then was postponed again by another 26 hours.
Hong Kong’s Cathay Pacific Airways had canceled six New York flights by Tuesday. The airline said another New York flight via Vancouver will only go as far as the Canadian city.
David Koenig in Dallas, Kate Brumback in Atlanta, Kelvin Chan in Hong Kong, Youkyung Lee in Seoul, Yuri Kageyama in Tokyo, David McHugh in Frankfurt and Ciaran Giles in Madrid contributed to this report. | <urn:uuid:79a3f053-5999-4d74-9e91-40440b43cf48> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.trentonian.com/article/20121030/NEWS01/121039997/for-travelers-sandy-s-aggravation-spans-globe | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.956327 | 1,269 | 1.5625 | 2 |
In constant demand
as both a pianist and conductor, Sergei Rachmaninov found precious
little time for composition. One of his more fertile periods
came when in 1906 he resigned a position at the Bolshoi Opera
in Moscow and moved his family to Dresden. During this period
he composed his second (and in my opinion finest) symphony,
and the haunting tone poem, The Isle of the Dead,
by the painting of the same name (1886) by Arnold Böcklin
(1827-1901). The painting depicts a rocky island rising out
of the sea,
and a boatman rowing his small craft containing only himself
and a mysteriously shrouded figure toward an entry gate.
In a brilliant
musical maneuver, Rachmaninov portrays the only hint of motion
in the painting through the use of a persistent rhythmic figure
in 5/8 time. After this opening gesture, the music roars to
a climax with the full large orchestra, which is followed by
a tranquil section that might represent an actual funeral service.
The melody begins to hint at the first phrase of the plainchant Dies
from the Roman Catholic Mass for the Dead, a device
which Rachmaninov would use time and again throughout his composing
In spite of its
austere title, this work, at times stark and brooding, is
also warm ... even inviting. It is rife with the kind of lush
and sweeping melody that made Rachmaninov one of the last
of the great romantics. This is a performance that exceeds
expectations. Vladimir Jurowski leads a beautifully paced
performance capped with lovingly shaped phrases. His reading
compares to the Ashkenazy/Philharmonia reading on Philips
and the Jansons/St Petersburg Philharmonic performance on EMI
terms of both depth of interpretation and the solid, well
disciplined orchestral sound. The warm inviting tone is so
you almost feel physically embraced by it, as if there were
a literal blanket of music wrapping itself around you. The
performance is mood altering and glorious, and then ... that
wonderful moment is annihilated with about fifteen seconds
of utterly needless applause. Good heavens, what were the
producers thinking? OK, we all know that one of the most economic
for an orchestra to be heard on disc is to record their best
live concerts, but why trash such a beautifully crafted moment
by keeping the applause in? Sheesh! Bah! Fie!
For the last quarter
century of his life, after his permanent departure from his
native Russia, Rachmaninov had even less time available for
composing, having to support himself and his family with constant
concerts and tours. There are but a handful of works from this
period. One of the majors is the Symphonic Dances,
in New York while the composer was recovering from surgery.
Originally for two pianos, he later orchestrated them as
a showpiece for Eugene Ormandy’s Philadelphia Orchestra,
which gave the first performance in 1941.
the works not to be symphonic in their formal structure,
but rather in their size and scope. They are broad powerful
brilliantly orchestrated and include a major theme from the
alto saxophone, a somewhat unusual gesture, even today. The
marvel of this composer’s music is his ability successfully
to juxtapose sheer power and virtuosity with melodies so
gorgeous that they almost belong in a movie love scene.
captures both sides of the composer with great flair. This
too is a most excellent performance, although the audience
noise is more prevalent in this work than in the first, and
this becomes a bit of an annoyance. In particular he gets a
very fine string sound, reminiscent of what used to come from
Ormandy and Stokowski. Wind playing is also superb, with the
aforementioned alto saxophone solo coming off very well indeed.
Brass is crisp and never overpowering, but when they need to
turn up the heat, they do so to thrilling effect.
Again, the final
movement is marred by applause, although it seems a bit more
fitting since this piece ends with a bang. This series from
the London Philharmonic holds a great deal of potential, especially
when the orchestra is in the hands of such an able conductor.
But please, leave the cheering in the concert hall, and let
us enjoy some great music-making at home, with the appropriate
silence following the last bar, so that we might decide ourselves
how to react! | <urn:uuid:9449a731-2ca2-4a81-a8c6-4110e5c26437> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2006/May06/Rachmaninov_LPO0004.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706890813/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516122130-00018-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.946809 | 988 | 1.742188 | 2 |
From its romantic name to its rich history, Oskaloosa has a past that has shaped its future. Starting In the 1800’s to the early 1900’s, this town was an important coal mining area. Theodore Roosevelt once campaigned in this history-laden town and the William Penn University was founded here. Oskaloosa is home to several businesses and parks, museums and retail shopping. Its town square boasts a bronze statue of Chief Mahaska and the city is mentioned in country western singer Johnny Cash's song "I've been everywhere".
Ottumwa is located in the southeastern part of Iowa, with the city split into northern and southern halves by the Des Moines River. In addition to being a coal mining center, this Bridge Town has seen several Presidential visits as well as being proclaimed the "Video Game Capital of the World,” and the birth place of Walter Eugene "Radar" O'Reilly of the show “Mash.” There are several beautiful parks, retail shopping, delicious eating establishments and historic buildings perfect for events of all types in addition to being home to The Indian Hills Community College. | <urn:uuid:015e3e06-70b5-4069-be68-aea6afc819d7> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://weddingsiniowa.com/Oskaloosa%20Ottumwa/Oskaloosa.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00013-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.982944 | 230 | 1.695313 | 2 |
Over yonder on the Tennessee side of Bristol, the local federal court is the E.D. Tennessee's Greeneville Division, where Judge Thomas Hull has been on the bench since his appointment by President Reagan in 1983. In 2002, he took senior status, and Judge Greer was appointed by President Bush.
The Greeneville paper reports here that Judge Hull is retiring completely as of tomorrow.
The best part of the article is this statement by Magistrate Judge Inman:
“I first came to know Judge Thomas G. Hull when he was a state Circuit Court Judge, and I was a young lawyer in Morristown. I immediately liked and admired him, both personally and as a judge. His sense of humor and common sense made unpleasant trials more palatable.
“He maintained that personality when he became a federal district court judge. When I first went on the state bench in 1984, I tried to emulate much of his manner in the trial of cases.
“It is impossible to recite in a few short paragraphs what Judge Hull has meant to me, to the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee, and to his hometown of Greeneville. But for Judge Hull, I would never have been a state court judge, and neither would I have become a United States magistrate judge.
“But for Judge Hull and his dogged determination, the District Court and Greeneville would not have the amazingly beautiful, technologically superior, and functional U. S. Courthouse.
“Judge Hull has been, and remains, a remarkable man. Many people, including myself, owe him much. The Jimmy Stewart movie, ‘It’s a Wonderful Life,’ comes to mind. What would this court and this town have been like if there had been no Tom Hull? We all have been very fortunate that there was, and is, a Judge Tom Hull.” | <urn:uuid:f148a286-3072-4cac-bd17-c8013a0c94fe> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://swvalaw.blogspot.com/2006/04/judge-hull-retires.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00003-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.986045 | 392 | 1.695313 | 2 |
Where I am going with this is that under the second amendment we are in fact allowed to bear arms, or wear them openly.
Under the thirteenth amendment there is also some interesting points. While this is listed under the "threat of consequences for forced labor" it seems highly applicable to enforcing the second amendment
Title 18, U.S.C., Section 241 – Conspiracy Against Rights:
Conspiracy to injure, oppress, threaten, or intimidate any person's rights or privileges secured by the Constitution or the laws of the United States
Title 18, U.S.C., Section 242 – Deprivation of Rights Under Color of Law:
It is a crime for any person acting under color of law (federal, state or local officials who enforce statutes, ordinances, regulations, or customs) to willfully deprive or cause to be deprived the rights, privileges, or immunities of any person secured or protected by the Constitution and laws of the U.S.
This includes willfully subjecting or causing to be subjected any person to different punishments, pains, or penalties, than those prescribed for punishment of citizens on account of such person being an alien or by reason of his/her color or race.
My personal interpretation of this is that no state laws may be enacted denying anyone of the bill of rights and that would most certainly include any state including IL that bans open carry. And anyone enforcing them is guilty themselves of a crime.
Am I wrong?
Come at me liberals!
Edited by Unanimous, 12 April 2012 - 02:48 PM. | <urn:uuid:4c73b22c-dd78-4e76-9e54-18eaecbba3db> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://illinoiscarry.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=29683&st=0&p=322442 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00009-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.944284 | 318 | 1.695313 | 2 |
QUESTION: Well, Secretary Clinton, thank you very much for making time for us. We really appreciate that. The headline that you created in one New Zealand newspaper was “Clinton Crushes 25 Years of Ice.”
SECRETARY CLINTON: (Laughter.)
QUESTION: Do you feel that that is what happened yesterday?
SECRETARY CLINTON: I think we’ve always had a very close relationship on so many issues, and it was important for me to demonstrate that very vividly. We work together on everything from climate change and renewable energy to nonproliferation – our soldiers are working together in Afghanistan – and just on so many fronts.
But I do think there was the perhaps lingering impression that for whatever reason, the last 25 years had served as an obstacle to our close partnership, and I’m glad that the ice is crushed or melted or whatever the metaphor might be.
QUESTION: And as you say, metaphor and a lot of symbolism in the news today, but what about the practical impact of this close relationship? You said in Hawaii on the 28th of October, and I’ll quote you, that the United States had created new parameters for military cooperation with New Zealand. What are those new parameters?
SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, those, of course, will be defined and developed by our defense experts. But New Zealand has just published its own defense white paper, which is very far-ranging in their understanding of the threats that we all face. I have talked with the defense secretary and others in your military establishment, and they’ll be working closely with our counterparts in the United States to put some meat on the bones.
QUESTION: So do you expect there to be more training, I guess, if I can put it --
SECRETARY CLINTON: Yes, I think more training, more sharing of lessons learned. We’re very admiring of New Zealand’s military presence and the peacekeeping work that you do, for example, in the Solomon Islands. That is certainly an impression that is very highly held with respect to the work that you’re doing in the PRT and your special forces in Afghanistan. Earlier today, I went to the War Memorial in Wellington and I met veterans from World War II, Korea, Vietnam, people serving today. And a lot of the World War II veterans were telling me that they had flown with American squadrons, they had trained with American service members.
So I think that there is a closeness, but we need to update it. We need to make sure that we’re looking toward the future, not the past.
QUESTION: And given that closeness, why not simply lift the presidential directive and resume business as usual in terms of military training?
SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, we’re moving in a very positive direction, but I know there are sensitivities that exist in your country and mine. And we want to be sure we’re on very firm ground so that the steps we take are both warranted and well regarded.
QUESTION: Before I leave that subject of the sensitive ground, the nuclear issue, as far as I understand it, U.S. Navy warships don’t carry nuclear weapons. It’s the nuclear power that prevents them from coming into New Zealand waters. Now, given the widespread use of nuclear energy – in fact, even as a clean energy in this age of climate change, do you find it a little bit amusing that New Zealand refuses to have entry from U.S. warships which have nuclear power?
SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, that’s, of course, a decision for New Zealand to make. But our ships that are nuclear-powered have proven over time to be very reliable, very safe, and we’re proud of their record. But again, we’re taking this on an ongoing evaluative basis, so let’s look toward the future.
QUESTION: Does that mean you would like to see the return of a U.S. Navy ship?
SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, that’s something that is really up to the Government and people of New Zealand.
QUESTION: Let’s look at an area where we do have more cooperation, I guess, and that is Afghanistan. New Zealand’s special forces troops are in Kabul and due to pull out in March of next year. Would you like them to stay longer?
SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, of course, we would like them, if that’s possible. But again, that’s a decision for New Zealand because they are very highly regarded. They work extremely professionally, along with our troops and other NATO-ISAF members.
We’re making progress on the ground. I think that the operational integration of the buildup in troops that the United States has made along with some of our other partners has demonstrated a capacity to really change the situation there. So we have a high regard for New Zealand and the troops that you deploy there. And of course, we would like them to stay as long as you have them stay.
QUESTION: Was there any discussion with that – with our prime minister during your visit? Did you put the case to the prime minister that perhaps they could stay longer?
SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, again, it’s a decision of the Government and people of New Zealand, but I certainly praised their performance and expressed to the prime minister how grateful both our military and civilian officials are at the work that is being done by the troops from New Zealand.
QUESTION: Just in the last couple of minutes that we have, I’d like to turn to trade. New Zealand has free trade agreements with China. It’s beginning negotiations with Russia. I mean, in this time where those former communist countries have opened up their economies to New Zealand, some in New Zealand would find it unusual that America – that we share such close historical and cultural ties – has rebuffed New Zealand attempts to have a free trade agreement with the United States. What would be your response to that?
SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, first of all, we have such a vigorous trade relationship. I don't know the exact figures, but a significant percentage of all of New Zealand’s exports go to the United States. In return, we have many of our companies – excuse me – operating here in New Zealand employing the citizens of this country. And we’re working together on what we think is a very exciting development, the Trans Pacific Partnership, which will be a multi-country trade agreement.
We both have decided to work on that first. That doesn’t rule in, rule out any kind of bilateral agreement. But given how strong our relationship already is, opening up markets across the Pacific to each of us simultaneously through the TPP, we think, makes a great deal of sense.
QUESTION: Just finally, if I can turn briefly to domestic politics, it seems almost incomprehensible at this great distance that the euphoria which accompanied President Obama’s victory in 2008 has seemingly evaporated in the midterm elections. Why has that happened?
SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, of course, we have a historical pattern of this happening, that the party of the President loses seats in the first midterm election. So in that respect, this is not at all out of the ordinary. I remember very well it happened to my husband back in 1994. That doesn’t make it any easier and it’s deeply saddening to see good people lose their congressional seats.
But it is part of a historical pattern, and certainly I know that, as the President said in his press conference, he’s going to work hard the next two years to build a strong relationship with the Congress, with the new leaders to get things done for our country.
QUESTION: A final question: You’re in a country which has had two female prime ministers. You’re heading to a country --
SECRETARY CLINTON: (Laughter.)
QUESTION: -- that has a female prime minister. Is your country ready for a female president?
SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, I hope so. It should be and --
QUESTION: Could that be you?
SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, not me, but it will be someone. And it is nice coming to countries that have already proven that they can elect a woman to the highest governing positions that they have in their systems.
QUESTION: That’s a good place to leave it. Secretary Clinton, thanks very much for your time.
SECRETARY CLINTON: Good to talk to you. Thank you. | <urn:uuid:b10e681d-e4f4-4e42-b14d-69b493e4f19b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.state.gov/secretary/rm/2010/11/150476.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00010-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.97526 | 1,827 | 1.617188 | 2 |
By Ben Ellison
|It’s really here, it really works, and a few savvy fishermen are taking advantage of it.|
Who’s surprised that the DSC (Digital Selective Calling) aspect of VHF marine radio has gotten off to a slow start? Let’s review the technology and the major impediments it’s faced since introduction in the late 1990’s. First of all, even as the first pleasureboat radios able to send a one-button distress signal with owner ID and location came to market, we all knew that the U.S. Coast Guard might not be able to hear those calls for many years. They still can’t. Then there’s the ongoing debacle known as MariTEL.
As you may recall, perhaps with a grimace, MariTEL promised to use the non-distress properties of DSC to revolutionize the coastal ship-to-shore communications business. We were going to be able to direct-dial private calls from up to 50 miles offshore with our boat radio, even hook up to the Internet using the digital modem that is at the hardware heart of DSC. MariTEL had bought up almost all the existing U.S. coastal VHF commercial stations, won more frequencies in FCC auctions, and partnered with several high-flying tech companies to build out a multimillion-dollar network of fiber cable, tall towers, and state-of-the-art digital gizmos. The company even hinted strongly that it would soon provide the Coast Guard with its much needed communications upgrade. I know the story all too well and also grimace in embarrassment because I wrote with great enthusiasm about how MariTEL’s fantastic new system would fuel our adoption of DSC.
Of course MariTEL’s vaunted network turned out to be almost entirely smoke, mirrors, and hype. The company crashed so badly that as of last summer it even shut down all the old regular voice stations. (Today its main hope of revenue seems to be to charge the Coast Guard and/or us boaters for use of the A.I.S. frequency it controls, an ugly story for another time.) MariTEL’s fall was due in part to the wild turnaround in its partners’ larger tech businesses. The other part was the way so many of us stopped using ship-to-shore VHF in favor of our cellphones, and therein lies a lesson.
The very first person who bought a cellphone could call anyone who had a regular old landline. Picture the early adopter who installed the first DSC-VHF, hooked it up to his GPS, acquired an MMSI identification number, and figured out how to enter it into his radio’s now-more-complicated menu system. He got diddly for his efforts. The Coast Guard wasn’t listening; MariTEL wasn’t listening. If you log on to www.maritelusa.com today, you’ll find this terse message: “Note: Standard Horizon radio purchasers, the free, one-year MariTEL service offer has been discontinued.” The damn service never existed anyway! In the words of Homer Simpson, “Doh!” Why bother with DSC when it’s like a Zen paradox, the sound of one hand clapping?
But it’s Standard Horizon that I credit with the inventiveness and determination to show us how—despite these problems—DSC could make boating better. Besides being one of the first to build a “MariTEL Ready” VHF (doh!), the company took a lead in designing recreational radios with useful commercial-grade DSC features like a directory of friends’ names and MMSIs (i.e. speed dialing), position send and request, and call waiting—useful, that is, if you had friends within VHF range who also had DSC radios onboard. But Standard Horizon persevered, developing the first pleasureboat radios that could output the NMEA DSC caller position string and the first plotters that could read it.
I admired this innovation the first time I saw it at a boat show, but last fall Standard arranged for me to do some striper fishing off Cape Cod, Massachusetts, to really see how well it all works. Once two or more boats have each other’s MMSIs programmed—which is a one-time job that’s fairly quick with the unit’s twist-and-push-to-enter knob—several neat communications tricks are possible. You can turn to a little-used channel, pick your friend’s name off the directory, and his radio (and his alone) will ring and switch over to that channel (where your actual conversation is not private, but then again no one heard you going there). It’s just as easy to ask for your buddy’s lat/lon position, and that’s when the plotter magic begins. His position immediately snaps up on the electronic chart, and a dialog box asks if you’d like to navigate to him (see photos on page 52). Bada bing! Electronics just reduced several minutes of radio chatter, scribbling, and pain-in-the-rear manual plotting to a couple of button pushes. And the position passed is totally private, encoded in a DSC signal that can only be decoded by your radio.
This article originally appeared in the February 2004 issue of Power & Motoryacht magazine. | <urn:uuid:8d717890-030e-49e6-8f21-f57f4565acaa> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.powerandmotoryacht.com/communication/dsc-revisited | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368711005985/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516133005-00005-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.950183 | 1,160 | 1.726563 | 2 |
If you’re a small business owner, this news may not be a surprise:
Many small-business owners worry that a new tax on insurance providers in the health-care law will mean higher premiums for them, undermining the law’s capacity to lower their health-care costs.
Starting next year, the federal government will charge a new fee on . . . → Read More: Obamacare: How Much Will It Cost Small Business Owners?
This aspect of Obamacare hasn’t talked about as much, but is looming as a major issue for some employers:
Many executives have long enjoyed perks like free health care and better health benefits for themselves and their families. But under a little noticed anti-discrimination provision in the federal health law, such advantages could soon trigger . . . → Read More: Should Everyone Have the Same Health Insurance?
You would think that the states with the most uninsureds would be getting the most money to enroll them in health insurance coverage but nooooooooo:
Florida is on course to spend $6 million to reach out to nearly 4 million uninsured people and help them sign up for coverage in the federal health law’s online . . . → Read More: Obamacare: How Much Will Your State Be Spending To Enroll the Uninsured?
Obamacare may allow states to charge more for health insurance for smokers, but California may be taking a stand:
Smoking has its risks, but in California higher prices for health insurance probably won’t be among them.
The federal health law allows states to charge smokers up to 50 percent more for a health plan, but . . . → Read More: California Pushes Back on Extra Health Insurance Costs for Smokers
As the Obama administration girds for “glitches and bumps” along the path to full implementation of the health-care law, a new poll indicates many Americans are still unclear about the details of the new law and, in some cases, unaware it’s actually the law of the land.
A whopping 42 percent of Americans . . . → Read More: 42% of Americans Don’t Know Obamacare Is Still Law
Big news today that the Obamacare Administration is trying to make applying for health insurance easier:
After a storm of complaints, the Obama administration on Tuesday unveiled simplified forms to apply for insurance under the president’s new health care law. You won’t have to lay bare your medical history but you will have to detail . . . → Read More: Obamacare: Will We Really Be Able to Apply for Health Insurance in 3 Pages?
… OregonLive.com wants to hear your story:
Are you one of those who will be affected? We’re looking for people who buy policies for themselves or their family, who are not on Medicare. We’d like to talk to you about your current situation, policy and premiums so that as more information comes out, we have . . . → Read More: Oregonians, Do You Buy Your Own Health Insurance?
