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Traci Runge donated a sample of healthy breast tissue to Indiana University's tissue bank four years ago. She had no idea then that her altruistic act would spark an unlikely alliance between breast cancer research and football.
On July 14, 2011, one of Runge's closest friends—the president of the 2012 Super Bowl Host Committee—unveiled an initiative to encourage awareness of and donations to IU's tissue bank, the only repository of healthy breast tissue in the world.
Indy's Super Cure, which is run by some of the city's most powerful women, aims to raise at least $1 million and encourage about 1,000 women to donate tissue samples to the bank by the time of Super Bowl XLVI in February.
The National Football League dedicates each October to promoting breast cancer awareness with touches of pink on the field worn by players and referees. But this initiative marks the first time there's been a seasonlong breast cancer campaign tied to the Super Bowl, said Clare Graff, an NFL spokeswoman.
For Allison Melangton, president and CEO of the local committee, the big game offered an opportunity too good to pass up. The idea first clicked in October 2010 as she sat watching ESPN with Runge, who was recovering from a chemo treatment.
Within days of receiving her cancer diagnosis in spring 2010, Runge, now 42, contacted the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Tissue Bank at IU Simon Cancer Center to offer to donate a sample of cancerous tissue. She is the first donor to return to the bank after developing the disease.
Her story touched Melangton, a friend of 14 years, who accompanied her to several chemotherapy treatments but wanted to do more.
"Could we do anything with this opportunity to bring attention to the tissue bank and use the vehicle of the Super Bowl?" Melangton asked.
Melangton broached the topic with some of the other committee members, including Cathy Langham, vice chairwoman of the Super Bowl committee and president and co-founder of Langham Logistics, a global supply chain management company.
"Putting on a Super Bowl is an incredible feat in itself," Langham said at a news conference announcing the launch of Indy's Super Cure. "Adding a project like the Super Cure makes even the most courageous of us tremble a bit."
That fear subsided as the committee realized the potential of tying a campaign for the tissue bank to an event that draws millions of viewers worldwide and will bring thousands of visitors to Indianapolis.
Women visiting Indianapolis in the days leading up to the Super Bowl will be encouraged to donate tissue. Some of the women who donate will receive free tickets to the NFL Experience, Graff said.
About 1,550 local women have agreed to undergo the biopsy required to remove breast tissue for the bank since 2005. The bank also has collected 5,883 blood samples, said Dr. Anna Maria Storniolo, a professor of clinical medicine at the Indiana University School of Medicine and one of the co-founders of the bank.
When the Super Bowl committee contacted her, Storniolo said she had no idea that phone call would result in a campaign of such large proportions. "This is an amazing group of women. They really from day one understood," she said. "They got the value of what we are trying to do."
Melangton, Langham and several others involved with the Super Bowl effort have donated tissue samples to the bank in recent months.
For years, the lack of healthy breast tissue had hampered researchers' efforts to unravel the cancer's secrets. Not only does the tissue bank make its samples available to researchers around the world, it also requires that any scientist who benefits from the bank's collection make their data available after publication.
Increasing donor numbers alone will not make the collection as valuable as it could be, Storniolo said. The bank needs samples from a diverse group of women, particularly ethnic minorities.
From the bank's inception about six years ago, Storniolo and her colleagues expected that some of the donors would develop breast cancer. But it was still a "big surprise" that Runge, the first donor known to be diagnosed, called them after she was diagnosed with cancer.
Diagnosed three days before she planned to run a triathlon, Runge originally donated as a tribute to her friend, the late Carrie Fogleman, who had breast cancer.
Once she heard she had cancer, Runge, the mother of three, did not hesitate to call the bank to make sure she could give another sample before starting chemotherapy.
"If I was going to die, then I wanted to know I did everything I could to save my daughters," said Runge, who had her last treatment shortly before the July 2011 announcement, announcing the initiative.
Melangton talks at length about Runge's selflessness, the way she takes care of everyone around her.
The two met 14 years ago when Melangton's son, who was in Runge's daughter's kindergarten class, missed school to have surgery. Although the two moms didn't know each other, Runge and her daughter dropped by with a get-well basket for Melangton's son.
Indy's Super Cure is Melangton's turn to amaze her friend.
"I knew she was going to do something, but I didn't know she had this kind of idea," Runge said. "When she does things, she does them big."
Call Star reporter Shari Rudavsky at (317) 444-6354.
The Indiana University School of Medicine started collecting blood samples for breast cancer research in 2005. Susan G. Komen for the Cure donated $1 million in 2007 to develop the collection, and in recognition of the grant, the bank was named the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Tissue Bank at the IU Simon Cancer Center. It is the only repository of healthy breast tissue in the world. Information: visit www.komentissuebank.iu.edu; call (866) 763-0047; or email email@example.com.
Donors must be 18 or older. The donation process takes about one hour and involves the removal of a few pieces of breast tissue. It can cause temporary bruising, pain and discomfort, but some women report no side effects. Women who have had breast implants or a breast reduction or take blood thinners cannot donate.
For more information on donating, visit www.komentissuebank.iu.edu, call (866) 763-0047 or email firstname.lastname@example.org | <urn:uuid:1941e29f-9ac2-4497-bafd-be0244feaba3> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.indystar.com/section/living010301 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706890813/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516122130-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.968167 | 1,386 | 1.820313 | 2 |
Photo by Jim McIsaac, Getty Images.
MINNEAPOLIS -- Some Minnesota lawmakers are looking to force the release of Lou Gehrig's medical records, saying they might provide insight into whether the Yankees star died of the disease that now bears his name or from repetitive head trauma.
Their effort comes despite opposition from Mayo Clinic, which holds the records, and skepticism from experts that the records would prove anything.
Rep. Phyllis Kahn, a self-described baseball fanatic, concedes the records "probably won't show anything" but says they're worth a look.
The Minneapolis Democrat became intrigued after reading about a study in 2010 that suggested a potential link between repetitive brain trauma in athletes and ALS. She and other lawmakers want to change state law to allow release of health records of patients who have been dead more than 50 years.
STEVE KARNOWSKI, Associated Press | <urn:uuid:9ac74197-3414-4993-9085-370a6307335e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.wkyc.com/sports/article/264055/4/Lawmakers-want-Lou-Gehrigs-medical-records-to-explore-cause-of-death | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00014-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.971001 | 182 | 1.75 | 2 |
Officials say the Russian-made MiG-21 jet crashed while on a training flight Wednesday in an agricultural area north of Aswan. Fire fighters rushed to put out the blaze caused by the crash and cordoned off the site.
The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief reporters. They did not give the cause of the crash.
The Russian-made MiG warplanes were once the backbone of Egypt's air force. They began to be replaced in the 1980s and 1990s by U.S.-made fighter jets such as the F-16. | <urn:uuid:af605a9f-6018-4d70-9aea-8247d9e9a1b0> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/world/ci_22041256 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00007-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.974593 | 120 | 1.601563 | 2 |
BAS is a continuation of the military tradition of providing room and board (or rations) as part of a servicemember's pay. Although BAS is meant to offset the cost your meals, it is important to note that BAS is not intended to cover the costs of meals for family members.
Since January 1, 2002 most enlisted members get full BAS, but they must pay for their own meals, even those provided by the government.*
Because BAS is intended to provide meals for the servicemember, the monthly rate is based on the price of food. Therefore, each year it is readjusted based upon the increase of the price of food as measured by the USDA food cost index.
Because service members are assigned to a variety of situations, some of which either mandate or prevent obtaining meals from a government facility. Due to a rise in food prices in 2012, BAS has increased for 2013.
Enlisted: $352.27 a month
Officers: $242.60 a month
*Note: A Discount Meal Rate (DMR) offset applies to all Coast Guard enlisted members assigned to a ship with messing facilities, a Class "A" School, OCS (prior service), a deployed Port Security Unit, and enlisted members E-6 and below stationed ashore who reside in government-owned quarters and are required to eat meals at a government dining facility. | <urn:uuid:566eb8c6-443d-48e4-8723-bbc443791693> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.military.com/benefits/military-pay/allowances/basic-allowance-for-subsistence.html?col=7000022774283&comp=7000022774283&rank=3 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697380733/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516094300-00008-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.975065 | 279 | 1.609375 | 2 |
A majority of Rice University professors believe a proposed merger with Baylor College of Medicine is inadvisable and likely to negatively affect them, according to an unofficial survey posted on a Rice faculty blog about the deal.
1. What is your view on the overall advisability of Rice’s merging with Baylor?
2. If the proposed merger were to take place, how would you see your and your close colleagues’ personal and professional goals being affected?
The survey, filled out by 295 of the university’s roughly 600 faculty members, found more than 55 percent think the much-anticipated merger is a bad idea. Less than 30 percent think it’s a good idea.
A second survey question found 52 percent of professors say the merger would have a negative impact on their and their close colleagues’ personal and professional goals. Twenty-four percent say it would have a positive impact.
The survey provides the first real glimpse of how rank-and-file Rice faculty view the proposed merger, which has been touted as a boon for the city as much as the schools. Baylor financial problems have worried Rice officials and complicated talks, first reported last fall, but in March the two governing boards signed a memorandum of understanding, considered the first stage in the formation of a contract. Since then, however, there have been no signs that an agreement is close.
It’s unclear if the faculty survey will have any impact on the schools’ ultimate decision. A Rice faculty committee is studying the merger, but it is not polling professors and neither the faculty senate nor the administration has chosen such an undertaking either.
But in the comment section of the merger blog, computational engineering professor Moshe Vardi posted results of his unofficial survey. Vardi, who could not be reached for comment, has been the leading faculty critic of the deal, according to the merger blog and faculty senate Web site.
The faculty merger review committee presented an interim report last month, but the contents are confidential, according to the merger blog. A final report is due later this fall. | <urn:uuid:397aca6f-180f-43f6-969d-16b093146b1d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://blog.chron.com/medblog/2009/09/poll-rice-professors-dont-like-baylor-merger/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00020-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.970551 | 421 | 1.546875 | 2 |
All Songs Considered Blog
Thu May 10, 2012
The Drop: 'Painting' With Beats As Brushstokes
Originally published on Thu May 10, 2012 3:01 pm
Not every title fits its song, but 'Painting On A Canvas,' the fourth track from the Iranian-Canadian producer Amirali's debut LP, which comes out next week, makes it easy to imagine brushstrokes landing on a blank page.
If you'll forgive the mixed metaphor, this painting unfolds in three acts. The first has the artist teasing out his palette: a bluish chord of keys here, metallic strikes trailing off to black there, bright daubs of guitar, and an accelerating dribble of wood-block clicks. In an e-mail Amirali explained the song's concept.
"When I came up with the base of this song, my imagination was suddenly splashed with different colors and images. I could feel that I was throwing colors with different brushes on an enormous canvas."
What begins as swirling abstraction, with each stroke placed loosely on the tail of its predecessor, solidifies around a hip-hop beat at 1:46, introducing the second act. The sound of a nylon-stringed guitar carries the song's honeyed melody, and the song's parts — the piano, wood block, metallic percussion and the like — are given a new context. With a beat to anchor the ear, these loosely correlated sounds now cohere.
Amirali says the song draws heavily from his Iranian heritage. Towards the end of the song, that influence becomes clear.
"I have used an Iranian wind instrument, 'Ney,' which can be heard in traditional Iranian music. Towards the end of the track you get to hear the breath-taking voice of an Iranian man singing in his regional dialect, which is manipulated by weird and spacey effects."
That singing marks act two's shift into darker territory. The ominous bassline figures more prominently into the mix, that voice reverberates coldly against the canvas, and suddenly the beat gives way to a braying reed sound. The last act mirrors the first: Vivid strokes, cast liberally, yet purposefully. | <urn:uuid:60fdb393-4581-4ca8-a7a4-0a0d9e9bb476> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://krvs.org/post/drop-painting-beats-brushstokes | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00007-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.955282 | 446 | 1.507813 | 2 |
Wiretaps In Florida Drug Cases
Can a criminal defense attorney challenge a wiretap in a drug case?
Wiretaps are the interception of telephone conversations and they are very common in narcotics investigations. How common? Approximately three-quarters of wiretap warrants issued in the United States each year are in connection with a drug investigation.
Over the past four decades, the courts have substantially broadened the powers of police in conducting wiretaps, and the passage of the Patriot Act in 2001 expanded those powers even more. Although the Patriot Act was ostensibly passed to combat terrorism, it provided law enforcement with long sought-after expansions in their ability to investigate common criminal offenses.
Just because wiretaps are more common that does not mean they are not subject to scrutiny by your defense attorney. If your phone was tapped during the course of a drug investigation, the information gathered by police may not be admissible if investigators didn’t follow the proper procedures. Also, if police used information garnered from an improper wiretap to obtain a search warrant, the warrant is also open to question. Our law firm will examine every aspect of a wiretap operation to determine the appropriate challenges. | <urn:uuid:3ffb24b3-8273-4bbf-8d70-2b3171dc9cc8> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.fightyourdrugcrime.com/wiretapsin_florida.aspx | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00011-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.946954 | 235 | 1.757813 | 2 |
Frittata is the omelette’s Italian cousin: just like the omelette, it can be a great vehicle for using up any leftovers you happen to have around (even cooked pasta!), but it’s quicker and easier to make.
It tastes great warm or cold, and once cut into wedges it is easily transportable, which is why in Italy it’s common to take a wedge to work for lunch. Of course it works just as well on your day off, whether you are having a picnic or hitting the beach. Frittatas are usually cooked on the stovetop, but if you dread the flip… feel free to bake yours in a regular oven! They are really quite foolproof, not to mention a quick, easy and inexpensive way to add some protein to any vegetables you have in your fridge and make them into a meal.
In Italy, we don’t usually serve frittatas for breakfast, but at either lunch or dinner. They can be a main course at a light meal, or an appetizer before several other courses. While Italians in general love this kind of food, Italian Jews are particularly fond of them because eggs are “parve”/ neutral, and can be consumed with either dairy or meat (incidentally, frittatas were probably introduced by the Jews exiled from Spain and Portugal, who also brought much more complex egg preparations, especially desserts).
Such a traditional Italian recipe deserved an Italian color theme, which is why we are going with green, white and red.
2 green peppers
2 tomatoes or one small basket cherry tomatoes
½ cup diced mozzarella or feta cheese
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons milk
1 handful flat leaf parsley
Salt and pepper to taste
Slice the leek thinly. Seed the peppers and dice them, or cut them into thin strips. Seed the tomatoes and dice them (if using cherry tomatoes, cut them in half). Mince the parsley, discarding the stems.
Heat the oil in a non-stick skillet. When the oil is hot, add the leeks and the peppers and saute’ until soft (about 3-4 minutes). In a bowl, slightly beat the eggs with 2 tbs of milk, salt and pepper. Combine with the diced tomatoes, the parsley, and the diced cheese.
Pour the egg mixture into the skillet over the peppers. Allow thbottom of the frittata to cook, using a spatula to lift the sides to allow more liquid to run under. When the bottom is cooked, carefully flip the frittata with the help of a platter, and cook the other side.
If using an oven-proof skillet, you can also transfer the pan into the oven and cook the top under the broiler for a few minutes, to avoid flipping. | <urn:uuid:e10a0924-1167-4306-95b0-b7767d1d4a8c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://dinnerinvenice.com/2012/08/13/tri-color-frittata/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00012-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.934982 | 592 | 1.789063 | 2 |
Happy New Year, everyone. The doors have closed on 2010, and by all accounts, we've ended in a somewhat up mode. Economic pundits say that the economy is recovering slowly, the world financial markets are beginning to stabilize, and manufacturers in the HVAC industry have seen shipment improvements over the previous two years.
So now it's 2011. It's the time of the International Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigerating Exposition (AHR Expo) in Las Vegas where the stage will be set for the new year. Back in October, HPAC Engineering published a news item from the management of the Expo who had conducted a survey of exhibitors to see what the consensus was on the 2011 outlook.
As we reported in October (http://bit.ly/gLHIjM), more than half of the 1,000 manufacturers surveyed expect 2011 to be a better year than 2010, with the commercial sector being the largest demand segment (66-plus percent), especially in the renovation/upgrade markets (39.3 percent).
Construction spending through November was slightly up (0.4 percent), but according to Ken Simonson, chief economist for the Associated General Contractors of America, the overall construction industry, remains, "fragile."
"Public construction reached a 16-month high in November," Simonson said in a Jan. 3, 2011 press release. He went on to point out that public construction will decline in 2011 because of the tapering off of military projects, Gulf Coast hurricane work, and stimulus projects.
That sounds a bit pessimistic.
Don't worry, there's more pessimism to go around. There are many doom-and-gloom predictions that the economy will collapse this year and the country will stumble into a double-dip recession. Economist Arthur Laffer, known as one of the most bearish economists in the U.S., predicted back in June that our economy will collapse. I hate pessimism.
According to others, the steadfast unemployment rate is another indicator that disaster is on the way. In a Forbes magazine article titled, "Jobs Report Be Damned, Economy Chugs Higher" (http://bit.ly/g0nsc2), writer Sy Harding poo poos this glass-half-empty opinion by explaining how unemployment doesn't play as big a role in the economy as other factors, such as measurements of consumer activity, retail sales, home sales, auto sales, consumer sentiment, factory orders, and so on.
"Unemployment," he writes, "is a lagging indicator. Employers do not hire additional full-time employees until after the economy has recovered so much that their present employees cannot keep up with improved business."
According to Harding, consumer indicators continue to improve. Among reports in recent weeks that came in better than forecasts, were consumer sentiment, retail sales, home sales, construction spending, auto sales, and factory orders.
So, it seems the economic recovery is continuing. The manufacturers surveyed by the folks at AHR expressed optimism for 2011. With that event happening at the end of this month, get ready to put some fire in your bellies and check out the latest in technology, products, and services that can help you help your customers to be more successful and productive in this new year.
Be prepared: The Las Vegas Convention Center will be teeming with the HVAC industry’s brightest who will be there to visit the more than 1,800 exhibitors.
I can already feel the optimism rising.
Send comments and suggestions to email@example.com. | <urn:uuid:72bba946-a7ed-47c5-aa07-1b8126c870bd> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://hpac.com/print/archive/optimism-ring-new-year | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704392896/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113952-00002-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.953599 | 740 | 1.601563 | 2 |
Posted: Thu 6:12 PM, Dec 20, 2012
Updated: Thu 6:15 PM, Dec 20, 2012
Chris Smith, (D) – Fort Lauderdale, filed a senate bill revising Florida’s ‘Stand Your Ground’ law as a response to the death of Trayvon Martin earlier this year.
The proposal says that armed citizens would not be able to automatically cite “stand your ground” protections if they provoke or pursue assailants following confrontations. It would also allow law enforcement officers to arrest suspects who invoke the ‘Stand Your Ground’ law under questionable circumstances.
“”They’ve (Trayvon Martin’s family) always maintained that it is asinine that you can pursue, be the aggressor, and then shoot and kill somebody and then say that you were standing your ground, to that end, they welcome legislation to address these issues,” said Martin family attorney Ben Crump.
George Zimmerman, the neighborhood watchman accused of killing Trayvon Martin, is using ‘Stand Your Ground’ in his case. A task force set up by Governor Rick Scott earlier this year suggested only minor changes to the law. | <urn:uuid:79fb7831-26a8-4e64-9373-a9f80f6f95a4> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://tallahasseeo.com/2012/12/21/10149/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697974692/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095254-00005-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.944785 | 246 | 1.65625 | 2 |
AcomData E5 320GB External Desktop Storage: Slap on anotherby Purav Sanghani on August 27, 2005 12:48 PM EST
- Posted in
IntroductionStorage space - for what do we need it? Documents, system files, applications, application libraries, common shared files, music, videos, pictures, temporary files, operating system page files, internet cache files, downloaded programs, archived programs, archived music, archived video, archived pictures, ZIP archives, archived archives, and much more.
So, how much storage space is enough for us? 20GB was more than enough for us four years ago, but when 2005 hit, 200GB was barely enough to store the plethora of data that we acquire and collect nowadays. What options do we have? Well, the obvious one is to buy another hard disk drive and install it into our cases. But what if you run out of physical internal storage space in your case or interfaces on the motherboard or controller cards? The only other option is to buy external enclosures and install those 3.5” hard drives into them or buy external storage drives that come ready to “plug and play”.
Many companies, both big names and “no names”, have introduced external storage devices that are mere 3.5” hard drives installed into a sealed enclosure with an invisible “void-able” warranty seal on it. AcomData is one of these companies that many have never heard of, but they definitely have a product to look at. Their product line includes many external storage devices ranging in features and capacity and we have a chance to look at one of their higher end desktop storage drives, the 320GB USB2.0 and FireWire 400 based E5 external storage device. | <urn:uuid:c1099ab7-963c-4048-b9bc-46cbebd476ad> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://anandtech.com/Show/Index/1774?cPage=2&all=False&sort=0&page=1&slug= | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697380733/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516094300-00012-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.944071 | 361 | 1.554688 | 2 |
The first patient in Maryland to receive a newly approved artificial cervical disc was Meryl L. Eddy, 48, an attorney at the University of Maryland, Baltimore. Eddy was one of only 30 people in the United States to have the Prestige artificial cervical disc implanted since it was approved by the FDA on July 16, 2007. The procedure was performed by Francois Aldrich, M.D. at the University of Maryland Medical Center on August 8, 2007. Eddy says she is delighted that she has almost instantaneously regained strength and mobility in her right arm, which had been severely limited prior to surgery.
Meryl L. Eddy
What was your condition?
I had one bad herniated disc in my neck which compressed the nerve leading down my arm. Dr. Aldrich [a neurosurgeon at the University of Maryland Medical Center and associate professor of Neurosurgery at the University of Maryland School of Medicine] said the rest of my neck and spine was in good shape.
What were your symptoms? What problems did this cause?
In early June I started having some pain in my elbow but I thought I had just pulled a muscle in my arm. Near the end of June I started having numbness in my thumb until a week later I literally could not feel the end of my thumb.
After a week of that, I thought I should visit my doctor. I see a primary care physician here at the University of Maryland Family Medicine Department. In early July, he initially diagnosed possible muscle strain and carpal tunnel syndrome. He recommended treating it with medication and wearing a wrist brace at night for a few weeks while we kept a close eye on any changes in my symptoms. If it did not improve, I might need further testing.
See News Release
Literally within a week—on the 13th of July--is when I started to have severe and constant pain throughout my entire right arm. My arm became so progressively weak it became difficult to pick up a glass of water, brush my hair, or click the right mouse on the computer.
I contacted the physicians at Family Medicine about the sudden changes in my condition. Even though my doctor was on vacation, his colleague, Dr. David Stewart [chairman, Family and Community Medicine and associate professor of Family and Community Medicine at the University of Maryland School of Medicine] sent me for an MRI and then, after seeing the result, referred me to Dr. Aldrich within that same week.
What happened when you went to see Dr. Aldrich?
When I first saw Dr. Aldrich, I couldn’t even hold my wrist up.
For the first week he tried to treat it with steroids to see if it would heal on its own. My strength and my arm motion deteriorated.
We discussed the surgical options at that point since the steroids had not worked. He thought I was an excellent candidate for the new artificial cervical disc which seemed to have certain advantages over the traditional fusion. It gave me a great deal of confidence that it was a University of Maryland School of Medicine faculty member who recommended the device and who would be operating on me. The University of Maryland School of Medicine family physicians also gave me confidence as they offered their support. So I agreed to have the new procedure.
When was your surgery?
On August 8, 2007.
How long were you in the hospital?
I was in the hospital for two nights.
How much work did you miss?
Before the surgery I was out of the office for 2 ½ weeks due to the pain and lack of mobility and strength. After the surgeryI was out of the workplace only four days.
Did you have any concerns about being one of the first people to get the disc?
Dr. Aldrich had explained to me that it’s been around in Europe for some time and that it’s been extensively tested here in the U.S. With those explanations and the experience and reputation of our doctors here I was content with trying it.
How do you feel now? Has the surgery made a difference?
I’m very pleased and I’m feeling great. I do not have to wear a neck collar. The operation has made a huge difference. Before the surgery, the pain was horrible - especially at night. Now I’m sleeping well and I have a full range of motion and strength in my arm.
I water and snow ski and I’m a figure skater so I want to get back to doing all of those things. Because I’m athletic, I am looking forward to being active again.
What did you think of the care you received from Dr. Aldrich and the other staff at the University of Maryland?
Dr. Aldrich is terrific; he has the best bedside manner. He explains things very well and takes his time doing so. I like the idea that he was very conservative by trying the treatment route first instead of rushing to surgery. I so appreciated that. His post-surgery follow-up has been helpful as well.
The anesthesiologist, Dr. Schreibman, was great. Dr. David Stewart was the one who got me over here to Dr. Aldrich right away and my primary care doctor encouraged me to move forward with the surgery and kept up with me post-surgery, also. | <urn:uuid:120e1a9a-1e05-4f08-8e72-eabb6740ccc5> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.umm.edu/spinecenter/eddy.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.983927 | 1,095 | 1.710938 | 2 |
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Written by Tom Zeleznock on Tuesday, March 4, 2008
Tiger Woods is arguably the most skilled golfer to ever live. However, his physical abilities alone are not what make him great.
Nike -- one of the companies that sponsor Woods -- once sent Tiger five brand new drivers. The company asked Tiger to test out the drivers and give his feedback.
After practicing with each of the clubs, Woods told Nike that he liked “the heaviest one.” The news came as a shock to Nike. Why? Because all of the clubs weighed exactly the same.
Nike had a team of engineers and the best equipment in the
world. What they needed was Tiger Woods’
intuition. Tiger Woods understands golf
as well as anyone on the planet, so his intuition is an invaluable resource to
The lesson here is that every field has its own Tiger Woods, and when that person shares their insight, well, you might want to listen.
Written by Jay Turo on Monday, October 29, 2007
Does anyone do "early-stage investing" anymore? When we present deals to "early-stage" investors, we find their criteria to be more in line with the milestones of more established companies, and it sometimes seems like early stage is a non-entity.
I was encouraged by the news of Battelle Ventures and Allied Minds Inc., posted in The Deal here. The author mentions how both firms operate under unique structures which allow them to do true early stage investing in "pre-seed" technologies sourced straight out of research institutions and universities. Battelle only has one LP, the Battelle Memorial Institute, while Allied Minds raises money from shareholders in exchange for future equity with no specified time horizon. Perhaps these "special" circumstances allow them to take on more "risky" investments without having to answer to large numbers of LP's.
It makes me wonder if the traditional VC model actually works. What if traditional VC's could take the handcuffs off and get dirty with raw technologies and mad-scientists out of some futuristic research lab? What sort of companies would we start to see hit the marketplace and how frequent? What about timing issues and market relevancy?
"The greater the level of involvement and business expertise focused on early stage innovation, the more and higher quality of innovation we will see coming out in the marketplace" - Lesa Mitchell- VP for advancing innovation, Kauffman Foundation.
Written by Jay Turo on Tuesday, April 24, 2007
Flat Daddies is undoubtedly a cool new company.
Flat Daddies are full-size printed posters of parents who are serving overseas in the military. Flat Daddies (or Flat Mommies) are free to children who are directly affected by the military deployment of a parent. Others can purchase them for $49.50.
The free Flat Daddies are supported by donations from individuals, companies and organizations, and anyone can donate money on their website at http://www.flatdaddies.com/.
Written by Jay Turo on Monday, February 12, 2007
My son wanted to stay home from school the other day. He wasn't really sick; just wanted to stay home.
I asked him what he was going to do if he stayed home. The list went on and on -- watch this DVD, watch this show on Tivo, play this video game, etc.
Written by Jay Turo on Thursday, November 2, 2006
A few months ago I bought some Blik for our conference room.
So, what is Blik? Blik surface graphics are oversized, geometric decals that allow anyone to quickly and easily create custom wallscapes in no time. The decals are self- adhesive and removable, so your blank walls have no excuse to be bare.
We went with the multi-colored dancers pictured to the left.
Written by Jay Turo on Wednesday, November 1, 2006
It's always fun to mix the word "entrepreneur" with another word to focus on entrepreneurship in that area. As today is Halloween, I decided to see if I could write an article on Hallowpreneurs, or entrepreneurs focusing on Halloween.
I assumed that in today's society, where new ideas, products and services are constantly being conceived, that someone would be making advancements in Halloween costumes, events, candies, etc. | <urn:uuid:b5b7e708-3b09-43b0-abee-559cb188d4d3> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.growthink.com/category/blogs/cool-ideas?page=2 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00017-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.951765 | 1,026 | 1.523438 | 2 |
Dr. Billy Graham at 93: "The Father's Love," This Child's Gratitude
About six years ago, when I was writing my first book – a collection of spiritual profiles of well-known people based on face-to-face conversations I’d had with them about faith – folks often would ask me who I most wanted to talk to if given the chance.
At the time, my answer was three-fold: Billy Graham, Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu.
In the intervening years, I've been blessed to have met and talked with, however briefly, Tutu – “The Arch,” as we call him. But I have yet to meet Graham or Mandela.
It is my hope and prayer that, Insha’Allah as my Muslim friends would say, I might have the chance to do so before both men – true heroes of mine and no doubt millions of others around the globe – go home to Glory.
Both Madiba and Billy are 93 years old. In fact, yesterday (11/7) was Dr. Graham’s 93rd birthday.
The world is richer to have these Lions of Grace walking among us still on this side of the Veil.
I can say with all honesty and without any exaggeration that I can think of no one alive today whom I respect more than Dr. Graham. Although I do not know him personally, he is more dear to me than I can express. It is always an honor to say that the great preacher and I share an alma mater, Wheaton College in Illinois. It was while I was an undergraduate that I came closest to meeting Graham -- on the steps of the student cafeteria. He was going in for lunch as I was going out on the way to class.
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A brush with greatness. A glimpse of grace, if you will.
On the wall of my home office hangs a photograph of Dr. Graham taken by a USA Today photographer at the evangelist’s home in Motreat, N.C. I won the framed photo in an auction at a Religion Newswriters Association convention a few years back and it is among my most prized possessions.
In the photograph, Dr. Graham is seated in a wooden chair, dressed casually in dungaree-blue slacks, an open-collar shirt and red sportcoat, and he looks straight ahead, his face in profile to the camera lens. “America’s Pastor,” as he is often called, is looking into the distance, to a place out of frame – his gaze fixed on something we cannot see.
I cherish that photograph of Dr. Graham for myriad reasons, but perhaps most importantly because it reminds me of the gift of vision – spiritual vision – to see things that are not of the physical realm. A sacred and holy perspective. An orientation of the heart and mind that looks beyond itself, to the Big Picture. To the More.
It is, perhaps, a vision of faith – the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not yet seen – seen through a lens colored by grace, mercy and divine love.
Surely Dr. Graham has such a vision – a mighty gift he has shared with the world for more than six decades. It is a gift he imparted to me as a child, sitting in the balcony of an old auditorium at Yale University in my native Connecticut in the mid 1980s, watching him preach during one of his famous crusades.
Unlike so many other famous preachers and evangelists, when I think of Dr. Graham my mind goes to only one place: Jesus. His message has rarely veered from the simple and simply powerful message of the singular Gospel. What sets Graham apart from many of his colleagues and contemporaries in ministry is that singularity of vision. He has largely avoided the lure of political (read: worldly) power and glory. His gospel message rises above petty partisanship (of any flavor), presenting a crystal clear picture of God and God's love for all of us and God's redeeming grace for all of creation.
In that sense, there is Dr. Graham and then there is everybody else.
He stands alone like C.S. Lewis' Aslan, a mighty voice for love, redemption and second chances, at once roaring and tender, fierce and yet authentically welcoming.
Back in 2005, when I was writing that book I mentioned earlier, The God Factor, I had a conversation with another brother in the faith who felt the same way I do about Dr. Graham. That brother, Bono of U2, is another vessel God used to speak life-changing grace into my young ears.
Because Bono's story has stayed with me so vividly since he first shared it with me, I wanted to share it with you, as together we give thanks for Dr. Graham's 93 years as a sojourner in this realm.
“Over the years,” Bono told me, “I met some preachers who did connect with me, for sure, and whose words return to me. I remember hearing about this fellow called Billy Graham. Church people would push him on you like your friends at school would push Elvis Presley records. Actually, they looked kind of similar – both stars from the South who spoke with a twang and had giant crowds come to see them.”
Back in 2002, Bono received a surprise phone call from someone in Dr. Graham’s office saying that the preacher wanted to give Bono and his U2 bandmates a blessing.
“I told them, I said, ‘This is a big deal. This is BILLY GRAHAM!’ And they all said, ‘That’s great. But we’re in the middle of a tour.’ So I rented a plane and flew there right away in case he might forget. I was picked up by his son, Franklin, and driven a couple of hours up to their house. I met briefly with himself and his wife, Ruth. I think I’ve mentioned to you before that the blessings of an older man mean a great deal to me. Particularly this man.
“I gave him a book of Seamus Heaney poetry, and I wrote a poem for him in it,” Bono said.
That poem – handwritten on a piece of 8 ½” x 11” paper in black felt-tip pen – now resides in the Billy Graham Library’s permanent collection.
Bono’s poem for Dr. Graham reads:
The journey from father to friend
is all paternal loves end.
it was sung in my teenage ears
in the voice of a preacher
loudly soft on my tears
I would never forget this
or its lyric voice that gave my life
a meaning, that wasn’t there before.
a child, born in dung and straw
with The Father's love and desire to explain
how we might get on with each other again. …
We give you thanks and praise for the gift of your child Billy.
May you protect and keep him, strengthen him in body and mind,
May you give him a peace that surpasses all understanding,
A vision that never strays from your perfect Love,
And a voice that will continue to declare your grace, mercy and redemption,
All the days of his life and beyond.
Happy Birthday, Dr. Graham.
Thank you for blessing all of us. | <urn:uuid:74510c32-af1a-4b4b-8847-1b089f7dd0b2> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://sojo.net/blogs/2011/11/08/dr-billy-graham-93-fathers-love-childs-gratitude | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00019-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.972083 | 1,558 | 1.523438 | 2 |
The EU Commission´s long expected White Paper on ICT standardization has finally been published. The proposal (“Modernizing ICT Standardization in the EU- The Way Forward”) suggests an update of Council Decision 87/95/EEC which lays down the current EU standardization policy in the field of ICT.
The Commission argues that EU needs to take action to avoid being marginalized in the ICT standardization process at the global level. This would be particularly problematic for Europe as ICT has become a predominant European industry; in 2007 it had a turnover of € 670 billion and accounted for over 5 percent of total employment. In addition, the landscape for standardizations has changed dramatically over the last decade – adding to the need of reform.
The Commission suggests that the current system should be updated in several areas, mainly to allow for a more integrated approach in ICT standardization and to strengthen competitiveness and fair competition – as well as collaboration and cooperation – in development and implementation of ICT standards (see e.g. the Commission´s Press release).
In order to assure the use of the best available standards the Commission suggests that the following should be reflected in the development process and the standards themselves:
• openness during the development of new standards;
• transparency in the technical discussion
• public availability (for a reasonable fee).
