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MILWAUKEE, EAU CLAIRE, Wisc. (WEAU, AP) -- A new report blames Wisconsin's aging population and lack of business start-ups for job growth that has lagged behind other states since the mid-1990s.
The Wisconsin Taxpayers Alliance report shows Wisconsin consistently beat national job growth rates in the late 1980s and early 1990s. But since 1996, the state has outperformed the nation in creating jobs just 27 percent of the time.
Between 2002 and 2011, Wisconsin's growth in workers between 18 and 64 trailed 33 other states. The report says the state's aging population and lack of business start-ups are leaving Wisconsin without enough working-age adults and enough new companies to sustain growth seen in other states.
After years of schooling and working in other states, Matthew Larson and Katie Miettunen Larson opened up their own orthodontics office, Larson Orthodontics Specialists on Clairemont Avenue in Eau Claire, last Mar.
"We kind of worked for other locations and then kind of really decided to start our own place and got pretty excited by it and took a little bit of planning and work to get together, but this worked out really well," Matthew Larson said.
But the Wisconsin Taxpayers Alliance said there aren't enough people like the Larsons coming into the state.
"We're growing at about one-third slower than the rest of the country for the last decade, and of course, we're aging," Alliance president Todd Berry said. "In terms of new firm creation we are in the bottom five to 10 states in the country."
With the nation largely out-performing Wisconsin in job growth, the Eau Claire chamber president and C.E.O. said the city is still doing well.
"When you've got 88 percent of your businesses that are going to stay the same or grow, I think that's a good sign, maybe a little against the trend of the state," Bob McCoy said. "We haven't seen necessarily a large amount of new companies. We've seen internal growth from companies."
The Larsons said making the move back to Katie's home town of Eau Claire has been a success and encourage others to do the same.
"We've been really happy with how everything is going," Matthew said.
"We are planning to expand and hire some new assistants, so we're actually in the process of doing that now," Katie said.
Designed by Gray Digital Media
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CC-MAIN-2013-20
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http://www.weau.com/news/headlines/State-job-growth-lags-behind-other-states-189797321.html?site=mobile
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YOUNG men in Jamaica's inner-city communities are being pressured by their peers to begin smoking ganja in their early teens, says Richard Henry, project co-ordinator and counsellor at RISE Life Management Services.
The non-governmental organisation has been working with a number of these youngsters to have them focus on career goals and steer them away from bad influences to prevent them from abusing drugs, Henry told reporters and editors at this week's Jamaica Observer Monday Exchange.
"For young men, smoking marijuana is not just about being deviant. It is, unfortunately, about rites of passage into manhood in some communities", said Henry, who counsels young people in communities such as Parade Gardens, Allman Town and Fletcher's Land in Kingston.
Henry said one 15-year-old boy said he started using ganja after he was told by his peers 'if you are not going to smoke weed, then you are informer. If you are an informer you can't stay here with us.'
The counselor said boys who had no fathers or had no career goals were particularly susceptible to marijuana use.
He said that he discusses career alternatives with the young men and how those plans can be derailed by drug use. "I tell them if you no goals, marijuana is a good road for you. To become a doctor there is no marijuana on that road. You will not make it. You need to finish school; you're going to have to do well on exams, and you're not going to do all of that if you are smoking or drinking, or gambling for that matter", said Henry.
Executive director of RISE Sonita Morin Abrahams noted that there was a huge difference between the male and female population in their attitude towards drug use.
"It is not okay for girls to be smoking ganja and using alcohol in the general public, either by their peers or parents. (However) there is tremendous peer pressure on a young male to smoke weed", she said.
Seventeen-year-old mentor at RISE Alex Newman, meanwhile, encouraged his peers to involve themselves in positive activities to avoid drug use.
"I tell them it's not worth it. They should focus on their school work and get involved in a sport, a youth club or some other activity," he suggested.
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It is fascinating that the social media has become a trendsetter in a short span of time. For many people social media websites has become a source of entertainment but for internet marketers its the medium to generate more prospective clients for the business. The latest addition and one of the most successful social media website is twitter. With the introduction of services like twitter the social media industry is becoming popular day by day. In one of my previous post i had discussed the social media itself has turned out to be an industry and more are more people are getting attracted to social media website each and every day. Myspace was one of the first social networking platform which got popular worldwide especially in united states, where the internet users density is more. Later services like orkut, facebook, hi5 etc came and conqured their market share. Now a days the most talked about social networking platform is twitter. The growth of twitter as a micro blogging platform has been astonishing and its popularity increased when The Presiden Obama has started using it to share his perspective.
What Is Twitter?
If you are a everyday internet surfer then you definitely have heard about twitter and might have used ***. If you are hearing about twitter for the first time then i am privileged to introduce you this fantastic service. Twitter is social media tool that allows people to know what their fellow twitters (people using twitter) are doing at this very moment. In otherwise it is called as micro blogging platform. Twitter helps you to share what you are doing at a particular moment like having a coffee, going to bed, doing shopping etc. Put that on Twitter! There are no restrictions to what you can share on Twitter.
This is just a simple way of sharing thing right? It is this simple way of using twitter has made it popular and become a trendsetter in the internet world. You can share what you are doing with twitter, what if you want to know what other people are sharing then follow those readers about whom you want to know more. This combination of sharing and reading other peoples updates in a simple way helped twitter to generate a big fans database.
Applying Twitter In Business
For a lay man twitter is a tool to share their daily life for their followers but for internet marketers and business men it is much more. This social marketing tools can get more business prospects if you are able to create giant list of followers for your twitter profile. With the help of a twitter account you can inform your clients and prospective clients about your business, what is happening in your company, about your industry sector etc. But dont try to add enough advertisement tweets it will give a feeling that you are solely for advertising purpose and tend to loose followers. Unlike other social media tools twitter allows you to generate a list of followers to your twitter profile and it helps your followers what it happening with you right now absolutely free of charge.
How to use twitter?
As this online tool has become hugely popular people are using it for different puposes. Different people have got different values to use this free service. As an internet marketer or a business man you can use twitter to jump start a list of followers that can grow into thousands. After registering you profile in twitter either you can search for people who are interested in your business and start following them or invite people with your free email address in gmail, yahoo or hotmail. Following other people who are having the same interest as your will help you get more followers to your profile. Just following other people on twitter will not give you a giant list of followers, you have to update your profile with recent news and trends in your business. Keep in mind that you can follow only up to 2000 profiles in twitter and this limit will be lifted only and when you profile gets more than 2000 followers
These followers are the next best thing to customers. If they haven’t bought anything from you yet, then you can rest assured that they will be buying something soon. As long as you keep providing them something nice to look forward to, they will always be enticed to purchase something from your company. According to a major internet research company, twitter is being visited by about 6.1 million U.S. people every month. This social media tool is increasing its boundaries and has secured a decent number of users in Japan also.
Twitter is an efficient tool to social media advertising in the long run. If you are ready to put your effort on your twitter profile you will definitely get results.
Visit my twitter profile here @arunsubru
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<urn:uuid:d0a0f066-e873-49ee-99a1-0a455588d788>
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CC-MAIN-2013-20
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http://www.simplewayoflife.net/tag/how-to-follow-people-on-twitter/
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|
en
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Villagers bow to the body of Wu Renbao, the former secretary of Huaxi Village Communist Party Committee, at his home in Huaxi Village, east China's Jiangsu Province on March 19, 2013, after the 85-year-old cadre died from lung cancer on March 18. Foungded in 1961, Huaxi Village claims itself to be the richest village in China and calls itself a model socialist village. CHINA OUT AFP PHOTOSTR/AFP/Getty Images
Content engaging our readers now, with additional prominence accorded if the story is rapidly gaining attention. Our WSJ algorithm comprises 30% page views, 20% Facebook, 20% Twitter, 20% email shares and 10% comments.
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Guess what? Scammers are very excited about Christmas, and they have already begun their celebrations. A new scam that is spreading like wildfire on Facebook claims to offer users on Facebook a free £500 Argos gift card to British shoppers for Christmas. Well, I don’t really have to mention this, but it’s a fake message and there’s no gift cards given away for free.
The scam is quite similar to the ones which we have already come across earlier. It is titled – “Free £500 Argos gift cards for Christmas” has a message that states – “As it’s coming up to Christmas we have decided to give away 250 £500 Argos gift cards” which claims to give free gift cards to Facebook users just by sharing the page. The site indicates that there are only 86 gift cards remaining, and in order to avail one, you need to share the page with your friends and add a comment.
The scam is also spreading with the following title – ”Shop For FREE at Argos – FREE Argos Gift Card” and with a message – “To celebrate our birthday, we are giving away thousands of Gift Vouchers FREE – [link]”
However, there is no gift card given even after sharing the page and adding a comment. This is simply a waste of time. We also notice that there are more than 38,000 users who were tricked into sharing the page, and the number is increasing rapidly.
After sharing and adding a comment, users are redirected to another fake website, and are asked to fill out their personal information. You need to beware that whenever a user is tricked to enter an online form, scammers are paid a certain amount as commission. On the other hand, your personal information could be misused by selling it to third-party organizations.
It is recommended that you DO NOT click on such links or scam messages on Facebook. If you come across this scam message, please delete/remove the scam from your Facebook news feed immediately. Alternately, you can report the scam to Facebook Security.
Here is an article about Avoiding Facebook Likejacking and Clickjacking scams. We have also compiled a list of Most Actively Spreading Scams on Facebook on Facebook for you to look through and avoid.
You might also want to use a security application for protecting you from Facebook scams. As a precautionary measure, always check which applications you use and remove unwanted or suspicious ones. If you aren’t sure how to do it, you can always check our guide on removing apps from Facebook.
|
<urn:uuid:b20b5cb9-dfaf-46d9-8ed8-7535ab558af6>
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CC-MAIN-2013-20
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http://techie-buzz.com/scams/free-argos-gift-cards-for-christmas.html
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|
en
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Civilian death by drone attacks is high: but US sidesteps the issue arguing legality
John Brennan, assistant to the US president for homeland security and counterterrorism, speaking on April 30 at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, D.C. acknowledging for the first time the use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAE or Drones) declared that "Strikes against individuals are subject to high levels of scrutiny and ordered when there is a high degree of confidence that civilians will not be injured or killed, "except in the rarest of circumstances."
Dismissing the notion that the US drone attacks in the Afghan-Pakistan-Somalia and other targeted geographical areas cause the deaths of unarmed civilians, Obama administration's top terrorism adviser further reiterated "Targeted strikes conform to the principle of distinction—the idea that only military objectives may be intentionally targeted and that civilians are protected from being intentionally targeted. With the unprecedented ability of remotely piloted aircraft to precisely target a military objective while minimizing collateral damage, one could argue that never before has there been a weapon that allows us to distinguish more effectively between an al-Qaeda terrorist and innocent civilians."
Speaking on a previous occasion in June 2011 about the preceding year, he said "there hasn't been a single collateral death because of the exceptional proficiency, precision of the capabilities we've been able to develop."
Mr. Brennan later adjusted his statement somewhat, saying, "Fortunately, for more than a year, due to our discretion and precision, the U.S. government has not found credible evidence of collateral deaths resulting from U.S. counterterrorism operations outside of Afghanistan or Iraq."
In remarks on April 30, US counter-terrorism adviser John Brennan admitted for the first time that US drones have killed civilians. But he said "It is exceedingly rare, but it has happened," he said.
This is just not true says the UK-based Bureau of Investigative Journalism the group that keeps the best count of casualties from U.S. drone strikes in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Yemen and Somalia. According to its figures, since 2004, U.S. has killed between about 2,500-3,000 people in Pakistan. Of those, between 479 and 811 were civilians, 174 of them children.
Here are the statistics that the mainstream media in the United States has not disclosed, and what Mr. Brennan endeavors to side step documented by the Bureau of Investigative Journalism.
CIA Drone Strikes in Pakistan 2004 – 2012
Total US strikes: 321
Obama strikes: 269
Total reported killed: 2,429 - 3,097
Civilians reported killed: 479 – 811
Children reported killed: 174
Total reported injured: 1,169-1,281
US Covert Action in Yemen 2002 – 2012
Total US strikes : 41 - 128
Total US drone strikes: 31 - 67
Total reported killed: 294 - 651
Civilians reported killed: 55 - 105
Children reported killed: 24
US Covert Action in Somalia 2007 – 2012
Total US strikes: 10 - 21
Total US drone strikes: 3 - 9
Total reported killed: 58 - 169
Civilians reported killed: 11 - 57
Children reported killed: 1 - 3
The Bureau of Investigative Journalism is a not-for-profit organization based at City University, London.
The New America Foundation, which monitors the drone campaign in Pakistan, has estimated that civilians account for between 11 percent and 17 percent of those killed. Overall, U.S. officials have said that more than 2,000 militants and civilians have been killed in Pakistan, Yemen and elsewhere since Obama took office in 2009.
In what added up to the Obama administration's most sustained argument to date about use of armed unmanned aerial vehicles abroad to kill al Qaeda operatives, Brennan said the White House has come to conclude that it "must do a better job of addressing the mistaken belief among some foreign publics that we engage in these strikes casually." He was speaking at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, D.C. April 30.
"The Constitution empowers the President to protect the nation from any imminent threat of attack," Brennan said. The Authorization for Use of Military Force approved by Congress following the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2011, also authorizes "the president 'to use all necessary and appropriate force' against those nations, organizations and individuals responsible for 9/11," Brennan added.
Mr. Brennan argued: "As a matter of international law, the United States is in an armed conflict with al-Qaeda, the Taliban, and associated forces, in response to the 9/11 attacks, and we may also use force consistent with our inherent right of national self-defense. There is nothing in international law that bans the use of remotely piloted aircraft for this purpose or that prohibits us from using lethal force against our enemies outside of an active battlefield, at least when the country involved consents or is unable or unwilling to take action against the threat."
He further insulated the Obama administration reminding to his Washington audience on April 30 said "Targeted strikes conform to the principle of proportionality—the notion that the anticipated collateral damage of an action cannot be excessive in relation to the anticipated military advantage. By targeting an individual terrorist or small numbers of terrorists with ordnance that can be adapted to avoid harming others in the immediate vicinity, it is hard to imagine a tool that can better minimize the risk to civilians than remotely piloted aircraft.
"For the same reason, targeted strikes conform to the principle of humanity which requires us to use weapons that will not inflict unnecessary suffering."
The Bureau of Investigative Journalism in its extensive investigative work reveals the human suffering and deaths in releasing statistics.
The US counterterrorism adviser reassured: "As the President and others have acknowledged, there have indeed been instances when—despite the extraordinary precautions we take—civilians have been accidently injured, or worse, killed in these strikes. It is exceedingly rare, but it has happened."
Nevertheless, the account of civilian death registered by credible international organizations gives a different story as mentioned before.
Speaking in late January this year during a live web-chat hosted by Google, President Obama took on a series of issues submitted by the American people when he answered about drone attacks and civilian deaths said "Those drone attacks, carried out by unmanned aircraft controlled thousands of miles away, don’t do a lot of harm."
According to Mr. Obama, drones had "not caused a huge number of civilian casualties” and he added that it’s "important for everybody to understand that this thing is kept on a very tight leash.”
In a special address on The Obama Administration and International Law to an audience in Washington on March 25, 2010, The US State Department's Legal Adviser Harold Hoh said this:
"Some have challenged the very use of advanced weapons systems, such as unmanned aerial vehicles, for lethal operations. But the rules that govern targeting do not turn on the type of weapon system used, and there is no prohibition under the laws of war on the use of technologically advanced weapons systems in armed conflict-- such as pilotless aircraft or so-called smart bombs-- so long as they are employed in conformity with applicable laws of war. Indeed, using such advanced technologies can ensure both that the best intelligence is available for planning operations and that civilian casualties are minimized in carrying out such operations."
He argued, while concealing the civilian casualties as does the mainstream media in America said, "some have argued that the use of lethal force against specific individuals fails to provide adequate process and thus constitutes unlawful extrajudicial killing. But a state that is engaged in an armed conflict or in legitimate self-defense is not required to provide targets with legal process before the state may use lethal force. Our procedures and practices for identifying lawful targets are extremely robust, and advanced technologies have helped to make our targeting even more precise. In my experience, the principles of distinction and proportionality that the United States applies are not just recited at meetings. They are implemented rigorously throughout the planning and execution of lethal operations to ensure that such operations are conducted in accordance with all applicable law."
Surprisingly, after almost a decade of drone attacks outside the battlefield, the question of their legality has never been tested in a US or international court, even when US citizens have been targeted.
The Obama administration has however sought to present some legal justification for its actions.
Harold Koh, a legal adviser at the State Department, became the first senior US official to engage with the question in a March 2010 speech. He told an audience of lawyers that ‘US targeting practices, including lethal operations conducted with the use of unmanned aerial vehicles, comply with all applicable law, including the laws of war.’
US drone strikes, Koh claimed, were only aimed at military objectives. And they also followed the principle of proportionality, ‘which prohibits attacks that may be expected to cause incidental loss of civilian life, injury to civilians, damage to civilian objects, or a combination thereof, that would be excessive in relation to the concrete and direct military advantage anticipated.’
The London-based Bureau of Investigative Journalism asks: Do the administration’s claims of legality add up? And what of the specific instances of attacks on rescuers and mourners uncovered by the Bureau?
According to a wide range of international law experts consulted by the Bureau, for the CIA’s drone attacks in Pakistan and Yemen to be legal they would at the very least need to be covered by the Laws of Armed Conflict (LOAC).
Professor Dapo Akande, who heads Oxford University’s Institute for Ethics, Law and Armed Conflict, believes that under LOAC the killing of civilian rescuers is problematic: ‘The question is, can rescuing be regarded as taking part in hostilities, to which for me the answer is clearly “No”. That rescuing is not taking part in hostilities.’
If LOAC does not apply – as some respected lawyers believe is the case – then the far more restrictive international human rights law (IHRL) applies. This explicitly forbids attacks except in the most restricted circumstances, namely when the possibility of being attacked is absolutely imminent.
This is the situation the Sri Lanka military forces faced during the final months (Jan-May 2009) of the battle with separatist Tamil Tiger fighting cadre.
‘Not to mince words here, if it is not in a situation of armed conflict, (in Sri Lanka's case it was a clear armed conflict) unless it falls into this very narrow area of imminent threat then it is an extra-judicial execution. This is absolutely unlawful under IHRL and of course under domestic law in any place in which such an attack might occur. And illegal under US law,’ says Naz Modirzadeh, Associate Director of the Program on Humanitarian Policy and Conflict Research (HPCR) at Harvard University.
‘So then we don’t even need to get to the nuance of who’s who, and are people there for rescue or not. Because each death is illegal. Each death is a murder in that case.’
The concept of ‘imminent threat’ may now be in jeopardy. Obama’s chief counter-terrorism adviser, John Brennan, told a gathering at Harvard Law School that ‘We are finding increasing recognition in the international community that a more flexible understanding of “imminence” may be appropriate when dealing with terrorist groups.’
Brennan in this 2011 address claimed that no civilians have been killed in CIA drone strikes since mid-2010, despite an investigation by the Bureau of Investigative Journalism which has proved the contrary.
- Asian Tribune –
|
<urn:uuid:b05ce33c-68a8-472e-a013-df811e6eff36>
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CC-MAIN-2013-20
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http://asiantribune.com/news/2012/05/09/civilian-death-drone-attacks-high-us-sidesteps-issue-arguing-legality
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|
en
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Microparticles (MPs) are membrane-bound vesicles that are released from cells during cellular activation and apoptosis. Synovial fluids from patients with rheumatoid arthritis contain high numbers of MPs. Here we address the effects of monocyte-derived and T-cell-derived MPs on rheumatoid arthritis synovial fibroblasts (RASF).
Apoptosis of Jurkat T cells, U937 macrophages and primary cells was induced by FasL, actinomycin-D, tumour necrosis factor alpha and staurosporine. Cells were also stimulated with IL-2, concanavalin A, anti-CD3 and lipopolysaccharide. Isolation of MPs was performed by differential centrifugation. The presence of MPs was confirmed by FACS analysis for annexin V and CD3 or CD14. Normal synovial fibroblasts, osteoarthritis synovial fibroblasts and RASF were incubated with MPs for 6–36 hours. Differentially expressed genes were analyzed by real-time PCR and confirmed on the protein level.
The release of MPs was induced in apoptotic as well as stimulated cells. Morphological analysis of MPs by electron microscopy showed a population of circular membrane blebs ranging from 200 to 700 μm. MPs from all cell types induced strongly the synthesis of mRNA for MMP-1 (72 ± 13-fold), MMP-3 (80 ± 10-fold), MMP-9 (18 ± 4-fold) and MMP-13 (37 ± 2-fold) in RASF in a dose-dependent manner. Similar effects were seen on osteoarthritis synovial fibroblasts and normal synovial fibroblasts. The induction of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) was time dependent, with effects primarily seen after 36 hours. The dose-dependent upregulation of biologically active MMPs was also observed on the protein level. The induction was specific for the aforementioned MMPs with no induction seen for MMP-2, MMP-14 or TIMP-1, TIMP-2 and TIMP-3. MPs also increased the synthesis of mRNA for IL-6 (27 ± 6-fold), IL-8 (35 ± 3-fold), MCP-1 (5 ± 1-fold) and MCP-2 (27 ± 3-fold) in synovial fibroblasts. No differences in cell viability were observed between fibroblasts stimulated by MPs and controls. In Iκ-B-transfected RASF, MMPs were 50–75% less inducible by MPs compared with wild-type synovial fibroblasts. The stimulation of NF-κB-dependent pathways by MPs was confirmed by EMSA.
By showing induction of various MMPs and key inflammatory cytokines by MPs, these data provide a novel link between activated and apoptotic inflammatory cells and the invasive potential of synovial fibroblasts in rheumatoid arthritis.
|
<urn:uuid:12573529-b649-4d87-8dc7-616a9a31028f>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
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http://arthritis-research.com/content/7/S1/P140
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00019-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.961695
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| 1.5625
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|
Organized in 1925 with only one station in Bad Axe, the S.T.&H. Oil Co. has developed in 12 years to the largest independent gasoline and oil retail dealer in the thumb with 17 service stations and 13 bulk plants in the counties of Huron, Sanilac and Tuscola.
company was incorporated
Stationed Opened in 1925
first station was opened in October 1925, at
The company operates service stations in Bad
Bulk plants are operated in Bad Axe,
Mr. McGillivray has been associated continuously with the company since it’s organization.
Clare Ross, the president, became associated
with the company
Mr. Krueger joined the company
The three officials are lifelong residents of Bad Axe or vicinity.
The directors include the three officers, John Todd, Joseph N. Rankin, Bad Axe, and Robert Rooney, Port Hope.
1937 Business Record
Total receipts for the company for 1937 were $407,016.52. Dividends totaling $16,371.86 were paid. A $15,000 expansion program was completed. Taxes paid by the company in 1937 totaled $97,739.43 including $1,951.61 for social security.
Last fall, the company received nation wide recognition
through pictures and a story in the Dixie Marketer, trade publication sent to
The S.T.&H Oil Co. each week carries and advertisement in The Tribune to inform the public of the service the company offers and to tell the merits of it’s gasoline, oils, grease and other products.
Accompaning the article and in the body of it are three pictures: Clare Ross, President, Archie McGillivray, Vice President – General Manager and Alfred Krueger, Secretary – Treasures.
Transcribed by Scott Mills,
|
<urn:uuid:f392137f-3e51-4dd7-82cd-ae0629475d5d>
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CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~mihuron/articles/ST_H_Oil.htm
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s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00015-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
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|
GDF invites applications for twenty-sixth round of grants
28 November 2011 - Geneva - The Stop TB Partnership's Global Drug Facility (GDF) is inviting applications for its twenty-sixth round of grants.
Applications from governments for grants of first-line adult and paediatric anti-tuberculosis drugs will be accepted between 29 November and 23 January 2012.
"Our ultimate reason to exist as the Stop TB Partnership is to make sure that people suffering from TB are diagnosed, placed on treatment and cured. It's as simple as that," said Lucica Ditiu, Executive Secretary of the Stop TB Partnership. "However, this is not an easy task and access to quality-assured anti-TB drugs remains, in spite of all the efforts, a challenge.
"In these times of significant financial constraints, we call upon countries and programmes to make realistic, but bold assessments on what their needs are in terms of treatments and map the available resources - including domestic ones - to these needs. Then, be bold and vocal to ensure that all patients will have the drugs and access to the right treatment and care," Dr Ditiu said.
For full details on how to apply please read the full announcement on the GDF website. Information is currently available in English and will be available in French and Spanish shortly.
GDF's grant service provides quality-assured adult and pediatric first-line anti-TB drugs to countries who lack adequate resources and procurement capacity, via grants which are approved by a technical review committee (TRC).
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<urn:uuid:4a3be27b-4af8-46fa-9bc0-0df7940febef>
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CC-MAIN-2013-20
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http://www.stoptb.org/news/announcements/2011/a11_019.asp
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Published: June 18, 2013
DAVID GREENE, HOST:
The Paris Air Show is celebrating its golden anniversary this year. Even after 50 years, it remains the leading showcase for the global aerospace industry.
But as NPR's Eleanor Beardsley reports, with U.S. Defense cuts, this year it's the Europeans who are taking the spotlight.
UNIDENTIFIED MAN #1: Welcome to the Paris Air Show...
ELEANOR BEARDSLEY, BYLINE: A thick crowd pushes through the gates on opening day of the Paris Air Show. The biannual trade fair, which runs through the weekend, features more than 2,000 exhibitors from 45 countries this year - up 10 percent from 2011.
But for the first time in more than two decades, American fighter jets aren't taking to the skies above Paris due to U.S. government spending cuts.
GREENE: Bill Sweetman, senior international defense editor of Aviation Week, says the U.S. military's absence has changed the nature of the show.
BILL SWEETMAN: What that's brought into relief is some of the very advanced defense technologies that are coming out of the rest of world.
BEARDSLEY: Sweetman says American cargo planes used to dominate in Paris, but this year the big air-lifters are from Russia and Europe. The Europeans are also leading in the once U.S.-dominated helicopter market. Sweetman says the aircraft stealing the show this year is the Russian Sukhoi SU-35 fighter jet.
SWEETMAN: Where the U.S. has pushed toward stealth in its combat aircraft, the Russians are still big believers in speed and maneuverability. This aircraft puts on a pretty spectacular show, doing maneuvers which basically, if you saw anything else doing them, very bad things would be about to happen.
(SOUNDBITE OF JET)
BEARDSLEY: Mouths hang agape as the SU-35 flips tail overhead, falls like a twirling leaf, or seems to hang suspended in midair.
As usual, European and American plane makers Airbus and Boeing take center stage, and both companies draw crowds. They're focusing on smaller, more versatile twin engine long-haul jets, which analysts say are the future of the $4.8 trillion new plane market over the next two decades.
In that niche is Airbus' A350, which has just completed its maiden flight and is expected to make an appearance here this week. Boeing's latest addition to its fleet is the 323 seat 787-10, designed to serve routes within Asia, the world's fastest emerging travel market.
Whether you appreciate the technology or not, the Paris Air Show is always a glamorous affair. Industry players hobnob while the world's most spectacular planes line the tarmac and whiz through the skies above.
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)
UNIDENTIFIED MAN #2: (French spoken)
BEARDSLEY: The Paris Air Show is also about history and nostalgia. This announcer pays tribute to Charles Lindbergh's first transatlantic flight from New York to Paris in 1927. We'll never forget how the crowds swarmed to welcome him right here at Le Bourget Air Field, he says.
For more modern times, French-European satellite launcher Arianespace is part of an international consortium including companies like Google, that plans to launch communication satellites over the near forgotten equatorial zone.
Clay Mowry is head of Arianepace's U.S. subsidiary.
CLAY MOWRY: This project is really going to bring the Internet to underserved parts of the world - where it's not cost effective to build fiberoptic networks that can really bring broadband communications to people in rural regions, so in the jungles, in the rainforests, in the deserts.
The company was originally called O3b, it stands for other three billion. So there's three billion people on the planet that are out of reach of broadband communications.
BEARDSLEY: Some of the shows innovations this year spice up the more mundane aspects of travel. There's a system for electric, green taxiing that saves jet fuel. And there's luggage that be routed via a smartphone app. Airlines might still lose your bags, but at least you can keep tabs on where they're going.
Eleanor Beardsley, NPR News, Paris. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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Removing the containers from the grounded Rena is likely to take a "significantly long period of time", perhaps stretching well into next year, officials say.
But the removal of the 1288 containers left onboard could not begin until all of the oil had been pumped from the ship.
Transport Minister Steven Joyce also told media this afternoon that the cost of the clean-up - which does not include the salvage of the ship - had risen to $10 million.
Salvors have now emptied the stricken vessel's port-side 5 tank, bringing the total amount of oil pumped off to 808 tonnes and leaving 575 tonnes onboard.
Their next step is to clear the settling tanks within the engine room, holding about 228 tonnes of oil.
Maritime New Zealand advisor captain John Walker said work was continuing to build a dry "coffer dam" through a corridor in the ship to the submerged starboard-side tank, holding a further 358 tonnes.
A dive team were working beneath oily water and in pitch-black conditions to clear the way.
Prime Minister John Key visited a salvage team in Mt Maunganui this morning and later paid tribute to their work.
"They are as confident as they can be, notwithstanding the very challenging situation that they face," he said.
"This is one of those stages where it's a little stop start and they're at stop at the moment. I think we should congratulate them - they're working in a very difficult environment. They're very dangerous conditions, they're moving heavy equipment round and they're in pretty new territory with some of the things they are doing."
Clean-up teams were on the beaches along Mt Maunganui today after small deposits of oil washed up.
National on-scene commander Nick Quinn said the clean-up would soon move into a second phase where mechanical equipment was used to sift remaining oil from the sand.
Penguin enclosure race is on
The race is on to complete specialised penguin enclosures which will give hundreds of birds affected by oil from container ship Rena a new lease on life.
By lunchtime today builders were due to have completed six specialised penguin enclosures, each measuring 6m by 9m.
About a dozen builders aim to finish four more enclosures by the end of next week for long-term care of the 314 penguins at the Wildlife Rescue Centre at Te Maunga.
Each enclosure can house up to 30 penguins and includes a large pool where they can swim and play, as well as large communal areas where they can preen and feed.
Wildlife Recovery Centre facility manager Bill Dwyer and his team began building the first penguin enclosure on Sunday and had begun five more since Tuesday.
He is in charge of deciding where buildings and tents will be erected at the Wildlife Recovery Centre - a role he's had since Rena struck the Astrolabe Reef and started leaking oil into the ocean three weeks ago.
Mr Dwyer said he was not sure how long the birds would remain inside the enclosures but they could be a long-term solution if necessary.
"As long as there's an issue with oil, these penguins can stay as long as they like," he said.
Until now, the penguins have been living in small basket-like enclosures, being taken to a pool to swim.
Working on the task had been challenging as he had never made a penguin enclosure before, Mr Dwyer said. However, it was a rewarding experience.
He is a member of the New Zealand Wildlife Health Centre at Massey University in Palmerston North and worked in the wildlife recovery after the Jody F Millennium spill in 2002. However, there were more birds to deal with this time.
"We didn't know how to approach this so [we] drew up a plan and sort of went from there," he said.
The 314 penguins in the Wildlife Recovery Centre get fed twice a day and eat five to seven fish at each feeding.
They also have one swim a day, which lets them condition and preen their feathers - crucial for re-waterproofing.
Oiled Wildlife Response manager Kerri Morgan said it was important to monitor the penguins' health and condition, especially at feeding times.
"Correct feeding is a critical part of the rehabilitation process and our staff take great care when feeding the penguins," Ms Morgan said.
"We use either sprats or anchovies and need to ensure that none of the natural oils from the fish get on the birds' feathers, as this can damage their natural waterproofing."
It was too early to tell when the penguins could be released but the focus was on ensuring they were all healthy and well-nourished before being released back into the wild, she said.
All the penguins were "doing really well and have a great fighting spirit".
The centre has 379 birds in its care.
A further 1370 birds have died, and investigations are being carried out to determine whether oil was the cause of death.
Shock for Rena salvors
Divers assessing the partially-submerged fuel tank on board the Rena got the shock of their lives when they found a power system inside the stricken ship still operating.
Maritime New Zealand salvage unit manager Bruce Anderson said divers were assessing the starboard number five tank yesterday when they found power still operating inside the damaged hull - three weeks after the container ship hit the Astrolabe Reef.
"They suddenly found the switch and turned it off,'' he said.
"Fortunately no one was injured in that.''
Volunteers will be cleaning up fresh oil found around Mount Maunganui and Leisure Island and between Tay Street and Maketu Spit today.
"This looks like oil that was buried under the sand during the rough weather that occurred a couple of weeks ago,'' National On Scene Commander Nick Quinn said.
"The movement of tides and sand has brought it again to the surface, and so we now have a new layer of oil to remove.''
Mr Quinn said the oil had settled in a band along the high tide line and up towards the dunes.
During the past three days, about 848 tonnes of waste was collected off beaches.
The coastline from Papamoa to Maketu would remain closed, and experts are conducting regular water sampling.
Meanwhile, pumping had temporarily stopped from the port number five tank yesterday as salvors moved the pump deeper into the tank.
"Most of the oil has been removed from that tank, so the fuel transfer rate out of there is slowing down,'' Mr Anderson said.
The salvage team had begun pumping fuel from the engine room tanks into the port number five tank but this had proved ineffective, Mr Anderson said.
Salvors were now working on a pumping system to take the fuel through a 10cm hose and directly into the anchor-handling tug Go Canopus.
The bollard tug replaced the Awanuia and established a connection with Rena last night.
About 737 tonnes of oil had been taken off the vessel in total.
Mr Anderson said the Go Canopus was capable of maintaining a close position to the ship in poor weather conditions, however, the weather forecast for the next five days was relatively clear and pumping was due to continue throughout this time.
Pumping to the Go Canopus was likely to be slower than using ship pumping equipment and existing pumping methods but was the best option available, Mr Anderson said.
Salvors continued to focus on removing oil from the starboard number five tank and would then shift their attention interests to the three settling tanks, which hold 112, 116 and 25 tonnes respectively.
"This is really challenging as the tank is under water and the team needs to create a water-tight space to work from,'' Mr Anderson said.
As far as container recovery went, Mr Anderson said it was highly likely containers would be recovered in pieces rather than intact.By Jamie Morton @Jamienzherald Email Jamie, Genevieve Helliwell of the Bay of Plenty Times
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After my submission about the 32-year young man going to jail for 17 years for his drug crime, I have been trying to come up with a way to help these people instead of putting them away for a large part of their lives. This doesn't help anyone, not them, not their families and not us as taxpayers who are having our taxes spent for housing.
After speaking to some people, I have come to my own personal conclusion that there are a lot of people on probation for drugs that pull the wool over their probation officers' eyes by using while on probation, only to clean themselves up days before seeing their probation officers and getting their drug test. After the test "Let's party, 26 days to go until cleanup time." These parolees have a schedule and know when their next meeting is, usually about a month away. This isn't helping them and is a waste of money paying parole officers for a job impossible for them to keep up.
With the amount of persons on parole it is too costly for parole officers to show up with continuous visits to one's houses, job site or surprise calls requiring someone to show up for drug test, with a no excuse policy. This would require additional officers and, of course, more paychecks.
Wouldn't it be cheaper to send less small time, non-violent drug users and dealers to prison, at a cost of about $4,000 a month, to hire additional persons that have a sole responsibility of surprise testing parolees?
It is my opinion that, although it might not stop all who abuse the system, it would stop the majority of the ones from thinking they will get away with it. If they fail, then they do their time. Also, some of the money could be used for mandatory rehabilitation and community service.
I, myself, as a taxpayer would rather see my tax dollars spent this way, hoping to cut down on the drug abuse and trying to help someone, rather than giving someone a lengthy prison sentence and helping them throw their lives away, or possibly even losing their lives by overdose while on state or federal government watch, which has happened to a young man I know. No matter how you look at it, drug addiction is an illness, as is alcoholism, and both need help equally.
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No breakthrough for House Democrats on climate bill
- From left, Henry Waxman, John Dingell and Ed Markey give a speech. AP Photo
House Democrats warned Tuesday of deadlock on controversial climate change legislation, even as President Barack Obama pushed Energy and Commerce committee members to negotiate a compromise and pass a bill.
“There are very serious discussions and not a consensus,” said House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer in a meeting with reporters. “Whether it’s a gridlock or not, I don’t know.”
Negotiations over a bill establishing a cap on greenhouse gas emissions have been stalled by about a dozen Democrats who want to cushion regional interests like steel factories, oil refiners, and coal plants from major price increases.
Obama pushed the committee to work out a compromise in an hour-long White House meeting on Tuesday.
“He made it very clear that passing this measure is one of his key priorities for this year,” said Rep. Rick Boucher, (D-Va.), who represents Virginia coal country and has been acting as a key negotiator for Democrats concerned about the costs of the bill.
“He was saying, ‘Work hard, come to an agreement among yourselves and then when that is achieved we’ll have a bill that actually can become law.’”
Obama, however, did not explicitly back the legislation proposed by House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) and Energy and Commerce Subcommittee Chairman Ed Markey (D-Mass.) as the only way to regulate carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions, the members said.
“He wants us to try to work out our bill and he’s giving us a lot of latitude to do that,” said Waxman. “He wants us to move. He wants legislation."
Passing global warming legislation is one of the administration’s top priorities, along with reforming health care and regulating the financial sector. Last week, senior advisor David Axelrod and energy czar Carol Browner met with key Democrats on the Hill. They’re particularly eager to get legislation passed before the Copenhagen international climate talks in December.
But wading into the climate debate also carries political risks. If President Obama throws his support behind Waxman-Markey proposal and it fails, it could undermine his long-term global warming agenda.
During the meeting, Obama and Democratic lawmakers reached an agreement on a proposed “cash-for-clunkers” legislation, which would give drivers cash vouchers for turning in old vehicles and replacing them with a more fuel-efficient car or truck.
That proposal, said House Democratic aides, could win the support of Rep. John Dingell, (D-Mich.) and other lawmakers from auto-making states for the broader climate change bill.
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According to their respective websites, 4-year-old microblogging platform Tumblr now hosts more blogs than 8-year-old WordPress.com.
In January, Tumblr had more than 7 million individual blogs. At the time of this writing, the total blog ticker on its site read about three times that at 20,873,182 - beating out WordPress.com's current count by about 85,000 blogs.
WordPress.com's count doesn't include sites that people host themselves with the open source software viaWordPress.org, but given that the hosted service had about a four-year headstart, surpassing it in number is still an impressive feat for Tumblr.
Clearly a flood of individuals have been signing up for Tumblr lately. But top companies in entertainment and news and fashion have also recently launched Tumblr blogs. They're using the platform in a very different way than they use WordPress.com.
WordPress.com has long hosted the main sites of top brands such as the National Football League, CNN and TED. Most Tumblr blogs function much more like another social media presence - something like a cross between websites and Facebook profiles.
Story by Mashable
Author: / Posted: 16-06-2011
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GARDEN CITY, N.Y. (AP) -- He's too good, and that's too bad.
A 13-year-old New York boy who played field hockey growing up in Ireland has been told that after two years as a member of the Southampton High School girls' team, he is now too skilled to qualify for an exemption allowing him to compete with - and against - girls next season.
Keeling Pilaro, whose 10 goals and eight assists earned him all-conference honors on suburban Long Island - he was the only boy in any league - is appealing the decision by the governing body for high school sports in Suffolk County, and a lawyer for his family suggests a court battle could ensue if the ball doesn't bounce Keeling's way.
An appeals committee said it looked only at his skills, not size or strength, when upholding the decision to keep him off the field. That raises a question of discrimination.
Keeling's fight appears to be a rare example of a young man seeking to take advantage of Title IX, a 40-year-old law enacted to provide women equal access to athletic opportunities. There are no boys' high school field hockey teams anywhere on Long Island, or, for that matter, in most of the country.
