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This month the Wingfield household, like millions of others across America, has received a growing number of tax documents. Among them are forms certifying that we gave $50 to this charity or $100 to that one, allowing us to reduce what we owe in taxes.
What neither we nor the IRS will receive is official documentation that our church converted X number of non-believers into Christians, or that a charity we supported decreased poverty or sexual exploitation by a quantifiable amount. Or that everyone who benefited from our donations earned less than a certain amount of income.
Yet, similar bits of data are being requested of one of the kinds of non-profits we could have supported but didn’t: Georgia’s student scholarship organizations.
These SSOs accept donations from Georgia taxpayers, who can then reduce their state income taxes by an equal amount — up to a limit for all donors of about $50 million per year, or one-quarter of 1 percent of all revenues the state expects to collect this year. They then give the money to private schools, which in turn award scholarships to students.
Many claims are made about these so-called tax-credit scholarships. The most easily dismissed is that this is the state’s money.
“The United States Supreme Court ruled, clearly, that this is not tax money,” says Rep. Earl Ehrhart, the Powder Springs Republican who sponsored the 2008 bill that authorized SSOs and these tax credits. He refers to the court’s 2011 ruling in two cases involving Arizona’s tax-credit scholarships.
Indeed, the opinion authored by Justice Anthony Kennedy states: “When Arizona taxpayers choose to contribute to STOs [the equivalent of Georgia’s SSOs], they spend their own money, not money the state has collected from respondents or from other taxpayers.”
Given that ruling, it’s not clear Georgia has to report anything about donations to SSOs — any more than it should report how much Georgians give to churches, synagogues or mosques, groups that fight hunger and poverty, groups that promote the arts or conservation, or any others.
Still, Ehrhart has filed a bill this year, HB 140, that would, among other things, raise the annual cap to $80 million but require public reporting of some aggregated information about SSOs: the number and value of donations made by individuals and corporations, as well as the number and value of scholarships awarded.
That last bit of data could help prove what SSO advocates have long argued: that these scholarships actually save tax money, because the average award amount is less than what public schools spend per pupil.
Scholarship recipients’ family income is another matter. Ehrhart says the program “was never sold” as one meant to benefit only low-income students, though he argues they are bound to be the greatest beneficiaries.
“You don’t give [scholarships] to rich kids,” says Ehrhart, who serves as the unpaid head of an SSO called Faith First Georgia. “Why would you take your limited money and do that?”
And, getting back to the original point, means-testing would represent a level of scrutiny not applied to other charities and their donors.
Speaking of scrutiny, a newer complaint about tax-credit scholarships is that some private schools receiving money from SSOs have policies, for religious reasons, that prohibit gay students.
But as the Supreme Court recognized, these donations are private gifts, not public money. There is no conflict here with public discrimination policies any more than when Georgians make tax-deductible gifts to other religious entities with similar views.
Barring these tax credits based on some private schools’ faith-based guidelines for students could, however, set a precedent for attacking the tax-deductibility of all gifts to religious groups.
As for claims that some donors and private schools are finding ways to make sure contributions are earmarked for specific students, including the donors’ own children, Ehrhart points out that practice is illegal — and encourages anyone with knowledge of law-breaking by specific SSOs, donors or schools to contact their district attorney.
– By Kyle Wingfield | <urn:uuid:4b6aae58-77c6-4541-89e6-9a2b32018729> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://blogs.ajc.com/kyle-wingfield/2013/01/31/in-defense-of-georgias-tax-credit-scholarships/?cxntfid=blogs_kyle_wingfield | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700958435/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104238-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.960247 | 874 | 1.75 | 2 |
|Ohio cities focus on rivers as key to development|
|Written by By Associated Press|
|Monday, 25 June 2012 05:49|
DAYTON, Ohio (AP) — Ohio cities focusing on new large-scale downtown development are looking to their rivers as a base for much of that development, and planners say a key decision facing cities is how best to tie their rivers to such projects.
Developers and planners say the question that cities including Dayton, Toledo, Cincinnati, Columbus and Cleveland have to answer is not whether to use their riverfronts but how to best link them to city centers to attract new residents and businesses and strengthen the economic base, the Dayton Daily News reported (http://bit.ly/L5dr92).
Michael Ervin, who has been leading efforts to develop Dayton's riverfront as chairman of the Downtown Dayton Partnership, said rivers have always been critical to the state's economy. But now planners are "trying to connect the river to the rest of the city by creating a great sense of place, where people will want to live, work, play and learn," he said.
Ervin said a vibrant downtown is essential for a strong regional economy "because that's where workers of the future want to live."
Cities throughout Ohio and elsewhere are working on transforming downtown areas along rivers once primarily used for barge traffic and waste disposal.
"In the Midwest, especially, riverfronts used to be the back doors of cities because they were industrial," said David Ginsburg, chief executive of Downtown Cincinnati Inc., which was instrumental in The Banks project in Cincinnati. "What you're seeing now is cities reclaiming their riverfronts."
The mixed-use development along the Ohio River already is a central attraction in Cincinnati. The nearly completed Phase 1A includes a 300-unit luxury apartment complex and 96,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space, which is expected to generate $91 million a year in economic impact, according to the University of Cincinnati Economic Center. When fully completed, the initial phase is expected to draw $276 million a year in economic impact.
The 11-acre, $40 million Scioto Mile city park along the Scioto riverfront in Columbus, and the nearby Columbus Commons park opened last summer and represent a $65 million investment.
A $31 million baseball stadium that opened in 2002 in downtown Toledo near the west bank of the Maumee River is considered as the catalyst for revitalization there. Developers have announced plans to turn an old plant along the Maumee into a $16 million complex with a new YMCA, health clinics and apartments.
A new casino in downtown Cleveland, which already is bringing cash and visitors to that city, eventually will expand to include a building along the Cuyahoga River.
Dayton hopes to attract residents to its urban core with a plan to create better recreational spaces along the Great Miami River.
Tricia Casey, who lives in downtown Dayton is the kind of resident planners hope will lure retailers, restaurateurs and nightclub operators to return.
"I like the convenience of being downtown," said Casey, who believes the river could be a major draw there.
The Downtown Dayton Partnership has raised nearly $4 million for the RiverScape River Run, which would tear down the low dam across the river and replace it with boulder-like structures to create separate passageways for canoes and kayaks. It's expected to be completed in 2014
Ervin said there are many similar-size cities around the country that have seen a significant return on waterfront investments.
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.
Front Page Stories
|Plant to shut down (5-24-13)
05/24/2013 | Sentinel-Tribune
PERRYSBURG - The Diamond Crystal Brands plant in Perrysburg Township will be closing this summer, af [ ... ]
|Owens may hike tuition (5-24-13)|
05/24/2013 | MARIE THOMAS BAIRD, Sentinel Education Editor
There likely will be a tuition increase for Owens Community College students thi [ ... ] | <urn:uuid:87b47362-52b3-4864-9be8-f634892f5533> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.sent-trib.com/oh-mi-in-news/ohio-cities-focus-on-rivers-as-key-to-development | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00006-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.95568 | 843 | 1.679688 | 2 |
In all honesty I don't think there is anyone who can say for sure what Google does, not even GoogleGuy for that matter. I'd even guess that the guys programming the algorithm probably are surprised at times by what comes out of the index.
In any case I think we can make a few basic assumptions.
a.) Google is trying to weed out "spam" from their data base, or try to discourage the use of certain optimization techniques.
b.) Links TO a website still play an important role in determining PR and probably where pages appear for certain searches.
c.) Anchor text throughout a site AND from different sites will be used to determine what the site is about.
Ok, so here's my guess.
Links with the exact same title from within the site probably have little significance, or are counted as just one link.
Links from outside the site (external links) with exact title probably count significantly as they could not penalize your site because others decided to link to it. If so then your competitors could simply establish lots of domains with different IP addresses and use them to shoot you down.
The idea of NOT using exact phrases that match the title while linking is probably the best idea in that it *appears* to be a natural link and not one that was agreed upon by webmasters.
For example, if your page title is "delicious small blue widgets" you may find some people who link to you (naturally) with just that phrase, but you would probably find lots of others linking to you with things like | <urn:uuid:7abdf03e-26de-4b9c-917f-c07d5f880bf3> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.webmasterworld.com/forum3/24358.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00002-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.967449 | 319 | 1.546875 | 2 |
There is, as we say, a narrative.
It’s not hard to work out.
Sure, Fianna Fáil were to blame- but the blame was not theirs alone.
It was Lehmann’s, and the Greeks, and the banks, and anyone else you care to mention.
We all partied- remember that?
Mary Hanafin went on Marian Finucane’s show this morning and gave what can only be described as a a car crash of an interview.
It was filled with the kind of arrogance and ignorance that – in a functioning democracy – should ensure the death of Fianna Fáil and all they stand for.
She is not alone in adopting this narcissistic narrative; ever since the departure of Brian “Tweedle Dumbest” Cowen, the story has been the same, led by the cringeworthy videos of Mícheál Martin strolling around his native Cork, oblivious to the misery he had wrought upon it.
It’s worth pointing out to Mary and the rest that it was nothing to do with the banks, or Lehmann’s, or the Greeks- the blame for the country’s economic destitution lies wholly and solely with Fianna Fáil. As the biggest party in government during the boom, they had responsibility to manage it. They failed utterly.
The Greeks don’t blame the Americans, or the banks, or Lehmann brothers. They know they massaged the figures to get into the euro – if any bank bears any responsibility, it is Goldman Sachs, who dealt the cards for the three-card trick that fooled the rest of the world into thinking they were solvent.
But Mary does. What she doesn’t do is explain what the Americans or Lehmann’s had to do with runaway lending, an unrestrained construction industry, rampant rises in public spending and reckless endangerment of the country’s finances.
When asked a hypothetical question about whether the big Don, Bertie Aherne, should be thrown out of the party should Mahon find that he acted inappropriately, she held the party line- “let’s wait for that decision”.
Even on the deck of the Titanic, she cannot bring herself to point out the iceberg.
It is, of course, the party line, and as Labour’s quislings have shown since their rise to power and subsequent similar betrayal of the Irish working class, the party comes before everything.
Psychopaths are usually defined by a number of characteristics, often to do with amorality and criminality.
Key among them are an absence of remorse or empathy – given their inability to apologise to the people of this country for destroying it, it is not unreasonable to suggest that Fianna Fáil is a psychopathic party.
They destroyed the country. And they in turn should be destroyed. They should never darken the door of Dáil Eireann again.
Towards the end, Hanafin even had the gall to suggest that she is not done with politics.
I hope to god the Irish people will show her that politics is done with her.
Let that be our new beginning. | <urn:uuid:4f02ce5a-ca52-475c-88bc-d537cd0318b9> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://ourmaninstockholm.wordpress.com/2012/02/18/why-hanafins-hubris-should-herald-the-end-for-fianna-fail/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00006-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.965905 | 674 | 1.578125 | 2 |
Monday, March 19, 2012
Benedict XVI to Visit Mexico from March 23 to 26
of Foreign Affairs
- The Pope will
visit Mexico as both a Head of State and Head of the Catholic Church.
The Mexican government welcomes the upcoming visit to Mexico of His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI, from March 23 to
26. As both the spokesmen of the Holy See and the Mexican Bishops' Conference have announced, the Pope will travel to
the state of Guanajuato.
President Felipe Calderón invited the
Pope to come to Mexico during his first meeting with Pope Benedict XVI in Vatican City in 2007. As part of his State visit,
the Pope will meet with the President in the city of Guanajuato, Guanajuato.
addition, the Secretaries of the Interior and Foreign Affairs will meet with the Secretary of State of the Holy See, Cardinal
Tarcisio Bertone, and the Secretary for Relations with States, Monsignor Dominique Mamberti.
The Pope will meet with the bishops of the American continent and the Mexican Bishops' Conference (CEM) in the
León, Guanajuato cathedral. The president of the CEM, Monsignor Carlos Aguiar Retes, also heads the Latin American
Episcopal Council (CELAM).
As part of his pastoral visit, the Pope will
celebrate Mass on Sunday, March 25 at Bicentennial Park in Silao, Guanajuato. About 350,000 people are expected to attend.
The federal government, the state government of Guanajuato, and the Mexican Bishops Conference
have coordinated their respective responsibilities for the Pope's pastoral and State visit to ensure its success.
Pope Benedict's visit to Mexico is part of the commemoration of the twentieth anniversary
of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the Mexican State and the Holy See.
The Mexican government reaffirms its commitment to a secular Mexican State, of which it is the guarantor and protector,
as well as its desire to continue strengthening its relations with all of the States of the international community.
Pope Benedict XVI, as a bearer of messages of peace, reconciliation and a promoter of the
universal values that underpin his spiritual mission, will bring joy to the faithful in Mexico.
Press Release: Ministry of
Foreign Affairs (SRE), Mexico, D.F.; translation SRE | <urn:uuid:a02c8eef-2771-4f83-bfeb-9650fbe8685f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.mexidata.info/id3295.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00013-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.946784 | 497 | 1.523438 | 2 |
Sandy grounds flights worldwide
Storm expected to make landfall later Monday
Airlines around the world canceled flights to and from the northeast United States as a massive storm slammed into the coast of southern New Jersey late Monday.
Hurricane Sandy, now rated as a "post-tropical" superstorm, forced the closure of New York's JFK and LaGuardia airports and Newark in New Jersey "until further notice" as rising flood waters washed across parts of the city, while domestic and international flights were canceled at other major airports in the region.
Middle Eastern, European, Asian and U.S. airlines prepared to take a financial hit, with the weather stranding their passengers in cities across the globe.
"Every day this goes on you're seeing combined losses to the airlines of roughly $10 million," said Simon Calder, travel editor of the UK's The Independent newspaper.
"The cost is actually much worse for European airlines like British Airways and Virgin Atlantic, because they have to pay for accommodation and meals for their customers who are stuck in the U.S. -- particularly in New York."
European Union law says airlines have a "duty of care" to take care of stranded passengers. There is no such law governing U.S. airlines.
"Delta and United can just say, 'Sorry, this is a weather event and you're not covered,'" Calder told CNN.
At least 50,000 travelers between the UK and U.S. have been affected by the storm, Calder estimates.
In Asia, airlines grounded more flights as the extent of the storm became clear. Australia's Qantas, Korean Airlines and Japan's JAL canceled all New York-bound flights on Tuesday and Cathay Pacific said Wednesday's departures to JFK would also be scrubbed.
With flights canceled to and from New York, Boston, Washington, D.C., Philadelphia and Baltimore, British Airways has offered to rebook flights for its passengers due to travel to the U.S. East Coast between now and October 31.
A statement on BA's website said: "We understand that customers may be disappointed, however their safety is our highest priority."
Britain's Virgin Atlantic also canceled all flights to New York, Boston and Washington, while London's Heathrow Airport is advising U.S.-bound passengers to check their flight status before traveling to the airport.
Karen Mackenzie from Essex, in southeastern England, was planning to fly Monday to New York on a Virgin holiday package, but the airline canceled her entire holiday due to the storm.
While Virgin Atlantic gave Mackenzie a full refund, the elementary school principal says her schedule means she won't be able to rebook the holiday until next year.
"I feel really horrible for those poor people in New York at the moment, waiting for the hurricane to hit. It's disappointing to lose our holiday, but for them it's a much more hideous situation," she told CNN.
Qatar Airways and the United Arab Emirates-based airlines Etihad and Emirates also canceled flights to the U.S. northeast. In a statement Emirates said the safety of their passengers "will not be compromised."
Air France, Germany's Lufthansa, Ireland's Aer Lingus and Turkish Airlines have also scrubbed flights in and out of New York .
Some 50 million people from Virginia to Massachusetts are expected to feel the effect of Sandy, which made landfall in New Jersey late Monday.
The cost of potential wind damage alone could be up to $3 billion, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
The storm has also prompted thousands of domestic cancellations across America.
While all American Airlines flights to the east coast are canceled, the airline is operating a normal service to other parts of the country.
United Airlines grounded roughly 3,700 flights between Sunday and Wednesday, and Delta said all flights from Washington to Boston, and out of New York and Philadelphia, were canceled.
Both companies are allowing some customers to change their flight plans without paying any fees due to the storm.
So how long will it take for airlines to get stranded passengers to their destinations once the hurricane subsides? Not long, according to CNN's Richard Quest, who said the problem should start being resolved from Wednesday.
Quest said: "All the airlines have exceptionally sophisticated recovery programs. What they do is they don't make the flight to the first place. They don't send the aircraft into the bad areas, so they don't get stranded. So they're now already starting to work out flights for Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. You write off Monday and Tuesday, then you start to rebuild the schedule."
"After the [Icelandic volcanic] ash cloud two years ago, airlines were able to restore the schedule quite quickly, simply because people canceled their flights [and didn't rebook]. And that's what the airlines are banking on.
"I'm guessing by the weekend everyone's got where they need to be."
Copyright 2012 by CNN NewSource. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. | <urn:uuid:e9a15058-e743-4877-b348-777fbf10cfbf> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.4029tv.com/news/money/travel/Sandy-grounds-flights-worldwide/-/8897198/17172784/-/view/print/-/w5fsr5z/-/index.html | 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 | 0.962727 | 1,035 | 1.671875 | 2 |
13 June 2012
The Rt Hon David Blunkett MP today sponsored a Commons Debate highlighting the difficulties faced by the 100,000 college students missing out on a free lunch – unlike their counterparts in school.
Students in English colleges aged 16 to 18-years-old from disadvantaged backgrounds struggle to afford lunch due to an unfair funding rule.
In response to the Commons Debate, Martin Doel, Chief Executive of the Association of Colleges, said: “I welcome the fact that this debate has highlighted that there is cross-party consensus on this issue and am thankful for the support shown by MPs to their local colleges, students and to the further education sector as a whole.
“The fact that this is not a new funding anomaly does not mean that it’s not something that should be addressed by the Government at the earliest opportunity; it is not enough to keep it under review. A system which funds 16 to 18-year-olds from disadvantaged families for free school meals in any educational institution except sixth form colleges and further education colleges is blatantly unfair.
“These students and their families are among the most vulnerable in our society – not helping them just because they have chosen to continue their education in a college flies in the face of the Government’s oft-professed commitment to social mobility and is unjustifiable. Family budgets are under severe strain with transport costs rising and food prices up by 4. 3%. The situation for our disadvantaged students has been exacerbated by the ending of the Education Maintenance Allowance.
“Colleges are doing their best to ensure the £180million bursary scheme, which replaced the £560million EMA, is targeted at students most in need, but there is a limit to what they can do with a much smaller pot of money. Many are having to dip into their own rapidly dwindling reserves in order to provide free breakfasts or lunches, or providing lunch vouchers and food banks, but at a time when the further education sector itself is facing significant funding cuts, this is not sustainable in the long run.
“One London college has spent more than £96,000 providing free lunches, which equates to 45% of their bursary budget. While the college is keen to support its students it would like to be able to use the bursary to support them in other ways, including books, study resources, work experience and educational visits. This raises the question of why school pupils in the same age group will be in receipt of bursary funding and free school meals.”
“AoC estimates* that removing this inequality and extending the provision of free lunches to eligible college students will cost the Department for Education £38million out of their £56billion budget – this is equivalent to 1p in every £14 spent - and we consider this a reasonable price to pay for equality for these students. We will continue to make the case for parity of funding in order to get these young people the support they need to stay in education.”
The Association of Colleges, its member colleges, students and MPs from across the country are calling on the Government to extend free meals to all 16 to 18-year-olds from a disadvantaged background. Currently 16 to 18-year-old from a disadvantaged background studying in a maintained school sixth form, free school, University Technical College or an academy, is provided with a free school meal; if the same student chooses to study at a college they lose that entitlement.
Note - *Estimated cost of extending this provision: £38 million - based on: 103,000 16 to 18-year-olds in 2009/10 who claimed free school meals at age 15, with the average cost of a lunch estimated at £1.95 and assuming the average student is at college for 190 days each year. Please note this estimate does not include administration and capital costs. | <urn:uuid:57e7ba82-5b7f-4aa0-abfc-eca8175c5ae3> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.aoc.co.uk/en/newsroom/aoc_news_releases.cfm/id/0393C4F4-1057-4D9E-870CD17C2F3D5B21/AoC%20responds%20to%20Commons%20Debate%20on%20its%20No%20Free%20Lunch%20campaign | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00016-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.96966 | 793 | 1.71875 | 2 |
When Ellen Fisher Turk took her first nude portraits of a sex abuse victims two decades ago, and later of an anorexic, the photographer with a background in special education had little idea that she would become a seminal figure in the sometimes controversial world of phototherapy.
"My thinking was that going through the nudity part was similar to going through a phobia; you're afraid of going on a plane, you go on the plane," Turk said. "[But] I don't think it is necessary to be nude, it's just to be seen.
"I think that pictures are very, very extraordinary," she said.
Even before the New York-based Turk took her first photos of incest victims in the early '90s, she wasn't the only one to recognize that photos can help people who can't find solace or communicate in words alone.
She's now part of a disparate movement that goes by many names. What's known as phototherapy in England, for instance, is called therapeutic photography in North America. Even within the same country, experts disagree about what phototherapy really is or really does.
On one end may be professional photographers who intend for a single studio session to be therapeutic, and who may or may not undergo training in psychology. On the other are Ph.Ds who use the medium of photography to cut through the talk and get to visceral emotions.
Turk's work with incest victims, women suffering from eating disorders or even the terminally ill merged the worlds of photography and therapy. But she always prefaces her observations about how phototherapy works with the caveat that she's neither a scientist nor a licensed therapist.
During a photo session, Turk said she tries to show the victim's humanity and beauty in the series of photographs. Some anorexics walk away with a vision of themselves as others see them: ill but not fat. With incest victims, Turk said the women often walk away with compassion for themselves.
"With incest, I've see that as children, they took it as they did something wrong," Turk said. "What they see uniformly in the context of the photos is a lovely person, and they see a way to have compassion for that person."
Turk's clients often come to her through knowledge of her work or are referred to her by therapists. She doesn't tell them how to pose but rather lets them move around and use her as a trusted outside observer.
"I'm not coming to the shoot with a critical self," she said. "I want the photographs to see what is beautiful about them, not what I think is beautiful."
Turk has gained widespread acclaim for her work as art, as well as a therapeutic method. But she always approaches each project from the perspective of a special-needs teacher, she said.
"I always used whatever materials I have as a way of helping," she said. "As I photographed [my first client], I saw that over a period of time there was some changes in her."
Other people in the world of phototherapy say they came as artists not caretakers but realized the process of their work could be cathartic for the subjects of photographs, too.
Rosy Martin worked as a photographer in the United Kingdom for years and began exploring therapeutic photographs in the 1980s with phototherapy pioneer Jo Spence, a woman who documented her breast cancer through photos. | <urn:uuid:49ca01d9-bad1-44d3-b424-c48f12a70c56> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://abcnews.go.com/Health/MindMoodNews/incest-victims-anorexics-find-peace-photo-therapy/story?id=8857667 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00017-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.987164 | 693 | 1.695313 | 2 |
I think it would be fair to describe Swiss born Nicolas Bouvier as an adventurer inspired by his youthful reads of Stevenson, Jules Verne, Jack London, and Fenimore Cooper and his father's encouragement to travel according to his profile by New York Review of Books.
After crossing the Khyber Pass and spending time in Ceylan, he arrives in Japan in 1956, falls in love with the country and becomes an accidental photographer and travel writer.
His classic book on Japan is The Japanese Chronicles. The US edition was published in 1993 by Mercury House and now seems out of print.
Another English version of the book illustrated with some of Nicolas Bouvier's photographs filled the gap in 2008 thanks to Eland via Orchid Press (Hong Kong).
The editor's notes call The Japanese Chronicles:
"A distillation of Bouvier's lifelong quest for Japan and his many travels, so that the reader is able to discover the country through the eyes of both a passionate young man, the sensual appreciation of a middle-aged artist and the serenity of an experienced writer."
A very short review by Chistopher Hirst (Independent, January 2009) is more colorful.
Let me quote it:
"Part history, part notebook, the reports of this Swiss photographer who travelled in Japan for three decades are transporting, beguiling and often amusing: One shouldn't dismiss Japanese music "until one has been subjected to it for at least six or seven hours."
In the Fifties, Bouvier set up home in an oddly rustic suburb of Tokyo where the only English-based words were "kissu (from 'kiss') and stenko (from 'stinky')". Bouvier describes a cluttered world, where poverty was common but begging unknown and cleanliness scrupulously observed. Bathing was particularly important for foreigners who "have the reputation of being easily tracked by their odour"...."
Many more Titles in French by Nicolas Bouvier ((1929-1998) are available.
This blast from the past has its roots in Luc Dubanchet travel notes Kyoto Pola (in French) for Omnivore where he mentions Nicolas Bouvier.
On the Japanese trails of yore for Tokyo Thursdays # 159 | <urn:uuid:df0ab74e-b295-41e9-8865-c30fd61f1e57> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.sergetheconcierge.com/2010/09/japanese-chronicles-by-nicolas-bouvier-a-look-back-at-japan-from-fifties-to-seventies.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00010-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.964667 | 460 | 1.585938 | 2 |
Graduates from the Agricultural Systems Management program are prepared to work with businesses that deal with production, processing, and distribution of agricultural commodities and related equipment. With an opportunity to get their hands dirty, gain hands-on experience in both the classroom and fields located near campus, a degree in Agricultural Systems Management from the University of Minnesota, Crookston opens doors to a career in countless agricultural-related professions.
The job demand for Agricultural Systems Management majors is soaring with an average salary ranging from $35,000 and up depending according to the Department of Food, Agricultural, and Biological Engineering (FABE). Following graduation, students may seek careers with major employers such as John Deere, CHS Ag Services, Titan Machinery, Caterpillar, USDA Farm Service Agency, Private Banks, Ag.CO, Simplot, Pioneer, Crystal Sugar, and more.
Students are instructed in engineering and business principles for preparation as technically competent business persons for professional Careers as:
Meet some of our alumni and current students and hear what they have to say about their University of Minnesota, Crookston experience. More >>> | <urn:uuid:c9a453e5-f656-4316-9c0d-f04bb7c59a82> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www1.crk.umn.edu/academics/agnatr/asm/careers/index.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00004-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.950665 | 224 | 1.671875 | 2 |
He corrected me before I could even finish my sentence.
"John Wayne sounded like me," Ted Williams said.
There wasn't exactly mirth in his voice. He had agreed to speak with me a little over two years ago; I wanted to write about him for Life magazine, and although he was never much of a talker, he had said yes. As our conversation began, I was struck by how closely his voice resembled that of John Wayne, and I started to tell him so, which is when he set me straight.
Ted Williams was the original. He didn't sound like -- or look like, or act like -- anyone else.
He had been ill -- he had suffered a series of strokes, the beginning of a long series of physical ailments that would lead to his death Friday at age 83 -- and one of the effects of what he was going through was that his vision was severely impaired. Ted Williams -- with one of the greatest pairs of eyes in baseball history -- could no longer see clearly.
"There are no shadows at night," he told me.
He was recalling the difference between being at bat during day games, and under the lights. He was explaining that he preferred to face a pitcher after dark -- no shadows then.
"The only time I could savor an evening is if I had done something well," Williams said. "My most disappointing things all my life were always related to baseball. I didn't feel good because I did something successfully -- I felt bad if I failed to do something that I was expected to do."
Most of his career he had seemed to thrive mainly on conflict and anger. Yet toward the end of his life -- hobbled from a broken hip, helped to the mound at a baseball All-Star Game or World Series by friends -- he appeared so vulnerable that the sight of him brought tears to strangers. He said that was fine with him: "I can't believe how well people have treated me, how nicely."
The famous quote attributed to him as a young ballplayer -- "All I want out of life is that when I walk down the street, people will say, `There goes the greatest hitter who ever lived'" -- came true. He got his wish -- he heard people say those words.
"I would slide down in my seat a little bit when I heard someone say that," he told me.
"Because I wanted people to believe it, but I didn't believe it myself. I didn't believe it then, and I don't believe it now. Babe Ruth, Hank Aaron, they were so good. When I would be at a dinner and someone would say that I was the best, I would want to hide out of sight and sink into the floor."
I asked him when he first knew he was special.
"I might have started to think that the year I hit .400," he said.
But that was 1941, his third year in the majors. He must have known he was special when he was a child, or a teenager.
"No, no, no," he told me. "I was scared. I was always afraid I might fail. I was pictured as being so cocky -- I might have been cocky to some people, but not in my heart. All the time, I was just hoping to make whatever league I was in."
He said that at the end of every baseball season, "I would be so tired. . . . Coming down with a cold, and worn out. I got worn out."
Yet still, in his 80s, he told me, when he would meet new people he would introduce himself: "I'm Ted Williams, of the Boston Red Sox."
If he could change one thing in his life, he told me, it would be this:
"I wish to Jesus Christ I could run like a deer."
I thought he was referring to the present -- saying that, infirm, he would like to be able to stand up and run with the grace of a youngster.
But he was talking about back then -- when he was a player.
"I would run to first, and there would be that boom-boom. . . ."
The ball hitting the first baseman's glove -- then his foot hitting the bag, just too late. He's out.
"If I could have run a little faster . . . how many at bats did I have?" he asked me. "Seven thousand?"
Seven thousand seven hundred and six, I said. With 2,654 hits.
"If I could have run just a little faster, I bet you I could have had 50 more hits," he said.
"Maybe a hundred."
He told me that he was made happy, in his 80s, by five clocks in his house. They all had chimes that sounded like birds singing: "They all sing different songs, on the hour.
"At 10 a.m., I might hear eight or 10 birds sing at the same time. I've learned to love to hear those clocks sing. The beautiful songs. . . ."
Sometimes, he said, he would awaken alone during the night and realize it had been hours since he had heard the clocks singing to him.
"I've gotten so that I miss them when I don't hear them," he said.
- Bob Greene comments on the news of the day Thursdays on the "WGN News at Nine." | <urn:uuid:8ca5a739-143f-46e8-ac8a-fe03ae360541> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2002-07-07/news/0207070291_1_greatest-hitter-life-magazine-babe-ruth | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705195219/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115315-00010-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.996115 | 1,122 | 1.523438 | 2 |
(Washington, D.C.) – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) announced that the $1.6 million she included in a 2010 spending bill for the Northwest Straits Marine Conservation Initiative has passed the full Senate. The funding will help protect and restore marine waters, habitats and species at priority sites along the Northwest Straits, which run through Clallam, Island, Jefferson, San Juan, Skagit, Snohomish and Whatcom counties.
"The Northwest Straits Initiative is leading the nation in showing what an innovative, grassroots conservation effort can be," said Senator Patty Murray. "This funding will allow the nationally-recognized group to continue and expand upon their excellent work researching, restoring, and conserving our marine environment.”
“The Northwest Straits Initiative was created out of concern for dwindling marine resources and damaged habitats in the Northwest Straits region,” said Ginny Broadhurst, Director of the Northwest Straits Initiative. “Our structure recognizes that local residents can and should be part of the solution to protect and restore the marine environment. With seven Marine Resources Committees and 112 members, thousands of volunteer hours, and hundreds of successful projects, we demonstrate that citizen stewards working on local restoration and conservation projects are powerful, effective and necessary.”
The Northwest Straits Initiative works to restore and protect marine habitat in the straits, which promotes ecosystem health and strengthens the Northwest Straits’ marine-based economy. Using community input and grassroots support, the Northwest Straits Commission is able to design projects that target the most urgent ongoing and emerging issues in the marine environment.
Since it was first authorized by Congress in 1998, Senator Murray has helped secure over $10 million for the Northwest Straits Initiative. Earlier this year she also partnered with Rick Larsen (D-WA 2nd) toauthor legislation that will ensure the continuation of the Northwest Straits Initiative for several more years to come.
The NSCMI was first created in 1997 when Senator Murray and Republican Congressman Jack Metcalf joined forces to create a local advisory commission to address marine issues. At a time when few thought their experiment would work, their coordinated efforts were able to bring together opposing stakeholders and create an innovative, successful program for restoring and protecting marine habitats.
The funding was included in the fiscal year 2010 Senate Commerce, Justice, and Science Appropriations Bill, which passed the Senate today by a vote of 71-28. Senator Murray is a senior member of the Appropriations Committee. | <urn:uuid:5ed8e1e0-420e-45d2-837b-c6eac224171e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://lakestevensjournal.com/county-state/article.exm/2009-11-05_northwest_straits_conservation_funding_passes_full_senate | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00010-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.947718 | 510 | 1.789063 | 2 |
Memories of the Internationals
Unruh, Alvin B., PSA Journal
More than 37 years without interruption is a long time. That's how long it has been since I received my first salon acceptance in monochrome pictorial prints. With your indulgence, I'd like to share with you a few of my experiences enroute to the Diamond Star in 1983. It is my hope some of this information will help you reach your photographic goals, whether they are exhibition success, personal fulfillment or both.
It all began in late 1955 when the Des Moines (Iowa) International Exhibition accepted my first salon entry, "Winter's Mantle"-- and it was a medal winner! Never mind, the medal was one of a hundred awarded by American Portfolios for first salon acceptances of a print which had traveled in a portfolio.
In photographing "Winter's Mantle," a snow scene, I was aware of the fact that reflected-light meters are programmed to render all scenes at an average exposure which will result in 18 percent gray. Subjects that average lighter or darker than this 18 percent will probably require exposure compensation differing from the meter reading. "Winter's Mantle" was accepted by 23 exhibitions in the period of 1955 through 1959.
My 22nd acceptance was titled "Prairie Gold." Because it was an early success, it became my most accepted print with acceptances in 124 exhibitions to date--20 of the acceptances were from overseas exhibitions. It is entered now only when a new exhibition is announced in the USA. With 104 acceptances in America, this tells us that many American exhibitions have come and gone through the years. Note that only 31 American print exhibitions were listed in the PSA Journal in all of 1991.
In photographing "Prairie Gold" great depth of field was needed to maintain sharpness from the nearby bins to the grain …
Questia, a part of Gale, Cengage Learning. www.questia.com
Publication information: Article title: Memories of the Internationals. Contributors: Unruh, Alvin B. - Author. Magazine title: PSA Journal. Volume: 59. Issue: 1 Publication date: January 1993. Page number: 27+. © 2008 Photographic Society of America, Inc. COPYRIGHT 1993 Gale Group.
This material is protected by copyright and, with the exception of fair use, may not be further copied, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means. | <urn:uuid:ecf02449-afbe-4894-b8e7-d84602b0e14c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.questia.com/read/1G1-13462331/memories-of-the-internationals | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00012-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.963391 | 504 | 1.523438 | 2 |
Media Release 2011 Australia Group Plenary
10 June 2011
The Australia Group today concluded its annual plenary meeting co-hosted in Paris by the Australian and French Governments. The Australia Group is a cooperative and voluntary group working to counter the spread of technologies and materials that may facilitate the development or acquisition of chemical and biological weapons by states of concern and terrorists.
Australia Group participants are committed to ensuring that their export controls do not hinder legitimate trade and technical cooperation in the chemical and biological sectors.
During their meeting, Australia Group participants worked to enhance best practices and measures to detect and prevent attempts to proliferate sensitive and dual-use chemicals, biological materials and related equipment. The Group shared experience on measures to enhance and refine licensing and export controls in order to meet current and emerging proliferation challenges. In this regard, many participants mentioned Syria as a country of particular proliferation concern.
The Group adopted a number of changes to its chemical and biological control lists, which will be reflected in subsequent iterations of the published lists. It also continued its process of review of the proliferation risk associated with new and emerging technologies, with a view to identifying materials and equipment which might warrant inclusion at some future date in national export control lists.
Recognising that preventing unauthorised transfers of intangible technology remains a priority for preventing the further proliferation of all forms of weapons of mass destruction, the Group reviewed steps that were being taken by several states to enhance such measures. As an additional practical contribution, the Australia Group approved a new manual, generously supported by the Republic of Korea, for use by Australia Group participants in dealing with intangible transfers of technology.
The Australia Group emphasised the ongoing importance of engaging industry and academic sectors in support of the Group’s work, including in controlling security-sensitive transfers of intangible technology. It noted the benefits to industry of such outreach in facilitating legitimate trade. The Group shared experience and best practice in such outreach.
No new members were admitted to the Group in 2011. Interest in membership from several countries received appropriate attention and further engagement with them is anticipated.
The Australia Group plenary noted that the Group’s control lists continued to be an international benchmark for best practice controls on dual use, chemical and biological materials, equipment and related intangible technology. Growing international acceptance of Australia Group controls and practices – and their incorporation in national control lists – are in part a result of the Group’s extensive engagement with non-members and other international bodies. The Australia Group plenary agreed to continue an active program of such engagement in 2011-12 with a view to the wider global adoption of the lists as they evolve over time.
Further information on the Australia Group is available at www.australiagroup.net. | <urn:uuid:12c60531-1f08-4331-b6da-93705d1a8eec> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.australiagroup.net/en/media_june2011.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00013-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.942943 | 551 | 1.539063 | 2 |
Tech center rededicated
NORTHBORO — Saint-Gobain recently rededicated its Higgins Technology Grinding Center after moving it from the company’s Greendale campus in Worcester to its Research & Technology Center in Northboro. The center, named for one of Norton Co.’s founding fathers, Milton P. Higgins, is a “one-of-a-kind facility committed to grinding process innovation through collaborative alliances and provides researchers with a unique opportunity to test and evaluate new products while also serving as a place to use technology to solve problems for end-user customers,” according to a company press release.
Company spokeswoman Lauren Petit said Saint-Gobain invested $18 million in the expansion of its Research & Technology Center in Northboro in 2006, as well as an additional $6 million to renovate existing buildings in Northboro.
“This enabled Saint-Gobain to consolidate its superabrasives, thin wheel and bonded abrasives research & development teams, as well as the Higgins Grinding Technology Center, to Northboro,” Ms. Petit wrote in an email.
“The move was completed in 2012, and affords Saint-Gobain the opportunity to centralize all research and development while also maximizing equipment and synergies, and increasing collaboration and productivity,” she wrote.
Sixty-two Saint-Gobain employees, along with their equipment, moved from the Greendale space to the new facility in Northboro.
The space left behind in Greendale is currently empty, she said. The company is reviewing its options for the space, but has no plans to refurbish it.
WBDC seeks building credits
WORCESTER — The new owner of the former Telegram & Gazette building at 18-20 Franklin St. has let the Historical Commission know that it may be interested in pursuing federal historic tax credits for its redevelopment.
Julie Holstrom, project manager for the Worcester Business Development Corp., told the commission that the WBDC is in the process of putting together plans for redevelopment of the property.
She said while the building isn’t necessarily a historic one — it is not listed anywhere as having any kind of historical significance — she said it is an old building and, as a result, the WBDC is interested in pursuing federal historic tax credits.
She said the original building dates back to 1890 and since then underwent nine renovations or additions.
She said the old T&G building is in effect an amalgamation of five different buildings. She said the WBDC would like to turn the five buildings into three, with each building separated by a fire wall and having its own access. She said that would make the buildings more serviceable.
“Trying to normalize the floor plans has become an issue in putting this project together,” said Ms. Holmstrom, who added that her going before the Historical Commission was strictly for informational purposes.
Hearing needed for modification
WORCESTER — The Zoning Board of Appeals has determined that plans to modify an existing comprehensive permit for Illyrian Gardens represent a substantial change and will require a public hearing before the board.
In 1988, the zoning board granted a comprehensive permit for construction of a 72-unit, low-rise building at 545 Salisbury St. The housing development is known as Illyrian Gardens.
Illyrian Gardens Inc. wants to modify the comprehensive permit and reconfigure the property boundaries to allow for the transfer of excess land to create two new parcels.
The newly created parcels would be combined with land abutting nearby Flower Hill Drive for a future development proposal of three single-family homes on one parcel and six additional senior housing rental units on the other.
The reconfiguration of the property would reduce the current lot size of Illyrian Gardens from 3.6 acres to 2.8 acres.
“We are looking to reduce the size of the (existing) parcel so additional land can be put to productive use,” Donald O’Neil, a lawyer representing Illyrian Gardens, told the zoning board last week. “It will not effect any activity taking place at Illyrian Gardens.”
But Joel Fontane, director of planning and regulatory services, said the proposal represents a 28 percent reduction in the total area of the existing lot for Illyrian Gardens.
He said it is considered a substantial change to a comprehensive permit when the area of a property is reduced by 10 percent or more.
“I think it warrants another look and a hearing,” he said.
