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Ugly, decaying bus-stop benches are an epidemic in South Jeffco, and the county is planning to address the problem by revamping its advertising-vendor policy, officials said at an Aug. 2 meeting with the county commissioners.
The benches at RTD stops, most of which consist of concrete slabs with inexpensive wood, are currently maintained by multiple contractors that pay a fee to the county in exchange for selling advertising on the benches. Still, the county itself is currently responsible for following up on complaints received about languishing benches, a task officials said is a strain on resources.
Consequently, blighted benches are a common sight, officials said. Lamination atop the large wooden backs on which advertising is displayed often peels at the edges following months of exposure to sun and rain. And some of the benches fall apart completely, sitting in disrepair until maintenance workers get around to replacing them.
“We don’t have time to go out and monitor our benches,” said transportation and engineering department director Kevin French. “We respond to (damaged benches) on an as-needed basis.”
By moving from a multiple-vendor system to single contracts for all bus benches and shelters in unincorporated Jeffco, the structures would be consistently maintained, French said. And by increasing requirements placed on the vendor, the county’s 500 benches and shelters could be more uniform in appearance and quality.
“If we’re going to have public transportation, we should clean up these sites as much as possible,” French said.
“This isn’t a new concept. This is something that’s already occurring in Jefferson County,” he said of local municipalities that in recent years have made requirements more stringent for vendors.
Following a bid process, the county is likely to see many if not all of its current benches swapped with higher-quality replacements — possibly metal structures that include armrests, a feature designed to prevent people from lying down on the benches and sleeping.
In addition, requirements could be changed to let benches be placed on sidewalks in certain locations. Though numerous benches currently sit on sidewalks due to space constraints, such placement is technically prohibited.
Currently, the county collects only $20,000 per year in fees from the program, though that amount could increase under a new policy. The existing system resembles a lottery, in which 12 different contractors compete for bus-stop sites as they become available.
Under a new permitting process, a vendor would be locked into a contract with the county for a minimum of five years. The county may consider two separate vendors — one to provide and maintain benches and another for bus-stop shelters. A company would be required to provide the structures and inspect them weekly.
The vendors that currently service the benches and shelters would not have their existing permits renewed.
“Our goal is to have this in place by Jan. 1, before we are up for renewal on any of our current permits,” French said.
Additional upgrades to the new benches and shelters could also include recycling bins or bicycle racks. | <urn:uuid:3cffb281-c0fd-4bb5-a1ff-b41dbd5f9830> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.columbinecourier.com/content/county-zeroes-blighted-bus-benches?quicktabs_2=1&mini=calendar-date%2F2012-12 | 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 | 0.963981 | 640 | 1.554688 | 2 |
The Disservice Of Bad Technique
By Christopher Caile
I have seen it taught for years -- self-defense technique that just won't
This is the second greatest sin -- next to not teaching self-defense
against common attacks at all.
I vividly remember a self-defense seminar I once attended. And I knew
the teacher. He was a well known karate Sensei (teacher) but he was teaching
a jujitsu technique: how to defend against an attacker to grabs your lapel
with one hand.
I want to scream at what was being demonstrated, "that won't work."
I wanted to get out of my seat and show the participants how to really
defend against this assault.
The instructor was teaching the students just to reach up and grab and
then turn and bend the assailants wrist to create a "nikyo"
-- a term used in aikido and jujutsu to signify potentially powerful and
painful immobilization technique.
Everyone was being nice, so all the defendants were able to effect this
technique. But did they believe it would work against a strong, determined
The problem with this and so many other techniques often taught in self-defense
and in various martial arts is that they only work when others go along
with you. If the assailant resists -- fights back or counters -- suddenly
there is a muscle tussle, an awkward strength against strength encounter.
To make this particular technique work the teacher of this seminar needed
to teach the defender how to first distract or shock the attacker with
a technique or strike and then add an off-balancing technique to weaken
any resistance. Only then might the technique work.
But, if the newly trained self-defense students tried to use what they
learned on the street the attacker would most likely just look at them
and smile at the futile attempt to twist their wrist and move their arm
into position for this technique. Thus what they were being taught was
a real disservice to them. It could get them hurt, or even killed.
To be effective any self-defense technique should:
Be effective even if the attacker resists.
Allow a weaker defender to defeat a stronger aggressor.
Include a distraction, strike and/or unbalance if the technique is
a throw or joint manipulation.
Be quick and effective -- taking seconds at most.
Not be overly complicated in execution-- simple to apply.
Minimize the danger of counter attacks and/or the reversal of the
Be able to render the assailant unconscious, incapacitated or in
great pain (immobilization).
Be learned within a reasonable amount of practice.
In short, the self-defense techniques should be effective in real life,
on street situations against aggressive attackers who intend you harm
and will fight back.
(1) When properly done the attacker is first distracted
(or hit) while also being unbalanced. This allows the back of the assailants
hand (the "V" area of the back of the thumb and first finger)
to be easily turned (since concentration and balance is lost) into the
defenders chest and the arm is manipulated into an "S" position
(starting with the hand, wrist bent with forearm going the opposite direction
with a bend in the elbow) so the wrist and forearm can be rotated in opposite
directions while the body leans in to compress the physical structure.
About the Author:
Christopher Caile is the Founder and Editor-In-Chief of
FightingArts.com. He has been a student of the martial arts for over 40
years and holds a 6th degree black belt in Seido Karate and has experience
in judo, aikido, diato-ryu, boxing and several Chinese fighting arts.
He is also a long-term student of one branch of Traditional Chinese Medicine,
Qigong. He is a personal disciple of the qi gong master and teacher of
acupuncture Dr. Zaiwan Shen (M.D., Ph.D.) and is Vice-President of the
DS International Chi Medicine Association. In Buffalo, NY, he founded
the Qi gong Healing Institute and The Qi Medicine Association at the State
University of New York at Buffalo. He has also written on Qi gong and
other health topics in a national magazine, the Holistic Health Journal
and had been filmed for a prospective PBS presentation on Alternative
Medicine. Recently he contributed a chapter on the subject to an award
winning book on alternative medicine, "Resources Guide To Alternative | <urn:uuid:bc73efd8-5375-4943-b6f5-e4e893b96ece> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.fightingarts.com/reading/article.php?id=264 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00002-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.941154 | 950 | 1.765625 | 2 |
Recent high school graduates and the work force
March 29, 2006
Of all 2005 high school graduates, 57.2 percent were participating in the labor force in October 2005.
Among recent high school graduates in college, 91.2 percent were full-time students. Of these full-time students, 44.3 percent were in the labor force, either working or looking for work. In contrast, 79.0 percent of part-time college students participated in the labor force.
About two-thirds of the 2005 high school graduates enrolled in college attended 4-year institutions. The labor force participation rate for these students was 39.9 percent. In contrast, 61.3 percent of the recent high school graduates enrolled in 2-year institutions were in the labor force.
Recent high school graduates who were not enrolled in college in the fall of 2005 were more likely than enrolled graduates to participate in the labor force (78.5 versus 47.4 percent).
This information is from a supplement to the October 2005 Current Population Survey. Additional information is available from "College Enrollment and Work Activity of 2005 High School Graduates" (PDF) (TXT), news release USDL 06-514.
Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, The Editor's Desk, Recent high school graduates and the work force on the Internet at http://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2006/mar/wk4/art03.htm (visited May 25, 2013).
Spotlight on Statistics: Productivity
This edition of Spotlight on Statistics examines labor productivity trends from 2000 through 2010 for selected industries and sectors within the nonfarm business sector of the U.S. economy. Read more » | <urn:uuid:780e185c-d4a5-40ab-b341-d09cdc9d2acc> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.stats.bls.gov/opub/ted/2006/mar/wk4/art03.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00014-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.961989 | 353 | 1.742188 | 2 |
Violent protests rattle city
By BOB MACKIN, 24 HOURS [Vancouver, British Columbia]
July 22, 2008
What do bank windows, “Welcome to Vancouver” signs and a construction truck have in common?
They are objects damaged or destroyed by rocks, paint or fire in an escalating campaign by anonymous anti-Olympics vandals. They chronicle their attacks and encourage more via blogs named No2010, MostlyWater, InfoShop, Save Feral Human Habitat and Friends of Grassy Narrows.
“There are people protesting the Olympics legally and peacefully, and there are people that are protesting it illegally and violently,” said Simon Fraser University communications professor Richard Smith, who says a blog is the modern version of a handbill. “All of them want to get their message out.”
Politically charged crimes against property are not new. The Bible claimed Jesus Christ drove moneychangers from a temple by overturning their tables. American colonists trespassed on British ships in 1773′s Boston Tea Party and dumped cargo overboard in a tax revolt that led to the American Revolution. The Squamish Five, an offshoot of Vancouver’s punk rock scene, began with petty vandalism. Members then bombed a power station, military parts factory and porn video shops before they were arrested in 1983.
The anti-2010 vandalism messages frequently refer to the 2010 Games as a “corporate circus” on “stolen native land.” A boycott or cancellation of the Games is urged, but so is an indigenous peoples’ convergence on Vancouver in 2010.
The blog entries don’t include photos or video clips, meaning the culprits are either “lo-tech” or just wary of being caught, according to Smith.
“Whether there has been surveillance video taken or not, I wouldn’t be able to publicly divulge,” said RBC spokesman John Groves, who wouldn’t disclose measures employed to safeguard branches.
None of the blog-publicized acts has led to arrests and charges. Leo Knight, a former policeman and vice-president of Paladin Security, said that doesn’t mean police are unaware of the culprits, or “toads,” as he calls them. Surveillance, he said, is costly and time-consuming work, and police have many cases involving organized crime that rank higher in priority.
Anti-2010 vandalism incidents reported anonymously on blogs
- March 6: Vancouver city hall Olympic flag stolen. Native Warrior Society claims responsibility the next day.
- Aug. 19: Windows smashed at Bell Canada Enterprises building, Bank Street, Ottawa.
- Sept. 29: Windows smashed at Royal Bank of Canada, Hastings & Nanaimo, Vancouver.
- Dec. 8: Pieces of pavement hurled through windows of RBC, Commercial & 1st, Vancouver.
- Dec. 9: Stone thrown through the window of RBC, Hastings & Nanaimo, Vancouver.
- Dec. 24: Windows smashed at RBC, Cook Street, Victoria.
- Jan. 27: Bricks thrown through windows of RBC, Elgin Street, Ottawa.
- Feb. 12: Bricks thrown through windows of RBC, Bank & 1st, Ottawa.
- Feb. 12: Windows smashed at Delta Hotel, Guelph, Ont.
- March 1: Windows smashed at RBC, Elgin Street, Ottawa.
- Feb. 26: Three Welcome to Vancouver signs paint bombed.
- March 5: Windows smashed with ice block at RBC, Bank & 1st, Ottawa.
- May 7: Kiewit construction truck arson at a Vancouver residence.
- May 12/13: Windows smashed at RBC, Broadway & Yukon, Vancouver.
- May 31: Toilets plugged with cement in three McDonald’s restaurants, Victoria
- June 25: At least 13 cars damaged by fire and explosion, West York Chev-Olds, Toronto.
Anti-2010 campaign escalating?
By BOB MACKIN, 24 HOURS
July 22, 2008
Are radical Olympics foes upping the ante in their campaign of vandalism against Vancouver 2010 sponsors?
More than a dozen vehicles at the West York Chevrolet dealership in Toronto were damaged by a suspicious fire and explosion in the wee hours of June 25. An anonymous July 3 posting on the friendsofgrassynarrows.com blog claimed responsibility.
It mentioned General Motors’ corporate downsizing but concluded with: “We did this because GM is an official sponsor of the 2010 Olympic Games. Fuck the Olympics!”
Toronto Fire Services Capt. Mike Strapko was not aware of the blog posting when contacted by 24 hours. A call to the Office of the Fire Marshal was not returned.
The Toronto incident came seven weeks after a Peter Kiewit Sons Co. construction truck was torched on May 7 at a private residence in Vancouver.
The newer-model yellow pickup truck with Kiewit’s logo on the driver’s side door was taken to the Vancouver Police impound lot under the Cambie Bridge’s south end. The windshield and entire front end – including the engine – were destroyed by fire.
VPD Const. Tim Fanning said a second vehicle was also damaged. He said there are no suspects.
The May 9 posting on the mostlywater.org blog said the motive for the arson was Kiewit’s contract to expand the Sea-to-Sky highway, “the main artery for the Olympics.”
The unknown author misspelled both Kiewit and Harriet Nahanee, the late Squamish Nation protester jailed for blocking Kiewit crews attempting to raze West Vancouver’s Eagleridge Bluffs in 2006.
Read Full Post » | <urn:uuid:8cb21adf-1147-405a-b7d1-5c2ba4ba7eba> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://confrontation.wordpress.com/2008/07/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00003-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.933173 | 1,212 | 1.789063 | 2 |
Do yourself a favor and watch the video before you read the explanation of what the hell happened here. Trust us.
Okay, obviously this is the CFL. And there are two rules unique to Canadian football that allow this bizarre game of kickball to occur.
1) If you kick the ball out of the back of the end zone, you receive one point. It's called a single, or rouge.
2) You are allowed to advance the ball by drop-kicking it.
When Montreal lines up for what looks to be a field goal with time running out in a tie game, they're not even necessarily trying to split the uprights. If they can get it out of the end zone (rule 1), they get a point and win the game. That's why Toronto sends a couple of defenders back.
Since the end zone is 20 yards, and the goalposts are on the goal line, this 36-yard field goal is actually 56 yards to score a single (rule 1). The kicker doesn't have the aim for the 3 points, or the distance for the 1. The Toronto defender keeps it in play, but must get it out of the end zone, because if he's tackled there, it's still a rouge. But he sees he doesn't have the room to run.
He kicks the ball out of his own end zone (rule 2) to avoid being tackled and losing the game. But as luck would have it, it goes directly to the Montreal placekicker. Clearly he cannot run the ball in for a touchdown. But the opportunity to score the single is still in play. He kicks it back to toward the end zone (rule 2), trying to send it out the back (rule 1).
He again fails. But the Toronto player cannot control the ball and whiffs on his attempt to clear it out of the end zone (rule 2). There is a scramble, a Montreal player falls on it, and it's a touchdown. Montreal wins.
Got all that? Don't worry. All you need to know is that Canadian Football is Calvinball all grown up.
UPDATE: We've learned that Montreal was -4.5 in this one. So, you know, nice cover. (h/t Jason) | <urn:uuid:e1b5571e-1a08-4fe0-9048-a685b209d78e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://deadspin.com/5679477/the-strangest-end-to-a-football-game-weve-ever-seen?tag=cfl | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00013-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.975362 | 465 | 1.546875 | 2 |
We're starting to get the gardening bug around here. The kids and I decided that we would attack the front flower beds and kick out the lawn that decided to grow in them *grin*. It was definitely no small feat! Who knew3 little helpers wielding mini spades could be so dangerous LOL. There was flying dirt, wiggling worms and some not so lucky grubs that got squished so their guts could be examined :) But we got it done!
Two beautiful beds of freshly turned soil ready for planting. Since we never really get very far in the flower department I think we'll use them for vegetables this year! It might prove to be a very good place to grow a couple of tomatoes since it gets all day sun and is a lovely warm spot.
For now we're going to sow in some radishes and maybe some spinach or chard which just love this mild cool weather and wait for the rest. Did you know that every yard has its own micro climate? When the dandelions start to bloom in your grass it's time to start planting :) We've been following that rule for the last couple of years and have been successful but if you don't trust me you could always test the soil temperature by sticking your elbow in the dirt. I kid you not! If the soil feels warm on your elbow it's time to stick in the beans *grin*.
How about you, are you starting to plant anything yet? | <urn:uuid:134a53a7-ea64-498e-a76a-d15d3de27b50> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://rosinahuber.blogspot.com/2010/02/attacking-weeds.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00006-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.975516 | 294 | 1.585938 | 2 |
compiled by Columbian staff in 1989
It's a long leap from a creamery in The Netherlands to the huge chain of Burgerville fast-food restaurants in Washington and Oregon, but it all began with a Dutchman named Propstra.
Jacob "Jack" Propstra was born into a buttermaking family in Holland in 1886 and 18 years later came alone to the United States. Propstra settled first in the Chicago area, where he married Anna Verdenius. Then in 1915 he and his family headed to the Pacific Coast.
Propstra bought a defunct creamery in Ridgefield and put it on a paying basis within a matter of months. The following year, in 1916, he relocated in Vancouver and established the Vancouver Creamery, which he ran for four years.
He then went into partnership with a brother, Joe, in operating the Sunset Creamery in Portland until 1922.
Propstra returned to Vancouver and established the Holland Creamery at 305 Main St. He remained at that location until 1927, when he moved to what was then the northern edge of the business district, at Main and McLoughlin, where he erected a 50-by-100 building.
The creamery grew into the present Holland restaurant operation when a son, Ernie, added an 11-stool counter where he served sandwiches, coffee and ice cream. Another son, George, took over the restaurant business in about 1938 when Ernie decided to move to Seattle.
After World War II, George Propstra took over the business which has since grown to three Holland restaurants and more than 30 Burgerville outlets.
Jacob Propstra died in Vancouver Nov. 9, 1961, at the age of 75. | <urn:uuid:1ff11c30-c0b4-4525-b380-cd33a0f16823> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.columbian.com/history/profiles/jpropstra/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697974692/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095254-00012-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.960859 | 344 | 1.523438 | 2 |
By Daniel Wiessner
ALBANY, New York (Reuters) - A New York state anti-terrorism law enacted in the wake of the September 11 attacks cannot be used to prosecute a street gang member convicted of shooting a 10-year-old girl and paralyzing a rival gang member, the state's Court of Appeals ruled on Tuesday.
The court ordered a new trial for Edgar Morales, 30, a member of the Bronx-based St. James Boys gang who was sentenced to up to life imprisonment for his role in the 2002 shooting.
Prosecutors had accused Morales and his gang of terrorizing the Mexican-American community in their neighborhood. They relied on a provision of a 2001 anti-terrorism law passed days after the September 11 attacks. Morales is the only gang member to have been prosecuted under the law, his lawyer said.
Under the law, a person is guilty of terrorism when he commits certain felonies with the "intent to intimidate or coerce a civilian population" or influence government policy.
But the Court of Appeals found that state lawmakers never intended to extend the definition of terrorism to traditional gang activities.
"The concept of terrorism has a unique meaning and its implications risk being trivialized if the terminology is applied loosely in situations that do not match our collective understanding of what constitutes a terrorist act," Judge Victoria Graffeo wrote for the court.
Morales' attorney, Catherine Amirfar, called the decision a "tremendous victory." A spokesman for Bronx District Attorney Robert Johnson said his office would retry Morales without the terrorism charges.
According to the court, Morales and several fellow gang members attended a christening party in 2002 in the Bronx, where members of a rival gang were present. A brawl ensued, the court said, during which Morales shot and killed the 10-year-old girl and paralyzed an adversary.
Morales was charged under the terrorism statute with manslaughter, attempted murder and weapon possession. He was also charged with conspiracy. The prosecution's theory was that Morales and his gang had sought to intimidate the Mexican-American community in their Bronx neighborhood.
ACTS OF TERRORISM
During trial, Morales moved to dismiss the terrorism charges, arguing there was insufficient evidence to support them. Acting Supreme Court Justice Michael Gross in the Bronx denied the motion.
Morales was convicted of all charges and sentenced to 40 years to life. Under the conviction, the first three crimes were considered acts of terrorism, which carry steeper penalties.
But a mid-level appeals court found in 2010 that Morales had engaged only in gang-related street crimes, and vacated the terrorism convictions. The court rejected Morales' argument that he had been denied a fair trial.
Tuesday's ruling went further, finding that the terrorism charges had a "spillover effect" on the trial because it allowed the prosecution to admit evidence of a number of uncharged crimes allegedly committed by Morales and his gang. The court ordered a new trial for Morales on the non-terrorism charges.
"Without the aura of terrorism looming over the case, the activities of (Morales') associates in other contexts would have been largely, if not entirely, inadmissible," Graffeo wrote.
"We knew the applicability of the terrorism statute was a novel legal issue, and that the statute would not apply to most street crimes," Bronx district attorney spokesman Steven Reed said.
(Editing by Cynthia Johnston and Peter Cooney) | <urn:uuid:dbe75447-3e83-4e57-8538-2e0390220187> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://wtvbam.com/news/articles/2012/dec/11/new-york-states-top-court-rules-gang-activity-is-not-terrorism/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00005-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.976357 | 696 | 1.5 | 2 |
Transport Workers Union (TWU) members from around the country joined in the annual AFL-CIO Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday Observance this weekend where thousands of union members honored Dr. King with community service projects. They send us this video.
The historic bond between the labor and civil rights movements will be celebrated this weekend as the AFL-CIO honors Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s vision that collective action—whether at the voting booth or at the workplace—mobilizes participants to continue their work to make King’s dream a reality.
February is Black History Month and one of the noteworthy events in African American history is the Memphis sanitation workers’ strike that began Feb. 11, 1968. It was on that day that, after years of discrimination and injustice, the African American sanitation workers in Memphis, Tenn., began their strike for economic justice and dignity. They sought to join AFSCME Local 1733.
Many thanks and kudos to Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.) for calling the Indiana Democratic Caucus today to encourage lawmakers to stay strong and firm in their efforts to stop the state’s Republican leadership from doing an end-run around the democratic process.
Teresa Casertano in the AFL-CIO Organizing Department sends us this report.
Next week, 285 Brooklyn employees of Cablevision Systems Corp. will vote on whether to join the Communications Workers of America (CWA). Faced with low salaries and inadequate protections on the job, Cablevision installers in Brooklyn decided to join together to seek changes at work. The cable installers, who complete eight installations per day, carrying heavy ladders and climbing poles, earn a third less than their unionized counterparts. In contrast, Cablevision CEO James Dolan received $13 million last year. Dolan is also the executive chairman of the Madison Square Garden Corp., where he received another $2 million in compensation.
More than 500 people packed the Shiloh Baptist Church in Washington, D.C., Jan. 16 for an Interfaith Service for Jobs. The service was sponsored by Faith Advocates for Jobs to celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s life and to call on our nation’s government to make King’s dream of economic justice and good jobs a reality.
More than 550 activists from the labor and civil rights communities wrapped up the AFL-CIO Martin Luther King Jr., Observance in Detroit this weekend after taking part in community service, workshops and worship. The events honored King’s vision that collective action is the key to ensuring freedom—whether at the voting booth or at the workplace, and energized participants to continue their work in making King’s dream a reality.
Tonight in Detroit, where hundreds of activists are gathered for the annual AFL-CIO Martin Luther King Jr. Day Observance, participants will honor several individuals for their outstanding contributions to working people. Labor Secretary Hilda Solis will receive the top honor for her extraordinary dedication and commitment to improving the lives of workers throughout her lifetime. The At the River I Stand award is given to a national leader who has demonstrated an unyielding commitment to civil rights and workers’ rights. | <urn:uuid:4a335a32-0df9-4290-89ff-eafd16178109> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.aflcio.org/Blog/(tag)/1130 | 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 | 0.934755 | 654 | 1.796875 | 2 |
As part of Global Entrepreneurship week 2012, Aston Business School held an ideas workshop ‘From inspiration to application - making that idea work’. This event was delivered by the founders of Think Share Create Aston MBA Simon Hague and Ian Harrison. Think Share Create is an online ideas incubator, a fast growing, diverse community of people, turning ideas into real-life ventures. The outcome of which is the potential development of viable business, charitable or social enterprise propositions.
The event was hosted in the Aston Business School MBA lounge and attracted a range of attendees, including Final year undergraduate students, postgraduates, alumni and staff. Participants of the event were put into groups with people they may have never met before and encouraged to all talk, take part and come up with creative business ideas which they developed over the course of the workshop and then had to pitch to the other groups.
The session was fun and interactive and engaged the participants who came up with some fantastic ideas and how they could market them. After the workshop had finished there was an opportunity for participants to speak with both Simon and Ian and ask questions or for advice and tips on any business ideas they have.
The event was a real success Simon Hague said “Tremendous events at Aston Uni yesterday. Amazing young minds playing with ideas and developing them into new businesses”
Simon and Ian also delivered their ideas workshop to 60 sixth form students during the afternoon 15 November 2012. | <urn:uuid:4f92ebcc-627b-4d5d-9d3c-25be923706ec> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www1.aston.ac.uk/aston-business-school/events/past-events/from-inspiration-to-application/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706890813/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516122130-00017-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.972937 | 293 | 1.59375 | 2 |
Iran on brink of nuclear bomb in 6-7 months - Netanyahu
WASHINGTON/JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned on Sunday that Iran would reach the brink of being able to build a nuclear bomb in just six or seven months, adding urgency to his demand that President Barack Obama set a "red line" for Tehran amid the worst U.S.-Israeli rift in decades.
Taking to the airwaves to make his case directly to the American public, Netanyahu said that by mid-2013 Iran would have 90 percent of the material it needed for an atomic weapon. He again pressed the United States to spell out limits that Tehran must not cross if it is to avoid military action - something Obama has refused to do.
"You have to place that red line before them now, before it's too late," Netanyahu told NBC's "Meet the Press" program, saying that such a move could reduce the chances of having to attack Iran's nuclear sites.
The unusually public dispute between close allies - coupled with Obama's decision not to meet with Netanyahu later this month - has exposed a gaping U.S.-Israeli divide and stepped up pressure on the U.S. leader in the final stretch of a tight presidential election campaign.
It was Netanyahu's most specific explanation yet on why he has become so strident in his push for Washington to confront Tehran with a more forceful ultimatum. At the same time, his approach could stoke further tensions with Obama, with whom he has had a notoriously testy relationship.
U.S. officials say Iran has yet to decide on a nuclear "breakout" - a final rush to assemble components for a bomb - and they express high confidence that it is still at least a year away from the capacity to build one and would then need more time to fit a warhead onto a missile. This contrasts with Netanyahu's timetable, although he stopped short of saying Iran had decided to manufacture a weapon.
Netanyahu showed no signs of backing off from his pressure campaign and equated the danger of a nuclear-armed Iran with the Islamist fury that fuelled attacks on U.S. embassies across the Muslim world last week.
"It's the same fanaticism that you see storming your embassies today. You want these fanatics to have nuclear weapons?" Netanyahu asked in the NBC interview, in a clear emotional appeal to Americans still reeling from the angry protests sparked by a film that mocked the Prophet Mohammad.
There have been no accusations, however, of any Iranian role stoking violence that hit Middle Eastern and African capitals.
'IN THE RED ZONE'
Speaking via satellite from Jerusalem, Netanyahu argued that a credible U.S. ultimatum was needed to curb Iran, which denies it is seeking a nuclear bomb.
"They're in the ‘red zone,'" Netanyahu said, using an American football metaphor for when a team is close to scoring a touchdown. "You can't let them cross that goal line."
Mohammad Al Jafari, commander-in-chief of Iran's Revolutionary Guards, threatened retaliation for any Israeli attack, saying U.S. bases in the region would be hit and trade via the Strait of Hormuz, a vital oil link, would be disrupted.
"Nothing of Israel would remain," he said.
Susan Rice, Obama's U.N. envoy, offered no sign that Obama - who has asked Netanyahu to hold off on any strike on Iran's nuclear sites to give sanctions and diplomacy time to work - intended to soften his resistance to red lines.
"We will take no option off the table to ensure that (Iran) does not acquire a nuclear weapon, including a military option," Rice told "Meet the Press," reiterating Obama's longstanding position but insisting "they are not there yet."
Israeli leaders, who see Iran's nuclear advances as a looming existential threat, have made clear they are operating on a far tighter window than the United States, which has a superpower's mighty conventional arsenal at its disposal.
Asked whether Israel was closer to acting on its own, Netanyahu said: "We always reserve the right to act. But I think that if we are able to coordinate together a common position, we increase the chances that neither one of us will have to act."
Obama, who is seeking re-election in November, has faced criticism from Republican rival Mitt Romney that the president is being too tough with Israel and not tough enough with Iran.
But Netanyahu took a more neutral posture on the election, denied he was meddling in U.S. politics in support of fellow conservative Romney and distanced himself from the Republican's accusation that Obama was "throwing Israeli under the bus."
Netanyahu's sharpened rhetoric in recent days had fuelled speculation that Israel might attack Iran before the U.S. election, believing that Obama would give it military help and not risk alienating pro-Israeli voters.
Netanyahu has drawn criticism at home for overplaying his hand. He faces divisions within the Israeli public and his cabinet that will make it hard to launch a strike any time soon.
He said he appreciated Obama's assurances Iran would not be allowed to obtain a nuclear weapon. But Netanyahu, whose "red line" demands have infuriated U.S. officials, made clear that was not enough. "I think a red line, in this case, works to reduce the chances of the need for military action," he said.
In his most specific comments on Iran's nuclear work, Netanyahu told CNN: "They're moving very rapidly to completing the enrichment of the uranium that they need to produce a nuclear bomb. In six months or so they'll be 90 percent of the way there."
He appeared to be referring to Iran's enrichment of uranium to 20 percent purity, a level it says is required for medical isotopes but which also is close to bomb-fuel grade. According to an August report by U.N. inspectors, Iran has stockpiled 91.4 kg of the 20 percent material.
Experts say about 200-250 kg (440-550 pounds) would be the minimum required to enrich further into enough material for a bomb. Iran could potentially reach that threshold soon by producing roughly 15 kg (33 pounds) a month, a rate that could be speeded up if it activates new uranium centrifuges.
Israel's concern is that Iran be prevented from reaching nuclear weapons capability, not just from developing an actual device, and they worry time is running out. Israel is widely believed to possess the Middle East's only nuclear arsenal.
Netanyahu did not repeat his harshest comments of last week that Washington had lost any "moral right" to restrain Israel because it had refused to put strict U.S. limits on Tehran.
That was followed by word that Obama would not meet Netanyahu during the Israeli leader's U.S. visit later this month to address the United Nations - widely viewed as a snub.
(Additional reporting by Anna Yukhanov; Writing by Matt Spetalnick; editing by Bill Trott and Christopher Wilson)
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The Sag Harbor Fire Departments headquarters, including a dispatch room and the chiefs' office, is on Brick Kiln Road. Just behind it, on Columbia Street, it the substation for the Otter House Company. One of New York's oldest volunteer fire departments -and one of the oldest in the country- the Sag Harbor Fire Department has five companies: Gazelle Hose, Montauk Hose, Otter Hose, Murray Hill Hose and Phoenix Hook & Ladder. The department also has a heavy rescue squad, fire police and a dive/water rescue team. Sag Harbor often drills with North Sea, Southampton, Bridgehampton and East Hampton fire departments. The department also sponsors youth soccer teams and offers scholarships to Sag Harbor students. There is an open house every year during fire prevention week, the first or second week of October. The department has a fire museum open between Fourth of July and Labor Day, on the corner of Church Street and Sage Street. The current chief is Wayne Mortensen. | <urn:uuid:0812f352-0071-4e08-9744-98c0c30d902c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://easthampton.patch.com/listings/sag-harbor-fire-department | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00003-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.955606 | 205 | 1.578125 | 2 |
What a surprise. The New York Times finally notices the war on the young that has been written about at some length by Walter Russell Mead, Niall Ferguson, and David Willetts, among others — including liberals like Stephen Marche and Matt Miller — but without so much as a mention of any of them, nor of the principal burden that the old are piling onto the shoulders of the young, the ballooning national debt. David Leonhardt, the Times’s Washington bureau chief, has instead been looking at polls, where he finds evidence that the young and the old
have different views on many of the biggest questions before the country. The young not only favor gay marriage and school funding more strongly; they are also notably less religious, more positive toward immigrants, less hostile to Social Security cuts and military cuts and more optimistic about the country’s future. They are both more open to change and more confident that life in the United States will remain good.
In short, they are in a state of denial, as we say nowadays, rather like David Leonhardt and the editors of The New York Times. That makes Mr Leonhardt optimistic too. True, he acknowledges that the kids are less well-off than their parents were at their age and will have to bear a heavier burden of social security and Medicare payments to the aged, but this just makes their optimism and their liberalism all the more remarkable.
While today’s young are not down-the-line liberal — they favor private accounts for Social Security and have reservations about government actions to protect online privacy — they certainly lean left. . . Hammered by the economic downturn, young voters say they want government to play a significant role in the economy. These attitudes create a challenge for the Republican Party that is arguably as big as its better known struggles for the votes of Latinos. "We’ve got a generation of young people who are more socially liberal and more open to activist government," says Andrew Kohut, president of the Pew center, which has done some of the most extensive generational polling. "They are quite distinct."
He doesn’t consider the possibility that, insofar as the young "lean left," it may be because they are more impressionable and so willing to believe those in the media like Mr Leonhardt who tell them the old liberal lie that it is "the government" — conceived of as being, like their parents, in possession of more or less infinite resources of its own — and not they themselves who will be the ones to have to pay the extra money they supposedly want to spend on education and global warming and intervention in the economy. We’ll see how long that remains the case once they start getting the bills.
But there are other signs, mere straws in the wind, that the gullibility of the younger generation may have a term. One, according to Crossroads Generation, a group formed to educate the young in such matters, is that exit polling in the Wisconsin recall election showed that the Democrats’ advantage among those in the 18-29 age cohort was cut in half from the margin their gubernatorial candidate, Milwaukee’s Mayor Tom Barrett, enjoyed less than two years ago. Maybe, as Walter Russell Mead speculates the kids are at last beginning to catch on. | <urn:uuid:1fb4872a-c3e1-4d9f-a425-85f1407ef5f9> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.jamesbowman.net/diaryDetail.asp?hpID=548 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00006-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.969288 | 666 | 1.570313 | 2 |
Utility trucks stage outside New Orleans as recovery efforts after Hurricane… (David J. Phillip / Associated…)
As Isaac made its way into Arkansas on Friday, Gulf Coast communities struggled with high water left by the storm. One couple was found dead inside their flooded Louisiana home.
Isaac, now a tropical depression, was expected to drench Arkansas and Missouri with heavy rain Friday, Meghan Evans, an AccuWeather meteorologist, told the Los Angeles Times on Friday morning.
Flash flooding was possible, but the rain also arrives at a time when the area has been suffering from a severe drought.
As the Gulf Coast worked to clean up debris, restore power to hundreds of thousands of residents and reopen businesses, the U.S. death toll from the storm rose to at least four. A man and a woman were found in seven feet of water in their kitchen in Plaquemines Parish, and two people were killed in separate accidents in Mississippi when trees fell on their vehicles.
PHOTOS: Isaac pounds Gulf Coast
Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, meanwhile, was headed to Louisiana on Friday from the Republican convention in Tampa, Fla., for a firsthand look at storm damage, even as emergency crews worked to stem flood threats.
At Lake Tangipahoa in Mississippi, where a dam has been at risk of failing, water was draining over the emergency spillway "as it was designed to do," Jeff Rentof the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency said in an interview.
Although the situation was "under control," he said, crews are expected to cut into the earthen dam Friday in an effort to further bring down the water level and reduce the risk of flooding to homes downriver. Thousands of downriver residents had been ordered to evacuate.
The storm could cost insurers $500 million to $1.5 billion for onshore property damage, according to an estimate from Eqecat Inc., a catastrophic risk management firm. Economic losses to offshore energy assets are expected to range from $500 million to $1 billion.
The Mississippi River is expected to reopen Friday to shipping between Baton Rouge and New Orleans, said Bob Anderson of the Army Corps of Engineers' Mississippi Valley Division.
In Arkansas, Tommy Jackson of the Department of Emergency Management said in an interview that there were reports of flash flooding in the southern part of the state, but no calls for evacuations.
"We've had nothing like Louisiana," he said. But he said officials were on alert for the possibility of tornadoes in eastern Arkansas.
"Other than that, we've got a much-needed rainfall," he said.
Arctic drilling could begin next week, Shell says
Security guard pleads guilty to trying to sell secrets to China
James Holmes attorney suggests he might have called psychiatrist | <urn:uuid:8bea7798-2bc7-4e70-8901-d4984a9e5186> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://articles.latimes.com/2012/aug/31/nation/la-na-nn-isaac-flooding-20120831 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00015-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.974782 | 562 | 1.539063 | 2 |
A worker’s compensation specialist is an individual who has learned about all the different laws and regulations of worker’s compensation and has completed all of the required training in order to become certified as a specialist. Many businesses throughout the United States require some of their employees to obtain this certification in order to have a properly trained person capable of monitoring the safety and risk regulations on a day to day basis. However, worker’s compensation training is not exclusive to individuals who have been offered the training by their employers. Several other professionals can obtain this certificate just as easily. Attorneys and insurance agents are frequent enrollees in worker’s compensation specialist training courses all year round, along with countless more professionals with the similar career goal. Anyone in the workforce can greatly benefit by enrolling in this type of training.
In order to become a certified worker’s compensation specialist, individuals must enroll in the required training courses. These courses are usually around fourteen hours combined and are followed by an exam. At AB Training Center, we offer a variety of worker’s compensation specialist training in a number of formats. Students can choose to take their courses in a classroom, online, self-study, or take a recorded version home with them. Having a selection in courses allows each individual student to choose which type of study works best for them, and also provides them with the freedom of choosing what time of day is most convenient for them to study. Students do not have to worry about moving their schedules around in order to have time for their specialist training.
The laws and regulations for becoming a worker’s compensation specialist vary from state to state. When enrolling, make sure you select only the courses required by the state you live in and the state you will be working in. AB Training Center is aware of all the regulations for every state, so enrolling with us is simple. All you will need to do is select the state you need training for and we’ll provide you with the specific classes you need. Once you have finished all of the training courses for the worker’s compensation specialist, you will then be allowed to take the certification exam. This exam consists of fifty questions and students must answer 70% of the questions correctly in order to successfully receive their certification. With a 75% success rate for our students, passing the exam should be a breeze.