New numbers on health insurance rates among young adults are out:
While the number of medically uninsured young adults dropped over the past two years, coverage of the overall working age population failed to improve, according to the findings of the Commonwealth Fund’s 2012 biennial health insurance survey released Friday.
The survey shows that 11.7 . . . → Read More: Health Insurance Rates for Young Adults Up
If you’re about to graduate from college and think you may need to get on your parents’ health insurance after your student health insurance runs out, this is just a reminder not to put off signing up for your parents’ health insurance plan. You only have 30 days after your student health insurance coverage ends . . . → Read More: Reminder for College Grads: Only 30 Days to Get On Your Parent’s Health Insurance Plan!
A little preview of what may be happening in your state under Obamacare, courtesy of the State of Maryland:
In the latest preview of prices for health coverage under the Affordable Care Act, Maryland’s dominant insurer says proposed premiums for new policies for individuals will rise by 25 percent on average next year.
That’s lower . . . → Read More: Obamacare: Maryland Health Insurance to Go Up… Just Not as Much | <urn:uuid:e7ec803d-de12-4fad-a116-b6ea9690df9e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://myhealthcafe.com/tag/affordable-care-act | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697380733/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516094300-00014-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.93513 | 880 | 1.554688 | 2 |
For Immediate Release: December 11, 2008
NEW YORK – The Senate Armed Service Committee’s release today of the unclassified portions of its report on detainee treatment reaffirms the need for a complete and open investigation into U.S. government detention and interrogation practices since September 11, 2001, and for accountability for those who authorized or engaged in prisoner abuse, a leading human rights group said today.
While the complete Senate Armed Service Committee report is classified, the portions made public today include information about the use of Survival Evasion Resistance and Escape (SERE) techniques–designed to simulate abusive tactics used by our enemies to elicit false confession–against detainees in U.S. custody. Despite multiple congressional hearings on interrogation policies, and Justice Department and military investigations into the abuses at Abu Ghraib, information about how high level decisions were made authorizing torture and abuse has not been made public.
“We welcome the Senate Armed Services Committees’ important investigation into the use of SERE techniques, but we are disappointed that such a small section was released to the public,” said Deborah Colson, Interim Director of Human Rights First’s Law and Security Program. “The United States must openly confront its role in sanctioning cruel treatment so that the American public and Congress can learn from past mistakes and prevent future abuse,” added Colson.
Human Rights First is also urging President-elect Obama to establish a nonpartisan commission to investigate the facts and circumstances relating to U.S. government detention and interrogation operations since September 11th in Iraq, Afghanistan, Guantanamo, and at secret prison sites.
“The next president must restore America’s commitment to humane treatment and prevent future sanctioning of cruel treatment by directing the new attorney general to investigate potential criminal conduct related to detainee abuse,” said Colson. “Prosecution is a strong deterrent against abuse and would send a signal that no one is above the law,” added Colson.
In October 2008, Human Rights First released a detailed blueprint to the new administration on ending torture and cruel treatment. Among other recommendations, “How to End Torture and Cruel Treatment: Blueprint for the Next Administration” advises investment in effective and humane intelligence gathering, and the establishment of a nonpartisan commission to investigate the facts relating to U.S. government detention and interrogation operations since September 11. | <urn:uuid:b47d21bf-9612-4150-b435-c90cb4100d3e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.humanrightsfirst.org/2008/12/11/Senate-Report-Underscores-Need-for-Complete-Accounting-of-Prisoner-Abuse/ | 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 | 0.938406 | 482 | 1.578125 | 2 |
Scholastic has a wonderful resource area on their website just for Magic Tree House fans. The series of over 35 books is perfect for elementary readers, so if your child hasn’t discovered them yet, chances are they will!
My son is an avid MTH fan; we have almost every book. They aren’t books he reads once and puts away. Travis will read them over and over…covers bent, pages turned, but truly his favorite read.
And, to make it more interesting for him, Scholastic has now incorporated a reading passport for the series. Children read the books, answer a few questions about them, and receive a “stamp” for their passport for each book read. Hard copies of the passports and stamps are available at your local Barnes and Noble. But, if you are like me and not close to a location, you can download the passport for free.
It is an excellent way to monitor and motivate your child to read this summer! | <urn:uuid:a8a50a04-d0f2-463c-9c14-e3ded4fd058c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.wonderbrains.com/weblog/tag/passport | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00010-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.958813 | 205 | 1.703125 | 2 |
The majority acknowledge only 1 thing approximately fruit salads; that is ways to partake of these folks. How can you ingest something you have no knowledge related to? Nicely, besides the fact they seem to be delicious?
An important fruit salad really is a great tasting dish with various types fruit, from time to time worked enveloped in her own fruit power, or alternatively lathered with the help of syrup. Selecting poured like an appetizer, otherwise this, pastry. Eitherway, fruit salad are really luscious, you can have them all for appetizer combined with dessert.
Developing your current fruit salad is not hard; you only need to put together its own constituents. And also constituents chosen will be neither of the two vanished and neither hard to come by, you can just find ones own pocket and work out often the mar towards the nearest super market.
It at least one pint about package involved with fresh Idaho bananas, that you choose to work to leaves making in sections; a new tsp of connected with perfectly cut up innovative perfect or perhaps one half of tsp of involving dried mint; a half pot of light nasty remedy; lettuce results in; a half tsp involved with honies; two cups of berries that are around months. Find? These ingredients do not entail to run ascending ” up ” in high altitude climates, seeking out exotic fruits.
With regard to a good banana proper, you are required to mix an ample amount of all of the bananas within an electric bender, roughly a half-cup, to produce a ¼ cup concerning pureed strawberries. Within an isolated toilet, stir up any mix, coupled with perfect combined with baby, as a poisonous remedy in order that they would every one blending. Inside putting together ones own fruit salad, model man or women salad plate designs that include lettuce. Coordinate all of the strawberries there is scheduled considering the a few other vegetables within the lettuce not to mention top while using the banana putting on a costume. May seem good, huh? You may guess until this tastes far better.
Yes, so now you are able to earn a fruit salad following knowing the needed elements. But, can you be sure whereby fruit salad originate from? This is additional experience, thus, it might be recommended that you save this pieces of data in your memory.
Dogs with aggressive behavior involving fruit salad is situated seriously about what first you suggest because of “fruit salad”. fruit salad that are consists of combinations of distinct clean, use them, candied and also sugared, coupled with stewed many fruits and home grown vegetables. This fruit salad started in the ancient situations. The constituents and also directions which can be utilized leaned on whatever ended up for the media, or maybe if the things materials were definitely on couple of years. And also they depend on the particular socio-cultural thought patterns of people in the direction of the ingredients, if thez benefits happen to be socially known to be healthful or not.
That fruit salad, as you may know of the usb ports immediately, is usually an output of that mid-nineteenth one. We have seen discovered culinary proof the fact that presents the saying the fact that generally, benefits salads are specially together with carbohydrates and even drinking, in turn, as a result of concept “fruit cocktail”. Typically the non-alcoholic type of such a method, also the jellied fruit salad, appeared to be widely known through the 1920′s costume. In the period around the world Showdown The second, fruit salad happened to be exposed to everybody like a suitable supplement in Ascorbic acid, and even happen to be, believe it or not, in the North american healthy eating plan.
Although, fruit salad during the European union become more refined somewhat distinctly. Any food listed levels of mayonnaise. Seen, or simply more desirable, had his food a good Waldorf salad? Efficiently, is actually the brand name for the reported fruit salad that is definitely lathered because of mayonnaise. | <urn:uuid:73bd7cae-1406-42d5-8785-4d34f7c4114e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://inteligenciaartificialomb.com/everything-you-should-understand-fruit-salad/ | 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 | 0.961162 | 822 | 1.609375 | 2 |
1,500 Mwatate elephants driven back to the park
THE Kenya Wildlife Services has managed to drive back more than 1,500 stray elephants that have been terrorising villagers in Mwatate district. For the last one month,residents of Godoma, Mwashoti, Mwatika and other adjacent villages have been living in fear following the elephant invasion which also caused crop destruction in local farms. Area district warden, Samuel Rukaria said they launched an air and ground operation to drive thousands of elephants in the area back to protected areas.
Rukaria, however, said the problem will not end anytime soon as the elephants are on their normal migration to Mkomanzi National Park in Tanzania in search of pastures and water. "Some of these villages fall on the elephant migration corridor that is why elephant invasion is persistent in some of the villages especially those in Maktau," Rukaria said.
"We have deployed several Problem Animal Control Unit teams in hot spot areas to monitor the movement of the elephants and ensure they don't cause further destruction on the farms," he said. Rukaria said it is difficult to predict the migration patterns of the wildlife due to climate change. "Studies are ongoing to establish the new wildlife behaviours that have come as a result of climate change," he said adding that rainfall patterns had changed thus affecting wildlife movements too. A few months ago tension was high in Maktau area as the elephants were migrating to the Tsavo ecosystem from Mkomanzi.
"Maktau area and its adjacent villages is a perennial human wildlife conflict hot spot since it falls on the elephant migration corridor," he said. Area councillor Flumence Mshila expressed concerns over the destruction caused by the elephants and predicted a massive food shortage in the area in the coming months. "We were hoping to get good harvests in the next two months but the elephants have robbed us of our food," the councillor said. | <urn:uuid:3c0a826b-012b-4b70-9822-278293793401> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.the-star.co.ke/news/article-19804/1500-mwatate-elephants-driven-back-park | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00016-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.971669 | 393 | 1.835938 | 2 |
Mar 03, 2013
FACT CHECK: Boehner claims he “doesn’t know” if sequester will impact economy
On Meet the Press today Speaker John Boehner continued to stick his head in the sand and deny the disastrous consequences of the sequester that he and Tea Party House Republicans have refused to stop, claiming he “[doesn’t] know whether it’s going to hurt the economy or not.”
Speaker Boehner should read a newspaper—or listen to his own Congressional Budget Office. The non-partisan Congressional Budget office found that the sequester will lower America’s GDP by at least half a percentage point, potentially driving the economy toward recession, and that it will cost about 700,000 jobs.
Sequester Will Cost 700,000 Jobs and Lower Economic Growth. Private and government forecasters project that sequestration alone will cost about 700,000 jobs this year and will shave at least a half percentage point from economic growth. [New York Times, 3/02/13]
By The Numbers: Sequestration Will Target Women, Children, Veterans, and the Most Vulnerable
According to an analysis by U.S. Senate’s Appropriations Committee on the impacts of sequestration, as reported by the New York Times:
- 4,000 workers would be furloughed every day at the F.A.A., causing flight backups.
- 70,000 children would lose Head Start.
- 14,000 teachers and other school employees could lose their jobs.
- 125,000 families would be put at sudden risk of homelessness because their rental assistance would end.
- 373,000 seriously mentally ill adults and severely emotionally disturbed children would most likely lose their treatments.
- 600,000 women and children would lose nutrition aid from the Women, Infants and Children program.
- 251,000 civilians employed by the Army could be furloughed for up to 22 days.
- $3 billion would be the potential shortfall in the military’s health insurance program; some services could be denied for retirees and dependents of active-duty personnel.
- 7,750 Customs and Border Protections agents could be laid off. | <urn:uuid:edc252a5-4d64-4915-934d-6e506b5c45ce> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://dccc.org/newsroom/entry/fact_check_boehner_claims_he_doesnt_know_if_sequester_will_impact_economy/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00018-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.940188 | 454 | 1.726563 | 2 |
THE HAGUE, Netherlands — In one courtroom, the once-feared military commander of the Bosnian Serbs, Ratko Mladic, was derided as a bully who supervised the siege of Sarajevo and threatened civilians, the Bosnian government and the United Nations whenever he felt like it.
In another courtroom across this Dutch capital, a Congolese warlord named Thomas Lubanga Dyilo was sentenced to 14 years in prison for impressing child soldiers into his militia.
The two proceedings Tuesday offered a telling sign that international criminal justice – which reached its height during the Nuremberg Tribunals after World War II – is up and running again. War crimes are still a fact in nearly every conflict, but impunity is fast disappearing for those responsible.
However, apprehending, trying and sentencing suspects has proven to be a slow process.
Lubanga, 51, was sentenced by the International Criminal Court, a permanent institution that was set up 10 years ago this month in the aftermath of the Bosnia and Rwanda conflicts, to try cases of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes. His was the first case to reach completion at the tribunal, to which 121 countries are parties, not including the United States, Russia or China.
Lubanga was found guilty of conscripting, enlisting and using child soldiers in his militia during fighting in the eastern Congo in 2002-2003, in the latter stages of a conflict in which as many as 5 million people died, though not necessarily from direct combat. The prosecutor had asked for 30 years imprisonment, but the court decided to let Lubanga serve three sentences simultaneously, with allowance for the six years he’s spent in custody. At most, he will now serve eight years.
Just how far the ICC has come – and how far it still has to go – was made clear when Adrian Fulford, the British presiding judge, used the sentencing hearing to chastise Luis Moreno Ocampo of Argentina, who recently retired as the court’s first prosecutor, for a series of errors that slowed the case. Fulford said Moreno Ocampo hadn’t submitted evidence to back up his claims that Lubanga was responsible for extensive sexual violence and that he’d allowed a staff member to give misleading statements to reporters.
The media-savvy Moreno Ocampo became an international star in March when a YouTube video called “Kony 2012” went viral. The video portrayed Joseph Kony, a Ugandan militia leader, as the world’s biggest war criminal, and featured Moreno Ocampo, who’d indicted him, calling for his arrest.
As the Lubanga case came to an end, five miles to the southeast Mladic sat down to hear a second day of testimony against him in his trial for genocide and crimes against humanity at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia. The oldest of the war crimes courts, dating to 1993, the ICTY indicted Mladic in 1995. After 16 years on the lam, he was arrested last year in Serbia and faces a trial that could last until 2014, if not longer.
Dressed in a gray suit, blue shirt and patterned tie, Mladic, now 70, took a lot more interest in the second witness, a former U.N. official in Sarajevo, than in the young Bosnian Muslim who started the proceedings Monday by telling the anguished tale of how Bosnian Serb troops forced his family from their home.
David Harland was a U.N. civil affairs officer for most of the three-and-a-half-year war, starting in June 1993, and his testimony made clear that Mladic was in charge of the siege of Sarajevo, operated on his own and had no strategy for ending the war despite an “enormous advantage” in troops and military hardware.
Harland said U.N. military observers counted on average 1,000 shells a day that Mladic’s forces rained on the Bosnian capital – more than half of it just background shelling “to keep the population of Sarajevo locked down, fearful . . . and terrorized,” he said
Harland met Mladic at least 20 times, usually as note-taker during regular meetings between the U.N. military commander and the Bosnian Serb leadership. Radovan Karadzic, the Bosnian Serb political leader who’s also now on trial at the ICTY, was often present.
He said reports filed by U.N. personnel in Bosnia don’t capture the flavor of the threats Mladic would make against the Bosnian government, the civilian population or the United Nations.
Asked by the prosecutor about Mladic’s threat in 1994 to the U.N. military chief of staff to kill “everyone in the eastern (U.N.-designated safe area) enclaves except the children” if Bosnian territorial forces did not release Serb soldiers they were holding prisoner, Harland noted dryly that Mladic was “making more bellicose threats than normal.”
On another occasion, Mladic warned that if the international community tried to stop the flow of oil and other supplies to the Bosnian Serb military, he’d do the same to the people of Sarajevo. “What Serbs don’t get, no one gets,” Harland quoted Mladic as saying.
Top U.N. officials would plead to the Bosnian Serb leaders to halt the use of snipers, who would daily take aim at civilians trying to get food and water. At one point they proposed to create barriers to protect them. Mladic rejected the plan. “Picking off civilians in downtown Sarajevo was one of the means to put pressure on the Bosnian government to settle the conflict on terms favorable to the Serbs,” Harland said.
He said the threats were not idle. “A discussion with Gen. Mladic was not really a rational discourse, and it wasn’t like a conversation like we’re having,” Harland said. “There was an introduction or protest by us, and then a verbal attack of some sort” by Mladic. He said the view of the U.N. forces on the ground was that Mladic “was like a bully. If the opportunity arose to carry out these threats, probably he would do it. But they weren’t really statements of plans.”
At the word “bully,” Mladic arched his eyebrows.
In fact, according to Harland, Mladic’s forces would seize land, kill or deport the Muslim population, force them into a smaller area, cut off their supplies, and expect the Bosnian government to give in to Serb demands. “It was a great frustration that the Bosnian government would not play that game,” he said. | <urn:uuid:8998e0e2-0c9d-4612-805b-f7713c9d87a7> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.kansas.com/2012/07/09/2403734/trials-of-thomas-lubanga-and-ratko.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705953421/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120553-00011-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.976253 | 1,467 | 1.78125 | 2 |
Re: To Boffer
Posted by Boffer on May 21, 2012, 11:08 am, in reply to "To Boffer "
Franck; in regards to the points and questions you have given, I can only answer from the information that has been made available, I do not like to speculate much; without hard facts and information to base my inferences on. |
- I can only list the collect necklaces now owned by the Queen which we know about and were listed in various sections of Munn's book:
1) The Coronation Necklace
2) The Duchess of Teck's Collect Necklace
3) Queen Alexandra's Collet Necklace
4) Queen Elizabeth's Collet Necklace (loaned to the Duchess of Cornwall)
5) A second collet necklace left to her by Queen Mary
(My speculation would be, owing to Queen Mary's desire to keep historically important pieces in the family, that this second necklace was the collet necklace given to her by Edward and Alexandra on the anniversary of Eddy's death, which was intended to be their wedding present to her).
- I have never seen a picture of the Queen wear a collet necklace prior to her accession, I have never seen any mention of her receiving one.
- I have also no information regarding the collet necklaces worn by Queen Elizabeth when Duchess of York.
- For the 1937 coronation, Queen Elizabeth wore the The Coronation Necklace (without the drop) and her own Queen Elizabeth's Coronation Necklace.
- For the coronation of her daughter in 1953; Queen Elizabeth wore her Queen Elizabeth's Coronation Necklace. The Duchess of Teck's Collet Necklace (and another necklace, which has not been identified and thus I would not like to speculate).
- As for Queen Mary's recorded eight collet necklaces it is clear that 2 went to the Queen (Queen Alexandra's Collet Necklace and a second collet necklace); at least one went to Queen Elizabeth (the Duchess of Teck's Collet Necklace); one went to Princess Margaret (a necklace that had been bequeathed to Queen Mary by Lady Mount Stephen, subsequently sold at Auction).
My guess is that the other ones could have gone to the Kent and Gloucester branches, as they own various collet necklaces, but this is pure speculation, not fact, the truth is we do not know how Queen Mary's various jewels were dispersed (unless we could gain access to her inventory). But Roberts did state that the vast proportion of it was bequeathed to the Queen.
- In regards to the Greville bequest, again not much is known, other than the Jewels that have appeared in Roberts' publication it is widely unclear which jewels belonged to Mrs Greville.
All that is mentioned is that the bequest consisted of around 60 pieces. There is an extensive inventory of the collection, which was made just before it was transferred into Queen Elizabeth's possession; however this has never been made public and is now in the Royal Archives.
- Again, as far of necklaces and jewels that belong to the Queen now, that have come from Queen Mary, it is unclear to be sure. We can only speculate, if it is not mentioned explicitly in all the various literature.
The only way to be sure would be to go through Queen Mary's inventory; or the present Queen's inventory, but these are sadly not available to the public.
I hope this has addressed the majority of queries above. I apologies if I cannot be more helpful; but I do like to deal in cold-hard facts and thus can only recite which we have learnt from Roberts.
: Dear Boffer,
: Thank you so much again for your big
: summary. I have bought the book and I will
: receive it in a few days.
: I wanted to give my impression with some
: photos but unfortunately my photobucket
: doesn’t work today. (I have a message your
: private policy update, agree and continue
: and it doesn’t work)
: (I don’t know if you saved the panel of
: Nellie a few years ago concerning Queen
: Elizabeth the Queen Mother’s diamond collets
: necklaces : it was an excellent summary)
: 1° Concerning the diamond collets necklaces
: owned by Queen Elizabeth II I think she owns
: - The coronation necklace
: - Queen Alexandra’s diamond collets necklace
: - The Duchess of Teck’s necklace (1) (Might
: be worn with the Greville tiara before 1953
: : a photo on the panel)
: - The Queen Elizabeth’s coronation diamond
: necklace (2)
: - A second collets necklace bequeathed to
: her by Queen Mary (It might be the other one
: worn by Queen Elizabeth II with the Vladmir
: Tiara in New Zealand and in Oman last year)
: - The diamond collets necklace given to
: Queen Elizabeth as Duchess of York with he
: scroll tiara (3)
: - An other diamond necklace worn by Queen
: Elizabeth II before she has queen
: (Unfortunately I can’t send you a photo)
: - Queen Elizabeth wore an other diamond
: collets with the coronation necklace for her
: coronation in 1937 (This diamond collets had
: smaller diamond necklace).
: For the coronation of her daughter Queen
: Elizabeth the Queen mother might have worn
: n° 1 - 2- 3. Can you confirm the case?
: For the rest of her life Queen Elizabeth the
: Queen mother wore only two diamond
: necklaces. I thinkit was n°3 and n°2.