"It's really annoying," the eighth-grader said in a recent interview. "I'm just 4-foot-8 and 82 pounds, so I don't see why I shouldn't be allowed to play. I don't really care if I'm on a girls' team or a boys' team, I just want to play."
Southampton school administrators agree, but they don't have the final say.
"The decision to support him represents our commitment to provide meaningful opportunities to each of our students," Superintendent Dr. J. Richard Boyes said in a statement. "Our community, including the girls on our field hockey team, embraced Keeling Pilaro and we couldn't be more proud of him."
The problem, according to Edward Cinelli, the director of the organization that oversees high school athletics in Suffolk County, is that state education law won't allow it. He cited a provision that says administrators are permitted to bar boys from girls' teams if a boy's participation "would have a significant adverse effect" on a girl's opportunity to participate in interschool competition in that sport. Officials say Keeling's skills are superior to the girls he plays against, creating an unfair advantage.
Keeling's defenders say that while he has played well, his skills are not superior to everyone else in the league, and also that his skill level should not be the final determining factor in whether he gets to play.
In order to play with the girls in the first place, Keeling had to get permission from Suffolk's mixed-competition committee, which screens players who want to compete on teams of the opposite sex. Cinelli says there have been occasions where girls have been approved to play football, wrestle or compete in other traditional boys sports, but Keeling is the first in his memory to play alongside girls.
After a year on the junior varsity and a second season with the varsity, the committee in March denied Keeling permission to play next fall. An April decision by the panel's appeals committee affirmed the original decision, and said it did not consider his size and strength as potential criteria for being disqualified.
"Stick-play, quickness and agility are the ingredients of superior play and those are the characteristics of Keeling Pilaro relative to those girls with and against whom he participated," the committee wrote.
Another appeal hearing is set for May 15.
Keeling also plays with an all-girls field hockey club team, his father, Andrew, said, contending that there have been no problems in club competition.
Family attorney Frank Scagluso argued the county organization's ruling is faulty and promises legal action, if necessary. He said judging the boy's stick play is subjective, and the fact that Keeling has worked hard to improve his skills should not disqualify him. Scagluso argued there are many girls playing in Suffolk County with superior skills to Keeling's.
Keeling's chances of winning on a Title IX argument are slim, said Joanna Grossman, a law professor at Hofstra University, because the law was established to benefit those who claim their opportunities to compete are underrepresented. Most of the time that favors women or girls, because schools provide more opportunities for boys to play athletics.
But, she said, he could successfully argue that he is the victim of discrimination because officials already granted him permission to play and may now be holding him to a higher standard than girls.
The United States is one of the rare places in the world where boys do not regularly play field hockey, said Chris Clements, the national men's coach for USA Field Hockey. He said there are some leagues for boys in California, places on the East Coast where men and boys play, and club teams. But he conceded the opportunities for boys to learn the sport are rare.
"Even the girls don't pick up the sport until high school, or middle school."
He said USA Field Hockey is working on initiatives aimed at getting more boys involved. Some on the national team played on girls high school teams when they were younger; others have also developed skills playing in Europe, he said.
He said Keeling's age and skill sets should not disqualify him from playing with the girls next season.
"Obviously at some stage we do need to separate them in terms of their speed and skill," Clements said of boys and girls playing together. He didn't think Keeling's participation on a girls' team at his age would be detrimental.
"Maybe by the time he gets to be a senior, it could be argued that there is a difference, but I would say right now he fits in just fine," Clements said. "I'd say right now the girls are just as fast and just as strong. He stands out naturally because he's a boy. He just looks different."
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PENASCO, N.M. -- After five years of enduring Internet access that provided dial-up speeds for uploading and rarely exceeded 1Mbps down, I now cruise along in my home office on the edge of a wilderness area at 7.5Mbps for downloads. My uploads are 30 times faster at 1.5Mbps.
The path to my recent broadband liberation began on a day last fall when that slow satellite connection went dark for an entire day. A malfunction with the satellite literally caused it to shut down and turn away from the Earth. In the process of reporting the story for CNET, I came across a tangentially related tidbit about the launch of a new satellite, called ViaSat-1, which would soon be in orbit and providing new speed and capacity for my satellite Internet provider (WildBlue, which is a subsidiary of ViaSat).
I shared the good news with my family, but didn't plan to hold my breath for the upgrade to trickle down anytime soon through the layers of middlemen and resellers standing between that beautiful new bird in orbit and my Wi-Fi router. If you've read the rest of this week-long series or live in the sticks yourself, you know how new and exciting infrastructure can remain out of grasp, even when it's physically so close to home.
But just three months later, while at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, something caught my eye on the grounds just beyond the CNET trailer. ViaSat had a line of new dishes pointed at ViaSat-1, and the resulting connection was impressive, with download speeds as high as 18Mbps, averaging 12Mbps.
By now, many readers will know exactly what I'm talking about. It's a solution to my broadband woes that many of you have already suggested in your comments and e-mails -- WildBlue's Exede service.
I started calling around in February and found one provider in Santa Fe that was offering Exede installation. My local telecom co-op, which I've been buying the slow WildBlue service from for half a decade, wasn't advertising Exede, but I decided to call anyway in hopes of avoiding a self-install or the cost of hiring an installer to travel from more than an hour away.
After a few confused responses, I found someone in the right department who knew what I was talking about. They had the Exede equipment but weren't yet publicizing it. If I was willing to be a guinea pig and spend several hours hanging out while they installed it and figured out how to set it up for the first time, they could come out the following week.
After a half day's worth of trial and error, the two installers finally secured me a link to ViaSat-1 -- all three of us marveled at the results of the speed test. "Wow, never seen WildBlue do anything close to that," one of them said after my connection clocked in at 7.6Mbps.
For now, I'm happy with the drastic improvement in speed, but it's far from the ideal situation. The jump in price is significant. Even being the guinea pig, I couldn't get out of the install fee as I'd been able to in the past with my co-op, and for that top-speed package I'm paying $129.99 a month plus another $9.99 to lease the modem.
But the biggest bummer for me is that there's still the Fair Access Policy to contend with (see the start of this series, where I explain how the FAP allows for drastic throttling of speed whenever my data cap is exceeded) and a 30-day 25GB data cap. That's an improvement from my old 17GB cap, but with more bandwidth, I've found it easy to go through an extra 8GB a month on Skype, Spotify, Google Hangouts, and Hulu.
I'm not complaining about my long-awaited upgrade, but I'm not giving up my quest for the perfect service just yet, either. I signed a two-year service contract with my co-op for Exede. I could go to the trouble of coordinating with some neighbors to set up some long-range routers or put an antenna on a telescoping pole, as readers have suggested, but there's some other hindrances to these approaches I won't bother going into.
My co-op tells me that by the time my Exede contract runs out, it should be finished testing the new fiber-based services in my area. That gives me two years to keep making the calls to make sure it actually happens.
That brings me to one last point about this entire journey. A handful of the responses to my series this week have been of the predictable "why don't you just move?" or "why should I subsidize your broadband?" variety.
I could just move, and we've certainly thought about it, but we've made the choice to stay and try to improve the situation, and will continue to pay the price for living here, both in terms of data caps and monthly rates. But many rural Americans don't have the choices that a white, middle-class, college-educated CNET technology writer from Denver does.
Many of my neighbors have only one thing of any significant value -- the property they inherited here. Being tied emotionally and financially to a place where there is limited economic opportunity like that can lead to a cycle of poverty that creates ghost towns and becomes a drag on our entire system.
The Navajo and other Native American tribes know plenty about this -- that's why they're building out a 3G and 4G network for their reservation, as I mentioned earlier this week. Universal broadband is a cost-effective way to create more opportunities in places where few currently exist.
As for subsidies, it's a black hole of an argument, as most large companies offering services like broadband to the public receive subsidies of one kind or another to serve all kinds of populations -- urban, suburban, and rural. At $140 a month for 25GB, I'm still largely subsidizing my own broadband. It seems to me that we're all subsidized in one way or another, but those of us in the boonies just have to shout a little louder to make sure we're not forgotten when the fruits of those subsidies start to ripen. And that's what I plan to continue doing.
Finally, thanks so much for the flood of comments, ideas, and encouragement this week. Once I catch my breath, I'll post a selection of reader reactions to the series. Maybe one day I'll meet some of you boonies brethren in a Google Hangout somewhere.
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BEIRUT (AP) — A bomb blast Thursday near a school in a Damascus suburb killed 16 people, at least half of them women and children, the state news agency reported. Russia, Syria's most important international ally, said for the first time that President Bashar Assad is increasingly losing control and the opposition may win the civil war.
The statement by Russia's deputy foreign minister comes as rebels make gains across the country and on the international stage and one day after the U.S. and NATO said Assad's forces had fired Scud missiles at rebel areas.
Rebels have seized large swaths of territory in north Syria and appear to be expanding their control outside of Damascus, pushing the fight closer to the seat of Assad's power. On Wednesday, the U.S., Europe and their allies recognized the newly reorganized opposition leadership, giving it a stamp of credibility and possibly paving the way for greater international aid to those fighting Assad's forces.
World powers have remained deadlocked on how to end Syria's crisis, with the U.S. Europe and many Arab nations calling on Assad to stand down while Russia, China and Iran continue to back him.
But Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov offered the first acknowledgement yet from a top Russian official that Assad's regime may be in trouble.
"We must look at the facts: There is a trend for the government to progressively lose control over an increasing part of the territory," Bogdanov said during hearings at the Kremlin advisory body, the Public Chamber. "The opposition victory can't be excluded."
He didn't suggest that Russia would immediately change its stance toward Assad and called for a political solution, saying continued war would be tragic.
"The fighting will become even more intense, and you will lose tens of thousands and, perhaps, hundreds of thousands of people," he said. "If such a price for the ouster of the president seems acceptable to you, what can we do? We, of course, consider it absolutely unacceptable."
The bomb blast in the Damascus suburb of Qatana, southwest of the capital, is the latest in a string of similar bombings in and around Damascus that the government says have killed at least 25 people in the last two days.
The government blames the bombings on terrorists, the term it uses to refer to rebel fighters.
While no one has claimed responsibility for the bombings, some have targeted government buildings and killed officials, suggesting that rebels who don't have the firepower to engage Assad's forces in the capital are resorting to other measures to weaken his regime.
Thursday's attack, however, killed civilians and could add to a growing wariness of the rebels among many Syrians.
Syria's SANA news agency said a car packed with explosives blew up near a school in a residential part of Qatana. The report quoted medics from a nearby hospital as saying 16 people were killed, including seven children and "a number" of women. It said nearly two dozen people were wounded.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the blast killed 17 people, including seven children and two women, adding that it was near a military residence. It did not say who carried out the attack.
Similar attacks hit four places in and around Damascus on Wednesday. Three bombs collapsed walls of the Interior Ministry building, killing at least five people. One of the dead was Syrian parliament member Abdullah Qairouz, SANA reported.
Other explosions Wednesday hit near the Palace of Justice, in the suburb of Jermana and in the upscale Mezzeh 86 district, heavily populated by members of Assad's minority Alawite sect. One of the three killed in that that bombing was a state TV journalist named Anmar Mohammed, SANA said.
The Observatory also reported the deaths of Qairouz and Mohammed and said the number of those killed in the Interior Ministry bombing had risen to nine.
Opposition activists suggested that the bombings were part of a new strategy by rebels to weaken Assad control of the capital by chipping away at his security forces with guerrilla style operations
"The Free Army is targeting military areas and security offices to try to lessen the number of forces that Assad has in the city," an activist named Ahmed said via Skype. He gave only his first name for fear of retribution.
Assigning responsibility for the blasts, however, remains difficult because rebels tend to blame attacks that kill civilians on the regime without providing evidence while competing groups often claim successful operations.
Assad's forces, too, appear to be escalating the fight. On Wednesday, two U.S. officials said the army had fired scud missiles from Damascus into northern Syria. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to discuss the matter.
One official estimated the army fired more than a half dozen Scuds.
In Brussels, a NATO official confirmed that the alliance's intelligence indicates the firing of Scud-type missiles.
Anti-regime activists say more than 40,000 people have been killed since the start of the anti-Assad uprising in March 2011.
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Behind the scenes of school infrastructure victory
On Monday 12 November I was sitting in a meeting at Equal Education head office in Khayelitsha and noticed the red light flashing on my phone. I read the message from Cameron McConnachie, EE’s attorney at the Legal Resource Centre in Grahamstown, and then interrupted a colleague in mid-sentence to announce that Minister Motshekga wanted to settle the case we’d brought against her almost a year ago.
Four days later we sat across the table from her in the impressive Department of Basic Education head office in Pretoria – proof that the DBE can certainly build when they want to. On the previous occasion that I was there with Equal Education we were not offered even water, but this was a different meeting: the Minister was hospitable and warm, and gracious in acknowledging that she had to settle the case because it “could not be morally defended”.
We now have an agreement that by 15 January the Minister will publish Norms and Standards for School Infrastructure for public comment, which will be open until 31 March. By 15 May we’ll have binding Norms and Standards. The content is for the Minister to determine, but her hands are somewhat bound by the fact that section 5A(2) of the SA School Act says that the “norms and standards … must provide for, but not be limited to … the availability of classrooms, electricity, water, sanitation, a library, laboratories for science, technology, mathematics and life sciences, sport and recreational facilities, electronic connectivity at a school, and perimeter security.” Of course we’re already preparing mobilization to ensure that the final document is a decent one, and will return to court if it isn't.
There is a great feeling of achievement in EE right now, coupled with some anti-climax at the 11th hour avoidance of what would have been a riveting court case, coupled with great determination and new energy for the work ahead. But how did we get here?
The very first campaign EE conducted in 2008 fixed 500 broken windows in one Khayelitsha high school. The issue was chosen by EE’s members because the classrooms would get cold and wet in winter and windy throughout the year. The successful campaign taught us that the physical condition of a school impacts the relationship students have with that school. Further research confirmed that there is a direct impact on learning outcomes too.
By late 2009 EE had begun to campaign for a national rollout of school libraries. Although we received written assurance from the Minister, and began to work with some provinces on their rollouts, we realised that the campaign needed a stronger footing. It was then that the appeal of norms and standards for school infrastructure began to register.
We discovered that draft norms and standards had been gazetted in late 2008, but had vanished with the departure of Minister Naledi Pandor. We began to campaign for their resurrection. In July 2010 there was a breakthrough: Minister Motshekga published a national policy with promised norms and standards for school infrastructure by 1 April 2011.
I doubt whether many people in the Department of Basic Education were even aware of this little deadline buried in a 60-page policy document, but it became a burning appointment on the calendar of thousands of EE members. The mobilisation had all along been intense. It had included numerous marches and a 24-hour fast by 5000 people, but now it intensified.
On 21 March 2011 over 20,000 EE members and supporters marched on Parliament in what was probably the largest youth march since democracy. The Minister sent a flunky to accept the memorandum, a serious PR blunder that alienated her from EE’s membership. When the 1 April deadline came and went the attitude of EE members hardened still further against the Minister.
Then on 25 June 2011 the Minister did attend and speak at the opening of an education summit hosted by EE. Addressing over 400 delegates from seven provinces she said for the first time that there would be no norms and standards, and offered as justification that her hands were tied by the provinces. But as every EE member knew, this was not true. As the campaign hit a new level of intensity, EE members slept outside Parliament from 12 to 14 July 2011, defying the police on the second night and narrowly avoiding arrest. Minister Motshekga ignored the protests.
Just five days later, EE met lawyers from the Legal Resources Centre and Advocate Geoff Budlender, one of the most experienced human rights lawyers in the world. Until that day Budlender had not been too sanguine about the prospects of a court case, but something clicked for him during that meeting and the case gathered a head of steam quite quickly.
We knew two things from early on. Firstly, that the legal argument would be difficult, because we’d have to convince a court despite the law saying the Minister “may … by regulation prescribe minimum uniform norms and standards for school infrastructure”, that she had an obligation – not a discretion – to do so. Secondly, that the facts – of the shocking conditions in thousands of schools – were overwhelmingly in our favour. The legal strategy was therefore a dual one: firstly to formulate a rights-based legal argument that the Constitution itself required norms and standards, and secondly to overwhelm the court with facts of such irresistible power and urgency that the law would take care of itself.
The most herculean undertaking was therefore the gathering of evidence. Under the leadership of Dmitri Holtzman, teams of EE volunteers and staff spent months visiting schools across the length of breadth of the country. The LRC Grahamstown team did similarly in the Eastern Cape. Many principals, teachers, learners and parents were nervous to tell their stories. In the end 25 remarkable affidavits were commissioned for EE’s court papers. They were summarized in EE Chairperson Yoliswa Dwane’s founding affidavit, and submitted as annexures.
The Minister’s answer was a long time coming. Three deadline-extensions later a flimsy answering affidavit arrived, not by the Minister, but by a Deputy Director General who purported, in what probably amounted to hearsay, to explain what the Minister was thinking in deciding not to prescribe norms and standards. Upon reading it our confidence leapt. It contained no strong arguments, and what resistance was offered was dealt with in EE’s replying affidavit. By then our hopes had also been raised by the fact that the National Planning Commission, the Auditor General, the Fiscal and Finance Commission and the SA Human Rights Commission had all independently come out and called for norms and standards.
Meanwhile the mass mobilisation continued. Hundreds of people wrote individual letters to the Minister, and we held further pickets and marches – including one which involved hundreds of EE members wearing a Minister Motshekga mask! Tens of thousands of posters and fliers were distributed countrywide; each time proceeded by a face to face discussion. We released videos, both animated and involving harrowing footage of rural schools. And we decided to rally hundreds of supporters to camp outside the Bhisho High Court from 17 – 21 November, over the time the case would be heard.
By the time the Minister finally bowed to the pressure and decided to concede all of our demands by settling the case, tens of thousands of people had played a role in this campaign. As Yoliswa Dwane said a few days ago, “This is a victory, first and foremost, for the members of Equal Education who have marched, fasted, slept outside Parliament, and studied long and hard to understand the issues.”
But this is far from finished. Our focus is now to ensure that the norms and standards soon to be published by the Minister are formidable, and then that they are implemented on the ground. It is that which will begin to change the lives of millions of young people.
Doron Isaacs is Deputy General Secretary of Equal Education. Follow him on Twitter @doronisaacs.
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Humans have been keeping companion animals since the dawn of history. Usually they were meant to be useful in some way. A dog could help in a hunt, a cat could keep pests away etc. Nowadays, most people keep pets simply because of the lovely feeling they give us. Animal enthusiasts the world over can tell you how wonderful they feel when their pet greets them when they get home from work. However, if you are planning on a getting a new pet to love and keep you company, there are a few key things you will want to keep in mind. Here are a few helpful tips to help you find the perfect pet for your lifestyle:
How Much Time Do You Have To Devote To Your Pet?
This is one of the chief concerns when getting a pet. If you aren’t home much of the day, or if you don’t have the time to spend long hours with your pet, you will need to find a rather low maintenance pet. Think about the kind of pets you usually see hanging out with people. Dogs and cats are pretty sociable animals and dogs especially need a lot of human interaction to be happy. If you don’t have at least an hour or more out of your day when you can get out to exercise your dog, train them and play with them, then it might not be fair to the dog if you decide to take on a responsibility you are ill equipped to fulfill.
Cats are a little different. They get house trained pretty quick and they don’t need much more exercise than dashing out from under your bed to attack your socks or jumping up on your couch. However, while many cats are very independent and don’t mind spending most of the day unattended, other cats may feel lonely if you leave them in the house all by themselves. Since each cat has a different personality, it is important to take this into account when you decide to get a cat.
One solution to this, if you decide you want a cat or dog, is to get an older animal. Kitties and puppies are cute, but you never really know what you are getting personality-wise. With an older animal, you will be able to see what their temperament is like, already, and then judge whether this is inline with the type of person you are and the type of commitment you can make towards your pet.
If you don’t think you have the time for the care and maintenance of one of these pets, it’s better to get a lower maintenance pet. Reptiles, fish, crabs and animals in the rodents family, like gerbils, rats and hamsters, are usually pretty easy to take care of. It will take about fifteen minutes out of your day to feed them and you’ll probably need to clean the tank or cage at least once a week or so. Some birds can be pretty low maintenance, you simply need to check if they have food and water and keep their cage clean. Others can be VERY high maintenance, like larger parrots or exotic birds like Lories that eat fruit and can be quite messy.
What Is Your Budget?
Most animals are pretty inexpensive to feed, but you will need to think about other expenses like veterinarian bills and pet insurance if you are renting an apartment. Many landlords charge a pet-deposit for any animal other than fish. This can be pretty hefty; often in the range of $300. So even if you get a pet as a gift from someone, you will still have to “pay for it”.
Exotic animals like large birds or fancy fish are often not only initially expensive, they can also be expensive to care for as they may need special food or other things to keep them happy and healthy.
What Is Your Schedule?
Something that is not always considered when choosing a pet, is whether they are nocturnal or diurnal. If you work during the day, and your pet is a nocturnal animal like a hamster or cat, when you come home you will expect to go to sleep. However, your pet will expect to play!! Many times I have been woken at night by my cat playing “catch” with my feet. If you have a hamster and you keep the cage or tank in your room, you will likely be annoyed by the little “squeaks” that will constantly come from the hamster wheel or ball.However, if you are usually up at night, these kind of pets can be welcome companions when most of the rest of the world around you is quiet and sleeping.
Whatever pet you choose, the most important thing is that you think not only of what you want in a pet, but what that particular pet needs from you. Even the most loving pet owners can be neglectful because they simply don’t have the time or proper knowledge to care for their pet. If you are interested in a certain animal as a pet, do your research and find out as much as you can about that animal. Once you are armed with this information, you will be able to judge whether or not this pet is the one for you!
Stacey Cavalari is a journalist for AccessRx.com, an online facilitator for prescription medications since 1998. Where consumers can order Cialis online no prescription securely from the convenience of their home or office. Watch accessrx.com videos on Youtube to get educated on purchasing safe medications online.
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Tim relays how a recent conversation he had with O’Reilly’s new head of online publishing about building our web publishing tools around the model of delivering dial tone got him thinking about this metaphor in terms of other technology, like what we’ve been calling Web 2.0. As Tim points out, the original concept of dial tone was essentially to do away with the need for an army of telephone exchange operators to connect calls.
The principle of dial tone is to create a situation where users can do something for themselves that once required the intervention of an operator.
This applies nicely to one aspect of Web 2.0 that Tim has written about before in The Architecture of Participation, namely the power of harnessing user-created data. Or as Tim notes, this could also be described as the “design of systems that leverage customer self-service.”
Once you frame the problem in this way, you understand that one of the challenges for IT departments and companies used to the IT mindset is to get the operators out of the way, and to build new processes that let users do the work for themselves. You also can ask yourself, where is dial tone going next?
I’ll stop paraphrasing and quoting Tim’s post now, but I highly recommend clicking over to Radar and giving it a read - as usual, there’s lots of good food for thought there.
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Navy truck has hot time on SR-304
June 11, 2008 · Updated 12:00 PM
A truck equipped to carry radioactive materials blocked one lane of State Route 304 in Bremerton after one of its brakes overheated on Wednesday.
The Navy-owned vehicle did not have radioactive liquid in it when the incident occurred at 11:26 a.m. June 26, said Navy and Washington State Patrol information officers.
The cargo was an empty liquid collection tank with low level radio activity inside, said Puget Sound Naval Shipyard spokesperson Mary Anne Mascianica in a written statement. The tank did not have any contents that could result in a reaction or explosion.
The truck, bound for PSNS from Submarine Base Bangor, stopped just outside the shipyard when the driver noticed smoke and heat waves rising from the back of the truck.
Apparently its rear brake overheated. Although the original call came in as a fire call, there were no flames said Washington State Patrol information officer Trooper Glen Tyrrell.
The driver cooled the brake with a fire extinguisher and called for help. Bremerton, South Kitsap and PSNS firefighters responded to the call. No one was injured, traffic was not interrupted and no radioactive material was released.
The tank, although empty, contained residual low-level radioactivity Mascianicia said.
A person standing three feet away from the tank for three hours would receive less exposure than they would receive from a cross-country airline flight, she stated.
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One of the most common mistakes in an interview is to carry out insufficient research on those you are meeting with.
Succeeding at an interview depends on many factors but by researching the right information you can give yourself the best chance of securing a role. Having a general overview about the organisation will also give you confidence during the first interview so that you can refer to your research when asking questions. For example: "I saw from your latest press release that you are opening offices in Asia."
Rather than asking a basic question e.g. how many employees are in the company, which you could have found out yourself, the above question implies you have taken time and effort to prepare for the interview. The interviewer will take this as a sure sign that you're serious about the company, job and future career.
Don't forget to ask your consultant
Your recruitment consultant will have met the client and can provide you with specific job information before you attend interviews. They will also give details of the job location, skills and experience required, size of the firm and salary. Ask for company brochures and website addresses, allowing you to find out as much information as possible for your interview.
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Could Wednesday's proposed cease-fire signal the end of Syria's nearly two-year civil war, or is it just more talk?
The Syrian regime has agreed "in principle" to a cease-fire, the United Nations' special envoy to the country said Wednesday.
But rebels fighting to oust President Bashar al-Assad are skeptical. They want to know if it's just another case of second verse, same as the first.
A cease-fire in April barely lasted a day before bodies started falling again. In total, more than 32,000 Syrians have died since the conflict began in March 2011, anti-al-Assad groups say.
This time, the proposal to lay down weapons would cover the Eid al-Adha holiday, U.N. envoy Lakhdar Brahimi said.
Starting Friday and lasting several days, Muslims around the world will celebrate the end of the Hajj, the annual pilgrimage to Mecca.
In his office in Cairo on Wednesday, Brahimi said he'd just returned from a trip to the Syrian capital, Damascus, where commanders told him they "agree on the principle of a cease-fire."
But there's been no formal statement from al-Assad's office, though it ha promised one Thursday.
Brahimi gave no details on the cease-fire proposal. But France's ambassador to gave vague details after a Security Council meeting. After getting an official response from the Syrian government, the United Nations wants shelling in neighborhoods to stop, Gérard Araud said.
If that holds for three days, Araud said, the long-term goal is "to transform this truce into an enduring cease-fire."
But, clearly, for the cease-fire to work, the Free Syrian Army has to abide by it.
The Free Syrian Army is a loosely organized group of men fighting al-Assad's well-armed forces, and they haven't given a united statement that they would agree.
However, a self-described deputy commander said Wednesday that there's pretty much no chance the rebels will trust the Syrian government.
"We don't think the regime is serious with agreeing to the cease-fire, since more than 200 people are martyred every day by the government's forces," Malek Kurdi said.
It's foolish to expect a total cease-fire, said Aram Nerguizian, a Middle East expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington. Killing is going to continue sporadically, he said. A cease-fire in this context is about a larger goal of getting most rebel brigades and al-Assad forces to temporarily stop or reduce the killing.
The Syrian government, he said, is probably angling for some breathing room.
"They could have a process here to re-engage with major international players who've sought to isolate them," Nerguizian said. "This war could go as long as 2020, so why not give themselves a few days?"
In New York, U.N. Security Council members talked via teleconference with Brahimi. Many said they supported a cease-fire but were not optimistic that it would work.
The German ambassador said that Brahimi painted a "dire and dramatic" view of Syria and that Germany would do everything it could to support a cease-fire. But Peter Whittig said it's important to be "cautious and realistic."
Russia and China have longstanding trade partnerships with Syria and have been accused of favoring the al-Assad regime. Both have repeatedly vetoed attempts in the Security Council to take tougher action against the Syrian government.
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Glen Rock physics teacher receives grant
Oren Levi, a new member of the teaching staff at Glen Rock High School has been awarded both a scholarship and grant from the Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association (AFCEA) Educational Foundation.
Levi, who joined the science department as a first-year physics teacher, is the recipient of a $5,000 AFCEA STEM Teacher Scholarship, along with a Teaching Tools grant for each of the next three years that he continues teaching a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) subject. The grant can be used to fund hardware and software, other classroom tools, field trips, STEM-focused clubs and other activities. The scholarship program is awarded over a three-year period to winners who have earned their degrees and are teaching a STEM subject in a U.S. middle or high school.
Levi earned a bachelor's degree in physics and master's degree in physics education from Rutgers University.
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Buying a loft bed is a simple solution for getting more space in a small room. Building a loft bed, complete with hardwired lighting, speakers, and custom storage? That's a bit trickier and the focus of today's awesome workspace.
Lifehacker Joel Vardy has a room with a small footprint but high ceilings, so he decided to build up to make room for a spacious workspace and still have a bed to sleep in. He writes about his project:
I'm Joel Vardy, 17 year old student, I hate working on small desks which allow two or three pieces of paper to be shown at a time, with my new desk I can work freely.
I use a lot of desk space with two 22" monitors, a laptop and organise all my papers when working on a project.
When a building needs a lot of space they build vertically, my room has a high ceiling, so that's what I did, I designed a desk which was under my bed.
Since I now had a surface above my desk I thought I would build some down lights and speakers into the base of my bed.
I hate wires showing, so there are holes in three corners of the desk and a fourth in the centre where the wires from my monitors and other peripherals will go.
I wanted a clean colour for my room, so the walls are white, the woodwork is just off white and the carpet is cream. I do however have a focal wall in green which looks great. I have a stack of relentless cans which add a little colour to my desk.
On the focal wall I have my TV hooked up to my PS3. Because this is behind me I haven't got into the habit of 'working' and watching TV at the same time, which is great because that never works.
All I want now is a beanbag =)
You can take a look at the start to finish construction process in the photos below:
If you have a workspace of your own to show off, throw the pictures on your Flickr account and add it to the Lifehacker Workspace Show and Tell Pool. Include some details about your setup and why it works for you, and you just might see it featured on the front page of Lifehacker.
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Sometimes it is best to contact a credit reporting agency for your credit repair needs. In other cases it might be best to contact the creditor that you are having a dispute with. You can get in touch with an individual creditor to make it so your credit report will be fixed. This may be easier to handle than going all the way out to a reporting agency for help.
You can easily get into a credit reporting dispute with any creditor. These can include individual banks or card companies. This is a great feature that has been introduced thanks to recent changes in credit reporting and disputing laws.
This can work in that you can write a letter of dispute to the creditor. This should include all of the details on the error that you are disputing and evidence that suggests that the error should be corrected as soon as possible.
The creditor will have to respond to you in thirty days or less. The creditor can then report to a credit reporting agency or bureau about fixing the error in the event that it needs to be corrected.
This is great because it will be easier for you to get a creditor to review what you are getting into. Sometimes a credit bureau can be severely backlogged when it comes to complaints. The amount of complaints that individual creditors might have can be substantially less. Besides, a creditor can always get in direct contact with a credit reporting agency if an error needs to be corrected.
Also, you can get a creditor contacted in the event that the credit reporting bureau that you could have dealt with has checked your concern and has found it to be accurate. It may be easier for you to get the right result if you deal with the creditor directly.
It should be noted that a reporting bureau must be contacted even if you are dealing with your creditor for credit repair. This is because of the need to contact the bureau after the error is reviewed.
Be sure to consider contacting the creditor that your error is with if you want to get your credit repair needs handled. It may be easier and more effective to deal with a creditor in question in the event that you need to fix an error on your report. Your creditor can also take care of the contact with a credit reporting bureau for you.
About the Author (Author Profile)
There are no comments yet. Why not be the first to speak your mind.
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The great celebration held at Hobbiton on 22 September III 3001, in honour of Frodo's 33rd birthday and, especially, Bilbo's 111th. In honour of their combined ages, Bilbo invited a total of 144 Hobbits to the Party's feast.
The Party was held in a field below Bag End, beneath a tent so large that it covered the tree that grew there. The magnificence of the event was so memorable that the field and tree became known simply as the Party Field and Party Tree. Most spectacular of all, the Wizard Gandalf entertained the guests with a display of his remarkable fireworks.
The celebrations were made unforgettable by the Bilbo's sudden announcement that he was leaving the Shire and passing on his fortune to his adopted heir Frodo. With that, he vanished in a flash, through the trickery of Gandalf and the use of his Magic Ring. Through Gandalf's persuasion, he also left the Ring for Frodo, and passed out of the Shire into the east. Because of Bilbo's disappearance, his Birthday Party is often called the Farewell Party.
It was later learned that Bilbo travelled widely in Middle-earth after the Party, visiting Dale and Erebor in the far east before settling for a long time in Rivendell. He returned to the Shire in III 3021, twenty years after the famous Party, as he passed through it on the way to the Grey Havens with the Keepers of the Three Rings.
Adalbert Bolger, Amaranth Brandybuck, Angelica Baggins, Baggins Family, Bruno Bracegirdle, Burrows Family, Chubb Family, Dora Baggins, Esmeralda Took, Farewell Speech, Ferdinand Took, Ferumbras Took III, Flambard Took, Frodo Baggins, Gaffer Gamgee, [See the full list...]
For acknowledgements and references, see the Disclaimer & Bibliography page.
Website services kindly sponsored by Axiom Software Ltd.
Original content © copyright Mark Fisher 1998, 2001, 2008, 2012. All rights reserved. For conditions of reuse, see the Site FAQ.
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Germany; the Nazis have joined the Communists in a strike. This is what happens to one person who doesn't participate:
The Nazis were carrying rolled banners with spikes on their ends. They stabbed the young man in the face and left him with one eye probably blinded. Half a dozen policemen stood a few yards away, ignoring the incident.--From Christopher and His Kind--
When the police are on someone's side, and not the side of law and order, that is when we all need to worry.
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Planet Green New Docu-series BOOMTOWN Chronicles a Small Town's Struggle with a Sudden Oil Boom
--BOOMTOWN Premieres on Planet Green Saturday, January 29, at 10 PM (ET) --
SILVER SPRING, Md., Dec. 10, 2010 -- The tiny town of Parshall, N.D., is isolated, windswept and frigid, like most northwestern American communities. With a population of 1,073, Parshall holds the record for the coldest temperature ever recorded in North Dakota (-60 degrees Fahrenheit). The economy of this small community, like so many other similar towns across America, has been in steep decline for many years. As manufacturing and farming jobs have moved overseas, town residents have sought greener pastures and a better life. But recently, something amazing happened: Below the wheat fields and the grocery store and the high school football field, surveyors discovered oil - barrels upon barrels of thick, unrefined, highly sought-after crude oil. Planet Green's original docu-series BOOMTOWN, airing Saturdays at 10 PM (ET) beginning on January 29, tells the tale of this struggling American town in the midst of a profound reversal of fortune.
BOOMTOWN is an unconventional case study of how the domestic oil and gas industries are exploring every option here on U.S. soil - but at what cost? In an illustration of what's happening in small towns across America, practically overnight, many of Parshall's residents and landowners are transformed from ordinary folks into millionaires. But not everyone gets rich quick, and not everyone thinks this new development will end well for the residents of the town.
In the first episode of BOOMTOWN, viewers are introduced to Parshall's mayor and only grocery store owner, Richard, who has struggled for years to keep his store afloat to support his family. He's leased his land to an oil company and it looks like he may become one of the lucky ones. However, for every new millionaire, there's someone who won't benefit at all from the oil boom. Town rancher Donny has wells being drilled all over his property, but he owns only the surface rights to his land, which means he gets the inconvenience, but not the money from the oil. To others, the oil only means more traffic, noise and pollution.
Equal parts "Fargo" and "There Will Be Blood," BOOMTOWN is set against the stark North Dakota landscape, which, until the discovery of oil, saw the town of Parshall practically vanish off the map. With mounting pressure for the United States to find alternative energy sources, BOOMTOWN chronicles the events in Parshall as they unfold over the course of a year, providing viewers with unprecedented access to one of the biggest stories of our time.
BOOMTOWN is a five-episode series produced for Planet Green by Left/Right. Ken Druckerman, Banks Tarver, Rachel Libert, Josh Braun and Susannah Ludwig are executive producers; Rachel Libert is director. Rachel Smith is executive producer for Planet Green.
About Planet Green:
Planet Green is the multiplatform media destination for people looking for something new. Launched on June 4, 2008, Planet Green is following the evolving conversation about sustainability and is the entertainment brand that champions the visionaries who move our world forward in small and large ways. Planet Green and its two robust websites, planetgreen.com and TreeHugger.com, offer unique, insightful and inspiring content related to how we can evolve to live a better, brighter future. Planet Green's original programming, digital tools and content will entertain, educate and activate.
Left/Right creates unscripted television and film projects that illuminate the drama and comedy of real life: We tell stories that are honest and startling, revealing and entertaining, dramatic and cinematic. We do so by blending the conventions of documentary filmmaking with the look and feel of scripted television. In short: You'll laugh. You'll cry. You'll watch. Other television credits for Left/Right include "This American Life" (Showtime), "Nine by Design" (Bravo) and "Growing Up Gotti" (A&E).
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How to Give Your Fortune Away (Philadelphia Magazine)
Posted on 5/27/11
You write a check to charity, but does it really make a difference? Enter the team of Penn researchers cracking the code on what kind of giving works best. (Surprise: It’s not always what you think)
If I were a rich man, I’d have a rich man’s worries. I’d worry about the stock market. I’d worry about my tax bracket. And I’d worry about how to make a difference in the world—how to use my hard-earned bucks to improve the lives of schoolchildren in Philly, or AIDS sufferers in Africa, or homeless families in Haiti.
Most people don’t fret very much about that. We text $10 to SAVE JAPAN after an earthquake; we help out at the food bank now and then. But if you were a rich man—if you had a spare $10,000, or $10 million—how could you figure out the best way to give it away?
You could ask Kat Rosqueta.
Rosqueta—Kat’s short for Katherina—is the executive director of the University of Pennsylvania’s Center for High Impact Philanthropy, or CHIP to its familiars. CHIP was founded five years ago by a group of Wharton alums to help philanthropists get what’s known as “bang for the buck.”
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Ask a Cop is a new occasional column produced by NAMI’s CIT Center, answering common questions about law enforcement and mental health issues. The column is an opportunity to learn about the law enforcement officer’s perspective on how officers, providers and individuals and families affected by mental illness can work together to improve crisis responses. To ask a question, please email email@example.com with the subject line “Ask a Cop.” Please note that we will not be able to answer all questions or to discuss individual legal cases.
Contributors: Sr. Corporal Herb Cotner is a 25 year veteran of the Dallas Police Department. He has served Dallas PD as a CIT officer and is the department’s Crisis Intervention Mental Health Liaison. Sr. Corporal Cotner is also the Vice President of NAMI Dallas.
Sherry Cusumano, RN, LCDC, MS is the President of NAMI Dallas and Executive Director of Community Education and Clinical Development at Green Oaks Psychiatric Hospital in Dallas, Texas. She’s been trained in the Memphis Model CIT Program and has worked closely with the Dallas Police Department to assist in providing CIT training to numerous law enforcement agencies in the region.
I became involved in CIT †because of my training responsibilities in the department. I was selected early in my career and offered the opportunity to become a certified instructor for the police department. Most of the classes I covered were standard operating procedures related to my patrol job. In 2003, the department wanted to make a change to the mental health curriculum and the manner in which it was being taught. I was approached at that time to see if I had an interest in taking over the mental health training.
I was interested for many reasons, one of which is that I have many people that I am close to that live with mental illnesses and I have had the misfortune of knowing officers who were harmed in the course of their jobs when responding to a mental health crisis. I felt strongly that such events could sometimes†be prevented if more training about mental illness was made available to law enforcement. Everyone could reap the benefits if officers were given the tools they needed to more effectively deal with such situations.
Several years later I was asked to research the best model for mental health training and that led me right to the 40 hour crisis intervention team model. I met with NAMI Dallas and the local Mental Health America chapter on behalf of the Dallas Police Department to get feedback about implementing this model and their response was overwhelmingly positive.