If interested in enrolling in the worker’s compensation specialist training courses or to find out more, place contact the AB Training Center today. | <urn:uuid:60d80925-fef9-48cc-aab2-2da164410f74> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.abtrainingcenter.com/blog/insurance-training/how-to-become-a-workers-compensation-specialist | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00002-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.970572 | 510 | 1.742188 | 2 |
By Katharine Houreld
ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Pakistan's army protested to India on Wednesday over the killing of one of its soldiers in Kashmir, the fifth fatality this year in heightened hostilities that have raised concern about violations of the truce between the nuclear-armed neighbors.
Indian troops shot the soldier at a position called Kundi during firing from the Indian side of the Line of Control (LoC) in the disputed Himalayan territory, the Pakistani army said in a statement.
Two Pakistani and two Indian soldiers were killed this month in the worst outbreak of violence in Kashmir since India and Pakistan agreed to a ceasefire nearly a decade ago. India and Pakistan have fought three wars since independence in 1947, two of them over the region that both countries claim.
Following public and media anger at the alleged decapitation of one Indian soldier, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said there could be "no business as usual" with Pakistan, and the army chief said his commanders should retaliate for provocation.
Despite the heated rhetoric, government spokesmen on both sides have insisted the deaths will not derail talks meant to improve relations, and experts say an escalation is unlikely.
The Pakistani military said in a subsequent statement that both sides had spoken over a hotline on Wednesday and Islamabad lodged a strong protest over a "ceasefire violation", but both sides agreed on the need to reduce tension.
Pakistan's government is fighting for survival over corruption charges and its response has been less fiery than that of India to the frictions on the border.
Pakistani Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar said on Wednesday, during a visit to New York, that she was open to talks with her Indian counterpart in a bid to quell tensions.
"These recent incidents have been extremely unfortunate," she told the Council on Foreign Relations. "We would be open to a discussion, a dialogue at the levels of the foreign minister, to be able to resolve this ... and to recommit ourselves to respect for the ceasefire."
The Pakistani army director of military operations had said he would call his Indian counterpart on Wednesday to complain about the latest killing. India's army spokesman confirmed the call took place on a hotline set up to help defuse tension, but did not give details of the conversation.
India did not confirm the killing, but said if a soldier died it could have been from Indian gunfire in response to shots from Pakistan.
"If any Pakistani soldier has been killed, it may have been in retaliatory firing. Our soldiers do not cross the LoC," army chief General Bikram Singh told reporters. The latest skirmish followed a warning by Singh on Tuesday that he expected his commanders to respond aggressively to "provocation and fire".
Singh spoke during a visit to the family of Lance Naik Hemraj, a soldier the Indian army says was decapitated by Pakistani soldiers last week. The reported mutilation triggered public and media outrage in India and unusually strong language from the government and army.
SENIOR CITIZENS TURNED BACK
A new visa program that was hailed as a sign of thawing relations before the latest fighting seemed to be affected by the tension. Pakistani senior citizens were turned away at a border post the first day the program was to come into effect.
A senior Indian home ministry official said the visa program had been "put on hold owing to technical issues".
In a sign of the emotion the attacks have evoked in India, nine Pakistani hockey players who were signed up to play in a private league were sent home following protests.
Indian-Pakistani relations had improved after nose-diving in 2008 when gunmen killed 166 people in Mumbai in a three-day rampage that India blamed on a Pakistani militant group.
India blames the Lashkar-e-Taiba militant group for that attack and says it enjoys official protection in Pakistan. Pakistan denies supporting the group. Indian officials have accused the LeT of stirring up the recent trouble on the border, a claim denied by its founder, Hafez Saeed.
"Resort to the use of terrorism as an instrument of state policy is short-sighted," India's ambassador to the United Nations, H.S. Puri, told the U.N. Security Council, which is currently headed by Pakistan.
"Those who play with the sword shall also perish by it."
Firing and small skirmishes are common along the internationally recognized 740-km (460-mile) Line of Control despite the ceasefire that was agreed in 2003.
The Indian army this week released photographs of landmines it said were laid by Pakistan and discovered in Indian territory. The army said there had been an increase in the number of mines found in recent months.
(Additional reporting by Satarupa Bhattacharjya, Annie Banerji and Frank Jack Daniel in New Delhi, Ashok Pahalwan in Jammu and Michelle Nichols in New York; Editing by John Chalmers, Mark Heinrich and Stacey Joyce) | <urn:uuid:fb2ebcf6-d3a4-48cc-9dad-5cce9416b7d3> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://wsau.com/news/articles/2013/jan/16/pakistan-protests-to-india-over-kashmir-killing/ | 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 | 0.973921 | 1,021 | 1.59375 | 2 |
BERLIN (AP) - Euro area banks stepped forward Friday to make the first of what's expected to be â?¬137.2 billion ($183 billion) in early repayments on the cheap, three-year emergency loans they received from the European Central Bank.
The ECB launched an unprecedented â?¬1 trillion ($1.3 trillion) loan operation at the end of 2011 and in February 2012, in an attempt to relieve stress on banks at the height of the debt crisis in the group of the 17 European Union countries that use the euro.
The ECB's aim was to ensure lenders had enough cash to do business so the flow of credit to businesses wasn't squeezed. The loans have been credited with easing the region's debt crisis, not least by easing fears that one or more shaky banks might fail.
Banks were given the option to pay back the loans early, with the repayment window opening at the end of January. Analysts have been eager to see how many banks would do that, as it would give an indication whether parts of the eurozone's financial system were returning to health.
The central bank said Friday that 278 lenders will make early repayments on Jan. 30. The expected total is on the low end of economists' forecasts for repayments that ranged from â?¬100 to â?¬200 billion. In keeping with the ECB's usual practice, the central bank identified neither the lenders repaying early, nor the countries they come from.
As well as helping banks, the loans provided indirect relief to heavily indebted countries, such as Spain and Italy, which were facing high borrowing costs in bond markets. Flush with cheap credit from the ECB, banks bought government debt. That raised bond prices and lowered bond interest rates, which equated to lower borrowing costs for the struggling countries.
The ECB lent â?¬489 billion to 523 banks in late December 2011 at what was then its current interest rate of 1%, and another â?¬529.5 billion to 800 banks at the end of February last year.
The ECB's benchmark interest rate has since been lowered to 0.75%, meaning banks can now get short-term funding from the central bank at an even cheaper rate.
Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Read the original story: ECB: Banks will repay $183B in loans early | <urn:uuid:fb6c3dca-5743-4680-a9fe-066a85c6e51e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.wausaudailyherald.com/usatoday/article/1864109 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00002-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.971409 | 503 | 1.796875 | 2 |
Recorded March, 5, 6, 1974 by Rundfunk der DDR, Berlin.
The four greats of German jazz – Conrad Bauer, Ulrich Gumpert, Ernst-Ludwig Petrowsky, and Günter Sommer – have recorded on March 1974, in the studios of East German Radio, their early manifesto “Auf der Elbe schwimmt ein rosa Krokodil”, which was never released in East Germany. It was published later in West Berlin by FMP.
“Auf der Elbe schwimmt ein rosa Krokodil” continues what Ulrich Gumpert began in 1973 with his Workshop Band and also in his duo with Günter Sommer: the recourse to largely unused German folk songs as a commitment to his own tradition – with all the internalized Monk albums and various other influences superimposed upon it, of course.
“The theme that comes up in both "Krokodil" pieces and also in "Zweisam" seems like an anthem but is also somewhat elegiac. There is no reason for celebration, but also none for resignation. East Berlin, 1974. No ironic distance, but identification with a musically, culturally, and politically strange situation in the here and now. Finding oneself by risking breaking oneself. The image of a pink crocodile swimming on the Elbe, a verbal supplement to an autonomous sound production, pushes the play of associations into the surreal. Perhaps, too, the inflatable creature secretly sets out on the path that at the time would not have been allowed by the authorities: from Dresden to Hamburg and on to the open sea.” - Bert Noglik, liner notes. | <urn:uuid:d2daa605-2307-4461-a10e-6b91a71c7391> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.jazzloft.com/p-47776-zentralquartett-synopsis.aspx | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00018-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.951505 | 360 | 1.632813 | 2 |
OBAMA'S OUGHT OH! - 'TYPICAL WHITE PERSON'
April 2, 2008
Well, has Barack Obama been caught showing a prejudiced mentality? Just how much has his controversial pastor impacted him after all?
Obama's 'typical white person' slip, which has the internet and media buzzing, came when he 'clarified' his comments to a Philadelphia radio host on Thursday regarding the following statement he made earlier this week, during his national press conference which was called to 'clarify' his pastor's racist and other inflammatory comments:
"I can no more disown [Pastor Jeremiah Wright] than I can disown the black community. I can no more disown him than I can my white grandmother – a woman who helped raise me, a woman who sacrificed again and again for me, a woman who loves me as much as she loves anything in this world, but a woman who once confessed her fear of black men who passed by her on the street, and who on more than one occasion has uttered racial or ethnic stereotypes that made me cringe."
Ought Oh! So he tried to clarify his own statement to 610 WIP host Angelo Cataldi yesterday:
"The point I was making was not that Grandmother harbors any racial animosity. She doesn't. But she is a typical white person, who, if she sees somebody on the street that she doesn't know, you know, there's a reaction that's been bred in our experiences that don't go away and that sometimes come out in the wrong way, and that's just the nature of race in our society."
Double Ought Oh!
So then he sat down on the Larry King Live show last night to 'clarify' himself again:
"What I meant really was that some of the fears of street crime and some of the stereotypes that go along with that, you know, were responses that I think many people feel. She’s not extraordinary in that regard. She’s somebody who I love as much as anybody. I mean, she has literally helped to raise me.
But those are fears that are embedded in our culture and embedded in our society. And, you know, even within our own families, even within a family like mine that is diverse, you know, there are those gaps in understanding or the stereotypes that are fed by the news media and fed by what we see around us and, you know, in our popular culture."
Okay, so there may be a family member in all of our families who is prejudiced in some manner. But, as someone running for the President of the United States -- as a 'uniter' not divider -- someone who is trying to dodge the racist, anti-Semetic, anti-American statements of his controversial pastor...do his 'clarifiying' statements show good judgement? The kind a wise President would make? Are they prejudice-free?
Imagine John McCain or Hillary Clinton saying "typical black person."
You know, there are alot of 'typical white' people who are color-blind who would love to see an African-American as president. I would. But, not one who hasn't got their own racist issues settled. The President of the U.S. has to be the president of all the people, without prejudice, period.
I'd love to see a woman as President also.
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But, whether male or female, white or black, red or yellow, or polka-dot...more than anything I want to see a true American patriot...one who loves this country, who believes in our Constitution and founding principles, and esteems all people equally regardless of race, color, religion...for President of the United States.
It's possible. We've had them before. And I believe we can have them again.
What do you use to scrutinize candidates -- How they make you feel? Or what they truly stand for?
© 2008 Sharon Hughes - All Rights Reserved | <urn:uuid:9cde1563-4ee5-42d7-a870-1859883d5fc2> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://newswithviews.com/Hughes/sharon54.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00002-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.977715 | 836 | 1.601563 | 2 |
The University of Miami Frost School of Music is home to some of the top concert bands in the country including the Frost Wind Ensemble and Frost Symphonic Winds.
The Frost Wind Ensemble performs music that is written especially for wind ensemble instrumentation (a large chamber ensemble featuring one wind or brass instrument per part, plus harp, percussion, piano and double bass). It premieres and records contemporary works by today’s leading composers. The ensemble performs at national conferences and major festivals, and with notable guest artists.
The Frost Symphonic Winds is a larger ensemble and performs an interesting mix of traditional concert band works as well as new works. It also provides rehearsal/podium time for Instrumental Conducting graduate teaching assistants.
In addition to our fine wind bands, many of our music majors also perform in the Frost Symphony Orchestra, Frost Chamber Orchestra and the Henry Mancini Institute Orchestra plus numerous like-instrument and mixed chamber groups.
The Frost School of Music also organizes the concert activities of the University Band, which meets in the spring and is open to all full time students of the University of Miami, regardless of major.
We invite you to learn more by visiting the related links below. | <urn:uuid:23a4abe4-241b-4f48-a962-a5783b3463bc> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.miami.edu/frost/index.php/bands/concert_bands/ | 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 | 0.935414 | 249 | 1.515625 | 2 |
SALT LAKE CITY — SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - Voters in a tiny Utah town have struck down a measure that would have dissolved their town government, rejecting a proposal that some said would have led to annexation by a nearby polygamist community.
Preliminary results showed Apple Valley residents voting 167 to 115 against disbanding the town government, town clerk Nathan Bronemann said Tuesday night.
Apple Valley became a town in 2004, and some residents said officials haven't adequately provided basic services.
"We're not anti-government. We're anti-Apple Valley government," resident Debi Groves said Tuesday, adding that she had little faith in town leaders. "It's an oligarchy. You cannot break into it."
Groves discounted fears that neighboring Hildale - a town controlled by jailed polygamist sect leader Warren Jeffs - could stage a municipal takeover if Apple Valley were to abolish itself.
"They have no interest in having us in their town," Groves said. "They're neighborly and help out in emergencies, but otherwise don't want anything to do with us."
Jeff's Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints has amassed lands in the southern part of Apple Valley and, in theory, could petition to be annexed by Hildale. Jeffs is serving a life sentence in Texas after convictions on child sex and bigamy charges, but he is said to still maintain control of the FLDS border towns in Hildale and Colorado City, Ariz.
Hildale Mayor Philip Barlow didn't return a phone message Tuesday from the AP.
Longtime resident, Marie McGowan, said Apple Valley was organized as a town "because of fear" that polygamists could seize an opportunity to widen their municipal borders and "swallow us up."
Apple Valley Mayor Richard Moser says no resident wants that.
"There's a lot of - how do you put it nicely - stigma," Moser told The Associated Press in April.
More than 80 percent of registered voters cast ballots Tuesday, and of the 300 total votes, 18 provisional ballots haven't been counted, Bronemann said. The county will decide whether or not to count those votes, but those wouldn't change the outcome of the vote.
Disincorporation supporters have said that town government has failed to provide even basic services like the ability to fight house fires; Hildale provides that service for Apple Valley. They fault Apple Valley for having an unreliable water system - the town paid $2.8 million for a private water district in April to improve water service.
Apple Valley also lacks sewers; the 295 houses use septic tanks.
Residents also complain that a fussy code-enforcement officer is too eager to crack down on weeds, junk cars and "for sale" signs.
Opponents say disincorporation was pushed by a minority of fiercely independent residents who chafe under any rules, even for dog licensing.
"They never wanted a town from the beginning," Jan Quintanilla, manager of the Chevron Little Creek Station, told The Spectrum of St. George.
If Apple Valley had dissolved, it would have reverted to the jurisdiction of Washington County, which provides few municipal services. Its residents would feel pressure to contract for services or form more special service districts - or incorporate their town all over again, Washington County Administrator Dean Cox has said.
An earlier disincorporation effort failed, 185-79, six years ago. | <urn:uuid:e0ee5f07-a0df-4b76-98cd-5c1f946b3e75> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.vcstar.com/news/2012/jun/20/utah-town-votes-against-dissolving-government/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00015-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.970199 | 714 | 1.5 | 2 |
How long should it be?
The length of your resume depends on how much relevant experience you have. Generally, undergraduate students, and occasionally grad students, have just enough information to fill one page. If you have a significant amount of experience that is of interest to an employer, then two pages are appropriate. Keep in mind that employers will only read your second page if your first page captures their attention.
Should I include information from high school?
It depends on your year in college and the amount of experience you have. If you are a freshman or sophomore, you may include your high school information, but as you progress through college and gain additional experience and skills, your high school achievements become less relevant to employers.
Should I include my GPA?
The importance of GPAs varies according to industry and occupation. If your GPA is 3.5 or higher, you should include it. If your GPA in your major is higher than your overall GPA, you may indicate both, listing your major’s GPA first. If you choose to include your GPA, be sure that it is accurate because you may be asked to verify it later in the hiring process.
I’ve worked part-time and during the summer, but I’m not sure that my experience is relevant to the position I want. Should I include it anyway?
In most cases, yes. Through every experience, you develop “transferable skills” that you can use in future positions. Think about the skills required for the position that you seek and then describe how you demonstrated those skills in previous positions. Examples of transferable skills include written and verbal communication, research, planning, organization, problem solving, and customer service.
How proficient do my computer or language skills have to be in order to include them?
If you are confident that you can fulfill the duties of the position with your existing skills, include them on your resume. Do not inflate your abilities, but rather describe them as basic, intermediate, or advanced.
Should I include references on my resume or state that they’re available upon request?
Generally, no. Employers expect you to have references and typically request a list once you advance to the interview stage. Discover more answers to frequently asked questions about references.
Should I use the same resume to apply for different positions?
No. The most effective resumes are tailored to specific employers or positions and highlight knowledge, skills and experiences that directly relate to the qualifications and duties of the position you seek. Do your research and include keywords that employers will recognize as they quickly scan your resume.
How do I create a resume from scratch?
The quickest and easiest way to create a resume is to use the Career Center’s virtual Resume Builder. This free online tool allows you to build your resume using customized templates and sections, which you can tailor for your degree program or career objective. Once your resume is created, Resume Builder automatically generates various formats that you can select and ultimately submit to employers.
THE COVER LETTER
Do I always have to submit a cover letter with my resume?
Yes. A well-written and compelling cover letter increases the chances of your resume being reviewed, and a strong, tailored resume increases the likelihood of you being offered an interview. If an internship or job listing does not indicate that a cover letter is required, take the initiative and send one anyway. An employer will recognize and appreciate your professionalism and enthusiasm for the position or organization.
When and how should I follow up after submitting my cover letter and resume?
It is appropriate to follow up with an employer in 7 – 10 days to confirm receipt of your application materials and to inquire about where the employer is in the hiring process. Unless the position listing discourages phone calls, you may contact the employer via e-mail or phone. If you do not have the employer’s contact information, research the organization’s Web site or call the main number and ask to be transferred to the appropriate person.
How many times should I follow up with the same employer?
Follow-ups can be tricky because you want to demonstrate your genuine interest and enthusiasm for the position without annoying the employer. Generally, one follow-up attempt should suffice. If you send an e-mail or leave a voicemail, you should state your reason for writing or calling and then invite the employer to contact you for more information or to schedule an interview. If, after a month or so, you notice that the position is still advertised, you may follow up one more time to reiterate your interest and qualifications.
What format should I use to write other professional letters?
The cover letter format with left-justified text is most common and can be applied to other letter types, including application; networking; acceptance, decline, or withdrawal; follow-up; and thank you. To view examples or use helpful templates to create a letter, check out the Career Center’s virtual Letter Builder. | <urn:uuid:4b191ca9-8748-485c-a9f5-748f668211fa> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.american.edu/careercenter/Resume-and-Cover-Letter-FAQ.cfm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00010-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.934068 | 1,014 | 1.742188 | 2 |
"We see no other choice but to close our doors," said Christian World Adoption, which had handled Kyrgyz adoptions, in an e-mail to the waiting families. The agency, based in Fletcher, N.C., said an array of factors, in Kyrgyzstan and elsewhere abroad, had boosted its costs and cut its income to the point where it would file for bankruptcy.
Meanwhile, Adoption ARK, based in Buffalo Grove, Ill., said it would shut down, blaming Russia's recently imposed ban on adoptions by Americans. It said its program in Russia had provided more than half of its income.
The two closures highlight the challenges facing many U.S. agencies that specialize in international adoptions at a time when those are dwindling year after year. Americans adopted 8,668 foreign children in the 2012 fiscal year, down 62 percent from the peak of 22,884 in 2004.
Chuck Johnson, CEO of the National Council for Adoption, said he expected that many more agencies would be closing. Those with the best chance of persevering, he said, would be agencies with professional fundraising operations that have lessened their reliance on client fees.
For the families trying to adopt from
There was no immediate response Monday to e-mails and phone messages sent to agency officials seeking further comment.
A Christian World Adoption client, Shannon Fenske of Reeseville, Wis., said she and her husband, Kevin, were dismayed by this latest of many setbacks in their quest to adopt a Kyrgyz girl they were matched with in 2008.
"They did not reach out to us beforehand to allow us time to try and make any sort of arrangements," Fenske said of CWA. "They just dumped it on us on Friday afternoon and ran. We have no idea what the future holds or what our options are at this time."
However, Fenske said she and her husband would not give up their efforts to adopt Kamila, who was afflicted with a severe cleft lip and palate when they were matched with her in July 2008. The Fenskes, who have four other adopted children with special needs, arranged for two operations for Kamila that improved her condition, but pain and speech problems linger.
"We are fighters," Fenske said of how the waiting families would deal with the new setback. "This does not change the fact that our children continue to languish in institutions and that we continue to love them as much as we did yesterday."
Due mostly to corruption-related problems, Kyrgyzstan suspended foreign adoptions in 2008 and again last year after a brief resumption.
Christian World Adoption, founded in 1991, said the expense of trying to cope with these disruptions was among many factors that had depleted its financial resources. It also cited the Russian adoption ban, a continued U.S. freeze on adoptions from Cambodia, and longer time frames for adopting from China and Ethiopia, the two leading countries of origin for children adopted by Americans.
The U.S. State Department, which oversees some aspects of international adoptions by Americans, said it was working to get more information about the situation in Kyrgyzstan.
The State Department also has been active in Russia, trying to help U.S. families affected by the adoption ban. The ban was enacted in December as part of a package of measures retaliating against a new U.S. law allowing sanctions on Russians identified as human-rights violators.
Americans have adopted thousands of Russian children over the past two decades, and the ban is already having an impact on agencies heavily involved in adoptions from there.
Last week, Adoption ARK posted a notice on its Web site, citing the ban and the ensuing loss of revenue as the reasons for its sudden closure.
"The passage of law by both the U.S. and Russia is heartbreaking for the families who were in the process of adopting from Russia and, especially, the children who will remain in orphanages across the country, unable to grow up in the loving arms of a family," the agency said.
Adoption ARK, according to its Web site, was founded in 2003 and had helped place nearly 1,000 children with adoptive families.
Both Adoption ARK and Christian World Adoption were registered as nonprofit organizations.
While the closure of adoption agencies can be jarring—emotionally and financially—for their active clients, there remain enough agencies to the meet the overall demand, according to Kathleen Strottman, executive director of the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute.
"I do not anticipate that there will ever be a day when a family is looking to hire an agency and cannot find one," she said.
Follow David Crary on Twitter at http://twitter.com/CraryAP | <urn:uuid:ad47a9ee-d6e4-46c7-b29a-9c99a9f7888e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.orovillemr.com/news/ci_22566771/2-us-adoption-agencies-closing-citing-woes-abroad | 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 | 0.978868 | 984 | 1.5 | 2 |
The National People’s Congress
Satisfy the people
As he prepares to leave the ruling Politburo, China’s prime minister warns parliament of troubles ahead
CHINA'S prime minister, Wen Jiabao, may be glad he is entering his final year in office. In a two-hour speech on March 5th at the opening of the annual session of China's parliament, the National People's Congress (NPC), Mr Wen spoke of “new problems” besetting China's economy, from high prices to slowing growth. But his problem might lie in convincing citizens that his promised efforts to build a “harmonious” China have made progress.
Mr Wen's state-of-the-nation address was his penultimate as prime minister, but his last as a member of the ruling Politburo. He and President Hu Jintao will step down after a five-yearly Communist Party congress in the autumn. At next year's NPC (a rubber-stamp affair that usually lasts about ten days), Mr Wen is expected to hand over to his deputy, Li Keqiang. The presidency will almost certainly be passed to the current vice-president, Xi Jinping. In his speech, Mr Wen reminded almost 3,000 hand-picked delegates that this was his last year, and called for diligent work to “satisfy the people”.
This will be a lot tougher than meeting the lower-than-usual target of 7.5% growth this year that Mr Wen proposed (see article). More than any other prime minister since Zhou Enlai (who held the job for 26 years until his death in 1976), Mr Wen has tried hard to cultivate a man-of-the-people image. At a press conference after his appointment in 2003, Mr Wen boasted that he had visited 1,800 of China's 2,000-plus counties, and that this had helped him understand people's lives. “I know what they expect…I will live up to their trust,” he said. Their expectations, however, may have exceeded his capacity.
The rest of the world has marvelled at China's double-digit growth rates for most of the past decade, and millions of people have become richer. But many grumble that Mr Hu and Mr Wen have made less progress with their pledges to build a “harmonious society” in a way that pays more attention to people's welfare and the natural environment. The gap between rich and poor has continued to widen. Outbreaks of unrest, many of them the result of land grabs by local-government officials, are increasingly frequent. Migrant workers from the countryside, who fill most blue-collar jobs in urban areas, are usually denied welfare benefits enjoyed by other city-dwellers.
Polls suggest that many ordinary Chinese are feeling uneasy. In January a report by the Capital University of Economics and Business in Beijing found that the city's “happiness index” had been declining for four years. Worries about income were cited as the main reason for the drop. A survey published in the same month by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences showed that urban residents felt less confident that they would get richer than they felt about prospects for the economy generally (see chart).
Mr Wen highlighted some achievements. Spending on health care has received a boost since efforts to provide insurance for all were stepped up in 2009. But the World Bank and the Development Research Centre (DRC), a Chinese government think-tank, in a report in February, said that government spending on health, at around 2.5% of GDP, is still lower than average among the upper-middle-income countries with which China is now categorised. In his speech Mr Wen pledged that government spending on education would reach 4% of GDP for the first time (up from around 2.5% in 2003). A budget report submitted to the NPC said that such spending by the central government had risen by 27.5% last year. Mr Wen did not remind his audience, however, that China promised in 1993 it would spend 4% of GDP on education by 2000.
By the end of this year, Mr Wen said, all of rural China would be covered by a government-funded pension scheme that officials began rolling out in 2009. Rural pensioners receive a minimum of 55 yuan ($8.70) a month, which for the poorest families is a welcome boost. Mr Wen said rural incomes last year rose faster than those of urban residents for a second year in a row. They grew by 11.4% in real terms, the fastest rate since 1985. A considerable proportion of rural income comes from migrant labour in the cities. An official plan issued last month calls for increases in the minimum wage of at least 13% a year to 2015.
Such measures could help to narrow wage differences between urban and rural areas (as will a diminishing supply of surplus rural labour). Mr Wen deviated slightly from the wording of last year's five-year plan, which had called for a “gradual” narrowing of the income gap. He said the government would “quickly” reverse the widening trend and ensure that income distribution is governed by “proper standards”. He did not say how, although growing upward pressure on blue-collar wages will certainly help (see article).
The rich-poor gap is clearly an embarrassment to Mr Wen's government (as it was to the preceding one). Caixin, a magazine, reported in January that this year the government would again publish no estimate of the Gini coefficient, a measurement of inequality commonly used around the world. The last time such a figure was officially released, it said, was in 2000. The coefficient then was 0.412 (on a scale of 0, where everyone has the same income, to 1, where one person receives all of it). America's coefficient at that time was very similar at 0.408, but India's was much lower at 0.32. Some Chinese scholars believe China's is now higher than 0.5. The World Bank-DRC report says China is among the most unequal countries in Asia.
During the NPC Bo Xilai, the party chief of Chongqing, a region in the south-west, used the issue in an apparent attempt to revive his tarnished image (a political ally of his had fled to the American consulate in Chengdu last month, emerging a day later to be led away by Chinese security officials). Mr Bo pointedly told a group of delegates that it was possible to have fair wealth distribution and fast growth at the same time. Alone among Chinese provincial-level governments, Chongqing has set a target for reducing its Gini coefficient.
Few Chinese pay attention to the NPC's discussions, despite efforts by official media to enliven coverage with alluring pictures (see top photo). Internet users have been more interested in examining photographs of the wealthiest delegates, some of whom have flaunted their riches by wearing expensive clothing to the meetings. Hurun Report, a company which tracks China's wealthy, said the net worth of the 70 richest NPC delegates—many of whom are also prominent businesspeople—rose by $11.5 billion in 2011. | <urn:uuid:dbfc7df9-4db1-440a-9ea0-74f3a7207a9b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.economist.com/node/21549991 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00002-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.98036 | 1,485 | 1.601563 | 2 |
New book on UNIDO presented in Vienna
VIENNA, 5 July 2012 – A new book titled, UNIDO: Industrial solutions for a sustainable future, was launched at the Diplomatic Academy of Vienna today by its author, Stephen Browne.
The event was hosted by Hans Winkler, the Director of the Diplomatic Academy, and the discussion moderated by Wilfried Lütkenhorst, UNIDO Managing Director.
Browne, who has worked for more than 30 years in different United Nations organizations, is currently director of The Future of the UN Development System (FUNDS). His book, which offers a concise and accessible guide to the sustainable solutions and services that UNIDO offers, states that the Organization’s mandate mirrors many of the core challenges now confronting developing and transition economies.
The book charts the origins and developments of UNIDO and examines its current mandate, including trade capacity-building, poverty reduction through productive activities, energy generation and environmental protection, and the Green Industry Initiative. It also examines the significant partnerships that UNIDO has forged with other UN based systems, such as the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), and the International Trade Centre (ITC).
Browne highlights the fact that UNIDO, as the only UN organization to have been transformed from a UN secretariat entity to an independently governed UN agency, undertook drastic reforms to adopt business practices in order to proactively adapt to a changing global environment.
Browne believes that UNIDO is uniquely positioned to launch the global green industrial revolution which will lead to employment creation, especially for the global youth, thus triggering economic growth and rapid and sustainable industrialization.
He stresses the development quality of industrialization where assistance is targeted in particular at policymakers. While industry needs to be clean and competitive, UNIDO is also concerned with the wider developmental impacts.
Browne does not shy away from pointing out that, in this era of rapid globalization, UNIDO faces growing challenges. He reviews these challenges and UNIDO’s recent reforms under its current management. He also goes on to suggest how the organization can help to meet some of the key global development challenges in the increasingly competitive environment of development cooperation and how it can in the future create workable partnership including with governments, private sectors, civil society organizations, recipients, beneficiaries and other stakeholders.
Browne states that the UN development system was essentially a creation of the developed countries, which have been its principal financial sponsors from the beginning. Over the years donor support has increasingly come with conditions determining the purpose and destination of the funding. While UNIDO still depends on a few large traditional donors, the Organization has begun to move away from a dependence on the industrialized countries and has broadened the base of its financial support among developing countries, which have always been its principal source of legislative support.
Browne states that UNIDO’s future will depend more than ever on the developing countries. He opines that this is as it should be, and arguably should always have been in the UN development system: technical services provided to, and, where possible, paid for by, developing country clients.
For more information, please contact:
UNIDO Advocacy and Communications Coordinator | <urn:uuid:f5245cfa-737b-43b6-9f24-591eb5e6d3c1> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.unido.org/index.php?id=7881&tx_ttnews[tt_news]=1227&cHash=e4b35e6d63f7acffaac1e889142b2546 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00006-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.948854 | 664 | 1.507813 | 2 |
Arrested Due To A Database Error
from the doesn't-sound-like-fun dept
Well, here's a story that combines a few different things we've seen lately, from police (and star basketball players) raiding the home of the wrong person due to a faulty IP address to the fact that all these big data mining companies often have wrong info about you, including incorrect criminal records. In this case, a guy who got a job as a security guard as a retailer ended up spending a week in jail after the company did a background check on him and data mining firm Choicepoint (whose name became well known when they sold info to a group of identity theft scammers) incorrectly found that there were arrest warrants out for this guy for child molestation and rape. The problem was that the guy had been a victim of identity theft earlier, and while he had reported it, Choicepoint didn't take that into account. It's somewhat amusing (if disturbing) that a firm that had sold data to identity thieves later was unable to fix the false data in someone's file that was due to identity theft. Still, at what point do people realize that a single piece of data from these unreliable sources just isn't enough to arrest someone? Update: A Choicepoint employee in the comments points out that this happened a few years ago, and that Choicepoint was fine over it. He then accuses us of making the same mistake as Choicepoint in not following up to get the latest details. Of course, there's a bit of difference. No one went to jail when our story was a bit out of date. | <urn:uuid:0052fd24-a4b8-45db-9d0d-35e1f72942eb> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20061027/185311.shtml?threaded=true | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00012-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.989856 | 327 | 1.5625 | 2 |
All your softball players and fans will enjoy these fun softball cupcakes or softball cake to celebrate a special win. Colored frosting and trimmed with laces, they are simple to decorate and sure to be a big hit. The softball cupcakes or cake are perfect for birthdays or to celebrate the win of a special game!
This helpful video shows you some easy ways to cut calories and maintain a more healthful diet during the 4th of July holiday. In a holiday filled with backyard cookouts and barbecues, these dietary tips help you to make the proper food choices without sacrificing the foods that you crave during the height of summertime fun.
Bread Making Demonstration:Quick Bread
Banana bread is a popular quick bread that is usually flavored with bananas that have been mashed. Most often, the best bananas to use for banana bread are ones that are overripe and may not be very palatable when eaten as is.
Get Up and Move! | Exercise and Metabolism
Get Up and Move!
Researchers believe that one of the most significant contributors to obesity is that lifestyles today are not conducive to sufficient physical activity.
1) An Asian condiment that has the same appearance and flavor as tomato ketchup. Made with bananas, water, sugar, vinegar and seasonings such as garlic, onions, salt, and spices, this sauce is produced as an alternative to ketchup for regions that grow significant numbers of bananas. | <urn:uuid:e9a18116-cf12-4ba3-bd5d-473d0bd517e8> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.recipetips.com/recipe-cards/t--54919/healthy-banana-cupcakes.asp | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704713110/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516114513-00001-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.951943 | 299 | 1.679688 | 2 |
Wednesday, December 21, 2005
Tuesday, December 20, 2005
Evaluating Professional Development
Have a safe and restful holidays.
Thursday, December 08, 2005
Here we go again...
"It's none of their business. Why are they monitoring online student journals in the first place?"
This student obviously doesn't get it-how many students fail to realize that they are publishing for a global audience? The article also provides the transcripts of the blog postings, and the threats against the teacher. From another student:
"A blog is like your journal. You should be able to say whatever you want in it and not worry about getting in trouble, especially because it's done on your own time and not in school,"
We've all got to do a better job educating these kids. That means we need to start developing or refining school policy as it relates to the use of this tool, we need professional development for teachers, (ok, and yes the time!) and time for curriculum development.
As Dave put it:
The technologies are here, we’ve simply turned it over to kids to make of it what they will. What should we expect?
Wednesday, December 07, 2005
Time Part 2
To be cynical, and with apologies to my well-intentioned colleagues, I wonder if software could speak whether it would say “We don’t have any good teachers to use.”Wow. He's even more frustrated than me. Requires free registration.
Tuesday, December 06, 2005
Digital Storytelling Day 4-Flickr Searching
1. The use of tags to locate imagery was new to kids (we had worked with them). They're used to using multiple search terms in Google, however they adapted quickly.
2. They used multiple paths for searching within Flickr. Some used the Creative Commons search page exclusively, and some used the multiple tag search page, together with the search within the title and descriptions. Some ignored the Creative Commons Search page and used the search on the introductory Flickr page.
3. About 50% of the kids found something that they considered inappropriate, although no one showed me when they found it nor did it become a distraction for any student or group of students (they are seniors). When I pushed them a little farther, they said it was just stuff they see on TV but that they shouldn't see in school. Overall, I was concerned, they weren't, which makes sense because I'm and educator and they're kids. A single period with 25 kids searching multiple topics was enough to convince me that we need to be careful with younger kids and probably create pre-selected image pools for them. I had used Flickr with adult groups, and had not really seen anything inappropriate as the result of their searching, although I certainly knew it was there.
4. When using the Flickr search available on the first page of Flickr, as well as with the multiple tag search, the kids quickly found that the search could be sorted by Most Recent and by Most Interesting. To see the difference, here is the most recent search return and the most interesting search for the tag barns. There is quite a difference in the quality of the photos....
5. Some used the Flickr tag cloud to search. Others used the Flickr Colr Pickr, although neither tool would exclusively return appropriate Creative Commons licensed photos. They just sifted through them.
6. Most had about a half of the images they needed in a single period (50 minutes). Many of the images I saw as I answered questions were very good choices and quite dramatic photography that will support their writing.
So, all in all, a productive start watching the kids work through a new resource and, in the process, we learned a great deal about the student use of Flickr.
Time on my Mind
On my Web site, I have a feature called JakesNation, where I talk about my favorite things. Most are restaurants, but I do have some other things there. One is about my favorite teachers. Here is the description of the characteristics of my favorite teacher:
Anyone who wears their passion on their sleeve, anyone who realizes its about kids and not them, anyone who steps out and takes risks beyond their comfort zone, anyone who hasn't taught 30 years one time, anyone who is more than 5 periods and out, anyone who refuses to use the dreaded worksheet, anyone who refuses to use time as an excuse for absolutely everything, anyone who will move forward despite the obstacles...
I’ve highlighted in bold what this post is about.
Frankly, I’m tired of the time excuse. It’s almost a reflex now in teachers. “I’ve got no time to learn that, do that, participate in that.” An on and on….
In David Warlick’s post, We Are Afraid, David says this:
“Today, as a high school senior, he’s [his son] producing his own videos, and distributing them to friends over the Internet. It’s not just technology. The very nature of information has changed. Yet teachers have no more time to reflect on these changes, master new skills, harness new opportunities, and protect children from new dangers, than my teachers had in the 1950s and ’60s."
Yes they do.
That’s a pretty big blanket statement-many districts do provide teachers with time to do just that. And what ever happened to the prep period-wasted surfing MSN, creating online greeting cards, checking personal email, building ridiculous PowerPoints, or just grading poorly designed “assessments?” That’s right-how many hours are wasted grading worksheet after worksheet (10 questions X 120 kids = 1200 answers to grade-yep, now you don't have time) that provide limited potential to improve instruction. Let’s try a different type of assessment, called assessment FOR learning that provides a better picture of what the kids are learning and how to improve instruction that can be done every day, in real time, to improve how you teach on how kids learn.