The white paper argues for possible synergies between ICT research, innovation and standardization. Currently, many ICT R&D projects produce highly relevant results but unfortunately these are often insufficiently translated into concrete applications. The Commission suggests that a more frequent consultation of standardization and research stakeholders to assure that all relevant R&D is implemented in actual production and, ultimately, consumed goods and services.
Interoperability in ICT has become critical as industries and countries grow ever more globally interconnected, as a result the treatment of intellectual property rights (IPR) is especially delicate in this field. Intellectual property (IP) needs to be properly protected; meanwhile standards should not lead to a restriction in competition. Therefore, the Commission suggests a flexible system for compensation to be used by standards developing organizations. This system should ensure the effectiveness of procedures for IPR disclosures but is not to inhibit competition among different business models. The suggested system could also provide transparency and predictability by declaring restrictive licensing terms and royalty rates before the adoption of a standard.
The Commission further suggests that standards from fora and consortia can be recognized alongside European Standardization Organizations (ESOs). It is explicitly recognized that in some domains the expertise lies with fora and consortia and not with ESOs. Closer co-operation would produce standards more effectively and facilitate interaction with major trading partners.
The white paper marks the start of a thorough process of updating Council Decision 85/97/EEC. The Commission´s proposal is based on the fundamental idea that ICT standards should be developed in co-operation between all involved parties. This principle could prove to be of particular importance for the European ICT industry´s global competitiveness in the future.
Initial reactions to the Commission’s proposal have been positive. OpenForum Europe writes in a press release: “Regarding the recommendations in detail, OFE strongly supports the proposed modernization of European standardization policy”. Other approving opinions can be heard in various blogs, Jochen Friedrich for example writes: “This white paper responds to urgent needs of many stakeholders [and] deserves strong support”.
The Commission invites public consultation on its proposal by September 15 (http://ec.europa.eu/yourvoice/consultations/index_en.htm#open). Time will tell if the public response will remain positive. | <urn:uuid:d2bca5e9-29f8-44c9-8a0b-21b02d002dc1> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.talkstandards.com/modernizing-ict-standardization-in-the-eu/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00001-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.93541 | 757 | 1.71875 | 2 |
I appreciate the discussion going on in the comment box below yesterday's post about the difference between despair, gloom and doom, and true Christian hope. Naturally, I agree with those commenters who think that simply discussing the reality of events and situations in the world does not mean an abandonment of the virtue of hope. But as Christians we know that our hope is neither in this world nor in the things of this world. God has not promised in any sense to shield His followers from the disturbing and painful consequences of the decline of the City of Man, but only to lead them securely to Him at the end of their earthly lives, should they remain faithful.
But I do understand that for some people, discussion of the sad situation of our culture is a source of temptation to despair. Though on one level they may both believe and accept that God could indeed allow hardships of all manner to impact them and their lives, they really do have a difficult time separating out their fear of such terrible things from their trust in Him. And I want to be clear: I respect that. We don't choose our crosses, but are chosen to bear them; and while I have no particular problem myself remaining cheerful--if ready for action--in the face of bad news like we've seen from California all week, I know that others really will become depressed or weighed down by such things.
I do believe, however, that it is important not to confuse God's providence with the need for man's vigilance, that is, to think that because God can do all things we need not do anything. God is, indeed, in charge, but He allows sinful man to do what he will, and when this is multiplied into the kind of cascade of evil that has begun to spill down upon our country, we can't pretend that we won't be needing some umbrellas. We must do something; if we can't take up the cause through some kind of action, or speech, or writing, or public presence of disagreement, we can all join in the first action of Christians faced with the kind of danger we are now facing--we can pray.
Some of us will be called, as a professor I heard once put it, to "get up off our knees and do something about it." But the call to active involvement against the evils of our day will not be issued to all, nor will it be the same for all. Some of us may find ourselves in the position to defend the Church's teachings in some wide arena; others, only with family or friends who attack us for it; still others, peacefully within our own homes as we raise and educate our children in our faith and in God's ways. But we are all fighting the same fight.
It is our hope for eternal happiness that gives us the strength to fight, whatever our particular battle may be. But as the oft-repeated saying of Burke's has it, "All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing." We can't afford to pretend that there is nothing wrong, that as long as we can live in relative freedom and some sort of peace, however uneasy, with our neighbors, all is really well.
God is our strength. He alone knows how much He wants us to know about, or to do, or to contend against. He has planned out our lives for us, and we serve Him by following His will for our lives. We should not force anyone to take action, even against these ills; but we must never pretend the ills are not real, or that we are not required to beseech our Heavenly Father both for swift and just resolutions of all these matters, but that He will reveal to each of us in due time what it is we ought to be doing about any or all of it. | <urn:uuid:3ee65f55-ca9d-4ffc-95de-7daa61920d1f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://redcardigan.blogspot.com/2008/06/hope-and-sensitivity.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00004-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.972468 | 773 | 1.648438 | 2 |
The west of Bali is the most remote part of the island and the least visited. Much of the area is given over to national park.
There are a few resorts with dive centres around Pemuteran & further along the coast. Trips are made to all the local dive sites, most of which are close & very easy to reach. Menjangan Island is probably the most famous and most visited. Most dive trips are made from fairly basic local boats.
The standard of accommodation in the area ranges from simple budget bungalows costing just a few dollars per night, to luxury spas and villas. The area does not have the huge range of options that are available in more touristy parts of the island however.
The area can be reached by road from the main tourist areas in the south of Bali, or from Lovina in the north. The nearest airport is in Denpasar, Bali's capital city in the south. It is also possible to arrive by ferry from Java, which docks at Gilimanuk near Menjangan.
Aside from diving, the main attraction of the area is Bali Barat National Park, which has some interesting and endangered wildlife. The area also has pristine jungle, some nice temples and some beaches. It is a very quiet and relaxed place to stay.
The south of Bali is the heart of it's tourism industry, with thousands of visitors each year, especially to Kuta and the surrounding area.
There are quite a few dive centres and the dive industry here is well established. Day trips are usually made to Nusa Penida & Nusa Lembongan. It is also possible to arrange trips to other areas in Bali, especially trips to Tulamben. Due to the travel times however, some people prefer to make an overnight trip or longer.
Southern Bali is also the departure point for Liveaboards making trips to Komodo National Park to the east, as well as the pick-up point for visiting Wakatobi by Liveaboard.
There are now quite a few well-established Liveaboard operators making trips to Komodo & Rinca. Trips run throuhgout the year & usually last for around 7-10 days, taking in Lombok & Sumbawa in addition to the sites of Komodo, before returning to Bali.
There is a huge range of accommodation available in this area, from top-end luxury hotels to simple guest houses. Kuta is the main tourist hub of the area, with the biggest range of accommodation and the most amenities. Nusa Dua and Sanur are a little quieter and a little more upmarket.
The area has its own international airport in Denpasar, the capital, with flights all over Asia plus Australia & Europe. From the airport, a bus or taxi can take you to any of the well-toursited areas. Antiquated ferries run between all of Indonesia's major islands, including Lombok directly to the east of Bali and Java to the west.
Aside from diving, there is a huge amount to do here. Activities include great shopping, amusement parks, surfing, all sorts of adventure sports and plenty of other attractions. There are some very nice beaches in the area, especially to the south and Kuta is known for its lively nightlife. | <urn:uuid:8e33c65b-777c-4d15-b9fd-5dbab7b32247> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.underwaterasia.info/dive-guide-indonesia/bali-west.php | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00001-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.964048 | 684 | 1.742188 | 2 |
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Europe may have its valiant knights, but Japan has fearsome samurai. While samurai means “those who serve the nobility,” these fierce warriors became a class unto themselves, immortalized in poems, legends, and films. Donning fearful masks with faces contorted, perhaps, in a cry to war, samurai armor was designed equally to provide protection and inspire fear in the enemy. Our samurai armor is fully wearable, presented in a handsome lacquered armor box. If samurai armor isn't part of your dress code, it also comes with a wooden frame to support a magnificent display: you'll impress your friends whether you wear it or not. Our extensive range of armor represents all of the most famous and legendary samurai throughout Japanese history. From Date Masamune, a fierce and calculating one-eyed tactician, to Oda Nobunaga, one of the most brutal samurai of his time, responsible for the unification of Japan. If you are looking for samurai swords, we carry one of the largest selections online. | <urn:uuid:909b883a-2f1e-422c-84fd-622ea14b557f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.armorvenue.com/armor-samurai-armor.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00009-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.955079 | 209 | 1.671875 | 2 |
AIGLE, Switzerland (AP) — Cycling's governing body is urging Lance Armstrong to testify before its independent commission on doping.
The International Cycling Union, or UCI, says it is aware of media reports that Armstrong confessed to doping during an interview with Oprah Winfrey taped Monday. The federation says "if these reports are true, we would strongly urge Lance Armstrong to testify to the independent commission established to investigate the allegations made against the UCI in the recent USADA reasoned decision on Lance Armstrong and the United States Postal Service team."
The UCI says it won't make any further statement until it has seen the interview, which is to be broadcast on Thursday night. The UCI recently set up an independent panel to look into claims that it covered up suspicious samples from Armstrong, accepted financial donations from him and helped him avoid detection in doping tests. | <urn:uuid:5db9ca9b-9a6e-47ab-aa37-3cb686b84b29> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.mail.com/sports/other/1821644-uci-urges-armstrong-to-testify-panel.html | 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 | 0.969251 | 172 | 1.546875 | 2 |
TAU Establishes New School of Psychological Sciences Thursday, March 1, 2012
Renowned department with an interdisciplinary focus achieves school status
Since it was established 40 years ago with three faculty members and 30 students, Tel Aviv University's psychology department has grown to become the largest in Israel, regularly ranking in the top 100 of psychology departments worldwide. Now, in recognition of the department's scientific contribution, methodological merit, and international standing, the department formally became the School of Psychological Sciences last December.
A new building for the School will house some of TAU's most influential researchers and degree programs, allowing it to grow in new and important directions, says Prof. Yair Bar-Haim, the head of the School. "Psychology is a pivotal area of research and education on this campus," he says. "With a greater infrastructure, we can develop further, deepening our cross-disciplinary links with brain studies across the sciences."
The planned facilities will add new equipment and state-of-the-art laboratories, permit the expansion of clinic offerings to the community, increase teaching rooms, and provide space for top researchers and students from Israel and abroad.
A major player in interdisciplinary research
Prof. Yair Bar-Haim
At its core, psychology is an interdisciplinary science that draws from neurology, biology, behavioral, and even computer sciences. The field continues to mature, comprising the spectrum from pure science to practical application, says Prof. Bar-Haim.
The establishment of the School of Psychological Sciences and the recent opening of the Sagol School of Neuroscience underscore TAU's dedication to all aspects of brain research. The School of Psychological Sciences is set to play a significant role in the interdisciplinary neuroscience school, which brings together 70 groups of researchers from seven faculties.
A new Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology–Biology, with a focus in neuroscience, will be a collaborative effort between the two entities. It will also be the largest bachelor's program in the field of brain research at TAU. The program, which has one of the highest admission standards on campus, accepted 60 students for the inaugural 2011/2012 academic year.
"The new School for Psychological Sciences will play a major role in the new Sagol School of Neurosciences," says Prof. Uri Ashery, the Head of the recently inducted Sagol School of Neurosciences. "The integration of the interdisciplinary research and the joint B.Sc. program in Psychology–Biology will help to define the nature of neuroscience at Tel Aviv University and in our understanding of neuropsychiatric disorders."
Core of excellence
With its new status, the school will continue to attract some of the best minds in psychology, advancing its reputation for excellence in research and education. Leading the first-class psychological education available at TAU, students at all degree levels are able to gain clinical experience through practicum classes at up to 60 mental health organizations in the Tel Aviv area. This training program prepares graduates for roles as mental health professionals as well as legislators and policy makers.
Recently, TAU in collaboration with the Weisman Institute and Bar-Ilan University was named an I-CORE (Israeli Centers of Research Excellence) in Advanced Approaches in Cognitive Science. I-CORE, a new initiative by the Israeli government, is designed to support the country's leading research institutions. Six of the nine researchers named as TAU principle investigators of this I-CORE category are from the School of Psychological Sciences, including Dr. Roy Mukamel, Profs. Thalma Handler, Galit Yovel, Marius Usher, Nira Liberman, and Yair Bar-Haim. | <urn:uuid:e4be5aa0-11d5-42eb-8460-ed20bfed5092> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.aftau.org/site/News2/1280409013?page=NewsArticle&id=16097&news_iv_ctrl=-1 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705953421/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120553-00003-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.94175 | 748 | 1.570313 | 2 |
A Plea for Emts
Emery County has a need for new EMTs to help carry on the emergency needs in the county. Sheriff LaMar Guymon said, "Emery County has a great team of EMTs but we are getting to the point where a lot of our EMTs are reaching retirement age and we need to look at building the ranks of our EMTs. We would like to encourage people to take the upcoming EMT course and to become certified. Sgt. Martin Wilson will be holding a series of EMT classes in March.
"Our Emery County EMT program came into existence in 1975 with the purchase of our first ambulance. Before that Fausett Mortuary provided ambulance service. This consisted of someone who worked for the funeral home who had first aid training.
"In 1975, Reuben Brasher who worked for Fausett Mortuary and I traveled to Grand Prairie, Texas where we purchased our first ambulance for $19,000. The first ambulance was housed in Castle Dale. From that one ambulance we have grown to where we have; one in Emery, one in Ferron; two in Castle Dale; one in Huntington; and three in Green River. We also have two off-road rescue vehicles, one stationed in Castle Dale and one in Green River.
"These ambulances are staffed by paid volunteers who start on a basic salary of $12 per hour and the intermediate EMTs receive $14 per hour. This is paid while they are out on a call.
"When the EMTs are on call, but not on an active call, they are paid 50 cents per hour to carry their radios with them and to be available should a call come into dispatch. Each service has an EMT supervisor who does the scheduling for their area. In Ferron this is Randy Nielson; Emery-Hazel Cox; Green River-Diane Chandler; Huntington-Jim Gordon; and in Castle Dale-Ken Eley," said Sheriff Guymon.
Sgt. Martin Wilson is the emergency preparedness supervisor for the county and is also very active with the EMT program. He said, "EMTs are required to take 25 training hours each year to remain certified. They also must recertify every four years with a written and practical test."
Sheriff Guymon said, "Since 1975 we have had very competent EMTs and continue with top notch well trained EMTs. Recently our EMTs were involved in the treatment of a young boy involved in a tubing accident at Cleveland Reservoir. We received a letter from Marc Sanderson with LifeFlight where he commented, 'This little guy was given every possible chance of surviving based on the immediate treatment by his family and then your efforts after arrival. Due to your outstanding treatment and incredible airway management, we didn't miss a beat, and continued with resuscitation efforts. Your organization should be proud to have handled this case in the professional manner it was.'
Sgt. Wilson said, "The basic EMT course is 120 hours of instruction and the cost is $650. There are programs available to assist with the basic registration fee. These requests for assistance with that class fee are handled on a case by case basis. You can talk to me or Sheriff Guymon about the fees or to one of the ambulance supervisors. There are ways to get these fees paid, don't let that be an obstacle to taking the class. We also have a grant program for any high school senior that wants to take the EMT class. These grants are given through the state. Parents can help their high school senior take advantage of this grant program by contacting us at 381-2404.
"The EMT basic class will start on March 6 at the Castle Dale Elementary, from 5-10 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays through May 10.
"Participants will need to pass a minimal physical test there is a standard they will have to meet. They must be able to lift 40 pounds and carry it up a flight of stairs. The class is demanding both physically and mentally. It is extremely rewarding to be an EMT and to help people in need.
"Being an EMT would be good for people with flexible schedules. It is a real self-esteem builder. In emergency situations the knowledge and training just kick in and for long time EMTs it's a challenge. You accomplish a task and help someone in need. It's very rewarding. I have been involved with the EMTs for the past 25 years and it just involves you in peoples personal lives. I have people I have helped who wave at me and still talk to me. It's a great reward to know you were there for them when they needed you," said Sgt. Wilson. | <urn:uuid:a2bcc985-141d-47d5-a67c-f70a98152936> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.ecprogress.com/index.php?tier=1&article_id=4903&poll=74&vote=results | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704392896/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113952-00007-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.97739 | 978 | 1.554688 | 2 |
City schools want to close 2 more charter schools
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Pittsburgh Public Schools administrators last night recommended shutting down two more charter schools, saying one offered poor instruction while the other's problems included a lack of police clearances for employees.
Representatives of the schools, Career Connections Charter High School in Lawrenceville and Renaissance Academy of Pittsburgh Alternative of Hope in East Liberty, disputed the review teams' findings.
"To me, it's clear there's a bias against charter schools," said Kenneth Stevenson, founder and chairman of the 4-year-old RAPAH elementary school.
The Pittsburgh school board must hold a public hearing and vote twice on denying each school a five-year charter renewal. The state Charter School Appeal Board also may hear the cases.
The school district already is locked in a dispute with Career Connections Charter Middle School. The board voted Sept. 27 to revoke the school's charter and shut it down, but the school has defied the vote and remained open.
Jerri Lippert, the school district's executive director of professional development, offered the school board Education Committee a scathing critique of academics at 8-year-old Career Connections high school.
She said the team found no evidence of a written curriculum, a possible explanation for declining test scores. She said the school had graduated some students without the required credits and in some cases had given students credit for classes they had failed.
The review team's report contained inaccuracies, said Tim McElhone, executive vice president of the Boys & Girls Club of Western Pennsylvania, which operates the Career Connections schools. He said criticism of the high school may be linked to the dispute over the middle school.
A review team said RAPAH is financially insolvent and lacks a foreign language teacher, even though its charter calls for all students to learn a second language. Team members said they found no police clearances for office personnel and some other employees, a point the school disputed.
"They need to have the facts straight," Dr. Stevenson said. He criticized the review team for "glossing over" the school's achievement of federal performance standards last year.
Administrators last night recommended a five-year charter renewal for City Charter High School, calling it a model school.
First Published November 9, 2006 12:00 am | <urn:uuid:a6714acf-39f2-4221-8810-9c2486bf842e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/news/education/city-schools-want-to-close-2-more-charter-schools-458612/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00010-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.96389 | 475 | 1.5625 | 2 |
06.11.2012 - 11.11.2012
One of my favorite inspirational quotes is “let people surprise you.” I’m not totally Anne Frank, believing that everyone is inherently good, but I’m at least willing to give them a chance. That being said, I was pleasantly awed the other day when I finally got around to observing one of our Casa HOY volunteers, Kay*, at an English teaching project. When Kay had first arrived she seemed nice, but she was quiet and a bit nervous about diving into what teaching in Cuernavaca actually entails. The first few weeks were overwhelming for her, and frustrated observations included the lack of class organization and teacher support. And while those factors haven’t changed (and won’t change…that’s why we need more volunteers!), Kay, and her expectations of teaching, most certainly have.
I have honestly never seen a volunteer exude such confidence in the classroom. Sure, we’ve had plenty of cocky volunteers (guys, mostly- you know how they can be) that later get out into their project and then freeze up. Just because you’ve volunteered somewhere else or taught at another school doesn’t mean it’s going to be the same here with the projects offered by Casa HOY. What I saw wasn’t boastful confidence, but rather a comfortable assurance of how things were going to go during those 45 minutes. Kay walked into the classroom and was immediately swarmed by little four and five year olds, clinging to her knees and yelling maestra, maestra. She got the kids to settle down by starting out with some songs- a song about colors, If You’re Happy and You Know It, and the Hokey Pokey. Children that can barely say their own name, let alone spell it, twirled around and exclaimed in perfect English “Hokey Pokey” every time. She had divided the 45 minute class up into 3 or 4 blocks of activities and themes to keep the kids’ attention. After a month of living in Mexico she could do commands in Spanish better than me. (I suck at commands…that’s why I just say “please” a lot). Kay knew everyone’s names, when to pay attention to them and when to let things go. When one child started to howl in our second classroom she just smiled and shrugged her shoulders, saying that it was nothing compared to when the whole classroom started howling one time when the teacher left the room. Do you know what to do when a classroom full of 20 four-year-olds starts howling?
It’s typical for volunteers to be overwhelmed their first week, and second week, and maybe even third week of volunteering. And if you don’t learn to be flexible and spontaneous you might always be overwhelmed. As Kay said, the most difficult thing to come to terms with is that of having to change your expectations. You’re in a new country with a different language doing something that most people have never done before. For many volunteers it’s their first time leaving the country, their first time traveling alone, their first time living with other people, their first time living on their own, their first time in Mexico. At my highly experienced age of 26, I sometimes forget what it’s like to live through all of these firsts. So you do have to let people surprise you (and be patient!). Watching Kay was an inspiring reminder of why we at Casa HOY do this work, and that as a volunteer, even though you might be exhausted, tongue-tied and feeling like things are out of your control, you CAN do this. | <urn:uuid:6c246902-9f48-4596-9b93-37a607d31a75> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://casahoy.travellerspoint.com/72/ | 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 | 0.977283 | 779 | 1.726563 | 2 |
By John Hanna - AP Political WriterTOPEKA — Abortion rights supporters in Kansas braced Wednesday for the likelihood of new restrictions as a state House committee took up comprehensive anti-abortion legislation.
The Federal and State Affairs Committee had a hearing on a bill that attempts to prevent the state from subsidizing abortions even indirectly through tax breaks. For example, a woman who had an abortion couldn't include the costs if she deducts medical expenses from her income for tax purposes, and an abortion provider could not claim the same exemption from the state sales tax on what it purchases that other health care providers receive.
The bill strengthens provisions in Kansas law designed to prevent doctors-in-training at the state's medical school from performing abortions with state sources or on the state's time. The measure revises a long-standing "informed consent" law requiring doctors to give women certain information before terminating their pregnancies, spelling out what must be provided in greater detail. And no organization providing abortion services could be involved in public schools' sex education courses.
The legislation also contains policy statements that each human life begins "at fertilization" and that "unborn children have interests in life, health and well-being that should be protected."
"State law should be on the side of protecting and preserving human life," said Michael Schuttloffel, executive director of the Kansas Catholic Conference. "The state should not be giving any support in any way to those who destroy innocent human life for money."
The Legislature has solid anti-abortion majorities and Republican Gov. Sam Brownback, who took office in January 2011, is a strong abortion opponent.
The House committee's hearing came the same day the Senate approved, 37-2, a bill prohibiting a doctor from terminating a woman's pregnancy because she or her family don't want a baby of a certain gender. A doctor could face both criminal penalties and a lawsuit from a woman or a family member after doing such a procedure.
The Senate's vote sent the measure to the House, and the bill was one of several anti-abortion measures senators have considered.
But none of their measures are as sweeping as the legislation before the House committee, and abortion rights supporters are focusing the most energy on it.
"This seems to be the centerpiece of the anti-abortion movement's legislative strategy this year," said Elise Higgins, a lobbyist for the Kansas chapter of the National Organization for Women.
Higgins and other abortion rights supporters object to the policy statements about fetal rights and life beginning at fertilization. They argued it would trigger a complete ban on abortion should the U.S. Supreme Court overturn its historic 1973 Roe v. Wade decision, declaring a constitutional right to abortion in some circumstances and preventing states from banning the practice altogether.
Several dozen abortion rights supporters came Wednesday to the Statehouse for the House committee's hearing, wearing pink to show their opposition to the bill.
"I am fully entitled to my reproductive rights," said Cassandra Myskiw, a Kansas State University women's studies graduate who hopes to pursue a graduate degree in social work at the University of Kansas. "I need to let my voice be heard."
But Kansans for Life has eschewed proposals such as banning most abortions once a fetal heartbeat is detected early in pregnancy. They fear such measures could lead to a federal court challenge that could reinforce the Roe v. Wade decision or even limit the ability of states to impose new restrictions.
Rep. Lance Kinzer, an attorney and leading anti-abortion legislator, said the language cited by critics of the bill merely states broad principles. He said even if the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, existing abortion laws would remain on the books until legislators changed them.
"If we were going to do trigger legislation, this is not what it would look like," said Kinzer, a conservative Olathe Republican. | <urn:uuid:edc1221b-ffd9-4ffe-af4d-6681438e44fe> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://hutchnews.com/Print/Lawmakers-consider-new-abortion-restrictions | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00007-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.960707 | 787 | 1.6875 | 2 |
Frequently Asked Questions: Laboratory
- Do I really need this test?
- When will my results be ready?
- How can I get my results?
- Can the UHS lab do tests ordered by my home provider?
- Do I have to pay for lab tests?
- Will my blood test hurt?
- How much blood do you take?
- Can I exercise after having blood drawn?
- Do I need to fast?
Providers only order lab tests they need to make a diagnosis or other decisions about your care. You have the right to refuse any test. However, as an informed patient, you should understand that not having test results may impact your provider's ability to care for you.
Most routine tests are ready by the next day. Certain tests, such as blood counts, mono tests and urinalysis, can be ready in an hour or less, if the provider orders them on an urgent basis. Bacterial cultures take 24 hours to three days. Viral cultures can take three to 14 days. Pap smears and tissue biopsies take two to three weeks.
Lab results are given to the ordering provider and placed in your UHS medical record as soon as they're available. You must get the results from a provider or nurse, so they can answer questions about care and medications. The UHS lab is not allowed to release results directly to you.
To get your results, call the main UHS number, (413) 577-5000, and ask to leave a message with the clinic where your provider is located. To make a follow-up appointment, call (413) 577-5101.
Sorry, no. The UHS lab can only perform tests ordered by a UHS provider. Your provider at home should not fax test orders to the UHS lab.
If you have written test orders from your home provider, but want to use the UHS lab, make an appointment with a UHS provider so your tests can be appropriately ordered.
Lab tests are billed to your primary insurance; any uncovered deductibles are billed to you.
Having blood drawn is a minimally invasive procedure taking less than a minute. Any pain is brief and, for most people, slight. For your comfort and relaxation we have you lie down on a lounger.
The amount depends on the tests your provider orders. The amount usually ranges from five to 20 milliliters (a few teaspoons to a few tablespoons). In comparison, about 450 milliliters is taken when you donate blood.
It’s best to postpone exercise or carrying heavy objects for the first hour or so after your venipuncture. You can remove your bandage at that point. | <urn:uuid:93cd8463-2678-4758-bd9c-50838b6fcec0> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.umass.edu/uhs/services/laboratory/faq/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00005-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.950155 | 557 | 1.507813 | 2 |
Big Red Machine ExhibitExhibit presented by Dinsmore & Shohl LLP.
02/28/12 9:58 AM ET
The 1970s saw the Cincinnati Reds dominate baseball in what would become the most successful decade in franchise history. During the this ten year period, the Reds won a total of 953 games, captured six division titles, won four National League pennants and were twice crowned World Series Champions. Coined the "Big Red Machine," the Reds of the 1970s combined powerful offense, effective pitching and stellar defense to create a well-oiled machine that many call the greatest team in baseball history.
In 2012, the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame and Museum highlights the greatest era in Reds history with "The Big Red Machine," a new exhibit that brings the exploits of the Machine to life like never before. Featuring rare artifacts, compelling stories, striking visuals and much more, the exhibit is an unforgettable experience for fans of all ages. The exhibit will run throughout the baseball season.
This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs. | <urn:uuid:41a86b5d-4515-4f51-8e7f-e32878b21da8> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://atlanta.braves.mlb.com/cin/hof/article.jsp?ymd=20120228&content_id=26890180&vkey=news_cin&fext=.jsp&c_id=cin | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00010-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.957827 | 219 | 1.804688 | 2 |
Both candidates are drawing on personal stories and pop-culture references in campaign ads, daily speeches and debate zingers as each tries to cast himself as an “everyman” and broaden his appeal in the presidential race’s closing weeks.
But they’re encountering resistance at seemingly every turn by a broad collection of people and entities they reference. This year’s complaints have gone beyond the usual griping by musical groups whose songs candidates use at rallies, sometimes without permission from the artists.
Aside from causing a public stink, legal experts say there’s not much anyone can do to stop candidates from invoking their stories or their names.
“Being in the midst of any presidential debate is not a place where we should be,” Paul Kerger, president of PBS, which airs “Sesame Street,” said in an interview. “With the enormous problems facing our country, the fact we’re in this continues to be surprising to me.”
An 8-foot-tall bright-yellow bird became the unlikeliest character in the presidential race this month when Mr. Romney suggested, during the first presidential debate, cutting off federal subsidies for Big Bird. The network chastised Mr. Romney the following day for making it a political target.
Mr. Obama’s ads also have caused a stir at AARP, a lobbying group for seniors, whose logo appears in commercials promoting Mr. Obama’s health care law. The organization backed those reforms and has criticized Mr. Romney’s Medicare proposal, but twice has made it a point to say it’s not endorsing anyone in the race.
Mr. Romney, meanwhile, has drawn the ire of musical groups Twisted Sister and Silversun Pickups for using their songs to fire up crowds at campaign rallies.
Peter Berg, who developed the TV show “Friday Night Lights,” bristled last week when Mr. Romney adorned his Facebook page and campaign speeches with a twist on the show’s inspirational slogan: “Clear eyes, full hearts, can’t lose!” As of Wednesday, Mr. Romney’s Facebook page still displayed the slogan prominently.
Days earlier, Mr. Romney agreed to stop telling the story of a Christmas encounter with Glen Doherty, a former Navy SEAL killed in the attack in Benghazi, Libya, after his mother accused Mr. Romney of making her son’s death part of his political agenda. Mr. Romney’s aides said he was inspired by Doherty’s memory but would respect the mother’s wishes.
The angst extends to colleges.
For years, Virginia Tech has implored both parties to stop using its trademarked mascot in Senate, gubernatorial and presidential elections — and this year is no different. The school claims the Republican Party of Virginia has distributed “Hokies for Romney-Ryan” bumper stickers and in September wrote to both state parties reminding them that use of “Hokies” is off-limits.
Journalists, too, have recoiled at seeing themselves in campaign commercials.
A Romney spot in January, during the GOP primary season, used historical footage of former NBC anchor Tom Brokaw reporting on then-House Speaker Newt Gingrich’s ethics problems. Mr. Brokaw and NBC demanded that the spot be taken down.View Entire Story
By Andrew P. Napolitano
The president's men trash the Constitution to pursue antagonists
Independent voices from the TWT Communities
A collection of reader guest articles, thoughts and opinions by Communities writers and breaking news and information.
News and opinion from a Millennial Urbanite with Southern sensibilities,
Covering the world of soccer, including the World Cup, Major League Soccer, D.C. United and the English Premier League and other interesting sporting events.
Benghazi: The anatomy of a scandal
Vietnam Memorial adds four names
Cinco de Mayo on the Mall
NRA kicks off annual convention | <urn:uuid:a43b30a4-90de-48df-8a76-6c9017692c9d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2012/oct/17/some-third-parties-want-no-part-of-campaign-squabb/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00019-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.945265 | 826 | 1.53125 | 2 |
NN/g Home AskTog Interaction Design Section Apple & the Dark Cloud of Censorship
AskTog, May 2010
I received the following letter from Dan Gillmor shortly after publishing my last column, Mac & the iPad, History Repeats Itself. Dan raises an issue that I purposely was avoiding, but one that (sigh) is seemingly impossible to ignore. It has to do with an elephant. And a living room. A really big elephant in a really small living room.
As always, your post on early Mac and iPad was full of insight. But there's a difference that matters more than any of the similarities: The first Mac didn't require software developers to get Apple's permission to write and publish applications. That makes ALL the difference.
-- Dan Gillmor
Dan Gillmor was the conscience of Silicon Valley during his years as columnist for the San Jose Mercury News. He's now director of the Knight Center for Digital Media Entrepreneurship at Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication.
His concern for what amounts to corporate abridgement of freedom of the press is valid and important. The US Constitution protects us from the excesses of government, not the excesses of influential corporate entities. The kinds of censorship that Apple is routinely and unevenly applying is deeply troubling. At this point, tens of millions of people are living under significant press restrictions engineered by Apple and Steven P. Jobs.
Uniquely, Apple, in this case, is not even the press. It is the paper company. If the press wants to print its material on Apple's fine, white vellum, it will do it Apple's way. And the press, as Dan Gillmor has elsewhere pointed out, is stampeding to do just that, handing over traditional freedoms it normally guards so zealously in the process.
In the grand scheme of things, men like William Randolph Hearst, who had a propensity for involving the United States in the occasional war as long as it would sell newspapers, was far more influential and far more dangerous than Steve Jobs. However, Steve Jobs is not even a journalist. He just makes really, really good paper. What's going on here is unprecedented.
Apple is displaying the cowardice so in vogue among large corporate entities today, instantly swayed by any pressure group that wants to feign outrage, holding to the most bland, dumbed-down, middle-of-the-road content in order to avoid upsetting anyone about anything. This is the traditional position of, for example, network TV broadcasters, but not Apple, and certainly not Steve Jobs.
Apple is the company that helped break the back of traditional computing and the large-corporation lock on its power by releasing the first personal computer. Apple is the company that marketed a device called the iPod, specifically engineered for the enjoyment of pirated music. (Come on! Nobody back then had 5,000 songs they had bought, album by album, at Tower Records.) Suddenly, Apple is flipping 180 degrees, setting itself up in the censorship business, making itself "family-friendly" in what is to civil libertarians the most abhorent sense of that word.
Some of Apple's censorship, such as limiting political cartoons, is completely indefensible and needs to be swept away completely. Then, they need to set up strong parental controls on their mobile devices, with the devices shipping in a locked condition. At that point, Apple has no further obligation to censor anything legal. Unfortunately, however, that will not be enough.
Apple has gotten itself trapped in a box, and it's one that will not neatly unlock. Apple is, in my opinion, doing all of us an important service by looking at each and every app to test for conformance to interface and anti-malware standards. The problem is, having pawed through an application, Apple cannot avoid the charge that they have thereby put the official corporate stamp of approval on not only its form and structure, but its content.
The simplest way out of this quandry might be for Apple to expand from having an App Store to having an App Mall, anchored by the App Store and flanked by a small number of independent "boutiques." (No, they wouldn't all be for porn. There could be a liberal boutique, a conservative Christian botique, etc., anything not rigidly corporate-mainstream.)
Apple would require these independents to apply the same stringent interface, safety, and legal standards as Apple, monitoring them from time to time only to the extent that, with parental controls turned on, unsuitable material as defined in their "lease" remains inaccessible. However, the independents, within those few, well-defined constraints, could mount whatever products they so chose. Apple could still, as mall landlord, get a cut of every app sold without getting its hands dirty at the same time.
Mainstream developers would continue to flock to the Apple store, as that's where most users would flock, but users wanting something a bit farther afield or even adventurous could wander next door, parental-controls permitting. (Never fear: The adult shop would simply not exist on a given device unless the device owner/parent proactively turned it on, avoiding the icky problem of the Christian Bookstore having to set up shop near the local porn store.)
