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In response to recent events concerning protests and acts of civil disobedience, UC President Mark G. Yudof sent General Counsel Charles F. Robinson and UC Berkeley Law Dean Christopher F. Edley, Jr. to all the UC campuses to review campus policies and create a series of recommendations to help clarify the role of students, administration and police in participating in and responding to protests.
Robinson and his staff held an open forum in February to discuss these issues with the Irvine campus community, promising to consider everything in the Robinson-Edley Report to the president. Although it is still open for comment and review, the report of their findings has been released, and it contians 50 recommendations in order to guide campuses towards the best response to future demonstrations.
Cameron Koichi Joe, an economics major and recent graduate who attended the forum with Robinson in February, said he was curious of the different aspects the report would cover.“My main concern was the uneven and bias ways in which campus policies are forced on particular students and particular bodies,” Joe said.
“In some regards the report is a commentary on common sense, things that institutions should be doing anyway,” Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs Thomas A. Parham said. “To collaborate, to communicate, to do some pre-planning, and to have very clear lines of authority about how they navigate and manage certain situations and circumstances.”
The report attempts to define and communicate more clearly the rights and guidelines regarding free speech within the university community. It calls for strong relationship-building between protestors, administration and police, hoping that using existing communication channels and building new ones will minimize police response to protests and limit the use of force against protestors.
“We set up clear boundaries of interaction so that the first people on the front line are never police,” Parham said. “The police for the most part—unless we have an incident that we feel is about to happen—are more in the background and our student affairs team are really on the foreground.”
Regarding the hiring and training of police officers and University administrators, the Robinson-Edley Report suggests that these officials be trained and educated in various approaches for de-escalating protest situations. The report makes specific suggestions towards setting up regular training for these officials to have a better understanding of police policies and practices.
“Not every officer who gets considered by UC for employment, while they might be an officer in another agency, would be right for a college campus because the mentalities are different,” Parham said. “It takes a special kind of officer to be able to do that.”
He said the officers hired by UCI have a different perspective than most police officers in that they understand the need for civil disobedience on a vibrant college campus. Furthermore, the report recommends several strategies for law enforcement to use in order to reach a peaceful resolution with protestors that does not involve force.
One of the recommendations under debate within the report is the implementation of neutral observers and a policy of videotaping activity during demonstrations. The report even suggests a system-wide structure to be located outside of the police department and campus administration that is responsible for reviewing responses to civil disobedience.
“It’s very complicated because, in theory, it would be very egalitarian if there’s a third party but, I mean, there’s also concerns of surveillance,” Joe said. “There’s also concerns about documentation. Student activists have used that tactic to hold police and administration accountable. I know it has been effective in the past. At the same time there’s the question of where that information goes. The police have access to all of that. That is a real concern that I have, personally, is being so visibly marked by police officers and by administration.”
A major part of the report focuses on building strong communication channels with protestors before and during their demonstrations. Parham explained that UCI already has a strong cooperation with their students and staff through the system of constructive engagement.
“It is much easier to build relationships with student groups, faculty groups and staff groups that you have access to,” Parham said. “It is much more difficult to do it with people who are off campus who come in with no intent of wanting to communicate with anybody, but simply their intent is to disrupt and that becomes much more difficult.”
Parham also said he was pleased to see a strong correlation between the policies and practices already in place at UCI and those suggested in the report.
“Irvine in some respects is a model for what other campuses ought to be doing,” Parham said.
Comments or suggestions about the Robinson-Edley report can be submitted up until May 25, 2012
Filed Under: News
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New congressional districts an assault on representation
To the editor:
The voters of Western Maryland, and Western Maryland economic interests have been cheated by the recent redistricting of Maryland congressional districts.
We all know that Maryland is a very small geographic state and that the vast majority of the population of Maryland lies within the very strongly Democratic Party-controlled areas of Baltimore, Baltimore County, Anne Arundel County, Prince Georges County and Montgomery County. These areas are very different from Western Maryland; they are densely populated and their economy is entirely different from Western Maryland; however these areas control the entire political destiny of the state.
Due to the new congressional redistricting, we in Western Maryland will no longer have any representation in the U.S. Congress. Our most recent “Governor of Baltimore” Mr. Martin O’Malley and his friends in the Maryland State House have conspired to make sure that the voices of agriculture, mining and rural life here in Western Maryland will have no voice in Washington, D.C.
Not content to dominate 90 percent of the Maryland political scene, Gov. O’Malley finds it necessary to literally cheat an entire region of Maryland out of its legitimate right to proper legislative representation by combining us with counties as far east as Montgomery.
I find this to be a very sad matter, and I am both insulted and offended by this situation. The Democratic Party in Maryland has lived a charmed life for too long. The State of Maryland is one of the most highly taxed and underserved states in the union.
The United States of America was founded on the principle of fair and equal representation of the people and I am offended by this most recent power grab by the majority party in Maryland. All Americans and all Marylanders are entitled to proper representation in our government; and the most recent redistricting done by the Democrats in Maryland is clearly an assault on that principle. I ask all Marylanders to protest this act and seek its speedy repeal.
Rodney Pearson Sr.
Political candidates should stick to the issues
To the editor:
Here we are, another election year and we are bombarded with one politician after another accusing one another of false statements, petty comments and a lack of professionalism. With the heckling, name calling and false accusations it is so sad. I know that we have always had in the past some of the same, but would it not be a blessing for the candidates to give their attention to the people’s wants and needs and how they can work to accomplish the people’s wishes?
Our political system is the best form of government in existence, however, those wishing to serve at present are too self-serving.
I wish to give thanks and appreciation to The Herald-Mail for having a question and answer layout in the paper to give we, the voters, some idea of where the candidates stand on issues. This is the important part of elections.
To search into one’s past or present to humiliate them is childish. Beware, “He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone ... “. Being a perfect person is not possible and some of our greatest leaders have had their weak moments.
So much time is wasted on the bickering and it gives fuel to the fire for the media, who embellish the same. Other governments must be amused at some of our candidates’ pettiness.
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Wednesday, May 22, 2013
By Ralph K. Ginorio
LIMINGTON - As a veteran public school history teacher, I know that allowing teachers to qualify to carry concealed firearms on campus is not only feasible, it is essential.
No other safety plan has an equivalent potential to limit the harm that an aspiring mass murderer would otherwise achieve.
Our decaying public morals, unrestrictive mental health regulations, and ACLU-fettered law enforcement create a cocktail where psychopaths walk among us without fear.
Motivated by madness, fascinated by evil, baffled by existence and lacking a capacity for mercy, they cannot be wished away. They exist, awaiting the triggering event that will begin their hunt for the rest of us.
After the first murder has been committed, the murderer will go on killing until they run out of ammunition, commit suicide, or are stopped by force.
The police can almost never get to the killer before atrocity has been committed. Only well-trained and armed professionals on the scene have any chance of preventing murder from becoming mass murder.
In schools, this means teachers.
Willing teachers should be allowed to apply for a state police-administered training program. They should undergo background checks, physical examination, and psychological screening as would candidates for police service.
They should do so, at least partially at their own expense. Only those who are willing to make a serious commitment of one's own time and money should be considered serious enough to accept the responsibilities of a protector.
Those who pass through the screening phase should then engage in a weeks-long training course, administered by the State Police. This training would develop physical fitness, firearms proficiency, tactical awareness and, most of all, good judgment.
Anyone entrusted with the potential use of lethal force to protect the rest of us needs good judgment.
As the State Police trains its own candidates on the many alternatives to drawing and firing a weapon, teacher candidates would learn the complex art of crisis response. They would learn how to notice details, set priorities, adapt to sudden changes, work towards a common objective and, most of all, keep people alive whenever possible.
This includes, if possible, keeping the perpetrator alive if such a possibility exists.
However, we know that there are cases where the only way to stop atrocity is to use lethal force. Teachers, schools, parents and communities need to look unflinchingly at the reality that schools are now among the softest targets in our society, despite their housing our most precious treasure.
The type of teacher training I have described is absolutely necessary if we really want to make our children genuinely safer than they are right now.
I have described here a dictionary definition for a "well-regulated militia." It is absolutely in harmony with both liberal and conservative interpretations of the Second Amendment.
With none of the romance but with all of the urgency, our schools are now on a wild frontier. As our pioneer ancestors worked together for their mutual protection, so must we now work together for the good of our students.
I am willing to subject myself right now to any expenses, screenings and training that might be necessary for me to qualify to help protect my students. I know that I am not alone in my desire to do this within my profession.
Our very lives, and the lives of our students, are in the balance. Gun-control will not save anyone, nor will dreaming a liberal dream of peace where such ugliness can be wished away.
If someone comes into my school with murder on his mind, I want the opportunity to stop this threat. I want to do so in as safe and controlled a fashion as possible, but I want to do more than die before my kids.
I want to have the chance to stop the aggressor before he harms a hair on anyone's head. Only by being screened, trained and ar®med can I have any reasonable chance of saving innocent lives.
Ralph K. Ginorio teaches world history and chairs the history department at Sacopee Valley High School.
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Kindergarten Program Expanded in Boston (Not in Roslindale)
The city is introducing 10 new classrooms through a partnership with seven community organizations.
The city of Boston and Boston Public Schools have expanded Boston's kindergarten program through new funding and partnerships with several community organizations.
Mayor Thomas Menino and Superintendent Carol R. Johnson announced this week that 10 new kindergarten classes would be formed through funding from Boston Public Schools, the United Way of Massachusetts Bay and the Merrimack Valley and the Barr Foundation. None of the classrooms will be in Roslindale.
“Providing our children a good and early start is so important to their success through high school and college,” Menino said. “We know this investment will result in high quality education for more of our youngest students, thanks to the work of our trusted community partners at the United Way.”
Seven city organizations were selected for the grant funding. They are: Catholic Charities: Nazareth Child Care Center (Jamaica Plain); Dorchester Boy and Girls Club; East Boston YMCA; Ellis Memorial Early Education Center (South End); IBA: Escuelita Boriken (South End), N.I.C.E Inc. (Roxbury); and Wesley Child Care Center (Dorchester).
Through the collaboration, the organizations will receive professional development training from BPS early education staff, along with professional coaching and the use of BPS curriculum.
“Our goal is to provide every child in our city with the resources they need to succeed,” Johnson said. “By making more early education opportunities available to the families of Boston, we are making great strides in achieving our goal.”
This expansion will eventually serve up to 200 students, mostly 4-year-olds.
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Hero with a badge, and a backpackWilliam Garay, 27, was a year away from earning his bachelor’s degree from UB in 2008 when he got word: the Stamford police department had accepted his application. He left school and began working full-time as an investigator. “I didn’t finish,” he says.
Then someone told him about IDEAL, the University’s program for adult students who started, but for various reasons, never completed getting their undergraduate degrees. In 2010, Garay returned to the classroom, taking courses at UB’s Bridgeport campus and also at its Stamford location, which was conveniently located near his job. “I’d go from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. then work the night shift,” says Garay, who will receive his Bachelor of Science degree in Human Services.
School and work complemented each other in more ways than proximity. “I had to take a lot of counseling and psychology classes, and because of them I learned to relate and listen. That’s been helpful to me every day,” he says.
One night Garay got a call that a man was waving a gun at a pool hall. He was the first to arrive and gave chase. Suddenly, the man turned, pointed his gun at Garay, and fired.
“It jammed,” said Garay who fired his own gun back. "It happened so fast. At that moment I didn’t think of anything except for my training. But afterwards, and very quickly, I realized what had happened and felt someone was with me and protecting me. I was very happy to go home to see my son."
Because of that night, he received the Blue Mass Award by the Diocese of Bridgeport. The award is given to one police officer, one firefighter, and one first responder each year. In March, the Police Commissions Association of Connecticut awarded Garay its Distinguished Officer Award.
Getting his diploma on May 5 will be equally memorable, says Garay, whose 10-year-old son, William Giovanni Garay, will be there to witness the accomplishment.
“William saw his mom graduate from UConn and she’s getting her master’s from UB,” says Garay. “To see her finish and get a graduate degree has been a big motivation for me. William wants to go to college. He’s motivated, too. I think it’s because he sees both of his parents studying and doing homework, just like he does.”
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It is within the letter of the law of NHL hockey to employ a goalie who is obese enough to sit on the ice and obstruct the entire mouth of the goal. But can you get away with it?
As strange as it may sound to anyone with a sense of decency, there is actually sound reasoning behind it. Because of the geometry of the game, the potential for one mammoth individual to change hockey is staggering. Simply put, there is a goal that’s 6 feet wide and 4 feet high, and a hockey puck that needs to go into it in order to score. Fill that net completely, and no goals can possibly be scored against your team. So why hasn’t it happened yet?
One answer is that professionalism and fair play prevent many sports teams from doing whatever it takes to win. This is also known as “having no imagination.” Additionally, in hockey the worry of on-ice reprisal from bloodthirsty goons would weigh heavily on the mind of any player whose very existence violated the game’s “unwritten rules.”
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Sunday. Summer has finally swept over us like a warm blanket. Waking earlier than usual, our sleep disturbed by a tumult of angst, a jumble of confusion, we felt the sun squeeze through the slats of the shutters and reach towards the bed, chasing away the discord of the night like a prayer chasing away the darkness and fear. We knew that today was the day to head outside of the city for a walk or a ride, a day to revel in the second coming of summer. After what has been a melancholy, dismal season, overnight the world has seemed to shift to right.
We pulled out the bikes from the garage, loaded them into the car and headed out, deciding on a whim to pedal the Canal de la Martinière. This short 15-kilometer canal was constructed for commercial reasons in the late 19th century at a time when Nantes was a major port city. The passage from the Atlantic to Nantes was made, up until this time, by traveling the Loire River, but the Loire wasn’t always navigable nor reliable due to the seasons, tides and the constant build up of sand, and another access had to be built for the ships carrying products and goods. So a network of canals and basins was built to ease the passage of this transportation and create a waterway that was constant throughout the seasons. The canal, which would even afford access to large ships, saw an important and intense activity for about 20 years until, in 1913, technological progress allowed for a return to the Loire River for transport. The Canal became, until its re-use during WWII for naval purposes and followed by the German Occupation, simply a great boat cemetery. And finally, after a brief period of use by NATO in the Fifties, its uses were exhausted and the canal was no longer needed.
Today, we ride up the now boat-free canal, her borders dotted with lone men or fathers and sons nestled companionably amongst the reeds, fishing poles reaching deep into the water. July in France finds the roadway that lines the canal unencumbered with Sunday strollers who are to be found here in the beautiful weather of June and September. These summer months only give us the occasional group of friends out for a bit of fresh air and men decked out from head to toe in professional biking gear like some odd, local leg of the Tour de France, men still working through the month until they can join their wives and children who are already out at the beach enjoying the long summer school vacation. Today’s ride is easy, almost languorous even though it is somewhat of a physical effort.
~William Carlos Williams
We’ve never been a vacation family; you know, those who grab at each and every opportunity to pack suitcases, close up the house and head out of town to some beach spot, second home in the mountains, a fancy cruise or jazzy club. No skiing, boating or camping, no safari adventures or road trips to odd and unusual places. “School out”, unlike for most French families, does not mean bags and baggage and good-bye city, hello outdoors and sun. Nope. Neither JP nor I were raised that way. His family rarely went anywhere, the plight of true blue collar working families in those days. And my own father had only 2 weeks off every year and that meant visiting relatives, moving our family life to another home, either our grandparents’ or my aunt and uncles’. All those other weeks of school holiday were spent running in and out of the house, playing ball in the street or biking up to the public swimming pool. And time spent in the cool of the public library, reading to my heart’s content. Spending school holidays at home was a much-loved way of life.
So, needless to say, fancy holiday spots or time away for the sake of “getting away from it all” are just not part of our culture. When the boys were small and we lived in Italy, we would place them on an airplane alone and pack them off to their grandparents’ in the French countryside for the month of July where the two of us would join them in August; JP and I would enjoy the calm of summertime Milan for one month as lovers rather than as parents, a time for ourselves. That’s not to say we didn’t have some fabulous family adventures: JP and Clem took month-long trekking holidays in both France and Morocco; the four of us spent an incredible summer discovering New England, driving from the Poconos, up through New York all the way to Montreal, then back down again via Vermont, Connecticut and Long Island. Enchanting and memorable! We’ve traveled around Italy, thrilled to share culinary, historical and visual discoveries with our sons. We’ve visited New York City from top to bottom, from Brooklyn to Queens, the Bronx and Manhattan and loved every inch of it, every restaurant, monument, museum, zoo and park. Yes, we love to travel and are thrilled now that our boys want to travel and discover the world as well.
to me those have always been the two most beautiful words in the English language.
~ Henry James
But vacations are best spent at home, that quiet time when the city empties out, when the French abandon their homes, apartments, markets, restaurants and streets. For those of us living in France and sticking around, spending the soothing summer months in our own apartments, a kind of Zen-like sensation settles upon the city and it is a true pleasure to take walks through the streets, window shop and stop for an ice cream without having to push our way through crowds of students, parents with small children and strollers, gaggles of teens oblivious to the world around them. No traffic slows down our occasional excursion outside the city for a walk in the vineyards or forest on the rare sunny day. No noise breaks the calming silence as we sit in our livingroom and read, windows thrown open to catch the soft breeze, weather permitting. We gather up the courage for the occasional bike ride or picnic enjoying the empty space we are sure to find. The vacation spirit descends on our city and even those of us left behind find serenity and peace from the madness of the rest of the year. We have always wondered at the number of people who feel the obvious need to escape hearth, home and city every chance they can, every weekend, every school and work holiday. We have created a home that we love filled with books, kitchen paraphernalia, our music and films and we are absolutely content. Why leave, indeed?
Yet now that Nantes is unnaturally calm and quiet, there is little to inspire me: no holidays or special events, no festivals and no bustle of young people in our home. All I want to do is curl up with a book and a cup of coffee or a bowl of bright, sweet, juicy summer fruit and a film. I am finding it difficult to gather together the energy to bake, even more difficult to find motivation and imagination to write. Summers home are slow and languorous, although both of us try and work on our many projects. Neither son is at home, so we can live the days at our own rhythm, our own pace. The house is ours and ours alone to do as we please. Yet little conducive to work and thought.
And when I do feel the urge to bake, I choose recipes that are simple and laid back, taking little effort and time to put together. I try and take advantage of the gorgeous summer fruit, the sweet nectarines and peaches, plums and berries that are now abundant on the market. There is nothing we love better than a simple coffee cake, nothing rich or heavy, no creams or frosting, no guilt-inducing chocolate to speak of. A cake light and airy yet so rich in flavor and topped with the perfect amount of fruit is truly a favorite in our house, eaten morning, afternoon and for desserts. This is truly summer at her best when, indeed, the living is easy.
My wonderful friend Abby Dodge has taken upon herself to gather us around her table, in her kitchen for a bake together. Each month she proposes a recipe and challenges each of us to bake along, twisting, tweaking and adapting the recipe, as we desire. This month she proposed a simple Summer Fruit Cake topped with berries. I turned to her cookbook, The Weekend Baker, where she had introduced the same cake with slight variations, variations that suited me just fine. I added raspberries to her lone blueberries and just about doubled the amount of fruit to create this fabulous coffee cake, redolent of warm cinnamon and bright with the sweetness of a jumble of berries. As there were only the two of us to enjoy this treasure, the cake lasted several days, and stayed moist and delicious to the last slice. We absolutely loved it and you will too! Hurry before summer ends and the berries fade away. But no need to fear, frozen berries work the charm!
Don’t miss the International Food Blogger Conference held in the grand city New Orleans 25 – 28 August. Great food, great fun, so much information and a group of incredible speakers! I will be presenting the topic Food & Culture with Pim of Chez Pim. Register now!
RASPBERRY-BLUEBERRY CINNAMON COFFEE CAKE
From The Weekend Baker by Abigail Johnson Dodge
1 1/3 cups (170 g) flour
¾ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp baking soda
¾ tsp ground cinnamon
¼ tsp salt
6 Tbs (85 g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
1 cup (200 g) granulated white sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2/3 cup sour cream (I used 3% lowfat fromage frais)
For the topping:
1 cup berries, one kind or mixed (I used slightly more than a cup of a mixture of fresh raspberries and frozen blueberries)
2 – 3 Tbs granulated brown sugar
1 Tbs flour
½ tsp ground cinnamon
Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Lightly grease and flour a 9 x 2-inch (22/23 x 5-cm) round cake pan, tapping out the excess flour. I lined the bottom of the cake pan with a round of parchment paper, lightly buttering the pan then again the parchment before dusting with flour.
Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt in a small bowl and whisk to combine.
In a large bowl, cream together the softened butter and sugar with an electric beater until creamy, light and smooth. Beat in the eggs one at a time, adding the vanilla with the second egg. Using a rubber spatula, fold the combined dry ingredients into the butter mixture in 3 additions (in thirds), alternating with the sour cream in 2 additions, beginning and ending with dry. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 10 minutes.
Once the cake has been slipped into the oven, prepare the topping by combining the sugar, flour and cinnamon in a medium-sized bowl then toss in all the berries until evenly coated.
Once the cake has baked for the initial 10 minutes, carefully pull the pan out of the oven and sprinkle the fruit topping all over the top of the cake, trying to evenly distribute the berries. Go ahead and sprinkle on any remaining flour/sugar/cinnamon remaining in the bottom of the bowl.
Return the cake to the oven and bake for another 30 minutes or until the cake is slightly puffed, the center is set and a tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Remove the cake to a cooling rack and allow to cool for 10 minutes. Run a sharp knife carefully around the edges to loosen the cake from the pan and invert onto a rack, remove the parchment then invert onto a serving platter so the berries are on top. Serve warm or at room temperature.
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Sarah Stonich Biography
Sarah Stonich started writing
relatively late, in her thirties. She has
been awarded a Minnesota State Arts Board Fellowship and a Loft McKnight Fellowship,
among others. Her first novel, These Granite Islands,
was a critical success, translated into six languages and
short-listed for France's prestigious Grand Prix de
lectrices d'Elle. She has also been artist-in-residence at
numerous programs here and abroad. While at the Tyrone
Guthrie Centre in Ireland, she began the The Ice
Chorus. Sarah was also a Drue Heinz
Fellow at Hawthornden Castle, Scotland, where she began work on
a volume of short fiction-in-progress, Vacationland.
Shelter was released in 2011, which Sarah describes as "... essays surrounding
my return to Northern Minnesota and my collaboration with an
artisan builder to create a Scandinavian homestead. Shelter is also a chronicle of early immigrants to the region,
particularly the Finns, who were being conscripted and jailed in
their own country. Lastly, Shelter describes how one
of the countries last great wilderness areas, the BWCAW, came to
be preserved. The border country is a place where my immigrant
grandparents once thrived, though now my family name is fading
from memory - I am the only Stonich to return with any
permanence in mind, in hopes to mend
that fraying legacy, at least for my son and future generations
that might find their own shelter there."
Sarah Stonich has been
writer-in-residence at The Ragdale Foundation in Lake Forest,
IL; Centrum, Port Townsend, WA; Gibraltar Point, Toronto; and
ART OMI International Writers Residency at Ledig House, NY. Of
such residencies Sarah says: "The concentrated bouts of time
are invaluable - not only for the opportunity to work, but for
the chance to meet others . Writing is so solitary - it's vital
to meet and discuss the life with writers; to exchange work, to
bounce ideas, to commiserate, and to be inspired and supported."
Sarah regularly participates in literary seminars,
conferences, library events, and, alumni functions for various
universities, such as branches of AAUW. In 2005 she moderated
discussions at the Irish Writers' Festival in Aspen in televised
panels featuring Edna O'Brien, Jamie O'Neill, Colum McCann,
Nuala O'Faolin and others. Irish traditions of storytelling
have been most inspiring and illuminating to her career, the
literature that's had the most impact on her as a writer.
About her future:
"I'll continue to write novels, but am equally drawn to short
fiction and essay. I'm currently finishing a book of stories ,
Vacationland, and hope to write more short fiction when I
am "between novels."
Sarah lives in Minneapolis with her husband, Jon.
This biography was last updated on 07/25/2011.
A note about the biographies
We try to keep BookBrowse's biographies both up to date and accurate. However, with over 2000 lives to keep track of it's inevitable that
some won't be as current or as complete as we would like. So, please help us - if the information about a particular author is out of date,
inaccurate or simply very short, and you know of a more complete source, please let us know. Authors and those connected with authors:
If you wish to make changes to your bio, please send your complete biography as you would like it displayed so that we replace the old with the new, including your website URL if relevant.
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Founded in 1997, BookFinder.com has become a leading book price comparison site:
Find and compare hundreds of millions of new books, used books, rare books and out of print books from over 100,000 booksellers and 60+ websites worldwide.
Barbarians at the Gate:
A book that stormed both the bestseller list and the public imagination, a book that created a genre of its own, and a book that gets at the heart of Wall Street and the '80s culture it helped define, Barbarians at the Gate has emerged twenty years after the tumultuous deal it so brilliantly recounts as a modern classic-a masterpiece of investigatory journalism and a rollicking book of corporate derring-do and financial swordsmanship.
The fight to control RJR Nabisco during October and November of 1988 was more than just the largest takeover in Wall Street history. Marked by brazen displays of ego not seen in American business for decades, it became the high point of a new gilded age and its repercussions are still being felt. The tale remains the ultimate story of greed and glory-a story and a cast of characters that determined the course of global business and redefined how deals would be done and fortunes made in the decades to come.
Barbarians at the Gate is the gripping account of these two frenzied months, of deal makers and publicity flaks, of an old-line industrial powerhouse (home of such familiar products a Oreos and Camels) that became the victim of the ruthless and rapacious style of finance in the 1980s. As reporters for The Wall Street Journal, Burrough and Helyar had extensive access to all the characters in this drama. They take the reader behind the scenes at strategy meetings and society dinners, into boardrooms and bedrooms, providing an unprecedentedly detailed look at how financial operations at the highest levels are conducted but also a richly textured social history of wealth at the twilight of the Reagan era.
At the center of the huge power struggle is RJR Nabisco's president, the high-living Ross Johnson. [via]
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Herbert J. Hutton
Herbert J. Hutton (November 26, 1937 – April 8, 2007) was a United States federal judge.
Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Hutton received an A.B. from Lincoln University, Pennsylvania in 1959 and a J.D. from Temple University School of Law in 1962. He was an Attorney, Pennsylvania Housing and Home Finance Agency from 1962 to 1964. He was in private practice in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania from 1964 to 1988. He was a Hearing officer, Board of Revision of Taxes, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania from 1982 to 1988.
Hutton was a federal judge on the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Hutton was nominated by President Ronald Reagan on May 17, 1988, to a seat vacated by Clarence C. Newcomer. He was confirmed by the United States Senate on August 11, 1988, and received his commission on August 12, 1988. He assumed senior status on September 6, 2003. Hutton served in that capacity until April 8, 2007, due to his death.
He died in Wynnewood, Pennsylvania.
- Herbert J. Hutton at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a public domain publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
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China to Ban Expeditions on Mt Kailash
[WTN-L World Tibet Network News. Published by The Canada Tibet Committee. Issue ID: 01/06/08; June 8, 2001.]
The Times of India
BEIJING: China has told India that it would not allow mountaineering activities on Mt Kailash in Tibet which is considered sacred by Hindus, Buddhists and Jains.
"The Chinese government has already formally clarified to the Indian embassy in Beijing," Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Sun Yuxi said while refuting as "totally baseless" Indian and western media reports that Beijing had granted permission to a Spanish mountaineering team to climb Mt Kailash. Indian embassy sources confirmed that New Delhi had taken up the issue with China and that Beijing has clarified that no mountaineering activities would be permitted on the 6,740 metre-high Mt Kailash.
The reports of a Chinese permission to the Spanish mountaineering team to scale Mt Kailash had led to an avalanche of protests world-wide. "The Chinese government strictly prohibits any climbing activities on Mt Kailash," Sun said in response to a question.
"We have never permitted such activities and all these reports about China agreeing to a Spanish mountaineering team to scale Mt Kailash are totally baseless," he said.
A report in a Hong Kong's leading newspaper, South China Morning Post (SCMP) on June 2 had reported that Hindu, Buddhist and Jain community leaders have united to oppose China's decision to allow a Spanish mountaineering team led by Jesus Martinez Novas to climb Mt Kailash. (PTI)
Copyright 1998-2005, Tibet Environmental Watch (TEW)
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Life Enrichment Programs
Our Mission-To provide our residents at every age and stage with all of the tools they need to enjoy a Healthy, happy retirement lifestyle.
Our life Enrichment /Wellness programs are multifaceted, taking into account the whole person. That means paying attention to their physical, psychological, and spiritual health and promoting a way of living that creates a healthy balance between mind, body, and soul.
Successful aging is influenced by a combination of lifestyle decisions that people make throughout their lives. This includes eating well, keeping physically active, exercising the mind, keeping a positive, nurturing your spirit and staying connected to friends, family, and social groups.
The Life Enrichment/Wellness program is composed of:
Personal Wellness More Info
Our clinician offers a wide variety services that creates a healthy culture on campus. The Wellness Center promotes health and wellness programs throughout the year and also conducts regular screenings for conditions liked diabetes and high blood pressure. Blood pressure, vital signs and weight checks are just some of the on-going services provided. Our on campus center can give our residents easy access to doctors and nurses who can treat a variety of illnesses, injuries or ongoing conditions. Our clinician greets all new residents with an initial visit within 2 weeks of their move-in date and assist in assembling essential information for emergency personal. You can also take a personal health inventory or fill out a Personal Wellness plan. You can then make an appointment with our clinician or Life Enrichment Department and they will guide you in the right direction. Here are some of our services offered:
Dimensions of Wellness More Info
Physical-This includes everything that promotes overall good health and helps prevent illnesses and injury. Components include a variety of fitness classes that include balance, strength training, chair exercise, stretch, pilates, tai-chi, cardiovascular classes, Water aerobics and many more. Sign up for a physical assessment or an orientation on the Fitness equipment with a certified personal trainer. Our Fitness professionals can help you develop a program specifically to meet your physical needs. They are here for you to help increase strength, endurance, and overall physical health. Join a cycling club, golf club, play tennis, pickle ball and bocce ball. Sign up for swim lessons, a healthy living lecture or a balance workshop.
Intellectual-Good intellectual health includes staying mentally active by taking lifelong learning classes, challenging your brain, and exercise regularly. Take a computer class, attend a lecture (or give one in your area of expertise), and sign up for continuing education at any of the colleges, universities and school districts in the area. Join the village voices, Sing along or the Sew-n- Sews. You can also visit our very own artist cottage and wood hoppy shop. Air Force Village provides you with many opportunities to explore you own talents and enjoy your neighbors.
Emotional wellness refers to feeling, thoughts, and the ability to handle stress or difficult situations. Examples that help maintain this type of wellness includes communication with support groups, professional, friends, and family. Join the Care & Share group or sign up for the Life after Loss program. Visit our counselor on staff, providing emotional support to residents through one-on-one confidential visits, small group conversations, classes, and consultants.
Social-This refers to the ability to interact, develop friendships and close relationships by participating in social events and classes. There are many clubs to join. The monthly parties, cocktail hours, bridge games, dinners, holiday mixers, themed events and private functions bring the residents together. Enjoy outings to the theater, opera, symphony, jazz, film, museums, art galleries and other venues-that abound in and around San Antonio. The Village shuttles are a great way to travel to these events with friends.
Environmental-This refers to having an attractive campus by providing safe and inviting surroundings. Enjoy the walking trails throughout both campuses, get involved with the resident gardens or join the bird watching group. Air Force Village offers good environmental wellness by recycling, conserving energy and spending time outside in the natural settings provided.
Spiritual-This principle of wellness includes practicing relaxation or meditation, believing that you have your own purpose in life, and being open to new experiences. This can vary from attending worship service with Air Force Village at each one of the campus chapels or join a religious group outside the community.
Vocational-Vocational wellness includes volunteering to help others, finding meaningful activities to participate in, helping friends and neighbors, and achieving personal goals. Sign up for Hospice for Hero's. Join one of many committees; help out with juice patrol in the Health Care Center. Help out with our resident-run libraries. Air Force Village has many other opportunities to volunteer your time.
Fitness Centers More Info
Exercise Programs More Info
Mission More Info
Volunteering More Info
At Air Force Village, residents are encouraged to participate in a wide variety of civic engagement opportunities, and they devote countless hours to community service for deserving programs and organizations.
In addition, resident provide support to programs and services on campus, sharing years of life experience, talents, and skills, this unselfish commitment contributes to the relationships and outcomes that enhance the quality of life for both the giver and recipients.
A menu of possible volunteer opportunities is posted here, and interested people are encouraged to contact us to pursue the possibilities. The AFV Community actively recruits individuals to make a difference in their own and other's lives by committing time, talent, and energy.
To find out more about the volunteer opportunities within Air Force Village, call the Life Enrichment/Wellness Director.
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Personal growth is not really usually a fairly easy process to get started on. There are numerous characteristics that leave increase your personality which will you decide to boost very first? This article gives established personal advancement advice that relates to every single phase of your process. Continue reading for suggestions and inspiration that will help you meet your targets. escorts madrid
Acquire some self-fulfillment by complimenting other individuals. You may reverse the method, however. Becoming kind and constructive to many other folks puts you within a excellent attitude and promotes you to deal with your self correct.
Working out must be part of everyone's life, not simply people who are hunting to shed weight. There are lots of other advantages from regular exercise. It encourages different regions of the body into producing hormones which make us more comfortable and calmer.
Do what it takes to produce an urgent situation fund and include to it even though you is only able to put in a couple of money at one time. It shows up as if each time a thing unexpected takes place, we charge much more to our charge cards. Nevertheless, it is possible to safeguard oneself using this taking place by depositing a number of dollars in to a financial savings bank account every week. You will be surprised at how fast your urgent situation fund increases. This fund might take the tension out of unanticipated circumstances and may similarly enable you to steer clear of piling up any further credit card debt.
Require a trip to the library for motivation. Some individuals could reap the benefits of a book of motivational rates, while some learn that spiritual written text inspires them. It really is a great idea to consider anything tangible when you find yourself wanting just a little press to keep going through the issues that lifestyle has to offer.
You will be unnecessarily anxious if you overact to circumstances. Once you discover ways to deal with anxiety, you may cautiously consider alternatives and calmly take care of problems tension free. In case you come up with a miscalculation, individual up to it, repair it, and move ahead. Effective people recognize that discovering from the errors, and not merely the reality that you've produced goof ups, is essential.
If you want to shift forwards in personal advancement, you ought to be humble. In case you confess that you will be merely a tiny thing about this world, you will start to understand exactly how much you still have to discover. You may make spectacular progress with your self advancement when you acknowledge that you just still have much to find out and be desperate to encounter each of the new things you may.
Personalized advancement calls for a lot of challenging possibilities. Usually do not worry choices that ought to be produced, even unless you have all the details you need to make sure from the decision. A tested reputation responsible, profitable choice-producing can mature into improved instincts. Even if you make the wrong determination, you may have an invaluable studying expertise. You'll produce a better decision the next time.
As you have seen, private advancement is simpler than it seems. By breaking your own improvement course of action into modest, manageable objectives, you'll discover youself to be closer to your desired goals at the end of every working day.
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| ||Category: Parts/Equipment/Military
Product: Life After Terrorism; What You Need to Know to Survive in Today's World
Price: View !!!
Description: Life After Terrorism; What You Need to Know to Survive in Today's World. By Bruce D. Clayton. Ph.D. What do you need to know to protect your family in today's world? To begin, you need to know the history of terrorists - who they are and what methods they use. You need to have some knowledge of chemistry, microbiology, genetics, physiology and anatomy. You must learn about hazardous materials, radiological defense and nuclear weapons effects. You need to know about food and water storage and escape routes from where you live and work. It helps to know what emergency management and disaster response look like from the inside. What you really need is the help of Dr. Bruce Clayton, author of the nuclear-survival classic, Life After Doomsday. In Life After Terrorism Dr. Clayton takes a look at today's terrorist threats, assesses their dangers realistically and explains in practical terms what you can do to reduce your risks. Hopefully, your family will never be the victims of a terrorist attack, but after September 11, do you want to bet on it? When your loved ones' lives are at stake, you can't afford to be naive or make mistakes. Prepare now for life after terrorism.
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Get involved: send your pictures, video, news and views by texting BWT to 80360 or you can email us »
Families boosted by childcare move
More than two million working families stand to gain through a major expansion of Government support for childcare.
Under tax-free childcare plans, set out on the eve of the Budget, eligible families will receive up £1,200 a year for each child - to a maximum of 20% of their annual costs.
However, the new scheme, which will replace the existing employer supported childcare programme (ESC), will not come into effect until late 2015 - after the next general election.
In order to qualify, both parents will have to be in work - or the one parent in the case of lone parent families - and each parent must be earning less than £150,000-a-year. Initially it will cover children up to five years old, but will build up "over time" to include children under 12.
Ministers say 1.3 million families will initially benefit - compared to 450,000 under ESC - eventually rising to around 2.5 million.
David Cameron said: "If Britain is going to succeed in the global race we must help those who work hard and want to get on. Too many families find paying for childcare tough and are often stopped from working the hours they'd like."
Education and Childcare Minister Elizabeth Truss said the new system would be a "very simple" process for parents, and added that no-one would be worse off in "cash terms" under the new system.
"Everybody who is currently claiming employer vouchers will be able to continue claiming employer vouchers," she told BBC Breakfast.
"But we are making the system much fairer because at the moment it is based on household. Our system is based on a per-child amount, so if you have two children you get £2,400, three children £3,600, that is much fairer, because we all know childcare costs are related to the number of children and not the number of parents."
"The scheme is also open much wider, so anybody who is eligible, who is working, can go on to the internet, sign up for an account. It is going to be a very simple process and they can receive that funding."
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new mission statement 01.02.2006, 4:30 PM
posted by bob stein
the institute is a bit over a year old now. our understanding of what we're doing has deepened considerably during the year, so we thought it was time for a serious re-statement of our goals. here's a draft for a new mission statement. we're confident that your input can make it better, so please send your ideas and criticisms.
The Institute for the Future of the Book is a project of the Annenberg Center for Communication at USC. Starting with the assumption that the locus of intellectual discourse is shifting from printed page to networked screen, the primary goal of the Institute is to explore, understand and hopefully influence this evolution.
We use the word "book" metaphorically. For the past several hundred years, humans have used print to move big ideas across time and space for the purpose of carrying on conversations about important subjects. Radio, movies, TV emerged in the last century and now with the advent of computers we are combining media to forge new forms of expression. For now, we use "book" to convey the past, the present transformation, and a number of possible futures.
THE WORK & THE NETWORK
One major consequence of the shift to digital is the addition of graphical, audio, and video elements to the written word. More profound, however, are the consequences of the relocation of the book within the network. We are transforming books from bounded objects to documents that evolve over time, bringing about fundamental changes in our concepts of reading and writing, as well as the role of author and reader.
SHORT TERM/LONG TERM
The Institute values theory and practice equally. Part of our work involves doing what we can with the tools at hand (short term). Examples include last year's Gates Memory Project or the new author's thinking-out-loud blogging effort. Part of our work involves trying to build new tools and effecting industry wide change (medium term): see the Sophie Project and Next\Text. And a significant part of our work involves blue-sky thinking about what might be possible someday, somehow (long term). Our blog, if:book covers the full-range of our interests.
As part of the Mellon Foundation's project to develop an open-source digital infrastructure for higher education, the Institute is building Sophie, a set of high-end tools for writing and reading rich media electronic documents. Our goal is to enable anyone to assemble complex, elegant, and robust documents without the necessity of mastering overly complicated applications or the help of programmers.
NEW FORMS, NEW PROCESSES
Academic institutes arose in the age of print, which informed the structure and rhythm of their work. The Institute for the Future of the Book was born in the digital era, and we seek to conduct our work in ways appropriate to the emerging modes of communication and rhythms of the networked world. Freed from the traditional print publishing cycles and hierarchies of authority, the Institute seeks to conduct its activities as much as possible in the open and in real time.
HUMANISM & TECHNOLOGY
Although we are excited about the potential of digital technologies to amplify human potential in wondrous ways, we believe it is crucial to consciously consider the social impact of the long-term changes to society afforded by new technologies.
Although the institute is based in the U.S. we take the seriously the potential of the internet and digital media to transcend borders. We think it's important to pay attention to developments all over the world, recognizing that the future of the book will likely be determined as much by Beijing, Buenos Aires, Cairo, Mumbai and Accra as by New York and Los Angeles.
Robin on January 2, 2006 8:57 PM:
Congratulations on a year of good work & useful goals.
I'd love to hear more about the Sophie project. I've read the proposal PDF on your Sophie page -- how's it all progressing?
K.G. Schneider on January 3, 2006 12:41 PM:
First, scratch the word "hopefully." Your mission isn't to "hopefully" do anything; you exist to meet your goals.
Second, are you *transforming* a genre or *creating* a genre? The goal of the novel was not to replace the epic poem.
The section on "humanism" is interesting. You might review the Library Bill of Rights and even skim its dozens of interpretations to see if you want to add anything about anti-censorship advocacy and equity of access.
Good work--I know how hard these are!
kim white on January 3, 2006 7:46 PM:
are you *transforming* a genre or *creating* a genre? The goal of the novel was not to replace the epic poem.
I think bob was talking about the book itself rather than the literary genre it supports. But it's likely that new genres are going to arise (indeed they already are) to suit the vehicle that carries them. The epic poem was mostly memorized and performed in those long-ago days before the novel which, co-incidentally, arouse about the same time as the printing press. So did the new genre (the novel) grow out of the new book form or did the new mass-produced book make the novel possible? It seems clear that we are witnessing a similar phenomenon now. New genres coming up that could not have existed before electronic media platforms.
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In what has become the driving topic of the campaign this week, President Obama addressed Mitt Romney’s business background at Bain Capital, saying that the GOP candidate’s experience didn't make him “qualified to think about the economy as a whole.”
In an interview with CBS set to air this Sunday, Obama said that Romney’s work at Bain Capital was “part of the American way,” adding, “But that doesn't necessarily make you qualified to think about the economy as a whole, because as president, my job is to think about the workers. My job is to think about communities, where jobs have been outsourced.”
Obama said that Romney has been selling himself thus: “I’m Mr. Fix-It on the economy, because I made a lot of money.’”
Romney's record at Bain Capital, a private equity firm, has come under increased scrutiny this week. A report from The Boston Globe out Thursday suggested that Romney may have been involved at Bain three years after he said he left the firm.
Romney’s departure date from the company has become a critical issue in the campaign because he has claimed that he was not involved with the company when some of its holdings went bankrupt or had to lay off workers. It is also critical in determining whether Romney played any role in outsourcing.
“I think it is entirely appropriate to look at that record and see whether, in fact, his focus was creating jobs and he successfully did that," Obama said in the interview. "And when you look at the record, there are questions there that have to be asked."
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Social media marketing or social network marketing is already a boom and many people are making a killing with social network marketing, but at the same time, many are complete failures.
Whether you are new to the social media marketing or you have been doing it for quite some time, there are some things you need to know.
One very important thing is to watch what others who are successful in social network marketing are doing and implement what works well for them.
Another key aspect of social media marketing is that you need to show people who you are. Show them your personality. People like to do business with those they know.
This leads to the most important aspect of social network marketing and that is interacting. You need to be active on the site, post comments, communicate with others.
Another key aspect is to brand you. You need to create an online image but make sure it is real because if it is fake, no one will trust you. .
Video Social Network Marketing
When people think of social media marketing, they immediately think of FaceBook, Linkedin, etc. but they often forget about YouTube.
This is a mistake!
Video is a powerful way to brand yourself and show people who you are. People will trust you because they can feel you and see you through video.
If you want to be a big time (or even small time) online marketer, you must incorporate video into your marketing arsenal!
A lot of people seem to forget that you can use ads to increase your social media presence!
Ads can create instant traffic to any fan page you want to promote! The traffic can be targeted and INSTANT!
Now a lot of people are afraid to run ads, they are afraid that they might not get a return on their investment.
I understand this fear but this is also a mindset problem.
Any business, any venture comes with some risk. If you are not willing to take educated, smart risks, than you are cutting off your chance at success!
I personally have had a lot of success with FaceBook Pay Per Click (PPC) advertising. I love FaceBook PPC!
First of all, FB PPC allows you to target so precisely, it is like no other form of marketing. You can literally target people who are “fans” of certain people, companies, products, or many other ways.
You can also target by people who work at certain companies, race, languages, ages, etc. It is truly amazing!
You may have heard that FB PPC requires a steep learning curve.
Yes and No!
To get started you just need to know a few basic things and principles, but yes, you will need some training to learn how to get the best results.
Get Empower Network and go ALL IN and you wjll have the best training available anywhere on the internet.
I am a dedicated husband and father of two great children. I am also a devoted Christian, an educator, and an entrepreneur. I became an internet marketer as a way to supplement my income and make ends meet. Over time this business has paid off ALL of my bills and has even provided a means to do what I love to do most, spend time with my family and travel. I have been able to visit Europe, The Caribbean, Mexico, and locations within the United States such as Hawaii. One of the greatest joys was to recently take my family on a luxury week-long trip to Walt Disney World that was 100% paid for by internet marketing. This business is quickly becoming a way to generate a full time income and fulfill all of mine and my family’s dreams. My goal is to help as many people as possible gain their financial freedom and break away from the chains that are holding them back. I am dedicated to changing the 96% failure rate in internet marketing into a success rate. As a trained educator, I am dedicated to teaching everyone how to be successful and to lead others to their own personal success. Whatever your dream is, let me teach you how to get there. Visit http://brianelrod.com/form/free-gift/ to get your FREE Gift to help you get started.
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The Obama administration's 'Asia pivot' has provoked a hostile reaction from China
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s most recent diplomatic trip to China was met with friction and disagreement from a Chinese government responding negatively to being bullied in its own back yard by an aggressive and militaristic United States bent on containing China’s rise.
Clinton’s visit, reports the Washington Post, “began with vicious personal attacks against her in the government-run media and continued with sharp disagreements with China’s top leaders. Then Clinton was mysteriously stood up by the future leader of the country,” an unusually stark move by typically reserved Chinese leaders.
“The visit finished Wednesday in dramatic fashion,” the Post continues, with “an announcement from the Chinese government two hours before Clinton’s departure that a former police official who had sought sanctuary at a U.S. consulate months earlier and triggered a still-roiling political scandal was being charged with defection and other crimes in what appeared to many analysts like a stick in the eye aimed at the United States.”
This was very much expected. The Obama administration’s so-called strategic pivot to Asia Pacific, which involves surging American military presence throughout the region with the aim of containing China, has been slowly provoking negative reactions across official China.
Washington has further antagonized China by beefing up its military relationships with China’s regional competitors and backing them all up in their territorial disputes with China over the resource rich South China Seas.
Washington has also been building new military bases and refurbishing old ones in the region in order to lay the ground-work for an “air-sea battle” with China. The idea is to have enough US bases peppered throughout the region so that China would be too surrounded to safely attack.
China hasn’t done anything to harm US security. Washington just doesn’t want to cede power, in any part of the globe, to any other nation.
A recent report from the CSIS predicted that next year “could see a shift in Chinese foreign policy based on the new leadership’s judgment that it must respond to a US strategy that seeks to prevent China’s reemergence as a great power.”
“Signs of a potential harsh reaction are already detectable,” the report said. “The US Asia pivot has triggered an outpouring of anti-American sentiment in China that will increase pressure on China’s incoming leadership to stand up to the United States. Nationalistic voices are calling for military countermeasures to the bolstering of America’s military posture in the region and the new US defense strategic guidelines.”
“Our two nations are trying to do something that has never been done in history,” Clinton said in a press briefing with the Chinese Premier, “which is to write a new answer to the question of what happens when an established power and a rising power meet.”
One possible option is to not approach that “meeting” with military belligerence and arrogance. Perhaps that didn’t occur to Mrs. Clinton.
“Generally speaking, our relationship has been moving forward, but recently I am more or less worried,” Premier Wen Jiabao told Clinton in a slow, measured voice, deviating from the usual empty pleasantries of official Chinese meetings. “I feel that our two countries should maintain political mutual respect and strategic mutual trust. The United States should respect China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
“This is the new normal,” one senior official travelling with Clinton told the Associated Press. “I think we have to be prepared for more tensions on these matters.”
Last 5 posts by John Glaser
- House Committee Prohibits Pentagon Base Closures - May 23rd, 2013
- Code Pink's Medea Benjamin Interrupts Obama Speech - May 23rd, 2013
- Obama Admits US Killed 4 Americans in Drone War - May 22nd, 2013
- CIA to Continue Waging Drone War in Pakistan - May 21st, 2013
- Rand Paul: My Fellow Senators Voted to Arm Al-Qaeda - May 21st, 2013
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Sounds of Change
A Teacher's Blessing: Dedicated Email
The Age of Aquarius is upon us. To become One with the new reality, the greatest teachers are leading the way. One such teacher was Guru Ram Das, a 16th-Century saint from India and fourth of the ten Sikh Gurus. He was a master yogi known for his depth of compassion and devotion to service. Now, from the ethereal he teaches his students to develop an awareness of their individual true natures and to embrace challenges in life as blessings and opportunities for making positive change. Guru Ram Das is also known as the Lord of Miracles.
In the spirit of Guru Ram Das’ teachings, Terra Traditions, an award winning Los Angeles-based artisan’s studio, has stepped into new territory with the release of its first CD, Grace of Guru Ram Das by Siri Kartar Kaur. Inspired by their spiritual teacher, Siri Kartar and Ram Das Kaur created the songs on this album especially for meditation, transformation and upliftment. Siri Kartar's voice combined with a variety of music, a combination of melodic guitar, hand drums and her deeply penetrating voice, offers listeners an affirmative experience to foster personal growth and nurture a tranquil environment.
Sign up for your free Yogamint email, a wealth of healthy tips and treats.
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Awards and Grants
sponsored by Farmers Insurance
The annual NCSS Outstanding Teacher of the Year Awards recognize exceptional classroom social studies teachers for grades K-6, 5-8, and 7-12 who teach social studies regularly and systematically in elementary school settings, and
at least half-time in middle or junior high and high school settings. Award winners receive $2,500, complimentary one-year membership in NCSS, and present a session on their work at the NCSS Annual Conference, and up to $500 in transportation/lodging reimbursement to attend the Annual Conference.
sponsored by Herff Jones|Nystrom
The NCSS Grant for the Enhancement of Geographic Literacy was created to promote geography education in the schools; to enhance the geographic literacy of students at the classroom, district, or statewide level; and to encourage the integration of geography into the social studies curriculum/classroom. Award winners receive $2,500, a commemorative award, and present a session on their work at the NCSS Annual Conference
The Award for Global Understanding Given in Honor of James M. Becker recognizes a social studies educator (or a team of educators) who has made notable contributions in helping social studies students increase their understanding of the world.
