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Alfalfa growers need to be aware of possible sulfur deficiency in their fields, says Jim Morrison, Ogle County, IL, Extension educator.
The problem has become more prevalent in recent years, says Morrison, due to less acid rain; less incidental sulfur in fertilizers, insecticides and fungicides; greater removal rates by increasing grain yields; and less manure application resulting from fewer livestock operations.
Since soil organic matter is the primary source of sulfur, a deficiency is most likely on low-organic-matter, coarse textured and eroded fine-textured soils, he says. Alfalfa suffering from sulfur deficiency will have a light green, yellowish coloration of the whole plant, stems could be spindly with weak growth, and plants could exhibit reduced nodulation and be stunted with less shoot development.
Because sulfur is highly mobile in the soil, a soil test is not very reliable or useful, so a plant analysis is recommended. Sample the top 6” of plants at early bloom from several locations within a field. The samples can be collected prior to any cutting. The critical level for sulfur at this maturity stage is 0.22%.
When the need for sulfur has been established, 25-50 lbs/acre of sulfate sulfur will normally meet the requirement for a year or two. If elemental sulfur is applied at the same rate, it should last for the life of the stand.
Sulfur is an essential nutrient required in the formation of plant proteins and enzymes, says Morrison. “It is important in chlorophyll synthesis and required for nodulation and nitrogen fixation. Let plant analysis identify the sulfur status of your alfalfa, and then take appropriate action.”
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Ch16Q4: What was your favorite part of reading Digital Decisions and participating in our summer book club?
See p. 169 for a glossary from Digital Decisions!
What is this Site?
A membership commmunity for realiable information about technology in early education.
Who We Are
Karen Nemeth, Ed.M. and Fran Simon, M.Ed. - early learning experts with a passion for helping educators use technology to achieve their goals.
We designed ECETech.net to give early childhood educators an easy online resource for reliable information about technology implementation.
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Today’s Cases column in Science Times shares the harrowing tale of actor Gbenga Akinnagbe, who underwent surgery for flat feet.
In most cases, pes planus does not interfere with everyday life, but it can in severe cases like mine. I had no arches at all,causing my body to compensate in ways that caused serious pain in my back and knees. I could see why the military used to defer draftees with flat feet. (Its policy now is to accept some recruits with flat feet who have less severe cases and who can deal with the extensive traveling on foot that the military demands.)
By this point, the pain was so intense that I had started going out less, which I hated. I felt as if elements of my life were being taken from me. I’m an actor, so if I don’t work, I don’t eat — and as it happened, I was up for the role of a lifetime: Macbeth, at the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis. But it was time to make a choice. My agent in New York, Tim Stone, wanted me to have the surgery. “Think long term,” he said. I pulled out of the running for Macbeth and scheduled the surgery
To learn more about the unusual surgery, read the full column, “My
Left Foot: The High Costs of Fallen Arches,” and then please join the discussion below.
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Dar es Salaam, Tanzania (CNN) -- An estimated 3 billion people -- nearly half the world's population -- still use an open fire as their primary source of energy for cooking and heating.
But there's a problem: the smoke.
"You have respiratory issues, lung disease, you've got pneumonia, and you've got longer-term issues like cancer and heart disease as well that can result from exposure to indoor air pollution," said Radha Muthiah, executive director of the Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves.
The World Health Organization says this type of pollution causes nearly 2 million premature deaths each year. That's more than tuberculosis and three times as many as malaria.
Everline Kihulla is among the people trying to do something about it. She works for TaTedo, which manufactures and sells "clean cookstoves" in Tanzania.
TaTedo's stoves are made with clay liners that, along with other simple design features, emit far less smoke and fewer pollutants. And they use a fraction of the fuel.
"This (stove), we have improved it, and it currently uses almost 50%, compared to the traditional one," she said, crouching beside one of TaTedo's models. "The charcoal consumption here is less, compared to the traditional one."
Another benefit is that these stoves are made locally. A nearby workshop employs 21 people and churns out 400 to 500 stoves each month. Each person follows a cookstove through every stage of production, from pottery to painting. This teaches each worker a variety of skills.
Producing locally also boosts the economy and keeps costs down, although price is an issue. Cookstove prices start at about $6 (U.S.), a lot of money for many families in developing countries.
Still, Lillian Njuu, a Dar es Salaam resident, thinks the expense is worth the health of her family. She has used a clean stove for two years, she said, and she plans to buy another.
While the upfront cost to buy a cookstove is high, the fuel costs are lower because it burns less. That, in turn, has an environmental impact. Burning less charcoal or wood means there's less deforestation, something that has caused flooding and other major problems in many countries.
"It's one relatively simple intervention that has a multitude of impacts," Muthiah said.
Now, the challenge is to get clean stoves into enough homes to really make a difference.
David Lindsay is the managing editor of Global Health Frontline News. For more global health stories, go to www.ghfn.org.
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Because boys will be boys, here’s a completely quirky kind of book to inspire boys of all ages, and parents alike! It’s full of information, facts, and trivia to fill your brain, plus tons of activities and games to jump-start your body. Although recommended for ages 8+, this book is a great gift for Boomer Dads who nostalgically yearn for a lost boyhood of fixing lawnmowers and catching snakes with their own dads. Learn More
Nothing goes better with a gooey s’more and a glowing campfire than a good ghost story. This collection of scary classics and frightening folktales will send shivers up your spine. These stories can be read aloud or easily retold; either way, your fellow campers may want to sleep with the light on. Spooky Campfire Stories is lightweight, portable entertainment for the entire family. Pick it up before your next trip down the trail.
Reading Weather provides a quick and simple way to understand how the atmosphere works, how to interpret and use weather forecasts before venturing outdoors, and also how to make your own forecast in the field by observing the changes in the weather. This handy reference will arm you with the meteorological knowledge necessary to make good decisions on whether to proceed or retreat in the face of a storm. Also included are helpful definitions, tables, and simplified graphics of common weather features. Learn More
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Commenting on today's figures, Professor Len Shackleton, fellow at the Institute of Economic Affairs, said:
"Today’s labour market figures, though perhaps not quite as impressive as those for last month, show a continuing positive trend in most of the important indicators. For all those of working age, International Labour Organisation (ILO) unemployment and the unemployment rate are down, total employment is up (with gains in both full-time and part-time work), average hours worked are up. Redundancies are down and economic inactivity are down.
"This overall picture is mirrored in the position for both men and women – and in the all-important area of youth. More young people are in work, and the unemployment rate amongst 16-24 year-olds has fallen again.
"Caution always needs to be shown when analysing one set of figures. There are some negatives: the rate of job creation appears to be slowing. The claimant count (those claiming Job-seekers Allowance and related benefits) is marginally up. Too many are on work-creation schemes. Productivity has fallen again. The numbers of self-employed have slipped back.
"But overall the picture is still a good one, and again suggests we are coming out of recession. Conditions remain fragile, however. There are no grounds to backtrack on the government’s commitment to cutting the deficit, still less to increase the pressure on the jobs market by yet more government interference. In the last few weeks we have seen proposals to extend the “living wage” to all government contracts, and to increase the scope of the right to request flexible working. Employers face quite enough problems at the moment without further impositions of this kind."
Notes to editors
To arrange an interview with an IEA spokesperson, please contact Stephanie Lis, Communications Officer: 020 7799 8909 or 07766 221 268.For ONS Labour Market statistics published today, click here.
The mission of the Institute of Economic Affairs is to improve understanding of the fundamental institutions of a free society by analysing and expounding the role of markets in solving economic and social problems.
The IEA is a registered educational charity and independent of all political parties.
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Ammunition manufacturers are in the process of removing lead from their bullets--a new development that experts say could threaten law enforcement's ability to arrest and convict criminals.
On television, crime scene investigators make science seem so simple. In reality, their job is very difficult. Their conclusions are based on complex calculations.
"This is a potential game changer," predicts Michael Knox, a seasoned crime scene investigator. Knox is based in Jacksonville, but consults on cases nationwide, including the Trayvon Martin killing in Sanford.
Knox said he believes the absence of "lead" from bullets and "lead residue" from crime scenes will threaten public safety.
"If we can't prove a case, it's very possible that a suspect will walk out the door and commit another crime," he said.
Right now, investigators can reconstruct most gun crime scenes because they know how lead bullets perform in every conceivable situation. The science is foolproof and accepted in every court.
Knox said investigators have no idea how lead-free bullets will react when fired. There is little acceptable science because lead free bullets are so new; certainly nothing any court would rule admissible -- yet.
"We have to have some idea of what we're looking for (at a crime scene)," says Knox, "or we could miss (evidence that would point to a shooter) all together."
That's where Dr. Michael Sigman from the National Center for Forensic Science, based at the University of Central Florida, comes in.
"One of the ways to identify the shooter and also get information about the bullet is to get residue from the powder," says Sigman.
Sigman and his team are analyzing the already known lead-free bullets available to determine what they're made of. They have already made one vital discovery; Ammunition makers are not replacing lead with another universal material.
"Each manufacturer is using their own combination of metals or materials or alloys for that particular bullet," says Knox. "And they're not sharing that information. It's proprietary information like Coca Cola doesn't share its receipt for its beverages."
This means crime scene investigators, instead of testing for lead, will have to test for an infinite number of chemical compounds. That will increase the amount of time and effort because there will likely be dozens of different kinds of bullets available.
But knowing what a bullet is made is just the start.
"We don't even know if we're even going to be able to develop testing, particularly field testing, that we can use for these various metals," Knox said.
So scientists, Knox says, will have to first develop those field tests then prove they are valid. The scientific community will then have to accept the new methodology. Finally, the testing will have to withstand challenges in court.
Knox says this process will take years. With lead bullets, there is established field testing that is accepted both by the scientific community and the courts.
When lead-free bullets become common, Knox says there will be a criminal advantage that could let dangerous people get away with murder.
"You have the potential to have somebody out there who has already committed one gun crime be free to commit more," Knox said.
Local 6 reached out to several local police chiefs and sheriffs, but found no one that would comment.
Not only will law enforcement have to deal with these new lead-free bullets when investigating crimes, they will also have to research and decide which lead-free bullets their officers and deputies will use. Knox says police want a bullet that will stop an approaching threat, but will do no harm to anyone nearby.
Over the last several years, there has been increasing concern about lead exposure to people who spend a lot of time at indoor gun ranges. So the response is to develop a "green" bullet.
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Photographs by Marie Sommer.
72 pp., 41 color illustrations, 8¼x11½".
Teufelsberg (mountain devil), is an artificial hill located southwest of Berlin, overlooking the city. Amusement park very popular with young Berliners, this hill was built after the Second World War with the remnants of the city after the Allied bombing. An estimated 30 million cubic meters of rubble piled mass there, the equivalent of 400,000 buildings. The hill rises on the site of the University of Nazi war which had been designed by the architect of the Third Reich, Albert Speer, and half done. As after the war, it was difficult to totally destroy the building riddled with underground bunkers, the German authorities decided to bury him and make him disappear under an artificial hill. The hill was then covered with trees, and used during the winter ski run in the 60s and 70s. During the Cold War, was built at the top center of U.S. espionage radar to listen to communications of the Soviet bloc in East Berlin.
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Here at EcoGeek, we've covered DIY solar and electric lawn mowers, but the new Automower Solar Hybrid from Swedish company Husqvarna trumps both. Not only does it appeal to the environmentally-conscious part of us, but it also appeals to the "I really hate mowing the grass" part of us.
The robotic lawn mower is capable of cutting up to half an acre of grass on its own, guided by a wire buried along the perimeter of the property. The mower is powered by the solar energy it collects while it mows, with surplus energy stored in its nickel hydride battery.
It includes safety features like blades that automatically shut off when the mower is lifted, sensors that tell it to move around large objects and a theft-deterrent alarm.
The robot makes its U.S. debut this weekend at the Green Industry and Equipment Expo and may soon be available commercially. Husqvarna hasn't revealed the price, but their original, non-solar-powered Automower goes for around $2,000. Pretty pricey, but it might be worth it.
written by sam myerson, February 02, 2009
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For some reason the fact that intranets can significantly outperform Internets and in particular THE Internet is a shocking concept. It shouldn't be. An intranet is a contained network managed to optimize the performance to meet the needs of the participants on the network. Your corporate network in your local office is an intranet. You probably have IT people working hard to make sure its up and as fast as they can make it.
Your home network is an intranet. Wired or wireless, you are probably able to get throughput that far exceeds the speed you get from your Internet connection.
The INTERNET on the other hand is owned by no one, optimized for no one. Whoever you buy your Internet connectivity from, particularly if you are a broadband customer, has a network that is physically, locally accessible through a persistent connection (as opposed to dialing in to a remote network). They do everything they possibly can to make it as fast as possible. Your speed and throughput is dependent on a variety of variables, the most important of which is the type of wire/fiber that connects your house to the network.
Their ability to control the quality of service and throughput you receive to your home disappears the minute your traffic leaves their network and is passed of ff on to the route that will take or request your bits to or from their destination.
Think of it as crossing the border between the USA and Mexico in a car. . Neither side cares about how fast the traffic of the other side gets through. If its busy, its busy. If its slow, its slow. Its not their primary concern.
This is exactly why your video buffers , websites timeout and downloads take forever. No one is responsible for making sure its fast.
The times you get the best performance are when the website or video providers put servers on your providers network. Its for this reason that content providers pay Content Distribution Networks (CDNs) like Akamai a premium to distribute content. Akamai has thousands of servers all across the net.
CDNs however are limited in the applications they can run. They are optimized to deliver websites and graphics and downloads. The same things they have been doing for 10 years . They are not a development platform
Which is exactly why the best years of the Internet are behind it. Before you get all mad at me, ask yourself this. What is the increase in your broadband speed THROUGHPUT over the past 1,2,5 or 10 years ? I went from about 200k in 1997 to about 800k (on a 3mbs advertised number) today. An increase of only 600k. True, its cheaper now than then, but 600k is only 600k. Most people think the throughput TO THE INTERNET of our home broadband connections will increase significantly over the next few years. It wont. Other than dropping fiber in the last mile, not much has changed in the last few years and unless you have fiber to your home, not much will change in the next 5 or more years. Face it folks, the Internet as a platform has stagnated. Its dead as a growth platform. Its like Microsoft windows. From about 1985 to 1995 it was a great platform and there was new software coming out continuously. When was the last time you got excited about a new piece of consumer software written for Windows ? Its a stagnant consumer platform. We switched to browsers for most of our PC activity. We are getting to the point where the browser on the net as a platform is becoming stagnant.
Now ask yourself what the maximum possible throughput of your Internet connection ? You probably are connected to a 100mbs or faster port on the other side of your "last mile".
The typical provider throttles you down from the maximum not because they cant support more speed on their network, but because they cant deliver more speed on to the INTERNET. If you get your Internet access from the same provider that you get digital TV from , that provider is already providing you more than 1gbs of throughput of service. Yep, there are 10s of millions of people who get more than 1gbs of throughput of traffic to their home. We just call it digital TV. All those channels that you can flip to take up a huge amount of bandwidth in aggregate. The limit on the amount of bandwidth they give you for Internet is not a physical limit , its a limit based on software, technology and business decisions.
So I asked myself, "Self, could that software change so that a new platform for applications that are built on 25mbs, 50mbs, 100mbs or even 1gbs are possible ? " The answer is yes.
Software is emerging that allows applications to be written that are optimized for very high speed. But those applications can only leverage high speeds on the broadband providers INTRANET. There is no network provider on the planet that can guarantee 100mbs throughput to some random website somewhere in the world. ' Put that website on the same physical network that you buy your Internet service from and in the next couple years your provider will be able to guarantee quality of service of 100mbs
Ive sat with several of these network providers and what I'm telling them, and I think they are listening and following through, is to offer a platform or intranet applications. A platform for applications that confirm that the user and application host are on the same network, or possibly even on the same network segment. Make 100mbs or higher throughput a guaranteed service level to that application.
When that happens, people a lot smarter than me will come up with applications that blow away anything we are seeing now. I dint care if you call it Web 10.0 or whatever, but the reality is that the applications we will see then will be amazing.
When it happens, we will look back at Internet applications and laugh. Kids will call you out with things like
"Did websites really time out? Did video really buffer and die even though it was limited in size and quality."
Note: This piece was originally published on Mark's blog Blog Maverick and is posted on DMW with the author's permission. Mark's bio can be viewed here. The views expressed in this post are the author’s own, and do not represent the views of Digital Media Wire.
Flickr photo credit: Naked Cyclist
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|Sir John Elvidge
|Permanent Secretary to the Scottish Government|
|First Minister||McLeish, McConnell, Salmond|
|Preceded by||Sir Muir Russell|
|Succeeded by||Sir Peter Housden|
|Born||9 February 1951|
|Spouse(s)||Maureen Margaret Ann McGinn|
|Alma mater||St Catherine's College, Oxford|
Sir John William Elvidge KCB (born 9 February 1951) is the former Permanent Secretary to the Scottish Government. He was appointed in July 2003, replacing Sir Muir Russell. He retired from the post in June 2010.
He was born on 9 February 1951, son of Herbert William Elvidge and Irene Teresa Reynolds, and educated at Sir George Monoux School in Walthamstow, East London. He studied English language and literature at St Catherine's College, Oxford, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree. In 1973, he joined the Civil Service, working in the Scottish Office.
