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There are two approaches to taxes: you can either make it hard on yourself, or easy on yourself. Most people who end up stressing about meeting the April deadline and panicking as they face the stacks of paperwork aren't properly prepared. But those who put a little forethought into getting organized before they file find that it's not so bad - though getting a refund will always make the effort worth it.
While it's true that the task isn't made any easier by the complex tax forms and confusing instructions that come from the government, having everything you need close at hand will definitely simplify the process. If you've been putting off filing, use this checklist to make sure you have the necessary documents, information and supplies to make filing your taxes as stress-free as possible.
1. Do a document round-up. Doing your taxes requires you to know a lot of information that might not be accessible off the top of your head. You'll want to have a tally of how much you gave to charities over the past year, any paperwork involved in buying a car or a home and any information that might pertain to tax breaks. It can also help to have bank statements from the past year handy, in case you need to double-check any numbers.
2. Collect the forms you need. Your employer, your bank and your mortgage company will all be sending you tax information - make sure that you have all of the documents filed together. When it comes to choosing which tax form to use, remember that simplest is best. For most Americans, form 1040EZ or 1040A will be the applicable options.
3. Make sure your office is well-equipped. Having to hunt down a stapler, go out for printer ink or find a paperclip is an unwelcome interruption in the tax-filing process. Stock your home office, or the area where you'll be working on your taxes, with all the essentials, from address labels to scissors, pens, envelopes and stamps. Make sure your printer is stocked with paper and ink for the printing you'll need to do.
4. Find out what you need to save - and what you can throw away. It's easy to feel overwhelmed by a tide of paperwork during tax time, and it's only natural to want to throw some of it away. But before you start tossing and shredding, remember that you might need some of those documents in the future. Keep these rules of thumb in mind:
* Tax records - seven years
* Bank statements - one year
* Credit card records - until paid
* Home purchase and improvement records - as long as you own the property
* Investment statements - until you sell the investments
* Receipts for large purchases - until you sell or discard the item
* Social Security statements - shred the old statement when you receive a new one
* Insurance information for home, car, etc. - until you renew the policy
Remember that when you're organized, doing your taxes is faster and easier. And once you've got it all completed, keep these tips in mind for next year, so that you'll be even better prepared when tax season rolls around again.
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Guerilla Knitting on my way home from work
On my way home from work last Friday, I spotted this knitted sash on a tree. The tag says, “Knitty Gritty” so when I got home I googled the name, but couldn’t find anything that seemed to match, even though I seem to remember hearing about a Montreal group who knit things to put on lampposts, trees, machinery, etc. Anyone know more about this?
In my search, I got kind of carried away looking at all the Craftivism and Code-as-Art projects in other cities. Here are a few of the ones that really stood out to me. Seriously, this stuff is pretty incredible.
Lisa Williams describes the connection between knitting and coding by showing how a single piece of string that makes up a garment is like a line of source code in a computer program. Both technologies have developed through culture, meaning they’ve had to be transmitted from person to person, either for free or within different structures of control.
Knitting gives me a lot of respect for my ancestors as hackers, Knitting is source code – you look at a knitting pattern – that’s the code for a sweater. As we industrialise, more and more of the world we experience comes in a black box. We know how to use things but we don’t know how they work. I’ve been de-black boxing my wardrobe.
The philosophy of Open Source Embroidery (from whose website I took the preceding quote) is that by working with coding and crafting at the same, we can better understand why the methods and materials that we use to build things need to remain open and freely distributable.
From May 17th to June 15th, London’s House of Technology Termed Praxis (Http) Gallery is housing the exhibit “Open Source Embroidery: Craft and Code”. The centerpiece of the exhibit is HTML Patchwork, an international collaboration of 216 hexagonal patches that form the hexadecimal palette of web-safe colours. The work was initiated by Ele Carpenter at Access Space, a drop-in computer lab in Sheffield that lets anyone use its computers that were built from recycled parts and loaded with open source softwares to work on creative projects.
“The same arguments about Open Source vs Free Software can be applied to embroidery. The needlework crafts also have to negotiate the principles of ‘freedom’ to create, modify and distribute, within the cultural and economic constraints of capitalism.” (Ele Carpenter, in an interview with Jess Lacetti). So there’s an important difference between “free” and “freely available” or “open source” information when your work takes place within a capitalist culture of business and art. Should the instructions be free and the products be sold? How material are the materials that make up our information and pass it along?
You can view the entire Patchwork here. Click on any patch to bring up a larger image and read about the individual artists. Other projects coming out of the Access Space include scarves embroidered with text in different programming languages.
Finally, just in the category of cool knitted art, The Los Angeles-based Institute for Figuring is putting together a Crocheted Coral Reef, using Hyperbolic Crocheting. The work is designed and curated by the Institute’s co-directors, Christine and Margaret Wertheim, and it welcomes pieces from anyone who wants to contribute. In general, the Institute focuses on artistic examinations of mathematical forms and geometric figures. They have also started work crocheting with discarded plastic. Get in touch with them by email.
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A trip to Puerto Angel
By John McClelland ©John McClelland 2006 -
The tourists at Zipolite were decidedly young although, there was a generous smattering of old hippies who seemed to be the more ardent practitioners of nudism.
A massive mountain range known as the Sierra Madre del Sur (mother range of the south) isolates Oaxaca City from the Pacific coastline of Oaxaca State. To get from one to the other is an adventure on a road of indifferent condition and engineering. The distance is only 150 miles but the trip takes the better part of seven hours. The Sierra Madre del Sur is a tall mountain range with peaks more 12,000 feet high and the trip takes us to elevations approaching 10,000 feet. The road follows the line of least resistance around and up the mountains, and contains so many twists and turns that travellers are advised to take seasickness medicine. It hugs the edge of the mountains and one side or the other is an open vista of sky. Sudden abrupt turns prevent an Evil Kneivel launch into space. Absolute attention to driving is mandatory, since portions of the road often succumb to gravity and completely vanish. Avalanches are known to engulf the road as boulders and gravel seek the valley bottom below. The sheer drama of this road implies lunacy on the part of anyone driving fast or at night.
The dangers of the road combine incongruously with the beauty of the terrain to keep you in a constant state of surprise. Valleys lie thousands of feet below on one side of the pavement and mountains ascend higher on the other side. From dry and sparse vegetation when first leaving Oaxaca City, the landscape grows greener as we ascend. Before long, pine forests begin to appear. At the peak of the climb, the temperature drops dramatically from the high eighties to the mid fifties. At the very crest, we stop at a cliff side restaurant. Here, in sheer wilderness where waiters wear parkas, we are able to check email on high-speed wireless Internet.
Once the pinnacle of the climb is breached, there is a dramatic drop to the Pacific Ocean and you witness an amazing transformation from pine forest to tropical jungle. At some points, these two forest zones absurdly intertwine.
Along the route are a number of small villages and many hamlets of just a few homes. In the valleys far below, larger communities and farms appear as tiny toy buildings. Wood is abundant and there is a rudimentary logging industry. On the Pacific side of the mountains, agriculture is more visible with an abundance of bananas, melons, coffee beans and tropical fruits.
After about six and a half hours on the road, we catch a glimpse of the mighty Pacific and shortly thereafter, enter the city of Pochutla, the largest community in these parts. Nine kilometres further on, we arrive at the coastal town of Puerto Angel, a place that could never be accused of giving a good first or last impression.
The town was founded in the 1850s when the government installed a wharf in the horseshoe shaped harbour as a means of creating trade between this isolated region and the rest of the country. By 1870, Puerto Angel was purported to be the busiest port in Mexico. Government interest lagged thereafter and the town was nothing but an afterthought until the 1960s, when tourists began to take interest in this most southerly point in Mexico. At that time, access was by the same highway we drove but its condition was far less hospitable than the serpentine track we travelled. The opening of the Pacific coast highway through the '70s and '80s added to tourist interest. Gradually, small-scale hotels were built to serve the tourists' needs.
Geographically Puerto Angel consists of a small horseshoe bay protected at its entrance by craggy outcrops of rock. From the point where the ocean hits the land, there are roughly a couple of hundred yards of flat ground before the terrain rises precipitously up the Sierra Madre. Much of the flat land is dedicated to the main road running parallel to the beach and it is likely the only paved road in town. The east side of the bay contains the town wharf and is dedicated mainly to fishing and a small naval base. It has a nice sand beach onto which the fishing boats are run aground. Rotting fish entrails provide a distinct aroma. Children cast lines off the wharf and have little difficulty catching fish the size of speckled trout but the shape of tuna.
The other side of the bay is known as Playa Panteon. This is where most of the tourists convene. The beach is grittier but the waves and undertow are not as rough or dangerous as the east side. Most of the tourists are Mexican with only the occasional gringo for colour.
A Bohemian Beach
We looked at a couple of hotels in Puerto Angel but were not impressed enough to rent. Our experienced colleague suggested that we travel a further two miles to Zipolite Beach where he had arranged accommodation that would take him and his rottweiler. Zipolite is one of the few nude beaches in Mexico and is renowned for its Bohemian atmosphere.
The beach at Zipolite is fabulous. It runs for more than a mile from east to west and has beautiful, soft sand that packs hard at the waterline for easy walking. Facing the beach is the most ragtag collection of hotels I have ever seen. It is apparently vastly improved as a result of a recent hurricane. I can't imagine! We took a room in the best hotel we could find which was a four-storey masonry structure overlooking the beach. A single room, quite small, with two double beds, a private bathroom and large balcony was $30 per night. The hotel, like all others, did not offer hot water. Other hotel rooms along the beach could be had for $6-$20 per night or you could just rent a hammock on a roof or in a courtyard. Some hotels were nothing but rickety wooden structures built on stilts and wouldn't qualify as fit for human habitation in most countries of the world. These cheaper hotels had common baths and showers. However, if you want to enjoy an almost perfect beach and have little or no money, then $6 per night might be the perfect price.
The tourists at Zipolite were decidedly young although, there was a generous smattering of old hippies who seemed to be the more ardent practitioners of nudism. The crowd was almost entirely foreign with many Europeans and a lot of Canadians. Most surprising was the quiet on the beach. For a February and considering the large supply of "hotel rooms," this place was massively under-populated. Of the scant crowd, most were either sunbathing or strolling. Virtually no one was swimming, since the ocean is treacherous. Dangerous waves roll in day and night with a roar that is deafening. Six or so men were exercising their right to return to Mother Nature and these were strictly exhibitionists. They positioned themselves spread-eagled beside the main walking paths or strode or jogged in various stages of arousal. The true nudists were at the farthest end of the beach in an area secluded by rock outcroppings. I never saw one naked female and was told that I wasn't looking closely enough. I must admit that the sun and the heat contribute immensely to the desire to be liberated from your inhibitions.
By early afternoon, the beach is almost deserted, due to the intensity of the sun and heat. Patrons reappear again around 4 p.m. to soak up the last rays and view the glorious Zipolite sunset at 6:30. The sun sets in the notch of a massive rock outcrop at the edge of the ocean. The effect is quite remarkable and creates a starburst quality to the final rays of the day.
With darkness, we settle into plastic chairs set in soft sand at a seaside restaurant. The food is surprisingly good with a wide selection of seafood ranging from tuna to shrimp and octopus. Adding to what little ambience this restaurant possessed was a man seated next to us. After his dinner, he rose from his chair, stripped butt naked and casually walked out of the restaurant to the beach for a swim. Bon appetite!
In the evening, various bands entertain in the hotel courtyards playing jazz and reggae music. The scent of marijuana wafts overtly through the crowd. The entertainment doesn't last much beyond eleven by which time most people are exhausted by sun, sights and swilling.
The Luxury Hotel
Evening is a good time to meet and talk to other, and we heard of a resort only two blocks inland. For $3 per day you could swim in their large pool. You could also rent luxury accommodation. After our first night at the beachfront hotel, my princess was up at the crack of dawn tracking down "the resort." Finding it was simple enough and it was undoubtedly the Zipolite equivalent of dying and going to heaven. The contrast of this artistically developed, 100-acre palm grove with the tawdriness of the rest of Zipolite was otherworldly. For $100 US per night, we rented a three-storey, detached house with kitchen, dining room, living room, one and a half baths, two bedrooms and a very private, rooftop deck. It was air-conditioned, had toilet seats and offered cold-water showers.
The attention to detail in this house exceeded anything seen at five star resorts. The windows were custom built in oval shapes; the doors were of inlaid panels with rounded corners that meant all the doorjambs and casings had to be hand carved. The patio doors leading to the decks were reminiscent of a Darth Vader mask with triangular venting on the sides. Surrounding the house was a shallow moat built of stone. Fish swam in its clear waters amidst lush tropical vegetation. Only fifty feet from the front door was an Olympic sized pool that we shared with daily visitors. Guinea hens, ducks, roosters and chickens resided on the grounds and walked about the pool apron picking up crumbs and other stray bits of food. Overhead, eagles searched for prey, palm trees rustled and tropical birds played their screeching melodies.
We spent most of our time poolside or on the rooftop deck in a hammock and would go to the beach twice daily for strolls and for dinners. We left the compound by a rear exit that took us past the homes of some of Mexico's poorest. The living conditions are absolutely appalling. Rough wood-plank homes with thatched roofs and dirt floors were the norm. Cooking was done outside on wood fires. Laundry was washed by hand in old tubs of unknown origin and there was little evidence of sanitation judging from the smells. I am not convinced that the Mexicans at Zipolite are a happy lot. It is hard to get rich from tourists spending $6 per day for a hotel room. They're not the type to be big tippers. I have also heard that the Mexicans take great offence at the nudity on their beach and this may explain some of the indifferent behaviour of store clerks, particularly women old enough to have families.
We spent four days at Puerto Angel and Zipolite Beach and genuinely enjoyed ourselves. The beach is truly marvellous as is the food. Blatant nudity is offensive at times but being naked in the heat is a cathartic experience if done discreetly. The town is very poor and run down, and there is little to see and do beyond the beach. One old hippie, who comes here yearly for extended vacations, escapes to civilization every three weeks lest he "goes brain dead." However, Zipolite may be just perfect if you want an unusual and cheap vacation or if you just want to let it all hang out.
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Grounded in the liberal arts framework, the School of Professional Studies strives to prepare students to become qualified, conscientious and productive members of their chosen profession. This preparation is based on the College's philosophical framework of Values, Voice, Vision and is achieved through quality educational experiences and strong partnerships with the professional community.
The School of Professional Studies is comprised of five distinct program areas that provide a "blended approach" to higher education: Applied Design, Business, Education, Fashion and Social Work.
Academic offerings with discrete professional preparation complemented by strong foundations in the liberal arts gives the Professional Studies student an extraordinary advantage in the marketplace. The unique balance of the Ursuline Studies curriculum and a Professional Studies degree enables our graduates to compete with confidence in a dynamic workplace. Students are presented with opportunities to acquire abilities most sought after by today's employers. This blended educational experience offers program curricula designed with breadth and depth for personal, educational, and professional development. This approach also emphasizes a better understanding of the world and promotes two primary concepts for the student to embrace: "quality of life" (work-life and personal-life) and "life-long learning."
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FAQs for On-Campus Courses
1. What do I need to do to succeed in this course?
- First, carefully read the syllabus. This is important because the syllabus describes all the requirements and rules for the course. It is like a contract between me and you. Get immediate clarification if something doesn’t make sense or you find a typo.
- Second, I teach the course at a college level. This means you need to be able to read a college level textbook and you need to have good study skills. If your study skills are rusty (or nonexistent), then you may need to visit the counseling center to enroll in a study skills course. To succeed in any college course you must spend time every day reading the text, taking notes, and studying. If your friends tell you they get ‘A’ grades without studying, they’re lying.
- Third, use my office hours. I won’t bite you, I promise.
- You can always read my “How to Flunk…” book for more extensive information on college success.
- See a counselor to find out which courses you need to transfer to the university that interests you. Virtually all universities will require Psych 100, Psych 219, and Math 219. Other requirements vary by university.
- Get involved in the Psychology Club and/or Psi Beta (the Psychology Honor Society) if you qualify.
- Visit the Psychology Department webpage (www.sccollege.edu/psychology) for basic information on the major and future careers.
- Visit the American Psychological Association’s webpage (http://www.apa.org ) for more extensive information.
2. I’m thinking about majoring in Psychology, what should I do?
3. Can I see which questions I missed on my exam?
Sure. Stop by any of my office hours.
4. Can I make-up an exam?
See the syllabus for this information.
5. I’m [going on a family vacation, I have to work, my Grandma needs a ride to the hospital] can I take the exam early or late?
6. I [forgot, was rescuing the President from a burning building, was sick, couldn’t get my assignment back from the dog] and I didn’t turn in my assignment, can I turn it in later today, or tomorrow, or after the semester is over?
7. How do I know what grade I’m getting in the course?
- Scores will be posted on Blackboard in the Tools section. It is YOUR responsibility to keep track of your scores and report mistakes immediately to the instructor (e.g., don’t wait until the 12th week to mention a mistake from week 7). Write down your scores in a notebook and keep it handy. Take your total score and divide it by the current points possible (if you seriously can’t do division, then you need some big time math tutoring!) and compare the answer to the grading scale in the syllabus.
- Unfortunately this question is usually asked late in the semester when there is nothing you can do to significantly raise your grade. I have no way of knowing whether you blew off the course, lacked the skills needed to succeed, or the material was just too difficult for you. What I do know is that, barring a rare error, YOU are ultimately responsible for the grade you receive—I just add your points and divide by the total. If you think a bad grade stings as a consequence of flaking out all semester, wait until you join the “real world” and the consequences are more serious (e.g., getting fired).
- There are a maximum 10 extra credit points available by completing additional HTBA assignments. If you’ve completed them and you still have this question, then the answer is NO. If you didn’t participate in the extra credit opportunity, then you have no other options. In any case, hopefully, you will reflect on your mistakes (failed to study, procrastinated, took too many classes) and do better next semester.
8. Is there any way I can pass/get a better grade in the course?
9. What if I can’t afford the textbook or course materials?
This isn’t an acceptable excuse for missing readings or assignments. However, look at it as a problem that can be solved any number of ways such as:
- Depending on the class, there may be cheaper earlier editions of the text, but you need to make sure the chapters you are reading correlate to the current edition as they sometimes re-order chapters or add chapters. Otherwise, it is probably okay.
- Electronic or unbound copies may be available from the publisher at a substantial discount.
- Borrow one. You can arrange to come to my office hours to read the text, check a copy out from the library reserve desk, or share with another student.
- If you qualify, talk to EOPS or financial aid about their “buy the book” or other programs that might help offset textbook costs.
10. Will you have mercy on me, because___?
When you feel like asking me this question, please keep this basic rule in mind, “Actions speak louder than words.” What do I mean by that? Well everyone loves to tell me during the 13th week how “This class is really important to me” and “I really need to get a good grade in this class”. Say what you want at that point, but after 13 weeks of spotty attendance, missed quizzes, and lack-luster participation that tells me a different story (and the one I am more inclined to believe) than your spoken words about how important the class and grade were to you.
11. What if I can’t afford to lose these points?
You might have thought about that before you lost them. I didn’t lose your points, you did.
12. “What if I didn’t realize that ___?”
This is usually not a good start to a sentence. If an instruction or requirement in the course appears vague or confusing, then ask questions immediately! Otherwise, if I really blew it in making something clear, then every student will likely have the same issue and I can easily clarify the situation. However, if you didn’t realize something that virtually every other student did, or that was clearly spelled out in the syllabus or other handouts, then you must deal with the consequences (lost points) all by yourself.
13. My internet connection was out last week so I missed (or I had a brain hiccup and forgot to do) the quiz. Can I make it up?
The answer is almost always no, since you have a week to take the quiz twice. I suggest you take it at least once toward the middle of the week so that you aren’t out the points if you run into an emergency on Sunday evening. Also, check your neighborhood now for the closet place to get internet access (e.g., local library) in case of a personal computing emergency. The exception is when Blackboard is offline for maintenance or something that affects all students in the course. I usually restore assignments for a few days when it comes back online, but you should check the online announcements for specifics in case this does happen.
14. Why did you drop me? Why isn’t my name on the roll sheet?
I drop students who do not show up on the first day of class, regardless of their excuse. Admissions drops students who haven’t paid their fees. I will not reinstate you if you were dropped for nonpayment.
Students who have missed more than one week may also be dropped. I may be willing to reinstate you depending on how much work was missed, the circumstances, and timeliness of your communication to me etc…but don’t count on being reinstated when deciding whether or not to blow off the class as this is up to my discretion.
15. I’m enrolled in the course, but I’m having trouble logging into/ navigating in the course website, or submitting assignments, what should I do?
I am not a technical advisor, I teach psychology, therefore any questions or problems related to using your computer (Examples: “How do I download Internet Explorer? “Why doesn’t this show up on my screen?” “How come I can’t login to Blackboard?” should be directed at the helpdesk.
Technical help is available via email@example.com.
16. I think I need Psychotherapy, what do I do?
Call Psychological Services (714-628-4766) at the SCC Health Center (T-102) and make an appointment for a confidential session with a licensed therapist.
17. I emailed you with a question about the class, why didn’t you email me back?
If you are not enrolled in my online class, then I simply do not have time to answer individual questions from prospective students—I get several hundred every semester. I must devote my time to enrolled students.
If you are enrolled in one of my online classes, then you may not get a reply if:
- You may not have included enough information for me to identify you. For example, if I get an email from firstname.lastname@example.org with no signature, then I have no idea who you are, or what class you are in.
- If a bunch of enrolled students email me the same question, then I will typically respond to everyone via the announcements on Blackboard, rather than to individual student’s emails.
- You asked a question that is already clearly answered in the syllabus or these FAQs.
- You expected an answer to arrive too quickly—it might take up to a day during the week (Mon-Thu) or longer if you emailed me during the weekend (Fri-Sun) since I am not always checking email on my days off.
18. Do I have to use a computer? Will it hurt me if I don’t login to Blackboard?
Yes, you need to use a computer with internet access weekly. If you don’t do this, you will miss important announcements, not to mention 130 quiz points. Computers are available for student use in the library at SCC and at most public libraries.
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Wed October 10, 2012
Record-Breaking Skydive Attempt Scrapped For Second Day
In case you were wondering, Felix Baumgartner, who was scheduled to jump out of a capsule floating at 120,000 feet, has cancelled his attempt for a second day in a row.
The BBC reports that like yesterday gusty winds in Roswell, New Mexico, halted Thursday's plans.
Baumgartner is trying to break the speed of sound using only his body.
The BBC adds:
"Baumgartner is trying to topple records that have stood for more than 50 years.
"The previous highest skydive was made by retired US Air Force Col Joe Kittinger, who leapt from a helium envelope in 1960. His altitude was 102,800ft."
"What he is trying to do is extremely dangerous."
Yesterday, Baumgartner made it into the capsule and his team started inflating the balloon that would lift him into the edge of space, when the attempt was called off.
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Tue June 19, 2012
U.S. Border States Have Stake In Mexico's Presidential election
Originally published on Tue June 19, 2012 8:48 am
STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:
In southern Texas and in Arizona, people are paying a lot of attention to the presidential election - Mexico's presidential election. From member station KJZZ, Peter O'Dowd explains why millions of Americans are awaiting July 1st, Mexico's election day.
PETER O'DOWD, BYLINE: Stand on the edge of this unfinished railroad bridge outside of Brownsville, Texas, and you can see across the Rio Grande into Mexico. It's the first bridge of its kind to connect the countries in a century. And for businessman John Wood, it's a symbol of the way lives connect along the border.
JOHN WOOD: We are tied together. It's kind of like an umbilical cord.
O'DOWD: Texas does more business with its southern neighbor than any other state. And that's a big reason why Wood says Mexico's upcoming election means as much to him as the November contest here.
WOOD: If Mexico isn't doing well, it doesn't seem to be a whole of difference what's happening in Washington.
O'DOWD: Wood says the next president could help make Mexico well again. A more stable and calmer Mexico would mean more investment and more jobs in Brownsville.
WOOD: A better life for, not only me, but for everyone who lives in the area.
O'DOWD: Some Americans along the border have a huge stake in Mexican politics. The Woodrow Wilson Center estimates the two countries traded a record half-a-trillion dollars in goods and services last year. Investment fell off during the recession, but has steadily climbed back despite escalating drug violence. Analysts say business would strengthen even more if Mexico solved its cartel problem.
UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: (Foreign language spoken)
O'DOWD: That's absolutely right, according to Daniel Hong. He owns this general goods store a few yards from Brownsville's port. Hong says sales have dropped 60 percent in recent years, and it doesn't have much to do with the economy.
DANIEL HONG: My clientele are mostly Mexican nationals. If they're afraid to leave their houses, I'm not going to have customers - simply put.
O'DOWD: So Hong has an opinion on the election. On a personal level, he supports the National Action Party, or the PAN, and the continuation of President Felipe Calderon's drug-war offensive. But on a business level, he supports the PRI. The Institutional Revolutionary Party ran Mexico for 71 years and kept relative peace, analysts say, by turning a blind eye to the cartels.
HONG: They will give, you know, the Northern Mexico States a little bit more calm. A little bit more tranquility and that leads to more people coming over, which leads to more sales.
O'DOWD: And that is the heart of this election, according to Tony Zavaleta. He directs the Center for Border and Transnational Studies at the University of Texas, Brownsville.
TONY ZAVALETA: The election of the president is a referendum on who best can return Mexico to normal.
O'DOWD: Zavaleta says normalcy is important to the psyche of the entire border community; it's not just businesses with ties to both countries. Its Americans, like him, who see Mexico as a second home, as a place where friends and families live.
ZAVALETA: We live with one foot in each country all the time. I know it can get better. We have to hope that this election will set it on the right track to getting better.
(SOUNDBITE OF TRUCKS RUMBLING DOWN ROAD)
O'DOWD: More than a thousand miles to the west, in Nogales, Arizona, a line of commercial trucks rumbles toward the Mariposa crossing.
Trucks like these are a common sight in this desert border town. Nearly five billion pounds of grapes, peppers, tomatoes and other fresh produce moved through last year. Some of it belonged to Gerardo Ritz. His family owns farms in the Mexican State of Sinaloa. Ritz runs the business side from Arizona. With literally a foot in both worlds, Ritz also closely watches the security debate in Mexico.
GERARDO RITZ: It's something that makes our business pretty much stay in business, and keeps us, as an American entity, investing in Mexico.
O'DOWD: Ritz says military checkpoints on Mexican highways keeps his produce safe on its journey north. He credits Calderon's offensive against the cartels. And he expects Mexico's next president to keep it up.
RITZ: We don't want to see organized crime getting into the produce business. In my opinion, whoever runs the country for the next six years has got to continue.
O'DOWD: As a Mexican national, Ritz won't say which candidate he'll vote for July 1st. But on Election Day, he'll be like many others in the U.S. looking south toward Mexico.
For NPR News, I'm Peter O'Dowd.
INSKEEP: It's MORNING EDITION from NPR News. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright National Public Radio.
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PHOENIX -- Fourteen-year-old Nickel is a very friendly ol' horse and that's why he's in such pain today.
A couple nights ago, Nickel, a longtime trail horse at the Ponderosa Stables, walked over to the corral fence thinking he was going to get a treat, instead someone threw acid in the horse's face.
"No animal, or anything, other than the guy who did this, deserves this done to them," said Ponderosa's Frank Solander, who is nursing the wounded horse back to health.
Nickel has acid burns around both eyes as well as on his chest and hind quarters. Two other horses suffered burns from the acid splashing off Nickel.
Ponderosa's owner, Donnie Everly, said he's never seen anything like this in the 40 years he's operated the stables just outside of the city of Phoenix's South Mountain Park.
Another horse, GTO, was recently shot in the back, most likely by a 9 mm weapon. GTO is also healing and lucky to be alive.
Everly said it started a few weeks ago when someone stole the stable's big, beautiful American flag. A few nights later, some equipment was vandalized and a battery stolen. Now, his herd of calm, friendly trail horses are being victimized.
In order to protect his horses and his business, Everly said the wranglers from Ponderosa have joined Phoenix police and city park rangers in patrolling the stables during the night.
Also, a $1,000 reward has been put together for information leading to the prosecution and conviction of those responsible for hurting the horses.
"Justice will be served," Everly said. "I can't really say what could happen to them if we catch them, but they will be caught, they will."
If you have any information about the abuse at the Ponderosa Stables, call the Phoenix Police Crime Stop at 602-262-6151.
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Sometimes, our traditional approach to the reading includes having the congregation recite a short section of the reading aloud before the Torah reader does it, and then he follows. The most frequently occurring version of this is on minor fast days, when the Torah reading includes three such repetitions. We also do this several times on Simchat Torah during the reading of the beginning of Bereishit and also multiple times during the reading of Esther on Purim (which is not a Torah reading per se, but expects largely similar behaviors).
When I am present in the synagogue during the Torah reading, I typically read along quietly with the public reading, as I believe is the optimal practice. [See Update below.] I've always wondered what I'm supposed to do when the Torah reader repeats these sections after the congregation. Should I just listen while he reads because I've already said it, or should I read along with him, because that's what I always do? I'm leaning toward the former because some of these passages break in the middle of a verse, and it seems wrong to stop in the middle of a verse, go back, and start reading from the beginning of another verse.
Similarly, what should I do if I am called up for the Aliya that includes one of these repetitions? Do I recite with the congregation, read with the reader, or both?
Following Alex's answer, I did a little research. It seems from Footnote 154 here that there's actually a disagreement regarding whether a congregant should read along with the reader. I need to take this up with my Rabbi regarding my own practice, but it seems that I have whom to rely on.
And to read "Shnayim Mikra Ve-echad Targum" during the Torah reading is allowed. But all of this doesn't apply to Parashat Zachor and Parashat Para, which are mandated by the Torah, so one needs to focus and hear them from the reader. And the truth is that for all Parshiot, it's proper for one who is careful with one's actions to focus and hear them from the reader.
The Magen Avraham there (#5) quotes the Shelah as saying that reading along is forbidden, and the Mishna Berura (285:14, when the Shulchan Aruch reiterates the same permission) quotes a number of other authorities, including the Gra, who similarly forbid.
On the other hand, he Misha Berura's own opinion is:
However, it seems that to read in a whisper, word by word with the reader, we don't need to be stringent [against], since he will then be focused on hearing every word from the reader. And the Magen Avraham there [on 146] cited the Mateh Moshe saying that lechatchila (in the first instance), it's right to do so.
So it seems that reading along during normal parshiot is either forbidden, permitted, or encouraged, but is forbidden during Zachor and Para. So, I think my question stands with respect to fast day and Simchat Torah reading. It's possible that the answer is "Even if you usually read along, don't read along with those readings, which aren't part of the weekly cycle anyway."
My question also stands regarding Esther, for people who are using their own scrolls.
Also, I believe that my question certainly stands for a person who has an Aliya. See Shulchan Aruch Orach Chaim 141:2:
Two people should not read at once. Rather, either the person who was called up reads, and the reader is quiet; or the reader reads, and the person who was called up does not read aloud, but he does have to read along with the reader so that his blessing is not for naught, so he should read along quietly enough to not be heard by his [own] ears.
The only disagreement apparent on the Mishna Berura page is that the Rama is not even so concerned that the person who was called up needs to be sub-audible. So, it seems that the person who goes up for an Aliya should indeed read along, and my question is unescapable.
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The Prisoner and the Fugitive by Marcel Proust
The volume inclined to make you wonder most about your own lost time
Finding Time Again by Marcel Proust
The best of the bunch
LIKE MOST PEOPLE WHO HAVE READ “IN SEARCH OF LOST TIME,” I initially bought the books because I thought it would look good to have them on my bookshelves. I mean this in both a literary and literal sense.
In 2002 Penguin Classics began publishing new translations of the six-book novel, and the Penguin Classics Deluxe paperback edition of “Swann’s Way” was, and is, one of the most gorgeous covers I have seen on any book. I bought it, along with the next three books, deceiving myself that my purpose was the reading of a classic work when, as Proust himself would likely have seen, the honest purpose was more or less the display of beautiful books. Fortunately, publishing company art departments have gotten so adept over the years that in many cases you can, and should, judge a book by its cover. So it was with Proust.
There is, however, one catch. Should you get hooked on the first four volumes, copyright law in America prevents you from getting the final two stateside until at least 2018. (According to slate.com, we have Sonny Bono to thank for that.) I was content to wait, and then one day a surprise package arrived from a good friend. Inside were the UK editions of the last two volumes. Even though they don’t have the beautiful covers of the American editions, I thought it was only right to make them available to you.
“The Prisoner and the Fugitive” and “Finding Time Again” are the final installments of the new translation of Proust’s novel. The books are sprawling, orotund, and contain the amount of tedium you might expect in hundreds of pages about Paris’ idle rich at the fin de siecle. Proust’s narrative is heavy on winding internal monologue and light on external events, meaning he will spend several pages exploring the various interpretive and expressive effects of a man deciding to wear a monocle, and then use a single, offhand sentence to inform you that the hostess of the party where the man with the monocle was observed died not long after the event. And yet, all these things contribute to the gifts of the novel, which is stunning in the beauty of its writing and its insight into human interactions, tragic and tender in its regard for the handful of characters who shape the narrator’s world, and just generally unlike anything you will ever read.
Also, the books are long. I managed to tackle all six in just a shade under a decade. But this, too, is part of the charm: a story about the passage of time benefits from a long reading period.
With all this in mind, it is not recommended that you start with “The Prisoner and the Fugitive.” One reason early translations may have been incorrectly titled as “Remembrance of Things Past,” is because the novel itself is about just that. Proust makes almost constant reference to previous events and characters as the story progresses, and in “The Prisoner and the Fugitive” we encounter the final stage of the narrator’s love affair with a woman named Albertine, which began in book two, paused in book three, resumed in book four and continues here with her as his “prisoner,” kept in near captivity at his Paris home.
The story is mostly focused on the narrator’s jealousy and Albertine’s suspected unfaithfulness, a subject covered similarly in the first volume, “Swann’s Way.” It is, to my mind, one of the most monotonous portions of the entire novel. The narrator alternates between tepid affection for Albertine while she is there, and searing misery when her absence allows the narrator’s imagination to envision her betrayals. There is a deeper subtext in which the narrator himself is the “prisoner” of his love, and then, following Albertine’s death, the “fugitive” as he tracks the internal healing process that allows him to escape his grief and forget her. Nonetheless, it all took me many, many months to trudge through. On the other hand, many reactions to this portion of the story, what is known as “The Albertine Cycle,” are that it contains the richest sections in all of “In Search of Lost Time.” It is true that no one does jealousy like Proust.
“Finding Time Again” is the last book of the novel, and is in close contention with “Swann’s Way,” the first book, for being the best of the six volumes. It may be the liberation from the endless cycle of the narrator’s disinterest and agony of the previous book, or the fact that external events like World War I flesh out a framework of actual plot; it may be that the final volume is the most referential of all the previous pieces, putting forward an all-star cast to reward your patience and attention, or it may also be that this is the single volume in which the narrator is compelled by a larger purpose than his own leisure, finding his calling in art and writing. It may also simply be that you are so close to the end that your interest is renewed, but I honestly don’t think that is it.
In “Finding Time Again” the narrator’s memories are the most vivid, as are his interactions. Rather than 40 pages on trying to go to sleep as a child, or a long train ride that sets the stage for a laborious etymology of French place names, Proust wanders the unlit streets of World War I Paris, encountering a changed city. He attends a party in which the end of an age is made apparent by the decay of the once robust people who have been part of the story until now. His understandings of Time and Habit and Death, first illuminated by the madeline in the first book, are fully revealed and provide the narrator with his vocation. This final volume presents the organizing principle of the entire work, and imbues the previous five books with the glow of Proust’s own feeling.
In short, it’s so good that I instantly wanted to begin again at the start, and take the whole 3000 page trip again. And someday I will.
This will be the last post for a while as I step away from my blogging duties to get married. In keeping with today’s theme, I leave you with a reminder of the joys of French culture to encourage you to read Proust and tide you over in my absence.
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- Why didn’t Nora take the pill? How would her life have been different if she had?
- Would you be the same person if you didn’t remember certain things?
- Why would you want to forget something? Why would you want to remember?
- How does the pill work?
- Why does Nora’s mom put up with abuse?
- Why have the rich people of Nora’s time retreated to compounds?
- How did Micah become homeless?
- Who is the Coalition?
- What does Nora’s father give her after her first trip to TFC? What does it mean to her?
- What does Winter refer to as the hummingbirds?
- Why don’t Winter and Micah think it’s a good idea to just upload Memento?
- Why does Micah’s mother think the TFC pill is a good thing?
The Forgetting Curve:
- Would you rather forget or remember something bad that happened in your life? How has that memory shaped the person you are now?
- Why do you think TFC is trying to manipulate people’s memories?
- If you had your own version of the Book of Velvet, what words to live by would you put in it?
- Aiden thinks of himself as a hacker capable of opening any door. Do you think it’s okay to hack, even if it’s for a good cause?
- Music can be a powerful form of protest. What’s your favorite song about a social injustice or an issue important to you? Why do you like it?
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i have no idea what this word means. obsolete? like something isn’t there? something is missing? yes, i think that’s it. obsolete triangle means it has no right angles. or maybe that’s obtuse. i’m gonna go with obsolete meaning missing or void. the end.
By Kelly Barry on 04.12.2011
is what they were when they arrived. They methods now seemed acient, profound and yet, useless. A new generation involving everything but heart. There was no art in there knowledge.
By Diana URL on 04.12.2011
I lay awake tonight night,
something doesn’t feel quite right.
OH! My head begins to spin,
and I find myself stressing again
Missing your every touch,
that one I used to love so much,
now all I can do is cry,
because I’ve lost you and I.
My tears begin to fall,
every memory I can recall,
all those special times we had,
couldn’t make me feel more sad.
If I had you,
my world would be complete,
but right now,
my life, is obsolete.
Do you remember those Saturday nights,
where all we did is hold each other tight,
and talked about our future,
beneath the moonlight.
(what happened to you and I?)
Lost some place between here,
and the sky…
Yes, I see now,
that I need you in my life,
to hold me through the night,
and to hold me oh so tight.
(a little tighter…don’t ever let go)
If you could look inside my heart,
you’d know it to be true,
cause the only person there is, is you.
(how I love you)
And as my tears begin to fall,
every moment I do recall,
thinking back on those times we had,
Oh baby, make me feel so sad.
(I was bad)
but since not,
Yeah baby, without you,
in too deep…
By lildevi URL on 04.12.2011
All that has come and gone. And all that will be. Will all be obsolete. Time shows us that nothing lasts forever.
By LD on 04.12.2011
Obsolete. The word I use to describe myself times, the word that sometimes people use to describe me. We’re like computers, obsolete. Elder people are obsolete. They know it too. Obsolete is what we’ve come to. We are obsolete.
By Winter Smith URL on 04.12.2011
Phones with cords are obsolete and cell phones are in, mail is obsolete but facebook and texting are in, having a physical relationship with a person (not counting sex of course) is obsolete in today’s world and odd communication is in
By Danielle URL on 04.12.2011
i had to make a quick move before my books quickly became obsolete. but what should it be? people always say that “sex sells,” right? wrong…how could i compromise my hard-earned novels for a bit of smut? what about a murder?…still no. but i had to find something-some new plot twist-and soon. before i was off of the best-seller list for good…before my writing became obsolete
By Esther URL on 04.12.2011
there is nothing that matters. nothing. why are we here. well, that’s a good question, ain’t is. is it really as obsolete as we think? Is it really that nothing matters. I begin to question this when i see things. funny things you know? things that people see every day and pass right by. things that don’t seem to matter, but they make all the difference. all of it.
By Barb on 04.12.2011
i don’t know what this word means, so i am just going to write that it kind of looks like an omlete, but not really. my hand itches, and i just itched it…same with my nose but i am too lazy to itch that too. i don’t want to study for exams, so i am just stumbling in order to procrastinate the very thing i should be doing. i have two exams on friday.
By Laura on 04.12.2011
Our lives become obsolete in old age and we die. POOF! Dead. All gone. No after life. So sorry.
By Tara Trotter on 04.12.2011
i heard this word first when it had something to do with robots. It may have been Wall-E but it may have been iron man or something like that. I think its a pretty robotic word. I like it though it sounds harsh but just firm. I dont know. I like that it has two o’s and two l’s
By Kyshia Chernesky on 04.12.2011
He was obsolete. The asphalt streets were cold, the cardboard above his head rank with the earthy smell of rain. The tattered rags clung to his sores and wounds. He didn’t have a home. With a jolt, he realized he never really did.
By Justin on 04.12.2011
One day, everything we know will be obsolete. We are of the generation where, once you buy something, the new version comes out the next day. It’s hard to imagine in 30 years that nothing we know now will still exist. Ipad? Move way for eyescreens. The future is on its way.
By Amanda URL on 04.12.2011
Obsolete is a word made for those who don’t know what ‘value’ means.
By Kelly on 04.12.2011
i already wrote about this one but now i remember it was the incredibles when i first heard this word. I was so curious to know what it meant. Its kind of scary thinking about how it could be used to describe the termination of life. that sounds dumb because thats not what it means. blach i a so bad at this.
By Kyshia Marie URL on 04.12.2011
OBSOLETE:all of which points to the final hypothesis on the already discussed,death.if we are everlasting,why introduce the only idea that puts a kibosh on the whole thing?
By The Fake Dann URL on 04.12.2011
Obsolete. That’s all he was. How would he feed his family? His children were barely out of the crib. Years of long work at the company, reduced to a piece of paper stating his termination. “Cutbacks,” his boss had said, apologetically. “It’s hard, I know, but maybe you could find work elsewhere – you’re still young,” he lied.
By Nocturnus URL on 04.12.2011
To the world, we are obsolete, we are simply placed here playing out our everyday lives. No one really matters all that much. No one holds that much importance.
By Ainsley Kannus on 04.12.2011
Everything at some point..
By Just a Girl URL on 04.12.2011
I think that in about 5 years, pens and pencils will be obsolete, as will paper. People will all have objects that write for them, or they will just use keyboards. Like I am right now.
By Megan URL on 04.12.2011
I looked for it. I promise. But it seems that any speck of love in that creepy little place has become obsolete. I guess we should just ambush it, take what’s worth taking, then watch their world burn. Darn trolls!
By Will Creates URL on 04.12.2011
Emptied of its usefulness,
You coffee cup lies broken and crushed
On sympathetic pavement
More willing to hold the dead cup up
Than its former master.
By Jadam URL on 04.12.2011
Everything in this world has a purpose, not is obsolete. The best way to show the truth behind that statement is the saying “One man’s trash is another’s treasure.” Even if you have no use for it, someone else does. Amazing isn’t it? I think so.
By bob on 04.12.2011
what happens when something is used up? useless? it’s obsolete. can people become obsolete? can we be used up to the point that we’re no good anymore?
By dan on 04.12.2011
that i think the word that is not found
so I believe in rationality every thing here in the real world what we ca
By mahmoud URL on 04.12.2011
not of sustainable use not good enough not up to par not at worth what expected too small of substanence too small of tangibility
By Beka on 04.12.2011
Deja no more.
It’s all over Baby Blue.
By visage URL on 04.12.2011
Time feels obsolete. What do we measure by time anymore, anyway? Nothing lasts forever. Nothing will ever last forever. Human beings can’t ever comprehend the meaning of the word forever. Now, obsolete, that’s an easy word. We all feel obsolete at some point. We feel as if we aren’t good enough, that no one will ever need us, that we’re useless; obsolete. Obsolete is harsh and critical.
By Katie URL on 04.12.2011
Categories super-defining their contents. It is a mad world we live in where bureaucracy overpowers basic need. Where rules and chains of command make humanness seem obsolete.