The award includes a $2,000 cash award, a session to present at the NCSS annual conference; complimentary NCSS conference registration; and up to $700 in transportation/lodging reimbursement.
In 1986 the Christa McAuliffe Reach for the Stars Award was established to help classroom teachers "reach for the stars" and achieve a dream that under ordinary circumstances would not be fulfilled. The Fund for the Advancement of Social Studies Education (FASSE) was created in 1984 by the Board of Directors of the National Council for the Social Studies. The purpose of the fund is to support research and classroom application projects which improve social studies education, foster enlightened citizenship, and promote civic competence.
The purpose of the $2,500 grant is to help a social studies educator make his or her dream of innovative social studies a reality. Grants will be given to assist classroom teachers in: 1) developing and implementing imaginative, innovative, and illustrative social studies teaching strategies; and 2) supporting student implementation of innovative social studies, citizenship projects, field experiences, and community connections.
NCSS and the Research Committee sponsor three annual research awards designed to recognize substantive scholarly inquiry in social studies education:
In 1974, National Council for the Social Studies established the Carter G. Woodson Book Award for the most distinguished social science books appropriate for young readers that depict ethnicity in the United States. The purpose of this award is to encourage the writing, publishing, and dissemination of outstanding social science books for young readers that treat topics related to ethnic minorities and relations sensitively and accurately.
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|Date:||5 October 2009|
During the past four years, a number of surveys, audits and studies have reviewed Disability and Deaf Arts in the south west and these have informed the current study. The aim for this piece of work was to get to the heart of what matters for disabled and Deaf artists in the region. The focus has been threefold:
Disabled and Deaf artists in the south west have a right, and very much want, to be at the forefront of this vision. This report sets out to present an accurate portrayal of the issues these artists have raised as being of paramount importance to support their full, equal and active participation in this vision.
The research was carried out during June, July and August 2009. It includes interviews with 20 Deaf and disabled artists, a survey questionnaire completed by 32 Deaf and disabled artists, four Local Authority Arts Officers and 48 arts organisations of which 12 described themselves as disabled-led.
The survey will inform the Arts Council's future investment in Deaf and disabled artists.
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Pressure Builds in Canada to Outlaw Asbestos
Long-standing efforts by civil society groups, international agencies and trade unions are culminating in a series of decisions and events which reveal the contempt in which asbestos and asbestos sellers are now held. It is no exaggeration to say that the underhanded tactics marshaled by asbestos stakeholding governments and commercial interests to market this discredited substance have tarnished the reputation of a country once held in high esteem for its human rights and environmental agendas: Canada. Over recent weeks, Canada has been criticized by the International Labor Organization, indicted by leading scientists, pilloried by journalists and ridiculed by Canadian comedians.
On June 10 (Friday), Canada's pro-asbestos policy was challenged by no less a body than the International Labor Organization (ILO). 1 A special hearing was convened to hear testimony regarding Canada's failure to fulfill its obligations as a signatory to ILO's Asbestos Convention (162); under Article 3, signatory countries are required to enact a regulatory regime for the prevention and control of, and protection of workers against, health hazards due to occupational exposure to asbestos.2 According to testimony given in Geneva by the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC), Canada has:
failed to review national laws and regulations governing occupational exposure to asbestos, and to take into account advances in technology and scientific knowledge, as is called for in Article 3 of Convention 162 Instead of acting accordingly, Canada continues to use unreliable data based on improper methodologies
The ILO Committee on the Application of Standards has notified the Canadian government that the strictest standard limits for the protection of workers' health as regards exposure to asbestos are mandatory and that a wide-ranging review of national regulations which includes input from labor and employer organizations is overdue.
The same day as the Geneva hearing took place, a paper was being circulated from the peer-reviewed journal Respirology, the official journal of the Asian Pacific Society of Respirology, entitled: Asbestos use and asbestos-related diseases in Asia: past, present and future, which was categorical as to the dire effects of the aggressive promotion of asbestos by vested interests. The Asian increase of asbestos consumption over recent years will, the scientists concluded, likely trigger a surge of ARDs in the coming decades. 3 The findings in this paper have been commented on under such headlines as: Death and Major Morbidity from Asbestos-Related Diseases in Asia Likely to Surge in Next 20 years, Experts Warn,4 Asia Accounts For Two-Thirds Of Asbestos Use Worldwide5 and Asbestos deaths expected to spike in Asia.6
In London on June 7, the All Party Parliamentary Asbestos Sub-Group heard Brazilian Attorney Mauro de Menezes detail illicit operations of asbestos vested interests in Brazil and the campaign by the national asbestos victims' group (ABREA) to highlight the illegal acts of asbestos representatives including the corruption of trade union organizations and the use of false advertising. At the same time, a high-level meeting on asbestos took place in Bonn, Germany convened by the World Health Organization to examine the European fallout of continuing asbestos exploitation with a particular focus on the mining and processing of asbestos in East European countries. On June 30, 2011, a meeting at the European Parliament will continue this discussion when delegates in Brussels attend the seminar entitled: Asbestos Still a Killer. Amongst the subjects on the agenda will be a presentation examining Canada's role in the international asbestos lobby.
Back home in Canada, things are spinning out of control with numerous articles and television reports highlighting the duplicity of the government's asbestos policy. On June 13, a piece headlined Health Canada's asbestos advice rejected by government cited government documents which revealed Ottawa's rejection in 2006 of expert advice that chrysotile asbestos be scheduled under the Rotterdam Convention, a United Nations protocol that aims to minimize fallout from the global trade in toxic chemicals and pesticides: 7
According to documents obtained under Access to Information, a senior Health Canada bureaucrat wrote that the agency believed that chrysotile a form of asbestos that has been linked to cancer should be added to a UN treaty known as the Rotterdam Convention
[Health Canada's] preferred position would be to list as this is consistent with controlled use i.e. let people know about the substance so they have the infromation they need, through prior informed consent, to ensure they handle and use the substance correctly.
Also on June 13, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation showed a piece about the controversial asbestos policies pursued by the Governments of Ottawa and Quebec on national TV news; this feature disclosed internal documents exposing the prioritization of political and commercial objectives over health concerns regarding asbestos. The fact that the Quebec asbestos industry generates $90 million in asbestos sales explained, so the reporter said, why Canada has been the only developed country to block the listing of chrysotile on the Rotterdam Convention.8 In the run-up to the 5th Conference of the Parties to the Rotterdam Convention, today (June 14), a high-profile press conference is being held by opposition MPs and leading experts under the banner Asbestos must be declared toxic. Politicans Romeo Saganash, Nathan Cullen and Pat Martin from the New Democratic Party will join medical experts and trade unionists participating in the Ottawa event. Prime Minister Stephen Harper has publicly declared his intention in 2011 to, yet again, block moves to add chrysotile to Annex III of the UN Convention. Although the inclusion of a substance or pesticide on the prior informed consent list is not a ban, exporting countries of listed goods are required to inform importers of known hazards so that they might decide whether or not they have the capacity to use the substance safely.
To cap the continuing run of bad publicity for the asbestos industry, a series of three clips has been produced by a group of Canadian comedians which targets the self-serving amorality underlying the pro-asbestos policy espoused by Ottawa and Quebec. Sean Devlin, one of the actors involved, told journalists: Mr. Harper's stance on asbestos is morally bankrupt. Hypocrisy this blatant would be hilarious if it weren't also deadly.9 The first two segments are packaged as clips from a TV do-it-yourself show presented by Chris O'Tile (chrysotile). Suggestions made to Prime Minister Harper and other Canadian chrysophiles include covering your windows with asbestos to prevent heat loss, a green and environmentally friendly thing to do, and insulating your hot tub with asbestos fleece to maintain the temperature. The third clip: Asbestos Safety, 101 has a presenter from the Philippines showing his countrymen how to use a bandana to prevent inhalation of asbestos, under the slogan of safety first. To the side of the uploads, is a petition which states: On June 20th, the United Nations will vote to place an international ban on asbestos. Prime Minister Harper stands as an obstacle to this global agreement. The petition calls on Harper to:
Institute a just transition program for the 500 remaining asbestos workers and the communities they live in [and] join the United Nations in banning the production and exporting of asbestos worldwide. If he doesn't, he should put it back in his own home.
In the light of the escalation of criticism which the asbestos industry is attracting in Canada and elsewhere, it is time for immediate action. Canadian politicans can no longer continue acting as pimps and hustlers for an industry which is increasingly bringing not only its stakeholders but also the country's institutions and reputation into disrepute. Canada's dumping of asbestos on developing countries has made it a pariah state. There can be no doubt that this status will adversely affect the country's ability to negotiate trade deals, promote tourism and project a positive self-image.
In just over two weeks, Canada will mark its 144th birthday with Canada Day celebrations at home and abroad. The activities planned for that day barbecues, fireworks, ice hockey games, Inuit throat singing performances, great plains dance displays and other home-grown entertainments are meant to reflect the achievements of those who have made Canada what it is today. Contributing to Canada's prosperity has been the export of chrysotile asbestos. At the same time as the toxic industry was poisoning human beings in Canada and abroad, corporate and government stakeholders were enjoying boom times. With the spotlight on the upcoming Rotterdam Convention meeting, it is time for Canada to, once and for all, bring an end to this trade. Within the coming weeks, Canada should announce plans to close down its asbestos industry and support the inclusion of chrysotile on Annex III of the Rotterdam Convention. Canadian officials should thereafter assist international agencies and national groups to implement plans to protect human beings and the environment from the deadly Canadian asbestos indiscriminately shipped around the world over the last 100+ years.
June 14, 2011
From June 20-24, 2011, the 5th Conference of the Parties to the Rotterdam Convention will meet in Geneva; once again, the subject of listing chrysotile will be discussed.
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The new bike lanes in Southwest Detroit have been getting of media coverage lately.
The Detroit News ran the article “Detroit becoming friendlier to bicyclists” last month.
Sarah Pappas, 27, who lives in the city’s Woodbridge neighborhood, commutes by bike to work in Corktown several times a week.
“Riding here is wonderful. There are hardly any cars around,” said Pappas, who moved to Detroit from New York earlier this year. “Even downtown after a (Tigers) game gets out isn’t bad compared to riding in lots of other places.”
The Detroit News article also included this video.
[The bike lanes are] the first large scale segment of the city’s Urban Non-motorized Transportation Master Plan to be completed, said Scott Clein, executive vice president of Giffels-Webster, the civil engineering and surveying consulting firm on the project.
“Detroit has a strong bicycle community and there are a lot of bikers in this region,” Clein said. “You’ve got flat streets and the spirit of freedom to go wherever you want.”
And while not about the new bike lanes, this article from Akron’s Beacon Journal covers bicycle touring in Detroit. It really highlights the bike tourism potential for Detroit, which is largely being driven by Wheelhouse Detroit.
The Motor City rocks but it really rolls. On two wheels.
Pedal power is surprisingly big, and it’s growing in Detroit. And, no, bicyclists don?t have to speed to get away from roving gangs. That image of violent Detroit won?t die.
One way to see the new Detroit is on bicycle. It offers a way to get an intimate look at the Motor City with its great neighborhoods filled with stylish buildings.
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How to duplicate an installed Operating Environment
I wanted to start a thread about techniques that members have had experience with that can be used to duplicate an installed OS and set it up on other hardware. I am hoping to remain as OS-neutral as possible and open discussion for software that can be used on Linux, BSD, or Microsoft products. As an administrator I'm usually faced with a situation like this:
A machine running some necessary service begins to have hardware issues. There is a similar piece of hardware that is collecting dust, unused, in the corner. What can I do to copy necessary machine A to dusty machine B?
In the past I've used applications like (what is now known as) Norton Ghost, carbon copy, and server virtualization to create a backup of a server. However, these types of duplication tend to require some kind of downtime. Since I already accumulate several hours of unpaid overtime every week I would rather have, at my disposal, a tool that will allow me to create a live installable backup of an existing server. And, if it isn't too much trouble, a magic lamp which I can rub to get winning lottery numbers.
Can anyone suggest a software package that can accomplish this or point out a tutorial to the forum where additional reading can be found?
Below I have listed some links relating to Carbon Copy and Virtualizing an existing installation. They aren't exactly comprehensive, but if you've already had to perform this type of backup they suggest some alternatives:
Virtualizing Linux machines
Ntfsclone for M$
There is also this resource within this forum that is BSD specific using the dump command.
One method I've tested out is combining dd with netcat, but it is very slow and plays poorly with dynamic data. Because I could not locate my original source I will cite another equally good source:
dd if=/dev/my_harddrive | nc <remote_ip> <some_port> and over on the new residence: nc -l -p <some_port> | dd of=/dev/new_harddrive.
I tried this with a 2 gig install of FreeBSD and it took about 40 minutes to copy over, which seemed long. I wasn't able to determine if the bottleneck was the netcat command on the other box or the dd command that the data was getting redirected to. 2 gigs took awhile. 40+ would have been a nightmare.
But, it didn't require me to disrupt services although I did have to perform a dump and restore on the second machine to get the database working as well as change the hostname and IP.
Last edited by dk_netsvil; 22nd July 2008 at 05:49 PM.
|Thread||Thread Starter||Forum||Replies||Last Post|
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|Advanced programming in the UNIX environment 2nd edition?||graudeejs||Book reviews||11||1st December 2008 09:15 AM|
|I. Treating 'iso-itis' in an OpenBSD environment with USBmediazine®||J65nko||Guides||3||31st July 2008 01:51 AM|
|Can't use bash on chroot'd openssh environment||jploh||FreeBSD General||2||18th June 2008 02:12 AM|
|The Design and Implementation of the FreeBSD Operating System||cajunman4life||Book reviews||8||13th May 2008 02:31 PM|
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From Law Delta
Sec.951.Collection and publication; facts required; submission of report.952.Repealed.953.Reports; by whom made; penalties.954.Grades and standards for classification.955.Limitation on use of statistical information.956.Rules and regulations; cooperation with departments, etc.; officers and employees; expenses of administration; authorization of appropriations.957.Definitions.958.Repealed.
§951. Collection and publication; facts required; submission of report
The Secretary of Agriculture is authorized and directed to collect and publish statistics of raw peanuts, shelled, unshelled, and crushed, and peanut oil, in the United States, received, processed, shipped, and owned by or in the possession of warehousemen, brokers, cleaners, shellers, dealers, growers’ cooperative associations, crushers, salters, manufacturers of peanut products, and owners other than the original producers of peanuts: Provided, That the Secretary may, in his discretion, omit for any period of time to collect such statistics from any or all salters of peanuts or manufacturers of peanut products who used, during the calendar year preceding that for which statistics are being collected, less than thirty thousand pounds of shelled and unshelled peanuts. Such statistics shall show the quality of peanuts in such details as to kinds—Virginias, Runners, Spanish, and imported varieties—as the Secretary shall deem necessary for the purposes of this chapter. All reports shall be submitted monthly in each year, except as otherwise prescribed by the Secretary.
(June 24, 1936, ch. 745, §1, 49 Stat. 1898; May 12, 1938, ch. 199, §1, 52 Stat. 348; Pub. L. 85–105, §1, July 17, 1957, 71 Stat. 306.)
1957—Pub. L. 85–105 struck out “except those required from persons owning or operating peanut picking or threshing machines” after “All reports” in last sentence and inserted “except as otherwise prescribed by the Secretary”.
1938—Act May 12, 1938, among other changes, inserted proviso.
§952. Repealed. Pub. L. 85–105, §2, July 17, 1957, 71 Stat. 306
Section, acts June 24, 1936, ch. 745, §2, 49 Stat. 1899; May 12, 1938, ch. 199, §2, 52 Stat. 349, related to collection and publication of statistics as to quantity of peanuts picked or threshed by any person owning or operating peanut picking or threshing machines.
§953. Reports; by whom made; penalties
It shall be the duty of each warehouseman, broker, cleaner, sheller, dealer, growers’ cooperative association, crusher, salter, manufacturer of peanut products, and owner other than the original producer of peanuts to furnish reports, complete and correct to the best of his knowledge, on the quantity of peanuts and peanut oil received, processed, shipped, and owned by him or in his possession. Such reports, when and as requested by the Secretary, shall be furnished within the time prescribed and in accordance with forms provided by him for the purpose. Any person required by this chapter, or the regulations promulgated thereunder, to furnish reports or information, and any officer, agent, or employee thereof, who shall refuse to give such reports or information or shall willfully give answers that are false and misleading, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor, and upon conviction thereof shall be fined not less than $300 nor more than $1,000, or imprisoned not more than one year, or be subject to both such fine and imprisonment.
(June 24, 1936, ch. 745, §3, 49 Stat. 1899; May 12, 1938, ch. 199, §3, 52 Stat. 349; Pub. L. 85–105, §3, July 17, 1957, 71 Stat. 306.)
1957—Pub. L. 85–105 amended section generally, and, among other changes, divided first sentence into two sentences, substituting “owner other than the original producer of peanuts” for “owner or operator of peanut picking or threshing machines,” and inserted “to give such reports or information” in last sentence.
1938—Act May 12, 1938, among other changes, inserted “crusher, salter, manufacturer of peanut products” after “cooperative association”.
§954. Grades and standards for classification
The Secretary is authorized to establish and promulgate grades and standards for the classification of peanuts, whenever in his discretion he may see fit.
(June 24, 1936, ch. 745, §4, 49 Stat. 1899.)
§955. Limitation on use of statistical information
The information furnished under the provisions of this chapter shall be used only for the statistical purposes for which it is supplied. No publication shall be made by the Secretary whereby the data furnished by any person can be identified nor shall the Secretary permit anyone other than the sworn employees of the Department of Agriculture to examine the individual reports.
(June 24, 1936, ch. 745, §5, 49 Stat. 1899.)
The Secretary may make rules and regulations as may be necessary in the administration of this chapter and may cooperate with any department or agency of the Government, any State, Territory, District, or possession, or department, agency, or political subdivision thereof, or any person; and shall have the power to appoint, remove, and fix the compensation of such officers and employees not in conflict with existing law, and make such expenditures for rent outside the District of Columbia, printing, binding, telegrams, telephones, law books, books of reference, publications, furniture, stationery, office equipment, travel, and other supplies and expenses, including reporting services, as shall be necessary to the administration of this chapter in the District of Columbia and elsewhere, and as may be appropriated for by Congress; and there is authorized to be appropriated, out of any money in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, such sums as may be necessary for such purpose.
(June 24, 1936, ch. 745, §6, 49 Stat. 1899.)
When used in this chapter—
(1) The term “person” includes individuals, partnerships, corporations, and associations;
(2) The term “Secretary” means the Secretary of Agriculture.
(June 24, 1936, ch. 745, §7, 49 Stat. 1899.)
§958. Repealed. Pub. L. 104–66, title I, §1011(d), Dec. 21, 1995, 109 Stat. 709
Section, Pub. L. 101–624, title XV, §1558, Nov. 28, 1990, 104 Stat. 3699, directed Secretary of Agriculture to collect information contained on peanut export documentation, including country of origin, and submit reports to Congress annually notwithstanding certain confidentiality provisions.
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Offering this humbly at Ann's site this afternoon, where so many share their Walk with Him Wednesdays:
instead of something that seems to us
so often to be burdensome,
almost impossible to do,
actually looked more like
what these beauties do...
...like waiting patiently for the food we need;
...like sipping nectar from exactly the right trumpet flower;
...or watchfully surveying the landscape;
...or keeping our feathers clean and ready for action;
...or singing the lovely song we were designed to sing;
...or wading right in when the water is right;
...or wisely hunkering down when it isn't;
...or waiting for just the right moment
to use the beak we've been given;
...or finding a companion-on-the-way,
someone to help us be as strong and sure as we can be;
...someone to help us flex our wings, to practice,
to keep ourselves ready and in shape;
...so that, when the time is right, we can FLY,
just as God intended us to do.
I've been pondering this verse for a long time:
"So even though Jesus was God's son,
he LEARNED OBEDIENCE
from the things he suffered."
Jesus learned obedience?
Have you ever really thought about
that subject with that verb?
If Jesus came not only to save us from our sins
(and he surely did that),
if Jesus came not only to heal us of our brokenness,
(and he surely did that),
if Jesus came to model for us what an
authentic human life looks like
(and he completely did that),
then there is something vitally important for us
in this short verse.
Jesus is the only fully human being
to ever walk the dusty byways of our planet.
The only one
who fulfilled God's original design and desire
for us, we who are in-God's-image-creatures.
He was the only one
who really, truly and always did
what comes naturally,
just like the birds of the air do.
In living out a perfectly human life,
in living and in learning what it means to be 'obedient'
to God's dream for humankind,
Jesus shows us the way through.
Jesus shows us how to live a full and rich life,
not just in spite of our sufferings,
but in the midst of them.
And even though he was a learner,
as we are all learners,
he never faltered, wavered,
or succumbed to the 'bentness' of our nature,
that unnaturalness that causes us
to do harm to ourselves and others.
he listened to the humming core of his own humanity,
he stayed in tune with himself and with the Father,
he resisted the lure of anything that
fell outside the bounds of
what comes naturally.
just flowed out of him.
Oh, may I learn to do
what I was designed and redeemed to do:
to live a fully natural human life.
To listen to the song of salvation that
the Spirit sings ever so sweetly in me.
Linking with Michelle, Suzannah and Jen tonight, with thanks for their consistently kind invitation to do so:
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Advice for photographers
Independent tests undertaken by the British Photographers' Liaison Committee (BPLC), to establish the full and exact details of any potential film damage caused by baggage screening machines at airports, have given the all-clear to current hand-luggage x-ray inspection systems installed at Stansted Airport.
The findings confirm Stansted's previous recommendations to passengers, that they should carry unprocessed film in their hand-luggage not packed in hold (checked-in) luggage. The findings confirm that hand-luggage security scanning machinery is safe for all normal film types (up to and including ISO 400) *. Current digital camera storage media can also safely be examined by these x-ray machines without suffering ill effects.
Specialist film (ISO 800 and above) under exceptional circumstances, when passed more than eight times through the hand-luggage security scanning machines, can be affected. However, the nature of the change occurring is barely noticeable to the naked eye and indeed does not become clearly visible until film is exposed around 32 times.
Stansted Airport therefore continues to recommend that airline passengers carry all normal, undeveloped film in their hand-luggage not in their hold (checked-in) luggage. We also advise that special arrangements can be made for photographers carrying professional film (ISO 800 and above) by prior arrangement with their airline or airport. Hand search requests for professional film will normally be accommodated, but the final decision in all individual cases will always rest with the on-duty security supervisor.
The results reported are in the context of standard film use. Professional photographers requiring more detailed information should refer in the first place to their own photographic association or organisation, or the BPLC on +44 (0)20 7739 6669.
* These films will be visually unaffected by up to eight and in some cases 32 passes through the hand-luggage x-ray machines. Processed film can be x-rayed virtually without limit, without suffering any ill effects whatsoever from these machines.
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| 0.940715
| 410
| 1.671875
| 2
|
Ruth Milkman is professor of sociology and director of the Institute of Industrial Relations at UCLA. She has written extensively on labor issues and is the author of L.A. Story: Immigrant Workers and the Future of the U.S. Labor Movement, published this summer by the Russell Sage Foundation.
The groundswell of immigrant rights demonstrations that emerged across the nation in reaction to the passage of the Sensenbrenner bill (H.R. 4437) by the U.S. House of Representatives in late 2005 took many by surprise. Yet this wave of protest did not come out of nowhere. The groundwork was laid by over a decade of organizing by both the labor movement—not only traditional unions but also the “worker centers” that have proliferated in recent years—and the broader immigrant rights movement. Moreover, the dynamics leading up to the spring 2006 marches were prefigured in many respects by events that occurred a dozen years ago in California, in response to Proposition 187, an anti-immigrant measure passed by the state’s voters in 1994.
Although H.R. 4437—which would criminalize unauthorized immigrants for simply being present in the U.S. without documentation, as well as those who assist them—differs in content from Prop. 187, which proposed denying public services (including schooling) to undocumented immigrants, both were harsh Republican-sponsored attacks on immigrant rights that enjoyed widespread support among voters. Prop. 187 triumphed at the polls in California in 1994, but was later struck down by the courts as unconstitutional; similarly, the chances of the Sensenbrenner bill actually becoming law are virtually nil. Nevertheless, in both cases the threatened enactment of such measures deeply alarmed both authorized and unauthorized immigrants and sparked massive popular protest, especially among Latinos. Prop. 187 generated street demonstrations larger than any since the Vietnam War, as well as a wave of naturalizations among legal immigrants in California. An unprecedented level of immigrant political mobilization followed, especially in Los Angeles, where the labor movement had already begun organizing immigrants in the workplace in the early 1990s and was well positioned to seize the opportunity presented by community outrage over Prop. 187 to extend its work into the electoral arena.
The parallels between the initial grassroots reaction to Prop. 187 twelve years ago and that to H.R. 4437 this year are striking, raising the prospect that the political drama that unfolded in California in the mid-1990s might now be re-enacted on the more spacious national stage. Acutely aware of that possibility, many of the May 1, 2006 demonstrators carried signs that promised, “Hoy Marchamos, Mañana Votamos” [‘Today We March, Tomorrow We Vote’]. And it was no accident that immediately after the demonstrations, the new “We Are America Alliance” and a host of other organizations launched naturalization and voter registration drives. Many Republicans, too, are cognizant of the danger these developments pose to their party’s future, but at the moment they are far too divided over the proposed immigration reform legislation to do much to avert it.
Labor and Immigrant Rights
As the debate over immigration reform legislation took shape in the fall of 2005, divisions emerged within the organized labor movement. While no one in the labor camp supported the repressive Sensenbrenner proposals, the “guest worker” program in the original McCain-Kennedy bill, which enjoyed support from many business groups and from the Bush administration, became a key point of disagreement. Some unions, most notably the giant Service Employees International Union (SEIU), argued in favor of McCain-Kennedy. They supported a guest worker program on the condition that it would be accompanied by key protective measures (such as freedom for guest workers to change employers) and as part of a package that provided a clear path to legalization for the millions of undocumented immigrants already in the country. Others in organized labor, however, including the national AFL-CIO, staunchly opposed any guest worker provisions, citing the bracero program and other historical examples to argue that such arrangements inevitably make workers vulnerable to extreme forms of employer exploitation.
The division to some extent mirrored the dramatic 2005 split in the organized labor movement as a whole, which caused seven unions, led by the SEIU, to form the Change to Win (CTW) Federation and leave the AFL-CIO. Although not all the CTW affiliates joined the SEIU in supporting McCain-Kennedy, the lines of disagreement within labor reflected a structural difference between CTW and the AFL-CIO. The unions that have been most active in recruiting new immigrants into their ranks in recent years are concentrated in the CTW camp. SEIU is the leading example here, but UNITE HERE (which represents textile, garment and hotel workers), the Laborers, and the Carpenters—as well as the tiny United Farm Workers—now have significant immigrant memberships. The other two CTW unions, the Teamsters and the United Food and Commercial Unions, have also recruited some immigrants into their ranks, although to a much lesser degree. By contrast, the AFL-CIO affiliates, rooted mainly in the public sector, old-line manufacturing, transportation, communication, and skilled building trades, represent an overwhelmingly native-born constituency—and one whose support for the rights of undocumented immigrants is at best lukewarm at the rank-and-file level.
In short, because the CTW affiliates have so many foreign-born members (of whom an unknown but by all accounts substantial proportion are undocumented) these unions had a very strong pragmatic interest in supporting the one legislative proposal with any chance of passage that included a path to legalization—even if it meant holding their noses over the guest worker provision included in the package. By contrast, the AFL-CIO could take a stand based on abstract principle, given its overwhelmingly U.S.-born membership, among whom few saw legalization as an urgent need. In the end, there was less to this disagreement than many of the media accounts suggested: it was basically a tactical rather than a strategic difference, and one that is now essentially moot, since the probability of any new legislation being passed is very slim. In the unlikely event that some compromise emerges between the bill recently passed by the Senate and H.R. 4437, it will be so different from the original McCain-Kennedy proposal that neither faction in the labor movement is likely to support it.
However, all this ignores another critical piece of the contemporary labor
scene, namely the vibrant worker center movement, which emerged in the 1990s.
As Janice Fine and Jennifer Gordon have documented in detail, the centers are
not conventional membership-based unions but rather community-based
organizations that engage in advocacy, service work and organizing among
low-wage immigrant workers. The congruence between the geography of the spring
2006 marches and that of the worker centers themselves is striking: compare
Fine’s national mapping of the worker centers at http://www.epinet.org/content.cfm?id=2221
with the geography of the marches shown at http://www.mrss.com/news/Groundswell-Report_Final.pdf
Although there are some tensions and disagreements between unions and worker centers, they are increasingly cooperating and forging coalitions over immigrant rights issues. At first, these coalitions mainly involved the CTW unions, but in the aftermath of the dramatic spring demonstrations, the AFL-CIO is also seeking to build ties to the worker centers. At this point everyone in the labor movement can see the potential of immigrant organizing as a source of revitalization for the ailing national union movement, and so all parties are trying to ride that wave. After all, the U.S. working class now has a huge foreign-born component—as has been the case throughout most of the nation’s history (excepting, ironically, the peak years of labor’s strength from the 1930s and 1960s, when restrictive legislation barred most immigrants from entering the country), even though immigrants today are underrepresented in the ranks of union members. The immigrant organizing that has occurred in recent years has been disproportionately located on the west coast, and especially in Southern California.
The California Story
As a massive stream of immigrants from Latin America and Asia poured into California in the 1970s and 1980s, most observers presumed that the newcomers would have little or no impact on the labor or political scene. Least of all did anyone expect the burgeoning population of undocumented workers from Mexico and Central America—most of whom had minimal formal education and few economic resources—to become a significant force. And with union density in a free fall both nationally and in California, organized labor’s obituary had been written many times over.
Yet, by century’s end, the labor movement had been transformed in the nation’s most populous state, with union density inching upward there even as it continued to decline relentlessly in the U.S. as a whole. A wave of Latino immigrant unionization campaigns in southern California in the 1990s, accompanied by innovative grassroots organizing efforts among the region’s low-wage workers (already largely foreign-born and Latino), were key ingredients in this unexpected shift. These early organizing successes soon had political repercussions, laying the groundwork for an alliance between labor and Latinos that soon became a political powerhouse both in Los Angeles and statewide.
The momentum propelling that alliance forward stalled in the aftermath of September 11, 2001, and in the recall election two years later that thrust Arnold Schwarzenegger into the governorship, but the infrastructure constructed in the 1990s remains intact. And while the conditions that fostered Latino immigrant organizing in 1990s California reflect the particularities of the state and its largest metropolis, they may yet prove prefigurative of shifts in the national political landscape.
Immigrant organizing in California began with a series of successful union drives among low-wage immigrant workers, many of them undocumented. The most famous example is the SEIU’s “Justice for Janitors” campaign, which made a key breakthrough in Los Angeles in 1990 and went on to consolidate its gains thereafter. At the same time the “worker center” movement expanded in the region, with an explicit focus on immigrant rights yet with an approach that eschewed conventional unionism. The worker centers systematically engaged unauthorized immigrants in various forms of civic and political participation, despite their inability to vote and their lack of official citizenship rights.
All this activity came as a surprise to both labor movement insiders and many outside observers, who at the time viewed immigrants, and especially the undocumented among them, as “unorganizable.” The newcomers were presumed to be vulnerable, docile persons intensely fearful of any confrontation with authority, and thus poor prospects for recruitment into unions or other organizations. But this once-conventional wisdom was overturned in the course of the 1990s, as Latinos emerged as protagonists in one union drive after the next, and as the labor movement increasingly engaged them in grassroots political activism as well. Evidence rapidly accumulated to suggest that foreign-born workers generally, and Latinos in particular, were actually more pro-union than native-born whites. By century’s end, the once-dominant view of immigrants as “unorganizable” had been largely replaced by its opposite: Now many claimed that immigrants were more receptive than natives to union organizing campaigns!
Several factors helped foster that receptivity. One was the strength of
social networks among working-class immigrants—networks that are essential to
basic survival for foreign-born newcomers and that can help galvanize
unionization efforts as well as political mobilization. In southern California,
with its relatively homogenous immigrant population (largely Mexican and
Central American), these networks were especially tight.
In addition, for Latino immigrants in particular, class-based, collective organizations like unions are highly compatible with past lived experience and world views—whereas native-born workers tend to have a more individualistic orientation. And crucially, the shared experience of stigmatization among immigrants, both during the migration process itself and continuing after many years of settlement, means that when unions or worker centers reach out and offer a helping hand, it is often welcomed with enthusiasm.
Indeed, the sense of stigmatization, and of being under siege in a hostile environment, can foster solidarity and organization rather than generating passivity and fear, as many commentators once presumed. One example is the energetic community response to Prop. 187, which turned out to be a crucial stimulus to immigrant political mobilization in California. Even the previously apolitical Mexican hometown associations were politicized by the fears the xenophobic ballot initiative provoked. But above all it was organized labor, fresh from the success of the Justice for Janitors campaign and others in the years just before Prop. 187 was put before the voters, that seized this moment of opportunity. The weakness of traditional political machines in Los Angeles (thanks to an earlier period of political reform a century ago) as well as the relatively small number of political offices and the high costs of mounting electoral campaigns, created a vacuum that the city’s newly strengthened labor movement was destined to fill.
Starting in the early 1990s, the County Fed was transformed from a junior partner of the local Democratic Party establishment into a force with its own capacity for grassroots field mobilization. Labor now devoted extensive resources to helping immigrants eligible for naturalization become citizens and then mobilizing them at the polls. The legendary Miguel Contreras, a labor organizer who became the County Fed’s Secretary-Treasurer in 1996, was the leading architect of the city’s labor–Latino alliance, which built on the SEIU’s base as well as that of the hotel workers’ union (now part of UNITE HERE) where Contreras previously had been on staff. Under his leadership, the County Fed deployed its massive economic and human resources into organizing direct mail, phone banks, precinct walking, and worksite outreach efforts that targeted union members as well as new immigrant voters. Candidates supported by the County Fed, mostly Latinos, began to win contest after contest in congressional, legislative, and city council races, rapidly displacing the old-line political insiders. An early example was the 1994 election of union organizer Antonio Villaraigosa to a state assembly seat representing northeast Los Angeles. Two years later, the County Fed helped the Democrats regain control of the state Assembly. And in 1999, Villaraigosa became the speaker of the Assembly, going on to become mayor of the nation’s second-largest metropolis in 2005.
In these years, the relationship between labor’s growing political clout and its ongoing efforts to unionize unorganized workers took the form of a virtuous circle. For example, the SEIU added 74,000 Los Angeles home care workers to its ranks after engaging in a long political campaign to change state law to create an “employer of record” for this growing occupational group. And labor repeatedly used its clout to foster high-road community development, for example by making city subsidies for new hotels and other major development projects contingent on employers’ agreeing to pay a living wage and/or to be neutral in union organizing campaigns among the workers later employed on the sites.
Although street demonstrations and other forms of “non-citizen citizenship,” as Jennifer Gordon calls it, are accessible to unauthorized immigrants and other non-citizens, in a society where the meaning of political participation is largely restricted to voting, the key hurdle immigrants must overcome in becoming an integral part of the polity is acquiring formal citizenship. In contrast to a century ago, when naturalized citizens were more likely to vote than their native-born counterparts, today the opposite is true. On the national level, voting rates are lower for Asians and Latinos (regardless of citizenship status) than for other ethnic groups. However, thanks in large part to the efforts of the labor movement to naturalize those eligible and to increase electoral participation, the gap between California Latinos and whites in voting rates has virtually disappeared. If one controls for age, citizenship, and socio-economic status, Latino turnout rates in the state were only 1 percentage point lower than those of comparable whites from 1994 to 2000; in the 1998 election, when labor mobilized especially energetically because of an anti-union referendum item on the state ballot, Latino turnout was 4 percentage points higher than that of comparable whites.
Latinos in California do not only vote; they mostly vote for Democrats. Some Latinos did cast their ballots for Arnold Schwarzenegger in the 2003 recall election, but when he launched a broad anti-union attack in the form of a series of referenda on the November 2005 ballot, the tide turned against him, in yet another California election where labor’s political mobilization played a critical role. The standard comparison is to Texas, George Bush’s former state, where Republicans still capture much of the Latino vote. That divergence is partly the lasting legacy of former Republican governor Pete Wilson’s sponsorship of Prop. 187; the weakness of organized labor in Texas is another key factor.
It was California’s union leaders who spearheaded the national effort to change organized labor’s policy on immigration in the late 1990s, winning passage of an AFL-CIO Executive Council resolution in 2000 that officially reversed labor’s previous support for employer sanctions and called for a new amnesty program for the undocumented. Over the months that followed, organized labor launched a national campaign for immigration reform, an effort that was rapidly gaining ground until the events of September 11, 2001 suddenly put it into the deep freeze. One attempt to revive the lost momentum was the 2003 Immigrant Worker Freedom Ride, an initiative led by Maria Elena Durazo of the L.A. hotel workers’ union (who is also Contreras’ widow and who now heads the Los Angeles County Fed) carried out in coalition with a range of immigrant rights organizations.
In California, then, and especially in Los Angeles, the labor movement has been a potent vehicle of Latino immigrant mobilization, both in the workplace and at the voting booth. That is why L.A. was at the epicenter of the immigrant rights movement that emerged this past spring, with a reported 500,000 marchers in the city’s streets on March 25, 2006, and even more on May 1, when cities across the nation were engulfed in mass protest. The labor–Latino coalition that developed in the region in the aftermath of Prop. 187 has flourished ever since, stacking up huge electoral successes, winning hearts and minds in the immigrant community, and building lasting organizational capacity.
To be sure, labor cannot claim sole credit for the massive outpouring of immigrant rights activism manifested in the spring 2006 marches. The Catholic Church, immigrant hometown associations, a variety of immigrant rights advocacy groups, student organizations and perhaps most important, the ethnic media, all played critical roles. Even some employers lent support to the effort. And the vast geographical scope of the demonstrations—which were largest in southern California but also substantial in places like Nebraska and South Carolina—reflects the many changes that have taken place in the immigrant landscape over recent years. Not only has the overall size of the nation’s undocumented population grown dramatically since the early 1990s, but both authorized and unauthorized immigrants have become much more widely dispersed geographically, for reasons Doug Massey has shown. Once highly concentrated in southern California, as well as other traditional destinations like Texas, Illinois, and Florida, immigrants have increasingly settled in communities all across the nation. Similarly, immigrant-focused labor organizing has begun to sprout up in many parts of the country where it was once unimaginable.
There is good reason to expect that the political dynamic that unfolded in
California in the 1990s could now be replicated on a national scale. If that
occurs, unionism could once again become a key agent of social transformation,
as it was for southern and eastern European immigrants in the 1930s and 1940s,
when the labor movement helped narrow the inequalities between the haves and
have-nots, and propelled many first- and second-generation immigrants into the
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- Mark Roy
- Marietta, GA
- United States
Where were you September 11? what was your reaction? and how do you plan on remembering it?
In the US, 9/11 was the day we were reminded of the fragility of life and confidence. It is a scar that will never heal. Where were you when you heard the news and how did it make you feel??
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For years, PETA has pressed Iams to stop conducting and funding experiments on animals and to adopt 100 percent humane testing methods. Iams has made some progress, but many animals are still suffering for its products. Read more.
Iams: A Recipe for Cruelty
A nine-month investigation into the pet food giant reveals dogs and cats fed a steady diet of loneliness, suffering, and neglect in their laboratory cages.
Support Companies That Don't Test on Animals
Caring consumers might never guess that lonely animals are confined to
tiny barren cages in laboratories for years on end to test dog and cat
food. PETA has contacted hundreds of companion-animal food companies to
find out whether they conduct laboratory tests on animals. Numerous companies
responded to let us know that they do not.
Learn more »
Talk to Your Local Shelter About Iams
If you volunteer at, donate to, or live near an animal shelter, please
urge the shelter to stop buying and/or promoting Iams products until the
company ends its cruel laboratory tests on animals. Click
here for Iams literature to give to the shelter.
Animal shelters across North America are joining the
Iams boycott. Let us know if your
local shelter is one of them.
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Justice in the Rough
As a border town becomes a murder capital, Mexico pushes for dramatic rule-of-law changes
Posted Jul 1, 2009 11:30 PM CDT
By Allen Pusey
In the early morning hours of May 17, 2008, Willy Moya had just closed the V-Bar, one of several popular nightspots he owned in the Pronaf section of Ciudad Juarez, when a couple of friends wandered in and told him they were hungry. Moya decided he could use a bite, so he offered to send one of his bodyguards out for pizza.
Even in ordinary times, Moya had a few bodyguards. But this was no ordinary time in Juarez. The Mexican city of 2 million was averaging more than 100 murders per month.
Storefronts, markets and restaurants were reducing their hours or closing their doors. Lawyers, doctors, judges and policemen—even the city’s mayor—were moving across the river to the safer environs of El Paso, Texas. Married to an American, Moya had already moved to a sprawling, Spanish-style ranch home in El Paso’s Country Club neighborhood.
Moya had no real fear of the violence, according to several acquaintances. He strolled casually into the V-Bar parking lot to dispatch one of his protectors for a couple of late-night pies. As Moya walked toward his bodyguards, a small vehicle cruised by.
Shots were fired from the car in a slow-motion drive-by. Hit seven times, he was dead by the time he reached the city’s General Hospital.
Wilfredo Moya Estaco and his family had been fixtures in the nightlife of Juarez for decades. But his murder barely made news the following day. In the hours before and after his assassination, nine others were killed in far-flung parts of the city.
Three bodies were found in the Melchor Ocampo neighborhood inside an abandoned ’92 Dodge—two stuffed in the trunk, hands and feet bound. Across town in the Colonia San Antonio, a man was shot at the wheel of his Toyota bearing Texas plates. In the central business district, a man was killed at a gas station. A 29-year-old shopkeeper was found, his throat slit, inside his store. A couple cruising in their late-model Mercedes were hit with bullets from an AK-47 as they slowed for a stop sign.
The months of murders were attributed to a turf war between drug cartels. Two thousand people were slaughtered in a little more than a year. The killings took place at all hours and in every gruesome way imaginable. Some were tortured or burned or mutilated. Bodies were dumped in empty lots, in school yards, beneath bridges.
Photo by AP Images
By the first week of March of this year, the Mexican government mobilized 3,200 federal troops, placing the city, in effect, under martial law. Soldiers patrolled the streets, watched the border crossings, manned the dispatch boards and typed police reports. The local police department, corrupt and incompetent, was dismissed and replaced with new officers with no ties to Juarez—or former officers who would pass lie detector tests.
The killings slowed almost immediately to a trickle, and an uneasy quiet returned to the streets of Ciudad Juarez. At least for a time.
But even as the narco-violence was on the rise, the situation was more complex than the screaming headlines would lead one to believe. There were changes afoot, both worrisome and encouraging, in the culture of Juarez.
Much of the violence, according to lawyers and other observers, was the result of mere thugs taking advantage of a community destabilized by the drug wars and burdened by a justice system that lacked public trust.
But even as the body count rose, in courtrooms and prosecutors’ offices there was hope that a profound transformation of the Mexican justice system now under way may help the police and courts act as a bulwark the next time crime begins to spin out of control.
Recent changes in the national constitution—now in the process of a state-by-state implementation—honor for the first time a presumption of innocence for anyone accused of a crime. Trials are open to the public. A system that had no probation and all but forbade plea bargains by prosecutors now encourages alternatives to trial. And trials that were once a liturgy of foregone conclusions have become transparent and, to a point, adversarial—overseen by three-judge panels instead of a single, often-corruptible, magistrate.
A system built on the colonial-era codes of the Spanish, the French and a variety of Mexican monarchs of European descent is being transformed into a more accountable and more effective justice system. At least that’s the hope.
“These are dramatic changes, so long as they’re implemented as everyone intends them to be,” says Miguel Sarre, a law professor at the Instituto Tecnologico Autonomo de Mexico in Mexico City. “It is a major commitment to the modern rule of law.”
“There is no doubt that it has set us back,” says Ramon Garcia Ortega about the violence. Garcia is the state prosecutor in charge of implementing the new criminal procedures in the northern district of Chihuahua, which includes Juarez. “Security is now our biggest concern at the moment. There are always obstacles, and we will overcome them.”
Implementation of the changes is scheduled to be finished by 2016. Can the reforms correct the fundamental flaws in the Mexican justice system? Will those who enforce and adjudicate the laws earn the citizens’ respect? Those questions will not be answered until long after the troops are gone.
Fernando Hernandez Romero
Photo by Christ Chavez
On the entire 1,960 miles of border between the U.S. and Mexico, there is no metropolitan area quite like El Paso-Juarez. Founded by Spanish explorers as El Paso del Norte in 1669, the two existed as a single city until 1848, when the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo set the Rio Grande River as the boundary between the two countries. But even after the division, their histories remained intertwined.
El Paso became a hub for railroads, cattle drives and cavalry soldiers. Bandits and smugglers thrived on both sides of the border. Landholders chased from their ranches by Pancho Villa in Chihuahua fled to safety in El Paso. El Paso merchants hedged their bets by smuggling dry goods and ammunition to both sides of the Mexican Revolution. From early on, drugs were plentiful in Juarez—first opium imported by Chinese immigrants, then heroin trafficked by the infamous “La Nacha,” followed by massive inventories of marijuana and cocaine.
Today, the El Paso-Juarez area—fueled by NAFTA, the 1994 North American Free Trade Agreement—is one of the busiest manufacturing hubs in the world. In Juarez, hundreds of factories known as maquiladoras assemble toys, televisions and more for delivery to the U.S. from parts imported from across the planet. In 2007, Juarez was named a top “City of the Future” by Foreign Direct Investment, a Financial Times magazine, because of its importance as a regional industrial and logistics center.
The maquiladoras have brought a new prosperity to Juarez, attracting hundreds of thousands of new residents from the interior of Mexico to create a whole new class of workers, professionals and businesses. And with them, as in any rapidly growing area, have come new levels of urban disorder expressed in housing shortages, pollution, gridlock and crime.
Without a respected justice system to rein it in, ordinary street crime has been left to spiral out of control, according to Fernando Hernandez Romero, a Juarez commercial attorney.
“There’s always been drug wars, but it was just business. A couple of people would be found dead in a house somewhere and everybody would know what it was all about. It was easy to ignore,” says Hernandez, who is a Georgetown University Law Center graduate. “The violence was segregated from civil life. But now civilians are being killed.”
Less newsworthy than the narco-murders, but perhaps more important, he says, is a shocking increase in nearly every category of crime: armed robbery, property theft, kidnapping and extortion. While dead bodies can be easily counted, street crime can’t be quantified without dependable reporting. And street crime won’t be reported without faith in the police.
“Like national security, safety is a matter of perception—and people no longer feel safe,” Hernandez says.
Photo by Christ Chavez
“Absolutely true,” says Rogelio Bravo, a private investigator in El Paso who hosts a popular local radio show. A change in leadership in the Juarez cartel created a vacuum in the lucrative drug trade that follows the truck routes through Juarez into U.S. markets. The vacuum was filled by gangs hired by the competition from Sinaloa, Guadalajara and Michoacan, he says.
“What you’ve got now is a bunch of guys from prison gangs—la Familia, Los Aztecas, Mara Salvatrucha—who are not part of any of the cartels, who are taking advantage of the situation,” Bravo says.
Bravo does much of his work in Juarez, even these days. The two most worrisome crimes for business leaders and their families—those in no way involved in drug traffic—are kidnapping and extortion. It’s what Bravo calls “telephone crime.”
“You own a business. You get a telephone call: ‘You must pay me X amount of dollars or I’ll burn your store down.’ You don’t know who made the call. You don’t know whether it’s a serious threat, but you can’t afford not to treat it seriously. It’s terrifying to the average person.”
Why not call the police? Bravo smiles and notes that the reputed founder of the Juarez cartel, Rafael Aguilar Guajardo, was local commander of the DFS—the Mexican federal police. He was murdered in Cancun in 1993. A Juarez policeman killed last year was alleged to be making $450,000 per month helping protect drug dealers, Bravo says. He anticipates the skepticism concerning the amount.
“Remember, it’s a $70 billion-per-year business,” Bravo says.
For Hernandez and other Juarez lawyers, kidnapping has become an even greater concern. Kidnapping is no longer the bane of just the rich.
It has been democratized. Lawyers, doctors and other professionals are particularly at risk.
“Maybe 15 years ago, you might expect a millionaire guy to be kidnapped for a big ransom,” says Hernandez. “But now normal people are at risk for $1,000. They’ve lowered the standard of ‘kidnappability.’ ”
The flood of violence has had a chilling effect on both sides of the border. For a brief time in El Paso, there was genuine fear that the violence would spill across the banks of the Rio Grande. There were calls for increased security, even for U.S. troops to guard downtown El Paso from marauding Mexicans. But that never happened, and whatever fear there was has morphed into empathy.
Photo by Christ Chavez
“These people are our aunts and uncles, our employees, our friends,” says Judge Robert Anchondo, a criminal court judge in El Paso. “What happens to them happens to us—just not as much.”
Two years ago, as president of the El Paso Bar Association, Anchondo tried to establish a network of lawyers from both sides of the border. The object was to help lawyers in Juarez develop skills that will help them reform their justice system. He pulled together a group that met monthly at informal gatherings in Juarez, but the exchange never had a chance to catch on.
“I thought that there could be great opportunities for both sides, once they got to know each other. But then came the killings,” Anchondo says.
There’s more than just a river separating the two legal communities. There are traditions at odds with one another that go back centuries.
Though many basic rights are spelled out by Mexico’s 1917 constitution, much of Mexican criminal procedure has been based on the Code d’Instruction Criminelle, the so-called Napoleonic Code, enacted by Bonaparte in 1808. The code has been the basis for criminal law in much of Europe and nearly all of Latin America. Many of those countries have modernized their procedures to include U.S.-style trials. Although reforms have been initiated in four of Mexico’s 31 states, criminal proceedings in most of Mexico still look as they did 50 years ago.