As a civil libertarian for most of my life, I shudder at the thought of Apple or any other entity limiting political expression. It is positively un-American. My motivation in suggesting access to adult content, however, is perhaps at least as driven by self-interest, but not in the way you're thinking (and shame on you!): I've been an Apple stockholder since 1979. I've been watching for the last several months as Apple has lost more and more sales to the Droid among 18 to 30 year old males. Yes, Droid's ads are aimed at this exact market, but they are also not blocking the very content that many males of this age group desire. I want those sales back. Selfish of me, but there it is.
Apple and Steve Jobs don't back off positions easily. Many have suggested that market forces will ultimately force Apple to abandon its hyper-control, and that may well happen. While it took Microsoft more than a decade to copy the Mac, it took Google a matter of months to copy the iPhone and begin to eat away at Apple's potential market share. They were successful in fair measure, perhaps large measure, because they promised not to censor.
Google will undoubtably repeat this pattern with a new tablet device as well. HP, with its acquisition of Palm and its WebOS, also has the potential. If these companies exert just enough influence over their developers to create a safe, supportive environment akin to Apple's, while at the same time avoiding outrageous actions like banning political cartoons along with other legal forms of expression, they may force Apple to change or be marginalized, the unfortunate fate of the Mac (though for different reasons). Time will tell.
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I hope Apple makes some changes. But I don't think your solution is the one we need. A mall they control is still restricted. They should just let users flip a switch to unlock the things, so they can download from any sources they decide are trustworthy. Most users would choose to remain in the walled garden (sadly, IMO), but at least the control-freakery would not be such an issue.
Please read some of Dan's columns on his Mediactive Blog covering this column's topic area. His truly is a voice for freedom:
Why Journalism Organizations Should Reconsider Their Crush on Apple’s iPad
Complicating Relationships in Media: Apple, NY Times Dealings Raise Questions
Fiore’s iPad Rejection Harbinger of Bigger Story
Washington Post and NPR: Yes, Apple Can Block Their iPad Journalism
Better yet, read his blog on a regular basis. His pieces are short, tight, but consistent in their hard-hitting insight.
Have a comment about this article? Please start or join a discussion on your favorite forum. Errors, etc., please contact me.
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Copyright Bruce Tognazzini. All Rights Reserved | <urn:uuid:bef5643e-b347-4798-b2db-0a87f4675b67> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.asktog.com/columns/083Apple&Censorship.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00007-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.960344 | 1,782 | 1.554688 | 2 |
Sustainability goals help corporations stay committed to progress
John Kalkowski, Editorial Director -- Packaging Digest, 8/2/2012 9:39:12 AM
With increasing frequency, corporate sustainability reports are being distributed through news services. The reports are a relatively recent phenomenon, started back in the 1980s primarily by chemical companies that need to spruce up their sullied images.
Now, sustainability reports are becoming almost as common as annual financial reports. They are designed to improve a company's transparency by providing information to investors, employees, customers and communities on environmental, social and governance issues. They aren't just the domain of publicly traded companies. Private companies are preparing them, too.
In most cases where companies are producing consumer products, packaging is front and center in sustainability reports. Not surprising, since packaging is a company's face to the market. Also, packaging accounts for about 40 percent of the waste going to U.S. landfills, so it is a natural target for environmental concerns. Some of these reports are endless lists of minutiae. You have to wonder how companies arrived at their goals, and there are concerns about how their "progress" is being reported, and if the activities have any real impact on the environment.
The recent sustainability report by computer-maker Dell is one of the more interesting studies seen lately. Several years ago, Dell launched its 3C (cube, content, curb) strategy and has pioneered the use of innovative materials such as bamboo and mushrooms. In the report, Dell says it has exceeded its goals by reducing the volume of its packaging more than 12 percent, increasing the amount of recycled and renewable content up to 40 percent and ensuring that up to 75 percent of its packaging is recyclable at curbside. Dell claims it has eliminated more than 20 million pounds of packaging material since 2008.
A recent survey of global CEOs by Timetric shows cost savings and operational efficiency, strengthening competitive position and client demand are major drivers influencing the sustainability efforts of senior industry executives. The same survey indicates 43 percent of respondents expect to see increased profitability over the next year due to sustainability activities.
Another report on mandatory corporate sustainability reporting prepared for the Harvard Business Review examines the impact of laws and regulations in 58 countries. It concludes that with adoption of mandatory reporting, social responsibility of business leaders rises, sustainable development and employee training become higher priorites and corporate governance improves.
It's often said that you can't improve something if you can't measure it. Sustainability reports are an important tool for establishing the metrics by which we gauge our own companies and those with which we do business.
No related content found. | <urn:uuid:e7aa812c-0bd4-4203-9576-7c70eaee0b1b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.packagingdigest.com/article/522281-Sustainability_goals_help_corporations_stay_committed_to_progress.php | 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 | 0.963477 | 539 | 1.796875 | 2 |
The Gear Shift give a new twist or two to an old puzzle utilising eight rotating gears, which some might think it’s a definite step down from its previously release older brother the Gear Cube which had 12 gears they will be sorely mistaken.
This puzzle is deceptively difficult as while the simple rotation of the eight meshing gears simply serves as a mesmerizing display indicative of a Haruki-Nakamura-style piece of art this is not what makes the Gear Shift truly reveals itself.
The moment one discovers that the core can be pulled apart the difficulty skyrockets, what was once an inevitability now truly becomes a challenge of logic, for while solving a face or even two might appear simple… to the uninitiated the true challenge has only just begun.
Gear Shift was designed by Oskar van Deventer, based on an idea by Bram Cohen.
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those shown above. | <urn:uuid:eef2a8f8-bc8f-4f96-81ea-77189e0a89f0> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.puzzlemaster.ca/browse/games/othergame/5440-gear-shift | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700958435/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104238-00005-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.959346 | 226 | 1.609375 | 2 |
There is a video floating around the Internet that is about a man named Randy Pausch that is dieing of cancer. He is a professor at Carnegie Mellon University and specializes in Virtual Reality, a real interesting fellow. Some versions of the video are about 70 minutes long this one is kind of a readers digest version; http://video.stumbleupon.com/#p=ithct48cqw.
The reason I am sharing this with you is I watched the 76 minutes lecture he gave to his students and faculty at Carnegie Mellon called “Really Achieving your Childhood dreams”. This lecture is said to be his “Last Lecture”, a tradition in which they ask a professor, “if you were dieing what you would you say at your last lecture”.
Dr. Pausch says a lot in 76:26, but his take home thoughts are those about living right. His main point is that we should all have a vision and carry that vision out. This ties so well into our NYLT, where we talk about developing vision and setting goals, then seeing those goals to reality. Dr. Pausch had a vision of what he wanted his life to look like, and now he is at the end of his life, can clearly see how his “Movie is going to end” and he has taken the time to reflect and share some things that made him successful. Interestingly, he said he wrote his “Last lecture” not for his students or faculty, nor the 400 people that attended the lecture, or the millions that have downloaded it on You tube. He wrote it for three people. His children.
You can watch it on your own and learn from it. I just want to share one of his thoughts that really struck me as poignant. He talked about three keys to living well. They are:
1. Tell the Truth.
2. Apologize (Properly)
3. Wait, People will show you their good side (Be Patient)
I want to elaborate on number two. Like he says, there are many bad apologies out there today. We see it all the time in our politicians and sports figures. It seems they are always on the tube telling us they are sorry for this or that. But notice it says Apologize (PROPERLY).
What we see from our sports figures and politicians are by (his) definition, and I tend to agree, bad apologies.
If you are going to say you are sorry… do it right, be sincere. There are three elements to a good apology. 1. I am Sorry. 2. It was my Fault. 3. How do I make it right.
It is the third part that most people leave out. It is not enough to say you are sorry. What are you going to do to make it right. Children most usually get it right, at least in principle. You always hear little kids say, “I am sorry, I’ll give you this…” Now its not about give and take, but the principle of making it right shows sincerity. Without it you have not apologized correctly.
As I watched Dr. Pausch for 76 minutes I did not see a man about to die. I saw a man that was living his life to the very end. A man that understood what it took to have a good life and how to share that life with others. He did not apologize for being happy with his life, even though he could see the part of the movie where the credits start to role. | <urn:uuid:f4e01da0-7f97-4dd4-b25c-74144883b532> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://thescoutmasterminute.net/2008/03/03/apologies/?like=1&source=post_flair&_wpnonce=f636fc8316 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00010-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.986507 | 737 | 1.601563 | 2 |
US President Barack Obama will call for a
re-ignition of the US economy with the goal of bolstering the middle
class as he takes to the podium to deliver his annual State of the
Union address to Congress Tuesday evening.
"It is our generation's task, then, to reignite the true engine of America's economic growth - a rising, thriving middle class," Obama is to say, according to excerpts of his speech released in advance by the White House.
"It is our unfinished task to restore the basic bargain that built this country - the idea that if you work hard and meet your responsibilities, you can get ahead, no matter where you come from, what you look like, or who you love."
Though the speech is expected to focus on economic issues, media reports Tuesday also indicated he will lay out a plan for withdrawing US troops from Afghanistan. Some 34,000 troops will return home by next February, halving the US footprint in the country, unnamed administration officials were quoted as saying.
He will also renew a call for a reduction in nuclear weapons in the wake of a North Korean nuclear test, according to The New York Times.
The annual address, which airs during key evening viewing and is among the most closely watched of presidential speeches each year, comes less than a month after Obama began his second term with an inaugural speech that laid out a sweeping liberal agenda - highlighting gay rights, climate change and immigration, but stopping short of discussing many policy specifics.
Obama will echo themes of his re-election campaign, calling for a "government that works on behalf of the many, and not just the few," and focussing on job creation and training.
"A growing economy that creates good, middle-class jobs - that must be the North Star that guides our efforts," he is to say. "Every day, we should ask ourselves three questions as a nation: How do we attract more jobs to our shores? How do we equip our people with the skills needed to do those jobs? And how do we make sure that hard work leads to a decent living?"
The excerpts also included a vow to keep his proposals from increasing the nation's deficit, as Congress looks to cut spending.
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Single Thread Theatre Company is a young, energetic and disciplined theatrical collective that has refined its artistic vision over the past nine years. It has produced site-specific theatre for the Art Gallery of Ontario, Fort York, the Toronto First Post Office, the Campbell House Museum and Spadina Historic House and Gardens, among many others.
Single Thread Theatre Company was founded in 2003 by students at Queen's University (Kingston, Ontario) The mandate of the company was originally to produce semi-professional theatre using Canadian and classical content. The company mounted four productions in its first year: Zastrozzi: Master of Discipline, Waiting for Godot, Lysistrata and Julius Caesar. The production of Julius Caesar in Chernoff Hall, a state of the art chemistry building, was of critical importance in the company’s development as it marked Single Thread’s first use of “found space”.
In its second season, Single Thread produced Othello, Metamorphoses and The Last Five Years. Othello was staged as a found-space show before the enormous stained glass windows of Douglas Library in Kingston.
The Found-Space Theatre Company
Single Thread’s third and fourth seasons saw a total commitment to the use of found-space that had proved so engaging and successful in previous productions. Productions of Fen, Henry V, Everyman, Famine and A Dream Play were all devised as found-space productions with both Fen and Henry V being produced outdoors. Everyman pushed the boundaries of found space to its furthest extent, occurring in a labyrinth that was constructed in the basement of an Anglican cathedral.
Single Thread in Toronto
In 2010, the company premiered Artists and the Theatre at the Art Gallery of Ontario. Single Thread followed up on the success of this production with an AGO collaboration for Canada Culture Days – a large scale outdoor performance featuring twenty actors (ROME). In the fall of 2011, the company produced Much Ado About Nothing as a walking tour of the Spadina Museum Historic House and Gardens. In March of 2012 the company produced The Campbell House Story, an original work created for the Campbell House Museum in partnership with the Sir William Campbell Foundation.
In February 2012, Single Thread Theatre Company was chosen as the resident emerging artist company at Canadian Stage (GYM).
In June 2012, Single Thread will partner with Fort York to produce a large-scale commemoration of the War of 1812 called "The Loyalists".
Over the last nine years, Single Thread has evolved into a team of artists with a clear vision for found-space theatre in Toronto. It is Single Thread Theatre Company’s intention to tell the stories of Canadian spaces using originally devised work based on the stories of those spaces. | <urn:uuid:9b41a4d5-384f-4183-a3d6-3cf0e8e07535> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://singlethread.ca/about | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704713110/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516114513-00011-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.946974 | 559 | 1.59375 | 2 |
The FCC has dropped its investigation of Google's collection of WiFi "payload data" as part of the company's Street View project, but has slapped the company with a $25,000 fine for obstructing its investigation. The investigation sought to determine if Google had improperly collected and stored personal information from traffic over unsecured personal WiFi networks, including e-mail, text messages, and webpage requests. An investigation by the Federal Trade Commission was dropped in October of 2010, just as the FCC took up its own.
In a notice dated April 13, released in a partially redacted form (PDF) on April 15 by the FCC, the commission claimed, "For many months, Google deliberately impeded the (FCC Enforcement) Bureau's investigation by failing to respond to requests for material information and to provide certifications and verifications of its responses." In the notice, the FCC added that it had no further plans for enforcement action on the matter—in part because the Google engineer who developed the code used to collect and store WiFi data "invoked his Fifth Amendment rights and declined to testify."
The FCC also said that it determined, lacking further information on the nature of the collection, that there was no precedent for applying the laws under which the investigation was launched—the Wiretap Act and the Communications Act—because the traffic intercepted by Google was not encrypted.
The New York Times reports that on Sunday, a Google spokesperson called the data collection "a mistake...but we believe we did nothing illegal." | <urn:uuid:94d6e1fa-5881-411e-8629-6f08a621e6a3> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2012/04/fcc-drops-google-investigation-over-wifi-snooping-issues-small-fine/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00019-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.976024 | 303 | 1.75 | 2 |
Siri is helpful when you want to schedule a reminder or look at the forecast, but wouldn’t it be better to have a bona fide Jeopardy! champ in your pocket? IBM is trying to figure out how to bring the power of its superbrainy Watson to smartphones, helping people answer far more complex questions.
Trackpads have been a remarkably simple solution to what could've been a complicated problem: translating the mouse to a laptop. But pushing that technology any further requires some lateral thinking, and the next dimension laptops might venture into is detecting pressure from your fingers, which would open the door for a larger set of commands. It would change how we navigate, and we might be almost there.
Generations of sweating architects and designers have been at work for hundreds of years, pulling inspiration from different sources, to give the biggest, most iconic cities in the world their unique looks. The result is a Paris that isn't the same as New York and a Barcelona that isn't the same as Tokyo. We can pick up on the subtle differences, and now new software can, too.
Five amazing, clean technologies that will set us free, in this month's energy-focused issue. Also: how to build a better bomb detector, the robotic toys that are raising your children, a human catapult, the world's smallest arcade, and much more. | <urn:uuid:a2caff48-f45b-4d44-9244-ad2f01a7e944> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.popsci.com/category/tags/computers | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00003-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.959584 | 278 | 1.765625 | 2 |
While waiting my turn at an airline office in London, England, I reached forward from my chair and selected an advertising brochure from the small table which contained reading material. The publication bore the title, Windows to the World. Each page contained a framed picture of a well-known and beautiful site, accompanied by a well-written description which made one desire to visit all of the locations shown. The Matterhorn in Switzerland, the Alps of New Zealand, even the Taj Mahal of India—all seemed to suggest to the reader the desirability of an immediate visit.
Windows are wonderful. They serve as a frame on which we might focus our attention. They provide a glimpse of God’s creations. The azure blue sky, the billowy, white clouds, the verdant green forest all are as framed pictures in the memory of the mind. Windows also reveal the approach of a friend, a gathering storm, a magnificent sunset—even the passing parade of life.
Windows welcome light to our lives and bring joy to our souls. The absence of windows, such as in dark prison cells, shuts out the world. Deprived of light, the depression of darkness encompasses us.
Windows teach lessons never to be forgotten. Ever shall I remember a visit to the home of President Hugh B. Brown. It was graduation day at Brigham Young University. He was to conduct the exercises, and I was to deliver the commencement address. I drove to President Brown’s home and escorted him to my car. Before we could drive away, however, he said to me, “Wait just a few minutes. My wife, Zina, will come to the front window.”
I glanced at the window, noted that the curtain had parted, and saw Zina Brown sitting in her wheelchair, affectionately waving a small, white handkerchief toward the gaze of her smiling husband. President Brown reached into his jacket pocket, retrieved a white handkerchief, and began to wave it gently, much to the delight of his wife. We then inched away from the curb and commenced the journey to Provo.
“What is the significance of the white-handkerchief waving?” I asked.
He replied, “Zina and I have followed that custom since we were first married. It is somewhat a symbol between us that all will be well throughout the day until we are again together at eventide.”
That day, I witnessed a window to the heart.
Some windows are sealed shut by sorrow, by pain, by neglect. The forgotten birthday, the unremembered visit, the overlooked promise—all can sow seeds of sorrow and bring to the human heart that unwelcome visitor, despair.
A national columnist one day titled her story, “What a Forgotten Birthday Can Mean,” and then quoted from a letter she had received:
“I have never written to you before, but I believe the following might interest you and your readers. I found it in an old magazine. No author’s name was mentioned—just ‘A Heavy-Hearted Observer.’
“‘Yesterday was a man’s birthday. He was ninety-one. He awakened earlier than usual, bathed, shaved and put on his best clothes. Surely they would come today, he thought.
“‘He didn’t take his daily walk to the gas station to visit with the old-timers of the community because he wanted to be right there when they came.
“‘He sat on the front porch with a clear view of the road so he could see them coming. Surely they would come today.
“‘He decided to skip his noon nap because he wanted to be up when they came. He had six children. Two of his daughters and their married children lived within four miles. They hadn’t been to see him for such a long time. But today was his birthday. Surely they would come today.
“‘At supper time he refused to cut the cake and asked that the ice cream be left in the freezer. He wanted to wait and have dessert with them when they came.
“‘About 9 o’clock he went to his room and got ready for bed. His last words before turning out the lights were, “Promise to wake me up when they come.”
“‘It was his birthday, and he was ninety-one.’”
When I read that touching account, tears came easily. I reflected on an experience in my life, one that had a happier ending.
Each time I would visit an older widow whom I had known for many years and whose bishop I had been, my heart grieved at her utter loneliness. A favorite son of hers lived many miles away, and for years he had not visited Mother. Mattie spent long hours in a lonely vigil at her front window. Behind a frayed and frequently opened curtain, the disappointed mother would say to herself, “Dick will come; Dick will come.”
But Dick didn’t come. The years passed by one after another. Then, like a ray of sunshine, Church activity came into the life of Dick. He journeyed to Salt Lake to visit with me. He telephoned upon his arrival and, with excitement, reported the change in his life. He asked if I had time to see him if he were to come directly to my office. My response was one of gladness. However, I said, “Dick, visit your mother first, and then come to see me.” He gladly complied with my request.
Before he could get to my office, there came a phone call from Mattie, his mother. From a joyful heart came words punctuated by tears: “Tom, I knew Dick would come. I told you he would. I saw him through the window.”
Years later at Mattie’s funeral, Dick and I spoke tenderly of that experience. We had witnessed a glimpse of God’s healing power through the window of a mother’s faith in her son.
The holy scriptures are replete with sacred accounts of our Master’s love for the downtrodden and the poor of this world. Though many are forgotten by men, they are remembered by God and are ofttimes seen through the window of personal example.
Who among us can forget the timeless lesson taught by the Lord when, “in the audience of all the people he said unto his disciples,
“Beware of the scribes, which desire to walk in long robes, and love greetings in the markets, and the highest seats in the synagogues, and the chief rooms at feasts;
“Which devour widows’ houses, and for a shew make long prayers.” (Luke 20:45–47.)
“And he looked up, and saw the rich men casting their gifts into the treasury.
“And he saw also a certain poor widow casting in thither two mites.
“And he said, Of a truth I say unto you, that this poor widow hath cast in more than they all:
“For all these have of their abundance cast in unto the offerings of God: but she of her penury hath cast in all the living that she had.” (Luke 21:1–4.) What a beautiful lesson, as taught through the window of example.
At a city called Nain, the Lord opened to his disciples and to many people who followed him a window through which they might view true compassion:
“Now when he came nigh to the gate of the city, behold, there was a dead man carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow: and much people of the city was with her.
“And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her, and said unto her, Weep not.
“And he came and touched the bier: and they that bare him stood still. And he said, Young man, I say unto thee, Arise.
“And he that was dead sat up, and began to speak. And he delivered him to his mother.” (Luke 7:12–15.)
The disciples of the Lord witnessed through the windows Jesus opened the power of God and were made partakers of this same power when, in righteousness, they ministered to the children of the Almighty.
A beautiful account, recorded in the book of Acts, tells of a disciple named Tabitha who lived at Joppa. She was described as being a woman “full of good works and almsdeeds.”
“It came to pass in those days, that she was sick, and died: whom when they had washed, they laid her in an upper chamber.
“And forasmuch as Lydda was nigh to Joppa, and the disciples had heard that Peter was there, they sent unto him two men, desiring him that he would not delay to come to them.
“Then Peter arose and went with them. When he was come, they brought him into the upper chamber: and all the widows stood by him weeping, and shewing the coats and garments which [Tabitha] made, while she was with them.” (Could we not say this was a window through which Peter glimpsed the industry of Tabitha’s life?) “Peter put them all forth, and kneeled down, and prayed; and turning him to the body said, Tabitha, arise. And she opened her eyes: and when she saw Peter, she sat up.
“And he gave her his hand, and lifted her up, and when he had called the saints and widows, presented her alive.
“And it was known throughout all Joppa; and many believed in the Lord.” (Acts 9:36–42.)
Would it not be ever so sad if such a window to priesthood power, to faith, to healing, were to be restricted to Joppa alone? Are these sacred and moving accounts recorded only for our uplift and enlightenment? Can we not apply such mighty lessons to our daily lives?
When we catch the vision regarding the worth of human souls, when we realize the truth of the adage, “God’s sweetest blessings always flow through hands that serve Him here below,” then we have quickened within our souls the desire to do good, the willingness to serve, and the yearning to lift to a higher plane the children of God.
Such was the experience of William Norris, formerly the chairman of a large computer manufacturing firm and a friend of many years. Mr. Norris determined to build a plant in an area of extreme poverty. The neighborhood was predominantly composed of a minority race—unmarried women with children, uneducated, uncared-for, but needing help. These women became the work force in the production of high-tech computers.
I had the privilege to be hosted by Mr. Norris and to be given a tour of his new facility. I was impressed with the employment provided—but more impressed with the company nursery, which occupied a wing of the building. Here, while their mothers worked, children received schooling, including proficiency with computers. Since most of the children did not have fathers and grandfathers who cared, retired grandfathers in the community were invited to have lunch with them. The children were benefited, and the grandfathers had a special blessing brought into their lives.
As a result of Mr. Norris’s dream, the chain of poverty was broken. Children learned to earn. It was as though William Norris had personally blessed the life of each worker. Through the window provided by Mr. Norris—even love in action—I saw demonstrated the philosophical and practical truth: The bottom line of living is giving.
As we go about our daily lives, we discover countless opportunities to follow the example of the Savior. When our hearts are in tune with His teachings, we discover the unmistakable nearness of His divine help. It is almost as though we are on the Lord’s errand; and we then discover that, when we are on the Lord’s errand, we are entitled to the Lord’s help.
Through the years, the offices I have occupied have been decorated with lovely paintings of peaceful and pastoral scenes. However, there is one picture that always hangs on the wall which I face when seated behind my desk. It is a constant reminder of Him whom I serve, for it is a picture of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. When confronted with a vexing problem or difficult decision, I always gaze at that picture of the Master and silently ask myself the question, “What would He have me do?” No longer does doubt linger, nor does indecision prevail. The way to go is clear, and the pathway before me beckons.
Some months back I sat in my office chair reading the daily mail. I opened a letter from Martha Sharp of Wellsville, Utah, and read her entreaty seeking a blessing for her grown son, Steven, who was a patient at University Hospital in Salt Lake City. She described Steven’s spiritual and physical needs and the likelihood that he would suffer the amputation of his foot. Her tears were felt in each word, and her feelings of love marked every sentence. Hers was a request which the Spirit simply did not allow me to delegate.
When I entered Steven’s hospital room that night, I saw a man who just seemed built to ride a horse. Sensing this, I began to chat with him about a Western adventure film I had seen recently. I described the beautiful horses ridden by the principal characters. A warm smile came over Steven’s face. Not until that moment did I note on his nightstand a book he had been reading. It was the book from which the film we had been discussing was made. Our conversation was warm and free from that point forward.
In describing his condition, Steven commented, “I hope they leave enough of my foot so that I can get it into a stirrup.” I assured him we would remember his name when the First Presidency and Council of the Twelve met in the holy temple and that my wife and I would personally remember him in our prayers. I told him that he had a wonderful mother, who loved him and remembered him in his need, and a Heavenly Father who also loved and remembered him. Steven began to weep. A special spirit filled the room. A blessing was given, a heart cleansed, a memory of home and family rekindled, and a mother comforted.
As I departed the hospital, situated high on the east bench of Salt Lake City, I gazed at the panoramic view of the valley before me. The miles collapsed; the stars drew near. I could almost see through the window of mortality the expanse of eternity. One star shone especially bright. It seemed to light the way and mark the path to Wellsville. I remembered the poem from Primary days:
What was my wish? That Martha Sharp might receive the welcome message, “Your son loves you.”
From sacred soil far away, and from a timeless truth taught long ago, came the message, “With God all things are possible.” (Matt. 19:26.)
Once more a gentle but unseen hand had opened a window to the soul, that precious lives might receive blessings heaven-sent.
He beckons to each of us and extends the warm invitation not only to gaze at the beauty seen through the windows He opens, but also to pass through them to the priceless opportunities He provides to bless the lives of others.
That each may experience this privilege is my humble prayer, in the name of Jesus Christ, amen. | <urn:uuid:e58149a6-f6cc-477f-8501-113c4f3ed3aa> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.lds.org/general-conference/1989/10/windows?lang=eng&country=gb&media=video | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00019-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.984448 | 3,312 | 1.59375 | 2 |
NAM Economist comments on Commerce Department report.January 29, 2008 -
According to David Huether, chief economist for NAM, the report on trade indicates that exports of manufactured goods continue to hold the economy afloat by increasing more rapidly than imports. Exports have accounted for 40% of economic growth over the past year, adding more to the GDP than the housing slump has taken away. Huether also said that the spike in the cost of oil accounted for 80% of the November rise in imports and Congress should expand access to domestic energy resources.
Rising Oil Prices Obscure Improving Trade Pattern
(Archive News Story - Products mentioned in this Archive News Story may or may not be available from the manufacturer.)
National Association Of Manufacturers (NAM)
1331 Pennsylvania Ave. N.W.
Washington, DC, 20004
Press release date: January 11, 2008
NAM Economist Says Exports Added More to GDP than the Housing Slump has Taken Away
WASHINGTON, D.C., January 11, 2008 - The crucial message in today's Commerce Department report on trade is that exports of manufactured goods continue to hold the economy afloat by increasing more rapidly than imports, said David Huether, chief economist for the National Association of Manufacturers.
"Rising exports are helping the economy weather the current housing downturn," Huether said. "In fact, exports have accounted for 40 percent of economic growth over the past year, adding more to the GDP than the housing slump has taken away."
Even though the monthly trade deficit increased to $63.1 billion in November - with exports rising a modest $0.6 billion while imports surged by $6 billion - this reflects the rising cost of oil. The dollar value of petroleum imports jumped 16 percent during the month.
"The spike in the cost of oil accounted for 80 percent of the November rise in imports," Huether said. "Our country's increasing dependence on overseas energy supplies is made clear by the fact that nearly half of the November trade deficit was in petroleum products. It's time for Congress to address this problem is by expanding access to domestic energy resources, a critical oversight in last year's energy legislation.
"Outside of the spike in petroleum prices 2007 was a good year on the trade front," he said. "In the coming year, it's important for lawmakers to expand exports and aid U.S. manufacturers by passing the three free trade agreements with Columbia, Panama and South Korea. This will lower tariff barriers currently imposed on U.S. goods overseas."
The National Association of Manufacturers is the nation's largest industrial trade association, representing small and large manufacturers in every industrial sector and in all 50 states. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the NAM has 11 additional offices across the country. Visit the NAM's award-winning web site at www.nam.org for more information about manufacturing and the economy.
1331 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW - Suite 600 - Washington, DC 20004-1790 - www.nam.org
CONTACT: J.P. FIELDER (202) 637-3089 | <urn:uuid:255c039d-b574-4553-b13e-add6a45fe003> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://news.thomasnet.com/companystory/NAM-Economist-comments-on-Commerce-Department-report-539184 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00018-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.948933 | 638 | 1.640625 | 2 |
HUNTSVILLE, Alabama -- Overnight lows will be much colder than normal for the Tennessee Valley, according to the Huntsville office of the National Weather Service.
The overnight lows will be in the lower 20s. Some locations could even get lows in the upper teens. The skies will be clear, which will carry on into the afternoon as the high gets into the mid to upper 30s. The lows will drop back into the low to mid-20s tonight.
Tomorrow will be mostly sunny and warmer but with a 20 percent chance of rain in the evening. The highs will get into the upper 40s and lows in the upper 30s.
Sign up to receive a daily weather report via email for free at al.com/newsletters. On the go? Sign up for important weather alerts delivered to your phone, a free text service provided by al.com and the National Weather Service. | <urn:uuid:97912958-cedd-40f6-b411-2415829e5629> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://blog.al.com/breaking/2013/01/tuesday_conditions_to_be_colde.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00016-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.944928 | 184 | 1.515625 | 2 |
[quote]If you have a usb stick or a cd burner, you can re-install something good right now :
You're recommending Mandriva for a NETBOOK!? Did she say what distro she was using? Are you here to help or just to push your favorite distro?
You should not need to completely re-install your OS. It may only be the web browser or flash that needs repair. Most netbook distros have a package manager (Synaptic, for example, on Debian, Mint, Ubuntu, Mepis, PCLinuxOS, etc) that you can use to check the status of all your programs. Sometimes a re-installation of your web browser and maybe Java or Adobe flash player fixes that facebook thingy.
When you write in again, tell us what distro you already have installed (and tell us about your netbook) and others who know your distro and your hardware can help you fix it.
Not to worry!
I'm not quite sure about your agenda or what drove you to make that post but you are obviously quite confused and not here to offer any useful advice accept to try to discredit those who do.
Tammy's post clearly states that she has purchased an ASUS notebook. Not an ASUS netbook (Link there so that you can learn what a netbook is, alright.)
Irrespective of your mistake, Mandriva is actually geared towards ease of use and is optimised for netbooks anyway. Mandriva actually use EEEpcs in their development and testing. There are pictures of the development team doing so on their flickr page.
You can learn about why Mandriva is netbook friendly here.
But you should also just in general learn more about Linux, other Linux distributions and get that chip about Mandriva off your shoulder.
Just for your information. And this is important because you obviously either HATE Mandriva or want to push some other distro, I do not use Mandriva Linux. I used to use Mandrake Linux and it was in fact the very first distribution I installed when I first started using Linux over ten years ago.
I recommend Mandriva because it is the most user friendly Linux distribution available. Period. There is absolutely no way you can convince me otherwise. Like I say, I have used Linux for over ten years and I KNOW which distribution is the easiest for new users to install and use.
I myself find Fedora easy to use and I personally use that distribution because of lack of hard disk space to install NixOs on. What I use is irrelevant to answer this question. I would not go and recommend either of my first choice distributions to new users who are not familiar with Linux, simply because of how terrible packagekit is and NixOs is a development distribution for very experienced Linux users.
Neither of those distributions are ideally suited to new users and that is why I say Mandriva.
I will not recommend Ubuntu or OpenSuSe for ethical reasons. Please learn about Mark Shuttleworth and his pumping millions into Ubuntu to try to buy/build a Linux distribution.
Also learn about Novell's patent deals with Microsoft and how they are faring as a result of it, to at least maybe understand my educated ethical choices.
Robin, you unfortunately show your lack of hands on experience.
Many new machines which come with Linux pre-installed are shipping with 3rd rate quality distributions, which have been stripped down and "Tinkered" With to make them :
Extremely difficult to update.
Lacking in full software repositories.
Without the option to install (Should you own a license) Software which allows you to encode or decode DVDs or h.264 video.
Not to contain a package manager.
Asus are one of these manufacturers. If you had ever seen any of these new machines hands on, you would be aware of that and would realise that reloading it off a backup CD doesn't improve anything and how would Tammy re-install any software if the package manager has been removed from her distro? Either by accident or by Asus. She wouldn't be able to.
So installing a full user friendly Linux distribution is the most helpful advice because it is easy to do. Just boot off the disc and let the installer do the work.
If Tammy knew what distribution she was using, she would have posted in the respective distribution specific section.
I am worried. I'm worried that there are more people like yourself, Robin offering advice like your last post and that others are even listening to you.
Please don't offer help if you are going to offer nothing of use at all. There certainly is a place here for people who make an effort and actually know what they are talking about but trying to discredit others with bogus advice is not how to make friends and influence people. Just take a minute to think first next time. OK?
craig2168, please don't SHOUT. It's rude. Please respect the netiquette.
Tammy, (If you are reading this) I'm sorry that this post doesn't offer any solution to your problem. My previous post does. | <urn:uuid:ffa44c67-799e-4f45-980d-e9b4ad4a3e45> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.linux.com/community/forums/person/9845/post/3661 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00001-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.956505 | 1,060 | 1.53125 | 2 |
"Most of the guns that are purchased at a gun show are purchased from federal firearms-licensed holders," Keene said.
He challenged the 40% figure for gun sales without background checks -- particularly at gun shows.
"We don't know what (is the) percentage at gun shows. It may be 10%," Keene said. "It's not such a loophole at gun shows. But it's like if you sell me your shotgun, that's a private transaction. Just as if I sell you a car, I don't have a dealer's license."
Ten states and the District of Columbia have their own laws requiring background checks for any firearm sold at a gun show, Nichols said.
Six more states require background checks for gun-show sales of handguns -- but not for rifles or shotguns, Nichols said.
In total, 16 states and the District of Columbia require background checks on handguns sold at gun shows, Nichols said.
These states that close loopholes, however, provide exemptions for gun transfers between immediate family members and between licensed dealers, Nichols said.
Are background checks effective?
From the time when the gun control measures of the Brady Act were enacted on March 1, 1994, through the end of 2008, the federal government processed more than 97 million applications for gun transfers or permits, the Justice Department says.
Almost 1.8 million applications were denied, the agency said.
On this matter, both sides are in agreement.
Said Keene: "Background checks are generally a good thing."
Added Nichols: "Background checks have a huge deterrent effect. People who are ineligible to buy a gun are unlikely to try if they know they are going to be subjected to a background check." | <urn:uuid:e7923221-fc0f-488f-a71c-daead74d5907> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.ksat.com/news/-Universal-background-checks-defined/-/478452/18125280/-/item/1/-/9uswix/-/index.html | 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 | 0.963161 | 349 | 1.710938 | 2 |
Questions abound about Justice Dept. use of gov't jets
This post was updated at 3:27 p.m. ET
Congressional Republicans are raising questions about the use of government aircraft by senior Justice Department officials, including FBI Director Robert Mueller and U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder.