While at the Scottish Office, Elvidge worked particularly in the fields of economic development, physical infrastructure and European Union relations. He was seconded to Scottish Homes, from 1988–89, and to the Cabinet Office, from 1998 to 1999, where he was involved in co-ordination of the Government's legislative programme and social policies. In May 1999, He was appointed Head of the Scottish Government Education Department, and in March 2002 became Head of the Finance and Central Services Department. In 2003, he became Permanent Secretary to the Scottish Government, succeeding Sir Muir Russell, who became Principal of the University of Glasgow. Elvidge was created a Knight Commander of the Bath (KCB) in the 2006 Birthday Honours. He announced his retirement on 21 May 2010, to take effect in June, to enable his successor to prepare for the Scottish Parliament elections in May 2011.
Appointment as Chairman of Edinburgh Airport
In May 2012 it was announced that Sir John had been appointed by Global Infrastructure Partners as chairman of Edinburgh Airport. The appointment will be effective from 1 June 2012, following completion of Global Infrastructure Partners £807.2m acquisition of the airport from BAA.
Sir John is married to Maureen McGinn (Lady Elvidge) who is a member of the Scotland Committee of the Big Lottery, chair of the Board of ASH Scotland, and was chief executive of the Laidlaw Youth Trust which funded effective interventions supporting children and vulnerable young people in Scotland.
His interests include painting, film, theatre, music, modern novels, sport, the arts and food and wine.
- "ELVIDGE, Sir John (William)". Who's Who. Oxford University Press. December 2008. Retrieved 23 June 2009.
- "Sir John Elvidge, Permanent Secretary". Scottish Government. 24 July 2008. Retrieved 23 June 2009.
- "Top civil servant knighted". The Scotsman. 17 June 2006. Retrieved 23 June 2009.
- "Former civil servant Sir John Elvidge in Edinburgh Airport role"
Sir Alastair Muir Russell
|Permanent Secretary to the Scottish Government
Sir Peter Housden
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Foodservice Director has undertaken a bold initiative by identifying people who we believe are having the biggest impact on non-commercial foodservice. Our list may surprise you and should certainly intrigue you. Our honorees have backgrounds as varied as their personalities. They range from the father of the modern-day food truck to the wife of a sitting president. They include operators and suppliers, chefs and consultants, CEOs and civil servants. There are traditionalists and there are mavericks. Well-known names share space with hot newcomers. In all, 17 people, two groups of individuals and one institution compose the list. It’s time to meet FSD’s 20 Most Influential.
Director of Foodservice,
Boulder Valley School District,
Ann Cooper calls herself the Renegade Lunch Lady. What Cooper does shouldn’t be considered renegade. She’s simply bringing together communities to create a healthy school lunch program. So why all the fuss?
School districts can be notoriously laden with bureaucratic red tape. Add foodservice into the conversation, and some school administrators become downright hostile. Cooper has been smart about the selection of districts she’s attempted to tackle. First, Berkeley and now Boulder, two cities where community involvement, health and wellness, and, perhaps most importantly, money are bountiful.
In both districts Cooper has fostered a community effort revolving around bettering the school meals program. Cooper’s persistence and determination have been instrumental in creating this collaboration.
Cooper’s aim is to bring “natural, simpler, ‘clean’ ingredient labels void of additives, colorings and preservatives” onto the menus in Boulder. She’s eliminated chocolate milk, added a salad bar in every cafeteria and cut highly processed items like chicken nuggets from the menus.
Cooper’s influence doesn’t stop within Boulder’s city limits. She’s an advocate for healthier school meals and regularly appears in the national media speaking about the need for reform. In 2009, Cooper founded the Food Family Farming Foundation, a nonprofit organization “created to empower schools to serve nutritious whole foods to all students,” according to the company’s website. One of the foundation’s tools, the Lunch Box, is an online consortium of healthy recipes, technical tools and resources. True to Cooper’s form, the Lunch Box features a community section where others can share their thoughts and read about the good work being done in school nutrition.
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So I was thinking about getting an android phone and decided to test an example of where Android can do something iOS can’t. Assign a default app for an action from another app. In this case, I was excited about the idea that I could set the Waze gps app as my primary navigation app for my device and then when Google Now would suggest a route home I could tap the item and waze would start navigating.
This is supposed to be one of the reasons Android is great right? Letting this inter app communication occur so the user can have ultimate choice.
Unfortunately, the actual results I got testing this on my Nexus 7 caused me to see where this falls apart. I was able to successfully set waze as my default navigation app quite easily and have it open when I tap a set of directions in Google Now. However, when it opens, Waze doesn’t start navigating, it doesn’t even input the desired address. In fact, Waze just opens to a blank screen with no indication that it got anything from Google Now. I imagine this may have a lot to do with Waze not being properly coded to accept whatever address information google now is sending it. But Waze is a very popular navigation app, this isn’t some small time third party navigation app that nobody uses. Due to its crowd sourcing Waze continues to be the most reliable in accurately predicting traffic over Google Maps and any other navigation solution.
Which brings me to the point of my story. I would love to be able to customize my iOS device to use different device defaults. It’s that option that makes me consider an android device. But without a standard for those apps to communicate across, or having a coordinated partnership. The likelihood of that customization actually working is less and less. So whats the point of having all of that root level power if it doesn’t work.
I know this is just one example, and there are plenty of other scenarios where the two apps communicate just fine. I just wanted to use a real world example of something I know I would do if I had an android phone as a daily driver.
A well designed clean website for posting and sharing ideas. The design/ux collection is a frequent visit for me.
One of my favorite design resources, Codrops, has posted an excellent article about great design and why its invisible.
In other words, if you are doing things right, no one will notice anything.
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THERE has been an outcry in Plumpton over news that a unique feature of the village’s heritage looks set to be taken away next year.
Network Rail plans to replace the historic railway gates at the level crossing near the station which have been there since the 19th century. The manually operated wooden gates, which close road access as trains pass through, will be replaced by modern ‘drop down’ barriers controlled remotely by CCTV from Three Bridges.
Plumpton’s signalman is to give way to flashing lights, sirens and new signage after the road layout has been altered. There is particular local concern about the fate of the Victorian gates because they fall within the curtailment of the signal box and are therefore likewise Listed.
They are believed to be one of only two sets remaining in the entire country.
Locals said that because of the way the gates are designed no children or animals can stray on to the railway line and it was impossible for cars to try to ‘jump them’, unlike the new modern barriers.
Villager Katie Wride said she was concerned about an apparent lack of consultation. She said: “The least Network Rail can do is be up front and open with villagers as to its plans and timescales and consult us. We don’t want what happened in Frinton on Sea when three years of negotiation ended in Network Rail ripping out the gates in the middle of the night.”
She suggested the village gates could be replaced on a like-for-like basis, only automated.
Local historian Richard Wells said: “Plumpton’s rail gates are unique. It will be a sad day to lose them as it will change the whole character of the village. We must look at every option to save them.”
A Southern Railway spokesman said Network Rail would be replacing 19th century technology with 21st century, which is safer, more reliable and cost-effective.
He said there had been lengthy discussions with the parish council about the plans to upgrade the crossing and replace the existing gates and signaller-operated crossing with a new full barrier version monitored in Three Bridges. Many factors had been taken into consideration – including the volume of traffic in the area on race days/
“The crossing gates are listed and Network Rail has been in discussion with the local council and residents about what they would like to do with them,” said the spokesman. “The same discussions will take place around the future of the signal box.
“Network Rail is committed to making the railway as safe, reliable and efficient as possible and its plans for Plumpton are part of a national move to improve level crossing safety and centralise its signalling operations.
“Network Rail is proposing to carry out the work at Plumpton in 2013.”
- From the back pages, May 23: Chelsea in pole position to land £80m Ronaldo after former Real president Calderon dismisses United return
- VIDEO ‘Trevor the Seal’ pays a visit to Seaford beach
- Lewes to Uckfield rail link is moving further down the track
- Review: The Kite Runner, Brighton Festival, until Saturday May 25
- Trevor gets the seal of approval from Seaford
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Weather for Lewes
Friday 24 May 2013
Temperature: 5 C to 11 C
Wind Speed: 24 mph
Wind direction: West
Temperature: 6 C to 15 C
Wind Speed: 14 mph
Wind direction: North
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Handling lost IDs and credit cards
We've all done it—left our wallet on the table at a restaurant or walked out of the library without our book bag. Sometimes we're lucky. We go back to the restaurant and find our wallet still at the table or we go to the library and find that the librarian has stashed our book bag behind the counter. But sometimes we aren't so lucky and our valuables are gone. What to do? This section outlines steps to take if your IDs have been lost or stolen.
Protecting your information
- Vow to keep very little in your wallet—just your driver's license, student ID, maybe one credit card, and a little bit of cash. If you do lose your wallet, it will be much easier to take steps to cancel one credit card or notify authorities about just a few items than if you carry numerous credit cards and personal information.
- Make photocopies of the cards and ID that you carry with you, and keep them in a safe place in your room.
- Keep records of all your credit card numbers and their toll-free customer service numbers, bank account numbers, bank branch phone numbers, Department of Motor Vehicle phone number, and any other agencies that you may need to contact if you lose your wallet. Keep these in a safe place in your room.
Replacing credit, debit, and ATM cards
Report the loss or theft of your credit cards and your ATM or debit cards to the card issuers as quickly as possible. Many companies have toll-free numbers and 24-hour service to deal with such emergencies. It's a good idea to follow-up your phone calls with letters. Include your account number, when you noticed your card was missing, and the date you first reported the loss.
Credit card loss or fraudulent charges.
Your maximum liability under federal law for unauthorized use of your credit card is $50. If you report the loss before your credit cards are used, the card issuer cannot hold you responsible for any unauthorized charges. If a thief uses your cards before you report them missing, the most you will owe for unauthorized charges is $50 per card. Also, if the loss involves your credit card number, but not the card itself, you have no liability for unauthorized use.
After the loss, review your billing statements carefully. If they show any unauthorized charges, send a letter to the card issuer describing each questionable charge. Again, tell the card issuer the date your card was lost or stolen, or when you first noticed unauthorized charges, and when you first reported the problem to them. Be sure to send the letter to the address provided for billing errors. Do not send it with a payment or to the address where you send your payments unless you are directed to do so.
ATM or debit card loss or fraudulent transfers.
If you report an ATM or debit card missing before it's used without your permission, the card issuer cannot hold you responsible for any unauthorized transfers. If unauthorized use occurs before you report it, your liability under federal law depends on how quickly you report the loss.
For example, if you report the loss within two business days after you realize your card is missing, you will not be responsible for more than $50 for unauthorized use. However, if you don't report the loss within two business days after you discover the loss, you could lose up to $500 because of an unauthorized transfer. If unauthorized transfers show up on your bank statement, report them to the card issuer as quickly as possible. Once you've reported the loss of your ATM or debit card, you cannot be held liable for additional unauthorized transfers that occur after that time.
Replacing your driver's license
If your driver's license has been lost or stolen, report the incident to your local police's non-emergency line (it is not necessary to call 911). This is especially important if the license has been lost or stolen as a result of a suspected crime. The local police will likely have forms you need to fill out to report the incident. Be sure to get a copy of the report.
To find out the procedures for getting a replacement license, contact the Department of Motor Vehicles for the state that issued your driver's license. ("Department of Motor Vehicles" is a common name for the department that issues state drivers' licenses; however, each state's department may have another name.)
To obtain a replacement license, you will need to have proof of your identity (some states require two forms) and pay a fee. Fees vary from state to state. Some states do not charge a fee if the driver's license is lost as a result of a crime and you provide the licensing agency with a copy of the police report. Some states allow replacement driver's licenses to be issued via mail; others require your presence at a state office.
Replacing your passport
If you have lost your passport or you believe that it has been stolen, you must take two steps:
- Report your passport as lost or stolen.
- Replace your passport.
Report your passport as lost or stolen.
You must fill out Form DS-64, Statement Regarding a Lost or Stolen Passport. Fill in as much of the passport information as you can and answer all the other questions in detail. Sign and submit Form DS-64 to:
U.S. Department of State
Consular Lost/Stolen Passport Section
1111 19th Street, NW, Suite 500
Washington, DC 20036
Passports reported lost or stolen are invalidated and can no longer be used for travel. Once a passport is reported lost or stolen, it cannot be re-validated. If you recover the passport after you have reported it lost or stolen, you must submit it to the U.S. Department of State at the address listed above. When you submit it, you can request that it be canceled and returned to you. If you don't request the passport to be returned, it will be destroyed.
You can find more information about reporting your passport as lost or stolen or replacing your passport at the U.S. Department of State Web site.
Replace your passport.
To obtain a new passport, you must appear in person at a Passport Agency or Acceptance Facility. If your still valid passport was lost or stolen, you must submit Form DS-64, Statement Regarding a Lost or Stolen Passport, and Form DS-11, Application for Passport, when you apply for a replacement at a Passport Agency or Acceptance Facility.
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The Inconvenience of Leadership.
It won’t be a rallying cry that gets you to start thinking about doing things differently. It won’t be a protest movement or a march down Main Street.
It’s more subtle. More likely it will be a quiet look to the left and to the right.
A look that inquires whether anyone else sees what you see.
A look that asks a question.
Who will fix this?
Who will volunteer to fix this situation?
That’s how leadership is born — of necessity.
And it’s never the right time. It’s usually not even the right place.
But that doesn’t mean it’s not the right thing to do.
Leadership has always been inconvenient.
- It was inconvenient to walk through the bitter snow of Valley Forge, but we wouldn’t have our great country if men like George Washington hadn’t decided to leave their riches and lead a cause greater than their own prosperity.
- It was inconvenient to try 10,000 different combinations of elements in order to invent a lighting problem that many people didn’t think they had, but Thomas Edison led us to a solutions that most of us couldn’t live without.
- It was inconvenient to stop eating and starve himself out of protest, but Mohandas Ghandi understood that the cause of freedom and fairness was a mission that he was willing to die for.
There are no easy leadership assignments.
There is no perfect time and perfect place to start leading.
It’s always tough to lead.
Because in a certain sense of the word you’re the only one doing it. You are the only one who stands ahead of the crowd, boldly venturing were others only mock.
Make no mistake. It’s tough.
And we talk about part of the problem.
We focus on the fact that leadership requires a lot of effort — which is true. We focus on the courage that leadership demands — which it does. We focus on mental toughness and bold ideas and ruthless determination — which all matter tremendously.
And we many times forget that the greatest reason we choose not to lead is the simplest.
Because leadership is inconvenient.
- It requires hard decisions and we don’t want to have to admit failure.
- It requires focus when all we have is distracted attention.
- It requires sacrifice and we think that that’s just not fair.
- It requires investments and we want to spend our money in other ways.
- It requires no excuses and we like to position things so that we can never come out a loser.
Leadership is inconvenient.
Doing something that matters will require you to give up other things in your life.
Things that might be fun.
But another inconvenient truth about leadership is that if you’re not leading, somebody else is.
If you’re not leading, you’re being led.
Which begs a bigger question:
“Isn’t it more inconvenient to not lead?”
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At age 80, Ernest “Fritz” Hollings is South Carolina’s junior senator. Lately, he has been trying to help his Democratic colleagues by giving them what he thinks is a catchy phrase with which to beat up the Bush administration. His line is that this is a “cash-and-carry” administration. The implication is that Enron paid and the Bush people delivered. He first intoned this slogan while doing his impersonation of an outraged citizen. (He may be a junior senator, but he understands how things work on Capitol Hill. Between 1996 and 2000 he took $1.2 million in PAC contributions.)
Enron contributions to Bush’s campaign seem to have produced only a flat turn-down of support for the flawed Kyoto treaty which Enron saw as a potential source of riches for its traders.
Things were a little different in the Clinton years. Then, it was a matter of you give us the cash; we’ll carry your water. During those eight years Enron had seats on four Department of Energy and seven Department of Commerce overseas trade missions. It was well known in those days that non-contributors to the Democratic Party need not apply.
Over an 18-month period in 1995 and ‘96, Clinton administration officials helped Enron close a $3 billion power plant deal in India. Just four days before India gave the final green light, Enron made a $100,000 contribution to the Democratic National Committee. It was, of course, a mere coincidence. Of course.
Enron was ecumenical when it came to politics, quite naturally putting its money where it thought its self-interest lay at any given time. More recently it tilted toward Republicans — with nothing to show for it. In the Clinton years, it was the Democrats. Between 1990 and 2000, the DNC received hundreds of thousands of dollars from Enron sources.
Clinton administration officials beavered away for Enron. National Security Adviser Anthony Lake stalled an aid package to Mozambique until that country approved an Enron pipeline project. Secretary of Energy Bill Richardson went to Nigeria to help arrange for a joint energy development project that resulted in $882 millions’ worth of power contracts for Enron.
Democrat Senator Jeff Bingaman of New Mexico, now chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, in 2000 received $23,374 from Enron and its auditing firm, Arthur Andersen, which, to a borrow phrase from the elder George Bush, is now in deep doo-doo.
Global Crossing, the fiber optics telecommunications company that just tanked, had similar experiences. In 1997, its altruistic CEO, Gary Winnick, offered Clinton insider Terry McAuliffe company stock before it soared. McAuliffe’s $100,000 investment turned into $18 million after the company went public. Later, McAuliffe arranged for Winnick to play golf with Clinton. Just a little tête-à-tête among friends. That’s all.