Retail conversion plan approved
WORCESTER — Plans to convert the former Central Plumbing Supply Co. building at 10-14 East Worcester St. into retail sales and personal services uses has received a green light from the Zoning Board of Appeals.
Last week, the board granted Condron Worcester Realty LLC, owner of the property, three special permits so it can proceed with its plans.
Todd Rodman, a lawyer representing Condron Worcester Realty, said the three-story brick building has historically been used for commercial purposes.
He said it was the longtime home of Central Plumbing Supply, and the upper floors were also used for offices and storage.
Mr. Rodman said the owner has relocated the plumbing supply business and is in the process of renovating the building’s interior so it can accommodate retail and a personal service shop (hair salon), as well as office uses.
Because the building is in a manufacturing-general zone, a special permit is needed to allow retail and personal services uses. Office use is already allowed in a manufacturing zone.
In addition, the owner sought a waiver for 15 required off-street parking spaces. Under the city’s zoning ordinance, at least 156 off-street parking spaces would be needed under the proposed combination of uses for the building, but the developer can only provide 141 spaces.
ZBA approves housing units
WORCESTER — The Worcester East Side Community Development Corp. has received permission to build eight market-rate housing units on vacant lots at 47 Westminster St., 12 Forbes St. and 17 Perkins St.
Todd Rodman, a lawyer representing the group, said two duplexes will be built on four lots.
To do that, however, the group petitioned the Zoning Board of Appeals for two variances — one to provide relief of 1,228 square feet from the 6,000-square-foot gross dimensional area requirement for one lot, and another to provide relief of 1,265 feet from the 6,000-square-foot gross dimensional area requirement for another.
The Worcester East Side CDC owns all the properties, which are in a residential-general area and used to have housing on them.
By right, the group would be able to construct seven housing units under the city’s zoning ordinance; the variances will allow for an eighth unit.
Mr. Rodman said the new housing will be rental units. Because they will not be built with any federal or state subsidies, he said, it will be a “true market-rate” project.
Fallon announces grant winners
WORCESTER — Fallon Community Health Plan has announced the winners of its 2012 Community Benefits Grants.
Fallon awarded more than $100,000 in grants to support innovative, community-based programs aimed at improving access to good nutrition and promoting physical activity, providing health and social services for seniors and preventing health and social services for children during the first five years of life.
Grants have been awarded to the following organizations:
• Square One: A grant of $20,000 to support The Launch Program for preschool-age children providing physical exercise and overall wellness lessons at homeless shelters, community agencies and schools in greater Springfield and Holyoke.
• Community Harvest Project: A grant of $10,000 for the Volunteer Farming Program, which will engage community volunteers in farming in order to grow and donate produce to the 83,000 residents of Worcester County utilizing hunger relief services.
• Regional Environment Council Inc.: A grant of $15,000 to support the Urban Garden Resources of Worcester program so that Worcester’s low-income, high-risk neighborhoods can access and consume healthy produce by growing it themselves. | <urn:uuid:3b7b2ef8-2ae6-4ff4-ae16-d72ce97f992b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.telegram.com/article/20121125/DIGESTS/111259960/1002/business | 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 | 0.947812 | 1,707 | 1.679688 | 2 |
He applied the Page 69 Test to Say Nice Things About Detroit and reported the following:
Open any novel in the middle and you’ll need to be filled in on what has come before. So it is with my new novel, Say Nice Things About Detroit. On page 69, Shelly, the widow of Dirk, a central figure in the book, has invited Dirk’s mother and half-sister to Shelly’s house to give them a photo album. Simple enough, but then there’s the issue of race. Shelly is black. Dirk was, too, except that he had a white mother with whom he did not grow up. The album contains photos from Dirk’s youth, a kind of testimony to the years he was essentially motherless. Thus the photo album is about both shared and separate histories, which, when you think about, is similar to the histories of blacks and whites in Detroit. I don’t know that I was thinking of that when I wrote it—I was just trying to tell a compelling story—but it sounds good to me now.Learn more about the author and his work at Scott Lasser's website and blog.
The Page 69 Test: The Year That Follows. | <urn:uuid:c6be2986-d93c-44ec-a3e5-58c04c1bcef0> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://page69test.blogspot.com/2012/07/say-nice-things-about-detroit.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00019-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.976564 | 257 | 1.601563 | 2 |
The pilot of an Ethiopian airliner that crashed off the Lebanese coast did not respond to a request to change direction before contact was cut, the Lebanese transport minister has said.
Ghazi Aridi said on Tuesday it was too early to draw any conclusion of pilot error, but the Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737-800 plane made a sharp turn before disappearing off the radar early on Monday and plunging into the sea.
"The control tower asked him to go in a certain direction, but the pilot was not responsive, then communication was cut off and the plane disappeared off the radar," Aridi said.
"We don't know why he did that or what happened," he said.
Lebanese and international search teams, a US naval vessel, and peacekeeping ships, helicopters, planes and divers from Europe and the UN, have been scouring the Mediterranean coast for the victims and missing flight data recorders.
Flight ET409, which was carrying 90 passengers of mostly Lebanese and Ethiopian descent, took off from Beirut aiport and was headed to the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa on Monday.
The plane apparently broke up in the air before crashing into the sea during a thunderstorm before dawn.
Wogayehu Tefere, an Ethiopian Airlines spokeswoman, said it was very unlikely that any of the 90 people travelling on the airliner would be found alive.
"It is very unlikely that we can still recover some survivors.
|The airline was viewed as one of Africa's safest with a new fleet and well-trained crew [AFP]
"So far 25 bodies have been recovered and, according to the first report of our team there, there are six Ethiopian bodies among them, and eight Lebanese. But it has to be confirmed," Wogayehu said.
Recovery teams pulled out a segment of the plane's wing that had the plane's red, yellow and green colours emblazoned on it.
Rescue services were combing a search area 10km out to sea and 20km long for the plane's fuselage.
Sonar equipment was being used to detect the wreckage.
"They need to pinpoint the location of the wreckage and then launch a dive there," the official said, to find data recorders.
Girma Wake, Ethiopian Airlines chief executive, said he believed search teams would manage to locate the flight recorders, commonly referred to as black boxes.
The eight-year-old plane last underwent a maintenance check on December 25 and no technical problems were found, the Reuters news agency reported.
Most of the Lebanese passengers, 54 in total, were businessmen and women from the south of the country.
Day of mourning
Black flags were draped on poles along a main road in Tyre, a port city. One Lebanese victim, identified by the passport still in his pocket, was buried near Tyre on Tuesday.
The last fatal incident involving Ethiopian Airlines was in November 1996 when a hijacked Boeing 767 crashed off the Comoros Islands, killing 125 of the 175 passengers and crew.
Speaking to Al Jazeera from Hamburg, Germany, Tobias Rueckerl, an aviation consultant, said: "It is much too early to speculate about the cause, but it seems like the weather had a major impact on that crash.
"Ethiopian airlines is one of the much better African airlines."
"They have a comparably young fleet of aircraft, they have very well-trained people, they are following near European standards. So I would count them as a safe airline basically."
The passengers included 54 Lebanese nationals, 22 Ethiopians, as well as Iraqi, Syrian, British and French nationals, he said.
There were also several dual nationals including one British-Lebanese, one Canadian-Lebanese and a Russian-Lebanese. | <urn:uuid:df9ea717-cc83-4605-a73e-db2fda385a78> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2010/01/2010126174935266216.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00017-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.982377 | 779 | 1.515625 | 2 |
City Of Fresno’s Solar Project Honored With National Recognition Award
FRESNO , CA ( October 31, 2005) – The City of Fresno was pleased to receive the 2005 Green Power Leadership Award from the US Department of Energy (DOE) in Austin, Texas on Monday, October 24, 2005. The “On Site Green Power Leadership Award” recognized Fresno as a renewable energy leader nationally for its successful 668 kilowatt photovoltaic solar project at the 14 acre campus of City buildings located at the Municipal Service Center (MSC). Last year’s winner was San Francisco’s Moscone Center which is primarily powered by solar energy. Fresno’s project was selected from an impressive field of nominations from across the nation.
“This national award recognizes Fresno’s leadership and commitment to renewable energy and the protection of our environment,” noted Mayor Alan Autry.
Solar is a clean energy alternative to fossil fuel energy which is pollution-free, reliable and endlessly available. Flat roof photo-voltaic (PV) solar panels were installed on the canopies and bus ports at the MSC and are producing solar power as expected. The total cost of the MSC solar project was $4,125,000.
The City’s investment in the project was cut in half through an incentive rebate from PG&E of $2,062,500. Coupled with this project to enhance the energy savings is $600,000 of energy efficiency retrofits at City Hall & the MSC. The City’s total project investment of $2,662,500 (after the PG&E rebate) is being low interest financed through the California Energy Commission over 15 years. Energy cost reductions from this project will pay off the loan & provide added savings beginning in the 1 st year.
Over 25 years the savings generated will total more than $4 million. The project lowers the City’s electricity purchases, serves as a hedge against future electricity price spikes and reduces pressure on California’s electrical grid.
Andrew T. Souza , City Manager
Contact: Patti Miller, Public Affairs Officer: (559) 621-7777
# # # # # # # # | <urn:uuid:863de7d5-3f3d-4d69-a444-9351ca3f775b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.fresno.gov/News/PressReleases/2005/FresnosSolarProject.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00015-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.938213 | 462 | 1.757813 | 2 |
KOSHER RECIPES FOR GLUTEN-FREE LIVING
Wednesday, December 05, 2007
Sweet Potato & Leek Latkes
Everyone in my family's been trying to eat a lower-glycemic, more nutritionally sound diet for a plethora of health reasons, so I thought we could do with a little change of pace this Chanukah. Breaking with tradition is always hard, but it can also be a good opportunity to try new recipes and create new relationships with ingredients. Tonight's experiment was one of those times when pushing the boundaries of "Jewish food" was well worth it. You may have noticed I am a big fan of the fried leek. In these latkes, the warm, mellow onion flavor of leeks compliment the sweetness of the sweet potatoes.
In addition to being healthier than traditional potato latkes, these sweet potato pancakes have a few other differences. They are less messy and easier to make. Because they don't have the potato starch that is so plentiful in white potatoes, they need a lot more help binding - Additional eggs and potato starch will do the trick (if you don't have potato starch, try tapioca or sweet rice flour - But stay away from grainier gluten-free flours such as regular white rice flour). Even with extra binder added, they have a looser and less sticky consistency so they need to be formed and placed in the oil and flipped with extra TLC. They take a bit longer to cook than regular white potato pancakes, so make sure to keep the oil turned down just a little below the heat you'd use for white potato latkes which will give them longer for the insides to cook before they become crispy around brown around the outer edges.
I recommend serving these tasty vegetable pancakes with sour cream or non-dairy cashew sour cream, but applesauce also works as a condiment. Chag sameach!
SWEET POTATO & LEEK LATKES
[ Gluten-Free / Dairy-Free / Pareve /
Vegetarian / Soy-Free ]
3 extra large sweet potatoes
3 large leeks
5 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup potato starch (not potato flour)
1 tsp salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Refined vegetable oil (preferably canola or corn oil)
Preheat oven to 200F (if you will need to keep the latkes warm).
Cut sweet potatoes lengthwise so that they are narrow enough to fit through the shoot of a food processor. Using the grater attachment of a food processor, shred the sweet potatoes. Alternately, use the largest holes on a box grater to grate the potatoes by hand.
Rinse the leeks well. Cut the dark green tops off of the leeks, as well as removing the roots from the very bottom. Cut in half lengthwise, and then slice widthwise in very thin slices. Combine the leeks with the grated potato in a large mixing bowl. Add salt, egg, and a generous amount of black pepper. Gently sprinkle potato starch across the top, then stir to combine thoroughly.
Heat 1/3 inch of olive oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat, until just below the smoking point.
Use your hands to pat a small handful of batter into a small, thin (no more than 1/3" thick) pancake. Gently lower each pancake into the hot oil. Press each latke with the back of a slotted spatula so that it becomes flatter and thinner. Fry until completely golden-brown on the bottom and crispy around the outside corners. Flip and brown on the second side. If the outside is getting browned and crispy before the inside has a chance to cook sufficiently, turn the burner down just slightly.
Transfer latkes to a plate lined with paper towels or several layers of brown paper (I use grocery bags). Allow paper to absorb excess oil, then transfer latkes to a cooling rack placed over a baking sheet in the preheated oven, where they will stay warm until ready to serve. Serve hot.
Extra latkes can be frozen on a baking sheet in the refrigerator, with parchment paper or freezer paper between the layers. When frozen, transfer to ziploc bags. Reheat in oven on 400 degrees F. | <urn:uuid:958aeda4-d345-414c-b157-d3a468d794a4> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://glutenfreebay.blogspot.com/2007/12/sweet-potato-leek-latkes.html?showComment=1199318700000 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00001-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.935911 | 893 | 1.578125 | 2 |
FORT WAYNE, Ind. (Indiana's NewsCenter) - Staying in touch can be hard for the elderly who are in assisted living. That's why a local assisted living facility brought in new computers for their residents. They're teaching them how to use everything from e-mail to Skype.
"It's nice to be able to see them when I can't see them everyday," said Shirley Garlati, resident.
"Sometimes a phone call isn't as fun as seeing them face to face," said Emilie Burns, Granddaughter.
"Before I had 2 kids I could come once a week, now I have 2, I've only been one time since I had the second one," said Burns.
Along with video chatting, the residents are learning how to use social networking sites and e-mail. For Norma Bennett a simple e-mail gave her the chance to see her granddaughter getting married.
"They sent me the video, and I haven't been there in about 2 years, so that was better than nothing," said Norma Bennett, resident.
The new computers aren't just for connecting with family. They also have games on them like Chicktionary.
"You know that old saying, if you don't use it you lose it, well we keep our minds working, we are constantly playing our different games like our Wheel of Fortune or our Chicktionary games, we play The Price is Right," said Rachel Fox, activity director, Kingston Residence.
Beginning this new venture was no easy task for the staff. It took some convincing to get the residents started.
"Once you get someone down to try it the first time it goes a lot better from that," said Fox.
The staff made things easier by having large touch screens and setting up e-mail accounts that have fewer options.
"This just kind of simplifies things, that way your still using the technology but it's not as intimidating," said Fox.
So far about 25 of the residents are using the computers. Fox says she hopes more and more continue to join in.
What are your thoughts CLICK HERE to leave us a "Your2Cents” comment.
© Copyright 2013 A Granite Broadcasting Station. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. | <urn:uuid:0a621215-5c0b-4452-b2e6-2c119a65b0a6> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.indianasnewscenter.com/news/local/Seniors-Stay-Connected-With-New-Technology--147994385.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368711005985/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516133005-00016-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.979681 | 476 | 1.726563 | 2 |
In a sign that the economy may be picking up, the gross domestic product increased dramatically to an annual rate of 5.7% in the fourth quarter, according to a preliminary estimate released today by the Commerce Department.
That's more than double the 2.2% growth rate during the third quarter.
From October through December, real gross domestic purchases-purchases by Americans of goods and services wherever they were produced-increased 5.1%, compared to 3% in the third quarter.
The department cited a rise in personal, business and government spending and exports as the reasons for the improvement.
Exports increased 18.1%, up from 17.8% in the third quarter.
Imports rose 10.5%, compared to 21.3% in the third quarter.
Consumers paid more for some products. The price index for gross domestic purchases increased 2.1%, compared with 1.3% during the third quarter.
Personal consumption expenditures increased by 2%, compared to the 2.8% rate in the third quarter.
Residential fixed investment, which includes housing, increased 5.7%, compared with an 18.9% increase in the third quarter. | <urn:uuid:721259b2-09de-4266-8e7c-50cae246641b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.cutimes.com/2010/01/29/gdp-increases-in-last-part-of-2009 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705195219/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115315-00012-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.973863 | 242 | 1.757813 | 2 |
Most Active Stories
It's All Politics
Tue September 27, 2011
Despite Senate Spending Deal, Nation Stuck In Stormy Political Pattern
Many Americans view Congress as a disaster, albeit one whose shifting tectonic plates are caused by humans not geology.
So it was probably fitting that FEMA, whose mission is partly to mitigate calamities stepped in to do just that Monday and rescue the nation's lawmakers from the dire circumstances the policymakers had created.
After the agency learned it had enough money, after all, to continue to fund recovery efforts through the last day of September, the end of the fiscal year, the latest spending battle was defused and the potential grand scale disruption, the risk of a government shutdown, was averted.
This came after lawmakers, just weeks earlier, brought the nation close to a first ever default in a partisan tug of war over raising the debt ceiling and earlier in the year courted another government shutdown. And 2012 still has a good three months left. Who knows what other self-inflicted wounds lie ahead?
That there will be such wounds, is hardly questioned. For the toxic confluence of factors contributing to the current dynamic is fairly well known.
A feckless economy seemingly incapable of creating enough jobs to significantly lower joblessness has left many voters increasingly impatient and in an anti-incumbent mood, ready to listen to someone, anyone offering a halfway plausible solution.
The same miserable economy with all its uncertainties has caused party to retreat to its traditional redoubt. Democrats argue for the government to play an energetic role in supporting the economy and for additional tax revenues. Republicans, for their part, demand cuts in taxes, spending and regulation.
True, it's not all disagreement on policies. Both agree that the deficits and debt have to be addressed. But they disagree hugely on how to get there since Democrats, again, seek additional revenue while many Republicans are adamant that the only path to lower deficits they'll take is spending cuts. The emergence of the Tea Party movement has only strengthened their resolve.
Also, the 2012 election season has officially started. Election years traditionally are periods when little gets done as presidents and lawmakers focus on getting themselves re-elected while giving the other party as few legislative victories as possible.
Then there's a politically weakened President Obama who isn't exactly a lame duck, After all, he has more than a year left in his term as his re-election campaign hits its early stride.
But he has no chance of getting his agenda through the House where Republicans set the tone and not much more in the Senate where the Republican minority can stop pretty much anything it wants to. Rarely has it been truer that a president proposes and Congress disposes than now.
All of this conspires to put us in the political equivalent of what meteorologists call a "blocking pattern" where storm systems get stuck over a particular region due to stationary high pressure systems that prevent the turbulent weather from passing along in the normal way.
Thus, we can safely forecast that there should be another crisis when the continuing resolution passed by the Senate after much partisan wrangling, assuming it's passed by the House next week, expires as scheduled on Nov. 18.
Would anyone be surprised if we then had out third potential-shutdown drama of the year? The regularly threatened shutdown appears close to becoming part of the way business is now done in Washington.
Then, on Nov. 23 the deadline arrives for the congressional super committee of 12 lawmakers evenly split between Democrats and Republicans to produce its plan to reduce deficits over a 10-year window by at least $1.5 trillion. If partisan loyalty keeps them from reaching a majority for action, $1.2 trillion in automatic cuts take place.
Based on the very partisan atmosphere of the super committee hearings so far and just the climate in Congress, however, there are legitimate doubts about the super committee's ability to produce a deal that can win seven votes.
That's where matters stand more than a year before the general election. The nation is trapped in a blocking pattern of bad political storms that seem locked in place for the time being.
Nov. 6, 2012, Election Day, could be the day when the political winds shift. But there's no guarantee they will. | <urn:uuid:10e08b65-73f4-4be3-bb0c-0f0fe4670cc5> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.kenw.org/post/despite-senate-spending-deal-nation-stuck-stormy-political-pattern | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00001-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.963656 | 867 | 1.710938 | 2 |
Book Description: If you're ready to jump into digital video, you'll want this invaluable resource to Premiere 6.5, the latest version of Adobe's popular digital video editing tool. "Premiere 6.5 Power!" starts with the basics of using Premiere, providing an introduction to digital video and the concept of non-linear editing. You are then guided to the intermediate level with techniques for using Premiere, as well as tips for successful filming, editing, audio engineering and presentation of the final work. "Premier 6.5 Power!" is a combination of friendly training, practical application and logical approaches to digital video written by an author who uses Premiere in both amateur and professional settings. | <urn:uuid:f90cc917-ede5-4ab4-b441-1fc187bcf686> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.campusbooks.com/books/computers-internet/programming/game-programming/9781929685608_Tee-Morris-Steve-Oakley_Premiere-65-Power.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706890813/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516122130-00019-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.931185 | 138 | 1.640625 | 2 |
Sherman Oaks, Calif. — In a neighborhood peppered with restaurants with names like Café Eilat and a raft of kosher supermarkets to choose from, the sole Jewish community center here may soon be forced to shutter its doors.
A protracted battle pitting the members of the Valley Cities JCC in Sherman Oaks, Calif., one of two centers that serve the heavily Jewish San Fernando Valley, against the development corporation that owns the actual property appears to be nearing its final stage. With the breakdown of negotiations last spring between a philanthropist, who stepped in to keep the center from being sold out from under it, and the development corporation, which on and off has been considering selling the 27,000-square foot property for the past six years, the center is now facing the prospect of having to relocate by June of next year.
Situated on two acres in the eastern part of the Valley, the 56-year-old Valley Cities JCC is one of only three centers that remain out of an original seven centers that once dotted the Los Angeles map. In Los Angeles, where affiliation rates pale in comparison to those on the East Coast, JCCs have commonly played a critical role in maintaining secular Jews’ ties to their traditions. JCCs host bar and bat mitzvahs, and in many cases they are the only Jewish institutions with which intermarried families and nonreligious Jews — in the case of the Valley, this includes increasing numbers of Israelis — feel comfortable affiliating.
“The Valley Cities JCC lay people originally, and to some degree today, were highly secularized Jews,” explained Gerald Bubis, founding director and professor emeritus at the School of Jewish Communal Service at Los Angeles’s Hebrew Union College. “In a sense, it was the ‘secular synagogue’ for that part of the Valley.”
The Valley Cities JCC serves North Hollywood, Van Nuys and Sherman Oaks, among other communities, while the West Valley JCC in West Hills — situated on a sprawling $15 million complex dubbed the Bernard Milken Jewish Community Campus — serves the western Valley, including the communities of Northridge, Canoga Park and Granada Hills. Valley Cities JCC tends to serve a more middle-class population, reflecting the socioeconomic makeup of the Valley, which is home to an estimated 250,000 Jews and is inclined to house a less wealthy Jewish population than that of Los Angeles’s Westside.
The center is home to a preschool that has an enrollment of 50 children, an after-school program with 40 children and an active seniors program that provides a host of services, from creative writing to ballroom dancing lessons, for some 75 seniors a day. The center also employs a staff of 28, including 14 teachers. Some members claim that despite the constant flurry of activity at the center — a recent Saturday night play reading drew more than 150 seniors — the development corporation sees it as little more than a preschool.
The board chairman of the JCC Development Corporation, Marvin Gelfand, did not return a phone call or an e-mail message seeking comment. Another board member, Virginia Maas, also did not return an e-mail message seeking comment.
Fissures in L.A.’s JCC system first emerged in 2001, when the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles called the Jewish Community Centers of Greater Los Angeles — the agency that once administered all the centers and employed a full staff — to pay what amounted to a $2.1 million debt. The federation had been fronting the association cash in order to meet its payroll. The JCCGLA began selling off centers to meet the financial shortfall, and in 2004 the association stopped managing the centers. According to the federation’s president, John Fishel, the JCCGLA’s debt has since been resolved.
The JCCGLA’s successor, the JCC Development Corp., now consists of a nine-member board and wields no administrative authority. The same year that the development corporation was hatched, the Valley Cities JCC became an independent entity. Valley Cities JCC leaders argue that they have successfully run their operation since that time — with the help of a sizable annual allocation from the federation, which they view as an ally in their ongoing dispute with the development corporation. This year, the federation’s allocation accounted for $327,550 of the center’s $1.4 million budget.
The development corporation, however, while no longer in debt to the federation, reportedly has other debts for pensions and has continued with its efforts to sell the Valley Cities JCC. In order to keep the center, established in 1956 after community members raised $58,000 — in part by collecting coins in tin boxes — the current generation of local members has brought to the development corporation two separate potential buyers for the property. The first buyer, who offered $1.8 million, eventually backed off when the development corporation asked for stipulations that were overly stringent, according to Michael Brezner, the center’s board president for the past five years. The second prospective buyer offered $2.7 million, which he later agreed to loan the development corporation in lieu of a sale, but Brezner said that the deal fell apart last spring, when the development corporation again dragged its feet.
A bidding war then ensued, which brought an offer of $8.1 million, according to Brezner. Had the JCC not been there all these years, activists fighting on its behalf say, the value of the property could never have reached so high.
“While we were maintaining this building and keeping it going, the property value quadrupled since 2003,” said Marcia Mirkin, a retired real estate loan officer who serves on the JCC’s board.
According to Mirkin, 73, the development corporation may not, in fact, own the property. Mirkin and center leaders argue that the property is a charitable trust, in which case, they say, it belongs to the community. And short of another philanthropist stepping in with millions to purchase the center, a legal battle over this very issue may be the center’s last hope for survival.
“We’re not ready to give up the ship,” Mirkin said. | <urn:uuid:c764c4f4-6df4-40d8-9b8d-a93e190ee493> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://forward.com/articles/11802/one-of-la-s-last-jccs-fights-for-its-life-/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00010-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.959149 | 1,298 | 1.59375 | 2 |
Bid against JCC in Manhattan film festival part of disturbing trend.
Editor And Publisher
Theodore Bikel, the 86-year-old actor most famous for his role as Tevye in “Fiddler On The Roof,” considers himself “a Zionist and ardent supporter of Israel.” But he is one of a number of Jews in the arts who will not perform at theaters in the West Bank, believing that the settlements are an obstacle to peace.
Does that place him inside or out of the pro-Israel tent?
To be a Jewish musician is easy, says Matthew Lazar, but to be a Jew and a musician is sometimes difficult
Nevertheless he has overcome many hurdles over the years as he guided the world-renowned coeducational Zamir Chorale as its director and conductor — in an age when modern Orthodox Jewish sensibilities shifted fundamentally to the right.
Zamir Chorale was founded by Stanley Sperber in 1960. He made aliya in 1972 and passed the baton to Lazar. | <urn:uuid:96230ba9-0192-4aac-847b-2c0765c67268> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.thejewishweek.com/theodore_bikel | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00005-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.969814 | 216 | 1.515625 | 2 |
Shadow report on Lithuania submitted to UN Human Rights Committee
Lithuanian Gay League in a collaborative effort with the Global Initiative for Sexuality and Human Rights of Heartland Alliance has prepared and submitted a shadow report on Lithuania focusing on LGBT rights.
The shadow report has been drawn up for the review of Lithuania before the UN Human Rights Committee on the implementation of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). The Human Rights Committee will consider Lithuania’s November 2010 third periodic national report during its 105th session in Geneva taking place from July 9th to 27th 2012.
Civil society organizations have the opportunity to submit shadow reports in response to the reports submitted by the states. In the review, the government will be questioned by the Human Rights Committee, and issues that will be raised will be then included in concluding observations.
The shadow report draws attention to the fact that, in spite of its commitment to uphold the spirit of the ICCPR, the Lithuanian government has failed to adequately address and report on human rights violations committed on the grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity by failing to even mention them in its third periodic report and by failing to adequately address them in its reply to the list of issues to be taken up in connection with consideration of Lithuania’s third periodic report. The shadow report poses questions to the government of Lithuania, and makes various recommendations. | <urn:uuid:0fe9cf93-9d32-4622-bf94-a4e671c2ba32> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.ilga-europe.org/home/guide_europe/country_by_country/lithuania/Shadow-report-on-Lithuania-submitted-to-UN-Human-Rights-Committee | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00016-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.95847 | 278 | 1.523438 | 2 |
This article was originally distributed via PRWeb. PRWeb, WorldNow and this Site make no warranties or representations in connection therewith.
Psoriasis Free for Life by Katy Wilson now available as a holistic treatment for Psoriasis. More information can be found at http://bestguidesreviews.com/psoriasis-free-for-life/.
(PRWEB) October 08, 2012
Psoriasis is a common auto-immune disease that affects about 2% to 3% of the world's population. The cause of this disease remains a mystery and it has been noted that about 10 - 30% of all Psoriasis sufferers also have psoriatic arthritis (Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psoriasis). Since medical experts are finding it difficult to determine its main causes, curing this disease is not really easy. Many people who are suffering from this disease have turned to various medications without success. A new product, Psoriasis Free for Life Guide at bestguidesreviews.com/psoriasis-free-for-life/, has just been recently launched to help Psoriasis sufferers.
The guide is an eBook created by Katy Wilson. She was a former psoriasis sufferer who turned out victorious against psoriasis after many years. This sad condition pushed her to explore various methods of curing psoriasis and her eBook can be termed as "a gift to all psoriasis sufferers". The main theme of the Psoriasis free for life guide is giving the body the needed ammo required to fight this auto-immune disease. The treatment detailed by the guide can also be done at home.
The Psoriasis Free for Life Guide explains the various causes of psoriasis and how it can be treated naturally. It dwells on all types of Psoriasis like:
It also includes bonus information as listed below:
Those who wish to treat psoriasis once and for all, and learn how to improve their overall health can take advantage of this eBook. The Psoriasis Free For life guide offers something special for psoriasis sufferers.
The Psoriasis Free for Life Guide is now available at http://bestguidesreviews.com/psoriasis-free-for-life/.
For the original version on PRWeb visit: http://www.prweb.com/releases/prwebPsoriasisFreeForLifeGuide/ReviewPsoriasisTreatment/prweb9987914.htm | <urn:uuid:f463c1ba-12d9-469a-96fa-3cd266b71f16> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.cwrichmond.tv/story/19758064/psoriasis-free-for-life-guide-for-natural-psoriasis-treatment-now-available | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368711005985/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516133005-00002-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.930259 | 514 | 1.539063 | 2 |
Brazil Is the New America: How Brazil Offers Upward Mobility in a Collapsing World
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Other Available Formats: E-book
As the future of the American economy seems to get bleaker by the day, it is tempting to look abroad for business opportunities. Europe and Asia don't provide much hope, but what about somewhere that's both closer to home and sunny year-round? In Brazil is the New America: How Brazil Offers Upward Mobility in a Collapsing World, James D. Davidson shows that the current financial situation in Brazil is a haven for those looking to make money in a world in turmoil.
With a population just 62 percent the size of that of the US, Brazil has added 15,023,633 jobs over the past eight years, while the US has lost millions. In a world burdened by bankrupt governments and aging populations, Brazil is solvent, with two people of working age for every dependent. In a world of "Peak Oil" Brazil is energy independent, with 70 billion barrels of oil, 60% of the world's unused arable land, and 15% of its fresh water. Comparatively non-leveragedand with significant room for growth and expansion, as well as vast natural resources, Brazil is a haven of opportunity.
Written by James D. Davidson, the editor/publisher of Strategic Investment and cofounder of Agora and the media outlet, Newsmax, Brazil is the New America details:
- How the original "America" now embodies the brightest hope for realizing the American Dream while the "Old America" is headed for a dramatic decline in the standard of living
- Investment opportunities not only for those willing to relocate, but anyone who can consider investing there
- The cost structure of employment in Brazil versus the United States
Brazil has already learned its lesson about the dangers of inflation. Cash has taken the place of credit, and high interest rate returns are now the norm.
Buy Both and Save 25%!
Brazil Is the New America: How Brazil Offers Upward Mobility in a Collapsing World (US $29.95)
Total List Price: US $54.90
Discounted Price: US $41.17 (Save: US $13.73) | <urn:uuid:37019859-4aa0-4b61-800a-995fc06d625f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.wiley.com/WileyCDA/WileyTitle/productCd-1118006631.html?cid=RSS_WILEY2_BUSINESS | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00017-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.934815 | 480 | 1.703125 | 2 |
The latest example of “Your Tax Dollars at Work” comes to us via the Chicago Tribune, which reports today that the U.S. Department of Agriculture “has churned out three dozen radio and television news segments since the first of the year that promote a controversial trade agreement with Central America”:
Amid an intense debate over government-funded efforts to influence news coverage, the prepackaged reports have been widely distributed to broadcast outlets across the country for easy insertion into newscasts.
This, of course, is not the first time the Bush administration has produced fake news segments that have been picked up by radio and TV outlets, and run without being identified as government propaganda. Remember Karen Ryan and Armstrong Williams?
The latest round of government PR posing as news involves efforts by the White House to overcome opposition from the politically powerful sugar industry, which opposes the Central American Free Trade Agreement because it would affect subsidies to U.S. sugar producers.
Earlier this week, two senators from sugar-producing states, Daniel Akaka of Hawaii and Mary Landrieu of Louisiana, wrote to USDA Secretary Mike Johanns criticizing the “news reports.” They wrote:
These releases, which are produced and distributed with taxpayer dollars, are provided to 675 rural radio stations and numerous televisions stations where they are run, without disclosure of their source, as news reports. We are concerned that many listeners in rural America may believe these releases are objective news reports, rather than political statements from the USDA which are intended to advance a specific trade agenda.
A USDA spokesman defended the practice, saying the releases are identified as coming from the Agriculture Department. But, as the Tribune notes, “the taglines disclosing the USDA’s role generally are at the end of the reports, and some news stations have dropped those taglines, apparently in an effort to make the reports appear to be their own work.”
As long as there are lazy news directors who don’t see the ethical landmines of running PR releases as news, there will always be government propagandists eager to help them.
Meantime, it’s getting increasingly impossible to turn on a TV news program without wondering if you’re watching actual journalism, or just the latest fiction from one or another cabinet agency in Washington, D.C., dressed up to look like news. | <urn:uuid:c802bbca-e802-435c-a17c-8a73aa8b5122> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.cjr.org/behind_the_news/hey_this_reporting_stuff_is_ea.php?page=all | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00010-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.955982 | 486 | 1.632813 | 2 |
Greetings from Eastern Oregon. I had a brief conversation with Mary Coolidge at Audubon this evening about the fledgling that flew into a car this afternoon. He was retrieved by Care Center volunteers and is currently being held at Audubon's Wildlife Care Center. The initial exam did not reveal any significant injuries but he will be held for observation for a day or two to ensure that everything is functioning properly. Sometimes with impact injuries we see problems 24-48 hours out. Our vet, Deb Sheaffer, will reassess him in the morning and go from there. Since we have him in captivity, we wil band him before release. There are not opportunities to visit the hawk while it is at the Care Center---we keep the injured animals off dispay to minimize their stress.
The parents will contnue feeding his sibling while he is held in captivity. It is not uncommon for parents to periodically lose track of their young during the fledging process, so his absence will not be as stressful for the parents as some folks may assume. We actually do this type of thing pretty regularly throughout the spring--we get in young hawks and owls that have suffered minor injuries, treat them for several days, and then return them to the parents. As long as the parents are caring for other young during that time period, their hormones will remain elevatedand they just resume caring for the injured youngster when it reappears. Where it gets more complicated is when there are no other young for the parents to care for during the absence--with no young to care for, the adults hormone levels will quickly drop and they will move out of their parenting mode. Fortunately we don't have that problem in this instance.
Last year we heald one of the Raptor Cam fledglings for more than a week after it crashed into a window and suffered a wing injury. That bird was successfully reunited with the parents. We released it back onto the fire escape and the parents immediately resumed caring for it.
We will continue to post updates. | <urn:uuid:aa174e6e-10dc-4c71-a2c1-5ae6be85b379> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.kgw.com/community/blogs/raptor-cam/69182047.html | 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 | 0.976276 | 409 | 1.570313 | 2 |
Vermont in the Spotlight
The snow is falling — a record accumulation for February — and the excitement is building as Vermont’s March 4 Town Meeting Day approaches. For the first time in memory, the Green Mountain State’s little presidential primary is in the national mix. Yours truly even got a phone call from a Time magazine reporter this week who was suddenly curious about the unique traits of Vermont’s political scene.
And though U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders is not publicly endorsing a candidate in next Tuesday’s Democratic Primary, he assured “Inside Track” he’ll be “actively and enthusiastically campaigning” for whomever the Democratic Party nominee is — Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton.
In fact, Ol’ Bernardo will play a special role in the fall presidential election as the Independent senator who will checkmate the U.S. Senate’s only other Independent senator — Joe Lieberman of Connecticut. Lieberman will be campaigning for Republican presidential candidate John McCain. The stakes are very high, indeed. Would love to see a Sanders vs. Lieberman debate, wouldn’t you?
“Lieberman is going to be actively working for McCain,” said Sanders. “I will be working for the Democratic nominee and making the case to millions of Independents throughout this country and in the state of Vermont that, from an Independent perspective, either Obama or Clinton will be by far the superior candidate. That’s kind of the role that I am going to be playing.”
Amazing to see where that 10-vote upset victory in the 1981 Burlington mayor’s race has taken him, eh?
From his travels around the state during the congressional recess, Sanders told us, “People are furious about George W. Bush and what a terribly bad president he has been. And they are chafing at the bit in order to undo the damage that this man has done to our country. There’s a tremendous amount of energy in Vermont and throughout this country to move America in a very, very different direction.”
Who would have imagined 20 years ago, asked Ol’ Bernardo (at the time he was in his fourth term as mayor of Burlington), “that we’d be talking about a woman and an African-American guy” running for president?
“The world changes and sometimes things change very quickly,” said Sen. Sanders, “and I think we may be at a point, what is called a transformational point, in American history where the people of this country in large numbers really, really, really want to move America in a very different direction. This may be the moment.”
Ol’ Bernardo said he will be focusing on an area that doesn’t get a whole lot of attention or discussion in the national media, “that we are spending $12 billion — that’s billion with a ‘b’ — $12 billion a month on the war in Iraq.” And the Bush administration’s defense budget, he noted, is currently pegged at $515 billion. It’s being paid for, said the Vermonter with the trademark Brooklyn accent, by our children and grandchildren, while the wealthiest among us have gotten tax breaks from the Bush administration and ExxonMobil just posted a record $40 billion annual profit!
“It’s not just wrong,” said Vermont’s firebrand Independent, “it’s leading us into an economic catastrophe.”
And what about that other Indepen-dent? The one who tossed his hat into the presidential race on Sunday morning’s “Meet the Press” — Ralph Nader?
“To be honest with you,” said Ol’ Bernardo, “I think Nader’s role in this campaign will be insignificant, unless he is propped up by the Republicans — Republican money and Republican support.”
Bernie said we should not forget that eight years ago, “It was Ralph Nader who told us there was no difference between George W. Bush and Al Gore. I don’t think there’s anybody in America who believes that now.”
Mr. Nader “is not going to have a significant role in the campaign,” predicted Sanders.
Polls are showing, he noted, that the American people understand our disastrous trade policy has cost millions of good-paying jobs. They understand the severity of global warming, and they understand the war in Iraq has been counterproductive in the struggle against international terrorism.
“The people are way ahead of Washington,” Sanders said.
We dare say he’s right, eh?
Clinton vs. Obama — Picked up the telephone during dinnertime on Monday, and on the other end of the line was the recorded voice of the former Democratic Governor of Vermont, Madeleine Kunin!
Queen Madeleine also served as ambassador to Switzerland for President Bill Clinton.
“Hillary Clinton will bring real solutions to the White House for all Americans,” said Madeleine. “Through Hillary Clinton’s 35 years of experience, she will bring real change to America.”
House Speaker Gaye Symington has also endorsed Hillary, wife of Bill. Both have acknowledged that candidate Clinton’s gender is an important factor in their support, though they also argue she’s the best qualified.
One cannot help but sense the old feminist fire in their political/social genes, reminders of the women’s liberation movement of the 1970s and 1980s. Yes, we have come a long way, baby. Sisterhood is indeed powerful, and the fact that the gender of the candidates in the Democratic Primary is not a factor for so many women proves it.
Like Madeleine Kunin, Kathy Hoyt was a feminist trailblazer in the world of politics, too. We take it for granted today, but there was a time when women were rare in positions of political power.
Hoyt served as Vermont Commissioner of Employment and Training under Gov. Kunin in the 1980s, and also was Queen Madeleine’s last chief of staff. And on Tuesday, Hoyt went public with her enthusiastic support for Barack Obama.
Hoyt described the Tuesday kickoff, via a statewide conference call, of “Women for Obama” in Vermont as “a sign of growth in women’s empowerment.” Hoyt told “Inside Track” that she would “love to see a woman president someday, but I don’t think Hillary is the right person.”
A Hillary Clinton presidency, were she to win, said Hoyt, would be a return to “the old politics” and “the politics of division.” Hoyt, who also served as chief of staff under Gov. Howard Dean, described the Clinton campaign as “harking back to the 1990s and running on a legacy of Bill Clinton’s administration.” And that, she said, “is not where we are in the country right now.”
