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AG.04 Parkinson's disease and Lewy body disease: the same or different?
- I McKeith
Ian McKeith is Clinical Professor of Old Age Psychiatry at the Institute for Ageing and Health at Newcastle University. He is an NIHR Senior Investigator and Co-Director of the UK National Dementias and Neurodegenerative Diseases Research Network (DeNDRoN). Dr McKeith established the Consortium on Dementia with Lewy Bodies which has produced internationally accepted Consensus guidelines for the clinical and pathological diagnosis of DLB. He has published over 350 peer reviewed papers and numerous other articles. In 2008 he received a lifetime achievement award from the UK Royal College of Psychiatrists.
The terms Alzheimer's disease (AD), Parkinson's disease (PD), PD dementia (PDD) and dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) are used by clinicians to describe the pattern and chronology of clinical presentations, the discrimination of which is useful for patient diagnosis and management. The term LB disease is used by clinicians to refer to the PD/PDD/DLB spectrum and by clinicians and scientists to refer to a pathological disease process.
A series of targeted workshops on DLB and PD dementia has led to the acceptance of operationalised criteria for the clinical diagnosis of DLB and PDD that are mutually compatible and consistent with similar systems for AD and PD. Precise use of terminology and theoretical frameworks is important to ensure that these carefully agreed categorical entities are used correctly. If not, the interpretation and comparison of translational research and clinical trials in the LB disease spectrum becomes confounded. Conversely, when considered collectively using a broad spectrum model the combined categories may capture sufficient heterogeneity to render clinicopathological correlative studies more meaningful and will allow the development and trialling of disease modifying agents for LB disorders that can be interpreted more widely than is currently the case.
Formulation of pathological criteria for LB disorders has been more problematic because of the variable pattern of expression of neuropathological lesions (τ, amyloid and α-synuclein based abnormalities) which correlate only to a limited degree with clinical phenotype, disease severity and progression. | <urn:uuid:e9242772-6963-43a3-8a95-3b358da69889> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://jnnp.bmj.com/content/82/8/e2.3.short | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00006-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.937732 | 433 | 1.773438 | 2 |
Strategies for your business
Starting a new business
Embarking on a new business venture is both an exciting and a challenging task, which carries with it an element of risk. Key decisions need to be made, and there are many factors to consider, some of which include: the type of business and its attributes; your target market and competitors; the business’s profit potential; your process for extracting those profits; the rate of business growth; the impact on your life; any potential risks; and how you plan to exit the business when the time comes.
Your business plan: A comprehensive business plan is paramount to ensuring that you make the best decisions. Your business plan should include: the business structure that best meets your needs (be it sole owner, partnership, limited liability partnership or limited company); your intended funding sources; tax-efficient borrowings; whether a PAYE scheme is necessary; and whether the business should be VAT registered. We can guide you through these important decision making processes and help you to make the appropriate registrations. We can assist with cash flow forecasts, helping you to spot potential cash shortfalls, and offering regular updates to enable you to monitor your business’s performance.
Choosing the right business structure: Deciding on the business structure that best suits your needs can be difficult. There are both advantages and disadvantages for each trading structure, and each has implications for control, perception, support and costs. For example, careful consideration is needed regarding whether or not to retain personal ownership of any freehold property on an incorporation. We can help you to decide on the best structure for your business.
Considering your year end: It is also important to choose a year end that suits your business. Is there a time of year when it will be more convenient to close off your accounting records, ready for us? What time of year would be best for stock-taking? How seasonal is your business? From a tax perspective, choosing a year end early in the tax year for an unincorporated business usually means that an increase in profits is more slowly reflected in an increased tax bill, and over time the delay between earning profits and paying the tax can create a source of working capital for the business. On the other hand, a decrease in profits will more slowly result in a lower tax bill. Speak to us for advice on your year end.
Registering with HMRC: When setting up a business, there are a multitude of issues to consider. While notifying HMRC of your employment status may seem low on your agenda in those crucial first weeks and months, we recommend that you inform HMRC of your new self-employed status as soon as possible. You are likely to be liable to pay Class 2 national insurance contributions (NICs) and failure to notify HMRC may attract a penalty if tax or NICs are unpaid as a result.
Regional employers’ NICs holiday for new businesses
This is a scheme intended to support new businesses that start up during the period between 22 June 2010 and 5 September 2013 in certain targeted areas of the UK. Eligible employers may not have to pay the first £5,000 of Class 1 employers’ NICs due in the first 12 months of each employment. This applies for each of the first 10 employees hired in the first year of business.
The targeted countries and regions are: Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, the North East, Yorkshire and the Humber, the North West, the East and West Midlands and the South West.
Looking ahead: Employment Allowance
In addition, a new Employment Allowance will be available from April 2014 for businesses and charities. Employers will need to confirm their eligibility through their regular payroll process. This confirmation will ensure that up to £2,000 will be deducted from their employers’ NICs liability over the course of the year’s PAYE payments.
Starting a Business – Action plan
|Prepare a robust business plan||
|Ensure that you have access to suitable funding||
|Check your right to use your chosen trading name||
|Choose the right business structure||
|Register with HMRC||
|Register for VAT||
|Register your business name|
|Trade and professional registrations||
|Choose your year end||
|Plan to reduce your tax liability||
|Develop your branding||
|Involve the family||
|Plan to avoid fines and penalties||
Claiming deductible expenses
It is our role to work with you to reduce the amount of tax you are liable to pay, and it is important that you benefit from all of the opportunities available to you.
You will pay tax on your taxable profits, so it is vital to claim all deductible expenses, many of which will be included in your accounting records. If you are self-employed and carry on your business from home you can claim tax relief on part of your household expenses, including insurance, repairs and utilities.
You may also be able to claim for the cost of travel and accommodation when you are working away from your main place of business, so you should keep adequate business records, such as a log of business journeys. In addition to ensuring that your accounts are accurate, these records may also be requested by HMRC.
An appropriate computer package might be worth considering, to aid concise and effective record keeping.
You may also wish to consider the new voluntary cash basis for calculating taxable income for small businesses, introduced from April 2013. As mentioned earlier, the new cash basis will allow eligible self-employed individuals and partnerships to calculate their profits on the basis of the cash that passes through their business. Businesses will be eligible if they have annual receipts of up to £79,000 and they will be able to continue to use the cash basis until receipts reach £158,000. This is something we should discuss with you in detail if you are eligible.
Businesses in the scheme will generally not need to distinguish between revenue and capital expenditure.
If you are an unincorporated business, you are now able to choose to deduct certain expenses on a flat rate basis should you wish to do so.
Making the most of capital allowances
‘Capital allowances’ is the term used to describe the deduction we are able to claim on your behalf for expenditure on business equipment, in lieu of depreciation.
Annual Investment Allowance (AIA): The annual allowance is £250,000 for the two years to 31 December 2014. This means up to the first £250,000 of the year’s investment in plant and machinery, except for cars, is allowed at 100%. However, transitional rules may restrict the maximum amount claimable (see below). The AIA applies to businesses of any size and most business structures, but there are provisions to prevent multiple claiming. Businesses are able to allocate their AIA in any way they wish; so it is quite acceptable for them to set their allowance against expenditure qualifying for a lower rate of allowances (such as long-life assets or integral features) – see below.
Enhanced Capital Allowances (ECA): In addition to the AIA, a 100% first year allowance is also available on new energy saving or environmentally friendly equipment. Where companies (only) have losses arising from ECAs, they may choose how much they wish to carry forward and how much they wish to surrender for a cash payment (tax credit payable at 19% but subject to limits).
A separate ECA scheme is available for electric and low CO2 emission (up to 95 g/km) cars, new zero-emissions goods vehicles (for five years from 1 April 2010 (corporates) or 6 April 2010 (others)) and natural gas/hydrogen/biogas refuelling equipment. They still qualify for the 100% first year allowance, but do not qualify for the payable ECA regime.
Writing Down Allowance (WDA): Any expenditure not covered by the AIA (or ECAs) enters either the main rate pool or a special rate pool, attracting WDA at the appropriate rate – 18% and 8% respectively. The special rate 8% pool applies to long-life assets and integral features of buildings, specifically:
- Electrical systems (including lighting systems)
- Cold water systems
- Space or water heating systems, powered systems of ventilation, air cooling or purification and any floor or ceiling comprised in such systems
- Lifts, escalators and moving walkways
- External solar shading
- Active facades (climate-responsive features).
For most other plant and equipment, including some cars (see below), the main rate applies.
A WDA of up to £1,000 may be claimed by businesses, where the unrelieved expenditure in the main pool or the special rate pool is £1,000 or less.
Transitional rules for AIA and WDA
Transitional rules apply where basis periods contain any changes in the AIA maximum or WDA percentages.
Enterprise Zones: The Enterprise Zones in assisted areas qualify for enhanced capital allowances. In these areas, 100% First Year Allowances will be available for expenditure incurred by trading companies on qualifying plant or machinery. The qualifying expenditure must be incurred between 1 April 2012 and 31 March 2017.
Cars: For cars with CO2 emissions exceeding 95 g/km, the main rate of 18% applies. However, cars with CO2 emissions above 130 g/km will be restricted to the special rate of 8%. Expenditure incurred before April 2009 on ‘expensive’ cars still falls under the old regime (£3,000 per year cap on capital allowances). For non-corporates, cars with a non-business use element continue to be dealt with in single asset pools, so the correct private use adjustments can be made but the rate of WDA will be determined by the car’s CO2 emissions.
Buildings: When a building is purchased for business use, capital allowances can be claimed on plant elements contained therein, eg. air conditioning, subject to certain conditions. A maximum 100% initial business premises renovation allowance is available for converting or renovating unused business premises within designated assisted areas. WDA of 25% (on a straight line basis) applies to expenditure on which an initial allowance is not claimed.
Investing in Research and Development
Tax relief is available on research and development (R&D) revenue expenditure at varying rates. Current rates of relief are:
- For small and medium-sized companies paying tax at 20%, the maximum rate of tax relief is 45% (that is a tax credit on 225% of the expenditure)
- For small and medium-sized companies not yet in profit, the relief can be converted into a tax credit payment worth 24.75%
- For larger companies paying tax at 23%, the maximum rate of relief is 29.9% (that is tax relief on 130% of the expenditure)
- A 10% ‘Above the Line’ (ATL) credit exists for large company R&D expenditure incurred on or after 1 April 2013. The credit is fully payable, net of tax, to companies with no corporation tax liability. The ATL credit scheme will be optional until it becomes mandatory on 1 April 2016. Companies that do not elect to claim the ATL credit will be able to continue claiming R&D relief under the current large company scheme until 31 March 2016.
SMEs barred from claiming SME R&D tax credit by virtue of receiving some other form of state aid (usually a grant) for the same project will be able to claim the large company R&D tax credit. Therefore they will qualify for relief on 130% of their R&D expenditure.
Your business and your family
Providing that the package is commercially justifiable, you can employ family members in your business. They can be remunerated with a salary, and possibly also with benefits such as a company car or medical insurance. You can also make payments into a registered pension scheme.
Family members may also be taken into partnership, thereby gaining more flexibility in profit allocation. Taking your non-minor children into partnership and gradually reducing your own involvement can be a very tax-efficient way of passing on the family business. However, be aware that bringing family members into your business may put family wealth at risk if, for example, the business were to fail.
Meanwhile, a van might be a tax-efficient alternative to a company car. The maximum annual tax bill on the use of a company van with unlimited private use is only £1,350 or £1,603.80 including employer provided fuel.
It is worth noting that HMRC may challenge excessive remuneration packages or profit shares for family members, so seek our advice first. In most cases, if you operate your business through a trading limited company, under current tax law you can pass shares on to other family members and thus gradually transfer the business with no immediate tax liability.
However, a tax saving for the donor usually impacts on the donee, and you need to steer clear of the ‘settlements legislation’, so again, contact us for advice before taking any action.
Business profits are charged to income tax and Class 4 NICs on the current year basis. This means that the profits ‘taxed’ for each tax year (ending 5 April) are those earned in the accounting period ending in the tax year.
Case Study 2
Ruth, a sole trader, draws up her accounts to 31 July each year. Her profits for the year ended 31 July 2013 will normally be taxed in 2013/14.
There are special rules for the early and final years of a business, and for partnership joiners and leavers.
A growing number of ‘fines’ are being administered for those who fail to comply with the rules and regulations set by Government departments. We have already mentioned income tax and Class 2 NICs, but other possible ‘traps’ to avoid are:
- Late VAT registration and late filing penalties
- Late payment penalties and interest
- Penalties for errors in returns
- Penalties for failing to operate a PAYE or sub-contractors scheme.
In order to help you to steer clear of these traps, we must receive all of the details for your accounts and Tax Returns in good time, and be kept informed of any changes in your business, financial and personal circumstances.
Employed or self-employed?
As there is no statutory definition of ‘employment’ or ‘self-employment’, determining whether someone is employed or self-employed is not as straightforward as it might first appear.
HMRC apply a series of ‘tests’ in order to ascertain whether someone is classified correctly.
As large amounts of both tax and NICs can be at stake, HMRC often take quite an aggressive line with regard to this issue, and errors can be costly, so seeking advice that is tailored to your situation is essential. Please contact us for assistance in this matter.
Under the ‘IR35’ rules, businesses must consider each and every contract they enter into for the provision of services. The test is whether or not the contract is one which, had it been between the owner or partner and the customer, would have required the customer to treat the owner or partner as an employee and therefore be subject to PAYE.
The contract ‘passes’ if the owner/partner would have been classified as self-employed; it fails if the owner/partner would have been classified as an employee. If the contract ‘fails’, the business is required to account for PAYE and NICs on the ‘deemed’ employment income from the contract at the end of the tax year. This is done using specific rules. We can advise you about these, so please contact us for further information.
If the question is whether an individual is an employee or self-employed, the risk lies with the ‘engager’ or payer – with a potential liability for the PAYE which should have been paid over without right of recourse to the ‘employee’. If the question is whether or not IR35 applies, the question (and any liability due) is for the individual and his/her company (the payee).
Debtors and unbilled work
As we have already discussed, small businesses may opt into the cash basis and calculate their profits on the basis of the cash passing through the business. However, it is a feature of the tax system that other businesses (including all corporates) must include in their turnover for the year the value of incomplete work, of unpaid bills (debtors) and of work completed but not yet billed, all as at the end of the year.
We will need to discuss with you exactly what needs to be identified and the basis of valuation. Whatever stage your business may be at, keeping an eye on debtors and unbilled work is crucial to your cash flow. We can advise you in all of these areas.
Forming a limited company may be a consideration if the limitation of liability is important, but it should be noted that banks and other creditors often require personal guarantees from directors for company borrowings.
Trading through a limited company can be an effective way of sheltering profits. Profits paid out in the form of salaries, bonuses, or dividends may be liable to top tax rates, whereas profits retained in the company will be taxed at rates from as low as 20%.
Funds retained by the company can be used to buy equipment or to provide for pensions – both of which are eligible for tax relief. They could be used to fund dividends when profits are scarce (spreading income into years when you might be liable to a lower rate of income tax?) or capitalised and taxed at 10% or 18%/28% on a liquidation or sale.
The number of incorporated businesses is on the increase, but there are important implications to consider. We would be happy to discuss these with you, before you decide whether or not to incorporate your business.
National insurance contributions (NICs)
Leaving profits in the company may be tax-efficient, but you will need money to live on, so you should consider the best ways to extract profits from your business.
A salary will meet most of your needs, but you should not overlook the use of benefits, which could save income tax and could also result in a lower NIC liability.
Six NIC-saving strategies:
- Increasing the amount the employer contributes to company pension schemes. However, you should watch the annual and lifetime investment limits and discuss with us if the proposed payment will bring the total for the current accounting period to more than 210% of the amount paid in the previous accounting period into the spreading rules. (In certain circumstances situations the corporation tax relief has to be spread over two, three or four years)
- Share incentive plans (shares bought out of pre-tax and pre-NIC income)
- For some companies, disincorporation and instead operating as a sole trader or partnership may be beneficial
- Instead of an increased salary, paying a bonus to reduce employee (not director) contributions
- Paying dividends instead of bonuses to owner-directors
- Other tax-free benefits, such as the provision of childcare.
Owner-director? Increasing your net income
As an example, consider how much you might save if, as an owner-director, you wanted to extract the £10,000 profit (pre-tax) your company makes in 2013/14 by way of a dividend rather than a bonus.
Case Study 3
As you can see in this case study, the net income is increased by more than 17% by opting to declare a dividend. Be sure to discuss this with us, as this is a complex area of tax law.
|Profit to extract||
|Income tax @ 40%||
|Net amount extracted||
Remember that dividends are usually payable to all shareholders and are not earnings for pension contributions and certain other purposes. It is possible to waive dividends, although this can result in tax complications. A better option may be to have different classes of share. Finally, you need to consider with us the effect of regular dividend payments on the valuation of shares in your company.
Planning ahead of the year end
Taking action before the year end is essential. Tax and financial planning should not be left until the end of the tax or financial year, but undertaken before the end of YOUR business year. Some of the issues to consider include:
- The impact that accelerating expenditure into the current financial year, or deferring it into the next, might have on your tax position and financial results
- Making additional pension contributions or reviewing your pension arrangements
- How you might take profits from your business at the smallest tax cost, and how the timing of payment of dividends and bonuses can reduce or defer tax
- Strategies to avoid overvaluing stock and work in progress
- Improvements to your billing systems and record keeping system, or a general review of your current systems to improve profitability and cash flow
- National insurance efficiency and employee remuneration.
Late filing – avoid the penalties
If you want to keep the amount you pay to HMRC to a minimum, it is important to keep your tax affairs in order so that you avoid incurring any late filing penalties. The cut-off dates are shown in the calendar, but the current penalties are:
Return one day late
Return 3 months late
An additional £10 for each following day up to 90 days
Return 6 months late
Add £300 or 5% of the tax due
Return one year late
Add £300 or 5% of the tax due*
* In more serious cases, this penalty may be increased to 100% of the tax due.
Meeting the payment deadlines
The timetable for making tax payments is relatively straightforward for the self-employed:
- 31 January in the tax year, first payment on account
- 31 July after the tax year, second payment on account
- 31 January after the tax year, balancing payment.
To encourage prompt payment, a system of interest and penalties again applies.
For example, if any balance of tax due for 2012/13 is not paid within 30 days after 31 January 2014, HMRC will add a 5% late payment penalty as well as the interest that will be charged from 1 February 2014.
A further 5% penalty will be added to any 2012/13 tax unpaid after 31 July 2014, with a final 5% penalty added to any 2012/13 tax still unpaid after 31 January 2015. Interest is also charged on outstanding penalties, as well as on unpaid tax and NICs.
If your business is incorporated, it will be liable to corporation tax. Corporation tax is usually payable nine months and one day after the end of the business’s accounting period.
If there are cash flow issues, HMRC might be persuaded to accept a spreading of your next business tax payment – you will have to pay interest at the HMRC rate, but keep to the agreed schedule and late payment penalties will be waived.
Arrangements need to be put in place before the due date for paying the tax, so talk to us in good time if you wish to apply.
Reducing payments on account
Payments on account are normally equal to 50% of the previous year’s net liability.
A claim can be made to reduce your payments on account, if appropriate, although interest will be charged if your actual liability is more than the reduced amount paid on account.
Please keep us informed of any factors which might affect your tax liability – don’t wait until it’s too late!
If you tell us in good time about any issues facing your business, we can offer solutions.
Payments on account are not due where the relevant amount is less than £1,000 or if more than 80% of the total tax liability is met by income tax deducted at source. In these cases, the balance of tax due for the year, including capital gains tax, is payable on 31 January following the end of the tax year.
Case Study 4
Richard is self-employed. His accounts are made up to 31 August each year. When we prepare the 2013 Return we will be including his profit for the year ended 31 August 2012, and that is the profit which will be taxed for 2012/13.
Richard’s payments on account for 2013/14 will automatically be based on the 2012/13 liability.
Providing we know that Richard’s profits for the year to 31 August 2013 are significantly less than the previous year, we can examine the figures, perhaps even prepare the annual accounts and, taking into account any other sources of taxable income, make a claim to reduce Richard’s 2013/14 payments on account, easing his cash flow by reducing the tax payments due in January and July 2014.
Follow-up – Contact us about…
- Starting up and obtaining finance
- Timing capital and revenue expenditure to maximum tax advantage
- Minimising employer and employee NIC costs
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The Bible tells us that God's kindness, forbearance and patience towards us for our misdeeds is only to lead us to repentance – He is the God of the second chance. What about us in our dealings with others – are we willing to give them a second chance when they do something wrong or their performance falls short of expected standards?
"But the fruit of the Spirit is kindness" – Galatians 5:22 (New International Version)
"Lord, let us be willing to show kindness and give others a second chance when they do things that disappoint us or even hurt us. Let us also be kind to the needy and the downtrodden. Let us also be quick to forgive those who offend us. Let us walk in the Spirit and draw strength from you to show genuine kindness to others. In Jesus' name, Amen."
Written by Rev Andrew Moses for ICA Daily Devotional - "A New Day with God" http://www.icahk.org/a-new-day-with-god/ | <urn:uuid:56cb25a1-f79a-43ea-96aa-4efd95ab2021> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.icahk.org/a-new-day-with-god.html?date=2012-04-25 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705195219/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115315-00017-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.936671 | 212 | 1.726563 | 2 |
U.S. Urges Morsi to Bridge Political Divisions
On December 25, the U.S. State Department urged Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi to “bridge divisions, build trust, and broaden support for the political process.” The Christmas Day statement came three days after the draft constitution passed in a public referendum by 63.8 percent, but with only 32.9 percent voter turnout. “Egypt’s future depends not on the ability of one side to prevail over the other, but on the commitment of all to engage in an inclusive process to negotiate their differences,” warned Acting Deputy Spokesperson Patrick Ventrell. The following is a transcript of the U.S. statement.
This past weekend, the draft Egyptian constitution passed a public referendum. We have stood with Egyptians as they have engaged in the difficult work of democratic transition. We have consistently supported the principle that democracy requires much more than simple majority rule. It requires protecting the rights and building the institutions that make democracy meaningful and durable.
The future of Egypt’s democracy depends on forging a broader consensus behind its new democratic rules and institutions. Many Egyptians have voiced deep concerns about the substance of the constitution and the constitutional process. President Morsi, as the democratically elected leader of Egypt, has a special responsibility to move forward in a way that recognizes the urgent need to bridge divisions, build trust, and broaden support for the political process. We have called for genuine consultation and compromise across Egypt’s political divides. We hope those Egyptians disappointed by the result will seek more and deeper engagement. We look to those who welcome the result to engage in good faith. And we hope all sides will re-commit themselves to condemn and prevent violence.
Only Egyptians can decide their country’s future. The United States remains committed to helping them realize the aspirations that drove their revolution and complete a successful democratic transition. Egypt needs a strong, inclusive government to meet its many challenges. Its future depends not on the ability of one side to prevail over the other, but on the commitment of all to engage in an inclusive process to negotiate their differences ‒ on the constitution and on the laws implementing it ‒ and to find a more united path forward. | <urn:uuid:eedbdfeb-4444-4685-b573-af8f709bd9bf> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://wilsoncenter.org/islamists/article/us-urges-morsi-to-bridge-political-divisions | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00009-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.947221 | 449 | 1.796875 | 2 |
Charities slam childcare fund delay
Government plans to help parents with the cost of childcare have come under fire from charities who say they will do little to help those most in need.
Under the plans, set out on the eve of the Budget, families where all parents work will receive up to £1,200 a year towards care for each child - up to a maximum of 20% of their annual costs - so long as no parent earns more than £150,000 a year.
But the tax-free scheme, which replaces the existing employer-supported childcare (ESC) voucher system, does not come into effect until late 2015.
Low and middle-income families claiming tax credits will remain on a separate programme where increased support does not come on stream until a year later, while those where one parent does not work or has a part-time job will receive nothing. Ministers said that 1.3 million families will initially benefit - compared with 450,000 under ESC - eventually rising to around 2.5 million as the scheme is extended from under-5s to under-12s.
Visiting a nursery in south London, Prime Minister David Cameron said it would be "a real help to people who want to go out to work" and need childcare.
He said: "Too many families find paying for childcare tough and are often stopped from working the hours they'd like. This is a boost direct to the pockets of hard-working families in what will be one of the biggest measures ever introduced to help parents with childcare costs."
Charities working with children and the poor welcomed the scheme as a step in the right direction, but criticised the delay in its implementation and the failure to give more help to the poorest families.
Barnado's noted that four-fifths of the funding is directed at the tax-free scheme for parents earning up to £150,000, while just one-fifth will go to lower earners on universal credit, who must wait until 2016 to see support rise from 70% to 85% of the cost of childcare.
The charity's assistant director of policy Neera Sharma said: "Worse still, parents working part-time for the minimum wage will not benefit from this scheme at all and will still not be able to afford to increase their hours, leaving them unable to work their way out of poverty. The Government needs to do more and act faster to help children living in poverty right now."
William Higham, director of UK policy at Save The Children, warned that struggling families will face "another three years of juggling costs amidst a deep recession", while the Children's Society said the poorest parents were being "missed out" altogether.
- Jewish businesswoman Sam Caldicott slams anti-HS2 group for 'disgusting' video
- Stafford Hospital A&E consultant calls for 'an end to mud-slinging'
- Shoppers mourn loss of town centre "flagship" store
- Stafford MP Jeremy Lefroy calls for an end to 'hospital bitterness' after incidents mar peaceful protest
- Police aim to deliver a car crushing blow
- Chase MP Aidan Burley hands hundreds of pledges supporting Cannock Hospital to administrators | <urn:uuid:75feacb8-96df-4092-bd87-c77038eefb84> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.staffordshirenewsletter.co.uk/Home/Charities-slam-childcare-fund-delay-0-5867443.xnf | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00017-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.962045 | 651 | 1.6875 | 2 |
Mr Kan remained seated during the quake as chandeliers swayed and desks shook while aides rushed to his side.
He was evacuated soon after the quake stopped.
Footage from a Japanese television station in the port city of Sendai showed the force of the tremors as monitors and ceiling tiles fell.
The US Geological Survey said the quake struck off-shore 81 miles east of Sendai in Honshu at a depth of 15.2 miles.
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By Matt Spetalnick
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama on Monday urged East Coast residents in the path of Hurricane Sandy to heed evacuation orders and assured them the government was ready to respond swiftly, but he warned them it would take a long time to clean up in the storm's aftermath.
Scrapping campaign plans to return to Washington, Obama sought to show voters just eight days before the November 6 election that he was giving top priority to his presidential duties in a looming national crisis, rather than his bid for re-election in a tight race.
He also appeared determined to demonstrate that his administration had learned the lessons of White House predecessor George W. Bush's botched handling of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, which inflicted serious political damage.
Rushing back from a campaign visit to Florida, Obama huddled with top aides in the White House Situation Room for an update on Hurricane Sandy, which started to batter the densely populated East Coast as one of the biggest storms to ever hit the U.S. mainland.
It was forecast to move ashore Monday night in New Jersey as what Obama called a "big and powerful storm" whose slow-moving course would affect millions of people.
With Sandy expected to bring massive flooding, power outages and other disruptions all along the Atlantic coast, Obama seemed mindful of the political risk of disgruntled storm victims on the cusp of the election, and he appealed in advance for patience.
"I'm confident that we're ready, but I think the public needs to prepare for the fact that this is going to take a long time for us to clean up," he said. "The good news is we will clean up and we will get through this."
Obama has tried to draw a sharp contrast with the Bush administration, which was heavily criticized for its slow and inept handling of Katrina as the hurricane devastated New Orleans early in his second term.
He has also sought to project the image of a president fully engaged in marshaling resources to deal with a looming national emergency. Bush was widely seen as out-of-touch during the Katrina crisis.
Obama faces political danger if the federal government's response goes awry in the final days of the election campaign, but he also has a chance to look presidential compared with his Republican challenger, Mitt Romney.
Obama had blunt words for those in Sandy's path.
"When they tell you to evacuate, you need to evacuate. Do not delay. Don't pause," he said. "Don't question the instructions that are being given, because this is a serious storm and it could potentially have fatal consequences."
Already looking to the problems likely to crop up after the storm that could become an issue before Election Day, Obama said:.
"The public should anticipate that there's going to be a lot of power outages and it may take time for that power to get back on.
"The same is true with transportation; there are going to be a lot of backlogs. And even after the storm has cleared, it's going to take a considerable amount of time for airlines, subways, trains, and so forth, potentially, to get back, you know, on schedule."
(Additional reporting by Margaret Chadbourn; Editing by Mohammad Zargham) | <urn:uuid:3d21e105-9edc-4951-99d9-6d54345a01cd> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://wsau.com/news/articles/2012/oct/29/obama-says-hurricane-sandy-will-be-a-big-and-powerful-storm/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00013-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.978606 | 661 | 1.59375 | 2 |
.... Which brings me back to the PCA (personal care attendant) topic. The AuSM has an excellent handout called Services for Children with ASD (scan PDF 103K) I'll summarize here and expand upon:Recently my wife attended a seminar that included a discussion of waivered services. The bottom line -- the DD waivered services program is out of money and is well into yet another crisis of care. I'll run through some history and summarize the current story.
- TEFRA: medical assistance, but qualification based on disability ... TEFRA will help pay for PCA Services and Waivered services.
- PCA services (see esp MN PCA Choice Option)....
- Waivered services (see MR/RC (mental retardation) waiver and CADI waiver). The CDSC waiver option (consumer-directed community supports) "parents of minors may be paid for daily care tasks." This has a special appeal for us (below)...
Developmental disability (DD or MR/RC (mental retardation) waiver) waivers began in 1981, as part of an effort to move persons with mental retardation/DD out of CF-MR facilities (institutional care facitlity for mental retardation). Families and guardians received the money equivalent to the cost of institutional care, and the threshold for funding was set at the level of disability requiring institutionalization in 1981.
Now there are waivers for DD, CADI (people <65 style="font-style: italic;">hey pay more in fees than they get in funds.
The funds do not increase once the client is out of school at age 21.
Essentially the program has been on a downward spiral since 1981, but it gets worse. The DD waiver program used for persons with autism and mental retardation is not getting any more waivers? [I need to clarify if is a funding freeze or a reduction.]
The waiting list is long for what waivers exist, and you move up it depending on the intensity of your need. It will be a long long time before anyone without a crisis of care gets one of these waivers -- when pressed, the speaker thought you could wait 5-10 years or longer. One consequence is adults with DD no longer have funds available to move out of their parents home. Eventually the parents are too aged to care for the children ...
So in 1981 persons with DD were institutionalized. Then the institutions were closed, but the funds went to the community. Now the funds are going away, but there are no more institutions.
The CADI (nursing home level disability) waiver still available. It requires full disability requiring nursing home level care. These have primarily been used physically disabled people and persons with schizophrenia or other severe mental health disorders. In some areas they are being used for the DD population.
In addition to the above we learned of the following MN programs:
- community support grant: up to $11K or so per year, have to have MA, can't use for PCA but does provide flexibility
- family support grant: $250 per month, income limit about $85K
- 2009 may bring a new program -- 1915J. I found this blurb: "The 2007 Minnesota Legislature authorized the Department of Human Services (DHS) to pursue approval of a state plan amendment for implementing a self-directed supports option in Minnesota. The amendment, referred to as the 1915(j), would allow Medical Assistance (MA) beneficiaries to be in charge of their own personal care services (PCA), instead of having those services delivered by an agency." | <urn:uuid:9fd5e2a2-d9f5-49f8-afe1-fb5bc9e92ef1> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://bestyoucanbe.blogspot.com/2008/04/effective-cessation-of-minnesotas.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00015-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.953999 | 732 | 1.632813 | 2 |
Afghan government could collapse: report
- From: AAP
- October 08, 2012
THE Afghan government could fall apart after NATO troops pull out in 2014, particularly if presidential elections that year are fraudulent, a report by the International Crisis Group says.
"There is a real risk that the regime in Kabul could collapse upon NATO's withdrawal," said Candace Rondeaux, the ICG's senior Afghanistan analyst.
"The window for remedial action is closing fast."
The report - Afghanistan: The Long, Hard Road to the 2014 Transition - said the country was on course for another set of fraudulent elections after the chaotic presidential and parliamentary polls in 2009 and 2010.
A repeat could undermine what little hope remains for stability after the Afghan government takes full responsibility for security from US-led NATO forces, the report by the respected Brussels-based group said.
The coalition, which has waged an 11-year war against Taliban insurgents, is already drawing down its troops from a peak of some 130,000, and all combat forces are scheduled to quit the country by the end of 2014.
"The Afghan army and police are overwhelmed and underprepared for the transition," said Rondeaux.
"Another botched election and resultant unrest would push them to breaking point."
The Western-backed government of President Hamid Karzai and the parliament have failed to take any serious steps towards preparing for a clean vote, she said.
"Karzai seems more interested in perpetuating his own power by any means rather than ensuring credibility of the political system and long-term stability in the country."
The president is constitutionally required to step down at the end of his second term in 2014, and has repeatedly said he will do so, but there are fears that he might try to manipulate the polls to ensure the election of an ally.
"The danger is President Karzai's top priority is maintaining control, either directly or via a trusted proxy," Rondeaux said.
"He and other leading members of the elite may be able to cobble together a broad temporary alliance, but political competition is likely to turn violent on the heels of NATO's withdrawal."
The report said the possibility cannot be excluded that Karzai will declare a state of emergency as a means of extending his power, which would accelerate state collapse and likely precipitate a civil war.
"If that occurs, there would be few opportunities to reverse course in the near term. Securing the peace in Afghanistan would then remain at best a very distant hope," Rondeaux said.
APPLE tragics, the wait is almost over. The international technology giant will open its first South Australian store this weekend. But where will it be?
PRIME Minister Julia Gillard says her partner, Tim Mathieson, travelled to the US in an unofficial capacity despite being spotted at a car race with an "Office of the Prime Minister" tag.
A HAND-PICKED team of city magistrates will oversee all murders, sex crimes and other major cases in a historic shake-up of the state's justice system.
FIRST PICTURES: One pedestrian has died and another has been seriously injured after being hit by a car that crashed into the ANZ bank at the Marion Shopping Centre. | <urn:uuid:31928853-12a2-4bb2-b389-459f82f4be70> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/breaking-news/afghan-government-could-collapse-report/story-e6frea7u-1226490698064 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00001-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.968708 | 665 | 1.828125 | 2 |
Alternating Twists from Cables & Arans
I am a stitch geek. I'm fascinated by the different ways that the humble knit stitch and the unassuming purl stitch get together and make a gadzillion different glorious combinations. My stitch dictionaries are stained with the love born of long and constant use; they tend to be found strewn around my living room, adorned with dozens of colorful stickies, rather than neatly lined up on my bookshelf.
A good stitch book can be the knitter's equivalent of a well-stocked spice cabinet: Take a familiar recipe, add a dash of lace, or a pinch of texture, and the result is something uniquely yours. Stitch dictionaries can be especially helpful if you are not quite ready to jump off into designing your own sweaters (yet!), but you want to add your own special touches to your knitting.
Which stitch to use where?
Scale: Just like spices, some stitch patterns are strong; a little goes a long way! Others are subtle; you can use them all over a large bag and not have it overwhelm the bag. (Think of the difference between a small, delicate floral print that works well on a blouse, versus a large, colorful floral print that might work better on your sofa.) However, if you are in love with a large-scale pattern, you can get a really interesting effect by using a single repeat in unexpected places. For example: Remember the cute pink Knitting Needle Knitting Bag from last week? What if you knitted that bag all in stockinette stitch, with just a single band of a cable stitch or lace pattern across the front? That way, you could make as many of the bags as you wanted to, and no two would be alike.