In 1999 Global Crossing hired Senator Bingaman’s wife, a lobbyist, to help it thwart an effort by its competitors to lay a cable between the U.S. and Japan. The senator’s financial disclosure report for 2000 shows that his wife made a capital gain of over $1 million on the sale of Global Crossing stock. She probably kept it a secret from him until he had to file the report, lest her good fortune affect his voting.
Recently, the high-minded Mr. McAuliffe, now chairman of the DNC, told CNN about Enron: “…the wealthy special interests got to take their money off the table and that’s what we need to investigate.” Over at Global Crossing last May, his pal Winnick took a lot of money off the table — several hundred million dollars worth of sold stock — as the company’s fortunes were declining. In late June, according to Roy Olafson, the company official who blew the whistle on its odd accounting practices, Global’s chief financial officer delayed telling shareholders that the company’s outlook was grim for the balance of the year, lest they think Mr. Winnick had been using his insider’s knowledge to profit from impending bad news. No doubt Mr. McAuliffe, with his keen interest in good government, will insist the Democrat-controlled Senate investigate Global Crossing, its creative bookkeeping and its with-it auditors, the same Arthur Andersen who worked for Enron. No doubt.
A man of faith in a godless age is hitting Americans where it hurts.
Mr. and Mrs. American Spectator Reader, let P.J. O’Rourke talk sense to your kids.
In Britain, defending your property can get you life.
The debacle of this president’s administration is both a cause and a symptom of the decline of American values. Unless Congress impeaches him, that decline will go on unchecked. An eminent jurist surveys the damage and assesses the chances for the recovery of our culture.
It won’t take long for conservatives to scratch this presidential wannabe off their 2008 scorecard.
The American Christmas, like the songs that celebrate it, makes room for everybody under the rainbow. Is that why so many people seem to be hostile to it?
Was the President done in by the economy, or by the politics of the economy?
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Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE)
- Versión en español (August 2011)
What is eastern equine encephalitis?
Eastern equine encephalitis (EEE) is a rare but serious viral disease spread by mosquitoes that can affect people and horses. EEE can also cause disease in captive birds such as the ring-necked pheasant, emu, ostriches, quail and ducks. EEE infection and disease can occasionally occur in other livestock, deer, dogs, other mammals, reptiles and amphibians.
How common is EEE in people?
In the United States, approximately 5-10 EEE cases are reported annually. Five human cases have been reported in New York State: one each in 1971, 1983, 2009, 2010 and 2011. All were fatal. The risk of getting EEE is highest from late July through September when more mosquitoes are present and active.
How is eastern equine encephalitis transmitted?
EEE is transmitted by the bite of an infected mosquito. Mosquitoes become infected by feeding on infected birds. Infected mosquitoes will then occasionally feed on horses, humans and other mammals. Several species of mosquitoes can become infected with the EEE virus (EEEV). EEE is not spread person-to-person, from people to animals or from animals (other than mosquitoes) to people.
Who is at risk of becoming infected with EEE?
People of all ages are at risk for infection with the EEE virus but people over age 50 and younger than age 15 are at greatest risk for developing severe disease.
What are the symptoms of eastern equine encephalitis?
Most people bitten by an infected mosquito will not develop any symptoms.
Severe cases of EEE infection begin with the sudden onset of headache, high fever, chills, and vomiting. The illness may then progress into disorientation, seizures, encephalitis (inflammation of the brain) and coma. Approximately a third of patients who develop EEE die, and many of those who survive have mild to severe brain damage.
When do symptoms appear?
It takes 4-10 days after the bite of an infected mosquito to develop symptoms of EEE.
What is the treatment for eastern equine encephalitis?
There is no specific treatment for EEE. Antibiotics are not effective against viruses, and no effective anti-viral drugs have been discovered for the treatment of EEE. Severe illnesses are treated by supportive therapy, which may include hospitalization, respiratory support, IV fluids and prevention of other infections.
Do all mosquitoes transmit disease?
No. Most mosquitoes do not transmit disease. There are more than 70 species of mosquitoes in New York State, but only a few species are capable of transmitting the EEE virus.
Is there an EEE vaccine for humans?
There is no human vaccine for EEE. The best way to protect yourself is to keep mosquitoes from biting you.
How can people reduce the chance of getting infected with EEE?
Prevent mosquito bites. There is no vaccine or preventive drug.
- Use insect repellent containing DEET, picaridin, IR3535 or oil of lemon eucalyptus on exposed skin and/or clothing. The repellent/insecticide permethrin can be used on clothing to protect through several washes. Always follow label directions.
- Wear long sleeves and pants when weather permits.
- Have secure, intact screens on windows and doors to keep mosquitoes out.
- Eliminate mosquito breeding sites by emptying standing water from flower pots, buckets, barrels, and other containers. Drill holes in tire swings so water drains out. Keep children's wading pools empty and on their sides when they are not being used.
What can be done to protect horses from eastern equine encephalitis?
There are EEE and West Nile virus vaccines available for horses. In consultation with a veterinarian, vaccinate your horse(s) against these viruses. Change the water in water troughs is changed at least twice a week to discourage mosquito breeding.
What is being done to control mosquitoes?
The New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) has conducted a comprehensive program to study, understand and control EEE in Central New York for several decades. While personal protective measures remain a critical step to prevent EEE infection, the NYSDOH provides consultation to county health departments on control measures. Check with your local health department to find about the mosquito control program in your community.
Where can I get more information about EEE?
For more information about Eastern Equine encephalitis in humans, visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
For more information about EEE in horses, talk to your animals' veterinarian.
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Ben Stein says…
Evolutionism, as taught by Darwinism, has nothing – nothing – to say about how life originated. – interview on CNN: Impolite Conversation, April 18, 2008
But when I talk to people who are Darwinists or evolutionists and say, “Well, how did life begin” – they’re … they don’t have an answer. I mean, they have an answer, but it’s a BS answer. It’s an answer that wouldn’t make sense to a small child. – interview on the Glenn Beck show, November 13, 2007
Darwinism also has not one meaningful word to say on the origins of organic life, a striking lacuna in a theory supposedly explaining life. – blog entry on Expelled’s website, November 31, 2007
and George Scileppi answers
Evolution has nothing to say about “how life started” one way or the other. If you cannot even start by asking the right questions, how can you possibly achieve the right answers? If your very trailer is starting off with utter dishonesty, how is it possible your propaganda piece will not do the same?
Let me try to put it in the most simplistic terms you may be able to understand: Asking an evolutionary biologist “How did life begin?” and taking him to task or showing him as a buffoon for not answering you, is akin to asking of Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, “Why has this movie not achieved world peace?”, or asking of Visine, “Why hasn’t this eye wash cured our fuel and energy woes?”, or asking the author of a few Nixon addresses, “Why didn’t these speeches thwart Watergate?”
and Audrey in Columbus adds
No dear, science doesn’t always make sense to small children. That’s why most experts in the subject have PhDs. Abiogenesis is a complex topic that currently has a generous amount of research being performed. A brief read through the Wikipedia entry on the subject would be enlightening for Mr. Stein (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abiogenesis).
An honest “I don’t know, but we’re working on it” is preferable to an inquiry-ending “God did it” any day.
and John-Peter Etcheber amplifies
Actually it’s not at all surprising or striking that Darwin’s theory of evolution says nothing about the origins of life. The precise phenomenon evolution describes is the diversity of life and why there are so many different species. In fact, it is common that seminal works of science have nothing to do with origins.
Sir Isaac Newton contributed numerous theories on the nature of gravity, light, and physics. However, none of his theories have anything to do with the origins of gravity, light, or the initial conditions which lead to the physical universe. A couple of centuries would have to pass, and numerous studies and revisions of Newton would have to be done before scientists could ever arrive at the idea of the Big Bang.
Similarly, Gregor Mendel is known as one of the founders of modern genetics, as he discovered that traits were inherited from parent to child. However, his theories about inheritance were completely void of any ideas about how the traits were passed. It was not until the twentieth century that meiosis and chromosomes were discovered and his theories were confirmed.
Scientific research rarely gives a complete picture on the first pass. It usually takes generations of scientists to even scrape the surface of any phenomenon, and those answers often lead to even more questions. This elucidates the best part of the scientific method: no one participant ever has the last word and no scientist is ever so deified that he or she cannot be challenged.
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Valley Forge KnivesValley Forge Cutlery were a knife maker that existed in 1899 and were based in Newark, NJ. They eventually sold out to the Boker brand where they continued to manufacture the brand name until around 1950. These days the knives are modern in craftsmanship but still bear the same name and ethics that help to keep the brand alive for years to come, and for future generations to enjoy the knives that previous generations enjoyed. You can look forward to tough stainless steel blades or even Damascus steel blades, wooden handles, Brass guards, pins and even handsome leather sheaths. Whatever your reason, its still nice to hold a knife that revives memories of knife making throughout the years, knife making that delivered some truly superb knives in their heyday. Find out more and browse this category below.
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of December 1651.
RESOLVED, That the Master of the Rolls be required to give Order for preparing those Records, and
other Things, desired by the Commissioners who are to go
into Scotland; together with Schedules and Inventories
thereof; and also Indentures by which they may be delivered to such Persons, as the Parliament shall appoint to
take the Charge of them: And that the Master of the
Rolls do give an Account thereof to the House, with all
possible Speed, for the Parliament's Direction therein.
Primatt and Lilburne.
The humble Petition and Appeal of Josiah Primatt
of London, Leather-seller, was this Day read.
Resolved, That the Petitioner Josiah Prymatt be
called in, to avow his Petition.
The Petitioner was called in, accordingly: And, being
come to the Bar: Mr. Speaker demanded his Name; he
answered, Josiah Prymatt: And being shewed the Petition
itself, and demanded whether that were his Petition, and
that he did avow it; he answered, the Name subscribed
thereunto was his Hand, and That was his Petition; and
that he did avow it in the Manner as it is therein expressed: And then the Petitioner withdrew.
Resolved, That the Petitioner be again called in; and
demanded, whether he did cause this Petition to be
The Petitioner being again called in; and being come
to the Bar, Mr. Speaker demanded of him, whether he
did give Order for this Petition to be printed; to which
he answered Yes: And being asked, whether he did give
order for the publishing of it; he answered Yes: And
being asked, who printed it; he said, it was a Printer at
Paule's Wharf; saith his Name was Mr. Newcom; and
that the said Mr. Primate gave Order for the printing of
Five hundred; and that he gave such Order about Three
Days since: And being shewed a printed Paper, intituled,
"To the supreme Authority of this Nation, the Parliament of the Commonwealth of England; The humble Petition and Appeal of Josiah Prymatt of London, Leatherseller;" he doth acknowlege that the same is one of the
Copies he caused to be printed; and that he did deliver
divers of them to divers Members of the House; and
likewise to divers other Persons, not Members of the
House: And that he delivered divers printed Copies of
them to other Persons, to be delivered; and in particular, to Lieutenant Colonel John Lilburne, to deliver them
to several Persons.
Resolved, That Mr. Prymatt be again called in, and
asked the Question, who drew the Petition: And he was
accordingly called in; and being demanded, by Mr.
Speaker, who drew this Petition for him; he saith, his
Council; and saith, Mr. Parsons was one of his Council
and Mr. Lane another: And being asked again, who did
draw his Petition; he answered, Major Wildman and
Master Levet: and that all his Council did consult of his
Petition after it was drawn; and did all agree, that he
should prefer it.
Resolved, That Lieutenant Colonel John Lilburne, be
called in, and that Mr. Speaker do ask him; whether he
did disperse these printed Copies; and to whom; and
whether he gave Direction for the printing of them; and
whether he did not open it; and whether he had a Hand
in the contriving and penning of it.
Lieutenant Colonel John Lilburne was accordingly
called in: And, being come to the Bar, was demanded,
by Mr. Speaker, whether he did deliver any of the
printed Copies of Mr. Prymatt's Petition, one whereof
was shewed him; he answered, he did deliver divers
to Mr. Speaker, Sir Arthure Hesilrig, Colonel Fenwick,
and as many other Members of the House as he could:
And being asked whether he did not it deliver to divers
others that were not Members; he saith, he did deliver
it to divers who desired to read it: And being asked,
whether he gave Direction for the printing of it; he
saith, he was employed from the Beginning in managing
this Business by Mr. Prymatt, and his Uncle George
Lilburne; that he believes Mr. Prymatt will tell the
House, he gave Direction for the printing it, and will
avow it; And being asked, whether he did pen the Petition; he saith, he did not; but he was by when it was
penned, and liked it well.
Resolved, That this Petition of Josiah Prymatt be
committed to Mr. Bond, Lord Commissioner Whitelock,
Colonel Purefoy, Mr. Sey, Mr. Long, Sir Gilbert
Pickering, Major General Harrison, Mr. Ellis, Aldermen Allein, Mr. Carew, Mr. Attorney, Sir Peter Wentworth, Mr. Hay, Mr. Nevill, Mr. * Stephens, Colonel
Marten, Colonel Sidney, Sir Henry Vane, Sir Henry
Mildmay, Lord Chief Baron, Mr. Hill, Colonel Lister,
Mr. Herbert, Mr. Burrell, Colonel Thompson, Colonel
Bennett, Mr. * Challoner, Sir John Trevor, Colonel
Bossevile, Mr. Wilde, Mr. Strickland, Colonel Peter
Temple, Colonel Birch, Lord Grey, Mr. Browne, Colonel Fielder, Mr. Ch. Marten, Sir Wm. Masham, Lord
Commissioner Lisle, Mr. Moyle, Mr. Scott, Colonel
Jones, Colonel Wayte, Mr. Dunch, Mr. Trenchard, Mr.
Leman, Mr. Tho. Chaloner, Mr. Masham, Sir John
Bourchier, Colonel Pyne, or any Five of them: And
that Mr. Roger Hill do take Care of it: And that the
Committee have Power to examine upon Oath: and
report forthwith: With Power to send for Persons, Parties, Witnesses, Records, and Papers.
Resolved, That the Committee do take Consideration,
in the first Place, of so much of the Petition as concerns
that the Injustice done was through Fear and Overawing the Commissioners; and the Charge of Tyranny
and Oppression: And that the Committee do meet, Tomorrow in the Afternoon, at Two of the Clock, in the
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Auto accidents happen...everywhere, everyday, to even the most careful drivers. The time to plan what you should do is now - before you're involved in one.
No matter how cautious you may be driving, other drivers on the road still pose a threat to you. Taking responsibility is your first step toward preventing an accident.
Know the rules of the road
Practice driving. It requires good hand-eye coordination and quick thinking. NASCAR drivers don't get in the car and drive only on race days. They practice daily right up to race time.
You should do the same. Look for an empty parking lot or open space where you have lots of room with no buildings, poles or other cars nearby. Do this in challenging weather situations such as heavy rain, ice, and snow.
By practicing in different environments, you can teach yourself how to react automatically when you have to brake and swerve to miss something.
Keep your car working
Never drive on a slick tire. Also, blinkers, headlights, and taillights need new bulbs from time to time. Check them often by turning them on and walking around the car to see if they're in good working order.
Always wear your seatbelt
Require all passengers to do the same. Seatbelts can reduce accident fatalities by 45%, and serious injury by 50%.
Stay within the speed limit
Stay in the limit.
Faster isn't better when it comes to driving. Sometimes people get caught up in the freedom of the open road, only to meet disaster.
Speeding can cost you hundreds of dollars in fines.
It can also cost you your life.
Speed limits apply to ideal conditions. Slow down when it's raining, snowing or foggy—or anytime the road is extra hazardous or your vision is limited.
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Page 2 of 2
The programmable pipe – or shaders
A modern "shader" graphics pipeline
What all of this means is that a graphics card with a GPU based on a fixed function vertex and pixel pipeline can do nearly all of the work in converting the 3D model into a 2D representation.
The programmer has to specify the vertices of each triangle in the mesh, set up arrays of numbers specifying the position of the camera, lights, surface textures and so on and finally configure processes such as texture filtering and fog effects. After this the GPU more or less does all of the work.
This is excellent but it does tend to produce 3D graphics that look the same. Even if you are a creative programmer there isn't much you can do to actually show off your talents with a fixed graphics pipeline. This is where shaders come in.
Instead of having a fixed function T&L vertex processor and a fixed function pixel processor, the modern 3D graphics cards have programmable hardware in the pipeline. A program running on the vertex processing pipeline is called a "vertex shader" and one running on the pixel part of the pipeline is called a "pixel shader".
This makes it possible to implement any sort of improvement you care to think up in the GPU and create graphics that are better than the average.
For example a programmer is now free to use a vertex shader to improve on the lighting effects algorithms in use to create halos, backlighting and dynamic shadows. A pixel shader can be used to improve the quality of texture and surface rendering.
Exciting stuff but the problem is that the first implementations of the shader concept were very difficult to use. Most programs don't use the GPU directly but go through a "graphics engine" such as DirectX or OpenGL, a program designed to make the GPU easier to use.
The first breakthrough in making shaders easier to use was the introduction of a shading script in the Quake III graphics engine, but OpenGL and DirectX 9 introduced high level shading languages of their own. The current leader in shader languages is Pixar's RenderMan, but this is currently too advanced for the average GPU found in a PC graphics card. However shaders are slowely but surely working their way into all areas of graphics programming. For example, Silverlight web programmers can now use shaders directly to create special effects.