The other reason I’m involved in CIT is that I have a family member who has dealt with depression for a long time. Whether I was aware of this or not, it led me to have an interest in responding to people in crisis. I feel very fortunate that I’ve been able to work in a job that feeds my personal interest and passion! †Sometimes you get lucky. I have learned so much while doing this job that has been helpful for me personally. I’ve gained knowledge and skills that have given me a greater understanding of my family member. I don’t take it personally anymore when the illness takes over. Sherry Cusumano, who teaches with me, has a very similar story.
I view this question from two perspectives. The first perspective is that of being a family member. I am afraid that calling the police to help my loved one will lead to someone getting hurt. I recommend to family members that they drop their fears about telling the police about their loved one’s mental illness. When you have to call 911 you need to tell the operator everything. Describe your loved one so that when law enforcement responds, they will recognize the person and situation. Tell them his diagnosis, and inform them if you know what triggered the crisis, or if you know of behavior that might make the situation worse.† Let them know if he has had a previous psychotic episode. If you know what he or she perceives, inform us of that as well. Every detail we receive about your loved one impacts the way we approach them. If the officer has better information about the situation, it greatly increases the chances that we will be able to avoid a critical incident.
The other perspective is how CIT changes the way the officer handles the individual that he or she is taking into custody to transport them for care. This is a very different perspective for the officers. CIT officers no longer view the person as a prisoner, but rather as an individual that they are taking into custody to get them the care they need. The truth is that with the lack of psychiatric beds and other services available at the present time, we have a large population that end up contacting police instead of health care professionals when they are in crisis. So this has changed the law enforcement role. With the CIT program, many law enforcement agencies have learned that we need to treat people in crisis as individuals who have an illness and take them to get the necessary treatment.
Law enforcement and our jails and prisons have become the major providers for the mental health care in our country. While this is not an acceptable situation, it is a fact and we need to do what we can to respond in a way that leads to a good outcome for everyone. Doctors in the psychiatric emergency rooms have told us that they can tell the difference between officers who have received the training and those who have not by listening to the interactions between officer and h the patient. When the officer is trained in CIT, they become part of the treatment team and the recovery actually starts when the individual with mental illness makes contact with police.
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Explaining the Graduation Success Rate data: Even though Graduation Success Rates for Division I football and men’s basketball jumped in the most recent study, the overall Division I GSR didn’t change much. Read more »
View the database for DI GSR, DII ASR, FGR, APR and DI Head Coach APR: Find out how your favorite school, conference or sport fared. Read more »
Trends in Graduation Success Rates and Federal Graduation Rates at NCAA Division I Institutions: PDF from NCAA Research Staff. Read more »
Trends in Academic Success Rates and Federal Graduation Rates at NCAA Division II Institutions: PDF from NCAA Research Staff. Read more »
Press conference audio recording from Oct. 27, 2010: Learn more about graduation rates. Listen here »
NCAA grad rate a success by any measure: Graduation Success Rate is one that college and university presidents believe is more useful than the methodology used to produce the federal graduation rate. Read more »
Division I student-athletes continue to set high marks for graduation, and football and men’s basketball players and minority students are posting significant improvement, according to the latest data from the NCAA.
The Graduation Success Rate for student-athletes who began college in 2003 is 79 percent. While this rate matches the GSR for the past two years and continues to be the highest ever in Division I, it has risen five points in nine years of GSR collection.
The average Graduation Success Rate for the last four graduating classes also is 79 percent, matching last year’s GSR for the four-year cohort.
NCAA President Mark Emmert stressed that the data continue to help erase the perception of the so-called “dumb jock.”
“Our work toward enhancing the opportunities for student-athletes to be successful academically isn’t finished, but we continue to make progress,” said Emmert, who took over as NCAA president Oct. 5 after a lengthy career as a university president and chancellor at multiple Division I institutions. “Our student-athletes are engaged on their campuses, they are competing hard in all that they do, and there are achieving important successes on and off the field and court.”
Using the federal government’s methodology, which does not count transfer students and is less accurate than the GSR, Division I student-athletes who entered college in 2003 graduated at 64 percent, still the highest federal rate ever and one point higher than the general student body.
Although the federal rate for student-athletes has remained consistent the past two years, it has risen four points in the past nine years and 12 points since the rate was first calculated in 1984. It is the only measure to compare student-athlete graduation with the general student body.
The GSR and federal rate calculations measure graduation in a six-year time frame from initial college enrollment.
Although a modest concern was identified last year in football’s graduation rates, Emmert said he is encouraged by the latest progress in the Football Bowl Subdivision. In just one year’s time, FBS football student-athletes raised their GSR by three points to 69 percent.
“Given the large number of students we are measuring each year, any increase in graduation rates is remarkable, so this improvement is particularly noteworthy,” Emmert said.
Another bright spot from the GSR data is the significant academic progress over time by men’s basketball student-athletes, Emmert said. While unchanged from the last year, the GSR for men’s basketball has risen 10 points in the past nine years to 66 percent.
Emmert added he was especially pleased with the growing academic success of minority students in football and men’s basketball in particular and overall. The data show dramatic improvements both in the past year and in the nine years of GSR data.
For example, Emmert noted the GSR for African-American men’s basketball players jumped three points over the past year alone and hit 60 percent for the first time. That same rate has increased 14 points since GSR was first collected nine years ago. In football, the GSR for African-American student-athletes has jumped eight points over the nine-year period.
Overall, the GSR for African-American student-athletes and African-American male student-athletes has climbed eight points in nine years, to 64 percent and 59 percent, respectively.
“These are not just numbers,” Emmert said. “These figures represent additional young people who are succeeding in the classroom and reaching their goals of graduation.”
Emmert estimated there are approximately 300 more African-American male student-athletes who graduated compared to last year.
Walter Harrison, chair of the NCAA Committee on Academic Performance and president of the University of Hartford, emphasized that the latest cohort of students was the first to be subject to all of the NCAA’s latest academic reform efforts.
These include the implementation of the yearly Academic Progress Rate; increased initial eligibility standards; and more stringent progress-toward-degree requirements.
“In many ways, our work has just begun,” Harrison said. “As the culture of academic reform grows stronger each year, we will see more and more improvement.”
Key findings from the graduation-rate data include the following:
The NCAA developed the Graduation Success Rate as part of its academic reform initiative to more accurately assess the academic success of student-athletes. The rate holds institutions accountable for transfer students, unlike the federal graduation rate. The Graduation Success Rate also accounts for midyear enrollees and is calculated for every sport.
Under the calculation, institutions are not penalized for outgoing transfer students who leave in good academic standing. The outgoing transfers are essentially passed to the receiving institution’s Graduation Success Rate cohort.
By counting incoming transfer students and midyear enrollees, the Graduation Success Rate increases the total number of student-athletes tracked for graduation by more than 36 percent. The NCAA also calculates the federal graduation rate for student-athletes. It is the only rate by which to compare student-athletes to the general student body.
The most recent Division I Graduation Success Rates are based on the four entering classes from 2000-2001 through 2003-04. Nearly 105,000 student-athletes are included in the most recent four classes using the GSR methodology, as compared to slightly fewer than 77,000 in the federal rate.
This year marks the ninth year that GSR data have been collected. The NCAA began collecting these data with the entering freshmen class of 1995.
The NCAA also has released the latest Division II graduation rate data, including the division’s Academic Success Rate. This is the fifth year the NCAA has released the Division II ASR, which is similar to the Division I GSR and also includes student-athletes not receiving athletically related financial aid.
The latest figures show a 73 percent ASR for the Division II entering class of 2003, the highest rate to date. Even when using the less-inclusive federal rate, Division II student-athletes perform significantly better than the general student body. The federal rate for Division II student-athletes is 56 percent, nine percentage points higher than the overall student body at Division II colleges and universities.
Division III student-athletes are not covered by the federal graduation rate methodology, because it only includes student-athletes who receive athletics financial aid. Therefore, the data for Division III are used to analyze success rates within the student bodies. In all, students who entered Division III institutions in the fall of 2003 showed a federal graduation rate of 65 percent, while the latest four-year average is 63 percent.
The Division III Presidents Council in 2009 approved exploring the possibility of calculating graduation rate and academic-success rates for Division III student-athletes. A pilot program using graduation-rate data collected from volunteering institutions began this past spring. Results are expected later this fall.
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Dry weather and shipping delays in South America are boosting demand for soybeans from the U.S., the world’s largest grower and exporter, and producing the tightest inventories in almost five decades.
Stockpiles will shrink to a nine-year low of 130 million bushels on Aug. 31, before the next U.S. harvest, according to the average of 31 analyst estimates in a Bloomberg survey. Reserves will total 4.2% of demand, the lowest since 1965, U.S. Department of Agriculture data show. The USDA will update its estimates tomorrow.
The drop in supplies will help send Chicago futures up 8.3% to an average $16.16 a bushel through August, Morgan Stanley said in a Feb. 4 report. Prices have climbed 10% from a six-month low on Jan. 11 as drought dimmed prospects for the crop in Argentina and rain left delivery backlogs at Brazilian ports. The countries are the largest shippers after the U.S., where export sales are up 27% from a year earlier, driven by demand from China, the biggest buyer.
“The U.S. does not have the supply to sell more soybeans overseas,” said Dan Cekander, the director of grain-market analysis at Newedge in Chicago, who predicted a rally to $16.50. “Price rationing will have to occur. It may take six months before world supplies are more balanced with demand.”
Soybeans are up 6% this year to $14.935 as of 11:18 a.m. on the Chicago Board of Trade, while the Standard & Poor’s GSCI gauge of 24 commodities gained 4.2% and the MSCI All-Country World Index of equities climbed 3.9 percent. A Bank of America Corp. index shows Treasuries lost 0.9%.
For a second straight month, the USDA probably will cut its forecast of production in Argentina to 52.9 million metric tons, compared with 54 million estimated in January, a Bloomberg survey of 23 analysts and traders showed. The country accounts for more than 44% of global exports of soybean meal fed to livestock and soy oil used for cooking and biofuel.
Most fields in Argentina got less than half of the normal moisture since Jan. 1, which makes conditions drier than a drought in 2012 that cut production to a three-year low of 40.1 million tons, according to T-Storm Weather LLC in Chicago.
In Brazil, excess rain in Mato Grosso, the biggest soy-growing state, disrupted inland crop deliveries and may extend the wait time to 50 days for ships to load exports, Hamburg-based researcher Oil World said Feb. 5. There were 135 ships loading or waiting to load soybeans, animal feed or corn on Feb. 5 at the five major Brazilian ports, according to SA Commodities in Santos, Brazil. A year earlier, 67 were waiting.
Harvests in March and April from Argentina and Brazil still are forecast to be the highest ever, with combined output jumping 28% from a year earlier, according to the USDA’s January estimate. Brazilian farmers probably will collect 82.7 million tons, the most ever, up from 66.5 million a year earlier, according to the average estimate in a Bloomberg survey of 23 analysts.
Since Jan. 28, the premium that exporters paid for U.S. soybeans delivered to New Orleans terminals is down 30%, a sign that overseas demand for U.S. supplies may be slowing, said Christopher Narayanan, the head of agricultural commodity research in New York at Societe Generale SA. Yesterday, the CBOT contract for March delivery was $1.515 more expensive than November futures, the highest premium since Dec. 17, which may slow demand for supplies left from last year’s crop, he said.
“Until we see an improvement in the export premiums, the market may move sideways,” Narayanan said. Chinese buyers waiting for North American harvests to arrive in September and October “raises the risks for subdued U.S. exports once South American crops begin hitting the market,” he said.
U.S. exporters sold 34.22 million tons of soybeans as of Jan. 31, up from 26.86 million in the same period a year earlier, including a 13% jump in purchases by China to 20.86 million, government data show. Sales already are equal to 93% of the USDA’s forecast for the marketing year, with almost seven months left in the season that ends Aug. 31.
Sales of soybean meal reached 6.73 million tons in the first 18 weeks of the marketing year, up 43% from the same period in 2012, according to the USDA. The Philippines, the biggest buyer this year, increased purchases by 38% to 744,900 tons. Soybean-oil sales jumped to 759,000 tons from 222,000 a year earlier, with China buying 169,000, compared with none in the previous period.
China has expanded imports of soybeans almost six-fold since 2000 as rising incomes and population boosted meat consumption, fueling more demand for crops to feed livestock. The country is the world’s largest pork consumer and will raise 690 million pigs this year, or 61% of the world total, according to USDA forecasts.
Demand has yet to slow for U.S. soybeans because of the supply risks in South America. Shipping and harvest delays in Brazil may force importers to buy more from the U.S., and an extension of Argentina’s drought may limit output to 47 million tons, or 13% less than the USDA’s forecast, Christina McGlone-Hahn, a Deutsche Bank AG analyst in New York, said in a Feb. 1 report.
“Either South America has to ship 12% more soybeans from March to August than they have ever done before, or prices have to rise to choke off Chinese demand for U.S. soybeans,” said Doug Jackson, a vice president at INTL FCStone Inc. in West Des Moines, Iowa, who has been a grain-industry analyst since 1974. “South America can have an infinite supply of soybeans, but if they can’t get them to the world market, it doesn’t matter.”
February and March are the key months for Argentine crops as plants develop pods and fill them with beans, said Steve Nicholson, the chief economist for International Food Products Corp., a distributor and adviser on food ingredients in Fenton, Missouri. A crop of less than 50 million tons will increase demand for U.S. soybean meal and vegetable oil, he said.
Argentine farmers also have been slow to sell crops to processors or exporters as inflation accelerates and the peso loses value against the dollar, Nicholson said. Argentine supermarkets, including local units of Wal-Mart Stores Inc., Carrefour SA and Cencosud SA, agreed to freeze prices for 60 days amid an inflation rate that economists say jumped 26% last year, twice the official government estimate.
While the official rate for the peso fell 13% in the past 12 months to 4.986 per dollar yesterday, the currency in the blue chip-swap, an operation used to buy and swap assets traded in Argentine pesos and U.S. dollars, has weakened 39% to 7.6948 per dollar, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.
“The Argentina inflation and currency problems may be a bigger hindrance to exports than just the dry weather,” Nicholson said. “The only way to convince China and other buyers that the U.S. is out of soybeans is with higher prices.”
In Brazil, most crop deliveries travel as far as 2,000 kilometers (1,243 miles) by truck to reach ports, making them more prone to weather delays than those in the U.S., where barge and rail networks handle most bulk shipments to export hubs, said Michael Cordonnier, president of Soybean & Corn Advisor, a crop forecaster and researcher in Hinsdale, Illinois.
Shipping soybeans to China takes about 56 days from Mato Grosso, the biggest growing state, compared with 32 days from the U.S. Midwest via the Mississippi River, Cordonnier said. The transport cost to southern ports from Mato Grosso can reach $150 a ton, compared with $35 from Iowa to New Orleans, he said.
Demand in the U.S. for soy-based meal and oil also is improving, compounding the erosion of inventories after the worst drought since the 1930s reduced domestic production for a third straight year. The Washington-based National Oilseed Processors Association said Jan. 14 that companies used 9.7% more soybeans in the four months ending Dec. 31, compared with a year earlier.
Archer-Daniels-Midland Co., the largest grain processor, said on Feb. 5 that operating profit in its oilseed unit more than doubled to $411 million in the fiscal second quarter that ended Dec. 31, as plants ran at record capacity. The company, based in Decatur, Illinois, will continue to benefit from improved soy margins, Kenneth Zaslow, an analyst at BMO Capital Markets in New York, said in a Feb. 6 report. He has an outperform rating on ADM.
The estimated profit to process soybeans in Illinois is $1.47 a bushel, up 77% from a year earlier, USDA data show. Based on futures prices, crush margins will double from year-earlier levels in the second quarter and triple in the third quarter, Zaslow said.
“Inventory levels are really tight right now,” and there remains a risk that U.S. harvests in September and October may not be sufficient to revive supplies, said Kelly Wiesbrock, a portfolio manager helping to manage $1.3 billion of assets for Harvest Capital Strategies, a San Francisco-based hedge fund.
As of Jan. 29, the U.S. Drought Monitor classified 51% of nine Midwest states with soil-moisture levels below 20% of normal, including some at zero, with water shortages and crop damage likely. The region produces most of the nation’s soybeans. A year earlier, 20% was in drought.
“We’re still behind the curve on moisture levels and a lot of guys are saying we’re setting up for another drought,” said Wiesbrock, who grew up on a farm in Illinois, where his brothers, father and grandfather still grow corn and soybeans on 3,000 acres. “We may get off to a good start and have trend- line yields and they’d be less tight, but you don’t rebuild inventories in one year and we don’t harvest until the end of the year.”
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The strike of post-secondary students in Quebec has taken a dramatic turn with the provincial government rushing adoption of a special law on May 18 to suspend the school year at strike-bound institutions until August and outlaw protest activity deemed disruptive of institutions not participating in the strike.
Details of Bill 78 were unveiled the day before and debated in a special, overnight session of Quebec’s National Assembly. They include a ban on demonstrations within 50 meters of a post-secondary institution and severe financial penalties on students or teachers and their organizations if they picket or otherwise protest in a manner declared ‘illegal.’ Demonstrations of ten or more people must submit their intended route of march to police eight hours in advance.
The elected representative and co-leader of the Quebec solidaire party, Amir Khadir, told the Assembly that the law aims to “criminalize and destroy” student organizations. Thousands of students marched angrily in the streets of Montreal, Quebec City and Sherbrooke on the evening of May 17 as the law was being debated in the National Assembly.
Courts are beginning to process the hundreds of students who have been arrested over the past three and a half months of the strike and issuing severe restrictions on movement and activity pending rulings.
The 24,000-member Bar Association of Quebec has spoken against Bill 78. Among its concerns is the provision that the education minister may rule by decree on education matters, bypassing the National Assembly, including ordering education institutions to withhold the transfer of membership dues to student organizations.
Leaders of the unions of university and CEGEP (junior college) professors (the FQPPU and FNEEQ, respectively) as well as the large, trade union centrals have also condemned the measure.
Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois of the CLASSE student federation called the law, “repressive and authoritarian. It restricts students’ right to strike, which has been recognized for years by educational institutions.”
His colleague, Jeanne Reynolds, says the law is a “losing proposition” coming from a “haughty and arrogant” Premier Jean Charest. Both leaders reaffirmed the mass protest for May 22, saying, “No law will stop us from demonstrating.” A mass, student protest in Montreal on May 22 that is already planned by the three largest students associations on strike will assuredly be even larger than the tens of thousands of participants already anticipated.
The Quebec government provoked the student strike with its proposal last year, confirmed in its March 2012 budget, to increase tuition fees by 60 per cent over the next five years. That was then modified to a 75 per cent increase over seven years.
The deeply unpopular government has been battered and bruised by the strike, including on May 14 when Minister of Education Line Beauchamp submitted a surprise resignation. She buckled under the pressure of her responsibilities in carrying the government hard line.
In the leadup to Bill 78, politicians and editorialists were calling for greater use of police violence and court injunctions to break up student picket lines and support action by teachers and professors that have closed many colleges and university departments. But education administrators complained that the injunctions were “unenforceable” due to mass picketing. They were also nervous about the consequences of even more blatant exercises of police violence against students. Now they hope that the punitive measures in the new law will dissuade militant action.
The law targets another area of concern – teaching staff. Many professors have joined the picket lines of their students. They have said they would not be forced to teach under the threat of injunctions and riot police. Following a police attack on students at CEGEP Lionel-Groulx north of Montreal on May 15, for example, Jean Trudelle, president of the FNEEQ said, “The scenes we witnessed here this morning have shocked everyone, beginning with the students and professors directly concerned. It is inhuman to ask people to teach after such events.”
Pressure on all the parties involved in the strike is intense because the school year is at stake. Both available options – cancellation of the school year or an unlikely concession by the government to temporarily suspend the tuition freeze permitting classes to resume – involve heavy financial sacrifices by students, making their tenacity all the more remarkable. Adding to the pressure on students is uncertainty over summer employment and the need to earn course credits during the summer months.
Bill 78 will complicate life for those in strike-bound CEGEPS because it projects that the current school year would resume in August and be completed in October. That means graduates intending to enter university would have to wait until September 2013.
The government, the business elite and editorialists in the mainstream media are counting on these pressures to push through the tuition increase. But they have underestimated student determination until now and, according to students, are still making the same mistake.
Some 160,000 students are on strike, approximately 35 per cent of the post-secondary student population in the province. Of those, 65,000 are CEGEP students, all in Montreal and surrounding regions. Only small numbers of students at the three English-language universities are on strike, while the three English CEGEPs (located in Montreal) are fully functional.
One additional feature of the strike has been the participation of high school students. They have staged one day walkouts from school and will likely have a strong presence at the May 22 action.
Calls for Inquiry into Police Violence Against Students
Television, radio and print news reports are full of discussion of the police violence that erupted in Victoriaville on May 4 in front of a hotel conference center where the governing Liberal party was holding a meeting of its executive council. The riot squad of the Quebec provincial police (Sûreté du Québec) unleashed unprecedented violence against protesters that shocked many in the province.
According to estimates published in the daily newspapers, police fired 30 plastic bullets, more than 100 concussion grenades and countless canisters of CS and pepper gas. Two students were gravely injured when struck by police projectiles – Maxence Valade lost an eye and Alexandre Allard suffered a life-threatening concussion. Others suffered broken bones and teeth or other traumatic injuries from police truncheons.
Witnesses say that projectiles were fired point blank by police at the height of heads and upper bodies, in violation of police protocol (and elementary human rights). Photo and video news reports confirm the accusations. One video image captured the injury suffered by Allard.
Police blocked bridges leading out of Victoriaville when the protest was over that evening in order to intercept and arrest protesters returning to Montreal or other points of origin. They turned back three entire buses of students and supporters, turning the buses into overnight prison cells. Passengers were selected for arrest as the night wore on and were otherwise instructed not to speak to each other or use communication devices.
The Montreal daily Gazette reports 110 arrests by police, and counting. There are widespread calls for a formal inquiry into police action. Among those voices are Québec solidaire, the Parti québécois and the League of Rights and Freedoms.
The use of plastic bullets against civic protests was harshly criticized (article in French) by a panel of five members of a legal observer team created by the Quebec government to observe protests during the Summit of the Americas in Quebec City in 2001. A member of that team says today she doesn’t know what became of their report. She says that in light of events in Victoriaville, it looks like it was simply “filed away.”
The student strike has also occasioned other attacks on democratic rights. The federal government is moving on a new law that would criminalize the wearing of a mask at public assemblies declared to be “illegal.” Montreal mayor Gilles Tremblay has quickly rushed a similar municipal law into place. (The mayor has his own troubles at hand. Three of his recent top aides were arrested on May 17 as part of a massive corruption probe of the construction industry in Quebec that has rocked the province from top to bottom.)
Four young people may face prosecution under “anti-terrorist” legislation for releasing several smoke bombs in Montreal’s underground subway system on May 10. The stunt closed the system for several hours during the morning rush hour. The accused surrendered to police the following day. Student leaders criticized the action and how it is being used to deter attention from the issues of their strike.
Background on Student Strikers
Members of the three student associations waging the strike voted by massive margins during the week of May 7 to reject a shabby government offer to end the strike. The offer issued from 22 hours of overnight talks on May 4, 5 between the government and the three large student associations – CLASSE, the FECQ and the FEUQ.
The revolt is fueled by deep opposition to what students consider to be the commercialization of education and degradation of social rights across the whole of society. Some view the strike as part of a broader, anti-capitalist struggle for a society of social justice. The association that expresses this most forcefully is CLASSE (Broad Coalition of the Association for Trade Union-Student Solidarity).
One of the goals of CLASSE is to spearhead a broader social movement in Quebec society that could challenge capitalist dominance and fight for a new society based on principles of social justice. It proposes the tactics of broad, “social strikes” to forge a fighting alliance with workers and others victims of class society. Specifically for education planning and policy, it wants to convoke États généraux (civic assemblies) to discuss and decide education policy. The assemblies would be composed of the elected representative of the main protagonists in Quebec education.
This resembles the “red university” strategy of the mass, student rebellion of the 1960s and 1970s in which students sought to use their capacities and the resources of the universities to spark broad, anti-capitalist struggle.
CLASSE represents just over half of the 160,000 striking students. The association’s numbers have grown by 10,000 since the beginning of the strike from students switching membership from the other student groups. CLASSE’s appeal is due to its principled stand for free, public education and its democratic internal functioning.
The association held a two-part meeting of its national council on May 10 and 13 in Montreal and Quebec City, respectively, which discussed and approved strategy in the ongoing fight. It approved continuing mobilizations as well as support for campaigns of other movements such as women’s rights, refugee rights and trade union-led opposition to privatizations and other attacks by governments on social services. There were some 200 delegates at the meetings.
Delegates voted to demand that representatives of employer associations be excluded from future talks on education with the government. The association considers that public education is being treated as a commercial entity in the capitalist market instead of the precious human and social right that it should be. “The elite already have enough outlets to express their views to government,” said one delegate in the discussion of the resolution.
Another resolution proclaimed that CLASSE will not participate in permanent councils to oversee the management of education institutions. One aspect of the failed government proposal of May 4, 5 was the proposed formation of a multi-partite council to study education spending and recommend cuts to government. Student representatives and their allies (teachers, education workers) would be a minority on such a cost-cutting body or on more permanent versions.
Several delegates argued that “co-management” is a trap that places student representatives in unequal and disadvantageous positions. They said that the power of students stems from mobilizing actions in the streets and in the institutions. The goal of CLASSE, they reminded the Montreal conference, is radical social change, including free and universal access to education.
The conference session in Montreal spent considerable time discussing the relationship of CLASSE and the student struggle to the trade unions in Quebec. There is dissatisfaction over the role that leaders of the large, trade union centrals played in the talks on May 4, 5. They were invited to participate by the government.
The union leaders came out of the talks saying that the government proposal could be a “road map” toward mitigating the government’s tuition hike. They treated the proposal as a fait accompli, whereas student leaders insisted it would go to vote of their members.
Many student activists also consider that the non-education union federations and their affiliates have been long on statements of support and short on action.
Delegate after delegate in Montreal spoke of the importance of relations with the unions, saying that workers’ rights and the social wage are under attack by the same government that is attacking students and education services. In the end, the meeting resolved to continue seeking points of agreement and common action with workers and their unions.
A Powerful Movement in Need of More Allies
One need only ride public transit or stroll through downtown Montreal to appreciate the scope and power of this student strike. Montreal has the highest, per capita post-secondary student population of any city in North America. In the city core, there are four universities with an enrollment of 175,000.
Students recognize that they need allies in order to win demands for free, accessible education. The CLASSE association explains on its website that it is not asking simply for statements of support:
“We wish, on the contrary, for a convergence of the entire Quebec population against the politics of cuts and merchandising of social services and our collective rights. Only a generalization of the student strike to workplaces will make such a convergence effective. Our call, therefore, is a call to the entire population for a social strike!”
Lex Gill, president of the student union at the English-language Concordia University, wrote in the May 12 Montreal daily The Gazette that the students, not the government, speak for Quebec society on education matters.
“A ballot in a box every few years should never trump the will of an entire generation. … When the electoral process fails an entire generation, when public consultation isn’t meaningful, when petitions, letters and phone calls to elected representatives go unheard, there is often no other option than to express (social) convictions in the streets.”
Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois of CLASSE explained to journalists on May 13, “After 13 weeks of strike, an exceptional solidarity has been formed. Students are prepared to go much further in the struggle than was imagined at the outset.”
This is the great fear that the capitalists in Quebec and in Canada have for this movement. As a columnist in the national Globe and Mail daily lamented on May 14, “In Quebec, students are confronting the Liberal Charest government ostensibly over tuition fees, but in reality over who governs.” •
Roger Annis is a solidarity and social justice activist in Vancouver, B.C. He maintains a blog at www.rogerannis.com where this article first appeared.
Roger Annis is a frequent contributor to Global Research. Global Research Articles by Roger Annis
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Kristen Powers ’16 was just three years old when her mother began showing signs of Huntington’s disease. At such an early age, Powers watched her young, lively mother slowly lose her abilities to walk, talk and even reason.
At age 11, Powers learned that she had a 50 percent chance of inheriting the genetic disease. Although she wanted to get tested sooner, Powers was forced to wait until she turned 18 and was legally able to make that decision.
Despite the high likelihood of inheriting the debilitating condition, Powers said that she never doubted her choice to get tested.
“I wanted to be able to have more power behind my life decisions,” Powers explained.
At age 13, Powers began to film a documentary chronicling her time dealing with her mother’s illness and the possibility of inheriting it herself. The film, titled “Twitch,” is still in production, but has already gained critical attention.
The film even deals with her mother’s death in 2011, at age 45. Powers had not yet been tested.
When not working on “Twitch” as a high school student in Chapel Hill, N.C., Powers channeled her energies towards starting a sustainable farming campaign that gained national recognition. After being accepted to Stanford for the Class of 2016, her farm project secured her a spot as one of three freshmen in Stanford’s entering class selected for a Compass Fellowship, a program sponsored by the Hass Center for Public Service that fosters the growth of student entrepreneurship.
At the end of her senior year of high school, Powers’ documentary landed her a TEDXTeen Talk. Jess Teutonic, the curator of TEDxTeen, worked closely with Powers in the weeks preceding her talk, which was filmed before she received her test results.
“I don’t think I have ever met a more poised, graceful, courageous, brave young woman in my life,” Teutonic said. “It was in the most challenging moment in her life, and she shined.”
After hearing about her Stanford acceptance, receiving her Compass fellowship and giving her TEDxTeen talk, Powers was tested on May 18, 2012. Her results came back negative less than two weeks later.
According to Powers, the documentary focuses on the decision-making behind genetic testing and the how the disease itself is “often stigmatized.”
Powers said that while her mother was in the throes of the disease, she was often treated as though incapable of taking care of herself and became the subject of complaints by neighbors for supposedly “being drunk all the time.” The discrimination even extends to Kristen and her brother, who also tested negative, since — as potential carriers of the disease — they are not eligible for life insurance at any time in their lives.
Powers said that she hopes the film will raise awareness of Huntington’s disease and start a more serious national conversation about the stigma and potential cure. She added that she hopes the documentary helps “HD families come out of the closet” and join the movement.
Although her film isn’t even finished yet, Powers was recently featured on a CBS Sunday Morning segment on genetic disease testing, where she talked about her project.
Powers has continued to raise funds for her documentary, which she views as a source of support for other individuals going through the same process with genetic testing for Huntington’s or other diseases.
“It fit perfectly with my passion of using film as a tool for education and my knowledge and experience with this specific topic,” Powers said. “I didn’t know anyone else covering the youth perspective of genetic testing. Most of the documentaries and stories coming out related to Huntington’s Disease completely glazed over those who had just arrived at [the] testing age of 18 years.”
However, Powers identified the biggest hurdle she hopes to jump with her film as boosting awareness about the disease, and how it affects not just victims but entire families.
“The biggest problem, I think, with Huntington’s disease is the fact that it’s very hidden and no one wants to talk about it,” Powers said. “I’m really hoping Twitch will get people to work together towards this common goal of curing Huntington’s disease and make it easier for people affected by it to live with it and make it so that less people feel alone, like I did.”
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Alaska government approves removal of Kulluk rig from island
ANCHORAGE -- Royal Dutch Shell and the U.S. Coast Guard will attach a main tow line to Shell's grounded oil rig in preparation of removing it from where it crashed on an island off the southern Alaska shore, the company said.
Removing the Kulluk, the rig that ran aground on the uninhabited Sitkalidak Island hours before New Year's Eve, will be the first step in winding down an incident that has reintroduced Shell's $5 billion plan to drill for oil in the waters off Alaska as a target for opponents of Arctic drilling. The accident could also complicate Shell's plans to return to the Arctic when drilling season begins in mid-summer.
"All plans rely on weather and tidal conditions," the recovery team said in a press release.
The U.S. Coast Guard said Friday that current weather conditions provided "an excellent opportunity" for recovering the Kulluk. U.S. Coast Guard Petty Officer Matt Schofield said the response team was still determining where to take the rig once it was deemed seaworthy.
"They're evaluating, looking at different options as of where to take it," Mr. Schofield said.
More than 600 people have been brought in to help bring the rig off the island. Boom - an absorbent material used in oil cleanup efforts - was being deployed around Kodiak Island to ensure any spilled fuel would not reach nearby salmon fisheries.
Shell said Saturday morning it received a permit from the Alaska Department of Natural Resources to remove the Kulluk. The Coast Guard also late Friday moved emergency response equipment to the area in preparation of moving the rig from the island, said Coast Guard Capt. Paul Mehler III.
Fourteen ships were en route to the area to help with the recovery, Shell and the U.S. Coast Guard said.
Environmentalists and lawmakers are using the grounding, which came as the rig was heading to Seattle for maintenance, to illustrate that Arctic conditions are too extreme to safely explore for oil. Shell's Arctic program brought the first new offshore drilling in the region for more than two decades and is being closely watched as a bellwether by other oil companies interested in the area.
The U.S. Coast Guard has sent multiple salvage crews to the grounded rig after the weather improved Wednesday. Inspections have shown the rig to be stable, although water damaged its emergency electric generators. There is no evidence of any of the rig's 150,000 gallons of fuel leaking into nearby waters, the U.S. Coast Guard said late Friday.
Shell's Arctic drilling program has been plagued by mishaps nearly from the start. Lingering ice prevented the company from dispatching its two rigs to the region for months. Once in Alaska, one rig used by Shell, Nobel Corp.'s (NE) Discoverer, nearly ran aground in July after becoming unmoored while in port. Equipment failures on the rigs have also been a problem.
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Sam Lyons is an institution. You might go so far as to say he is a brand name. So much so that in 2010 Sun ’n Fun created an Artist in Residence position and awarded it to Sam.
He and his wife, Mindy, now live in Lakeland, Florida, home to Sun ’n Fun, and enjoy an official, and much appreciated, relationship with one of aviation’s proudest institutions.
“When you think of airplanes you don’t necessarily think of art first,” says John Burton, president of the Florida Air Museum, which is on the campus of the Lakeland-Linder Regional Airport, home to Sun ’n Fun. He’s largely correct, too. Yet, anyone who flies or has an affection for aircraft knows that the lines of a machine built to live in the air can strike a heartstring or two, especially if the lighting is just right.
Burton goes on to say, “It’s a perfect marriage having Sam Lyons involved here with the Florida Air Museum.” Sam certainly brings an intangible to the facilities in a way that sheet metal and steel tubing cannot. There is no doubt that his way with imagery, color, and light will enhance the drawing power of both Sun ’n Fun and the museum, two very separate entities, that are nonetheless linked in the minds of aviation enthusiasts the world over.
More than a year after the Artist in Residence position was created, Sun ’n Fun, the Florida Air Museum, and Lyons are all working to more specifically define the relationship they share. But there is no doubt that the partnership is a good one that everybody involved sees as mutually beneficial.
Art has played a role in aviation since before man could fly. The desire of humans to be airborne was so strong, in fact, that history is filled with sketches, drawings, and plans for aircraft. Whether it was Leonardo Da Vinci pouring out his genius onto parchment, or an anonymous 5th grader doodling during class, the sky and the machines that can take us there have a place in our hearts. They always have.
Lyons knows the appeal of the pencil, and the pen, and the brush. And he knows how to make the most of those tools as he works to express himself visually.
“I kind of piddled with it as a kid,” he acknowledges. Now, after more than 25 years as a professional artist specializing in aviation, his name is recognizable from coast to coast, and beyond.
“My dad was a B-24 bomber pilot in World War II,” he explains. “He got me hooked on airplanes early on.”
Like so many of us, that affection for aviation took many forms over the years. He built models as a kid, a talent that stuck with him over the years. So much so that Lyons eventually went on to own a hobby shop where he could build and paint model airplanes to his heart’s delight, while enjoying years worth of social interaction with his customers.
It was while he owned the hobby shop that Lyons first began to take the idea of becoming a full time artist seriously. The idea grew until it eventually became his reality. “I tell people I’m a 25-year overnight success,” he says, cheerfully.
The artist’s interest in aviation isn’t purely theoretical, however. He’s a pilot and knows what it feels like to live with the wind beneath your wings. He flew gliders initially, then transitioned into powered flight later on. He’s owned three Piper Cubs, a Stinson 108, and a Hatz biplane. Lyons doesn’t just paint aviation scenes, he feels them and challenges himself to bring that warmth and romance to life for the benefit of others who also might have dreams of flight.
Of classic airplanes Lyons says nostalgically, “That’s where my heart is.” A quick glance through his body of work confirms it. Lyons loves to paint tube and fabric classics, warbirds in flight, and gleaming aluminum fuselages that reflect the viewers soul every bit as accurately as the sunlight reflecting off them.
His latest piece is titled, “Amelia’s Wheels.” It depicts Amelia Earhart standing atop her Lockheed Vega after landing in Ireland at the completion of her solo Atlantic crossing (see separate story). The finished painting hangs in the Lyons’ home in Lakeland. “We have lots of Sam’s art hanging in our house,” says Mindy.
While Sam sketches, paints, and does research for each painting, Mindy acts as his affectionate and very capable business manager. “She’s in charge,” Sam jokes. In a more serious moment he suggests, “She’s a very big part of this thing.”
Lyon’s artwork is priced at up to $12,000 for a full size original painting. Less expensive options can put his art in your home for considerably fewer dollars, however. Prints can be had for as little as $35, with most limited edition prints priced at $145, and include the artist’s signature.
For more information: LyonsStudio.com
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The World Wide Web is expanding constantly and so is the demand for the best website on specific subjects. People are queuing up for good work. A few years ago people ordering for best website development had never even surfed the Internet. Today the buyer is tech savvy and wants the best website from developers and specifically calls for the kind of website needed.
Countries like China have partially opened there doors to net surfing. Nations in Africa have made enormous developments in providing connectivity to Internet surfers. India too is becoming a big market for web designing. There is a sudden boom in the trade of making the best website for various products and services.
New concepts in web designing are being used to attract visitors to web sites. A new popular creation is that of the horizontal website. This is navigated sideways and horizontally as compared to the accepted way of scrolling up and down. So if you are designing a web site then use horizontal navigation if you want it to win the best website award.
Another technique being used in the quest for the best website position is the use of bigger photos. This has been made possible by the growth of fast speed internet connections. Earlier big photographs were frowned upon because they took ages to open up. Today the ultra fast internet connections are allowing instant opening of pictorial downloads.
The search for new layouts has made the multi column layout as in a newspaper popular with web page designers. The format uses clicking to enlarge technique which does away with the extensive need to scroll down and read. Clicking on a subject leads to its enlargement and display which is easy to read for the visitor to a website. If you are aiming to make a best website for someone try this technique to modernise your web page.
Fast links between pages has also led to the simplification of web pages. They go a long way in creating an effect that can make yours the best website for any given subject. If one can jump from one page to another instantly then each page can be created with the least amount of clutter. Excessive graphics and illustrations with almost unreadable text lead to a flop in the website market.
An idea presented simply with perhaps one illustration or logo can go far in leaving a lasting impression. People have been the victims of overkill in the amount of information they receive from one single web page. It is time to simplify things and hold the attention of the visitor with sophistication rather than unseemly glitter. It is time to be different in the presentation of ideas. This can be the only path to making the best website for your assigned project.
One must not forget the text. The text for a future best website on a subject should be short and terse. It should give crisp explanations about everything instead of rambling about aimlessly.
A good sound track can be a great addition to the total impact of a website. Lingering music can add miles to the outlook of a page vying to become part of the best website for visuals and sound.
Thus the overall attraction of a website depends upon all the factors named above. All these added in the right proportions go a long way in making the best website on the internet.
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Bob Forsch, the only pitcher in St. Louis Cardinals history to throw two no-hitters, has died. He was 61.
Team spokesman Brian Bartow said Forsch, the third-winningest pitcher in franchise history, died Thursday at his home near Tampa, Fla. The cause of death wasn't immediately known.