: 2° You say that Queen Mary owned 8 diamond
: collets necklaces at the end of her life,
: thus :
: - 2 were given to Queen Elizabeth II (Not to
: much to my mind)
: - One was given to Queen Elizabeth the Queen
: - One was given to Princesss Margaret
: Therefore, what happened to the other ones ?
: I was always strucked by diamond collets
: necklaces worn by Queen Mary with the Delhi
: durbar tiara for the Belguim state visit in
: 1922. I think that the big one can be the
: coronation necklace and the other the
: Duchess of Teck’s necklace. What do you
: think about it ? (Sad I can’t send a photo)
: 3° I made a summary a jewels that they
: didn’t speak to :
: - The Queen Alexandra’s huge coronation
: diamond necklace
: - The Teck’s diamond and pearl choker.
: - The diamond collets necklace with diamond
: fringe worn by Queen Mary with the Cullinan
: ring and the William IV brooch
: - The queen mary’s filigree tiara worn in
: the 50’s
: - The Lozenge diamond and pearl tiara from
: Queen Mary
: - The diamond on band
: - The laurel leaves tiara from by QM
: - The diamond pendant worn by QM
: - The diamond and pearl stomacher from QM.
: She had this stomacher at the end of her
: life. Thus I think this stomacher is with
: - The double greek key tiara
: - The diamond necklaces received by Queen
: Elizabeth II during her reign.
: 4° In article it is said the Queen Elizabeth
: the Queen Mother had more than 60 jewels
: from Miss Greville. Perhaps she received the
: double greek key tiara from her. She might
: have received also the a emerald and diamond
: 5° Diamond necklaces received by QM to QEII
: - The Cullinan diamond necklace with a
: - 2 diamond collets necklaces (3 with the
: one from QE the QM)(Not to much to my mind)
: - The Queen Mary’s Love Trophy collar
: - The Queen Mary’s diamond sautoir
: - The Queen Mary’s Chain linked
: - The Queen Mary’s fringe linked
: bracelets/choker bequeathed to QE the QM
: - The Teck circle necklace (was on the
: contray lost by QEII bequeathed by QE the QM
: to PM)
: Thank you so much again for you summary, | <urn:uuid:67fb4df6-361f-48dc-a1fb-8abcd58ff451> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://members2.boardhost.com/royal-jewels/thread/1337534438.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00010-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.949201 | 1,848 | 1.546875 | 2 |
Streaking: (n) The act of dashing naked through a large crowd as a prank. Be honest now, who amongst us has not—at one time or another—at least pondered the idea? By a show of hands now, who amongst us…ah, you’re being modest, but I can see you’ve done far more than ponder. Be not ashamed, though, my fellow sons and daughters of Eve, you are not alone. After all, we are all born naked, so it would only stand to reason that—on occasion—we might feel the urge to revert back. In fact, it is my contention that streaking has radically altered the course of human history. The following report is the culmination of my life’s work and represents years of tireless research and field study, and more than just a few painful sunburns.
Please note that the proceeding presentation contains graphic accounts of what some may consider lewd and lascivious behavior. The squeamish and prudish may be wise to cover their ears—and quite possibly their eyes. This report will, once and for all, answer many age-old questions about streaking: Why doth man streak? Who streaketh first? When didst thou start streaking? Whilst thy ever accept streaking as normal? In the process of supplying those answers, I will strip away the mountains of myth and misinformation that surround this perfectly natural impulse. And in so doing, I will reveal the truth for all to see, and ultimately allow streaking to assume its rightful position in the annals of human history.
Naturally, one might ask what credentials I possess that would qualify me to perform such highly sensitive research. You may or may not be surprised to learn that I hold no advanced degrees. In reality, I possess only a B.A., but I have never been afraid to reveal this. And despite my lack of formal education, I am the foremost expert in this field, and I would be remiss if I failed to expose my own personal interest in this topic. You see, it just so happens that I am a lifelong sufferer from a rare disorder known as—Strippus Offus Yercrosis. Sadly, it’s a hereditary condition and tends to skip a generation. Thus, like my grandma, Galloping Gert, before me, and her great uncle, Benny the Blur, before her, we have suffered in shame-filled silence—save that occasional crowd roar when we would first take off out of the stands. No, believe me when I say, this meant far more to me than just plain research.
Without some written record, there is no way to know exactly how it arose, but through sound scientific reasoning and the recent discovery of crude prehistoric cave art in central France, it seems clear that streaking’s origins date back well over 30,000 years to our earliest known European ancestors. Based on these crude etchings, there appears to have been some—as of yet undetermined—link between the first incidents of streaking and early man’s discovery of fermented fruit juice. Coincidentally, these images represent some of man’s earliest known attempts to graphically depict human emotion—most notably surprise, jubilation, and amusement, as well as humiliation, disgust and regret. It is through those drawings and my own well-honed scientific insight that I have painstakingly pieced together the following historical record.
In search of ever more abundant game, better foraging grounds, and to avoid overcrowding, man has abandoned sub-Saharan Africa and migrated north into what is now Western Europe. With its much colder climate, he is forced to don the skin of animals to stave off hypothermia and allow him to hunt in more inclement weather. To better improve their prospects for survival—and most likely to increase their chances of getting laid—early man has banded together, forming Western Europe’s first known clans. It is not long before these nomads grow weary from life on the road, and slowly but steadily they begin to settle into well-defined geographic areas; the precursor to the modern day village, and if my theory is correct, the birthplace of streaking itself.
Now let’s venture into one of these settlements and explore the early communal behavior of man himself. Picture if you will, a large cluster of caves surrounding a spacious courtyard, where our ancestors have gathered to celebrate the end to a successful season of hunting and gathering. In the center of this courtyard there is a large fire pit, where flames dance and lick at a spit of wooly mammoth steaks slowly roasting. Throughout the courtyard, sitting atop the most comfortable boulders that could be rolled into place, can be found our forefathers—the very first cave people. Based on their hierarchical rank, they sit in concentric circles expanding out from the fire. Obviously, at the edge of the fire, in a place of honor, sits our chief—and beside him his triumphant hunters. Behind them sit the village elders, followed by the women who have been busily gathering for the coming winter. Behind them, towards the back, sit the clan’s future—the village youth, and beyond them sit the physically maimed, the mentally impaired and all those suffering from illness. And then—somewhere way out on the far edge—well beyond the disapproving eyes of the chief and the village elders, sit the world’s first two village idiots—Gorg and—for now let’s just call him—Steve.
Back in this primitive age, job duties, as you might imagine, were very gender specific—men hunt, women gather. However, Gorg and Steve are two of the few cave people who have performed every job in the village—not by choice, mind you. No, in fact, if they had their choice, they would perform no duties at all. Though the term will not be coined for over 30,000 years, they are the world’s first two—slackers. Very early on it became acutely clear to the clan that neither one of them would ever be a great hunter—or even a good hunter for that matter. No, their inability to follow a trail—or direction of any kind—their constant carrying on, their incessant giggling and the untimely fart noises, only served to repeatedly spook their prey and piss off the chief, which got them relegated to the ranks of the gatherers.
As it turned out, they were only slightly worse at gathering than they were at hunting, and when the chief’s main squeeze found them sleeping in a hollowed out tree trunk, drunk on Bunga-Bunga juice, and having consumed what little they’d collected for the day; well, they were again unceremoniously demoted. This time they found themselves cleaning up the village grounds with the elderly and the maimed. Amazingly, they screwed that up as well; along with water fetcher, cave sweeper, wood collector, fire stoker, and guano scraper. No, as turned out, much to the chief’s chagrin, Gorg and Steve weren’t much good at anything. Consequently, the Chief was forced to create a special job just for them, which they were told, in no uncertain terms, would be their last. The next step, he warned them, would be expulsion from the clan.
Their fear of expulsion, and more specifically self-reliance, petrified them, and thus, Gorg and Steve attacked their new roles with a vociferous enthusiasm. Subsequently, when they weren’t pulling each other’s hairy-knuckled fingers or cupping cave farts and tossing them at one other, Gorg and Steve could be found hauling heavy mammoth bladders—bloated with the Clan’s urine and shit—down to the river, where they would dispose of their contents, scrub them out by hand, and then return them to the world’s very first indoor cave crapper, the precursor to our modern day public restroom. As hard as they tried, this was one job that even Gorg and Steve weren’t too lazy or stupid to screw up. And though they didn’t much care for the job, it beat the hell out of self-reliance, and it allowed their perpetual two-man party to carry on unabated.
Speaking of which, back at our first ever Harvest Party, the clan is greedily licking mammoth grease from their fingers and recounting highlights of the last hunt. They feel very blessed to have fresh food and drink and stores that are well-stocked for the long cold winter ahead. They are also abuzz with excitement and anticipation, because they are only moments away from the start of the annual fire vaulting competition. Fire vaulting seems to have been an early forerunner to modern day pole vaulting, only, as the name implies, it involved fire as well. This also seems to have been mankind’s first ever creation of an organized spectator sport.
From the cave drawings, it appears as though the strongest and bravest of the clan would sprint down an open aisle and, using an 8-10 foot wooden pole, they would vault themselves up and over the fire, and then, having landed safely, they would sprint down the aisle on the other side. With each successive round, the fire would be stoked, raising the flames, and requiring them to jump higher and higher. The last man to cleanly jump the fire was declared the winner. They appear to have worn an extra thick animal hide, probably mammoth, to protect them from the flames. Needless to say, their fellow clansmen would raucously cheer their feats of bravery. Only the hunters were deemed strong enough and brave enough to compete, and to win was considered a great honor amongst the clan. This year was particularly special because, in addition to a one month’s supply of the Chief’s extra spicy, giant 3-toed sloth jerky, the top two contestants would also be betrothed one of the Chief’s two beautiful daughters, Ta-Ta or Gila.
All around the fire, as they await the big start, the hunters are stretching and practicing their form. Meanwhile, Gorg and Steve, who have contributed virtually nothing towards the Clan’s well-being, are up to their old tricks, again. Having crawled all the way up to where the cave girls were congregated, they’ve just been caught—for the second time— looking up a couple of saber-toothed tiger togas. These were not just any togas, either, these togas belonged to none other than Ta-Ta and Gila, the Chief’s lovely daughters. Since they were just cave kids, Gorg and Steve have sought the affections of Ta-Ta and Gila. And since they were just cave kids, the Chief has warned Ta-Ta and Gila not to go within a plesiosaur of either one of those two complete numbskulls. After several smacks in the face and a couple swift kicks in the rear, the boys have crawled back to the safety of the back row.
Despite their meager contributions, Gorg and Steve are actually in slightly better spirits than their fellow clansmen, thanks in part to the extra gourd of fermented Bunga-Bunga juice they lifted from the Chief’s own private stash. Although they are having a grand old time back there in the back; they feel a deep yearning for some form of female companionship. Looking back at Ta-Ta and Gila, Gorg sees an opportunity. It should be noted here that Gorg and Steve are the prehistoric world’s version of Mutt and Jeff. Steve is tall, hairy and thin and Gorg is short, hairy and stocky and though neither has ever exhibited any particular aptitude or adeptness at—anything really—Gorg, inexplicably, has the confidence of a warrior chief. Furthermore, their love of Bunga-Bunga juice is only overshadowed by their love of women. Casting Steve a wry smile, Gorg unexpectedly calls out to Ta-Ta. When she and Gila turn and see it’s Gorg and Steve, their look is one of disappointment, quite possibly bordering on disgust. Gorg being Gorg, ever the eternal optimist, sees this reaction as encouraging—a very “solid maybe”—and worthy of some additional effort.
Raising his stolen gourd, still half full of Bunga-Bunga juice, Gorg whistles for the girl’s attention, and then giving them a seemingly irresistible come-hither-and-share-my-hooch head bob, he flashes what he considers to be a very sexy smile—despite the many gaps. Without hesitation, both girls shake their heads side-to-side—emphatically, as if to say, “Not if you were the last caveman on earth, Gorg.” In one of the first ever uses of reverse psychology, Gorg moves over behind Steve, and then, attempting to appear disinterested any longer, he engages Steve in a feigned conversation. As he awaits Ta-Ta’s inevitable approach, Steve is struck right in the back of his extremely thick skull by a well-thrown bone, which drops him to the ground and renders him nearly unconscious. Caught off guard, the second—perfectly timed bone—hits Gorg squarely in his highly pronounced brow, sending him backpedaling into some prehistoric flora. As Steve gets to his feet, rubs his lump, and then helps Gorg out of a giant fern, Gorg says, “You see, I told you they liked us.”
Gorg decides that what the boys really need is a good brainstorming session. “Let’s take a piss,” says Gorg. As they stand there with their squirrel-skin togas hiked up over their hairy butt cheeks, they can hear the crowd erupting as one hunter after another vaults over the fire. As so often happens when one has consumed copious amounts of Bunga-Bunga juice, Gorg is suddenly struck by Divine innovation. Turning to Steve he says, “Hey, you know what would be really funny?”
Steve, who is a caveman of very few words, responds, “No, what?”
“If we stripped off our togas,” Gorg says, “and then ran naked through the middle of this fire vaulting competition.”
“Huh?” Steve replies, thinking maybe Gorg has had too much Bunga for one night.
“Just think about it a while,” Gorg assures him, “you’ll see.”
But Steve did not need to think about it. Even to his pea brain, even for Gorg, this was a monumentally bad idea—for lots of reasons—not the least of which was the Chief’s already low opinion of them. But, as so often happens, a couple big swigs of Bunga-Bunga juice later, Gorg had Steve convinced that this was the finest idea he’d ever heard.
And so it was that Gorg and Steve surreptitiously slipped off into the forest. Once out of sight, they took leave of their togas, and with one more big swig of Bunga-Bunga, they took off at a full sprint…wearing only their hand-made moccasins. As might be expected, upon entering the courtyard, they were greeted with a mixture of cheers, jeers, laughter, and disgust, which was exactly what Gorg had hoped for. Given to spontaneity and spurred on by the crowd reaction, Gorg calls back to Steve, “I’m going to jump it.”
“What!” cries Steve, startled by Gorg’s sudden change to their plan.
Without breaking stride, Gorg grabs a pole off the ground and again yells, “I’m gonna jump it!”
Steve, who suddenly feels angry and misled, and frustrated—and fully exposed—realizes he’s too far committed to turn back now, so he reluctantly grabs a pole as well. Ignoring their surroundings, singularly focused, the boys rapidly approach the fire. And just like he had practiced it a thousand times before, Gorg plants his pole and launches himself high into the night air. Steve could hear the crowd go silent as they catch sight of a naked Gorg flying through the night air. Mirroring Gorg’s motions, Steve launches himself into the air as well.
To the great shock of everyone watching, including Gorg and Steve, both men land cleanly on the other side. The crowd erupts. Pausing only momentarily to give Ta-Ta and Gila a good look, the two boys continue their sprint down the aisle and back into the forest. The chief, who is furious, and only narrowly missed hitting them with his staff as they flew by, immediately orders his men to apprehend them. Thus, a group of ten or twelve well-muscled warriors have taken off in hot pursuit of Gorg and Steve. Without the burden of extra thick mammoth hide armor, the boys, who may not have been the smartest cavemen, but were rather fleet of foot, have easily lost their pursuers in the dense forest.
Gorg and Steve are exhilarated and still feel the adrenaline coursing through their veins. They can hardly believe how well things have gone. Unfortunately, they hadn’t really thought their plan through much further than the actual act itself, thus they now found themselves standing in the pitch black forest, alone, cold and naked. “What do we do now?” Steve asked.
“We have to get our togas back,” Gorg replied.
“Yeah, but how?” Steve asked.
“Well,” said Gorg, “we’ll just have to circle around the village and come in from the backside.”
“Oh, great,” said Steve, regretting that he’d ever agreed to this stupid idea in the first place, “so all we have to do is circle two miles around the village in the pitch black, covered in mammoth grease, with no clothes and a forest full of wolves and saber-toothed tigers. That’s your best plan?”
“At least we have this Bunga-Bunga juice I swiped off a rock back there,” Gorg replied.
“Great,” said Steve, “so maybe we won’t feel it while we’re being eaten alive.”
“Don’t be so negative all the time,” Gorg said. “Just relax. Let’s take a piss.”
As they stood there relieving themselves, they could hear the cheering crowd in the distance, and they couldn’t help feel some sense of pride in their accomplishment. Turning to Steve, Gorg says, “Hey, you know what would be really, really funny?” “No!” Steve exclaims, “Don’t even think about it, Gorg!”
And thus, as so often happens when one involves Bunga-Bunga juice in the decision making process, a couple swigs later, Steve and Gorg took off at a full sprint, headed straight back into the clearing from whence they’d just come. Not surprisingly, as they emerged, they were met by hundreds of spectators in stunned silence. A moment later, as the shock of their incredible stupidity wore off, the crowd erupted—again. As the boys snagged a couple poles off the ground, Steve couldn’t help but notice that several rounds had been conducted in their absence and the flames were now 12-feet in the air. We’re going to die, Steve thought. “We’ve got this no problem,” Gorg yelled back encouragingly.
Just as before, Gorg confidently planted his pole and again launched himself into the night air. And again the crowd erupted. Steve was pretty sure Gorg wasn’t going to make it this time, and for a moment, he considered aborting his own jump, but, always being a bit of a follower, and figuring they were going to be killed anyways, he planted his pole and felt himself lift off. Time, which hadn’t been invented yet, seemed to slow down, and Steve enjoyed one of mankind’s first out of body experiences. He was looking down on himself from above. He could see the muscles in his body struggling to lift himself higher and higher. As his body passed over the flames, he could smell all the hair burning off his legs, and then his ass, and then his back—but—amazingly—he made it. Life is good, Steve thought to himself. And then time sped up again, and he was sucked back into his own body, just in time for his triumphant landing.
Gorg did not even see the chief’s staff coming, which caught him squarely in his unibrow, knocking him out almost instantly. As he collapsed in a heap, Steve had the misfortune to trip over top of him. Steve’s final thought before the warriors fell upon them was, “You dumbass, Gorg!” And so it was that only the second incident of streaking in the history of humankind came to an abrupt and unceremonious end. It would be many moons before a third streaking was attempted, however the legend of Gorg and Steve would live on.
The Chief resisted the overwhelming urge to have them both put to death; not by choice, mind you, but because his wise advisors had told him the crowd would riot and turn against him. As it turned out, Gorg and Steve had actually won the fire vaulting competition, setting new clan records for height and distance. The chief tried to have them disqualified because they were not hunters, but because they had actually been hunters for at least one week of the previous hunting season, they were technically eligible to compete. This infuriated the Chief further, and he had that rule stricken, but he had no choice but to allow them their victory.
Ta-Ta and Gila gave birth the following summer to the Chief’s first two grandchildren. Despite seeing bits of Gorg and Steve in them, the Chief loved his grandchildren very much. Over time…a great deal of time…why the Chief even grew to dislike Gorg and Steve a little less. Not much less, but a little. The girls actually grew to love them, and they forbid their father from disparaging the boys when he was visiting their cave at the holidays. Love as it turns out, was no easier to explain in caveman days than it is today. There is just no controlling the human heart. And thus the legend of Gorg of Steve lived on, passed down from generation to generation…at first orally, then in the form of pictograms, and now…finally…it’s on paper and available for digital download. A fact that would undoubtedly make Gorg and Steve extremely proud…if they weren’t shitfaced on Bunga-Bunga juice that is. | <urn:uuid:74ff09bc-5c09-40e8-98a0-b3c9a910d3d1> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://schrisman.com/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368711005985/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516133005-00019-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.977765 | 4,933 | 1.71875 | 2 |
The Obama administration continues to push the "stimulus" bill with the same lines we've heard all along.
Joe Biden: "Every economist, as I've said, from conservative to liberal, acknowledges that direct government spending on a direct program now is the best way to infuse economic growth and create jobs" (December, link).
Obama: "There is no disagreement that we need action by our government, a recovery plan that will help to jumpstart the economy" (January 9, link)
Obama: "Economists from across the political spectrum agree that if we don't act swiftly and boldly, we could see a much deeper economic downturn that could lead to double-digit unemployment and the American dream slipping further and further out of reach" (January 3, link)
Rahm Emmanuel: "Everybody, I think, from economists on the left to economists on the right realize that we must make critical investments at this time" (January 18, link).
Obama: "Every economist, even those who may quibble with the details in the makeup of the package will agree that if you’ve got a trillion dollars in lost demand this year and a trillion dollars in lost demand next year then you’ve got to have a big enough recovery package to actually make up for all those lost jobs and lost demand" (February 5, link).
During this entire time, economists "from across the political spectrum" have been voicing their disagreement, but His Hopeness keeps pushing the same line. Even many economists who favor the theory of fiscal stimulus (Feldstein, Sachs, etc.) are against this one because it is not a fiscal stimulus. It is a $1 trillion manifestation of long-time Democrat agendas being called a "stimulus" by its disingenuous proponents.
The word for this is dishonesty. In case Obama's disciples are still, after all this time, believing the lies coming out of his mouth, here are just a few of the economists who disagree with him:
- Hundreds of economists signed the CATO manifesto declaring their disagreement with the President (link).
- Of the IDEAS world's top 20 economists, 6 have opined against the stimulus and only 2 in favor (link).