Not only have shader languages undergone rapid development, so has the GPU hardware.
The first advanced graphics cards implemented Vertex Shader vs_1_1, which limited processing to 128 instructions; the very latest cards support vs_3_0 with a minimum of 512 instructions and lots of additional instructions.
Pixel shaders have been through a similar development with the early ps_1_1 system supporting just 12 instructions and today's ps_3_0 supporting a minimum of 512.
In addition graphics hardware is free to implement the processing pipeline in different ways. For example, the latest graphics card from nVida, part of the GeForce series, use "superscalar" architecture, i.e. multiple GPU pipelines, to speed up the Shader Model 3.0 and high dynamic range HDR rendering. HDR uses 32-bit floating point numbers processed in hardware to give a wider dynamic range for the rendered image allowing detail in the dark and highlights of an image.
To give you some idea of just how powerful the latest Shader Model 3 based graphics cards are, consider the problem of creating the effect of moving water in a game. Previous attempts at this have always looked artificial and have involved a lot of "soft focus". By writing an appropriate shader the dynamic surface of water can be simulated by solving the equations that govern its behaviour.
You may not think of fire as water but both can be simulated as fluids. In this case the flames are simulated by the GPU
In fact this approach allows the game world to introduce fluids of any sort that move realistically and look realistic. The GPU as equation solver is such a powerful idea that it is being used in science and technology as an alternative to building a super computer.
We haven't quite got to the stage of "realtime cinematic rendering" but it's not far off. What is also important is that, as more and more of the graphics tasks are given to the GPU to perform, the CPU becomes free to be used to implement more advanced game features such as opponents that have artificial intelligence or gaming strategies.
This Shader editor makes it easy to try out effects programs. The Shader program is in the window on the left and it applies a "wood" texture using Shader model 2.
If you would like to see some demos of just what a modern 3D GPU can do then visit: http://www.nzone.com
For information on how to program 3D graphics in DirectX see:
and for OpenGL:
and for game programming in general:
For a review of GPU Gems: GPU Gems Volume 1
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Life-Span Gap Skews Entitlements Toward the Well-Off
As policy makers peer into the abyss below the fiscal cliff, they are beginning to talk about making changes to Medicare, and perhaps even Social Security. When looking at these programs, they would be wise to take into account the widening gap in life expectancy -- a gap defined by education and income.
Since better-educated, higher-income Americans are living longer than everyone else and therefore collecting benefits longer, Medicare and Social Security are becoming less progressive on a lifetime basis. Fortunately, there are ways to offset this gap.
The average life expectancy at birth in the U.S. is now 78.7 years. But in life expectancy, as in many things, averages obscure many details.
Higher-income people have pretty much always lived longer than lower-income people. In the early 1970s, however, the gap started expanding rapidly. In measuring this phenomenon, researchers typically look at education, rather than income, because education is correlated with lifetime income but is not affected by bouts of ill health, which can skew the relationship between current income and health status.
In 1990, 20-year-old white women who had at least a college degree were expected to live to age 81, while those with less than a high-school degree were expected to reach 79, a recent study in Health Affairs found. By 2008, however, that two-year gap had widened to more than 10 years. For 20-year-old white men, the difference grew from five years in 1990 to 13 years in 2008.
Other studies show a similar pattern: For people high on the scale of socioeconomic status, life expectancy is rising at a decent clip. For those at the bottom, it is stagnant at best - - and in many cases is actually declining.
A complicating factor in these analyses is that the kind of people who lack, say, a high-school diploma today are different from those who didn’t have one in the past. Still, it is clear that the gap is growing for reasons that go beyond this selection effect.
One of these is smoking, which hasn’t declined as quickly among less-educated people as it has among the highly educated. Other reasons include changes in marriage patterns and social ties, and the economic return that education brings.
“Education exerts its direct beneficial effects on health through the adoption of healthier lifestyles, better ability to cope with stress and more effective management of chronic diseases,” the authors of the Health Affairs article write. “However, the indirect effects of education through access to more privileged social position, better-paying jobs and higher income are also profound.”
One clear implication is that boosting people’s education has important benefits in addition to productivity. Yet that won’t have much impact on people already well along in their careers, and the longevity gap is widening even among people on the verge of retirement. Just since 1990, the difference in life expectancy between the most- and least-educated 65-year-olds has grown by almost five years.
For programs such as Social Security and Medicare, the consequences are easy to see. Consider the present value of $1 that a white man turning 65 can expect to receive each year of his remaining life. In 1990, when the best-educated men could expect to live an additional 16 years and the least-educated, 15 years more, the difference in the present value of that $1 amounted to about 5 percent. By 2008, when the men at the top of the scale could expect to live five years longer, the present- value gap was more than 25 percent.
In our 2005 book, “Saving Social Security,” the economist Peter Diamond and I argued that the formula used to set people’s annual Social Security benefits should be made more progressive to offset the increasing gap in life expectancy.
When it comes to Medicare, offsetting the longevity gap is a bit more challenging, because there is no straightforward formula to work with. (It is also less clear what the level of lifetime progressivity for Medicare is in the first place. While most studies suggest that Social Security remains moderately progressive on a lifetime basis, the evidence on Medicare is mixed. One major study found it to be regressive on a lifetime basis, and another did not.)
If Medicare were shifted to a premium-support program -- a change that would create other problems, as I have explained -- the widening divide in life expectancy would justify a much larger annual subsidy for people at the bottom of the income distribution than for those at the top. Given how the program is structured now, however, policy makers should look for still more ways to link copayments to income, as is already done for Medicare Part B and Part D premiums.
Negotiations in Washington over how to address the fiscal cliff offer an opportunity to update both Medicare and Social Security to offset the trends in life expectancy. Although we may not be able to do anything immediately to lengthen the lives of America’s poorest and least-educated people, we can at least even out the resulting differences in their lifetime Social Security and Medicare benefits.
(Peter Orszag is vice chairman of corporate and investment banking at Citigroup Inc. and a former director of the Office of Management and Budget in the Obama administration. The opinions expressed are his own.)
Today’s highlights: the editors on how to avert the fiscal cliff and on New York’s lawsuit against JPMorgan Chase & Co.; Margaret Carlson on the election as a referendum on Mitt Romney; Clive Crook on finding an unextreme path for Europe; Michael Kinsley on which gaffes will matter at the debates; Meghan L. O’Sullivan on the silver lining in the Muslim anti-American riots; Thomas de Waal on Georgia’s democratic counterrevolution.
To contact the writer of this article: Peter Orszag at firstname.lastname@example.org
To contact the editor responsible for this article: Mary Duenwald at email@example.com
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Rosemead is located in California.
Rosemead, California has a population of
family-centric than the surrounding county with
30.82% of the households
containing married families with children.
The county average for households married with children is 30.82%.
The median household income in Rosemead, California is
The median household income for the surrounding county is $44,352
compared to the national median of $50,935.
The median age of people living in Rosemead is
The average high temperature in July is 89
degrees, with an average low temperature in January of 41.6 degrees.
The average rainfall is approximately 17.4 inches
per year, with 0 inches of snow per year.
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Ohio Law Allows Involuntary Addiction Treatment, if Families Pay Up Front
A law that recently went into effect in Ohio allows families to seek involuntary addiction treatment for a loved one—if the family agrees to pay for it.
The law has only been used once since it went into effect in March, The Plain Dealer reports. A similar law was passed in Kentucky eight years ago, the article notes. Unlike the Kentucky law, the Ohio law requires family members to sign an agreement stating they will pay the full bill for treatment, and give the court a deposit for half before treatment begins.
According to Cuyahoga County Probate Court Magistrate David Mills, his court has received many inquiries about the law, but once the family finds out they would have to pay thousands of dollars, they are no longer interested.
Bill Denihan, Chief Executive Officer of Cuyahoga County’s Board of Alcohol, Drug Addiction and Mental Health Services, said he is troubled by the financial burden placed on families. “While we have problems with this, we don’t chastise the intent to try and help someone who needs help,” Denihan said. “But this is for those that have money. The question we have is what about those who don’t have money? How is this fair and equitable?”
In Kentucky, families are obligated to pay for treatment costs, but they do not have to pay up front, and can use insurance, or find a treatment program that is free.
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Defining a Disability
Do I Qualify?
A person with a disability is anyone with a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities, such as walking, seeing, learning, hearing, speaking, or breathing. A person is also protected under the ADA if he or she has a record of a disability or is regarded as having a disability and is thus discriminated against. It is important to know that disabilities can be both visible and hidden. That is, many disabilities may not be obvious to an observer. These can include epilepsy, diabetes, and certain vision-based disabilities. People can also have multiple disabilities, such as an individual who is both legally blind and hard-of-hearing.
A person with a disability may have:
- a physical or psychological condition which substantially limits one of his/her major life activities(including walking, seeing, hearing, speaking, breathing, learning, and working)
- a record of such impairment
Disabilities include but may not be limited to:
- Learning Disorders
- Medical Disabilities
- Psychological Disorders
- Hearing Impairments
- Visual Impairments
- Mobility Impairments
- Temporary Disability Conditions
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There was a bit of a flap this week in Toronto when it was revealed that up to 20% of the debris put in the recycling stream actually ends up in landfill because it can’t actually be recycled. While some of the debris isn’t surprising—propane cylinders for example—the biggest culprit is clear plastic food packaging, especially the “clam shell” type. While they’re working on it, we got to thinking. Why do we buy products in that packaging? You can almost always work around it, but we don’t seem to.
There are 2 ways to prod us into action. First, what if government simply made it illegal to sell products in packaging that can’t be recycled. That’d work, but governments are a little preoccupied at the moment with bigger economic issues. So what if a food company or a retailer said “We simply will not make or sell a product in packaging that can’t be recycled”? We know product integrity is critical, and packaging has protect it, but surely the technology exists today to do that and be recyclable. We’d change our shopping habits to support the company who does this. Would you?
In 20 countries around the world, voting is the law. Australia, Belgium, Greece and Chile have all decreed that cit ....
There was a bit of a flap this week in Toronto when it was revealed that up to 20% of the debris put in the recycli ....
Work. It’s what we do. Recent estimates suggest we spend 100,000 hours of our adult lives working. At its best, i ....
Be kind to your ice. Instead of using salt to cover winter’s icy patches, try kitty litter or fine sand. Both are cheap and easy solutions that are gentle on pet’s paws and spring’s plants.
How annoying is it when a typo renders your printed page worthless? Wait! It’s not a total loss. Draw an X over the used side and save it for something else – interoffice printing or scratch paper.
Studies show we’re lousy at recycling our bathroom stuff, even though most is green-friendly. Why? No blue box within reach. The fix: Downsize your regular trashcan and use the extra room for a blue bin.
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Classes and Seminars
The care of patients in a remote and expeditionary environment requires a very unique skill set. The ability to transfer to a higher level of care or consult specialists is often impossible. A “specialized generalist” is often the provider that is required. Our educational modules offer skills and knowledge that health care providers in these areas will find extremely useful. These modules are grouped into multi-day series that are designed to help the provider be prepared and feel confident with work in austere environments.
The combination of our Remote and Expeditionary medical curriculum with Tactical Emergency Medicine (TEMs) offers a very unique learning opportunity to our participants. These classes are ideal for private military contractors, governmental employees and military operators. A combination of TEMs with remote medical skills produces a provider that is capable of serving a dual role both as a health provider and assault/security element. Experienced health care providers will be able to competently serve with a tactical weapons team and experienced shooters will be able to serve their team as an advanced medical provider.
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U.S. debt has shrunk to a six-year low relative to the size of the economy as homeowners, cities and companies cut borrowing, undermining rating companies’ downgrading of the nation’s credit rating.
Total indebtedness including that of federal and state governments and consumers has fallen to 3.29 times gross domestic product, the least since 2006, from a peak of 3.59 four years ago, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Private-sector borrowing is down by $4 trillion to $40.2 trillion.
Reduced borrowing means there is less competition for the U.S. Treasury Department as it sells debt to fund spending programs to help the nation recover from the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression. Credit-rating firms are discounting the improvement even as debt, equity and currency markets suggest the U.S. is more creditworthy than before Standard & Poor’s stripped the nation of its AAA grade in 2011.
“Most people don’t pay much attention to ratings when it comes to Treasuries, as they are still considered to be risk-free assets,” Donald Ellenberger, who oversees about $10 billion as co-head of government and mortgage-backed securities at Federated Investors in Pittsburgh, said Oct. 5 in a telephone interview. “Until that perception changes Treasuries will continue to be” in demand, he said.
The U.S. government, which is scheduled to sell $66 billion of three-, 10- and 30-year bonds this week in three auctions starting today, has attracted a record $3.16 in bids for each dollar of the $1.59 trillion of securities it has sold in 2012, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. That exceeds the previous high of $3.04 set last year. The U.S. sale of $32 billion in three-year notes today was met with record demand.
Deleveraging in the private sector may allow households to boost spending, which accounts for about 70 percent of the economy, and increase their capacity to pay taxes. Household wealth in the U.S. rose to $62.7 trillion as of June 30 from $51.2 trillion in early 2009, the Federal Reserve said Sept. 20.
Rising wealth would bolster the ability of the government to service its debt, even after the amount of Treasury securities outstanding soared to a record 71 percent of GDP from 36 percent five years ago.
Yields on 10-year Treasuries rose 11 basis points last week, or 0.11 percentage point, to 1.74 percent, according to Bloomberg Bond Trader data. The price of the benchmark 1.625 percent note due August 2022 fell 31/32, or $9.69 per $1,000 face amount, to 98 30/32. The yield was 1.71 percent at 8:49 a.m. in New York.
Even with last week’s increase and the jump in marketable Treasuries outstanding since 2007 to $10.8 trillion from $4.5 trillion, 10-year yields are down from 2.56 percent when S&P cut the U.S. one step to AA+ on Aug. 5, 2011. Egan-Jones Ratings Co. has downgraded the nation three times since July 2011, assigning it a AA- ranking on Sept. 14. Moody’s Investors Service said it may follow suit next year if the government can’t decide on a plan to reduce federal debt to GDP.
Downgrading the U.S. is premature when the two-thirds of American debt that is private is shrinking, according to Jim Vogel, head of government agency-debt research at FTN Financial in Memphis, Tennessee.
“When one trend goes counter to the only one that they seem to be looking at, that throws up a flag,” Vogel said in a Sept. 27 interview in reference to the ratings firms. “If private debt is getting on a much firmer credit foundation, why do we have a 2013 deadline for one of the thorniest fiscal problems of an entire generation?”
The U.S. faces a so-called fiscal cliff of $1.2 trillion in mandated spending cuts and tax increases starting Jan. 1 if Congress can’t agree by Dec. 31 on ways to reduce the deficit.
America’s ability to weather the potential drop in fiscal stimulus and rise in taxes improved last week, as the Labor Department said unemployment fell to 7.8 percent in September, the first time it was below 8 percent since January 2009.
A Pew Research Center survey of likely voters conducted Oct. 4 to Oct. 7 gave Republican nominee Mitt Romney a four- percentage point lead over President Barack Obama. A Gallup poll of registered voters Oct. 1 to Oct. 7 showed Obama advancing over Romney by five points one day after, in a shorter tracking survey of three days immediately following their Oct. 3 debate, it called the race a tie.
“We’re seeing a good debate for Romney, a good jobless number for Obama and I don’t think that fundamentally changed the race,” said Evans Witt, chief executive officer of the nonpartisan Princeton Survey Research Associates.
While economic growth is forecast to slow to 2.1 percent in 2013 from 2.2 percent this year, that would still be better 0.5 percent contraction in the euro area, the 1.2 expansion in Japan and the U.K.’s 1.2 percent growth, separate surveys of economists by Bloomberg show.
When assessing the strength of U.S. credit, “you have to look more broadly than simply the debt-to-GDP ratio,” Zach Pandl, the Minneapolis-based senior interest-rate strategist at Columbia Management Investment Advisers LLC, said Oct. 1 in a telephone interview. The firm oversees about $166 billion in fixed-income assets.
Bloomberg compiled quarterly data on federal, non-financial corporate, financial company, state and local government and household borrowing from the New York Fed and Washington-based Fed and compared that with year-end figures earlier than 2011. The gross-domestic-product data is from the Bureau of Economic Analysis.
Consumer debt declined to $11.4 trillion at the end of the second quarter, from a peak of $12.7 trillion in 2008. The market for commercial paper, a form of short-term corporate IOUs, has shrunk to $975 billion from a record $2.22 trillion in July 2007, central bank data show.
Net U.S. taxable debt issuance, which includes corporate, mortgage and Treasury securities, is forecast to fall to $821 billion in 2012, the least since 2000 and less than half the record $2.28 trillion in 2007, according to Ira Jersey, an interest-rate strategist at Credit Suisse Group AG in New York. The firm is one of 21 primary dealers that trade directly with the Fed and is obligated to bid at Treasury auctions.
“All you have to do is look at the total debt to GDP to see that there’s notable improvement since the crisis of 2008,” Jeffrey Caughron, an associate partner at Baker Group LP in Oklahoma City, said Oct. 3 in a telephone interview. The firm advises community banks on investments exceeding $42 billion.
S&P cited political risks and the worsening “likelihood that Congress and the Administration will agree upon a credible, medium-term fiscal consolidation plan in the foreseeable future” when it downgraded the U.S.