The death came less than a week after Forsch threw out the first pitch at Game 7 of the World Series, a few hours before the Cardinals beat the Texas Rangers 6-2 to win the championship. Forsch was the stand-in for his longtime manager, Whitey Herzog, who is recovering from a fall that left him in a hospital for more than three weeks.
"I was supposed to throw out the first ball and was still on medicine, so they decided Forschie would do it," Herzog told the AP in a phone interview from his home in suburban St. Louis County. "We've kept in touch throughout the years. To drop dead like that, it's a real shock."
Forsch, a 6-foot-4 right-hander known for clutch performances in crucial games, played on three World Series teams in the 1980s under Herzog, and one of his three career postseason victories came against the Milwaukee Brewers in the Cardinals' 1982 World Series championship.
Forsch won 20 games in 1977 and twice was a 15-game winner, and had a career record of 168-136 with a 3.76 ERA. Forsch was an accomplished hitter, too, with a .213 career average and 12 home runs.
"We are deeply saddened by the sudden passing of Bob Forsch," chairman Bill DeWitt Jr. said. "Bob was a one of the best pitchers in the history of our organization and a valued member of the Cardinals family."
Forsch, who was a 26th- round draft pick of St. Louis in 1968, threw no-hitters in 1978 (Phillies) and 1983 (Expos). His older brother, Ken Forsch, threw a no-hitter for the Astros in 1979, making them the only brothers in major league history to pitch official no-hitters.
The younger Forsch is one of only 30 major league pitchers to throw at least two no-hitters, according to STATS LLC. His were the only two thrown at old Busch Stadium, where he won more games and pitched more innings than any other pitcher. In all, he won 163 games for the Cardinals from 1974 to 1988, trailing only Bob Gibson and Jesse Haines. He finished his career with the Astros in 1989.
Herzog said Forsch was well-liked for his bulldog toughness on the mound, and off the field as well. Herzog also said Forsch was one of the more sensible players on his roster.
"I was fortunate to have Bobby on my team," Herzog said. "He never missed a turn, pitched 200 innings each year. He'd take the ball, and he was a great competitor."
The last three years, Forsch was the pitching coach for the Cincinnati Reds' rookie league affiliate, the Billings Mustangs.
"He spent his entire life in baseball and touched many people both inside and outside the game," general manager Walt Jocketty said in a statement. "Over the last few seasons, he played an important part in the development of our young players.
"Our baseball operations staff and the players he touched will miss him.":
Survivors include Forsch's wife, Janice, and two daughters. Funeral arrangements were incomplete.
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Recent budget cuts have left cross plains elementary school with fewer staff.
Many teachers like Melissa Richards are feeling the brunt of it.
"It really hurts because not only did we lose teachers aides, but we've lost some teacher," said Melissa Richards, who teaches at the school.
So they began looking for a way to make up for the loss.
That's when the schools principal remembered a program the had as a kid where senior citizens volunteered to help teachers teach.
"I just remember them being so helpful," said Jeremy Williams, the principal at the school.
Now he's trying to implement the Foster Grandparent program at his own school.
"Right now I would be pleased to have one," said Williams.
"You know a lot of kids need that extra hug, or that extra pat on the back," said Richards.
There are a few challenges like volunteers have to serve 20- 40 hours a week as well as meet a minimum salary.
"And I think that a lot of people are just unaware of how beneficial it really could be," said Williams.
However, faculty aren't letting that get in the way.
"I'm going to keep fighting for this program to happen because our kids need them," said Williams.
Neither are the kids who've come to appreciate the extra help when it does come.
" I really like it because they just help me with words and help me understand," said Kiley Morgan
"And sometimes in those little tests they kind of give you hints," said Addie Webb
Because sometimes even the classroom can use a little tender care.
There is already one senior citizen who volunteers at the school, however its only for one hour a week and they're looking for people to commit a couple hours a day.
Faculty have already placed ads in the local newspaper and have now begun reaching out to the local senior citizens center for help.
The Big County Foster Grandparent program is based in Abilene, where there are currently a little less than 100 volunteer grandparents serving at various schools in the Key City.
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The SRTS National Conference Call for Session Proposals has been extended to Thursday, Feb. 21. Safe Routes practitioners are encouraged to contribute to the mix of plenaries, breakouts, workshops and peer-to-peer exchanges.
Think talk radio is just for radio? Think again. Walk Talk featured three experts who have overcome all manner of obstacles and barriers, and for one hour they devoted themselves to answering your thorniest SRTS questions.
The series of nine instructional briefing sheets for transportation practitioners will support transportation engineers and planners as they work to establish safer walking and bicycling routes near schools.
On Wednesday, Oct. 3, thousands of students, parents and communities representing more than 3,300 schools across the United Sates will walk and bicycle to school to celebrate International Walk to School Day.
Proud Part of Let's MoveFederal SRTS Program siteThis site is funded by the U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration and maintained by the National Center for Safe Routes to School within the University of North Carolina Highway Safety Research Center in partnership with the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, America Walks, the Governors Highway Safety Association, the Institute of Transportation Engineers, and Toole Design Group.
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endward, or not
So, I'm reading "Get Out of Gaol Free, or: How to Read a Comic Plot" by John Bruns (Journal of Narrative Theory, v.35 no.1, Winter 2005, pg. 25-60).
(Interesting: nanizyvanie, a term originating with Victor Shlovksy meaning form of fiction structure as "a stringing together" of episodes and short stories; in the case of Don Quixote, this results in paradoxical characters, and in the case of The Pickwick Papers, this results in 'finished' character who don't (need to) develop. This particularly interests me, because I am drawn to this narrative structure and am planning to write a piece which spans a good deal of time and experience using it - not that I had a name for it till now - so that I don't actually have to write a novel, because if I did then I wouldn't even start. It's not going to be a comic piece, however.)
Bruns thinks that "a novelistic plot demands that we, as readers, must always be moving endward, in a more or less rectilinear fashion, towards resolution, closure, and understanding" (as opposed to another understanding of the genre of novel as "a way of enabling characers to engage in lively dialogues to which the reader can then respond".) "The comic plot, however," Bruns goes on to say, "has no demands, save one: that the reader must always be moving somewhere, moving anywhere. In the comic plot, characters needs not be understood - their movement alone can be the object of the reader's desire". Quoting Thomas McFarland, "Tragic plot or mythos is burdened with the large task of revealing tragic character. Comic plot, questions of character settled beforehand in the comic typology, becomes frolicsome and restive, complex and mazelike."
But what about novels like Moby Dick and Uncle Tom's Cabin? The reader moves endward, most certainly, and the characters are revealed. But there is humor within both novels. Within a non-comic novel, does comedy become part of the non-comic structure, functioning to reveal the characters and bring the reader endward toward understanding? And then the question becomes one of how does the comedy reveal and move ...
I am moving toward the conclusion that humor is such an endlessly utterly protean strategy that every mobilization*
Also: end = understanding. When you understand, there is an end of movement, of development.
*By mobilization ... I mean that every single joke in Uncle Tom's Cabin need not be interpreted individually, not only because that would be ridiculously time-consuming but also because each single joke does not represent one unit, one mobilization of humor. There are multiple mobilizations however. The humorous elements attendant on Topsy and the humorous elements attendant on Augustine St. Claire represent separate mobilizations. Perhaps the Topsy mobilization is part of a larger mobilization attendant on almost all the black characters (Uncle Tom usually not and then near the beginning, Cassy never I think).
And each mobilization reveals something in Uncle Tom's Cabin. As mobilized by Augustine (his ironical observations on the state of things), it reveals Augustine as the avatar of a particular attitude and reaction toward slavery.
But avatar sounds like archetype, like an unchanging pre-established figure, which is a quality of comedy. If this were a stylistically more sophisticated novel ... and yet, other serious novels which use comedic elements - Dead Babies by Martin Amis, Catch-22 by Joseph Heller, anything by Kurt Vonnegut - do not have characters one can imagine having a conversation with. Non-comedic novels using comedic archetypes ... is Augustine like Falstaff, then? Falstaff is the Braggart Soldier, and he has been around since the earliest Western comedic traditions. Or is Augustine like an archetype, functioning like an archetype with Uncle Tom's Cabin, but not functioning that way anywhere else? Because UTC is moving the reader toward a particular end and thus must use particular archetypes - a 'particular archetype' being a contradiction, in the usual sense of the word 'archetype'. Archetypes specific to UTC. Hence, avatar.
I feel like I'm wandering through the thickets of the funny, going foward but without any idea of how to map them.
So anyway, avatars. Do all novels have avatars? Or is this quality particular to serious novels which use comedic strategies? My favorite characters are the ones which live in my head after I stop reading the story. I want to make Topsy one of those characters, because I don't like what she is an avatar of in UTC, and because she seems salvageable - she might yet be a (fictional) person.
But if (fictional) people and archetypes both live outside their novels, then what's the difference? The archetype lives unchangingly; the (fictional) person does change. Ok, and I'm being very strongly influenced by the practice and culture of fanfic writing here, and the fact that certain books and movies and so on inspire much more fanfic than others, and why. Some very good stuff has little or no fanfic - but it could, it's not a matter of quantity, never mind that, it's about potential. One might write fanfic for The Pickwick Papers, but for Mr. Pickwick to remain the comedic!Pickwick he must not change, he must not move to an end. If I were to write Pickwick's death, would he stop being comedic!Pickwick? Actually, I think it's possible to write Pickwick's death either way, as comedic and and as not. Because it's not about content, it's about the delivery.
Topsy changes! And stops being funny ... she still speaks in dialect, there's still something vaguely ridiculous and foolish about her reasoning.
Speaking of moving endward, or rather not ...
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Hi guys, Took this picture of a crow a few months ago. Would love some feed back!
The photo lacks definition especially on the breast of the crow. We are unable to see any detail of the plumage and the lighting on your subject is not optimum. Since this bird is difficult in the first place to properly photograph and has very reflective shiny feather properties, its best not photo'd in any direct sun but more even or shaded light. I would also avoid using B&W processing with this subject as it buries it even more into the limited 256 gray colors that are available in your image. Stick with color.
Corvids certainly aren't easy to photograph in dierect sunlight, but it can be done. I would crop for composition on the right, but you do have an interesting pose, showing a little personality. Here's one I took a couple of years ago in sunlight.Carrion Crow
by Kernuak (avalonlightphotoart.co.uk)
, on Flickr
Thank you for the feed back. I will try to hunt them down on a more overcast day! As you said the direct sunlight washed out the reflective properties on its feathers which is why I converted to BW sine the background green was rather over powering, or at least I thought so when I looked at it. This fellow was very play full but unfortunately I had limited time to take photos due to having to stand in the middle of a tax stand/round about.
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Helping Michigan's Hardest Hit Homeowners
Michigan State Housing Development Authority (MSHDA) has launched a plan to distribute federal funds to help tens of thousands of Michigan households avoid foreclosure.
For more information and to see if you qualify for assistance, visit www.stepforwardmichigan.org or call MSHDA toll-free at (866) 946-7432.
Help for struggling homeowners is here!
A state law that went into effect in 2009 provides a 90-day lifeline to families in danger of losing their home. Under the new law, lenders must work with you to avoid foreclosure.
Here's what you need to do.
First, open all mail from your lender. If you're behind on your payments in this tough economy and are at risk of foreclosure, you will receive a notice in the mail explaining your right to work with both your lender and a certified housing counselor.
Second, call a housing counselor immediately. You have 30 days from the date the notice was mailed to contact a housing counselor or your local legal aid office or the agent designated by your lender in the notice. A list of certified housing counselors should be included with your initial notice.
Third, start working with your lender and housing counselor to come to a solution. You have 90 days from the date you contacted your housing counselor to come to an agreement with your lender about your loan if you opt in to the program and complete the steps as outlined in your notice.
Foreclosures tear apart families, neighborhoods and communities. Let's put an end to the housing crisis and stop the foreclosure epidemic once and for all.
Beware of scams!
Unscrupulous thieves and con artists frequently try to prey on homeowners who are trying to avoid foreclosure. Be on the lookout for these common scams:
"Foreclosure Prevention Specialists" who ask for large fees to negotiate with your lender in order to save your home. You do not need to pay someone to speak to your lender on your behalf. If a housing counselor asks for payment, find another housing counselor.
The "lease/buy back," where homeowners are tricked into signing over the deed to their home based on a promise that they'll be able to remain in the home as a renter and buy the home back later. These terms end up being so difficult to meet that the homeowners aren't able to repurchase their homes. Do not sign over the deed to your home.
The "bait and switch," where homeowners are tricked into signing over the deed to their homes when scammers convince them that they're entering into a new mortgage agreement. Read everything carefully before you sign it.
If you have any questions about these scams or concerns about your housing counselor, feel free to contact MSHDA at (866) 946-7432, or on the Web at www.michigan.gov/mshda.
Sign up for my E-newsletter Updates
Thank you for visiting my website.
I’m State Representative George T. Darany, and I serve Michigan’s 15th House District.
As your State Representative, I am committed to working on behalf of Dearborn residents to clean up state government so that it works for us. If you need assistance regarding unemployment benefits, foreclosure assistance and or any other state issue, feel free to contact me. I am here to work for you and your family.
State Representative George T. Darany
15th House District
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The Community of Disc Golfers and About All Things Disc Golf
Can someone please explain to me in what circumstance this is a good addition to a tournament?
so the quibbling is over the arbitrary designation of 2 meters as the rule?
I can understand that...in other words, why not penalize for being 0.5 meters off the playing surface?
personally I think there should be a penalty for a disc stuck in a tree and I think making that penalty begin at a height that is above what a typical person could reach is a good place to start...
the logic has to be height off the ground and to establish that some arbitrary height must be established...no way around that...what I don't want to see, and what the 2-meter rule serves to temper, is golfers throwing high into a tree that sits right above the pin and having their disc get stuck 40-50 feet directly over the pin and NOT getting a penalty for that...
if you get your disc stuck in a tree over a certain height (height to be established by the ruling body by whatever criteria they determine) you should get a penalty for that...
Disc golfers have different experiences. I have NEVER seen a disc stuck over 2 meters high near the basket, and I've played and seen an awful lot of disc golf. I'm sure it happens on courses somewhere. But I've seen plenty of discs stuck in trees away from the green.
There are other solutions to penalize someone purposely throwing into trees over the basket, if that's what you want to do, other than apply the rule broadly to the other 99% of discs stuck in trees.
Why shouldn't you get a penalty for laying up under the basket rather than going for the chains on every throw? It's a strategy choice. If the designer doesn't want shots over the top to be allowed then design it so it's not a feasible shot from the tee or have some risk involved that's consistent and not lucky like the 2-meter penalty.
For example, mark an OB area on the ground that's 30-40 feet away from the pin that any throw might reach whether the throw comes from a low height down the fairway or over the top. Each route has similar risk/reward in terms of the overall accuracy of the throw but it's possible the straight route becomes more predictable than over the top due to pinball dispersion leading to more OB. If the disc ends up in the tree over the OB area, the shot is OB no matter what height and you don't need a measuring stick.
Ok, at least "not on the playing surface" is an argument I hadn't thought of. Not a convincing one, though. Perhaps the 2-meter threshhold was where most people could easily reach and remove a disc, as opposed to standing under a tree hurling stones at it.
Penalties for out-of-bounds make sense, to keep people from throwing truly out of bounds (busy highway, neighbor's yard, etc.) or into places where the disc can't be played (deep water), and have since been used by designers to heighten the strategy. I just don't see a similar rationale for stuck-in-tree, unless someone's planted cedar trees in places to strategically catch discs.
if you think about it, a 2-meter rule actually encourages skillful play...if you don't want to get a tree penalty, DON'T THROW YOUR DISC INTO A TREE...this is exactly the same as, if you don't want to get an OB penalty, don't throw your disc out of bounds...
now, if we want to eliminate luck, and say this is all about skill, then instances I've seen in which somebody has thrown a disc OB, and the disc hit something OB (like a moving vehicle, which I have seen happen more than once) and bounced back in bounds, saving them a penalty, we should actually be giving them a penalty in this case b/c only by "luck" did they end up in bounds in those situations...their skill on that particular shot left much to be desired...same thing if somebody shanks a drive well off target, hits a tree hard, and ricochets to end up parked by the basket...it wasn't "skill" that put them there in that case it was "luck" but should we take that shot away b/c we want to eliminate the luck element as much as possible?
actually, chuck, it depends on the tree...there is one tree on my home course w/ a basket sometimes positioned behind it...in my 5 years of playing there I have seen 2 discs get stuck in that tree...if you throw a disc and it gets stuck in that tree, bad luck...other trees catch discs all the time...if you drop through one of those trees, good luck to you...the penalty, however, is entirely consistent...if you get stuck in a tree above 2-meters, it's a penalty, all the time...that's as consistent as it gets...
if you throw into a tree, any tree, on purpose or on accident, you, as the thrower, are bringing the element of "luck" more into play than you would otherwise, b/c once your disc goes into the tree you can't control whether it falls to the ground or gets stuck...don't blame the trees for being inconsistent b/c they don't catch every disc...blame the throwers who throw their discs into the trees...when you throw your disc into a tree, and it gets stuck higher than 2-meters, you deserve a penalty for either taking a risky shot and throwing it in there on purpose or for making a bad shot and throwing it in there on accident...
Flying thru and around trees and other obstacles are as much a part of the game as the variety of ground cover a disc might encounter upon landing, skipping and rolling. They are no more or less special nor should be more special as obstacles in the game than anything else. The 2-meter rule simply adds a fluky penalty element that is unnecessary to the penalty of hitting any vertical obstacle that's part of the game. And to add salt in the wound, the height is arbitrarily set at 2 meters. Bad game structure all the way around.
As I pointed out before, there are certain trees like cedars where a more fair 2m penalty might make sense because they have a high rate of catching discs. If they are located off the fairway where the shot is already off line, I'm okay with a 2 meter penalty. But frankly, my preference would be to make every shot trapped by the cedars a penalty if the disc is not touching the playing surface. No magic line at 2 meters. Then, a bad throw in that direction gets penalized more like throwing OB. That rule tweak would require a waiver from the PDGA.
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A major New York publisher sent a review copy of a much touted novel called "If Jack's In Love." Because I write about the South and because this book had won the Willie Morris Award for Southern Fiction, the book's publicist followed up with an email.
Since this column runs in Yazoo City, Miss., hometown and burial site of Morris, I decided to give the book a look in deference to the Southern literary legend. Surprisingly, it was the author's biography that caught my attention rather than the sprawling words between the pages. I must share it with you:
A high school dropout, Stephen Wetta, grew up in the '60s and '70s, drank, used drugs, got in financial trouble, and spent far too much time reading and writing. He knocked around for years at different jobs, didn't like any of them and got sober without wanting to. Somehow he wound up with a Ph.D. and worked for 10 years as an adjunct. His academic career was singularly undistinguished, and he was eventually hired full time by a school that couldn't get rid of him. Shortly afterward he was jailed for tax evasion. "If Jack's In Love" is his first novel.
This is the bravest, boldest, most original biography of any kind I've ever read, especially for an author. Usually author bios, especially those of literary writers, are buttoned-up and scholarly. I applaud a man interesting enough to compose a bio like this. However, I doubted its truth. I figured that the bio was another product of good fiction writing.
The director of publicity for the book's publisher, Berkley, is an acquaintance so I emailed him and asked, "Is this true? Was he really jailed for tax evasion?"
My admiration for his honesty about his dishonesty grew. But I have this to say: His mama must not be alive. Wetta, raised in Richmond, Va., is Southern so I assume his mother was, too. And, this much I know: Southern mothers care deeply about what other people think about their children. One of the great philosophies that Mama raised us by was, "What will people think?" If she ever thought we were contemplating something untoward, she would put her foot down and say, "No, you're not. What will people think?"
One Sunday when I was about 15, we were going out to lunch after church. For some reason, we stopped by home first. I headed toward my bedroom, saying, "I'm going to change clothes. I'm gonna put on pants."
Oh my. Mama hit the ceiling. She charged into my room and said, "No, you're not. You leave your dress on. Do you hear me? You're not changin' into pants."
I was completely puzzled. "Why?"
Hers was Southern motherly logic. "Because everyone who sees you will think you haven't been to church." Women and girls did not wear pants to church in those days. "I care what people think."
"Well, I don't. I've been to church, I know I have and that's what matters." That is what my mama called "sassing" and it, like wearing pants to church, was not permitted. I stayed in my dress and Mama left the room, mumbling, "What will people think?"
A few years ago when I appeared on a television segment about Southern women, I told a funny Mama story. I thought nothing about it until I saw the segment on the night it ran. It didn't seem as funny as it did when I said it. "Uh oh," I muttered. I called Mama, who, too, had seen it.
"I'm gonna pinch your head off," she said, half teasing, half serious. "I can't believe you said that on television." She paused. "What will people think?"
Knowing how Southern mothers are, I just don't believe that Mr. Wetta's mama is still alive. If she is, though, I am clapping and cheering for him.
He's even bolder and braver than I thought.
Ronda Rich is the best-selling author of "There's A Better Day A-Comin'." Visit www.rondarich.com to sign up for her weekly newsletter.
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Sunday, October 02, 2011
His philosophical method:
Is it possible to grow a worthy cosmology by attending closely to our encounters with other creatures, and with the elemental textures and contours of our locale? We are by now so accustomed to the cult of expertise that the very notion of honoring and paying heed to our directly felt experience of things—of insects and wooden floors, of broken-down cars and bird-pecked apples and the scents arising from the soil—seems odd and somewhat misguided as a way to find out what’s worth knowing. (Introduction, p4)
It is for the reader to judge whether his declared method is possible or not. I must confess to bias. What he describes is an approach I already seemed to have blindly stumbled upon: so naturally I’m in favour of it. I embrace it eagerly, like a stranger meeting a fellow-traveller who knows the road.
Some might claim that this is a book of solitudes. For I’ve chosen to concentrate on those moments in a day or a life when one slips provisionally beneath the societal surge of forces, those occasions (often unverbalized and hence overlooked) when one comes more directly into felt relation with the wider, more-than-human community of beings that surrounds and sustains the human hubbub. (Introduction, p9)
Solitary immersion in nature, as I’ve experienced, is a way to leave one world and enter another, by leaving behind some of the baggage that stops us seeing for ourselves.
Learning from other animals:
How easy it is for inherited concepts to stifle our senses! So often we assume that other animals are not conscious—that birds, for example, lack real intelligence, since their brains (or their “brain-body ratios”) are so much smaller than ours....
“Other animals, in a constant and mostly unmediated relation with their sensory surroundings, think with the whole of their bodies. (“The Discourse of the Birds”, p188)
The meaning of inner space:
In truth, it’s likely that our solitary sense of inwardness (our experience of an interior mindscape to which we alone have access) is born of the forgetting, or sublimation, of a much more ancient interiority that was once our common birthright—the ancestral sense of the the surrounding earthly cosmos as the voluminous inside of an immense Body, or Tent, or Temple. For the ancient Egyptians and Mesopotamians, the vault of the sky was considered the canopy of an enormous tent held up by the mountains that rise at the boundaries of the world....
... And so, when Copernicus and his followers wrecked this Aristotelian image of the cosmos, Western civilization suffered the dissolution of the last, long-standing version of that huge interior. (“Mood”, pp154,155)
Abram considers that the Aristotelian cosmology was “a refined instance of the same [Babylonian] notion”. We are cradled in the world, the centre of our own universe. We are not terrified by its immensity, not like Pascal: “The eternal silence of these infinite spaces terrifies me.” That dehumanisation of the cosmos we owe to Copernicus, whose influence on our perceived world Abram blames for our modern notion of a private inner universe of thought.
It is only natural that psychological qualities fled from this open exteriority in the wake of the Copernican revolution, taking refuge in the private space now assumed to exist inside each individual. Feelings and moods are mercurial powers; they require at least a provisional sense of enclosure to hold them. (“Mood”, p156)
The feelings that move us—the frights and yearnings that color our days, the flights of fancy that sometimes seize us, the creativity that surges through us—all are born of the ongoing interchange between our life and the wider Life that surrounds us. They are no more ours than they are the Earth’s. (“Mood”, p157-8)
In response to my last post, Bryan has put up a new post on the question of immortality called Dust to Dust. John Myste has responded to his with a post called The Minds of the Dead. I felt sure that Abram said something about immortality too, but I haven’t been able to find it. I’ve already expressed what I think about it in two comments on Bryan’s post, and to date one on John’s. If I find something by Abram on the topic I’ll append it.
Posted by Vincent at 8:01 pm
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The Phantom - 1 The Story of the Phantom
An introduction to the story as the 21st Phantom deals with the passing of his father and inherits the mantle. Also the story of growing up, including the time Julie became the Phantom. So some interesting bits here.
3 out of 5
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A Melody of Health and Hope
With the help of popular Ugandan singer and composer Sylver Kyagulanyi, Foundation staff in Uganda created an inspiring song about health, hope, and the prevention of HIV/AIDS. Listen to the song on our Web site.
Support a Year of Progress
Help us to ensure another year of prevention, care, and treatment for those infected and affected by HIV/AIDS by donating to the Foundation. It's not too late to double the impact of your 2009 gift. February is "Matching Gifts Month," so remember to contact your employer to find out how they will match your contribution to the Foundation. With every generous gift, we make progress towards our ultimate goal: a generation free of HIV. Donate now.
Our Hero: Webkinz
Webkinz World™, the popular children's virtual world, has developed the Caring Valley™ initiative to teach children about child-focused charities in a fun environment. As part of the program, Webkinz Foundation will donate $1 million among the participating charities, including the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation. Read more.
Dancing for Donations!
This past weekend Columbia University hosted its annual "Up For the Fight" Dance Marathon, that raised more than $47,000 for the Foundation. Special student events like these increase awareness of the pediatric AIDS epidemic and raise support for our continued global commitment to families affected by HIV/AIDS. University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and Baldwin-Wallace College will play host to Dance Marathons in February:
UCLA: February 13-14
Baldwin-Wallace: February 27
Forward to a Friend
Know someone who might be interested in the Foundation's lifesaving work? Send this email!
Children at an EGPAF-supported Ariel Children's Camp, Kigali, Rwanda - December 2009. Photo courtesy of James Pursey.
Charles (Chip) Lyons joined the Foundation as president and CEO this month, bringing with him years of experience and dedication to children's health, HIV/AIDS, and global development. In his inaugural President's Message, Chip writes:
The Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation is Proud to Welcome Charles 'Chip' Lyons as New President and CEO
"A new year is always a time for change. But this new year is especially significant for me personally, as I joined the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation as President and CEO on January 4.
It is an exciting time to be here. The world continues to unite behind extraordinary international commitments to curtail the HIV/AIDS epidemic, and more and more of the world's leaders recognize that creating a generation free of HIV must be our collective priority."
Read more from Chip's President's Message here.
On January 15, a landmark report was submitted to the U.S. Congress providing recommendations to scale-up services to prevent mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) of HIV. The report delivers expert findings from PMTCT leaders around the world, including members of the Foundation, and offers insight on both past successes, and information critical to preventing future infections. Read more.
Congressionally-Mandated PMTCT Expert Panel Report Highlights Successes and Challenges Ahead
A woman receives HIV care and treatment at an EGPAF-supported clinic in Tanzania - February 2009. Photo courtesy of Nigel Barker, LLC.
As of June 30, 2009, the Foundation provided close to eight million pregnant women with the medicines they need to help prevent transmission of HIV to their infants, according to newly released data. For more information on EGPAF's international progress, click here.
Numbers Speak Louder than Words
With Mickey Mouse ears in hand, several Foundation staffers travelled to Nairobi, Kenya, to participate in a leadership training led by the Disney Institute. The training brought together 64 Foundation employees to discuss strategies, challenges, and shared goals within the organization. The Walt Disney Company, the parent organization of the Disney Institute, is a valued partner of the Foundation's, acting as the title sponsor of our annual A Time for Heroes Celebrity Picnic, including the upcoming event in 2010. Read more about Disney's longtime support of the Foundation here.
The Foundation Participates in Disney Leadership Training in Nairobi
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An army of missionaries serve in the Family and Church History Mission, and each missionary has a story of service and sacrifice.
Church headquarters in Salt Lake City, Utah, is home to a one-of-a-kind mission that specializes in helping further the work of family history and Church history. Currently, it is made up of 325 full-time missionaries and 850 Church service missionaries, whose average age is 70-plus years. They come from around the world, and no matter what their skills, they receive one-on-one training geared to their individual needs.
“Our missionaries feel that this is the most spiritual work they have ever done,” says Elder Cree-L Kofford, president of this mission. “It is a place of warm friendship, spiritual experiences, and a feeling that you are making a difference. That is why one missionary, widowed just a few months before coming on her mission, said at her exit interview: ‘I came to heal and to learn, and I did.’”
Following are the stories of a few of these missionaries.
[photos] Photography by Christina Smith, except as noted
[photo] Below foreground, left to right: The Family and Church History Mission presidency—Noal T. Greenwood, first counselor, and his wife, Claudine; President Cree-L Kofford and his wife, Ila; Priscilla Crockett with her husband, second counselor Richard C. Crockett—with some of the 1,100 missionaries.
[photo] Photography of clouds by Craig Dimond
[photo] Above: Sister Grace Chan (right) and Wendy Jyang Shamo look through a rare history handwritten in Chinese. Sister Chan has helped many patrons find their Chinese ancestors. She remembers when she was able to help an elderly Chinese gentleman from California because she had become aware of a book on the Zhao family while helping a young lady from New York four months earlier. She says of the experience: “I loaded the microfilm and turned on the reader in the late afternoon. Regardless of how busy my day has been, a calm settles on me when I am going through those names. I felt like crying when I found the ancestor of the elderly Chinese gentleman—Zhao Yufang of the Fushi village.”
Sister Chan wants older Chinese patrons to know that the library has technology that allows them to enter Chinese characters into a computer by writing the characters on a tablet. The library also has phones that allow deaf patrons to call in and receive help over a videophone.
[photo] Right: Antonia de la Cruz (in flowered dress) of Nuevo León, Mexico, and her niece Lydia (pointing) help Jenny Suñiga Muñoz with family history. Dedicated to family history since she was a young woman, Antonia has volunteered at the Family History Library for nearly 30 years. In addition, she and her husband have researched and submitted names and helped perform temple ordinances for more than 100,000 of their ancestors.
[photo] Above: Sister Yukiko Sakuno serves in the Family History Library and helps Japanese Americans with their research. She also translates Japanese records into English because the old koseki (family registry) and the old Chinese characters are complicated. “I love this work,” she says, “because it makes me feel like I am in the Elijah spirit.”
A widow, Sister Sakuno says of her husband, “Before he died he said, ‘Whether I live or not, we are going to go on a mission together.’ We felt then as if we were together in a rainstorm of love. He showed me how to live, how to die, and how to love. Now, I feel we are serving as missionaries together.”
[photo] Right: Sister Nellie Leighton is often the first person you see when you enter the Family History Library, since she sits just inside the door to help direct visitors. On April 15, 1998, a mentally unstable man came into the library and began shooting. He shot Sister Leighton in the jaw at point blank range. She survived severe wounds, which healed without a scar. Once healed, she showed great courage by returning to her seat at the entrance of the library, where she has served ever since.
“I really feel Heavenly Father saved me so I could help encourage retired Latter-day Saints to serve missions,” she says. “Serving a senior mission is like being dipped in a big pot of love. You love those you serve with and those you work with. There is no better way to set an example for our children and grandchildren.”
[photo] Left: Dressed as Mary Jane Dilworth, Salt Lake City’s first schoolteacher, Wilna Holt serves as a docent at the Museum of Church History and Art. Standing in front of the first log cabin built in the Salt Lake Valley, Sister Holt tells children how Mary Jane Dilworth taught school in a tent in the fort built when the pioneers first arrived. Sister Holt has been volunteering for 20 years.
[photo] Below far left: Though Elder Mitchell Curtis has limited use of his fingers, he is skilled and accurate at data entry using a computer mouse. He is part of a team of missionaries that help process names for the temple. Elder Curtis contracted muscular dystrophy as a child and feared he would not be able to serve a mission, since missionaries need to be self-reliant. However, his parents have provided the needed support. Grateful for his opportunity to serve, Elder Curtis says, “No matter what your challenges are, if you have a desire to serve, the Lord will find a place for you. He will bless you to be able to do what is needed.”
[photo] Above left: Missionaries provide invaluable service at the Church’s family history archives located in the Granite Mountain Record vault in Little Cottonwood Canyon. (Photograph of Granite Mountain Record Vault by Eldon Linschoten)
[photo] Left: Sister Claudia Shelton, who has a terminal illness, feels that her life has been prolonged so she can continue to serve as a docent in the Museum of Church History and Art.
[photo] Right: Missionaries Gerald and Peggy Gudmundson work behind the scenes tracking art and artifacts in the archives of the Museum of Church History and Art, but their influence is far-reaching. “Seeing the artifacts of the Church teaches Church history and builds testimonies,” says Brother Gudmundson. “It overlaps into missionary work.” When the Gudmundsons started six years ago, they called their blended family of 27 grandchildren and 16 great-grandchildren together for a family home evening and visited the museum. “This work keeps me mentally and physically active,” says Brother Gudmundson, who is also an artist. “And it’s fun.”
[photo] Right, below: Sister Jo Clark’s missionary service includes careful repair and conservation of historical fabric items, such as shawls, silk dresses, and lace. She is shown here repairing the taffeta in a pioneer child’s dress. “I have always loved to sew,” she says. “I like to see how a dress was made, inside and out, and the beauty of the needlework. It gives me a glimpse into the past, and I can imagine how people used to live.”
[photo] Far right: Whether it was repairing old cars or restoring furniture, Harold Mackelprang has worked with his hands his entire life, so he is well placed working in the conservation lab of the Museum of Church History and Art. “It’s a special place,” he says. “Handling the artifacts that belonged to Joseph Smith and other early prophets gives me respect and admiration for them. It has made me more aware of what they and the early pioneers faced.”
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- Consider Mediation
- Location and Telephone Number
- Filing Your Claim and the Open Court System
- Monetary Limits
- Web Sites to Help you File a Claim
- Hearings Before Temporary Judges
- What to Expect in Court
- If You are the Defendant
These web pages are designed to make your journey through the Small Claims process a little less intimidating. You will find helpful information here as well as links to other helpful Web sites.
In Small Claims court, disputes are settled in a fair, quick, and inexpensive manner. You may ask a lawyer for advice before you go to court; however, you may not have a lawyer represent you in court. The rules are fairly simple and the hearing is informal. You may even ask for mediation the day of your trial.
An alternative to formal litigation in the court is the use of a mediator to resolve Small Claims disputes. Mediators are appointed by the Human Rights/Fair Housing Commission - external link. Their purpose is to assist parties in finding a mutually agreeable solution, and then assist them in writing the terms of the agreement as an enforceable contract. All parties must mutually agree to mediation, and the formal rules of court do not apply to the mediation process. Parties may contact the Mediator's Office to make arrangements for mediation before the court hears their case. Alternatively, the court will give parties an opportunity to meet with a mediator at the time of trial.
- Instead of a judge, you decide the outcome of your case
- You can discuss many issues that may not be admitted in court
The party filing the claim is the plaintiff.
The person being sued is the defendant.
If you are the defendant and are filing a Claim of Defendant, you will remain the defendant and the plaintiff will remain the plaintiff.
The Small Claims court clerks can answer many kinds of questions and provide the forms you need; however, they are prohibited by law from giving legal advice. The Small Claims Advisory Clinic provides legal advice free of charge to both the plaintiff and the defendant.
If you choose Small Claims court to resolve a dispute and you are the plaintiff, you give up the right to have another court review the Small Claims judge's decision. In other words, the plaintiff has no right of appeal. So if you should lose, that is probably the end of the case. However, the person or entity you sue (defendant) may appeal the judge's ruling. When such an appeal is filed, the entire case will be heard again.
Location and Telephone Number
The Carol Miller Justice Center is located at 301 Bicentennial Circle. Small Claims offices are located on the 2nd floor. The courtrooms are located on the 3rd floor. The telephone number is 916-875-7514. There is a $2.00 parking fee for 2 hours and $8.00 maximum charge per day.
Filing Your Claim and the Open Court System
Small Claims court uses a computerized system called the Open Court System. This means no paper files. Everything you file regarding your case from beginning to end will be scanned into a computer. To file, you may come to our site and file your claim in person. You will be filing the claim on the Open Court System. The computer will ask you a series of questions which will allow it to fill out the form for you. It is that simple. You will receive your documents within minutes.
Information Needed to File a Small Claim
- Are you the plaintiff or defendant?
- Do you know where you must file your claim? See Choosing the Correct Court.
- Have you had an arbitration of an attorney-client fee dispute?
- Know the dollar amount of your claim.
- You must first ask the defendant(s) for the money or property to satisfy your claim.
- Know the reason why you are suing the other party.
- If you are a minor, you will need a guardian and they need to fill out and file the Guardian Ad Litem form.
- If you are a business, a corporation, association, a partnership, or sole proprietorship, what is your fictitious business number and its expiration date?
- Know whether the defendant is an individual, an individual doing business as, a corporation, a partnership or a government agency.
- If the defendant is a minor, you must find out the name of the defendant's guardian.
- If the defendant is a business or government agency, you should know who the agent for service of process is (the legal representative of the organization to be notified of the suit.)
- Are any of the defendants in the military service as defined in Section 101 of the Soldiers and Sailors' Relief Act of 1940?
If you would rather file from home and you have a computer and an e-mail address, you can file through Electronic filing. There is no waiting in line. If you would like further information, please call 916-875-4187, Monday through Friday, between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 4:00 p.m.
If the only way you can file is through the mail, you may access the Judicial Council's Web site - external link for forms.
If you live in Sacramento County and would like to obtain forms through the mail, you must submit a request for forms, along with a large self-addressed, stamped manila envelope. Please send your request to the following address:
Sacramento County Small Claims Court
301 Bicentennial Circle
Sacramento, CA 95826-2701
If you live out of Sacramento County, you may obtain forms by mail.
The Small Claims court has a monetary limit, called a jurisdictional limit, on the amount of money damages that can be claimed. Usually, the most "a natural person" can ask for is $10,000; however, you are limited to filing no more than two claims anywhere in the State of California for over $2,500 in one calendar year. You may file an unlimited amount of claims for $2,500 or less.
The party who has filed the case must cause the legal documents to be served upon the other party. If this service is not done correctly, the court will require the plaintiff to re-serve the papers correctly before the case can be heard in front of a judge.
The following instructions will assist you in proceeding with your claim. Failure to comply with these instructions may result in a delay or in your claim being dismissed.
This must be completed at least 15 days prior to the court date if the defendant is in Sacramento County or at least 20 days prior if the defendant is outside of Sacramento County.
Sometimes it is not possible to locate the actual party named on the legal document. In this case, it is legal and proper to leave the claim with another adult at the defendant's home, or with someone who is in charge at the defendant's usual place of business. These documents must be in an envelope bearing the name of the defendant, and the server must state that the papers are for a legal case. In this situation, the documents must be served at least 25 days prior to the court date if the defendant is in Sacramento County or at least 30 days prior to the court date if the defendant is outside Sacramento County. At this point, the person who served the documents must also mail the second copy of the claim to the defendant at the exact same address where the first copy was left. This is to be done with the first class mail, postage pre-paid. No other form of mail is permitted.
- Marshall, Sheriff, or Constable in the county where the defendant lives or does business. If you choose this method, you must then contact the Sheriff's Department for further instructions. It is your responsibility to insure that the completed proof of service be returned to the Small Claims court prior to the scheduled court date.
- Private process server (a listing of process servers may be found in the yellow pages under process serving. If you choose this method, you must make arrangements with the process server of your choice. It is your responsibility to insure that the completed proof of service be returned to the Small Claims court prior to the scheduled court date.
- By anyone at least 18 years of age who is not a party to the action. They must fill out a proof of service form and it is your responsibility to insure that the completed proof of service be returned to the Small Claims court prior to the scheduled court date.
- You must pay the court to do service by certified mail. You may not send the certified mail yourself.