By Laura Mary URL on 04.12.2011
the flip just became obsolete. as do most technical objects like my old samsung phone and the nokia before that and the erricson before that oh and there was another erricson in between adn also a moto razr somewhere and then there was mom’s n series nokia too. hmmmmm dodos became extinct. man im 28. does that mean im obsolete too?
oh and since i pressed the back button i got another 60 seconds! yayyyyy alrite…. obsolete…obsolete…. obsolescene…the loss of significance over time (spent more time deleting than typing!) …..
By yams on 04.12.2011
Obsolete seems a harsh word to me. I’m not sure if I even fully understand the meaning of “obsolete”. I’m sure I’ve used it several times in conversation, but am I using it correctly?
By Lizzie on 04.12.2011
This means that it’s gone. Old. Used up. Nothing left. Where did it go? It probably got replaced by something new. Silly new-fangled gadgets. We miss the oldies, the goodies…now obsolete. Can we have them back? Bring them back from nonexistence?
By Emily on 04.12.2011
This Red Sox team would be obsolete if a giant meteor crashed down on the stadium during a game. The aliens would run around the bases and power boost up to the stands where they would bite the heads off of everyone in there. Johnny Damon would be the first to die.
By Kate on 04.12.2011
lonely . I sit alone in my small apartment. I ran my friends away by canceling plans, so I could hang out with my pen and paper. I turned in the article, and now I want my friends back! It is too late though. I can have other friends. Like Pencil and Notebook!
By The Writer URL on 04.12.2011
Sometimes, I’ll stand outside and take in the world around me. It is then when I feel obsolete. I’m just a small speck in the universe. What can do to make an impact? What can I do to make a difference? Well, I will take a journey through time and make my mark. Just you wait and see. You will remember me by . . .
By Jenna on 04.12.2011
when the world becomes obsolete and I’m still here, only then will i be totally honest with myself. until then, I”m stuck pretending in someone else’s world. Living a life I can’t quite be happy with. Can’t quite accept. When that day comes.
By Savanna on 04.12.2011
The cube was obsolete. It had served it’s purpose; it had given life to the people; and now it was nothing but a wooden cube, shined to a perfect finish, destined to be left in the back drawer of someone’s cluttered garage. It was a shame, really, sighed Finn. But a neccesity. It couldn’t be used again, not ever. It must fade into anonymity.
By Cana URL on 04.12.2011
Many things that are practical are now obsolete. They are replaced with overpriced, unnecessary items. Like the Kindle. GO BUY A BOOK. Our generation is forgetting the things we used to value.
By Barbara URL on 04.12.2011
I feel so obsolete. Does anyone really need me. I need them. I want to be needed. I need to be needed. I never want to feel obsolete. Maybe one day my children will need me. Right now I feel expendable. Broken. Unhappy. I hate this. One day I will find you and you will need me as much as I need you. I miss you.
By Katelin on 04.12.2011
i feel obsolete. like nothing i do is right anymore. like im no longer cool, as if i ever was. like im no longer funny or fun to be around. like im a useless lump of cells through together by fate and the winds. and then…i talk to you. <3
By Rupert URL on 04.12.2011
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HAMILTON -- About 35 residents looked on, many of them taking notes, as Robert Gioscio explained the difference between a Blood and a Crip, showed the types of red clothing Bloods members typically wear and what their gang graffiti "tagging" looks like.
Gioscio, an investigator for the Mercer County Sheriff's Office, spoke during Hamilton's Gang Awareness and Prevention Summit, which was held Thursday night at the Enterprise Fire Department.
"There are some people who have the misconception that gangs are just an urban problem. .¤.¤. But gangs are a problem for every community, even this community," said Hamilton Mayor Glen D. Gilmore. "There is no silver bullet that is going to meet this challenge."
Gioscio and other law enforcement officers, including Mercer County Prosecutor Joseph L. Bocchini Jr. and Sheriff Kevin Larkin, described the growing challenge gangs present.
Based on a 2006 survey, the officials said that are more than 700 gangs in the state and over 17,000 gang members. That number has grown by 10,000 in just the last five years.
Locally, there are more than 2,100 known gang members in Mercer alone, officials said.
See Friday's Times for more on this story.
Contributed by Matt Egan
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Nearly 70 protesters rally in Chilliwack against proposed pipelines
Protesters in Chilliwack demonstrated outside Chilliwack MLA John Les' office Wednesday afternoon rallying against the proposed Enbridge and Kinder Morgan pipelines.
The province-wide Defend Our Coast day of action saw nearly 70 people protesting here in Chilliwack.
“The federal government is trying to ram pipelines through our province, and our provincial government is sitting on the fence, suggesting that for the right price, BC’s coast can be bought,” said Pipe Up Network spokesperson, Michael Hale.
Wednesday's protest followed Monday's rally where more than 2,000 protesters gathered on the B.C. legislature lawn, some promising to provoke arrests as well as criticizing proposed heavy oil pipelines from Alberta to the B.C. coast.
Organizers of the Victoria rally offered training in civil disobedience techniques to the more than 1,000 people who signed up for the protest, under the banner of Defend Our Coast. Sponsored by Greenpeace and the Council of Canadians, the coalition includes unions, aboriginal leaders and environmental organizations. Victoria Police were out in force to back up legislature security, who locked the buildings down and turned away visitors for the day.
The new proposals are “job killers” because more diluted bitumen from the Alberta oil sands will be shipped out raw, either from Burnaby or Kitimat, said David Coles, president of the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union.
Both protests focused on two proposed projects, Enbridge’s Northern Gateway pipeline from northern Alberta to Kitimat and the pending application by Kinder Morgan to twin its oil pipeline that has been carrying Alberta oil to Burnaby and Washington state for more than 60 years.
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Gnome and KDE Wrestle With Menus
Classic Menus, Newfangled Fancy Thingies
If you believe that desktop features can be intuitive, then a survey of the available menus in free and open source (FOSS) desktops should disabuse you of the notion.
Although many desktop features, such as the panel, differ in only minor ways between desktops, menus are another matter. GNOME, KDE, and Xfce all offer beginners a classic menu with sub-menus that open out across the desktop.
But KDE also offers two more advanced choices, Kickoff and Lancelot. In addition, both GNOME and KDE include minimalist menu tools best suited for advanced users. A survey of these choices makes for an interesting study in interface design and user preference.
For years, the classic menu was the standard on all computer desktops. It has gone through several variations, including Windows' dynamic menus that only display the items you use most often until you expand them, and GNOME's division into a menu bar with top level menus for applications, places, and system configuration. But the basic idea does not vary much.
The main challenge of the classic menu is to decide what to include in it. Although Debian has for years maintained a menu that is three or four layers deep, in general FOSS desktops seem to have rejected complete listings of applications, largely on the grounds that they make finding a specific program hard to find. Complete listing menus can spill out over a considerable amount of the desktop when you open the lowest level sub-menu.
For these reasons, classic menus in FOSS have often favored providing only a partial list of applications -- and, in the last few years, a menu editor for customization. This solution has the advantage of not overwhelming new users with too many choices. But the disadvantage that some applications are effectively hidden and may never be learned.
Another potential weakness of classic menus is that users are often searching, not for a program, but for a hardware device or file, which may require using another tool than the menu to find.
With its Places menu, the GNOME menu bar is one partial solution to this problem. GNOME also includes the Drawer applet, which is essentially a custom menu or toolbar that can include favorites or applications for a particular task.
The classic menu remains a popular choice, and all major operating systems, free or proprietary, offer it as a choice -- although, as in KDE, the choice may be hidden in the main menu's right-click context menu. However, because of the classic menu's shortcomings, desktop designers are increasingly looking for alternatives.
KDE: Kickoff vs. Lancelot
Since the 4.0 release, KDE has defaulted to the Kickoff menu. Inspired by the Windows Vista menu, Kickoff divides the menu into five separate views: Favorites; Applications; Computer, which includes system settings and common destinations in the directory structure; Recently Used, which includes both applications and documents, and Leave, which includes a number of options for what to do when you have finished your work.
In each view, only one menu level is visible at the time, which means that you must use the arrows at each side to move through the menus. In addition, a search menu with tab completion helps you to find items quickly.
Kickoff solves the most pressing problems of classic menus by using views to reduce the number of items visible at one time, and by keeping the menu within a single window. But the trouble is, this solution has problems of its own.
To start with, the views remain unconfigurable, and many people have complained that Leave does not really belong in it. More importantly, Applications remains the most heavily populated view, so in some ways Kickoff is simply embedding a classic menu in a more complex view.
Even more importantly, by displaying only one menu level at a time, Kickoff can actually make navigation cumbersome. You cannot see other levels in Kickoff, and moving to another sub-level in particular requires several more mouse clicks than in a classic menu.
Not everyone sees Kickoff as having these problems. Yet enough do that in most distributions KDE is now shipping with Lancelot, a complete replacement for Kickoff.
Looking even more like a Vista clone, Lancelot seems designed to address many of the criticisms of Kickoff. The views are reduced to four -- Applications, Computer, Contacts, and Documents -- and exiting options are available by clicking an icon in a toolbar that also includes options for locking the desktop and switching users.
Similarly, Lancelot displays several menu sub-levels at once. If the view gets cramped, you can expand drag on the corners to expand the size of the menu window, something that you are supposed to be able to do with Kickoff, but is disabled in some distributions.
- Skip Ahead
- 1. Classic Menus, Newfangled Fancy Thingies
- 2. Classic Menus, Newfangled Fancy Thingies
Solid state disks (SSDs) made a splash in consumer technology, and now the technology has its eyes on the enterprise storage market. Download this eBook to see what SSDs can do for your infrastructure and review the pros and cons of this potentially game-changing storage technology.
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A look back at the larger than life story of cricket legend and colourful commentator Tony Greig
- December 30, 2012
"The more they hoot me ... the better I'll like it," Tony Greig once said.
Just as well.
They hooted in his native South Africa when he turned his back for England.
They hooted in England, when he turned his back on cricket's establishment and fashioned World Series Cricket.
And they hooted in Australia, when he played England captain, World XI captain, and public enemy No.1 in a country he later would call his home.
So just where does Anthony William Greig's 66-year-old heart lay?
In South Africa, where he was born in Queenstown on the Cape Province to Scottish parents, on October 6, 1946?
Greig's Scottish immigrant father, Sandy, flew more missions in World War II than the supposed limit.
And when Greig, an epileptic educated at Queen's College, was offered a trial at English county club Sussex as a 19-year-old, his father told him: "Boy, when I was your age, I was fighting a war".
His father gave his blessing for Greig to trial and spend a year in England - such were his son's talents, he never returned home to live.
So does the heart of Greig - a 198cm, or 6'6 in old-speak, tall athlete who could bat, bowl and field with aplomb - lay in England?
In 1972, Greig played his first Test match for England - qualifying courtesy of his Scottish dad.
He followed his Test debut - appropriately against Australia - with another 57 Test matches and made 3599 Test runs, averaging 40.44, with eight centuries and a highest score of 148.
He also took 141 Test wickets at an average of 32.30 with mainly medium-pacers but also some off-spin.
The statistics, as always, fail to tell the full story.
Greig was confrontational, influential, abrasive.
In 1976, preparing to play the West Indies, Greig told a television interviewer: "The West Indians, these guys, if they get on top are magnificent cricketers. But if they're down, they grovel, and I intend ... to make them grovel."
Surely, the intelligent Greig was aware the word "grovel" had sinister connotations for West Indians, many whom had slave ancestry?
In 1977, Greig captained England in the acclaimed Centenary Test against Australia at the MCG.
He was best remembered, on the field, for brash young Australian David Hookes cracking five consecutive fours from his bowling - all after Greig asked the 21-year-old batsman on arrival at the crease whether his testicles had yet dropped.
During the Centenary Test, many Australian cricketers pledged to play with multimillionaire Kerry Packer's renegade World Series Cricket.
Days after the game finished, Greig met with Packer in Sydney and was offered $90,000 over three years.
"Kerry, money is not my major concern," Greig recalled this year of his meeting with Packer.
"I'm nearly 31-years-old, I'm probably two or three Test failures from being dropped from the England team ... I don't want to finish up in a mundane job when they drop me.
"I'm not trained to do anything ... if you guarantee me a job for life working for your organisation, I will sign."
He was, and signed.
And Greig soon helped sign a raft of the world's best cricketers to play for Packer in the revolution which changed cricket forever.
World Series Cricket was played in Australia, where Greig stayed and spent his post-playing days working for Packer's Nine Network as a constant in cricket commentary - so does his heart lay here?
Greig's commentary was like his playing: challenging, taunting his fellows, but living to a mantra of cricket being entertainment.
He grated in many loungerooms and things didn't always go to plan - in 1999, Greig was commentating when a camera focused on a couple in a marriage ceremony at a nearby church, a Caucasian groom wedding an Asian bride.
Greig's off-camera remark - "do you think she's been flown in?" - intimated a query about a mail order bride and was picked up by his microphone.
But he survived the outrage and continued on - under boater hat, sticking his key in the pitch - until October this year, when diagnosed with lung cancer.
Greig was missing from the commentary box this Australian summer and died of a heart attack on Saturday.
His body will be laid to rest. Yet his heart lay not in countries, but cricket.
"Give your hand to cricket and it will take you on the most fantastic journey, a lifetime journey both on and off the field," Greig said earlier this year.
Follow the action. Like Fox Sports.
Fri May 24 18:29:12 EST 2013AFL - Eddie fury over Buddyleaks claim
Fri May 24 18:22:00 EST 2013Cricket - Lynn reported over Te'o tweets
Fri May 24 18:16:00 EST 2013League - Souths icon says stand down Te'o
Fri May 24 17:43:30 EST 2013AFL - "I will play again this year"
Fri May 24 17:24:38 EST 2013Motorsport - Mug's Guide to the Indy 500
Fri May 24 17:17:40 EST 2013AFL - Question marks over Hawks
Fri May 24 17:10:00 EST 2013League - Petero likes Scott-Shillington combo
Fri May 24 16:41:00 EST 2013League - Take a punt on Merritt, says Hazem
Fri May 24 16:20:00 EST 2013Tennis - Nadal and Djokovic chasing Federer
Fri May 24 16:07:00 EST 2013Golf - Golf gets deeper in racism rough
Fri May 24 16:00:00 EST 2013More Sports - Boxer threatens to kill opponent
Fri May 24 15:52:00 EST 2013Football - Europa winners to earn UCL spot
Fri May 24 17:44:08 EST 2013Play Video: Lyon not interested in Watts Fremantle coach Ross Lyon distances himself from speculation linking his club with Melbourne's Jack Watts.
Fri May 24 17:02:00 EST 2013Play Video: Rojas says goodbye Marco Rojas has returned to the Melbourne Victory for one last farewell after signing a new deal with German Bundesliga side Stuttgart.
Fri May 24 17:01:48 EST 2013Play Video: Nic Nat returns home Rival coaches Kevin Sheedy and John Worsfold praise the work of star West Coast ruckman Nic Naitanui who returns home to Western Sydney for his side's clash with the GWS Giants this weekend.
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FOX 66 News at Ten
A new exhibit at the Andersen Enrichment Center in Saginaw celebrates the lighter side of election season.
As I See Them: Political Caricatures features caricatures of political figures all done in the past 10 years by syndicated editorial cartoonist, Mark Stinson of Lansing, MI.
"I fell in love with cartooning when I bought my first Mad Magazine but I had to hide them from my mother; she didn't approve," Stinson said.
After graduating in May 1974, with a BFA in Studio Art, Stinson moved to Houston seeking a career in advertising, but instead landed a position at The Houston Post as the paper's editorial cartoonist.
Stinson started with three cartoons a week and after a year was up to five a week.
During his second year, The Post started syndicating his caricatures nationwide.
Stinson's work was carried by 122 newspapers from the Boston Globe to The Detroit Free Press.
Stinson doesn't consider his caricatures as "art," but rather as a "statement of the essence of the individual I draw at the time they were drawn."
While his caricatures are no longer in syndication, he continues to monitor the political arena and draw for fun.
The exhibit runs through Nov. 9, 2012 from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m., Monday through Friday.
Copyright WNEM TV5 2012 (Meredith Corporation.) All rights reserved.
Monday, October 1 2012, 09:24 AM EDT
National News Headlines
|Citizen heroes: Restoring life to Hurricane Sandy victims|
Seven months after Hurricane Sandy ravaged the New Jersey Shore, destroying homes and dramatically upending lives, the tourist towns dotting the coast are ramping up repairs to accommodate summer visitors. But for many of the residents in surrounding areas, still embroiled in a morass of loss and red tape, it has been their neighbors and ordinary citizens who have stepped in to provide vital help and support.
|State report shows downed bridge had gouges, impact damage|
Officials in Washington state performed a special inspection six months ago on the Interstate 5 bridge that collapsed because there were indications it had been struck by a different vehicle.
|Jury foreman says life or death decision unfair|
|They were 12 ordinary citizens who didn't oppose the death penalty.|
|Actor Tyler Perry donates $100K to Ohio schools|
|Filmmaker and actor Tyler Perry has surprised middle school students in Ohio by showing up at a musical concert and donating $100,000 to help student athletes in the city's South-Western schools.|
|Arizona authorities investigating threatening email sent lawmakers|
Arizona's bitter debate over a signature part of President Obama's health care overhaul has sparked an investigation into lawmakers' safety after at least nine legislators received a threatening email over Gov. Jan Brewer's push to expand Medicaid access.
|Virginia mom jailed for allegedly mooning son's school bus|
A Suffolk mother will spend weekends behind bars after mooning her son's school bus following a confrontation with the driver.
|Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio to appeal ruling in racial profiling case|
A federal judge ruled Friday that the office of America's self-proclaimed toughest sheriff systematically singled out Latinos in its trademark immigration patrols, marking the first finding by a court that the agency racially profiles people.
|Elite New York City prep school apologizes for past sexual abuse|
|An elite New York City prep school has apologized for sexual abuse perpetrated by teachers and administrators over a three-decade span.|
|Ohio district weighs creationism for classroom discussion|
An Ohio school district proposal to add creationism to a hot-topics list deemed appropriate for classroom discussion is drawing opposition from some parents and a civil rights group.
|2 dead after Angel Flight crashes in upstate New York, official says|
A small airplane operating as an Angel Flight has crashed in upstate New York, killing two passengers as investigators search for the pilot, who is missing.
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A New Role for Quality in Medical Liability Reform
Earlier this month, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) announced it would be spending over $23 million to find potential solutions to the medical liability issue. It became the largest investment in malpractice reform by the federal government in at least 20 years. But is the U.S. ready to consider more ways to use quality-related methods—rather than legal briefs or court dates—to handle medical liability reform?
Eric Thomas, MD, a professor of medicine at the University of Texas (UT) Houston and director of the UT Houston Memorial Hermann Center for Healthcare Quality and Safety, says now is the time to look at alternative liability reforms. "The malpractice system...is pretty worthless in that it does not compensate most patients. The majority of patients who have been injured by negligent care never sue—let alone get compensation for their injury," he says.
When many physicians are sued, it's not because their care was negligent, Thomas adds. "[The current malpractice system] is not designed to make things better. It's not designed to let us learn about what went wrong and to make improvements."
So what can change? Thomas, one of the AHRQ grantees, proposed a three-year project that will review the use of a "disclosure and compensation" model, which aims to inform injured patients and families promptly and make efforts to provide quick compensation.
"What [we're] doing with this project is to not only serve the needs of individual patients through disclosure but to try to take advantage of a patient's experience," he says. The goal will be to see if the patient's observations of what went wrong can be incorporated into the efforts by the hospital to learn what went wrong—and make improvements.
Including the injured party in the entire process of "analyzing and learning" is something that, to his knowledge, hasn't been done before, he says.
Over a three-year period, the project also will work to identify best practices for using disclosure to improve patient safety, and disseminate those best practices to others. "That's something the malpractice system has no intention of doing," he adds.
Tom Gallagher, MD, an associate professor of medicine at the University of Washington, Seattle, has been working for about a decade on issues of communicating with patients when there are problems with the quality of care, he says.
"It's an interesting area because for a long time people assumed that the way we communicate with patients when there are problems in care is primarily a risk management or service recovery issue," says Gallagher, another AHRQ grantee. "But we're learning that the link between disclosure of errors to patients and the quality of care is a much stronger one than people recognize."
One of the new developments in this field is that people are realizing that disclosure and transparency are fundamental aspects of the way high quality patient care is delivered, he says. His AHRQ project will build on this idea—expanding on the notion of communication.
It includes training for healthcare workers across Washington State to not just communicate with patients after an adverse event or error, but also communicate with other workers to prevent adverse events and errors, he says.
- $6.4B Henry Ford, Beaumont Merger Failed on Cultural Hurdles
- Don't Let Nurses Sink Your Bottom Line
- Hospitals Profit On Bloodstream Infections
- Fortunately, Angelina Jolie Isn't On Medicare
- Less Blood Testing for Some Surgeries Safe, Cost Effective
- Lower ED Margins Demand a Better Strategy
- How Chargemaster Data May Affect Hospital Revenue
- Primary Care Docs Average More Hospital Revenue Than Specialists
- House Lawmakers Grill CMS Over Health Exchange Navigators
- ED Physicians Key to Half of Hospital Admissions
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Hello there !
On my mission to climb all 188 of the 2000ft mountains of Wales the most recent ones visited were Gorllwyn and Drygarn Fawr , found high above the Elan Valley , a really remote and desolate place (the hills , not the valley) .Anyway , atop Drygarn Fawr are two huge beehive cairns , and splendid they are too , and though the stones are from the Bronze age (i think) , the cairns were restored early in the last century . There's also an ancient track that passes through the hills . I'm glad i went on a dry day because the whole of the summit plateau between the tops is a vast pathless bog . There's plenty of stuff to visit around here , but sadly didn't get chance , there you go. Cheerz
here's the Wiki : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drygarn_Fawr
and the Megalithic portal : http://www.megalithic.co.uk/article.php?sid=10037
And some i took :
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Fight Looming in Michigan Over Single Business Tax; Dayton’s Earnings Tax Up for Renewal
| Thousands of executives with financial reporting responsibilities use the Comperio on-line library to access the type of information and interpretive guidance PricewaterhouseCoopers' own professional audit staff use around the world. Key content areas include guidance from the FASB, EITF, PCAOB, SEC, and others as well as PwC's interpretive guidance. Get more information and sign up for a complimentary 30-day trial. |
In Dayton, Ohio, voters will get to reconsider the city’s request for renewal of a 0.5 earnings tax through a special election on Wednesday, March 14. The city has a permanent 1.75 earnings tax and the total of the two taxes will bring in about $113.3 million this year. Voters are likely to approve the measure; the off-day election historically “leads to low turnouts and high passage rates,” the Dayton Daily News says.
Michigan House Tax Policy Committee Chairman Fulton Sheen (R-Plainwell) said that he personally favors replacing the income, personal property and SBT, with a bigger sales tax on more goods and services, the Free Press says. But Speaker Craig DeRoche, (R-Novi) added to the controversy by saying he wasn’t looking to replace a business tax with a consumer tax.
The SBT was created in 1975 to replace seven business taxes in Michigan, including a corporate income tax. It now taxes business’ gross receipts, as well as payroll and fringe benefits, the Free Press says. The current rate is 1.9 percent, but credits and exemptions have been added to the tax, making it confusing for Michigan business owners.
“I haven’t got a clue what I own or how a business decision will affect it,” Jim Donahue of Sterling Solutions & Systems in Plymouth told the Free Press in a separate story.” It’s not tied in any way to making money. If I have a terrible year, I can still end up owing it. It seems to defy logic.”
Local earning taxes, like Dayton’s, are the subject of a study by University of Missouri-Columbia economics professor Joseph Haslag, who says that a city’s income growth is slowed ,compared with its surrounding suburban areas, if it taxes wages, according to the Kansas City Star. The study used U.S. Census data and earnings tax figures from 101 cities. One in four, including Kansas City, has an earnings tax, Haslag says.
Kansas City officials acknowledged that the earnings tax was unpopular, but said that the tax was the largest source of income for the city, 45 percent of revenues. “We just can’t cut that amount out of the budget,” said Kansas City Councilman Charles Eddy, chairman of the Finance and Audit Committee.
Economists argue that Michigan’s SBT discourages investment, despite a report from the Tax Foundation of Washington, D.C. that ranked Michigan 26th among the 50 states in overall business taxes. But Patrick Anderson, an East Lansing economist, questioned the validity of the study, the Detroit Free Press reports.
Changes made on behalf of special interests have corrupted the original SBT, Anderson says. The original SBT gave a break for money spent on equipment or facilities, which was helpful to the auto industry, and Anderson thinks that future changes should also benefit the industry. “People who call the auto industry a dinosaur forget that manufacturing constitutes 40 percent of investment in this state,” Anderson said. “It’s one of the biggest hi-tech employers in the country.”
The Michigan Chamber of Commerce opposes the SBT, Tricia Kinley, the Chamber’s tax policy director, told the Free Press. “Most people feel it’s a disincentive to doing business,” she said. “Any replacement has to be simpler, less of a burden to pay and easier to comply with. And it must encourage economic development.”
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If you’re looking to get an ETC (Equipment Trust Certificate), then you will usually need to be a business with a very good credit record. Generally, these financial securities are issued mostly to finance large pieces of equipment or capital, such as aircraft or trains. Outright purchasing large vehicles may not qualify you for tax deductibles, but renting or leasing usually does, so many businesses as well as private entrepreneurs choose to take out an ETC whenever they are thinking of buying large vehicles.
In many ways, an ETC is a lot like a mortgage. You will only be qualified for one if you have an excellent credit record and they are subject to the same sort of rates variations based on your credit history.
Benefit from reduced rates when taking out an ETC
If you’re considering an ETC, then make sure that you have a good credit rating first before you apply by checking your 3 bureau credit scores. In the most ideal of situations, your goal should be to improve your credit rating as much as possible before you invest in large capital such as aircraft. You can improve your credit rating in a variety of ways, but the easiest is to simply make smaller purchases and pay them off promptly.
If you are running a business, then you can rent equipment or lease it instead of buying it outright. The monthly invoices you will need to pay all come with a due date and provided you pay off the required amount every month before it is due, you will greatly improve your credit rating in a short amount of time.
A typical path for a private investor might be to first make smaller purchases such as appliances for the house and then when the credit rating is improved, go for larger items such as motorbikes, computers or speedboats. Following this, you might find that after a few years your credit report has improved to the point where you will be able to finance an ETC for a helicopter, a private jet or small plane.
Airlines and ETCs
Airlines commonly take out ETCs instead of buying their own planes. There is a very good reason for this, apart from cutting down costs. For instance, if the airline does not succeed and goes through a bankruptcy or an insolvency, then the aircraft is not considered the property of the airline. This can be a huge advantage for a newer airline start up that is intending to compete with other more well established airlines in the industry.
In essence then, an ETC is a secure way for an airline or any other private investor to buy aircraft over time instead of having to pay all at once.
The entity leasing the aircraft will also earn a share of the profits for the duration of the ETC and this situation remains until it matures, handing over all the benefits to the entity who will appropriate the aircraft. Train companies also sometimes take out an ETC to buy new capital.
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We listened to the accounts of the tragedy in a state of disbelief and sadness. The vulnerability of our children to psychopaths is obvious, but can we do more to protect our most innocent?
I listened to a local administrator describe the standard procedure under lockdown conditions and I had an ill-feeling of dread. The safety measures the schools are advised to take are now well-known to the potential homicidal maniacs who walk our streets, and now, there is the opportunity to capitalize on information that should be classified.
Lockdown procedures include locking the classroom doors and gathering the children in a corner. Fine, but are the doors still made of wood? If a shooter wants into a classroom, it is simple procedure to fire a few rounds into the wood around the handle and kick the door open.
Once access is attained, a few more rounds will obliterate a teacher and the children gathered into a corner. Remember, a psychopath is not necessarily stupid or a poor marksman; however, a poor marksman will appreciate the convenance of target opportunity (the herding of children into a corner).
If we are really interested in the welfare of our children, let’s think more about steel doors and access to the outside rather than teacher pensions. Recent mass killings provided the shooters with a semi-contained shooting gallery. Do we really want to make the perfect killing field for a more methodical and efficient killer?
There will be many vets using the GI Bill to become teachers, is it practical to have these particular teachers, who are familiar with weaponry and emergency procedures, to be armed with special Concealed Carry weapons and training? I am thinking of the children, and herding them into a corner like sheep in an abattoir is a disaster waiting to happen.
There is a period of time before authorities will arrive, assess the situation, and take appropriate measures to capture or kill the shooter. During this interval, the number of classrooms that can be oped and the number of children that can be murdered is too horrible to comprehend. It is important to remember, the psychopathic killer is not necessarily a blithering idiot; some of them are capable of being well-prepared and efficient in their savagery.
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I recently did a personality test again and I came up as an INTJ which is slight change as I used to be an ENTJ. So what does it mean to be an INTJ? Well, we are referred to as the Masterminds so ego is not in short supply.
From Similar Minds
loner, more interested in intellectual pursuits than relationships or family, not very altruistic, not very complimentary, would rather be friendless than jobless, observer, values solitude, perfectionist, detached, private, not much fun, hidden, skeptical, does not tend to like most people, socially uncomfortable, not physically affectionate, unhappy, does not talk about feelings, hard to impress, analytical, likes esoteric things, tends to be pessimistic, not spontaneous, prone to discontentment, guarded, does not think they are weird but others do, responsible, can be insensitive or ambivalent to the misfortunes of others, orderly, clean, organized, familiar with darkside, tends not to value organized religion, suspicious of others, can be lonely, rarely shows anger, punctual, finisher, prepared
INTJs live in the world of ideas and strategic planning. They value intelligence, knowledge, and competence, and typically have high standards in these regards, which they continuously strive to fulfill. To a somewhat lesser extent, they have similar expectations of others.
INTJs are natural leaders, although they usually choose to remain in the background until they see a real need to take over the lead. When they are in leadership roles, they are quite effective, because they are able to objectively see the reality of a situation, and are adaptable enough to change things which aren’t working well. They are the supreme strategists – always scanning available ideas and concepts and weighing them against their current strategy, to plan for every conceivable contingency.
They also see this in us INTJs
Other people may have a difficult time understanding an INTJ. They may see them as aloof and reserved. Indeed, the INTJ is not overly demonstrative of their affections, and is likely to not give as much praise or positive support as others may need or desire. That doesn’t mean that he or she doesn’t truly have affection or regard for others, they simply do not typically feel the need to express it. Others may falsely perceive the INTJ as being rigid and set in their ways. Nothing could be further from the truth, because the INTJ is committed to always finding the objective best strategy to implement their ideas. The INTJ is usually quite open to hearing an alternative way of doing something.
To outsiders, INTJs may appear to project an aura of "definiteness", of self-confidence. This self-confidence, sometimes mistaken for simple arrogance by the less decisive, is actually of a very specific rather than a general nature; its source lies in the specialized knowledge systems that most INTJs start building at an early age. When it comes to their own areas of expertise — and INTJs can have several — they will be able to tell you almost immediately whether or not they can help you, and if so, how. INTJs know what they know, and perhaps still more importantly, they know what they don’t know.
INTJs are perfectionists, with a seemingly endless capacity for improving upon anything that takes their interest. What prevents them from becoming chronically bogged down in this pursuit of perfection is the pragmatism so characteristic of the type: INTJs apply (often ruthlessly) the criterion "Does it work?" to everything from their own research efforts to the prevailing social norms. This in turn produces an unusual independence of mind, freeing the INTJ from the constraints of authority, convention, or sentiment for its own sake.
This part drives my boss crazy
INTJs have also been known to take it upon themselves to implement critical decisions without consulting their supervisors or co-workers.
Many of our conversations start with, “I may have overstepped my boundaries…”
Personality Page mentions that I am socially challenged which is fair enough. I have struggled with deep and dark feelings of loneliness my entire life (bet you didn’t know that) that I am just kind of resigned to. I also think it’s why I enjoy having a dog around and why I love to read. Weird.
I love how it describes my feelings
Feeling has a modest inner room, two doors down from the Most Imminent iNtuition. It doesn’t get out much, but lends its influence on behalf of causes which are Good and Worthy and Humane. We may catch a glimpse of it in the unspoken attitude of good will, or the gracious smile or nod. Some question the existence of Feeling in this type, yet its unseen balance to Thinking is a cardinal dimension in the full measure of the INTJ’s soul.
First of all, this is all wrong, I have only one feeling and I often leave it behind.
All Rationals are good at planning operations, but Masterminds are head and shoulders above all the rest in contingency planning. Complex operations involve many steps or stages, one following another in a necessary progression, and Masterminds are naturally able to grasp how each one leads to the next, and to prepare alternatives for difficulties that are likely to arise any step of the way. Trying to anticipate every contingency, Masterminds never set off on their current project without a Plan A firmly in mind, but they are always prepared to switch to Plan B or C or D if need be.
Masterminds are rare, comprising no more than, say, one percent of the population, and they are rarely encountered outside their office, factory, school, or laboratory. Although they are highly capable leaders, Masterminds are not at all eager to take command, preferring to stay in the background until others demonstrate their inability to lead. Once they take charge, however, they are thoroughgoing pragmatists. Masterminds are certain that efficiency is indispensable in a well-run organization, and if they encounter inefficiency-any waste of human and material resources-they are quick to realign operations and reassign personnel. Masterminds do not feel bound by established rules and procedures, and traditional authority does not impress them, nor do slogans or catchwords. Only ideas that make sense to them are adopted; those that don’t, aren’t, no matter who thought of them. Remember, their aim is always maximum efficiency.
Well back to work…
In their careers, Masterminds usually rise to positions of responsibility, for they work long and hard and are dedicated in their pursuit of goals, sparing neither their own time and effort nor that of their colleagues and employees. Problem-solving is highly stimulating to Masterminds, who love responding to tangled systems that require careful sorting out. Ordinarily, they verbalize the positive and avoid comments of a negative nature; they are more interested in moving an organization forward than dwelling on mistakes of the past.
Fives are alert, insightful, and curious. They are able to concentrate and focus on developing complex ideas and skills. Independent, innovative, and inventive, they can also become preoccupied with their thoughts and imaginary constructs. They become detached, yet high-strung and intense. They typically have problems with eccentricity, nihilism, and isolation. At their Best: visionary pioneers, often ahead of their time, and able to see the world in an entirely new way.
Of course that is too nice to be true. Apparently we are the way we are because we are insecure.
Behind Fives’ relentless pursuit of knowledge are deep insecurities about their ability to function successfully in the world.
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- IN THE NEWS
- ALL ABOUT ONIONS
- CULINARY INSPIRATION
- CONTACT US
Gills’ transportation elements include: transporting onions from the fields to our processing facility in Oxnard, transporting onion waste, and transporting onions to approximately 30% of our customers who are within a 300 mile radius. We learned that in 2008 we consumed 155,000 GJ of energy – 40% of that energy was consumed by diesel primarily as the result of transporting onions from the fields to our Oxnard processing facility. 155,000 GJ is the same amount of energy consumed by 2,400 households in Southern California in an entire year. So, 40% of that energy used for transportation equals the same amount of energy consumed by 960 households.
By converting our fleet of trucks in 2009 and 2010 from generic trucks to Freight Liners with DD-15 engines, and using “Super Single” tires, Gills has been able to reduce the energy used for transportation by 20%. The more efficient engines account for 10% and the “Super Single” tires save an additional 8% -10%. Additionally, the reduced weight of 1,000 pounds per new truck allows us to ship more pounds of onions per mile.
Gill Onions developed new Delivered Programs for our retail and foodservice customers to eliminate the hassle of setting up shipping and delivery and to increase the efficiency and reliability of our shipping and delivery operations. By integrating services with CH Robinson, the supply-chain and transportation partner of Western Growers, Gills is able to combine shipping tonnage for better pricing, greater efficiency, lower costs and reduced GHG emissions by cross-docking with other Western Grower members at our Oxnard location as a ship point.
Retail and Foodservice customers now enjoy the flexibility of F.O.B. with Just-in-Time delivery to their dock, with one call and one invoice. By reducing duplication of shipping through integration with existing services, Gills has been able to further its stewardship of the planet while increasing its customer focus – a true Win/Win result for everyone! For more information, download our Sustainability Fact Sheet about Transportation & Shipping.
Click here to see our Distribution map.
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John Banks is in serious trouble. If we are to take the word of the internet entrepreneur Kim Dotcom, the former Auckland City mayor advised him to divide a $50,000 donation so that it could be anonymous in the statutory declaration of donors to the mayor's re-election campaign.
Mr Banks says he cannot recall the discussion, which is remarkable unless he is offered $50,000 with monotonous regularity. Choosing his words carefully yesterday, he said, "I was not aware that Mr Dotcom had made this donation to my campaign."
"This" could mean any one of five $25,000 donations in Mr Banks' mayoral campaign returns. Two of them came from Dotcom but the candidate might not know which two. That arrangement would be amusing if the subject was not so serious. Campaign finance declarations are our main check on political corruption.
The Local Electoral Act is clear enough. It defines an anonymous donation as meaning "a donation that is made in such a way that the candidate concerned does not know who made the donation". The plain meaning of that phrase is clear to the public whose trust Mr Banks has sought. Any other interpretation would be sophistry designed to defeat the act's purpose.
Anonymous donations should not be permitted at all but they have been allowed under strict conditions because political parties say few wealthy or corporate donors would contribute if their names had to be made public. Dotcom's testimony raises doubts about whose interest anonymity really serves. It seems not to have mattered to him whether his donation became public knowledge. According to him, his anonymity was all Mr Banks' idea.
Another worrying element is that Mr Banks might have given us a glimpse of a practice that is common in political party fund-raising.
He had been a National MP for many years before he retired and won the Auckland mayoralty. He may have been fund-raising for his mayoral campaigns in the same way that he had seen parties raise money for parliamentary elections.
Anonymity of big donors is probably more important to the parties than the donors. The parties stand to suffer more than their benefactors if the relationship becomes known.
This case warrants a reconsideration of campaign finance law to require the naming of all contributors of more than $1000 to a candidate or party. We no longer need listen to claims that private donations would dwindle and that much more public funding would be required.
But in the meantime, what should happen to Mr Banks? The best the Prime Minister can say for him is that Mr Banks believed he was acting within the law.
The law, it bears repeating, states an anonymous donation is one "that is made in such a way that the candidate concerned does not know who made the donation". If Mr Banks did know he was getting a donation from Dotcom, as Dotcom says he did, his position is untenable.
The incident arose during his last mayoral campaign, not last year's general election at which he won the Epsom seat in Parliament for Act. But he would not be the first MP to have to resign for an indiscretion before he stood for Parliament.
His departure would create a byelection in Epsom that National would need to win if the Government was to retain its majority.
Labour has called for his suspension pending a police investigation of a complaint Labour has filed, but the police should not be put in this position. Electoral law is a matter between those elected and the public they have asked to trust them.
Mr Banks must have known the identity of his big donor and did not disclose it. He has lost the public trust and should go.
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Pender woman integral to success of school program
Published: Wednesday, December 19, 2012 at 9:34 p.m.
Last Modified: Wednesday, December 19, 2012 at 9:34 p.m.
Beth Deaton was born in the Panama Canal Zone. After she was married, she went back home to work as the only school nurse in a 50-mile radius.
What: Founding member of Pender Alliance for Teen Health.
Why: "Because I love it," she said.
How to Help: PATH needs financial support and volunteers, particularly to educate young people about healthy lifestyles. It is also setting up a peer education program in high schools. For information, call the PATH office in Burgaw at 259-1587 or visit penderallianceforteenhealth.com.
Her mother had been a school nurse in Panama.
When earning her bachelor's degree in nursing from the University of Tulsa, she helped set up a school-based nursing program in a remote area near an American Indian reservation.
She was the nurse practitioner for Wilmington Health Access for Teens when WHAT was getting started in 1996.
All of which was excellent preparation for her role in helping set up the Pender Alliance for Teen Health, or PATH, which will soon open a health care center at a school in western Pender County.
Deaton, who works as a pediatric nurse practitioner at Cape Fear Pediatrics, was part of a small group of medical professionals, school officials and local residents who formed PATH, according to her nomination for this profile, part of the annual StarNews series honoring local unsung heroes.
The nomination was written by Beth A. Glaglione, PATH's executive director, and signed by a dozen PATH supporters.
This spring, PATH will open a clinic in a new modular building at West Pender Middle School, between Burgaw and Atkinson. It will have three exam rooms, offering medical services to students whose parents may have difficulty getting them to doctors in Burgaw or Wilmington.
"She is the brains behind the health center, and I got lucky it landed here," said Edie Skipper, principal of West Pender Middle. Some 80 to 85 percent of its students are on free or reduced-prices lunches, which makes them among the neediest students in the Pender County school system.
Bringing health care access to that area is vital, said Kim Collins, lead school nurse for Pender County Schools.
"Many of the kids get sick because they wait until something is really bad to get help," she said.
Parents may not have time or transportation to take their children to distant clinics.
Deaton, 57, can't wait until the center opens, probably early in the spring.
"This has been one of the most exciting things I've ever done," she said. "It's the dream of nurses."
She said the concept has been around for years. But she believes now is "the right time and place."
"Health care reform has everybody mindful that access to health care is important," she said.
The Pender County school board voted unanimously to OK the project.
"Eighty percent of the parents said they would enroll their children," Deaton said. "We couldn't have picked a better school to get up and running."
Art students at the middle school have turned discarded political yard signs into signs welcoming the clinic, and they'll decorate the clinic's walls.
On Tuesday, Deaton learned that PATH will receive a federal grant of $500,000, which will help expand the program beyond West Pender Middle School.
"It opens the door to opening other centers, and to help provide the services that are needed," she said. "It's wonderful."
Si Cantwell: 343-2364
On Twitter: @SiCantwell
Reader comments posted to this article may be published in our print edition. All rights reserved. This copyrighted material may not be re-published without permission. Links are encouraged.
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Bid to set up food bank for the town
A FOOD bank could be set up to help Todmorden residents who are finding it difficult to cope with difficult economic times.
Todmorden Labour Party have put forward the idea of developing a food bank but are stressing that this would be a community and not a party political initiative.
Last night Todmorden Town Councillors were due to discuss a proposal that the council’s amenities committee hosts development of the project with the aim of being up and running to distribute food in time for Christmas.
Steph Booth of Todmorden Labour Party said 26.5 per cent of households in the Todmorden Town Council area were in receipt of Council Tax benefit according to Calderdale Council figures and there was also anecdotal evidence that some families were finding it hard to make ends meet at a tough economic time
“Costs of food will be rising and there is plenty of anecdotal evidence out there that people are struggling to feed their families for now, and it’s going to get worse,” she said.
Food banks operate by providing a minimum of three days’ emergency food and support to people experiencing crisis, with food boxes containing UHT or powdered milk, sugar, a carton of fruit juice, soup, pasta sauces, tinned sponge pudding, tinned tomatoes, cereals, tinned rice pudding, tea bags and instant coffee, instant mash potato, rice or pasta, tinned meat and fish, tinned vegetables, tinned fruit, jam and biscuits or snack bars, she said.
These would be distributed on the basis of a needs assessment which would involve working with the statutory authorities such as social services, health visitors, GPs and Age UK who would refer people to the food bank - this was how 200 food banks already open in other parts of the country operate, said Mrs Booth.
A working party, made up from various relevant organisations within Todmorden, would have to be set up to advise on and direct the creation of a sustainable food bank. Premises would need to be secured and volunteers needed, with a mission to meet the immediate needs of those in hardship, says a briefing document for the council meeting.