- Greg Mankiw has been keeping a list, which includes himself, Burt Malkiel, Alberto Alesina, Robert Barro, Gary Becker, John Cochrane, Eugene Fama, Robert Lucas, Kevin Murphy, Thomas Sargent, Harald Uhlig, and Luigi Zingales (link), Martin Feldstein, Alice Rivlin, Harold Cole, Lee Ohanion, and Doug Irwin (I'm sure I've missed some).
- Other's I've noticed: Arnold Kling, James Hamilton, Nouriel Roubini, Jeffrey Sachs, and William Easterly (anyone familiar with the development literature knows that a Sachs/Easterly agreement is a big deal).
So, as it turns out, not "every economist" agrees with the Pork Plan, and Obama knows it. So why does he keep being dishonest? Is this Change We Can Believe In? | <urn:uuid:6903bd6c-ee9e-4afb-ab34-997178dc2c23> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://pendulumpolitics.blogspot.com/2009/02/on-stimulus-economists-vs-obama.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00014-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.944718 | 636 | 1.648438 | 2 |
State Street Apartments for Rent(hide neighborhood information)
The State Street neighborhood is located in Raleigh, the capital city of the state of North Carolina. It is a very small residential area covering only 0.005 square miles and with a population under a hundred people. It uses the ZIP code 27601 and is bordered by South Boundary Street on the north, East Bragg Street on the south, South State Street on the west, and Coleman Street on the east.
Only a few nearby establishments are within the neighborhood’s boundary, like the Congregational Holiness Church on its north, the Raleigh Correction Center-Women and the Church of God of Prophecy just across its southern boundary, and the Correction Institute for Women outside its eastern boundary.
Chavis Park along South Boundary Street is the nearest recreation area outside the State Street neighborhood. This park, east of the neighborhood, is a few blocks away from Shaw University and the Raleigh Civic and Convention Center.
Going northward from State Street, Raleigh residents can reach the Roberts Park and Saint Augustine’s College within a few minutes via the Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and South Raleigh Boulevard. From a few miles away, the North Carolina State University at Raleigh, located along Hillsborough Street, is another school option for college students living in State Street.
Commuters also have convenient access to the nearby Raleigh Amtrak station located along West Cabarrus Street. | <urn:uuid:85ac74ff-d63b-4bed-b00b-cc2d042c0269> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.apartmentfinder.com/North-Carolina/Raleigh/State-Street-Neighborhood-Apartments | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00007-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.963719 | 290 | 1.59375 | 2 |
Youth Radio's mission is to promote young people's intellectual, creative, and professional growth through training and access to media and to produce the highest quality original media for local and national outlets through hands-on practice, working relationships with industry professionals, and production of award-winning programming. Youth Radio students learn the basics of broadcasting. In the process, they're exposed to a broad spectrum of media-related careers. Youth Radio students also strengthen their foundation in basic "life-skills": verbal expression, writing, computer technology, critical thinking, conflict resolution, and more.
Youth Radio is committed to maintaining a diverse, multi-cultural working environment: women and people of color strongly encouraged to apply.
Current Job Openings:
Volunteer Opportunities (open until filled) | <urn:uuid:402ac22e-a17f-43c9-8864-54bdc5253591> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.youthradio.org/content/job-openings-0 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00009-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.939978 | 159 | 1.640625 | 2 |
By James Niedzinski
---- — ESSEX — Following up on initial safety concerns, town officials have discovered asbestos in the town’s fire and police station.
Town Administrator Brendhan Zubricki said that safety committee members were curious to see if the building did have any asbestos, considering it was built in the 1950s, and the town applied for a grant from the Massachusetts Interlocal Insurance Association, the town’s insurance company.
The grant was approved, the town was allotted about $5,000, and the survey was done by Covino Environmental Associates Inc., of Woburn.
Two tests have been done so far. The company sent officials to gather initial results at the end of November, with a second visit about two weeks ago, Zubricki said.
He said he does not expect any asbestos to be removed, based on initial conversations with officials from the environmental company.
“Very minor things may just need to be done,” he said. “It’s my full expectation nothing needs to be removed.”
Areas of the building affected by asbestos are not places people frequent, he said, adding that a few pipes may just need to be sealed up. But the asbestos situation remains one of many problems with the building.
Lisa O’Donnell, member of the Board of Selectmen as well as the chairperson of the Building Committee, acknowledged that the police and fire station have been in poor shape for quite some time.
“The building has a lot of problems,” she said, “the main one being it’s simply too small.”
She said asbestos removal is a minimal problem in the building, but a new public safety center would be more beneficial to residents, as well as cheaper, instead of making numerous repairs to the current building.
A new public safety building was recommended by Reinhardt and Associates, an Agawam based consulting firm. The company carried out a feasibility study in September 2011, and had recommended that the town develop such a complex on town-owned land off John Wise Avenue.
Some problems outlined by Reinhardt include ventilation systems, air quality and cracks in the floor and walls.
Town officials have addressed one major safety aspect, the fire station’s leaking roof. Selectmen signed off on a $13,000 contract with Christopher Nunes Construction of Essex last week. The contract was signed outside of a regular meeting, in order to complete the project before heavy rainfall or snow is expected to start.
Zubricki said Nunes offered the lowest of the three bids, the others being $13,500 and $19,344. The bids were submitted on Dec. 12. Zubricki said at an earlier Board of Selectmen meeting, construction is set to start when weather permits.
According to the scope of work statement posted on the town’s website, the work is set to be completed by Dec. 28.
In the meantime, Zubricki said he expects an update on the asbestos condition by early January.
He added the Board of Selectmen are presently considering adding this topic to the 2014 budget discussion. Requests are due by Jan. 10 and the Selectmen will finalize their submission on Jan. 7 of 2013.
James Niedzinski can be reached at 978-283-7000, x 3455 or at email@example.com. | <urn:uuid:56673505-10e2-40d3-83fc-b7e5e869c564> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.gloucestertimes.com/topstories/x1746068375/Asbestos-cited-in-Essex-safety-building/print | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368711005985/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516133005-00007-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.970674 | 705 | 1.585938 | 2 |
The island of Kadavu offers some of world's most spectacular scuba diving with The Great Astrolabe Reef stretching its mighty coral formations along the entire eastern side of the island.
The Great Astrolabe Reef is the world's third largest fringing reef and Fiji's largest living organism.
It is rated as one of the world's premier diving locations offering a great diversity and spectacle in coral structures (both soft and hard) and marine life.
The reef got its name in 1827 following the French explorer Dumont d'Urvilles collision with the reef in his vessel "The Astrolabe".
Many smaller reefs along the western side of the island offer a variety of dive sites to please all divers.
The scenery of massive waves crashing against the barrier reef in an explosion of crystal clear blue water and dazzling white foam is a breathtaking sight for many international travellers as they journey out just a few minutes to the nearby dive sites.
The underwater realm greets you with incredible visibility - blooming gardens of hard and soft corals and exquisitely decorated fish of every species are the highlight of divers' journey to this unspoilt, isolated island of Kadavu.
A number of resorts are scattered around the island, offering a variety of standards from backpacker and family budget resorts to the middle range and more lavishly appointed ones - all offering their own brand of Fijian hospitality.
Each resort has its own distinctive character and offers a good standard of accommodation as well as fresh island food.
Eco-tourism is very important for all the resorts to maintain a holiday destination of unique beauty for guests to enjoy.
Surfing resorts with world class and beginner breaks are also found on the island for an exciting Fiji style surfing safari.
The wilderness of rainforests, mountain ranges and the many trails and waterfalls are a delight for hikers to explore with local guides to show you rare birdlife found only on this island and indigenous plants.
Kayaking the clear waters with deserted beach camp outs and stories told around the kava bowl before sleeping under the star filled sky must be experienced to truly feel the Kadavu Island paradise.
The Kadavu Group (pronounced Kan-da-vu) is comprised of Kadavu, (Fiji's fourth largest island), Ono, Galoa and a number of smaller islands.
The group is located approx 100km south of Viti Levu, Fiji's main island. Kadavu island is 411 sq km in area, approx 60 km long, 14 km wide and the shape is irregular.
The coastline is so deeply indented that it is almost cut in three by... | <urn:uuid:a811af6c-d989-449d-8fc7-296d62f3e5b3> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://fijilive.com/fijimagic/view.php?mlx=8&st=63 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.944504 | 545 | 1.664063 | 2 |
Trees and InfographicsFiled under: Uncategorized;
Here at Piraeus we aren’t starting to deck the halls before Thanksgiving, but a co-worker did send this interesting tree-related infographic my way and I thought I’d share it.
Just last night I had a rather lengthy conversation about the old-growth trees along the Olympic Peninsula. According to the Peninsula Daily News (from 2/2011), the Olympic National Park sees around 3,000,000 visitors annually, though there’s debate about the traffic counter’s accuracy. Are you one of the 3 million?
I wonder if anyone has tried to see all of these old trees. I suspect there’s a dendrologist somewhere with it on their bucket-list | <urn:uuid:158f596a-199c-457a-92c8-53ff9960b266> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://bidevelopments.com/trees-and-infographics/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00016-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.954807 | 160 | 1.601563 | 2 |
A Kansas City Chiefs fan holds a sign during the first half of an NFL football game against the Carolina Panthers at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Mo., Sunday, Dec. 2, 2012. The Chiefs played just a day after their linebacker Jovan Belcher shot his girlfriend multiple times at a residence near the stadium. He then drove to the team's practice facility and turned the gun on himself as general manager Scott Pioli and coach Romeo Crennel looked on. / (AP Photo/Colin E. Braley)
The Jovan Belcher tragedy wasn't a gun issue.
It was a mental illness issue.
It was a domestic violence issue.
It might have been a substance-abuse issue.
It wasn't a gun issue.
If a man is so enraged and addled and distraught that he could commit these kinds of heinous crimes, he could have done so without the aid of a firearm -- a firearm that was legally registered, according to reports.
I am not a gun owner or a National Rifle Association member. But guns are taking the rap on this one.
"I agree with that 100 percent," said Colts kicker Adam Vinatieri, an avid hunter and gun owner. "Obviously, this was a very tragic thing that happened and you've got families and the entire NFL grieving. But I believe a gun is a tool, like a hammer or anything else. It's tragic it went down like that and that a gun was used in the process.
"But with the right training and safety precautions, a gun is as a tool, if used appropriately, can be a good tool for protecting yourself, your family and your property."
Again, I am not a gun guy. Never owned one. Never shot one. Have no desire to do either.
That said, I support the Second Amendment as fervently as I do the First Amendment freedom of speech. I understand why people -- athletes in this particular case -- would want to carry a gun. For hunting. For personal protection. For collecting. For sport.
Ours is a gun culture. Roughly 40-45 percent of all American households own a gun. The United States is No. 1 in most guns per capita, and nobody is even close.
And pro sports locker rooms are filled with gun owners.
Tony Dungy told this story the other day on Dan Patrick's radio show.
Each year, he would open training camp by asking his players a question: "How many of you guys have a gun?"
Dungy recalled that year after year, at least 75 percent of the hands went up.
"You've got to get them registered in Indiana," Dungy told them. "You've got to follow all the rules. You've got to know that you can't have it on NFL property, can't take it to away games. If you've got it here in training camp, you've got to lock it up."
When Dungy would ask why so many owned guns, they'd tell him, "Coach, you're living in another world. I've owned a gun since I was young. Guns were kept in my family. I'm going to carry a gun when I go out on the streets of Indianapolis."
You shouldn't be.
A lot of these players grew up in areas were carrying a firearm was de rigueur. A lot of them hunt. They also make hundreds of thousands, if not millions of dollars, which makes them an especially appealing target for thieves.
David Thornton, the former Colt who is now the team's director of player engagement, talks to his players every year about gun laws and gun safety.
"I'm not a fan of guns at all," Thornton said. "That's just something where I never felt the need to carry one. But it's a personal choice, and I understand that.
"I'm OK (with guys having guns) because we're going to do our best to educate them, and guys are very receptive to that. Every guy knows the laws and knows what the league expects. As long as they're informed and understand the consequences of the decisions they make, I have to be OK with it."
One of Thornton's responsibilities is to ensure that players' personal problems don't become so overwhelming, a gun becomes the answer to their issues.
"I look at a story like that (the Belcher homicide-suicide), you realize, we really don't know what's going on in their private worlds," he said. "When they're at the facility, you talk to them, make sure they're getting any help they might need, but when they go home, you're not with them. I know the woman in Kansas City who does the same job I do here, and I know they were trying to reach out to this young man. You don't know what they're carrying around inside, what worries them, what frustrates them, what might be really weighing on them. It could be something that might make them make an unwise decision.
"The good thing is our team, and the NFL in general, does a good job providing them with resources, whether it's with financial assistance, depression, unhealthy relationships, anger management, grief. We have to make sure those things aren't allowed to fester."
When it happened last Saturday, the Colts were in a walk-through. General manager Ryan Grigson told interim head coach Bruce Arians about it and asked him to address the team.
They had a moment of silence. They prayed for the families involved. And then they had what Thornton described as a locker room "pow wow."
"More than anything, we want to reiterate that help is always available, but you need to open yourself up and use that help," Thornton said. "You never want to take a temporary problem and try to fix it with a permanent solution like homicide and suicide."
I expected the Belcher tragedy to turn into another round in the discussion regarding concussions.
Instead, it became about guns.
Good argument, wrong time.
Understand, I will defend Jason Whitlock, the Foxsports.com columnist, who first broached the subject; at least I'll defend his right to say it. Whitlock, an Indy guy, has never been shy about addressing social issues.
And I had no problem with Bob Costas using the bully pulpit of Sunday night football to discuss the issue. Sports are a window into the larger culture. We should always be ready and willing to address racism, homophobia, gun control and other hot-button topics when they intersect with our fun and games.
It's just that in this case, I disagree with their stances as they pertain to this particular case.
This was about a whole lot of other issues, and guns wasn't one of them.
Bob Kravitz is a columnist for The Indianapolis Star. Contact him at (317) 444-6643 or via email at firstname.lastname@example.org. You can also follow Bob on Twitter at @bkravitz. | <urn:uuid:af87be2b-c3ed-4941-b01d-5c4d991acd6a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.indystar.com/article/20121207/SPORTS15/212070355/?odyssey=tab%7Cmostpopular%7Ctext%7CSPORTS03&nclick_check=1 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00007-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.985422 | 1,456 | 1.617188 | 2 |
post by Rachel Pastan
The first things to show up were the chairs: those brightly colored stacking chairs you used to see everywhere in the 1970s. Madison, ICA’s building administrator, found them in the bowels of a neighboring building, and they were just what was wanted.
After that, a couple of tables appeared. They weren’t the right color though, so Paul painted the tops a misty gray. Next some posters arrived, big, grainy, black-and-white images of students at CalArts in the 1970s sitting together in spaces not unlike this one. It took a while to decide where to hang them.
That night—in what Tom joked was the I Ching of curatorial practice—there was an excursion to a bookstore to buy a bunch of used paperbacks: The Second Sex, A Marx Reader, Maria Montessori’s Education and Peace, Rubyfruit Jungle. Pretty soon it was looking just like the 1970s on ICA’s Mezzanine, site of our second Excursus project, East of Borneo. This reading room / exhibition / series of programs / online residency, loosely based around ideas of alternative pedagogies, is organized by Thomas Lawson and Stacey Allan, who run an online art magazine, also called East of Borneo, from their base in Los Angeles.
L.A. has been practically one big art exhibition lately (or at least, an endlessly hatching series of many art exhibitions large and small) as Pacific Standard Time (PST), the year-long celebration of art in Los Angeles between 1945 and 1980, rolls on. Tom Lawson, who is also Dean of the Art School of the California Institute of the Arts, concocted the art school’s contribution to PST: a two-year seminar exploring the art and artists of the post-war era. The time period the students got excited about turned out to be the 70s. That class helped develop the exhibition The Experimental Impulse at REDCAT in LA, material and ideas from which informed ICA’s installation. It’s exciting to have a bit of warm PST weather here in the chilly East.
What interested the students, according to Tom, was not so much the art of that decade, but rather “the alternative strategies that artists used in LA in response to various institutional collapses.” In the sixties, there had seemed to be a way to have a career as an artist; there were paths to follow. But by the seventies, that sense had disappeared. Young artists kept making art, but in many ways it was more for themselves and for one another than for a public. They formed collectives and published small magazines. This ethos of making art for the sake of making it—for opening oneself to new methods and ideas—this was what resonated for the CalArts students. The installation on ICA’s mezzanine, with its 40/4 chairs by David Rowland and its “Blueprint for Counter Education” posters (originals in the flat files; reproductions on the walls), is a portal to a moment in history from which to take inspiration.
Maybe it’s just because I grew up during them, but I love the 1970s: the bright colors, the TV shows, the air of idealism. At my elementary school, ca. 1973, we sat on the floor and called our teachers Nell and Rich and Jewell. The Monarch butterfly project we enacted every year—watching the slow, striped caterpillars spin bright green chrysalises for themselves, then break out as brilliant winged creatures—would not be out of place up here on the ICA mezzanine.
Perhaps East of Borneo’s most potent installation object is the Metamorphokit table, which got delayed by UPS and didn’t show up till the very morning of the opening. Metamorphokit is a system of modular furniture designed for the CalArts dorms by Peter de Bretteville and Toby Cowan in 1971. The pieces could be put together in all different kinds of ways. Students would arrive at school, go up to their dorm room, and find a pile of unassembled Metamorphokit pieces. Thus, a student’s first task upon entering CalArts would be to design her own environment. “The idea,” Tom explained, “was that you would build your own dorm room, and in the process you would figure out what kind of artist you were.”
Alex, the Excursus curator, added, “But we found out they aren’t that easy to put together.”
“But they’re very easy to take apart,” Stacey said.
It makes me think of those caterpillars again. Didn’t they too create their own environments, then slip inside them for a while to do something mysterious, until they were ready to dry their new wings and take flight?
* * *
To sign up for Miranda’s mailing list, email firstname.lastname@example.org. | <urn:uuid:8ae37f39-bed0-4fd7-9a45-889647275e22> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.icaphila.org/miranda/tag/pacific-standard-time/?doing_wp_cron=1369259555.8968319892883300781250 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.966873 | 1,075 | 1.671875 | 2 |
Safe - for now.
This is the second assault on the tiger sharks of Aliwal Shoal in 2008. The sad news I received today ruined much more than just my day.
Read what Mark Addison of Blue Wilderness, Umkomaas / Scottburgh, wrote:
Today was a tragic day for the tiger sharks in the Aliwal Shoal Marine Protected Area. Two animals were killed in the shark nets at Scottburgh this morning and we were able to free another little girl later in the day.
I felt sick (literally), devastated, sad, and outraged beyond description.
The diver who rescued the small tiger girl, and lovingly holds on to her, is Steve Benjamin, a young marine biologist who works as a shark guide at Blue Wilderness. This is, by far, the most tender and telling 'man-shark' photograph I have ever seen.
The image could be the poster for the forthcoming "Year of the Shark 2009".
Steve: We all embrace and applaud you for having saved this little girl. You are a gentleman in the true sense of the word - a gentle man!
We will have to launch a massive, well coordinated initiative with all means we have at our disposal to have the South African authorities remove the shark nets in their territory. This issue is long overdue, and now is the time to ACT decisively!
We need to let the world know that to protect the tiger sharks of Aliwal Shoal is a just cause - it will be the fight of the concerned few against the indifference of the many. No more, no less.
Let our motto be:
"Shark nets: We don't need the nets - we need the sharks! | <urn:uuid:650a718f-5e5e-40d4-9e86-13a5dc183db3> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://fleander.blogspot.com/2008/10/breaking-news-from-south-africa-very.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.955795 | 348 | 1.539063 | 2 |
LEWISTOWN - Noting that milk is one of nature's nearly perfect foods with vitamins, minerals and protein that a healthy body needs, the Mifflin County Commissioners on Thursday adopted a proclamation recognizing June as Dairy Month.
"June is the month when nature bestows upon us her most nearly perfect weather," Commissioner Mark Sunderland read from the proclamation. "So it follows that June is the most fitting month to celebrate the importance of dairy products and dairy farmers to our good health and to our community."
Sunderland said Mifflin County boasts of 285 dairy farms that produce 215 million pounds (about 27 million gallons) of milk annually at a value to the local economy of $30 million.
Sentinel photo by JOE CANNON
The Mifflin County Commissioners on Thursday adopted a proclamation recognizing June as Dairy Month. Participating in the proclamation ceremony were, from left, Macy Fisher, outgoing Mifflin County Dairy Princess; Commissioner Kevin Kodish, Commissioner Mark Sunderland; and newly crowned Mifflin County Dairy Princess Amanda Fisher. Absent from photo is Commissioner Otis Riden.
"Dairy farmers are hard at work to provide not only a safe, wholesome product for consumers' enjoyment, but also to provide a clean environment for future generations through the use of new technologies and a better understanding of the links between soil, plants, animals and the natural environment," Sunderland continued.
On hand to accept the proclamation were newly crowned Mifflin County Dairy Princess Amanda Fisher, along with the 2011-12 Dairy Princess, Macy Fisher, Amanda's sister.
"I'd like to thank the commissioners for everything we're going to do together this year," Amanda Fisher said when asked if she had any comment. "This is my very first promotion and we're looking forward to having a good year."
In commemorating June Dairy Month, Fisher presented the commissioners with a tray filled with various cheeses and crackers.