THE TRIAL TRAIL
Trials have traditionally been inquisitional—supervised by a single judge who has the authority to investigate the crime. But in actual practice, the trial process has been a lengthy, paper-driven bureaucratic affair. Much of the actual process, along with much of the power, was left to the state or federal prosecutor.
Photo by Frank Rogozienski
“In Mexico, everything is reduced to writing—everything,” says Jorge G. Vargas, an expert on the Mexican legal system and a professor at the University of San Diego School of Law. “Witness statements, confessions, even the questions that are asked of a witness are put on paper.”
Traditionally in Mexico, prosecutors preside over the important early hearings, or “averiguacion previa,” where evidence and witness statements are gathered and assessed. In Mexico, there is still no jury trial, still no grand jury, no case law, no limit on the ability of police to stop and frisk pedestrians, and no bail for defendants charged with crimes more serious than misdemeanors. A defendant formally charged with a serious crime is jailed until trial, a process that can take months or even years.
Criminal proceedings are meant to be accusatory instead of adversarial. Prosecutors present all evidence, including that marshaled by the defense. All of it is introduced in written form, and the most important decisions are made at pretrial hearings, where the reliability of evidence is assessed. Judges frequently delegate decisions concerning evidentiary questions to their law clerks and secretaries, even though the formal record shows the judge as being present. By the time cases reach the trial stage, the verdict and sentence are essentially predetermined.
Vargas says the “civil tradition”—the document-based handling of every aspect of each criminal case —produced a system that demeaned everyone involved. “It was inefficient, lazy and certainly corrupt.”
Under the new system, judges are assigned specific tasks related to pretrial assessments of evidence and the recording of statements. And the notion of oral argument and live witness testimony—an integral part of the new reforms—is utterly revolutionary.
“This is what is really being brought into the system—oralism,” says Vargas, a native of Juarez who predicted 10 years ago that Mexico would be forced to change to trials of record that include live testimony. “Trials take place for which there is no written record; that is ridiculous.”
In part because the court system is grossly mistrusted by many citizens, Mexican law imposes limits on police and prosecutors that make it extremely difficult for criminal cases to be brought in the first place.
One of those limits is “amparo,” a kind of habeas corpus doctrine developed in the Yucatan in the 1840s, a period when Mexico suffered a succession of minor monarchs of European descent who had no regard for individual rights. As originally conceived, amparo gave citizens absolute freedom from specific and impulsive actions of the government—whether in the form of dictators, soldiers or bureaucrats.
Though intended to protect average citizens from abuse, applications of amparo have become very broad and complicated. But it has also become a tool used by sophisticated criminals to avoid detention and arrest. It has been flaunted, according to lawyers in Mexico, by heavyweight criminals, buying them time to cover up evidence or escape arrest. Several attorneys have described it as a get-out-of-jail-free card.
Police in Mexico have very limited powers of arrest. Under a principle known popularly as “flagrancia” (from the Latin “in flagrante delicto”), individual police officers are limited to a very specific set of rules for any arrest they make without a specific warrant: a crime in progress, a “hot pursuit,” a report by an eyewitness or an accomplice. Even that must be made within 48 hours of the crime.
Police have almost no powers to investigate crimes, even when someone confesses. They can “report” confessions, but they are not supposed to interrogate. That power rests with the prosecutor. And although the system has found ways to finesse or ignore them, these rules have deep roots in Mexican society—citizens simply don’t trust the police. This is a point that can’t be overemphasized, says law professor Sarre.
“Our image of policemen is very different from yours. When we [Mexicans] think of police, it is not the same at all. If something bad happens, you’ll look for a police officer. If the same thing happens to a Mexican, that’s not going to happen.”
“I don’t think anybody is satisfied with what we’ve had—not the defendants, not the victims,” Sarre says. “This is a system that was badly in need of change, both for sake of the rights of people as well as the ability to fight real crime.”
Both Sarre and Vargas are cautiously optimistic that the Mexican justice system will be reformed. But success will hinge on a deep cultural change in the attitudes of police, prosecutors, judges and lawyers, they say.
“It’s remarkable that Mexico has made the commitment to change, but it’s been done without the money to do so,” Vargas says. “The changes have to be embedded in the law schools, in the faculty, in the textbooks.”
Sarre says he’s beginning to see changes in the attitudes of his law students. A very short time ago, they would have had zero interest in becoming a prosecutor of any kind, he says. “Any student who told others that he’d like to become a prosecutor would have been ostracized; the others would have wondered what was wrong with him. Now there’s a new attitude. They’re intrigued by the idea,” Sarre says.
ONE CRIME AT A TIME
Sarre and Vargas say the success or failure of the system still depends on how Mexico’s law enforcement and legal professionals do their jobs. There’s no substitute for the day-in, day-out work of catching criminals and honorably prosecuting them. A good place to start may be the murder of Willy Moya—still officially unsolved—which, like a lot of crime and justice south of the border, wasn’t what it seemed at first blush.
Luis Mayans is a Juarez lawyer. He represents a Juarez woman who stepped forward after Moya’s death to claim that Moya was the father of her 16-year-old son. Mayans filed suits on both sides of the border to establish paternity. The claim has already been established through DNA in an El Paso court, which he’ll use to bolster his case south of the border.
“It’s a lot easier to bring an American resolution to a Mexican court than it is to bring a proceeding in Juarez,” he says. “Mexican proceedings just take too long. And now, with the violence, everything takes even longer.”
In the wake of Moya’s death, there were wild rumors—it was a cartel hit, an extortion attempt gone bad, a dispute over money. Mayans suppresses a chuckle when he’s asked his opinion. He knows who killed Moya, he says.
Moya was having an affair, Mayans claims, and the murder was “a passionate killing.” A jealous boyfriend of his paramour gunned him down.
The shooter “fled to the U.S. side and we believe he will be caught—eventually,” Mayans says.
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Margaret, I would have accepted that the 28 yr age difference, between Humphry & John as stated in your ebook was a typing error, but for the fact that it was followed by "when John was four, Robert died. By this time Humphry was making a name for himself among Scientists and Socialites alike.
When in fact in 1794 when his father Robert died Humphry was 16 & at Truro Grammer School & it was a year after this, that he was apprenticed to, John Bingham Borlase, a Penzance chemist. While it was during this period that his interest in Chemistry began.
My research differs so greatly from your claims, although their are common factors. I agree it is very probable that their are living descendants from the marriage of Grace & George Rolleston, but not from Sir Humphry Davy Rolleston as you state. As both his sons seem to have died childless. Son Archibald Davy & wife Helen, also had a daughter Helen, but again she seems to have been unmarried & childless.
I believe their is evidence to support the following; John & Margaret married in Tadcaster in 1830 & straight away travelled to Malta where John returned to his post & where Elizabeth Mary, Grace & Archibald where born.
The Davy's did not return to England until 1835, when John Davy took took up a post in Kent, where Humphry & John Davy were born. In c.1840 John took up a post in Turkey for a year & Margaret joined her mother & sister in Grassmere & later Edinburgh where I believe John joined her & the family. After the two little ones died in Edinburgh in 1844, I believe the Davy's decided to move permanently to the Lake District & had Lesketh How built, while Margaret & the children moved in, John was again appointed over seas to the West Indies he returned in 1848 & Elizabeth Mary died in 1853. I know nothing of the false grave you mention.
You previously said; "Archibald was definately illegit. The other 3 boys were paid for to go to school in Edinburgh by Margaret,s grandfather. John had to pay for A. himself to go to school at Rugby. Luckily Thomas Arnold also lived in Ambleside!"
All the evidence I have found points to Margaret & John having three sons & one surviving son (Archibald). While both of Margaret's grandfather's were dead. Her Paternal grandfather died in the c.1750's & her maternal grandfather in the same year as she was born 1798. While Margaret's mother Eliza Fletcher, was a great friend & admirer of Dr Arnold & insisted another nephew had the best schooling available when his father died, Rugby!
I am baffled with some of your Davy tree. The father of Philippa Davy b.1855 & married to W.H. Toze seems to have come from Devon & doesn't seem to have a connection. While Margaret's sister Mary did have had a son called Edward John, I don't believe Margaret & John did & I while I know of Humphry & John's cousin Edmund (son of William Davy), I couldn't find Edmund Davy Penzance surgeon c.1830.
Incidently, I did'nt think that I was connected to Elizabeth Mary Davy. On the other hand my Grandmother's, mother's family, came from Madron & Humphry's uncle William settled in Madron & is said to have a large family (possibly 10 children),which is where my original interest in the Davy family, originated from.
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Contact: Erin Gillespie, Press Secretary, (850) 717-4450
DCF Works to Prevent Domestic Violence Through Statewide Awareness Events
October is National Domestic Violence Awareness Month
TALLAHASSEE—The Department of Children and Families, the Florida Coalition Against Domestic Violence and our partners across the state are recognizing October as Domestic Violence Awareness Month with events across Florida.
DCF’s Office on Domestic Violence Programs works to ensure the safety of victims of domestic violence through our primary partner, the Florida Coalition Against Domestic Violence, whose core mission embraces addressing the needs of victims and families in crisis.
“Our agency is committed to helping end domestic violence,” said Secretary David Wilkins. “Children can only be safe, happy and healthy if they live in a nonviolent home. And every adult deserves to live a life free of fear and pain. We want to raise public awareness to prevent the suffering of children and their families and the lives lost to this devastating crime.”
Last year, there were 111,681 domestic violence incidents reported in Florida alone. Even more tragically, 192 individuals died as a result of domestic violence crimes, representing almost 20 percent of homicides in this state. In that same time, domestic violence shelters across the state provided a safe place to 15,997 women, men and children fleeing from domestic violence situations in their homes.
“Domestic Violence Awareness Month is a time that we as a state and nation grieve together for those who have lost their lives as a result of domestic violence,” said Tiffany Carr, CEO of the Florida Coalition Against Domestic Violence. “It’s also a time to celebrate and honor those who have survived acts of violence and have found safety and hope, and to recognize all who work daily to keep survivors and their children safe. During October, we should all reaffirm our commitment to ending the violence.”
For more information about domestic violence programs, please visit www.fcadv.org or www.myflfamilies.com/service-programs/domestic-violence. To read one domestic violence victim’s story of survival, visit our blog at http://blog.myflfamilies.com/2012/10/she-finally-became-a-participant-in-her-own-life. If you or someone you know is the victim of domestic violence, call the Florida Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-500-1119 or the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233.
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Ten Thoughts About Julian Assange and WikiLeaks By Andy Worthington
14 December, 2010 — Andy Worthington
Since its founding in December 2006, WikiLeaks, which was established as, essentially, a secure information clearing house for whistleblowers around the world to provide sensitive information, some of which would then be released to the public, and which was reportedly set up by “Chinese dissidents, journalists, mathematicians and start-up company technologists, from the US, Taiwan, Europe, Australia and South Africa,” has declared that its “primary interest is in exposing oppressive regimes in Asia, the former Soviet bloc, Sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East, but we also expect to be of assistance to people of all regions who wish to reveal unethical behaviour in their governments and corporations.” From the release of a single document in December 2006 — a “secret decision,” signed by Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys, a Somali rebel leader for the Islamic Courts Union, which “had been culled from traffic passing through the Tor network to China,” and which “called for the execution of government officials by hiring ‘criminals’ as hit men” — WikiLeaks has received millions of documents, and has, amongst other achievements, exposed corruption in Kenya, made available the Standard Operating Procedure for Guantánamo from 2003 and 2004 (and compared the changes), attacked Scientology, exposed Sarah Palin’s emails, and published a membership list of Britain’s far-right BNP.
In the last eight months, however, since WikiLeaks began focusing on major stories involving the United States, there are concerns that Julian Assange the figurehead has been taking over from WikiLeaks the organization in perceived importance, and that both are overshadowing the importance of the whistleblower who leaked the information in the first place — by many accounts, Bradley Manning, a 23-year old junior US army intelligence analyst. who is facing a court martial and a 52-year prison sentence for leaking the 251,287 US diplomatic cables that are currently being published, as well as the army field reports from Afghanistan and Iraq (released in July and October), and “Collateral Murder“, the 39-minute video showing an Apache helicopter gunning down a group of armed men, civilians and two Reuters journalists in Baghdad, whch was released in April, and which started the global focus on WikiLeaks as the foremost exposer of American secrets.
As Raffi Khatchadourian of the New Yorker explained in an article in June this year, the leaked video “was digitally encrypted, and it took WikiLeaks three months to crack.” Assange told Khatchadourian that unlocking the file was “moderately difficult.” Bradley, increasingly overlooked in media reports, may not have a company philosophy like WikiLeaks, but it is important that he is not forgotten, and it is also important to recognize his own reasons for embarking on the biggest leak of secrets in US history. “God knows what happens now,” Manning apparently wrote after the release of the “Collateral Damage” video. “Hopefully worldwide discussion, debates, and reforms. If not … then we’re doomed as a species. I will officially give up on the society we have if nothing happens.” He also wrote, “I want people to see the truth regardless of who they are because without information, you cannot make informed decisions as a public.”
Assange must certainly be credited for his work on encryption. Khatchadourian called him “a cryptographer of exceptional skill,” his “near-genius IQ” has been noted on many occasions, and this has played an enormously significant role in preventing WikiLeaks’ security from being breached. In the New Yorker article, Khatchadourian also explained how WikiLeaks’ security works:
The entire pipeline, along with the submissions moving through it, is encrypted, and the traffic is kept anonymous by means of a modified version of the Tor network [one of the inspirations for WikiLeaks, in which Assange was involved, which dealt with millions of secret transmissions], which sends Internet traffic through “virtual tunnels” that are extremely private. Moreover, at any given time WikiLeaks computers are feeding hundreds of thousands of fake submissions through these tunnels, obscuring the real documents. Assange told me that there are still vulnerabilities, but “this is vastly more secure than any banking network.”
However, troubling stories about Assange’s leadership style were circulating in summer, before the “Cablegate” revelations, with complaints by former employees about “what they see as erratic and imperious behavior, and a nearly delusional grandeur unmatched by an awareness that the digital secrets he reveals can have a price in flesh and blood,” as the New York Times explained in an article in October. The Times “spoke with dozens of people who have worked with and supported him in Iceland, Sweden, Germany, Britain and the United States. What emerged was a picture of the founder of WikiLeaks as its prime innovator and charismatic force but as someone whose growing celebrity has been matched by an increasingly dictatorial, eccentric and capricious style.” Smari McCarthy, an Icelandic volunteer, said that “‘About a dozen’ disillusioned volunteers [had] left recently,” and over the summer, Assange also “suspended Daniel Domscheit-Berg, a German who had been the WikiLeaks spokesman under the pseudonym Daniel Schmitt, accusing him of unspecified ‘bad behavior.’”
Reinforcing this notion of imperiousness, WikiLeaks made a grave error in summer, when the Afghan war logs were published, in not redacting the names of Afghans who may have suffered reprisals because of it. As the New York Times reported, “Several WikiLeaks colleagues say [Assange] alone decided to release the Afghan documents without removing the names of Afghan intelligence sources for NATO troops.” Birgitta Jonsdottir, a core WikiLeaks volunteer and a member of Iceland’s Parliament said, “We were very, very upset with that, and with the way he spoke about it afterwards. If he could just focus on the important things he does, it would be better.” As Shiraz Socialist pointed out in a recent post, the following exchange took place in July, when Carole Cadwalladr of the Observer interviewed Assange, who was furious that the (London) Times had falsely accused him of contributing to the death of a man who had, in fact, died two years earlier:
What about these named sources? Might he have endangered their lives?
“If there are innocent Afghans being revealed, which was our concern, which was why we kept back 15,000 files, then of course we take that seriously.”
But what if it’s too late?
“Well, we will review our procedures.”
Too late for the individuals, I say. Dead.
In trying to make sense of the latest releases — the 251,287 US diplomatic cables, of which just 1,344 had been released by December 12 — it is important to note a distinct difference between the release of the cables and the previous releases relating to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, which can be seen as performing an important anti-war function, exposing intimate, day-to-day details of wars that are widely regarded as illegal and/or futile. While it has been, and will continue to be fascinating to have behind-the-scenes diplomatic maneuvering, frank opinions about world leaders, and verbatim transcripts of these leaders’ own opinions exposed to public consumption, as well as a number of genuinely important stories — including, from my perspective, revelations that the Bush administration put pressure on Germany not to investigate US torture, and that Obama then did the same with Spain — the motives overall are not so clear-cut.
Assange’s motives, as described in an article in the Independent in summer, can be found in a document he wrote in 2006, entitled, “Conspiracy as Governance” (PDF), which “detailed how leaks could be an instrument for breaking down unrepresentative government that thrived on keeping information secret.” Others have discussed his anarchism. Following a BBC Newsnight broadcast last week, examining his personal blogs, the British anarchist Ian Bone wrote, “Assange quotes frequently from German anarchist Gustav Landauer and shares some of his thinking. Assange believes by exposing the hypocrosies of governments that faith in government will decline and individuals will take on more personal responsibilities for their lives which will in turn see the state row back on its own role. Not my kind of anarchism but anarchism nevertheless. Anarchists have tried to bring down governments but Assange is trying to bring down the lot at once!”
However, two additional factors also need to be taken into consideration when considering the release of the cables.
The first of these is a US problem involving classification and accessibility. Ironically, had the US intelligence agencies not failed so spectacularly to communicate with one another before the 9/11 attacks, those terrorist attacks might have been thwarted. In response, the database pillaged so easily by Bradley Manning (or whoever leaked the documents, if not Manning) was established, and, although “top secret” information presumably remains as compartmentalized as ever, opened up all other information (including “secret” information) to a ludicrous extent, with the information that was leaked available to three million government employees — something that all but the most deluded officials would surely have concluded was a disaster waiting to happen. All that was required, as we have seen, was a disgruntled employee with a CD disguised as a Lady Gaga album.
The second factor is that, unlike with the war logs, which Assange shared with a number of media partners — the Guardian, Der Spiegel and the New York Times — the “Cablegate” releases have been coordinated much more closely with these media partners (now including Le Monde and El Pais) than previously, to the extent that it is the media partners who appear to have been dictating what is released, and when, and WikiLeaks has followed, as the Associated Press explained in an article on December 3. This is worth reading in its entirety, and it includes a reference to New York Times Executive Editor Bill Keller telling readers in an online exchange that the Times “has suggested to its media partners and to WikiLeaks what information it believes should be withheld.” Keller wrote, “We agree wholeheartedly that transparency is not an absolute good. Freedom of the press includes freedom not to publish, and that is a freedom we exercise with some regularity.”
Assange himself admitted as much in a Q&A session on the Guardian’s website, when he wrote, “The cables we have release[d] correspond to stories released by our mainstream media partners and ourselves. They have been redacted by the journalists working on the stories, as these people must know the material well in order to write about it. The redactions are then reviewed by at least one other journalist or editor, and we review samples supplied by the other organisations to make sure the process is working.”
In addition, as Scott Shane explained in an article for the New York Times on Saturday:
[E]ven as the government seeks to rein in WikiLeaks, WikiLeaks is reining in itself. The confidential diplomatic cables it disclosed have unquestionably turned the discreet world of diplomacy upside down. But the disclosures have been far more modest than WikiLeaks’ self-proclaimed dedication to total transparency might suggest.
Had it chosen to do so, WikiLeaks could have posted on the Web all 251,287 confidential diplomatic cables about six months ago, when the group obtained them. Instead, it shared the cables with traditional news organizations and has coordinated the cables’ release with them. As of Friday, fewer than 1 percent of the cables had been released on the Web by the antisecrecy group, The Times and four European publications combined.
“They’ve actually embraced” the mainstream media, “which they used to treat as a cuss word,” [Thomas S. Blanton, director of the National Security Archive at George Washington University,] said. “I’m watching WikiLeaks grow up. What they’re doing with these diplomatic documents so far is very responsible.”
When the newspapers have redacted cables to protect diplomats’ sources, WikiLeaks has generally been careful to follow suit. Its volunteers now accept that not all government secrets are illegitimate; for example, revealing the identities of Chinese dissidents, Russian journalists or Iranian activists who had talked to American diplomats might subject them to prison or worse.
In an op-ed essay for The Australian last week, Mr. Assange … declared his devotion to some core Western press values. “Democratic societies need a strong media and WikiLeaks is part of that media,” he wrote. “The media helps keep government honest.”
Moreover, it is also apparent that the media partners have been liaising with the US government beforehand, and that Assange himself attempted to reach out to the US. The Associated Press reported that “US officials submitted suggestions to the [New York] Times, which asked government officials to weigh in on some of the documents the newspaper and its partners wanted to publish,” and that these redactions were then shared with the other media partners, and with WikiLeaks. “The other news organizations supported these redactions,” Bill Keller of the New York Times explained. “WikiLeaks has indicated that it intends to do likewise. And as a matter of news interest, we will watch their website to see what they do.”
As for Assange, the AP reported that “Days before releasing any of the latest documents, Assange appealed to the US ambassador in London, asking the US government to confidentially help him determine what needed to be redacted from the cables before they were publicly released. The ambassador refused, telling Assange to hand over stolen property. State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley called Assange’s offer ‘a half-hearted gesture to have some sort of conversation.’” However, as was reported in the Washington Post, “Assange then wrote another letter to State, reiterating that ‘WikiLeaks has absolutely no desire to put individual persons at significant risk of harm, nor do we wish to harm the national security of the United States.’ In that second letter, Assange stated that the department’s refusal to discuss redactions ‘leads me to conclude that the supposed risks are entirely fanciful,’ and then indicated that WikiLeaks was undertaking redactions on its own.”
This cooperation wth the US government, in turn, raises two additional questions: how can Assange and WikiLeaks be the prime villains in the “Cablegate” releases, when they have, in effect, acted as little more than a conduit between the original whistleblower (or whistleblowers) and the mainstream media, and what is the mainstream media’s agenda? On this latter point, I would have to conclude — and this is not meant to sound uncharitable — that they have seized on “Cablegate” as a way of using both the initial whistleblower(s) and WikiLeaks as the basis for what, at the current rate, could be at least a years’ worth of front-page or otherwise significant stories.
Discussions about Julian Assange’s alleged sex crimes are unwise unless, or until he has been extradited to Sweden and officially charged.
Discussions about Julian Assange’s possible extradition to the US are, however, extremely important. In light of the above, it is somewhat inexplicable that, in announcing “an active, ongoing, criminal investigation” into WikiLeaks’ releases, Attorney General Eric Holder “declined to equate WikiLeaks to traditional news organizations that enjoy certain free-speech protections,” as the AP described it. “I think one can compare the way in which the various news organizations that have been involved in this have acted, as opposed to the way in which WikiLeaks has,” Holder said, although he “did not elaborate on the distinction he sees between WikiLeaks and the publications.”
Nevertheless, the latest reports suggest that the US government is indeed looking at ways to extradite Assange to the US. Its basis for doing so is the Espionage Act of 1917. This criminalizes the communication of “information relating to the national defense,” which “the possessor has reason to believe could be used to the injury of the United States.” However, as Peter Kirwan noted on Wired, although the Espionage Act “theoretically makes criminals of Julian Assange, the newspaper editors working with WikiLeaks and anyone who reads, or even Tweets, about the contents of a classified cable, [t]he law’s sweeping nature has troubled judges for the best part of a century. As a result, administrations have become reluctant to deploy it.” Kirwan added, “A civilian recipient of classified data has never been convicted under this law. Nor has someone like Assange, who will claim to be protected by the First Amendment to the US Constitution, which protects freedom of speech and freedom of the press.”
This is certainly true. Although the Nixon White House pursued “The Pentagon Papers” whistleblower Daniel Ellsberg under the Espionage Act, it is Bradley Manning, and not Julian Assange, whose position corresponds to that of Daniel Ellsberg. Assange’s position is more analogous to that of the New York Times in Ellsberg’s case (publishing the leaked papers), and, of course, Nixon refused to pursue the Times, accepting, as the courts have since 1917, that part of the media’s function, in a society with free speech, is the ability to draw on information produced by whistleblowers. As Peter Kirwan also noted, however, to pursue Assange, the Obama administration “may be forced to argue that WikiLeaks isn’t a media organisation, but merely a web site, devoid of editorial functions, that publishes raw data,” although “The argument that only ‘established’ media outlets can count on First Amendment protection is profoundly at odds with the reality of media production and consumption in the 21st century. Any prosecution on these grounds will provoke storms of criticism and ridicule.”
In addition, Assange’s close working relationship with WikiLeaks’ media partners further undermines the US government’s argument, as do comments made by defense secretary Robert Gates, described in an op-ed in the Washington Post last week as “a savvy Washington veteran” by former federal prosecutor Baruch Weiss, who made a point of noting Gates’ comments on the supposed WikiLeaks scandal. “I’ve heard the impact of these releases on our foreign policy described as a meltdown, as a game-changer and so on,” Gates told reporters at the Pentagon, but added, crucially, “I think those descriptions are fairly significantly overwrought … Is this embarrassing? Yes. Is it awkward? Yes. Consequences for US foreign policy? I think fairly modest.”
In contrast, ardent right-wingers (and the Democratic Senator Dianne Feinstein) have looked idiotic in their hysterical condemnations of the leaks. Feinstein wrote an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal, in which, contradicting Secretary Gates, she argued that the “damage to national security” caused by the leaks “is beyond question.” Others, of course, called for Assange’s assassination, or described him, predictably, as a terrorist, but perhaps the most damaging response that is somewhat rooted in the real world came from Sen. Joe Lieberman, the chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee, who suggested that the New York Times and other news organisations, as well as WikiLeaks, should be investigated under the Espionage Act. Lieberman told Fox News, “To me the New York Times has committed at least an act of, at best, bad citizenship, but whether they have committed a crime is a matter of discussion for the Justice Department.” Lieberman is clearly pushing against 93 years of judicial refusal to prosecute traditional media outlets for their reporting — and their defense of free speech — but as has been made clear above, I think it is fair and appropriate to argue that WikiLeaks is more of a media outlet than anything else, and as Steve Vladeck, professor of law at American University, has explained, Lieberman’s angling for media prosecutions represents “crossing a proverbial Rubicon that even the most secrecy-obsessed, First Amendment-indifferent administrations have consistently refused to attempt to bridge.” The results, as Peter Kirwan noted, “would include a full-blown constitutional crisis.”
Even more worrying, however, has been the extra-legal pressure exerted by senior officials in the Obama administration, who, it seems, have been directly responsible for putting pressure on companies hosting WikiLeaks, or companies accepting donations for WikiLeaks, to shut down those operations. Personally, I can understand that, when the US government whispers threateningly down the phone at senor executives of major companies, they do what they are told. As a result, I am unwilling to condemn unconditionally the cowardice of companies like Amazon, PayPal, Mastercard and others, who have been subjected to customer boycotts on a large scale since their capitualtion emerged. What does interest me, however, is how hackers — including, most notoriously, the group identified only as “Anonymous,” — have responded by taking down some of these sites. Again, I’m not convinced that this is the most appropriate course of action with regard to those individual companies, but as a demonstration of the power of hackers to throw down a gauntlet to a US administration which is clearly guilty of bullying and aggression that has nothing to do with its supposed legal complaints against Assange and Wikileaks — and fears that the US stance wil lead to attempts to clamp down viciously on the Internet — it is a powerful demonstration of quite what they are up against.
My final point, briefly, concerns reports that Julian Assange has a secret weapon to be used if anything adverse happens to him, or to WikiLeaks, which his lawyer, perhaps ill-advisedly, refered to as a “thermonuclear device.” This is a 1.4 GB file, labeled “insurance,” which was uploaded onto the WikiLeaks website in late July, just after the publication of the Afghan war logs, and has been downloaded by tens of thousands of supporters, although the 256-digit code required to unlock it has not been released. Assange himself has stated, “We have over a long period of time distributed encrypted backups of material we have yet to release. All we have to do is release the password to that material, and it is instantly available.”
The “insurance” file reportedly includes all the diplomatic cables, plus some or all of the following, which are reportedly in WikiLeaks’ possession: unredacted military reports from Guantánamo, reports on BP and other energy companies, documents on the Bank of America, and an aerial video of a US airstrike in Afghanistan that killed civilians. While the notion of banking secrets being exposed strikes me as phenomenally important — and undoubtedly in the public interest — I am, of course, fascinated by the mention of the Guantánamo files, which I had been told about confidentially some months ago. Theoretically, these could be phenomenally revealing, although I doubt, with the present political climate in the US, that, if released, they would do anything other than reinforce calls for the prison never to be closed at all, which makes me deeply hesitant about the prospect of them being made available.
In conclusion, then, although my inner anarchist has a tendency to celebrate the sweeping disclosure of secrets, the more nuanced person that I have become prefers to occupy a place in which a certain amount of responsible editorializing takes place — as, indeed, as been happening with WikiLeaks and its media partners. What is also clear is that the US administration’s bullying is intolerable, and I have little time for its wailing about secrets that were so ludicrously unprotected in the first place. Moreover, although I have no particular allegiance to Julian Assange, and believe that Bradley Manning is being unfairly overlooked in all the focus on Assange, WikiLeaks itself — especially in its global context, shining a light on closed regimes, rather than just in its focus on the US — remains an extraordinarily useful organization, or perhaps, I should say, an extraordinary important concept, and one that others, if they have the necessary security skills, can and should consider emulating.
All secrets may, indeed, not be worth releasing, just because they can be, but I’ve yet to see any evidence that the majority of the secrets maintained by governments do anything to improve the lives of the majority of their citizens — or of those affected by their political maneuvering around the world — and on that basis this whole crisis is not just about free speech, but about the legitimacy — and the legitimate reach — of mechanisms available in the 21st century for exposing the wrongdoing of governments, on the part, generally, of those who want the world to be a better, fairer and more just place.
Andy Worthington is the author of The Guantánamo Files: The Stories of the 774 Detainees in America’s Illegal Prison (published by Pluto Press, distributed by Macmillan in the US, and available from Amazon — click on the following for the US and the UK) and of two other books: Stonehenge: Celebration and Subversion and The Battle of the Beanfield. To receive new articles in your inbox, please subscribe to my RSS feed (and I can also be found on Facebook and Twitter). Also see my definitive Guantánamo prisoner list, updated in July 2010, details about the new documentary film, “Outside the Law: Stories from Guantánamo” (co-directed by Polly Nash and Andy Worthington, currently on tour in the UK, and available on DVD here), my definitive Guantánamo habeas list and the chronological list of all my articles, and, if you appreciate my work, feel free to make a donation.
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Edmund with his sister 1885/86 enlarge
1889/90 - enlarge
Edmund with his parents,
Natal, 1882 - enlarge
EDMUND MORRIS MILLER(1881-1964) was born on 14 August 1881 at Pietermaritzburg, Natal, South Africa. He was the son of Scottish parents David Miller, tailor, and his wife Georgina Agnes, née Morris. The family moved to Melbourne in January 1883 and settled at Flemington. Miller’s mother was ardent in her devotion to the Church of Christ, his father to liberal politicians such as W. E. Gladstone and Alfred Deakin.
After an early education at the local state school and a spell in his maternal grandfather’s boot workshop Miller attended University High School and Wesley College.
Edmund (circled) - Wesley College - 1899
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The Safeguarding Children Board
The Policy and Procedures for safeguarding children in Birmingham are available for everyone to download from the Birmingham Safeguarding Children Board web site:
go to the BSCB page for Safeguarding Children: Policy & Procedures.
The Birmingham Local Safeguarding Children Board replaced the Area Child Protection Committee (ACPC) from 01 April 2006. This is a statutory requirement and means for the first time that, as part of the Every Child Matters reforms, all organisations that work with children are required to participate.
The Local Safeguarding Board continues to have functions based on those of the ACPC but also co-ordinates the wider safeguarding activity in the city with a focus on prevention as well as protection.
This Board is made up of representatives from organisations that have responsibility for services to children or have regular contact with children.
At the heart of the establishment of the Board is the desire to develop a shared sense of responsibility across all agencies working with children, their families and communities to keep children safe from harm.
More information is available on the Birmingham Safeguarding Children Board web site
The Birmingham Safeguarding Children Board is a member of Birmingham Children's Trust and is working in partnership with Birmingham City Council to protect the city's vulnerable children.
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Posted by willow on February 12, 2001, at 13:38:26
In reply to Re: CFS... ..., posted by dj on February 12, 2001, at 2:16:11
I had been struggling with the symptoms for two years and not one of the "medical" doctors had explained to me how it could be linked to mental health issues. Can you imagine my anger when I found reference to CFS and mental health in a textbook? I asked my old family doctor about it and he confirmed it. Then I asked to be referred to a psychologist and he said that wouldn't help.
About a year later I changed to a younger doctor, and now I can say that I actually am confident of my ability to get to a normal functioning level.
PS I saw the episode of Pamela Wallin. I've seen first hand how scared people can be of mental illness. My father has schizophrenia and even the interaction of some family members with him is shocking. It has affected his social graces but not the man, if that makes any sense. I have more respect for him than alot of other people. But even he thinks of mental illness as just being "crazy." Perhaps it's the generation.
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Chester Arthur Williams
Positions: ss, 2b, 3b
Teams: Pittsburgh Crawfords (1931-1938), Homestead Grays (1932-1933, 1941-1942), Toledo Crawfords (1939), Philadelphia Stars (1939-1941), Mexican league (1940), Memphis Red Sox (1943), Chicago American Giants (1943)
Height: 5' 9'' Weight: 180
Died: December 25, 1952, Lake Charles, Louisiana
The sparkplug of the infield for the Pittsburgh Crawfords in the 1930s, this quick, flashy shortstop was one of the first quality players whom Gus Greenlee added to his roster after purchasing the team in 1931, and he remained an essential part of the nucleus of the great Crawford teams that sent five players to the Hall of Fame. An outstanding fielder, he could play either shortstop or second base equally well. On the bases he had both speed and quickness and posed a threat to steal. A solid hitter with appreciable power, he hit for averages of .302, .301, .319, 247. and .381 during the Crawfords' glory years. 1932-1936. A ballplayer's ballplayer, the scrappy infielder "came to play," and his team value was recognized by teammates and opponents alike. His style of play was also appreciated by the fans, and he was selected to play in four consecutive East-West All Star games in 1934-1937.
With the defection of Satchel Paige, Josh Gibson, Cool Papa Bell, and other players from the Crawfords in 1937, the halcyon years passed. Williams, who had previously been placed in the lower part of the batting order, was moved into the second slot for his last two seasons with the Crawfords, and he responded by hitting .348 in 1938. When the franchise left Pittsburgh to relocate in Toledo, the slick-fielding shortstop soon took his glove elsewhere, signing with the Philadelphia Stars, where he hit .291 while batting in the second slot. But his stay with the Stars was short, and in 1940 he jumped the team to play with Toreon in the Mexican League, where he hit .344 with 13 doubles, 5 triples, 7 home runs, and only 9 strikeouts in 74 games.
Returning to the United States after only one season in Mexico, he soon connected with Cum Posey, who sought him to fill a hole at shortstop for the Homestead Grays. Although he was past his prime, he fielded his position as expected and contributed a .250 batting average as the Grays annexed another Negro National League pennant. After a winter with Aquadilla in the Puerto Rican League, the veteran infielder split his playing time between shortstop and second base in 1942. As a part-time starter, his offensive production was reduced to a meager .160 batting average, but the Grays won their sixth straight pennant and played in the first World Series between the Negro National League and the Negro American League.
In 1943 he closed out his career, when he batted .270 while splitting his season between the Memphis Red Sox and the Chicago American Giants in the Negro American League. He also played in the Cuban League and averaged .298 during two winters on the island. Throughout his career he was a free spirit and often was involved in off-the-field escapades that could have resulted in serious consequences. Fewer than ten years after he played his last baseball game, the former All Star shortstop was shot to death in a bar in Texas on Christmas Day 1952.
Source: James A. Riley, The Biographical Encyclopedia of the Negro Baseball Leagues, New York: Carroll & Graf Publishers, Inc., 1994.
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Environmental News: Media Center
WASHINGTON (February 13, 2011) -- The House Republicans’ reckless plan to cut $100 billion in government spending by Oct. 1, including a 30 per cent budget reduction for the Environmental Protection Agency, would inflict grave harm to our economy and to our health.
The following is a statement by Scott Slesinger, legislative director at the Natural Resources Defense Council:
"The meat ax approach to slashing the budget by House Republicans and their Tea Party members has moved the country a giant step closer to a government shutdown. The American people rejected this extremist, Gingrich-style approach the last time and will do so again.
"Cutting the budget must not put our health and well-being at risk. The Republican agenda is a political attack supported by Big Polluters who will continue feeding from the public trough while everybody else is being asked to sacrifice. A responsible budget would embrace a clean energy future that spurs innovation, creates jobs and continues to improve our environment.”
See NRDC’s Switchboard for Scott Slesinger’s blog, and other updates and expert analyses of the Republican budget proposal and of President Obama’s proposed budget for fiscal year 2012, to be released on Monday.
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Imagine. Running your own public transportation business in a handful of European cities. Working your brains out to accomplish a traffic-free transportation grid using environment-friendly energy. Sounds like fun!
If you’re not excited about such concepts, then why are you still reading this? Get the hell out of our blog.
When we heard about Cities in Motion, we immediately discussed about whether to love or hate this game, even before we actually had a chance to witness the game in action. Most of our editors – including myself – are familiar with and have experienced well-built public transportation systems around the globe, like Europe and Asia, so we didn’t know how the game might appeal to U.S. gamers. Let’s be honest; U.S. does not have the world’s sexiest public transportation system.
Let’s not even worry about the appealing factor of such genre; how about the gameplay? Simulation games are often presented with the complexities of realism that the learning curve alone could be a turn-off to casual and even some core gamers. How will Cities in Motion be balanced? Well, let’s figure it out!
User interface is simple enough. You have access to every menu with the mouse or the keyboard. You can even customize shortcut keys which is always nice. Simple and effective.
Graphics in Cities in Motion are above satisfactory. Most players will be busy moving around the map, zoomed all the way out to figure the best routes possible. But if gamers would give it a couple of seconds to zoom-in anywhere in the map, they will probably be pleasantly surprised. Buildings, transportation devices, environments and even citizens are well-detailed. Things always happen. People are always moving, eager to get to their destination using the public transportation system the player constructed.
Too bad gamers won’t be able to find much free time to zoom-in and stare at details on the map. The Campaign mode is probably where most gamers would start; with a given mission and objectives, player will be busy just keeping up with and following the advisor’s instructions. The good part of Campaign mode is that players don’t really have to finish every objectives to complete a scenario. In each scenario there’s always the single most important mission (though the game still calls it an objective), and if you accomplish the mission, the player has no choice but to advance to the next scenario. It seems a bit linear, yes?
Not to worry if you’re more into a sandbox type of simulation game. There’s a mode literally called “Sandbox.” No pressure of doing objectives; you can do whatever you want with cities.
Having no time limit for objectives can be both good and bad. If you don’t have enough money to do such tasks, you can still accept the objective and put it aside until you make enough profit to move on. Having such freedom can be a good thing, and usually it eases the mind of the players, giving full control of how they want to proceed. We just wished that the reward for appreciation towards finishing objectives would be just more than a thank you note from advisor with cheap “bell” sound effects. How about a crowd cheering while shining particles surrounding a gold star? Everybody loves shiny things that comes with a crowd cheer, right? Any dramatic presentation might have helped a bit.
Routing a line for transportation vehicles is easy. Modifying a line by adding or subtracting stations is also easy. Most of the time the game system automatically re-routes to optimize a line for the shortest travel time. Only when we confused ourselves with routing a line, did it seem like the game system failed to optimize the line as well. And how about a feature of undo-ing a line modification? That might have helped us a few time.
Figuring out routes is one thing, but figuring out crowd control is another. Rosters in the game have useful information to make such decisions, but it doesn’t give you an idea about the flow of major population. If you see a common point of interest like a train station or an airport, it’s safe to assume that the station nearby will be crowded. It’s fun figuring out such problems, but it would’ve made our job a whole lot easier if we had a map with a passenger flow. Wait, that would make this game too easy. Well, we think the current mainstream games are too easy compared to classics so let’s just agree that Cities In Motion has the right amount of difficulty.
Our complaint really isn’t in the gameplay or design, but rather the shortage of content. You get a decent amount of gameplay hours, but a genre like this is very addictive, and we would like to have seen more cities to play with. And using a bulldozer can be hit and miss; often you end up deleting tram tracks instead of the station you wanted to get rid of.
In our opinion, Cities In Motion has just the right amount of simulation in it for many gamers to enjoy. The game focuses on your ability to direct public transportation traffic which is a great concept to begin with. Details in graphics are enjoyable. Listening to the different motor sounds of vehicles is fun. Only thing you should seriously consider is your free time, because once you pass the somewhat-easy learning curve, you will be busy for days to come.
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On June 29, 2012, Congress approved legislation to stop the interest rate on federal subsidized Stafford Loans from increasing from the current 3.4% to 6.8% on July 1, 2012, for new college borrowers. The rate had been scheduled to increase under provisions in the College Cost Reduction and Access Act of 2007. The rate freeze is effective for one year – and will (unless extended) increase to 6.8% on July 1, 2013.
Under the new legislation:
- Rates on subsidized Stafford Loans will remain at 3.4% for undergraduates for one more school year, until July 1, 2013.
- As of July 1, 2013, undergraduate students with a subsidized Stafford Loan will have a maximum of six year of in-school status when the federal government will pay the interest on the loan while the student is in school. Previously, the government paid the interest for as long as it took a student to get a diploma.
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WASHINGTON (AP) — Unemployment rates fell in less than half of U.S. states last month, as steady but slow hiring is making only gradual improvement in the job market.
The Labor Department says that rates fell in 22 states in December and rose in 16. They were unchanged in 12. Nationwide, the rate remained 7.8 percent.
The rate is now below 7 percent in 25 states. And some of the states hardest hit in the recession have seen solid gains. Nevada's unemployment rate, the highest in the nation, plummeted 0.6 percentage points last month to 10.2 percent.
Rhode Island's unemployment rate, also 10.2 percent, dropped from 10.4 percent in November.
California has the third-highest rate, at 9.8 percent, the same as the previous month but down from 11.2 percent a year ago.
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Being the biggest brings many advantages but it also presents a few challenges.
Thats what some local CEOs realized in 2010 when they decided to form a regional coalition to lobby elected officials on business-related issues. Their goal was to remake the Fort Wayne Corporate Council into an organization that business leaders in Auburn, Bluffton, Columbia City and other surrounding cities would want to join and actively support. Fort Waynes concerns couldnt be given more weight than the regions interests.
Local leaders had to shift their focus from the big city to the bigger picture.
The result, the Regional Chamber of Northeast Indiana, is now about halfway to fulfilling its founders vision. It boasts about 70 members and a 2013 budget of about $500,000.
Its first big win came this year when Gov. Mitch Daniels signed a right-to-work law that stops workplaces from requiring union membership as a condition for employment.
But significant work remains before the Regional Chamber is considered a mature organization.
Its executive director said it lacks the infrastructure of more seasoned groups, requiring leaders to establish new rules for almost every endeavor. Over time, the organizations leaders will create the processes and procedures.
Another deficiency in the Regional Chamber deserves more scrutiny, its critics say. The groups membership lacks diversity. Its board includes only one woman and no racial minorities.
As a result, said John Dortch, president of the Fort Wayne Black Chamber of Commerce, the Regional Chamber cant effectively advocate at the statehouse for the needs of women- and minority-owned businesses.
They might think they can, he said, but they cant.
A major reboot
Keith Busse was a driving force behind the Regional Chambers creation.
The chairman and co-founder of Fort Wayne-based Steel Dynamics Inc. recalled the Corporate Council of 20 or 30 years ago. It was something of a good old boys club in those days, more interested in Scotch and cigars than results, Busse said.
I didnt think they had any real clout to move the needle on policy issues, he said.
The Corporate Council evolved into a more effective organization over the years, but its leaders saw the potential for wielding more influence if they could legitimately say they represented the views of business executives throughout northeast Indiana.
But that required a commitment to be inclusive.
If all we do is do Fort Waynes bidding, the other guys are going to get sick and tired of it and not join, Busse said.
During 2010, the Northeast Indiana Regional Partnership was gaining traction. The nonprofit, formed in 2006, helped create and fund some of the local economic development organizations in the region. The partnership promoted the idea that the regions counties have a common goal and could be collaborators instead of competitors.
The Regional Chamber benefited from the partnerships work to form a strong regional identity. Matt Bell, its first executive director, was a former state representative from Noble County, which added to the organizations regional credentials.
The Regional Chambers membership includes economic development officials from the regions 10 counties and the Northeast Indiana Chamber Coalition, which includes chambers of commerce from cities and counties throughout the region.
Their participation helps ensure the Regional Chambers regional outlook actually reflects the region, officials said. Because their perspective is so valuable, they participate for free.
The Regional Chamber charges membership dues based on annual revenue of the northeast Indiana-based company or corporate division. Dues range from $2,500 to $15,000 annually.
The current member roster is about 80 percent Fort Wayne-based. Dues could be a barrier for smaller employers in the region.
Or some companies could have concerns about the Regional Chambers focus. Its unclear why various businesses havent joined.
Keeping it straight
The Northeast Indiana Regional Partnership focuses on marketing, promoting the region as a great place for business investment and improving the region to make it more attractive for investment.
Its sister organization, the Regional Chamber of Northeast Indiana, tries to make the region more attractive by lobbying for policies that make Indiana more business friendly. (The Chamber Coalition brings members together but relies on the Regional Chamber to lobby legislators on its behalf.)
The Regional Chambers specific positions on issues fall within three target areas: increasing worker training, creating a competitive business climate and erecting world-class infrastructure.
By waving the regional banner, the Regional Chamber can arrange meetings with the more than 20 state legislators and senators who represent specific sections of northeast Indiana.
Its more likely a bill will be noticed at the Statehouse if a bloc of legislators backs it, Busse said.
Senate President Pro Tem David Long, who represents District 16, has given the Regional Chamber his seal of approval.
The fact that they have a daily presence at the General Assembly while we are in session, pushing a pro-growth agenda for our region, is of significant help to our areas legislative delegation, Long said in a written statement that appears in the Regional Chambers literature.
While the Regional Chamber is starting to make its mark, the organization still has maturing to do.
Bell, the first executive director, left after less than two years to lead Ivy Techs Corporate College – a statewide effort to address employers needs by offering company-specific courses.
John Gerni, former regional vice president of state relations for the American Council of Life Insurers, was hired as Bells successor.
Gerni, who joined the Regional Chamber about five months ago, previously represented Lincoln National Corp. on legislative and regulatory initiatives. But hes still working through a learning curve.
One issue in the organizations maturing process is diversity.
Bob Taylor, the Regional Chambers chairman, said its a fair question why the relatively young organizations board isnt more diverse.
The groups leaders aspire to gender and racial diversity on the board, said Taylor, who is also president and CEO of Fort Wayne-based Do it Best Corp.
Gerni, one of the Regional Chambers three full-time employees, agreed.
Absolutely we would welcome diversity on our board of directors, Gerni said. Were an organization that wants to be as inclusive as possible.
But the reality, they say, is that the population of northeast Indianas rural counties is overwhelmingly white.
Add to that the Regional Chambers requirement that board members must be the CEO or head the branch or division operating in northeast Indiana, and numerous women and minorities in middle management are excluded from participating.
People expect leaders to lead, and thats what this organization is all about, Gerni said.
The current board is representative of the Regional Chambers membership whether its right or whether its wrong, he said.
Dortch, president of the Fort Wayne Black Chamber of Commerce, believes the Regional Chamber could do more to be inclusive.
He recently attended his first meeting, after the Black Chamber paid $100 for a non-profit membership.
Dortch is also president and CEO of The Preston Joan Group, a human resources consulting firm. He said the Regional Chamber could change its own rules.
I dont know why it has to be a president or CEO only that represents an employer, he said. Numerous minorities and women hold high-level executive jobs in the region, he said.
Taylor said Step 1 was creating regional diversity on the board, a task he believes has been accomplished.
Step 2 is looking at gender and racial diversity, he said. Jerrilee Mosier, Ivy Tech Community Colleges chancellor, is the boards only woman. The Regional Chamber board seat is designated for whoever is in the chancellors chair – regardless of gender or race, Mosier said.
Her role over the past two years has been to represent the views of educators rather than the views of women. Mosier has been asked – as have all board members – to help recruit new members.
Like any organization, she said, were maturing and evolving.
Member rosterThe Regional Chamber of Northeast Indiana represents business interests throughout the region, although about
80 percent of the members are in Fort Wayne. The membership roster:
Abacus Early Learning Center
Associated Builders and Contractors of Indiana
Baden, Gage & Schroeder LLC
BF Goodrich Tire Manufacturing
Bradley Gough Diamonds
Brigadoon Financial Inc.
Bose Public Affairs Group
CB Richard Ellis/Sturges
Deister Machine Co.
DeKalb Memorial Hospital
Do it Best Corp.
Faegre Baker Daniels LLP
Farmers State Bank
Five Star Distributing
Fort Wayne Metals Research Products
Fort Wayne Newspapers
Glenbrook Automotive Group
Haller & Colvin
Hanning & Bean Enterprises Inc.
The Hylant Group
Independent Alliance Banks
Indiana Michigan Power
Ivy Tech Community College of Northeast Indiana
KPC Media Group
Lake City Bank
Lincoln National Corp.
Lutheran Health Network
Mike Thomas Associates
The Northeast Indiana Regional Partnership
Paragon Steel Trading
Parkview Ortho Hospital
Pizza Hut of Fort Wayne
PNC Financial Services Group
Rea Magnet Wire
Schenkel Shultz Architecture
Steel Dynamics Inc.
Upstate Alliance of Realtors
University of Saint Francis
Valbruna Slater Stainless Inc.
Vera Bradley Inc.
Young Leaders of Northeast Indiana
At a glanceThe Regional Chamber of Northeast Indiana has published several state policy positions for the 2013 session. They include:
Support for continued use of tax increment financing as an economic development tool
Support for more specifically defined requirements for use of County Economic Development Income Tax (CEDIT) funds
Support for extended tax abatement schedule and increased flexibility
Support for lowering Indianas Financial Institution Tax to 6.5 percent from 8.5 percent
Support for more efficient local and state government
Support less regulation on business and the public
Support elimination of the tax on business equipment
Support creation of a tax on Internet sales
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East Lancashire centres help women get the best out of life
FOR 27 years East Lancashire Women’s Centres have helped thousands of women from all walks of life.
Last year volunteers and staff helped a total of 4,000 people from Accrington, Burnley and Blackburn and inspired them to achieve their goals.