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Weather for Halifax
Wednesday 19 June 2013
Temperature: 9 C to 20 C
Wind Speed: 10 mph
Wind direction: West
Temperature: 10 C to 16 C
Wind Speed: 9 mph
Wind direction: East
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Squirrels make good information librarians! #20: 2012
It has been quite an education, and my conclusion is that information/reference librarians and squirrels have a lot in common.
► Extremely industrious. Morning, noon, and early evening, they are on the job, just like reference librarians (although we usually need coffee in the morning!).
► Inquisitive. There is not a garden glade or tool shed that they will not investigate. For information librarians, being inquisitive is one of their greatest assets.
► Gregarious. They travel in packs and seem to enjoy a good wrestling match or a group sunbath high up in the walnut trees. If you have ever seen a group of Info librarians at a conference, you know this to be true.
► Team players. Especially when teasing a magpie or blue jay or helping with a difficult reference question, we combine our powers to accomplish the task at hand.
► Authentic. Squirrels and reference librarian are the real deal, no divas here.
►Passionate. You can just tell that both groups love what they do.
► Informed about nutrition. They both eat their vegetables…usually.
► Smart. Both groups know enough to hibernate and sleep during the cold Canadian winter.
However, perhaps the most common link between squirrels and information librarians is that they both like nuts! lol
Have a great week.
Kitty Pope #20 June 2012
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July 05, 2012The Davidson County commissioners have won the right to set up their Maginot Line on their border with Guilford County, in hopes of blocking High Point annexations in Davidson County they don't like.
The relevant part of the new law is the following:
"No city not primarily located within the territory of Davidson County may adopt an annexation ordinance under any of the provisions of Article 4A of Chapter 160A of the General Statutes that applies to any territory located within Davidson County unless the Board of Commissioners of Davidson County has, prior to the adoption of the annexation ordinance, approved a resolution consenting to that annexation."
So for now, according to High Point and Davidson County officials, Davidson County commissioners can reject any annexation by High Point in Davidson County, even if was voluntarily requested by the property owner.
High Point, for its part, has said that owners of property in Davidson County shouldn't bother coming to High Point asking for voluntary annexation to get High Point sewer service. High Point Mayor Becky Smothers said property owners should approach the Davidson County Board of Commissioners first.
"They will say, 'You have limited my land to a development pattern that is not cost effective,'" Smothers said of the property owners. "And they won't get sewer service, because we don't give sewer service without annexation."
Smothers said that High Point didn't lobby against the bill, although she did send a letter opposing it to Rep. Julia Howard, the senior chair of the House Finance Committee.
"Well, for openers, and maybe it was a bad call, we saw no reason to go down and have a fit in Raleigh," Smothers said. "We didn't have anybody in our camp there."
That does seem like a bad call by High Point. Local bills are generally reserved for noncontroversial legislation that affects only one county or municipality – and had High Point raised a stink, the annexation bill might have been considered controversial.
"They looked at it only in terms of the Davidson County delegation, I assume," Smothers said. "In that case, it was noncontroversial, I assume."
"Who in the world would have thought a Republican legislature would act on a bill that restricts the rights of property owners?" Smothers said. "If someone wants to sell their property, they have to go to the Davidson County commissioners."
Smothers also said High Point didn't lobby heavily against the bill because it was introduced by North Carolina state Rep. Jerry Dockham.
"I think the world of Jerry Dockham," Smothers said. "I respect him. He's a nice man, and he's helped High Point on issues. It didn't seem worth it for the embarrassment to him if they were going to pass it. We didn't have any recourse anyway."
Chairman of the Davidson County Board of Commissioners Sam Watford said that he too was surprised – at least that language giving his board control over voluntary annexations made it into the final bill and was enacted.
"It really surprised me that it passed with the voluntary as well as the involuntary," Watford said. "That was the big issue. But nobody seemed to mind it. We've got people living in fear of annexation, and there's no reason for that."
How much that fear of annexation is justified is disputed between High Point and Davidson County. High Point has not used involuntary annexation since the 1980s except in one 1992 case. Davidson County Manager Robert Hyatt said he didn't see the law as an attempt to keep High Point entirely out of Davidson County.
"I certainly would not call it a wall at the county line," Hyatt said. "What our commissioners have always wanted was a voice in that process. A city that annexes now goes through a process to see if that annexation is good for that city. Right now our county hasn't had that, and our counties in general haven't had that – to look at it and say, do we have the capacity in our schools and infrastructure?"
Smothers said the new law would make an ineffective wall.
"It's not a wall between two counties," she said. "It's essentially a net that Davidson placed around Davidson"
Just how porous that net is depends on the strictness of the requirements the Davidson County commissioners put on property owners seeking annexation by High Point. The main objection raised against some developments built in Davidson County and annexed into High Point has been that they were too dense, and their populations strained Davidson County schools and services.
Watford said the Davidson County Board of Commissioners will probably consider each annexation separately, rather than setting any hard-and-fast rules against annexation in certain areas, and that there will be more to each consideration than the density issue. He said other issues that affect Davidson County include traffic safety and the effect on adjoining properties.
"I can only speak for myself, but I feel like we'll look at them individually, at the issues and the impacts on the schools," Watford said. "And impacts on the neighborhoods and if it's being developed according to our zoning ordinance."
High Point has annexed considerable property in Davidson County as a result of property owners requesting annexation to get High Point sewer service.
Even Watford said that not all the High Point annexations into Davidson County have been bad.
"We've got some nice developments in High Point that are in Davidson County, there's no question about that," he said. "There's just some that were developed too densely."
North Carolina state Sen. Stan Bingham said that he didn't think the Davidson County commissioners would use the bill to prevent voluntary annexations. He said that blocking voluntary annexations would almost certainly land the commissioners in court.
"I just see a huge battle on this and the county commissioners losing on this," Bingham said. "People don't want to be told what to do with their land."
Davidson County won its battle with the ratification by the North Carolina General Assembly of House Bill 943, a local bill proposed by the Davidson County commissioners and initially filed on April 25, 2012 as Senate Bill 796 by Bingham.
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||Re: origin of surname Hora
||HanaB (Authenticated as HanaB)
||August 30, 2009 at 10:46:42 AM
||origin of surname Hora by Tony Bettfuehr
It's actually Czech - or at least also Czech, I know nothing of Hungarian or Indian surnames. It means mountain in Czech.
P.S. Maybe the Hungarian part of its origin is actually Slovakian - Slovakia was for a long time part of Hungary. In that case it's all the same as the Czech origin.
This message was edited by the author on August 30, 2009 at 10:49:33 AM
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SAN ANTONIO -- Life has dealt a lousy hand to Angelina Flack. Her entire life, she's fought the scourge of a genetic disease she calls "CF." She abbreviates the illness, because she can't -- at the age of 10 -- pronounce Cystic Fibrosis.
"It doesn't feel good because you can't do as much as other kids can do," said the frail little girl, her speech somewhat altered by the oxygen intake tube in her nose.
A decade of fighting CF has ravaged her lungs. Angelina takes at least 16 different medicines a day and requires around-the-clock oxygen to help her breathe -- two liters of it every minute.
"Angelina's case is very rare. She's deteriorated faster than most Cystic Fibrosis patients," said Camille Haddad, the girl's day nurse since September.
In her short life, Angelina has never gone more than six months without an emergency hospital visit. But the next is the most critical.
For the next three weeks, she'll be evaluated by a team of physicians at Texas Children's Hospital in Houston for a life-saving double lung transplant.
Haddad says Angelina has been pre-cleared for the surgery. But if she's not well enough in early February, she'll be sent home.
Dying, she concedes, does scare her.
"It does. But if it does happen, they'll be waiting for me (in heaven), and I'll be waiting for them."
Angelina's family stresses that the risks are worth taking.
"You'd do anything for your kids. If I could trade, I would do it in an instant," said her mother, Rose Arevalo.
"The last thing I want to happen is if something were to happen to her and I felt guilty (that) I didn't do enough," said her father, Ed Arevalo. "I can't change it. But I can do more."
With just a few days until she leaves for Houston, Angelina's bedroom shows no sign that she's about to depart for a long stretch.
Her neatly made bed and her stuffed animal collection incidate she plans to return. And she'll gladly tell you about all of the Justin Bieber items on every dresser and every wall.
"I like his songs and he's a really nice guy. He cares about people," she said. "It would be the best moment of my life," she said, if she were able to get the chance to see Bieber, her idol, in concert.
Angelina thought we came to see her just to tell you about her brave fight. Then we surprised her with four tickets to see Saturday night's sold-out show in San Antonio.
"Yeah," she exclaimed, as a wide smile covered her face, her hands clapping with joy.
Angelina grabbed the tickets and clutched them with her frail hands. She's never seen Justin Bieber in concert before.
"I get a chance to be happy before I go. And I won't have to worry as much and not be as nervous."
Her strength was lifted by her excitement about the concert. It's called, coincidentally, the "Believe Tour."
"I'm really hoping for the best in Houston, and I can get better."
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Steve Worthington2013 Artist
2013 Artwork for Sale
About the Artist
Steve Worthington worked in London after graduating art school, and made frequent visits to museums and galleries to study the figure and draw from sculpture. That provided the foundation for a 20-year, globe-spanning career as an advertising artist, often required to draw any given situation from any angle without reference, under very tight deadlines. After all of that, sculpting came quite naturally. He is a member of the National Sculpture Society; the Miniature Painters, Sculptors and Gravers Society; and the Society of Animal Artists. His work can be found in galleries and exhibitions coast to coast.
What artist inspires you? Why?
Frank Brangwyn, because his work speaks volumes while he doesn't (and didn't even back when he was alive). He did say 'There is no philosophy of art other than the doing well of a given job for a given purpose'. A masterfully understated genius if ever there was one.
How do you come up with an idea for a new piece of artwork?
Usually when I'm working on something, seemingly better ideas often pop into my head, but then of course, you still have to finish the thing you're working on!
Where is the most inspirational place you've visited lately?
Google, after doing an image search for 'Frank Brangwyn'.
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UK car insurance news
Unsafe tyres posing threat to motor insurance quotes
Drivers are putting themselves and their motor insurance quotes at risk by failing to check their tyres are safe, according to organisation TyreSafe.
The claim comes after research by the organisation revealed that three quarters of the cars on UK roads have under-inflated tyres and a quarter have at least one tyre that is either worn out or close to being so.
TyreSafe is warning motorists that having deflated tyres can reduce the preciseness of a vehicle's handling, thereby putting them at risk of an accident and a costly car insurance claim.
The Road Safety Minister backed TyreSafe's campaign and commented: "Keeping tyres at the right pressure is not only vital for staying safe on the road, it also makes the car more environmentally friendly and helps save on fuel costs.
"Under inflated tyres create more resistance when your car is moving, which means that your engine has to work harder, so more fuel is used and more CO2 emissions are produced."
Volkswagen has pledged to support the TyreSafe initiative, inviting motorists to bring their car, whatever the manufacturer, to their dealers for a free tyre check.
TyreSafe's research also showed that a shocking 90% of motorists did not know the correct tyre pressure for their car. Motorists wanting to protect their future car insurance quotes by improving their tyre safety knowledge can visit http://www.tyresafe.org for more information.
More Car Insurance News
Motoring costs rise by 10% in two years
Gravediggers and taxidermists have few crashes
Elders enjoying cheaper car insurance quotes
'Fronting' warning from GoCompare.com
Websites reveal privacy breaches
Eco car insurance take-up increasing
Vauxhalls - A part of my life since the day I was born
Canada to see Toyota car insurance
Direct Line offers advice to young drivers
Tesco launches motor insurance quote comparison site
UK car insurance firm uncovers risky habits
1 in 4 may mislead car insurance firm
88% don't know what to do after a car crash
Tiredness threat to road safety
Top Gear presenter faces £9,000 quote
GreenFleet accolade for Citroen
AA Insurance looks at car-buying concerns
20% don't compare car insurance quotes
Car insurance quote reminder issued to parents
Confused.com investigates penalty point fraud
Car insurance prices to rise in 2008
Churchill warns of 'rusty driver syndrome'
esure invents insect nets for cars
Woman drivers prefer jetting abroad for a dream road trip
BMW car insurance index
History of Vauxhall
Top 3 BMWs
BMW owners comment on their cars
Record sales for Volkswagen
Motor Insurance News ArchiveSeptember 2007
Car insurance news 2005
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WASHINGTON (AP) — They've sent out letters and flyers and have Tweeted and pleaded, but Pentagon officials are still struggling to give away a huge cache of money to troops and veterans.
The Defense Department said Tuesday that as of last week it had spent only $300 million of $534 million approved by Congress as special pay for service members forced after Sept. 11, 2001, to serve beyond their enlistment terms — a controversial practice called "stop-loss."
The money was approved in 2009 and troops were supposed to claim it by October. But Congress has just extended the deadline for a fourth time — to March 18.
Extensive efforts by the Pentagon, White House, Congress and the Veterans Affairs Department to get people to file claims for the money have included letters to the last known mailing addresses of all 145,000 believed eligible and a public service announcement taped by President Barack Obama and broadcast last year.
Officials also have posted messages to Facebook pages of the Pentagon and individual services, spread the word through 130 veteran and military service organizations, typed reminders on the bottom of military and retiree pay stubs, and placed television, radio, newspapers and blog stories and announcements in areas of the country with sizeable troop populations, said Eileen Lainez, a Defense Department spokeswoman.
The payment is $500 for each month or partial month the soldier, sailor, airmen or Marine was forced to stay on active duty and is on top of the regular pay received at the time. Eligible to receive it are troops, veterans and their beneficiaries.
Branded a backdoor draft by critics, the "stop-loss" policy was unpopular and forced troops to unexpectedly put educations, family plans or civilian jobs on hold. Use of the practice from 2001 to 2009 spawned the 2008 movie "Stop-Loss," in which a decorated Iraq vet goes AWOL rather than return to the front lines.
Though the Pentagon has been advertising if for nearly a year and a half, some troops still may not be aware of the offer and others may be procrastinating in submitting claims. Even though military contracts allow for the possibility of "stop-loss," officials also think that suspicion toward the government may be preventing some from claiming their money.
"I know there's been some confusion and skepticism out there," Obama said in his two-and-half minute broadcast message. "Some veterans think this is some sort of gimmick or scam or that it's a way for the government to call you back to service.
"Nothing could be further from the truth," he said. "You worked hard; you earned this money."
"This pay is a novel concept to many," Lainez said, since troops "were not expecting to be paid extra money for services already rendered."
Payments have been averaging $3,800 and have been made to 81,000 people so far, Lainez said.
The Air Force's Eric Sharman, of Alexandria, Va., was happy to get his payment just as he and his wife were expecting a baby.
And one service member who got $6,000 wrote on the Pentagon's Facebook wall: "Nice surprise!"
Defense Department www.defense.gov/stoploss
© Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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These days, who isn’t attempting to live a healthier lifestyle? Not only do we want to live longer, but we also want a more vibrant and active life. To this end, we are incorporating exercise into every facet of our day. Amazingly, with all the benefits we gain from a more active physical body, we are still behind in doing the same for our emotional state. Change isn’t always fun, but it can be beneficial. A great way begin leading a healthier emotional lifestyle is to learn the art of emotional stretching.
Most physical therapists caution that stretching prior to and directly after strenuous activity is a vital key to avoiding injury. I personally have suffered from leg injuries, in part, for a lack of stretching. Several years ago, I suffered a muscle tear that kept me away from work and off my feet for weeks. I had to learn the hard way that our muscles lay dormant and need time to both warm up and adjust to the task at hand. With this in mind, imagine how our “emotional muscles” feel when we jump from job to job, or relationship to relationship without allowing any warm up or cool down. The pain we feel is possibly just an internal warning we are not stretching our emotions properly.
What can stretching teach us about growing emotionally? Here are a few tips that will help:
• Stretching is a great way to become more flexible: What do you do when life is resistant to your plans? You have to adapt and adjust. This means you have to be flexible enough not to break under the pressure. Think of the luxurious palm trees of South Florida; they endure the storms and bounce right back.
• Stretching improves blood circulation: When you think of circulation, think of your “emotional flow.” Without proper blood flow, limbs become stiff and eventually can be amputated. That’s why flow is vital. You need an emotional flow of energy, positivity and love through your whole life.
• Stretching will improve your balance and coordination: People that routinely stretch are able to stand taller and exhibit better posture. As you stretch emotionally, you are better positioned to handle life’s issues. It won’t be so easy to knock you down because you have increased your coordination.
Believe it or not, stretching does make you stronger. It is the indirect pulling of your muscles that imitate real life situations and increases muscle mass. At times, we are so ready to engage in the “heavy lifting” life has for us that we choose to skip the process of stretching. It is necessary for success. The awesome thing about stretching is that it also releases the toxins locked in our muscles and helps us recover faster. Your stretching may be meditating or prayer; someone else may emotionally stretch by going for a long, relaxing walk. For another, it may be a quiet word puzzle. However you choose to do it, make sure you set aside regular times of emotional stretching. It really makes a difference.
© 2012 – 2013, Cherese L. Jackson. All rights reserved.
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By Cecily Hilleary, VOA
From the art world to the airline industry and on to the United Nations, the tiny Gulf nation of Qatar has been leaving a big footprint wherever it goes. This week,Qatar Airways announced it will partner with American and British Airways, giving them access to vast new markets in India and Asia.
Qatar has been investing millions of Euros in European banks, real estate, fine art and football clubs and will host the 2022 FIFA World Cup―all this while providing considerable financial support to the countries of the Arab Spring. All in all, Qatar’s investments across the globe are estimated at about $60 billion.
So what is Qatar up to? Is it just looking for sensible ways to invest its money? Or, is Qatar trying, as one commentator told VOA - only slightly in jest - to become the world’s next “superpower?”
Spreading the wealth
The Qatar Investment Authority has spent more than $4.3 billion this year on eight deals in Europe, including a shopping mall on the Champs Elysees in Paris, the London Olympic athletes village and the Italian fashion house, Valentino. It has invested in some of France’s top companies―Louis Vuitton, TOTAL, and the Carlton Hotel in Cannes.
The Artprice and Organ Museum Research, group recently disclosed that Qatar has been buying up international art at prices well above market value. The Qatar royal family recently paid $250 million for a single work by the 19th Century French painter Paul Cezanne.
Qatar also has offered to pour $100 million into small and medium-sized businesses in the French banlieues, low-income suburbs where most of the country’s six million Muslim immigrants live. Qatar says these investments are part of a global strategy to reduce the country’s reliance on oil and gas revenues. But some commentators fear something else may be afoot, even calling it a “takeover,” expressing fear that Qatar is aiming to radicalize France’s Muslim population.
View Larger Map
Pepe Escobar is an outspoken Brazilian journalist and Asia Times columnistwho comments frequently for the Al Jazeera network. He is also the author of Globalistan: How the Globalized World is Dissolving into Liquid War. Following Qatar’s recent bid at the United Nations for an Arab-led intervention in Syria, Escobar wrote an outspoken commentary in which he outlined what he believes are Qatar’s political-and religious-motives.
“The war inside the Muslim world at the moment is between Salafi jihadis―or hardcore Wahhabis―financed, supported or with the sympathy of Saudi Arabia on the one side, and the Muslim Brotherhood supported by Qatar on the other,” Escobar told VOA. “The future foreign policy of Qatar is to propel, finance, encourage―you name it―the Muslim Brotherhood, all over the Middle East, from North Africa to the Middle East,” he said. It does so, says Escobar, through its Al Jazeera television network.
“And one of the most important figures at Al Jazeera TV,” Escobar said, “is Sheikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi―he has a program on Shari’a law and connections between Shari’a law and everyday life.” He refers to ash-Shariah wal-Hayat, or “Shariah and Life,” a talk show that is watched by an estimated 60 million Muslims worldwide.
“Look at what has happened since the beginning of the Arab Spring. We have the Muslim Brotherhood capturing the presidency in Egypt. They have the prospect, if the Bashar Al-Assad government falls―which is not a given, of course―of being the major power in the post-Assad regime.”
In his recent commentary in Asia Times, Escobar suggested a second motive behind Qatar’s ambitions―a desire to squash a $10 billion deal between Iran, Iraq and Syria to pipe natural gas from the South Pars field, across Iraq and Syria, and into Europe―a deal that, in Escobar’s words, “would solidify a predominantly Shi’ite axis through an economic, steel umbilical cord.”
Instead, Escobar says Qatar wants to build its own pipeline “in a non-Shi’te crescent,” through Jordan and into the Mediterranean. Thus, it was these two interests-- religious and economic, that drove Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani to call for Arab intervention in Syria at the UN General Assembly last month.
Agent for Peace
However, Frederic Wehrey, a senior associate in the Middle East Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, sees things quite differently.
“I think you have to look at Qatar’s foreign policy initiatives over the last half decade,” he said. “They’ve been throwing a punch above their weight. Their style is to really project power by presenting themselves as a mediator. And certainly, in the case of the Arab Spring, they are actively supporting change in the region. They’re doing this, I think, partly out of prestige, partly as a means to raise their profile within the GCC and to win the support of Western powers.”
Wehrey points out Qatar’s long history of diplomatic intervention: Doha worked to broker the 2008 ceasefire in Lebanon and to reconcile the two sides in Sudan’s civil war. He also cites Qatar’s outreach to Iran.
“I think in the case of Syria, it’s the Qataris wanting to shape the post-Assad outcome in a way that preserves their interests and gives them a bigger seat at the table than perhaps some of the other Arab powers,” he said. Wehrey admits that it would be in Qatar’s interest to see a more moderate form of Islam to prevail in a new Syria. He also suggests another motive in Qatar’s long-term strategy: Its rivalry with Saudi Arabia.
“The Qataris, I think, make a virtue of trying to upstage the Saudis on these regional initiatives, and I think that power rivalry has to be taken into account," he said.
Whatever Qatar’s motives, Wehrey notes that efforts at “constructive engagement” can backfire. “We’ve seen that certainly in Libya, where the Qataris certainly engendered some good will because they sent their advisers, weapons and training during the war, but then afterwards, they were seen as meddling in Libyan politics.”
In the end, he says, the Qataris are finding out like everybody else that things have a way of boomeranging in the region.
... Payvand News - 10/12/12 ... --
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In the future, there might be no checkout clerks at the supermarket. WSJ reports on how a device at Stop & Shops and Giant supermarkets in the northeast is eliminating checkout lanes and increasing store sales. It’s a “ScanIt!” and it’s a handheld device that shoppers use to scan their own groceries as they put them in their shopping cart. When they want to pay, they just plug it into self checkout station at the end and settle the bill.
The devices also can send strategically targeted coupons to the shopper while they’re still shopping. For instance, after you scan coffee it pops up with a coupon for creamer. Stores say the shoppers who use the devices end up spending 10% more.
And if you’re thinking the devices could lead to shoplifting, don’t worry. The stores say they check receipts at the door. Better yet, the losses from shoplifting are less than the losses incurred from clerks ringing up prices incorrectly. Here’s a video showing how it works:
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I have A Thing for vintage linens, and when I find a good source of vintage or antique linens (i.e. someone who is meticulous and careful in the care and presentation of them) that offers reasonable prices, I always bookmark the source so I can come back to it now and then and check up on inventory.
Lately, I purchased some antique and vintage linens that I’d like to show to you. Some, I bought as gifts. One, I bought because it is pretty interesting – it’s pretty, but a bit rough and not your typical “fine linen.” But more on that last one later! Today, some doilies – three gorgeous examples of the combination of linen and crocheted lace.
This piece is comprised of about an 8″ circle of very nice linen, surrounded by a 4″ edge of crocheted hairpin lace. The piece – about 100 years old (1900-1930) is in perfect condition – nary a flaw to be seen!
Note: Many readers have pointed out (see the comments below) that the description on the lace was incorrect, and that this is more likely a technique in Irish crochet called Solomon’s knot. This makes more sense, especially considering the densely crocheted points on the lace. Thanks for the input of you expert crocheters out there!
Hairpin lace is a crocheted lace, made with a crochet hook and a hairpin loom. The hairpin loom looks pretty much like its namesake: it’s a u-shaped tool with two parallel “bars” around which the thread is wrapped as it’s crocheted, to keep even and consistent spacing on the long spider middle threads of the pattern.
Today, it’s more common to see hairpin lace in “fluffier” crochet. I’ve never seen hairpin lace this fine or well executed. (Probably because, as noted above, it isn’t hairpin lace after all!!!!)
So that is one linen doily I picked up lately. It’s an anniversary gift – it was supposed to be delivered already, but I can’t seem to make myself package it up and give it away!
The other two doilies are a matching set, and they’re significantly smaller, made around about a 5″ circle of linen. Again, they’re surrounded by crocheted lace, but this time, it’s regular crocheted lace. They’re dated as well around 1900 – 1930.
The crochet is actually worked into the linen, and crocheted in rounds, as you’d work a pineapple type pattern for a full crocheted doily.
The thread is quite fine – finer than the #20 that’s common today for this type of crochet – and the pattern is lacy, light, and lovely.
I’m not quite sure what I’ll do with these two pieces. I tend to stockpile vintage linens, thinking I’ll give them as gifts throughout the year, and these will definitely make a good bridal gift or Christmas present or birthday present at some point in 2012. The trick is parting with them!
I picked up these pieces from The Alley Rose, where you will find some gorgeous linens, meticulously cleaned and cared for and beautifully presented. The greedy, hoarding half of me was loathe to share the link, especially because there’s this One Piece on there that I am longing for with Great Longing, and I fear if I tell too many people about the place, someone else out there is bound to fall in love with it, too, and snatch it up! But then I thought, what the heck? That’s life – and how could I not share a good thing with the rest of you?
So, if you love antique linens, check out The Alley Rose. And while you’re there, pop in and take a look at this Battenburg Needlelace centerpiece, which is stunning, stunning, stunning.
So what about it? Do you like vintage and antique linens, or am I a nut to get swept away by these things? If you, like me, tend to pick up a vintage piece here and there, what do you do with yours? Do you use them? Give them as gifts? Keep them for special occasions? Have you really made a Really Good Find that you couldn’t pass up? I’d love to know! Feel free to leave a comment below!
Tomorrow, I’ll announce the winner of the Home Sweet Home give-away, so if you haven’t signed up for it, don’t forget!
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I first saw Lydia Panas' work from the Mark of Abel series when it was exhibited at Foley Gallery, New York, in early 2010. Back then, I remember thinking that the photographs – muted group portraits, in which obscurely connected individuals stand before anonymous rural backdrops – were engaging but hard to access. Each photograph is simultaneously a tempting puzzle, its subtle visual clues inviting you to 'work it out,' and a rebuke, resisting your attempts to draw any conclusion about its subject. Whether that discomforting effect is an intentional experiment with formal tension or, rather, a weakness in Panas' project, remains unresolved in this book.
'Group portrait' is an awkward description of what Panas does. The phrase suggests a formality, a sense of occasion, which these images are conspicuously lacking. A sense of 'inbetween-ness' is generated by the almost listless attitude in which the photographer captures her subjects. These figures rarely engage directly, physically, with the viewer or, in any dynamic way, with the frame of the photographs, though we are subjected in nearly every image to their blank yet unrelenting gazes. They 'do' almost nothing and the result is an air of expectancy, a sense of pause. George Slade puts it neatly, in his short text towards the end of the book, when he refers to the way in which these loose compositions of figures and ground create a 'dwelling within the photographic frame,' a space in which we think about and around the people depicted.
This delicate sense of presence is offset by occasional moments of explicit drama or theatricality, as in an image in which a young woman wears a white wedding dress – its slightly odd fit and her almost mournful expression informing us that she is only playing at the role of bride, and that half-heartedly. The visual reference to the commercial photography of 'occasion' underlines Panas ambivalent relationship with physical appearance – it gives us, she seems to say, everything and nothing; clues to human behaviour and character without any real or accurate understanding.
There is action of a subtle, gestural kind in Panas' photographs. At her best, she has a technical mastery and sense of visual space that activates the reader's imagination and invites interrogation of her images. In The Mark of Abel where family groups are depicted (without captions or explanatory text) this is particularly acute – what can we glean about these people and their relationships? How are they similar and how different? We wonder about the character of the woman who adjusts her partner's hair in the background of one photograph, while the 'daughter' figures in the foreground address the camera both more frankly and yet, because of their more plain and androgynous appearance, more anonymously. A slight sharpening of focus brings one woman into relief while her male companion drops back into the image, raising a protective, or self-conscious, hand to his chest. Is he unsure of the camera or disdainful of it? In this respect, in these telling gestures, The Mark of Abel has something in common with the cryptic communications of Thomas Struth's Family series, though it is less varied in scope.
When I last saw Panas work in an exhibition, it was the piece Kitty, Christine and Kira, selected for Foto8 Summershow at the Host Gallery, London. The sense of transience this later portrait evokes is heightened by the way in which the photographer has caught her beautiful subjects at odds posturally with themselves and each other. It seems more resolved than some of the work in The Mark of Abel – I look forward to seeing further Panas books in print, which are slightly less opaque, slightly less of a puzzle, than this one.
Faye Robson is an editor of illustrated books, currently based in London, UK. She has worked on photobooks for publishers including Aperture Foundation, New York and Phaidon Press, London, and writes a photo-blog called PLATE.
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April 05, 2012, 8:13 AM — Yesterday, Google unleashed its "Project Glass" video, showing what the world could look like if we wore their Google Goggles (codename) around town. For example, we'd be able to video chat with friends, find out if they've checked in to their favorite hipster bookstore, get coupons, etc. See the second video if you haven't yet seen their impressive video.
But we all know what these things would really look like, and already we've seen one of the first parody videos of the glasses. This is likely to capture the real experience of wearing these glasses and walking around town:
Obviously, if this will work the pop-up windows will have to be smaller (I joked with colleagues that it would look like a mess if Microsoft designed these glasses).
Here's the original video in case you missed it:
Keith Shaw rounds up the best in geek video in his ITworld.tv blog. Follow Keith on Twitter at @shawkeith. For the latest IT news, analysis and how-tos, follow ITworld on Twitter, Facebook, and Google+.
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North Sikkim is a very beautiful place. There are lots of popular tourist spots that are only a short trip away from Dzongu. All these destinations are reachable by road. We can help you in arranging a trip to any of these destinations. See the gallery section to see some pictures of these places.
Lachen: About four hours from Dzongu, the picturesque village of Lachen is used for tourists as a place to halt and acclimatize before going to the Gurudongmar Lake. It is also a starting point for many long treks in the Himalayas. It is at an altitude of about 8,800 ft. The village comprises of some houses and a few hotels. It has Lachen Chu River to it's one side.
Thangu: Thangu is 30 Km. from Lachen. It is at an altitude of 13000 ft. The valley around is carpeted with beautiful flowers in the months of May & June, replaced by snow in the winters. If you leave Lachen early morning and reach Thangu, you find the village just beginning to stir. The morning haze hangs in the air and the dense smoke from the Buddhist prayers adds to this. A few villagers can be seen here and there. Buddhist prayer flags flutter atop each house adding to the beauty of the place. It is a small picturesque hamlet with scanty population. Tree lines start to disappear after Thangu. You require special permits to get here, checked at the army check-post.
Gurudongmar Lake: The Gurudongmar lake is situated at an altitude of about 18,000 ft. The route leading upto it passes thruough some stunning scenery, quite like the Tibetan plateau. The lake itself surpasses everything in it's beauty. It is a calm and serene with crystal clear water. The altitude here results in a lack of oxygen, but is usually not a problem for many people. The Army does not allow anybody to stay here after 12 pm due to the fierce winds after that time. The lake is considered holy by the people of many religions and there a lot of legeands of the magical properties of the water here.
Lachung: Lachung is a small village that serves as a base for people travelling onwards to the Yumathang Valley and the Lachung Monastery. The place is at an altitude of 8,600 ft. The route leading to it passes through picturesque spots and waterfalls that one may stop at. It has some hotels and a few houses.
Yumathang Valley: The Yumthang Valley beyond Lachung is the major tourist attraction in the region. It is at an altitude of 11,800 ft. The colourful rhododendron bloom (May-June), soaring snow-capped peaks, and herds of wandering yaks makes this an idyllic location. The valley has a thermal spring, which has sulphurous waters. The Lachung Gompa is the region's largest Buddhist shrine, located on the hillside across from Lachung. Yumthang is closed between December and March due to heavy snowfall.
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I wrote yesterday about the dire situation of Muhajiriya, South Darfur, in which 196 peacekeepers were the only thing standing between Sudanese government forces and 20,000 civilians huddled around a UN base there. The town has since fallen.
Speaking to VOA, John Norris of the Enough Project thinks Khartoum’s assault on Muhajiriya was a “test” to see how the new American administration will respond.
“It’s clear that the Sudanese government right now is testing the fence, as it were. Obviously, President Bashir is increasingly concerned by what looks very likely like it will be an arrest warrant handed down by the International Criminal Court (ICC), probably as soon as this month. And I think that they are hoping to escalate pressure, not only on the United States, but on the international community, to strengthen their hand and make the at least theoretical case that perhaps, an arrest warrant should be deferred,” he said.
Meanwhile, a Darfuri living in the United States relays to UN Dispatch stories of renewed fighting elsewhere in Darfur.
While rightfully all attention is concentrated on town of Muhajiriiyah,
other towns and villages around Muhajiriiyah (especially those on the path of [government] and Janjaweed forces) are witnessing atrocities and massive displacements of civilians:
1- Stories of looting, mass graves (family of 9 including father and mother are killed) in the village of Graidah.
2- Massive exodus from town of Labado towards Nyala, south Darfur.
3- Massive exodus from Shiriiya and villages around it towards Nyala and some headed to ElFasher (Capital of North Darfur).
4- All the above mentioned Towns and villages have seen continuous aerial bombardment since Friday.
It’s clear that the Sudanese government is genuinely worried about the forthcoming ICC arrest warrant. I’ve been writing about Darfur since 2004. There is a tension and apprehension in what’s happening there like I have not seen in a very long time. I’m pretty nervous myself.
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Float and amphib aircraft operators throughout the U.S. are rallying to fight a proposal by the state of New Mexico to ban aircraft from the state's lakes. The proposal is a single line item tucked in a long list of proposed changes (top of page 6 in this PDF) to the New Mexico Administrative Code. According to Jason Baker, the editor of Seaplaneforum.com, the proposal blindsided the floatplane community in New Mexico and it found out in the nick of time to attend a hearing in Santa Fe Oct. 17. Written comments are being accepted until the end of the month to April Alvarado, EMNRD, State Parks Division, 1220 S. St. Francis Drive, Santa Fe, NM 87505 or by email to email@example.com.
No justification was included in the proposed rulemaking for the floatplane ban, but the community is countering the normal complaints about noise and wildlife disruption with the stand that the noise of an aircraft is fleeting compared to that of power boats. They also note that airplanes don't leak fuel and oil into the water. Baker said that if New Mexico succeeds in imposing the ban, it sets a dangerous precedent for like-minded states elsewhere.
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- Prayer and Worship
- Beliefs and Teachings
- Issues and Action
- Catholic Giving
- About USCCB
1* Thus says the LORD:
The heavens are my throne,
the earth, my footstool.
What house can you build for me?
Where is the place of my rest?a
2My hand made all these things
when all of them came to be—oracle of the LORD.
This is the one whom I approve:
the afflicted one, crushed in spirit,
who trembles at my word.b
3* The one slaughtering an ox, striking a man,
sacrificing a lamb, breaking a dog’s neck,
Making an offering of pig’s blood,
burning incense, honoring an idol—
These have chosen their own ways,
and taken pleasure in their own abominations.c
4I in turn will choose affliction for them
and bring upon them what they fear.
Because when I called, no one answered,
when I spoke, no one listened.
Because they did what was evil in my sight,
and things I do not delight in they chose,d
5Hear the word of the LORD,
you who tremble at his word!
Your kin who hate you
and cast you out because of my name say,
“May the LORD show his glory,
that we may see your joy”;
but they shall be put to shame.
6A voice roaring from the city,
a voice from the temple;
The voice of the LORD
rendering recompense to his enemies!e
7* Before she is in labor,
she gives birth;f
Before her pangs come upon her,
she delivers a male child.
8Who ever heard of such a thing,
or who ever saw the like?
Can a land be brought forth in one day,
or a nation be born in a single moment?
Yet Zion was scarcely in labor
when she bore her children.
9Shall I bring a mother to the point of birth,
and yet not let her child be born? says the LORD.
Or shall I who bring to birth
yet close her womb? says your God.
10* Rejoice with Jerusalem and be glad because of her,
all you who love her;
Rejoice with her in her joy,
all you who mourn over her—g
11So that you may nurse and be satisfied
from her consoling breast;
That you may drink with delight
at her abundant breasts!
12For thus says the LORD:
I will spread prosperity over her like a river,
like an overflowing torrent,
the wealth of nations.
You shall nurse, carried in her arms,
cradled upon her knees;
13As a mother comforts her child,
so I will comfort you;
in Jerusalem you shall find your comfort.h
14You will see and your heart shall exult,
and your bodies shall flourish like the grass;
The LORD’s power shall be revealed to his servants,
but to his enemies, his wrath.
15For see, the LORD will come in fire,
his chariots like the stormwind;
To wreak his anger in burning rage
and his rebuke in fiery flames.
16For with fire the LORD shall enter into judgment,
and, with his sword, against all flesh;
Those slain by the LORD shall be many.i
17* Those who sanctify and purify themselves to go into the gardens, following one who stands within, eating pig’s flesh, abominable things, and mice, shall all together come to an end, with their deeds and purposes—oracle of the LORD.
God Gathers the Nations. 18* I am coming to gather all nations and tongues; they shall come and see my glory.j 19I will place a sign among them; from them I will send survivors to the nations: to Tarshish, Put and Lud, Mosoch, Tubal and Javan, to the distant coastlands which have never heard of my fame, or seen my glory; and they shall proclaim my glory among the nations. 20They shall bring all your kin from all the nations as an offering to the LORD, on horses and in chariots, in carts, upon mules and dromedaries, to Jerusalem, my holy mountain, says the LORD, just as the Israelites bring their grain offering in a clean vessel to the house of the LORD. 21Some of these I will take as priests and Levites, says the LORD.
22Just as the new heavens and the new earth
which I am making
Shall endure before me—oracle of the LORD—
so shall your descendants and your name endure.k
23From new moon to new moon,
and from sabbath to sabbath,
All flesh shall come to worship
before me, says the LORD.l
of the people who rebelled against me;
For their worm shall not die,
their fire shall not be extinguished;
and they shall be an abhorrence to all flesh.
* [66:3–6] The sacrificial abuses listed will only merit punishment. The true worshipers, the downtrodden, are those who “tremble” (vv. 2, 5) at God’s word. Although they are ridiculed by those who reject them (v. 5), the latter will be afflicted with divine punishment; their “choice” will be met by the Lord’s choice (v. 4).
* [66:18–21] God summons the neighboring nations to Zion and from among them will send some to far distant lands to proclaim the divine glory. All your kin: Jews in exile. The “gathering of the people and the nations” is an eschatological motif common in the prophetic tradition; cf. 56:8.
* [66:24] God’s enemies lie dead outside the walls of the New Jerusalem; just as in the past, corpses, filth and refuse lay in the Valley of Hinnom (Gehenna) outside the city; cf. 34:1–4; 2 Kgs 23:10.
By accepting this message, you will be leaving the website of the
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. This link is provided
solely for the user's convenience. By providing this link, the United
States Conference of Catholic Bishops assumes no responsibility for,
nor does it necessarily endorse, the website, its content, or
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With the introduction of Harmonized Sales Tax (“HST”) in British Columbia and Ontario now a year behind us, a review of some of the rules is in order, and very timely. Specifically, RITC's, which have the potential to affect any business registered for GST/HST purposes with operations in BC or Ontario, provided the business has more than $10 million in revenues across its own operations and those of all of its associates.
While RITC's are temporary in nature, they will not be completely phased out until 2018, so they are an important consideration for the near and medium term future. RITC's recapture the provincial component (“PVAT”) of HST in BC and Ontario, which is 7% and 8%, respectively, but only on specified property and services, which include:
- Qualifying motor vehicles (generally a licensed motor vehicle weighing less than 3000 kg),
- Specified energy and utilities,
- Specified telecommunications services, and
- Specified meal and entertainment expenditures
But what if you have no permanent establishment or presence in either BC or Ontario? You still may have incurred expenditures that fall into the list mentioned above. Maybe you used your cell phone while in Vancouver for a business call, or perhaps you attended a convention in Toronto and had a couple of meals out in the evenings. It was cheaper to drive your vehicle for a sales call in Quebec, and you traveled partway through Ontario, for which you were reimbursed mileage. If you and your associates have more than $10 million in revenue, each one of these situations has impacted your ability to claim ITC's.
Am I affected by RITC's?
These questions will help you determine if you have to account for RITC's:
- Does my business and all of its associates have taxable supplies in excess of $10 million?
- Did I incur any expenditures in respect of my commercial activities in BC or Ontario where I paid BC or Ontario HST?
If you answered yes to both of these questions, you’re affected and need to go further.
So, I’m affected by RITC's. What do I do now?
These steps will help you catch up and fix any errors:
- You’ll need to determine the amount of HST you paid on the specified property and services you consumed in BC and/or Ontario.
- Next, you’ll need to calculate the PVAT component, separately for the BC HST and the Ontario HST
- RITC's have to be accounted for in an on-line format, such as NetFile. Claim the full amount of HST paid on your expenditures in Box 106.
- Follow the prompts to report the RITC's, separate boxes for BC and Ontario PVAT.
Should you need further assistance, or have specific questions about RITC's or other GST/HST concerns, please contact a member of the Indirect Tax Team for assistance.
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this twisting was due to a "congential ganglionic fold" he was born with it.
They also come to the conclusion that he had a violent heart attack from the lab work and the evidence they reviewed.
Here is a quote form the man who did the official review of Elvis's autopsy in 1994.
In 1994, the autopsy into Presley's death was re-opened. Coroner Dr. Joseph Davis declared: "There is nothing in any of the data that supports a death from drugs [i.e. drug overdose]. In fact, everything points to a sudden, violent heart attack." However, there is little doubt that long-term drug misuse caused his premature death.
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Nostromo by Joseph Conrad
Conrad's masterpiece: a tale of money, love and revolutionary politics. ...more info on wikipedia
About the artist: Studio DelReyfrom Brasil
Delfin is a Brazilian graphic designer, working hard since 1992. His Studio DelRey has worked for some of the best publishing houses in Brazil. Last year, he was finalist of Jabuti, the most prestigious prize of the book market at the country. Few months ago, he was one of the two winners of the Getty Prize for Best Book Cover of the Year. His radio show, Owl’s Nest (Ninho do Coruja in Portuguese), airs live since 2002, every Sunday. He’s also a journalist, writer and, in some Saturday nights, he picks his vinyls and plays it, for anyone who wants to hear, in his birthplace, Campinas, near São Paulo.
Why this work
“The original idea involved a silhouette of Nostromo, the seaman, and the colours of fictitious Costaguana. And it was fine. But it was only figurative, and I was trying to put a résumé of the book on the image.”
“Then I saw the “O”s in the title of the book, remembered the original 1904 cover and the idea came: I decided to create a font that valorizes the “O”s, to use them to spot main contents of the book. Specifically three: the main character, Mr. Gould; the Silver everyone wanted; and the blood that remains after the conflicts.
The design per se is clean. Basically typographic, with synthetic representations of the three elements (gold, silver and blood), together with the water (representing the seabord of the original subtitle, “a tale of the seabord”) and the fire, representing the increasing revolution involved in the plot.
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Protect yourself from tax identity theft
It's almost time to file your 2012 taxes. That means it’s also time for con artists to get to work trying to steal your refund.
The local Better Business Bureau says tax identity theft fraud is one of the fast-growing areas of identity fraud in the United States.
The IRS Oversight Board says 460,000 Americans have been victimized since 2008.