In other business Thursday, the commissioners:
Approved the hiring of Ashton Amspacker of Penn State University as an intern in the Register & Recorder's office effective May 29. All expenses related to the hiring will be paid for by Penn State.
Approved Christine Suloff to serve as an unpaid intern in the human services office effective June 19.
Hired Aaron Michalchik as a part-time public safety telecommunicator effective June 11.
Approved a memorandum of understanding for use by Children & Youth with Child, Adult and Family Psychology Center of State College.
Approved the following appointments to three-year terms on the Children & Youth Advisory Committee: Ann Thompson of Belleville, and Beth Haines and Amy Davis, both of Lewistown.
Approved the renewal of a five-year lease with Greater Lewistown Corporation for the Children & Youth and Domestic Relations offices.
Hired David Smith to fill the vacated position of county casework supervisor in the Children & Youth department effective June 25. | <urn:uuid:2360b8a9-11a1-46ea-9464-e6a62e4f231c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://lewistownsentinel.com/page/content.detail/id/534929/June-declared-as-Dairy-Month.html?nav=5006 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00013-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.947397 | 610 | 1.632813 | 2 |
By Jasmine Ferrell, Staff Writer
For the next few weeks, Jasmine will be exploring Boston and the surrounding areas and recommending spooky places and attractions to check out before Halloween.
In the spirit of the season, I’ve spent days generating ideas for a blog series, and I’ve come up with one to focus on the perfect tree decorating scheme. Oh wait, never mind. That would be for Christmas, and it’s still the middle of October. I guess that one will have to wait.
When October shows its face on that inspirational wall calendar, horror season hits, and everyone out there is searching for the best terrors. There are numerous commercial haunted sites, trails and the like, but what did I want? Authenticity. This week and the two following I strive to reveal the best Boston’s notorious history has to offer, but to start, I needed some education. Ghost tours are a popular tourist scheme, and if you shell out the top money you can be escorted to a picturesque grave yard where you’ll hear tales, whether true or not, told by a charismatic tour guide.
Often times these are more for show, but they’re also not half bad and at a low cost. During “The Boston Night Tour,” with admission of $15, an educated tour guide took us to many actual sites of Boston’s best ghost encounters while he informed us about the legitimacy or the questionable nature of each story. I was lead personally by the ideal paranormal researcher, Andrew, who had a long ponytail, a paranormal museum t-shirt and had one of those beards and voices most associated with wisdom. He was a believer.
Starting at the actual site of the Boston massacre, the group learned the story of Crispus Attucks and his ghost. When some construction on the square had begun, people would come off the street into the Old State House exclaiming that one of their tour guides just disappeared. Time after time, the witnesses described the same man: a tall man, with broad shoulders and a red top hat. He was supposedly standing at the exact spot where Crispus died, suddenly clutching his chest and collapsing to the ground, then disappearing. Although there were documentations of the dying tour guide sightings, the team couldn’t find anything. Strange, isn’t it?
Next, we proceeded to the back door of the Old State House to hear the story of the cursed figure head. This one carved woman was supposed to have killed hundreds of men while surviving multiple exploding ships and burning buildings without being scorched. Even the tour guide questioned this claim. Was it really cursed, or is this more the case of finding the common factor? Because it was a tour, there were more than just these two spots of course, but I can’t give everything away. For further enticement, though, I will reveal that the tour concludes with a ghostly conversation in the most haunted place in Boston: The Boston Common.
Next week, I will test my own belief and attempt a private investigation of The Common, so be prepared to be blown away by all the amazing evidence that I hopefully find. | <urn:uuid:2712212a-2ba4-4501-92b0-79ca249c925e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://freepblog.wordpress.com/2012/10/15/haunted-happenings-history-with-a-ghostly-twist/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705195219/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115315-00012-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.961199 | 659 | 1.554688 | 2 |
This post is not about influence; what it is or who influences who. That topic has been discussed by people with far more knowledge than I have on the subject. Instead I want to show the distinction between advocate and influencer and the importance of building a customer advocacy program alongside your influencer program. The two aren’t interchangeable and an influencer program doesn’t replace the need for a customer advocacy program simply by reaching out to the folks with clout. The truth is your brand advocates or ambassadors aren’t necessarily influencers (in the traditional sense of fans/followers and klout score), and an influencer is not necessarily an advocate of your brand. Having a program to reach out to your influencers and one to empower and connect with your advocates are both equally important.
Companies often build out in-depth “influencer programs” with lists of people who are thought leaders in their industry. Influencers may have hundreds or thousands of fans on twitter, a high profile blog, or they speak at conferences due to their leadership in a given area. Often these programs divide their lists by context and audience, helping them to determine who to pitch what new product, service or events.
If a pitch receives the outcome the brand is looking for (a mention on a blog post, or a tweet as an example) it can help drive conversation, and build awareness. However, the pitch can be challenging.
These influencers are not necessarily fans of the brand, and in many cases they may be indifferent or detractors rather than advocates. And, if they are considered influential for your industry, chances are your competition is also pitching them – so getting noticed is not an easy task.
Brand advocates or ambassadors are those customers who support your brand positively in online and offline conversations with their network. They will share their opinion, recommendations and even defend the brand from detractors. They may not have thousands of followers or be quoted in the media as an industry thought leader, but they have influence within their social network. And, a huge advantage of advocates is that they aren’t likely being pitched from the competition. I have seen many advocacy programs start out from the customer service side of the business where they create MVP or “Super User” programs within their support communities. But the most successful ones seem to be those that are tied to influencer programs or which have the additional support of marketing or PR so that the advocates get the inside scoop and special offers that the influencers receive.
Don’t forget your influencers, they are still a key part of the mix. But, remember to treat your advocates a bit more like influencers. By creating your advocacy program alongside your influencer program you can consider these ideas:
- Planning a big launch party or event for media and influencers? Make it a fan night by inviting a few of your ambassadors to join in the fun. They will love hobnobbing with the influencers and your employees. As an example we invited our ambassadors to an industry event where they got to spend time learning more about the product, as well as build a stronger relationship with each other and with us.
- With new product launches it is normal to send demos or samples to media, and to influencers but there are also great benefits to sending these to your advocates. If they have products early they can help to spread the word, and to support the product by answering questions on and offline.
- Sharing offers and the inside scoop before they are widely known help to make your advocates feel special to the brand.
- Inviting ambassadors to meet your employees or thought leaders via a conference call, or at an event provides them with stories, information and ultimately strong ties to the brand. I once had one of our brand ambassadors come for a tour of our office – he was so excited about seeing our desks and meeting our colleagues and we were thrilled to be able to do something so big for so little.
- Give them a special space in an online community where they can talk to other brand advocates, or introduce them to your customers in an interview on your blog.
What do you offer your brand advocates? How do you make them feel special? | <urn:uuid:20e4c747-b49b-4b9f-8519-8b96c9142983> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.socialbusinessnews.com/formalizing-the-customer-advocacy-program/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368711005985/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516133005-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.966011 | 855 | 1.5625 | 2 |
Augusto Alonso had his leg amputated aged ten after a football injury developed into a malignant tumour. Last week, the 15-year-old from Mendoza scored two goals while wearing the blue and white stripes of Argentina in the opening game of the World Cup.
Thirty years after the sport was first created by Don Bennett in the US, the Amputee Football World Cup 2010 kicked off in Argentina last week. Over 200 players from 16 nations—each members of the World Amputee Football Federation (WAFF)—strode onto a floodlit field in Crespo, Entre Ríos, flying the banners of their countries.
Delegations from Angola, Great Britain, Russia, Liberia, El Salvador, Turkey, Iran, France, Haiti, Ukraine, Japan, Brazil and Argentina (with later arrivals from Ghana and Uzbekistan) were hailed with appreciative roars from a capacity crowd at the Crespo Union de Fútbol. As darkness fell, the atmosphere began to crackle with shouting voices, whistles, drums, streamers and confetti picked out by the bright floodlights.
The warm reception really set the tone for the ten day tournament as the towns of Cerrito, Viale and Paraná joined forces with main host Crespo to welcome the teams and celebrate the world cup of a sport that after three decades is still struggling to gain official recognition.
A world away from the ‘other’ World Cup in South Africa this summer, there was no wall-to-wall media coverage, shrieking vuvuzelas, or two-penny memorabilia here: amputee football still isn’t acknowledged by football’s governing body FIFA or included as a Para Olympic discipline.
Mauricio Gregnor, of the Mundial Organising Committee at Crespo said: “There are a lot of personal sacrifices made to play this sport because at first nobody took notice of amputee football players. Everything they have achieved they’ve done on their own and now finally they are getting some recognition.”
Setbacks are common: the tournament was supposed to be held in Brazil last year but was cancelled with less than three weeks to go for financial reasons. Each town’s preparation for this event was a labour of love and determination and each team’s journey to Entre Rios was complicated and uncertain. Many of them only made it by the skin of their hides.
If anything captured the tournament’s battle against the odds, surely it was the sight of the Haitian national team making their way onto the pitch during the opening ceremony, merely ten months after an earthquake devastated the country. Three of the team were victims in the tragedy, including Francois McKewdy, who had to saw off his own leg to escape from the wreckage of the t-shirt factory he was working in when the quake hit.
Established not long after the natural disaster occurred, the team was created by the US-based International Institute of Sport (IIOS) and their arrival in Entre Rios came after a colossal fundraising initiative to pay for fares, equipment and uniforms.
Evens Esaïe Jovin, pastor and secretary of the national team said: “It was hard to organise because there were so many people that lost limbs in the earthquake. They came here without clothes because they literally didn’t have anything else to wear: every house was broken.
“Getting ready to come here was really hard. None of the players had travel papers or birth certificates, everything was lost,” he added.
In Haiti, amputee football is still in its infancy, but a lack of funding is an issue that is common to all teams that participate in the sport. Even in countries like El Salvador, where the sport has been established since 1986, the squad only managed to buy the last three plane tickets a few days before the competition started.
Their background is that of a 12-year civil war which ended in 1992 and there are only three players that don’t have an ex-guerrilla or military background. There was initial backing from the armed forces, but even that support has gradually dwindled.
Rene Velasco, 43, from Ilobasco, has been with the team since he lost his leg to a land mine during the war. From their lodgings in Cerrito, while his team mates are sprawled about watching Tom & Gerry he says: “We’re competitive. We also have to have other jobs (apart from playing football) to earn enough for tickets and uniforms: it wasn’t easy.
“We’re trying to get a bit more organised and hoping for help from sports federations and departments in the government, including FIFA. We’re demanding an answer as to why amputee football isn’t recognised as a sport. Everyone’s been asking why FIFA doesn’t lend its support to us but we still haven’t had an answer,” says Rene.
While Para Olympic sports get government funding in most countries, WAFF is still in negotiations to get amputee football included as a discipline and in the mean time the teams rely on thrifty fundraising.
Rehabilitation Through Sport
Investment in the sport would support more than just the teams themselves. According to many amputees, participation in sport was a crucial part of their physical and psychological rehabilitation as they recovered from the loss of their limbs.
Oscar Barablis, 42, Mendoza, is one of the Argentina’s three goal keepers. His arm was amputated 22 years ago in an accident at the gomeria where he worked.
“Of course I had to re-train and get used to playing with one arm but with the help of my friends and family I managed it – playing really helped me integrate into society because you feel part of a group again,” he says as the team basks in the warm spring sunshine, enjoying a free morning.
The positive impact is also felt by friends and family who struggled to comes to terms with the injury to a loved one. Oscar´s mother, Josefina, came from Mendoza to Crespo to watch her son represent his country. She says that seeing him play had finally helped her to accept that her son had lost an arm after more than 20 years of denial.
After a group of young boys come by to slap the players on the back and wish them luck for the next games, Oscar talks about the squad: “No player is bigger than the team. The main goal is to be as one and grow one step at a time and not to lose our modesty.
“We go out with our chests raised high in the knowledge that even if we lose, each player has contributed the best of themselves to our sport – that’s the idea,” he says.
An Inspiration for Others
Back in the El Salvador camp, Rene describes the team’s ambition to foster wider change back home: “We are really working to set an example, so that society sees that life doesn’t stop when you have a disability.
“When you have an amputation you feel like your world has ended. We want to work with these people and show them that life continues and they can carry on being the person that they were before the accident. We’re not psychologists but we can support them and help them by showing them that we have a living history; that we’ve overcome all of the obstacles that stood before us.”
The Haitian team also hopes to inspire others by setting up a national centre for amputee sport in Port au Prince with the backing of the IIOS to help earthquake victims recover from their injuries when they return home.
Speaking from Viale football club, as the team relaxed in the sun, listening to Sean Paul and having broken conversations with local school children, pastor Esaïe Jovin said: “There aren’t really any other amputee sports in our country. They don’t like unpretty persons and exile them from the society. It’s our challenge to come here and play in Argentina so that when we come back they will think differently.”
Although each team came to Entre Rios with the hope of taking the world cup home with them, the common long-term goal is to achieve official recognition for the sport so that they can spend less time on fundraising and more time on tactics. With the level of support, spirit of solidarity and number of flashbulbs on the sidelines at Crespo this year, there is a sense that amputee football is gradually getting the attention it deserves.
“I never thought that I would be out there playing for my country in front of such a big crowd,” says Augusto, “In other tournaments there were people but nothing like this. Their support is great!”
This is a sport that desperately needs publicity and investment – hopefully progress will have been made by the time the teams re-group for Japan 2012. | <urn:uuid:42f07f24-a764-40d8-874c-862f7457ae4b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.argentinaindependent.com/life-style/sport/amputee-football-world-cup-2010/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697380733/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516094300-00003-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.978012 | 1,903 | 1.804688 | 2 |
Image: Courtesy of 13.media.tumblr
People don’t care about “CRM” or “Social CRM”. Sales, Marketing and Customer Support departments do. People care about great customer experiences. Since Social CRM is just an extension of CRM, I’m not sure this model will be able to answer the desire of customers for better experiences.
Clearly, Social CRM is a dramatic improvement from current CRM models, adding new features, functions and characteristics to the mix. Social CRM understands the communication revolution we’re all living each and every day, and its effect on peer trust. Social CRM helps businesses also to move their sole focus away from transactions, and incorporate initiatives that improve interactions between businesses and people. At best, Social CRM will change value metrics from Customer Lifetime Value (CLV) to Customer Referral Value (CRV) – measuring how valuable people are when they tell others about their experiences with a company.
This is all nice and dandy but most of the Social CRM discussions revolve (once again) around technology implementations. Call it E2.0, Social Business, Social Business Design, Social CRM – most of these monikers describe integration of new technologies and not how the core needs of all stakeholders can be satisfied and, thereby, improving the overall performance of the enterprise.
Enterprises have to align their whole organizational model around helping people to achieve their goals.
Let’s face it, whatever you call it, all CRM systems are based on a company’s perspective of reality. You can add social as a spice or main ingredient, everything still revolves around the company. Relationships are still managed by the company, to benefit the company. We see encouraging signs where enterprises let people in to co-create and collaborate: on product development, improving company processes, solving customer service issues. It’s a good step from the old CRM model that tracked what a company assumed the customer wanted to the Social CRM model that focuses on what customers are saying they want.
The problem with Social CRM: It’s still a crapshoot
The ability of companies to do something useful with social intelligence still lags light years behind their ability to gather it. We have great technology how to gather social intelligence but no scalable processes to utilize this intelligence. And, let’s just say, we suddenly lived in a perfect world and had access to actionable insights, we tend to forget that human beings are social primates, not rational decision-making machines. The rational actor assumption is so hard to give up, and many still argue this idea to death. Humans are ruled by motivated and unmotivated biases. We apply what we want and expect to see, ignoring what we don’t expect or want to perceive. In addition, humans are motivated by effort justification. The more effort and resource humans have spent on a situation, the more likely we continue our spending, despite losses or harm. Motivated/unmotivated biases and effort justification influence how we first perceive information. There are several more factors which affect how we process our already tainted information, thus altering the way we frame situations even further. Meaning: We all make short cuts in the way we process information. We use “rules of thumb” (heuristics) to focus on necessary information to make decisions. There’s the representative heuristic, where we make a judgement call based upon how much something resembles a situation, and the availability heuristic where we base everything upon how easily we can come up with a similar example. Last but not least, we have to take into account the risky shift (the tendency of a group to be more risk acceptant than an individual) and group think, where a group’s collective voice masks and oppresses the ideas of the individual. Looking at all these factors influencing decision-making, how can we expect an incremental improvement aka Social CRM to tap into all these motivations and be anything more than a sophisticated Magic 8-ball?
The need for revolutionary change
Most of us agree: We live in revolutionary times. Consumers transformed into producers. People can easily produce and distribute content. If the story is worth telling, it will be heard. Creating large communities is no more limited to big institutions, each one of us can create communities. Some of them large, some of them small. Institutions can’t control anymore what they want us see, read or listen to; each one of us has control over our own destiny.
History should tell us that revolutionary times call for revolutionary changes, not evolutionary improvements. Case in point: East Germany. In 1989, people were fed up. They were fed up with travel restrictions and limitations in communicating with the outside world. People were out on the street demanding drastic changes. And the East German government responded incrementally: Ok, you can travel to Hungary whenever you want. But not to France. Ok, we’ll replace Honecker with another blockhead, Egon Krenz. But not with a new way of governing. A few weeks later, the Wall came down and the whole idea of East Germany disappeared forever.
Sure, nobody is protesting on the street, asking companies to let go of their stranglehold of data and customer relations. This is a much more subtle revolution. YouTube video by Facebook update, tweet by message board activity; people are building their own world, relieved from the stranglehold of MSM, people are creating their own reality. Social CRM feels like a catch-up strategy, not anything remotely revolutionary, game-changing enough.
What to do
Don’t regard Social CRM as a panacea, rather consider it as a bridge to VRM. Since VRM tools are still in development, use Social CRM for three purposes:
- Support: Tap into the power of social networks to improve your customer support program. Develop tools and platforms to enable people to help each other, tap into existing networks to add your expertise and syndicate your knowledge throughout the Social Web.
- Communities: Use current communities (especially the ones out of your brand control) to gather feedback for each division of your enterprise. Use a mix of branded communities (Passenger, Communispace, etc.) and organic communities.
- Listen: Create a Voice of Customer program, understanding the desires and needs of your customer base. Don’t just listen, listen actively. Be part of the conversation to fend off small issues that can turn into major fires very quickly.
Tired already? Better get an energy drink, because the real work is ahead of us.
The road to CRM
- Give up control already: Give people tools to manage their relationships with institutions. Don’t try to own the tools, the data, the relationship. Nobody owns a relationship. Give people as much control over the relationship as you have and personalize these tools for the needs of the individual.
- It’s my data: Help people to control their own data. When they want their personal information deleted, allow them to do it. Without any opt-outs or other fancy road blocks to continue a dismal relationship. Develop tools that let people selective share their own data, determine their own “Terms of Service” and ensure that the privacy debate of now turns into a people data control story.
- Let’s stop the guesswork: Instead wasting millions of dollars on useless advertising, help people express their demand. Lunch on my mind? Why bother firing up the Yelp application and looking for appropriate places?Instead, let people express their desire and allow brands to answer in time. No BT or CRM segmentation needed. I share with brands what I think is needed to get a good response. Period.
It’s now. Or too late.
These VRM tools are in the making. My company is working on it. Many others are developing solutions. Once they’re implemented, they will change everything: the way people deal with institutions, the way marketing and sales works, the way company spend their budgets – basically everything enterprises do.
While companies pay a lot of lip-service to customer-centricity, they still focus on themselves first and foremost. Institutions have to take off their divisional hat first, then the brand hat. Move closer to customers and understand where they are coming from. And together build tools that improve markets and add value to each stakeholders balance sheet.
“Revolution is not the uprising against preexisting order, but the setting up of a new order contradictory to the traditional one.”
Jose Ortega y Gasset. | <urn:uuid:09c416eb-d659-431c-91fc-dea74ed2d640> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.bateshook.com/tag/customer-experiences/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00014-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.940527 | 1,786 | 1.515625 | 2 |
An anonymous reader sends this excerpt from the LA Times: "... the myths of Area 51 are hard to dispute if no one can speak on the record about what actually happened there. Well, now, for the first time, someone is ready to talk ... Colonel Hugh 'Slip' Slater, 87, was commander of the Area 51 base in the 1960s. Edward Lovick, 90, featured in 'What Plane?' in LA's March issue, spent three decades radar testing some of the world's most famous aircraft (including the U-2, the A-12 OXCART and the F-117). Kenneth Collins, 80, a CIA experimental test pilot, was given the silver star. Thornton 'T.D.' Barnes, 72, was an Area 51 special-projects engineer. And Harry Martin, 77, was one of the men in charge of the base's half-million-gallon monthly supply of spy-plane fuels." | <urn:uuid:db0318a6-bd6b-42df-bb20-50aa6552667a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://tech.slashdot.org/story/09/04/13/2240202/project-oxcart-declassified-from-area-51 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00017-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.955007 | 191 | 1.59375 | 2 |
It's more about having fun- even if you don't have someone to dance with.
"We don't need a partner," said Ladonna McGee.
This group of senior citizens slip on their dancing shoes for their line dancing class and as a way to stay in shape.
"It teaches balance, it is exercise, it keeps brain waves going and the main thing is its to socialize," said McGee.
