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The new products from Reactivity and partners could help spark the next Internet revolution.
RSS has been the darling of Webloggers and news hounds since it first began appearing in the late 1990s as a way to syndicate Web content. Up to now, however, there have been few applications for the technology within enterprises.
That may be changing.
Two enterprise RSS providers are teaming with XML security company Reactivity to provide secure RSS features that could allow the technology to be used for everything from notices of credit card transactions to supply chain management, according to Andrew Nash, chief technology officer of Reactivity Inc., which makes secure XML infrastructure products.
On Monday, Reactivity, of Belmont, Calif., will announce new features for its secure XML gateway products that can secure, encrypt, and authenticate access to RSS feeds, as well as transform RSS data to and from other XML formats.
Reactivity will also announce partnerships with RSS service providers SimpleFeed Inc. of Palo Alto, Calif. and FeedBurner of Chicago-based Burning Door Syndication Services Inc., to offer a secure RSS service to publishing services and clients, said Joelle Gropper Kaufman, director of marketing at Reactivity.
RSS, which stands for Really Simple Syndication or, sometimes, RDF Site Summary, is a form of XML that is used to syndicate Web page content. The new features will solve the "chicken and egg" dilemma of RSS, providing a platform on which enterprises can create new services that use RSS.
Read more here about the potential for enterprise RSS.
The market for secure RSS is almost nonexistent right now, Nash said, but experts say that the environment is akin to the early days of the Internet, before the advent of the Netscape browser in the 1990s that enabled secure transactions using HTML and spurred e-commerce. The advent of secure RSS could have a similar effect, Nash said.
"Theres a range of opportunity around stuff like controlled information delivery. We want to create the next entry point to expand RSS and make it useful to enterprises by adding (content) signing, trust, and content security," Nash said.
But serious questions remain about secure RSS, including which version of RSS will be adopted by enterprises and whether new standards are needed to secure the popular information syndication medium, he said.
"There are a lot of different versions of RSS that are slugging it out," Nash said.
Reactivitys gear will act as an intermediary for enterprise RSS deployments, doing content signing, encryption, decryption and auditing. The RSS feeds can then be passed on to RSS service providers like SimpleFeed, which clean up RSS feeds to comply with various RSS aggregators that are requesting the feeds, Nash said.
The Reactivity product will allow companies like SimpleFeed to reach out to financial institutions, who can create RSS interfaces to back-end processing systems through SOA (service-oriented architecture) and Web services systems, Nash said.
Click here to read more about Reactivitys updated XML gateways.
SimpleFeed is planning a trial with a New York-based bank to use the technology to send RSS notifications to customers when their online bank statements are available, said Mark Carlson, SimpleFeeds CEO.
At SimpleFeed customer Intuit Inc., IT administrators foresee applications of secure RSS to expand the kinds of content Intuit syndicates using RSS, said Scott K. Wilder, Intuits manager of community and collaboration activities.
Intuit, of Mountain View, Calif., currently uses SimpleFeed to syndicate content from the companys message boards and blogs, but Wilder said it foresees using secure RSS to share documents between developers at the company or push out public relations material.
However, integrating RSS with Intuits software to deliver sensitive financial information is still a long way off, Carlson said.
"We have no plans to do that right now," he said.
Financial data would be "the last thing" Intuit would consider trusting to RSS until there is proof that the medium is secure, he said.
Adoption of secure RSS may be similar to the adoption of online shopping, with consumers reluctant to trust the medium with their most sensitive data, Carlson said.
"Blogs are the first thing, but when you talk about financial information, we want to do everything possible to make sure the information is very secure and that this has been very thoroughly tested. Its OK if Intuits not an innovator in that," he said.
Check out eWEEK.coms for more on IM and other collaboration technologies. | <urn:uuid:4d372f4b-ca8a-4297-9f12-9baccd11cab0> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Messaging-and-Collaboration/Secure-RSS-Courts-Enterprise-Adoption/ | 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 | 0.930256 | 934 | 1.5625 | 2 |
Delivering the Promise Recognize this scenario? Within minutes of arriving at a training session, you know it was a mistake to attend. Not because the trainers are unqualified or the topic is wrong. It's simply not what you needed or expected. Disappointed, you leave early, sorry to have wasted your time and energy.
Let's explore this situation; the ramifications may surprise you.
Whose Goals are You Promoting? Companies invest carefully in training. Goal-setting typically includes items such as educating end users, communicating a vision, or improving sales.
Good goals? Yes, for your company. But these are not reasons people choose to attend training events. Professionals spend their time (and money) for more personal reasons, like advancing their careers, meeting quotas, beating the competition, or being on the leading edge. Although important, your company's goals may not be compelling to the potential trainee.
Before trainees walk or click into an event, they must make a personal decision to participate. They do so because a unique and appealing offer has been communicated through an invitation or brochure. Meaningful words jump out: nontechnical, technical, interactive, hands-on, advanced skills. Herein lies the problem. Unless "The Promise" is clear, there is a big gap between what the sponsors mean and how the audience interprets those words.
Define the Promise The Promise is the value of the training to the target audience. Think of it as the bridge between your goals and the trainee's goals. For example, if your company's goal is to educate end users, the Promise may be to deliver the most up-to-date, concentrated information attendees will find anywhere.
Defining the Promise is challenging, because it forces you to abandon your assumptions and "think from the seats." This is a deliberate, thoughtful step that helps you to see your event from the trainee's point of view. Note: If you have more than one target audience, there should be a specific Promise and value for each, and these must be carefully balanced.
List each goal. Note all the driving reasons a prospect might choose to attend. Ask your team to contribute their goals as well. Then discuss and prioritize the goals. Match as many of your goals to the audience's high priorities as possible.
Draft the Promise. For example, if your most important goal is to increase the sales force's productivity, your Promise to account managers may be that they will learn new, advanced technologies and methodologies to help them exceed quota.
Focus on the top priorities and Promises as you draft the agenda. There is always pressure to include certain corporate items, like the history of your technology and the biography of your founder. Resist these pressures. Rarely is this information of personal value to a trainee. (If you must include a commercial, make sure it is very short or at the very end of the agenda.)
Test Your Training Once you have a prototype, invite third parties, such as representatives of each target audience, to critique it. Ask at least these three questions: What would make you decide to attend (or not)? What would you expect to experience if you participated? What would make it of greater value? The results may surprise you. They may even send you looking for third-party speakers or designing a new skills certification.
Getting the right people into the training session is important. But if you want to keep them there, you need to think from the seats. | <urn:uuid:33232778-1626-41b9-89a3-98c7662abd99> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://meetingsnet.com/ar/meetings_training_4 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00016-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.956522 | 710 | 1.59375 | 2 |
In 2000 I was approached by the environmental group Greenpeace International to do a project about their work campaigning against the illegal logging trade in the Amazon region of Brazil. Co-funded by Camberwell and Greenpeace, I spent 3 weeks aboard one of their ships travelling downstream from Santarem to Belem, observing the activists’ campaign and the rain forest environment itself. This presented me with my first opportunity to use of digital technology as a means of photographing, storing and manipulating images for use in paintings. In some of these paintings I explored and compared the symmetries presented both in the extraordinary vistas of forest reflected in water and that of the pattern on the wings of a particular tropical butterfly, the ‘Caligo’, or Owl butterfly, which possesses eye spots with a remarkable degree of verisimilitude. I experimented with images of the river bank painted onto a large canvases which were then folded, as in an ink blot, or Rorschach test. The resulting visual perception of a forest reflected in water seemed comparable to me with the interpretation of dots on a butterfly’s wings as eyes, and I examined this phenomenon using both ink jet printing and oil painting on canvas. Several paintings of the 'Souvenir’ series also dealt with human and animal life in the Amazon environment, but were painted on sections of rain forest timber salvaged from an illegal consignment intercepted by Geenpeace. Paintings from this exhibition have been seen in London, New York, Los Angeles, and in a retrospective at the Ferens Art Gallery, Hull. Greenpeace International used the exhibition to promote their Amazon campaign and reproduced one of the images on the cover of their 2001 annual report. | <urn:uuid:4fe7b2dd-b3dd-4d94-81ee-fa6f41a367b0> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://ualresearchonline.arts.ac.uk/914/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00013-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.960613 | 345 | 1.8125 | 2 |
It has been said that "bigger is better" and this sentiment rings very true in the world of advertising. In a sea of posters, flyers, leaflets, and banners your business and products need to stand out by making a big visual impact on customers, and large format printing is the answer.
By enlisting the help of a commercial printing company, you will be able to enjoy unique, effective, and cost-efficient advertising opportunities that will draw in business.
Large Format Advertising
For many, huge billboards are what come to mind when they consider large format printing. Although this mode of large format advertising is highly effective, there are a host of other opportunities to be had in the large print arena.
Bold, large print banners and graphics can be used to make your trade show booth stand out amongst others, while window graphics, building wraps, and customized flags can be used to draw in business off the street. From posters to vehicle wraps to wall graphics and beyond, the possibilities with large format printing are infinite.
Benefits of Large Format Printing
The majority of consumers are visually oriented, and it is your job to attract the attention of your potential clients and buyers. No matter which type of display or advertising technique that you choose to employ, a large print campaign will truly make a statement.
In addition to making your business and products stand out, large print advertising is also cost-effective. Instead of paying for thousands of mailers, hundreds of flyers, and dozens of poster, why not make one huge impact on your customers and spend less doing it? Large-scale advertisements will reach more customers, paying back your investment and then some.
Maximizing the Maximum
In order to ensure the highest quality advertising campaign, there are a few things to consider when planning your large format printing. For starters, it is important that your files be sent to your printing company in a high resolution so that it won't look fuzzy or blurry when blown up.
You should also think about the location of your advertisement (ie: indoors or outdoors). If your display will be outdoors, you may need to consider factors like the sun, wind, and rain that may require your banner or sign to be coated and hung with weights. Lastly, consider how long you will need the printed material to last.
For a single-day trade show you may not need as heavy of a material. If you plan on touring the region for multiple trade shows, or would like a lasting outdoor advertisement, you will need to select a stronger material that can be reinforced for durability. | <urn:uuid:5b6704a8-42ad-4245-ba65-e278f0564a35> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://kwkt.com/articles/visual-impact-must-make-it-big | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00007-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.947702 | 519 | 1.5 | 2 |
As part of an effort to encourage Mexicans living in the United States to enroll in the federal food stamp program, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) employees have met with Mexican officials over 150 times in the past eight years, the Daily Caller reports. The result: an enormous increase in the number of noncitizens participating in the program and a concomitant rise in federal spending and debt.
Although his website says he’ll “enforce the law” and “address the 11 million illegal immigrants in America in a civil and resolute manner that respects the rule of law,” GOP candidate Mitt Romney will honor President Obama’s recent amnesty for “young” illegal aliens.
U.S. District Judge Susan Bolton signed an order on Tuesday allowing Arizona police to begin immediately enforcing the provision of the state's immigration law SB 1070 that requires them to check the immigration status of individuals whom they lawfully stop. Fox News reports that the ruling is “the latest milestone in a two-year legal battle over the requirement [that] culminated in a U.S. Supreme Court decision in June that upheld the provision on the grounds that it doesn’t conflict with federal law.”
An illegal alien who became a citizen and multi-millionaire grocery tycoon is in trouble with “activists” because he is using the federal E-Verify program to check whether prospective employees are illegal aliens. | <urn:uuid:bbcd4cca-b272-4160-92a9-eaf156aeab8c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://thenewamerican.com/usnews/immigration?start=22 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00018-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.932864 | 296 | 1.585938 | 2 |
It’s not that news reports stressing the winners and losers of the plan are out of place; in fact, they fit right into the picture of housing aid that the administration is painting. But, as Leonhardt wrote in an excellent piece in Wednesday’s Times, Obama’s plan addresses two groups of homeowners—those that can’t afford their mortgages and have fallen behind on payments, and those that are making their payments but whose houses are worth less than the payment owed on their mortgages (and are “underwater”). And in that mix, as Leonhardt later blogged, “people who bought too much house — and banks that allowed people to do so, or even encouraged them to do so — will also benefit.” So while there’s good reason to frame this as a rescue for responsible homeowners, it’s important to remember that that rhetoric at least in part stems from political expediency.
This isn’t to say that words like irresponsible or unscrupulous aren’t relevant descriptives. But when our commander-in-chief is a remarkable salesman, we should take care not to retell his narrative by rote. | <urn:uuid:0a82a46c-5687-44dc-a656-9f9146cdfedb> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.cjr.org/campaign_desk/the_wise_and_the_reckless.php?page=2 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700958435/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104238-00011-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.979304 | 245 | 1.773438 | 2 |
Fast and Furious Killed 14 Teenagers
October 1, 2012 § Leave a Comment
“Near midnight, the assassins, later identified as hired guns for the Mexican cartel La Linea, broke into a one-story house and opened fire on a gathering of nearly 60 teenagers. Outside, lookouts gunned down a screaming neighbor and several students who had managed to escape. Fourteen young men and women were killed, and 12 more were wounded before the hit men finally fled.”
Citing a Mexican Army document it obtained and published, Univision reported that “[t]hree of the high caliber weapons fired that night in Villas de Salvarcar were linked to a gun tracing operation run by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).”
via The Daily Caller.
This blood on Eric Holder’s hands.
Fast and Furious started as a way for the Obama administration to “prove” Hillary Clinton’s lie that three-quarters of guns found in Mexico were from U.S. Southern states. The intention was to use this “proof” to force Congress to pass tougher gun laws.
But instead it blew-up in their face. Now they’re all scrambling to pretend it never happened. | <urn:uuid:69de8bc2-ab55-419a-8158-3802d9eb7aa1> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://jamesbosco.com/2012/10/01/fast-and-furious-killed-14-teenagers/ | 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 | 0.968894 | 265 | 1.789063 | 2 |
... IF YOU ARE NOT ON THE BALLOT
A Listing of links to sites that contain important information to ballot access.
...ordinary men and women may often feel unmotivated to exert their citizenship, either because they cannot tell the difference between the different alternatives, or because they have lost faith in the political classes, or because they feel that the really important issues are not in their power to decide.
-- Patricio Aylwin Azócar | <urn:uuid:e3142b53-ed88-499f-8a6d-559da984fd6a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.directdemocracy.com/index.php?option=com_weblinks&view=category&id=8&Itemid=38 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00006-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.961167 | 93 | 1.695313 | 2 |
- By Phillip Tusing ,
- August 19, 2010
If social media is going to be part of your recruitment game plan, it’s worth noting that it’s currently the least trusted source of information amongst 14 measured by Edelman in Australia (refer chart).
Which means, for no particular fault of yours, many will treat your social media efforts with cynicism. It also means that you’ll need to work very hard to be noticed, be connected and stay relevant; for most it will mean long periods of time before any results can be seen.
The truth is there’s no shortcut to social media success. Trust needs to be earned.
How can trust in a low trust medium (social media) be earned by a traditionally low trust industry (recruitment) ?
I believe the medium rewards generosity. If you subscribe to the idea of openness, transparency and a willingness to give before you can ask anything in return, social media will open up endless new ways to connect and build relationship with candidates and potential clients.
I think we are on the cusp of a new era where recruitment outreach, especially the marketing and advertising component, will be defined by generosity. A change in mindset, more than anything else, is an essential first step towards social media success. | <urn:uuid:86904ccb-f1bb-4ecd-aa62-ae2ae61d4a0b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://destinationtalent.com.au/blog/2010/08/19/social-media-trust-the-lack-of-and-the-age-of-generosity/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00010-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.944427 | 266 | 1.554688 | 2 |
A CITY OF 2,561 PEOPLE 43 miles east of San Angelo, Eden has five established churches, three sit-down restaurants that all serve Tex-Mex, two motels, a grocery store, a hospital, a nine-hole golf course, and several exotic-game ranches. It's a place of great natural beauty—more or less the spot where the Hill Country gives way to West Texas—that bills itself "The Garden in the Center of Texas" and claims Air Force pioneer General Ira Eaker as its favorite son. Like most places, Eden has an annual celebration, in this case Fall Fest (September 2426 this year), which features a parade, a Saturday night dance, and the Adam's Rib and Eve's Seduction barbecue and dessert contest. And, oh, yeah, at the eastern edge of town, flanked by rows of shiny razor wire, there's a private federal prison.
If you've taken U.S. 87 heading west, you know the place I mean, on the right side of the road just as the speed limit slows to 45. An all-male minimum-security facility for illegal aliens serving out criminal sentences before their deportation, the Eden Detention Center was built in 1985. It was later purchased by the city and is now owned by Corrections Corporation of America (CCA). With its in-ground granite sign and smattering of trees and flowers, the EDC looked like your average office park campus until recently, when tightened federal regulations put the malignant fencing front and center. Now as then, the building's trim facade does not suggest its true size: more than 1,300 beds, most of which are full. In other words, at least half the citizens of Eden aren't citizens at all.
This seemingly incongruous state of affairs is actually routine in the United States, especially in Texas, which put at least seventy prison facilities into rural communities during the nineties. Prisoners are included in the U.S. Census, and of the 21 counties in the U.S. that have more than 21 percent of their population behind bars, 10 are in our state. Struggling small towns have traditionally been used as dumping grounds for businesses that no one wants to live with, like nuclear power plants or hog farms. But these days, with family agriculture giving way to corporate farming and ranches to ranchettes, correctional facilities are to small towns what casinos are to reservations. Local leaders actually campaign to get their burg a prison, wooing the necessary government agencies and companies with incentive-laden bids just like Dallas would for Lockheed Martin. Some of these facilities don't work out, which tends to hurt the towns a lot more than the companies, but Eden's surely has. To say the prison doesn't creep the locals out would be an understatement. They're downright thankful for the place.
"It's what keeps our restaurants going, keeps our grocery store going—keeps us alive, really," says Mark Bethune, the president of the chamber of commerce. "I'd say a good number of people in my church owe their livelihood to the detention center, directly or indirectly. So I guess I do as well, don't I?"
The detention center came to be as part of a campaign sparked by then-mayor Jim Schumann, who recognized the need to revitalize a city in slow decline. In 1985, a year after his election, he put a sign up in the square: "For Sale. City of Eden. Pop. 1166." A picture of it made the front page of the San Angelo Standard-Times , then countless other papers via the Associated Press. Schumann had made his point.
He'd made the same pitch when he'd contacted contractor Roy Burnes and suggested that Eden could open its arms to the detention center that Brady, thirty miles to the east and five times as large, had shot down, thanks to vocal public opposition. "A lot of people don't want to admit it, but this town is dying," Schumann said at the council meeting to consider the proposal. According to Wade Clifton, then an Austin-based consultant and now the chairman and CEO of First State Bank in nearby Paint Rock, that was more than abstract speculation. "The projections that I had seen before the detention center happened were that Eden would be smaller than Paint Rock," he says. (Paint Rock's population is three hundred.)
Still, "Let's put in a prison!" is not much of a rallying cry. The town was split, with three hundred to four hundred people signing petitions on both sides. Opponents had concerns about, as one letter writer to the mayor put it, "welcoming the criminal element to our midst." Other critics wondered if the federal government would really fill two hundred beds (the detention center's original size). On the other side, city councilwoman Myrtle Hall shed public tears contemplating Eden's shaky economic future, while an unsigned article in the local Eden Echo newspaper reassured the citizens, with perfect pre-PC nonchalance, that the facility would neither house dangerous felons nor be "an area roundup pen for wets." Two months after the project was initially proposed, the council gave the go-ahead.
Now some of the same people who opposed the center work there. Others deny they were against it in the first place. A friend of Schumann's who crossed the street to avoid him for three years later admitted, "It's the best thing this town could ever have." A facility that started out with 27 jobs and $7-an-hour wages now employs more than 250 people at a minimum wage of $11 an hour. "That's a really good job in this part of the world," says Clifton. "All the little farmers and ranchers, these guys that have three hundred and twenty acres, six hundred and forty acres—it's not enough. But they can have a job at the detention center and continue farming and ranching before or after work."
"I really, really enjoy working out there, and I never, ever feel afraid," says Flo Perez, a 72-year-old retired Methodist minister who, as the EDC's assistant chaplain, sees about two hundred prisoners at chapel every week. "There are certain things | <urn:uuid:0f139c81-999b-41a2-936b-35554a08f085> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.texasmonthly.com/story/yes-my-backyard | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00010-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.974413 | 1,281 | 1.515625 | 2 |
The Center for Dialogue, Ethics and Spirituality serves the educational mission of Lehigh University by providing space and resources designed to enhance the “ethical and spiritual development” of those who live and work at Lehigh—students, faculty and staff. Recognizing that people of good will disagree with one another on topics involving ethical analysis, spirituality and religious interpretation, the Center seeks to promote the values of open and free inquiry, engaged dialogue, and respect for persons regardless of race, ethnicity, religion, gender identity or sexual orientation. In support of Lehigh University’s stated commitment to “harmonious cultural diversity” and the expressed hope that “all members of the Lehigh community might develop as effective and enlightened citizens,” the Center is open to the entire campus to serve both academic and co-curricular needs.
The Center is directed by the Office of the University Chaplain.
The Center for Dialogue, Ethics and Spirituality: 661 Taylor Street, Bethlehem, PA 18015 | <urn:uuid:3d6dd511-75d0-4879-857e-cf3102469056> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.lehigh.edu/~indialct/index.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00018-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.945861 | 206 | 1.695313 | 2 |
A mobile device can contain a significant amount of personal data such as contacts, banking information, photos, videos, important documents, and more. With Android devices becoming more prevalent, the need for security software is even greater. Avira Free Android Security is a feature-filled application that assists users in securing their devices. While this is not an antivirus or malware protection application, it does a great job protecting devices against theft.
The download and installation of Avira Free Android Security go quickly and easily. Some advanced settings are required for most of the features, but the application does a good job … Read more | <urn:uuid:36235c51-2b1c-4899-830b-3425d9af91e9> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://news.cnet.com/8300-5_3-0.html?keyword=avira | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00003-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.930288 | 122 | 1.546875 | 2 |
Sheryl Sandberg of Facebook says her company going public will mean more jobs. (Photo by Nadine Rupp/Getty Images)
The Bay Area is once again well represented on Time magazine's annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world.
Several Bay Area notables, including Palo Alto's Jeremy Lin, venture capitalist Marc Andreessen, Apple CEO Tim Cook and Facebook's COO Sheryl Sandberg.
The magazine's annual list is a whose who in the world of politics, sports, entertainment, business and more.
"They are the people who inspire us, entertain us, challenge us and change our world," the magazine wrote. "Meet the breakouts, pioneers, moguls, leaders and icons who make up this year's TIME 100."
The Bay Area's tech sector is always well represented. In the past it has been dominated by the likes of Steve Jobs and Mark Zuckerberg.
Apple's current CEO joins the list less than a year after the passing of Jobs.
Former vice president and current Apple board member Al Gore wrote in the magazine that part of what makes Cook so great is that he is "fiercely protective of Jobs' legacy."
"It is difficult to imagine a harder challenge than following the legendary Steve Jobs as CEO of Apple," Gore wrote. "Yet Tim Cook, a soft-spoken, genuinely humble and quietly intense son of an Alabama shipyard worker and a homemaker, hasn't missed a single beat."
Jobs' presence is felt in other places on the list. The late Apple co-founder's biographer, Walter Isaacson, also was listed as one of the most influential people in the world for the first time.
Former secretary of state Madeline Albright wrote in the magazine that Isaacson should be commended for making all of us read biographies again.
"One indication of influence is the ability to stand boldly against hostile trends and thereby alter them," she wrote. "The age of landmark biographies had, we might assume, long since passed, replaced by one of short attention spans, interactive gadgets and fewer bookstores. Enter Walter Isaacson and his trio of brilliant works about men of genius — Franklin, Einstein and Jobs."
Facebook's COO Sheryl Sandberg has quickly ascended amongst the powerful elite of Silicon Valley.
The Menlo Park-based social-networking site's second-in-charge is preparing to lead her company into an expected $100 billion IPO later this year.
The Bay Area luminaries are joined on the list this year by the likes of Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, hacking collective Anonymous, Warren Buffett and more. | <urn:uuid:5fd51798-7f15-4040-8cfd-7d208fc5da02> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.nbcsandiego.com/blogs/press-here/Tim-Cook-Sheryl-Sandberg-Highlight-Time-100-148003215.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706890813/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516122130-00017-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.953104 | 538 | 1.625 | 2 |
Repealing 'don't ask, don't tell' could have serious implications for some parts of the military. But critics of the law say the Pentagon is ready to embrace gays openly.
It was also no surprise. In his career as an infantry officer, Hopkins had earned three bronze stars. As a high school student, his score on the Pentagon’s aptitude test for military service was so high that recruiters encouraged him to apply to West Point. He did, and he graduated fourth among his peers in the Class of 2001. Hopkins then deployed once to Afghanistan and twice to Iraq, where the platoon he led helped secure Kirkuk in the war’s first push.
Yet Hopkins remembers the day he received word of his potential promotion as the worst of his life: It was also the day he learned that he was being investigated for being gay.
“Don’t ask, don’t tell” had already shaped his life. The number of people he had told he was gay was “in the single digits,” and he had virtually given up dating. “What if someone asked what I did over the weekend?” he would ask himself. “There is no way to keep your job without lying or covering things up.”
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The big-money usurption of American democracy has taken another step forward. By a vote of 51-44, the Senate last night voted along party lines to uphold a filibuster the 2012 DISCLOSE Act, a bill that would require corporations, unions and Super PAC that run political ads to release the names of their donors who give more than $10,000 to support a campaign. Just ten years after President Bush signed into law the “Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act” (McCain-Feingold), putting limits on independent campaign spending and requiring disclosure in ads, simple disclosure of unlimited campaign spending has become a bitter, highly-politicized issue.Read Full Article Comments (10)
It's 2012 - we don't have hover skateboards, and we don't have #opengov. We could have the latter, at least, in the here and now, benefiting every American, if the systemically corrupt U.S. Congress was capable of reforming itself (which it is currently, unfortunately, not). (Right, '80's movie art, w/ connotations of liberation by force and yet a certain datedness... it's past time.)
I'm writing this on the train from NYC to D.C., en route to the Conference on Legislative Data & Transparency to be held Thursday, Feb. 2nd, 9am - 5pm ET - agenda here, webcast live here, micro-publishing updates here.
This shouldn't be a negotiation - rather, I'm here to call for liberation of public legislative data via bulk access and moving towards an open API for THOMAS. Then proceeding aggressively to API enhancements for Congressional offices to continually engage with constituent communications - for a living, breathing deliberative democracy - aided by open technology.Read Full Article Comments (7)
The undue influence of corporate money in public policy is at the root of nearly all the major problems facing the U.S. right now, and in the wake of the Citizens United decision it's only going to get worse. That's why it was good to hear President Obama call out the "corrosive influence of money in politics" during his State of the Union speech. Unfortunately, his primary call to action doesn't even address the real issue.Read Full Article Comments (45)
Between 1984 and 2009, the average net worth of American families has decreased by about .7 percent. But for the folks in Washington that we elect year after year to make laws for us and spend our money, these past few decades haven't been so bad. Over the same time period that average Americans experienced a slight decrease in their net worth, members of Congress, on average, have enjoyed a increase in their worth of about 159 percent.Read Full Article Comments (33)
Following last month's 60 Minutes expose on insider trading by Congress, the House Financial Service Committee Act is holding a mark-up this morning of the STOCK Act, which seeks to end the practice of members of Congress trading stocks based on nonpublic information. Under current law, insider trading laws are hardly ever enforced for members of Congress, and we've known for some time that members' investments consistently outperform the market by a significant amount. Legislation to stop congressional insider trading has been pending in the House and Senate for 6 years, and only now is the bill starting to move forward.Read Full Article Comments (8)
Last night, 60 Minutes aired an interview with former lobbyist Jack Abramoff that describes just how deeply and systemically corrupt the lawmaking process in Washington D.C. is. Here's the sad, sad truth about Congress, straight from the horse's mouth.Read Full Article Comments (15)
One of the only things Republicans and Democrats in Congress seem to agree on these days is passing legislation aimed at stopping copyright infringement on the internet. For years, members of Congress from across the political spectrum with financial backing from copyright industries have been pushing for new powers for the government and copyright owners to restrict channels for sharing content online. Just last week a bipartisan bill was introduced in the House, the Stop Online Piracy Act, that would criminalize a lot of really standard YouTube behavior and allow copyright holders to block access to websites without a court order. By all accounts, the bill is going to be fast-tracked through Congress in the coming weeks. But is copyright infringement on the internet even a real problem?Read Full Article Comments (7)
The patent-system-reforming "America Invents Act" looks set to sail through the Senate and be signed into law in a matter of days. Last night, the Senate voted 93-5to move it forward towards a final vote on passage, with members on both sides of the aisle hailing it as a bipartisan jobs measure. Sen. Jon Kyl [R, AZ], for example, said on the Senate floor yesterday that the bill would create "a powerful incentive for manufacturers to build factories and create jobs in this country," and Majority Leader Harry Reid [D, NV] said it would "unlock the job-creating potential of each patent."
Say what? Since when do Democrats and Republicans in the 112th Congress agree on a jobs bill? They've already failed to move forward with several jobs measures this year by getting caught up on unrelated, partisan issues, so what's so special about the patent bill that everyone's suddenly playing nice? I don't really know the answer to that for sure, but what I do know is that the other jobs bills that died this year did not have any corporate backing. But this one, on the other hand…Read Full Article Comments (4)
First up in the big pivot to jobs that's going to sweep Washington when Congress comes back from August recess is H.R.1249, the "America Invents Act." The bill isn't exactly a response to the current unemployment crisis; it's designed to streamline the U.S. patent system, and it's been sitting around in Congress in various forms since 2005. Supporters of the bill even admit that job creation would be a "happy byproduct," not the main focus.Read Full Article Comments (11)
The conclusions will probably come as a surprise exactly none of you, but a new study from the International Monetary Fund on the influence of campaign donations and lobbying politics is worth a mention because of the completeness of the research and the authority of its source. Two IMF economists, Deniz Igan and Prachi Mishra, have been examining how the targeted political activities of financial corporations between 1999 and 2006 affected how Congress voted on bills that strengthened or loosened regulation of Wall Street leading up to the 2008 crisis. They found -- surprise! -- that the more the corporations spent on campaign donations and lobbying, the more likely Congress was to vote in favor of deregulation. Furthermore, they found that the money Wall Street spent on lobbying members of Congress who were connected to Wall Street, either from having worked there in the past or through a former staff member who had gone through the revolving door to K Street, had a much stronger effect on their voting than on those who had no Wall Street connectionsRead Full Article Comments (18)
You know what's sketchy? According to a new report, members of Congress who invest in the stock market consistently end up making abnormally high returns. Dan Froomkin reports:
Read Full Article Comments (19)
Four university researchers examined 16,000 common stock transactions made by approximately 300 House representatives from 1985 to 2001, and found what they call "significant positive abnormal returns," with portfolios based on congressional trades beating the market by about 6 percent annually.
Last year, the independent, non-partisan Office of Congressional Ethics asked the House Ethics Committee to look into some fishy fundraising activity by three congressmen -- Rep. Joseph Crowley [D, NY-7], Rep. John Campbell [R, CA-48] and Rep. Tom Price [R, GA-6]. The allegation was that they held an unusually high number of campaign fundraising events with Wall Street types in the days leading up to the vote on the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform Act and that this may amount to soliciting funds "in a manner which gave the appearance that special treatment or access was being provided to donors or the appearance that the contributions were linked to an official act."
Well, the Ethics Committee has issued their findings, and though they found that staff members were involved in fundraising and fundraising consultants were involved in setting up lobbyist meetings, they didn't see anything wrong with any of it.Read Full Article Comments (4)
As part of their deficit cutting campaign, House Republicans are holding a vote today on a bill that would terminate the optional public funding program for presidential candidates and end public funding of party conventions. The bill would wipe out one of the last remaining laws designed to block corporations and special interests from taking total ownership of the federal election process. Yet, like everything else the Republicans have moved through the House so far, it hasn't had a single committee hearing or mark-up meeting.Read Full Article Comments (1)
Sunlight Foundation has just launched their latest tool for getting at the web of influence surrounding our elected officials, and it's definitely worth checking out -- Influence Explorer. It's a dirt simple way to get all the key info on the connections, financial or otherwise, between politicians, organizations and powerful people at both the state and federal level.Read Full Article Comments (3)
Publicly-funded congressional campaigns are about to move one step closer to becoming a reality. The Fair Elections Now Coalition announced this afternoon that the House Committee on Administration has scheduled a mark-up session of Rep. John Larson's [D, CT-1] Fair Elections Now Act, which would allow federal candidates to finance their campaigns with public funds rather than having to spend their time fundraising from special interests and corporations. The bill has been sitting in Congress for four years. This will be the first time it has advanced in the lgislative process at all, and it will likely lead to a full House vote in the coming weeks.
Read Full Article Comments (25) | <urn:uuid:e13f67f7-7a28-48da-bdba-8e44f2e9714d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.opencongress.org/blog/corruption | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705953421/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120553-00005-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.966166 | 2,050 | 1.554688 | 2 |
UPDATE (April 2012): Since this story first appeared, the refund anticipation loan business has taken additional hits. According to the New York Times, only one major tax preparer is offering them this year. After cutting a deal with the FDIC, Republic Bank & Trust, which underwrites RALs peddled by the Jackson Hewitt chain, is getting out of the business. But the preparers, as Gary Rivlin explains below, have a range of tricks in store to reel in new customers.
JOHN HEWITT WASN'T seeking to turn the working poor into cash cows when his father and some friends helped him buy a six-store tax-service chain in Virginia Beach back in 1982. A 33-year-old college dropout who'd recently left his post as a regional director for H&R Block, Hewitt bought the Mel Jackson Tax Service hoping simply to break his old employer's near-monopoly on the market. "We're going to be bigger than H&R Block!" he liked to boast, though his operation was a mere tadpole challenging a leviathan with 7,000 stores in middle-class neighborhoods across the country. Hewitt renamed the company Jackson Hewitt and bet that his early embrace of computers would give him a leg up on his former bosses. But it wasn't until he began offering something called a refund anticipation loan (RAL)—a product aimed at down-market customers desperate for cash—that his chain really took off.
Over the years, entrepreneurs and corporate executives have devised any number of clever ways for getting rich off the working poor, but you'd have to look long and hard to find one more diabolically inventive than the RAL. Say you have a $2,000 tax refund due and you don't want to wait a week or two for the IRS to deposit that money in your bank account. Your tax preparer would be delighted to act as the middleman for a very short-term bank loan—the RAL. You get your check that day or the next, minus various fees and interest charges, and in return sign your pending refund over to the bank. Within 15 days, the IRS wires your refund straight to the lender. It's a safe bet for the banks, but that hasn't stopped them from charging astronomical interest rates. Until this tax year, the IRS was even kind enough to let lenders know when potential borrowers were likely to have their refund garnished because they owed back taxes, say, or were behind on child support.
Hewitt didn't invent the refund anticipation loan. That distinction belongs to Ross Longfield, who dreamed up the idea in 1987 and took it to H&R Block CEO Thomas Bloch. "I'm explaining it," Longfield recalls, "but Tom is sitting there going, 'I don't know; I don't know if people are going to want to do that.'"
Tax-prep shops are as common as fast-food joints in many low-income neighborhoods—there are at least half a dozen on one three-block stretch of South Broadway in Yonkers, N.Y., where these photographs were taken. A few offer reasonably priced accounting, while others charge hundreds of dollars for 20 minutes of work. But Longfield knew. He worked for Beneficial Corp., a subprime lender specializing in small, high-interest loans for customers who needed to finance a new refrigerator or dining-room set. His instincts told him the RAL would be a big hit—as did the polling and focus groups he organized. "Everything we did suggested people would love it—love it to death," he says.
He also knew Beneficial would make a killing if he could convince tax preparers—in exchange for a cut of the proceeds—to peddle this new breed of loan on his employer's behalf. Ultimately, Longfield persuaded H&R Block to sign up. But no one was as smitten as John Hewitt—who understood that people earning $15,000 or $20,000 or $25,000 a year live in a perpetual state of financial turmoil. Hewitt began opening outposts in the inner cities, Rust Belt towns, depressed rural areas—anywhere the misery index was high. "That was the low-hanging fruit," he says. "Going into lower-income areas and delivering refunds quicker was where the opportunity was."
Customers wanting a RAL paid Jackson Hewitt a $24 application fee, a $25 processing fee, and a $2 electronic-filing fee, plus 4 percent of the loan amount. On a $2,000 refund, that meant $131 in charges—equivalent to an annual interest rate of about 170 percent—not to mention the few hundred bucks you might spend for tax preparation. "Essentially, they're charging people triple-digit interest rates to borrow their own money," says Chi Chi Wu, a staff attorney at the National Consumer Law Center.
In 1988, the first year he began offering the loans, Hewitt owned 49 stores in three states. Five years later, he had 878 stores in 37 states. And five years after that, when Cendant Corp.—the conglomerate that owned Avis, Century 21, and Days Inn—bought Jackson Hewitt for $483 million, his earliest backers received a $2 million payout on every $5,000 they'd invested. Today, with 6,000 offices scattered across the country, Jackson Hewitt is more ubiquitous than KFC, and has about as many imitators.