After the Treasury Department said S&P made a $2 trillion error in its calculations, the ratings company switched the budget projections it was using and proceeded with the downgrade. S&P denied it made a mistake and said using the government’s preferred fiscal scenario didn’t affect the credit rating.
Moody’s and Fitch Ratings give the U.S. their top rankings. Like S&P, the firms have a “negative” outlook on the U.S.
Private-sector debt is considered in S&P’s economic and external indebtedness scores, which are among the five factors it uses to consider a nation’s creditworthiness. S&P’s calculation of its sovereign debt-to-GDP ratio includes state- and local-government debt, according to the company’s rating criteria.
“As our reports indicate, despite increased revenues from anticipated GDP growth, there isn’t a plausible scenario for the U.S. to grow its way out of the deficit,” John Piecuch, a spokesman for S&P, wrote Oct. 5 in an e-mail.
Moody’s said its Aaa rating for the U.S. will probably be cut one level next year unless the government agrees on a plan to reduce the ratio “over the medium term.” The firm considers debt levels in the whole economy in its sovereign ranking, said Steven Hess, the senior vice-president and lead analyst covering the U.S. at Moody’s in New York.
“As the household deleveraging goes on, because consumption is the biggest part of GDP, as long as that continues it’s harder for the federal government to reduce its deficit, to reduce its debt ratio,” Hess said Oct. 3 in a telephone interview.
Sixty-seven percent of 1,031 global investors in a Bloomberg Global Poll in September 2011 said S&P’s move was justified. Pacific Investment Management Co.’s Bill Gross, who runs the world’s biggest bond fund, said last week the U.S. will no longer be the first destination of global capital in search of safe returns unless fiscal spending and debt growth slows.
“The U.S., in fact, is a serial offender, an addict whose habit extends beyond weed or cocaine and who frequently pleasures itself with budgetary crystal meth,” Gross, who manages the $277.7 billion Total Return Fund, wrote in his monthly investment outlook posted Oct. 2 on Newport Beach, California-based Pimco’s website.
Gross eliminated government-related debt from the Total Return Fund in February 2011 and said in March of that year that Treasuries needed to be “exorcised” from portfolios. The fund lost against 70 percent of its peers that year, prompting Gross to capitulate and buy U.S. government debt. The company’s flagship fund has beaten 97 percent of its peers this year, Bloomberg data show.
Treasuries returned 9.8 percent in 2011, the most since 2008 when including reinvested interest, Bank of America Merrill Lynch Indexes show, as yields overall have fallen 43 basis points to 0.96 percent since the S&P cut.
IntercontinentalExchange Inc.’s Dollar Index, which tracks the currency against those of six major trading partners, has climbed 6.7 percent since the cut to 79.55, above its average for the past five years of 78.96. The S&P 500 Index has rallied 24.5 percent including dividends.
Credit-default swaps tied to U.S. debt, which typically fall as investors’ perceptions of creditworthiness rise and increase as they deteriorate, have fallen to 41.2 basis points from 55.4 basis points on the day of S&P’s downgrade and a record 100 in February 2009, according to data provider CMA. The firm is owned by McGraw-Hill Cos. and compiles prices quoted by dealers in the privately negotiated market.
Predicting the reaction to rating changes by S&P or Moody’s is little more than a toss up, with yields moving in the opposite direction than suggested 47 percent of the time, according to data compiled by Bloomberg in July. Yields were measured after a month relative to U.S. Treasury debt, the global benchmark.
The U.S. isn’t the only nation to see its bonds rally after a downgrade. France’s 1.08 trillion euros ($1.40 trillion) of debt maturing in a year or more gained 8 percent since it was cut by S&P to AA+ on Jan. 13, more than double the gains for the rest of the global government-bond market.
Ratings companies, which a congressional panel said helped ignite the financial crisis by inflating grades on securities backed by subprime mortgages, are no longer trusted by the world’s biggest investors, according to the former head of structured finance at S&P.
David Jacob, who was fired from S&P in December, said in a June interview that grading government bonds is outside ratings companies’ traditional areas of expertise because “you’re talking about politicians, you’re talking about legislators, you’re not talking about credit risk.”
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(1) In this Act, unless the context or subject-matter otherwise indicates or requires:
Aircraft includes any machine that can derive support in the atmosphere from the reactions of the air.
Banker includes every director or manager of any banking company, whether incorporated or not, or of any branch thereof, and every person carrying on the business of a banker.
Cattle includes any horse, mare, gelding, colt, foal, filly, ass, mule, bull, cow, ox, steer, heifer, calf, ram, ewe, sheep, lamb, pig, goat, deer, alpaca, llama, vicuna, camel, or dromedary, and every hybrid or cross thereof.
Counsel includes attorneys.
Court and Judge respectively shall be equally taken to mean the Court in which or the Judge before whom the trial or proceeding is had in respect of which either word is used.
Document of title to goods includes every bill of lading, India warrant, dock warrant, warehouse-keeper’s certificate, warrant, or order for the delivery or transfer of any goods or valuable thing, and every bought and sold note or document used in the ordinary course of business as proof of the possession or control of goods, or purporting to authorise by indorsement or delivery, the possessor of such document to transfer or receive any goods thereby represented or therein mentioned or referred to.
Document of title to land includes every deed, certificate of title, map, paper, or parchment, written or printed, or partly written and partly printed, being or containing evidence of the title, or part of the title, to any real estate or to any interest in or out of real estate.
Domestic violence offence means a personal violence offence committed against:(a) a person who is or has been married to the person who commits the offence, or(b) a person who is living with or has lived with the person who commits the offence as his wife or her husband, as the case may be, on a bona fide domestic basis although not married to him or her, as the case may be, or(c) a person who is living with or has lived ordinarily in the same household as the person who commits the offence (otherwise than merely as a tenant or boarder), or(d) a person who is or has been a relative (within the meaning of subsection (6)) of the person who commits the offence, or(e) a person who has or has had an intimate personal relationship with the person who commits the offence.
Dwelling-house includes:(a) any building or other structure intended for occupation as a dwelling and capable of being so occupied, although it has never been so occupied,(b) a boat or vehicle in or on which any person resides, and(c) any building or other structure within the same curtilage as a dwelling-house, and occupied therewith or whose use is ancillary to the occupation of the dwelling-house.
Governor means, except in respect of the exercise of the pardoning power, the Governor with the advice of the Executive Council.
Grievous bodily harm includes any permanent or serious disfiguring of the person.
Indictment includes any information presented or filed as provided by law for the prosecution of offences.
Justice means a Justice of the Peace.
Loaded arms means any gun, pistol, or other arms, loaded in the barrel or chamber or magazine with gunpowder or other explosive substance, and with ball, shot, slug, or other destructive material, although the attempt to discharge may fail from want of proper priming, or from any other cause; and every gun, pistol, or other arms, unlawfully presented at any person, shall be deemed to be loaded unless the contrary is shown.
Member of the crew in relation to an aircraft means a person having functions or duties on board the aircraft.
Money includes all coined money, whether current within New South Wales or not, and all bank notes or instruments ordinarily so called, if current as such, and payable to the bearer.
Night means the period of time commencing at nine of the clock in the evening of each day and concluding at six of the clock in the morning of the next succeeding day.
Offensive weapon and Offensive weapon, or instrument include an imitation or replica of an offensive weapon or of an offensive weapon, or an instrument, as the case may require.
Officer, in relation to a body corporate or public company, includes a person who has been appointed, or acts, as an auditor of the body corporate or public company.
Person, Master, and Employer severally include, any society, company, or corporation.
Personal violence offence means:(a) an offence under, or mentioned in, section 19, 24, 27, 28, 29, 30, 33, 33A, 35, 39, 41, 44, 46, 47, 48, 49, 58, 59, 61, 61B, 61C, 61D or 61E, or(b) an offence of attempting to commit an offence referred to in paragraph (a).
Place of Divine worship includes any building or structure ordinarily used for Divine worship.
Prescribed sexual offence means:(a) an offence under section 61B, 61C, 61D, 61E, 65A, 66A, 66B, 66C, 66D, 66F, 78H, 78I, 78K or 78L,(b) an offence (such as an offence under section 37 or 112) which includes the commission, or an intention to commit, an offence referred to in paragraph (a), or(c) an offence of attempting, or of conspiracy or incitement, to commit an offence referred to in paragraph (a) or (b).
Prescribed sexual offence proceedings means proceedings in which a person stands charged with a prescribed sexual offence, whether the person stands charged with that offence alone or together with any other offence (as an additional or alternative count) and whether or not the person is liable, on the charge, to be found guilty of any other offence.
Property includes every description of real and personal property; money, valuable securities, debts, and legacies; and all deeds and instruments relating to, or evidencing the title or right to any property, or giving a right to recover or receive any money or goods; and includes not only property originally in the possession or under the control of any person, but also any property into or for which the same may have been converted or exchanged, and everything acquired by such conversion or exchange, whether immediately or otherwise.
Property belonging to a vessel includes every portion of its cargo, and property belonging to any of the officers, crew, or passengers thereof.
Railway includes a tramway, and also includes all stations, buildings, structures and equipment belonging to or associated with a railway or tramway.
Trustee means a trustee on some express trust howsoever created, and includes the heir or personal representative of such trustee, and every other person upon whom the duty of such trust shall have devolved, and also any official manager, assignee, liquidator, or other like officer, acting under any Act relating to joint stock companies or to bankruptcy or insolvency and also an executor or administrator.
Valuable security includes every order or other security whatsoever entitling or evidencing the title of any person to any share or interest in any public stock or fund, whether of any part of the British dominions or of any Foreign State, or in any fund of any body corporate, company, or society, whether within or without the British dominions, or to any deposit in any bank; and every debenture, deed, bond, bill, note, cheque, warrant, order, or security whatsoever for money, or for payment of money, whether current in any part of the British dominions or in any Foreign State, and every document of title to land or goods, as herein defined.
Vessel means any ship or vessel used in or intended for navigation, not being an undecked boat.
Weapon and Weapon, or instrument include an imitation or replica of a weapon or of a weapon, or an instrument, as the case may require.(2) A dwelling-house does not cease to be a dwelling-house by reason only of being temporarily unoccupied.(3) Notwithstanding section 35 of the Interpretation Act 1987, every heading to a provision of this Act shall be taken to be part of this Act if it appears in italics or in capital letters.(4) In this Act, except in so far as the context or subject-matter otherwise indicates or requires, a reference to an offence mentioned in a specified provision of this Act that has been amended or repealed is, or includes, a reference to an offence mentioned in the provision as in force before its amendment or repeal.(5) In this Act, a reference to:(a) conviction before Justices, or(b) conviction before two Justices,includes a reference to conviction before a Local Court.(6) For the purposes of the definition of domestic violence offence, a relative is:(a) a father, mother, grandfather, grandmother, step-father, step-mother, father-in-law or mother-in-law, or(b) a son, daughter, grandson, granddaughter, step-son, step-daughter, son-in-law or daughter-in-law, or(c) a brother, sister, half-brother, half-sister, brother-in-law or sister-in-law, or(d) an uncle, aunt, uncle-in-law or aunt-in-law, or(e) a nephew or niece, or(f) a cousin,and includes, in the case of de-facto partners, a person who would be such a relative if the de-facto partners were married.
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Exercise of the week is a Brand New weekly feature in which we will describe an exercise and explain exactly what benefits is has on your body.
We can all get stuck in a routine of doing particular exercises, so it's time to try something new.
Have a go of each of Exercises of the Week, for the whole week, to change your routine and work Muscles that you may not have been before.
This week we discuss the plank.
At first glance this exercise looks easy to carry out, but once you get into position you'll find it's a lot harder than it looks.
The plank exercise is a great core workout and is effective in tightening your mid-section and toning your abs.
It's particulary good for people who suffer from back problems and find sit-ups difficult as it has the same benefits of doing these.
The plank targets your core and you build endurance and strength. Through toning your core you are also strengthening your back which is critical for good posture. And as an added bonus you are also strengthening your arms, wrists, and quads.
It resembles the "up" position of a pushup, with your arms extended and your legs straight out behind you. Your body should be in one straight, diagonal line from your head to your heels. Start with holding it for 1o seconds and push yourself to increase the time you hold the pose each time you do it. Even 2 seconds more will make a difference.
There are a few variations to enhance the athletes' performance. One variation is plank pose on the forearms. Instead of keeping wrists under the shoulders, have your elbows under and shoulders width apart. This variation will open an Athlete's shoulder joint. The full expression of the pose is to have the forearms parallel, which only happens if the shoulder joint is clean and open. Holding forearm plank is a great abdominal and shoulder strengthener.
Femalefirst Taryn Davies
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"The secret of life is honesty and fair dealing. If you can fake that, you've got it made." - Groucho Marx
Buying and selling contaminated real estate is a common occurrence these days. However, it is important that the buyer and seller reach some agreement regarding the allocation of risks and responsibilities for environmental conditions. A recent Michigan Court of Appeals illustrates the pitfalls of failing to conclude negotiations, ensure that the parties have properly allocated risks, and follow up on obligations.
Shortly after the passage of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act of 1980 (CERCLA), better known as the Superfund Act, prospective purchasers of property avoided contaminated and potentially contaminated properties, leaving them abandoned (known as "brownfields"). The reason was that anyone owning the property, whether or not they had anything to do with the contamination, was liable for the costs of containing and cleaning up contamination. State laws, like the Michigan Environmental Response Act (MERA) followed suit, adopting similar liability schemes.
Over time, it became quite evident that abandoning old properties resulted in the creation of new brownfield sites. In addition, new industrial locations required new infrastructure, usually at the taxpayers' expense, while already existing infrastructure lay fallow. Legislators created new liability avoidance mechanisms to allow innocent purchasers to buy contaminated, but otherwise valuable industrial property, without incurring liability for past contamination. Lawyers also developed creative ways to shift the costs of environmental cleanup and potential liability contractually.
Environmental lawyers work regularly with real estate attorneys to draft contract language in purchase agreements that allocate the risks and liability between buyer and seller. However, one must be careful to ensure that the language accurately reflects the liability allocation and identifies which party is responsible for what. Recently, the Michigan Court of Appeals ruled on a dispute regarding contractual allocation of liability between two parties to a real estate transaction and the potential liability of an environmental contractor in R.D. McIntosh Land Development v Kudinger.
The Kudingers sold the property, which was contaminated as a result of a leaking underground storage tank (UST), to R.D. McIntosh Land Development. The purchase agreement provided that the buyer could do an investigation of the environmental condition of the property (commonly referred to as an "environmental site assessment") and the sellers would be responsible for the costs of investigation and cleanup, if necessary. The sellers hired an environmental consulting company to remove the USTs and institute a corrective action plan (CAP) with the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ). At the end of the day, the parties contemplated on cleaning up the property and achieving and "closure" from the State of Michigan.
In this instance, MDEQ required monitoring for the site for one year to confirm removal of the contamination. The buyer agreed to complete the purchase of the property. However, the seller never completed the process of achieving final closure and the buyer apparently did not follow up to determine if closure had been achieved. The buyer attempted to refinance the property in 2007 and during the process of conducting environmental due diligence for the bank, the buyer discovered that closure was never achieved. The buyer also discovered that contamination still existed in groundwater on the property.
The buyer then sued the seller's estate for breach of contract. The court's opinion centered on statute of limitations arguments, with the buyer arguing that the six-year (for breach of contract) statute of limitations began to run when it discovered the contamination in 2007-2008. The seller's estate argued that the statute began to run in 1999-2000 when the remediation had occurred and closure could have been achieved. The Court of Appeals sent the case back to the trial court to determine when a "reasonable" time for performance elapsed (as the contract did not specify a time for performance), which would have started the clock ticking on the statute of limitations. However, the important lesson in this case is to make sure that your contract adequately conveys the risks each party will assume and that you follow up on the parties' obligations to make sure you remain fully protected.
The author, Saulius Mikalonis, is an environmental attorney with over 25 years of experience in the Bloomfield Hills offices of Plunkett Cooney. The Green Blawg provides information on environmental law issues for the non-lawyer. Mr. Mikalonis is also an adjunct professor at the Thomas M. Cooley Law School, Auburn Hills Campus, at which he teaches a course entitled "Sustainable Development Law & Policy" and acts as General Counsel to the Detroit Regional Chapter of the United States Green Building Council (USGBC). Follow him on Twitter: @SauliusM
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A SKETCH OF SECONDARY EDUCATION IN MARKHAM
Secondary school education officially began in Markham Village
when the Country Council of York passed a by-law authorizing
the establishment of a grammar school. This came into being in
January, 1858, with Dr. Edward T. Crowle as the first headmaster.
Since there was not a school building, quarters were rented in
Temperance Hall, on the site now occupied by the Markham Lawn
Bowling Club. During the first year, sixty-three students were
In 1860, land was purchased on Joseph Street, and a new one-room
brick Grammar School was built. When four rooms were added
in 1892, the original building
became the science laboratory.
Towards the end of the century, there was a constant lack of classroom space.
Alternations in 1924 provided changes in entrances, heating plant and corridors.
In 1927, indoor washrooms were installed.
The year 1952 marked the establishment of the present Markham High School
District, which comprises approximately the south-east half of Markham Township.
In April, 1953, the construction of the present school on Church Street began.