Hoyt’s a native of North Carolina and a veteran of the civil-rights struggle that dominated the South during the 1960s. The first president she voted for was John F. Kennedy in 1960. Hoyt told yours truly the Obama for President Campaign has stirred up some of those vibes from the ’60s and the New Frontier Days that JFK inspired prior to his assassination on November 22, 1963.
“I get so excited,” said Hoyt, “because I see this guy Obama being able to reach over and work with other groups to really change the way things get done.”
Clearly, the momentum appears to be building behind Obama as we head to next Tuesday’s primaries in Ohio, Texas, Rhode Island and Vermont. If Obama carries both Texas and Ohio, most pundits say the writing is on the wall for the Clinton campaign.
“Hopefully, if that happens,” said Hoyt, “the Clintons will understand that in order to preserve their dignity and the accomplishments of the Clinton administration, they’ll back out.”
We shall see.
More Obama Support — Freshman Congressman Peter Welch is also on the Obama for President train.
Welchie told “Inside Track” this week that Barack Obama is “turning the page on the past 10 to 15 years of the politics of personal destruction, and a politics that said the government’s the enemy.” There’s a new sense of hope, said Welch.
Also, he noted, “Obama was against the war from the beginning, and people are desperate to have a new U.S. image in the world. Obama, I think, embodies that,” said Rep. Welch.
And let’s not forget U.S. Sen. Patrick Leahy’s enthusiastic support for Barack Obama. By now, many have heard the radio spot for the Obama campaign that he cut with his darling wife, Marcelle Leahy.
“Change we can believe in,” is what the Leahys call him.
The only question is, how large will his Vermont landslide victory be, eh?
Statehouse Pot War? — Democratic Senate President Pro Tem Peter Shumlin calls it “a teeny little baby step compared to where we should be going,” but the Vermont Senate’s passage of a bill that would decriminalize marijuana possession is a step in the right direction.
All we did, said Sen. Shumlin, was pass a bill that makes the “green books” — the current state statutes — reflect what happens if one gets caught with a small amount of pot by law enforcement now.
“Today, if you get caught with an ounce or less, you do not go to prison,” he said.
Under the bill passed by the Vermont Senate, “You’ll go to diversion and have no criminal record for your first two offenses,” said Shummy.
There are all sorts of legal substances, from tobacco to alcohol to Ritalin or Oxycontin, that can be purchased in stores right here in Vermont, noted Shumlin, “but if you smoke a joint, that’s illegal.”
He made those remarks on the recent broadcast of “Point-Counterpoint,” appearing with Republican State Senator and Essex County State’s Attorney Vince Illuzzi.
Vince the Prince argued that the current criminal statute doesn’t need changing, since current practice in Vermont is not to seek jail time for minor pot possession.
“The system is failing so miserably that our communities, parents, police and law enforcement don’t know what to do,” said the Senate’s top Democrat, once mentioned as a possible gubernatorial candidate.
“We’re losing the battle against substance abuse in this state from Bennington to Burlington and everywhere in between,” he said.
“We don’t want to send the wrong message to our children. Best thing we can do is be honest with them. What children look for is consistency. And right now our laws are so out of whack that it is very confusing.”
Guv Watch 2008 — There’s still no Democrat in Vermont’s gubernatorial race. The only announced challenger to three-term GOP incumbent Jim Douglas is Progressive Anthony Pollina. In fact, Pollina came out of the bushes this week to hold a Statehouse presser, and he ripped into Gov. Scissorhands’ proposed budget with a little more fire than we’ve heard from the Democrats so far.
Peter Galbraith, the only Democrat known to be “seriously considering” a candidacy, was unseen this past week.
Meanwhile, leading Democrats such as Shumlin and Welch continue to insist their party will have a “strong” candidate running for governor this fall. Unfortunately, they are unable to supply any names to back it up.
Shumlin even goes so far as to say that when their “strong” Democrat candidate pops up, “I think that Anthony Pollina at that point will see the light, recognize that, while he’s a very articulate and thoughtful person, there’s no way that he’s going to be elected the next governor of the State of Vermont.”
Oh, really?Informed of Shumlin’s remark, Pollina told “Inside Track” he’d like “to remind Shummy the Progressives already have a very strong candidate for governor who is gaining support among those who call themselves Democrats, and Independents as well.”
And Tony the Prog made it clear he’s “a strong candidate.”
Pollina said he’d been out there “working hard and talking to people, and a lot of the people I talk to are Democrats.” And, said the Progressive Party candidate, “They’re quite supportive.”
Time will tell. | <urn:uuid:df4159a8-91cb-40f2-9bed-6b57ef05d9ac> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.7dvt.com/2008/vermont-spotlight | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00010-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.956839 | 2,778 | 1.625 | 2 |
Today, our lives are filled with choices. Should I buy or lease a new car? Should I purchase the generic or the name-brand
product? Is it better to rehab an existing structure or build new? In most situations, the choices we make can be changed
even in mid-stream with few long-term consequences. But the realities of business are more complex, particularly for a small
or startup biotechnology company with limited resources and equipment. The decisions that are made can often determine the
success or failure of the company. Smaller biotech companies cannot do everything alone. They often lack the knowledge and
resources to independently follow the path from clinic to market. The solution: a collaboration with a CMO or contract development
and manufacturing organization (CDMO). In fact, perhaps no choice is more important to get right the first time than the selection
of an outsourcing partner.
A well-chosen CMO with development expertise can be of vital support to smaller organizations by helping them to set up and
manage processes and to facilitate creative decision-making during the early drug-development period. However, finding the
right CDMO can be a challenging, time-intensive process. The following answers to common questions, based on the author's
experience, are meant to provide guidance in making a suitable choice.
ONE PARTNER OR SEVERAL?
The first choice to be made is whether to partner with several companies or with one full-service CDMO that can help bring
a compound from early clinical development through to commercial manufacturing and market supply. Developing and manufacturing
an innovative drug involves considerable risks, particularly financial ones. Finding a single suitable partner can free up
limited company resources, enabling the sponsor company to concentrate on core competencies such as R&D. Such a partnership
can add perceived value to both the compound(s) and company, and help attract future investors and licensing opportunities.
HOW DO I FIND THE RIGHT PARTNER?
Generally speaking, the more experienced the CDMO, the greater the likelihood of success and the smoother the collaboration.
Some questions to ask:
- How long has the CDMO been in business, and what kinds of work has it done? If relevant to the project, does the CDMO have
experience with complex compounds?
- Is its work history consistent with your current and future project(s)?
- Does it have experience in supporting your company's drug-development requirements, including clinical filling as well as
commercial manufacturing and market supply?
- Does it have relationships with regulators? How extensive is their knowledge of regulatory rules and international regulations?
- Does the CDMO have well-trained teams of scientists and engineers?
DOES THE CDMO HAVE A TEAM MENTALITY?
The core of any partnership is trust. Because small biotechnology companies often have less experience and resources in assembling
their own project-management teams, knowing how and by whom your business will be handled is essential. The partner organization's
level of experience and its designated project managers are crucial for realizing project-specific needs. The sponsor company
must be confident that knowledge and information will be handled properly and shared among all team members. | <urn:uuid:0647ba5f-1a02-4be3-a9d0-df0a1c9f3c54> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.biopharminternational.com/biopharm/article/articleDetail.jsp?id=742610&sk=&date=&pageID=1 | 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 | 0.948859 | 654 | 1.742188 | 2 |
The Affordable Care Act... allows health insurers to charge smokers buying individual policies up to 50 percent higher premiums starting next Jan. 1.I got there via the Isthmus forum, where Meade wrote:
For a 55-year-old smoker, the penalty could reach nearly $4,250 a year. A 60-year-old could wind up paying nearly $5,100 on top of premiums.
Younger smokers could be charged lower penalties under rules proposed last fall by the Obama administration. But older smokers could face a heavy hit on their household budgets at a time in life when smoking-related illnesses tend to emerge.
Does that really make sense? Shouldn't it be reversed? Charge higher penalties/taxes to younger smokers as they will potentially have more years to cost society in lost production and "free" health care.What are the voluntary activities that create the greatest risks for costing the insurance pool money? Why pick on smokers alone? To get the variable premiums concept started, because we're already into burdening smokers? By the way, "Among Americans, Smoking Decreases as Income Increases/Gradual pattern is consistent across eight earnings brackets." The least well-off people are hit hardest! But — what the hell? — kick the smokers now, and later we can tweak the system and raise the premiums for people who.... well, who would you like to hurt/nudge? How about the fat? Weigh in every year and get your premiums adjusted accordingly, scientifically. Here's a BMI calculator. Maybe we should charge you $1,000 a year in added premiums for every point above the "normal" range.
Charge older retired or retiring smokers lower penalties/taxes, encourage them to keep smoking and die sooner. After all, at their age, the older smokers are no longer contributing. The sooner they die, the less they cost the rest of us. | <urn:uuid:c8c48f92-11aa-485d-962e-707cd208eb77> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://althouse.blogspot.com/2013/01/millions-of-smokers-could-be-priced-out.html?showComment=1359140474337 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00012-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.950373 | 385 | 1.757813 | 2 |
AL-BAHA – Staff at a government office in Al-Baha have been instructed not to wear the traditional fleece undergarment, known locally as a “farwa”, in the workplace as managers believe it to impede efficiency.
The farwa fleece, worn during the winter season and popular in the southern mountain regions where temperatures can drop to 10 degrees, was cited in a circular describing it as “improper and impractical during working hours”.
“It confines the movement of those wearing it and in consequence leads to the tasks required of them being delayed and performed improperly,” the circular said.
The notice asked staff to find more suitable alternatives to the favored farwa fleece, but added:
“There is not even any need to wear the farwa in the first place, given that all offices are equipped with heating systems.” – Okaz/SG | <urn:uuid:9fd7c269-d398-4a77-9533-1d3a1cfb0093> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index.cfm?method=home.regcon&contentID=2009121857381 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00012-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.976843 | 188 | 1.5625 | 2 |
Forecasters predict as many as four to eight hurricanes this year. University of Houston resources have expertise in a variety of topics related to storms – before, during and after.
Master Chef Visits Hilton College to Demo the Art of Japanese Cuisine
Its flavors and tradition date back thousands of years, but the western version of Japanese sushi-"maki-zushi," rolled in dried seaweed and "nigiri-zushi," hand-formed-is only a small part of what the cuisine offers.
The University of Houston Conrad N. Hilton College of Hotel and Restaurant Management, together with the Consulate-General of Japan at Houston, host Master Chef Masahiko Yanagihara for two nights of discussion and demonstrations of the lesser known regional flavors and creations. Yanagihara is owner and head chef of Tokyo's Sushi Koma.
The events take place at 7:30 p.m., Tuesday and Wednesday, Oct. 26 and 27 in the Hilton College demonstration kitchens, room S116. The events are free and open to the public, but space is limited. For reservations contact email@example.com and indicate which day you would like to attend, and if you are a UH student.
The Tuesday session will focus on "sasa-zushi," bamboo leaf-wrapped sushi, "oshi-zushi," box pressed and "tekone-zushi," quick lunchbox. The Wednesday session will focus on "dashi," the most basic element of Japanese cuisine. Both sessions feature lecture and demonstrations.
"Houston is an international city and home to many Japanese restaurants," said Kazuyuki Akiyama, vice-consul of information and cultural affairs. "We're hopeful that those who appreciate the art of Japanese cuisine will take part in these opportunities to learn from the master how to prepare these dishes in their own kitchens."
The UH Conrad N. Hilton College of Hotel and Restaurant Management offers undergraduate and graduate degrees in hotel and restaurant management and hospitality management. The college is a world leader in hospitality education and is consistently ranked as one of the top hospitality programs in the world.
|WHO:||UH Conrad N. Hilton College of Hotel and Restaurant Management and Consulate-General of Japan at Houston|
|WHAT:||Cooking Demonstration with Master Chef Masahiko Yanagihara of Tokyo's Sushi Koma|
|WHEN:||7:30 p.m., Oct. 26 and 27|
|WHERE:||UH Conrad N. Hilton College of Hotel and Restaurant Management, Demonstration Kitchens, S116| | <urn:uuid:53f41c4d-be61-42c1-a2aa-532f8efbd4fb> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.uh.edu/news-events/stories/2010articles/Oct2010/1042010JapaneseCookingDemo.php | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00007-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.938485 | 532 | 1.5 | 2 |
You've probably seen these funny barcode-like symbols popping up and wondered if they mean anything. These days they are all over the place - on websites, in magazines, and even in television ads. What are these mysterious glyphs? Should we be concerned? And of course the question on all of our minds, how can I use them to market my business?
QR Codes are essentially barcodes that store a whole lot more data. They were originally used to track parts for the auto industry, but these days you can find them everywhere - they have a great commercial value. A tiny QR code can hold a lot more data than a traditional barcode because it stores it on two dimensions, horizontally and vertically. Barcodes pretty much just translate to a few digits where QR codes can display letters, numbers and other characters. They can then be scanned by mobile smartphones equipped with cameras to decode the information. Much of the time, QR codes will point to a URL, but they can contain text, phone numbers, SMS messages, WiFi logins, and a whole lot more.With the explosion of mobile browsing and even mobile ecommerce, utilizing QR codes to share data between traditional media such as newsletter, brochures and print ads can help drive more digital traffic. Think of QR codes as a pseudo-social media: not everybody is going to jump on board immediately, but as big popular brands embrace QR codes (and they most definitely are) users will start to catch on and pull out their mobile device more often to see what is behind the code.QR codes can open up a lot of creative opportunities for marketing efforts. Since QR codes are simple monochrome images they can be put on everything from business cards to t-shirts to chocolate. Remember, the creativity can't stop there; when someone scans the QR code you'll want to send them somewhere worth going to - that might not be your homepage, but a special landing page specific to the piece of media they scanned.Looking to learn more about QR codes, or get help implementing them for your business? Give us a call at 360-528-6017.
Welcome to Our New Site! We are proud to announce the unveiling of our new website at BrightWire Networks!
Learn more about what BrightWire Networks can do for your business.
Call us today 360-528-6017
7511 Terminal St. SW Suite 201Olympia, Washington 98501 | <urn:uuid:67fef290-07a3-4352-8e80-dac1ca64a177> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.brightwirenetworks.com/newsletter-content/item/97-qr-codes-in-a-nutshell.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00012-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.934428 | 493 | 1.703125 | 2 |
The European Data Protection Supervisor (EDPS) said (16-page / 130KB PDF) that elements of the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) cannot be justified and that the wording of the text is not sufficiently detailed to guarantee that individuals' rights would not be breached in any enforcement against suspected online copyright infringers.
"It should be ensured that any online enforcement measure implemented within the EU as a result of entering into ACTA is necessary and proportionate to the aim of enforcing IP rights," Giovanni Buttarelli, assistant EDPS, said.
"Measures that entail the indiscriminate or widespread monitoring of internet user' behaviour, and/or electronic communications, in relation to trivial, small-scale not for profit infringement would be disproportionate and in breach of [individuals' right to privacy under the European Convention on Human Rights], [individuals' right to privacy and the protection of their personal data under] the Charter of Fundamental Rights, and the Data Protection Directive," he said.
Buttarelli said a drafting of "targeted" enforcement plans could legitimatise monitoring of internet activities under certain conditions.
"A targeted form of monitoring by right holders would be legitimate if the processing is carried out in the context of specific, current or forthcoming judicial proceedings, to establish, make or defend legal claims," he said. "However, the generalised monitoring followed by the storage of data on a general scale for the purpose of enforcing claims, such as the scanning of the Internet as such, or all the activity in P2P networks, would go beyond what is legitimate.
"Such general monitoring is especially intrusive to individuals' rights and freedoms when it is not well defined and there is no limitation to it, in scope, in time, and in terms of persons concerned," Buttarelli said.
ACTA requires member countries to have in place "enforcement procedures" under national laws that allow for "effective" action to be taken against IP infringers that is both "expeditious" and a suitable "deterrent to further infringements".
In January the UK, along with 21 other EU member countries, signed up to ACTA at a ceremony in Japan. Australia, Canada, Japan, South Korea, Morocco, New Zealand, Singapore and the US signed ACTA in October last year.
However, in February thousands of people took to the streets of cities across Europe to protest against the impact they believe ACTA would have on their internet freedoms. Member countries of ACTA must ensure that IP that exists in "the digital environment" can also be enforced through civil and criminal legal procedures.
A number of EU ACTA signatories, including Poland and the Czech Republic, have expressed concern with the proposed text and have suspended their "ratification" of it. The signatory countries and the European Parliament must approve the text before it can come into effect.
Other concerns have been raised about the secrecy in which ACTA was negotiated, with a rapporteur on the text at the European Parliament resigning in protest over the ACTA signing process - something he referred to as a "charade".
In response to the concerns over ACTA the European Commission has asked the European Court of Justice (ECJ) to review whether ACTA is compatible with the guardian principles and rights behind EU law. Earlier this month it announced it had "unanimously" agreed to ask the ECJ if "the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) [is] compatible with the European Treaties, in particular with the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union".
The ECJ is expected to weigh fundamental rights that rights holders have to the protection of intellectual property against individuals' rights to privacy and the protection of their personal data. Those rights, together with others that the ECJ may consider – including the freedom to conduct business – are guaranteed under the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights.
However, the watchdog that is responsible for ensuring EU bodies comply with data protection law, has issued its own opinion on ACTA and expressed concerns about its drafting.
The EDPS said that ACTA's wording is not prescriptive enough to ensure that data protection requirements would be satisfied if measures are introduced to enforce against online copyright infringement.
"The current deficiencies in the wording of the text together with the incentives provided to contracting parties over the implementation and design of enforcement mechanisms in the digital environment in their own territory are elements that will open the door for fragmented approaches within the EU, which in turn will run the high risk of inappropriate or insufficient respect of data protection requirements within the EU," the watchdog said.
ACTA also lacks detail on the kind of acts by internet users that would lead to enforcement action being taken against them and whether those individuals could make copies of material for their private use without facing such action, the opinion said. "It is particularly unclear whether only those activities carried out on a 'commercial scale' would be subject to the enforcement measures set forth in the digital chapter [of ACTA]".
"It is insufficiently guaranteed in ACTA that only the activities that are on a 'commercial scale' would be subject to the enforcement measures envisaged in the digital chapter," it said.
ACTA states that acts of ‘wilful copyright piracy’ or ‘wilful related rights piracy’ committed ‘on a commercial scale’ would be considered criminal offences and that offenders could face imprisonment or fines as a result. However, the EDPS said that the treaty "appears to create new categories of offences that would be subject to criminal enforcement" without defining what particular acts could lead to such sanctions as is required to provide "legal certainty".
"The EDPS underlines that the Agreement is unclear about the scope of enforcement measures in the digital environment, and whether they only target large-scale infringements of IP rights," the opinion said. "He regrets that the notion of 'commercial scale' is not defined with sufficient precision and that acts carried out by private users for personal and not-for profit purpose are not expressly excluded from the scope of the Agreement."
The watchdog said that ACTA implies that rights holders will in some form monitor use of the internet to identify alleged infringements of their rights by individuals in order to seek an injunction against individuals. Such activity would amount to processing of "sensitive data" because it would relate to suspected offenders, it said. Widespread monitoring by rights holders would be neither necessary nor proportionate and would not be justified, the opinion said.
"Whilst the processing by right holders of data relating to suspicions of IP rights infringement may be allowed for purpose of their own litigation under specific conditions, it should not extend beyond what is necessary and proportionate for such purpose," the EDPS said.
"From a data protection viewpoint right holders would only be allowed to engage into targeted monitoring in the context of limited, specific, ad hoc situations where well-grounded suspicions of copyright abuse on a commercial scale exist. Furthermore, in view of the specific risks to the rights and freedoms of individuals, such targeted monitoring should be subject to additional data protection safeguards, such as the prior checking or authorisation by the relevant national data protection authorities," it said.
Disclosure of suspected infringers' details by internet service providers (ISPs) to rights holders should only be done under the control of a "judicial authority", the opinion said. "The involvement of judicial authorities is an essential part of the current EU system and crucial to ensure that enforcement takes place in respect of due process and fundamental rights".
ACTA's wording would not ensure that only judicial bodies have control over these disclosure procedures, the EDPS said. "The use of the vague notion of 'competent authorities' does not provide much legal certainty that the disclosure of personal data under this provision would only take place under the control of judicial bodies."
As a result of the ability of 'competent authorities' to rule on disclosure, EU citizens' data protection rights could not be guaranteed, it said. "The current wording of the Agreement may legitimise orders from foreign non-judicial bodies to EU based ISPs to disclose information allowing identification of their EU-based Internet subscribers to right holders, even when these orders would be outside the scope of any ongoing legal proceeding."
ACTA allows for voluntary anti-piracy schemes to be drawn up by ISPs and rights holders, but the EDPS said that "large scale" processing of personal data under those schemes would raise "serious" privacy and data protection concerns. If those schemes also enabled "blocking of websites" the rights to freedom of expression and to receive or impart information and access to culture would be interfered with, it said.
The EDPS said that ACTA failed to "sufficiently" ensure that the correct balance would be achieved between intellectual property rights and data protection in the operation of voluntary anti-piracy schemes.
The watchdog added that the EU would have to ensure that any agreements the trading bloc formed under ACTA that involves the transfer of personal data to international trade partners would require "adequate data protection safeguards".
Although ACTA requires that enforcement measures are taken with "fundamental principles, such as freedom of expression, fair process and privacy" in mind, merely listing those principles is insufficient, the EDPS said.
"At international level, freedom of expression and privacy are recognised as fundamental rights in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and not as mere 'principles'," the opinion said. "Furthermore, the notion of 'fair process' does not correspond to any generally recognised human right. It appears to mix two different legal concepts, on the one hand the right to a fair trial (recognised in Article 10 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and Article 47 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the EU), and on the other hand, the notion of 'due process'".
"The EDPS underlines the benefits of an approach that lays out clearly the limitations and safeguards within which measures touching upon the use and monitoring of electronic communications networks may take place. It would therefore have been much better if ACTA had laid out clearly such safeguards," it said. | <urn:uuid:a1a2daec-6998-4f4f-9d6b-fc28228b2f68> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.out-law.com/en/articles/2012/april/acta-does-not-ensure-individuals-data-protection-and-privacy-rights-eu-watchdog-says/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706890813/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516122130-00012-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.951587 | 2,062 | 1.773438 | 2 |
- Judith Wright, ‘South of My Days’, from A Human Pattern: Selected Poems, ETT Imprint, Sydney, 2010. Printed with permission.
The nurse arrives at your home. Squeaking the gate on rusty hinges, she takes the steps to your front door and in those steps registers car-tyre sounds on a rainy street and the two-week-old newspaper on your verandah, plastic flowers in pots, and biscuit-factory smells from up the street, that once sweet, have now turned sickly through overexposure. In a year the biscuits will be gone and the sugar mill in Pyrmont too, and the dockyards and goods line, and the little shop around the corner whose sign proclaimed: ‘Quick Buttonholes Done Here’. All salt-of-the earth types to be replaced by renovated apartments, cafés and restaurants.
And in the knock at your door is the wait, the slow introduction of worlds: mine to yours, yours to mine, greetings between us, and once inside momentarily blinking in the half-light of closed blinds, adjusting eyes and ways of being, each to the other.
The stories we nurses know—you couldn’t make half of them up—are based on a premise of dignity, valued lives and practical notions; the discourse varies as the situation demands. There was fiction in the floridness of Ero, who is seventy years old and describes herself as Empress of the World. In buoyant tone, she declares: ‘You may call me Your Highness.’ Yeah, right. It is Ero’s plan to build a grand structure to rival the Parthenon and already she has started talks with the casino in relation to the matter. She was recently homeless and aren’t there a lot of them, slowly receding from the world and spilling into old age, wandering streets and refuges as though to follow some noble, antediluvian tradition. In the City Women’s Hostel, someone I’ll call May is eighty-two years old and tells me her parents sold her sister for ten quid to back a horse. ‘My real mother is Gracie Fields. She had to sneak into the country to see me.’ We find May a home and each of the nurses treats her with the grace of fields, fields of grace, filling up her syringe driver, enquiring about nausea and comfort and the marvellous feat she has accomplished in transforming a pillow slip and a stuffed toy frog into a pair of slippers. May is a seamstress and talk of illness and dying means nothing much to her. They’re abstract terms—and didn’t the abstract painters attempt to produce work that had no identifiable reference to the visible world, creating instead that which had a claim to exist in its own right?
In those whose health was more certain, the fiction, we knew, was in gaps of things unsaid, the traces of family and friends left behind by a person, and not wishing to answer to any of this: it was left to others to invent, interpret or discover after death. Michael, whose dying wish was that his family not be notified of his passing, finds the law makes no allowance for such requests, and efforts are made to track down a next of kin: a man who, when eventually found, thunders into the crematorium, demanding the coffin be opened so he can see his father.
‘We’re not allowed to open it,’ the funeral director says. ‘It’s against the law in a crematorium.’
The man yells, threatens, demands, so that the funeral director says he’ll see what he can do and departs. I’m thinking, Don’t leave me here with him. Even in death Michael’s peace is questionable. They do open the coffin and whatever it is that Michael’s son sees calms him a little as the queue outside the chapel shuffles impatiently, rattles the door, because we’ve taken up more than the allotted thirty minutes. Well, at least that’s something, I think, Michael asserting his claim to more than the allocated time there in his final departure.
In this line of work I was often put in mind of Judith Wright’s poetry:
South of my day’s circle
I know it dark against the stars, the high lean country
full of old stories that still go walking in my sleep.1
This is the nurse’s lean country: the streets and homes of Redfern, Glebe, Kings Cross—double-tiered worlds of overtones and undercurrents, subcultures of those disaffected, different, of disparate views. One man whose happiest days were as a chimney sweep: ‘You put the steel ball down with the wire chain and it bumps against the side. Then the wire brush, you put that down and then the scraper.’ And now here he is surrounded by nicotine walls, unwashed dishes and a chimney sweep’s blackened face. He wears a faded boxing-kangaroo T-shirt that harks back to a claim that Australia won the America’s Cup once.
And then there’s Paul, who at our first meeting announces: ‘I’ve got the cancer. I shouldn’t be here. They gave me six months.’ It’s a clapped-out boarding house in Redfern. He’s had a knife held to his throat twice in the past month because word got out he helped collect the takings for the manager. Can’t make it up the stairs to the bathroom and the guttering leaks into a bucket at his door when it rains. ‘Let’s see if we can’t do better than this,’ I say, but he has no real expectation of it. Paul’s six months is eight when I meet him, soon becomes a year and then two as his world unfurls like something from a chrysalis. After and between the gaps lies truth, or at least a version of it that I’ve come to understand.
In the loading of the syringe driver, the palliative care nurse shows deft and clever hands. Snaps the morphine vial, twenty-one gauge needle clipped onto syringe, drawing the physical calculations of analgesia, muscle relaxant, anti-spasmodic, and then a more comfortable dressing, something for the rash, the fluid amassing on the lungs, conversations with the local doctor, the specialist, considering options, choices, expanding the world and opening it up to someone who sees everything closing rapidly around him. And in the same registration of a wet newspaper on the verandah is the noticing of small things: a little more breathless, slight loss of weight, the fading of hope in a man’s eyes.
Paul’s knowledge of the world is reflected in a belief that he doesn’t deserve much, though he wouldn’t put it like that. It’s more practical, of the streets, rough-edged. His thieving days are behind him—that’s a young man’s caper—but he still considers himself one, only now he’s stealing time. Back in his day it was the child who was charged with being neglected, so for many it wasn’t long for the paperwork to mount up. Within a few years Paul was given a one-way ticket to Children’s Court, where he learned pretty quickly the lie of the land.
He was chased around the courtyard of Albion Street by Neddy Smith as the guards and other kids cheered them on. Paul had been given ten pounds by his mother, told to hide it under his tongue as insurance to give the guards in the event of trouble. Neddy was in charge of hot water and ran a racket deciding who’d get a hot shower and who got to shiver under the cold. He’d got wind of the ten pounds and set out to get it for himself. Paul survived that day, because as he said, ‘I was skinny as a flea and as fast as a rabbit.’ After that Neddy, at thirteen, employed others to do the chasing.
Later it was a ricocheting act in and out of boys’ homes then rapidly jail: Long Bay, Grafton, Bathurst, Lithgow, an alternative travelogue to New South Wales. Once in Auckland. Paul always liked to stay one step ahead of whatever happened next, coal-black eyes scanning the horizon in anticipation of either trouble or the arrival of a supply ship. The first key to something that was his and wouldn’t be taken from him was one I gave him to a third-floor unit in the high-rise of Waterloo, his new home. He looked down at that key as if it were a find from an archaeological expedition.
By then I had moved from community nursing to working with homeless older people, sorting out housing, linking them with community and mental health services, here and there a hospital, social networking the old-fashioned way with furtive attempts made to remember purpose and meaning. Our office was a converted pub, what had once been the Mount Lachlan, in Elizabeth Street, Waterloo, and all the oldies knew it. The liquor licence had been sold but it still had the layout of the hotel and there were stools, a pool table, plenty of bar counter to lean on. The doors opened up on a Tuesday and Thursday to Paul and May, Ero and Michael, all the others. Sometimes the steps inside would be tentative, one man offering a confession and apology for the time he was ejected and given a lifetime ban from the place in 1978: ‘I was three sheets to the wind at the time. Sorry. Would it be all right if I came back?’
Paul worked the kitchen, serving tea and helping with the dishes. In jail the kitchen was always the best job: fresh bread, the biggest servings and the thoroughfare for every kind of contraband. Meanwhile his limbs were swelling. Walking was painful and more medication in various concoctions was added to the mix. He’d get cranky with those who didn’t chip in with their money or who left their plates for others to clean up, or with May for not putting in her hearing aids. ‘Look at my new slippers!’ May would bellow, for the sixty-forth time. And there’d be another frog and a lost pillow slip staring back up at you. ‘My mother was Gracie Fields.’ Is that right?
At different times, over years, the nurses visited Paul and May, Michael, others too. Paul didn’t know why the nurses did it, kept looking to catch them out, so accustomed was he to there being a sting in the tail of any deed. He hadn’t seen or offered much evidence of goodwill himself and was studying it like a new language, conjugating verbs and meanings, trying to understand syntax and parsing, often looking perplexed. Yes, but why do they do this job, the nurses? I didn’t have a ready answer. Money? A lifestyle? Status and prestige? Because they wanted to. An answer at once accurate and incomplete.
Sometimes when we’d talk about family or friends I’d tell Paul fleeting things of some activity we’d had: a birthday celebration, Christmas, picnics. He’d want to know more; I think he tried to picture himself in the scene but couldn’t quite form it in his mind. He’d ask the whys and wherefores of some small thing my colleagues, my family or friends and I had shared: food, outings, an odd job done here and there.
‘But why would they do that for you?’ he’d ask.
‘I don’t know.’
‘They didn’t want anything in return?’
‘Not as far as I could tell.’ (It did make me think, though.)
‘And when you did that for them, what was it you were after?’
‘You just did it?’
We would often look at each other in complete bewilderment. An aside thrown in here and there: at Long Bay one Saturday, there’s a screening of The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. One man gets shot, another is stabbed in the back. The shot rings out on the screen and the stabbing takes place in the darkened theatre. A knife through the back of a man’s chair. No one sees anything, knows anything, and the few murmurs are because the movie has had to be stopped. It hadn’t occurred to me before, but I didn’t know you could stab someone through a chair.
As Paul’s health deteriorated, the palliative care team shaped the pieces carefully, not quite knowing what the whole looked like, working by intuition, experience and knowledge with no cardboard jigsaw box to guide the final image. Every time it was different and often there was no complete picture. Perhaps such pictures are what the abstract painters had in mind. Nonfiction can do that.
Paul died in hospital, and at the end it was all bodily fluids and rickety, sharp bones, scaffolding left in a place that was once bricks and mortar. By then life was more of an exhalation—ketotic breath carrying away all the stories. That’s how it can play out. Driftwood passes on a slow tide, and here and there bumps against a sunken tree that has itself only a distant memory of soil and earth but nonetheless has carved out a new purpose.
As children we used to play a game called tracking. The kids in the street divided into two teams and one lot would set off with a piece of chalk in hand to etch on the footpath a route—unplanned, unknown—that, after an interval of twenty minutes, the second team would follow. Detours were set up by the advance party—a small subgroup sent with a spare piece of chalk down a cul-de-sac or around the block—all with the aim of delaying the second team and frustrating their goal, which was to catch up with the first. Chalk arrows branched out over adjoining suburbs, down to the creek, across the railway station and back again. Invariably during the game team members would wander off—lost to boredom, or a preferred option of kicking a ball, or for more prosaic reasons such as their mother would kill them if they didn’t get home right now. Sometimes the arrows returned to where we began. On other occasions the creek or a new distant park was destination enough. But it was never really about the destination, nor was it like other games where winning was of paramount importance. The essence of tracking was about the setting out, steps on the footpath, avoiding dogs and speculating on the inhabitants of houses we passed on the way. Leaving a chalk mark, no matter how temporary it turned out to be. It was in the collective going somewhere without necessarily knowing where that was.
If someone asked me now why nurses do what they do, what’s in it for them, my answer would relate somehow to our tracking game or to Robyn Davidson’s book Tracks, that wonderful canvas of expanse and possibility. The nurse as nomad, but without the camels. And instead of geographic distance the travelling would be in the narrative, a thousand and one Scheherazade nights, large and small epics, light and fleeting touches of spoken and unspoken text.
This is the lean country of Redfern, Glebe, Kings Cross that each day wakes, stretches limbs and blinks through half-closed blinds past a rusted, squeaking gate.
© Ruth Melville 2012 | <urn:uuid:13a12f90-6e03-44b5-bd01-fdbb424a783b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://meanjin.com.au/articles/post/narrative-the-nurse-and-the-nomad/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00015-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.974839 | 3,373 | 1.53125 | 2 |
The Indian Air Force and the Central Industrial Security Force have stepped up security at Reliance Industries' oil refinery at Jamnagar following the sighting of an “illuminated object” in the skies over the plant.
It is suspected the object, which was spotted hovering over the
refiner twice — on the evening of January 24 and again early morning on January 27 - could be an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) from across the border in Pakistan.
"While it is difficult to say anything immediately as investigations are still on, the ministries of home affairs and defence have put the concerned security agencies and authorities on high alert," a senior government official told HT seeking anonymity.
Jamnagar refinery, the largest in the world, is located close to Pakistan border.
Indian intelligence agencies had last year identified it has a potential target for an attack by Lashkar-e-Toiba operatives.
RIL pointed out as local forces are ill-equipped to deal with high-tech air-borne assaults, the government should "investigate the incident on top priority... and thwart any possible misadventure in the future". | <urn:uuid:60d00e0a-36ec-4da8-b991-22fa1fc910d9> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.hindustantimes.com/business-news/corporatenews/RIL-Jamnagar-refinery-under-foreign-radar/Article1-1013597.aspx | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00018-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.962754 | 229 | 1.726563 | 2 |
Oct 18, 2012, 8:03 AM
Post #1 of 1
I have a simple webpage deployed to tomcat which runs certain shell scripts based on user selection. The pages are written in html and cgi/perl.
Ldap authentication CGI/Perl
We already have a working ldap server and directory. I need to be able to add security to the web page I created so a user is asked to login using their ldap account when trying to access the home page or any off the sub pages.
How do I add ldap authentication to my web page?
Please be very specific as I am new to all of this. Step by step instructions including code would be greatly appreciated. Thank You
I did a lot of research on google, but all of the solutions are generic, and I don't know where to start.
This is a good article, but I'm not sure where do I put my connection to ldap and the binding (which of my pages)? How do I make sure the authentication will apply to the sub pages as well, or any other one created in the future?
(This post was edited by kavkazi on Oct 18, 2012, 8:12 AM) | <urn:uuid:09968ac0-3b24-4412-a7c7-0ad2402a5dbc> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://perlguru.com/gforum.cgi?post=72195;sb=post_latest_reply;so=ASC;forum_view=forum_view_collapsed;guest=7819022 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00006-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.94184 | 257 | 1.773438 | 2 |
My obsession with CNC machines began a few years ago with my first Arduino shield – The Adafruit Motor Shield. After assembling the kit, my first real soldering project, I was amazed by the ease and precision with which stepper motors could be controlled. With a bit of free time on my hands, I spent a week or so searching out disparate parts to cobble together a haphazard single axis motor and control system. Watching my crude platform creep back and forth along a wobbly threaded rod was absurdly satisfying and I knew building a full CNC machine was in my future.
Free time quickly succumbed to work and left my CNC aspirations simmering on the back burner. During late night browsing I would scour Instructables and MAKE for CNC projects, filing away bits of information. My original intent was to build a machine of my own design from scratch, but I quickly realized the complexities were beyond my abilities at the time.
I began to research CNC kits and was inspired by Edward Ford’s Shapeoko Kickstarter project. Despite being reluctant to invest in the initial wooden version, I was very excited to see Shapeoko evolve into a substantial machine of metal and aluminum with the help of Makerslide, another Kickstarter project.
Sometime after I came across Shapeoko and immediately placed an order for a Mechanical Kit, the barebones machine without electronics. I spent the next month sourcing various components, some of which I already had, and reading the extensive Shapeoko build wiki and user forum in advance of receiving my kit.
Upon arrival, my first impression was of the professional packaging and meticulously labeled bags of parts. Enclosed was a Thank You letter from Edward and a well organized bill of materials. I was very pleased to find the pieces were of high quality, especially considering the low price.
A few days later, armed with the Shapeoko build wiki on my laptop and only seven tools, I started the build. The comprehensive instructions, photos, videos and user forum made the process surprisingly easy.
The pieces went together very smoothly—the most complex steps were using a rotary tool to grind away paint in holes on the metal end plates and tapping the Makerslide. I have to say, I was a bit leery of tapping the pieces by hand, but the instructional video on the wiki inspired confidence and my 14 tapped holes turned out perfectly.
There were a few sections in the instructions which were a bit unclear, mainly the description of the X and Y belt attachment. However the active Shapeoko forum offered a variety of solutions, from zip ties to custom “L” brackets. I opted to create a mounting solution of my own, admittedly, not as elegant as the “L” brackets, but definitely very functional.
For my initial electronics build, I decided to go simple and temporarily mount the components on a scrap piece of wood. I used recycled Ham Radio cables and coupled them with quick release connectors to the stepper motors. My goal was to get things functional and eventually use the Shakeoko to build a proper enclosure to house the electronics.
The Shapeoko is controlled via Grbl, an open source CNC milling controller that runs on an Arduino. After downloading it’s very easy to upload the Grbl hex file via the Arduino IDE. Once flashed, your Arduino is now a Grbl controller ready to interpret GCode and drive your machine. The 3 axes grblShield from Synthetos simplifies connecting the stepper motors and 24 volt power supply. New grblShields are available with a special Z Axis Mod specifically for the Shapeoko – Grbl and the grblShield provide parameters for setting a feed rate for the X, Y and Z motors, but are designed for machines with constant settings across all axes. Shapeoko uses a combination of belts for the X and Y axes and threaded rod for the Z axis. The modification requires cutting a trace on the grblShield and soldering a jumper to the ground to enable a different rate for the Z axis. The documentation makes the 10 minute process quite easy for those who already have the board, such as myself.
With the electronics and Grbl controller together, I sourced the recommended software for communicating with the controller. Originally starting on the Mac, I opted to use a PC laptop running Illustrator, CamBam and Universal-G-Code-Sender. The combination of software allows me to export vector artwork as DXF files, convert to GCode via CamBam, and send GCode to Grbl from Universal-G-Code-Sender.
Universal-G-Code-Sender also allows you to manually send GCode to your machine. The excitement of my original single axis build was easily multiplied by three as I performed a series of tests to understand how GCode works and to calibrate my Shapeoko. Upon seeing the smooth movements of each axis I knew I had come a long way from where I started. The user forum made the process easy with the vast amount of information, including a calculator to help perfect the Grbl settings.
Once everything seemed to function properly, I proudly ran the provided “Hello World” GCode to print the Shapeoko logo on paper with a marker. My first attempt ran well, but printed the logo in reverse. After some quick Y axis tweaks, thanks to the settings calculator, I printed off a picture perfect Shapeoko logo!
Impressed by the quality and precision of the output, I quickly created a DXF file in Illustrator with my newborn son’s name, converted it with CamBam and output it with the Shapeoko. There was excitement throughout the house when his name, drawn via CNC, was hung on the fridge.