THERE WOULD BE NO refund anticipation loans, of course, without tax refunds. And by extension there would be no RALs without the Earned Income Tax Credit, the federal anti-poverty initiative that served as the mother's milk nourishing the instant-refund boom. Welfare reform was the catalyst for the EITC, which was aimed at putting extra cash in the pockets of low-income parents who worked. What motive does a single mother have to get a job, conservative thinkers asked, if there was scant difference between her monthly take-home pay and a welfare check? It was Richard Nixon who first floated the idea that led to the Earned Income Tax Credit; Ronald Reagan dubbed it "the best pro-family, the best job creation measure to come out of Congress." In 2007, the US Treasury paid out $49 billion to 25 million taxpayers.
"It's a beautiful, beautiful thing that Richard Nixon gave the country," muses the founder of one tax-prep chain.
"It's a beautiful, beautiful thing that Richard Nixon gave the country," muses Fesum Ogbazion, founder of Instant Tax Service, the country's fourth-largest tax-prep chain behind H&R Block, Jackson Hewitt, and Liberty Tax Service—the outfit Hewitt founded after leaving his eponymous company. On this year's sliding scale (PDF), a single mother of two making $16,000 a year gets a $5,000 tax refund; if she earns $25,000, her windfall is $3,200. "People basically start bombarding us with calls at the end of December," Ogbazion says. They all ask the same few questions: "'Can I do my taxes with my pay stubs?' 'Do I have to wait for the W-2?' It's nuts." The IRS starts accepting returns around January 15. By mid-February, Ogbazion will have filed on behalf of more than four-fifths of his clients. "By the time the rest of the world is starting to get serious about their taxes," he says, "I'm already thinking about next year."
Ramon Dalmasi's shop.Ogbazion is a native of Ethiopia whose family moved to the United States when he was nine years old. He opened his first tax-prep shop when he was a sophomore in college. By that point, several large banks had jumped into the business. Ogbazion began brokering RALs on behalf of Bank One, now part of JPMorgan Chase. By 1999, when he sold his chain to Jackson Hewitt for $3 million, Ogbazion was up to 26 shops, all in the greater Cincinnati area. Just 27 at the time, he decided to start a new chain, Instant Tax, setting up headquarters in Dayton, Ohio. By that point, the most desirable spots—those in the city's poorest precincts—were taken, so he started opening stores in working-class suburbs. "I moved to where opportunities were still available," he says with a shrug when I meet him at his stylish office in one of Dayton's pricier downtown towers. Today, Instant Tax boasts about 1,000 outlets, mostly owned by independent operators who pay Ogbazion a one-time $34,000 franchising fee, plus 20 percent of their gross revenues.
"We recommend that you locate your office where the household income is $30,000 or less," the Instant Tax manual counsels. Each franchisee attends a week of training sessions where "unbelievable emphasis was put on poor minorities," according to former franchisee Habtom Ghebremichael, who recalls a trainer telling his group, "We cater to the 'hood." His archetypal customer, Ogbazion says, is an assistant manager at a fast-food restaurant earning $19,000 a year. "They've burned the banks," he says. "They've bounced too many checks. They've mismanaged their finances." Experience has taught him that a few amenities (a ficus tree, free coffee, TV in the reception area) go a long way in making customers feel welcome. "At the check-cashing place, they're talking to someone behind bulletproof glass," Ogbazion continues. "The welfare building—you can imagine what that's like. Here, we treat them well, and they want to come back." | <urn:uuid:356af143-16a3-4b73-9e58-e64bbdcfd0c4> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2011/04/gary-rivlin-tax-prep-refund-anticipation-loan | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00006-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.981759 | 2,038 | 1.539063 | 2 |
My Toyota Prius just turned 100,000. That's quite a milestone for a car and it may be a harbinger of things to come. Many planners are betting so-called "peak oil" will undermine our car culture because we won't have the fuel to feed them. The history of my Prius suggests otherwise.
When my Prius was "born" in 2001, hybrids were an oddity. Toyota sold fewer than 15,000 of the cars in the U.S., despite the fact the technology had already been proven in Japan. It even subsidized the retail price of the car, using it as a loss leader to build a new market.
In 2003, my Prius had been sitting on the lot for six months, unwanted, until the salesman gave me a deal to roll it home. It's diminutive size reminded us of the family car Fred Flintstone "drove" using his feet to power it along. So we named it "Fred".
Despite these humble beginnings, Fred has been great. In fact, he's still running on his original rear brake pads. We had the front pads replaced on its 100,000 birthday. We change the oil every 5,000 miles, and it hums along, often silently, reliably getting 48 mpg.
Now, driving in 2007, my decision to buy Fred looks brilliant. Gas prices bumped up to $2 per gallon by the end of 2004. By the summer of 2005, prices had eclipsed $3 per gallon in many parts of the nation, particularly on the coasts. Refinery bottlenecks, reformulated gas mandates, Nigeria, uncertainty created by pesky South American socialists, and a protracted military presence in the Middle East conspired to keep prices relatively high.
Hybrid sales jumped along with gas prices. Hybrid sales are on track to sell 345,000 by the end of the year according to JD Power & Associates. Toyota continues to be the leader, wracking up more than half of all hybrid sales. But this is the tip of the iceberg. JD Power speculates that 65 hybrid models will swarm onto the market by 2010. Toyota alone has a corporate strategy targeting 600,000 sales in the U.S. early in the next decade. The next generation will advertise fuel efficiency approaching 70 mpg (or more).Hybrids are still a small part of the overall car market, but it is a growing segment. And this bodes well for the future of the automobile. The technology is improving, potentially building into all automobiles resilience to environmental regulation and eventually dwindling oil supplies. So, reports of the death of the automobile and automobility are greatly exaggerated. We need to make sure we plan for more mobility, not less. | <urn:uuid:5fab727c-2f32-44f7-b287-47d5f5632a56> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.planetizen.com/comment/5671 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00013-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.967231 | 553 | 1.765625 | 2 |
Hi, my name is Denis, I'm 17 years old, and I'm downright obsessed with books of all sorts. As you can most likely tell im an avid Lord of the Rings fan. My blog is 95% Lord of the Rings, and the rest is Game of Thrones. Hope you enjoy.
Each new Steward indeed took office with the oath “to hold rod and rule in the name of the king, until he shall return.” But these soon became words of ritual little heeded, for the Stewards exercised all the power of the kings. Yet many in Gondor still believed that a king would indeed return in some time to come; and some remembered the ancient line of the North, which it was rumoured still lived on in the shadows. But against such thoughts the Ruling Stewards hardened their hearts. [They] never sat on the ancient throne; and they wore no crown, and held no sceptre.
Appendix A: Annals of the Kings and Rulers, Lord of the Rings
I do not love the bright sword for its sharpness, nor the arrow for its swiftness, nor the warrior for his glory. I love only that which they defend.Faramir; The Lord of the Rings: the Two Towers (J.R.R. Tolkien) | <urn:uuid:8a030346-10db-44e5-883e-941cf0075a4a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://gandalfstormcrow.tumblr.com/tagged/faramir | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00017-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.964142 | 270 | 1.773438 | 2 |
Friday, September 18, 2009
Katherine Ware, Curator of Photography at the New Mexico Museum of Fine Arts will present a lecture at the New Mexico History Museum, 6 PM
Ware will discuss how images in the exhibition at the Palace of the Governors as well as the book,Through the Lens: Creating Santa Fe (Museum of New Mexico Press, 2009), challenge mainstream culture and some of the generally accepted myths about the City Different.
Previously Ware was the Curator of Photographs at the Philadelphia Museum of Art’s Alfred Stieglitz Center for Photography in the Department of Prints, Drawings and Photographs. Prior to that Ware served as Assistant Curator in the Department of Photographs of the J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles, CA. She earned a B.A. in English and American Literature from Pitzer College, Claremont, CA, where she graduated with honors, and an M.A. in the History of Art from the University of California, Berkeley. | <urn:uuid:28ce7d8f-f2ab-482e-a25e-6af7952ba0e6> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://marketingphotos.wordpress.com/2009/09/02/september-18-santa-fe-lecture-by-kate-ware-in-the-through-the-lens-series/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00016-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.945782 | 204 | 1.828125 | 2 |
Friday, Dec. 21, 2012 | 2 a.m.
Remember when President Barack Obama said four years ago that he would helm “the most transparent administration in history”? So much for that.
I’m amazed that so few Americans — most notably, so few liberals — have protested his secretive remote-control assassination program. Drones have killed 3,000 people in Yemen and Pakistan, including collateral-damage civilians, but the actual numbers are secret. So is the process. We don’t know anything about the rules of engagement, how people wind up on Obama’s hit list, who reviews the evidence, and what criteria are applied to that evidence.
The Fifth Amendment to the Constitution states: “No person shall be ... deprived of life ... without due process of law.” Drones are inimical to due process. It would be nice to know how the administration’s lawyers have addressed that conundrum in legal memos. Those memos exist, but they remain classified. The Obama team is reportedly writing rules for itself, a set of standards and procedures, but we may never know whether these rules are scrupulously followed, or even what they are.
Back in May 2009, Obama vowed that his national security actions would be transparent so that Americans could “make informed judgments and hold us accountable.” But nearly four years and hundreds of drone strikes later, his actions bring to mind the remark Michael Corleone utters near the end of “The Godfather Part II”: “If anything in this life is certain, if history has taught us anything, it’s that you can kill anybody.”
Granted, we’re waging a global shadow war against bad actors who don’t wear uniforms. Drones often kill known terrorists who might otherwise murder innocent Americans. No weapon is flawless. And in war, even the good guys inadvertently kill civilians; during the D-Day invasion, the Allies killed an estimated 12,000 French and Belgian civilians who lived close to Nazi-controlled railroads.
But if George W. Bush were whacking thousands of foreigners (plus a few American citizens) using a hit list shrouded in secrecy, in apparent violation of the Fifth Amendment and in blatant violation of transparency promises, rest assured that liberal Democrats would be holding hearings and denouncing him on MSNBC.
They don’t seem disturbed, however, that Obama has tripled down on Bush’s nascent drone program, and that this president is doing so on the fly and in secret. Their partisan instincts appear to be trumping adherence to principle. But all presidents, regardless of party, need to be held accountable.
Speaking of drones on “The Daily Show” in October, Obama said that “one of the things we’ve got to do is put a legal architecture in place ... to make sure that not only am I reined in, but any president is reined in.” It was a scary remark: It suggested that Obama has been waging unchecked war without that legal basis — with nothing to rein him in.
We don’t know what we don’t know. Obama said in September that the drones target known terrorists who pose “an imminent threat to the United States” (allowing us to invoke the doctrine of self-defense), but “imminent” appears to be a slippery term. Obama has reportedly authorized the use of drones in what the CIA calls “signature strikes” — those conducted against unidentified people who brandish guns in regions where militants are strong. In other words, drones are sometimes used pre-emptively, to kill those who might be a threat in the future. Obama is judge, jury and executioner.
But who cares, right? All this is happening far away, to Muslims we will never know. Many liberals are fine with it because Obama is one of them, and many conservatives are mute because they know there’s no percentage in attacking a president for being too tough on terrorism. That also explains why Congress hasn’t lifted a finger to conduct any oversight. And most Americans would probably rather watch football than weigh the implications of drone warfare.
At least a few million Americans also have been watching the hot cable show “Homeland,” which is all about the unintended domestic consequences of a drone attack. The Showtime series features a hawkish vice president, in cahoots with the CIA, who authorizes a drone strike that destroys a Muslim school and kills the son of a known terrorist. The terrorist retaliates by plotting acts of revenge on American soil. Yeah, it’s just a TV show, but “Homeland,” prompts the viewer to consider whether drones might inspire blowback and perpetuate the cycle of violence.
So, at a minimum, let’s ask: Is Obama authorized to kill anybody? Under what criteria? What’s in the legal memos? How is the evidence weighed? What checks and balances have been established to ensure that drones are not abused by this president and those to follow?
We don’t really know whether drones are the answer in the war against terrorism. But more of us should at least ask the questions.
Dick Polman is a columnist for the Philadelphia Inquirer. | <urn:uuid:6acc6316-900b-4a75-a784-c66fb080f980> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2012/dec/21/liberals-quiet-drone/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368711005985/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516133005-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.957319 | 1,096 | 1.539063 | 2 |
Some 100 miles out, it takes all but a southeastern sliver of Dauphin County, corralling the rusting steel towns of Steelton and Highspire and the congested neighborhoods of Colonial Park and Paxtang.
As it continues west past Marysville and Duncannon in Perry County toward the western reaches of Cumberland County, it horseshoes around Harrisburg and the West Shore, cutting a wonky path into the eastern part of the county.
There, the 11th District slices through the borough of Mechanicsburg and right down the center of Filbert Street Elementary School.
“If you ever needed an image of how completely ridiculous this process is, you have an elementary school split in half,” said Matthew Seagrist, Mechanicsburg Borough Council president. “That’s the most outrageous part of it.”
Mechanicsburg is one of 11 boroughs statewide now split between two congressional districts.
A comical situation for some is a confounding reality for many.
The newly adopted congressional district reapportionment plan, critics say, is riddled with shortcomings. It draws out confusing boundaries and creates fractured communities potentially represented by lawmakers who are unfamiliar and insensitive to their needs.
Stand straddled at the right spot on Filbert Street and you’ll have one foot in the 11th District and the other in the 4th District.
One side of the Filbert Street cul-de-sac — the site of the elementary school — is represented by Rep. Lou Barletta, the freshman Republican steward of the new 11th District.
The other half is represented by fellow Republican Rep. Todd Platts, the six-term York County representative, and that will change after the November elections. Platts recently announced he will not seek re-election for the 4th District.
Seagrist, a Republican, said he is pragmatic about the role of politics in the re-districting process. After all, safeguarding the incumbent — if not paving the way for a party stronghold — no matter the party, is the name of the game in politics.
“But to see how this line fractures our community right in half, it’s beyond frustrating,” Seagrist said. “A property owner is going to be cutting his lawn — their lawn mower cutting across congressional district lines. It’s beyond belief.”
The newly adopted blueprint of 18 districts became law last month following swift deliberation in the General Assembly. It greatly improves the chances that several Republicans will hold their seats. It merges two Democratic districts in western Pennsylvania.
Architects of the plan say they followed the law, which requires the reassessment to be carried out every 10 years using the latest census to carve out districts with an equal distribution of population. Pennsylvania lost a seat in Congress as a result of the census, driving the need for a new map.
The borough of Mechanicsburg adopted a resolution calling for a plan to incorporate the borough into one district. The fractured district, Seagrist said, affects a litany of governmental issues — from education to federal dollars for highway and transportation.
But the No. 1 concern, he said, is confusion among residents.
“The fact that the borough is split has created a lot of confusion in the minds of people who are usually very educated and well informed,” Seagrist said.
OUT OF SIGHT, OUT OF MIND
The Patriot-News asked about two dozen midstate residents about the new districts. The majority knew nothing about it, nor could they name their new congressional representative.
“I didn’t know anything about it,” said Jeff Cleckner, a Steelton native who owns the popular Shake’s Old Town Barber Shop in town. “And I read the paper every day.”
Cleckner had no idea that Democratic Rep. Tim Holden no longer represents Dauphin and Lebanon counties. Holden’s 17th District now includes Schuylkill County and parts of Carbon, Lackawanna, Luzerne, Monroe and Northampton counties.
Before completing its own legislative redistricting, the General Assembly gave state residents 30 days to weigh in. Many blasted that plan as too partisan.
Last week, the state Supreme Court threw out the state Legislature’s re-districting plan, reimposing the old district boundaries. The court ruling did not address the congressional maps.
The congressional redistricting happened much more swiftly than the General Assembly’s, and with much less transparency.
Gov. Tom Corbett signed the map into law less than two weeks after it was introduced to the public. The state Senate approved it the day after it was introduced. No public hearings were held.
“I think it should be out there so that everybody knows what’s going on,” Cleckner said.
Other residents worried they will be out of sight, out of mind.
Lucy Brown, a 20-year Carlisle resident, is concerned that Barletta will not have a good handle on the divergent needs of the communities in his district, which fans out across nine counties.
“Down here, it’s not the same,” Brown said. “I just wonder if he will be in touch with the people in this part of the state. We are way, way far away.”
Barletta, the former Hazleton mayor, gained national attention after he adopted an illegal immigration ordinance (later struck down by a federal court). The landscape includes rural, agricultural, industrial and sprawling bedroom communities.
“I don’t see any problems for me in representing the people here in the south-central part of the state,” Barletta said.
Montour County, he said, deals with the issues brought on by a commuting exodus into New York, and is trying to lure residents back. Columbia is mainly agricultural, he said, and poses distinct differences to the urban issues of Scranton.
Barletta pledged to make frequent stops in Dauphin, Perry and Cumberland counties and open an office here if re-elected.
“I’ve been a mayor for a city for 11 years. I know very well how important it is to work with locally elected officials,” he said.
Brown, whose husband is a 30-year Army veteran, takes solace in the fact that Barletta, whose former district encompassed the Tobyhanna Army Depot, might be sensitive to the needs of the military and look out for the interests of the U.S. Army War College and the U.S. Army Heritage and Education Center.
Before the redistricting, Rep. Bill Shuster, R-Blair County, was her congressman and “has represented this part of state well,” Brown said.
Barletta said he will fight for the issues that concern the midstate’s military interests.
“It’s very obvious the impact that the Army War College has on the community,” he said. “They are intertwined with Carlisle, and I understand because I represented Tobyhanna. I know very well their concerns.”
Some residents fear a change of the guard will bear unfavorable repercussions.
Take, for instance, Harrisburg, a city with a 54 percent black population that votes overwhelmingly Democratic. Harrisburg, which has been represented by Holden, a moderate Democrat, is carved out of its Dauphin County base and aligned under Platts’ 4th District with York and Adams counties — and a sliver of the West Shore.
Voters in the mostly rural, agricultural and conservative Adams and York counties will ostensibly spearhead the interests of Harrisburg in Washington.
That, Harrisburg City Council President Gloria Martin-Roberts said, might lead residents of the embattled city to feel disenfranchised.
“We already have people who aren’t participating in the voting process because they are burnt out with the government,” said Martin-Roberts, who is running for the 103rd District seat in the state House of Representatives. “I believe what this does is increase the apathy that people have regarding their vote — not understanding that by not voting, it makes the situation worse. I think they become callous and don’t want to participate in the political process anymore.”
Rep. Charlie Dent, a Lehigh Valley Republican, will deal with many competing interests and institutions as he moves his congressional oversight into Dauphin and Lebanon counties.
His new 15th District spans from the Delaware River to the Susquehanna River and now includes Hershey and Middletown.
He splits the city of Lebanon with fellow Republican Rep. Jim Gerlach, who will also represent the Philadelphia suburbs of Berks and Chester counties along with portions of Lebanon and Montgomery counties.
Dent makes a case that the communities across the five districts he now represents aren’t all that different. He points out that parts of Berks County align strongly with Lebanon County.
“People are concerned about the great issues of the day,” Dent said. “The economy, lack of jobs. They are concerned about the unsustainable fiscal trajectory of this country. I suspect the attitudes among these communities have a lot of similarities about them. There’s probably a lot more that unifies the people in this district than divides them.”
Dent had already visited central Pennsylvania eight times since redistricting, and he plans more visits. “I intend to be very visible in the new areas in Dauphin, Lebanon and Berks,” he said.
Residents voiced concerns that lawmakers who have similar interests across their counties, such as health care and military entities, would have allegiance to those closer to home.
TAKING CARE OF BUSINESS
The redistricting poses challenges to business groups, who must build new relationships with new lawmakers.
The Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center has secured millions of dollars in federal aid in recent years, and Holden has been an aggressive advocate for the institution.
Now, Dent will represent the Hershey Medical Center, along with two other major institutions in his backyard — the Lehigh Valley Medical Center and St. Luke’s Medical Center.
Dent anticipates no problems tending to their competing interests. He said most medical centers are impacted by similar issues, such as Medicare reimbursement.
Dr. Harold L. Paz, CEO of the Hershey Medical Center, said he is confident Dent will be sensitive to the institution’s unique role in the region.
“While there are a number of fine hospitals across Pennsylvania, Penn State Hershey is the only academic health center in the entire region,” Paz said. “We have an important set of responsibilities to not only educate the next generation of health care professionals, but also conduct cutting-edge research that translates into opportunities for new treatments and cure.”
The medical center has an annual budget of $1.4 billion. Last year, approximately 80 percent of its research funding came from government sources — nearly 63 percent from the National Institutes of Health, 9 percent from other federal sources and another 9 percent from state government.
Holden helped secure funding for Hershey’s cancer institute, Paz said. He is confident that Dent, who has requested a tour of the center, will keep the interests of the center at the forefront.
Paz said Dent’s record in preserving graduate medical education funding and leadership on liability reform bode favorably for the medical center’s interests.
“We see what he’s done, and we appreciate his effort and look forward to working with him in the future,” Paz said.
David Black, president and CEO of the Harrisburg Regional Chamber, has a positive attitude.
“We have three different people we have to work with,” Black said. “But we know how to certainly do that.”
Black said he has known Dent for years and considers him a good lawmaker. He said he recently met Barletta and came away with a good impression.
“I’m not concerned,” Black said. “It may even work to our advantage.”
It could help with federal aid. Dent is one of only two members of the Pennsylvania delegation on the House Appropriations Committee (Democratic Rep. Chaka Fattah of Philadelphia is the other.)
Barletta is confident he will win wide respect across his district.
“It’s all about making sure you stay connected to the people and you listen to their voices and understand that it really doesn’t matter how many people there are, it’s all about constituents service,” he said.
Of course, midstate community and business leaders would have to start building new relationships again if Dent and Barletta lose their bids for re-election. Democrats are gunning for both men, and Gerlach is also a top target of Democrats.
In a state where disgruntled voters illustrated just how powerful their vote could be, the lay of the land — at least in terms of who represents in Congress — lies with their vote.
“They need to get rid of everybody,” said Dale Sinniger, self-employed electrical contractor from Middletown.
Sinniger, a registered Republican, said he’ll vote Democratic if “the guy’s the guy.”
“I’m tired of paying for everybody and not getting anything,” he said. “They got the best health insurance there is and I’m paying out the butt for mine and I hardly have anything but we pay for theirs and their family.”
Debbie Newman, who lives in Steelton and whose husband works at the steel mill, said she’s a lifelong Democrat known to vote for a Republican. Newman said she will read up on Barletta.
“I have my doubts whether he will do what he’s supposed to do for our city,” she said. “I really haven’t heard. I’ll do my homework on him and see what he’s all about.”
Richard Shuman, said it would be a good idea if his new congressman, Rep. Tom Marino, paid frequent visits to his hometown of Newport. Marino’s new 10th District includes Perry County among its 15 counties.
“The people need to know who he is,” said Shuman, a Democrat.
Shuman’s one message for Marino, a freshman Republican who has proven markedly conservative in the House: “Raise my Social Security.” | <urn:uuid:c2908bb3-7f80-4f50-8e12-e218c5d9e565> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2012/01/pennsylvanias_newly-adopted_co.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00017-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.962395 | 3,076 | 1.726563 | 2 |
Click Image to Enlarge
The integrated tooling system is common to all but one of the machines found in the cells. A pneumatically operated table chuck installed in the machine receives a drawbar mounted at the bottom of workpiece pallets for repeatable positioning.
Prestige Mold has added two injection molding machines (IMMs)—one hydraulic-electric hybrid and one all-electric—and a dedicated process technician for in-house plastics parts sampling and mold qualification. The IMMs allow the shop to perform its own mold testing prior to customer delivery, rather than relying on an outside molder for qualification. In fact, mold makers that don’t have in-house sampling capability are not even allowed to quote jobs for some OEMs because of confidentiality issues and inherent delays in sending molds to an outside molder. The company purchased an all-electric IMM after noticing that many molders had been switching from hydraulic IMMs to all-electrics. Compared to hydraulic machines, all-electric IMMs are quieter, more energy efficient and provide better repeatability. Some OEMs even require that qualification of their new molds be performed on an all-electric IMM. Not surprisingly, Prestige Mold’s all-electric IMM also implements automation (see photo above), using a robot to pick the plastic runner after each mold cycle and deliver the runner to a grinder for recycling (that is, if the plastic is recyclable).
A brass sea turtle sculpture greets visitors at the entrance of Prestige Mold's nicely appointed office in Rancho Cucamonga, California. It is fitting, as there are certain traits that the plastics mold maker shares with such shelled creatures. Longevity, patience and steadfastness are common to both. Sluggishness is not, because the company has made great strides over the years to speed both the design and manufacture of its complex multi-cavity molds.
The addition of robotic automation into key mold component manufacturing processes has made the biggest impact on improving throughput and efficiency. To date, the mold maker has introduced four robotic machine cells which have helped cut mold delivery time by 30 percent versus pre-robot days. Lead by Donna Koebel, CEO and co-founder, the company determined that the best way to integrate automation into the shop was to do so in gradual stages, systematically targeting operations deemed most inhibitive to work flow and/or those that absorbed the most labor hours. As each major bottleneck was expanded, the company found that the next most constrictive process quickly revealed itself and became the next candidate for automation.
This focused, tactical approach to integrating automation was chosen for two reasons. First, it made the most practical use of capital. Second, it seemed less likely to introduce a culture shock to shopfloor workers then an immediate, broad-brush application of automation might cause.
Shopfloor workers become dependant variables whenever a manufacturer makes a move toward automation. In Prestige Mold's case, automation hasn't pushed workers out of their jobs, but rather it has pushed workers into roles of greater responsibility, while instilling a continuous-improvement mindset into the entire workforce. Workers who once loaded and unloaded machines are now smartly setting up the shop's four cells for maximum production during unattended overnight and weekend operation. Workers have also found ways to automate non-machining processes, such as mold design and management of inspection data.
Most mold makers realize that automation is necessary to move forward in a globally competitive market, and so do many job shops. Taking a look at how this mold maker blends robotic automation and human innovation is helpful for any manufacturer with automation on its mind.
Automating In Gradual Phases
Prestige Mold flirted with automation 6 years ago when it added an electrode toolchanger to one of its ram electrical discharge machining (EDM) units. Multiple electrode burning operations could be performed overnight, but the machine lacked workpiece change-over capability. That meant once machining of that single workpiece was completed, the machine would sit unproductively idle for the rest of the night.
The need for robotic automation to allow both tool and workpiece change-out was as obvious as the San Gabriel Mountains that crown Rancho Cucamonga. According to Lance Spangler, company president, cost and delivery time were the primary motivators. "We began to be under bid on jobs that we had been winning for years," Mr. Spangler explains. "There probably were ways that we could have cut corners to lower our cost, but then our quality would have suffered." Shrinking customer delivery deadlines also nudged the company toward automation.
Though the need for automation was clear 4 years ago, the decision was made more difficult because in 2001, the economy was not exactly rosy. However, Prestige Mold was confident in embarking on automation's path, as it saw that other large mold builders were already reaping the benefits of robotic machine loading and unloading.
After deciding upon a strategy to implement robotic automation gradually, the company next had to identify the starting point. Because EDM represents such a significant portion of mold component production, and because that process starts with an electrode, the electrode machining process was the first to be automated. Once that bottleneck was opened with a two-machine cell, the individual ram EDM units had more electrodes than they were able to spark into steel, so two of these machines were paired in a cell. The next workflow obstruction that appeared was high speed machining of hardened steel components, so that became the third two-machine cell. Overloaded with electrodes and mold components to measure, the shop's coordinate measuring machine (CMM) was then automated with a robot. Though the inspection cell is the most recent robot installation, it won't be the last.
Each of the four cells is anchored by a System 3R (Totowa, New Jersey) Workmaster robot and storage magazines that hold electrodes, steel workpieces and cutting tools (save the CMM cell). In addition, all but one machine within the four cells can accommodate System 3R's integrated tooling system. This tooling system uses standard workpiece pallets that load into mating pneumatically operated chucks installed in the machines, allowing repeatable workpiece location on Prestige Mold's ram EDM units, CMM and three out of four high speed milling machines. Here are brief overviews of the four cells.
Electrode machining—This cell combines two Bostomatic 12G high speed graphite milling machines that have 30,000-rpm spindles. The cell originally used only two "bookcase-style" storage magazines to hold electrodes and cutting tools, but a rotary storage magazine was later added to increase storage capacity to 130 electrodes and 52 cutting tools. The rotary magazine was modified to provide cutting tool storage because each milling machine could only hold 6 cutting tools. This would have been insufficient for overnight or through-weekend unattended production.
Ram EDM—Two Charmilles Roboform 35P units make up the ram EDM cell. This cell has both bookcase and rotary carousels to provide 127 electrode storage positions. In addition to electrodes, the racks can also store 20 magnetic workholding plates, onto which steel components can be secured. A touch-trigger probe, stored in one storage position, is used by the EDM units to locate parts fixed to the magnet before electrode burning begins.
High speed machining—The high speed machining cell may be the most flexible of the four cells. It combines a Bostomatic 18 graphite milling machine and a Mikron HSM 400 vertical machining center (VMC) for milling hardened steel components. The Mikron VMC is the only machine that does not have integrated pallet tooling system. Instead, it accepts System 3R Dynafix pallets that hold large steel components. The cell's rotary magazine provides 18 storage positions for these pallets, along with 90 electrode storage positions. The two machines in this cell, as well as the two machines in the electrode machining cell, have Blum laser toolsetters for non-contact, automatic tool measurement.
CMM inspection—Some shops may find it hard to automate a process like CMM inspection that doesn't actually make anything, but automation is essential when inspection becomes the prime bottleneck. That's what happened in Prestige Mold's case, as both electrodes and steel components were being made faster than the company's single Zeiss Contura CMM could measure them. Therefore, a Workmaster robot and 140-location storage magazine was integrated with the CMM to allow around-the-clock inspection.
Prestige Mold now runs just one attended shift per day, and the cell supervisors' duties primarily consist of prepping the four cells to run throughout evenings and weekends. During the day, the supervisors try to knock out as many first article machining operations of electrodes or steel components as possible, and deliver those to inspection. Measured and approved components are then stacked in the storage magazines and each cell is programmed for the evening's run.
Up-front design work—The company's mold design process is geared toward automation, and starts with a significant investment of time working with the customer to finalize the part design before mold design begins. Each new job starts with the generation of a Solidworks 3D CAD part model that is refined to ensure that it has the proper draft angles, radii and so on to facilitate molding. "Our design capability makes us attractive to new customers, because we are often able to squeeze more cavities into a mold," says Mr. Spangler. "The required up-front work is a bit of a gamble, but we've found it pays off when the customer sees the results of our design improvements."
3D visualization of mold components allows designers to catch mold design problems before sending the design to job checkers who review mold design before material purchase. It also pays off in terms of compressing component manufacturing time. Throughout the design process, approved components such as inserts will be pre-released to the shop before the mold design is finalized. This gives the shop a head start in machining certain components.
The automation push extends to electrode design. The company has developed a proprietary process based on 3D electrode templates of standard electrode shapes. Electrode designers choose a template and modify it per the required electrode shape. As this is done, dimensions are automatically generated on the electrode part print drawing, saving up to 30 minutes of drawing time per electrode and making it easier for new hires to ramp-up on electrode design.
In addition to automatic part print generation, the system automatically calculates electrode overburn (the amount that the electrode is undersized to allow for the spark gap). This eliminates the need for machinists or the CMM inspector to calculate spark gaps and allows them to work directly from the original part CAD drawing. The company's goal is to develop a similar automated template process for the design of mold bases and inserts.
Programming of CMM inspection routines begins before components are delivered to the inspection room. Jose Palomares, quality inspector, imports the 3D model of the electrode or steel part into the CMM software. These models can be accessed from a central computer network that contains folders with information for every company job. He then identifies the component's key measurement points, generates the inspection program, loads the cell's carousel with workpieces, and adds the job to the queue.
Mr. Palomares handles inspection data automatically through a file maintenance program he created that consolidates measurement data into a simple report format. Rather than wading through a significant amount of part measurement data, the report lists only those parts and part features that were found to be out of tolerance. This automated reporting capability saves him an estimated 4 hours per day.
Prestige Mold likely will add another CMM to the inspection cell for increased capacity. In addition, a wire EDM unit may soon be mated to a robot to allow untended production. Keeping an eye open to bottlenecks and possible ways to integrate automation is one way this mold maker maintains its steady pace of continuous improvement. This pace, one tempered with patience, has served Prestige Mold well, just as it did the tortoise in the fabled race against the hare. It also provides evidence that no robot can replace a skilled worker who has a penchant for innovation.blog comments powered by Disqus | <urn:uuid:5cd9aa81-d708-4bfa-b40d-b3bfeb475bdc> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.mmsonline.com/articles/incremental-automation-pays-dividends | 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 | 0.950314 | 2,549 | 1.585938 | 2 |
American voters may or may not like the particular fiscal cliff deal reached Tuesday night. Probably most do, given that many economists thought another recession could be triggered if we went over the cliff. On the downside, few working people will be happy to find their next paycheck 2 percent lighter via the expiration of the two-year Social Security payroll tax holiday.
But one thing apparent to all voters is the depths of dysfunction to which their representatives in Washington, D.C., have sunk.
It has reached the point where Congress governs almost exclusively by crisis. Negotiations can't get anywhere until dire consequences are hanging right over their heads, with scissors poised to cut the line and let the consequences fall.
A deal to avoid the cliff was reached Tuesday night, but only after the House and Speaker John Boehner had thrown up their hands, and the White House and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell had to save the day.
And the bargain they reached sets up yet another "fiscal crisis" in just two shorts months. Deja vu all over again.
One possible difference in the next round of "negotiations" - and that term is used loosely here - is that House Speaker John Boehner could be a diminished partner for President Obama to bargain with. Boehner couldn't reach a deal with the president that he thought his caucus would vote for, bailed out with his Plan B that his troops definitely would not support, and then
With the cliff-averting bill passed Tuesday night, the stock market rallied Wednesday and the economy is out of immediate danger of tanking. But the deal - a small one that's nothing like the grand deficit-busting bargain President Obama and Boehner have flirted with a couple of times - sows the seeds of the next congressional crisis, which will arrive at the end of February.
The fiscal cliff deal put off the deadline for deciding what spending cuts to make for another two months, and that's about the same time U.S. government borrowing will hit its debt ceiling again. There will be a huge battle over raising the ceiling, combined with one on trimming the deficit. Another crisis in the making.
And remember, it was the last battle over the debt ceiling that eventually was settled by putting the fiscal cliff in place - essentially, Congress holding itself hostage to make sure some future deal would be made. Now the deal is in place, but it sets up another debt ceiling battle.
Congress and the White House have come full circle. Or, more accurately, they have run around in circles and find themselves right back where they were.
So, get ready for the next fiscal cliff, er, debt ceiling fight. By now we know better than to get worked up about it until the deadline arrives; Congress certainly won't. | <urn:uuid:a02d74ee-1767-4c82-9282-6fc802893de8> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.dailybulletin.com/opinions/ci_22297985/editorial-washington-theres-no-governing-until-its-crisis | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706890813/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516122130-00016-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.970511 | 560 | 1.570313 | 2 |
1945 Nuclear weapons statement
Just weeks after the nuclear attacks on Japan, AFSC's Executive Secretary Clarence Pickett, joined more than 30 other religious and educational leaders to condemn atomic bombs. This copy of that statement was pulled from AFSC's archives.
Apr 23, 2010
Other Nuclear Weapons Resources
- 1 of 2 | <urn:uuid:34d30393-ab4b-4319-90be-7247f24a617d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://afsc.org/document/1945-nuclear-weapons-statement | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00007-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.939212 | 65 | 1.609375 | 2 |
Wolverhampton is one of the hardest places in the country to find a job with 19 people battling to fill each available vacancy, new figures revealed today.
Wolverhampton South East MP Pat McFadden said the unemployment in the city has grown even when rates of people out of work are falling nationally.
Today he called for more to be done to attract private companies to invest in the city and create jobs because public sector spending is falling and jobs funded by the taxpayer will be scarce.
Competition for jobs across the country varies greatly according to the research by Adzuna, an internet search engine for job adverts.
Wolverhampton is among the worst in the country, with 19 people going for every job, while Aberdeen is the easiest place to find a job the study has shown.
The most difficult place to find work is Hull with around 55 applicants per job. In contrast, there was fewer than one jobseeker per vacancy in Aberdeen.
Mr McFadden said: “Even in the good times, employment figures were not great in Wolverhampton. Unemployment here can rise even when it is falling on average nationally. We have a lot of public sector employment and what we need is more private sector investment.” | <urn:uuid:9bc7598b-2ba0-4d53-a77c-b91ba7367510> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.expressandstar.com/news/2012/12/27/jobs-scarce-as-19-battle-to-fill-every-wolverhampton-vacancy/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700958435/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104238-00008-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.958752 | 254 | 1.695313 | 2 |
Feast your eyes on this, car technology and high-mileage nuts. It's a Honda Accord that runs on diesel.