Two Gulfstream jets that the FBI told Congress would be used primarily for counterterrorism efforts have been used by Holder and Mueller for business and personal reasons - to the tune of $11.4 million - according to a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report requested by Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa.
The GAO report states, "From fiscal years 2007 through 2011, three individuals who served as Attorney General (AG) and the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) accounted for 95 percent (659 out of 697 flights) of all Department of Justice (DOJ) executive nonmission flights using DOJ aircraft at a total cost of $11.4 million. Specifically, the AG and FBI Director collectively took 74 percent (490 out of 659) of all of their flights for business purposes, such as conferences, meetings, and field office visits; 24 percent (158 out of 659) for personal reasons; and 2 percent (11 out of 659) for a combination of business and personal reasons."
However, the report also notes that Attorneys General and FBI Directors "are 'required use' travelers who are required by executive branch policy to use government aircraft for all their travel, including travel for personal reasons, because of security and communications needs."
In an August 2012 letter to Mueller, Grassley, along with now-former Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Tex., and GOP Reps. Lamar Smith and Frank Wolf, wrote, "We are aware that the Attorney General is required to travel by government aircraft for security purposes...We also understand that travel is an inherent and expected part of the job for any Attorney General."
However, they said, "We believe it is important to determine whether use of the FBI's aircraft by Attorney General Holder and other senior Department of Justice (DOJ) officials adheres to relevant statutes and policies, is cost effective, and does not hinder the operational readiness of the FBI."
In a separate press release, Grassley insisted that there must be a thriftier alternative. "These luxury jets were supposedly needed for counterterrorism, but it turns out that they were used almost two-thirds of the time for jet-setting executive travel instead."
"Nobody disputes that the Attorney General and the FBI Director should have access to the secure communications, but, for instance, there's no reason they can't take a less expensive mode of transportation, or cut their personal travel."
A spokesman for the FBI, Christopher Allen, told CBSNews in a statement that the GAO report "makes clear that the overwhelming majority of travel by recent Attorneys General and the Director - although termed "non mission" travel by the report - has been for official business travel in furtherance of the Department's national security and public safety mission."
The spokesman added that the FBI's first priorities in allocating government planes are "counterterrorism and weapons of mass desctruction operations," and noted that "the GAO report confirms that the Department of Justice always adheres to these priorities in scheduling use of its aircraft."
Since July of 2001, the Attorney General has been required to use government aircraft for all travel. John Ashcroft, then atop the Justice Department, cited unspecified security threats in justifying the policy change.
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Message from Dr. Cox-Cruey, Superintendent
I am honored to be the Superintendent of the fifth largest school district in Kentucky. Our mission in the Kenton County School District is to ensure that every student is prepared for the global work market. As a System focused on providing Excellence in Instruction, and Student and Business Engagement, we are leading the region in initiatives designed to ensure that all students graduate prepared for college or a career. This year we are launching the Kenton County Academies of Innovation and Technology (KCAIT), a program designed to ensure 100% of students participating are college and career ready.
The Kenton County School District has set high expectations for our students. The Common Core Academic Standards are a set of standards in reading, writing, speaking, listening and mathematics. The new standards, which have been adopted by most states across the United States, focus on mastery of content at a particular grade level and include very little repetition of content from one year to the next. The district will also begin the 2nd year of implementation with the Spring Board curriculum, focusing on refinement and enhanced instructional planning and support. Advanced training held in June was presented by district staff that serve on National Advisory Boards.
The innovative Professional Practices Rubric (PPR) lends further support and focus to our instructional staff throughout the school year. Furthermore, our district team will continue to support the work of teachers throughout the year, within the classroom, through a continuation grant funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. In fact, the Literacy and Math Design Collaborative (LDC and MDC) work will expand and grow in both middle and high schools. Additionally, the partnership with Fidelity Investments will expand from long term investment training in two pilot schools, to full implementation in all four middle schools beginning the 2012-13 school year.
This school district is committed to providing quality instruction, active student engagement and developing and maintaining strong relationships with our parents and business partners. You have selected an excellent school district for your child’s education and I look forward to our partnership preparing these students for their productive futures.
Terri Cox-Cruey, Ed.D. | <urn:uuid:fad06329-8a86-4720-b97c-115e50fd2df7> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.kenton.kyschools.us/administrativeDepartment.aspx?aid=24 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00015-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.95451 | 440 | 1.648438 | 2 |
Elm Grove, Wisconsin - Harry Felker, president and last surviving
founding father of local appliance and home theater retailer Colder's, died on
Tuesday, April 19. He was 95.
Colder's was founded by brother Henry Felker, in 1942 as a
commercial refrigeration service business. In 1946, after serving in the U.S.
Navy during World War II, Harry joined his brother to branch out into home
refrigerator and freezer sales.
The two brothers worked from the back of their truck unloading
the freezers directly from the trains and selling them in neighborhoods
throughout the Milwaukee area. They eventually opened their first store in
Milwaukee, and in the late 1940s the third brother, the late Walter Felker, also
joined the business. In the 1950s washers, dryers and ovens were added to the
merchandising mix, and furniture was added in the 1960s.
Today, there are four Colder's locations in West Allis, Oak
Creek, Delafield and Grafton, Wisconsin.
Felker, affectionately known as "Mr. Harry," was known for his
catchphrase, "keep moving." He was insistent that if you were alive you should
be moving and doing something productive.
Over the last 10 years of his life Felker followed his own advice
by frequently visiting Colder's locations, particularly the West Allis
location, to say "hello" to the employees and see how business was for the day.
Due to the expansive footage of the Colder's West Allis showroom and warehouse
Harry was often seen riding his bike around the inside of the store. He would
frequently bring apples from a local orchard when he visited and personally
deliver an apple and a smile to each of the employees.
The Felker family still owns and operates all four Colder's
locations with Harry's vision of quality, value and service, a family statement
said. Colder's is a member of Home Entertainment Source (HES), a division of
Felker is survived by his wife of 73 years, Lucille V. (Michels),
three sons, three daughters, 12 grandchildren and 7 great-grandchildren.
Elm Grove, Wisconsin - Harry Felker, president and last surviving founding father of local appliance and home theater retailer Colder's, died on Tuesday, April 19. He was 95. | <urn:uuid:c3440bad-be41-47b1-95fd-47fc384f01cb> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.twice.com/news/colders-harry-felker-95-0 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00005-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.980872 | 512 | 1.609375 | 2 |
Share your thoughts on the collapse. For those in the Minneapolis area, have you been affected by it?
Your search for INSURANCE in Bridge Disasters returned 8 articles
ARTICLES ABOUT BRIDGE DISASTERS
Flashing headlights and honking horns penetrated the early-morning sky as police officers and first responders led drivers in a slow procession across the new Interstate 35W bridge in Minneapolis. Hundreds of vehicles had lined up on both sides, some waiting hours for the bridge to open a few minutes after 5 a.m. Then they inched, bumper to bumper, onto the new $234 million, 10-lane span. The old bridge collapsed into the Mississippi River on Aug. 1, 2007, killing 13 people and injuring 145. ...September 19, 2008, Friday
President Clinton, arriving here to tour a region saturated with rain and river water, asked Congress today to appropriate $2.5 billion in Federal disaster assistance to rebuild businesses, compensate farmers for crop losses and provide other flood relief. Mr. Clinton flew overnight from Hawaii, where he vacationed for three days on his way back from Japan and South Korea, to view the damage by helicopter before visiting a water-distribution site and participating in a television and radio ...July 15, 1993, Thursday
LEAD: Two lanes of a highway bridge to replace the one that collapsed into the Schoharie Creek last month is scheduled to open by December, Governor Cuomo announced today, and the new four-lane bridge is expected to be completed by the spring of 1988.May 09, 1987, Saturday
LEAD: Divers searching Schoharie Creek today found a car crushed under a concrete slab from the bridge on the Gov. Thomas E. Dewey Thruway that collapsed Sunday.April 10, 1987, Friday
Twenty-five days after a section of a Connecticut Turnpike bridge here collapsed, killing three people and snarling traffic in two states, the bridge was reopened today with a temporary replacement for the fallen portion. ''Let the citizens of the State of Connecticut and indeed the Northeast know that this bridge is safe for automobile traffic,'' Gov. William A. O'Neill said at the site. ''There should be no reluctance to use 95 and this bridge.'' The turnpike is part of Interstate 95, the...July 23, 1983, Saturday
Five leading experts in bridge design were asked by The New York Times to discuss the broad implications of the collapse of a 100-foot section of a Connecticut Turnpike bridge here on June 28 that killed three people and injured three others. Since investigations are still under way, the experts - three engineers, a professor of civil engineering and a Federal bridge official - were asked not to speculate on the cause of the collapse of the roadway over the Mianus River. Rather, they were a...July 15, 1983, Friday
The cost of temporary repairs and a permanent replacement for the fallen bridge section of the Connecticut Turnpike in Greenwich could exceed $37 million, the State Transportation Commissioner said today. The Commissioner, J. William Burns, said the state expected to recover up to $14 million in insurance carried on its bridges, leaving Connecticut with a net cost of $23 million. ''Federal financial help doesn't appear likely,'' he said.July 14, 1983, Thursday
A 100-foot section of a Connecticut Turnpike bridge collapsed here early this morning, hurling four vehicles into the Mianus River, killing three people and critically injuring three others. ''I thought I heard an explosion,'' said Gordon Gilman, whose home is on the river bank. ''I looked out the window and I saw a truck and a car coming off the bridge and going into the water. Then I could hear moans. I could hear people moaning.'' Connecticut officials said they could not explain the c...June 29, 1983, Wednesday
SEARCH 8 ARTICLES ABOUT BRIDGE DISASTERS:
Timeline: Bridge Collapses
An interactive graphic detailing the structure of the collapsed Minneapolis bridge.
- Op-Ed Columnist: What Our Words Tell Us
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- Op-Ed Contributor: The Outrageous Cost of a Gene Test | <urn:uuid:4617d851-ad8e-4048-8376-3728b64cdc50> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/subjects/b/bridges_and_tunnels/bridge_disasters/index.html?query=INSURANCE&field=des&match=exact | 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 | 0.939592 | 950 | 1.703125 | 2 |
… So, say "yes." In fact, say "yes" as often as you can. When I was starting out in Chicago, doing improvisational theatre with Second City and other places, there was really only one rule I was taught about Improv. That was, "yes-and." In this case, "yes-and" is a verb. To "yes-and." I yes-and, you yes-and, he, she or it yes-ands. And “yes-anding” means that when you go onstage to improvise a scene with no script, you have no idea what's going to happen, maybe with someone you've never met before. To build a scene, you have to accept. To build anything onstage, you have to accept what the other improviser initiates on stage. They say you're doctors -- you're doctors. And then, you add to that: “We're doctors and we're trapped in an ice cave.” That's the "-and." And then hopefully they "yes-and" you back. You have to keep your eyes open when you do this. You have to be aware of what the other performer is offering you, so that you can agree and add to it. And through these agreements, you can improvise a scene or a one-act play. And because, by following each other's lead, neither of you are really in control. It's more of a mutual discovery than a solo adventure. What happens in a scene is often as much a surprise to you as it is to the audience.
- Stephen Colbert, from his 2006 Knox College commencement address
I had heard about Colbert’s now-classic commencement address for some time but only recently tracked it down and read it in its entirety. It was truly unlike most college commencement addresses – you know the kind; rather dry, if carefully and lovingly constructed by the honored speech giver struggling to break through the collective hangover to impart years of accumulated wisdom onto the eager graduates stepping out into the “real world,” only to be instantly filed away in that section of the brain labeled “Stuff To Never Think About Again… Ever.”
Colbert’s was different. It was excellent. Fun, funny, and for all but the final minutes, anything but deep. And then he offered his profoundly simple advice: Say, “YES.”
When given the chance to do something new or different, “outside the box,” or that will challenge or stretch your abilities, how often do you say, “Yes”? How often when the opportunity is something you never imagined yourself doing, or is far removed from anything you normally are interested in? Ever? How about when saying “yes” almost certainly guarantees some level of discomfort despite the promise of a possibly greater payoff?
For many of us, “No” becomes an easy default. Weary, wary, with too much responsibility and too little time, we retreat from new challenges and decide it’s just easier and safer to “go with what (we) know.” Other folks might consider themselves fully formed; they know what they like, what they’re comfortable with, how they do things and why, and the idea of learning or doing something new and outside those carefully defined parameters is viewed with suspicion or disdain. There’s almost a pride in the rigidity.
It sometimes seems we in the law enforcement world are particularly susceptible to the lure of just saying “NO” to those things that may be challenging or difficult or “different.” We tend to embrace a deeper wariness of the world, and weariness from policing its darker corners. For a lot of cops that pride in rigidity is a trademark. Not all, but enough that you probably recognize it in some of the people you work with. Or maybe even in yourself. We also know that saying “yes” to the wrong things or in the wrong situations gets people in oodles of trouble and in the interest of self-preservation, we opt for safety. Obviously, however, those outright dangerous choices aren’t the things or situations we’re talking about here.
The problem with choosing “no” too often is the danger that it poses to potentially rewarding experiences and opportunities. | <urn:uuid:8938b2e4-b81e-407e-adf3-da33c9fb2fe7> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.officer.com/article/10745004/tapping-into-the-power-of-yes-and | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00015-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.975382 | 903 | 1.695313 | 2 |
The Traditional Taekwondo Association was set up by Grandmaster T.K. Loh in 1989 in order to spread Taekwondo the way it was originally intended- as a holistic concept of training the mind and body. The TTA looks to provide its students with an understanding of the capability of the human mind and body, and aims to instil the ideas of mental strength and a persevering spirit.
The TTA also aims to enable its practitioners to focus and concentrate their mind on the varying tasks and obstacles that Taekwondo presents as well as attaining the indomitable spirit to overcome them, thus building their confidence level and providing them with the humility attained through their achievement.
The TTA seeks to provide its students with leadership training and to develop a sense of self-discipline as well as the discipline of their focus, coupled with an ability to conduct themselves with proper decorum and etiquette.
The T.T.A. strives to train its members to the highest level of competitive skills so that they are able to participate at any international arena and be second to none.
The list of officials for the 26th TTA Team Championships.
A write-up and pictures will follow soon.
Grandmaster Park Seminar starts 10.30am at Caledonian University on Sunday the 17th April.
The Seminar will be covered by Martial Arts Illustrated, there will be an opportunity to have your photo with Grandmaster Park and published in MAI.
A reminder to all TTA members: you will be required to produce your licence at all TTA events. Failure to do so will exclude you from the event.
Details about the 4th annual TTA Leeds training course taking place on the 13th and 14th of March 2010.
The list of officials is now available. | <urn:uuid:65f07295-54fa-498d-9a48-70dfda455b05> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.tta-taekwondo.co.uk/index.php?categoryid=1 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00011-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.964835 | 371 | 1.578125 | 2 |
When 16,000 architects descended on Charlotte for last year's American Institute of Architects convention, their curiosity was piqued by gray concrete towers rising on either side of a six-story parking structure between a Hilton Garden Inn and a Hampton Inn.
The nine-story towers are elevator shafts, constructed during the project's first phase, that are also intended to serve the final phase of a $34 million hotel project. It made sense to build the towers to their full height rather than to bring tower cranes back to complete them, according to developer Greg Panos. His company had planned a 40-room suite hotel, a 2,500-sq.-ft. ballroom, and two floors of office space between the hotels. But by the time the 11-story Hampton Inn and the 15-story Garden Inn were completed, the popularity of the extended-stay concept had waned. Panos thinks it will be at least a year before the hotel market is strong enough to complete the project.
Charlotte Observer reporter Doug Smith first wrote about the unusual structure when it opened two years ago. Because of numerous subsequent inquiries, he wrote a follow-up story earlier this year. | <urn:uuid:2e09a220-e5bd-4859-93d3-8fb8b4195cd5> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.bdcnetwork.com/print/16200 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.968634 | 239 | 1.6875 | 2 |
So you’re a budding filmmaker, huh? You think you already know everything that there is to know about making films? How about the PROPER way of making films? Not quite sure? Then you might just want to listen to what William Akers (Your Screenplay Sucks!) and Kelley Baker (author of the book The Angry Filmmaker Survival Guide) have to say first on a series of podcasts they call The Seven Deadly Sins of Filmmaking!
The show mainly focuses on the dos-and-don’ts of filmmaking and runs for roughly 10 minutes wherein they tackle one particular ‘sin’ in each episode. And in their latest episode (Number 16 – Don’t Plan Elaborate Moving Shots), they discuss how some amateur filmmakers have the tendency to mimic elaborate moving shots which only come up short at the end of the process simply because they fail to consider the complexities and the amount of work, planning and resources involved in accomplishing those shots.
The show may be called ‘The Seven Deadly Sins…” but as you can see from the number of episodes they already put up, there are more than just seven. So if you think you already know them all, think again. You can check out their list of podcast episodes here. | <urn:uuid:2e9962d5-0cce-4e92-8e02-99edcc3f43f5> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.ipodder.org/blog/2012/07/the-seven-deadly-sins-of-filmmaking/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00001-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.960946 | 262 | 1.773438 | 2 |
Bolding important phrases, especially in longer paragraphs and posts, aids the scanability of the text, which is much more important in an online medium than in conventionally; moreso in a mildly-competitive forum such as SO. Additionally, I try to make reading those phrases in isolation (i.e. without the rest of the text) also sensible, and if it conveys the gist, then it feels like I've done a good job.
In particular for answers, the bold phrase will state the direct answer, while the rest of the text explains it. Or conversely, the direct or important piece of the question will be in bold. If you revisit the question with this in mind, did it help or hurt? Would removing all except the bold text be an improvement or make it worse? (Perhaps some of the major benefit from this process is how it shapes my own view of the answer to be more like someone else's?)
I feel italics should be used less frequently than bold, and I use them primarily for a change of tone where I wish to add character, or to emphasize a single word or short phrase that should not be read in isolation.
I wish click-here links were more often avoided. Not a huge problem (especially with the SO crowd compared to others, I believe), but using the domain, the full URL, or just parts from the URL is much better if you can't think of better link text.
Various real examples are in my SO answers, or read a few specific posts that prompted me to put this idea into words and get feedback. | <urn:uuid:72ef6c3f-0560-4bd4-981a-d5b172501d72> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://meta.stackoverflow.com/questions/34355/formatting-for-comprehension-tips?answertab=oldest | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697380733/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516094300-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.950876 | 324 | 1.703125 | 2 |
Five days ago, Dropbox launched its first collegiate Space Race, and gave us MIT folk a chance at eternal glory. To nobody’s surprise, it was only a matter of hours before we had achieved a landslide victory. With numbers equivalent to 75% of our student body quickly joining the fun, there was no way other universities could come close to our Dropbox dedication. Students proudly wore their fresh-pressed, Career Fair-issued Dropbox shirts all across campus, and walked with a new swagger in their step. MIT students aren’t ones to brag, but for once our unity had truly accomplished something great, while other campuses were probably off making another Gangnam Style parody.
But then disaster struck. Just one day later, international universities with larger student bodies pulled ahead in the rankings and left us in the dust. Dropbox’s founder and MIT Alum, Drew Houston, tried to lessen our emotional damage by creating a “United States Leaderboard” where we still held the #1 position, but the damage was already done. Our swagger was replaced with a limp, and some students even started creating an MIT Gangnam Style parody.
All hope was lost, but a number of student groups refused to give up. With unparalleled determination, these students worked through the night as they slowly pieced together a solution. Tonight, one of those solutions was put into action, and MIT once again became #1 in the world. Here’s how it worked:
Post Mortem Note: The blog post below was written with a cheerful sense of optimism before we ran everything together. Although everything below has now worked, the issues we hit during deployment are interesting and warrant another blog post. Disclaimer: please don’t try this at home! It’s left one of us without access to MIT’s network.
First things first, we needed a way to automatically generate lots of email addresses. They didn’t actually need to be MIT email addresses for us to earn points, but what fun would it be if they weren’t? We’re fortunate that MIT keeps a relatively open network, so students are able to create their own @mit.edu mailing lists without any approval. The obvious solution was to create mailing lists directly in the terminal with blanche but unfortunately only administrators can create lists through the command line.
That meant we were stuck doing it the old-fashioned way, through a GUI web interface. Most of MIT’s utility websites (checking registration, grades, billpay, etc) require special MIT certificates to access. Usually when a web developer wants to secure their website, they will purchase an SSL Certificate from a Certificate Authority, and the common Certificate Authority signatures (GoDaddy, Verisign, etc) are built directly into the browser. Then, the developer will create a login system to determine identity. MIT does things completely differently. MIT is it’s own Certificate Authority which isn’t included in browsers, so students must first download the MIT Certificate Authority. Then, instead of using a login system for identity, students download an MIT X.509 Personal Certificate to prove their identity to MIT web services.
While it’s relatively easy to implement a web crawler that uses standard SSL, creating one that uses MIT X.509 certificates is notably more difficult. We spent a couple of hours trying to figure it out until someone came up with a better solution. In general, using certificates is the easiest way to access all MIT web services, so we all assumed it was the only way. Then we remembered that some services, including mailing list administration, are also also available with our student login information through Touchstone. http://ist.mit.edu/touchstone-detail
This meant we could programmatically step through mailing list creation using standard SSL authentication. We used a headless browser called Mechanize to automate the creation of mailing lists. But before actually creating the lists, we needed to come up with names for them.
We decided that total, we’d like to register about 30,000 Dropbox accounts. Our names needed to look realistic, but also be random enough that they couldn’t stop us with simple pattern recognition. We decided to take the list of all currently registered email accounts at MIT and add some random characters to them.
The next issue was that we asked MIT’s network administrators how we could programmatically create lists, and they told us we couldn’t. Making 30,000 mailing lists the next day probably wouldn’t look too good, so we came up with an alternative. Instead of creating 30,000 mailing lists, we’d only create 1,000, then rename them after the Dropbox account is registered. When the process was complete, we’d delete the 1,000 lists to effectively leave no trace.
Now that we had a way of getting our mailing lists, we needed a way to actually register those emails with Dropbox. Submitting the registration form was easy, we just used Mechanize again to automate the browser interaction. The next step was to automate clicking the verification link that Dropbox emails to new users.
We’re using mailing lists, and there isn’t any way to directly check a mailing list’s email. Instead, we added the same Gmail account to each mailing list. We also made sure that each mailing list was private, so no rogue MIT interns at Dropbox could tell what email account we put on the list, or which MIT account created the list.
We created a process that would poll the Gmail account every 30 seconds using Python’s imaplib. Then, we used Mechanize again to click the link. At this step, Dropbox also requires that the new user re-enter their password. We created each account with the same password, so we just enter that password with Mechanize and the account is verified. This step brought up my favorite conversation through this whole process:
“Crap, they’ll be able to tell that we’re using the same password for each account, and stop us that way.”
“Wait no, they won’t be able to tell if they’re hashing their passwords properly.”
Unfortunately, just verifying an account isn’t enough to actually get us any points. Dropbox requires that the new user install the Dropbox client before awarding any referral points. This is where things started to get more tricky.
This has to completely automated, so we decided to use Linux, where we figured it would be easiest to automate installation. Our first test was to uninstall Dropbox, then reinstall it with the new user. The installation worked fine, but when we tried to get the referral points we were told, “This referral looks sketchy.” Busted. They must have put a flag somewhere on our computed to indicate that we had installed Dropbox before.
So we set up two fresh Linux boxes. On the first, we installed Dropbox but never logged in with a user. On the second, we installed Dropbox and logged in with a user. Then we diff’ed the two installations in hopes of finding the flag.
Meanwhile, someone else went to Google and discovered that all we needed to do was change our MAC Address. That was easier.
After doing some research on how we can spoof our MAC Address, we came across a utility that we could use while installing Dropbox from the command line. Great, now we we’re making some real progress.
We needed to run the Daemon without any environment variables to prevent a GUI from opening. In the command line, Dropbox outputs a URL that we’ll use to link our registered account to this installation of the client. We open that URL with Mechanize to link the account, and our referral is complete.
But we didn’t stop there. A simple referral only gets us one point, for more points the new account actually needs to start “using” Dropbox. For the purposes of getting referral points, this means completing Dropbox’s “Getting Started” wizard, and sharing a file with someone else. This involved need the csrf token from the page and watching the ajax requests that were made to complete the steps online. The token was then taken from the cookie of the Mechanize browser that was used to log the user in.
We used Mechanize against to walk through the online Getting Started wizard. Then, we ‘touch’ed a file into a new folder within Dropbox, and used Mechanize to share the folder through Dropbox’s web interface.
Now we had all of the individual components running, but we still needed to figure out how they would work together. The process of creating a single account actually takes a few minutes because of delays while we rename mailing lists and wait for emails from Dropbox. We needed to have a number of queues, and processes adding and removing from the queues. We couldn’t bare to run all this “space race” complication from a generically named server, so we decided to call ours “Houston.” Pronounced like the city in Texas, not the street in New York, and certainly not Drew Houston’s last name. Although, we do get a chuckle from the idea of someone calling Drew and saying “Houston, we have a problem.”
Our application effectively used 6 different queues and 4 different processes.
The 6 queues are:
- unused_usernames – Contains a list of all the usernames that we will register on Dropbox
- available_mailing_lists – Contains a list of the mailing list names that aren’t currently undergoing registration. It starts with the 1,000 mailing lists initially created which are randomly named.
- awaiting_registration – Contains a list of functioning mailing lists that will be registered
- registered – Contains a list of functioning mailing lists that have been registered
- verified – Contains a list of functioning mailings that have been verified
- winners – Contains a list of all registered, verified, and installed mailing lists.
The four processes are:
renamer takes a mailing list from available_mailing_lists, and renames it to one of the unused_usernames. It then removes the entries from both available_mailing_lists and unused_usernames. Now we have to wait a few minutes for the changes to take effect, then we add the new mailing list name to awaiting_registration.
registrar takes emails from the awaiting_registration list and uses Mechanize to walk through Dropbox registration. Once complete, it moves the name from awaiting_registration to registered.
verifier constantly polls the Gmail account to look for verification emails. When it sees one come in, it completes the verification with Mechanizer then finds the name within registered and moves it to verified. Because we no longer need the email to function at this point, we re-add the name to available_mailing_lists to be renamed again.
installer takes names from verified and runs a Dropbox installation for that name. It does this with fakemac on a Virtual Machine in AWS. After installation, it walks through Getting Started and Shares a folder for additional referral points. Finally, it moves the name from verified to winners.
a btb “So I got to South Station, pulled out my laptop, and…” comm.prod | <urn:uuid:d3f21df2-4fb7-4904-b347-27f0aadc2552> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://blog.burtonthird.com/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00008-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.936232 | 2,360 | 1.695313 | 2 |
On 20 May, ZDNet Australia reported on IT consultant Kate Carruthers wishing to use the term "geekgirl". Problem was, when she attempted to use it, she said she was told not to.
Millennials were raised on technology -- they never had to be taught. So if you really need someone to explain what it all really means, just ask Gen-Y geek Josh Taylor, and he'll blog about it (whenever he feels like it).
Armed with a degree in Computer Science and a Masters in Journalism, Josh keeps a close eye on the telecommunications industry and all the goings on in government IT. Like most Gen Y, he spends a lot of his time with his eyes glued to his iPhone on various social media apps.
Optus' decision to minimise network congestion by reducing the quality of website images displayed on devices like the iPhone, without mentioning the adjustment in its terms and conditions, is unacceptable.
Minister for Defence John Faulkner today rose in the Senate to dissociate himself from Twitter and Facebook, offering what is known as a "personal explanation" in the Senate.
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd today said he had "no advice" to suggest that the Federal Government's plans to implement a mandatory internet filter would be delayed until after the federal election, despite a report saying it would.
McAfee customers whose systems went down yesterday should demand they get given money or an extended licence for the time they had to spend fixing the problem.
Today the costs of running a blacklist were made clear, showing that the filter could be a very expensive operation.
Facebook appears to have removed a fan page stating that the phrase "someone should kill [Communications Minister] Senator Stephen Conroy" was "very illegal to say".
Google is serving up what some internet users have described as "hardcore pornography" in a new feature it introduced to Google Reader earlier this year.
Communications Minister Stephen Conroy has had the phrase "ISP Filtering" censored from a tag cloud on his own website.
Despite what Telstra thinks, its soon-to-be-released T-Hub won't "mitigate" the "severe" decline in its fixed-line revenue. | <urn:uuid:c66486e3-2bbd-44f3-8998-a7bffd8e2760> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.zdnet.com/blog/gen-why/11/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00007-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.975062 | 453 | 1.773438 | 2 |
The Trinity International Development Initiative (TIDI) is an innovative, new, network at Trinity College Dublin (TCD) which coordinates the university’s contribution to addressing global development challenges, through research, teaching and outreach activities. TIDI was established in 2007 by a group of researchers from different disciplines who were interested in working together to understand and address challenges such as climate change, HIV/AIDS and socioeconomic disadvantage.
The Faculty of Science (FoS) of the Charles University in Prague presented its new communication concept called SCIENTISTS in early November last year. The objective of this concept is to approach elementary and secondary school students & teachers, media, education industry experts, as well as the general public.
The Team mission is to shape a new breed of engineers leader in their relative fields and to represent the educational excellence of our university.
One of the Team's goals is to improve the Team visibility inside and outside our university, to do that we defined three communication targets: institutions, companies and students. To communicate with them the Team uses Prezi, Power Point presentations, audiovisual products and “elevator pitch” strategy in the interpersonal approach.
„Staging Files“ is the motto of history and theatre projects at the University of Bremen dealing with controversial topics of Bremen’s history. Students of the history department and actors of the bremer shakespeare company (bsc) have developed and staged play readings from original documents since 2007. The project was initiated and is led by Dr. Eva Schöck-Quinteros (University of Bremen), supported by Sigrid Dauks (University Archive Bremen) and Peter Lüchinger (bsc).
Raising interest in the (natural) sciences among young generations can only be successful if we use channels that they use in their everyday lives, and respond to their changed habits of accessing information. University education and scientific research can thus reach out to secondary school students if it uses the language of their visual and mediatised culture, embraces portable info-communication technologies, and encourges the use of web.2 solutions.
YOUCAMPUS is the University of Pavia’s new digital community: a website which gathers information on the activity of the University and acts as a point of communication between students, professors, researchers, and technical-administrative staff.
The G8 University Summit (17-19 May 2009) has been held in Torino, in the year of the Italian Presidency of the G8 Heads of State, promoted by CRUI (Conference of Italian Universities Rectors), Politecnico di Torino and the Italian Commission for UNESCO. The meeting involved all the Universities in the G8 countries, the Outreach 5 (Brazil, China, India, and South Africa), the MEM group (South Corea, Australia, Indonesia), some Mediterranean countries, the Middle East, Latin America and Africa to talk about Sustainability. | <urn:uuid:418a006c-a57f-461e-9257-634ed44f461c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://engageawards.com/impact-measures/attendance | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704392896/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113952-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.935397 | 610 | 1.71875 | 2 |
Avon Valley Wheels Community Cycling
This community cycling project offers people the chance to take
part in led rides and receive cycling training from a qualified
The project has been aligned to 2012 and launched at a time when
it is hoped that people will be motivated to get physically active
and push themselves into new experiences.
The intention is to use the 2012 Games as an inspiration to
encourage people into cycling, maybe for the first time or maybe to
get back on to the saddle again.
The rides are open to adults and young people (14+) with the
project aimed at:
- Encouraging people into cycling and enjoying the health and
well being benefits associated with cycling
- Getting lapsed cyclists to return to recreational cycling
- Occasional cyclists who would like to cycle more but are wary
- Senior members of the community and those who may have health
The rides take place in small groups, giving the opportunity for
participants to get more physically active, enjoy the outdoors and
to make new friends. There are various levels of rides, suitable
for all fitness levels and experience.
The levels of ride are within the project are linked to the
colours of the Olympic logo and mirrors Bath and North East
Somerset Council’s new Get Active Strategy for Physical | <urn:uuid:08d0df07-8fb4-459c-8c93-7c98dc9f883a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.teamsouthwest.co.uk/inspire_programme/inspire_case_studies/avon_valley_community_cycling.aspx | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00016-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.950703 | 268 | 1.648438 | 2 |
June 23, 2009
BCSC panel sanctions two Quebec residents for illegal insider trading
Vancouver - A British Columbia Securities Commission panel ordered two Quebec residents to pay $38,871 in penalties and banned them from trading or purchasing securities for one year after finding that they illegally purchased the securities of a publicly traded issuer.
During a BCSC hearing, Kegam Kevin Torudag and Lai Lai Chan admitted to purchasing the shares of Icon Industries Limited, a TSX Venture Exchange issuer, about two and a half hours before the company announced a mineral acquisition on March 13, 2007. They also admitted that they were in a special relationship with the company at the time, and they knew about the acquisition.
On March 11, 2009, a BCSC panel found that Torudag and Chan illegally traded on insider information because they failed to reasonably establish that material facts about Icon’s mineral acquisition had been generally disclosed to the market when they purchased the securities.
In its sanctions decision, the commission panel banned Torudag from buying or selling securities or exchange contracts, except in limited circumstances, until June 18, 2010 and ordered him to pay $36,771.
The commission panel prohibited Chan from purchasing and trading securities or exchange contracts, except in limited circumstances, until June 18, 2010, and she must pay $2,100. Chan is also banned from acting as a director or officer for the same period of time, and must complete a course of study on the duties and responsibilities of directors and officers.
The B.C. Securities Commission is the independent provincial government agency responsible for regulating trading in securities within the province. You may view the decision on our website www.bcsc.bc.ca by typing in the search box, Kegam Kevin Torudag or Lai Lai Chan or 2009 BCSECCOM 339. If you have questions, contact Ken Gracey, media relations, 604-899-6577.
Learn how to avoid investment fraud at the BCSC's investor education website: www.investright.org. | <urn:uuid:20fa3ac7-7318-42c5-84e4-d367fac3c32d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.bcsc.bc.ca/release.aspx?id=7954 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00010-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.956804 | 420 | 1.507813 | 2 |
Merging XML Files
Posted 28 August 2010 - 12:18 PM
I realise that many many people in the games industry despise XML as a file format, myself included, but sometimes it really is unavoidable. (Visual Studio project files, anyone?)
Equally unavoidable is the necessity to compare or merge XML files - especially if your team is using some form of SCM software.
Finally being fed up with trying to resolve thousands of artificial conflicts due to the merge tool I was using treating XML as a regular text file, I decided to do something about it. Project: Merge is a tool that can compare and merge XML files *as* XML and not as text. More information can be found on the Project: Merge website at http://www.projectmerge.com
I hope some of you will find it useful.