Filing electronically is free, easy, and the IRS is quick to point out it's also safe. Metro Detroiters told Ruth to the Rescue they feel pretty confident filing online.
"I've been doing it electronically for years, never had a problem with them," said John Channel of Troy.
Maya Johnson of Hartland also feels pretty good about it.
"I'm comfortable filing electronically," she said.
However, that method of filing has also allowed crooks to steal Social Security numbers and file false returns.
Moment of Panic!
How do you know when you've been a victim of identity theft fraud? The moment of panic comes when you're about to file you're taxes.
"Generally it comes when you go, and you think you're finished, and you hit the send button and the IRS comes back and says 'I'm sorry, you've already filed!" said Melanie Duquesnel, CEO of the Better Business Bureau Serving Eastern Michigan.
The IRS urges you to contact the agency as soon as possible if you believe someone has filed a false return using your information.
How To Prevent Fraud
Duquesnel says the best, first line of defense is to file quickly so the thieves don't have a chance to file before you.
"Just make sure that you do that as early as possible, because the quicker you do it, the less likely somebody is going to try to come in, in advance of you," she said.
She also suggests hiring a trustworthy tax preparer so you know they'll keep your private information safe.
Make sure to check up on your account with the BBB and do your research.
Protect Personal Information
The IRS says its crucial to protect your personal information, especially your Social Security number. We found Metro-Detroiters who are already taking precautions.
The IRS says you can minimize the chances of becoming a victim if you follow the steps below:
- Don't carry your Social Security card or any documents with your SS# on them.
- Be very, very cautious about giving your Social Security number to any business unless absolutely necessary.
- Check your credit report every 12 months.
- Secure personal information in your home.
- Protect the personal information in your computer by using firewalls, anti-spam, anti-virus software, and change passwords for internet accounts.
- Never give personal information over the phone, via email, or through the traditional mail, unless you have initiated the contact and are dealing
- with an organization you know is trustworthy and legitimate.
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© 2011 by Steven McFadden
White Shell Woman, sculpture by Oreland C. Joe, Sr.
Eight years ago I was among a band of pilgrims privileged to set out on the annual Journey of the Waters, traveling the ancient route north from pool to pool along the spine of the Rocky Mountains. In this manner I learned something of the teachings of White Shell Woman and the sweet waters she is said to nurture.
As with the teachings of classical Greece and Rome, so in North America and in most traditions around the world, the elementals of water have predominantly been personified in feminine-yin form: Sirens, Jengus, Melusine, Yami, Morgens, Nereids and Naiads, the Lady of the Lake, Swan Maidens, and White Shell Woman, to name a few.
Whether dwelling in still pools, rushy streams, ornate fountains or plastic bottles for drinking, fresh water spirits around the world have most frequently been appreciated as feminine. Everywhere the Undines, water elementals possessing voices of lilting beauty, may be heard over the sound of water, sages have long maintained, if one takes care to listen.
Thus, early in May upon entering the global Water for Food conference hosted by the University of Nebraska at Lincoln (UNL) — a conference “generously supported” by Monsanto and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation — I was immediately struck by the overwhelming male-yang dominance of the proceedings. By approximate measure, 75-80% of the conferees were men; likewise by my reckoning, the program listed 48 men presenters, just six women.
Conference talk flowed around themes of what people — and the nations and corporations they organize themselves into — either want or need to do with water, as if our relationship with this essential resource were one way. In traditional teachings of North America it’s understood fundamentally that the elements and forces of the earth should be considered: listening to the call of the water, so to speak, as basic tenet of living in right relation.
Dance of the Undines. Beadwork by Margie Deeb and Frieda Bates
After three days at the Water for Food gathering, yin drops of consideration finally condensed and rose to the surface during the closing panel discussion. Robert Meany, Senior VP at Valmont Industries, a maker of irrigation equipment, remarked, “hydrology and the humanities need to come together.”
Moments later, in response to a question from the audience, Dr. Simi Kamal, CEO of the Hisaar Foundation in Pakistan made an emphatic point. She said agricultural policies must not overlook the human dimension. She said policies — and I took it she meant corporate policy as well as political policy — “must empower and engage the dispossessed, the marginalized, the landless, including unpaid and underpaid women laborers in the developing world.”
“The challenges for women in developing countries represent a huge issue,” Kamal said. “We need to hear from them. Let’s bring women out of the niche they have been placed in, and also begin to see agriculture as part of the larger ecosystem…Next year this Water for Food conference needs to dedicate a day to the issues of gender, water and food.”
Slamming into the Ceiling
The same week, some 1,200 miles away from the Water for Food conference in Nebraska, another conference was unfolding a different vision. The Future of Food gathering sponsored by The Washington Post featured spokespeople not from corporations or universities, but rather advocates for organic, sustainable agriculture. The program included Marion Nestle, Will Allen, Deborah Koons-Garcia, Eric Schlosser, Vandana Shiva, Senator Jon Tester, England’s Prince Charles, and agrarian patriarch Wendell Berry.
Thanks to a bicycle I could attend the Nebraska conference, and thanks to the Internet I could also see and hear parts of the Washington conference. Both gatherings of high power food and farm leaders held potential for impacting policy, and shaping real activity around critical matters of water, land, and food. They embodied the yin and yang character in the parallel universes of agrarianism and industrial agriculture: the Tao of the Land 2011. These matters are in vivid relief this spring with over a billion hungry people on the planet. As the United Nations Environment Program once again made screamingly blunt this season with yet another report: humanity is slamming into the environmental ceiling. “Global resource consumption is exploding,” their report said. “It’s not a trend that is in any way sustainable.”
This year in Nebraska, for the third consecutive year, the global Water for Food conference grappled in its way with the immediate challenges of growing more food with less water. Many a speaker uttered the by-now familiar refrain: Earth’s population will rise to nine billion people by 2050; how will we double food production by then with increasingly diminished natural resources?
Feeding a growing world population with less water is “one of the greatest challenges of this century,” said Jeff Raikes as the conference opened. Raikes is a Nebraska native and now the CEO of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The foundation is a major supporter of and investor in Monsanto and their promotion of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) as the response of industrial agriculture to global crop challenges.
Raikes said that the Gates Foundation aims to reduce poverty by helping farmers produce more efficiently and to move beyond producing only enough food for their own families. He noted that of the 1.3 billion or so of the world’s population who live in extreme poverty, about 75 percent depend on subsistence agriculture.
Agrarians actively question the corporate model of extensive high-tech farming and GMO crops as inappropriate for most of the developing world. They argue that it should not be pushed on the poorest farmers in the name of feeding the world, and that these schemes enrich only the corporations, not the people on the land.
The general thrust of discussion at the Nebraska conference, however, was that large-scale approaches and techniques such as hybrid GMO crops with fertilizers and pesticides could produce more food more quickly and with less water, including small-scale farms in developing countries. The Monsanto representative, VP for Global Strategy Kerry Preete, mentioned efforts to increase plant density, such that they could put 40,000 corn plants on one acre of land. In 2012-13 Monsanto will introduce a new GM corn variety that, despite reports showing this is dubious, he claimed would use less water. How could small-scale farmers in developing nations pay for such technology? Poor farmers can’t, Preete said, but rich farmers can and as they adopt technology, the cost comes down.
In Washington meanwhile critics vigorously questioned the claimed yields and pointed to recent studies stating that sustainable, organic farming methods use less water and could provide more food and better livelihoods for farmers in the developing world. They cited research done by the International Assessment of Agricultural Knowledge, Science, and Technology for Development (IAASTD) which established that small-scale systems of agro-ecology are capable of producing enough food for the developing world while helping to preserve and replenish natural resources. A report published earlier this year by United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food came to similar conclusions, arguing that more sustainable systems could double food production in certain regions.
UNL President James B. Milliken said at the conference that the university’s new Water for Food Institute aims are “fully compatible” with the aims of the Gates Foundation. “The challenges are so numerous that we can’t expect to solve them all,” he said, advocating that a “network of knowledge around the world,” as represented at the conference, is essential. He expressed UNL’s intention that the Water for Food Institute evolve to become an international pivot point for disseminating such knowledge.
UNL is just now making a momentous switch in the Land Grant universe by joining the Big Ten Conference. The key importance of the new institute and the issue of water for food — globally as well in America’s agricultural heartland — was apparent in the ongoing conference involvement of top university officials: President Milliken, Chancellor Harvey Perlman, and Vice Chancellor Prem Paul. All participated actively in the conference, and welcomed the formal agreement UNL signed with the UNESCO-IHE Institute for Water Education. The agreement sets out the arrangements for cooperative research and education on matters of water and food. They said they intend a multidisciplinary institute mobilized to meet urgently impending matters.
In committing itself robustly to the means and ends of industrial agriculture, UNL has drawn criticism from both inside and outside the university. Critics have charged UNL with catering primarily to corporate agriculture, thereby giving only secondary support to family-sized farms, mid-sized farms, and the far-flung rural communities of the Cornhusker state. With this emphasis, critics say, UNL is stinting in its obligation to carry out the fundamental land-grant mission — creating and applying “knowledge with a public purpose.”
New Realities: Signs All Over
András Szöllösi-Nagy, rector of the UNESCO-IHE Institute for Water Education in The Netherlands, told the Nebraska conference that food is closely linked with social and political issues. As food prices go up, he said, those issues come to the forefront. There is growing vulnerability in this, he said, because humans are driving dramatic change in global water systems and food production with population growth, trade, subsidies, political upheaval, technological implementation, and the reality of climate changes.
“Is climate change accelerating?” Szöllösi-Nagy asked rhetorically. “The hypothesis is yes it is accelerating, but we have no hard proof yet. What we do know is that global mean temperatures are clearly increasing…There is lots of uncertainty, and the Precautionary Principle should hold.
“Still,” he added, “something is changing. The signs are all over: more floods, more droughts, more extreme weather events. We have new realities we need to reckon with, he said, explaining that the whole concept of a 100-year flood is outdated. We must throw out the tools we use to characterize such extreme events, he said, because “so-called 100-year floods and storms are happening all the time and becoming routine.”
The very week of the two conferences in early May, those new realities again smashed into the news: Texas and much of America’s Southwest because of an exceptional drought, the Mississippi River for impending flooding of farmland and suburbs on a scale “never seen before,” and the Arctic Circle because of newly accelerated melting due to global warming.
Meanwhile in Washington at the Future of Food, England’s Prince Charles (text – video) was setting out a case that our current use of the land, and our systems of food production do not address these problems but rather aggravate them. He said if we are going to address the challenges of climate change, water shortages, general resource depletion, and all the other things, then the current industrial model of agriculture and food systems is unsustainable. It requires radical transformation.
The Irrigation News
The Water for Food conference in Nebraska was brimming with intellectual acuity, technological sophistication, organizational aptitude, and sincere determination to overcome the global challenges. The event, fueled by a recent $50 million gift to UNL from the late Robert B. Daugherty, attracted more than 400 participants from 24 nations.
Daugherty, a Nebraskan who died last November, made his fortune developing and marketing center pivot irrigation systems through the Omaha-based company now known as Valmont Industries, Inc. UNL used his bequest to establish the new Robert B. Daugherty Water for Food Institute as an information distribution center in partnership with national and international agencies, including UNESCO.
The current CEO of Valmont, Mogens Bay, told the Nebraska conference that despite problems irrigation is not going away. Without it, many farms around the world would dry up and blow into the far distance. Bay said center-pivot technology — which has made vast stretches of formerly unfarmable land productive — is adapting to become more efficient. His company’s newest center-pivot rigs use a variety of sensors linked to a central computer. The computer divides a quarter section farm field (160 acres) into 5,000 zones, with specific zone control for the rate of applying water, fertilizer or insecticide.
Circles of farmland with center pivot irrigation, a familiar scene for airplane passengers above America's Heartland.
Likewise, Anil Jain, managing director of Jain Irrigation Systems, Ltd. in India, told the conference about the “transformational impact” of drip irrigation. He said more than a billion people on the planet are small holders, tending 1-5 acres. Many of them must irrigate the land to produce a crop, he said, and drip irrigation can do the job efficiently and conserve water.
Jain spoke enthusiastically about “fertigation” — applying water and fertilizer in liquid form through the systems. Fertigation, he said, is a catalyst for high-tech agriculture hand-in-hand with biotechnology because the systems deliver fertilizers and pesticides directly to plants. He said solar-powered water pumps, rain-harvesting systems, and small-scale drip irrigation could be installed for $1,000 an acre. He said that smallholder farmers could pay that investment back fast with increased crop productivity — not the first time an enthusiastic farm-profit forecast was declared in the agricultural pivot of Lincoln, Nebraska.
Industry Leader Guys: Get Bigger
Kerry Preete, Monsanto’s VP for Global Strategy, appeared on the Industry Leader panel in Nebraska. He began by posing his variation on the standard rhetorical question: “How do we double the world’s food supply on the same footprint?” The world needs to produce 1.5 billion more tons of grain by 2050. The obvious industrial implication of his question was through transgenic crops, Monsanto’s profit pony.
As with many of the other speakers in Nebraska, Preete articulated the case for agriculture to become bigger and more efficient to meet global needs. A student participating in the conference asked the panel whether transgenic (GMO) crops are a safe way to meet this projected need? As if served a slow softball over the center of home plate, Monsanto’s Preete cheerily answered “Yes. After 20 years of wide use we are confident, as are all of the regulating agencies, that our seeds and crops are safe.”
Not everyone shares that confidence. Certainly not soil scientist Don Huber, who has warned of potential catastrophe, and certainly not the authors of a new literature review into the safety studies on GM food. The review documents the reality that most studies claiming that GM foods are as nutritional and as safe as those obtained by conventional breeding, have been performed by biotechnology companies or associates. The authors concluded “the controversial debate on GMOs…remains completely open at all levels.”
Meanwhile, in Washington, Jon Tester (D-Montana), the only farmer in the US Senate, was telling the Future of Food conference, “The rise of GMOs and who controls the seed, is one that’s particularly disturbing to me as a farmer. With GMOs, farmers don’t control the seed, multinational agribusiness does…You and I have heard over and over that our only hope to feed the planet as our population grows is GMOs,” Tester said. “Well, I’m here to tell you that I don’t buy it. What it has done and what it continues to do is take away options for family farmers. And it takes away options for consumers. If we keep moving down this path, farmers won’t be able to control their seed, something they have done since the beginning of time. And no longer will you truly know what you’re eating.”
Back in Nebraska, listening to Monsanto’s Preete, I could not help but think of Earl Butz, the Republican Secretary of Agriculture (1971-76), whose infamous mantra to farmers was to “get big or get out.” Butz’s challenging remarks immediately preceded the epic farm crisis of the 1980s that drove thousands of American families off of their farms, consolidating and concentrating good farm lands in far fewer hands, a process that continues pell mell not just in the US but globally.
This harsh reality of farm consolidation was cited in Washington where Will Allen, founder and chief executive of Growing Power, told the Future of Food conference: “We need more people growing food in their back yard, side yard, community farm. We need to support those existing farmers that are struggling. Our rural farmers are struggling, and they have been the backbone of our food system for so many years. In 1960, they told us farmers to grow soybeans and corn, fencerow to fencerow; we were going to feed the world. And we have what? A million less farmers. That system hasn’t worked.”
What does it profit a land?
In Nebraska, CEO Jeff Raikes said the Gates Foundation believes that an increase in technology leads to an increase in wealth, “We need to see farmers as customers,” he observed. “We need more affordable solutions, and we need to shift the mindset of farmers toward prosperity, somehow enabling them to see farming as a business…One of the greatest challenges of the century is getting more crop per drop.”
Raikes said that countries that have been able to move out beyond extreme poverty have done so, historically, by improving their agricultural productivity. “What ultimately happens is that improvement in agricultural productivity creates greater wealth in the economy, and that opens up new opportunities.”
This point of view was widely supported by presenters at the Nebraska gathering. Kebede Ayele, country director of International Development Enterprises in Ethiopia, said that while better technology is important, it has to be accompanied by education. “We have to convince them (farmers) and make them believe they can be profitable in agriculture.” Mick Mwala, Dean, School of Natural Resources, University of Zambia, also argued that farming is a business, urging that more and more farmers need to embrace this conception.
These messages struck my ears bluntly. They are distinct from the agrarian motivations and pathways I see as leading forward for generations to come. Farming as a business to make profit and feed people, or farming as a way of life in harmony with nature and health, and serving as a clean healthy foundation to support the high-tech digital culture evolving so swiftly in this new millennium?
In Washington, agrarian elder Wendell Berry delivered the agrarian gospel with no holds barred at the Future of Food conference: “We must abandon the homeopathic delusion that the damages done by industrialization can be corrected by more industrialization,” he said. “Our fundamental problem is world destruction caused by an irreconcilable contradiction between the natural world and the engineered world of industrialism.”
“…There is no use in saying that if we can invent the nuclear bomb and fly to the moon, we can solve hunger and related problems of land use,” Berry said. “Epic feats of engineering require only a few brilliant technicians and a lot of money. But feeding a world of people year to year for a long time requires cultures of husbandry fitted to the nature of millions of unique small places — precisely the kind of cultures that industrialism has purposely disvalued, uprooted and destroyed.”
- END -
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A Short Sale is a win-win solution for the home owner and the lender. The lender gets the highest price for a quick sale at a market price. The borrowers get their credit restored and generally get relief from possible future legal actions and deficiency judgments. Short Sales occur when borrowers sell their property for a sales price less than the amount owed to their lender(s) after all sales expenses, including brokerage fees, are taken into account. In order for this to take place the lender(s) must accept a discounted payoff; meaning the bank(s) get paid less than the full loan amount owed. In a short sale, the homeowners get complete relief from all of their mortgage debt.
The end result is your home is sold, the mortgage is satisfied (paid off) and you avoid a foreclosure or a bankruptcy in the event of hardship. Perhaps even better, your credit rating will almost immediately improve because your credit report shows that your mortgage was paid in full.
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When news happens, text LT and your photos and videos to 80360. Or contact us by email or phone.
‘Firm but fair’ stance for Lancashire schools
6:00am Wednesday 13th March 2013 in News
A NEW ‘firm but fair’ primary school floor standard will drive up standards and help ensure children are ready for secondary school, schools minister David Laws has announced.
As well as requiring schools to get a higher proportion of pupils to clear the existing bar, the government has also signalled that the bar itself will be raised in the future.
It means that primary schools where fewer than 65 per cent of pupils achieve the level four in reading, writing and maths, and which do not achieve above average progress in these subjects, will be below the floor.
Schools judged by Ofsted to be neither good nor outstanding, and who are not closing the gap between their disadvantaged pupils and their other pupils, will be ordered to draw up action plans on how they will spend their pupil premium money.
Mr Laws said: “Many of our children are leaving primary school without having secured the basics in the 3Rs.
“They then go on to struggle at secondary school.
“We must ensure that a far higher proportion of pupils are ‘secondary ready’ by the end of their primary school.
“This will allow them not simply to cope, but thrive in secondary school.”
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Cherry's capitalizes on catering to kids
One of the first lessons in life that children learn is that getting sick isn’t fun, and going to the pharmacy isn’t too exciting either. In 2004, pharmacist Charles Tabouchirani decided to change that by opening Cherry’s Pharmacy, a store that specializes in dealing with children. The store is small — 550 sq. ft. — but a bright mural, a collection of toys and an electric model train that travels in a loop along the wall make an inviting waiting room for Cherry’s core customers. The staff includes two pharmacists, two technicians, two cashiers and three messengers that allow Cherry’s to deliver medicines throughout Manhattan.
But there’s more to it than amusements: The store does nonsterile compounding — particularly for children with gastroesophageal reflux disease but also for organ transplants, some cancers and cardiac disorders — and it works with Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. Additionally, it specializes in pet medications. “Independent pharmacy could be very rewarding if one tries to get out of the box and find a niche,” Tabouchirani told Drug Store News.
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Degree and Certificate Programs
Master of Science in Education Degree
Master of Arts in Teaching (M.A.T.)
Another master's degree, offered through the University Graduate School, is the Master of Arts in Teaching (M.A.T.). Students in M.A.T. programs do not major in education. They major in a subject field (usually in arts and sciences). M.A.T. programs are useful for secondary teachers desiring to professionalize their teaching license or to earn an original teaching license in conjunction with a master's degree. Those seeking original licenses must meet these requirements (see section titled "Licensure Programs"). Application to most M.A.T. programs is not through the School of Education. It is through the department in which the M.A.T. student is majoring. Two M.A.T. programs that are popular with secondary teachers are the Science and the Social Studies Programs (see University Graduate School Bulletin).
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It is no secret that Arab public opinion toward U.S. President Barack Obama has soured since his June 2009 speech in Cairo, Egypt. According to a slew of recent opinion polls, Arabs have been deeply disappointed with Obama's accommodations to Israel. Analysts have suggested that this discontent has caused Arabs to embrace Iran and its nuclear program, and are hostile to U.S.-led attempts to isolate and pressure the Islamic Republic. But on this front, the numbers tell a very different story.
Prof. Shibley Telhami, for example, contended that Arab opinion is "shifting toward a positive perception of Iran's nuclear program." Telhami, who is a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and a prominent analyst of Middle Eastern public opinion, asserts that Arab publics even have sanguine views about the consequences for the region if Iran was to develop a nuclear weapon.*
But since last autumn, when Obama reached a public compromise with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the hot-button issue of Israeli settlements, a number of different polls have measured Arab attitudes toward Iran. In every case but one, these surveys have consistently demonstrated heavily negative views of Iran, its nuclear program, and of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. The mistake of Telhami, and other analysts, is to rely on a single 2010 Zogby poll to make their judgment, rather than considering the full range of polling on the issue.
The Zogby poll, which was conducted from June 29 to July 20, found that 58 percent of those surveyed in six Arab countries -- Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Morocco, and the United Arab Emirates -- believe that Iran is "trying to develop nuclear weapons," not "conducting research for peaceful purposes." This was exactly the same result as last year's Zogby's poll, but the 2010 survey reported an astonishing 50-point net shift on a related question: whether Iranian nuclear weapons would have a positive or negative effect on the Middle East. A year ago, 46 percent of those surveyed believed that the effect would be negative and 21 percent believed it would be positive; this year's poll found that 57 percent thought the result would be positive versus 29 percent who responded that Iran's possession of nuclear weapons would have a negative effect on the region.
Much of this shift is attributed to Egypt, where an amazing 69 percent of respondents, even among those who doubt Iran's professions of peaceful intent, still reportedly claimed that Iran's possession of nuclear weapons would be a good thing for the region.
There is no persuasive explanation why these numbers shifted so greatly over the past year -- or why they differ so greatly from those reported in every other published Arab poll over this same period. And there are many underlying reasons why a large percentage of Arabs might fear, resent, or just generally dislike Iran: the Sunni-Shiite sectarian split, along with intra-Shiite divisions; the historic and ethnic Arab-Persian cleavage; opposition to Iranian subversion, terrorism, or occupation in Iraq, Lebanon, and most Persian Gulf states; and, especially in the past year, disgust with Iran's brutal dictatorship, and disapproval of Ahmadinejad's condescending and hypocritical attitude toward Arabs and Arab causes. Given the lack of any convincing explanation for the near-seismic shift that Zogby reports, this poll must be considered an unreliable outlier unless some compelling new supporting evidence emerges.
The Zogby poll's findings are even more peculiar given that a Pew Global Attitudes Project Survey asked very similar questions in Egypt, Jordan, and Lebanon a mere two months earlier, and reached very different results. In the Pew poll, solid majorities in all three Arab countries reported unfavorable views of Iran: Egypt, 66 percent; Jordan, 63 percent; Lebanon, 60 percent. Views of Ahmadinejad were even more negative: Among Egyptians, 72 percent said they had little or no confidence in him; 66 percent of respondents in Jordan and 63 percent in Lebanon said the same.
The Pew poll also found predominantly negative opinions toward Iran's nuclear program in all three Arab societies, not to mention the other predominantly Muslim countries surveyed in the poll. In Egypt and Lebanon, two-thirds opposed the prospect of Iran's acquiring nuclear weapons; Jordanians felt the same way, but only by bare majority (53 percent vs. 39 percent). In all three countries, support within those majorities ranged from 66 to 72 percent in favor of tougher economic sanctions against Iran. In Egypt and Jordan, among the majority that opposed Iran's acquisition of nuclear weapons, those surveyed also believed by wide margins that it was more important to succeed in thwarting this possibility than to avoid a military conflict.
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Flagler NAACP to discuss disparities in school discipline, hiring
Published: Tuesday, November 27, 2012 at 10:40 a.m.
Last Modified: Tuesday, November 27, 2012 at 10:40 a.m.
The Flagler County NAACP will meet tonight to discuss an Office of Civil Rights complaint against the county's schools that black students are disciplined at "grossly disproportionate rates."
Representatives from the Southern Poverty Law Center, which launched complaints against Flagler County schools and four other Florida school districts, will speak. The 6 p.m. meeting at the African American Cultural Society, 4422 North U.S.1 in Palm Coast is open to the public.
The complaint also mentions the school's staff does not represent the racial makeup of the students--about 16 percent of Flagler students are black, compared to 4 percent of the teachers.
Linda Sharpe Haywood, president of the Flagler branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, said she expects to hear an update about the complaint and the school district's response. Sharpe Haywood said by phone Tuesday morning she doesn't want an "adversarial relationship" with the school district, but she hopes to address those disparities.
"I believe that once a problem is brought to the forefront that everyone should work to see that it's resolved," she said.
All rights reserved. This copyrighted material may not be re-published without permission. Links are encouraged.
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Understanding, experience and technology for success
"Compliance has evolved from an isolated quality initiative within a department to an enterprise level challenge, based on passage of acts like 21 CFR part 11, Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, and TREAD Act. The shift requires new organizational models, new processes and controls, and a new approach to the technology. In the past, point systems were adequate to address isolated compliance efforts, but as the number and scope of compliance requirements grows' isolated efforts become a business risk and increase costs." - AMR Research
Companies are governed by a complex web of regulations, laws, voluntary codes, industry codes, and corporate policies. Compliance with these intricate regulations, mandates and policies is not an easy task. Maintaining ongoing compliance is even more difficult due to continuous changes, amendments and overlaps. Inability to comply with the regulations can lead to large penalties or even temporary suspension of operations. Hence, compliance is about protecting an organization's license to operate - lack of compliance introduces a substantial financial and operational risk to an organization. As a result, compliance is very closely related to risk management.
Let us take the example of a $700 million manufacturer who has three divisions - one sells electronic components to the medical device industry, another division designs and sells devices to the automotive industry and the third division custom designs electronic boards for the industrial machinery. This company needs to implement 21CFR Part 11 requirements to comply with the FDA regulations within its medical device components division. The company also needs to be compliant with QS9000 and TREAD act to do business in the automotive industry. It also needs to be ISO9000-2002 certified to ensure that it continues to be listed as a preferred supplier by its industrial machinery customers. In addition, the company needs to comply with OSHA regulations within its plants and with the EPA regulations regarding the industrial waste generated in its plants. The company also needs to comply with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. Non-compliance with some of these regulations introduces significant financial and operational risk to the company. In order to have comprehensive and clear visibility into the status of compliance with some of these regulations and any issues related to it, the executive team needs to identify key measures of compliance and have continuous visibility into those metrics. Such a "compliance risk" dashboard will go a long way in ensuring that the management is on top of all compliance-related issues.
In addition, the underlying process for compliance management is nearly the same for every regulation
By deploying a separate point solution for compliance with every regulation or mandate or policy, companies deploy multiple redundant systems to follow the same process. As a result cost of acquisition, deployment, training and upgrade/maintenance of redundant technology dramatically adds to the cost of compliance.
The current practice of deploying a separate point solution for every regulatory compliance initiative not only dramatically increases the cost of compliance for an organization but also does not provide the management team with a clear and comprehensive view into risk associated with non-compliance, which in turn leads to poor governance- see figure below. For example various point solutions for regulatory compliance can help you identify compliance-related status and issues for a certain regulation at a specific plant; however, such a silo-approach fails to provide comprehensive view into compliance with one or more regulations across all plants, divisions and operating entities within a company. As a result, organizations don't have a good early-warning mechanism for potential risk from regulatory non-compliance and are caught by surprise when they are required to make disclosures that materially affect future earnings. And without a comprehensive visibility into risk, implementing good corporate governance becomes very difficult,
Innovative companies are rationalizing the number of compliance systems by implementing compliance applications that manage multiple regulations, rather than deploying a separate point solution for each compliance initiative. This not only reduces the cost of compliance, but also provides Chief Compliance Officers with a composite view of enterprise risk due to non-compliance. As companies choose their next compliance system, it is highly recommended that they choose a system that supports multiple regulations. Over time, the company can implement other compliance initiatives using this common system and begin their journey to reduce their cost of compliance and gain a very clear and comprehensive visibility into risk of non-compliance.
"For Sarbanes-Oxley, we put the burden on a global Bank at about 0.2 percent to 0.4 percent on EBITDA. So if the Securities and Exchange Commission is one of 370 regulators for a global bank - to approach each regulatory program individually would eat up all the profits. Lots of companies have separate compliance programs for every regulatory regime. As regulatory regimes proliferate, a comprehensive compliance program keeps regulations from depressing earnings" - Gartner
|Team-Oriented Problem Solving, 8 Disciplines (TOPS-8D)|
|Step 1||Form an appropriate cross-functional team
The team should include a champion who has the resources and authority to implement the team's solution.
|Step 2||Define the problem.|
|Step 3||Contain the problem.
Protect the customer from the problem. This step can be omitted when 8D is used for a proactive improvement because there is no "problem" (like defective parts).
|Step 4||Identify the root cause.|
|Step 5||Select a permanent correction.|
|Step 6||Implement the corrective action and verify its effectiveness|
|Step 7||Make the change permanent (standardization).
Also share the solution with similar operations. This is best practice deployment.
|Step 8||Recognize the team's achievement|
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As Culver Public Library Youth Services manager Ali Gaskill explained to the Culver Elementary students who filed into the library class by class recently, this year’s summer reading activities, displays, and prizes will follow the themes “Dream Big” (for kids), and “Own the Night” (for teens).
The program kicks off with an opening event Weds., June 6, at 1:30 p.m., with a hands-on animal show from animal conservation/education organization, Indiana Wild.
Children up to age 18 who sign up will be given a reading log and awarded prizes throughout the summer—every three hours for elementary school and up, and every 15 books for early readers.
The summer will feature a full slate of activities in the Children and Teen Room, with several activities and crafts per week for elementary students and teens, as well as the usual Tuesday and Thursday storytimes.
In addition, there will be a third storytime on Thursdays, weekly activities for the Culver Girls and Boys Club, and bi-weekly free lunches for children under 18 provided by the Culver Community School Corporation. Storytimes will all take place at 10:30am, and will feature stories, songs, and crafts. Lunch will be provided at 11am Tuesday and Thursday.
Activities, to be posted on the library and school websites, include movie nights, making dream catchers, dream journals, constellation cans, and magic 8 balls. A “Stuffed Animal Pajama Party” will take place July 18. Favorite stuffed animals (with their pajama-clad owners) will be treated to a bedtime story, games, and a treat. After kids go home for the night, the animals will stay behind for a slumber party, explained Gaskill.
“They’re going to get to explore all those places you don’t get to go to. All those doors that need keys. Then in the morning we’ll give you pictures showing what mischief they got into.”
Teens will make worry dolls on July 13. A tradition from Guatemala, the multicolored dolls are believed to hold worries, thus warding off nightmares.
Prizes include gummy sticky hands, glow-in-the-dark bracelets, gliders, and bird whistles. There are fourteen prizes total, and each new level entitles the reader to a new prize.
On August 2 from 7 to 11 p.m., all participants will be invited to a library lock-in with pizza and games.
“There won’t be any other patrons in the library so we can be as loud as we want to be,” said Gaskill.View more articles in:
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CIVIL LIABILITY LEGISLATION AMENDMENT BILL 2008
Bill introduced, and read a first time and ordered to be printed on motion by the Hon. John Hatzistergos.
The Hon. JOHN HATZISTERGOS
(Attorney General, Minister for Justice, and Minister for Industrial Relations) [11.31 a.m.]: I move:
That this bill be now read a second time.
The Civil Liability Legislation Amendment Bill 2008 will make it easier for victims of crime to receive a share of damages awarded to prison inmates. While victims of an offence currently have a right to sue their offender for civil damages, in reality this is usually illusory. Most prison inmates do not have sufficient assets to pay any damages awarded. On occasions, however, prison inmates are awarded large compensation payments for claims made in respect of incidents arising while in custody.
In 2005 the Government introduced legislation to ensure that if a prison inmate is awarded compensation those damages are quarantined, enabling the damages to be used to satisfy claims made by the offender's victims. Under this scheme any damages awarded to an offender in respect of injuries incurred while that offender was in custody are now held in trust and used to satisfy claims made by victims of an offence committed by the offender. Any surplus remaining after victim claims are satisfied is then paid out to the offender. By freezing the damages in this way victims of the offender can be notified and given the opportunity to lodge claims in the knowledge that the offender will not be able to dissipate the award of damages to avoid a claim.
The New South Wales scheme was the first scheme of its kind in Australia. Other jurisdictions have now followed suit. While the number of prison inmates awarded damages is relatively small, the Government wants to make sure their victims have a priority claim over these damages for their own injuries. The Civil Liability Legislation Amendment Bill introduces a number of improvements to that scheme, making it easier for victims to make claims. For example, the bill increases the period within which a victim can make a claim from six months from the date the offender was awarded damages to 12 months. The bill authorises the Commissioner of Police to provide information to the State about victims who may have a claim against the offender to make it easier for the State to identify and notify those victims of their potential right to claim against the offender.
The bill reduces unnecessary costs incurred by the State in responding to personal injury claims by offenders. It introduces a new requirement that offenders who may have a claim for damages against the Department of Corrective Services or certain other public sector defendants—referred to in the Act as protected defendants—notify the protected defendant within six months of the incident giving rise to the claim. The bill prevents offenders from circumventing the provisions of the Civil Liability Act by specifying that part 2A—the special provisions for offenders in custody—extends to a claim for an intentional tort for which the protected defendant is vicariously liable. As the Civil Liability Act does not generally cover intentional torts, some inmates have sought to avoid the operation of the Civil Liability Act by pleading their claim in intentional tort and therefore seeking to have it dealt with at common law. These amendments close that loophole.
I now turn to the key provisions of the bill. The amendment to section 26M extends the time within which victims may make a claim out of the trust fund from six months from the date the offender was awarded damages to 12 months. This will give victims more time to bring their claim. It can often be difficult for a protected defendant to identify potential victims who may have a claim against the offender, particularly where the offences against those victims were committed some time ago. Currently the Crown Solicitor writes to persons who may have a victim claim within 28 days notifying them that they may have a claim. Those with a possible claim are identified from any official records reasonably available to the protected defendant.
The amendments to section 26N authorise the Commissioner of Police to provide a protected defendant with information that the protected defendant may reasonably require for identifying and contacting persons who may have a victim claim and for determining whether a person appears to have a victim claim. It will enable police to provide appropriate information from the Computerised Operational Policing System, known as COPS. This amendment will make it easier for potential claimants to be identified and notified. Section 26N(1) currently provides that the protected defendant must, within 28 days after the award of damages to the offender, notify each person who appears to have a victim claim against the offender that he or she may be able to make a victim claim. The new section 26N (1A) will provide that the notice must be sent as far as practicable within 28 days after the award of damages. This will enable victims who are identified outside the 28-day period to be notified.
The bill inserts a new division 1A in part 2A of the Act, imposing duties on offenders who make a claim against a protected defendant to notify the protected defendant of the incident within six months of its occurring, and to provide information and documents reasonably requested by the protected defendant. Section 26BA requires that the notice must be in writing, must specify the date of the incident, must describe the incident, and must state that the incident may give rise to a claim against the protected defendant. Section 26BB requires that an offender making the claim must comply with any reasonable request by the protected defendant for certain information or documents that will enable the protected defendant to assess the merits of the claim and any liability and be able to make an informed settlement offer if appropriate.
Requiring offenders to provide a timely and accurate account of incidents such as a fall or an assault will enable the State's lawyers to assess the merits of the claim more quickly and easily and to speak to witnesses whilst the events are still fresh in their minds. This should help reduce unnecessary costs incurred by the State in responding to offender claims. These requirements are modelled on parts 4.2 and 4.3 of the Motor Accidents Compensation Act 1999.
Section 26BD deals with the consequences of an offender failing to comply with the notification requirements. A protected defendant may apply to the court hearing the offender's damages claim to dismiss the proceedings on the grounds of a failure to comply with the requirements of sections 26BA or 26BB. That application must be made within two months after the statement of claim has been served on the protected defendant. If the court is not satisfied that sections 26BA or 26BB have been complied with the court must, unless there is a satisfactory explanation or reasonable excuse, dismiss the proceedings.
The bill recognises that there may be certain circumstances in which an offender may be unable to comply with the requirements to provide notice of the incident or the further information requested. An offender is considered to be a vulnerable offender if the offender has a reasonable apprehension that his or her safety will be put at risk if he or she notifies the protected defendant or complies with the request for information and if the offender has, as a result of the apprehension, applied to be placed in protective custody or transferred to another correctional facility. This may occur, for example, where the incident involved an assault by another inmate. Whilst an inmate is a vulnerable offender he or she is not required to comply with sections 26BA or 26BB.
The bill amends section 26B to provide that part 2A of the Act applies where the damages awarded to the offender are based on the vicarious liability of the protected defendant for the tort—whether or not negligence—committed by another person. This amendment ensures that part 2A applies, for example, where a claim is brought by an offender that an intentional tort was committed by a correctional officer, and the claim against the State is brought solely on the grounds of the State's vicarious liability for the actions of its employees, and not on the grounds of any negligence by the State. This amendment confirms that only claims against the person who it is claimed actually committed an intentional tort are excluded from the Act. The bill provides that offender damages are to be held in trust by the Public Trustee rather than by the protected defendant.
I am pleased to announce that the Government will also make other important improvements to the scheme that do not require legislative amendment. Through the New South Wales Legal Representation Office in my department we will be offering free legal assistance and advice to victims of the offender to assess the merits of any claim they may have. This will avoid the very unfortunate scenario where victims, after receiving notification of the offender's compensation award, have to pay for legal advice only to be advised that they may not have a claim. Where the victim is assessed as having a claim with reasonable prospects of success, I am pleased to advise that the Legal Representation Office will now be available to provide free legal representation to the victim. In addition, I intend to write to the rules committee of the District Court to suggest that victim claims under part 2A of the Act be dealt with on the papers unless oral evidence is required in the interests of justice. This will reduce further trauma and expense for victims.
Finally, and unrelated to the offender damages provisions, this bill introduces some changes to the provisions of the Civil Liability Act, the Motor Accidents Act and the Motor Accidents Compensation Act regarding the availability of gratuitous care damages. Gratuitous care damages—sometimes referred to as Griffiths v Kerkemeyer
damages—include, for example, unpaid care by an injured worker's relative. These amendments are needed simply to correct a drafting problem identified recently by the Court of Appeal and do not make it harder to claim compensation. However, if the changes are not made damages awards are likely to increase and, with it, insurance premiums.
The New South Wales Court of Appeal revealed the problem in its decision in the case of Harrison v Melhem
in May this year. For many years, litigants and the courts have assumed that there was a two-pronged test for gratuitous care damages—that is, that care must be provided for at least six hours a week and for at least six consecutive months. Although that is what was intended, the Court of Appeal has ruled that is not what the section says. The court found that compensation could be claimed even if only one of the thresholds was met. Although the drafting problem seems small, the impact on insurance premiums could be significant. The changes will ensure the law does what everyone has always assumed it was supposed to do. It will ensure that claimants must demonstrate that the gratuitous care they have received has been provided for at six hours per week for at least six consecutive months. I commend the bill to the House.
Debate adjourned on motion by the Hon. John Ajaka and set down as an order of the day for a future day.
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The amount of teaching required depends upon the term. Currently it is:
GP Term 1 - 3 hours per week
One hour per week in GP Terms 1, 2 & 3 must be one-on-one protected planned teaching time. This is to ensure that the registrar has the opportunity to meet their learning needs in a planned way and to receive individual feedback from their supervisor.
The balance of the teaching time can be planned teaching time or may be made up of opportunistic teaching.
The Teaching Framework provides a structured guide to assist supervisors in planning their teaching during GP Terms 1 & 2. There is a wide variety of teaching methods that can be used, for example:
• Discussion of difficult cases
Ideally teaching should not consist of the same type of activity every session.
This is quite flexible and should respond to the registrar’s learning needs.
• Assisting the registrar to formulate an appropriate learning plan for the term
The supervisor can delegate teaching to other GPs and health professionals as appropriate. It is common for teaching to be shared amongst several GPs in the practice. Often different GPs will have individual areas of expertise. It may be appropriate for a limited amount of teaching to be delegated to other practice staff that have particular expertise in an area (eg the practice nurse teaching immunisation or wound dressing; the practice manager teaching about practice software, recall systems or billing systems).
Teaching may occur outside the practice where this is appropriate (eg teaching procedures at the local hospital, attending local CPD meetings, spending some time with specialists or allied health professionals).
The fundamental principal is that the teaching should be appropriate to the registrar’s learning needs.
An example of time that would not normally be considered appropriate as teaching time would be: a regular visit by a pharmaceutical representative where lunch is provided and the current marketing spiel endured for the sake of lunch. If this is not meeting the registrar’s educational needs then it should not be counted as teaching time.
The Teaching Allowance is specifically paid for the GP supervisor’s time that is devoted to teaching. All the time that the supervisor devotes to teaching can be claimed for payment - as long as it is documented on the Record of Teaching form. This includes both planned teaching and opportunistic teaching. It includes all methods of teaching eg observation of consultations, teaching procedures, providing feedback etc. If teaching is occurring while the supervisor is doing paid clinical work (eg seeing patients, doing an anaesthetic list) it would be reasonable to just claim the extra time spent as a result of teaching.
There may be some situations where time can be claimed as teaching time for the registrar but it is not appropriate to claim it for Teaching Allowance for the supervisor.
There are some examples of this in the following paragraphs.
If another GP or practice staff member (eg practice nurse, practice manager) does the teaching instead of the supervisor, then it is still appropriate to claim the teaching allowance for this time. As long as the teaching is being done by the most appropriate person to teach that topic, and the teaching is relevant to the registrar’s learning needs, then Valley to Coast will still pay the full rate to reimburse the teachers time.
If the teaching is done by someone unrelated to the practice then it is reasonable to claim for time that the supervisor devoted to the event. For example:
• the registrar sits in with a physiotherapist for half a day; the GP supervisor spent half an hour organising this with the physio and discussing with the physio what would be the most useful learning opportunities for the registrar. It
• a guest speaker comes to present at a regular practice educational meeting; the supervisor is an active participant in the meeting and facilitates the discussion and ensures the registrar is involved in the discussion. It would be reasonable for the supervisor to claim payment for this time.
• the registrar attends a regular lunchtime educational session run in the local area; the supervisor is involved in choosing topics and organising speakers for these events; the supervisor attends the session and is an active contributor. It would be reasonable for the supervisor to claim payment for this time.
• the registrar attends a regular lunchtime educational session run in the local area; the supervisor is not involved in the organisation of these sessions and does not attend. The time could be counted as teaching time for the registrar (as long as it is relevant to their learning needs) but it would not be reasonable to claim payment for the supervisor.
It may be appropriate to sometimes have joint teaching sessions where the registrar is taught along with another registrar, overseas trained doctor, junior doctor or medical student. This is fine as long as:
• it is meeting the registrar’s learning needs
In the case where two registrars have a joint teaching session with their supervisor, the time should be recorded as teaching time for each registrar. However, the time should only be claimed once by the supervisor (ie claim it on one registrar’s Record of Teaching form; on the other registrar’s form, record the teaching time, mark it with an asterix and deduct it at the bottom so that it is not claimed twice).