Regarding the mastery of new skills, we all know that there are some districts that do not, or cannot, provide frequent and quality professional development. But what about the districts that can and do, and conscientiously provide quality programs during the school day about meaningful issues, provide substitutes for attendance, and provide post-program experiences to extend the learning beyond the original program, but can’t get any teachers so sign up? What about that? Why does that happen-well, the answer is: "I don't have time for that."
Sometimes to improve what you do, you have to step away from the classroom. Invest in yourself and your kids. Take the time....
What I am saying is that teachers must shoulder some of the blame for time issues. It’s not just the fault of the administrators...we all bear responsibility for time management and improving the use of time in schools, and how technology is used to support learning but to say we haven't been allowed to do our jobs, or haven't been pushed, well, that's not true. I push all the time in my job, and I get pushed back (read resistance here)!
However, on a positive note, I’ve never met a teacher that couldn’t make time for something they thought would improve what they do in the classroom.
So with that in mind, could a teacher spare 15 minutes of time to advance their own professional growth as it relates to technology or education in general? You can't argue that-just 15 small minutes during one day in one week-that's an hour a month. Nine hours in a school year. Not much, but what would you suggest a teacher could do in that time frame that would increase their understanding of the Read/Write Web, assessment, leadership, or any other topic pertaining to education?
Let's build a list. Simple things that can move everyone forward. Hopefully you'll have the...time... to contribute one thing.
Contribute to the list at my wiki page:
Monday, December 05, 2005
Digital Storytelling Day 3-The Gift
Watching the Bears on Sunday...0 dollars
Traffic Jams on the Kennedy...0 dollars
Seeing and smelling a cornfield again...0 dollars
During the construction of the movie, the teacher I am working with asked the kids if they should be writing some of the process down. The kids just looked at the teacher with a look that said "Ah... we've got it."
Recently, I saw Gary Stager of the Thornburg Center present at NYSCATE. One of his comments has stayed with me and that was that kids come to school with a gift. The gift is their affinity for technology. We need to take advantage of that gift, use it, and nurture it to help them learn and to become life-long learners.
So, we've spent two classroom periods with them showing them some new technology. Only four students had used Pinnacle Studio before, but I left the class completely comfortable with their ability to use the software. Very few had seen this type of software, but their comfort level with technology permitted rapid assimilation of how to operate the tool. That's the gift they bring.
Now our job now is to take that, and help them through the process of building a story that is elegant, exhibits craftmanship, and is representative of who and what they are. That takes professional educators.
That's our gift to them.
Friday, December 02, 2005
Digital Storytelling-Day 2
We've given the kids a set of tools to work with, including traditional image sources such as Google, Mamma, and alltheweb. We also have encouraged them to share their completed digital stories online at digitalstories.org, but this will require them to use their own images, or use images and music from sites where the original authors have permitted use through Creative Commons licensing. Since we haven't made it a requirement, I'll be interested to see how many make digital stories that are 100% sensitive to copyright.
Monday: storyboarding and image visualization
Thursday, December 01, 2005
Digital Storytelling SawHorse
To support this process, I'm in the process of building a digital storytelling platform for the kids (I'm tempted to call it a digital storytelling saw horse) using Blackboard. Within Blackboard, I simply create a new class, and enroll the kids in the class manually, so when the kids login to Blackboard, they will now see another class in addition to their class schedule. Other classes can also be enrolled as necessary.
You can access the class as a guest to see how Blackboard works, and how we can use the tool to support learning. | <urn:uuid:7fc047cd-26ea-4f8c-8d2d-aed90295a29d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://jakespeak.blogspot.com/2005_12_01_archive.html | 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 | 0.968213 | 2,232 | 1.5625 | 2 |
BALTIMORE (AP) — Baltimore City officials have activated a program to offer additional services to the homeless due to an expected drop in temperatures.
City officials say the Code Blue program is in effect Monday and Tuesday. The declaration means that emergency shelters in the city will keep extended hours and emergency workers will check up on vulnerable residents.
According to the National Weather Service, temperatures in Baltimore area are expected to dip into the mid-20s Monday night.
On Tuesday night, the temperature is expected to be about 17 degrees.
(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) | <urn:uuid:83059995-ea17-4354-a357-5c3b5cb684d5> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://baltimore.cbslocal.com/2012/01/02/baltimore-city-activates-code-blue-program/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00013-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.937223 | 121 | 1.632813 | 2 |
It seems everyone in Libya has a gun these days.
Defeated in battle, Moammar Gadhafi's army left behind armories brimming with weapons, and the rebels have helped themselves. It's not just guns that have been plundered. Almost every outpost captured by opposition forces has yielded weapons, everything from AK-47 assault rifles to grenades to surface-to-air missiles (SAMs). And the rebels tell ABC News that they don't have enough resources to safeguard them all -- which means they may wind up in the hands of people who have other agendas than defeating Gadhafi.
On Thursday we visited an army base in Tripoli, and found the grounds littered with SAMs. Some were stored in concrete bunkers, others lay in open shipping containers, there for the taking. The base looked like it had been battered by NATO airstrikes, but nearly all the missiles we found remained undamaged, their warheads intact. The front gate of the base was wide open, and we were able to drive in without being stopped.
According to Peter Bouckaert, emergencies director at Human Rights Watch, the weapons the looters want most, and take first, are the SAMs.
HRW estimates there are 20,000 surface-to-air missiles in Libya, and many of those are now missing. Some are recent Russian-made SAMs, capable of shooting down aircraft flying as high as 11,000 feet.
"They have no military use in this war," said Bouckaert. "Gadhafi is not flying any airplanes, he's not flying any helicopters. So why are people looting these very powerful and dangerous missiles?
Bouckaert suggested that some of the looters might have other targets in mind. "They can be used to shoot down a civilian plane. That's what al Qaeda tried to do in Mombasa a few years ago."
Some of Gadhafi's elite units were based in Tripoli, and equipped with the very latest weaponry. We stopped at another base, made up of a dozen or so warehouses abutting a series of thick, concrete storage bunkers. Again, we saw evidence of the NATO bombing campaign: damaged buildings and vehicles were everywhere. What passed for security guards were a handful of rebel fighters, combing the base to see what they could find.
We did the same, and found powerful explosives and missile components still sitting in their shipping crates. One of the men told us they were components for scud missiles. In reinforced concrete bunkers we found hundreds of crates of shoulder-fired weapons with shells to fit.
A rebel commander told us the rebels are doing what they can to secure these arms dumps. Many of the weapons recovered in and around Tripoli have been sent south to the frontline rebel troops surrounding Bani Walid, one of the last towns holding out against the revolution. But he admitted that there aren't enough guards to watch over the growing troves of guns and missiles.
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has urged the Libyan rebels to protect Gadhafi's weapons stockpiles "to ensure that weapons from Qaddafi's stockpiles do not threaten Libya's neighbors and the world." It may be too late. Bouckaert of HRW warns that they are now "in the hands of unknown people." | <urn:uuid:8ff96d05-558e-4111-bbb9-432b49df84c9> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/looters-steal-gadhafis-weapons-including-surface-air-missiles/story?id=14475569 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00008-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.977323 | 680 | 1.601563 | 2 |
A Call for Social Justice
Remarks to the Graduating Class of 2011
by President Patricia McGuire ’74
Trinity flourishes in a world full of challenge and turmoil. For the Class of 2011, your college days have carried the burdens of economic recession, war and terrorism, but also the promise of rapid technological innovation, the hope of improved health care for all and the potential for real political change at home and abroad.
The Trinity degrees you take into the world today come with large expectations for the work you will do in the future to advance the common good, to make justice your tireless cause, to be forces for truth and charity in every community you inhabit.
All around us, these fundamental virtues of the good society are in grave danger.
Today, the very idea of social justice is often mocked, in some quarters, by some people – some of them even claiming to be people of faith – who preach a perverse gospel that denies our essential responsibility to stand in solidarity with our brothers and sisters in need. As a Catholic institution rooted in the faith tradition of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, Trinity stands in opposition to the cynical, selfish view of rights as only accruing to the strong, the privileged, the politically and economically powerful, or only those with the right papers. As a matter of faith, Trinity stands for social justice for everyone as the pillar of the good secular society and the essential moral community.
Social justice demands that we, the graduates of Trinity, use the many gifts we have received here in service to others. I think of the words of the great Marian Wright Edelman, honorary Trinity alumna, founder of the Children’s Defense Fund, who said that, “Service is the rent we pay for living. It is not something to do in your spare time; it is the very purpose of life.”
Trinity expects her graduates to pursue this purpose in the very specific service of justice for the human community, upholding the dignity of human life through the entire cycle of existence, being champions of civil and human rights, standing in solidarity with our brothers and sisters in need, taking the option for the poor, advocating economic justice for all, and caring for God’s creation.
Trinity expects all of us, her graduates, to hear the call to stand for justice wherever and whenever the human community needs our affirming response.
Justice cannot stand idly by when the carnival of prejudice rolls into town, with its sideshows of sick hatred and ringmasters of repressive greed.
Justice cannot be silent when the engines of legislation and public policy shift into a hard reverse, throttling way back on fundamental rights once assumed to be settled for all.
Justice must not look away from the movement to deny the birthright of full citizenship for children born in this nation to immigrant parents.
Justice cannot turn away from the shameful spectacle of privileged people, whose families, themselves, fled to this nation to escape deprivation elsewhere, building ever-higher walls against the desperate dash to freedom by people who have known only poverty and oppression.
Justice must call out the shame of schools that deepen impoverishment and despair. And that same justice cannot allow itself to collude with those who deny the insidious effects of poverty and violence and hunger and homelessness on the ability to children to learn. Justice cannot allow public leaders to ignore the gruesome conditions of life in the most desperate corners of our cities while those same leaders systematically destroy the reputations and livelihoods of the very people who are often the only ones trying to bring some relief to those children and families, the teachers who dare to go to work each day in some of the most difficult circumstances imaginable.
But justice must do even more. The Prophet Amos got it right: “Justice must roll down like the river, its righteousness flooding the fields” of hatred and discrimination and oppression.
You, today’s graduates of Trinity, with the commission inherent in these degrees, you now board that barque of justice rolling down the river, joining thousands of Trinity alumnae and alumni before you. As they have done through the last century, you will put the gifts of this Trinity education to use for the causes of justice and peace, charity and hope in a world where such virtues are scarce.
You will teach the children who will lead the world into the 22nd century. How well you teach them will influence the fate of generations.
We get daily reminders of how awesomely difficult this task is especially for the teachers in our troubled city schools. Just this past Friday afternoon, on the daily email message I get from the Washington Post with notable topics of the day, two headlines appeared one after the other that summed up the entire problem of educational justice in this region. One headline announced that, in Virginia’s 11th Congressional District, the high schools in Fairfax and Prince William counties send more high school students to the nation’s military academies than any other jurisdiction in the nation. The second headline told the sad tale of a melee at D.C.’s Coolidge High School not far from this ceremony today. After all of the rhetoric about educational reform, all of the theories about teachers and recriminations over firings and relentless cycles of high stakes tests, it still comes down to this: the children of one neighborhood get to go on to college, the children of another neighborhood face the prospect of jail. That’s not the fault of the teachers.
Justice must beware of reformers who know all the answers while silencing questions.
You will make justice a reality in the shape of the law and policy of this nation and the world through the roles you will play as lawyers and elected officials, staff experts and public interest advocates, civic activists and voters. Full participation in the political process is an expectation of social justice and a serious obligation of the education you have received.
You will make life healthier and more bearable as nurses and health care professionals delivering critical care at each life stage. You will be part of some of life’s most difficult conversations about the type and amount of health care your patients will receive, and in the way you minister to their need, you will be powerful agents of justice, hope and charity.
You will be agents of justice in the corporations you will manage and lead, both for-profit and nonprofit, ensuring equity and fairness for human capital while protecting consumer interests and ensuring environmental stewardship.
You will goad your neighbors to action to help your communities thrive, and you will have the courage to confront those same neighbors when they say, “Not in my back yard” when people who are not like them seek nearby residence.
You will remember the wisdom of the Greek philosopher Thucydides who said that, “Justice will not come until those who are not injured feel just as hurt as those who are.”
And in serving the ends of justice, you will make it possible for the human community to have the hope that, someday, we will finally know true peace.
You will do all of this with the power, wisdom and love of the Trinity as the whisper in your ear and the wind at your back along the pathways of your lives. When you hear the voice of Trinity, when you feel her gentle tap upon your shoulder, you will remember that wherever you go from this day forward, you will not be alone. Trinity will be with you, and you will be in our hearts, all the days of your lives. | <urn:uuid:46b085b7-9891-4188-b85b-d8faa3bfc000> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.trinitydc.edu/magazine-2011/a-call-for-social-justice-remarks-at-commencement-2011/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00005-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.949528 | 1,531 | 1.820313 | 2 |
It is a tough book to get through, as Tim Weiner has a huge amount of sources and data to share with the reader. It is however fascinating to see an agency that devours billions of dollars per year can get away with decades of malpractice, lying an cheating. If even a third would be true (where I am afraid it is all true, base don the level and details of the sources), it is an utter disgrace that the agency has not been closed decades ago. In the businessworld this would have been done long ago. A very interesting an revealing book, very worthwhile for anyone interested in secret services and their doings.
This book has an unclear story underlying massive criticism on the scientists that believe in global warming and greenhouse effect. At the end the outcome of the stiry is still unclear, what now happens with the organisation faced, what was the argument behind, etc. Personally I liked Michael Chrichtons books, but this book obviously has a different agenda then creating good and scientifically based entertainment. It is intended to radiate the message that some conservative US politicians state, that caring for the environment is nonsense. He defences not signing the kyoto protocol, and quotes constantly reserach that denounces the global warming theory. I agree when we states we need to be critical towards what we believe and what we assume is provenor not. Unfortunately mr Chrichton forgets that 97% of the Global climat scientisis have consensus (Source: Nobel price winning institute of environmental research). He however cites from the 3%. Indeed there is a group of criticism on this topic, also in Europe there is an organisation that voices the critics, which is important for a healthy democracy. Potentially they should then next time not take a historian, but a climatic scientist as their chairman and only public member. And at the end, irrespective all arguments, no argument of unclear consequences can be an argument not to be carfull with our environment, No argument should move attention away from a continuous need for carefull contemplation on the consequences of human behaviour on the environment. Using arguments to move away from that is criminal to our future on earth. I agree with the final discussion that we do not need to discuss if earth will survive. Earth will, just humans will not (see also 'rare earth theory', earth will rebouce, it take a million oyears or such, which for a planet is not a huge issue, just we won't be around to tell). In my view, this book makes me realise people actually believe what crichton states, and that is scary..
The book starts off interesting, very catching and with increasing speed. One can't escape the feeling this has been written before. much in the style of the da vinci code a symbol mystery is wound up and unwound. This still allows for so,e hours of pleasent listening, but nothing too new, only then to be left with 1,5 hours of elongated talks on bibles, divinity of men and the scientific proof of the force of mind and the scince of noetics. I have read all of Dan Brown, but think this is his weakest book thusfar. too bad, as he is a great writer.
great details, including all the scenes and sights are accurate to those who have been there, the novel keeps you in suspense untill the lasted pages listened to.
It is brought clearly what the reason is that parts of the Arab world resent what the US and Great Britain stand for.Let us hope some policy makers listen to it too and are not led by their own fanatic religious thoughts.
This is one of those books that switches your brain into high gear. It is fascinating to hear Peter Drucker´s ideas, some so simple and logic, some so far from what you might have thought yourself, but always able to spin your mind into deep thoughts. Nothing to be taken lightly, this is no book for a relaxed moment, but it is a tour through the words written by a great mind that can express himself in an unforgettable way.
As the book contains many different input sources, it has a bit for everybody. There are speeches which I find less and ones I find more interesting. Through the amount of it however there is always something a reader will find that he or she can benefit from. Nice to listen through without being too deep. It is not a brain provoking set of speeches, but a nice mumble that regularly lights a small fire of recognition or of a moment or thought you like to remember. It were pleasant hours I spend listening.
The book listens easy, but one who has spend some time, either in the university or in business schools or conferences on training or communication will find there is hardly any new input to get from this book. Too bad.
This book is not a book on self development, but a personal idea of the writer with as its main target to improve your relationship with God. Should you have bought the book to become personally more effective etc. you will buy a useless book. I personally have no need to improve my relationship with a higher being, be it God, Allah, Jehova Budha or whoever. I feel that religion has no place in business or in business books. In the case of such books it should have been mentioned that this is a book on religion as I would have never bought this book.
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If you find this review inappropriate and think it should be removed from our site, let us know. This report will be reviewed by Audible and we will take appropriate action. | <urn:uuid:7120770b-aaaa-46e3-9ee0-e093e061ca43> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.audible.com/listener/A5TONEBR275DS/Legacy-of-Ashes/ref=pd_seeReview_1_8?asin=B002V8MA7A | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706890813/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516122130-00008-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.966897 | 1,139 | 1.640625 | 2 |
If anyone had any notion that the European Union was anything but a bureaucratic dictatorship, this should open their eyes:
A European Union report has urged tight press regulation and demanded that Brussels officials are given control of national media supervisors with new powers to enforce fines or the sacking of journalists.
The “high level” recommendations that will be used to draft future EU legislation also attack David Cameron for failing to automatically implement proposals by the Lord Justice Leveson inquiry for a state regulation of British press.
A “high level” EU panel, that includes Latvia’s former president and a former German justice minister, was ordered by Neelie Kroes, European Commission vice-president, last year to report on “media freedom and pluralism”. It has concluded that it is time to introduce new rules to rein in the press.
“All EU countries should have independent media councils,” the report concluded.
“Media councils should have real enforcement powers, such as the imposition of fines, orders for printed or broadcast apologies, or removal of journalistic status.”
As well as setting up state regulators with draconian powers, the panel also recommended that the European Commission be placed in overall control in order to ensure that the new watchdogs do not breach EU laws.
I’m sure these new powers, if granted, will be used only for the common good, to ensure fair, sensitive journalism — as determined by a bunch of Eurocrats.
The danger of this is obvious: the power to fine or fire is the power to dictate, and the only reporters to retain their jobs will be those who say things pleasing to the mandarins in Brussels. It would be the death knell of free speech in Europe, for free speech is meaningless if it doesn’t include the right to say things that make the powerful uncomfortable, or even simply to offend. A free, unfettered press is essential to a democratic society, and if the press is fettered, so is the citizen, who becomes a subject. The society is no longer free.
The article points out that these proposed regulations are aimed largely at the British press, which has a large Euro-skeptic element and regularly ticks off the European Union elite. Quite unsurprisingly, then, the Brussels initiative has set up howls of outrage in Britain, from whom we inherited our traditions of free speech and press freedom. With Prime Minister Cameron promising a referendum on a new arrangement, one can only hope the majority of Britons will see the danger of staying a part of this “brave new Euro-world” and vote to get the hell out.
Indeed, they may already ready be headed for the door.
PS: This article reminds me yet again how rare, fragile, and precious our traditions of free speech –the ability to speak one’s mind to the powerful without fear of reprisal– really are. In Europe, where on the Continent the governing tradition is top-down, the natural reaction of the government is to suppress annoying speech. (And in America, we see twitches of that from the Left.) Even in Australia, the people of which are our close political cousins, there is no recognized natural right of free speech. It is a right that we must not only assert and defend, but actively exercise, especially when it itself is under threat.
(Crossposted at Sister Toldjah) | <urn:uuid:b345d17d-435b-4197-87fe-31e1c4685aec> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://pubsecrets.wordpress.com/2013/01/25/european-union-or-eussr-brussels-demands-power-to-regulate-press-fire-journalists/ | 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 | 0.942788 | 700 | 1.757813 | 2 |
I had earlier introduced Science, Technology and Innovation Policy, 2013 (“Policy”). I shall analyse the Policy in this post.
An encouraging but incomplete policy document
The Policy is quite an encouraging policy document. It marks a significant shift in the approach of the government vis-à-vis its earlier policies - Scientific Policy Resolution of 1958, Technology Policy Statement of 1983 and Science and Technology Policy of 2003. As I had stated earlier, the Policy comes in the light of the realization that treating innovation and S&T as two disconnected realms was a serious lacuna especially when the former has now assumed centre stage in the developmental goals of countries around the world. The Policy, unlike the earlier policy documents, recognizes the synergistic linkages among them. Prof. Shamnad Basheer succinctly summarized the necessity for a policy change when he stated in ‘India’s Innovation Czar’ (Editorial in Livemint dated 06 December 2009): “For, despite India’s rapid economic progress and technological proficiency, it has failed to produce any real innovation on its soil. Consider our software industry, which continues to remain content with a cyber coolie “services” model, and our pharmaceutical industry that thrives on a copycat generic model. What is most puzzling is the fact that the very same brains that fail to create on Indian soil do so the moment they land on foreign shores. What ails? Do we really lack an innovation culture? How is it that a country that boasts of Sushruta and rudimentary cataract surgery as far back as 600 BC does not have a single blockbuster drug to its credit?” I cannot agree more.
The Policy intends to position India among the top five global scientific powers by 2020, facilitate S&T-based high-risk innovations through new mechanisms; facilitate partnerships among stake holders for scaling successes of R&D; and trigger changes in the mindset and value systems to recognize, respect and reward performances which create wealth from S&T derived knowledge. It engrains the principle of social inclusion and private participation for achieving its objectives. It also sets out the need for nurturing a conducive STI ecosystem. In short, it intends to “accelerate the pace of discovery and delivery of science-led solutions for serving the aspirational goals of India for faster, sustainable and inclusive growth”- a strong and viable Science, Research and Innovation System for High Technology-led path for India (SRISHTI).
The Policy also expresses pragmatism when it states that it intends to tap global resources including Indian diaspora for accelerating the pace of technology-led development. The objective is in consonance with the extant government policy of leveraging the Indian diaspora – a policy which is expressly set out in the objective statement of Pravasi Bharatiya Divas.
The Policy recognises the extant fragile innovation ecosystem. The Policy notes that India’s R&D investment is less than 2.5% of the global investments. It has been under 1% of the GDP. It observes that achieving the target of increasing Gross Expenditure in Research and Development (GERD) to 2% of the GDP in the next five years is realizable provided the private sector matches India’s public investment and the ratio of public to private sector investments in R&D changes from the current 3:1 to 1:1 within the next five years. The Policy notes that supply side interventions have hitherto been the main strategy for public investment in R&D. The Policy calls for equal emphasis on both supply side interventions and demand based investments. While public investments in R&D shall maintain the current rates of growth, private investment has to increase significantly for translating R&D outputs into commercial outcomes. The Policy also seeks to raise Full-Time Equivalent of R&D personnel by at least 66% of the present strength for matching the enhanced level of private sector investments in R&D and maintaining the tempo of public sector investments. The Policy also sets out a new initiative - Public Private Partnership (“PPP”). A National Science, Technology and Innovation Foundation will be established as a PPP for investing critical levels of resources for innovative and ambitious projects. The Policy also calls for facilitating S&T based high-risk innovations and creating an environment conducive for enhancing private sector investment in R&D. According to the Policy, “India’s innovation machinery should aim to lead rather than to follow safe paths of discovery.” These policy statements are quite forthcoming considering the extant state of affairs in the Indian pharmaceutical industry. Though Indian pharmaceutical industry is considered to be a leader in generic drugs market, it has not made any appreciable progress as far as discovery of new drug molecules is concerned. [I had earlier posted on the state of R&D of new drugs in the Indian pharmaceutical industry here]. I must, however, note that the Policy does not elaborate the initiatives.
On the whole, I am inclined to appreciate the temperament of the Policy. It is encouraging and sets the ball in motion. I am, however, inclined to perceive it as an incomplete document for the reasons mentioned below:
'One-size, fit-all' approach
Prof. Shamnad Basheer, in his interview to The Hindu (2008) titled ‘Encourage Innovation with holistic approach’, advocated for a ‘comprehensive and holistic framework for encouraging innovation’ rather than a piecemeal approach which has hitherto been the norm. Unfortunately, the Policy adopts a ‘one-size, fit-all’ approach towards STI. Though the basic policy tools may remain the same across the board, customized policy tools may be required for each sector. For instance, the policy framework conducive for biotechnology may differ from that of software which in turn may differ from that of electronics. It is understandable that a master policy document may not be able to set out all the sector-specific policies. However, the Policy could have at least set out the contours of its approach. It is pertinent as putting forward a policy initiative completely oblivious of sector-specific concerns may turn out to be ineffectual in the long run.
Leveraging Traditional Knowledge (“TK”)
The Policy has totally overlooked Traditional Knowledge (“TK”) especially when the potential is untapped. There is ample scope for leveraging our TK for achieving the larger objectives of the Policy. The Policy fails to integrate the aforesaid aspect into its framework. I shall cite an example for making the argument clearer. Most of us have must have eaten or at least heard about jackfruit. But not many of us may know about the various value-added products such as jackfruit payasam, jackfruit cutlet, jackfruit sandwich, jackfruit dosa, jackfruit halwa, jackfruit ice cream (which is now available in Natural’s)….The list is endless!! [For more, see here] A major obstacle in the marketing and export of value added products of jackfruit is their short shelf period (which in turn is linked to the livelihood of those involved in this venture). Osmo-dehydration is quite a useful technology in this regard. According to NIIR Project Consultancy Services, the technology is still not well-established in India. One reason may be the costs involved in this project – which is more than three crores (according to NIIR) and therefore, unaffordable to the small farmers. It is to be noted that the presence of a low cost, accessible and effective technology goes a long way in ensuring social inclusion which is one of the stated objectives of the Policy. Therefore, it is high time that we leverage upon our TK by blending it with STI. It is to be noted that the Policy seeks to “vertically integrate all dimensions of STI into the socio-economic processes” and promote "inclusive innovation". The Policy, further, states that the focus is on “both people for science and science for people”. Perceived in this context, its muted approach towards leveraging TK is perturbing.
As rightly pointed out by Prashant in ‘National Science Day – The good and bad of Indian policy initiatives for scientific research and innovation’, several forthcoming initiatives of the government are stalled either at Parliament or in Ministry of S&T. Further, as Prashant had pointed out in his excellent article in Business Standard ‘The regulatory mess in Indian science’, there exists regulatory deficit in Indian science which is a debilitating factor for any forthcoming wholesome and sustainable progress in STI. The Policy should have called for a quick review and implementation of the same as these delays dent the objectives stated to be achieved.
Approach towards Intellectual Property Rights (“IPR”)
The Policy does not clearly put forward its approach vis-à-vis IPR. It also does not explore the linkage between traditional IP protection and innovation. The Policy states that it will modify “IPR policy to provide for marching rights for social good when supported by public funds and for co-sharing IPRs generated under PPP.” It does not define the expression “marching rights”. Considering the context, it is likely to mean that where public funds are used, IPRs will be modified to direct the benefits of the innovation towards social good. I must note that the aforesaid objective is couched in abstract terms and the Policy does not set out or at least provide an outline for achieving the aforesaid objective. Further, the Policy merely puts forward mechanisms such as “Small Idea-Small Money” and “Risky Idea Fund” for supporting innovation incubators without elaborating upon them.
Informal IP norms
SPICY IP has always maintained that IPR particularly patents is not an end by itself. In fact, they are means to an end. They are a set of tools for incentivizing innovation. As Prof. Shamnad Basheer pointed out [here], “… any measure that looks more holistically at "innovation" and moves away from an exclusive IP centric view is a welcome one.” The Policy reflects the aforesaid perspective to a great extent, for instance by setting out its intention to nurture a favourable innovation ecosystem. It is to be highlighted that the Policy acknowledges open source discoveries as an “interesting innovation system”. Further, it recognizes that knowledge commons is an emerging theme for managing IPRs created through multi-stake holder participation. I perceive it as a step in the right direction towards appreciation of informal IP norms. As Prof. Shamnad Basheer opined in his editorial in Livemint titled ‘Creating Informal IP norms’ (2008), “Newer IP regimes in India, such as the protection of geographical indications and plant varieties, throw the relevance of “informal communities” into sharper focus, dealing as they do with communities of farmers and artisans. Similarly, as India moves to devise norms for protecting and leveraging its ancient “traditional” and indigenous knowledge, it will again have to cater predominantly to informal communities that live on the fringes of the existing IP regime. This regime, largely a Western heritage gifted to us by our colonial masters, and further entrenched with the help of an inequitable international instrument called TRIPS, is very “individualistic” in tone and focuses specifically on identifiable inventors and authors. This sits in sharp contrast with the “community” focus in India, where things like traditional medicinal knowledge and folklore have no clearly identifiable authors or inventors, but have been preserved by indigenous communities over hundreds of years.” Unfortunately, the Policy has not articulated its approach towards informal IP norms. It merely touches upon some of the informal IP norms.
Research infrastructure in Indian universities
As noted by Priyamvada Natarajan in ‘Bridging India’s knowledge gap’ in ‘The Business Line’ (16 January 2013), “Historically, the set-up of the Indian S&T enterprise stemmed from the Nehruvian vision of the significant role expected of S&T in the country’s development. With Nehru’s patronage, the renowned scientists of that generation such as Meghnad Saha, Vikram Sarabhai, Homi Bhabha, and C. V. Raman all pushed for building scientific research as a high priority in order to rapidly cultivate a homegrown scientific community and achieve technical self-sufficiency with expediency. Scarce resources were therefore directed to a few elite research centres inspired by the model in the USSR; a few national laboratories in specific subjects.…….Research universities are the backbone of invention and innovation in the US. The tight coupling of undergraduate and graduate training, along with a strong research base, has provided natural incubators to nurture new ideas that could potentially translate immediately into applications, as well as more long-term basic science research that might not produce immediate commercial benefits. However, as a consequence of this initial historic cleavage in India, university research has failed to garner adequate support and the structural changes required to invigorate and reshape universities to do so, never took root. In the meantime, more and more research institutes have been created in the sciences and social sciences outside the university system.” The corrective steps advocated by the author include reintegrating research and teaching; encouraging collaborations with colleagues at research institutes; targeted grants programme and giving adequate attention to Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs). The Policy approaches this issue in an altogether different manner. Rather than focusing on enhancing the R&D facilities in universities (which should have received the primary focus), it intends to multiply inter-university centres “to enable a wide cross section of university researchers to access advanced research facilities and equipment which are otherwise not available in university environments.”
As I had stated earlier, the Policy is quite an encouraging policy document of the government. It, however, sets out abstract ideas and overlooks some crucial aspects. Notably, it does not clearly articulate its approach towards IPR - an exercise which would have demonstrated clarity of thought on the part of the government. Had these drawbacks been addressed, it would have been a comprehensive document. On the whole, I appreciate the temperament of the document.
[For a related post titled 'First set up the labs, then dream the Nobel', see here.]
[For a related post titled 'First set up the labs, then dream the Nobel', see here.] | <urn:uuid:0fb20e5c-7a17-45b7-83e8-781a7848fabc> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://spicyipindia.blogspot.com/2013/01/analysing-science-technology-and.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00005-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.943237 | 3,000 | 1.609375 | 2 |
It is aimed at ensuring that banks maintain arms length relationship in their dealings with the group entities
In a move to avoid a systemic risk in the financial sector in future, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has issued draft guidelines to limit the exposure of banks to their group companies, which would be applicable to all banks, including foreign banks.
The proposed exposure limit to a single group entity, which is a non-financial services company and unregulated financial services company, would be 5 per cent of paid-up capital and reserves of a bank, and, if the single group entity is a regulated financial services company, the exposure limit would be 10 per cent.
In case all non-financial services and unregulated financial services companies are taken together, the aggregate group exposure of a bank would be 10 per cent of paid-up capital and reserves of it. It would be 20 per cent in case all group entities (financial and non-financial) are taken together. “Banks should operate within these limits on an on-going basis and report their exposure, on a quarterly basis to the RBI,’’ it said.
“Failure to comply with the norms may also lead to imposition of penalties or prohibition on the bank to undertake further intra-group transaction and exposure with other group entities or both,” the RBI added.
“These measures are aimed at ensuring that banks, at all times, maintain arms length relationship in their dealings with the group entities,” said the apex bank in its draft guidelines on ‘Management of Intra-Group Transactions and Exposures (ITEs)’.
Banks should not purchase a low-quality asset from group entities. Further, a low-quality asset should not be accepted as collateral for a loan or extension of credit to, or guarantee, acceptance, or letter of credit issued on behalf of the group entity.
“Banks must ensure that the transfer or sale of low-quality assets to group entities, whether regulated or unregulated, is not done for the purpose of hiding losses or window-dressing of balance sheets,” it added.
On cross-selling of products, the RBI said that “if banks engage in marketing or distributing the financial products of the group entities to their own customers, banks should ensure that the identity of the seller of the product is prominently disclosed and displayed in the relevant marketing material, product documentation and the same is also explicitly conveyed while marketing the product by the bank’s staff or agents through the branches, ATMs, telemarketing, e-mails or any other place or means.” | <urn:uuid:6a725804-2498-41d1-81db-4da5e9e4e117> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.thehindu.com/business/Economy/article3775935.ece | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00005-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.950444 | 536 | 1.578125 | 2 |
Following a proposal by the petroleum ministry to levy an extra tax on diesel cars to offset the vast gap between petrol and diesel prices in India, the Society of Indian Car Manufacturers (SIAM) has today written to finance secretary R S Gujral saying such a move will slow down sales and create ""serious distortions"" in the industry.
The Indian car market is already in the grip of a slowdown and any additional tax will further retard demand, SIAM said.
''An Increase in excise duty on diesel cars would not serve any useful purpose in terms of reducing the subsidy bill of the government. On the other hand, it would create serious distortions in the industry taxation structure and provide a disincentive to the highly fuel-efficient diesel technologies developed by the industry with huge investments," SIAM director-general Vishnu Mathur said in the letter.
Last week, officials in the petrol ministry had said that the proposal to levy an extra duty of Rs1.7-2.55 lakh on diesel cars had been put before the finance ministry; and they were confident it would be approved.
However, SIAM president S Sandilya said in an interview with CNBC-TV18 that the possibility of such a tax being introduced is low. ''The finance ministry is fairly well aware that the diesel consumption by cars is a very small percentage of the total diesel consumption in the country. Given that, any incremental duty will be a retrograde step,'' he said.
He elaborated, ''If you increase the duty significantly and the volumes go down you will not only lose the incremental revenue that you want to get, but you will also lose the base revenue that you are getting today out of the number of vehicles that are getting sold in the market. Therefore, government stands to lose out on revenue. If the objective is not revenue but control diesel consumption, the consumption by cars is miniscule. So what are you trying to control?''
Siam's response to the Government comes after a meeting that leading automakers had with Gujral earlier this month on the issue. The petroleum ministry has made a strong pitch for imposing an extra tax on diesel cars to make up for the subsidy that their buyers get on account of diesel's regulated pricing. The Finance Ministry had earlier said that it is looking into the matter.
Siam in its letter claimed that diesel usage by passenger vehicles is about 6.8 per cent, of which only about 1.56 per cent is for personal vehicles while the rest goes into taxis. Personal passenger car owners are ""miniscule"" and insignificant in the entire diesel usage and other industries were bigger consumers of the subsidised fuel, SIAM said.
Carmakers, including companies like Mahindra & Mahindra and Tata Motors which derive the bulk of their sales from diesel-powered utility vehicles, have long argued that hiking diesel prices is a far more logical step than taxing diesel cars. Economists are also virtually unanimous in saying that increasing car taxes is a perverse and retrograde way to avoid a much-needed hike in diesel prices.
"It is also pertinent to point out that much larger quantum of diesel is consumed by diesel-generating sets being used by offices, malls, residential complexes, shops, hotels, restaurants, mobile towers, etc for back-up power generation," SIAM pointed out.
SIAM also argued that excise duty on large cars is already high at 27 per cent and any new tax will make them even more expensive.
It suggested that the government decontrol prices of diesel as it has done with petrol; even if it is a partial decontrol.
"The price differential between diesel and petrol was about 25-30 per cent till June 2010; now since May it has increased to about 75 per cent. This type of price differential is not sustainable for the economy as a whole. Worldwide the differential between price of diesel and petrol has been around 10 per cent," Mathur said in the letter. | <urn:uuid:3d216593-3dcf-44b9-8c17-9a703009e99d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.domain-b.com/automotive/20120618_passenger_car.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697380733/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516094300-00002-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.973867 | 804 | 1.695313 | 2 |
If you use Outlook as your email client, you might want to schedule how often it checks for new messages. Today we show you how to schedule how often auto send/receive occurs.
If you’re busy during the day and need to keep up with your emails, you might want want Outlook to check for new messages every few minutes. Here we’ll show how to schedule it in Office 2010, 2007, and 2003 for a busy inbox where you want to keep on top of your important emails.
To schedule Auto Send/Receive in Outlook 2010, click on the File tab then Options.
The Outlook Options window opens…click on Advanced and scroll down to Send and receive and click on the Send/Receive button.
In the Send/Receive Groups window under Setting for group “All Accounts” check the box Schedule an automatic send/receive every…minutes. It is set to 30 minutes by default and you can change the minutes to whatever you want it to be. If you’re busy and want to keep up with your messages you can go as low as every one minute.
You can also get to the Send/Receive groups by selecting Send/Receive tab on the Ribbon and then Define Send/Receive Groups.
To select the send/receive time intervals in Outlook 2007, open Outlook and click on Tools \ Options.
Click on the Mail Setup tab, check the box next to Send immediately when connected then the Send/Receive button.
Now change the schedule to automatically send/receive.
You can also access the Send/Receive Groups section by going to Send/Receive > Send/Receive Settings and Define Send/Receive Groups.
In Outlook 2003 click on Tool \ Options…
Click on the Mail Setup tab then check Send immediately when connected, then the Send/receive button.
Then set the amount of time between send/receive attempts.
If you live out of Microsoft Outlook and want to keep up with messages, setting the automatic send/receive minutes will keep you up to date.