One of the great things about Shapeoko, and use of Makerslide, is compatibility with parts found at the average hardware store. Picking up a variety of extra metal plates, M5 hex bolts, nuts and washers definitely helped as I built a simple pen holder to advance my pen and paper tests.
With paper tests complete I swapped my pen holder with an inexpensive rotary tool. My initial cuts were a bit sloppy, but after some adjustments to the Shapeoko and rotary tool, cutting precision increased tremendously. It took some time to noodle with and adjust the feed rates and depth settings in CamBam, but I’m proud that within a few days of my build I am cutting clean pieces from quarter inch plywood with 1/64” accuracy.
While I’ve yet to build my electronics enclosure, I purchased additional Makerslide to expand the machine’s cutting area and have been researching sturdier spindle options. I believe with the right combination of spindle and endmills the Shapeoko will have the ability to etch copper clad boards to create functional PCBs. With an Open Source Universal 3D Printer Extruder on the way from another Kickstarter project and an upgrade to the Synthetos TinyG 6 axes controller, I foresee modifying my Shapeoko for a variety of uses.
The ability to modify the open hardware design and extendable platform is what excited me most about Shapeoko. I could have certainly purchased an off-the-shelf CNC machine, or even a complete kit, but I wanted to experience the learning process of working with the electronics and—with the support of an active user forum—tweaking and customizing the machine.
I must say Edward Ford has done a tremendous job creating Shapeoko and driving a very active community around it. I believe the machine is an ideal platform for anyone interested in CNC who is eager to learn first-hand through build and experimentation. I’ve learned a tremendous amount in a very short time and having a well designed stable platform from which to build has made the process accessible and with great reward. I look forward to continue learning and creating many projects with my Shapeoko.
The Shapeoko is available as part of a pre-sale from Inventables starting at $225 for the Mechanical Kit. | <urn:uuid:805e9a05-6db8-41de-b19d-610cdee06f03> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://blog.makezine.com/review/tool-review-shapeoko-cnc-mill-kit/?parent=Toolbox | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00007-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.950097 | 1,653 | 1.742188 | 2 |
Minister for the Environment, Senator the Hon Robert Hill, 8 April 1998
I am pleased to present to the Senate the OECD's first environmental performance review of Australia.
The document is a comprehensive and measured audit of Australia's environment; a catalogue of the measures that governments have implemented to repair and protect it; and a set of proposals for development of environmental policy and policy processes.
The most gratifying feature of the report is the authors' acknowledgment of our responsible stewardship of what they
describe as an "ecologically unique continent, characterised by mega-bio-diversity", and our external territories.
And this in spite of the pressures created by what the review notes is our relatively fast growing economy within the OECD, reliant on primary industries and energy intensive industries.
More needs to be done. The examiners offer for consideration 52 proposals relating to formulation and implementation of policy, integration of environmental and economic policies, and international co-operation.
We shall as a government examine the proposals carefully and respond sensibly, for this report is testimony to the axiom that good environmental policy does not have to be radical policy.
Environmental and economic objectives can be integrated sensibly, as demonstrated by the review's recognition of Australia's voluntary and co-operative approach to environmental management, and our continued, successful implementation of the National Strategy for Ecologically Sustainable Development.
Indeed, it is highly complimentary to the government that most of the review's proposals entail development of our existing programs or expansion of our existing policy framework.
The authors' recognition of the scope for promoting consistent environmental and natural resources management objectives through the Natural Heritage Trust, especially in the context of the urgent need to maintain habitat and biodiversity, is vindication of the government's foresight.
The Trust is having a large and beneficial impact on the terrestrial environment. The government also is committed to developing and implementing an oceans policy to protect Australia's marine biodiversity and to ensure a sustainable fishing industry.
This is in addition to the chain of dugong sanctuaries created this year in the southern Great Barrier Reef region, and the listing of two more species of whale as endangered species.
We have anticipated or surpassed the review's proposals in other important policy areas as well.
For example, when discussing the need to foster consistent environmental and economic objectives the review proposes "improvements in institutional mechanisms to more fully and consistently integrate environmental considerations into economic decisions at all levels of government".
The government already has begun comprehensive reform of its environmental law regime to reflect and reinforce the review of the role of federal and state governments, conducted by the Council of Australian Governments.
There have been similar advances in the international sphere since the review was completed.
The review urges Australia to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions.
At the time of the review, Australia's projected greenhouse gas emissions were forecast to be 43 per cent higher than1990 levels by 2010 under a "business as usual" scenario.
Since then the government has announced a $180 million parcel of programs which will reduce emissions to 18 per cent above 1990 levels by 2010.
Subsequently, as a result of our participation in the Kyoto Protocol, we are seeking to reduce our emissions further: to 8 per cent above 1990 levels by 2012.
This reduction, from 43 per cent above to 8 per cent above, will be a remarkable attainment.
I welcome the report. It achieves its aim of creating a baseline for future reviews and offers a constructive contribution to our efforts to enhance existing environmental policies.
The examiners - from Canada, New Zealand, Norway, Germany and the OECD Secretariat - visited Australia in April and May last year. They met representatives of federal, state and territory governments, industry, environment groups and academics.
The draft report was examined in Paris in November. The Department of the Environment led the Australian delegation which included five senior federal and three senior state government representatives.
I thank the examiners, and I thank the officers of my department and the many others who contributed to the compilation of the report. | <urn:uuid:b185035b-5da4-4a05-b629-b09b1e148732> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.environment.gov.au/about/international/oecd/publications/oecdtabling.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00016-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.939904 | 815 | 1.789063 | 2 |
President Barack Obama called the Lowe's store manager who helped guide customers and employees to the back of his store moments before the front was ripped apart by a tornado. The president thanked manager Michael Hollowell for his actions, according to a press release from the White House.
The Sanford, N.C., store was one of many buildings damaged by dozens of tornadoes that brought destruction to North Carolina on Saturday, when 21 people were killed by the storm.
Hollowell credited his team and the corporate emergency-planning policies for the safety of the 100 or so people caught in the store.
Based on television news show interviews of participants and witnesses, store managers and employees had to act quickly to move customers to the windowless rear of the store, and at one point they had to convince customers that there really was a danger after a tornado was reported.
No one was hurt in the incident, but the store was severely damaged.
A statement on the White House website said the president called Michael Hollowell "to offer his gratitude for Mr. Hollowell’s swift action that saved so many lives." | <urn:uuid:0ccd5a64-ed32-4831-bae5-5c34abc23275> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://homechannelnews.com/print/226396 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00010-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.98552 | 225 | 1.640625 | 2 |
The UK has a long history of welcoming international students and UK qualifications are understood and respected throughout the world. Last year there were over 104,000 international undergraduate students in full-time higher education throughout the UK. For more information about studying in the UK, go to the Education UK website.
British colleges and universities provide a diverse, creative and inviting environment and will encourage each of your students to reach their full potential. Many provide international offices, international student societies, academic support, social events and clubs, counsellors and advisers to ensure that your students feel welcome and supported.
The annual UCAS International Teachers & Advisers Conference is being held in London on 13 & 14 June. This popular event provides you with a unique opportunity to hear from and network with representatives from many top UK universities, including Oxford, Cambridge and Edinburgh. It covers the key things you need to know in order to support your students from making their application through to their arrival in the UK. Go to our Events page for more details and to book your place.
Booking is now available for our highly interactive Competitive Admissions Conference which is being held at the Royal York Hotel, York, on 4 July. The event will provide you with expert advice and information about how admissions officers in universities and colleges choose between hundreds of applicants to successfully place students on to their most competitive courses. By attending you will fully understand the selective admissions process and be able to give your students the best possible advice. Find out more and book your place.
Our guides will help you find answers to your questions and provide links to other sources of advice and support, so you can advise your students in making the right choices:
We have created this toolkit to help advisers in schools, colleges and educational agencies worldwide, and international officers from UK universities and colleges who speak to international audiences. It includes information for international advisers, students and parents, in a variety of formats and with useful links to other parts of the UCAS website. Find out more.
How we can help
More information about the role of UCAS and our online tools and information resources.
Researching courses and locations
Information on how to help your students choose the right course and place of study: click here to find out about prospectuses, guidebooks, open days and conventions.
Entry requirements and documentation
An overview of entry requirements plus detailed information on the documentation your students will need before they can study in the UK.
English language proficiency
Find out about proficiency tests accepted by universities and colleges.
How to apply
Details on how and when to apply, as well as application costs.
An explanation of the current fees charged for international students, and advice on financial help available to them.
A wide range of research and reference sources that your students will find very useful.
Find out which international events we are attending / have attended this year. Many of these events were hosted by the British Council Education UK but we make other visits as well and we are always pleased to receive invitations to speak to students and counsellors in their own schools and colleges.
Find out about our workshops for advisers and international agents, where you can learn how to successfully advise applicants from an international background and where to find up-to-date resources. Go to the advisers' training section
If you have any queries, contact our Customer Contact Centre. If you are calling from outside the UK, you can contact us on 0044 330 333 0230 (international call rates apply). Please choose option 1. | <urn:uuid:ebc111ca-ae2c-4089-b4f7-023043595fed> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.ucas.ac.uk/advisers/nonukadvisers/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00006-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.948939 | 710 | 1.71875 | 2 |
Sunday, December 26, 2010
Can it really be that a whole year has already gone by since last Kwanzaa? And the answer is "no it hasn't" - because Kwanzaa is a week long, and so it's only been 51 weeks since the last one. Still, it just doesn't seem like most of a year could have gone by so rapidly.
It is, of course, a time of warmth and nostalgia for all of us, filled with holiday traditions and memories. Hearing Bing Crosby sing Nguzo Saba...watching "How the Grinch Stole Odu Ifa"...or settling in with a cup of hot cocoa to watch Jimmy Stewart in the classic "It's a Wonderful Walimwengu."
We only wish that everyone could keep the spirit of Kwanzaa in their hearts "24/7, 364 days a year" (as Janet Napolitano would say). It seems like it's always our goal...and maybe this year we'll actually be able to stick to it!
But for now, Hope n' Change wishes one and all a very Heri za Kwanzaa. And a Hotep Ase Heri! | <urn:uuid:ae74d6de-5216-421e-985b-edf833f0e9be> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://hopenchangecartoons.blogspot.com/2010/12/haappy-holidaays.html?showComment=1293387783764 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00003-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.963973 | 246 | 1.742188 | 2 |
The Associated Press reports: “A legal blame game between high-tech industry giants Novell Inc. and Microsoft Corp. is under way in a Salt Lake City courtroom as the companies squabble over fair business practices. Novell sued Microsoft in 2004, claiming the Redmond, Wash., company violated U.S. antitrust laws through its arrangements with other computer makers when it launched Windows 95. … Microsoft founder Bill Gates is expected to testify.” Read more on seattlepi.com.
Microsoft is beginning a big new advertising campaign Sunday evening, and the company wants to show people how four of its major products work together in the living room – and help families break free of the “dark side of tech.”
The campaign is the Redmond-based firm’s biggest ever, said David Webster, Microsoft’s chief marketing strategist. Microsoft isn’t disclosing the cost, but it will air in 35 markets worldwide on television and as pre-roll ads for online video.
Faced with mounting competition from Apple, which promotes that all of its iProducts work seamlessly together, Microsoft is hoping to inform people about not just its products, but its entire technology platform. The ads, airing first in the U.S., aim to show how Windows, Office, Windows Phone and the Xbox 360 all commingle.
“I think now you’re getting to the point that more general consumers are thinking, ‘I need to look at my entire tech portfolio, not just one product,’” Webster told seattlepi.com. “‘I want to buy into a system, not just one product.’ They want them all.”
Not only is the desktop completely redesigned in Windows 8, so is the infamous Blue Screen of Death.
Most people know the Blue Screen of Death, or BSoD, pops up whenever Windows encounters a critical error. It’s the bane of all Windows users, yet it is a necessary evil. The operating system shuts down to prevent damage to the computer.
The only way to get rid of the screen is to restart.
Blue Screens of Death have changed over the years (sometimes they’re Black Screens of Death, especially on Macs). They used display only a mess of computer code and have evolved into scary warnings that something has gone horribly wrong.
Yet, with its upcoming Windows 8 operating system, Microsoft is adding a cutesy element the typical PC user knows very well: a frowny face.
Click through the gallery below to see Blue Screens of Death through the years, ending with Windows 8.
By now we’re all used to advertisements on our smart phones and tablets – it’s the tradeoff we accept for using free apps instead of premium versions. Yet one of the side effects of Microsoft’s making Windows 8 for both tablets and personal computers is that those ad-supported apps will make their way onto our laptops and desktops.
Yep, ads on your PC.
Reporting from the company’s Build conference in Anaheim, Calif., PCWorld notes that Windows 8 will be Microsoft’s first PC operating system with a built-in advertising platform. Advertisements would be worked into Windows 8 apps themselves, like they are in smart-phone and tablet apps.
In a harsh soliloquy on the Metro design’s perceived lack of personality, PC Magazine’s John C. Dvorak makes an astute observation: Windows 8′s rectangular tile interface “looks like it wants to blast ads at you.” But really, that’s just conjecture – and the tiles are all customizable by the user.
Can't you just imagine little ads sprinkled in there?
The Houston Chronicle’s Dwight Silverman reports: “I launched the Metro version of Internet Explorer 10, logged into my Netflix account and clicked on an episode. But instead of the show, I got a prompt to install Silverlight, the Microsoft-created plug-in that Netflix requires to stream video to a browser. However, it turns out that Microsoft doesn’t allow plug-ins with the Metro version of IE. When I downloaded and ran the Silverlight installer, Windows 8 automatically switched to the classic desktop. I went back to the Metro version of IE10 and was again prompted to install Silverlight when I tried to watch the episode, even though I had just installed it.” Read more at seattlepi.com.
PC shipments in the second quarter of this year grew by 2.6 percent worldwide, missing IDC’s modest forecast of 2.9 percent, the research firm said this week. Meanwhile, worldwide shipments of tablets skyrocketed 303.8 percent year over year, IDC said.
The trends show just how much the technology world is shifting toward devices like the Apple iPad, which is driving tablet sales. IDC said Apple’s market share grew from 65.7 percent in the first quarter to 68.3 percent in the second quarter of this year.
“While consumers have pulled back in part due to economic circumstances, consumer PCs have also suffered due to a relative lack of compelling offerings,” IDC analyst Jay Chou said in a news release. “With the excitement of mini notebooks (netbooks) largely past, the PC industry has struggled to come up with compelling features to keep buyer interest, and has subsequently suffered some budget-competition from smart phones as well as media tablets.”
The research firm now expects PC sales to grow by just 2.8 percent this year, down from its previous growth forecast of 4.2 percent. In mature markets such as the United States, PC shipments aren’t expected to reach 2010 levels until 2013, IDC said.
The Houston Chronicle’s Dwight Silverman reports: “There’s little doubt that Microsoft has won lots of positive buzz for its early look at Windows 8 – but that excitement is leavened with a dash of caution. Everyone I’ve spoken with here at the Build Conference in Anaheim is enthusiastic about the next version of Windows, but there’s a universal reluctance to declare it a home run. It’s way too early, with too many variables between here and Windows 8′s ultimate success.” Read more at seattlepi.com.
It’s the question on everybody’s mind: With Windows 8, does Microsoft finally have an answer to Apple’s industry-changing surge, most recently with the iPad?
The answer on everybody’s lips is, well, Microsoft very well might.
Windows 8 is the biggest overhaul of Microsoft’s operating system for more than 15 years. Remember all the hub-bub around Windows 95? Yeah, well, this could be even bigger.
Microsoft has completely rethought and redesigned what Windows is. No longer is it about the traditional desktop with little icons and folders and taskbars – no, “Windows classic” is now just a small piece of the operating system.
Because Windows 8 is more for the new tech world than the old. Microsoft is taking a bold step into the post-PC era. And it’s doing it before Apple.
Microsoft is making the most dramatic change to its flagship operating system’s design since Windows 95 added the taskbar and Start menu. Arguably, it may even be more radical, because it blows away the traditional app-in-a-window scheme developed in the 1970s at Xerox, then picked up by almost every other operating system developer since.
For the I-hate-change crowd, you can still drop to the desktop – with its familiar taskbar, windows, menus and dialog boxes – to run legacy software. But “Windows classic” becomes little more than just another application. The new, tile-and-text based interface appears when you tap or click the Start button. You can run from it, but it will find you again and again. | <urn:uuid:d395fb17-0884-4d1d-9735-6f47d9f20e3e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://blog.seattlepi.com/microsoft/category/windows/?category=33&x=7&y=5 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00005-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.93579 | 1,664 | 1.664063 | 2 |
Already, the city is rife with high-tech industry, the most famous company being Right Now Technologies. We also have TechRanch and a number of Montana State University–fueled startup incubators and spinoffs. (The university has done quite well for itself in the area of tech transfer.)
Now the city wants to bring more high-tech businesses to the area in hopes of increasing tax revenue and stopping the so-called “brain drain” that sees many of the state’s college graduates leave Montana for higher paying jobs elsewhere. It doesn’t hurt that there’s this sometimes-referred-to notion that Bozeman is the next Silicon Valley.
While all this boom hype is going on, there’s another side to the high-tech world. We live in a rural place, one with mountains and other harsh terrain that makes it hard for people to get access to broadband Internet access. Sure, researchers like Richard Wolff at MSU, who I profiled for the upcoming Mountains & Minds magazine, are looking into ways to use advanced wireless technologies to get broadband across that “last mile” and to rural homes, many people in the state remain on dial-up or without Internet access of any kind.
Amid all the excitement over high-speed and high-tech, what about the people who don’t have access?
I hope to answer that question over the next few months as I research and report on what I hope will turn into a series for the Chronicle. We’ll have to see how it goes. Maybe I’m imaging things. Maybe there is no problem at all, and everything is hunky-dory.
In the meantime, I’m blogging about what I find over at Broadband in Montana. Read up and please comment. I’d love to be pointed to resources I don’t know about.
- No public Twitter messages.
My Instapaper Queue | <urn:uuid:a0c7bb24-1c92-47d8-a059-1c9a6f01396c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.hypercrit.net/2010/04/04/new-project/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00003-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.93853 | 410 | 1.804688 | 2 |
The new security breach follows a massive theft of personal data from Sony's PlayStation Network and Sony Online Entertainment services, including names, passwords and addresses from more than 100 million accounts.
And on Tuesday Sony said its websites in three countries had been hacked with 8,500 Greek user accounts compromised, while sites in Thailand and Indonesia were also affected.
The most recent attack -- targeting the mobile phone joint venture between Sony and Sweden's Ericsson -- was discovered on Tuesday local time, and the affected website was shut down, a Sony spokesman told Agence France Presse.
"Sony Ericsson's website in Canada, which advertises its products, has been hacked, affecting 2,000 people," he said.
"Their personal information was posted on a website called 'The Hacker News'. The information includes registered names, email addresses and encrypted passwords. But it does not include credit card information."
The link to the Sony Ericsson eShop site featured a message that said "D'oh! The page you are looking for has gone walkabout. Sorry."
The series of breaches has damaged Sony's brand image and undermined its efforts to link its gadgets to an online "cloud-based" network of games, movies and music that relies on consumer confidence in their security.
The Japanese entertainment and technology giant said data taken from Greek accounts included email addresses, telephone numbers, names and passwords but that credit card data had not been stolen in the latest attacks.
Sony said it also discovered on Saturday that a page on its Indonesian Music Entertainment website had been "altered" but did not believe this involved the leak of information.
On Monday Sony said it expected to post a $3.2 billion dollar net loss for the fiscal year ended March as it tries to recover from the impact of the March 11 earthquake and tsunami, which ravaged production and damaged facilities.
It said the data breach will result in at least a $170 million hit in "currently known costs" to operating profit this financial year in terms of insurance and damages, but that it anticipated further costs.
Sony has said it plans to fully restore PlayStation Network and Qriocity services by the end of the month.(AFP) | <urn:uuid:7de4e01b-4b1f-48b7-a164-1236e4eb5be4> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://old.naharnet.com/domino/tn/newsdesk.nsf/Technology/$First?OpenDocument | 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 | 0.97231 | 441 | 1.515625 | 2 |
GAIN and Jay Naidoo
This from Jay Naidoo’s latest article in the Daily Maverick:
“Food security has always focused on the issue of price volatility. We have to go beyond the challenges of increasing food production to meet future demand, and much rather address the nutritional quality of the food that the poor consume. We need to ensure that the developing world can deliver life-sustaining nutrients for the millions of pregnant, lactating women, infants and young children who have greater nutritional requirements than the general population.
Malnutrition leads to impaired cognitive development in children, which weakens their development path and leads to irreversible changes. Its impact includes growth faltering (stunting or low height for age) and lower learning abilities. Malnourished young children are also more at risk for chronic diseases such as diabetes, obesity, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease in adulthood. Moreover, these overall effects cause a decline in human capital which we cannot afford during economic crises.
While GAIN’s approach may seem intuitive, at the time there was little political will to change the business model to address malnutrition. Ever-tight financial and human resources were targeted toward recuperating children on death’s door. The nutrition community was fractured and had little data to back its cause to change the paradigm; preventing the problem seemed overwhelming. Moreover, the health community held a myopic view that this was a problem to be solved by medical means.
It also did not take into account that the majority of the poor, even those at the base of the pyramid, accessed at least some portion of their food through markets, or that preventing chronic malnutrition would be both less expensive and more cost-effective than treating it, since it is the market and private entrepreneurs from village to global level that primarily produce food. There was also no acknowledgement that with increasing migration, the bulk of our global population in city slums would begin depending on industrially produced foods, making household food security a great risk.
University of Cape Town | <urn:uuid:1ab0edca-2bb2-4548-b6b5-77b1bbfdb313> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://foodramblings.tumblr.com/post/28610934213/gain-and-jay-naidoo | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00016-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.967572 | 413 | 1.820313 | 2 |
Being ever so fond of all of the cultivars of nicotiana, I planted the boxwood parterre in front of the shop this year with a mix of 3 kinds. Nicotiana “perfume white” is short growing, and as fragrant as the name suggests. Nicotiana alata white is a taller, lanky growing nicotiana with larger and more widely spaced branches and flowers. Bur nearest and dearest to my heart is the big growing species, nicotiana mutabilis. I can’t manage to let a summer go by without planting it-usually in my own yard. This year I planted lots of them at the shop.
The garden had an odd look early on-every single plant got its own 4 foot tall bamboo stake. There for a while, we had a stake garden. But there are few things more trying than staking a plant that needed that stake weeks previous. If you have ever tried to get an Annabelle hydrangea that has gone over in wind or rain off the ground, you know what I mean. The afterthought staking always looks like that afterthought.
Our stakes go a good foot into the ground. Given the torrential rains and high winds that accompanied all the heat we have had the last 10 days, I am so glad we did it that way. We did not loose a single plant. In another week, those stakes will completely disappear from view. Nicotiana mutabilis is never more beautiful for me than it is in the fall-it is happy in cool weather. But I see no signs of heat stress here. We have watered heavily and regularly-as much for the boxwood as the nicotiana. Like the annual flowers, woody plant material stressed by too dry conditions are more susceptible to other problems.
There are a few perfume white nicotianas in the window boxes. They are a great size and height for a container that is already a good distance off the ground. We keep the giant leaves at the bottom trimmed back, so as not to cast shade on the neighbors. When using nicotiana in containers, the grooming at ground level is important. They produce leaves prodigiously.
The flowers of nicotiana mutabilis are very small, and an utterly simple shape. But a happy plant will produce thousands of them. I don’t understand the science, but each plant will produce pale, almost white flowers, pink flowers-and hot pink flowers-all at the same time, on the same plant. The slender stems make it seem as though those small blooms are floating, hovering over the container.
Nicotiana alata lime peroduces flowers that are just that-lime green. In a good season, they will bloom heavily the entire summer. I have seen them peter out in really hot weather. In that case, I cut them back a little, and feed. They seem to revive when the weather cools off.
I remember taking this picture of a pot at home some years ago in September. The nicotiana was sending out giant thick bloom stalks. The composition was no doubt lopsided, but I loved the exuberance of it all. The stiff habit of those giant dahlias is completely masked by that cloud of flowers.
This English concrete pot cast in a classic Italian style is a huge pot-it measures 39″ by 39″. The surface is 12 square feet. The nicotiana mutabilis makes a giant airy bouquet-the pot is the smallest element of the composition. This picture was taken the beginning of September. I like annual plants that can go the distance-an entire summer season-and on into the fall. I like to get tired of looking after my container plantings before they give out.
One of more foolish container moments-planting nicotiana mutabilis in a relatively small Italian terra cotta urn. The bigger foolishness? How much I loved the look. | <urn:uuid:ad2ba30f-a0eb-4508-8c04-8565ddd21ff7> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.deborahsilver.com/blog/tag/nicotiana-mutabilis/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704713110/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516114513-00008-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.96003 | 825 | 1.585938 | 2 |
• Specific Examples of Coercion, Intimidation and Fear
• We call upon the District Attorney to conduct a full and complete investigation
$65,000,000 Measure A Bond: Fraud, Conspiracy, Misuse of Public Funds, Conflicts of Interest, Brown Act Violations
• 25% of funds improperly diverted to Fleming pet
• District employee improperly chaired Oversight Committee meeting
• Oversight Committee disbanded with $20 million still unspent
• Oversight Committee members had financial conflicts of interest
• More Brown Act violations
On November 2, 1999, voters approved Measure A – a $65,000,000 bond measure designed to repair and modernize aging schools, bring them up to current earthquake standards, build four new schools, including a new middle school in San Juan Capistrano and a new high school, and new classrooms throughout the district to relieve overcrowding and solve problems associated with portables, which had covered so many playgrounds, the children lacked places to play.
The ballot measure (and legal bond documents) required that an “Independent” Oversight Committee be established to supervise spending of the bond proceeds. That Oversight Committee was convened on December 15, 1999 when CUSD appointed eleven (11) members. After carefully reviewing the ballot measure and minutes from the Oversight Committee meetings, it appears that CUSD officials made numerous false statements to the public and to Oversight Committee members, several committee members had financial conflicts of interest, and Brown Act violations occurred. | <urn:uuid:6bdfcac1-6fd4-4b9f-bde3-d5a11743e3d4> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.cusdreform.com/page26/files/category-measure-cc.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700958435/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104238-00009-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.943715 | 299 | 1.710938 | 2 |
Feminists were quick—too quick—to question the Facebook COO's motives for writing Lean In, her self-help manifesto.
The heat is on big banks and CEOs as labor and community activists band together.
As cuts in services for struggling Americans go into effect, nine Wall Street executives who are profiting off the recession just received $1 billion in bonuses.
Disguised as health promotion, it’s another form of cost-shifting to employees, in which some will be unfairly penalized.
How did debt reduction become Washington's number one priority?
Pete Peterson’s $60 million push to sell corporate America’s ruthless austerity agenda.
Candidates who ran on slashing Medicare and Social Security lost big in November. But that doesn’t stop Pete Peterson from pushing the fantasy that voters’ biggest concern is the deficit.
The man behind Fix the Debt has spent decades trying to foment panic over a looming economic disaster, with little to show for it.
The “Fix the Debt” campaign is pure astroturf: corporate cash machinery masquerading as a grassroots uprising.
Dire warnings about the deficit don’t add up mathematically. But then, Fix the Debt is not really about the economy, it’s about gutting Medicare, Social Security and other social programs. | <urn:uuid:1737bcbd-7aa0-423d-acf6-d10cb0b4e7f4> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.thenation.com/section/economy?page=6%2C133 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00018-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.941073 | 282 | 1.5 | 2 |
Coeliac daughter went for her annual checkup yesterday. Usually, they weigh and measure her, ask about eating, sleeping and her digestive functions (using the ‘poo chart‘). They check up on development and general health, check her fingernails and skin, and feel her tummy for ‘lumps and bumps’. Finally, they organise blood tests and a bone age scan.
That’s how it has been for the last 10 years. This year her paediatrician was so pleased with her health that we’ve been allowed to skip the blood tests and scan. Daughter is thrilled to bits – she hates the blood tests.
I asked the paediatrician – who was new to us – a couple of questions:
1. would she recommend a gluten challenge?
When coeliac daughter was diagnosed, the doctors were recommending a gluten challenge once her health had stabilised and before she reached puberty. Since then, as she’s seen a number of different doctors, it has become clear that this was no longer seen as necessary. And our new paediatrician very kindly went all the way back through her notes – and she, too, thinks a gluten challenge isn’t necessary.
2. would it be OK for us to add pure oats to the menu?
Recent research has indicated that oats may be acceptable for coeliacs in small doses. And we’ve been given permission to try them out and see. This would broaden our range quite significantly, and if she can tolerate them, would make life just that bit easier. So now I just need to obtain some certified pure oats …
So both daughter and I are very pleased with our day yesterday.
If you have views about either a gluten challenge or oats, please do share – these issues are top of my agenda at the moment. | <urn:uuid:8fd14fa5-cc45-4610-ae47-cefed7c0198b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.free-from.com/blog/oats-back-on-the-menu/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.979053 | 383 | 1.632813 | 2 |
I always considered my father to be an obstinate, solitary and hardworking man. I have now discovered an affectionate, kind and tender father. That side of his character had always been well hidden, perhaps as a result of embarrassment or inhibitions. It’s thanks to Alzheimer’s disease that I have now discovered it.
My wife and I had a very close physical relationship, but since she was diagnosed about four years ago she has gradually lost interest. It bothered me a lot at first but we still share a bed and that helps me feel close to her. It’s something I have come to accept.
You may have found that your relationship with the person with dementia has changed somewhat as a result of the disease. Behavioural changes such as suspiciousness, false accusations, paranoid delusions and aggressive behaviour can put any relationship under considerable strain. Some carers feel that the heart of the relationship is lost and that the person with dementia is no longer the same person. As a result of communication difficulties and memory loss it can become increasingly difficult to share experiences and memories. You may feel that you have lost a companion and confidant(e). You might also feel isolated and alone. This can be the same for the person with dementia who might not even recognise you. If this person is also your sexual partner, you may at some stage be faced with changes in your sex life. Although it is important to realise that sex is not always a problem, you may find that the needs and interests of the person with dementia change. They might lose interest in sex or become excessively demanding. Even, if you can adapt to their changing needs, you may nevertheless feel uneasy, frustrated, rejected or even guilty about your own sexual needs. You might miss the physical contact and touch involved in a sexual relationship.
Some people find it difficult to reconcile their role as carer with that of sexual partner, or find changes in the personality of the person with dementia off-putting. However, by adapting your behaviour and bearing in mind their changing needs, you may be able to maintain a satisfying relationship and even discover qualities you never knew existed. But you should also try to find a solution for your own needs which are equally important.
How to cope with changes in your personal relationships
The changing face of your relationship
As the disease progresses the personality and abilities of the person with dementia may change considerably. You may tend to see these changes as losses and negative. They might also have a particular significance for you such as a change in roles and responsibilities or a redistribution of power. It might not always be easy to adapt as accepting changing roles often involves accepting other losses, e.g. the loss of a spouse might entail the loss of a cook, driver or organiser. Taking care of personal hygiene and taking over major responsibilities can sometimes mean crossing boundaries. You may find this difficult, particularly if the person with dementia used to care for you in the past. However, by accepting changes and losses, you might find new qualities in yourself and perhaps see a side to the person with dementia that was previously well hidden.
Coping with the changing sexual needs of the person with dementia
If the person with dementia is your sexual partner, you might find that it is possible to carry on sleeping together and engage in gentle touching and stroking, without having a full sexual relationship. Some people are surprised when they realise just how much they miss the closeness involved in sexual intercourse. Maintaining physical contact may help you to deal with the loss of the sexual side of your relationship. On the other hand, you might prefer to change your sleeping arrangements to sleep in separate beds or separate rooms. This might help if the person with dementia has a tendency to become aggressive as a result of unmet sexual needs. It might also help if you were to encourage the person to masturbate in private. You should not feel guilty about taking such measures because by doing so, you may be able to preserve a satisfying relationship.
You may find that the person is interested in sex but experiences difficulties which lead to anxiety or frustration. They may have forgotten the traditional practices of foreplay and intercourse. In this case, you could perhaps try to take the lead more and experiment with new ways of sexual gratification. You could also try to find non-sexual ways of promoting intimacy in the relationship, e.g. walking arm in arm or massaging round the shoulders.
Coping with your own physical needs
You may find yourself in the situation of having sexual needs but no way to satisfy them with your partner. However, your sexual needs are unlikely to disappear overnight and it is not selfish to try to cater for them. There are a few possible solutions. You could, for example, have a sexual relationship outside of the couple or masturbate. Some people are reluctant to pursue an alternative due to moral or religious beliefs or may feel embarrassed about masturbating and prefer to channel their energies in other ways.
Some people with dementia behave in an aggressive manner when their sexual needs are not catered for. It is important to look after your own safety. If the problem seems to be getting out of control, your doctor might be able to help. He or she might prescribe medication to reduce the sexual demands of your partner. There may be side effects but you have to consider you own safety and find a solution to the problem.
Talk about your feelings with someone you trust
It may help to talk about your feelings and any problems with someone you trust. If you feel uneasy about discussing such problems with a member of your family or a close friend, you might find it easier to talk to a trained professional such as a doctor, social worker or trained psychotherapist who understands dementia and the problems you are facing. He or she might be able to help you to disentangle your feelings. Talking to other people is unlikely to alter the situation, but it may help you to come to terms with things that are bothering you and help you to make choices yourself. Talking to people in a carers group may help you understand that you are not alone or abnormal. It can also give you the chance to have a laugh or cry about things.
Last Updated: jeudi 06 août 2009 | <urn:uuid:b296c4e7-9e98-49a6-b972-d6dd328edf9c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.alzheimer-europe.org/FR%E9%85%B6/Living-with-dementia/Caring-for-someone-with-dementia/Daily-life/Personal-relationships | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00009-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.97199 | 1,267 | 1.632813 | 2 |
In an interview to air tonight on CBS's 60 Minutes, President Barack Obama will refer to Israel's concern over Iran's march toward a nuclear program as "noise."
"When it comes to our national security decisions -- any pressure that I feel is simply to do what's right for the American people. And I am going to block out -- any noise that's out there," Obama says, according to AFP.
UPDATE: Here's the video and transcript:
STEVE KROFT: "How much pressure have you been getting from Prime Minister Netanyahu to make up your mind to use military force in Iran?"
PRESIDENT OBAMA: "Well—look, I have conversations with Prime Minister Netanyahu all the time. And I understand and share Prime Minister Netanyahu's insistence that Iran should not obtain a nuclear weapon, because it would threaten us, it would threaten Israel, and it would threaten the world and kick off a nuclear arms race."
STEVE KROFT: "You’re saying, you don't feel any pressure from Prime Minister Netanyahu in the middle of a campaign to try and get you to change your policy and draw a line in the sand? You don’t feel any pressure?"
PRESIDENT OBAMA: "When it comes to our national security decisions—any pressure that I feel is simply to do what's right for the American people. And I am going to block out—any noise that's out there. Now I feel an obligation, not pressure but obligation, to make sure that we're in close consultation with the Israelis—on these issues. Because it affects them deeply. They're one of our closest allies in the region. And we’ve got an Iranian regime that has said horrible things that directly threaten Israel’s existence."
UPDATE II: Romney press secretary Andrea Saul responds:
“Tonight on 60 Minutes, President Obama called Israel’s legitimate concern about the impact of an Iran armed with nuclear weapons ‘noise’ and referred to Israel as merely ‘one of our closest allies in the region.’ This is just the latest evidence of his chronic disregard for the security of our closest ally in the Middle East. Governor Romney's views stand in sharp contrast to the President's. Governor Romney strongly believes that Israel is our most important ally in the Middle East and that support for Israel is essential to extending freedom, peace and democracy throughout the region. As president, Governor Romney will restore and protect the close alliance between our nation and the state of Israel.”
UPDATE III: Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad used the same word to describe Israel in an interview with the Washington Post, as Andrea Saul notes:
IGNATIUS: “I want to ask as my first question the one every citizen of the world would like to ask today: What is the chance of a war in Iran that would result from an Israeli attack on your nuclear facilities?”
AHMADINEJAD: “I have spoken about this topic at length, previously. We generally speaking do not take very seriously the issue of the Zionists and the possible dangers emanating from them. Of course they would love to find a way for their own salvation by making a lot of noise and to raise stakes in order to save themselves. But I do not believe they will succeed. Iran is also a very well recognized country and her defensive powers are very clear.”
AFP also reports that Obama will say that "he understands and agrees with Netanyahu's insistence that Iran not be allowed to obtain nuclear weapons as this would threaten both countries, the world in general, and kick off an arms race."
But, as the article points out, Obama will not be meeting with Netanyahu this week during the United Nations General Assembly.
Romney, who also is interviewed on 60 Minutes tonight, will say, that Obama not meeting with Netanyahu "is a mistake and sends a message throughout the Middle East that somehow we distance ourselves from our friends and I think the exact opposite approach is what's necessary." | <urn:uuid:78b48933-2a54-498f-b006-9c117a4d9c71> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.weeklystandard.com/print/blogs/obama-refers-israel-concern-over-iran-noise_652967.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00018-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.957921 | 822 | 1.6875 | 2 |
Nicholas Cardinal Wiseman (1802-1865)
I came across the preliminary basis for this argument (quite new to me), by perusing the work, Lectures on the Doctrines and Practices of the Roman Catholic Church, by Nicholas Cardinal Wiseman (London: J. S. Hodson, 1836), in preparation for my upcoming book (a collection of excerpts), Classic Catholic Biblical Apologetics: 1525-1925.
First, here is the Bible passage under consideration (RSV):
2 Timothy 3:14-17 But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings which are able to instruct you for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.
On pages 208-209 of his book, Cardinal Wiseman comments upon it:
. . . it is manifest that St. Paul is speaking of the Scriptures here used, not as it has to be read and used for the individual instruction and edification of all the faithful, but as it is to be observed by pastors—for observe what he says; he says, expressly, it is profitable for those purposes which are the exclusive function of the ministry, and not of others, for the learners, for the subjects of the Church of Christ; for he says, it is "profitable for doctrine," that is, as the word means in its proper native sense, "for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness." Therefore, he is to hold fast the doctrines which St. Paul taught, remembering upon whose authority he received them— that is, the authority of the Apostles. . . . he is to know besides, that this Scripture is profitable for the practice of his ministry, for correcting, for reproving, for instructing. These are points not for individual improvement, not for each one's edification; but they are essentially acts for the ministry of the priesthood, for those who have to teach others; and, consequently, if this text prove anything regarding Scripture, it only goes to prove that the pastors of the church should be familiar with it, and make use of it for the purpose of correcting, and edifying their flocks.
This (for me) was a new approach to the passage, and I was struck by how "individualistic" my take in the past had been: shot through with the casually non-institutional assumptions of my "low church evangelical" Protestant past. I had assumed without conscious analysis, that the "teaching," "reproof," "correction," and "training" referred to came straight from the Bible to the individual, whereas Cardinal Wiseman noted that it specifically referred to priests and pastors teaching their flocks. The Bible was, in other words, profitable as the essential aid for Christian teachers (essentially priests) to learn, in order to pass on Christian doctrine to laypeople. That is far different from the populist, anti-institutional, or anti-sacerdotal notion of sola Scriptura: the "me, my Bible, and the Holy Spirit" mentality.
It's very interesting also, how in the larger context (the two previous verses: 3:14-15) of the passage as usually cited in Protestant polemics in favor of sola Scriptura (3:16-17 only), we see clear reference to apostolic tradition ("continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it"). St. Paul is talking about himself and how he passed on the Christian tradition to Timothy (compare his language about receiving and delivering tradition -- including oral tradition -- in 1 Cor 11:2, 23; 15:1-3; Gal 1:9; 1 Thess 2:13; 2 Thess 2:15; 3:6; 2 Tim 1:13-14; 2:2).
Now here comes my part in this "new" analysis of a very familiar passage (much-beloved by Protestants as a supposed "proof" of sola Scriptura). Having discovered a better way to analyze in a general way the root meaning of the verses here, it occurred to me that the phrase "man of God" may be a further clue or key as to what St. Paul's intention was. I thought that it could very well be a description of the clergyman or person otherwise very specially devoted to serving God. And then I was curious how it was used elsewhere in Scripture. This turned out to be a very fruitful avenue indeed. hence, the (Catholic) Navarre Bible (commentary) on 1 Timothy 6:11, the only other place in the New Testament where the phrase appears ("But as for you, man of God, shun all this; aim at righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness"):
“Man of God”: this expression was used in the Old Testament of men who performed some special God-given mission — for example, Moses (Deut 33:1; Ps 40:1), Samuel (1 Sam 9:6–7); Elijah and Elisha (1 Kings 17:18; 2 Kings 4:7, 27, 42). In the Pastoral Epistles (cf. also 2 Tim 3:17) it is applied to Timothy insofar as ordination has conferred on him a ministry in the Church.