In September, 1954, a modern, three hundred pupil Secondary School was opened.
In July, 1964, construction was started on a vocational addition, which would
make the Markham District High School a fully composite school. This was
occupied in September, 1965. Two years later more accommodation was needed,
latest addition was opened in January, 1970.
The enrolment for 1971-1972 in this large, well equipped composite school
is approximately eighteen hundred students.
Among the principals who gave excellent leadership, and also, in some cases,
many years of service, were: Mr. G. H. Reid, Mr. Bruce Clarke, Mr. J. S.
Bell, Mr. Ewart I. Gales, Mr. Donaldson, Mr. L. Hamel Cooke, Mr. O. R. Stalter,
Earle Thom, and Mr. B. J. Newell. The present principal is Mr. K. C. McDonald.
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Around the world : Venezuela
The Chilean BL operation was the first attempt to produce the Mini in South America, but by no means was it the last…
Story told by Rodrigo Toledo.
The ‘Brick’ moves to Venezuela…
AT the time that BMC and British Leyland were building cars in Chile, Venezuela was, by far, the most developed country in South America. It possessed an income level higher than all the other Latin American countries, and even some European, such as Spain, Portugal, Greece and Ireland. This wealthy economic situation was based largely on the revenue generated by oil production and export, and as a result, in the early 1970s, there was a point in time when the country was called “Venezuela Saudita”.
It was a time of great economic boom, when the bread – ordinary bread – was imported from Miami every morning. In this context, it is not surprising to learn that the American brands ruled the car market in a huge way, leaving little space for the European or Japanese competition. Most of these American cars were assembled in Venezuela, as a result of the government’s protectionist policy towards industry.
Sadly for Venzuela, the economic bonanza ended in the early 1980s. The legacy of this was an excellent road network and a huge foreign debt. The price of petrol, previously subsidized generously by the government, went up from US$0.01 to US$0.04 in the space of a few short years, creating demand for more economical cars. Local assemblers abandoned American car production and turned their attention to the assembly of Fiats, Toyotas, Renaults and Chevrolet-badged Suzuki and Isuzus.
Wanting to exploit this new found demand for small cars, a group of Venezuelean entrepreneurs led by Víctor Vargas, concluded that what Venzuela needed was a new small sporting car; and the car that fit the bill perfectly was the Mini.
The consortium formed a new company, FACORCA (FÁbrica CORdillera de CArrocerías), and negotiated a licence agreement with Rover to produce CKD Minis locally. The two parties concluded their deal in April 1990, and the arrangement was for a planned production between 3000 to 5000 Minis per year. Rover provided the engines, gearboxes and the instrument panel, and FACORCA produced the Mini bodies in glass fibre.
Why glass fibre? FACORCA concluded that the Mini’s shells should be fabricated this way, for the very same reasons that BMC did in Chile some 20 years earlier: the tooling for steel construction was too expensive for the company. The government insisted on local assembly of bodyshells in order to keep up local content, and this stipulation forced FACORCA into glass fibre bodyshells.
Assembly of a Mini convertible.
Production started in December 1991, with 113 units produced in the first year. Facorca wanted to export some of its output, and found importers in Colombia and the Antillian islands, which were keen to take on their Mini. A small dealer network was also set-up in Venezuela, and offered a product range that comprised of two models available, wboth sharing the standard 998cc engine: a standard version and the luxury model, known as the Mini Cord DB. The Mini Cord DB offered air-conditioning, full leather trim, chrome bumpers, spotlights and central console with tachometer.
1992 was the best year for the company, with 768 units produced, whilst 1993 was worst, with 391 units. This was a far cry from the “minimum level of 3000 per year” that had talked of at the start of the deal. Production suffered at the hands of the continuing economic crisis (which remains today), but also, buyers found the original 41bhp engine too weak for the sporty ambitions of the car.
FACORCA then approached John Cooper Works, who provided them kits to raise the engine power to 60hhp (the 1300 engine was planned for from the beginning but was never produced) and also offered an original cabriolet version in order to entice potential customers.
The Mini always was always warmly regarded in Venzuela, but buyers failed to materialize and production volumes dwindled away (24 units in 1994). Many of FACORCA’s original partners left the company, but a Colombian importer convinced the remaining partners to keep the faith and keep the Mini in production. Sadly, these final efforts failed, and after a further 15 cars were produced, FACORCA was closed and dismantled.
Total production was 1309 units between 1991 and 1995.
Article kindly submitted by Rodrigo Toledo and all images kindly supplied by Miguel Plano.
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Nestled near Johnson’s New York State Pavilion, the round reception room holds 600 people. With a tight budget, Caples Jefferson created the illusion of round spiraling forms in the interior of the pavilion. Metal fins were projected out of the budget constrained glazed wall, which create a focus on vanishing perspective as the eye gazes around the curve of the interior.
The new structure is also energy efficient. The curtain wall is coated with solar heat reducing emulsion – silicone sealant joints are used instead of heat-attracting metal caps – and heating costs are further kept low by gas-filled insulating units. Almost the entire façade is glass, allowing the interior to be flooded with light, and also providing views of the World’s Fair structures. Made of 5000 glass panels, the exterior has the illusion of being perfectly round, thanks to digital design techniques.
The resulting new pavilion fits in seamlessly with the previous structures, while also staying within the budgetary and architectural constraints of publicly funded city buildings. The new Borough reception center also adds a 75 person cabaret for cultural performances.
Via Arch Daily
Images © Nic Lehoux for Caples Jefferson
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MORE BOOKS, SHELVES & SERVICES !
Significantly more new books and audio visual materials were added in 1999 throughout the library system. This improved level of expenditures has been needed for many years to help develop library collections.
A collection of videotapes and talking books was started for the first time at Chippawa and Stamford Centre branches and new shelving units were installed at both libraries.
Two new microfilm reader-printers assisted many researchers at the Victoria Avenue Library. A new shelving unit was installed along a fifty foot central wall to promote the new books in a very attractive setting. Another shelving unit was installed to expand the non-fiction book collection.
Public Internet workstations were available at Chippawa and Stamford branches for the first time.
The library's subscription to the on-line research service "Electric Library Canada" was added to the public Internet workstations at all three libraries.
The "Dial-up" service to the library catalogue from home or business computers was started in 1999. The public can now directly place their own holds and check, either from home or in the library, what library materials they currently have borrowed with their due dates, any overdue fines and a list of their current holds.
GOVERNMENT FUNDING The Library is funded by the City of Niagara Falls and the Ontario Ministry of Citizenship, Culture & Recreation. Grants were also received from Human Resources Development Canada for special children's summer programs, a local history project and additional Internet workstations for the public. The Board extends thanks to all library supporters, particularly the Council and Staff of the City of Niagara Falls.
DONATIONS & FUND-RAISING Official receipts for income tax purposes are issued by the library for financial donations. A commemorative book plate or an engraved plaque can recognize donations at any of the 3 libraries.
COMMUNITY USE OF MEETING ROOMS Library meeting rooms were used 516 times by organizations, businesses, government agencies and individuals. Meeting rooms were also used many other times for library programs for children and adults.
LIBRARY PROGRAMMES Dozens of exhibitions, displays, demonstrations, readings, films and lectures were enjoyed by people of all ages. The library welcomed many community groups who set-up public education displays on a variety of important subjects. We also extend particular thanks to the artists who exhibited their work in the art gallery and in the glass display cases and who supplied paintings for the Art Rental Service on Saturday mornings.
LIBRARY RESOURCES & THEIR USE
FINANCIAL SUMMARY (subject to audit)
OPERATING BUDGET 1999 REVENUE
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We've talked about cutting back on sugar here on the blog before. But, a major new study sheds light on why this may be so important. Here's why and here's how to get started ...
Consuming a higher amount of added sugar in our food can lead to weight gain, of course, but researchers who published a study in a recent issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association say that all the added sugar can actually increase your risk for heart disease."
Next time you reach for a sugar cube, the sugar bowl, or the honey bear, ask yourself: "Do I really need this to be sweet? Is it sweet enough? Could I slice an apple or half of a banana on top instead?" (Here are some more smart tips to help you cut out added sugar in your diet.)
I asked myself this last night when having a bedtime snack of plain Greek yogurt. Instead of drizzling honey on top, as I wanted to do, I mixed in a quarter of a banana (then fed the rest of the banana to my dog!). It was just subtly sweet, and perfect.
Health experts, like the ones who wrote the study mentioned above, are worried that we are consuming more sugar than ever these days. It's not that a little sugar in your coffee or honey on your yogurt is bad, it's just that we tend to sweeten everything. And the foods we buy are sweetened too. You can hardly find a loaf of bread at a standard supermarket without finding sugar or high fructose corn syrup high up on the ingredient list.
So, let this be a reminder to be aware of the sugar in your food! Keep a close eye on the amount of added sugar you're eating.
Will you give it a try?
More sweet talk:
*One Vitamin G reader cut out sugar for a whole month: the results.
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Upgrading a packaging operation with an automated bagger and robotic palletizer
A corn mill automates its bagging and palletizing line to improve production rates and decrease labor costs.
Agricor Inc., Marion, Ind., has been producing dry milled corn products since 1983. The company buys yellow corn from local farmers and grain elevators and mills it into degerminated corn grits, cornmeal, and corn flour. The products are packaged in bulk containers, such as bulk bags and hopper cars or 50- and 100-pound bags, and shipped to various US, Canadian, and international companies for use in food and industrial products. In the past, the company manually bagged and palletized the small bags. However, this method was inefficient, labor-intensive, and dusty, so the company decided to automate it.
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Profile: James Cannon
James Cannon was a participant or observer in the following events:
Unaware that President Ford has already asked Nelson Rockefeller to be his vice president (see August 16-17, 1974), the media continues to speculate on who Ford will choose for the position. Newsweek reports that George H.W. Bush “has slipped badly because of alleged irregularities in the financing of his 1970 Senate race.” White House sources tell the magazine, “there was potential embarrassment in reports that the Nixon White House had funneled about $100,000 from a secret fund known as the ‘Townhouse Operation’” into Bush’s losing Texas Senate campaign, which itself failed to report about $40,000 of the money. The news rocks Bush, who is waiting for Ford’s phone call while vacationing at the family compound in Kennebunkport, Maine. (It is unclear who leaked the Bush information or why. Bush always believes it was Ford’s political adviser Melvin Laird; future Ford biographer James Cannon is equally sure it was Ford’s senior aide Donald Rumsfeld, a dark horse candidate for the position.) The “Townhouse Operation” is an early Nixon administration campaign machination (see Early 1970). Watergate special prosecutor Leon Jaworski is investigating the fund; the nomination of Bush over Rockefeller would almost certainly lead Jaworski to discover that up to 18 other GOP Senate candidates received money from the same slush fund. Jaworski will manage to keep Bush’s name out of his final report, but even had Ford not already chosen Rockefeller as his vice president, the Watergate taint is lethal to Bush’s chance at the position. [Werth, 2006, pp. 114-116]
Nelson Rockefeller is sworn in as vice president (see August 20, 1974). [Rockefeller Family Archives, 6/7/2007]
Bad Blood and Confirmation Difficulties - Rockefeller has trouble even before taking office. Branded as a liberal by many in the Republican Party, and winning as many enemies as friends with his outsized ego and gladhanding demeanor, Rockefeller garnered swift and obdurate resistance particularly from the right wing both outside the White House (see August 24, 1974) and in (see September 21, 1974 and After). During the Senate’s confirmation hearings, many Democrats and some Republicans relished forcing Rockefeller, one of the wealthiest men in the country, to open his finances to public scrutiny. Even President Ford privately expresses his astonishment. “Can you imagine?” he asked during the hearings. “Nelson lost $30 million in one year and it didn’t make any difference.” When it was revealed that Rockefeller had given huge personal contributions to lawmakers and government officials—including Secretary of State Henry Kissinger—in the form of “loans” that never needed repaying, the Senate hearings became even more inquisitorial. The hearings dragged on for months until Ford personally intervened, telling House and Senate leaders that it was “in the national interest that you confirm Rockefeller, and I’m asking you to move as soon as possible.” [US Senate, 7/7/2007]
Cheney Wanted Reagan - Deputy Chief of Staff Dick Cheney, far more conservative than either Ford or Rockefeller, opposes Rockefeller’s influence from the start, and works with his boss, Chief of Staff Donald Rumsfeld, to minimize Rockefeller’s influence. In 1986, Cheney will say that Ford “should have thought of Ronald Reagan as vice president in the summer of 1974, if you are talking strictly in political terms.” [Dubose and Bernstein, 2006, pp. 38]
Domestic Squabbles - Both Ford and Rockefeller want the new vice president to be what Ford calls “a full partner” in his administration, particularly on domestic issues. Ford appoints him to chair the Domestic Council, but behind the scenes, Rockefeller’s implacable enemy, Rumsfeld, who sees Rockefeller as a “New Deal” economic liberal, blocks his influence at every term, both from personal and ideological dislike and from a desire to keep power in the White House to himself and his small, close-knit aides. (Cheney, ever attentive to indirect manipulations, inflames Rumsfeld’s dislike of Rockefeller even further by suggesting to his nakedly ambitious boss that if Rockefeller was too successful in implementing domestic policy, he would be perceived as “the man responsible for drafting the agenda of 1976,” thus limiting Rumsfeld’s chances of being named vice president in Ford’s re-election campaign (see November 4, 1975 and After). When Rockefeller tries to implement Ford’s suggested policy that domestic policymakers report to Ford through Rockefeller, Rumsfeld interferes. When Rockefeller names one of his trusted assistants, James Cannon, to head the Domestic Council, Rumsfeld slashes the Council’s budget almost to zero. When Rockefeller proposes a $100 billion Energy Independence Authority, with the aim to reduce and perhaps even end the nation’s dependency on foreign energy sources, Rumsfeld joins Ford’s economic and environmental advisers to block its creation. When Rockefeller proposes an idea for the president to Rumsfeld, Rumsfeld hands it off to Cheney, who ensures that it dies a quiet, untraceable bureaucratic death.
Rockefeller Neutralized - Cheney later recalls that Rockefeller “came to a point where he was absolutely convinced that Don Rumsfeld and myself were out to scuttle whatever new initiatives he could come up with.” Rumsfeld and other Ford staffers ensure that Rockefeller is not involved in key policy meetings; when Ford proposes large cuts in federal taxes and spending, Rockefeller complains, “This is the most important move the president has made, and I wasn’t even consulted.” Asked what he is allowed to do as vice president, Rockefeller answers: “I go to funerals. I go to earthquakes.” He says, only half sardonically, that redesigning the vice-presidential seal is “the most important thing I’ve done.” [Dubose and Bernstein, 2006, pp. 38-39; US Senate, 7/7/2007]
Following in Rockefeller's Footsteps - Ironically, when Cheney becomes vice president in 2001, he uses what Rockefeller intended to do as a model for his own, extremely powerful vice presidency. James Cannon, who came into the Ford administration with Rockefeller, will marvel in 2006, “Cheney is now doing what he and Rumsfeld blocked Rockefeller from doing—influencing policy.” [Dubose and Bernstein, 2006, pp. 39-40]
Jimmy Carter celebrates his presidential victory. [Source: PBS]Gerald Ford loses the presidency to Democratic challenger Jimmy Carter, an obscure Georgia governor who contrasts himself to the Nixon and Ford administrations by promising “never to tell a lie to the American people.” The Republican Party’s widening rift between its moderate and conservative wings dooms Ford’s chances at being elected to the office he has held by appointment for over two years (see August 9, 1974). [Werth, 2006, pp. 342] Ford’s de facto campaign chairman, Chief of Staff Dick Cheney, contributes heavily to Ford’s loss. Unready for the stresses and demands of a presidential campaign, Cheney nevertheless wrested control from Ford’s ostensible chairman, Bo Calloway, and promptly alienated campaign workers and staffers. Press secretary Ron Nessen will later write, “Some reporters privately started calling him the Grand Teuton, a complex pun referring to his mountainous home state of Wyoming and the Germanic style of his predecessor in the Nixon administration, H. R. Haldeman.” Cheney tried throughout the campaign to move Ford farther to the right than the president was willing to go; even with his attempts, Ford’s primary challenge from Governor Ronald Reagan (R-CA) did much to peel away the right-wing Republican base, while Cheney did little to reassure the liberal and moderate Republicans whom many feel are Ford’s natural base. Cheney succeeded in persuading Ford to adopt a convention platform much farther to the right than Ford, and his supporters, wanted; in particular, the Reaganesque “Morality in Foreign Policy Plank,” which stated, “we shall go forward as a united people to forge a lasting peace in the world based upon our deep belief in the rights of man, the rule of law, and guidance by the hand of God,” alienated many more secular Republicans, who were not comfortable with the aggressive Christianity and implied imperialism contained in the statement. (Ultimately, it took the intervention of James Baker, a veteran Republican “fixer” and close friend of the Bush family, to head off disaster at the nominating convention.) Ford aide James Cannon will say that Cheney “was in over his head.” Had Cheney’s former boss Donald Rumsfeld stayed as chief of staff instead of moving to the Pentagon (see November 4, 1975 and After), Cannon believes Ford would have won a second term. [Dubose and Bernstein, 2006, pp. 40]
Entity Tags: Ron Nessen, Richard (“Dick”) Cheney, Ronald Reagan, James Earl “Jimmy” Carter, Jr., James Cannon, James Baker, Bo Calloway, Gerald Rudolph Ford, Jr, H.R. Haldeman, Donald Rumsfeld
Timeline Tags: Nixon and Watergate
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New Welsh Language Legislation Adopted
The Welsh language became an official language of Wales, following a landmark vote at the national assembly in Caerdydd/Cardiff, yesterday (7th December 2010).