This outline cannot hope to cover all possible scenarios, but you will usually be able to work out the answer if you apply the basic principles. Please phone Valley to Coast if you need further advice.
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Workplace laws are damaging Australia’s productivity levels: AHRIPUBLISHED: 08 Aug 2012 00:32:47 | UPDATED: 08 Aug 2012 09:23:21PUBLISHED: 08 Aug 2012 PRINT EDITION: 08 Aug 2012
The Fair Work Act review panel has missed the point by recommending tweaking workplace laws and fiddling at the edges with the powers of interventionist entities.
Last week, the Economist Intelligence Unit contributed a piece of cross-sectional global evidence about how workplaces operate. The four economic behemoths of Russia, India, China and the US don’t rate well. They are huge but not nimble. We need to be very nimble, or we will be squashed.
The EIU rates us 12th overall: 8th on operating environment, 19th on workplace regulation, and 34th on economic performance – with productivity letting the side down. That’s the macro result. From the micro perspective, my institute’s research shows that our workplace laws have added cost, complexity and uncertainty to the business lives of organisations.
Today the world turns us around as much as we turn ourselves around. We need to anticipate what that means in order to keep our productivity heads above water, and need to be wary that soon we may be running on empty unless we change how our workplaces perform. That is especially true for those owners and workers who are doing their best and can’t work harder, but need more time and greater freedom to be allowed to work smarter.
Peter Wilson is the national president of the Australian Human Resources Institute.
The Australian Financial Review
|Topics||Employment & Industrial Relations|
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Some stories are so obvious and necessary that it's difficult to identify the need. Surely everybody knows what a Q-jet looks like and how to tell it apart from an old Carter or a Holley 4150. "Not so fast, Mr. Smarty Pants Editor," you might say. "Don't take so much for granted." Hard to believe, but a carburetor hasn't been placed atop a new production car or truck since 1988. That's 20 years ago, folks. To put it into perspective, a kid who graduated high school in 1988, then got a job as a line mechanic at a new car dealer after Vo-Tech training, could conceivably be a 20-year veteran without ever having been paid to turn the idle screws on a Holley. That puts things in a whole new perspective. Then there's the guy who only knows Holley carb architecture (which includes Barry Grant, QFT, and many other smaller manufacturers), never thinking to try a new Edelbrock or a Sean Murphy Q-jet.
To another point: We'll be generically referring to carbs here as "Holley," "Quadrajet," and "Carter." There are many manufacturers that use the Holley architecture, so using the term "Holley" is strictly a convenience to keep the reader from getting confused. The term "Carter" is essentially the same case, though current Carter carburetor architecture is strictly all Edelbrock these days. The Rochester Quadrajet is out of production but is currently available from several sources only as a rebuild. Our thanks to Sean Murphy for providing one of his seriously refurbished units.
The idea here isn't to compare the pros or cons of one carburetor architecture over another, but to do a straightforward walk-around of the three major types and to show you where to "turn the dials," so to speak. Maybe after reading this, you'll want to step out of your comfort zone and try something new.-Johnny Hunkins
The last thing the world needs is another carb versus EFI story, so we'll spare you the rehashed and inconclusive monotony. What the collective hot rodding community can use is back-to-basics carb tech. Despite its perceived simplicity, meeting the changing fueling demands of a motor- from idle to cruising to WOT-strictly through mechanical methods requires a complex device. The maze of fuel and air passages that constitute a carburetor is hardly intuitive in terms of functionality, and basic carb tuning requires understanding how it all comes together. Furthermore, Holley (aka modular), Carter (now Edelbrock), and Quadrajet carbs all take different approaches to performing the same task. To help those less familiar get up to speed, we'll cover the basics of how carbs work, reveal simple tuning tips, and divulge the differences between major carburetor platforms.
This cutaway of a Barry Grant...
This cutaway of a Barry Grant Demon carb clearly illustrates the atomization process. Fuel from the float bowl passes through the main jet and enters the emulsion tube. The fuel is emulsified by air entering the emulsion tube through the air bleeds.
How Carbs Work
The principle of carburetion is really quite simple. In liquid form, gasoline does not burn and therefore needs to be vaporized. Through an elaborate network of internal air and fuel passages that rely on rudimentary physics, carburetors introduce atomized fuel into the air stream above the intake manifold plenum, which then vaporizes into a gaseous state by the time it reaches the intake valves.
Fuel is pumped into the bowls through the needle-and-seat assembly, and then drawn into the intake through the pressure differential created by the venturi effect. The hourglass shape of a carburetor's venturi increases air speed in the section where it necks down, creating a low-pressure area. It is this reduction in air pressure that enables fuel to be pushed from the fuel bowls into the intake manifold. "Think of a carburetor as a fuel injection system that operates at 1 psi of pressure," explains Judson Massingill of the School of Automotive Machinists. "Everyone thinks manifold vacuum pulls fuel out of the carburetor, but since manifold vacuum drops to zero at WOT, it's the pressure differential that's doing all the work. Fuel bowls have air vents in them, which means that there's 14.7 psi (normal atmospheric pressure) of pressure pushing down on the fuel. The venturi effect reduces pressure to about 13.5 psi at the manifold, and that 1 psi of pressure differential is all it takes to push fuel through the carb." Moreover, boosters in the venturi, which act as a venturi within a venturi, further increases the pressure drop (carb signal) without significantly compromising airflow.
Even so, the fuel droplets would be too large for effective atomization without a means of introducing air into the mix through emulsification, and that's where the air bleeds come in. Emulsion tubes carry fuel from the fuel bowls to the venturis and preatomize the fuel by mixing it with air channeled in through the air bleeds. The effect is similar to drinking through a straw that has a hole in it. Ensuring thorough atomization, and therefore complete vaporization of fuel, yields more thorough combustion, increased power, and reduced emissions.
Carburetion would not be possible...
Carburetion would not be possible if not for the venturi effect. As air travels through a carburetor, it speeds up in the section where the venturi necks down in diameter. This creates a low-pressure area, which allows fuel to be drawn into the carburetor.
Unlike many industrial motors, the load and rpm a car engine experiences is in a constant state of flux, whether it's idling, part-throttle cruising, or at WOT at the dragstrip. Meeting these fueling demands through mechanical means require several networks, or circuits, of air and fuel passages. These consist of the idle circuit, primary and secondary circuits, fuel enrichment circuit, and the accelerator pump circuit. As its name suggests, the purpose of the idle circuit is to provide fuel at idle. Likewise, the primary circuit delivers fuel in proportion to the throttle angle of the primaries, while the secondary circuit initiates additional fuel flow once the secondaries kick in. "While it's true that changing the tune on one circuit can affect another, each circuit can be individually tuned to effectively meet the needs of the engine's operating range that it affects," says Victor Moore of Barry Grant. "However, this means that there are often several ways to address a single issue."
The fuel enrichment circuit, or power valve, adds fuel only at WOT, and is typically found on the primary side of the carb. This allows running smaller jets for crisp cruising and throttle response and adds extra fuel only when needed. At idle and part-throttle, manifold vacuum keeps the valve shut. However, when manifold vacuum drops at WOT, the power valve opens up and adds the equivalent of 7 to 10 jet sizes of fuel. "With a typical Holley, that means you can have 72 jets up front and 80 jets in the rear so it cruises real nice going down the road. But when you go WOT it's like having 80 jets in the front and back," Judson explains. "Everyone wants to block the power valve, but if you block it and then go faster, that just means you were 7 to 10 jet sizes too rich in the first place."
The accelerator pump circuit is akin to a mechanical fuel injection system and is the only circuit on a carb that is not affected by airflow. It is designed to help speed up fuel flow when the intake charge stalls under heavy loads by providing a small squirt of fuel. "People think that when you floor the throttle and the motor bogs, it's because the carb dumped too much fuel into the motor, but the exact opposite is true," says Judson. "What's actually happening is the volume of air entering the carb is so great that the carb signal drops to where the air stalls and no fuel can be delivered. The accelerator pump combats this lean condition by squirting fuel until air speed and carb signal picks up again, easing the transition between light and heavy throttle."
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By Neil Schneider
The S-3D Gaming Alliance and its partners are pleased to reveal the preliminary results from The 2010 U-Decide Initiative. Here are some key features:
- Data collected from July 7th to October 1st, 2010
- Purposely targeted to gamers (console & PC)
- 1,169 respondents (735 traditional 2D gamers that don't own 3D equipment, 434 experienced stereoscopic 3D gamers that do)
- These preliminary results are 100% based on the 2D gamer portion to avoid skewing.
- This is a tiny sampling of the data collected. A full report will be released in November, 2010.
- 75% of respondents are based in North America, 15% are from Europe, and the remaining 10% span the world.
- According to the Entertainment Software Association, over 50% of adults play video games.
3D Glasses or NO 3D Glasses?
While pundits and general interest 3D studies are all up and arms about the need for glasses-free technology, these statements continue to go unfounded among gamers. According to traditional 2D gamers who don't yet own 3D equipment of their own...Read full article...
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Simmons School of Management, Fish Family Foundation Lead New Initiative
BOSTON (September 25, 2007) — In an innovative new program designed to help empower women in Japan to break through their traditional background roles and become leaders in social change, several Japanese women have come to Boston to receive intense exposure to American women's leadership strategies, and the strategies of successful American non-profit organizations.
The Japanese Women's Leadership Initiative, organized by the Simmons School of Management , is an unusual collaborative effort funded by the Fish Family Foundation and founded by Boston civic leaders Atsuko Toko Fish, Catherine Crown Coburn, and Mary Lassen. The Simmons School of Management is the only business school in the world designed for women.
Fish, a Boston civic leader who moved to Brookline, MA, in 1983, said she was so impressed with American women's leadership in non-profit organizations and social policy that she joined forces with the other women to design an initiative that would begin showing Japanese women how they can and should take a leadership role in helping solve Japan's growing societal needs.
Under the initiative, the women are paired for five weeks with executives of leading non-profit organizations in greater Boston, shadowing the executives daily to learn about successful practical strategies for dealing with a variety of social problems. The immersion is supplemented by tutoring and mentoring in non-profit management through the Simmons School of Management executive education program, led by SOM professor Patricia Deyton, a national authority in non-profit management. The women also are participating in the SOM's executive education program, Strategic Leadership for Women.
The women, who began their fellowships in early September and return to Japan Oct. 18, are keeping daily diaries and developing their own ideas for implementing social change in their native country. After they return, they will meet regularly among themselves; create networks with other women; and meet with a wide range of university, business, political and media leaders to begin a dialogue about social responsibility and policy change in Japan.
The partnering Institute of Cultural Affairs in Japan selected the women through a competitive process, including a written essay about personal goals for non-profit leadership and social reform. They must have seven to 10 years of experience in the social, political or business sector in Japan, and demonstrate a strong commitment to leading social change. Fish said the goal is to have the program grow yearly, ultimately building a network of empowered women in Japan who will support other women in social change, and, eventually, policy leadership.
Two of the women are working closely with leaders of two non-profit agencies: Ellis Memorial & Eldredge House, Boston's first settlement house, which has a wide range of educational and social services for children and adults; and the Web of Benefit in Wellesley, MA, which works throughout greater Boston to promote liberation from domestic violence. The third woman is meeting with a number of women executives of leading non-profit agencies in the area.
Co-founder Fish says that while there are numerous non-profit groups in Japan, most of them are small groups of volunteers working in their immediate community, with no experience in systemic social change. The groups often receive their direction and their funding from the government; donations are not tax-deductible.
Fish says Japan has growing social problems in areas such as domestic violence, trafficking from abroad, and lack of childcare and eldercare services. She said Japan's shrinking birthrate means that the population is aging quickly; if the leadership role is dependent solely on men, Japan will experience a shortage of labor and of leaders in social change. And while the traditional non-assertive role of Japanese women is changing, she says, the pace must quicken.
"Who will support our society if Japanese women don't help lead?" Fish asks. "Women must learn to lead and to become deeply involved in moving Japan forward. Our country needs them."
"Our hope is that women in this program will learn a great deal about social and political change from American women leaders and successful non-profit organizations, and then take it back to spread to other women. These women are passionate about helping their country. We want this initiative to be an important way to help empower them, to unlock their potential and the potential of other Japanese women to lead social change."
The women awarded fellowships in the inaugural Japanese Women's Leadership Initiative — all from Tokyo — are Masako Hiramatsu, Sun-hae Bae, and Yuka Hayasi.
For further information about the fellowship, contact Atsuko Fish at email@example.com or Simmons School of Management Professor Patricia Deyton at firstname.lastname@example.org. Reporters contact Diane Millikan at email@example.com
- Simmons College Launches New Online Graduate Nursing Program
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Director of Marketing/Communications
Kalimah Redd Knight
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BT, the largest broadband provider in the UK, has said it plans to charge video content providers for the amount of bandwidth they consume on BT’s network, according to a story in Thursday’s Financial Times. The paper quotes John Petter, managing director of BT Retail’s consumer business, saying, “We can’t give the content providers a completely free ride and continue to give customers the [service] they want at the price they expect.”
BT last week was caught throttling connections to the BBC iPlayer to less than 1 megabyte per second between the hours of 5:00 p.m. and midnight for subscribers of its 8 Mbps service. That’s permitted under its terms of service, but it looks like BT wants more — from content providers like YouTube or Hulu. I don’t blame it. In any competitive market, subscribers would flee such prohibitive limits once they realized what was happening, leaving BT with lowered revenue. It would need to make that up somehow.
So now Petter is pulling out the usual ISP trope about content providers “developing very profitable business models” using BT networks, and they should help subsidize the cost of the bandwidth the video content consumes. I’ve heard this from just about every ISP I’ve spoken with.
However, the content providers do pay for their bandwidth, as do the customers of the ISP who consume it. In many cases, video providers also contract with content delivery networks, which can help ISPs reduce the burden of the video files on the last-mile network connecting the consumer’s home to the ISP’s cable plant or central office. If video costs the ISP “many millions” as Petter tells the FT, then it should raise prices somewhere along the line rather than go into dangerous territory that sounds like trading money for access:
He [Petter] said that the quid pro quo of payment from content owners might be guarantees of picture quality.
Maybe BT is all talk, but many ISPs would love to see a company get away with this, so they can try the same thing.
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VATICAN CITY (AP) - Pope Francis is the first ever from the Americas, an austere Jesuit intellectual who modernized Argentina's conservative Catholic church.
Known until Wednesday as Jorge Bergoglio, the 76-year-old is known as a humble man who denied himself the luxuries that previous Buenos Aires cardinals enjoyed. He came close to becoming pope last time, reportedly gaining the second-highest vote total in several rounds of voting before he bowed out of the running in the conclave that elected Pope Benedict XVI.
Groups of supporters waved Argentine flags in St. Peter's Square as Francis, wearing simple white robes, made his first public appearance as pope.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, good evening," he said before making a reference to his roots in Latin America, which accounts for about 40 percent of the world's Roman Catholics .
Bergoglio often rode the bus to work, cooked his own meals and regularly visited the slums that ring Argentina's capital. He considers social outreach, rather than doctrinal battles, to be the essential business of the church.
He accused fellow church leaders of hypocrisy and forgetting that Jesus Christ bathed lepers and ate with prostitutes.
"Jesus teaches us another way: Go out. Go out and share your testimony, go out and interact with your brothers, go out and share, go out and ask. Become the Word in body as well as spirit," Bergoglio told Argentina's priests last year.
Bergoglio's legacy as cardinal includes his efforts
"In our ecclesiastical region there are priests who don't baptize the children of single mothers because they weren't conceived in the sanctity of marriage," Bergoglio told his priests. "These are today's hypocrites. Those who clericalize the Church. Those who separate the people of God from salvation. And this poor girl who, rather than returning the child to sender, had the courage to carry it into the world, must wander from parish to parish so that it's baptized!"
Bergoglio compared this concept of Catholicism, "this Church of 'come inside so we make decisions and announcements between ourselves and those who don't come in, don't belong," to the Pharisees of Christ's time - people who congratulate themselves while condemning all others.
This sort of pastoral work, aimed at capturing more souls and building the flock, was an essential skill for any religious leader in the modern era, said Bergoglio's authorized biographer, Sergio Rubin.
But Bergoglio himself felt most comfortable taking a very low profile, and his personal style was the antithesis of Vatican splendor. "It's a very curious thing: When bishops meet, he always wants to sit in the back rows. This sense of humility is very well seen in Rome," Rubin said before the 2013 conclave to choose Benedict's successor.
Bergoglio's influence seemed to stop at the presidential palace door after Nestor Kirchner and then his wife, Cristina Fernandez, took over the Argentina's government. His outspoken criticism couldn't prevent Argentina from becoming the Latin American country to legalize gay marriage, or stop Fernandez from promoting free contraception and artificial insemination.
His church had no say when the Argentine Supreme Court expanded access to legal abortions in rape cases, and when Bergoglio argued that gay adoptions discriminate against children, Fernandez compared his tone to "medieval times and the Inquisition."
This kind of demonization is unfair, says Rubin, who obtained an extremely rare interview of Bergoglio for his biography, the "The Jesuit."
"Is Bergoglio a progressive - a liberation theologist even? No. He's no third-world priest. Does he criticize the International Monetary Fund, and neoliberalism? Yes. Does he spend a great deal of time in the slums? Yes," Rubin said.
Bergoglio has stood out for his austerity. Even after he became Argentina's top church official in 2001, he never lived in the ornate church mansion where Pope John Paul II stayed when visiting the country, preferring a simple bed in a downtown building, heated by a small stove on frigid weekends. For years, he took public transportation around the city, and cooked his own meals.
Bergoglio almost never granted media interviews, limiting himself to speeches from the pulpit, and was reluctant to contradict his critics, even when he knew their allegations against him were false, said Rubin.
That attitude was burnished as human rights activists tried to force him to answer uncomfortable questions about what church officials knew and did about the dictatorship's abuses after the 1976 coup.
Many Argentines remain angry over the church's acknowledged failure to openly confront a regime that was kidnapping and killing thousands of people as it sought to eliminate "subversive elements" in society. It's one reason why more than two-thirds of Argentines describe themselves as Catholic, but fewer than 10 percent regularly attend mass.
Under Bergoglio's leadership, Argentina's bishops issued a collective apology in October 2012 for the church's failures to protect its flock. But the statement blamed the era's violence in roughly equal measure on both the junta and its enemies.
"Bergoglio has been very critical of human rights violations during the dictatorship, but he has always also criticized the leftist guerrillas; he doesn't forget that side," Rubin said.
The bishops also said "we exhort those who have information about the location of stolen babies, or who know where bodies were secretly buried, that they realize they are morally obligated to inform the pertinent authorities."
That statement came far too late for some activists, who accused Bergoglio of being more concerned about the church's image than about aiding the many human rights investigations of the Kirchners' era.
Bergoglio twice invoked his right under Argentine law to refuse to appear in open court, and when he eventually did testify in 2010, his answers were evasive, human rights attorney Myriam Bregman said.
At least two cases directly involved Bergoglio. One examined the torture of two of his Jesuit priests - Orlando Yorio and Francisco Jalics - who were kidnapped in 1976 from the slums where they advocated liberation theology. Yorio accused Bergoglio of effectively handing them over to the death squads by declining to tell the regime that he endorsed their work. Jalics refused to discuss it after moving into seclusion in a German monastery.
Both men were freed after Bergoglio took extraordinary, behind-the-scenes action to save them - including persuading dictator Jorge Videla's family priest to call in sick so that he could say Mass in the junta leader's home, where he privately appealed for mercy. His intervention likely saved their lives, but Bergoglio never shared the details until Rubin interviewed him for the 2010 biography.
Bergoglio - who ran Argentina's Jesuit order during the dictatorship - told Rubin that he regularly hid people on church property during the dictatorship, and once gave his identity papers to a man with similar features, enabling him to escape across the border. But all this was done in secret, at a time when church leaders publicly endorsed the junta and called on Catholics to restore their "love for country" despite the terror in the streets.
Rubin said failing to challenge the dictators was simply pragmatic at a time when so many people were getting killed, and attributed Bergoglio's later reluctance to share his side of the story as a reflection of his humility.
But Bregman said Bergoglio's own statements proved church officials knew from early on that the junta was torturing and killing its citizens, and yet publicly endorsed the dictators. "The dictatorship could not have operated this way without this key support," she said.
Bergoglio also was accused of turning his back on a family that lost five relatives to state terror, including a young woman who was 5-months' pregnant before she was kidnapped and killed in 1977. The De la Cuadra family appealed to the leader of the Jesuits in Rome, who urged Bergoglio to help them; Bergoglio then assigned a monsignor to the case. Months passed before the monsignor came back with a written note from a colonel: It revealed that the woman had given birth in captivity to a girl who was given to a family "too important" for the adoption to be reversed.
Despite this written evidence in a case he was personally involved with, Bergoglio testified in 2010 that he didn't know about any stolen babies until well after the dictatorship was over.
"Bergoglio has a very cowardly attitude when it comes to something so terrible as the theft of babies. He says he didn't know anything about it until 1985," said the baby's aunt, Estela de la Cuadra, whose mother Alicia co-founded the Grandmothers of the Plaza de Mayo in 1977 in hopes of identifying these babies. "He doesn't face this reality and it doesn't bother him. The question is how to save his name, save himself. But he can't keep these allegations from reaching the public. The people know how he is."
Initially trained as a chemist, Bergoglio taught literature, psychology, philosophy and theology before taking over as Buenos Aires archbishop in 1998. He became cardinal in 2001, when the economy was collapsing, and won respect for blaming unrestrained capitalism for impoverishing millions of Argentines.
Later, there was little love lost between Bergoglio and Fernandez. Their relations became so frigid that the president stopped attending his annual "Te Deum" address, when church leaders traditionally tell political leaders what's wrong with society.
During the dictatorship era, other church leaders only feebly mentioned a need to respect human rights. When Bergoglio spoke to the powerful, he was much more forceful. In his 2012 address, he said Argentina was being harmed by demagoguery, totalitarianism, corruption and efforts to secure unlimited power. The message resonated in a country whose president was ruling by decree, where political scandals rarely were punished and where top ministers openly lobbied for Fernandez to rule indefinitely.
Warren reported from Buenos Aires, Argentina.
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Saga Guides/Legends of Metru Nui
Toa was confronted by Nidhiki and Krekka, two Dark Hunters called to Metru Nui to help in the fulfillment of an elusive motive. Lhikan fought the two hulking figures, but was able to take flight through the use of his Fire Greatswords. He traveled to the nearby Ga-Metru, where he made a decision. Through astrological readings, Toa Lhikan had originally discovered that the Matoran who knew the location of the Great Disks were to become Toa. Soon after his discovery, however, another thought took root in his mind, and he began to believe that another group of six Matoran was so destined. While in Ga-Metru, Toa Lhikan delivered one of the six Stones to Nokama, a Matoran Scholar and a Teacher in one of the Ga-Metru Schools. He rushed away to deliver the others, and took leave of the district.
After many long years of guarding the ancient city of Metru Nui alone, Lhikan of the Toa Mangai made a crucial decision to steal the six Toa Stones from the Great Temple of Ga-Metru. The action would bring about the creation of six new Toa to bring him aid in the struggle against the creeping darkness threatening the city.
His next destination was the construction fields of Po-Metru, where he sought out a Carver named Onewa, another fated recipient of the sacred Toa Stone artifact. In his travels, Lhikan succeeded in delivering the Stones to three of the other chosen Matoran: Nuju, a Ko-Matoran Scholar; Whenua, an Onu-Matoran Archivist; and Matau, a Le-Matoran test driver. The final Stone was to be given to a Ta-Matoran. At that time, he arrived again in his home Metru of Ta-Metru, and went to Vakama's forge, where he found the lone Matoran attempting to forge a mask. After his attempt failed, Lhikan spoke to the Matoran. He passed on the last Stone and told Vakama that the city would come to require none other than his help from the threat of the Morbuzakh vines.
During this time, a Ta-Matoran named Kapura was traveling the abandoned homes of Ta-Metru, in search of undamaged tools. He recalled how the Morbuzakh had suddenly appeared in the city, began destroying buildings, and even caused Matoran to disappear. The Vahki, the city's law enforcers, were unable to stop this menace. While Kapura scavenged, he noted a vine snaking about. In fright, he breathed the plant's name, and fled. Ta-Metru was falling to the Morbuzakh.
After Lhikan's disappearance from the populace, Turaga Dume spoke to the Matoran of the island-city through the Telescreens, large structures located throughout the city. He told them of Lhikan's disappearance, and urged them to be vigilant. Following his counsel, Dume himself traveled to Ta-Metru where he visited Vakama, knowing that Lhikan had been in his company before his disappearance. Under the protection of two Zadakh, he spoke to the Matoran. Hastily concealing the Toa Stone, Vakama talked to the Turaga. Dume questioned Vakama as to the status of the mask he had asked Vakama to create. When Vakama admitted that it was still incomplete, Dume suggested that Vakama use purer Disks. After the Turaga took his leave, Vakama decided to travel to the Great Temple, as instructed the map covering the Toa Stone.Toa Suva, as he had been instructed. There, Vakama found the other five Matoran Lhikan had met, one of each district. Upon meeting, the proud Matoran soon engaged in a sharp bout of criticism. Struggling to keep the peace between the newly assembled group, Nokama attempted to reconcile the Matoran. With their presence in the Temple, however, the Toa Stones began to glow.
The Matoran fell quiet and approached the Suva dome, where they ceremonially placed the Toa Stones in niches that symbolized the six cities of Metru Nui. After all were placed, a beacon appeared from the center of the circular shrine and took shape into Lhikan's Hau. The Toa's voice echoed through the great chamber, and instructed the Matoran about the time to come. After the holographic image finished its counsel, six tendrils of energy burst from the raised Suva, striking the bodies of the Matoran and imbuing them with Toa Energy. They were transformed, and that day signaled the solemn end of their Matoran lives.Toa Disk, six artifacts imbued with their unique elements. As the Toa began speaking to each other again, Vakama was struck by another vision. He saw from far off the city in ruins, and under a shadow, much to his horror. As Lhikan's voice urged him to save the heart of Metru Nui, he narrowly evaded the six Great Disks that flew from the mist at him. The vision ended, and he related his vision to the other Toa. His words were met with both interest and skepticism. Eventually, the Toa came to an accord, and decided on a plan of action. Vakama told the others that they would need the six Great Disks to utterly destroy the King Root of the Morbuzakh and free the city. He also told them that to obtain these legendary disks, they would need to locate the Matoran who knew of their location, whose names had been revealed to him in the vision. The first counsel of the Toa Metru ended, and they departed for their separate Metru to seek the Matoran of which Vakama's vision spoke.
Search for the Matoran
Vakama returned to Ta-Metru, where he sought out Nuhrii, his former mentor in forging Kanohi. He searched Nuhrii's dwelling, but only found a shattered carving. As Vakama sifted through the hastily rearranged pieces, he saw the image of the mask that Nuhrii had recently smelted, along with the Kanoka Disk that was used to create it. Continuing his search, Vakama found a letter to Nuhrii, saying that a mask that he had thought broken was actually of use, and it stated that the writer wished to trade the Matoran for this mask.
He made way to the Protodermis Reclamation Yard, where he found a Matoran worker. As Vakama picked up the mask Nuhrii was looking for, the Matoran commented to the Toa that that mask had been sought out many times that day. When Vakama told the Matoran that the mask's appearance looked complete, the worker told him to look closer. There was indeed a hairline crack. The worker told Vakama that Nuhrii had gone off elsewhere after seeing this.
Nuhrii spoke harshly to the Toa, and related his disdain that Vakama had been chosen to forge the Vahi instead of him, but Vakama reprimanded him and accused him of being incredibly egotistic. As they spoke, Nuhrii agreed that he would offer his help to locate the Great Disk, but he continued to harbor his ill-will and mutter of the legend he hoped to become because of this task. Vakama fought with Nuhrii no longer, and just shook his head before taking the Matoran to the Great Temple to regroup with the other Toa Metru.
Nokama took a brief walk from the Great Temple and returned to the main roads of her kindred city of Ga-Metru. She saw many of her old friends, now through the eyes of the Toa, and went to speak with them. Much to her chagrin, she found that they did not perceive her as Nokama, and did not believe that she was one of the Toa. Saddened, she returned to her search for Vhisola, a friend of hers who also idolized her. Nokama believed hers to be a light task, as Vhisola always wished to spend time with her. After finding her absent throughout the city, Nokama visited Vhisola's home, where, like the other Toa Metru, she found her writings. Nokama hesitated for respect of her student, but with the grave circumstances at hand, she checked through it. Nokama learned personal things of Vhisola, as well as the hurtful truth that she harbored jealousy of her Teacher.
Nokama heavily left Vhisola's dwelling, and went to one of the Metru's Schools of purification, where she thought Vhisola would surely be. The Toa Metru of Water instead found the laboratory to be violently ruined. She spoke to the Matoran workers there and discovered that a four-legged being had witnessed prowling the vicinity and rampaged the building. Nokama, unsurprised, found notes about the Great Disks, and gravely returned to Vhisola's home, in an attempt to learn more. As she searched more carefully, Nokama discovered a safe that, once opened, revealed studies about the Morbuzakh vines in Metru Nui. She further discovered that Vhisola was scheduled to meet someone at the top of one of the Metru's buildings.
Alarmed, Nokama darted out of the house and soon halted at the sight of a crowd of Matoran staring skyward in shock. She followed the Matoran's gaze, and saw Vhisola on the summit of a building, in terrible danger of plummeting. Nokama rushed to a canal, and by calling on the force of the water-like Protodermis for the first time, she flung herself into the sky and alighted upon the structure. Vhisola was indebted to Nokama that day, and after they spoke to one another in light of the near tragedy, Nokama told Vhisola to return with her to the Great Temple.
Matau was the most uplifted by the gift of becoming a Toa. After he flew on the wind from the Great Temple, Matau swiftly traveled to Le-Metru via the Chute network of the city. He sought out his old friends and told them the tale of what had happened to him. Although none believed him, he managed to glean information about a Matoran named Orkahm, one who knew the location of one of the Great Disks, and a Chief Ussal Rider. Orkahm and Matau were of completely opposite temperaments; while Matau was often witty and agile in body and talk, Orkahm's nature to be meticulous and slow. As a result, the two Matoran never came to share a great comradeship, much to the disappointment of the Toa Metru of Air.Pewku. Orkahm had been bluntly told to go to Sector 3 of Le-Metru, and surrender the Great Disk. Matau entered the Chute network once more, knowing full well that Sector 3 was an incredibly dangerous area due to the Morbuzakh attacks causing several Chute breakdowns. Again, the chute he was traveling in was tampered with, and he found its end to be splintered.
Flying through the air, he found Orkahm pinned under an arrangement of cables. Matau quickly freed the Matoran, and no sooner had the mission been accomplished then Morbuzakh vines approached. Flying off straight away, Matau was told by Orkahm that one named Ahkmou desired the Disk, and that he had been stalked by two beings called Nidhiki and Krekka. Taking note of this tale, Matau flew off to the north, to the Great Temple.
OnewaPo-Metru's district in search of a fellow Carver, Ahkmou, though he was dubious of Vakama's visions. Ahkmou was a Carver known for hard work, but had always taken second place to Onewa's work, and he knew this. In his pursuit, Onewa found several items from different parts of the city hidden in Ahkmou's desk and discovered that he had hosted two beings, one hulking figure and the other a four-legged quadruped. He also found a map with a specified sculpture. Onewa traveled to the location, immediately suspicious, and found Ahkmou there.
Onewa reached the Carver and questioned him bluntly as to what had got into his head to alight on the pinnacle of a tower in the Sculpture Fields. The Matoran fumbled in his speech, and used the appearance of the Dark Hunter Nidhiki as a diversion to take flight. Onewa, however, trailed him into the Chute Station that had been marked on the same sculpture where he found Ahkmou. The Toa Metru of Stone cornered him there at last. Ahkmou spotted Nidhiki again and realized that he had no choice but to go with Onewa. He consented to go with the Toa, and the two left for the Great Temple.
WhenuaOnu-Metru in an attempt to locate the Onu-Matoran of Vakama's bidding: Tehutti. Like Whenua, Tehutti was a veteran Archivist and had assembled many great exhibits in the underground Archives, but he longed to discover something more, for he yearned for the recognition that he felt his work justly deserved.
During his search for the Matoran, Whenua came upon a letter addressed from Vhisola. It offered none other than a Nui-Jaga, but in exchange for a Great Disk. He also found Tehutti's choice exhibit case damaged. Whenua went to the area's exhibit docks for information, but fell into the sub-levels of the Archives.
A Rahkshi of Heat Vision had mysteriously left its Stasis Tube on the level, and it attacked Whenua. He managed to evade the hostile being, and soon recalled that the Muaka, a Rahi cat, was a natural enemy of the Rahkshi. Whenua located and released a Muaka from one of the level's pens and soon the great beast clashed with the Rahkshi. Whenua found Tehutti there, trapped in a corner of the chamber where the Muaka and Rahkshi fought. Whenua rescued Tehutti and left the Archives in his company.
Nuju traveled to the cold and wise city of Ko-Metru, in search of a Ko-Matoran known as Ehrye. Nuju knew the Matoran quite well, as Ehrye was a messenger for Scholars and was in their company almost constantly. Nuju knew that the Ko-Matoran hoped to one day become one himself, as he notoriously plagued Scholars with questions, most often about when he himself would become one. Nuju, a Seer himself, had regularly told Ehrye that he did not have patience, and that he too easily exasperated others.Knowledge Towers, and asked the Scholars there if they had seen Ehrye the messenger recently. One of the Matoran revealed that he had indeed come to the Tower, and that he sought knowledge on the Morbuzakh and Great Disks. After he showed Nuju a carving, the Scholar told him that Ehrye had taken a chute to the pinnacle of the Tower, which was in fact restricted from those that were not Scholars.
Nuju asked for permission to travel to the top of the Tower. The Scholar consented, but in return for passage there, Nuju would have to create a new Knowledge Tower through a special, crystalline stone called a Knowledge Crystal. He completed the task, and after doing so, he used it to alter his momentum of travel, and passed to a Knowledge Tower in a state of disrepair. Upon reaching it, Nuju found none other than Ehrye, trapped by great chunks of ice. Nuju analyzed the situation, and with care, systematically removed the blocks. With the messenger freed, Nuju put the tower aright. He talked to Ehrye, and in their conversation, learned that that he had talked to another Matoran, called Ahkmou. Nuju then turned his way to Ga-Metru.
Search For The Great Disks
The six Matoran requested by Vakama were at last assembled at the Great Temple. There the Toa Metru discussed everything learned, and all that was witnessed, and came to a consensus that Ahkmou was a traitor based on evidence found around about the island-city. Onewa wanted to seize him straight away, but Vakama urged him against the action as they needed the Matoran to instruct them where to find the Great Disks. With the completion of their first mission, the Toa Metru resolved to find the Great Disks, as urged by the Toa Metru of Fire.
Vakama traveled to the Fire Pits of Ta-Metru with Onewa, Nuhrii, and Ahkmou. He had followed a sign that Nokama deciphered from the inscriptions in the Great Temple about the artifacts; these related to Vakama that to acquire the Great Disk of Ta-Metru, he must "embrace the root of fire." He and Nuhrii both knew well of what the passage spoke: the Fire Pits of Ta-Metru, six great craters that were the source of the fires that powered the forges of Ta-Metru.Nuurakh Vahki that were guarding the field. Nuhrii directed Vakama to one of the wide depressions, in which they discovered Ta-Metru's Great Disk wedged in a splinter of the Pit's sheer wall. Vakama retrieved it swiftly, but two Morbuzakh vines emerged from the fires. Nuhrii was able to use the spent Vakama's last Kanoka, one empowered with the Reconstitute at Random ability. The disk transformed the vines, temporarily stalling them. Vakama and Nuhrii seized the opportunity and climbed out. As the vines raised from the pit, now a horrible fanged monster, they were consumed again by the fires of the pit erupted at that moment. Resolving to not look back, Vakama and Nuhrii escaped with the Great Disk.
Vakama and the Matoran left the heat of their home once more and proceeded to Po-Metru with Onewa. They made way to the Sculpture Fields in hopes of discovering the next Disk by seeking a "mountain in balance." Although delayed by a beast known as the Tunneler, the Toa came to observe a statue that had the appearance of an upside-down pyramid, in perfect peace and equilibrium. Onewa climbed the sculpture and sighted the prize. He removed the Disk as the artistic statue fell in his direction, the massive collapse which he survived. The four returned to the Great Temple with two of the ancient objects in their possession.Frost Leeches, a fearsome Two-Headed Tarakava, and a shape-shifting creature that took on the appearance of its own chamber. After a length of time in the hollows of the Archives, the team discovered the Onu-Metru Great Disk in a supply closet.
At their success, the Toa and Matoran proceeded to Nuju's home of Ko-Metru. Within the chilled and lofty city, they called on many of the Knowledge Towers in search of the Great Disk, remembering the clue, "In Ko-Metru, find where sky and ice are joined." Tehutti and Ehrye were left behind in the Toa's quest, largely because Tehutti had been struck by a Keerakh, Vahki of the Metru, and had lost all sense of time and space.
From the Great Temple, Nokama, Matau, Vhisola, and Orkahm headed for the main portion of Ga-Metru. The group was soon halted, however, by the sight of an assembly of Ga-Matoran under the influence of the Bordakh, Vahki squads of the city. Matau diverted their attention through his flight, and the others swiftly left. They regrouped at a small dam of the Protodermis Canal, and to avoid the further attention of the Vahki, they decided to swim the streams.
They discovered the spill gate to already be open when they tried to release it, and a flood of Liquid Protodermis swept through, utterly forcing them down and sweeping them through the canal. Nokama's skill at swimming saved Matau, who had began to drown. They trekked back toward the north-east, to the Great Temple, bearing the passage, "In Ga-Metru, go beyond the depths of Toa before."massive Rahi of legend.
Matau hurled the Vahki into the sea as Nokama burst from the water with the Disk. The great Rahi that had been following her ascent collided with the Vahki, and was gone. Nokama, Matau, Orkahm, and Vhisola swiftly departed with their prize before the Bordakh enforcements could regain their senses.
Far south in Le-Metru, Orkahm led the way to the appointed resting place of the Great Disk. They did not find it there. Matau was confused because their riddle read 'The Great Disk of Le-Metru will be all around you when you find it'. Orkahm revealed that it must be in a Force Sphere, a bubble of magnetic energy that had, in a time past, curled in upon itself. The dangerous anomaly would draw in anything that passed by it into a swirling vortex of energy. Eventually and at any time, it would implode, taking sphere and everything it contained.the Notch', a great tangle of Chutes that was created long before anyone had tried to organize the Chute System. Matau believed it would slow for the Notch's sector, allowing him to exit, so he plunged in when the Force Sphere flew past his position. He made a few blind attempts, but he managed to locate the Great Kanoka Disk in a whirl of flying objects and tools that were also trapped within the sphere.
Too late, both the Toa Metru of Air and Orkahm suddenly realized that the sphere would not slow for the Notch. Rather, it would then choose to implode, taking the Chutes and Matau with it. Unable to break free of the Force Sphere, Matau forcefully called on his Air powers to bring a vortex of wind into being. The raging gales blasted him out of the sphere before the collapse. Now with the two Great Disks between them, the four proceeded to the Great Temple.
Using their knowledge gained from Ehrye, Vhisola, and Nuhrii, the Toa Metru deduced that the Morbuzakh's King Root would be in the volcanic heat of the Great Furnace. They decided to travel to Ta-Metru together, as well as bring the six Matoran with them. Their journey was truly covert, but when they arrived, they were nearly exposed by a Vahki squad. The group concealed themselves in an abandoned forge until Nokama noticed objects falling from the ceiling.
She peered up, only to find thousands of Morbuzakh seeds sprouting. As the shells landed about them, vines burst from within, and groped to entangle the Matoran and Toa Metru. Nuju managed to tear at the vines with a dagger of ice and used it to free the others. The Toa fled to the building's exterior, where they were forced to bring the structure down.
Soon thereafter, they arrived at the gargantuan shape of the Great Furnace itself, where they indeed found small, young vines snaking out of the gate. At first, they wondered why the King Root would leave them so unprotected, but at the thought, thorns sprung from the walls. The Matoran were cut off from escape.
Tehutti remembered a teaching he had learned in the Archives: how to merge into a being known as the Matoran Nui. He instructed the other Matoran in light of the situation, and they combined their bodies, creating a being of Toa stature. The great Matoran fusion knocked away the Morbuzakh vines and brought down the door to the interior of the furnace. As the Matoran Nui departed the structure, the villagers separated, and Ahkmou retreated into the shadows.telepathy. It freely told them its plot of dominance over the city, and its purpose to drive the Matoran to the center of the island. It would make the Matoran slaves of the Morbuzakh and its kind. The Toa Metru then attacked the creature amid the broiling heat and flames.
After fighting the King Root for some time, they unleashed the power of the Great Disks, and the new energies enveloped the King Root and separated it from the rest of the plant. The Toa Metru took flight as the King Root was destroyed, for its union with the Furnace began to collapse the structure. All across Metru Nui, the Morbuzakh vines withered away as the King Root died. Triumphant in their first great quest, the Toa Metru turned to the Coliseum, where they would show that they were indeed heroes of Metru Nui.
On their journey to the Coliseum in the center of Metru Nui, the Toa Metru encountered a troubled Onu-Matoran named Nuparu. It was he who told Whenua what he had seen when he had gone below the Archives. The Matoran related that he had hoped to find armored elements from Rahkshi for use in his latest innovations, but discovered instead a great leak in the heavy walls that protected the Archives from the ocean. If the leak was allowed to progress, the Archives would surely be flooded.
The Toa brusquely turned aside to the Fikou Web, a place nicknamed thus due to the great spread of maintenance tunnels that lay beneath the main Archives. Whenua led the team on the tramp downward, and as they descended, the Toa were confronted by two Rahkshi with the powers of Weather and Insect Control. They defeated one of the creatures, but the other escaped when Vakama and Nokama attacked simultaneously, to the effect of bringing forth a cloud of vapor.Kraata within. The Toa Metru of Water eventually fell unconscious in the battle, and when she awoke, the Rahkshi was gone. Then Vakama met and spoke with "Nokama" who proceeded to attack and defeat him. Onewa was molested by "Vakama". Matau faced "Onewa" who somehow used the power of fire as well as stone. Whenua was the last to be attacked and defeated like his teammates. The Toa Metru reunited, only to soon engage in a great fight amongst themselves, for each came to believe that another had betrayed them. In the ensuing chaos, Vakama very nearly killed Nokama, believing her to be the traitor. His violence was stopped by Onewa, and after Nuju's counsel they stopped fighting and attempted to set the situation aright.
Whenua then appeared and told them that their assailant was a shape-shifting Rahi called Krahka, a creature that could assume the full power of whomever she impersonated. Krahka wished to drive the Toa from her domain by turning themselves upon each other. Although Whenua suggested their departure, the Toa Metru, in the end, decided to confront this threat.
Whenua led them on, and they soon beheld a bridge spanning a chasm of Stone Rats. Vakama first started across the bridge when a Rahkshi of Density Control appeared and broke the overpass. The Rat-like Rahi below began to climb the remnants of the shattered bridge, towards the Toa Metru of Fire. In that moment, Vakama nearly sacrificed himself, but was saved by the agility of Matau. In the process, the Air Toa also rid the area of the threat of the Rahkshi.