Honda expects to bring the clean-diesel car to the U.S. by 2010. It gets 62.8 miles a gallon on the highway, but otherwise looks and feels like a regular Accord. At that mileage level, the car is about as "clean" as a new Toyota Prius. But if you run it on biodiesel, a form of diesel made from vegetable oil or animal fat, it would be even cleaner than a Prius (Priuses get 60 in the city). … Read more | <urn:uuid:d22fd8e4-6bf2-4cf6-9983-e18dba800775> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://news.cnet.com/8300-5_3-0-28.html?keyword=honda | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00017-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.954209 | 131 | 1.757813 | 2 |
The Academy of Change
The first mention of the Academy of Change (AOC) in relation to the Egyptian Revolution of 25 January, came in a Reuters report published on 13 April 2011, under the title of “Inside the Egyptian Revolution”.
In the report, Reuters stated that the Academy of Change was founded in London in 2005 by Hisham Morsy, Wael Adel, and Adel’s cousin Ahmed Adel, and that the Academy moved to Qatar later on. Reuters claims that the AOC was involved in training Egyptian dissidents (Kefaya and April 6 Youth among others) ever since 2005. Reuters also claims that the Academy is one of those involved in the planning of the events that took place Tahrir, and the training of the revolutionaries, through a vague character with the name “Saad Bahaar“.
Reuters report wrote:
“Inspired by the way Serbian group Otpor had brought down Slobodan Milosevic through non-violent protests in 2000, the trio studied previous struggles. One of their favorite thinkers was Gene Sharp, a Boston-based academic who was heavily influenced by Mahatma Gandhi. The group had set up a webpage in 2004 to propagate civil disobedience ideas in Arabic.
At first, the three young Egyptians’ activities were purely theoretical. But in November 2005, Wael Adel came to Cairo to give a three-day training session on civil disobedience. In the audience were about 30 members of Kefaya, an anti-Mubarak protest group whose name means “enough” in Arabic. Kefaya had gained prominence during the September 2005 presidential elections which Mubarak won by a landslide. During these protests, they had been attacked by thugs and some women members had been stripped naked. Bahaar joined Adel on the course and his career as an underground trainer in non-violent activism was born.
Adel taught activists how to function within a decentralized network. Doing so would make it harder for the security services to snuff them out by arresting leaders. They were also instructed on how to maintain a disciplined non-violent approach in the face of police brutality, and how to win over bystanders…
… The Academy became a window for Egypt’s activists into civil disobedience movements outside the Arab world. To disseminate the new methods of resistance, it wrote books about nonviolent activism with a focus on the Arab world: “Civil Disobedience,” “Nonviolent War the 3rd Choice” and “AOC MindQuake” that were published in 2007.
A year later the Academy published “Shields to Protect Against Fear”, a manual on techniques to protect one’s body against attacks by security services during a protest. “The idea of non-violent protest is not martyrdom,” Adel said. “We knew to get ordinary Egyptians, and Arabs, to face their governments and security, they have to have tools to protect themselves. This boosts the morale and enthusiasm to go to the street.”
Then the report goes on to make the link between the Egyptian Revolution and the Academy of Change:
“February 2010. Mohamed ElBaradei was back in Cairo. The former head of the International Atomic Energy Association and Nobel peace prize winner had inspired some of Egypt’s younger generation that change was possible. Several of them had created a Facebook page backing ElBaradei as the country’s next president. But how were they to achieve their goal given Mubarak’s repressive regime? They turned to the Academy for help.
The Academy directed them to its online training manuals, which the Facebook activists tried for a while. But despite their internet savvy, many felt that relying entirely on online training was too theoretical. Couldn’t the Academy give them practical training? Enter Bahaar.
Those who had signed up to the Facebook page were divided into groups of 100. Bahaar trained eight of the groups in different parts of the country using, among other tools, PowerPoint presentations that explained how you maximize the power of a protest movement. Every protester had a family, and around the family was a wider community, Bahaar explained. If a protester was arrested or beaten by the police, his or her family might be radicalized. Similarly, if a policeman engaged in brutality, his family and social network might not be supportive. By maintaining disciplined non-violent activity, the regime’s power could be progressively weakened.”
The academy was officially founded in London, UK March, 2006 as a scientific institute that is specialized in studying and researching the sciences social, cultural, and political transformations especially in Arabic and Islamic region.
Although established in London, its focus has been the geopolitics of the heart of the world, which happens to be the Middle East and its adjacent countries.
This gave the AOC its unique edge of being one of the earliest scientific research establishments in the West with deep roots at the East that tackles the concepts of “social transformation” and “political change” through a set of independent or overlapping research programs. AOC has been a success in its activities so that it is expanding and recently established its first branch in the Middle East in Qatar in 2009. Then it estaplished its branch Vienna, Austria, 2010.
The AOC website verifies that the founders of the Academy are:
Hisham Morsi - physician
Ahmed Adel Abdelhakeem - chemist
Wael Adel - civil engineer
In the Publications section, the English website contains these downloadable books by the Academy:
The Anti-Coup, by Gene Sharp and Bruce Jenkins
On Strategic Nonviolent Conflict: Thinking About the Fundamentals, by Robert Helvey
Path Of Resistance, by Per Herngren
Nonviolent Action Handbook, by Sanderson Beck
Civil Disobedience, By Henry David Thoreau
Civil Disobedience Training Act Up
But more importantly, the Arabic website contains these books:
From Dictatorship to Democracy, by Gene Sharp (in Arabic and English)
Nonviolent War the 3rd Choice, سلسلة حرب اللاعنف by the Academy, 2007
The Weapons of Nonviolent War, أسلحة حرب اللاعنف by the Academy, 2007
AOC MindQuake, سلسلة ثورة العقول by the Academy, 2007
Shields to Protect Against Fear, الدروع الواقية من الخوف by the Academy
Demonstrations, التظاهرات by the Academy
A Road Map to operations and Tactics, خارطة العمليات و التكتيكات by the Academy
There is also a list of “Recommended” movies which includes (but are not limited to):
V for Vendetta
Battle in Seattle
and Hitler: the rise of evil
The Academy website links to:
The Facebook page of “The Academy of change”: listing it’s Headquarters in Doah, Qatar, notable to mention is that the Facebook page had little over 6,000 followers.
The AOC twitter account with little over 400 followers and it’s YouTube channel.
However the most disturbing thing about the Academy of Change, is that both AOC websites (Arabic and English) do NOT list a team or staff, or the Academy’s funding sources. We tried to search online for any indication where the AOC funding comes from, with no avail. | <urn:uuid:29c9a918-e00f-456c-a6a0-655a6b5a98b1> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://anarchitext.org/2012/01/02/aoc/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00014-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.965121 | 1,601 | 1.632813 | 2 |
St. Thomas, the most populous of the four major U.S. Virgin Islands, is located 50 miles east of Puerto Rico. Though discovered by famed explorer Christopher Columbus on his second journey to the New World in 1493, and a popular port for pirates in the two centuries that followed, the earliest inhabitants of St. Thomas were indigenous tribes such as the Ciboney, Arawaks and Caribs.
Today, the picturesque white beaches, idyllic climate, rich history and natural beauty of St. Thomas brings visitors from around the world to explore its exciting attractions. From ample fine dining and duty-free shopping, to the plethora of active outdoor adventures
such as kayaking, scuba diving, sailing, sport-fishing and more, the tropical playground of St. Thomas offers tourists the finest life has to offer and a host of things to do while staying on the island. Duty-Free Shopping
U.S. citizens who travel to St. Thomas are allowed a duty-free shopping quota of $1,600 – twice that of any other island in the Caribbean and three times that of European countries. A flat rate of six percent duty is charged on purchases over your $1,600 allowance. Besides your personal exemption, you can mail friends and relatives at home an unlimited number of gifts (other than perfume, liquor, or tobacco) worth $100 or less per gift.
For an itinerary listing popular attractions and things to see in St. Thomas, please consult your Ritz-Carlton concierge. | <urn:uuid:b29cb86e-065b-4525-b698-908bab5b0669> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.ritzcarlton.com/en/Properties/StThomas/Destination/Default.htm?WBCMODE=PresentationUnpublishedDefault.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00009-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.941691 | 313 | 1.820313 | 2 |
“I found three Big Problems for CRM: … (1) DATA: Effectively managing the data we collect has now become a Big Problem…. (2) KNOWLEDGE: Knowledge cannot support CRM automation…. (3) PURPOSE: We don’t know what CRM is doing” (Esteban Kolsky, “Connect,” Customer Relationship Management, April 2012, 39-39).
From the perspective of the Voice-based CRM data entry industry, these three BIG PROBLEMS FOR CRM all stem from the same two causes: (1) ignoring 90% of the qualitative customer relationship management information available, and (2) overbuilding the 10% of the quantitative or numerical information.
Let’s see how this assertion explains the Three Big Problems and suggests a direction for a solution to those seeking to improve their CRM implementation or are thinking of implementing a CRM solution..
1. DATA: “Data is the reason we implemented CRM in the first place. Whether transactional, operational, demographic, attitudinal, behavioral, and now sentimental, the core of what CRM does is collect and store data from all interactions…. Effectively managing the data we collect has now become a Big Problem.”
CRM today collects too much information of the wrong kind. The key point to remember is that the service is named “CRM” and at the beginning that stood for “Customer Relationship Management.” ONLY CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT! In the beginning of the CRM movement 20 years ago, the concern was human and dealt with the needs and concerns, the background and context of customer values and desires. The need was for ways to handle the qualitative knowledge regarding the insights, feelings, aspirations, perceptions, and interests of the customer. This information was expressed through words and sentences, through conversations, discussions, shared collaborations – highly qualitative inter-human and interactive expressions. These expressions were at the heart of ‘customer-concentric or ‘customer-centered’ selling approaches and systems.
The primary source of data, information, or knowledge about the customer relationship was the sales rep and others at the front end or cutting edge of the contact with customers and the marketplace. Tom Siebel (who pioneered Siebel Systems and the early CRM industry) worried two decades ago about the possibility of CRM failure if the sales team did not participate fully in entering current, accurate, and complete knowledge of the customer interaction. The sales team’s qualitative knowledge from the field was the key to CRM success.
Today with CRM, the focus is on IT quantitative (numerical) solutions, and EVERYTHING IN THE ENTERPRISE has become content for CRM systems. The original intent of CRM, qualitative customer relationship information, has been lost and all of the information now being included in CRM systems has overwhelmed the service. However, if we choose it to be so, CRM can return to simplify and be about this limited set of qualitative knowledge again, focus again on the sales team, and be a very powerful service in successful organizations.
2. KNOWLEDGE: “All of the details you need to know are what constitute knowledge, which should be readily available and constantly updated for automation to happen effectively. As you can imagine, not all these elements are always easily available nor are they always updated. Knowledge cannot support CRM automation.”
CRM today does too much, includes too much, is far too complex! What is it, after all, that we “need to know” for CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT? Just that simple qualitative knowledge that reveals the human essentials of the customer relationship right now – knowledge from the sales reps that is current, accurate, and complete. A very limited set of fields in the database. And where does that information come from? From the sales team speaking or reporting religiously and fully into their simple database system. THAT IS THE ONLY “KNOWLEDGE” THE ORIGINAL CRM SYSTEM WAS INTENDED TO PROVIDE AND IT WAS AND IS SUFFICIENT! When we focus exactly on the CUSP of the organization/customer relationship, at the moments where our people meet their people in business transactions that affect the relationship, then we begin to get the qualitative knowledge “we need to know.” If we define knowledge only as that related directly to simple customer relationship management, how much do we really need to know to manage it well?
When CRM became everything for everyone, all things IT and digital, it grew out of simplicity and into complexity, expanding far beyond the capability of simple CRM to handle. For many years now we have all of the systems capability needed to handle true, simple CRM qualitative knowledge very well. How can we handle something that includes EVERYTHING?
3. PURPOSE: “What job (or jobs) did you hire your CRM solution to do for you?… Most organizations I have worked with have almost never been able to answer this question before implementing CRM….Whether you are spending time, money, and resources on a system that does not allow you to have full control of your data, that does not support the automation of simple tasks, and that you, well, don’t know why you have it. Could this be true?”
CRM has lost its focus and purpose. Over the years CRM has left its roots, has been taken over by IT and numbers, computers, money, talent, complexity, and high tech imperatives and demands and has focused entirely on processing the 10% of the information easily digitized and handled by computers. Most companies today are admitting that they don’t know why they have a CRM implementation when they are still struggling to stay abreast of simple, human, qualitative interaction and information.
If you want a simple Customer Relationship Management system that handles qualitative knowledge and helps your sales team capture and enter into the system the information they are generating out in their meetings with customers, then go back 20 years to the beginning of CRM and look at those early solutions – a little, sufficient digital, a lot of talk and text and explanatory information (qualitative knowledge). Sadly, high tech has drawn all of the talent and money away from the development of “human” or qualitative solutions. A little creative and innovative improvement over time would have made CRM systems today simple, clear, and powerful in providing the organization leaders with usable customer relationship management knowledge.
They were sufficient and can be again!
If you want to improve your CRM implementation or if you are looking to implement a CRM solution, stop for a moment and think about it. Turn your back on complexity and over-built IT solutions. Go looking for RETRO solutions, like VOICE-BASED CRM DATA ENTRY and databases that can handle qualitative information. Look for the generic and effective solutions to a very straightforward and simple HUMAN need to know what is going on in the customer relationship – ‘out there on the ground’!
One humble spy with critical observed information from the battlefield is more important to the success of the General and the battle operation than the trillions of computer bytes flying back and forth among the technologies in the battlespace. One humble spy who saw something ‘out there’ and has important things to say. | <urn:uuid:23a711be-b256-47ca-9291-0a165aecbec8> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.voice2insight.com/blog/index.php/category/strategic-knowledge/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00019-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.943989 | 1,525 | 1.648438 | 2 |
This morning I woke to ice on three sides of the ship. Being trapped with ice all around made for a wonderfully peaceful night of sleep and I felt energized all day. Weather around the ship was beautiful – sun poking through the sky and relatively warm. Unfortunately, 20 miles away, surrounding Snow Hill, was a wall of clouds that made helicopter visits to the emperor penguin rookery impossible. No [...]
What a day! Today we entered Antarctic Sound, also known as Iceberg Alley. And what a place it is! Gigantic table icebergs float everywhere, and on smaller ‘bergs Adelie penguins perch in the dozens. I’ve seen one seal as well and this morning a whale rose near the ship. The ice is getting thicker as we enter the Weddell Sea and the ship now shakes occasionally with the impact. Less [...]
The ship has been rocking back and forth since around 2 am this morning. Swells look to be about 12 feet high, and the crew calls this the Drake Lake. This is versus the Drake Shake which is what I’m hoping for on the return trip. A few of my fellow travelers hope for the same, but we’re definitely in the minority. Most passengers are walking around with the little [...]
The Pacuare is located between Costa Rica’s coastal lowlands and the country’s highest mountain range. Besides being home to thousands of species of birds, insets, reptiles and mammals, Pacuare is home to Costa Rica’s most important nesting ground for leatherback turtles. On our Turtles and Rainforest trip, our travelers have the unique opportunity to visit the Pacuare Reserve and stay at an active scientific research station, which doubles as lodging [...]
From Patagonia to Costa Rica, traveler, Shannon Beineke, weighs in on ecolodges and the regions where you can relax your head, take in remarkable surroundings and enjoy examples of effective ecotourism at work.
Last week came news from the Galapagos National Park that Lonesome George — the last Pinta Island Tortoise in the world — may yet become a father. 5 perfect eggs were found in the nest of one of the two female tortoises that share a corral with ol’ George. It will be another 120-130 days before the incubation process is completed and before it is known if the eggs are [...]
Located in the Yucatan Peninsula, tiny Belize is bordered by Mexico in the north and Guatemala to the west. But don’t let its size fool you. Only 14,270 square miles wide, Belize is home to the largest barrier reef in the Western hemisphere offering some of the best diving and snorkeling in the world. Traveler, Christa Visperas, elaborates below and shares some of the best locations in Belize [...]
Happy Mother’s Day! In celebration of the day’s holiday, I thought I’d share one of my favorite mother-daughter trip journals. Adventure Life staff member, Julia Kocubinski, and her mom, Sue, took a trip to Ecuador’s cloudforest, Quito, Banos, and the wildlife rich Galapagos Islands last November.
The following article was written by Galapagos traveler M. Sparga. Thanks for the contribution! The first time I went to the Galapagos Islands, one of my traveling companions had his cap blow off into the sea while we took a dinghy from our cruise ship to one of the islands. Another tourist joked that we would probably run into a sea lion wearing the cap later that [...] | <urn:uuid:248d8949-dc05-43a0-92ac-efc58b8376ba> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.adventure-life.com/blog/tag/wildlife/page/4/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00017-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.956017 | 754 | 1.554688 | 2 |
Karlsruhe University of Applied Sciences wins award for its innovative “E-Quickie“ in the competition “365 Places in the Land of Ideas”
Yesterday, 8 June 2011, Karlsruhe University of Applied Sciences won an award for its electric car E-Quickie in the competition “365 Places in the Land of Ideas” and received the title “Selected Place 2011”. Under the patronage of the German President, Christian Wulff, the nation-branding initiative “Germany – Land of Ideas” and Deutsche Bank cooperated to organize the competition. As a “Selected Place” and winner of one of the 365 awards, Karlsruhe University of Applied Sciences acts as an ambassador of the “Land of Ideas”, representing Germany’s future viability.
After short speeches given yesterday morning by Prof. Dr. Markus Stöckner, Vice-President of Karlsruhe University of Applied Sciences, Norbert Käthler, CEO of Stadtmarketing GmbH, and Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Hoheisel, Dean of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Mechatronics, Prof. Jürgen Walter, Project Manager and Professor at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Mechatronics, gave an introduction to the project and explained some special technical features of the electric car: It does not require batteries, but draws power from electric conducting paths in the ground. Receivers underneath the car obtain energy from the tracks through electric induction, directing it onward to the car’s electrical hub drive. So far, this technology has only been applied in heavy and slow floor conveyors. The E-Quickie, however, is able to move quickly and efficiently thanks to state-of-the art materials and technological optimization. Prof Walter summarizes: “We wanted to prove that the principle of wireless energy transfer is also well-suited for use in means of private transportation.”
The speeches were followed by the ceremonial handing over of the award through Frank Arlaud, Head of Public Sector Coverage of Deutsche Bank. In his speech he explained why the university had been chosen for the award: “The electric car E-Quickie is a great example of Germany as center of science, full of innovative ideas and trend-setting alternatives in electric mobility.”
Next Johann Soder, Head of Technology at SEW-Eurodrive, who supported the project, gave a speech on electric mobility. In addition, the audience was able to have a look at other high-tech electric cars developed at the university, such as the E-cart, the E-dandy-horse, the E-recumbent tilting trike, and the E-105, a racing car with an electric drive developed for the construction competition “Formula Student". So the faculty laboratories were open to visitors and allowed them to gain insight into the inventiveness of the future engineers.
Vice-President, Prof. Dr. Markus Stöckner, commented on the award as follows: “We’re very proud that we’ve again been awarded the title Selected Place in the Land of Ideas. It encourages us to continue developing sustainable technology together with our students and pave the way for solutions of the future.”
Karlsruhe University of Applied Sciences has received the title “Selected Place” for the second time in a row now. Last year the university was given the award for its Institute of Materials and Processes (IMP), as it represents a unique combination of virtual and applied materials research. It focuses on the development of new, computer-based modeling and simulation techniques for materials development, aimed at optimizing manufacturing and production processes.
Karlsruhe University of Applied Sciences Public Relations and Marketing Office Holger Gust Phone: 0721 925-1016 pr[at]hs-karlsruhe.de | <urn:uuid:c64a44db-9a24-4c68-b4ec-543317962e00> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.hs-karlsruhe.de/en/the-university/about-hska/press-releases/e-quickie.html | 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 | 0.937304 | 807 | 1.53125 | 2 |
What's the best toy you've ever given your kids? For Seattle mom Alice Finch it's a scale model of Hogwarts — made entirely by her from roughly 400,000 LEGO bricks!
The Huffington Post reports that Finch's LEGO structure, which was a year in the making, is not only accurate, but infinitely playable, with intricately detailed rooms and scenes from the books, including the feast in the Great Hall and the Gryffindor Common Room. Her must-see masterpiece is being hailed by Kotaku Australia as "the most impressive LEGO construction ever made by a single person."
Have your children reignited any of your own childhood interests? | <urn:uuid:4fe1179f-a85e-4949-8878-3efc4abf9f69> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://moms.popsugar.com/Mom-Creates-Unbelievable-LEGO-Hogwarts-28471857 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700958435/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104238-00011-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.969515 | 131 | 1.65625 | 2 |
Women in the boardroom
A global perspective
In many countries, gender – including the specific question of quotas for women on corporate boards – has become a key area of focus in the boardroom diversity conversation.
From a corporate governance perspective, including more individuals with different backgrounds on boards of directors could improve board effectiveness; harnessing strength from a range of experiences allows boards to bring a more diverse perspective to problems.
In its second edition of Women in the boardroom: A global perspective, Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited’s (DTTL) Global Center for Corporate Governance seeks to understand the state of legislation, regulation, and voluntary initiatives on this topic around the world.
Download this global perspective to learn more about how many countries have already taken steps – some large, some small – to increase the presence of women in their country’s boardrooms. Share your ideas and join the conversation across DTTL and its member firms’ social media networks. | <urn:uuid:bc1614ea-d3d6-4ce1-b198-ff85a48f458d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.deloitte.com/view/en_GX/global/services/ers/security-privacy-and-resiliency/0e5c45e6b3b95310VgnVCM1000001a56f00aRCRD.htm?id=gx_theme_iwd12 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697380733/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516094300-00018-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.931594 | 199 | 1.734375 | 2 |
The Widget Factory has just started a new program for their employees. From now on, all employees can work on a flexible time schedule. The employees greeted this new program with great enthusiasm and soon productivity in all areas was much improved. Determine the full name of five of the Widget Factory employees, their start times, and the department in which they work.
1. Ralph doesn't work in marketing. Elliot didn't start before 8:30am. The finance person didn't start at 7am.
2. Amanda's last name wasn't Station. Mr. Flannagan, the first to arrive, started at 5:30am. Miranda started before 8:30am but after the marketing person.
3. Ms. Recluse didn't start work at 6am. The person in engineering came in before Mr. Hanson, but after Ralph.
4. Amanda doesn't work in manufacturing. The person who worked in manufacturing arrived last, starting at 9am.
5. George didn't arrive at 5:30am, but he did start before the person who worked in finance.
6. Miranda Recluse didn't work in purchasing.
file size 169 KB
If you enjoyed
this puzzle and want to play another one online, go
here for another online logic problem.
May 17, 2007 | <urn:uuid:841b5327-5acd-467e-a213-f895ba175eab> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.puzzles.com/Projects/LogicProblems/FlexTime.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00008-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.971147 | 272 | 1.601563 | 2 |
(Part 2 of 2) Nancy Rene, a patient advocate for the Sickle Cell Foundation of California, spoke to the CIRM Governing Board at the "Spotlight on Disease Team Awards: Stem Cell Therapy for Sickle Cell Anemia" seminar. Through photos and stories, Rene described the impact of sickle cell anemia on her grandson's life. She also spoke about the importance of support services for sickle cell patients and continued research for a cure. Rene was introduced by Bert Lubin, a CIRM Governing Board member and president of the Children's Hospital and Research Center Oakland.
For more information see our sickle cell disease fact sheet | <urn:uuid:de0ce641-0e07-4f07-962d-d770e93c71f6> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.cirm.ca.gov/print/4070 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00007-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.945794 | 138 | 1.5625 | 2 |
Li Ruo Fen is a 65 year old grandmother who makes both shoes and insoles. These insoles are for both boys and girls. Embroidered insoles are said to make people happy. Li Ruo Fen learned this technique from her mother when she was very young. These days she uses a cross-stitch pattern in cotton to embroider images. She tells us her mother’s embroidery which used silk thread was very beautiful as silk is thinner, brighter, and stronger. In the past many adults would buy the insoles. Because it is so time consuming to make them, adults usually wear shoes with embroidered insoles only during wedding ceremonies. | <urn:uuid:14d0c04f-0192-404d-ba03-f1919694e07b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://chinavine.org/2011/05/02/artist-introduction-li-ruo-fen/ | 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 | 0.980431 | 136 | 1.523438 | 2 |
Joe Klamar/AFP/Getty Images
A cargo ship at Long Beach harbor. The Port of Long beach is the leading trade gateway between the US and Asia — but its business may be affected by a slowdown in Chinese exports.
Exports from China may be contributing to a major-league trade imbalance between the U.S. and the Middle Kingdom, but they are certainly welcome at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, where goods stream into the Southland day and night.
Some of that seaborne traffic, which supports a major warehousing industry in the Inland Empire, as KPCC's Steven Cuevas has reported, not to mention a regional trucking business, could be slackening in the future. This is from the New York Times:
Data released Friday showed that the growth in overseas shipments from China had ground to a near halt in July, with exports up just 1 percent from the same month a year earlier, far below expectations and well beneath the 11.3 percent in June.
The slowing of China's economy has been on the minds of economists for a while now. But it may soon be on the minds of Southland residents and workers who depend of trade — deficit or no deficit — for their livelihoods. | <urn:uuid:04b59925-d822-408a-9945-b8bad1b4f284> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.scpr.org/blogs/economy/2012/08/10/9383/problems-southland-ports-chinese-exports-decline/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+debord-report+%28DeBord+Report+-+KPCC%29 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00008-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.963874 | 254 | 1.835938 | 2 |
Three times a day, in our daily prayers, we praise God with the words "For Your kindness has never ended, we will always place our hope in You."
God exhibits His kindness to us in many ways. Sometimes we are too preoccupied to see it, and we need a gentle reminder of how He watches over us at all times. And even though, as we see nowadays, God's eternal providence can seem overshadowed by the evil machinations of mankind, it is important to remember that our free choice to do good or evil is also a kindness.
What do we have to be grateful for? Everyone has his/her own list. Here's some of mine, from A-to-Z:
Aches - Nobody likes to get them, but they are the truest form of kindness. Otherwise, how would I know that my tooth was getting rotten, or that I played too many games of racket ball, or that the stress at the office was beginning to takes it toll and it's time to slow down and rethink priorities? Without aches, we might do irreparable damage to our bodies and not even know it.
Beauty - Whether it's the beauty of art, music, literature, a landscape, or another's face, these are gifts that intrinsically bring joy to the heart. God didn't have to arrange the world in an aesthetically pleasing way, but He did.
Children - My greatest pleasure and greatest pain in life is my children. They also allow me to see myself as I truly am -- 40 years too late.
Dew - For those who have small gardens and don't have the time or inclination to take out the hose every night to keep them watered, God made dew. As water vapor condenses in the air each night, grass, plants and cars are covered by morning with a thin layer of water. It automatically irrigates the ground, just one way of God keeping the world going when we're too busy to do it ourselves.
Electricity - This awesomely powerful force runs cities, controls our physical bodies, and is the basis of universal energy. Electricity can't be seen, but we know it's there because we can see its effects. Perhaps it's a metaphor for God.
Fire – Like so much else in life, fire can be used for good or for evil. It heats my home, cooks my meals, runs my car, and lights up the night. It also destroys cities, devours forests and snuffs out lives. Fire teaches that we are constantly given the choice how to use our many resources. We must always strive to follow God's example to build up, not break down.
Grandchildren - The reward that God gives you for not killing your kids during the "terrible two's" and later as teenagers, is grandchildren.
Home - Home is the place that provides warmth, love, contentment, family, friends and security. We should not take the security and stability of a home for granted, as history can attest. How fortunate we are.
Income Tax - I'm sure there's some kindness here, but it escapes me at the moment.
Justice - The strict meaning of justice is that the evildoer must be punished and the injured party compensated. Yet most of us, when subjected to justice, simply reply, "Your honor, it wasn't my fault." There are always extenuating circumstances that we'd want the judge to consider. Fortunately, God tempers his judgment with “mercy,” without which, none would be able to survive.
Knowledge - As children, we were told not to touch the hot oven. On one level, we understood this advice. But it wasn't until you actually touched the oven that you totally "knew" what your mother meant. Knowledge represents the highest level of understanding -- the physical, internal realization that something is true. Likewise, this is the level at which we strive to know God.
Life - Your money or your life? Your freedom or your life? It's important to know what you're willing to die for, in order to know what you should be living for. Without this clarity, we could wind up wasting life on the pursuit of vanities.
Mosquitoes - The greatest kindness would have been if Noah had swatted the two of them when he had the chance, so we wouldn't have them buzzing in our ears at 3 o'clock in the morning. But just as God has been kind to us, he has also been kind to the mosquito. Did you know that by the time you feel the sting of its bite, it's already long gone? You see, the pointed stinger is like a stack of ice cream cones, collapsing as they go in (so you don't feel them), then opening and flattening as the stinger is pulled out. This prevents us from squishing the buggers when they sting us, and it also allows the specie to survive another day.
Nothingness - It is as difficult to envision nothingness as it is to understand what lies beyond the edge of the universe. Some believe that upon death, we go to nothingness. This is a cold, sobering thought that renders life far more meaningless. Judaism believes that a life of spiritual pleasure awaits us in the World to Come. As difficult as it is to picture nothingness, it's a lot more difficult to accept that we are here on earth for nothing.
Obstacles - Obstacles that stand in the way of progress are perhaps our biggest benefits. Overcoming them leads to self-actualization and the highest level of esteem. If we can succeed despite a nagging spouse, an abusive boss, or a physical handicap -- we are much better off for having tried.
Pleasure - There are many different types of pleasure -- physical, emotional, creative and spiritual. Some choose only those pleasures that are easily attained (like pizza). But as anyone training for an Olympic medal knows, the greater the pain, the greater the reward. And for humanity, the highest pleasure is to attach oneself to the Source of all pleasure.
Questions – Some people think that it's important to have all the answers. But in truth, it may be even more important to have good questions. A question creates a space inside of us that needs to be filled. This “lack” opens us up to new ideas and new information. Without the empty space of a question, we might never be motivated to grow.
Reproduction – Raising children is a true challenge, often involving tremendous pain and self-sacrifice. To ensure human continuity, God gave us a bonus and made reproduction a pleasure.
Shabbat - For those who are workaholics, or have teenagers at home, it seems that the phone never stops ringing. Shabbat gives a respite, a day of peace and tranquility, a joyous family occasion, 52 times a year.
Tuna – A delicious food, so versatile that you can eat it in a hero sandwich, splash it on a salad, or bake it gently in the oven. And for those take-along emergencies, you can even enjoy it straight out of the can.
In fact, I believe I hold the world record for eating the most tuna fish sandwiches in a lifetime!
USA - One of the miracles of creation. America stands for the highest principles of goodness and justice (even though it may not always get it right), and has provided hope and refuge for millions of hungry, tired immigrants. It shines the beacon of freedom for an entire world.
Variety - Imagine eating oatmeal every day. A closet of clothes that are all white. A garden of flowers, all red. Everyone driving the same kind of car, living in an identical house, and playing the same board game every night (probably Monopoly). Imagine one kind of animal in the zoo, one instrument in the orchestra, and all faces looking alike. The world might have been that way, but thank God, there's variety.
Woman - Webster's definition ("female homo-sapien") falls a bit short of capturing the full essence of a woman. She is emotional, instinctive, sensitive, insightful, sensual, tender, loving, caring, critical, tireless and nurturing. And as a married man, I'd better appreciate “woman” or I'm in big trouble.
X-Rays - The shorter the wavelength, the more that energy waves are able to pierce solid objects, as radio waves do. X-rays have a high frequency and short wavelength, giving them the ability to expose filament and leave an image. X-rays are another great form of kindness when you have sprains, broken bones and cavities (see ACHES above).
You - Ours is a world of beauty, kindness, wonder, perfection, symmetry and unity. It was all placed here for you to enjoy and to grow. A world without you would be a much darker place. Enjoy it all, and enjoy the special beauty of your place in it.
Zygote - The beginning of you! | <urn:uuid:b8caac70-c5a4-4a8b-b58c-63cca41c3bd4> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.aish.com/sp/pg/48884982.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00013-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.964966 | 1,874 | 1.796875 | 2 |
Earlier this week, Jamaican Usain Bolt proved to the sporting world that indeed speed sells. With MLB’s recent crackdown on PEDs subsequently limiting the homerun game, is it possible that baseball will start to see an increase of importance on the running game or have we already seen the last of players like Rickey Henderson, Vince Coleman and Lou Brock?
Running is a much more complicated process than it was when we played tag in kindergarten. As our good friend Sen. Obama has shown us time and again, it is not without its pitfalls. And as Chinese hurdler, Liu Xiang, showed us, it is not without its pain.
But there are some people who just make it look easy. Michael Johnson, Carl Lewis, Usain Bolt. All of them make sprinting look as simple as hitting a home run looks for Manny Ramirez. Maybe they’re genetic freaks (or just straight up freaks as in the case of Manny), but there’s no denying they have a talent that 99.9% of the world just doesn’t have. It’s not so much what they do or how they do it but the fact that they can go out and replicate the feat on a consistent basis that sets them apart.
However, running does play an important role in the great American pastime. As much as I hate to have to think about it, much less mention it, one of the reasons that Cardinals beat the Tigers in the 2006 World Series was because the Cardinals had a running game that always put them in a position to score while the Tigers relied on brute strength that seemed to escape them when they needed it most. So, in that respect, I would argue that the question is moot in and of itself.
The running game has always been important for clubs that can’t afford to go out and buy sluggers. Now, the question is if the decrease in power will start to affect the Yankees, Tigers and Red Sox of the world. Again, I’d have to say that successful teams have usually found a way to combine the two elements.
Look at the Oakland A’s of late 80′s. Although they had the two most prolific juicers outside of Sammy Sosa on one team, they also had Rickey Henderson, Mr. “Rickey’s the Best” himself. And Canseco, although he could pound the ball, also did quite well for himself on the basepaths.
However, thoughts of Mr. Canseco and his ill-begotten physique bring me to another important point. Speed and doping aren’t always mutually exclusive. In fact, sometimes they’re regular kissing cousins as the the pride of Canada, Ben Johnson, can attest to. The crackdown on PEDs in MLB might lead to a general and overall slowing down of the game from the way it is played today. Remember, it wasn’t just the the Barry Bonds of the world who were looking for that little extra. It was also the Roger Clemens. And who knows how that might have also played into the speed game.
So, I think the answer to your question is that we have not seen the end of an era and that players who have great legs and a great jump will continue to be sought after. The thing that you have to take into account, though, is that you can’t steal a base or try for the hit-and-run unless you have someone on base in the first place. That was Rickey’s true talent, his ability to get himself in scoring position. And if you want to take it full-circle, it’s also the talent Mr. Obama has shown to this point in getting himself nominated. However, now we have to wait and see if he can find a way to bring it home just like Mr. Bolt. | <urn:uuid:98af99a2-c5e2-42fb-8a14-4a5a4d7034a3> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://redstatebluestate.mlblogs.com/2008/08/24/the-filibuster-95/?like=1&source=post_flair&_wpnonce=aa068c7847 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00008-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.979918 | 800 | 1.5625 | 2 |
- Special Sections
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This intangible thing we call freedom is interpreted differently by just about every individual, but one aspect that’s not open for debate is that we enjoy freedom because of the sacrifices made by countless men and women of our armed forces. We must never question that freedom is worth fighting for, and dying for. That very concept was the genesis of the United States of America.
This Memorial Day — in between the cookouts and big sales events — take the time to remember the men and women of this country’s military and the fact that they have always exemplified valor, courage and bravery. The sacrifices they’ve made down through the years allow us all to revel in the freedom we have today; the forfeiture of one’s own life for the cause of freedom is the quintessence of all that is good, right and noble about this country.
The greatness of America’s armed forces has liberated countries, freed the oppressed, toppled tyrants and dethroned dictators. But not without sacrifice; there’s virtually no corner of this globe where American troops have not spilled blood.
Thus, we may often speak of freedom yet we rarely speak of those to whom we owe it.
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New options for Boomers with foot and ankle arthritis
(NewsUSA) - As they approach retirement, many members of the "Me Generation" aren't ready to slow down, even if their bodies are. Foot and ankle surgeons say baby boomers are more likely than previous generations to seek care when arthritis develops in their toes, feet and ankles.
"Unlike their parents, baby boomers do not accept foot pain as a natural part of aging," says John Giurini, DPM, a Boston foot and ankle surgeon and president of the 6,000-member American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons (ACFAS). "When conservative treatments fail, they want to know what other options exist."
After they're diagnosed, many boomers hold high expectations for treatment. They may look forward to playing sports or to running again. While there is no fountain of youth for a degenerative condition like arthritis, there are more medical options available than ever before.
The big toe joint is the most common part of the foot to develop osteoarthritis, according to FootPhysicians.com. For boomers with early-stage arthritis in this joint, modern surgical procedures may provide more pain relief and increased joint movement.