Programmer by day, geek by night, The Geek, also known as Lowell Heddings, spends all his free time bringing you fresh geekery on a daily basis. You can follow him on Google+ if you'd like.
- Published 05/25/10 | <urn:uuid:a84a6275-9183-41f4-a645-833074e71e70> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/17890/schedule-auto-send-receive-in-microsoft-outlook/?showcomments=1 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00019-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.931289 | 491 | 1.632813 | 2 |
This will be a free downloadable gift developed for a research project with Brighton University. Link to ‘Bitrwapped’, an online giftshop.
The brief was to design gifts that could be sold and delivered online without the need for manufactured goods. The project is an attempt to help people select and give more relevant personal gifts and to eliminate some of the environmental impact of producing, transporting and disposing of short life gifts that often only exist in order to satisfy the…
This urn was first drawn when William Warren was designing the Shelves for Life.
The lid of the urn can be used as a functional ashtray and the pot as storage for all your smoking paraphernalia. It is meant to remind the smoker of the probable/possible results to smoking. See also the No Smoking ashtray.
It has the potential to be used as an urn for somebodies ashes, but realistically, after the suffering of watching somebody die slowly and painfully from lung…
A patch made from self adhesive ‘shotchlite’ reflective material. The graphic both protects the rider and expresses the dangers of cycling through the established message of skulls on biker jackets. The stickers are manufactured and distributed through Suck UK who sell them in packs of three. One large 20cm one and 10cm versions. The design work was done in 2009.
This is the second Street Art Colouring Book. The newer book is based in New York, the birthplace of modern Graffiti, and it covers the development of the art-form. There are pieces from well known New York writers featured, as well as more pieces from the Vop crew who generated the artwork for the first book.
Both books are printed and distributed by Worldwide Co. They have sold upwards of 25,000 copies to date.
The first colouring book is based in south London and teaches Graffiti students the basic principles and styles of Street Art, through a number of photographs of iconic but scruffy London scenes that can be coloured in. The pieces in the book were created by the infamous South London crew, the Vopstars.
A drawing kit that contains a red and blue coloured pencil and a pair of 3D glasses. By holding the pencils at a set distance apart whilst wearing the glasses, it is possible to produce images that jump from the page.
The science museum have ordered so many sets that they now have their own packaging for the product. Product manufactured and distributed by Worldwide Co. Original concept from 2004.
I recognised this little dogface in a penknife bottle opener when I was young. Faces are useful devices to give personality to objects.
I like the way the key ring becomes the dogs collar.
The keyring was first prototyped in 1998.
One of my first products and an example of inventive use of materials and contrary narrative. The first series of ashtrays were produced using no smoking signs from the sign shop near my workshop. The aluminium signs were pressed on a simple wooden tool.
I originally produced the ashtrays myself in batches of fifty and at one point I was personally selling them to nine countries around the word. This of course ended up being a beyond me and I stopped,…
Part of the ‘Negative’ range of products I produced shortly after graduating from a silversmithing MA in 1997. The larger chubb keyring is also able to open beer bottles.
The keyrings are now manufactured by Trico in Japan.
The atmosphere in a home changes through the day and for different activities. This is a simple device that transforms a room from minimal to cozy by turning on the light.
Lampshadows are photo-etched in stainless steel. This is a process of screen printing in stop out varnish and etching which is normally used in electronics. A a process it is able to create relatively fine detail at low cost in small production runs.
The Lampshadow was developed for the exhibition ‘Them…
Combine the plates together and twist out the tabs to create your house number.
The door numbers are photo-etched in brass. This is a process of screen printing in stop out varnish and etching which is normally used in electronics. A a process it is able to create relatively fine detail at low cost in small production runs.
Designed in collaboration with Carl Clerkin. | <urn:uuid:442133aa-1c96-44c3-a958-efef14b35a1a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.williamwarren.co.uk/category/portfolio/giftware/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00013-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.960204 | 899 | 1.695313 | 2 |
Pearson International Airport is the front doorstep to Canada for immigrants from around the world.
They get their first impressions of their new country as they arrive at the Malton airport.
So, it’s only natural that the airport should be chosen as the site of a citizenship ceremony today that will see 100 people from more than 38 countries sworn in as Canadians.
It’s the first time a citizenship court ceremony has ever been held at Pearson airport.
At 1 p.m., Citizenship Judge Mina Yung-Fung will preside over the special ceremony, which is being co-hosted by Citizenship and Immigration Canada and the Greater Toronto Airports Authority, which operates Toronto Pearson.
The ceremony takes place at area F in Terminal 1 on the arrivals level.
29 Jun 2012 | <urn:uuid:15961eb2-0438-40e8-ba39-c78ba7916783> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://canadablog.y-axis.com/?p=2561 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00004-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.955733 | 163 | 1.78125 | 2 |
There are times when politicians and bureaucrats that appoint cops order them to take action that’s in direct conflict with the United States Constitution. All cops are required to take an oath to defend and protect that Constitution.
Some cops will blindly follow orders as too many did in Germany during Hitler’s Third Reich. The Nuremberg War Crimes Trial set the standard that following orders is no excuse to escape punishment.
Hurricane Katrina was blight on America not just for a weather related disaster but also for a greater disaster, the destruction of basic American Freedom, Liberty and human dignity. Notwithstanding the relentless and unending bureaucratic blunders aggravating the human misery, some government agents began a crime wave of their own.
The former Chief of the New Orleans Police Department conspired with others to commit home invasions and armed robberies against New Orleans homeowners. Officers from the NOPD and agencies as far away as the California Highway Patrol along with National Guard troops forced their way into homes, assaulted the residents, and robbed them of any firearms they could find. I can’t bear to think what may have happened if a victim of these acts fought back killing some cop. That’s just one more reason why I don’t support the death penalty.
The lawsuits against the officers and conspirators will go on for years, Perhaps more years than this victim in the first video, Patricia Konie has left on this earth.
My friend Bob Woodruff reports on video number two.
These outrages should never be allowed to happen again.
An Update 3/1/06 | <urn:uuid:617ea416-471b-449e-9edd-f8411d78495b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.crimefilenews.com/2006/02/dark-side-of-law-enforcement.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 | 0.954517 | 323 | 1.773438 | 2 |
University of Minnesota goalie Adam Wilcox tells The Tampa Bay Times he can solve a Rubik’s Cube puzzle in “about a minute.”
“It’s just kind of learning patterns,” he said. You have to take it step by step.”
And that is exactly how Wilcox has turned himself into one of the nation’s top freshman goalies and one of the Lightning’s most interesting and promising prospects.
Drafted 178th overall in 2011, the South St. Paul, Minn., native decided to play for Minnesota rather than stay in juniors, a stepping-stone approach to his career he believes is the best way to prepare for subsequent levels.
“I like to take each step of the process to make sure I’m ready to play,” Wilcox said. “Get a good base, good experience, get the confidence at each level and keep building.”
So far the plan is paying off.
“Tremendous athletic ability,” Johnson said. “Even when he misreads a play, he’s able to react back to the puck.”
“And he makes big saves, timely saves,” Lightning goaltenders coach Frantz Jean said. “That’s the X factor everybody is looking for.”
Wilcox said there is an argument that learning to solve Rubik’s Cube helps him on the ice.
“With doing that, you see ahead to the next move you have to make,” he said. “I can kind of see what’s going to happen ahead. I can see a guy coming in, if it’s going to be to the back door. I can make the move before it happens.”
“The same with school and stuff,” Wilcox added about majoring in sports management. “I like looking ahead and planning.” | <urn:uuid:ff1c6119-3840-4d7c-9494-9844b8e399d3> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/hockey-hearsay/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00008-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.958118 | 416 | 1.546875 | 2 |
With two thirds of adults now connected to at least one Social Media platform, its rise over the past few years has been staggering.
It’s hardly surprising therefore, that companies have followed consumers on to these social platforms in an attempt to engage with them and get noticed.
What is surprising however, is that some brands don’t seem to have put much thought into their social engagement strategy; they’re more about being social for social’s sake, rather than being social by design and really understanding what it is they want to achieve by connecting with existing and prospective customers via Social Media.
Social media platforms can provide unparalleled rich, up-to-date information on consumers that can significantly augment the data an organisation collects via traditional marketing channels, CRM activity and customer service touch-points.
Large social networks like Facebook provide a mechanism for brands to permissibly access user data from Facebook via an API protocol called Open Graph. This protocol, if considered and executed properly by brands, can bolster the wealth of data insight for existing and prospective customers which should improve their overall marketing effectiveness.
In reality many brands limit their social strategy to creating a branded timeline on Facebook in order to broadcast widespread communications in an attempt to respond and engage individual users that have ’liked’ their page. This, however, doesn’t grant them the right to access the full, rich Open Graph data for those users.
The Facebook app is the gateway to this rich information, allowing brands access to opted-in user information for people who connect and sign up to the app.
And the benefits for brands don’t stop there; Communication, content and user interaction will appear higher up a user’s news feed, rather than a post on a brand’s timeline, because the platform’s algorithms are more favourable to this form of interaction as they consider the content more engaging. This, in turn, often provides a ripple affect across that user’s social graph highlighting the content to a much broader audience.
Organisations that understand this have been able to connect with their customers and harvest a wealth of additional data and insight to feed their marketing and communications. Despite this reality, many organisations have still yet to grasp the fundamental principles of what constitutes a fair value exchange with users who interact via social media platforms.
Brands that have successfully produced and promoted apps as genuine value propositions understand that the app must create at least one of the following key value drivers; exclusivity, entertainment or continual utility.
Malibu VIP is a great example of an app that encourages users to unlock exclusive content by earning points each time they visit. Malibu offer value to their 30,000 monthly active users in terms of articles and drinks recipes, as well as access to competitions. In return, they’re using their social platform to directly target and interact with women as part of their wider Malibutique campaign.
Innocent have taken a completely different approach with their Fruit Picker app, which has seen them top the Social Brands 100 rankings. It’s one of the best examples of an app that delivers value through entertainment.
As a brand, they’ve ended up delivering a highly engaging game that users can share with their friends, stemming from a simple concept of picking fruit.
The aim of the game is to make sure the numerous fruit pickers don’t bump into each other, which proves infuriatingly enjoyable whilst emulating their brand nicely.
Whilst Unilever haven’t developed a game, there’s certainly an element of ‘gamification’ to their VIP app that aims to provide a longer term utility and relationship with consumers directly.
Their app engages with users by allowing them to continually propose new product ideas for some of their favourite brands (Domestos, Persil, Flora, and PG tips to name but a few) and rewards and recognises those ideas across their VIP app community.
There’s a clear value exchange here; users get to connect with the brand by helping to directly shape the products they use every day. They also get rewarded with access to offers and discounts.
Unilever benefits by strengthening their numerous different brands and acquiring greater insight on their customers. They have created a mechanism for interacting and engaging with their consumers more directly, frequently and effectively.
It’s important to highlight that the use of apps may not be right for all brands; these propositions require careful consideration and must align with the existing brand values. However, for those that do choose to employ this form of social engagement, it’s vital to deliver something that will be valued.
The value exchange is a concept that is so central to all forms of marketing that it’s amazing that some companies don’t seem to understand that this too applies to social media. By offering the consumer something they want, they’ll interact with you, which is ultimately what the very term ‘social’ is all about. In return brands will gain permissible opt-in access to the rich social data linked to the consumers of their products and services. | <urn:uuid:ff7f3daa-fb36-4d43-ac1d-1d5b71e181bb> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://econsultancy.com/in/blog/10498-customers-won-t-like-you-unless-they-like-the-value-you-offer-in-return | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00004-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.953505 | 1,051 | 1.578125 | 2 |
Cleveland Democratic Rep. Dennis Kucinich is asking the Federal Trade Commission to investigate FirstEnergy Corp.'s plans to distribute high-efficiency light bulbs to its residential customers and bill them more than $21 over three years for bulbs that cost the utility $7.
Kucinich's request is in response to an article in Tuesday's Plain Dealer that disclosed the Akron-based power company's plan to deliver 3.75 million bulbs to customers over the next five weeks and charge ratepayers for the bulb's delivery, as well as the power they would have used if they didn't have the more efficient bulbs.
FirstEnergy spokeswoman Ellen Raines said its program has been approved by the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio, and will help it comply with a state law enacted last year that requires utilities to cut customers' energy use by 22 percent by 2025. She said distribution of the bulbs will begin next week.
Kucinich said he believes FirstEnergy's program amounts to "a type of consumer fraud." He said he'll send a letter on Wednesday that will ask the Federal Trade Commission to issue a cease and desist order.
"People are having to pay a premium for light bulbs they didn't ask for, and they are paying for electricity they are not using," Kucinich said. "Its unfair and it's unjust."
Kucinich, a customer of Cleveland Public Power, says he's already got high-efficiency bulbs throughout his house, and is urging FirstEnergy customers to "simply buy more bulbs.""If they buy more bulbs, they will save more money and FirstEnergy will not be able to recoup that money and the environment will be better off," Kucinich said.
Raines said FirstEnergy had considered issuing coupons for bulb purchsaes to its customers, as other utilities are doing, but determined a small proportion of consumers would redeem them while all shouldered the cost.
"We thought it seemed more fair to actually deliver light bulbs into the hands of customers," said Raines.
Raines said it will be up to FTC to evaluate the merits of Kucinich's complaint. She said FirstEnergy customers will end up paying about $60 less in electricity costs over the life of the bulb, so they'll ultimately save money.
"There is an upfront cost and a payback period," she said. | <urn:uuid:86ba476b-83c6-4c96-a3f6-70cb88a67c75> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.cleveland.com/open/index.ssf/2009/10/rep_dennis_kucinich_seeks_fede.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697380733/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516094300-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.974588 | 484 | 1.578125 | 2 |
If you register for Engineering 289, the course will appear on your UIC transcript that you have completed an internship or a co-op, referring to an on-the-job experience in your field of study. ENGR 289 is not a regular class; there is no classroom. The internship or co-op is “the class.” You are learning on the job. It carries zero credit hours. There are requirements to register for the course and for getting a passing grade on your university transcript. The purpose for ENGR 289 is two-fold:
Engineering students who study in the USA on a student visa must register for ENGR 289 as part of the process to obtain a work authorization (work permit) to work off-campus in the USA.
US Citizens and Permanent Residents:
Registration for ENGR 289 is not required for Engineering students who are US Citizens or Permanent Residents, but, it is offered in case the student wishes to show internships or co-op work experience on his/her university permanent transcript. Any student may register for the course by submitting required paperwork to the Engineering Career Center (ECC) office.
ENGR 289 may be especially advantageous for Civil Engineering majors who accept a full-time co-op for a 6-month period of time (spring + summer or summer + fall). By doing so, the student may be eligible to take 6 months off the wait period to apply for a PE license. For more information on the PE requirements, see the website for Illinois Society of Professional Engineers. http://www.IllinoisEngineer.com
HOW TO REGISTER FOR ENGR 289
Registration is slightly different between students who are US Citizens and Permanent Residents v. International Students. What is the same is this:
- The student turns in paperwork to the ECC (this includes a written job offer)
- ECC unlocks the course registration for ENGR 289 so that the student may register
- The student registers online for ENGR 289
Paperwork – what it includes:
- Written job offer - You need a written job offer from the company that wishes to hire you. It should be on company letterhead, and list: a) what the job is, b) when you are to start your job, c) when the job will end (if known), where the job is located, who you will be reporting to, and your hourly wage rate. Bring (or email) a copy of your internship/co-op job offer to the ECC office. This job offer letter is the only paperwork that needs to be turned in by US Citizens and Permanent Residents. Please contact the ECC and set a time to meet. See our contact information at the end of this webpage.
- CPT (Curricular Practical Training) for International Students - If you are an International Student, you must apply for and be approved for CPT before you may work off-campus. CPT stands for “Curricular Practical Training,” which is the title used by US Immigration which means “internship, co-op, or fellowship – work in your designated area of study.” Each work authorization (new I-20) is for one term only. It may be for a fall, spring, or summer term; there are rules for how many hours you may work. For any subsequent off-campus work, the international student must apply for a new CPT, even if the work is to be done for the same company. You will need a job offer letter as shown in (1) above plus a CPT application. Follow the instructions you will find in the following web link to the Office of International Services at UIC. Download the 5-page CPT application packet and read all instructions at: http://www.ois.uic.edu/students/current/employment/
Process-- One of the pages is to be completed by the company making you the job offer. Please have that page completed before you bring all the paperwork to the ECC for approval. Please contact the ECC to set a time to review the application and job offer letter. Your CPT
application process is complete after:
- The ECC has reviewed your documents and signed off on them
- The ECC has unlocked ENGR 289 registration for you
- You have registered for ENGR 289
- You have had an in-person meeting with a representative of the UIC Office of International Services (OIS). Set up an appointment in advance or use their “drop in” hours posted on the OIS website. Stay in contact with OIS to find out if your application has been approved and when your new I-20 has arrived.
HOW TO PASS ENGR 289
The class requirements for passing ENGR 289:
Submit three items to ECC by the date they give you. It will be prior to the end of the school term, before or during scheduled final exams. Use the links below to get the forms you need. You will need to turn in three
- Employer evaluation of student form (your supervisor at work fills this in)
- Student evaluation of employer form (you fill this form out)
- Term paper, outlining your internship or co-op experience
- Items to discuss include how your internship experience relates to your academic program. You can also include details on your training, exposure to technology, technical abilities used and learned, and the impact it may have made to your development as an engineer.
- Two to three pages in length, typewritten, double-spaced
Please contact the ECC if you have any comments, questions, or suggestions. You may email the office at: email@example.com
Or, phone them at either: 312-996-2238 or 312-996-2311 | <urn:uuid:2681a32d-8ddc-4a19-8610-39306371b807> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.ecc.uic.edu/ECC/ENGR289 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00008-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.930149 | 1,194 | 1.742188 | 2 |
49:32 minutes (23.78 MB)
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When the talk turns to downtowns - especially in the northeast and maybe especially here in Connecticut - one word pops up in every conversation and document. Renaissance.
If belligerent aliens flew their space ship over a northeastern city and blasted the whole downtown to smithereens leaving a giant crater, the Worcester Downtown Renaissance Committee would be formed about 72 hours later. It's a lovely sentiment, but you know what didn't get started that way? The Renaissance.
Europeans did not form a quasi-public entity dedicated to sparking a resurgence of learning tied to classical sources. And if they had, Da Vinci would have spent a lot more time sketching parking garages. Another term you see a lot is critical mass. The idea there is that downtowns often need so much help that, if you were wondering whether you were doing too much at once, the answer is no. You still need more. But more what? That's today's show.
You can join the conversation. Leave comments below or e-mail firstname.lastname@example.org | <urn:uuid:193742a9-b668-4fb9-b358-527bd7630b0d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.cpbn.org/program/colin-mcenroe-show/episode/cms-downtowns?mini=calendar/2013/01/all | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00012-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.961227 | 229 | 1.695313 | 2 |
Police arrest a woman for allegedly writing with chalk on the street in downtown L.A.
The LAPD arrested 17 people last night after altercations between both officers and Occupy LA protesters during Thursday night’s Art Walk near the corner of 5th and Spring in Downtown Los Angeles. Four officers were injured. What prompted this clash? Sidewalk chalk drawings. “Vandalism has always been illegal,” said Mayor Villaraigosa. Given last night’s events, we examine the Occupy movement and the cities response to it.
What do you think of the cities handling of the Occupiers? Do you think sidewalk chalk drawings are vandalism?
Tony Pierce, KPCC’s Online News Editor | <urn:uuid:b5fb6f6f-dd5d-4ff7-bbf9-3dcf1197870e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.scpr.org/programs/patt-morrison/2012/07/13/27405/protestors-and-lapd-clash-at-downtown-las-chalk-wa/ | 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 | 0.946273 | 148 | 1.632813 | 2 |
Better residual value: Hybrid cars versus plug-in cars
How does plug-in depreciation compare to hybrids?
Obviously, no one wants to buy a new car and then drive off the lot and suddenly realize its worth drastically less than what was paid. Unfortunately, all new cars lose value as soon as the dealer hands you the keys, which is why savvy financial folks, such as Warren Buffett, only buy slightly used cars.
And residual value after 5 years is an even scarier number.
So do hybrid or electric cars hold their value better?
ALG’s Eric Lyman recently told Cars.com that, overall, hybrid cars hold their value better than plug-ins. Take away tax credits, and the numbers aren’t even close.
Overall, the Toyota Prius c takes top honers, with 44 percent residual value after 5 years. The regular Prius came in second at 42 percent.
The Chevy Volt — after the tax credit — is the top plug-in at 36 percent. Take away the tax credit; however, and the Volt drops to 32 percent. The Nissan Leaf came in at 31 percent, but only 23-24 percent without the tax credit.
Ultimately, it comes down to the battery. As the battery in plug-ins degrades over time, so do the values of plug-ins, especially in pure plug-ins. Fortunately, much work is now being done to find new ways of extending the life of plug-in batteries, such as in back up power systems. As these secondary uses of plug-in batteries become successful, the residual value of plug-ins could increase. | <urn:uuid:c52a2606-a9ef-4eba-9b54-7da276d5cf01> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.hybridcarblog.com/better-residual-value-hybrid-cars-versus-plug-in-cars/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697380733/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516094300-00006-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.957472 | 335 | 1.695313 | 2 |
Our After School Program for children ages 5-10 years old builds on our belief in the importance of language immersion and arts integration. With small groups of 10 children, exposure to French culture, and innovative contemporary art projects, our after school program inspires your child to speak a foreign language!
Classes in paining, sculpture and animation, cooking, and theater are taught by native French speakers and resident artists. All classes are "en francais!"
After School Classes are offered Monday through Friday during the Fall, Winter, and Spring trimesters.Please visit Class Descriptions for a more detailed look at each after school class. | <urn:uuid:58736731-f050-47d9-93d4-c3eb08d06f59> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.lpeny.com/enrichment/afterschool | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00004-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.9451 | 127 | 1.75 | 2 |
The fight against international terrorism cannot be successful by doing deals with terror groups for short term gains, India [ Images ] has said, as it asked for a comprehensive global movement against the menace. "You cannot have a fight against international terrorism which is compartmentalised. The snakes that bite us wherever come from the same pit," Indian Ambassador to the United Nations, Hardeep Singh Puri told CNN; wherein he along with his Afghan and Pakistani counterparts to the world body had a rare combined appearance on a TV show.
"You cannot do Faustian deals with terrorist groups, so I think you need a comprehensive international movement against the terrorists, and I hope that all of us who are involved in this will carry this fight through until the end so that all of us are victors in this," Puri argued. Pakistani Ambassador to the UN, Abdullah Hussain Haroon along with the Afghan Ambassador to the world body, Zahir Tanin were present on the occasion.
Responding to a question, Puri said there is no suggestion ever that a diversion of Pakistani military assets from one border to the other to fight the people who really need to be fought would result in any Indian adventurism. "I don't think that's the kind of ambience that we are presently in," he said, when asked about the apprehensions expressed by Pakistan in this regard.
Observing that India is for a joint fight against terrorism, Puri said: "All that we would like to see if all of us taking the actions required against the perpetrators of these crimes." Responding to the same question, the Pakistani Ambassador, Haroon, said: "I think that the Indian Ambassador is absolutely right. For quite a while now, we are aware that India is not -- at one stage, there were a few exercises taking place. We sort of merely asked, "Is this something more than that?" And they moved away."
"I think there is a very definite indication that there is no hostility meant. And I think the meetings between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh [ Images ], President (Asif Ali) Zardari, Prime Minister Gilani, and now one that will happen most probably in the Commonwealth conference, is indicative of the fact that they are talking to each other and they had many offers of senior ranks for talking to each other, as well," he said.
The Afghan Ambassador Tanin said Kabul, Islamabad [ Images ] and New Delhi [ Images ], now all share the same goal on terrorism. "What is happening, Pakistan, Afghanistan, India, they share one goal, how to fight terrorism, how to have a stable region. We also are facing a shared common challenge that is terrorism and extremism, as you say it. And we know that, three of us. We work here together. And I'm sure that is the same understanding amongst all the leaders in Kabul, Islamabad and Delhi," he said. | <urn:uuid:11c676f6-32ef-45ee-b217-25e03f7b5809> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://news.rediff.com/report/2009/oct/24/need-a-global-movement-against-terror-india.htm | 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 | 0.982232 | 591 | 1.6875 | 2 |
Chizine Publications will release on June 26th a new novel by David Nickle, “Rasputin’s Bastards”. As I said in my post about the book trailer “Rasputin’s Bastards” is one of the novels I am looking forward to read. Well, to be more precise I am already reading it and after the first quarter of David Nickle’s novel I only regret I cannot read faster. However, we do have the chance now to take a look behind the process of creation of “Rasputin’s Bastards” with the help of a guest post by David Nickle.
The Russians of “Rasputin’s Bastards”
by David Nickle
My novel “Rasputin's Bastards” is big; the biggest book I've written thus far. My editor, Sandra Kasturi, nicknamed it the Fat Bastard. I call it my Russian Novel—in part because of its Tolstoy-like girth, but also because it is, well, Russian. While I dip my toe in a lot of nationalities and ethnicities to tell this story of psychic spies before, during and after the Cold War—really, in my re-imagined history of the invisible Great Game, it's the Russians who get it right.
I was drawn to writing about Russians honestly; it's in my blood.
My grandmother and her sisters escaped the Russian Revolution, after her father had the misfortune to sit in one of the three Dumas (my mother thinks the first, I think the second), and faced some unpleasant questions, and a fierce beating, from the aristocracy after its dissolution. They came to Canada without much money, education, or hope.
My grandmother Olga was the looker of the family, and she also could sing—and none of that led to great wealth it gave her an exciting life in Depression-era Toronto. In the 1920s and 1930s, she tried singing (it didn't work out, mostly because her lack of formal education made it impossible for her to learn to read sheet music) and prior to that, acting in the movies. There is a silent reel or two out there somewhere, in which she plays an Indian Princess, swept over Niagara Falls at the film's climax.
During a trip to California, I am told she went on a date with Boris Karloff, who was a perfect gentleman, and therefore an exception to the sorts of fellows she met there, who were mashers, one and all.
This was before my time, though, and the information was mostly delivered to me via my mother. My grandmother would not trouble children with stories of the Depression in Toronto or Hollywood debauchery; rather, she would spin fanciful tales of her childhood, wandering from village to village in the Ukraine in the early 1900s, where she would charm restless horses, solve problems that vexed the villagers and delight all who met her.
Her Russia was a dreamy place, and although even as a small child I suspected it was an unrealistically dreamy place, it struck me as being worth a visit. Some of the more colorful visions that emerge in “Rasputin's Bastards” probably have their genesis in my Babushka's tall tales.
As to other ethnicities that emerge in the novel. There are Romanians who generally are quiet and terrifying; I employed them mostly because of the reputation of the Romanian Securitat at the time, as being exceptionally dangerous. I gravitated to Turkey for similarly plot-driven reasons: I wanted antagonists and supporting characters who came from that part of the world but also a more secular tradition, and Turkey seemed to fit that bill.
The Americans are, well, Americans. And there are some members of the New York Italian mob, and a young woman from Hong Kong, and a pile of Canadians here and there. Those, I drew as best I could.
But ultimately, my heart was with the Russians in “Rasputin's Bastards”. Those folk, after all, are family.
David Nickle is the author of more than 30 short stories, 13 of which have been gathered in the collection “Monstrous Affections”. He is author of “Eutopia: A Novel of Terrible Optimism”, and co-author of “The Claus Effect”, with Karl Schroeder. Years ago, he and Karl won an Aurora Award for the short story that inspired that novel, “The Toy Mill”. Some years later, he won a Bram Stoker Award for short fiction, for a story called “Rat Food” - co-written with Edo Van Belkom. He lives in Toronto, Canada. His website, The Devil's Exercise Yard (http://sites.google.com/site/davidnickle/) has stories on it for free. | <urn:uuid:290d8fa6-67c4-41f3-be4a-d52d9f6ff2ad> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://darkwolfsfantasyreviews.blogspot.com/2012/06/guest-post-david-nickle.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00014-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.974501 | 1,031 | 1.578125 | 2 |
Taylorsville • Ana Cañenguez weeps about the looming deportation to El Salvador for her and four teenage sons, and says it is not just because it would again split her family as two younger children would remain in Utah as U.S. citizens born here.
"They will kill us if we go back," she cries in Spanish, as her children gather and hug her. She explains a gang will try to kill them there because she attempted to smuggle four of her sons into the U.S. instead of paying a ransom the gang had demanded for their safety.
"They are typical of many families that can be torn apart and threatened if President [Barack] Obama and Congress don’t fix immigration quickly," says Raymi Gutierrez, with the Salt Lake Dream Team, a group that tries to help undocumented immigrants and lobbies on their behalf.
It called a news conference Monday at the Iglesia Pentecostol Luz y Verdad (Pentecostal Church of Light and Truth) to again call for immigration reform and also urge phone calls on behalf of Cañenguez and her family.
"We would like officials to defer action on them and others like them," Gutierrez says, "until the immigration debate is resolved."
Cañenguez acknowledges entering the United States twice without documents. The first time, she says, it was because the father of her older children "was an alcoholic, and I didn’t have anything to feed our children" in El Salvador. So she came to Utah to work as a hotel maid and send money home. "It was hard to leave them behind, but harder to hear they were hungry."
After living in Utah for eight years — and in that time meeting a new partner, and having two children who are U.S. citizens because they were born here — the father of her older children in El Salvador said a gang had threatened to kill the older boys unless they paid a ransom. It was more than the family had, so Cañenguez left Utah to try to smuggle the boys into America.
People whom she paid to help them cross the border left them stranded in the desert — and they became so lost she says she used a cellphone to call the Border Patrol to rescue them. The family is in Utah awaiting an appeal to their deportation, which was originally ordered for December.
Gutierrez says they don’t qualify as refugees because U.S. law does not give refugee status for threats by gangs. She says they also appear not to qualify for the deferred action ordered by Obama last year that allows illegal immigrants between ages 16 and 30 and who are attending school and don’t have a criminal record to avoid deportation and obtain a work permit that is good for two years.
Cañenguez says her family is spending much of its money on lawyers in its appeal, but they still view it as only delaying deportation and the death they fear is inevitable. "It’s like having cancer and going through chemotherapy," she says.
Erick Ramirez, 13, one of her sons facing deportation, stood before TV cameras to read a letter he wrote to Obama. "If I am sent home, they might kill me," he says. Erick adds that a gang called Mara 18 tried to recruit him and his brothers. "They make them [members] kill people. I don’t want any part of that."
Job Ramirez, 18, says he has been attending Bear River High School in Tremonton for the past couple of years living with his family there as their case has been heard. He dreams of going to college and becoming a journalist, which he says may happen if he can avoid deportation.
"But if I go home," he says, "they will kill me."
The two youngest children of the family, Luis Granda, 7, and Kathy Granda, 5, held hands before TV cameras as Luis said, "President Obama, don’t let my mom and my four brothers go to El Salvador."
Two pastors of the Iglesia Pentecostol Luz y Verdad also made appeals on behalf of the family.
"I testify in the name of God that this family is a good family," says Pastor Pablo Moreira. "They are not criminals. They are a family of God."
Pastor Jimmie Warren III adds, "These people are good people. ... Keep this family together."
Copyright 2013 The Salt Lake Tribune. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. | <urn:uuid:1d2d40ae-fe9e-48af-9c32-b9b564043649> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/politics/55853245-90/says-family-deportation-utah.html.csp | 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 | 0.984105 | 941 | 1.59375 | 2 |
It made perfect sense that music and poetry would be intimately interwoven in the celebration of Jayne Cortez’s remarkable artistic life.
A notable assembly of poets and musicians performed at Cooper Union’s Great Hall last week in lower Manhattan to pay tribute to Cortez who joined the ancestors on December 28, 2012. She was 78.
As historian Genna Rae McNeil recounted during her moment at the podium, Cortez “was never encouraged by her teachers to write poetry…she acquired this by reading the works of Langston Hughes and James Weldon Johnson.”
The program opened with an audio of Cortez reading one of her poems while the audience gazed upon huge photographs of her. During McNeil’s reading there was a montage of photos capturing milestones in Cortez’s eventful life—images of her with Maya Angelou, the printmaker Robert Blackburn, her son Denardo Coleman, her first husband, Ornette Coleman, and Mel Edwards, her second husband.
“I like the sound of your name,” recited Amina Baraka, the first of the guests, and the more informed listeners were aware that Cortez had taken that name herself. She was born Jayne Richardson at Ft. Huachuca, Arizona on May 10, 1934. Baraka said that when she thought of Cortez, “I think of the blues…revolution…and I’ll see you in the spirit world.”
Baraka had fervently extended the sweet dirge rendered by Lisette Santiago and set the stage for an ensemble fronted by trombonist Craig Harris, alto saxophonist T.K. Blue, and tenor saxophonist James Carter as they unleashed a blistering version of Charlie Parker’s “Anthropology,” a pace set by Coleman on drums and Al MacDowell on bass.
After fondly recalling the “rich moments he will keep” of his long association with Cortez, Danny Glover was the intermittent moderator introducing author/scholar Robin Kelley who “spoke of her genius…and her honesty that was often disarming.”
Of all the presenters, poet/author Quincy Troupe was perhaps Cortez’s oldest friend, and he remembered staying with her after she moved from California to New York City. Troupe read from his poem “Avalanche,” and though it was dedicated to others it could have been meant for Cortez, especially the concluding lines “This poem waits for you to cross over/to cross over the heartbeat touch of your healing/hands, touching hands, touching hearts.”
Troupe read with intense, rhythmic explosions that was in contrast to pianist/composer Randy Weston and flutist Blue’s meditative song to Cortez. But in the song’s shifting energy it was in keeping with the speakers who followed, including Daniel Inneh from Benin; Gus John from London; poet Steve Dalachinsky, and George Campbell, who was standing in for his wife, Mary Schmidt Campbell.
Poet/photographer Eugene Redmond began his remarks singing a refrain “J.C., JC” which invoked memories of John Coltrane as he recalled his relationship with Cortez that at moments resembled a “Romare Bearden collage,” to steal Redmond’s metaphor.
Cortez’s connection with Africa was poignantly underscored by the presence of kora player Saliueu Suso from Gambia and singer Tapani Damba, and all of this was given added depth and significance in the words and lyrics of poet Rashidah Ismali, who opened and closed her presentation with lines from “I’ll Be Seeing You.”
More reflections and memories were offered by Manthia Diawara who thanked Cortez for her tireless advocacy and creation of the Organization of Women Writers of Africa and her commitment to “Yari Yari” conferences at New York University where he served as head of the Africana Studies Department.
Before Amiri Baraka appeared and brought the event to a close there were family reminisces from her son Denardo and her husband Mel, the renowned sculptor. “Your work is the example of yourself,” Edwards said, “and long before I got up Jayne was up and working.”
When the Firespitters took their turn on stage they gave Coleman’s concept of harmolodics a thoroughly ebullient, uninhibited exhibition with tenor saxophonist David Murray, Bill Cole on a musette, and Bern Nix on guitar leading the way, while Denardo and MacDowell provided the furious underpinnings.
Baraka anticipated Cortez’s video that ended the program with her admonition to writers to “find your own voice & use it/use your own voice & find it.” For more than a generation Baraka’s voice has been unrelenting in its testimony for the oppressed and he used it with equal precision in a symphony of names from Cuban master drummer Chano Pozo, to the slain writer Henry Dumas, and the recent death of Louis Reyes Rivera to contextualize Cortez’s importance in the pantheon of poets—and musicians. | <urn:uuid:daca7f8b-4fbf-4469-b783-757b9bdbde57> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.tnj.com/print/24602 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697380733/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516094300-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.969852 | 1,113 | 1.796875 | 2 |
Jim Morrison was right — “people are strange”:
“Popular in Mexico, and sometimes linked to the illicit drug trade, the skeleton saint known as La Santa Muerte in recent years has found a robust and diverse following north of the border: immigrant small business owners, artists, gay activists and the poor, among others – many of them non-Latinos and not all involved with organized religion.
Clad in a black nun’s robe and holding a scythe in one hand, Santa Muerte appeals to people seeking all manner of otherworldly help: from fending off wrongdoing and carrying out vengeance to stopping lovers from cheating and landing better jobs. And others seek her protection for their drug shipments and to ward off law enforcement.
‘Her growth in the United States has been extraordinary,’ said Andrew Chesnut, author of “Devoted to Death: Santa Muerte, the Skeleton Saint” and the Bishop Walter F. Sullivan Chair in Catholic Studies at Virginia Commonwealth University. ‘Because you can ask her for anything, she has mass appeal and is now gaining a diverse group of followers throughout the country. She’s the ultimate multi-tasker.’ …
The saint is especially popular among Mexican-American Catholics, rivaling that of St. Jude and La Virgen de Guadalupe as a favorite for miracle requests, even as the Catholic Church in Mexico denounces Santa Muerte as satanic, experts say.”
Normally such a ridiculous news story wouldn’t warrant commenting on, but that the worship of La Santa Muerte appears to be a growing trend among Latinos and non-Latinos alike prodded me into saying something about adults and their make-believe friends.
People are prone to superstitions. You see it a lot in sports, whether it’s the basketball player who taps his nose three times before shooting a free throw, or the baseball player who has a ritual for putting on his batting gloves. Such rituals make people feel better and worse — better when you do them and worse when you don’t.
The same seems to be happening with this skeleton worship. Life sucks at the moment along the Rio Grande (and in Queens, apparently), so people are praying to bones dressed in a robe in hopes that it’ll make life suck a bit less. It won’t though, and the people must know that going into it, somewhere deep inside. I refuse to believe people are that deluded.
But, as the saying goes, desperate times call for desperate measures. When times get hard, it’s time to slap some clothes on a skeleton and offer it shots of Patrón. That’s a lot easier than, say, getting a better job or moving.