Protestant reference works concur in the general sense of noting that the phrase was used in the Old Testament to refer to exceptionally prominent followers of God; not any believer at all. Accordingly, The Eerdmans Bible Dictionary ("Man of God", p. 684) notes:
A designation for early prophets in Israel . . . The term is used of unnamed prophets (1 Sam. 2:27; 1 Kgs. 13; 2 Chr. 25:7, 9), Moses (Deut. 33:1; Josh. 14:6; 1 Chr. 23:14; 2 Chr. 30:1; Ezra 3:2), the angel of the Lord -- thought to be a prophet (Judg. 13:6, 8), Samuel (1 Sam. 9:6-10), . . . Elijah (1 Kgs. 17:18, 24), and Elisha (e.g., 2 Kgs. 1:9-13; 5:8-15). In later periods the term apparently came to be applied to some, other than prophets, who were thought of as bearing some special relationship to God, such as David (Neh. 12:24, 36; cf. Jer. 35:4).
Likewise, Keil and Delitzsch' Commentary on the Old Testament, Vol. 5: Psalms, Part III, p. 48 -- a renowned Lutheran work -- (on Psalms 90), observes:
To the name, which could not be allowed to remain so bald, because next to Abraham he is the greatest man known to the Old Testament history of redemption, is added the title of honour [Hebrew] (as in Deut. xxxiii. 1, Josh. xiv. 6), an ancient name of the prophets which expresses the close relationship of fellowship with God, just as "servant of Jahve" [Yahweh] expresses the relationship of service, in accordance with the special office and in relation to the history of redemption, into which Jahve has taken the man and into which he himself has entered.
Wikipedia ("Man of God") gives a nice and handy summary of the usage, noting that only Moses was given this title in the Torah (first five books). Clearly, it was not used of any Jewish believer. See the entirety of all of the passages with the phrase, from an online RSV search page.
The argument then becomes, of course, that Paul was referring specifically to Timothy (an apostle) and other "men of God" of like eminence (priests) in 1 Timothy 6:11 and 2 Timothy 3:14-17. If so, the authority of Scripture was specifically to be delegated through authoritative, ordained interpreters, in accordance with the larger apostolic tradition (2 Tim 3:14-15, etc.). This is quite different from sola Scriptura in its usual Protestant definitions, and it is precisely harmonious with (if not identical to) the Catholic "three-legged stool" of Church-Scripture-Tradition.
If we go even deeper into the passage and reflect on the terms used, the case is strengthened all the more. For example, "profitable for teaching" (2 Tim 3:16). Does this make more sense as describing the Bible, or rather, a teacher (the "man of God") who is teaching from the Bible with authority? If we search "teach" or "taught" or "instructed" or any similar terms in the Bible, we are hard pressed to find them ever applied to a mere book. In every instance I have found so far, it is always applied as a description of a man or God teaching (at times using the Bible as an aid). Examples:
God Teaching Moses
Exodus 4:12, 15 Now therefore go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall speak. . . . And you shall speak to him and put the words in his mouth; and I will be with your mouth and with his mouth, and will teach you what you shall do.
Deuteronomy 5:31 But you, stand here by me, and I will tell you all the commandment and the statutes and the ordinances which you shall teach them, that they may do them in the land which I give them to possess.
Exodus 18:20 and you shall teach them the statutes and the decisions, and make them know the way in which they must walk and what they must do.
Deuteronomy 4:1 And now, O Israel, give heed to the statutes and the ordinances which I teach you, and do them; that you may live, and go in and take possession of the land which the LORD, the God of your fathers, gives you.
Deuteronomy 4:14 And the LORD commanded me at that time to teach you statutes and ordinances, that you might do them in the land which you are going over to possess.
Deuteronomy 6:1 Now this is the commandment, the statutes and the ordinances which the LORD your God commanded me to teach you, that you may do them in the land to which you are going over, to possess it;
Leviticus 10:11 and you are to teach the people of Israel all the statutes which the LORD has spoken to them by Moses.
Deuteronomy 33:10 They shall teach Jacob thy ordinances, and Israel thy law; . . .
Ezra 7:10 For Ezra had set his heart to study the law of the LORD, and to do it, and to teach his statutes and ordinances in Israel.
Parents Teaching Children
Deuteronomy 6:7 and you shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. (cf. 11:19)
Matthew 28:20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you . . .
Paul and Barnabas
Acts 15:35 But Paul and Barnabas remained in Antioch, teaching and preaching the word of the Lord, with many others also.
Acts 20:20 how I did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable, and teaching you in public and from house to house,
1 Timothy 4:13 Till I come, attend to the public reading of scripture, to preaching, to teaching.(cf. 4:11, 16)
1 Timothy 5:17 Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching;
I can't find a single example of "the Bible taught" or some sense of teaching directly from the Bible, in Scripture itself. If anyone finds this, please let me know. Here are all the instances of "teach" in the Bible, and "taught", and "instruct[ed]", and "learn[ed]".
When I search "word / teaches" to find some connection, I come up with nothing. When I search ""taught / word" I don't get passages referring to learning directly from the Bible; rather, I find passages (again) about people teaching the Word:
Galatians 6:6 Let him who is taught the word share all good things with him who teaches.
Then when I found "word" and "taught" together in another instance, it turned out to be an astonishingly striking corroboration of the Catholic interpretation of 2 Timothy 3:16-17, in similar words, and reinforcing the concept of authoritative interpretation and teaching of the Bible, since it is about a bishop:
Titus 1:7-9 For a bishop, as God's steward, must be blameless; he must not be arrogant or quick-tempered or a drunkard or violent or greedy for gain, but hospitable, a lover of goodness, master of himself, upright, holy, and self-controlled; he must hold firm to the sure word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to confute those who contradict it.
I want to make it clear that I am not arguing that no one can learn directly from Scripture. Of course they can. I'm referring specifically to the meaning and exegesis of 2 Timothy 3:14-17 and the phrase "profitable for teaching" and contending that according to all (far as I can determine) other instances of the notion of teaching in connection with the Bible or the Law (or separate from same) in Scripture itself, it always comes through human teachers or God, not directly from the Bible or the Law (that eventually comprised most of the first five books of the Old Testament). Therefore, I conclude that the phrase in 2 Timothy means "Scripture is profitable for the purpose of priests and other authoritative teachers in the church to pass on Christian teaching / tradition to all other believers."
The same scenario applies to the other words used. The notion of "reproof" or "reprove" in Scripture is always used of God or persons, not the Bible or the Law. For example:
Titus 2:15 Declare these things; exhort and reprove with all authority. Let no one disregard you.
Revelation 3:19 Those whom I love, I reprove and chasten; so be zealous and repent.
It is the same for "correction" and for "training" (also never applied directly to the Bible apart from a teacher of it, and is applied to tradition):
1 Timothy 1:3-4 As I urged you when I was going to Macedonia, remain at Ephesus that you may charge certain persons not to teach any different doctrine, nor to occupy themselves with myths and endless genealogies which promote speculations rather than the divine training that is in faith;
Titus 2:11-12 For the grace of God has appeared for the salvation of all men, training us to renounce irreligion and worldly passions, and to live sober, upright, and godly lives in this world,
Everything we can find in the Bible itself along these lines leads inexorably to the same conclusion: 2 Timothy 3:16-17 is no proof for sola Scriptura at all, and is, to the contrary, a strong proof for the Catholic belief regarding authority and the rule of faith: the "three-legged stool" of Bible-Church-Tradition. | <urn:uuid:0710c212-a0b1-461c-a9e5-0f508d81dd14> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://socrates58.blogspot.com/2012/01/biblical-arguments-against-supposed.html?showComment=1326901960952 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00003-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.953763 | 3,317 | 1.804688 | 2 |
This past week, four stories came together in my consciousness, clicking together in a way that is neat in the way that ecosystems, or star systems are– evolved according to law to a coherence that looks like design. The first, the story of a pipeline, funded by a Canadian company. Bigger and badder than all of the pipelines before it; and built to move the hottest, most toxic, abrasive petro-gunk ever mined from the earth. The Jane and Joe Ranchers whose land will be eaten up by easement contracts, won by fraud and threats, know that they won’t see any benefit from this massive relocation and refinery of tar sands, but they feel powerless before the corporate profit machine, the unlimited lawyers, the heavy equipment, the harried I’m Just Doin’ My Job employees.
The second story is about a trade agreement– the Trans Pacific Partnership– just hitting my airwaves, years late but before it goes into effect, out of the headlines because even Sen. Ron Wyden, the Chair of the Senate Finance Subcommittee on Trade – the U.S. congressional committee with jurisdiction over TPP – had to submit new legislation this May to get access to the text of the treaty. This treaty to end all treaties (literally, as other member nations can be added at any later date), built in secrecy, pushes the limits in the race to put national governments in the service of multinational corporations. Tellingly, the US negotiators take a hard line compared to the rest on the issue of foreign investor rights. “In a manner that would enrage right and left alike, the private “investor-state” enforcement system included in the leaked TPP text would empower foreign investors and corporations to skirt domestic courts and laws and sue governments in foreign tribunals. There, they can demand cash compensation from domestic treasuries over domestic policies that they claim undermine their new investor rights and expected future profits. This establishes an alarming two-track system of justice that privileges foreign corporations in myriad ways relative to governments or domestic businesses. It also exposes signatory countries to vast liabilities, as foreign firms use foreign tribunals to raid public treasuries.”
Not only will it help US firms to pillage other signatories in spite of any labor or resource protection legislation that their populace may wish to put into place, it will help TransCanada and other foreign mining interests to do an end-run around any attempts by US Citizens to keep fossil fuels in the ground and foreign pipelines off our lands.
The next pair of stories is the story of geoengineering weather and bioengineering seeds. High-level scientists have already convened to discuss the options for testing of geoengineering technology. A Huffington Post article from 2011 cites worries within this group that “someone, some group, some government would decide on its own to conduct large-scale atmospheric experiments, raising global concerns – and resentment if it’s the U.S. that acts, since it has done the least among industrial nations to cut greenhouse emissions. They fear some in America might push for going straight to “Plan B,” rather than doing the hard work of emissions reductions.” In the year since this article was published, several key actors have come into the open about the fact that large-scale geoengineering experiments are underway. The multinational interests behind the global capitalist systems have no interest in doing “the hard work” of reducing emissions. If that were the case, it wouldn’t support the extreme forms of extraction which are bound to cause immediate environmental disasters and extreme weather– tar sands, deep water drilling, coal export to China and India, mountaintop removal, natural gas fracking.
Instead, they have pegged their hopes on spraying massive quantities of metal particles into the atmosphere to reflect the sun’s light. Unfortunately these metals weaken or kill the life that encounters them in the water and air. The documentary What in the World are They Spraying includes interviews with islanders from Hawaii who are experiencing heavy spraying of aluminum particulate (as confirmed by, among others, a 4th grade science class research project) and who find that plant life– except for certain genetically modified food crops– dies. Most importantly, this reflective layer only masks rising temperatures, it doesn’t affect root causes,so the spraying must continue indefinitely. Stopping aerosol spraying once it has begun would likely cause a rapid spike in temperature. The activity becomes self-justifying, concentrating wealth and power in the hands of those who control the technology.
Which leads us to the flip side of the geoengineering coin, seed engineering to create plants which can survive the combination of stresses from extreme weather caused by climate change and high concentrations of metals. Like geoengineering, this becomes an essential service, a matter of life or death– the ideal product for the holder of the patents on this technology. Of course Monsanto is prepared to profit with its “invention” of plants which are highly tolerant to stress, as well as the USDA– which holds a patent for aluminum resistance in certain species– and others. The technological fix to the ecological catastrophe facing the planet, as with all technical fixes, concentrates power in the hands of those with the technology, and those people are preparing to put the last nail in the coffin of our god-given, self-regulating ecological life-support systems; and preparing the legal regime to support their immensely profitable, sickening (literally) technological management of the global environment.
While this is hard to face, it is more and more clear that a majority of my generation is prepared to recognize that the stories I have just told are true; that the logic which places corporate profit as the driving force which organizes our whole global social system has the power to destroy the civilization that we know. This brings us to the cusp of despair, but also, hope. Given the daily evidence that corporate responsibility is an oxymoron and that governments will not hold corporations to account, the only option less is massive civil disobedience, and parallel construction of social and life-support systems which are not centered on maximizing profit. I support the Rising Tide North Texas action to blockade construction of the Keystone Pipeline; this is my launching into the new day of struggle, the day the fantasy of corporate responsibility and government regulation in the public interest dies. | <urn:uuid:4fb7860e-f61a-4911-8526-691b21d83d7e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://occupyhouston.org/2012/08/why-to-stand-up/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00018-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.949938 | 1,294 | 1.765625 | 2 |
A few days ago, scrolling through the various twitter feeds and blogs I read, I noticed that many of my friends were sharing news articles and blog posts about plants, often with excited comments or interesting insights. Many of these friends are not what I would call “plant people.” I realized that all those times I’d waxed on about a particularly strange bit of plant physiology or a beautiful and weird plant I’d come across has sparked at least a passing interest in botany in some of my friends. What allowed that interest to then develop to the point of sharing the nerdy plant love with all of their friends, however, had nothing to do with me. Their interest developed because of blogs, especially science blogs, which cover the plant world with excitement, affection, and a minimum of jargon. Most normal news outlets don’t have a great science section, especially when it comes to the latest and greatest in the plant world. But all kinds of delightfully cool plant research, stories, and knowledge are shared by botanically inclined folks every day.
The Berry Go Round blog carnival is all about getting more people reading about all those amazing and important photosynthesizers and connecting the people who already love and write about them. BGR does this by collecting and highlighting a range of plant-focused blogging every month. If you’d like to be a part of this 5 year tradition, read on, submit your own leafy ponderings, or host the carnival on your own blog. The last BGR was hosted by the carnival founder himself at SeedsAside.
And now, for the main event, the December edition of the Berry Go Round blog carnival!
Hollis covers the botanical and cultural history of a very popular fruit (or is a vegetable?) from 1544 to today over at In the Company of Plants and Rocks, starting with the long sequence of name changes. I vote for a return to “wolf peach.” SeedsAside covers the many edible parts of another fruit.
Also at SeedsAside, some ruminations on definitions of botany and what it means to be a botanist – and what other people think you mean when you say you’re a botanist. I think plants are the bees knees and know an awful lot about them, but, like SeedsAside, I hesitate to call myself a botanist because I’m pretty clueless when it comes to systematics.
Hollis describes the weird and wonderful anatomy of cacti and some unsolved mysteries of cactus spines.
It looks like many contributors were too busy decorating conifers and eating turkey to send in a submission for this edition, but there’s always next month to submit a post!
Update 31/12/2012: You can use the submission form linked above to submit a post to BGR or just tweet your link with the #berrygoround hashtag.
Update 1/1/2012: January’s carnival will be hosted by long time BGR supporter Jeremy Cherfas over at the Agricultural Biodiversity Weblog. | <urn:uuid:d2f242b6-5c73-4747-8c84-c07ec6d3b442> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://scisus.org/2012/12/31/blogging-about-plants-berry-go-round-57/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00012-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.954919 | 643 | 1.820313 | 2 |
It was the 1930s when a group of boys from the Bronx forged friendships that would outlast all other ties.
One of those boys, Leonard "Lenny" Kulick, can walk the figurative path from his Boca Raton home to the schoolyard of P.S. 80 in the Bronx at the mention of any of the 14 names that brand his boyhood: Georgie, Howie, Woody, to list a few.
The streetwise friends -- now 73 or turning 73 before the year's end -- once used broken broomsticks for bats and gutters for bases. Their improvised games formed an unspoken allegiance to one another that sustains them today in their eighth decade of life.
Not long ago, that friendship was transposed from the realm of memory to TV in a documentary film, The Bronx Boys, which aired on Cinemax in 2003 and PBS this year.
From their hardscrabble beginnings as the children of immigrant Jewish parents, the film reveals, rose a class of successful entrepreneurs and entertainers that include Hollywood talent agents and Seinfeld co-producers George Shapiro and Howard West, and designer Lenny Lauren, brother of Ralph Lauren.
The film stemmed from a 1991 reunion that brought the group together after some of its members had not seen each other in years. Directed by Benjamin Hershleder and narrated by Carl Reiner, who grew up with the boys as a sort of tribal elder (he was a few years older), it was Shapiro and West's ties to entertainment that got the film project rolling.
After the 1991 gathering in California, the men vowed to meet every five years, and clips from subsequent reunions appear in the documentary.
The film is full of anecdotes about first loves, feared teachers, shared losses and games that filled the pre-WWII streets of the Bronx, such as stickball, basketball, chestnut-cracking and other diversions before the era of organized sports.
"It's amazing that we've stayed together for 67 years," said Kulick, who became successful in the lumber business. "I know their characters. I don't think that character really changes. By the time you're in high school, you know who's a straight guy and who's a wise guy looking for an edge," he said of the common values that held the group together.
The film is as much about social and cultural mores as it is about the unwavering friendships among the boys. Families were intact, parents were strict and expected their American-born children to fulfill the country's promise to hard-working immigrants.
There is also the underlying story of Jewish assimilation: Lenny jokes about changing his last name, Lifshitz, to Lauren, and joining his brother, Ralph, creator of a fashion campaign that peddled the illusion of an American gentry in horse-country settings.
They shared the same rites of passage: first dates, graduation, service in the Korean War, and marriages that lasted, with the exception of Shapiro's.
"We were good kids," Kulick said. "I've never been as comfortable in anyone's presence as I am in theirs. When we're together we're relaxed and without any pretense. We just know each other so very well."
Woody Broad, 73, a "Bronx Boy" who ended up in Aventura, agrees. The boys grew up in a time when communities were well defined.
"After WWII, the neighborhoods broke up and people moved, but we always kept track of each other. As the years go on, sure you marry and you pass through different stages of life. But you never forget your old friends," said Broad, whose grandson, Michael Broad, was a member of the famed Boynton Beach Little League team that traveled to the World Series last year.
The group suffered its first death with the loss of Elliott Liss, and at the mention of his name Broad, giddy with boyhood memories, weeps spontaneously.
"The first one is the hardest. ... We're getting older now and things are starting to happen to us. What we have are our memories and our thoughts and the love we have for one another," Broad said.
Kulick, for his part, is unfazed by the prospect of aging as he thinks of future reunions the group has planned.
"We're going to keep meeting up until it's down to the last two guys, even if it's in wheelchairs," he said.
Tal Abbady can be reached at firstname.lastname@example.org or 561-243-6624. | <urn:uuid:f3c4cd85-3d55-4072-b5cc-25392bb95531> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/2004-11-26/community/0411220517_1_film-boys-lenny-lauren | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00011-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.978728 | 949 | 1.679688 | 2 |
Meet the New American Family, Digitally Deluged
The Campbell family of California just might be the prototypical American family of the future. Kord Campbell and his wife, Brenda, recently moved to the San Francisco area from Oklahoma, along with their two children, Lily, age 8, and Connor, age 16. They also came with plenty of digital technology — and they have acquired more.
The family is profiled by Matt Richtel in an article in the June 7, 2010 edition of The New York Times. As Richtel explains, the Campbells might not be just any other family in the neighborhood with respect to their digital habits. Then again, they might be, after all. At the very least, they probably point to a new family reality that will become all the more common.
Kord Campbell is starting a software venture. And yet, his life is so filled with e-mails, text messages, chats, Web pages, and video games that he missed a crucial e-mail from a company wanting to buy his business — for 12 days. In Richtel's word, Campbell is struggling with a "deluge of data." More alarming than that, his family is drowning in the deluge as well.
As Richtel reports: "Even after he unplugs, he craves the stimulation he gets from his electronic gadgets. He forgets things like dinner plans, and he has trouble focusing on his family."
"This is your brain on computers," Richtel asserts.
Scientists are beginning to document the effects of digital exposure on the brain. They are finding that everything from phone calls (remember those?) to e-mail and text messages exacts a toll on the brain's ability to concentrate and focus. Furthermore, they have identified a physiological reward for digital stimulation — a "dopamine squirt." That little squirt of dopamine in the brain serves as a physiological pay-off for digital stimulation, and it can be habit-forming.
It is for Kord Campbell. This husband and father admits to being often unable to focus on his wife and children and their family life. He goes to sleep with a laptop or similar device on his chest. When he awakens, he goes directly online, where he remains throughout the day. During family time, he often retreats into his digital world. He has left family outings to play video games and check his digital gadgets. Brenda laments, "It seems like he can no longer be fully in the moment." When he tries to unplug, he becomes "crotchety until he gets his fix."
And yet, rather than attempt a move out of such digital dependence, Mr. Campbell seems to be drawing his family members into the digital net. Brenda checks e-mail about 25 times a day, sends and receives text messages, and is getting more involved on Facebook. Connor, age 16, is becoming so involved in the digital world that his grades are slipping. Lily, age 8, has only one hour of unstructured time each day, and she often devotes that hour to digital devices. Connor apparently has a computer with Internet access in his bedroom, along with his iPhone. When he studies, an inner voice seems to call out to him to move instead to a digital distraction.
The Campbells may be atypical in the extent of their digital entanglements, but new research indicates that they are probably not as atypical as we would hope. Richtel reports that Americans in 2008 consumed three times more daily information than in 1960. Those who use computers at work change windows or screens an average of 37 times an hour.
The change in human experience is so vast that Adam Gazzaley of the University of California, San Francisco, names it one of the most significant shifts ever experienced in the history of humanity — and one with inevitable consequences.
What about multitasking? Many people claim that exposure to digital technologies prompts the development of a new mental skill, managing multiple mental tasks. As it turns out, multitasking seems to be more of an illusion than a reality. Richtel reports that brain researcher Eyal Ophir of Stanford University has found that multitasking actually takes quite a toll on the brain's ability to concentrate on anything. Furthermore, research also suggests that multitaskers have a very difficult time turning that mode of thinking off — a fact that goes a long way toward explaining why some people cannot handle real-life face-to-face conversations.
In an accompanying article in The New York Times, Tara Parker Pope asked a chilling but revealing question: "Has the high-speed Internet made you impatient with slow-speed children?" Does that question not arrest you on the spot?
The research indicates that people who are highly invested in digital involvements are less empathetic, less attentive, less patient, and less able to remember something as basic as a conversation.
Just imagine what all this means. While the average American is likely to express some measure of concern in light of this research, and while most families no doubt seek a life different than that described of the Campbells, Christians have to look at this picture with a very different and far deeper set of concerns.
Is that what we were created to be? Is this the purpose for which God created humanity? The Creator made us in his image, and thus to be relational beings. But this relationality is intended to be expressed first and foremost in relationships with human beings, and certainly not with machines. A biblical understanding will also press us to identify the relationships of our greatest accountability — the relationships of marriage, family, kinship, and congregation — as well as the relationships of greatest Gospel opportunity. When these relationships suffer due to digital distractions, we bear full moral responsibility.
The answer is not to throw away all the digital gadgets. The information revolution is here to stay, and it comes with great gifts as well as tremendous temptations. Christians are not called to be modern-day Luddites, smashing digital devices with sledgehammers. But we are called to be faithful stewards of digital opportunities, even as we are also called to be faithful in all our relationships. That second stewardship is surely of greater importance than the first.
This stewardship will require clear boundaries, honest self-knowledge, and authentic accountability. Otherwise, you may well end up spending more time with your digital devices than with the people you love. Count on this . . . they will notice.
Related to this topic is my address ("The Hypersocialized Generation") at the Ligonier Ministries 2010 pre-conference: "Bits, Bytes, Blogs & Bibles: Christian Communication in a Hypersocialized World."
Matt Richtel, "Hooked on Gadgets and Paying a Mental Price," The New York Times, Monday, June 7, 2010.
Tara Parker Pope, "An Ugly Toll of Technology: Impatience and Forgetfulness," The New York Times, Monday, June 7, 2010.
Find this article at: http://www.crosswalk.com/parenting/11633379/ | <urn:uuid:a15ff4c0-e041-4ebf-ae4d-f9826ebe5e01> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.solidgospel105.com/Article.asp?id=1851780&spid=18442 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00016-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.967344 | 1,451 | 1.71875 | 2 |
Hi there! Larisa here. It's Tutorial Tuesday and I've decided to do a little tutorial on how to create the wavy sentiment banner in this card. These little banners have become quite popular with card-making and the good news is, they're very easy and require hardly any supplies.
Supplies needed: a square punch, sentiment stamp, ink, cardstock, pencil or pen, and glue.
1. Step #1: Stamp your sentiment onto a piece of cardstock and trim around it to form a rectangle. Be sure to leave plenty of room at each end.
2. Step #2: use square punch to create a decorative edge on either side of the sentiment banner. As you can see, it's much easier if you flip your punch over so you are able to see exacly where you are cutting.
If you like you can use your sentiment banner just like this or if you want to add some dimension, see the following steps below.
3. Step #3: use a pen or pencil to mold the paper sentiment into a wavy like shape. Do not press too firmly or you will crease the paper. Just be gentle and work with it a little until it looks the way you want it.
4. Step #4: Now you are ready to glue your sentiment. Only place the glue on the parts of the sentiment that will touch the paper. The glue I've used here is Zip Dry glue, but just about any fast-drying glue will work.
5. Step #5: Place the sentiment on your card/project and hold down the areas with the glue until they are dry. This should only take a few seconds if you are using a fast drying glue.
Now you have a custom 3D sentiment banner!
Hope this tutorial has inspired you to create your own sentiment banner. Try out the steps above and let me know how it goes. I can't wait to see your projects. Have a great week! | <urn:uuid:b7d5e2d7-d0cf-43ce-92b4-d360805c6b53> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://splendidstamping.blogspot.com/2012/02/tutorial-tuesday-wavy-sentiment-banner.html?showComment=1329854342729 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704392896/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113952-00017-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.931282 | 405 | 1.5625 | 2 |
- Act Now
- Open Internet
- Promoting Creativity
- Open & Accessible Technology
Today, the United States District Court for the Central District of California denied Fox's attempt to take away television viewers' right to control how they watch TV. Consumers who have purchased the Hopper DVR can continue to use all its features, including its ability to skip commercials on recorded programming.
The following statement can be attributed to John Bergmayer, Senior Staff Attorney at Public Knowledge:
"It's great news that the Court has resisted Fox's attempt to shut down DISH's product, before there has even been a trial on the merits of the case. Consumers have a right to record television programs and watch them later in the manner of their choosing. | <urn:uuid:6cb386db-bbe0-440d-8014-48e295866a34> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.publicknowledge.org/tag/dvr | 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 | 0.958891 | 154 | 1.671875 | 2 |
As I did last year, I will start with
Don’t leave Canada appears to be gone as there hasn’t been posting there since May 4, 2011. I’m sorry to see it go as Rob Annan provided thoughtful commentary on science policy on a regular basis for years. Thank you, Rob. (BTW, he’s now the director of policy, research and evaluation at MITACS.)
Cool Science, John McKay’s blog has been shut down as of Oct. 24, 2012,
Hi everyone. This will mark the final post of the CoolScience.ca site and it will be quietly taken offline in November. I will also be closing down the Twitter and Facebook accounts and moving everything over to my professional accounts that are all focused on communicating science, technology, engineering and medicine.
The Dark Matter science blog by Tom Spears, which I reluctantly (as it was a ‘newspaper blog’ from the Ottawa Citizen)included last year has since disappeared as has NeuroDojo, a blog written by a Canadian scientist in Texas.
Marc Leger’s Atoms and Numbers blog’s latest posting is dated Oct. 23, 2012 but the pattern here seems similar to Marie-Claire’s (see the next one) where the posting is erratic but relatively regular (once or twice per month) until October of this year.
Marie-Claire Shanahan is posting less frequently on her Boundary Vision blog with the last posting there on Oct. 9, 2012.
The Bubble Chamber blog from the University of Toronto’s Science Policy Work Group seems to be fading away with only one posting for 2012, Reply to Wayne Myrvold on the Higgs Boson.
Colin Schulz’s CMBR blog hasn’t had a new posting since July 13, 2012′s 11 Things You Didn’t Know About Canada. In any event, it looks like the blog is no longer primarily focused on science.
The Exponential Book blog by Massimo Boninsegni features an Oct. 24, 2012 posting and a similar posting pattern to Marie-Claire & Marc.
exposure/effect which was new last year has gone into a fairly lengthy hiatus as per its last post in January 30, 2012 posting.
Theoretical biologist, Mario Pineda-Krch of Mario’s Entangled Bank blog is also taking a lengthy hiatus as the last posting on that blog was June 11, 2012.
Nicole Arbour’s Canadian science blog for the UK High Commission in Ottawa hasn’t featured a posting since Oct. 15, 2012′s The Power of We: Adapting to climate change.
Gregor Wolbring’s Nano and Nano- Bio, Info, Cogno, Neuro, Synbio, Geo, Chem… features an Aug. 4, 2012 posting which links to one of his nano articles, (Nanoscale Science and Technology and People with Disabilities in Asia: An Ability Expectation Analysis) published elsewhere.
Jeff Sharom’s Science Canada blog highlights links to editorials and articles on Canadian science policy but doesn’t seem to feature original writing by Sharom or anyone else, consequently, it functions more as a reader/aggregator than a blog.
The Black Hole blog which was always more focused on prospect for Canadian science graduates than Canadian science, hence always a bit of a stretch for inclusion here, has moved to the University Affairs website where it focuses more exclusively on the Canadian academic scene with posts such as this, Free journal access for postdocs in between positions from Dec. 12, 2012.
Returning to the roundup:
John Dupuis’ Confessions of a Science Librarian whose Dec. 26, 2012 posting, Best Science (Fiction) Books 2012: io9 seems timely for anyone taking a break at this time of year and looking for some reading material.
Daniel Lemire’s blog is known simply as Daniel Lemire. He’s a computer scientist in Montréal who writes one of the more technical blogs I’ve come across and his focus seems to be databases although his Dec. 10, 2012 posting covers the topic of how to get things accomplished when you’re already busy.
Dave Ng, a professor with the Michael Smith Laboratories at the University of British Columbia, is a very active science communicator who maintain the Popperfont blog. The latest posting (Dec. 24, 2012) features Sciencegeek Advent Calendar Extravaganza! – Day 24.
Eric Michael Johnson continues with his The Primate Diaries blog on the Scientific American blog network. His Dec. 6, 2012 posting is a reposted article but he has kept up a regular (once per month, more or less) posting schedule,
Author’s Note: The following originally appeared at ScienceBlogs.com and was subsequently a finalist in the 3 Quarks Daily Science Prize judged by Richard Dawkins. Fairness is the basis of the social contract. As citizens we expect that when we contribute our fair share we should receive our just reward. When social benefits are handed out …
Sci/Why is a science blog being written by Canadian children’s writers who discuss science, words, and the eternal question – why?
Mathematician Nassif Ghoussoub’s Piece of Mind blog continues to feature incisive writing about science, science funding, policy and academe.
Canadian science writer Heather Pringle continues to post on the The Last Word on Nothing, a blog shared collectively by a number of well known science writers. Her next posting is scheduled for Jan. 3, 2013, according to the notice on the blog.
A little off my usual beat but I included these last year as they do write about science albeit medical and/or health science:
Susan Baxter’s blog Curmudgeon’s Corner features her insights into various medical matters, for example there’s her Dec. 1, 2012 posting on stress, the immune system, and the French antipathy towards capitalism.
Peter Janiszewski and Travis Saunders co-own two different blogs, Obesity Panacea, which is part of the PLoS (Public Library of Science) blogs network, and Science of Blogging which features very occasional posting but it’s worth a look for nuggets like this Oct. 12, 2012 (?) posting on social media for scientists.
After posting the 2011 roundup,
I had a number of suggestions for more Canadian science blogs such as these four who are part of the Scientific American SA) blogging network (in common with Eric Michael Johnson),
Dr. Carin Bondar posts on the SA blog, PsiVid, along with Joanne Manaster. There’s more than one Canadian science blogger who co-writes a blog. This one is self-described as, A cross section of science on the cyberscreen.
Glendon Mellow, a professional science illustrator, posts on The Flying Trilobite (his own blog) and Symbiartic: the art of science and the science of art, an SA blog he shares with Kalliopi Monoyios.
Larry Moran, a biochemist at the University of Toronto, posts on science and anything else that tickles his fancy on his Sandwalk blog.
Eva Amsen who posts on a number of blogs including the NODE; the community site for developmental biologists (which she also manages) but the best place to find a listing of her many blogs and interests is at easternblot.net, where she includes this self-description on the About page,
- Musicians and Scientists – Why are so many people involved in both music and science? I’m on a mission to find out.
- the Node – My day job is managing a community site for developmental biologists around the world. The site is used by equal numbers of postdocs, PhD students, and lab heads.
- SciBarCamp/SciBarCamb – I co-instigated SciBarCamp, an unconference for scientists, in Toronto in 2008. Since then I have co-organized five similar events in three countries, and have advised others on how to run science unconferences.
- You Learn Something New Every Day – a Tumblr site that automatically aggregates tweets with the hashtag #ylsned, and Flickr photos tagged ylsned, to collect the interesting bits of trivia that people come across on a daily basis.
- Lab Waste – During my last months in the lab as a PhD student, I made a mini-documentary (using CC-licensed materials) about the excessive amount of disposable plastics used in research labs. It screened in 2009 in the “Quirky Shorts” program of the Imagine Science Film Festival in New York.
- Expression Patterns – In 2007 I was invited to blog on Nature Network. The complete archives from 2007-2012 are now on this site.
- easternblot.net – Confusingly, my other science blog was named after this entire domain. It ran from 2005 to 2010, and can be found at science.easternblot.net
I believe Amsen is Canadian and working in the UK but if anyone could confirm, I would be much relieved.
Someone, who according to their About page prefers to remain anonymous but lives in Victoria, BC, and posts (somewhat irregularly, the last posting is dated Nov. 10, 2012) on The Olive Ridley Crawl,
I am an environmental scientist blogging about environmental and development issues that interest me. I prefer to be anonymous(e) because I work with some of the companies I may talk about and I want to avoid conflict of interest issues at work. This gets tricky because I am at the periphery of a lot of events happening in the world of my greatest expertise, persistent organic pollutants, endocrine disrupting compounds, their effects on health and the policy fights around chemicals, their use the controversies! So, I’ve reluctantly moved away from writing about what I know most about, which means this blog suffers severely. I still soldier on, though!
I was born, and grew up in India, so I am interested in all things South Asian and tend to view most all Western government and Western institution actions through a colonialist scratched lens! I am also becoming much more active about my feminism, so who knows what that will do to this blog. I have been meaning to write a monstrous essay about women, the environment and justice, but that’s a task!
I used to live in Chapel Hill, NC with a partner of long vintage (the partnership, that is, not her!) and a crazy cat who thinks he’s a dog. We moved to Victoria, BC in 2008 and I’ve been busy learning about Canadian policy, enjoying this most beautiful town I live in.
Why Olive Ridley? Well, the Olive Ridley sea turtle (Lepidochelys Olivacea) nests on the coasts of Madras, India and I got my start in the wonderful world of conservation working on the Olive Ridley with the Students’ Sea Turtle Conservation Network. So, I do have fond memories for this beautiful creature. And yes, as my dear partner reminds me, I did meet her on the beach when I was doing this work.
Agence Science-Presse (based in Québec and headed by Pascal Lapointe) features three blogs of its own:
Blogue ta science : les billets dédiés aux jeunes.
Autour des Blogues : les actualités de nos blogueurs et de la communauté.
There’s also a regular podcast under the Je vote pour la science banner.
genegeek appears to be Canadian (it has a domain in Canada) but the blog owner doesn’t really identify herself (there’s a photo) on the About page but no name and no biographical details. I did receive a tweet last year about genegeek from C. Anderson who I imagine is the blog owner.
There’s also the Canadian BioTechnologist2.0 blog, which is sponsored by Bio-Rad Canada and is written by an employee.
These next ones were added later in the year:
Chuck Black writes two blogs as he noted in June 2012,
I write two blogs which, while they focus more on space than science, do possess strong science components and overlap with some of the other blogs here.
Andy Park also came to my attention in June 2012. He writes the It’s the Ecology, Stupid! blog.
Something About Science is a blog I featured in an Aug. 17, 2012 posting and I’m glad to see blogger, Lynn K, is still blogging.
New to the roundup in 2012:
SSChow, Sarah Chow’s blog, focuses on science events in Vancouver (Canada) and science events at the University of British Columbia and miscellaneous matters pertinent to her many science communication efforts.
The Canadian federal government seems to be trying its hand at science blogging with the Science.gc.ca Blogs (http://www.science.gc.ca/Blogs-WSE6EBB690-1_En.htm). An anemic effort given that boasts a total of six (or perhaps it’s five) posting in two or three years.
The Canadian Science Writers Association (CSWA) currently features a blog roll of its members’ blogs. This is a new initiative from the association and one I’m glad to see. Here’s the list (from the CSWA member blog page),
Anne Steinø (Research Through the Eyes of a Biochemist)
Arielle Duhame-Ross (Salamander Hours)
Bob McDonald (I’m choking on this one since it’s a CBC [Canadian Broadcasting Corporation] blog for its Quirks and Quarks science pr0gram)
Cadell Last (The Ratchet)
Elizabeth Howell (she seems to be blogging again and the easiest way for me to get to her postings was to click on the Archives link [I clicked on December 2012 to get the latest] after doing that I realized that the images on the page link to postings)
Kimberly Gerson (Endless Forms Most Beautiful)
Mark Green (a CSWA member, he was born and educated in the US where he lives and works; ordinarily I would not include him, even with his CSWA membership status, but he writes a monthly science column for a Cape Breton newspaper, which has made me pause)
Pamela Lincez (For the Love of Science)
Sarah Boon (Watershed Moments)
Susan Eaton (she seems to be reposting articles written [presumably by her] for the AAPG [American Association of Petroleum Geologists] Explorer and other organizations in her blog]
Barry Shell’s site (listed as a CSWA member blog) doesn’t match my admittedly foggy notion of a blog. It seems more of an all round Canadian science resource featuring profiles of Canadian scientists, a regularly updated news archive, and more. Science.ca is extraordinary and I’m thankful to have finally stumbled across it but it doesn’t feature dated posts in common with the other blogs listed here, even the most commercial ones.
Tyler Irving (I had no idea he had his own blog when I mentioned him in my Sept. 25, 2012 posting about Canadian chemists and the Canadian Chemical Institute’s publications) posts at the Scientific Canadian.
I choke again, as I do when mentioning blogs that are corporate media blogs, but in the interest of being as complete as possible Julia Belluz writes the Scien-ish blog about health for MacLean’s magazine.
Occam’s Typewriter is an informal network of science bloggers two of whom are Canadian:
Cath Ennis (VWXYNot?) and Richard Wintle (Adventures in Wonderland). Note: The Guardian Science Blogs network seems to have some sort of relationship with Occam’s Typewriter as you will see postings from the Occam’s network featured as part of Occam’s Corner on the Guardian website.
My last blogger in this posting is James Colliander from the University of Toronto’s Mathematics Department. He and Nassif (Piece of Mind blog mentioned previously) seem to share a similar interest in science policy and funding issues.
ETA Jan.2.13: This is a social science oriented blog maintained by a SSHRC- (Social Science and Humanities Research Council) funded network cluster called the Situating Science Cluster and the blog’s official name is: Cluster Blog. This is where you go to find out about Science and Technology Studies (STS) and History of Science Studies, etc. and events associated with those studies.
I probably should have started with this definition of a Canadian blogger, from the Wikipedia entry,
A Canadian blogger is the author of a weblog who lives in Canada, has Canadian citizenship, or writes primarily on Canadian subjects. One could also be considered a Canadian blogger if one has a significant Canadian connection, though this is debatable.
Given how lively the Canadian science blogging scene has become, I’m not sure I can continue with these roundups as they take more time each year. At the very least, I’ll need to define the term Canadian Science blogger, in the hope of reducing the workload, if I decide to continue after this year.