Tomorrow the 120 volunteers and 27 employees from the centres across East Lancashire will celebrate International Women’s Day, encouraging women to ‘come together’.
“It’s not like it used to be any more. There is a breakdown of community support and women don’t have that neighbour they can talk to like they did and it can cause isolation,” said Caroline Mahon, who works at the Blackburn base.
Organisers at the charity say that because of a downturn in the economy and a breakdown in ‘community spirit’ in East Lancashire, there has been an increase in counselling services.
Caroline said: “Women can become isolated at different times in their lives. Families are broken more than they have been in the past and this can lead to mental health problems. We have had people come in aged from 16 to 80 and they all need somebody to talk to. We are here to support, encourage and enable women in every way. We want them to do well and go on with their lives the best they can.”
The centre first opened in Blackburn in 1986 and has provided personal skills, therapy, housing and debt advice, courses and much more, while also branching out into Burnley and Accrington.
Grants and donations are always being sought after for the charity to run the popular courses. Last year 1,175 women attended the 117 courses that were provided.
Recently East Lancashire Women’s Centres has been working closely with street sex workers after receiving funding to help them ‘go forward’ with their lives and get the basic training for a better quality of life. They work with a large population of East Lancashire’s ethnic minority women as well.
Caroline said: “We have seen a rise in women who have been referred from the Job Centre because they need advice on working and finances. They may have been doing a traditional woman’s role at home, but because of a change in the government a lot has changed and more women have found that they have to go out to work.”
Anger management, confident parenting and cognitive behavioural therapy are a few of the services on offer but female volunteers are always needed.
“Because we are a charity it’s important to have people that want to help. We will train them on an NCFE-approved programme and we urge women to get in touch because they really can make a huge difference,” said Caroline.
What's on offer
East Lancashire Women’s Centres offer services and opportunities that help meet their aim to ‘Support, Encourage and Enable’ all women to get the best out of life for themselves and their families. Some services they provide are:
- Personal development courses to enhance skills for life and work and build self-esteem
- Employment help, including writing a professional CV
- One-to-one practical and emotional support for women who have committed an offence or are at risk of becoming involved in criminal activity
- A counselling service and counselling placements for college and university students
- Debt advice and help
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“The Social Security Trust Fund is misnamed. It cannot be trusted, and it is not funded.”
–Former US Comptroller General David Walker, July 2010.
If David Walker – who was essentially the US government’s accountant from 1998-2008 – can make jokes like that about Social Security, we’re in trouble. Indeed, as we noted in our essay “The End of Social Security as We Know It”, the Social Security Trust recently began paying out more than it is taking in. Over the next 75 years, the Fund will require an additional $5.4 trillion to pay for scheduled benefits.
Given the deplorable fiscal condition of the Social Security Trust Fund, some forward-looking Americans are asking, “Why can’t I just opt out?” Even middle-aged members of the Baby Boom generation are wondering if there will be any Social Security left for them when the time comes…and if they wouldn’t be better off abandoning the government’s mandatory retirement plan.
So can you opt out? In a word, yes.
How Do You Feel About a Horse and Buggy?
It’s true; you can opt out of Social Security…if you belong to a fiercely independent religious culture like the Amish.
Back in 1954, when the Social Security Administration first began taxing and covering “agricultural workers,” the Amish took issue with Social Security’s forced participation. The program, also known as Federal Old Age, Disability and Survivors Insurance, is a pretty brash affront to the Amish credo. Not only are the Amish famous for “taking care of their own,” but the whole concept of insurance goes against their faith. As people extremely serious about God’s plan, they don’t take kindly to a government-mandated hedge against His prerogative.
So in the late ’50s, the Amish started their resistance to Social Security. Naturally, they were quiet and reasonable about it. Some put money into a bank account and insisted the government place a lien on it. At least that way, some Amish thought, they weren’t voluntarily paying into the program. Others signed a petition and sent it to Capitol Hill. But, naturally, the IRS paid no attention. The IRS kept insisting that FICA taxes be remunerated…until eventually many Amish just stopped paying.
The whole conflict came to its climax in 1961 when the IRS went after one of these “delinquents,” Valentine Byler. Long story short, he owed over $300 in back Social Security taxes, so the IRS repo’ed three of his six horses. No kidding. (At one point in this fiasco, Reader’s Digest reported a judge berating the government’s representatives, “Don’t you have anything better to do than to take a peaceful man off his farm and drag him into court?” Apparently not.)
To the Amish’s credit, they kept resisting the FICA tax, insisting that it violated their 1st Amendment right to practice religion free of government interference. Byler’s story, as you can imagine, was a real hit with the media and within a few years the IRS caved under public pressure. In 1965, the government passed a law that allowed US citizens to opt out of Social Security.
Of course, only a small minority of Americans can legally stop paying Social Security taxes and strike their beneficiary status. In order to qualify for the IRS’s exemption, you must:
So unless you are Amish, Mennonite, Anabaptist or part of another very small religious sect, odds are you’re stuck paying (and receiving) Social Security for the foreseeable future. Still, we won’t fault you for trying: Look around for Form 4029…you’ll have to file with the IRS if you seek Social Security exemption. Be careful what you wish for…exemption might be the swan song for your life, auto and health insurance, too.
Learn from the Amish
Even though your opt-out chances are slim to none, there’s plenty to learn from the Amish battle against Social Security.
1) This story should serve as a reminder of what the whole program really is: insurance. When FDR first introduced Social Security in 1935, he said it would “give some measure of protection to the average citizen and to his family against the loss of a job and against poverty-ridden old age.” It was never intended to be a program in which nearly everyone paid in and nearly everyone expected to be fully paid out…even though that is what it has become today.
We suspect that kind of insurance language will return. The rich – who are so exceptionally unpopular these days – might soon be reminded they are not “average” and that Social Security was not designed to supplement their fat 401(k)s. (Whether that is in any way ethical, or even what qualifies you as “rich” in America, is a debate for another Daily Reckoning.) At the least, expect this cash-strapped government to raise the wage base for the Social Security tax or institute a benefits means test in the near future.
2) The framework of Social Security is flexible. There are plenty of people alive in America today who were around before this program even existed. Those same people saw it amended and reformed many times in the ’30s, ’40s and ’50s. Exceptions have been made along the way. And in 1983, under the Greenspan Commission, the government gave Social Security yet another dramatic reform.
Thus, there is no reason to think Social Security can’t be amended again, for better or for worse. Maybe the government, like it did in the ’80s, will change the rules and hike taxes, raise the retirement age and reduce benefits. Or if you are as persistent as the Amish, perhaps you can influence legislation in your favor. (Your odds increase dramatically if you own or control a large multinational corporation.)
3) Most importantly, like the Amish, expect a self-sufficient retirement. “The best revenge is living well,” the saying goes. Thus the best way to survive the plight of the Social Security Trust Fund is to not need it in the first place. Take a page from the Amish playbook and minimize your taxes…contribute the most you can to your company’s tax-deferred 401(k) plan. Better still, enroll in a self-directed 401(k), where you can invest in stable, dividend-yielding companies that might compound your returns. A few of those companies might even have a dividend reinvestment plan (DRIP) where you can use those quarterly payments to reinvest in the underlying stock… That’s a double serving of perfectly legal tax evasion.
There’s something to be said for the Amish way of taking care of your own, too. Their lifelong financial planning doesn’t just revolve around their individual net worth, and neither should yours. If there’s money to spare, set up some tax-deferred accounts for family members. Not only could it empower them, but depending on your situation, you might be able to alleviate your own tax burden at the same time. They’ll thank you 10-20 years from now, when David Walker’s joke isn’t quite so funny.
Ian Mathiasfor The Daily Reckoning
Ian Mathias is the managing editor of Agora Financial's Income Franchise, where he writes and researches about retirement, dividend and fixed income investing. Much of his work is featured in The Daily Reckoning and Lifetime Income Report, Agora Financial's flagship income investing advisory.
Previously, Ian managed The 5 Min. Forecast, a fun, fast-paced daily look into the future of global markets and macroeconomics. He's also worked in public relations, where media outlets like Forbes, AP, Yahoo! and MSN Money have syndicated his writing. If he's not at work, you'll probably find Ian on a bicycle, racing up and down the "mountains" of Baltimore County. Ian has a BA from Loyola University in Maryland.
If we can support two wars, bail out bankers, along with two stimuluses what’s the problem!
Power is nothing without control.
Ian, that was a fine piece of writing. I really enjoyed the read. Thank you!
Indeed it was. Congrats Ian.
Yeah my brother-in-law carpenter has worked with Amish on the job. They say they “aren’t allowed to buy electric powered tools. Oh, but they don’t mind borrowing his!! I suppose that contributes to a “thrifty” lifestyle, eh???
Try calling social security and telling them you want to opt out. Let us know what you’re told. My husband did it and he was told that he’d have to pay a gigantic amount of money to get out — and we’re retired, on social security, which we don’t want, and we don’t work so don’t earn!!
This comment feature needs some feedback so you know if your comment was accepted or not.
Your article was great right up until you advise people to voluntarily trap their money in the next government program to confiscate their wealth – 401K plans. Watch and see what happens to 401K’s in the next 10 years. I would hazard a guess that the rules have been changed on those almost as much as Social Security – very few for the imorvement of the participants.
My neighbor likes to borrow my power tools too, and he’s not even Amish.
Getting them back is tricky sometimes.
We need a modernised Amish religious group which uses power tools and worships a idol made of of gold.It is a golden calf behind bars so can nor be stolen.
Ck the web site below. SSA letter to Congressman Maurice Hinchey NY 22. SSA told him You do not have to have an SS# to live and work in the US
Yeah, I too was on board with Ian until he started with the 401k mantra. Seriously, you can’t start off as an independent, then switch gears and suggest drinking different cool-aid. You could have even suggested incorporating to avoid SS taxes.
But, that aside, great article, and thanks for reminding us it is a social security INSURANCE program. Worst word in the history of the language: insurance.
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BDCs are soaring while banks are suffering. Banks are still working through nonperforming portfolios while regulators continue to restrict them.
There’s an easy recipe you can use to root out the strongest stocks on the market right now.
America’s Strategic Energy Weapon, Part II
The quack policy that was good for stock owners in North America turned out even better for those in Japan.
From under which fetid igneous formation did these IRS slugs slither?
Why following market skeptics can protect you in the long run.
From “Bits” to “Atoms”… Digital Innovation Finally Comes to the World of Real Stuff
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WASHINGTON—The oil industry sued to overturn a U.S. rule requiring companies to report their payments to foreign governments to develop oil and gas fields, arguing the information would provide valuable secrets to competitors.
The Securities and Exchange Commission regulation, mandated by the 2010 Dodd-Frank financial law, aims to help people in oil-rich countries hold their government officials to account for the money the governments receive for oil and mineral rights.
The American Petroleum Institute, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and two other business groups argued in papers filed in federal court in Washington, D.C., Wednesday that the SEC exceeded its authority when it adopted the final rule in August and that it ignored companies' suggestions for limiting the rule's cost.
The SEC is required by federal law to weigh the costs of its regulations.
"It was a well-intentioned provision in the Dodd-Frank law, but the SEC just overstepped and went well beyond what was necessary to support transparency," said American Petroleum Institute President Jack Gerard. He called the SEC's approach "arbitrary and capricious."
SEC spokesman John Nester said, "While we are still reviewing the suit, we believe our legal interpretation and economic analysis are sound, and we look forward to defending the rule that Congress directed us to write."
Eugene Scalia of the law firm Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP, who has racked up multiple victories against the SEC, will argue the oil industry's case.
This represents the third time the business community has turned to Mr. Scalia, a son of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, for help challenging rules stemming from the Dodd-Frank law. Last month, he won a case overturning new limits on commodity trading that futures regulators said were required by the law.
The Dodd-Frank law requires all U.S.-listed oil and gas companies to disclose each year their royalties, fees and other payments to the U.S. and foreign governments for extracting oil, gas and minerals. A bipartisan group of senators attached the provision to the law, citing concerns about the persistent poverty found in some oil-rich countries, where corrupt officials prevent oil wealth from reaching average citizens.
Under the law, companies must report total amounts paid to a foreign government by payment type and project and attach electronic tags to the information.
All the major U.S.-listed oil companies already participate in a voluntary project called the Extractive Industry Transparency Initiative that publicizes the industry's payments to 36 countries. But the industry argues that the SEC's rule goes too far.
The companies say it will force them to disclose sensitive information—such as their expected rate of return on a given project—and hand their foreign competitors a tactical advantage the next time they vie for oil rights. Sixteen of the biggest oil companies, including large state-owned competitors outside the U.S., wouldn't have to comply with the law because they aren't listed on U.S. stock exchanges, the American Petroleum Institute said.
"All your competitors will know what your standards are," Mr. Gerard said. "They will know what to do to beat you."
The industry wanted the SEC to require disclosure only at the country or province level, rather than the level of specific projects. It also asked for an exemption from the reporting requirement when foreign governments prohibit such disclosure.
"Nobody intended for each company to divulge its basic playbook country by country, project by project, year by year," said Karen Harbert, president of the U.S. Chamber's Energy Institute.
The SEC rejected both demands, saying they weren't permitted under the Dodd-Frank law. The regulator didn't define the term "project" in its final regulation but said it believed the law requires companies to go deeper than country-level reporting.
"What the oil companies asked for was a violation of the statute," said Corinna Gilfillan, head of the U.S. office for Global Witness, a human-rights group.
The SEC estimated that complying with the rule would cost companies roughly $1 billion up front and between $200 million and $400 million each year. The estimates don't include the costs that companies could incur if they are forced to pull their operations from countries that forbid the disclosures. The SEC said that could add billions to companies' costs.
Write to Jessica Holzer at email@example.com
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- Personal Development
- Entrepreneurial Toolkit
- The Store
The only thing worse than being injured or falling ill is not having faith your insurance provider will help get you back on your feet. Follow this month’s tips for peace of mind.
Q: I’ve got a new plan and need to choose my doctor from those listed in the network. How can I find a good one?
A: Choosing a new doctor can be overwhelming—after all, it’s one of the most important health decisions you can make. But take heart—the right match for you is out there. Here’s how to narrow the field:
Ask around: This is probably the simplest, most effective way to find a good doctor quickly. If you know someone who has health issues similar to yours, start there. Otherwise, check with your friends, relatives and co-workers and compare their recommendations to your list of in-network providers. You’re bound to discover at least a couple matches. Another great resource: local emergency room nurses. They know which docs are the most dependable, responsive and caring.
Do a background check: Once you’ve narrowed the list to a few possibilities, check the physicians’ credentials with the American Board of Medical Specialties to be sure their certifications are legitimate. You’ll want to verify that your candidates attended an accredited medical school and have been board-certified for at least three years. Then check the doctors’ own websites (or call their office) to find out their hours, whether they take emergency calls and if they’ll answer personal or general questions via email. And don’t forget to ask which hospitals they use—if one of those facilities is not also part of your network, keep looking.
Make an appointment for a meet-and-greet: Even if you’re not due for a checkup, it’s smart to schedule a consultation. By the end of the meeting you’ll have a good sense of whether you’re compatible. Did you feel relaxed, or rushed? Anxious, or at ease? Did you receive clear, understandable answers to your questions? You deserve a doctor who gives you the time and attention you need to become your healthiest self—so don’t give up till you find one!
Q: What is the difference between Point of Service (POS) organizations and Preferred Provider Organizations (PPO)?
A: The biggest difference between the two types of plans is flexibility. Let’s start with Preferred Provider Organizations. PPOs offer a list of in-network doctors and hospitals; the company has negotiated discounted rates with these docs, and you typically are charged a co-pay for visits or care. Members don’t have to designate a primary care physician, and they can usually see any specialist without a referral. PPO plans do give members some coverage for out-of-network providers, but you may have to pay for the treatment up front—sometimes a considerable amount—and submit your receipt for partial reimbursement later. Many plans also have yearly deductibles.
Point of Service plans, on the other hand, often don’t require members to meet a deductible for in-network care, but they provide very little, if any, coverage for out-of-network doctors. You’re required to designate an in-network physician as your primary healthcare provider, and you’ll get most of your care from a designated network. The only time out-of-network doctors are covered is when your primary doc refers you to one.
Q: My employer will allow me to set up a health savings account. Should I?
A: If you have an insurance plan with a high deductible (one requiring at least $1,200 for self-coverage and $2,400 for family), a health savings account (HSA) is a great way to set aside pre-tax money for medical expenses, including those not covered by your insurance. You’re allowed to stockpile up to $3,100 a year if you’re single, or $6,250 for a family pre-tax, like a 401(k).Here’s what you need to know:
• To be eligible, you can’t be covered by any other health plan besides yours, nor can you be a dependent on someone else’s tax return.
• When you make a withdrawal from your HSA to pay a medical bill, like a doctor visit, prescription or lab test, you can withdraw that money tax-free.
• Unlike flexible spending accounts, whatever is left at the end of the year rolls over for you to use in the next.
• You can use the money only for medical expenses. If you make withdrawals for any other reason before age 65, you’ll be subject to a 20 percent tax penalty on top of your ordinary income tax. (After 65, withdrawals for nonmedical expenses are taxed at your regular rate.)
• If you switch employers (or private plans) midyear, you can roll over your funds, just like a 401(k). If your new employer doesn’t offer an HSA or you change to a lower deductible plan, you keep the money for out-of-pocket medical expenses but can no longer contribute.
Q: When I can’t budge the insurance company on a disputed reimbursement, are there any government agencies that might be able to help me?
A: Yes. But first, be sure to do everything you can with your insurance company to clear up the issue internally. After you’ve reviewed your health plan’s policies thoroughly, contact the customer service office to plead your case. If they still won’t budge and you’re sure your reimbursement has been wrongfully denied, it’s time to begin the formal appeal process. Your insurance policy will outline the paperwork required, which usually includes copies of your medical bills and a letter from your physician describing why your treatment was or will be necessary.
Many health plans have several steps in the appeal process. If your initial appeal is denied, you most likely will have additional appeals available. Only after you’ve exhausted the internal appeals process should you turn to your state insurance commissioner’s office to request an independent review. Navigating the appeals process can be difficult and stressful, so if you need more information and guidance, visit the Patient Advocate Foundation (PatientAdvocate.org).*Image courtesy of Barry Stein - BarryCreative.com
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Urban archaeology: New York, Let's Clean Up New York!
New York Newsday
May 14, 1988
Mayor, Dog Join To Clean Up City
By Kevin Flynn
The Sanitation Department, following in the storied tradition of its cartoon legend Phil D. Basket, yesterday unveiled its latest weapons in the war on litter - the "Ed Koch talking broom" and Buddy the Wonder Dog.
The "Ed Koch talking broom" is a specially equipped sweeper truck that, upon command, broadcasts a recorded message from the mayor. The mayor, in his trademark New Yorkese, tells illegally parked cars to get out of the street cleaner's way.
"This is Ed Koch, your mayor," the tape says. "You know the Sanitation Department cannot sweep this street if you don't move your illegally parked car. Please get it outta here."
Buddy the Wonder Dog is a 10-year-old mixed breed that has been trained to deposit trash in garbage cans. It has appeared on the "Stupid Pet Tricks" segment of "Late Night With David Letterman," where it performed such feats as opening a beer can with its teeth.
Buddy and the mayor, acting as coach, went through some trial runs yesterday outside City Hall, pretending for the cameras that Buddy's red water dish was really worthless trash.
"We will try just about anything to help New Yorkers clean up their act," said the mayor as he kicked off the city's new "Looking Great in '88" anti-litter campaign.
As if to prove that, sanitation officials announced that the campaign, which is being co-sponsored by We Care About New York Inc., will feature rewards for faithful "pooper scoopers." They will get free doggie treats, courtesy of a petfood company, if volunteers spot them performing the dutiful endeavor.
Sanitation officials said they are optimistic that the 95 "Ed Koch talking brooms" will succeed where prior techniques - honking horns and "getting out and being nice to folks" - have failed.
Koch said he expects motorists to imagine "I'm on their tail and that I'm in the car immediately behind them. And if they don't get out, well, we may just have to give them a summons and they'll expect me to get out of the truck and give them the summons."
There are still some kinks to work out, however. It seems the mayor's message is too low at times to be heard over traffic.
"The noise of the engine is right where the speaker is," said Mike Barbarotto of the Sanitation Department's Audio Visual Unit. "But we think we can make an adjustment by making a better copy of the tape and repositioning the speaker."
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Saturday, July 05, 2008
Unhealthy Tea Drinks & Prison Tea
What's the unhealthiest tea-based drink? Men's Health magazine recently weighed in on The 20 Unhealthiest Drinks in America and offered up a few thoughts on the matter.
Their nomination for Worst Tea-Like Substance went to SoBe Zen Tea. For Worst Iced Tea they gave the nod to Lipton Iced Brisk Lemon Iced Tea. Worst Chai Tea Drink? That would be Caribou Coffee Large Chai Tea Latte. The Worst Drink in America, by their reckoning, has nothing to do with tea. It's the Baskin-Robbins Large Heath Bar Shake.
Speaking of tea-like substances, here's an article from a gardening expert that expounds on the question - Can Instant Tea Kill Weeds?
From the other side of the Atlantic, here's an article about a tea bar at Winchester prison that's staffed by volunteers from the local area. For more on tea and prisons, refer to this article, which discusses Russian prison tea, also known as chifir. It's a high-octane drink that's most definitely not for the fainthearted.
shop for tea books.
tea, green tea, food, food and drink
Labels: Health and Tea
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July 10, 2012
Israeli gov’t launches $25 million food aid program
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced a $25 million government food aid program.
The initiative was presented Monday at a news conference in Jerusalem.
The money reportedly will be used to provide debit cards to purchase food in place of food baskets. The program also will establish a committee to create an ethical code for food charities to follow.
Food charities for years have called on the Israeli government to assist in feeding families living in poverty.
At a separate news conference Monday on nutritional security, Netanyahu cited data presented by National Insurance Institute Director-General Shlomo Mor-Yosef showing that poverty had declined.
Netanyahu said poverty declined because the government “intervened here with two populations, the elderly and the handicapped, and I think that this is very significant.”
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Are you learning English as a Second Language as an adult? Do you need to learn English for work or school? Would you like help with English listening, speaking, reading, or writing? I would love to work with you.
I am a graduate of the TESLA certificate program (Teaching English as a Second Language to Adults) at the Literacy Assistance Center. I have tutored many adults in English, one at a time and in groups, through WyzAnt and in volunteer programs.
With me, you will want to learn more English! We will discuss your learning needs, and you will also fill out some questionnaires. You will do interesting activities and, if you like, short homework assignments. While I am serious about your learning, I can also be funny. It is not an easy thing for an adult to learn a new language, so it is good to be both serious and funny!
Later on, if you are interested in a trip to help your learning in some way, we could travel in your neighborhood or farther away in the city. For example, a student who wants to converse in English can take a bus trip with me. On the bus, you would listen to people talking. You would write down words and phrases that you hear so we can practice them.
There are many advantages to learning more English through tutoring. Because the tutor gets to know you, she or he can help you to learn in ways that are right for you. We do activities about subjects that you know and like.
Tutoring is also a great way to help you achieve your goals at work or in school. For example, are you a medical student or a doctor studying for the Clinical Skills section of the U.S. Medical Licensing Exam? If so, I would like to tutor you; I am familiar with this material because I tutored a doctor studying for this phase of the exam.
I would love to email and talk with you about your learning goals in English.
back to top
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Personal Responsibility in a Desirable Environment (PRIDE) is a program started by Hal Rogers to fund clean-up projects in eastern Kentucky. The PRIDE Spring Cleanup will begin Saturday, kicking off two weeks of organized cleanup projects around the county.
"We encourage volunteers, whether it be churches, civic organizations or individuals, that would like to conduct a PRIDE cleanup project to schedule a time with the judge-executive's office," said Lakis Mavinidis, solid waste coordinator. "... The fiscal court will provide the necessary supplies such as garbage bags, safety vests and gloves to pick up litter and other debris."
"I would like to encourage all the groups that have formed in the past, such as the adopt-a-spot groups from Gulston to Lynch to Smith and many other places in the county, including the adopt-a-highway groups, to pitch in again. Let's all work together again to have a successful cleanup."
Mavinidis said the office has already received many calls from groups willing to participate, and he schedules the projects strategically so that the garbage transfer station can handle the loads.
Police officers will be on hand to help with safety, but Mavinidis said he wanted to remind everyone to drive extremely carefully as there will be a lot of young people on the roads.
"I look at PRIDE as a particularly important program for Harlan County because we plan to become a tourist area," said Judge-Executive Joe Grieshop. "PRIDE is a program that is designed to get every citizen involved in their community by cleaning roadways, local public areas and even their own yard to make the county cleaner and presentable for our guests."
Besides just having a cleaner county, other incentives are available through the PRIDE program, including the Pride Volunteer of the Month award, 2005 Envi Award, Tony Turner Volunteer of the Month award and the Rogers-Bickford Environmental Award.
But most importantly, Mavinidis says the reward is that future generations will have a cleaner county.
"We as adults always expect respect from the younger generation," said Mavinidis. "It's time for us to show our respect and stop littering, because they clean it up."
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Hotels pump sewerage into Lidder, violate EPA
Pahalgam, May 5: Majority of the hotels here are flouting the Environmental Protection Act by pumping sewage into the famous Lidder.
The work on the common sewerage treatment plant, started three years back, has been going on at snails pace leading to unscientific disposal of wastes.
According to the Pollution Control Board guidelines, the hotels with more than 20 rooms are entitled to install a sewerage treatment plant and for those less than that, a septic tank to check the unscientific disposal of wastes into the river. “Despite strict guidelines, majority of the hoteliers are not abiding it due to which the solid waste directly pours into the Lidder,” the residents told Greater Kashmir.
However, the hoteliers say the mandatory installation of STP in every hotel was not feasible as it would require uninterrupted electricity and may pollute the environment too.
“Though, the government after taking into consideration our concerns decided to set up a common sewerage treatment plant, but the work on it is going on slowly,” Pahalgam Hoteliers Association President, Javaid Ahmad Burza said. He said due to they were facing problems as the registration of their hotels was not being renewed by the PCB.
Regional Director Pollution Control Board, Farooq Geelani said, “As the EPA entitles the hotels to be treated as industries, so they have to ensure scientific disposal of sold and liquid waste or else the PCB is authorized to cancel their registration”.
Geelani said some hoteliers in Pahalgam want to install their own STP and they after proper verification should ask the Pahalgam Development Authority to give them permission. He also called for expediting of work on the Common STP.
Chief Executive Officer, PDA, Waheed Tak said, “The work on the common STP undertaken by the UEED is in full swing and is expected to get completed this year”. Tak, said those intending to install their own STPS and soakage pits were welcome, but only after getting NOCs from the PCB.
Lastupdate on : Wed, 5 May 2010 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Wed, 5 May 2010 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Thu, 6 May 2010 00:00:00 IST
- MORE FROM KASHMIR
- Man makes crores out of mobile towers never erected
- Power cuts to continue
- Hotels pump sewerage into Lidder, violate EPA
- Free political prisoners, engage them in dialogue: Mehbooba
- SPO held for ‘molesting’ minor
- AHD trains more than 500 personnel
- UJC committed to observe int’l humanitarian law
- Army’s bailey bridge damaged
- JKSM welcomes Qureshi’s statement
- Geelani condemns livestock loot
- Jama’at concerned at moral waywardness
- Transport comm visits Lower Munda
- Poppy destroyed
- Talks futile until India accepts Kashmir dispute: DeM
- Altaf visits PHC Manigam
- JKLF pays tributes to martyrs
- HRD approves Islamic University to use AIEEE score
- Set up commission to probe wealth of politicians: Cong
Poses As BSNL Official; Forges Documents, Signatures
Islamabad, May 5: Hundreds of people in this south Kashmir district have been duped of lakhs of rupees by an impersonator posing to be the junior engineer in the Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL). The More
- Srinagar City
'Raid wine shops 'to keep liquor prices under control'
Sharab Ko Aam KarooSrinagar, May 5: At a time when consumers complain that edibles, particularly mutton and chickens are being sold at inflated prices, the authorities seem concerned for boozers by keeping More
State starts techno-feasibility report
GK NEWS NETWORK
Jammu, May 5: While Pakistan has decided to move International court against India over exploitation of the northern rivers in violation of the Indus Water Treaty, state government has started the techno More
- South Asia
PRESS TRUST OF INDIA
New Delhi, May 5: Pakistan’s former army chief, Gen Jehangir Karamat on Wednesday said that India and Pakistan had made “considerable progress” on resolving the Kashmir issue between 2004 and 2007 More
- GK Business
Srinagar, May 5: Despite several ups and downs it has been marked with, the trade across LoC through Uri-Muzaffarabad route has crossed Rs 200 crore mark by April 2010 end. “Since the inception of More
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Iraq War: Drafting the dead
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER | June 2, 2005
President Bush was among the 260,000 graves at Arlington National Cemetery when he said it. But it was clear Monday that the president was referring to the more than 1,650 Americans killed to date in Iraq when he said, "We must honor them by completing the mission for which they gave their lives; by defeating the terrorists."
Bush insists on clinging to the thoroughly discredited notion that there was any connection between the old Iraqi regime -- no matter how lawless and brutal -- and the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
U.S. military action against an Afghan regime that harbored al-Qaida was a legitimate response to the 9/11 attacks. The invasion of Iraq was not.
As of Memorial Day 2003, Bush had declared major combat operations at an end, predicted that weapons of mass destruction would be found and that U.S. forces were in the process of stabilizing Iraq. One hundred sixty U.S. troops had died.
The U.S. death toll has grown more than tenfold. No weapons of mass destruction were found. More than 700 Iraqis have been killed since Iraq's new government was formed April 28.
Bush said of the insurgents at a news conference yesterday, "I believe the Iraqi government is plenty capable of dealing with them."
Of course, this is the same president that assured the world that military intervention in Iraq was a last resort and that the United States would make every effort to avoid war through diplomacy. Giving lie to that as well is the so-called Downing Street War Memo, which shows that as early as July 2002, "Bush wanted to remove Saddam, through military action, justified by the conjunction of terrorism and WMD. But the Intelligence and facts were being fixed around the policy."
Perhaps all presidents' remarks in military graveyards are by nature self-serving. But few have been so callow as the president's using the deaths of U.S. troops in his unjustified war as justification for its continuance.
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I’ve regularly blog about patent trolls harassing startups and impeding innovation, the experiences of immigrant founders, and the battle for a free internet. While I’m fortunate to have this blog, and other writing opportunities as a platform to give voice to these stories, I also realize that to really have a meaningful impact, we need the startup community to be involved in government.
That’s where Engine Advocacy comes in. A few months ago, I joined the Advisory Board of Engine to lend my support to an organization that is doing amazing work for the startup ecosystem. We’re trying to create a startup community that can mobilize to make the government listen and understand the issues that have a unique impact on our community.
Here’s an example of great work that Engine has done: During the fight against SOPA/PIPA last year it seemed to a lot of outsiders that the internet community’s reaction happened overnight. What many people don’t know is that there were hundreds of organizations and businesses working together for months to make that one-day blackout so impactful. Engine connected 15,000 calls from individuals to their Senators that day. The sheer volume of calls shut down the Senate switchboard, twice.
Engine is always monitoring the issues, doing great research, keeping members informed so that we can identify any threats early, and respond as a community. There are many ways that startups can get involved, perhaps the simplest being just keeping up-to-speed on tech policy.
At the end of this month, Engine is bringing startups to Washington, D.C. to talk to lawmakers about issues that are really important to the startup community — issues like immigration, software patent reform, and keeping the internet free and open. You can get involved by becoming an Engine member today. Go to D.C. with them. Send them your stories.
Ultimately, we’re not just Silicon Valley, or Boulder., or any other geographically-defined tech scene. We’re a powerful community that is creating jobs and improving the economy — basically, doing all of those things that Senators and Members of Congress talk about making happen. It’s time they listened to us. Let’s make the startup community a stronger voice in Washington.
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10th Vermont volunteers, 1863
From the collections of the Vermont Historical Society (Misc. 0238)
[Transcription by Christian Savoia and Steven Kung, 2007]
Walter Graham of Arlington, Vt., was mustered into Co. E of the 10th Vermont Regiment in 1862 and was promoted to 2nd Lieutenant June 15, 1865. He was taken prisoner July 9, 1864 and pardoned February 22, 1865. He was mustered out June 22, 1865.
The VHS manuscript collection also includes a diary by Graham (MSC-194) and, in the VHS museum collection, items carved by Graham while in prison.
Letter to Walter Graham
Randolph, Vt Feb. 11th 1863
Since reaching home I often find myself looking down the Company street in imagination & I always have you fixed at the head, as in front of the men. In my mind you were a model soldier (the Captain thought so too) and I have been thinking what a field of usefulness was open before you. How much good you could do those men. You may not look at it in the light I do. You feel it hard to come and take a very decided stand among them, in religious matters. You would tell me you had been one with them, many were older than you, and others reasons just as good. I know those things would naturally rise in your mind, and I want to tell you that those are only a few of the hindrances God sometimes places before his servants. I looked upon God with the feeling that there were many noble men there, whose spiritual training had been sadly neglected. I know there is great wickedness in our army, but I did not see the necessity for the men becoming so badly demoralized, as some represent.
It seems to me they need to be encouraged in all their good endeavors, kindly and decidedly told when they do wrong. You are a Christian. I am interested in you as such. I would were I able, strengthen & encourage you in the faith of Christ. You as a Christian & as an Orderly can do much for the men bodily & spiritually. When they come to your tent there will be opportunities when you can by word or example, pointthem to the meek & precious Saviour who careth for the sparrows. I notice you were liked in the Co, which would give you still greater influence. No man, let him be ever so wicked but what in his honest thoughts, would say he had most love and respect for a Christian. It seems to me, there could be little reason to doubt, but what a few praying cheerful men in Co. G, could be the means of saving many souls in that Co. God uses feeble means to bring about great events. Perhaps this is your appointedtime to work for Him. Be diligent in serving & doing His will that you yourself do not fail of the “Life Eternal” and perchance some others may rise up to bless you & claim through your feeble efforts, a right in the Better Land.
I am glad I went to camp for I have a greater interest in our soldiers than ever before. I have thought much of them these last cold days and nights. Vermont is buried in snow now. I wonder if there isn’t some with you. How is your health and that of your brother? My kind regards to him. I did not see so much of him, as I did of you. Perhaps you wonder why I write you - well it’s because I felt interested in you & I have heard it said, “Women’s letters” were better than nothing when one was banished from home and friends.
It’s to be hoped this war will end & Uncle Sam be sending home his Sons - for we do so need them here.
I have sent up any clothing what I could spare, to the contrabands at Port Royal, today. The ladies met at a house & brought a lot of unmentionables that were too ragged and dirty to be worn for the “freedmen and women” such is charity.
My best wishes, for you and those soldiers with you.
Your friend, Mrs. P. D. Blodget
Letters from Walter Graham
Monocacy Junction, Maryland.
July 10th, 1864
I am a prisoner at last. I was captured here yesterday with a good many more of our Brigade. I suppose we will start for Georgia soon. Do not be anxious about me. There is three others from my company. Currie, Reid, Stafford. I am not going to write much, but it may be the last time you will here from me in some time. Do not worry for me. Goodbye.
From your aff, Lou Walter Graham
Danville Prison, Va.
July 31st, 1864
I am yet a prisoner of war, but am well. We get enough to eat and drink, and a good dry prison. I cannot write but a few lines. Write about five or six times direct to
Prison No 1
Do not be anxious about me
From your aff, Son
Danville Prison No 1
Nov 15th, 1864
I was made very happy by receiving two letters from you and one from another a few days since one Aug. 21st and one Sept. 6th.
I am very well, and doing well. I have charge of one floor of our prison and get double rations. We are expecting to be exchanged this fall. I was glad to hear that you was all well. I have made a lot of things of bone (with a table knife and pieces of glass). I hope I will have a chance to send them home this winter yet, I have good clothing and a blanket. Write again.
Your aff, Son
Sergt. Walter Graham.
Co “E” 10th Regt. Vt Vols
Prisoner of war since July 9th/64. Danville, Va. C.S.M. Prison No 1
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Whether you're selling or buying your home, you probably have questions about the financial aspects involved. If you're a seller, you want to know about the tax implications of selling a home, estate/beneficiary concerns and assumed mortgages. These issues are addressed in the Selling section. If you're a buyer, you must secure a mortgage, the legal document providing you possession of the home and your lender ownership interest until the loan has been repaid. You'll also want to learn about initiatives to promote affordable housing in California, which you can read about in the Housing Affordability section of C.A.R. Online.
First-time buyers will want to review each section of the outline below to prepare for the process that lies ahead. If you're an experienced buyer, you may want to use certain sections to brush up on specific financial topics. Or, you might find information about mortgage types helpful because you're considering obtaining a different kind of mortgage this time around.
In addition to information about mortgage types and the mortgage process, you'll also find resources for general homebuyer assistance programs and insurance needs.
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The giant Powershop billboard in Wellington. Photo by Mark
Electricity company Powershop says a billboard depicting
Pope Benedict XVI marrying a male couple is not targeted at
The four-and-a-half storey billboard is part of a campaign by
Powershop, with the slogan "Same Power, Different Attitude".
The signs have recently been put up in central Auckland and
Powershop chief executive Ari Sargent said it had received a
mostly positive reaction from the public.
The billboard's message of freedom of choice and equality
aligned with the company's values, he said.
He said the billboard was not targeted at Catholics "per se",
but the Pope was an analogy of big power companies.
"(It's) making the point that some larger institutions can
often lose touch with their constituents."
It was never their intention to offend anyone, he said.
"We're certainly trying to provoke debate, we make no apology
The Catholic Church in New Zealand had no immediate comment
on the billboard.
Labour MP Louisa Wall's Private Member's Marriage [Amendment]
Bill has passed its first reading and submissions are being
heard by a select committee.
Powershop is owned by state-owned Meridian and lobby group
Right to Life said it was inappropriate for it to be involved
in politics and taking a position on the Bill.
Right to Life spokesman Ken Orr said Minister of State Owned
Enterprises Tony Ryall should instruct Meridian Energy to
have the "highly offensive" billboard removed immediately.
But Mr Sargent said it was "a bit of a stretch" to say that a
few public billboards were going to influence public opinion.
"People will make their own choices if they are pro marriage
equality or not."
Mr Orr also said it was insulting to Catholics and others in
the community to "lampoon" the Pope.
He said the Pope was the respected religious leader of the
Catholic Church which upheld the institution of marriage as
being exclusively between one woman and one man.
Rainbow Youth organiser Tom Hamilton said anything around
diversity was positive.
"If we've got a power company engaged in the diversity around
the marriage topic, then good on them."
He didn't believe the company was using the sign as a
marriage equality initiative, "it's just a little bit of
something that's left of field".
The billboard received mixed messages from people passing by.
One woman said it was "a bit stupid".
"I wouldn't have noticed it was about power." She said it had
the potential to be controversial.
Clare Lenihan thought the billboard was amusing. "It's making
fun of intolerant people. I think bigots might be offended by
A man who described himself as a Kiwi-Asian Baptist said it
was "bad advertising" with potential religious implications.
But another passerby, Ben McKenzie, said the billboard was
Powershop has courted controversy with other billboards, such
one as depicting former Iraq president Saddam Hussein
collecting charity and former North Korea dictator Kim
Jong-il selling hotdogs for charity.
In a blog on its website, it said the "Same Power, Different
Attitude" campaign took a "bunch of rotten demagogues, famous
the world over for their abuse of power, and recasts them as
people who do decent things in their community".
"It's satire for sure, but you could say we've got a bit of
nerve to feature people in our ads who've regularly violated
human rights. In truth, we think that dressing them up as
humble, caring people is just about the best way possible to
The company did not mention the Pope billboard.
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It’s no secret that with people living longer, there continues to be an increase in family caregiving for parents and other loved ones. This trend also has a domino effect on the impact in the workplace. Just take a look at the following statistics:
• 61 percent of family caregivers over the age of 50 are employed, (50 percent full-time and 11 percent part-time). – National Alliance for Caregiving (NAC) and AARP, Caregiving in the U.S.
• 64 percent of workers with eldercare responsibilities most commonly arrive late, leave early or take off time during the day to provide care, 17 percent are reported taking a leave of absence and 9 percent have to go from full-time to part-time work. – National Alliance for Caregiving (NAC) and AARP, Caregiving in the U.S.
• 19 percent left the workplace entirely because of having to care for a spouse or other family member. – Employee Benefit Research Institute, The 2012 Retirement Confidence Survey.
These challenges will continue to rise. By 2020, one in three total U.S. households is expected to be involved with caring for an elderly relative, up from one in four today.
ELDERCARE VERSUS CHILDCARE
Even with this ongoing increase in working family caregivers, some might say that it is not too different than childcare while the baby boomers were born between the years 1946 and 1964. Let me tell you some of the key differences:
1. The beginning of eldercare and the duration is unpredictable. This can come on suddenly and often involves many family members.
2. The physical demands on eldercare can be greater since it may include intimate personal assistance of activities of daily living like bathing or toileting for a grown adult.
3. The financial costs for eldercare can add to the strain of caregiving and the effects it has on one’s job.
4. The distance between where the adult child and parents live adds to the stress and complications associated with logistics, additional expenses and the job when long-distance travel is involved.
5. Having a number of family members involved can lead to disagreements among siblings and these emotions can play a significant role when caring for a parent.
WHAT SHOULD FAMILIES DO?
Talking about your children and showing pictures of them on Smart Phones are commonplace today. Showing pictures of your elderly parents who need care is not an everyday thing. Some years back when you heard that someone died in their 70’s, it was not a big surprise. Now, the comment would be, “he (she) was so young!” Today, we hear more about people living until their late 80’s, 90’s and even 100’s.
Unfortunately, most people don’t want to face the fact that their family members are aging and may someday need care. Both the parents and adult children would rather not think about it. Since most are living longer because they are beating heart disease, cancer and other diseases, families have to change and openly discuss the facts and plan appropriately. By discussing financial matters, Durable Power of Attorney, insurance matters, parent’s wishes (if family cannot provide the hands-on care) and the list goes on. Most in the U.S. believe that if someone cannot age at home, they have to go to a nursing home. That’s just not true anymore, and there are other options.
According to the MetLife Mature Market Institute, family caregivers (50 and older) who leave the workforce to care for a parent lose, on average, almost $304,000 in wages and benefits over their lifetime. These estimates range from $283,716 for men and $324,044 for women. Planning properly will help to reduce these numbers somewhat since the caregiver’s role is also dealing with attorneys, doctors, support services and the list goes on. Here are just a few of many questions I ask adult children when a parent is going to need some level of care, whether at home or outside the home:
• Do you know how much your parent has coming in each month?
• Is there any long-term care insurance?
• Who has Durable Power of Attorney?
• Do they have an Advanced Health Care Directive?
When the answer is “I don’t know,” that adds to their stress level and now family members have to work together to get things done. Plan. Plan. Plan.
WHAT SHOULD COMPANIES DO?
A recent study from the National Alliance for Caregiving, Workplace Eldercare shows by implementing eldercare programs can benefit employees and employers with worker retention, productivity, stress levels and health among workers. Some examples of programs include:
• Referral to caregiver resources including in-home care companies, senior placement companies, health care advisors, senior move managers and more.
• Having caregiver resources speak to working caregivers and provide information at the workplace.
• On-site support groups for working caregivers.
These workplace benefits can help working family caregivers balance their work and personal lives while attending to the necessary caregiving responsibilities. The company can benefit from improved employee retention which saves money as well as recruitment efforts to attract the most talented individuals.
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China warns Obama on Dalai Lama, invoking Lincoln
By Peter Ford
BEIJING – Chinese Foreign Ministry briefings are generally pretty dull affairs, the way such events are in many countries: reporters do their best to get the spokesman to say something newsworthy, and the spokesman does his best not to oblige them.
On Thursday, though, Qin Gang inadvertently broke the mold. He said that Barack Obama, being a black president who admired Abraham Lincoln’s role in abolishing slavery and preserving the Union, should sympathize with Beijing’s opposition to the Dalai Lama.
He seemed to be making two points. The first was that President Obama’s skin color should make him especially sensitive to slavery; the Chinese government refers to Tibetan society before Chinese troops took over Lhasa in 1951 as serfdom.
The second was that Obama should learn a lesson from Lincoln’s opposition to secession, and support Beijing’s opposition to the Dalai Lama, whom the government here accuses of “splittism.”
Leave aside the fact that the Dalai Lama has repeated until he is blue in the face that he does not support Tibetan independence – only autonomy. Leave aside the fact that Obama has no slaves in his lineage.
The ministry’s spokesman appeared to be trying to make foreign audiences believe that the Communist Party of China (CPC) is the moral equivalent of Abraham Lincoln, and that the Dalai Lama is a supporter of feudal serfdom.
Considering that most people outside this country’s borders see the CPC as the ones restricting freedoms, and regard the Dalai Lama as a moral giant, Mr. Qin showed a lot of nerve.
Nerve is a valuable quality in a press spokesman, of course. But Qin’s allusions to US history also displayed a complete disregard for – or misunderstanding of – how most of the rest of the world views the Tibetan issue.
Given that the Foreign Ministry is meant to be the agency of the Chinese government that is best informed about the outside world, and given that its spokesman is meant to be one of its diplomats best qualified to win foreign reporters over, that is worrying.
Posted on November 16, 2009, in Latest News, Life, News, Politics, Religion and tagged Abraham Lincoln, BARACK HUSSAIN OBAMA, Barack Obama, Breaking News, China, Chinese government, Christians, Commentary, Communist Party of China, Dalai Lama, GOSPEL, Government of the People's Republic of China, Homosexuality, Islam, israel, Jerusalem, Jesus, Latest News, Lhasa, News, Obama, Obama in China, PEOPLES REPUBLIC OF CHINA, Politics, Religion, Terrorism, U.S., UNITED STATES, White House. Bookmark the permalink. Leave a Comment.
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High Street Bordesley,
No one has favorited this theater yet
Located in the Bordesley district of Birmingham at the corner of Clyde Street and High Street Bordesley opposite Bordesley Railway Station. The Imperial Palace Theatre opened on 2nd October 1899 with the play "Sporting Life". It had an imposing facade with a tower feature on each side. Inside the auditorium, seating was provided in orchestra, dress circle and balcony levels, with private boxes beside the proscenium. It was taken over and operated by the Stoll Moss Theatres chain from 1903, when it was re-named Bordesley Palace Theatre.
It was taken over by the Associated British Cinemas(ABC) chain in October 1928 and closed as a live theatre in 1929 with a production of "Maria Marten" or "The Murder in the Red Barn". It converted into a full time talkie cinema, with a seating capacity for 1,296. The Palace Cinema was requisitioned by the Government in 1942 and was used as a food store during World War II. It was listed as ‘Temporary Closed’ in 1947, but it never re-opened and was demolished in 1957.
Just login to your account and subscribe to this theater
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GRAMBLING, LA – It seems as though it was only yesterday when Whitney Houston graced Grambling State University’s commencement stage in the summer of 1988 to receive one of the university’s highest honors, the honorary Doctor of Humane Letters. The Grambling State University Family, like others across the world, was saddened to hear the news of a fallen alumnus. Our sincerest sympathy is extended to the Houston family.
Ms. Houston was the most awarded female artist of all time, according to the Guinness World Records. She received 2 Emmy Awards, 6 Grammy Awards, 30 Billboard Music Awards, 22 American Music Awards, among a total of 415 career awards as of 2010. She held the all-time record for the most American Music Awards of any single artist and shared the record with Michael Jackson for the most AMAs ever won in a single year with 8 wins in 1994. In November 2010, Billboard released its “Top 50 R&B/Hip-Hop Artists of the Past 25 Years” list and ranked Houston at number three who not only went on to earn eight No. 1 singles on the R&B Hip-Hop Songs chart, but also landed five No. 1s on the R&B/Hip-Hop Albums. Although she released relatively few albums, she was ranked as the fourth best-selling female artist in the United States by the Recording Industry Association of America, with 55 million certified albums sold in the US alone. Ms. Houston was the first artist to be given a BET Lifetime Achievement Award.
Grambling State University President, Dr. Frank Pogue states, “Whitney Houston was the most naturally gifted singer I have ever heard. The fact that she was selected to receive an Honorary Doctorate, the most prestigious degree a university can confer, is a clear indication that Grambling has always recognized excellence. The fact that she willingly accepted the award confirms her respect for the academic quality for which Grambling is widely known. Her contributions in music will live forever.”
“The life of an entertainer is difficult and very demanding”, says Dr. Larry J. Pannell, GSU Acting Head of the Department of Music and Director of the GSU Tiger Marching Band. “The rigorous pressure of trying to stay on top makes it tougher. As a whole, when you look at her life, Whitney serves as an inspiration to all musicians who are striving to be the best that they can be by emulating her. It’s a sad day for the world and for the world of music. The music will live on and her spirit will live on through her music,” Pannell said.
“I was really saddened to hear of the loss of Whitney Houston,” states University Photographer Glenn Lewis. “She was a great singer and entertainer. Her 1987 Bayou Classic concert was simply superb. Seems like it was not that long ago (summer of 1988) when she walked across the T.H. Harris Auditorium stage and President Joseph Johnson awarded her the honorary doctorate,” Lewis commented.
Ms. Whitney Houston’s passing is a great loss to the world of music, her fans, family and the Grambling State University family. Her voice is forever etched in our memories.
NOTE: Photos of Ms. Whitney Houston receiving honorary degree and Bayou Classic performance.
# # #
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Sometimes, when I tell people that I'm a coach who coaches nurses, they ask me why nurses need coaching in the first place. I tell them that nurses are the backbone of the healthcare industry, and that healthy, happy nurses are the key to successful outcomes and happy patients! Nurses are key to the delivery of care, so it serves to maintain a healthy nursing workforce that can withstand the stress of nursing and the demands of the profession.
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
Thursday, November 22, 2012
Judith Redwing Keysarr is the Director of Palliative and End of Life Care of Jewish Family and Children’s Services of the San Fransisco Bay Area. Her book, “Last Acts of Kindness: Lessons for the Living From the Bedsides of the Dying” was recognized as the American Journal of Nursing Book of the Year in 2011. Ms. Keysarr will appear as our guest onRN.FM Radio on Monday, November 26th, 2012. (As always, I received no compensation for this book review.)