This new phenomenon illustrates why I can be such a curmudgeon when it comes to Latino religiosity. When you believe enough crazy things (like a virgin birth, a talking snake, people coming back to life and evil spirits), you’re prepared to believe just about anything. If the Virgen de Guadelupe isn’t granting your wishes in a timely fashion, try asking La Santa Muerte. And if that doesn’t work, there’s always Santa Claus (though you probably haven’t written him in a long time, so that might get awkward).
In a secular society like ours, we have to stop coddling people who believe made-up things just because their faith in such things make them feel better. It’s unhealthy to believe a lie — always. And, sure, taking a hit of heroin is likely to ease the stress of living, but who in their right mind thinks regular drug use is a strong foundation for a happy and healthy life?
If you know somebody who prays to La Santa Muerte, you should check in on them regularly. You might even want to let them know that they’re praying to bones from time to time, just to ensure they have one foot in reality. You’d say something to a friend who still believed in the Tooth Fairy, wouldn’t you? Or would you simply say “To each their own” and be on your way? Some friend.
Praying to La Santa Muerte is dumb (and that I used a word like “dumb” only underscores how entirely dumb I think it is.)
It’s stories like this make that me appreciate the normal crazy of Christianity — at least a little. | <urn:uuid:40095d5e-5f92-4dad-ac3b-57f5c84009d0> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.beinglatino.us/lifestyle/la-santa-muerte-and-other-forms-of-crazy/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00001-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.952063 | 948 | 1.710938 | 2 |
A controversial law in Indiana has given rise to worry that suspects may believe they can have what one official has called "open season on police officers."
Gov. Mitch Daniels signed Senate Enrolled Act 1 (SEA 1), titled "Right to defend against unlawful entry," in March, which says residents can use deadly force against "unlawful intrusion" by a public servant to protect themselves and their property.
However, the new law is facing backlash from law enforcement officials who are worried about their safety.
Tim Downs, president of Indiana State Fraternal Order of Police, is particularly worried about intoxicated suspects who may not be able to decipher when police are acting legally and proceed to attack officers because of the new law.
Downs has voiced his concerns to Daniels before the passing of the law. He told Bloomberg Businessweek that there is no need to prevent a nonexistent wave of rogue police officers running rampant in Indiana.
"It's just a recipe for disaster," said Downs, who is also chief of the Lake County police. "It just puts a bounty on our heads."
Daniels said he signed SEA 1 in order to strengthen the protection of Indiana law enforcement officers by "narrowing the situations in which a person would be justified in using force against them." The law, backed by the National Rifle Association -- a powerful pro-gun lobby often associated with conservative causes -- does clarify that a person must reasonably believe the law enforcement officer is acting unlawfully. It also states that the force used by an individual must be reasonably necessary to avoid serious bodily injury.
The law is an amendment to a 2006 bill based on the so-called "Castle Doctrine," which allows the use of deadly force to stop illegal entry into a home or car.
The words "public servant" were added for clarification purposes following a state Supreme Court ruling last year in a case in which a man was charged with assaulting an officer during a domestic violence call. The court said "there is no right to reasonably resist unlawful entry by police officers."
The NRA had argued for the amendment, saying that residents need to be protected from officers who abuse the law by entering into their private space.
In a March 12 letter, Downs asked Daniels to veto the bill.
"[The bill] threatens to make it open season on public officer," Downs' letter read. "It allows untrained citizens to subjectively judge the circumstances and determine whether or not an officer's presence on or entry upon or into their property or home is lawful. This subjective decision is to be made at a time when often emotions are highly charged and drugs and/or alcohol are often involved."
With officers being called daily to intervene in domestic disturbances and other serious matters, Downs said their duty calls for them to enter private property and residences to protect innocent people. At times, the circumstances call for officers make entry without a warrant, he told the governor.
"It will lead to victims waiting for help to arrive, police officers being forcibly denied entry and needless altercations between police and citizens," Down wrote. "It will lead to senseless loss of life [for] police and citizens alike."
After the bill was signed, Daniels issued a press release reminding that unless a person is convinced an officer is acting unlawfully, then he or she cannot use force of any kind.
"In the real world, there will almost never be a situation in which these extremely narrow conditions are met," he said. "So as a matter of law, law enforcement officers will be better protected than before, not less so. What is troubling to law enforcement officers, and to me, is the chance that citizens (...) will misunderstand what the law says."
Misunderstanding the law is troubling indeed. The Association of Prosecuting Attorneys in Washington has told the media that Indiana is the first U.S. state to specifically allow the use of force against officers.
"The Supreme Court of Indiana in Barnes v. State, the case that spurred the passage of this law, stated that there are other ways to redress unlawful force or entry of police and resisting arrest unnecessarily escalates the situation, and it would not promote safety to require police to get a warrant or wait for imminent violence to intervene into a situation," Steven Jansen, vice president of The Association of Prosecuting Attorneys, told the IBTimes.
Still, the top brass isn't taking any chances with the lives of his men.
On March 30, Downs issued an advisory to all members of the law enforcement community, notifying that all reported incidents of injury because of the new law will be monitored. Such incidents, wrote the president of the Indiana State Fraternal Order of Police, include any threats, altercations and injuries, whether by civilians or uniformed personnel.
"You must continue to exercise extreme caution in the performance of your duties, especially when entering upon another's property or making entry into a dwelling," Downs warned. "If time and circumstances allow, get a warrant. Stay safe."
Indiana police Sgt. Joseph Hubbard, who spoke to Bloomberg Businessweek last week, said there's a fear that suspects can break the law and harm officers.
"If I pull over a car and I walk up to it and the guy shoots me, he's going to say, 'Well, he was trying to illegally enter my property,'" Hubbard said.
"Somebody is going get away with killing a cop because of this law," the 17-year veteran added.
Read the full text of the bill. | <urn:uuid:a919d892-d0eb-4841-b299-18ef950f50f5> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/articles/351661/20120613/indiana-shoot-police-legal-law-enforcement-cops.htm | 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 | 0.975076 | 1,119 | 1.6875 | 2 |
The ReadWrite DeathWatch is known for serving up plenty of doom, gloom and grumpiness. But for the Holiday Season, we're taking a slightly different tack - highlighting companies and technologies that Cheated Death. Companies that might have died, but didn't.
At the plate this week is ARM Holdings, a company that was never going to go out of business, but very well might have settled for a comfortable position in a single market. Instead, it built on the low-power processing that gave it dominion over all things mobile, and now it's poised to attack Intel on the chip giant's own turf.
Where ARM Was
From its founding in 1990, Advanced RISC Machines (later changed to ARM Holdings) was a different kind of processor company. Unlike fellow chip designers IBM and Intel, ARM didn't actually manufacture or sell the chips it created. Instead, like (pre-Nexus) Google and (pre-Surface, pre-XBox) Microsoft, ARM licensed its designs and its relationships with foundries to semiconductor companies. It even
Where ARM Is Now
ARM technology powers more than 90% of cell phones and 80% of digital cameras. It has a less-dominant but still substantial position in embedded devices, such as toasters, TVs, pacemakers and everything else in the Internet Of Things.
And then there are the tablets. The iPad uses an ARM chip. So do the Samsung Galaxy Tab, the Kindle Fire and the Google Nexus. Even Microsoft hedged its bets with the Surface RT, the lower-cost, lower-power sibling to the Intel-based Surface Pro. Theres a war going on, and ARM is selling everyone guns. If a device doesn't have a keyboard, there's probably an ARM design inside.
It's good to be king, but where do you go once you've cornered a market? You find another market. Instead of resting on its laurels and waiting for its lead to erode, ARM has spent the last year recruiting allies that bring the fight to Intel's doorstep.
While the Surface RT got less-than-glowing reviews, Microsoft's tentative support could eventually lead to more head-to-head competition for Windows devices.
There's also been talk of a shift toward ARM-based Macs, though you shouldn't hold your breath. Consumer Macs and Windows PCs are both on the long-term horizon, particularly in the ultraportable market, but power-gulping Intel chips still outperform ARM by a wide margin, and performance is still important for many computing applications. Surprisingly, then, the far more likely near-term expansion for ARM is in the datacenter.
March Of The Wimps
According to a Gartner report, energy accounts for 12% of all datacenter expenditures, and that percentage is growing. Huge arrays of low-power, cooler-running chips are a natural fit, and ARM's minions are rushing to own the microserver market. Samsung has licensed ARM's 64-bit server chip designs for a 2014 release, and struggling AMD is pinning much of its recovery hopes to ARM-based Opteron chips the same year.
Can ARM Stay On Top?
Intel sees the opportunity in mobile and embedded devices, and it haven't conceded anything. It continues to push its low-voltage Atom processors toward those markets, and its 14nm Airmont chip (also scheduled for a 2014 launch) could be very competitive. Intel also claims to be focused on the microserver market, though that may be causing some internal conflict.
One way or another, ARM will likely lose at least some of its mobile and tablet market share to Intel. The question is where. An Apple move on the iPad or iPhone would be surprising, as would a Samsung defection on anything running Android. Intel's immediate fortunes in the space are probably tied to Microsoft, as always.
Meanwhile, any losses ARM suffers to Intel in its core markets should be more than offset by the overall rising tide and ARM's potential to attack Intel's core strengths.
To see more ReadWrite DeathWatches, check out the ReadWrite DeathWatch Series, which collects them all, the most recent first. | <urn:uuid:e0855d11-0100-49e5-9720-aa078d805072> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://readwrite.com/2012/12/11/cheating-deathwatch-arm-holdings-holds-out | 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 | 0.952261 | 863 | 1.820313 | 2 |
Dinosaurs in Marunouchi
A couple of weeks ago Marunouchi was invaded by dinosaurs from Fukui prefecture on the north coast of Japan. Japanese kids, like kids everywhere I guess, have a serious love for dinosaurs, and they’re also lucky in that Japan is a good place to go fossil hunting. Three complete skeletons (casts) were on display as well as a few other interesting animated dinosaurs and educational videos and even life sized dinosaur scientists that were a great hit with the kids! First of we had the carnivorous 12m long Acrocanthosaurus atokensis from Oklahoma USA, and a Pteranodon longiceps with a wing span of 7m was hung in the ceiling. The Japan native Fukuisaurus tetoriensis, a herbivore Iguanadontian. Seeing these exhibitions in Marunouchi Building and the nearby Oazu Building really brought back memories from when I was dinosaur crazy kid myself! I think a trip to Fukui prefecture really must be arranged some time soon. | <urn:uuid:7d9d3679-f07b-4b4c-9054-ab2149615196> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://tokyobling.wordpress.com/2012/04/09/dinosaurs-in-marunouchi/ | 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 | 0.963817 | 216 | 1.59375 | 2 |
The Iranian government has announced in Parliament that in the first half of the Iranian calendar year, it has taken in only 25 percent of its budgeted annual revenue.
President Ahmadinejad presented the budget to the Parliament in February 2012
The Mehr news agency is reporting on the budget commission's announcement that so far the government received 141 trillion toumans in revenues in the first half of the year, even though government legislation had budgeted for revenues of 566 trillion toumans for the entire year.
Iran is facing severe international sanctions on its crude oil exports, and it is highly unlikely that the government could make up its budget shortfall by the end of the year.
The International Energy Agency (IEA) reported that, compared to last year, Iran is selling 640,000 fewer barrels of oil per day.
Some reports from Iran indicate that Oil Minister Rostam Ghassemi has predicted a rise in oil sales in the coming months.
In 2011, Iran enjoyed oil revenues of $95 billion, but predictions indicate that it can expect only $50 billion in 2012.
... Payvand News - 09/19/12 ... -- | <urn:uuid:8a690e23-7a7a-44b1-9c52-a197a291103d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.payvand.com/news/12/sep/1163.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697974692/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095254-00006-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.967128 | 232 | 1.664063 | 2 |
Among the technical difficulties, the key element is the jumping ability. It is easier to defy gravity when you are small in statue and have better spring (limber body), both of which are the hallmark of youngsters. As female skaters hit puberty, the center of gravity is lowered due to the enbroadened hip area. Also the fat/muscle ratio changes (increase in fat). Among others, those two factors make it harder for female skaters to continue defying gravity, i.e., jumping.
This is why many late teen and adult female skaters watch out their diet like a hawk and stay slim and muscular - the nature of the sport gives advantage to such physical types. That such an already excellent jumper like Miki felt need to lose significant weight during the summer is a good example. I also wonder whether she also lost weight to attempt quad, again - something she did when she was younger but not recently though I heard the rumor.
I do not know the point at which the technical difficulty becomes unrealistic for female skaters. Also any human endeavor has corrective mechanisms. When the technical difficulty reaches a critical mass, e.g., too many splat-fests resulting from skaters attempting arduous jumps, the skating federation will enact new rules. These "improvement/changes" are incremental and continuous.
One other factor to be taken into account is the human potentials. We truly do not know the limit as to what human body is capable of. I remember the days when it was considered impossible to break 10 seconds among 100 meter sprinters. We have way passed 10 seconds and still counting.
Same thing goes with the progression of jumps in skating from a single jump to a quad. Are we on the verge of seeing "penta-jump?" I don't know. But I would not count is as an impossibility.
Pushing boundaries like that goes hand in hand with new knowledge and new understandings. For instance, tennis was predominantly played on glass and clay surfaces initially. As the hard court becomes popular, players discovered how "hard" a hard court was to their knees. Manufacturers in turn have continue improving better shoes to absorb constant pounding, thereby help extending player's longevity. I suspect the similar improvement is occurring with skating gears (help me out here.)
Anyway, those are some of my thoughts. Feel free to add your wisdom here. | <urn:uuid:10ebca60-d816-422f-889c-156b2f524359> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.goldenskate.com/forum/showthread.php?29749-10-Things-I-Learned-from-this-Grand-Prix-Season&p=438858&viewfull=1 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00014-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.968128 | 485 | 1.789063 | 2 |
Whether you purchase your dried beans in a bag or loose out of a bin, always be sure to check them over and clean them before using.
You can sometimes find stones or debris with dried beans, and a quick sort can save you from the trauma of a cracked tooth. A quick rinse in a bowl of water can also sort out good beans from bad or stale -- bad beans typically will float and should be tossed out.
As for soaking, Food editor Russ Parsons says it's almost never necessary with beans:
"Most of the time, I don't soak my beans before cooking them.
"I learned this many years ago. Ironically, I was looking for a shortcut for soaking, because as much as I love beans, I can never seem to think ahead enough to start preparing them the night before. So I investigated various quick-soaks and even tried soaking a big batch of beans and then freezing it.
Ultimately, "Soaking dried beans does nothing for flavor or digestibility. The one thing it does is cut down on the cooking time, but just how much depends on how old and dried out the beans are."
For more bean science, check out Russ' story on beans.
ALSO:White beans with chorizo, clams and shrimp
Total time: 1 hour, plus 2 hours baking time for the beans
Servings: 6 to 8 servings
Note: Spanish chorizo can be found at Spanish markets as well as at select gourmet markets and cooking supply stores.
1/4 pound Spanish chorizo, diced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped | <urn:uuid:31b9f82b-65a0-4707-8714-b1e592d0e8b5> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.latimes.com/features/food/dailydish/la-dd-test-kitchen-tips-cleaning-and-soaking-beans-20130305,0,1218957.story | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00007-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.942557 | 343 | 1.734375 | 2 |
Mich. governor nixes concealed-weapons bill
Governor wants bill to be modified
Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder vetoed legislation that would have allowed concealed pistol license holders who undergo additional training to carry concealed pistols in schools and other public places, his office said Tuesday in a statement.
Snyder rejected the bill because it did not provide an opportunity for public places -- such as schools, day care centers and hospitals -- to exempt themselves from the provision, the statement said.
At present, Michigan law does not prevent holders of concealed pistol licenses from carrying guns in these areas as long as they do so openly.
Snyder recommended that the bill be modified so that it would not permit the open carrying of weapons in these public areas, but would permit concealed carry for license holders who undergo additional training, his statement said. But even with this modification, he would still want property owners to be able to decide whether to allow concealed weapons on their premises, he said.
"These public venues need clear legal authority to ban firearms on their premises if they see fit to do so," he said.
Also Tuesday, Snyder signed two bills that streamline the process for handgun purchases and eliminate restrictions on interstate rifle and shotgun transactions.
The bill was approved Thursday by the Republican-controlled state Senate and House.
In a news release, Snyder's office said the governor "had committed to give the bill additional scrutiny" prior to Friday's school shootings in Connecticut "in an effort to ensure that public safety remains a priority."
But Speaker Jase Bolger, R-Marshall, said in a statement that the bill "would have had no impact on that tragedy" in Connecticut.
He said it was "unfortunate a compromise was not reached" and added, "It also is unfortunate that this veto does not make Michigan citizens safer in gun-free zones. Neither the governor's approval nor his veto will stop evil from preying on innocent people.
"With this veto, however, open-carry still exists in schools, churches and other public areas, and we know that criminals do not respect gun-free zones. For these reasons, we will continue to work with the governor to best protect our law-abiding citizens' Second Amendment rights, as well as the safety and security of all of our citizens."
At present, 21 states ban carrying a concealed weapon on a college campus, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures; 23 states leave the decision to ban or allow concealed weapons on campuses to individual colleges and universities.
Copyright 2012 by CNN NewSource. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. | <urn:uuid:dcd57229-436e-454e-9eb1-54444ba533e2> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.news8000.com/news/Mich-governor-nixes-concealed-weapons-bill/-/326/17822986/-/format/rss_2.0/view/print/-/3f6q85z/-/index.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00006-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.965726 | 537 | 1.671875 | 2 |
Man, that's a hard one. I'm one of those planners. The stuff I make has to have a purpose. If it doesn't, it'll sit in a pile while I feel guilty for "wasting" the project. Surely everything must have a purpose? You can't just create for the sheer joy of it, can you?
And yet, I love to experiment. Conundrum, no?
I did do some creating for the sheer joy of it recently, but I've been feeling the pressure that those results must have some purpose.
These little art sparks are lovely, and I love them. So the planner in me reared her orderly head and took charge with a list of options.
- Stick them on a card blank.
- Add them to a collage.
- Frame them. Heck, anything can be art.
- Scan them and manipulate for use on fabric, paper, posters.
- Turn them into the covers of handmade journals. (On my crafty bucket list.)
- Use them as background for drawings, paintings, etc... then see #1–5.
- Ask my art student daughter what she would do.
OK. I think I've talked myself into a little playtime today. | <urn:uuid:e8897449-8605-4bc3-9683-23493d20b12e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://suzycucumber.blogspot.com/2011_06_01_archive.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00019-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.976836 | 257 | 1.648438 | 2 |
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As his Red Bull Stratos freefall from the edge of space looms ever nearer, mission pilot Felix Baumgartner conceded for the first time that he does experience moments of anxiety. However, the 41-year-old Austrian finds reassurance in the kind of engineering details shared today at Sage Cheshire Aerospace, where the Red Bull Stratos science team introduced prototype technology aimed at taking him to the edge of space at 120,000 feet, and bringing him back to Earth - hopefully as a new record holder, but most importantly, safe and sound.
We don't have any comments yet. Be the first to add one … | <urn:uuid:a4f56876-b6c1-4ba2-b25a-121eea78ba06> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://mpora.com/videos/jXiiAVenP?player=html5 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706890813/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516122130-00014-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.9534 | 135 | 1.554688 | 2 |
Philip V. Allingham. [You may use this image without prior permission for any scholarly or educational purpose as long as you (1) credit the person who scanned the image and (2) link your document to this URL.](I). Photograph and text (2002) by
Kingston Maurward House, circa 1790, home of the Pitt family, was used as "Knapwater" house in Hardy's short stories and as "Enckworth House" in The Hand of Ethelberta.
The grounds and lake, after deteriorating progressively during the present [i. e., the twentieth] century, were given a gratifying clean-up when it was decided to make them one of the focal points of the 1968 Hardy Festival, and there was boating again. -- Denys Kay-Robinson, The Landscape of Thomas Hardy, photographs by Simon McBride (Exeter, England: Webb and Bower, 1984), p. 35.
Last modified 19 August 2002 | <urn:uuid:eaa3d1cf-1ac9-4289-807c-e5637e3b8a70> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://victorian.lang.nagoya-u.ac.jp/victorianweb/photos/hardy/17.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00010-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.949895 | 203 | 1.710938 | 2 |
Thursday, 28 June 1973
Dáil Eireann Debate
Mr. Timmons: asked the Minister for Health if his attention has been drawn to the statement made by the chairman of the Fire Officers Association about the lack of training of hospital staffs in the event of fire; and if he proposes to take any action in this matter.
Mr. R. Barry: My Department, on several occasions, have called the attention of hospital authorities in the country, including health boards, to their responsibilities in regard to fire precautions including the necessity to have hospital staff trained in fire and evacuation drills and stressing the need to have a clear chain of responsibility and authority in regard to fire precautions.
It was recommended in particular that: (a) the buildings should be examined regularly by the local fire officer, (b) fire fighting equipment should be inspected and tested out regularly, (c) regular fire drills, where specified by the local fire officer should take place and (d) adequate night patrols should be established.
In view of the statement attributed to the chairman of the Fire Officers Association I intend approaching the authorities of every hospital and nursing home in the country about this matter and to call their attention to the need to pay particular attention to the points I have outlined.
|Last Updated: 15/09/2010 00:26:02||Page of 90| | <urn:uuid:da07b8aa-abee-4121-aa7c-4f6ac521deee> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://debates.oireachtas.ie/dail/1973/06/28/00025.asp | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00004-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.963117 | 274 | 1.664063 | 2 |
Wraparound Agencies and Family Support Organizations are two of the most exciting features of Louisiana’s new Coordinated System of Care. Offered by new nonprofit agencies in half of Louisiana’s regions, these two new services support families and provide individualized case planning for children and adolescents with complex behavioral health needs.
Wraparound agencies “wrap” services “around” a family to ensure children benefit from a coordinated care planning process that is individualized to the needs of the child and family. Wraparound is designed to use community resources and natural supports to meet the needs of children who are at risk of being removed from their families for care in out-of-home settings. Wraparound is also designed to help children and families as children transition back home after being in out-of-home care.
While wraparound also seems like one of the most effective ways to support a family in their own community while a child is in out-of-home care, Louisiana’s wraparound agencies are currently permitted to work with families only while their child is home to prevent removal or to facilitate reunification.
Wraparound Agencies and Family Support Organizations provide critical services to children who are returning to their families from residential care. We value the contributions these agencies make to ensure children and families receive the care they need in their communities.
The staff of Louisiana Methodist Children’s Home, Methodist Children’s Home of Southwest Louisiana and Methodist Home for Children of Greater New Orleans have committed ourselves to support the work of wraparound and family support staff. We are excited about the potential these two new services have for improving the lives of children and families in Louisiana. | <urn:uuid:545b39f3-5725-4626-a43a-9b2fc45b83fc> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.lmch.org/blog/helpful-hints-for-wraparound-agencies-and-family-support-organizations/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00008-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.967495 | 348 | 1.539063 | 2 |
VIDEO: KITARO – Matsuriby: award winning Japanese musician and composer of new age music
KITARO – Matsuriby
Masanori Takahashi (高橋正則 Takahashi Masanori?), better known as Kitarō (喜多郎?), (February 4, 1953) is an award winning Japanese musician, composer and multi-instrumentalist who is regarded as one of the pioneers of new age music.
Kitaro moved to Tokyo to experience and become a part of the music scene, and it was there that he discovered the synthesizer. His first synthesizer was analog, and he recalls having “just loved the analog sound that it made compared to today’s digital sound”.
In the early 1970s, he changed completely to keyboards. He joined the Japanese music group “Far East Family Band” which formed in 1965 and toured with them around the world. While in Europe,he met the German synthesizer musician and former Tangerine Dream member Klaus Schulze. Schulze produced two albums for the band and gave Kitaro some tips for the use of synthesizers. In 1976, Kitaro left “Far East Family Band” and travelled through Asia (China, Laos, Thailand, India).
Back in Japan, Kitaro started his solo career in 1977. The first two albums Ten Kai and From the Full Moon Story became cult favorites of fans of the nascent New Age movement. He performed his first symphonic concert at the ‘Small Hall’ of the Kosei Nenkin Kaikan in Shinjuku, Tokyo. During this concert Kitaro used a synthesizer to recreate the sounds of 40 different instruments, a world’s first. But it was his famous soundtrack for the NHK series “Silk Road” that brought him international attention.
He struck a worldwide distribution arrangement with Geffen Records in 1986. This included a re-releasing of six prior albums — Astral Voyage, Full Moon Story, Millennia, India, Silver Cloud and Asia, each handsomely packaged with Japanesque obi strips — and a new album, the aptly titled, Towards the West. In 1987 he collaborated with Micky Hart (Grateful Dead) and in 1992 with Jon Anderson (Yes). In 1988 his record sales soared to 10 million worldwide. He was nominated twice for a Grammy award and his soundtrack for the movie “Heaven & Earth” won the Golden Globe award for best original score.
When asked about his music, he said, “I never had education in music, I just learned to trust my ears and my feelings.” He credits ‘powers beyond himself’ for his music, saying, “This music is not from my mind. It is from heaven, going through my body and out my fingers through composing. Sometimes I wonder. I never practice. I don’t read or write music, but my fingers move. I wonder, ‘Whose song is this?’ I write my songs, but they are not my songs.”
Since his 1995 début for Domo Records—the Grammy-nominated Mandala, featuring bold use of electric guitar—Kitaro has released no less than thirteen albums. Among them, the live An Enchanted Evening (1995), the deeply spiritual Gaia Onbashira (1998) and Ancient (2001), were all Grammy nominated. The 1999 Thinking of You, which allmusic.com calls a “journey to ecstasy” and “one of the most beautiful CDs of all time,”Template:Http://allmusic.com/album/thinking-of-you-r442666 won the Grammy for Best New Age Album.
Kitaro’s music has long been recognized for its messages of peace and spirituality. In the wake of 9/11, the artist began recording Sacred Journey Of Ku-kai, an intended series of peace-themed albums (Vol. 1 released in 2003; Vol. 2 in 2005, Vol. 3 in 2007, Vol. 4 in 2011), inspired by the Shikoku Pilgrimage. The events of September 11, 2001 occurred while he was en route from Japan to Los Angeles. Kitaro’s jet liner was diverted to Honolulu for five days, during which time the conceptual endeavor—which he envisioned as an artistic means to help unify people globally—took shape. Every track on Sacred Journey of Ku-Kai 1 to 4 contains samples from ancient Japanese temple bells (Peace Bells) from 88 sacred temples and is intended to inspire spiritual awakening and a profound sense of peace in its listeners. This is Kitaro’s life work to compose 88 songs with 88 temple bells.
In 2007, Kitaro has composed the music for West Lake Impressions, a large-scale opera, directed by renowned Chinese film director Zhang Yimou. The opera reflects the city’s history and culture through music and dance. Using modern technology, the stage is 75 centimeters below the lake’s surface during the day so as not to affect the landscape and boating activities. In the evening, the stage is some few centimeters below the lake’s surface so actors can walk and perform freely over a surprisinly water mirror that compose with the lights and colors. The one-hour event had its opening night in March 2007. In 2009, Kitaro released its original soundtrack album “Impressions Of The West Lake” which was nominated for 52nd Grammy Award.
In 2007-2009 he launched the ‘Love and Peace World Tour,’ an international tour with which Kitaro hoped to inspire his message of world peace with his music. Kitaro toured Southeast Asia in 2007, Greece in 2008 and Hong Kong, Japan, Southeast Asia in 2009. During his visit to Greece, Kitaro met Greek musician and composer Vangelis, and exchanged musical experience and creative ideas. Kitaro has also reunited with drummer Mickey Hart. In 2010, Kitaro performed in Singapore in March, in Mexico for the Zacatecas Cultural Festival in April, in Xian China for the opening event of Daming Palace National Heritage park in September, in Aichi Japan for the Thousand Drums Event at COP10 for the Convention on Biological Diversity in October. While tour, he released the Grammy Nominated (Compilation Album),442 Original Soundtrack, 442 Kitaro’s Story Scape (Soundtrack Albums), and his 53rd Grammy Nominated Album Sacred Journey of Ku-Kai Volume 4.
In March – April 2011, Kitaro toured Thailand, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Singapore and Malaysia. He donated part of the CD sales and concert profits to Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami Relief.
In 1989, he wrote the “Japanese” Theme for the film “Return From The River Kwai”.
He has worked with guitarist Marty Friedman, formerly of Megadeth, on the “Scenes” album. He has also worked with Hong Kong Cantopop singer Anita Mui on the song “Years Flowing Like Water” “似水流年“. | <urn:uuid:3fd2ec5a-738f-4920-b615-1146b8efad06> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.vietthuc.org/2011/12/17/32622/ | 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 | 0.956765 | 1,513 | 1.796875 | 2 |
A clearer picture is emerging of how much money might be available to pay back victims of the Bernard Madoff fraud. The pot is a big one, although nowhere near enough to repair the damage.
The pool of money begins with nearly $1 billion held by Madoff's company and potentially more than $100 million in personal assets that include luxury homes, cars and boats.
But it doesn't end there.
Several banks, hedge fund managers and others who led clients to Madoff may wind up paying huge settlements to resolve negligence lawsuits. Banco Santander, Spain's largest bank and one of the biggest losers in the scheme, has already offered 1.3 billion euros to defrauded customers.
Some U.S. investors will be able to receive up to $500,000 from an industry fund for people whose money has vanished in a brokerage failure. The fund has access to $3.1 billion.
Ironically, a handful of Madoff clients could theoretically end up doing better than if they had purchased legitimate stocks.
As of yesterday, the Dow Jones Industrial average had lost 41 percent of its value in the past 12 months.
By comparison, a person who pulled $800,000 out of the market at this time last year and gave it to Madoff, then received $500,000 back from the Securities Investor Protection Corp., would be down only 38 percent.
The reality for many victims, though, is that they will be in a long line of investors likely to recoup only a fraction of what they lost.
As of this week, some 6,700 people have filed claims for a share of whatever is recovered. Thousands more are expected to apply by a July deadline. Many lost $1 million or more.
"Whether the losses are $30 billion or $60 billion, there is not enough money out there to satisfy all these victims," said Anthony Paccione, an attorney with the firm Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP in New York.
For the swindled, the promise that they may someday recover a few thousand dollars of their life savings is cold comfort at best.
Victims could recover substantial sums from the Internal Revenue Service by claiming their Madoff losses as a theft, a move that would entitle many to a refund on whatever taxes they paid in the last five years. Some estimates say those refunds could be worth billions.
Prosecutors are seizing as much as they can of Madoff's personal fortune, and have also begun demanding millions of dollars in payments from his relatives. Madoff's net worth, however, is unclear. Madoff claimed assets of around $123 million, not counting shares of his own company, which also did legitimate business on Wall Street but whose value is now uncertain.
The Securities Investor Protection Corp., which guarantees brokerage accounts somewhat like the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. guarantees bank deposits, will have strict limits on how many people it can help and is unlikely to spend the $3.1 billion it could tap for victims.
Under fund rules, payouts are limited to $500,000 per account, and SIPC probably won't cover those who invested with Madoff indirectly through a hedge fund. It could spend as much as $2.4 billion, if each of Madoff's 4,800 direct investors qualify for the maximum payment.
The simplest pool of refund dollars may come from assets held by Madoff's collapsed company. The court-appointed trustee overseeing its liquidation said that he has so far found about $943 million that can be distributed to customers.
That total could grow, however, once the trustee begins the task of trying to roll back the Ponzi scheme and return all the false profits that Madoff had handed out to investors lucky enough to withdraw money before the scam collapsed.
The Madoff trustee, Irving Picard, has said he plans to initiate several so-called "clawback" lawsuits to recover that money.
How much cash that effort will generate is unknown, but it could also amount to billions of dollars. The courts have had a mixed record trying to untangle other Ponzi schemes. In some lucky instances, investors have gotten back a majority of what they put in. In others, they've received pennies on the dollar. The amount could depend on how hard Madoff investors resist demands that they return ill-gotten gains.
Picard has said that any assets recovered by the trustee will be divided up among the victims on a prorata basis, meaning everyone will get back the same percentage of their principal investment.
No one, he said, will be entitled to claim a profit.
Unlike a bankruptcy proceeding, there won't be a pecking order of creditors that will entitle some to receive their money before others, but the rules for the SIPC fund will create many instances where some investors get a big chunk of money back, while others -- namely those who invested through large hedge funds -- will get relatively little.
So what percentage of the total losses might be recovered in the end?
It's hard to say, if only because investigators still don't know exactly how much investors gave to Madoff in the first place.
Prosecutors said that not long before his arrest, Madoff sent clients statements saying they had $64.8 billion in their accounts.
That figure, though, was fiction. Madoff had lied to investors for decades about how much their investments were worth. The amount of real money at stake is still being tallied. | <urn:uuid:5a1ef4ac-449d-4a3c-8b8d-0cb607abf4ff> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.silive.com/news/index.ssf/2009/03/thousands_gear_up_to_claim_mad.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705195219/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115315-00003-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.975279 | 1,114 | 1.523438 | 2 |
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu met with Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle today about the important investments in the President's American Recovery and Reinvestment Act - investments that will help Wisconsin and other states to create jobs, save families on their energy bills and address the climate crisis.
Secretary Chu stressed the important role that state and local governments will play in ensuring that Recovery Act funds are invested quickly, effectively and responsibly. He pledged a close partnership with state and local governments, and promised to reduce unnecessary paperwork and streamline the process so that important investments that will create jobs in Wisconsin can go forward quickly.
"Wisconsin is a leader in developing and implementing renewable energy sources that will power our economy and address the climate crisis," Secretary Chu said. "The President's Recovery plan represents a huge opportunity for Wisconsin to build on this strength - supporting investments that will create a new generation of clean energy jobs, reduce our dependence on foreign oil and save families money on their energy bills. I look forward to working with Governor Doyle and other leaders in Wisconsin as we make these important investments in our economic future."
Secretary Chu also noted that Wisconsin's status as a manufacturing state puts it in a strong position to create jobs producing wind turbines, solar panels and a broad range of other components that will be needed as the Obama Administration uses Recovery Act funding to make major investments to deploy renewable energy technology. Wisconsin homeowners will also see significant benefit from a broad range of other Recovery Act provisions, including a $5 billion investment in weatherization and a tax credit of up to $1,500 to help families offset the costs of new windows, doors, insulation, appliances and other energy efficient home improvements that will lower their energy bills. | <urn:uuid:1fccdb32-5a7e-4ef4-b523-f1ef5207c06f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://energy.gov/articles/energy-secretary-steven-chu-meets-wisconsin-governor-jim-doyle | 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 | 0.946512 | 347 | 1.765625 | 2 |
Big, Big, Big Issues
Financial Regulation—It’s Finally Gonna Happen, Right?
Optimistic Prediction:The lessons from the housing and financial crisis of ’08-’09 are learned; Democrats and Republicans put aside their tidy philosophies about how markets work to pass comprehensive, pragmatic laws that prevent banks from becoming too large or betting vast sums of money they don’t have; bankers and mortgage originators are forced to retain a percentage of the products they create (i.e. keep some skin in the game), and the massive credit default market is brought into the light of regulation.
What’ll Really Happen:As the economy continues on its exhilarating path of being less shitty than it was a while ago, polls reveal there’s no longer enough rabid fear to shake the Wall Street money tree. This being an election year, Democrats want to pass something (lest they look, egad, spineless!), but they also badly need donations from the banking industry, which, having witnessed such a wonderful return on its investments last year, continues to be the largest single-industry donor to either party. In a bind, Democrats allow bank-industry lobbyists to write much of the new legislation, ensuring whatever they come up with will easily pass, as well as leave holes large enough for companies too big to fail to walk through.
Also: A new computerized-trading platform gains consciousness on July 5, 2010. Within microseconds it realizes how screwed we really are and sells off shares en masse, creating a chain of events that sets up Sarah Palin—herself a robot sent from the future to make liberals angry—to win the White House in 2012.
Health Care Reform—It’s Finally Gonna Happen, Right?
Optimistic Prediction: Despite a long, drawn-out, frustrating legislative battle, Congress passes and the president signs major health care reform for the first time since the 1960s, extending coverage to some 30 million uninsured Americans. The bill doesn’t do much to bring the skyrocketing costs of pharmaceuticals, procedures, and premiums in line with inflation, but the law helps build a broad consensus of Americans in favor of further efforts at reform.
What’ll Really Happen: Congress passes a bill that extends coverage but sacrifices cost control and doesn’t do much to rein in premium inflation. Republicans use the issue to campaign on a platform of fiscal conservatism, notably absent when they were in power, and argue the bill shows a wanton disregard for the free market and spending discipline (despite a CBO analysis to the contrary). Many Americans largely buy these claims because their memories are shorter than their attention spans, and decide to punish the Democrats with significant but not pivotal losses in both houses.
Cost controls are never imposed, so the country continues running massive deficits to pay for rising medicare liabilities and the two wars that were never included in the budget. China has slowly been leaking its massive dollar reserves and is about to dump U.S. debt, so around 2019 the government imposes massive taxes on citizens. The U.S. becomes a Socialist country, all because some crybaby Tea Baggers didn’t want to fix health care.
So Who Wants to Run UT? We Know Just the Guy.
Optimistic Prediction: The University of Tennessee needs a new president—the school’s been without one since John Petersen resigned in February. Former UT head football coach Phil Fulmer needs a job—he’s been working for an investment firm (and publicly pronouncing himself ready to coach for another 10 years) since getting fired in 2008. It’s a perfect fit. Lane Kiffin will stay cool.
What’ll Really Happen: Jim Murphy, vice chair of UT’s Board of Trustees, said the university doesn’t expect to have a new president in place before the fall of 2011. Fulmer probably still won’t have a coaching job by then.