Posted 28 August 2010 - 01:45 PM
Posted 28 August 2010 - 10:13 PM
Posted 30 August 2010 - 12:55 AM
Too verbose for computers, and too unreadable for humans to use. It's got to be on of the Top 10 examples in development of scope creep. The only thing it had going for it was, for some reason unknown to me, a huge vendor push by the big guns like Microsoft, Sun, etc, that propelled it to a level it should have never reached by virtue of the plethora of tools made for it.
Anyone want a slightly-used sopabox?
Posted 30 August 2010 - 09:33 AM
The argument is mostly invalid. The format is indeed "fat", but nobody is expecting from you to embed any actual data in it. You could data that, yes, but could just include a description of the data held in other (binary?) files. For example a description of your model with mesh/texture data in separate files. The sole purpose of XML was and will ever be to make the life of the developer/user easier and I think it does so greatly. Parsing text is somewhat slow, yes, but computers are damn fast and frankly nobody cares except if millions of files are parsed during run-time. Why are all the gigahertz there if not to make our life easier? And just don't tell me you don't see the advantages of XML and domain-specific languages as a whole.
Posted 30 August 2010 - 09:50 AM
Posted 30 August 2010 - 10:09 AM
I know most of it sadly as I get forced to ignore obvious, useful technologies quite often, because somebody else (money giver!) is dictating the rules. For me as a developer and computer scientist, having a single customizable format is clearly better than having tons of formats just as having a single customizable language would be better than having a huge variety of languages. I would clearly make my job simpler and the product easier to develop. Other benefit: we could translate from one format to another with at almost no cost. I know the practical side of things does not agree with me, but we have to slowly work in that direction. You are right that the user just wants his game to start immediately (not like initial version of Postal 2 back then). He also wants his operating system to boot right away, but when this requirement is met the user starts complaining the product is buggy. Well of course it's buggy, meeting the other requirements made the design highly complex. Searching for errors, bugs is now many times harder.
Posted 30 August 2010 - 01:18 PM
Actually, the classic argument here is "best-of-breed" versus "jack-of-all-trades". There are general trade-offs no matter where this battle is applied, and to prefer one over the other is dangerous for the professional.
Well, that's a pet peeve of mine. Many other fellow developers think I've got endless RAM, GBs and GHz to spare, so they build their bloatware without respect for my resources. And, while one such program is fine, but then two, three... the aggregated programs later, my systems a mess because of it.
Just one real advantage to XML: the plethora of tools and libraries. Often-quoted biggies like human-readable is a myth, and vendor independence is another.
PS: DSLs are orthogonal to things like markup languages. You can use XML as the syntax for a DSL, but they aren't the same thing. In fact, a DSL goes contrary to one of your expressed preferences, in my first quote, where you state that you prefer general formats and languages.
Posted 30 August 2010 - 01:55 PM
The thing is, this is totally solved problem for me. I don't have to use XML for any of my data because I have tools to deal with the data efficiently in binary format. I don't need any artificial separation of bulk vs. meta data, which isn't as clear as you think when things get more complicated. And like alphadog kind of said, having data in XML has nothing to do with apps being easier to debug. When you got tons of data it doesn't matter if it's in binary or human readable since you can't make sense of it anyway, and that's from someone who has done his fair share of COLLADA parsing ;)
Posted 30 August 2010 - 02:53 PM
What I have been doing for years is to have a high-level reader/writer interface for writing structured "xml-like" data and then I have normal XML and binary backend for those. For the development purposes plain XML is often a best choice for easier debugging, and binary format is then used for the release builds or when needing faster loading times. All the data in the versioning control system I keep in XML form to make debugging and changes as easy as possible, which can be converted to a binary format by a simple command-line tool (absolutely no source code changes required for saving/loading codes).
I'd definitely recommend this approach for all of you since it's working really well and the feedback I have gotten during all these years have been 100% positive. It also avoids flamewars inside companies, since ppl can understand there is support for both camps.
Posted 30 August 2010 - 03:01 PM
Yes, this is what I meant, XML is favourable because of all the tools available out there. And yes, it's nice for describing specialized languages. I know developers tend to think nowadays that we (users) have unlimited resources. Using XML to store data on cheap storage (e.g. magnetic bands) is not the same as using highly efficient structures during run-time, I'm not an idiot to deliver my users Java Desktop Environment or NetBeans-like performance and resource utilization, especially on mobile devices where power efficiency is required. But the many available tools also help us to transform formats easily, e.g. Office 2007 to OpenOffice. Of course both software suites use different formats, but the transformation is not that difficult as they share a common ground.
To summarize: I prefer customizable data description languages for the persistent storage of data. I respect and share the run-time concerns of the users myself, having a computer with a single GB of memory. I will never ever ever recommend parsing during run-time.
1 user(s) are reading this topic
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Editor's Note: Here at NEI, we're keeping a close eye on Pandora's Promise, a documentary film about how many prominent environmentalists have changed their minds about nuclear energy because of concerns about climate change. To see the least, I'm looking forward to seeing the film, but haven't had the opportunity to do so as of yet.
As we near the official premiere in New York on June 12, I'll be collecting all of the online coverage about the film in this space. Every time I make a major update to the content below, I'll bump this post back to the top of the blog. When I finally see the film myself, I'll write a review of my own that I'll link to below. As always, our readers are an important part of this conversation, so please don't hesitate to send us links and suggestions as to how we might improve our coverage of the film.
In this guide you will find:
- Official Trailer
- Where to See Pandora's Promise
- Bios of Film's Principals
- Reviews and Other Coverage
- Social Media
Impact Partners and CNN Films present PANDORA’S PROMISE, the groundbreaking new film by Academy-Award®-nominated director Robert Stone. The atomic bomb and meltdowns like Fukushima have made nuclear power synonymous with global disaster. But what if we’ve got nuclear power wrong? An audience favorite at the Sundance Film Festival, PANDORA’S PROMISE asks whether the one technology we fear most could save our planet from a climate catastrophe, while providing the energy needed to lift billions of people in the developing world out of poverty.Official Trailer:
Where to See Pandora's Promise:
The film opens in New York City on June 12 at Sunshine Cinema on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. Two days later, on June 14, the film will open in an additional 16 cities nationwide (Atlanta, Berkeley, Boston, Chicago, Denver, Detroit, Houston, Irvine, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, Philadelphia, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, St. Louis, Washington, DC) with another five cities being added on June 21 (Austin, Charlotte, Dallas, Portland, Scottsdale). Tickets should also be available online through Fandango and MovieTickets.com. Consult the film's web site for a complete list of theaters. On April 30, 2013, CNN Films announced that it had acquired cable television broadcast rights to the film and intended to air it sometime in November 2013.
Robert Stone, Director:
Robert Stone is a multi-award-winning, Oscar-nominated and Emmy-nominated documentary filmmaker. Born in England in 1958, he grew up in both Europe and America. After graduating with a degree in history from the University of Wisconsin/Madison, he moved to New York City in 1983 determined to pursue a career in filmmaking. He gained considerable recognition for his first film, “RADIO BIKINI” (1987) which premiered at Sundance and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Feature Documentary. Multi-tasking as a producer, director, writer, editor and cameraman, he has over the last 25 years developed a steady international reputation with a range of unique and critically acclaimed feature-documentaries about American history, pop-culture, the mass media and the environment.Michael Shellenberger, The Breakthrough Institute:
Ted Nordhaus and Michael Shellenberger are leading global thinkers on energy, climate, security, human development, and politics. Their 2007 book Break Through was called "prescient" by Time and "the best thing to happen to environmentalism since Rachel Carson's Silent Spring" by Wired. (An excerpt in The New Republic can be read here.) Their 2004 essay, "The Death of Environmentalism," was featured on the front page of the Sunday New York Times, sparked a national debate, and inspired a generation of young environmentalists ...Stewart Brand, Editor, The Whole Earth Catalog and Co-Chair and President of The Long Now Foundation:
Stewart Brand is co-founder and president of The Long Now Foundation and co-founder of Global Business Network. He created and edited the Whole Earth Catalog (National Book Award), and co-founded the Hackers Conference and The WELL. His books include The Clock of the Long Now; How Buildings Learn; and The Media Lab. His most recent book, titled Whole Earth Discipline, is published by Viking in the US and Atlantic in the UK. He graduated in Biology from Stanford and served as an Infantry officer.Richard Rhodes, Author, The Making of the Atomic Bomb:
RICHARD RHODES is the author or editor of twenty-four books including The Making of the Atomic Bomb, which won a Pulitzer Prize in Nonfiction, a National Book Award and a National Book Critics Circle Award ...Gwyneth Cravens, Author, The Power to Save the World: The Truth About Nuclear Energy:
[H]as contributed articles and op-eds on science and other topics to Harper’s Magazine, The New York Times, and The Washington Post. She has published five novels. Her fiction and nonfiction have appeared in The New Yorker, where she also worked as a fiction editor, and in Harper’s Magazine, where she was an associate editor. She grew up in New Mexico and now lives on eastern Long Island.Mark Lynas, Environmentalist and Climate Change Activist (also writing a companion book to the film):
[A] frequent speaker around the world on climate change science and policy, focusing in particular on how carbon neutral targets can break the international logjam on climate mitigation, and how emissions reduction should be seen as an opportunity not a sacrifice. He is also a Visiting Research Associate at Oxford University’s School of Geography and the Environment.Reviews and Other Coverage:
Tim Wu, Slate:
A good, politically charged documentary often seizes on what the audience already believes and throws fuel on the fire (see, e.g., the work of Michael Moore). A better such documentary tries to convince its audience that what it takes for granted is flat-out wrong. Pandora’s Promise, which premiered at Sundance, does just that. It makes the utterly convincing case that anyone who considers themselves an environmentalist or takes climate change seriously should favor more nuclear power.Kate Briemann, Rolling Stone:
After sifting through the anti-nuclear choruses and the considerably smaller pro-nuclear groups in an attempt to find the truth about the advantages and disadvantages of nuclear energy, Stone found his answer with Michael Shellberger, the president and co-founder of the Breakthrough Institute: "We can have a world living modern lives without killing the climate."John Anderson, Variety:
Can one be committed to the environment, and still be against nuclear power? Most issue docs are propaganda, and Robert Stone’s latest is a formidable sales pitch for nukes, yet the film’s points are well reasoned and urgent, and should attract viewers who have been drawn to the director’s earlier work(such as “Earth Days,” a history of the environmentalist movement).Maxine Segarnick, Poughkeepsie Journal:
The film strives to debunk several nuclear myths, such as the reportedly high radiation level and death toll caused by the explosion at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant. Environmental activists continue to use Chernobyl as an example of the potential danger of nuclear development. However, the film shows a radioactivity monitor at Chernobyl, as well as at other sites in America and Europe, and demonstrates that the level of radioactivity in Chernobyl in 2012 is nearly identical to that of Central Park in New York City.Natalie Rooney, VoxTalk:
In a world where most people think nuclear plants are dangerous, Pandora’s Promise challenges viewers to see the benefits of nuclear energy. Despite this daunting challenge, the most admirable aspect of Pandora’s Promise is director Robert Stone’s commitment to presenting both sides of the nuclear energy argument.Joe Bendel, Libertas:
Stone made his name with the anti-nuclear doc Radio Bikini and would further burnish his green credentials with Earth Days. Very concerned about global warming, Stone could no longer accept the environmental movement’s unrealistic claims about solar and wind power. As his primary POV experts argue, any power plan with a significant wind or solar component will by necessity be heavily dependent on big, dirty fossil fuel plants as a back-up. The simple truth is that the sun does not always shine and the wind does not always blow, but coal burns 24-7.Stephanie Novak:
Pandora’s Promise has the immensely difficult task of changing people’s mindsets about nuclear energy—a task that became extraordinarily more difficult after the nuclear explosions at the Fukushima Daiichi plant in Japan. Knowing that the film was in favor of nuclear energy, I was surprised that during the beginning of the documentary, arguments against nuclear energy were explained—I almost thought that I was wrong and that the film might be anti-nuclear energy. But in my opinion, this was one of the strongest points of the film. I thought that by clearly laying out reasons why people would be against nuclear energy ultimately made the film’s pro-nuclear stance stronger, as I understood arguments on both sides of the debate by the time the film finished.Videos:
Q&A at the IFC Center's Stranger Than Fiction Series (click here for additional interview):
Interview With Ondi Timoner of Bring Your Own Doc:
Robert Stone Interview with GenConnect:
BMI Sundance Composer/Director Roundtable:
Robert Stone and Mark Lynas Interviewed by Tara Hunnewell:
Mark Lynas Interview with Hedgerly Wood Trust:
Follow Pandora's Promise on Twitter and Facebook. Folks on Twitter seem to be using #PandorasPromise to organize conversations around the film. You can also subscribe to the film's YouTube Channel. If you've seen the film already, consider posting your review at the Internet Movie Database. In response to critiques of the film by anti-nuclear activists, Nick Touran, a recent Ph.D. graduate of the nuclear engineering program at the University of Michigan published a defense of the film. | <urn:uuid:0ae9b9f6-3848-4ea8-8896-940eff5d4732> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://neinuclearnotes.blogspot.co.uk/?id=30247&LangType=2057 | 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 | 0.942232 | 2,115 | 1.75 | 2 |
Jure Grom (2009) Legacy application integration architecture. EngD thesis.
Information needs of modern businesses are constantly growing. Own development of a business information system is time consuming and expensive but, as an alternative, using smaller partial solutions doesn’t cover all user needs. Decision to buy a universal solution, often results in only part of it being actively and efficiently used. By application integration we manage to achieve efficient use of applications, since by linking them, we enable sharing of business logics among applications and eliminate redundant tasks. When the integration process is well planned and structured we also gain the possibility of faster implementation of changes to the system, and therefore improvements from the point of functionality as well as performance. My bachelor thesis presents and overview of different types of application integration architectures. Emphasis lays on architecture of legacy applications and different possibilities of integration realization. The term legacy application is used in accordance with its widest definition. The term covers all applications that weren’t designed for loosely coupled integration – aren’t service oriented. Service oriented architecture presents an example of application integration good practice that enables series of benefits. With described principles of integration we can also gradually transform legacy applications into service oriented. In the second part of my bachelors’ thesis I describe an integration solution that merges data gathered in Central population register (CRP) and in Register of spatial units (RPE) into a new register. Data in the register is refreshed daily by calling services CRP and RPE. These services are described in detail in this chapter. Refreshed data is available through services to other applications.
Actions (login required) | <urn:uuid:64c0c36d-c4ef-43af-9e59-b54a4ff1f8e7> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://eprints.fri.uni-lj.si/859/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705953421/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120553-00014-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.938115 | 332 | 1.742188 | 2 |
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Study Sheds New Light on the Progression and Invasiveness of Ductal Breast Cancer
16 October 2012
Results Published in The American Journal of Pathology
Ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) is considered a precursor lesion for invasive breast cancer if untreated, and is found in approximately 45% of patients with invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC). Patients with DCIS only (not accompanied by invasive disease) have a 5-year-survival of nearly 100%, compared to 89% for all stages of invasive breast cancer (24% for patients with distant metastasis). A new study has found that despite an enormous degree of intercellular heterogeneity in both DCIS and IDC, the evolution from noninvasive to invasive disease is determined by recurrent patterns of genomic imbalances in most cases. This study is published online in advance of the November issue of The American Journal of Pathology.
“For patients with cancer, the transition from locally controlled disease to a disseminated stage and metastases is probably the most critical threshold, because that transition makes surgical intervention considerably less likely to succeed,” says lead investigator Thomas Ried, Section Chief, Genetics Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute (NCI), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, MD. “We looked at gene copy number changes during the transition from DCIS to IDC and, if so, what patterns of genetic imbalances drive this process.”
The study was based on archived clinical samples for which the co-occurrence of DCIS and IDC in the same patient had been tracked at the National Naval Medical Center. It was led by researchers from the NCI and also included researchers from the National Center for Biotechnology Information, the National Naval Medical Center, Bethesda, MD, and Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA.
Investigators compared the genetic makeup of individual cells from 13 patients with DCIS and IDC and analyzed the gain or loss of specific genes that are frequently affected in DCIS and IDC. These genes included cancer promoting oncogenes and cancer suppressing tumor suppressor genes. Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) probe panels, which use fluorescent copies or clones of the relevant DNA sections to identify gene copy numbers, were hybridized to intact cells prepared from histomorphologically identified areas from lesions from several patients. Subsequent hybridizations of multicolor probe panels resulted in multiplexing of probes that further allowed for simultaneous analysis of copy numbers of five oncogenes and three tumor suppressor genes within each cell analyzed.
A high degree of chromosomal instability from one cell to another was observed, reflected by the fact that identical signal clones were only present in less than 20% of the cells. Despite this instability, the distribution of gains and losses in most cases was consistent with known genetic aberration profiles for breast cancer, and investigators found patterns consistent with non-random distribution of genomic imbalances. CDH1, a tumor suppressor that triggers cancer invasion and metastases upon reduced expression, was most commonly lost in DCIS and IDC. MYC, a strong oncogene that drives cell proliferation and regulates cell growth and differentiation, was most frequently gained from DCIS to IDC. MYC appears to play a major role in the transition from “in situ” to invasive breast disease.
“DCIS and IDCs are genetically related lesions as they both have similar imbalance patterns. However, according to their aberration patterns, the DCIS lesions are far further advanced than other precursor lesions with more stable genomes, such as colorectal polyps or cervical dysplasias,” notes Dr. Ried. “The considerable degree of intercellular heterogeneity in the DCIS convincingly attests to the fact that chromosomal instability precedes the transition to invasive disease.”
Dr. Ried observes that the advanced aberration profiles of DCIS associated with IDC make it unlikely that progression to invasive disease can be prevented with measures other than surgery, radiation, and adjuvant hormonal therapy.
“This of course raises the question of what precisely determines this critical transition between pre-invasive and invasive disease. Identifying the differences in the full catalog of genes in DCIS and IDC could have the potential of identifying a gene expression signature that is ultimately responsible for invasion and progression,” he concludes. | <urn:uuid:facf15d1-bfff-43e3-82f5-d067682e0597> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.alphagalileo.org/ViewItem.aspx?ItemId=125019&CultureCode=en | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00001-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.945895 | 906 | 1.671875 | 2 |
In America, all events — domestic and foreign — are currently seen through the prism of the presidential elections. In Israel, though, our prism is not political but existential. Iran’s irrational rulers daily pledge to wipe us off the map while rapidly producing the nuclear capability to do it. Can they be stopped, we ask ourselves, and, if so, by whom? Is there still time?
The Iranian nuclear threat has been publicly discussed in Israel’s free press and keenly debated. Some argue that Iran has yet to produce a nuclear weapon and that Israel must not act alone. Others warn that time is running out and that Israel is duty-bound to defend itself. Irrespective of their differences, though, Israeli security experts agree that sanctions, though damaging to the Iranian economy, have not slowed Iran’s nuclear program. They agree that diplomacy, in spite of increasing flexibility in the international community’s bargaining position, has not produced a single Iranian concession. A nuclear-empowered Iran, Israeli commentators concur, presents not one but several existential threats to the Jewish state.
The most obvious threat is that Iran will mount a nuclear warhead on one of its many long-range missiles and fire it at Tel Aviv. Israelis scarcely believe that the regime that cleared mine fields with Iranian children, championed the suicide bomber, and planned a terrorist attack in Washington can be deterred by a Western nuclear umbrella. When even “moderate” Iranian leaders declare that they can destroy Israel with a single bomb, Israelis must take the radicals seriously. And when President Obama tells the United Nations that “a nuclear-armed Iran is a challenge that cannot be contained,” Israelis could not agree more.
Iran is the world’s foremost state sponsor of terror and if Iran gets the bomb, so, too, will terrorists. They can deliver that bomb in a ship container or a truck bound for any state targeted by Tehran without leaving Iranian fingerprints. Shielded by Iranian nuclear power, terrorists in Lebanon and Gaza can also devastate Israeli communities with tens of thousands of Iranian-supplied rockets.
Israel’s security establishment is certain that once Iran can quickly assemble a bomb other Middle East regimes will seek similar capabilities. As the region continues to roil, nuclear arsenals might fall into fanatical hands. The same extremists who recently attacked American embassies with grenades and automatic rifles could be armed with atomic weapons.
Diplomacy has not produced a single Iranian concession.
Anybody can debate the Iranian nuclear threat, but only Israel’s democratically elected leaders have the responsibility to decide how to best protect their country’s citizens. Israeli leaders, alone, must assess Israel’s military abilities, anti-missile and civil defenses, and estimate the effectiveness and cost of any preemptive action. At the same time, they must weigh the risk of giving more time to sanctions and diplomacy while the Iranians enrich more uranium and transfer their nuclear program into fortified bunkers that are beyond our reach. Most onerously, they must calculate the time remaining before Iran can pose those multiple existential threats. “The relevant question is not when Iran will get the bomb,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recently told the UN. “The relevant question is at what stage can we no longer stop Iran from getting the bomb.”
That question, Netanyahu explained, can only be answered by drawing a red line across the only observable — and vulnerable — component of Iran’s nuclear program: enrichment. By persuading the ayatollahs that they cannot achieve a single bomb’s worth of highly enriched uranium, the world will signal the credibility of its military threat. That, in turn, will give more time for sanctions and diplomacy to work. Rather than dragging our allies into a war, the red line will deter Iran and so lessen the chances of a military conflict.
True, Americans are viewing their world through an electoral lens, but they are nevertheless united in their determination to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons capability. Indeed, the Senate recently reiterated that conviction by voting 90-1 to rule out any containment of those capabilities. It’s also true that Israelis view their world through the dark glass of Iranian nuclearization, and while that prism might refract their opinions, they agree that time is limited. By marking a clear red line now, we will gain time to explore further diplomatic options, intensify sanctions, and reinforce military credibility. | <urn:uuid:27128426-0c3e-4fcf-a126-d8d070857f21> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.bostonglobe.com/opinion/2012/10/08/israel-red-line-iran-lesses-chances-conflict/KLJSeZx0dRN8tDmDCDztAI/story.html | 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 | 0.949939 | 904 | 1.625 | 2 |
The theme of the conference
was "End the Occupation!" Shapiro, who was
deported from Israel the month earlier, joined delegates from
Gush Shalom, B'tselem, the Israeli Committee against
House Demolitions and other professional
Israel-bashers. The two-day conference opened
with a statement of support from the U.N. chief men's
room attendant and banana-sucker, Secretary-General Kofi
Annan. He recalled his night with the Palestinian
leader, whom he got to know at the end of March when
members of Shapiro's group, and the group he and his
wife founded, the
International Solidarity Movement (ISM), entered the
Mukata to treat the wounded Arab terrorists, many of
whom had Jewish blood on their hands.
OF PEACE" IS SEEDS 0F DISASTER
is an organization that promises "peace" by
bringing Arabs and Jewish youngsters together. Its name
is "Seeds of Peace", a very neutral-sounding
name, but a group with a very real objective. It was at
this organization that Adam Shapiro was brainwashed into
supporting Arab and PLO terror. Ill-prepared,
impressionable and "defenseless" young Jews
hear a constant barrage of lies about "Israel, the Oppressor"
from well-indoctrinated Arab children attending these camps.
in Adam Shapiro's case, it didn't help much having
parents (Stuart and Doris) who long supported the PLO
and called Israel a "Nazi State while observing, "There was no one to document what the Nazis did to the Jews -- We are proud Adam is documenting what the Jews are doing to the poor
Palestinians." His parents claim they had to suddenly leave their Brooklyn apartment due to death
threats but not before they lovingly posed for an
interview with the New York Times. It's hard to feel
sympathy for them, though, when their son is associated with Hamas and Hezbollah tactics aimed at killing of Jews and Americans.
Adam proclaimed, "The Palestinian resistance must take on a variety
of characteristics - both violent and non-violent. But
more importantly it must develop a strategy involving
both aspects. No successful non-violent was able to
achieve what it did without a concurrent violent
Arab suicide-homicide bombers he declared,
are certain that if these men were killed in such [suicide-homicide
attacks] actions they
would be considered Shaheed Allah."
(legitimate martyrs for Allah).
SOLIDARITY MOVEMENT (ISM)
Solidarity Movement [PSM]
Note: The ISM
is the overseas branch while the PSM
is the branch within the U.S.
for Much More Infomation on ISM/PSM -
ISM was co-founded in December 2000 by
Adam Shapiro, his then Arab-American girlfriend,
Huwaida Arraf [now his wife] and two more Arabs, Ghassan Andoni and George Rishmawi.
ISM is often referred to in the media as a "peace movement."
Yet there is a flip side to the portrait the ISM presents of itself. In practice, it is nothing less than a revolutionary movement fighting in support of a violent struggle. Indeed, it defines itself as anything but neutral. In the opening paragraph on its own
web site, ISM says it supports the Palestinian "armed
struggle." It also says it uses nonviolent means to support that struggle. But as in any paramilitary operation, there are combat units and support units. In the ongoing fighting between Palestinian terrorists and Israel's army, the ISM chooses to play the role of a support unit for the Palestinians.
ISM spokesman, Raphael Cohen [left photo] addressed ISM's
definition of the "occupation" as "The Zionist presence in Palestine" that is, in all of the country including Israel within its
pre-1967 borders. Cohen went on to say that the ISM view of peace would be a "one-state solution," or no Israel at all.
Huwaida Arraf herself confirmed that ISM supports the Palestinian "right of return,"
a flooding of Arabs into Israel which is tantamount to calling for the end of the Jewish state.
Solidarity Movement conference (PSM) functions as the
student branch of the International Solidarity Movement
(ISM), a Palestinian-led, direct action organization that
trains European and American youths to partake in civil
disobedience and other agitational activities in Israel.
Although the ISM insistently bills itself as a non-violent
organization, two of the organization's co-founders, Huwaida
Arraf and Adam Shapiro, have explicated an overall strategy
that envisions the ISM functioning in close cooperation with
Palestinian terrorist organizations. According to Arraf and
Shapiro, the Palestinian resistance must take on a variety
of characteristics, both nonviolent and violent. But most
importantly it must develop a strategy involving both
aspects. No other successful nonviolent movement was able to
achieve what it did without a concurrent violent movement.
Thus, the ISM was specifically created to function as an
auxiliary, partner, and enabler of a violent anti-Israeli
2006 interview of Lee Kaplan on the Bill O'Reilly Show
in which he describes the ISM/PSM activities.
ANOTHER AMERICAN TALIBAN
Critics have compared Shapiro to American Taliban terrorist, John Walker
Like Lindh, Shapiro has a strong affinity with extremists in Afghanistan, asserting that the Taliban was
"unfairly displaced." It's no coincidence that
in 2002 the
Network" picked Shapiro as its "Guerrilla of the Week."
Hate-Filled Anti-Semite "Peace Chick," and Corrie
burning a mock American flag at pro-Hamas
Another famous ISMer was non-Jew (but just as nuts!) Rachel Corrie. She was the
misguided do-gooder from America's Left Coast who played
chicken with an IDF Caterpillar bulldozer. Not surprisingly, she
lost... BIG TIME! Rachel
Corrie was a clueless campus radical who committed suicide
while trying to prevent Israeli bulldozers from destroying a
smuggling tunnel used by the Palestinians in Gaza to smuggle
in explosives, weapons, and missiles. Witnesses on the ground said her
last words were, "I went to Gaza and all I got was this
lousy flat T-shirt!"
Corrie Halloween Mask
(Now anyone can look like an a-hole)
for a special tribute to Rachel Corrie
seven years after her untimely (but welcomed) passing.
order a commemorative Caterpillar T-Shirt, click Here
more about the activities of I.S.M. | <urn:uuid:b1a4aed4-43e8-4e65-8213-826cb4b1611d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.masada2000.org/Adam_Shapiro.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368711005985/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516133005-00011-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.937783 | 1,438 | 1.5625 | 2 |
Would you necessarily know after you'd knocked back a few beers if you were driving while legally drunk? And, if you knew you had crossed that line, would you admit it to a stranger on the phone?
New surveys seeking to quantify the drunk driving on American roads rely on the answer to both questions being yes. Depending on how people were questioned, either 5% or 15% of the nation's adults own up to driving while intoxicated in the past year. And the reliability of the data is further undermined by the human desire to comply with social norms -- in this case, to avoid seeming like a reckless boozer, even in conversations with anonymous pollsters.
The polls have fueled a controversy over the broader use of dashboard-based gadgets that test a driver's breath for alcohol. The devices measure the breath's alcohol content when the car is started and again every few minutes. If they detect enough alcohol, they kill the engine. Dozens of states require these ignition-locking de vices for more-serious alcohol offenders, but Mothers Against Drunk Driving is campaigning for their wider deployment. A restaurant trade group fired back last week with an attention-grabbing ad in USA Today with photos contrasting a driving-under-the-influence mug shot of actress Lindsay Lohan with wholesome images of social drinking at weddings and ballgames.
In the past two weeks, as bills requiring that repeat drunk drivers use the devices have been passed in Hawaii and Missouri, poll numbers have entered the fray. For the first time, an annual federal survey broke down self reports of drinking by state, lending ammunition to proponents of the devices in states with relatively high incidences of drunk driving, and generating lots of fodder for local newspapers and TV stations. The restaurant group responded with its own survey suggesting much lower rates of DUI. And a foundation with ties to auto club AAA found rates somewhere in between.
All of these polls are bedeviled by their reliance on self-reporting. Nor do more-objective tools necessarily help much. Even when sober, it's hard to read a chart available from the Wisconsin Department of Transportation that shows how to calculate an individual's blood-alcohol level based on weight, number of drinks and time elapsed since the first drink. The chart shows that the typical 180-pound who quaffs four drinks in an hour can be street legal.
Drivers who eschew charts might guesstimate their condition. But, after a couple of cocktails, they might not be the most competent judges. And if they do realize they're drunk, they might not remember later -- or might choose not to admit to a pollster that they'd committed a crime with a serious social stigma.
The desire to appear in step with social norms is a powerful force. Just as it causes people to underplay their bad behavior, like drunk driving, it causes them to exaggerate their good deeds. A poll conducted in the aftermath of the 2004 Asian tsunami, for example, suggested Americans had given $10 billion to relief efforts. A more-credible tally, based on a survey of aid groups, put the total at $745 million, including donations from foundations.
Sometimes, pollsters themselves are partly to blame for problem data because they've asked arguably sloppy questions. The federal survey, conducted by a branch of the Department of Health and Human Services, asked: "During the past 12 months, have you driven a vehicle while you were under the influence of alcohol?" Its finding that 15% of American drivers said yes -- and about 25% in Wisconsin, North Dakota and Minnesota -- made headlines across the country. But Trevor Butterworth, editor of George Mason University's Statistical Assessment Service, wrote on the blog Stats.org that respondents may have understood the questioner to be asking whether they had driven after drinking any amount of alcohol, not necessarily enough to make the driver legally drunk or to lead to unsafe driving.
James D. Colliver, a statistician who worked on the survey, responded that, "It seems logical to us that most survey respondents would interpret 'driving under the influence of alcohol' to mean driving while impaired due to alcohol they have consumed." But he added, "The question may be interpreted differently by different people."
To their credit, the government pollsters do try to create a comfortable environment: They visit respondents in their homes, equip them with a laptop and headphones, and have them answer the most sensitive questions confidentially. The pollster can't see the responses. "This provides a high degree of confidentiality and privacy that fosters candor in reporting," Mr. Colliver says.
By contrast, a survey conducted last week by the American Beverage Institute, the trade group behind the Lindsay Lohan ad, used jarring language: "In the past 12 months have you driven a vehicle when you were legally drunk?" Not surprisingly, just 5% of respondents were willing to admit to the loaded phrase "legally drunk." The survey also covered all adults, not just people who drive regularly. A draft of the news release was headlined, "New Report Shows 95 Percent of Americans Do Not Drive Drunk."
When asked about the survey's wording, Sarah Longwell, the group's managing director, pointed to a poll released last week by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety. "Their number, while not as low as ours, was still much lower than the original survey," Ms. Longwell said. But the AAA Foundation, funded in part by AAA and its members, was asking only about behavior in the prior 30 days, meaning its finding that 9% of drivers admitted to driving when they thought their "blood alcohol content was above the legal limit" could be consistent with an annual rate of 15%, or even higher. And 2% said they drove in this condition often.
Before replying about their blood-alcohol content, respondents were told, "Remember, this is only a survey to get national estimates of people's behaviors, and it's important that we get honest answers." Nonetheless, some people might not have admitted to dangerous behavior, foundation spokeswoman Fairley Mahlum acknowledges. "That is one of the limitations of conducting a self-reported survey."Printed in The Wall Street Journal, page A11 | <urn:uuid:56451805-746f-44cd-ad89-a59aa07a2e49> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121029495260179549.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700958435/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104238-00007-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.967174 | 1,259 | 1.703125 | 2 |
Why Blackberrys Have A Limited Shelf Life
The BlackBerry, once the “must-have” phone, was touted in the hands of all the diplomats and government agencies, business professionals and tech young adults. It was the phone that pioneered emailing on mobile devices. Now, it’s lost its lustre.
BlackBerry was one of the first smartphones that was introduced to the tech world. It’s maker, Canadian-based Research In Motion (RIM), merged the internet with phone service to make the convenient and useful hand-held device.
For years, BlackBerry dominated the mobile email market, until Apple released the iPhone in 2007. Now, the once termed “CrackBerry,” is struggling to compete with the iPhone, Android and Windows Phone.
The interactive capabilities of the iOS and Android platforms are much more user-friendly and appealing. The new iPhone 5, despite having some minor glitches, has more tricks and gimmicks than several of the smartphones on the market. With improved audio, video and camera functions, a larger screen, thousands of apps to choose from, and its quick operating system, the iPhone 5 is the mobile device many consumers desire.
Top companies used to operate solely on BlackBerry because of its functionality and privacy. But now, they are giving their employees the option to switch over to the iPhone or Android.
Although BlackBerry CEO, Thorsten Heins, insists that the brand has a strong future, many question how long it will last. In June, the company’s shipment of phones was down 41 percent from the year before. Just this last year, RIM’s shares plummeted, causing the company to take a financial hit. And if these aren’t any indications as to the device’s future, perhaps the company’s plan to cut 5,000 jobs is.
RIM plans to launch BlackBerry 10 in the first quarter of 2013. It is supposed to feature an enhanced predictive keyboard and improved camera function in addition to other upgrades. Despite this, and the promise of company executives to streamline their products and services, many analysts say the BlackBerry has a grim future.
Several have expressed the idea that the BlackBerry is a product that no longer appeals to consumers and that it is outdated. Some have gone as far to say that the company has only three options: sell it, break-up or fail.
What is even more daunting is the RIM’s announcement that is looking to sell the company. The news has turned some users off, and driven others to seek immediate replacements.
So, if you have already made the switch from your once addicting CrackBerry to the praised iPhone, have you considered what you’ll do with the old one? Unless you’re holding onto it for nostalgia purposes, maybe it’s time to take the advice of that ad you saw that read “Sell BlackBerry Curve 5280.” Since it’s no longer of any use to you, why not sell it? You can make money and use it to up upgrade your phone or purchase new apps.