Friday, November 16, 2012
Many of us nurses often refer to our profession as a "calling". We discuss how being a nurse becomes part of our personal identity, and that reporting for work means more to us than just a paycheck. But then there are nurses who approach their work like any other employed person, with no acknowledgment that there is anything more to be gained than remuneration and a means to a financial end by fulfilling the tasks required of our position. This apparent dichotomy is not surprising, but it's certainly worth exploring.
Tuesday, November 06, 2012
According to the annual poll by Gallup, nurses are the most trusted professionals in the United States, and those of us who love nurses understand why. We're the backbone of the healthcare system, and we interface with consumers more than any other members of the healthcare team. But when it comes to being the best we can be, the notion of being a "nurse mensch" is one worth exploring.
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No one can deny that President Obama’s current “to do” list has grown dramatically of late, with each new item seemingly demanding higher precedence than the item before it. With two wars, unemployment, the Middle East Crisis and the oil spill, how does one person manage this kind of agenda?
Presidential historian, author and former special assistant to President George H.W. Bush, Doug Wead says, "No president can be an expert on everything."
Wead believes U.S. presidents have to be experts on getting elected and then surround themselves with people who are experts on the issues that arise during the presidency. Presidents can then tackle their agendas with help from these experts and an ability to prioritize. The New York Times' chief White House correspondent, David Sanger, joins the conversation about Obama's agenda: perhaps the longest presidential "to do" list in U.S. history.
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http://www.thetakeaway.org/2010/jun/04/presidents-ever-growing-to-do-list/
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Recently I realized that Numeric and Real need to implement ACCEPTS. As far as I know, the Spec has nothing to say about what this ACCEPTS should do, so I looked at the current implementation. There are two versions of Num.ACCEPTS, one which takes anything and uses
== to compare, and one which takes a Complex and checks that the imaginary part is zero, and the real part is equal to the Num. Both ACCEPTS have special cases for NaN, needed because
NaN != NaN.
Talking about this with Jonathan, I was initially stumped. If every class had to have an ACCEPTS for its own type, for Real, and for Numeric, things would be a mess. Then it occurred to me: why not implement it by simply calling to
==? As long as
== is doing the right thing, ACCEPTS will do the right things as well. (Errr, modulo the NaN issue, which might get tricky.)
Of course, that depended on a notion of “right thing” for
==. Quick check: does a Real number equal the Complex version of the same number?
> 1 == 1 + 0i 0
Huh. Well, let’s get a second opinion:
colomon: alpha: say 1 == 1 + 0i p6eval: alpha 30e0ed: OUTPUT«1»
Whoops. The False answer in current Rakudo is because of my reworking of Numeric comparison. At the time, I was thinking of sorting, and figured it would do no harm if
1 < 1+0i. But of course that looks silly in the context of
==! Apparently the test suite doesn’t have any tests for this case.
As frequently happens with these posts, I started this one without any clear sense of where I should go, but now I’ve got a notion:
== so that Reals and equivalent Complexes are equal again.
2) Make a generic ACCEPTS for Numeric that works based on
3) Somehow fold NaN handling into the mix.
Hmmm. Okay, my actual first step is going to be to completely muck up Numeric.ACCEPTS (intentionally), and see what, if any, tests fail, so I can find out the state of testing ACCEPTS.
Thanks to the Perl Foundation and Ian Hague for supporting this work.
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Immigration: President Obama continues to break down this nation's immigration laws, inviting more illegals to come here to enjoy America's generous welfare benefits. In this, as in all things, you get what you pay for.
The president has garnered quite a bit of attention recently for his efforts to undo one of the most successful reforms in this nation's history — the 1996 welfare law, which, through the idea of "workfare," removed millions from the welfare roles and put them back to work.
Obama and the Democrats have never accepted the permanence of that successful reform, however.
And in recent weeks, Obama has attempted to revise the definition of "work" to include such things as reading in bed, just resting up, and even searching for a job.
But little noticed among his changes are those that turn our welfare system into a magnet for hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants — a group that, many Democrats believe, will form the future backbone of their party.
A new study from the Migration Policy Institute suggests how this is being done.
Under the Dream Act, Obama opted to let as many as 800,000 young illegals already here gain legal status just for staying out of jail and graduating from high school.
That's setting the bar pretty low. But apparently not low enough. Obama now lets even those who didn't get a high school diploma or a GED apply. So instead of "just" 800,000 illegals becoming legal, 1.76 million will.
This mass, backdoor legalization of illegals is bad enough. But now, Obama's using the welfare system to undercut one of the main pillars of U.S. immigration law — namely, that those who come here must take care of themselves and not become wards of the state.
As the blog site Power Line notes, "both the State Department and DHS (Department of Homeland Security) exclude reliance on almost all governmental welfare programs when evaluating whether an alien is likely to become a public charge."
In other words, they're no longer even trying to tell whether someone's likely to go on welfare when they come here.
Even if you're already on welfare, the State Department or DHS can still declare you're not likely to become a welfare recipient. That's the kind of twisted, Orwellian logic that only a bureaucrat could follow.
Why should this be, you ask.
The reason is clear: Get as many illegals into the U.S. as possible and make them dependent on the state. When they do, they will vote reliably for Democrats — and further expansion of the welfare state.
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LOS ANGELES With a wrecked cruise ship still half submerged off the coast of Italy and Europe mired in economic troubles, the world’s cruise line industry has been navigating turbulent waters.
Industry leaders and analysts say the $37 billion industry is slowly rebounding from the crash of the Costa Concordia on rocks near the Tuscan island of Giglio in January and Europe’s economic woes.
With the peak cruise booking period set to begin in January, industry executives say cruise trip reservations seem to be on the rise. A survey of 300 travel agents in North America in July found that 64 percent expected bookings in 2012 to surpass last year’s numbers.
“People generally understand the tragic Concordia incident was an extraordinary event,” said Christine Duffy, president and chief executive of the Cruise Lines International Association, a trade group for the world’s largest cruise lines. “I believe travelers recognize that cruising is one of the safest, affordable and enjoyable vacation experiences available today.”
The Concordia accident seems to have had only a temporary effect on passenger bookings, and barely dented bookings by U.S. cruise passengers.
The ship, owned by a subsidiary of Miami-based Carnival Corp., struck rocks Jan. 13 and flipped on its side, killing 32 people. A salvage company hired to re-float the ship said the liner won’t be removed until spring at the earliest.
In the last three months of 2011 – just before the accident – passenger booking numbers reported by the cruising association jumped nearly 13 percent compared with the same period in 2010. But in the first three months of 2012, the number of passengers who booked cruises rose only 7.2 percent, according to the trade group.
The same slowdown in cruise booking was noted in the financial reports for Royal Caribbean International and Carnival, the world’s two largest cruise line companies. Immediately after the Concordia disaster, bookings dropped about 5 percent for Royal Caribbean and nearly 10 percent for Carnival compared with the same period in 2011.
But by the beginning of summer, financial reports for Royal Caribbean and Carnival showed booking numbers had improved, helped by new package deals and the launch of several new ships.
Cruise bookings among Europeans, who are struggling with high unemployment rates and a festering debt crisis, have dropped, according to industry reports. But the decline in European bookings has been offset by strong sales among U.S. vacationers, who represent as much as 50 percent of the industry’s passengers.
“The steady drumbeat of negative news emanating out of Europe is certainly having an impact,” Richard D. Fain, chairman and chief executive of Royal Caribbean International, said in a statement. “As a result, we are seeing pluses and minuses in the different geographic markets. North America is holding up reasonably well. Asia is a big plus, but Europe is a pretty consistent minus.”
Analysts from Wells Fargo Securities issued reports in August, saying the signs of recovery for Carnival were “encouraging.” They predicted improved profit for Royal Caribbean in the next two years.
In the wake of the Concordia disaster, most cruise lines resisted lowering prices and instead pushed package deals such as cruise trips that included $50 on-board credit, a free dinner for two or pre-paid gratuities, according to cruise experts.
“For the most part, the cruise lines held pricing pretty steady,” said Michelle Fee, co-founder of Florida-based Cruise Planners, one of the nation’s largest travel companies specializing in cruise trips.
The deals helped attract passengers from the United States.
“The impact of the Concordia on North America was almost nonexistent,” said Stewart Chiron, a cruise expert and founder of the website Cruiseguy.com.
Still, some cruise ship passengers say the Concordia accident did make them think twice about taking a cruise trip.
“I was concerned about safety after the Costa Concordia disaster, and I was afraid I would end up eating cafeteria food for a week and coming home with buffet body,” said Eric Rose, a public relations executive from Los Angeles, whose wife suggested a Caribbean cruise this summer for the couple and their two teenage boys.
But Rose said the family’s seven-day cruise on Royal Caribbean’s Allure of the Seas this summer changed his mind about cruises. He spent about $8,000 on the trip, saving $4,000 to $6,000 on previous family vacations to the Bahamas and Hawaii.
“I found that the cruise was first class, offered great value for the money and felt my family was safe and secure,” he said.
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When most people think of Vidal Sassoon, who died Wednesday at age 84, they think Carnaby Street. But he also had a role in shaping Los Angeles as a city of style.
"He opened a salon on Rodeo Drive when Beverly Hills was just coming of age among trendsetters," says Rose Apodaca, author and former Los Angeles bureau chief of Women's Wear Daily. "And he saw Los Angeles as this exciting place where rules were being broken. We know about swinging London; he saw Los Angeles as an extension of that."
The British-born hairstylist created wash-and-go hair in the early 1960s. He liberated women from having to wear curlers to bed and make weekly trips to the salon by creating modern, geometric cuts that fell into place without a lot of fuss. It was the equivalent to what fashion designer Mary Quant was doing with miniskirts in London and what Rudi Gernreich was doing with unstructured knitwear in L.A. They were all using fashion and beauty as instruments for social change.
"His scissors cut away the weight of an era, exposed necks, rid us of rollers — until roller-set waves returned recently — and made every girl want to get a pair of go-go boots and miniskirt," said Anne Crawford, a fashion publicist and former editor at the late L.A. Style magazine.
Sassoon opened salons in London in 1954, New York in 1965 and Los Angeles in 1970.
He was drawn to the avant garde fashion and art scene in 1960s and '70s L.A. that revolved around designer Gernreich and model-muse Peggy Moffitt, who has worn Sassoon's famous "five-point" haircut since 1965.
Moffitt remembers first seeing Sassoon's name in Glamour magazine in an article about wash-and-wear hair. "I was enthralled by the idea, and thought it was wonderful not to be going to sleep with sewer pipes stuck on your scalp, bleeding onto your pillow every night.'"
She first met the hairstylist on a photo shoot at Richard Avedon's studio in New York in 1965 and reconnected with him later that year in Los Angeles, when he was out visiting his friend and fellow hairstylist, Gene Shacove.
"Vidal did a demonstration for all the hairdressers in the evening, and he cut my hair then," Moffitt said. "We were on a little tiny riser so people could see, and Vidal got so into it, he fell off the riser. He was very intense when he was working."
Afterward, they went out for hamburgers. "Vidal kept a little pair of scissors in his pocket, and while I was eating, he'd look over and snip off a little more."
During that same trip, she introduced Sassoon to Gernreich, and the two men became fast friends. "I can remember showing him Rudi's sketches and explaining how he and Rudi were doing something very similar by thinking architecturally and not out of the same old box."
Shortly afterward, Moffitt moved to London, where she became a house model for Sassoon. She remembers the salon being a magnet for celebrities, even ones she wouldn't associate with Sassoon's style, like Ingrid Bergman, whom she spotted on her first day.
Sassoon moved to L.A. in the 1970s, part of a wave of British tastemakers who included artist David Hockney and restaurateur Michael Chow, whose former wife Grace Coddington, now the creative director of Vogue magazine, first modeled the five-point cut in the 1960s.
"We were all products of the same cultural revolution in London in the '60s," Chow said.
Sassoon was known for his debonair style, Pilates-toned body and good manners. He sold his business in the 1980s, and as his fortune grew, became a philanthropist here and beyond, a modern architecture enthusiast and art collector. (Frank Gehry and Ed Ruscha were favorites, and he owned multimillion dollar Neutra- and Hal Levitt-designed homes.)
"He was always beautifully dressed, favored scarves and slim-cut clothing and had beautiful wives," Crawford said. (Sassoon was married four times, leaving behind his wife of 20 years, Ronnie.)
He was also an early proponent of fitness, exporting his ideas about a healthy lifestyle in the 1975 book "A Year of Beauty and Health," co-written with then-wife Beverly Sassoon. In 1984, Vidal Sassoon was named the "official hairstylist" of the Summer Games in Los Angeles, creating hairstyles inspired by Olympic sports.
"Whenever Vidal would walk into a room, everyone subconsciously smoothed their hair," Crawford said. "He was always on, smiling, kissing his way through the crowd."
He established the concept of hairstyling as a brand, launching a global empire with training academies, product lines and TV commercials preaching the gospel, "If you don't look good, we don't look good."
But in many ways, Sassoon worked more like a fashion designer than a hairstylist. He debuted new hairstyles each season, just as designers debut new fashion collections.
"Rather than having stylists with different points of view, he had all of his people trained at his schools," Moffitt said. "There was a technique, a signature way of handling hair."
"The foundation of what he did, using geometry to determine face shape and accentuate a woman's bone structure, it was revolutionary," said Etienne Taenaka, manager of the Beverly Hills salon, now located on Little Santa Monica Boulevard.
Apodaca started getting her hair cut at the salon after she was hired at WWD in 2000, even though Sassoon had long since put down his scissors. Often, she would sit next to Moffitt while having her hair done.
"I would spend two to six hours there between my exacting hair cut and [dyed] blue streak," Apodaca said. "There was this sense of continuing community, of being part of the Vidal culture. You always knew the name was equated with something edgy, cool and futuristic."
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Adrian Frutiger – Typefaces
By Duane King
Coinciding with Adrian Frutiger’s 80th birthday, Birkhäuser publishes The Complete Works of Adrian Frutiger. The international creation of typefaces after 1950 was decisively influenced by this Swiss type designer. His Univers typeface and the machine-readable font OCR-B, which was adopted as an ISO standard, are milestones, as is his type for the Paris airports, which set new standards for signage types and evolved into the Frutiger typeface. With his corporate types, he helped to define the public profiles of companies such as the Japanese Shiseido line of cosmetics. In all he created some fifty types, including Ondine, Méridien, Avenir, and Vectora.
Based on conversations with Frutiger himself and on extensive research in France, England, Germany, and Switzerland, this publication provides a highly detailed and accurate account of the type designer’s artistic development. For the first time, all of his types – from the design phase to the marketing stage – are illustrated and analyzed with reference to the technology and related types. Hitherto unpublished types that were never realized and more than one hundred logos complete the picture.
Via The FontFeed
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Taking flight on big spenders
You might think that landing and parking fees drive earnings at Hong Kong's busy airport, but a visit to the Foster + Partners-designed complex reveals the real money-spinners: 300 retail shops spread over the airport's two terminals.
Besides the usual airport shops selling electronic gadgets and duty-free cosmetics, there's a bevy of luxury brand outlets like Prada and Piaget that draw big spenders looking for handbags, watches and jewellery.
One of the 10 busiest passenger airports in the world, about 55 million passengers passed through it last year. Many of them were well-heeled Asian shoppers.
Retail and advertising revenue accounted for 37 per cent of the airport's total sales in the year ended March, up from 28 per cent five years ago. By comparison, the figure for BAA, which runs London's Heathrow Airport, Stansted Airport and four other smaller airports in Britain, was 23 per cent in the first six months of this year.
On top of the basic rent, shops at Hong Kong's airport pay a premium related to their sales to Airport Authority Hong Kong, the statutory body that operates the airport also known as Chek Lap Kok.
Over the past five years, retail licences and advertising revenue at the airport have nearly doubled to HK$4.5 billion, which the airport attributed partly to 'increased spending on liquor and tobacco, fashion and jewellery, and perfumes and cosmetics by mainland [Chinese] passengers'. According to the airport's data, 22 per cent of all passengers last year were from China.
'We have observed that Asian passengers, in general, are spending more on shopping than other travellers,' Albert Yau, the airport authority's general manager for retail and advertising, said. Last year, 69 per cent of total passengers who came through the airport were Asian, including mainland Chinese.
The big increase in retail-related revenue coincided with a jump in net profit, which increased 1.3 times to HK$5.3 billion in the year ended March from 2008. The hefty sales increase was against the backdrop of a modest 12 per cent increase in passenger traffic over the period.
An idea of individual passenger spending can be gleaned from data provided as part of the tender process last year for three categories of duty-free shop licences involving a total of 10 outlets.
According to the figures, average spending per visit in such shops in 2010 ranged from HK$608 on liquor and tobacco to HK$888 on general merchandise in shops in restricted passenger-only areas to HK$1,050 on cosmetics and perfume. Yau said the tender for the three licences drew an unprecedented 11 bidders with 20 proposals, attracted by the relatively high-spending passengers.
The airport authority also helps manage two airports on the mainland. William Lo Chi-chung, the authority's executive director of finance, said that besides the contribution from the retail division at the Hong Kong airport and stringent cost control, the investments at airports in Hangzhou and Zhuhai fuelled the authority's earnings over the past five years.
Zhuhai International Airport, which is managed by a joint venture between the Airport Authority and the Zhuhai Airport, started to turn around its losses in the 2010-11 fiscal year. Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport, in which the Airport Authority holds a 35 per cent stake, contributed HK$522 million to the bottom line in the year ended March, up 117 per cent from a year earlier.
At Hong Kong airport, expansion is in the air. By the end of 2013, some 10,000 square feet of new retail space featuring two-storey boutiques for Rolex and Chanel will be constructed in the East Hall.
That is in addition to the existing 500,000 square feet of retail area spanning terminal 1 and terminal 2.
Lo, however, stressed that the Airport Authority has been disciplined in growing the retailing business. 'Our colleagues at the retail arm have to fight for more space as there are many constraints to curb their expansion,' Lo said.
The retail area has to be confined to a certain size so passengers can easily move around the terminals, and because they need to be able to easily find boarding gates, shops cannot obstruct any airport signage.
By managing its twin functions as an airport and shopping mall, the Airport Authority has been on a 12-year profit streak and has paid back more than 70 per cent of the capital invested by the government over the years.
'We could pay back the government all its investment in the airport in the next two to three years or so,' Lo said.
Since the airport opened in 1998, HK$26 billion of the HK$36.6 billion the government invested in it has been repaid.
The airport was built at a total cost of HK$53 billion. The rest was funded by bank borrowings.
Looking ahead, plans call for the construction of a third runway, which has been approved by the government and is subject to environmental impact assessment considerations. The runway could cost north of HK$130 billion by the time it's expected to be finished in 2022, with debt and the added interest expense likely to weigh on the authority's profitability.
But given the financing of the third runway has yet been finalised, Lo said it was still too early to tell the exact impact it will have on the Airport Authority's bottom line.
The share of the airport's total sales that came from retail and advertising in the year to March
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Canons of Dordt (or Synod of Dort) full text
First Head of Doctrine
Of Divine Predestination
As all men have sinned in Adam, lie under the curse,
and are deserving of eternal death, God would have done no injustice
by leaving them all to perish, and delivering them over to condemnation
on account of sin, according to the words of the apostle,
Romans 3:19, "that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world
may become guilty before God." And verse 23: "for all
have sinned, and come short of the glory of God." And
Romans 6:23: "for the wages of sin is death."
But in this the love of God was manifested, that he
sent his only begotten Son into the world, that whosoever believeth
on him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
I John 4:9; John 3:16.
And that men may be brought to believe, God mercifully
sends the messengers of these most joyful tidings, to whom he
will and at what time he pleaseth; by whose ministry men are called
to repentance and faith in Christ crucified.
Romans 10:14, 15: "How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed?
and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard?
And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they
preach except they be sent?"
The wrath of God abideth upon those who believe not
this gospel. But such as receive it, and embrace Jesus the Savior
by a true and living faith, are by him delivered from the wrath
of God, and from destruction, and have the gift of eternal life
conferred upon them.
The cause or guilt of this unbelief as well as of
all other sins, is no wise in God, but in man himself; whereas
faith in Jesus Christ, and salvation through him is the free gift
of God, as it is written: "By grace ye are saved through
faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God,"
Ephesians 2:8. "And unto you it is given in the behalf of
Christ, not only to believe on him," etc. Philippians 1:29.
That some receive the gift of faith from God, and
others do not receive it proceeds from God's eternal decree, "For
known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world,"
Acts 15:18. "Who worketh all things after the counsel of his will,"
Ephesians 1:11. According to which decree, he
graciously softens the hearts of the elect, however obstinate,
and inclines them to believe, while he leaves the non-elect in
his just judgment to their own wickedness and obduracy. And herein
is especially displayed the profound, and merciful, and at the
same time the righteous discrimination between men, equally involved
in ruin; or that decree of election and reprobation, revealed
in the Word of God, which though men of perverse, impure and unstable
minds wrest to their own destruction, yet to holy and pious souls
affords unspeakable consolation.
Election is the unchangeable purpose of God, whereby,
before the foundation of the world, he hath out of mere grace,
according to the sovereign good pleasure of his own will, chosen,
from the whole human race, which had fallen through their own
fault, from their primitive state of rectitude, into sin and destruction,
a certain number of persons to redemption in Christ, whom he from
eternity appointed the Mediator and Head of the elect, and the
foundation of Salvation.
This elect number, though by nature neither better nor more deserving
than the others, but with them involved in one common misery,
God hath decreed to give to Christ, to be saved by him, and effectually
to call and draw them to his communion by his Word and Spirit,
to bestow upon them true faith, justification and sanctification;
and having powerfully preserved them in the fellowship of his
Son, finally, to glorify them for the demonstration of his mercy,
and for the praise of his glorious grace; as it is written: "According
as he hath chosen us in him, before the foundation of the world,
that we should be holy, and without blame before him in love;
having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus
Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,
to the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made
us accepted in the beloved," Ephesians 1:4,5,6. And elsewhere:
"Whom he did predestinate, them he also called; and whom
he called, them he also justified; and whom he justified, them
he also glorified," Romans 8:30.
There are not various decrees of election, but one
and the same decree respecting all those, who shall be saved,
both under the Old and New Testament: since the scripture declares
the good pleasure, purpose and counsel of the divine will to be
one, according to which he hath chosen us from eternity, both
to grace and glory, to salvation and the way of salvation, which
he hath ordained that we should walk therein.
This election was not founded upon foreseen faith,
and the obedience of faith, holiness, or any other good quality
of disposition in man, as the pre-requisite, cause or condition
on which it depended; but men are chosen to faith and to the obedience
of faith, holiness, etc., therefore election is the fountain of
every saving good; from which proceed faith, holiness, and the
other gifts of salvation, and finally eternal life itself, as
its fruits and effects, according to that of the apostle: "He
hath chosen us (not because we were) but that we should be holy,
and without blame, before him in love," Ephesians 1:4.
The good pleasure of God is the sole cause of this
gracious election; which doth not consist herein, that out of
all possible qualities and actions of men God has chosen some
as a condition of salvation; but that he was pleased out of the
common mass of sinners to adopt some certain persons as a peculiar
people to himself, as it is written, "For the children being
not yet born neither having done any good or evil," etc.,
it was said (namely to Rebecca): "the elder shall serve the
younger; as it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I
hated," Romans 9:11,12,13. "And as many as were ordained
to eternal life believed," Acts 13:48.
And as God himself is most wise, unchangeable, omniscient
and omnipotent, so the election made by him can neither be interrupted
nor changed, recalled or annulled; neither can the elect be cast
away, nor their number diminished.
The elect in due time, though in various degrees
and in different measures, attain the assurance of this their
eternal and unchangeable election, not by inquisitively prying
into the secret and deep things of God, but by observing in themselves
with a spiritual joy and holy pleasure, the infallible fruits
of election pointed out in the Word of God - such as a true faith
in Christ, filial fear, a godly sorrow for sin, a hungering and
thirsting after righteousness, etc.
The sense and certainty of this election afford to
the children of God additional matter for daily humiliation before
him, for adoring the depth of his mercies, for cleansing themselves,
and rendering grateful returns of ardent love to him, who first
manifested so great love towards them. The consideration of this
doctrine of election is so far from encouraging remissness in
the observance of the divine commands, or from sinking men in
carnal security, that these, in the just judgment of God, are
the usual effects of rash presumption, or of idle and wanton trifling
with the grace of election, in those who refuse to walk in the
ways of the elect.
As the doctrine of divine election by the most wise
counsel of God, was declared by the prophets, by Christ himself,
and by the apostles, and is clearly revealed in the Scriptures,
both of the Old and New Testament, so it is still to be published
in due time and place in the Church of God, for which it was peculiarly
designed, provided it be done with reverence, in the spirit of
discretion and piety, for the glory of God's most holy name, and
for enlivening and comforting his people, without vainly attempting
to investigate the secret ways of the Most High.
Acts 20:27; Romans 11:33,34; 12:3; Hebrews 6:17,18.
What peculiarly tends to illustrate and recommend
to us the eternal and unmerited grace of election, is the express
testimony of sacred Scripture, that not all, but some only are
elected, while others are passed by in the eternal election of
God; whom God, out of his sovereign, most just, irreprehensible
and unchangeable good pleasure, hath decreed to leave in the common
misery into which they have willfully plunged themselves, and
not to bestow upon them saving faith and the grace of conversion;
but leaving them in his just judgment to follow their own ways,
at last for the declaration of his justice, to condemn and punish
them forever, not only on account of their unbelief, but also
for all their other sins. And this is the decree of reprobation
which by no means makes God the author of sin (the very thought
of which is blasphemy), but declares him to be an awful, irreprehensible,
and righteous judge and avenger thereof.
Those who do not yet experience a lively faith in
Christ, an assured confidence of soul, peace of conscience, an
earnest endeavor after filial obedience, and glorying in God through
Christ, efficaciously wrought in them, and do nevertheless persist
in the use of the means which God hath appointed for working these
graces in us, ought not to be alarmed at the mention of reprobation,
nor to rank themselves among the reprobate, but diligently to
persevere in the use of means, and with ardent desires, devoutly
and humbly to wait for a season of richer grace. Much less cause
have they to be terrified by the doctrine of reprobation, who,
though they seriously desire to be turned to God, to please him
only, and to be delivered from the body of death, cannot yet reach
that measure of holiness and faith to which they aspire; since
a merciful God has promised that he will not quench the smoking
flax, nor break the bruised reed. But this doctrine is justly
terrible to those, who, regardless of God and of the Savior Jesus
Christ, have wholly given themselves up to the cares of the world,
and the pleasures of the flesh, so long as they are not seriously
converted to God.
Since we are to judge of the will of God from his
Word, which testifies that the children of believers are holy,
not by nature, but in virtue of the covenant of grace, in which
they, together with the parents, are comprehended, godly parents
have no reason to doubt of the election and salvation of their
children, whom it pleaseth God to call out of this life in their
To those who murmur at the free grace of election,
and just severity of reprobation, we answer with the apostle:
"Nay, but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God?"
Romans 9:20, and quote the language of our Savior: "Is it
not lawful for me to do what I will with my own?"
Matthew 20:15. And therefore with holy adoration of these mysteries,
we exclaim in the words of the apostle: "O the depths of
the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable
are his judgments, and his ways past finding out! For who hath
known the mind of the Lord, or who hath been his counselor? or
who hath first given to him, and it shall be recompensed unto
him again? For of him, and through him, and to him are all things:
to whom be glory for ever. - Amen."
The true doctrine concerning Election and Reprobation
having been explained, the Synod rejects the errors of
Who teach: That the will of God to save those who would believe
and would persevere in faith and in the obedience of faith, is
the whole and entire decree of election unto salvation, and that
nothing else concerning this decree has been revealed in God's
For these deceive the simple and plainly contradict the Scriptures,
which declare that God will not only save those who will believe,
but that he has also from eternity chosen certain particular persons
to whom above others he in time will grant both faith in Christ
and perseverance; as it written: "I manifested thy name unto
the men whom thou gavest me out of the world,"
John 17:6. "And as many as were ordained to eternal life believed,"
Acts 13:48. And: "Even as he chose us in him before the
foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blemish
before him in love," Ephesians 1:4.
Who teach: That there are various kinds of election of God unto
eternal life: the one general and indefinite, the other particular
and definite; and that the latter in turn is either incomplete,
revocable, non-decisive and conditional, or complete, irrevocable,
decisive and absolute. Likewise: that there is one election unto
faith, and another unto salvation, so that election can be unto
justifying faith, without being a decisive election unto salvation.
For this is a fancy of men's minds, invented regardless of the
Scriptures, whereby the doctrine of election is corrupted, and
this golden chain of our salvation is broken: "And whom he
foreordained, them he also called; and whom he called, them he
also justified; and whom he justified, them he also glorified,"
Who teach: That the good pleasure and purpose of God, of which
Scripture makes mention in the doctrine of election, does not
consist in this, that God chose certain persons rather than others,
but in this that he chose out of all possible conditions (among
which are also the works of the law), or out of the whole order
of things, the act of faith which from its very nature is undeserving,
as well as its incomplete obedience, as a condition of salvation,
and that he would graciously consider this in itself as a complete
obedience and count it worthy of the reward of eternal life.
For by this injurious error the pleasure of God and the merits
of Christ are made of none effect, and men are drawn away by useless
questions from the truth of gracious justification and from the
simplicity of Scripture, and this declaration of the Apostle is
charged as untrue: "Who saved us, and called us with a holy
calling, not according to our works, but according to his own
purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before times
eternal." 2 Timothy 1:9.
Who teach: that in the election unto faith this condition is beforehand
demanded, namely, that man should use the light of nature aright,
be pious, humble, meek, and fit for eternal life, as if on these
things election were in any way dependent. For this savors of
the teaching of Pelagius, and is opposed to the doctrine of the
apostle, when he writes: "Among whom we also all once lived
in the lust of our flesh, doing the desires of the flesh and of
the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest;
but God being rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved
us, even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive
together with Christ (by grace have ye been saved), and raised
us up with him, and made us to sit with him in heavenly places,
in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come he might show the exceeding
riches of his grace in kindness towards us in Christ Jesus; for
by grace have ye been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves,
it is the gift of God; not of works, that no man should glory,"
Who teach: That the incomplete and non-decisive election of particular
persons to salvation occurred because of a foreseen faith, conversion,
holiness, godliness, which either began or continued for some
time; but that the complete and decisive election occurred because
of foreseen perseverance unto the end in faith, conversion, holiness
and godliness; and that this is the gracious and evangelical worthiness,
for the sake of which he who is chosen, is more worthy than he
who is not chosen; and that therefore faith, the obedience of
faith, holiness, godliness and perseverance are not fruits of
the unchangeable election unto glory, but are conditions, which,
being required beforehand, were foreseen as being met by those
who will be fully elected, and are causes without which the unchangeable
election to glory does not occur.
This is repugnant to the entire Scripture, which constantly inculcates
this and similar declarations: Election is not out of works, but
of him that calleth.
Romans 9:11. "As many as were ordained to eternal life believed,"
Acts 13:48. "He chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy,"
Ephesians 1:4. "Ye did not choose me, but I chose you,"
John 15:16. "But if it be of grace, it is no more of works,"
Romans 11:6. "Herein is love, not that we loved God, but
that he loved us, and sent his Son," I John 4:10.
Who teach: That not every election unto salvation is unchangeable,
but that some of the elect, any decree of God notwithstanding,
can yet perish and do indeed perish. By which gross error they
make God to be changeable, and destroy the comfort which the godly
obtain out of the firmness of their election, and contradict the
Holy Scripture, which teaches, that the elect can not be lead
Matthew 24:24; that Christ does not lose those whom the Father gave him,
John 6:39; and that God hath also glorified those whom he foreordained, called and justified.
Who teach: That there is in this life no fruit and no consciousness
of the unchangeable election to glory, nor any certainty, except
that which depends on a changeable and uncertain condition. For
not only is it absurd to speak of an uncertain certainty, but
also contrary to the experience of the saints, who by virtue of
the consciousness of their election rejoice with the Apostle and
praise this favor of God, Ephesians 1; who according to Christ's
admonition rejoice with his disciples that their names are written
in heaven, Luke 10:20; who also place the consciousness of their
election over against the fiery darts of the devil, asking: "Who
shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect?" Romans 8:33.
Who teach: That God, simply by virtue of his righteous will, did
not decide either to leave anyone in the fall of Adam and in the
common state of sin and condemnation, or to pass anyone by in
the communication of grace which is necessary for faith and conversion.
For this is firmly decreed: "He hath mercy on whom he will,
and whom he will he hardeneth," Romans 9:18. And also this:
"Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom
of heaven, but to them it is not given,"
Matthew 13:11. Likewise: "I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth,
that thou didst hide these things from the wise and understanding,
and didst reveal them unto babes; yea, Father, for so it was well-pleasing
in thy sight," Matthew 11:25,26.
Who teach: That the reason why God sends the gospel to one people
rather than to another is not merely and solely the good pleasure
of God, but rather the fact that one people is better and worthier
than another to whom the gospel is not communicated. For this
Moses denies, addressing the people of Israel as follows: "Behold
unto Jehovah thy God belongeth heaven and the heaven of heavens,
the earth, with all that is therein. Only Jehovah had a delight
in thy fathers to love him, and he chose their seed after them,
even you above all peoples, as at this day,"
Deuteronomy 10:14,15. And Christ said: "Woe unto thee, Chorazin! woe
unto thee, Bethsaida! for if the might works had been done in
Tyre and Sidon which were done in you, they would have repented
long ago in sackcloth and ashes," Matthew 11:21.
Second Head of Doctrine
Of the Death of Christ, and the Redemption of Men Thereby
God is not only supremely merciful, but also supremely
just. And his justice requires (as he hath revealed himself in
his Word), that our sins committed against his infinite majesty
should be punished, not only with temporal, but with eternal punishment,
both in body and soul; which we cannot escape, unless satisfaction
be made to the justice of God.
Since therefore we are unable to make that satisfaction
in our own persons, or to deliver ourselves from the wrath of
God, he hath been pleased in his infinite mercy to give his only
begotten Son, for our surety, who was made sin, and became a curse
for us and in our stead, that he might make satisfaction to divine
justice on our behalf.
The death of the Son of God is the only and most perfect
sacrifice and satisfaction for sin; and is of infinite worth and
value, abundantly sufficient to expiate the sins of the whole
This death derives its infinite value and dignity
from these considerations, because the person who submitted to
it was not only really man, and perfectly holy, but also the only
begotten Son of God, of the same eternal and infinite essence
with the Father and the Holy Spirit, which qualifications were
necessary to constitute him a Savior for us; and because it was
attended with a sense of the wrath and curse of God due to us
Moreover, the promise of the gospel is, that whosoever
believeth in Christ crucified, shall not perish, but have everlasting
life. This promise, together with the command to repent and believe,
ought to be declared and published to all nations, and to all
persons promiscuously and without distinction, to whom God out
of his good pleasure sends the gospel.
And, whereas many who are called by the gospel, do
not repent, nor believe in Christ, but perish in unbelief; this
is not owing to any defect or insufficiency in the sacrifice offered
by Christ upon the cross, but is wholly to be imputed to themselves.
But as many as truly believe, and are delivered and
saved from sin and destruction through the death of Christ, are
indebted for this benefit solely to the grace of God, given them
in Christ from everlasting, and not to any merit of their own.
For this was the sovereign counsel, and most gracious
will and purpose of God the Father, that the quickening and saving
efficacy of the most precious death of his Son should extend to
all the elect, for bestowing upon them alone the gift of justifying
faith, thereby to bring them infallibly to salvation: that is,
it was the will of God, that Christ by the blood of the cross,
whereby he confirmed the new covenant, should effectually redeem
out of every people, tribe, nation, and language, all those, and
those only, who were from eternity chosen to salvation, and given
to him by the Father; that he should confer upon them faith, which
together with all the other saving gifts of the Holy Spirit, he
purchased for them by his death; should purge them from all sin,
both original and actual, whether committed before or after believing;
and having faithfully preserved them even to the end, should at
last bring them free from every spot and blemish to the enjoyment
of glory in his own presence forever.
This purpose proceeding from everlasting love towards
the elect, has from the beginning of the world to this day been
powerfully accomplished, and will henceforward still continue
to be accomplished, notwithstanding all the ineffectual opposition
of the gates of hell, so that the elect in due time may be gathered
together into one, and that there never may be wanting a church
composed of believers, the foundation of which is laid in the
blood of Christ, which may steadfastly love, and faithfully serve
him as their Savior, who as a bridegroom for his bride, laid down
his life for them upon the cross, and which may celebrate his
praises here and through all eternity.
The true doctrine having been explained, the Synod rejects
the errors of those:
Who teach: That God the Father has ordained his Son to the death
of the cross without a certain and definite decree to save any,
so that the necessity, profitableness and worth of what Christ
merited by his death might have existed, and might remain in all
its parts complete, perfect and intact, even if the merited redemption
had never in fact been applied to any person. For this doctrine
tends to the despising of the wisdom of the Father and of the
merits of Jesus Christ, and is contrary to Scripture. For thus
saith our Savior: "I lay down my life for the sheep, and I know them,"
John 10:15,27. And the prophet Isaiah saith
concerning the Savior: "When thou shalt make his soul an
offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his
days, and the pleasure of Jehovah shall prosper in his hand,"
Isaiah 53:10. Finally, this contradicts the article of faith
according to which we believe the catholic Christian church.
Who teach: That it was not the purpose of the death of Christ
that he should confirm the new covenant of grace through his blood,
but only that he should acquire for the Father the mere right
to establish with man such a covenant as he might please, whether
of grace or of works. For this is repugnant to Scripture which
teaches that Christ has become the Surety and Mediator of a better,
that is, the new covenant, and that a testament is of force where death has occurred.
Hebrews 7:22; 9:15,17.
Who teach: That Christ by his satisfaction merited neither salvation
itself for anyone, nor faith, whereby this satisfaction of Christ
unto salvation is effectually appropriated; but that he merited
for the Father only the authority or the perfect will to deal
again with man, and to prescribe new conditions as he might desire,
obedience to which, however, depended on the free will of man,
so that it therefore might have come to pass that either none
or all should fulfill these conditions. For these adjudge too
contemptuously of the death of Christ, do in no wise acknowledge
the most important fruit or benefit thereby gained, and bring
again out of hell the Pelagian error.
Who teach: That the new covenant of grace, which God the Father
through the mediation of the death of Christ, made with man, does
not herein consist that we by faith, in as much as it accepts
the merits of Christ, are justified before God and saved, but
in the fact that God having revoked the demand of perfect obedience
of the law, regards faith itself and the obedience of faith, although
imperfect, as the perfect obedience of the law, and does esteem
it worthy of the reward of eternal life through grace. For these
contradict the Scriptures: "Being justified freely by his
grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: whom God
hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood,"
Romans 3:24,25. And these proclaim, as did the wicked Socinus,
a new and strange justification of man before God, against the
consensus of the whole church.
Who teach: That all men have been accepted unto the state of reconciliation
and unto the grace of the covenant, so that no one is worthy of
condemnation on account of original sin, and that no one shall
be condemned because of it, but that all are free from the guilt
of original sin. For this opinion is repugnant to Scripture which teaches that we are by nature children of wrath.
Who use the difference between meriting and appropriating, to
the end that they may instill into the minds of the imprudent
and inexperienced this teaching that God, as far as he is concerned,
has been minded of applying to all equally the benefits gained
by the death of Christ; but that, while some obtain the pardon
of sin and eternal life, and others do not, this difference depends
on their own free will, which joins itself to the grace that is
offered without exception, and that it is not dependent on the
special gift of mercy, which powerfully works in them, that they
rather than others should appropriate unto themselves this grace.
For these, while they feign that they present this distinction,
in a sound sense, seek to instill into the people the destructive
poison of the Pelagian errors.
Who teach: That Christ neither could die, needed to die, nor did
die for those whom God loved in the highest degree and elected
to eternal life, and did not die for these, since these do not
need the death of Christ. For they contradict the Apostle, who
declares: "Christ loved me, and gave himself for me,"
Galatians 2:20. Likewise: "Who shall lay any thing to the
charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth; who is he that condemneth? It is Christ Jesus that died,"
namely, for them; and the Savior who says: "I lay down my life for the sheep,"
John 10:15. And: "This is my commandment,
that ye love one another, even as I have loved you. Greater love
hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends,"
Third and Fourth Heads of Doctrine
Of the Corruption of Man, His Conversion to God,
and the Manner Thereof.
Man was originally formed after the image of God.
His understanding was adorned with a true and saving knowledge
of his Creator, and of spiritual things; his heart and will were
upright; all his affections pure; and the whole man was holy;
but revolting from God by the instigation of the devil, and abusing
the freedom of his own will, he forfeited these excellent gifts;
and on the contrary entailed on himself blindness of mind, horrible
darkness, vanity and perverseness of judgment, became wicked,
rebellious, and obdurate in heart and will, and impure in his
Man after the fall begat children in his own likeness.
A corrupt stock produced a corrupt offspring. Hence all the
posterity of Adam, Christ only excepted, have derived corruption
from their original parent, not by imitation, as the Pelagians
of old asserted, but by the propagation of a vicious nature.
Therefore all men are conceived in sin, and by nature
children of wrath, incapable of saving good, prone to evil, dead
in sin, and in bondage thereto, and without the regenerating grace
of the Holy Spirit, they are neither able nor willing to return
to God, to reform the depravity of their nature, nor to dispose
themselves to reformation.
There remain, however, in man since the fall, the
glimmerings of natural light, whereby he retains some knowledge
of God, of natural things, and of the differences between good
and evil, and discovers some regard for virtue, good order in
society, and for maintaining an orderly external deportment.
But so far is this light of nature from being sufficient to bring
him to a saving knowledge of God, and to true conversion, that
he is incapable of using it aright even in things natural and
civil. Nay further, this light, such as it is, man in various
ways renders wholly polluted, and holds it in unrighteousness,
by doing which he becomes inexcusable before God.
In the same light are we to consider the law of the
decalogue, delivered by God to his peculiar people the Jews, by
the hands of Moses. For though it discovers the greatness of
sin, and more and more convinces man thereof, yet as it neither
points out a remedy, nor imparts strength to extricate him from
misery, and thus being weak through the flesh, leaves the transgressor
under the curse, man cannot by this law obtain saving grace.
What therefore neither the light of nature, nor the
law could do, that God performs by the operation of the Holy Spirit
through the word or ministry of reconciliation: which is the glad
tidings concerning the Messiah, by means whereof, it hath pleased
God to save such as believe, as well under the Old, as under the
This mystery of his will God discovered to but a small
number under the Old Testament; under the New, (the distinction
between various peoples having been removed), he reveals himself
to many, without any distinction of people. The cause of this
dispensation is not to be ascribed to the superior worth of one
nation above another, nor to their making a better use of the
light of nature, but results wholly from the sovereign good pleasure
and unmerited love of God. Hence they, to whom so great and so
gracious a blessing is communicated, above their desert, or rather
notwithstanding their demerits, are bound to acknowledge it with
humble and grateful hearts, and with the apostle to adore, not
curiously to pry into the severity and justice of God's judgments
displayed to others, to whom this grace is not given.
As many as are called by the gospel, are unfeignedly
called. For God hath most earnestly and truly shown in his Word,
what is pleasing to him, namely, that those who are called should
come to him. He, moreover, seriously promises eternal life, and
rest, to as many as shall come to him, and believe on him.
It is not the fault of the gospel, nor of Christ,
offered therein, nor of God, who calls men by the gospel, and
confers upon them various gifts, that those who are called by
the ministry of the word, refuse to come, and be converted: the
fault lies in themselves; some of whom when called, regardless
of their danger, reject the word of life; others, though they
receive it, suffer it not to make a lasting impression on their
heart; therefore, their joy, arising only from a temporary faith,
soon vanishes, and they fall away; while others choke the seed
of the word by perplexing cares, and the pleasures of this world,
and produce no fruit. - This our Savior teaches in the parable of the
sower. Matthew 13.
But that others who are called by the gospel, obey
the call, and are converted, is not to be ascribed to the proper
exercise of free will, whereby one distinguishes himself above
others, equally furnished with grace sufficient for faith and
conversions, as the proud heresy of Pelagius maintains; but it
must be wholly ascribed to God, who as he has chosen his own from
eternity in Christ, so he confers upon them faith and repentance,
rescues them from the power of darkness, and translates them into
the kingdom of his own Son, that they may show forth the praises
of him, who hath called them out of darkness into his marvelous
light; and may glory not in themselves, but in the Lord according
to the testimony of the apostles in various places.
But when God accomplishes his good pleasure in the
elect, or works in them true conversion, he not only causes the
gospel to be externally preached to them, and powerfully illumines
their minds by his Holy Spirit, that they may rightly understand
and discern the things of the Spirit of God; but by the efficacy
of the same regenerating Spirit, pervades the inmost recesses
of the man; he opens the closed, and softens the hardened heart,
and circumcises that which was uncircumcised, infuses new qualities
into the will, which though heretofore dead, he quickens; from
being evil, disobedient and refractory, he renders it good, obedient,
and pliable; actuates and strengthens it, that like a good tree,
it may bring forth the fruits of good actions.
And this is the regeneration so highly celebrated
in Scripture, and denominated a new creation: a resurrection from
the dead, a making alive, which God works in us without our aid.
But this is in no wise effected merely by the external preaching
of the gospel, by moral suasion, or such a mode of operation,
that after God has performed his part, it still remains in the
power of man to be regenerated or not, to be converted, or to
continue unconverted; but it is evidently a supernatural work,
most powerful, and at the same time most delightful, astonishing,
mysterious, and ineffable; not inferior in efficacy to creation,
or the resurrection from the dead, as the Scripture inspired by
the author of this work declares; so that all in whose heart God
works in this marvelous manner, are certainly, infallibly, and
effectually regenerated, and do actually believe. - Whereupon
the will thus renewed, is not only actuated and influenced by
God, but in consequence of this influence, becomes itself active.
Wherefore also, man is himself rightly said to believe and repent,
by virtue of that grace received.
The manner of this operation cannot be fully comprehended
by believers in this life. Notwithstanding which, they rest satisfied
with knowing and experiencing, that by this grace of God they
are enabled to believe with the heart, and love their Savior.
Faith is therefore to be considered as the gift of
God, not on account of its being offered by God to man, to be
accepted or rejected at his pleasure; but because it is in reality
conferred, breathed, and infused into him; or even because God
bestows the power or ability to believe, and then expects that
man should by the exercise of his own free will, consent to the
terms of that salvation, and actually believe in Christ; but because
he who works in man both to will and to do, and indeed all things
in all, produces both the will to believe, and the act of believing
God is under no obligation to confer this grace upon
any; for how can he be indebted to man, who had no precious gifts
to bestow, as a foundation for such recompense? Nay, who has
nothing of his own but sin and falsehood? He therefore who becomes
the subject of this grace, owes eternal gratitude to God, and
gives him thanks forever. Whoever is not made partaker thereof,
is either altogether regardless of these spiritual gifts, and
satisfied with his own condition; or is in no apprehension of
danger, and vainly boasts the possession of that which he has
not. With respect to those who make an external profession of
faith, and live regular lives, we are bound, after the example
of the apostle, to judge and speak of them in the most favorable
manner. For the secret recesses of the heart are unknown to us.
And as to others, who have not yet been called, it is our duty
to pray for them to God, who calls the things that are not, as
if they were. But we are in no wise to conduct ourselves towards
them with haughtiness, as if we had made ourselves to differ.
But as man by the fall did not cease to be a creature,
endowed with understanding and will, nor did sin which pervaded
the whole race of mankind, deprive him of the human nature, but
brought upon him depravity and spiritual death; so also this grace
of regeneration does not treat men as senseless stocks and blocks,
nor take away their will and its properties, neither does violence
thereto; but spiritually quickens, heals, corrects, and at the
same time sweetly and powerfully bends it; that where carnal rebellion
and resistance formerly prevailed, a ready and sincere spiritual
obedience begins to reign; in which the true and spiritual restoration
and freedom of our will consist. Wherefore unless the admirable
author of every good work wrought in us, man could have no hope
of recovering from his fall by his own free will, by the abuse
of which, in a state of innocence, he plunged himself into ruin.
As the almighty operation of God, whereby he prolongs
and supports this our natural life, does not exclude, but requires
the use of means, by which God of his infinite mercy and goodness
hath chosen to exert his influence, so also the before mentioned
supernatural operation of God, by which we are regenerated, in
no wise excludes, or subverts the use of the gospel, which the
most wise God has ordained to be the seed of regeneration, and
food of the soul. Wherefore, as the apostles, and teachers who
succeeded them, piously instructed the people concerning this
grace of God, to his glory, and the abasement of all pride, and
in the meantime, however, neglected not to keep them by the sacred
precepts of the gospel in the exercise of the Word, sacraments
and discipline; so even to this day, be it far from either instructors
or instructed to presume to tempt God in the church by separating
what he of his good pleasure hath most intimately joined together.
For grace is conferred by means of admonitions; and the more
readily we perform our duty, the more eminent usually is this
blessing of God working in us, and the more directly is his work
advanced; to whom alone all the glory both of means, and of their
saving fruit and efficacy is forever due. Amen.
The true doctrine having been explained, the Synod rejects
the errors of those:
Who teach: That it cannot properly be said, that original sin
in itself suffices to condemn the whole human race, or to deserve
temporal and eternal punishment. For these contradict the Apostle,
who declares: "Therefore as through one man sin entered into
the world, and death through sin, and so death passed unto all men, for that all sinned,"
Romans 5:12. And: "The judgment came of one unto condemnation,"
Romans 5:16. And: "The wages of sin is death,"Romans 6:23.
Who teach: That the spiritual gifts, or the good qualities and
virtues, such as: goodness, holiness, righteousness, could not
belong to the will of man when he was first created, and that
these, therefore, could not have been separated therefrom in the
fall. For such is contrary to the description of the image of God, which the Apostle gives in
Ephesians 4:24, where he declares
that it consists in righteousness and holiness, which undoubtedly
belong to the will.