The measure, which is set to become law in the New Year, is the longest and most complex piece of legislation the national assembly has ever voted on. The flagship legislation was unanimously voted for by the assembly, which included a clause confirming the official status of the welsh language and is the most important law passed in this area since the Welsh Language Act 1993. Even though the new law will not affect much of the private sector in wales, it will nevertheless compel larger companies that provide a service to the public, like utility companies and telephone companies, including mobile phone operators, to use the Welsh language in a “reasonable and proportionate way”. In addition, a Language Commissioner position will be created who will act as a champion for the welsh language, a Welsh Language Tribunal and a Welsh Language Partnership Council will be set up to strengthen the position of the language among users.
However the Act falls short of enabling welsh speakers from using the language as part of their everyday life, because not all private companies fall under its scope and the vague “reasonable an proportionate” statement could mean that welsh language provision could differ from one organisation to another. Additionally, there is no unequivocal statement built into the Act to say that the language is official. Bethan Jenkins AM for Plaid Cymru tabled a motion in an attempt to strengthen the Bill at the last moment. The amendment read:
“Everyone has the right to use the Welsh language in Wales as far as that is reasonable and proportionate in the circumstances.”
Unfortunately the motion was rejected, but as Cymdeithas yr Iaith Gymraeg (The Welsh Language Society) said, if passed, this would have made a real difference in people’s lives. Cymdeithas said that the legislation “fails to guarantee better services because provision will depend on the whim of future ministers instead of a clear principle enshrined in the new law.”
Heritage Minister Alun Ffred Jones, who is also a Plaid member, said that the amendment from Bethan Jenkins would have placed too much power in the hands of the courts in interpreting the law. Minister Jones said about the new law:
“I firmly believe, and more so than ever, that this far-reaching measure represents strong and practical legislation which will make a real difference to the lives of Welsh speakers.”
This article prepared for Celtic News by Rhisiart Tal-e-bot General Secretary Celtic League. For follow-up comment or clarification contact:
Tel: 0044 (0)1209315884 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting
M: 0044(0)7787318666 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting
J B Moffatt (Mr)
Director of Information
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The Revolution Will Not Be Funded book: Beyond the Nonprofit Industrial Complex
by Incite Women
Massive and mostly unregulated, US non-profits are the world's seventh largest economy. Art museums, university hospitals, think tanks, church charities, and over 1.5 million organizations of staggering diversity share the same tax-exempt 501(c)(3) designation. Many social justice organizations have joined this field, sometimes forgetting political goals to satisfy government and foundation mandates. As funding shrinks and government surveillance rises, many activists still find it difficult to imagine movement-building outside the standard nonprofit model. This book collects essays by radical activists from around the globe critically rethinking the long-term consequences of the 501(c)(3) investment. With educators and nonprofit staff they name the "non-profit industrial complex" and ask the hard questions: How did politics shape the birth of the non-profit model? How does 501(c)(3) status allow the state to co-opt political movements? Activists or careerists? How do we fund the movement outside this complex? Urgent and visionary, this exposé of the "non-profit industrial complex" is not bound by granters.
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The end of Internet history?November 22, 2010: 11:58 AM ET
The author responds to our Scott Woolley's review of his new book, "The Master Switch."
By Tim Wu, contributor
"Time has upset many fighting faiths" – Oliver Wendell Holmes
My book, "The Master Switch" asks a simple, age-old question: Is history destined to repeat itself? Is the great revolutionary medium of our times, the Internet, destined to follow the path of its ancestors, radio and the telephone, a path of increasing consolidation and uncompetitiveness, leading over time, to slow stagnation? Or is there something fundamentally different about our times that will keep the network open and competitive for the foreseeable future?
It's a critical question for any investor, manager or interested citizen of our times, and one that, I think is hard to answer. The design of the Internet truly was revolutionary and we're much more suspicious of centralized power than Americans were in, say, the 1930s. But on the other hand, neither the laws of economics nor human nature has changed, and both of those elements lead to industry consolidation and empire-building. In short, I think that fifteen years into Internet history, the question remains open.
In contrast, Scott Woolley, Fortune's reviewer, treats the question as already answered. "A digital switch has been thrown," Woolley says in his review of the book "and now things are different." My book is mistaken to warn of potential stagnation in the future, because, he says "the world has ripped itself free of Wu's grim analog rhythm, in which something good is inevitably followed by something bad." Rather, because of the digital revolution in our times, "the Cycle is broken. The 21st century will be different."
You know, I certainly hope that Mr. Woolley is right. Myself, I would be more hesitant to pronounce the end of Internet history. I, like Woolley, have deeply held hopes for a bright future, but as Fortune's readers know, hope is not a good premise on which to base actual predictions, particularly when you have something at stake.
Much of "The Master Switch" is an argument that things might in fact, be fundamentally different this time around; I just don't take it as a certainty. First, as I discuss at length in chapter 12, the Internet was a deeply radical invention, albeit for reasons different than usually understood. It's not just the technical advance that matters, for of course the radio, telephone and TV were revolutionary in their times as well. What makes the Internet different is that it is the first communications system to embody, technically, what I call a "separations principle" – a separation between functions like transport, applications, content and so on. That's the principle that impaled poor AOL-Time Warner in the early 2000s.
A second argument that things will be "different" has nothing to do with "digitalization" and far more to do with the capital markets. (on NBC's Press:here, Sarah Lacey of Techcrunch made this argument in response to my book). Today we have venture capital markets exist, in a sense, to fund would-be challengers to stagnant monopolists. To take one example, Skype, which is clearly a challenger to the Bell companies, has attracted plenty of funding from Silver Lake and other investment houses. In contrast, in the 1910s, when AT&T (T) put together its monopoly, Wall Street and particular J.P. Morgan starved Bell's competitors of credit. In short, the capital markets nowadays aren't quite so eager to take the side of size.
This point shouldn't be overstated. Investors aren't stupid, and if there's more money to be made in monopoly than challenging monopoly, I think we'd have to assume that's where the money will go. The public markets have rewarded both Apple (AAPL) and Google (GOOG) as the firms achieved dominant position in their respective markets. And we can overrate venture funding: it is not as if inventors in the 20th century were always starved for credit. Bell and Edison got plenty, and as the book relates, even the American inventor of television, Carl Jenkins, managed to raise millions in a late 1920s IPO, even if his firm was soon crushed by the Radio Trust and the FCC.
The third argument for "different" relies on something much more ephemeral: our attitude toward size and centralization. Unlike now, for much of the 20th century "bigger" and "better" were understood as synonyms. We were a nation in love with General Motors (GM), Robert Moses, and gigantic federal agencies. Put the smartest people in the middle of huge institutions, said Fredrick Taylor the management theorist, and find the "one best way" to do anything. And so it seemed obvious to most in the 1930s, say, that a network like NBC was better than a nation of smaller radio stations, because it was bigger, or that AT&T should run the phone network as a unified monopoly. That was "progress."
Today, Americans have more of a taste for smallness and decentralization – "small is beautiful", "buy local," that sort of thing. Quoting from my book, "in our times, Jane Jacobs is the starting point for urban design, Hayek's critique of central planning is broadly accepted, and even governments with a notable affinity for socialist values tout the benefits of competition, rejecting those of monopoly." And so our attitudes toward size is less one of abject admiration, and more one of understandable caution. We've been burned by too much central planning: just look at Detroit and Wall Street.
All of the above make for a strong case that the Internet will be different. But it is only half of the story. For the argument that the old patterns of consolidation and domination will repeat themselves is far stronger than Mr. Woolley gives it credit. Rather, he assumes the problem away, based a case study and the idea that "digitalization changes everything." It does changes some things, but not the laws of economics or of human nature.
Take three economic principles: Network effects, economies of scale and the state of high initial/low marginal costs markets. All three are economic principles that by their nature create dominant firms and market consolidation. And it is pretty clear than none of these effects have somehow been negated by "throwing a digital switch." Social networking, for example, seems to favor single firm rule, because the more people use Facebook, the more valuable it becomes. The up-front costs of starting a new search engine that can compete with Google have grown, while continued operation of the Google engine is relatively cheap. I could go on.
On the other hand, it is possible that the market, has made it much harder to hold onto a dominant position once established. We've all watched firms like Yahoo (YHOO), Microsoft (MSFT), and AOL (AOL) fall from grace. The real question is whether the dominant firms of today will be able, like their ancestors, to create barriers to entry that freeze out their competitors. That depends in part on the economic principles just discussed, but also, interestingly, on whether the internet stays open – whether it remains a platform for new companies to challenge old.
As for human nature. It is a truism that those who gain great power usually take any feasible nature necessary to stay in power, regardless of the consequences for society or their peers. That fact created many problems in the 20th century, and not just in telecommunications. And unfortunately I cannot see why we ought in expect, in our digital age, for people to act any differently. Digitalization, ones and zeros, are neat, but power is still neater. Why should we expect a firm or CEO, having gained power, from trying to keep it? Oh that's right – "Do no evil?"
Moreover, even though I think Americans are more suspect of size than they once were, we are, if anything, even more slaves to convenience and speed than even our ancestors. As such I think there is at times an unfortunate willingness among Americans to tolerate a dominant firm, even in its abusive side, so long as a reasonably reliable product is delivered. How else can you explain our continued patronage of cable companies?
All this being said, I actually believe we live in something of a golden or silver age in terms of the openness of our tech and info markets. That's a good thing; the danger with Mr. Woolley's viewpoint is to mistake what is now for what will always be. What I hope is that readers will come away from "The Master Switch" with a renewed sense of the power of business cycles, and, ideally, a joint determination to, in fact, break or modulate the cycle. The smart money should always be looking for mistakes in the conventional wisdom, and in 2010 our weakness is a blind faith in the idea that digitalization has changed everything.
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Taught by a Bird.
The dark clouds lowered, the thick snow flew,
And where the springing grasses lay green,
Ragged patches of white were seen.
Snow everywhere! I gazed with a sigh,
As the big flakes fell from the gloomy sky;
Loading the limbs of the budding trees,
Filling the hollows about their knees.
Had winter come back___the vanquished king___
And rudely throttled the maiden, spring?
But lo! from amid the storm I heard
The sweet, glad song of a tiny bird.
On a tufted twig, its feet in the snow,
Swung by the cold wind to and fro,
It sat and sang___that wee brown bird___
Putting to shame my petulant word.
The darkness lifted, the storm was done;
Through the broken cloud-rifts shone the sun;
A breath came up from the south, and the snow
Melted away in genial glow.
Spring reigned again; and again I heard
The joyous song of that dear brown bird.
With quickened pulses, and heart aglow,
I caught the refrain, "I told you so."
Ah, little bird, had I faith like you,
When life and the world are dark to view!
When lowering skies are above me bent,
Could I feel your trust and your sweet content!
You sang, your tender feet in the snow,
Swung by the cold wind to and fro.
Your faith was sure, and now I repeat,
Over and over, the lesson so sweet.
__Ellen P. Allerton.
Walls of Corn and Other Poems
Ellen P. Allerton
(Hiawatha, KS: Harrington Printing Company. 1894)
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Siem Reap is praised for its transformation into travel destination.
More people planning adventure holidays might consider travelling to Siem Reap, in Cambodia, after it was named one of the "world's best cities" by a travel magazine.
Travel and Leisure magazine named the city as a new entry on its annual top ten list of the best cities to visit on a holiday.
Chris Kucway, a travel writer working for the publication, noted that the city has undergone something of a transformation in recent years.
"Long the gateway to Angkor's 12th-century Khmer ruins, Siem Reap has evolved from a cluster of riverfront villages in north-western Cambodia into a fully-fledged destination," he said.
"About 2.5 miles south is the incomparable Angkor Wat, a temple encircled by galleries of bas-reliefs [a type of sculpture made in stone]."
The other cities on Travel and Leisure's list include one other located in south-east Asia; Bangkok, in Thailand, topped the list and was named the best city travel destination in the world.
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Another Must Have new product from Training Wheels are our Stack the Deck!© cards. This is a custom deck of cards that have multiple activities on them. These cards were designed to lead a day long workshop and only need one prop for the entire day. Now that's a powerful prop! One side of the cards is a regular deck of jumbo playing cards, so there are at least 52 activities you could do with this side. See the book Playing With a Full Deck (in our Book Section) for full instructions for these 52 activities. On the other side there are multiple images, questions and activities ranging from ice-breakers to problem solving initiatives to debriefing tools. Directions for 20 activities are included with the deck. Don't leave home without them!
Icebreaker mingle questions
Conflict Resolution questions
Word Circle Puzzles
52 Card Pick Up (a new way to play a no-so-fun game from when you were a kid)
Body Part Debrief
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The RMS Titanic weighed almost 50,000 tons and could carry 3,500 people. Before it sunk, it was world-famous as the massive titan of the sea. Its multiple engines, powered by 159 coal furnaces, were designed to deliver 46,000 horsepower.
Compare that to today's beastly mode of transport: the Boeing 777. Bangalore Aviation points out that a single GE90-115B engine puts out over 110,000 horsepower, or more than twice the design output of all the Titanic's steam engines.
And that power is obviously hooked up to a much smaller vehicle. The Titanic had to carry 14,000,000 pounds of coal alone; the 777 has a total weight of only 775,000 pounds.
Just something to contemplate as you fly back to or from home for the holidays.
Commenter Rogerone0 makes this excellent point in the comments. When it comes to exerting power, horsepower isn't all there is to it.
If you could put the Titanic in Boston Harbor about a 1/2 mile south of Logan airport and you placed a 777 on the runway and then connected the two by a superstrong/super light cable. Then you told the 777 to put both engines at full throttle the cable would flatten but the titanic wouldn't perceptibly begin to move. Then after 10 seconds or so you tell the titanic to go forward slow or 1/8th forward. The Titanic would then slowly pull the 777 off the end of the runway in about three minutes. The comparison of power would not even be close.
Why? Steam engines have very high force multipliers (think Newton) and jets have very low force multipliers. Another better way to look at this is to compare torque. Steam is around x300 and jets are around x0.33. Internal gas engines are around x1. This is why at county/farm tractor pulls old 1910s steam engine tractors with 15 hp always beat 1970s gas engine tractors with 500 hp.
The headline of this story has been updated to reflect we're talking horsepower in the comparison, not power in total.
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Most Active Stories
Valley Public Radio Staff
Crisis In The Housing Market
Thu March 21, 2013
You Be The Judge: Is The Housing Market Really Improving?
This week, optimists had no trouble finding fresh evidence to suggest that the housing market is recovering.
On Thursday, they learned from a Realtors' report that existing home sales hit the highest level in more than 3 years. And earlier this week, a Commerce Department report showed homebuilding permits have been rising at the quickest pace since June 2008.
But not everyone is convinced that the sector's momentum has staying power. Skeptics point to reasons why the housing sector might falter, just as it has several times over the past six years.
If the optimists and pessimists had to face off in front of a judge, these are the exhibits they might enter as evidence:
The Optimists' Case
Your honor, don't be blinded by years of bad news. Look at these recent statistics:
— Home prices rose by more than 7 percent last year, according to the widely respected S&P/Case-Shiller Index.
— Builders have been hiring again, adding workers at a pace of 30,000 a month over the past five months.
— The Federal Reserve plans to hold interest rates at historically low levels for a long time, making homes more affordable.
— The number of underwater borrowers, i.e., those whose mortgages exceed the value of their homes, fell by almost 4 million last year to 7 million, according to JPMorgan Securities.
— Sales of existing homes and building permits are both rising. Realtors in a number of cities report bidding wars breaking out because too few homes are on the market. This latest Realtors' report showed sales were 10.2 percent above the same month last year, marking 20 straight months of gains.
-- The Realtors' report showed the inventory of homes for sale in February increased 9.6 percent to 1.94 million. That represented a 4.7-month supply of houses on the market, up from 4.3 months in January. Six months of inventory makes for a healthy market, so Realtors like the direction of that data.
-- Homes are getting bigger again. The median new single-family home shrank about 6 percent during the housing bust. But now, Commerce Department data show the median size of a new home started in 2012 hit a record 2,309 square feet, exceeding the previous high of 2,259 in 2006.
Testifying for the optimists are Federal Reserve policymakers, who on Wednesday released an economic assessment confirming that "the housing sector has strengthened further."
And IHS Global Insight forecasters say they expect 2013 to be the best year for housing since 2007.
The Pessimists' Case
Your honor, we'd like to call your attention to these disturbing facts:
— The number of "underwater" homeowners may be down, but it's still extremely high, with an estimated one in five owing more than the home's worth. When people can't get out of their old mortgages, they can't move up to a nicer home.
— Home prices, on average, are still at very depressed levels — still roughly 30 percent below their peak in many markets. That means millions of houses will remain underwater for a very long time, making it harder for people to trade up.
— Loans may be cheap, but only for people with sterling credit scores. With unemployment still so high at 7.7 percent and wages scarcely growing, millions of Americans can't qualify for home loans.