Boomers with advanced and severe arthritis may need to have the joint fused or replaced. Now, stronger screws and hardware are helping fusions last longer, while slashing recovery times. A new generation of big toe joint replacements also shows promise.
Ankles are another prime spot for arthritis. Innovative surgical techniques allow foot and ankle surgeons to transplant small plugs of cartilage from one part of the ankle to another in some patients, slowing joint deterioration.
Ankle replacements, however, are not as durable as hip and knee replacements. The ankle is a more challenging joint to replace. It's smaller and moves in multiple
directions. But better and promising ankle implants are hitting the market.
Distributed by Internet Broadcasting. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. | <urn:uuid:728c6c8a-6b08-4907-ad50-ae2f52aaa31c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.local10.com/thats-life/south-florida-health/podiatry/New-options-for-Boomers-with-foot-and-ankle-arthritis/-/7106984/15944686/-/view/print/-/14ssp6g/-/index.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 | 0.942558 | 411 | 1.710938 | 2 |
STOLEN : L GALLANDT MARBLE STATUE AND GARDEN URN
Stolen from Lisburn area of Northern Ireland on 5 Nov 2007
Item : 1 white marble statue by L Gallandt named ROMA. This is approx 5ft in height and weighs approx 1/2 tonne. The figure depicts a young lady with a wresth of flowers on her head. Her right foot is in front of the left and both arms are outstretched. This staue is worth approximately £30,000.
2 large cast iron urns had been taken from the rear of a house. These are approx 3ft in height and are quite decorative with figures depcited around the main body of the urn. Each one of these urns is worth approx £3,000.
Another pair of urns have also been found to be missing. These are worth approx £3,000 each also, but are less decorative than the other pair.
All items were stolen during the course of a burglary at a private dwelling in the Lisburn area of Northern Ireland between the 5th and 6th November 2007. No pictures are available at present.
Any information regarding any of these items should be made available to Police at Lisburn PSNI station.
Any info to : Police at Lisburn PSNI station
Crime Ref : 2007110600147
No of items stolen : 5
Recovered Details : No items have been recovered.
Location : UK > Co Antrim
Category : Architectural STONE & TERRACOTTA
ID : 36191
User : 30842 ; Police ; (Registered SalvoWEB user for 2 years or more)
Date Created : 03 Jan 2008 15:02:44
Date Modified : 08 Jul 2008 13:41:38; | <urn:uuid:7b35f2b4-a780-4885-841b-aa140091a0fa> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.theft-alerts.com/uk/coantrim/stolen.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704713110/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516114513-00004-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.936065 | 373 | 1.8125 | 2 |
Congratulations! You've found the perfect investment property! Now the real work begins: How are you going to pay for it? And how much profit will you make?
Financing your new purchase is hands-down the most confusing piece of the puzzle for buyers investing in real estate. Where do you go to get a good loan? How can you be sure that your investment will make money? What's the best strategy for the market we're in? In "Real Estate Investing II: Financing Your Property," we'll demystify lending and the world of real estate finance so you know exactly how to profit from your investments.
In today's market, you can get burned by not doing your homework, or by just buying a property and hoping it goes up in value over time. Few investors take the time to really do in-depth analysis on a potential investment. Either they don't know how to do financial analysis, or they find it difficult or unnecessary. Then they wonder why they didn't make as much money as they hoped, or why they didn't sell when they should have. Instead, smart investors take a little time up front to "crunch the numbers" and do thorough financial analysis before committing to a deal. If you have the right information and tools, financial deal analysis can be easy, and yes, even fun! "Real Estate Investing II: Financing Your Property" will help you uncover the secrets of deal analysis so you can stretch your investment dollar further than ever.
If you're looking to create cash flow, invest for retirement, or simply build wealth, you need to understand how to crunch numbers and make decisions. "Real Estate Investing II: Financing Your Property" will show you how to improve your borrowing power, create more cash flow, and maximize your investments.
We'll also explore what to do if you have credit challenges, are self-employed, have a heavy debt load, or want to invest in new construction or commercial property. We'll look at how to easily perform real estate investment calculations using specially designed Excel worksheets that calculate investment returns, mortgage amortization, cash flow forecasting, and many other functions, even if you're allergic to math!
You'll discover how to find a good loan officer, what questions to ask when shopping for a loan, and how to increase your credit score by 30 points or more overnight! You'll discover a loan that allows you to pick how much you pay each month. You'll also learn about a new loan product that allows you to pay off your mortgage in less than 10 years without making additional payments or paying more than an interest-only payment!
Designed for old pros as well as novice investors, this practical, straightforward guide will shine a light on real estate finance and the mortgage industry, and will walk you step-by-step through the loan process. With special sections on commercial and construction loans, this course will demystify the lending process and put you on your way to financial freedom.
Combined with our first course, "Real Estate Investing," you'll have all the tools you need to make your real estate investing efforts a success!
Click here to enroll today! >>
Session Start Dates: | <urn:uuid:ab17096b-b4b7-4de4-96b8-eee5b4cd7a90> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.ed2go.com/online-courses/real-estate-investing-2-financing-your-property.html?site=ivyindy&tab=detail | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00013-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.957012 | 657 | 1.554688 | 2 |
- Special Features
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South Korea recently verified that North Korea’s dictator Kim Jong Un’s wife Ri Sol-ju secretly gave birth to their first child late last year.
The gender of the newborn is not known, but speculators believe the baby may be a girls.
Michael Madden, editor of the online newsletter North Korea Leadership Watch told The Washington Free Beacon, “If it was a boy, [the North Koreans] would have made an announcement.”
If it were a boy, the child could become the fourth-generation to lead North Korea’s communist dictatorship.
Initial speculation of the pregnancy occurred last fall when North Korean agents were seen purchasing baby clothes.
According to Fox News, Kim Jong Un’s wife is said to be influential in the Pyongyang leadership hierarchy.
Kim Jong Un became dictator after his father Kim Jong Il died in 2011 after ruling for 17 years. The North Korean Leader met with former NBA player Dennis Rodman last week. The NBA star seemed to take a liking to the dictator. | <urn:uuid:54a8b538-0c93-4215-a178-2d31fb48dad6> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://thecelebritycafe.com/feature/2013/03/north-korea-s-kim-jong-un-s-wife-gives-birth | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705195219/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115315-00008-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.967241 | 226 | 1.6875 | 2 |
Free Markets, Free People
One of the jokes that has gone around for some time concerning ObamaCare’s eventual hearing in the Supreme Court is it will likely revolve around what Justice Kennedy had for breakfast. The obvious point being most SCOTUS observers can pretty much predict how the other 8 Justices might rule, but Kennedy is sort of the wild card and swing vote.
So, as you might imagine, many eyes are on him.
Today was the 2nd day of oral arguments in the case. This question from Justice Kennedy may give an indication of how he’s leaning in the case:
JUSTICE KENNEDY: “Could you help — help me with this. Assume for the moment — you may disagree. Assume for the moment that this is unprecedented, this is a step beyond what our cases have allowed, the affirmative duty to act to go into commerce. If that is so, do you not have a heavy burden of justification? I understand that we must presume laws are constitutional, but, even so, when you are changing the relation of the individual to the government in this, what we can stipulate is, I think, a unique way, do you not have a heavy burden of justification to show authorization under the Constitution?”
My answer to his question is “you bet”. How did the Solicitor General answer?
GENERAL VERRILLI: So two things about that, Justice Kennedy. First, we think this is regulation of people’s participation in the health care market, and all — all this minimum coverage provision does is say that, instead of requiring insurance at the point of sale, that Congress has the authority under the commerce power and the necessary proper power to ensure that people have insurance in advance of the point of sale because of the unique nature of this market, because this is a market in which — in which you — although most of the population is in the market most of the time — 83 percent visit a physician every year; 96 percent over a five-year period — so virtually everybody in society is in this market, and you’ve got to pay for the health care you get, the predominant way in which it’s — in which it’s paid for is insurance, and — and the Respondents agree that Congress could
require that you have insurance in order to get health care or forbid health care from being provided.
Uh, I don’t know about you, but it seems to me that the Solicitor General sidestepped the question and erected a giant strawman.
If you want to read the transcript of today’s oral arguments they’re here and they’re very interesting. If I had to guess, I’d say the law is in trouble. I found the arguments for to be fairly weak and I got the indication that most of the Justices (well, at least a majority of the Justices) may have as well.
Bottom line, Kennedy’s question is still laying out there unanswered.
UPDATE: More Justice Kennedy:
JUSTICE KENNEDY: But the reason, the reason this is concerning, is because it requires the individual to do an affirmative act. In the law of torts our tradition, our law, has been that you don’t have the duty to rescue someone if that person is in danger. The blind man is walking in front of a car and you do not have a duty to stop him absent some relation between you. And there is some severe moral criticisms of that rule, but that’s generally the rule.
And here the government is saying that the Federal Government has a duty to tell the individual citizen that it must act, and that is different from what we have in previous cases and that changes the relationship of the Federal Government to the individual in the very fundamental way.
Indeed, it does.
I don’t know about you, but this seems such a clear thing to me. If law enforcement is going to put any sort of a tracking device on a citizen’s vehicle, they need to obtain a warrant first. See 4th Amendment:
The Supreme Court on Monday ruled unanimously that the police violated the Constitution when they placed a Global Positioning System tracking device on a suspect’s car and monitored its movements for 28 days.
Walter Dellinger, a lawyer for the defendant in the case and a former acting United States solicitor general, said the decision was “a signal event in Fourth Amendment history.”
“Law enforcement is now on notice,” Mr. Dellinger said, “that almost any use of GPS electronic surveillance of a citizen’s movement will be legally questionable unless a warrant is obtained in advance.”
“We hold that the government’s installation of a GPS device on a target’s vehicle, and its use of that device to monitor the vehicle’s movements, constitutes a ‘search,’ ” Justice Antonin Scalia wrote for the majority. Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. and Justices Anthony M. Kennedy, Clarence Thomas and Sonia Sotomayor joined the majority opinion.
“It is important to be clear about what occurred in this case,” Justice Scalia went on. “The government physically occupied private property for the purpose of obtaining information. We have no doubt that such a physical intrusion would have been considered a ‘search’ within the meaning of the Fourth Amendment when it was adopted.”
The government, in this case, had put a GPS device on the target’s vehicle without a warrant, monitored it for 28 days and then used that information at his trial (he was convicted on cocaine trafficking charges and given a life sentence).
The reason I think this should have been a no-brainer for LEOs is the fact that the SCOTUS decision was unanimous.
When the case was argued in November, a lawyer for the federal government said the number of times the federal authorities used GPS devices to track suspects was “in the low thousands annually.”
Vernon Herron, a former Maryland state trooper now on the staff of the University of Maryland’s Center for Health and Homeland Security, said state and local law enforcement officials used GPS and similar devices “all the time,” adding that “this type of technology is very useful for narcotics and terrorism investigations.”
Monday’s decision thus places a significant burden on widely used law enforcement surveillance techniques, though the authorities remain free to seek warrants from judges authorizing the surveillance.
Ok, get a freaking warrant first.
What this decision does is uphold a Constitutional right that has been under assault for quite some times. The “envelope stretching” that is not uncommon as new technology offers new methods of surveillance and monitoring. The watchword for LEOs should be “when in doubt, get a warrant”. And live by the document you’ve sworn to uphold and defend.
ObamaCare, as mentioned in a previous post, gets its Constitutional review by the Supreme Court today. CATO’s Ilya Shapiro lays out the agenda:
This morning, as expected, the Supreme Court agreed to take up Obamacare. What was unexpected — and unprecedented in modern times — is that it set aside five-and-a-half hours for the argument. Here are the issues the Court will decide:
- Whether Congress has the power to enact the individual mandate. – 2 hours
- Whether the challenge to the individual mandate is barred by the Anti-Injunction Act. – 1 hour
- Whether and to what extent the individual mandate, if unconstitutional, is severable from the rest of the Act. – 90 minutes
- Whether the new conditions on all federal Medicaid funding (expanding eligibility, greater coverage, etc.) constitute an unconstitutional coercion of the states. – 1 hour
Those are critical questions. They tend to define in four points, how threatened our rights are by this awful legislation. Forget what it is about, consider to what level it intrudes and what, if found Constitutional, it portends.
If found Constitutional, you can take the actual Constitution, the one that no fair reading gives an inkling of support to such nonsense as ObamaCare, and cut it up for toilet paper. It will be, officially, dead.
A decision that supports those 4 points (or even some of them) means the end of federalism and the final establishment of an all powerful national government which can (and will) run your life just about any way it wishes. If it has the power to enact a mandate such as that called for in ObamaCare, it can mandate just about anything it wishes. And, if the new conditions on all federal Medicaid funding stand, the states have no grounds to resist or refuse other federal intrusion.
In any event, the Supreme Court has now set the stage for the most significant case since Roe v. Wade. Indeed, this litigation implicates the future of the Republic as Roe never did. On both the individual-mandate and Medicaid-coercion issues, the Court will decide whether the Constitution’s structure — federalism and enumeration of powers — is judicially enforceable or whether Congress is the sole judge of its own authority. In other words, do we have a government of laws or men?
If you’re devoted to freedom and liberty and opposed to intrusive and coercive government, you know how you want this to come out.
And it isn’t to the advantage of ObamaCare.
In a decision today, the Supreme Court basically upheld the portion of the Arizona state law that sanctions employers who hire illegal immigrants:
The 5-3 decision upholds the Legal Arizona Workers Act of 2007 and its so-called business death penalty for employers who are caught repeatedly hiring illegal immigrants. The state law also requires employers to check the federal E-Verify system before hiring new workers, a provision that was also upheld Thursday.
Thursday’s decision is a defeat for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, several civil-rights groups and the Obama administration, all of whom opposed the Arizona law and its sanctions on employers. They argued that federal law said states may not impose "civil or criminal sanctions" on employers.
This ruling boosts state’s arguments that they have at least some rights in terms of controlling illegal immigration (particularly when the federal government refuses to act). The three dissenters disagreed:
In dissent were Justices Stephen G. Breyer, Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Sonia Sotomayor. They said federal law prohibited states from imposing their own immigration-related rules on employers. Justice Elena Kagan sat out the case.
Of course federal law prohibits, or tries to prohibit such rules by states, but the court just changed that, didn’t they? It gives states back some of their rights and reduces the power of the federal government in an area where I think it’s power needed to be reduced, particularly since it appears the problem is out of control with the fed in charge.
I have mixed feelings about the so-called “death penalty” for businesses. I assume, or at least hope that there are appeals, etc. before it is finally imposed because such a penalty effects more than just the business owners in many cases.
By ruling that the states have the right to impose such a penalty though, illegal immigrants will find gaining employment much harder than it was before as there are few businesses who are going to figure that saving a little money hiring an illegal is worth the “death penalty” if caught.
Oh … and to save the drive by commenters the trouble – being against “illegal immigration”, note the term emphasized, does not mean one is against “immigration”, thankyouverymuch.
It must be getting uncomfortable legally for supporters of ObamaCare. They’re calling out the big guns. Today, we hear from Lawrence Tribe who attempts the usual arguments, but then spends a lot of time praising the justices of the Supreme Court (well, except Thomas, of course). There’s a reason for that as we’ll see.
Tribe first attempts to argue that the commerce clause is indeed applicable:
Since the New Deal, the court has consistently held that Congress has broad constitutional power to regulate interstate commerce. This includes authority over not just goods moving across state lines, but also the economic choices of individuals within states that have significant effects on interstate markets. By that standard, this law’s constitutionality is open and shut. Does anyone doubt that the multitrillion-dollar health insurance industry is an interstate market that Congress has the power to regulate?
Of course that’s not the argument. Few would argue, given precedent, that Congress does indeed have the power to regulate the insurance industry. They may find it to be a stretch and most likely not how the Founders envisioned the regulatory powers of Congress being used, but few can deny that’s the legal state of affairs today. But:
Many new provisions in the law, like the ban on discrimination based on pre-existing conditions, are also undeniably permissible. But they would be undermined if healthy or risk-prone individuals could opt out of insurance, which could lead to unacceptably high premiums for those remaining in the pool. For the system to work, all individuals — healthy and sick, risk-prone and risk-averse — must participate to the extent of their economic ability.
Note the emphasis – “the system” won’t work unless “all individuals” participate “to the extent of their economic ability”. So it’s not about the sick, it’s about system viability. A “system” which doesn’t yet exist takes precedence, because supporters want it, over the individual right to say “uh, no thanks”.
It also ignores those who presently pay their way. Yes, folks, there are some out there. And no, Tribe isn’t about to let them off the hook because they’re on the end of the economic spectrum where they’ll be paying full price for insurance and then some.
Back to the point – his argument is for the “system.” The “system”, imposed by Congress, must abrogate the individual’s right to make an economic choice based on his or her desires, needs or priorities because the system’s very existence depends on universal participation. That’s the tail wagging the dog. Our Constitutional system exists to protect individual rights and choices – not take them away. And this mandate is an abrogation of the “right to choose” (which the left only seems to want you to have when it comes to abortion) what economic activity an individual will participate in is dead.
In this regard, the health care law is little different from Social Security. The court unanimously recognized in 1982 that it would be “difficult, if not impossible” to maintain the financial soundness of a Social Security system from which people could opt out. The same analysis holds here: by restricting certain economic choices of individuals, we ensure the vitality of a regulatory regime clearly within Congress’s power to establish.
In 1982, Social Security had been around for decades. ObamaCare hasn’t taken the first payment by mandate. And the fact that Social Security had existed for decades and millions had been forced to pay into it (but had yet to recoup their payments) may have influenced the Court to find keeping Social Security. That’s not the case for ObamaCare. Tribe’s is an empty argument. There’s another difference. Personally, I think that Social Security is as unconstitutional as the ObamaCare mandate – but it is a fee taken in the form of taxation (even if it does end up being a mandated program). And that brings us to the core of the matter concerning ObamaCare:
Even if the interstate commerce clause did not suffice to uphold mandatory insurance, the even broader power of Congress to impose taxes would surely do so. After all, the individual mandate is enforced through taxation, even if supporters have been reluctant to point that out.
It possibly could – but then the law would most likely have to be rewritten to reflect that, and there’s a slim to none chance of that happening with a Republican House. In fact, this is the path the last Congress should have taken vs. an individual mandate. I don’t care how hard lawyers like Tribe argue that it is Constitutional, it doesn’t pass the Constitutional smell test. Congress is given the power to regulate the activity of interstate business actors. Opting not to buy something does not make you a part of that, no matter how badly supporters want that to be true. A decision not to buy is an individual choice that government has no business – and until this point – no right or power to compel one to change.
The danger here, of course, is given the precedent of Medicare and Social Security, I fear a tax would pass Constitutional muster, given the expansion of powers SCOTUS has granted Congress since FDR.
Tribe outlines his arguments as if they’re open and shut. They’re not – in fact, to a layman they appear pretty darn weak (well other than the tax, which hasn’t a chance, at least at the moment, of passing). The indication that they weak comes from the rest of the article where he appeals to the integrity and consistency of the justices and his appeal to do the right thing and find this all Constitutional. Tribe’s entire argument, and that of supporters, is individuals, at some point in their lives, must use the health care system. Therefore, they must make a “commercial decision” about how to pay for it. It is that decision that Tribe says constitutes the basis for Congress to assume the power to dictate how they’ll pay. It is nonsense on a stick (and it doesn’t take a very bright person to see the future implications of such a finding).
In fact, Allahpundit of Hot Air sees this op/ed for what it really is. It certainly isn’t about the pedestrian legal arguments, as they’re the same ones many on the left have been making since ObamaCare was challenged and found unconstitutional. It is in fact an op/ed to set up a narrative if the court should not find in favor of the ObamaCare law. Tribe spends the entire 2nd half of his op/ed praising the justices and calling on them to do their constitutional duty and dispel the rumor that they’re “political” animals. This, says Allahpundit, is why Tribe wrote the piece:
His goal here isn’t to persuade Times readers that he’s correct on the legal merits; his goal is to persuade Times readers that if the Supreme Court disagrees with him, it is, must, and can only be because they’re right-wing hacks with no regard for the Constitution or for precedent. It’s transparent narrative-building for liberal bien-peasants, a way of moving the Overton window so that any unfavorable ruling, notwithstanding the legal novelty of the mandate or the reasoning of the majority opinion, must be illegitimate. Which is to say, it’s a nakedly political argument dressed up as a plea to keep politics out of law.
Exactly … pretty transparent for a Harvard Law professor whose hubris is such that he sees himself smarter than just about anyone else. Here he comes across as a political hack and water carrier for the administration. It also tells me that the administration, even with their public pronouncements of faith that the challenges will fail, think they’re in trouble.
I’m not a lawyer nor do I pretend to be, although I do enjoy discussing legal matters very much.
Anyway, as you might imagine, Judge Vinson’s ruling has created a bit of a stir with the left, of course, accusing him of “extreme activism” and the right saying “right on”. In reality, all it means is the future of the law depends on what Justice Kennedy is feeling like when the SCOTUS hears it because they are going to have to review it now.
So, back to me not being a lawyer, I’d like to turn to someone who is and who has followed this closely and, in fact, wrote amicus briefs for two of the governors involved in the lawsuits – Hans Bader who is a senior attorney with the Competitive Enterprise Institute. Here’s his opinion of the ruling:
A judge in Florida just declared the health care law known as “Obamacare” unconstitutional, ruling it void in its entirety. Judge Vinson rightly declared the health care law’s individual mandate unconstitutional, since the inactivity of not buying health insurance is not an “economic activity” that Congress has the power to regulate under the Interstate Commerce Clause. (Under the Supreme Court’s decision in United States v. Morrison (2000), which I helped litigate, only “economic activity” can be regulated under the Commerce Clause, with the possible exception of those non-economic activities that harm instrumentalities of interstate commerce or cross state lines.)
Judge Vinson also rightly declared the law as a whole unconstitutional. The health care law lacks a severability clause. So if a major provision like the individual mandate is unconstitutional — as it indeed was — then the whole law must be struck down.
The absence of a severability clause meant that, at a minimum, the burden of proof shifted to the government to prove (among other things) that the law would have passed even without the individual-mandate provision that the court has just ruled unconstitutional. The government could not, and did not, meet that burden of proof, given the incredibly narrow margin by which the health care law passed in the House, and the fact that it circumvented a filibuster with no votes to spare in the Senate.
As I noted earlier in The Washington Examiner, “To justify preserving the rest of the law, the judge” in the earlier Virginia case “cited a 2010 Supreme Court ruling [Free Enterprise Fund v. PCAOB] that invalidated part of a law — but kept the rest of it in force. But that case involved a law passed almost unanimously by Congress, which would have passed it even without the challenged provision. Obamacare is totally different. It was barely passed by a divided Congress, but only as a package. Supporters admitted that the unconstitutional part of it — the insurance mandate — was the law’s heart. Obamacare’s legion of special-interest giveaways that are ‘extraneous to health care’ does not alter that.” In short, Obamacare’s individual mandate is not “volitionally severable,” as case law requires.
The individual mandate provision also was not “functionally” severable from the rest of the law, since the very Congress that passed deemed it absolutely “essential” to the Act’s overarching goals (as Judge Vinson in Florida correctly noted).
(In our amicus brief in the Florida case for Governors Tim Pawlenty and Donald L. Carcieri, we also argue that Obamacare violates the Tenth Amendment by exceeding Congress’s power under the Spending Clause, a so-called Pennhurst argument.)
In footnote 27, the judge cited with approval the thoughtful brief of legal scholar Ken Klukowski explaining why Obamacare should be struck down in its entirety under settled principles of severability.
So there it is with all the links. I’m hoping that’s how the SCOTUS sees it as well. So for the lawyers among us – have at it guys.
Apparently that depends on how Justice Kennedy decides. Of the 8 justices on the case (Kagen recused herself) he appears to be the only one whose final stance is unknown. As Lyle Denniston at SCOTUS blog says:
Were Kennedy to vote to uphold the law, despite apparent reservations, the result probably would be a 5-3 win for Arizona. But if he voted to strike down the law, there seemed likely to be only three other votes to go with his, making the vote 4-4 — but Arizona still would win, because such a split vote would summarily affirm a Ninth Circuit Court decision that upheld the state’s worker control law.
However, as he further notes, a split would only apply to that particular case and not more broadly. It would also indicate the probability of any cases that follow it would most likely fail:
Evenly divided results, however, do not set a precedent beyond the individual case, so the result in the future, if all nine Justices took part, might well come out differently: Justice Kagan’s vote could be the swing vote. And other test cases are on the way — including one involving an even broader Arizona anti-immigration law, and a set of alien restrictions adopted by the local government in Hazleton, Pa.
So stay tuned. Worst case for AZ is it gets part of the law affirmed if there’s a split. However it would also mean that the ability for states to address immigration problems would most likely be dead. Supporters have got to hope Kennedy comes down on the side of the right of a state to address the problem that the Federal Government seems unwilling and/or unable to address.
Having made it up as they go, the Obama administration is now arguing that the mandate to buy insurance coverage under Obamacare is a perfectly legal tax.
That, of course, after the President denied it was a tax in order to sell it:
“For us to say that you’ve got to take a responsibility to get health insurance is absolutely not a tax increase,” the president said last September, in a spirited exchange with George Stephanopoulos on the ABC News program “This Week.”
When Mr. Stephanopoulos said the penalty appeared to fit the dictionary definition of a tax, Mr. Obama replied, “I absolutely reject that notion.”
You can tell he was a constitutional expert when he taught, can’t you?
So much so that the Department of Justice, in a brief defending the law, claims it to be a "valid exercise of the Congressional power to impose taxes:
Congress can use its taxing power “even for purposes that would exceed its powers under other provisions” of the Constitution, the department said. For more than a century, it added, the Supreme Court has held that Congress can tax activities that it could not reach by using its power to regulate commerce.
Except Congress doesn’t argue that at all. Instead it relies on the Commerce Clause as its justification for the mandate:
Congress anticipated a constitutional challenge to the individual mandate. Accordingly, the law includes 10 detailed findings meant to show that the mandate regulates commercial activity important to the nation’s economy. Nowhere does Congress cite its taxing power as a source of authority.
And then, per the White House, if any additional authority is needed – other than the power to define and then levy taxes (Congress) or the commerce clause, why just consult the General Welfare Clause. They have more Constitutional ways to make you buy something you may not want than you can imagine:
“The Commerce Clause supplies sufficient authority for the shared-responsibility requirements in the new health reform law,” Mr. Pfeiffer said. “To the extent that there is any question of additional authority — and we don’t believe there is — it would be available through the General Welfare Clause.”
One has to assume they just plan on overwhelming the Court with as many “viable alternatives” as it takes to get their way.
One Yale professor says the tax argument – the one Mr. Obama denied – is the strongest argument:
Jack M. Balkin, a professor at Yale Law School who supports the new law, said, “The tax argument is the strongest argument for upholding” the individual-coverage requirement.
Mr. Obama “has not been honest with the American people about the nature of this bill,” Mr. Balkin said last month at a meeting of the American Constitution Society, a progressive legal organization. “This bill is a tax. Because it’s a tax, it’s completely constitutional.”
Smoke, mirrors, deceit and debt. That’s what you get for trusting a snake-oil salesman with your health care. Oh and this:
“This is the first time that Congress has ever ordered Americans to use their own money to purchase a particular good or service,” said Senator Orrin G. Hatch, Republican of Utah.
If this survives the court challenge, it won’t be the last – trust me on that.
The irony, of course, is the Constitution was written to limit government and keep it off our back. Instead it is now being used to expand government and intrude more and more deeply in our lives.
And that may be exactly what will happen when, inevitably, much of the law and regulation pushed by the Obama administration and passed by the Democratic Congress are challenged in court – a poor tactical choice may come back to haunt the administration.
You probably remember the incident. I remember remarking at the time that such a public embarrassment could come back to haunt Obama. And that may end up being the case:
But the year’s most important moment may have come on the January evening when the justices gathered at the Capitol for President Obama’s State of the Union address.
They had no warning about what was coming.
Obama and his advisors had weighed how to respond to the court’s ruling the week before, which gave corporations the same free-spending rights as ordinary Americans. They saw the ruling as a rash, radical move to tilt the political system toward big business as they coped with the fallout from the Wall Street collapse.
Some advisors counseled caution, but the president opted to criticize the conservative justices in the uncomfortable spotlight of national television as Senate Democrats roared their approval.
Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. is still angered by what he saw as a highly partisan insult to the independent judiciary. The incident put a public spotlight on the deep divide between the Obama White House and the Roberts court, one that could have a profound effect in the years ahead.
A public challenging of the integrity and independence of the court was more than a rookie mistake. It was dumb politics. It was an unforced error by Obama that may indeed have “profound effect” on the court’s rulings.
The court may have had to sit there and take it at the time, but once back in their seat of power, it is they who are all powerful and can wreak havoc on the administration’s regulation regime and legislation.
That’s not to say the conservative side of the court will intentionally go after the administration’s agenda items – damn the law- but it may mean that they cut the administration no slack whatsoever and commit themselves to very strict interpretations of the Constitution that leave little latitude for meaningful legislative change to satisfy the court.
So what does that mean practically? Take health care reform and the possible coming government arguments that the mandate to buy insurance is a) a tax or is b) covered by the interstate commerce clause.
Of course the court then has to decide on whether it is indeed a tax, if that tax is Constitutionally legal and whether Congress has the power to levy it.
Or, it will have to decide if such a mandate is indeed Constitutional under the commerce clause.
Given the incident during the State of the Union address, is there anyone who believes the administration’s arguments will be given the benefit of the doubt when it comes to a ruling on either question? If, in fact, it could conceivably go either way, I think most believe the way it will go will be the way least favored by the administration at least on the conservative side of the house.
Of course you’ll hear charges of “judicial activism” if that happens, but I’d be more likely to find a more narrow definition of the commerce clause or Congress’s taxing power to be anything but activist in nature.
It’ll be interesting to watch this all unfold. It’ll be a while before any of this reaches SCOTUS, but when it does, the fireworks generated will be much better than anything seen on the 4th of July.
In a rather interesting ruling which, unsurprisingly, split along ideological lines, the Supreme Court today made it clear that all Americans enjoy the full right and benefit of self-defense guaranteed by the 2nd Amendment. Mary Katharine Ham notes part of the majority opinion written by Justice Samuel Alito:
Alito writes in part, “Self-defense is a basic right, recognized by many legal systems from ancient times to the present day, and in Heller, we held that individual self-defense is “the central component” of the Second Amendment right,” while allowing, as in Heller, for sensible gun ownership restrictions.
Alito went on to write:
We repeat those assurances here. Despite municipal respondents’ doomsday proclamations, incorporation does not imperil every law regulating firearms.
Of course, the crack left by that sentence will be fully exploited by municipalities and states, calling whatever they try to do "sensible gun ownership restrictions". But Alito makes it clear that the Bill of Rights, as incorporated under the Constitution, doesn’t mean that states have the right or authority to radically change the intent of the constitutional guarantees they provide citizens:
"The relationship between the Bill of Rights’ guarantees and the States must be governed by a single, neutral principle. It is far too late to exhume what Justice Brennan, writing for the Court 46 years ago, derided as “the notion that the Fourteenth Amendment applies to the States only a watered-down, subjective version of the individual guarantees of the Bill of Rights.”
Or, screw with this ruling at your own peril.
As mentioned, the court split 5-4. Justice Stephen Breyer wrote the dissent:
He disagreed with the majority that it is a fundamental right, and said the court was restricting state and local efforts from designing gun control laws that fit their particular circumstances, and turning over all decisions to federal judges.
"Given the empirical and local value-laden nature of the questions that lie at the heart of the issue, why, in a nation whose constitution foresees democratic decision-making, is it so fundamental a matter as to require taking that power from the people?" Breyer wrote. "What is it here that the people did not know? What is it that a judge knows better?"
Well that’s a simple one, Justice Breyer – because rights aren’t something one votes on. A right is something one either has or doesn’t. What Breyer is suggesting is it should be up to a majority to “vote” to take away the rights guaranteed to all Americans by the Constitution. In my ideological neck of the woods, that dog won’t hunt. | <urn:uuid:1f50f530-e0a7-4881-b32b-4afbf43979be> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.qando.net/index.php?cat=430&paged=2 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00016-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.959433 | 7,335 | 1.53125 | 2 |
Campaigning for the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) in Shan State South’s gemland of Monghsu a few days before the polls, a junta official reportedly warned voters against casting votes for its rival party, the Shan Nationalities Democratic Party (SNDP).
“If you are unwise enough to vote for the white tigers (popular name for the SNDP),” U Kyaw Tin Swe, Monghsu Township USDP secretary, was quoted as telling people of Na Zam, “Shan State will become a Chinese vassal. I therefore urge those of you who don’t wish to become Chinese slaves to vote for the USDP.”
This was the first time junta authorities have publicly alluded to China. Previously, they had invariably cautioned people against “fiendish plot” to take over Shan State by Thailand. Thais and Shans are historic, linguistic and ethnic cousins.
China is considered as the closest ally of junta-ruled Burma and endlessly referred to as Pauk Hpaw (Sibling). Beijing’s state-run Global Times had lauded the elections as “a step forward”.
China is also said to be maintaining friendly relations with armed movements struggling against Naypyitaw for self-rule, such as the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), Shan State Army (SSA) ‘North’ and ‘South’, United Wa State Army (UWSA) and National Democratic Alliance Army (NDAA).
Among them, the SSA South had declared as far back as 26 May that it would only stick to the 1990 poll results and would not support any parties set up to contest the 7 November elections.
USDP candidates had also attacked the SNDP as being supported by illegal armed groups, a charge that the SNDP had categorically denied.
Also according to a report from a reliable source, Prime Minister Thein Sein, leader of the USDP, had told members in Shan State North last month that the SNDP, in the event that the USDP were defeated in the polls, would be accused of working hand in glove with unlawful associations.
The SNDP has confirmed that it has so far secured 57 out of 156 seats that it is contesting.
Kyaw Tin Swe, USDP, beat his SNDP opponent Sai Lao Pangfa: 8,576 votes to 7,567 votes, “due to bundles of advance votes,” reports Kawli, ad hoe blog set up by a Shan group. | <urn:uuid:02366ca6-8faa-43bf-afc7-38ae62b89df7> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://shanland.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=3298%3Ajunta-official-if-shan-party-wins-shan-state-will-be-subjugated-by-china&Itemid=301 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697974692/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095254-00016-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.977697 | 534 | 1.65625 | 2 |
O2 Broadband has become the latest ISP to block file-sharing website The Pirate Bay (TPB) after a High Court order banning the site in the UK.
The Pirate Bay is a file-sharing website, which allows users to search for links to sometimes copyrighted material.
O2 said that access to TPB was blocked from 00.01am on Friday.
Be Broadband, a subsidiary of O2, also said it would start to observe the ban, even though it did not agree with the decision.
The High Court said in April that ISPs had to block users from accessing the site.
It ruled in favour of a complaint by the British Phonographic Industry, which said the site promotes illegal breaches of copyright.
The ruling meant that ISPs, who also include Talk Talk, Everything Everywhere, Sky and Virgin Media, have until June 13 to block its users from accessing TPB.
Sky Broadband were one of the first major ISPs to observe the ban and said they supported the move.
"It's important that companies like ours do what they can, alongside the government and the rest of the media and technology industries, to help protect copyright," Sky said in May.
But critics of the decision say it threatens wider freedoms online, and could be the start of a slippery slope towards censorship.
In a post on its blog, Be Broadband said it would not have chosen to enforce the ban.
"BE takes pride in the fact that our broadband products are unlimited and unthrottled. Unlike other ISPs, we never slow down or limit your connection artificially no matter what protocol or site you're using. Legally we need to comply with court orders but wherever possible we leave it up to you.
"We wouldn't choose to do this voluntarily but we need to comply with UK laws just like any UK business.
We're aware of the concerns voiced by members about the broader issue. Our policy of zero traffic management means that we treat all protocols equally (eg web, downloads, VPNs) and we will do as much as we can to give you the internet as you want it, whilst complying with UK laws."
O2 said it had "no choice" but to observe the ban.
It said in a statement: "The main UK internet providers were ordered by the high court to block access to specific IP addresses and URLs used by The Pirate Bay website.
"We have no option but to comply with this order and will be doing so overnight."
Others online pointed out that it is still easy for UK users to access Torrent sites and links, for instance through cached versions of old pages or by using one of several Pirate Bay mirror sites, which are still accessible. | <urn:uuid:3dd3e481-2204-410b-ae7c-5be4d2a1c8ba> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2012/06/08/pirate-bay-ban-o2-blocks-file-sharing-isp_n_1579930.html?1339141712&ref=uk-tech | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00016-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.972299 | 553 | 1.539063 | 2 |
The Dr. Alex Biris Mentorship Fund will provide an annual award presented to a deserving student by Biris and Jones at the Donaghey College of Engineering and Information Technology. The fund will support mentorship activities under Biris’ direct guidance.
“I am honored to be involved in the mentorship program, especially in conjunction with Alex Biris and the Nanotechnology Center,” Jones said. “The cutting edge research being done in this field at UALR is both inspiring and so much fun.”