They practice twice a week and its not just country music they dance to- they also learn Latin and Classic Pop dances as well.
It's all about keeping up with the beat- but no ones judging here if you fall out of step.
"You just kind of know what you're doing and if not then you just fall back in you don't get worried about it," said Arlene Wuske, one of the participants.
Arlene Wuske has danced for years and joined the class to ensure she maintains a healthy active lifestyle.
"I'm laughing, I'm having a reason to get out of the house I'm anxious to go out and have fun and afterwards i go have a drink," said the 65 year-old.
To her however, its more about the learning the steps- its about having a good time and keeping the music going in her life.
"I like to stay active so that I can do everything and not hurt, never hesitate every time anybody wants to ride a bike or run up a hill or jump around, I'm ready," she said.
The Rose Park Senior Center offers beginner and intermediate line dancing classes every Monday and Thursday at 1 p.m. and advanced classes at 2 p.m. | <urn:uuid:e347ee07-63c6-4d10-8926-6e263fafeb0c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://bigcountryhomepage.com/fulltext?nxd_id=501122&nxd_237113_start=3445 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.983878 | 342 | 1.710938 | 2 |
House of the Rising Sun | Gulgong, Australia
Height: 2.5 m. Built July 1995 in Gulgong, NSW, Australia as a joint work between Jørgen Hansen and Nina Hole, Denmark out of 1 ton of red clay dug at the location. The context was an international ceramic symposium 'Clay Sculpt Gulgong' arranged by Janet Mansfield, Australia. They were inspired by the foreign country and wanted to make a window through which you saw a piece of Australian landscape. The shape inspired by Nina Holes sculptural work with houses. The way of construction was developed out of the possibilities offered by the not very plastic clay. | <urn:uuid:cc1f1d58-0625-4439-bb62-91c312296e23> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://firingsculpture.com/ny/index.php?/firingsculptures/house-of-the-rising-sun/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00016-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.977028 | 136 | 1.71875 | 2 |
The Republic's coverage of the current correctional healthcare privatization effort offered an incomplete and unbalanced view of this marketplace ("Arizona prisons in health-care quandary," 2/17). Rather, the article seemed more designed to slight the firms bidding by focusing on lost contracts and out-of-context past performance issues.
Track records are certainly important, so why not also mention that the majority of correctional healthcare contracts are renewed or rebid, not cancelled? Why not talk to corrections officials in the wide range of other states that already use privatization to deliver a full spectrum of medical, mental health, dental and other prison healthcare services?
The private sector delivers the bulk of Americans' healthcare services today, so it's clearly not an inherently governmental function. Applying competition to drive down taxpayer costs in prisons makes sense, as healthcare delivery tends not to be a core competency of corrections agencies.
Hopefully readers hung on through the end, where the article acknowledges a fundamental reality: successful privatization requires strong contracts and public oversight. If the state keeps its eye on that ball, then privatization could offer a powerful way to transform prison healthcare while lowering costs.
Director of Government Reform, Reason Foundation | <urn:uuid:44828c41-0493-42cd-b59b-a619f8100eee> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://reason.org/news/show/arizona-prison-health-care | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00019-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.940707 | 237 | 1.632813 | 2 |
Speaking of Ethics: Listerv Nettiquette
Some time ago we submitted an article to an unnamed journal that incorporated the above quote from Camus in part of the title. We thought it was real catchy and linked well with the overall theme of the research we were reporting - ethics (Perhaps one of you actually read it?). This title appeared too controversial for our reviewers. We were encouraged to change the title. Since all feedback is friendly, the NLP folks say, and we wanted the piece in print, we shifted title gears and toned it down.
Of late, there has been some “encouragement” to tone things down at bit in cyberspace. Clearly, the Internet has considerable potential and professional value to all of us (e.g., an open forum to share information, discuss pressing issues and problems we face in our work, collaborate on projects, etc.). (See Watson & Etzel, 2000). However, assuming the reader has been observing or even carefully contributing to the historical and recent series of, shall we say, situations and commentaries involving the use of our sport psychology listservs, you may wonder how strange can this forum get? What has happened? Are we really out of control? Are we scaring off individuals with this behavior that may have desired to enter our profession? Are these listserves positively benefiting our profession? Do unethical beasts roam our corner of the Internet?
What guidance does our current AASP Ethics Code offer members when it comes to communicating with others in cyberspace? Well, unfortunately, not that much. While an addendum to our Ethics Code on Internet use in our field has been crafted and discussed for a few years, it has not been adopted. Nevertheless, embedded in the current Code’s Introduction seems to be the core of aspirational, ethical listserv behavior – personal responsibility.
“Our responsibilities…result from the society’s trust that the profession will regulate itself to do no harm, and to govern itself to ensure the dignity and welfare of individuals we serve and the public…This [ethics] code guides professionals to act responsibly as they employ the privileges granted by society. A profession’s inability to regulate itself violates the public’s trust and undermines the profession’s potential to be of service to society.
Additional information can also be drawn from others sections of the ethical guidelines. Within Principle D: Respect for People’s Rights and Dignity, it states among other things that “AASP members accord appropriate respect to the fundamental rights, dignity, and worth of all people. They respect the rights of individuals to privacy, confidentiality, self-determination, and autonomy, mindful that legal and other obligations may lead to inconsistency and conflict with the exercise of these rights.” Furthermore, within Principle E: Concern for Others\' Welfare, it states that “AASP members seek to contribute to the welfare of those with whom they interact professionally. When conflicts occur among AASP members’ obligations or concerns, they attempt to resolve those conflicts and to perform those roles in a responsible fashion that avoids or minimizes harm.”
The bottom line is that when we become AASP members we sign on to act responsibly. We all also agree to self regulate our professional behavior so we protect the dignity of others and avoid harming others and ourselves. AASP members do so consistently to foster and preserve the public’s trust in our profession. In a sense, we are the public too, by the way…
Whatever your read and reaction to listsev activity has been, hopefully, a take home lesson is that we all need to be very, very careful about what we say. It is everyone’s professional responsibility. This is beyond “Oops!” transmissions of personal messages, perhaps funny jokes and favorite recipes that end up on the monitors of all our members and anybody else who monitors these listservs. Current technology makes all of our interactions in these forums public information, making it just as if not more important to act professionally in these areas than ever before. Our profession is growing, and inappropriate behavior in public areas not only hurts the person who behaved inappropriately, but everyone in the field as well.
Beyond this high ethical road, is the more rocky legal path. Nathalie Gilfoyle, APA General Counsel wrote a brief but very wise piece entitled “Legal risks of listervs” (WVPA, 2003). To paraphrase one part of her article, she warned psychologists about having “debate spill over into attacks” on others who have different ideas than our own. Statements that are not true and that threaten or harm another’s professional reputation are potentially libelous. She encouraged professionals to restrict criticism of others to factual information and to avoid opinions about the “character, competence or motives of others” so as to “minimize legal risk.” At the very least, such behavior is irresponsible. | <urn:uuid:a8d00df7-bfc9-4565-a262-83f9f2af9070> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.appliedsportpsych.org/resource-center/professionals/articles/speaking-ethics | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00018-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.950868 | 1,022 | 1.539063 | 2 |
Romney, Gingrich and Perry face the question: what would you do about the 11 million undocumented immigrants in America?
While Newt Gingrich does not have the right policy answer on how to fix our broken immigration system, his recent immigration remarks have helped isolate the key question that fellow GOP candidates like Mitt Romney and Rick Perry were hoping to avoid – what to do about the 11 million undocumented immigrants currently living and working in America?
As a result, Romney, Gingrich and Perry all found themselves pinned down by that question on Fox News Channel yesterday. What are they saying, and why? Here’s our take:
- Mitt Romney: Romney is desperately trying to claim that he has been consistent on immigration policy matters, but unfortunately for Mitt, the facts just don’t bear him out. Despite the limited scope of Newt Gingrich recent immigration proposal (legalization but not citizenship for a small number of the undocumented population) and despite Romney’s past support for a comprehensive immigration reform plan that would actually create a path to earned citizenship for most undocumented immigrants, Romney now labels anything short of the mass expulsion of 11 million people as “amnesty.” In his interview with Fox News yesterday, Romney said, “My view is pretty straightforward. For those people who have come here illegally, they should have the opportunity to get in line with everybody else who wants to come into this country, but they go to the back of the line and they should be given no special pathway to citizenship or permanent residency merely because they’ve come here illegally.” Unfortunately for Romney, this is a sound-bite in search of a policy. The reason that there are 11 million undocumented immigrants in the nation is that for all but a few there is no pathway to legal status, permanent residence, and citizenship. That’s why they either came without authorization or stayed without authorization. In fact, unauthorized immigrants are desperate for a line to get into! One of the major objectives of reform is to create such pathways so that immigrants go through the system rather than around it. By saying “no special pathway” he’s saying, in effect, “all must go back to their native countries and get in nonexistent lines.” The bottom line politically: While trying to pander to the small sliver of Republican primary voters who are adamantly hard-line on immigration and attempting to get to the right of Gingrich and Perry on at least one issue, Romney has imperiled his general election chances. Gingrich has flushed him out. He can no longer hide beyond the vacuous and vague “border security first” excuse for inaction on immigration reform. And by going on the record in support of what amounts to the mass expulsion of millions, Romney is standing in contrast to the wishes of three quarters of the American people, while virtually guaranteeing that he will come nowhere close to the 40% threshold of the Latino vote that any GOP candidate needs to win the White House. This flip-flop might will haunt him in the general should he win the nomination.
- Newt Gingrich: The specifics of Gingrich’s policy proposal are less impressive than the focus of the conversation that has resulted from his remarks and proposal. Gingrich offers a “red card” proposal of legalization but no citizenship, that would be applicable only to a tiny group of undocumented immigrants. While more realistic than “deport ‘em all” proposals, the Gingrich plan falls well short of the comprehensive immigration reform legislation of 2006 that received the backing of 23 Republican Senators and President George W. Bush. Of course, now that he’s taking heat from some conservative audiences about his immigration stance, Gingrich is both sticking to his guns on his legalization proposal while simultaneously trying to shore up his “tough” credentials. Earlier this week, he endorsed the anti-immigrant and anti-Hispanic South Carolina immigration law that is a copycat of harsh laws approved in Arizona and implemented in Alabama. Gingrich also said, “President Obama sided with Mexico. I would side with South Carolina…It makes you wonder which country he thinks he’s president of.” And he went on Bill O’Reilly’s show and endorsed a border fence from Brownsville, TX to San Diego, CA alongside other hard-line policy proposals. The bottom line politically: He is both trying to come across as reasonable and hard-line. It’s a tightrope politically, but Gingrich seems to have an understanding that even Republican voters aren’t as uniformly anti-immigrant as conventional wisdom might suggest and that Latino voters will matter a great deal in the general. Gingrich’s remarks have also served to draw fellow leading contender Mitt Romney into an uncomfortable discussion on immigration, potentially underscoring the image of Romney as a flip-flopper in the process.
- Rick Perry: Perry just can’t seem to handle the immigration issue correctly. Perry’s hard-line positions on border security, his support of Arizona-style immigration provisions and his opposition to the federal DREAM Act add up to a candidate who never has been a moderate in the style of Ronald Reagan or George W. Bush on immigration issue. However, in the earlier squabble over his “heartless” comment, Perry managed to alienate the hard-core anti-immigrant crowd to the point that he now feels the imperative to throw red meat in their direction. As a result, Perry has been stumping throughout New Hampshire with the notorious anti-immigrant Sheriff Joe Arpaio, who is validating Perry as a crusading, tough-on-the-border politician, saying, “He doesn’t just talk about it, he does something about it…We have to look at someone who’s already doing something about this problem.” Beyond touting the Arpaio endorsement, Perry seems uncomfortable discussing the issue, lurching from dodging specifics while speaking with Greta Van Susteren of Fox News to highlighting his support for “catch and detain” policies while speaking in New Hampshire – a state whose primary voters twice supported John McCain, a previous champion of comprehensive immigration reform. The bottom line politically: Perry is trying to shore up his right flank on the issue, appealing to small slivers of the Republican primary and caucus audience who are anti-immigrant and skeptical about Perry’s commitment to hardline policies. However, he’s caught between a rock and a hard place – even if Perry convinces anti-immigrant primary voters, it will likely be at the expense of his ability to compete for many Latino voters. His embrace of Arpaio – seen by many Hispanics as the Bull Connor of this generation – will come back to bite him should he pull off the nomination.
- A Reminder on Immigration-related Public Opinion: In all likelihood, the GOP’s immigration positioning will significantly damage the Republican nominee in the 2012 general election, most acutely among Latino voters. While immigration simply is not a mobilizing issue for most general election voters, it remains a defining issue for Latino voters. By taking such a hard line position on immigration, the eventual Republican nominee will find it near impossible to win the 40% of the Latino vote Republican candidates need to win the White House. Additionally, though immigration is an animating issue for a small sliver of Republican primary and caucus voters, the vast majority of general election voters instead support comprehensive immigration reform instead of deportation plans and prefer solutions over impractical deportation schemes. As Gary Segura of Stanford University and a principal of Latino Decisions noted on a press call this week, “Our recent polling found that once you control for one’s economic preference, hostility to immigrants hurts candidates among the general electorate. It’s not the case that you do better with the American electorate by bashing immigrants, certain Republican primary audiences excluded.” Similarly Stephen Nuño, a professor at Northern Arizona University, wrote in an analysis of Latino Decisions polling and research data, “a humane approach to immigration is not only a better short term political strategy, but demographic shifts in the electorate present a compelling argument that a humane approach is a better long term strategy as well – for both political parties.”
America’s Voice — Harnessing the power of American voices and American values to win common sense immigration reform. | <urn:uuid:7f8b1f2a-5be3-472b-a4d1-ba0f51b0cf3a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://americasvoiceonline.org/press_releases/deciphering_the_2012_gop_state_of_play_on_immigration_policy_politics-3/ | 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 | 0.959958 | 1,695 | 1.601563 | 2 |
In 1940, the Upper Columbia Conference of Seventh-day Adventists purchased MiVoden for $1,800. The property included 60 acres and 4900 feet of shoreline on beautiful Hayden Lake. The property previously had been a YWCA camp for 12 years before the conference purchased it. The name MiVoden comes from the 1940's era church youth program called "Missionary Volunteers". For the first few years the camp was referred to as our Missionary Volunteer Camp on Hayden Lake. Thus the name derives from the words "Missionary," "Volunteers," on "Hayden."
In 1987, 480 additional acres were purchased, so that the camp is almost totally surrounded by either Forest Service land or lake frontage. The new property is used for timber management, tree farming, hiking, riding trails, Ropes Challenge Course, Climbing Wall, an Equestrian Center and camping.
Property and Camp Facilities
In 1970, Camp MiVoden started a ten-year plan to upgrade or replace the existing facilities. Four dorms were built, stair-stepping up the hill with four levels so that each level overlooks the lake. Each dorm floor has a maximum capacity of 20. Each Dorm floor has five rooms and two restrooms,
Two dorms have four guest rooms on the top floor that have queen-size beds and shared restrooms. Camp capacity is 280 guests, with some additional capacity in outpost cabins, RV areas and year round staff housing. A large, beautiful dining room with a breathtaking view of the lake was built capable of accommodating 280 guests or campers. Additionally there is a heated indoor pool area, a hot tub, a large meeting room with digital presentation capabilities and smaller break out rooms.
Camp Programs and Special Features
With the 540 total camp acres and the Forest Service land, hiking, horseback, and backpacking options are endless. The summer program offers mutiple options of classes, recreational activities, uplifting campfires and Camp Councils, Cream of the Crop Staff, and a many opportunities to start life-long friendships.
We also have a new high and low ropes challenge course and a new 40 foot climbing tower. MiVoden hosts five weeks of children's camps, a Blind Camp, four Family Camps, and a national Singles' Camp. Also the camp is used for retreats, outdoor schools, and training events during the year by the Upper Columbia Conference and other community organizations.
Mivoden's Mission statement is as follows:
"Our mission is to connect people with Jesus through Camp MiVoden's unique outdoor setting, positive recreation, personal relationships, and facilities that reflect the creativity and excellence of Christ."
Camp MiVoden has been of service over the years in many ways and today it continues that tradition of service. Although the needs of our communities have changed over the years the focus of our mission remains the same:
• Enriching the lives of youth through outdoor recreation.
• Supporting the ministries of local churches.
• Providing a valuable resource to the communities of our region - especially non-profits and public agencies. | <urn:uuid:4df06b7a-d1d7-4182-be1f-436b0e22aff0> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://mivoden.com/home/about | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00018-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.950698 | 641 | 1.507813 | 2 |
WASHINGTON — Several leading American environmentalists were among 48 people arrested outside the White House on Wednesday as they protested TransCanada’s proposed Keystone XL pipeline, a flashpoint for the U.S. climate change movement.
After the activists gathered outside the White House’s northernmost wrought-iron fence, along a stretch of Pennsylvania Avenue where protests are prohibited, police began their methodical arrests as supporters chanted: “Hey, Obama, we don’t want no climate drama.”
Among those arrested were Michael Brune, the executive director of the Sierra Club; James E. Hansen, a prominent climate scientist; Bill McKibben, a vocal anti-Keystone XL activist; and environmental lawyer Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Brune is the first Sierra Club leader in the organization’s 120-year history to be arrested in an act of civil disobedience after the Sierra Club suspended its longtime policy against the practice due to Keystone XL.
Actress Daryl Hannah, who was arrested in August 2011 at a similar anti-Keystone protest outside the White House, was also apprehended.
Some of the protesters had tied themselves to the fence on a grey, drizzly day while others simply refused to move when police repeatedly asked them to vacate the sidewalk.
The protest came the day after U.S. President Barack Obama delivered his fourth State of the Union address. While he reiterated his call for swift action to combat climate change, Obama made no mention specifically of Keystone XL.
John Kerry, Obama’s new secretary of state, said last week that a decision on the pipeline was coming soon. Kerry, a fierce climate hawk during his 28 years in the U.S. Senate, gave no indication of his stance on Keystone in a joint news conference last week with Canada’s foreign affairs minister, John Baird.
The State Department will decide the fate of Keystone XL since it crosses an international border.
The controversial pipeline would carry bitumen from Alberta’s carbon-intensive oilsands to the U.S. Gulf Coast. Environmentalists view the pipeline as a symbol of “dirty oil,” and have been urging the president to make good on his climate change rhetoric by nixing TransCanada’s latest permit application for the $7 billion project.
“The Keystone pipeline has become the purest test that there’s ever been on whether the president is serious about doing something about climate change or not,” McKibben told the crowd before walking across Pennsylvania Avenue to tie himself to the White House fence.
Kennedy Jr. told the gathering that he predicts the anti-Keystone forces will prevail.
“The science is clear,” he said.
“Climate change is not just an economic issue, it is a moral issue. I do not believe that Keystone XL will happen. I believe that President Obama and Secretary Kerry will do the right thing. And we need to show our support.”
As the activists were hauled off to jail, the American Petroleum Institute and the AFL-CIO, a prominent U.S. labour federation, urged Obama to green-light the project.
The wait has gone on long enough, said Sean McGarvey, the president of the AFL-CIO, vowing to escalate efforts to convince Obama to approve Keystone XL.
Jack Gerard, CEO of the petroleum institute, said his group would start pouring more money into advertising and social media efforts to mobilize pipeline proponents.
He argued that Keystone XL offered Obama the perfect opportunity to achieve his goal of creating jobs for the middle class.
Environmentalists, meantime, are planning another protest at the White House on Sunday. It’s expected to draw thousands of protesters.
The U.S. ambassador to Canada said Wednesday that Obama’s State of the Union call for speedy action on climate change should be interpreted as a challenge to Ottawa as well.
Obama warned Congress on Tuesday to either agree to market-based solutions to climate change or he’ll use his executive powers to do it himself.
“We all need to do as much as we can. And that is true in your country and in mine,” Jacobson said in an interview with The Canadian Press.
“Obviously the more that the energy industry — whether it is the oilsands in Canada or the energy industry in the United States, or any place else — the more progress they can make to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, to reduce their consumption of water, to other environmental consequences, the better off we all are.”
— With files from Heather Scoffield and Mike Blanchfield in Ottawa | <urn:uuid:85bd26c1-1648-4e43-820e-611bcaebf454> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.calgaryherald.com/business/environmentalists%20arrested%20Keystone%20protest%20outside%20White/7960888/story.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700958435/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104238-00015-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.959581 | 954 | 1.703125 | 2 |
I work with pulled sugar and isomalt frequently so just a few thoughts for anyone looking to purchase one of these warming boxes. Understand that these are just my observations after working with boxes made from Plexiglas and those made from Lexan.
If your going to purchase one of these or make your own, PLEASE stick with one made of Lexan. While Plexiglass is cheaper, it will have some issues from the high heat it will be subjected to if you work with pulled sugar or isomalt on a regular basis.
Lexan is is a polycarbonate sheet of plastic. It is durable, extremely heat resistant and is so impact resistant that some varieties of "bulletproof" glass are made from it. This means that after repeated long exposures to high heat (such as a warming lamp), it will retain it's impact resistant qualities and will not shatter if subjected to impacts such as dropping it or smacking it accidentally with tools in your work area.