Gauge and sizing: Be aware that some stitch patterns will draw in your knitting a bit (cables, twisted stitches), while others will expand the fabric a little (lace and eyelets). A single repeat, used as a design element, will affect the finished size a little; an all-over extravaganza of pattern will affect the finished size a lot!
The best way to get to know a stitch, and the effect it will have on your knitting, is the same approach used by cooks when faced with a new spice: look at how the unfamiliar "ingredient" is used in other recipes, and then experiment for yourself.
Yes, I am talking about swatching. Yes, I know: Booorrrring.
But what if you thought about the swatches as squares for an afghan? Small pillows to spice up your bedroom? Pockets? Washcloths? You can even do what a friend of mine does with her swatches: She carefully blocks them and frames them and hangs them on her wall. How about that for knitterly art?
Do you have a creative way to put your swatches to use?
Sandi Wiseheart is the founding editor of Knitting Daily. She is now the author of the popular Knitting Daily blog: What's on Sandi's Needles.
Every knitter has dreamed of the perfect cardigan pattern that he or she might knit some day. From a cozy cable knit to luminous lace, this free ebook will be your dream come true. This is a wonderful and varied collection of cardigans-which is one of the most important pieces in your wardrobe. You'll want to make every one of these knit cardigan patterns, so download your free eBook now and get started (and don’t forget to tell a friend so they can enjoy their own copy!). | <urn:uuid:d4ffa5e6-7200-4cae-9adf-e6ad2b8e23d4> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.knittingdaily.com/blogs/daily/archive/2007/10/01/spice-up-your-knitting-.aspx | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00010-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.939176 | 746 | 1.773438 | 2 |
Gov. Jerry Brown discusses the cuts he has already made to help reduce the state's budget deficit from nearly $20 billion last year to a gap of about $9.2 billion as he unveiled his proposed $92.5 billion 2012-13 state budget at a Capitol news conference in Sacramento, Calif., Thursday, Jan. 5, 2012. California faces a smaller budget deficit in the coming fiscal year but will require nearly $5 billion in cuts to public education if voters reject Brown's plan to raise taxes in the fall.
Monday morning, Governor Jerry Brown presented his budget proposal for the fiscal year beginning on July 1st.
Just four months ago, the Governor announced that the state faced a budget shortfall of as much as $9 billion, or about 10 percent of the state's current spending.
And on Saturday, he released a YouTube video saying the state's financial situation has worsened and that he now plans to make further and deeper cuts.
Veteran reporter John Myers of KXTV in Sacramento joins the show to preview Gov. Brown's forthcoming budget.
John Myers is the political editor for KXTV, the ABC affiliate in Sacramento. | <urn:uuid:4ab51866-4bda-4522-8453-366246ef9a4c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.scpr.org/programs/madeleine-brand/2012/05/14/26459/gov-brown-to-announce-deeper-budget-cuts/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00001-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.945222 | 233 | 1.734375 | 2 |
Prank signs on rest area drinking fountains target gas drilling
The professionally printed sign bearing the banner message "SAFE TO DRINK" and affixed to a drinking fountain in the Pennsylvania Turnpike's Midway Service Plaza looked official at first glance, even if it seemed to state the obvious.
But something didn't look quite right to Tonya Markiewicz, who stopped in for a drink June 8 while on a trip to Philadelphia and New York City, and it had nothing to do with the stream of cold water arching from the fountain.
The message of the sign, which bore what purported to be a Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection logo in the upper left hand corner and has since been discovered in several other turnpike service plazas, was coyly equivocal. It read: "This water is most likely safe. If you have any concerns about contamination due to hydraulic fracturing, expose water to flame."
That procedure -- unsafe at best and potentially fatal at worst if the water contained ignitable concentrations of methane -- was depicted in a graphic that shows a hand holding a lit match under a water faucet.
That raised a big red flag for Ms. Markiewicz.
"I didn't want to try to drink the water after seeing that sign," said Ms. Markiewicz, a Braddock resident, who took a photograph of it. "After reading closely it occurred to me it was posted as part of an activist project, but it was so well done. It gets right at you when you're about to consume the water."
At the bottom of the sign, posted by an as yet unknown activist prankster, was a list of symptoms from drinking contaminated water, including "headaches, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, hair loss, itchy skin and kidney failure," and a DEP phone number to call for more information.
Kevin Sunday, a DEP spokesman, confirmed that the not-so-subtly subversive sign was not posted by the department. He noted that its appearance at the Midway Service Plaza near Harrisburg roughly coincided with the June 7 rally in Harrisburg by hundreds of people protesting Marcellus Shale gas well drilling and development.
"That's not from DEP," Mr. Sunday said last week, noting that the "E" in the DEP logo on the sign was different from the DEP's real logo.
Bill Capone, a Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission spokesman, said last week that after inquiries by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the bogus DEP signs were found on water fountains in "most of the service plazas west of Harrisburg." He said they were probably up on the drinking fountains for almost two weeks and viewed by hundreds of turnpike travelers and service plaza attendants who didn't raise questions about its message, which he termed, "odd, curious and somewhat alarming."
"We found them in Somerset and New Stanton and others, and we are having them removed," he said.
He said not only do the signs appear official but the contact number for more information is a working DEP phone line that belonged to Katy Gresh, the department's spokeswoman in its Southwest District office in Pittsburgh before her promotion to head the DEP's Harrisburg media office in March.
The signs' water contamination test, using a lighted flame, is a reference to problems caused by faulty well casing and drilling operations at Marcellus Shale gas wells in Dimock, Susquehanna County, that allowed high concentrations of methane gas from shallower formations to contaminate well water at several homes.
Also, a homeowner in Colorado was able to ignite his tap water, a dramatically explosive scene shown in the 2010 Oscar-nominated documentary film "Gasland" by Josh Fox, who, coincidentally, spoke at the anti-drilling rally.
Myron Arnowitt, state director for Clean Water Action, one of the environmental organizations that helped organize the rally, said last week that he hadn't seen the prank signs and doesn't endorse them, but thought them "an amusing way to raise some public awareness."
"Of course it's not a good idea to give the public misleading information on water quality and we would want any signs to be clearly factual," he said. "And as far as I know, any of the activists I've been in touch with, no one is taking credit for it."
Correction/Clarification: (Published June 28, 2011) In the documentary movie "Gasland," a homeowner is shown lighting tap water contaminated with methane. That occurred in Colorado. A story Monday about a bogus sign, purported to be from the state Department of Environmental Protection, that showed up recently at Pennsylvania Turnpike service plazas gave an incorrect location for the tap water incident.
First Published June 27, 2011 12:00 am | <urn:uuid:d2999160-ac02-416d-88fd-a644cada910a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/local/state/prank-signs-on-rest-area-drinking-fountains-target-gas-drilling-303787/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00014-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.973946 | 995 | 1.78125 | 2 |
What they've done is they've focused a lot of their efforts into, as we say, the tooth. If you think about tooth-to-tail ratio, the tooth being the combat arms and the tail being the support units, and the military is focused really on the tooth side, so it's become incredibly capable as a military. But at the same time, what it does is look to the private sector to get the support for its operations, and that's been, I think, a remarkably successful program.
What's going on in Iraq in terms of the logistical support is pretty astonishing. Obviously there are some issues with KBR [Halliburton subsidiary Kellogg, Brown and Root] that a lot of people have -- both political and some of the operational issues they've had. But the amount of materiel they've moved, the amount of cafeterias and things they've set up for the troops -- this is the best-supplied military we've ever had.
And all of this, of course, requires -- the larger the tail, the more protection the tail needs along the way. You have to protect the convoys.
Right. And that would apply whether it's military or civilians that are doing the logistics. Even military logistics need security. So that's always a plight.
So you've had a big expansion in the role of private security and private military contractors.
Right. Now, I think you have to keep in mind that the security companies, their size goes up and down as their contracts go up and down. So we have what has been called ... the Baghdad bubble. Essentially, you have a time when there's a lot of need for security for both the reconstruction effort, for the convoys, to protect a lot of things going on, and the politicians.
And how do you create a democracy when all the politicians are being killed off by insurgents? You've got to protect them. So there's a big role for security right now. Now, as the security situation improves and as the Iraqi military comes online and the police, you'll see less need for the private sector.
In past wars, have ambassadors such as [L. Paul "Jerry"] Bremer or other politicians been protected by private companies?
Right. Well, Afghanistan, of course, they were protected by private companies. And back to Gulf [War] I, in fact, several generals and ambassadors were protected by private security then.
Why? Why not have the U.S. military protect Jerry Bremer?
The military doesn't like to split up its units to do this sort of thing. What they were using in Afghanistan, for example, was SEALs to protect [Afghan President Hamid] Karzai -- Navy SEALs. These are very highly trained people. And you can say you don't need James Bond to do close protection work; you need somebody who's very professional and knows what they're doing and experienced and so on. You don't need a Navy SEAL to do that. There's better jobs for Navy SEALs to do. So the military prefers to outsource that, to look to the private sector, which essentially uses former Navy SEALs or former military people to do this sort of thing so it doesn't impact on the military's capabilities.
But it costs more to the taxpayer or not?
Not really. In terms of salary to salary, if you take a look at, say, a corporal in Iraq, [he]'s probably getting $18,000 a year, which isn't much. But for the U.S., it's costing about $25,000 a month to keep that corporal in Iraq just because of all of the military services and support and so on that goes for that individual. A close protection person or a personal security person -- and you're talking about a former Special Forces person with 30 years' experience in the military, and then experience doing personal security -- they may get upwards of $750 a day to do that job.
But as soon as the job's over, you stop paying them, whereas the corporal you're still paying. To keep the corporal, you're paying for any benefits they get in terms of GI Bill, in terms of VA [Department of Veterans Affairs] -- all sorts of other things. So you're hiring a surge capacity. You need a lot of people right now to do this sort of job, and it ends up being far cheaper to go through the private sector to do that.
There is a significant public investment in some of these contractors if they've been trained to be a Navy SEAL or an Army commando.
Absolutely. And if somebody decides to go Special Forces, they're committing themselves to a lot of years of military operation. You can't just jump out in the middle of that. They have to finish that commitment. Now, they can re-sign up again, or they can go to the private sector. ...
There are some people on the Hill that have complained about the drain on the Special Forces because the private military contractors pay so much better.
Well, it's a problem because there's now a market for these guys. But think of it this way: The Air Force, their pilots have always had a market outside the Air Force. If you train to be a jet pilot in the Air Force, you know there's probably a pretty good job waiting for you when you leave the Air Force. Better-paying, certainly.
So what the Air Force does is it increases the pay as much as it can; it increases the conditions that these people live under, eases the burden on them so it's not such a strain on the family and tries to keep them in that way. It's actually the Air Force that's competing against the airlines.
But it is a problem?
Well, the Air Force has dealt with it, I think, fairly successfully.
But that doesn't mean it's not a --
Now, with the Special Forces, of course, they have the same issue. Before there wasn't really that much of a market for former Special Forces people, so people could stay in Special Forces for a long time. But now there's a market.
And, you know, at some point, when somebody reaches age 40, they start thinking maybe their family needs the money more than they need to stay in Special Forces for a few years. Now, there's already been some programs to keep people in Special Forces. If you're a 19-year veteran in the Special Forces, they will give you $150,000 to stay in six more years. That's fine. And I think for a lot of Special Forces people, the job satisfaction is much higher doing that than what they would do in private security, guarding gates, who knows.
And of course private security is very temporary. How long is Baghdad going to last? How long is there going to be demand for these services? It's not a career-ending decision. You have to think if you're about ready to leave Special Forces it makes sense. If you're in it for a career, then there's no point in leaving just to do one or two years of personal security work. ...
So what is the size of the business in both numbers and in the kind of dollars we're talking about?
It's hard to come up with because nobody's really come up with a good formula as to what counts as a private military company and what doesn't. The numbers that keep getting batted around are the whole industry is worth $100 billion to $200 billion. That may be true if you're including people mopping the Pentagon, if you're including the Korean dry cleaners next to Fort Dix or something like that. ...
If you think about it this way, though, the biggest contract in Iraq so far is KBR's contract, which since 2003 is $14 billion, which is a lot of money. It becomes very difficult to see how it could all add up to $100 billion a year if you're really thinking about companies operating in conflict, post-conflict environments.
So revise it downwards for us. You're president of the IPOA [International Peace Operations Association].
(Laughs.) Thank you. But it's hard to wrap your head around. Any number you come up with, you're basically pulling it out of a bag, because people say, "Well, those companies should be included, but those shouldn't." We focus on companies that work in conflict, post-conflict environments in other countries, and within that I would guess that your market top would be $20 billion maybe.
[The Brookings Institution's] Peter Singer says there are 15,000 to 20,000 private military security contractors in Iraq.
Well, be careful, because he often will mix in the support personnel, the truck drivers and so on, as well as the security guys. If you're looking at the actual armed, non-Iraqi security in Iraq right now, best estimates that I've seen are between 6,000 and 8,000 from all nationalities.
On top of that, though, you have Iraqis that work for Western security companies. That may be another 20,000 armed Iraqis that are working for these companies. And that's a trend. These companies will use locals, Iraqis, as much as possible to do the security. It just makes a lot of sense. But then on top of that, you have all the truck drivers, the cafeteria workers, the cleaners and so on. So you're probably talking about 150,000 private contractors working in Iraq, doing everything from reconstruction for security to supporting military operations.
But by your numbers, you would say there's about 26,000 to 28,000 private --
Including Iraqis. I think that's really important to say. And there's also Iraqi security companies on top of that which have nothing to do with Western security companies; they're their own entity. So could be 50,000 or 60,000 all together. But mostly I think people miss the fact that it's almost entirely Iraqi.
What is the IPOA?
The International Peace Operations Association. We're a nonprofit, nongovernmental, nonpartisan association of service companies dedicated to improving peacekeeping, peace enforcement, humanitarian rescue and stability operations worldwide. ...
Somebody's going to say, though, what's the difference between the guys that you represent and --
Well, not a rogue -- just a mercenary.
Well, an individual can change their name, identity; they can work anywhere, do anything. It may or may not be legal, but for an individual, it's very hard to control them, whereas a company has to operate legally, or there's different ways you can attack it -- financially, legally, whatever.
So with companies, it's much easier to make sure that the sort of military operations they're doing are within bounds. Every U.S. company has numerous regulations that they have to follow: ITAR, the International Traffic in Arms Regulations; FAR, the Federal Acquisition [Regulations]; and DFAR, the Defense [Federal Acquisition Regulations] Supplement. There's all these sorts of regulations. They're not necessarily designed for this industry, so we're seeing a lot of conflicts that need to be sorted out. But they do have a lot of regulations they have to follow. And with companies, they do have to follow it if they want these contracts.
But if the definition of a mercenary is somebody who does military operations for profit --
Then you've just defined every army in the entire world. If somebody joins the U.S. military, certainly patriotism is going to be a big part of it, but so is the fact that they can support themselves by joining the military. So is the fact that they're getting the GI Bill, that they're getting their college education; they're getting all these other sorts of things. Getting paid to do military operations is nothing new. It's quite normal in military. What's unusual, I think, for some people is the fact that the private sector does the same thing.
And you've said that contractors are needed because the military is stretched thin?
The military is trying to do a lot of things at once. And as I say, it's the most capable organization in the world; it's not a cost-effective organization. If you want to take over a country, they're wonderful. They're very good at that. You can probably do it cheaper, but they're the guys that we go to. ...
I've talked to some generals who say this has been a miscalculation; that when Secretary of Defense Dick Cheney saw the end of the Cold War, he and his boss, President George H.W. Bush, concluded that there should be a peace dividend, and they began to shrink the military, not realizing the needs that were coming, that the military was going to be --
You're advocating for a larger military?
Some people think that we should have a larger military and that the private military contractors are filling a hole that should be properly done by the military.
Fair enough. That's a decision that policymakers have to make. Private sector shouldn't be making that decision. The private sector answers demands; it doesn't make policy. And that's the way it should be. ...
Is there an increasing role in the future as you see it for private military companies?
Well, there is. We have three categories of military service companies: the support companies, the private security companies, and the private military companies. I think what you're going to see, the private security companies will go up and down. It's going to be sort of the most jagged chart in terms of when there's demand for security, it goes way up, but then it will drop way down to pre-Iraq War levels.
And so for the support companies, I think we're seeing an increase in their use as well, but it's a much more steady increase. Yes, there's a blip with Iraq, but it's going to go back down somewhat -- a little bit higher, I think, than prewar levels. And it will keep going up because there's a need for these companies to support peace operations. And U.N. is spending, I think, $4 billion a year now on peacekeeping, and a lot of that is going to support companies that support U.N. operations.
The private military companies I think will also see an increase. GPOI, the Global Peace Operations Initiative, the idea of training militaries around the world to do peacekeeping operations, I think they're going to look to the private sector to do a lot of that.
What is the initiative?
The GPOI is the Global Peace Operations Initiative, and it's a U.S. initiative to train up militaries around the world from developing countries so that they can do peacekeeping operations better.
And these contracts often fall to the private military companies.
When the U.S. is paying for them, absolutely, yeah, which will use former U.S. military people anyway.
Why not have the military do that?
Well, the military could if they had the people to do it. But every time, for example, let's say you're doing a training program in a francophone state, and you want French-speaking trainers. Now, the U.S. military can go and start pulling out qualified people from all their different units, put together enough trainers to actually do the mission, and that's fine. But if you keep doing that, you start sapping the military strength because you can't just keep doing that. The military doesn't like pulling out executive officers of some unit or whatever to go and do this. It's fine for a few months, but then they want their guys back to do their jobs.
If they go to the private sector, you get former military guys. And the private sector can go to the Rolodex and say, "OK, who do we have that has these skills that are required for this contract that speak French?" Boom.
The issue that people watching will have with this is, where's the accountability in this situation? And as I understand it, that's one of the purposes of your organization. But I think a lot of people are uncomfortable with the idea that you're going to have private groups going out [and] that it's unclear to whom they're accountable.
I think it's very clear [that] if the U.S. government hires a company, they are very accountable.
Yes, but they're removed from direct chain of command.
You can pull the plug pretty easy on these companies, and they have pulled the plug when companies have screwed up. You stop paying them; they go home. They don't have a choice. They're a for-profit entity.
The U.S. military also has ITAR, the International Traffic in Arms Regulations. If a company wants to do a contract like this abroad, they go to the State Department. They say, "This is what we want to do abroad," and they itemize it. The State Department takes that contract, passes it out to different organizations -- Department of Commerce, Human Rights Desk offices, whoever. All those people comment, and then the State Department office gives a thumbs-up or thumbs-down, or says, "You can do it, but with these modifications." And that contract gets reviewed during the course of the contract. And at any point the U.S. government could pull the contract and say, "No, deal's off."
But it's essentially trusting the marketplace to police itself.
No. What's the marketplace have to do with that? Essentially the government says if they don't want to do it, it's not going to happen, whether the marketplace says there's a market for it or not.
Right, but after an abuse has occurred.
Oh, yeah. Well, if there are abuses, then that has to be addressed. We have MEJA, the Military Extraterritorial Jurisdiction Act, which addresses a lot of the stuff. And this industry has been supporting this very strongly. The idea that when a contractor is working on a U.S. government contract, they can be held liable under federal law, it makes a lot of sense. Contractors love it because the government has to be comfortable using these guys, has to be comfortable that they can hold people accountable for these [abuses].
What I mean by allowing the market to play is that you're putting companies in competition with one another, and the good ones will rise, and the other ones will be weeded out, but it's after abuses have occurred.
Oh, not necessarily.
Well, it's after one or two or three companies have been fired or discontinued or sued.
You don't think it's possible that the first company hired through appropriate contracting process can actually do a good job?
It's potentially possible.
I think it happens most of the time. And I think any time you have a large operation with a lot of employees -- and this doesn't matter whether you're a McDonald's or Blackwater -- you're going to have individuals that are going to screw up or that are going to do things that are wrong. The companies have to react appropriately to that. They have to get them out of the country where the operation's going on, and there has to be some decisions whether they should be tried or something. [It] shouldn't be the companies when it comes to legal issues; it should be a federal thing. ...
Let's talk about Iraq a little bit. You've said that the Pentagon and State Department guidelines governing the operation of contractors in Iraq are loose.
... I think what we're seeing now is there are a lot of contradictory laws and regulations that need to be fixed. There's overlapping oversight. So essentially, there's maybe five congressional committees that can overlook contractor operations. From our perspective, from an IPOA perspective I mean, we're very keen to see good contractor oversight, contract officers over in the field looking over these operations, making sure things are being done appropriately.
One of the complaints we're getting from our members, and we consider ourselves [one of the] high-end companies, is that when they do a good job or better job than one of the rival companies, there's no [contracting officer to] note that that's taking place.
Now, let's be clear: Most of this was right at the beginning of the conflict in 2003. Nowadays you have far more contracting officers over there, and almost as many auditors, interestingly, as contracting officers in Iraq right now. And you have to do that to make sure that these contracts are being followed.
We'd also like to see contracting officers as a part of the military hierarchy. One of the issues has been when you're in an insurgency or a conflict situation, contracts need to change pretty quickly. And every time you change a contract, you need to get a new task order to do it. The military can't just write new task orders. It has to go to a contracting officer, an official person to do that sort of thing. And that was a problem at the beginning of the war when there's no contracting officers there, when you have to go back to officials in the U.S. to get signatures and so on.
It's also complicated by the fact that some of these security contracts are subcontracts of subcontracts of subcontracts.
Well, yes and no. But the rules generally apply to all contracts. If you are subcontracting on a U.S. government contract, a lot of the same rules apply, essentially. ...
But it becomes harder to enforce when you have layered contracts. Is that a fair statement?
That may be true. Yeah, I would say that's fair. ...
The lawsuit against Blackwater raises some serious questions about whether or not these contractors were provided the right equipment and whether or not they were provided the right amount of support.
Right. Let me say this. I think we do have to worry a little bit about Monday-morning quarterbacking. Essentially you have a lot of companies that moved very quickly into Iraq. They had a lot of problems with getting licenses. Interesting [that] this is part of the problem, I think.
On the one hand, you have the U.S. government contracting these companies to do very robust security work or whatever. On the other hand, they're not getting the licenses fast enough so they can take body armor into the theater. And in some cases, they're having to scrounge it and find their own body armor and things, and that was a problem.
And I think, at the same time, the people that do these contracts are all former military. They're very good at ad hoc. If there's a mission to be done, they'll do it. Does it mean they're going to wait until they have M1 tanks and helicopters overhead to do these missions? I don't think they can do that. They're going to do them anyway. ...
[The Blackwater incident] put security contractors on the map.
Right, especially because I think there was filming going on at the time. But remember, there's been more support contractors killed than security contractors. And, in fact, you'll see more attacks on the support units than you will on the security companies. One thing about armed security is that it works. There's a deterring factor. And Bremer came home [safe] to his family because he was protected by private security. It can be very, very effective and --
By Blackwater, in fact.
The people they used, that was, in fact, by Blackwater.
Which is a company with a good reputation all around.
It has a great reputation. ...
There's the issue of coordination with on-the-ground military commanders.
A lot of these issues that popped up in terms of contractor oversight coordination, things like that, were especially true right at the beginning when there was a lot of chaos going on and people were just getting in there and things were being sorted out. Most of those problems have been addressed.
But as late as April of last year --
Which was what, one year into the conflict?
-- still there were no regulations. There was a scramble at CPA [Coalition Provisional Authority] after the incident in Fallujah to come up with some kind of rules.
They actually had some rules. For example, there are rules of engagement for private security companies. ... There was a much more formal coordination system put in after the Fallujah incident. Before that, though, there were rules of engagement, which limits contractors to when they can use legal force, which essentially is protect themselves, … protect their contract, whatever is in their contract -- person, place or thing -- and to protect Iraqi civilians under mortal threat. And that's all they're allowed to use lethal force for.
In terms of coordination, what was the upshot of the incident in Fallujah?
The coordination was very much, at that time, I think it was on a very regional level. Each company kept in touch with the local military commander and would say, "We're going from here to here," or whatever. And it was a much more informal system than they have now. In many places it worked fine. But I think what was needed was some sort of national system for Iraq, and I think that's what they have at this point. ...
I just want to take up the criticism that I get by listening to some generals, some colonels that I've spoken with who feel that in a war zone, which is Iraq, missions such as trucking convoys, guarding of ambassadors, these are jobs that should fall to the U.S. military...
I think, first of all, we have to be clear that the military's very divided on this. In fact, I would say overwhelmingly the military supports the idea of contracting out these missions so that they don't have to split.
Well, they have no choice.
Well, no. I mean, they support it. You can say that, but I think they're split on that issue. And I think when you say, "Generals don't like this" -- well, some don't, but quite a few don't have a problem with this and see it as a way to enhance their mission. So I don't think you can just say the military doesn't like this idea.
That's fair enough.
And in fact, the military, the Pentagon's doing most of the contract people. [If] the generals didn't want to do it, I guarantee it wouldn't happen. ...
[Does Congress have a handle on this issue?]
I think Congress is pretty split on the whole issue. One of the problems of the whole industry is that it's become so politicized -- not the industry, but the idea of using the industry. You want to have rational regulations; you want to have good oversight of the companies. And we certainly support that, but what's been a problem is that it's become a political football. Everybody keeps bringing up Dick Cheney. Everybody keeps saying, "You know, these guys are mercenaries," or whatever, and you have to look. You're going to use private companies.
During the elections, when Bush was taking on Kerry, and everybody was saying, "If Kerry wins, what's going to happen with industry?" -- well, nothing. Essentially the industry supports a military. ... It just doesn't really matter who's in charge; you're always going to have private companies supporting military operations, and the contracts will go up or they'll go down depending on the level of work that's available. If Ralph Nader had been elected, it wouldn't have made a difference. ...
But I think there's a criticism that I've heard that says that this administration is relying far too much on the marketplace when it comes to supplementing and supporting the military; that we've shrunk the military too far and that the private military contractor is filling jobs that are not appropriate for the private sector. What do you think?
It's up to the policymakers to decide and the DOD [Department of Defense] to decide how much they want to use the private sector. I think what we're seeing -- most of the criticism's about the private security companies. But [there are] armed private securities here in the U.S. It's in Europe; it's in Asia. It's everywhere. Now, the fact that there's an insurgency going on --
But in a war zone is the question. In a war zone.
It's a little bit more robust. You're using people who are a little bit more competent than before, but it's the same thing. The guy who's sitting at the gate of the factory is essentially a corporate cousin of the guy who's guarding a politician in Iraq. It's a lot higher risk perhaps, but it's the same essential job.
But the question is whether or not those are jobs that are jobs that are appropriate for the private sector.
Well, somebody has to draw the line, and I don't think the private sector should make that decision. The private sector answers the demand, OK? Somebody wants security contractors to protect politicians and so on. And I think they've been doing a great job on it, but should they decide whether that even should be done by the private sector? No.
But don't you in your organization advocate more use of --
Oh, absolutely. Yeah, yeah, because I think we've seen that they do a very good job.
So you take a position that it is a good thing to contract more services, more military services.
It makes sense. Ultimately, as I said, in any peace or stability operation, the more efficient it's run, the more people [will] be alive at the end of it. And I think what we've seen is the private sector could do quite a few of these jobs very efficiently and contribute quite positively to these operations. It may just make sense. ...
The interest of Blackwater is Blackwater is a company. ... [Private companies are] concerned about the bottom line.
They're concerned about doing their contracts properly, which ultimately gives them a bottom line, yes.
They're concerned about doing their contracts, but their contract, for instance, in protecting Bremer is protecting Bremer.
And they did a damn fine job of it, yeah.
It's not extending U.S. policy if they need to run people off the road.
I think their interests follow both those paths, right? If they're thwarting U.S. policy, are they going to get contracts in the future from the U.S. government? I don't think so. Essentially, whatever they're contracted to do, they're going to make damn sure that the government agrees with it.
They can get pretty rough in their treatment of the perimeter of Iraqis when they're going out on a mission protecting Bremer. They're going to be judged as to whether or not they protect Bremer. It doesn't matter how many Iraqis they run off the road.
This is a great point. And one of the issues has been sort of a hearts-and-mind issue. The fact that when you hire a private company for a specific task that can be very focused on the task, we would argue that the contract should include sort of the larger picture and say: "OK, you can do this. There are certain things that we don't want to see you doing, even if it increases the risk." ...
But you can create some hearts-and-minds problems. You can lose some hearts and minds.
Whoever was doing security would have the same issues. Whether it was a military or a private security company, you're still going to have those issues. I don't see how the military would do it differently is my point. ...
But the bottom line for that company that's protecting Bremer is to protect Bremer.
Right. But what's in the contract?
They're not going to get another contract if they go and they say, "Well, what we did in Iraq is for four months we protected Bremer, but then we lost him."
If the contract says, "We want you to take additional risks in order to serve the hearts-and-mind issue," then fine. Then the company just has to calculate that in when they figure the risk and the cost.
The contractor has to figure that in.
That's right, exactly. The company does, yeah.
But the U.S. government that's hiring them also has to calculate in that the interest of this company is not necessarily the same as the interest of the --
Well, I think the interests are the same. I think you're exaggerating that a little bit too much. Essentially Blackwater wants to see a win in Iraq the same as anybody. It looks good on their resume, essentially. If Iraq has a successful operation and they've done well there, then it's good for the military people. … | <urn:uuid:e8c9d350-ced9-4144-b784-2309fb103385> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/warriors/interviews/brooks.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00011-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.983471 | 6,859 | 1.6875 | 2 |
Green Business & Office South Weymouth MA
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This is a guide for fixing apt on a ubuntu 12.04 installation, using the debian package manager dpkg, and a little common sense!
This is a story that is more out of the ordinary for the likes of the CaffiNation, Its a Linux driven how-to. I searched all night for the answer and the only response i found was re-install. UNACCEPTABLE!
I figured if someone else had what I had then hopefully this will find them. I’m not too much fo a forum dweller so this seemed like the next best thing.
I recently ungraded my home server from Ubuntu 11.10 (Oneiric Ocelot), to Ubuntu 12.04 LTS (Precise Pangolin). I thought everything went well. And it did… almost.
You should probably only continue if you care about how to fix the issue and the process I took along the way. I also promise a funny picture of an ape.Everyone likes funny pictures!
Mysql broke on the server… so the website www.puzzlepiecepro.com was down, and down with the lovely Error Establishing Database Connection!
Message staring at me. So I tried to restart Mysql, and that didn’t work, so I tried to update it…
sudo apt-get update <- to get the newest listing for the software package installer, right before I was going to do apt-get upgrade to bring all of the installed packages up to the most current version.
pzul@baldr:~$ apt-get update
only to get this wonderful and cryptic error.
apt-get: symbol lookup error: /usr/lib/i386-linux-gnu/libstdc++.so.6: undefined symbol: _ZNKSt5ctypeIwE10do_toupperEw, version GLIBCXX_3.4
OK so what the hell did that mean? Apparently though trial and error it seems that something happened during the upgrade to 12.04 and i was missing some fo the library files that run apt… and since apt is what you use to install packages well its a pain in the ass. Basically what happened is that some fo the libraries that Apt uses, and actually a lot of other things in the system too, had not installed correctly.
First check to see if Dpkg is working. This is the Debain package manager. I hadn’t had to use this package manager before so I was at a bit of a loss at first. If you type Dpkg into the prompt and it tells you it’s missing an arguement then it’s working, you just didn’t tell it what to install.
For me two libraries were missing, or one library and apt was only partially installed. I only found that out through trial and error. I reinstalled apt first, and that didn’t work.
I did this to fix the issue. wget is the command that lets you download from an external source. Unlike apt dpkg needs to have the packages on the system you are using, I think.
If you want to have a bit of explanation i hunted through http://packages.ubuntu.com/precise/ to check out what each package i was installing was before downloading it. The tree has a wonderful setup where it not only links to the downloadable packages but it also has a listing of dependencies! So if all else fails you can just download EVERY dependency for the program you are trying to make work and clean house. But that would be overkill, lets be smart about this..
- sudo su
- wget http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/pool/main/a/apt/apt_0.8.16~exp12ubuntu10.2_i386.deb
- this is the command to download apt directly from the depository. a fresh copy of the broken program
- dpkg -i apt_0.8.16~exp12ubuntu10.2_i386.deb
- this command will re-install apt from the .deb file you just downloaded, it will also let you know what libraries are not the right version or missing. One by on highlight the libraries that are out of date, and re-install them
- wget http://mirror.pnl.gov/ubuntu//pool/main/g/gcc-4.6/libstdc++6_4.6.3-1ubuntu5_i386.deb
- dpkg -i libstdc++6_4.6.3-1ubuntu5_i386.deb
- The attempt to run dpkg -i apt_0.8.16~exp12ubuntu10.2_i386.deb
- then I ran apt-get update to update the index of the repositories.
- And finally apt-get upgrade to update all of the packages and dependencies to their latest version!
Now the system works like a dream and I didn’t have to re-install!
My biggest problem with Linux and the Linux community is the amount of people who think re-installing is a good option. It isn’t if you have to start from scratch for every single problem you have you won’t have a very useful computer. Yes sometimes it is easier than looking down the rabbit hole and learning a thing or two, but now after this I’m pretty sure if apt dies, or a package has a corrupt library then i can troubleshoot it.
So I’m off my soapbox, and feel a lot lot more empowered, now I know a bit more about how the server works, and I’m that much more dangerous when it comes to fixing things!
Hail to the King BABY! | <urn:uuid:2eefe938-9eec-4069-8716-4d6ecb43ca77> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.caffination.com/tech/ubuntu-12-04-how-to-fix-apt-7104/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705953421/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120553-00012-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.93739 | 1,222 | 1.5 | 2 |
When I was a little girl, my Dad (who was 61 years young when I was born), wanted me to read two books. This was one of them. The Hills of the Ozarks always remind me of being a little girl with my Dad. We would go fishing together. Once when we were wading into waters that were neck high to me, I said to him, "Daddy, as long as you hold my hand, I'll go anywhere and do anything!!" The faith of a child.....The Shephard of the Hills is such a great book in so many ways. I LOVE the faith of the story and the truths we see of, "Walking to a different drummer". There are so many good books out there with emphasis on so many cultures. For me, the "simple" is often the best. In nursing school they said, "Always go back to the basics then you can build your knowledge from there." This book lays an excellent "basics of life" and what's even better is you can see the cabin and the ampitheater and Sammy's "lookout" in those them hills! It was a great book when it was written and it still is. Harold Bell Wright is a good Author. I have all his books except one and would have it but it is cost prohibitive. Happy Reading all! | <urn:uuid:a52639c8-e831-410c-8eb7-3745f87c349b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.faboverfifty.com/content/books?dcl=1342169839 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.988963 | 274 | 1.632813 | 2 |
Supporters of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez won a battle over the country's leadership Wednesday, but the political war isn't over.
Venezuela's Supreme Court ruled that Chavez will begin a new term on Thursday, even though health problems will prevent him from attending an inauguration before the National Assembly.
But several key questions are looming: How long will Chavez be in Cuba for cancer treatment? How dire is his medical situation? Will simmering political tension about who's running the country boil over?
Opposition politicians have argued that delaying Chavez's swearing-in leaves no one in charge of Venezuela once the current term ends. Chavez allies -- including a majority of lawmakers in the country's congress -- have said he should remain in power while taking the time he needs to recuperate.
The 58-year-old Venezuelan president has been treated for cancer in Cuba for the past month, most recently battling respiratory complications after surgery.
Wednesday's Supreme Court ruling backs the government's position that the chain of command in Venezuela stays the same, even as one presidential term ends and a new one starts.