Web Sites to Help You File a Claim
The Small Claims Advisory Clinic - external link has its own Web site which will give you the information you will need to file your claim. You may also need to take action to enforce the judgment. While a Small Claims court judgment carries legal weight, it may be difficult to collect. Collecting a judgment is one of the most challenging aspects of any lawsuit. The Small Claims advisors will be able to give you suggestions on how to collect your judgment. Neither the court nor the Small Claims Advisory Clinic will collect the judgment for you.
The California Department of Consumer Affairs - external link also has a Web site with useful information to help you file your claim. This site also contains information about how to collect the judgment.
Hearings Before Temporary Judges
The Small Claims court uses temporary judges to hear the cases. A temporary judge is an attorney who has been licensed to practice law in California for a minimum of five years and who volunteers to assist the court by hearing certain cases. They meet the same minimum qualifications as a judge or commissioner. The temporary judge is required to take a training program before hearing cases.
You do not have to agree to have your case heard by a temporary judge. If you wait until your court date to request a judge or commissioner of the Superior Court, your case will be continued to a date when one is available and this may delay your case.
If you do know at the time of filing your claim you are not willing to have a temporary judge hear your case, let the clerk know so they can schedule your court date on a day and time when a judge or commissioner is available.
If you are the defendant and you know prior to your court date that you are willing to have a temporary judge hear your case, contact the clerk's office in writing to have the case heard by a judge or commissioner.
What to Expect in Court
- Children are not allowed in the courtroom, so you should not bring them with you. There is a supervised children's waiting room on the first floor of the courthouse and you may leave children who are at least 2-1/2 and toilet-trained there while you are in court. There is no charge for this service. Younger children may use this facility as well, but you will need to have a friend or relative stay with the infant.
- Come to court organized and prepared.
- Arrive promptly at your assigned court time; if you arrive later, your case may be heard without you.
- Bring enough photocopies of all your evidence for each party and the judge.
- Any original copies submitted to the judge the day of trial may not be returned to you. Any documents you leave with the court are destroyed. They are not kept in a file or scanned into the computer.
- Bring all your witnesses.
- An informational video will be shown at the beginning of the calendar.
- Mediation will be explained and offered to those parties interested.
- Roll will be taken and the cases will be divided between two courtrooms.
- If both parties are present, meaning both the plaintiff and the defendant, you will be asked to go into the hallway to exchange and review any documents that will be submitted to the judge as evidence. This must be done prior to the case being heard.
- Have all your documents ready and in chronological order when your case is called.
- There will be several cases assigned to the same time as yours so you may have to wait to hear your case heard.
- You may be asked to sign a stipulation allowing a temporary judge to hear your case. If you do not wish to have a temporary judge hear your case, your case may be continued to a date when there is a commissioner or judge of the Superior Court to hear your case. You may decline a temporary judge when you file your claim and avoid a continuance to another date.
- When your case is called, you will stand at a podium in front of the temporary judge. You will be asked to present your evidence and give your testimony. Always address the judge and not the other party.
- Usually, the plaintiff will give his/her testimony first and then the defendant.
- The judicial officer will probably ask questions to further his/her understanding of the case.
- If you are the only party to appear at the trial and you are the plaintiff, you still must prove your case. Do not expect to automatically win your case if the other party does not appear.
- The proceeding will not be recorded by a court reporter or by any other type of recording.
- If you are not fluent in the English language, you must bring an interpreter with you. Small Claims courts do not provide interpreters.
- The court does provide assistance for hearing impaired persons. Requests for this type of service must be made at least three days before your court date. Sign language interpreters, real time interpreters, and assistive listening devices are also available. You may want to tell the clerk what type of assistance you need when you receive notice of the trial or hearing date.
- The judicial officer will usually not tell you the decision in court. The decision (judgment) will be mailed to you.
If You are the Defendant
If you have been named as a defendant in a Small Claims action and have received an order to appear at a Small Claims hearing, this means that you are being sued. If you do not know why you are being sued, contact the plaintiff immediately for an explanation.
Never ignore an order to appear in court even if you think the case is wrong, unfair, or has no basis. If you do not appear in court at the proper time and date, the court may still hear and decide the case without you and you may lose the suit by default.
If you believe the plaintiff has caused you injury or owes you money for any reason, you can file a claim against the plaintiff in the same Small Claims court action. If your case is related to the subject of the plaintiff's case, it may be helpful and convenient to resolve it at the same hearing by filing a Defendant's Claim and Order to Plaintiff.
If the judgment has been entered against you and the appeal time has lapsed, your money or property and maybe a portion of your earnings can then be taken legally by the judgment creditor to pay the judgment against you. A Small Claims judgment is public record. Small Claims court does not report to any credit reporting agency; however, these agencies come to the court often and place the judgment on the losing party's credit record even after the judgment is paid.
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“All architecture is shelter, all great architecture is the design of space that contains, cuddles, exalts, or stimulates the persons in that space”
Libraries. Churches. College Campus Facilities. Schools. Courthouses. Town Halls. Senior Centers.
…How do you design buildings with purpose and beauty, sustainability and suitability for the people who will use them?
We believe that great architecture is about more than harmony of form and function. It’s about more than thoughtful design and close collaboration with clients – which are crucial.
It is a relationship with communities – seniors and children, parents and students, librarians and readers, policemen and politicians. They make a building what it is. Not us.
Since 1996, Johnson Roberts Associates has earned a reputation for architecture that reinforces the sense of place of the community it serves. We strive to create buildings that are appropriate to the context they serve and the people who use them.
Our diverse portfolio includes public libraries, town offices, public safety facilities, court facilities, public and private schools, college and university facilities, churches, and historic preservation and restoration projects.
Give us a call. We’d love to tell you more about what makes us tick. In the meantime, you’ll get a pretty good idea here. From the Concord Free Public Library to the COMM Fire Rescue Station, Tufts University Interfaith Center and yes, even birdhouses — we design architecture for the people who use it.
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By Colleen J. McElroy
University of Illinois Press
136 pp., $19.95
Though a teacher, McElroy is of no school; though a storyteller, she would laugh at the confines of plot; though a born skeptic and ironist, she is not afraid to show herself thrilled by love. As the title suggests, much of Sleeping With the Moon takes place in bed, or thinking back on bed (“don’t confuse writing of love and finding it”). A book with such emotional material and such a long memory—girlhood in the 1940s comes to life in “Some Are Dead and Some Are Living”—must steer clear of bitter hindsight or the reverse, nostalgia. McElroy’s approach to her own past and to people undergoing what’s likely to turn out badly calls to mind the matter-of-factness of Colette, as does the intensity, proudly female, that she brings to the position of outsider, wanderer, watcher drunk on the sights, sufferer likely to be found dancing.
She will happily give the MFAs a headache with her unfashionably clear statements and heartbroken admissions and the bold planting, in almost every poem, of the moon, which she annexes to her purposes, only sometimes romantic. It can shine as purely as it does on the cover of her book, yet a mind troubled by history plays over moonlit scenes of dancing and women confiding in each other and sexual love. “[T]hose little quirks carried to bed” will show up, not to mention the whole world of night, with its “cold / hard bed of streets” in which a loved one huddles in the powerful “Codex: Frostbite.”
Recently a female novelist told an interviewer, “A woman’s narrative stops as soon as she begins to have children.” I can hear McElroy’s belly-laugh at that. The women in these poems go on and on; their narratives do not come to a gentle halt in domesticity or motherhood, or in illness or chemo or loss. McElroy is a short-story writer; a word or gesture forces on her a whole history: the disordered interiors of home life and the struggle going on there, courageous and grim. Read “I Speak to the Girl Some Dim Boy Loves,” and shiver at a novel told in 30 lines.
Despite its quarrels with life, the book is in a major key. Its ground note is everyday beauty, of moments, bodies, places, things said and done: beauty gathered with the usual poet’s hunger and mourned when cruel events eclipse it or it simply runs out. But in addition, beauty here is a kind of added sense, experienced from inside as a state of being—the way a person found beautiful, one who has had “the power to choose // which way the wind blows,” experiences its cycle over a long life.
Woman’s experience is at the center of the book. Men come in for comic scrutiny, though as workers, soldiers, and lovers they get some respect and a comradely pity. For a book about love and beauty, Sleeping With the Moon covers a lot of ugly ground, from union-busting to the ordeal of a vagrant who must change his pants in public to a close-up of labor in a copper smelter (“it’s slag work slopping/around in tanks ten feet deep / in copper slime and hoping // overtime makes up for the loss / of breath”). Aging and illness get no gilding. McElroy casts a cold eye on the past “where Indians were chased for the hunt” and black men fought “for a country willing to forget them.” And she doesn’t let herself off the hook.
We are the learned few, the two or three
Who make the rules, who read the books
That tell us how humane we’ve made this life.
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The jazz trumpet player Tommy McQuater died on 20th January aged 93. Born in the Scottish town of Maybole, Ayrshire, McQuater started on the cornet and played with the prize-winning Maybole Burgh Band. He turned professional in his teens and had work in Glasgow and on cruise ships, before being recruited, still aged only 20, into the Jack Payne band in London. During the war he was in the RAF’s famous dance band, the Squadronaires, then afterwards he became a busy freelance, combining membership of the BBC Show Band with work in film, TV and records, where he recorded with an impressive roster of world-famous artists. From 1976 to 1981 he was the real musician behind the character “Lips”, the Muppet Show band’s trumpet player.
Self-taught himself, McQuater was keen to help other players and had taught many trumpeters now eminent in jazz in the UK. In retirement McQuater continued to do occasional gigs and was pretty much a fixture at the Ealing Jazz Festival where, aged almost 90, he gave his last public performance. The present author affectionately remembers Tommy, aged about 75, doing tea dances for elderly Islington residents, in a small band run by his guitarist son Dave, and often supported by another veteran jazzer, John McLevy: a fantastic team. Tommy McQuater is survived by two sons, David and Tommy. For more information please see the obituaries linked below.
Source: Neville Young; online obituaries
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And I am growing it!
Back in February a secret somebody, whose identity I will not reveal (pinky swear), gifted me a package of seeds of the only open-pollinated (OP) blue tomato to have been raised by natural plant breeding techniques (not GMO). I was under the impression that this yet-to-be-released tomato was so secretive that I didn’t plan to write about it at all and was extra careful not to show it in photos until last week when I did an internet search and discovered that everyone and their second cousin has been growing and writing about it willy nilly.
Perhaps it is not so secretive after all.
This experimental blue tomato (sometimes going by the name P20) is being produced by Oregon State University in an attempt to create an uber-healthy tomato with a high level anthocyanin, the powerful antioxidant found in blueberries.
Apparently the variety is still unstable and there is a lot of variation among the plants people are growing in terms of fruit size, shape, growth habit, and the amount of anthocyanin. I am growing two plants: one in a large container on the roof and one at the new yardshare garden that I am yet to fully reveal here. Both of my plants have produced early fruit with a distinctive blue/black colour. The plants have a lot of blue in them too, in both the stems and leaves.
On Friday night a roof grown tomato ripened. Here’s what it looks like:
The side blue/black side is the part that gets the most sun, while the reddish portion is the part that hangs down on the vine and is partially shaded by leaves.
We recorded a short video as I tasted it for the first time, but unfortunately my description is about as lackluster as the fruit itself.
Having had some time to mull it over, I’d say the fruit tasted watery with a slight bitterness. Some people have described it as “inky” and I have to concur. — inky sounds about right. We’ll see what happens as more fruit ripens. I rarely come to a conclusion about a tomato based on the initial tasting.
And even if it does prove to be watery and “inky”, so what? I’m growing friggin’ SMURF tomatoes!
Update: Okay, remember what I said (above) about not judging a tomato on the first taste? Every tomato we’ve had from both of the ‘OSU Blue’ plants (container and in-ground grown) have been delicious. At least four people have tasted them now and we all agree that it does not suck and is indeed very beautiful. I don’t know what went wrong with the first tomato, but it is not the norm.
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Market and Stories
Tuesday, November 07, 2006By Melissa Rick
A couple of weekends ago I stayed at a Ghanaian family’s house. They are a wonderful couple from the church that I attend that have been generous to show me different aspects of normal Ghanaian life. When they picked me up from my hostel, we immediately went to a Farmer’s market. Me and Ante Charity went into the market. Immediately after exiting the car a small girl with enormous metal bowl on her head attached herself to us. She would carry all of the produce and food stuffs that Charity bought on her head. Many like children were following all the other individuals in the market. I was amazed what these small children could balance on their heads. The bowls were overflowing with yams, pineapple, fruit, meat, and more.
Charity moved confidently through the market as I followed along in her shadow in a state of sensory overload. There was kenkey (balls of dough wrapped in corn husks), dried shrimp and fish, fresh hunks of meat, all kinds of fruits, and vegetables. Charity talked to the sellers (wura) in Twi. At each stand the amount the item is sold in is grouped together, like 5 for 2, 000 cedis. Usually the seller would smile as she packaged the items and throw a couple extra into the bag. Food stuff seems to follow clear gender roles in Ghana. Men sell kabobs, meat, coconuts, and on the street popcorn. Women sell everything else from working the chop bars (where we each most of our meals), to the small stales, fruit, and water.
Later that day, I played with their grandchildren and tried to teach them how to pop gum. It was fun to be called Ante Melissa and Ante Akosua (my Twi day name). Charity taught me how to make groundnut soup. Later that night the power went off as part of the scheduled rolling blackouts. We sat around in the living room and told stories. I though it was interesting that they told Western and African stories. I heard African tales I had heard before and are famous in this area, like the Ashante story of the Golden Stool. In West Africa, Ananse (the spider) is a central role in folktales. He is clever, lazy, and gets in trouble. They told different stories with Ananse as the central character. The variety of the stories was interesting. I think that Western and African cultures influence each other and take different elements from each. However, I also think there is an unequal exchange with African cultural elements losing. For example, I never heard African folktales before coming to Africa but in African Western folktales were told. Another surprise and insightful observation.
GundonaBy Melissa Rick
Her dark face worn with clusters of wrinkles, demanded respect from the many difficult years each wrinkle represented. She had a subtle shake, a combination of years and illness. A few days prior, Gundona the female chief had been in the hospital and still carried a deep chest cough with her as a souvenir of some irritating illness. She has been ruling for seven years now. Traditional leaders in Ghana still play important roles. Although they are no longer military leaders, they act for the social service interests of their people and as lobbyists.
Gundona’s palace was part of a mud compound house that housed over 300 individuals. The room she was sitting in when we visited her was one of these circular clay rooms. It contained no windows and the sun tried to permeate the darkness through two doors located on either side of the room. Flies swarmed the room and the heat gave it a strange smugly atmosphere. Thundering drums gave a droning sound outside the room.
She sat on a raised platform on skins. In the Northern Region of Ghana the chiefs sit on skins whereas in the South they sit on stools. For a chief to be dethroned it is called de-skinned or de-stooled. We presented Gundona with a cell phone as a gift. Through a translator she thanked us then told us of the grievances of her and her people. She asked us to provide her with a car and to get the community a health clinic. We didn’t know what to say. As we climbed back into our air-conditioned bus, we were humbled and determined to remember this and the many similar experiences we experience daily in Ghana.
Northern Region Summary
Saturday, November 04, 2006By Melissa Rick
From Monday to Monday sixteen students, Professor Groenhout, her kids, Samuel, and our driver Robert went to the Northern Region. Northern Ghana has a mystic element about it. Most of the Southern Ghanaians I have met have never traveled to the Northern Region. Stereotypes and generalizations about the North and Northern people permeate discussions and assumptions. 1,820,000 people live in the Northern Region, a small percentage of the 21 million population of Ghana. Of this number 305,000 live in Tamale. 70% of the economy is agricultural and Islam is the dominant religion. The average yearly income is around $100 US dollars.
We drove by villages comprised of round clay huts with patched roofs. Groups of compound houses would make up the small village. Compound houses are separate huts formed in a circle with a courtyard in the middle. One hut will be the kitchen, one for the male, one for each wife (polygamy is legal and practiced in Ghana especially in the North), and then an entrance hut.
After a twelve hour bus ride we arrived for our first night in Tamale. We spent most of our nights at TICCS (the Tamale Center for Cultural Studies) as we traveled around the surrounding areas during the day. Perhaps my favorite part of the trip was renting old-rusty-barely-working-metal-bikes in Tamale. Tamale has few cars and most people get around the relatively small city on bikes. It was accelerating weaving past motor bikes, pedestrians, stalls, and other bikers on wobbly bikes. The bike tour was a great way to see and experience the city.
We also visited World Vision’s Northern office. World Vision is focused on providing clean water for different villages in the North. They function as an amazingly efficient NGO that wants communities to build sustainable projects that the community can maintain without assistance from World Vision.
Another day we visited a crocodile pond. The members of the village that surrounds this pond have their entire lives wrapped up in the existence of the crocodiles. The crocodiles even lay their eggs in people’s homes. For the tourists (us), the villagers coaxed a large crocodile out of the pond with a squawking live chicken. The crocodile stayed stationary with its jaws open toward the chicken while our group sat on its back and took pictures. Finally they handed the chicken over to the mouth of the crocodile and he consumed it in a few bites then slide back into the water.
One night we stayed over in Yendi, which is the second largest “city” in the Northern Region. While there, we saw another NGO, BIRDS and visited women in a collective. The collective makes shea butter and sells it to make profit.
That night we were treated to a Gonji Performance inside the courtyard of a more modern compound house. The courtyard was packed with gonji players, women, and at least a hundred children. The gonji is a traditional guitar like instrument that has almost a moaning type sound. The performance was fun and at one point we each had to dance by ourselves or with one other person in the courtyard (embarrassing).
Another highlight of the Northern Region Trip was Mole National Park. The Park is a reserve for African animals. We stayed at a hotel (with a pool!) at the park. The hotel overlooks a watering hole and we watched warthogs, elephants, and birds enjoy the water. In the morning we went on a nature hike through the park to see animals. However, when we woke up we were surprised to find an elephant inches away from our hotel rooms! On the nature walk we found two more elephants drinking water and sat and soaked up their majestic entertainment for a while.
Cape CoastBy Melissa Rick
Ghana rests on the Gulf of Guinea. Cape Coast, one of the largest cities in Ghana, embodies a typical tropical city. The buildings are painted brighter colors, palm trees lean into the ocean, and white beaches scattered with white shells. Long narrow wooden fishing boats crowd the beach fronts. They are painted bright colors and are filled with thick fishing nets. Naked or scantly clad children play in the water or practice acrobatic tricks on the sand.
Our primarily purpose for visiting Cape Coast was to see the infamous Cape Coast castles. Cape Coast Castle and Elmina Castle are painted white and to the unknowing eye, beautiful historical structures. However, I found the community trash dump behind Cape Coast Castle to more adequacy portray the historical elements of these landmarks. These castles represent periods of Ghana’s history since they were built. Elmina Castle was built in the 1400s when the Portuguese were first establishing trade links with the African people off the coast. This location was crucial in the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade. The process of the trade is described as a triangular slave trade. England would trade manufactured goods for slaves. The slaves were then sent to America to work in plantations to produce the raw materials that were sent to England to manufacture goods…and the cycle continues. Over 11 million slaves passed through Elmina Castle and 4 million passed through Cape Coast. This figure does not include those that died at the castle and in the process of capture or transport. Elmina Castle over time switched hands to the Dutch and then the English. Also as history progressed and slave trade was abolished by the British the castles took more administrative proposes.
Visible cruelties run throughout the structures. For example, the church in Elmina castle is located directly above the slave’s dungeons. The dungeons still smelled terrible. They are concrete rooms underground with little to no ventilation or light. The rooms were built to contain 500 persons but during the height of the slave trade over 1, 000 were kept there at a time. The captives could stay in the rooms for up to 3 months. Both castle’s exit to the ocean was called the door of no return. Our guides explained that these gates were now the doors of return for the Africans of the Diaspora to return to Africa.
We also visited Kukom Rainforest and Canopy Walk. The Canopy Walk is narrow rope bridges strung from tree to tree. The bridges hover over the rainforest trees allowing us to look down into the forest. Walking on the shaky but ultimately stable bridges was an adrenaline rush. While at the park we also took the Ebony Tree Trail Walk. Ebony is an endangered wood and was extracted from Africa during pre-colonization and colonization. One tree takes 1,000 years to mature! My favorite tree on the walk was the proud tree. It is a small tree but its roots make it stand above the ground and the roots grow out in front of it so it follows were the water is essentially walking through the forest. The sap from the roots cures certain aliment and the fruit cures different aliments. However, if the two are mixed together it is a powerful poison and is even used as a pesticide. The liquid that comes from the roots will kill any plant life that it touches so that nothing stands in its way as it moves through the rainforest, hence the name proud tree.
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Solyndra faces layoffs despite stimulus loan
FREMONT, Calif. (KGO) -- New competition from China is causing layoffs at Fremont's Solyndra, a solar panel maker that received a stimulus loan last year to build a new factory.
Solyndra was the epitome of what the government envisioned to be our green tech future.
President Obama, Gov. Schwarzenegger and Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-CA, toured the solar panel production line. Confidence was so high that Solyndra got a $535 million stimulus program loan to build a new factory along I-880 in Fremont.
Now there is word it will shut down its older plant down the street -- 40 employees will be laid off and 150 contract workers won't be renewed. The reason is price competition from lower cost Chinese solar panel makers, and Solyndra says it needs to cut its expenses so it can drop its prices.
"Today we would be somewhere in a $3 to $4 per watt basis. We need to be at a $2 per watt basis all-in, which is fully installed on the roof with panels and mounts on the rooftop," Solyndra spokesperson David Miller said.
Suddenly, the future isn't as bright as it was a year ago and taxpayer money is on the line.
Solyndra's shiny new plant cost $733 million -- $535 million came from federal funds. Only $198 million is for private financing, so the government's stake is 73 percent.
According to a filing by Solyndra with the Securities and Exchange Commission, if it were to default on the $535 million loan, the Dept. of Energy would end up owning that brand new fabrication plant as well as the land underneath.
Public records show that about $402 million of the loan proceeds have been dispersed. The lion's share, $262 million went to the contractor and smaller amounts to a design firm, a developer and to the county for taxes. So a lot of public money is riding on Solyndra to succeed.
"It's not going to be worth anything if you have to foreclose. If you want to loan me money on my house, you can do that. If I don't pay, you can take the house back. And if there's equity in the property, you resell it and you won't lose a penny. But with a property like this, it'll be vacant for who knows how long?" real estate attorney Ron Rossi said.
Solyndra says mothballing its older plant and laying off workers will save $60 million.
fremont, solar energy, layoff, stimulus funds, economy, business, david louie
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2 min ago
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There’s a big discussion going on in the health tech community about a controversial keynote speech given by Vinod Khosla at the Health Innovation Summit (HIS), in which he stated that 80% of what doctors do could be replaced by machines.
If you’re a doc like me who has no idea who the heck Vinod Khosla is (he’s a venture capitalist and co-founder of Sun Microsystems), why he’d be a keynote speaker at a healthcare event and what the heck HIS is, well, that’s the point of this post.
You see, there are a whole lot of folks like Khosla out there – investors, entrepreneurs, tech types – who are attempting to redefine healthcare according to their own personal vision. Where we see a healthcare system in crisis, they see opportunity – just another problem with a technological solution. Computer-driven algorithms are the answer to misdiagnosis and medical error, iPhone apps can replace physician visits, video connectivity can increase access.
Where we see illness and distress, they see a market.
And what business folks like to call disruption in the marketplace. Think about what happened to downtown small town USA after the first shopping mall opened. Or what happened to movie houses when Netflix started offering DVD rentals online. Or where all the independent bookstores went when the first Borders opened up, and what happened to Borders when the Kindle hit the market.
Out with the old, in with the new.
If Khosla is right, the we docs in our offices and hospitals are the old downtown department stores, the bookstores and the bricks and mortar businesses in an online revolution.
We’re replaceable. At least most of us.
Is Khosla right?
The therapeutic relationship between a doctor and a patient can never be replicated by an iPhone app. Not when so many of my patients leave my office on a daily basis telling me how much better they feel just having spoken to me. It’s a powerful and sacred relationship that is irreplaceable.
These days, however, almost all of my patients have Googled their symptoms, and many have done a over the counter diagnostic test or treatment before coming in to see me. I’ll never see the ones who got their questions answered online or their symptoms cured by that over the counter med – I see what’s left after self-diagnosis and self-treatment has failed, or Google told them to see me.
That’s disruption, isn’t it?
One day very soon, women will be able to screen themselves for cervical cancer and STDs using a self-administered vaginal swab. No need to see me unless the test is abnormal, or there are symptoms.
Of course, computer driven diagnostic algorithms, apps and programs can create a whole new set of problems in over-diagnosis, since “there’s nothing seriously wrong with you” is rarely an output. In my office, that’s a very frequent clinical assessment. Functional ovarian pain. The occasional errant menstrual cycle or missed period. Anxiety. Stress. Depression. Lack of sleep. Over-eating, over-drinking, over-medicating. What computer is going to pick that up?
Not to mention trauma care, surgery, childbirth, respiratory distress and any one of thousands of health emergencies that you can’t treat with an iPad. I don’t see any of that work going away for docs anytime soon, do you? Some of it, of course, is being shared with trained non-physicians, and even robots. But docs are still an indispensable part of the healthcare mix.
So while the mix is changing, we docs are still in it. And I don’t see that changing. At least for here and for now. But the future?
I don’t know.
Doctors need to be part of the digital revolution
I do know that if this is the new revolution in healthcare, we docs better get in on it.
Take the EMR as an example of what happens when docs let non-docs innovate in healthcare without significant physician input. We become typists, not physicians. Clerical work that used to be done by lower paid staff – entering lab and radiology orders – becomes ours to do. We spend the majority of a patient visit looking at a computer screen and not the patient. Retrieving relevant clinical information is like searching for a needle in the haystack of required fields of entry, most of which are not necessary to provide care.
Indeed, we have not yet shown definitively that EMR’s improve outcomes.
And yet we’re all using them, aren’t we?
If we are not part of the digital revolution and leave it to the venture capitalists and entrepreneurs, they will develop products that may sell, but if they don’t improve outcomes, all that will have been accomplished is a disruption in a marketplace.
Wouldn’t it be so much better if we could disrupt disease?
The real opportunity in healthcare innovation
There are millions upon millions of folks – some in American, but most in the undeveloped world – who have never had, and will never have the opportunity for a patient-physician therapeutic relationship such as that I’ve described above. They have no one to call when Google tells them to “talk to your doctor”.
But the overwhelming majority of the do have cell phones. Amazing, really. We can’t get indoor plumbing modern contraception or malaria tents to those in need, but 80% of folks in the developing word have cellphones. If that’s not an opportunity and a potential market for healthcare innovation, then nothing is. If we can get any healthcare into the hands of these folks, even if it’s healthcare delivered by a mobile app, we have the potential to improve their lives.
Now, imagine that we docs were able to free ourselves from the 80% of our work that can be replaced by technology, and then redistributed ourselves (virtually and personally) across the globe where we were truly needed, so that we could provide needed healthcare to the entire planet?
Now that’s disruption.
Margaret Polaneczky is an obstetrician-gynecologist who blogs at The Blog That Ate Manhattan.
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“Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.”
If you watch Doug Wolens’ latest documentary, “The Singularity,” the quote from Arthur C. Clarke is the first thing you see. It aptly prepares you for the 75 minutes that follow over which a truly impressive cast of scientists, futurists and philosophers discuss the uncertainty of what the future holds for humanity and, for some, argue why Ray Kurzweil and others have it all wrong.
If you don’t have time to read The Singularity Is Near but want a more in depth understanding of the singularity, this is the film for you. Like the phenomena it attempts to explore, it takes off at an accelerating pace. In its first moments we meet Mister Singularity himself, Ray Kurzweil, who summarizes, for the uninitiated, what the singularity is.
And then come the experts, over 20 in all. Wolens weaves the conversation back and forth between these men and women of rarified technological air, among them AI expert Peter Norvig, Foresight Co-Founder Christine Peterson, neuroscientist Christof Koch who collaborated with Francis Crick (of Watson and Crick DNA structure fame) on the nature of consciousness, longevity guru Aubrey de Grey and Richard Clarke who oversaw cyber security for Presidents George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton.
The breadth of topics covered in the film is truly impressive: artificial intelligence, nanotechnology, biotechnology, transhumanism to name a few. And of course no discussion about the singularity is complete without considering the prospect of a day when machines become conscious – what does that even mean and, well, should we be worried about it?
I spoke with Wolens recently about the film which is now available on iTunes. He started researching the singularity heavily in 2000, reading Kurzweil’s and other’s books, reading everything he could find online and conducting his first interviews. But 13 years ago, at the start of his enlightenment, like most back then (and many now) the singularity was something he knew nothing about. But a fortuitous moment while on a flight to New York to promote one of his films changed that. Flipping through an issue of Business 2.0 magazine Wolens encountered a quote from Kurzweil’s The Age of Spiritual Machines. Immediately fascinated, he got off the plane, made a beeline for St. Mark’s book store, picked up the book and proceeded to devour it over the next three days. “I thought this was the coolest thing,” says Wolens.
And so the digging began. “It was a tremendous amount to put together that is cohesive and engaging. It’s a story, it’s not just stuff thrown at you.”
The film is broken up into four major parts titled: Conscious Machines, Neuroscience, Techno-Utopia and Post-Humanism. It’s complex stuff. The Neuroscience segment, for example, discusses how the merging of biotechnology and nanotechnology move us toward transhumanism, or the joining of man and machine. But despite its complexity, Wolens does a great job of moving between speakers in a way that makes it feel like a conversation, like a meshing out of the topics that might go on in our own minds, albeit expressed much more expertly and eloquently. And he didn’t just want to put a textbook on the big screen. He wants the audience to go away feeling as though they know these people who ponder these thoughts. “It’s not just the things they say, it’s who’s saying what.”
Having explored so many ideas with these great minds, I wondered what Wolens might’ve found particularly interesting during the making of the film. He spoke about the essence of what makes us human, and what it would take to make machines humanlike.
“It’s funny, when I was talking to all the consciousness scientists and
philosophers they would say, the only thing I can tell you for sure is that I’m
conscious. I can’t tell you if you are. But they do go on to say that I will
assume your conscious because you look like me, because you have the same lineage
as I do. So there’s that connection that we have that makes us human. And there’s
something that gets lost when you talk to people who say that as soon as we get to
X number of computations per second then we’ll have computers that can mimic the
brain. That always bothered me. What is the definition of intelligence? What is
the definition of human, and what do we do as humans? One of the things we do is
we empathize with each other. And I think that gets lost so much in Singularity
circles. If we’re going to replicate the brain we have to replicate the things it
does not the things it can do.”
Wolens admitted that he is a little uneasy about the idea of a conscious – and possibly competitive – robot. But then he shrugged and quoted what environmentalist and author Bill McKibbon argued in the film: “It’s not that we should be concerned that something’s gonna go wrong, we should be concerned that something’s gonna go right.”
As many Singularity Hub readers are no doubt aware, not everyone is receptive of the idea of the singularity or compelled to explore the finer points of its approach trajectory. Wolens found this out the hard way. Despite a solid résumé – his short film “Happy Loving Couples” made the screen at the Sundance Film Festival and another film, “Butterfly,” about a woman who sat in a redwood tree for two years to prevent it from being cut down, was featured on PBS – investors were cool toward a documentary that delved into what they viewed was too speculative.
“They laughed at me. They said you can’t make a movie about the singularity. It’s science fiction.” Try as he might Wolens could not find funding for the film. But he was so committed to the film that, in the end, he paid to have it made himself.
And now that it’s completed, Wolens is using technology to distribute the film in a way that was impossible a couple decades ago – by himself. In addition to iTunes the DVD and Blue-ray discs are available at thesingularityfilm.com.
At the end of his travels, having met the people he met and explored the concepts he’d explored, I wondered how Wolens felt about the singularity. Was he excited about it or did it give him a sick feeling to his stomach? He answered the question by sharing a concern that many people share about, not just the technology of the future but today’s technology as well.
“I’m a humanist. That is the most important thing and I worry that as we become more and more entrenched in our technology, more and more connected to our technology we lose a sense of our humanity.”
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Part of what makes Batman so popular is we all feel like, if we had his money, we could be that person. Just give us billions of dollars and we could afford the suit, the car, the fighting lessons and parental issues. Of course that’s not true but now, here’s proof you can definitely have your very own Batcave. Elite Home Theater Seating posted images of a project they’re helping with: building a Batcave home theater for a California resident. And as you can see above, it’s super impressive. Check out more images after the jump. Read More »
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Going by Pixar’s timeline, we’ve got about 800 years until WALL-E is a reality. Thanks to California resident Mike Senna, we’re a tad ahead of schedule. Senna spent the last two years building a life size, working WALL-E that has to be seen to be believed. Since actual materials, decals and parts from WALL-E don’t exist, he was forced to build the entire thing from scratch and the results would likely make everyone from John Lasseter to Andrew Stanton proud. Check out the video and more after the jump. Read More »
Is there anything cooler than a robot? Seriously. Put a robot in a movie and you’re half way to glory. From Metropolis and Star Wars, to RoboCop and Short Circuit all the way up to 2013′s Pacific Rim, robots in movie are a tried and true geek staple. Unfortunately, the reality of robotics is far less exciting. Robots are either small and simple or big and complicated. The middle range, humanistic robot founds in those movies don’t quite exist and if they do, they’re less fun and more practical.
That’s changing, though, thanks to a recent reveal at a festival in Tokyo. There, a company called Suidobashi Heavy Industries revealed their own rideable, hydraulic 13 foot, 4-ton fighting robot called Kuratas. Kuratas is expensive (over $1 million a piece) and bulky but he runs off an iPhone and has a gatling gun for maximum carnage. Check out some video and images after the jump. Read More »
Be it movies, music, painting or something else, the best art inspires action in the people who view it. Sometimes that inspiration can lead you to change your life, or maybe simply inspires more art. Daniel Kanemoto is a huge Evil Dead fan and when he saw Olly Moss‘ 2010 Mondo poster for Sam Raimi’s The Evil Dead, he was so inspired by the image he decided to do a little animation showing his love of the franchise. The result is now online: a 90 second ride through the three films with a Moss finale. Check it out below. Read More »
Movie fans love a good movie trivia game and Evan Seitz has created some fun, albiet it quick, ones. Seitz has animated three beautiful, 30 second videos of different, morphing imagery that are all meant to evoke specific movies. There’s one based on colors, another on numbers and a third letters. How many can you name? Check out the videos below. Read More »
Nathan Drake, the star of the Uncharted games, is the video game Indiana Jones. He’s charming, he’s a bad-ass and he travels the world getting into ancient-themed adventures. In video game form, the Uncharted world was built to be cinematic and that’s why Hollywood has been trying to make a live action movie for a long time.
Unfortunately, that has yet to take place. But now anyone who wants to see these games as movies can do just that. Reddit user morphinapg edited the cinematic cut scenes from the PlayStation 3 games Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune, Uncharted 2: Among Thieves and Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception each into their own individual movies clocking in at about two hours, three hours and three hours plus respectively. That’s an eight hour Uncharted trilogy that you can watch right now. Read More »
There’s a special place in geekdom for fans who have the patience and skill to make Lego versions of their favorite movies. When a fan makes a real life version of a motorcycle or a working lightsaber, that’s obviously cool and impressive. But doing something similar in Lego feels so much more difficult. Most of the time there are no blueprints, no instructions, just your memory of the movie, knowledge of what Lego components are available and then the ability to not only find them all, but make them look exactly like what they’re doubling. It’s remarkable.
And this set might be the best one yet.
After the jump, check out a bunch of images of Lego renditions of scenes and ships from Stanley Kubrick‘s 2001: A Space Odyssey. Read More »
Cool Posts From Around the Web:
While fans patiently wait for Edgar Wright to get back behind the camera after Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, the filmmaker has been busy getting into a new medium: comic books. But not paper and ink comic books, Wright has written an online motion comic that he and his co-creators are urging the fans to help them finish. It’s called The Random Adventures of Brandon Generator and it follows a writer whose lack of creativity has driven him to a very dark and lonely place. Then, one day, he passes out and wakes up with a bunch of ideas he doesn’t remember coming up with.
The first episode is now online and, after you watch it, the comic turns into an interactive flash game where you can give Brandon ideas and influence the next chapter of his story. Read more after the jump. Read More »
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Christine Amor '11 of North Andover, Mass., took her degree in environmental studies to Alaska. She's working with Americorp in Juneau since September, where she teaches third and fifth graders about the environment.
Amor was certified as an early childhood educator and was ready to get her Bachelor of Science degree when she suddenly realized she wanted to find a "less traditional way" to work with children. That's when she turned her attention to environmental studies.
"I love hands-on education and experiential learning. I am also very interested in local environmental outreach and sustainable food systems. I was, and still am searching for a way to link my environmental interests with early childhood education," Amor explained.
"The most amazing thing about the environmental studies program at MCLA is that you are spending a lot of time outside, learning through doing. I am not the kind of person to sit around and learn which is why I loved the laboratory time spent at MCLA," she said. "I also really enjoyed the small community of folks around all the time, people who were also passionate about sustainability and outdoor adventure."
Amor chose to volunteer with Americorp because she wanted to give of her time for the things she believes in. She chose Alaska because it is one of the most untouched areas she could think of in the United States. There, she works for a non-profit nature education organization, where she is an assistant naturalist.
"We cover topics ranging from photosynthesis and soil science, to winter tracking, outdoor safety and edible plants in southeast Alaska," she said. "The best part is that I take my own groups of kids out hiking and exploring, but also have the chance to work with another naturalist who teaches through music. I have learned a number of environmental education songs, and dances of course, which are the goofiest and greatest modes of teaching I have ever used. I am also working with Slow Foods Juneau, working to connect local people with their food and their environments."
While at MCLA, Amor never imagined that she would use sign language, song and dance to teach about growing food and the importance of plants in our lives. When her volunteerism with Americorp ends in July, she plans to continue to work with children in a hands-on way, "either in garden or farm-based settings or with environmental education organizations," Amor said. "Ideally, I will find a career that somehow combines farm-based education and nature education."
But before that, she'd like to move back to the New England area for a job or research opportunity. "To expand my knowledge and work experience in those fields, I will need a few more years experimenting," Amor said.
At MCLA, Amor enjoyed the area's natural, outdoor beauty while she earned her degree.
What was the best thing about her MCLA experience?
"The people I met at MCLA were all amazing, professors, local people and students. Thanks to professors Dan Shustack and Elena Traister, my environmental education was totally hands-on and engaging, something that I really needed."
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He may have been misreported, but recent proposals by the Solicitor General to introduce deferred prosecution agreements as a feature of US-style plea bargains raises - or raises again - a number of profound issues.
In struggling to function on a tight budget, operating under high public expectations and with antiquated law, the SFO sought to make up for previous inactivity in the bribery area by striking a number of deals with delinquent companies. Only after those deals had been struck was the judiciary consulted, and the predictable result was a public spat between the judiciary and the executive, the former criticising both the decisions not to prosecute more serious offences and/or the level of financial penalties arrived at.
If a new system is going to give judges here greater discretion, or at least greater involvement, in the resolution process, how will this play with prosecutorial discretion?
If the judge will be able to overturn deals struck between business and the state, where is that certainty of outcome that business needs before it is prepared to negotiate?
Companies here and in the US are often driven to negotiate with law enforcement not because they have uncovered systemic wrongdoing, but because the cost of inquiries and the risk of collateral damage is an even less attractive option. But before deciding whether to fess up to bribery (and few in the States do, most preferring a more neutral admission) corporates must know whether this choice will ultimately find favour with a judge.
Sentencing companies to death in a recession is no way to run criminal justice in a market economy. And expecting multinationals to shell out millions in more than one jurisdiction may lead to the very same corporate demise.
The laws in the US and the UK are not the same. The offences are not identical and nor are the required evidential elements. Furthermore, there does not exist machinery between the UK, the US or indeed any other country investigating a multinational that will provide for a so-called global settlement.