Michael Edmondstone is a freelance personal finance and technology writer. | <urn:uuid:09e832c5-8c38-4f78-9042-c3a8d974dece> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.megeb.com/why-blackberrys-have-a-limited-shelf-life/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704392896/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113952-00002-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.952076 | 654 | 1.820313 | 2 |
Need help with rules
a big thing at my school is intermural soccer, however there are complains about the rules and stupid team names etc. so i was charged with re-writing the rules for next year tell me what you think:
Players and Substitutions
* Teams will consist of nine players (6 field players , goal keeper and two substitutes ). A minimum of seven players is required to start play.
* Substitutions are only allowed in the following situations:
* When a ball goes out on the end lines or sidelines (goal kicks, corner kicks, or throw-ins)
* When a player is injured and needs to come out of the game
* When a goal is scored
Start of Game and Game Time
* Choice of sides and the kickoff will be decided by a coin toss. The team winning the toss will have the choice of side or kickoff. The second half will begin with kickoff by the team that did not have it in the first half.
* At the referee's whistle, a player taking a place kick from the center of the field into the opponent's half of the field will start the game. Prior to the kick, players shall be on their respective sides of the field. A goal may not be scored directly from kickoff. The player who kicked off may not play the ball again until another player has touched the ball. An indirect kick is awarded if this occurs.
* Two 18-minute halves will be played with a 2-minute halftime period.
* Game time is running time with the clock being stopped only on injuries, when a goal is scored, when a penalty kick is awarded, and when a player is carded.
* One 30-second timeout is allowed for each time during each half.
* Ties will not be broken in regular season play. In playoffs, ties will be broken by a 5-minute sudden death overtime period (first goal scored wins). If the score remains tied, a 3-minute sudden death period will be played without goalkeepers.
* There will be no offsides.
* The goalkeeper can distribute the ball by throwing or placekicking only to half point of field.
* A goalkeeper cannot handle a ball played back to him/her by his/her teammate. An indirect kick is awarded if a goalkeeper plays the ball with his/her hands on a pass back from his/her teammate. The goalkeeper can catch a headed air ball.
* Direct and indirect kicks will be awarded in accordance with referee judgments.
* If a player is ejected from the game, he must leave the field and may not stay in the area of play. If a player refuses to leave, his/her team will forfeit the game.
* a player is fouled in the other teams box
* a handball occurs in the box
* Goalie delays in release of ball
* Unsportsmanlike conduct
* Dangerous play
* Interfering with goalkeeper
The Season- each team plays each other team 1 and the top 4 teams play off for the title.
Scoring- A win will be counted as three points a tie 1 point and a lose no points, a team score to scored on ratio will break ties for the top 4 at the end of the season
Teams- Teams will be drafted, after “captains” are randomly picked from the list of people who signed up. Each Captain will pick his team one at a time. The number of team in the league will decided once everyone has signed up.
The Team Will decide a name from a professional team such as Arsenal, Manchester United, Chelsea, Barcelona, LA Galaxy or any other professional team. All the team players need to have a certain color shirt to define your team, each team will have to sign up there certain color. It is a good idea to keep the professional teams color, if your team is Arsenal then you could choose red, if your team is LA Galaxy you could choose yellow.
Play-Offs- The play-offs will consist of the top 4 teams. The team in first place will play the team in fourth place and the team in second place will play the team in third place. The winner of these games will play in the final and the winner will the season champions.
infamousaddict will be back!!!!!!!! | <urn:uuid:06a11ed9-c8a6-41b4-8d51-021a70d178d5> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.pbnation.com/showthread.php?t=1981645 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00018-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.964859 | 886 | 1.8125 | 2 |
The master of arts in teaching (M.A.T.) is designed for students who are planning to teach in elementary, middle or high schools and those wishing to do advanced study in the field of education.
The M.A.T. program combines study in the field of the student's academic interest—the specific teaching field for students preparing to teach at the secondary- or middle-school levels, broader liberal arts and sciences subjects for students preparing to teach at the elementary level—with experience in teaching and the study of educational theory.
The departments of biological sciences, chemistry, English, French, geology, history, mathematics, physics and Spanish actively cooperate with the Department of Education and Child Study in administering the various graduate programs.
Students who follow the master of arts in teaching program will, in the course of an intensive five-week summer session and a full-time academic year, be able to complete the state-approved program in teacher education to meet the requirements for licensure in various states.
Local Fieldwork Placements
The Department of Education and Child Study uses a variety of schools and settings to provide opportunities for observation, service learning and classroom teaching experiences. These include the Smith College Campus School, public schools in Northampton and other area communities, as well as several private schools.
If you have questions about the M.A.T. program, please contact Carole Learned-Miller, coordinator of teacher education, at email@example.com.
If you have questions about the application process, please contact Ruth Morgan, the director of graduate programs, at firstname.lastname@example.org. | <urn:uuid:9a7f63ca-4f94-4b98-8f44-98024c4eef5e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.smith.edu/education/mat.php | 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 | 0.942934 | 330 | 1.695313 | 2 |
| | Good Clean Jokes
These 2 salesman were doing business down in New Orleans.
Around noon time they met up for lunch to discuss the days sales.
As they sat chatting about their sales and remaining contacts for the day
one mentioned to the other that he was not pronouncing "New Orleans"
Correctly.. Well of course they both had different versions of
how it should be spoken and argued ridiculously for a few minutes over
how New Orleans should be said,, till Finally,, one says to the other, "I'll show ya"
He called the Waitress over and said could you please tell us
slowly and clear where we are and Without batting an eye she replied Bur-Ger-King.
Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch.
Liberty is a well-armed lamb contesting the outcome of the vote. | <urn:uuid:87c41991-d586-48cb-8148-fa12e779d2e3> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.deerhuntersclub.com/forums/campfire/1332-good-clean-jokes.html?mode=threaded | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00013-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.962372 | 182 | 1.570313 | 2 |
On the face of it, these are boom times for consumer brands. Recession is often an enemy of product development, but major retailers’ shelves tell a different story.
In February 2011 alone, consumers couldn’t move for new product launches. In the US, shoppers at Supervalu supermarkets could pick up a six-pack of Buck Range Light beer for US$2.99, a price which drew the attention of late-night talk-show hosts’ skits. In Spain, visitors to El Corte Inglés shops indulged in a new range of Veckia body lotions and shower gels. And in India, Smart Choice corn flakes were doing a roaring trade at upmarket Spencer’s stores.
These launches, however, had one thing in common: they all came from private labels, without a major consumer goods manufacturer in sight. And they’re part of a trend which is reshaping retail: across the world, consumers are turning their backs on brand names in the food, drink and consumer goods (FDCG) sector, creating a quandary for manufacturers and a tricky position for mainstream retailers, whose relationships with suppliers are rapidly being rewritten.
Research suggests that the consumer mindset has shifted, perhaps inexorably, making the differences between branded goods and own-label products less important. In January, US consumer intelligence provider Mintel reported that 34% of primary household grocery-buyers did not consider they were giving anything up by opting for an own-label product in place of a branded one. Only 19% were clear that it was worth paying more for a brand. Separate 2010 figures bear this out, showing the penetration of supermarket labels in the US at 18% compared to 15% in 2007.
In the UK, where 35% of consumers were buying a higher proportion of own-label goods in 2009 compared with the year before, private label brands are even more established. Japanese supermarkets have seen a rise in private labels, while German giant Metro expected its Real brand to account for 25% of food sales in 2010.The aim, said CEO Joêl Saveuse, was to increase customer loyalty and profit margins.
“Manufacturers of brands should be worried by consumers moving away from them at the moment,” says Jon Wright, Head of Retailing at market research company Euromonitor International. “Consumers are in many cases defining value in terms of price, which is where private labels come into their own.
“In previous economic downturns private label has taken volume and value share from branded products. After the effects of the downturn have worn off, consumers invariably look to replace some of their new private label purchases with branded goods once more, but many do not. The ultimate effect of this is that private labels do not hold on to all of their new consumers, but overall sales share goes up for private label products.”
The new consumers willing to question the value of branded goods have brought a new term into the marketing lexicon. “Hybrid consumers” do not buy private-label goods simply on principle, but they have identified product sectors where trading down is an option. Foremost among these is cleaning products: in the Mintel survey, more than half of respondents said they did not believe branded cleaning products were any better than own-label counterparts. Dairy products, cereals and fruit juices may also be prominent in hybrids’ minds.
JulianThomas, KPMG’s Global Advisory Sector Lead for Consumer Markets, says social media has accelerated the trend: “Consumers today interact more and more through media channels that manufacturers and retailers cannot control. Traditional consumer behavior was based on systematically filtering brand choices to arrive at a final selection. But now, consumers can evaluate a shifting array of options and remain engaged with a brand through social media after a purchase.
“Traditional marketing strategies should be rethought to align with the way the relationship between brands and the consumer has changed.”
While the private label phenomenon is global, its impact varies widely by region, says Wright: “Private label penetration is very strong in Western Europe, but has some way to catch up in North America and many markets in Eastern Europe. In other regions, particularly Latin America and Asia Pacific, it has even further to go.”
Natalie Berg, Global Research Director at analysis firm Planet Retail, says that in many Asian markets there are still aspirational factors that give branded products great sway.
“That’s changing, though,” she adds, “as large supermarkets like Wal-Mart and Carrefour move in with their own labels, which in turn give a boost to domestic own-label products.” 7-Eleven has particularly aided this phenomenon: its Seven Premium brand now accounts for 20% of sales in its Japanese stores, a significant figure because its sites are generally mid-ranking in floor-space terms.
But the drift to private label is not universal, even in its most prominent markets. Figures from analyst mySupermarket show that over the two years to mid-2010, branded laundry detergents increased market share by 13% in the UK, and branded cleaning liquid by 6%, while bread, fish fingers and baked beans also showed gains for well-known manufacturers.
“There are some indications that in this climate shoppers have not moved away from brands as significantly as in other downturns,” says John Noble, Director of the British Brands Group, which speaks for branded goods manufacturers. “Those that have will be strongly influenced by their new experiences. If the cheaper products they turn to do not perform as well, there is a strong likelihood that they will return to their favorite brands as soon as they are able to.
“Areas where quality is important and the incumbent brand offers a differential advantage have tended to fare better. Where the branded benefit may be unclear – toilet tissue springs to mind – brands have to work harder to explain why shoppers should choose them. There is plenty of evidence that brands that continue to promote their benefits in a downturn emerge stronger.”
Must try harder
For manufacturers looking to counter the rise of private labels, simply slashing prices to match supermarkets’ cut-throat offers is often not an option. “Pricing will remain part of the battle,” says Wright. “However, in some ways it is a zero-sum game as either brands undermine the strong work they have done previously by devaluing the product they offer or they squeeze their margins so much that it makes it not worthwhile to do anyway.
“Innovation, either in terms of quality, convenience or health and wellness, is the order of the day for brands. Yet that has been the main area where brands have let themselves down. They felt the status quo was acceptable as consumer habits had not changed in the past. The most successful companies, such as P&G and Gillette, kept innovating despite the fact that they owned some of the most successful and well-liked brands.”
With a tight focus on a single area (Unilever, for instance, owns more than 400 brands but gains 70% of its sales from 25), manufacturers can get an edge over producers of own-label creations, who may not know their customers as well or be able to invest in product development and marketing strategies.
Sara Lee, which announced in January that it would be splitting into two companies, has spent much of the past several years divesting itself of brand lines. This underlines the increasing importance of tight focus but points towards another trend – that as the skirmishes between brands and own-label intensify, it will be second- and third-tier brands that pay the highest price.
“It’s not healthy for big brands to have too many tail brands,” says Planet Retail’s Berg. “We’re seeing a cleansing process as retailers reduce the number of stock-keeping units (SKUs) and rid the shelves of products,” she says, adding that Wal-Mart has cut SKUs by 15% in recent years. “This is beneficial to brand leaders. [UK supermarket] Asda cut the range of candles available and sales soared. Wal- Mart dropped two peanut butter offerings and, likewise, sales rose.”
For some brand-owners, the rise of private labels is sweetened by the pay-off they receive as “white label” manufacturers of supermarkets’ own products, although margins in this area tend to be lower. Berg says some mid-market brand manufacturers, which were previously resistant to white-labelling, have found capitulating is the best way to keep their own offerings on the shelves.
Branded products are able to leverage buyers’ feelings of heritage and nostalgia (the retro marketing of the Lucky Charms cereal brand in the US is a notable example). And they can use advertising and social media in a way that centers more closely on their products. But inevitably, the very fact that own-labels are selling on their own turf means brands must make more effort, says Wright.
“Without strong advertising or talking directly to consumers, brands are being squeezed out of the shopping process,” he says. “Manufacturers need to be having one-to-one conversations with consumers as much as possible.”
KPMG in the UK’sThomas says consumer markets companies must understand the “consumer procurement journey” to revise strategy, optimize media spend and fully leverage supply chains: “Organizations that have successfully navigated the new brand environment have revised their marketing portfolios rather than rewriting them. They have exploited social media opportunities while keeping an unwavering focus on the needs of the consumer. Brands should innovate beyond the familiar and deliver to market rapidly, and clearly communicate and deliver on their brand promise.”
The problem is that own-label retailers are having a persistent conversation with their customers. And their “no brand” products have, slowly, become brands in their own right – supermarkets’ premium ranges have become viewed as brands that happen to be manufactured by their retailers. As Devendra Chawla, Business Head of Private Brands at Indian retailer Future Group, puts it: “A label on the shelf becomes a brand by covering the two-foot distance to the trolley.”
Noble remains optimistic for his members: “Brands help people navigate complex markets and help them make informed decisions… the role of branding is arguably more important than ever.”
Manufacturers seem to realize this: many, including Unilever, P&G, Nestlé and Reckitt Benckiser, have banded together to market themselves in television and newspaper ads under the banner “Brand Power”, trying to persuade consumers that a trusted name counts. The brainchild of Australian agency Buchanan Group, the campaign is now active in 14 countries.
As a fightback, it is a start. As Nestlé CEO Paul Bulcke says, private labels with low margins cannot absorb commodity price rises as well as multinationals, giving them hope of short-term market share gain. But the impression remains that the manufacturer-retailer relationship has shifted. The question is: will things ever return to “normal”?
When brands fight back
Cadbury’s bubble-filled chocolate bar was axed in 2003, but the company’s marketing department came up with an ingenious internet-led campaign to bring it back. More than 500 Facebook groups were encouraged to lobby for Wispa’s return, and on its 2008 relaunch, weekly sales hit 1.2 million bars.
The fashion label is synonymous with Sixties style, having been modelled by Twiggy and other icons. British department store House of Fraser relaunched it in 2010 and was rewarded as it became its best-selling women’s fashion range.
With its catchy slogan – “Fill it to the rim with Brim” – this decaffeinated coffee brand was once a household name in the US. River West Brands found that 92% of adults over 25 were still aware of the name, and now plans a ‘nutraceutical’ version for a new generation.
This hair care range refuses to die, having been revived three times in three decades, including a stint under Unilever’s control. First introduced in 1987, it hit its peak in the 1990s, with 6.5% of the market and annual sales of US$275m.
The Eastern bloc alternative to Coca-Cola went out of business after the fall of the Berlin Wall. But “Ostalgie” (East German nostalgia) has put “Communist cola” back on the shelves and turned it into the reunified country’s number two fizzy drink brand. | <urn:uuid:f1809b53-c9c6-4c9e-89ea-1c8e80c7dc52> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.kpmg.com/Global/en/IssuesAndInsights/ArticlesPublications/ConsumerCurrents/Pages/brands-dying-private-label.aspx | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00002-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.96884 | 2,653 | 1.757813 | 2 |
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View more Humor & Comedy questions Search | <urn:uuid:9d2aea10-35f5-4900-a884-8278d0db6cac> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.askmehelpdesk.com/humor-comedy/joy-teaching-43922.html | 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 | 0.966086 | 297 | 1.578125 | 2 |
I am very pleased to feature this guest post by Tanveer Naseer. I found Tanveer on Twitter and have been following and enjoying his blog for about a year. His brief bio follows this thought provoking post (please leave a comment!). Thanks, Tanveer!
Last week, the Wall Street Journal reported the results of an interesting survey that should encourage some reflection and review by both university graduates and businesses, and hopefully the various educational institutions as well.
From April to June of this year, over 10 000 currently employed university graduates (graduated university between 1999 to 2010) were asked to rate how satisfied they were with their current career path. Naturally, the result which has received the most attention is the rather low satisfaction rate found among psychology majors, who ranked almost 20-percentage points lower than the second-to last group on the scale. While the title of the Wall Street Journal article succinctly explains the reason behind this low satisfaction rate among psychology majors, there’s something more disturbing about the overall findings that should really the focus here.
Looking at the group of university graduates that ranked as the most satisfied in terms of their current career path, we see that only 54% of respondents replied in the affirmative. And this result comes from a group of employees that the survey authors define as working “within a set of jobs deemed satisfying, well-paid, and with growth potential”. In other words, regardless of what discipline you study while attending university, there’s a 50% or more chance that you won’t be satisfied with the career path it helps you to take.
Evidently, businesses are doing their part through offering opportunities for growth and reasonable financial renumeration, given the profile of the respondents that were the focus of this study. So what then can we make of this discrepancy among employees who are well-paid and have those desired opportunities for professional growth, and their assessment that their career path hasn’t lived up to what they hoped for? Looking at the other key player in this equation, it’s clear that the disconnect seen here comes from the educational institutions that people attend. Specifically, with their expectations of how their education will help them secure the career path they wish to undertake and what they actually experience once they’re out in the ‘real world’.
This is where many will argue that the point of seeking a university education is not simply to get a better job, but to develop a sense of knowledge and understanding about a particular discipline or field of study. But here is where I think we need to cast aside such lofty assumptions and ask instead what is the purpose of education? Certainly one purpose of educational institutions is to serve the community in which it’s based, namely in helping to guide individuals toward becoming productive members of that community, instead of mere drains on their resources.
This in many ways reflects the role of leadership as well, where one of the responsibilities of being a leader is to encourage the development of their employee’s strengths, both for the benefit of the organization as well as the individual.
Another responsibility of leadership is to seek out those individuals who can best help you to reach your organization’s objectives. Here again, we see a common thread between leadership and our educational systems as universities regularly seek out individuals, both students and professors, who they believe will help them achieve the goals they have for their institution.
This line of thought, though, leads to another key question we need to ask in light of such findings and that is what are we expecting in terms of results from our educational systems? The easy answer is to have students who achieve high levels of success, as defined by earning a high average class percentile. But in looking at the results of the survey above, is this really the result we should be expecting? Or is it instead answering the question are we ensuring that our methods and processes are serving the needs of our students? The results above certainly provide us with the answer to that question.
And this is where we have to admit that in addressing all the problems we’re currently seeing in our educational systems, it’s not merely a question of inadequate funding or insufficient numbers of teachers, though those are certainly problems that need to be addressed. No, the bigger issue that first needs to be addressed here is a failure of leadership; of failing to serve the needs of those who join these institutions not merely to help raise them in prominence and perceived success, but to gain something that will help them grow in the direction of their desired career path.
It’s not enough to continue to perpetuate the image of the ivory tower, of us warning students about to graduate about what it’s really like ‘out there in the real world’. It’s not enough to accept good intentions over expected results of contributing our time, effort, and resources. What is required instead is something Peter Drucker once spoke of in discussing the education system of tomorrow:
(American) education tomorrow will have to think through who its constituents are. It will have to learn to establish relations with them. It will have to learn, above all, to get across to them what each constituency can and should expect from the school and what the school can and should expect from each constituency.
The results of this new survey should hopefully serve as a wakeup call, both to the education system and its “constituents”, to address this dramatic disconnect by understanding the true nature of leadership that is needed here – that of serving the needs of others in order to help them to not only grow, but also to achieve the objectives that compelled them to join our group, while at the same time ensuring their help in reaching the goals we set out for the organization.
Tanveer Naseer is a business coach who works with small businesses and entrepreneurs to develop new strategies for growth and development that keeps the focus on what makes them passionate about their business.
Thanks to his diverse experiences working in the scientific and business worlds, he has developed a keen understanding of leadership and work practices, if not also a novel approach to taking on new challenges or situations. You can read more of his writings on leadership and workplace interactions on his blog at TanveerNaseer.com. You can also follow him on Twitter – @TanveerNaseer. | <urn:uuid:1208b498-e813-4513-834c-fa3e39323a29> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.bretlsimmons.com/2010-10/leadership-failure-in-our-education-system/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00002-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.97516 | 1,300 | 1.710938 | 2 |
JAMA awaiting final OHRP decision on Harvard-led paper whose authors didn’t fully disclose risks to elderly
Earlier this month, the U.S. Office for Human Research Protections (OHRP) told a group of researchers led by a Harvard Medical School professor that they hadn’t been forthcoming enough about the risks elderly subjects faced in their trial.
As the Boston Globe reported:
The letter from the Department of Health and Human Services instructed the institutions to contact nursing home residents in Boston, St. Louis, and Baltimore who participated in the completed study and tell them that they should have been alerted to information about risks the scientists discovered during the research.
The scientists, led by Harvard Medical School gerontologist Dr. Douglas P. Kiel, were studying how to reduce often lethal hip fractures.
Federal regulators also ordered the research centers to develop corrective action plans to ensure that their scientists follow rules designed to protect patients and to promptly alert officials monitoring their work when problems arise.
Specifically, individuals who participated in the study, which required them to wear an undergarment with padding on one hip, may have had an increased likelihood of falling to the side of the body that was meant to be protected.
JAMA tells Retraction Watch there have been no requests to correct or retract the paper, and that the journal is waiting OHRP’s final determination. Kiel referred us to a Hebrew SeniorLife spokesperson, who said “it seems premature to make plans regarding the paper as published in JAMA.” | <urn:uuid:942768db-00bb-49fb-9071-ed6e9eb1ec1e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://retractionwatch.wordpress.com/2012/02/27/jama-awaiting-final-ohrp-decision-on-harvard-led-paper-whose-authors-didnt-fully-disclose-risks-to-elderly/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700958435/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104238-00015-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.961018 | 314 | 1.695313 | 2 |
Get rid of ObamaCare! Now! It’s a really good idea … if your plan is to do the exact opposite of what you’re trying to achieve on controlling the deficit. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office on Tuesday said ObamaCare will actually work to shrink, not enlarge, our fiscal budget headache.More details from the CBO here. Important story for truth. (via hypervocal)
» The trade-off: “On the one hand, if policymakers leave current laws unchanged, the federal debt will probably recede slowly,” said CBO director Douglas W. Elmendorf. “On the other hand, changing current laws to let current policies continue … would boost the economy and allow people to pay less in taxes and benefit more from government programs in the next few years — but put the nation on an unsustainable fiscal course.” That’s a tough one, kids.
» A report full of mediocre news: The Congressional Budget Office’s report on the deficit notes that while the deficits will be smaller over the next decade — by $3.3 trillion over ten years — as a result of the arm-twisting budget deal passed earlier this month, another $3.5 trillion in deficits will be added on top of everything else. Oh, and lest you think that $1.28 trillion is a small amount, it’s only small compared to the prior two years, which were basically the two largest yearly deficits on record. So this total redefines “smaller.”
» Why is this? The CBO’s report says that in regards to what’s behind all this, “Of the various initiatives that the President is proposing, tax provisions would have by far the largest budgetary impact.” In layman’s terms, tax cuts — especially those for the middle class — are the largest factor affecting deficits. While he’s pushing for tax increases on the wealthy and corporations, they won’t offset the effect of the tax cuts. You know what’s funny though? Even though the CBO’s report specifically says this, the Washington Times reported this story as if spending was the culprit.
» Not to belabor the point: The extension of the Bush-era tax cuts, which the President hashed out with Republicans, was a compromise granted to a political party that claims to be concerned about the deficit. You might therefore think the deal wouldn’t staggeringly increase the deficit, but you’d think wrong. This news will invariably be spun into another story about reckless liberal spending, but remember: this was the war trophy the Republican Party got out of the President, unfunded expenditure be damned.
» This isn’t according to Congressional Democrats. It’s not according to the White House. No, these numbers come from the third party, nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office. Republicans have cited CBO numbers in the past, too, so this isn’t an example of a biased report coming from a politically-motivated source. It’s just the facts, ma’am. | <urn:uuid:fd4fc323-4931-4066-8d9f-bc8fc04f0f8d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://shortformblog.com/tagged/CBO | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00016-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.937396 | 640 | 1.757813 | 2 |
The recent history of New York politicians on the national stage is not a happy one, to say the least. Rudy Giuliani was rightly propelled into prominence by his grace and his clearheaded leadership in the aftermath of September 11; those qualities eroded very quickly when America’s Mayor decided that the way to become president was to repeatedly snarl “Islamic terrorism!” Mike Bloomberg drew lavish, hopeful hype before shying away from a third-party presidential run in 2008. Eliot Spitzer, David Paterson, and Anthony Weiner grabbed their greatest national attention for all the wrong reasons. Now comes Andrew Cuomo.
The still-new governor is off to an astounding political start. Not only did he deliver a rare on-time budget, but also one that closed a $10 billion deficit without causing obvious chaos. Next he imposed a property-tax cap, tightened government-ethics rules, and legalized same-sex marriage, all in conjunction with the usually mind-bendingly dysfunctional State Legislature. More important, of course, are the actual effects of Cuomo’s work, which won’t be apparent for some months and could, without an economic turnaround, be especially harsh on the state’s middle class and poor. But all those messy details aren’t why Cuomo has exploded on the national scene. Gay marriage made him a progressive pinup, and it’s an achievement worthy of coast-to-coast headlines, even if it’s a social-issue victory that’s of only modest importance to New York’s future.
Andrewmania has erupted without overt help from its subject. Cuomo has turned down invitations from the cable shows and network Sunday shows and from Democratic groups around the country, which naturally makes him an object of even greater desirability in political circles. Certainly Cuomo has been busy in Albany, but at times the governor’s determination to appear focused only on his job borders on the comical: He hasn’t set foot outside the state since he was sworn in six months ago. He has no vacation scheduled this summer, not even a jaunt to the Adirondacks. “He’s doing it exactly right,” says Howard Dean, who knows a thing or two about the meteoric rise and fall of northeastern Democratic governors on the national scene. “Andrew is very smart to keep doing his job, stay off those shows, and not run around the country making speeches. The Republican governors in Florida and New Jersey and Wisconsin have done that, and their poll numbers are now in the thirties or forties.”
Which hasn’t stopped the feverish speculation that Cuomo is now the leading Democratic presidential contender in 2016. One immediate consequence is that it adds a wrinkle to the governor’s relationship with the current president. The two Democrats get along just fine and have multiple political friends in common, including Obama pollster Joel Benenson, whom Cuomo occasionally chats with by phone. Yet the gay-marriage win launched a wave of stories and opinion columns holding up Cuomo as everything that Obama is not—a man of principle! An executive who can bend a hostile legislature to his will! Never mind that Cuomo’s record isn’t close to classically progressive: He’s being used by the congenitally disenchanted left wing as a proxy to jab Obama for seeming weak.
Cuomo regularly cites Bill Clinton as his great political teacher. As in all things, however, Andrew’s model—and anti-model—in the New York–Washington dance is his father. Stirring speeches made Governor Mario Cuomo, a genuine progressive, into a national figure; he never came to terms with that role, or his feelings about running for president, turning him into Hamlet on the Hudson. The son is very much in touch with his own hunger. How long Andrew Cuomo can nurture that ambition while hiding it is the question. | <urn:uuid:f1080bb8-9c15-4118-9d80-5ee61b1f4e47> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://nymag.com/news/intelligencer/andrew-cuomo-2011-7/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.963766 | 807 | 1.546875 | 2 |
Researchers at ASU and in Arizona are working to reduce symptoms and improve quality of life for patients and caregivers living with Alzheimer's disease. read more
Three New York University researchers from China divulged results from a federally funded study to Chinese competitors in exchange for tuition, rent and other expenses, federal prosecutors say. Yudong Zhu, a U.S.-educated NYU professor, and Xing Yang, a lab engineer, were released on bail after appearing in federal court in Manhattan to face commercial bribery and other charges. They left court without speaking to reporters.
Royalty Pharma has raised its offer to buy Elan on the condition that shareholders reject the Irish drugmaker's push to refocus its business through a string of recently announced deals, including two new deals unveiled Monday. Royalty said Monday it will pay $12.50 in cash for each share of Elan...
Prior Scientific introduces its latest motorized high precision microscope stage for upright microscopes—the H101F Flat Top Stage. The design of the H01F incorporates a completely flat top plate which eliminates any obstacle to objective rotation while ultra low profile sample holders facilitate the use of high NA objectives.
Genome sequencing of head and neck cancers may quickly—and soon—spur new therapies. There are 20 tumor types being studied by the massive, $100 million Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) project. Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is the eighth to be unveiled. The first, glioblastoma, has been cited in a whopping 2000-plus manuscripts.
The worm’s tail wriggles, a micrometer-scale twitch. A scanner captures the new posture. Software recognizes the motion. Life goes on in the Lifespan Machine, a new system devised in the lab of Walter Fontana that, essentially, counts dead worms.
Federal health regulators say an experimental insomnia drug from Merck can help patients fall asleep, but it also carries worrisome side effects, including daytime drowsiness and suicidal thinking. The Food and Drug Administration on Monday released its review of the company's sleep aid,...
Over the past few decades, neuroscientists have made much progress in mapping the brain by deciphering the functions of individual neurons that perform very specific tasks, such as recognizing the location or color of an object. However, there are many neurons, especially in brain regions that perform sophisticated functions such as thinking and planning, that don’t fit into this pattern.
Hoefer introduced a 600 Volt Power Supply to its range of electrophoresis power supplies. This new midrange power supply unit is designed for electrophoresis and blotting techniques including large format and high throughput applications.
A new method of measuring the variety of genetic mutations found in cells within a tumor appears to predict treatment outcomes of patients with the most common type of head and neck cancer. The research describes how a new way of measuring tumor heterogeneity was a better predictor of survival than are most traditional risk factors in a small group of patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck.
AgileBio released a new version of its Lab Services Manager (LSM), a complementary application for its LIMS, LabCollector. LSM is a dedicated interface for the management of laboratory jobs, and analysis in a variety of life sciences industries as well as in academic research institutes having platforms or external services.
The study shows that RNA is capable of catalyzing electron transfer under conditions similar to those of the early Earth. Because electron transfer, the moving of an electron from one chemical species to another, is involved in many biological processes, the study’s findings suggest that complex biochemical transformations may have been possible when life began.
Scientists have turned their view of osteoarthritis (OA) inside out. Literally. Instead of seeing the painful degenerative disease as a problem primarily of the cartilage that cushions joints, they now have evidence that the bone underneath the cartilage is also a key player and exacerbates the damage.
The Supreme Court says a woman can seek lawyers' fees from the government even though her lawsuit over damage she said was caused by a vaccine was ruled untimely. The high court on Monday ruled for Melissa Cloer, who wanted lawyers' fees for her lawsuit over damage she says was caused by...
Elan Corp. PLC plans to pay about $338 million for a privately held, Austrian drug developer and at least $110 million for stakes in two other companies as the Irish drugmaker continues to refocus after unloading its main revenue source, an ownership stake in the multiple sclerosis drug Tysabri. ... | <urn:uuid:eb07461e-09ea-42f9-befa-89c930440cf4> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.biosciencetechnology.com/?page=4&qt-recent_content=0 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705953421/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120553-00009-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.957366 | 944 | 1.554688 | 2 |
Quote from Bhikkhu Gavesako: The driver who was in his 60s asked how long we have been Buddhist monks, and then he inquired whether we have ever been evangelized before. We started talking about Christianity and he said that the Roman Catholic church is not really Christianity proper. Instead, he said, he belongs to Jesus Christ himself. Then he asked us about the Buddha statues and decorated temples in Buddhism, and I explained to him that some people are more faith-oriented and need such external symbols to focus on, but others have a more analytical character and like to question and examine things.
This QUOTE gave me inspiration to write about how I love my Buddha statues.
I was born in Bangkok, Thailand, the place where most citizens love all Buddhas and Buddha statues. To me and my family,
Buddha statues represent Buddhas
. My mom had altar room (Thai styles just like you see at Thai temples),with 2 beautiful goldplated Buddha statues that my mom prayed to every night before going to bed...and I did that too with so much love/admiration. If my love for Buddha can grow like a tree, it would reach the sky and all levels of heaven by now. And now my daughter feels what I feel, she prays everyday before entering the operating room...prays longer if performing difficult/complicated surgery cases
I gave my daughter 5 beautiful miniture buddhas in different positions the very day that she left home when she got the Air Force scholarship to go to medical college in Houston. Since then,everywhere The Air Force sent her to station, she would take her 5 Buddhas with her even to Japan(for 3 years). She always gave me money for donation to Thai temples/the Monks Hospital(in Bangkok) which we have been doing as tradition since I married Tep. As soon as she became a surgeon, she gave me as much as $1,500/year for donation. Very strange that my daughter never has car accident from the day I taught her to drive when she was 16 until now, and she is very healthy like I/Tep, we just have headaches/cold/cough, never anything serious(Tep's doctor said that he's never known anyone as healthy as Tep).
Right now we have 9 Buddha statues, 4 goldplated, white, 2 green marble, silver and glass. Tep/I bath the statues with perfumed water(Nina Ricci) sometimes just to clean them. During spring - fall, every morning I always pick flowers from my garden: roses, jasmines, daylilies, plumerias or oleanders for Tep to give to Buddha statues in his computer room and I give to my Buddhas in my computer room. I love my Buddha statues very much. I probably met different Buddhas in my past lives to have this kind of love in my heart.
One fine day, my daughter and I went to TJ Maxx store, we saw a white Buddha-statue from India that look like Tep's face, my daughter immediately bought it for me to put it at the altar in my computer room.
Not long ago, I gave a Chinese miniture Buddha statue to my dear friend Dr.Han Tun(JTN)...he said he put it at the altar. He loves Buddha statue too.
I truly love my Buddha statues, | <urn:uuid:9d0aa01f-bb6f-47a3-8756-200ac779c747> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.dhammawheel.com/viewtopic.php?f=27&t=13157 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00002-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.976353 | 701 | 1.570313 | 2 |
Record €1.47 BEELLION EC fine for price-fixing display cartels
CRT monitors - more evil than we knew
The EC has fined screen-makers including Samsung and LG €1.47bn for joining in one or both of two different CRT cartels running between 1996 and 2006.
The European Commission's antitrust division said that eight different companies fixed prices, shared markets, divvied out customers between them and restricted their output in the colour display tubes for tellies in one cartel and computer monitors in the other.
The companies' top management agreed the anticompetitive deals at "green meetings", so-called by the firms because they were usually followed by a game of golf.
"These cartels for cathode ray tubes are 'textbook cartels': they feature all the worst kinds of anticompetitive behaviour that are strictly forbidden to companies doing business in Europe," competition commissioner Joaquin Almunia said in a tinned statement.