Jones said she understands the importance of mentors who open the doors of imagination of young people. She saw it happen with her 10-year-old grandson, a budding scientist whom Biris has introduced to the world of nanotechnology and the research being done at UALR.
The Nanotechnology Center at UALR is a state-of-the-art, user-oriented facility focused on research, hands-on education, and development of commercially viable technologies. Research under way at the center includes:
- Creation of nanotechnology-based sensors to detect radiation, gases, and explosives
- Development of new nanostructural materials for tissue and bone regeneration
- Novel cancer therapies targeting individual cancer cells
- Anti-icing coatings for the aerospace industry
- Anti-counterfeit taggants
- Development of new nanostructural composite materials with applications in sensors, nanoelectronics, and nanocomputing
- Creation of new polymeric nanocomposite materials with reduced surface energy and low friction
A new Center for Integrative Nanotechnology Science currently is under construction on the west side of the UALR campus.
Jones, a member of the UALR Board of Visitors, founded the company that bears her name in 1980 and now has the largest market share of residential real estate in the city of Little Rock. She has served as the first female chairman of the Board of the Greater Little Rock Chamber of Commerce and also as the chairman of the Federal Reserve Board of the Little Rock branch. | <urn:uuid:5a22b66f-4423-46fd-8436-1345d4d92664> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://ualr.edu/www/2011/04/12/realtors-gift-honors-nanotechnologist-biris/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00012-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.939613 | 419 | 1.710938 | 2 |
In several conversations this week, I called God terrifying. The overwhelming response of people encountering the Shekina Glory of God in both the Old and New Testaments was one of sheer terror. We forget that God is not human. The coming of the Christ brought Him near and gave us His image in flesh, but God the Father remains Spirit, and utterly beyond. Even His nearness, close as our breath, is beyond us in its very intimacy. We have no truck with God’s terror these days. We’ve decided no God of Love would be terrible in that love or glory. This is hard to grasp. The ocean when it rises up terrifies us. The tornadoes that dipped from turbulent skies this week terrified the people in their paths. We are frightened of a million things, and yet a God whose power holds the potential to destroy all that is is disqualified from Godhood unless He be benign and nothing but soft comfort and healing.
Let’s say the Bible isn’t true. Let’s say scripture is made up stuff, like anything else written by humans. Let’s say God has said nothing of Himself to humanity. Of course, we could even say, there’s no God to speak to us, because there’s no God there.
Now, in the Godless world, what are we faced with? We are faced with reality, with what’s here. We are still faced with the days, the oceans, the winds, and the deaths that haunt us. We still hunger for origin and destiny, now little more than jokes, born now from nothing and headed toward oblivion. Love is a trick of biology, yet we feel anguish and delight, both states of being spun from illogical whims of millions of years. We fight over morality in every society of the world, the winners writing laws that perhaps serve the populace, perhaps serve the despot. Depends on where the power lies, because there is no metanarrative of humanity, except for the nothing nothing that led to chemical something that led to an experienced 2007, space travel, and the height of musical complexity.
Without God, we still want to know our world and ourselves, so we ask a near-infinite number of questions. We get science, sure, but when it comes to meaning, when it comes to why, we are stuck with games for answers, endless twistings of thought to kill each other over, accusations of madness flying back and forth between individuals and cultures. If we can believe history, we humans fed each other to animals for sport two thousand years ago. We stretched each other on racks 500 years ago. We lynched folks a hundred years ago, and these days its bombs and beheadings and common murders of various kinds. What will it be a hundred years out, or a thousand, or the millions between now and when the sun burns up?
Nothing changes. The body may evolve, but the human heart is stuck with a chase for the “good” life in which conditions don’t really change. How strange to appear on a planet with no cause and no destiny but now. So we make it up, and call it life.
Is this overly bleak? The simple raving of a man who woke up on the wrong side of the bed? Atheists don’t mind this scenario, I suppose, because they hold high hopes that humans can rise above the madness and become…what? Gods? In the end, in this kind of world, all the gods die, and again, in the end, what do we gain for all our labor and suffering and dreaming under the sun? History has yet to give us evidence that we are evolving higher states of compassion and love. Killing seems not to have slowed. Oh, but I forget: religion is the problem, they say. If we got rid of God, we could evolve to the higher states of consciousness, freed from our superstition?
Of course, without God, who can say which consciousness is higher? Against what do we judge? How do we know which end is up?
One reason I believe in God is that believing that the scenario of time plus chance plus nothing leads to this world’s being here seems at least as mad as belief that an Intelligent Designer may stand behind it all as first cause. It fact, it seems crazy to me that this all comes from nothing. Science can give us hows and whats, but can never give us whys. We can clone, but we cannot make life. We cannot even make emptiness—no-life—for everything in creation is packed with the energies that underpin all matter, all that is.
We say God, and in our more sober moments, we realize we have no idea what we’re saying. We dismiss Him, and have no idea Who or What we’ve dismissed. What I’m arguing for here is a basic humility toward reality, toward our religious ideas, even toward our doubts. We human beings are an arrogant species, children on a playground standing atop a small mound of dirt, and calling ourselves kings, the only gods in town.
C.S. Lewis argued that our very hunger for knowledge of what is good and evil—in fact the very presence of the categories themselves—is evidence for the existence of a Creator with a character giving rise to our own. It begins from a premise that may not be acceptable, but the move from the premise to the implication is not irrational at all. I will never see that faith in God requires any intellectual suicide.
A man rising from the grave? Most people don’t believe it. They don’t believe it because they understand the power implied. They understand that if we were there that long ago morning, sitting inside the grave, and saw the whole thing happening, it would have terrified us. People only come out of graves in horror movies, you know.
So much of our world has written the terrifying God out of their equation. No mystery, just compassion as we understand it. Well, as Job found out, if you’re going to write God out of life, you’d better “brace yourself like a man,” because whichever way the truth plays out, a human being ends up with a very large– in fact, it’s colossal–task. He either sits astride a world for a few years, and his frenzied chase of whatever is all he’s got, or he gets to face what he can’t comprehend, a God who’s been called a liar, a cheat, and a murderer all His life.
In both cases, arrogant humanity is faced down by powers far, far greater than himself. A Godless world doesn’t care how you go down, it will simply make sure you do. God, on the other hand, at least cares—in fact, scripture argues that He actually loves us.
I’ll take my chances with the love. At the very least, I won’t have to think I’m insane when I feel that love for the world around me. I’ll know it springs from Love itself, from the One Jesus described as life itself.
“…I never said he was safe. But he is good…” | <urn:uuid:f339c0dc-4954-494c-8935-e679b2c27ba7> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://jeffberryman.com/2007/03/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700958435/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104238-00010-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.965787 | 1,518 | 1.71875 | 2 |
CVHN Dental Clinic now serving children who quality for Medicaid
In its seventh year of serving the community, Children's Volunteer Health Network is continuing to expand its mission of enhancing the lives of uninsured and underinsured school-aged children in Okaloosa & Walton Counties. As of September 2012, CVHN had facilitated more than 9,900 medical, dental, vision and mental health care procedures since inception in 2005 and has now taken another step toward serving more children in the community. The CVHN Dental Clinic in Santa Rosa Beach, which opened in April 2012, will now be seeing children who qualify for Medicaid.
"CVHN has worked diligently over the past several years to find a solution to the overwhelming dental care needs of our uninsured and underinsured children. There are numerous children in our community who qualify for Medicaid, but are unable to gain access to dental care due to a very limited number of Medicaid providers in our area. We are thrilled to now be able to expand our dental services to children who qualify for Medicaid,' said Zach Billingsley, CVHN's Executive Director.
CVHN will continue operating in its original mission of facilitating access to medical, dental, vision and mental health care for uninsured and underinsured children in Okaloosa and Walton Counties. Billingsley said, "Our hope is that a combined effort from the local health departments, CVHN's generous volunteer providers, the CVHN Mobile Dental Clinic and our new CVHN Dental Clinic will allow all of our local children to gain access to the care they need and deserve. Our mission remains the same. This will simply allow us to reach more children who face issues gaining access to dental care and help provide some sustainable income for our programs."
The CVHN Dental Clinic is a state of the art 3-chair dental clinic headed by Dr. Stephanie Cook. Cook is a graduate of the University of Florida's College of Dentistry and has four years of dental practice experience, primarily treating indigent children. She has taken two mission trips to Guaimaca, Honduras where she treated impoverished Hondurans in the mountain villages, orphanages and hospital of Guaimaca performing various dental and oral surgical procedures.
ABOUT CHILDREN'S VOLUNTEER HEALTH NETWORK, INC. (CVHN)
Children's Volunteer Health Network, Inc., HEALTHY HAPPY KIDS, is a faith-based 501(c)(3) organization, established in 2005 in response to Walton and Okaloosa county's large population of low income families who are unable to access high quality health services due to the unavailability (or inadequacy) of insurance. CVHN seeks to enhance the lives of uninsured and underinsured school-aged children by facilitating free, immediate access to medical, dental, vision and mental health services by utilizing a network of over 95 local physicians, dentists and healthcare providers. CVHN also operates the 'Just for Grins' Mobile Dental Clinic that visits local elementary schools and opened the CVHN Dental Clinic in 2012. CVHN has facilitated more than 9,900 medical, dental, vision and mental healthcare procedures since inception.
About the author
Offering news, features, insider tips & info, photos and video all across the South Walton area. | <urn:uuid:ddbd7ecb-033b-4e99-896f-f3f9872a6b09> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.sowal.com/blog/sowal-staff/cvhn-dental-clinic-now-serving-children-who-quality-for-medicaid | 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 | 0.949367 | 679 | 1.5625 | 2 |
Chris Christie and Barbara Buono are polar opposites when it comes to education policies
February 14, 2013By Laura Waters, of New Jersey Left Behind
This is part of a series from education blogger Laura Waters of NJ Left Behind.
It may only be February, but New Jersey's November ballot for the gubernatorial election can go to the printer right now: Republican Chris Christie vs. Democratic Senator Barbara Buono. It may not seem like much of a contest -- Monmouth University just released a poll that gives Christie a 62% to 20% lead – but it's still early and 78% of those polled professed that they didn't know Buono well enough to render an opinion.
You can count on this: as the campaign revs up, we'll be hearing much debate about education reform issues. In this arena, as in others, the two candidates have widely divergent agendas and N.J.'s education controversies -- tenure reform, teacher evaluations, charter schools, vouchers – provide red meat for both Christie and Buono to elucidate larger issues of governance.
But let's stick with education.
There's nothing ambiguous about Gov. Christie's education reform agenda. It's as big and as loud as he is.
Teacher tenure is an obsolete relic; out with it! (He settled for a bipartisan deal that adds an additional year to the attainment of job security and makes continued employment contingent on effective classroom performance.)
Charter schools, those autonomous public schools that operate separately from traditional school districts? The more the merrier! (Actually, since the blowback from suburban parents, Christie now maintains that charter school expansion is best targeted at historically poor-performing districts.)
New Jersey Education Association, N.J.'s primary teacher union? "Bullies with a $130 million slushfund. " (He's since softened his stance.)
Corporate-sponsored scholarships for poor kids to go to private and parochial schools, also known as vouchers? Christie's a big advocate of the Opportunity Scholarship Act (OSA), which would legislate a pilot program in (depending who's counting) five to seven urban districts.
Senator Buono does not share the Governor's views. More bluntly, you'd need an electron microscope to find any overlap between the Governor's education agenda and that of the Senator's.
Through Buono's long career in N.J. politics, she's commented on just about every educational issue, including the primary elements of the education reform debate. For broader context in assessing Sen. Buono's education platform, it's important to note her allegiance to public employee unions, especially NJEA. Not that there's anything wrong with that. This is politics, right? And the friendship is reciprocal: the unions have responded generously to her fealty over the years and currently six of her top seven campaign contributors are public unions, including NJEA.
Buono's education platform on charter schools, voucher programs, and teacher evaluations closely echoes NJEA's, which is fine: after all, she's following the lead of professional educators.
Charter schools, she says, should be "laboratories of innovation," a phrase used by many American teacher union leaders. (My personal gripe with that mantra is that it's a way of appearing supportive without any meaningful element of commitment. If charters schools are just lab experiments then they have finite relevance, right? Tell that to the families in Newark whose children attend one of the exemplary KIPP charter schools.)
In fact, Buono echoes NJEA's support for a poorly-designed bill currently lobbied for by suburban parents who feel fiscally threatened by the presence of charter schools. Assembly Bill 1877 would require a public vote before the approval of a charter without the possibility of appeal, virtually shutting down the expansion of charter schools in N.J., a point made by Buono's Democratic colleague in the Senate, Steve Sweeney.
Sen. Buono does not support the Opportunity Scholarship Act, also known as the "voucher bill." At a Senate Education Committee meeting she declared, "I will fight with every fiber of my being to make sure it doesn't [pass]." Concurrently, NJEA notes its "vigorous campaign" against OSA and urges its members to call their legislators and relay their opposition.
Regarding N.J.'s bipartisan tenure and teacher evaluation reform bill, Senator Buono, heeding NJEA's distrust of the use of student standardized tests to gauge teachers' classroom effectiveness, proposed an alternative bill that eschewed all data-driven metrics. Senate Bill 3129, which never got much headwind, was based on a the Teacher Evaluation System in Cincinnati, Ohio, which eschews the use of test scores and instead relies on rigorous classroom evaluations. A recent report showed that implementation in Cincinnati added an additional $7,500 per teacher per year to school budgets, largely to pay for evaluator salaries.
This is Buono's greatest challenge: how to distinguish her platform from NJEA's. Remember the presidential debates when Gov. Romney was asked how Massachusetts' health care program differed from Obamacare? He couldn't come up with any kind of cogent answer, which made him look inarticulate and weak. To be credible in this gubernatorial race, Sen. Buono will need to find a way to differentiate her views from those endorsed on the NJEA website.
Laura Waters is president of the Lawrence Township School Board in Mercer County. She also writes about New Jersey's public education on her blog NJ Left Behind. Follow her on Twitter @NJLeftbehind. | <urn:uuid:ff9bb35f-319f-424a-9fa4-1d309ff85078> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.newsworks.org/index.php/new-jersey-more/item/50932-chris-christie-and-barbara-buono-are-polar-opposites-when-it-comes-to-education-policies?Itemid=248 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.962432 | 1,136 | 1.648438 | 2 |
I’ve noticed that a big theme on this blog is identity, which makes sense as I write on, well, social justice. A rather major subtheme is the denial of those identities. This is a big thing for me personally because so much of me is misidentified or erased, some of which are identity components I talk about here and some not. I’m also particularly concerned with identity because of the age I’m at (because I am a teenager did I mention that?). As we’re all so often told, teenagehood is a time of life in which there is lots of introspection and exploring and expanding, and that preoccupation with identity has certainly been the case with me. I want to talk about the significance of the teenager’s social place during this time of coming into one’s own, and how that process is thereby affected.
I want to talk about the ways in which identities are denied.
It’s what happens when non-monoracial people are told they are really this, that or the other, rather than really being whoever they think of themselves as. It happens every time queer people are told their sexuality is a lifestyle choice. It happens when people are told they are faking being disabled. It happens when trans women are told they are really men – oh, all the time.
It takes some kind of extraordinary arrogance to declare an identity for someone else. This is an attitude that says, ‘My perceptions are more important than your lived experience.’ ‘My comfort in my ability to correctly assess people overrides the truth.’ It is extraordinary what lengths humans will go to in order to make the world in line with their screwy ideas about the people in it. As for ‘the truth,’ that’s the thing. The truth is that someone’s identity is whatever they hold it to be. Asserting your idea of what a person is over theirs says that it’s okay for everyone to weigh in on and locate and decide it as an objective truth. And almost inevitably it’s an “impartial” outside observer who has the right idea, and they locate the truth of someone’s identity quite outside the grasp of the individual concerned. There is no good reason why your ideas about what a person is like, or what people with an identity are like, should trump the experience and history and, you know, understanding of their own being, of the person with said identity, no reason at all. Forcing your ideas about what a person is onto them is presumptuous and bizarre; how on earth do you think you know better about a person and their life than they do?
People are that which they understand themselves to be; one ought to respect that a person is what they say they are, accept that and move on from the urge to police. There is not some other real identity buried back there that you can grasp hold of irrespective of what the person concerned says. You cannot fix an identity or change it or correct it, it just is – and trying to do so is particularly problematic in terms of marginalised identities, because that’s a continuation of what the whole world is making a good go of. Trying is undermining not just someone’s experience within the world, but something of their being. It takes some kind of bizarre embarrassment or self-assurance – or higher social placement – to continue to insist on referring and relating to a person incorrectly once they’ve told you otherwise.
The denial and enforcement of identities functions in a unique way for younger people. To limit this to teenagers for the moment, this is a time during which one is reevaluating and changing and shaping and trying on identities. It’s a delicate and extremely sensitive process. Interrupting that, trying to force that, can be extraordinarily damaging. And when those identities tie in with social oppression, there’s a whole new level to negotiate and trying to alter the identity is that much worse. I’m hearing more and more from teenagers who are told they’re too young to be disabled because they have their whole lives ahead of them and you surely can’t be in that much pain and you haven’t lived long enough to give up on life (which tells you a thing or two about what disability means to these people). Infotainment TV, in these parts at any rate, regularly features stories about trans teenagers asserting that they need therapy and are confused by this modern world and can’t know if they’re really trans yet, they’re oh so young! There are seemingly endless stories about teenagers who are told that they can’t really be gay, because, well, dear, you’ve never had a sexual experience with someone of the same sex, it’s just a phase, you’re too young to know what you’re talking about. And again and again and again the narrative repeats itself.
What is it about youth that supposedly invalidates experience? No matter how long you’ve lived in the world, you’ve experience of your own being and your being in the world. That’s experience no one else can possibly have. In order to build on and validate and explore that experience, teens need whatever advice and comfort and kindness we care to have. In going through the sensitive and overwhelming processes that make up the development and revealing of identities, teens should be allowed to do so peacefully and with support.
You haven’t got a whole lot of tools to combat this kind of identity pressure when you’ve had little time in the world, a limited number of connections and you’re meant to be able to trust the people telling you this rubbish, all the while you’re still sorting things out inside. Teenagers are an extremely vulnerable group, often lacking sufficient (emotional, financial) support outside family, which can be pretty bad when your homophobic parents turns on you and you’ve nowhere to go.
Teenagerhood should be a time of dreams and expansion. We should be allowed to open our inner selves up and absorb as much light and life as we possibly can. We should be, but other people are often too often invested in what they think we should be to let us be what we are.
In order to accept people as people, you have to accept what makes a person a particular person. I think you’ve got to ask what makes it so important for you to have control over someone’s identity. You’ve got to ask why your sense of control over what’s what is so important as to invalidate that person’s autonomy. Reassuring yourself that the world is a certain way, that those around you are a certain way: it’s just not worth it where as a consequence someone’s being dissolves under them – where they themselves are dissolved. That’s what’s important here, not your relatively unimportant wish to assert your own worldview.
Trust people to identify their own identities. | <urn:uuid:51341df7-87a1-4142-a5d2-690b5836f33f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://zeroatthebone.wordpress.com/2010/02/10/on-identifying-identities/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00003-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.968738 | 1,475 | 1.757813 | 2 |
How do you get men to put down their girlfriend's Cosmo and pick up one designed for them? By making it available as a discreet iPad app.
But how do you get the word out that it's okay for men to download a Cosmo written by women but for them? If you're Hearst Communications, the publisher of CFG, the new Cosmo for Guys, you hire Michael Krivicka of Thinkmodo to create a viral video for you.
Krivicka is infamous for several viral videos, most famously the iPhone Times Square hack video that had people questioning whether a smartphone could really take over a jumbotron with a simple homemade enhancement.
Thinkmodo is the master of illusion and making viewers question reality. But working with its latest client, a company as established as Hearst, offered some challenges.
Instead of hiding the client or product it is promoting, as Krivicka often does, the video created for Hearst, which went live Monday morning at 6:30 a.m., introduces the product right away.
The video features an attractive woman walking through Bryant Park in New York City with an iPad for a head. The thought being, if you touch the iPad, you can get into the woman's head.
Onlookers stare as she walks by but instead of focusing on the attractiveness of the women, their eyes are fixed on her odd head.
"What makes CFG unique is the fact that it is a men's magazine written by women," Krivicka said. "In other words: CFG lets men know 'what women want.' It was important for Cosmo that this message comes across in our video.
"So we needed to come up with a concept that illustrates a guy 'getting into a girl's head' or a guy 'reading a girl's mind." At the same time we wanted to communicate the iPad app idea too. And so 'iPad Head Girl' was born."
But unknown to passerbys, the woman behind the iPads couldn't see her surroundings during filming. A hidden camera in her purse fed images onto a screen built into the back end of the iPad head, just so she could see ahead of her.
Central to Thinkmodo's approach to creating a viral video is creating a concept that has a simple but unique catch phrase that users walk away with and talk about at the office cooler.
For one of his most popular video, Krivicka had people searching Times Square iPhone hack and because of the uniqueness of the phrase, only finding his video.
For Hearst, Thinkmodo hopes people will remember "iPad Head Girl."
"Creating a viral hoax is one of many ways to create buzz," Krivicka said. "'iPad Head
Girl' is a conversation starter because it is cool, unique and has a wow factor. The CFG branding at the end of the video is subtle enough so the viewer doesn't feel like he/she is watching a commercial. It is the perfect mix of those elements to make the campaign effective and to create a lot of buzz for CFG."
But creating the iPad head, the central part of the entire campaign, was a challenge.
"One of the challenges was to figure out how the actress would see once the iPad head was on her head," Krivicka said. "Inside it, she was blind. Since she had to walk around the park, we had to find a solution to making her see where she was going. So we placed a video camera inside her purse that was wired to a pair of video glasses which the actress would wear inside the iPad Head. The camera would basically send a live video feed into the video glasses which enabled the actress to see where she was walking."
The shoot only took a day but the team made preparations and ran tests for a couple of weeks. The iPad head was made engineered by Clockwork Apple and on the day of the shoot, Thinkmodo first filmed all four iPad faces individually and then built the head and synched the faces for filming.
The end result is a cool video that has the feel of something organic, almost like a group performing an on the spot low brow stunt to get public reaction. Exactly what Hearst wanted.
"Cosmo didn't want a hoax," Krivicka said. "They also didn't want to use celebrities. They wanted something original and innovative that has a strong coolness factor to grab everyone's attention. Cosmo called us because they have seen our work and wanted to do something different and edgy
to make a big impact."
The monthly app is available for download today in Apple's App Store for $3.99. The video went up on YouTube earl Monday morning. Check it out for yourself below. | <urn:uuid:f87d2729-8eb5-4559-9b56-6275b971e0dd> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.nbcsandiego.com/blogs/press-here/How-to-Make-an-App-Go-Viral-126513498.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704392896/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113952-00016-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.977003 | 975 | 1.695313 | 2 |
José firmly believes that the future of the Border is the future of the State (and indeed the nation). But the reality is that Border communities like El Paso have historically experienced a myriad of problems which contribute to slow growth and lack of prosperity, including inadequate funding of education, transportation, health care facilities, and job skills training and employment programs.
Many of these problems are due to neglect and inequitable state funding formulas. More recently, immigration and border security issues have led to responses by the State and Federal governments that potentially undermine civil liberties and impede commerce between Texas and Mexico, especially along the border region.
As County Attorney, José established a track record of working on border issues with the Texas Border Coalition and others to ensure that the border region has the opportunity to grow and prosper like the rest of the State. José will continue working to make the border region a thriving part of Texas.
Border News and Statements
- Texas Tech in El Paso a victory for the city and the state May 6, 2013
- Medical school: El Paso appears a winner May 3, 2013
- Texas Tech campus in El Paso is governor's signature away from becoming stand-alone university May 1, 2013
- Texas Senate passes bill by Senator Rodríguez to bring more doctors to medically underserved areas April 8, 2013
- Stop scare tactics in immigration debate April 2, 2013
- Statement of Senator José Rodríguez regarding Senate passage of SB 120 March 13, 2013
- Securing a better future February 24, 2013
- 83rd Legislature: Cautiously Optimistic January 19, 2013
- Rodríguez statement on Peace with Justice and Dignity Caravan August 20, 2012
- Senator Rodríguez: Supreme Court ruling on Arizona law "recipe for disaster" June 25, 2012 | <urn:uuid:fdf60615-563d-45d9-84ec-af8ddad02f5b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://senatorjoserodriguez.com/issues/border-issues/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00010-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.940056 | 372 | 1.734375 | 2 |
Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center- Amarillo Department of Psychiatry is an innovative community based teaching program. The Department is governed by Regional Chair, Michael D. Jenkins M.D. who has been a faculty member since 1998 and earned his current position in 2006.
The Department of Psychiatry offers clinical experiences in treating children to geriatric patients with varying diagnoses of psychiatric conditions. A Texas Tech University Medical School student could expect to work in community organizations like Texas Panhandle Mental Health Mental Retardation, Veteran's Administration Hospital and the Pavilion of Northwest Texas Hospital. To add to the clinical experience, community-based private practice psychiatrists serve as faculty preceptors and offer robust patient interaction at their respective practice locations. As a medical school student, you can expect heavy patient contact which also includes direct teaching from attending physicians and the Regional Chair. Students also have exposure to cutting edge technologies; such as, Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation and the largest Tele-Medicine psychiatry system in the United States.
Students highly rank their experience in Psychiatry due to direct interaction with attendings, various clinical experiences, exposure to multiple psychiatric diagnoses, innovative technologies in serving rural patients with chronic mental illness and the high degree of patient interactions.
Outside of a medical student's studies, Amarillo is a great community with a diverse population. The city is close to 200,000 in population and is the original "hub city" as it is a primary point of commerce for the top 21 counties of the Texas Panhandle. If you like the outdoors, there is a variety of wildlife in the area and lakes within an hour's drive. Skiing is as close as a 4 hours drive and just 30 minutes away is the United States second largest canyon- Palo Duro Canyon (great hiking, the musical Texas and excellent mountain biking). Amarillo experiences all four seasons and is a delightful place to raise a family. | <urn:uuid:6ddaaa36-8427-4042-94a5-faa4dc606e64> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.ttuhsc.edu/amarillo/som/PSY/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00019-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.948884 | 377 | 1.71875 | 2 |
The U.S. has 5 percent of the world's population, and boasts 25 percent of its prisoners. The prison industrial complex has become big business--a big, profitable business.
I've read letters suggesting that Maui's new prison be built on Kaho'olawe or Moloka'i. But I think residents of Maui need to ask some serious questions. Is there a corporation involved here which stands to reap the profits? Does Maui really need a prison?
U.S. prisons are mostly filled with poor drug abusers. Poor drug abusers of color dominate the incarcerated populations. Maui is showing the world the way to energy efficiency with the wind farm on West Mountain. Perhaps we should lead our country to a new way of dealing with drug abuse, and treat it like the medical/social problem it is.
Perhaps a clinic instead of a prison would be best. I don't have the facts and figures on who inhabits Hawai'i's prisons, but I'm not seeing a whole lot of murder, rape and robbery on the 5 o'clock news.
John R. Hall Kihei | <urn:uuid:19e49826-6358-4cac-b1b4-4586a4b4f583> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.mauiweekly.com/page/content.detail/id/509172/Does-Maui-really-need-a-prison-.html?nav=12 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705953421/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120553-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.959165 | 229 | 1.5 | 2 |
“Honorary Member” of the Pissarro Family, Richard R. Brettell, to Present Pissarro’s People: The Making of an Exhibition, a Free Lecture at the Clark
For Immediate Release
July 11, 2011
WILLIAMSTOWN, MA—Richard R. Brettell, Margaret McDermott Distinguished Chair of Arts & Humanities at the University of Texas at Dallas and guest curator of the Pissarro’s People exhibition at the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute will take his audience behind the scenes of the exhibition on Sunday, July 17 at 3:00 pm. In this special free lecture, Brettell will reveal how Pissarro’s People came together. He will share his reasons for choosing the 92 works in the exhibition and discuss the themes closest to the painter’s heart.
Considered an “honorary member” of the Pissarro family, Richard R. Brettell is the leading Pissarro scholar. Many examinations of the “father of Impressionism” have treated the artist’s politics and his art as separate categories; for the exhibition Pissarro’s People, Brettell drew from original research to bridge that gap for the first time. Key to Brettell’s investigation of Pissarro’s humanism is the artist’s identity as a member of a diasporic Sephardic Jewish family—a complex constellation of individuals living and working in Uruguay and Venezuela, France and England, and the United States during the artist’s lifetime. Demonstrating that Pissarro was in every sense a family man, Brettell addresses the artist’s portraits of family members alongside pictures of artists, neighbors, domestic help, rural workers, and various other associates. Linking Pissarro’s web of family and friends to his radical social and economic ideals, the exhibition breaks new ground in reconsidering the artist’s figural works.
Richard R. Brettell is among the foremost authorities in the world on Impressionism and French Painting of the period 1830–1930. With three degrees from Yale University, he has taught at the University of Texas, Northwestern University, The University of Chicago, Yale University, and Harvard University and is currently Margaret McDermott Distinguished Chair in the Interdisciplinary Program in Arts and Humanities at the University of Texas at Dallas. He has published several books, most recently James Magee –The Hill (2010, Nasher Sculpture Center, Delmonico, Prestel) and From the Private Collections of Texas: European Art, Ancient to Modern (2009, Yale University Press). Brettell has curated numerous exhibitions, including the 2000 exhibition Impression: Painting Quickly in France, 1860-1900 for the Clark, the National Gallery, London, and the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam. Impression was called “the show of the year” by the London Daily Telegraph and enthusiastically reviewed in the Burlington Magazine, Apollo, The New York Times, Times Literary Supplement, The International Herald Tribune, and all the London dailies.
The Clark presents a new exploration of Impressionist master Camille Pissarro this summer in Pissarro’s People. Bringing together paintings from collections around the world, the exhibition challenges our understanding of the father of Impressionism by focusing on Pissarro's engagement with the human figure in a highly personal and poignant exploration of his humanism. Pissarro’s People is on view at the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute in Williamstown, Massachusetts, from June 12 to October 2. This exhibition was organized by the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute and the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco. It is supported in part by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts.
The Clark is located at 225 South Street in Williamstown, Massachusetts. The galleries are open Tuesday through Sunday, 10 am to 5 pm (daily in July and August). Admission is $15 June 1 through October 31. Admission is free for children 18 and younger, members, and students with valid ID. Admission is free November through May. For more information, call 413 458 2303 or visit clarkart.edu.
July 17: Richard R. Brettell, Margaret McDermott Distinguished Chair of Arts & Humanities at the University of Texas at Dallas and guest curator of the Pissarro’s People exhibition at the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute will take his audience behind the scenes of the exhibition on Sunday, July 17 at 3:00 pm. In this special free lecture, Brettell will reveal how Pissarro’s People came together. He will share his reasons for choosing the 92 works in the exhibition and discuss the themes closest to the painter’s heart. | <urn:uuid:57472623-a3d3-4c88-858f-51442e5033ac> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.clarkart.edu/about/press/content.cfm?ID=3337&year=2011&email=1 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00011-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.93361 | 994 | 1.695313 | 2 |
Rania Pallad working at home - 2008
Rania Pallad, Treasurer of The Museum of the San Fernando Valley works on updating Federal 501c3 papers for the Museum Community. The table covering was made by her great grandmother in Greece.
Crochet and macrame were chiefly women's art before the modern era. Such practical arts were related to the knots made in fishing nets, and were an outgrowth of a seafaring culture. | <urn:uuid:e0b4282d-7b96-4c71-91f4-c5647eecee75> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://museumsanfernandovalley.blogspot.com/2008/01/reminder-board-meeting-wednesday-at-630.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00015-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.977827 | 89 | 1.695313 | 2 |
Andy Stanley said, "It is direction, not intention, that determines destination." Of course he is right. A few weeks ago I went to a super successful friend for as Zig Ziglar says, "A check up from the neck up." He used a series of questions loosely based on Stanleys' three words.
My friend said, "Answer in your mind, do not answer me." Ok.
• "What is your intention? To go. To do. To become?"
• "Are you currently progressing in the direction of your intention?"
• "How much closer to your stated destination are you than you were at this time last year? You do recall Twains' statement on this, 'You may be on the right track, but if you just sit there, you'll get run over by a train.'"
• "Do you fully understand that your destination is determined more by your direction than by your intention?"
A long pause was given between these murderously tough questions.
My mentor reminded me that he had not asked about my intentions, but my intention. He was referring to laser like focus. The art of wrapping the "many things" under the heading of one intention takes time and thought but it is time and thought well spent.
Paul had this principle in mind when he wrote Philippians 3:13: "Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before," | <urn:uuid:89436243-2db9-43a6-8e91-c01dea949968> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.faithwriters.com/article-details.php?id=150074 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00011-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.982789 | 309 | 1.515625 | 2 |
[Part 2 of my summary of the AGBT 2011 meeting. Mainly about the various sequencing technologies.
Also featuring: I get to anoint the most partying corporation.
Part 1 here]
In contrast to last year’s two new exciting sequencing technology announcements, PacBio’s SMRT single molecule sequencing and Ion Torrent’s Personal Genome Machine (PGM), nothing groundbreaking was presented.
The closest that came to a potentially novel and readily utilizable technology was the BioNanomatrix system. The platform consists of a dense array of nanochannels (~100nm thick) and very long stretches of genomic DNA can be entropically driven through these channels in a linear manner. The flowing DNA can be either imaged with a camera (if fluorescently labeled) or electrically detected. This movie demonstrates the concept for a 400kb DNA. I am not sure how the platform can be used for de novo sequencing, but it could certainly be useful for investigating DNA structural variations or particularly for epigenetic mapping of long DNA stretches. One thing we did wonder about was how much this technology differs from the US Genomics approach of DNA imaged in microfluidic channels.
There were also lots of posters, and quite a few talks on sample preparation for various NGS platforms, both from the point of view of speed, as well as quality. This is one field I am not very familiar with and hence, little to write about In fact, I had never realized how important the role sample preparation played till I heard talks about genome assembly talks!
I did finally have the opportunity to see in person both the Ion Torrent PGM and the recently announced Illumina MiSeq machines. As I am not an end-user, it was the technology in each that was the cool factor. Both machines are pretty much plug-and-play units: add your DNA sample at one spot and out comes the result few hours later (real-time on your iPhone app if you want). As an added bonus, you can even charge your iPhone on a dock on the Ion Torrent PGM, making it the most expensive (~$60K) charger on market.
In case of the PGM, the sample preparation is an 8-hours process involving emulsion-PCR. MiSeq, on the other hand, uses a 20 minute step before sample loading. MiSeq also has the advantage of being similar to Illumina’s HiSeq – and hence can take advantage of similar chemistry, and thus, reagents. Thus, while the MiSeq seems like a scaled down Solexa technology, Ion Torrent uses a novel approach where the pH change occurring due to the proton release from nucleotide addition is detected. Consequently, the PGM is camera-free and their chip, where the sequencing reaction occurs, takes advantage of the semiconductor manufacturing industry. Hence their throughput is roughly expected to double every six months.
Of course, there are important differences between the two in terms of read lengths and coverage. PGM can sequence ~50-100bp (>99.5% accuracy for 50bp reads) but 10Mb coverage vs 35bp reads and >120 Mb for the MiSeq (the Torrent data was information I got from a company representative, and the MiSeq from their website).
While the PGM is now available for sale, it seemed to me – and feel free to correct me here – that people are still not sure on where and how to utilize the platform. Big sequencing centers like The Broad Institute (Chad Nasbaum from the institute presented posters and talks on validating both the PGM and PacBio) seem to be planning on using the instrument for QC of library preparations and validation of certain sequencing results. In terms of actual sequencing, the most likely applications could be for microbial genomes or targeted genes. I am assuming that various academic PIs are writing RO1 grants that include $60,000 for instrument purchase as we speak. Ion Torrent is also crowd-sourcing for developing methods that will enable improved read lengths, lower read times and even faster sample preparation times.
The other major player in current third generation sequencing systems is Pacific Biosciences’ SMRT (single-molecule, real time) sequencer. Though their machines are not available commercially, quite a bit of data was presented by early users and from their own research. I was not able to attend their lunch workshop but did receive some feedback from other attendees. The main issue with the platform currently seems to be the low accuracy (86% as opposed to >99% on all other current instruments). Apparently their own people admitted to as much, indicating that the PacBio data needs to be combined with other 2nd generation sequencing systems (454, SOLiD etc) for higher accuracy. However, they do posses some advantages – they can cover long stretches of DNA (>1000bp) and single molecule sequencing is extremely rapid. The quick sequencing of the Haiti cholera genome was provided as an example , and I have already written about the disease weathermap project.
Additionally, Jonas Korlach from PacBio presented data on detection of methylated bases and other DNA damages. It seems that the polymerases used in the sequencing pauses when it reaches modified bases and this longer base addition interval can be detected. By using further base and polymerase modifications, they have been able to elongate this interval further, thereby allowing for a more accurate detection of these bases. This could prove very useful for epigenetic or DNA damage studies on unamplified DNA.