Whenua brought them through a dark tunnel after all had crossed the ominous chasm. In the ensuing darkness of the passages, the Toa were one by one spirited away by Rahkshi, until only Nokama and Whenua remained. At that moment, Whenua revealed himself to be the beast that they sought, Krahka. She then left Nokama to combat three Rahkshi. The Toa of Water glimpsed a leak during the fight and used one of the Rahkshi's electricity powers to defeat two of the creatures. Then, Nokama summoned enough Water energy to down the third. It was she who found and rescued each of her vanished companions. Together once more, the Toa Metru set out to discover their comrade Whenua.
In yet another winding tunnel, the five found themselves surrounded by Lava Eels. Vakama assured them that the Eels would be of no threat unless agitated, and almost in answer, a quake rocked the tunnel at that moment. In self defense, the Lava Eels lit up with heat. The Toa seized hold of a present Protodermis pipe, just before the Eels burnt through the ground.
Beneath them, the Toa Metru beheld a massive Rahi pacing to and fro--it was a great beast that they would later discover to be the Tahtorak. Nuju scouted ahead and found Krahka's lair, with Whenua fastened to the ceiling.
Krahka, in the guise of Nokama, encased the spying Nuju in bonds of stone. Sensing danger, the remaining team set a trap for the Rahi, who indeed returned as Nuju. The Toa Metru managed to trick Krahka into revealing herself, but she escaped, swiftly taking on the form of a lava eel. The Toa began to dig a great tunnel to the surface, and made sure to create a cacophony of noise to attract Krahka's attention once more. She came again, this time in the form of a creature of smoke, and brought the Toa Metru back to her lair.
There, she revealed her intelligence and desire for Metru Nui. The Toa freed their two friends, and began their confrontation with Krahka. She became a combination of all six of the Toa in an attempt to harness all of their power. Krahka became confused, however, by the logic and mind of six separate beings, but she was still able to fight. Nokama goaded the being further, and played her simple intellect, relating to Krahka that if she did as she threatened to Metru Nui, the beings above would flee. She would be above nothing.
The Toa Metru were victorious over Krahka in the end, but she escaped once again in the shape of a Lava Eel. Vakama was capable of averting her flight, but chose to let her go. He knew that she was only defending her home, and turned from the thought of stooping to her vindictiveness. The Toa Metru at last sealed the cracks that they originally set out to find, and returned to the surface of the city.
The Great CataclysmAkilini when the Toa Metru entered, as yet unacknowledged by the elder. The sport was halted, and the Toa walked onto the sandy arena floor, displaying the Great Kanoka Disks. The Matoran cheered, but Dume was taken aback when he saw Vakama, now a Toa. Although the Toa Metru showed Dume the Great Disks, the head of Metru Nui simply affirmed "Toa must prove themselves with deeds, not simple gifts..."
Angered, the Toa surrendered their Disks to Vakama, for they had had complete faith that they would prove to Dume that they were Toa. The Turaga requested them to cross the circular arena, the segmented floor of which began to shift dangerously. The Toa Metru soon entered into a struggle to pass across, and there they fell, as their elemental powers had been exhausted and their mask powers were still inaccessible. Dume ordered for the stadium to cease its undulations.
Jeers from the contemptuous Matoran met the Toa, and Dume called them impostors, concluding that they must be responsible for the Toa Lhikan's disappearance. Vakama witnessed Nidhiki and Krekka emerge to stand next to Dume, and then realized that the elder had betrayed his city. The Turaga ordered the Vahki to seize the Toa, and the arena floor changed into the likeness of a whirlpool. Onewa, Whenua and Nuju were forcefully drawn to the center, but Vakama, Nokama and Matau managed to desperately topple an old statue of Lhikan to obstruct the Vahki's approach, and then fled.
Vakama would have perished, but his thoughts activated his tool, the Kanoka Disk Launcher, that he had fastened onto his back. At that moment, the launcher became a make-shift means of flight, and saved Vakama's life. He flung spare Shrink Kanoka at the Vahki lurking below, downing them.
Matau and Nokama struggled on heights of the tower, and Nokama plummeted. Vakama caught her in the skies above the city, and the shock released her from the Vahki's influence. Matau managed to flee, and led the remaining enforcers through a Chute. A squadron of the violent Vorzakh had already demolished a portion of the transport ahead, but Matau slipped out while his pursuers flew by him and out of the broken Chute. The three Toa fled to Le-Metru.
Under the eyes of the Rorzakh, Onewa, Whenua, and Nuju were escorted away from the Coliseum, to the Prison of the Dark Hunters. During the journey, the Toa planned amongst themselves to flee at a certain time, but none realized that Whenua was under the influence of the Rorzakh's staff. When they agreed on their flight, the Rorzakh knowingly followed. The Toa soon found themselves in the prison and made way to escape when the Rorzakh bolted them in. They were trapped.
Matau, Vakama, and Nokama arrived in Le-Metru's district and there sneaked into a cargo Airship to counsel. They were aware of the fact that the Vahki patrolled the streets, but not the city's Airships. Inside the craft, Vakama revealed that the Morbuzakh was indeed just a diversion for something greater, and stated that Lhikan likely suspected some-such thing, but never had a chance to warn them before he was captured. While deep in conversation, none of the three Toa noted the Vahki Nuurakh present in the Airship. Though they were assailed unawares, the Vahki were defeated. It was then however that Nidhiki and Krekka broke into the ship.
Once safely grounded once again, Vakama received a terrible vision depicting himself pitted against a twisted being. The other Toa already lay defeated before his feet. The being seized Vakama with a hand of Shadow and began to smother him. Suddenly, his freedom returned, and he stood in another place, trapped, hanging from a great web. The spindly quadruped, Nidhiki, appeared to speak with him. Again, Vakama witnessed a shift, and he then found himself within Nuhrii's chamber, where Lhikan spoke to him as a free Toa. Lhikan counseled him in the paths that lay ahead, but soon left Vakama within a dank cavern. Dume now walked with him, and took him to a place overcome with a titanic web. Vakama's fellow Toa emerged from the strings and only pronounced him a traitor. Vakama suddenly beheld his own image in a mirror-like stone, but his mask was twisted to that of a monster.
Vakama awoke at the urging of Nokama, but did not reveal his vision. Soon after the shaking vision, the Metru began to rumble in a tumultuous noise. The Tahtorak emerged from the ground, and demanded an answer to an unspecified question. The nearby Toa could not ease the beast's odd query, and had no choice but to combat the destructive, speaking Rahi.
Vakama, Matau, and Nokama boarded a Chute to Ko-Metru. Nidhiki and Krekka, however, still in chase of the fugitives, forced a Chute manager, Kongu, to reverse the flow of the Chute system. Kongu did so on pain of death, although he feared the Chutes' destruction because of the action. Kongu's apprehension never came to pass, and inside the Chutes, the three Toa realized that they were traveling backwards, and wasting valuable time. Nokama grabbed a Chute support ring with her Hydro Blades and Vakama and Matau grabbed hold. Matau then cut a way out of the reversed transport, where they ponderously hung in space.
Vakama suddenly experienced another vision, concerning Lhikan's Spirit Star. He quickly woke from it however, and saw a Chute support tower nearby, getting an idea. He asked Nokama if they could go there, and presently Nokama began to swing back and forth. She loosed her hold on the Chute and all three Toa, still grasping each other, flew towards the support tower. Nokama clung to it with her Blades. Matau released himself and used his Aero Slicers to glide down, and they reached the ground safely.
There, Vakama examined the Great Disks while Nokama and Matau conversed. To his interest, he discovered that the Disks could be manually fused together. He merged them all and witnessed the Disk of Time take shape. He then knew that he was near the secret to the creation of the Mask of Time. Nokama and Matau came to him, and Vakama told them of the vision regarding Lhikan's Spirit Star. They themselves saw it in the sky above them, drifting towards Po-Metru. The three Toa then stowed aboard a Vahki Transport, bound for Po-Metru.
In the scuttling Vahki transport, Vakama, Nokama, and Matau discovered a multitude of eerie, spherical storage containers. Vakama inspected one, but was blinded by the vision of a Ga-Matoran sealed within a container, her eyes gleaming a crimson hue. Vakama awoke from his reverie traumatized, and opened one of the containers, revealing it to be coldly metallic and indeed empty. When the Vahki Transport reached an Assembler's Village, the three Toa jumped out and began to search for clues concerning Lhikan's current location. The village, however, was deserted.
Suddenly, Krekka appeared and attacked the Toa from out of the darkening night. Nokama's Hydro Blades protected the Toa until they found cover. The bold Matau, however, charged at Krekka's hulking figure, only to have Nidhiki suddenly appear and trap the Toa Metru of Air in a web of binding energy. Vakama and Nokama went to the aid of their friend when suddenly the earth started to shake. A great herd of Kikanalo swept through the field, and the Dark Hunters fled.
The Toa were in dire straits then, for the Kikanalo believed them to be enemies. They ran without a clear path, until suddenly the mask on Nokama's face, the Great Rau, began to glow. To the dismay of her brothers, she halted and turned to face the rampaging beasts. The Kikanalo suddenly stopped and fell quiet. Nokama had learned her Mask Power, and it allowed her to converse with the Rahi. Vakama and Matau came to Nokama and learned from her that Lhikan had been taken into a canyon nearby. At the Kikanalo's consent, the Toa crossed the twilit plains of Po-Metru upon the backs of their new partners, and came ever nearer to the place of Lhikan's captivity.mask activated, and he commanded Whenua to sit down, which the Toa did. Onewa had discovered his Mask of Mind Control, while Nuju had also been suddenly enlightened with his Kanohi Matatu. With his mental force, Nuju tore down a wall of the prison and created a wall between his arguing friends. At the revelation, the three Toa regrouped and escaped through the new hole with the mysterious elder.
Vakama, Matau, and Nokama had found a strange entrance to a region where they suspected Lhikan to be held, though an army of Zadakh was guarding it. The Toa and the Kikanalo confronted them while Matau, with his steed, separated to deal with the two Dark Hunters nearby. Matau then gained the use of his Mahiki, and, to his own amusement, used its power to confuse the Dark Hunters. The two mystified Hunters only saw Matau riding away on the Kikanalo. With the Zadakh defeated, the Toa Metru trekked into the cavern, and before parting, the Kikanalo covered their tracks by bringing down the entrance. However, Nivawk, Dume's favored Rahi and his eyes throughout Metru Nui, beheld all that had happened and flew south to his Turaga. At the tidings, Dume summoned all of the Matoran of Metru Nui to convene in the Coliseum.
Whenua, Nuju, Onewa, and the Turaga had taken a shortcut through the tunnels while lodged in the mouth of a Troller, a beast which Onewa commanded with his Kanohi Komau. During their journey, Whenua found his mask's power: the power of Night Vision. He led the group through the dark tunnels of their passage peacefully for a time, when a Vahki suddenly seized him.
The Vahki, however, swiftly returned to the emerald, laughing form of Matau. After the Toa Metru of Air revealed himself, Vakama and Nokama appeared, and the Toa Metru were united again. They exchanged their tales and information, and then the previously silent elder revealed himself to be Turaga Lhikan. With Vakama's apparent joy at his rescue, Lhikan expressed his disappointment when the Toa Metru of Fire related to him his conviction that Lhikan was the heart of Metru Nui, the heart that he himself had spoken of. Lhikan then explained that the Matoran were heart of Metru Nui, and the dismayed Vakama left the others, deeply questioning himself. Nokama tried to lift his spirits, but Lhikan held her back, for Vakama had to discover for himself his destiny.pods, the same that he had seen before in the Vahki Transport. He touched one of the pods and it opened, and to his alarm, it revealed a comatose Turaga Dume. Vakama suddenly realized that Lhikan's theory of a false Dume was true, and somebody foreign was behind the city's agenda. A group of Vahki then came from the depths of the tunnel and towards the Toa. In their existing situation, the Toa could not save Dume, but they vowed to return.
The seven ran away from the Vahki and entered a chamber. Whenua closed the gate, but it would not hold back the Vahki for long. Vakama saw a Vahki Transport which they could use in escape, but a host of Lohrak assailed them before any action could be taken. Vakama gestured that enough of their Elemental Powers had then returned from their previous battles, and the Toa called on them to defeat the Lohrak. They swiftly boarded the transport, and set it in motion just before the Vahki stormed in. The Toa Metru escaped the underground tunnels with the help of Whenua's Tools and made their way to the Coliseum without delay, preparing for the confrontation with the false Turaga Dume. They noticed with dread as they observed the empty city that the ancient legend of the Great Shadow was coming to pass in their time.
The Toa Metru arrived only after the fulfillment of Dume's wish. They confronted the false Dume, but learned nothing of significance from the being until he removed the Kiril, Dume's chosen mask. To their shock and the dismay of Lhikan, he revealed himself to be the Makuta known as Teridax (though the Toa only knew the being as "Makuta"). He then cast the Great Shadow, the eclipse that brought Metru Nui to darkness and brought forth the Great Cataclysm.
A fearsome earthquake shook the Matoran Universe as the Great Spirit Mata Nui fell into slumber and crashed onto the surface of Aqua Magna and the twin suns of Metru Nui were extinguished. Voya Nui reeled from the Southern Continent, and came to rest in the Endless Ocean above. His body punctured, seawater began to fall into the body of the Great Spirit and began to fill up Karda Nui, where the raging storms had ceased. Far away within the blackness of the Pit, the walls were broken, and the prisoners within were set free to roam the sea. The ancient jailer of the Pit, Hydraxon, perished at the hands of an ex-warlord called Takadox.
Most grievous of all, the tremors reduced much of Metru Nui to ruin. The Archives were destroyed and the Rahi within escaped. The great hub of Le-Metru, its vast cables and Chutes, fell to the destructive forces, and became a mechanized jungle of chaos. Ga-Metru's schools were ravaged by the quake as well, and the experiments labs were released to wander in the night. The Temple of the Great Spirit, the most sacred structure of Metru Nui, was injured. Much of Ta-Metru was overcome with molten Protodermis and the Ko-Metru Knowledge Towers fell to ruin.
Outside the shaking Coliseum, Nidhiki and Krekka assaulted the transport. Krekka attacked the driver, Matau, while Nidhiki threatened Lhikan. Nuju came between them, however, as Onewa employed his Mask of Power to make Krekka leap onto Nidhiki, so that the two of them fell from the transport and were left behind. The Dark Hunters, along with the stray Nivawk, were then absorbed into Teridax.Great Barrier looming afar off in the distance. During the voyage, the idle Vakama stayed on the deck, and at last crafted the Kanohi Vahi from the Disk of Time. At its completion, he beheld another vision, and it related to him a way out, by passing through a crack in the Great Barrier.
On their way to the foreseen place, the Toa Metru found Teridax himself standing on top of one of the black cliffs. He tried to stop their passage as he made solid pillars of Protodermis rise from the Silver Sea. The Vahki Transport evaded the pillars at the expertise of Matau and Nokama, and Nuju used his Matatu to lift Vakama up to Teridax while the others would bring the Matoran to safety. Teridax, however, caused one of the pillars to collapse and jar the transport, and Nuju lost his control of Vakama's body. The Matoran Spheres fell off of the transport.Shadow Hand. However, the Toa Metru of Fire lost control of the mask at that moment and he too became trapped in a slowed state.
Lhikan appeared at that moment, blocking Teridax's shadow hand with his shield, sacrificing himself for Vakama. The resulting blast was fatal for the Turaga, and the Vahi fell from Vakama's head into the sea. Teridax, freed from the Mask's power, dove from the wall after it. Lhikan then spoke to Vakama, after which he gave him his Noble Hau. With his last breath, Lhikan uttered his final words: "I am proud to have called you brother, Toa Vakama." In his grief, Vakama discovered his Mask Power, that of Invisibility, and went once again to confront the winged, dark entity.
But at that moment, the Toa Metru convened and told Teridax in turn that Vakama was not alone. There, the six Toa Metru combined their elemental powers and imprisoned Teridax within a Toa Seal. The Toa breathed in relief and sorrow as they looked up to see Lhikan's Spirit Star divide into six new stars. The Toa Metru were truly Toa. They returned to the Vahki Transport below, where the Matoran Pods then lay attached to the craft. The Toa Metru began to sail towards the magnificent crack in the Great Barrier, in faith of finding a new refuge for the Matoran. Vakama named their transport that day "The Lhikan", in honor of the deceased protector of old of Metru Nui.
Journey from Metru Nui
After their defeat of Makuta Teridax at the Great Barrier, the Toa Metru decided that they needed to scout for a new, inhabitable land for the Matoran, in light of the recent damage to Metru Nui by Teridax's attack and the earthquake.
Traveling aboard their ship, The Lhikan, they came across a fork in the sea route through the Great Barrier. Escaping a dangerous Rahi on the left path (the choice to go down this route originated from Matau's love of variety), the Toa headed right. After defeating a group of Vahki that were searching for them, Nokama surreptitiously swam further into the tunnel, scouting for trouble.
The Lhikan was brought to a halt, tangled in what seemed to be seaweed. Nuju tried to sever the weed's hold, but found that it was actually a living creature when it knocked off his mask. A powerful current separated him and began to pull The Lhikan away with the other Toa. Nokama, who had anchored herself to the cave's wall, watched as The Lhikan drifted past. Seeing Nuju floating by, mask less, she reached out and rescued him.
The Toa Metru's vehicle was nearly destroyed by the sudden vortex created down the stream, causing a very powerful current. However, thanks to Onewa and Whenua, using their Elemental Powers, they stopped the craft from hitting the whirlpool. Nuju and Nokama soon arrived back to the ship as the vortex vanished. Suspicious of the events, after Nokama reported a trap she had found further ahead, the group moved cautiously forward.dangerous Rahi. As they slowly escaped from a battle with the creatures, defending the craft all the while, the Toa were captured by a group of Kralhi. A Matoran hermit named Mavrah spoke with the Toa Metru in the cavern, after calling on a Rahi that detected Kanohi power to ensure that the Toa did not attack.
During their captivity, Whenua revealed that these were the Rahi which had mysteriously disappeared from Metru Nui years before, along with the Onu-Matoran Mavrah. The Kralhi, prototypes of the Vahki, that had long ago gone missing now worked for the lone Onu-Matoran. Explaining the situation to the Matoran proved futile, as he refused to believe Metru Nui had fallen, so Vakama, while Whenua and Mavrah spoke, decided to activate his mask and escaped. Before leaving, Mavrah ordered the Kralhi to search for him. Being watched by the Kralhi, Whenua told the Toa about the Archive's secret underwater project and how Mavrah had been assumed to have been killed when the Rahi disappeared one night. Vakama was able to find the Transport and confirmed one of the Matoran Spheres was missing. As he traveled back, the captured Toa Metru came to be forced into battle with Mavrah's Rahi, along with the Kralhi and more stray Vahki that appeared. Whenua and Onewa spoke to Mavrah, and persuaded him to call off the battle, as it was unnecessary. Mavrah, seeing that the creatures had begun to fight each other, agreed and attempted to stop them. But the Rahi were already out of control, and Mavrah was killed after being swept into the violent sea. The Toa Metru escaped the tumult of the cavern with five Matoran, as the sphere containing the Po-Matoran Ahkmou was lost beneath the tides.
Nearing the end of their voyage, the tunnel of their passage began to fill with water, and the Toa, pursued by more Vahki, had no choice but to seal the path behind them. It was Matau who had flown ahead of the transport and first beheld the new land above. Nokama carved small images of the Toa Metru into stone, as they at last left the winding, darkened tunnels, and sailed on a gleaming ocean, dazzled with an island that would be come to be known as Mata Nui.
On the new island of Mata Nui, the five Matoran capsules were left in safety on the white beach near what would one day be Ga-Koro. At the urging of Vakama, the Toa Metru housed a portion of their power within six new Toa stones. Onewa had little faith in Vakama's vision of the process, but consented to the sacrifice in the end. The Toa Stones were hidden all over the island during the Toa's exploration, and they each soon found adequate locations for settlements to be built.
|Characters | Sapient Species | Locations | Flora | Fauna | Objects | Powers | Vehicles | Society | Events|
LEGO | TECHNIC | BIONICLE | Hero Factory | BS01 Wiki | Policies | Sources | Saga Guides | Timeline | Media
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Scriba, NY -- A public meeting about the safety performance for the Nine Mile Point Units 1 and 2 and James A. FitzPatrick nuclear power plants is set for 6 p.m. May 4 in the Scriba Justice Center, 45, Creamery Road, Scriba.
Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff will hold the meeting to discuss the agency’s annual assessment of safety performance for the Nine Mile Point and James A. FitzPatrick nuclear power plants during 2010.
Prior to the session’s conclusion, there will be an opportunity for members of the public to ask questions of the NRC staff regarding the plants’ performance, as well as the agency’s oversight of the units.
Nine Mile Point, which is the site of two boiling-water reactors, and FitzPatrick, which is
the site of a single boiling-water reactor, are located adjacent to each other in Scriba. They are owned and operated by Constellation Energy Nuclear Group.
FitzPatrick also is in Scriba and is owned by Entergy Nuclear.
The NRC utilizes a combination of color-coded inspection findings and performance
indicators to measure plant performance. The colors start with “green”, representing very low safety significance, and increase to “white”, “yellow” or “red”, commensurate with the significance of the issues involved.
Overall, Nine Mile Point 1 and 2 reactors and the Fitzpatrick reactor operated safely
during 2010. At the conclusion of last year, as assessed through the NRC’s Reactor Oversight Process, there were no inspection findings that were other than “Green” for the Nine Mile Point units or any performance indicators that were “Greater than Green” for Nine Mile Point and FitzPatrick.
Routine inspections are carried out by two NRC Resident Inspectors assigned to each
plant and by inspection specialists from the agency’s Region I Office in King of Prussia, Pa. In 2010, the NRC devoted about 6,300 hours to inspection of Nine Mile Point and about 5,300 hours to inspection of FitzPatrick, including five major team inspections for Nine Mile Point and five major team inspections for FitzPatrick.
Among the areas at Nine Mile Point being inspected this year are emergency preparedness, radiological safety and the plant’s problem identification and resolution program. Among the areas at FitzPatrick being inspected this year are fire protection, radiological safety and the plant’s security program.
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Something very worrying is happening to the UK’s public finances. Income tax and capital gains tax receipts fell by 7.3 per cent in May compared with a year ago, according to official figures. Over the first two months of the fiscal year, they are down by 0.5 per cent. This is merely the confirmation of a hugely important but largely overlooked trend: income and capital gains tax (CGT) receipts were stagnant in 2011-12, edging up by just £414m to £151.7bn, from £151.3bn, a rise of under 0.3 per cent. By contrast, overall tax receipts rose 3.9 per cent.
Revenues from income and capital gains tax had previously fallen sharply in both 2008-09 and 2009-10, before recovering somewhat in 2010-11. They remain below their 2007-08 boom time peak.
Read rest of the article here.
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Gary Fong Lightsphere vs. Tupperware
This page is an in-depth explanation of one of the myths in my article “12 Myths that Every Photographer Should Know.”
The Basics of On-Camera Flash
The softness of light produced by a flash is controlled by the size of the light source. The larger the light source is, the softer the light. This is why you see photographers shooting a flash through an umbrella. The umbrella spreads out the light and produces a softer quality of light on the model. There are times when umbrellas, softboxes, and the like are too cumbersome. For example, when shooting a wedding reception I generally keep the flash mounted on the camera so I can get some quick shots moving around the event. However, the light produced by the raw flash pointing directly at the subject is too hard. The light quality is terrible! One solution to this problem is to bounce the light off the ceiling so the ceiling spreads out the light and then reflects down on the person. Unfortunately, this magic technique does not work in every situation. Suppose the wedding reception is outside–where could you bounce the light off now? Or suppose the wedding reception is in a room so large that the ceiling is too far away to bounce the flash off. In these situations, most photographers turn to commercial on-camera flash diffusers such as the Gary Fong Lightsphere or the Adorama Mini Softbox. These miniature flash diffusers slightly enlarge the size of the flash and diffuse the light.
What is the Gary Fong Lightsphere?
The Gary Fong Lightsphere is a collapsible piece of ribbed and frosted rubber that fits snuggly on top of an on-camera flash and diffuses the light of the bare flash so that it falls more evenly and softly on the model. The product does reasonably well for what it is. It does in fact diffuse the light and produces reasonably pleasing light on the model considering that the picture is taken with on-camera flash.
Why in the world are you comparing this product to tupperware?!?!
The Gary Fong Lightsphere costs $50. For a hunk of rubber that produces only marginal improvements over the on-camera flash in my opinion, that is just way too much money. The fact is that the darn thing looks like a piece of tupperware to me. So, I got curious. Was this product doing anything that any other hunk of plastic couldn’t do? I tested my hypothesis by taking several pictures with a few different pieces of tupperware to see if I had completely wasted my money on this expensive piece of tupperware called the Lightsphere.
So which one produced the better lighting? The tupperware or the Lightsphere?
After my testing, I found that there was absolutely no difference in my opinion in the quality of the light produced by the tupperware in comparison to the quality of light produced by the Lightsphere. In short, save your money. I understand that photographers might be tempted to buy the Lightsphere just because it looks more professional than Tupperware, but have you looked at the Lightsphere? It looks like a UFO landed on your flash! If you still aren’t convinced about the tupperware, then you might consider a much cheaper option for on-camera flash such as the Opteka Mini Softbox or even a DIY option.
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Regulatory agencies hold companies accountable for delivering high quality products that meet all established requirements and specifications. Suppliers and vendors play a key role in accomplishing these mandates and it is the company’s responsibility to ensure their suppliers/vendors meet all regulatory specifications for the supplied materials, components, equipment and/or services.
For many years, industry has implemented procedures for selection, approval and qualification of suppliers and vendors. However, in many cases these protocols were not being implemented effectively or formally documented. Making these programs part of a risk-based quality system approach that the FDA and other regulatory agencies have come to expect from industry is critical. The course includes a process for selection, audit, approval and qualification of vendors/suppliers based on the material/equipment/service being delivered. These decisions must be documented and must be based on the impact (risk) to the final product.
Initially, the course will discuss the regulatory expectations and other industrial references/ standards that will impact your system and will include the general requirements of a vendor/supplier (outsourcing) control program followed by specific requirements for different types of supplied materials/equipment/services. During these sections, attendees will establish the documentation requirements, applicable audits and the impact of the quality agreement/contract details.
In conclusion, participants will learn the maintenance aspects of such a program including handling of non-conformances, and timing and nature of additional audits. During the course, several interactive exercises will be included to provide opportunities for discussion and sharing of experiences.
Who Should Attend
The course will be valuable for those in the pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical device industries who are responsible for, or involved in, supplier/vendor management, qualification, procurement or maintenance. Manufacturing, Development, R&D, Validation and QA/RA personnel will benefit as the course details all the steps necessary to carefully document and conduct the process of vendor selection while working within the confines of a risk-based audit system.
Third-parties looking to gain insight into how firms select and manage their outside vendors will also find this course extremely useful.
Upon completion of this course, attendees will:
- Understand requirements from regulatory agencies and other organizations in relation to supplier and vendor approvals and qualifications, including procedural and documentation needs. This will include an understanding which types of vendors are under regulatory agency control and which are not
- Be able to develop adequate procedural and documentation controls for the selection, approval and qualification (certification) of vendors and suppliers. This includes the development of an audit program designed with different levels of formality depending on the criticality (risk-based) of the material/component/service being provided
- Understand that controls are not limited to materials and components but also apply to contract service providers such as CROs, calibrations, laboratories, maintenance, contract manufacturing/packaging and others, including software vendors and data hosting providers
- Be able to develop a quality agreement/contract with your suppliers/vendors that will define responsibilities and have adequate controls and documentation to maintain a business relationship based on trust and communication
- Be able to proactively protect the quality of your products and effectively handle any deviations and non-conformities
The course will use interactive workshops and discussions to enable delegates to exchange ideas and experiences while also learning from each other’s experiences.
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[travel|photos] Visiting the Space Telescope Science Institute
On Friday, September 14th, after my oncology consult at John Hopkins, I went to the Space Telescope Science Institute (also at Johns Hopkins) with Ace Jordyn and Lisa Costello. This is the organization that manages the Hubble Space Telescope as well as the forthcoming James Webb Space Telescope, along with numerous other space science projects. My good friend astronomy professor and hard SF writer Dr. Michael S. Brotherton had arranged the tour with his friend and collaborator STSI program scientist Jerry Kriss.
Jerry met us outside the Bloomberg building. He took us through there, including views of some really cool historical astronomy artifacts, a number of spacecraft mockups, and a look at his own office. We then crossed the street to the STSI building, where we saw a lot of space art, more mockups and models, the control center from which Hubble was managed for a while, and where JWST will be managed, as well as lots of scientists, grad students and odd and interesting factoids. As Jerry had said when setting up the tour, “All the interesting stuff is in space, we’re just a bunch of people doing things with computers.”
Except they’re a bunch of people doing really cool things with computers. And Jerry’s passion for his work shone through like a bonfire. The man is in love with space, and he works there every day. I envy him his enthusiasm.
We got a lot of information about how JWST is being built, an overview of the history of space-based astronomy, and a look at some pretty neat stuff. My thanks to Jerry for hosting us, and to Mike for arranging it.
As usual, more at the Flickr set.
Photos copy; 2012, Lisa Costello, Ace Jordyn and Joseph E. Lake, Jr.
This work by Lisa Costello, Ace Jordyn and Joseph E. Lake, Jr. is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.
Posted: 5:48 am Tue September 18 2012 |
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LEAVENWORTH, KS -- On Jan. 7, the Army officially opened a new $1 million satellite facility of the Army's Physical Fitness Research Institute (APFRI) at Fort Leavenworth, KS, on the Command and General Staff College (CGSC) annex.
The APFRI facility includes seven stations for fitness assessments. In addition, participants complete an online questionnaire and receive guidance from eight staff fitness professionals.
The APFRI program began in 1982 at Carlisle Barracks, PA, to address cardiovascular disease in middle-aged officers. The program has since expanded to include wellness issues, such as nutrition, smoking cessation, stress management and a variety of fitness components. APFRI also continues to research health issues related to the over-40 population.
Weekly classes for CGSC students also will be offered at the new facility on topics such as hypertension, weight management, aerobic and strength conditioning, restorative sleep and more.
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Hi Loafers. I've been lurking and learning from the Fresh Loaf contributors for some months but this is my first post. Hopefully someone can suggest a cure for my sourdough blues. I've been home bread-baking for 15 odd years with commercial yeast leavening, but about a year ago decided to experiment with sourdough. My starter was based on 1/3 wholewheat flour to 2/3 white. It came to life with gusto. I live in Africa and I guess our wild yeast are really wild! 1kg of dough rises well and almost as fast as with commercial yeast, but the baked loaves (which look magnificent) often have huge cavities below the top crust running the full length of the loaf. I think it's known as "floating crust". Slices fall apart and are virtually useless. I've never had this problem with conventional leavening. What causes it? And how do I prevent it?
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This post is the first of three companion pieces by Winnifred Fallers Sullivan, Elizabeth Shakman Hurd, and Peter Danchin. These posts are the product of ongoing conversations between Sullivan, Hurd, Danchin, and Saba Mahmood. Read Hurd’s essay here and watch for a forthcoming post by Danchin.—ed.
There is an embarrassing giddiness in the religious studies world today. With our new mantra in hand—the new “salience” of religion—we, both scholars of religion and other self-appointed spokespersons for religion, feel licensed to instruct the world on the importance of religion. We are suddenly relevant again. Or so we think.
If there is an opportunity for religious studies today, and my own view is increasingly that this is an opportunity more for listening than for speaking, the Chicago Report suggests the likelihood that this opportunity will be misunderstood and misused. Religion today is an immensely complex phenomenon. And there are many who speak in its name. It is far from clear that there is any sense in which generalizing about religion is useful as a political matter—or, for that matter, that the United States government should be spearheading a new reformation.
The Chicago Report reflects both a particularly American take on religion, descriptively and normatively, and a particularly American style of imperialism. In service of the new “imperative”—the new “salience” of religion—the Task Force proclaims a usable history and account of religion that is often just plainly wrong, and sometimes grotesquely so.
The Report announces that: “Religion is now playing an increasingly influential role—both positive and negative—in the public sphere”; that “Extremist groups also use religion”; and that we should support “those doing good, while isolating those that invoke the sacred to sow violence and confusion.” It recommends that the National Security Council initiate a new strategy in American foreign policy. The goal of this new strategy would be to promote American interests through engagement with constructive religious actors, engagement that would distinguish good people of faith from bad ones and deliberately marginalize religious extremists, all in the name of American security. The Report knows what is constructive and it knows how to divide the good guys from the bad guys—that is, vital, autonomous, authentic, credible, and legitimate religion, and genuine religious freedom, from that which is extreme, destructive, and not accepting of “pluralism, freedom, and democracy.”
The record is not very good in this respect. Religion is powerful, when it is, because it embraces the full spectrum of human activity. Distinguishing the good from the bad has often divided religious insiders, as well as outsiders. Furthermore, the United States government has long dealt with “religious actors” at home and abroad who do not embrace “pluralism, freedom, and democracy.” American governments have been active sponsors of proselytization in the name of civilization in the case, for example, of Native Americans and Mormons, as well as supporters of both regimes and rebels who are motivated by religious ideologies that do not support “pluralism, freedom, and democracy,” as, for example, Israel, or the mujahideen who resisted Soviet rule in Afghanistan. There is no reason to think that it will get better. Nor do we have any reason to believe that the ambitious and utopian program for the reform of religion proposed by the Chicago Report, and expressed in this astonishing prediction—“Over time, as religious communities play even greater roles in the positive transformation of their societies, the importance of vital and autonomous religious agency will become more visible, pronounced, and politically consequential”—can, or even should, be accomplished, or that the National Security Council is the man for the job.
Most importantly, perhaps, for a report about religion, there is not much religion in this report. One searches in vain for anything new about religion, beyond a now familiar post-9/11 account of religion being a force for good and ill, an account that is supported by examples that are so hackneyed as to be not much more than scapegoating. For example, in discussing the best and worst of religion—obviously seeking a non-Islamic example—the Report uses Haiti as an instance of the “best and worst of faith-based efforts”:
A classic example of the wonders and ills was the catastrophic earthquake in Haiti in January 2010. Eighty-one U.S. charities, including faith-based organizations, raised or pledged $611 million for relief efforts within three weeks of the devastating quake, while legions of development personnel worked in the midst of great suffering to provide food, medicine, and shelter. Meanwhile, a Baptist group was implicated in the kidnapping of children, which raised local suspicions and tainted the immense, positive contribution of the faith-based development effort.
This is the best and worst of faith-based efforts in the world? Nowhere in the report is the massive sex abuse scandal in the Catholic Church mentioned. Surely, that scandal reflects the worst far more than the misguided but well-intentioned efforts of a few would-be rescuers of children. But in this report, the Catholic Church is one of the good guys. As for women’s rights, they are deliberately relegated to second place.
This report is also oddly inconsistent about whether religion is an individual matter or a collective matter. At times, the word religion seems to refer to the familiar, modernist, progressive, American, protestant form that is now widely documented and described as the religion of the first amendment. But, curiously, a footnote defines religion for the purposes of the report in a quite un-American way:
We define religion as an established system of belief, practice, and ritual based in a collective affirmation of a transcendent or otherworldly reality that encompasses and gives ultimate meaning to earthly existence . . . we are particularly focused on multigenerational, transnational religions organized around institutions, leaders, and disciples or followers—adherents who normally number in the millions worldwide, but who are supremely local in their influence and impact.
It seems that disestablishment is good policy at home, but that establishment will be the policy abroad, because “an established system” of “multigenerational” institutions with “leaders” and “followers” is the way to control people and the NSC needs formal actors to engage with.
Interestingly, the question of established religion reveals a division among the Report’s authors. One of the major recommendations in the Report is the following:
Clarify the Applicability of the Establishment Clause. The Task Force calls upon the president of the United States, advised by executive offices and agencies who have studied the problem, to clarify that the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment does not bar the United States from engaging religious communities abroad in the conduct of foreign policy, though it does impose constraints on the means that the United States may choose to pursue this engagement. Such clarification would serve as a major “next step” in the president’s post-Cairo follow-up.
A footnote to this recommendation refers the reader to a dissent and a response to the dissent appended to the report. The dissenters, Jean Bethke Elshtain, Thomas Farr, William Inboden, David Neff, and Timothy Samuel Shah, announce that they “believe that in the absence of compelling evidence to the contrary (evidence which, as the report demonstrates, does not now exist), no administration should impose constraints on American foreign policy that are imagined to derive from the Establishment Clause.”
The responders, Frederick Mark Gedicks, Kent Greenawalt, Abner Mikva, George Rupp, and David Saperstein, while embracing the definition of religion in footnote 7, but perhaps concerned about the broader implications of any suggestion that the Constitution has no authority beyond the territorial borders of the U.S., apparently also felt constrained to announce categorically that “It is beyond question that all branches of the U.S. government must act in accordance with the Constitution when conducting American foreign policy,” and, further, that “There is no reason to believe that the Establishment Clause is an exception to this requirement.”
The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution begins, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof…” Since 1947, the Supreme Court has understood the Amendment to have been incorporated through the Fourteenth Amendment due process clause, so that it is now applicable to state governments as well as to the federal government. It is broadly understood today to prohibit the privileging by the governments of the U.S. of one religion over another, and to prohibit government funding of religious worship and proselytization. As the report mentions, the U.S. Supreme Court has not expressly ruled on the applicability of the establishment clause to foreign policy. One could speculate on what this Court might do if asked, particularly after its decision in Hein v. FFRF; but when combined with the definition of religion announced in footnote 7, the view of the dissenters seems to be that those prohibitions should not guide American policy abroad. American policy abroad should discriminate among religions, and should fund and promote the religious activity that it finds good and in the best interests of the U.S.
While periodic, and not altogether successful, efforts at disestablishment have produced a distinctively American style of religious governance—one that is not widely shared throughout the world—it is difficult not to see the adoption of an explicitly establishmentarian position by American foreign policy makers as opportunistic and naïve. Established religion is, by definition, not accepting of “pluralism, freedom, and democracy.” The sacred and the secular are deployed in the report with a startling slipperiness. As Beth Hurd says in her companion piece [forthcoming at The Immanent Frame], a peculiarly toxic form of “American exceptionalism, and a particular notion of American religious freedom and American power, are sacralized in this report, such that they are, in the words of the report, lending ‘a sacred aura and intensity to disputes and campaigns that also have significant secular dimensions.’”
At the same time, “secular’ policies of the U.S. are exempt from responsibility for the creation of violence. With Beth Hurd, and with Rami Khouri, at The Daily Star, I believe this Report says more about “us” than it does about “them.” Khouri writes:
The Chicago report is an important sign of how sensible Americans continue to seek a more complete understanding of the world they live in, and try to forge better policies to navigate that world. But the process reflects the weaknesses in American government policies as a whole in that it exaggerates the role of religion as a distinct independent actor or force, and does not factor into the resurgence of religiosity the stimulus provided by American policies in the Arab-Asian region (and Israeli policies in the Middle East).
This report simply dresses up American political realism in a religious garb. It both misses the real story and shamelessly exploits the politics of fear to support American interests.
It is unquestionably the case that religion seems suddenly to be in everyone’s mouths. There are a number of causes for this, in my view, both historical and epistemological. In part, religion as the other of the enlightenment returns in philosophical circles as good to think. Religion returns as a useful label for a range of practices that exceed the individual—to describe communal and cultural ways of being in the world, as well as material and incarnational accounts of human life. Politically, too, religion is a useful catchall for resistance to various oppressive regimes, the state, the west, the market, science, globalization…. But these issues are beyond the scope of this piece—and beyond the imagination of the report.
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(Writer's Note: Some of the ideas were inspired by a conversation with Elizabeth Oinen.)
With the relative paucity of gay material in the New Yorker, Spencer Reese’s poem “The Long-Term Marriage” was a welcome relief. It appeared in the April 23 issue, published in the aftermath of Proposition 8. I enjoyed some of the sentiments of the poem, but ultimately wonder if they’re that useful politically. Here’s the poem:
At last she’s happy, reigning with her creams,
rubbing his scalp’s roof until it gleams.
As the squamous-cell carcinomas sprout,
the local dermatologist cuts them out
or frosts the lunar surface with liquid nitrogen.
The creams come from West Fourteenth Street, Manhattan,
FedExed from their adopted son’s boyfriend’s home,
a relationship that remains, to them, unknown.
Their Oriental rugs are steeped in piss
from the bulldog barking like an activist.
Bickering over misplaced books, the tchotchkes
lost, and how she re-remembers her stories,
they wait with an unfinished, finished look,
and note how honeysuckle crowns Old Saybrook
and thistles overrun their last garden.
The dash between their dates is nearly done.
From the first clause, the poem offers a darkly comic ambiguity: is she happy that her husband grows sicker and sicker or that she has the opportunity to help him conceal the visible aspects of his illness?
Throughout the poem, the less favorable aspects of middle-class marriage emerge: they have never taken the time to know details of their son’s life, including his gay lover. Even during this grave time, they “bicker” over material possessions, the useless tchotchkes. So bored with her husband, she perfunctorily “re-remembers” uninspired moments of their life together. The setting reflects the dismal nature of their marriage: “thistles overrun their last garden.” You could even claim that the flat-footed rhetoric (even if it’s present in a good amount of Reese’s work) contribute to the impersonal nature of their relationship. No one way could miss the use of the distant third person, further adding to that effect.
And that dog, possibly the only element in their house that resists, barking “like an activist.” But ultimately a faint echo in a room marked by a an all-pervasiveness deadness. That poor dog a substitute of a gay male presence. Perhaps the only lightness emerges from the honeysuckle crowning Old Saybrook. Or is even that image simply a continuation of the image established in the initial stanza. The honeysuckle may conceal the problems in the garden to a degree, but to what end? Same thing with those creams? Same thing with the perfunctory gestures the husband and wife offer one another in this desperate time?
The poem is efficient in satirizing a long-term marriage. Its theme is deployed with fine, mechanical skill. It's as predictable as most bad heterosexual unions.
Larger question looms: is this a useful political poem? Is it a political poem at all? With the paucity of gay-themed material in the magazine, why choose this gay-authored poem above others? Why can’t we have a poem that focuses on the son and his lover?
I would claim that this poem is not in any way political. For a poem to be political often it must identify clearly the historical incidents and/or people inspiring or depicted in the poem. A political poem must be aggressively explicit in its naming of the historical elements creating the world of the poem. Metaphor, obviously, can employed as a political tool, without the explicit naming, but one must be sure to ask why and to what effect. Reese’s benign satire offers a depiction of an anonymous middle-class marriage. It doesn’t offer a new take. It doesn’t do justice the privileged.
I have the sinking feeling that like a lot of gay poets, Reese wants his poem to outlast the moment; it aims for a timelessness. Which, ironically, makes the poem feel already dated.
Way too often gay poets elasticize the world “political” in a dangerous way. By claiming that all art can be political, as long as its good, they make the word void of useful meaning, It becomes a word related to aesthetics rather than politics. Take this current exchange between gay poets Richard Siken and James Allen Hall. Siken wrote Crush, one the my favorite debuts of the decade; James Allen Hall partly rejuvenated the mother-son domestic narrative. The exchange centers around Hall’s ahistorical domestic narratives about he and his mother:
JAH: Any story worth telling is valuable not because of the nature of its spectacle. When I began writing poems about my mother, and then began making the book, I was concerned with the question of spectacle: is it interesting because it is, at various turns, sordid and gossipy and heartbreaking and joyful? I asked not, “what concerns,” but why. I needed to enlarge beyond my mother’s story, or to understand her particularity as a stream birthed by a whole other river, and that river sourced by another, and on and on. I think I’m interested in this enlargement as an issue of empowerment. Maybe because people who resist their categories have been told they have no history, that their struggle is futile and incoherent precisely because, our teachers and theologians and lawmakers have said, there has never been a precedent for that struggle.