"Despite the 10th of January beginning a new constitutional period, a new swearing-in is not necessary in his position," said Luisa Estella Morales, president of the Supreme Court of Justice.
Calling it a "historic moment," Morales said that the court's interpretation of the constitution was debated by all the justices.
The Supreme Court weighs in
Morales' remarks addressed a number of questions that have surged over the country's leadership and political future, but they left others unanswered. | <urn:uuid:ae7b2c7e-2ea6-4e6a-8b8b-9593b73606be> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.wlky.com/news/national/Venezuela-court-Chavez-inauguration-delay-OK/-/9366074/18067660/-/c4gpi0z/-/index.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00008-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.966872 | 319 | 1.84375 | 2 |
Genesis Chapter 20 |
1Abraham journeyed from there to the region of the Negeb and settled between Kadesh and Shur. While he was sojourning in Gerar, 2Abraham said of Sarah his wife, “She is my sister.” So King Abimelech of Gerar had Sarah brought to him. 3But God came to Abimelech in a dream by night and said to him, “You are to die because of the woman that you have taken, for she is a married woman.” 4Now Abimelech had not approached her. He said, “O Lord, will You slay people even though innocent? 5He himself said to me, ‘She is my sister!’ And she also said, ‘He is my brother.’ When I did this, my heart was blameless and my hands were clean.” 6And God said to him in the dream, “I knew that you did this with a blameless heart, and so I kept you from sinning against Me. That was why I did not let you touch her. 7Therefore, restore the man’s wife—since he is a prophet, he will intercede for you—to save your life. If you fail to restore her, know that you shall die, you and all that are yours.”
8Early next morning, Abimelech called his servants and told them all that had happened; and the men were greatly frightened. 9Then Abimelech summoned Abraham and said to him, “What have you done to us? What wrong have I done that you should bring so great a guilt upon me and my kingdom? You have done to me things that ought not to be done. 10What, then,” Abimelech demanded of Abraham, “was your purpose in doing this thing?” 11“I thought,” said Abraham, “surely there is no fear of God in this place, and they will kill me because of my wife. 12And besides, she is in truth my sister, my father’s daughter though not my mother’s; and she became my wife. 13So when God made me wander from my father’s house, I said to her, ‘Let this be the kindness that you shall do me: whatever place we come to, say there of me: He is my brother.’”
14Abimelech took sheep and oxen, and male and female slaves, and gave them to Abraham; and he restored his wife Sarah to him. 15And Abimelech said, “Here, my land is before you; settle wherever you please.” 16And to Sarah he said, “I herewith give your brother a thousand pieces of silver; this will serve you as vindication before all who are with you, and you are cleared before everyone.” 17Abraham then prayed to God, and God healed Abimelech and his wife and his slave girls, so that they bore children; 18for the Lord had closed fast every womb of the household of Abimelech because of Sarah, the wife of Abraham. | <urn:uuid:1a0cf4bc-c720-43b1-adee-137e53119ba0> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.taggedtanakh.org/Chapter/Index/english-Gen-20 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00007-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.990089 | 674 | 1.507813 | 2 |
Working as a Software Developer
Posted on December 17, 2012 Comments (9)
For most of my career I have been focused on management improvement – helping organizations improve results. Technology plays a big role in that and along the way I found myself becoming a programer for a while; and then a software development program manager. This is a good post on working as a software developer:
Write for people first, computer second. The code you write will be read many times in the future (by you, or another developer). The computer doesn’t care how the code is written, so make it as easy as possible to understand for the next person that has to read it. A corollary to this is: don’t be too clever. It’s better to be clear than to be clever.
When there is a compelling need to write for the computer first and people second make sure to document that code well. For example, some code that is extremely dense and complex and confusing but greatly enhances the efficiency of a critical area of code.
I recently wrote a book, Management Matters: Building Enterprise Capability. There are many great things about a career in software development. It certainly is also challenging and not for someone looking for the easiest career but I have seem a higher percentage of happy software developers than I have seen in any other discipline.
Related: How To Become A Software Engineer/Programmer – The Software Developer Labor Market – Avoiding Tragedy of the Commons for Software Development – Preparing Computer Science Students for Jobs – Hiring the Best Fit For Your Company in an Inefficient Job Market – Want to be a Computer Game Programmer? – What Graduates Should Know About an IT Career | <urn:uuid:3ed496a5-9045-413d-8ddb-1964edadd9bb> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://engineering.curiouscatblog.net/2012/12/17/working-as-a-software-developer/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704713110/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516114513-00015-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.94885 | 350 | 1.78125 | 2 |
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Bloomin' Balloon - Coming of age! It's 21.
This quilt was created for an invitational challenge. The challenge was for the Silver Dollar City Quilt Show. We were required to use a collection of 100% cotton prints by Marti Michell with no more than 25% solids. Each quilt was 36 x 36 inches.
It was definitly a challenge to create this quilt. The fabrics I ordered to do this didn't have enough variation in value. They were all also subtle and I was more comfortable creating with a mixture of brights and subtles.
I used strip piecing to construct the sections. I had to resort to overdyeing to get enough suitable fabric for the sky area.
I made 3 different centers for the flower before I made this final one. I beaded it to give it more color and texture.
A calendar was created for the show and my quilt was featured in February.
As I look at the quilt 21 years after I created it it looks much better than it did when I finished it. I always tell students if you don't like something put it away and when you take it out again it will look better.
And for tonight's puzzle I've given you a section of Bloomin' Balloon. | <urn:uuid:d8907773-3cff-41fe-9bf4-cfe53553fc3d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://quiltspluscolor.blogspot.com/2009/01/bloomin-balloon-coming-of-age-its-21.html?showComment=1232410500000 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697974692/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095254-00012-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.984384 | 272 | 1.523438 | 2 |
National Alliance on Mental Illness
page printed from FaithNet NAMI
The Healing of Legion
Dear All –
For those of you that are Christian, I thought you might like to read one of the types of responses that I give to a variety of questions that I get now and then regarding what, if anything, did Jesus have to say about mental illness, was Legion really possessed by a demon and etc.. (Please see below.).
In addition to showing love and compassion to those that were suffering, I believe Jesus gave us a wonderful example of reaching out to those with a mental illness as he sought and then healed Legion. I refer you to this account as it is recorded in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke.
Legion was described to be screaming raging and harming himself.
The gospels describe this behavior as being demonic. As we are well aware in the 21st century, this type of behavior is unfortunately sometimes manifested by someone suffering with psychosis of mental illness. Thanks to present day, scientific knowledge, we now recognize that this type of abnormal functioning of the brain has an explainable biologic basis and in almost all cases can be shown to have a hereditary predisposition. Two thousand years ago, however, anything that had a deleterious effect on our body or mind, which appeared to be unexplainable, was considered to be caused by the devil and described as being "demonic." Unfortunately, this ancient explanation of mental illness continues within some religious groups.
Whether or not, at any time, God permits the devil to cause cancer, a broken bone, mental illness, a heart attack or any other abnormality of our body is beyond human understanding.
The point of the passages in the Gospels concerning Legion that I wish to emphasize is not a clarification of the use of the word "demonic." It is rather that Jesus asked the disciples to take him from where he was ministering to the multitudes to the opposite side of the Sea of Galilee to where Legion was kept in chains in a Gerasene cemetery.
Jesus sought Legion. After meeting him, Jesus put him in his "right mind" and returned him to full membership in the community.
I believe that God has shown us in the life of Jesus that he wants us to reach out to those with a mental illness and help them in their recovery so that they can resume a position of "full membership in the community." | <urn:uuid:6915b3d5-e153-4220-97b0-de0015188e9f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.nami.org/PrinterTemplate.cfm?Section=The_Healing_of_Legion&Site=FaithNet_NAMI&Template=/ContentManagement/HTMLDisplay.cfm&ContentID=111102&site=FaithNet_NAMI | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00009-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.975738 | 493 | 1.804688 | 2 |
From Yahoo!7 News:
A national DNA database should be discussed as heinous crimes go unsolved for decades, NSW Police Minister Michael Gallacher says.
Mr Gallacher is leading a push for a debate on the merit of genetic samples being collected from all newborns and a DNA database then being used to compare crime scene DNA under a Supreme Court warrant.
“It’s something that needs to happen and it needs to start to be considered by governments,” Mr Gallacher told the Seven Network on Wednesday.
“Just think of the potential this has in terms of crime.”
Translation: “Just think of the potential this has in terms of totalitarian control, in just 2-3 generations”.
A spokesman for Mr Gallacher said the NSW government had no concrete proposal to collect DNA from babies for an Australia-wide database, adding it was just an idea that could only happen at a national level.
“There are challenges with safeguards,” the spokesman told AAP.
“All views, ideas and opinions have to be canvassed.”
Stephen Blanks, a lawyer with the NSW Council for Civil Liberties, said a national database was a dangerous idea.
“We know that if there is a national database, there will be people who want to access it for all sorts of extraneous reasons,” he said.
Wherever he is now, George Orwell is grinning like a Cheshire cat:
“If you want a vision of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face – forever.” | <urn:uuid:7b1c1dce-d579-4f3c-b344-6fd6b12d36f7> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://barnabyisright.com/2012/03/28/orwell-grinning-smugly-as-govt-minister-calls-for-all-newborns-to-go-on-national-dna-database/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00007-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.953922 | 327 | 1.546875 | 2 |
'This is truly an historic day. Today, the House of Representatives will consider and hopefully pass - for the first time - the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, or ENDA. As someone who has looked forward to this day for the 20 years that I have served in Congress, it is a joyous occasion.
'It simply would not have been possible without the outstanding leadership and courage of Chairman Barney Frank and of Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin. Anyone who cares about a country without discrimination is deeply in debt to Tammy Baldwin and to Barney Frank for their leadership in this regard.
'While ENDA's victory will represent an historic victory, I share the disappointment of Tammy Baldwin and Barney Frank and others who support including protections for transgender individuals in ENDA. While I had hoped that we could have included gender identity, I support final passage of ENDA because its passage will build momentum for further advances on gender identity rights and the rights of all Americans.
'History teaches us that progress on civil rights is never easy. It is often marked by small and difficult steps. We must take this step today toward the ideal of equality that is both our heritage and our hope.
'I've heard the use of the word 'tolerance' today and I respect the use of that word. But if I may respectfully depart from it and say that in my community, which is blessed with a large, diverse community, our diversity is of all kinds - religion, gender identification, religious faith and the rest, and I always say that the beauty is in the mix. And it's not that we're tolerant in my district, in | <urn:uuid:f4278701-4c4b-40cb-ab03-31ed59d42df8> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.democraticleader.gov/news/speeches/pelosi-enda-historic-step-toward-ideal-equality?qt-photos_video=0 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00018-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.964125 | 327 | 1.625 | 2 |
Once or twice a year I visit the entire sixth grade at the middle school (approximately 200 kids). I try to go around Dec/Jan and in late May/June for summer reading. This is how I generally plan for this mammoth school visit.
- Go through slideshows of new books, lists from previous visits, new items still in processing and browse the shelves to choose approximately 50 books.
- Put together a list and slideshow for the other staff (when kids come in to ask for the books) and for the school librarian (she also hands it out to teachers).
- As I check out the items and load them into my milk crate and collapsible dolly, I put together a mental booktalk for each title.
- Put together publicity, flyers, and other handouts to take to the school.
- I start each presentation with a quick introduction, talk about upcoming programs, then the kids get to pick what books I will booktalk and I finish with a few minutes for them to come up and look and touch.
- I see 3 groups of 2 classes each in the library and one full team (about 100 kids) in their pod. I have 30 minutes with each small group, 20 minutes for the pod. First group at 8, pod at 9, second group at 10, third group at 12. Some classes can stay longer and then we chat about the books and programs.
This is how it really works:
- Put together stacks of books. While packing them and getting ready to make the list, kid vomits all over the children's area and then I get stuck with someone's inane computer questions. Decide to make the list later. Hope that booktalks for some of the titles I am not sure on will magically appear.
- Leave late. Realize I am out of gas. Have 5 minutes to set up for first group. They are sleepy. I am sleepy.
- Repack and trundle books downstairs to the pod. Set up. Hang out for 30 minutes. Realize I'm on the wrong side of the pod (due to yesterday's craziness I didn't bring my schedule). Teacher and kids help carry the tables with books to the other side, everything is a little out of whack. One class stays behind to help me repack (and get a longer look at the books)
- Trundle everything back upstairs. Get display into the original order I had planned, with sections for each group of books. Hope no teachers are upset by my book of roadkill poetry.
- Run back to the library for more flyers and handouts, get gas, drop flyers off at high school, back to the middle school for last presentation.
- Depart with the enthusiasm of sixth graders and teachers and their awesome librarian ringing in my ears. | <urn:uuid:53d3c521-ecb9-47e3-9f83-343f3a293fb5> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://jeanlittlelibrary.blogspot.com/2013/01/6th-grade-visits-ideal-plan-and-what.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705953421/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120553-00002-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.951021 | 581 | 1.8125 | 2 |
Workshop for high schools attracts 116 students
On March 8, the Department of Mass Communication sponsored a workshop on campus for high school students in conjunction with the Kentucky Press Association and the Kentucky High School Journalism Association.
Attending were 116 high school juniors and seniors from seven high schools who are interested in various forms of mass communication.
Seminars on writing, photography, editing, media law, broadcasting, video editing, sports writing and more were offered. Leading seminars from Mass Communication were Stan McKinney, Dr. Russ Barclay, Rick Wilson, Dr. Thomas Jeffrey, Jeannie Clark and Dr. Keith Spears. Others on campus leading seminars were Joan McKinney, Christina Kern and Linda Waggener from the Office of University Communications; DeWayne Frazier; Chris Megginson and Richard RoBards from Sports Information; and Ed Goble from the Office of Admissions. David Greer, who directs the Kentucky High School Journalism Association for the Kentucky Press Association, was also in attendance as was Jamie Sizemore, publisher of the Kentucky Standard and immediate past president of the Kentucky Press Association.
There were many other speakers from off campus including Hagit Limor, an Emmy-winning reporter with WCPO-TV in Cincinnati and immediate past president of the national Society of Professional Journalists.
Many of the schools were from Lexington and Louisville. Jefferson County is interested in some type of dual enrollment agreement with the Department of Mass Communication. They also would like for the university to offer similar seminars at the Louisville Education Center in conjunction with Jefferson County Schools.
The Kentucky Press Association has invited the department to present seminars during its January winter convention. The convention will be a joint meeting of the Kentucky Press Association, the Kentucky News Photographers Association, the Kentucky Intercollegiate Press Association and the Kentucky High School Journalism Association. The Department of Mass Communication at CU is a member of all of the organizations. | <urn:uuid:fd97bc98-eaf7-4a27-9a4c-d68f10b3054b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.campbellsville.edu/spring-workshop-12 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00019-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.958068 | 385 | 1.632813 | 2 |
I had mine in the UK on Tuesday with nil side effects
There are 2 types of vaccine available in the UK depending on your immune system status - Pandermix and Celvaplan
The Pandemrix vaccine is prepared in hensĺ eggs in the same way that seasonal flu vaccines are. It should not be given to people who have had a confirmed anaphylactic reaction (experiencing shock or difficulty breathing) after being exposed to egg products.
The Celvapan vaccine is not prepared using eggs, so you should have this vaccine if you have a severe allergy to eggs.
I had a single shot of Panderix, my friend who has had a kidney transplant had Celvapan, but requires a 2nd dose in 2 weeks time
Several of my friends in the Uk have had swine flu which was diagnosed by a doctor. Out of the five I know of, only two were ill for more than five days, and they were the ones who took the Tamiflu antiviral medicine.
Message posted by kathy3 on 28áNovemberá2009 at 12:42pm - IP Logged
HI my husband had the swine flu , he had Tamiflu capsules off the Doc
he was told it does not cure it just ""shortens"" the duration >> My husband was very ill . But he recovered okay
The ""joke"" is we had just come back from Ibiza , i had a stinking cold !!It was one of the worst i have had
The Doc said i had probably had the swine flu not a cold and gave it to my husband
A lot of people have it and don,t suffer much at all , it takes people different ways >>
Needless to say i was not flavour of the month ,, kathy,
Message posted by ele 56 on 28áNovemberá2009 at 3:03pm - IP Logged
I may have it at the moment but how do you tell whether it's flu or swine flu. The list of symptoms on the flu website are the usual suspects - sore throat, headache, aching limbs etc etc which are normal flu symptoms. I started with a very sore throat on Tuesday and have been in bed for 2 days but figure it's now too late to bother with Tamiflu, I am a woman, I just get on with it!!!
Message posted by kathy3 on 28áNovemberá2009 at 8:20pm - IP Logged
ele, my son David, 15, was 'diagnosed' with it in September. Whether he had it or not is debateable, however he did have flu of some sort, and being septmeber and not usual for Flu at that time of year, was deemed to be the swine variety. he was given the Tamiflu voucher, but I didnt get it preferring to watch and wait. In the meantime I discussed with my next door neighbour over the garden fence LOL, and she is something very senior in the north west Public Health department......and she strongly advised me not to give it to david, unless he absolutely deteriorated.David was in bed for a week, after which he made a full recovery...without the Tamiflu.
Unless you have any major underlying illness, I think the best advice seems to be do without it.
Hope you are feeling better soon ele ! XXXXXx
Message posted by Don1 on 29áNovemberá2009 at 2:03am - IP Logged
I am so worried about a colleague from work. She "had" swine flu late September to early October. Just a few days after our employer extended the allowed period for self-certification to be 14 days for this particular instance. Not wishing to make light of such a serious issue but I do have reservations about the honesty involved here. On friday we received a sicknote for a third consecutive week of a second instance of swine flu. Would you credit this as being possible!
Message posted by sedgi on 29áNovemberá2009 at 2:21am - IP Logged
Hi all I have had it and I am fine like they say achy arm could not sleep had a stiff neck and achy legs but ok after 24 hours working in the health service my advice is have it! seen loads with it and not nice I was not goimg to have it but did not want to bring it home nasty little bug.mild form ok confirmed by swab but wors case sinario is not nice x
Message posted by C4owner on 29áNovemberá2009 at 10:50am - IP Logged
Quote: Originally posted by SpearTravels on 27áNovemberá2009
I have been advised by my Doctor in the UK not to have it as I am asthmatic, which is ironic because I am therefore part of the 'high-risk' group.
Personally, I am not sure if I would want it anyway because it seems to me that it has been rushed out, although it must have had all the necessary clinical trials, I presume?
Well I have Asthma and Bronchitis and my Doctor said have the vaccine, so I did.
Were off to Egypt in February and they screen people going into the country and any sign of a temperature will get you 5 days isolation which is a prospect I didn't relish which was another reason for the vaccine (reminds me, must get the Doc's to sign my immunisation card)
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Agni Travel is the sister company of Taverna Agni and also the sponsor of the Agni Animal Welfare Fund | <urn:uuid:aee89ce9-50a6-4d52-93a3-5cc1684807dc> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.agni.gr/message_boards/display_topic_threads.asp?TopicID=51532&PagePosition=1000 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00009-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.980022 | 1,216 | 1.703125 | 2 |
The 87-year-old woman who was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize for her autobiography where she revealed she was former Sen. Strom Thurmond's secret daughter has died, according to her attorney.
Essie Mae Washington-Williams passed away Monday morning.
In 2003, Washington-Williams came out of the shadows with the memoir "Dear Senator" to address her existence that had been long-rumored across the Palmetto State for decades.
Washington-Williams discovered that Thurmond, one of the country's leading segregationists, fathered her with one of the Thurmond family's 16-year-old servants. She was unaware of her father's identity until she was 16 years old.
In the book, she shared memories of Thurmond supporting financially
her and when she moved to South Carolina to attend South Carolina State
"I visited him many times in Washington DC," said Washington-Williams.
"All of those on his staff knew exactly who I was. His financial support
was constant during various stages of my life. I knew him beyond his
The then-78-year-old grandmother waited until after Thurmond's death to reveal the news.
Washington-Williams said she spoke to her father many times about his racial views. She said she could never convince him to change -- although he did later in his life.
When she finally stepped into the public spotlight, Washington-Williams said it wasn't for money or fame, but to claim her own heritage.
"Once I decided that I would no longer harbor such a great secret that many others knew, I feel as though a tremendous weight has been lifted," she said in a news conference. "I am Essie Mae Washington-Williams. And at last, I feel completely free."
After completing her degree, Washington-Williams moved to California and became a school teacher for 30 years. | <urn:uuid:4b2c6707-37b6-483f-8442-0fc66b35c4b3> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.wtoc.com/story/20961247/essie-mae-washington-williams-strom-thurmond-daughter | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700958435/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104238-00003-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.986943 | 381 | 1.6875 | 2 |
TO DECRIMINALIZE THE USE OF DRUGS, PART 4
Fast-forward a few years.
Back in 2002, the Canadian government astonished much of the world by plucking up the courage to drastically redefine the nation's drug strategy.
Under the new laws, shortly to be re-evaluated by voters after a five-year trial period, a clear distinction has been drawn between using drugs and selling them. Now, with personal drug use decriminalized but not legalized, you may visit your neighbourhood drug dealer, buy enough for your own needs and go your way, secure in the knowledge that you risk no more than a small fine, should the drug squad be in a bad mood that evening.
Unless they know you, however, the operators of that drug house will be wary. In this new landscape, selling drugs of all types, including cannabis, remains a criminal offence.
And as part of the long-term goal of reducing drug use, especially among the young, the penalties for selling drugs have also been revisited.
Sell anything more than an ounce of pot and you risk a stiff fine, with penalties rising sharply according to quantity.
Sell a bag of heroin and you will go to prison.
Sell that same bag of heroin to a minor and your prison spell will last 10 years.
Import kilograms of cocaine or ecstasy and you will get life.
The perennially vexing question of supply stirred huge debate back in 2002. Many contended that part of the solution lay in the creation of licensed, police-patrolled retail outlets, much along the lines of the Netherlands' famously colourful coffee houses and "smart shops," which openly sell cannabis and organic stimulants. But there would be a major problem with doing that, the government pointed out: international treaty obligations. Along with most other countries, Canada is a signatory to the 1988 United Nations Convention Against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs, which bars the sale of illegal drugs, itemized in a long list.
Buying and possessing those drugs is also banned under that convention. But because no criminal penalty is specified, the government had room to manoeuvre.
Inspired by the recent examples of such countries as Italy and Spain, Ottawa decided to downgrade the seriousness with which Canada regarded simple drug possession. Nothing was legalized.
Instead, buying and using drugs was reclassified as a simple misdemeanour.
Waves of hostility had rolled north from the United States, and from critics at home, who complained Canada was following neither the spirit nor the letter of that 1988 convention. But the government's response -- that the new framework was a compromise between international obligations and changing domestic priorities -- prevailed.
Now, a few years later, that uproar has diminished. Drug use of all kinds appears to have risen slightly, but for the most part police ignore it, concentrating instead on denting the major supply lines, still mostly controlled by organized crime.
Police still deal every day with small-scale drug users, but their emphasis is now mostly on prevention and help, working closely with social agencies and the schools.
As a result, the tide of low-level drug prosecutions that used to choke the court system has all but vanished. The prison population is down, too.
Drug-education programs have been revamped. Students are told from an early age that if they want to buy drugs, they can do so without fear of being arrested.
But there are persuasive reasons not to do so, they learn.
Topping the list is that drug use, all drug use, tends to make people stupid rather than smart.
Treating addiction has changed, too. Along with decriminalizing drug use back in 2002, the government conducted a comprehensive survey of drug addiction in Canada and poured money into an expensive network of programs and clinics. With the fear of prosecution removed, far more drug abusers came forward than expected, and the client lists at the clinics are long. However, big savings in other areas, notably domestic law-enforcement, are already apparent. Some of those savings are reallocated into increasingly successful multinational drug investigations. And because street-level drug users are now much less nervous about talking to police, those big investigations are aided by a wealth of useful tips.
All of the above, of course, is a fantasy.
Is decriminalizing simple drug use either feasible or desirable? On both counts we would argue yes. But without the political will to grasp this nettle, which is nowhere in sight, it won't happen soon. Policy issues would arise that could be answered only through vigorous public debate.
The largest of those questions would involve our children.
Illegal drugs reach into every corner of our society and cause enormous damage, it would repeatedly be said. How can easing access to them possibly be justified?
The best answer can be found at almost any high school.
Like them or hate them, drugs already swirl all around us. Ask any teenager. The "war on drugs," first proclaimed by presidential candidate Richard Nixon in 1968, has ultimately proved as futile and destructive as Prohibition.
The only alternative is damage control -- harm reduction, and not merely in a strictly physical sense. Every sociologist knows that the more a person is exposed to crime, arrest and imprisonment, the worse his or her long-term prospects. Decriminalizing simple drug use would reduce that exposure significantly.
Such a radical move, fraught with uncertainty, offers no simple antidote to the drugs plague. But two, five or 10 years hence, the results might be a lot better than what we see around us now. | <urn:uuid:21615f30-0465-44bb-be8b-eee4fcc14c10> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.torontohemp.com/news/news53.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368711005985/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516133005-00013-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.964474 | 1,137 | 1.820313 | 2 |
We had been waiting all morning for Carolyn Reeder to arrive, and when she arrived, it caused quite a stir. Ms. White went to open the door, and said in a low voice, "Guys, go and offer to help her carry her bags in for her." Travis and Leah, who were probably the most excited, shot off like a pair of lightning bolts to help. Meanwhile, everyone else pranced about inside.
When Mrs. Reeder came through the door, I was trying very hard to keep myself from jumping up and down. Once Mrs. Reeder came through the door, there was a brief period of milling about, in which we discussed the exciting day to come. Then we were off to the fourth grade presentation.
This page was created by the Red Hill Elementary ThinkQuest 2001 Team.
This page was last updated on March 12, 2001. | <urn:uuid:f015b279-6916-4473-aa4e-cd86725a5756> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://library.thinkquest.org/J0111620/Grandpa/Reeder/home.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00013-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.98879 | 180 | 1.507813 | 2 |
In a recent blog posting, a German operator of a Tor anonymous proxy server revealed that he was arrested by German police officers at the end of July. Although he was released shortly afterwards, information about the arrest had been kept quiet until his lawyers were able to get the charges dropped.
Tor is a privacy tool designed to allow users to communicate and browse anonymously on the Internet. It's endorsed by the Electronic Frontier Foundation and other civil liberties groups as a method for whistle blowers and human rights workers to communicate with journalists. Tor provides anonymous Web-browsing software to hundreds of thousands of users around the world, according to its developers. The largest numbers of users are in the United States, the European Union and China.
The police were investigating a bomb threat posted to an online forum for German police officers. The police traced one of the objectionable posts on the forum to the IP address for Janssen's server. Up until his arrest, Alex Janssen's Tor server carried more than 40GB of random strangers' Internet traffic each day.
Showing up at his house at midnight on a Sunday night, police cuffed and arrested him in front of his wife and seized his equipment. In a display of both bitter irony and incompetence, the police did not take or shutdown the Tor server responsible for the traffic they were interested in, which was located in a different city, more than 500km away.
Janssen's attempts to explain what Tor is to the police officers initially fell on deaf ears. After being interrogated for hours, someone from the city of D?sseldorf's equivalent of the Department of Homeland Security showed up and admitted to Janssen that they'd made a mistake. He was released shortly after.
Germany is clearly not going out of its way to make computer security researchers and activists feel too welcome. Germany recently passed a law that "renders the creation and distribution of software illegal that could be used by someone to break into a computer system or could be used to prepare a break in. This includes port scanners like nmap, security scanners like nessus [as well as] proof of concept exploits."
Back in summer 2006, German authorities conducted a simultaneous raid of seven different data centers, seizing 10 Tor servers in the process. Agents took the servers believing them to be related to a child porn investigation. Furthermore, in 2003 a German court ordered the developers of the Jap anonymity system, a completely different project than Tor, to create a back-door in their system to be used in national security investigations.
This event does raise some interesting legal questions. If 40GB of other people's Internet traffic flows through your own home network, can authorities, be they the RIAA or FBI, reasonably link anything that has been tracked to your computer's IP address to you?
Does setting up a Tor server give you the ultimate plausible deniability card? "No officer, that BitTorrent download wasn't mine. It was from one of the thousands of people who route their Internet traffic through the anonymizing sever on my home network."
The ability to have a believable claim to plausible deniability is something that some of us have been attempting to get for a while by having an open wireless access point at home. And 40GB of Internet traffic from perfect strangers may be more significant in the eyes of a court than the possibility of one or two of your neighbors connecting to your wireless network. All of this, for now, remains theoretical. No Tor-related case has made it to the courts.. but it's just a matter of time until one does. | <urn:uuid:a939e927-b7c1-4a7d-8006-98f47d97e4fb> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://news.cnet.com/8301-13739_3-9779225-46.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00012-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.976565 | 727 | 1.804688 | 2 |
The Harvard Crimson :: Opinion :: Bury the Parkway: "The benefits of a buried parkway would be enjoyed by all local residents, not just those in the Harvard community. As such, Harvard should not (and, given that the land is owned publicly, almost certainly cannot) undertake this initiative on its own. But given the benefits that local residents would reap from the parkway’s depression—for the first time in decades, Allston residents would enjoy unfettered access to Boston’s greatest geological treasure—city and Commonwealth officials should work with Harvard to make this initiative a reality.
A project of this scope will be neither cheap nor easy. Ultimately, however, the success of the Allston campus will depend on it. With strong leadership and effective teamwork, Harvard can help bury a parkway, integrate two academic communities, and give Allston residents their river back. " | <urn:uuid:eea3c8b3-2e13-44d0-affc-c6a874e0064f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://allston02134.blogspot.com/2006/11/harvard-crimson-opinion-bury-soldiers.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00015-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.953244 | 180 | 1.65625 | 2 |
Feb. 16, 2013: A group of friends prepares to take the plunge at the 10th annual Portage Lakes Polar Bear Jump at Portage Lakes State Park. Photo by Ryan Haidet, WKYC-TV.
PORTAGE LAKES -- Pirates, ninjas and superheroes were among the wacky pack of people jumping into wickedly cold waters in the 10th annual Portage Lakes Polar Bear Jump.
With flurries flying and ice floating, hundreds of people packed the beach at Portage Lakes State Park on Saturday to take the bone-chilling challenge in an effort to raise money for the Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank.
Photos: 2013 Portage Lakes Polar Bear Jump
Officials with the event say it was a splashing success with more than $80,000 raised.
The Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank says every dollar will generate four meals.
Each brave jumper raised/donated at least $25 to take part in the plunge.
The 2013 event started with Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank CEO Dan Flowers making the first jump with his son around 2 p.m.
From that point forward, more than 725 people -- some in simple swimwear, others in goofy getups -- put their toes on the edge of the dock and lunged into the choppy water.
Some then swam to a nearby ladder to get out of the water as quickly as possible, while others raced to shore where a large audience of warmly dressed folks watched it all unfold.
Looking back: 2012 Portage Lakes Polar Bear Jump
Emergency crews were on hand to make sure everybody was safe and warming tents were available.
To date, the Portage Lakes Polar Bear Jump has raised nearly $400,000 since it started in 2004. | <urn:uuid:7b40f87d-8e39-42e2-998e-05ee74439494> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.wkyc.com/news/article/284097/45/Portage-Lakes-Polar-Bear-Jump-brings-out-brave-bunch?odyssey=tab%257Ctopnews%257Cbc%257Clarge | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697380733/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516094300-00016-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.949437 | 363 | 1.507813 | 2 |
Katie Mosher, 6, gets up close to a musical instrument.
Photo courtesy of: College of Fine Arts
Children try out different instruments at the ACMS Instrument Petting Zoo.
Photo courtesy of: College of Fine Arts
Jul 21, 2010
The Athens Community Music School (ACMS) is making sure that local children have access to music this summer through events such as last weekend’s Instrument Petting Zoo and the upcoming ACMS Summer Fun Week.
Last Saturday, the program hosted its second annual Instrument Petting Zoo at the Athens Public Library. More than 60 area residents attended. Students from the School of Music provided information and demonstrations on 10 instruments ranging from the tuba to violin. After these brief introductions to the instruments, children were given the opportunity to try out each.
The room was soon overtaken with a cacophony of noises rising from the various instruments as children lined up and waited patiently to try each, often returning to their favorite two or three times.
“The kids clearly have an awesome time,” said Beth Braun, director of ACMS. “I’m hoping that they develop an interest in perhaps one day learning to play one of those instruments through their school music program or eventually taking lessons with ACMS.”
Jim Mosher and Christie Truly brought their daughter Katie, 6, whose favorite instrument of the day was the flute because “of the high notes it can play.”
“She’s started to play piano but we’ve never been close to these other instruments before so it’s exciting for her to see the other instruments that make the music that she listens to,” Truly said.
“This is hands-on. Most of the time you go to see a music concert, but you don’t get to touch the instruments so that makes it really cool,” Mosher said.
Six-year-old Hannah Bernstein could not pick a favorite instrument. “They all have different notes and it’s pretty fun to listen to it. [This event] teaches me how to use the instruments. Music gives me different sounds and makes me happy.”
Christine Hitchcock and her family, including Zachary, 5, and Abigail, 3, left their Florida vacation two days early in order to attend the event.
“We came last year and they were just crazy about it,” Hitchcock said. “My son just started piano lessons this summer and she wants to play violin after her experience here last year, so we’re on the waiting list for that.”
Most of the School of Music students assisting with the event are studying to be music teachers and, for many, this is the first time that they have had a chance interact in this way with children.
“I think our School of Music students are always very pleasantly surprised by the experience,” said Braun. “They begin by being a bit apprehensive, and so do the children, but once they get into it, which takes all of about two minutes, the students get very excited about seeing what it’s like to help a kid make their first sound on an instrument.”
Beginning Monday, ACMS kicks off its Summer Fun Week that offers a variety of music classes for children going into grades one through eight.
“It’s our first time doing this kind of event and what I wanted to do is essentially provide a summer day camp kind of experience that’s meant to be a sampling of music opportunities,” Braun said.
Daily sessions include Intro to Piano, World Drumming and Kids Who Like to Sing. The piano class is geared toward children who have expressed interest in piano, but not had any formal lessons. Children will develop foundational skills such as hand position, note names, rhythms and more and provides an opportunity for parents to discover if private piano lessons are right for their child.
In World Drumming, children will experience drumming and other hand percussion sounds and techniques from cultures around the world. Kids Who Like to Sing is exactly as it sounds; a group singing experience for children who like to sing for the pure joy of it.
Classes are offered at multiple times each day. Registration is open through this Friday and forms can be found on the ACMS website or by calling 593-4241. | <urn:uuid:127237c3-4820-433d-80d9-2c005fae58f5> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.ohio.edu/compass/stories/09-10/7/acms-730.cfm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700958435/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104238-00008-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.965773 | 909 | 1.796875 | 2 |
According to the beliefs of the Nechani, the nesset were able to travel from this world into the spirit realm where they served as gatekeepers. In order to travel into this spirit realm, one had to be bitten by a nesset.
In 2373, Captain Janeway put her hand into a basket with a nesset and let herself be bitten, in order to save Kes' life. The nesset bite caused a poisoning that led to a burning sensation in Janeway's chest, but she was in no immediate danger. (VOY: "Sacred Ground") | <urn:uuid:901197d5-8fbe-474f-a972-63b8432fd72c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://en.memory-alpha.org/wiki/Nesset?oldid=1446445 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00016-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.976108 | 122 | 1.75 | 2 |
Good question, right? Answer: a Masi made by Mario Confente for Alberto Masi himself. Here is the recipe. Take one part Confente, mix liberally with some Alberto. Combine with thinned lugs and some nice REYNOLDS (not a typo), place in jig, braze and file for several days, and then:
As the story goes, this Masi was built by Confente to “in 1971 with my [Alberto Masi's] sizes.” So how do we know such a thing? Well, a letter provided by the man himself tells all the details:
The text reads:
“I declare that this frame Masi Gran Criterium was made by Mario Confente in 1971 with my sizes. The frame was showed at Fiera Ciclo e Motociclo Milano in 1971. Milano 18.02.2010. Alberto Masi.”