The most exciting new sequencing method on the horizon and one that has potential to be a disruptive technology is nanopore sequencing (disclosure: I work for a company that is performing research in this area). The basic idea of the technology is to force the DNA through a small pore (on few nanometers scale) using a voltage bias (much like electrophoresis) and then reading the differential current blocks produced by each base as it passes through the pore. The advantages of these system include possible long reads, no requirement for amplification (therefore useful for detecting epigenetic modifications), and simpler electronic detection that requires no cameras. The lack of labeling and the electronic detection makes the system potentially cheap as well.
Unfortunately, Hagan Bayley of Oxford University, one of the leading researchers on nanopore, and whose technology is being developed through Oxford Nanopore, was unable to attend the meeting. This resulted in some shuffling of talks, with his collaborator Mark Akeson – supposed to speak earlier during a technology session – taking Bayley’s place in the last session. Jens Gundlach of Washington University stepped in to provide an additional presentation. Both Gundlach and Bayeley (and Akeson’s) group use protein nanopores for sequencing, but they use different proteins, each with certain advantages. Since Gundlach did not approve of blogging/tweeting of his talk (“I will be the only one tweeting here” was his comment), I cannot write about it. However, his group did publish a nice paper last year, where he describes some success with his sequencing method, albeit using a preliminary amplification step .
All of Akeson’s work presented at the meeting has been published last year as well [2, 3]. He has been successful in tackling one of the major issues of nanopore sequencing, i.e. arresting the rapid rate at which DNA passes through the pore thereby allowing resolution of each base. His group achieved this by ratcheting the DNA through the pore using a special polymerase. Akeson did also mention – in response to a question from the session chair Eric Green – that short sequencing with this method is only ‘months’ away!
As opposed to the protein channels used by these groups, NABSys utilizes solid-state nanopores. The major disadvantage of solid-state nanopores versus protein is that their sizes, and therefore current block when the DNA is flowing through, is variable (additionally, protein nanopores can be mutated and/or chemically modified to provide greater versatility). On the other hand, since solid-state pores are not biological entities, they tend to be more stable and are easier to transport and include in a machine. Also, Jon Oliver, presenting for the company, stated that they were having some luck in producing more uniformly sized solid-state nanopores, or at any rate, differently sized pores that could be calibrated accordingly.
In addition to using solid-state pores, NABSys’ approach differs in the sense that instead of performing direct strand sequencing (as Oxford and collaborators are attempting), they plan to detect distances between hybridized regions of very long stretches of DNA. Data was sketchy, but the company is performing a lot of algorithm development that will allow contigs of extremely varied sizes to be read and assembled by this technique.
I was also hoping to see the new GRIDIon platform from Oxford Nanopore in action. This is a generalized nodal platform for DNA sequencing or nanopore detection, announced just before the conference. Videos of the system look pretty cool, but unfortunately, there weren’t any demonstrations at the AGBT (there some reviews out there by Luke Jostins, Dan MacArthur and Kevin Davies)
(Though not directly AGBT related, it is worth in this context to read NHGRI’s very good summary of various nanopore sequencing approaches including some I have described here.)
A different technology that seems much more ready for prime-time is Life Technology’s quantum-dot based platform, codenamed ‘Star-light’. Life Tech’s Joe Beechem only had a poster about the method but I have heard him talk on this topic before at a University of California, San Diego seminar. Personally, I find this the most exciting new sequencing technology out there (other than nanopores, of course!). This is probably because it intersects my previous interests in fluorescence detection at single molecule level with my current sequencing research. Like PacBio’s SMRT, this system too performs real-time single molecule sequencing during polymerase synthesis, but works on a different principle.
The heart of the method is a quantum-dot (QD) conjugated polymerase, what they call a ‘nanosequencing engine’. Quantum dots are highly stable and bright fluorescent semiconductor particles on the nanometer scale with all kinds of desirable optical properties (stability, broad excitation range etc). The DNA strand with the QD-polymerase is attached to a glass coverslip though a universal adapter and imaged in a solution with the four nucleotides, each with a unique fluorescent groups emitting at a unique wavelength. The sequencing is by synthesis: As a nucleotide is added, the QD – excited by a laser light – transfers its exited state energy to the fluorophore on the nucleotide by a process called Forster Resonance Energy Transfer (FRET). Consequently, the fluorescence from the QD goes down (said to be quenched) and at the same time the fluorescence of the acceptors jumps up from the zero baseline (these fluorescence emission are well separated on the spectrum to be detected individually).
Due the nature of the FRET process which happens only at very short (2-10nm) distances, this decrease in QD fluorescence and increase in nucleotide fluorescence occurs only when they are close together. Therefore, background interference from other fluorescent nucleotides is absent. Since each nucleotide carries a different colored fluorophore, the bases can be called in real-time based on two simultaneous observations: QD emission quenching and observation of an acceptor emission corresponding to the particular base. After incorporation, the fluorescent moiety is cleaved off by the polymerase and the QD is un-quenched, ready for the next nucleotide. A major advantage of this system over the PacBio technology is that if the QD-polymerase conjugates fail after a while, it can be washed away and replaced with fresh conjugates. Additionally, the growing DNA strand can be denatured for re-sequencing and thereby reduce errors.
The neatest application for this technology is where a very long DNA (even in the range of 40-50kb) can be placed horizontally on the cover-slide, with several of the QD-nanosequencing engines performing parallel sequencing reaction on the strand!
There was no word on when Life Technology plans to launch an actual machine based on this concept, or what the price point, accuracy etc will be. As I have written before, Life Technology’s acquisition of Ion Torrent and its current ownership of the SOLiD technology makes it an interesting question on where they can fit in this quantum-dot based technology.
In summary, while no new sequencing technologies were released this year, there are a few exciting ones in the pipeline that could see light of day in the next few years. I should also point out that have not covered sequencing solution providers like Complete Genomics, and recently, Perkin-Elmer. Complete did have the one major announcement at this conference: the release of 60 fully sequenced human genomes for open-source use by researchers.
Other General Meeting Notes:
AGBT does not have the traditional vendor show. Instead, sponsors are allotted suites or small conference rooms in the hotel where they can display their products and services. It also provides them an opportunity to give away free stuff and host parties. I was fairly restrained (or so I thought), but it almost required an extra baggage on the trip home.
Speaking of parties, Thursday evening on the printed meeting agenda was designated as ‘Dinner on your Own’. This seems to be a euphemism for ‘finding the right party’. I found myself having dinner at the PacBio ‘Dinner and Movie’ event (will write later about the documentary they showcased at the dinner) and then at various parties hosted by Life Technology, Agilent and Caliper. Life Technology possibly had the best location, the hotel rooftop with views out to the ocean; and they served shrimp cocktails as h’dourves to boot. But their insistence on serving something called the “Torrentini – Passion for Life”(vodka+passion fruit pucker, get it?) was slightly off-putting to a martini purist like myself.
I am not sure if Caliper’s ‘All Night Long’ party lived up to its name, but the aged Glenmoraigne and the better than average beer selection was certainly welcome. However, when it comes to hospitality, one has to hand it to Agilent. They were possibly the most active in giving away swags and pretty much insisting that we don’t pass by without a drink at their suite every evening at the conference.
On this note, thanks to all the sponsors for the meals and drinks, and most importantly, also for enabling all the great science to be presented. And huge appreciation for the organizing committee too for pulling off the logistics of hosting 800 odd people at a single site; it was quite neat how they used big screens to project talks all through the humongous conference room such that everyone could attend the day sessions simultaneously.
I. M. Derrington, T. Z. Butler, M. D. Collins, E. Manrao, M. Pavlenok, M. Niederweis, and J. H. Gundlach, “Nanopore DNA sequencing with MspA,” Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A, vol. 107, pp. 16060-5, Sep 14.
K. R. Lieberman, G. M. Cherf, M. J. Doody, F. Olasagasti, Y. Kolodji, and M. Akeson, “Processive replication of single DNA molecules in a nanopore catalyzed by phi29 DNA polymerase,” J Am Chem Soc, vol. 132, pp. 17961-72, Dec 22.
F. Olasagasti, K. R. Lieberman, S. Benner, G. M. Cherf, J. M. Dahl, D. W. Deamer, and M. Akeson, “Replication of individual DNA molecules under electronic control using a protein nanopore,” Nat Nanotechnol, vol. 5, pp. 798-806, Nov.
C. S. Chin, J. Sorenson, J. B. Harris, W. P. Robins, R. C. Charles, R. R. Jean-Charles, J. Bullard, D. R. Webster, A. Kasarskis, P. Peluso, E. E. Paxinos, Y. Yamaichi, S. B. Calderwood, J. J. Mekalanos, E. E. Schadt, and M. K. Waldor, “The origin of the Haitian cholera outbreak strain,” N Engl J Med, vol. 364, pp. 33-42, Jan 6. | <urn:uuid:1a0c1d05-49a7-438e-b3da-49e2e6b6dae0> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.omespeak.com/blog/?p=389 | 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 | 0.955495 | 3,566 | 1.820313 | 2 |
Olympic gold. It’s the most sought after prize in the vast majority of sports.
Being faster, higher, stronger is the ultimate goal for millions of sportsmen and women around the globe.
Standing on top of the podium as your country’s national anthem is played and its flag raised means you’ve hit the top — unless you’re a footballer that is.
When the Olympic football tournament kicks-off as part of next summer’s games in London few, if any, of the world’s top stars will be on show.
England superstar David Beckham wants to be involved, but the likes of Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Xavi and Wesley Sneijder will, most likely, have better things to do.
For the latter three the European Championships in Poland and Ukraine come much higher on their list of priorities than a 16-team under-23 competition — with three over-age players allowed — that fails to capture the imagination of football fans.
Winning the Champions League or lifting the World Cup is a much greater aim, or for some simply winning their own domestic league title.
The Olympics pales in comparison. So why all the fuss about Great Britain fielding a football team at London 2012?
Well, it boils down to the English FA and British Olympic Association’s wish to ensure that a competition taking place in the country where the game began won’t happen without the hosts being involved. When that involves four countries who compete in World Cups and European Championships on their own coming together under one umbrella there are many pitfalls.
Not least of those is the fear that other nations may see a fully-fledged Great Britain team’s Olympic participation as their chance to force England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales to join together permanently.
It’s more a case of divided we stand, united we fall in this situation rather than the other way around.
Supposedly an agreement has been reached between the four FAs to field a team in 2012. The BOA said as much yesterday, but it’s news to the men based in Belfast, Glasgow and Cardiff who are responsible for running the game in their own nation.
“History will be made during the London 2012 Olympic Games as Team GB returns to the pitch in men’s Olympic football for the first time in 52 years and competes in the women’s Olympic football tournament for the first time ever,” an excited BOA announced yesterday.
“The (English) FA has consulted with its partner Associations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland in developing the player-selection criteria and timeline.”
That may be so, but none of those three associations have, at any time, backed the move or ever given their blessing for their players to be selected for the teams. The general consensus has been that an England team competes under the GB title.
Which is why the other three joined together in releasing a statement of their own, putting as much distance between themselves and the GB Olympic team as they possibly can.
“The Football Associations of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland reiterate our collective opposition to Team GB participation at the 2012 Olympic Games in London, contrary to the media release issued by the British Olympic Association,” said the statement.
“We have been consistently clear in explaining the reason for our stance, principally to protect the identity of each national association.
“With that in mind, we cannot support nor formally endorse the approach that has been proposed by the Football Association.
“We have stressed this in communications to them and are disappointed that this has been ignored in the media release.
“No discussions took place with any of us, far less historic agreement been reached, prior to the statement from the BOA being released.
“The Associations are committed to supporting the individual Home Nations playing all representative football under their respective flags as independent members of FIFA and Uefa.”
If England manage to reach the final of Euro 2012 next summer, some, but not all, football fans across the UK will want them to win it. Hardly any will care if Great Britain — a team that is meant to represent everyone — lifts the Olympic title.
So, how does it all work?
Who plays in the Olympic football competition?
Fifa don’t want the Olympics to rival the World Cup, so there are only 16 teams in the men’s tournament and 12 in the women’s. Each of Fifa’s six confederations has their own qualification procedure. In Europe the top three teams in the previous Uefa under-21 finals are awarded the places.
Why won’t a proper Great Britain team play in the football competition in 2012?
GB played in the Olympics until 1960, but Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales want to protect their independence within Fifa and fear that having a GB team in the Olympics will lead to the four British associations being disbanded.
Weren’t they quite successful?
Yes, GB twice won Olympic gold in football, but next year will mark the 100th anniversary of the last win. Until 1984 it was an amateur tournament.
Is there a way around it?
The British Olympic Association revealed that Fifa have assured the British associations of their independence, but that’s still not enough. An exciting idea as it may be for a proper Great Britain team to play in the Olympics, it is likely to be made up of English players under the GB banner. The idea of England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales all playing as independent nations as a one-off was floated, but it was deemed a non-starter.
Who might play if it were a proper GB team?
The men’s Olympic football tournament is an under-23 competition, meaning that in 2012 players must be born on or after January 1, 1989.
Many of the brightest prospects in the Premier League fit into that category. Theo Walcott, Jack Wilshire, Chris Smalling, Phil Jones, Jordan Henderson, Andy Carroll and Daniel Sturridge, as well as Welsh duo Gareth Bale and Aaron Ramsey all eligible to play.
As far as Northern Ireland are concerned Craig Cathcart, Lee Hodson, Ryan McGivern, Josh Carson, Johnny Gorman, Oliver Norwood, Corry Evans, Liam Boyce, Andrew Little and Shane Ferguson would be available for selection.
With three overage players allowed, effectively any other British player could be selected, with even speculation that David Beckham may play for Team GB.
Would any Northern Ireland players want to play and what if they did?
It is 25 years since Northern Ireland last qualified for a major finals. Therefore playing in an event as prestigious as the Olympics might seem an attractive prospect to some players and a once in a lifetime opportunity. The Irish FA and their counterparts in Scotland and Wales know they can’t block players from taking part if they wish to do so and if they were to take action against anyone who does it would be akin to cutting off their nose to spite their face. | <urn:uuid:629fa61c-f478-4158-ab04-48f02c09d421> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/sport/football/international/theres-sweet-fa-in-olympics-plan-28629162.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00003-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.966926 | 1,463 | 1.53125 | 2 |
One thing's for sure on the day after the election: the 2010 law to reform Wall Street isn't going away.
Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney had pledged to repeal the sweeping Dodd-Frank Act, the Democrats' response to big banks' risky behavior that led to the 2008 financial crisis. The law put curbs on banks' ability to make risky investments and introduced new rules safeguarding some complex financial bets that spurred the bailout of insurer American International Group.
It's unlikely that House Republican attempts to roll back the reforms -- efforts they've made since recapturing the chamber in 2011 -- will get anywhere. Besides a re-elected President Barack Obama and his veto power, Democrats retain the Senate with the help of a major champion of Wall Street reform, Harvard University professor Elizabeth Warren.
"This puts to bed any notion that Dodd-Frank will be repealed, so then the question becomes: Are we going to make changes around the margins?" said Mark Calabria, an economist at the libertarian Cato Institute who used to work for Republicans on the Senate Banking panel.
All signs point to yes.
Sen. Mark Warner, a Virginia Democrat, said in an October speech at the Bipartisan Policy Center that "there's clearly a lot of additional work to be done."
While some Wall Street reforms, including the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, are churning away, the law pushed to regulators a number of big decisions. They included how much cash banks should hold aside as capital cushions and stopping banks from making speculative bets, a provision named the Volcker rule after its chief proponent, former Federal Reserve chairman Paul Volcker.
The result is that regulators have struggled to agree on the more controversial measures. As of Nov. 1, regulators had missed 61 percent of their deadlines implementing parts of Dodd-Frank, according to the law firm Davis Polk.
For example, there's still disagreement among regulators about whether the Volcker rule should allow banks the ability to take on some risk when setting up big, market-making bets on behalf of clients.
That's a big deal for taxpayers, who would be on the hook if the Fed decides it's in the nation's interest to bail out a troubled bank whose risky bets arranged for a client go sour and threaten the financial system's stability.
But a big unknown is how a second-term Obama administration could change the tone at federal banking agencies.
All indications are that Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner will step down. Rumors have swirled that Securities and Exchange Commission chief Mary Schapiro could step down before her term ends in 2014. Commodity Futures Trading Commission chief Gary Gensler's term was up in April, although he can legally serve through 2013. And Fed chief Ben Bernanke's term is up in 2014.
Obama won office with little to no support from Wall Street, which could make him think twice before he considers candidates from that sector to run financial regulatory agencies this time around.
And the pressing deficit and budget concerns could make divert the Treasury Department's attention from anything else.
"If Obama goes with a budget person for Treasury Secretary, I think a lot of this financial regulation really starts to fall to the back burner," Calabria said. | <urn:uuid:5ed4f1e2-95a9-4436-85d2-39e5d970d13b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.localnews8.com/lifestyle/money/Wall-Street-reform-law-won-t-go-away/-/461672/17311004/-/f6gy5j/-/index.html | 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 | 0.952164 | 654 | 1.640625 | 2 |
Confused by different advice on breastfeeding your baby? Health visitor Annette Maloney answers your questions...
Q: I’ve been breastfeeding at home for the first few weeks but now I’m going out more I feel nervous about breastfeeding in public. How can I feel more at ease?
A: It can feel scary when you practise your new skill of breastfeeding in public for the first time, but don’t feel embarrassed – your baby has a right to a feed. Until you get your confidence up, plan in advance where you’re going to breastfeed and make sure you will be able to find breastfeeding facilities.
Bigger shops will have a designated area, while restaurants and cafes where you see young families gathering will probably be breastfeeding friendly. If you ask establishments where you can breastfeed, don’t be fobbed off with the toilet.
Wear easy-access clothes, such as a feeding bra that you can open and close one-handed and look for somewhere to sit away from prying eyes if that’ll help you relax.
Draping a scarf or baby blanket over your shoulder will also give you added privacy. But in reality, when your baby is feeding it’ll just look as if he’s having a cuddle.
Q: I’m going back to work soon, so I want to cut down on my 8-month-old’s breastfeeds by using a bottle. Any tips?
A: We all know breast is best for your baby, but if you want to change your baby’s diet before you head back to work, or spend time away from your baby, it’s a good idea to do it gradually to give you both time to adapt. Try offering a formula feed when your baby isn’t too hungry and is fairly relaxed – mornings are a good time.
Using formula milk will affect the amount of breast milk you produce, so you’ll need to keep your supply up if you still want to breastfeed. To help with this, lots of mums breastfeed before and after work and use formula milk during the day.
Some babies take a little time to get used to new feeding routines, so you’ll need to be calm and persistent. Talk it through with your nursery or childminder, who can work with you to establish a new feeding pattern for your little one.
Q: My 6-month-old baby has started biting my boob when he breastfeeds. How can I stop him?
A: It could be that your baby is teething, which means his gums will be swollen and sore and that’s why he’s beginning to chew or bite when feeding.
Try offering a cool teething toy, chilled carrot or slither of cucumber before you put him on the breast to reduce any sensitivity in his gums. Most babies quickly get the message that biting isn’t a good idea when a startled mum removes him quickly from the breast.
To get him off safely and with as little pain as possible, pull him in close and partially block his nose by putting your finger over one nostril. He’ll remove his mouth to breathe.
Most biting occurs when the feed’s coming to an end, so if you can predict this you can get away in time. Giving lots of positive attention when the feed goes well with no biting will also teach your baby to stop.
Q: When I’m breastfeeding my 7-month-old baby he keeps coming off the breast and struggles to finish a feed. What can I do?
A: There might be a few things going on. At this stage babies are very interested in what’s happening around them and are easily distracted.
Try feeding him away from the TV or other children for a bit. Pop into a quiet room and face the wall, so he has no option but to focus on feeding and maintain eye contact with him to keep his attention.
It could be that now he’s on a weaning diet his feeds are shorter, because it’s all he needs at this stage of his growth.
You might also have got more relaxed about your attachment technique, so check he’s opening his mouth wide enough, can tilt his head and swallows properly.
As long as he has regular wet nappies, and keeps to his usual bowel habits, you probably don’t need to worry. See how it goes for a week or so and if you’re still worried, visit your local breastfeeding support group.
To read more expert tips from Annette Maloney get a copy of Practical Parenting & Pregnancy magazine and find out about fantastic subscription offers.
© Immediate Media Company Ltd 2012. This website is owned and published by Immediate Media Company Limited. www.immediatemedia.co.uk | <urn:uuid:69cf1d48-3188-4101-a819-13eda33a55fd> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.madeformums.com/breast-and-bottlefeeding/breastfeeding-advice-from-a-health-visitor/12966.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00018-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.957517 | 1,021 | 1.570313 | 2 |
Concord, Mass.OUT here on a visitelastic, mellow, Indian-summery weather. Came to-day from Boston, (a pleasant ride of 40 minutes by steam, through Somerville, Belmont, Waltham, Stony Brook, and other lively towns,) convoyd by my friend F. B. Sanborn, and to his ample house, and the kindness and hospitality of Mrs. S. and their fine family. Am writing this under the shade of some old hickories and elms, just after 4 P. M., on the porch, within a stones throw of the Concord river. Off against me, across stream, on a meadow and side-hill, haymakers are gathering and wagoning-in probably their second or third crop. The spread of emerald-green and brown, the knolls, the score or two of little haycocks dotting the meadow, the loaded-up wagons, the patient horses, the slow-strong action of the men and pitch-forksall in the just-waning afternoon, with patches of yellow sun-sheen, mottled by long shadowsa cricket shrilly chirping, herald of the duska boat with two figures noiselessly gliding along the little river, passing under the stone bridge-archthe slight settling haze of aerial moisture, the sky and the peacefulness expanding in all directions and overheadfill and soothe me.
Same evening.Never had I a better piece of luck befall me: a long and blessed evening with Emerson, in a way I couldnt have wishd better or different. For nearly two hours he has been placidly sitting where I could see his face in the best light, near me. Mrs. S.s back-parlor well filld with people, neighbors, many fresh and charming faces, women, mostly young, but some old. My friend A. B. Alcott and his daughter Louisa were there early. A good deal of talk, the subject Henry Thoreausome new glints of his life and fortunes, with letters to and from himone of the best by Margaret Fuller, others by Horace Greeley, Channing, &c.one from Thoreau himself, most quaint and interesting. (No doubt I seemd very stupid to the room-full of company, taking hardly any part in the conversation; but I had my own pail to milk in, as the Swiss proverb puts it.) My seat and the relative arrangement were such that, without being rude, or anything of the kind, I could just look squarely at E., which I did a good part of the two hours. On entering, he had spoken very briefly and politely to several of the company, then settled himself in his chair, a trifle pushd back, and, though a listener and apparently an alert one, remaind silent through the whole talk and discussion. A lady friend quietly took a seat next him, to give special attention. A good color in his face, eyes clear, with the well-known expression of sweetness, and the old clear-peering aspect quite the same.
Next Day.Several hours at E.s house, and dinner there. An old familiar house, (he has been in it thirty-five years,) with surroundings, furnishment, roominess, and plain elegance and fullness, signifying democratic ease, sufficient opulence, and an admirable old-fashioned simplicitymodern luxury, with its mere sumptuousness and affectation, either touchd lightly upon or ignored altogether. Dinner the same. Of course the best of the occasion (Sunday, September 18, 81) was the sight of E. himself. As just said, a healthy color in the cheeks, and good light in the eyes, cheery expression, and just the amount of talking that best suited, namely, a word or short phrase only where needed, and almost always with a smile. Besides Emerson himself, Mrs. E., with their daughter Ellen, the son Edward and his wife, with my friend F. S. and Mrs. S., and others, relatives and intimates. Mrs. Emerson, resuming the subject of the evening before, (I sat next to her,) gave me further and fuller information about Thoreau, who, years ago, during Mr. E.s absence in Europe, had lived for some time in the family, by invitation. | <urn:uuid:c5c31d88-b1b5-4e3e-8dab-ba10930c1e5e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://bartleby.com/229/1236.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00001-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.970276 | 913 | 1.695313 | 2 |
We already suspected a new version of the Hyundai Genesis sedan was under development, and now these spy photos confirm it. Our spy photographer caught this camouflaged Genesis sedan outside a Hyundai facility in Europe.
There was plenty of evidence a new Hyundai Genesis was on the way. In March, Hyundai CEO Kim Choong-ho told South Korean reporters that a new version of the flagship sedan would arrive by 2013. Then in July, Hyundai Motor America CEO John Krafcik told Automobile Magazine that a concept version of an all-new Genesis would be shown before the end of 2012.
The prototype Hyundai Genesis sedan seen here has a similar wide chrome grille, headlight treatment, and wheel design to the current car. New LED running lights surround the headlights and the taillights appear to have more interior detailing, but the basic trunk shape and trapezoidal exhaust tips are unchanged. The new Genesis appears longer than the current car, but that could be a visual trick because the rear windshield now makes a shallower angle to give the sedan a more modern, coupe-like roofline. Combined with the cutout window in the C-pillar, this Hyundai’s profile looks remarkably like the Jaguar XJ.
Reports suggest that the Hyundai Genesis will have a thoroughly updated interior, as well as more refined chassis that will be benchmarked against the Audi A6 and BMW 5 Series in terms of ride and handling. Very few powertrain updates are expected, although CEO Krafcik confirmed to us that the next-generation Genesis will be offered with all-wheel drive. The current car only comes in a rear-wheel-drive layout, which has apparently reduced its appeal to luxury buyers in the snow belt.
Despite Krafcik’s assertion that we would see a Hyundai Genesis sedan concept before the end of this year, no such car has materialized. That could be down to the fact that Hyundai was forced to scale back its fall and winter auto-show debuts as the company scrambled to react to its fuel-economy controversy. It’s possible the new luxury sedan will make an appearance next month at the Detroit auto show.
The 2013 Hyundai Genesis sedan received a few equipment changes, most notably a new navigation system and the elimination of the car’s midlevel 4.6-liter V-8 engine. For this model year, the car can only be equipped with a 3.8-liter V-6 or 5.0-liter V-8 engine. Pricing for the V-6 model starts at $35,075 after destination, while the V-8-powered Genesis costs $47,675. | <urn:uuid:9fcdaf9b-6abe-48be-bc02-b4ee4cff5b86> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://rumors.automobilemag.com/spied-2014-hyundai-genesis-sedan-in-europe-189617.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00009-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.947718 | 539 | 1.5625 | 2 |
Every two months, representatives from the world’s largest banks meet at an undisclosed location to review the London interbank offered rate.
Who sits on the British Bankers’ Association’s Foreign Exchange and Money Markets Committee, the body that governs the benchmark for more than $300 trillion of securities worldwide, is a secret. No minutes are published. The BBA won’t identify any members, saying it wants to protect them from being lobbied, and declined to make the chairman available for interview.
The group’s lack of transparency is symptomatic of a self-regulated system that failed to stop traders around the world manipulating the world’s most widely used benchmark interest rate for profit. Martin Wheatley, the British regulator charged with reviewing Libor after the scandal, is now weighing whether to bring oversight under the control of regulators.
“Politically something has to fundamentally change in the way that Libor is run,” said Owen Watkins, a former regulator at the U.K. Financial Services Authority and now a lawyer at Lewis Silkin LLP in London. “The obvious way to change it is to have regulators more involved than they were in the past.”
The group has sole responsibility for all aspects of the functioning and development of Libor, according to the BBA. Its functions include the design of the benchmark, which banks sit on the panels that determine the rate, and scrutiny of all rates submitted.
Members are “highly experienced market participants” who are independent of the BBA “and any other organization,” the website says. Still, all committee members act as “individuals representing their firms,” the BBA says. The chairman is also drawn from one of the banks that submit to the rates.
“Benchmark-setting is a process which affects the public good in that it brings certainty to markets,” said Greg Ford, a spokesman for Finance Watch, a Brussels-based public interest lobby group. “For that reason it needs the highest forms of governance and protection. Anonymity doesn’t fit that at all. How can you control conflicts of interest when you don’t know who you are dealing with?”
Spokesmen at Credit Suisse Group AG, Royal Bank of Scotland Group Plc and UBS AG declined to comment on whether they have any representatives on the committee, or their identities. Barclays Plc, Deutsche Bank AG, HSBC Holdings Plc, Bank of America Corp and Citigroup Inc. didn’t reply to e-mails seeking information on their involvement in the committee.
“There is an apparent lack of transparency,” Wheatley said in a discussion paper published Aug. 10. The scrutiny provided by the BBA’s Foreign Exchange and Money Markets committee “doesn’t appear to be sufficiently open and transparent to provide the necessary degree of accountability to firms and markets with a direct interest in being assured of the integrity of Libor.”
The benchmark is determined by a daily poll carried out on behalf of the BBA that asks banks to estimate how much it would cost to borrow from each other for different periods and in different currencies. At least a dozen firms are being probed worldwide over allegations they manipulated the rate.
Dan Doctoroff, chief executive officer of Bloomberg LP, proposed an alternative to Libor, dubbed the Bloomberg Interbank Offered Rate, in a Wall Street Journal opinion piece this month. Bloomberg LP is the parent of Bloomberg News.
The committee has so far failed to produce reforms that convince regulators and to levy sanctions against banks that have admitted to manipulating the rate. After the Bank for International Settlements first raised concern Libor was open to manipulation in 2008, the committee stepped up scrutiny of rate submissions.
Bank of England Governor Mervyn King described the response as “wholly inadequate” and ordered any reference to the central bank to be removed from the BBA document explaining the changes, according to correspondence between the bank and the New York Federal Reserve released in July.
One power the committee did introduce was to grant itself the right to remove any banks “unquestionably in breach of the Libor definition or terms of reference,” according to the BBA.
It hasn’t exercised that power -- even after Barclays Plc was fined a record 290 million pounds ($453.4 million) on June 27 for rigging the rates over more than four years. Barclays sits on the panel for rates including U.S. dollar Libor, Sterling Libor and Swiss Franc Libor.
“Libor panels are always kept under review,” BBA spokesman Brian Mairs said in an e-mailed statement. “Following the recent regulatory ruling at Barclays, the BBA and others are working to ensure the integrity of the benchmark.”
The committee may be reluctant to ban lenders, because that would make it hard to construct a workable rate, said Finance Watch’s Ford. The dozen banks still being probed are among the biggest players in an illiquid interbank market, he said.
In Japan, regulators have suspended banks for lapses in their rate-submission processes. In December, the Financial Services Agency ordered UBS AG to suspend trading for a week in derivatives tied to yen Libor and Euroyen Tibor, the Tokyo Interbank Offered Rate for yen held overseas. The following month, Citigroup’s Tokyo-based trading unit was banned from dealing in securities tied to Libor and Tibor, the Tokyo interbank offered rate, for two weeks. | <urn:uuid:3e186a53-d62a-4bc7-ae08-b9d7a48fbc7f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.treasuryandrisk.com/2012/08/21/libor-committee-clings-to-anonymity | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697974692/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095254-00010-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.946871 | 1,153 | 1.671875 | 2 |
Great Britain will likely be taking a deep breath (and perhaps a sigh of relief) this year as it recovers from a busy summer, when it hosted both the Olympics and Queen Elizabeth's Diamond Jubilee.
Despite the flurry of investment that swept Britain in the lead-up to the Olympics, austerity measures have taken their toll on Britain's tourist information services. I've long been disappointed in Britain's inability to see that tourist information is an investment in an important industry that brings in business. Rather, Britain views tourist-info offices as businesses in their own right, having to scramble to stay afloat like the countless attractions they're supposedly designed to serve. As a result, tourist offices across the country are either closing or morphing into shops peddling tourist activities, information, and knickknacks for a profit. The biggest hit is in London, where the Britain and London Visitors Centre near Piccadilly Circus has closed. Now the only publicly funded (and therefore impartial) tourist office is the City of London Information Centre, across from St. Paul's Cathedral.
Even with these issues, London remains a dynamic destination. One of the biggest changes is to its skyline, which now boasts Europe's tallest building, designed by Renzo Piano, the co-architect of Paris' Pompidou Center. Rocketing 1,020 feet above the south end of London Bridge, the Shard shimmers in the sun and glows like the city's nightlight after dark. The tip houses a 15-story stack of observation platforms enclosed in glass which opened to the public in February.
Visitors hoping to capture some of the Olympic afterglow can soon visit the new Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. The northern part, opening this summer, will feature footpaths, playgrounds, and picnic-friendly greens. The southern half, highlighted by the twisty red Orbit, is slated to open in spring of 2014. Visitors will also be able to swim in the pool where Michael Phelps won his 18th gold medal, as construction is underway to open up the Aquatics Centre for public leisure (pronounced LEH-zhoor in Britain).
Travelers interested in royalty will delight in the newly refurbished Kensington Palace, which now hosts a worthwhile series of exhibits on its most notable past residents, including William and Mary, and the Hanovers (the "Georges"). The highlight is the exhibit on Queen Victoria, who was born and raised in this palace.
The wizarding world is abuzz over the opening of the "Making of Harry Potter" studio tour in Leavesden, a 20-minute train ride from London. The attraction lets Potter-philes see the actual sets and props used in the films, along with exhibits about how the special effects were created. Visitors must book a time slot in advance—and in 2013, it's smart to do so as far ahead as possible.
In Bath, a 90-minute train ride west of London, visitors to the Roman and Medieval Bath can now avoid lines—worst on Saturdays and any day in summer—by buying advance tickets online.
Near Bath, visitors can explore Avebury Manor and Garden, the subject of The Manor Reborn, a four-hour BBC documentary on the refurbishment of the 500-year-old estate by a team of historians and craftspeople. Nine rooms decorated in five different styles show the progression of design trends from Tudor to Queen Anne to early 20th-century. A limited number of timed tickets are sold each day.
Along England's southern coast, the Portsmouth Historic Dockyard complex will soon welcome a new museum displaying the 16th-century warship Mary Rose (Henry VIII's favorite ship) and numerous Tudor-era items found inside the wreck.
In the charming city of York, in northeast England, the noble Kit Kat, Aero bars, and Chocolate Oranges are now featured in a fun attraction dubbed "Chocolate: York's Sweet Story" (all three confections were famously born in York). Visits start with a film and guided tour before flowing into a virtual chocolate factory.
Renovations continue at the stately York Minster. While the Great East Window remains behind scaffolding, several examples of the window's stained glass can be viewed up close in the Orb, a space-age-looking vessel located inside the Minster.
Two relatively new museums in Liverpool and Glasgow celebrate the heritage of these proud and scrappy port cities. The Museum of Liverpool is packed with interactive displays covering everything from the city's music and sports background to housing and health issues. Glasgow's Riverside Museum of Transport and Travel sports high-tech displays, a recreation of a 20th-century street, and plenty of recollecting Glaswegian seniors. Its vast collection includes stagecoaches, locomotives, the world's oldest bicycle, and the Glenlee, one of Glasgow's five remaining tall ships (docked outside the museum).
After a momentous year, 2013 should mark a return to normalcy in Great Britain. For many residents and travelers, that's a welcome change.
You Might Also Like: | <urn:uuid:a16bd73f-125b-4e55-8206-ce0686e32d12> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.smartertravel.com/blogs/today-in-travel/rick-steves-what-new-in-great-britain-in-2013.html?id=14038765 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00002-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.946651 | 1,037 | 1.632813 | 2 |
Posted 12:56 PM 2/28/2013 : Tucson couple could make history with mission to Mars
TUCSON - A Tucson couple could make space history as part of a private mission to Mars.
Taber MacCallum and Jane Poynter founded Paragon Space Development in Tucson, which specializes in life support systems for spacecraft. They are also part of the non-profit Inspiration Mars, which is behind the proposed January 2018 mission.
"Sort of rekindles America's excitement in space," said MacCallum.
If all goes according to plan humans, not just rovers, could soon be getting a birdseye view of the red planet. Poynter and MacCallum joined multi-millionaire and space tourist Dennis Tito in Washington, D.C. this week to unveil their big plans.
Tito is helping fund the 501-day private mission to send a two-person crew around Mars and back.
"It's like being in an RV where you go about 32,000 times around the earth and you can't get out for 500 days and you've got everything crammed in there with all that you need," said Poynter.
Not exactly a space getaway. The mission calls for a married couple, to help cope with the inevitable stress. They must also be past childbearing age because of high radiation levels and have experience with long periods of isolation and confinement.
"It was kind of funny, Jane and I kept checking off those requirements," said MacCallum.
The Tucson couple is no stranger to tight quarters. They spent two years living and working inside Biosphere 2.
"We're going to throw our hat into the ring," said MacCullum, "but whether we're on the ground supporting the crew, or we're actually the crew, both is really a fabulous opportunity for Tucson."
It is also an opportunity with lots of firsts and unknowns. The two don't just acknowledge that, they embrace it.
"Really the big risk is not taking the risk," said Poynter. "A calculated risk that is really daring but is possible, I mean that's really the spirit we need in America now."