There’s a rather interesting Nov. 26, 2012 article by Stephanie Taylor for McGill Daily about the Canadian public’s science awareness and a dearth of Canadian science communication,
Much of the science media that Canadians consume and have access to is either American or British: both nations have a robust, highly visible science media sector. While most Canadians wouldn’t look primarily to American journalism for political news and analysis, science doesn’t have the same inherent national boundaries that politics does. While the laws of physics don’t change depending on which side of the Atlantic you’re on, there are scientific endeavours that are important to Canadians but have little importance to other nations. It’s unlikely that a British researcher would investigate the state of the Canadian cod fishery, or that the British press would cover it, but that research is critical to a substantial number of Canadians’ livelihoods.
On the other hand, as Canadian traditional media struggles to consistently cover science news, there’s been an explosion of scientists of all stripes doing a lot of the necessary big picture, broad context, critical analysis on the internet. The lack of space restrictions and accessibility of the internet (it’s much easier to start a blog than try to break in to traditional media) mean that two of the major barriers to complex discussion of science in the media are gone. Blogs struggle to have the same reach as newspapers and traditional media, though, and many of the most successful science blogs are under the online umbrella of mainstream outlets like Scientific American and Discover. Unfortunately and perhaps unsurprisingly, there is currently no Canadian science blog network like this. [emphasis mine]
Yes, let’s create a Canadian science blog network. I having been talking to various individuals about this over the last year (2012) and while there’s interest, someone offered to help and then changed their mind. Plus, I was hoping to persuade the the Canadian Science Writers Association to take it on but I think they were too far advanced in their planning for a member’s network to consider something more generalized (and far more expensive). So, if anyone out there has ideas about how to do this, please do comment and perhaps we can get something launched in 2013. | <urn:uuid:9f66f6dd-b404-4a00-bf13-e064a778e00a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.frogheart.ca/?tag=dont-leave-canada | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00011-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.947108 | 4,117 | 1.609375 | 2 |
Much as we try, we can't stop humanizing our horses. This one's got the heart of a champion; that one has the guts of a mudder. We don't really know if there's anything behind all that anthropomorphizing. But we do know that a horse can suffer as we do--feeling pain, fear, confusion and shock. All of that was on display at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Md., when Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro shattered his right rear leg at the Preakness Stakes just moments out of the gate. It was the most stunning racehorse disaster since the death of the famous filly Ruffian in 1975 and perhaps the most gruesome sports injury to any creature since the nationally televised sight of Washington Redskins quarterback Joe Theismann's leg snapping like a bread stick in 1985. But there's something about a Thoroughbred coming undone--something about that exquisite engine of muscle, bone and congenial will crashing down--that moves us. In the days since Barbaro's accident and surgery, the horse--now housed in a 13-ft. by 11-ft. stall at the University of Pennsylvania's George D. Widener Hospital for Large Animals--has received a flood of cards he can't read, endless baskets of fruit he won't finish, and flowers he may or may not smell. Tens of thousands of dollars and untold hours of effort will be spent on his care, all for an animal that--his potential $30 million in breeding fees notwithstanding--was already insured up to his velvety ears.
But we love our horses--so much that we may be wearing them out. Racehorses sustain lethal injuries an average of 1.5 times in every 1,000 starts, according to some studies. A millennium after the sport was born, we're breeding horses to finer and finer tolerances, racing them earlier and harder and producing an animal that may be a thrill to watch but is increasingly hard to keep whole.
"The market wants a faster, earlier-maturing horse," says Dan Rosenberg, president of Three Chimneys horse-breeding farm in Midway, Ky., "but there is an incompatibility between speed and durability." Not everyone in the industry agrees, but injuries like Barbaro's raise the question anew every time they occur.
Horses are undeniably born to run, a survival strategy that befits a prairie herbivore with neither fangs nor claws. While a lot of animals are fleet of foot, horses achieve their speed more elegantly than most, starting with their disproportionately long legs. Limb length usually means bulk, since it takes a lot of muscle to move long bones. But muscles add weight, and weight reduces speed. The horse solves that problem by packing its musculature in its upper body, then transferring that power down to the legs with an elaborate rope work of tendons and ligaments that absorb shock as the animal runs and then snap the leg back to reuse the energy on the next stride. The system works well, but it does leave the legs exceedingly vulnerable to injury because when a break occurs, the blood vessels embedded in the limbs can torque and tear.
Ingenious as the horse's overall design is, humans couldn't resist tinkering with it. About 300 years ago, breeders began crossing fleet European mares with strong Arabian stallions, producing a faster animal that could run longer distances. All Thoroughbreds today are descended from just three Arabian males--the so-called foundation sires. | <urn:uuid:565b9c45-1472-419f-822c-8a0401615202> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1198889,00.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00002-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.958847 | 716 | 1.835938 | 2 |
Papal preparations, Polish diacritics, and Norwegian wood critics
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Papal preparations, Polish diacritics, and Norwegian wood critics
The government of Syrian president Bashar al-Assad denied responsibility for a car bombing in central Damascus that killed 53 people and a Scud-missile explosion in Aleppo that killed 58, blaming “America, Zionism, and some Gulf states” for their support of opposition terrorists. The United Nations rejected a year-old demand from Haiti for compensation of victims of a cholera epidemic that has infected 620,000 people, killed 7,750, and was likely introduced by U.N. peacekeepers following the January 2010 earthquake. “The claims,” said a U.N. spokesman, “are not receivable.” Benedict XVI gave his final Sunday blessing as Pope from a window in the Vatican’s Apostolic Palace. “Praying does not mean isolating oneself from the world and its contradictions,” he said. “We’ve come for the rugby,” said a woman in St. Peter’s Square. Benedict, whose philosophy a Vatican newspaperman likened to that of Tintin, delivered his address several days after the publication of an article in Italy’s La Repubblica that linked his resignation to an internal Vatican report concerning a group of high-ranking gay prelates who organize sex parties in and around Rome. “Age,” said Nobel laureate Dario Fo, “certainly isn’t the only thing that burdens him.” American cardinals Timothy Dolan and Roger Mahony, who were questioned separately about child sexual abuse committed by clergymen under their supervision, prepared to travel to the Vatican, where they will take part in a conclave in the Sistine Chapel to elect Benedict’s successor; British cardinal Keith O’Brien, who was accused by four priests of having made inappropriate advances toward them, announced he would resign rather than attend the conclave. “Will be tweeting often from Rome,” tweeted Mahony. “Prayers!” “The Church is beautiful,” said one of O’Brien’s accusers, “but it has a dark side.” Elderly Catholics in the Ukrainian town of Perekhody attended mass in a cistern chapel.
The Obama Administration formally requested that the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act be struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court, which unanimously upheld a Florida state law treating a narcotics-detection dog’s alert as reasonable grounds for a police search. “A sniff,” wrote Justice Elena Kagan, “is up to snuff.” A South African magistrate released Olympic sprinter and double leg amputee Oscar Pistorius, who has been charged with the murder of his girlfriend, on bail. “What kind of life would he lead, a person who has to use prostheses, if he has to flee?” asked the magistrate. “A life not in prison,” replied the lead prosecutor. Polish language experts launched J?zyk polski jest ?-?, a campaign to preserve diacritical marks, and the Académie Française elected its first British-born member, poet Michael Edwards. “The French do like to purify,” said Edwards. French agriculture minister Stéphane Le Foll announced that three horse carcasses from the United Kingdom had “probably” entered France’s food chain labeled as beef, and a Welsh hamburger tested positive for horse DNA. “Something else has been put in the boxes,” said the hamburger’s producer. “We’re the piggy in the middle.” The Chinese government declared its intent to curtail air pollution through a ban on “barbecue-related activities”; officials in Iceland reported record numbers of imprisoned pedophiles and unregistered cats; and Norwegians questioned the stacking methods employed in a 12-hour television program about firewood. “One thing that really divides Norway,” said a firewood expert, “is bark.” A judicial panel ruled that the New York Yankees are baseball’s sole evil empire. Frankenstein Momin, Billykid Sangma, Field Marshal Mawphniang, and Adolf Lu Hitler ran for the assembly of the northeastern Indian state of Meghalaya, where legislators were formulating a bill to ban the employment of children in rat-hole mines. An Athenian pleaded not guilty to stealing a Salvador Dalí painting from a Manhattan art gallery. “How this theft was committed,” said New York County district attorney Cyrus Vance Jr., “was almost surreal.”
A Welsh boy reported missing was discovered napping under a beanbag chair, a Florida woman was shot in the leg by the oven in which she planned to heat her waffles, and 200 Belgians returned from a boar cull with one wild boar. Members of a London jury were dismissed for asking questions the presiding judge said showed a “fundamental deficit in understanding.” “Can you define what is a reasonable doubt?” wrote the jury. “A reasonable doubt is a doubt which is reasonable,” wrote the judge. “Can a juror come to a verdict based on a reason that was not presented in court and has no facts or evidence to support it?” wrote the jury. “No,” wrote the judge. Bumblebees were found capable of sensing the electrostatic fields of e-flowers. Physicists studying the subatomic particle presumed to be the Higgs boson suggested that its mass, estimated at 126 gigaelectronvolts, needs to be measured more accurately before they can establish whether the cosmos is a stable vacuum or a false vacuum that will be destroyed without warning. “It’s bad news,” said one theoretician. Common moles and female golden Hottentot moles were found to sniff in stereo and to prefer large penises, respectively. “Suffice to say,” said one zoologist, “it’s probably every mole for himself.” American researchers unveiled a smartphone test for leprosy. “This,” said a doctor, “will bring leprosy management out of the Dark Ages.”
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More from Anthony Lydgate:
Weekly Review — May 7, 2013, 8:00 am
One World Trade Center gets its spire, the Gitmo hunger strike continues, and the OED explores revirginize
Weekly Review — April 9, 2013, 8:00 am
Oil spills, the Iron Lady, and Barbie’s Berlin Dreamhouse
Years of consideration preceding the inclusion of the word “phat” in Random House’s 1996 Compact Unabridged Dictionary:
Scientists created crash helmets that stink when cracked and fruit flies to whom blue light smells delicious.
In Belize, a construction company bulldozed a 2,300-year-old Mayan temple to make road fill.
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“This is the heart of the magic factory, the place where medicine is infused with the miracles of science, and I’ve come to see how it’s done.” | <urn:uuid:a4b2d0d4-b9d4-4394-a3b7-f461dfff3479> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://harpers.org/blog/2013/02/weeklyreview2013-02-26/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705953421/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120553-00016-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.953501 | 1,582 | 1.507813 | 2 |
Jane Roy Brown on Eudora Welty’s Garden
Saturday, April 14, 1:00 pm, UConn Co-op Conference Room,
Jane Roy Brown, co-author of One Writer’s Garden: Eudora Welty’s Home Place will give a slide talk on the connections of Welty’s Mississippi backyard garden, designed by her mother Chestina, to Welty’s writing and her life. The garden, a reflection of the prevailing trends of the day, lush with roses, dahlias, and camellias appears in Welty’s writings, and was the ever-present backdrop to her days. It was from her mother that she gained her own horticultural skills. In the last years of her life, the garden, neglected, and lost, underwent restoration, work that was continued after her death. Jane Roy Brown is a landscape historian and an award-winning travel and garden writer. The talk is free, but seating is limited. Please call in advance for reservations: 860-486-5027. | <urn:uuid:cd17b0b0-efea-4d3c-91c4-2a62ce70e3ef> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://mansfield.patch.com/groups/announcements/p/an--one-writers-garden-book-talk | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00008-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.968406 | 223 | 1.8125 | 2 |
Courtesy of ICanHasCheezburger.
Author Page for admin
While I’m on the subject of Tom Ricks…
Last month, Tom Ricks visited the Patterson School and gave a couple of talks about Iraq. One talk was for the Patterson students, and the other for the general public. Because of bad weather, however, most of the turnout at the public talk happened to be Patterson students or recent Patterson graduates.
Ricks argued that the invasion of Iraq was the worst mistake in the history of American foreign policy. He suggested that the Surge succeeded at a tactical and operational level, but failed to resolve the basic strategic and political problems of the US occupation of Iraq. He is relatively optimistic, however, about the McChrystal plan in Afghanistan; he believes that the fundamental political issues are more tractable than in Iraq, and in particular that the unpopularity of the Taliban among the Afghan people makes military victory possible. The Karzai government was the most serious problem, but he suggested that making a credible threat to leave Afghanistan was the most effective tool that the United States had in order to make Karzai more accountable to his domestic constituency.
The most controversial aspect of Ricks’ argument will be familiar to anyone who read his recent op-ed in the New York Times. Ricks contended that the political situation in Iraq is untenable, and that civil war is inevitable in the absence of a substantial, long-term US commitment. He further argued that the civil war would be destructive to US interests in the Middle East, and would produce a greater humanitarian disaster than Iraq has yet seen. Although the Surge failed overall, he suggested, combined with the strategy of buying off the Sunni insurgency it did manage to produce a substantial drop in violence. The current situation in Iraq is an uneasy truce, enforced by US troops and dependent on US financial commitment. US disengagement in the near or medium term, he argued, will make the status quo untenable.
Obviously, this argument doesn’t fall into any convenient ideological box. The progressive coalition remains appropriately hostile to the notion of maintaining a substantial military commitment to Iraq over the long term. Conservatives aren’t much more excited about a long-term commitment, preferring instead to declare victory and blame any post-withdrawal violence on the Democrats. I think that a modest percentage of the uniformed military is just about the only constituency that supports a continued large scale presence in Iraq, although, as I suggested, conservatives will be happy to blame any post-withdrawal disasters on Obama.
There are certainly elements of Ricks’ argument that I agree with. I am deeply skeptical of the ability of the Maliki regime to maintain control without the presence of substantial US forces. I’m also quite certain that Iran is more influential in Iraq than it ever has been. However, that doesn’t get me very close to Ricks, for a few reasons. The first is the aforementioned lack of any constituency for keeping a large scale presence beyond the short term; Democrats certainly don’t want to stay, and Republicans are hoping that Democrats will be the ones to pull out. The second is the apparent disinterest of the Iraqis in a continued US presence. Even if the leadership could be convinced that US troops were necessary for survival (political or otherwise) general Iraqi resistance would be… substantial. Third, Ricks argument on Afghanistan makes the threat of US withdrawal a centerpiece; the main obstacle to success is Karzai, and our main weapon against Karzai is the threat that we’ll abandon him to his domestic opponents. I’m not sure why the same dynamic wouldn’t hold in Iraq; if we make clear that we’re “around for the long haul” then there’s little incentive for political reconciliation.
Still, even though I disagreed with Ricks’ conclusions, his talks were excellent and informative, and his visit was extremely productive.
The noise from the right about the constitutionality of “deeming” beggars description. Consider Limbaugh:
If [House Democrats] pass this using the Slaughter solution—in other words, literally shredding the Constitution.
I decline to comment on his claim that passing this bill by “deeming” it passed will literally cause someone to walk into the National Archives and ribbon the Constitution, because the point of Limbaugh’s literal metaphor is plain enough: if the majority of the House votes to “deem” the Senate version of the bill passed, Democrats would have skirted the Constitutional requirement that, to become a law, a bill must “have passed the House of Representatives and the Senate” as “determined by Yeas and Nays,” i.e. a simple majority.
How would the Democrats have accomplished this dastardly unconstitutional deed?
I’ll post my thoughts on it sometime afterward, but if any readers are interested in issues pertaining to war law and air power, you can register and listen in on a seminar at Harvard’s Humanitarian Law and Policy Forum next week. HLPF does these seminars from time to time: the topic this time is “Protecting Civilians in the New Battlespace: Challenges of Regulating Air Warfare.”
I’ve pasted the announcement below; you can register here.
This live seminar will examine legal and policy responses to the challenges of civilian protection in situations of armed conflict, specifically in the context of air warfare. Against the backdrop of the recent release of the HPCR Manual on International Law Applicable to Air and Missile Warfare, the seminar will address the following questions:
What are the primary features, definitions and principles contained in the Manual? How do these relate to the larger framework of international humanitarian law, or the law of armed conflict?
What is the relevance for the military of the provisions of the Manual, which are a restatement of existing law applicable to air and missile warfare?
How might the Manual contribute to enhanced protection of civilians during conflict?
Panelists and participants will examine these questions by reference to the HPCR Manual and to specific situations of air warfare.
Please view this link. The data concern public funding of health care in terms of direct government expenditure. You will note that the United States ranks third in public expenditure for health care, behind Germany and Iceland and ahead of France, the United Kingdom, Belgium, Italy, Spain, and a host of other European countries. Given this, I would advise you to reconsider this claim:
The defense spending squeeze is on and will become more constricted by health care reform. It is not apples and oranges. About half of the United States’ health care costs appear on the federal government’s budget, which directly affects revenues and expenditures. European nations plead poverty when it comes to funding their militaries in large part because of the squeeze of social spending (including health care). They spend a smaller, though rising, share of their GDPs on health than does the United States, but more of that spending is direct government expenditure.
Since your premise (that European states pay higher direct public expenditure health care costs than the US) is evidently incorrect, I’m wondering whether you’d be interested in revising your conclusions regarding the “squeeze” that health care costs are putting on European defense budgets. I would also invite you to consider whether the extraordinary level of private expenditure on health care in the United States might conceivably, through some heretofore unimagined mechanism, be redirected towards defense spending, assuming that the good people of the United States viewed such redirection as desirable. I would further invite you to make some fun, back of the envelope calculations about the kinds of weapons the Pentagon could buy if we adopted, say, the NHS wholesale. Finally, I would suggest you and others concerned with the impact of health care costs on the defense budget would acknowledge the fact that we have solid, comparative data indicating that the United States has the most staggeringly inefficient mechanism for the delivery of health care in the world, and that perhaps our best efforts ought to be directed at investigating the implications of this data rather than assembling such phrases as:
Health care cost control is an illusion. No one truly can make the health care system efficient. For many illnesses, nobody knows what works and what doesn’t. An aging population assures more medical expenditures.
Robert M. Farley
If you’re the sort of person who, like me, gets torqued about public health issues, there’s a important study out in JAMA today (.pdf here) about the population benefits of the seasonal flu vaccine; the upshot is that by vaccinating a little over 80 percent of kids between 3-15 years of age, researchers were able to observe a roughly 60 percent effectiveness at reducing influenza rates throughout the study population. The results themselves aren’t especially surprising — they affirm what everyone already suspected about seasonal flu vaccines and herd immunity, and they serve as a reminder that even a sub-optimal jab is quite effective at muting the spread an unpleasant illness that kills tens of thousands a year in the US alone — but the design of the study is really fascinating, as researchers were able to work with about fifty self-enclosed Hutterite colonies in central and western Canada, providing exactly the sort of controlled conditions that are usually beyond the reach of folks doing research on influenza vaccine efficacy. (It’s also interesting to note that the study utilized the killed virus vaccine, which usually proves less efficacious in flu studies than the weakened virus.)
I’d like to believe that the results of this study will embarrass the vaccine contrarians into prolonged silence, but I won’t be holding my breath. Since vaccination rates fall well short of the 80 percent threshold in the US, the market for uninformed skepticism won’t soon be disappearing. I’d also like to believe that studies like this would receive enough publicity to nudge parents away from Robert Sears’ nonsensical “alternative vaccination” schedule, which urges us (among other things) to avoid giving our kids seasonal flu shots until they’re five years old. Aside from demonstrating yet again that seasonal flu vaccines are perfectly safe for healthy children, the study offers the best evidence to date that flu vaccination is a socially responsible practice that benefits populations — especially the elderly — who tend not to respond vigorously to the serum. But as long as we can round up some asshole to claim that baking soda cures H1N1, there’s little risk that sensible ideas will prevail.
Rove says that getting rid of Rumsfeld — which, of course, the Bush administration ultimately did — would’ve “damaged the military’s faith in Bush as commander in chief.” Actually, you know what really did damage the military’s faith in Bush as commander in chief? Retaining Donald Rumsfeld in the face of failure after failure after failure.
There’s something really interesting to this; the uniformed military loathed Rumsfeld with wild abandon, a point which was certainly not lost on Rumsfeld (he cultivated and enjoyed their hate) or Rove. I suspect that the issue here wasn’t so much “the military will lose faith if we dump Rummy,” but rather “the military will interpret the dumping of Rummy as a sign of weakness.” This makes sense in context of the Bush/neocon vision of the world, in which the enemy (whether terrorist, Communist, or Democrat) only understands strength; I’m just mildly surprised that the Bush administration apparently viewed the uniformed military of the United States as an enemy to be intimidated.
“I believe in affirmative government and spending gobs of money,” he said. But, “I want to let people know that there are people that disagree with the party orthodoxy” on unions and amnesty-first immigration reform.
He already has a platform for his outspoken views, kausfiles.com, with a sizeable audience. So why make a seemingly quixotic Senate run?
He says he can reach people that he didn’t with his blog. And, “the time is right.”
Public disapproval of unions is at an all-time high, he notes.
“People really hate the GM bailout.” Kaus supported saving GM and Chrysler but said, “The UAW got us into this mess, so I think they should have taken a pay cut and made more concessions.”
You don’t have to be a wild-eyed libertarian to realize something is very wrong with that. But, as Kaus points out, “You can’t find a Democrat politician criticizing the teachers unions.”
That silence is hurting the liberal cause. “Unions are what make affirmative government unpalatable,” he said.
The standard objections to Kaus’s everything-is-a-nail approach to seeing labor as the root problem of everything apply; that one union has negotiated an excessively cumbersome doesn’t mean that labor negotiations are bad, there’s little reason to believe that labor protections are a major factor in poor school performance, and blaming the UAW rather than management for the problems with American auto manufacturers is implausible in the extreme. (I note, for example, that the justifiably well-regarded Malibu, CTS, and Silverado are all UAW-made, while the pieceashit Aveo is not; it’s almost enough to make me think we’re not looking at the key variable here.)
But what really kills me is the idea that unions are standing in the way of the expansive welfare state Kaus pretends to want. The truth is something like the reverse — without labor, progressive politics as an electoral force is in a hopeless position. How, exactly, does Kaus propose replacing the organizational and GOTV support that labor provides? It’s almost enough to make me think he doesn’t care about progressive policy outcomes at all…
The Economist has a damning article about son preference and female infanticide in East Asia, and the negative impacts on societies and regional stability as well as on girls. Heartening to see an important global gender issue make the front page of such an influential weekly (though why it took them so long escapes me – Valerie Hudson and Andrea den Boer’s influential article, appeared in International Security almost ten years ago; now the Economist is writing as if it has “discovered” high sex-ratio societies just in time for International Women’s Day.)
Well, so be it. But while the Economist has global elites’ attention fleetingly focused on gender and “gendercide,” because of how it affects the state-system, let me update the framework on offer slightly:
a) In the past decade since Hudson and den Boer first called attention to Asia’s “Bare Branches” problem, they have also been working on developing a dataset of gender empowerment indicators that among other things has allowed them to test the hypothesis that gender equality, not democracy, is actually the best predictor of pacifist relations between sovereign governments. And gender equality means a whole lot more than keeping little girls alive. Let Obama think about that as he revamps Bush’s democracy promotion agenda in the service of global stability.
b) Ultimately, let’s not confuse global stability with human rights. “Securitizing” a problem like this can be useful, as I’ve often argued, but it can backfire. Natalie Hudson’s new book argues that the advocacy language that got women’s rights on the agenda at the UN Security Council has also hobbled it at the policy implementation stage. I can see the point of making policymakers care about female infanticide because the knock-on effects are bad for whole societies. But I’d like to think that we’d want it to end even if that weren’t the case: killing anyone because of the genitals they were born with is simply wrong.
c) This brings me to a final comment. As an advocacy trope it works… sort of. But as a concept “gendercide” ala Mary Warren has been usefully picked apart and expanded to include a whole range of mass killing practices in the last two decades – including those targeting men. It would be a shame to see it become synonymous now primarily with the issue of sex-selective abortion as a security problem.
Too cute not to post… | <urn:uuid:7c46d0ca-98a2-4c6c-ba8c-53d812f8d7e7> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.lawyersgunsmoneyblog.com/author/admin | 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 | 0.955224 | 3,448 | 1.578125 | 2 |
Home Ownership as a part of your Financial Plan
It's often said that a home is the largest investment that most of us will ever make. How effectively you manage home ownership will have a strong influence on the rest of your financial picture. Whatever your stage of home ownership, there are things you should know in order to maximize the benefits of this investment.
Generally, there are two areas where home ownership will have a positive influence on your finances:
Homeowners build equity with each payment and through appreciation in the value of the property. Equity is a powerful asset that helps you develop financial security. You can apply this equity in a number of ways:
- As a down payment on your next home
- To finance a child's education, make home improvements, purchase a vacation home or maintain it as a reserve against unexpected emergencies
Mortgage interest and real estate taxes are generally tax-deductible. Paying rent has no such benefit. It's a good idea to discuss the potential tax benefits with your tax consultant prior to making any decisions regarding home purchase or refinancing. Don't make any assumptions based on what your friends and family may have experienced.
SCCU has the products and information to help you maximize your investment
Purchasing your first home
There are many new mortgage programs available that put home ownership within the reach of more people than ever before. “Zero down” programs are available to those with good credit and adequate income, but little cash. Your mortgage representative or SCCU's online Loan Consultant can assist you in finding the right mortgage at the right price.
If you don't have stellar credit, you have options. It is still possible to be approved for a mortgage or you can make a decision to begin preparing for approval by repairing your credit starting today. For a start, visit the Educational Articles page at SCCU.com and read “Improve Your Credit Score” and “How Lenders Evaluate Your Application.”
Refinancing your current mortgage
By refinancing, you may be able to lower your interest rate and reduce your monthly payments, shorten your loan term or consolidate debt. This can allow you to improve your cash flow, build equity faster or strengthen your overall financial picture.
It is important to take the time to decide if refinancing will provide the benefit you seek. You will find a “Refinance Payback Calculator” in the 1st mortgage area of SCCU.com.
Tapping into your home's equity
Most of us are familiar with the term “home equity loan,” but are not aware of all the options available. There are a wide variety of fixed-rate programs and home equity lines of credit (HELOC) that can be matched to your specific needs. For example, have you considered opening a HELOC that you can draw on in case of emergencies? SCCU's Express Services Associates can discuss your needs and direct you to a loan program that will best meet them.
Whatever your needs regarding home financing, it is important to work with a lender that offers a complete selection of first mortgages and home equity loans. This helps to ensure that you will get the product that meets your needs. You don't want your decision to be influenced by a lender's limited offering.
The information on this page is for educational purposes only. SCCU is not engaged in providing estate planning or other advice. Please consult with a competent estate planning professional regarding any specific estate planning questions. | <urn:uuid:1faf7683-0f54-4ebd-b2db-97cd75d46b97> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://sccu.com/member_benefits/moneysense/home-owner.asp | 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 | 0.958185 | 717 | 1.75 | 2 |
Every person is thirsty for something, but only one thing will quench the thirst and flood the dry ground of the heart. Jesus said, “Whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst.” What does that mean?
Jesus was talking about a radical change of our heart. A revolution means a sudden, complete or marked change. Jesus was always after the heart of whoever He encountered. He was not interested in changing their outward behavior, but wanted to see a revolution surge in their heart, a life transformed by an encounter with the real God!
The mission of Flood the Nations is to bring the water of Christ to a thirsty world because we are all pursued by a loving, passionate and adventurous God that is calling us to know Him, to share His love with others and to live the unique life He gave us.
Flood the Nations fulfills its vision through Mission Water Project, Thirsty Conferences, the Well, and Plunge Discipleship experiences. Give, Go, Flood and be the revival! | <urn:uuid:e4bc7e6b-e0c1-4a10-bc93-de47201a0f89> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://floodthenations.org/ | 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 | 0.963944 | 211 | 1.75 | 2 |
AYSO is a volunteer-run organization. Coaches, referees and administrators are volunteers. Over 220,000 parents, neighbors, relatives and friends lend their time
and talents so that each child gets a terrific AYSO experience. AYSO’s volunteer foundation ensures that it’s all about what’s good for kids. It also makes AYSO
very affordable. AYSO operates in a business manner, but volunteers ensure its “profits” are happy, healthy kids playing a sport they can enjoy for life.
AYSO has developed special training that helps parents who may have little or no soccer experience quickly gain the age-appropriate knowledge and skills they need
to be effective coaches and referees. It also has unique administrative and management training.
This ensures that each community program:
• Abides by the AYSO philosophies
• Offers a great AYSO experience
• Continues to grow, offering the AYSO opportunity to more children
It only takes a few hours to become qualified as an introductory-level coach or referee. But if you’re not able to commit even that much time, there are many small
jobs you can help with. Even a couple of hours each season are an important contribution to your team and Region!
AYSO training doesn’t stop as long as you’re having fun. Referees, coaches and administrators have clinics, workshops and other advanced training available to
advance their skills.
Become A Team Parent
The AYSO Team Parent is a pivotal part of every team. They are the coach's
assistant, cheerleader and traffic director all in one. These are things
you will already be doing if your child is on the team, so take it one more step
and help the entire team operate more smoothly!
Every coach needs help arranging snacks and water for games, making calls when
rain or snow makes practice impractical, and keeping an energetic team in line
on the sidelines. You're making a difference for a whole team - a
team that includes your child. It's a great way to make your child's team
a family experience.
Please step up at the beginning of the season and offer the coach your help as a
Become A Referee
Every athletic competition needs officials.
In soccer each game needs three, a referee and two assistant referees. Their job is to keep the game safe,
fair, and fun. As with coaches and
team parents, our referees are volunteers.
Referees receive training in the laws of the game, game control and age
appropriate player management. On
field mentoring is available if desired and we have regular informal training at
monthly referee meetings. For those
who really enjoy refereeing formal advanced training is available. Refereeing is fun and gives you a
great understanding and appreciation of the game. You also get the best seat in the house, right in the middle of the
action! Check out what refereeing is all about.You don't have to have
playing experience to be a good referee, you just have to want to help out. | <urn:uuid:e85d9bc0-665c-48a5-b955-30a7c67c9af1> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.ayso84.org/Volunteering.aspx | 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 | 0.959299 | 650 | 1.53125 | 2 |
Proposed Law Will Make It Harder for Debt Collectors to Seize Debtor's Assets
Norfolk Financial Corporation, a debt collection agency operating in Massachusetts, has garnered media attention recently for its practice of hiring attorneys to collect debts. The Boston Globe and Lynn's The Daily Item have detailed Norfolk's debt collection practices and highlighted the lack of protection state law offers to persons owing even small amounts of debt. The current debt collection law only exempts a small amount of assets from seizure, including $125 in a bank account, $100 in stock, two cows, twelve sheep, and four tons of hay. Vehicles with values of over $700 are not protected, leading to the situations described in the Boston Globe and Daily Item articles.
Senate Bill 2557, filed by State Senator Pat Jehlen and endorsed by the Massachusetts Asset Development Commission, aims to increase the level of assets exempted from collection. This bill will increase assets protected from creditors, starting with protecting cars with a value of up to $7,500 ( the figure is $15,000 if the debtor is disabled or over 60 years old). Bank account balances of up to $2,500 are protected under this legislation, as is household furniture up to $15,000 in value. This bill has been passed by both branches of the Massachusetts House of Representatives and Senate, but is currently awaiting a technical correction in the House of Representatives. Passage of this bill will go a long way towards protecting families like those mentioned in the above articles. | <urn:uuid:b29309ef-e160-497d-abbe-199c61461e17> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.massabc.org/content/proposed-law-will-make-it-harder-debt-collectors-seize-debtors-assets | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697974692/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095254-00003-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.934967 | 303 | 1.835938 | 2 |
Charting the Geographies of Hope
Connecting with Point Reyes Books Co-Founder Steve Costa
On the very edge of the North American tectonic plate, surrounded by ranches and wetlands and everyone’s favorite park — Point Reyes National Seashore — sits the town of Point Reyes Station. And in the center of town (it’s all the center, really—it’s small) sits Point Reyes Books. And at the helm of the store sit Steve Costa and his wife Kate Levinson. A community organizer, former Congressional staffer, activist and board member of more than several environmental and cultural organizations (including the Point Reyes National Seashore Association and Heyday), Steve has a vision for the bookstore that is considerably broader than just selling books. Among the many community programs the bookstore sponsors, The Geography of Hope is a gathering of academics, writers, artists, ranchers, environmentalists, community builders, students, and the well-intentioned and curious public. The theme of this year’s conference is “Igniting the Green Fire: Finding Hope in Aldo Leopold’s Land Ethic.” I spoke recently with Steve about his life, his work, and the upcoming conference.
BN: How did you end up here? Have you always lived in the Bay Area?
Costa: I was born in Oakland, and when I was six months old my family moved to a small tract house in San Leandro. So I have long, deep roots in this area. My parents also grew up in the East Bay – it‘s was home to them as well. One of my grandmothers was born in San Francisco. My grandfather was Syrian. He came to the United States at the age of 16 to find opportunity, traveled across the country, and established a dry goods business. My other set of grandparents was of Portuguese-Azorean descent. They were born in Hawaii, worked in the sugar cane fields, and moved to California.
BN: You do so many things. What is your background, and how did it lead to your current work?
Costa: I have background as a community organizer. When I was 19, I quit college and became a VISTA volunteer. I went to the South Bronx, where I trained with Saul Alinsky’s protégés. I did my year of service in Providence, RI. During that year, I developed skills that I would use throughout my whole life, helping communities to organize and exert pressure on certain institutions around issues such as housing and health issues. We also worked with Brown University to create the first set of University-Community projects, including bringing university students to tutor students in the community.
Even though I don’t speak Portuguese, I looked the part, so I was assigned to Portuguese neighborhoods in Providence. When I returned home, I didn’t go back to school; I was too interested in neighborhood and community organizing. So I got involved in Pete Stark’s political campaign and ended up as a congressional staffer for six years.
I hadn’t done environmental work before, but while I was working for Stark I had a meeting with the Trust for Public Land (TPL), which wanted to convert empty lots into community gardens and parks and help communities start land trusts. I met with Huey Johnson, TPL’s President, and later that day, Huey invited me to create a demonstration project in Oakland. I agreed, and within three years we had established 40 gardens and seven land trusts. We had a good model which we brought to other cities around the country.
On my first day at TPL, Huey told me that Aldo Leopold’s Sand County Almanac was required reading. Its land ethic provided some of the basic values that guided me, and many others, in their environmental work.
Then, in 1989 our daughter Anna was killed in an automobile accident in the East Bay, shortly before her 17th birthday. Kate and I wanted to create a memorial for her, so we planted seventeen trees in Redwood Regional Park, bringing together friends to celebrate her birthday. It was a great event, very much a part of our healing process. So now, every year around her birthday, we plant the number of trees that represent her age, mostly in the East Bay Regional Parks, some at Bishop O’Dowd High School. So far we’ve planted a thousand trees.
BN: So how did you get from doing environmental work to running a bookstore?
Costa: During our healing process after this loss, we would go visit a friend who had a house in Inverness. Soon we fell in love with the area and decided we wanted to buy property here. We sold our house in Oakland and bought a house in Inverness.
At first, we were pretty anonymous. We used to frequent the Brown Study, a small bookshop in Point Reyes Station that mostly sold used books, and we became friends with the owner. One evening she mentioned she was going to sell the bookstore. Without any retail experience I decided to buy the store. That was ten years ago.
The bookstore also now serves as a “front” for my other community organizing activities. In the last ten years we’ve raised a quarter of a million dollars for various projects through author events and other programs. And now we’re about to put on the fourth Geography of Hope Conference, which is a cultural-environmental gathering focusing on the relationship between place, community, and literature.
BN: What is the focus of this year’s conference?
Costa: About a year and a half ago, U.S. Forest Service filmmakers Steven and Anne Dunsky produced a film, Igniting the Green Fire, explaining who Aldo Leopold is and how his work has influenced conservationists. The filmmakers, who are based in the Bay Area, approached me about a screening of the film, and one thing led to another. The conference will be the first West Coast gathering of the world’s foremost Aldo Leopold experts and will include field trips to the National Seashore and local farms and ranches to give participants the opportunity to experience Leopold’s land ethic directly. And of course, we’ll be showing the film and hearing from the filmmakers.
BN: I imagine you carry the Sand County Almanac in the store? How does it sell?
Costa: We always have a copy of Sand County Almanac in the store. Before the announcement of the conference a few months ago, we’d sold perhaps three dozen over the years. But since then, we’ve sold another 50 or so.
BN: What has come out of these Geography of Hope conferences?
Costa: The conferences are as much about relationships as they are about anything else: two to three hundred people in a small coastal town, challenged by stimulating presentations, with the opportunity to talk to people from this and other communities about the geography of hope. When people walk away, they have deeply interacted with both the presenters and the other participants. It reinforces their passion about the environment, and often moves them to act on environmental and conservation issues.
BN: I can probably guess your answer, but what is your favorite outdoor destination in the Bay Area?
Costa: Right in my own backyard—Point Reyes National Seashore!
The Geography of Hope Conference will take place on March 15, 16, and 17 in Point Reyes Station. The weekend features spirited presentations by, and conversations with, prominent authors, naturalists, and conservation leaders, including Aldo Leopold biographer Curt Meine, Aldo Leopold Foundation director Buddy Huffaker, Leopold scholars J. Baird Callicott and Susan Flader, poet Robert Hass, authors Gary Nabhan and John Francis, and Center for Whole Communities founder Peter Forbes. For tickets and more details, go to www.ptreyesbooks.com | <urn:uuid:ecf5c0bc-3d3d-4331-b21a-332df74b6135> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://baynature.org/articles/charting-the-geography-of-hope/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00010-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.972895 | 1,652 | 1.601563 | 2 |
General Payroll Information
All PLNU departments use one of two payroll systems: Web time clock or web time cards. The payroll process differs slightly between these two systems, but there are several “payroll rules” that are common to both:
- All student employees are required to keep accurate records of their time worked and are prohibited from falsifying their time report or completing a report for another employee. Such behavior may be grounds for immediate dismissal.
- Pay periods are two weeks long and end on specific dates. You can view these dates online at www.pointloma.edu/SEinstructions.
- Pay periods always end on a Sunday at midnight; all time cards for that two week period must be submitted to the Business Office no later than the following Monday at noon (the sooner the better). Late time cards will result in late paychecks, no exceptions.
- Paychecks are always issued on the Friday following the end of the pay period and are available any time after Chapel. Students can pick up their checks from the cashiers in the Business Office. Starting in Fall 2006, students may complete a Direct Deposit Form and have their checks automatically deposited into their bank accounts. They must complete a form and attach a voided personal check in the Office of Student Employment.
- Some pay periods will vary depending on school holidays. Check with Payroll to verify these dates.
- Students can have their checks directly deposited against their PLNU student accounts. To do this, they must fill out a request form in the Business Office.
Web Time Cards
Most departments use web time cards for their student employees. This is how it works:
- The newly hired student employee returns a completed Authorization Form to the Student Employment Office. At this time, the student will be given an instruction sheet on how to use the web time card system. The instructions are also available online at www.pointloma.edu/SEinstructions.
- The payroll clerk receives a copy of the Authorization Form from the Student Employment Office, enters the information into the payroll computer system, and activates the student employee’s web time card. This part of the process could take a day or two.
- Once the student’s time card is activated, he or she may log on daily to record the hours worked that day. At the end of the week the student will click the "Send to Supervisor” button. The completed time card will be emailed to you for approval. Please make sure the hours are accurate. If they are not, return the time card to the student for correction.
- Although the web time cards only record one week at a time, PLNU’s pay periods cover two weeks. Therefore you should receive two web time cards from each employee per pay period.
- If you find frequent inaccuracies on students’ web time cards, you might consider developing a sign-in sheet to keep track of hours worked. Or you might insist that student employees log on and fill in that day’s hours on their web time cards before leaving work at the end of every shift.
Paper Time Cards
The only time paper time cards are used is to hire a temporary worker.
- The newly hired student employee returns a completed Student Employment Authorization Form to the Student Employment Office where he or she will be given a paper time card.
- The student employee is responsible for recording his or her hours on the time card. At the end of the pay period, as indicated by the date printed in the upper right-hand corner of the card, both the student and the supervisor must sign the time card, verifying that the hours recorded thereon are accurate. The completed time card must then be delivered to the Payroll Office either by the student employee or by the supervisor.
What if I want to Pay My Employees More?
We all want to pay our student employees more; they are a tremendous asset to our offices! However, in order to stay within the University’s budgetary limits, and to ensure that student employees campus-wide are given equal compensation for equal work, the Vice President of Student Development has established the following guidelines:
Automatic raises are given in increments of $.20/hour (except level 5 jobs which are at $.25/hour) according to the quantity of hours worked at that job. The Business Office tracks the number of hours worked by a student and will apply the raise automatically as soon as the student qualifies.