A very short yet concise phrase that would have the authors of the MLA Style Manual waving their fingers frantically shouting “shown, SHOWN!”.
But does it matter really? The letter says it all. A frame built by Mario Confente, for Alberto Masi with the purpose of showing it at a trade show. So, not only is it built by a master for a master, but it’s a one of a kind, non-production model made specifically to wow the audiences of a trade show. It’s somewhat akin to the Bruce Gordon everyone drools over at NAHBS, but one zillion times cooler and more rare.
Speaking of trade shows, inside the well packed shipping box (which took about 20 minutes to unwrap) was this photo:
The frame itself is a sight to see up close. The lugwork is impeccable, points thinned to almost nothing. Windows, paint fill-ins. Every little detail thought out and executed with amazing perfection. It clearly shows the signs of a builder with a true gift. It’s one thing to wax poetic on some internet forum about the tragic story of Confente and what a genius he was, but quite another thing to hold one of his frames in your hands and see what the man could actually do.
To call this frame a work of art doesn’t even come close. Maybe it’s the bike geek in me, but it’s truly a well crafted piece of design. Now the problem is, what to do with it? My personal ethics tell me to never own a frame that I cannot ride, but this, what if something happens? A stray squirrel dashes in front of me to get a better look at the well crafted bottom bracket, a pot hole reaches up to feel how smooth the lug transition really is, a hobo offers me a trade of Taco Seasoning for the frame (sorry, inside joke). There is no replacing this thing, yet somehow it doesn’t’ belong on a wall. Well, I guess decisions have to be made, so for now, spend some time with the slideshow below and check back for updates later.
[mbspremium slideshow=1 title="'71 Masi Grand Criterium Built by M. Confente" subtitle="Click Full Screen For High Resolution"] | <urn:uuid:e4dde64f-86df-4ea7-89c1-69badb555ea5> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.cyclezine.net/2010/03/09/whats-better-than-a-masi/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697974692/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095254-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.942993 | 676 | 1.6875 | 2 |
UK.gov opens Red Tape Challenge regulation-slash website
Cameron demands deregulated ice-cream van jingles
The Coalition government has decided that a website can make us free – free, that is, of foolish red tape stifling British biz and productivity.
Prime Minister David Cameron says:
"Where regulation is well-designed and proportionate, it should stay. But it is hard to believe that we need government regulations on issues such as ice-cream van musical jingles. That's why I want us to be the first government in modern history to leave office having reduced the overall burden of regulation, rather than increasing it.
"Be in no doubt: all those unnecessary rules that place ridiculous burdens on our businesses and on society – they must go, once and for all."
Cameron's Lib Dem henchman Vince Cable, biznovation minister, added his exhortations.
"I urge you to visit the website and take a few minutes to tell us the regulations you deal with on a daily basis."
At the moment the website is devoted to red tape strangling the retail industry: then it will move on hospitality, then road transport, etc etc. The idea is that everyone should pitch in when it's the turn of their sector.
There will also be "cross cutting themes" deemed to run through all industries: employment law; pensions; company law; equalities; health and safety; and environment legislation.
The Red Tape Challenge applies only to British red tape, not that emanating from the EU:
The UK government cannot scrap EU regulations, but we do recognise the burden they impose. That is why we are giving the public an opportunity to comment on how EU legislation has been implemented in the UK on this website. We will then review any instances of 'gold-plating' – where the UK has gone beyond the minimum required by the EU legislation ...
We are pushing the European Commission to start by publishing the cost of planned regulations and setting a target to reduce the overall burden of EU regulation.
Given that Brussels can issue more red tape even if the UK manages a net reduction in regulation, Mr Cameron's lofty goal of reducing the overall regulatory burden by 2015 may be hard to achieve. ®
There are several issues that affect the ability of frozen-treat pimps to blast tinkling melodies from their vehicles, ranging from protection against noise pollution to chimes which infringe on musical copyright – not to mention rules regulating the movements of the van itself. The rules on ice-cream vans were approved in 1982 – under S71 of the Control of Pollution Act of 1974. See here. | <urn:uuid:d90eac24-bf9d-4d17-b689-473c13574f2c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.theregister.co.uk/2011/04/07/red_tape_challenge/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00002-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.943973 | 540 | 1.523438 | 2 |
Thursday, January 10, 2013
A FATHER sees a son nearing manhood.
What shall he tell that son?
"Life is hard; be steel; be a rock."
And this might stand him for the storms
and serve him for humdrum and monotony
and guide him amid sudden betrayals
and tighten him for slack moments.
"Life is a soft loam; be gentle; go easy."
And this too might serve him.
Brutes have been gentled where lashes failed.
The growth of a frail flower in a path up
has sometimes shattered and split a rock.
A tough will counts. So does desire.
So does a rich soft wanting.
Without rich wanting nothing arrives.
Tell him too much money has killed men
and left them dead years before burial:
the quest of lucre beyond a few easy needs
has twisted good enough men
sometimes into dry thwarted worms.
Tell him time as a stuff can be wasted.
Tell him to be a fool every so often
and to have no shame over having been a fool
yet learning something out of every folly
hoping to repeat none of the cheap follies
thus arriving at intimate understanding
of a world numbering many fools.
Tell him to be alone often and get at himself
and above all tell himself no lies about himself
whatever the white lies and protective fronts
he may use amongst other people.
Tell him solitude is creative if he is strong
and the final decisions are made in silent rooms.
Tell him to be different from other people
if it comes natural and easy being different.
Let him have lazy days seeking his deeper motives.
Let him seek deep for where he is a born natural.
Then he may understand Shakespeare
and the Wright brothers, Pasteur, Pavlov,
Michael Faraday and free imaginations
bringing changes into a world resenting change.
He will be lonely enough
to have time for the work
he knows as his own.
Padraic Colum wrote, "If America has a folksinger... he is Carl Sandburg, a singer who comes out of the prairie soil... who can hand back to the people a creation that has scraps of their own insight, humor, and imagination."
Before becoming known as a poet, he worked as a milkman, an ice harvester, a dishwasher, a salesman, a fireman, and a journalist.
I quoted a small section that can only hint at all that Sandburg included in a long poem that makes use of the legends and myths, the tall tales and sayings of America.
"Is it far to the next town?"
asked the Arkansas traveller
who was given the comfort:
"It seems farther than it is
but you'll find it ain't."
back to main page
Posted by gonovice at 8:14 AM | <urn:uuid:5cb66a27-aa11-444b-8f7e-0c87c6018bc7> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://guyslitwire.blogspot.com/2013/01/the-people-yes.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00004-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.960627 | 603 | 1.804688 | 2 |
Corning, Calif., owes its spot on the map to the humble olive.
To a motorist rolling along Interstate 5 in Northern California, exit 631 looks like an ordinary freeway turnoff. Actually, it's a pit stop of a different kind. The road curls through downtown Corning, the "Olive City," a friendly, rural place where travelers can fill up on a certain small, firm, brine-bathed fruit. Corning packages more than half the olives sold in the United States. The engine behind all that activity is the Bell-Carter Olive Co., the largest olive processor in the country and second largest in the world. On average, its jackhammer-loud pitting machines process up to 57,000 olives per minute.
The best place for connoisseurs to relish the town's bounty is at the Olive Pit, where a tasting bar and shelves are packed with olives in almost every imaginable permutation—sliced, ground into bread mix, rendered into soap. "We've got literally hundreds of olive options," says Ron Craig, whose parents founded the store in 1966 nearly 200 years after Spanish missionaries brought the first olive trees to California.
Naturally, Craig stocks standard California ripe black olives, but visitors delight in sampling adventurous flavors like beer soaked, Texas hot chile, and jalapeño stuffed. Those varieties—and others—turn up at Corning's annual Olive Festival, this year on August 27 and 28. Featuring an olive parade, a missing olive contest, and bed races, it's a spirited event whose main focus is having fun.
Corning, of course, is more than just olives. The Corning Museum is crammed with documents and photos dating to the city's founding in the late 1800s. Hungry travelers can drop by D Squared, (530) 824-4170, or Leona's Italian Kitchen, (530) 824-5144, for home-style cooking. For information on the area, call the Corning Chamber of Commerce at (530) 824-5550.
Photography by Mitch Tobias
This article was first published in July 2004. Some facts may have aged gracelessly. Please call ahead to verify information. | <urn:uuid:d2548929-4389-4a8b-bed6-9380fea4c498> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.viamagazine.com/print/food-wine/corning-calif-city-olives | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00002-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.934071 | 461 | 1.554688 | 2 |
Hospital spending on private finance schemes is increasing at an alarming rate, a new report suggests.
Repayments on private finance initiatives (PFI) has increased by almost £200 million in two years, according to a new report by the Nuffield Trust.
In 2009/10 NHS trusts in England spent £459 million repaying PFI debts. But by 2011/12 the figure soared to £628.7 million as more of the schemes were completed, according to the think tank's report.
The stark rise represents an average increase of 18% a year. Last year, South London Healthcare NHS Trust became the first trust to ever be put into administration after struggling with crippling PFI repayments.
The new report states that PFI debt interest payments have become "a particular burden" to some trusts. For seven trusts, the interest payments make up more than 5% of total revenue.
The report shows that for South London Healthcare NHS Trust, interest payments now account for 6% of spending in 2011/12.
But, worryingly, two trusts paid a higher percentage of their total revenue on such payments - at Dartford and Gravesend NHS Trust, PFI debt interest payments accounted for 7.9% of spending and for Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust the figure stood at 7%. The report also states that trusts in London spent £143.9 million on PFI repayments in 2011/12, five times more than spending in the South West of England.
PFI schemes, first introduced in 1992, let the private sector finance the design, build and operation of hospitals, which are then leased back to the NHS.
Dr Mark Porter, chair of council at the British Medical Association, said: "The Nuffield Trust report provides further evidence of the significant financial pressures that NHS organisations are facing. Our concern is that the quality of care - which is what matters above all else - is not sacrificed in the drive for greater efficiency."
A Department of Health spokesman said: "NHS trusts are being helped to manage their contracts and identify where savings can be made to reduce the burden of PFI costs. The savings achieved will be available to be reinvested in frontline services." | <urn:uuid:5c031f0e-2f55-4713-93b5-b845cc25f1b0> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.liverpooldailypost.co.uk/liverpool-news/uk-world-news/2013/03/05/warning-on-hospitals-pfi-spending-99623-32923928/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00019-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.966077 | 449 | 1.570313 | 2 |
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — Consol Energy told 145 workers in southern West Virginia on Tuesday that it will start laying them off in late December because of a dispute over permits for surface mining related to the King Coal Highway project.
The Pittsburgh-based coal producer said it plans to idle its Miller Creek operations in Mingo County, which include Wiley Surface Mine, Wiley Creek Surface Mine, Minway Surface Mine, Minway Preparation Plant, and Miller Creek Administration Group.
“The facility has operated without a lost-time accident since 1986, an exemplary safety record for the mining industry, and it is unfortunate that they will not be afforded the opportunity to extend that record,” Consol President Nicholas J. DeIuliis said in a statement.
Consol has sought U.S. Environmental Protection Agency permits to redirect the Mingo County operations to mine land that would then become a 5-mile stretch of the King Coal Highway. The agency has raised several concerns about the Buffalo Mountain mining operation, including its planned burial of several area streams.
DeIuliis noted that while the EPA had relented in objecting to one of the two permits sought, “that permit alone is not sufficient to allow miners to begin work.”
An EPA spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday.
Once completed, the King Coal Highway would run 90 miles from Williamson to Bluefield and be part of the Interstate 73/74 corridor. West Virginia has enlisted coal companies to help build the road. Through these public-private partnerships, the companies keep the coal they mine while grading the land for road-building in the process. A 12-mile section opened in 2011.
Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin and fellow Democrats in West Virginia’s congressional delegation blasted the EPA over Tuesday’s layoff notice.
“I am incensed and infuriated that the EPA would intentionally delay the needed permit for a public-private project that would bring so many good jobs and valuable infrastructure to communities that so desperately need them,” said U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin, who helped launch the project while Tomblin’s predecessor as governor. “The EPA has lost court case after court case for its overreach, and it should be using better judgment by now.”
Consol credited West Virginia officials in Tuesday’s statement for issuing the necessary state-based permits for the project. But with Tomblin running in this year’s election, his GOP opponent slammed the incumbent over the layoff news.
The Republican nominee, Bill Maloney, has sought to tie Tomblin to President Barack Obama, who is unpopular in West Virginia, and argues that Tomblin has failed to fight Obama and his EPA.
“I’m supporting Mitt Romney so that we can get our miners back to work,” Maloney said in a statement. “As Governor, I won’t pay lip service to creating and retaining jobs like Earl Ray, I will really do it.”
Tomblin’s campaign has cited how he has pursued the lawsuit filed by Manchin that has so far successfully challenged the EPA’s oversight of certain mining-related permits in West Virginia.
“Governor Tomblin is endorsed by the West Virginia Coal Association and the United Mine Workers because they know he always has and always will fight for our miners and coal industry,” Tomblin spokesman Chris Stadelman said Tuesday. “Any suggestion to the contrary is an outright lie.”
DeIuliis and other Consol officials, including Chief Executive J. Brett Harvey, have contributed nearly $35,000 to Tomblin’s re-election bid. Consol has also launched an independent ad campaign in support of Tomblin and other candidates, according to a filing posted Tuesday by the Secretary of State’s office. | <urn:uuid:d0bb6802-2430-4615-acd0-39e4983666dd> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.loganbanner.com/view/full_story/20666004/article-Consol-plans-W-Va--layoffs-over-permit-impasse | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00006-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.959954 | 807 | 1.53125 | 2 |
For Immediate Release
AUGUSTA - Governor LePage today signed into law a bill that orders a feasibility study of an east-west highway across Maine. The proposal comes after much debate and consideration in the Legislature's Transportation Committee and in the full House and Senate.
The measure, LD 1671, is entitled "An Act To Provide Funding to the Department of Transportation for a Feasibility Study of an East-West Highway" and appropriates approximately $300,000 for the study. Subjects of the study will include environmental impact, land acquisition and economic benefits.
"An important thing to remember is that the state's share of that cost is only $60,000, or one-fifth of the total cost of the study, thanks to available federal funds," said Rep. Rich Cebra (R-Naples), House chair of the Transportation Committee.
Furthermore, to address concerns about costs, Rep. Cebra added an amendment to the original bill that requires the construction company with the winning bid to repay the state if the state gives final authorization to proceed with construction.
"This is going to finally put to rest the decades-old question of whether an east-west highway is a viable project," he said. "If we don't allow the highway, we know that at least we considered it carefully. If we do, it will have cost us nothing. The road would be built with private funds. It's a win-win for the people of Maine."
Preliminary research and testimony indicate that many businesses that transport goods west from Canada would value a route that opens up destinations in northern New England, New York, Montreal and Ontario.
Rep. Alexander Willette (R-Mapleton) was optimistic about the bill. "One very encouraging thing for me is the fact that a private company wants to invest in infrastructure," said Rep. Willette, who serves on the Transportation Committee. "It tells me that there is a real demand for this highway, which in turn means jobs and economic growth for rural Maine." ###
Maine House Republicans
Tel: (207) 287-1445 | <urn:uuid:ff090bc1-aa17-4e07-a9a0-fbe6eab2760f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.maine.gov/legis/house_gop/_news/news_page.php?story_id=20120406_00000222 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00015-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.964473 | 431 | 1.632813 | 2 |
A twenty-two-year-old Olympic-caliber collegiate swimmer presented to the emergency department with complaints of progressive weakness in both lower extremities. Two days earlier, the patient had noted sharp pain in the neck and the middle part of the back on waking; however, he was able to complete his morning swimming practice. He could not recall a traumatic event, but he had participated in a rigorous swim practice the day before. One day before presentation, the pain completely resolved. However, on the day of presentation, the patient had awoken from a nap with searing interscapular back pain and decreased strength in the legs. He reported no bladder or bowel difficulties at that time. He was unable to stand and was immediately taken to the emergency department. | <urn:uuid:b18cfe19-845b-40ce-8c99-b55ef8e33c4a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://jbjs.org/article.aspx?articleid=5848 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00013-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.988028 | 152 | 1.695313 | 2 |
Inspired by It's a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow blog, here is a nice image of the skyway at the 1962 World's Fair in Seattle with the neat mid century modern station and the large orange Union 76 sign. Even though not as collected or appreciated, the 1962 Fair did create some unique buildings and icons. And as with most Fairs in the 1960s had a great design and forward looking ideas.
Windows to the Past: The Mickey Mouse Weather House
8 months ago | <urn:uuid:40c33e08-1c10-4d42-9dc7-0c05c358740b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://matterhorn1959.blogspot.com/2006/10/skyway-at-seattle-worlds-fair.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00017-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.961683 | 97 | 1.554688 | 2 |
|Date of birth||
|Year of death||
Maine, New England, USA
Owner of the Collins Fishing Fleet
|We have 3 images of Dark Shadows Joshua Collins|
Joshua Collins (1730 - 1805) was the patriarch of the Collins family of Maine during the latter half of the 18th century until his death in 1830. Joshua was a descendant of Isaac Collins who founded Collinsport in the seventeenth century. Although a strict and often overbearing man, he was a devoted father to his children Barnabas and Sarah, and was prepared to leave Barnabas the Collinwood estate as a wedding gift. His wife, Naomi, was known for her indulgences, particularly her affection for spirits—a trait that Joshua had little tolerance for, and one that incurred his wrath on more than one occasion.
In 1795, he met Victoria Winters and agreed to allow her into his home as the governess to his daughter, Sarah. Joshua never suspected that Vicki was actually from the far distant future, but his sister Abigail was certain that Vicki was in fact a powerful witch (a mistaken suspicion that escalated due to the machinations of Angelique).
Over the course of several months, Joshua underwent immense suffering as he watched each of his family members die off one by one. First, a bullet felled his younger brother, Jeremiah, during a duel with Barnabas (384). Joshua was grieved by the scandal surrounding his brother's death and published the story that Jeremiah had been cleaning his pistol when it accidentally went off—this was the first time Joshua altered history for the sake of the family's honour (392). A short time later, young Sarah passed away from a sudden illness (415). Abigail died very suddenly afterwards (432), followed by his wife Naomi (458). The most tragic loss however, was Barnabas himself. Joshua watched his son wither away and die from a mysterious illness (406-409), only to learn that Barnabas had been resurrected as one of the undead (428). While the vampire curse destroyed many of the people around him, Joshua was spared from the wrath of Angelique because he was unable to love his own son (Angelique's curse specified that Barnabas was fated to destroy those who loved him). Unable to end his son's torment once and for all, Joshua instead sealed Barnabas inside a coffin in a secret antechamber in the Collins family mausoleum (460).
Following the deaths of his family, Joshua resolved to adopt the orphaned Daniel Collins and care for the now-insane Millicent Collins the best he could. He hoped he would make a better father to Daniel than he ever had to his own natural children. Prior to his internment, Barnabas gave his blessing to this plan.
After Barnabas was interred in the family mausoleum, Joshua read the cursed book that Victoria Winters brought with her which she claimed was from the 20th century. He found the inaccuracies to be very disturbing, but at the same time they gave an account of family history that did not mention some events, such as his wife's suicide or the marriages of Barnabas Collins to Angelique or Millicent Collins Forbes to Nathan Forbes. Joshua decided to have Ben Stokes destroy the book, but first he was going to write his memoirs using the version of the family history delineated in the book, hoping to save his family from further shame (623).
Little is known of Joshua following this event, but he lived on until finally passing away in the year 1830, when his adoptive son Daniel became his heir (Millicent had presumably died sometime prior to this date). Joshua's remains were interred next to those of his wife and daughter inside the Collins family mausoleum at Eagle Hill Cemetery. His cousin/adoptive son Daniel bore a striking resemblance to Joshua when he grew up.
Although cold and distant when first conceived in the show, there is strong evidence that Joshua did indeed truly love Abigail, Naomi, Sarah, and even Barnabas. He also gave Ben Stokes his freedom and some land to start a new life at his son's request.
Background Information and NotesEdit
- If Joshua Collins were born in 1755, he would have been five years old at his son's birth. Like his wife, the date on his epitaph in the mausoleum is questionable. | <urn:uuid:1dcdfc03-12f8-486e-aabc-a38c99370a96> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://darkshadows.wikia.com/wiki/Joshua_Collins | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697380733/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516094300-00007-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.985502 | 913 | 1.632813 | 2 |
BEIRUT (AP) — Government forces and rebels battled in the suburbs of Damascus and elsewhere in Syria on Tuesday as the first group of Russian citizens prepared to be evacuated from the country to escape nearly two years of conflict.
Russia is sending two planes to Lebanon to start evacuating its citizens from Syria, the strongest sign yet that President Bashar Assad's most important international ally has serious doubts about his ability to cling to power.
Russian officials said Monday that about 100 of their citizens in Syria will be taken out overland to Lebanon and flown home from there, presumably because of renewed fighting near Damascus airport. They also said thousands more could follow — many of them Russian women married to Syrians — and later evacuations could be by both air and sea.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said clashes between opposition fighters and troops were concentrated in the areas around the capital, including along the road linking it to the international airport. Persistent fighting along the airport road has prompted regional and international airlines to suspend flights to Damascus in recent weeks, although Syrian officials maintain that the airport facility remains open.
No casualties were immediately reported in Tuesday's fighting.
The Observatory said government forces have renewed artillery shelling of the central city of Homs, adding that several shells also hit the southern opposition stronghold of Daraa and the rebellious neighborhoods outside Damascus that the Syrian army has been trying to rid of rebels, posing a threat to the capital which is the seat of Assad's power.
Russia has been Assad's main ally since the uprising against him began in March 2011, using its veto power in the U.N. Security Council to shield Damascus from international sanctions for brutal crackdown on dissent.
Assad has dismissed calls that he step down, claiming that the country is fighting Islamic extremists and terrorists. He has proposed a national reconciliation conference, elections and a new constitution, but the opposition insists he play no role in a resolution to the conflict.
Last month, Russia started distancing itself from Assad, with President Vladimir Putin saying that he understands Syria needs change and that he was not protecting the Syrian ruler.
Syrian conflict began as peaceful protests against Assad's rule but turned into civil war that has claimed more than 60,000 lives, according to a recent United Nations estimate. | <urn:uuid:6253a9c5-4475-4cb0-a0f9-1c73bdd2d977> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://news.yahoo.com/activists-fighting-rages-russians-leave-syria-101949333.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00003-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.97734 | 455 | 1.71875 | 2 |
By Melanie Trottman
Organized labor has a new request for lawmakers throughout the country: Sign labor’s “Second Bill of Rights” or suffer consequences at the polls in November.
The “bill” — a list of rights and priorities labor is promoting and pushing to be featured at the Democratic and Republican national conventions — takes aim at everything from low wages and uncertain retirement benefits to subpar education and new voting-rights laws. It’s labor’s latest attempt in its promise to hold lawmakers, particularly Democrats, accountable for not backing or promoting certain initiatives. Included on the list of rights labor says Americans deserve: the right to gainful employment and “a living wage”, the right to full participation in the electoral process, the right to collective bargaining and the rights to quality education and secure healthy futures.
“This is our way of asking those in leadership positions: Are you with us?,” AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka said at a press conference in Washington Thursday to discuss plans for the initiative. “If you don’t sign on you obviously don’t support one or more of these” things, he said. The consequences will be felt “at the polls,” Mr. Trumka added.
That threat didn’t seem to be aimed at President Barack Obama. Mr. Trumka reiterated that labor stands solidly behind the president for re-election. It could, however, affect labor’s support for certain other Democrats as it shifts more of its resources away from candidate contributions toward grass-roots campaign work.
Labor officials are already irked that the DNC decided to hold its convention this year in Charlotte, N.C., a right-to-work state where unions are weak. Some labor officials are also unhappy they weren’t consulted about the DNC’s agenda this year.
Several unions said months ago that they’d be skipping the convention, while others said they’d attend but scale back their contributions. Recently, labor officials have downplayed convention-related tensions, saying their shift in resources is due to a need to focus more on their own operations.
Ed Hill, the president of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, who also participated in Thursday’s press conference, said he and Mr. Trumka met Thursday morning with DNC Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz about the bill of rights. She agreed to sign the initiative and to participate in a related labor rally in Philadelphia on Aug. 11, Mr. Hill said. A spokeswoman for the DNC declined to comment. | <urn:uuid:8c964a33-6d0d-44b4-9f24-babb9b61716e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2012/07/12/labor-wants-candidates-to-sign-second-bill-of-rights/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00012-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.947142 | 537 | 1.546875 | 2 |
Economy may grow 5.5-6% in 2012-13: Rajan
‘Need to be cautious on spending front’
A marginal improvement in growth in the second half of the year is likely to enable India to post a 5.5 to 6 per cent GDP growth rate in 2012-13, according to Chief Economic Advisor Raghuram Rajan.
“I would be surprised if there is more deterioration (in growth rate) from here. The numbers that have been talked about are in the 5.5-6 per cent range. And I feel comfortable sitting with that,” he told reporters on the sidelines of the Ficci AGM here.
Referring to the recent IIP number that indicated a bounce back at 8.2 per cent in October, 2012, compared to a contraction in October last year, he said, “I think it is too early to say confidently that the economy has turned the corner ... Given that the beginning of the announcements that increased confidence, buoyancy in the stock markets started in September, this creates an environment for business to start investing.”
He said the government would do its best to stick to the 5.3 per cent fiscal deficit target for 2012-13, while advising fiscal prudence. “We have to be careful about everything we spend on. That’s how we are going to get back on fiscal track, being careful.”
On the recent decline in WPI inflation, Rajan said, “As we go into the next year, some softening of inflation is to be expected. Certainly that core inflation came down quite strongly in the latest numbers is a reason for confidence". The WPI inflation fell to a 10 month low of 7.24 per cent in November 2012 from 7.45 per cent in October.
To a query on whether increasing tax would help curb gold imports, Rajan said, "The better approach for us is to make financial instruments more attractive.We need to see the process of gold import, if people are holding it in gold bars, then we have to see is if we can make the financial instruments more attractive.”
The import of gold had declined to 398 tonnes in April- October of the current fiscal, from 589 tonnes in the corresponding period last year. In value terms, it has declined from Rs 1.40 lakh crore to Rs 1.15 lakh crore.
The economic growth slowed to a nine year low of 6.5 per cent in 2011-12 and this year, too, the GDP growth, as per RBI's estimates, is likely to be 5.8 per cent. In the three years preceding the 2008 global economic crisis, India was growing at a rate of more than 9 per cent. | <urn:uuid:1c10c976-1662-4b51-bff2-8f8d1b52dd71> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.deccanherald.com/content/298801/economy-may-grow-55-6.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00012-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.95759 | 566 | 1.515625 | 2 |
In a move to bolster military strength against Iran, 20 nations will stage an anti-mining exercise in Mideast waterways.
Defense Department press Secretary George Little said the large minesweeping exercise Sept. 16-27 is a defensive drill and is "not ... aimed to deliver a message to Iran."
But Iran has threatened to close the Strait of Hormuz, the route for one-fifth of the world's oil, in retaliation for international sanctions over Tehran's nuclear program.
The upcoming exercise will focus on "a hypothetical threat from an extremist organization to mine the international strategic waterways of the Middle East, including the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden, the Gulf of Oman, and the Persian Gulf, although exercise activities will not extend into the Strait of Hormuz," U.S. Central Command said in a statement.
"This is a defensive exercise aimed at preserving freedom of navigation in the international waterways of the Middle East and aimed at promoting regional stability," Little told Pentagon reporters on Tuesday.
Word of the exercise follows Monday's announcement that a second U.S. aircraft carrier will be sent to the region in September -- several months earlier than planned -- to ensure there will be two carriers in the region through early next year. The Pentagon also recently doubled the number of minesweepers in the region. And it sent the USS Ponce, an amphibious transport dock recently retrofitted to become what is known as an afloat forward staging base.
The buildup comes amid a stalemate in talks over Iran's nuclear program, which Tehran says is for peaceful purposes and other nations fear is to develop a nuclear weapon.
The exercise will practice mine countermeasures in multiple waterways. It will demonstrate "the international community's ability to work together to ensure free and secure trade," said Gen. James Mattis, commander for the region.
"Of the approximately 40 bilateral and multilateral exercises we'll conduct this year, this exercise also represents the extensive cooperation we enjoy with our international partners -- both in and outside the region -- with mutual economic and security interest," Mattis said.
Officials declined to name the other nations participating, saying they should identify themselves. | <urn:uuid:e0cb6423-565d-4b93-b6ce-a8f2fcac004c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/07/17/20-nations-plan-anti-mining-exercise-in-mideast-us-says/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705195219/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115315-00010-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.942902 | 436 | 1.671875 | 2 |
Beach volleyball bikinis up Olympic heat
Say the words "beach volleyball" and you can be sure that someone will make a joke about scantily clad women.
British media coverage of the sport in the run-up to the Olympics focused on the question of whether the women players would wear bikinis if it rained. The clear implication was that if they covered up, the game would lose much of its appeal.
On the face of it, such attitudes place women athletes in a lose-lose situation. They have to be sexy to get noticed but they're not taken seriously as sportswomen because they're sexy.
But top women players say they're comfortable in their bikinis. They love the beach culture that gave birth to their sport, and they take pride in their athletic physiques. "The female body is a masterpiece. Everyone likes to look at the female body, especially in dynamic, athletic sport," said Natalie Cook.
Her achievements—gold medallist at Sydney in 2000 and Australia's first woman athlete in any sport to compete in five Olympics—would be enough to earn respect, even reverence, in most sports, but Cook still gets asked bikini questions. Does that not bother her?
"I'm OK with it. It's the only sport where the women dominate. If it starts with the bikini, fine," she told Reuters. "I believe it shows the best side of the female body and I'm proud of how we look in it."
Beach volleyball is a great spectacle. It doesn't take itself too seriously. Pop music blares from loudspeakers in between points and during the players' breaks spectators are entertained by dancers in beachwear.
The top women players do not seek to deny that the lure of their sweating bodies in bikinis draws in audiences, generates media interest and boosts advertising revenue. Their response is: so what?
"This is how we look. This is how we are. What you see is what you get. There's no hiding. There's no airbrushing here," said American Misty May-Treanor, who won Olympic gold in Athens in 2004 and Beijing in 2008.
Most of the top players come from places such as Brazil, California or Australia, where there's a strong beach culture and wearing bikinis is normal. It's the practical choice for a sport played barefoot in the sand and the heat, they say.
May-Treanor sees no incompatibility between the sport's sexy image and the tough physical work it involves. "There's a lot of hard work that goes into what we do. I do a lot of power lifting and weight lifting," she said.
She's not one to shy away from macho banter either. "If someone says something I'm like, ah, whatever, they don't really realise what goes into it. If they want to arm wrestle, I'll get clothed and we can go lift weights in the weight room," she said.
Brazilian world champion Juliana Felisberta, a favourite for gold in London, seems to embrace sexually charged humour with as much gusto as she approaches high-level competition.
During a pre-Games news conference, Felisberta spoke passionately about her dream of a showdown against May-Treanor in the Olympic final, while cracking jokes about which players had the best bodies. "It's a really interesting sport and the players have beautiful bodies," Felisberta said.
But many women outside the sport are incensed by how the sporting prowess is trivialised by constant sexual innuendo. At a protest in London against gender discrimination in sport, delegates said it turned women into sex objects.
"They are using women's bodies as sex. It is all about money. It makes women look like objects and it is a clear case of sexism," said Annie Sugier, spokeswoman for the International League for Women's Rights.
But as far as the women athletes are concerned, sexism is in the eye of the beholder. They say that people may come for the bikinis but they will stay for the sport. "Once they see the athleticism of our sport they're hooked on it," said April Ross, a US rival to May-Treanor.
The sport's governing body, the FIVB, opened itself up to criticism for years by making bathing suits compulsory for women players during tournaments, except in cold weather. The rules changed in March and women are now allowed to wear shorts with tops or a full body suit. The FIVB said this was to respect different customs and religious beliefs.
"We want women of all different religions and everyone from across the world to be able to play our sport, and to not be able to play because of the attire is not OK for us," said Jennifer Kessy, Ross's teammate. "We wouldn't be playing in shorts because for us it's not comfortable but for others we think it's great."
Ross and Kessy once played at a tournament in Dubai, where they wore bikinis during matches but long modest dresses on the medal podium. They said it was a strange experience, but they felt positive about bringing a taste of Californian beach culture to the conservative Gulf.
Australia's Cook said she was perplexed by the focus on the bikinis given the outfits on display in other sports. "The track and field stars run in a bikini. It's a little bit bigger, but it's a bikini," she told Reuters.
May-Treanor also saw inconsistencies in attitudes to sports. "It's funny because people look at our sport in that manner when you have gymnasts that are 14, 15, the camera angles sometimes on these events, and they're in leotards. And you have divers in Speedos," she said.
But whatever the reason for the fuss over bikinis, May-Treanor could see the bright side. "All the work we're putting in must be paying off because if they're so (interested in) what we're wearing it's like, yeah, we must have awesome bodies," she said, bursting out laughing.
Published: 30 July 2012 | <urn:uuid:6f1dcaf1-ba4c-4ec9-8050-d95afcec81af> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.dailychilli.com/sports/5-sports/19009-beach-volleyball-bikinis-up-olympic-heat | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705953421/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120553-00019-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.981446 | 1,269 | 1.585938 | 2 |
Study and Work Abroad
From a pro-golf management internship in New Zealand to a study abroad program on biodiversity in Equatorial Guinea, the College of Natural Resources has a program that is right for you. We encourage our students to travel the world to understand how the concepts they are learning in the classroom are being implemented around the world. In turn, our students will develop a sensitivity and understanding that will make them more marketable in a global economy.
With faculty conducting study abroad trips to six continents each summer, the College of Natural Resources has a program that is right for you. If you cannot find a program being sponsored by our college, the NCSU Study Abroad Office has a variety of other programs in which our students can participate. | <urn:uuid:60d134ce-ce95-413b-a1f6-d90e3e4855cc> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://cnr.ncsu.edu/future/learning_beyond/abroad.php | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705953421/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120553-00010-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.963013 | 152 | 1.585938 | 2 |
MOSCOW (AFP)—Armenia and Azerbaijan agreed at a summit in Russia on Oct. 27 to swap prisoners of war and exchange the bodies of soldiers killed in their conflict over Karabakh.
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev announced the deal to “urgently exchange prisoners of war and carry out the return of victims’ bodies” after meeting in the city of Astrakhan with the leaders of Armenia, Serge Sarkisian, and Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev.
There was, however, little sign of progress in resolving the two countries’ longstanding conflict, though Medvedev expressed hope that an agreement on the basic principles of a peace deal could be reached by early December.
Medvedev said the prisoner-exchange deal was aimed at “strengthening trust” between the two sides.
“It is very important,” he said in comments released by the Kremlin. “The two sides have not been in direct, open confrontation for a long time, but there are problems, there is shooting, people are dying.”
Medvedev said he hoped the two countries could agree on the first step in resolving the conflict—a deal on the basic principles of a resolution—in time for a summit of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in Kazakhstan on December 1-2.