Who teach: That in spiritual death the spiritual gifts are not
separate from the will of man, since the will in itself has never
been corrupted, but only hindered through the darkness of the
understanding and the irregularity of the affections; and that,
these hindrances having been removed, the will can then bring
into operation its native powers, that is, that the will of itself
is able to will and to choose, or not to will and not to choose,
all manner of good which may be presented to it. This is an innovation
and an error, and tends to elevate the powers of the free will,
contrary to the declaration of the Prophet: "The heart is
deceitful above all things, and it is exceedingly corrupt,"
Jeremiah 17:9; and of the Apostle: "Among whom (sons of disobedience)
we also all once lived in the lusts of the flesh, doing the desires of the flesh and of the mind,"
Who teach: That the unregenerate man is not really nor utterly
dead in sin, nor destitute of all powers unto spiritual good,
but that he can yet hunger and thirst after righteousness and
life, and offer the sacrifice of a contrite and broken spirit,
which is pleasing to God. For these are contrary to the express
testimony of Scripture. "Ye were dead through trespasses and sins,"
Ephesians 2:1,5; and: "Every imagination
of the thought of his heart are only evil continually,"
Genesis 6:5; 8:21.
Moreover, to hunger and thirst after deliverance from misery,
and after life, and to offer unto God the sacrifice of a broken
spirit, is peculiar to the regenerate and those that are called blessed.
Psalm 51:10, 19; Matthew 5:6.
Who teach: That the corrupt and natural man can so well use the
common grace (by which they understand the light of nature), or
the gifts still left him after the fall, that he can gradually
gain by their good use a greater, namely, the evangelical or saving
grace and salvation itself. And that in this way God on his part
shows himself ready to reveal Christ unto all men, since he applies
to all sufficiently and efficiently the means necessary to conversion.
For the experience of all ages and the Scriptures do both testify
that this is untrue. "He showeth his Word unto Jacob, his
statues and his ordinances unto Israel. He hath not dealt so
with any nation: and as for his ordinances they have not known them,"
Psalm 147:19, 20. "Who in the generations gone
by suffered all the nations to walk in their own way,"
Acts 14:16. And: "And they (Paul and his companions) having been
forbidden of the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia, and when
they were come over against Mysia, they assayed to go into Bithynia, and the Spirit suffered them not,"
Acts 16:6, 7.
Who teach: That in the true conversion of man no new qualities,
powers or gifts can be infused by God into the will, and that
therefore faith through which we are first converted, and because
of which we are called believers, is not a quality or gift infused
by God, but only an act of man, and that it can not be said to
be a gift, except in respect of the power to attain to this faith.
For thereby they contradict the Holy Scriptures, which declare
that God infuses new qualities of faith, of obedience, and of
the consciousness of his love into our hearts: "I will put
my law in their inward parts, and in their hearts will I write it,"
Jeremiah 31:33. And: "I will pour water upon him
that is thirsty, and streams upon the dry ground; I will pour my spirit upon thy seed,"
Isaiah 44:3. And: "The love
of God hath been shed abroad in our hearts through the Holy Spirit which hath been given us,"
Romans 5:5. This is also repugnant
to the continuous practice of the Church, which prays by the mouth
of the Prophet thus: "Turn thou me, and I shall be turned,"
Who teach: that the grace whereby we are converted to God is only
a gentle advising, or (as others explain it), that this is the
noblest manner of working in the conversion of man, and that this
manner of working, which consists in advising, is most in harmony
with man's nature; and that there is no reason why this advising
grace alone should not be sufficient to make the natural man spiritual,
indeed, that God does not produce the consent of the will except
through this manner of advising; and that the power of the divine
working, whereby it surpasses the working of Satan, consists in
this, that God promises eternal, while Satan promises only temporal
goods. But this is altogether Pelagian and contrary to the whole
Scripture which, besides this, teaches another and far more powerful
and divine manner of the Holy Spirit's working in the conversion
of man, as in Ezekiel: "A new heart also will I give you,
and a new spirit will I put within you; and I will take away the
stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you a heart of flesh,"
Who teach: That God in the regeneration of man does not use such
powers of his omnipotence as potently and infallibly bend man's
will to faith and conversion; but that all the works of grace
having been accomplished, which God employs to convert man, man
may yet so resist God and the Holy Spirit, when God intends man's
regeneration and wills to regenerate him, and indeed that man
often does so resist that he prevents entirely his regeneration,
and that it therefore remains in man's power to be regenerated
or not. For this is nothing less than the denial of all the efficiency
of God's grace in our conversion, and the subjecting of the working
of Almighty God to the will of man, which is contrary to the Apostles,
who teach: "That we believe according to the working of the strength of his power,"
Ephesians 1:19. And: "That
God fulfills every desire of goodness and every work of faith with power,"
2 Thessalonians 1:11. And: "That his divine
power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness,"
2 Peter 1:3.
Who teach: That grace and free will are partial causes, which
together work the beginning of conversion, and that grace, in
order of working, does not precede the working of the will; that
is, that God does not efficiently help the will of man unto conversion
until the will of man moves and determines to do this. For the
ancient Church has long ago condemned this doctrine of the Pelagians
according to the words of the Apostle: "So then it is not
of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that hath mercy,"
Romans 9:16. Likewise: "For who maketh
thee to differ? and what hast thou that thou didst not receive?"
I Corinthians 4:7. And: "For it is God who worketh in you
both to will and to work, for his good pleasure,"
Fifth Head of Doctrine
Of the Perseverance of the Saints
Whom God calls, according to his purpose, to the communion
of his Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, and regenerates by the Holy
Spirit, he delivers also from the dominion and slavery of sin
in this life; though not altogether from the body of sin, and
from the infirmities of the flesh, so long as they continue in
Hence spring daily sins of infirmity, and hence spots
adhere to the best works of the saints; which furnish them with
constant matter for humiliation before God, and flying for refuge
to Christ crucified; for mortifying the flesh more and more by
the spirit of prayer, and by holy exercises of piety; and for
pressing forward to the goal of perfection, till being at length
delivered from this body of death, they are brought to reign with
the Lamb of God in heaven.
By reason of these remains of indwelling sin, and
the temptations of sin and of the world, those who are converted
could not persevere in a state of grace, if left to their own
strength. But God is faithful, who having conferred grace, mercifully
confirms, and powerfully preserves them herein, even to the end.
Although the weakness of the flesh cannot prevail
against the power of God, who confirms and preserves true believers
in a state of grace, yet converts are not always so influenced
and actuated by the Spirit of God, as not in some particular instances
sinfully to deviate from the guidance of divine grace, so as to
be seduced by, and to comply with the lusts of the flesh; they
must, therefore, be constant in watching and in prayer, that they
be not led into temptation. When these are neglected, they are
not only liable to be drawn into great and heinous sins, by Satan,
the world and the flesh, but sometimes by the righteous permission
of God actually fall into these evils. This, the lamentable fall
of David, Peter, and other saints described in Holy Scripture,
By such enormous sins, however, they very highly offend
God, incur a deadly guilt, grieve the Holy Spirit, interrupt the
exercise of faith, very grievously wound their consciences, and
sometimes lose the sense of God's favor, for a time, until on
their returning into the right way of serious repentance, the
light of God's fatherly countenance again shines upon them.
But God, who is rich in mercy, according to his unchangeable
purpose of election, does not wholly withdraw the Holy Spirit
from his own people, even in their melancholy falls; nor suffers
them to proceed so far as to lose the grace of adoption, and forfeit
the state of justification, or to commit sins unto death; nor
does he permit them to be totally deserted, and to plunge themselves
into everlasting destruction.
For in the first place, in these falls he preserves
them in the incorruptible seed of regeneration from perishing,
or being totally lost; and again, by his Word and Spirit, certainly
and effectually renews them to repentance, to a sincere and godly
sorrow for their sins, that they may seek and obtain remission
in the blood of the Mediator, may again experience the favor of
a reconciled God, through faith adore his mercies, and henceforward
more diligently work out their own salvation with fear and trembling.
Thus, it is not in consequence of their own merits,
or strength, but of God's free mercy, that they do not totally
fall from faith and grace, nor continue and perish finally in
their backslidings; which, with respect to themselves, is not
only possible, but would undoubtedly happen; but with respect
to God, it is utterly impossible, since his counsel cannot be
changed, nor his promise fail, neither can the call according
to his purpose be revoked, nor the merit, intercession and preservation
of Christ be rendered ineffectual, nor the sealing of the Holy
Spirit be frustrated or obliterated.
Of this preservation of the elect to salvation, and
of their perseverance in the faith, true believers for themselves
may and ought to obtain assurance according to the measure of
their faith, whereby they arrive at the certain persuasion, that
they ever will continue true and living members of the church;
and that they experience forgiveness of sins, and will at last
inherit eternal life.
This assurance, however, is not produced by any peculiar
revelation contrary to, or independent of the Word of God; but
springs from faith in God's promises, which he has most abundantly
revealed in his Word for our comfort; from the testimony of the
Holy Spirit, witnessing with our spirit, that we are children and heirs of God,
Romans 8:16; and lastly, from a serious and
holy desire to preserve a good conscience, and to perform good
works. And if the elect of God were deprived of this solid comfort,
that they shall finally obtain the victory, and of this infallible
pledge or earnest of eternal glory, they would be of all men the
The Scripture moreover testifies, that believers
in this life have to struggle with various carnal doubts, and
that under grievous temptations they are not always sensible of
this full assurance of faith and certainty of persevering. But
God, who is the Father of all consolation, does not suffer them
to be tempted above that they are able, but will with the temptation
also make a way to escape, that they may be able to bear it,
I Corinthians 10:13, and by the Holy Spirit again inspires them
with the comfortable assurance of persevering.
This certainty of perseverance, however, is so far
from exciting in believers a spirit of pride, or of rendering
them carnally secure, that on the contrary, it is the real source
of humility, filial reverence, true piety, patience in every tribulation,
fervent prayers, constancy in suffering, and in confessing the
truth, and of solid rejoicing in God: so that the consideration
of this benefit should serve as an incentive to the serious and
constant practice of gratitude and good works, as appears from
the testimonies of Scripture, and the examples of the saints.
Neither does renewed confidence or persevering produce
licentiousness, or a disregard to piety in those who are recovering
from backsliding; but it renders them much more careful and solicitous
to continue in the ways of the Lord, which he hath ordained, that
they who walk therein may maintain an assurance of persevering,
lest by abusing his fatherly kindness, God should turn away his
gracious countenance from them, to behold which is to the godly
dearer than life: the withdrawing thereof is more bitter than
death, and they in consequence hereof should fall into more grievous
torments of conscience.
And as it hath pleased God, by the preaching of the
gospel, to begin this work of grace in us, so he preserves, continues,
and perfects it by the hearing and reading of his Word, by meditation
thereon, and by the exhortations, threatenings, and promises thereof,
as well as by the use of the sacraments.
The carnal mind is unable to comprehend this doctrine
of the perseverance of the saints, and the certainty thereof;
which God hath most abundantly revealed in his Word, for the glory
of his name, and the consolation of pious souls, and which he
impresses upon the hearts of the faithful. Satan abhors it; the
world ridicules it; the ignorant and hypocrite abuse, and heretics
oppose it; but the spouse of Christ hath always most tenderly
loved and constantly defended it, as an inestimable treasure;
and God, against whom neither counsel nor strength can prevail,
will dispose her to continue this conduct to the end. Now, to
this one God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, be honor and glory,
The true doctrine having been explained, the Synod rejects
the errors of those:
Who teach: That the perseverance of the true believers is not
a fruit of election, or a gift of God, gained by the death of
Christ, but a condition of the new covenant, which (as they declare)
man before his decisive election and justification must fulfill
through his free will. For the Holy Scripture testifies that
this follows out of election, and is given the elect in virtue
of the death, the resurrection and intercession of Christ: "But
the elect obtained it and the rest were hardened,"
Romans 11:7. Likewise: "He that spared not his own Son, but delivered
him up for us all, how shall he not also with him freely give
us all things? Who shall lay anything to the charge of God's
elect? It is God that justifieth; who is he that condemneth?
It is Christ Jesus that died, yea rather, that was raised from
the dead, who is at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession
for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?"
Who teach: That God does indeed provide the believer with sufficient
powers to persevere, and is ever ready to preserve these in him,
if he will do his duty; but that though all things, which are
necessary to persevere in faith and which God will use to preserve
faith, are made use of, it even then ever depends on the pleasure
of the will whether it will persevere or not. For this idea contains
an outspoken Pelagianism, and while it would make men free, it
makes them robbers of God's honor, contrary to the prevailing
agreement of the evangelical doctrine, which takes from man all
cause of boasting, and ascribes all the praise for this favor
to the grace of God alone; and contrary to the Apostle, who declares:
"That it is God, who shall also confirm you unto the end,
that ye be unreprovable in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ,"
I Corinthians 1:18.
Who teach: That the true believers and regenerate not only can
fall from justifying faith and likewise from grace and salvation
wholly and to the end, but indeed often do fall from this and
are lost forever. For this conception makes powerless the grace,
justification, regeneration, and continued keeping by Christ,
contrary to the expressed words of the Apostle Paul: "That
while we were yet sinners Christ died for us. Much more then,
being justified by his blood, shall we be saved from the wrath of God through him,"
Romans 5:8,9. And contrary to the Apostle
John: "Whosoever is begotten of God doeth no sin, because
his seed abideth in him; and he can not sin, because he is begotten of God,"
I John 3:9. And also contrary to the words of Jesus
Christ: "I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never
perish, and no one shall snatch them out of my hand. My Father
who hath given them to me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand,"
Who teach: That true believers and regenerate can sin the sin
unto death or against the Holy Spirit. Since the same Apostle
John, after having spoken in the fifth chapter of his first epistle,
vss. 16 and 17, of those who sin unto death and having forbidden
to pray for them, immediately adds to this in vs. 18: "We
know that whosoever is begotten of God sinneth not (meaning a
sin of that character), but he that is begotten of God keepeth himself, and the evil one toucheth him not,"
I John 5:18.
Who teach: That without a special revelation we can have no certainty
of future perseverance in this life. For by this doctrine the
sure comfort of all believers is taken away in this life, and
the doubts of the papist are again introduced into the church,
while the Holy Scriptures constantly deduce this assurance, not
from a special and extraordinary revelation, but from the marks
proper to the children of God and from the constant promises of
God. So especially the Apostle Paul: "No creature shall
be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord,"
Romans 8:39. And John declares: "And
he that keepeth his commandments abideth in him, and he in him.
And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he gave us,"
I John 3:24.
Who teach: That the doctrine of the certainty of perseverance
and of salvation from its own character and nature is a cause
of indolence and is injurious to godliness, good morals, prayers
and other holy exercises, but that on the contrary it is praiseworthy
to doubt. For these show that they do not know the power of divine
grace and the working of the indwelling Holy Spirit. And they
contradict the Apostle John, who teaches the opposite with express
words in his first epistle: "Beloved, now are we the children
of God, and it is not yet made manifest what we shall be. We
know that, if he shall be manifested, we shall be like him, for
we shall see him even as he is. And every one that hath this
hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure,"
I John 3:2, 3. Furthermore, these are contradicted by the example of
the saints, both of the Old and New Testament, who though they
were assured of their perseverance and salvation, were nevertheless
constant in prayers and other exercises of godliness.
Who teach: That the faith of those, who believe for a time, does
not differ from justifying and saving faith except only in duration. For Christ himself, in
Matthew 13:20, Luke 8:13, and in other
places, evidently notes, besides this duration, a threefold difference
between those who believe only for a time and true believers,
when he declares that the former receive the seed in stony ground,
but the latter in the good ground or heart; that the former are
without root, but that the latter have a firm root; that the former
are without fruit, but that the latter bring forth their fruit
in various measure, with constancy and steadfastness.
Who teach: That it is not absurd that one having lost his first
regeneration, is again and even often born anew. For these deny
by this doctrine the incorruptibleness of the seed of God, whereby
we are born again. Contrary to the testimony of the Apostle Peter:
"Having been begotten again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible,"
I Peter 1:23.
Who teach: That Christ has in no place prayed that believers should
infallibly continue in faith. For they contradict Christ himself,
who says: "I have prayed for thee (Simon), that thy faith fail not,"
Luke 22:32; and the Evangelist John, who declares,
that Christ has not prayed for the Apostles only, but also for
those who through their word would believer: "Holy Father,
keep them in thy name," and: "I pray not that thou shouldest
take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil one,"
John 17:11, 15, 20.
And this is the perspicuous, simple, and ingenious declaration
of the orthodox doctrine respecting the five articles which have
been controverted in the Belgic churches; and the rejection of
the errors, with which they have for some time been troubled.
This doctrine, the Synod judges to be drawn from the Word of
God, and to be agreeable to the confessions of the Reformed churches.
Whence it clearly appears, that some whom such conduct by no
means became, have violated all truth, equity, and charity, in
wishing to persuade the public.
"That the doctrine of the Reformed churches concerning predestination,
and the points annexed to it, by its own genius and necessary
tendency, leads off the minds of men from all piety and religion;
that it is an opiate administered by the flesh and by the devil,
and the stronghold of Satan, where he lies in wait for all; and
from which he wounds multitudes, and mortally strikes through
many with the darts both of despair and security; that it makes
God the author of sin, unjust, tyrannical, hypocritical; that
it is nothing more than interpolated Stoicism, Manicheism, Libertinism,
Turcism; that it renders men carnally secure, since they are persuaded
by it that nothing can hinder the salvation of the elect, let
them live as they please; and therefore, that they may safely
perpetrate every species of the most atrocious crimes; and that,
if the reprobate should even perform truly all the works of the
saints, their obedience would not in the least contribute to their
salvation; that the same doctrine teaches, that God, by a mere
arbitrary act of his will, without the least respect or view to
sin, has predestinated the greatest part of the world to eternal
damnation; and, has created them for this very purpose; that in
the same manner in which the election is the fountain and cause
of faith and good works, reprobation is the cause of unbelief
and impiety; that many children of the faithful are torn, guiltless,
from their mothers' breasts, and tyrannically plunged into hell;
so that, neither baptism, nor the prayers of the Church at their
baptism, can at all profit by them;" and many other things
of the same kind, which the Reformed Churches not only do not
acknowledge, but even detest with their whole soul. Wherefore,
this Synod of Dort, in the name of the Lord, conjures as many
as piously call upon the name of our Savior Jesus Christ, to judge
of the faith of the Reformed Churches, not from the calumnies,
which, on every side, are heaped upon it; nor from the private
expressions of a few among ancient and modern teachers, often
dishonestly quoted, or corrupted, and wrested to a meaning quite
foreign to their intention; but from the public confessions of
the Churches themselves, and from the declaration of the orthodox
doctrine, confirmed by the unanimous consent of all and each of
the members of the whole Synod. Moreover, the Synod warns calumniators
themselves, to consider the terrible judgment of God which awaits
them, for bearing false witness against the confessions of so
many Churches, for distressing the consciences of the weak; and
for laboring to render suspected the society of the truly faithful.
Finally, this Synod exhorts all their brethren in the gospel
of Christ, to conduct themselves piously and religiously in handling
this doctrine, both in the universities and churches; to direct
it, as well in discourse, as in writing, to the glory of the Divine
Name, to holiness of life, and to the consolation of afflicted
souls; to regulate, by the Scripture, according to the analogy
of faith, not only their sentiments, but also their language;
and, to abstain from all those phrases which exceed the limits
necessary to be observed in ascertaining the genuine sense of
the holy Scriptures; and may furnish insolent sophists with a
just pretext for violently assailing, or even vilifying, the doctrine
of the Reformed Churches.
May Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who, seated at the Father's
right hand, gives gifts to men, sanctify us in the truth, bring
to the truth those who err, shut the mouths of the calumniators
of sound doctrine, and endue the faithful minister of his Word
with the spirit of wisdom and discretion, that all their discourses
may tend to the glory of God, and the edification of those who
hear them. AMEN.
That this is our faith and decision we certify by subscribing
Here follow the names, not only of President,
Assistant President, and Secretaries of the Synod, and of the
Professors of Theology in the Dutch Churches, but of all the Members
who were deputed to Synod, as the representatives of their respective
Churches, that is, of the Delegates from Great Britain, the Electoral
Palatinate, Hessia, Switzerland, Wetteraw, the Republic and
Church of Geneva, The Republic and Church of Bremen, The
Republic and Church of Emden, The Duchy of Gelderland and of
Zutphen, South Holland, North Holland, Zeeland, The
Province of Utrecht, Friesland, Transylvania, The State
of Groningen and Omland, Drent, The French Churches.
Canons of Dort
The individual articles presented here were generally first published
in the early 1980s. This subject presentation was first placed
on the Internet in December 1997.
This page - -
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Send an e-mail question or comment to us:
The main BELIEVE web-page (and the index to subjects) is at:
BELIEVE Religious Information Source - By Alphabet
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U.S. delaying debt reckoning - UBS chief
Relying on the Federal Reserve to shore up the economy while agreeing to short-term budget deals risks storing up trouble for the United States down the road, Axel Weber, chairman of Swiss bank UBS, said Wednesday.
Weber, former president of Germany's Bundesbank, said quantitative easing to pump cash into developed economies had been the right policy from 2007-2010, but it had helped create the impression that central banks were "the only game in town."
"Central banks can only do certain things," he said at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. "Deeper issues are still there."
The Fed has indicated it intends to keep buying assets such as Treasuries in order to stimulate the economy until the labor market improves "substantially."
But even though economists predict unemployment will still be at 7.5% at the end of this year, little improved from the current 7.8% rate, they are divided on whether the Fed will stop its purchase program this year.
Weber said U.S. debates about the fiscal cliff and debt ceiling were backward. Rather than viewing the ceiling as a limit on borrowing and a requirement to find ways to bring down debt, the focus seemed to be on how to increase it.
"Sooner or later the US has to face the fiscal issues, not just in the sense of delaying adjustment but really making a credible adjustment," Weber told CNN's Richard Quest.
"They can kick the can down the road for a lot longer than others might be able to, but at the end you've got to have a credible solution. I'm not saying it needs to be now, I'm not saying it needs to be anytime soon but it needs to be part of the policy framework."
The House of Representatives on Wednesday passed a "No Budget, No Pay Act," a Republican bill that would effectively defuse the debt ceiling threat for several months. The bill would let the Treasury Department borrow new money until mid-May. In exchange, the legislation would require lawmakers in both chambers of Congress to pass a budget resolution or have their pay withheld until they do so.
"This is just buying time," Weber said. "We are now living at the expense of future generations -- that's not a long-term sustainable solution."
The deal Congress struck on Jan. 1 to avert the fiscal cliff postponed difficult decisions on the debt ceiling, a series of automatic spending cuts and a 2014 budget resolution.
Central banks in the U.S., Europe and Japan have spent trillions buying government bonds to keep interest rates low and promote lending to businesses and households. Some central bankers have argued that quantitative easing is reaching the limit of its effectiveness.
"Going forward (central banks) have to answer the bigger question of how they will orderly exit from where they are now," Weber said.
Copyright 2013 by CNN NewSource. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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by Worldchanging San Francisco local blogger, Brian Smith:
After seven long years, the David Brower/Oxford Plaza complex finally broke ground in downtown Berkeley, California. This Center will be a place from which our sustainable future is planned and implemented.
A good sign that the project is already on track was the number of young parents with kids who arrived at the groundbreaking ceremony May 23, 2007 on bicycle. I sure was envious of the eco-hip toddlers with cool stickers on their bike helmets. Anyone know where I can get a T-rex sticker?
The groundbreaking was a celebration of a man, and a movement, and the end of a difficult planning process described by one of the main planners as “brain-damaging” in its complexity.
When complete, the Brower Center will serve as a home office for the environmental movement, with retail space on the ground floor, meeting rooms, a theater, and 97 units of permanently affordable, and high-quality rental housing near public transportation and jobs. And of course it will be a state of the art, green building.
A Man on a Mission
The complex is named after the undisputed heavy hitter of the American environmental movement. David Brower’s career spanned decades. He served as the Sierra Club’s first executive director, founded the League of Conservation Voters, Friends of the Earth, and Earth Island Institute. He was often thrown out of the very organizations he started for pushing too hard. Not to worry, Dave would just go start another organization that filled an underserved gap in the movement. Considering the groups Brower launched all play essential roles in today’s movement, his bad behavior can finally be understood as vision.
Everyone who met David has a favorite story of him.
Here is mine.
During his last decade (a manic “retirement” which required staff and a scheduler) David could often be found sipping a strong martini at his favorite restaurant just beneath the Bay Bridge in San Francisco. One afternoon, he invited some young people in the movement to join him. Just as we started feeling relaxed being in the presence of this giant, Dave went around the table, demanding an answer to one question.
“What book are YOU going to write that will help us save the planet?”
He was serious, and nobody dared leave the table until they had a decent answer. That was Dave. Dave wanted your sworn commitment to the cause, and he planned to hold you to it.
So far more than 30 organizations are in line to get office space in the Brower Center. Anchor tenants include Earth Island Institute, International Rivers Network, California League of Conservation Voters and Build It Green.
The builders are pushing for Platinum-LEED certification, and the hope is that this energy efficient, sunny, workplace will allow the environmental movement to do more collaboration. Besides office space, the center will include a theater for public events, a restaurant, and meeting rooms.
The housing element, which will be known as Oxford Plaza, was coordinated by Resources for Community Development a Berkeley-based affordable housing organization. By locating this housing right in the heart of Berkeley, near numerous transit options and bike lanes, RCD hopes to solve many of the transportation challenges of low-income workers. If they choose, residents will be able to live car-free and save their money for more important things.
A Monument to the Future
“The building of the Brower Center represents a further coming of age of a worldwide movement,” said Paul Hawken of the new buildings. “David was a monument, and hardly needs one. But what he did want was the deepening and strengthening of the institutions that lead the way towards conservation, preservation and restoration.”
The Brower Center will likely help accomplish all those things, and much more.
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You are in:
The intranet-based application has been made available to all employees including those in Fire Safety and Community Safety and at each of the 18 fire stations in Berkshire.
Anne Eatwell, IT Development Officer, said: “RBFRS commissioned Cadcorp to develop a bespoke web mapping application in 2008 specifically for use within our incident recording system and for fire safety inspections. The application did what we asked of it. However, like all fire services, we are constantly reviewing our service in the face of changing expectations and pressures on funding. We recognised that it might be more effective for us to switch to a maintained off-the-shelf application customised to meet our needs, and Cadcorp’s Web Map Layers appeared to meet our requirements.”
Following a period of evaluation RBFRS has now replaced the original bespoke application with Web Map Layers. The new application continues to provide a map window into what is an essential database in RBFRS - the ‘Incident and Building Information System’ (IBIS). It is the responsibility of fire crews returning from an incident to record all the relevant information about an incident and any additional risk information at the location in IBIS. This information includes the actual location of the incident, which may differ from the approximate location as described in the control system that dispatched the crew in the first instance. The database also includes information on the local geography of the land and buildings involved in the incident, such as points of access and the location of hazards.
Ms Eatwell describes the practical significance of having a map-based front-end to an incident and building database. “The integration of web mapping with IBIS makes it much easier for returning fire crews to enter locational information themselves. Because the application is easy to use, fire fighters have been able to take ownership of the information in this database. They know that the safety of the public and their own safety may depend on the information being accurate and up to date.”
Moving to an off-the-shelf web mapping application has brought other benefits to RBFRS as Ms Eatwell explains. “Our vision is to contribute to a safer Berkshire by reducing the incidence of death, injury and damage to property from fire and other emergencies. Web mapping is central to the achievement of this vision. It makes information on location more widely available – to more people, and also to more applications. We are using geographic information to support all three of our areas of responsibility: protection, prevention and response.
“For example, we use Web Map Layers to check the addresses of properties which are due for fire safety inspections, and for measuring the extent of properties. We identify high risk properties as red dots on a map, and we use web mapping to optimise the way we visit the properties to inspect them. Our Arson Team is able to use mapping to identify arson hot spots - particularly useful as the mapping shows incidents on average within 3 hours of closing. Our Community Safety team uses web mapping to identify potentially vulnerable communities and properties, which they will target in safety campaigns. We are also using Web Map Layers to indicate how well we are performing in responding to calls, by mapping our predicted travel times and actual travel times, and comparing the two.”
RBFRS has experienced a 19% reduction in 999 calls over the four year period 2007 to 2011, and there have been no fire deaths in commercial premises in Berkshire over recent years. However the authority which is one of the least expensive combined fire and rescue authorities in the country, is not complacent. “The challenges don’t diminish with success” notes Ms Eatwell. “For example, one of the busiest motorways in Europe – the M4 – runs right through Berkshire. We now rescue five times the number of people from cars as we do from fires. We will always have a need to ‘know where’. It’s simply that our reasons for knowing where will change.”
“Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service has been a customer of Cadcorp since 2004” noted Mike O’Neil, CEO of Cadcorp. “It is encouraging for us as a supplier of GIS and web mapping software to be able to offer technology and products which are keeping pace with the customer’s evolving needs, and which can accommodate changing and unknown priorities.
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I don’t like to go back-to-back on the same subject but a hot rumor hit Twitter as the last post was being published that Paul told NPR he would have voted against the 1964 CRA. (Much like certain Democrats who are still serving in the Senate did.) As you’ll see, it’s not true. The reporter, smelling blood, badgers him about it, but Paul never quite gives him a straight answer. And he qualifies his response with enough virtue — he opposes institutional racism, would have marched with MLK, likes a lot of what was in the CRA — that there’s really no wound inflicted here. His reservations about the law have to do not with the ends but with the means of federal compulsion; he wants business owners to serve everyone but clearly prefers using boycotts and local laws to pressure them. It’s not a question of being pro- or anti-discrimination, in other words, it’s a question of how federalism and civil-rights enforcement mesh. The left’s going to give him plenty of grief for that — expect questions soon about whether he would have voted to ratify the Fourteenth Amendment — but the “closet Klansman” narrative that NPR’s going for here is D.O.A.It's true that Rand made many expressions of his opposition to race discrimination in what was a hearty effort to blunt the effect of what he was saying, but it is not true that his "reservations" were limited to federalism concerns. (As to federalism, there was an argument, rejected long ago by the Supreme Court, that the Constitution did not empower Congress to regulate in this area.)
Rand was also expressing the view that owners of private businesses have a right to decide whom they will serve. Such a right would not run counter to the 14th Amendment, because the 14th Amendment only protects individuals from the actions of the state and privately owned restaurants and hotels are not the state. If you want a legal requirement that these businesses treat people equally, you need to pass a statute, which is why the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was passed. And that statute was susceptible to arguments it violated the right of the business owners to do what they wanted with their own property. When the Supreme Court upheld the Civil Rights Act of 1964, not only did it need to find an enumerated power for Congress to act, but it also had to deal with the argument that the Act violated the Due Process Clause. Rand's statement harkened back to both of those old arguments.
Look at what he said:
I don’t like the idea of telling private business owners—I abhor racism. I think it’s a bad business decision to exclude anybody from your restaurant—but, at the same time, I do believe in private ownership. But I absolutely think there should be no discrimination in anything that gets any public funding, and that’s most of what I think the Civil Rights Act was about in my mind....He likens private property rights to free speech rights. If you care about free speech rights, you defend even the people who say horrible things — Nazis, the KKK, etc. That's standard constitutional law doctrine. In Rand's view — and in the view of many libertarians — property rights work the same way. So you could have this horrible racist restauranteur who excluded black people, and the government would have to leave him alone, just as the government couldn't do anything about it if a white person had a dinner party at his house and only invited his white friends.
I would not go to that Woolworths, and I would stand up in my community and say that it is abhorrent, um, but, the hard part—and this is the hard part about believing in freedom—is, if you believe in the First Amendment, for example—you have too, for example, most good defenders of the First Amendment will believe in abhorrent groups standing up and saying awful things. . . . It’s the same way with other behaviors. In a free society, we will tolerate boorish people, who have abhorrent behavior.
A few years ago, I was at a conference with libertarians, and I was confronted with exactly this point of view. I expressed my concern that they were putting an extreme and abstract idea above things that really matter in the world. I challenged them — in what I thought was a friendly conversation — to explain to me how I could know that their commitment to the extreme abstraction did not, in fact, have an origin in racism. Which came first, the proud defense of private property or the shameful prejudices that polite people don't admit to anymore?
For raising the subject, I was loudly denounced, both at the dinner table, and on the Reason Magazine website. As I said at the time:
I am struck -- you may think it is absurd for me to be suddenly struck by this -- but I am struck by how deeply and seriously libertarians and conservatives believe in their ideas. I'm used to the way lefties and liberals take themselves seriously and how deeply they believe. Me, I find true believers strange and -- if they have power -- frightening.I appreciate libertarians up to a point, but the extreme ones are missing something that is needed if you are to be trusted with power. I'm glad Rand Paul is on the scene, but I'm going to hold him to his own statements, and it is plain to me that Allahpundit has misunderstood or misrepresented what he said. I'm certainly not saying he's a racist, but he seems to support a legal position that would place racist private businesses beyond the power of anti-discrimination statutes.
UPDATE: Rand Paul goes on the Laura Ingraham show and, with the help of her very supportive questions, finally gets around to saying that if he were in Congress in 1964, he would have voted for the Civil Rights Act. Here's audio of the entire segment. Here's a text summary.
UPDATE 2: Allahpundit responds to me:
Althouse’s point is that Paul opposes any government interference in how someone runs their business, which would be strong form laissez faire; I assumed, because he danced around NPR’s questions and because this was obviously about to become a major headache for him, that he was taking the more palatable, weaker form position that it’s more acceptable for state and local agencies to act against discrimination but that the feds should stay out. (As it turned out, he now says having the feds interfere is fine.) That’s why I brought federalism into it, and that’s why I thought the Fourteenth Amendment would eventually end up in the discussion. If Paul doesn’t want the feds meddling in private businesses to protect minority rights, does he at least support letting them meddle with state governments that refuse to do so?"Meddle" in what way? Require the states to legislate? Under New York v. United States, that is more of a constitutional problem than directly regulating. Do you mean putting conditions on accepting federal funds? That could be done most easily. If you mean using §5 of the 14th Amendment, that shouldn't work, because the states are not violating rights by failing to control the choices private citizens that are not, in fact, rights violations. It's hard to believe Paul would support these things (even before he conceded that he'd vote for the CRA of 1964).
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Cardinal Egan Speaks Out on Holocaust
Poland's Bishops Praying for Benedict XVI
| 2393 hits
NEW YORK, FEB. 6, 2009 (Zenit.org).- Cardinal Edward Egan of New York reiterated his support for the Jewish community in the United States and his condemnation of anyone who negates the extent of the Holocaust.
The archbishop said this yesterday during his weekly radio program "Conversation with the Cardinal," referring to the uproar in the Jewish community last month after Benedict XVI lifted the excommunication for Holocaust-denying Bishop Richard Williamson of the Society of St. Pius X.
Bishop Williamson, who claimed on Swedish television that gas chambers weren't used to kill Jews during World War II, was one of four bishops of the society who were excommunicated in 1988 when Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre ordained them to the episcopacy without papal approval.
“Yesterday," said Cardinal Egan, "the Vatican condemned in the clearest terms a statement made by an illicitly consecrated bishop by the name of Richard Williamson in which the evil of the Shoah was questioned or at least minimized. As Archbishop of New York, I add my voice to that of the Holy See and the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops in rejecting Williamson’s words as hurtful, baseless, and outrageous.
"It is my prayer that all of our Jewish brothers and sisters understand that we in the Catholic community here in New York hold them in the highest esteem, and look forward to continuing to cooperate with them in countless good works for our community and our nation.”
Meanwhile, the episcopal conference of Poland sent a letter of support to Benedict XVI today in which they expressed their gratitude to the Pontiff for taking steps toward unity with the Society of St. Pius X.
They said the Holy Father's move to open the "door of dialogue" was "an act of great courage and genuine pastoral charity."
The Polish episcopate said they hoped an equal willingness will be seen on the part of the society, and that they will accept the Second Vatican Council and the recent magisterium of the Church.
The bishops also assured the Pope of their prayers: "The Church in Poland constantly supports the Successor of Peter in his concern for all the Churches and prays to the Lord that every step toward reconciliation of the Christian faithful may bring forth fruit."
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Sparks of humour in Pope Francis
- From: AAP
- March 18, 2013
STARTING with the historic moment when the first Latin American pontiff greeted the crowds in St Peter's Square after his election, Pope Francis has shown a lively sense of humour.
The smiling 76-year-old waved his hand in the air to underline a point about just how far the cardinals who elected him had looked to find a new pontiff.
"It seems that my brother cardinals have gone to the other end of the world to get one! But here we are," he said in what is becoming a trademark informal style from the newly minted leader of the world's 1.2 billion Catholics.
He later told cardinals over dinner: "God forgive you for what you've done!"
In a phone call to an Italian journalist friend that same night he laughed out loud when she asked whether she should start calling him "Holy Father" -- the standard style for popes -- instead of just "Father" as before.
Quipping was definitely not on the cards with Francis's predecessor Benedict XVI, who rarely strayed from prepared texts and was fond of delivering theological treatises in public, although he was said to reveal an ironic wit in private.
Pope Francis "is very relaxed and behaves in public just like he would in private", said Marco Politi, a Vatican expert, who said the new pontiff seemed "very at ease and very natural" and had decided to just "be himself".
Speaking to pilgrims in St Peter's Square on Sunday, Francis cited a book by German cardinal Walter Kasper, then said: "Don't think I'm plugging my cardinals' books, eh? It's not like that!"
He then recounted the story of an elderly Argentine woman who had told him that if God did not forgive sins, the world would not exist.
"I felt like asking her: did you study at the Gregorian?" he joked.
The Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome is an intellectual training ground for Catholic leaders run by the same Jesuit order Francis belongs to.
The tango-loving Argentine Pope's humour shone through the previous day too in remarks to the world's press when he broke off from a prepared text to gaze around a Vatican auditorium and said: "You've worked, eh? You've worked!"
Francis also departed from papal tradition by revealing a few details of the supposedly top-secret deliberations among cardinals that led to his election.
He quipped that the point at which he realised he was about to become the leader of the Catholic world was "when things started to get a bit dangerous".
In more of an inside joke, Francis said one prelate asked why he had not chosen the name Clement XV "to avenge the Jesuits". Clement XIV dissolved the Jesuit order in 1773 and it was only restored more than 40 years later.
On another formal occasion, Francis told the world's cardinals that he and they were all "old" men but that this meant they had wisdom -- "good wine that gets better over the years".
Francis is not the first pope with a sense of humour, although perhaps one of the few who has displayed it so publicly in recent times.
Several Renaissance popes employed jesters -- including Alexander VI, whose dissolute reign is an embarrassing memory at the Vatican.
In the 18th century, Benedict XIV was said to be something of a prankster, and in more recent times John Paul I joked with senior prelates.
The tension of John Paul I's election in 1978 saw one nicotine-deprived cardinal -- some stories say it was an American, others say he was Spanish -- ask the new pope if he could have a cigarette.
John Paul I thought long and hard before replying: "Eminence, you may smoke, just as long as the smoke is white" -- a reference to the smoke signal from the Sistine Chapel that shows a new pope has been chosen.
"If someone had told me I would be pope one day, I would have studied harder," he is reported to have said one day in his tragically short reign.
As another pope, Pius IX, lay dying in 1878, the cardinal vicar of Rome ordered round-the-clock bell ringing and prayers in Rome to speed his recovery.
The pope quipped: "Why do you want to stop me from going to heaven?"
ADELAIDE Oval's Ultimate Membership offer, marketed as the state's platinum sport season ticket, is a dead duck.
FEATURE: ADELAIDE'S worst hoon spots have been revealed as some of the city's busiest arterial roads. Dicing with death
THE teenager at the centre of the Adam Goodes racism scandal has apologised for "being racist", but the Brownlow medallist she abused does not blame her.
TONY Abbott's election as PM would leave most families better off but single parents and low-income families could lose out.
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Harvard WWII Alumni Review T.V.'s 'The Last Convertible'
Alumni who attended Harvard during World War II said yesterday that "The Last Convertible," a T.V. movie about five wartime students, deals realistically with the effect of the war on the University, but exaggerates the social life of the typical student.
The television screenplay, based on a novel by Anton O. Myrer '44, is appearing this week on NBC television. The final segment of a 3-part series airs tonight at 9 p.m.
Most alumni said the book and movie accurately portray the insecurity of the students and their eagerness to fight in the war. "This was a very popular war," Irvin M. Horowitz '45 said yesterday. "There was virtually no anti-war feeling on campus," he added.
However, several alumni said that the movie and the book incorrectly portray student life in the '40s as constantly exciting and romantic. John J. Hardy '44 said that the movie focuses only on the atypical, unusually rich students at Harvard.
Horowitz said the T.V. characters were more socially mature than the average Harvard student in the '40s. "The characters had more money to spend on recreation and were more socially active than we were," Horowitz said.
"Freshman did not date Radcliffe girls. The seniors were the ones that dated them," he added
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Q: I upgraded my iPhone 4S to iOS 6 and heard about all the problems with the new Maps app that Apple switched to; is there a way to get Google Maps back on my phone or something else that’s more reliable? — Samuel
A: It should be pretty obvious to even a casual observer that Apple and Google don’t like each other.
What started out as an amiable relationship during the first iPhone launch has turned into a multi-billion dollar patent war over dominance in the mobile device industry.
When Google decided to create its own smartphone operating system (Android), it suddenly became a competitor to its partner and Apple was none too happy.
The culmination of this relationship gone bad is evident in the most recent update to Apple’s mobile operating system (iOS 6) as both Google Maps and the native YouTube app disappeared.
Apple no longer wants to include anything from its competitor and is going after Google’s dominance in mobile mapping by replacing it with their own mapping system (there’s substantial advertising revenue at stake).
Apple took one step forward by finally including turn-by-turn directions and many steps backwards in the actual core mapping data.
The complaints range from massive mistakes in location (cities and stores located in oceans and rivers) to huge chunks of data and images that are really old or missing altogether. Apple’s position on their new Maps app is that “it’s a cloud-based solution and the more people use it, the better it will get.” They are counting on crowdsourcing to fix all that is wrong or missing (more on that later).
Those of us that used Google Maps on our phones in the early days remember being sent to the wrong end of an unfamiliar city because the map data was inaccurate; Apple is now throwing us back to those days with their work-in-progress mapping system.
Google has an approved replacement app for YouTube, which is actually much better than the old built-in app, but to date, there is currently no option to install a Google Maps app from the App Store (there are rumors that Google will be submitting an app for approval at some point).
You can, however, still use Google Maps via a web browser by going to http://maps.Google.com.
The first time you load the page, it should ask for permission to use your current location, which is necessary if you want to use the Web version of Google Maps. If you turned off the location services for Safari or an alternative browser, you will need to go into Settings/Privacy/Location Services and turn it back on.
To make it easier to access in the future, once the page loads, tap the share icon (the rectangle with the arrow pointing to the right) and click on “Add to Home Screen” to add the site as an icon on the phone.
We also like Microsoft’s Bing search app that includes their mapping service; it’s very similar to the old Google Maps app and includes mass transit directions if you need them.
Apple is hoping that the millions of users who have their new mapping system on their phones will help them improve the quality of the information by tapping on the “Report a Problem” button that exists in the details of any location pin when they find something wrong (crowdsourcing).
I think if they had been more up-front about the need for help in getting their mapping data cleaned up, they would have had a more sympathetic audience. The problem with the existing situation is that you can’t really trust the directions or locations of unfamiliar destinations until you get there.
I’d highly recommend confirming location information with Google or Bing before relying on Apple’s turn-by-turn directions on any long trips in unfamiliar territory until they get their act together.
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How to not be a jerk on the Internet
I've been a technology blogger for more than six years—four of them right here at PC World. And in that time I've developed a pretty thick skin.
I've had to, because I'm often on the receiving end of incredibly mean, nasty, and insulting emails and post comments.
This is nothing new. The Internet seems to bring out the worst in some people. It's as though the relative anonymity of an emailed or posted message gives license to say hateful things that most folks would never say face-to-face.
For example, if you spot a mistake in, say, a blog post, do you leap to your keyboard to point out what an idiot the writer must be?
When someone voices an opinion that's different from your own—like, say, a dislike of Windows 8—do you take it personally? Do you get so angry about it that you feel compelled to write a nasty email or comment?
Are you so suspicious of technology-news organizations that you routinely accuse them of favoritism or bias? Do you believe that journalists like me get paid by various companies to cover their products?
Hey, we're all human. I understand the need to vent, and it's really easy to pour out your frustrations at the keyboard. I've done it myself, and still do—but one thing has changed in recent years: 99 percent of the time, I'll type my gripe and then delete it.
Know why? Because I remember there's another human being at the other end, someone who works hard and tries to get it right and probably didn't mean to offend anyone. Someone who doesn't need to called a jerk, a liar, an idiot, a shill, or a con artist.
I can already sense some of the comments this very post will generate. "Guess you don't have such a thick skin after all!" "You should be fired for wasting my time with stuff that's not relevant to PCs." And so on.
But let me ask this: Think before you type. Ask yourself if you're contributing anything to the conversation, or just being mean-spirited. Ask yourself how you'd feel being on the receiving end of your message. Ask yourself if something as simple as an innocent mistake or an opinion you don't like warrants the vitriol you're about to unleash.
Does that mean you should never comment? Of course not! If I make a mistake (it's been known to happen—I'm probably making one right now), by all means let me know. If you have a different opinion about my topic, I absolutely want to hear it. I suspect most other writers feel the same way.
But be civil about it. Pretend it's a face-to-face conversation. Be the otherwise respectful person you are. And give the benefit of the doubt.
Thanks for listening.
Contributing Editor Rick Broida writes about business and consumer technology. Ask for help with your PC hassles at email@example.com, or try the treasure trove of helpful folks in the PC World Community Forums. Sign up to have the Hassle-Free PC newsletter e-mailed to you each week.
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Listening to, and engaging our stakeholders about what it means for PwC to be a responsible corporate citizen, helps us do the right thing by our people, clients and our communities.
An open dialogue helps build trust-based and transparent relationships, and that is what we at PwC highly value - this is our PwC Experience.
We defined our most important internal and external stakeholder groups and engage them through interactive dialogue sessions, written questionnaires and one-to-one feedback sessions each year. In addition, we look at our internal employee satisfaction survey results for further insight into how our employees view our corporate responsibility efforts.
Key areas of interest
Based on the outcomes of the dialogue, we have developed a materiality index, using the top three issues identified by each group of stakeholders. The 'importance of issues to external stakeholders' is based on external stakeholder dialogue analysis, and the ‘materiality of issues to business’ is based on internal stakeholders' feedback.
2012 Stakeholder engagement materiality index
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Throughout history, ladies who quilted have shared patterns, designs, tips and experience to others within their group. It was a way for women to get together in a social group without risking being accused of wasting time. Not only did they use their ‘social time’ to make items, quilts, which could be used or sold, but they made them out of scrap material: small off-cuts of fabric which other people may call rags.
Women still do this today, especially in the mid-west. If you want to get into quilting, you could do a lot worse than become a member of a quilting club or group. Look in your local yellow pages or question at a hobbyist shop.
If you have no source of free quilting patterns from a local club, try the Internet. If you use the search term ‘free quilting patterns’ in Google or Yahoo, you will see hundreds of choices. Some will be very suitable and others will be worthless and you will have to dig down to work out which are which.
If you are asking yourself why anyone must offer free quilting patterns, the reason is that they will want you to visit their web site to request it and your email address to deliver it. This gives them all they need to send you promotional emails until you unsubscribe.
Keep an eye on the emails they send you and if you do not like them, do not feel guilty about unsubscribing instantly, even if the free quilting patterns were pretty helpful. You will not be hurting anyone’s feelings, no-one will even know who you are. It is all done automatically with programs called autoresponders.
Patterns that you will be offered in your quest for free quilting patterns are usually the traditional ones that have passed into the public domain like the Lone Star, the Log Cabin and other traditional American patterns.
If you like the traditional quilting patterns this is all very well, but if you want something more contemporary and less well-known you will probably have to pay for it. The average price of a quilting pattern is somewhere around $25, but it can also be $10 more or less. EBay can be a excellent source of cheap quilting patterns.
But, do not give up on your quest for free quilting patterns too quickly because there certainly is a plethora of free quilting patterns on the Net, you only have to keep looking. Before you start, it would be worth making a folder known as Quilt Patterns in your Favorites Folder. Then you can save any useful web sites in there so that you can return to them easily again.
Browsing for free quilting patterns, whether on the Internet or asking friends, is an agreeable aspect of the leisure activity of quilting, one that is certain to keep you engrossed for numerous hours.
If you have a lovely patio or deck or a gorgeous garden, then you need to have excellent patio furniture in order to delight in it. There is no finer end to a busy day than sitting outside on the patio with a drink and a newspaper or a book. I like to sit in the garden after the sun has waned a small, but before the mosquitoes come out, for a few hours reading a book.
There are many different styles of patio furniture to choose from that range from classic to modern. There is also a full range of choice in that there are chairs, loungers, swinging sofas, tables, outdoor fridges, barbecue sets and patio heaters amongst other things. A full set need not cost more than $1,000, but you can start with a table and two chairs and build up your patio furniture set step by step.
The many choices you have when looking for patio furniture are the style and the material it is made from. Most patio furniture stays outside all day and all night in any weather, so it vital to get furniture that is well-made and weather-proof. All weather furniture is usually made from plastic-coated steel, wicker, massive wood or moulded plastic.
Whatever you choose, make sure that the guarantee makes your choice worth the money. For example, I mean, if the furniture costs $200, but has a 12 month guarantee, then you should be prepared to pay $4 a week for your investment and everything else is a bonus.
Another tip is to buy your patio furniture from a respectable manufacturer or a trustworthy retailer, unless it is massive timber furniture in which case you will want a reliable local craftsman. It depends where you live of course, but any patio furniture is going to have a hard time of it and it will stay outside sometimes no matter what your intentions are now.
Standard plastic patio furniture is pretty excellent and will stand up to all but the coldest of weather, which can make it become brittle. Prolonged exposure to high temperatures can have the same effect on cheap plastic chairs. White is the usual colour, but there are others. Make sure that you buy something that will take your weight, especially if you are a bit on the heavy side. I have had legs of plastic chairs go on me, but luckily I was on grass both times. On concrete or near the edge of raised decking could be very serious.
Once you have selected your patio table, chairs and possibly loungers, there are one or two other things that I reckon are essential to allowing the full enjoyment of your patio deck. For example, if you want to use your outdoor furniture in the evening you may find it cold or you may be troubled by insects.
This need not be a problem. You can get a patio heater for quite a reasonable price. A gas patio heater will keep up to eight people lovely and warm. To complete your patio furniture set, you may want a mosquito trap of some kind.
Owen Jones, the writer of this article, writes on many topics, but is currently involved with commercial patio heaters. If you are interested in patio heaters too, please click through to Residential Patio Heaters.