"Cathode ray tubes were a very important component in the making of television and computer screens. They accounted for 50 to 70 per cent of the price of a screen. This gives an indication of the serious harm this illegal behaviour has caused both to television and computer screen producers in the EEA, and ultimately the harm it caused to the European consumers over the years".
The commission said that Chunghwa, LG Electronics, Philips and Samsung SDI participated in both cartels, while Panasonic and its subsidiary MTPD, Toshiba and Technicolor took part in the TV tube cartel. Chunghwa, however, got full immunity from the fines since it was the firm that came clean to the commission and started the investigation.
Some of the other firms were shown leniency because they cooperated with the investigation, but all of them will have to pay millions. Philips and LG are the worst off, getting €313m and €295m fines respectively. Samsung was fined €151m and Panasonic will have to pay €157m.
The cartels were trying to keep earning money as the market for CRT declined, the commission said, in a way that was hurting consumers. ® | <urn:uuid:43c499d2-4117-4e80-866e-8335e4198f1e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/12/05/eu_fines_crt_cartels/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00019-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.974514 | 434 | 1.835938 | 2 |
We all have a need to be heard in some way and at some time in our lives.
We need to have a voice.
The Voice can help give a voice to those who want to reach other individuals.
Organizations need a voice to send out their messages. Whether that organization represents a collection of individuals, or, is a charitable effort to benefit individuals, The Voice each week can provide access to being heard. | <urn:uuid:192a4f3f-6b22-4376-aa0f-e4d01625ee86> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://thevoice.us/Archived_Issues_2012_April.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00010-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.961715 | 86 | 1.6875 | 2 |
Look how cute this face is. I don't know how many of the members and visitors celebrate Thanksgiving with a turkey, but if you do, this lesson is for you. Today I will be showing you an easy way to draw a turkey face, step by step. My little sister actually loved this tutorial because she wanted something to make for her teacher that was festive for the holiday. When I showed her the lesson she said "ooo I want to draw that for my teacher". So that is exactly what she did. Even though I have drawn a few turkeys in my time, this one was fun to make. I like the simplicity of the bird because I know the concept will be easy for others to recreate. Have fun drawing a turkey face folks, and be sure to show others your completed drawings. Everyone likes looking at art even if they don't draw. Peace people! | <urn:uuid:820ef0a3-8dda-41ae-849d-ef1053e3ac72> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.dragoart.com/tuts/14034/2/1/119171/how-to-draw-a-turkey-face-step-4.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00009-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.984252 | 177 | 1.742188 | 2 |
Geography is destiny, the old chestnut goes. Now, however, geography is also identity—as well as the latest determinant of personal happiness. The idea that place influences self has insinuated itself into the culture, from popular Facebook memes “What continent are you?” and “What country should you REALLY be living in?” to a barrage of self-seeking travel memoirs, most notably the 2006 blockbuster, Eat Pray Love. In it, American author Elizabeth Gilbert shopped the world as if it were a supermarket—travelling to Italy for gastro-epiphanies, to India for a spiritual tune-up, then on to Bali for transcendental scenery and sex.
Lately, though, that continental drift seems to have been eclipsed by a more focused continent envy. Economic instability, coupled with the realization that “quality of life” is on the skids in North America, has given rise to an I’d-be-happier-elsewhere feeling evident in two new books: Thomas Geohegan’s Were You Born on the Wrong Continent? How the European Model Can Help You Get a Life and Steven Will’s Europe’s Promise: Why the European Way Is the Best Hope in an Insecure Age. Geohegan, a Chicago labour lawyer, started work on his book 10 years ago, inspired by Germany’s generous worker compensation (including a standard six weeks of holiday) and vigorous work ethic—two factors, he contends, that contribute to that nation’s current status as the world’s most competitive economy. What impressed him was the “dignity” accorded workers in a society that views work as only one facet of a well-lived life. It’s a template he would like to see imported to North America: “We need the European model because we don’t have a way of speaking about raising our standard of living except in terms of money,” he writes.
So it isn’t surprising that the notion of a romantic soulmate has extended to geographical soulmate—the premise being that people quite literally are being born on the wrong continent. Patricia Wells, who became a celebrated French-food authority after moving to France from the U.S. in 1980, observes certain places are easier to embrace: “I don’t think it takes great originality to fall in love with Paris,” she says wryly. But what struck her most the first time she visited France in the 1970s, she says, was how she instantly felt “at home” there: “This was the place I was always meant to be.” Faith Willinger, the American-born chef and author who has lived in Florence since 1973, says she also had an epiphany during her first visit to Rome: “It was a revelation, especially the food,” she says. She now refers to herself as a “born-again Italian” and can’t imagine living anywhere else: “I have always felt so much more alive here than I do in the States.”
Of course, now that austerity is the new buzzword, even in Europe there’s a desperate need to rejig standard-of-living vocabulary away from an economic base. British Prime Minister David Cameron is the latest politician to call for a national “happiness index.” Quality of life has also become the new thrust of research that reveals Canada losing ground (according to the latest UN Human Development Index). But it also reveals people crave a kinship with their community more than they do money. A Gallup study released last month, based on 26 U.S. cities, found residents rated social relationships and the beauty of their surroundings as more important to forging strong community bonds than economic health and jobs.
Tommy McHugh, a 30-year-old Toronto-born sous-chef, feels that way about England. The son of a British father and Irish mother, McHugh was raised to be a proud Canadian; still, he was enthralled by England when he visited at age seven: “I was overwhelmed by the castles, the knights-in-shining-armour history and massive cathedrals—all of those things we don’t have in Canada.” He moved to London at age 20 and worked there for nearly seven years. Now the proud monarchist is an Anglo oasis: his speech is peppered with “tickety-boo” and “cuppa”; he drinks PG Tips tea and London Pride beer; he cheers on Fulham’s football team. He plans to return when he has more money: “I would love to have a flat in London,” he says.
It’s not always Euro-envy. Renowned travel writer Pico Iyer went to Japan on a soul-searching mission decades ago; he now lives there. And growing up in Manila, Lenie Viola was convinced her true home existed elsewhere. “I would watch planes flying overhead and say, ‘That will be me,’ ” says the 33-year-old child-care worker. In 2007, she settled in Toronto. The country’s open spaces and changing seasons delight her. The first sight of snow falling made her cry: “It was the most wonderful thing. Everything was so white, so clean.” Canadians’ mania for what she calls our “two-month summer” amuses her, as does the desire for a tan. She returns to the Philippines to visit her family, but finds the climate and conditions suffocating. Her hope is to bring her 16-year-old daughter to her new home and the opportunities it offers—a reminder that continent envy goes both ways. | <urn:uuid:2fa7b0b7-bdcd-4a2a-9b9d-a795ac0ce0dd> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www2.macleans.ca/2010/12/14/id-rather-be-parisian/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00010-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.970955 | 1,225 | 1.8125 | 2 |
Leading your direct reports is challenging. Leading those over whom you do not have direct authority can be next to impossible. Unless of course you have Tinker Bell on your side!
Paula A. Kerger, president and CEO of the Public Broadcasting Company, told The Hollywood Reporter last month that with 350 stations in her organization, ruling by "fiat" does not work. Each station has its own idea of how to do things. "[B]eing the ultimate cheerleader" helps, but Ms. Kerger says, "You have to fully subscribe to the Tinker Bell theory: You have to really believe. If you don't fully buy into the potential and believe that the direction we're going" in is correct, "no one is going to follow you."
Kerger is spot on! Just as the magic of Peter Pan requires absolute belief, so too, does leading people who have the power to walk away from what you are saying. Those who are required to lead their peers, or lead across functions, fight the belief battle daily. What they are struggling for is an idea; what they struggle against is the status quo. Standing between them and fulfillment are peers who need to be persuaded.
Executive leadership requires belief but it comes with power. You either follow or quit. Peer leadership requires conviction that the person in charge is one whom you trust and are willing to follow even though she has no authority over you. So why believe?
Because the peer leader subscribes to the mission! At PBS, stations come together for funding and programming but they do have degrees of autonomy. In large organizations we follow our bosses, but so often things only get done right when people in the middle embrace what the boss says and make it happen. It is not the CEO who persuades others what to do; it is a middle manager who takes the initiative and translates it into terms that people can buy into.
Sometimes that is magical. Peer leader who are good at this are ones who can talk about what change means to individuals, to teams, and to the organization. They do not speak in jargon; they speak in specifics. They break down what needs to be done and they ask people to support it. They do not undercut the magnitude of the effort, or even the discomfort. They play it straight down the middle.
But that is not all. There is another key ingredient to creating buy-in—supporting the work of individuals and teams, or cheerleading as Kerger says. Very often initiatives that cut across functions are met with great resistance. After all few of us like change; the status quo is more comfortable so when push comes to shove we like to stay put.
That is why when an initiative takes hold and begins to effect positive change leaders need to rally behind it and demonstrate that it works. They need to cheer the folks who are driving change and celebrate their achievements. In my experience I have seen senior executives visit the factory floor or hold a meeting in the cafeteria to talk up the good work that individuals and teams have achieved. They become de facto cheerleaders.
Leading those who can say no to you is always a huge challenge but if you can convince them by your actions and your enthusiasm then they might believe in what you are doing. Tinker Bell just might agree. | <urn:uuid:a07c2563-b1a8-42fa-a287-ceddd2963ebd> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.inc.com/john-baldoni/leading-your-peers-convince-them-with-actions-and-enthusiasm_Printer_Friendly.html | 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 | 0.972938 | 669 | 1.8125 | 2 |
[Enter DON JOHN and CONRADE]
- Conrade. What the good-year, my lord! why are you thus out
of measure sad?
- Don John. There is no measure in the occasion that breeds;
therefore the sadness is without limit.
- Don John. And when I have heard it, what blessing brings it?
- Conrade. If not a present remedy, at least a patient
- Don John. I wonder that thou, being, as thou sayest thou art,
born under Saturn, goest about to apply a moral
medicine to a mortifying mischief. I cannot hide
what I am: I must be sad when I have cause and smile
at no man's jests, eat when I have stomach and wait
for no man's leisure, sleep when I am drowsy and
tend on no man's business, laugh when I am merry and
claw no man in his humour.
- Conrade. Yea, but you must not make the full show of this
till you may do it without controlment. You have of
late stood out against your brother, and he hath
ta'en you newly into his grace; where it is
impossible you should take true root but by the
fair weather that you make yourself: it is needful
that you frame the season for your own harvest.
- Don John. I had rather be a canker in a hedge than a rose in
his grace, and it better fits my blood to be
disdained of all than to fashion a carriage to rob
love from any: in this, though I cannot be said to
be a flattering honest man, it must not be denied
but I am a plain-dealing villain. I am trusted with
a muzzle and enfranchised with a clog; therefore I
have decreed not to sing in my cage. If I had my
mouth, I would bite; if I had my liberty, I would do
my liking: in the meantime let me be that I am and
seek not to alter me.
- Conrade. Can you make no use of your discontent?
- Don John. I make all use of it, for I use it only.
Who comes here?
What news, Borachio?
- Borachio. I came yonder from a great supper: the prince your
brother is royally entertained by Leonato: and I
can give you intelligence of an intended marriage.
- Don John. Will it serve for any model to build mischief on?
What is he for a fool that betroths himself to
- Borachio. Marry, it is your brother's right hand.
- Don John. Who? the most exquisite Claudio?
- Don John. A proper squire! And who, and who? which way looks
- Borachio. Marry, on Hero, the daughter and heir of Leonato.
- Don John. A very forward March-chick! How came you to this?
- Borachio. Being entertained for a perfumer, as I was smoking a
musty room, comes me the prince and Claudio, hand
in hand in sad conference: I whipt me behind the
arras; and there heard it agreed upon that the
prince should woo Hero for himself, and having
obtained her, give her to Count Claudio.
- Don John. Come, come, let us thither: this may prove food to
my displeasure. That young start-up hath all the
glory of my overthrow: if I can cross him any way, I
bless myself every way. You are both sure, and will assist me?
- Don John. Let us to the great supper: their cheer is the
greater that I am subdued. Would the cook were of
my mind! Shall we go prove what's to be done?
- Borachio. We'll wait upon your lordship. | <urn:uuid:a12364e1-6d41-4908-bfbc-17af1cdf74f7> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.opensourceshakespeare.org/views/plays/play_view.php?WorkID=muchado&Act=1&Scene=3&Scope=scene&LineHighlight=377 | 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 | 0.936623 | 846 | 1.59375 | 2 |
i had a pretest today, and the bonus question involved subs..i dont know how to type them, but its the opposite of powers. the real test will probably have a similar bonus question, and i need to get all the points i can to make up for a test i bombed recently, so can someone please give me a quick lesson on sub qualities?
also, the question was something like this:
solve for b
A=y-(b sub1+ b sub2) | <urn:uuid:661bb419-cc05-4998-9bd6-6a1a08e175e0> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://mathhelpforum.com/algebra/23867-subs.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705195219/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115315-00001-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.960631 | 101 | 1.625 | 2 |
NEW YORK (Reuters) - To save money, most New Jersey residents would support sharing police and fire departments and schools, a poll said on Monday.
Although critics say sharing emergency services risks delaying the arrival of emergency personnel during crises, the survey by Fairleigh Dickinson University's PublicMind found 71 percent of the 711 voters polled backed sharing services.
New Jersey has one of the nation's most decentralized forms of government, with 566 municipalities.
Governor Chris Christie has proposed abolishing some of the statutes that thwart cities and towns from sharing services. One statute Christie opposes, for example, requires that public workers who are laid off as a result of a shared services agreement between towns receive severance pay.
Christie is one of a number of governors around the nation who are squeezing unionized public workers, saying their cash-strapped states can no longer afford the often-generous health and pension benefits that have been promised.
Public employees have fought back, saying that historically they have been paid less than the private sector.
Some states, including New Jersey, have skipped required pension contributions, deepening pension shortfalls.
Although New Jersey localities traditionally have been reluctant to cede local control, Peter Woolley, a political scientist and director of the university poll, said voters appear more focused on finances.
"Given every town's problems with tight budgets, high property taxes and pension contributions, perhaps sharing services is an idea whose time has finally come," he said.
"It used to be that shared services were a good idea for someone else's town," he said. "Now voters are suggesting it's a good idea for their town too."
A Christie spokesman had no immediate comment on the poll, which had a margin of error of 4 percentage points and was conducted from March 29 to April 4.
(Reporting by Joan Gralla; Editing by Dan Grebler) | <urn:uuid:fbfa0d3e-1b9e-4795-b006-0f18d8750740> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://wtaq.com/news/articles/2011/apr/11/new-jerseyans-back-sharing-police-fire-and-schools/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00007-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.976471 | 382 | 1.695313 | 2 |
Welcome to the forum
Some thoughts (and take everything I say with a grain of salt, I'm just a recent convert myself)...
2) Does the Orthodox Church believe in the concept of
mortal sin as does the Catholic Church? If so, are there
any differences between what the Orthodox Church
sees as mortal sin and what the Catholic Church sees
as mortal sin?
I think this depends largely on who you ask (ie., there is no one position that is "right," but there are a number of acceptable perspectives). In America today (and I assume in the west in general), Orthodox Priests tend to distance themselves from what they perceive to be "Roman Catholicism," and because of this you will hear many say that "Orthodoxy doesn't give penances such as saying 10 Hail Mary's," that "Orthodoxy doesn't divide sins into categories," and so forth. This is at best misleading. Church history clearly shows that Orthodox Priests did in fact give penances in past times unlike what they would give today (e.g., if you masturbate you might have to do 12 prostrations a day, with appropriate prayers, and not partake in communion for 40 days). Today the Orthodox seem to shy away from words and practices like that, which I assume is an allowance for our weakness. I do think the Orthodox view overall is different, so in a way I can understand the change in language; I think it important to admit that there are "moral sins" though. Regarding the actual sins (whether you call them mortal or not), I think we are pretty close to Catholicism.
3) I know the Orthodox Church does not believe in the
false doctrine of once-saved-always saved. So, how
does someone in a state of grace lose that grace?
Is it mortal sin?
I think the quickest way to explain it would be to compare it to a patient receiving medicine. The medicine had the ability to save from the beginning, no one denies that it was potent enough from the beginning and sufficient enough to save someone. So a person starts participating with this medicine (God's grace), and starts to get better. If, however, the patient later decides to stop taking the medicine, the physician doesn't force him to continue taking it. Certainly he and those around him try to persuade him, but they don't make him do something he doesn't want to do. Maybe he had been healed enough that he will live. Maybe he'll relapse after a little while. There's no real way of knowing. All that is known is that the medicine saves, and that we need to focus on taking it for all our lives. There's never a point at which we can proclaim ourselves healed and no longer in need of God's medicine (grace).
Regarding the "how," I think you can turn away in many many ways, though only the bigger ones can prevent your receiving the medicine. For instance, if someone cuts you off in traffic and you snap at them, you will be hindering God's grace; you're creating an atmosphere where the passions reign and God's love doesn't. This in itself is minor, but if it builds up further and you get mad all day, holding a grudge and wanting revenge, then all of a sudden God's grace is being almost totally blocked out. In that way, while there are distinctions between the different levels of sin, all sin is treated as wrong and all sin needs to be repented (even sins you did out of ignorance).
4) What about contraception and the Orthodox Church?
I understand that some Orthodox see it as wrong and
others do not. For those who see it as wrong, is it
considered a mortal sin?
I think this is largely between you and your Priest (and God, of course!). I can't say whether it's mortal or not; I do think it's wrong though. In fact, I don't think Orthodoxy will, in the future, condone the use of contraceptives as widely as they do now (if at all). I disagree with most of what Catholic apologist Dave Armstrong says, but I think he's right on this issue, the currect Orthodox position (in some places, like America) on contraception is a moral lapse and not in line with either biblical or patristic thought. I look forward to the day when it's usage is extremely rare, and then only with NFP being used. (I don't consider NFP to be wholly valid either, I think it's contraception too, it's just a lesser evil than other forms on contraception). | <urn:uuid:20b186a3-a60d-4261-b0f5-0ca369ad0a14> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.orthodoxchristianity.net/forum/index.php?topic=49.msg288 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00013-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.976758 | 945 | 1.742188 | 2 |
By Peter Ferrara on 1.9.13 @ 6:09AM
Conservatives can win on entitlement reform.
Fundamental, structural, entitlement reforms, proven to work in the real world, would provide far better benefits for seniors and the poor, while slashing future entitlement spending. Indeed, over the long run, such reforms could reduce federal spending by half as a percent of GDP.
“Structural” reform means changing the way the programs operate. As I explain below, future federal spending would be reduced far more through such structural reforms than by trying to cut future benefits for seniors and the poor (which will never be politically feasible anyway).
Such reforms involve changing the incentives resulting from entitlements, to promote productive behavior rather than counterproductive behavior. Instead of incentives not to work, modern entitlement reforms would provide powerful incentives for the poor to work, and get ahead. Instead of incentives for family breakup and bearing children out of wedlock, modern entitlement reforms would provide powerful incentives for family formation and bearing children only within marriage.
The new modern entitlements work far better because, instead of old-fashioned, counterproductive, tax and redistribution, they rely on modern capital and labor markets to provide most of the benefits (dramatically reducing future federal spending in the process). They involve pro-growth incentives for the poor to work, and working people to save and invest for retirement, contributing to economic growth and prosperity for all, rather than dragging the economy down through tax and redistribution. Call it the “supply side” safety net.
Conservatives can win promoting such modern, supply-side, entitlement reform, with broad, enthusiastic, majority public support. They may even be able to start enacting some of the reforms in the next four years. But at a minimum, they can start public education and organization now to promote such reform, and lay the groundwork for winning future elections on this basis. And this is how conservatives and Republicans should discuss entitlement reform in the upcoming debt limit/government shutdown battles with President Obama and the Democrats.
Block Grant Welfare to the
Conservatives already achieved enormous success with fundamental, structural reform of one federal entitlement program – the old, New Deal, Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) program. That reform was ultimately enacted in 1996 with broad, bipartisan majorities, and even signed by a Democrat President.
Under the reform, the share of federal spending for AFDC was provided to each state in the form of a “block grant.” Each state then used those funds to finance a redesigned welfare program based on a work requirement for the able-bodied. Federal funding for AFDC previously was based on a matching formula, with the federal government giving more to each state the more it spent on the program, effectively paying the states to spend more. The key to the 1996 reforms was that the new block grants to each state were finite, not matching, so the federal funding did not vary with the amount the state spent. If a state’s new program cost more, the state had to pay the extra costs itself. If the program cost less, the state could keep the savings. That transformed the incentives for the state bureaucrats administering the programs to get people out to work, rather than promote dependency.
The reformed program was renamed Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF). These reforms implemented the ultimate welfare policy goals of former President Reagan and his long-time top welfare policy advisor Robert Carleson.
Exactly contrary to the predictions of liberal opponents, the reform was immensely successful. The old AFDC rolls declined by two-thirds nationwide, even more in states that pushed work most aggressively: Wyoming (97%), Idaho (90%), Florida (89%), Louisiana (89%), Illinois (89%), Georgia (89%), North Carolina (87%), Oklahoma (85%), Wisconsin (84%), Texas (84%), Mississippi (84%). As a result, in real dollars total federal and state spending on TANF by 2006 had declined 31% from AFDC spending in 1995, falling by more than half of what it would have been under prior trends.
Yet, the incomes of the families formerly on the program rose by 25%, and poverty among those families plummeted, because of the increased work by the former welfare dependents.
The same reforms can and should be extended to all of the remaining, nearly 200, federal means-tested welfare programs, including the biggest ones such as Medicaid and food stamps. That would achieve the ultimate dream of Reagan and Carleson, sending welfare back to the states.
The best estimate of the total current cost of all federal, means-tested, welfare programs is more than $10 trillion over the next 10 years. All of that would ideally be sent back to the states. Extrapolating from the AFDC experience, the savings from maximally extending such reforms would amount at least to $4 trillion in the first 10 years alone, and maybe much more depending on state policies. CBO estimated that the 10 year savings from block granting Medicaid alone as House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan proposed in his 2013 budget would be nearly $1 trillion.
Yet, again based on the experience with the 1996 reform, work and incomes among the dependent poor would rise sharply, and poverty would plummet. As a result, instead of taxpayers paying the bottom 20% of income earners not to work, as today, private employers would pay the bottom 20% to work, and contribute to the economy. The states could even transform the whole welfare system into a work safety net, providing benefits only in return for work first.
Patient Power Instead of
Obamacare just blindly added to the excessive entitlement burden, creating or expanding 3 entitlement programs. That includes expanding Medicaid to nearly 100 million Americans by 2021, according to CBO.
Yet, because Medicaid pays doctors and hospitals only 60% or less of costs for their health services, the poor, particularly the most sick, face grave difficulties in obtaining timely and essential health care through Medicaid, and suffer worse health outcomes as a result. Medicaid would work far better for the poor if it were sent back to the states through block grants as above, and the states granted the poor vouchers they could use to pay for private insurance coverage of their choice. Private insurance has to pay doctors and hospitals enough to assure timely and effective care, or else customers would flee elsewhere.
States could also be freed to use part of those block grant funds for high risk pools, where the uninsured who had become too sick to buy market health insurance for the first time, could be assured of guaranteed coverage, without destroying the health insurance markets for everyone else (as Obamacare threatens to do). Those covered by the pool would be charged what they could manage, with the pool subsidized by public funds to the extent necessary. Similar risk pools already exist in over 30 states, and for the most part they work well at relatively little cost to the taxpayers because only about 1% to 2% actually become truly uninsurable in the private market.
Federal law even before Obamacare provided for guaranteed renewability, which ensures that those with health insurance cannot be canceled or charged discriminatory rate increases as long as they continue to pay the premiums.
Therefore, these reforms altogether would provide a complete health care safety net, assuring health care for all (unlike Obamacare, which CBO estimates would still leave 30 million uninsured after 10 years). Those who have insurance would be assured of keeping it, those too poor to buy it would be given the necessary help to get it, and those who nevertheless remain uninsured and then become too sick to buy it could obtain coverage in the High Risk pools. Yet, these reforms could reduce federal spending over the next 10 years by close to $2 trillion or more, by replacing Obamacare with these Patient Power reforms.
Personal Account Prosperity
All of the retirement benefits financed today through the payroll tax could be financed instead through personal savings, investment, and insurance accounts. That includes Social Security and Medicare.
Because long-term, market investment returns are so much higher than what can be paid through these current, non-invested, tax and redistribution programs, future retirees would actually enjoy much higher benefits through such reforms. At the same time, they would be contributing mighty rivers of savings and investment to the economy that would promote booming economic growth.
But the long-run result would be the greatest reduction in government spending in world history, as the benefits would ultimately be moved entirely from the public sector to market financing.
If workers were freed to choose to save and invest what they and their employers would otherwise pay in such payroll taxes into personal savings, investment, and insurance accounts instead, studies show that at standard, long-term, market investment returns, for an average income, two-earner couple, over a career the accounts would accumulate to close to a million dollars or more. Even lower income workers could regularly accumulate half a million over their careers. Retirees would each be free to choose to leave any portion of these funds to their children at death.
With these accumulated funds, retirees could not only finance much better benefits than Social Security even promises, let alone what it could pay. With further premium support payments financed by the general revenue portion of Medicare, similar to Ryan’s proposed Medicare reforms, retirees could purchase better private health insurance than what they are left with after Obamacare’s deformation of Medicare.
Moreover, with such personal accounts, retirees would each be free to individually choose their own retirement age, rather than the government dictating their retirement age to them. The accounts would inherently include market incentives for retirees to each choose on their own to delay their retirement ages, because the longer they wait the more they would accumulate in their accounts, and the higher benefits those accounts could pay.
Millions of workers with less physically taxing jobs would consequently choose on their own to delay their retirement well into their 70s, a result that could never be imposed politically. But other workers whose jobs required heavy physical labor or who for other physical reasons could not work past their early 60s could retire then. Isn’t this so much better for conservatives than demanding the same delays in the retirement age for all from Washington?
These reforms have again been proven to work in the real world, not only in the South American nation of Chile, in Great Britain, and in dozens of other countries. They have been proven to work right here in America as well, in the private alternative to Social Security used for local government workers in Galveston, Texas, and in the highly successful private retirement investment systems used for the federal employee Thrift Savings Plan.
Power to the People
Such reforms are further discussed in a series of entitlement reform studies I am authoring for the Heartland Institute. They were discussed in detail as well in my 2011 book, America’s Ticking Bankruptcy Bomb. The political leaders who already show recognition of the potential for such reforms include House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan, newly elected Senator Ted Cruz, Florida Senator Marco Rubio, and Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal. In 2012, Presidential candidates Newt Gingrich and Herman Cain readily embraced such reforms.
Given that these reforms have already been proven to work in the real world, why have we not adopted such reforms already? Because politicians want power and control centralized in big government, where counterproductive dependency on the taxpayers works to their political benefit, rather than power and control in the hands of working people and their families all across America, which works to promote independence and prosperity, so that the middle class and yesterday’s poor no longer need the political class.
If conservatives more broadly would only learn to talk about entitlement reform in these terms, the issue would be transformed into a powerful political winner. Entitlement reform would then be an exciting real world opportunity for a true revolution in the size and scope of government, ultimately winning the war on poverty, achieving health care for all, and securing financial independence and retirement prosperity for seniors.
Peter Ferrara is Director of Entitlement and Budget Policy at the Heartland Institute, General Counsel of the American Civil Rights Union, Senior Fellow at the National Center for Policy Analysis, and Senior Policy Advisor on Entitlements and Budget Policy at the National Tax Limitation Foundation. He served in the White House Office of Policy Development under President Reagan, and as Associate Deputy Attorney General of the United States under President George H.W. Bush.
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A man of faith in a godless age is hitting Americans where it hurts.
Mr. and Mrs. American Spectator Reader, let P.J. O’Rourke talk sense to your kids.
By John Corry
By Mark Steyn
In Britain, defending your property can get you life.
The debacle of this president’s administration is both a cause and a symptom of the decline of American values. Unless Congress impeaches him, that decline will go on unchecked. An eminent jurist surveys the damage and assesses the chances for the recovery of our culture.
It won’t take long for conservatives to scratch this presidential wannabe off their 2008 scorecard.
By Mark Steyn
The American Christmas, like the songs that celebrate it, makes room for everybody under the rainbow. Is that why so many people seem to be hostile to it?
By Brit Hume
Was the President done in by the economy, or by the politics of the economy?
The American Spectator Foundation is the 501(c)(3) organization responsible for publishing The American Spectator magazine and training aspiring journalists who espouse traditional American values. Your contributions are tax deductible to the extent permitted by law. Each donor receives a year-end summary of their giving for tax purposes.
Copyright 2013, The American Spectator. All rights reserved. | <urn:uuid:9e40f2ca-e208-4e50-9556-1459fa3dbb53> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://spectator.org/archives/2013/01/09/if-they-would-just-think-anew/print | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697974692/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095254-00004-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.960727 | 2,797 | 1.539063 | 2 |
Company Recalls Children’s Beds in Light of Suspected Death
(WASHINGTON) – A children’s furniture company is cooperating with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission in announcing a voluntary recall of several of its products after the discovery of its possible involvement with one death and multiple cases of injury.
KidCo Inc. is recalling about 220,000 of its PeaPod and PeaPod Plus Travel Beds, which are small, mobile sleeping tents for infants and young toddlers. It has been determined that children who use the beds could easily roll off the edge of the mattresses and getting stuck between the mattress and the sides of the tent, putting them in danger of suffocation.
According to reports from the CPSC, a five-month-old boy was found dead inside one of the beds in December 2011. However, the exact cause of death was not determined. There have also been nine more reported situations of children became stuck and “experienced physical distress” in the beds.
The products were manufactured in China, and have been selling at boutiques and specialty stores across the country, in addition to being made available on Amazon.com for the past seven years. The beds cost between 70 and 100 dollars.
Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio | <urn:uuid:84f4711f-17ad-4772-a1ca-62f6f096b005> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.eastidahonews.com/2012/11/company-recalls-childrens-beds-in-light-of-suspected-death/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00008-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.974157 | 261 | 1.570313 | 2 |
CAIRO - American Muslims hailed Monday, November 19, a decision to allow a Muslim Air Force veteran to board a flight to the United States after being denied twice the right to visit his ailing mother.
We welcome the positive development in this case, Adam Soltani, executive director of the Oklahoma chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), said in a statement obtained by OnIslam.net.Saadiq Long, who served for a decade in the US army, has been barred from returning to the United States as US authorities has placed his name in the no-fly list.
US Muslims Petition Against No-Fly List
US Muslim Veteran Barred Again From Flight
Muslim Veteran New Victim of US No-fly List
But on Sunday evening, he was allowed to board a plane from the Qatari capital, Doha, to Amsterdam.
He then will fly to Detroit and is expected to arrive in Oklahoma City late Monday if there are no delays.
[We] hope Mr. Long will not face any bureaucratic difficulties when he returns to his native land, Soltani said.
Saadiq's dilemma began six months ago when he purchased a KLM ticket to Oklahoma, where he grew up to see his ailing mother.
His visit was the first after the Muslim veteran spent a decade teaching English in three Arab countries; Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar.
But to his surprise, he was told by a KLM air representative that he was not allowed on board because his name is placed on the US no-fly list.
The Muslim veteran was never convicted or indicted in any crime.
Receiving no notice why his own government prohibited him from flying back home, Saadiq was banned from boarding his flight from Qatar to the US twice before.
A few days ago, Saadiq's sister launched an online petition to pressure the US government to allow her brother back into home. The petition has gathered more than 6,000 signatures so far.
Saadiq is not the first Muslim to face troubles over being placed on the no-fly list for no apparent reason.
Established in 2003 and administrated by the FBI's Terrorist Screening Center, the no-fly list includes some 20,000 people deemed by the agency as known to have, or reasonably suspected of having, ties to terrorism.
About 500 of them are US citizens, according to an agency spokesman.
In May, fifteen American Muslims, including four military veterans, sued the federal government over being placed on a no-fly list for no apparent reason.
Earlier in 2011, an American Muslim family was kicked off a JetBlue flight because their 18-month child was flagged as no-fly.In 2009, nine members of a Muslim family were removed from a domestic AirTran Airways flight to Orlando, Florida, after they chatted about their seats in the plane.
Reproduced with permission from OnIslam.net | <urn:uuid:f2d1a9dd-6328-4de1-9a26-0dd2de80594e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.islamonline.com/news/articles/2/No-Fly-US-Muslim-Veteran-Flies-Home.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697380733/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516094300-00015-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.973281 | 600 | 1.523438 | 2 |
SHREWSBURY, Massachusetts – So here we are on an official snow day. If your house is a normal one, it’s 11Am and your kids are probably either still asleep, or already at Ward hill skiing. Of course, I woke mine up at 9 to tell them the great news that they had an extra day to study for midterms, but then we all know I’m a nut.
It lead me to speculate though on the simple fact that these days are such a waste, and that with our 180 day school year, in comparison to the 240 day year in other nations, we should be working towards a way to at least maximize our children’s learning opportunities. Tonight, a group of parents will be meeting at the library for the first public meeting of their new “Shrewsbury Advocates” group, which, among it’s many other core objectives, is involved in ensuring that our students get a world class education. The answers to that are clearly complex, to say the least, and many of the objectives will require an entirely new mindset to solve.
One thing that I do know, is that wherever you may be on a host of various issues, you will concur with me that the educational system of the future will look much, much different than it does today. If you don’t believe me, take a look at what a classroom was like 30 years ago, when we all somehow survived without the internet. Who can remember going to the library to look in the encyclopedia, because of course, those were reference books and couldn’t be removed. In the last thirty years, we have moved from that mechanism, which at the time we thought was actually very advanced, to the current system whereby my son can access on his iPad, in the car on our way to baseball practice, virtually every written work every published since the dawn of Gutenberg’s first printing press. There is seemingly nothing that we cannot do today with technology, and to see where we are now, even compared to 5 years ago, is mind boggling.
The question I pose is where will be be twenty or thirty years from now, as most of our grandchildren are in school. By then, I speculate that at the high school level, the model of a single teacher sitting in a room with 25 students, delivering the same lesson six times a day, five days a week, and calling off learning due to snow, will seem as antiquated as that set of encyclopedias and little dewey decimal cards. By that time, we will find that while the education at younger grades may look similar, our upper levels will be taught using a far different method, and having technology as an integral part of the model. That single teacher may very well be delivering a lecture on the rules of grammar, or the periodic table of elements, but be speaking to an empty classroom or lecture hall, into a camera streaming the lecture live not only to their students in Shrewsbury, but perhaps to a consortium of students from around the state or for that matter, around the world. Much as some towns share a building inspector, or a health department, you may see a collaborative of towns sharing a high school mathematics department, delivering high quality streaming lectures to hundreds of students at a time, and then delivering one-on-one assistance as needed to students, again in a virtual setting.
On a snow day in the year 2043, students would wake up at the appointed time, and log right into class, and sitting at their home work station, they would watch the days lesson without missing a beat. I was chatting with someone the other day who’s son has been out of school for over a week with an illness, and has missed some really critical time for a high school freshman, the week before midterms. In the future, they wouldn’t miss a beat, watching class from their bed, and interacting as best as they can, with the teachers and fellow students.