“We have come a certain way, which gives grounds to hope that if the sides work well over the next month… we could reach an agreement on the common principles of resolution,” he said.
Azerbaijani defense ministry spokesman Eldar Sabiroglu told AFP that two Azerbaijani soldiers and the bodies of two soldiers were currently being held in Armenia.
Armen Kaprielian, a representative of Armenia’s state committee on prisoners of war, told AFP that six Armenian soldiers and one civilian captured in the last two years were being held in Azerbaijan.
He also said that Armenia was holding three Azerbaijani prisoners and that Armenia did not have any bodies of Azerbaijani soldiers.
A Kremlin spokesman, speaking on condition of anonymity, sought to stress the significance of the Oct. 27 agreement, even though he acknowledged that the number of soldiers in the exchange would not be significant.
“It is not the quantity that matters,” he told AFP. “It is important that people agreed to that.”
International mediators have been struggling for years to push for a resolution to the conflict over Karabakh, where ethnic Armenian separatists backed by Yerevan broke from Azerbaijani control during a war in the early 1990s that left 30,000 dead.
Armenia on Oct. 26 had accused Azerbaijani forces of killing an Armenian soldier in a bid to disrupt the summit talks.
Armenia’s defense ministry said in a statement that a 20-year-old soldier in Karabakh had been killed after Azerbaijani forces opened fire along a ceasefire line. It accused Baku of “destabilizing the situation” before the summit.
Tensions over Karabakh have been increasing this year amid the stalled peace talks, with the number of deadly skirmishes along the ceasefire line on the rise for months.
At least 20 soldiers on both sides have been reported killed in clashes this year, including eight soldiers killed last month alone. | <urn:uuid:de8b5be7-1b2a-4070-aa05-3b4b7c04dbd4> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.armenianweekly.com/2010/10/28/armenia-azerbaijan-agree-to-prisoner-swap-at-russia-summit/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00001-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.972196 | 699 | 1.585938 | 2 |
Urban Design Officer
Pix Howell, AICP
Phone (512) 528-2736
Fax (512) 528-2833
City Hall Location
200 West Willis
Leander, Texas 78641
Transit Oriented Development
What is the Transit Oriented Development (TOD)….
The TOD is the area in the northeast quadrant of the City, including “Old Town”, areas west of US 183, south of FM 2243, and going north, almost to the San Gabriel River. It is made up of “Transect Zones” that describe the levels of density and intensity (i.e. T1=rural to T3=suburban to T5 and T6=urban). The Transect Map (TOD Master plan) shows the transect districts for the TOD.
The TOD is governed by the Leander Smart Code, unlike the rest of the City which is governed by the Composite Zoning Ordinance. In the Smart Code, emphasis is placed on the location and public interface of development, i.e. "Form”, rather than the use of the property. The Smart Code is based upon New Urbanism principals designed to create traditional pedestrian-oriented communities with neighborhoods and town centers with a mix and integration of residential, commercial and retail uses. For more information or for an application & checklist, contact the Urban Design Officer.
History of the TOD
In 2004 the City of Leander and Capital Metro, jointly, undertook an economic analysis to determine what planning approach would best serve the N E quadrant of Leander and a possible rail stop. (see Gateway Planning Group) This “Phase 1” resulted in a market study and comparative analysis of an urban design vs. current development patterns. It was determined that the urban approach and use of the SmartCode would realize twice the ultimate tax base or $2 billion rather than $1 billion at build-out. The City then proposed a partnership with the major landowners to develop a Masterplan and adopt code to entitle their property for an urban plan.
Six landowners funded a half-million dollar study and plan, complete with design charrette, code development and Masterplan. In September of 2005 the City Council, unanimously, approved the Masterplan and code.
When the City of Leander created the code and plan for the Transit Oriented Development District (TOD) it took a bigger step than many realized. A 2300 acre plan that will contain over 30,000 people, ultimately, brings with it, many moving parts. Moving parts that are not typically part of the suburban development that characterizes most of Williamson County and Central Texas.
Technical issues that address the utilities, roadway design, drainage, water quality, street connections, access to existing and proposed State roadways, electrical connections, location of transformers, no-parking areas along the urban streets for fire and emergency vehicles, design of alleys in urban settings, design of alleys in residential settings, curb radius and disabled access, and many over highly detailed configurations and permutations that must all be considered and deliberated before the first urban plans are approved and built.
Policy issues such as: maintaining an affordable home as the urban values climb; how to encourage green building; how to maintain a diverse architectural style that maintains its class and character; how to encourage developers and landowners to cooperate on product types and projects; how to partner with the State of Texas on roadway, water and water quality issues; how to partner with Williamson County on roadway, court, indigent health care and drainage issues; how to assure the existing residents of Old Town Leander the vision and development of the TOD will benefit their needs and desires sooner rather than later; how to incorporate important civic opportunities for churches, performance centers, activity centers, and other critical services for the poor and infirm; and many other considerations that realizes the potential of TOD.
These moving parts are the technical and social issues that must be addressed as the TOD starts its journey skyward. They are the type of design issues and policy considerations that keep engineers and planners awake at night. Not so much with worry or concern but with the excitement of an opportunity that seldom comes…..to build a new town. To build a new town that avoids some of the mistakes or inconveniences that are present in other, existing urban areas in Texas and throughout America.
The items in this webpage identify the reasons and rationales. They were the basis for decisions and the vision of the future of Leander.
The Smart Code Ordinance: This ordinance is a form-based code (enacted through a Planned Unit Development – PUD process) and applies only to property within the TOD.
2006 Envision Central Texas Stewardship Award. – Best Planning Effort
2007 Congress on New Urbanism Inaugural Driehaus Form-Based Codes Award
("Leander had the foresight and courage to plan for the explosive development expected to result from pending transportation improvements. The current population of 17,000 (actually 24,000) is anticipated to exceed 200,000 as Leander is linked to Austin by toll way and regional commuter rail. This mandatory code is a clear and effective customization of the Smart Code template that addresses the complicated issues of Texas planning laws and adds architectural standards that address the look and feel of the development area. The template language has been well edited to achieve the necessary level of precision, and the customization of template formatting and typography were particularly well done, improving clarity, ease of use and the attractiveness of the document to a degree that this code can serve as a model for other Smart Code calibrations covering limited areas.") | <urn:uuid:e0bebf36-a79b-4b7b-9e06-7601647c93c2> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.leandertx.org/page.php?page_id=39 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.935127 | 1,157 | 1.539063 | 2 |
As in previous elections, The Herald recommends that voters study the measures and not rely on the campaign ads, which tend to be misleading or worse. One good way to assess the propositions is to look into the recommendations of various organizations, even those with whom we generally differ.
Would raise about $6 billion annually for five years for public schools and colleges and, to a lesser extent, public safety. Would raise state sales and use tax by a half of a percent for four years and increase state income tax on annual earnings over $250,000 for seven years.
The alternate is automatic and wholesale reductions of state aid to public education, already severely underfunded. YES
Establishes a two-year budget cycle for the Legislature, sets limits on state spending without corresponding cuts, allows governor to make unilateral spending cuts in emergencies, creates performance goals in state and local government, and imposes various other administrative changes.
This is so complex that few laypeople could decipher it. It is a solid example of the type of changes that should be handled by legislators, not the public. We recommend that you ABSTAIN.
Bars campaign contributions funded by union dues made by payroll deduction. Would allow only voluntary contributions from members who sign written authorizations annually.
While some public employee
PROPOSITION 33: AUTO INSURANCE
Pay no attention to the ads in favor of this one. Though it purportedly would allow car insurance companies to offer discounts to drivers who have maintained insurance overage for years, it actually is an underhanded attempt by Mercury Insurance Co. to enable it to raise its rates in California. Virtually all the money in favor of 33 has come from Mercury officials. It won't save you money. NO
PROPOSITION 34: DEATH PENALTY
Repeals the death penalty in California and makes the maximum penalty imprisonment without possibility of parole. Many who traditionally have supported the death penalty agree it is time to end it because of the tremendous taxpayer cost for and the long delays between sentencing and execution. YES
PROPOSITION 35: HUMAN TRAFFICKING
Expands definition of human trafficking and increases penalties. It could be abused by overzealous prosecutors in simple prostitution cases but could strike a real blow against those who exploit children for profit. YES
PROPOSITION 36: THREE STRIKES
Prevents life sentences for third time offenders convicted of relatively minor crimes. Continues to impose life sentence if third strike conviction involves firearms and serious or violent crime. Would eliminate unfair prosecutions and save prison system $90 million annually. Supported by many key prosecutors. YES
PROPOSITION 37: FOOD LABELING
Requires labeling on food made from plants or animals with genetic material changed in specified ways.
Prohibits labeling or advertising such food, or other processed food, as "natural." Exempts foods that are: certified organic, unintentionally produced with genetically engineered material; made from animals fed or injected with genetically engineered material but not genetically engineered themselves or processed with or containing only small amounts of genetically engineered ingredients. There are flaws and loopholes in this measure, heavily opposed by food processors and distributors, but the issues can be overcome. People deserve to know what they're eating while the science is unsettled. YES
PROPOSITION 38: SCHOOL FUNDING
Like Prop. 30, it raises income taxes to provide more money to schools, but it isn't nearly as well crafted. If Proposition 38 passes by a bigger margin than Prop. 30, it would invalidate 30. NO
PROPOSITION 39: TAX SHOPPING
Requires multistate businesses to base their California income taxes on their actual sales in California rather than on a formula that benefits businesses with property and payrolls elsewhere. Eliminates an unintended loophole and sends a portion of the additional tax income to projects creating energy efficiency and related jobs in California. After early opposition, even some of the beneficiaries of the current system recognize the wisdom of this change. YES
PROPOSITION 40: SENATE DISTRICTS
Certifies the new state Senate districts created by a bi-partisan citizens redistricting commission. The new districts are a good thing, and there is no opposition. YES | <urn:uuid:68ad5e90-b1ed-407b-b377-b6fe8e8deabf> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.montereyherald.com/opinion/ci_21831775/editorial-study-state-ballot-propositions-carefully?source=pkg | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705195219/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115315-00013-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.941828 | 861 | 1.84375 | 2 |
PACs linked to foreign companies legally donate millions to U.S. campaigns
Sunday, October 17, 2010; 7:44 PM
As Democrats and Republicans spar over whether foreign money is polluting the midterm elections, a simple point is often overlooked: Hundreds of foreign corporations already play an integral and perfectly legal role in American politics through their U.S. subsidiaries.
Political action committees connected to foreign-based corporations have donated nearly $60 million to candidates and parties over the past decade, including $12 million since the start of 2009, federal contribution records show. Top donors in this election cycle include PACs tied to British drugmakers GlaxoSmithKline and AstraZeneca, which together account for about $1 million; Belgium's Anheuser-Busch InBev, at nearly $650,000; and Credit Suisse Securities, at over $350,000.
The donations must come from U.S. citizens or residents, and they make up a small fraction of overall political giving. Nonetheless, the role of foreign companies and their U.S. subsidiaries has become particularly sensitive in this year's midterm campaigns, which have featured widespread voter dismay over the economy and eruptions of anti-foreign rhetoric from both parties.
Democrats have made a campaign issue over speculation that the U.S. Chamber of Commerce is using foreign dues to help pay for a $75 million pro-Republican ad campaign, a charge the organization denies. White House adviser David Axelrod, appearing on CNN's "State of the Union" on Sunday, attempted to shift the thrust of the criticism to the more general issue of undisclosed donors.
But neither Democrats nor Republicans have drawn attention to PACs linked to global companies, a source of campaign funds that benefits both parties.
U.S. subsidiaries of foreign companies generally favored Republicans during the George W. Bush administration but have shifted the tilt of PAC contributions to Democrats since Barack Obama took office, according to a Washington Post analysis.
Foreign firms' lobbying
Overseas companies have a vigorous lobbying presence in Washington, and many of them played a prominent role in derailing Democratic campaign finance legislation that would have limited their U.S. political activities. The bill, blocked by Senate Republicans, would have classified more multinationals as foreign entities and, in early drafts, could have prevented them from having PACs.
More than a dozen foreign-connected companies, including subsidiaries of Germany's BASF Corp. and Switzerland's UBS Americas, registered to lobby against the legislation, records show.
The legislation came in reaction to a Supreme Court decision that eased restrictions of corporate political spending and raised the possibility that foreign companies might claim similar rights. That issue lies at the heart of unsubstantiated allegations that the Chamber of Commerce may be commingling foreign dues with political funds. The business group denies the charges, saying they are part of a White House-led "smear campaign."
Democrats have ratcheted up their attacks on Republican candidates and business groups for supporting policies that they say encourage multinational companies to move jobs overseas. Republicans and their allies have responded with campaign ads alleging that the Democratic-backed stimulus bill had the effect of creating jobs in China and other countries, a claim disputed by the Obama administration.
Despite the bluster, contribution records make clear that both parties benefit from contributions from U.S. companies with roots in other countries.
One of the leading contributors to federal candidates among U.S. subsidiaries is BAE Systems, the Arlington County-based arm of the British defense and aerospace company. Records show BAE's PAC has given nearly $600,000 to candidates in this cycle, with 55 percent going to Democrats. Top recipients include Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), whose state includes many BAE employees, and Sen. Richard Burr (R-N.C.), a member of the intelligence, armed services and veteran affairs committees. | <urn:uuid:f7efcb31-edef-4d9c-a763-8984c9dabcb2> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/10/17/AR2010101701916.html?hpid=topnews | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00004-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.95415 | 794 | 1.523438 | 2 |
Government Crane Project Ignores Canadian Workers
VANCOUVER, March 31 /CNW/ - Twenty-five Chinese workers are being brought in to erect a crane at a Federal Government shipyard, while fully qualified Canadian ironworkers stand by without work.
"It's unbelievable that our members have over 50 percent unemployment on Vancouver Island and the Federal government allows Chinese workers to do the work," said James Leland, Business Manager, Ironworkers Local 97, at a unemployed Canadian workers rally at the Government's Esquimalt Graving Dock just outside of Victoria, B.C. "What's even more of a travesty, is that Canadian ironworkers built the other cranes at the Graving Dock."
Speaking to a workers rally this morning at the Graving Docks, Leland said, "This is a Canadian infrastructure project. Why are Chinese workers being brought in to do work that fully qualified Canadian tradespeople -- who are currently unemployed -- can do?"
"The government claims these Chinese workers have specialized skills and the crane can't be erected without them. You only have to compare our safety and construction record to that of the Chinese to know that claim is a farce. The bottom line is that our Federal Government doesn't care. No other country allows foreign workers to come in with boots on the ground to do the jobs their own skilled workers are ready and able to do," said Leland.
The new 30 tonne crane will be erected at the Esquimalt Graving Dock over the next three months.
"Canadians need to be concerned that the Federal Government is ignoring Canadian workers," said Leland. "It's time for them to give jobs to Canadians for projects paid for by Canadian taxpayers."For further information: James Leland, (604) 908-5687 | <urn:uuid:4d8f10e9-7bed-4562-8700-d6aeaa317845> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.newswire.ca/en/story/667577/government-crane-project-ignores-canadian-workers | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00015-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.966233 | 369 | 1.507813 | 2 |
Saint of the Day
Season of Apostles
This season comprises 7 weeks from the day of the feast of Pentecost. In this season we give importance to the working of the Holy Spirit.
Pentecost is a feast intimately connected with the history of salvation. In the Old Testament, we read that the Israelites celebrated Pentecost in connection with harvest. The term 'Pentecost' means 'fifty' - the feast on the fiftieth day. It was a feast of first fruit connected with the harvest. Later this feast turned out to be the commemoration of the covenant by which the Israelites became the people of God.
In the New Testament, this feast is given a new meaning. It was on the fiftieth day after Easter that the Holy Spirit descended on the apostles. It is the birthday of the new people of God. On that day, God our Father sealed the new covenant in the Holy Spirit, the personification of love. This covenant is written not on stone tables but in human hearts. It is only after Pentecost that the spirit-filled apostles went around the world with the message of the New Covenant and laid the foundation of the communities of faith. The term 'apostle' means 'one who is sent'. This season reminds us that all those who have received baptism and anointing are 'being sent'. The main themes of this period are the work of the Holy Spirit, deep relationship between the apostles and the Church ie, the people of God, the spirit and unity of the primitive Church and the mission and missionary nature of the Church. Let us join the apostles who moved around the world with the message of their master and formed new communities of the faithful.
We are always indebted to and are remembering with sincere gratitude for the continued patronage and guidance extended by His Excellency Rt Rev Dr Mar Jacob Manathodathu, the Bishop of Palakkad Diocese, wherein the Sehion Retreat Center is established. We are thankful to the Bishop for all his prayers and support for all our endeavors.
Rev. Fr.Xavier Khan Vattayil is the Founder-Director of Sehion Retreat Center. He is more blessed by Holy Spirit, and is a renowned preacher of the 'WORD OF GOD'. He is committed to spread the 'Good News' all over the world, and his sermons and services are providing tremendous change in lives of people around the globe. The television programs led by Fr. Vattayil turn to many faithful, as the media for God to perform miracles. | <urn:uuid:3e9a37cc-7f46-4f75-933b-7fb91236d08f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.sehion.org/ | 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 | 0.961566 | 530 | 1.78125 | 2 |
Last Updated: 11:24 PM, January 26, 2013
Posted: 10:34 PM, January 26, 2013
What kind of enterprise would employ a top executive who spends her spare time undermining its key policies? If you answered “New York City’s Department of Education,” you’re right.
As The Post’s Susan Edelman reported last Sunday, DOE executive Lisa Nielsen — recently promoted to the post of “director of digital literacy and citizenship” — receives a salary of $170,000 to train teachers on the proper use of social media.
Outside the department’s halls, however, she uses that same social media to work against key DOE policies — most notably, standardized testing, an important measure of whether students are learning and teachers are teaching.
Nielsen helps run a Facebook page called “Opt Out of State Standardized Tests—New York.” It’s exactly what it sounds like: a social-media vehicle to urge New York moms and dads to pull their kids out of standardized tests.
Along the same lines, Nielsen’s “Innovative Educator” blog rants against testing and encourages teachers to develop alternative plans for students who opt out of a test. Among the “innovations” she favors: “The test might just be a perfect time to catch some zzz’s.”
The blog features a “rotten apple” graphic that mocks Education Secretary Arne Duncan and the “core curriculum” national standards adopted by the State Education Department.
It boggles the mind that DOE doesn’t see any problem with using taxpayer dollars to pay a six-figure salary to an employee publicly advocating against its own mission.
This isn’t a matter of freedom of speech. It’s a blatant conflict of interest.
After all, Nielsen is a DOE executive.
How, for example, can her superiors be sure that she isn’t using her access to privileged information for her various anti-reform crusades?
In any sane world, Lisa Nielsen would be forced to choose what is more important to her: a day job that comes with a fat public paycheck or her part-time vocation undercutting the department’s policies.
Alas, sanity is in short supply at New York’s public institutions. When asked about Nielsen, a DOE spokeswoman said no one was aware of her views when she got the job but that the department “is always open to working with people with different ideas.”
Someone ought to educate the Department of Education about the distinction between someone who holds “different ideas” and someone who is lobbying against her own employer. | <urn:uuid:616c9a27-705c-4121-b525-ffb33f5e18d2> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.nypost.com/f/print/news/opinion/editorials/nice_work_if_you_can_get_it_24Ye7VqOsg8Ew9lSm37YDK | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00004-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.947481 | 569 | 1.5 | 2 |
The Microsoft WebMatrix team have been working for quite a while now on making it easier to setup free web servers, so that you can easily implement a new web project - for example, if somebody in your school or uni asks for a platform for blogging - and especially when they come along with a very specific request, like "Can you setup a WordPress server for me". Of course, that's an ideal time to have the "Have you thought about running your blogs on SharePoint?" conversation, but sometimes people don't want to know about what you've already got - they've heard from a friend who uses WordPress/Joomla/Drupal - and they've been convinced nothing else will do.
Normally, that may mean spending ages setting up a specific server for their custom WordPress install. And that's where the web team come in - they have created WebMatrix, which I reckon is the easiest way to setup a free WordPress server (or a Joomla/Drupal etc server).
And for you as an IT manager, what it means is that you've got a basic platform which uses the same Microsoft infrastructure you use across your institution - giving you more control and uniformity across your network.
So next time an academic wanders into the IT office and says "I need to setup a WordPress server", perhaps it'll be a more welcome question!
You can find out more, and download the free WebMatrix yourself here
Question is the the latest patched version of Wordpress? I am trying to roll out a Wordpress on SQL myself but the only version I could find only supported 3.0.1. | <urn:uuid:82391185-e24e-4e9c-a165-f9eda5b3d383> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://blogs.msdn.com/b/education/archive/2011/02/07/the-easiest-way-to-set-up-a-free-wordpress-server.aspx | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00017-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.935167 | 331 | 1.59375 | 2 |
More than 1,000 runners from 38 states have registered for the February 9 Mississippi River Marathon from Lake Village to Greenville, Miss. The marathon benefits Teach for America, a non-profit organization that trains and recruits teachers to the Delta area.
Billed as one of the flattest courses in North America, the marathon begins in Lake Village, crosses the new “Greenville Bridge” across the Mississippi River and ends in downtown Greenville, Miss.
With a starting line in Arkansas and finish line in Mississippi, runners will pass several significant historic landmarks: Lake Chicot, the largest oxbow lake in North America; the location of the first ever recorded night flight by Charles Lindbergh; the Mississippi River’s new 82 Bridge; the Mississippi River; and the Cemetery where Holt Collier is buried (Collier was the guide of Teddy Roosevelt’s famous bear hunt).
The first full marathon in the Delta, the Mississippi River Marathon’s purpose is to motivate community members to take control of their health through proper exercise and diet.
“Were hoping to motivate community members to take control of their life by setting a goal that is just within their reach, while at the same time provide funding to a social movement we are passionate about,” said Chris Marsh, one of the race directors.
Marsh and race director Bretton Wall were both Teach For America corps members teaching at Lakeside High School in Lake Village when they came up with the marathon idea.
“This will be an unforgettable race day experience that we’re sure you’ll want to come back to year after year,” Wall said. “Not only will beginning runners get the chance to run for a great cause, but experienced runners can qualify for the Boston Marathon because our course will be USATF (United States of America Track and Field) certified.” | <urn:uuid:27c2959a-552c-4d96-ae93-3ab3bbac6e3a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://searktoday.com/2013/01/27/1000-plus-runners-registered-for-mississippi-river-marathon/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00017-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.944703 | 384 | 1.835938 | 2 |
Fairlie is known as the ‘Gateway to the Mackenzie Country’. It’s an attractive rural service town that doubles as a ski town in winter.
The pretty farming town of Fairlie marks the beginning of the Mackenzie Country. Just west of here, Burke Pass takes you into the high altitude, tussock-covered expanses that characterise the region. The Mackenzie Country is named after Jock Mackenzie, the legendary Scottish sheep rustler who once roamed the hills. There are several ski fields close to Fairlie, and recently created Lake Opuha is popular for boating and fishing. The Raincliff Historic Reserve is the place to see Maori rock art. Resident artists and potters provide craft buying opportunities. Consider a farmstay, to get a feel for life on a high country sheep station.
Functional facts: Approx. population 720, information centre, fuel.
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You need to sign in to save your Trip for future visits. Sign in now | <urn:uuid:d98afc5a-d7d7-4429-8efd-545678723f2f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.newzealand.com/my/fairlie/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00011-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.933218 | 402 | 1.609375 | 2 |
LOOKING AT lender-owNEDS / foreclosures
Most short-sale properties end up going into foreclosure.
Title is cleared at the completion of the foreclosure process when the foreclosing Lender becomes the property owner.
Depending on the property condition, the Lender may put it on the market in its acquired condition or may make some repairs first. Lender-owneds are sold “as is” with no condition disclosures.
As a Buyer, what you see is what you get, and what you DON’T see is also what you get. A thorough professional home inspection is a must for this kind of purchase. Just be aware that home inspections are limited – they don’t go inside the walls (are there bare wires that have been shoved inside & wall-boarded / painted over?) or down into the pipes (did someone pour granite down those pipes?). And if there is a pool – there is no disclosure on how long that pool may have been empty, with its structure baking in the Arizona sun, before that property was brought to market.
When writing an offer on a Lender-owned property, it is wise to take photos of any existing items that might “disappear” during the transaction timeframe, like appliances and the AC units!
How does the purchase process work:
A prospective Buyer for a Lender-owned property submits an offer. Usually there is a deadline for offers to be received and numerous offers are submitted, but the Buyers are not told how many or at what prices. Offer(s) are then evaluated by an asset manager, and sometimes competing Buyers are given a chance to “re-submit” their “highest and best”. The asset manager makes a selection based on price and Buyer financing package – again, Buyers with all cash who can close in a short timeframe are in a favored position.
The majority of properties on the market in many areas are Lender-owneds or short-sales. Price-wise, they may be listed a little lower than a regular Seller property, but their purchase issues are the reason for that discount. Often their low price becomes a higher price, including above that of a regular Seller property, due to the multiple offers being submitted.
As of January 2012, there is a lack of inventory for sale. About 40 percent of the Valley’s closed sales are Lender-owned sales and about 20% are "normal" sales. Average days on market for all sales has dropped, and most correctly priced non-distressed sales are taking place within hours of being brought to market, often with multiple offers. | <urn:uuid:39b34c23-d84c-41fd-a69e-ea5c7999ad80> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.lizpickett.com/991873.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00005-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.96638 | 551 | 1.554688 | 2 |
Why does my cat urinate when I censure him?
I had one cat, Zeus, and when he did something bad, like knock over the garbage and eating from it I scolded him by spanking him on the reverse end. Sometimes when he knew he did something bad he would growl because he know he was going to be in trouble, but he always stopped doing what I scold him for, but now have another cat, Dag, (to keep the first one company) and when he does something and I tell off him he just urinates, a lot. Why is this, is there anything I can do, I touch bad?
There are two possibilities for your cat urinating. It's possible that they're afraid of you, and they pee out of fear. Again, spanking cats is not going to strengthen your relationship near them. It's also possible that he's mad at you and is rebelling in that path. That's what my cat does when they're angry about something.
Try to discipline them through water, and see how that affects the cat's peeing problem. If it doesn't, and you're not hitting him, go to the vet.
When kitty is getting into something, use a spray bottle next to water (just a mist, not a squirt) or something that makes a loud noise, similar to canned air (don't spray it directly at the cat). You want kitty to associate his action beside the negative sensation (water mist or loud noise).
Then distract his attention with toys and play. Get one of those dangly feather thingies on a stick and play next to the cats. Show the kitties what they should be doing, which is playing and having fun.
I recommend that you read some books by Pam Johnson-Bennett. Start out with Starting From Scratch and Think Like A Cat (links below).
You should feel bad. It's a cat. It isn't going to follow that you're punishing it by spanking it. It just thinks you're hitting it for no reason.
Stop scolding him.
spanking and hitting doesn't work on cats. | <urn:uuid:9ee67a2e-02e5-40d6-a585-1d36c0e50597> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://petsask.com/cats/why_does_my_cat_urinate_when_i_reprimand_him.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368711005985/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516133005-00019-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.983547 | 445 | 1.65625 | 2 |
25. Kyoto University, Japan
Kyoto University rated as 25th best university in World University Rankings. Founded in 1897, Kyoto University has deeply considered its traditions of liberal and academic freedom, educating many. We continue to actively maintain these principles, which are the foundation of academic freedom. Kyoto University places top priority on basic research, develops advanced technology leading to the acquisition of intellectual property, and then returns this knowledge to society through education, social cooperation, and the opportunity for lifelong education. Kyoto University has 3 campuses nestled in a basin, which forms the main part of Kyoto, a city which in tradition and culture of which Kyoto University is a part.
24. University of Hong Kong
University of Hong Kong rated as 24th best university in World University Rankings . The University of Hong Kong is the territory’s oldest university, and with a history that stretches back more than 90 years, it has grown with and helped shape the city from which it takes its name. The University of Hong Kong, as a pre-eminent international university in Asia, seeks to sustain and enhance its excellence as an institution of higher learning through outstanding teaching and world-class research so as to produce well-rounded graduates with lifelong abilities to provide leadership within the societies they serve. HKU has won a proud reputation as a world-class comprehensive research university. It offers internationally recognized qualifications and it is renowned for its academic and research excellence worldwide. As an English-medium university in China, HKU also offers researchers unique opportunities to bridge cultures and continents, and to explore more on China-related studies.
23. King’s College London
King’s College London rated as 23rd best university in World University Rankings. King’s College London is a constituent college of the University of London in the United Kingdom. The college was founded by King George IV and the Duke of Wellington in 1829, and its royal charter is predated in England only by those of Oxford University and Cambridge University.. There are currently more than 19,000 students in nine Schools of study based at our five London campuses. We offer a vast range of undergraduate programmes, and whichever programme you choose to pursue, you will work with academics who are often national or international leaders in their field. As an undergraduate at King’s, you will become part of a vibrant and intellectually stimulating community. You will be inspired by researchers, discoverers and inventors who are pushing the boundaries of knowledge and will mix with students from across the UK, Europe and almost every country in the world. King’s has played a major role in many of the advances that have shaped modern life, such as the discovery of the structure of DNA. It is the largest centre for the education of healthcare professionals in Europe and is home to five Medical Research Council Centres – more than any other university.
22. University of Tokyo
University of Tokyo rated as 22th best university in World University Rankings. The University of Tokyo abbreviated as Todai, is a major research university located in Tokyo, Japan. The University has 10 faculties with a total of around 30,000 students, 2,100 of whom are foreign. Its five campuses are in Hongo-, Komaba, Kashiwa, Shirokane and Nakano. It is considered to be one of the most prestigious universities in Japan.
21. University of Edinburgh
University of Edinburgh rated as 21st best university in World University Rankings. The University of Edinburgh was founded in 1583, making it one of Scotland’s ancient universities. The University offers over 600 first degree programmes, which includes over 300 joint degree combinations, spread across some 100 academic disciplines. More than 22,000 students study here, from all over the world and from a variety of backgrounds. The University has 22 Schools in three Colleges: Humanities & Social Science, Medicine & Veterinary Medicine, and Science & Engineering. World renowned and well respected, a degree from the University of Edinburgh will be recognised wherever you go. The University of Edinburgh’s success is not limited to Scotland, or even the UK. We have a well-deserved international reputation for excellence, as demonstrated in our partnerships with other key institutions worldwide, such as our work with Stanford University on Informatics. Many of our degree programmes offer the opportunity to spend some time studying abroad. Perhaps this international dimension helps explain why we have the largest proportion of international students of any Scottish university.
20. ETH Zurich (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology)
ETH Zurich (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology) rated as 20th best university in World University Rankings. ETH Zurich’s 16 departments offer Bachelor, Master and Doctoral programmes in engineering and natural sciences. The language of instruction in the Bachelor programmes is German, whereas English is the prime language on the graduate level. All degree programmes provide a solid scientific foundation combined with outstanding all-round skills, equipping ETH graduates with the abilities and flexibility needed for a career in industry, business or the public sector, as entrepreneur or scientist.
19. University of Michigan, United States
University of Michigan rated as 18th best university in World University Rankings. The University of Michigan, one of the world’s leading public universities, has 26,000 undergraduate and 15,000 graduate/professional students from all 50 states and 117 countries. Students may choose from over 200 undergraduate majors, over 90 master’s programs, and over 100 doctoral programs. Numerous research and study abroad opportunities are offered at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. A wide variety of social, cultural, and athletic activities are available. There is something for everyone here. The University is located in the culturally rich and exciting community of Ann Arbor. Distinct yet closely integrated with the University, Ann Arbor offers its own array of social and cultural offerings, to which University students are enthusiastically welcomed. The city is home to numerous parks and athletic facilities, and boasts an excellent public transportation system.
18. Mcgill University, Canada
Mcgill University rated as 18th best university in World University Rankings. Innovative research programs and cutting-edge facilities including our brand new Life Sciences Complex attract internationally respected faculty. Our faculty excel at research; in 2008, McGill professors Nahum Sonenberg and Charles Taylor took home, respectively, the Gairdner International Award and the Kyoto Prize, two of the world’s top research prizes. McGill’s faculty are committed to excellence in teaching, too, bringing their cutting-edge breakthroughs into the classroom. McGill’s 21 faculties and professional schools offer degrees in more than 300 fields of study. McGill offers a full range of bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral programs as well as professional degrees in law, dentistry, business and medicine. The world-renowned Faculty of Medicine has four affiliated teaching hospitals and graduates more than 1,000 health care professionals each year.
17. Australian National University
Australian National University rated as 17th best university in World University Rankings. The Australian National University is one of the world’s foremost research universities. Distinguished by its relentless pursuit of excellence, ANU attracts leading academics and outstanding students from Australia and around the world. The primary educational objective of ANU is to become the university of choice for talented students locally, nationally and internationally by offering a unique range of research-led degree programs. Graduate education continues as one of the major focuses of the University and about one quarter of the total enrolment is undertaking post-graduate study. Regardless of whether those students are enrolled in the Institute of Advanced Studies or the Faculties, the full resources of both and of University Centres are available to them through the Graduate School.
16. Stanford University, United States
Stanford University rated as 16th best university in World University Rankings. Stanford University, founded in 1885, is recognized as one of the world’s leading research and teaching institutions, with one of the most renowned faculties in the nation. Stanford students men and women of all races, ethnicities and ages are distinguished by their love of learning and desire to contribute to the greater community. Stanford University offers its students a remarkable range of academic and extracurricular activities. We are committed to offering an education that is unrivaled among research universities.
15. Cornell University, United States
Cornell University rated as 15th best university in World University Rankings. Once called “the first American university” by educational historian Frederick Rudolph, Cornell University represents a distinctive mix of eminent scholarship and democratic ideals. Adding practical subjects to the classics and admitting qualified students regardless of nationality, race, social circumstance, gender, or religion was quite a departure when Cornell was founded in 1865. Today’s Cornell reflects this heritage of egalitarian excellence. It is home to the nation’s first colleges devoted to hotel administration, industrial and labor relations, and veterinary medicine. Both a private university and the land-grant institution of New York State, Cornell University is the most educationally diverse member of the Ivy League.
14. Duke University, United States
Duke University rated as 14th best university in World University Rankings. Duke University was created in 1924 by James Buchanan Duke as a memorial to his father, Washington Duke. The Dukes, a Durham family that built a worldwide financial empire in the manufacture of tobacco and developed electricity production in the Carolinas, long had been interested in Trinity College. Trinity traced its roots to 1838 in nearby Randolph County when local Methodist and Quaker communities opened Union Institute. The school, then-named Trinity College, moved to Durham in 1892. In December 1924, the provisions of James B. Duke’s indenture created the family philanthropic foundation, The Duke Endowment, which provided for the expansion of Trinity College into Duke University.
13. Johns Hopkins University, United States
Johns Hopkins University rated as 13th best university in World University Rankings. The Johns Hopkins University, founded in Baltimore in 1876, was the first university in the Western Hemisphere founded on the model of the European research institution, where research and the advancement of knowledge were integrally linked to teaching. Its establishment began a revolution in U.S. higher education. The Johns Hopkins University, commonly referred to as Johns Hopkins, JHU, or simply Hopkins, is a private research university located in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. Johns Hopkins also maintains full-time campuses elsewhere in Maryland, Washington, D.C., Italy, China, and Singapore. Johns Hopkins University has an affiliated hospital and medical school. It is one of fourteen founding members of the Association of American Universities.