If the driver for the criminal regulation of business is how big a return a country can derive from its investigations, such regulation will be bereft of integrity and, most importantly, predictability.
What will happen to businesses that cannot afford the legal costs of hiring lawyers in each jurisdiction? Will they suffer te management time loss of lengthy inquiries sufficient to inform the board of the company’s vulnerabilities?
What if companies that have been delinquent in the past but have now put matters right are now barely profitable? Will they be prosecuted? One imagines that the Bribery Act 2010 will not be used merely for the prosecution of individuals. Were that to be the case, the deterrent value of Section 7 would be negligible.
The US has had the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) for 34 years. It has failed to deter corporate bribery, nor has it produced a body of jurisprudence that lawyers can use to advise business clients. The number of contested trials in the US has been miniscule; the vast majority are agreed pleas of guilty or deferred, non-prosecution agreements. These are usually rubber-stamped by the judiciary.
All those working in this field support the SFO being given a more intelligent toolkit to address corporate crime, but measures must not be open to criticism as a tax on corporate crime or characterising penal sanctions as a cost of doing business.
Plea bargaining is in its infancy in the UK. If it is to do justice to both business and those who serve its interests it must be fair, proportionate and transparent. Only the early involvement of the judiciary can guarantee this.
Monty Raphael QC, special counsel, Peters & Peters
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|Sunday, Sep 23, 2012 - 3:00 AM
"That Would Never Work Here, Either!"
Involving students in assessment is often the key to engaging them in learning. This workshop will continue to follow Barbara and Scott as they use assessment to encourage their students to improve their performance. Providing opportunities for students to assess their own work and that of their peers will be the focus of this workshop. D
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If you can dream it, you can do it. -Walt Disney
Quality is a great business plan. -John Lasseter
Let's make some funny pictures. -Tex Avery
I never considered a difference of opinion in politics, in religion, in philosophy, as cause for withdrawing from a friend. -Howard Zinn
When critics sit in judgment it is hard to tell where justice leaves off and vengeance begins. -Chuck Jones
And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? -Jesus
A man should never neglect his family for business. -Walt Disney
What's most important in animation is the emotions and the ideas being portrayed. -Ralph Bakshi
Once you have heard a strange audience burst into laughter at a film you directed, you realize what the word joy is all about. -Chuck Jones
Before enlightenment: chop wood, carry water. After enlightenment: chop wood, carry water. -Buddhist Proverb
Share your views on the state of the Animation Industry.
8 posts • Page 1 of 1
Who'da thunk it, a cow that pushes a house down a mountain!
Liked the end, where the cow crashes into the family--not sure why the house remains whole after that one, but this is a cartoon where real-world laws of physics should most definitely not apply . . .
Yeah, this is a weird one. It seems to be a good representation of how strange human behavior is....feels similar to when I observe people in the "real" world and start wondering on the what and why of the things they do. Humans are very very strange creatures, which is itself a perpetual understatement.
I believe complex is the word that comes to mind in any discussion revolving around the "strangeness" of human nature.
You know, Skynet, this is what has informed art and artists for centuries. From the prehistoric cave paintings in Lyon to artifacts found in Egypt and Greece and Romania with pictures and symbols illustrating the good and the ill side of human nature, it's simultaneously a fascinating and frustrating conundrum. Examining my own complexities, I am able to use the insights gained from even my own introspection in my works, which I hope to unveil soon.
Even given its frustrations, human nature is a goldmine for storytellers. Arguably, without the "human nature" aspect of storytelling, is there really a story? Sure, one could use the Universe as a basis for a narrative, but that tends to lead to boredom!
I don't know Enoch... I believe there would still be a story without human nature. As far as we know humans may not be the only storytellers in the universe. We are all alone on this microscopic planet and we are ignorant on so many levels. We are most likely one of the smallest of all the stories in the universe itself. That doesn't mean that the smallest parts aren't as important as other parts. Everything must be in existence for some reason, but who's to say what that reason is?
Visuals can also be as strong or stronger than a narrative, and one thing that the universe has an endless supply of is visuals. I don't think I'd get bored of what the universe and beyond has to offer visually. I would say the numbers of mind blowing "stories" and things to see and experience are infinite. Visuals can also tell a story far better than words in many cases. In a single picture you can see the whole story happening all at once. Depending on what's in the picture narrative can be unnecessary and I also mean this with human nature. The one problem with human nature for me is that in reality it ends up being so self destructive. There are lots of beautiful things but in the bigger picture, based on what we continually see happening, humans in general will probably kill themselves and many other living creatures off.
Anyway, I think boredom is a choice that one makes on how they want to feel. Aren't there enough questions and mysteries in life that would keep anyone from getting bored? I'd think so but that's just me.
No, for the most part Skynet I'm in total agreement.
But, something you wrote earlier . . .
And that is why we cannot appreciate existing entities on a suitable or appropriate level. The limitations of our cognitive faculties don't allow for such cosmic considerations. That is what would bring boredom.
I'll be the first to admit, my limits as a human being (to the extent that I'm willing to acknowledge that they exist) cause me to tune out during stories that should rivet me otherwise. And why? My ability to relate to stories of an esoteric or cosmic nature is tied to the tangibility of the entities that serve as the subjects or characters of the stories. I can relate to WALL-E--but what about a substance of unknown origin that slowly materializes into some form, its appearance defying description? It wiles its days away searching for its purpose in the universe before passing away as all (rather, most) living, tangible organisms seem to do. Or maybe it serves its purpose. See, I find it hard to believe anyone would find these sequences of events interesting; harder still to believe that anyone would pay attention long enough to be invested in wanting to care about what happens, or what one could learn from the proceedings.
And that's my point, overall, rambling but ultimately thorough as I could make it.
I think all it takes is opening up the mind to new perceptions. Obviously there's a lot more going on in this world than we could ever hope to understand but if people would let go or be more flexible with their chosen illusions, it would become obvious that everything is not what it seems. Maybe it's laziness. I'm not saying you are. Well, I'm lazy myself when it comes to the kind of discipline it takes to transform and take complete control of the mind and take it to a higher level. I don't think people realize what's possible even when you can stop the uncontrollable mental rambling for just a few minutes or more. It's very hard to do though, especially when you're not yet aware that it is possible to actually control your thoughts and emotions as much as you want. For example, imagine how you could have saved a situation if you were able to instantly catch, hold and transform your anger into a stronger controllable positive energy before it exploded into uncontrollable madness and made you lose what you were fighting to keep. A showing of anger is a sign control that was lost... but that's just the beginning of what I'm ultimately talking about. There's so much undiscovered territory inside our own minds.
I think people should stop their thoughts, observe their minds more and learn about what life is without making any final judgments on what anything really is, because whatever you decide will always be a guess or someone elses guess. True knowledge in the most absolute sense we can experience is an incredibly rare thing that most will never know but a person can only begin to get there with a kind of mental dedication that most of us probably don't have. Everything that exists now in this physical world is temporary and so fragile but we can be timeless inside our minds. We can time travel in our minds to places and states of mind that don't exist now. But people are mostly obsessed with what is in front of their face and ignore the world of their inner mind. I don't understand the conclusions most people come to with reality. Is it to feel safer or smarter? In a hundred years we'll all be gone (most likely) and everything we know and all technology will probably be completely gone or replaced by something else. It's an endless cycle. I'm not saying to not be in the moment. I actually mean it even more so. Be in the moment on multiple levels of awareness simultaneously.
Right on, Skynet.
Also, I think that being on multiple states of awareness is the key to achieving psychological balance, which as many of us are aware, is lacking in today's harried professionals.
Yes, Skynet, I have slipped into the habit of becomingn a lzay thinker, which is why I am often confronmted with dilemmas that make me feel challenged, when all it would take is a bit of inventiveness and creativity--traits I do not lack, yet don't have enough of.
Imagination is the key to free thinking.
8 posts • Page 1 of 1
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@WSJSTARTUP: In this week’s discussion on The Accelerators blog, the startup mentors focused on gauging market demand for a product or service when working on a shoestring budget. Readers joined the discussion with ideas and comments. Here’s a sampling of what they had to say:
“I think the biggest take away is that entrepreneurs must listen and then filter. But most often, startups filter and then listen. Once they are able to reverse this order the above skill / habit is worth developing. If they apply it at the point of listening, they might miss a good number of useful suggestions as well.” Raj Shankar from Alexa Hirschfeld’s post, What to Listen To and When to Care
“Having read your article, it occurs to me that it more or less describes the practice of highly effective teachers. You plan and execute your lessons, assess through questioning/classwork/tests/essays (and even directly solicited feedback from your kiddos), and then you try to sift through the data to make informed decisions on why kids learned/failed to learn.” Ross Trudeau from Alexa Hirschfeld’s post, What to Listen To and When to Care
“I use adwords to test out both search volumes and click-through-rates (which can help give me a sense for if the message is resonating or not). The only challenge with this approach of course, is that it doesn’t work for new markets that have yet to be invented. For example, nobody was searching for ipads before the concept was introduced.” Larry Kim from Kate Mitchell’s post, Are People Searching for Your Product?
” ‘Don’t solve a problem that doesn’t exist’. Many businesses have been launched this way, little market data, a lot of hope. I’ve done it myself. It really sucks. The best way to start a business or to launch a product is to imbed yourself with your customer. It’s the reason many businesses start out of pains AS a customer. The key there is not only to rely on your own interpretation on the problem but to factor in the personalities, wants and pains of other customers as well.” Justin Gray from Ben Huh’s post, It All Boils Down to the PigsInABeanie.com Test
“Build or craft a few, test them against some standards, get them in some real customers hands, intensely seek feedback, honestly accept it, make the changes that you are told. Even ship it and see if UPS, FedEx destroy it or USPS loses it, or some freight company runs a fork lift through it. Follow it through some sort of accelerated lifecycle. How does it end up? Garbage or a candidate for continuous refurbishment? And just as important, make it memorable with a clearly identifiable brand, like a great domain name and logo.” Steve Walsh from Vivek Wadhwa’s post, Customers Don’t Know What They Want – Until They See It
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No prior announcement made; staff from GH deployed to see a few patients
It was supposed to be erstwhile chief minister and DMK leader M. Karunanidhi’s dream building. Built with the expertise of a German architectural firm and incorporating elements of the Dravidian style, the new Assembly complex came up where the heritage Admiralty House and CB-CID office (home to the governor during British rule) once stood, on the Omandurar Government Estate.
Amidst protests from environmentalists, trees were axed to pave way for a granite structure that was to be a modern building offering space for the state’s elected representatives to debate and decide on the fate of citizens.
By the time the building was completed, the DMK was on its way out. Then began a long, legal wrangle with cases in the High Court and Supreme Court that eventually led to the closure of the building prematurely. About a week ago, the High Court paved the way for the conversion of the massive complex into a hospital, as envisaged by current Chief Minister Jayalalithaa.
The structure today, is a picture of neglect. The granite floors have lost their sheen and the office furniture needs a new coat of polish.
A peek into the building which is now open to the public revealed that some restrooms on the ground floor have been built with consideration for persons with disability. The Assembly hall is under lock and key.
Public Works Department officials will use some parts of the building as an office, and prepare a new plan to accommodate another dream – that of a multi-superspecialty referral hospital.
On Wednesday, with no prior announcement, the State health department began the functioning of an outpatient ward from the Secretariat premises.
The usual protocol of inviting the Chief Minister or even the health minister to inaugurate the hospital was ignored. Instead, a small inauguration function was held where director of medical education C. Vamsadhara, health secretary J. Radhakrishnan and a few other senior officials of the health department participated.
While the cardiology and neurology specialities were launched, Dr. Vamsadhara said the hospital’s facilities would be expanded in phases. There were also some nondescript banners announcing that the building was now a referral hospital.
On the premises, where once-green lawns had turned brown and algae had covered the water fountains, a few doctors and nurses waited for patients. Six doctors and four nurses along with half a dozen hospital workers occupied the building. All the six specialists, nurses and hospital workers were from the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital.
Two consultation rooms and a room for a pharmacy were thrown open for public use. The few patients who came for treatment said they had heard about it from friends or had chanced upon it after seeing the banner outside the Estate premises.
Doctors however, said that the hospital would cater to the workers in the nearby MLA hostel and residents in Chintadripet and Triplicane.
The OP clinic will work from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and ECG facilities are also available. Neurologists will take up cases of head aches, seizures and the like.
An EMRI 108 ambulance has been stationed at the building for emergencies. However, the hospital will function only as a referral centre and road traffic accidents will not be handled, the doctors said.
The specialities to feature in the new hospital are cardiology, cardiac surgery, neurology, neurosurgery, hand micro reconstructive surgery, medical and surgical oncology and vascular surgery.
SC to hear appeal today
The Supreme Court on Thursday will hear an appeal against a Madras High Court judgment refusing to interfere with a major policy decision of the Jayalalithaa government to convert the new Tamil Nadu Secretariat complex into a hospital and a medical college.
A three-Judge Bench directed the matter to be listed for hearing on Thursday after senior counsel T.R. Andhyarujina, appearing for the appellant R. Veeramani, challenging the High Court verdict, made a ‘mention’ for early listing.
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I would hate the idea of developing a product in the open, and then seeing a third party come along, take the source code, and sell the product as a proprietary app. I don’t care what you call that, I call it stealing.
For one, the original development - all that free and open hard work - was so that a third party could take that development after doing no hard work at all, and then make money off of it. And where does that leave the original app? Essentially, dead.
GNU/Linux is occasionally criticised for not having one - and only one - operating system, giving new GNU/Linux users an overwhelming amount of choice. Obviously, having one distribution would severely hurt the Linux community: do we use Portage or Yum, apt or zypper? Do we use KDE or GNOME? What are our thoughts on the importance of free and open source software?
It is questions like these which have spawned hundreds of distributions, and we don’t have to look far down the Distrowatch Top 100 distributions list to see the extremes of variation in the Linux world. If we had only one distribution, no matter how broad sweeping it were, it would disappoint corners of the Linux community. I’m sure I do not need to go into such concerns, such as source vs binary package management, having full control or having a workable system within 15 minutes, and so on.
Hence, we distro-hop. For those who are not familiar with the term, it is used mostly in Linux and BSD circles which means ‘switching rapidly between different distributions’, generally in search of the perfect operating system. Of course, perfection is subjective, and so distro-hoppers will continue to hop - sometimes between previously used operating systems again and again - to satisfy their immediate needs.
And that is the issue with distro-hopping: rarely enough thought goes into the implications of switching.
Let me bring my own examples into it. I went through Ubuntu -> Fedora -> openSUSE -> Sabayon -> (Gentoo -> Arch) x 10, and now I have remained on Gentoo. I spent less time on each operating system as time progressed, and up until recently I rapidly switched between Gentoo and Arch until I came to a conclusion of which distribution was better.
But all of that reformatting, reinstalling and relearning could have been avoided and condensed into one cycle. Here are some tips to keeping your distro-hopping safe:
Know when to settle down. Step outside! GNU/Linux, aside from all of its power, is also a great hobby. Hobbyists are perfectionists to varying degrees, but we do need the balance in life. Sometimes, it is healthy to remind ourselves that in the end, it is a distribution. If it does what you need it to do, do you really need to try the latest Sabayon Live CD? Do you really need to switch over to Arch just to use the latest GNOME 3.4, when you could end up hating it and longing for your old KDE set up?
Be wise about distro-hopping. Be safe. Know your limits, and have fun.
I thought it would be appropriate to shout out (quietly) what’s happening with my computer systems these days, including my preferences in desktop environment, operating system, and so on.
When it comes to operating systems, obviously I’m a GNU/Linux guy. Yes, as much as I can’t stand how political GNU is - not to mention their god, Richard Stallman - they have a point about using GNU in the name: the majority of the system was implemented by GNU, and then the Linux kernel was put into place. Let’s not forget that without GNU, free software would never have been what it is today, so I feel like I owe that to them.
But I digress. GNU/Linux is a fantastic operating system, and the Linux kernel itself is very nice. It is well maintained and always kept up to date, and technologically - while I’m no kernel hacker by any shot - I’ve heard and read that the Linux kernel is one of the best designed kernels around.
In terms of stability, security and reliability, you really cannot look past Linux. I often see computer users laugh off Linux as a second-rate kernel, however, I’ve never seen a more frustrated group of computer users than those who shun (and have never properly used) Linux.
I also hear that the FreeBSD kernel - while I have never been able to use it due to hardware incompatibilities - is also a great choice, for many of the same reasons as Linux. Perhaps the only downside is the lack of support compared to Linux, but it does have its advantages too.
This shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise: I love Gentoo Linux. It is the greatest GNU/Linux distribution I have ever used, let alone as an operating system in its own right. Some may see Gentoo Linux as an operating system for hackers, who constantly sit in front of their 46” dual monitors. This is not true. Gentoo Linux offers incredible benefits over other distributions, such as source package management, flexibility, stability and reliability. The user is in total control.
Source package management is very important. It allows you to strip out what you don’t want from the resulting binary, and keep only what you need. This results in faster, smaller applications.
But my favourite feature of Gentoo’s package management would have to be the way it sorts out dependencies. For example, let’s say I want to install Amarok, a music player for KDE. Depending on the profile you have set, Portage will automatically pull in all the media codecs you would require, without having to hunt down what you need. This may not seem like much, but in this day and age, when you install a music player and expect it to play without further installation and configuration required, this is a serious advantage.
Or take another example, such as the X.org Server. With Gentoo, I don’t have to manually and individually install each input driver and graphics driver that I require; Gentoo automatically pulls in what it needs, and all I have to do is emerge xorg-server. Gentoo does the rest. Simple.
Finally, the ability to control what goes into your kernel is one of the biggest drawcards for me. If it is something you aren’t interested in, then Gentoo really isn’t your distribution. But for people like me, it’s a definite positive. Of course, if manual kernel configuration isn’t something to phone home about, Gentoo offers an automatic kernel configurator, which sets up a kernel automatically, as you would expect.
Gentoo isn’t catered to the average user. Gentoo is not - on purpose - a beginner’s distribution, but at the same time it is not a distribution around just to be difficult. When you work with Gentoo, you learn Linux. And with that, you discover the full potential of your operating system. You can apply that knowledge virtually anywhere in the Linux world, and so it will always serve a purpose to you. But with Gentoo, you only get out what you put in. And by that, I mean knowledge of what you’re doing.
I have also used Arch Linux in the past, but I’ve always returned to Gentoo for the above reasons. And hence, I cannot recommend anything else but the Gentoo Linux operating system.
I find I swap around with this one on occasion, but I feel like I’m pretty set with KDE. I worked with GNOME 3 for a while, and it may be revolutionary, but after using it for five minutes I found myself asking, ‘is that it?’ I like to have a desktop environment that is feature packed without being cluttered, and so I really can’t look past KDE; it has always been something I have fallen back to. It is just generally better than GNOME. It doesn’t look like a smartphone interface, it doesn’t look like it was designed with crayons, it is a desktop environment radiating professionalism. And that is exactly what I want.
Deeper down, I prefer Qt to GTK+; it seems simpler, applications look much nicer, and it uses C++ by default (I really am a sucker for object-oriented programming).
So there you have it. To sum up, I love GNU/Linux, I love Gentoo, and I love KDE for its beautiful, professional and intuitive interface (not to mention a philosophical choice for its use of C++). If you have any comments, questions or objections, let me know! Hit ask at the top of this page.
I think every Gentoo user would have to admit to having a form of OCD to varying degrees, and I would have to be one of them; I go bonkers when I see a kernel symlink in eselect kernel list to a kernel I don’t even have installed anymore.
If you’re like me and you like to keep your computer clean - that is, every file is organised and categorised into appropriate directories, and there is no such thing as cruft on your Gentoo system - then thankfully there is an easy solution, as always with Gentoo.
I apologise if the title offended you, but I’m just about fed up with wars between languages like C and C++ - that is what I feel to be the main focus of this article. Nevertheless, it applies to all language wars: Ruby vs Python vs Perl vs PHP, Java vs C++, C vs Go, etc.
Fighting even happens between widget toolkits, like GTK+ and Qt! It’s quite maddening. Let me begin briefly about the toolkits.
GNOME 3 tends to cop a lot of flak from the Linux community, and it’s no surprise since GNOME 3 is perhaps the most ambitious desktop project to ever surface in the Linux realm. If you read on here from time to time, you’ll notice that I am not the happiest user of GNOME 3, but I do keep up with their latest innovations. The most important thing is, GNOME is getting better.
GNOME 3.0 - it was a .0 release
Let me remind everyone of the wonderful development that was KDE 4.0 - I hope you picked up on my sarcasm there. Being totally new and rethought from the KDE 3.5 branch, this copped immense amounts of hate and backlash. Even the father of Linux, who had praised KDE and shunned GNOME in the past, moved to GNOME 2 after KDE 4.0 was released.
Setting Mozilla Firefox as the default browser in an Openbox environment is simple; you can do it from the Preferences pane.
But what if you’re a Webkit/V8 kind of person? Well, things are less obvious, because Chromium is unable to set itself as the default browser, because it needs to hook into a GNOME environment (if I were to be more specific, I think it needs GNOME Settings, but don’t quote me on that) to do that. Thankfully, there is a simple, one-lined solution:
# Put this at the top of your .xinitrc file - it must be before exec openbox-session:
At least this works if you don’t use a graphical display manager to log in; I just use the startx command instead of extra, unnecessary frills.
A couple of years ago, the Linux world was a nice, quiet place. Developers listened to their users and adapted their products based on their feedback. GNOME was the status quo desktop environment; it was sleek, simple, and fun to use.
But all that changed when the GNOME developers wanted something new; a change for the sake of change. What came out was GNOME Shell with GNOME 3.
It was received extremely poorly by the vast majority of the Linux community - even to this day, some distributions refuse to offer it as ‘stable’, such as in Gentoo and FreeBSD. The father of Linux, Linus Torvalds, called it ‘an unholy mess’, and having the father of Linux criticise your desktop environment is like Thomas Edison criticising your light bulb.
There are some posts floating around the Internet at the moment about KDE dying. Most of it is just FUD, and some of it is really outlandish, but I have a higher chance of licking Redmond’s shoes than KDE dying.
KDE is my favourite looking desktop environment. Regular readers will know that I love to use Openbox on my laptop and on smaller screens, but for larger monitors and powerful systems, KDE is the only way for me. It has a very professional feel - in my opinion, much more professional than any gtk+ based desktop environments. KDE hides nothing from the user; he or she is in total control, and the interface is very sleek, modern and comfortable to use.
You may be a total Linux nut and want to get all of your non 31337 friendz onto Linux too, but if you’re a Gentoo user like myself, for some strange reason they don’t totally understand the awesomeness of being able to spend days in your office building an operating system almost from scratch, learning a CLI package management frontend’s syntax, and working out why Portage spits out errors about unsatisfied USE flags. Essentially, they would cry.
So we have to start off at something a little easier, until they become ultimate h4x0rs. Here’s my top three distributions I would recommend to a beginner.
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"Defendant has moved that the complaint in this case be stricken on the ground that it is not properly verified."
"The verification reads as follows: 'Tom Mauzay, being first duly sworn, on oath deposes and says: I am the agent of the plaintiff Salina Degree. I have heard read the above and foregoing complaint, and the same is true as I verily believe. I make this verification because the facts therein alleged are within my own knowledge.'"
"Counsel for the defendant contends that an agent is not authorized to make a verification unless his principal is absent from the territory, or unless the action is founded upon a written instrument, but that contention cannot be sustained."
"The verification, however, needs amending in this particular, to wit: Said verification states: 'I make this verification because the facts therein alleged are within my own knowledge.' What facts are within his own knowledge? The answer is, the facts alleged in the verification. The statement of such knowledge is not a compliance with the [governing] statute. The statute requires that the person making the verification must have knowledge of the facts stated in the pleading, not in the verification."
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Power, motion, and light inspired American artist Jeff Koons as he worked on the legendary BMW M3 GT2. Bearing his unmistakable style, the entire body of the artwork is adorned with vivid, streamlined colors against a black background, giving the viewer an impression of motion and speed from every angle.
But the BMW M3 GT2 Art Car Jeff Koons doesn’t just dazzle on the racetrack, it also exudes dynamism at a scale of 1:18 in its limited-edition miniature version. The metal model is a full-detail reproduction of the original vehicle, for which the artist intentionally selected a contrasting silver interior.
The removable hood allows you to see the engine inside, the trunk can also be opened, and the air ducts are easily visible. The cockpit and the lettering on the wheels look just like those of its big brother, and the steerable front axle and plastic sports seatbelts will delight fans of exclusive automobiles. A clear varnish protects the special, brilliantly colored transfers and will keep this designer piece shining for years to come. The edition is limited to 5,000 miniatures, each of which is supplied in its own display case, appealing to automotive enthusiasts and art lovers alike.
High-Speed Automotive Art.
Jeff Koons, who became famous with his stainless-steel balloon animals and massive flower sculptures, corresponded closely with BMW Motorsport and BMW Group Chief Designer Adrian van Hooydonk during 2010, and together with the company’s design and development team he transposed his art onto a real racing vehicle which competed in Le Mans the same year. For the car-loving American artist, the project was a dream come true. “I always thought it would be an honor to design a BMW Art Car,” says Jeff Koons. “I am very happy to join the tradition which was founded by such greats as Calder, Lichtenstein, Stella, and Warhol.” His prolific work with three-dimensional structures predestined Koons to design an Art Car, and by doing so he has continued a decades-long tradition at BMW.
Alexander Calder painted the first BMW in the Art Car Collection in 1975. He was followed by well-known artists such as Frank Stella with his distinctive grid pattern, and pop art icons Roy Lichtenstein, Andy Warhol, and Robert Rauschenberg. The latest predecessors of the Jeff Koons Art Car were designed by David Hockney, Jenny Holzer, and most recently Olafur Eliasson. The latter, a Danish artist, entitled his work “Your mobile expectations: BMW H2R project”, for which he removed the outer shell of a hydrogen-driven prototype and replaced it with a complex skin of steel mesh, shining metal plates, and diverse layers of ice.
The BMW Art Cars, of which there are now no fewer than 17, reflect the cultural and historical development of art, design, and technology.
The BMW M3 GT2 Art Car Jeff Koons at a scale of 1:18 has been available since the beginning of December 2011 from selected BMW dealerships and on the Internet at www.bmw-shop.com.
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Today I read something that really hit me and has stuck with me. After reading (and rereading) I thought these words were words that I would share with my family, on getreallive.com and in the columns that I write. I think these words really bring perspective to life.
As a parent, I find that things are often sugar coated for our kids. We want to do so much for them and help them avoid some of the challenges that may be in front of them. We need to be reminded that perhaps some of the challenges are there are life lessons that they need to learn.
It would appear that we are, indeed, living in a time where "instant gratification" is the new black. Sometimes, it even feels that hard work and perseverance aren't really necessary or desired. Actually, it seems that if either hard work or perseverance is necessary, then whatever one is working towards no longer seems worth the effort - especially if a little "elbow grease" is required.
This makes me sad and causes me to wonder: How many people walk around, reminded of unmet goals or unfulfilled dreams? How many projects have been abandoned because it was "too hard" or simply because what was required was beyond "acceptable boundaries?" How many kids have seen their parents give up and put things in the "too hard basket" so they do the same (monkey see, monkey do)? How many people are simply frustrated because they never pushed through and accomplished what they had set out to do simply because the goal just seemed to hard or unattainable?
Then there are the stories we hear and love about someone who has pushed boundaries or stuck with something until they reached their goals, whether it be physical fitness or learning a new language or a skill, or possibly building a business. So many lives, so many stories.
When we hear these stories, we tend to tune our ears to the success and we revel in that and that's a good thing to do. Celebrating others' success is wonderful. What's interesting though, is that with every goal that is reached, every success that is savoured, there is usually a story of frustration, feelings of giving up behind it. Deep in the story there is something that caused that person to keep going, to never give up and to reach the goal in front of them.
With this in mind, I would like to share the honest and wise words I read today. I hope some of you will read these and will be inspired to keep going, to reach the goal or dream that is in front of you. I have been personally inspired by these words and I plan to share with my children. I want to share these words in an effort to let them know that sometimes things are tough, that life isn't always fair and that hard work is required; that achieving certain goals that we set for ourselves feels good and propels us further.
These words I'm sharing are in reference to physical fitness and reaching personal goals when it comes to health and wellness. I believe they translate well, whatever the situation. I hope you feel the same and that they resonate with you.
Lessons & Goals
It will hurt.
It will take time
It will require dedication.
It will require willpower.
You will need to make healthy decisions.
It requires sacrifice.
You will need to push your body to its max.
There will be temptation.
But, I promise you, when you reach your goal - it's all worth it.
I am encouraged and I am challenged and inspired to keep going and to make what I' am doing matter. I hope that those of you who have taken the time to read this have found the same. So, I guess it's time for us to take these life lessons and to put one foot in front of the other and work towards reaching our goals.
Good Luck friends ... we can do it!
(Remember to tune into GetRealLive Radio every weekday morning at 9:30-10:30 a.m. Visit getreallive.com for more information)
Susan J Sohn
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Half term. Two visits to local Country Parks inspired me to find out more about the concept and future of this valuable recreational provision (and I’ve unashamedly borrowed information from others..).
There are now more than 400 Country Parks (CPs) in England and they have over 70 million visitors a year but I’m not sure the future is rosy.
Our first visit was to Staunton Country Park, on the northern edge of Havant, where we fed animals and wandered through the glasshouse on the ornamental farm, venturing further afield after lunch into the wider Staunton Estate to try the permanent orienteering trail. 2 1/2 hours later and happy, but with rather soggy and tired feet, we returned to claim our certificate! £1.50 well spent.
The following day we visited Queen Elizabeth Country Park just south of Petersfield where we walked up hill and down ‘Down’, climbing both Butser Hill to the west of the park and the A3 and up to the top of the eastern half of the park to the adventure playground. £2.00 parking and a lung full of fresh air. Well worth it.
CPs were established through the 1968 Countryside Act to make it easier for those seeking recreation to enjoy their leisure in the open without travelling too far and adding to congestion on the roads, to ease the pressure on more remote and solitary places and to reduce the risk of damage to the countryside.
The remit was also focused on visitors to the countryside rather than the rural community itself. CPs were to be readily accessible with an adequate range of facilities and a focus on informal recreation.
Nan Fairbrother,one of the highly respected ranks of our profession, wrote enthusiastically in her book New Lives New Landscapes ‘In the countryside, urban recreation and farming now need this clear cut division…’.
In 1971 the Countryside Commission was critical; they felt the emphasis was on traffic management and that the CPs were being used as a defensive strategy to protect the deeper countryside. This hinted at governmental support of rural NIMBY-ISM: the looming threat of the ‘Increasingly Mobile Urban Dweller’ (a highly dangerous species) and the notion of sacrificing land for his use so he wouldn’t spoil other areas.
By the mid 70′s it was becoming recognised that the CP movement was failing to reach the community most in need of it – the ‘Working Class City Dweller’ (a less damaging non-car owning species). Initiatives for subsidised public transport and active promotion (beyond the current users) were attempted but abandoned. Instead the emphasis moved to provision of CPS in the urban fringes and not in the more rural locations only readily accessed by car. Queen Elizabeth Country Park is still out of reach for many without transport or living on the right bus route.
In 1987 their role as protecting existing parkland, as can be seen at Staunton, was officially recognised but by this time many of the existing CPs established in historical contexts were already part of a fragmented landscapes. Recognition came too late.
In the early days the Countryside Commission provided a 75% funding towards the CPs, with the remaining 25% provided by the Local Authority. The Commission gave around £14.5 million pounds, but grant aid finished in 1992 and it seems to me that funding is now a critical worry.
A 2000 report shows a change in attitude. Support for new CPs would be given where there was evidence of demand not possible to manage through open spaces in the local area, where public transport is readily available, where the CP could be used for a range of activities encompassing the young, disabled and elderly in particular and where the CP could be used as a means of securing access to a historic parkland and in the long term landscape management of such.
Funding though was still lacking and, more disheartening, was the spreading perception that the Countryside Commission didn’t regard CPs as important components of recreation provision, turning instead to funding of Community Forests, Green Corridors, Millennium Greens and the Countryside Character Programmes. All worthy in their own way, but left the CPs high and dry.
The 2002 Government report,’ Living Places: Cleaner, Safer, Greener’ identified a number of initiatives designed to assist Local Authorities to provide better park services and to develop ongoing funding and management strategies. It was stated as imperative that CPs were included.
In 2004, the Countryside Agency set up a Country Parks Network (CPN) to assist managers with events, newsletter and advice; pilot projects were set in motion to tap into Lottery Funding and accreditation for good CPs is now given by Natural England. Commendable but not enough.
Natural England states that ‘Country parks are clearly important to significant numbers of people. Around 2,500 people are employed in managing and maintaining country parks and 98.5% of all country parks have on average three or more voluntary groups associated with them. An impressive 73 million visits are made to country parks each year.’ Wow.
But it’s 2013. With concerns about tired CP infrastructure raised a decade ago and the ability of the Local Authority to provide funding, no doubt exacerbated by current government cuts, what happens now? Endless grant applications? Sell bits off to fund the rest? Heaven forbid – golf courses?
Where will I, as an archetypal ‘Increasingly Mobile Urban Dweller’, spend my half terms?
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The following blog was contributed by Stephanie Hodge.
Photographer Anthony Friedkin recently visited George Eastman House as a guest lecturer for the Wish You Were Here travel photography lecture series. While he was in town I had a chance to sit down with him to talk about his life and work.
As a quick aside, Anthony recently wrote an article on his visit which includes insights into the life of George Eastman, the Eastman House and the history of photography for Samy’s Camera. Check out his article here.
Before meeting with Anthony I did a little bit of research about his career. Anthony Friedkin has over forty years experience as a professional photographer. He started out as a photojournalist working for Magnum photos in Los Angeles. For the past twenty-five years Anthony Friedkin has lived and worked out of his apartment studio in Santa Monica. Currently, he is preparing a book of his Ocean-Wave photographs. Friedkin’s photographs are included in major Museum collections including the Museum of Modern Art, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, San Francisco MoMA and The J. Paul Getty Museum. Although his resume was quite impressive, there was one thing that was written that I keep coming back to and that was this: “It is Friedkin’s devotion to the unexpected that distinguishes his work. He disarms the extraordinary and educates his audience. Friedkin presents outlying cultures without a second thought; he surrounded himself with these people and paid them total respect.” With that as my expectation of Anthony, I went into my talk excited to see if he lived up to my expectations of him as an individual. He did not disappoint. Not only is he a talented artist he was a complete joy to talk to and I can only say I wish I had had more time to chat.
The first thing Anthony threw me was a complete open invitation to ask him anything. He told me not to hold back. I figured why not start at the beginning. How did he become interested in photography? His response was that he started at a young age. Although it seems like a cliché, he was given a Kodak Brownie when he was 8 by a friend of his mothers. He immediately loved it and began taking pictures right away. The great strength of photography he said is its purity, its ability to record a time and a place. He feels that nothing can quite do that like a photograph. Photography is instinctually a way to document your own life. That is how he began and how he still works today.
Although Anthony continues to document the world around him, he stated that he hoped he had become more sophisticated with his eye over time. To him, the common denominator of a great photographer is a great eye. It defines them. Over time, you get inspired by others, you get quicker, you learn to trust your instincts, and you always carry a camera because you never know what you are going to see. What has changed the most about his work is that he has learned to look at his surroundings and find the hidden truth.
Knowing that he documents the world around him, I asked if the series of work he completes start as more of a single shot that turns into a series or if he thinks them out prior to the work developing. Without hesitation he explained that he was a disciple of the photo essay, where a photographer takes a single subject that they feel is important and using the camera documents it on a day to day basis. Anthony has done many photo essays and he shared a little bit about a few of them with me.
The Gay Essay done in San Francisco and Los Angeles in 1969 and 1970 was one he seemed particularly passionate about. He said that he photographed this series because it was an issue that needed attention drawn to it. Things needed to be changed and justice served. He wanted people to know that gays are wonderful human beings and should be treated with respect, dignity and equality.
The Hollywood Series began in 1978 and he continues to work on it today. The idea behind this work is that people view Hollywood and the movies as real life, and he wanted the viewer to step back and see the realness of the business.
"Jaws", Universal Studios, Hollywood, CA. Anthony Friedkin. 1978. Photograph. Silver Print.
He also has completed a series on California Prisons, New York City Brothels, and his current project The Ocean-Surfing Essay which explores his intimate, relationship with the surf and waves.
He stated that he didn’t have a favorite body of work as it often changes from one day to the next. Sometimes it is even an idea he has for new work. Without giving away too much of his idea, he shared with me that he had the opportunity while at the Eastman house to go into the archives and look at the work of Lewis Hine and his work with industrial accidents. This gave him an idea of how he could almost recycle the idea and look at the oil spill and other news worthy industrial accidents of today. As Anthony pointed out, historically, ideas can be recycled in photography. A photograph is dated and by looking at things in the photograph, like a car, the viewer has a sense of when the image was taken.
Hearing how a simple trip into the archive inspired him my next question was of course who influences his work. The first person he mentioned was Joseph Koudelka, who he believes is the most exciting and extraordinary photographer alive today. Seeing his work makes Anthony want to be better. He also mentioned the portraits of Richard Avedon and Irving Penn and the nature work of Edward Weston and Minor White.
In addition to working on his own Photo Essays, Anthony works as a still photographer on the sets of Hollywood movies. He claims he has made a living doing this. Being a still photographer is very different in that you have a very clear objective – you are there to promote the project. Whether that be to take photos for marketing and publicity, the main shot for the movie poster, photos of the actors or even photos that will be used in the making of the movie called prop photos. Although this type of work can be very dangerous based on the type of movie you are shooting it can be a very rewarding experience. He has worked with a number of different people we consider celebrities, but he again impressed me with his attitude that they are real human beings and not just celebrities. One movie that Anthony recommended to me that he worked on was The Game (1997) starting Michael Douglas and Sean Penn. I had never seen the movie but after viewing it can highly recommend.
Being that Anthony told me not to hold back, I asked this internationally recognized artist his feelings on digital vs. traditional film photography. He opinion was that personally he doesn’t care if a photo is digital or film, what matters is the art, however with that being said they are completely different universes. He described traditional film photography as a very natural process. You use water in film photography to process film, in developer and in fixer. Water is a fundamental element of our planet. You also use silver, which is sensitive to light and also a mineral in the earth. He stated once to me and once in his lecture that “Grain is a metaphor for life”. Digital can imitate grain, but it is not the same thing and he is not into imitation even though digital is very immediate.
He commented on how long things last and that he still had negatives from 35 years ago and could still make pictures from them. He wants things to last, and film has a permanency. He posed a rather interesting question that I will put out to you reading this entry. “Watching how fast technology changes, do you think that we will still be using flash cards in a number of years? Will all of the images people take that are stored on flash cards be lost because they were never printed?”
Anthony also stated that digital has reduced the uniqueness of photography. It has taken away the option of working in different formats – 35mm, 4 x5 or 5×7. Most people use the same cameras, the same photoshop program to correct the images the same paper and ink jet printers to process the images. Even though in a lot of ways digital is fantastic, in that you can shoot and immediately look back on the screen, sometimes you miss the ideal moment by looking at the screen and not the subject. Anthony stated that even though he will always be a film lover it is important in this day and age to learn both, because a lot of commercial photographers today are almost expected to work with digital.
His final words to me, mainly because we ran out of time, was that photography is an exciting way to make a living. He suggested that if it is a passion for you to find what kind of photography you want to specialize in and train in that area. Pursue your passion, be patient, work at it and have faith.
To learn more about the upcoming Wish You Were Here guest lecturers, click here to go to the George Eastman House website. For more information on how to get involved with the Eastman Young Professionals, please contact us at email@example.com, or find us on Facebook. Thank you.