RS: Does this make you a political poet by default?
JAH: By default, yes. And by choice.
(This excerpt of the interview appeared in the University of Arizona Poetry Newsletter)
Richard Siken’s question eclipses James Allen Hall’s curious readings of his own poems.
What does “a political poet by default” mean? One could just accidentally inadvertently write a polemic? How can you truly choose to become a political poet by default? Is a formally inventive poem automatically a political one? Why can’t a poet be great and apolitical? Are we so insecure as gay poets that we feel the compulsion to name our work as political so we can justify the writing of our own poems? When we should be marching in rallies?
I do believe form can be political. But using deliberately inflated comic metaphor to describe your own mother cannot in any way be described as political, no matter how many bodies of water surround the domestic scene.
Siken’s question and Hall’s answer leave me confused.
My point: If you want to write about Mom and Dad, then go ahead and do it. But don’t claim they’re stand-ins for Father John McCain and Mother Sarah Palin. Unless, of course, you’re a Log Cabin Republican.
This is meant in no way to disparage Hall and Siken.
I am envious of their justified success and talent.
But their views reflect a disingenuous and a questionable way of needlessly elevating their art.
Being a gay writer does not necessarily make your poems political.
I believe in art as pleasure. I believe in beauty and magic.
But poets need to choose their words with care and definition. The political cannot simply be synonymous with the artistic.
I don’t know if Reece would call his satire of heterosexual marriage as political. But it wouldn’t surprise me if he did. This pattern of elasticizing the word political to mean whatever we want it to is dangerous. All three of these poets –Siken, Hall, and Reese- are hugely well-respected gay poets. We cannot simply let them off the hook.
Miguel Murphy is another poet I respect; his collection The Book of Rats intrigues me. He also is a smart editor, creating a politically viable issue of OCHO with the theme of gay marriage. (Full disclosure: I contributed.)
Look at an excerpt of his exceptionally well- written guest post which appeared on The Poetry Foundation of America website. I’m going to offer a fairly large quotation from the it. Here are the first two numbered sections:
Tonight I am a parade of love and anger.
For those of us who are gay, a sad, palpable irony accompanies, even ruins, the celebratory mood, the prayers of thanks and joy. On November 4, 2008, we accomplish a fulfillment of the civil rights movement, and yet on the same night we find that our relationships are marginalized, our desire to manifest our lives, our loves, and our families in the public realm has been very cleanly snuffed.
Tonight 18,000 gay couples are marching for their lives. Tonight, hundreds of years are walking arm in arm together parading the rim of some comic black abyss. Men and women who love one another with their bodies and with their intelligence, like you. Tonight they are marching. Together they are daring the absence to abolish them. They are crowding the darkness with the light of their private embraces. Tonight they are together, facing the public, their faces lit by starlight and police light and news camera, flashing their pleas and anger. They are facing the hypocrisy of our culture and government, refusing silence, determined, defiant, undefeated.
We carry our signs: we carry the singular river of our song, our voices lifted into a shout that echoes other revolutionary movements: Separate Is NOT Equal! Ban H8! Yes We Can! Sí Se Puede! Yes We Can!
Tonight I am marching with them.
I am taking you with me.
I dreamed you were a poem,
I say, a poem I wanted to show someone. . .
When I first put out a call for Gay poets to submit to the upcoming February 2009 issue of OCHO magazine: DEAR AMERICA, DON’T BE MY VALENTINE, I received a surprising handful of negative or insulting messages. Some queer poets thought the point I was making silly, others were offended by the vulgarity of the call. In it, I appropriated the language of the illicit, the derogatory, to emphasize in a dramatic way the feeling that as gay men and women we have been demoralized by our political system that even as it courts our race and gender, illegitimates our pursuit to love.”
Imagine my surprise when I saw this comment on his blog Pistola:
“For me, all good poems are political in that they can be written into the ineffable they seek, and in this way I can read Celan, or Tsvetaeva, or Shakespeare, and feel like I've received something in this prison. Even if we write poems from our gay, single, immigrant migrant worker, 2nd generation American 21st century perspective”
Where did this dramatic shift in attitude come from? Why did Murphy, who created his issue out of a defiant political impulse change his tune? Why would such a smart politicized editor all of a sudden make a bizarre statement “all good poems are political?”
You can’t help but ask: what does that make the bad ones?
I think it may be important for me to (re)emphasize a few points:
1. A poem does not need to be political. Write whatever you want.
2. A homosexual who looks for political meaning does not make him incapable of enjoying apolitical entertainment.
3. A homosexual who looks for political meaning does not always feel compelled to do so. (Many of my posts simply deal with aesthetics.)
4. Beauty and magic, to me, are completely different. Beauty is something that can be described: sentence structure, pacing, music, etc. etc. Magic can’t be described. It’s the ineffable. In Camera Lucida, Barthes’ tries to describe this "magic" not with poetry, but with photographs. The book develops the twin concepts of studium and punctum: studium referring to the cultural, linguistic, and political interpretation of a photograph, punctum referring to the wounding, personally touching detail which establishes a direct relationship with the object or person within it. Maybe these two terms can be applied to a lyric or narrative poem.
5. A homosexual who looks for political meaning wants to be wounded as much as anyone else.
I know that Murphy, Siken, Hall all have an extraordinary appreciation for poems different than their own. But, at the same time, why translate the word political to merely the aesthetic. You admire the odd sincerity of their words; at the same time, considering the admirable merits of these three poets, you would think that their prose would be as precise as their poems. No one could deny this trio are galvanizing, important voices in the gay poetry community. Why aren’t they providing more precise definitions of the word political, especially in the current political climate.
Reese’s poem isn’t a challenging one. (I prefer the syntactical brilliance of e.e cummings “the cambridge ladies who live in furnished souls,” undoubtedly a huge influence on Reese here). This isn’t to say it doesn’t have its merits. At the same time, why is this the queer poem the New Yorker chooses to include? Is it more palatable for heterosexual readers.; in other words, it isn’t that political or that angry. It's well-tempered.
Weirdly, you could say that Reese’s poem romanticizes heterosexual marriage. No matter how bleak their marriage, they still have health care. They have the inalienable, legal right to sit at their spouse’s bedside, visit the doctors without awkwardness, lead a domestic life without outside restriction. Maybe Reese’s poem is the ultimate taunt to homosexuals. The joke’s on you, Reese could be saying, relationships always degenerate. But for you, you queer, you have less than nothing. You don’t even necessarily receive the bitter, comic punchline. Your dying lover may be taken away before you even have the chance to offer a crummy good-bye.
10 Years of Blogging
22 hours ago
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Bruno Serralongue integrates his practice into the processes of production and distribution of information via images. He attends very diverse events such as regional festivities (Les fêtes, 1994), the universal exhibition in Hanover (Expo 2000), a neoliberal meeting in Chiapas (Encuentro, Chiapas, 1996), with a rhythm which is different to that of a press photo-journalist. With no specific accreditation and by using a camera that requires very long exposures, his standpoint is of course different. The artist questions commissions and working methods – he then integrates these as modalities for producing images by instatinga distance between the subject and the personal stylistic signature. According to his protocol for the Faits divers series (1993- 1995), the photographer works on very allusive information extracted from t miscellaneous news item section of the 'Nice-Matin' newspaper; Serralongue goes to the place mentioned two days after the event. As if emptied, the images create a space for representation that did not exist before. In the context of a crisis of representation and the scripting of reality by press images, “the document is a response to the world of images on the actual territory of the images, it is perhaps the only way to oppose the monopoly of spectacle”, according to Michel Poivert (in his analysis of the documentary style in "La photographie contemporaine", 2002), “the photographer and the spectator are reconciled by the adoption of the ordinary man's viewpoint”.
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As U.S. counterterrorism efforts expand in Yemen (BBC) and the Horn of Africa, the Obama administration continues to articulate the legal principles governing these often controversial operations. White House officials have delivered a series of major policy speeches over the last two years, most recently by counterterrorism chief John Brennan in April 2012, that have tried to explain the particulars as they relate to both targeted killings and detention policy. CFR's Matthew Waxman says the White House has sought "flexible pragmatism" in its counterterrorism policies, and notes the challenge for the administration "has been to strike difficult balances," often between competing imperatives such as the need to preserve intelligence operations and the desire to increase transparency. Despite the administration's goal of closing Guantanamo, Waxman sees "no viable alternative" to the detention facility as long as current restrictions on detainee transfer remain in place.
Is there a common thread that runs through the Obama administration's counterterrorism policies?
There are a few common themes in the administration's detention and targeted killing policies. First is the idea that the United States remains at war with al-Qaeda and its affiliates--a war that Congress has authorized and that courts have recognized--and that the government can therefore wield very potent and coercive powers. Second is the principle that the U.S. government's actions are constrained by domestic and international law, but within those constraints the executive branch should exercise flexible pragmatism in handling specific cases, rather than binding itself to any one option.
So, for example, the administration maintains that it has authority to capture and hold enemy al-Qaeda leaders or fighters under the laws of war without trial. But that authority is also limited by the laws of war defining who may be captured and held, and the administration should also have the option to prosecute such individuals in federal court if doing so makes good sense.
Over the last three-plus years, the administration has laid out its counterterrorism policy in a series of major speeches, most recently the Brennan speech. What, if any, are the big questions still left unanswered?
"Absent a dramatic event like a major terrorist attack or an action-forcing event like a significant court judgment against the government, I wouldn't expect radical reforms from the administration."
The continuing challenge for the Obama administration in this string of speeches has been to strike difficult balances, including asserting broad and geographically expansive war-fighting powers while assuring critics that they are limited; justifying or touting programs that remain covert; and promoting government transparency while protecting sensitive diplomatic relations and intelligence programs.
It's not surprising that some critics feel the Obama administration isn't going far enough in these speeches. For instance, they'd like to hear much more specific detail about the internal processes and standards by which the executive branch makes targeting decisions. And they'd also like to hear clearer articulation of the outer limits to the war against al-Qaeda and who may be targeted.
Do you expect the administration's policies to continue to evolve?
We're in somewhat of an equilibrium in that the administration faces pressure from both the left and right on some issues, like Guantanamo, while the targeting policy seems to have broad bipartisan support. Meanwhile, Congress has blocked some reform efforts like bringing detainees into the United States for trial.
Absent a dramatic event like a major terrorist attack or an action-forcing event like a significant court judgment against the government, I wouldn't expect radical reforms from the administration. Instead, its current policy will continue to evolve incrementally, such as refinement of detainee review procedures or revision of targeting guidelines in various contexts.
How long can the U.S. government rely on the 2001 Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF) as the domestic legal basis for its counterterrorism policies?
The AUMF doesn't have an expiration date, and the conflict with al-Qaeda is unlikely to come to a clear end. So debates will continue to rage about its scope: to which al Qaeda-affiliated groups or individuals does it apply, given that al-Qaeda remains a threat, but one that is increasingly dispersed, decentralized, and operationally disconnected from the 9/11 attacks?
Although some members of Congress have sought to update the AUMF, the administration has resisted, insisting that existing authorities are sufficient. That could change in the future were an entirely independent terrorist threat of similar magnitude to arise, or if courts begin to interpret the AUMF to significantly limit its scope going forward.
Are there distinct legal challenges that distinguish the counterterrorism campaign in Yemen (and Horn of Africa nations) from that in Afghanistan and Pakistan? What do the administration attorneys have to worry about in Yemen that they didn't in Pakistan?
The government has generally taken the position that AQAP is sufficiently part of or connected with al-Qaeda, sometimes using the legal term "co-belligerent", that it can rely on the same legal bases to support its actions against it. Against some particular terrorism suspects, the U.S. government may also be relying on a separate "self-defense" legal theory, that its actions are justified to prevent an imminent attack on the United States.
Even if the legal theories are the same as those used in Pakistan, there are special challenges in applying them in Yemen on account of the different factual circumstances. For example, there is the question of whether individuals' suspected conduct places them within the scope of these targeting authorities, and that analysis might look different with respect to Yemen versus Pakistan because of the way groups in each are organized or operate.
There is also the question of sovereignty, and whether the United States can use force against targets inside Yemen's or Pakistan's territory. Typically, the U.S. has sought consent from the respective government or has deemed it unwilling or unable to take sufficient action itself (i.e. the U.S. strike on Osama bin Laden). However, the U.S. government has not spoken publicly on that last question, among other reasons because of the delicate bilateral diplomacy involved.
If there were another major successful AQ-linked attack--for instance, a plane bombing in which several Americans perish--would the administration seek broader counterterrorism authorities, or would existing authorities suffice since the U.S. is already technically at war?
It would depend on the nature of the attack, but in such a case, the government would largely rely on its existing legal authorities, like the current AUMF. A major attack would probably bolster the view within the government and in court that the AUMF should be interpreted broadly, and it could rekindle debates about interrogation and airline security measures, too.
What are your expectations for the Khalid Sheikh Mohammed (NYT) proceedings? From a legal standpoint, what are some things to watch for?
"A major attack would probably bolster the view within the government and in court that the AUMF should be interpreted broadly, and it could rekindle debates about interrogation and airline security measures, too."
This is an opportunity for prosecutors to prove to the world the heinous acts of 9/11 and the key conspirators, but the government must also prove the legitimacy and credibility of the military commissions system. As currently constituted, military commission rules meet American constitutional standards and international standards, but they still face an uphill battle in winning over skeptics. For some critics, military commissions are indelibly associated with the most controversial Bush administration detention and interrogation programs, and the very idea that there would be a separate justice system for accused terrorists is offensive, regardless of whether the procedural and evidentiary rules are fair.
In terms of the KSM trial, it's not entirely clear yet what the defense strategy will be, though the defendants seem already to be trying to discredit the system. Also, watch for the defense to look for every opportunity to focus attention of the suspects' treatment at the hands of the CIA, including waterboarding.
What do you see as the fate for those detainees still uncharged at Guantanamo? And is there a foreseeable path to the facility's closure?
Although the administration maintains its stance that it wants to close Guantanamo, it will almost certainly stay open for the foreseeable future. Congress has blocked transfer of Guantanamo detainees into the United States, and it, as well as instability in some places abroad, has made transferring them home difficult. So long as those two options remain closed off, there is no viable alternative to continued detention there, perhaps combined with military commissions trials for some detainees and court review and periodic administrative review for others.
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Not got daytime running lamps on your car yet? Then it’s high time! For one thing, we’re starting to get more gloomy days that increasingly call for light even in the daytime. On the other hand, the deteriorating weather and shorter days mean there are fewer opportunities for enjoying working on your car. Fortunately, it takes relatively little time to install the LED Light@Day daytime running light kit from Osram.
Here are the steps:
I recently had the pleasure of driving from Northern Italy, through Austria, clear across Germany and all the way to Scandinavia in just two days. In the borderless Schengen Area of Europe, you can easily drive across a national border without evening noticing. But what you will notice right away is that despite Schengen and all the other agreements uniting Europe, the countries have very different regulations governing the use of vehicle lights during the day.
In Italy, daytime running lights are required outside of towns and on highways. And Italians comply with the law without any major exceptions, just as they do with the ban on smoking. But I had hardly crossed the border into Austria when the density of lights decreased. And no wonder: while the same law existed there from 2005 to 2007, it was repealed in 2008, apparently because more light caused more accidents, since pedestrians and cyclists are harder to see. However, it’s not against the law to drive during the day with your low beams on or other, special daytime running lights. And because more and more motor vehicles are being equipped with daytime running lights, and many drivers aren’t inclined to accept the government’s reasoning, you do indeed see numerous cars with their lights on. (more…)
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Ram Dass started out life as Richard Alpert, born into a wealthy Jewish Massachusetts family in 1931. Despite his bar mitzvah, he did not consider himself spiritual until he had tried LSD more than 377 times – many of those on trips with his close friend, Timothy Leary – and been fired from his teaching position at Harvard.
On a trip to India in 1967, he met Neem Karoli Baba, the man who would be his guru and the one who renamed him Ram Dass, which means “servant of God.”
From that point forward, Ram Dass became one of the country’s foremost spiritual seekers, writing numerous books and influencing thousands. Now 81, and paralyzed on one side from a stroke, Ram Dass lives in Maui and is still spiritually seeking.
Lynn Kaufman, the author and playwright, had long been fascinated by Ram Dass’ journey. That interest intensified after he suffered a stroke, which launched him into a new phase of self-examination. The author of 20 plays, Kaufman decided to write her first one-person play. Acid Test: The Many Incarnations of Ram Dass, opens tonight at The Marsh at 2120 Allston Way. The play starts Warren David Keith as Ram Dass and runs through Nov.24.
Here is an interview with Lynne Kaufman, who lives in San Francisco:
What inspired you to write this play?
I’ve been interested in spiritual growth for a long time. I was very influenced by Joseph Campbell, the comparative mythologist. I met him when I was in my twenties and we became lifelong friends. He talked about ‘being transparent to the transcendent’. There are people and events in your life that help you to pierce the veil of ordinary reality and see the transcendent behind it. It’s something I’d been looking for and trying to understand for a long time.
Acid Test is my first one person play. I’ve written twenty plays and they’ve always been multi-character. I wanted to see if I could maintain one voice through an entire play. Technically, the challenge interested me, but the man REALLY interested me because of his life journey.
The shifts in his life were more extreme than any of the other figures, going from tenured Harvard academic, to taking 377 LSD trips, to becoming a major spiritual teacher and finally suffering a major stroke. Those four distinct phases drew me to his life. I was intrigued by his sexual issues, too. By the shame. In the fifties being gay was considered a disease that had to be cured. In England it was a crime.
Ram Dass was Jewish and so am I. His relationship with his father moved me deeply. I was very close to my dad ,too.
Also, he has a great sense of humor. I thought if I can capture hid voice, it would be worth listening to.
So, you also identify with parts of Ram Dass’s life like your actor David does?
Yes. I identify with his resilience. My brother had an automobile accident when he was 19 and he’s in a wheelchair , a paraplegic , because of that. It’s been many decades since the accident and my brother has a wonderful life. He’s married, adopted a son, and all of that but I still feel how devastating that accident was. I strongly connect my brother’s accident to Ram Dass’s stroke.
I was deeply drawn to how Ram Dass had to re-invent himself after the stroke. He was so badly debilitated by it. He had lost his faith. He said, “I failed the test.” I love that remark. When he was near death, directly after the stroke, he looked up and didn’t see the tunnel or the white light. All he saw were the pipes in the ceiling and he said, “I’m supposed to be Mr. Spiritual, and I failed the test.”
He was angry after the stroke and it was so human. It was, why me? He was angry at needing help and angry at not being able to speak. He had been so articulate and so incredibly verbal. So, his new challenged reality really moved me. Each time you think you’ve got it nailed, “ I’m fine, this is the truth and this is who I am,” something comes along and pulls the rug out and you have to develop a new sense of who you are.
I also identified strongly with Ram Dass’s seeking. His spiritual search.
What was Ram Dass searching for?
I think Ram Dass was seeking bedrock. What’s the meaning of my life? How do I engage fully in this life? How do I feel most like myself? And here is the connection to Campbell. Joe Campbell’s most quoted statement is “Follow your bliss.” The entire quote is “Follow your bliss and doors will open where there were no doors and they will open for you.” And what Joe meant by bliss, is that which is deepest in you. I think for Ram Dass, the LSD experience peeled away all the trappings and moved him into what was really authentic.
I think the play is relevant today because we’re all seeking, trying to be comfortable in our own skin, not to keep looking over your own shoulder thinking, how am I doing? Anybody who helps us remember that. In the play, there is no one answer but it’s like the finger pointing at the moon. It’s not the finger, it’s the moon. It’s just an example of what we can be.
You’re part of the world and you can give your gift to the world and you stop judging yourself as much. Watch Ram Dass on Youtube at one of his retreats, it’s tangible, the love that people feel. It’s like breathing, it’s self-acceptance and accepting other people. There is a lot of good in the world. I believe the last line of the play that says, “We’re all God in drag.” I think we are.
How did you bring Ram Dass into this play?
I joined “Love, Serve, Remember,” which is Ram Dass’s foundation. You give a small donation and then you get these emails every so often with short lectures or bits of information. One said that if you want to, you can have a one to one talk with Ram Dass via Skype, from his home in Maui. I signed up for that and eight months later my name came up.
At this point, I had sent him a copy of the play for his approval. When we Skyped, he said that he had read the play, thought it was just fine, and suggested a few tiny corrections. Then he added, “But you know, Lynne, I don’t work from a script. I never memorize anything.”
“ I’m sure you don’t.” I said.
“So, he continued, ‘I don’t know that I’m going to be able to do this play for you.”
“Oh, no, I wasn’t thinking of that,” I said. “ I’ll get an actor to do it.”
It hadn’t ever dawned on me that he would think that I’d want him to go traveling around to do the play. It was so sweet. So, he was very relieved that I wasn’t asking him to.
But the script is all him, his words. I’ve edited some of his stories and moved them around, but virtually everything in there is true to his life.
What makes Ram Dass relevant today? Why did you think he was worth listening to?
The seeking for authenticity. We’re living in a time where we’re confused about what matters, what ultimately can give us a sense of contentment and peace. It’s not the next car. The next house. The next job. Nothing material is stable. We long to be connected to something larger than ourselves.
In the times we’re living in we need more of this message again?
Absolutely. So many plays are popcorn, this is crackerjacks. Acid Test will stick in your teeth.
Your play takes you on a spiritual journey. Did you think about that as you were writing it?
I knew where I wanted to wind up. I wanted to capture his spirit. I wanted to capture the experience I had personally with Joseph Campbell, being in his presence and feeling better about myself and better about the world. Inspired. I felt that way reading Ram Dass’s life. I thought, this is a good man. Not a saint, but a good man who is struggling to become his higher self. We all have higher selves. They are our better angels.
I hope at the end of ACID TEST, by following Ram Dass’s journey and seeing how human he is, how flawed and funny, and courageous and kind, we recognize the spiritual underpinning of our own lives. It’s there. All we have to do is pay attention to it. I’m moved when a baby smiles or when somebody opens the door for me. There is a lot of goodness in the world and I hope this play helps us to remember that.
To find out about more events in Berkeley and nearby, check out Berkeleyside’s Events Calendar. We also encourage you to submit your own events.
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Islamophobic Emails: Are We Guilty Of Spreading Hatred?
The Internet has made us more vulnerable to hate mongers.
It is unfortunate that the threat to our nation from violent Islamic radicals has led to suspicion and fear of all Muslims, many of whom are our coworkers, friends, and neighbors. One of the many ways this fear is fueled is through misinformation circulating on the Internet in the form of anti-Islamic emails.
The Internet is a propagandists dream come true. Any clever individual with access to the Internet can quickly spread hatred literally around the world. The way it is done is through us. By forwarding it to our friends, as we are encouraged to do, we become unknowing accomplices. What genius! The fact that an alarming message comes from a friend almost guarantees we will read it and out of concern we will pass it on to others.
In 1957 the journalist and social critic Vance Packard wrote a disturbing book titled “The Hidden Persuaders” in which he explored how “insights gleaned from psychiatry and the social sciences” have led to efforts to “channel our unthinking habits…and thought processes.” Packard revealed how advertisers, politicians and others use sophisticated methods to influence our thinking and manipulate our behavior. Today the Internet has made us more vulnerable not only to these same “Hidden Persuaders” but also to hate mongers. All it takes is a basic knowledge of propaganda techniques.
A typical email starts with a warning designed to invoke fear such as ”wake up America before it is too late.” It next attempts to establish credibility by attributing the content to a respected (although anonymous) authority, and then often proceeds to list a combination of half-truths and lies about Islam. Extremist examples are presented as representative of the beliefs and practices of all Muslims. This is as crazy as thinking that all Christians believe the same thing. The message provides a one-sided argument designed to support a hateful conclusion. The argument is almost always cloaked in deeply held American values such as patriotism, democracy, family, faith, and honor. The email is designed to appeal to our emotions in an attempt to short-circuit our ability to think critically.
As a result of our biases and suspicions, which the message reinforces, we are only too willing to follow the advice of the unknown author and “forward this to all your friends.” I think it is helpful to remind ourselves that the overwhelming majority of Muslims are just like you and I.
The reason these emails are effective is because the author counts on us to be intellectually lazy, to simply accept their message at face value. The alternative is to be skeptical of any such email you receive. Today we can quickly check the validity of a message using Google or Snopes.com. If you find the email to be false you can do two things; gently push back on the sender with the facts and most importantly do not forward the message yourself.
The terrorist threat to our country is real, however we need to realistically understand the threat absent the embellishment, exaggeration, and misinformation common today. More importantly we must realize that the vast majority of American Muslims are just as patriotic as American Jews, Hindus, Buddhists, or Christians.
Alan L. Wilgus, Major, US Army (Ret) is a former Psychological Operations (PSYOPS) officer familiar with how propaganda is used to influence both an enemy on the battlefield and a civilian population. He has a bachelors degree in behavioral science and a masters in organizational development. For the last twenty-years he has designed and implemented high-performance work systems for Fortune 500 companies. He is active in community service having served as president of the Smyrna Golden K Kiwanis club. He and his wife Helen live in Smyrna.
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For-profit colleges boost lending
Some of the nation's biggest for-profit colleges and vocational schools are boosting enrollment in tough times by making more loans directly to cash-strapped students, knowing full well many of them probably won't be able to repay what they borrowed.
The schools still make money because the practice boosts their enrollment and brings in tuition dollars subsidized by the government. But some of these students could end up saddled with high interest rates and loan payments they can't handle, a burden that could damage their credit for years to come.
Among the for-profit colleges that are booming are ITT, Corinthian Colleges and Career Education Corp. They and other such institutions have an estimated 1.2 million U.S. students pursuing degrees in such fields as nursing, computers and the culinary arts.
Many students at these schools get thousands of dollars in tuition grants under various government programs, and take out loans to cover the rest of their costs.
But because the economic meltdown has made it harder for students to get bank loans, several of these schools are increasingly stepping in, financing degrees in the same way a furniture store or used-car dealer might extend credit to customers.
These schools call the practice a lifeline for students who couldn't otherwise afford an education. And in some cases, students may find better terms than they used to get from lenders like Sallie Mae Corp., which have recently cut way back on student loans to high-risk borrowers.
But some experts worry students will get pushed into loans they shouldn't take.
In fact, two publicly owned college chains have set aside roughly half their internal lending amount as a loss reserve -- essentially telling investors they don't expect students to repay more than half of what they borrow.
Another concern: Some companies label such loans consumer financing rather than student loans, which carry particular disclosure requirements. One for-profit school, Colorado-based Westwood College, has been hit with a class-action lawsuit accusing it of fraud and arguing that its lending program violates state banking laws. Westwood charges a relatively high 18 percent interest but doesn't call its lending student loans.
"It's very alarming," said Deanne Loonin, director of the National Consumer Law Center's student loan borrower assistance project. The colleges "can structure the products in all kinds of ways -- things like revolving credit lines, unsecured loans, even secured loans. It's this new thing and we're worried about it."
Westwood, which has been making such loans for eight years, calls the lawsuit unfounded.
Jessica Rosales was 17 when she enrolled at Westwood's Inland Empire campus near Los Angeles. She dropped out after one term and was later told she owed Westwood around $18,000 -- nearly half in interest and collection fees. Rosales said that the school misled her about the source of her aid and that she never signed a loan from the school.
"It's basically been a curse for me," said Rosales, one of four lead plaintiffs suing Westwood. The interest charges have been dropped, but the bill remains on her credit report. She said she gets calls from collection agencies and is having trouble getting a mortgage.
Westwood's Apex loan program, which is used by about 30 percent of its 12,000 students, has no credit requirement, said Bill Ojile, senior vice president of Westwood. He said that terms are clearly disclosed, interest accrues only after the student leaves school, and students are required to exhaust all other options first.
Many for-profits are seeing enrollment surge. New enrollments at ITT are up one-third from a year ago; last month the company forecast profits 50 percent higher than last year. Laid-off workers returning to school and increased government aid have boosted the number of students at many of these places.
Even critics acknowledge many for-profit schools -- also called "proprietary" colleges -- offer convenience and innovation that nonprofit colleges could stand to emulate. They also proudly enroll many low-income students.
But they can also be expensive. Forty-three percent of proprietary college students took out private loans in 2007-08, up from 15 percent in 2003-04, according to an anaysis of federal data by the group Education Sector. Over the same period, the proportion of students at for-profit colleges borrowing at least $40,000 nearly tripled to 30 percent, according to Mark Kantrowitz of the Web site finaid.org.
Those figures are worrisome because, on average, for-profit colleges have lower graduation rates and higher loan default rates than other schools.
Some companies, including Apollo Group, parent company of the giant University of Phoenix, have steered clear of such loans altogether, and the industry calls internal lending a relatively small practice, entered into reluctantly.
"We're not lenders. We're educators," said Harris Miller, president and CEO of the Career College Association, which represents the industry. But "if it's a question of not going to school at all or covering the gap, they cover the gap."
Some students could be better off borrowing from their school than from a third-party lender. Career Education, for instance, says most students in its lending program pay just 8 percent interest, and online students pay none. The company says it has no interest in making students overextend themselves.
So why are Career Education and Corinthian Colleges making loans so risky that they anticipate half won't be collected?
Consider, for example, a school charging $10,000, hoping to enroll a student who has lined up $9,000 in aid from the government and elsewhere. Even if the school loses half of the $1,000 it lends to get the student in the door, it comes out $9,000 ahead.
"For many of these students, if you don't apply these thousand dollars, they're not coming to school," said Jeff Silber, an industry analyst at BMO Capital Markets. "Even if you write off that $500 right away, you're giving up all those other revenues. Financially it still makes sense to do this."
Another incentive is the "90-10" rule, a federal law requiring for-profit colleges to collect at least 10 percent of revenue from sources other than the federal government. That gives for-profit colleges a reason to keep tuition high and offer loans.
According to Securities and Exchange Commission filings and comments to investors, Corinthian plans about $100 million of lending this year. ITT said last month its lending grew significantly last quarter and would total $75 million this year. Career Education said its current balance of $31 million could grow to $50 million by year's end.
Representatives for Carmel, Ind.-based ITT ESI Educational Services and Santa Ana, Calif.-based Corinthian did not respond to requests for comment.
Rosales said she wishes she had listened to her mother, who found Westwood's recruiters pushy and only reluctantly let her daughter attend the school.
"But you're young and you think you know it at all," Rosales said. "And you really don't know anything."
Wednesday, September 02, 2009
For-Profit Colleges: Wall Street Mentality
While Obama and Duncan listen to the hedge fund-backed pro-charter advocates like DFER and the slew of sleazy philanthrocapitalists-backed edupreneurs, some of the explicitly for-profit colleges are borrowing one of the very same strategies that brought Wall Street to its knees: making loans they know cannot be repaid and then charging their cash-strapped students obscene interests rates. One school, Westwood College, is even facing a class-action lawsuit for their lending practices (check out this great website about the scam). Preying on those in search of educational opportunities gives us yet another reason to strictly regulate for-profit enterprises; better yet, this provides yet another compelling reason to offer free education to every citizen of this country. From the Associated Press (with h/t to Danny Weil, author of the great 3 part series on charter schools that recently appeared on Counterpunch).
Posted by Ken Libby at 11:52 AM
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Filed under: Capitalism, Energy, Environment, Law, Liberalism | Tags: Cataracts and Pterygia, Compact Fluorescent Lightbulbs, Unintended Consequences
Liberals seldom investigate the unintended consequences of their good ideas. They do get enthusiastic about new ideas to improve the world, increase control of the bitter clinging masses, and just neglect to look at the details.
Saving the planet has ranked very high on their agenda, particularly since Obama promised to halt the rise of the oceans, so anything that promised to cut down on CO2 emissions, or energy use, seemed like a good idea right off the bat. Who would have suspected that people would get indignant over changing their lightbulbs to a different kind that would save them money in their electric bills?
Well, as usual, unintended consequences rise up. CFL bulbs — the twisty fluorescent kind— have not only gotten much more expensive, but now scientists say that they can harm the eyes. New research from the Australian National University has warned that the global trend toward using fluorescent bulbs may cause a 12 percent rise in UV-related eye diseases like cataracts and pterygia.
So does all the saving on our electricity bills, which energy secretary Steven Chu insists is good for us whether we like it or not, outweigh the cost of all the cataract operations? I have no idea what pterygia is, or what medical attention it might require.
So many liberal solutions turn out to be worse than the original.
Filed under: Foreign Policy, Iraq, Middle East, Military | Tags: American Military, Obama's Failed Negotiations, Self Congratulatory Address
The storyline that plays in Obama’s head is clearly different than the one that plays in mine. Peter Wehner, who served in the Bush administration and writes now frequently at Commentary magazine’s Contentions blog, wrote recently that he thought that Obama has a heroic vision of himself in his head which just doesn’t allow reality to intrude.
This is so odd. Does he really think he’s doing a good job? Is he telling a story that he hopes the rubes will believe? Does he believe what he says? Does he think this story is the one that his base will like and thus believe? Is he just trying to put a good face on an administration blunder, for public consumption?
This article from the New York Times gives some of the back story, and suggests that negotiations are ongoing, but Iraq needed a clear break to signify Iraq’s own sovereignty.
Here is the transcript of the Weekly Address, should you want to consider what the president had to say more closely. Here’s how Scott Johnson of Powerline describes the address.
Obama fits both Libya and Iraq into a “larger story.” In this address he is bringing it all back home, you might say. To the themes of R2P, collective action, and strategic retreat, Obama adds the clear McGovernite note that America is coming home to turn its attention to the important things involving projects in which we have “invested” too little. He really couldn’t be much clearer.
Filed under: Election 2012, Iraq, Middle East, Military, National Security | Tags: Apologize and Retreat, Reelection Efforts, The Obama Doctrine
President Obama has declared his strategy of removing all American military forces from Iraq by the end of the year a success, and he said “Ensuring the success of this strategy has been one of my highest national security priorities ” since taking office. “Over the next two months, our troops in Iraq, tens of thousands of the, will pack up their gear and board convoys for the journey home. The last American soldier will cross the border out of Iraq with their heads held high, proud of their success, and knowing that the American people stand united in our support for our troops. That is how America’s military effort in Iraq will end.”
Funny, last week he was saying that we are still negotiating with the government in Iraq for American troops to stay longer and help Iraqis to train their military. And in February 2009, to an audience of Marines at Camp Lejune, he stated:
This strategy is grounded in a clear and achievable goal shared by the Iraqi people and the American people: an Iraq that is sovereign, stable, and self-reliant. To achieve that goal, we will work to promote an Iraqi government that is just, representative, and accountable, and that provides neither support nor safe-haven to terrorists. We will help Iraq build new ties of trade and commerce with the world. And we will forge a partnership with the people and government of Iraq that contributes to the peace and security of the region.
That clear and achievable goal has not been met. Iraq is not sovereign, stable or self-reliant. Their difficult next door neighbor, Iran, keeps interfering. They had a successful parliamentary election in February 2010, with a not so successful outcome. There were all sorts of political parties, and the government has not been completely formed, there is no agreement on how the state will be run, or just who will run it. Iraq may not be able to protect its territory or its airspace. The government is not just, representative or accountable, and those new ties of trade and commerce with the world—never mind. But the surge worked. We won.
President Obama, back when he was just a senator from Illinois said” I have been a consistent and strong opponent of this war.” Of the surge, he said “I cannot in good conscience support his escalation. It is a policy which has already been tried and a policy which has failed.” Harry Reid, leader in the Senate, said of the surge when it was underway “This war is lost and the surge is not accomplishing anything.” So, there is some confusion here about attitudes and aims.
Democrats simply could not overcome their seething emotion about the Iraq War. The cries of Bush Lied, People Died, they accepted as gospel truth, though Bush lied about nothing. Every cooperating government’s intelligence services agreed that Iraq had WMD. There was a very large coalition that went into Iraq and fought together. The deposing of Saddam and his brutal government followed by free elections were like an earthquake in the Middle East. To assume that the current protest and revolt in the arab Middle East is unrelated to Iraq is naive in the extreme. Yet the war in Libya, in which we had no national interest whatsoever, entered on a president’s say so without any approval of Congress is a valiant effort with a successful conclusion that Democrats are celebrating. Consistency is not one of their strong points.
The administration had a real opportunity in Iraq, and they blew it. They did not focus on helping Iraq to meet the opportunity. I don’t know if they ever understood the difficult position of Iraq situated between Iran and Syria, both bent on increasing their influence in Iraq and forcing removal of the U.S. military from the Middle East. They got their fondest wish. Now Obama is concentrated on his reelection effort, and bringing the troops home will appeal to his anti-war base. So much for American goals and objectives. Let us hope that the price is not too high.
Here’s the Foreign Policy take on “How the Obama administration bungled the Iraq withdrawal negotiations.” Christian Whiton’s commentary for Fox News: “Obama Ignores that U.S.Won in Iraq—Twice.” Carl M. Cannon’s essay on: “The Obama Doctrine, Made Plain at Last in Libya, Iraq,” is here. Fredrick M. Kagan and Kimberly Kagan were among the most perceptive commenters on the entire War in Iraq, their piece is “Retreating With Our Heads Held High.”
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The Evolution Deceit
ADNAN OKTAR: Turkey already has an Ottoman experience from before. She has dominated the three continents. They are compassionate and honest people. For instance, when the army is moving ahead they walk through a place abounding in vineyards. The Ottoman soldiers pluck and eat grapes. They take money out of their pockets, put it inside a little sac and hang it on the branches of the grapes they have eaten. I mean they thus say "We ate your grapes and here is the payment." There is no passing by and confiscating like gangsters. They are such an honest people, such a polite people. They fear Allah. Allah made them prevail because their system was constantly built on the fear of Allah. My brother, the conquest of Istanbul is a miracle. Europe would never have given Istanbul. Above all, it is their religious capitol; how could they give their religious capitol up? But Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) is going to emerge, so Allah makes them give it. They gave Istanbul because Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) is going to emerge; that is Allah made them give.
About the Turkish Islamic Union: they have been saying Turkey is growing stronger. It is a great power. We do not have any economic power. We are a poor nation in that sense. Right? We are a modest and compassionate nation who is satisfied with a loaf of bread and some cheese. We do not live with very high quality cars and houses. The situation in Anatolia is known. We have a big and rich heart. What Europe talking about is our spiritual wealth. We have an esteem, we are influential. They have confidence in our compassion. They have confidence in our love. They have confidence in our respect. The Turkish soldiers go to Somali and everyone embraces them. They go to Afghanistan and they embrace them. We are a beloved nation. This is what is meant by Europe. We also want to be the leader. This is our destiny. Now look, to be more clear; the world state that rules the world wants it this way. I mean, they should not make me say any more. Right? The world state calls for a Turkish Islamic Union in the leadership of Turkey. If you ask who is at the head of the state, it is obvious.. insha'Allah. Look, the whole world is advancing towards this step by step. Obama comes out and makes a statement about this. The President of France comes out and talks about this. The President of Russia comes out and talks about this. Everyone is advancing towards this step by step. A power unknown to them drags them along this way, towards the Turkish Islamic Union. None of them could stop. Those who struggle against this are dragged along as well, so are those who struggle for this.
For example, if you ask whether or not Fatih Altayli calls for an Islamic Union; the answer is known. For example, what does he say about Erbakan? He talks in an inconceivable manner. This attitude would wake up any man who is lazy in a state of sleep. He would say "My sense of honor for Islam has burst. I came to my senses." He would thus realize the greatness of the incident and this would bring enthusiasm.2010-10-31 18:43:54
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I posted recently about online businesses that have two phases: growing very popular but not profitable, and then converting the popularity into profit. It's arguably not the best business model: a sustainable income stream is generally preferable to a one time windfall, but it may allow online for-profit work that couldn't otherwise support itself.
In the comments, Meredith pointed us to Heather Armstrong's problems with Maytag. To recap, an influential 'Mommy Blogger' purchased a new washing machine that promptly broke, and was given the run around by repairmen and customer service reps. By taking her complaints into the public sphere her washing machine was promptly fixed, and another machine was donated to a shelter.
Heather Armstrong has a lot of sway in an important market segment, but the threat of bad online publicity isn't just being wielded by the twitterati. Comcast has a full time employee tasked with resolving any issues people bring up with its service on twitter. Various airlines do the same, with people reporting significantly better customer service by tweeting rather than talking directly to a representative. A complaint going viral (as happened in 2006 when a blogger recorded an AOL rep trying to prevent him from canceling his account) can cause serious damage to a company's reputation, so many are going to great lengths to avoid this.
This is a significant shift in power that should hopefully curb the worst abuses of corporations. Indeed, the power of the internet to communicate complaints to all corners of the globe is being used not just against corporations but against governments, educators and individuals who abuse their roles. The potential exists here to greatly enhance the transparency of the world, and to use the power of the masses to counterbalance localized power abuses.
But one needs only look at customer opinion aggregation services to realize that like everything else on the internet, there's a dark side. I googled "fake amazon reviews" to find something to link to, but the 1,000,000 hits speaks for itself (an aside: I find it interesting that Google-owned Blogger doesn't recognize 'googled' as a valid word). Companies post rave reviews of their products (sometimes a great many), and more sinisterly make up complaints and accusations against competitors. More than one business has been accused of extortion, Yelp being the most recent to face a class action lawsuit. Purportedly the company offered to take down negative reviews if a company would advertise with them, or conversely threaten to take down positive reviews. Any credible claim can influence corporate actions and consumer choices, not just true statements.
And while companies feel like fair targets, online complaints are also entwined with internet vigilantism. A Korean girl became the subject of abuse, eventually dropping out school, after she was filmed failing to clean up her dog's poop. Between misinformation and abusive use of correct information, it's not clear whether the soapbox of the internet is revealing truths about companies we otherwise would have missed, or if its muddying the water and making it increasingly difficult to understand the truth about a situation.
Perhaps worst of all is that the technology for automating the vocalization of opinions is continually being refined. As it currently stands, writing up fake reviews takes time. Many sites fight abuses by discounting users who post only a single opinion, or post rave reviews for every one of a company's product. Creating enough accounts, seeding with enough real reviews (over a reasonable span of time), and changing each review enough to hide that you wrote them all is work. But software could do it for you someday. Already a great many blogs exist that just use software to rewrite other people's posts.
I suspect we'll manage, though. Paid reviews and payola have a long history, and society has managed. Using reviews as extortion is starting to generate lawsuits, and I suspect over time the worst abuses will subside. More than anything, the internet is just a reflection of society, and the same critical evaluation required for interacting with the world is necessary online. It's not so much that the internet is unleashing new evils on the world, as its proving incapable of defeating the same old evils we're used to.
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Incumbent President of Colombia Signs Public Letter Questioning Drug War
Stay up to date with the latest headlines via email.
Manuel Santos, incumbent President of Colombia, which has fought a long-time war on drugs with the support of the U.S., has just signed a public letter questioning that war on grounds of efficacy, cost, side effects, and fairness.
According to a public letter circulated by the Beckley Foundation, which was founded in the UK by Amanda Feilding, the global war on drugs "has failed and has had many unintended and devastating consequences worldwide." Failed how? Drugs are "cheaper, purer, and more available." The unsuccessful "war" on drugs is costing taxpayers "billions per year." The drug industry, the "third most valuable industry in the world," is "all in the control of criminals." This cash flow pays for rampant "corruption." And people's lives are being wrecked when they are deprived of freedom (and then of a vote).