12. University of Pennsylvania, United States
University of Pennsylvania rated as 12th best university in World University Rankings. The University of Pennsylvania (commonly referred to as Penn or UPenn) is a private research university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States, and is one of several institutions that claims to have been the first university in America. Penn is a member of the Ivy League and is one of the Colonial Colleges. University of Pennsylvania has been committed to excellence in scholarship, research and service. From its highly regarded undergraduate, graduate and professional schools to its wide-ranging program of interdisciplinary research and scholarship, Penn takes pride in being a place where students and faculty can pursue knowledge without boundaries, a place where theory and practice combine to produce a better understanding of our world and ourselves.
11. Columbia University, United States
Columbia University rated as 11th best university in World University Rankings. Columbia University is one of the world’s most important centers of research and at the same time a distinctive and distinguished learning environment for undergraduates and graduate students in many scholarly and professional fields. The University recognizes the importance of its location in New York City and seeks to link its research and teaching to the vast resources of a great metropolis. It seeks to attract a diverse and international faculty and student body, to support research and teaching on global issues, and to create academic relationships with many countries and regions. It expects all areas of the university to advance knowledge and learning at the highest level and to convey the products of its efforts to the world.
10. California Institute of Technology (caltech)
California Institute of Technology (caltech) rated as 10th best university in World University Rankings. The mission of the California Institute of Technology is to expand human knowledge and benefit society through research integrated with education. We investigate the most challenging, fundamental problems in science and technology in a singularly collegial, interdisciplinary atmosphere, while educating outstanding students to become creative members of society.
09. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (mit), United States
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (mit) rated as 9th best university in World University Rankings. The Institute is committed to generating, disseminating, and preserving knowledge, and to working with others to bring this knowledge to bear on the world’s great challenges. MIT is dedicated to providing its students with an education that combines rigorous academic study and the excitement of discovery with the support and intellectual stimulation of a diverse campus community. We seek to develop in each member of the MIT community the ability and passion to work wisely, creatively, and effectively for the betterment of humankind.The mission of MIT is to advance knowledge and educate students in science, technology, and other areas of scholarship that will best serve the nation and the world in the 21st century.
08. PRINCETON University, United States
PRINCETON University rated as 8th best university in World University Rankings. Princeton is the fourth-oldest college in the United States. As a research university, it seeks to achieve the highest levels of distinction in the discovery and transmission of knowledge and understanding, and in the education of graduate students. At the same time, Princeton is distinctive among research universities in its commitment to undergraduate teaching. The University provides its students with academic, extracurricular and other resources — in a residential community committed to diversity in its student body, faculty and staff — that help them achieve at the highest scholarly levels and prepare them for positions of leadership and lives of service in many fields of human endeavor.
07. University of Chicago, United States
University of CHICAGO rated as the 7th best university in World University Rankings. The University of Chicago was founded in 1890 by the American Baptist Education Society and oil magnate John D. Rockefeller. The University of Chicago has had a profound impact on American higher education; curricula across the country have been influenced by the emphasis on broad humanistic and scientific undergraduate education. The University also has a well-deserved reputation as the teacher of teachers.
06. University of Oxford, United Kingdom
University of OXFORD rated the sixth best university in World University Rankings. Oxford is the oldest university in the English-speaking world and lays claim to nine centuries of continuous existence. As an internationally renowned centre for teaching and research, Oxford attracts students and scholars from across the globe, with almost a quarter of our students from overseas. More than 130 nationalities are represented among a student population of over 18,000. Oxford is a collegiate university, with 39 self-governing colleges related to the University in a type of federal system. There are also seven Permanent Private Halls, founded by different Christian denominations. Thirty colleges and all halls admit students for both undergraduate and graduate degrees. Seven other colleges are for graduates only; one has Fellows only, and one specializes in part-time and continuing education.
05. Imperial College London
Imperial College London, rated the fifth best university in the world for. Imperial College London is a university of world class scholarship, education and research in science, engineering and medicine, with particular regard to their application in industry, commerce and healthcare. The College has over 3,000 academic and research staff and almost 14,000 students from over 120 different countries. Our reputation for excellence in teaching and research in science, engineering, medicine and business attracts students and staff of the highest international calibre. Imperial College staff are frequently consulted by governments, and also act as members of professional bodies, advise industry, and offer informed comment to the media.
04. UCL (University College London)
UCL (University College London) rated the fourth best university in World University Rankings. UCL is a multidisciplinary university with an international reputation for the quality of its research and teaching across the academic spectrum, with subjects spanning the sciences, arts, social sciences and biomedicine. In the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise (RAE) UCL was rated the best research university in London, and third in the UK overall, for the number of its submissions which were considered of world-leading quality. The university is located on a compact site in the very heart of London and is surrounded by the greatest concentration of libraries, museums, archives, cultural institutions and professional bodies in Europe.
03. Yale University, United States
Yale University rated as third best university in the World University Rankings. Yale University is one of the most famous schools in the United States, with a long history of service and an alumni list that reads like a “Who’s Who” of successful people. Yale University is the fulfillment of a European vision of intellectual freedom that is aimed at the service of the community and country. It has championed over history and survived the most destructive calamities such as the American Revolution. Since then, the university has continually grown and progressed to a center for high quality education that is recognized by the global community. The university is considered one of the oldest institution of higher education in the US. It was founded in 1701 and is a proud member of the prestigious Ivy League.
02. University of Cambridge, United Kingdom
University of Cambridge rated the second best in World University Rankings. The University of Cambridge is one of the oldest universities in the world and one of the largest in the United Kingdom. Its reputation for outstanding academic achievement is known world-wide and reflects the intellectual achievement of its students, as well as the world-class original research carried out by the staff of the University and the Colleges. Its reputation is endorsed by the Quality Assurance Agency and by other external reviewers of learning and teaching, such as External Examiners. These high standards are the result of both the learning opportunities offered at Cambridge and by its extensive resources, including libraries, museums and other collections. Teaching consists not only of lectures, seminars and practical classes led by people who are world experts in their field, but also more personalised teaching arranged through the Colleges. Many opportunities exist for students to interact with scholars of all levels, both formally and informally.
01. Harvard University, United States
Harvard University rated as the number one university in World University Rankings. Harvard is America’s oldest institution of higher learning, founded 140 years before the Declaration of Independence was signed. The University has grown from nine students with a single master to an enrollment of more than 18,000 degree candidates, including undergraduates and students in 10 principal academic units. An additional 13,000 students are enrolled in one or more courses in the Harvard Extension School. Over 14,000 people work at Harvard, including more than 2,000 faculty. There are also 7,000 faculty appointments in affiliated teaching hospitals. | <urn:uuid:785c70b7-e6a5-4738-bcc5-a16a688f578b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://worldsamazinginformation.blogspot.jp/2011/10/top-25-universities-of-world.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00011-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.953789 | 3,931 | 1.664063 | 2 |
RED SCARE--"U.S. scientists have been running into trouble getting permission to travel abroad. The most recent publicized case being that of Linus Pauling, head of the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering at the California Institute of Technology. Pauling had planned to attend a conference of the Royal Society of London on protein structure. He said a State Department official told him that the decision had been made 'because of suspicion that I was a Communist and because my anti-Communist statements had not been sufficiently strong.' Pauling had declared that he was not a Communist and had pointed out that his resonance theory of chemical combination had been attacked in the Soviet Union. He has reapplied for a passport and sent a letter to President Truman." | <urn:uuid:7c960cd9-f170-438e-9ad4-0d73f8075f42> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=50-100--150-years-ago-2002-07 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00019-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.987328 | 149 | 1.539063 | 2 |
Best in class manufacturers overcome the challenges of managing product variants with a consistent, product platform approach.
The increase of product variations is driven by many forces, and it often comes at a high cost to manufacturers. The extra time, effort, and expense required to design and deliver more product variations often have a negative impact that isn't confined to the manufacturing process. This impact can extend across the supply chain, from the cost of extra parts inventory to the added burden on service and support organizations. Ultimately, it creates a drag on productivity, which impacts revenue and profitability, both directly and through lost opportunities.
Best in class manufacturers meet the challenges of diversity head-on with a consistent, product platform approach. This allows them to introduce more product variations, faster.
Companies who have adopted a consistent approach to managing platforms are receiving numerous cost benefits with up to 50% reductions in design and development costs and significant savings in manufacturing, sales and service.
Read the article, with references to case studies and Frost & Sullivan research to learn how.
In today’s beverage marketplace, consumers often make its choice in the fraction of a second. Having your beverage’s container design stand-out amongst the crowd can create a significant competitive advantage. KHS has responded to its customers’ need for a growing assortment of bottles, cans and labels in new shapes, sizes and alternatives through the design of modular machines.
Watch the video to learn how a consistent modular product architecture approach enables KHS to meet its customers’ requirements and at the same time reduce product development costs and time to market.
The Value of a Platform Strategy
Product diversity can be a powerful growth driver, but manufacturers need to manage the complexity that comes along with it. Managing diversity with a consistent product platform approach enables companies to achieve product diversity with scale; resulting in cost savings for their organization and their customers.
Read the PTC whitepaper to learn how a global platform strategy can overcome the challenges of managing product diversity. | <urn:uuid:a026e47e-fbc6-457a-8b79-b10a569f16bb> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.ptc.com/solutions/product-platforms/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00015-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.945344 | 403 | 1.679688 | 2 |
(verb) When a cop uses excessive force, harassment, lies, or generally beats the $hit out of someone, acting outside the law, against individual civil liberty, and abuses his or her power for no good reason.
On New Year's 2012, Austin, TX police officer P. Oborski was filmed aggressively removing a female passenger of a car and arresting her using a handcuff torture pose, after she advised the driver not to take the breathalyzer test. Officer Oborski then arrested an innocent bystander, a West Point graduate and Iraq War veteran, who began to take pictures of the injustice.
The situation led to a community backlash against the Austin Police Department, who refused to release the dash cam video, but admitted there was no evidence to back up Officer Oborski's claim that Buehler spit on him.
Uh-oh, here comes the po po Get your cell phone ready to record in case that pig Oborski's that woman. | <urn:uuid:fef30edc-a484-49e2-90d6-e7f66b1c4357> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Oborski | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00012-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.943243 | 199 | 1.5625 | 2 |
The Perfect Wrong Note
I am currently reading “The Perfect Wrong Note: Learning to Trust Your Musical Self” by William Westney. I have read quite a few books regarding teaching, learning, practicing, and performing music, and this book is one of the best. In this well written book, Westney addresses keeping vitality in one’s practicing and performing. He has great advice on the value of accepting a learning from mistakes. He offers a very useful sample practice routine. If you teach or perform music, I highly recommend this book. | <urn:uuid:d0be87bf-294d-44ed-8e05-dd036d9503fd> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://warrenhenrymusic.com/2012/03/the-perfect-wrong-note/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00006-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.965921 | 112 | 1.671875 | 2 |
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UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The U.N. Security Council has scheduled a vote Saturday on a resolution authorizing the deployment of the first wave of U.N. military observers to monitor a cease-fire between the Syrian government and opposition fighters which appears to be largely holding.
The draft resolution, obtained Friday night by The Associated Press, calls on both sides to immediately “cease all armed violence in all its forms” and calls on the Syrian government “to implement visibly” international envoy Kofi Annan’s demand that it pull troops and heavy weapons out of cities and towns.
The cease-fire, which formally took effect Thursday, is at the center of Annan’s peace plan, which is aimed at ending more than a year of bloodshed that has killed over 9,000 people, according to the United Nations, and to launch inclusive Syrian-led talks on the country’s political future.
Security Council members met behind closed doors for several hours Friday to discuss rival drafts by the U.S. and its European allies and by Russia, Syria’s most important council ally.
Both called for the deployment of an advance team of up to 30 unarmed military observers to initiate contacts with both sides and begin to report on implementation of “a full cessation of armed violence in all its forms by all parties” — and so does the final text.
U.S. Ambassador Susan Rice, the current council president, announced that the council will vote at 11 a.m. EDT (1600 GMT) Saturday.
Russia’s U.N. Ambassador Vitaly Churkin said he was waiting to see the final draft but told reporters, “I’m not completely satisfied with the outcome of the discussion.”
Churkin stressed, however, that “We want it to be a vote which will keep the Security Council united, which is crucial.”
Russia is Syria’s most powerful ally, and with China it has vetoed two Security Council resolutions that would have condemned President Bashar Assad’s crackdown on protesters who rose up against his authoritarian family’s 40-year rule.
Rice refused to predict how Russia would vote on Saturday, saying, “We’ve been to this movie so many times, let’s not.”
Annan’s spokesman Ahmad Fawzi told a news conference in Geneva that an advance team of “around 10 or 12” observers, that could quickly be increased to 30, is “standing by to board planes and to get themselves on the ground as soon as possible” once the Security Council approves their deployment.
Troops already in the region from Asian, African and South American countries acceptable to Assad’s regime could be used for the mission, Fawzi said.
The draft resolution to be voted on — sponsored by the U.S., Britain, France, Germany, Portugal, Colombia and Morocco — expresses the council’s intention to immediately establish a larger U.N. supervision mission in Syria to monitor a cease-fire. Fawzi said additional Security Council approval will be required to increase the deployment to 250 observers.
While the resolution would only authorize a 30-strong advance team, it would spell out requirements for the Syrian government to support the observers including allowing the observers unimpeded freedom of movement and the right to interview any Syrian in private.
Russia’s Churkin eliminated them in his proposed text, but they remain in the final draft being put to a vote.
Russia also tried to drop a Western-backed call for condemnation of “the widespread violations of human rights and the use of force against civilians by the Syrian authorities.” The final draft was changed to condemn “the widespread violations of human rights by the Syrian authorities, as well as any human rights abuses by armed groups.”
Annan, the joint U.N.-Arab League envoy, asked the 15-nation Security Council to approve sending a U.N. observer mission as soon as possible.
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon cautioned Friday against overly high expectations, given the small size of the initial team and the fact that it would not be able to be everywhere, U.N. spokesman Martin Nesirky said.
Syrian U.N. Ambassador Bashar Ja’afari told reporters Friday that before any observers can be deployed, there would have to be a technical agreement on how the U.N. force will operate, Annan would have to make an independent report on the situation in Syria, and the Syrian government would have to approve the whole package.
In the first major test of the U.N.-brokered truce, thousands of Syrians poured into the streets Friday for anti-government protests, activists said. Security forces responded by firing in the air and beating some protesters, but there was no immediate sign of widespread shelling, sniper attacks or other potential violations of the cease-fire.
Fawzi told reporters the cease-fire has been “relatively respected” despite government troops and heavy weapons still in cities and continuing abuses.
“We hope both sides will sustain this calm, this relative calm,” Fawzi said. “We are thankful that there’s no heavy shelling, that the number of casualties are dropping, that the number of refugees who are crossing the borders are also dropping.”
Annan told the Security Council during a closed video briefing on Thursday he was “encouraged” at the start of a fragile cease-fire.
But Fawzi quoted Annan as telling the council that “the continued presence of Syrian armed forces, including armor, in and around population centers, must end immediately. Violence in all its forms, including arbitrary arrests, torture and abductions, must stop.”
John Heilprin contributed to this report from Geneva. | <urn:uuid:c1b4e38c-b17c-4d75-893c-88d7587ecb77> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.thereporteronline.com/article/20120414/NEWS05/120419790/1004/SPORTS12/un-to-vote-saturday-on-1st-observers-for-syria | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697974692/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095254-00017-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.963016 | 1,229 | 1.757813 | 2 |
Decades ago, outlets were near the factories and mills where goods were made, providing manufacturers with a convenient way to dispose of excess or imperfect inventory at a discount because there was no middleman. Although many companies still use outlets to move older or unpopular stock, they sell fewer blemished or cosmetically flawed items.
"No one wants seconds anymore," said Jack Abelson, an industry consultant and president of Jack Abelson & Associates, based in Leawood, Kan. "Companies don't want to tarnish their names, and it's easier for them to sell those flawed items overseas on-site where they're made." Indeed, when our reporter shopped for seconds at several outlet centers in the New York metropolitan region, they were tough to find (except at Le Creuset, where he could buy chipped cookware at 35 percent off the if-perfect price). That was true even at shoe stores where seconds were plentiful a few years ago. Clerks at several Adidas and Nike stores we visited said they no longer sell "B grade" stock.
What you will find is more merchandise made just for outlets. "Retailers can't depend on leftovers, returns, and seconds to stock the outlets," Marie Driscoll, a retail analyst with Standard & Poor's Equity Research in New York, said. "So goods are being made specifically for sale in this distribution channel." To sell for less, manufacturers often cut corners, as our textile expert discovered.
With more focus on merchandise made specifically for outlets, it's getting tougher to find "treasures," Abelson says. Several years ago, our reporter found in an outlet a Brooks Brothers silk jacket marked down to $50 from its original specialty-store price of $400. Not this time.
When we asked outlet-store employees and customer-service reps for differences between goods at their chain's outlet and retail stores, they were candid, and it's clear that every company has its own strategy. Staff at Under Armour and Coach told us that the outlets sell older merchandise from regular stores and goods made just for the outlets. A Guess employee explained it fills its shelves with discontinued items, while a worker at Gap said the chain offers apparel that never saw the light of day in a regular store. At Black & Decker Factory Stores, you'll find fully warranted demo and refurbished equipment and brand-new goods. Lands' End "Inlets" carry year-old inventory, clearance items, and returns. Harry & David outlets sell a lot of the food and gifts in the company's catalog and on its website (though not always fruit), but prices and promotions differ. Sunglass Hut offers a mix of old and new glasses at "prices not necessarily cheaper" than those at its mall-based stores, a customer-service representative told us.
Some retailers don't draw any line between outlet and regular merchandise. A customer-service rep for Dress Barn told us that in all the company's stores, "it's the exact same stuff, just different prices and promotions."
If you're unsure of what mix of merchandise your favorite outlets are selling, ask. We found the staff and representatives at companies' toll-free lines very willing to answer. | <urn:uuid:328df07c-21db-4e92-900b-2f2ffc0f7e70> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/outlet-stores/buying-guide.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00014-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.97006 | 656 | 1.609375 | 2 |
Bohemia, NY (PRWEB) January 18, 2013
On January 18, 2013, Quorn Foods Inc. comments on a IOL Lifestyle article by Olga Accolla regarding the review of Luscious Vegetarian, a vegetarian cookbook filled with tasty vegetarian recipes.
According to the IOL Lifestyle article, “The recipes cater for anything from a nibble to a sumptuous feast, including bakes and desserts.” The writer of the article, Olga Accolla, admitted that she found the recipes to be absolutely mouthwatering. The surprising thing about the Accolla’s positive review of the cookbook is that she is not a vegetarian.
The article quotes Accolla who declared, “[With] this book at hand, I could quite easily make the transition to vegetarian.” The article states that the ingredients used in the delicious vegetarian recipes can all be found at your local supermarket and are relatively well-known. The article also mentions that the cookbook gives simple and easy to follow instructions for anyone to recreate the vegetarian dishes in their own kitchen.
As noted by IOL Lifestyle, those who eat meat can benefit from the cookbook as well since many of the recipes could also be used to accompany a meat recipe. “So families that are a combination of vegetarian and meat eaters would be able to put the recipes in this book to good use, too,” reports the article.
Quorn Foods Inc. comments on the article with their thoughts on the review of the book’s vegetarian recipes. “The fact that the cookbook got such positive reviews from a non-vegetarian means that this could be a valuable book to keep in the kitchen,” said Quorn representative David Wilson. “Visit the Quorn Foods website for further tasty recipes for both vegetarians and meat-eaters alike.”
Quorn Foods launched nationally in the US in 2002. Unlike other vegetarian food companies, Quorn foods use mycoprotein: a naturally occurring, healthy form of protein that replicates the taste and texture of meat while being significantly lower in saturated fats and calories. Quorn Foods offer a wide range of products including ready to serve meals, food for your barbecue, breaded meat substitutes, snacks and components to make your own meals from scratch. The wonderful taste of Quorn meatless meals provides the taste of the foods you love without sacrificing nutrition. | <urn:uuid:c136ea90-e461-41c8-9328-ba0ca5a7285a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.prweb.com/releases/2013/1/prweb10334693.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.961417 | 502 | 1.5625 | 2 |
Review to be emailed:
Audience: 4th Grade - 8th Grade
For years, Jessica has had the feeling that her life was out of whack: that she lived with the wrong family, in the wrong house, in the wrong life. One day, she finds a book entitled 'Her Life' in an old bookstore she has never seen before. When she opens the book to a random page, she finds that it is the story of her life. Jessica further learns that she is destined to save the universe. But how?
Similar books: Heir Apparent by Vivian Vande Velde
Date read: 10/6/2009
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Copyright © 2004-2013 St. Charles Public Library. All rights reserved. | <urn:uuid:db6c1d98-f0f5-4a57-9e9d-853e2885a848> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://stcharleslibrary.org/ygtrt/email.asp?BookID=888&returnURL=%2Fygtrt%2Fdefault.asp%3FCategory%3D1%26grs%3D0%26gre%3D9%26Page%3D9 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00015-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.942314 | 194 | 1.515625 | 2 |
Most Active Stories
It's All Politics
Tue October 11, 2011
Mitt Romney Gets Chris Christie's Endorsement
Back in 2009 when he campaigned to be New Jersey's chief executive, then former U.S. prosecutor Chris Christie got help from Mitt Romney who visited the Garden State to endorse his fellow Republican in that state's GOP primary.
So it wasn't particularly surprising that on Tuesday, now-Gov. Christie would return the favor by endorsing Romney's bid to be the Republican Party presidential nominee in an afternoon news conference.
News of Christie's endorsement came just hours before the Republican presidential candidates were to meet in New Hampshire for another debate. Thus, it guaranteed that the debate on the Dartmouth College campus would be somewhat upstaged by the news that perhaps the fastest rising star in the Republican Party was backing Romney.
First public word of the endorsement came just days after Christie added finality to his oft-stated denials that he would not be entering the 2012 presidential race after numerous Republicans, including some big-time money raisers, had asked him to reconsider.
Romney was already beginning to scoop up some of that support from Christie's fans. The New Jersey governor's endorsement meant that the flow of Christie supporters to Romney would probably accelerate.
Though Romney has publicly moved to the ideologically right in recent years as he positioned himself to campaign for the White House, as Massachusetts governor he was more a centrist like Christie on issues such as abortion and gun control.
Indeed, because neither Christie or Romney have portrayed themselves as the voice for evangelical Christians, many observers thought that if Christie had entered the 2012 presidential race, he would have wound up splitting Romney's support by drawing Republicans who view themselves more as conservatives of the corporate and fiscal variety than social.
While Christie's move wasn't a surprise, it certainly added to the sense of inevitability Romney is trying to build that he will be the GOP nominee.
With the primary and caucus season starting just after New Year's Day, anything Romney can do to further weaken the appeal of Texas Gov. Rick Perry to Republican voters he needs to do and sooner rather than later. Locking down Christie's support now is clearly part of that strategy.
And while Perry probably never had much of chance of getting Christie's endorsement so long as Romney was in the hunt, it certainly will be a blow to the Texan to have so many of those money people, especially Wall Streeters, who were holding out for Christie now getting solidly behind Romney.
Furthermore, he now must deal with the popular New Jersey governor campaigning for Romney. Perry's campaign challenges are only growing.
Now speculation is sure to intensify about Christie as a potential vice presidential pick for Romney. Christie has publicly denied any interest, saying he doesn't have the personality to be number two. Of course, almost everyone who becomes the subject of such speculation says the same thing. | <urn:uuid:87227783-c74a-480a-b3ee-d75475d255fe> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.kenw.org/post/mitt-romney-gets-chris-christies-endorsement | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00008-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.97604 | 584 | 1.53125 | 2 |
I agree completely. But what is the solution?
The essential driving force is that there are more persons wanting to pursue research as a career than there are funding opportunities available. Those persons are in competition for limited funds since not everyone can be funded. The proverbial rat race occurs. Inevitably some lose out in this competition and must seek other career options.
The essential problem is that the necessities of maintaining funding make our research work a top priority. Whether that trumps family life is up to the individual to decide. Those who find the strain on their other interests (home life or even other hobbies) not worth the effort sometimes find it necessary to drop out of research.Â
Is this unique to research? No. Entrepreneurs starting and maintaining their own businesses even more routinely make such choices. Like an entrepreneur, we make our own decisions that impact upon our ability to succeed. It is up to us to decide what must be done to continue and to act accordingly. And yes, part of that may include working harder at the expense of our other activities, including home life.  Â
Brutal, to be sure but what are the alternatives? Guaranteed funding for life for those lucky few with the right connections to land a plum job? This is the norm in some societies but does it represent the best way forward? It depends on where your opinion lies on the multiple scales of merit, fairness and humane lifestyles for those in the field.
Finally, allow me some observations based on years of experience as a scientist. I know that I might anger some with these comments. But I really hope to provide advice to help most in their agonizing choices.
Always be aware that there is a subpopulation of humanity extremely driven to do science. They do not mind at all working over night and 12-16 hour days, by choice. It is their hobby and their life. They are driven to do so. 20-30 years ago, that description fit most everyone in science. Since then, science became a career choice for a larger number of people. That includes those seeking a 'more balanced' life as a scientist for which 12-16 hour days is decidedly not the choice. But they remain in competition for research funding with those more driven.Â
All is not lost though for those without that insane desire to pursue science at all costs. I often see very successful scientists working eight hour days. First of all, you must be capable--there are many who work 16 hours/day and accomplish nothing. They don't last long in the field and nor should they (which is why I am against long-term funding for the lucky few hand-picked in a random fashion). Secondly, pick a research field that is amenable to conducting 9-5 experiments in which you can produce enough data to be successful. Thirdly, don't pick a type of study in which more hours equates to more data. If you are limited by the amount of time it takes, say, a mutant mouse to grow, there is an equal constraint upon your competition--they can't outwork you. It's now up to you to outsmart them. Fourth, science is not all competition. Collaboration makes for the best science. Make sure your research is of value to others who will work with you to further all of your efforts. But also try to make sure that this collaborative relationship is balanced--a collaboration in which you do all of the work is ultimately not rewarding for you.
I hope this helps out some of you. Balancing research with home life is not trivial. We all do research because we love it, But some love it more than others. The key is to recognize this reality and fit your research to your other needs.   | <urn:uuid:c557beaf-2b29-4363-99aa-b2b00697d504> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.the-scientist.com/?articles.view/articleNo/31837/title/Research-is-Tough-for-Dads-Too/flagPost/59208/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00007-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.969724 | 797 | 1.648438 | 2 |
Sarasota poverty rate drops, but it's still high
Published: Wednesday, December 12, 2012 at 6:53 p.m.
Last Modified: Wednesday, December 12, 2012 at 6:53 p.m.
After moving dramatically in the wrong direction for three straight years, two leading economic indicators — poverty and household income — began to level off across Florida in 2011 and even improved in Sarasota County, according to new U.S. census data.
The data is further evidence that Florida's economy hit bottom around 2010 and is slowly improving. But poverty is still at, or near, record highs across much of the state in a recovery that has been uneven.
Sarasota County's poverty rate dropped to 11.7 percent in 2011, down from 13.1 percent the year before, and median household income increased for the second year in a row, according to data from the Census Bureau's Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, or SAIPE, that was released Wednesday.
But even in places where poverty is declining and income is on the rise, the numbers are still considerably worse than at the height of the real estate boom.
Sarasota County had a poverty rate of 8.1 percent in 2007 and its median household income was $50,031. Statewide, the poverty rate was 12.1 percent in 2007.
Meanwhile, other parts of Southwest Florida are faring worse, even with some broader signs of recovery.
Manatee County's poverty rate continued to climb in 2011 — from 14.5 percent to 15.9 percent — and household income declined for the fourth year in a row.
The poverty and income figures generally point to a sometimes painfully slow but steady economic improvement, said Sean Snaith, a University of Central Florida economist.
“I think it's consistent with the fact that we're in recovery and consistent with the nature of the recovery, which has been sub par,” Snaith said. “It's not this robust recovery that is going to be lifting a lot of people out of poverty.”
Statewide, median household income in 2011 held flat compared with 2010, while the number of Florida residents in poverty inched up from 16.5 percent to 17 percent, a much smaller increase than during previous years.
Florida's economy has shown modest improvement through 2011 and 2012, but Snaith said he does not expect to see a substantial decrease in poverty until job growth accelerates.
Jobs are still relatively hard to come by.
The state's unemployment rate has been declining, but mostly because frustrated workers have stopped looking for jobs and are no longer counted among the unemployed, Snaith said.
“We've had mild job growth but also a lot of people dropping out of the labor force,” he said.
The household income data for Sarasota and Manatee counties is consistent with state and national economic trends.
Sarasota County has a lot of retirees who depend on investment income, which has been bolstered by the stock market recovery. Manatee County has more blue-collar workers who have seen wages stagnate or decline in some industries.
“That segment of the society whose income is derived from investments is likely to be doing significantly better than wage earners, whose income is really tied to labor market participation,” Snaith said.
The number of people seeking meals and a place to sleep is no longer increasing at the Salvation Army in Sarasota, said general manager Bryan Pope, but the organization still serves 100 more meals each day than in 2007.
Older men have found it particularly difficult to land jobs, Pope said.
“A male over 55, the chances of that person being employed again at his previous levels are almost nil,” Pope said. “People in that age group, your skill set is not what it once was and your expectation of income is too high.”
Pope says he is girding for many more months of relatively high poverty levels.
“I don't expect this thing to change drastically,” in the short run, he said. “We're going to be having the same issues for a while.”
All rights reserved. This copyrighted material may not be re-published without permission. Links are encouraged. | <urn:uuid:3049d9e0-896a-431e-9238-114090a1037a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20121212/ARTICLE/121219866/0/COLUMNIST | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00001-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.973775 | 891 | 1.6875 | 2 |
No one wants higher taxes. No one wants reduced services.
But if Gov. Dannel P. Malloy and the state Legislature attack budget deficits by cutting aid to municipalities, a regrettable one-or-the-other choice will confront cities and towns throughout Connecticut.
If faced with such a dilemma, we urge local governments to put education first. Children only go through the school system once, and the importance of that experience cannot be overstated.
There has been no announcement of a plan to reduce state aid, but area towns and cities are bracing for a hit, especially to education cost sharing. If it comes, families -- and by extension the local governments -- will have to come up with creative ways to maintain the quality of their schools.
We understand that Connecticut residents are already stressed by increased state taxes, and by the prospect of a plunge over the federal fiscal cliff, after which automatic tax hikes and spending cuts would take effect.
Many people are in no position to pay higher local property taxes.
But there might simply not be enough money for everything. Local services might have to be reduced, and where contracts allow, people might have to be laid off, and vacated positions left unfilled.
The state's budget deficit for this year is projected at more than $400 million, and for the following fiscal year the Malloy administration estimates it could rise to $1.1 billion.
Malloy has consolidated the number of state departments on the public payroll, but union contracts limit the state's ability to downsize.
At the city and town level, officials are elected in large part on their ability to get the most out of their constituents' tax dollars. In recent years, mayors, first selectmen and the members municipal governing boards have found that responsibility to be more and more daunting.
It might get even tougher now. | <urn:uuid:502a8a47-66c3-4a7a-8fc8-96a51ef4425e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.newstimes.com/news/article/If-burden-shifts-to-municipalities-education-4100464.php | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00012-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.963805 | 376 | 1.765625 | 2 |
Boulder, Colo., April 01, 2008
Webroot, a leading provider of security solutions for the consumer, enterprise and SMB markets, today released its latest research report, “State of Internet Security: Protecting Business Email.” The report reveals the significant impact that rapidly growing email security threats, in size and volume, are having on businesses worldwide and underscores the need for a multi-layered approach to Internet security.
“The battle against spam is an on-going struggle for many organizations with spammers continuing to present a serious and costly threat to most businesses. In 2008, we estimate there will be over 42,000 spam emails for every single business email account, or about 116 per day. And, because spammers are working at beating conventional filters with images and attachments, the size of spam has grown 60 percent since 2004,” said Mike Irwin, COO, Webroot. “The size and volume of these spam attacks is largely due to the partial success of current filtering defenses that now make spamming success a numbers game. It’s clear why first-generation defenses such as appliances and server-based software are struggling to keep up.”
Along with the rapid growth in spam, there is a similarly rapid growth in malware. Industry research shows that malware jumped from about 50,000 variants in 2004 to 5.5 million in 2007. Webroot research found that spam has become a significant vector of attack for deploying these new malware variants. But, while companies are seeing an increased malware threat to their email, they are still using it to gather and exchange vital customer and employee information such as credit card numbers and other confidential financial data. About one out of five businesses that responded to the survey experienced a threat to sensitive or confidential online information last year underscoring the growing need for securing and storing business email.
“Huge amounts of spam and malware can easily overwhelm the networks of small and mid-size businesses and, in some cases, even small countries. In our survey, more than half of the respondents said that they suffered spyware and virus attacks via email,” added Irwin. “Because existing defenses are getting over-run, large numbers of companies are increasingly losing important data. Spam is growing in relation to the importance of email as a business communications tool. As a result, companies and organizations need defenses that can quickly and easily scale to exceed the demand.”
In the “State of Internet Security: Protecting Business Email” report, Webroot studied email-related threats and the latest methods to protect business email. Webroot surveyed approximately 1,500 email security product decision-makers in companies across seven countries: Australia, Canada, France Germany, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States.
Key Findings at a Glance:
Email is Business Critical
Risks to and from Email are Prevalent
Employee Behavior Increases Email Security Risks
Few Companies Have Protective Policies in Place
The State of Internet Security report is issued quarterly as an in-depth review and analysis of the most critical computer and data security-related concerns. Each report focuses on a specific aspect of information security, and provides industry data, trends and best practices in light of the threat landscape.
The complete “State of Internet Security: Protecting Business Email” report is available at http://www.webroot.com/En_US/land-sois-home.html
Copyright 2004 - 2013 Webroot Inc. | <urn:uuid:41914ee5-a3fc-4a2b-96f4-e15b90ccf26e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.webroot.com/En_US/pr/threat-research/corp/email-security-threats-impacting-businesses.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697380733/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516094300-00010-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.939133 | 715 | 1.773438 | 2 |
Comprehensive rules and guidelines for degree project work 15 credits, regarding Master (60 credits)
Internal instruction no. 10/2007
Applies from 2007-07-01
This instruction is based on:
- President’s decision no. 383/2007, reg.no V-2007-535
- President’s decision UF-2011/0576, reg. no V-2010-0518, doss 50
As of 1 July 2007, a revised Higher Education Ordinance, including a new degree ordinance is in effect. In the degree ordinance, descriptions for all degrees can be found.
Since, the goals for degrees have changed, a work group within the project HT07 has assembled new KTH-common goals for the course degree projects for all degrees that are given at KTH.
KTH will, as of 1 July 2007, use the grading scale A-F as the main alternative (mandate 708/06). In connection with the transfer to the new grading system, the president has also mandated the course degree projects must have scaled grades and that implementation regulations for grading of the degree projects will be designed. The same work group has assembled a proposal to such implementation regulations.
The president mandates
KTH-common goals for the course degree project consisting of 15 credits for master degrees (60 credits)
The student should:
- be able to apply relevant knowledge and abilities, within the main field of study,
to a given problem
- within given constraints, even with limited information, independently analyze nd discuss complex inquiries/problems and handle larger problems on the advanced level within the main field of study
- reflect on, evaluate and critically review one’s own and others’ scientific results
- be able to document and present one’s own work with strict requirements on structure, format, and language usage
- be able to identify one’s need for further knowledge and continuously develop one’s own knowledge
These KTH-common goals should constitute the foundation for course goals for all degree projects . Further or more specified course goals for degree projects can be implemented by the schools, individual educational programmes or individual degree project.