Stephanie Hodge is an Art Teacher for Spencerport High School. As a member of the Eastman Young Professionals she serves on the Photo Group committee.
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Kids are the most enthusiastic scrapbookers I’ve ever met. They don’t worry about “being behind” on their pictures, and they don’t agonize over color choices. They just jump right in and enjoy what they’re doing!
Probably we could all take a few lessons from the girls at Scrap Camp–I know I have made some changes myself!
Here are a few things that I’ve picked up from working with the girls:
- Keep the choices simple — Too many colors, too many embellishments? Sticking to 2-3 colors per page and maybe some Designer Paper accents helps the design process go more quickly.
- Pages first, then pictures — Once the picture goes on the page, it’s easy to get distracted and harder to focus on the page creation. It seems much easier to design a fun page and then go back and add in the photo.
- Choose one or two favorite photos — Every picture from an event doesn’t need to be immortalized in a scrapbook page. Picking a favorite or two can successful summarize the occasion.
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If you weren’t paying attention Friday – dreaming about the weekend perhaps, instead of doing your job – you might not have noticed that a small bit of the world as we’ve known it suddenly changed.
Canadian members of Parliament, who had hitherto insisted their rich pension plan was wholly deserved and entirely defensible, suddenly threw up their hands and agreed they didn’t need it any longer. A Conservative bill that would make them pay for some of their own benefits – an unheard-of concept anywhere within the environs of government – was embraced and pushed through the House with shocking speed. On Thursday the bill was still being spoken of in conditional terms, with lots of to-ing and fro-ing about how and when it might be voted on. By Friday it was a done deal. Wham-O, pensions fixed. Hey fellas, why can’t we do stuff like this all the time?
It’s worth pondering the short, odd history on Bill C-46, an act to amend the Members of Parliament Retiring Allowances Act, if only to explore once again the weird way our elected officials do the nation’s business. For years on years, Canadians have grumbled about the fat, ridiculously generous retirement packages they’d awarded themselves. (The Toronto Star, always a fan of government, still insists on calling them “so-called gold-plated pensions”, as if there was any doubt.) No one outside other self-important elected officials, and a few privileged senior executives in private business, could expect anything like the prosperous send-off MPs got to look forward to. All you needed was to eke out six years in Ottawa, and you could count on an income for life, which you could start collecting ten years before most people could even consider retiring.
Everyone knew it wasn’t fair, except MPs. They insisted they deserved it because 1. Politics was an uncertain business and they might lose their job at any time; 2. If they weren’t cooling their heels on the back benches they might have been able to secure better-paying jobs in the private sector; and 3. They work hard. The response to these points was obvious: Millions of Canadians hold precarious jobs that could disappear just as suddenly as those of MPs (and at much lower pay); for every MP who might have secured a better job outside government there are probably five who will never do as well again in their lives; and everyone thinks they work hard, so what’s the big deal with MPs? Besides, name another job you can get with no experience or proven skills, which pays top dollar the moment you begin, and which enables knuckleheads like Rob Anders or Pat Martin to parade around feeling important and mouthing off to interviewers.
But MPs insisted on hanging on to it, come recessions, deficits, changes of government or whatever. Until suddenly Finance Minister Jim Flaherty, presumably at the behest of Prime Minister Stephen Harper, declared the gravy train at an end. He did this not because he awoke one morning and suddenly felt shamed by the unfairness of it all, but because it became politically necessary. Flaherty and Harper want to whack away at expensive civil service pension plans, and didn’t quite have the nerve to keep their own gravy train chugging along while derailing that of government employees. Plenty of MPs weren’t pleased, but couldn’t do much about it. Once Harper announced it would be done, they could either oust him as leader or suck it up and pretend to be happy. The man has a majority.
Of course, he couldn’t just do it the easy way, however. Rather than introduce a separate bill, Flaherty tucked the legislation into yet another omnibus bill, meaning anyone who opposed any of the 443 pages of legislative changes could be accused of greed, self-interest and general pigginess. And until Thursday the PMO insisted there was no way – no way! – the pension provisions could be carved out and voted on separately. Then, ta-da! – on Friday morning they were carved out and voted on separately. And passed. And after all those years, the news aroused so little interest that it barely even made any front pages. The National Post stuck it in a brief at the bottom of an inside page, which we usually reserve for crop yields and other exciting news.
Why? Who knows. Maybe because, once Harper made clear he was going to do it, we all took it as a done deal. The official explanation was that “intense negotiations” resulted in an agreement under which the vote could be taken without the usual acerbic committee meetings at which the opposition did their best to embarrass and annoy the Tories. Now MPs are declaring it a great victory that they agreed to alterations the public has been demanding for eons. See, Parliament works!
A small aside to all the above: Mr. Harper included a provision in the new deal that will personally cost him a considerable amount. Prime ministers get an extra pension on top of their MP pensions, which would have paid Mr. Harper an extra $105,000 a year. Under the new rules he would get about $33,000 as of January, a cut of $72,000 a year.
Many of the changes to MP pensions won’t take effect until 2015, giving current MPs a chance to cash out first. Mr. Harper could have similarly delayed the change to prime ministerial pensions until after he left office, but chose instead to include himself. Former prime ministers usually have little difficulty making serious money once they leave office, but Mr. Harper is likely the least wealthy occupant of 24 Sussex Drive since Joe Clark, and before that, Lester Pearson. Trudeau, Mulroney, Turner, Chretien, Martin – none needed the extra money. Mr. Harper’s salary as PM may be the most he’s ever made. So he deserves some credit for ensuring the pain started at the top.
Do you have an opinion to share with other readers? Then send us a letter.
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Did you know that one of Vancouver’s famous buildings is called Gabriola? It’s on Davie Street near English Bay in the city’s West End. The City of Vancouver explains:
Gabriola, (at the northwest corner of Davie and Nicola), is the last of the community’s truly grand mansions. Built in 1900-1901 for industrialist Benjamin Tingley Rogers (founder of BC Sugar), it was designed by Samuel Maclure and was known asprobably the most lavish private home ever constructed in B.C.Its superb stonework was quarried on Gabriola Island and the impressive stained glass windows were designed by the Bloomfield Brothers. The home was saved from demolition, rehabilitated in the mid-1970s and has since been a series of restaurants.
SeeTheWestEnd.com has a few photos of the Gabriola house, explaining:
Three views of Gabriola Mansion, a landmark on Davie Street since 1901. Originally built as a residence for the Rogers family, its sandstone exterior was quarried at B.C.’s Gabriola island. In 1977 it was converted to a restaurant, restoring “Gabriola’s” interior closer to its original form. It’s now home to Romano’s Macaroni Grill. Meticulously maintained, the exterior has not changed since it was designed in 1898/99 by architect Samuel McLure.
I remember hearing that Charles Bentall once lived in the Gabriola. Is that true?
More about the Gabriola Mansion
- EnglishBay.com – has another photo of the Gabriola mansion
- Vancouver History Tidbits: Abbott to Tatlow and Gabriola – blog posting from Miss604.com
- Gabriola Mansion – photo on flickr.com
More about Gabriola sandstone used in Vancouver buildings
- Gabriola and Holy Rosary Cathedral – Gabriolan.ca
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North Adams History Featured During the Next Clark Lecture on April 4
For Immediate Release
March 14, 2006
The Research and Academic Program of the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute presents the last two Clark Lectures in its spring series. The public is welcome to attend Clark Lectures, during which visiting fellows present recent research to the academic and intellectual community. Lectures, held in the Clark café on selected Tuesdays at 5:30 pm, are followed by questions and accompanied by refreshments. Admission is free.
Anthony Lee, associate professor of art and art history at Mount Holyoke College, will present the next lecture, “When the Cobbling Began” on Tuesday, April 4. His Clark project, When the Cobbling Began: Photography and Visual Culture in a Nineteenth-Century New England Town, exploits a remarkable visual record of the Chinese population in North Adams in the 1870s to explore the cultural life of this community and the uses of photography.
Martha Ward, associate professor of art history at the University of Chicago, will conclude the 2005-06 Fellows Lectures with “Curatorial Liberalism in 1930’s France” on Tuesday, April 11. Her work at the Clark focuses on an analysis of curatorial practice and museological discourse from 1920 to 1950.
The Clark announced 14 Clark Fellows for the 2005-2006 academic year. Fellowships are awarded to national and international scholars, critics, and museum professionals whose work extends and enhances the understanding of the visual arts and their role in culture. The program encourages a critical commitment to research in the theory, history, and interpretation of works from all periods and genres. Fellows present public lectures about recent research during their residency.
The Clark is located at 225 South Street in Williamstown, Massachusetts. The galleries are open Tuesday through Sunday from 10 am to 5 pm (daily in July and August). Admission is free November through May. Admission June 1 through October 31 is $10 for adults, free for children 18 and younger, members, and students with valid ID. For information, call 413-458-2303 or visit www.clarkart.edu.
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As any of our four daughters and 11 grandchildren would surely testify, my primary philosophical observation about life in general and any subject in particular, all comes down to this: "It's all in how you look at it. All in how you study it." For me, this really does seem to say it all.
I herein pay tribute to my original source for such a deceptively simple and powerfully influential and inspirational saying, that being from "Brother Dave Gardner."
"Brother Dave" was a singer/comedian from Jackson, Tenn. After a one-semester term as a Southern Baptist ministerial student at Union University, he began a musical career as a drummer and vocalist. He started filling time between songs with stream-of-conscious commentary and was surprised when he discovered his audiences came to see his "comedic routines" rather than music, even though Dave had a Top 20 hit in 1957 with an instrumental called, "White Silver Sands."
Legendary RCA artist Chet Atkins was amazed with "Brother Dave" and produced a comedy album in 1959 that catapulted Gardner into national prominence. "Rejoice, Dear Hearts!" sold a million copies. Numerous appearances on "The Tonight Show" continued his ascent into the entertainment stratosphere, but arrest for marijuana possession in 1962 brought his career to a screeching halt. This was seven years before Woodstock. He died of a heart attack in 1983 at the age of 57.
Many folks considered Dave Gardner to be blatantly Conservative. In the early 1980s, Texas Oilman H. L. Hunt moved Brother Dave and his wife to Dallas, but soon became disenchanted with Gardner's alcohol and drug abuse. Simultaneously, Gardner was often quoted in the Liberal press for "telling it like it is," particularly his strong opposition to American involvement in Vietnam.
Referencing his own experiences, Gardner would say, "I was in World War II and I saw lots of blood spilled, but it never sent anyone to Heaven."
Those who knew him report it was impossible pinning Gardner down on anything given his amazing proclivity to verbally dance between subjects, positions and ideas with lightning rapidity, juxtaposing all elements at every turn. The universal consensus was: Brother Dave Gardner made you think.
I'm sure that's why I took to him so quickly. Brother Dave Gardner was like a Jesuit!
I was particularly blessed in my youth receiving the benefit of a four-year Jesuit education at Le Moyne College in Syracuse. I still often tell friends, "The sisters at Cathedral School taught me what to think, but the Jesuits at Le Moyne taught me how to think."
The essence of Jesuit instruction is to present as many sides of a given topic as possible, then insist you make up your own mind without claiming absolute certitude. The Jesuits are often said to be "the intellectual vanguard of the Catholic Church" -- a distinction historically supported by being booted out or suppressed individually and as a group by The Vatican more than once.
A doctor of philosophy from Syracuse University who taught one senior class in theology at Le Moyne was an atheist.
So I delight in talking with everyone about everything.
I just finished communicating with John Pero, Central Valley Tea Party coordinator, about a "Gun Control" meeting scheduled for Oakhurst. I enjoy my conversations with John and have applauded his dedication to civic involvement in print as well as in person, even though we hold widely disparate views on many national issues.
I look forward to hosting Madera County Sheriff John Anderson, a fine Republican, at our March 2 meeting of the Democratic Club of Oakhurst.
With the Ol' Kettle gone, we've moved to Sweetwater Steakhouse for a while. Sheriff Anderson will be bringing us all up to date on various local law enforcement fronts and will be glad to answer any questions.
I remain continually impressed by District Five Supervisor Tom Wheeler's Town Meetings at our community center and again urge everyone to be at the next one here or in Ahwahnee, Coarsegold, North Fork or Raymond. Tom does more shows than Elvis in his prime.
And I wish that our Congressional representatives in Washington in both the Senate and House could put us first in their thoughts and learn to listen to -- rather than talk at each other. They might just find out they share much more in common than not, and that hard work and cooperative effort over time can bring brilliant consequences. I haven't given up yet.
"Don't cha know a diamond ain't nothin' but a piece of coal that's stuck with it?" -- Brother Dave Gardner (1959).
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By Dr. Cari Burck-
They say mission trips are life-changing.
You’ve probably seen it, too — the giddy smiles on their faces after their return from that faraway land. They tell the story of their all-too-brief time and speak about the trip with such an enthusiasm and such an awe-inspired demeanor that you either cynically wonder how they could have left their brains behind, or you start planning how you can go with them next year.
If you are the cynic, it turns out that the emotional stories really are true. That brand of excitement you saw after they came home really was authentic, and the only thing your typically-rational friends left behind at their mission field was what they now know as Real Life.
If you are the one who is already planning to be on the plane with the team next year, then you have been fortunate enough to understand this concept of Real Life earlier than others.
Real life in the USA is not the real life that much of the world’s population knows.
Five out of six Americans never have to worry when their next meal is coming … but for those in poverty, real life is hard, hard work, often with seemingly small benefits. Real life is frightening, seldom — if ever — having two coins to rub together. It is oftentimes dirt floors, filthy water, illiteracy, sickness, malnutrition, crime. But it is also something sweet — looking out for each other, being grateful for the littlest of things. It is knowing, by experience, what is truly important and the profound ability to be happy in these circumstances.
While this is real life for over a billion people on our planet, the Real Life we bring home with us is even more precious. In these desperate places, on those desperate faces, through those eyes, we find peace. We see our sweet Jesus. We immediately, unknowingly block out all of the frivolous stress of our yesterdays and realize that we are in the presence of something true. It is simplicity, humility, priority. We are in a real place, looking with fresh eyes, hearing with fresh ears, touching with new fingertips what it means to have clear priorities and serious needs. But all the while, we are sensing a joy that we don’t really understand. “How can these people be so happy?” you wonder as you take in these deplorable conditions.
And then it dawns on you: “This is what it means to be sought out by a Savior and what it means to be loved by our God! This is Real Life.”
When you visit Forever Changed International, you experience Real Life, too. Yes, these children are living in a lovely, clean home. They have a delicious breakfast to wake up to and cozy beds to hop out of every day.
But it wasn’t always this way for them. Some of these sweet faces have seen their parents murdered, or watched one die of disease when they couldn’t afford a doctor. Some of these tender hearts have been beaten or sold into prostitution. Some of these fragile bodies have been walked out on, left on doorsteps or on curbs or in trash heaps. Most of us cannot even imagine it, especially when we watch them run and play in their nice, clean clothes with their plump little cheeks.
While their stories vary in how they came to this home, the underlying themes are the same. They may not have a blood mama or papa anymore, but the sparkles in their eyes and the smiles on their faces tell you everything you need to know …
… These children are at home! They have Special Mothers now, and if they didn’t have a sibling with them when they came, they sure have siblings now! Their hearts are mending. Their bodies are not only healing, they are also growing strong. They are being educated. They are safe. They are nurtured. They are developing trust. They dare to dream. They are family now.
… They are getting to know Real Life — the love of the Lord our God who is in our midst, a mighty One who will save, who will rejoice over us with gladness, who quiets us by His love, who exults over us with loud singing (Zeph 3:17) — and so will you.
Here is what you can expect a trip to be like:
The mission starts on Saturday when your team arrives. No need to worry about transportation from the airport, or at any time during your trip — we’ve got you covered. When our driver pulls you up to the houses, you will likely be greeted with some of the cutest young faces you have ever seen. That first moment with the kids is unforgettable.
We will get you settled in your rooms and acquaint you with our place.
On Sunday, your day begins just like ours by going to church with all the kids and then playing at a park close to the orphanage. Sunday afternoon, we visit Juanita’s ghetto, where we get to bless some families with much-needed food baskets. They, in turn, bless us. You’ll see.
Monday, we visit the government orphanage. Here, sadly, you will see a dramatic contrast between the conditions of our home and theirs.
Monday afternoon, like nearly all the afternoons during your stay, we spend with the kids of our place. This is a special treat for the kids, and for you.
Tuesday, we spend at home doing what we call an internal project. This will give you the opportunity to see how the orphanage runs and what a typical day is like.
Wednesday, we do an external project at a ghetto next to the Guatemala City dump. Sometimes, for example, we install pilas (water sinks), or even do a cement floor.
Thursday is a long but exciting day. First we tour an area next to the dump. Then we get to eat lunch with the family where we worked the day before.
Thursday afternoon, we go out with our kids on a special outing (like to the zoo, or to get ice cream, or to the movies). Be prepared for the excitement! The kids really love Thursday afternoons!
Thursday night, we close our activities with a special dinner at a nice restaurant.
Friday is sightseeing in Antigua, a picturesque and historic city surrounded by volcanoes. This is a great place to buy all kinds of beautifully handcrafted souvenirs.
In all of our activities, our main goal is to show your team the importance of our little place — the blessing and great opportunity that our kids have here at Dorie’s Promise — the way we can go out and reach other kids and families if we can’t have them here — and that it all happens because of the grace of God.
This is our Real Life, and we would love to share it with you. We hope to see you soon! Click for more information on our trips.
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1. A score of 69 in sports.
2. The 6-9 combination in pool, particularly 9-ball.
1. What's the score?
I got the magic number
2. One way to win the rack: the magic number. The 9 is hanging in the pocket.
A constant compiled into a computer program or used in a file format for the purpose of being identifiably unique. A number which could only exist in memory on purpose and rarely by accident. For example, 0 is a bad choice for a magic number, since it's the default value for memory when a computer is turned on.
Programmers use them to quickly validate a larger data structure which could crash if it guesses the type wrong, using the theory that whatever code put the magic number there probably got the rest of it right, since they would have made it store the magic number AFTER everything else checked out.
Usually it's something easy for a programmer to remember, like DEADBEEF or B00B135 or something equally assinine.
It's like a secret signal or whistle you might use with friends when trying to coordinate something sneaky.
I fed an mp3 I accidentally renamed to a avi into windows media player, but it didn't crash because it checked the magic number first.
The number of people that one has had sex with.
My magic number was eight before Spring Break. I broke double digits before coming back home.
1. A score of 69 or a run of 69 consecutive points in straight pool.
2. The 6-9 combination in pool, especially 9 ball.
3. 69 (the sexual act).
1. Wow! She won the match 100-73 and had advanced to the finals. No one thought she'd pull it off when she was down 73-31. She performed the magic number---69 and out! One hell of a run!!!
2. Look! All I have to do is hit the magic number and I win this rack. The 6-9 combination--ooh, la la, so soon!
No wonder those two are so quiet: they must be performing the magic number on each other
A guy's "magic number" is the number of inches his penis is. IT SHOULD BE MEASURED IN WHOLE INCHES, OR HALF INCH INCREMENTS. No 3/4 shit.
I just found out my boyfriend's magic number! But dude, he was a douche and said 7 and 3/4 inches!
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Gigabyte’s FAQs on Replacement of 6-series Boards
"Gigabyte has come through with FAQs for those who need more information about about the problems with Intel’s 6-series chipsets."
Published: 2nd February 2011 | Source: Gigabyte Tech Daily |
It has been a few hours since we got word of Gigabyte’s replacement program for all of its motherboards based on Intel’s faulty 6-series chipsets. The manufacturer has now come through with a set of FAQs for those who need more information about the replacement program and about the problems with Intel’s 6-series chipsets.
Q: What is the problem with Intel 6 series chipsets?
According to the explanation from Intel, the SATA 2 ports 2~5 on motherboards designed around the 6-series B2 stepping chipsets may drop in performance over time. The shortcoming is in the Intel 6-series chipsets and so will apply to all vendors who have designed motherboards using these chipsets. Performance drops will not be experienced for systems using the SATA 3 ports.
The original alert for this issue has come from Intel and the manufacturer has expressed its firm commitment to stand behind its products. The alert can be found online http://www.intel.com/support/chipsets/sb/CS-032263.htm
Q: What chipset / motherboard models have been affect by this issue?
The issue affects all Gigabyte boards that are based on Intel’s 6-series B2 stepping chipsets including its P67, H67, P65, and PH67 models. Motherboard models based on other chipsets have not been affected by this condition.
Q: What action should I take if I have already purchased a GIGABYTE 6-series motherboard?
Action will depend on your computer setup. If you have setup your system to use only the SATA 3 ports, you do not need to do anything. If however, your system is connected to the SATA 2 ports, you are likely to face performance issues. Gigabyte is recommending that all customers with a Gigabyte 6-series motherboard should bring it in to their local dealer or retailer from where they purchased it for replacement. The motherboard exchange will happen at the end of April. All users will be provided an equivalent new motherboard as a replacement free of cost.
Q: What is the GIGABYTE swap policy for GIGABYTE 6 series motherboards?
Gigabyte will be providing replacement motherboards equipped with the new 6-series chipsets (B3 stepping instead of B2) with the new boards becoming available at the end of April. This is being done to ensure customers affected by this issue do not face any inconvenience. Customers will not be incurring any cost towards the replacement.
Q: What is the SOP for GIGABYTE 6 series motherboard exchange?
You just have to take your 6-series motherboard to the same dealer from where you originally purchased it; this should be done at the end of April. If a replacement product is not available immediately by any chance, you will be asked to leave the series number of your board and your contact details with the store. Once the replacement board becomes available, the store will notify you.
Q: When will the replacement be available?
As per the official word from Intel, it will start shipping 6-series B3 stepping chipsets from April 2011. Gigabyte will initiate its production and shipment of replacement motherboards based on the above schedule from Intel.
Discuss in our Forums
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Conflict raged in Sudan for more than two decades, killing more than a half million people and displacing millions more. Recently, South Sudan separated from the north, and while there is renewed hope for peace in the region, children and families are still suffering from extreme hunger and poverty.
World Vision has been on the ground in Sudan -- and the area that is now South Sudan -- for years, and we remain committed to helping alleviate the suffering and improve the lives of the most vulnerable children and families. Please send a gift to help provide food, clean water, healthcare, emergency relief, and more in Sudan and South Sudan.
Over the years, millions of hungry and frightened children and families have been forced from their homes. Malnutrition and disease are on the rise. World Vision is working hard to bring critical care to innocent victims, but we need your help to continue this important work.
Please remember the children of Sudan and South Sudan in your prayers. And thank you for sending a gift today. In this critical time, you can be the difference between life and death.
Learn more about our Impact on Disaster Relief.
Give monthly to Sudan Relief to help even more children.
At World Vision, stewardship is an integral part of everything we do. In rare cases where donations exceed what is needed, or where local conditions prevent program implementation, World Vision will redirect funds to similar activities to help children and families in need.
The multiplying effect from grants and donated goods may change throughout the year on identical or similar offers due to variations in the start and end dates of donor grants and our programs.
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Unfortunately, your hypothetical numbers don't work in reality. For any of those $1000 loans to have an individual minimum payment of $25 over a 120-month term, you'd have to be paying an illegal amount of interest for a student loan, (way more than 9%), meaning you're either severely delinquent, in default, or you took out a personal loan not guaranteed by the government (with a horrendous interest rate).
So, it would help if you gave us numbers closer to reality, and told us exactly what type of loans they were.
I can tell you that federally-backed loans have a minimum payment, based on the loan type. If the minimum payment for the loan amount based on a 120-month period is less than that floor, the floor is automatically applied, and the payback period is adjusted accordingly. So, let's say that you took out a $5500 Stafford loan split half-and-half between sub and unsub ($2750 each). Your servicer may consider the two parts of the loan to be two loans, since the amounts have different interest rates. However, the fed.gov considers these two to be the same Stafford loan and enforces a $50 minimum payment on that loan. Now, the minimum payment on a $5500 Stafford loan, split half-and-half with a sub rate of 3.4% and an unsub rate double that, is actually about $58, above the minimum.
Let's then suppose that you told the servicer to "snowball" the higher-interest loan amount, applying an extra $200 over the minimum payment to the unsubsidized portion until it was paid off. Now you have an outstanding balance on the subsidized half, but have paid off the unsubsidized half. The normal minimum payment on the subsidized amount would be something like $24, but that's now less than the federally-enforced "floor" of $50 for the full loan, so the floor amount is applied and the payback term of that loan is reduced.
If this is what has happened in your case, it is impossible to get this change reversed; it's mandated by Federal law. But, the payback term of that loan will be cut in half (and with a smaller final payment to boot), so Loan 2 will be paid off faster, and then that loan and its minimum payment comes off the books entirely, freeing you to apply the amount somewhere else. In the meantime, you'll just have to be content with applying only $200 to the next highest-rate loan and not $225.
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The Uninvited Guests by Sadie Jones
Sadie Jones' highly entertaining third novel seems perfectly conceived to appeal to two popular tastes - fascination with the Edwardian country house and the revival of the English ghost story. The Uninvited Guests marks a stylistic departure for Jones, too - on the surface the tone is lighter and more comic than her two previous novels, The Outcast and Small Wars, which both examined the unravelling of family relationships and the ways violence and tragedy can erupt from repression.
But surfaces can be deceptive, as Jones' characters discover over the course of one satisfyingly stormy night. The conventions of middle class English manners are revealed as too flimsy an overlay to hide the filthy passions and cruelties that seethe underneath.
Sterne is an isolated 18th century manor in northwest England, bought by Horace Torrington and now home to his widow Charlotte and family.
Elder children Emerald and Clovis resent their mother's new husband, Edward Swift, who departs for Manchester one morning in April 1912 in the hope of securing a loan to save Sterne, which is crumbling for lack of funds and may have to be sold.
As storm clouds, literal and metaphorical, gather over the house, preparations begin above and below stairs for a dinner in honour of Emerald's 20th birthday.
Thus far, it's an elegant comedy of manners with the usual undercurrents of jealousy, desire and conflicting loyalties. But the mood changes when Clovis, returning from the station with family friends, brings news of a dreadful accident on a branch line. A mysterious representative of the railway requests that the survivors be put up at Sterne.
These uninvited guests appear as if from nowhere as dusk falls, heralded by a chilling gust of wind; they seem to multiply as the night goes on, and give off a growing scent of decay - though none of this alerts the family, who have not read the novel's epigraph from Byron's Don Juan: "Their table was a board to tempt even ghosts/ To pass the Styx for more substantial feasts."
The ghost story genre is necessarily formulaic, which is perhaps why it continues to fascinate writers. The challenge is to create something new from within its confines. Jones concentrates on the way the unexpected intrusion affects the family and their friends, bringing out their best and worst qualities, revealing long-buried secrets and unexpected depths of passion and rage. Where there should be kindness for the traumatised passengers there is, at first, resentment and impatience at the disruption, made all the sharper by the fact that the incomers are from third-class - all except the dashing, wolfish Charlie Traversham-Beechers, a sinister figure from Charlotte's past.
Jones has a vivid eye for period detail, lingering lovingly on shimmering dresses, hairstyles and jewellery, so that the contrast is all the more vivid as filth, mud and dissolution gradually strip away the glitter and finery that separates the classes, reducing all the characters to a common, almost bestial, humanity. "You were [kind], in the end," murmur the passengers, when all the lessons have been learned.
The Uninvited Guests also carries echoes of Shakespearean comedy. Though menace hovers close to the main characters, it never tips into genuine danger and there is a pleasing resolution, in which everyone assumes their proper place, a little wiser and less proud.
Jones shows that she can turn her talent for story-telling to a more stylised form with a light and playful touch, and without compromising her sharp insights into the human heart.
- OBSERVERBy Stephanie Merritt
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Rajasthan is a major tourist location, and thousands of tourists from India and all over the world visit this beautiful, colorful desert state. The accommodation for tourists ranges from luxurious heritage hotels to budget hotels. The hotels are classified as one star, two star (budget), three- and four star (deluxe), and the posh five star hotels. Moreover, the tourism department of Rajasthan also provides accommodation like tourist lodges, dak bungalows and the Circuit House.
The heritage hotels in Rajasthan are former palaces and havelis, or mansions, of Rajasthan's ruling classes and rich merchants. The owners of the havelis and mansions still live in a part of the palace while another part is let out to guests. This gives a visitor a chance to interact with the local people, and get a taste of Rajasthani hospitality. The Shekhawati region has many havelis that have been converted to hotels. The Mandawa Palace is the chief among these.
The Narayan Niwas Palace in Jaipur, constructed in the 19th century, has period furniture and rich interiors that take you back to the days of the Rajasthani merchants and thakurs (landlords).
The Rajmahal Palace hotel, also in Jaipur, is a luxurious heritage hotel complete with peacocks strutting about the lawns and pools.
The Udaivilas Palace in Udaipur, another luxury resort, overlooks the picturesque Lake Pichola.
The Hotel Umaid Bhawan Palace in Jodhpur was built in the early 20th century, and later converted to a heritage hotel. Run by the Welcome Group hotel chain, Umaid Bhawan still houses the present royal family in one wing of the Palace.
The Neemrana Fort Hotel, close to Delhi, is a good option for the tourist who wishes to have sightseeing trips to Delhi as well as Rajasthan. It has 40 centrally air-conditioned rooms. Each room is unique in itself, with unique interiors and decorations.
The Taj Group runs the Ram Bagh hotel in Udaipur. The Taj Ram Bagh, Jaipur is one of the first palace in India to be converted to a heritage hotel. Guests can choose from the luxury rooms, deluxe rooms and suites. Like all heritage hotels, no two rooms of the Ram Bagh are the same, affording a visitor a vast choice depending on his tastes.
The Oberoi Rajvilas Hotel in Jaipur sprawls over 30 acres. The Rajvilas has 70 rooms and suites to choose from, with facilities like in room bars, satellite television, spa, poolside rooms, and restaurants serving a range of cuisines from all over the world.
The Sariska Palace Hotel, once the hunting palace of the Maharaja of Sariska, lies close to the Sariska Tiger Sanctuary. All the 40 rooms and suites are exquisitely furnished.
The above list of Rajasthan's best hotels is by no means exhaustive. In every district, there are numerous palaces and havelis converted into heritage hotels that offer a harmonious blend of traditional Rajasthani architecture, blended flawlessly with modern amenities and impeccable service.
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AMD supplied us with their top of the line A8-3850 APU, which comes with the CPU clocked at 2.9GHz and the GPU including all 400 shader cores clocked at 600MHz. Similar to previous AMD CPUs, the APU will also reduce it's operating frequency and voltage to save power, when it is not fully utilized. The following table lists all available P-States and the default voltages used for them.
As you can see, the default operating voltages are quite high, considering the chip is manufactured using the 32nm manufacturing process. As we have published earlier, the chip lends itself to heavy undervolting
. We'd like to note, that several tools can't properly read the core temperatures of the chip. According to Tamas Miklos, programmer of AIDA64 at FinalWire, at this point there is nothing that can be done about it. He told us, that the readout basically works the same way as for previous CPUs from AMD, but in this case the values are not correct. He continued to point out, that this is not the first time something like that happens. AMDs Athlon 64 “Brisbane“ chip for example also reported wrong temperatures, which could be corrected by an offset.
Also, the readout of the properties and/or temperature of the GPU with GPU-Z was errornous as well at the time of the review. Since Llano was still very new, it could very well be that those issues will be corrected in future releases of this software.The Mainboard
Part of our Llano testkit was a Gigabyte A75M-UD2H micro-ATX mainboard. It is one of the more expensive Llano mainboards, which is due to it's very comprehensive feature set. With regards to display connectivity, there are all options available: D-Sub, DVI, HDMI and DisplayPort. When connecting multiple displays, please note that not every combination is possible. D-Sub and HDMI as well as DVI and DP are mutually exclusive. If you enable Dual Link DVI, all other ports are disabled. Also it is not possible to hotplug another display when the computer is running. Changing the display connection requires a reboot.
The mainboard supports controlling the fan speeds if the respective setting is enabled in BIOS. Whether you use 3-pin or 4-pin fans doesn't matter, they will be automatically detected.
Updating the BIOS was quite easily done using the Q-Flash utility, which can be invoked via F11 at bootup. The BIOS file simply needs to be put on a USB pen drive and can be selected from within Q-flash. The BIOS contained a plethora of settings which allow to tune almost every aspect of the platform. There are a few options that don't work properly though. There are settings to increase the multiplier of the CPU and the GPU clock beyond the default specifications. This only amounts to higher frequencies being reported by tools like CPU-Z, but the chip will not perform any faster. However, we'd like to note that AMD readies a unlocked Black Edition A-series APU, where these options might come in handy.
With the F3 BIOS update, a new option to enable “C6 mode“ was added to the BIOS setup. Apparently this option enables the use of the C6 sleep state, as idle power consumption dropped by almost 4W after the BIOS update.The Memory
Kingston supplied us with a KHX2000C9AD3T1K2/4GX kit, a pair of 2GB modules specified to work up to DDR3-2000. This would be more than ample to supply the APU with the necessary bandwidth. However, with both the shipping BIOS (F2) and a beta BIOS (F3b), we weren't able to operate this memory at the DDR3-1866 setting. The slower DDR3-1333 and DDR3-1600 modes worked fine. After Gigabyte released the F3 BIOS update, also the faster DDR3-1866 mode worked without a hitch.
The memory SPD is programmed with conservative timings of 9-9-9-24 (CL-RCD-RP-RAS) at DDR3-1333 and 8-8-8-22 for DDR3-1066 for the default operating voltage of 1.5V. The SPD also contains Intel Exteme Memory profiles (XMP) for the high performance settings, which require a memory voltage of 1.65V but are unusable on an AMD based Motherboard/CPU. They contain programmings with CL9 up to DDR3-2000, CL8 up to DDR3-1776 and CL7 up to DDR3-1554. For DDR3-1333 there is even a CL6 setting available.
On Llano the XMP profiles are not supported by the BIOS, so we had to manually configure the timings to ensure best performance settings. This can be considered a minor hassle, but once you come up with a good working configuration you won't change the timings every now and then.
© 2009 - 2013 Bright Side Of News*, All rights reserved.
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Excerpted from Milkweed by Jerry Spinelli. Copyright © 2003 by Jerry Spinelli. Excerpted by permission of Ember, a division of Random House, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Q: How was writing Milkweed—your first historical novel—different from writing your other novels?
A: Research is what made it different from my other books. I usually do little research, but there was no avoiding it here. I made my bookseller happy by buying a load of books. I read parts of all of them for the next four or five months, then started writing.
Q: Would you mind telling us about the two people you named in your Milkweed dedication?
A:Bill Bryzgornia, a lifelong friend of mine, died shortly before the book came out. He was of Polish descent. He is mentioned briefly in my autobiography, Knots in My Yo-yo String.
Masha Bruskina is the name of a young woman who was publicly hanged by the Nazis as a warning and an example to partisan opponents of the occupying forces. I had seen the picture of her execution in a number of books over the years.
Q: How much of Misha’s character and situation is based on history, on reality? What about the other characters?
A:Many of the events and details of the story are true. For the most part, I made up the characters. There were, in fact, orphans who had no memory of mother or father and who, it seemed, simply materialized on the streets of war-torn Europe.
Q: Why did you decide to show the reader what happens to Misha when he grows up rather than ending Milkweedwith him still a child?
A: Because I wasn’t telling the story of the war; I was telling the story of Misha.
Q: How did you decide on the names of the characters?
A: As always, I chose them because they sounded right for the story, the time, the place. In a few cases, I actually changed names on the advice of a few helpful prepublication readers who knew 1940s Poland better than I.
Q: Do you have any favorite historical novels?
A: Johnny Tremain.
Q: When did you realize you wanted to be a writer?
A: Eleventh grade, around the time a poem of mine about a football game was published in the local newspaper. I guess it was largely a matter of timing. I was sixteen. My dream of becoming a major-league baseball player was fading. The imperative to find my course in life was upon me. I was shopping around for who I wanted to be. And here this writing thing seemed to reach down and pluck me out of the crowd. I mean, it wasn’t forced, it wasn’t planned. Nobody assigned me to write a poem after the game. I didn’t try to get it published. I didn’t seek the resulting notoriety. All this pretty much just happened to me. What I did was just apply a little common sense: I like to write, I seem to be pretty good at it, people seem to like what I write (admittedly a lot to conclude from a single poem)—ergo, I’ll be a writer. Simple!
Q: If you could have dinner with anyone in the world, whom would you choose, and why?
A: Tie: Loren Eiseley, the anthropologist and poet/essayist, and Sonny Liston, former heavyweight champ.
Loren Eiseley because he’s often the answer when I’m asked, “Who is your favorite writer?” It’s incredible that he wrote so well, considering that he was a scientist. I love his insights and perspectives on humankind and the universe. . . .
On the way home to St. Louis after winning the heavyweight title, Sonny Liston looked forward to a hero’s welcome, looked forward to receiving affection from the people who had regarded him as a hoodlum and a monster. When he stepped off the plane, not a soul was there to greet him. It broke his heart. I’d like to ask him about that day. I’d like to dump a teacup of confetti on his head.
Q: What do you consider the most rewarding part of writing books for young people?
A: Feedback from readers. The most common kind, of course, is fan mail. I’m proud to say that one particularly nice letter was submitted by the reader/writer to a fan mail contest run by the Library of Congress, and it won. It was about Crash. Some of the most heartwarming reports I get are from teachers and librarians whom I meet personally at conferences and book signings. When a teacher with tears in her eyes tells how a book “saved” a student of hers, I know I’m in the right business. I remember a letter from a teacher in Georgia. She told me the kids in her class had a choice one day: they could go eat lunch, or they could continue to listen to my book. Every one stayed for the book.
Q: Do you ever use suggestions from readers in new books?
A:I tell readers that if I use an idea of theirs in a book, I’ll give them credit in the acknowledgments. This paid off for one student, who gave me the idea for one of the School Daze books: Who Ran My Underwear Up the Flagpole?
Q: What advice do you have for young writers?
A: For me, there are many little rules, all superseded by one Golden Rule: Write what you care about.
From the Paperback edition.
1. Identity is a key theme in Milkweed. Discuss what Misha Pilsudski means when he says, “And so, thanks to Uri, in a cellar beneath a barbershop somewhere in Warsaw, Poland, in autumn of the year nineteen thirty-nine, I was born, you might say” (p. 31). How does the made-up story of Misha’s life become so important to him? How does his identity change throughout the novel? What gives him a true identity at the end of the book? Discuss Uncle Shepsel’s efforts to renounce his identity as a Jew. How are these efforts related to survival?
2. Uri is described as “fearless on the streets” (p. 80). What does he teach Misha about fear? Janina has led a privileged life and has not had to deal with fear before her family is moved to the ghetto. Discuss how Misha helps her cope with her new life. How does fear eventually kill Mrs. Milgrom? At what point in the novel does Misha display the most fear? How does he deal with it?
3. Uri advises Misha and the other homeless boys that one important survival skill is remaining invisible. Why does Misha have a difficult time remaining invisible? What other survival skills do the boys employ? What does Misha teach the Milgroms about survival? What poses the greatest threat to the survival of the Jews in the ghetto?
4. How does Misha’s relationship with the Milgroms change throughout the novel? At what point does Mr. Milgrom invite him to become a part of the family? Why are Uncle Shepsel and Mrs. Milgrom so reluctant to accept Misha? Discuss how Misha’s desire for family comes full circle by the end of the book.
5. In this novel about the horror and destruction of the Holocaust, Jerry Spinelli includes a number of recurring images of innocence and childhood. He also creates a main character who is young and naïve. What is the effect of this blending of the horrific and the innocent? What is the importance of the carousel horses, the angels, and Janina’s shiny black shoes? Why does Misha say, “We couldn’t eat merry-go-round horses and stone angels” (p. 138)? How do Misha’s childlike feelings and ideas about the Jackboots, their “parades,” and the war change?