Right now officials will not comment on the exact price tag, just saying it is much smaller and cheaper than the $2.5 billion Mars Curiosity Rover. For more information on Inspiration Mars, click here.
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Complete feeds of all KVOA.com stories | <urn:uuid:67612d74-49f9-4d4b-9f89-530d68b8ebb9> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www1.kvoa.com/videos/tucson-couple-candidates-for-mars-mission/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00005-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.951083 | 659 | 1.75 | 2 |
Being Familiar with Distinct Reasons Behind Pimple
Being familiar with Distinct Reasons behind Pimple.
You can flourish throughout figuring out distinct reasons behind pimple if you need to do away with this concern forever. The thought should be throughout deciding on the right cure to help you treat your current pimple issue.
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Under-going tense circumstances often could also bring about pimple issue throughout anyone. For you to overcome this specific, you’ll want to figure out how to take it easy along with connect to your friends and family users. Probably, you’ll want to hear a number of delicate tunes while then when you really feel additional really stressed out. When you find yourself remarkably burdened, hormonal instability might be made this also may start your glands seen in your epidermis. If your glands are generally started pertaining to drastically wrong motives pimple issue comes about throughout anyone.
Your own care way too may turn into the real reason for your pimple large from time to time. Even so, this specific component can vary derived from one of man or woman to an alternative. Around concentrating on on the care is basically not required. By way of example, in case you scrub the face often and then the idea can bring about dryness of your respective skin color. Even though this could be genuinely uneasy to handle initially, it could possibly perhaps drive your epidermis glands for you to exude additional gas when compared with common. For that reason, you’ll want to defend from this component.
Determining the complete reasons behind pimple is usually a complicated idea. In addition these kind of will cause may change quite a lot throughout individuals. For this reason, you have to handle the idea meticulously. | <urn:uuid:06fcf01c-abc2-4b45-9f05-58600d734866> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://beyondjane.com/beauty/skin/being-familiar-with-distinct-reasons-behind-pimple/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.964965 | 632 | 1.5625 | 2 |
Fall Creek Elementary School
Providing Opportunities for a Lifetime of Success - One Student at a Time
Fall Creek Elementary School provides an exceptional learning environment for students ranging from pre-K to grade five. Our staff members teach and help students develop with a dedicated and caring approach.
Being a K-12 school housed under one roof, we are also able to offer the chance for our students at all grade levels to interact and learn from each other through a program we call YTY - Youth-To-Youth. It encompasses one-on-one tutoring and interaction with in the classroom setting. We have found that this is one of our most rewarding programs because it gives our high school students the chance to work as a leader and mentor with our younger student population.
For further information about the outstanding educational and life shaping experience you or your student can expect to experience here at Fall Creek Elementary School please contact our counselor, John Strand, or principal Joe Sanfelippo.
There is currently no content classified with this term. | <urn:uuid:a25c15ef-48e2-4cef-ad0b-c12599c2483d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.fallcreek.k12.wi.us/elementary | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00004-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.946025 | 211 | 1.679688 | 2 |
'Hundreds more' in Russian siege
26 women, children released
Officials hope for more progress after militants release 26 hostages.
Tense standoff at the primary school. CNN's Ryan Chilcote reports
Chechen rebels are blamed for dozens of attacks in recent years.
BESLAN, Russia (CNN) -- Russian authorities now believe there may be hundreds more children, parents and teachers being held hostage at a school in southern Russia than originally thought, CNN Correspondent Ryan Chilcote says.
The revised figure comes after tense negotiations with the hostage-takers saw 26 women and children -- some of them infants -- released from the school Thursday. Security forces in military fatigues carried the children to safety.
Chilcote, reporting from the scene Friday, said one freed hostage says more than a thousand people are inside the school.
The earlier estimate of those being held hostage by armed attackers was 350.
But as the siege enters its third day, authorities believe the figure may be hundreds more than that.
Chilcote said a figure of 1,000 to 1,200 people was also consistent with what relatives waiting outside the school have told him.
Earlier, two loud explosions jolted the area. Authorities said the explosions were caused by grenades fired from hand-held launchers from inside the school.
Authorities said negotiators contacted the attackers via cell phone and the hostage-takers said they fired because they claimed there was troop movement near the building.
Chilcote was reporting live, describing the first explosion when the second blast went off.
"There's been another large explosion," said Chilcote, who was several hundred meters away when the blasts occurred. "The situation has turned chaotic here."
Sporadic small arms fire occurred throughout the day, but there had been no shots for several hours before the blasts, which went off around 12:30 a.m. on Friday (2130 GMT Thursday).
The standoff, which began with the armed attackers raiding the school on the first day of classes Wednesday, is now entering its third day.
Ringing the school are Russian troops, tanks and armored vehicles, beyond which are hundreds of frantic relatives and friends of those trapped inside the building.
The attackers have threatened to kill the children if an assault is launched.
"Our most important task in the current situation is, of course, to save the lives and health of those who were taken hostage," Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday.
Leading the talks was the former president of Ingushetia, Ruslan Aushev, who has entered the school and met face-to-face with the captors. Ingushetia is a Russian republic bordering Chechnya.
"The freeing of 26 is a big victory, but if you look at the whole picture, it is just a drop, there's still a lot of work to be done," said negotiator and pediatrician Leonid Roshal, one of the people listed by the hostage-takers as someone with whom they would talk.
Authorities said the women in the group gave them a description of what was happening inside: Most of the hostages were being held in the gymnasium and the women and children had been separated from the male hostages.
Authorities said women have been rationing the very limited amount of food in the school to the children, while the school's principal has been trying to keep the children's spirits up.
The children who attend the school range in age from 7 to 17, but infants who were with their mothers are also among those being held captive.
Roshal said he has been negotiating with a man by the name of Shai Khu, who has described himself as the group's press attache.
"Unfortunately, they have again refused to receive medicines, food and water for the children," Roshal said. "He calls himself a warrior. I told him warriors don't behave like this."
Roshal was also involved in negotiations with Chechens who seized a Moscow theater in the middle of a performance in October 2002, holding more than 700 people hostage.
Some of the relatives waiting outside the school have been there since the start of the siege, and have vowed not to eat or drink until their loved ones are released.
One mother whose two young sons are inside the school said she hoped there would be no military operation to try to rescue the hostages.
"Our children must be released. The soldiers must not storm the school, they must settle this peacefully, they must agree to anything to solve this, no price is too high," she told one reporter, her face ashen.
One of the requests made of the attackers is that the families of those killed in the initial assault on the school be allowed to remove the bodies of their loved ones from in front of the building.
Authorities said there are seven bodies. Ten others were wounded in the taking of the 11-grade primary school around 9 a.m. Wednesday.
Officials now believe there are between 15 and 20 armed assailants, at least two of whom are women. Some are reported to be wearing explosives-packed belts.
Earlier, the hostage-takers apparently fired on a car outside the school, setting it on fire, officials at the scene said.
The raid was reminiscent of the siege of the Moscow theater, when Chechen rebels threatened to kill the hostages and demanded an end to the war in Chechnya.
Many of those attackers were women, with explosives belts strapped to their body, while the men were armed with pistols and rifles. Two massive bombs had also been placed in the theater.
That standoff ended when Russian forces piped in poison gas into the theater to knock out everyone inside, but more than 120 of the hostages and 41 of the attackers were killed, most of them from the gas because authorities did not have enough antidote on hand to offset the symptoms.
The current hostage standoff follows a bloody week in Russia, in which a female suicide bomber Tuesday killed nine people outside a Moscow subway station and two airliners were downed by two suspected Chechen female suicide bombers on August 24, killing all 89 people aboard the planes.
Russian officials have said the new wave of attacks is an attempt at revenge for last weekend's elections in Chechnya in which a Kremlin-backed candidate won the presidency.
Beslan is 30 kilometers (19 miles) north of Vladikavkaz in southern Russia, which borders the troubled Russian republic of Chechnya. | <urn:uuid:8e83075e-249d-48f2-8df6-26c931527a0b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/europe/09/02/russia.school/index.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368711005985/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516133005-00010-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.982937 | 1,329 | 1.640625 | 2 |
Sponsored by YouTube EDU, in partnership with the Khan Academy, Carleton University math professor Kevin Cheung has won the Khan Academy Prize of $1,000 as part of the Next EDU Guru contest. He was one of only three Canadians among 10 finalists in the contest for innovative educational videos.
Cheung created the Math Apptician channel with videos on the mathematics behind popular apps called Mathapptics. Often asked about the value of a math degree, Cheung began looking for a perfect teaching app to improve his lectures. Not able to find an app that met his needs, he began writing his own. His teaching app is now an indispensable tool for his lectures. The more apps he wrote, the more he recognized how much math was involved. This awareness lead to Mathapptics, an exciting new program to motivate students.
“The whole experience has been like a dream,“ said Cheung. “I started the channel in August and to be discovered within such a short time confirms that I am on the right track. In a way, being selected as the winner of the Khan Academy Prize is a reflection of our commitment to excellence in teaching at Carleton. It is also a testament to the fact that we are continually reflecting on our approach to math education. As the channel continues to grow, I hope that it will bring a new level of excitement to learning math both at Carleton and elsewhere.”
YouTube Next EDU Guru is a development program that provides training and mentoring to the next generation of educational content creators, from math whizzes to grammar buffs. Selected participants take part in a special training camp, held in conjunction with the Khan Academy, at YouTube HQ.
Next EDU Guru is available in the U.S., U.K., Australia, Canada, Ireland, and New Zealand. Read more about the program guidelines.
For more information
Media Relations Officer
(613) 520-2600, ext. 8718
Follow us on Twitter: twitter.com/Cunewsroom
Need an expert? Go to: www.carleton.ca/newsroom/experts | <urn:uuid:70644463-d83c-461b-9a13-e56a74b233b4> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://newsroom.carleton.ca/2012/10/31/carleton-professor-wins-the-khan-academy-prize-as-part-of-youtubes-next-edu-guru-contest-for-educational-videos/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00018-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.957354 | 436 | 1.78125 | 2 |
New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg found himself facing questions Thursday about why the city was paying for more than 100 vacant hotel rooms when thousands were displaced after Superstorm Sandy.
The rooms were reserved for storm victims who were pushed out of their homes by Sandy, which hit the area October 29. According to Bloomberg's office, a total of 1,014 people were housed in 416 rooms, while another 120 rooms designated as emergency housing were vacant.
"We've gone out and we've gotten housing for people in case they might need it, but the wonderful thing is we haven't needed it so far," Bloomberg said Thursday.
"We have hotel rooms in advance, particularly now because as you get toward the holiday season the hotel occupancy goes up, and if we need it -- and I hope we don't -- we're going to have those," he added.
That's a surprise to Nicole Neal, whose whose apartment in the Queens neighborhood of Far Rockaway hasn't had heat or power since the storm hit. "I would go to the hotel," Neal told CNN on Thursday. "It's freezing in my apartment. I got to wear four pairs of socks every day."
Yisroel Schulman, president of the New York Legal Assistance Group, said scores of families are staying in cold, dark homes because they are concerned about looting or they don't want to pull their children from school.
"We believe strongly the minute that first snow hits, and it's really cold, these people are going to need housing," Schulman said. "It's a very prudent move on apart of the city to have as much temporary housing as possible."
The city says canvassers have knocked on more than 12,600 doors to tell people that housing assistance is available for those who still lack heat, and they leave flyers on the doors of units where no one answers. Residents are being told about restoration centers where they can be connected with hotels if their heat is still out.
Neal said she had not been contacted about the available hotel rooms. She has been staying with her mother in a crowded Brooklyn apartment while she awaits repairs to her apartment, where she said the walls are caving in and mold is growing on the walls.
She said the Federal Emergency Management Agency has given her $1,700 and that the city took over responsibility for the housing complex she lived in because the landlord abandoned it. | <urn:uuid:dcd2a93e-3234-48e5-8170-9808600c091d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.wcvb.com/news/national/New-York-hotel-rooms-sit-vacant-after-Sandy/-/9848944/17599830/-/w6xhk1z/-/index.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00015-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.99105 | 487 | 1.5 | 2 |
—Israel-U.S. relations: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has had a frosty relationship with President Barack Obama. If Netanyahu is re-elected, relations could sour further over issues where the two disagree, primarily the Palestinians and Iran.
—Iran: Netanyahu and his government have pressed hard for stricter sanctions against Iran over its suspect nuclear program, implying until recently that Israel might be forced to attack Iranian nuclear sites to stop weapons development. His opponents charge that a unilateral Israeli attack would bring painful retaliation and would not significantly damage Iran's program, which Tehran denies has military purposes.
—Palestinians: Netanyahu has grudgingly accepted the concept of a Palestinian state but has rejected Palestinian and international demands to halt Israeli settlement construction. He has staked out positions on the West Bank and east Jerusalem that are far less generous than those offered unsuccessfully by predecessors, leading the Palestinians and his dovish opponents to question his commitment to peacemaking.
—Arab world: Netanyahu insists that peace treaties with Egypt and Jordan must be preserved, but his opponents think he has overreacted with his dire warnings about Islamist parties that have won elections after "Arab Spring" revolts. Israel is also warily watching the civil war in neighboring Syria, concerned
—Economy: Netanyahu says he has preserved stability despite global economic turmoil. His opponents complain that gaps between rich and poor are wider than ever. | <urn:uuid:fda96098-fa18-4170-95fd-5ce0f550f900> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.eveningsun.com/nationworldnews/ci_22418185/key-issues-israeli-election | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00002-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.977002 | 280 | 1.78125 | 2 |
Year Released: 2010
MPAA Rating: R
Running Time: 90 minutes
Click to Expand Credits:
Pro-war. Anti-war. It doesn’t matter. Restrepo is a film you must see. It’s as gripping as documentaries get and timely. This look at the year in the life of the soldiers of 2nd Platoon, Battle Company, 173rd Airborne, who are stationed in Afghanistan’s Korengal Valley (an area called “the most dangerous place on Earth”), is a reminder that war is truly Hell. They spend their days at Outpost Restrepo, which is named after one of their fallen numbers. There they eat together, play together, mourn together, kill together and die together. There is no apparent political agenda here, and that makes it so either side of the war fence can justify their arguments with this film. What both sides will agree upon, however, is that this movie moves you.
Anyone who thinks the American soldiers in combat are one-dimensional will be in for a rude awakening. Yes, these men are often arrogant and cold-hearted, but they also have compassion and sympathy. They know they have a job to do, and part of that job is winning the trust of the villagers. That, of course, is not an easy task, and watching the men come under sudden and deadly fire several times throughout the film will start to transform the way you look at the villagers, too. What first appeared to be old farmers start to look like shifty, evil opportunists who can’t be trusted. On the flip side of that, these villagers are dealing with foreign invaders who accidentally kill them and their livestock. The film does not shy away from the fact that this mistrust goes both ways and is detrimental to both sides.
It’s rare when you get a documentary this close to the source. It will give viewers a new understanding of what these men and women (though it’s only men in this case) go through while fighting what many think is an impossible war to win. You get a sense that these men know this, too, but plow on regardless of the outcome.
As one soldier is reminded, he isn’t hunting animals, he is hunting humans. These men are also being hunted, and viewers get to be right in the thick of it. It isn’t a pleasant place, and it is far from romantic (Hollywood tends not to show soldiers burning their own feces), but it is real, and that’s what makes it so unforgettable.
Posted on February 10, 2011 in Reviews by Doug Brunell
If you liked this article then you may also like the following Film Threat articles:
Popular Stories from Around the Web | <urn:uuid:0795d781-084e-43ba-b353-375dc831f3df> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.filmthreat.com/reviews/30578/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704713110/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516114513-00016-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.962172 | 572 | 1.515625 | 2 |
Computer Associates has reported an unpatched flaw in its iGateway security software, which allows remote attackers to take over a system and execute arbitrary code.
CA says the vulnerability is due to improper bounds checking of HTTP GET requests by iGateway, when the debug mode is enabled.
Remote attackers can exploit this vulnerability to cause a buffer overflow and execute arbitrary code.
The vulnerability exists in versions of 3.0 and 4.0 of iGateway supplied before 23 June 2005.
IGateway is shipped with products such as BrightStor ARCserve 2000, BrightStor Enterprise Backup and BrightStor Portal. The debug mode is not enabled by default however.
CA has not provided a fix to the problem so far, but recommends that users do not use the debug mode. CA has judged the overall risk as “medium” with the impact being “critical”. | <urn:uuid:33ffc78d-af2f-494e-a496-8aa2b38dc05b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.computerweekly.com/news/2240075464/CA-reports-unpatched-security-flaw | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00012-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.930125 | 184 | 1.710938 | 2 |
Venison is much more than food for the deer hunter's soul. It also contributes to a very healthy lifestyle, and serves as a cheap alternative to other meats. Not to mention this mouthwatering meat is typically lower in saturated fat and calories than domestic choices.
Deer feed on naturally occurring forbs and browse that don’t contain antibiotics or growth hormones. Also, helping to keep our burgeoning deer herds in check through hunting and eating what your game is good for the environment. A survey of the energy used to produce and distribute various foods has found that wild-game meat is among the most energy-efficient and least polluting foods in our diet. The analysis includes the manufacture and application of fertilizers and other chemicals, harvesting, processing, packaging, transport and waste disposal.
Nutritionally, the following tables clearly show that, compared to beef, venison is high in protein, low in calories and saturated fat.
Some game meat is higher in dietary cholesterol than domestic meats, but the combination of more lean body tissue, less saturated fat and significantly higher percentage of cholesterol-reducing polyunsaturated fatty acids makes wild game a heart-healthy choice.
*100 grams= 3 1/2 ounces
With ample proof that venison is the way to go, here are my secret venison recipes developed over decades of chasing whitetails.
The Best Venison Burgers Ever!
My wife Cheryl and I love a good hamburger, and venison burgers are our favorites. For us, the key is at the time of harvest. I make sure I meticulously clean the meat, cool it immediately and let it age a bit before processing. We grind our own burger, adding a 5 to 7 percent combination of beef and pork fat—just enough to hold the meat together when we make burgers and give it a tad of flavor, but no more than that.
When I make summer burgers, I often combine two 1/4-pound patties with a surprise in the middle. Here’s what you do. Pat out four 1/4-lb. patties. On top of one patty place a couple of long mild green chile slices (remove the seeds first!), and a piece of your favorite cheese (we like Pepperjack.) Now place the other patty on top, and be sure to close the sides of the double patty up.
Grill over a medium flame, the key being to cook the burgers slowly so they are cooked through and the cheese inside melts. I season mine with a little garlic salt, coarse black pepper, and celery salt. In the house, Cheryl has cooked a few strips of bacon and toasted onion buns. We serve the burgers on the buns and add the bacon, dill pickle slices, red onion slices and some fresh avocado. To top it all off, a fresh garden salad, some Boston baked beans and salty Kettle chips will be washed down with a fine microbrew pale ale outside on the deck. | <urn:uuid:feb53c23-05f7-47bc-a1e2-a4952765b77a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.americanhunter.org/articles/best-venison-recipes/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00019-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.933278 | 614 | 1.632813 | 2 |
Through the menacing brooding jungle stalked the mighty white youth Ka-Zar discovering, fighting, conquering beasts, savages and white men who came to kill, and steal the golden treasures from this primeval heart of the Congo.
Once, far out on the lake, there was a mighty splash. Twice during the night, deep in the jungle a panther screamed. Both times David cried out and both times Constance awoke to quiet him with a tender hand and murmured words of comfort.
The stars, though of dazzling brilliance, seemed very far away and cold. Gradually the various sounds of the jungle grew more familiar in Rand’s ears and his mind strayed back to the events leading up to their disastrous crash.
AHIGH-SPIRITED young Yank, John Rand had roamed the world in search of adventure and fortune. He had found them both. The Gods had indeed been kind to him.
In a romantic two-weeks' interlude between his fortune seeking expeditions,he had wooed and won the gentle Constance and had spirited her away from under the very nose of the stern headmistress of a fashionable French finishing school. Neither of them had ever regretted the elopement.
If Tarzan is a tequilla sunrise..Ka-Zar is a straight shot of tequilla. Imagine a ripping good Tarzan story without all the internal strife, personal conflict, and romantic interludes; but..with all the jungle perils and knife-play.
All boys and most men should read this book. | <urn:uuid:077d21c4-5810-4ca2-900e-b233e89c3616> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://manybooks.net/titles/byrdbother05Ka-zar.html | 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 | 0.959051 | 322 | 1.65625 | 2 |
Choosing A University Based on an Academic Program
Students choose a transfer university based on many considerations. Ideally, choosing a university based on academic programs and its "fit" for you is a primary consideration. From which university degree programs can you benefit most?
The key to this element is the faculty who teach and do scholarly work in the department of your major. In finding out more about them and their academic projects, you can better define your own academic interests and generate ideas about how to gain experience related to your studies. In the end, both of these outcomes can be helpful in your transition to the university, employment, or graduate school.
Here are some questions to ask about a university campus:
The answers to these questions are available in university catalogs and on their websites. In university catalogs you can find a list of faculty members and a description of the major and course offerings. It is more likely that you will have to go to a web site to find information about the activities of faculty members through links to "academic programs", "research", or "faculty". Opportunities for students to gain experience are often coordinated through a career center or student employment office that is part of "student services".
Once you decide on an academic program that interests you - you should then visit Education Connections, which provides you the opportunity to not only assess and match your own personality to several careers and programs, but also to explore up to four universities at a time to compare the size, tuition costs, accreditation, and majors offered at each university.
If you are not sure how to begin gathering information about university academic programs and faculty, either in catalogs or on the Internet, the Transfer Counseling Center can help. Come to the Transfer Counseling Center or call 530-895-2264 for help. | <urn:uuid:5273fac8-a1e7-4ffb-8d29-b302a1bb6187> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://butte.edu/departments/transfer/college_links/choose_a_college.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00010-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.960683 | 368 | 1.703125 | 2 |
The French National Assembly is currently debating proposals to crack down
on file-sharing on the internet. New laws would see home users who illegally download music and films face fines, and there would be jail terms for those who distribute anti-copyright software. Currently, the law in France is such that users can download as much as they like for a small fee, but the government there wants to delete the amendment that makes this possible.
During the debate, minister Mr Sarkozy said: "Young people must have the right to be able to make private copies, but industrial illegal downloading is theft."
Opponent Christine Boutin, a member of the UMP majority, said the government tactics would simply "push internet users to piracy".
A vote on the legislation is expected to be held on Wednesday 15 March. | <urn:uuid:d5638ed9-4a17-401b-9929-99f4296383a1> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.techspot.com/news/20765-france-wants-to-crack-down-on-illegal-file-sharing.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00006-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.972971 | 164 | 1.601563 | 2 |
Note: It's an optical illusion, not an animated GIF. You can't print animated gifs on paper.
This is a video of a cat spazzing out on the optical illusion seen above. So now we know -- yes, cats CAN see optical illusions. And laser beams. Unfortunately mine can't seem to see where the litterbox ends, which explains why there's a turd on the floor in my bathroom. Well, at least I hope that explains why there's a turd on the floor in my bathroom.
Hit the jump for the video, it's awesome to see the kitty sitting there staring at the thing at the end.
Thanks to SLURM, whose cats don't care for optical illusions because they're too smart to be tricked. Man, I wish I had a smart cat. Dammit Shitty Bill, stop staring at the wall. | <urn:uuid:b055e67e-2b06-4250-a9e2-cbec577cb1e9> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://geekologie.com/2013/03/cat-can-see-spinning-optical-illusion-tr.php | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00013-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.948482 | 180 | 1.617188 | 2 |
Incident Causes Search To Be Delayed, Is 3rd Of Its Kind In 3 Weeks
A green laser directed at a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter temporarily blinded the aircrew and forced them to land abruptly Wednesday morning while attempting to search for the source of three orange flares spotted near Garden City Beach, SC. This is the third time in three weeks a Coast Guard search has been hindered due to green lasers in the Grand Strand, the beach region from Little River, SC to Georgetown, SC.
The aircrew, from Air Facility Charleston, SC, had just arrived at the search area to begin searching when the laser hit the aircraft at about 0145 EDT, forcing the aircrew to stop searching and land. One crewman received direct laser exposure and was not cleared to fly again until Wednesday afternoon. Watchstanders at Sector Charleston immediately directed a boatcrew from Coast Guard Station Georgetown to take over the search. However, due to the distance from Georgetown, the boatcrew didn’t arrive at the search area until about two hours after the helicopter departed.
A different helicopter crew from Air Station Savannah flew over the area at dawn to continue searching. The search ended later Wednesday morning but the source of the flares was never located.
The green lasers limit air and boat crewmembers’ vision, making it difficult from them to safely operate the aircraft and boats, thus making it extremely dangerous for the Coast Guardsmen operating them and other people nearby. A delay during a search could also result in the death of the person or people the Coast Guard is attempting to save.
Cmdr. Gregory Fuller, commanding officer at Air Station Savannah, which provides Coast Guard air support for the Grand Strand, has deemed the entire Grand Strand very high risk and now requires aircrews to consider laser risk in the area before responding to a distress call. "We've been very fortunate that the green laser incidents haven't yet resulted in tragedy," said Fuller. "But every time we send our aircrews to the Grand Strand, we're telling them to fly into the equivalent of a storm, where it's almost guaranteed they'll be hit. We're simply asking the public to stop putting Coast Guard men and women in senseless and unnecessary danger."
The Federal Aviation Administration reports lasing incidents rose 902 percent from 2005 to 2011. Shining any laser at an aircraft is a federal offense under 14 CFR 19.11. Several people have been convicted under this and similar state laws. These convictions have resulted in prison terms as long as five years, fines of up to $11,000, and five years probation. | <urn:uuid:463ca940-f0f4-4164-b137-1bb833f7a0f2> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.aero-news.net/index.cfm?do=main.textpost&id=d7577d44-5c25-4d4e-b3bd-b1284fdf75e0 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00015-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.960073 | 530 | 1.742188 | 2 |
Singapore_Air From United Kingdom, joined Nov 2000, 13711 posts, RR: 21 Posted (10 years 10 months 4 weeks 1 day 22 hours ago) and read 2079 times:
Finally, Lufthansa is gaining the respect to officially be "The World's Favourite Airline".
The German national airline is to transport 32 000 000 passengers internationally compared to British Airways' 31 000 000 passengers. While AMR, DAL, UAL and ANA fly up to 100 000 000 passengers a year, most are domestic.
British Airways was allowed to call itself "The World's Favourite Airline" because it flew the most passengers internationally, despite Lufthansa disproving the way BA uses it's figures to justify it's slogan in 1999 - 2000.
Marie Oldham, a managing partner at Media Planning, said BA's 'fall from grace' reflects the UK's diminishing influence in both €urope and the Global stage. (I don't think so).
"BA bottled out of expansion and of the low-cost airline battle until it was too late and Britain as a nation has bottled out on the single currency," she said. "When the world thinks of Europe now it thinks of Germany and France as the leaders, not Britain, and that is mirrored by our national airline."
"It is the final confirmation that we are no longer a great power in the world - another nail in the coffin of Cool Britannia."
TNboy From Australia, joined Mar 2002, 1131 posts, RR: 21 Reply 5, posted (10 years 10 months 4 weeks 1 day 21 hours ago) and read 1986 times:
That's an interesting post, Singapore_Air, because it says that Lufthansa is gaining the "respect " to be the world's favourite airline - yet the claim (by them, I gather) sems to be based, reasonably enough, purely on numbers.
I wonder whether the slogan is copyright? I guess it is - and will continue to be.. and I assume you can still call yourself "The World's Favourite Airline" even if you're not "The World's Most Travelled Airline", as "favourite" seems to imply some sort of qualitative, rather than necessarily quantative opinion??
And, I agree with you, the media saying "..we are no longer a great power in the world.." and that it is a reflection of Britain's diminishing influence, largely because another European carrier happens to carry a slightly larger number of passengers is stretching things more than a tad, and simply reinforces my jaundiced view of media credibility.
Not that it matters, of course, other than to airline spin doctors desperately seeking a few extra inches in a media all too eager to print anything that can fill the journalist's quota for the day. Ho hum.
Realistically, it probably has nothing at all to do with passenger perception of service standards or reliability, and probably just as little to do with national influence. Both airlines are regularly seen as among the world's top half-dozen or so carriers.
ONLY 31 million passengers? Oh my gosh!
Singapore_Air From United Kingdom, joined Nov 2000, 13711 posts, RR: 21 Reply 6, posted (10 years 10 months 4 weeks 1 day 21 hours ago) and read 1967 times:
The article didn't say respect, but I put it there because it seems that before, when LH announced that they used BA's accounting (it's not but it's the only word I can think of at the moment) practices to justify them being "The World's Favourite Airline" for them (LH) to then claim that title from BA. Previously, it was just yeah yeah liar.
As for the word "favourite", I think that should go to the airline in the world that has won the most awards.
Britair From United Kingdom, joined Aug 1999, 933 posts, RR: 17 Reply 7, posted (10 years 10 months 4 weeks 1 day 21 hours ago) and read 1967 times:
What a load of.......!! Yeah, whatever Lufthansa! As for the comments about the UK....where the hell do they get that from!! So for once LH carries 1 million more passengers internationally than BA and suddenly it is the nail in the coffin of the entire UK? hahahahahahahahahaha...gotta love marketing logic (or is that a contradiction in terms). In typical Euro fashion, they think numbers, hard facts and paper figures....to the rest of us, "Favourite" means more emotionally. So yes LH you carried more passengers (woo-hoo) but you dont have the same emotional support and never will
Continental From United States of America, joined Jun 2000, 5476 posts, RR: 21 Reply 11, posted (10 years 10 months 4 weeks 1 day 18 hours ago) and read 1831 times:
Lufthansa in my opinion is better than BA. When I think of BA, I think of a bunch of snobs for some reason, don't get mad at me, that's what I think. I never really likeed BA or Virgin, I think LH should be the World's Favorite Airline. Just because BA has that damn slogan, doesn't mean they are. What if America West's slogan was "America's Best Airline" WOULD THAT BE TRUE!?
SQ325 From Germany, joined Jul 2001, 1437 posts, RR: 8 Reply 12, posted (10 years 10 months 4 weeks 1 day 18 hours ago) and read 1815 times:
I don't understand this discussion!
BA or LH? No doubt LH is better. LH is in Star FRA as continetal hub is better than LHR. The service really improved the last years and I don't think that PTV or not is nothing to value an Airline.
Fleet managment, frequentflyer programs and Alliance partners are valuable!
777236ER From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 13, posted (10 years 10 months 4 weeks 1 day 18 hours ago) and read 1814 times:
This is discussion is about LH being petty (and unoriginal) enough to be concerned with BA's well-established advertising tactics. I don't know if LH realises this, but BA is always going to be the World's Favourite Airline in the eyes of the public.
Lowfareair From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 16, posted (10 years 10 months 4 weeks 1 day 18 hours ago) and read 1762 times:
>>What if America West's slogan was "America's Best Airline" WOULD THAT BE TRUE!?<<
I'd agree with it if you changed that to "America's Best Major Airline". They offer frills, such as meals on long flights, elite program(good one too), clubs, advanced seat assignments, first class, damn good IFE selection, but don't charge last-minute travelers through the nose.
BTW: I thought CO was good until they took away the 20,000 off-peak mileage award, cancelled their agreements with their 2 airlines that could fly a person to many places within the Western US(Alaska can really only reach the Pacific NW), Bethune's arrogant statements, no more free drinks internationally(I don't care but it is a stupid idea), raising P-club prices after losing several AmWest had, installing kiosks that will replace the gate agent eventually, and giving international elites the HoKeY fares.
LanPeru From Peru, joined Jun 2001, 634 posts, RR: 10 Reply 20, posted (10 years 10 months 4 weeks 1 day 16 hours ago) and read 1695 times:
Is it just me, or are most of the people saying "this is a load of...." and all that other stuff British? I have many British friends that would hate to admit that something German (i.e Cars, Airlines, Economy) is better than something British. So, now, who is the one being biased? I would fly LH over BA anyday, If BA originally based thier title on pax numbers, than LH deserves it.
Marco From United Arab Emirates, joined Jul 2000, 4161 posts, RR: 17 Reply 22, posted (10 years 10 months 4 weeks 1 day 16 hours ago) and read 1688 times:
I'm not British nor am I german and BA is much better. That's how the majority of the people feel. BA offers a premium product, even in economy, whereas LH offers a reliable and very standard service. There's a big difference. | <urn:uuid:e94384ea-67e1-401a-8554-beb676aac66b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.airliners.net/aviation-forums/general_aviation/read.main/864148/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00013-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.948092 | 1,799 | 1.539063 | 2 |
Trekking in India
In almost every part of India, there is a variety of trekking adventure option awaiting the trekker, some soft, others not so. The Himalayas provide superb opportunities for trekking in a wide variety of landscapes. Sankoo, Panikhar, Rangdum and Padum in the Suru and Zanskar Valleys are the bases for a variety of trekking routes.
Comprising the districts of Uttarkashi, Tehri-Garhwal, Pauri-Garhwal, Dehra Dun and Chamoli, the Garhwal hills are a veritable paradise for trekkers. The East Himalayas present perhaps the best trekking routes in the whole of India.
Low altitude treks in the lower regions of Darjeeling are quiet easy and are particularly recommended for those tourists who like to take up a stroll at a leisurely pace. The Kalimpong-Relli trek through golden paddy fields, the Kurseong-Namsu trail through tea gardens and the Kurseong-Mirik trek are the main trails through low altitude areas.
The mazy passes of the Himalayas offer a wonderful opportunity for trekking expedition in India. The natural beauty of the place is so captivating that people fall in love with these places instantly. It is difficult to resist the verdant slopes of the Himalayas and time and again mountain lovers go there to rediscover the varied beauty of nature. There are plenty of remote villages here. While undertaking a long trek, there are possibilities that you will have the opportunity to interact with the people of the region. These people of remote villages are quite removed from the mainstream and follow a culture that is unique. The lofty mountains of the Himalayas provide a serene and pure environment.
Physical fitness is extremely important while undertaking a trekking expedition. People with high or low blood pressure are advised against undertaking long hikes. Similarly people who are obese are also advised against arduous treks in the hilly terrains of Himalayas. Trekking expeditions are generally conducted in between the months of February and May.
In southern India, the terrains of Western Ghats have been a favorite place for hikers. The best time to go for a trek in the Western Ghats is between April and December.
Read details on Camp Wild - Dhauj | <urn:uuid:79649383-fb95-4175-aad0-595e524637de> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.travelgoindia.com/trekking.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00013-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.933053 | 487 | 1.695313 | 2 |
By Phil Izzo
A roundup of economic news from around the Web.
–Innovation Crisis: Kenneth Rogoff looks at whether the recent downturn in growth is the result of financial crisis or lack of innovation. ” Taken together, these factors make it easy to imagine trend GDP growth being one percentage point below normal for another decade, possibly even longer. If the Kasparov-Thiel-Gordon hypothesis is right, the outlook is even darker – and the need for reform is far more urgent. After all, most plans for emerging from the financial crisis assume that technological progress will provide a strong foundation of productivity growth that will eventually underpin sustained recovery. The options are far more painful if the pie has ceased growing quickly. So, is the main cause of the recent slowdown an innovation crisis or a financial crisis? Perhaps some of both, but surely the economic trauma of the last few years reflects, first and foremost, a financial meltdown, even if the way forward must simultaneously treat other obstacles to long-term growth. “
–Debt Problems: Tim Taylor examines how U.S. debt problems have been building. “In other words, a fiscal crisis has been coming for the U.S. budget for some decades. But before the Great Recession, we thought we had 20 years or so to make adjustments before we hit the danger zone. When the Great Recession squashed tax revenues and the attempt at fiscal stimulus pushed up spending, much of that lead time evaporated. The Congressional Budget Office focuses on a somewhat different number than Thornton does, looking at debt “held by the public” rather than “gross” debt–essentially leaving out debt that the federal government owes to itself, like Treasury bonds held in the Social Security trust fund. By that measure, back in December 2007 before the Great Recession hit, long-term budget projections from CBO were that the debt/GDP ratio would rise to the danger zone of 100% by around 2030. Eighteen months later, after the Great Recession hit, the June 2009 report from the CBO forecast that the debt/GDP ratio would hit 100% around 2022.”
–Drought and Prices: The Labor Department compares the effect on crop prices from this year’s drought to one in 1988. “In the summer of 2012, the United States experienced its worst drought since the 1980s. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Weather Service, the 2012 drought was similar to the 1988 drought, but was more widespread, affecting more states. Should the 2012 drought have a bigger impact on grocery prices than the 1988 drought? The June 1988 drought resulted in Producer Price Index (PPI) increases of 21.3 percent for wheat, 26.0 percent for corn, and 22.5 percent for soybeans. The PPI for processed foods and feeds increased 2.1 percent in June, and in July, the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for food at home increased 1.3 percent—the largest monthly advances for both indexes that year. Chart 1 shows how the drought in 1988 immediately caused a spike in prices for these major crops, and subsequently how much more consumers paid for food.”