The following chart shows the current pay sThe majority of jobs on campus are level 1. (If you would like to know what level the student jobs in your department are classified as, this information is available from the Student Employment Coordinator). The top row indicates the number of hours a student has worked in his or her current job. Students receive an automatic pay raise after every 450 hours worked in the same job.
Student Employee Pay Structure
The only other way a student employee can receive a raise in pay is to move into a different position on-campus that has been classified at a higher level. Any such move must be approved by the Student Employment Office. | <urn:uuid:378b0b75-d5d6-4a2a-b947-b6df867db84e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.pointloma.edu/life/offices-strengths-vocation/employers/recruiters/campus-employers/online-supervisor-handbook/payment | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697974692/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095254-00019-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.948262 | 1,050 | 1.640625 | 2 |
MARCH 21, 1938
SEATTLE, Sunday—Anyone who knows Los Angeles, knows Olivera Street is a bit of Mexico. It is down in the old part of the city, right off the old square which fronts one of the city's oldest churches. Olivera Street extends for about a quarter of a mile. At one end is the booth of the saddlemaker, at the other, an old blacksmith makes iron locks and nails and funny little figures.
In between, are restaurants with native musicians, one of the oldest adobe houses, and innumerable booths for Mexican pottery and glass, wax candles, sombreros, gaily painted gourds, knick-knacks of all kinds, fortune tellers and photographers.
Three musicians came out and played some special numbers while I walked down the street accompanied by an over-growing crowd. Mrs. Scheider and Mr. J.F.T. O'Connor picked up my gifts and the one or two purchases I was allowed to make.
When I was in Los Angeles several years ago, I paid my first visit to this street. A year ago last Christmas, the entire street sent me gifts from their shops with charming Christmas messages, so my visit yesterday was in appreciation of their thoughtfulness.
It turned out, however, that their generosity in most cases would not allow me to buy anything, and so I returned to the hotel unable to pay my debt of gratitude. You will enjoy wandering through this little street if you are in Los Angeles and can find the time to be leisurely in picturesque and charming surroundings.
We drove to Long Beach last night for my lecture, and had a glimpse of the ocean drive and the circular pier. It is lovely at night with the moon on the water and must be equally attractive in the daytime. Back at the hotel, Miss Chaney and I had the pleasure of a call from "Amos" and "Andy", who were celebrating their tenth anniversary on the air and were kind enough to give us a little share in this auspicious occasion. We had only a few hours sleep when the telephone rang to tell us it was 6:00 o'clock and up we got, for at 7:00 we had to leave the hotel for the airport.
Mr. O'Connor, as cheerful at 7:00 a.m. as he is at midnight, called for us in his car and put us on the plane. It was a beautiful day in Los Angeles and we enjoyed the flight. From the air, it was possible to see how much certain areas were still flooded. When we reached San Francisco, we landed in rain and fog. I left Miss Chaney there last night to fly east, while Mr. Lester drove me to the flying field at Sacremento. It was flooded and planes could neither land nor take off. Therefore, after my lecture last night, I had to motor back to San Francisco to take off for Seattle, where I arrived this afternoon. | <urn:uuid:76e7f8bf-9f7c-40dd-b506-4f1c562d5c98> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.gwu.edu/~erpapers/myday/displaydoc.cfm?_y=1938&_f=md054906 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.976696 | 611 | 1.625 | 2 |
The intertwining S's interposed in front of a bloodred starburst. The most feared insignia in the Galaxy for nearly half a century. It is still viewed with awe and trepidation. It belonged to the notorious Nath Sunstrider, the most succesful pirate to have ever lived. He was never caught nor killed.
The mere sight of The Crimson Sun, or any ship carrying that insignia, was enough to send even the most seasoned mercenary into hysterics. The ship would swoop in, seemingly out of nowhere, disable all of a ship's systems, kill any resistance, and make off with anything of value on the ships, usually leaving behind an empty husk that had even been stripped of most of its metal. Leaving dead corpses of men and ships in its wake, it would vanish without a trace. Nath Sunstrider was the scourge of nobles, Crime Lords, and even Jedi. None escaped his greedy clutches.
One day, the raids just...stopped. He was never seen again. It has been one hundred years since the last victim was claimed. Rumors persist to this day of a priceless stash of credits, weaponry and artifacts. It is still unknown what kind of technology/techniques Sunstrider employed to make him so overwhelmingly successful, but rumors always abounded.
"The Dark Side was his father," some old men whisper confidingly to any willing to listen. "My great grandfather was employed on his ship."
"He was a living embodiment of the Force," still others claim. "My grandfather was a Jedi. He knew."
"He was a Crime Lord," some assert confidently. "My grandfather was a contact of his. That's how he knew all the hyperspace routes and when ships would be traveling them."
"I heard he was some high-ranking nobelman, who lived on Coruscant, hiding in plain sight," many say, wishing they really knew the truth.
"He was a Vong," still others declare. Their guess is good as any other.
For the longest time, it was thought that the mystery of Nath Sunstrider would remain just that, a mystery. Even to the Jedi.
Until recently. A salvaging operation found deep in Outer Rim space came across an extremely old, rusted ship bearing Sunstriders insignia. Initially, the discovery lead to excitement. It quickly gave way to disappointment, as the ship was discovered to have been part of Nath's fleet, but not his flagship, the aforementioned Crimson Sun. All of the ships memory banks were wiped clean. There were no records of where it had been or where it was headed.
Disappointment then turned into Galaxy-wide interest as a few discoveries were made aboard the ship. First was a battalion of Combat Droids of a design never before seen. All were deactivated. All attempts to activate or disassemble them met with explosive failure. Literally. It seemed that each droid was fitted with a very impressive self-destruct system. Tampering of any kind led to a large explosion. So the droids were put in storage on Coruscant. A few scattered credits were found. Of interest to the Jedi were the few holocrons and lightsabers scattered around the ship.
Last, but not least, was some kind of artifact that was given over to top researchers on Coruscant. An Ithorian scientist discovered that the artifact was, in fact, a map. Or at least, a piece of one It gave co-ordinates that happened to be located right in the Jedi temple on Coruscant. Upon interacting with an out-of-the way device thought long-since disabled, new co-ordinates were downloaded to the device. It gave Wild Space An advance party was sent to the planet, and wasn't heard back from.
So now, a Galaxy wide call has been put out by a joint venture among various Corporations, the Galactic Alliance, Jedi, and various scholars and nobles. A fleet of mixed-bag ships and its crew must be put together to discover the meanings behind these coordinates...
Sorry this turned out so long. I'm not overly familiar with EU Star Wars stuff, but I've always wanted to run a Star Wars campaign, so I'm running one far disconnected with any current or past cannonical storylines. People with familiar last names show up, but that will be mainly fan service (or will it? *dr. evil pose*)
Starting Level: 8th
Starting Wealth: Standard for 8th level
Allowable Races: Any from the books or saga-edition.com. No other sources.
Recruitment open: For awhile. I'm thinking a week or two, but no date is set in stone, unless this starts to look like the Epic campaign I'm currently recruiting for, in which case recruitment won't last nearly as long.
Allowable Classes: Any class from the Saga books will be allowed. I'm not looking for any specific group build. If you'd like to all be Jedi, feel free. I'm starting at level 8 so that any fledgling Jedi Knights can be out on their own, without their Master's guidance. Or the group may consist of no Jedi. Multiclassing rules/penalties apply.
Stats: Either 36 point buy (32 if you want to be a droid. You only have five stats, remember.) or roll. 4d6, drop lowest rerolls ones. Roll six times for organics, five for droids.
Hit points: Max first level. Every level after either take half your hit dice or risk rolling. Whatever you roll you keep.
Rolling is to be done in the rolling thread of the game thread. Link will be up for that shortly.Star Wars run by a dude that doesn't keep up with the novels, so is running something in the far future from current events/far from anything canon. | <urn:uuid:5ea35bf1-a5fd-4f1f-93b4-ab91d2e2dad0> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.myth-weavers.com/game.php?g=3424 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368711005985/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516133005-00006-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.982386 | 1,215 | 1.515625 | 2 |
Well, it’s been a while since my last post and I think it’s about time I started posting some new stuff here. During all these months I spent my free time οn various things. As far as tech is concerned I mostly spent time on Linux servers and a little bit on software development. Digging into the Linux Desktop is not a top priority for me any more since I only use it on secondary desktop boxes or virtual machines, so there isn’t much to write about it. So, I’ll be getting my notes together and I’ll try to post some cool and interesting guides in the next months.
There has been much controversy about Copyright and file-sharing on the internet during the last decade. Admittedly, the All Rights Reserved statement is incompatible with the nature of communications in the Digital Age and thus a new more flexible content and media licensing scheme is required. A permission system would be the natural solution to the All-Rights-Reserved problem (it could even be extended to Patents, but this is outside the scope of this post). Such a permission system is imposed by Free Software licenses, Creative Commons licenses and others. Although it’s not perfect, it does provide an acceptable and realistic solution for content, media and software publishing in the Digital Era.
read more… »
Software has become part of our lives. Businesses, homes and even individuals more and more rely on software to meet their goals and serve their needs. Recently, I
had tried to have a discussion with people who are active in the FLOSS ecosystem about if and how the development process of free software could be improved in order to increase its quality and efficiency. As usual, the conservative minds within the community did not let the discussion get far. This was not the first time nor the first place I tried to start a discussion like that. Nevertheless, the outcome has always been the same.
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There are several ways to improve the performance of a web site. One of them is HTTP compression. Moreover, compressing the web server responses can save tons of bandwidth without adding any significant amount of extra CPU load on the server. Two of the most common compression algorithms used in HTTP are gzip and deflate. An article containing step-by-step instructions on how to configure Apache to compress web server responses using mod_deflate had been published on G-Loaded a long time ago. This post is about the web browser support for the gzip, deflate and raw deflate compression algorithms. The following page contains the results of several compression tests run by various modern and older web browsers. In case you had been looking for such information, that’s a good place to start.
I tested the website using the default browser of a smartphone and I realized that it is needed to improve the theme to make the content easier to read on mobile devices. If you think such a task is easy, you’re way outline! From a quick web search I noticed that there are many things to take into consideration before making any changes. I’m currently gathering information that will help me decide what would be the best way to serve two versions of the content, one suitable for mobile devices (smartphones and tablets) and one of PCs (desktops, laptops). If you’ve gone through this procedure and care to provide some insight, feel free. read more… »
From the time I had set up my first server at home over a decade ago, I’ve performed numerous operating system upgrades. Usually, it used to take me several hours – if not days – to complete each upgrade and make sure that everything would work as expected. During all these years, I’ve been working hard whenever time permitted it in order to make several pieces of software work flawlessly together requiring the least possible time for manual maintenance. Despite the deployment of my services having reached a high level of automation, I recently spent almost a whole day upgrading CentOS in one of my remote boxes.
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It’s been a while since WordPress implemented revisions for posts and pages. Being able to revert a post or page to a previous state is a useful feature. However, I recently realized that WP creates a revision of the content every time it is saved, but there is no upper limit for the number of stored revisions. So, if you save your work quite often, it is very possible that the WordPress database is filled with numerous revisions of the content, which make the database grow in size quite aggressively. After thinking about it for a while, I realized that all those revisions are pretty useless to me. All I really care about is having a couple of recent revisions of each post or page available, so as to be able to get an idea of my recent changes.
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By default, when the user installs software through the RPM Package Manager or through YUM, usually, the software’s configuration files included in the RPM do not replace the existing configuration files on the filesystem, but, if they differ from those that currently exist, they are saved with the rpmnew extension. In case the rpm is already installed and is the latest version, the quickest way to get the original configuration file back is to uninstall and install the package again. Today, while on CentOS 6.2, I needed to restore the original
/etc/sysctl.conf file, which is part of the initscripts package. In this case, uninstalling initscripts was out of the question as it would also remove half of the installed packages due to dependencies. So, I grabbed the chance to figure out and document what would be the quickest and easiest way to restore
/etc/sysctl.conf, excluding downloading the package itself and extract the RPM contents. Fortunately, as soon as I opened yum’s man page and having spotted the new reinstall command, the solution was quite obvious.
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I cannot overstate how disappointed I am after having a discussion with people who tend to partially mix the various declarations of Rights and the Law in order to make a point valid enough to justify their actions. I am not really the one to tell whether such behavior derives from competence or incompetence. What i do know is that I will never again join any discussion which, at least, is not based on common sense. Ever.
It is widely known that, if virtual hosts in Apache (httpd) are configured to permit vhost administrators override specific configuration options at the directory level using htaccess files, the web server consumes valuable time in order to check whether an htaccess file exists in every directory included in the requested path and parse it. On the other hand, many popular web applications utilize htaccess files, especially those residing in the DocumentRoot, in order to implement pretty URLs or HTTP redirections, which is extremely convenient since the virtual host owner does not have to edit httpd’s configuration directly. So, I had the idea to include the htaccess file of the DocumentRoot directory on the filesystem into the virtual host’s configuration.
read more… » | <urn:uuid:61503fe4-4232-4ee8-bb82-d3d9104249b1> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.g-loaded.eu/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00016-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.944226 | 1,471 | 1.523438 | 2 |
The policies being adopted in Europe and elsewhere under the guise of ‘austerity’ are nothing less than a vicious attack on the hard-won living standards of working people. The gains made in pay and working conditions over several decades have been undone in a few short years.
Cameron, Osborne, Hunt, Duncan Smith, Gove, Glegg, Law, Alexander: all of them are using the cover of the global banking to achieve policies based on their ideological position of shifting power and wealth to the already wealthy at the expense of working people.
Their aim is to reduce real wages and create an army of unpaid workers to be at the disposal of private companies. At the same time they aim to reduce benefits and lower the accepted threshold of what constitutes poverty.
So far they have achieved what they want with very little opposition. There were four days of unrest in August 2011, a short-lived occupy movement and a pension campaign that is, at best, stalled. Despite the efforts of trade union and community activists, the cover of the global crisis has allowed the Tories to get away with it.
To be fair, it did not start with the ConDem coalition. The seeds were already sown under New Labour. Remember back in 1998 Peter Mandelson said that the New Labour government was “intensely relaxed about people getting filthy rich”, setting the tone for the period.
Despite all this, or rather because of it, it has never been more important to fight back. It is clear that we cannot look to the Labour Party leadership for inspiration, but if they recognise, as they have with the bedroom tax, that the electors are saying “enough” then they may join, but not lead, the fight back.
Ken Loach’s documentary “The Spirit of ‘45” was made as a timely reminder of why, in a period of austerity, the government spent in order to create jobs, provide housing, ensure high quality health and education, gain control over utilities and transport. Elaine Smith MSP argues that “Keir Hardie could not have anticipated a 21st century Scottish Labour party whimpering about reviewing spending priorities while sick and starving citizens depend on food banks, have their welfare cut and are evicted because of the bedroom tax”. What the last thirty years has demonstrated is that nothing is won for ever. In a capitalist, and particularly in a neo-liberal economy, they will always try to retake the gains that have been made. Venezuela, for example, has been subjected to such attacks and these will no doubt intensify with the sad death of Hugo Chavez.
John McDonnell describes just how far the retrenchment is being taken when he writes “blaming poverty on the individual and not the system is quite shockingly not far beneath the surface”, which he sees as the return of a poor law mentality.
While the most vicious attacks are directed at the poorest in our society, tax avoidance and outright evasion by individuals and corporations is seen as fair game. Prem Sikka suggests nine essential reforms that could tackle this. It would be good to hear a Labour Shadow Chancellor support them.
As said earlier, the attacks on working people are world wide and the EU is deeply involved in squeezing its “citizens” until their pips squeak. Vince Mills points out the difficulty for left parties opposing the imposed measures, while wanting to stay within the Euro and within the Union. There is no democratic route to overturn the European financial strategy, but they are unwilling to accept that demonstrations and strikes in their own country have no impact on those who are actually taking the decisions on their country’s economy.
In Greece in particular there has been increased support for the far right. In the UK Cameron has made a bid to stir up ill will to immigrants from Bulgaria and Romania. If in doubt play the race card. Miliband and the Labour front bench, rather than run a principled counter-attack, have buckled. Rather than be seen as “soft” on immigration, the Labour Party refuses to counter the distortions and mis-information of the Tories and instead apologised for its past mistakes. They prefer to pander to the worst feelings in our society rather than risk arguing for the best.
We have to look to the trade unions for a fight back. It has never been more important to have a united trade union movement that will defend its members and the wider community. We learned from the 1984 miners strike, and the blatant use of blacklisting in construction, that nothing is below the belt in the class war. Len McCluskey of Unite has said that the UK was going through “genuinely extraordinary times” and has cast doubt on the future of the Labour Party. He said that Unite and other unions will be forced to re-examine their relationship with the Party. He pointed out that 80% of the cuts are still to come. If Labour doesn’t join the fight back then it cannot expect | <urn:uuid:207f230a-ad60-4e56-97f7-24c3ecf53adb> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.thecitizen.org.uk/blog/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00005-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.974393 | 1,018 | 1.726563 | 2 |
Kandahar University, located in western Kandahar City, received 36 pallets of solar panels from a private U.S. company Jan. 8, marking an important day for energy independence in the Kandahar region. The panels, worth nearly $1 million, were donated by First Solar of Arizona and will provide enough electricity to fully support the campus.
With support from the local municipal government and the Kandahar Provincial Reconstruction Team, a total of 900 solar panels which will generate 135 kilowatts of electricity, were delivered to the university. After installation, the university will boast about 170kw with unused energy available to give back to the grid.
Chancellor Dr. Hazrat Mir Totakhil and Vice Chancellor and Lead Engineer Abdul Tawab gladly welcomed the convoy of local flatbed trucks, escorted by U.S. military personnel and the Infrastructure Team.
Infrastructure Team lead Navy Lt. Jason Gabbard and Army Civil-Military Operations Center director Maj. Narvaez Stinson, planned, coordinated and executed the overall movement from Kandahar Airfield to the university.
“Today is possible because of the tireless efforts of my predecessor, Mr. Gerry Paulus, who never wavered in his vision of energy independence for Kandahar University,” said Gabbard. “I am honored to continue his legacy.” | <urn:uuid:de668071-2aa1-4fdb-a522-31719da56305> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://science.dodlive.mil/tag/eco-friendly/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00016-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.944096 | 275 | 1.679688 | 2 |
Most Active Stories
Sat October 15, 2011
Week In News: Money And The GOP Presidential Race
REBECCA ROBERTS, host: This is ALL THINGS CONSIDERED from NPR News. I'm Rebecca Roberts.
HERMAN CAIN: We must grow this economy with a bold solution, which is why I have proposed 999.
Governor RICK PERRY: I think Americans are so untrustworthy of what's going on in Washington is because they never see a cut in spending.
MITT ROMNEY: You want to have someone who's smart, who has experience, who knows how the financial services sector works, who knows how to protect American jobs, and I do. I've done it.
ROBERTS: Three voices from the Bloomberg Television-Washington Post Republican debate this past week: candidates Herman Cain, Rick Perry and Mitt Romney. James Fallows of The Atlantic joins us as he does most Saturdays for a look behind the headlines. Hello, Jim.
JAMES FALLOWS: Hello, Rebecca.
ROBERTS: So the candidates had to submit their third quarter fundraising reports to the Federal Election Commission today. Not all the reports are in, but there were some telling details, weren't there?
FALLOWS: There were. And I think we're beginning to see the winnowing process. The biggest fundraiser was, of course, Governor Perry, who brought in about $17 million, followed by Governor Romney - former Governor Romney - with about 14 million. The two things that struck me are first, we're seeing the way in which the field finally does narrow itself out. For example, former Governor Jon Huntsman is...
FALLOWS: ...reporting that he's already - yes.
FALLOWS: Right. He's just - so he'll see how he can keep going on. The other is the difference in where the money comes from. That both Ron Paul and Mr. Cain have about half their money from very small donors, individuals in sort of the $200 range, whereas for Rick Perry, that was only about 4 percent of his total, and for Governor Romney, about 10 percent.
So in a way, it makes it easier for Rick Perry to stay in, despite his difficulties in the debate so far if he has mainly larger interests behind him who are less subject to the ups and down of poll popularity.
ROBERTS: And meanwhile, those candidates are gearing up for yet another debate, Tuesday in Las Vegas. I think there were about 20 on the schedule last time I checked. Those debates just keep on coming. Are they changing any minds?
FALLOWS: They seem to. I think they've had an effect on the candidates who sequentially have been the favorites of the conservatives. We had Michele Bachmann for a while, and then Herman Cain. Interestingly, they've been the main problem for Governor Perry. I can't really think of a candidate who has been hurt as badly by debate performance as Governor Perry has been in this last handful of debates. But because, again, so much of his money comes from large donors rather than individual ones, that may give him some staying power to try to recover.
ROBERTS: The White House announced yesterday that it was scrapping part of its healthcare law, the long-term care insurance program, and that was because the premiums would be too high to entice enough healthy people to sign up, making it too expensive for the people who did want it. And this comes just after the Senate Republicans stopped the president's jobs bill with the threat of a filibuster.
FALLOWS: Yes. And I think there are important conceptual and political issues that we see in the conjunction of these two items of news. The conceptual problems of healthcare reform are so complex we could spend the next six hours talking about them. But in a way, this long-term care provision shows why it's been so hard.
The process of passing it required, number one, that it meet its own costs, and number two, that it be voluntary. That is, healthy people cannot be forced to pay in, as they would be with the individual mandate for the rest of the program. And finally the actuaries decided they could not make that equation work. That if you couldn't require healthy people to pay in when they still were not drawing from the program, then you could not set the premiums at any kind of sustainable level.
The political problem is the one you also mentioned, which is the Republicans have, through the entirety of the Obama administration, very effectively used the threat of bringing almost anything to a filibuster, as they've done most recently with this jobs bill. And since the administration and the Democrats don't have 60 votes in the Senate, they can't break this ongoing threat, and so you do have the kind of log jam that we've seen in the Senate.
ROBERTS: James Fallows is national correspondent with The Atlantic. You can read his blog at jamesfallows.theatlantic.com. Thanks so much, Jim.
FALLOWS: Thank you, Rebecca. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright National Public Radio. | <urn:uuid:6e2d63d3-e3ef-4533-8c23-a24ec03764e3> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://kunm.org/post/week-news-money-and-gop-presidential-race | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00013-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.977514 | 1,063 | 1.585938 | 2 |
Joe Biden pushes House Dems on gun control
LANSDOWNE, Va. — In a speech Wednesday night, Vice President Joe Biden implored House Democrats to continue to fight for gun control legislation despite the potential political ramifications of doing so.
Biden was visibly emotional as he spoke of the December school shooting in Newtown, Conn., that took the lives of 20 children and six adults and called it a “profound loss” for America.Continue Reading
“I can imagine how we will be judged as individuals, we will be judged as a Congress, we will be judged as a nation if we do nothing,” Biden told House Democrats at their retreat in Lansdowne, Va. “It’s simply unacceptable.”
The vice president said he rejected those who would say the political risk “is too high, the outcome is too certain.”
His voice rising, Biden said that in the 54 days since the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, there have been 1,600 shooting deaths, and specifically mentioned the death of Hadiya Pendleton, a Chicago teenager who had marched in the inauguration parade only a few weeks ago.
“Enough is enough is enough,” he said to applause from House Democrats, who are spending three days at the Virginia retreat. President Obama and former President Bill Clinton will also address the group.
“Many of you have scars on your back like I do from having acted, attempted to act, and contining to try act to deal with the senseless gun violence in America,” he said.
The former Delaware senator recalled the 1994 bill he helped craft, that included a now-expired federal assault weapons ban, and shortly after they passed it, Democrats “lost the Congress.”
“Some people attribute that to the tough stands people had to take, particularly on the assault weapons ban,” he said. “People have walked away learning the wrong lesson from that saying, ‘You know what? It’s demonstrable but it’s too risky to take on some of this stuff because look what happened last time we did this.’”
Biden declared that the world had changed, as had public attitudes on gun control. Additionally, through things like social media, “the ability to misrepresent our positions has changed.”
He also said there was not a simple solution to the problem of mass shootings: Biden said there was “no single answer to ensure this will never happen again.”
The vice president has been charged with leading the President’s task force on gun violence prevention. He told the members attending the retreat that he was unwavering in his belief that the recommendations the task force has put forward are not in violation of the Second Amendment.
“It is clearly within the right of the government to determine what type of weapons can be owned by the public.”
“Don’t tell me because we can’t solve it all, we can’t act at all. … when people tell me you cant prevent these kinds of occurrences that doesn’t mean we can’t do something so god forbids if it happens again, diminish the carnage,” he said. | <urn:uuid:b092c03d-d2df-41c8-8996-e509d89a94db> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.politico.com/story/2013/02/joe-biden-pushes-house-dems-on-gun-control-87298.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00019-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.975608 | 673 | 1.578125 | 2 |
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Flowers for Algernon (66 Edition)by Daniel Keyes
Synopses & ReviewsPlease note that used books may not include additional media (study guides, CDs, DVDs, solutions manuals, etc.) as described in the publisher comments.
"Get your "A" in gear!
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Following his doctor's instructions, engaging simpleton Charlie Gordon tells his own story in semi-literate "progris riports." He dimly wants to better himself, but with an IQ of 68 can't even beat the laboratory mouse Algernon at maze-solving. Then, an operation turns him into a genius and introduces him to heartache.
Charlie Gordon is about to embark upon an unprecedented journey. Born with an unusually low IQ, he has been chosen as the perfect subject for an experimental surgery that researchers hope will increase his intelligence-a procedure that has already been highly successful when tested on a lab mouse named Algernon.
As the treatment takes effect, Charlie's intelligence expands until it surpasses that of the doctors who engineered his metamorphosis. The experiment appears to be a scientific breakthrough of paramount importance, until Algernon suddenly deteriorates. Will the same happen to Charlie?
WINNER OF THE HUGO AWARD AND THE NEBULA AWARD
The classic novel that inspired the Academy Award-winning movie Charly
Daniel Keyes, the author of eight books, was born in Brooklyn, New York, and received his B.A. and M.A. degrees from Brooklyn College. Professor emeritus at Ohio University, he lives in Boca Raton, Florida.
About the Author
Daniel Keyes was born in Brooklyn, New York, and received his B.A. and M.A. degrees from Brooklyn College. He has worked as a merchant seaman, fiction editor, high school teacher, and university professor. The author of eight books, he lives in Boca Raton, Florida.
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Other books you might like | <urn:uuid:007de037-9889-4351-8f3d-4ef8937d8b96> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.powells.com/biblio/65-9780156030083-2 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00019-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.950296 | 702 | 1.804688 | 2 |
As far as my experience reaches, compassion between man and woman seems to be a rare thing. The other morning I heard you say that the mind creates walls and intelligence creates bridges.
Osho, can you say something about the way from passion to compassion? Also, for two months now I have given my very best in relating to Niskriya. Have you got a little joke for us?
Your question is almost as ancient as man. It is certainly a very rare phenomenon that passion between man and woman turns into compassion. It turns only into hatred, because in the first place it was not passion. In the very first place you had given a wrong name to something which was not love; hence when that experience which you have called love, passion disappears – what is left is not compassion, is not friendliness, is not gratitude, but sheer hatred.
The psychologists have started talking about marriage as an intimate hatred. You are together because you fulfill certain biological needs of each other, but otherwise, you are as far away from each other as two stars can be.
If love is authentic, if it is not just lust but a spiritual harmony, then certainly this passion is going to bring compassion in your life. And the transformation of passion into compassion is the whole evolution of man into a Gautam Buddha. But you are right; it rarely happens. It could not even happen in the case of Gautam Buddha himself.
Gautam Buddha renounced the world, his kingdom, his palace, his wife whom he thought he had loved so much. After twelve years he came back. Enlightened, he realized that he had not been human to his old father, to his loving wife, and to the one-day-old child. So as he became enlightened the first thing was to go back to his old kingdom and ask forgiveness.
There is a beautiful story…
The moment he initiated his cousin-brother, Ananda, into sannyas – Ananda was older than Gautam Buddha – Ananda said to him, “After initiation I am no more. Your word is my life, your order is my way. Before initiation I am still your elder brother, hence I want three conditions to be promised now because later on I cannot ask anything from you, you will be the master.”
Gautam Buddha said, “What are those three things? I don’t have anything to give – just this begging bowl.”
Ananda said, “I am not asking about things. I am asking about something else. The first condition is that you shall never send me anywhere away from you to spread the word, the message. Second, I will be with you the whole day, and even in the night I will sleep in the same room where you will be sleeping. And the third thing, if I ask any question or if I bring someone who wants to ask any question to you, you will not refuse, you will have to answer.”
Gautam Buddha said, “There is no problem in it. It is okay. You get initiated.”
He had not realized that this was going to create many problems. But the worst problem happened when he came back after twelve years to his home. Ananda was with him just like a shadow. | <urn:uuid:98dbe197-0917-4f08-814c-2a84436d8d85> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.osho.com/library/online-library-passion-ananda-buddha-829b3d8a-949.aspx?p=1 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00007-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.983628 | 683 | 1.734375 | 2 |
Shots - Health Blog
Mon March 26, 2012
Reading Between The Lines Of Monday's Supreme Court Arguments
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday opened three days of oral arguments over the constitutionality of the insurance requirement embedded in President Obama's landmark health care law with a simple question and an obscure 1867 law.
The question: Does the court even have the right to hear the health care challenge, given that the Anti-Injunction Act prevents federal courts from taking cases where taxpayers are trying to prevent the government from "assessing or collecting" taxes?
The argument against the court's role in the case hinges on justices buying the theory that penalties assessed under the law on those who fail to obtain health insurance by 2014 are tantamount to taxes.
Unfortunately for Washington lawyer Robert Long, who was making the argument, they appeared not to be buying it. At all.
A sample, from Justice Stephen Breyer: "Congress has nowhere used the word 'tax.' What it says is 'penalty.' Moreover, this is not in the Internal Revenue Code but for purposes of collection."
The penalty, Breyer added, is "not attached to a tax. It is attached to a health care requirement." That it's being "collected in the same manner as a tax," he said, "doesn't automatically make it a tax."
After 90 minutes of rapid-fire questions from eight of the nine high court justices (Justice Clarence Thomas remained characteristically silent), the court appeared ready to assert its authority to hear the case. And eager to move on to Tuesday's main event: arguments over the centerpiece of the case, the constitutionality of the 2010 law's mandate that Americans obtain health insurance or face a penalty.
But even though Monday's arguments were at times dominated by in-the-weeds references to tax codes, the morning event provided moments of illumination and humor, as well as fodder for how the justices view their role in the case and how lawyers for both sides will be packaging their arguments in coming days.
Here are four exchanges from Monday's arguments that provide a look into the court and, perhaps, the minds of this week's main players.
Hints At The Arguments To Come
On Wednesday, the justices will hear arguments in challenges to the health care law's expansion of Americans enrolled in the federal Medicaid program.
The 26 Republican governors and attorneys general who have led the appeal of the law were represented Monday by attorney Gregory Katsas. In an exchange with Justice Elena Kagan, he attempted to make the states' "pocketbook" case.
Katsas: [The states] are injured by the mandate because the mandate forces 6 million new people onto their Medicaid rolls. But they are not directly subject to the mandate, nor could they violate the mandate and incur a penalty.
Kagan: Could I just understand, Mr. Katsas, when the states say that they are injured, are they talking about the people who are eligible now who are not enrolled? Or are they also talking about people who will become newly eligible?
Katsas: It's people who will enroll, people who wouldn't have enrolled had they been given a voluntary choice.
Kagan: But who are eligible now.
Katsas: That's the largest category. I think there could be future eligibles who would enroll because they are subject to a legal obligation but wouldn't have enrolled if given a voluntary choice. ... This particular class is the one that gives rise to, simply in Florida alone, a pocketbook injury on the order of $500 to $600 million per year.
Kagan: But that does seem odd, to suggest that the state is being injured because people who could show up tomorrow with or without this law will — will show up in greater numbers. I mean, presumably the state wants to cover people whom it has declared eligible for this benefit.
Cutting To The Chase
U.S. Solicitor General Donald Verrilli Jr., who is defending the law before the court, argued in favor of the high court's hearing the case. The administration is looking for a decision on the highly politicized law by the end of the court's spring term in June.
During an exchange with Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg over the court's jurisdiction in the matter, Verrilli exhibited a let's-get-on-with-it posture that prompted a wry question from Justice Anthony Kennedy. (The "statute" is the health care law.)
Ginsburg: So ... if we agree with you about the correct interpretation of the statute, we need not decide the jurisdiction.
Verrilli: There would be no reason to decide the jurisdictional issue.
Kennedy: Don't you want to know the answer? (Laughter.)
Verrilli: Justice Kennedy, I think we all want to know the answer to a lot of things in this case. But — but I do — I do think that the prudent course here is to construe the statute in the manner that we read it.
If It's Collected Like A Tax, Is It A Tax?
Attorney Long, who was asked by the court to defend a lower court ruling that the Supreme Court had no standing to hear the health care case, was peppered with skeptical questions.
Here's an exchange with Ginsburg:
Ginsburg: And this is not a revenue-raising measure, because, if it's successful, they won't — nobody will pay the penalty and there will be no revenue to raise.
Long: ... This one certainly raises — is expected to raise very substantial amounts of revenues, at least $4 billion a year ...
But the justices noted a difference between tax revenue needed for the operation of government and revenue collected in penalties for failure to comply with a health care mandate or other regulations.
Breyer referred to a copyright decision used to defend a before-implementation challenge to the health care penalty mentioned by Katsas.
Breyer: Registration for the copyright register is not the life's blood of anything. Copyright law exists regardless. So the reasoning isn't there.
Can Penalty Be Separated From Mandate?
Katsas argued yes. Chief Justice John Roberts did not agree, asserting that "the whole point" of the health care challenge "is to prevent the collection of penalties."
Here's their exchange:
Roberts: The idea that the mandate is something separate from whether you want to call it a penalty or tax just doesn't seem to make much sense.
Katsas: It's entirely separate, and let me explain to you why.
Roberts: It's a command. A mandate is a command. If there is nothing behind the command. It's sort of well what happens if you don't file the mandate? And the answer is nothing. It seems very artificial to separate the punishment from the crime.
Katsas: I'm not sure the answer is nothing, but even assuming it were nothing, it seems to me there is a difference between what the law requires and what enforcement consequences happen to you. This statute was very deliberately written to separate mandate from penalty in several different ways.
Roberts: Why would you have a requirement that is completely toothless? You know, buy insurance or else. Or else what? Or else nothing. | <urn:uuid:e4860e6e-7b6e-46fe-bd7d-7ba1eb198583> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.kttz.org/post/reading-between-lines-mondays-supreme-court-arguments | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700958435/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104238-00009-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.964109 | 1,504 | 1.773438 | 2 |
Black History Month: Dexter Green
AMES, Iowa - The Iowa State football program experienced some of its best success on the gridiron from 1975-1978, while All-American running back Dexter Green was shining in the Cyclone backfield. Green left Iowa State as the school's all-time leading rusher with 3,437 yards, a record that lasted nearly two decades. But before Green became a two-time all-Big Eight running back, there were people that doubted he could even survive in such a prestigious conference.
The Woodridge, Va. native who was described as being "all-everything" in his playing days at Gar-Field High School, where he once rushed for 209 yards on nine carries in a high school game, was generously listed at 5-9, 171 pounds during his collegiate playing days. Former teammate Tom Randall remembers people questioning whether Green would be able to play in the Big Eight, given his small stature.
"Dexter was very undersized and everybody always said he was too small to play in the Big Eight," Randall said. "But he had this swagger about him and he always proved them wrong."
Prove them wrong, he did. Green had a break-out sophomore campaign in 1976, during which he became just the fourth Cyclone in school history to break the 1,000 yard rushing mark, despite playing over half of the season with a knee injury that required post-season surgery. Green's emergence lifted a team that had gone 4-7 the previous season to an 8-3 record.
It was during the 1976 season that Green began to show that he was at his best in the biggest games, a quality that would define him throughout his collegiate career. The Cyclones were off to a 4-1 start, matching the previous season's win total, when they traveled to undefeated No. 7 Missouri in the Tigers' homecoming game. To make matters worse, Green had missed the previous week's game against Utah with a knee injury.
It didn't take long for Green to show all 66,000 Tiger fans in attendance that his knee was feeling just fine. A 65-yard touchdown run in the first quarter was just the beginning of one of the best single-game rushing performances in school history. Green racked up 214 yards and two touchdowns on 37 carries as he led the Cyclones to the 21-17 upset victory. Green is still one of just nine Cyclones to reach the 200 yard rushing mark in a single game.
"He was at his best against the great teams," said Earle Bruce, Green's head coach at Iowa State. "I had many good backs over the years, but not all of them were at their best against the elite like Dexter was. He was determined to be a success. I had several guys rush for 100 yards, but not against Nebraska and Oklahoma."
Green continued to put up big numbers against the elite defenses of the Big Eight, including going over 100 yards against the vaunted Nebraska "black shirts," as the Cyclones took down the Cornhuskers in both 1976 and 1977. With his big-game success, came a nickname that stuck with Green during the rest of his career at Iowa State.
"We called him "money" because he was," Randall said. "He was just money. You knew in the big games, he was going to be there. I was like a fan just watching him. The way he could cut and change direction, he reminded me in some ways of a Tony Dorsett. He could just stop, cut and go the other way. Nobody could ever hit him hard. "
Teammate John Quinn, who was a quarterback for the Cyclones during Green's final two years at Iowa State, said that he knew how to get the best out of his teammates, and when that wasn't enough, he could do it himself, too.
"He would always rise to the occasion," Quinn said. "He didn't have the biggest shoulders in the world, but there were times when he just put the entire team on his back. Then when you looked him in the eyes, you knew that you had to play as hard as you could because he was playing as hard as he could and giving everything he had."
During Green's career, he helped take the Cyclones to great heights, including appearances in the 1977 Peach Bowl (in which he rushed for 174 yards) and the 1978 Hall of Fame Bowl. Despite his numbers and achievements, Quinn said what he remembers is the person and teammate that Green was to him, and many others.
"Dexter was the epitome of what you want in a teammate," Quinn said. "He was just a great guy, somebody that you could rely upon. He loved life and loved playing football at Iowa State. He was a true leader. The thing I remember is that when I first came there, he was a junior and with Dexter, it didn't matter what year you were. He was there for you to help you become the best player you could be and he made sure you could help the team."
Green currently ranks third on Iowa State's all-time rushing list at 3,437 yards and is second in scoring with 228 points. He was a member of the Iowa State Hall of Fame class of 2000.Green passed away in 2003 after a battle with cancer at the age of 46. | <urn:uuid:2a96b15f-2e3a-4fc8-9ce5-b7ecc116b518> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.cyclones.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=10700&ATCLID=206463809 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706890813/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516122130-00002-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.995132 | 1,096 | 1.65625 | 2 |
By David S. Bell
The concept of the capital campaign was first introduced in the Book of Exodus. Interestingly, God reminded the early religious community to use their gifts and talents to achieve God’s goals. Moses was the first religious leader to recognize the need for a capital campaign. This campaign focused on people giving a portion of their assets to support the religious community. They gave independent of any annual budget campaign (Exodus 25:1-9, Exodus 30:11-16.) Despite the success of Moses and his followers, many contemporary church leaders fail to follow his example. As a result, these congregations often experience financial giving patterns reflecting an attitude of scarcity rather than one of abundance.
The purpose of the capital campaign is not to provide a quick-fix solution or a super-sized financial aid package for a struggling congregation. Rather, the capital campaign is an opportunity for the church community to strengthen and to empower life-changing ministries. It is a shared celebration of God’s grace and providence. The capital campaign spiritually compels the congregation to give their assets for future ministry and outreach. The capital campaign may be underwriting the renovation or expansion of a church building. Yet, congregations are far more motivated when the project invites them to rally around its impact on people. A line item budget of building expenses rarely invokes an intrinsic connection to the project. The end result of ministry that will occur in the building draws people’s greatest interest and generosity.
So how do church leaders know if they should commence a capital campaign? First and foremost, the process begins with prayerful contemplation. Seeking God’s guidance in all endeavors helps to assure a connection to God’s direction. The capital campaign is a faith-sharing, spiritual journey, not a mere fundraising effort.
Second, church leaders create a list of the measurable ministry goals based on the church’s strategic plan and vision. What new or repositioned ministries would enable the church to more effectively engage in vital outreach and disciple-making? Once this list has been compiled, church leaders consider if updating the current space or increasing the physical property would add to the probability of reaching or exceeding these ministry goals. Do the church leaders seek to start an endowment fund to support existing and emerging ministries? Do the worship services require enhanced technology to connect more meaningfully to younger generations? Would additional staff facilitate ministry expansion? These questions represent some of the ones to be discussed during the early consideration of a capital campaign.