6. Although they are hungry and grieving, the Milgroms still celebrate Hanukkah—even after their silver menorah has been stolen. What is the importance of their faith and hope in the midst of devastation? How does Misha feel when he is included in the celebration? The first time Misha hears the word “happy” is when Mr. Milgrom uses it to describe Hanukkah and being proud of their Jewish heritage (p. 157)—why is this important? Why does Misha give up the idea that he is a Gypsy in favor of being a Jew?
7. Discuss the qualities of true friendship. Talk about the friendship that develops between Misha and Janina. Why is Misha such a good friend to the orphans? Why does Dr. Korczak, the head of the orphanage, call Misha a “foolish, good-hearted boy” (p. 64)?
8. When Misha comes to the United States, he shares on the street corner his memories of his life in Poland. He says that running is his first memory (p. 1). What might he say is his last memory? Misha doesn’t tell his family about Janina, but he pays tribute to her memory by naming his granddaughter for her. Discuss why he wants to keep the memory of Janina to himself.
9. On page 196, Misha says, “Somewhere along the way I heard the story of Hansel and Gretel, and I knew that the end was not true, that the witch did not die in the oven.” When he is older and moves to America, Misha sees a copy of Hansel and Gretel in a bookstore and “grab[s] it and rip[s] it to shreds” (p. 202). Think about the story of Hansel and Gretel. How does this story—which most people see as a simple fairy tale—emphasize the horror of the Holocaust for Misha? How are Misha and Janina like Hansel and Gretel? Do you think Misha’s wife, Vivian, understands why he rips up the book?
10. he first sentence of Milkweed is “I am running” (p. 1). Later, Uri warns Misha to run from the ghetto to escape the deportation: “‘Get out. Run. Don’t stop running’” (p. 169). On page 180, Mr. Milgrom tells Misha to take Janina to the other side of the wall and run away: “‘Do not bring back food tonight. Do not return. Run. Run.’” Running plays an important role in Milkweed. How does it shape Misha’s life and identity? Do you think Misha is able to stop running at the end of the novel?
11. Think about the title—where does milkweed appear in this novel? What does it mean to Misha and Janina when they’re in the ghetto? What does milkweed mean to Misha at the end of the novel when he plants it at the end of his yard? How does it preserve his memories of Poland?
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W. Dean Frischknecht was hired by the Oregon Extension Service in 1956 as a Livestock Specialist. One of his primary responsibilities was working with the livestock industry of Oregon, focusing on beef cattle improvement. Due to his experience and knowledge, he represented many livestock related associations and committees, such as the Western Livestock Committee, Beef Improvement Federation, Oregon Cattlemen’s Beef Improvement Committee, and 4-H Livestock Advisory Committee. He worked for the Extension Service until he retired in 1985 with an Emeritus appointment, and has continued to represent the Extension Service in organizations and different projects throughout the years since retirement.
Frischknecht has many publications pertaining to the livestock industry. He authored Beef Cattle: Shaping Up for Winter (1966), Some Feeding Alternatives for Wintering Beef Cattle (1973), How to Select, Grow, and Manage Replacement Heifers (1978), The Oregon Carcass of Merit Program (1984), and Old Deseret Live Stock Company: a Stockman’s Memoir (2008), which describes his work on a ranch in Utah. He also coauthored Oregon Beef Improvement Procedures (1970), Cattle Facilities (1980), Feeding Beef Cattle during Periods of Feed Shortages (1980), Beef Production for Small Farms (1981), Understanding Calf Scours (1981), and Preventing Selenium Deficiency in Livestock (1983).
Dean Frischknecht was born in 1920 in Manti, Utah. He earned a B.S. in Animal Husbandry from Utah State Agriculture College in 1942 and an M.S. in Animal Husbandry in 1943. After college he worked for a ranch in Utah, and joined the Marines in January of 1945, in which he served until being discharged in May of 1946.
After his military service, Frischknecht went back to the ranch in Utah and worked from 1946 to 1954 as a Sheep Manager of 40,000 ewes and helped with the cattle and horses. He then took a job as life insurance underwriter for Pacific National Life before seeking a position with the Extension Service.
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VOICES Notes and news on Jazz releases
22 DEC 11 CHRIS SLAWECKI
In two marathon sessions, in May and then again in October 1956, Miles Davis and his first great quintet -- with John Coltrane, Red Garland, Paul Chambers and Philly Joe Jones -- recorded just about every standard and live staple they knew to fulfill the four albums remaining on and thereby conclude Davis' Prestige Records contract. Packaging these four albums together as Essential Albums: Cookin'/Relaxin'/Workin'/Steamin' seems like such an obviously great idea that it's surprising we haven't seen it until now.
Cookin' and Relaxin' were both released in 1957. Cookin' opens with Davis' first recording of what became a classic ballad in his hands, "My Funny Valentine." Relaxin' even lets you hear Miles give producer Bob Weinstock a hard time: "I'll play it and tell you what it is later," he deliciously grouses before ringing out "If I Were A Bell."
Garland and Davis weave breathtaking magic throughout "It Never Entered My Mind" on Workin' ('59), which also features the Garland trio's stroll (without horns) through "Ahmad's Blues." Steamin' ('61) features the quintet ripping through "Well, You Needn't" and hot roasting "Salt Peanuts," two classics from the bebop catechism that you can hear Davis' quintet (especially Chambers and Jones) reshaping into post-bop modern jazz.
Each soloist sounds as amazing as the next and the music from these sessions proved just as historic as their circumstances. Cookin', Relaxin', Workin' and Steamin' are also available as standalone titles in the RVG Remaster series.
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Web Search powered by Yahoo! SEARCH
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Oklahoma tornado damage could top $2 billion.
"Cops don't belong on pedastals. They are not protecting me or you like some people seem to think. Making a traffic stop is not protecting anyone."
Sadly, the sailor who died last week was speeding and crossed two lanes of traffic before rear-ending someone. If he had been stopped for speeding, there is a good chance he would still be alive right now. Trooper Tony was murdered. The sailor, although what happened to him was tragic, was not murdered. He died from his failure to obey traffic laws. This is why police officers stop people for speeding. So that tragedies like this don't happen. I served in the Navy, and my dad is a Washington State Trooper. To me, my dad is a hero and so is Trooper Tony.
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Find searchable data, including public employee salaries, crime stats and more.
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Jeff Carlson from Zion Development explains work projects and Zion's history... ZION Development was founded in 1982 by members of Zion Lutheran Church. The founders were strongly influenced by two factors. The devastating recession of the late 70's and early 80's (when unemployment reached 25%) had accelerated the deterioration of the neighborhood's housing stock. During this same time, a steady influx of refugees to the Rockford area, especially from Southeast Asia, were settling in the neighborhood around the church.
ZION Development provides decent, safe, affordable housing to families with middle and lower incomes by purchasing and rehabilitating dilapidated multi-family buildings in Rockford's Mid Town District. Currently ZION manages over 100 rental units and plans to purchase and renovate more. ZION also renovates and sells single-family homes.In 1992 ZION provided leadership in forming the Seventh Street Area Development Council, a grass roots, not-for-profit planning organization working plan in the Seventh Street area. This group is now known as the Mid Town District.
During that same year, ZION purchased the building that housed Rockford's only adult bookstore, a 24/7 business that had become a major focus of prostitution and drug activity. By refusing to renew the bookstore's lease, ZION immediately eliminated the business from the neighborhood. While doing that, we successfully lobbied for a new city ordinance that effectively prevented this business from relocating anywhere else in Rockford while also preventing other businesses of a similar nature from entering the city.In 1995 ZION completed the construction of twelve brand new, highly energy-efficient townhouses. This was the neighborhood's first new residential construction in decades.
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(not a Siamese)
Is belief a choice?
I don’t think so.
It is certainly common enough to speak of belief as a choice, but could I choose to believe that I was not sitting in a chair right now? (I am.) Could I choose to believe that the music playing at this moment (Sky-Fucking-Line-of-Toronto) had been recorded by The Kinks? (It was The Rugburns.) Could I choose to believe that my cat, Auto-Kitty (pictured to the left) is a Siamese? (She is of course a Tortie.)
Mind you, I am not asking if I could tell you that Auto-Kitty is a Siamese. I most certainly could. I am not asking if I could play some special word-game in approaching the subject and define ‘Siamese’ in such a manner as to include cats with a tortoise-shell coat. I am not even asking whether or not I could embark on some long-term project to convince myself that my little Auto-Kitty was really a Siamese. …though I really don’t think I could do that either. No, I am asking whether or not I could choose to believe, right here and now, that a cat I know to be something other than a Siamese was in fact (using a conventional understanding of the term) actually a Siamese?
The answer is ‘no’.
I think it is safe to say, dear reader, that we could come up with a range of similar propositions for you, claims that you could not choose to believe, at least not without a complex long-term brain-washing process to get you there. You could probably assert these claims, but you could not actually believe them.
So, there is at least one respect in which belief appears to present a limit to our choices. Somewhere in the question of what one believes, we all encounter an emergent property which is beyond the control of our immediate will. …Okay, at least the vast majority of us do.
No, it is not my intention to suggest that we have no choice at all with respect to beliefs, but rather to suggest that the choices must in some respect live with this emergent property, the one which defies our power to shape it at will. Truth be told I think we could probably put a range of different propositions on a scale of sorts. Auto-Kitty’s non-Siamese status is, for me at least at maximum (or near maximum) resistance to the whims of my personal belief. For you, perhaps, taking my word for it, there is perhaps cause for doubt about the matter, and it might be reasonable to say that one’s response to doubt involves a degree of choice.
More to the point at hand, we could perhaps find a range of propositions about subjects inherently difficult to resolve, full of ambiguity, and perhaps even loaded with more heuristic than factual value. One might get to say that he or she has a bit more choice in such matters. But I still think it is worth knowing that somewhere in our mental landscape, we normally encounter a limitation, a point of resistance to the free play of our choices.
I should add that I do think personality is another variable. Some people seem far more capable of choosing what to believe than others. I should also add that in at least one respect this is far from a virtue.
Well, what I am getting at is a trace of the larger question of Beliefs with a capital B. I don’t mean beliefs such as; What color is the chair? What kind of cat is that? or Is there too much chili paste in the chicken red curry? No, I mean questions like; Do you believe in God? How about reincarnation? karma? …The Holy Trinity? …you get the idea. Because people often speak of these beliefs as a choice.
The notion that belief in god is a choice is a particularly common fashion of speaking, and that fashion of speaking can be very misleading. It makes of belief a moral decision, and side-steps the epistemological questions about that belief in favor of arguments from consequantialism. One must, according to this approach, choose whether or not to accept or reject God, all of which actually begs the question of whether or not She actually exists.
But I don’t wish to go too far down this particular road at the moment. I am more interested in fleshing out how the issue affects self-presentation in matters of belief.
Okay, I am thinking about how this affects me!
You see, I often think back to these days of my own deconversion, and I realize that I have become accustomed to speaking of the process in unnecessarily mystical terms. I sometimes say that “I lost belief in God at around the age of 18,” or I may explain that “I chose to reject religion at that age.” Perhaps I will say that “I lost my faith,” and so on.
I don’t think this language is at all unusual, but the more I think about it the more I realize that they are not accurate descriptions of what happened at that time in my life at all. It would be far closer to the truth to say that I never really had faith at all. It would be more precise to say that I could find no aspect of my thought process which has ever answered to the concept of ‘faith’ as it is normally used in connection to belief in God.
Still further, I think it would be more accurate to say that I never really believed in God. Oh, I wanted to! As a young teen I REALLY wanted God in my life. I read. I prayed. I meditated. I studied. I did everything I could to ‘find God’ as they say, and the truth is that I just never did. I found a great deal of speech about him, but that speech never resonated with me on any personal level, nor did it point to anything in the objective world that struck me as a good candidate for a deity. When the day came that I finally came to see myself as an unbeliever, it was less a rejection of some viable notion than it was a concession that no such concept could be found in my mental landscape.
It was less a choice to reject belief than an acknowledgement of a mental state over which I did not really have a choice.
This was about the age of 18 or 19, and by that time I had come to know a number of approaches to the subject of God and religion. But these were always bracketed concepts in my own mind. They were ideas that someone else believed in, definitions of God that fit someone else’s beliefs, …or at least their claims. When I embraced my role as an unbeliever, the decision changed absolutely nothing about my beliefs. It was a change in my self-presentation, a decision about how best to describe the beliefs (or the lack thereof) that I already had.
For me at least, I could no more choose to believe in God than I could choose to believe that Auto-Kitty is a Siamese. I could say that God exists of course, but short of equivocation, I could not mean it.
I could deflect the question and say that I do not know whether or not God exists. Better yet, I could grunt and change the subject.
I could choose to put forward a variety of labels for my thoughts on the subject. So, for example, I could probably describe myself as either an ‘atheist’, an ‘agnostic’, or even an ‘agnostic atheist’. I could add the qualifiers ‘weak’ before ‘atheist’ or ‘soft’ before ‘agnostic’, or I could leave them off according to taste. Any of these approaches would be an equally accurate description of my take on the matter of God. I am somewhat inclined to believe that the label ‘non-cognitivism’ would work as well, though I would have to read-up a bit more on that approach to the issue before deciding once and for all on the label. But let us be clear, what I am choosing here is a label and a certain amount of baggage that goes with that label. What I am not choosing is what I will or won’t actually believe.
I have a little more wiggle room on the issue of surety. I could say that I am certain on the matter or that I am open to the possibility that a god does exist. The cognitive hazards of container metaphors aside, both of these could be a reasonably accurate description of my attitude on any given day. Choosing one or the other term would in a sense help to make the issue normative; it would give me an incentive to try for the attitude I had adopted as a self-description, and to avoid the other. Either way, I do feel like I have a little more choice in the degree of certainty I wish present my approach to this issue to others.
Indeed, I have lots of choices about the way I package my lack of belief and explain it to others. I also have lots of choices about what my (non-)beliefs mean to me and how they will shape my actions in the future.
What I do not have a choice about is what I actually believe on the subject. Somewhere in there, the power of choice simply escapes me.
Okay, I lied about what Auto-Kitty was trying to say in the title. What she was actually trying to tell you with that little meow of hers is that in the picture above, she is more comfortable than you or I or any other person in the whole of human history will ever be. She just wanted you to know that.
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Nuclear store fall-out: Could west Cumbrian councils merge?
Last updated at 15:38, Friday, 01 February 2013
Politicians have hinted that the veto of plans for an underground nuclear waste site in west Cumbria may have brought the county to a political crossroads that could result in a merger of Copeland and Allerdale councils.
Some senior Cumbrian councillors are now openly speculating about a possible new unitary authority.
The MP for Copeland Jamie Reed has reacted by hinting that the two west Cumbrian councils, which both backed further investigations to see if the area’s geology was suitable for an underground repository, may well join forces.
Meanwhile, Allerdale and Copeland council leaders have written a letter to the Energy Secretary Ed Davy, seeking an urgent meeting.
As the political dust from the bruising political debate settled, senior politicians spoke of the huge pressure they faced as they prepared for this week’s historic vote.
The county council’s cabinet voted by 7 votes to 3 to halt the process to identify a suitable repository site. Had the £12bn facility been built, it would have housed nuclear waste from across the UK for thousands of years.
County council leader Eddie Martin, who represents Dearham and Broughton, defended the veto decision, saying there just were too many uncertainties with the repository plan.
“We had literally thousands of emails, letters, and telephone calls,” he said.
“There were arguments both ways, but they were roughly about 20-1 against going forward with the process.
“We had more than 30,000 signatures on petitions, and they were predominantly against. Interestingly, I have had several emails from Sellafield workers who urged us not to continue with the process.”
Mr Martin said he supports the nuclear industry, but he called for greater Government efforts to grow and diversify Copeland’s economy.
A long-time supporter of unitary local authorities, he suggested Copeland and Allerdale may choose that path as a means to achieve their goal of further exploring the repository idea but he stressed that such a change would not mean he could support the plan.
He said the issue should have been decided by a Cumbria wide referendum.
“If we can have a referendum to elect a police commissioner, how much more important was this issue: it was a decision of enormous magnitude, affecting all the people of Cumbria and future generations,” he added.
“But at the end of the day, you want to do what’s right for the people of Cumbria and for future generations.
Councillor Liz Mallinson from Carlisle said: “I’ve had hundreds and hundreds of emails – at least 70 and 80 a day, from all over the world as well as Cumbria.
“Some could be construed as threatening in the way they were presented, but you have to draw a line under that.”
Mrs Mallinson said the cabinet had listened to the views of the whole of Cumbria, not just Copeland, and most people did not want an underground repository the size of Carlisle built in the area.
She added: “For Jamie Reed to try to get it in by another method does no favours for democracy at all. It sends out the wrong message.”
Mr Reed, who has vowed to continue fighting for the repository process to continue, said: “It’s very interesting that Eddie Martin is now choosing to raise this debate [about the county’s local authority structure].
“The reality is any process to deal with radioactive waste is likely to outlive the county’s current local government structures because of the financial pressures they are now facing.
“They’re already talking about a Copeland Allerdale merger. We are definitely at a fork in the road.
“As for Liz Mallinson’s comments, I have a lot of respect for her but the overwhelming democratic will of the people of Copeland is to discover whether the geology is suitable for a radioactive waste repository.”
HOW THEY VOTED
Cumbria County Council’s cabinet voted by 7-3 to withdraw from the selection process.
Those voting to pull out were Conservatives and council leader Eddie Martin (Dearham & Broughton), Tony Markley (Solway Coast), Liz Mallinson (Carlisle Stanwix Urban), Duncan Fairbairn (Bowness, Thursby & Caldbeck), James Airey (Ulverston West) and Gary Strong (Penrith Rural).
Labour’s Stewart Young (deputy council leader and Carlisle Upperby) voted with them.
Tim Knowles (Cleator Moor North & Frizington), the cabinet member with responsibility for the nuclear industry and fellow Labour councillor Anne Burns (Barrow Hindpool) voted to stay in, as did Independent Oliver Pearson (Old Barrow).
Allerdale council’s cabinet voted 5-2 in favour of moving forward to phase four.
Councillor Michael Heaslip (St John’s, Workington) proposed agreeing to move to stage four. Council leader Alan Smith seconded the motion to go forward to stage four.
The other yes votes came from Barbara Cannon (deputy council leader and Moss Bay, Workington), Mark Fryer (Stainburn, Workington) and Carni McCarron-Holmes (Ewanrigg, Maryport), with Philip Tibble (Clifton) and Carl Holding (St Michael’s, Workington) voting against.
Copeland council’s cabinet voted 6-1 in favour of moving forward to phase four. Only Hugh Branney – who represents Cleator Moor North – spoke out against the proposal.
Yes votes came from council leader Elaine Woodburn, John Bowman (Distington), George Clements (Kells, Whitehaven), Phil Greatorex (Bransty, Whitehaven), Allan Holliday (Kells, Whitehaven) and Gillian Troughton (Bransty, Whitehaven).
First published at 15:29, Friday, 01 February 2013
Published by http://www.newsandstar.co.uk
Have your say
For those who have not yet woken and smelled the coffee. It is not an issue about the benefits that Sellafield has brought to the area historically nor of those it might yet bring, nor of those it promised in the early fifteies that never happened. Of course, people want and need jobs. Nuclear power is clean; it is possible to mass produce it fairly easil;it does not blight the whole of the country only those areas that have to put up with a nuclear station; it is powerful; it is probably less expensive than relying upon hideous unproductive windfarms which benefit nobody but the energy companies and the farmers who either sell their land or lease it.But for goodness sake, it produces a highly toxic, highly poisonous bi-product called low and high level radiation waste about which neither the political classes nor the industry had any idea how they would manage it from the outset seven decades ago. Whether you want or need a job at Sellafield, you can't argue that wasn't particularly clever. So can we please have a sensible objective debate about this without the divisiveness that Jamie Reed and Elaine Woodburn are using as a strategy for further action?
yea sounds like a good idea then you can cut jobs for the council rather than eny one else lose a job hey yous are the ones banging on about saveing the cash point proved !!!!!!!!!!
View all 38 comments on this article
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"The Government have clearly sent the message to Shell, ‘you can do whatever you want’. Fortunately due to protest, the refinery remains unconnected to the gas field. If, as Shell planned, gas had been flowing by now, we would potentially all be dealing with a gas leak and explosion.”
New tests suggest that the Barryroe oil discovery off the Cork coast could deliver oil at “significantly higher production rates” than was previously modelled, according to Providence Resources.
The company’s share price jumped 3 per cent as new tests predicted that the discovery is likely to produce “significant production rates.”
A comprehensive programme of post-drill studies is continuing in order to better define the Barryroe oil in place resource and potential recoverable reserves. The first of these studies was undertaken In early May, according to the Irish oil and gas exploration and production company, which is the operator and 80 per cent owner of the prospect.
“These figures now confirm the magnitude of that productivity potential and clearly demonstrate that the Barryroe basal sands could potentially deliver oil at significantly higher production rates than was previously modelled,” said Providence in a statement.
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Advantages of Sole Proprietor Form
The advantages of forming a sole proprietorship include:
As the sole owner of the business, you have complete control over all the operations, and you get to make all the decisions. You don't have a board of directors, shareholders, or other owners to answer to.
- Tax Preparation and Filing
Sole proprietorship income taxes are easy to file, using Schedule C and adding the income/loss from the business to your other income on your personal tax return.
- Tax Rates
According to the Small Business Administration, sole proprietorship tax rates are the lowest of any business form (13.3 percent tax rate as compared to 26.9 percent for S corporations).
- Use of Losses
Because you are including your sole proprietorship income/loss on your personal tax return, you can use any business losses to offset personal income from other sources (a spouse's salary, for example). You do need to be careful not to run up against the IRS restrictions on "hobby" businesses which generate losses for years, but if you can prove your business is legitimate and not a hobby, those losses can lower your taxes.
Disadvantage of the Sole Proprietorship
The primary disadvantage to a sole proprietorship is that your personal finances and those of your business are one and the same. You cannot file bankruptcy for your business without filing personal bankruptcy. You cannot expect to shield your personal assets from liability for the debts of the business, nor can you avoid being sued personally for negligence due to some problem with your business.
For example, if your sole proprietorship cannot pay its bills, your personal credit card will probably come into use. And filing bankruptcy for your sole proprietorship, whether it is a reorganization (Chapter 11) or liquidation (Chapter 7) means involving your personal assets. As stated by the U.S. Courts website (in the Chapter 11 section): "a bankruptcy case involving a sole proprietorship includes both the business and personal assets of the owners-debtors."
For many business people, the issues of personal liability and involvement of personal assets outweigh the advantages of sole proprietorship structure. If this is the case with you, consider forming a limited liability company (LLC) or corporation.
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I was recently contacted by a journalist to talk about the Attraction Economy. What bad timing. I’ve moved on. From our experience with the T-Mobile “Life’s for Sharing” campaign, a new shift is taking place. We are entering the age of the Participation Economy.
When watching or approving anything we make, my rule of thumb used to be: Do I want to see it again? But increasingly that’s given way to: Do I want to share this? I’ve written about the dynamics of sharing before. It may sound like a lesson from Kindergarten, but sharing is powerful stuff.
The transformation of business and society is always seen through a collection of shifts. Power and energy changes direction and new dynamics rule the day.
The Participation Economy is an aspiration as much as it is a reality. The global recession dealt a blow to its development, perhaps. But a number of contributing factors lead to the Participation Economy, chief among them the web. Our real-time digital infrastructure is an empowering, entrepreneurial platform that lets you showcase your creativity like never before. We’ve seen this introduce a self-generating energy that we’re just beginning to understand and harness.
All of this is an evolution. We’re not totally there yet, so Attraction still plays a huge role. And the term is not my invention, as the Participation Economy has been around a while for the design of products. But it’s much larger than that.
Participation is also about the health of society. The past decade witnessed rapid change in society. America doubled its consumption of antidepressants. 1% of the population is in jail. 48% of Manhattan lives alone. Social dislocation creates new channels for interaction and our need to participate and join together is going to grow in this regard.
Like the Lance Armstrong Flash Mobs I blogged on, the Participation Economy is more about sharing ideas than making purchases. It’s about connecting us with ideas. When we participate, we join a larger community around an idea. That social dynamic is fluid and natural and it’s a hotbed of innovation. More and more, we will see that the best ideas create an opportunity for participation. It channels the energy of a community. After all, Steve Jobs said: “Innovation is just connecting stuff.”
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Huge Crowds in Paris March for Marriage Equality
Tens of thousands of people marched in Paris Sunday in support of a government-sponsored bill that would legalize marriage and adoption for same-sex couples.
Demonstrators waved banners emblazoned with phrases such as "Equality of rights is not a threat" as they began marching Sunday from Denfert-Rochereau square in the southern part of the city.
The march drew 125,000 demonstrators into the streets, according to police. That was well above the number counted by police at a similar march in December, but far less than the estimated 340,000 that turned out for a demonstration by those opposed to the proposal two weeks ago.
About 63 percent of French people favor legalizing gay marriage, according to a survey released Saturday, up from 60 percent in December.
The French parliament is due to begin debate on the bill Tuesday and the bill is essentially guaranteed to pass the Socialist-dominated parliament. If it is approved, France would become the 12th country in the world to legalize same-sex marriage.
French civil unions, allowed since 1999, are at least as popular among heterosexuals as among gay and lesbian couples. But that law has no provisions for adoption or assisted reproduction, which are at the heart of the latest debate.
President Francois Hollande’s Socialist Party has sidestepped the debate on assisted reproduction, promising to examine it in March after party members were split on including it in the latest proposal.
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Senator Tom Harkin
2009 was truly a year for the history books. Over the past 12 months we have faced a severe economic recession and waged war on two fronts. But as we look back, I think 2009 will be remembered as the year we looked our challenges square in the eye and laid down a foundation for a successful, prosperous future. And this, as Congress is on the cusp of passing comprehensive health reform legislation that will extend coverage to millions of Americans while lowering costs and protecting patients from insurance company abuses.
We began in January with the historic swearing in of President Barack Obama, our nation's first African American President. Shortly after, in the face of near economic collapse, we passed the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act and pulled ourselves back from the brink of depression. This bill, among other things, created and saved thousands of jobs in Iowa keeping teachers in the classroom and police on the streets. We passed the State's Children's Health Insurance (SCHIP) Act, also known as HAWK-I, and extended health coverage to 11,000 Iowa kids.
There are also several pieces of legislation that I was proud to fight for in the Senate that became law in 2009 bills that will make big impacts in the lives of Iowans and people across the nation. These include:
The Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act. This law, named for a woman who simply asked that she be paid the same amount as a man for performing the same work, curbs the unfair practice of pay discrimination by restoring civil rights protections for workers. This was the first bill ever signed into law by President Obama and it marked a new era for fighting pay discrimination in this country.
The Christopher and Dana Reeve Paralysis Act. This bill will advance collaborative research in paralysis and improve quality of life for people living with paralysis and mobility impairments from any cause including stroke, ALS, spinal cord injuries and others. I started working with Christopher and Dana on this issue 10 years ago, and even though they are no longer with us, there are millions of other Americans who will benefit from their hard work and perseverance.
The Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act. This legislation bans candy and fruit flavored cigarettes, bans misleading health claims such as "light" and "low-tar," requires tobacco companies to disclose the contents of tobacco products and empowers the FDA to require changes in tobacco products. The bill will dramatically reduce the number of young Iowans who become addicted to tobacco.
The Ryan White Comprehensive AIDS Resources Emergency (CARE) Act. This bill supports those who have insufficient health care coverage or financial resources for coping with the disease, and is the largest federal plan focused exclusively on HIV/AIDS care. It is named after Ryan White, who contracted HIV from a blood transfusion only days after his 13th birthday and died of AIDS five years later.
Funding for important education, transportation, labor, health and rural development projects. In funding our priorities, I recognize that we must spend the public's money wisely, and that's why these bills include funds to expand programs that have proven to be effective and weed out those that have not. I am especially pleased to have secured $7 million for the repair, construction and modernization of Iowa schools. We are not out of the woods by any means.We still have a long way to go and much, much more to accomplish.2009 was a year of hard work and tough choices, but it was also a year that put us on the path towards a healthier, fairer and more prosperous future. Senator Harkin's WebsiteNewsFor JournalistsAbout TomIssuesContact Tom.
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What would Milton Friedman do about 'fiscal cliff'?
Biographer of famed economist weighs in
- Duration 5:26
- Date Dec 6, 2012
Biographer of famed economist weighs in
Also in this playlist...
This transcript is automatically generated
Talking a lot about this Bill Clinton that clock is ticking down until the deadline for that admit all of these efforts to try to hammer out some sort of deal on Capitol Hill.
And while some Warren -- the dangers of going over of the -- And man known as one of the greatest twentieth century advocates for free market economy may have had a different take his name was Milton Friedman.
And he was well his his greatest concern.
I was really just government and too much have it -- isn't a clip from the 2006 documentary 1%.
The bottom would be -- put in the end and apple worse off.
What do harm not good but people don't pay those contacts is -- -- way to getting around.
When you're never going to be able to stop them from finding.
Ways to -- around.
-- about taxes there -- next guest has written extensively about Milton Friedman and we want to ask him.
It what would -- How many even sign is the author Milton Friedman and biography he's -- editor at the indispensable Milton Friedman and he joins us now so anyway I would look and think about all of this.
Terrific -- great to be with you I'm I'm sure that -- Milton Friedman we're here today -- -- go over the fiscal cliff.
Yeah I don't even president breaks.
It it's all always worthwhile to meet and have negotiations but at the end of the day he favored the least government spending possible.
And I believe that he would have said that's a course that.
Isn't going to be accomplished by raising taxes rather by raising taxes that'll provide funding for more government spending so.
Friedman definitely would have been in bid would have been in favor of the course that will result in the least government spending.
And Milton Friedman served -- -- an economic advisor for Ronald Reagan during the Reagan administration.
But I'm curious what he would think of either side's position right now Lanny what do you think -- take either side.
Why I think that he would definitely be on the side of the Republicans in congress who feel.
That the tax increases should not go forward.
In that there should be the maximum spending cuts possible I think that's not just true for the effect on the deficit but because the deficit.
Is being monetized.
At this point in time to quantitative easing it can result in greater inflation down the road.
So from both perspectives Friedman would've thought that this is not the time to raise taxes this is the time to cut government spending.
We don't want to have a larger government deficit.
And that this is the course that would lead to the greatest prosperity in the economy he would not have agreed that.
If we go over the fiscal cliff that that would have a negative impact on the economy.
He would say rather.
-- by bringing the deficit down by having the prospect of lower inflation in the future that'll be good for interest rates now would be good for the economy in the coming years so.
We need to go to Ed does American citizens -- that say let's -- Over the fiscal cliff I'm afraid of that I don't even I don't even want to entertain the possibilities of what that would look like well I.
I think that when it comes to issues such as the extension of unemployment benefits Social Security.
Friedman would have argued that it's the better course to cut spending in those areas now.
Rather than defer indefinitely and making real spending cuts.
The current agreement was hammered out in August of 2011.
What typically happens is is that spending cuts or promised in the future.
But they never materialized but taxes are raised anyway that's exactly what would happen under this circumstance.
Taxes would be raised.
Spending cuts would be promised in the future when that deadline is reached.
We wouldn't make the spending cuts so at this point in time what's really being talked about it's strictly a tax increase in Friedman would have -- that.
-- -- I don't need to tell you this there's certainly been critics have Milton -- out there and it made you kind of take -- -- -- together this is what they say.
There is a time in place for government there is -- time and place for government can serve the economy and that was.
Opposed to let Milton Friedman said but in general you know well.
What do you think he would make of that question today being the government is where it is is the -- that it is.
What role would appropriate role does government have.
In the economy at all.
Sure Freeman did not question that there's an appropriate role for government and society.
But in general he thought that the less government the better the lower taxes the better.
The less spending the better the less regulation the better and a stable monetary policy is the best way forward.
So those were the reforms for government that he would have advocated.
Those -- the reforms for government that he advocated throughout its.
Career earlier this deal and by the way and that that interviewed 2006 just before he passed away do you see anybody that's like him today that is.
-- thinker -- the way that Milton Friedman why's that may have an impact right now in some of our economic policies.
Well gosh having studied Milton Friedman for many years I would say he was truly one of a kind and there was only one.
What he truly was indispensable.
And there was really no one else like him so I think there -- many individuals who are doing good work but there was only one -- He's certainly had a personality shortly after you finish that question with the interviewer in that documentary he kicked him out of his office contestants -- -- what you are not with pocketing more about this.
Lady it's great to see today thank you so much for the time.
Think you -- speaking of government.
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Most Active Stories
KRWG.ORG-The Region's Home Page
Sat November 26, 2011
With Paula Deen, It's Not Really About The Pie
Originally published on Mon November 28, 2011 8:18 am
When I heard Paula Deen was coming to town, the image that leaped to mind was a fried cheesecake, deep-fried. She actually makes this!
At a time when it's trendy to take things out of food (think: gluten-free, sodium-free, fat-free), Paula Deen unapologetically puts it all back in. She loves all that stuff we're told to eat less of: butter, mayonnaise, sour cream. Did I say butter?
So I wanted to go see what makes her fans so enthusiastic. They wait in line to see her live, even though she's all over the Food Network. At the Metropolitan Cooking & Entertaining Show in Washington earlier this month, I met lots of them.
"She's awesome," Linda Fortanata told me while waiting for a good seat. "She cooks everyday food I can relate to!"
"You just can't help but fall in love with her," Rona Schwartz gushed.
"She makes an amazing apple pie!" Michelle Morgan chimed in.
Apple pie, really? I was scratching my head, trying to make sense of the crazy-for-Paula phenomenon. Doesn't everyone have an apple pie recipe?
And then it dawned on me. It wasn't about the pie. It was about Paula.
On stage, Paula started laughing and telling stories. Each of us felt as if she were speaking directly to us. We'd each just pulled a chair right up to her kitchen table.
"She reminds me of my mom," Alison Keen told me. "Just hanging out in the kitchen."
At a time when lots of people live alone, or have fractured families, knowing Paula Deen fills a void for people, even if it's on TV.
"They feel an intense emotional connection, I think," explains food anthropologist Christine DuBois. "She's very natural, very warm." And for some, DuBois says, "she becomes that wonderful neighbor or that grandma who's missing in our lives."
For all the adoration of her fans, in recent months Deen has been attacked for promoting food so unhealthy that some critics call it dangerous. That was TV chef Anthony Bourdain's complaint. "I would think twice before telling an already obese nation that it's OK to eat food that is killing us," he told TV Guide.
Deen fought back, telling Bourdain to "get a life."
"I couldn't care less what he thinks," she told me when I asked her about the war-of-words during an interview. "I believe in live and let live."
And she's created her own kerfuffles. Last month, Deen told the Washington Examiner that Michelle Obama had really chowed down on so-not-healthy fried shrimp when she appeared on Deen's show in 2008. "She probably ate more than any other guest I've ever had on the show," Deen said.
The comments grabbed attention, since the first lady campaigns against obesity and champions healthy eating through her Let's Move campaign for children.
"I found her (Michelle Obama) to be a delightful woman who appreciated my fried shrimp so much," Deen told me. "I totally agree with her campaign," both the emphasis on healthy food and the effort to get kids off the sofa.
As for her own exercise habits? Hmmm. "I've heard that about exercise ... that it is addictive." Deen told me she'd like to start walking on a treadmill, one of these days. "I've got to see if I can get myself addicted."
SCOTT SIMON, HOST:
This may be the one of the few weeks of the year that we get a kind of free pass from the national preoccupation with dieting - that is, unless you follow Food Network star Paula Deen. She's raised a big tent for folks who like the idea of live and let live. But as NPR's Allison Aubrey learned, her fans aren't just drawn to her cheese grits with extra butter, there's something much more elusive that they're after.
ALLISON AUBREY, BYLINE: I spend a lot of my time interviewing people who are trying to make us and the food we eat healthier. And then there's Paula Deen. When I heard she was coming to town the image I got in my head was a deep-fried cheesecake. She actually does that.
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)
AUBREY: So, who is this woman?
PAULA DEEN: Now, the first dish I'm going to start with this morning is spicy cinnamon cake.
AUBREY: This is Paula from an episode of her TV show. She's wearing her pajamas and cooking from her home in Savannah. She loves all this stuff we're supposed to be eating less of.
DEEN: For this recipe, I going to need butter, sour cream, eggs.
AUBREY: She finds a way to sneak mayonnaise into recipes and she's a fan of tricks to keep things simple, such as adding instant pudding.
DEEN: And one more ingredient that's going to make this real, real moist...
AUBREY: Sour cream. So, is it these easy-peasy recipes...
DEEN: It has a wonderful, wonderful flavor.
AUBREY: ...that compels thousands of her fans to buy tickets and wait in lines to see her perform live?
RONA SCHWARTZ: Oh, believe me, it's going to be great. Everybody's going to be so excited, going absolutely insane.
AUBREY: Paula fan Rona Schwartz drove from Philadelphia down to the Metropolitan Cooking Show in D.C. earlier this month to see her live.
SCHWARTZ: I can't wait. I mean, she's just got that great smile. You just can't help but fall in love with her. You just can't help it.
AUBREY: I was hearing this over and over and over again.
LINDA FORTANATA: She's awesome, she's sweet, she cute, she cooks everyday food - I can relate to her. From Linda Fortanata to Michelle Morgan...
MICHELLE MORGAN: She makes this amazing apple pie.
AUBREY: Apple Pie, really? Doesn't everyone have a yummy recipe for apple pie? But as the spotlight came on, all eyes followed Paula's entrance on stage.
UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: The queen of Southern cooking, the number one lady you came to see...
AUBREY: It started to dawn on me: it's more than the recipes. Paula, with her big blue eyes, and her snowy-white hairdo, she gives people a connection, a soulful connection they're looking for.
UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: And her fifth year here in Washington, D.C., Paula Deen.
(SOUNDBITE OF APPLAUSE)
AUBREY: Within moments, Paula's laughing and telling stories as she does on her TV show. She talks about her two sons and about meeting her second husband.
DEEN: I remember when Michael and I - well, a few months after we'd been seeing each other - I got up and I fixed him breakfast.
AUBREY: As Paula talks, James Hample says it feels like she's speaking just to him. It's as if each of the 2,000 people in the audience have pulled a chair right up to her kitchen table.
JAMES HAMPLE: She's so homey, and, like, she makes me feel like I'm in grandma's kitchen. Like, she just, like, I just want to hug her.
AUBREY: At one point, she invites the whole audience to come along on her annual winter cruise. Julie Cook, who's been, says it's a hoot.
JULIE COOK: She'll sit down, and probably pick off your plate. But people get to know her intimately. She learns people's names and become friends with them.
AUBREY: Charisma aside, the part of Paula Deen's personal story that many diehard fans connect with is her triumph over big struggles, including a bad first marriage and agoraphobia, an anxiety disorder that left her afraid to leave her house.
CHRISTINE DUBOIS: It's tremendously inspiring to be a person who can overcome something like agoraphobia.
AUBREY: Food anthropologist Christine Dubois says in an age where conditions such as ADD, OCD, PTSD are part of the national lexicon, the ability to conquer one becomes the 21st century, pull-yourself-up-from-the-bootstraps story that can gives people hope.
DUBOIS: If Paula Dean could do it and become this incredible phenomenon, maybe I should have the courage to overcome my difficulties too.
AUBREY: So, what's Paula's next personal dragon to slay? Well, when I caught up with her after the live show, she told me that to compensate for her love of rich food she'd like to start exercising.
DEEN: I've heard that about exercise, that it is addictive.
AUBREY: She told me that her son Bobby is hooked.
DEEN: So, I've got to see if I can get myself addicted.
AUBREY: Well, thank you so much for your time. I really do appreciate it.
DEEN: Thank you. You are so welcome.
AUBREY: Thank you.
DEEN: You're cute and I like those little ear screws.
AUBREY: Oh, she's got me. Allison Aubrey, NPR News. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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