Gun Rights for All—and That Means Everybody
Optimistic Prediction: The Tennessee Legislature, now firmly controlled by Republicans, no longer needs to prove its loyalty to gun-rights advocates by passing inane laws that extend rights to places like parks and bars. In fact, they leave the guns-in-bars law—struck down as unconstitutional because of its vagueness—alone, and the guns-in-parks law meets a similar fate for its many ambiguities. The time and money saved goes into fixing state finances and improving schools.
What’ll Really Happen: Like laws against sex-offenders, the GOP decides you can’t really have too many laws recognizing gun privileges. After the Legislature wastes more resources rewriting the parks and bars bills, and passes them, one Democratic state senator quips, “What’s next, fellas? Guns in prisons?” Republicans smile, but secretly decide that giving guns to inmates would really show the NRA and Second Amendment types where they stand. They pass the bill and personally oversee the distribution of handguns to Tennessee’s most violent offenders. That day, both the prison and politician populations are significantly thinned, freeing up cash to fix state finances and improve schools.
Icky Coal Ash Sticks to TVA
Optimistic Prediction: After the Kingston spill, the EPA proposes regulating coal ash at the federal level as a hazardous waste, forcing TVA to impose the highest quality of coal-ash disposal. Obama’s TVA appointments sail through confirmation, but the hearings allow the country to take a strong look at the federal utility. They decide to remove its federal immunity and allow private companies to compete with TVA in the Valley.
What’ll Really Happen: Following the EPA’s proposal, the industry howls and politicians worry about imposing higher energy costs on consumers during an election year, so the administration decides on some half-measure to placate conservative Democrats and Republicans and imposes very few costs on coal-burning utilities.
The Economy: It, uh, Gets... Better?
Optimistic Prediction: Following Wall Street’s recovery, the larger economy finds a bottom to unemployment and foreclosures, and slowly but surely begins adding jobs. The Fed cautiously begins raising interest rates to soak up the vast amounts of money pumped into the economy in the past year, and a lower dollar, coupled with new health-care legislation in the offing, allows the manufacturing and tech sectors to better compete with foreign firms. The remaining stimulus money kicks in, giving a further boost to job growth and state budgets, and the economy grows at 4-5 percent a quarter. Deficits remain high but begin to climb down as new tax receipts are tapped from innovation in energy, high-end manufacturing and telecommunications.
What’ll Really Happen: The unemployment rate bounces along the bottom for a couple of months while the economy continues to grow at 2-3 percent a quarter. Credit becomes more available to households who still can’t afford it, but they take it anyway because they’ve got to get by somehow and bills don’t pay themselves. On the bright side, as the economy improves citizens will no longer be able to use it as an excuse for not doing the things they weren’t going to do anyway.
Wanted: Probation Officer, Must Like Sports
Optimistic Prediction: Finally acknowledging certain realities, after years of recruiting players who have developed football skills at the expense of character traits, UT opens a new office, that of staff probation officer, officially termed Defensive Probation Coordinator. A halfway program allows “competitive visits,” described by UT attorneys as a gridiron version of conjugal visits, in which imprisoned players may play when needed, but only in SEC games.
What’ll Really Happen: Go Vols!
Business & Development:More, If We’re Lucky
Henley Street Actually Becomes Safe for Those Who Walk
Optimistic Prediction: The Henley Street Bridge reconstruction project commences, with plans for barrier-protected sidewalks and a good bike lane. Better yet, during construction, without all the Henley bridge traffic, Henley Street itself flourishes as a safe, quiet pedestrian boulevard, with sidewalk cafes and piano bars and Ethiopian and Afghan restaurants and street musicians and open-air chess tournaments, as you might expect of any avenue between a major university and a central business district. Even UT professors wander across Henley and discover that this Knoxville place has a quaint downtown. Meanwhile, motorists discover there’s this other bridge called the South Knoxville bridge that actually can bear automobile traffic. They become so accustomed to taking that detour that they’ll actually use the South Knoxville Bridge, permanently relieving congestion on Henley, which thrives and becomes famous as the Champs d’Enlee.
What’ll Really Happen: Where’s the state money to pay for bridge repair? Engineers say the 80-year-old bridge is unsafe, but unless there’s more federal stimulus money coming our way, it will be put off another year.
Broadway Flea Market Franchises
Optimistic Prediction: The North Broadway flea market, condemned as an eyesore by its neighbors, pulls up stakes and moves to Halls. The property, sold to an ambitious developer, becomes the site of Frank Gehry’s last monumental work of architecture, the Guggenheim Museum of Artistic Hats.
What’ll Really Happen: The flea market stays put as a visible triumph of property rights and the quest to provide inoperable TVs to the poor. It becomes a chain, opening locations in Bearden, Rocky Hill, and Farragut.
We Really Are an Urban Center!
Optimistic Prediction: The U.S. Census registers more than 400,000 in Knox County and 190,000 in Knoxville proper, a record high for both. As center of a metropolitan area with about 1 million, Knoxville attains urban credibility for the first time since 1910.
What’ll Really Happen: The Census Bureau will determine that after decades of sprawl, Knoxville has spread itself out so thinly, it no longer exists as an actual city or town, but as a new phenomenon known to scientists as a “demographic mist.”
Downtown North Becomes Downtown Downtown
Optimistic Prediction: New development on North Central pushes downtown’s revival north, with more restaurants, nightclubs, residences, and retail north of Interstate 40, making old Happy Holler a sort of mini-downtown patronized by pedestrians from the Old North and Oakwood neighborhoods as well as a destination for affluent globe-trotters, touted in the next New York Times “36 Hours: Knoxville” feature.
What’ll Really Happen: No one’s ever ready for the backwash. As Downtown North thrives, old Downtown will become a ghetto of empty parking lots, appliance warehouses, junk shops, and rough-looking women in shorts. The Original Freeze-O goes upscale after purchasing the former S&W. Star Sales merges with Mast General Store to become a superstore of cheap outdoorsy imports, trendy novelties, and candy. J’s Mega Mart continues as if nothing happened.
Our Newest Dog Park: Knoxville Center
Optimistic Prediction: PetSafe Village relieves Simon Properties of a major headache by transforming the under-leased Knoxville Center into an off-leash dog park for weather-sensitive dogs, named Ambassador to Poland Lee A. Feinstein Park. Conflict arises over a proposed law to allow properly behaved and tethered owners to accompany their dogs to the food court, but it eventually passes.
What’ll Really Happen: Protestors will refuse to allow the 10-Year Plan to End Chronic Homelessness to convert the now empty retail spaces into permanent housing units, even though a new Obama-sponsored Suburban Blight bill would subsidize 85 percent of the construction costs. The still-thriving mall restaurants all relocate to Market Square.
A Library? Huh?
Optimistic Prediction: At long last the Library finds a home, a new downtown headquarters, perhaps in empty Baptist Hospital, perhaps in the underused Convention Center, perhaps in an entirely new building built for the purpose, like one of the several large underused spaces on State Street. For the first time in 20 years, our main library’s big and modern enough to serve an enlightened population of over 400,000.
What’ll Really Happen: Knox Kounty Kommission, suspicious of what one member called “them writin’ words,” and of the socialist implications of public money being used for public services other than defense, ceases the library’s book-related services altogether and transform Lawson McGhee into an armory and wrestling arena, “something everybody can enjoy.”
Going Places: We’ll Finally Be a City With a Bus Station!
Optimistic Prediction: The long-awaited, itinerant transit center is completed. It’s not the “intermodal” site we once dreamed of, but for the first time in decades, people using the bus service have a temperature-controlled waiting area with bathroom facilities. Its success inspires other people to build over, across, or directly on, James White Parkway, which is finally classified by the U.S. Geophysical Council as an Appalachian desert.
What’ll Really Happen: With city and federal funding drying up, KAT will be reduced to serving only the university, Knoxville’s only community to voluntarily patronize the bus system, favoring it to driving automobiles. Renamed Knoxville Academic Transit, it launches a unique driver-recruitment program favoring holders of master’s degrees, the nation’s only known employer to do so.
All the Marbles Alley
Optimistic Prediction: Buzz Goss gets resources together for his proposed Marble Alley development on a blighted expanse of pavement between State Street and Central, making it a lively and complex pedestrian community, a downtown within a downtown, and the answer to the old quandary of connecting Market Square and Gay Street with the Old City.
What’ll Really Happen: The city or county, or both, or one after the other, will once again plan to build something there, and then, of course, not. It will become nationally known as an exhibit of what can happen when you demolish buildings to build something, and then don’t actually build it. Knoxville will develop a believe-it-or-not spooky bus tour of parking lots that were sites of large historic brick buildings torn down for mysterious construction projects that never happened. Next stop: Home Federal’s Sprankle Building Memorial Parking Lot on Union.
The Delightful World of Politics
Optimistic Prediction: Bill Haslam is elected governor of Tennessee, the first Knoxvillian in that office since Reconstruction. He finally returns that state capital to its rightful place, Knoxville, for the first time since 1818. Madeline Rogero succeeds him as mayor of Knoxville.
What’ll Really Happen: Beset by a jogging scandal, in which astute investigative reporters observed that one of the 10ks he supposedly ran was really more like a 9.87k, Haslam drops out of the gubernatorial race. Zach Wamp rides his Guns ’n’ Commandments platform to victory. Haslam serves out his term, eyeing the next county mayor race.
Stacey Campfield: Wrestling Immigrant
Optimistic Prediction: Rep. Stacey Campfield decides to renounce his citizenship and move to Mexico, where he joins the luchador circuit as “El Conservativo Loco.” However, he finds that life in Mexico is difficult: hunger, poverty, and drug-trafficking abound. His wrestling career is going nowhere. He decides he’s made a huge mistake and returns to Tennessee to run for office. However, because he doesn’t have a green card, he decides to sneak across the border. A farmer picks him up and says he’ll call INS if Campfield doesn’t work for less than minimum wage on a tomato farm in Grainger County. Campfield reluctantly obliges him.
What’ll Really Happen: Despite gaining more support, not less, from his ejection from the UT game in the fall, Campfield will lose the GOP nomination for the senate’s 7th District to moderate Ron Leadbetter. Leadbetter will go on to narrowly beat Randy Walker, the Democratic contender (Chuck Williams is now an independent). For spite, Leadbetter will then sponsor a bill making it illegal to “just walk around.”
Who Will Replace Rags?
Optimistic Prediction: On May 4, former state senator and noted goofball Tim Burchett wins the Republican primary over former county sheriff Tim Hutchison in the race to see who will replace ongoing scandalhorse and current County Mayor Mike Ragsdale. Exit polls show that Burchett, one-time Senate sponsor of the infamous but ultimately unsuccessful road-kill bill (not to be confused with the Quentin Tarantino movie of a similar name), didn’t gain much purchase with his promise to put “an opossum in every pot.” But his central campaign slogan (“Tim Hutchison. Again? Really?”) did indeed find resonance with voters only too anxious to accept a little good-natured oafishness as a trade-in on years of Knox County government corruption and back-room deals.
What’ll Really Happen: Of course, this still leaves Burchett with the daunting task of facing down another strong local Democratic candidate in the Aug. 5 general election, this time in the person of... um, uh, well, somebody-or-other... we’re sure of it.... Yeah.
Rags Saga, Part II
Optimistic Prediction: After surviving an investigation by the Tennessee Attorney General’s Office and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (summary conclusion: “He may have probably done some stuff wrong. We just can’t prove it.”), County Mayor Mike Ragsdale comes under the penetrating scrutiny of another investigation, this one by Knox County Commission and the Knox County Ethics Committee. (Re P-card misuse, IdleAire stock, rogue service director Cynthia Finch, rogue political operative Tyler Harber, etc.)
What’ll Really Happen: Until, that is, some of our savvier local officials are suddenly struck by three near-epiphanic conclusions: (A) that County Commission, despite the thoughtful institution and court-ordered enforcement of term limits, is still plentifully, and historically, stocked with bounders, scofflaws, and ward heelers, and thus carries all the moral authority of tomato paste; (B) that the Ethics Committee, despite its comprising several of our more upstanding and commendable local public servants, was given roughly zero in the way of powers of actual executive agency, by clever design of aforementioned commissioners, and thus carries all the effective authority of tomato paste; and (C) that lame duck Ragsdale is leaving office anyway, in a state of largely feckless ignominy, thereby accomplishing what would presumably be the principle goal of an investigation in the first place. Other than mindless, stone-hearted vengeance, which certainly has its place.
Thus the Investigation of Mike Ragsdale, v. 2.0, comes to an end with a simple, two-word declaration. Rhymes with “bucket.”
Our Little Polish Sausage
Optimistic Prediction: After returning from his longtime ambassadorship in Poland, former Knoxville Mayor Victor Ashe looks forward to a new, choice, and altogether surprising appointment from Democratic Pres. Barack Obama. Of all people.
What’ll Really Happen: Things go awry, however, at the last minute, when Ashe’s promised job in the Bahamas fails to materialize, and the ex-mayor is shipped off instead as ambassador to Elbonia, the fourth-world dictatorship often featured in Dilbert comic strips. Much to his chagrin, Ashe finds both his law degree and his administrative experience to be of scant use in Elbonia, which has a primarily mud-based economy. After a brief go at pig-farming, Ashe is badly scuffed in a vicious encounter with feral mud weasels, and returns home in a snit.
The More Important Stuff:Arts & Entertainment & Media
AC Entertainment Gets Its Music Festivals Mixed Up
Optimistic Prediction: Due to a clerical error, AC Entertainment switches up the bookings for its three biggest events. The 74-year-old minimalist composer Terry Riley—intended for Big Ears—headlines Bonnaroo in June, with a couple dozen indie and avant-garde performers in support; a group of fresh-faced up-and-coming singer/songwriters and a couple of local bands head the out-there festival Big Ears; and Kanye West keeps the Sundown in the City audience waiting until 4 a.m.
What’ll Really Happen: Big Ears stays weird, Bonnaroo remains a monster, and teenagers keep crawling all over Market Square during late spring and summer because Sundown’s loaded with acoustic wallpaper.
More Dolly Songs Become Broadway Extravaganzas
Optimistic Prediction: With the Broadway splash of Dolly Parton’s 9 to 5 and its four Tony nominations, New York hit-makers will commission the popular singer-songwriter to pen two more musicals based on her back catalog. In the middle of recording another album and overseeing the creation of each “little Dolly” dress sold at Dollywood, she’s exhausted; it takes a toll on her judgment. Opening in March, Joshua bombs. A musical based on a young girl falling in love with a curmudgeonly old hermit? Not so fast, Dolly. Her second attempt of the year fares even worse: based on the universally reviled song “Me and Little Andy,” the piercingly precocious production causes vocal paralysis in the lead and loses millions. Without remorse, Dolly’s life goes on in her secret underground lair of gold coins.
What’ll Really Happen: After releasing another album and making some funny quips on talk shows, Dolly’s life goes on in her secret underground lair of gold coins.
The Future of the News Sentinel
Optimistic Prediction: E.W. Scripps breathes a sigh of relief as it manages to sell the News Sentinel to PennySaver on June 12. PennySaver assures the public that nothing will change, and indeed the Knoxville PennySaver Sentinel continues to print press releases disguised as news stories.
What’ll Really Happen: We are under contractual obligation not to reveal any information regarding Scripps Property #SP14522.
The Future of Metro Pulse
Optimistic Prediction: With the sale of the News Sentinel to PennySaver on June 12, Metro Pulse becomes the only source for local, print-based news. Continuing its tradition of somehow pissing everyone off and losing advertisers, the paper is sold by Scripps to a group of Trappist monks, who vow to remain silent on any topic that might ignite controversy. The paper shrinks to eight pages. Eventually those waiting at restaurants and sitting on park benches forget about long-form journalism because it won’t fit on a blog. Jackson Neely IV writes about this in his 2056 wavecast “Histoîr Secreto.”
What’ll Really Happen: Metro Pulse will be sold to PennySaver.
R.B. Morris Makes One of Those Spinny Record Things
Optimistic Prediction: R.B. Morris finally releases his new CD, Spies, Lies, and Burning Eyes, his first full-length in more than a decade. Seriously. It’s finished—recorded, mixed, mastered, and packaged. Morris has even had a semi-official CD release show, at the Laurel Theater in November. So it’s coming, with almost absolute certainty.
What’ll Really Happen: The earth will crack open and swallow us whole.
Sundown Somewhat Near the City
Optimistic Prediction: Bearden and downtown mend fences over the First Friday flap. To show there’s no hard feelings, they both surrender rights to the phrase “First Friday” to the subterranean hipsters who started it as an artsy no-profit Happening. Appreciating the alliteration but agreeing that two parts of town can’t possibly host art-related events the same night, downtown agrees to celebrate Third Thursday, Bearden Second Sunday.
What’ll Really Happen: Further trouble brews as Bearden announces its new Thursday night attraction, Sundown in the City. The live rock show in the Kroger parking lot turns out to draw even more teenagers with eyeliner than Market Square does. Promoters claim any resemblance to any other event is coincidence. As the year ends, rumors of a Bearden Rossini Festival make the rounds in the West Side Shopper-News.
KMA: Come Visit Us... Please!!!
Optimistic Prediction: After instituting a free-admission policy in 2008 that dexa-duodecupled its visitor count—okay, that might be an exaggeration, but it did at least double it—Knoxville Museum of Art’s board of trustees moves to jack up visitation even further by actually paying potential guests to walk through the museum. Beginning in June, visitors receive $10 and a coupon for a free Big-Ass french fries order (lim. 1 pr. cust.) at participating Lardburger (TM) fast-food outlets.
What’ll Really Happen: Asked how the sometimes cash-strapped museum will stay afloat with its decidedly non-traditional new admissions policy, a KMA rep replies, “Volume.” m | <urn:uuid:418d9fca-8649-48dd-9f8e-cecb10f81bdf> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.metropulse.com/news/2009/dec/29/future-almost-now-predictions-2010/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705953421/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120553-00014-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.933353 | 5,468 | 1.625 | 2 |
"The agreement as it is currently structured is a step forward," said Reggie Brown, executive vice president of the Florida Tomato Exchange, Maitland, Fla. Brown said the agreement's higher prices validate the contention of U.S. growers that they have been dumped on for some period of time by Mexican tomato imports. "We still feel very strongly that the cost of production is essential to determining what the correct reference price should be and we look forward in the future for Commerce to obtain that information and adjust the reference prices on that basis."
Martin Ley, vice president of Nogales, Ariz.-based Del Campo Supreme Inc. and spokesman for a consortium of Mexican tomato growers who negotiated the suspension agreement, said in a statement that those growers offered substantial concessions in negotiations over the past year to preserve the suspension agreement.
“Even though no dumping or injury to the U.S. industry was demonstrated by our competitors, over the last year our growers worked with our government to overhaul the whole Mexican industry, broaden the coverage and develop tough enforcement schemes," Ley said in the statement.
Ley said the new floor prices will impose hardships on the Mexican industry, but growers hope the agreement will bring long-term benefits.
"Our compromises are expressions of trust and good faith, the essential ingredients to any bilateral trade relationship, and we look forward to similar expressions of cooperation and good will as we head into the comment period," he said in the statement.
The effective date of any final agreement is projected to be March 4, according to a fact sheet provided by the Commerce Department.
The new reference prices for open-field and adapted-environment tomatoes are 31 cents per pound in the winter and 24.58 cents per pound in the summer, according to the fact sheet. For controlled-environment tomatoes, the price for winter tomatoes is 41 cents per pound, while the summer price for controlled-environment tomatoes is 32.51 cents per pound.
The agreement defines controlled environment tomatoes "as tomatoes grown in a fully-enclosed permanent aluminum or fixed steel structure clad in glass, impermeable plastic, or polycarbonate using automated irrigation and climate control, including heating and ventilation capabilities, in an artificial medium using hydroponic methods."
Specialty loose tomatoes have a reference price of 45 cents per pound for the winter and 35.68 cents per pound in the summer. Specialty packed tomatoes have a reference price of 59 cents per pound in the winter and 46.79 cents per pound in the summer. The agreement defines specialty tomatoes as grape, cherry, heirloom and cocktail tomatoes. | <urn:uuid:10556dac-2d31-4da0-99b0-9b6f77f1249c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.thepacker.com/fruit-vegetable-enewsletter/packer-daily/189538231.html?cmntid=112865321&email=yes&page=2 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00011-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.935354 | 525 | 1.546875 | 2 |
Hours before the ceremony honoring those who perished on Sept. 11, 2001 was slated to start, the rains came – not a heavy downpour, but steady, moistening every surface, drenching the few hardy souls who came out early to pay their respects before the 100-foot high memorial located at Harbor View Park.
Among the first to arrive was Frank Perrucci, a member of the “September 11…Bayonne Remembers” Committee, which each year seeks to keep alive the memory of those who died not just on 9/11, but also those who perished in the first attack in 1994.
Perrucci was one of the early admirers of Zorbas Tsereteli’s “To Struggle Against World Terrorism” monument, the 100-foot high structure that the people of Russia originally proposed to locate in Jersey City. Perrucci quickly to proposed Bayonne take it when the Jersey City council declined.
A veteran of the Korean War, Perrucci has been forced by failing knees to suspend his usual duties as part of the color guard for local parades. Yet, in the steady rain, he came for this, arriving almost first in order to oversee the arrangement of chairs, flags and the platform for dignitaries for the ceremony. But he looked concerned, staring across the former Military Ocean Terminal toward the winding road that led to the end of the long peninsula to where the monument stood.
“We came together as neighborhoods and we can together as a city and we came together as a region and stood tall.” – Mayor Mark Smith
Would anyone come in this rain? Could he expect them to get soaked on this gray day even for such a noble cause?
Like many people who live and work in Hudson County, Perrucci has distinct memories of the Sept. 11 attack on the World Trade Center Towers, and had people close to him who lost relatives in the disaster.
“I was in an office in the County Court House building when I first heard there was a problem,” he recalled during an earlier interview.
The Brennan Court House in Jersey City, along with surrounding county administration buildings, had an unobstructed view of the Twin Towers.
“I saw another plane approaching,” he said. “Then I saw the ball of flames.”
This memory plays an important part of his appreciating the new park location at the end of the Peninsula at Bayonne Harbor, because the park will provide an even better view of the space where the Twin Towers once stood.
“It has an awesome view,” he said. “And I see it as a place where people can go, sit down and meditate, where they can look across the bay and look at where the event occurred.”
Yet as he stood there an hour before the ceremony was scheduled to start, eight years after the attack, Perrucci could not see Manhattan, it being so obscured by low clouds. But he could see the rain rolling off the foot of the marble monument base, looking like tears coming off the carved names of the victims.
This included every name from the most available list at the time of construction – including the 13 victims from Bayonne. But the committee also constructed its own memorial facing the Russian gift that includes a marker and 13 four-foot high pillars with the name of each local victim on it.
These, too, seemed to cry as the rain dripped off the dark surface, at times reflecting Perrucci’s concerned face as the looked west towards the road.
Some people did dribble in: several Boy Scouts and their leaders; some tourists pausing to take pictures; even some individuals huddled under their umbrellas, standing quietly before the monument in awe and reflection.
“We’re not going to be able to hold the full ceremony,” Perrucci finally concluded. “We won’t get many, I don’t think.”
Then out of the mist, the headlights of cars showed, a line stretching into the infinity of the fog. Cars and school buses bringing veterans, firefighters, police officers, dignitaries and many others, ordinary people of every age, bearing umbrellas of every color and size, or wearing ponchos or hooded sweatshirts, their determined faces making their way up the path from the parking lot, not caring about the lack of chairs or even the stiff warm wind blowing rain on their faces.
They came and they huddled, huddled under a sea of open umbrellas, while the color guard of veterans marched up, unprotected, bearing their flags with pride and passion, forming a half circle behind the ring of monuments.
While the weather kept the Bayonne High School Marching Band from making an appearance, the Bayonne High School Choral Group raised their voices, defying wind, rain and the growing dark.
Out of the gloom, the tall shape of Mayor Mark Smith appeared, his trench coat glittering with drops of light-reflected rain. His voice broke through the rain with recollections of that sunny day eight years ago when the attack occurred, and how what seemed like a perfect day turned into one of horror and concern.
He and other officials under the direction of then-Mayor Joseph Doria had come to this very spot, setting up medical units for the thousands of expected wounded, only to learn an even more horrifying fact that you either lived through it or died, and that medical facilities here remained eerily unused.
“Standing here today, it is our obligation to commemorate that day and to remember that day because so many people were impacted by that day,” he said. “The images of that day and its aftermath are burned in my mind, young families trying to find resolution for missing husbands and wives, trying to find closure, trying to find order in what was complete chaos and disorder. But other things that come to mind are how people rose to the occasion.”
The people of Bayonne not only opened their hearts, but also often opened their homes to the people who survived.
“People were stuck in Bayonne. Bridges were closed. Tunnels were closed,” he said. During that time, people from other places forged relationships with people in Bayonne. “We came together as neighborhoods and we came together as a city and we came together as a region and stood tall. And I think that’s the lesson to take from this. That is what we owe these little ones here.”
Smith waved his hand over the heads of children standing near him.
“That is our obligation to them – to stand tall and stand fast in face of adversity, to do what’s right by them,” he said. “We need to give them a peaceful and better tomorrow. And I know in my heart and in my mind that the city of Bayonne is up to that challenge. And we will do just that, because it is morally right and it is needed.”
Thirteen from Bayonne will be remembered
Bayonne, long on the forefront of sending its children to fight for America, lost 13 people in the terrorist attacks. On Sept. 11, 2001, 12 Bayonne residents died in the attack on the World Trade Center in New York City and during the aborted hijacking of a jet airliner in the skies over Pennsylvania. On Feb. 26, 1993, a Bayonne resident had died in an attack on the World Trade Center. All were honored with a new monument unveiled on Sept. 11, 2007 at Harbor View Park. The victims of the attacks were: William J. Macko, Alysia Basmajian, Ana M. Centeno, John A. Cooper, Colleen Ann Deloughery, Ramzi A. Doany, John Roger Fisher, Orasri Liangthanasarn, Gavin McMahon, Steven P. Morello, Kenneth Joseph Tarantino, Patricia Cushing, and Jane Folger.
Al Sullivan may be reached at email@example.com. | <urn:uuid:21f7106f-c42b-40b0-a0e5-59e31cad726c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.hudsonreporter.com/view/full_story/3604996/article-Tears-from-a-teardrop-Hundreds-commemorate-9-11-despite-the-rain- | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00005-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.969159 | 1,677 | 1.679688 | 2 |
Colorado will continue on the road to recovery in 2013 and add a variety of jobs across almost all business sectors, CU economist Richard Wobbekind predicted in the 2013 Colorado Business Economic Outlook.
Wobbekind presented his report Monday at an economic forum led by the Business Research Division of the University of Colorado Leeds School of Business.
The forecast anticipates a gain of 42,100 jobs in 2013, compared with a gain of about 47,900 jobs this year. All sectors of the Colorado economy are predicted to grow next year, with the exception of the information sector, which includes publishing and telecommunications.
The state's unemployment rate is expected to decrease from 8 percent in 2012 to 7.4 percent in 2013.
The annual outlook features forecasts and trends for 13 business sectors prepared by more than 100 key business, government and industry professionals.
Wobbekind, executive director of the Business Research Division, said he foresees "a very positive environment" for the state next year. "We're seeing a wide array of jobs being added, and they're diversifying our state economy."
Compared with other states, Colorado is expected to be in the top 10 states for job growth and perhaps in the top six or seven, Wobbekind said.
He said uncertainty from national and international factors will play a role in slowing growth during the first and second quarters of 2013, with better growth in the second half of the year.
Resolution of the so-called "fiscal cliff" and the European debt crisis will affect the national economy and filter down to the state level, he said.
"I'm concerned more with the fiscal cliff," Wobbekind said. "We're 20-some days away, and it's not being handled very well. We have political issues that are being played out in the media. The closer we get to the end of the year, we think this is going to create some uncertainty even in the holiday shopping season."
He said the state would be significantly affected by spending cuts to federal agencies and to defense because Colorado has a heavy stake in both.
Although consumer confidence is at a 4½-year high, he said, businesses seem to be taking a wait-and-see approach.
"The sooner it gets resolved, the better it is. It's very frustrating not to know the rules," he said. Once that uncertainty gets resolved, we expect business investments to start flowing again and consumers to start making decisions based on a known environment."
The strongest sector for projected job growth in Colorado in 2013 is the educational and health-services sector, which is expected to add 7,600 jobs.
Other leading growth sectors include the professional and business-services sector, with 7,400 jobs added, and leisure and hospitality, with 5,000 workers added.
The trade, transportation and utilities sector — the largest provider of jobs in Colorado — is expected to grow 1.4 percent with the addition of 5,600 jobs.
The construction sector is expected to grow by 6,300 jobs — up from a 2,800-job increase this year — primarily because of the demand for infrastructure and multifamily housing.
John Mossman: 303-954-1479 or email@example.com | <urn:uuid:5261c704-8557-4efd-bc3f-c660b9f4030a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.dailycamera.com/movies/ci_22114363/entertainment/classicalmusic | 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 | 0.960212 | 667 | 1.664063 | 2 |
Former president George W. Bush and his wife, Laura, are heading back to Dallas after a week-long stay in Africa to promote their cancer-fighting initiative, Pink Ribbon Red Ribbon.
The Bushes on Thursday finished off their trip — which we’ve chronicled here, here and here — by stopping in Botswana to announce the expansion of the program, which aims to combat cervical and breast cancer to that country.
The former president and first lady also met with Peace Corps members stationed in Botswana and visited a young children’s community home in Gabane, a village just outside Botswana’s capital of Gaborone.
That last stop was where Bush was serenaded with “Happy Birthday” — ahead of his 66th on Friday — by a group of toddlers.
“Very nice,” Bush told the pre-school students at the center for sick, orphaned and vulnerable children. “Thank you very much.”
The Bushes spent most of their time in Kabwe, Zambia, where they helped renovate a clinic to screen, diagnose and treat women with cervical cancer. Both George W. and Laura Bush donned work clothes to paint and re-construct the facility.
The former first couple also visited the Zambian capital, Lusaka, on Wednesday to visit an orphanage and to celebrate the opening of a new teaching hospital there
“On our country’s birthday, it is important to remember the blessings of freedom and the blessings of being an American and to give back,” Bush said at the opening, according to a dispatch by Charity Wallace, director of the Bush Institute’s Women’s Initiative. | <urn:uuid:b8c20282-bad0-4358-9d55-06add53c9715> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://trailblazersblog.dallasnews.com/2012/07/george-and-laura-bush-wrap-up-african-trip-to-promote-cancer-fighting-initiative.html/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00006-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.967632 | 352 | 1.609375 | 2 |
A few minutes ago I saw in a tweet of Steve Rubel that Charlene Li is going to deliver a webminar by the end of this month. Thinking of Charlene Li, my mind jumped to her book, Groundswell, and then to the Social Technographics methodology of classifying social media participants (for those not familiar with technographics, look at this short presentation).
Where do twitter users stand in this frame?
Are they Creators? Yes, if they post original thoughts or emotions or pieces of information that they eyewitness and are worth of sharing.
But then, if they reply to other users that do the above, they are Critics also.
What about link sharing in twitter, or retweeting or favoring the tweets of others? Surely, these users could be classified as Collectors.
Now, recollect on how many tweets do you react upon and what percentage of the tweets of your social graph, belong to you. Most people’s contribution and participation can be considered insignificant when compared to their social graph’s aggregate activity. What are they then? Mostly Spectators.
Last: I am sure you are familiar with those users that engage for a period of time and then disappear, sometimes even deleting their accounts, sometimes simply abstaining from twitter usage. Inactives!
I understand that a similar line of thought can be applied to most social media. Yet, no other medium offers such a balanced distribution of roles. Not roles of different people, but roles of the same people in different moments.
Now, how would that fit in the technographics analysis? Beats me! You? | <urn:uuid:86e70ce2-fcd4-470c-89bd-838473a5cd9a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://webtropic.cc/2009/01/22/no-place-for-twitter-in-social-technographics/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00017-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.930122 | 331 | 1.578125 | 2 |
ELKADER, Iowa — Dave Wilke, president of Wilke's supermarket here, used to refer to a disaster that hit his town nearly 20 years ago as “the big flood.”
Not any more.
Last month, the Turkey River rose 5 feet over a dike that had been built to prevent another massive flood, and it washed right through Wilke's, a fifth-generation independent store and — at 141 years — the oldest family-owned food retailer in the state.
“We celebrated our 140th anniversary at this time last year, and now this year we're cleaning up from a flood,” Wilke told SN.
Being in business since right after the Civil War has given Wilke some resilience, however. After 10 days of digging, cleaning and rigging up a makeshift checkout system, Wilke's was back in operation.
Key to the store's rapid recovery, he said, was Wilke's quick action. While waiting for the knee-deep water in the store to recede, he made phone calls to all the construction companies, cleaning services and repair crews that he thought he would need to get the store operating again.
“I knew if we were going to save this thing, we were going to have to do it quickly — otherwise, we're going to have mold and other assorted bad things happen,” he said. “That saved two or three weeks.”
Once the water receded enough to pull the sandbags away from the doors, Wilke enlisted the help of local volunteers to form a line and start digging out the mess that had accumulated. Much of the product on the lower shelves had been washed into the aisles and formed a thick layer of garbage throughout the store.
That first day, they shoveled 5½ dump trucks' worth of product out of the store, and they filled another four Dumpsters before the job was finished.
After the mess was cleared, the crew had to pull all the equipment away from the walls, remove the dry-wall and the insulation, treat the walls with an anti-mold agent, and then put everything back in place.
“It was basically like starting all over again,” Wilke said.
Although his equipment losses were minimal, the flood did destroy some freezers and the store's checkstands, the latter of which had only been installed a few years ago, he said.
“The things we could save or easily repair, we did, but all the checkstands were crushed,” Wilke explained. “We just replaced those four years ago, so they were basically new yet.”
He said he was able to salvage much of the product that was on the higher shelves. He has not yet estimated his total product losses.
“Equipment-wise, there wasn't a big bill, but the labor — I don't want to see that bill,” he said. “I thought I would be able to list all the inventory that was lost, but when I saw the store, that was just impossible.”
He said he planned to compare his inventory after the flood with normal levels to gauge what his losses were. He's seeking some recovery through his insurance provider.
He said the only business in town at a lower level than his, a local bank, was destroyed.
Wilke said he has been running the store using makeshift checkstands fashioned out of plastic banquet tables.
“As soon as we got as much stuff done as we could, we reopened,” he said. “We had to wait until everything was cleaned up and sanitized, but after that, whatever was available, people could buy.”
Elkader, with a population of about 1,400, was declared a National Disaster Area after the flooding, which caused damages estimated in the billions of dollars. Dozens of homes in the town were destroyed, Wilke said.
Local residents and businesses had little warning of the flooding after online reports from the U.S. Geological Survey estimated that the crest would be much lower than it actually was, Wilke explained.
The town had built a wall to withstand river levels of just over 25 feet, and forecasts throughout the day had been calling for an overnight peak of less than 24 feet.
“We knew it was going to be high, but we thought it was just going to go by,” Wilke said. “It ended up going to 30 feet, 9 inches, so they missed the forecast by 7 feet! There were people down in the lower end of town mowing their lawns that afternoon.” | <urn:uuid:d73c4e69-b577-40d3-bd3d-49d4869b7ddd> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://supermarketnews.com/retail-amp-financial/quick-action-bails-out-longtime-grocer-after-flood | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704713110/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516114513-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.988748 | 965 | 1.585938 | 2 |
The deficit chicken littles ignore the numbers
Rarely have economic commentators been so united on an issue arguing that the Australian Government should not aim for a budget surplus this year. From John Quiggin to Warwick McKibbin, the OECD to the IMF, respected economists across the political spectrum have taken the view that the best economic approach is not to try and fill the 2012-13 government revenue shortfall by making further budget cuts.
From a macroeconomic standpoint, there’s barely any difference between a $1 billion surplus and a $1 billion deficit. Far more important is the fact that when the Global Financial Crisis hit, we increased spending: supporting jobs through household payments and infrastructure programs.
In the past five years, we’ve found savings that total $138 billion. We boosted government spending when private demand fell, and cut spending as private demand recovered. Cutting spending isn’t easy. When we means-tested family tax benefits and the Private Health Insurance rebate, the Coalition said we were playing ‘the politics of envy’. When we phased out the outdated Dependent Spouse Tax Rebate (a measure that discourages secondary earners to work), we were accused of attacking the family. When we reduced the Baby Bonus for second and subsequent children, Joe Hockey drew comparisons with China’s One Child policy.
One marker is whether spending falls in real terms (that is, adjusting for inflation). As economic commentator Stephen Koukoulas has observed, during their combined total of more than twenty years in office, the Fraser and Howard governments never once cut their real spending.
By contrast, Labor governments have cut real spending on five occasions since the mid-1980s. Painful as it is to admit, aiming for a surplus in 2012-13 probably instilled some additional discipline into the budget process – even if we don’t end up achieving the target.
Had revenue as a share of GDP been at the same level as in the early-2000s, these spending cuts would easily have ensured a 2012-13 budget surplus. Yet company tax revenues have recently been hit by a double-whammy: lower commodity prices (caused by a softening of world demand for our minerals), but a high dollar (due to a demand for our AAA-rated government bonds). Revenue for 2012-13 is $20 billion down from what Treasury projected back in 2010.
To understand the recent announcement by Wayne Swan that a surplus will be difficult to achieve, it’s worth comparing taxes as a share of GDP with the Howard Government. If we had Howard Government revenue today, the current budget would easily be in surplus.
Conversely, if the Howard Government had today’s revenues, many of their budgets would have been in deficit. From an international perspective, Australia’s economic performance remains in the top tier, with better growth and unemployment numbers than almost any developed country.
But overseas problems have directly hurt Australian government revenues through an unexpected channel: as European demand for our government bonds drives up the Australian dollar, company tax receipts fall.