The president mandates the following guidelines for degree projects
The degree project area (the course) is established by the school committee. Proposal to the degree project is given within the school. The degree project must have a course plan according to regulations in the Higher Education Ordinance. The degree project is a course consisting of 15 credits, which means that the degree projects must correspond to 10 weeks of full-time studies. The degree project may not include other courses (courses with established course numbers). The degree project can include elements such as seminars, information searching, student teaching, or other elements which the examiner or supervisor deems suitable.
Eligibility for degree projects
The degree project must carry out a portion of a specialization within the main field of study in the second cycle in order to fulfil the requirements for a master’s degree. This means that the degree projects must be carried out within the main field of study for the programme.
The main portion of the studies must generally be completed before the degree project can be started. At least 30 credits must be completed where 15 credits with specialization in the second cycle within the main field of study. It is the duty of the examiner to see that the student has the specialization corresponding to that described above. After a trial examination by the Director of Undergraduate and Masters´studies (GA) at the respective school, exemption can be allowed if found appropriate. The degree project must normally be carried out during the programme’s last term.
Forms for the degree project
The degree project can be performed at KTH or externally. The degree project can also be performed abroad. The degree project are carried out individually or together with another student. If the project is done by more than one student, it is the responsibility of the examiner to ensure that every student’s work corresponds to the requirements for an individual degree project.
If the degree project is performed at another university and if it equals the degree project at KTH, then credit transfer should be made.
The supervisor is appointed by the examiner. More than one supervisor can be appointed. If the degree project is done, for example, at a company, a supervisor should be appointed at the company as well. The examiner should be attentive of the responsibility distribution between the examiner and the supervisors.
The degree projects should be reviewed in a seminar. The degree project report should be registered within the school. Much care should be taken to how the report is formed, especially with consideration to language usage. The degree project can be written and presented in Swedish or English. A summarization should exist in both languages. The degree project report must be checked for plagiarism. The main strategy is that the examiner participates sufficiently enough in the work so that he/she knows that it is the student’s own.
The president decides about guidelines for grading of degree projects
The degree project must be given a grade on the scale A-F based on those KTH common evaluation criteria. The school committee decides; based on these evaluation criteria, about rules and guidelines for the degree projects area, including methods for grading.
All degree projects should be evaluated based on three KTH-common evaluation criteria; engineering-related and scientific contents, process, and presentation. The president decides about further evaluation criteria after proposal from the school.
Appendix A describes the criteria for the three evaluation criteria.
In order to pass the degree project, the work must not be insufficient according to the any of the three criteria. The grading criteria must also be seen as a tool in order to support the student in the work based on high goals through that requirements and expectations are clearly met.
This replaces internal instruction no. 34/05 | <urn:uuid:aa7cee7d-be83-4ff4-88f0-cb8234101eaa> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://intra.kth.se/en/regelverk/utbildning-forskning/grundutbildning/examensarbete/overgripande-regler-och-riktlinjer-for-examensarbete-15-hogskolepoang-for-magisterexamen-60-hogskolepoang-samt-betygssattning-av-examensarbete-1.27213 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00019-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.93421 | 1,200 | 1.742188 | 2 |
On 1 October 2011 we took on responsibility for supporting and developing museums as part of the functions we inherited from the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council (MLA).
Major partner museums
As part of these new functions we re-launched the Renaissance programme following the Selwood review of 2009 and in early 2012 announced the 16 major partner museums to replace the former hubs and hub partnerships.
The Major partner museums receive between £500,000 and £2 million each, totalling approximately £21 million per year. The funding is aimed at supporting them to be even more ambitious and contribute to museum leadership across the country.
Strategic support fund
In March 2013 we announced the 87 projects awarded a share of £17.8 million for the second round of the Strategic support fund, a programme focusing on any gaps (geographical or otherwise) or development opportunities across the sector.
Museum development fund
We are also supporting a programme of national museum development support for smaller museums totalling £3 million per year. This has provided a network of nine providers across the country, in most cases run out of Major partner museums.
In addition, we are running a suite of national, sector-wide projects and programmes, totalling approximately £3.25 million per year. This supports Accreditation and Designation development, the V&A purchase grant fund, the PRISM fund, subject specialist networks, support for Collections Trust and Culture24, and also the campaigns Museums at Night and Kids in Museums.
Find out more about how we will deliver the Renaissance funding programme for museums.
Find out more about our support of museum collections.
Museums and schools programme
We running a Museums and schools programme, funded by the Department for Education, which is building capacity for school engagement in 10 regional museums partnered with 10 national museums. The partnerships have been awarded a total of £3.6 million funding until 2015.
This programme is a response to key recommendations from Cultural Education: an independent review by Darren Henley.
Browse a selection of case studies from the museumaker project.
Read other case studies about Arts Council England-funded museums projects.
Follow our museums updates on Twitter at #ACEmuseums
Museums have a strong track record of acting on climate change, with pioneering research, conferences, networks and practical projects at a regional and national level through Renaissance Hubs in recent years. Find out more about Museums responding to climate change with innovative cultural projects at both the local and national level.
Partnership working - the London 2012 legacy
After a successful Stories of the World programme linked to London 2012 we are now looking to embed that approach, partly through a partnership with the Imperial War Museum supporting museums play a full part in the commemorations of the First World War centenary. | <urn:uuid:1c574618-cbbf-48d5-8989-ada2ee856573> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.artscouncil.org.uk/what-we-do/supporting-museums/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700958435/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104238-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.935406 | 572 | 1.578125 | 2 |
The Federal Reserve is mulling additional asset purchases next year to boost jobs amid a fragile economy, the minutes of a policy meeting released Wednesday showed.
With the current $45 billion a month "Twist" asset adjustment program scheduled to end in December, the minutes suggested that the Fed was ready to go ahead with more outright bond purchases, aimed at pushing long-term interest rates lower.
"A number of participants indicated that additional asset purchases would likely be appropriate next year after the conclusion of the maturity extension program in order to achieve a substantial improvement in the labor market," the document said.
A new program would overlap with the "QE3" open-ended $40 billion a month asset purchase program announced in September.
Participants at the central bank's Federal Open Market Committee on October 23-24 discussed the impact of its longstanding near-zero interest rate policy and other measures aimed at helping the US recovery.
At the meeting, the FOMC stayed the course on policy, but the FOMC minutes revealed divisions over monetary policy, including concerns that low rates will unleash inflation and questions about the effectiveness of massive asset purchases, or quantitative easing.
Participants generally agreed that in determining the appropriate size, pace, and composition of further purchases, "they would need to carefully assess the efficacy of asset purchases in fostering stronger economic activity and consider the potential risks and costs of such purchases."
Participants were meanwhile undecided on whether the Fed should set explicit targets for unemployment and inflation to better indicate when it might raise interest rates. | <urn:uuid:90bb8ce4-ebb2-4d34-88cc-6272413a4785> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://au.finance.yahoo.com/news/fed-eyes-more-asset-purchases-090755979.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00002-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.94466 | 311 | 1.570313 | 2 |
Market 'has not changed university hierarchy', says report
Introducing tuition fees of up to £9,000 will not change the hierarchy of British universities because applicants generally pick an institution based on its prestige and history, a new study suggests.
Researchers at the University of Edinburgh say a university's perceived status has remained the overriding factor in student choice after analysing applicant and entry patterns between 1996 and 2010.
David Raffe and Linda Croxford, from Edinburgh's Centre for Educational Sociology, wanted to find out if efforts to introduce market-based competition between universities from 1998 - via the introduction of tuition fees - had affected student choice.
Advocates of tuition fees - which rose to £3,000 in 2003 - claimed they would force universities to work harder to improve teaching to justify the charge, thereby driving up standards in universities and providing competition to older, more established institutions.
But the researchers found tuition fees and market-based competition have not changed the pecking order of institutions in England and Scotland.
Students continued to prioritise older universities which traditionally have had more prestige and history, especially those in the Russell Group, over newer institutions in their selection decisions.
Those students with better grades favoured Russell Group universities, followed by other pre-1992 universities, specialist institutions and university colleges, and then post-92 universities, the study shows.
The "hierarchy" of universities was also evident when analysing students' social class, with Russell Group institutions taking more students from professional families than other types of universities.
In 2010, 60 per cent of Russell Group entrants were from professional backgrounds, compared with 49 per cent among other pre-1992 universities and 39 per cent among post-1992 institutions. That compared with 72, 63 and 49 per cent respectively in 1996.
Russell Group universities also took largely the same amount of children from independent schools in 2010 as they did in 1996 (29 per cent compared with 32 per cent).
This lack of fluctuation in student choice over the 14-year period shows universities do not compete directly on issues such as teaching quality but on "factors beyond their control", such their history and their past reputation, the report says.
"There's not a lot of evidence that student choices are strongly influenced by what the advocates of market-based reforms would want them to be influenced by: issues such as perceived teaching quality or value for money," said Professor Raffe.
"So the new fee changes seem unlikely to lead to the radical shake-up of the system - with universities competing on quality and relevance to the student - that might have been expected.
"Instead, we simply have this hierarchy, which seems self-perpetuating in lots of ways."
The study, which was presented to the British Educational Research Association's annual conference at the University of Manchester on 5 September, adds: "The 2012 reforms may provide a stronger test of the power of true markets to challenge institutional hierarchies, although they too will fall short of a pure market model.
"Institutional hierarchies are resistant to change, and it is unrealistic to expect any but the most powerful of interventions to have a radical impact." | <urn:uuid:a1351851-6b5a-4c7d-b100-c9feb01d65e9> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/421077.article | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00003-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.958471 | 638 | 1.554688 | 2 |
Despite a sagging economy that’s (literally) leaving more people out in the cold, New York City officials have ordered at least 22 churches to stop providing shelter for homeless people. As temperatures drop below freezing, more churches will be prone to open their doors for those on the streets, yet officials reminded these and other churches that they must be provide beds at least five days a week to be considered an official faith-based shelter. “We really don’t want people sleeping on the streets, on grates, on church steps. We want people sleeping in beds,’ said the Department of Homeless Services Commissioner Robert Hess, who added that the city has 8,000 beds waiting for bodies.A church in Pittsburgh, however, recently had to fight against county officials for its right to care for the homeless. This summer, a zoning officer for Brookville Borough in Jefferson County cited pastor Jack L. Wisor of First Apostles Doctrine Church for a code violation of “group housing” by allowing three homeless men to live in his church’s parsonage. The pastor was fined $500 in August, while the church was instructed to not house any more homeless individuals. As a reply, Wisor recruited—of all things—the American Liberties Civil Union to help him file a federal lawsuit and argue that sheltering those living on the street is fundamental to the church’s Just for Jesus Challenge Homeless Outreach ministry. The result? A day before the case’s hearing, the Brookville Borough council gave the church permission to house up to eight homeless individuals (along with two staff members). Currently the church and borough are meeting to discuss future plans with the homeless ministry. [wcbstv.com, 11/22/08; post-gazette.com, 11/24/08]
this month, the campus of the Cathedral at Chapel Hill, well known for
its neo-Gothic, 6,000-seat sanctuary, is one of the largest religious
facilities currently available in the United States, said Matt Messier,
a Florida broker and principal of CNL Real Estate Services of Orlando,
Fla., according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
recent years, membership at the Cathedral at Chapel Hill has declined
from 10,000 regular attendees to roughly 1,000 after a series of sexual
misconduct allegations against Paulk, 81. Current pastor D.E. Paulk,
who grew up believing Earl Paulk was his uncle but recently learned he
was his biological father, said the sale was triggered in part by the
church’s evolving mission to be inclusive of people of diverse
religions and sexual orientations.
we have become a ‘radically inclusive’ church our need for space has
lessened considerably. ... If we were to preach an exclusive message we
would need more space,” D.E. Paulk said. “The mission of the Cathedral
has not changed, only expanded to include all of God's
creation—Christian, Jew, Hindu, Buddhist, gay, straight, etc.”
Paulk, who also leads a group called the Pro-Love Organization, has
advocated for gay rights in recent years and is an associate of the
controversial preacher Carlton Pearson, who teaches that all people,
not just Christians, are saved. In an interview with Charisma magazine,
D.E. Paulk also alluded to universalism, saying the Cathedral does not
seek to convert but to “convince everyone of Christ’s love.”
believe that Christ was successful, not a failure,” D.E. Paulk said.
“Christ came to ‘reconcile the world to God,’ and we confess that
Christ succeeded and ‘finished’ this work. If Christ was successful
then the world was converted at Calvary. Salvation, then, becomes an
awakening to God's free gift—not a conversion.”
Paulk, wife of D.E. Paulk and a pastor at the Cathedral, said the
church property was valued at $31 million two years ago, but the price
was lowered because of the economic downturn. She told the Journal-Constitution
that the facilities were not being sold to pay legal expenses related
to civil actions involving Earl Paulk, who has been hounded by claims
of sexual misconduct since he was accused of committing adultery in
February, a judge dismissed the most recent action against Earl Paulk.
The lawsuit filed by Mona Brewer and her husband, Bobby, alleged that
Paulk coerced the woman into a 14-year affair. The couple and their
attorney were ordered to pay more than $1 million in legal fees. They
are appealing the decision.
Although Earl Paulk remains archbishop of the church, he is not active in its daily operations. [charismamag.com, 11/13/08] | <urn:uuid:6645a34e-1eef-401f-b29a-62cf4bbb5f3a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://ministrytodaymag.com/index.php/ministry-news?start=714 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706890813/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516122130-00016-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.967374 | 1,033 | 1.796875 | 2 |
The Himalayan nation of Bhutan is gearing up to host the two-day South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation annual summit of leaders beginning April 28. Officials in the small and remote country are billing the event as a "coming of age" watershed for Bhutan, which rarely finds itself in the international spotlight.
This sleepy capital in a Himalayan valley with an elevation of more than 2,300 meters high, is home to 100,000 Bhutanese who do not have much experience playing host to visiting dignitaries. A president or prime minister from a neighboring foreign country might drop in every few years, but never have seven heads of government come calling simultaneously.
The Secretary of the Information and Communications Ministry, Kinley Dorji, tells VOA News that makes the SAARC summit an unprecedented event in Bhutan's history.
"It's the biggest meeting we've held, we've ever held," he said. "And it will be the biggest for a long time because I don't see Bhutan being able to host any of the larger international gatherings."
During the quarter century of SAARC's existence, Bhutan repeatedly backed away from taking its turn as summit host, citing lack of infrastructure and inability to provide adequate security.
Visiting leaders will stay in a complex recently built to house Bhutan's Cabinet members.
Every hotel and guest house in Thimphu has been booked by delegation members and the more than 100 visiting foreign journalists.
That has shopkeepers in central Thimphu delighted.
Tenpa, who uses only one name, runs a small store selling traditional and modern garments, as well as a bit of jewelry.
The merchant says many visitors will surely drop in to his shop and he is expecting a bonanza of additional sales.
Not everyone is caught up in the whirlwind. For Buddhist nun Mindu Zangmo, walking back to her monastery from a hospital visit, it is all a bit confusing.
She says she has no idea what is SAARC but if all these important foreigners are coming, she figures, it must be good for Bhutan.
Many others seem to agree with that optimistic assessment. Hundreds of civil servants, students and recent graduates have volunteered and undergone training to become cooks, butlers and janitors to provide manpower at summit venues.
In addition to host Bhutan and the seven other SAARC countries - Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka - there will be a number of official observer delegations: Australia, China, the European Union, Iran, Japan, South Korea and the United States. | <urn:uuid:6bc1f1d2-d6b3-4455-a2d6-06a2d13ac695> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.voanews.com/content/anxious-himalayan-nation-prepares-for-an-unprecedented-hosting-of-dignitaries-92001804/116425.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00012-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.954815 | 530 | 1.773438 | 2 |
Move over Vinod Khosla, billionaire investor and philanthropist George Soros has his own billion dollars ready for clean power. This weekend Soros told a conference in Copenhagen that he plans to invest more than $1 billion of his own money into clean energy technology. His announcement is the latest move by a high profile investor who hasn’t commonly been connected to the cleantech space (it’s going mainstream!) and it offers another proof point that cleantech has emerged during the recession as one of the few sectors worth investing in.
Last month numbers from the Cleantech Group showed that clean technology, for the first time ever, had become the number 1 investment category in the U.S. in the third quarter of this year, moving ahead of biotech and IT investing. As TechCruch points out Vinod Khosla’s recent $1 billion raise (the majority of which will go to cleantech) made up the bulk of the funds raised for the entire venture capital industry. While these numbers say a lot about the venture investing industry in general (the numbers are still relatively low right now), cleantech is an area that has seen a massive amount of government funding (largely from the stimulus) and international attention. And there’s more supportive legislation in the works. This is an environment that investors clearly like.
Soros joins a list of other big wig celebrity investors that haven’t traditionally been connected to cleantech, including Warren Buffet, who invested in Chinese electric car maker BYD, and Richard Branson, with his Virgin Green Fund and $25 million carbon reduction contest. Of course former oil barren T. Boone Pickens got into the clean power and natural gas markets a while ago.
Soros has already made a couple investments in clean power, including clean coal company Powerspan, and cellulosic ethanol company Qteros. We can probably expect him to make more investments like those — later stage companies with large markets — as opposed to some of the early stage, high risk cleantech startups that Vinod Khosla and David Gelbaum have been looking for.
While Soros is a longtime philanthropist and policy advocate, he was clear that he’s looking at clean power from an investing standpoint. He told the conference in Copenhagen that “I will look for profitable opportunities, but I will also insist that the investments make a real contribution to solving the problem of climate change.” Soros also plans to open up a watchdog group called the Climate Policy Initiative, based in San Francisco, that will “protect the public interest against special interests.”
With any investor that plans to suddenly drop a whole lot of cash into the space, Soros will meet a steep learning curve. Here’s a tip: Study the previous investments of Vinod Khosla, who also invested his own money over the past several years and has seen mixed results.
Image courtesy of Flickr Creative Commons. | <urn:uuid:988c79a0-9de1-4e38-88ae-8546c8762c70> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://gigaom.com/2009/10/12/clean-energy-investing-goes-mainstream-soros-pledges-1-billion/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697380733/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516094300-00017-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.963308 | 606 | 1.578125 | 2 |
HONOLULU (AP) — Many resorts in Hawaii are hoping to edge away from coconut bras, tiki bars and other kitschy marketing inventions that aren't Hawaiian but that have come to symbolize a Hawaii vacation for tourists.
Economics is driving the movement, in part. Tourism leaders know Hawaii needs to highlight what makes the islands unique to compete with other sun-and-surf destinations like Florida, Mexico and Thailand.
But it's also the latest sign of a Native Hawaiian renaissance with more locals studying Hawaiian language, reviving traditional styles of hula and learning ancient skills like using stars to navigate the ocean.
The trend may help improve the dim view many Native Hawaiians have of tourism, the state's largest industry. A 2010 survey found nearly 60 percent don't believe it helps preserve their language and culture. | <urn:uuid:bd82be84-bf98-41f9-b767-26ff857c3cac> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.10tv.com/content/stories/apexchange/2012/09/07/us--authentic-hawaii.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00006-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.93391 | 169 | 1.726563 | 2 |
While the impact of sequestration on Lockheed Martin’s aeronautics plant could lead to hundreds of layoffs that hurt the area’s economy, recreation could also take a hit. Superintendents at Cobb’s two National Park Service sites, Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park and the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area, say they are bracing in case 5 percent across-the-board cuts are enacted.
Both Kennesaw Mountain Superintendent Nancy Walther and Chattahoochee River Superintendent Patty Wissinger say they will have to cut back on seasonal employees if President Barack Obama and Congress can’t reach a deal by Friday’s deadline and automatic sequestration cuts go through.
Walther said her park is prepared to cut $83,000, 5 percent of its $1.6 million annual budget. That could mean it won’t be able to hire most of the six or seven seasonal workers it typically adds. She said the park, which has 14 permanent full-time employees, is already short staffed for a 2,900-acre site that saw 1.9 million visits last year.
While the park will try to keep some of its seasonal maintenance workers, allowing the Visitor’s Center and restrooms to stay open, Walther said some of its part-time seasonal rangers might be cut. That could mean fewer ceremonial artillery demonstrations and visits from park rangers to schools, as well as fewer school field trips to the park.
The park would need to use volunteer groups like its nonprofit Trail Club to do some of the interpretive work, such as leading hikes, usually done by part-time paid rangers.
“We rely on them pretty heavily, so we’d have to rely on them even more,” Walther said.
The park might even eliminate its contract for cell phone tours, where visitors dial a phone number posted at signs around the park to learn more about the area, Walther said.
But Kennesaw Mountain should be able to avoid having to shut down any of its trails at this point, she said.
“It’s pretty hard to do that because there are so many access points,” she said.
Down on the Chattahoochee
But closing access points to trails is an option that is being considered over at Chattahoochee River, which has several of its 15 land units in Cobb. Wissinger said the park is looking at having to eliminate $166,000 from its $3.2 million budget, meaning three or four seasonal positions won’t be added.
“We already have a pretty bare-bones staff,” she said.
The park, which covers 48 miles of the river’s shore, typically increases its employment to 75 people in the summer, up from 35 in the off-season, Wissinger said. But this year, the number of seasonal maintenance workers could be cut back, which could lead to some of the park’s 20 restrooms and even some of the less popular park areas being closed.
That could cut off access to boat ramps and trail heads.
“People’s daily exercise routines may have to be altered,” Wissinger said.
She said her staff will do what it can to avoid doing that. Initially, they plan to cut out activities such as staff travel and training, as well as capping overtime pay.
“We would look internally to see if there’s anything we can do that will have no impact on the public,” Wissinger said.
Of the 3.3 million visits made to the park last year, about 900,000 used the river, Wissinger said.
“We’re really hopeful that Congress is going to avoid the cuts,” she said.
Other parks facing cuts
The Cobb parks are facing many of the same issues as national park sites across the country. A National Park Service internal memo obtained by The Associated Press compiles a list of cuts in services in parks from Cape Cod to Yosemite. It’s the result of an order by Park Service Director John Jarvis in January that asked superintendents to show how they will absorb the funding cuts.
Most of the park system’s $2.9 billion budget is for fixed costs such as salaries and utilities, so the $112 million in cuts would slash programs. Those on the block include invasive species eradication in Yosemite, student education at Gettysburg, and comfort stations on the Natchez Trace Parkway in Mississippi.
Superintendents said Chattahoochee River wouldn’t be able to raise its entry fee, currently $3 for a daily pass, while Kennesaw Mountain has no plans to start charging admission.
“Not right now,” Walther said. “It’s too hard with the economy the way it is.”
The Associated Press contributed to this story | <urn:uuid:32d6857c-af58-45da-99f8-f43428d1ea23> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://mdjonline.com/view/full_story/21802750/article-Local-national-parks-facing-sequester-cuts | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00019-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.962685 | 1,029 | 1.734375 | 2 |
New colleague Colin McEnroe got this comment from "Equality" on his Hartford Courant blog:
Yelling is excellent aerobic exercise. When done correctly you get a good exchange of air in your lungs. Eastern martial arts makes good use of this technique. So I guess this was really a public demonstration for good pleural health which, if we all joined in on, may alleviate the need for health reform.
I think Equality might be on to something here. Whether the yelling is an attempt at healthy release, or a blind inability to listen to others' points of view, it's pretty clear that screaming has become the hammer in building a case for, or against health care reform. Note these boisterous gatherings across the state - all on a Wednesday night:
Daniela Altimari of the Courant writes that the crowd of 500 at West Hartford Town Hall was pretty much with Congressman John Larson - although he did get asked to "tell the truth" by some. And, as photographer Mark Mirko captured (left), there was a fair amount of "in-your-face" from the citizenry.
Robert Koch reports in the Norwalk Hour that 100 people stood outside Norwalk High School, unable to get inside because of the fire code. Freshman Jim Himes addressed about 1,100 people inside the hall - an event which featured this kind of thoughtful debate, as reported by Koch:
Mary Russell, a nurse, said she knew a 12-year-old who had two working parents but no health insurance and died as a result.
"What do we do about uninsured children?" Russell asked.
The comment triggered a shout from another person, who said, "Don't have children!"
Ted Mann of the Day writes that there was heckling and cheering for 2nd District Rep. Joe Courtney at Montville High. The crowd of about 500 asked questions about "single-payer" systems, and their fears of the goverment abolishing Medicare in the wake of the new public option.
This last "fear" struck me - especially after our conversation Wednesday with "public option" architect Jacob Hacker. His plan not only preserves Medicare, but builds on it as the foundation for what he calls a "public plan choice" (The term "Public Option" is so August, 2009).
I guess we'll have to rely on the distance of radio to have conversations that don't rely on yelling. Hacker certainly had his detractors call into our show, but they were civil and clearly in search of answers - not just a pound of flesh. Public radio civility has moderated our many discussions of reform, from a history lesson on "socialized medicine," to an exploration of health care through the lens of the Massachusetts model, to our own "town halls" with Congressional delegates like John Larson.
So, I guess our listeners are polite and like to...well, listen.
Meanwhile, this link from Facebook friend Shawn Lang: The Kaiser Family Foundation provides a side-by-side health care comparison of the various proposals. Illuminating, informative and helpful stuff...if you feel like shouting, or calmly discussing your opinions with a friend. | <urn:uuid:08a1f5fe-8793-47b6-b245-74ab6fc1089c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.cpbn.org/article/yelling-and-screaming?mini=calendar/2012/09/all | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00014-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.968348 | 645 | 1.554688 | 2 |
LITTLE ROCK DEAR REV. GRAHAM: I know some people feel that they needGod, but what about people like me who don’t feel any deep need for forgiveness, or for God to tell me what to do, or things like that? I get along just fi ne without God, and so do mostof my friends.
DEAR Z.S.: When I read your letter I couldn’t help but think of a friend of mine who was active and thought he was in great health. But later - when it was too late - he discovered that a deadly cancer had been growing in his body.
And this is what concerns me about you and your friends, because even if you don’t believe it right now, some day you’ll discover that you too have a deadly disease within you - a spiritual disease called sin. Sometimes its effects are very obvious, but sometimes its impact is hidden, and we deceive ourselves into thinking we don’t need to worry about it. But we do.
Why do you need God? One reason is because apart from Him you are on the wrong road in life - although for a time it may seem to you like the right one. The Bible even says that sin may have its pleasures “for a short time” (Hebrews 11:25). But where will you turn when sickness or heartache or old age come? What hope will you have when you face death? The Bible warns, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death” (Proverbs 16:25).
God made you, and He loves you - and life’s greatest joy comes from knowing Him. Don’t be deceived, but turn to Jesus Christ and discover the joy of His forgiveness and new life.
Write to Billy Graham in care of Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, 1 Billy Graham Parkway, Charlotte, N.C. 28201 or visit the website at billygraham.org
Weekend, Pages 32 on 12/06/2012
Print Headline: ON CHRISTIANITY | <urn:uuid:3a61c746-bdcb-43dd-88de-d6b73fdd1b8d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2012/dec/06/christianity-20121206/?f=entertainment | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00004-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.964157 | 440 | 1.554688 | 2 |
One Arkansas couple has met the challenges of marriage and in November will celebrate 76 years together.
They had a lot going for them, for better or worse.
They needed to hold on to the better because the worst was all around them.
It was 1936, the country was in the Great Depression and World War Two was on its way.
But two kids growing up in the Natural State were in love and that's all that mattered then. That's also all that matters today.
Woodrow and Mary Butler are our inspiration.
In Depression-era Arkansas, life was tough and jobs were scarce. The state celebrated it's 100th birthday.
A good way to get away from it all, was to take in a ballgame at Ray Winder Field when it was just five years old.
Wesley and Carrie Dell Campbell welcomed their youngest son Glenn into the world on the family's Pike County farm.
A kid by the name of Woodrow Butler called on a girl named Mary, living on her family's farm.
"He was a real monkey, had everyone laughing. He was a jokester," Mary Butler recalls of her husband Woodrow.
Do you still see the spark in her eye?, we ask Woodrow, who replies "Yeah but the fire's gone out through laughs."
"Kept us all laughing and fun to be with. You got to love him a whole lot to live with him for 75 years," says Mary.
They have been side by side for 75 years.
He worked at a sawmill making shingles. Her dad was a tough-as-nails farmer, and this farmer's daughter was well protected.
"Well, I had to walk a tight rope or her dad would beat me up," Woodrow remembers.
But he had a job, worked hard and had his own car, a Model A. It was used, with a memorable quality.
"If you went through a mudhole, sometimes you'd get wet. It come up to your feet, I remember that about it," says Woodrow.
They were having so much fun together.
Remember the first time he tried to kiss you?, we ask Mary, who replies "No, I don't," then asks Woodrow, "You remember the first time you tried to kiss me?" Woodrow responds, "No, not exactly."
Theirs was a natural fit, so they thought, why not be together as man and wife?
"We just decided we wanted to be together. We got married," says Mary.
And they stayed married. He went into the service station business. She turned a house into a home, and they worked together at staying together.
"If you get in it, you stay in it. Even if you don't want to, but I wanted to," he says. "If you love the girl, you are going with and your figuring on her being your wife, why you just keep it on track and go on the whole way."
"We've had a lot of great times. You got to communicate. That's the main thing about a marriage is communications. You get to where you can't talk to each other about things, it gets bad. You need to discuss it, get it out in the open before night," she says.
"Trusted each other." "Be able to give and take. Let God be the center of it," they say.
When we ask Woodrow, "Where are you going to take her for her 76th anniversary?," he says "I don't know. I didn't know I'd live this long."
The secret to being together it seems, is no secret.
"Tell them you love them," says Mary.
And what keeps them going now after 75 years?
"I guess it's to help him keep going right now, helping each other. We have to. He helps me doing things that I can't do and I help him. We work together," says Mary.
"You have to give over 50-percent each day, make it go," Woodrow says. | <urn:uuid:39759291-7c4a-43db-8c67-a691b2745165> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://arkansasmatters.com/dr-david-fulltext?nxd_id=573552 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00006-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.992263 | 848 | 1.828125 | 2 |
Jose Ignacio Irigoyen
Impact metric35% increase in jobs since engagement
“I saw an opportunity to democratize Mexican cinema and spread the magic of movies.”
- Year selected
- Roberto Quintero
Roberto and José are turning the silver screen into gold in small Mexican cities. Their company, Cinemagic, builds and manages high-tech, modern movie complexes in cities with populations of 50,000-150,000. Utilizing their industry experience, Roberto and Jose realized that the small city demographic of the Mexican population went to the movies significantly less than their urban counterparts, mostly due to pricing and lack of access. In fact, more than 200 small cities in Mexico do not have a single movie theater. The pair seeks to “democratize” the movie-going experience and bring affordable entertainment to all.
With this niche focus, the entrepreneurs are well-positioned to take advantage of a gap in the domestic movie market valued at US$575 million. Recognized by CNN’s Expansion magazine among Mexico’s top ten entrepreneurs of 2010, Roberto and Jose are out to change statistics by opening many new theaters and becoming a top movie chain in small cities.
Like most ventures, Cinemagic started small. Roberto initially opened two entirely self-funded theater complexes in the coastal state of Veracruz in 2000. Roberto eventually began to test more aggressive expansion models, and after Jose joined the company the number of complexes grew from 3 to 7. All facilities are sleek and modern, designed to enhance the viewers’ movie-going experience. Theaters offer stadium seating, digital sound, and new releases – at ticket prices 20-30% lower than theaters in major cities.
These natural born entrepreneurs have taken full advantage of their toe-hold in the market. Cinemagic is on pace to become the leading movie chain in small Mexican cities.
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Endeavor transforms the economies of emerging markets by identifying and supporting high-impact entrepreneursI want to get involved | <urn:uuid:4eea0707-d6ac-46cd-b6a9-da7e137ba17e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.endeavor.org/entrepreneurs/jose-ignacio-irigoyen/442 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00012-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.938233 | 425 | 1.554688 | 2 |
Many Christians, conservatives, Republicans, libertarians, constitutionalists, patriotic independents and other traditionalists are grappling mightily with how to vote in the upcoming election.
Some regard George W. Bush and John F. Kerry as equally unacceptable choices. They see the two major political parties as so close – “not a dime’s worth of difference” as George Wallace used to say – as to make a third-party choice the only valid one. After all, they say, “Voting for the lesser of two evils is still choosing evil.”
Others plead that the “lesser of two evils” is also by definition the greater good, and that no matter what the mistakes and imperfections of George W. Bush and his administration, it’s light years better than the wholesale betrayal America would experience during a Kerry administration.
But many conscience-driven, traditionally minded Americans are conflicted over this choice. They’re fearful that the Republican Party in its current state is incapable of restoring America to its long-abandoned constitutional framework, but also worried that voting for a third-party candidate more to their liking would hand the presidency, and America’s future, over to Kerry. Let’s take a closer look.
Right now, the world’s only superpower is engaged in not one, but two wars – each of them to the death – though most Americans appear oblivious to both.
One is a war against an external enemy, while the other rages within our own borders and among our own people.
The outside war is with radical Islam. Yes, it’s a clash of civilizations. Yes, the militant strain of Islam metastasizing around the world today is an evil, murderous, mind-control cult – the successor to communism as the latest totalitarian movement bent on world domination. And yes, this isn’t a result of the Iraq war. Remember, demon-possessed jihadists gleefully flew jumbo jets full of innocent people into large buildings filled with many more innocent people, dooming thousands to a fiery death, long before we invaded Iraq.
In any event, the dream that we can just go home, get out of the Middle East, is a fantasy. We were attacked on our own soil. We have no choice but to take the battle to the enemy. We must be strong and resolute – from now on, and forever after. One al-Qaida leader said recently that they must kill 4 million Americans “as a prerequisite to any Islamic victory.”
OK, what’s the second war? America’s new civil war, ultimately even more dangerous than the war on terror, is a death-struggle over the very soul and identity of the country. On one side of the battlefield are arrayed those who hold sacred everything upon which America’s greatness and prosperity were founded. On the other side are those who reject thousands of years of proven Judeo-Christian principles. They seek to expunge every vestige of God from American law and culture, while laboring to re-define man, marriage and morality to reflect their own selfish fantasies and addictions, their desire for power, and their alien worldview.
Think I’m exaggerating?
Tiny case in point: Do you remember, immediately after the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks, when our nation was wracked in profound shock and grief, when tears and heartache and memorials bloomed on every corner? Well, Breen Elementary School in Rocklin, Calif., joined in, displaying on its marquee a simple, heart-felt message of comfort – “God Bless America” – in honor of the 3,000 Americans consumed in the jihadists’ orgy of destruction.
The American Civil Liberty Union’s response? It threatened legal action, demanding that the sign “must be replaced immediately,” calling it a “clear violation of the California and United States constitutions, as well as the California Education Code.”
That’s one example. You know and I know this column could be filled to overflowing with similar examples of people and organizations operating under the banner of American freedom, doing their utmost to destroy that very freedom.
No doubt about it, America is plagued by an “enemy within” as well as the jihadist “enemy without.”
So, what kind of people do we have in America these days to fight these wars?
About half of the country’s voters are so profoundly confused and/or corrupted that they voted for Bill Clinton, voted for Al Gore, and will vote for John Kerry – all three of whom are pathological liars.
Thanks to the powerful Matrix-like conditioning of the modern media culture in which we all grow up – it’s the “water” we “fish” swim in – tens of millions of Americans are living in a trance state of some sort. That is, they see evil and think it’s good; they see good and think it’s evil.
They listen to a good leader and cynically conclude he’s either stupid, insincere or dangerous. This, by the way, is precisely how the establishment press regarded Ronald Reagan while he was president.