Plexiglas is not a polycarbonate. It is made of acrylic. Plexiglas is scratch resistant as opposed to impact resistant. What I have found, while working with Plexiglas, is that after long periods of being subjected to high heat, it will tend to become more brittle. What this means is that your Plexiglas box will tend to have a higher chance of breaking, cracking or even shattering if dropped or impacted with a tool in your work area.
If you plan on working with a warming box for awhile, the Lexan will stand up to anything you can throw at it and it will have a longer working life than Plexiglas.
Another consideration on these boxes that they're offering is that they do not come with a face shield. On my box, I have a wooden face shield mounted at the top front of the box that extends down about 9 inches. Again, if you plan on working in front of this box for awhile, the heat from the lamp is going to be a bit much without something to block that heat from hitting you right in the face. It also helps to cut down on the heat lamp glare that will be shining into your face constantly.
The face shield protects your face from the heat but you can still see what your working on and allows you more time to comfortably work.
Again, just my observations and personal thoughts on the subject. I love working with pulled sugar and isomalt (especially isomalt) but I love it even more when I know that my equipment is going to last for a long time and I don't have a heat lamp trying to fry my retinas | <urn:uuid:ec33532d-57be-4144-8814-58d338d12369> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://cakecentral.com/t/714619/hot-box-for-sugarwork | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00013-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.96396 | 531 | 1.59375 | 2 |
Are you sure that you didn't misread the sentence - or that it was a typo? As a native speaker, I have never heard of bieren. I would consider it incorrect.
As for other drinks, it is also not possible. There are, however, some constructs that at least sound like a drink would be in them, even if they mean something different:
- ich weine = I am weeping
- ich wässere = I am watering (e.g. plants)
Update after reading the PDF:
I suppose, this is the PDF for "Grammatik und Design". The sentence used is in page 3:
Außerdem entstand auch in einigen Fällen der Neologismus „Ich biere
The text explicitly states that the sentence in the question is a neologism, i.e. it is a language construct that has been newly formed. Many neologisms are not considered correct for quite a while, yet they can be used to command the attention of the listener/reader. Maybe, after a while, this construct then will be considered correct. An example for this would be another advertisment-related neologism "Hier werden Sie geholfen", which is also not considered correct, but is used in noncommercial context and originated from an ironic manner. | <urn:uuid:f5bbedcf-bf97-4811-862c-551d4fcfe21c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://german.stackexchange.com/questions/3160/is-ich-biere-gern-a-correct-sentence-to-use-instead-of-ich-trinke-bier-gern/3167 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.931065 | 288 | 1.59375 | 2 |
A development plan is a document aimed to help you connect with better results at UoN. This document allows you to clearly record any concerns that you may have regarding your current study situation and together with a mySupport Advisor helps you create a way forward with your study. It also helps to set positive study goals for the coming study term and how you plan on achieving them. By completing a development plan, you have a chance to discuss your strengths and weaknesses with a student advisor to ensure that your plan of action for the coming study period is a sound one. Development plans can be valuable in creating successful study strategies to assist you in future study as part of the Review of Progress process. The development plan is for anyone who is looking for a clear and concise plan to improve their results.
To complete a development plan, you should:
- Download a plan from the web.
- Complete the first page as best you can before your meeting. Do not fill out the second page.
- Make an appointment with a mySupport advisor.
- Attend your meeting to ensure you are on the right path to success. | <urn:uuid:f682e141-498a-465c-bf11-fe210de7669f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.newcastle.edu.au/service/mysupport/getting-organised/development-plan.mhtml | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00018-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.938828 | 225 | 1.546875 | 2 |
The hunt for the 39 Clues is coming down towards the end for Dan and Amy Cahill. Gordon Korman tells the story of their hunt in China in book eight in the juvenile series, The Emperor's Code.
It hasn't been easy for Dan and Amy to travel around the world on a mad chase for power and the 39 Clues. They've been accompanied by their au pair, Nellie Gomez, and their cat, Saladin. Now, in China, while visiting the Forbidden City, they find a clue left by the last Emperor, Puyi. But, the two youngsters let their emotions get the best of them. During an argument about their parents, Dan runs away. Before getting far, he's kidnapped by one of the other families in the competition. It will take all of his ingenuity to escape, and then make his way to an unknown meeting place to find Amy.
Korman's addition to the 39 Clues series is a fast-paced, riveting one. With Dan and Amy on separate paths, the author has the opportunity to introduce readers to the Great Wall of China, the terracotta warriors, Mount Everest, and other points of Chinese history and geography. In this story, Dan's adventures are ones that boys will appreciate.
The next two books will bring this series to a close. The 39 Clues have been aimed at an audience of fourth grade and up as they introduce readers to history, geography and famous people. It's been a fun chase, and Korman's contribution, The Emperor's Code, won't disappoint any followers. It's one of the best in the series. The ninth book, Linda Sue Park's Storm Warning, has just been released. Let's hope she can keep up the pace.
Readers can join the hunt at www.the39clues.com.
The Emperor's Code (The 39 Clues Series #8) by Gordon Korman. Scholastic,Inc., ©2010.
ISBN 9780545060486 (hardcover), 176p.
FTC Full Disclosure: Scholastic sent me a copy of the book, in hopes I would review it.
Oppression of Spirits ‘r’ Us. - One of the results of Pav’s blood test is dubious, so she has to go in for more tests on Friday. * Chaos, historically the more internally stable of the ...
2 hours ago | <urn:uuid:ac281ee5-2685-432d-8e59-558ff85d2128> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://lesasbookcritiques.blogspot.com/2010/05/emperors-code-39-clues-by-gordon-korman.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00002-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.952173 | 498 | 1.539063 | 2 |
Arctic Drilling: Shell Oil Tows Rogue Rig Kulluk That Ran Aground to Kodiak Island for Damage Assessment
After being stranded for days by stormy seas on the remote Alaskan island where it had run aground, the Shell oil rig named Kulluk was being towed on January 7 to a bay off Kodiak Island for damage assessment.
The trouble started on Thursday December 27, when the rig broke loose while being towed to Seattle for maintenance after a summer of exploratory drilling off Alaska’s North Slope. For the next few days, workers wrestled with the rogue rig as backup ships were brought in and the initial tow ship had engine damage repaired, according to The New York Times. Afterward, 18 workers were evacuated on December 29 in a daring helicopter rescue, recounted in detail in Popular Mechanics. By New Year’s Eve, the rig had broken free of its tow ropes yet again, and it ran aground on Sitkalidak Island, an uninhabited piece of land in the Gulf of Alaska.
The Kulluk is the drill rig counterpart to the Noble Discoverer, the drill ship that was occupied for several days last year by actress Lucy Lawless, star of the television series Xena: Warrior Princess, and other environmentalists, in their bid to stop offshore Arctic drilling. The activists were arrested for tresspassing, and the Noble Discoverer sailed north to begin drilling exploratory wells.
However no sooner had Shell started the drilling process in September than it was stymied by an ice floe that appeared to be drifting toward the operation. Shell suspended its exploratory drilling one day after it began. By the time the ice floe was out of range, Shell had decided to scotch its 2012 drilling plans and take the matter up again in 2013. The next drilling seasons begins in July.
Although the Kulluk is carrying 150,000 gallons of diesel and lubricants, according to The Wall Street Journal, none of it seems to be leaking. The drill rig’s proximity to land has been well documented by photographer Gary Braasch, who chartered a plane to take aerial photos of the Kulluk, anchored a mere 12 miles off the coast of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
This is not the first such mishap for Shell’s drilling vessels. The Noble Discoverer, too, became unmoored in July and nearly ran aground. And previously, Shell’s spill-containment system malfunctioned while being tested in Seattle. All these incidents, plus the precariousness of drilling in the Arctic’s volatile weather, prompted the House of Representatives’ Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition, comprising 45 House Democrats, to demand an investigation on Thursday January 3.
"The recent grounding of Shell's Kulluk oil rig amplifies the risks of drilling in the Arctic," they said in a joint statement, according to the Associated Press. "This is the latest in a series of alarming blunders, including the near-grounding of another of Shell's Arctic drilling rigs, the 47-year-old Noble Discoverer, in Dutch Harbor and the failure of its blowout containment dome, the Arctic Challenger, in lake-like conditions." | <urn:uuid:07157cf7-7625-4c07-8f2e-6511c443a14d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/article/arctic-drilling-shell-oil-tows-rogue-rig-kulluk-ran-aground-kodiak-island-damage-assessment | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00003-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.96755 | 666 | 1.648438 | 2 |
In an attempt to clear a path for patients at reproductive clinics, the City Council approved legislation strengthening the city's clinic access law, allowing police to arrest protesters who harass people seeking medical care.
The bill will ensure patients are not threatened, followed or harassed when attempting to enter a clinic, supporters said. On the other hand, critics argue by supposedly strengthening access to clinics, the legislation cripples protesters' First Amendment rights.
In addition to the clinic access bill, the council approved its operating budget for fiscal year 2010, which starts in July, and passed several resolutions urging the state to act on rent regulation.
Accessing Health Care
For patients looking for care at Dr. Emily's Women Health Center in the Bronx, the problems start when they get off the subway, say women's rights advocates. Patients are followed and greeted by supposedly inappropriate catcalls in an attempt to dissuade them from having an abortion. Sometimes, advocates said, protesters block the building's entrance so women looking to terminate their pregnancies don't have any other option but to turn around.
Just because there is a choice in New York City, doesn't mean that there is access, said city officials.
To provide that access, City Council approved legislation that would remove the need for intent to make an arrest, meaning a police officer could arrest protesters who they see harassing patients. Currently, said city officials, women seeking health care have to come forward for an arrest to be made. Many times, said Council Speaker Christine Quinn, women are too intimidated to come forward and identify harassers.
The legislation also would enable clinic workers to call and complain, which could lead to the arrest of protesters who block the clinic entrances or interfere with their operation.
The council voted to approve the bill (Intro 826-A) by a vote of 39 to 8. The mayor plans to sign the legislation, a spokesman said.
Any violation of the legislation would be a misdemeanor.
"The city's women throughout the five boroughs are vulnerable to harassment, intimidation and coercion when they try to access legal reproductive health care," said Quinn. "Harassment and intimidating women as they enter and exit a reproductive health clinic is a clear violation of both a woman's right to access care and a clinic's legal right to provide services."
Many council members equated the legislation to a practical defense of Roe vs. Wade -- or a women's right to choose. Supporters said if protestors are peaceful, then no violation would occur.
Those who voted against the bill said it would erode free speech and create more ambiguity in the law.
"I do not want to protect or enable people who break the law and harass women seeking services," said Councilmember James Oddo, a Republican from Staten Island. "But I also do not want to pass a bill that might have the unintended consequences of having a chilling effect on other constitutionally protected speech."
A Slimmer Budget
The City Council also unanimously approved a $50.5 million operating budget for fiscal year 2010, a reduction of $1.7 million from the previous year or about 3.3 percent.
The reduction will not lead to any layoffs and is on par with the reduction for the mayor's office. Quinn said the council would cut down on events and printing and reduce staff size through attrition.
The council cut its central staff budget. Individual members' budgets will not be affected.
Rent Control Resolutions
By repealing Urstadt, the city would have control over housing and rent policies, which it lost in the 1970s.
The council approved the Urstadt resolution by a vote of 43 to 4 and the vacancy decontrol resolution by a vote of 37 to 5 with 5 abstentions.
The council wants the state to repeal parts of vacancy decontrol to force thousands of formally regulated apartments back on the rent regulated rolls. Currently, any rent-regulated apartment is deregulated if its rent exceeds $2,000. Legislation in the state legislature would keep apartments under regulation until they reach a monthly rent of $5,000.
Last Updated (Jun 06, 2012) | <urn:uuid:dfd20b9e-6fcd-437f-88cb-56285fd55fb4> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.gothamgazette.com/index.php/city/180-stated-meeting-council-moves-to-protect-access-to-clinics | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00004-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.957108 | 833 | 1.796875 | 2 |
Poultry certified wholesome during June 2012 (ready-to-cook weight) totaled 3.67 billion pounds, down 5 percent from the amount certified in June 2011.
The May 2012 revised certified total at 3.86 billion pounds, was up 1 percent from May 2011.
The May revision represented an increase of 214 thousand pounds from last moth's preliminary pounds certified.
The preliminary total live weight of all federally inspected poultry during June 2012 was 4.86 billion pounds, down 5 percent from5.11 billion pounds a year ago.
Young chickens inspected totaled 4.14 billion pounds, down 5 percent from June 2011.
Mature chickens, at 75.9 million pounds, were down 4 percent from the previous year. Turkey inspections totaled 634 million pounds, down 3 percent from a year ago.
Ducks totaled 13.3 million pounds, down 6 percent from last year.
Young chickens slaughtered during June 2012 averaged 5.86 pounds per bird, up 1 percent from June 2011.
The average live weight of mature chickens was 5.73 pounds per bird, down 5 percent from a ear ago.
Turkeys slaughtered during June 2012 averaged 30.0 pounds per bird, up 3 percent from June 2011.
Ante-mortem condemnations during June 2012 totaled 10.9 million pounds.
Condemnations were 0.22 percent of the live weight inspected, as compared with 0.23 percent a year earlier.
Post-mortem condemnations, at 33.1 million pounds, were 0.89 percent of quantities inspected, as compared with 0.93 percent a year earlier.
June 2011 contained 22 weekdays (including 0 holidays) and four Saturdays.
June 2012 contained 21 weekdays (including 0 holidays) and five Saturdays.
Back to News Headlines | <urn:uuid:b188de5b-0f6f-4eed-bcfe-33f7bb17ab31> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.meattradenewsdaily.co.uk/news/310712/usa___drop_in_poultry_carcass_weights_.aspx | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705953421/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120553-00002-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.967849 | 364 | 1.828125 | 2 |
Best-Practice Business Models
Learn what works in creating a thriving home performance company from the experience of nine successful energy efficiency programs from around the country.
Take the test and earn 0.5 CE unit per article.
The success of home energy retrofit programs relies on a thriving home retrofit industry that can deliver high-quality solutions and energy savings in efficient ways. Programs that can best facilitate industry growth will give the industry maximum flexibility to innovate and develop efficient business models; provide consistency and flexibility so businesses are not constantly forced to adapt their business practices to disparate program environments; and include provisions to help companies participate in a program and reduce barriers to entry.
Growing the IndustryIn order to grow the home performance workforce, we offer the following suggestions.
Foster predictability. To help companies prepare for program participation and adapt to changes in the regulatory environment, programs should clearly communicate goals and requirements, develop long-term structures to minimize shifts in program design, and announce scheduled changes well in advance. When changes are necessary, programs should institute a change notification period during which industry participants have an opportunity to comment on the proposed changes. Program notices and updates can be distributed easily and affordably via e-mail to participating contractors and auditors.
Coordinate with other programs. Many companies work inside, outside, and across programs; consistency among programs helps these companies to function more efficiently. In the Northeast, the New York and New Jersey Home Performance with Energy Star programs and Long Island Green Homes all use BPI as their standard for certification and accreditation.
Keep it simple. Unnecessarily complicated rules and procedures can inhibit efficient business operations.
Remove barriers to entry. Companies entering a program should not be burdened with unnecessary paperwork, or structural or manpower requirements. Programs should make possible the electronic processing of forms and should be made easy for contractors entering the market, while maintaining program standards.
Provide Incentives. Because contractors may not have the capital to expand rapidly enough to meet program goals, programs should provide subsidies as needed to help contractors get off the ground and start building their businesses. For example, the New York Home Performance with Energy Star program subsidizes contractor-run marketing, training, and equipment purchases for home performance uses. Contractors receiving these kinds of incentives and subsidies should be required to show that they are completing a minimum number of jobs, so program dollars are not wasted supporting companies that are not succeeding in the marketplace. The New Jersey Home Performance with Energy Star program requires that, after their first year of participation, companies must complete a minimum of ten jobs per year to qualify for business incentives and subsidies. Incentives for contractors should be structured to complement strong consumer incentives and financing programs that build market demand.
Best Practice Guides
The Home Performance Resource Center (HPRC) is a national 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization formed to conduct public policy and market research in support of the home performance industry. The center develops research materials for policymakers, energy program managers, and industry leaders to promote job creation, economic recovery, lower household energy bills, and deep reductions in residential carbon emissions through improved home energy efficiency. Efficiency First, BPI, and the Energy Foundation support the HPRC.
The Best Practices Committee is an official standing committee of the HPRC. The committee collected and reviewed data from the following state and local programs for the best practice guides:
- Berkeley FIRST, Berkeley, California
- Palm Desert Energy Independence Program, Palm Desert, California
- Sonoma County Energy Independence Program, Sonoma County, California
- ClimateSmart Residential Energy Action Program/ClimateSmart Loan Program, Boulder, Colorado
- New Jersey Home Performance with Energy Star, New Jersey
- New York Home Performance with Energy Star, New York
- Long Island Green Homes, Babylon, New York
- Clean Energy Works, Portland, Oregon
- Austin Energy Residential Power Saver Program, Austin, Texas
In Palm Desert, the program allows homeowners to request a progress payment of up to 50% of the loan amount, provided that at least 75% of the project materials have already been delivered. Programs can relieve some of this financial burden by paying qualified contractors a percentage of project costs in advance.
Allow companies to bring in their own leads. Some programs devote disproportionate resources to the direct generation of leads. While programs should work to generate leads for contractors, programs may choose to assist high-performing contractors by providing funds for companies’ own lead generation campaigns, as some programs have done through co-op marketing efforts. This allows programs to leverage contractor resources and expand program reach, and gives contractors the ability to develop their own brand identities and business models. As we said above, contractors should be required to meet certain thresholds for jobs completed in order to be eligible for subsidies.
Recognize the variety of tasks performed. Some programs have applied work rules to weatherization that were originally designed for large commercial projects. Such rules ignore the multifaceted nature of weatherization work, which typically involves one or two people working in cramped crawlspaces or attics, and the application of insulation materials wherever needed, including pipes, ducts, and structural elements of the home. For home weatherization, it isn’t practical to employ separately trained professionals for each surface (sheet metal, pipes) that is touched by insulation or sealing materials, and it is difficult to document the exact amount of time spent working with each building material. Thus labor guidelines for home energy retrofits should be more flexible than those for commercial weatherization projects.
Create prevailing-wage categories for each worker. There are currently instances, such as American Recovery and Reinvestment Act-funded programs in Washington State, where work performed by a single worker during a day on the job must be divided into various state prevailing-wage categories. This can create significant confusion, especially when vastly different wage rates apply to different phases of a single task.
Home performance companies know the importance of paying workers fairly. However, subdividing work performed by a single worker into separate categories creates problems on the jobsite, where workers must understand the fine distinction between closely related job categories and can end up completing tasks that carry pay wages three times higher than wages for tasks requiring identical effort and skill. Employers must carefully avoid abuse or errors, and workers must deal with paychecks that vary unpredictably from job to job and from week to week. The burden of paperwork and fear of liability for inevitable errors prevents industry growth, and inefficient processes threaten to increase costs to homeowners.
Federal prevailing-wage guidelines have been crafted to ensure that a single wage applies to all sealing and insulation work done by a typical weatherization worker. In locations where state and local prevailing-wage laws apply to weatherization work, regulatory agencies should ensure that the applicable wage categories can be practically applied to a small crew weatherizing a home. Ideally, a single wage category should apply for all home weatherization work.
Owner and Employee Relations
The best home performance companies have highly motivated workers and engage in the kind of responsible contracting practices that lead to a well-trained, well-compensated, and healthy workforce. Owners and employees of these companies are proud of the culture and proactive working relationships they have created within their respective organizations. Programs should leave internal working relationships up to the discretion of each company and its employees.
Some programs are considering hiring restrictions that would require workers to belong to a union or incentives that establish a preference for work performed by union labor. Other programs have considered granting certification authority to unions that also represent and train workers. This results in a clear conflict of interest that would undermine the integrity of the third-party certification system that the home performance industry has already established.
Setting Industry Standards
To ensure uniform quality standards of home performance work, we offer the following recommendations. These recommendations follow in line with the Federal Home Star program’s Gold Star standard.
Develop clear pathways to certification. Confusion about program requirements can lead to decreased contractor participation. Programs should clearly outline the steps companies are required to take to get certified and allow all contractors and auditors who meet those requirements to join the program.
Require appropriate certification and accreditation, and strict quality control. Programs should require auditors and key contractor personnel to be certified according to the principles put forth by BPI and adopt national certification and accreditation guidelines that follow standards as dictated by organizations like BPI. There are not enough accredited contractors in many parts of the country, but the long-term goal should be to require accreditation for all participating contractors. Furthermore, rigorous quality control mechanisms should be put in place to ensure that work is performed to high standards.
Require test-outs for all jobs, with deeper inspections on a percentage of jobs. All projects should include a test-out conducted by either the contractor or a third-party auditor. If routine test-outs are performed by the contractors who complete the work (as is required by many industry-accepted certifications), programs should implement third-party oversight that includes random field testing on a percentage of all completed retrofits. Many programs provide a job completion and reporting incentive (for example, 5% of the job cost up to $500) to the contractor or auditor who performs the test-out.
Programs might consider conducting random field tests at a level that can be adjusted based on the level of the incentive (that is, a minimum 5% test rate for average incentives up to $500; 10% for average incentives up to $2,000; and so on). Inspectors should tell contractors when inspections will occur, so contractors can keep customers informed and can promptly correct any problems that the inspectors find.