The debate over the 2012-13 surplus risks obscuring the bigger picture, which is that sensible Keynesian fiscal policy means more government spending in bad times, and less in good times.
That’s why we boosted spending to save 200,000 jobs in the Global Financial Crisis, and it’s why we’ve cut spending in recent years. The essence of good fiscal policy is a willing to switch tack if the economic outlook changes. Given the $20 billion shortfall in revenue this year, it may not make sense to aim for the same target. As Keynes himself said, ‘When the facts change, I change my mind – what do you do, sir?’.
Andrew Leigh is the federal member for Fraser, and his website is www.andrewleigh.com.
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@mooks83 sophisticated response. Think the kids parents saw it differently
More class from 9's footy show, lampooning a baby that allegedly looks like Sterlo with a pic swiped from Facebook http://t.co/BGoYP6Pn68
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Mitt Romney’s Other Flip-Flop: Follow the Court or the Constitution?
By Amy L. Contrada
Nov. 11, 2011
Mitt Romney swore this oath on January 2, 2003 when he became Governor of Massachusetts:
I do solemnly swear and affirm that I will faithfully and impartially discharge and perform all of the duties incumbent upon me as Governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts according to the best of my abilities and understanding, agreeably, to the rules and regulations of the Constitution and the laws of this Commonwealth, so help me God.
Mitt Romney has claimed that he “took every conceivable step within the law to defend traditional marriage.” This is simply not true. In fact, all he had to do to prevent “gay marriage” from beginning in 2004 was follow the clear separation of powers laid out in the state Constitution. But instead, he kowtowed to the state high court’s dream of “gay marriage” in its 2003 opinion, Goodridge v. Department of Public Health.
Romney’s liberal tendencies have been well noted, especially with regard to RomneyCare, TARP, gun control, abortion, climate change, and immigration policy. But his failure to stand up for constitutional principles and conservative values following the Goodridge opinion is perhaps his largest failing. That ruling was possibly the most significant perversion of judicial authority since Roe v. Wade. Yet Romney called it “law” that he must implement and follow.
Romney has since repeatedly said that the courts cannot make law and that judicial activism must be opposed. So here we have another Romney flip-flop. Which is it? Can – or cannot – courts make law?
In November 2003, four unelected judges on the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court asked the Legislature to change the existing man-woman marriage statute to allow for same-sex couples. The Legislature ignored that request, knowing the Court had no power to order them or to overturn existing law. And the law was never changed.
But Governor Romney forged ahead in 2004, ordering his Department of Public Health to print new “Party A & Party B” marriage licenses, and having his Chief Legal Counsel train the Town Clerks and Justices of the Peace to license and perform the same-sex “marriages” (with no allowance for conscientious objectors). His Legal Counsel was later thanked by the homosexual-transgender lobby for his support of the Goodridge ruling. And the New York Times later reported that, while running for Governor in 2002, Romney had promised homosexual activists that he would not work against the expected “gay marriage” ruling.
Governor Romney had a chance to exhibit genuine leadership on the issue of judicial activism, but chose to cave to liberal sentiments and donors. His unlawful implementation of "gay marriage" in Massachusetts in May 2004 set a horrible precedent, and emboldened judicial tyrants and sexual-radical activists around the country.
What's more, his current promises to protect traditional marriage should be taken with a grain of salt. For all his talk, he has openly supported “civil unions” – differing from marriage only in name. The proposed federal marriage amendment he has pledged to support would not ban civil unions (and is unlikely to pass in any case).
Had Mitt Romney just upheld his oath as Governor to protect the Massachusetts Constitution and abide by the laws as enacted by the Legislature, the marriage landscape across the country would likely be quite different now.
If Romney couldn’t stand up for constitutional government and conservative values in Massachusetts, how can we trust him to stand up for them in Washington?
May 2004 rally at Boston's Faneuil Hall, just days before Governor Romney's
homosexual "marriages" would begin. Romney ignored the plea to
uphold the Massachusetts Constitution.
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Longs Peak is seen looking SE from the Flattop trail, with Pagoda to its right. Half Mountain is at left; the glacier that formed Glacier Gorge sliced off its right half. Mills Lake is in the valley below, with Glacier Knobs on both sides. Part of Thatchtop is seen at far right.
[Large version (1280 KB)]
Rocky Mountain National Park: The High Peaks | <urn:uuid:1df3d1f1-530d-4240-9922-e7a723f517f9> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.cs.utexas.edu/~novak/rmnp/r094.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 | 0.972576 | 85 | 1.65625 | 2 |
KATHMANDU: The widespread speculation that Exit Through the Gift Shop is a hoax only adds to its fascination. An anonymous London graffiti artist named Banksy arrives to paint walls in Los Angeles. He encounters an obscure Frenchman named Thierry Guetta, who has dedicated his life to videotaping graffiti artists.
The Frenchman’s hundreds of tapes have been dumped unorganised into boxes. Banksy thinks they might make a film. Guetta makes a very bad one. Banksy takes over the film and advises Guetta to create some art himself. Guetta does, names himself Mr Brainwash, and organises an exhibition of his work through which he makes a fortune in sales.
Surely Guetta cannot be real? With his dashing mustache and Inspector Clouseau accent, his long-suffering wife and his zealous risk-taking to film illegal artists by stealth? Surely he didn’t rent a former CBS television studio and transform it into an exhibition space? Surely people didn’t line up at dawn to get in — and pay tens of thousands of dollars for the works of an artist who had never held a show, sold a work or received a review? Surely not if his work looked like art school ripoffs of the familiar styles of famous artists?
The film depends entirely on Guetta, a combination TV pitchman, a cartoon Frenchman and a chatty con man. Its footage really has been edited from a decade of tapes made clandestinely while LA graffiti artists risked arrest and death to create their paintings in spectacular places. Guetta fearlessly followed them right out into ledges and helped them carry supplies to places a human fly might balk at. All the time he’s talking, talking, telling his life story and of his hero worship for these artists.
Some graffiti is certainly art, as Norman Mailer was one of the firsts to argue in his book The Faith of Graffiti (1974). Banksy and others at his level, such as Guetta’s hero, Shepard Fairey, find ways to visually reinvent public spaces and make striking artistic
But what does Guetta do? One of
his artworks, inspired by Andy Warhol’s Campbell’s soup can, shows a can of tomato spray paint. Ok, that’s witty enough for a nice editorial cartoon. How many thousands would you
spend to have it in your house? Or a morph of Joan Crawford and Andy’s Marilyn? Then again, at the time people said Andy Warhol wasn’t creating art,
either. Surely Warhol’s message was that Thierry Guetta has an absolute right to call his work art, and sell it for as much as he can.
Exit Through the Gift Shop is an admirable and entertaining documentary; I believe it is not a hoax; I would not much want a Thierry Guetta original; I like Thierry Guetta, and Banksy, the creator of this film, is a gifted filmmaker whose thoughts, as he regards Guetta, must resemble those of Victor Frankenstein when he regarded his monster: It works, but is it Art?
The answer to that lies in how much people rave over the Mona Lisa. Some argue that her beauty has been captured by Da Vinci. Others say what beauty? So in the end art like almost everything else in this world, lies in the eyes of the beholder. Personally I think that the child art painted on the wall outside the Himalaya Hotel did much to find even more beauty in our city. But hammers and sickles cruelly painted sorry but no. Why can’t the people behind the hammer and sickle or whatever party higher graphic artist? Thierry Guetta getting a million dollars from his exhibition during the very first week. | <urn:uuid:e2c0e150-c96d-486a-a316-5785fe6cf75a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.thehimalayantimes.com/fullNews.php?headline=Graffiti+as+art&NewsID=350763 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700958435/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104238-00005-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.969581 | 786 | 1.507813 | 2 |
It's All Politics
Fri January 18, 2013
For Cartoonists Who Cover Obama: Four More Ears
Four years ago, when the nation's first African-American president was inaugurated, even conservative editorial cartoonists marked the moment with reverence.
As Scott Stantis, now of the Chicago Tribune, tells All Things Considered host Audie Cornish: "There are times in our history where we can just take half a step back from our partisanship and revel in the history and wonder of something."
Stantis' left-leaning peer, Matt Wuerker of Politico, concurs. "It was a very epic moment. I think that everybody was really suddenly embracing this moment of idealism."
But, says Wuerker: "Four years later, so much of that is gone."
President Obama would not be the first president to suffer a diminishment of his cartoon image over eight years in office. Jimmy Carter, says Stantis, "was diminished to about — he was standing about 3 1/2 feet tall. You had Bill Clinton, who just became this big, doughy, sensualist character." George W. Bush, he adds, "devolved into a demonic Keebler elf."
So what's happened to Obama's image?
Cartoonists were careful at first in their depictions of the president, fearful of racial sensitivities, Wuerker explains. But "Obama is now just another goofy guy that we get to have fun with and play with his big smile and make his ears bigger."
So what to do for Obama's second inaugural?
"I'm still flummoxed," says Wuerker, who won the 2012 Pulitzer Prize for his work. "What was extraordinary four years ago is ordinary."
This weekend and Monday, when the president is inaugurated again, editorial cartoonists will be sketching and scribbling, trying to decide what story to tell and what symbolism to use, as a president besieged by critics on both sides begins his second four years in the White House.
ROBERT SIEGEL, HOST:
From NPR News, this is ALL THINGS CONSIDERED. I'm Robert Siegel.
AUDIE CORNISH, HOST:
And I'm Audie Cornish.
Four years ago, a group of people known for being irreverent created some unusually reverent drawings. Editorial cartoonists, the jokes and critiques on hold as they mark the inauguration of the first African-American president. Now, four years later, those same cartoonists are figuring out how to depict Barack Obama's second inauguration. And we asked two of them to join us. Matt Wuerker is editorial cartoonist for Politico, and he's the 2012 recipient of the Pulitzer Prize. Matt, welcome.
MATT WUERKER: Hi.
CORNISH: And Scott Stantis comes to us from the president's adopted hometown, Chicago, where he is editorial cartoonist for the Chicago Tribune. Hi there, Scott.
SCOTT STANTIS: Hey. Thanks for having me.
CORNISH: So to start, I'm going to ask you both to describe your drawings from four years ago. And, Scott, starting with you, you described yourself as a conservative, not exactly an Obama supporter, but you did draw a cartoon - I have the image here - that is honoring the moment. Describe it to me.
STANTIS: Well, I think there are times in our history where we can just take half a step back from our partisanship and revel in the history and the wonder of something. And this was a cartoon - I actually drawn for USA Today. And it's Uncle Sam looking at a big screen TV, and there is President Obama being sworn in, and Uncle Sam is simply saying wow.
CORNISH: And he has his hat off, and the drawing is still pretty, you know, it's still kind of a caricature image of President Obama.
STANTIS: Yeah. That...
CORNISH: The ears are very prominent.
STANTIS: That's as close as I can come to reverence. I'm sorry. It comes with the territory.
CORNISH: And, Matt, for you, you drew something that is sort of, in a way, depicting the inaugural scene outside the Capitol.
WUERKER: Yes. It's the swearing-in, and it was, again, sort of, you know, it was a very epic moment. I think it's interesting how quickly we moved on from it. But I depicted the swearing-in, and Obama is standing there on the platform and is a cutaway, and you can see inside the platform. And he's literally standing on the shoulders of MLK, the civil rights workers, Abraham Lincoln, abolitionists and all of the people who sort of led to that historic moment.
CORNISH: Though as you kind of look back on your art from that period, what most strikes you about the evolution of the Obama image because his image was such a big part of the pop culture feeling around him? I mean, Matt, what's different this time around?
WUERKER: Oh, boy, it's so entirely different. I mean, four years ago, I think the country was sort of stunned. We are coming out, frankly, from eight years of Bush-Cheney. You know, we forget. The economy was cratering. It was a moment where I think that everybody was really suddenly embracing this moment of idealism. And I think four years later, so much of that is gone for different reasons. And there's just this drumbeat of hysteria, and I think that politically it boxes Obama in, in a way.
CORNISH: But at the same time, if you look at this - and I don't know. Scott, if you want to jump in here, you know...
CORNISH: ...the Obama campaign courted this. You know, there was Obama kind of iconography.
WUERKER: Oh, yeah.
CORNISH: There's lots of images and the art of Obama and the pop stars and...
STANTIS: Well, the first...
CORNISH: ...there was a lot of...
STANTIS: He has a logo.
CORNISH: Right. Exactly.
STANTIS: He has a logo, a registered trademark. What I find interesting, as a cartoonist, is the evolution or lack thereof of his images over the last four years. I mean, you look at four years of, well, Jimmy Carter would be one example, where he, you know, was diminished to about - he was standing like three and a half feet tall. You had Bill Clinton who just became this big, doughy, sort of, you know, sensualist kind of character. You had, you know Richard Nixon, of course. And you had George W. Bush devolved into, like, a demonic Keebler elf.
STANTIS: This caricature has not - what's interesting to me looking at my work, looking at Matt's work and looking at work of other cartoonists over the last four years, the caricature - and, Matt, tell me if you disagree with me - I don't think the caricature has changed dramatically from four years ago, has it?
WUERKER: I think it's changed a little bit. I think that one of the changes that happened in the beginning I think the first years of the administration, a lot of cartoonists were very careful about dealing with the caricature of an African-American.
WUERKER: And it was a minefield that people were tiptoeing across in a lot of ways. And a couple of people stepped on some mines and some - one of our boneheaded brethren drew him as a monkey for Rupert Murdoch or something. And people began to have to sort of, you know, you had to deal with the legacy of some really virulent racist imagery in American cartoons going back centuries. But we got over it. And the cartoon gods work in mysterious ways, just as we're having to grapple with drawing the first black president. The cartoon gods gave us the first orange house speaker so...
WUERKER: And so...
CORNISH: I'm sure John Boehner would quibble with that description.
WUERKER: Well - but it was suddenly, you know, it was like, OK, we're drawing people of color here, so this is fun and...
WUERKER: ...everyone has been having a good time, and I think actually there's this evolution in the Obama caricature that I think is all perfectly healthy and gets back to the significance of the second inaugural in some ways. And what was extraordinary four years ago is ordinary, and I think that the caricature has actually sort of evolved. And Obama is now just another goofy guy that we get to have fun with and, you know, play with his big smile and make his ears bigger and all that kind of stuff.
CORNISH: Yeah. I have to say the ears on Scott's alone in each of his drawings...
CORNISH: ...the ears are a little bit bigger. I'm looking at one where in your art, Scott, it's Obama smoking like four, five cigarettes at once, and he's holding a box of cigarettes that says unfiltered spending, and he thinks to himself I can't seem to quit. But his ears...
CORNISH: ...take up I think fully 40 percent of his head in this picture.
STANTIS: Well, you know, here's the thing. Here's - let me give you a quick...
STANTIS: ...a quick lesson on caricature is what human beings find attractive in each other and this crosses ethnic lines, preference - sexual preference lines, all lines is that we like symmetry. And the fact of the matter is this president is actually a pretty good-looking fellow, except for those big jug handles on either side of his head. And so I can talk to grade schools. I could talk to colleges or rotary clubs. I draw just an outline of his head and if you put those ears on, instantaneously, people know who he is. So, of course, yeah, we're going to jump all over that.
WUERKER: I think that cartoonists have gotten lazy, too, because I mean, in all fairness or in our defense a little bit, I mean, we did the same thing to George W. Bush. I mean, by the end of his administration, he was just Dumbo.
WUERKER: I mean, his ears were just immense.
CORNISH: Now, going into the inauguration then, can you guys give us a preview of what you're thinking of drawing? I know actually on the way in here, Matt, you were doing some sketching in the studio.
WUERKER: I'm still flummoxed. I don't quite know what to do. I'm playing with an idea of everybody on the inaugural standing extremely well-armed with assault rifles and whatnot, and it's something about the way the NRA would like to see the inauguration. But my wife actually had a good idea. I should probably do something ripping off of - remember Aretha's hat at the last inauguration?
CORNISH: Yes, yeah.
WUERKER: I think that there's something about inaugural bonnets out there that would be really fun to do, but I've got to figure that out this afternoon.
CORNISH: And, Scott, for you?
STANTIS: Oh, my gosh, it's not 20 minutes before deadline, so I really don't have anything solid.
STANTIS: But I would go, you know, some of the stuff - I love drawing critters. I mean - so - and just innocuous, almost non sequitur, so I would have like a rhinoceros or a hippopotamus, and, you know, it could be - I think he is still facing - frankly, still facing the same issues he did four years ago. Unemployment is still unacceptably high even though it's going down slightly. We've got debt. We've got war. We've got Guantanamo. We've got civil liberties. We've got all those things, and they were, you know, I'd love having them in the stands, and they're saying, yeah, we're here four years ago.
WUERKER: That's good. I'm going to steal that.
WUERKER: Dang it.
CORNISH: Well, Scott Stantis, thank you so much for speaking with me.
STANTIS: Well, thanks for having me.
CORNISH: And, Matt Wuerker, thank you for coming in to talk to us.
WUERKER: Thanks, Audie.
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)
CORNISH: Editorial cartoonists Matt Wuerker of Politico and Scott Stantis of the Chicago Tribune. You can see drawings by both of them at npr.org, including their cartoons from the inauguration four years ago. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR. | <urn:uuid:6c4aed3c-9f7d-4947-ae69-975896168a66> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://kvnf.org/post/cartoonists-who-cover-obama-four-more-ears | 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 | 0.975048 | 2,762 | 1.5 | 2 |
A close U.S. ally that hosts the Navy’s Fifth Fleet, Bahrain promised reforms after an independent commission last fall cited problems with the response to demonstrations. No tangible steps toward reforms, though, have been initiated. Talks between the government and the opposition failed to get underway, and this February, tens of thousands of demonstrators revived on-going robust protests. Now, the government appears to have had enough. A Bahraini government spokesman, Sheikh Abdulaziz bin Mubarak Al Khalifa, told the news agency Reuters:
Because of the escalation in violence, we are looking into the perpetrators and people who use print, broadcast and social media to encourage illegal protest and violence around the country.
If applying the law means tougher action, then so be it.
Al Khalifa’s accusations against protesters must resonate with human rights activist Nabeel Rajab, the head of the Bahrain Center for Human Rights. While few credible reports about the protests cite widespread violence against the government, Rajab’s case offers a window into other charges Al Khalifa levels against the movement. Rajab was already facing charges of participating in an “illegal” demonstration — meaning any demonstration at all in Bahrain — and was on Saturday arrested by authorities at the door of his airplane as he returned from foreign travel.
The new charges against Rajab? An active user of the social media platform with almost 150,000 followers, Rajab was arrested for sending “insulting tweets” about the government.
Today, Amnesty International declared Rajab a “prisoner of conscience.” Sanjeev Bery, Amnesty International USA’s Middle East & North Africa advocacy director, said:
It is utterly ridiculous that the Bahraini government would arrest human rights advocate Nabeel Rajab for sending tweets. Instead of attempting to silence critics, the Bahraini government needs to start listening to what they have to say about free speech and freedom of expression. Rajab is a prisoner of conscience being held solely for expressing his views. He must be released immediately.
The Bahrain Center for Human Rights itself warns that another activist — Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja — is in dire straits due to a two-month old hunger strike against his detention. Amnesty chimed in on that case, which involves another 20 activists, as well today, noting: “Amnesty International considers all those currently detained in the case as prisoners of conscience and is calling for their immediate and unconditional release.” | <urn:uuid:b2ae9b1d-9f0e-4788-adf2-61ca1dd56564> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://thinkprogress.org/security/2012/05/08/479896/bahrain-amnesty-crackdown-prisoners-of-conscience/?mobile=nc | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00006-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.960735 | 509 | 1.625 | 2 |
That’s the latest passion of New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg. It’s no longer that someone might be playing their music too loud and disturbing the neighbors. Now, the mayor wants to jack into kids’ iPods to make sure what they are listening to isn’t too loud for their own private, personal enjoyment (as determined by the government).
Spending at least $250,000 in both private donations and taxpayer dollars, the “Hearing Loss Prevention Media Campaign” will reportedly convene focus groups and employ social media to target young people so that they may turn down their racket and allegedly lessen the risk of the rest of us having to deal with their deaf selves in the future.
But will kids be able to comprehend the mayor’s latest nanny-state message?
It seems that — while Bloomberg is crusading against noise, salt, trans fat in foods, soda and women who choose not to breast-feed their infants — New York City’s government-educated schoolchildren are slogging through a K-12 system that is not in the least bit preparing the overwhelming majority of them for anything very productive after they graduate.
Officials with the City University of New York system say that approximately 80 percent of city-run high school graduates essentially cannot function in CUNY schools. These aspiring college students are being forced to take remedial classes in reading, writing and math — something the local CBS affiliate describes as “re-learn[ing]” basic skills. Without these additional classes, it is considered doubtful that they could handle college-level coursework.
To show just how necessary these do-over classes are for Big Apple grads, aspiring CUNY freshman Nicholas Gonzalez told CBS: “If I started right away with credit classes it wasn’t going to be so well, so it’s better off starting somewhere.”
Cherylyn Harley LeBon, co-chairman of the National Center’s Project 21 black leadership network, writes frequently on this blog about Mayor Bloomberg’s nanny-state advocacy and his penchant for social engineering over social advancement and his apparent disinterest in his job’s basic duties. She is always surprised by the state of affairs in New York City — both the poor educational quality and the ever-growing assault on personal choice.
Cherylyn, the mother of two young children, writes:
Nanny Bloomberg never ceases to amaze me with his ability to take on an increasingly parental role for all of the children — and even the adults — in New York City.
This latest initiative, against a backdrop of clear evidence that New York City schools are clearly failing children, is further evidence that the mayor of Gotham’s priorities are misplaced.
I would love to see an initiative that addresses the low literacy rate among the city-run system’s high school graduates. It is appalling that we still have this problem in 2013.
How can New York City’s children be expected to follow all of the many rules promulgated by Hizzoner if they are unable to master even the most basic college-level courses without remedial assistance?
I encourage Mayor Bloomberg to tackle the low college preparedness rates in New York City with the same vigor and determination as he has exhibited toward limiting the consumption of soda and salt and the use of Styrofoam containers. After all, do we really think that limiting people to 16 ounces of soda at a time is more important than our children being prepared for college?
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STATEN ISLAND, NY – Father Frank Pavone, national director of Priests for Life, will once again take part in this year’s Walk for Life West Coast in San Francisco on Saturday, Jan. 22.
“This year the Walk takes place on the actual anniversary of the 1973 Roe vs. Wade decision that legalized abortion for any reason and throughout all nine months of pregnancy,” Father Pavone said. “The Walk for Life gives pro-lifers a chance to say, in a highly visible way, that we intend to end abortion. Moreover, our fellow citizens are more aware than ever of the pain and regret that abortion brings. As a nation, we are ready to move away from abortion.”
Organizers at the seventh annual Walk for Life expect more than 35,000 people to join them for a rally at 11 a.m. at Justin Herman Plaza and the walk, to begin at noon, along the Embarcadero to Marina Green. Despite a heavy rain, the 2010 Walk drew a crowd that was estimated to be between 23,000 and 35,000 people.
Father Pavone will be accompanied by Georgette Forney, a Pittsburgh, Pa., resident who, together with Janet Morana, is a co-founder of the Silent No More Awareness Campaign. The campaign invites women and men who have been harmed by their abortion experiences to give public witness.
During a rally at the Marina Green immediately following the Walk, a dozen Silent No More members will talk about their experiences, including how they found hope and healing, and the courage to go public with their stories to help others.
“The stories of these women cannot be refuted by any research or by the assertions of those who advocate for choice,” said Mrs. Forney, who had an abortion as a young woman. “The truth is, abortion hurts women.” Visit www.silentnomoreawareness.org for information.
Priests for Life was founded in 1991 as an outreach to Catholic priests, seminarians and lay leaders. It has now become a family of ministries, has a voice at the United Nations and, through its international office, spreads a pro-life message throughout the world.
Through its ministries of the Silent No More Awareness Campaign and Rachel’s Vineyard, Priests for Life demonstrates its commitment to the women and men who have been victimized by abortion. Rachel’s Vineyard is the world’s largest ministry for healing after abortion. Weekend healing retreats are held in 700 locations across the country and overseas. Visit www.rachelsvineyard.org for information.
To interview Father Pavone, Janet Morana, or Georgette Forney, call Daniel Matejek at 888-735-3448, ext. 251, or email email@example.com. Visit www.priestsforlife.org/marchforlife for Father Pavone’s itinerary in San Francisco.
Priests for Life is the nation's largest Catholic pro-life organization dedicated to ending abortion and euthanasia. For more information, visit www.priestsforlife.org. | <urn:uuid:5b9c4c03-39f9-44d7-b14b-92285c811c1d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.priestsforlife.org/pressreleases/3439-crossing-the-continent-to-walk-for-life | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00004-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.938276 | 654 | 1.546875 | 2 |
posted on March 15, 2013 at 4:57 PM
Ethanol enthusiasts celebrated this week. But the reason for the milestone was not welcomed by all. The American Coalition for Ethanol held what it called a birthday party in Washington, D.C., complete with a cake.
posted on February 1, 2013 at 6:12 PM
U.S. agriculture is still reeling from the worst drought in half a century. While farmers produced the 8th largest corn crop in history, the 2012 harvest was still well below expectations.
posted on November 16, 2012 at 5:06 PM
The Environmental Protection Agency denied a multi-state request for a waiver on the Renewable Fuels Standard.
posted on October 6, 2011 at 5:21 PM
The current Renewable Fuels Standard, or RFS requires U.S. motorists to power their cars with 36 billion gallons of alternative fuels by 2022. Ethanol from corn would comprise nearly a third of the total with the rest being covered by biodiesel,... | <urn:uuid:daaad0b9-fb27-4829-90f7-e0932da618da> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.iptv.org/mtom/stories.cfm/tag/RFS | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00016-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.950819 | 207 | 1.789063 | 2 |
If I could have looked into a crystal ball when I was a child, I would have seen that I would one day start my OWN company.
My own company? Me? Wow! You go girl!
The younger version of me would think, “That’s what a business owner in the year 2013 looks like? Where’s the business suit? The fireplace in your office and the fancy bar? The limo waiting outside? That’s not very glamorous.”
No, being a business owner isn’t the most glamorous life — at least not for me. Most people think I’m a stay-at-home mom (and I am that too) — but they don’t realize that I’m raising a business at the same time. In their defense, I don’t get them many clues. I don’t “look” the part.
But business owners, especially these days, come in all shapes and sizes. Some wear jeans while others wear suits. Some drive BMWs while others drive minivans. Some make millions while others make thousands.
Despite the differences in our outward appearances, we have many similarities.
- We are self-driven people who want to make our mark in this world.
- We have really good days — and really bad days.
- We are independent — and we value our independence greatly.
- We like to learn, but can be stubborn about seeing our own vulnerabilities sometimes.
- We are disciplined — work now and play later.
- We are daring. Starting a business is pretty scary stuff!
- We seek fulfillment more than money (but money is a close second!).
- We are hard workers.
- We start off thinking we know everything, but soon realize that we don’t know everything and once we start to lean on other people, our businesses really take off.
- We would rather eat nails than work for someone else! | <urn:uuid:569927b7-a8f2-40e3-afc9-49a3501918f8> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.enmast.com/2013/02/business-owner/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00009-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.954963 | 411 | 1.554688 | 2 |
ALABAMA FOOD PRICES REBOUND IN MAY
MONTGOMERY, Ala. - After falling sharply last month, Alabama food prices rebounded in May, spurred by double-digit increases for bacon, steaks and butter. According to the Alabama Farmers Federation's monthly food price survey, the average cost of 20 basic market basket items was $52.18 the first week of May, up $1.21 or 2.4 percent from April.
Declining meat production contributed to higher prices as farmers reduced their herd sizes following several unprofitable months, a trend that is likely to continue into 2010 according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's latest meat and poultry outlook. In Alabama supermarkets, shoppers could find bargains at the meat case, but spikes in the prices of bacon and T-bone steaks more than offset savings on other cuts. On average, bacon was up 32 cents a pound to $4.18, and steaks jumped 57 cents to $8.41 a pound. Boston butts also were up 6 cents to $1.67 a pound, but pork chops were down 35 cents to $3 a pound. Other value items included ground beef at $2.34 a pound, down 10 cents, and chuck roasts at $3.21 a pound, down 12 cents. Poultry prices were mixed with whole fryers averaging $1.20 a pound, down 5 cents, while chicken breasts were up 7 cents to $2.21 a pound. Eggs were down 13 cents to $1.36 a dozen.
On the produce aisle, tomatoes posted the biggest increase at $1.67 a pound, up 24 cents. Meanwhile, red potatoes were unchanged at 89 cents a pound; lettuce was up a penny to $1.40 a head, and sweet potatoes were up 6 cents to 90 cents a pound.
In the dairy case, prices were basically unchanged except for butter, which rebounded sharply after an advertised sale by a major retailer skewed the average price in April. The average price of a half-gallon of milk held steady at $2.80, and a half-gallon of brand-name ice cream was up 2 cents to $3.95. Cottage cheese was up 7 cents to $2.74 a pound, and butter was back up 44 cents to $3.53 a pound.
Regional reports collected by volunteer shoppers throughout the state showed the market basket averaged $50.06 in northeast Alabama, $51.77 in the northwest corner of the state, $53.47 in south Alabama and $53.96 in the central counties.
Alabama Farmers Federation, a member of the American Farm Bureau Federation, conducts the informal monthly market basket survey as a tool to reflect retail food price trends. According to USDA, farmers and ranchers receive only 19 cents of every retail dollar spent on food. In 1980, farmers received 31 cents. | <urn:uuid:9cfc2bdf-810e-45e4-a335-a241ab50f1f0> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.alfafarmers.org/headlines/headline.phtml?id=5546 | 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 | 0.970941 | 596 | 1.539063 | 2 |
It's all happening out there.
First, this year's Nobel prize winnder for literature, Mo Yan, declined to sign a petition -- endorsed by more than 130 other Nobel laureates -- asking for the release of Liu Xiaobo, the 2010 Nobel Peace laureate. Mr Xiabao was sentenced to 11 years in prison back in 2009 for criticizing the Chinese government and calling for greater openness.
In a press conference in Stockholm a few days back, Mr Yan said while censorship should not stand in the way of the truth, defamation and rumours "should be censored."
"But," he added, "I also hope that censorship, per se, should have the highest principle".
"When I was taking my flight, going through the customs ... they also wanted to check me even taking off my belt and shoes. But I think these checks are necessary."
Refusing to elaborate further on the case of Liu, Mr Yan directed reporters to the comments he made shortly after winning the prize, when he said he hoped Liu would be freed, but said he had no plans to sign a petition calling for the activist's release. "I have always been independent. I like it that way. When someone forces me to do something, I don't do it," he said.
Mr Yan went on the expand on this theme in his Nobel lecture as well:
My greatest challenges come with writing novels that deal with social realities, such as The Garlic Ballads, not because I’m afraid of being openly critical of the darker aspects of society, but because heated emotions and anger allow politics to suppress literature and transform a novel into reportage of a social event. As a member of society, a novelist is entitled to his own stance and viewpoint; but when he is writing he must take a humanistic stance, and write accordingly. Only then can literature not just originate in events, but transcend them, not just show concern for politics but be greater than politics.
Possibly because I’ve lived so much of my life in difficult circumstances, I think I have a more profound understanding of life. I know what real courage is, and I understand true compassion. I know that nebulous terrain exists in the hearts and minds of every person, terrain that cannot be adequately characterized in simple terms of right and wrong or good and bad, and this vast territory is where a writer gives free rein to his talent. So long as the work correctly and vividly describes this nebulous, massively contradictory terrain, it will inevitably transcend politics and be endowed with literary excellence.
Salman Rushdie responded to Mr Yan's remarks on his Facebook page:
“This really is too bad. He defends censorship and won’t sign the petition asking for the freedom of his fellow Nobelist Liu Xiaobo. Hard to avoid the conclusion that Mo Yan is the Chinese equivalent of the Soviet Russian apparatchik writer Mikhail Sholokhov: a patsy of the régime.”
Soon thereafter, Pankaj Mishra too joined the fray. Writing in the Guardian on why Salman Rushdie should pause before condemning Mo Yan on censorship:
The possibility of friction with either the authoritarian state or non-state actors (political and religious extremists) often makes for a degree of self-censorship. At the same time, the need for obliqueness can also make the literary imagination more resourceful.
Such is the case with Mo Yan's deeply interesting fiction. His writing, however, has hardly been mentioned, let alone assessed, by his most severe western critics; it is his political choices for which he stands condemned. They are indeed deplorable, but do we ever expose the political preferences of Mo Yan's counterparts in the west to such harsh scrutiny?
In fact, we almost never judge British and American writers on their politics alone. It would seem absurd to us if the Somali, Yemeni or Pakistani victims of Barack Obama's drone assaults, miraculously empowered with a voice in the international arena, accused the US president's many literary fans of trying to put a human face on his unmanned killing machines; or if they denounced Ian McEwan, who once had tea with Laura Bush and Cherie Blair at 10 Downing Street, as a patsy for the Anglo-American nexus that is responsible for the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people and the displacement of millions more.
Nevertheless, they would not be wrong to detect an unexamined assumption lurking in the western scorn for Mo Yan's proximity to the Chinese regime: that Anglo-American writers, naturally possessed of loftier virtue, stand along with their governments on the right side of history. Certainly, they are not expected to take a public stance against their political class for waging catastrophic – and wholly unnecessary – wars. In fact, very few of them use their untrammelled liberty to do so. Many even pride themselves on their "apolitical" attitude. Furthermore, their political opinions risk no widespread opprobrium even when these mock the same values of freedom and dignity that Mo Yan is evidently guilty of violating.
Mr Rushdie has now responded with a letter to the Guardian which he announced on Twitter as follows:
For the record, the full text of Mr Rushdie's letter to the Guardian: Satanic view that equates democracies and dictatorships:
Pankaj Mishra (Why Salman Rushdie should pause before condemning Mo Yan on censorship, Review, 15 December) makes a series of confused, dishonest and wrong-headed assertions. He misreads John Updike's "blue mailboxes" speech at the Pen congress of 1986. Updike was not talking selfishly about sending away his writing and receiving cheques in return. He was using the mailboxes as a metaphor of the easy, free exchange of ideas and information in an open society. One presumes Mishra is in favour of such a society.
He also misrepresents me. I have never made the claim that the Bush administration was resolved "to bring democracy through war in Afghanistan". I did say that, in the immediate aftermath of the 9/11 attacks, the reprisal attack against the al-Qaida-Taliban axis was justifiable, not to "bring democracy", but to respond to an act of war. In Afghanistan a terrorist group had taken over the levers of a nation state and used that state as a base from which to attack the United States. For all I know, Mishra may feel that instead of fighting back, America should have apologized to al-Qaida for its foreign policy misdeeds and accepted that those killed in the Trade Centre towers deserved to die. I do not accuse him of that. Neither should he accuse me of what I did not say.
But Mishra has stranger fish to fry. Not content with attacking Nabokov, Bellow, Updike, Martin Amis and myself for "selective humanism", he states: "Of course, violence and exploitation underpin all nation states, democratic or not." This – what shall I call it? – this satanic view of human society as invariably founded upon evil is his reason for proposing the existence of a moral equivalence between powerful democracies and powerful tyrannies, and between writers' responses to living in free and unfree societies. People like me should not criticise people like the craven Chinese Nobelist Mo Yan, because, for failing to condemn our own "powerful institutions and individuals", we are patsies too. But democracies are not tyrannies, and responses to the two cannot be this simply equated. Anyway, writers in free societies do constantly criticise the powerful, and are not simply the docile careerists Mishra says we are. When I was president of Pen American Centre I led that organisation in its constant critiques of the Iraq war, Abu Ghraib, Guantanamo Bay and the Patriot Act.
As to the question of Chinese Nobel laureates: I have long been associated with Pen's efforts on behalf of the imprisoned peace prize laureate Liu Xiaobo and it is not for Mishra to tell me not to criticise the literature laureate Mo Yan for refusing to support him. Mo Yan defended censorship in Stockholm by comparing it to airport security. Airport security exists to guard us against terrorist attacks. Thus Mo Yan was making a moral equivalence between dissident literature and terrorism. That was and is objectionable, and I do not hesitate to condemn it.
Mr Rushdie is no stranger to the Guardian's letters pages. His infamous fatwa-feud with John le Carre, which the two apparently patched up recently, was also carried out on the pages of the Guardian 15 years back.
Mr Rushdie and Mr Mishra also go back a long way. In 1999, Mr Mishra wrote a review of Mr Rushdie's book, The Ground Beneath her Feet (Anatomy of an Anti-Novel): "Fatuous aphorisms, rehashed tabloid gossip and a self-important voice-Salman Rushdie's new novel just can't find the ground beneath its feet," wrote Mr Mishra then, calling it "a garish collage of tabloid headlines." Mishra had accused Rushdie of cheaply imitating Gunter Grass and Garcia Marquez.
"With its banal obsessions and empty bombast, its pseudo-characters and non-events, its fundamental shapelessness and incoherence, it does little more than echo the great noise of the modern world; and in doing so it not only ceases to be literature but invites scrutiny as an alarming new kind of anti-literature."
When asked about it, Mr Rushdie had then responded,
"I've never met him. I don't know him, but I've heard that he has this animus, and fair enough. There's always some young punk... "
The two have since continued to spar and snipe at each other intermittently. As recently as this September, while reviewng Mr Rushdie's memoir, Joseph Anton, Mr Mishra wrote, inter alia:
A peevish righteousness comes to pervade the memoir as Rushdie routinely and often repetitively censures those who criticised or disagreed with him... Not just individuals, entire countries, even races are judged, and frequently found wanting...