On the other hand, these types hear a politician or minister who is obviously insincere, smarmy and illogical, and to him they give their allegiance. You see, such a “leader” is just like they are on the inside. The clueless followers live in denial, they are “enemies” of their own conscience, and such a clueless “leader” supports their unconscious rebellion against reality. Any truly honest and righteous leader, on the other hand, makes them uncomfortable, as he represents on the outside the conscience they are escaping from on the inside.
And so, the forces of corruption in America – in both leadership and constituency – are very powerful today. In fact, they dominate the cultural and policy landscape.
Chief among the “hypnotists” of our culture is the press, the filter through which most people experience world events, as well as the entertainment media, through which they experience culture. Both of these – with occasional exceptions on the news side in the Internet, talk radio and some cable TV, and on the entertainment side with figures like Mel Gibson – are profoundly at odds with everything America stands for.
Therefore, our very sense of reality is skewed. We live in a virtual-reality Matrix created by our “communications” media, which don’t actually communicate reality accurately, but rather re-create their own reality, apart from the real one. If issues like abortion and the “gay-rights” agenda were reported accurately, fully and courageously, those issues would long ago have been history – just like slavery.
The entertainment media? Between the government school system and Hollywood, millions of America’s youths have been shaped into pathetic shadows of the noble, beautiful young men and women they were meant to be.
Thus, the news and entertainment media are the primary corrupters of American civilization, and the hottest spots in Hell are, in my humblest opinion, reserved for them.
How can America survive all this? And what will it take to bring America back?
Many thought 9-11 had done the trick. There was a temporary resurgence of patriotism and love of country. But then, even the worst scoundrels can be united by a common enemy. It didn’t last – America doesn’t even know it’s at war anymore. Many have become so corrupted that they’re permanently on the wrong side.
While the great “unwashed masses” float along, caught up with their sports, entertainment, sex, drugs, Internet pornography and many other distractions, there are forces on the good side fighting for the restoration of America’s soul.
The entire homeschooling movement is raising a generation that remembers America’s historical and spiritual roots. Traditionally oriented religious, cultural and policy organizations are championing the Judeo-Christian values that literally form the substance of Western Civilization. Public-interest law firms fight the good fight against the nation’s activist judges and anti-God interest groups. Pro-life individuals and organizations open their homes to unwed mothers needing a place to go. Millions of adults and youths in the Boy Scouts of America pursue the high ideals of yesteryear’s national greatness.
Want to know how America’s cultural war will really be won? I’ll give you my answer right now: If, guided by the Living God of wisdom, you fight for what is right, no matter what – you’ll win your soul and those of your family. And if everyone and everything else goes to Hell and the battle is lost, you still will have won. But if enough of these battles are fought valiantly, the country as a whole will be transformed – just as it has been transformed by evil not all at once, but little by little by little.
You can have the real America in your home. You can post the Ten Commandments. You can pray in your home school. You can pledge allegiance “Under God.” That’s where it all started, in the “home churches” of England, whose members later traveled to Holland and ultimately to “the new world” – America – for freedom. And that is how freedom will be reborn.
Freedom is not, as most today believe, the liberty to do anything you want, no matter how immoral or destructive. True freedom is the privilege of being obedient to God, so you can be saved from the tyranny of Hell. (“Those who will not be governed by God, will be ruled by tyrants,” said William Penn.) Man is by his very nature obedient – either to Heaven or Hell. And so the “freedom” being worshiped today – even the freedom enshrined by Libertarians – is a lie. You can never worship liberty instead of God and remain free.
Thus, freedom is not a top-down thing. Your president can’t give it to you. You have to recognize the divine paradox that freedom means obedience (to God), while today’s re-defined “freedom” to go to Hell any way you like, is also obedience – to the unseen forces of darkness. In other words, slavery.
“OK, that’s all fine,” you say, “but what about the president and the election? How come it’s taking so long to get to that?”
Hang on, I’m getting there.
We first need to realize fully that millions of Americans are incapable of discerning truth from falsehood. They watch Bill Clinton talk and are hypnotized by his charm and charisma, and they like him – and forget everything he did for eight years to destroy their country.
Did you know that, for the last generation, virtually all marketing and advertising have been based on stimulating feelings and emotions, rather than appealing to reason and logic? We’ve been conditioned to respond primarily emotionally to everything. Thus, Bill Clinton could wreak havoc on America for eight years, destroy our intelligence apparatus, undermine the FBI’s mission, give secret weapons technology to Communist China in return for campaign cash, set the stage for 9-11, then loot the White House on the way out the door – and still be loved by millions of Americans. Hillary could still be elected to represent in the United States Senate a state she’s not even from. Bill could emerge as an absurdly popular – nay, worshipped – ex-president.
Like Clinton, John Kerry is a sociopath – that is, instead of his words and deeds orbiting around conscience, which in turn revolves around God, they revolve instead around personal ambition. Kerry is a liar, pure and simple. He says whatever he and his advisers calculate will make the largest number of people in any particular audience like him and want to vote for him. His past is full of flagrant contractions and flip-flops on crucial issues. But all this means nothing to many Americans.
You see, the past makes no difference – lies, contradictions, treachery, even criminality. Too many Americans have no memory for these things. All that counts is the way they connect emotionally to what they are exposed to in the present – it’s all about how someone can make you feel. Thus does a charismatic liar win many hearts.
The Democrat Party is the party of throwing away thousands of years of Western Civilization, of throwing away the Ten Commandments, of throwing away traditional morality. It is the party of man being his own God.
So what about the Republican Party?
Well, if you go by their platform, there is a dramatic difference between the Republican and Democrat parties. But using the more reality-based standard – not of what people say, but of what they do – it becomes immediately evident that the Republicans also have been profoundly compromised. If the Democrat Party is totally possessed by evil, then you might say the Republican Party is half possessed by evil, and half still good.
But before we divorce ourselves from the Republicans, take a moment to realize that your own churches – yes, I’m talking about the big, mainstream Protestant denominations, as well as the Catholic Church – have also become just as “half possessed by evil” as the Republican Party. If that statement shocks you – good, it’s about time you woke up. Episcopal ordination of homosexual priests, the archbishop of Canterbury (head of the Anglican Church) praising a new Bible that encourages fornication and homosexuality, the Presbyterian Church USA divesting from Israel as though it were a terrorist pariah state, the clergy sex scandal that has rocked the Catholic Church to the highest levels – these are in many ways more grotesque and profane desecrations of founding principles than those of today’s Republican Party.
If you disavow the Republican Party, just make sure you’re holding your church to the same standard.
Moving on. Very simply, while you’re fighting the real fight for America – the bottom-up fight I talked about – in your family, in your child’s education, with your cultural choices, with what you support and don’t support – at the same time, do the sensible thing at election time. Although the real America can be restored only from the ground up, when it comes to electing representatives to public office, it doesn’t make sense to vote for someone who’s not in the race.
The race is not between those whose names appear on the ballot, but rather is between those who actually have any chance of winning. Nobody reading these words can reasonably believe that anybody other than George W. Bush or John F. Kerry will be president next January. And we, you and me, have the power to decide which of these two will be the “father of our country” for the next four years.
Father of our country?
A lot could be said about how Kerry would dramatically accelerate America’s loss of national sovereignty in favor of global governance, how he would stack the federal and supreme courts with liberal activist judges, consolidate homosexual marriage into the mainstream, further entrench abortion on demand, betray America’s military and much more bad stuff. Without doubt, as president, Kerry would advance the cause of evil and ultimately multiply the suffering and death of innocents.
But beyond his role as chief executive and commander in chief, the president is also, in effect, the father of our country while he is in office. This is more of a spiritual role. The father of a family, including our national family, is like the sun in the sky. It quietly radiates 24×7, and invisibly, imperceptibly, shapes life on this planet. The outpouring of love for Ronald Reagan the nation experienced during his funeral week was a testimony to the powerful role every president of the United States has as a sort of father, a role entrusted to him for a period of time.
As Rev. Jesse Peterson, founder of the Brotherhood Organization of a New Destiny, put it: “Ronald Wilson Reagan was America’s dad. America and the world owe a debt of gratitude to this man.” Reagan’s outlook, his disposition, his faith – they affected America just as much as his policy initiatives and political leadership.
Bill Clinton was a bad dad. He led a generation of 12-, 13-, 14-year-old young people into an obsession with sexual experimentation. “If it was good enough for the president of the United States and Monica Lewinsky, it’s good enough for me” was a message that resonated powerfully in the vulnerable souls of millions of America’s precious youths. He corrupted a generation. But not through any executive order he issued or legislation he championed, just through being what he was and doing what he did – as president.
Even though I prefer the platform – just words, ultimately, as all platforms are – of the Constitution Party, I’m supporting George W. Bush for president because I believe that by re-electing him America is more likely to be free in 2008 and 2012 – or at least free enough for there still to be a fighting chance to restore America to a moral, constitutional, Judeo-Christian framework. Otherwise, by the time the Libertarian or Constitution or other party is strong enough to win in four, eight or 12 years – if they ever are – there will be nothing left of our country. It will be too late.
Chuck Colson, once at the right hand of the highest power in the land – and who later, while serving his Watergate prison sentence, discovered One much more powerful, and has served Him ever since – had this to say recently on the subject of voting for the “lesser of two evils”:
So why don’t Christians vote? Father Frank Pavone, co-founder of Priests for Life, answers that some religious leaders are telling people not to vote! He explains, “Some Christians feel it is more righteous not to vote when the slate of candidates isn’t that great. They feel compromised, dirty, or even sinful by casting a ballot for someone with whom they disagree.”
Pavone continues, “When you are faced with two candidates, neither of whom is perfect … but one of whom is clearly closer in his or her convictions to the Gospel than any other, it is perfectly legitimate to vote for the better one.” Government is God’s ordained instrument for restraining evil and sin. If one would do a better job, we’re bound to vote for that person.
But isn’t that a vote for “the lesser of two evils”? No. Pavone replies, “One is choosing a good – [that is] the reduction … of an existing evil.” What some would call a vote for “the lesser of two evils” is really a vote to lessen evil.
One of the most clear-cut examples is abortion. In numerous races, one candidate wants to maintain unrestricted access to abortion while the other is pro-abortion, but wants some restrictions. I prefer, of course, a pro-lifer with no reservations. But a vote for the candidate advocating restrictions is a vote for less evil.
Yet if there is no candidate who promises to eliminate all abortions immediately – a position not likely to pass in Congress anyhow – some voters stay home on Election Day. The result? A candidate who could have moved the issue in the right direction loses by default, and the out-and-out pro-choicer wins – not good.
Father Pavone calls the vote “a practical exercise in leadership, by which we do our part to put people into office who can make some improvement in our country’s policies … [n]obody is morally bound to what is impossible, and it is perfectly legitimate to recognize the limits of what is possible.”
No candidate is perfect. Even if the vote in some states seems to be for the lesser of two evils, cast your vote to bring about less evil. Our concern should be to make our community and our nation more moral than it is. And we do that by electing candidates who, as God’s magistrates, reduce evil.
A vote that helps reduce evil may not be perfect, but it is a good vote.
Ultimately, how you vote will hinge on your reading of the character of two men.
Christians, conservatives, Republicans, libertarians, constitutionalists, patriotic independents and other traditionalists: When you look at George W. Bush today and are dissatisfied – dissatisfied that he raised the federal budget sky-high, that he granted de facto amnesty to millions of illegal aliens, that he doesn’t always follow the Constitution, that he invaded Iraq, that he hasn’t done enough to fight abortion and gay rights, that whatever …
What conclusion do you draw?
One conclusion is that Bush is a globalist, money-grubbing elitist Bonesman conspirator, or at best a clueless, sold-out puppet.
Another interpretation at the opposite end is that Bush is a general at war – a general who knows more than you do, who sees the lay of the land, who comprehends the odds, who knows what troops he’s got, and determines which battles he can and must win and which ones he has to concede, at least temporarily – even if it looks bad to his supporters.
And where does the truth lie? What is the belief that will guide your vote on Election Day?
For me, despite whatever real or perceived flaws he has, I will vote for George W. Bush, a man who believes in freedom, stands for decent principles, has guts, trusts in God – the real one – and prays to that God. I’ll vote for Bush over another Bill Clinton, another unprincipled opportunist for whom nothing is sacred other than himself and his personal glory, who would betray America as easily as breathing.
Yes, Kerry would betray the unborn, betray our youth, betray both the haves and the have-nots, betray us all. With inspiring rhetoric and fanfare, he would unravel what remains of our national sovereignty, leading us down the road to servitude, poverty and insecurity in a thousand smothering ways – all the while piously thinking he was ushering in a new era of peace. | <urn:uuid:954889a7-63f5-448e-8378-fc2329736b81> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.wnd.com/2004/08/25885/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706890813/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516122130-00006-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.959923 | 4,708 | 1.515625 | 2 |
I've been playing with flow cytometry and some J774 cells for a while but am a little confused by the FSC v SSC plots I'm seeing. I would really appreaciate it if anyone who uses these cells for flow can give me some advice!
I have experience growing and doing cytotoxicity and various other assays with J774 cells and I realise that they are extreamly sticky and grow like made! To reduce their grown I have reduced the FBS to 5%, and to unstick them I have found the best way is to pipette (w/p1000) and re-use the flasks for <10 passages as they seem to detach better when their home 'isn't new', as such
I have run them on the flow cytometer with PBS, with PBS+BSA, with media; after scrapping, after pipetting, after using Sigma cell uptake solution; after fixing and live .... regardless I always seem to get 2 populations of cells (see attachment), one that I have called 'P1' (red), and then the other stuff which looks like debris.
I guess my cells are 'P1', but is it normal for them to be so big ? (my FSC voltage is 4, and the max. is 1000!!), and I only just fit them onto the plot. And why so much debris ? Is this normal for J774s ? I realise I can set my FSC threshold higher (for example 1000 rather than 200) and then this would "remove" my debris, albeit only visually, but is it normal ?
Any advice would be greatly appreciated !!
Eskerrik asko, Moo | <urn:uuid:207b9b9d-cc6f-431c-85e2-cb9bca6e5a13> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.protocol-online.org/forums/topic/25560-j774-and-flow-cytometryare-they-really-big-cells/?forceDownload=1&_k=880ea6a14ea49e853634fbdc5015a024 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00005-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.974346 | 343 | 1.789063 | 2 |
The Malaysian-registered tanker Zafirah was exactly the kind of ship pirates love.
Slow, unguarded and steaming in the waters off Con Son Island near Vietnam as it labored under its cargo of 320 tons of marine gas oil (MGO), its low freeboard -- the distance between its deck and the water -- offered an open target.
Most likely operating from a creaky pursuit skiff with an over-powered engine, 11 pirates armed with machetes, long knives and pistols easily boarded the tanker on November 20 last year.
The nine crew of the Zafirah -- five Myanmar nationals and four Indonesians -- were forced into two life rafts, lowered into the water and left to their fate.
Next the pirates worked feverishly to change the identity of the vessel. The ship's name was painted over on the stern and changed to MT Seahorse and the IMO (International Maritime Organization) number assigned to the hull altered.
With a new identity, the Sarawak-bound tanker changed direction; steaming towards what was likely a ready buyer for the tanker and its cargo.
Fortunately for the owners and crew of the Zafirah, good regional cooperation and information sharing led to the rescue of the crew and, after a 50-minute stand off with Vietnam's Marine Police, the recovery of the vessel and the arrest of the pirates.
While piracy in Somalia in the waters off the Horn of Africa may have grabbed the headlines over the past few years, shipping industry experts say piracy is moving back to its former heartland in South East Asia.
And, as fuel becomes one of shipping's biggest expenses, pirates are targeting valuable cargoes of highly saleable and easily transferred MGO - in some cases operating on the high seas as floating pumps for below-cost stolen bunker oil that is transferred from ship to ship.
"The statistics would seem to suggest it's on the rise in Asia," said an industry source from a Hong Kong-based ship management company who did not want to be named. "It's now very dangerous for slow vessels with low freeboards to pass through piracy areas. | <urn:uuid:30540f40-767c-4994-b3ee-983f042a9f03> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.wptz.com/news/national/Asia-s-sea-pirates-target-marine-fuel-treasure/-/8869978/18462436/-/11cya59/-/index.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00002-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.970785 | 437 | 1.8125 | 2 |
Launched February 13, 2012
One year after the revolution that ended President Ben Ali's 23 years of suffocating rule, Tunisia is in the thick of the painful process of transitioning toward democracy. Protests and strikes have become the norm in this country where the official unemployment rate has shot up from 13 percent to 20 percent in a year.
Historically a secular nation, post-revolution Tunisia has exhibited a steady re-embracing of religion. This trend was cemented in the first democratic elections in the fall of 2011 when the Islamic Ennahda party won over 40 percent seats, making secular “modernists” fear that the liberties they fought for a year ago are now under threat.
As the pioneer of the Arab Spring, Tunisia is locked under a microscope. The world is waiting to see if this nation that sits at the crossroads of Europe, Africa and the Middle East can set a democratic example of coexistence and progress for the rest of the region. | <urn:uuid:47e7ca7a-c79b-4a07-9b66-bfca566ec24e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://pulitzercenter.org/projects/tunisia-revolution-democracy-unemployment-economy-strikes-conservatism-islam-constitution-arab-spring | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00010-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.951157 | 198 | 1.820313 | 2 |
Comrades of Australian soldier David Pearce carry his casket during a "Ramp Ceremony" at their base in Afghanistan's Uruzgan province in this handout dated October 10, 2007.
Australian Defense Force Chief David Hurley says that an Australian special forces soldier has been killed in Afghanistan.
The 40-year-old, a member of the Special Air Service Regiment, was shot in the chest on Monday while on a mission, Hurley said on Tuesday, AFP reported.
Since the US-led war began in October 2001, 33 Australian servicepersons have lost their lives in Afghanistan.
Prime Minister Julia Gillard called the soldier’s death a "dreadful blow" for Australia.
"I know Australians today will stop, will pause, will reflect, and will mark with respect the loss of this brave soldier and will honor his service and his sacrifice," she stated.
The increasing number of military casualties in Afghanistan has caused widespread anger in the US and other NATO member states, undermining public support for the Afghan war.
According to the website icasualties.org
, a total of 224 foreign troops, mostly US personnel, have lost their lives in Afghanistan so far this year.
A total of 566 US-led forces died in Afghanistan in 2011. However, 2010 remains the deadliest year for foreign military casualties, with a death toll of 711.
Insecurity continues to rise across Afghanistan, despite the presence of about 130,000 US-led forces in the country. | <urn:uuid:15dafdad-36ca-4bdd-be32-0f908d0e9363> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://presstv.com/detail/2012/07/03/249076/australian-sas-killed-in-afghanistan/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00009-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.963288 | 311 | 1.59375 | 2 |
While Democrats dismiss vote fraud as a collective Republican hallucination, a study released Tuesday by the Pew Center for the States confirms the GOP’s concerns. The ghosts in America’s voting machines may be the least of our worries.
Pew has discovered that 1.8 million dead Americans are registered to vote. Perhaps worse, 2.75 million Americans are enrolled in two states each, while 68,725 are signed up in three. Indeed, Pew found, “24 million — one of every eight — active voter registrations in the United States are no longer valid or are significantly inaccurate.”
Keep reading this post . . .
Copyright © 2013 BernardGoldberg.com | <urn:uuid:b1fe1dc7-fcf7-4496-98ca-af1c988df0c7> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.bernardgoldberg.com/the-ghosts-of-voters-past/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00008-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.942666 | 140 | 1.664063 | 2 |
As a hiring manager for my own company today and for a few high-tech companies in the past, I've seen my share of crowd-standing applause-generating performances, agonizing wipeouts, and unintended mental head plants. I've done many myself.
Luckily for those of you looking for behavioral examples of job interview skills and anti-skills, many of the best have been re-enacted in film.
Here's an edu-taining exercise Look at video clips of well-known job interview scenes from movies and try to match up what well-known interview Do's and Don't the video illustrates. Here's five goodies I came up with.
1.) Don't start strong and end weak in answering questions.
When answering a question, start with confidence and supporting detail. Sustain and end with that same confidence and level of supporting detail. Even before you speak, you should know the beginning and ending of your answer. Here's the video evidence:
Analysis: The scene comes from 1989's "Say Anything," and it shows "noble underacheiver" Lloyd Dobler answering an "interview question" courtesy of his girlfriend's father. Actor John Cusack begins, "I don't want to sell anything, buy anything ... " and displays absolute recondite wisdom. The eyes of his listeners widen around the table, just as they would if you delivered a strong opening answer at an interview. It starts to soar. However, the disparity between his initial lofty philosophical musings against his prosaic punch line ending (kickboxing?) gives a fabulously humorous "dead cat bounce" effect.
Remember this in your next job interview: Disparities in the strength and confidence of your beginnings and endings will have the same effect.
2.) Don't prematurely discuss job benefits and perks.
This scene from 2006's "You, Me and Dupree" says it all.
3.) Don't be afraid to negotiate early if your talent/salary ratio is extremely high.
Warning: The talent and preparation required to execute this move successfully compares with snowboarding alongside Sean White.
With this high-risk strategy, your evaluation of your capabilities, as well as your own ability to match those abilities to your prospective employers, had better be spot-on. Dustin Hoffman brings it here in 1979's "Kramer vs. Kramer." It's true there's a certain "forced-choice" efficiency to this approach that may appeal to a savvy employer (especially one whose staff is on overload, to the point it compromises new account wins and/or customer retention). Even so, with today's current job supply-and-demand ratio, this one isn't recommended at this time in most cases. (It's still a wicked watch, though.)
4.) Target a high-growth technology area to increase your chances.
This scene from 1967's "The Graduate" now is, of course, deliciously retro, but the point still stands. Are you applying for jobs with companies in the early part of their technology adoption cycle, where they are growing in double digits per year? Does the company have a supreme technical advantage in its core technology competence? Looking at the last scene in this clip, all you need to modernize it is change "the one word" to one of these candidates: cloud-computing, the semantic Web, machine learning, or social media.
It follows a simple rule: More growth begats more hiring. Don't forget these opportunities are not just for engineers. Sales folks and accountants are needed in the high-tech juggernauts too.
5.) Do think about the ramifications of any job you take.
OK, this one's a stretch, but it delivers a high reward, so it's worth it. This isn't so much about getting the job, as some considerations before you accept a job.
Matt Damon's eloquent soliloquy in 1997's "Good Will Hunting" is especially useful to those new to the job market. Just so its clear: Damon's limb-by-limb deconstruction of his interviewer's organization, however brilliant it is, obviously is inappropriate. But that's not my point.
In doing this, Damon captures a useful thought process every job candidate should go through before accepting any position. Today, every industry has a cradle-to-grave lifecycle, where it's product touches other countries, other people's lives, and the environment. Maybe, as Damon describes in this scene, the company's operations affect a close buddy of yours.
Visualizing the path of a company's product from its initial design to it reaching people's hands helps you understand what role you would play in a larger world context. Yes, most interviewee's situations are not so heavy as Damon's, but the scene provides an awesome reminder that you too are doing some interviewing.
Do you have any movie scenes you can match to an important job interview point? Bring it on in the comments! (Warning: This exercise can be addictive!)
(Thanks to my buddies, Dave Alecock and Diane Court, for inspiring this post.) | <urn:uuid:007783bf-8435-47c4-8de6-0c669ff3699f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.talentzoo.com/digital-pivot/blog_news.php?articleID=8177 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00014-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.953537 | 1,044 | 1.726563 | 2 |
UNIVERSITY AMBLER WINS BEST OF SHOW AT THE
University Ambler Landscape Architecture and Horticulture students and
Landscape Arboretum of Temple University Ambler volunteers won Best of
Show in the Academic Educational category at the 2005 Philadelphia Flower
Show for their detailed presentation, “Progressive Women in
Horticulture: A Driving Force in Philadelphia — 1904 to 1924.” The
exhibit earned a perfect score of 100 from the judges.
This marks the fourth straight year that the Ambler campus has garnered a major exhibitor award at the Flower Show. The exhibit was additionally honored with a Special Achievement Award in Horticulture from the Garden Club Federation of Pennsylvania.
“To win Best of Show, to earn this distinction at an internationally recognized exhibition, it’s immensely gratifying for the students and volunteers who have put so much into this project for the past several months,” said Dr. Lolly Tai, Chair of the Department of Landscape Architecture and Horticulture at Temple University Ambler. “Our 2005 exhibit is a unique celebration of our horticultural past, the very foundation of the Horticulture and Landscape Architecture programs that we offer at the Ambler campus today. They paved the way for our students to pursue their dreams and fully utilize their creativity in the green industry. Without them, I think the visual tapestry of the region, and the nation, would be very different today.”
In a span of just 10 years, a group of progressive women, no longer willing to be trapped in established roles such as teacher or nurse, created four organizations, which had an immediate and enduring impact.
While the suffragettes were fighting for the right to vote, the likes of Jane Bowne Haines, Ernestine Abercrombie Goodman, Mrs. J. Willis Martin, Mrs. E. Francis King, and Elizabeth Leighton Lee were fighting a battle of a different sort — the right to choose their own futures.
The Garden Club of Philadelphia, founded in 1904, was followed by the Pennsylvania School of Horticulture for Women in 1910 (the forerunner of Temple University Ambler), the Garden Club of America in 1913, and the Woman’s Farm and Garden Association in 1914 — their founding members would shape the future of public and private horticulture for years to come. It is their drive and determination that Temple University Ambler is commemorating at the 2005 Philadelphia Flower Show, which continues through Sunday, March 13.
University Ambler’s Flower Show exhibit includes three fully realized
“garden vignettes” — gardens that signify the achievements of the
Garden Club of Philadelphia, Garden Club of America, Pennsylvania School
of Horticulture for Women, and the Woman’s National Farm and Garden
Association. The display includes a colonial revival garden, a greenhouse,
and a war garden (later called victory gardens), that visitors have the
opportunity to walk through while learning about the historical
significance behind them.
involvement in the Flower Show each year is an excellent learning
experience for our students —
the reality of getting a project done of this magnitude on a very tight
schedule — that provides them with an excellent opportunity to work as a
team,” said Temple University
Ambler Assistant Horticulture Professor Sinclair Adam, who helped
coordinate this year’s exhibit. “There was a real sense of community
on this project; everyone from the Department (of Landscape Architecture
and Horticulture) to alumni and volunteers to the campus library staff was
involved in seeing the exhibit to completion. To be able to compete at
this level, and to be honored for their efforts, this is an accomplishment
that everyone involved should be proud of.”
With the Flower Show’s 2005 theme of “America the Beautiful,” exhibit planners decided the timing was perfect to honor the pioneering women who broke ground in more ways than one. According to Sue Pringle, a senior in Horticulture at Temple University Ambler, students and volunteers are excited about giving Flower Show visitors a chance to learn about a piece of history of which they might not be familiar.
“This was the starting-off point of a movement that gave women other options. They didn’t have to be housewives, or teachers, or governesses,” said Pringle, who is also a member of the Landscape Arboretum of Temple University Ambler Advisory Committee, which helped spearhead this year’s exhibit. “Horticulture allowed them to get dirty, to work in the mud, to climb trees and they were no less the women for it. They were brave enough to change the status quo. Because of them, I’m able to come back to school now if I want to; I’m able to try different things without anyone telling me that I can or can’t do it.”
Temple University Ambler has a long and
illustrious history with the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, which
produces the Philadelphia Flower Show, taking home “Best of Show”
awards in 1987, 1989, 1990,
1991, 1993, 1997, 2002, and 2003 and prestigious honors from Garden
Club Federation of Pennsylvania in 2004.
Learn more about the award-winning exhibit here.
CONTACT: James Duffy, (215) 283-1290, firstname.lastname@example.org, release available via e-mail | <urn:uuid:5b819e9f-0345-4589-bc0c-faa291ced270> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.ambler.temple.edu/news/0405releases/89-flowershowwin.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00008-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.947472 | 1,145 | 1.78125 | 2 |
"On the Job with...." is a weekly Sunday Inc. series, spotlighting area business owners and executives. Today's interview is with Tony Powell, president of Tony's Gym Inc. and Tony Powell Properties, LLC.
Q. If you were a young adult fresh out of college, what would you do first in searching for a job?
A. Get a hair cut and some nice clothes.
Q. What was the first thing you spent money on when you received your first ever paycheck?
A. I was 11 years old and I bought a baseball glove.
Q. What's the single most effective technique you found over the past two years for keeping employees motivated?
Q. What was your first job?
A. When I was 11 and 12 years old, I was a bag boy at the IGA Grocery store in Newton.
Q. What led you to your current position? Why did you want to operate your own business?
A. I was interested in weightlifting and bodybuilding, so I bought a gym.
Q. Do you have a role model or mentor in your career?
A. I've always admired Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Q. What is the biggest lesson you as a business leader learned from the recent recession?
A. Put your nose to the grind, work hard and give your customers more than their money's worth.
Q. If you could turn the clock back on one aspect of technology - examples e-mail, automated phone systems, cell phones, PDAs, etc. - what would you most like to see go away?
A. Cell phones. They have their purpose, but are overused and can be a big distraction in the workplace. We have a no cell phones at work policy.
Q. What is your favorite work-related gadget?
A. A one-subject 70-sheet spiral notebook. No gadgets.
Q. What was the last book you read? Do you have things you read daily or regularly?
A. "Think Like a Champion" by Donald Trump. It was given to me by my father. I read The Albany Herald daily, without fail. I also read monthly fitness management magazines and books that teach and motivate.
Q. I'm up and going by? And what is your morning routine?
A. I work during the day and night, so I'm not a real early riser. Normally up by 8 a.m., cook breakfast, take my three-year-old son to daycare and at work by 10 a.m.
Q. Favorite hobbies or activity outside work?
A. Working out and spending time at the beach.
Q. If you could take back one business decision you made in your career, what would it be?
A. Opening out-of-town gyms. Big mistake.
Q. Best thing about your job?
A. Doing what I have a passion for and helping others enjoy the fitness.
Q. Worst thing about your job?
A. Nothing. I really enjoy what I do.
Q. The most beneficial course I took in school was?
Q. What would be your dream job if you were able to pick a position outside your current career path?
A. Probably a personal trainer at a beach resort.
Q. Finish this thought; "on the first anniversary of my retirement, I see myself...
A. Working out. Hanging out at the beach and spending time with my family.
Q. What is the one trait a strong business leader cannot afford to be without?
Q. Crystal ball time: What's your call on when the economic recovery for our area will be in full swing?
A. The world is always changing and we have to make adjustments to survive and prosper.
Q. What kind of music might I find on your list of most played on your iPod?
A. I don't own an iPod, but I enjoy listening to 80s, classic rock and today's country.
Q. What do you think is the biggest change Albany will see in the next 10 years?
A. I think locally owned and operated businesses will become the backbone of our community.
Q. What was the best vacation you've ever taken? Why?
A. I'm not a big traveler. I really enjoy spending time at Panama City Beach, Fla. The beaches are beautiful and it's close to home.
Q. What are the biggest changes you have seen in your specific line of business over the past few years?
A. Gyms getting larger and becoming more of a part of mainstream business. | <urn:uuid:3807c337-3868-454b-bc66-a1c98c6dc447> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.albanyherald.com/news/2010/oct/16/on-the-job-with-tony-powell/?business | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00001-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.974047 | 951 | 1.523438 | 2 |
January 29, 2013
As digital communication transforms our information consumption habits, technology and research providers are introducing new methods for measuring message distribution and engagement.
Nielsen and Twitter recently announced the Nielsen Twitter TV Rating to address the rise of multi-screening — audiences integrating mobile devices or computers into their television habits.
The rating will debut in the United States during the fall TV season, providing what Nielsen calls the “first-ever measurement of the total audience for social TV activity,” which includes people participating in social conversations about airing programs and people exposed to those conversations.
The new measurement will help advertisers monitor which networks and programs generate the most social activity so that they can design interactive campaigns or examine how to increase engagement.
PR practitioners might use this information to target and time messages for viewers with desired demographics. News, sports and daytime talk genres come to mind.
Modernized metrics do not apply only to Twitter. Facebook offers its official Facebook Insights. Amazon has Kindle-related statistics for authors. And musicians along with their publicists likely gauge real-time iTunes sales charts.
This progression makes sense. Social networks have transformed how people communicate today, requiring new types of analysis. Here are some additional approaches that technologies and deep thinkers are applying.
Pinterest, the image-based social network, generates more than 23 million unique visitors and more than 1.7 billion page views monthly, making it desirable for consumer-focused messengers to measure.
Several free tools tailored to the site have emerged, including Pinalytics, which integrates with Google Analytics to determine how many people visit a site from Pinterest and what pages they pinned. Users can search by keyword, topic or category. People can identify the original source of content created, as well as the number of repins, user Likes and comments. The data reveals which topics and images gain traction on Pinterest.
Ubiquity Public Relations, a Phoenix-based commuications firm, designed its own pitch management application named Iris to help staffers pitch smarter instead of harder. Iris tracks “Pitch ROI” per campaign and client, as well as the agency’s effectiveness for clients overall. The Ubiquity team knows which members are pitching what reporters, what they are pitching and the outcomes of all related communications. They can use this information to guide adjustments. Ubiquity has blossomed Iris into a tool that other firms can now use to track campaigns.
The Stakeholder Company takes PR analytics even further, providing clients including Nokia and HP with “Issue DNA,” data mapping that tracks online conversation patterns to identify the most influential people commenting about them.
TSC data engine can identify academics, government organizations and industry activists in addition to more common social media influencers. These insights allow them to answer questions for clients such as, “who drove the most iPad launch influence?” and “which organizations have the most influence over food pricing?”
Another metric that practitioners can use is Google Author Rankings, which links journalists’ Google+ profiles to search results. This SEO data helps identify journalists with significant authority in specific industries. Placing a story with one of these writers is, in turn, a result carrying top-rank validation.
That’s the kind of conclusion that we all want to measure, no matter what the method is. | <urn:uuid:2f86a828-0b90-4273-965a-885ed02a78e6> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.prsa.org/Intelligence/Tactics/Articles/view/10063/1073/Modern_metrics_Digital_communication_drives_new_me | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704392896/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113952-00013-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.936979 | 681 | 1.546875 | 2 |
If you read Techmeme, the must-read place on the web if you’re interested in the technology industry, this morning’s home page is full of just one topic – the death last night of Steve Jobs.
The Apple co-founder died from the pancreatic cancer he was diagnosed with in 2004.
As you might imagine and as Techmeme clearly indicates, the world itself is alight with commentary and opinion about Steve Jobs. Google’s home page includes a single-line acknowledgment of his death, making it likely that anyone performing a Google search today will get the news whether they’re paying attention to the news or not.
Steve Jobs touched the lives and the imaginations of people everywhere. In this century, this is the man who redefined the music industry with the iPod; who disrupted the telephone industry with the iPhone; who breathed new life into computer-generated movie creativity at Pixar (and Disney); and who kick-started an evolutionary step in the computer industry with the iPad.
He was a powerful and compelling public speaker, a man who truly did inspire people whenever he spoke. He instinctively knew how to connect with people on a grand scale.
I never met Steve Jobs, nor was a huge fan of Apple products from a user point of view (although I did love the iPhone when I used one) – nor, indeed, a fan of Apple’s corporate behaviour – but I feel a strong sense of sadness at the passing of an individual who had such a profound impact on people and how they use technology no matter where in the world they live and under whatever culture. And he was only 56 years old.
Thanks, Steve Jobs, may you rest in peace. You changed the world. | <urn:uuid:bcb4d565-9f06-43fc-887c-fb8633a5dfdf> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.nevillehobson.com/2011/10/06/steve-jobs-the-man-who-changed-the-world/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00005-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.944664 | 357 | 1.804688 | 2 |
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