Train city and county building inspectors. Some building inspectors are not fully aware of new building and remodeling techniques that incorporate building science and whole-house thinking. Building inspectors should receive comprehensive training in home performance so they understand new techniques in building science and can apply that knowledge when inspecting jobs.
The Auditor-Contractor Relationship
Of the programs studied for this report, one program uses independent auditors; two require all audits to be performed by the contractor who completes the work; and three allow either model. The relationship between contractors and auditors has been the subject of much discussion and debate. While some program leaders prefer to require independent third-party auditors to ensure the integrity of retrofit recommendations, others believe that audits should be performed by contractors, in order to make the audit-to-retrofit process as efficient as possible and increase audit-to-retrofit conversion rates. This aspect of program design ultimately depends on local program goals, so our consideration of the auditor-contractor relationship includes both specific recommendations and general considerations that programs should take into account regarding the auditing process.
Allow contractors to perform audits and energy retrofit work. Many homeowners prefer to hire one company to conduct the audit and to complete the retrofit, which can simplify the overall retrofit experience. In addition, some contractors refund all or part of the cost of the audit to customers who hire them to complete a retrofit, reducing the overall cost to the homeowner. Several programs that require audits, including New York and New Jersey Home Performance with Energy Star, Long Island Green Homes, and Clean Energy Works Portland, have had strong audit-to-retrofit conversion rates using companies that provide the audit and go on to complete the retrofit work. The HPRC believes that an all-in-one approach to home retrofits can increase the audit-to-retrofit conversion rate.
Make the services of independent auditors available to customers. Some homeowners are less likely to trust an audit if it is done by the same contractor who will complete the retrofit. These customers should be allowed to contract with an independent auditor. If an independent auditor performs the audit, programs should work to ensure effective communication between the auditor and the contractor.
Implement mechanisms to ensure customer trust. Programs that promote or allow the industry-accepted all-in-one model should take steps to maintain a high level of consumer trust. For example, many programs employ energy advisors who work with customers and advocate for their needs. These advisors may be present at the time of the audit or when the work is being done, although this approach is costly. Other programs require contractors to perform comprehensive analysis and reporting on every audit, with a percentage of all contractor audits randomly field-checked by third-party auditors. This approach allows for fewer quality assurance auditors while maintaining the high standards that the home performance industry supports.
Either way, public outreach is essential. Customers have the highest level of confidence in auditors and contractors if they have been informed about the quality control mechanisms that are in place, and about certification and accreditation requirements for program-approved contractors.
Third-party verification. Third-party verification of work done is particularly important in programs where auditing and retrofit implementation are provided by a single contractor. Austin’s Home Performance with Energy Star program conducts inspections on every job, while other programs, such as New Jersey Home Performance with Energy Star, conduct third-party inspections on a percentage of each company’s jobs.
Design pathways for a wide variety of contractors. Guidelines that require contractors to have auditors on staff can dissuade some companies from joining the industry. For example, a company with an HVAC background but no auditor on staff would be excluded from transitioning into comprehensive home performance retrofit work. Programs using the all-in-one model should consider allowing such companies to partner with or subcontract with program-approved independent auditors. In addition, programs should not limit contractors’ ability to provide comprehensive home performance solutions, and therefore should always allow the lead contractor on a project to create partnerships or subcontract work as necessary to meet these goals.
Ensure that audits produce actionable work scopes for contractors. When audits are performed by independent auditors, contractors often complain of having to redo their audits because the auditor didn’t give them the information they needed. With effective systems of communication in place, including data transfer mechanisms and data protocols, contractors will have access to this information and can better use it to bid for and complete retrofits. Furthermore, if independent auditors and contractors work together more effectively, the audit-to-retrofit conversion rate is likely to increase.
Programs should work with local contractors and auditors to design standard elements within audit reports that are easy for auditors to generate and useful for contractors when developing bids and conducting retrofits. For example, the New Jersey Home Performance with Energy Star program requires auditors to enter data that (minus any bid information) are then accessible to any other contractor from whom the customer requests a bid.
Provide additional training to independent auditors. To avoid situations where inadequate third-party audit reports force contractors to perform secondary audits, program-
approved auditors should receive additional training to produce actionable work scopes (including detailed photographs) that go beyond what might be included in a standard audit report. With these detailed work scopes in hand, homeowners can obtain bids with fewer or no site visits from contractors. This saves everyone time and money, which can be important when the work is being done on a tight budget.
Protect contractors from liability for independent audit errors, and vice versa. Some contractors participating in the New York Home Performance with Energy Star program routinely conduct secondary audits of homes that have already been audited by third-party auditors, because contractors are liable for any mistakes made by the original auditor. Programs should explore ways to solve this liability issue, as the additional cost of secondary audits limits profitability and growth potential in the industry.
Creating a Thriving Home Performance Community
The ambitious job creation and energy reduction goals that are driving the creation of home energy retrofit programs can only be met if programs are structured to facilitate a thriving, efficient, and trustworthy home performance industry. Programs should set stable and consistent guidelines and rules that give companies as much predictability and flexibility as possible, and cooperate with other programs to ensure that companies can easily work inside, outside, and across programs. Effective programs will help companies to expand and will include features that remove barriers to enter the program. Finally, programs should give companies the leeway to test and create innovative business models, so the industry can operate at maximum efficiency and continue to provide the highest level of quality to American homeowners.
For more information:
The full report on Best-Practice Business Models and additional documents in the HPRC Best Practices for Energy Retrofit Program Design series are available online at www.hprcenter.org.
Home Performance Resource Center
P.O. Box 55587
Washington, DC 20040-5587
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World’s Oldest Living Man Dies At 114
The Minnesota born man, Walter Breuning, was the world’s oldest living man according to the Guinness Book of World Records. He passed away at the age of 114 on Thursday, April 14th 2011 in Great Falls, Montana where he lived since the age of 16. What age would you like to live to?
The Great Northern Railroad is what brought Breuning to Montana and he credits the years of hard work for keeping him alive for so long. He retired at the age of 66.
Breuning was quoted saying in an interview, “We’re all going to die. Some people are scared of dying. Never be afraid to die because you’re born to die.” | <urn:uuid:17e16496-30de-410c-956e-e724ecd28db4> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://bozemanskissfm.com/worlds-oldest-living-man-dies-at-114/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00003-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.969818 | 158 | 1.695313 | 2 |
Your electronic portfolio is being developed to represent your education and knowledge acquired at UW-L. A generic definition for a portfolio is a collection of student work that exhibits the student’s efforts, progress and achievements. It is NOT a scrapbook, or place to collect and save everything. Instead it should be a thoughtful selection of artifacts that reflect your current and future activities in your profession. It is a reflection of who you are and eventually reflects your professional commitments and knowledge.
If you are an education major, UW-L has further defined an Education Electronic Portfolio to be a reflection of your education at UW-L, which portrays your completion of the teaching standards as defined by your specific degree. After completing the standards as portrayed in your portfolio, you will be recommended for certification.
Remember the TLC will assist with all technical questions. Your major's faculty will assist with content questions. Also make sure to check each major's website for more content information. | <urn:uuid:110b7333-9720-4dca-af58-7454ec1bf0e2> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.uwlax.edu/its/student/saws/portfolio_info.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00004-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.95503 | 194 | 1.65625 | 2 |
6 States Want to Nullify Obamacare With Opt Out Law
Interesting question, is Obamacare even Constitutional?
Six states are currently looking to add an “opt out” law to their books to protect citizens from the possibility of a national healthcare plan imposed by federal fiat.
Arizona started the ball rolling by introducing the Health Care Freedom Act, a voting initiative that will be put before voters on the 2010 ballot. If accepted by the majority of the voters, Arizona will be able to opt out of any federal healthcare laws passed by Washington. Indiana, Minnesota, New Mexico, North Dakota and Wyoming are considering similar measures.
The arrogance of Congress and the president worries many of these state lawmakers, some even consider Obama’s healthcare policies a naked power grab.
Some state legislators say they worry that a government-mandated program will effectively eliminate their traditional role in regulating health insurers — an important power base. Others raise constitutional concerns. “The real goal of national health insurance exchange isn’t competition — it’s a federal power grab that flies in the face of the Tenth Amendment,” says Wisconsin state Rep. Leah Vukmir, a Republican.
Just for a point of reference, here is the Tenth Amendment to the United States Constitution:
The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.
Now, I’ve read the Constitution several times and I don’t see a single place in it where it talks about hospitals, doctors, or healthcare, nor especially where it might say that the federal government should control all such activities from Congress and pay for it all out of the national treasury. Then again, the Constitution hasn’t mattered to any Democrat for decades, so why worry about that now?
In any case, this is an interesting movement on the part of six brave states. Let us hope that this idea spreads to others and Obamacare, should we be so unfortunate enough to have it pass through Congress, could be stopped dead at the borders of the various states. | <urn:uuid:0105e41c-689f-4d78-b804-ff06474687b4> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.redstate.com/warner_todd_huston/2009/06/28/6-states-want-to-nullify-obamacare-with-opt-out-law/ | 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 | 0.936734 | 431 | 1.757813 | 2 |
Hawera, Taranaki, NZ, Dec 2011: More images documenting the last days of the doomed Hawera Hospital. These were from my third visit to the derelict and semi-demolished former Hospital. Part 1 is here - part 2 here… Within a month it would be gone, without a trace…
Miramar, Wellington, New Zealand, Nov 2011: Fort Ballance was a coastal artillery battery constructed in the mid 1880′s to defend Wellington from a naval attack.
Today the site is still largely intact, though heavilly grafittied- it’s Labyrinthian like maze of buildings and tunnels are always intriguing. As of the 1st November 2011, Fort Ballance is due to be part of the “Watts Peninsula Reserve”.
For more information about this place check out the exellent “Capital Defence” website.
Seatoun, Wellington, October 2011: Fort Dorset battery was a former coastal artillery station, built to defend the entrance to Wellington Harbour from a possible naval attack. Construction began prior to the First World War- it was occupied and operational through both wars and up untill the mid 1950′s. The adjacent military camp was disbanded in the early 90′s. The remains of these historic structures have not been maintained and have fallen foul to vandalism and graffiti. The former military camp site was used for the set of “Bree” in the first Lord of the Rings film, “The Fellowship of the Ring”. Check out Capital Defence for detailed information on this site- also check out Simon Burrow’ site (in 2nd to last picture) for more images in and around Wellington.
Patea, Taranaki, NZ, December 2011: The Historic former Patea Hospital (c.1880) still stands in it’s dilapidated state, 22 years after its closure. When the hospital finally closed its doors on December the 5th 1990, it had served the Patea District for over century. Locals have been complaining for years about the eyesore, demanding the owner of the property to demolish the derelict and vandalised buildings. | <urn:uuid:756d5e3c-87bd-4523-82a4-5d81d9751030> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://ferguscunningham.com/tag/2011/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697974692/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095254-00019-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.964045 | 447 | 1.585938 | 2 |
Guest post by Susanna H. - As modern technology gets better by the day, more and more companies are turning to video conferencing by Lifesize to carry out initial interviews with prospective candidates. Video interviewing is similar to a face-to-face interview and it is an ideal way to find the right people for the job. Here are some tips on how to prepare for your first video interview to land that dream job. These tips are based upon a video interview I once did for a company based in New Zealand. I wanted to be as far away from Europe as possible to I choose to want to do my internship in New Zealand. I got the internship and have spent eight months in this beautiful country. I hope that the below tips help you in getting the job/internship that you like!
Prepare yourself ahead of time
It is really important to prepare yourself ahead of time and to send relevant documents to the person who will be interviewing you since you are not meeting your employer face to face. Two days before is the best time to send all the relevant papers. This way, your interviewer has got enough time to go over these documents beforehand.
Check the technical equipment and test the sound
The last thing you want is to have technical difficulties when you’re being interviewed so it is important to make sure the microphone, webcam and sound settings are all in working order, and reduce or increase the volume accordingly. I did a sound test with a friend as well just to be sure. During this sound test my friend and I decided to do a role play and he noticed I speak quite fast. If you do that as well, then it is important to remember to speak slowly as there may be an online delay.
The interview took place at my house and when I got out of bed I just put on my normal clothes because I was at home. Luckily, I remembered to change as the interviewer will see what you are wearing. It’s important to dress in a professional manner the same way as if attending a formal face – to – face interview.
Look directly at the camera
Even though it may be daunting, it is important to treat the camera as if it were the employer. Look directly at it when speaking and focus your attention when the interviewer is asking questions. This will give the impression that you are confident which can be used t your advantage. Don’t look away from the camera as this may give the interviewer the impression that you are disinterested.
Write down a list of questions for the interviewer
At the end of the interview, it is good to ask the interviewer a couple of relevant questions to show you are keen about the job. No doubt you will be given the option of asking questions during or at the end of the session anyway. So be sure to have a list ready. If you are unsure of the type of questions you’d like to ask them, have a look at the one’s I’ve used:
- What is the company’s management style?
- What are the prospects for growth and advancement?
- When can I expect to hear from you?
I hope these tips have given you the knowledge and confidence to complete a successful video interview. | <urn:uuid:15f1bedd-4a46-41c8-bbcb-cebc410ca279> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://fernandotarnogol.com/career-tips/how-you-can-make-the-most-of-your-video-interview/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00009-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.966522 | 661 | 1.515625 | 2 |
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Vichar Sagar of Nischal Das - Hindi Text & English Translation
An English translation of popular Vedantic text "Vichar Sagar" (Hindi) of Nishchal Dasji (1791-1863), by Lala Sreeram.
The English translation is titled "Metaphysics of the Upanishads". Vichar Sagar has been so popular in northern parts of country that it has been used for daily reading for more than centuries by common man who did not have access to Sanskrit scriptures of Vedanta.
Nischal Dasji, who was a Dadu panthi sadhu, had authored many books dealing with Vedanta. Vichara Sagara is the most popular among them. This book is very useful for understanding various prakriyas of Vedanta.
DOWNLOAD Sri Vichar Sagar of Sadhu Nischaldas with Hindi Tika by Pitambara 1917
DOWNLOAD Vichar Sagar English Translation by Lala Sreeram | <urn:uuid:320c9270-39dc-4984-bd66-83861d05c4c9> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://hinduebooks.blogspot.com/2009/04/vichar-sagar-of-nischal-das-complete.html?showComment=1311098350793 | 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 | 0.932463 | 219 | 1.804688 | 2 |
RHS Garden Rosemoor, in an out-of-the-way corner of Devon, is the most modest of the four RHS gardens, rarely shouting about its look-at-me attractions, preferring just to let people come and find out for themselves.
But oh, do make the effort: it's a little gem. Winter gardens with forests of brilliant scarlet cornus and dazzling Betula utilis var jacquemontii, trunks scrubbed to a whiteness that glows; sheets of purple crocuses; craggy oaks and the intoxicating scent of Christmas box and witch hazels floating on the early spring air.
I was entirely distracted, though, by their exceptionally fine fruit and vegetable garden. One day I too will train my redcurrants in double cordons and grow sprouts as big as golfballs. And in particular, my eye was caught by one little glasshouse, packed with quite the finest selection of oriental greens I've ever seen in one place.
|Mustard 'Golden Streaks'|
This was a revelation. We're used to oriental mizuna, mibuna and mustard spicing up our salads in winter. But they're also excellent as mature leafy greens, a vegetable in their own right, cooked lightly – a little like spinach – or stir-fried, or used in soups. The flavour takes a little getting used to, as it's spicier than our tastebuds usually allow (with a few exceptions).
They're strikingly good-looking – I hadn't appreciated quite how handsome until I saw them en masse at Rosemoor. And being cool-weather plants, you can grow them through winter, releasing you from endless cabbages with a fresh, crisp flavour that sings on your tongue.
With some, you just eat the leaves; others yield crisp, water-filled stems or flowerbuds. Some, all three, so you can pick them at three different stages of growth. The varieties I spotted at Rosemoor were:
Red Komatsuna (Mustard Spinach): big, beefy red-tinged leaves. They had the green version too. Sue Stickland says this has a mild taste, 'like a slightly peppery cabbage'.
Mustard 'Golden Streaks': like curly endive with deeply-cut, almost frizzy leaves. Often described as having a 'sweet mustard flavour' – whatever that means. A testing panel from the RHS found it had a 'powerful peppery flavour' but also said it was piquant, earthy and sweet.
Mustard 'Green-in-Snow': brilliant green, serrated-edged leaves; and Mustard 'Red Giant': the only one I've grown, a familiar ingredient in salads with its reddish bronze tinted leaves. Both are getting towards the hotter end of the scale. According to Sue Stickland, 'if you like watercress, you'll love this'.
Mustard 'Osaka Purple': leaves so big they look like a loose cabbage: the purple is in the veining. The leaves are very hot and spicy in the raw – but once cooked they lose much of their bite and become richly-flavoured but mild.
|Tatsoi 'Yukina Savoy'|
Cooking: recipes are – cautiously - finding their way into cookbooks. Pick the growth tips and dip in batter before deep-frying for tempura, or wilt large leaves in a tiny bit of water like spinach. Stir-fry in oil with spring onions, ginger and garlic; and cut thick stems into 10cm pieces, blanch in fast-boiling water for a minute or two, then stir-fry with a little sugar, ginger, rice wine vinegar and oyster sauce.
Joy Larkcom brought Asian greens to the UK and has written an excellent book on the subject (recently updated). But we all seem to have stopped at the baby-leaf stage. Oriental greens have so much more to offer: this year, I'm going to let them grow up. | <urn:uuid:9a73f713-f140-49ed-a6c8-133cb2287b80> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://wellylady.blogspot.com/2012/03/adding-little-spice-to-life.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704392896/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113952-00007-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.955638 | 847 | 1.703125 | 2 |
Anne Burnett Tandy
Inducted into the American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame in 1990
The granddaughter of a Texas legend, Anne Burnett Tandy created her own legend with her independence and strong will.
Tandy was born near Iowa Park, Texas, in 1905 to Tom L. and Olive Lake Burnett. Educated in the East, Tandy did not forget her ranching heritage.
In March 1940, Tandy and her husband James Goodwin Hall hosted a dinner party for a group of men interested in creating a registry for the Steel Dust and Billy horses of Texas. Among her invitees were Robert Denhardt, George Clegg, Jack Hutchins, Robert Kleberg Jr., W. B. Warren and J. H. Minnick. The following day, these men founded the AQHA.
“Miss Anne,” as she was fondly called, was an honorary vice president of the Association and one of the founders of the American Quarter Horse Heritage Center & Museum.
She was the only grandchild of Samuel Burk Burnett, a legend in the Texas cattle industry and founder of the 6666’s Ranches. When Burnett died, he left two-thirds of his estate to Tandy and the rest to Tandy’s mother. Tom L. Burnett, Tandy’s father, founded and owned the Triangle Ranches, northwest of Fort Worth.
When both her parents died, Tandy received full ownership of both the 6666’s and Triangle ranches. With Tandy at the helm, the ranches continued the tradition of excellence in both cattle and horses. Miss Anne’s equine interests were in racehorses and ranch horses, which the 6666’s produced with great success.
The 6666’s and the Triangle ranches owned foundation sires Joe Hancock and Roan Hancock by Joe Hancock. Other famous stallions were Hollywood Gold and Grey Badger II.
Tandy died in 1980 and was inducted into the American Quarter Hose Hall of Fame in 1990. | <urn:uuid:444e5898-1343-43c4-ba03-66adfb2539aa> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://aqha.com/Foundation/Museum/Hall-of-Fame/People/T/Anne-Burnett-Tandy.aspx | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00002-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.969904 | 418 | 1.84375 | 2 |
source: 9/11 Blogger Jan 24, 2012
The US media is especially proud of standing up for the victims of 9/11 by self righteously reporting the apology from Walhberg.Why is it that an actor is able to apologize for insensitive comments but intelligence officials and agents won’t explain let alone apologize for getting a bunch of people killed? When US media could have stood up for the victims in a substantive way they failed to do so. As recently as September 2011, 60 Minutes countered former FBI agent Ali Soufan’s credible accusation of CIA withholding of information by way of a CIA talking point:
The CIA told us any suggestion it purposely refused to share critical information on the 9/11 plots with FBI is “baseless” and “these allegations diminish the hard work and dedication of countless CIA officers.”
This is journalism? Soufan (and others) have already credible demonstrated that the withholding was deliberate. The question then is why did CIA and FBI UBLU officials and agents withhold the information? For unknown reasons the US media will not use their access to power to get an answer. US media has never interviewed Rich Blee, chief of CIA’s Alec Station in the lead up to 9/11 or Rod Middleton, chief of the FBI Bin Laden unit (UBLU) in the lead up to 9/11. Blee was even promoted after 9/11! How on earth could the media not ask Tenet to account for this?
There is a total disconnect in US society in regard to 9/11. Actors are pressured to apologize for making comments that are disrespectful to the victims while US officials and intelligence agents who obstructed al Qaeda investigations before 9/11 are given a complete pass by the US media. If anyone should apologize to 9/11 victims it should be the US media. | <urn:uuid:a3f0ebd3-e3f4-4aa9-8283-74ac1908f598> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://norcaltruth.org/category/msm/ | 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 | 0.955802 | 382 | 1.664063 | 2 |
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