One would respect Rushdie's wish to decline close scrutiny of a radioactive history and politics that have caused him so much distress. But he is too invested in his self-image as an unpopular "Cassandra for his own time". Back in 1989, he claims, "nobody wanted to know what he knew" – that a "self-exculpatory, paranoiac Islam is an ideology with widespread appeal" – and we didn't get this even after the terrorist attacks on 9/11, which, among other things, vindicated his critically ill-treated but evidently prophetic novel Fury.
"Of course this is 'about Islam'," Rushdie quickly retorted in a New York Times op-ed to those who argued that 9/11 "isn't about Islam", or like Susan Sontag, a loyal friend and supporter, described the attacks as "a consequence of specific American alliances and actions", such as the support of Saudi Arabia and fundamentalists in Afghanistan. According to him, "the restoration of religion to the sphere of the personal, its depoliticisation, is the nettle that all Muslim societies must grasp in order to become modern."
This French-style secularisation was and remains a tall order – even in the United States and much of Christian Europe. In the meantime, Rushdie seemed content to endorse the Anglo-American assault on Afghanistan, and, claiming that another "war of liberation might just be one worth fighting", hailed the CIA-sponsored conman Ahmad Chalabi as "the most likely first leader of a democratised Iraq". | <urn:uuid:e7cb2f36-a1fd-43d0-8664-02500b62bcc9> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://blogs.outlookindia.com/default.aspx?ddm=10&eid=31&pid=2924 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00003-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.96925 | 2,404 | 1.804688 | 2 |
As more and more people pursue advanced degrees, a bachelor’s degree from a four-year college may only be worth what a high school diploma was in the past. Many jobs now require an advanced degree and, regardless of the path you choose, you’ll still need to take the GMAT to get into a good graduate school.
The GMAT. or Graduate Management Admission Test, contains an Analytical Writing Section, a Quantitative Section, and a Verbal Section, and if you're not familiar with the exam's structure, you can find yourself easily challenged and often frustrated. While you can attempt to take the exam without GMAT prep tutoring by employing books, pre-tests and educational materials you find online, you may still find yourself struggling to master the skills necessary to tackle the
test. This is where the benefits of a TakeLessons tutor come in.
What to Expect With TakeLessons
Private tutoring can lead to a better score. It can be an intense and worrisome process to sit at a computer all day and try to work through complicated questions and procedures, but it will be a lot easier if you have a friendly and knowledgeable tutor at your side.
Still not convinced that GMAT prep tutoring is for you? Check out these amazing benefits:
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Set yourself up for success by connecting with a TakeLessons Certified GMAT tutor today! | <urn:uuid:0fd27ad3-a970-4093-bbb3-4151a6a0663d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://takelessons.com/tutor/gmat-lessons | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00009-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.932803 | 370 | 1.539063 | 2 |
MOTION CONTROL: OMEGA’s new CE compliant TRCN440 series turbidity analyzers are available in three models. The TRCN441 is designed for medium to high turbidity ranges, the TRCN442 targets lower turbidity ranges ideally from 10 to 100 NTU and is ideal for applications in the beverage industry, mining and water treatment. Lastly, the TRCN443 is specifically designed for ultra low turbidity readings below 10 NTU for applications like drinking water and pure water. All models are compact in design, are light weight with the NEMA 4X (IP67), and include local indication, transmitter outputs and control outputs. Price starts at $2,450
We looked at a number of sources to determine this year's greenest cars, from KBB to automotive trade magazines to environmental organizations. These 14 cars emerged as being great at either stretching fuel or reducing carbon footprint.
A quick look into the merger of two powerhouse 3D printing OEMs and the new leader in rapid prototyping solutions, Stratasys. The industrial revolution is now led by 3D printing and engineers are given the opportunity to fully maximize their design capabilities, reduce their time-to-market and functionally test prototypes cheaper, faster and easier. Bruce Bradshaw, Director of Marketing in North America, will explore the large product offering and variety of materials that will help CAD designers articulate their product design with actual, physical prototypes. This broadcast will dive deep into technical information including application specific stories from real world customers and their experiences with 3D printing. 3D Printing is | <urn:uuid:776e8b9c-20bc-426e-92d5-e89ee526a2a9> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.designnews.com/author.asp?section_id=1386&doc_id=210995 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.934623 | 319 | 1.539063 | 2 |
Furnishing Your First Kitchen
Learn what the necessities are when furnishing your first kitchen.
Most everyone will have to set up his or her first home eventually. It's expensive and you do without a lot of things in the beginning. For most people, the kitchen is the heart of the home and setting up that first kitchen takes quite a bit.
Knowing what you need is one of the first challenges. There are so many kitchen gadgets and doodads that choosing can be a chore. It's best to start with the basics. We'll assume that your new home has a stove and refrigerator. Anyone can get started with just these few things:
+ Set of knives and a cutting board You'll want a paring knife, a boning knife, a bread knife and a chef's knife to begin with. Buy the best quality knives you can. You're less likely to cut yourself with a sharp knife than a dull one. When choosing a cutting board, try to get a wooden one. At one time, health experts were recommending acrylic thinking they were more sanitary but recent tests show that a wooden one is easier to sterilize than an acrylic one.
+ A set of basic cooking utensils This should include a large cooking spoon, a large slotted spoon, a meat fork, a pair of tongs, a set of rubber spatulas, a nylon spatula for non-stick cookware and a metal one for cast iron or other cookware. A set of dry measure cups and measuring spoons, a large glass liquid measure, a can opener, a vegetable peeler, potato masher, grater, set of wooden spoons and a corkscrew are also recommended.
+ A set of mixing bowls and a set of plastic food storage bowls will be necessary If you can, buy stainless steel mixing bowls, they will last much longer than plastic ones.
+ Buy the best set of cookware that you can You will want at least the basics; a five-quart Dutch oven (large pot with a lid), a two-quart saucepan with a lid, a one-quart saucepan, a frying pan and a large roasting pan if you plan to cook turkeys or hams. A set of cast iron skillets is also very nice to have.
+ You will want some basic bakeware This would include a 13x9 pan, 2 8x8 cake pans (either round or square), a loaf pan, a cookie sheet and a jellyroll pan, a pie plate, a cooling rack and a springform pan if you plan to make cheesecakes. A glass casserole dish with a cover would be handy, too.
+ You'll need a set of dishes Try to get a service for eight, even if you don't need to serve that many people. You'Æll be glad for the extra dishes.
+ A set of silverware is also a necessity. A service for 12 will be your best choice, as silverware gets used frequently throughout the day. Get a set of steak knives, too.
+ A set of glassware and coffee mugs will be welcome If you drink wine or liqueurs, you'll want a set of stemware as well.
+ You will want a few small appliances An electric mixer, a blender, a toaster and a coffeemaker will satisfy most in the beginning. If you can manage it, a small, inexpensive microwave oven will be welcome.
+ You will need a set of dishtowels, hot pads, dishcloths and a trivet A scrub brush for scrubbing dishes is handy, too. Add a garbage can, broom, dustpan, bucket and mop and you're set!
You will save a considerable amount of money if you can shop for these things over time. By taking advantage of dollar sales, clearance sales, sidewalk sales and white sales, you'll save about 40%-50% off the retail price of most of these items. The old hope chest idea was a good one.
Parents ought to consider starting such a chest for their older teens. Birthdays and other gift giving occasions are a great time to start tucking away some of the more expensive items on the list. They may not appreciate it at first, but when they move into that first apartment, they surely will. | <urn:uuid:bf2585a6-96c1-4453-946b-beb54f52f395> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://allsands.com/home/decorating/home/decorating/furnishingakit_bbh_gn.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00009-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.954889 | 889 | 1.820313 | 2 |
This scenic and remote primitive road is a popular subalpine route into the Wheeler Geologic Area. While the road is relatively level (540 feet difference between its lowest and highest points), it is rough, roundabout, and very slow, with much of the roadbed made up of embedded rocks.
A round trip takes an average of 7 to 7 1/2 hours not including time to walk to and explore Wheeler Geologic Area itself. Leave early, to allow yourself sufficient time for the trip, and time to explore, take pictures, etc. Leaving Creede between 7 a.m. and 8 a.m. should allow you enough time, with arrival back in Creede between 6 p.m. and 7 p.m.
Wheeler Geologic Road # 600 (4-wheel drive) begins at Hanson's Mill at the end of the improved graveled Pool Table Road # 600. An old sawdust pile is the only remains of where the mill once stood. The area adjacent to Hanson's Mill is flat and is suitable for undeveloped camping and picnicking. The only facility provided here is a pit toilet.
From here, the 4-wheel drive road is well-signed and marked with white arrows. All 4-wheel drive travel is restricted to the marked road only, with the exception that you may drive off the road for up to 300 feet to gain access to suitable undeveloped campsites along the route. You should stop by any Forest Service Office and obtain a Travel Map if you have questions concerning travel restrictions.
The road climbs from Hanson's Mill through spruce/fir for 0.4 mile to a road junction. The left fork is not the 4-wheel drive route to Wheeler but can be driven for a little over 1 mile where it dead-ends just before East Bellows Creek. From this point, the route continues as a trail (foot, horse, and trail bike only) for 5.7 miles to the Wheeler Geologic Area. This trail is part of the old Alder Creek Stock Driveway, which today is Trail #790 on your Rio Grande Forest map. (The map is in error showing this as a 4-wheel drive route). There is limited parking for 3 to 4 vehicles at the end of this spur road.
If you prefer hiking, and are in good physical condition, you can probably walk to Wheeler faster than driving a 4-wheel drive vehicle the 14 miles to Wheeler via the jeep road. If you plan to drive into Wheeler; however, go straight at the road junction rather than following this left fork of the road. The junction is well-signed.
From this junction, the Pool Table Road #600 travels northeast, gently climbing 360 feet in elevation over the next 3.9 miles. The first 3 miles of this section of road continues through spruce/fir and then breaks into the open to follow the tree line on the right until the road swings northwest and crosses East Bellows Creek.
From this point to within 1.5 miles of its end, the road traverses primarily through open subalpine country. Just up the hill from the East Bellows Creek crossing, the road turns northwest and is relatively level for the next 2.6 miles, except where the road crosses Trujillo Creek and the Canyon Fernandez drainage. From the Canyon Fernandez drainage, the road drops about 540 feet over the next 2.5 miles to the Canyon Nieve drainage. This portion of road swings from a southwest direction to northwest. The road then continues to the west, climbs 460 feet over the next 1.2 miles, and then levels out for approximately 1.6 miles to where Trail #790 joins the road.
The next mile of road/trail drops 360 feet in elevation through spruce/fir trees. This section is narrow and twists its way through the trees. The lower part of this section (which is only about 3/4 mile from the end of the road) is often muddy and rutted, making maneuverability difficult because of the tight squeeze through the trees. The slippery rutted conditions usually force vehicle wheels to follow the existing ruts. This section requires some driving skills to successfully negotiate when wet. Larger vehicles have an even more difficult time through this section.
The final half-mile of road breaks back out into a small park and dead-ends at the fence marking the end of the road and the boundary of the Geologic Area. This is as far as motor vehicles are allowed. From this point a foot and/or hose trail continues approximately 0.6 mile on to the formations.
Even though the trip is rough and slow, the subalpine scenery is beautiful and more than makes up for the trip. If lucky, elk and deer may be seen on occasion. Coyotes are not uncommon. Gray jays ("Camp Robbers") are plentiful, especially at the end of the road near Wheeler. If you have patience, you can usually have these friendly birds eat out of you hand. | <urn:uuid:31623edc-66ea-4af0-af4f-e61ff39db435> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://activities.wildernet.com/pages/activity.cfm?actid=020905IO*475mb&areaid=COALAM&rectype=Mountain%20Biking&startrecord=59&fromPage=summary&CU_ID=1 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00009-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.949634 | 1,023 | 1.703125 | 2 |
Twisting & Betrayalby Anituel
Twisting & Betrayalby Anituel
"The definition of a religious ceremony is an act of ritual magic that doesn't work."
What's this crap, then?
Who is this joker?
I've got a number of articles planned for the near future, some to be used for good, and some for eee-vil. In this article, I'll be tackling the facts about witchcraft, and some ways you might like to use it in your games (fantasy, horror and historical). If you have a particular system of magic, aspect of occult thought, or any such thing you'd like to see analysed for your games, go ahead and drop me a line at email@example.com. You can also stop on by my blog at http://www.livejournal.com/users/fraterachdae/ to read all of my various insane ramblings.
Twisting & Betrayal
In today's article, I'd like to give you some facts about historical witchcraft, and some ideas on how to incorporate it into your game. In a future article, I'll do something similar for the modern religion of Wicca, which is loosely based on witchcraft. Let's get this party started.
What's a witch?
Historically, witchcraft was a method of magic found in Europe (though parallels can be seen in various cultures across the world; more on some of these will be forthcoming in future articles) which relied mostly upon natural objects, and tools commonly found around the house. Thus herbs, seeds, stones, pine cones, brooms, knives, sickles and the fireplace were common tools in witchcraft.
This form of magic centers around what anthropologists (and, now, many magicians) call 'sympathy'. Sympathy, or 'sympathetic magic', runs on the principle that physical objects can be connected in meaningful ways through either physical contact, similarity or metaphor. Thus, a pine cone which has not yet released its seeds might be a symbol of a woman's ovaries for a fertility spell, while a broom could be a phallic symbol due to its appearance, or a symbol of cleansing and purity due to its actual purpose. Additionally, a piece of a person's clothing, jewelry or body is still thought to be connected to that person via sympathy.
Sympathetic magic can be a dramatic element in any game, but especially in horror or realistic (but still magical) game worlds. Imagine the suspense of villains getting hold of a PC's hair, and the PC group having to track them down, all the while fearing possible magical attack with it. Additionally, PC investigators might explore a magical laboratory or temple, trying to piece-together what magic was being made there based on the possible metaphor built into all of the implements left in the magical circle in the middle. Just like in Dungeons & Dragons, PCs themselves could start whole adventures by journeying to find spell components, or trying to get the blood of an enemy to use in binding that villain's magical power so that once capture, he can't use his magic to escape again.
Witchcraft & Religion
For many centuries after the rise of Christianity in Europe, most commoners still practiced some form of their older pagan religion, and had not yet converted to the dominant aristocratic faith. Thus it is often thought that witchcraft is a holdover from those older pagan traditions. This theory neglects the fact that magic of this sort is older than paganism, going straight back to the dawn of pre-religious shamanism all over the world, as well as the fact that in pre-Christian Greek and Roman society, as well as many Norse, Germanic and Celtic clans, magic was illegal except to a very specific group of high initiates in mystery religions such as the Runemasters, Druids and Dionysians.
Witchcraft's place in society
Of course, the aristocracy and the Catholic priesthood (and please note that I'm not attacking the Roman Catholic Church with any of this history; the Church has definitely grown since these days!) didn't really appreciate the common person's community sorcerors. To them, it undermined their political power, and empowered the peasantry dangerously, whether in truth or only in psychology was of no consequence. Most witches likely didn't think of themselves as being revolutionaries or countercultural agents, but that's the role many of them played nonetheless.
Witches in your game
On a more local level, what about those few who do abuse their magical powers and their local clout by extorting their fellow peasants, threatening to curse them, and so forth? A trusted member of the community, apart form any religious or political station, is whittling away at the safety and sanity of an entire town or village. If we combine these two dramatic situations into a single campaign, imagine the conflict of deciding whether to bring in the tyranical authorities to do away with the abusive wise-man, or to try to undermine their own culture by doing away with the witch themselves, not to mention the fear of dealing with the witch's (real or imagined) formidable power. If the witch's place in society, and the fear of the tyranical church and nobles, are well-established in the game-world this can create quite a connundrum for the PCs to solve.
Let's bring it down to a personal level. Could a player have a witch as a PC? If you allow it in your campaign, why not? Let's just remember their knowledge, abilities and importance to a community. If in a fantasy world, witches might not have as much raw magical knowledge and power as wizards and other focused magicians, but they'll certainly have enough other skills to make up for it. The Hedge Wizard occupation in Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay, or the Psychic Healer class in Palladium Fantasy Roleplaying Game are perfect examples. Not only do they have the magical (or psychic) ability to treat injuries and illnesses (and more, in the Hedge Wizard's case), they also have plenty of skill in herbalism, poison-making (and curing) and quite possibly some other practical trade, such as tool-making or even proficiency in a few small weapons. Additionally, witches would have a lot of knowledge about the geography and history (and/or folklore) about the local area immediately surrounding their home village. Thus a witch can be a fairly well-rounded adventuring character, if designed properly, or a very effective healer and guide if skills are chosen specifically in this direction.
In a non-magical setting, witches would still have the benefit of their herbal, historical, folklore and geographical skills, as well as a psychological edge due to their own belief in their magic, and the beliefs of those around them in their potential power. This allows them a place, at least, as a mysterious and helpful NPC.
Where do warlocks come in?
Probably due to the political need to put-down magical practice of any sort in the common people, the Church began using the term to refer to witches and other magic-workers. The rationale, such as it is, was that by doing these heretical things the magician had betrayed God and Christ.
If we are to use 'warlock' as a term for a magician of any sort, then, it could be used in a fantasy setting to refer to any magician who is not affiliated with the religious orthodoxy, or perhaps one who has betrayed his or her magical order or guild.
In a darker, more realistic, or horrific setting, a warlock might be a person who has become something slightly other than human (or seems to have, if in a non-magical setting) by practicing magic not condoned by the dominant God(s) of the 'good' religion in the world. Slightly, but bizarrely, mutated necromancers or chaos sorcerors (especially as seen in the Warhammer setting, for example) are great examples of this character type. In a grim heroic game, these make perfect villains behind the scenes, and can make good tragic heroes in psychological games (Vampire and Mage).
The medieval Church's witch
In a fantasy or dark medieval world, an evil cult could easily form around such a performance, and perhaps some of the more 'devout' amongst them could even have some interesting magical or psychic powers (or perhaps awakened from their latency) as a result.
Stay tuned, 'cause next time I'm going to be discussing Voodoo and Hoodoo, and their many dramatic possibilities in modern and gas-light roleplaying games.
May you live in interesting times, | <urn:uuid:35e92757-fccb-424f-be26-478bda8ccf41> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.rpg.net/news+reviews/columns/grimoire13jan05.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00002-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.96366 | 1,773 | 1.726563 | 2 |
I’ve been fascinated by the response to the news that Alcon Entertainment, best known for bringing us The Blind Side, has secured TV and film rights to Blade Runner, a move that would allow them to do “anything” with the original movie. While executives from Alcon have wisely ruled out the possibility of remaking Blade Runner, they have stated their intentions of making sequels and possibly a prequel to the 1982 film, which has become a cult favorite (and film studies staple) after starting out as a box office failure. Like many of my film studies colleagues, I expressed my share of righteous indignation about Alcon’s plans–I think I compared the idea to Highlander 2–but, upon further reflection, I think it’s worth asking why announcements about possible sequels for Blade Runner could arouse such immediate and vitriolic opposition. I’m not defending Alcon, much less suggesting that a sequel or a prequel would be a good thing, but I wonder if the reaction to the news tells us something about our engagement with movies, and particularly a text that has such a thorny production and reception history as Blade Runner.
First, there are some interesting chronological aspects that introduce a number of logistical problems when it comes to adding to the Blade Runner universe. I’ve taught Blade Runner for years, and as the 2019 date of the film’s setting fast approaches, my students have become increasingly bemused by the distinction between the world of the film and the “actual” 2019 they envision. No flying cars yet, and no replicants, though robots are becoming increasingly realistic. No “uncanny valley” to unsettle our definitions of what it means to be human. Any prequel would have to reach theaters quickly, unless it was to be set in the past. But that’s a relatively trivial concern, and given some of the effects in Tron: Legacy, it would likely be possible for some of the original actors to reprise their roles, playing characters even younger than those that appeared in the original 1982 film (I imagine Sean Young is calling her agent now).
More crucially, a sequel to Blade Runner potentially changes its status as a “cult” text and threatens to turn the film into what Cinematical’s Jacob Hall calls, “just another popular commodity, ready to be used and abused by the powers that be.” The film is transformed, Hall and others imply, from a work of art into something that can be damaged by being relaunched as a transmedia franchise. Sean O’Neil at the Onion AV Club echoes this thesis when he points out that Blade Runner sequels were “inevitable” once another sequel to an 80s cult film, Tron: Legacy, reached $100 million at the box office. Of course, despite Blade Runner’s box office failure, the film is, without doubt, already an aggressively commodified media product. There are at least two video games (though none of them appear to be recent) that retell aspects of the movie and several different DVD versions of the film, including the original theatrical release, the director’s cut (which, when it appeared on VHS in the 1980s, helped to revive the film’s critical reputation), two different Collector’s Editions, and the two-disc “Final Cut.” Although the film failed as a theatrical franchise, it is a powerful domestic media franchise, one that has been aggressively marketed, in part through the ability of DVD to make multiple editions of the film easily accessible.
These multiple editions of Blade Runner–one of the collector’s editions of contains at least five different versions of the film–introduce multiple problems when it comes to any sequel. These different editions of the film, although they only contain slight variations, have profoundly different implications for some of Blade Runner’s thorniest questions. What is the fate of Rachael, the benign replicant, and Rick Deckard at the end of the film? Is Deckard a replicant? It depends, in part, on what version of the film you’re watching. A similar, though only mildly relevant problem (raised by The Guardian’s Ben Child), is the fact that Philip K. Dick never wrote a sequel to the original novel, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, on which Blade Runner is based. Of course, given the degree to which Blade Runner departs from Dick’s novel, that’s probably not a major concern. As it stands, Blade Runner reveals much about the collaborative nature of film production. It builds on Dick’s novel, sure, but it’s also the product of Ridley Scott’s direction and, just as importantly, the visual effects of Syd Mead, complicating any efforts to remain faithful to any artist’s “vision” for the text. For some good discussion of these issues, check out the collection of essays on Blade Runner edited by Will Brooker, including Jonathan Gray’s discussion of Blade Runner as a “replicant text.”
To be fair, it is difficult to underestimate what gets lost when a sequel “answers” many of the film’s unanswered questions, and I am sympathetic to the critics who have worried that a sequel will force us to re-evaluate our perception of the original film. My students have spent entire class periods debating Deckard’s status, citing key scenes to underscore their interpretations. Any answer to these questions risks undermining some of these strategic ambiguities. Of course, if the film sucks, we can try to pretend it never happened and continue to study and appreciate the original, but in a way, I think that risks suffocating the original, putting it in a plastic case where it turns into a mere object of contemplation, not a living text that continues to evolve as our own histories change. I think it also risks idealizing what is, in many ways, a flawed film, especially in its phobic depiction of Asians and other diverse cultures. In fact, given the trend toward more antiseptic depictions of a future devoid of racial and ethnic conflict, it will be interesting to see how a sequel handles those more problematic aspects of the original.
To be sure, the response to this news is, to some extent, a naturalized response to any announcement of a sequel to or remake of a film that is regarded as a classic. We are all protective of the films we love, as evidenced by my unwillingness to acknowledge the Karate Kid remake. But given Blade Runner’s incredibly convoluted textual history, I’ll be fascinated to see how the efforts to expand the text play out. | <urn:uuid:1df77d30-fe4a-49df-9caa-aa0b12f10da7> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.chutry.wordherders.net/wp/?m=201103 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00008-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.952898 | 1,396 | 1.648438 | 2 |
This month's blog is from guest blogger Ben Howard. I recently met Ben and began reading his blogs. He has a contemporary style that speaks to the current issues in our lives. Here is one if his recent blogs:
If you have lived in America for the past two decades you have almost certainly been enjoined to take care. Among contemporary American expressions, that benign valediction ranks with Have a nice day in frequency of use, and it is often used in much the same way. What we are supposed to take care of is left unspecified, but that is beside the point. Take care of everything, the phrase might well be saying, until we meet again.
Zen teachings also admonish us to take care. In her book Mindfully Green, the environmentalist Stephanie Kaza provides a vivid example:
In Zen kitchens, students are trained in what is called “knife practice,” that is, how to take care of knives properly. First, this means noticing the properties of the knife while you are using it—its weight, its sharp edge, the way it feels in the hand, how it cuts. Then, when you’re done with the knife, it means washing and drying it immediately and putting it back in the chopping block to keep the knife safe. Doing this practice faithfully changes your relationship with knives. You are practicing caretaking as an investment in the well-being of things. This is the opposite of consuming things until they are gone. *
As here described, “knife practice” exemplifies conservation and ecological awareness. Taking care of our kitchen knives, we also take care of the planet Earth.
Knife practice is but one instance of samu, or work practice, which is as integral to Zen as sitting meditation. In Zen centers and monasteries, residents and guests alike devote at least an hour a day to caretaking: to scrubbing steps, cleaning bathrooms, chopping vegetables, and other mundane chores. As a practical matter, these daily labors keep the zendo clean and running smoothly. Beyond that, they train Zen students to “lower the mast of the ego,” respect the humblest pot or pail, and concentrate on one thing at a time. Performed in silence and with full awareness, work practice prompts the practitioner to examine conventional notions of low and high, menial and exalted labor. And as an embodiment of an ethic, it extends beyond the zendo into domestic life, where the same principle may be applied to the care of a house or garden, bicycle or car.
The ethical principle of “taking care” also extends beyond the care of material objects. Broadly interpreted, it includes the care of one’s body, mind, and heart, moment by moment, through the practice of meditation. Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh puts it this way:
To meditate means to go home to yourself. Then you know how to take care of the things that are happening inside you, and you know how to take care of the things that are happening around you. All meditation exercises are aimed at bringing you back to your true home, to yourself. Without restoring your peace and calm and helping the world restore peace and calm, you cannot go very far in the practice.**
In keeping with this admonition, Thich Nhat Hanh directs us to bring awareness to the parts of our bodies, moving systematically from the eyes to the lungs to the heart, and so on. In another exercise, we bring awareness to our sensations, noting whether they are pleasant, unpleasant, or neutral. And in another, we attend to our states of mind, including those of anxiety and anger. If we are experiencing the latter, we are urged to take care of it, as a parent might care for a crying child. Rather than vent or suppress our anger, we bring a gentle attention to its presence. By so doing, we allow its energies to disperse or to change into something more constructive.
The wisdom of Zen is not confined to arcane koans or ancient Chinese stories or the cryptic sayings of the masters. It also resides in everyday life—or, in this case, in the commonest of American expressions. So may I suggest that when you hear that expression, you regard it not as an empty cliché but as wise and timely advice. Let it remind you to take care.
*Stephanie Kaza, Mindfully Green: A Personal and Spiritual Guide to Whole Earth Thinking (Shambhala 2008), p. 135.
**Thich Nhat Hanh, “This Is the Buddha’s Love,” an interview with Melvin McLeod, Shambhala Sun (2008), http://www.shambhalasun.com/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=2882.
If you would like to read more of Ben Howard's blogs, please visit One Time, One Meeting.
Thank you for reading,
If you would like to comment on this blog or have any questions, please feel free to contact us.
Share on Facebook | <urn:uuid:83cc04a9-7536-494d-806b-184cf831af3b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.sagemeditation.com/meditation-practice/taking-care.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00006-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.946384 | 1,047 | 1.789063 | 2 |
Get tips on caring for your flat roof. Find out when you should get your flat roof checked out and how often your flat roof may require maintenance.
LESLIE: Richard in Illinois has a question about roofing . What can we do for you today?
RICHARD: Yes, ma’am. I’ve got a home that we just moved into in April and the previous owner had called – it’s a flat roof …
RICHARD: … and there are only about five of these flat roofs in town. The previous owner called it a rubber membrane roof.
RICHARD: And it’s got some kind of a coating over the top of it. It sorta-kinda looks like the stuff that you would reseal a driveway with. And before I would just get something like that and put – you know, like a tar driveway – before I did something like that, I wanted to kind of find out about it but none of the home improvement stores around here could really tell me anything about it. So …
TOM: Well, because it’s more of a commercial product than a residential product. Do you have a leak with it right now or are you just trying to make sure you understand how to take care of it, Rich?
RICHARD: I have no leak right now. Everything is wonderful in it.
TOM: That’s a good thing.
RICHARD: I just want to find out beforehand because he said you should do it every year.
TOM: Well, maybe; maybe not. Now, if it’s a built-up roof – a built-up tar and gravel roof, it’s made up of multiple layers of tar and tar paper with a surface that’s usually gravel; that’s like your standard type of flat-roof installation – you know with that, you really don’t have to seal it every year unless it develops a leak. If it’s a membrane roof – like a rubber membrane – then you almost have to do no maintenance to it, again, unless it develops a leak; which is very, very unusual. So I can’t figure out what exactly the guy is doing every year. If it doesn’t have any kind of a gravel surface, sometimes the flat roofs are painted with something called fibrous aluminum which puts a reflective coating on there and helps reflect some of the UV from the sun and that makes it last a little bit longer. But I would not panic over this unless I’m having a leak.
Is this a roof that you can kind of get up on and take a look at?
RICHARD: Oh, very easily. Yes.
RICHARD: The roof itself, color-wise, is black.
TOM: It’s black, yeah.
TOM: So there’s no cover. And does it look like a rubber membrane?
RICHARD: You can see these squares; these 4x8 squares (inaudible at 0:28:29.6).
TOM: (overlapping voices) OK. Well, you know it sounds like a good roof. I don’t think there’s anything you need to do to it. I don’t know what the guy was selling you every year in terms of maintenance but the flat roof is not leaking; I would just leave well enough alone.
RICHARD: If it’s not broke, don’t fix it.
TOM and LESLIE: Exactly. (Tom chuckles)
RICHARD: (chuckles) OK, thank you very much.
TOM: Alright, Rich. Enjoy it. Thanks so much for calling us at 1-888-MONEY-PIT. | <urn:uuid:fe20365c-3c83-44b4-80cb-cea105fb5e40> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.moneypit.com/print/5162 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00015-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.95554 | 805 | 1.617188 | 2 |
January 25th, 2010
From Green Right Now Reports
While major humanitarian groups continue to need cash donations to pay for food, water and medical supplies for Haiti’s injured and displaced by the earthquake, other relief efforts are now well underway. Many involve getting clothing and personal supplies to Haitians. Americans with clothing and other goods to recycle can direct their gently use wares to Haitian relief, even if they are facing financial constraints themselves .
Here are some of the ways almost anyone can help: | <urn:uuid:43bc1f37-7bb6-4de3-9621-d3accc8267d4> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.greenrightnow.com/rochesterhomepage/tag/scott-nagy/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00008-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.96614 | 101 | 1.601563 | 2 |
The SAAFE Office offers a variety of services for students in regard to their safety.
- We are a crisis center for those who have been sexually assaulted.
- We provide advocacy services for those who have been sexually assaulted.
- We promote and encourage healthy relationships.
- We are a reporting site and resource for those who have been sexually harassed
- We work with students educating on a variety of topics in a facilitative forum
- We sponsor, co-sponsor, and support various events that create awareness in issues regarding sexual misconduct, violence, date rape substances, sexually transmitted infections, and healthy relationships and lifestyles.
The Assistant Director for the SAAFE office is Paula Dranger, MSW, LCSW, LCAC, ACSW. | <urn:uuid:300d25cb-06a8-4a9d-b306-ae7b0503b7f5> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.valpo.edu/counseling/saafe/index.php | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.961521 | 155 | 1.710938 | 2 |
Thanks to its unique structural properties and high oil content, teak has been prized for centuries as a high-quality wood ideal for shipbuilding, décor and outdoor furniture. Dutch shipbuilders were the first to utilize teak in the manufacturing of sailing vessels and many public parks in England are accented with century-old teak benches. Today, the dense wood that is nearly impervious to buckling, splitting and decay is popular for furniture construction.
One of the main reasons it’s used for outdoor furniture is its impressive durability against even the harshest of elements. Teak’s high density helps it to resist moisture rot and fungal decay and its high oil content helps protect against termite and other insect invasions. Teak is also resistant to various chemical agents and it demonstrates little reaction when in contact with metal.
At first glance, teak furnishings may seem more expensive than others but if you factor in its known durability and esthetic appeal, teak definitely delivers an impressive bang for your buck.
Teak furniture is very low maintenance since it can remain outdoors throughout the entire year even without having a protective finish. Unlike plastic furnishings, teak remains solid and doesn’t heat up when under extreme sun exposure and it is less prone to element degradation like other types of wood. Teak furniture is lighter than its iron-made competitors and it doesn’t break or bend easily like some tubular-shaped furniture.
Teak furnishings come in an array of shapes and sizes and though traditionally reserved for use in outdoor spaces, teak is gaining popularity as a viable material for in-home furniture too. Chaise loungers, Muskoka chairs and patio tables are common teak furniture pieces. Teak frames for large umbrellas are also available but aluminum and other metals are equally functional and generally much less expensive.
Although teak endures even the most extreme conditions, it is prone to cosmetic changes when exposed to the sun over long periods. Furniture can lose its natural wood color and become silvery, grey in color. This does not affect the wood’s quality and is essentially cosmetic but a teak sealer can be applied to preserve the natural colors and it also protects against fungicides.
A specially designed teak cleaner that is made up of one part base, like caustic soda and another part acid like phosphoric is available to effectively clean teak. The cleaner can stain patio or painted surfaces. So, do keep this in mind before starting. To use the cleaner, begin by thoroughly wetting the wood and work a small amount of the base solution from the top of the piece to the bottom taking special care not to let the product dry on the wood. Rinse and repeat with the acid solution. After rinsing thoroughly the wood will appear darker but the color will lighten as the wood dries.
Never clean teak with a pressure washer or brush as they can leave the wood surface rough. Steel wool should also be avoided because it can leave rust marks within the wood grains.
Teak outdoor furniture is probably the most common use of this gorgeous wood that you'll see. The reason for this is that teak patio furniture is pretty much weather resistant because of its high natural teak oil content. Not all teaks are equal and you can certainly still find affordable outdoor teak furniture for your garden, patio or deck. However, most people just love the look and feel of teak so much that they use it in their bedroom, bathroom, dining room and in other areas of their home. You can often find reclaimed teakwood on discount during a furniture clearance or sale (they're always going on), so long as you trust the brand of course. Danish and Indonesian teak tend to be the highest quality and you should definitely favor brands like Smith Hawken and Kingsley Bate over no-name brands.
Hands down, teak furniture is the best out there as it combines durability, functionality and beauty. Before purchasing do remember that teak is heavier than plastic or metal furniture. So, remember to double-check that the furnishings are well-constructed with solid brackets and wheels (if included). | <urn:uuid:d90e378d-0028-4eec-ad4c-29003fa47af7> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.teakfurnituredepot.com/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00015-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.960941 | 859 | 1.84375 | 2 |
The recent IAAF World Championships in Daegu threw up plenty of talking points; with the London Olympics looming there was intrigue and anticipation in abundance. All that, however, was rather overshadowed by one jumbo hot topic. Yes folks, it is time for The Journal to throw in its tuppence-worth on the false-start rule.
Indignation was aroused to some extent by the earlier disqualifications of the popular Christine Ohuruogu and (perhaps less-so) Dwain Chambers due to false starts. That was never going to be enough though. In a sport so apparently stubborn as athletics, a campaign to get a ridiculous rule overturned would need a real poster boy; it is fair to say that Usain Bolt more than fills that capacity.
Part of the reason why the older, established false-start rule (each athlete allowed one false start of their own) was changed was the demands of television stations, as some races suffered chronic delays through multiple false starts. But I wonder what the television stations made of a World Championships 100m final with the title-defending, world-record-holding favourite suddenly out of the running – in a race already shorn of so many of this year’s star men, through doping bans and injuries. How great an anti-climax; how loud the sound of millions of televisions flicking the channel over in unison.
In a sporting sense, the current false-start rule has been trumpeted as the solution to gamesmanship. The likes of Steve Cram have come out in support of it for that very reason, with a general ‘rules-are-rules’ tone – dismissing it as part and parcel of the race rather than any serious problem. Quite what an ex-runner of the 1500m knows about exploding out of the blocks is open to speculation, but even though Usain Bolt himself admitted sole responsibility for his false start – calling it “a lesson” – that does not mean that the rule is not harsh.
Walter Dix and Kim Collins – who finished second and third in this 100m final respectively, thus profiting most from Bolt’s absence – lead a not insignificant line of athletes who want the rule changed back. Ultimately, if athletes are determined to try mind games then they will find a way whatever the rules are. We may as well accept that and return to the sanity of a system which doesn’t punish the merest indiscretion with disqualification.
The harshest injustice of all those that this false-start rule has wrought is that nobody is discussing the arrival of another serious contender on the men’s sprint scene, Yohan Blake – a sprint scene never more so than now overflowing with world-class talent. Everyone needs to stop talking rules and start watching the races, but the current false-start rule is hugely obstructive in that respect. | <urn:uuid:ddae9cd1-a2b8-4e9d-815e-435863bb8353> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.journal-online.co.uk/article/7693-on-your-marks-get-set-bananas | 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 | 0.965584 | 588 | 1.835938 | 2 |
The news today from Arkansas's First Congressional District, where I grew up, is that Representative Marion Berry (not to be confused with Marion Barry) will not seek a seventh term in office. It's a bad year for holders of that office—Berry's predecessor in the seat is present Arkansas Senator Blanche Lincoln, who is consistently numbered among the most vulnerable Democrat senators up for re-election this year. She will likely fall to Gilbert Baker's campaign this Fall.
Of course, the retirement of yet another Democrat lawmaker is hardly news worthy of blogging considering the pallor of the Donkey's complexion these days. What is remarkable is what Berry had to say about the attitude of our President. For the complete story together with commentary, see James Taranto's story in the Wall Street Journal, aptly entitled "You've Got Me, Babe." The money quote: "Well, the big difference here and in '94 was you've got me."
Title quote by Dante Alighieri, Inferno 6.73-75 | <urn:uuid:dba655bd-2bf4-4a53-bbaa-518830ab0398> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://praisegodbarebones.blogspot.com/2010/01/sparks-that-have-set-on-fire-souls-of.html?showComment=1264682184657 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00001-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.961132 | 204 | 1.523438 | 2 |
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