Breaking the Taboo, a new documentary on the war on drugs, can be viewed on YouTube as of December 7, and serves as part of the Beckley Foundation's challenge to prohibitionist policies encoded in a U.N. convention on "narcotic" drugs. Inspired in part by a Brazilian film of the same name that had its premiere in Rio in 2011, the new documentary is narrated by Morgan Freeman and directed by Cosmo Feilding Mellen of Sundog Pictures in London.
Meanwhile, Beckley's public letter has attracted many signatures. It is hard enough to get support from leaders no longer in office, such as, in Europe, the past presidents of Poland and Switzerland; and in Latin America, the past presidents of Brazil, Colombia, and Mexico; as well as, in the U.S., past presidents Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton, both of whom are featured in the new documentary, Breaking the Taboo. All of them are signers. It is very much harder to win the commitment of a sitting leader, such as Otto Perez Molina, President of Guatemala, also a signer, as well as, now, Juan Manuel Santos of Colombia.
In the cautious language of diplomacy, the Beckley letter states that "we must seriously consider shifting resources away from criminalizing tens of millions of otherwise law-abiding citizens and move toward an approach based on health, harm-reduction, cost-effectiveness, and respect for human rights."
In addition to the various presidents, past and present, the letter has now been signed by a dozen Nobel Prize winners, various former public officials, professors, writers, as well as by Sting, Yoko Ono, and Richard Branson. Among the professors are not only the well-known progressive Noam Chomsky, but also his neighbor in Cambridge, the relatively conservative Harvard historian Niall Ferguson.
In calling for harm-reduction, Beckley's letter is quite specific about the cause of the harm. "At the root of current policies lies the 1961 UN Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs."* "As the production, demand [for] and use of drugs cannot be eradicated, new ways must be found to minimize harm, and new policies, based on scientific evidence, must be explored."
Consider a metaphor from ancient culture of Hawaii, where, on the Big Island, I first met Amanda Feilding. Along the west coast is the City of Refuge, where, according to the National Park Service, "those who violated the kapu (sacred laws)" could come for sanctuary. If they made it within the wall, they were safe from retribution. Located in the UK, the Beckley Foundation is creating a sort of global refuge for those who are breaking the taboo of the drug war, a growing sanctuary that is endorsed by various world leaders and documented in the new film.
The campaign to question the war on drugs is notably inter-generational. Richard Branson's son Sam works at Sundog Pictures with Cosmo Feilding Mellen, director of the new documentary and a son of the woman who founded the Beckley Foundation.
Apart from helping to organize a reconsideration of public policy on drugs, the Beckley Foundation is supporting and in some cases taking part in research on these molecules (details on its website). In this, it parallels the efforts of such U.S. nonprofits as the Heffter Research Institute and the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies ( MAPS). The latter has supported research that found MDMA useful, as an adjunct to psychotherapy, in treating post traumatic stress disorder.
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SEO article writing is one of the hottest and most effective ways to drive traffic and increase your audience and customer base online. And it’s cost-effective too, with article submission being free for most directories and sites.
Even if you end up paying to have someone write for you, articles are usually a dollar or less each, while their exposure can make you hundreds of times that amount. This is how you get How To Make Money By Blogging.
It’s not like writing a technical or niche article, where you personally are writing the article to build your brand and your reputation in your industry community. SEO-based article writing is about using keywords to drive your site up in search results and improve your ranking.
It is also a way to provide people with links to your site and easy ways to find your business when they need help in your specialty. It is about driving these results in one or more of several venues. You can target your niche, make your presence known in the local area or community, or just try and get on the general submission sites and increase overall awareness of your business on the national or global platform.
SEO article writing is one part of an online marketing campaign, and a business owner can do it himself, buying articles from contractors or having a marketing firm handle the whole plan. Regardless of who does them, the articles written have to have a certain density of keywords.
The keywords should relate to the company’s URL.
Its all part of the easy steps to Optimize Search Engine Ranking.
The SEO article will also have back links in it, which are sometimes limited according to what directory you are listing on. Both the keywords and back links should be part of an article with 400 to 600 words and have the required terms occur as naturally as possible.
Once the technique is perfected, the articles should be produced and posted regularly to keep rankings up.
As long as keywords and SEO keep rankings up, all related searches will necessarily drive traffic to your site. So, the more regularly articles are posted, the higher the rankings, and the more traffic.
Every visitor to your site is a potential customer, so you want to make sure you wow your reader at least twice: when he reads your article, and when he gets to your site.
Once you make the article SEO-friendly and everything is in place, you need to make sure you get it to a directory that is also search-engine-friendly. If the directory and search engine work together, your articles will go higher on their ranking and stay there as long as you keep the SEO articles coming.
With every directory or search engine you use, you increase the likelihood of driving up your traffic. Also, don’t forget creating your own personal website to put all your articles is a great idea!
Just make sure your articles fit the directories’ specifications; some have limits on keyword use and back link limits that could knock you out of the running if violated.
But as long as you follow a few simple rules and use many, different directories, you will reach the most diverse but appropriate audience. SEO article writing and submitting is one of the very best ways to drive traffic to your website and increase your audience and your business.
If you would like to know more about this technique for creating an authority site see this Powerful Information On How To Make A Website.
Return to Top Of SEO Article Writing Strategies for Driving Traffic to Your Website
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Geraldine Phillips-Davis, a retired educator who also served as a columnist and feature story writer for The Miami Times, has written her first book, In Spite of Color: From the Plantations to the White House.
Originally from Fitzgerald, Davis earned a bachelors degree from Spelman College and a masters degree from Barry University. She moved to Warner Robins to be near her daughter about 12 years ago after her husband died. This is her first book.
Tuesday at Summers Landing of Warner Robins, located at 600 S. Kimberly Road, Davis will read from her book and sign copies. This event is open to the public and will be in the library at Summers Landing from 1-2:30 p.m. Copies of the book will be for sale and refreshments will be provided.
A high school counselor in Miami, Davis worked for 15 years on weekends for The Miami Times. She said that during her days as a reporter and a columnist, she knew that she wanted to one day write a book.
Having read other books about slavery and African-Americans, I knew that so many basically focused on the brutality on the slavery system, she said. I knew that I wanted to write about my people, but I wanted to write a book from a more positive perspective.
In Spite of Color: From the Plantations to the White House is the story of two men, one a slave and one a master, their relationship and the relationships of their offspring.
The story covers the two families from the time prior to the Civil War to present day.
The master trusted the slave, and the slave trusted the master, Davis said. When the Yankees set his mansion on fire, the slave saves him.
The children of the slave and the master grow up together. Throughout the novel, fate brings the offspring together over and over.
My emphasis is on trust and friendship, Davis said. This is a story of how friendship and trust can transcend ethnic groups, language, color and racial barriers.
The back cover of the book depicts a slave cabin with a path leading away from it. Davis said that was symbolic of slaves moving away from slavery.
Davis set out to write her book with two goals in mind. She wanted it to be entertaining, but she also wanted it to be educational.
To that end, she spent hours upon hours researching slaves and slave masters and conducted many interviews. She also visited Charleston, S.C., to see firsthand where slave ships arrived and slaves were auctioned.
I learned a lot, said Davis. I learned that there were exceptions to the notion that all masters were brutal. All masters were not brutal.
Along with hoping to change the idea many blacks have about the brutality of all slave masters, Davis hopes to change the opinion many whites have about slaves.
They were so ingenious, so brave, Davis said of slaves. So many fought long before the civil rights movement to free themselves.
Through her research, Davis said she learned so many things about slavery that she felt compelled to share it through her book.
I just felt like I should unveil this information to people, Davis said. My hope is that this book can change attitudes.
Contact Alline Kent at 396-2467 or firstname.lastname@example.org.
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Sierra Club Applauds Passage of Clean Cars Bill
Demonstrating great leadership and vision, the Washington State Senate passed the Clean Car Bill ESHB 1397 yesterday by a 29 to 19 vote.
"Senate Majority Leader Lisa Brown showed extraordinary leadership in passing this legislation," noted Holly Forrest, chair of the Sierra Club Cascade Chapter Legislative Committee. "Senators Erik Poulsen and Phil Rockefeller deserve tremendous credit as well for masterfully steering the bill through the Senate. And in the end, it was a bipartisan bill. Republican Senators Luke Esser, Bill Finkbeiner, and Dave Schmidt really delivered."
Forrest continued, "Because lawmakers adopted clean emission standards in Washington, families in our state can look forward to breathing cleaner air and saving on the cost of gas by driving cleaner vehicles." The Sierra Club wants to recognize the work of these legislators and thank them for their support, as well as acknowledge the efforts of many citizens.
"The Clean Cars bill was a top priority for the Sierra Club. Hundreds, perhaps thousands of our members communicated with their legislators to advocate for the bill," said Craig Engelking, Sierra Club Legislative Director. "We worked in coalition with members of the environmental community and the Clean Car campaign. The campaign is supported by labor, faith, conservation, and business groups and reflects the depth and breadth of public support for this issue. This is a historic victory that has great significance for Washington and for our nation as a whole."
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Voters in November passed the amendment which allows the state to grant operating charters to schools started by parents or community members, even though the local school board has objected.
"The best thing for the commission is to have no business at all because local districts are approving charters," said Louis Erste, director of the Department of Education's Charter Schools Division.
Education groups and State Superintendent of Schools John Barge opposed the amendment saying it usurped local control, but Gov. Nathan Deal and the House leadership backed it as a way for the parents on individual school-governing boards to have a say in their children's education.
The seven appointees met in the University of Georgia business school's Atlanta offices because the organizer was Charles Knapp, former president of the university. The commission voted unanimously to elect him chairman.
"When I was at the university, it became clear to me that charter schools can be one avenue for school improvement," he said.
The other six appointees also expressed their support for charter schools as an outlet for parents and educators who want to try different ways of teaching children. Half of the appointees like Knapp served on a similar commission that approved charter-school applications until the Supreme Court ruled it unconstitutional. That set up the amendment voters considered in November.
Commission member Paul Williams, the chief financial officer for an Atlanta venture-capital firm, said he became a supporter of charter schools after hearing arguments against the amendment, including from his own brother.
"They just didn't hold water," he said. "I was convinced of the value of charter schools by the opponents, not the proponents."
Next the commission will look to hire a staffer to manage the applications. Several school organizers are in various stages of preparing applications.
The pace of charter start-ups has slowed in recent years, but it peaked in 2010-11 when 75 schools sought charters, and 40 got them.
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The animated animals in this app by illustrator Christoph Niemann react to prodding fingers (+ movie).
Users can swipe or tap the creatures to see how they react: push the rabbit and it stretches towards the edges of the screen or strike the teeth of a crocodile to play a tune.
Niemann describes the app as an "interactive picture book" and there are no words because "animals don't speak English".
It includes thousands of hand-drawn animation frames plus music and sound design by South African electronic musician Markus Wormstorm.
Christoph Niemann's work has appeared on the covers of The New Yorker, Newsweek and Wired, and his work for The Times Magazine is archived on his Abstract Sunday blog. After eleven years in New York he now lives in Berlin.
Dezeen were in Cape Town for the first leg of our Dezeen and MINI World Tour, where Design Indaba founder Ravi Naidoo took us on a tour of his hometown and explained why Africa today is a place of "renewal, regeneration and growth". Look out for more movie reports from Cape Town in the coming days.
Petting Zoo is available at the iTunes store and is compatible with iPhone, iPad and iPod touch.
Concept and animations: Christoph Niemann
Developer: Jon Huang
Music and Sound Design: Markus Wormstorm
Executive Producer: Design Indaba
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Surprise! Major MMOs cost batty-bonkers-cuckoo amounts of money to produce. Eurogamer
reports that Electronic Arts CFO Eric Brown said as much today, describing Star Wars: The Old Republic
as the "largest ever development project, period, in the history of the company." EA is apparently betting big on having something like Activision Blizzard's World of Warcraft
with The Old Republic
. Brown guesstimates that WoW
cost about $100 million to launch back in 2004 -- the game makes something like that now in a month.
The executive explained that the average game costs about $30 million to produce, but that "any MMO costs significantly more than that." With an expected spring 2011 release
, hopefully EA will start making a return at that time on its investment in a galaxy far, far away. Otherwise, the gaping maw of the Rancor would be preferable to what investors will do.
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Are you a “joiner”? Do you belong to several organizations or clubs that cater to your special interests in a variety of fields? Well, you are not alone. Americans are notorious for club participation. You name it, and there is probably a club, and a publication or two, devoted to that topic. It doesn’t matter how esoteric the subject might be, there is bound to be a corps of others sharing the same interest.
Take for instance Sherlock Holmes Fans. Did you know that there are over 100 societies devoted to the long departed detective? Those enthusiasts hold regular meetings, discuss all of the Doyle books, and for the benefit of those of us who prefer coins, they even keep records of all of the different kinds of coins mentioned in the canon of Holmes literature. If your taste in collecting and rumination leans toward Sherlockian things, you are in luck. There are plenty of others who share your passion.
Coin collectors are the same. There are hundreds of clubs and organizations that cater to the interests of those who dabble in numismatics. Some of the more popular clubs limit their special themes to tokens, medals or copper coins. One of the most focused groups is an association of people who concern themselves with the number of steps showing on the building seen on the back of the Jefferson nickel. It seems that the number of steps has been changed from time to time, and a study of that progression in the design is of interest to those who would form a complete set. As limiting as those cliques sound, consider this: The Encyclopedia of Associations lists 62 bird organizations; 279 for horses; 92 for cattle, and some 19 Star Trek clubs for Trekkies.
Societies give us a sense of who we are, and belonging to an affiliated group with a common interest gives an anchor and feeling of solidarity. Whether it is the Jim Smith Club, the Cat Fancier’s Association, Twins, or Left Handed Golfers, there is something beneficial in joining with others with similar interests. Coin Collectors’ Clubs are no exception to this phenomenon. Belonging keeps us in touch with each other and gives us an opportunity to share information and experiences. Clubs give us the chance to grow and expand our interest while banding together with others who understand and appreciate our special interests.
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The Linux Professional Institute(LPI) has been very busy. With the help of volunteers from around the world, an advisory council which includes individuals from the top Linux related companies, and sponsors which help promote their agenda, LPI is poised for global recognition. Since it's inception two years ago, the mission has been simple and straightforward; to deliver "a standardized, multi-national, and respected program to certify levels of individual expertise in Linux".
In less than two short years, the dream has become a reality for the founders of LPI. With a Linux Professional Institute Certification(LPIC) now positioned to become the de-facto certification worldwide, the hard work and sponsorships are having their desired effect. Much work must yet be done; volunteers and sponsors are always needed; as the non-profit organization plans to make their certification available to anyone around the world.
Already, their web site http://www.lpi.org/ has been translated into Japanese and German, with French and Chinese to closely follow. Other languages are in the process of being added, with many volunteers assisting in the endeavor. Anyone wanting to volunteer to help the translation team is asked to contact Duane Dunstan by e-mailing him at firstname.lastname@example.org. An LPI-Japan has been established with directors from Turbolinux Japan, IBM Japan, Linuxcare, and assistance from Fujitsu, Hitachi, NEC, Keio University and others.
The organization has been contacted by interested parties to create an LPI Greater China, with an Official Office in Hong Kong and Representative Offices in China and Taiwan. Invitations have been extended to attend and speak at the upcoming IDG shows in Beijing, China(Aug. 29-Sept.1); with Jon Maddog Hall representing LPI; Taipei, China(Sept.7-9), and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia(Nov. 7-9); with Dan York speaking on certification.
A book has been written; specifically for the LPIC Exam 101; by the publishing giant MacMillan. IBM has embraced the LPIC, making it a technical prerequisite for their own "Solution Technologist" e-business certification. According to Dan York; president of the LPI board of directors; "This relationship with IBM provides a path for those professionals to further develop and validate their skills". IBM's Scott Handy declares that "Linux plays a critical role in today's world of e-business. Ensuring our partners have a strong, consistent knowledge of the Linux operating system, ... is critical to us, our partners and our customers.
A search for "Linux certification" under Yahoo; http://www.yahoo.com/ ; yields LPI and Lintraining. Anyone interested in Linux certification should visit both websites for information on testing centers, training materials, instructors or trainers. To visit LPI's preparation web site, go to http://www.lpi.org/c-preperation.html. There are currently 361 locations around the globe offering linux training. For a comprehensive list, go to http://www.lintraining.com.
The first web based LPIC Level One course has been started through CyberState University. The cost for the course is currently set at $995 and qualifies the student to take the Level One exam from LPI. The V.P. of Curriculum Development for CyberState University; David Clarke; states "CyberStateU.com's approach...is unique...it integrates a real-world hands-on lab environment rather than a simulated environment. Real world experience is a critical success factor in passing LPI's rigorous exams".
Some of the events which the LPI has participated in since January of this year, have included the countries of France, Germany, Australia, England, Canada, the United States and Japan. Upcoming events this year, will be in China, Malaysia, New Zealand and the United States(Atlanta:Sept.26-28/Linux Business Expo, and Las Vegas:Nov.13-17/Comdex).
With a furry somewhat like that of a wildfire out of control, LPI has gone from infancy to a global organization in relatively short time. LPI encourages participation and public involvement through its mailing lists and web site. A Japanese translation of the web site is available at http://www.yesitis.co.jp/LPI/. For information on taking the LPIC exams at an authorized testing center, visit the Virtual University Enterprise at http://www.vue.com.
For Linux enthusiasts, there is finally a platform for advancing their knowledge and abilities. It now appears that Linux is here to stay, and for the Linux Professional Institute, their future looks long and brite. For a grass roots effort to come so far in such a short time, shows the true value of a world wide community working together. Stay tune and look for a lot more from this organization.
*Linux is a trademark of Linux Torvalds
*Linux Professional Institute is a trademark of Linux Professional Institute, Inc.
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And we see how that worked out.Buckwheat wrote:they are very conservative for fiscal reasons (wanting lower taxes and less regulation).
tiltbillings wrote:And we see how that worked out.Buckwheat wrote:they are very conservative for fiscal reasons (wanting lower taxes and less regulation).
To better understand American politics and culture we explore the role religion plays in influencing political belief systems. We argue that there is a relationship, most notably between conservative protestant groups and conservative political organizations and values, between one’s religious faith and one’s political affiliation and ideology. To this end, we utilized data from the 1996 General Social Survey (GSS) and found that religious beliefs and religious affiliation do in fact shape political ideology and affiliation. We discovered that one’s religious identity and belief structure greatly influence one’s interest in politics, likeliness to identify one’s self as liberal or conservative, and political party affiliation.
Buckwheat wrote:tiltbillings wrote:And we see how that worked out.Buckwheat wrote:they are very conservative for fiscal reasons (wanting lower taxes and less regulation).
I didn't say I agree with them. The OP seems to imply that conservatism and religion go hand in hand. I am only pointing out that, while there is overlap, there are multiple causes for one to be conservative. To write off conservatives as religious radicals is an oversimplification that leads to misunderstanding and missing the opportunity to negotiate a middle ground, further perpetuating the entrenched, divisive politics so common today.
Daverupa's immediately preceding msg makes a good point. Also, a poll such the OP is not designed -- nor is it intended to -- to tell what any particular individual is going to do.Kim O'Hara wrote:
Registered users: anando, Ben, Bing [Bot], Dan74, Doshin, Exabot [Bot], Feathers, gavesako, Google [Bot], Majestic-12 [Bot], mettafuture, Mindstar, Modus.Ponens, palchi, porpoise, Sam Vara, Sekha, upekha
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January 22, 2010 | 2:30 pm
Posted by Jonathan Kirsch
The story is told of a delegation of Communist Party cadres who are ushered into the Kremlin for a ceremonial meeting with Stalin. After they are gone, Stalin discovers that his favorite pipe is missing, and he sends Beria, the much-feared chief of the Soviet secret police, to retrieve it.
“Never mind,” Stalin tells Beria on his return. “I found the pipe under a pile of papers on my desk.”
“Too late,” reports Beria. “Half of them confessed to taking the pipe and were shot as wreckers, and the other half died under questioning.”
The story captures both the terror that afflicted the citizens of the Soviet Union who lived (and died) during the Stalin era and the spirit of resistance that has always manifested itself in joke-telling. But the humor is very black when it comes to Stalin, who succeeded in destroying Jewish and Yiddish culture in Russia. At the time of his death in 1953, Stalin was preparing a new wave of terror against the Jews in connection with the so-called “Doctor’s Plot.”
All of these ironies came to mind when I heard that Emil Draitser, author of “Shush! Growing Up Jewish Under Stalin” (University of California Press: $24.95), will be taking the stage in the ALOUD series at the Central Library at 7:00 p.m. on February 3, 2010.
Born in Odessa in 1937, Draitser was a political satirist in the Soviet Union before he was blacklisted for a piece that daringly criticized a high-ranking figure. He managed to reach L.A. in 1974, earned a Ph.D. in Russian literature at UCLA, and is today a professor of Russian at the City University of New York.
Since coming to America, Draitser has published novels, non-fiction, newspaper journalism and scholarly articles, including “Forbidden Laughter: Soviet Underground Humor” and the bittersweet memoir that gives its title to his event at ALOUD. “Shush!” was hailed by Publishers Weekly as “a painful and acutely observed memoir,” but Draitser always brings to his work the same wry sense of humor that cost him his career in the Soviet Union.
Draitser will be featured at ALOUD in conversation with Suzi Weissmann, a professor of politics at Saint Mary’s College of California.
Free reservations and additional information about Emil Draitser’s event at the Central Library, located at Fifth and Flower Streets in downtown L.A., are available by calling (213) 228-7025 or at www.aloudla.org.
Jonathan Kirsch is the book editor of The Jewish Journal and can be reached at firstname.lastname@example.org.
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I have been wanting to write something about H.R. 5034, a pernicious piece of legislation drafted by and for the benefit of America's beer, wine, and spirits wholesalers. When I saw that a local Chicago-area congressman, Mike Quigley, is one of the sponsors I decided to write it in the form of a letter to him.
Dear Representative Quigley:
As a Chicago resident who has admired much about your political career, I was disappointed to learn of your co-sponsorship of H.R. 5034, which despite its official title is more correctly characterized as the Alcohol Wholesalers Monopoly Protection Act.
The desire of alcohol wholesalers to protect their legal monopoly on the distribution of beverage alcohol products is understandable, as their very profitable businesses face little competitive risk thanks to protections that already exist in the 21st amendment to the U.S. Constitution as well as approximately 4,000 alcohol-related state laws.
Yet in their passion to protect their lucrative entitlement even further, the alcohol wholesalers have drafted reckless legislation that provides no benefit to the American public while risking many negative consequences.
In your April, 2010, statement of support for H.R. 5034, you wrote that “the 21st amendment was intended to allow states to regulate alcoholic beverages free from federal involvement.” That is incorrect. While the 21st amendment was intended to give states broad leeway with regard to alcoholic beverage regulation, much more than they have with other consumer products, it is misleading to characterize that as complete freedom from federal involvement.
It is H.R. 5034 that is “intended to allow states to regulate alcoholic beverages free from federal involvement.” That was never the intent of the 21st amendment.
For more than 20 years I have researched the American whiskey industry, an industry that has been regulated by the federal government since passage of the first federal excise tax in 1791.
Though a revenue measure, that 1791 law provided for federal licensing and oversight of distilleries, the better to ensure collection of the tax.
In the 77 years since the 21st amendment was ratified, alcoholic beverages have been regulated by a mix of local, state and federal laws. Little evidence has been presented to show that this regime has suddenly become ineffective at “the promotion of temperance, the establishment or maintenance of orderly alcoholic beverage markets, the collection of alcoholic beverage taxes, the structure of the state alcoholic beverage distribution system, or the restriction of access to alcoholic beverages by those under the legal drinking age,” its purposes as characterized by H.R. 5034.
Among its many harmful effects, enactment of H.R. 5034 would threaten the Federal Standards of Identity for Distilled Spirits (27 CFR Part 5), which provide uniform definitions for distilled spirits products including bourbon whiskey, an American icon whose export value alone is approximately $1 billion a year. Bourbon whiskey is economically and historically important to the United States. H.R. 5034 would allow the 50 states to write their own standards for bourbon whiskey, destroying its integrity and threatening its present high status in both domestic and foreign markets.
The three-tier system of which America’s beverage alcohol wholesalers are so fond casts distributors as relatively small, in-state entities, and therefore easily reachable by state courts and state regulators, which might have more difficulty getting the attention of a giant multinational corporate producer. In recent years, however, many wholesalers have undermined this purpose by using various corporate organizational schemes to become large, multi-state operations themselves. Although they comply with the letter of the law, most now operate across state lines. Some are large and powerful national businesses. They also have found clever ways around the laws intended to prevent them from owning alcoholic beverage producers and vice versa.
Despite their advantaged position, wholesalers feel threatened by the desire of adult consumers to legally acquire beverage alcohol products that monopolist wholesalers refuse to make reasonably available to them in their states.
The goal of H.R. 5034 is to neuter the Supreme Court’s ruling in Granholm v. Heald (2005), which merely said that the 21st amendment does not give states the right to discriminate in favor of in-state producers in violation of the Commerce Clause. That decision has not “opened the floodgates” of underage drinking and tax avoidance that was predicted by the president of the Wine and Spirits Wholesalers of America at the time. But since the wholesalers still fear their monopoly is at risk, they have turned to Congress and proposed this reckless and unnecessary legislation.
As the Court held in Granholm: “The aim of the Twenty-first Amendment was to allow States to maintain an effective and uniform system for controlling liquor by regulating its transportation, importation, and use. The Amendment did not give States the authority to pass nonuniform laws in order to discriminate against out-of-state goods, a privilege they had not enjoyed at any earlier time.”
H.R. 5034 does not restore the intent of the 21st amendment. Rather it creates for wholesalers “a privilege they had not enjoyed at any earlier time.”
Therefore, I urge you to reconsider your endorsement and co-sponsorship of this unfortunate legislative proposal.
Charles K. Cowdery
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Dr. Stephen Van Horn receives key to the City of Cambridge
Muskingum College Assistant Professor of Geology Dr. Stephen Van Horn has been awarded the key to the City of Cambridge by Mayor Sam Salupo.
Dr. Van Horn received the award on January 6 in recognition of his role in the work that Muskingum College has done with the City of Cambridge to complete a wide range of complex and important projects in city planning.
Among these have been the city’s constitutionally required redistricting, the redevelopment of its downtown area and a study of the relationship between crime and geography.
Dr. Van Horn’s specialty in these projects has been the use of highly sophisticated geographic mapping software that allows for precise visualizations of statistical data as it applies to the geography of a region. He has worked closely on these projects with his colleague at Muskingum, Associate Professor of Political Science Dr. Walter Huber, who was recognized by Mayor Salupo last year for the success of these projects.
In granting the award to Dr. Van Horn, Mayor Salupo said, “The work done by Dr. Van Horn, Dr. Huber and the Muskingum College students involved has been invaluable in helping the City of Cambridge fulfill its obligations to its citizens. We simply could not have accomplished what we have without this collaboration between the college and the community.”
Muskingum College President Anne C. Steele recognized the extraordinary achievement and said, "These faculty members and students demonstrate the very best of what Muskingum College represents: a commitment to excellence and innovation in education that not only impacts the students themselves, but the communities in which they live. That is the kind of contribution for which our faculty and students are known."
Dr. Van Horn joined the faculty at Muskingum College in 1999. He received his bachelor of science degree from Indiana University of Pennsylvania, has master’s degree at the University of Missouri – Columbia and his doctoral degree from the University of Connecticut.
IN THE PHOTO: Assistant Professor of Geology Dr. Stephen Van Horn and Cambridge Mayor Sam Salupo.
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Posted on 5.31.2012 by Lily
This post is part of our commemorative series here and at the Abortion Gang to honor Dr. George Tiller, who was murdered three years ago today, in a call for collective blog remembrance. If you'd like to submit something, please see this post and link back to it in your own.
On May 31, 2009, I had been a college graduate for one week. I found out about Dr. Tiller’s murder late Sunday night when my boyfriend and I got back from a weekend-long music festival that we’d attended to celebrate graduation. I don’t really remember my reaction, though I’m sure it was of shock and horror. I knew that abortion providers had been killed in the past, but not since I had become politically aware and passionate about reproductive rights.
At that point, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do with my life, but I did want it to be political and feminist and ideally related to reproductive rights. I was looking for some kind of advocacy job, somewhere like NARAL or Planned Parenthood's Action Center.
A few weeks later, I started training as an abortion counselor. It wasn’t what I really wanted to do, but it was my first job offer and I figured clinic work would be good experience. As they say, the rest is history; now I can’t imagine working anywhere but a clinic. I can’t imagine ever getting the kind of profound gratification from an advocacy job as I get every day from working with patients who need the health services I now help directly provide.
I understand intimately why Dr. Tiller persevered in providing these services through 30+ years of threats on his life.
And many of the patients I work with are women seeking second-trimester abortions. If we were unlucky enough to be in a state with a 20-week ban, my patients would be affected. If they were determined to have an abortion, and we could no longer provide it to them, they would be faced with a daunting prospect: travel out of state, arrange childcare for days, miss work for days, find transportation, potentially conceal their days-long absence from family and/or partner, and raise funds on top of funds to cover it all, besides the funds needed for a late second-trimester procedure. Especially if they have Medicaid, as most of my patients do, which covers abortion in our state but wouldn’t be accepted out of state.
Imagine that the patient is 16. Or lives at 150% below the poverty line. Or is a single mother with three kids. Or has an abusive partner. Or might get fired for missing work, since she’s already been out due to pregnancy-related sickness.
There’s something tragically ironic about having a(nother) baby because you can’t arrange, access, or afford the abortion, isn’t there?
Listen up, pro-choice advocates. It’s past time to stop minimizing late-term abortions, which is what Dr. Tiller was known for and the reason for his murder. Every time we defend abortion rights because “only 1% occur past 20 weeks” we do a disservice to Dr. Tiller's legacy and to the patients who desperately need those abortions. It doesn’t matter if late-term abortions are 1% or 100% of all abortions. They are urgently needed. They are a matter of life and death.
Three years ago, I had just graduated college and finished my year as president of my school’s Students for Choice. After Dr. Tiller’s murder, I wrote a final email to the group’s listserv. I had not yet begun working in abortion care, and I’ve learned an immeasurable amount since about abortion and how this work is love and life and everything good. But you don’t have to work in abortion care to understand the importance of Dr. Tiller’s work and his legacy, and so I’d like to share that (gently edited) email below.
June 4, 2009
Dear Students for Choice,
As the now-former president of SFC, I didn't think I would be writing to you all again, but I feel compelled to do so one last time. I would like to share some thoughts about Dr. George Tiller, domestic terrorism, late-term abortions, and what you can do as a pro-choice advocate.
I'm sure you all have heard by now that Dr. Tiller, one of only a handful of physicians in the country who openly provided late-term abortions, was shot and killed on Sunday morning at his church in Wichita, Kansas. Dr. Tiller was no stranger to anti-abortion violence, and had survived a previous assassination attempt, the bombing of his clinic, and countless other acts of violence and intimidation. He persevered for over thirty years through the continuous threats on his life, continuing to provide women with much-needed health care when no one else would, and should be considered nothing less than a true hero. His death is a horrifying tragedy. Women in this country have lost one of our greatest allies and supporters.
I am anguished and outraged by his murder, but I am trying not to use the word shocked. Yes, this came as a shock, but that it happened is not shocking. No one remotely tuned in to abortion politics should find it shocking. Dr. Tiller is the fourth abortion provider to be murdered in this country since 1993, and the eighth person working at an abortion clinic. There have been more than twice as many attempted murders. Clinics receive hundreds of death and bomb threats per year. Some people making these threats actually follow through. Clinic workers routinely face stalking, vandalism, arson, and assault, to say nothing of the daily harassment and intimidation outside their workplaces, and often their homes, children's schools, and, as we have seen, even churches.
Relentlessly violent and threatening behavior does not come out of a peaceful movement. Thankfully, most anti-choicers (now, more than ever, we must not concede to them the egregious misnomer "pro-life") do not condone violence, but so many of them are still culpable for this murder. We must see violent acts and violent rhetoric as connected. Calling women who seek abortions and the doctors who provide them "murderers" and "baby-killers" ... horrifically likening them to Nazis who commit genocide ... hurling the worst sort of bile at patients entering reproductive health care facilities, taking down license plate numbers, posting their pictures online ... publicizing the full names and addresses of abortion providers on websites and on posters ... all these and so many other displays of hateful, violence-inciting behavior may not have put the gun in Scott Roeder's hand, but it certainly helped create the climate that made it likely to occur.
Of course abortion opponents are entitled to free speech, but there is a difference between free speech and harassment, intimidation, and inciting violence. After all, if abortion providers are truly akin to Nazis, stopping them by any means must seem not only justifiable, but necessary. Anti-choicers cannot claim surprise when someone in their movement takes this rhetoric to its logical conclusion: that it must be morally justified to kill. It is not just an intellectual exercise to connect the rhetoric to the violence. It is a chilling reality of the anti-choice movement that has now spawned and inspired dozens of violent actors, and many more who stand behind them, quietly celebrating Dr. Tiller's death while hollowly condemning it in public.
We must call this murder, and the associated threatening behavior and rhetoric in the anti-choice movement, what it is: terrorism. Do not let anyone frame this murder as a tragic but isolated incident. Dr. Tiller's assassination is anything but isolated. It is terrorism; it is part of a targeted, deliberate, decades-old system of violence and intimidation. Scott Roeder's gun was not just directed at George Tiller. It was directed at anyone who provides abortion care, anyone who works at an abortion clinic, anyone who is somehow connected to providing women with reproductive health care, anyone who identifies as pro-choice and supports the right of women to make their own private sexual and reproductive health decisions. Since you are on the listserv of Students for Choice, this likely means you, too.
This behavior is terrorism. It is intended to terrify people out of providing or seeking legal and necessary reproductive health care.
Moreover, it is terrorism that works. The most frightening part about this whole horrid saga is that this type of domestic terrorism works. With Dr. Tiller's death, there are now only two doctors in the country who openly provide late-term abortions - and if they’re not open about it, it can be pretty hard for women who need them to find them. 87% of U.S. counties have no abortion provider at all. The “greying of abortion providers” means most providers are in their 50s, 60s, or older. Medical schools often do not teach abortion, even though a first trimester surgical procedure is basically the safest, most common minor surgery performed both in the U.S. and throughout the world.
I suppose you can't really blame physicians and med students. Who wants to go into a field that four doctors have been murdered for practicing? Who wants to have to wear a bulletproof vest to work? Who wants to have to drive an armored car and have your daily comings and goings threateningly monitored and posted online? Who wants to be hated, vilified, threatened, and terrorized - all for providing legal medical services?
But more than ever, we do need providers, and we need pro-choice advocates to stand up and defend them and the work they do. Here are my suggestions for a few things that you can do, short of becoming an abortion provider yourself (which you should seriously consider if possible, considering the frightening dearth of them!):
One-third of American women will have at least one abortion in their lifetime. If that number includes you, please say so! Consider telling your story and talking about why you made your decision(s) and what it has meant for you. Obviously, in light of recent events, your personal safety is of the utmost importance; but the stigma connected to abortion will never go away if all the women who have had this incredibly common and safe procedure remain silent. People's minds are more likely to change once it's personal and not just an abstract, uncomfortable thing affecting "other" women. (Just look at Dick Cheney's stance on gay marriage. Does anyone think he would feel that way if his daughter weren't gay?)
If you have not had an abortion, stand in solidarity with those who have. Erase the following statements from your vocabulary: "I would never have an abortion myself" and "I'm pro-choice, but..." followed by decidedly UN-pro-choice, judgmental, stigmatizing qualifier. Most women who get abortions never imagined being in that position. Many, MANY women who get abortions consider themselves pro-life. It is very difficult to know how you will actually act in a vulnerable position like facing an unwanted pregnancy, or a wanted pregnancy gone wrong. Separating yourself from those “other” women situates yourself on a moral high ground and perpetuates an incredibly harmful stigma. Being pro-choice is about treating all people with the same compassion you would like to be treated with yourself. That includes respecting the personal circumstances of each individual abortion and standing in solidarity with the women who seek them.
Talk to people about why late-term abortions are necessary, too. Do not let anyone get away with perpetuating the misogynist myth of the woman who is eight months pregnant and decides to get an abortion on a whim because she wants to fit into a bathing suit. Do not let anyone get away with perpetuating the disgusting lie of the barbaric, blood-thirsty doctor who just cares about collecting thousands of dollars per abortion. Dr. Tiller specialized in helping women no one else would help, even when the baby wouldn't have survived outside the womb, or cancer was causing the fetus immeasurable pain, or it was conjoined twins who wouldn't survive, or the baby would have had a brief life filled with much pain and surgery, or the fetus's brain was severely calcified. (More stories of women who had to travel to Dr. Tiller because they couldn't obtain the care they needed in their own states here and here.) Dr. Tiller's services were compassionate and necessary. Share these stories and do not let anyone get away with spreading lies and myths about late-term abortion, which mock and belittle the heart-wrenching situations these and many more women find themselves in.
Donate to a pro-choice organization, if you are able. A good list can be found here. Addendum from 2012 Lily: I encourage you to donate to abortion funds over other organizations if you choose only one. Federations like Planned Parenthood have much more money to go around than small, local abortion funds, and 100% of your donation will go towards financing the abortions of patients in need. You can find a local fund here.
Send a letter of support to Dr. Tiller's staff and family. Or to your local abortion clinic, thanking them for the work they do.
Some important reading in addition to the other links I've included: from Gloria Feldt, former president of Planned Parenthood, about what sort of response we should be getting from our elected officials; and from Cristina Page, author of How the Pro-Choice Movement Saved America, on the chilling pattern of anti-abortion violence and how this may be the beginning of another wave.
Above all else, please remember Dr. Tiller and honor his heroic memory in whatever way you can.
In peace and solidarity,
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Phillips Brooks’ was considered one of the great “princes of the pulpit” in the nineteenth century. Perhaps his most lasting legacy were his Yale lectures on preaching in which he defined preaching as the “communication of truth through personality.”
Brooks was no pulpit performer. He was a shy man who spoke rapidly, had a stiff delivery style and poor eye contact. Yet he drew the crowds. He was meticulous in his study of the biblical text. He spoke conversationally and had a distinct sincerity and intensity, despite his evident shyness. He cared about his listeners and developed relational bonds with them.
So he was no pulpit performer. He wasn’t trying to sanctify his own style of preaching with a definition when in reality he simply wanted to affirm his own personality. Rather, he was convinced that preaching is a communication act in which a person is involved.
I do wonder whether we all grasp this simple reality. I am not saying that anyone needs to perform or be something they are not. What I am saying is that if the personality of the preacher does not offer something of the gospel, then maybe they should reconsider their passion to preach. That is, you can be shy or extraverted, humourous or serious, loud or quiet, demonstrative or reserved. Be yourself, however…
However, none of these elements of a preacher’s style are what I am concerned with. It is those preachers who preach as if only their declaration of truth matters. They seem not to care if their manner is bombastic, or arrogant, or sarcastic, or sharp-edged, or ungracious, or dour, or harsh. I believe we should all care. These are not issues of personal style. These are issues of personal character. And if the gospel has not marked our character and personality, why are we stepping into the pulpit to preach the gospel to others?
This week I would like to probe some of these issues of character and personality. I am not suggesting we perform, that would be bordering on deceitful. I am suggesting that we have personal and personality integrity. Where we don’t, we undermine the very message we claim to be called to declare.
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Health Service Journal, July 17th 2008, p. 4-5
Primary care trust managers have warned that poor data is preventing them from making progress on world class commissioning. The PCT Network has warned that only a handful of trusts are likely to score above levels one or two out of four on most world class commissioning competencies in their initial assessment, due at the end of 2008.
The Guardian, July 18th 2008, p. 15
Charities involved in sexual health are protesting against the government's decision to buy a cervical cancer drug which does not also protect against genital warts. A paper published in the British Medical Journal claims that the Department of Health's decision to use Cervarix for its mass vaccination of 12- to 13-year-old girls set to start in September 2008, was based on minimising costs instead of maximising health benefits.
London: TSO, 2008 (House of Commons papers, session 2007/08; HC289)
The Committee's investigation into the impact of the new dental contract found that it had failed to improve services. Two years after its introduction in 2006, 900,000 fewer patients are being treated by an NHS dentist than under the old system. As a result of the changes, dentists no longer have any financial incentive to carry out complex treatments. In fact, the volume of complex work such as crowns, bridges and dentures has fallen by 57% since the new contract was introduced. Instead, dentists have a financial incentive to persuade patients to have a decayed tooth extracted. Patients also have a financial incentive to put off treatment, as they now pay the same for one filling as for three.
The Daily Telegraph, July 23rd 2008, p. 1
Patients are to be refused antibiotics for coughs, colds and ear infections under strict new guidelines for family doctors issued by the NHS drugs rationing body, the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence. The new guidance says that patients should be reassured that antibiotics are not needed immediately as they will make little difference to symptoms and may have side-effects.
The Independent, July 4th 2008, p. 19
Family doctors are to be forced to open their lists to new patients under radical reforms to allow people to shop around for the best GP practices. Patients will be given the right to choose their GP practice with more information on how to switch, including an NHS website with details of the services offered by local surgeries.
(See also The Guardian, July 8th 2008, p. 13)
P. Bissell and others
Health and Social Care in the Community, vol. 16, 2008, p. 363-369
Medicines management services offer a discussion between a health professional, such as a pharmacist, and a patient about their medicines and a review of the appropriateness of the treatment, including both pharmacological elements and lifestyle factors. Based on this interview, the pharmacist advises the patient and makes recommendations to the prescriber about any changes to medication or lifestyle that might be beneficial. As well as benefiting the patient, these services may also offer a way of addressing the historic under-utilisation of pharmacists' skills and expertise. This paper reports on patients views about a community-pharmacist-led medicines management service for people with coronary heart disease delivered in England. Findings suggest that while patients cautiously welcomed the opportunity to consult with a pharmacist about their medicines, they had reservations about their making recommendations about treatment.
Public Finance, June 20th-26th 2008, p. 24-25
There is a growing political consensus that primary care trusts (PCTs) should be made more democratically accountable, but considerable disagreement about how this can be achieved. Alternative approaches include bringing PCTs completely under local authority control, giving local councillors places on PCT boards, or instituting direct elections of board members. On the other hand, more could be done to involve local people in decision making through consultation, without overhauling governance systems.
Financial Times, July 9th 2008, p. 2
Scotland is to legislate to prevent commercial companies being able to run family doctor services, the Scottish Health Secretary has announced. The move creates a sharp contrast with England where primary care trusts have been told that, if they introduce new services or make significant changes to existing ones, there is a presumption that the service should be put out to tender.
Health Service Journal, July 24th 2008, p. 10-11
Primary care trusts are required under the NHS operating framework to separate their commissioning and provision functions by the end of 2008. Services may be delivered by an arms-length body still linked to the PCT or by a community foundation trust or contracted out to social enterprises formed by NHS staff.
R. Lewis and D. Colin-Thomé
Health Service Journal, July 10th 2008, p. 16-17
The primary and community care strategy published as part of Lord Darzi's review of the NHS highlights the need for more integrated care. A number of different models of integration are to be tested at carefully evaluated pilot sites. The integration that these pilots promote could be vertical, between primary and specialist care, or horizontal, combining primary, community and social care. They should be clinically led and could involve a wide range of disciplines, including consultants and primary, community and social care professionals. They will be held to account by primary care trusts.
Community Practitioner, vol. 81, July 2008, p. 36-37
The Primary and Community Care Strategy is a key component of Lord Darzi's NHS Next Stage Review. It recognises that most health care is delivered in the community and that people wish to receive as much as possible of their care close to home. It is generally agreed that the NHS needs to move from diagnosing and treating illness to proactively predicting and preventing it. This paper considers the role of community nurses in realising this vision.
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