How radical and far fetched is all of this? Well, would it shock you to know that we are already doing it? Yes, this system has been in place for several years in many high schools, and even longer in colleges. Even here in Shrewsbury, we have students taking classes in a strictly on-line system, using any number of methods, from “Virtual High School,” offered at SHS, or through dual enrollment at colleges from UMASS to Harvard, where they attend classes twice a week – online – watching live or pre-recorded streams of lectures, and even interacting in class via a chat room function. Recently, high quality schools like Stanford, MIT and Harvard, have collaborated on something called Education X, which is already allowing over 100,000 people to take free, online courses, through their university systems. Yes, this is nothing nearly as radical as you might think, and rather than it being 30 years into the future, it may be as few as 5 or 10.
That does NOT mean that teachers will be obsolete, and in fact far from it. We will always need high quality teachers, with a passion for what they do. What it means, however, is that we will be changing to a more efficient model of service delivery, reducing costs, and maximizing efficiency in the process. Much as the post office is looking at reducing it’s losses by eliminating Saturday delivery, schools could, in fact, reduce costs substantially by going to a thirty day LONGER school year, but having attendance in the building itself reduced to only 3 or 4 days a week, with the other days being virtual. Just the reduction in bussing costs alone would pay for dozens of additional teachers, enabling a huge reduction in class sizes at the lower levels where it is so much more critical.
The key point I want to leave you with is that the leveraging of technology to completely revolutionize our system of learning is not an “if,” but rather a “when.” Perhaps I’m wrong, and it won’t happen for thirty years, or perhaps I’m right, and this years budget cycle in town like Shrewsbury will see an increase in online learning systems, but one way or another, it will happen, and this would be a great time to begin thinking about it all, and deciding whether we in Shrewsbury ultimately want to be a leader in that effort or just a follower. | <urn:uuid:9588b1ba-dacc-4261-b99c-ba6047c16ebc> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://shrewsbury.net/?p=19806&cpage=1 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00011-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.976021 | 1,334 | 1.609375 | 2 |
We’ve made eating at LEGOLAND Windsor healthy, tasty and fun. We serve quality, wholesome food and give clear information so that everyone can make healthier choices.
Although a day out at a theme park is a time for treats, LEGOLAND Windsor recognises the need to provide healthy eating options for families.
We have removed fizzy drinks from all our children’s meals. Instead we offer a choice of 100% fruit juice, water and whole or semi-skimmed milk. Each meal is also served with a piece of fruit, and fresh fruit is widely available throughout the park.
We continue to serve flame grilled 100% beef burgers, and all our children’s chicken fillets are 100% breast meat. We have completely removed hydrogenated oils from our cooking process. Equally, we have reduced the salt content of our hotdogs.
In our ice cream parlours, you’ll find a range of low fat sorbets alongside our traditional range of artisan ice cream. Even our slush has an increased fruit content, and we’ve introduced a range of milkshakes which, free of hydrogenated fat, meet the School Food Trust guidelines.
Look out for our Balanced Lifestyle Choice logo in our restaurants. | <urn:uuid:974cb1d6-11f7-433f-9ca8-4a567644eb38> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.legoland.co.uk/Plan/FAQ/Healthy-Eating/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697380733/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516094300-00015-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.942652 | 262 | 1.632813 | 2 |
|Mac, Nintendo DS, Mobile, Reviewed on PC
It will be different for different people, for example, the most intriguing moments during a game for myself are pure nerd heaven, and something that has been touched on during every preview of the game leading up to release, the procedural programming that drives creature creation.
The procedures built into the engine give life to creatures created in game, enabling your wildest imaginings (well almost) to come to digital life.
Without the procedural programming hook, Spore would be a collection of unremarkable mini strategy games, unable to compete with rival peers for depth or game-play.
The fact that Will Wright and the rest of the Maxis team have provided us with a sandbox in which to realise our inner gene scientist, constructing a creature seemingly by our own design, and then watch it animated within the game structure is simply remarkable.
So what is Spore? Synthesised to its base level, Spore is a collection of strategy based mini games beginning with your single cell creature swimming around in the primordial soup. The other stages are Creature, Tribal, Civilization and Space.
At this Cell stage, design is a matter of choosing to be carnivore or herbivore - a choice that can change almost immediately, but ultimately has shockwaves of effect that traverse all other stages of the game. For the moment though fighting for survival as a single cell organism in what amounts to a 2D game of Pacman is the first task. Presented in a beautifully coloured microscope style, the Cell stage invokes a remarkable sense of scale.
The simplicity of this first phase belies the enjoyment of the design elements and once a mate is found, some DNA is unlocked and your little starting creature is big enough, the real game kicks in. | <urn:uuid:39483925-57ff-4b37-935a-502008d879ce> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.itwire.com/opinion-and-analysis/radioactive-it/20499-review-spore-creationists-beware | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00005-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.940897 | 364 | 1.75 | 2 |
Not a terribly good day if you were a popular Comedian or a President. News bulletins broke over the air on June 9, 1980 of an accident concerning Richard Pryor, which left him hospitalized in critical condition and with a 25-30% chance of survival. All because of, initially reported, an exploding Butane Lighter. A few raised eyebrows, to be sure. But later it was revealed Pryor was allegedly engaged in that recent phenomenon known as "Freebasing" - another new word to quickly enter our Lexicon of Popular Culture. Meanwhile, President Carter had his woes but certainly not of the pharmaceutical kind. His was an angry crowd in Miami, mostly blacks displaced by the recent riots. With tossed bottles and rocks at the motorcade as it left downtown Miami. Carter claimed unawares, although the photographer who was cold-cocked from a "things go better with" bottle claimed otherwise.
And not the least of the Carter woes came in the form of a foul up in speaker appearances in Seattle that threatened to put him on the same podium as Presidential Challenger Senator Ted Kennedy, causing ruffled feathers and egg smeared faces from the organizers. The Kennedy camp grimaced and said "thanks, but no thanks".
And meanwhile, the Middle East continued to be the Middle East with on-again/off-again/maybe/kind-of peace negotiations between all the usual suspects stopping and starting every other minute or so.
And so the World turned, albeit akimbo on this 9th day of June in 1980.
As reported by CBS Radio Hourly News. | <urn:uuid:c27fbe80-1da8-4823-be2b-97109c76704a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://newstalgia.crooksandliars.com/taxonomy/term/5387 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00003-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.965735 | 323 | 1.648438 | 2 |
The 2012 Maine Republican caucuses are the odd birds of the GOP primary system. Most states hold their caucuses in one day; Maine takes at least a week. Most states bind their delegates to a candidate; Maine doesn't bother. Most, if they claim the title of closed caucus, enforce strict registration requirements; Maine makes them as loose as possible.
The state's unconventional ways and unpredictable results are what make candidates like former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum and former Speaker Newt Gingrich shy away. It's also what gives Texas Rep. Ron Paul his best chance to win.
Maine's Weird, Wacky Caucuses
The first thing those following the race notice about the Maine caucuses are their length. The Maine Republican Party asked that all municipal committees hold their caucuses from Feb. 4 to Feb. 11. But Maine's caucuses actually run far longer than that: The first caucus, in Waldo county, was held on Jan. 29, with the last one in Hancock set for March 3.
Then there are the 24 delegates. A presidential straw poll will be held on Saturday, but the poll is non-binding. The poll will serve as an indicator of Maine voters' intents, and which candidates they support, but it is the state convention that will determine which delegates actually go the Republican National Convention in August.
This is similar to the system in Minnesota, Iowa and Colorado. But even after the state convention, on May 5, all 24 delegates still won't be bound to any candidate.
And finally, there are the voters themselves. Maine holds a closed caucus system, meaning only registered Republicans can vote for a nominee. But previously unregistered voters, and those unaffiliated with either party, can register as Republicans at the polls, meaning independents can participate in the closed caucus as well.
'We're about as non-binding as you can get.'
The Maine caucuses, then, offer no set delegates, don't give a full picture of the state, and boast voters who refuse to do anything but go against the grain.
Little surprise, then, that the state loves independent candidates. Angus King was state governor from 1995 to 2003, and in 1992, independent candidate Ross Perot received a higher share of the vote in Maine than in any other state.
And while the state doesn't offer much in terms of guaranteed delegates, it differs from Missouri in being unabashedly proud of its emphasis on voter preference over party politics.
Maine prides itself on its political independence, and its wealth of unaffiliated voters. The state has two moderate Republican senators, a conservative Republican governor, and two liberal Democrats in the House of Representatives. Maine likes to keep its voting options open. And any attempt to change that freedom of choice will not go down easy.
Mike Quatrano, the executive director of the Maine Republican Party, told The Washington Post that the GOP has been trying to consolidate its caucuses since early 2011. They settled on Feb. 4-11 as a time when all the municipalities would vote. Only 22 of Maine's 97 municipalities managed to schedule their caucus for that time frame.
[It's been] kind of a culture shock to some of these folks, Quatrano said, adding that moves to shorten the caucuses to a day or even a weekend absolutely did not fly.
We're as non-binding as you get, Quatrano added.
'It's a pretty important state.'
All of which makes it fertile ground for a candidate like Ron Paul.
The Texas congressman has marked his place in the Republican primary race as a candidate in it for the long haul, uncompromising in his sometimes inspiring, sometimes controversial positions, and far less concerned with winner-take-all primary wins than GOP rivals Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum.
In fact, his strategy for winning the Republican nomination -- collecting as many delegates as he can from caucus states in order to fight it out at the Republican National Convention -- is a strategy that mirrors the essence of the Maine caucuses.
That's something the candidate is banking on, and which he needs to keep enthusiasm for his candidacy alive. Despite placing well in Minnesota, Paul needs a first-place win if he wants to expand support for him before the August convention.
Paul has certainly invested a lot of time in the state. Major news sources report armies of enthusiastic volunteers stumping for Paul throughout Maine and the surrounding states, and his organization there mirrors the system he had in Minnesota, where he won a very respectable second place.
Paul vs. Romney
The main obstacle in Paul's way is former Mass. Gov. Mitt Romney.
Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich, who both work better in socially conservative areas in the South, have not even bothered to visit the state, convinced that campaigning in Maine is a lost cause.
Romney, meanwhile, is the same candidate who swept Maine in his first quest for the Republican presidential nomination. In 2008, Romney won the caucuses with 52 percent of the vote. Ron Paul claimed only 18 percent, coming in a few percentage points behind John McCain.
In that race, Maine Republicans were undoubtedly concerned with the issue of electability when they cast their votes.
But as the Romney campaign continues to tout Romney as the man to beat President Obama, his campaign staff is scrambling to explain away their candidate's losses in Minnesota, Colorado and Missouri this week, all of which went to unlikely winner Rick Santorum. With Gingrich's victory in South Carolina, the supposed front-runner of the Republican race has in fact won only three states of the seven who've voted so far.
And if ever there was a time for Maine to swing for Ron Paul, it is 2012. The Tea Party, appearing after Romney's first attempt at the nomination, has a strong hold on the state, and it is one of the reasons that Paul LePage is currently governor there.
Though Paul cannot be considered a Tea Party candidate, those advocating less government intervention, less taxes and fewer bailouts are more likely to vote for the Texas libertarian than for a former governor many still link to programs like Romneycare.
The influx of independent-leaning feeling across the United States in anticipation of the 2012 presidential election also bodes well for Paul's chances in Maine. At each of the states in the primary process so far, Paul has far outdone his numbers from 2008, with his support (as translated into votes) averaging 67 percent higher in caucus states than in 2008.
Republican Chair Predicts Close Race
Mitt Romney initially had no visits planned in Maine on Saturday. Just before the weekend, however, the former Massachusetts governor added two at the last minute, an indication of how close he believes the race there may be.
Close being the operative word, both for Mitt Romney and for Ron Paul. With Santorum and Gingrich hardly bothering, Maine has always been a two-man race.
But despite the length of the caucus system, Maine has decided to release all the results in bulk on Saturday night. There has been no serious polling of the state either. All of this makes the election results incredibly unpredictable, especially given the two most popular candidates who are pitted against each other.
What will happen is that either Paul or Romney will win by 200 votes, in my opinion, Maine Republican Party Chairman Charlie Webster told The Guardian. One way or the other.
If Romney manages the same victory he pulled off in 2008, murmurs about the legitimacy of his front-runner status may be quieted, at least for now.
But if Paul wins an upset victory in the Northern state, Romney will have to wait almost three weeks, until the Arizona and Michigan primaries on Feb. 28, before he has the chance to win back his hard-lost momentum.
And for Ron Paul, the libertarian from Texas, that first official victory could help propel his campaign to greater national attention.
Paul's name has gotten about five times more Google search traffic in Maine than Romney's in the last 30 days. If those unpredictable and defiant Maine voters like what they see in the unpredictable and defiant Ron Paul, Mitt Romney is going to have a very bad month ahead of him. | <urn:uuid:6026eb8b-0a41-490a-b7a5-4712670c0e8f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.ibtimes.com/maine-republican-caucus-2012-why-ron-paul-may-win-offbeat-state-214054 | 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 | 0.969324 | 1,651 | 1.6875 | 2 |
The head of JPMorgan Chase, Jamie Dimon, has gotten an invitation to testify in front of the Senate Banking Committee about his bank's recent trading loss of at least $2 billion.
STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:
Dimon is very much the public face of his firm. In a Wall Street culture where banks are defined as much by the executives who run them is by the assets they hold. So, what kind of culture led to the multibillion dollar losses at JPMorgan Chase?
INSKEEP: Technology giant Hewlett-Packard is poised to eliminate as many as 30,000 jobs worldwide. These cuts, though, will reportedly spare China - the company's largest source of growth, as well as its research and development divisions.
The Obama administration is announcing a major new initiative to boost investments in rural Africa in hopes of lifting millions out of poverty. Several African leaders are in Washington, D.C., for the announcement, which comes as President Obama hosts leaders of the Group of Eight in Maryland. Food security is a key agenda item.
When Terry Walls of Springfield, Mo., decided to go back to college at age 52, he wanted to put to rest a family rumor. He had heard his mother was denied admission to Missouri State University, and he was pointed toward Meyer Library on the MSU campus for answers.
There, he discovered an eloquent letter typed on fragile, onion-skin paper and signed with his mother's maiden name: Mary Jean Price. It was dated Oct. 2, 1950, and it was addressed to the university registrar:
For many people, Bike to Work Day (which is today) is a reason to put air in their bike's tires and see if their chain is too rusty to get them to work on time. And as a growing list of photographs shows, many people who follow NPR online also ride to work.
A SpaceX rocket waits to be launched at Cape Canaveral, Fla., in March. If all goes as planned, the private company's rocket will be the first commercial spacecraft to visit the International Space Station.
SpaceX founder Elon Musk runs his rocket company like a Silicon Valley tech firm. "That's the operating system that I have in my head of how to run an organization. And that's how I've created SpaceX," he says.
A private spaceship owned by a company called SpaceX is scheduled to blast off from Cape Canaveral in Florida early Saturday morning.
If all goes well, the unmanned capsule will rocket up on a mission to deliver food and other supplies to the International Space Station, becoming the first commercial spacecraft to visit the outpost.
The highly anticipated mission could mark the beginning of what some say could be a new era in spaceflight, with private companies operating taxi services that could start taking people to orbit in just a few years.
The prosecution's star witness underwent a withering cross-examination on Thursday at Roger Clemens' perjury trial. Clemens, a seven-time Cy Young Award winner, is charged with lying to Congress when he testified that he never used performance-enhancing drugs. Brian McNamee, his one-time trainer, is the only witness who has firsthand evidence that contradicts the baseball-pitching ace.
Earlier this week, guided by the prosecution, McNamee testified in agonizing and repetitive detail about how he injected Clemens with steroids and human growth hormone between 1998 and 2001.
The law grants physicians access to information about trade-secret chemicals used in natural gas drilling. Doctors say they need to know what's in those formulas in order to treat patients who may have been exposed to the chemicals.
But the new law also says that doctors can't tell anyone else — not even other doctors — what's in those formulas. It's being called the "doctor gag rule." | <urn:uuid:7d389369-da7c-42f2-9dd1-6bf3fd42d03b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://wncw.org/node?page=1532 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00009-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.975232 | 774 | 1.5625 | 2 |
Over the course of last year, John Wayne Airport saw more than 8.85 million passengers pass through its gates — a 2.9% increase over the 8.6 million passengers in 2011, an airport traffic report said.
The number of travelers passing through JWA's gates last holiday season also jumped, by 5.5%, over the same time in 2011, according to the report.
In December 2011, a total of 697,512 passengers got on and off planes at JWA, the report said. In December 2012, that number increased to 735,626.
"The addition of service to three new destinations in Mexico by AirTran and Interjet helped contribute to this growth," Airport Director Alan L. Murphy said in a statement. "The overall increase in passengers, however, reflects both the new international service and improvements in the general domestic travel market."
Total aircraft operations increased in 2012 over the prior year by 1.1%, with 255,688 flights taking off or landing, over 252,943 in 2011.
But within those operations, commuter plane take-offs and landings dropped by 17.5%.
Commuter plane activity in December 2012 versus December 2011 also decreased, by 14.9%.
General aviation activity (non-commercial operations, including private planes), which made up about 67% of 2012's flights, increased by 1.2% over 2011.
According to the terms of the airport's settlement agreement, passenger counts are capped at 10.8 million per year, although officials say they don't expect to ever reach that limit.
— Jill Cowan | <urn:uuid:2ac90322-5704-46d3-8f86-df1be46f4a66> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.dailypilot.com/news/tn-dpt-0131-jwa-numbers-20130130,0,6548922.story?track=rss | 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 | 0.965128 | 327 | 1.515625 | 2 |
MANIFEST, a new annual independent print journal on American architecture and urbanism, is requesting text, project, and photographic proposals for its first issue entitled, “Looking Inward.” Edited by Anthony Acciavatti, Justin Fowler, and Dan Handel, and supported in part by the Graham Foundation for Advanced Studies in the Fine Arts, MANIFEST was founded to initiate a critical conversation about the state of American architecture, its cities, and its hinterland, tackling head-on what others have abandoned. While MANIFEST intends to question the assumptions behind singular constructions of America by tracing its origins and its global influence, the journal also strives to define the uniqueness of American forms of city-building and the distinct set of material and political parameters through which these forms are shaped.
The theme of our first issue, “Looking Inward,” is broadly construed as an interrogation of a “New World” taken for granted. Rather than abandoning this new world for a newer world to the east or or circling the wagons here at home, this issue of MANIFEST speaks less to a continual rehearsal of the initial American experiment in favor of a prompt toward the active shaping of its evolution. “Looking Inward” asks how can we take the reigns of a process once deemed to be a function of destiny. Why does America merit scrutiny? Assuming America deserves scrutiny, what parts have been overlooked and are deserving of attention? Of the areas that have received attention, how can they be amended, broadened, or rendered new and unfamiliar? What are the projects of America? For this issue, MANIFEST encourages a range of narratives, from the panoramic to the miniature, so long as they recast our understanding of how America is artificial, peculiar, and intriguing. While one measure of the issue will be to articulate the necessity of the American project (the “why”, “when”, “where”, and “why now?”), we also hope to jump right into the “how” by suggesting approaches through which to re-ignite the formal, political, economic, and perhaps even the poetic efficacy of the American built environment. The publication will act as a forum-though not a disinterested one-and in this effort, no ideological or methodological precept will be taken for granted. As withdrawal and engagement are never acceptable as ends in themselves, we ask that claims of autonomy, revolution, pragmatism, continuity, advocacy, and/or activism offer compelling narratives of the ends that inspire their means.
SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS - For essays, please submit an abstract of 500–750 words + images, along with a brief bio or CV. - For columns (op-eds or historical vignettes), please submit an abstract of 250–500 words + images, along with a brief bio or CV. - For projects, speculations, graphic narratives, or photo essays, please submit relevant drawings and images, along with 250–500 words of text. Please also include a firm profile, bio, or CV. - For reviews, please submit a 250–500 word description of the project, exhibition, or book under consideration and the critical approach to be explored. Please also include a bio or CV. We encourage abstracts and proposals to provoke as much as describe and each should offer an insight into the narrative threads driving the work. Authorial tone can range from academic to irreverent and text lengths will vary (750–1500 words for columns and 3000–5000+ words for essays). The subject matter is wholly up to the discretion of the authors. MANIFEST encourages the submission of pieces of historical interest alongside more projective tracts and speculative arguments. Please submit all material in a single PDF (5MB maximum file size) to email@example.com by Friday, 14 December 2012. Authors of selected proposals will be notified by late December and the editors will work with authors to develop their pieces. A PDF of the call for proposals can be found here: | <urn:uuid:c75087c9-00c0-4c47-8e73-08fbeab4e219> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://worldarchitecture.org/wanews/pvve/manifest-call-for-proposals-issue-1-looking-inward.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00004-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.932183 | 831 | 1.507813 | 2 |
Six Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) scientists have been elected to the Institute of Medicine (IOM) of the National Academies.
Four HHMI investigators and an HHMI early career scientist are among the 65 new IOM members elected today. Sydney Brenner, a senior fellow at HHMI’s Janelia Farm Research Campus, is one of four new foreign associates.
The Institute of Medicine was established in 1970 by the National Academy of Sciences to honor professional achievement in the health sciences and to serve as a national resource for independent analysis and recommendations on issues related to medicine, biomedical sciences, and health.
“It is a great pleasure to welcome these distinguished and accomplished individuals to the Institute of Medicine,” said IOM President Harvey V. Fineberg. “Each of these new members stands out as a professional whose research, knowledge, and skills have significantly advanced health and medicine and who has served as a model for others. The Institute of Medicine is greatly enriched by the addition of our newly elected colleagues."
Current active IOM members elect new members from a slate of candidates nominated for their professional achievement and commitment to service. A diversity of talent among members is assured by the Institute's charter, which requires that at least one-quarter be selected from fields outside the health professions — such as the natural, social and behavioral sciences; law; engineering; and the humanities.
The newly elected members raise IOM's total active membership to 1,649 and the number of foreign associates to 96. With an additional 72 members holding emeritus status, IOM's total membership is 1,817.
The HHMI scientists newly elected to the Institute of Medicine are:
Sydney BrennerSenior Fellow, Janelia Farm Research Campus
Investigator, Yale School of Medicine
Robert B. Darnell
Investigator, The Rockefeller University
Early Career Scientist, Stanford University
Jennifer A. DoudnaInvestigator, University of California, Berkeley
Kevan M. ShokatInvestigator, University of California, San Francisco | <urn:uuid:e74061be-e36f-4f75-b811-414990c93fa6> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.hhmi.org/news/20101011.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00002-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.947127 | 418 | 1.578125 | 2 |
6 Q’s About the News
Use the photo and related article to answer basic news questions.
WHO is Moses Levi?
WHERE does he live today?
WHERE else has he lived?
HOW does he explain the lack of contradiction he finds between the rap world and his life as a Torah-observant Orthodox Jew?
WHEN did he become a practicing Jew?
WHAT questions still surround the incident in the New York nightclub in 1999?
WHAT is Mr. Levi’s attitude toward that situation today?
WHY do you think someone who has experienced struggles similar to Mr. Levi’s might eventually choose to live according to stricter rules?
Related: Our resources for teaching world religions. | <urn:uuid:0dd230cb-3510-4b86-949f-45961e8474c4> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/11/12/the-two-worlds-of-shyne/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00003-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.964325 | 148 | 1.664063 | 2 |
US banks sustain hackers' denial-of-service attacks
U.S. Bank's website was among several banks disrupted last week in a people-powered distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack, launched by a group of Islamic hacktivists who have claimed responsibility for similar cyberattacks against four other banks in the U.S.
The attack involved hundreds of thousands of computers sending an overwhelming number of requests that downed the site for roughly an hour, said Atif Mushtaq, a security researcher at FireEye who has been monitoring the attack.
The disruption of U.S. Bank's website comes one day after a similar attack against Wells Fargo & Co. The group has taken credit for other attacks that occurred last week, against Bank of America, JPMorgan Chase, and Citigroup.
A representative of U.S. Bancorp, which operates as U.S. Bank, confirmed it was under attack. "We apologize that some customers experienced intermittent delays today on our website. We have been working hard to restore full connectivity," the spokeswoman said.
"We are asking customers who are experiencing issues with our online or mobile sites and have an urgent banking need to please call us at 1-800-US-BANKS, or stop by one of our branches," she said.
She said the issues were "related to unusual and coordinated high traffic volume designed to slow down the system -- similar to what other banks have experienced in the past week."
"We are working closely with federal law enforcement officials to address the issue. In the meantime, we can assure customers that their data and funds are secure," the spokeswoman added.
A new twist on DDoS
Rather than launch the attack from a network of compromised machines, called a botnet, the attackers are apparently using volunteers, Mushtaq said. Participants go to either one of two file-sharing sites and download a program written in a scripting language. Once the program is running, a person only has to click on a "start attack" button to send continuous requests to the target's website.
This method makes it more difficult for authorities to stop the attack, because there are no control servers. "They know [servers] can be blocked very easily," Mushtaq said.
The group calling itself "Mrt. Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Cyber Fighters" had said on a Pastebin post that it would attack Wells Fargo on Tuesday, U.S. Bank on Wednesday and PNC Financial Services Group on Thursday.
DDoS attacks, which experts say banks can only hope for best with, are considered crude because they do not require any sophisticated technology, just a large enough network of computers to overwhelm a site. Banks the size of the ones under attack would have to be hit by a network of hundreds of thousands of computers in order to disrupt their sites, Mushtaq said.
The use of volunteers launching attacks from their own computers makes it difficult for banks to separate traffic and redirect the DoS requests, Mushtaq said. "There's no way you can distinguish between the benign traffic and this DDoS traffic," Mushtaq said. "It's simply mixed up."
The group claiming to be behind the attacks indicated in the Pastebin post that it was in retaliation for the video trailer denigrating the Prophet Muhammad. The amateurish YouTube video made in the U.S. has sparked violent protests in the Middle East and other regions. | <urn:uuid:b645ba1f-e99e-4f54-ac97-1245195102d4> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.pcworld.com/article/2010866/us-banks-sustain-hackers-denial-of-service-attacks.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00015-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.970425 | 704 | 1.664063 | 2 |
EBSCO Publishing has announced that it will offer formal Continuing Medical Education credits (CMEs) through its DynaMed point-of-care reference database. The CMEs available through DynaMed are American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) and American Medical Association (AMA) prescribed credit for documented point-of-care learning activities. The new Get CME option in DynaMed provides a means for obtaining CME credits from applicable CME accreditors. Credits may be awarded by any Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) accredited CME provider. AAFP and AMA approve 0.5 prescribed credits for every point-of-care learning activity that utilizes an approved point-of-care CME source. DynaMed is currently approved as a source of point-of-care learning CMEs in the United States.
Additional enhancements have also been made to the DynaMed interface designed to improve the research experience of users at the point-of-care including the following: improved result screen navigation and usability allows for a larger viewing area for DynaMed articles and more rapid navigation to key DynaMed content; a new Print Preview functionality allows users to review the content of their selected articles prior to printing; new email functionality provides users with a preview of their selected text to be emailed prior to being sent; an expanded list view to increase accessibility of recently updated information; and DynaMed customers may elect to subscribe (at no additional cost) to the new DynaMed Weekly Update, a weekly email newsletter comprised of one to five articles of interest to clinicians. | <urn:uuid:3be97299-4ced-4235-8549-093fafb7b773> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.econtentmag.com/Articles/News/News-Item/EBSCO-Offers-CMEs-Through-DynaMed-19037.htm | 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 | 0.932357 | 325 | 1.507813 | 2 |
The true value of virtualised IT lies in the consumption of applications, and increasingly, that means from a cloud, according to VMware CEO Paul Maritz.
Speaking at the opening of VMworld 2010 in Copenhagen, Maritz said most of the firm's 190,000 customers were still optimising their capital expenditure by rationalising their hardware infrastructure. But some were increasing the return on investment from virtualisation technology by virtualising their applications.
While these were essential steps, the real value lay in allowing IT's customers to "consume" applications on a pay-as-you-go basis. There was still a way to go, because IT departments were reluctant to allow users the same freedoms of access and devices they enjoyed outside the office, for security and compliance reasons.
But this was unsustainable, he said. IT departments could not hold back the PC, and they will not be able to hold back iPads and smartphones or web-based applications, he said. VMware itself is not immune. "There 15 software as a service apps running at VMware that I didn't know about until I asked," he said.
Maritz said, "For every dollar customers spend on capex, they spend between $5 and $10 on operational costs." As a result, VMware was paying a lot attention to automating operational aspects of IT, he said, with secure provisioning and configuration as the keys.
Maritz said operating systems such as Windows and Linux were "disappearing" because the virtualisation software was increasingly taking over their role as the manager of hardware, storage and network resources.
The next step was to protect customers' investment in existing applications by allowing CIOs to move them seamlessly between virtualised environments in both public and private clouds.
He warned that new customers would not tolerate applications that reflected 30- or 40-year-old batch paradigms. They had different expectations of what IT was about today, he said.
Maritz said VMware was working closely with Google and Salesforce.com to develop a new application programming interface that would make moving applications to cloud environments easier for IT departments.
He said no developer was writing applications for operating systems any more. Instead they were writing for development frameworks such as Spring, Ruby on Rails and Django. This allowed them to move the apps easily between virtualised environments, thus creating greater IT agility in meeting new business circumstances.
Maritz stressed that security was becoming a more critical issue for companies. It was no longer enough to secure physical devices but to provide security at a logical level. This would help protect data and applications wherever they or the users were.
VMware unveiled a new directory services manager at VMworld 2010. This was the repository for all the policies and permissions for applications and users. This let system administrators provision applications such as Salesforce.com and Google Apps, including single sign-on, with a single click.
Maritz said quality of service was a vital issue for enterprises. "Not all apps are equal," he said. VMware was working to provide quality of service management systems for virtualised environments. This was important for the manageability of both private and public cloud environments. | <urn:uuid:dcb60d96-e509-494a-b1ee-3c7692ba6a73> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.computerweekly.com/news/1280094023/VMworld-2010-Virtualised-applications-are-the-future-for-the-cloud-says-VMware-CEO | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00007-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.975443 | 640 | 1.632813 | 2 |
"Guiding is a game – a game to be played mainly in the out of doors, with young and old sisters playing together", wrote Lord Robert Baden-Powell, Founder of the Girl Guide and Boy Scout Movements, shortly before his death in 1941.
The Sri Lanka Girl Guides Association (SLGGA) clearly had these words in mind when they organized the Centenary Friendship Circle recently. Held from 22nd to 27th April 2010 at the Family Planning Association of
Sri Lanka's (FPASL) "Chinthana" Training Centre in Nainamadama, the Centenary Friendship Circle was organized by the SLGGA to celebrate 100 years of Girl Guiding.
An international event with a difference, the Centenary Friendship Circle brought together 100 Guides and Guide Leaders from Malaysia, UK and Sri Lanka to formulate ideas for
camping in the future.
The official opening
ceremony of the Centenary Friendship Circle was held on the 23rd of April. The Chief Guest at the opening
Mrs. Leisha De Silva Chandrasena, Chairperson,
Sri Lanka Telecom and a
former Girl Guide.
The Guests of Honour were
Mrs. Swarnika Pitigala, Assistant Director of Education, Ministry of Education and Mrs. Padma Kumaratunga, President, FPASL.
There were several
activities which added colour to the event whilst providing a challenge to the delegates, chief amongst which was the memorable and exciting
adventure trek which took place at Wilpotha on the 24th of April.
Guides and Guide Leaders alike shouldered their
backpacks and took to the road, eager and enthusiastic to demonstrate their team spirit. The teams, nicknamed "Challengers", "Dynamics", "Brave Lions", "Chabarans", "Kambaras", and "Sooriyo", worked together to reach the final
destination in time for lunch.
Joyce, a Guide Leader from Malaysia, was full of enthusiasm for the planning that had gone into the trek. "The scenery of the lake was very beautiful. I couldn't take my eyes off it. The trek was full of fun, excitement and many variations of adventure." Mish, a Guide Leader from UK, added that, "Even though it was tiring, it was very pleasing to be a part of this trek." The adventure ended at a kohomba tree which had to be climbed in order to get a final message.
This was followed by a hike at the Wilpotha ‘Kantha Ithurum Parishramaya’ where delegates were exposed to different
handicraft workshops which
kindled their creativity and gave them great pleasure and joy. The performance given by the children of Wilpotha Gama, at the end of the day, touched each and every heart present, making it a truly memorable outing for the
The various sessions and discussions
conducted at the Centenary Friendship Circle brought about
numerous ideas which will serve to improve the quality of Guiding and camping, a key aspect of the former, going forwards to 2020.
More importantly, the Centenary Friendship Circle helped strengthen the ties of friendship between the delegates and their respective member countries. As Priyanthi, a Guide Leader from Sri Lanka
commented, "It was an event of sharing
The band of Senior Guides who were
present at the event to lend a helping hand summed up the event in the following words. "The Centenary Friendship Circle was an event that brought many hearts together from diverse
communities to build a bridge of friendship through Guiding whose foundation was laid 100 years ago." | <urn:uuid:4a8edb89-157a-46fc-aca3-abb928a6a893> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.sundaytimes.lk/100502/FunDay/fut_08.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700958435/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104238-00014-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.967202 | 754 | 1.78125 | 2 |
Simply put, nobody goes bigger on a snowmobile. On Thursday, March 26th, 2009, Monster Energy’s Paul Thacker became the first human being to jump a snowmobile the length of a football field – 301 feet and some change at 87 mph. Piloting a 430-pound Bikeman Performance-powered Polaris IQ 600 snowmobile with custom Fox Shox suspension through the overcast but calm skies of above the famed Brainerd (Minn.)NHRA drag racing facility, Thacker’s pursuit of the once mythical 300-foot snowmobile jump mark didn’t even look like it was going to get off the ground. Foul weather early in the week, coupled with high winds (which can spell disaster in distance jumping), put Thacker’s efforts on hold time after time. At 3 p.m. Thacker and the Monster Energy Team had quit jumping, torn into the sled one last time.
Thacker slid out onto BIR’s quarter mile drag strip about an hour later and clicked off some final fly-byes. The radar read 87…88…89 mph – precisely what he needed. Now it was go time. “I stopped by the trailer one last time and my mechanic, Alex, gave the sled a once-over and sent me on my way,” said Thacker. “I hit it at 87 (mph) and flew just over 301 feet.” It wasn’t until later, celebrating at a local tavern, when one of the guys the crew, Slednecks’ JB Gasperone, guys came up to Thacker and said: “You know how many jumps you made?” Thacker: “No, how many?” “13.” Thacker just laughed. “300 feet has been such a huge goal, such a huge sense of accomplishment. And I’m honored to be the first person to do so.” | <urn:uuid:0a90ee82-0788-48b1-b4b1-74ee9c9d191a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.monsterenergy.com/lv/en/personalities/paul-thacker/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.948197 | 410 | 1.664063 | 2 |
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