It is critical to underscore that the capital campaign is connected directly to the church’s mission and vision. If the church has not established its core values, mission, and vision, then leaders might abort any attempt to begin a capital campaign. Church leaders must be able to define the core values, mission, and vision if they seriously desire to gain the spiritual and financial support of the congregation.
Third, once church leaders have established core values, mission, and vision, they clearly define in a brief case statement the connection between the expected outcomes of the campaign and the core values, mission, and vision. Clear communication from the onset will alleviate the possibility of disenfranchising some constituents from the project. Individuals step up to offer their prayers, time, talent and financial resources when they are presented with an articulate, visionary campaign. People’s imaginations are captured with relevant, focused projects.
Are church leaders now ready to launch a capital campaign if they have followed these suggestions? Perhaps. However, leaders often fall short in anticipating the implications of achieving their initial goals. For instance, the annual budget may be significantly impacted by expenses associated with the completion of the project. Will additional staff need to be hired? How much will operating expenses increase with additional space? What will be the increased programmatic cost for these emerging ministries? The strategic plan for these often overlooked areas needs to be developed. Forethought to these critical issues will strengthen the long term impact of the project and all of its related outreach and ministry.
Except in very rare instances, an outside consultant provides the greatest probability of success. The consultant can effectively guide church leaders through the entire capital campaign process, including strategic planning and a feasibility study. A capital campaign consultant is necessary especially for churches that have been unsuccessful with prior campaigns or that are conducting a capital campaign for the first time. The consultant is prepared to detail church strengths and weaknesses without alienating church committees or individuals. The consultant is often able to secure significant lead gifts that the church leaders are unable to attract themselves.
A capital campaign allows one to give from personal assets and to witness to the priority of God in one’s life. A capital campaign offers an incredible opportunity for one to connect joyfully to a God-honoring vision. Moses knew long ago that a capital campaign was a significant method to extend God’s ministry in the world. Church leaders are called to give prayerful consideration to the ways a successful capital campaign will transform ministry and service in God’s honor. Be committed to passionate leadership, share God’s abundant vision, and anticipate the congregation’s inspired generosity!
© 2008-2013 David S. Bell. All rights reserved. | <urn:uuid:8505ddae-0faf-4df3-bacb-9e0db1e0c0cd> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.umfmichigan.org/articles/umfpublication-4.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705953421/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120553-00001-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.949211 | 1,052 | 1.828125 | 2 |
Massage therapists are currently regulated in 44 states and the District of Columbia. You may want to find out in advance the requirements in the area you wish to practice. Kansas currently does not regulate massage therapists, although the standard in the field is national certification by the National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork (NCBTMB), which is similar to the "national boards" give in other health care fields. Most of the states regulating massage therapists adopted this exam as the state exam. Eligibility to take the NCBTMB exam includes completion of minimum educational requirements of a 500-hour training program.
After completion of the Massage Therapy program at Butler Community College, students will have 653 contact hours and are qualified to sit for the NCBTMB.
State Regulations http://www.massagetherapy.com/careers/stateboards.php | <urn:uuid:6deafd41-0572-4925-b932-cc82accf0913> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.butlercc.edu/massage_therapy/kansas_regulations.cfm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00016-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.946491 | 177 | 1.570313 | 2 |
Queensland in for another drenching, more dam releases possible, Gold Coast beaches cop a pounding
- From: The Courier-Mail
- February 23, 2013
AUTHORITIES might release more water from the state's largest dam ahead of a bucketing expected to hit southeast Queensland and possibly trigger "significant flooding" in coming days.
SEQWater said it was considering whether to boost releases from Wivenhoe Dam west of Brisbane - now flowing at about 150 cubic metres a second - to "prepare for the forecast widespread rain".
The current low level releases are on track to bring the dam, which is the region's chief source of drinking water and flood mitigation, from 91 per cent capacity down to its "temporary full supply level" of 88 per cent.
EARLIER WILD WEATHER UPDATES
It said releases from Somerset Dam and North Pine Dam may also take place, the latter possibly from 8pm tonight, leading to the closure of Young's Crossing.
Heavy recent rains prompted SEQWater to mobilise its flood operations centre last week.
Fourteen smaller un-gated dams throughout the southeast were currently spilling over.
Brisbane Valley thoroughfares at Twin Bridges and Savages Crossing would remain closed during releases from Wivenhoe, which if ramped up would result in the closure of Colleges Crossing from tonight, SEQWater said.
It urged motorists to contact local councils for details of road and bridge closures.
LIFESAVERS have been threatened with box-cutters after ordering three youths out of the surf at a closed Gold Coast beach amid wild weather and warnings up to 300mm of rain could cause "significant flooding" again.
All Coast beaches were closed for a fourth successive day as dangerous surf and heavy erosion continued, but some swimmers chose to flout the swimming ban.
They included a group of youths who went swimming at Broadbeach about 2.45pm on Saturday.
Surf Life Saving Queensland duty officer Peter Whitty said the youths refused to leave the water and a lifeguard on a jet ski had to round them up.
"A couple of our lifesavers were talking to the youths on the beach and the next thing, one of them walked up to his bag and pulled a Stanley knife on them," he said.
"The police were called and the youths bolted. Our members are fine but it was not a nice experience. They're volunteers trying to protect lives and this sort of thing leaves a pretty bitter taste."
Police were still searching for the youths.
Lifeguards and lifesavers will re-assess conditions on Sunday morning before deciding whether to re-open beaches.
The beaches have been scarred by the worst erosion in almost 40 years, leaving lifeguard towers and access stairs teetering on the edge of steep erosion cliffs and the sand littered with debris.
More dangerous swells are forecast for next week as another ugly weather system batters the southeast.
Premier Campbell Newman says another rain event forecast for Monday and Tuesday of next week could again cause flooding.
"If it's less than 200mm, then we'll deal with that. There'll be localised creek flooding and the like,'' Mr Newman said.
"If we see upwards of 200 to 300mm than we could have some significant flooding again.
"The Government has continued to take a very proactive role in management of the dams and I stress the Wivenhoe system is well down, it's well below the full supply level."
Bureau of Meteorology senior forecaster Ben Annells said coastal areas of central and southern Queensland could expect "at least a couple of hundred millimetres of rain''.
"Some more localised falls of the order of 200 to 300mm or more is not out of the question,'' said Mr Annells.
"Exactly where that will be or whether Brisbane will see that, is unclear at this stage. I think there'll be fairly widespread falls over the period."
Up to 300mm could fall in three days as two weather systems, from the west and east, meet over the coastal strip.
Weather bureau forecaster Jonty Hall said the heavy weather would hit further north tomorrow, from about Bowen south to Fraser Island.
"They'll get moderate to heavy falls and it should continue on from Gladstone south through to Wednesday," he said. "We'll get this in Brisbane too."
Mr Hall said falls should be sufficient to produce localised flooding.
"These two systems will reinforce each other and allow some very humid air to come on to the coast," he said.
"But it's impossible to say exactly where the most intense falls will be."
Mr Hall said the rain would affect the coastal trip, inland to about the Great Dividing Range.
Emergency Management Queensland assistant director-general Bruce Grady said it was likely the Central Coast, particularly the Whitsunday, Capricornia, Wide Bay and Burnett and southeast would be most affected and people should prepare for heavy rain.
The system would drift south but had the potential to become stationary over Bundaberg and the southeast.
Mr Hall said there also would be further windy weather and more big seas.
The upper level trough should weaken mid-week, although a new trough will move into the southern interior on Thursday and Friday, leading to scattered showers and storms over most inland parts, with the exception of the far west.
Yesterday, Surfers Paradise beach bore the brunt of a savage barrage from Mother Nature with huge swells battering the Gold Coast and carving 3m-plus sand cliffs.
Hundreds of tonnes of sand washed into the sea and two lifeguard towers came close to toppling into the ocean.
Gold Coast chief lifeguard Warren Young said it was the worst erosion he had seen at the world-famous beach in almost 40 years.
"In the 1974 floods it copped a hammering, but what we've seen here is extraordinary," he said.
"It just surged through the night and scythed away the sand.
"There's really not much we can do except close the beaches and try to keep people safe."
Every beach in the city was closed yesterday, but lifeguards are hopeful of reopening beaches south of Burleigh today.
-- reporting by Greg Stolz, Robyn Ironside and Josh Robertson | <urn:uuid:39f5554d-791f-40ff-be48-3fae617e590f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/queensland/qld-in-for-another-drenching/story-e6freoof-1226583796304 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697380733/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516094300-00015-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.970911 | 1,303 | 1.71875 | 2 |
MONTREAL — Saying Canada's economic well-being depends on companies having the capital they need to create growth, Prime Minister Stephen Harper laid out the details Monday of a plan to bolster venture capital investment in the country.
The government's Venture Capital Action Plan, which was announced in the last federal budget, is making $400 million available to help increase private-sector investments in the next seven to 10 years.
Ottawa is aiming to deploy $400 million to help increase private-sector investments in the next seven to 10 years.
``Canadian venture capital markets have been dealing with mixed results and growing challenges over the past decade, especially since the global credit crunch of 2008-2009,'' Harper told a news conference in Montreal attended by a large contingent from the business community.
``This unfortunate situation has meant that Canadian firms with good ideas and high growth potential have often been starved for needed funds.''
The Venture Capital Action Plan will make available $250 million to establish new funds led by the private sector in partnership with institutional and corporate strategic investors as well as interested provinces.
Up to $100 million will be made available to recapitalize existing large private-sector funds while there will also be a $50-million investment in three to five existing high- performing Canadian venture capital funds.
``Our government firmly believes strong action is required to bolster the available risk capital in Canada,'' Harper said. ``It is vital for Canada's economic future and indeed for the long-term prosperity of all Canadians.''
In Ottawa, NDP finance critic Peggy Nash slammed the plan as woefully insufficient.
``The prime minister's venture capital plan amounts to just peanuts and won't get the job done,'' Nash said.
``Canada's venture capital market has been underperforming for over a decade and this funding will likely have little meaningful impact. New Democrats are calling on the government to step up and take a lead on Canada's economy rather than wait for others to do it.''
Finance Minister Jim Flaherty, who attended the announcement along with Maxime Bernier, the minister of state for small business, said the country is relying on the creativity and ingenuity of young Canadians.
``The primary focus here is on young entrepreneurs and the fact that we're losing young entrepreneurs and their businesses to American enterprises, larger enterprises,'' he said of the plan.
Flaherty said the government is aware of thousands of young entrepreneurs across the country who need the kind of support proposed in not only the federal plan but also strategies devised by the provinces.
Harper made the announcement on the set of the French-language version of CBC-TV's ``Dragon's Den,'' which focuses on entrepreneurs pitching their ideas for possible investment.
``It's a very popular show,'' Harper quipped. ``One that my own family watches quite often.'' | <urn:uuid:b6eaf2d2-710e-4d6f-8929-49a9a8545d9c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.theguardian.pe.ca/Business/2013-01-14/article-3156682/Harper-announces-plan-to-strengthen-venture-capital-investment/1 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.949792 | 569 | 1.601563 | 2 |
The long wait is over. Now, it's time for you to act.
More than a year after proposing changes to the rules that define which employees are eligible for overtime pay, the Labor Department has issued final rules.
As a result, by Aug. 23, you'll need to analyze each white-collar position in your company to see how it fits under the new Fair Labor Standards Act ( ) definitions of " " (not eligible for overtime) and " " (eligible for overtime).
With these clearer rules, it will be simpler to decide who is due overtime and who is exempt, which should reduce your legal risks. Downside: You could be forced to shell out more overtime pay to lower-paid professional workers.
Here's a summary of the new rules. For details, access our E-visory report (see box at right).
Salary threshold raised to $23,660. Employees earning less than $23,660 annually (or $455 a week) now automatically qualify for overtime pay, regardless of their duties. Previous law set the salary threshold at $8,060.
The rules also create a new exemption category for "highly compensated" employees. Essentially, it says that any employee earning more than $100,000 a year and who regularly performs even one exempt duty will be precluded from earning overtime.
Duties test revised. Employees who meet the salary test and are paid on a "salary basis" must also meet the "duties test" to be considered exempt from overtime pay. The final rules simplify the horribly outdated duties test for people performing white-collar jobs. The new tests:
1. Executive exemption. To be considered exempt executives, employees' primary duties must be managing a business or department. They must direct at least two employees and have hire/fire authority (or their hire/fire recommendations must carry "particular weight").
2. Administrative exemption. Administrative employees are exempt if their main job is performing office or nonmanual work that's related to the employer's or operations. Their job must involve "the exercise of discretion and independent judgment."
3. Professional exemption. To qualify, an employee's primary duty must be performing nonmanual work requiring advanced knowledge, defined as work that is "predominantly intellectual in character" and requires discretion and judgment. To qualify for the "creative professional" exemption, employees must perform work requiring "invention, imagination, originality or talent in a recognized field of artistic or creative endeavor."
The new rules also define the exemptions for outside sales employees and computer workers. (See E-visory report.)
Free E-visory report:
'Complying With the New '
For a detailed description of the newly revised exemption rules, access a copy of our free E-visory report, Complying With the New Overtime Rules, at www.research-recs.com/extra.
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" This information is proudly provided by Business Management Daily.com: http://www.businessmanagementdaily.com/5693/rethink-who-earns-overtime-feds-rewrite-rules " | <urn:uuid:e9b38892-e78d-4c31-9d33-5532942059e4> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.businessmanagementdaily.com/5693/rethink-who-earns-overtime-feds-rewrite-rules | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00010-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.942546 | 774 | 1.609375 | 2 |
We are enjoying our Christmas vacation and I just wanted to take a break in the action to say hi! My husband and kids are on vacation until the day after New Year’s Day. Yesterday we visited the Minnesota History Center with some friends of ours. We have so much fun when we visit this museum and are always impressed with the work that went into making Minnesota history fun to learn about! This isn’t just a small county museum where you walk around and read facts. It is a hands-on, interactive museum with lots of technology, videos and sounds to bring history to life.
Paul Bunyan and his ox Babe were outside the Minnesota History Center. If you don’t know that story of Paul Bunyan, you can read an online story book about the tall tale here. A gigantic Curt Teich & Co Minnesota postcard welcomes visitors to the museum.
First we visited the new exhibit to the museum called Then Now Wow. This display gives museum guests the opportunity to try starting a Model T.
We walked through what was meant to look like an Iron Range mine. The kids tried drilling and blasting the ore.
Next, we visited the Minnesota’s Greatest Generation exhibit. We saw a 1955 Ford sedan that was produced at the St. Paul Ford plant. There was a 1930′s soda fountain, vintage toys and clothes.
At this display, you can press a button to make the clothes at the dry cleaners rotate. Each section of clothing has a story about the family that wore the clothes.
Anyone remember these vending machines? I even remember cigarettes being sold out of these machines! I guess that dates me doesn’t it?
We watched a recreation of a World War II combat flight in a C-47 plane. It is a very powerful display of sound, video and movement that makes you feel as though you are in the plane.
This is a small clip of the video we watched in the plane. The small squares of lights that show up are the view from the plane windows.
Next came the Weather Permitting exhibit. It is all about the weather in Minnesota!
One of the most exciting parts of the museum is the tornado room! This is the cool looking tornado outside the entrance to the tornado room. We got to sit in what looks like the basement of a home to experience what it is like to go through a tornado. Here is how the museum describes it:
“Experience a tornado from a recreated 1960s home in “Get to the Basement!” a powerful multimedia show focusing on the human experiences and emotions evoked by a series of tornadoes that struck Fridley in May 1965.”
We drove past the Minneapolis skyline on the way home from the museum. There was light snow falling and although it was pretty it did make for some heavy traffic but since we were riding with good company no one complained too much.
What have you been doing on Christmas vacation? | <urn:uuid:b9f82f4f-efbb-4014-b092-5ce6230938b8> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.thegunnysack.com/2012/12/christmas-vacation-fun-minnesota.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00012-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.960878 | 605 | 1.8125 | 2 |
Pirapaharan felicitates late Commander Balraj
[TamilNet, Thursday, 22 May 2008, 13:51 GMT]
Velupillai Pirapaharan, the leader of the Liberation Tigers of Tamileelam (LTTE) in his condolence message following the demise of Brigadier Balraj, elaborated the characteristics that he admired in Brigadier Balraj as an exceptional military leader. Balraj was at the center of many of LTTE's Himalayan victories, he said and remembered him as the "heroic military leader, who trained, guided and fought with our fighting formations and conventional brigades."
Full text of LTTE leader's message follows:
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam
21 May 2008
My beloved Tamil people,
Our movement, in its long journey towards freedom, has made many admirable sacrifices; its history is filled with so many celebrated brave deeds; it has reached numerous achievements; and it has won great military victories. The man, who was at the center of many of our Himalayan victories, the heroic military leader, who trained, guided and fought with our fighting formations and conventional brigades, is with us no more. Our nation is in profound grief at his loss.
I loved him deeply as an exceptional military leader. I recognized in him, from the very beginning, the rare martial nature and martial characteristics that were natural to him. I saw him develop as an idealistic fighter with great skill and leadership.
His ability to move the fighting units, his focused actions, and his martial characteristics struck fear in the hearts of the enemy. These same characteristics strengthened the conviction and morale of our fighters. They brought us victories.
Brigadier Balraj has not left us. As the energy that seeks our nationís freedom, as the fiery force that moves us on, he will always be within us.
Leader of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam | <urn:uuid:b07d46df-9b1b-49ee-86db-c9da388ed300> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.tamilnet.com/art.html?catid=13&artid=25724 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00002-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.965361 | 397 | 1.554688 | 2 |
A Multigenerational Trip to Mexico
One house. Ten travelers. Three generations. How this extended family (ages 2 to 82) spent a week together in a Mexican villa and lived to tell the tale.
Andy noticed the tension and suggested he and I go for a walk to Casa cenote, a freshwater-filled sinkhole about five minutes away. I've always been the easily rattled sibling; he's Mr. Chill. Just being around him made me feel better about Mom and Jordan's being upset. It didn't hurt that, at the cenote, the water was crystal clear and we spotted dozens of birds in the dense trees: yellow-breasted great kiskadees, ospreys, and graceful great white egrets.
That night, Mom and I sat down to rework the itinerary. We axed Coba, a Mayan ruin about 30 miles northwest of Tulum; it would have been tough for Jordan, who uses a cane, and for the two youngest kids. We also agreed to skip Xcaret and Xel-Ha, two popular eco-parks—too expensive and touristy—and replaced them with low-key half-day trips that Mom (and anyone else) was free to opt out of. We also resolved that, because driving at night was no fun, we'd eat big lunches out and smaller dinners at home, the way Mexicans do. And then we hugged.
Per the revised plan, we spent the next day at Akumal, a nearby town with sarong shops, cute cafés, and a waveless beach where the kids dug an enormous water-filled hole in the sand and called it "Cenote Josie y Max." While snorkeling, Jonathan and I caught sight of a giant green sea turtle, and I felt that shiver of romance you get when you're wearing flippers, holding hands with your beloved, and seeing something completely thrilling. When it was time for lunch, we set out for town in shifts so we could keep our prime position on the Akumal beach, under a tree.
Our one huge jaunt was the following day: an excursion with a Mayan ecotourism co-op, Community Tours Sian Ka'an, to the nearby 1.3-million-acre Sian Ka'an biosphere, the second-largest UNESCO protected marine area in Mexico. The guides, Antonio and Ladualina, took us to Muyil, a cluster of Mayan ruins in the jungle. Muyil was a major stop on the ancient Maya's maritime trade route, dating from 300 B.C., which makes it older than more famous sites such as Chichén Itzá and Tulum. And unlike those other sites, Muyil provides the opportunity to get right up next to the biggest structures. (Although a small sign warns against climbing the ruins, it's common for guides to look the other way.) Josie needed little prompting and scampered to the top of the roughly 50-foot El Castillo pyramid like a tree monkey. Maxine, always the more cautious sister, stayed earthbound, holding Grandma's hand.
As the tour continued, Antonio told us some of his grandfather's stories about the Maya and taught the girls how to bellow "Ko'one'ex!" (Pronounced coh-nesh, it's Mayan for "Let's go!") An hour's hike through the jungle brought us to a pale-blue lagoon, where we boarded a motorboat and headed for a narrow canal, a 1,000-year-old passage hacked out of the saw grass and mangroves. There, we strapped on life jackets upside down (with our legs through the armholes), a trick Antonio showed us for adding buoyancy, and bobbed down the stream. We looked silly but had a great time—even wary Maxine.
It was a very long day—eight hours—but the kids were enraptured. Not everyone fared so well: After negotiating the uneven, root-strewn jungle ground, Jordan's feet were bleeding. In the end, we were relieved we'd left Shirley at home with Neal and Andy, despite assurances from Community Tours that she would have enjoyed the trek. The three of them spent the day playing on the beach instead.
We splintered further the next morning. Jordan relaxed with crossword puzzles by the pool, while Shirley and Carol made sand castles on the beach, Andy and Neal napped, and Betsy, Jonathan, Josie, Maxine, and I went to explore the ruins at Tulum. All of us but Jordan, who was still recuperating, met up later at Tulum's El Paraíso beach, a masterpiece of sugar-soft sand and postcard views. That evening, we gathered outside our villa under a pitch-black sky sparkling with stars. While the rest of us searched overhead for familiar reference points, Jonathan fired up his iPhone's Starmap application and began pointing out constellations.
In spite of all our successful outings, by the end of the trip I was having trouble sleeping, worrying about my failings as the sole vacation planner. I knew Mom was annoyed at Jonathan for his inability to relinquish control in the kitchen, and Betsy was frustrated that I hadn't built enough shopping time into the schedule. I kicked myself for not encouraging her to hit the boutiques when we were in Akumal. In the morning, exhausted, I confided in Mom, who told me to chill out. "You're not responsible for everyone's feelings," she said simply. "And you can't fulfill everyone's needs all the time." I wished she'd reminded me of that earlier.
ALL IN THE FAMILY
Budget Travel Real Deals
- From $909
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- From $728 | <urn:uuid:e9c47afe-ba50-4717-8783-fcd4ef42ec35> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.budgettravel.com/feature/a-multigenerational-trip-to-mexico,4115/?page=2 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00007-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.966052 | 1,249 | 1.515625 | 2 |
In July of 2001, Plate Community and Strong Television made a very serious work for balance signing up for aids jointly which would have given both of these Satellite television Telly companies a tremendous monopoly in the satellite Telly industry, however, the united states Office of The legal took a striking encounter stance and obstructed the merging.
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Meal Multi-level and One on one Television for computer have become planning head to head collectively within a extreme marketing plan and as a result an individual gains to grow incredibly properly by enjoying the remarkable discounts that happen to be on offer by either of the two Satellite television Tv set giants. | <urn:uuid:8d41be97-d8a1-4ffe-a222-5ce78180717f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://satellitedirectfaq.net/meal-community-and-lead-telly-make-application-to-become-listed-on-makes/14/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00015-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.972415 | 418 | 1.546875 | 2 |
Composting is a great way to reduce waste, but collecting fruit and veggie remains in your kitchen can be tough (and smell bad, too)! This sleek, stainless steel compost pail can be stored right in your kitchen, so you can toss waste in it any time. Two replaceable charcoal filters keep odors out. When full, just grab the pail by the handle and carry it out to a nearby composting area.
More Product Details
Dimensions 11"H x 7.2"W x 7.2"D inches weight: 3.14 pounds volume: 1 gallon
Materials 18/8 grade stainless steel
Sustainability Composting is a simple way to reduce waste that winds up in landfills. Composting organic waste breaks down into natural components that are great for gardening and for the environment.
About RSVP International Seattle-based RSVP International specializes in kitchen, cooking and green products, and currently offers more than 580 different products. It also manufactures a comprehensive line of stainless steel cookware and gadgets for food preparation.
We have have this compost pail for over 2 years now and love it. The filters work so well that people visiting have no idea that it is sitting in the kitchen next to the sink. Since it is made of stainless steel it blends into our decor and has held up very well. The only issue that we have run into is the knob that holds the handle coming unscrewed which is easily fixed and due to the fact that is is used so much.
Excellent quality. Good size. Easy to clean. Looks good in the kitchen. The charcoal filters really do work to eliminate odours (although I have not been able to find replacement filters on your website). Beats lidded plastic buckets every time.
I am new to composting and I have not attempted it in my backyard for fear of attracting rodents. I love this little pail because it makes composting SO EASY! I had no idea how much I unnecessarily threw away until I got this pail. Now I keep it on the counter when I'm prepping food and just toss the scraps in as I go along. (Unless it is too stinky to have the lid off. Then, I just collect the scraps and place them in the pail later.) When the lid is on, I can't smell a thing - even if there is mold growing in there. Every Saturday, I take my pail to the compost drop-off center at my local farmer's market. If the pail gets full before the week ends, I just transfer my compost into a plastic bag and freeze it. Easy-peasy. I would recommend putting some shredded paper in the bottom of the pail before anything else. It will sop up the oozing bits and make it easier to empty. I will say that it's not a huge pail, but it works for the 2 people in my household.
I didn't really compost before, but just having a pail by the sink reminds me too and I do it daily now! I'm also suprised about how not smelly it is. We dump, coffee grinds, the used paper filters, eggs, veggie and fruit waste. No animal products though.
It's attractive, convenient and a conversation starter making it's presence in the kitchen and easy way to spread the word.
This compost bin is really easy to use (my five year old loves to empty it into our outdoor bin). The top is easy to lift up, but the bin contains smells, flies, etc. completely. It seems to be a good quality and I believe that we will be using it A LOT.
After having a plastic one for several years, this compost bin is a pleasure to the eye. Very cute, sturdy and well made. It fills a bit too fast for us so I wish they had a bigger one but regardless, we love this one. I have noticed zero smell coming from it and it cleans easily. I highly recommend this for your compost needs. | <urn:uuid:af1f7900-6f9c-4911-9ad7-212d3822beb9> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.reuseit.com/acme-bags-reuseit/acme-bags-reuseit-Stainless-Steel-Compost-Pail-with-2-Charcoal-Filters-1-Gallon.htm?ponoID=kd9je05b95th1licstb3dnl8p4 | 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 | 0.960626 | 827 | 1.6875 | 2 |
Negotiating a starting salary can be a slippery slope. Make a mistake and you can leave more than money on the table. No employer wants to be bullied into paying extra, but on the same token, potential employees don’t want to undercut themselves when it comes to accepting a salary offer.
While it’s easy to offend somebody during the negotiation process, there are ways to do it effectively and successfully, without upsetting either side.
Consider these tips:
1. Is There Room for Negotiation?
According to career experts, the first step is to see if there is really any reason to negotiate at all.
“Before you walk in the door you have to find out what is the going rate for your position and experience,” says Patricia Sweeney, human resource manager at Old Colony Hospice and Palliative Care. “If you are going into a small non-profit hoping to make $80,000 a year, chances are that’s not going to happen. You need to know the industry you are going into.”
Joel Garfinkle, author of Get Paid What You’re Worth, says you shouldn’t go in expecting to get double what you are offered. “Demanding more money and waiving another offer in their face typically doesn’t work,” he says.
Not only research the going rate for your position and experience, but also do your homework on the company you are interviewing for. Are they profitable, are they growing, do they have high turnover or have a reputation for under paying employees, are all things you want to know ahead of time.
2. Figure Out What You Want Ahead Of Time.
Setting a range for what you are willing to take and what will make you walk away is also important to negotiating successfully. According to Jack Chapman, a career coach and author of Negotiating Your Salary, How to Make $1000 a Minute, you should have an ideal number, a satisfactory number and a no-go number set in your mind. The ideal number should be how much you would want to make in the perfect situation. It should pass the laugh test but it shouldn’t be too low either. “Ask yourself what would be ideal more than straight cash,” says Chapman. “Maybe it’s some equity in the company, a bonus or no travel when the there’s usually 25% travel.”
The satisfactory number is the one that’s based more on research and what you can bring to the company. Pursue help wanted ads and Internet sites to find out what people in your field are getting paid. Garfinkle says many companies list a salary range in job postings to make candidates aware of what to expect.
The no-go number is the number that you will turn down and the amount that you are willing to walk away over. If you have your numbers in your head before the interview, not only will you negotiate from a position of strength, but you also won’t be tempted to take a lowball offer, says Chapman.
3. Keep Your Arrogance in Check.
Once you are in talks with the company, a way to see how their leaning toward negotiations is to ask them why they are hiring you, says Jim Camp founder of the Camp Negotiation Institute. “You want to see what they see in you,” he says. If the employer says you’re not the most qualified, but we think you will learn on the job, then it’s probably not smart to try to negotiate the highest salary for that position. But if they say you are the most qualified for the job, then you know you’re worth more to the company than the other candidates.
Camp says to not only focus on the salary when it comes to negotiating. Take into account the value of stock options, the retirement program, medical benefits and vacation time. “When we negotiate we want to negotiate all the possible ingredients of the package. We don’t want to miss one,” he says.
Even if you are a world renowned heart surgeon or a crack software programmer, you have to maintain a humble attitude during the negotiations. If you are too cocky, no matter how great you think you are, it could backfire. Same goes for only caring about money. That sends the message that you are only as loyal as the highest bidder. “You may be the best candidate for the job, but rarely will you be the only candidate for a job in today’s market,” says Garfinkle. “Arrogance can often lead to the employer selecting the next best candidate.”
This story was originally published by Glassdoor. | <urn:uuid:df226092-70d2-46f0-90ea-9abd1e59dc8e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-negotiate-salary-without-offending-2012-9 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00008-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.960139 | 984 | 1.648438 | 2 |
PDT Staff Writer
Ceremonies, a parade, speeches and acres of flags across a cemetery, marking the graves of those who paid the supreme sacrifice, honored our fallen heroes this Memorial Day.
The day began at 9 a.m. Monday with a short but poignant KIA-MIA ceremony in front of the veterans wall in Tracy Park in Portsmouth.
“You never want to forget the reason they died, and why they died,” said Wendell Skinner, a Vietnam veteran and emcee of the event. “These people gave their lives, and we’ve all gotten to enjoy the freedoms that come with the American way.”
The posting of the colors, the 21-gun salute and the placing of the flowers drew a good-sized crowd, made up mainly of local dignitaries, and citizens waving flags.
At 10 a.m., the parade stepped-off to at-first a sparse crowd, but a crowd that increased in size as the procession made its way up Offnere Street to Greenlawn Cemetery.
“We had an exceptionally good turn-out for the parade,” said Jim Saddler, a veteran and former Portsmouth fire chief. “We had a lot of queen candidates from throughout the county today. We had a lot of ex-military people, AMVETS, DAV, American Legions, of course, they were all here. You don’t know how much we appreciate the PHS band, too.”
At Greenlawn Cemetery the highlight of the day was the floral tribute, led by June Meade and the Ladies of the Circle. In the midst of the circle was a newly-painted Civil War soldier statue that caught everyone’s attention.
Parade grand marshal William “Bill” Combs, a former Portsmouth police officer and veteran of World War II, was seated in front of the podium at the cemetery where people shook his hand and thanked him for his service to America.
“He served in the Aleutian Islands,” Saddler said. “The Aleutian Islands were the stepping stones for the Japanese to come into the North American continent. And Bill and a bunch of his soldiers and sailors and airmen were up there to stop them. And they did stop them.”
Portsmouth Mayor David Malone welcomed those who turned out to brave the heat to be a part of the ceremony.
“We thank God for all the blessings he has given to us, in giving us this day and allowing us to be here to celebrate and honor the fallen soldiers and even those in all the auxiliaries, and all the organizations, and the officers of the James Dickey Post, for putting this fine service together,” Malone said.
State Rep. Dr. Terry Johnson R-McDermott, was the featured speaker for the event. He spoke about those who gave their lives in the Civil War.
“Those Americans saw the conflict first-hand,” Johnson told the crowd. “It was fought on American soil, and it took loved ones directly from their arms. Their anguish was wide. It was deep. And it was profound. But rather than turn their backs on the dead, instead of consigning the memories of those broken soldiers to the dark recesses of individual minds, where remembrances of epic deeds might have faded and been lost in the generations that followed, those Americans chose to collectively remember. They chose to mark the day in public with respectful recollections of servicemen who gave everything, who sacrificed their lives, who passed dramatically from this world into the arms of God, our almighty creator, entrusting to him their eternal souls, and in so doing, ensured that our nation would live on.”
Frank Lewis may be reached at 740-353-3101, ext. 232, or at firstname.lastname@example.org. | <urn:uuid:fc0a0638-c41f-4014-a7fd-0c45070df608> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.portsmouth-dailytimes.com/pages/home/push?class=&rel=prev&x_page=290&per_page=3 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00002-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.974267 | 817 | 1.515625 | 2 |
As recently reported by Sandvine, Netflix traffic accounts for an astounding 29.7% of all peak Internet traffic. In the weeks that followed that report, Netflix has angered customers by first significantly raising prices, then enforcing a controversial policy limiting the streaming of media to only one device at a time – preventing one family member from watching a movie on one device while another watches a movie on another.
The pricing increase was a result of Netflix creating two different plans – an unlimited video streaming plan offered at $7.99 a month, and a DVD rental plan staring at $7.99 a month for one DVD at a time, with a two-DVD plan offered at $11.99 a month. This means customers who want the option of video streaming and DVD’s in the mail have to pay at least $16 per month – when they were used to paying $10 per month. In the past, customers could choose to add DVD rentals to their package for an additional $2 per month.
In addition to this – customers will now have substantially less choice when it comes to the streaming option. The Netflix negotiations with Starz failed, removing all Starz programming from the Netflix library – which amounted to the removal of a lot of premium movie content – including movies from Sony and Disney. The Netflix streaming library is comprised of about 20,000 movies and television shows, while the company offers over 120,000 DVD and Blu-ray titles for rental.
The policy of limiting the ability to stream movies to a certain number of devices is directly linked to the DVD by mail plan customers select. For example, the two DVD a month plan allows customers to stream two movies at a time. However, with the streaming plan and DVD mail plans now independent, streaming plan customers can only stream one movie at a time – meaning family members cannot watch two different movies on separate devices, or separate rooms in the house. If streaming only customers want to be able to watch more than one movie at a time, they will need to buy a two or three DVD per month plan – in addition to the streaming plan.
Netflix Competition Comes From Many Fronts
Netflix now faces competition from many different fronts. According to Netflix – its toughest competition may come from “multichannel video-programming distributors” (MVPD), such as Comcast, Time Warner Cable, satellite providers like DirectTV and Dish Network; and even wireline video providers, like Verizon Fios.
Competition from companies in the video streaming field includes Hulu Plus, Amazon Prime, and even network television studio sites such as CBS and NBC. Although traditional style video rental stores are almost obsolete, the Redbox model of low-cost video rentals from kiosks airports, grocery stores, and convenience stores -- and in some markets, Blockbuster Video also are competitors.
In addition to all of that competition – Netflix also competes with many of their own business partners. This was evident with Starz, who control pay-cable rights to movies from Walt Disney Studios and Sony Picture. The original Starz/Netflix deal was made in 2008. At the time, Starz saw the Netflix deal as an additional revenue stream – an estimated $30 million per year for the studio. At that time, online video streaming was a rather small market which would not compete with its traditional television business. However, as evidenced by the latest Sandvine report – this was not the case, and Starz now sees Netflix as a competitor to their subscription TV service.
Netflix Revenues and Customers Have Experienced Substantial Growth
In the first quarter of 2011, things couldn’t have been better for Netflix. Profits were up 88%, and the company added 36 million subscribers globally, with 22.8 million US subscribers. Netflix reported $320 million profit on $2.1 billion in revenue in 2010, and had a market capitalization of $13.3 billion.
With an extremely high growth rate, but limited profit potential because of relatively low fees, some might say Netflix had little choice. However, others -- including many current customers think the recent moves by Netflix will hurt the company in the long run by forcing customers to flee to competitors.
The fact that Netflix faces so much competition Starz, which controls pay-cable rights to movies from Walt Disney Studios and Sony Pictures, signed its current agreement with Netflix in 2008. At that time, online video was watched by only a small number of tech-savvy young people and the estimated $30 million per year the cable network received was seen as new revenue that would have little impact on its traditional television business.
Directly from Netflix: “Our biggest competitor over time may be another service with a similar model to Netflix, such as Hulu Plus, or it may be free on-demand internet video as a part of a consumer’s MVPD package, namely TV Everywhere,” Netflix said in a statement. Recent Netflix Moves May be Sign of Things to Come for Broadband Industry
So what does all this mean in terms of the future of video streaming – and the wider implications for the broadband marketplace? The moves by Netflix reinforce a trend that has been evident with the broadband market as well. As broadband continues to move toward being a commodity – with access increasing rapidly – broadband providers, as well as content providers, will continue looking for new business models to maintain profit margins. Caps, data limitations, usage fees, download restrictions – whatever you want to call it, will be the next trend we will see emerging in the industry. With competition increasing from so many different directions, new pricing models will be the only avenue some companies will see in order to stay competitive, and sustain profitability. | <urn:uuid:dcd11941-e878-406d-8a8c-36034badc2ca> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://broadband.about.com/od/netflix/a/Netflix-Controversy-A-Sign-Of-The-Future-Is-Netflix-Getting-Too-Greedy.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00015-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.960937 | 1,155 | 1.507813 | 2 |
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WASHINGTON (WBBM) – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Senator Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) says now that he has a food safety law, he needs congressional cash to fund it.
As WBBM Newsradio 780’s John Cody reports, Durbin said eight people die daily from food-borne illnesses. He is looking for that to end, with passage of a bill that increases Food and Drug Administration inspection of food producers, and FDA power over contaminated products.
LISTEN: Newsradio 780′s John Cody Reports
“They will have the authority for the first time in America so that we can take dangerous products off the shelf; mandatory recalls,” Durbin said.
Durbin started the fight for food safety modernization after learning of the death of Alex Donley, 6, from a hamburger tainted with E. coli 0157:H7 bacteria.
Alex died in 1993, four days after eating the tainted hamburger. His mother, Nancy Donley, told the New York Times that portions of the boy’s brain were liquefied from the pathogen, and the only organs that were in any condition to donate were his corneas.
As few as 10 microbes of E. coli 0157:H7 can kill a small child, while a billion can fit on the head of a pin, the New York Times reported in 1995. By comparison, a million microbes of salmonella are required even to make someone sick.
Durbin says the bill will cost $1.4 billion over ten years and the next battle is to secure congressional funding. | <urn:uuid:dc6657fa-09f8-4aab-91f1-ee639109df05> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2011/01/04/durbin-funding-needed-for-food-safety-law/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00004-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.951468 | 350 | 1.71875 | 2 |
When earth and the moon were very young, they were much closer together. The moon was so close, it took up a huge part of earth’s sky. When it hung overhead in the daytime, it cast such a shadow on the surface of earth that in many places it would have been almost like night.
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Bloom's restaurant in Golders Green has gone into liquidation.
It has been closed since Sunday and a notice on the door asks creditors to contact insolvency firm David Rubin and Partners. A creditors' meeting is being held on June 25.
The iconic Bloom's restaurant in Whitechapel opened in 1920 and closed in 1996. The Golders Green branch opened in 1965 and was renovated in 2007.
An Edgware outlet launched in 2007 lasted only a year.
A Bloom's waiter, who asked not to be named, said he had not been paid for six weeks - and some colleagues had gone unpaid for longer.
"I turned up on Sunday and talked to the manager who said it had closed down. Some staff had refused to work because they weren't being paid so they had to shut. I just had to go home after that."
Rabbi Jeremy Conway of the London Beth Din kashrut division said: "Bloom's has flown the flag for kosher restaurants for the best part of a century. We are saddened to learn of its demise.
"However, we must see this sad news in the context of the constant growth of the kosher restaurant scene in London.
"There are now some 15 kosher establishments lining the block for so long dominated by the Bloom's emblem. The ever-increasing number and variety of kosher restaurants is exciting and testimony to the vitality of Jewish life in London."
Jonathan Tapper, the last link with the Bloom family, said the closure was "very sad and the end of an era. But it's nothing to do with the family since the business was sold. It's a shame that the name could not continue." | <urn:uuid:39f9ca39-5a97-48d9-8fa2-b1b848f44c68> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.thejc.com/print/32858 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700958435/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104238-00016-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.986377 | 343 | 1.617188 | 2 |
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