Compiled by Phil Izzo | <urn:uuid:f5388ef3-6193-40f3-8b39-a4b44e61b83c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://blogs.wsj.com/economics/2012/12/05/secondary-sources-innovation-crisis-debt-problems-drought-and-prices/?mod=WSJBlog&mod=blogmod | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00020-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.950658 | 659 | 1.820313 | 2 |
After flying 19 hours on a plane from his home in western Africa, Ibrahim Kanda wasn’t sure what to expect on his first day in the United States.
He found himself in the rolling hills of Warren County, surrounded by tree-lined streets, manicured lawns and the quaint Main Street of Hackettstown.
"The air is very clean. This is the first impression," said Kanda, an English teacher from Niger.
Kanda is one of 64 foreign scholars who came to New Jersey this week for a crash course on American life at an orientation hosted by Centenary College in Hackettstown. They are part of the Fulbright Program, the international education initiative sponsored by the U.S. government that sends students and scholars around the world. | <urn:uuid:6d8b3a88-2b21-4cf0-8def-cd40518d3f40> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://universitybusiness.com/news/coming-america-101-centenary-college-teaches-foreign-students-how-live-study-us | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00003-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.974482 | 157 | 1.773438 | 2 |
Among the working class, it is common knowledge that the sick are being prayed for and healing is occurring. The gospel is being preached at work, and unsaved business people are getting saved. Deliverance is taking place as greed and injustice move out to make way for justice and righteousness.
AN OLD CONFLICT I suggest that the tension between the nuclear church and the extended church is not new. In fact, it is not unreasonable to note that the modern-day conflict between the two groups bears amazing similarity to what happened between the church in Jerusalem and the church at Antioch during a pivotal time in history.
The church in Jerusalem had heard about a move of God in Antioch, where God ought not to be. Concerned that a cult was arising there, the Jerusalem brethren sent Barnabas to check it out (see Acts 11:19-26).
Antioch was an entirely different kind of city than Jerusalem, and Barnabas found an entirely different kind of church there. It did not resemble the mother church in Jerusalem in any way. To start with, it was filled not with Jewish believers but with Gentile God-fearers.
It was not a proper church. There were no ordained people running it. It was out of order, and it was difficult to figure out who was in charge.
And yet, the power of the Holy Spirit was all over the place. Barnabas recognized that what was going on was an undeniable move of God.
Clearly, the Antioch church needed an apostle, but who? Barnabas left the city, made a right turn and went to Arabia in search of Paul and brought him to Antioch (see Acts 11:25-26).
Paul had the attention of the people immediately because his reputation was well-known. He had been a soldier, a persecutor of the people of "the way," but had now become a born-again evangelist to the very people he once tried to imprison.
The stories of Saul of Tarsus, now Paul the apostle, were still alive and well in the rumor mill. Paul began to preach to the people in Antioch and they listened--if for no other reason than to hear what such a man might have to say.
Asking permission of no one, not even the Jerusalem church, Paul summarily removed the stumbling blocks that had served as a "Do Not Enter" sign to these potential converts to the faith. Paul blatantly told Gentile believers, contrary to conventional wisdom of the day, that they did not have to get circumcised and that they could be saved without obeying the Mosaic Law (see Acts 13:38-39).
The mother church in Jerusalem became concerned about what was happening in Antioch among the uncircumcised Gentiles, who claimed to be true believers in Jesus Christ. It was this conflict between the organized proper church and the unorthodox church at Antioch that caused the council at Jerusalem to convene (see Acts 15:1-6).
The issue was so important that the apostles and elders came to town for the meeting. Luke reports that the brothers were glad, but there is no indication that the apostles and elders were glad to hear about revival among the Gentiles (see v. 3).
At a crucial point in the meeting, Peter stood to address the gathering. Had you been there you could have heard the proverbial pin drop. Why? Because 10 years before this, the Lord had showed Peter the acceptance of the Gentiles through a dream of a sheet coming down from heaven. As a result of the dream, Peter went to a Gentile's house, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and Peter baptized the whole lot (see Acts 9:1-48).
Peter's words helped diffuse a potentially explosive situation. When he concluded, Paul and Barnabas told of the miracles they had witnessed among the Gentiles. This must have satisfied the apostles and elders, who were pleased to draft a decree that would encourage and embrace those Gentiles who were of the faith (see Acts 22-29).
You may be wondering if the rise of the extended church in the workplace is as serious as all that. It is indeed that serious. We are witnessing the same potential for a kingdom divided as was possible between the proper church of Jerusalem and the raucous church of Antioch.
CLASHING CHURCH CULTURES Something akin to the Jerusalem council may have to occur between the apostles of the workplace church and the apostles of the traditional church. The nuclear church will not be able to close the door God is opening to a full-throttle, Holy Ghost, signs-and-wonders outpouring on people whom He has sovereignly chosen.
Many of these are people who have not been to seminary, have not been ordained by a suitable denomination and are not married to any denominational doctrine. They are men and women who are passionate about Jesus and really believe they can do what they perceive the nuclear church has struggled to do. They know they are called, and they intend to answer the call. | <urn:uuid:264f7ed8-2374-43b7-a52a-f22b08e862a3> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.charismamag.com/life/women/9861-revival-in-the-workplace?showall=&start=1 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00004-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.985123 | 1,028 | 1.546875 | 2 |
Kigali — President Paul Kagame last week launched a $14million granite plant becoming only the third in the region which heavily relies on imports of the vital construction material from China, Italy and Spain.
When Minister Rwangombwa announced a 5% tax on all imported construction materials during his budget speech, constructors growled with anguish and analysts predicted doom on the housing sector.
This was because Rwanda relies mostly on imported construction materials reason why though booming, available houses on the market are still high priced for only the super rich to afford.
However, the unveiling of Rwanda's first Granite plant is hoped to kick start a 'made in Rwanda' revolution that could see import volumes reducing over time as they get replaced by locally made products.
The granite plant is located in Nyagatare District, in Rwanda's Eastern Province. It's a collaborative venture involving the East African Granite Industries (EAGI), Rwanda Social Security Board (RSSB) and Crystal Ventures.
Nick Barigye, the Project Manager says they have invested $13million of which $9.5million was Equity and $ 3.5million a loan from the Rwanda Development Bank (BRD), used to set up the factory.
"We intend to spend more $2million in exploration of other quarries and purchase of cobblestone cutting machine to be able to put to use granite waste into stone that will be used to make cobblestone roads," revealed Barigye.
He explained that EAGI expect to have started mining of marble in the next five years so that they can offer the market both granite and marble in different colors.
According to available statistics, Rwanda approximately imports 100,000 square meters of granite annually with the Average price of granite being $160 per square meter and close to 1.5million square meters of ceramics.
Majority of the granite is imported from China, followed by India and Italy."We look to capture 90% of this market not only because of our competitive price of USD 60 per square meter of granite tiles and USD 100 per square meter of granite slabs but also because we have very good quality granite," boasted Barigye.
If EAGI can be relied on as far as quality is concerned, then the 90% market share they want will be easier to attain considering that the factory is close to the client thus guarantee timely delivery and also offer them customized services.
"Yes, it's possible because we have equipment to produce as per client specifications," Barigye reassured.
Besides producing for the local market with in Rwanda, EAGI says they will also expect to supply close to 100,000 square meters of granite to the regional markets in Uganda, Kenya, Burundi and DRC.
Research in EAC member states indicates that approximately, 450,000 square meters of granite are imported.
According to Barigye, the plant capacity is 200,000 square meters thus well positioned in terms of capacity to drastically reduce to level of not only the country but regional volumes of materials imported.
According to a contractor with Real construction group in Rwanda, orders have to wait for 3-4 months for the goods to be delivered from China, India, Spain or Italy.
Rwanda's revenue base is still small with over 40% of the current budget expected to come from donors. The new factory however is expected to contribute tax Revenue to the tune of $1.2million payable per year.
The investment has almost instantly changed the fortunes of Nyagatare district, known to be a pastoral area.
According to EAGI, the company has already created over 150 jobs which are expected to increase as the business takes root.
"We have also invested in road infrastructure, Power and Water. All these were not in place when we were setting up the plant," said Barigye who adds that the company had to construct roads, a power line and piped water line and as a result, a trading center has sprung up near the factory.
"We also have plans of setting up a water treatment plant so that the surrounding community can access piped water," he further added.
Regarding challenges, EAGI's entry will stir competition from Zhongfa in Tanzania and Arthi River M & G in Kenya the two only factories in the region that mine, cut and polish granite.
'We expect regional competition but we believe we have competitive advantage in terms of equipment, quality of our granite that we have called 'Thousand Hills Gray' in addition to competitive and attractive prices," Barigye.
Ironically, Barigye says something else and not competition is their biggest threat.
"The biggest challenge is the confusion between Granite and Ceramics," he says adding that presently, most people cannot differentiate the two and others confuse genuine granite with fake granite called Granito.
"We intend to develop a sensitization campaign through newspapers, radio, TV, online, participating in trade exhibitions and also holding press conferences and launch cocktails to sensitize the public about the difference between granite, ceramics and granite," Barigye.
Rwanda's import bill rose by 32% in the last five months against 14.5% recorded in the same period of the last year.Capital goods increased significantly (54.5%) during the first five months of 2012 compared to 2 % recorded the same period of last year with intermediary goods increasing by 33% compared to 23% recorded last year. | <urn:uuid:27e469cd-f9e4-470a-bdd3-be72b942fdb1> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://allafrica.com/stories/201207161777.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00018-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.969036 | 1,118 | 1.5 | 2 |
Last month, Britain’s National Theatre broadcast the (sort of) live production of its stage version of Fela!, a musical about the African musician and activist who eventually died of AIDS. The same service now presents a very different show, but one that should be just as fascinating: King Lear.
Arguably Shakespeare’s masterpiece, Lear has long been a showcase for actors in the twilight of their careers, though the casting of gay acting icon Derek Jacobi, fresh off his ensemble cast SAG Award as the wily Archbishop in The King’s Speech, has enjoyed widespread popularity and acclaim almost continuously for four decades. Already a prime interpreter of the Bard (his Richard II remains a defining characterization), the chance to see him as Lear is a treat.
— Arnold Wayne Jones
Screens at the Angelika Dallas Feb. 9 and 10 and Angelika Plano Feb. 13 and 14 at 7 p.m. NTLive.com.
This article appeared in the Dallas Voice print edition Feb. 4, 2011.
Powered by Facebook Comments | <urn:uuid:f71d846a-4dca-473d-ae98-081531021584> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.dallasvoice.com/lets-lear-1063452.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00015-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.947004 | 219 | 1.554688 | 2 |
This site contains scientific and technical information that is intended for use by our scientific colleagues. None of this information is classified or sensitive in nature, and the proper paperwork has been filed with NASA authorities to permit this information to be placed on a public web site. Nevertheless, many of the pages on this site will likely be confusing or unappealing to a general audience. For such an audience, we have a more public-friendly web site about our organization.
Below is a list of links which are relevant to our Lab. Some of these links point outside this web site, and some point to sites not administered by our Lab. These links are here because they are likely to be useful to our colleagues, and because they all have to do with activities with which our Lab is closely affiliated. Not all of the pages linked to by this site are polished or visually pleasing. But that is not their point; with limited resources, their authors decided to give working science communications a higher priority than fashionable web design. | <urn:uuid:7ef62d76-94c0-42e8-abd3-3d3d513db47c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://acdb-ext.gsfc.nasa.gov/index.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704713110/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516114513-00009-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.963728 | 201 | 1.804688 | 2 |
Friday, August 12, 2011
Is It Safe to Use Collagen Cream
In our image-fixed community, the symptoms of maturating are feared. Wrinkles, particularly, are the maturating sign most dreaded by individuals. As a consequence, all manner of goods have sprung up together with commercializing claiming to be anti- maturating, with an implicit predict to either cover or reverse the symptoms of maturating. Wrinkles, varicose venous blood vessels, and additional indicators of advanced age are amidst the aims of that campaign. The only condition with that campaign is that it is built on an untrue premise: that the marks of maturing can be reversed artificially. That is merely not real! No amount of reconstructive surgery or any of the additional horrifying appearance-manipulation operations or apparatus that have been formulated lately can modify the fact that an individual looks older. That being stated, it's so possible to modify the fact that somebody looks aged, just not artificially. One of the most well-known methods of trying to modify one’s appearance is by the usage of something named collagen skin ointment. Used to the face, particularly directly on and about the region of wrinkles, collagen ointment is thought of smoothing wrinkles out, accordingly shifting the appearance of the face. As noticed above, no unreal means could modify appearance, and collagen ointment is no exclusion. Here is why: collagen is a protein generated by the organism that, amidst other things, preserves the skin on the face smooth, flexible and tight. As you mature, the count of collagen reachable in the physical structure starts to drop. How quickly it drops is dependent over a deal of dissimilar factors, but the significant thing to centre on is that as the count of collagen drops, wrinkles commence appearing on the face. It's possible to partly reverse that trend by using collagen outwardly. Collagen ointments don't accomplish that. The sort of collagen that the face requires is human collagen. About all collagen ointments in the marketplace use collagen originated from the skin of animate beings. Animate being's collagen has an entirely dissimilar molecular structure than human collagen, that is why collagen ointments don't succeed in modifying appearance.
Posted by themeds at 8:01 AM | <urn:uuid:17ccbdbe-d5f5-42b5-a07f-8528d5662195> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.dynamosf.com/2011/08/is-it-safe-to-use-collagen-cream.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 | 0.943485 | 469 | 1.59375 | 2 |
Flower-bombed: Hastings artist creates smiles with mobile flower displaysWhen he lived in Chicago, Hastings artist David Cook created sculptures that fit the city’s industrial nature. It was moody, haunting and even a little scary, he said. About four months ago, he started a new project that is vastly different. He made a collection of large, brightly colored flowers and temporarily installs them in various spots around the Twin Cities area. “I’ve been getting nothing but smiles,” he said.
By: Katrina Styx, The Hastings Star-Gazette
When he lived in Chicago, Hastings artist David Cook created sculptures that fit the city’s industrial nature. It was moody, haunting and even a little scary, he said.
About four months ago, he started a new project that is vastly different. He made a collection of large, brightly colored flowers and temporarily installs them in various spots around the Twin Cities area.
“I’ve been getting nothing but smiles,” he said.
Cook has been doing art for the past 35 to 40 years. A Minnetonka native, he got the bulk of his recognition in Chicago. There he was known for his sculptures. He’s lived in several places, always making some sort of art.
“When I think of my art past it’s like scrambled eggs,” he said, laughing.
He started working with clay and moved into plaster, cement and scrap metal to create his pieces.
“I used to climb mountains of scrap yards in Chicago,” he said.
Cook has been living in Hastings for the past six years.
The flower project is one that is in a constant state of evolution. It started with a painting phase. He has several framed paintings of the flowers.
Then he got the idea to sculpt the flowers using wire and bits of glass. The sculptures would include light bulbs that lit up. While searching out materials at a scrap yard, where Cook often searches for materials to use in his artwork, he had an idea. He had a can of black spray paint with him that day, and on a whim decided to paint flowers over the junk pile.
Next came the idea to make a flower to put into the pile, and the art of “flower-bombing” was born.
The art started here in Hastings last December. After making the painted cardboard, duct tape and plastic flowers, Cook started planting them in various spots around town and taking photos. He visited downtown businesses with the blooms and took pictures of people in the shops holding a flower.
“I just wanted to put them out and get reactions,” he said.
He didn’t stop there. In January he took a three-week trip to Florida and planted the flowers on the beach. He set up a lawn chair a ways back from the display and watched how people reacted. He has several pictures of people taking their own pictures of the flowers. He took some videos of his artwork as the waves watered the stems.
He’s also flower-bombed several spots in the Twin Cities, including the Nicollet Mall in Minneapolis, the Guthrie Theater and the Walker Art Museum, to name just a few.
Wherever he installs the flowers, Cook just sits back and lets the public enjoy the work without getting involved.
“That’s what’s so great about,” he said. “…I don’t have to explain them.”
“I can just sit back and let my work speak.”
A growing movement
Cook understands that his flowers are still evolving, and it’s difficult to say exactly what the next stage will be.
“I don’t know what happens after this,” he said.
“I think I’ve created something that’s just going to evolve.”
His gut feeling is that it’s a form of artwork that will start to catch on across the state and nation. There’s an anti-establishment movement going on in the art world right now, he said, and some people have told him his work fits right in.
He has a growing audience on Facebook, and several of his fans have told him they need to see the flowers in their cities.
He said he would love to get a permanent installation somewhere in the Twin Cities.
While many people just smile or laugh when they see the colorful, sometimes randomly placed flowers, Cook knows that what he’s doing is serious.
“I think this is the most important work that I’ve ever done. I don’t think, I know,” he said.
His old work was good, he said, but it was also a little scary and haunting. The flowers are simple, and that’s what makes them better.
“Sometimes the simplest ideas have the most impact,” said Janet Letnes Martin, who co-authored the book “Lemonade for the Lawnboy” with Cook and has seen much of the public reaction to his flower bombs.
“We need it so badly right now, these beautiful flowers,” Cook said. | <urn:uuid:c5b62bda-5186-4c1e-b1c9-687a8b10e12c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.hastingsstargazette.com/event/article/id/29438/group/Events/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704713110/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516114513-00004-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.980834 | 1,096 | 1.625 | 2 |
- 9/11, ACLU, Airplanes / Aviation, Cooley Law / Thomas M. Cooley Law School, D.C. Circuit, Disasters / Emergencies, Drinking, Gambling, Gambling / Gaming, Health Care / Medicine, Kids, Morning Docket, Unemployment
Hurricane Irene: She came. She saw. She blew. She sucked? In the wake of
Hurricane Tropical Storm Irene, people have been expressing their displeasure with the way this natural disaster panned out. Apparently, we’re now so bitter as a society that we’re wishing greater harm upon ourselves. That’s a little sick, no?
After days of preparation, there is still a lot of damage to deal with in the aftermath of the storm. So, for all of you Irene naysayers, consider these facts. Across the Eastern Seaboard, millions of people are without power. As of this morning, at least 21 people have lost their lives. We’re looking at estimated property losses of $7 billion.
UPDATE (1:10 PM): The property losses could actually run as high as $13 billion, meaning that total economic losses could reach $14 billion to $26 billion (because “the rule of thumb is that total economic losses are equal to about twice property losses”). See this interesting post, entitled “How Irene Lived Up to the Hype,” by Nate Silver.
In the legal world, we know that it pays to be prepared, but there are some things that we just can’t work around….
- American Bar Association / ABA, Bar Exams, Biglaw, Debevoise & Plimpton, Disasters / Emergencies, Law Schools, Perkins Coie
Following a freak earthquake earlier in the week, the East Coast is now bracing for the impact of Hurricane Irene. From the Outer Banks of North Carolina to the boroughs of New York City, people are getting ready for another natural disaster that could prove to be devastating.
And speaking of natural disasters, we hear that some folks in North Carolina received their bar exam results today. Congratulations — you’re first to get your bar exam results this year, and you’re first to get ravaged by Irene.
Hopefully this will all blow over. But in case it doesn’t, it’s important to be prepared.
Let’s see how law firms and law schools are getting ready for Hurricane Irene….
- Biglaw, Crime, Defamation, Disasters / Emergencies, Lindsay Lohan, Morning Docket, Rap, Skadden Arps, Stanford Law School, State Judges
- American Bar Association / ABA, Biglaw, Cardozo Law School, Disasters / Emergencies, Fat People, Holy Crap, Law Schools, UVA Law
In the wake of the east coast earthquake of 2011, the legal world seems to be back to its regularly scheduled programming. Courts are back in session, law firms have reopened, and government agencies are fully functioning. While some got a welcome day off yesterday, others only received a temporary respite from work.
Thankfully, the damage to the capital region seems to have been limited. At first it was reported that we may have had a Leaning Tower of D.C., but it turns out that the Washington Monument is just cracked. In other monument news, the Lincoln and Jefferson memorials are closed for further inspection, and the National Cathedral has sustained “mind-boggling” damage.
We received a lot of tips from our readers about their earthquake experiences, but more importantly, we have the final results from our reader poll. We now know who we can blame for moving the earth and disrupting our day. And no, it wasn’t Obama’s Fault.
Find out who is responsible, after the jump…. | <urn:uuid:c43b9b93-2a1c-4cd4-866f-3345f79b385f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://abovethelaw.com/tag/hurricane-irene/ | 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 | 0.94709 | 806 | 1.546875 | 2 |
Software Outsourcing To Poland
Poland has a good relationship with and respect for Western countries, including the U.S. Large U.S. companies such as Intel and Motorola have set up operations in Poland. Generally, these operations are for research and development of both hardware and software. Several special economic zones (SEZ), in which companies enjoy tax incentives, have been defined by the Polish government.
The Accelerance Global Partner Network includes one team from Poland that has been thoroughly screened and vetted.
Working with outsourcers in Poland – Pluses
Poland has also become a manufacturing center for many European companies. Therefore, embedded software and other software that is closely related to hardware is often outsourced to Poland.
You will likely be able to find a Polish programming team that has mastered the particular software technology you need. Anyone with sophisticated software that will benefit from collaborating with a well-educated programming team should seriously consider Poland. Software applications requiring scientific knowledge are particularly well suited, as are projects for embedded systems or those using languages like C and C++.
Working with outsourcers in Poland – Minuses
Membership in the EU and close proximity to Western Europe as a market for custom software development has caused rates in the major cities of Poland to be higher than most other offshore destinations.
Software used to automate business processes or more mundane data processing tasks will not make use of the advanced skills of most Polish programming teams and could be tackled with a level of enthusiasm below what you need. | <urn:uuid:6174ccd5-a618-4b21-89f1-b626f1178bc3> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://accelerance.com/outsourcing-locations/software-outsourcing-poland/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00013-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.965952 | 303 | 1.726563 | 2 |
Every corporation must hold an annual meeting. It is a basic requirement to continue to hold a corporate charter in your state, so you might as well make the most of it. No one will tell you where to hold your meeting, so why not go someplace warm, if you live in the northern part of the country?
When is the Annual Meeting?
The annual meeting of a corporation is typically held after the end of the fiscal (financial) year, so the shareholders can review the year-end financial statements. Since many corporations have a December 31 year end, they have their annual meeting in January or February.
Who Attends the Annual Meeting?
All of the members of your corporation's board of directors should be there, as well as the corporation's President/CEO, and top vice presidents, particularly if they have something to present. If you have shareholders, they should be given an invitation and also a proxy to vote on any matters coming up (like election of directors), in case they can't attend. The shareholders get a proxy statement showing the issues and allowing them to mark their proxy as they want to vote. Then they send back the proxy and it gets included with the other votes.
What Goes On At an Annual Meeting?
Depending on the size and type of corporation, the following activities usually happen at an annual meeting:
- Election of Directors whose terms are up for renewal or to fill vacancies on the board of directors
- Declaration of a dividend, if applicable
- Review of the corporation's annual report
- Discussion of new projects and activities.
Where Is the Annual Meeting Held?
You can hold your annual meeting anywhere you want. You can even hold it online, inviting shareholders and board members to join you via teleconference, using online services. Wherever you choose, just do it, have fun, and make sure you keep good records on the meeting.
For More Information | <urn:uuid:5b78cbb6-e6ad-4213-b230-ebce881bbb81> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://biztaxlaw.about.com/b/2013/01/26/is-it-time-to-schedule-your-annual-meeting.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00016-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.955291 | 389 | 1.765625 | 2 |
JK Govt websites non-functional
Jammu, Aug 22: Most of the government departments have gone offline when it comes to maintenance of websites having the vital information about the government functioning.
The official website of the Jammu and Kashmir government, jammukashmir.nic.in is non functional for last four months with a picture showing ‘under construction’, whenever one tries to surf through it.
The website was launched about seven years back as part of the e-governance project to provide online data about various government departments and the different development schemes launched in the state. It was to act as the data bank for the people proving information about the government’s functioning.
“While our techno savvy Chief Minister has created waves on twitter replying the queries of his followers and presenting his view point on various issues. The government website is totally shut, without any effort being made to revive it”, said a senior bureaucrat on the condition of anonymity.
As soon as one goes to this page, a there appears a graphic page with words “under construction”. It’s not about this website only but most of the sites created by the government are either not updated or are non-functional”, said an official.
The Jammu and Kashmir industries limited website www.jkil.gov.in, still shows the Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad as its chairman, which is supposed to be the Chief Minister of the state, while former minister of state for Industries Ramesh Chander Sharma is shown as its vice chairman.
“It shows that crores spent on using the internet connectivity and e-governance in the state for streamlining the administration functioning is just a wastage of state exchequer and has not served the real purpose for which these were created”, said a RTI activist, Randeep Sharma.
Important to note here that ten years back the state government had taken a major initiative to implement E-Governance in all the departments, Public Sector Undertakings (PSU)s and other organisations under the centrally sponsored scheme.
Most of the support is provided by National Informatics Centre (NIC), which is a premier institution of the Government of India, established in 1976. However respective departments had to maintain the infrastructure which includes the software content.
A senior officer from the company said that lakhs of rupees were invested in introducing Information Technology (IT) and e-Governance in the day to day working of the government but it is not proving useful to anyone.
The delay in the functioning of the website is creating problems for students as well as people from all walks of life. “We used to take the help of the website to prepare project reports or get any authentic information about the government departments, but we cannot rely on them as they contact wrong information at times,” said Syed Aftaf, a P.hD scholar.
Lastupdate on : Mon, 22 Aug 2011 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Mon, 22 Aug 2011 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Tue, 23 Aug 2011 00:00:00 IST
- MORE FROM JAMMU
GK NEWS NETWORK
Srinagar, Aug 22: The Chairman of Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front Muhammad Yasin Malik on Monday announced that the Front would very soon file a Public Interest Litigation in the Supreme Court regarding More
- Srinagar City
Facility to prove boon for tourism sector: CM
GK NEWS NETWORK
Srinagar, Aug 22: Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah inaugurated Floating Post Office-cum-Museum and flagged off Srinagar-Shopian Mail Van here Monday evening, facilities created by the Post and Telegraph Department More | <urn:uuid:1c2a0285-b230-4f41-874c-dc503d9e3cf4> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.greaterkashmir.com/news/2011/Aug/23/jk-govt-websites-non-functional-46.asp | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00008-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.950988 | 784 | 1.617188 | 2 |
Ridgewood encourages students to find their happiness
Ridgewood sophomore students Geenan AbuShanab, Dominique Ordinario and Jose Munoz share their thoughts with each other during a presentation on Project Happiness. | Judy Fidkowski~for~Sun-Times Media
Updated: December 2, 2012 7:14AM
NORRIDGE — Ridgewood High School wants to see students happy.
Not a day without homework happy. Not ‘we’ve got a sub today’ happy. Not free pizza in the cafeteria happy. But really happy, exuding real and lasting happiness regardless of exterior factors.
Ridgewood officials are so committed to the effort that they spent several hours Oct. 25 working with students to identify true happiness. The effort included students viewing the award-winning film “Project Happiness,” which follows a senior high class from California on a journey to discover the true nature of human happiness.
Ridgewood also brought leaders of the national Project Happiness group to the school for the Oct. 25 program, hoping to reach students and get a Project Happiness Club started.
“It’s so simple and it can be so powerful,” Emily Crubaugh, Project Happiness educational director, said of youth using positive psychology, conflict resolution and mindfulness. “In just 28 days, four weeks, you can be up to 25 percent happier.”
Brian Rusch, chief operating officer of Project Happiness, based in Palo Alto, Calif., said the program is now in Palo Alto High School. The program was instituted following seven suicides at the school in one year .
“No one was talking about this stuff and they were choosing to ignore it,” Rusch said. “They were trying to avoid talking about it.
“Could we have made a difference with this program for those seven students and maybe saved them?”
The educational programming provided by Project Happiness gets youth to better handle stress. The effort is intended to give youth tools for finding their own happiness and sharing that joy with the world around them.
By focusing on one’s strengths and using positive thinking, anyone can be happy, the Project Happiness experts contend.
Ridgewood student Emily Tomzik said efforts such as last week’s program can affect teens’ lives.
“I saw one person crying during the movie,” Tomzik said. “It made you think. Not even the Dalai Lama had an answer for what true happiness is.”
Many people in the Ridgewood Mentoring Program – business professionals, municipal officials, parents and community members who work with freshmen and a junior or senior assistant mentor once a month – were also on hand for the program.
“I think the program is a good idea,” said Suzy Ghuneim, a Ridgewood parent and mentor. “If little signs of depression are seen in someone and that person gets help, the program will have worked.” | <urn:uuid:d31e60b2-ab31-4f4a-b1f4-a0443fe4baaf> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://hinsdale.suntimes.com/16056294-781/ridgewood-encourages-students-to-find-their-happiness.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00012-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.960361 | 626 | 1.804688 | 2 |
So Henry R. Massy dropped off the radar in 1869-70, as far as I could tell. But I was slowly able to expand what I knew about him before then–including finding out he was a replacement soldier in the Civil War. My only thought to move forward was to try following that lead. I found Henry Massy who served for the Michigan Infantry Civil War in a pension index now living at the time in Latham, Logan Co, Illinois and requested his pension record.
I was blown away when the packet arrived. True to form everything was complicated for Henry. There was an extensive back and forth in the file because he was forced to prove his identity. He had changed his name to Harry or Henry (he used both) R. Allison and remarried a widow named Nancy Stinnett in 1876. In the pension he describes his police service, but claims he was never previously married and had no heirs. His pension request was approved with a special note about the way he signed his middle initial “R.” And that’s exactly what helped me to solidify the connections. He signed his oath to the police force, and he signed his enlistment and pension paperwork with the same funny “R.”
As an additional note, I was playing around on Ancestry on a day after they started picking up more scanned newspapers and looked for obituaries in the Logan Co. area for H. R. or Nancy and I came across a number of articles. One featured a Harry Allison and friend who went into Decatur and were charged with drunkenness, fined and asked to leave town. I don’t know if it’s really him. There was one other Harry in the county. But given other things I’ve seen… It’s certainly possible.
So, now I hope to find some time to slip away from FGS and swing back up to the Logan County Genealogical & Historical Society’s research room to see if I can round out any more of Henry’s story, as well as over to Lake Bank Cemetery to photograph Harry and Nancy’s headstones. | <urn:uuid:3dcbcf1f-3cb8-4950-a8ae-603a69bb6f5f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://genieroadtrip.wordpress.com/tag/civil-war/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00003-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.988586 | 445 | 1.507813 | 2 |
Philip Agee, 72; Agent Who Turned Against CIA
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Philip Agee, 72, a former undercover officer with the Central Intelligence Agency whose disillusionment with U.S. policy in support of dictatorial regimes prompted him to name names and reveal CIA secrets, died Jan. 7 in Havana.
His wife, Giselle Roberge Agee, told the Associated Press that Mr. Agee was hospitalized in Havana on Dec. 16 and underwent surgery for perforated ulcers. His death, she said, was the result of a related infection. He had lived primarily in Hamburg but kept an apartment in Havana, she said.
In his controversial 1975 book, "Inside the Company: CIA Diary," Mr. Agee detailed the inner workings of U.S. intelligence operations around the world, but primarily in Latin America, where he had been stationed for eight years during the 1960s. The CIA, he said, was interested only in propping up decaying dictatorships and thwarting radical reform efforts. Published in 20 languages, the book also included a 22-page list of purported agency operatives.
"That was right in the middle of a political crisis in the United States connected to the war in Vietnam, and the history of the CIA was very much on people's minds," said Thomas Powers, author of "Intelligence Wars: American Secret History from Hitler to al-Qaeda" (2002). "The elementary school version of American history had always been that the U.S. is always on the side of the good guys, and here comes Philip Agee to tell us it ain't so, and especially in Latin America."
Mr. Agee insisted that publishing the names of fellow case officers was a political act in the "long and honorable tradition of dissidence in the United States" and not an act of espionage on behalf of the Soviet Union or any other foreign power. Former colleagues and government officials considered it treason.
The book "caused serious damage to the national security," the State Department said shortly after its publication, and in 1979, then-Secretary of State Cyrus R. Vance stripped Mr. Agee of his passport.
Prompted in large part by Mr. Agee's book, Congress passed the Intelligence Identities Protection Act in 1982, making it illegal to knowingly divulge the identity of covert CIA officers.
Former president George H.W. Bush, who directed the CIA in 1976-77, accused Mr. Agee of identifying Richard Welch, the CIA chief in Athens who had been assassinated by Greek terrorists in December 1975. Bush maintained in 1989 that by publicly identifying Welch, Mr. Agee was responsible for his death. Former first lady Barbara Bush repeated the accusation in her 1994 autobiography, and Mr. Agee sued her for libel. As part of a legal settlement, she agreed to remove the allegation from the paperback edition of her book.
Mr. Agee also wrote "Dirty Work: the CIA in Western Europe" (1978). In "On the Run" (1987), he detailed what he alleged was a CIA campaign to silence him while he was working on his first book. A 1987 review in the New York Times described the book as "a highly readable account of his life and hard times during the years when the CIA did everything in its considerable power to make his life miserable."
Mr. Agee was born in Tacoma, Fla., attended Jesuit schools and graduated cum laude from the University of Notre Dame in 1956.
He told the New York Times in 1974 that the CIA attempted to recruit him while he was at Notre Dame, offering a package plan that included Air Force duty. He said no but reconsidered while studying law at the University of Florida.
He served as an Air Force officer from 1957 to 1960 and then began his CIA career. At the time, he considered himself a "patriot dedicated to the preservation of my country and our way of life," he wrote in "Inside the Company."
His first overseas assignment was in Quito, Ecuador. He also worked as an attache during the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City and as a case officer in Montevideo, Uruguay.
"My eyes began to open little by little down there," he wrote, "as I began to realize more and more that all of the things that I and my colleagues were doing in the CIA had one goal, that was that we were supporting the traditional power structures in Latin America. . . . Eventually I decided I didn't want anything to do with that."
Mr. Agee resigned in 1969 and began working on his book while living in a small Paris hotel. A wealthy young American woman befriended him, he recounted in 1974, without naming her, and gave him a typewriter that began to make peculiar sounds. Taking it apart, he found a complicated assemblage of miniature electronic devices.
"I did not write the book for the KGB," he told the New York Times in 1974. "I wrote it for revolutionary organizations in the United States, in Latin America and everywhere else."
He received death threats after the book's publication and moved to London but was expelled after nearly five years. He also was expelled after brief stays in France, the Netherlands, West Germany and Italy. He blamed U.S. pressure for making him persona non grata.
"I never could determine what the government wanted from him," Powers said, "but whatever it was they considered him sufficiently important that they chased him around the world for the rest of his life."
In 1980, Prime Minister Maurice Bishop of Grenada granted him citizenship, and he lived on the island until Bishop was deposed by U.S. forces in 1983. He lived in Nicaragua under the Sandinista government before moving back to Hamburg.
He was again denied a passport in 1987. Then-Secretary of State George Shultz cited CIA reports that Mr. Agee was a paid adviser to Cuban intelligence, had trained Nicaraguan security officials and had tried to thwart the U.S. invasion of Grenada. Mr. Agee's attorney, Melvin Wulf, called the charges "a tissue of lies."
Writing in the Los Angeles Times in 2003, Mr. Agee described as "dirty politics" the outing of CIA officer Valerie Plame, whose husband had called into question the current Bush administration's rationale for the Iraq war. His exposure of CIA operatives was different, he maintained, saying, "We were right in exposing the CIA in the 1970s, because the agency was being used to impose a criminal U.S. policy."
In 2000, he founded Cubalinda ("pretty Cuba"), an online travel agency. He encouraged Americans to ignore the decades-old U.S. trade embargo against Cuba and vacation on the island. He compared breaking the law to ignoring Prohibition laws in the 1920s.
Survivors include his wife of 17 years, of Hamburg and Havana; and two sons from a previous marriage. | <urn:uuid:57fea744-af11-4220-9623-d1011c54b74a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/01/09/AR2008010903619.html | 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 | 0.985425 | 1,422 | 1.625 | 2 |
Capacity building is just that building up the ability of IT companies from within and from the outside. It is actions taken to improve the overall effectiveness of the organization.
At CleanSoft Academy, we advocate ways to help our clients be more effective to reach their capacity-building objectives. One of the best approaches we have discovered is the use of training. We do this in two modes.
As part of the business plan IT companies make large-scale campus recruitment of fresh graduates from colleges every year. However, the IT companies are finding it a non-viable proposition in terms of time and effort to engage their precious experienced internal resources to train these fresh recruits. Finishing School in Software Test Engineering from CleanSoft Academy is specifically designed to help IT companies build competency in software test engineering and transform them into high productive individuals from day one.
We regularly conduct industry-oriented training programs to train youngsters who aspire to take a career in software testing. The participants of these programs are groomed to be project-ready and come with high awareness to industry work environment. IT companies seeking to fulfill their immediate requirements for entry-level positions will find the CleanSoft Academy trained test engineers ideal fit in skills and ability to contribute to the business objective with least supervision. | <urn:uuid:93871018-ae26-40a7-b768-14f191565866> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.cleansoft.in/corporates/finishing-school/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00015-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.953129 | 253 | 1.664063 | 2 |
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