If composing is an art form, then blogging can be seen as an art form too. Blogging is no less an art form than regular writing only because it is more popularist and does not require paper. Bloggers write on all sorts of things, in fact they compose pieces on every issue under the sun. Bloggers compose pieces on their daily lives, their jobs, their leisure activities and their concerns.
Blogging started life in the mid Nineties for webmasters to maintain a record of their involvement with their computers, which is where the term comes from: ‘web log’. Web log became weblogs and then it was contracted to blog. Web logs soon became a well-liked manner of recording and publishing other daily activities on line, much like a diary.
Blogs can get posted to a URL like a website is, or they can be posted to a free bloggers’ website. There are many of these free blogs, but one of the most well-known ones is Google’s ‘Blogger’.
Despite being free of charge, Blogger offers a fully flexible blog which can hold adverts like Google Ads and Amazon, so that the blogger can offer associated things for sale and earn a small commission at the same time.
If personal blogs are used to talk on daily life, business blogs can be used as rolling adverts for a firm’s products. The manager of the firm’s blog can compose pieces on innovations, new products, jobs vacant and special offers. The firm’s blog can be used as a private press release machine which can reach a global audience.
If you want to make a blog for personal or company use, you will have to know something about blogging, so here are a couple of pointers.
This first thing to do is define what your blog is going to be about. If it is a business blog then that is simple, but a personal blog should have a target audience. It ought to appeal to a niche group. Strive to keep the niche group honestly tight, blogs that waffle on colossal sprawling topics are not as well-liked.
For instance, stamp collecting is too wide a topic. Collecting British stamps is better, but British commemorative stamps of the 20th Century is even better. Include some images to keep the blog looking bright and colourful. This is easily achieved since most contemporary printers have a facility to scan images and send them to your computer.
In the blogosphere, information is the name of the game. Most surfers surf to buy information. They surf to get the answers to concerns that they are experiencing; in order to help with their leisure activities or just for general information. Therefore, you ought to make your blog a bearer of useful information.
You can make your blog interactive by allowing your readers to leave comments. Some software permits honestly lengthy comments so that visitors can leave their opinions in full. This interactivity will encourage readers to come back to follow the debate.
In fact, most blogging software will also inform the leaver of a comment that there has been a answer and it will also collect the commentator’s email address so that you can add them to a mailing list as long as you supply them with the ability to opt out of the list if they want to.
A tennis ball is very distinct and are used by millions of children and adults all over the world for playing tennis, of course, but many, many other less formal games too. They are not only the right size for tennis, presumably anyway at 2.7 inches or 6.7 centimetres in diameter, but they also fit neatly into a hand or a dog’s mouth. Therefore people use them for playing catch, for various games of softball like rounders and for throwing for the dog to retrieve.
While I was a youngster, all tennis balls were white, but now you would be very hard pushed indeed to find a white one if, if indeed it is at all possible. These days, all tennis balls are day-glow colours like yellow, green and orange. Presumably this change was carried out for the purpose of visibility on the TV screen.
The word ‘tennis’ comes from the French – ‘Tenez’ (pronounced ‘teney’), which meant ‘Take up Position’ or simply ‘Start’. The origins of tennis were nearly certainly well over a thousand years ago, when it was played by monks. The racquet or racket was the flat of the hand and the ball was wooden.
No-one is really sure whether the next innovation was to wear leather mitts or to modify the ball to leather, but whichever it was, there was clearly a go to make the game less painful. When the ball changed from being wooden, it was manufactured of animal skin, most often leather, sewn up with sinews and stuffed with anything that came to hand, such as straw, wool and hair – animal and human.
The thing is that these early wooden and leather balls did not bounce, so the game was very different back then. In due course, the monks started using ‘racquets’, but they looked more like bats than modern day tennis racquets.
In Disraeli’s book, “Sybil” (1845), the plot reveals how Lord Eugene De Vere was to travel to Hampton Court to play tennis, so the game was a familiar sport then, but it took until the late Nineteen Century for the game that we know today to become formalized by a set of rules. In 1874, Major Walter Wingfield was granted the patent for the rules and equipment of ‘lawn tennis’ and not much has altered since.
The next year tennis courts were established in the USA and then the game of tennis spread like wildfire. Wingfield laid down the rules of the game and the sort of apparatus to be used. The game has not changed much since then in essence, but it has changed a lot nevertheless. The outline of the court is different now and science has been applied to the equipment to improve it.
The original ball in the late Nineteenth Century was manufactured of solid rubber and so would have been quite weighty, but at least it did bounce which instantly made the game more fascinating and more lively. A bouncing ball made tennis into a more fascinating game to play and a more fascinating game to watch. The rubber ball allowed tennis to be a spectator sport that crowds would pay to watch.
Contemporary tennis balls have a rubberized skin, which is about eighty percent rubber, filled with air and covered by a layer of ‘hairy’ felt. The felt is vital because it gives the surface of the ball more grip and can standardize the bounce too. It also gives the ball a more foreseeable flight path even in the presence of wind.
The last aspect of modern tennis balls is the air inside. This can either be pressurized or non-pressurized. Pressurized balls give a better bounce whilst new, but they lose pressure with time and so are less reliable, whereas non-pressurized balls really improve slightly with use, which is considered a benefit.
Are you thinking of holding a kids’ party on St Valentine’s Day? Then you would be wise to start thinking of St Valentine’s Day party games for kids as well. Kids are more distress when they are bored than whilst they are boisterous. Thinking up games is not much of a problem but there are usually two things to take into account: the age of the children and your finances.
The bouncy house always goes down well with children. You could hire a bouncy house for the day and hang hearts and flowers around the outside. Check on the Net first that the firm renting out the bouncy house is a member of your country’s governing body for bouncy house rental businesses.
You could split the children into teams and hold an assortment of races. One race could be the ‘Race of Hearts’, in which the kids have to run to the finishing line and back with a stuffed heart (or pillow) between their knees. It always results in lots of laughter.
Another race could be to ‘Wrap Mummy’ in which every team gets a few rolls of paper kitchen towel and they have to wrap up someone like a mummy as a present. You could add bows and a name and address tag as well.
The teams could play ‘Mr and Mrs’ in which the compare gives a well-known name and the teams have to click a clicker, bang a gong or ring a bell if they know the answer. The compare may say: ‘Samson’ the answer is ‘Delilah’; ‘Hilary Clinton’ – ‘Bill Clinton’; ‘Queen Elizabeth’ – ‘Prince Phillip’. You get the thought.
Split along gender lines, you could play the ‘King and the Queen of Hearts’. Do you remember those round sweets with a heart on them and a romantic saying in the heart? Well, they do not cost a lot for a colossal bag of them. Give each child 50 or so and question them to stack them one on top of the other.
Whoever builds the highest tower in a minute goes through to the next round. Two boys against each other and two girls until there is just one girl and one boy left. They can eat the sweets, obviously.
You could lay a target on the ground, say one of your heart-shaped cushions, give each child an uninflated sausage-shaped balloon and write his or her name on it. Then the kids stand in a circle around the heart, say ten feet away, blow up their balloon and let them glide (without a knot in). The first one to land on the heart denotes the winner. Or the nearest to it. You could have one go each per round or they could fire at will until someone wins.
You could play Valentine’s Day bingo. This can get as elaborate as you have time for. You could make your own cards with hearts etc on them; if the children are young, you could call out pictures instead of numbers, but the most amusing of all is if the caller makes up some Valentine’s Day slang to go with every number.
For instance, when calling bingo numbers in Britain, it is common to say: ‘Legs 11′ and a lot of people will whistle; ‘two small ducks, 22′ and somebody always says ‘quack, quack’. Every number has its own saying and they are used with minor variations everywhere. You could make up your own like: ‘two hairy legs, number 11′ or ‘two gorgeous legs, number 11′.
If you cannot reckon of something appropriate for each number, only do as many as you can – they always get a laugh and that is what it is all about when you are organizing a St Valentine’s Day party for kids.
Where did the concept of astrology originate. Did it evolve in one component of the world and then turn into adopted by other civilizations.Whenever you study the ancient civilizations inside the Middle East, Central America and in Asia, there are remarkable similarities in how they adapted their lives to be in harmony with the rhythms of earth and the cosmos. Take into account that you will find pyramids in Mayan and Aztec cultures, as well as Egyptian ones. And that many pyramids are constructed around and point to key events within the solar system, for instance equinoxes and solstices.
Equally, astrology is thought to have developed independently in Babylon and Central America. The astrology systems in India and China most likely were derived from those in Babylon.It’s curious that numerous fundamentalist religions reject the principles of astrology, due to the fact it was, in reality, an integral component of the religions of Babylon. It was component of the calling of priests in Babylon to predict the future and component of their methodology for performing so was to interpret events within the sky. Nothing was considered pure chance and any natural occurrence, regardless of how mundane or mysterious, might be an omen of either excellent fortune or terrible.
The component of Mesopotamia that’s now Iraq once comprised Babylonia within the South and Assyria in the North. Prior to Alexander the Excellent conquered the area in 330 BC, the Assyrians were a military and administrative power, and Babylon was the center of culture. The underlying belief system in both cultures was that there was a spiritual force behind every act of nature. Heaven and Earth were complementary systems, with neither 1 having dominion over the other. But by the 4th century BCE, this belief system was influenced by the Greek view that the heavens, and its resident gods, determined events on earth.According to Richard Tarnas, who also wrote of The Passion of the Western Mind, history is on the verge of a major shift, comparable to the 1 wrought by Copernicus and Galileo, but a seemingly antiscientific 1: an astrological turn that may only be understood thorough chronicling planetary alignments as they correlate to the rise of the modern mind over the last 500 years.
Being familiar with planetary alignments, for Tarnas, is essential to the world’s future and requires a genuine dialogue with the cosmos, by opening ourselves more fully to the other, to ancient and indigenous epistemologies, even to other forms of life, other modes of the universe’s self-disclosure.The book is filled with philosophical, religious, literary and scientific thinking ranging from Luther and Kepler by means of Hemingway and even Hitchcock and Dylan. Reading it will need a strong background inside the history of modern thought, an advanced knowledge of astrology, a willingness to withhold skepticism about the role of planetary alignments of the past in understanding life these days and also the avoidance of imminent world catastrophe. Tarnas’s call to redefine what we look at as legitimate knowledge will resonate in some sectors, but it will be a tough sell with the extra scientifically hardheaded.
In terms of planetary cycles, our present condition in history is most similar to the period five hundred years ago-that era of extraordinary turbulence and creativity, the High Renaissance. Not since Copernicus conceived the heliocentric theory has the human community faced such a profound realignment of the way we feel.Perhaps it’s time for us to go back to the philosophy that man is part of the universe, not placed here to conquer it. Just as we’re learning some older medical procedures, such as the use of leeches, to have value these days, perhaps we really should open our minds to the distinct possibility that astrological forces may be a powerful influence on our lives.
Vacationing is a pastime which is loved by several. Though vacations are excellent, necessary, and critical, they can become costly. This expense is frequently connected with additional expenses which include food, beverages, and entertainment. Should you be considering vacationing aboard a cruise ship, but you might be worried about the cost, you do not necessarily must be trips where just about every small thing is included. The cost of the drinks, food, and entertainment are usually taken care of. If you’re questioning whether or not you need to book reservations aboard a standard cruise ship , you are not alone. A huge number of travels wonder the identical issue.
When it comes in travel, there are really several benefits and disadvantages. To identify regardless of whether you may benefit from an these vacations, you might be encouraged to weight the benefits and disadvantages each and every. Following you’ve regarded as every single, you’re encouraged to make a choice. If the benefits outweigh the disadvantages , may perhaps be just what you need and visa versa.The greatest advantage of all-inclusive cruise ships is that most of the requirements are taken care of. As previously mentioned, most packages cover food, drinks, and entertainment. When you are enthusiastic about drinking a large quantity of alcohol or feasting on the incredible onboard food, you may be able to do so really free of charge. You may also be granted exclusive admittance into movie theatres and video arcades.
To quite a few, having foods, drinks, and entertainment offered free of charge sounds too fantastic to be accurate. In some circumstances, it could be. Whilst numerous of the food and drinks are included in a-comprehensive package, not all are. It can be feasible which you may be required to pay for your alcoholic beverages. There are really some cruise ships exactly where alcohol beverages are included within the package, but on others it’s not When it comes to food, your food at a sit-down restaurant may be offered really free of charge, but your snacks are usually not covered. This typically consists of snacks or modest meals bought at onboard specialty shops and vending machines. If your snacks and tiny meals aren’t covered, it is possible to prevent the added expenses by consuming a massive meal. You may also be able to save cash by brining your personal snacks onboard, if the ship will allow it.
As mentioned above, entertainment is often included in the travel package. As with food and drinks, the entertainment is usually limited. It is most likely that you will buy free admission into a dance or ball, but you might not be able to gamble free of charge of charge. If you are interested in gambling aboard the ship’s casino, you’ll have to come up with your personal funds.When it comes to the expense of a cruise, there are various travelers who get confused. The price of your vacations could seem high, but it is frequently that technique to cover the cruise line’s expenses. For lots of men and women, the cost of an all-inclusive cruise is a fantastic value.
To determine regardless of whether or not you might save funds on this type excursion, you should estimate your price of food, drinks, and entertainment aboard a standard cruise. Merely by comparing the two, you’ll be able to quickly choose which cruise package gives the greater deal.The benefits and disadvantages of cruise vacations are crucial. By examining each and every and comparing them to what you would like and want out of the cruise, you can easily figure out which cruise ship vacation package is proper for you.
If you want to give a child an educational toy and you want to encourage an interest in science, then a telescope is a decent choice. Obviously, telescopes come in numerous different strengths and sizes and for just as many purposes.
Telescopes can become used for searching relatively small distances or for observing the stars. In fact, the term ‘children’s toy telescopes’ is a misnomer, because each single telescope is an aid to observation, whatever it is used for.
One of the most self-evident applications for children’s toy telescopes is the scrutiny of heavenly bodies. Children like to observe the stars, other planets in our solar system and our moon and that interest can either be small-lived or it can lead to a life-long interest or even a career. This is the power of educational toys and this is the power that giving educational toys gives bearers of gifts.
Crowd have the power to empower a child by giving it an educational toy rather than a toy gun. A child’s personality will out, but if it has ‘blank spots’, it cannot invent them. Only reckon about how numerous boys follow in their father’s profession or how many girls do what their mothers did.
Educational toys like children’s toy telescopes can spur a child on into a realm of interest that even its parents do not know about. Most crowd have never looked at the Moon ‘close up’, that is through a telescope, leave alone looking at Saturn or Mars through a telescope. Empowering our children to do so is to widen their horizons.
A telescope is a telescope is a telescope. There is no such thing as children’s toy telescopes because all there are are powerful and less powerful telescopes and every telescope, no matter what its strength, affords better visual detail than the naked eye.
A telescope can become used for observing the stars, distant shipping or animals. Especially shy animals like deer or birds or perilous animals like huge cats or bears.
There are numerous places that you can go searching for children’s toy telescopes. Most small towns do not have stores specializing in telescopes, but you can often buy a bargain telescope from a second-hand shop or a pawn shop, because the fact is that not each child will be fascinated by a telescope. Some, even many, perhaps, will be bored by a telescope within a couple of months.
This is to be expected. But, at least those kids had the opportunity and no-one can say that you did not encourage them. The fact that not each child is interested in children’s toy telescopes is not a excellent reason for not giving one.
The fact is that there are many sorts of educational toys ranging from Lego to Meccano to chemistry sets, but a telescope is up there with the best of them. If you give a present of a telescope, you can at least know that you have done your bit to encourage the child to seek more knowledge.
Collecting antique dolls is a leisure activity that a lot of women grow into or want to if they had the time or and the money. A collection of antique dolls in a gorgeous show case is a very attractive asset, but collecting antique dolls is not as simple as it may sound.
Well, to delineate that properly, it depends what you would like the antique dolls for. As with any leisure activity that has the potential to make the collector money, it is not simple to get it right, but if you just want to delight in your collection you will have an simpler time of it.
Millions of women collect ancient dolls, but it is unlikely that many of them really make any money out of their leisure activity, because you have to study and the professional competition is fierce. It is the same as collecting coins or stamps: you can have a gorgeous collection of gorgeous commemorative stamps or coins that is worthless in monetary terms, because there were too many of that sort or that year manufactured, whereas you could have a collection of a dozen drab stamps worth a million.
Therefore, if you want to start a collection of antique dolls, the first thing to do is visit the library and borrow some books on the subject. If there are no illustrations, you can probably find some photos on the Net in order to afford identification simpler.
One of the first things you require to acquaint yourself with is the names of the most well-known manufacturers of dolls in the 150 years of the Nineteenth and early Twentieth Centuries. Learn the names of the firms, the names of the dolls and an average cost.
If you come across what you reckon is a excellent deal at a car boot or yard sale, do not get place off by a tatty appearance. lots of dolls lead a tough life, but they can be repaired pretty easily and there are many dolls’ hospitals if you need expert help, advice or specialist parts like eyes or buttons. The original clothing can be repaired or replaced and the doll would still be valuable if it is rare, well loved or sought after.
You know, some things are not particularly rare but are still costly because they capture the imagination of a fantastic deal of people. Baby Boomer toys from the Fifties and Early Sixties will nearly certainly buy this status when the Boomers retire and maybe start a collection.
Look out for antiques fairs to help you buy more first hand knowledge. There are often specialized antiques fairs in largish towns and one sort of honest is antique toys, in which the section on antique dolls is certain to feature quite prominently. It is very functional to be able to see the dolls ‘in the flesh’ so to speak in order to know what you should be looking out for while browsing.
Books, photos and the Net are useful resources, but there is no replacement for hands-on experience and talking with collectors and dealers who are passionate about collecting antique dolls.
Fishing is a thinking person’s pursuit. No matter whether you fish for a leisure activity, as a sport or for a living, you have to be able to outfox the fish you are searching for. Not just that, but unlike most hunters, you cannot see your quarry. You have to work out where it is likely to be and what it is likely to do.
Anglers normally fish alone, so it is not surprising that every angler has a couple of of his or own personal methods and preferences. This goes for any type of fishing, but it is particularly a fact of some fish. This usually means the huge and the clever (well, for fish) species. One of these clever varieties is the bass.
Bass fishing techniques vary due to several circumstances including temperature, season and type of water and coast line – whether you are fishing fresh or salt water.
If you are fishing for bass off a boat, then you are probably fishing in deeper water, because bass swim in deeper water while it is cold, so make certain that you have all the safety gear and that you know how to use it. Furthermore, you should become aware of your country’s or state’s legal requirements.
For example, if you take people out with you, you might have legal responsibilities or there may be seasons when you may and may not fish. These very from area to region and have to do with spawning and maintaining the levels of stock.
Bass experts have their own techniques, as was mentioned above, but a lot of bass fishermen recommend fishing at night. This is not a terrible notion as there is less likelihood of getting your line snagged up with others, particularly if you are fishing off a rock or the shore.
Fishing for bass at night is not a terrible system for other reasons too. Although there are different kinds of bass, most of them are shy and careful, so if they reckon that the water is over clear, they may choose to bottom feed. This is one of the areas where local knowledge and expertise plays a huge part.
Bass are cautious predators and also a small bone idle They prefer to hide themselves somewhere and wait for their victim to pass close by. Therefore, a rocky shoreline is perfect bass fishing territory in the summer months when the bass swim and hunt closer to the surface. In the winter, you will need to fish the bottom water where it is somewhat warmer.
Whilst bottom fishing, bass will be searching for small fish and sand worms, whereas in the summer they are feeding on the top and will not expect to find any worms. Then they will be looking for small fish and insects that have dropped into the water, like flies. Bass are meat eaters, so berries, seeds and bread should not be of much use, but hey, not all fish behave like the text books say that they ought to!
The thing to keep in mind is that local conditions matter and although fishing with a rod and line is necessarily a solitary and silent sport, especially in fresh water, fishermen like to socialize afterwards and pass on their expertise. So, if you are having distress with catching the fish you are looking for, join a local anglers’ club and mix with the experts.
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WASHINGTON — The Senate Thursday took up must-do legislation to permit the government to borrow hundreds of billions of dollars more to meet its obligations, putting off one Washington showdown even as others loom in coming weeks.
The measure would suspend the $16.4 trillion limit on federal borrowing through May 18, allowing about $450 billion in new debt to be added to the federal ledger, according to an estimate by the Bipartisan Policy Center.
The Republican-controlled House passed the legislation last week. A successful Senate vote Thursday afternoon would send the measure to President Barack Obama, who is expected to sign it into law immediately.
Without the bill, the government would default on its obligations by as early as mid-February.
The short-term increase in the borrowing cap is the brainchild of House Republicans, who wanted to re-sequence a series of upcoming budget battles, taking the threat of a potentially devastating government default off the table and instead setting up a clash in March over automatic across-the-board spending cuts set to strike the Pentagon and many domestic programs.
Those cuts — postponed by the recent “fiscal cliff” deal — are the punishment for the failure of a 2011 deficit supercommittee to reach an agreement. The panel was itself established by the hard-fought 2011 increase in the debt limit.
Democrats are going along because the debt increase isn’t contingent on matching cuts to the budget, as long demanded by House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio.
Senate Republicans are offering several amendments, including a proposal by Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Pa., to ensure that in the case of a cash crunch the government would use available tax revenue to make sure that bondholders, Social Security and the military get paid. Another, by Rob Portman of Ohio, would require that any immediate increase in the debt limit be paired with commensurate cuts to spending, which could be spread out over 10 years.
The GOP amendments, however, are sure to fail. Any successful effort to amend the bill would require the House to vote again and delay delivery of the measure to the president.
To sell the measure to House GOP conservatives, Boehner instead attached a “no budget, no pay” provision that would withhold pay for House and Senate members if the chamber in which they serve fails to pass a budget plan. That was a slap at the Democratic-controlled Senate, which hasn’t passed a budget blueprint since 2009.
The “no budget, no pay” provision is seen by congressional insiders as a bad idea whose time has arrived. For starters, it makes members of the minority party dependent on the ability of the majority party to advance a budget if they all are to be paid. But the announcement of the move was quickly followed by an announcement by Senate Democrats that they would indeed advance a budget for the first time in four years.
Lawmakers have already shifted their focus to the across-the-board cuts.
, which would pare $85 billion from this year’s budget after being delayed from Jan. 1 until March 1 and reduced by $24 billion by the recently enacted tax bill. Defense hawks are particularly upset, saying the Pentagon cuts would devastate military readiness and cause havoc in defense contracting. The cuts, called a “sequester” in Washington-speak, were never intended to take effect but were instead aimed at driving the two sides to a large budget bargain.
But Republicans and Obama now appear on a collision course over how to replace the across-the-board cuts. Obama and his Democratic allies insist that additional revenues be part of the solution; Republicans say further tax increases are off the table after the 10-year, $600 billion-plus increase in taxes on wealthier earners forced upon Republicans by Obama earlier this month.
The debt measure permits borrowing through May 18 and resets the debt limit to reflect it. But the deadline to again raise the ceiling would be pushed off until August, according to Bipartisan Policy Center calculations. That’s because Treasury would retain the ability to use accounting steps known as “extraordinary measures” to stave off default.
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De Laval Turbine Inc.
List of Deals
- 1962 acquisition of assets of De Laval Steam Turbine Company; sale of $6,075,000 5 3/4% notes, $5,000,000 6% subordinated notes; warrants to purchase 100,000 shares of common stock, 350,000 shares of common stock
De Laval Turbine was incorporated under the laws of New Jersey in May 1901. It operated under the name of De Laval Steam Turbine until 1962, when it became De Laval Turbine.
The De Laval turbine was one of three types of turbines in use during the early part of the century. The De Laval, named after the inventor Gustaf De Laval, used the impulse method, whereby jets of stream were caused to discharge against a row of buckets or blades revolving at high velocity.
The company employed 1,100 by 1936. It was now manufacturing steam turbines as well as other products, such as centrifugal and rotary pumps, blowers, reduction gears, and worm gears.
In 1941, during World War II, the U.S. Maritime Commission chose De Laval along with three other manufacturers of turbines and gears to help outfit its newest phase of ship construction, a fleet of 566 merchant vessels.
Sales were flat in the postwar years. The company lost nearly a quarter of million dollars on sales of $10.8 million in 1947. Three years later sales were at $10.1 million, with a net loss of $425,775. Sales began to rebound after 1950. In 1952 sales were $23.8 million and the company broke a record after earning $1 million. Much of this growth was attributed to orders from the U.S. military, such as an order received in 1953 for two main propulsion units of 20,000 horsepower each for Navy destroyer escorts.
By 1955 De Laval had sales offices in the United States, Canada, Mexico, South and Central America, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Hawaii, Philippines, Israel, Formosa, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Trinidad, and Spain.
De Laval received a contract valued at $4.5 million from the U.S. Navy Bureau of Ships in 1958 to design and manufacture steam propulsion machinery for a nuclear powered submarine.
Sales reached $33.8 million in 1961 with a net income of $1.4 million.
The directors of De Laval agreed to sell the company's net assets for $11.6 million to an investment group headed by Lehman Brothers in 1962. At the time, more than half of the stock of De Laval was held by a Swedish company, A.B. Separator of Stockholm. It held several U.S. government contracts, including some for the propulsion machinery and turbine generators for Polaris submarines and guided missile frigates.
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Rural Mainstreet Index Reaches Five Year High
Jan 23, 2012
The rural economy continued to move forward this month, reaching its highest level since June of 2007. The farmland price index fell to a still growth positive reading after reaching a record high level in December 2011.
The Rural Mainstreet Index (RMI) advanced to 59.8 from 59.7 to remain growth positive for the fifth straight month and above the 59.3 it posted 12 months prior. The growth is largely due to the areas of the country tied to agriculture and oil.
Fred Bauer, president of Farmers Bank in Ault, Colorado, responded to the bankers reporting, “Oil and ag income continue to push our area economy up.”
Bankers were asked what the largest economic challenge will be for 2012. Over one fourth, 26%, indicated that a decrease in agriculture commodity prices is the largest threat to the Rural Mainstreet Index.
The farmland price index fell to 74.3 this month from its record high 84.1 in December. This marks the 24th straight month the index has been above growth neutral. The farm equipment sales index decreased to 72.3 from 73.8 in December.
Only 9% of bankers expect the ending of the blender's tax credit for corn-based ethanol to have a significant negative impact on the Rural Mainstreet economy. The majority, 51%, thought it would have a modest negative impact.
The loan volume index decreased to 45.5 from 50.8 a month prior. The check deposit index decreased to 68.2 from 68.9 in December and the certificate of deposit and savings instruments increased to 47.8 from 37.0 last month.
October's job index decreased to 51.5 compared to 54.6 in December. “Year over year job growth for Rural Mainstreet communities is approximately 1 percent compared to 0.8 percent for urban areas of the region,” said Creighton University economist Ernie Goss.
The economic confidence declined to 56.1 from December's 61.8 as outside markets continue to affect the economic outlook, “Difficulties in Europe and potential conflicts with Iran combined to push economic confidence lower,” said Goss.
This survey represents an early snapshot of the economy of rural, agriculturally and energy-dependent portions of the nation. The RMI is a unique index covering 10 regional states, focusing on approximately 200 rural communities with an average population of 1,300. It gives the most current real-time analysis of the rural economy.
For Daily Updates Visit http://farmlandforecast.colvin-co.com
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|JFK Conference begins Thursday|
In celebration of the University of North Dakota's 125th anniversary and the 45th anniversary of President John F. Kennedy's visit to Grand Forks on Sept. 25, 1963, the University has invited Ted Sorensen, the last living member of Kennedy's inner-circle, and other JFK-era experts from around the world for a unique three-day conference, which kicks off Thursday, Sept. 25, on campus, to reflect on the life and times of the 35th president of the United States.
The "John F. Kennedy History, Memory, Legacy: An Interdisciplinary Conference & Community Event" will, for the most part, take place in the UND Memorial Union, unless otherwise noted. The conference will cover significant issues of the Kennedy era and those addressed in the 1963 speech he delivered at the old UND Fieldhouse, now Hyslop Sports Center. That event is regarded, still today, as the largest gathering of people ever on the UND campus at one time.
Sorensen will be joined by renowned journalist and syndicated columnist Richard Reeves, who wrote what is now considered the authoritative work on President Kennedy -- "President Kennedy: Profile of Power." The two men will be featured speakers at free public events during the conference. Sorensen is slated to speak at 7 p.m. Thursday at UND's Chester Fritz Auditorium. Reeves' event is set for 7 p.m. Friday at the Empire Arts Center in downtown Grand Forks.
The conference will be highlighted by a memorial service for Kennedy at the UND Eternal Flame just north of Twamley Hall near the heart of campus at 3:15 p.m. Thursday. Local, state and other high-ranking dignitaries, including Sorensen and Reeves, have been invited to take part. The public is invited and encouraged to attend, as well.
Topics that will be discussed during the conference include civil rights, space exploration, nuclear threat and the influence of media on presidential politics. The conference also will explore issues related to the Kennedy's assassination, which took place less than two months after his visit to Grand Forks and UND. Panels of experts and UND faculty members will discuss Kennedy-related topics such as the Peace Corps, Vietnam, the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Test Ban Treaty, March on Washington and the idea of "Camelot."
Also, at 1 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 27, there will be a screening of the film "13 Days" in the UND Memorial Union Lecture bowl. It is free and open to the public.
UND undergraduate and graduate students will be able to earn academic credits for attending and participating in the conference.
With one of the finest aerospace schools in the world, a nationally hailed Energy & Environmental Research Center, an innovative Peace Studies program, and faculty expertise in areas such as international law, beat poetry, voting rights, supply-side economics and forensic anthropology, UND is uniquely suited to lead this interdisciplinary exploration of the Kennedy era, according to Greg Gordon, UND Law School Professor and conference organizer.
A native of Nebraska, Sorensen worked with President Kennedy on an almost daily basis as the president's speechwriter and special counsel. Kennedy often referred to Sorensen as his "intellectual blood bank." During those years, Sorensen was a first-hand witness to history, and in certain cases, influenced some of the most memorable 20th Century American history, including the showdown with the Soviets over the Berlin Wall and the Cuban Missile Crisis. He helped draft the famed speech that Kennedy delivered during his inaugural address to the nation in 1961, when Kennedy called on fellow Americans to "Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country." Sorensen initially was responsible for advising Kennedy's on domestic issues. Later in his administration, President Kennedy asked Sorensen to take part in foreign policy discussions. Sorensen is noted for writing Kennedy's correspondence with Nikita Khrushchev during the Cuban Missile Crisis.
Following Kennedy's assassination, Sorensen briefly assisted the new president, Lyndon B. Johnson, writing Johnson's first speech to Congress, as well as his first State of the Union address.
Sorensen left the White House to write Kennedy's biography in 1965, providing insight into the Kennedy White House and becoming an international bestseller. Today, he continues to play an important role in American history as a speechwriter for Democratic presidential nominee Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois.
Reeves has won several national awards for his book on Kennedy. It was named the Best Nonfiction Book of 1993 by Time magazine and Book of the Year by Washington Monthly. Reeves also has detailed the lives of Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan. He was the chief political correspondent of The New York Times and named a "Literary Lion" by the New York Public Library. Reeves' weekly column, carried by Universal Press Syndicate, has appeared in more than 100 newspapers across the United States since 1979.
Reeves also has served as a chief correspondent on PBS' investigative series Frontline, won an Emmy Award and a Peabody Award, and has appeared in two motion pictures, Dave (1993), and Seabiscuit (2003).
Reeves has received honorary degrees from Stevens Institute of Technology, Drew University and St. Joseph's College.
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Do you tell Silent Lies? I do – I don’t mean to, but too often I do. In fact, a friend of mine from another organization strongly challenged me in this area. I just thought I was being nice and accommodating - he said I was lying and he is right. The funny thing is I wrote on this a couple of years ago and I was the one to introduce the concept to my friend!
Following is what I wrote originally:
One of the senior executives is making an impassioned presentation in the leadership meeting. I can tell he wants the team’s support – including mine. What he is pitching is somewhat out of my field of expertise, but I’m trying to keep up. However, I begin to get uneasy as some things just don’t seem to add up.
Do I speak up about my misgivings? Well, after all I really don’t know much about this area, the senior executive is excited about his project and besides, I will probably just sound foolish if say the wrong thing and probably upset the senior executive. Everybody else is nodding and smiling so he must be right. So I smile and nod too. The senior executive beams, thanks everyone for their support and closes the meeting.
After the meeting over coffee Buddy, a co-worker, expresses the same misgivings I had during the meeting. Astonished, I asked why he didn’t say anything. Well, he responds, I thought everybody else agreed so I wasn’t going out on a limb by myself!
Has this ever happened to you? It has to me – too many times. This is called the Silent Lie. It is when you seem to be agreeing to something by your words or demeanor while all the time inside you are yelling STOP! or NO!, but fail to say anything or ask a question. Too many bad decisions have been made by leaders when their colleagues / subordinates did not speak up. This is basically lying. You are communicating agreement when you don’t really agree.
Why do we do that? Here, we call it the Fear of Man, which is usually rooted in pride. We don’t want to embarrass ourselves if we say something that might be foolish. We want to be a part of the group, so we don’t want to say anything that may jeopardize our standing in the group. And we especially don’t want to do anything to incur the displeasure of the boss! This is Fear of Man. As leaders, we have to understand that our identity is in Christ and that we are to seek to follow Him and please Him – not a man. In doing so, we are then freed up to speak up.
As a leader, you are responsible to be a truth teller. Do not let the Fear of Man cause you to “tell” a Silent Lie.
Question – how do you handle situations when it seems you are the only one with misgivings?
We are having a great time this week visiting with family and old friends – we are blessed!
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I haven’t been to more than a handful of countries. I’m only fluent in one language. My passport expired with an admittedly pitiful number of stamps.
But I have traveled enough to notice a lot of similarities shared by places halfway around the world. For example one of the first thoughts that popped up when I stepped out of the airport in Israel was “Wow, this looks surprisingly like California.” And in Austin, a city where you can find so many varieties of trees not normally together in one place – cacti, palms, maples, and firs, I often find myself coming around a corner and thinking “Huh, this is a lot like what _____ must look like”
The theory I’m purporting and the question I’m about to pose is that if similarly looking and feeling places around the world exist regardless of the nation or community neighborhood they exist in, then shouldn’t you be able to find community anywhere and define it by the people you’re with? Essentially, if a community can be defined geographically by location and if unique culture is what makes each community special, then the people themselves are what makes community tick.
Obviously we need people to create the culture and settle a community in a location, and while in many cases those communities become very similar in look and feel, it’s only the people there that can truly differentiate and create a sense of community you feel connected to and want to go back to. Imagine how being in a familiar place would be a completely different experience if it looked exactly the same but was populated by a totally different population of people.
Don’t buy it? Here are a few photos from very different places. While they might look similar, these are places we wouldn’t naturally associate being comparable at all because the image in our heads – based on the types of people and subsequent cultures in each area – make each place seem much less alike than they might otherwise be if not for the people. Point in case, can you tell me where these below photos were taken?
Which one was taken in Israel and which is from California?
Which is San Antonio? Venice?
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Emergency action plans have been drawn up to help prevent another ‘freeze up’ crisis across Northern Ireland as the winter fast approaches.
Last Christmas, the worst wintry weather in years left ice-covered roads and footpaths treacherous — as confusion reigned over exactly who was responsible for keeping them clear.
And then the massive thaw left thousands of families without water — summed up by the ignominious image of hundreds queuing to fill water bottles in the streets.
Regional Development Minister Danny Kennedy, who took over from Sinn Fein’s Conor Murphy following the May Assembly election, agrees the 10-day New Year holiday period brought misery and chaos to dozens of towns and villages. But now, as winter begins to whip back in, preventative measures have been taken to make sure his Department and NI Water are better prepared.
A 300-strong squad is on stand-by ready to swoop to keep open icy roads — and is to remain in place until next April.
Extra stocks of bottled water have been brought in — and increased supplies of salt to keep traffic moving will be available.
There will also be around 4,200 salt bins and 40,000 grit piles placed on public roads.
And NI Water, which was at the centre of the harshest criticism of how the crisis was handled after burst pipes left thousands without water, is this week conducting a ‘major incident’ exercise to help stave off a recurrence.
“We are all aware of the chaos that occurred during last winter,” Mr Kennedy said. “One of my first tasks upon taking up office was to ensure that plans were well advanced to ensure the department was prepared for winter.
“NI Water has been working hard to address the action points that arose out of the review from last winter.
“From the end of October until the middle of April, Road’s Service will have over 300 people on standby ready to salt main roads to help drivers to cope with wintry conditions.”
The ‘combat the cold snap’ plans include:
having a 300-strong ‘task-force’ on stand-by to salt roads until April;
having a total of 110,000 tonnes of salt in storage;
extra bottled water stocks;
4,200 local salt bins;
a new deal between Stormont and local councils.
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"These are wonderful for spurring the imagination and also a good resource for developing comprehension and listening skills." -- TOS™ Magazine
I received The Growler Tapes for review and knew from the beginning that my younger siblings would absolutely love them. They sat staring at my CD player and kept asking me to turn it up. Everybody thought it was a very fun story with great sound effects and a surprise ending. These are wonderful for spurring the imagination and are also a good resource for developing comprehension and listening skills. I would say they are a tremendous alternative to TV for a number of reasons!
"I thought it was good because I liked how they used kids to act out the story. Another thing that made it interesting was how they answered a science question in the beginning (what is the brightest thing in the sky?) and they won a trip to "HuHu Island". It was so good that I felt that I was there. The Growler Tapes are very, very interesting," said my eight-year-old sister, Ryann, (with a big grin on her face).
"I liked them because they were funny and they had funny, high voices. They were interesting because they sounded liked they inhaled helium and like they were very tiny," said Luke Suarez.
The CD lasted 25 minutes; this was just perfect timing, not too long, not too short. Although the series is designed for kids up to the age of 12, I would say 10 and under is great.
Publisher's Note: This is a neat company. We have listened to a couple of their story CDs now; our kids love them! They are definitely different. Not at all "teaching tapes,"these are for enhancing the school day with imagination time. Especially super for car time, which has been the main place we use these fun story tapes. The Growler Tapes stories keep our kids quiet (until they start echoing those crazy HuHus!) and satisfied for miles! Creator/Producer Bob Sakayama is making homeschools across America extra FUN
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The House approved a federal land swap Wednesday that would clear the way for creation of North America's largest copper mine in Arizona, despite opposition from the Obama administration and complaints that the proposed mine operator had partnered with Iran and faces allegations of human rights violations.
The swap would trade 2,400 acres of federal forest land in southeastern Arizona for about 5,300 acres of environmentally sensitive land throughout the state controlled by a subsidiary of global mining giant Rio Tinto. The bill passed the Republican-controlled House on a 235-186 vote.
GOP lawmakers and business groups, including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the National Mining Association, say the proposed mine, 70 miles east of Phoenix, would pump billions of dollars into the Arizona economy and help create nearly 4,000 mining-related jobs.
The Obama administration and many Democratic lawmakers opposed the land swap, saying an environmental review should be completed before the exchange is made.
Democrats also complained that the mining company will not have to pay royalties to the U.S. government for lucrative mineral rights that could be worth billions of dollars. And they said the proposed mine site contains sacred Native American artifacts and important cultural areas that would be displaced by the mine.
But their arguments were overridden by Republicans who said the mine would be a major job creator and would help reduce imports of copper used in a wide range of items, including cars, lamps and computers.
"There is no excuse for the United States to depend on foreign nations for our minerals supplies when we have ample reserves that could be developed here at home," said Rep. Doc Hastings, R-Wash., chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee.
Hastings and other Republicans dismissed Democratic complaints that the bill short-circuited necessary environmental reviews. The mine project cannot proceed without a battery of federal environmental reviews and consultation with Native American tribes, Hastings said.
Rep. Paul Gosar, R-Ariz., the bill's sponsor, said the land swap "does not pre-empt anything," such as the Antiquities Act, the National Environmental Policy Act or other laws.
But Rep. Raul Grijalva, D-Ariz., said the environmental review should be conducted now, when the U.S. government has the most leverage over the project. Once land that now is part of the Tonto National Forest is turned over to private control, the government's ability to require changes and enforce the law "is really limited at best," he said.
Under the plan, first proposed in 2005, a Rio Tinto subsidiary would gain access to more than 2,400 acres of federal forest land thought to contain vast resources of high-grade copper, potentially worth billions of dollars.
In exchange, about 5,300 acres of environmentally sensitive and recreational land throughout Arizona would be transferred to federal control, including 3,000 acres on the lower San Pedro River in southeastern Arizona and 940 acres to be added to the Appleton-Whittell Research Ranch southeast of Tucson. The land is controlled by Resolution Copper Co., a subsidiary of Rio Tinto, a London and Australia-based company that operates mines worldwide.
Rep. Edward Markey, D-Mass., said the House vote rewarded a company that partners with Iran to mine nuclear material, a reference to a uranium mine in Namibia owned by Rio Tinto in which Iran has a minority stake.
In a statement late Wednesday, Rio Tinto said, "The government of Iran, which acquired its 15 percent stake in Rossing (a Rio Tinto affiliate) in 1975, does not gain access to any nuclear technology through its investment, has no uranium product off-take rights and all dividend payments have been frozen. Rio Tinto has a strong and long-standing policy of compliance with all applicable economic sanctions and laws."
Rio Tinto also faces a lawsuit in the U.S. claiming that it aided the government of Papua New Guinea in genocide and war crimes in the late 1980s. A decade-long civil war began after islanders sabotaged a copper mine that islanders said was fouling the environment. Many people were killed in violent clashes with the Papua New Guinea military.
On Tuesday, the San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals allowed claims of racial discrimination and crimes against humanity to go forward.
Bruce Richardson, a spokesman for Rio Tinto, said Wednesday that the company will "vigorously defend ourselves against these improper claims."
Separately, Grijalva, Markey and other Democrats complained that under current law, the mining company will not have to pay any royalties to the U.S. government for mineral rights that could be worth as much as $7 billion.
"A foreign-owned company doing business on U.S. public lands is basically getting a blank check on extraction (of copper) and a green light from Congress to go ahead and begin this without any return on the money," Grijalva said.
Jon Cherry, a vice president of Resolution Copper, said the mine could generate as much as $61 billion in economic benefit for Arizona "without the need for one dollar of federal stimulus."
The legislation hasn't yet come up in the Democratic-controlled Senate, where it's expected to encounter greater resistance.
Resolution Copper Mine: http://securearizonasfuture.com
Follow Matthew Daly's energy coverage at http://twitter.com/MatthewDalyWDC
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Cedric Arnold November 29, 2012Posted by Geoffrey Hiller in Sri Lanka.
Tags: Sri Lanka
Helga de Silva Pereira Blow. Owner of Helga’s Folly Hotel. Kandy, Sri Lanka 2011
Cedric Arnold (b. 1976, France) took up photography and film making while studying history at the University of Paris. After graduating, he began his photography career in 1999 in London and Belfast, joining the Sygma agency. He moved to Asia in 2001 and is currently splitting his time between Bangkok and London. Cedric’s work has been published in The New York Times, Sunday Times Magazine, Stern, Time, Newsweek, Financial Times and many others. Cedric is represented by Novus Select in the New York and Luz Photo in Milan. In 2011 Cedric’s personal project ‘Sacred Ink’, an in-depth photographic study of Thailand’s traditional tattoo culture; was launched in Bangkok with a major photographic and multimedia exhibition. The project has since been featured in the Sunday Times Magazine’s as well as in Newsweek and art publications.
About the Photograph:
“On a break from an assignment, I stayed at the wildly eccentric ‘anti-hotel’, Helga’s Folly in Kandy, Sri Lanka. The owner, Helga de Silva Pereira Blow, is one of those people you know you must photograph as soon as you meet them, someone who not only looks extraordinary but also has fascinating stories to tell. She describes herself as such: “I grew up in a world of colonial tea pots, Hollywood gossip and Marxist revolutions”. After a tour of the huge family home-cum-hotel, with its wild murals on the walls and ceilings, family pictures everywhere, and a mad mix of furniture, we sat down for a chat, about her intriguing family and personal history, fancy dress and dinner parties and photographers she’s encountered over the years, including Henri Cartier Bresson. Helga, who was celebrated in British rock band Stereophonic’s 2003 hit single “Madame Helga” loves to recount her fabulous stories.
“We set up a portrait session for the next morning. She turned up fashionably late wearing huge vintage 1970s sunglasses, a hat designed by famed British hat maker Philip Treacy, complete with feather. Her dress was a modern take on a traditional hand-woven sari; with a huge collar in the style of 101 Dalmatians character Cruella. The whole portrait session was done while Helga recounted tales from her fascinating life.”
Kuba Kaminski November 25, 2012Posted by Geoffrey Hiller in Poland.
From the project ‘The Whisperers’. Podlasie Region, Poland 2011
Kuba Kaminski (b. 1985, Poland) holds a degree in photography from the Lodz Film School. In 2004, he started work as a professional photographer for the “Zycie” daily and since 2005 has been a staff photographer for “Rzeczpospolita” daily newspaper till 2012. Kuba has been working on assignments in Europe, Asia, US and South America. He is also involved in his own documentary projects, such as “The Sobering Chamber”: about post-communist facilities for alcoholics and “Salaryman”: concerning overworked Japanese corporate workers. Kuba participated in the World Press Photo Joop Swart Masterclass in 2011 and won 3rd prize Best Of Photojournalism, Best Published Picture Story (smaller markets), USA. He is part of Emerging Talent with Reportage by Getty.
About the Photograph:
“The picture is part of my Whisperers story. Whisperers are people who believe they possess a gift from God giving them the power to heal all kinds of diseases and physical pain. They claim that they are also able to throw spells and charms and free people from evil possession. The name probably came from the way they treat their believers, whispering special prayers into their ears. Whisperers are mostly elderly women who live in small villages in the Podlasie region in the eastern part of Poland, a few kilometers from Belarus. Their practice is derived from the Orthodox church but today the church don’t want to recognize them, distancing itself from them. They have been part of the local culture for hundreds of years in the Podlasie region, a land of mysticism and symbols that dictate the rhythm of life for many people living there. In the picture a whisperer performs the curing of a young girl by kneeling down under a holy icon of St. Ann during a procession in Stary Kornin village.”
Louisa Marie Summer November 22, 2012Posted by Geoffrey Hiller in Georgia.
Republic of Georgia, 2007
Louisa Marie Summer (b. 1983, Germany) received her graduate degree in Photo Design at the University of Applied Sciences in Munich, and her MFA in Photography at the Rhode Island School of Design. Louisa’s work has been displayed in solo and group exhibitions in Europe, the U.S.A., and South Korea. She has received awards and nominations such as the T.C. Colley Scholarship Award for Excellence in Photography, and attended the Eddie Adams Workshop XXIII, and the Missouri Photo Workshop 2012. She is currently featured on the Emerging Talent roster of Reportage by Getty Images. This year Louisa published her first book called Jennifer’s Family with Schilt Publishing, Amsterdam. She is based in New York.
About the Photograph:
“This photograph is part a project called Megobrebi! In Search for the Future. I spent two months in Georgia documenting the diverse lifestyles of contemporary Georgian youth torn between religious and traditional values from the post-Soviet Union versus the promises of Western status symbols. Georgia is located at the boarder of Europe and Asia divided by its own separatist conflicts and afflicted with corruption and poverty. In recent years it has transformed towards a more democratic country, owing largely to reforms induced by Mikheil Saakashvili, who has been the country’s autocratic president since the non-violent Rose Revolution in 2003. He retains presidential power for one more year after recently losing the majority to sustain his government after his party was defeated in parliamentary elections in October 2012.
“The photograph shows Elene and her girlfriends on the porch’s swing of her friend’s parent apartment in Vake, Tbilisi’s most prestigious neighborhood. I was introduced to Elene, the girl sitting on the left, and her parents through a mutual artist friend. Her parents lived abroad and decided to send her daughter to a German school in Tbilisi. The three girls on the swing are her school friends and we spent some time together, chilling, and celebrating graduation and birthdays. Beside a solid education, Georgia is not offering many opportunities for adolescents and most of them, such as these girls are influenced by newest fashion trends from the West and have big dreams about starting a model career and living abroad.”
Fabian Weiss November 19, 2012Posted by Geoffrey Hiller in China.
From a project about the gay community in Beijing, 2011
Fabian Weiss (b. 1986, Germany) received his undergraduate degree in journalism and diploma in photography in Vienna. In 2011 he moved to Denmark for a workshop based course in Advanced Visual Storytelling and 2012 to London for the postgraduate program Photojournalism and Documentary Photography at the London College of Communication. His work has recently been recognized internationally by Getty Images, the Lucie Foundation, the Ian Parry Award, the Pride Photo Award and the Austrian Press Award. His photo series have been featured in different media including Sunday Times Magazine, Private Photo Review, Photojournale and Le Journal de la Photographie and has been exhibited in the Netherlands, Austria, Romania, Slovakia and the Czech Republic. Fabian is currently based in London.
About the Photograph:
“During my stay in Beijing documenting the habits of finding love in modern China, I came across a strong community of lesbian women, living their sexuality relatively secretive under the public radar. I spent one month following four lesbian women and met Xi, a 21 year old bisexual woman from Beijing, belonging to China’s rebellious post 90s’ generation. On one arm, she has tattooed Maria as symbol of the mother, who still plays the most important role in a Chinese family. On the other arm, she has incised her nickname – Vner – with a razor blade. Even though she is more open about her sexual orientation, being lesbian or bisexual still signifies harsh living conditions in modern China. Expectations of marriage towards a generation of single descendants are now stronger than ever and support for homosexuals is widely lacking. Xi is dating a lesbian at the moment, but to please her mother she will probably get married to a straight guy.”
Pavel Prokopchik November 16, 2012Posted by Geoffrey Hiller in Russia.
From the series about alternative Russian youth. Utrish, Russia 2010
Pavel Prokopchik (b. 1982, Russia) grew up in Latvia, a part of the Soviet Union at that time. In 2001 he moved to the Netherlands. After receiving a BA in civil engineering he studied at the Royal Academy of Arts in The Hague where he received his degree in documentary photography (2009). His work has been published in De Volkskrant and The New York Times. Pavel has received a number of national and international photography awards including the latest from World Press Photo. In February 2012 Pavel exhibited his series about alternative Russian youth The Tribe at the FOAM photography museum in Amsterdam. He works as a freelance photographer, mainly focusing on long-term personal projects.
About the Photograph:
“This image was taken at a place called Utrish, which is a summer refuge for many alternative people from all over Russia. Utrish is situated on the cost of the Black Sea. It’s a nature resort, which consists of three lagoons between Bolshoy Utrish and Maliy Utrish. Local authorities are trying to get rid of all the hippies and turn this area into a commercial touristic destination. The two people in this picture are Lama and Nastya. Lama is one of the main characters of my ongoing long term project The Tribe about alternative youth in Russia.”
“He earns his living by selling psychedelic drugs, weed and hash living a nomadic lifestyle. The picture was taken upon arrival in Utrish after a sleepless night spent hitchhiking. After Lama left Utrish, Nastya met someone else and in about two months she was already pregnant. Since her new husband never finished higher education he couldn’t find a good job, so they were forced to move in with Nastya’s parents in St Petersburg, where the baby was born in June 2011. Lama was heartbroken when he found out that his girlfriend left him.”
Daniel Hartley-Allen November 14, 2012Posted by Geoffrey Hiller in Australia.
Darwin, Australia 2011
Daniel Hartley-Allen (b.1986, Australia) began his career in 2009 working as a photographic assistant in the United Arab Emirates for Etihad and General Motors. He completed a newspaper internship in 2010 and has since shot assignments for Getty Images, Australian Associated Press, The Times (London) and News Ltd Publications. This year he was a finalist for the Walkley Young Australian Journalist of the Year Award. His work has been published in: The Guardian, USA Today, Chicago Tribune and India Times among others. Daniel is based in Darwin, Australia.
About the Photograph:
“Fred Walker , a former champion boxer and WWII veteran now sits on his own, staring blankly at the bed where his wife Phyllis slept before she was taken into compulsory government care. Roaming through his hushed home in Darwin, Australia. Mr Walker said: “She had committed no crime but she has been locked away and forbidden to go home.” It’s a story of love and loss often seen in an ageing population – elderly people separated from the ones they love because aged care services are concerned for their welfare. Phyllis was taken to Hospital after she suffered a fall in October, 2011. She remained on a secure ward for several weeks before an Aged Care Assessment Team determined Mr Walker was unfit in his capacity to care for her and was transferred to a nursing home. The health department said nobody was kept in a hospital if they didn’t need to be and, in Ms Walker’s case, “the notion of keeping her there against her will was not a factor.”
Linda Dorigo November 12, 2012Posted by Geoffrey Hiller in Iran.
Iranian Christian Community, Pataver, Iran 2011
Linda Dorigo (b. 1983, Italy) is a freelance photojournalist based in Beirut. She worked as a photo assistant in a fashion and advertising studio in Lisbon before returning to Italy, where she started working as journalist. She is mostly focused on the female world and its creative force, starting from Iranian managers to the old and new generation of Saharawi refugees, passing through the rights of Lebanese women. In 2010 she realized a short film “Safar- e sabz” — Green Journey — about the meaning of the color green for Iranian people. Her work has been published in Marie Claire Italy, East and Der Spiegel.
About the Photograph:
“I shot this picture inside an old cowshed that the Christian community of Pataver turned into a church. All of the community came to celebrate St. Marie’s day. The Islamic Republic of Iran recognizes religious freedom for Christians but they are in fact a hidden minority. I traveled through Iran living with people and friends, sleeping in churches, sharing their food and their fears. These people carry a strong faith — they dream of a world without borders, without political and religious impositions. I’m a man first of all, one of them told me in his home in Tehran — then, I can be Christian, Iranian or Muslim— all of us belong to the same God”.
“There is something special in their loneliness and spiritual detachment. You can feel the energy coming from nature which paints their honest dialogue with the divine. I gained their trust sitting in silent respect, invisible, becoming the person to whom they could confide hopes, gestures, illusions, prayers. One day a man who converted to Christianity sat in front of me: ‘Can I read you the Bible?” – he asked. He took off his glasses and opened the holy book hidden among the pots and pans in the kitchen. I was waiting to hear some passages, but he just said one word: ‘Eshq’ which means love.”
Paul Taggart November 9, 2012Posted by Geoffrey Hiller in Lebanon.
Hezbollah Rally, Lebanon 2007
Paul Taggart (b.1980, United States) was one of the few unembedded western journalists to cover the month-long battle and siege of Najaf, Iraq, in 2004 between the Mahdi Militia and the coalition forces. Other prominent news stories Paul has covered include Benazir Bhutto’s return to Pakistan in 2007, the dual bombing of her convoy after leaving the airport, the 2004 tsunami in Banda Aceh, the 2005 famine in Niger and the 2006 war in Lebanon, the 2010 Earthquake in Haiti, and the 2011 Tsunami in Japan. Paul’s work has appeared in Newsweek, The New York Times, US News and World Report, Boston Globe, National Geographic Adventure, and the Times of London. Paul also shoots video for Bloomberg News, independent documentaries and commercials and is the co-founder of Lantern Fish Media in New York.
About the Photograph:
“The photograph was taken in Lebanon on Jan. 30, 2007. I had been living in Beirut since 2006 and had photographed the month long conflict with Israel in the summer of 2006. A tension was still apparent in the country a year later and Hassan Nasrallah had given very few public speeches since the end of the conflict. This image shows the crowds of thousands that filled the streets in the southern suburbs of Beirut, Lebanon. Ashura is a holy day in Shiite Islam commemorating the death of Imam Hussein in 680 in Iraq. Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah ended the event with a public speech after the march.”
Philipp Spalek November 7, 2012Posted by Geoffrey Hiller in Egypt.
Tannery Worker. Cairo, Egypt 2010
Philipp Spalek (b. 1984, Germany) finished his masters in Middle Eastern Studies and Modern History in Germany in 2012. He had his first serious encounter with photography in 2010 when he worked as a press photographer for the Egyptian newspaper Al-Shorouk in Cairo. There he learned to speak fluent Arabic and feels addicted to the country since. His work has been published in Zenith, SpiegelOnline, Brand Eins & ZeitOnline. Over the last year he devoted his time to a project about the situation of Egyptian Copts after the revolution, which was awarded a first prize in the Reportage Category at Kolga Photo Festival in Georgia and won the Canon ProfiFoto Award in Germany. He is based in Berlin and Cairo
About the Photograph:
“I still remember that people used to move away from us in the Metro after we returned from taking pictures in the tanneries. Our smell really was obnoxious. But among those staring were people with nice leather jackets or leather handbags. They all seemed to have accusing looks on their faces. It was strange, but this made me want to go back even more and document the working conditions of those, who are not seen, but provide the luxury of our daily lives. When I first entered the tanner’s district, hidden behind Cairo’s old city walls, I was at the same time fascinated by the friendliness of the people and shocked by their working conditions. People were working in a knee deep soup of skin leftovers and smelling flesh. Young men were carrying skin on their head through dark cellars. Children were dragging skin through the burning heat. Transport was organized with horse carts. I felt like having arrived in a time bubble. Some of the tanneries haven’t modernized their technology for decades or even a century. Workers only rely on their muscle power and don’t earn more than a couple of pounds a day”
Andrej Balco November 5, 2012Posted by Geoffrey Hiller in Brazil.
From the Project about Domésticas in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 2007
Andrej Balco (b.1973, Slovakia) received his Master’s degree in photography at the Institute of Creative Photography in the Czech Republic. His work has been exhibited at the Prague House of Photography, The Leica Gallery, Prague, The Festival of Photography in Lodz, Poland as well as in England, Australia, Holland, Finland, Brazil and Japan. Andrej is a winner of the PhotoDocument.sk: grant and Changing Faces of the international program of IPRN. He is a co-founder and member of Sputnik Photos collective. His work is distributed worldwide by the Anzenberger Agency.
About the Photograph:
“This photo is part of the series Domésticas that I made through the residential Changing Faces/ IPRN program. The idea behind the project was to show the coexistence of two different social classes connected by work and explore how they interact and complement each other. The phenomenon of domestic labor is a natural part of Brazilian society that has persisted since colonial times. I portrayed the masters and their servants in the opulent villas, but also in the simple flats whose area does not exceed 30 square meters. The selected image is of my meeting with Anita Prisco and her lifelong servant Matilde in Anita’s house. Matilda’s service started when she was twenty and over the years has become a respected member of the host family.”
John Minchillo November 2, 2012Posted by Geoffrey Hiller in Greece.
Sudanese Refugees, Patras Greece 2010
John Minchillo (b. 1985, United States) received his bachelors degrees in English Literature and Philosophy, Politics, and Law from Binghamton University. A lifelong passion for storytelling led him to print journalism with local newspapers. Shortly afterwards he began photographing his stories and found his voice in imagery. He has attended the Eddie Adams Workshop Barnstorm 24, and is regularly published in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times, TIME Magazine, The Chicago Tribune, The Denver Post, USA Today, Newsweek, and many others. He lives in New York City freelances with the Associated Press.
About the Photograph:
“I wanted to tell the story of refugees in the EU when my colleague suggested Patras, a port city in Greece known for harboring massive shipping vessels. Greece is the middle man for dealing with refugees in the EU. Official protocol states all illegal immigrants found in the EU must be deported to the original country of entry. Greece, with its land border with Turkey, is the main thoroughfare. With nowhere to go, and Greece’s economy in free fall, these refugees found themselves living in abandoned rail yards.”
“I tried to make a photo that shows these men, stuck in circumstances wildly beyond their control, as more than some forgotten, cursed people. They want to be better men and husbands, live better, and achieve. Many speak several languages. Some are teachers, others mechanics, many businessmen. Their families are far away. They left home in search of opportunity to be caught in a socio-political nightmare with no escape, to home or anywhere else. They try for years to covertly board massive shipping vessels behind barbed wire and fences, often risking their lives by climbing up hundred-foot high docking cables, in hopes of making it to the Netherlands for a chance at a new life. And in the process they are caught by authorities, beaten, jailed, and released into the cycle again. No matter the crushing poverty, disdain from locals, and the inability to work legally, they maintain a place to wash, eat, sleep, and take time for a simple things, like a haircut. They maintain powerful but quiet dignity. I believe in my heart that they are no different from me, and despite living in a vermin infested rail yard, with comfortable looking homes overlooking their difficult state of affairs, they keep hope alive.”
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ANDERSON — Jodi has never had a problem paying her bills or providing for her two children on her own until now.
Her mother, Barbara, suffered a stroke earlier this year and for the first time in her life cannot work. Barbara has applied for disability benefits but has been denied. So in the meantime, Jodi is paying her mother's utility bills while she also tries to pay her own bills and groceries.
Jodi does not receive any help with child support or food stamps. She is raising her two children and helping her mother with the $1,400 she makes a month at her job. Each month Jodi has $48 left over once she pays for the mortgage, the car, their utility bills, insurance and groceries.
Jodi is hoping for some help from the Brighter Christmas Fund, a partnership that includes the Independent Mail and that works to make the holidays better for people in need.
The newspaper will continue to share stories from families like Jodi's each day until Christmas. Fictitious names are used to protect the families' privacy.
Anyone wishing to donate to Brighter Christmas Fund can contact the Sun Trust Bank in Anderson. Donations this year will go to help make the 2013 holiday season a little brighter for others.
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Eric Topol, cardiologist, geneticist, and researcher, discusses harnessing information into action at Wired Health Conference: Living By Numbers.
Director, Scripps Translational Science Institute;
Professor of Genomics, The Scripps Research Institute
in conversation with THOMAS GOETZ
Thomas Goetz is executive editor of WIRED magazine and author of the book The Decision Tree: Taking Control of Your Health in the New Era of Personalized Medicine. Since Goetz joined WIRED in 2001, the magazine has been nominated for 18 National Magazine awards and has won nine times, including the top award for General Excellence three times. His cover stories at WIRED have been selected for both the Best American Science Writing and the Best Technology Writing anthologies. Before joining WIRED, Goetz held posts at the Village Voice, then at the Wall Street Journal, and The Industry Standard.
Eric Topol is a practicing physician and one of the world’s foremost medical researchers. As head of cardiology, he led the Cleveland Clinic to become the number one heart care center in the US and in 2002 founded the clinic’s Lerner College of Medicine. In 2006 he became director of the new Scripps Translational Science Institute, devoted to advancing gene-based individualized medicine and real-time digital health monitoring. He also serves as chief academic officer of Scripps Health. Topol has been elected to the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences and was voted the most influential physician-executive in the US in a 2012 Modern Healthcare poll. GQ magazine has named him one of 12 “Rock Stars of Science.” His book The Creative Destruction of Medicine was published this year.
Eric Topol, Professor of Genomics, The Scripps Research Institute, introduces the coming future of biotechnology. Topol declares that soon sensors, powered by our bloodstream, will be able to analyze potential health dangers in our bodies.
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Few in the business and finance sectors have shown much anxiety over the ultimate effect of the sequester’s modest reduction in the growth of government spending. Although large government contractors are likely able to be better prepared to weather the sequestration through economies of scale among multiple billion dollar contracts -- and maybe take advantage of the situation by acquiring other struggling competitors -- many small business concerns incorrectly believe they will be protected by the large prime contractor “firewall.”
Even industries most dependent upon federal spending, like the defense and healthcare sectors, realize that sequester does not mean “stop.” Government contracts and federal procurement laws provide effective methods for mitigating termination-related losses and recovering costs, often including reasonably anticipated lost profits.
Even Government Contracts Protect Private Contractors
Contract termination “for the convenience of the government” does not end the government’s obligations to private contractors (or lower tier subcontractors). Contractors have effective contractual remedies to avoid or substantially mitigate losses associated with termination.
Private contractors’ administrators should resist any government attempt to “modify” a current contract unless the terms of the modification are as advantageous, under the current circumstances, as the original agreement and contain effective remedies for government breaches or termination actions. Subcontractors should not unnecessarily settle their claims against the prime contractor.
All contractors, at every tier, need to be watchful of “release” language in contract modifications and other correspondence until the claim has actually been analyzed and not rushed during the emotion of sequestration. Contractors should rarely eliminate their economies of scale through reductions in deliverables and, effectively, take a loss on a contract. Just say “no.”
When initially entering a government contract, the government likely inserted onerous socio-economic requirements unrelated to the scope of work. Government contractors must analyze these socio-economic requirements to ensure there are no lingering programs, reporting responsibilities, or other required notices. In many instances, there may be the possibility of compensation for complying with socio-economic programs.
Prepare Now For Whatever Cost-Saving Tactic The Government Adopts
The government always has a variety of options for strong-arming private contractors.
The threat of government termination is often more bark than bite. If faced with a termination notice, contractors should first assess the value of the contract. In some instances, termination can relieve contractors of bad deals while still entitling them termination-related compensation. Thus, sequestration may be a “win, win” for all involved, especially in a fixed-price losing contract.
Businesses at every tier must move quickly to assemble a comprehensive contract file. Gather all relevant records, correspondence, emails and other communications pertaining to each government contract. Do not rely on “personal relationships” within the agency to protect the company, or believe that your businesses deliverables are “essential” and sequestration will only happen to your competitors or other industries.
Memorialize conversations with contracting officers or contracting officer technical representatives. After a conference call, send an e-mail to the governmental agency confirming what was discussed. Although perhaps distasteful, be prepared to move quickly into dispute proceedings with a strong record. If you need to explain to the contracting officer that the business needs to protect its interests in these uncertain times, do not be shy in stating exactly why you are documenting conversations.
This file will also provide support in the event of a government audit or “false claim” inquiries that may be used to coerce inequitable modifications or significantly slow the payment process. Be prepared for a governmental audit that can, unfortunately, take years to complete. Companies should know how to collect at least partial payment while this process is undertaken.
Sequester Won’t Last Forever
Government contract officers and, at least, large government contractors, have anticipated sequester for months, providing lots of time to review current contracts and identify opportunities to terminate or “do over” disadvantageous contracts -- or get rid of troublesome contractors.
Private contractors should anticipate actions premised on the all-too-familiar political axiom, “never miss opportunities presented by a good crisis.” Even if a compromise is reached, and the effects of sequester are minimized from a policy perspective, the governmental agency plans are already prepared and, in many cases, going into effect.
As anyone who has worked in the government knows, once a plan is initiated, it is not very easy to stop the process. Contractors should be on guard against government attempts to leverage sequestration and whatever future spending cuts may emerge from the political process. Be prepared to “play out the clock” and take a strong stand under contractual and statutory dispute resolution procedures.
Knowing your contractual rights, perfecting contract files, designating an effective administrator to manage the process, and having experienced government procurement consultants and attorneys will largely even the playing field in the complex and fast-moving, post-sequester environment.
Brett W. Johnson is a partner in the Phoenix office of Snell & Wilmer, a business law firm. He is a government relations attorney who regularly advises and represents businesses throughout the U.S. in negotiating, drafting, enforcing and complying with government contracts, subcontracts and compliance programs. He can be reached at 602.382.6312 or at email@example.com.
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Well, considering that developers spend a lot of their time and effort optimizing for outdated consoles, it kinda does.
Developers can call for new systems all they want, but today's technology isn't what's holding back innovation.
We're nearing the end of the longest console cycle since consoles had distinct cycles. But to hear some tell it, as hardware and packaged software sales have stagnated, the ability and drive to innovate have similarly hit a silicon wall. Alarms have been raised about when the new consoles need to come and what sort of magic they need to be able to work.
2K Games executive Christoph Hartmann's claimed modern games are stuck in a rut of mindless action because they cannot sufficiently portray emotion and human drama without photorealistic graphics. DICE general manager Karl Magnus Troedsson said gamers are tiring of first-person shooters because most do not make enough strides in new ways to render the action. Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot said developers are being penalized by the long console life span, and "it's important for the entire industry to have new consoles because it helps creativity."
These statements from AAA publishers and developers cast away all blame for the middling state of AAA gaming from themselves. They encapsulate the tunnel vision so woefully common among the established ranks of the industry. New technology is not the only or best way to drive creativity, and taking that approach is dismissive to the advancements games have made that weren't driven by technology.
The association between new tech--most often in the form of consoles--and fresh thinking in games is not invalid. The numbers show that companies tend to launch many more new franchises at the beginning of hardware cycles than in the middle or end. But this is only for business reasons: new systems create a market full of consumers eager for any title to justify their expensive purchases. This means publishers can afford to let developers throw their new ideas against the wall and see which ones stick. Those which work out well can be turned into lucrative franchises, and those which don't probably still moved decent numbers thanks to a smaller field of games to compete against.
Eventually the polygons get so small they can no longer be told apart.
Maybe we haven't bought too many new ideas from the neighborhood GameStop and fed them into our consoles recently, but that doesn't mean there are none. Original ideas are springing up everywhere games can be made and (relatively) easily distributed--observe Minecraft and its successful Xbox Live Indie Games clones! Unabashed intellectual theft is the sincerest form of flattery, after all, and a great metric for how successful any given game is at carving out a new market.
But trying new things is a dangerous business, and for every Minecraft there are dozens of innovative efforts languishing in digital indices. So risk is a game for the young and the small. That's why much of the new vocabulary of games is coming from independent developers. It's not only the indies inhabiting Xbox Live or Steam, either. Mobile phone and Facebook titles exploded because their creators gave different kinds of games to different kinds of people in different places than before, without losing much sleep on competing as graphical powerhouses. Current technology seems to be able to handle most of their good ideas just fine.
It wasn't always this way. In previous generations, new hardware did fundamentally change our games. It expanded our perspectives from two dimensions to three. Then it let us play and compete with other people half a world away. The gaming industry grew accustomed to those leaps, and to the spike in sales and interest which came with them. But, in a beautifully succinct demonstration of the law of diminishing returns, eventually the polygons get so small they can no longer be told apart. And yet some people, chiefly those deepest entrenched within the AAA game industry, insist they cannot succeed without more. From all this a likely conclusion emerges.
The canvas is ready. Perhaps we just need more inspired artists.
Video games are about the experience. You want great stories? Put a few billion into a Square and pull off an Enix. You want a good publisher and developer? Send a message to yourself in the past warning of involvement with Electronic Arts; they've been ignoring the smell of their own feces since at LEAST '95.
On a side note, however, there was a generational divide back around 2000. First it was the NES and SNES, which masked the failure of the Virtual Boy, aka 'reverse Scott Summers'. There was the Sega Genesis, which did ok, and introduced Sonic... But then there was also the atrocious SegaCD, and the GameGear, which ate batteries like an M60 eats bullets.
Then came the real era of gaming, where 3d first really stepped onto the scene. If you had brothers or sisters who played, N64 was probably your system (goldeneye and mariokart!). Single children got the PSX if they were lucky (go single player RPGs from square!). In 2000~ when the PS2 was the shizz, and let's be honest, it was better than the gamecube and dreamcast, despite the dreamcast having a cultish following.
Which is when the era of the '12 year olds' started. That would be when you suddenly had young kids screaming over microphones about shooting or getting shot--- those kids seemed to want more CoD, Halo, and graphics. Many of them don't care why or how they got to that spawn point with a rocket launcher, just that now they can kill things without aiming.
So, do we need innovation to make fps better? Nope. FPS would only be better from graphics and the settings in which they took place. Add thousands of more maps and maybe you could pretend that is innovative. Personally, I love chaos in my FPS play... The maps you play 8v8 or 10v10 on, I'd love to play 25v25 or so, with constant 20second respawns; locations like downtown NYC, but you can hide inside streetside shops, all of which are programmed in, each individual candy bar falling with its own physics. Catching on yet? That's silly to try for a console; too much data required while still having lots of maps available at once. Pick one console, your computer.
Unless you want mobile gaming. That's really the only area gaming can improve in technologically---- you can't surpass the computing power of a desktop in your console unless you PUT the computing power of your desktop in your console... and then you just have a larger PS3.
Agree, Bordelands isn't designed to be realistic, it has its own art style that cartoonish looking, yet is an awesome game. I bet they would use the same art style in the next generation but may be more polished and some better physics maybe or something.
Industry is making rounds around the FPS war game genre that sells atm. They fear to go beyond that.
When the industry was in the early time they dared to do more new IP.
I miss Crash Bandicoot, Jak and Daxter. Now all I see is war games, mostly and very few good Action Adventure games, like Uncharted, AC, Darksiders and Dark Souls is an awesome RPG. IP that dared and sell.
Cant wait for the Last of US and Watch Dogs. I know that most of the games I have mentioned are PS exclusives but it is true. Xbox has war games mostly, look Halo and Gears of War. Cant name any other good exclusive.
Anyway, developers need to do something from scratch. Forget what sells atm.
in my opinion, wii u should have a classic controller packaged over the tablet. Tablet is a terrible choice. Why would you trust a Gamespot. San Francisco is pretty weird city. I would trust some website from NEw York City
Doesn't CEO blatantly console limitation is holding them back from developing better games? I like games with new ideas, andriods and ios got new ideas popping up despite being flooded with thousands of clones after the first pioneering success. Ubisoft CEOs shut up already, now you are making console piss off cause already a powerful console is out there.
By the way, how powerful is the WiiU? I know having a game screen on your gamepad is cool, but how WiiU can made third party developers make use of both the gamepad screen with the TV screen when newer consoles came out??? WiiU strategy, if third party can't make innovative use of the gamepad screen, then blame the developers for not being innovative, fire back, cut them down!
Publishers are in control of developers, but it is the audience that is in control of the publisher. If we keep buying shit we will be fed shit all year long. If the Wii U fails I think we will see dark days ahead because it shows that it is gamers that are not willing to embrace new ideas.
The really amazing about humans is that we can empathize with images that aren't fully realistic or even human. That said, we don't need photorealism to make us *feel*. I don't like how developers are using the lack of a new console as a crutch for a lack of innovation.
We will never reach a point were video games become so graphically advanced that they really do become "photo-realistic". But, we can have fun trying to get there. And with each advancement - with each baby-step we make toward that unobtainable goal we have legions of gamers around the world clamoring for more. Why is that? Because video games are a form of technology, of course. Technology is emergent. It's never stagnant.
Sure, it's fun to look back and be nostalgic. We can have fun playing new games look like they could have been made twenty years ago. But, even that gets old (pardon the pun) quick. No, the main driving force of the video game industry should be technological innovation. That's what we gamers love. That's what we crave. And that innovation does indeed fuel an immense amount of creativity.
And that benefits not only big game developers but small indy game makers too. Imagine if the industry never progressed passed the days of the NES. Would we all still be playing video games now? I highly doubt it. So, why stop now? We need to constantly keep pushing the envelope on what we think can be possible with all technology - even video games. Lest we become disinterested in the industry in general and video games (both big and small) all eventually go the way of the dinosaur.
I agree 100% Too many well established game developers are no longer game makers but merely companies making money. Saying that they need new hardware to make a good game is an excuse for being lazy.
Well the game I've been playing non stop for 2 months now is Minecraft....... for me this is proof that gameplay is everything...
Most developers dont have enough time to make good games, as they spend it all for good graphics - comparing the last console gens, its not the graphics that matters for best games, or the hardware to enable best graphics - i cant remember any generation that had the best games on the best looking console. The wii has the best games of this gen, but the worst graphics, while the xbox and ps3 force you to be online with your console and update every game, the wii is more what i console used to be in the past - i and guess everyone who wants to play action games better use a pc with mouse and keys inseadt of crappy gamepad controles for shooting games, a genere somehow destroyed by this console generation. Just look at Crysis and Crysis 2 - 2nd game isnt really bad, but compared to the first its really lame, levels, gameplay all has been changed for console gameplay - like a lot of other games too, max payne, deus ex, all turned out as lame console games. But i think a lot of people controlling the market are just ideots - all they want is a save way to the money - milking everything that sales. Guess its just what happens to creative mediums.
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You didnt find a good game since the ps1, n64 in the mid 90s?!
What is a good game for you? And why do you think we need a console from 6897777777777777777777777432642346234987236467826423489236487236462394623946738467828496239462764923642364762398746237894826
years away to have something equal to 16 and 8 bit era of gaming ...
Just buy yourself a wii, or wait for the wiiu, there are a lot of goo games this gen, but xbox360 havent seen any of them.
publishers are destoying the videogame industry. If control could ever get back in the developers hands us gamers would be in good hands.
Oh and to answer your question "Would Borderlands have been better if it was photorealistic?"
Borderlands would have been better if there wasn't horrible jagged edges and muddy textures everywhere detracting from the overall beauty of the art style. Borderlands would have been better if the facial expressions and emotions of key characters were better expressed through advanced AI. Borderlands would have been better if the devs who came up with this idea could run wild without the limits of current gen consoles, fleshing out an amazing game and world without having to edit themselves due to restrictions.
c'mon, get real.
@cryfreedom66 ... Borderlands looks amazing as it is, both on my PS3 and on my computer, and I've never run into muddy textures. Advanced AI has absolutely nothing to do with graphical capabilities, at all, and if current consoles were "limitless" as you say, then the entire game industry would be spending months after months trying to make games photorealistic to please all gamers who can't appreciate a title for what it really is. We'd all have absolutely nothing but "CoD Ripoffs" and the like. Do you even know what it takes to make 3D models, let alone photorealistic ones? The only reason Crysis 2 and 3 are being released so soon as opposed to nearly every two decades is because they're using finished, recycled material rather than rebuilding it from scratch.
In short, if we continue to focus "innovation" through graphical prowess, devs will have absolutely no time and money to actually innovate the actual gameplay. It's a fact, ask any (real) 3D model designer as I have done.
Am I OPPOSED to new consoles for better tech? Of course not. Am I excited to see the graphical and computing prowess of the Wii U, PS4, or Xbox 720 that follow? Of course I am.
But I'm not going to sit by a lame excuse that claims that they can't do anything innovative with the incredibly impressive technology that they have nowadays. If an indie dev can prove them wrong with Minecraft or Terraria, or Portal, or even Path of Exile, they have no excuse.
@Aleksa8 Im sorry, you seem intelligent enough so I will try to argue constructively. "We'd all have absolutely nothing but "CoD Ripoffs" and the like" this is the current problem, its happening right now, so invalid argument.
"Do you even know what it takes to make 3D models, let alone photorealistic ones?....because they're using finished, recycled material rather than rebuilding it from scratch." -again a current problem. As technology evolves so does the way in which games are made, there has already been a lot of talk about how next gen systems will be easier to develop for and take less time due to advanced dev kits (google it) This current gen has been notoriously hard on developers due to hardware limitations...every major game thats been released in the past 6 years has gone through an editing process in which ambitious ideas and features have been slashed due to limitations.
"But I'm not going to sit by a lame excuse that claims that they can't do anything innovative with the incredibly impressive technology that they have nowadays" I am not claiming that either. Devs and corporations who want to churn out drivel in order to make a quick buck will continue to do that in the next cycle as they do in this one. Advanced tech simply allows creative dev teams to realize an idea to its full potential. Look at peter molyneux, renowned for writing checks his a$$ cant cash aka dreaming big and being shut down by current gen limitations. Imaginitive, creative dev teams exist in this cycle, sure...the advance in the technology will make them even better...argue all you want but i'm right.
As the article suggests, there's nothing wrong with having devs wanting to experiment with new consoles (in fact, as gamers, we encourage it), but claiming that they can only do innovative things with newer consoles and not being capable of doing so with the current gen is ignorant and just a means of cashing in (see above for details on how that even works).
Well if you want to get a little technical about the CoD Ripoffs bit, technically they're more simply "frequent" rather than the only thing in sight. I mean it's possible to find something unique on the store shelves like Borderlands, Skyrim and the like if you were to look around. In the future, however, if graphics take the stage, there won't be any focus on gameplay elements, since people will be too geared to focusing on developing great visuals.
On the other hand, the advanced Dev kits will, for the most part, only allow for more complex animations and graphical details. Whether or not it'll actually make models easier to develop at a realistic level is something I don't see realistically happening at least until AFTER the next generation, but I guess we'll find that out once the next gin finally hits. Regardless, developing animations and graphics is a chore. The Uncharted Trilogy was hardly anything but a minor (you can dislike all you want, but it is what it is) graphical update with each sequel. But that "minor" upgrade was what took so much time and money from Naughty Dog from even attempting something genuinely innovative and unique for the series. Most of each of the games were nothing more than gunfight, scripted event, gunfight, scripted event, et cetera. Unless the superior dev kit honestly makes this all easier, even to the point where it replaces hireing actors with smart, realistic animation AI (for without that bit it STILL won't be a step forward), there will not be any time and money left over to appeal to gamers who want good gameplay. So they have to make a choice: amazing graphics, or amazing gameplay? They will have to compensate, and because of the graphically advanced consoles of the future, they're going to HAVE to lean towards graphics if they want to see a profit; the gamers will expect it from them no matter what the reviews say about how great their gameplay is.
I'm not saying that new consoles won't allow for innovation. Yes, you're right, new consoles will open up a lot of new doors, but my point still stands that there's a LOT that game devs haven't even bothered doing with current gen consoles because they focus too much on graphical prowess rather than legitimately unique gameplay aspects, and that this is just an excuse to either
A) be one of the first to start a new IP with the safety of a new console release (it's one of the surest ways to make sure people actually want to buy your game, as there isn't much of an option to begin with)
B) procrasitnate a little longer so that they rake money in while waiting for a new system. It's already basically what Blizzard's doing with D3. They don't have Online DRM to prevent you from hacking, they have it so that if you get hacked, you're expected to buy another copy to keep playing, while they pretend to help you retrieve an account, which they know would hinder sales, so they never bother.
Geniuses like Peter Molyneux aside, the fact that devs cry for new tech for new ideas is a bad sign altogether. As right as you are about the fact that the current gen has some creative brains in the bunch, it's a safe bet that they're going to have to slide to the focus on graphics (whether even they like it or not) for next gen consoles to justify the game as a legitimate product on a high-end system.
This article is silly. Stop trying to justify this stagnant cycle. Bows and arrows weren't necessary to hunt and kill an animal. The wheel wasn't necessary to move things. Motion pictures weren't necessary for entertainment. I know these are far reaching examples but seriously, this argument can be made against any type of innovation in the history of man.
To put it in perspective, look at the major innovations during the renaissance and tell me that new technology isn't important in the development of an art form. Good grief, cant stop technology people...just accept it.
@cryfreedom66 i like it, we need new consoles will bring in new fresh games the big publishers aree waiting for next cycle bc its going to bring in more sales
i think we need both graphics and gameplay equally . just look at LA noire . the facial animation is just amazing and gameplay too . the problem is we can play game for the good gameplay and ignore the bad graphics. but we cant play a game for good graphics and ignore the crappy gameplay.and now we have good graphics and bad gameplay
wipe away all the shiny bells and whistles and we are all just playing combat on the 2600,...... CoD, duhhh!
I couldn't help but smirk with the shameless plug for Gamestop in there. Are Gamespot and Gamestop sex buddies or what?
@WolfGrey Gamespot is an article website in which ordinary people write articles about video games. Real world references like this one are more than likely to happen in almost ever other article, as they're not competing game dev companies which try to avoid even mentioning another business for fear of "accidental advertising."
I find it strange that 2K Games cry for more realism to better portray characters. NO character was even remotely memorable to me as the entire TF2 cast and even Borderlands (1 AND 2) which 2K Games ironically published. Borderlands used low tech, and not only did it look amazing in every possible way (great visuals with superb lighting and attitude) but it also offered a new simple but effective innovation, the Random Gun Generator. You didn't need the PS4, Wii U, XBox 3, or even a U-Station 720 for that.
Good article but developers shoudn't depend on new consoles to be creative. They should take more risks stop charging for silly dlc costume in games. Im a RPG fan but many of them (except for skyrim) are too similar and don't stand out. Im ready for some new groundbreaking games.
Maybe developers feel the need to reinvent the wheel, because if they make something that has been done before, EA might sue them for IP infringement.
I love how someone always has something to say about what a person needs or doesn't need to to be creative. Creativity and insporation comes from everywhere, so to say that a new consoles won't spark innovation and creativity is ignorant. I for one cant wait for the next xbox.
@bourne714 Creativity has always been about pushing the limit of quality content with what you already have. While it is true that new techs may open the door to new possibilities, it shouldn't be used as an excuse to stop creating. A great game should be about the balance of good content be it the storyline, gameplay and looks. When we talk about fresh ideas, I doubt most gamers are looking for something completely ground-breaking because all we want at the end of the day is a game that is engaging enough for us to spend time with the game. When developers start demanding for new consoles when they "think of new ideas", what will happen ultimately? Are we willing to fork out dollars for new consoles each year? Not me that's for sure.
That is how it is suppose to be why is everyone crying for the next gen. The later they'll release it the better the hardware will be.Enough said.
Up until recently, minecraft sold 9.2 million copies multiplatform - just to put these AAA devs in perspective lets see how that tallies against other games, Minecraft outsold the following - FIFA 12 (Multiplatform), Gears of War 3, Gran Turismo 5, Halo 3 and Reach, Super Mario Galaxy, its even more than Final Fantasy 7 (Playstation 1 only) - so hardware isnt the issue at all
innovation doesnt come with high number of polygons but when full innovation is hard to achieve, the good looks together with little innovation surely will do the job and please many... there are tons of games that are praised by their fancy looks, the only downside is , everything gets old after a couple of times, and the better graphics will be taken for granted and we will always ask for more....smoother animations, better looking environments and characters, longer draw -view distances, higher number of elements on screen at a time, will surely turn many moderate ideas into masterpieces....
limbo awesome game, short and once done you dont go back, battlefield gets alot of praise for its fancier looks, tons of mods for skyrim to make it look better, naughty dog games gets alot of praise for their graphics, imagine them being ps2 quality,
what story could really stun you , now, after so many stories you had witnessed, what matters is how the ideas are executed, the more power will enable better execution maybe...
How about Gamespot credit the people who reply to their articles because this one is simply based off the statements I've read from us readers that have commented on other related stories. Gamespot should be initiating discussions not responding to them...
IMO...I don't think a new console is the answer right now. Systems still sell, games still sell, accessories still sell...everyone is still looking forward to the next version of their favorite game (whatever that may be) and who doesn't buy DLC!? Plus, pre-orders have definitely risen once Companies starting adding marketable bonuses and exclusive extras or add-ons. Save the "next big thing" for at least another 2 years. Like late 2014 or early 2015. There's still plenty of room to make a very good profit...I think Developers and other companies are just starting to get greedy and want to be that "first innovator" to take the next step, even if uneccesary, just to make that next buck.. That's my opinion.
I blame band-wagon hoppers. One good idea comes up (CoD, MineCraft, so on), and EVERY SINGLE AAA game has to be way too similar to CoD, Minecraft, or whatever. Wanna know why Mario thrives so well? Cause not everyone and their grandma is up on his genre's nuts. They gave up trying to beat him ages ago because Nintendo's the king of platformers (one thing they'll never let die), so when Nintendo makes a new one (Kirby, DKC:R, so on), it feels more fresh because even if we see the same faces 50 times over, Nintendo's the primary one pushing 'em out, so they have time to really work with the games and add bits of innovation where they see fit (level design, gimmicks, concepts, so on). FPS games, zombie games, and sand box games are all over the place now. Everyone and their grandma has these things in their stack/shelf of games somewhere. There's just too many people wanting to do the same thing cause they see CoD, MineCraft, and so on doing it. I mean, seriously, zombie apocolypse games used to actually be an original concept. Now it's annoying.
Perfect example: We've had 7 Mario Kart games since the original one. It's gotten to the point where even after Nintendo's put gliders on these things and made them drive in the water, it's still "the same old, same old" (I found that to be a bit unfair in G-Spot's review). Why aren't their more kart racers? If Mario Kart is becoming stale, where are the other guys? Where's the competition? Nowhere. They're making FPS games for casuals and little kids who SWEAR that X, Y, and Z are totally different war time shooters (that they shouldn't even be playing due to that M rating), so if you want a kart racer, you're pretty much stuck with Mario Kart or some way bad knock-off like M&M's Racing. Thus, MK7 rakes in millions easy, and it's not even that much of a graphical powerhouse. Apply this logic to every All-Star in Nintendo's arsenal, and that's why Nintendo doesn't give 2 spits about having the best hd look or the most realistic eyelash graphics.
It would be quite interesting to see backward compatibility with xbox 360 game, like would the next console be powerful enough to run GTA 4 at full 1080p with AA at 60fps and if it could would microsoft let us or would we need to buy a new game
@XThreat I don't think that's possible. The game was programmed to be in 720p so to have it run at 1080 would need a personal update, DLC, or new game altogether. Hence HD remakes.
That's easier said than done. I think nowadays devs need to be much more creative than 10, 20 years ago, because many of the innovations back then were only natural as new tecnologies emerged. I mean, eventually someone would create the side-scrolling platform or fps genres...
Every year gamers become more and more hard to please, the appealing games now need to have a good storyline, interesting characters, cinematic cutscenes and/or innovative game mechanics. You've seen the E3 conferences, many games are more like interactive movies (Tomb Raider, Beyond, RE: 6), since putting gamers in a linear storyline it's a lot easier than coming up with truly new ideas.
That's why I don't think simply a powerful next-gen console will change the gaming scenario. There's almost nothing we can't do with the current generation, that's why Sony and MS are in no hurry to release their new consoles, and neither I see gamers eager to buy a PS4 and 720.
What I believe can help developers throw their ideas against the wall would be new forms of gaming devices (like the Wii U, or maybe even something like the Google Glass). Right now I'm much more attracted to the Indie-gaming industry, that on the past few years have been a great source of good ideas, than the big companies (some exceptions, like Ubisoft and Naughty Dog)
aww, come on guys...EA needs to justify why we should spend money on next years re-hash of the same game. Give them a break. Besides I can't see my character's nose hair yet...it totally messes with the immersion.
Xbox Live, Xbox Live, Xbox Live, STEAM...has the writer ever played any PSN indie games or even WiiWare?
I think what Guillemot in particular said has been misrepresented. The point isn't that the hardware doesn't allow new ideas but gamers are most receptive to new IPs earlier in a consoles life span. Not hardware limitations but consumer apatites. Look at the IPs that have been generated early in this generation, Assassin's Creed, Bioshock, Uncharted, Gears of War, Mass Effect. In fact nearly every major gaming IP made its breakthrough early in a console cycle, from Mario to Master Chief. It is harder for a new IP to gain traction late in a console's life, though not impossible. For example God of War. I can't think of one on the current wave of consoles Dishonoured has a chance.
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Pokhara University was established in 1997 under the ‘Pokhara University Act-2053 (1997)’. At that time, it was located in Pokhara, the beautiful city famous for tourist destination. In 2001, Faculty of Science & Technology started Bachelor’s Program in Pharmacy under the School of Pharmaceutical Sciences. In 2003, the name of the School was changed into ‘School of Pharmaceutical & Biomedical Sciences’ and it launched very relevant program ‘B.Sc. in Medical Laboratory Technology’ (B.Sc. MLT). In 2005, the School started Master’s Level Program ‘M. Pharm.’ in Natural Product Chemistry and Pharmaceutics. The M. Pharm. program was run only for a single batch until it resumed with newly launched M. Pharm. (Clinical Pharmacy) and M. Pharm. (Natural Product Chemistry) programs from 2011. The fifteen kilometer east from Pokhara Airport, a modern city of Nepal, locates a peaceful lake city Lekhnath with its glorious present of this University. The new era for Pokhara University started after shifting from Pokhara to its own administrative and academic complex, the Garden City of Seven Lakes. The Lakes Begnas and Rupa, known for serene and crystal clear water and plenty enough plankton for aquatic animals, are at walking distance from the University. A scenic view of the beautiful Himalayan Mountains under Annapurna Range adds on its panorama. It offers a sound learning & research environment for excellence.
In course of time the Faculty of Science & Technology introduced School of Engineering. 2009 became an epoch for this faculty establishing one more school making two schools: School of Health & Allied Sciences (previous ‘School of Pharmaceutical & Biomedical Sciences’ name changed) and School of Engineering. Similarly, School of Engineering brought out two programs: B. E. Civil and B. E. Electrical & Electronics. Faculty of Science & Technology has adopted four years academic courses in Bachelor’s degree based on the credit-semester system with continuous internal evaluation. Academic year of the University consists of two semesters of 16 week each. The fresh intake is enrolled at the beginning of the Fall Semester.
- Bachelor of Civil engineering | Fee Structure |
- Bachelor of Electrical and Electronic Engineering | Fee Structure |
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French software startup Abaxia was hunting for an offshore research and development site in 2006 when one of its employees suggested taking a look at his native country, Belarus. "I had to get out an atlas to be sure where it was," recalls Ongan Mordeniz, Abaxia's R&D chief.
Today, more than half of Abaxia's employees work in the former Soviet republic of 9.5 million, wedged between Russia and Poland on the EU's eastern rim. The company and two affiliates employ 85 engineers at a software development center in Minsk near the former Communist Party headquarters, which is now President Alexander Lukashenko's residence. They're among an estimated 10,000 professionals working for outsourcing operations in what is now the region's No. 3 country for such shops, behind Ukraine and Romania, according to the Central and Eastern European Outsourcing Assn.
Why Belarus? After all, two decades after the fall of the Berlin Wall the country still seems sealed in a time capsule, with a centrally planned economy run by an authoritarian leader who is routinely denounced by Western governments for what the U.S. State Dept. terms "frequent serious abuses" of human rights. Minsk (pop. 1.8 million), a tranquil city of wide boulevards, hulking Stalinist architecture, and Soviet-era factories, is an unlikely place to find capitalism's new frontier.
Yet the Lukashenko government is opening the door to investment as never before. Since 2007 it has enacted regulatory reforms and tax relief measures that have vaulted Belarus from 129th place to 58th on the World Bank's ranking of the "ease of doing business" in 183 countries. (Poland ranked 72nd, Russia came in 120th, and Ukraine was 142nd.) The Belarus government says foreign direct investment more than doubled last year, to $4.8 billion, even as investment plummeted in neighboring countries.
American companies may soon join the wave. In late March representatives of Microsoft (MSFT), Cisco Systems (CSCO), Honeywell (HON), and Navistar (NAV) (formerly International Harvester) visited Minsk for meetings with Lukashenko and top business leaders. "We see great opportunities here," says Veronika Prikrylová, Microsoft's business development manager for Central and Eastern Europe. Microsoft is opening a sales office in Minsk this spring and hopes that having a local presence will help it combat piracy. An estimated 80% of software now used in Belarus is illegally copied, Prikrylová says.
Lukashenko is looking westward as Russia pulls back on aid to its neighbor. Belarus' economy has long been kept afloat by Russia, which has supplied it with below-market-priced energy while soaking up exports from inefficient Belarussian factories. Economic growth over the past decade has averaged 7.1% annually. "We are not rich, but the government takes care of us," says Galina Zorina, a retired piano teacher strolling through Minsk with her sister, carrying a spray of willow branches for the Russian Orthodox version of Palm Sunday. Russia has subsidized Belarus to keep it as a buffer against EU and NATO expansion.
The nation has been a high-tech magnet since Soviet times. Minsk was one of the Communist bloc's computer-science capitals, and local universities still turn out 4,000 information technology grads every year. Salaries, which average $1,200 a month for Abaxia's engineers, are only slightly above the $1,160 average for engineers at India's IT outsourcing companies. Yet while some graduates emigrate, the low cost of living in Belarus keeps many at home. "I thought about moving to the U.K., but it's easier to support my wife and kids here," says Alexey Balushkin, 27, a senior software designer at Abaxia.
Belarus also produces world-class specialists in mathematics and physics. That's an attraction to companies such as Invention Machine, a Boston-based group that in 2004 acquired the assets of a Belarus software company. Invention Machine now runs an 80-person lab in Minsk, including a team of computational linguists who develop "semantic engines" capable of extracting and analyzing key concepts from documents in multiple languages. "They have taken the field of natural language processing to a new level," says James W. Todhunter, the company's chief technology officer.
Invention Machine is one of 78 tenants in a high-tech park the government established in Minsk in 2005. All benefit from generous incentives, including exemption from Belarus' 24% corporate income tax and a provision that lets expatriate managers work without having to obtain work permits. "No other country in the region has done this much" to attract IT investment, says Arkady Dobkin, CEO of EPAM Systems, a Newtown (Pa.) outsourcing company with over 2,000 employees in Minsk and a client list that includes Microsoft, Oracle (ORCL), and SAP (SAP).
For now, the outsourcing boomlet is still in its infancy; the estimated $300 million it generates each year is dwarfed by the $2.5 billion in annual oil subsidies Russia has provided. Russia, pushing to get its crisis-hit economy back on track, said in January that it would end most of the subsidies this year. "It's going to get much harder for us," says Georgy Egorov, chairman of Belvnesheconombank, a leading bank in Minsk. To raise cash for the government, Lukashenko has restarted a long-stalled privatization effort. In the past two years the government has sold controlling stakes in two mobile-phone companies to Mobilkom Austria Group and Turkcell (TKC) and has said it will privatize banks. Strategic investors are also moving in. In December, Italy's Finmeccanica agreed to partner with Belarussian companies on engineering, transport, and aerospace projects. "There are few investment opportunities like this left in the world," says Tom Mundy, an economist at Moscow-based Renaissance Capital. Belarus' proximity to Europe, well-educated population, and solid infrastructure add to the appeal, he notes.
Whether global companies are ready to do business with Lukashenko is an open question. Although U.S. and EU sanctions imposed on Belarus in 2006 have expired, he still draws criticism from the West. On Mar. 30, EU Foreign Affairs Minister Catherine Ashton expressed "grave concern" about harassment of opposition figures in the runup to regional elections on Apr. 25.
Companies remain cautious. Navistar, for example, has considered supplying engine technology to MAZ, a Soviet-era producer of trucks and buses. "They need some kind of Western partnership," says Steven Hyde, Navistar's vice-president for international business development. But, he predicts, doing business in Belarus will remain an unappealing sell "as long as there is a high dependence on political personalities instead of the rule of law."
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|November 15, 2012||Posted by Patrick Benson|
Every year my local game shop hosts a Halloween party. Part of the tradition of costumes, good food, and gaming is that I run a game of Dread for whoever wishes to play. Each year this game of Dread has a full table, and it always turns into a sort of spectator sport for non-players who follow the story as it unfolds.
There has just been one significant problem with this game of Dread: Character creation takes too long for people to focus on while in the middle of a party. Dread requires that each player complete a questionnaire of thirteen questions in order without knowledge of what the next question will be. This is not the easiest activity to focus on when you are surrounded by good food and good times.
I decided to hack Dread this year in order to avoid this one issue. To keep my hack from going astray I committed to keeping the changes to a minimum.
Addressing Only the Key Issue
The problem I needed to address was not a problem with the rules. I had a problem with the situation in which that game was going to be played. The character creation process could not take a great length of time, nor could it require more than a minute or two of focus for the players.
The solution was to break the questionnaire’s up so that instead of answering all of the questions in order at the beginning of the game, the players instead answered one question at a time in no particular order while playing the game. I reduced the questions from thirteen to seven and wrote each question on an index card. My plan was to hand the players a card when they did something in game that should be rewarded, or when they took a risk in the game for the purpose of gaining a question.
My original problem was now solved, but I had inadvertently created a whole new one.
What is the Incentive?
The rules for Dread’s character creation gives the player a foundation and incentive for playing his or her character. By changing the character creation process I had removed that incentive.
I needed a setting that would work with the changes I had made to the character creation process, but at the same time was going to offer player incentive without causing anymore problems. I decided that I would make each character creation question answered an accomplishment that would be reflected within the game world. Since Dread is a horror game I decided to go with the scariest setting that I could think of: Hell.
Each of the characters was a soul that had been sent to Hell. The characters had no memory of their lives before Hell though, and unless the characters were willing to risk plummeting into the depths of Hell to discover their pasts they would be tortured for eternity without ever knowing why. Seemed like a perfectly valid form of damnation to me.
Now I had my incentive for each player to learn more about his or her character, as well as incentive to interact with the game world. Sitting around in the game world would result in horrible things happening to each character, and each player’s natural curiosity resulted in plenty of requests for a chance to learn more about their character. I added a rule that you had to wait 15 minutes between taking on challenges to receive a question. Rewarding player actions that resulted in more fun for the group with a question also helped to keep the game on track.
The End Result
The game was great fun, and while my hacks probably would not hold up for a reoccurring game of Dread, they did work splendidly for this particular night. The reason I suspect that it worked is because I kept my hacks to a minimum. Each was focused on either resolving the initial problem (character creation during a party takes too long), or providing the players with incentive to play the game that fit the mood of the event (playing a scary game at a Halloween party).
What about others? Have you hacked a game in order to address a particular problem? What new problems did it result in? What were the end results? Leave a comment below and share your stories about hacking a game’s rules with the rest of us.
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