— Congress has just imposed sharp federal spending cuts, which could depress economic growth and drive unemployment back up, reducing the number of people who could buy homes.
-- The increased number of homes for sale in February may suggest that there really is a "shadow inventory," a huge number of foreclosed houses that lenders are going to begin dumping onto the market now, driving prices back down.
Testifying for the pessimists is Sheila Bair, former head of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. At a recent economic conference, she warned that with job and wage growth still so slow, the housing market could soon stumble. "We need more experience and data to know if it's really turned around," she said.
The jury will remain out — at least until the crucial spring season moves into high gear. Late March through Memorial Day is the peak time for home shopping.
For now, even many industry insiders don't seem to know exactly what to think about this housing market. On Monday, the National Association of Home Builders released its latest market index report, and it showed another drop in sentiment.
More builders described industry conditions as bad than good, with the index falling to 44, down from December's post-recession peak of 47. The builders said they were being frustrated by their inability to get credit from their lenders and by rising costs.
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Most of the work on MANET (Mobile Ad hoc Network) today has addressed flat, homogenous, single connection point or multihop networks. Applications of wireless multihop network are very specialized, and include search and rescue in the jungle, natural disaster recovery and the battlefield. These are in fact "extreme" applications of ad hoc networking. We believe that a much more common (and commercially viable) use of multihop MANET concepts will emerge in so-called "opportunistic" mesh network configurations. In these scenarios, the ad hoc network is an extension of the existing fixed telecommunications infrastructure. Moreover, there are scenarios where the fixed infrastructure may become severely degraded or even completely dysfunctional. In such cases, the opportunistic ad hoc network may take on a new role of temporary replacement of the fixed infrastructure.
In this project, we focus on the urban environment and consider the ad hoc opportunistic extension of a fixed urban infrastructure. Now, the "fixed" urban infrastructure is itself undergoing a dramatic evolution. The traditional wireless systems have mostly used cellular-phone-style radio links, with point-to-point or point-to-multipoint transmission. These wireless formats have liabilities in industrial and urban applications such as rigid structure, meticulous planning requirements, and dropped signals. In contrast, wireless mesh networks are multihop decentralized systems in which devices assist each other in transmitting packets through the network, especially in adverse conditions. These networks can be deployed into place with minimal preparation, and they provide a more robust, efficient, reliable, flexible system that can be extended to thousands of devices.
Derived from military-funded research into mobile networks, mesh networking eliminates the need for a central communication coordinator and its associated reliability and efficiency issues. Fruits of the military research are now making their way into the commercial sector, with several companies offering products for both residential and industrial use. An important application is in fact the urban Mesh network. In this project we study the extension of the urban Mesh to include car to car communications creating what may be called the "urban vehicular grid". We identify the applications of such an opportunistic ad hoc extension (from driving safety to entertainment and disaster recovery). We also identify and address the challenges of this design ranging from optimum routing protocols to minimize the number of hops while ensuring security and seamless mobility, to Quality-of-Service (QoS) MAC and network protocols to support emerging multimedia applications; to the need to guarantee efficient autonomous operation when the infrastructure fails.
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The Wisdom of Not Nationalizing
Back when everyone was arguing over nationalization, it was pretty common to hear people invoke Sweden's example. Sweden had survived a financial crisis a few years before, and done so by nationalizing the country's major banks. This was pretty central to the case for nationalization. In a memo to Obama, Summers explained why he disagreed.
Furthermore, Summers said, there was a medium-term risk that nationalized banks would lose value, in the same way that the act of foreclosure decreases the value of a home. Summers pointed to the example of Sweden, which was regularly cited by economists who favored nationalization. But Summers noted that Sweden didn’t nationalize for two and a half years, by which time the situation had become so severe — interest rates had reached a hundred percent — that there were no other options. In addition, Nordbanken, the largest bank nationalized in Sweden, was already eighty per cent government-owned. Summers concluded by emphasizing that nationalization was a strategy that governments turn to only after it is very clear that nothing else can work.
The Treasury Department's Gene Sperling puts it neatly a few paragraphs earlier. "You might come out and say, ‘I’m gonna take over Bank of America and Wells Fargo, but everybody else is safe!’ Maybe they believe you. And maybe they don’t. But if you get this wrong, the Dow’s at thirty-five hundred! You’re the worst economic manager in the history of the United States!”
Nationalization is the only major policy issue I've ever written about that I never felt able to take a position on. There was a strong case in favor of the policy, and in particular, a strong case that the best possible outcome was a nationalization that worked beautifully. But supporters, I thought, were a bit too cavalier about the downside risk. This was the foundation of the administration's argument, and it seemed convincing. Particularly after I listened to This American Life report on the technical details involved in the FDIC assuming control of a small bank. Whether nationalization was a good idea in theory, it seemed pretty tricky in practice. And the cost of any serious mistakes seemed virtually incalculable.
Part of the thesis of Lizza's piece is that the Obama administration's refusal to nationalize, which was partially a result of Larry Summers's influence, has proven smart. The belief is widespread across conversations I've had with other administration officials. And some of the more prominent nationalizers -- Felix Salmon, for instance -- have decided that they were wrong and the administration was right. The argument isn't that a perfectly executed nationalization couldn't have left us in a better place. It's just that we're in a relatively acceptable place -- or on a relatively acceptable path towards a relatively acceptable place -- and we got there without risking the downsides of a botched nationalization.
Photo credit: By Linda Davidson -- The Washington Post
October 5, 2009; 5:31 PM ET
Categories: Economic Policy , Solutions
Save & Share: Previous: How the Obama Administration Developed the Stimulus
Next: Tab Dump
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The comments to this entry are closed.
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In my So the Necessary May Speak article I walked through how to simplify a basic data table by eliminating unnecessary interface elements. Since then, a number of folks have offered alternative designs. I wrote up the pros and cons of four of these options from Deva Prasad in Redesigning A Simple Table and thought it might be useful to share some of the other ideas I’ve received as well.
In my original redesign (above), a single column of bold text allows users to quickly see all the key data in the table with one downward motion. Labels for the data are in close proximity to the values. The content is scannable because there is contrast between the bold and non-bold elements.
Andrey Smagin suggests a “simplified” solution that targets repeat users of this data set (people who interact with the application one or more times per day). He relies on frequent users to know the first column in this table is current day, the second current month, and the third previous month. For infrequent users, there’s a rollover to explain the significance of each value. Outside of obvious concerns of information legibility, there may be too much visual noise in this design. Are discharges bad because they are labeled in red? Does current and previous month need a unique visual style (background vs. border)?
Robbin vanEijsden took a different approach and focused his presentation on the most current information in the table: today’s admissions, discharges, and caseload. He also used a table header and footer to put the focus of the table on the data rows instead of the labels, which now only appear in the table header. The previous month data has been replaced with “change”. To quote Robbin: “If the purpose of the "last month" data is to calculate the monthly mutation, the last column offers faster satisfaction.”
Assuming, today’s statistics are the most important values in the table, emphasizing these visually may be a good approach. However, once again it seems we have too many competing visual styles creating too much contrast in the table layout: bold, italics, borders, three different background colors. So this design can probably be further simplified.
This redesign comes from the comments of Anton Vakunenko’s translation of my So the Necessary May Speak article. As a result I don’t have any author attribution or explanations behind the thinking. The layout appears to focus on the content groupings first and the data second. So if people generally only need one section of data at a time, this may be a good solve. However, the layout doesn’t allow for a rapid scan off all the information at once.
If you’re interested in more examples and explanations for this simple table redesign, take at look at:
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Western Slope Peaches are at their Best Right Now
I’m thinking about moving to the Western Slope. Palisade is pretty inviting during the height of peach season.
Growers in Palisade have peaches ripening from the Fourth of July until mid-September. All through that time cherries, apples, pears and grapes are also in season. They actually have real seasons on the Western Slope. No winter one day, summer the next day even though the calendar says it’s spring.
Early season peaches that ripen in July include Red Haven and July Elberta. Mid-season varieties ripen in August. They include Sullivan, Blake and Globe. Late ripening varieties include Elberta, Redskin and Hale. They’ll ripen in early September.
Early and mid-season varieties are best eaten fresh. I can attest to that after slurping down a Blake freshly harvested at the orchard. The late varieties are best for canning or freezing. According to one grower, Redskin makes the prettiest canned peaches but Hale have the best flavor.
Peaches, like other fruit, ripen in different stages. Check them regularly for ripeness. A ripe peach has a creamy-yellow background color. The red blush on a peach varies by variety and isn’t a sign of ripeness. The peach should be moderately firm. A peach with a small bruise or finger mark is at its prime and ready to eat.
Peaches need air circulation to keep the longest. Don’t pack them into plastic bags. To keep peaches the longest, store them in the refrigerator in a shallow box. Keep them in one or two layers to aid air circulation. To finish the ripening, set peaches out on the counter for a few hours before eating. Peaches seem to have more flavor at room temperature.
Peach trees in Western Slope orchards are wide, sprawling trees. Each tree may only have six or eight branches to maximize fruit production. Upright, columnar peach trees are being researched. This new form would allow more trees and more fruit per acre.
If you have time, take a trip to the Western Slope for the freshest peaches. Or search out Colorado peaches at your closest farmer’s market.
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Following a great deal of discussion, I'm pleased to announce that the PostgreSQL Core team has decided that the major theme for the 9.1 release, due in 2011, will be 'NoSQL'.
There is a growing trend towards NoSQL databases, with major sites like Twitter and Facebook utilising them extensively. NoSQL databases often include multi-master replication, clustering and failover features that have long been requested in PostgresSQL, but have been extremely difficult to implement with SQL which has prevented us from advancing Postgree in the way that we'd like.
To address this, the intention is to remove SQL support from Postgres, and replace it with a language called 'QUEL'. This will provide us with the flexibility we need to implement the features of modern NoSQL databases. With no SQL support there will obviously be some differences in the query syntax that must be used to access your data. For example, the query:
select (e.salary/ (e.age - 18)) as comp from employee as e where e.name = "Jones"
would be rewritten as:
range of e is employee retrieve (comp = e.salary/ (e.age - 18)) where e.name = "Jones"
Aggregate syntax in QUEL is particularly powerful. For example, the query:
avg(salary) as avg_salary,
sum(salary) as tot_salary
may be written as:
range of e is employee
avg_salary = avg(e.salary by e.dept),
tot_salary = sum(e.salary by e.dept)
Note that the grouped column can be specified for each individual aggregate.
We will be producing a comprehensive guide to the QUEL syntax to aid with application migration. We appreciate the difficulty that this change may cause some users, but feel we must embrace the NoSQL philosophy in order to remain "The world's most advanced Open Source
"There's no question that, at 21 years old, the SQL standard is past its prime," said core developer and standards expert Peter Eisentraut. "It's time for us to switch to something fresher. I personally would have preferred XSLT, but QUEL is almost as good."
Project committer Heikki Linnakangas added: "By replacing SQL with QUEL not only will will be able to add new features to Postgres that were previously too difficult, but we'll also increase user loyalty as it'll be much harder for them to change to a different, SQL-based
database. That'll be pretty cool."
You may also notice that without SQL, the project name is somewhat misleading. To address that, the project name will be changed to 'PostgreQUEL' with the 9.1 release. We expect this will also put an end to the periodic debates on changing the project name.
On behalf of the PostgreSQL Core Team
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The DTS Audio CD or Multichannel Music Disc is an audio Compact Disc that contains music in surround sound format. It is a predecessor of DVD Audio.
Where regular CDs store the music as linear PCM, the DTS-CD stores music using the DTS format, with the same fixed bitrate as 16-bit linear PCM, namely 1,411,200 bit/s or roughly 1,378 Kib/s.
As opposed to other surround formats, such as Super Audio CD and DVD-Audio, which require a specialized player, a DTS-CD is compatible with most standard CD and DVD players with a digital (S/PDIF) output.
These players will recognize the disk as a standard audio CD. The only requirement is an audio processor, usually a receiver that can decode the DTS audio stream.
Available surround content variations include 5.1, 5.1 ES, and 6.1 ES, each with or without the optional LFE channel.
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| 0.914017
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As a leader in your veterinary hospital you have a direct impact on the culture of your practice. Your culture is the unwritten
way that your hospital "feels" and this can be cultivated by you as you continue to grow your business. During this presentation,
you will learn how to cultivate your culture in order to enhance the level of customer service you offer your clients, to
elevate the level of veterinary care you offer their pets, and to position yourself in the community as an employer of choice
in order to attract and retain top-notch employees. Now that is great for business!
1. What is "culture"?
• Definition from
http://www.businessdictionary.com/: The pervasive, deep, largely subconscious, and tacit code that gives the 'feel' of an organization and determines what is
considered right or wrong, important or unimportant, workable or unworkable in it, and how it responds to the unexpected crises,
jolts, and sudden change. All new employees must assimilate this code ('learn the ropes') to know the correct way to behave
and what to expect from other employees. Organizational culture is the sum total of an organization's past and current assumptions,
experiences, philosophy, and values that hold it together, and are expressed in its self-image, inner workings, interactions
with the outside world, and future expectations. It is based on shared attitudes, beliefs, customs, express or implied contracts,
and written and unwritten rules that the organization develops over time and that have worked well enough to be considered
• Streamlined definition from the American Management Association/Institute for Corporate Productivity study on culture
from 2008: "The shared values and beliefs that help individuals understand organizational functioning and that provides them
with guides for their behavior within the organization."
2. How do you determine your hospital's culture?
• The AMA study identified eight dimensions associated with what the team termed a "positive corporate culture" and asked
participants to rank how these described their organization's culture:
o We have a cooperative culture.
o Our corporate culture is aligned with our strategy.
o We have a culture that encourages innovation.
o We have a culture that encourages strategy execution.
o Our culture fosters trust.
o We have a culture that promotes quick responses to needed changes.
o Our corporate culture brings out the best performance in our employees.
o Decision-making authority exists at all levels, not just top management.
• We will review each of these, their impact on the culture of your practice and their relationship to being a high-performing
3. How do you as a leader have a direct impact on cultivating the culture of your practice?
• Regularly discuss what the culture is.
• WALK THE TALK and lead by example.
• Be a coach and a teacher.
• Empower your team.
• Trust your team and foster cooperation.
• Regularly discuss strategy and organizational goals with your team.
• Find ways to allow work/life balance to influence your culture.
4. How do you cultivate the culture of your hospital to enhance the level of customer service?
Foster a customer service culture
Empowerment of your employees
5. How do you cultivate the culture of your hospital to elevate the level of veterinary care offered?
Foster a culture of learning
• What are "learning organizations"? "Organizations where people continually expand their capacity to create the results
they truly desire, where new and expansive patterns of thinking are nurtured, where collective aspiration is set free, and
where people are continually learning to learn together" (Peter Senge, 1990)
6. How do you cultivate the culture of your hospital to position yourself in the community as an employer of choice?
Foster a culture that will attract and retain top-notch employees
Keep employees engaged and satisfied
• Bring out the best performance in your employees.
7. How is this all great for your business?
The relationship between productivity and culture
The relationship between employee retention and culture
Discuss the value behind being an employer of choice
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Address to Jewish Group Claims Policy Disagreements Can Never Break Ties
Speaking today at the Jewish Federations of North America meeting, US Vice President Joe Biden vowed eternal support for the Israeli government, insisting US support for the nation would continue no matter what Israel does “forever.”
“The ties between our two countries are literally unbreakable” insisted Biden, adding that policy disagreements with the far-right government will never be “fundamental” and will never have any affect on ties. Biden insists President Obama “feels exactly the same way.”
The comments were largely in keeping with a number of top US officials over the past few decades who have pledged eternal fealty to Israel regardless of the relative merits of that government’s position on any given issue. Biden’s position is therefore a politically safe one, but is it an obsolete one?
Perhaps. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gave a speech at the self-same gathering yesterday and was heckled off stage by attendees outraged by his government’s policies. Israeli Ambassador to the US Michael Oren chided American Jews, insisting it was their duty to support Israel unquestioningly. This claim however whiffed of desperation, and there seems to be concern on the Israeli right that policy disagreements really are forging a growing rift with its traditional allies.
Given the excitement at the conference during Netanyahu’s speech, Biden’s loyalty pledge must seem extremely quaint, albeit not particularly topical. Claims that Israel can’t hurt US ties no matter what they do are going to be less and less credible as what their government does becomes increasingly publicized and increasingly embarrassing for US officials.
Last 5 posts by Jason Ditz
- In Drills, US and Jordan Prepare to Attack Syria - June 18th, 2013
- UN Chief Urges Easing of 1990 Iraq Sanctions - June 18th, 2013
- Four US Soldiers Killed in Attack on Afghan Base - June 18th, 2013
- DHS Wants Same Surveillance Powers as NSA - June 18th, 2013
- G8 Backs Syria Peace Talks, Doesn't Demand Regime Change - June 18th, 2013
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Summary: This reader was developed to be used in several courses taught in sociology; it can be used in an introductory social problems course as well as a theory or special topics course. It can also be used in an introduction to sociology course where social problems are stressed as well as in a global issues course. The readings have been selected from numerous, well-respected sociology journals and they have been edited to make them more "user friendly" for the ...show moreundergraduate student. Numerous articles from SAGE social science journals are included. ...show lessEdition/Copyright: 09
More prices and sellers below.
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Jcgood1984: A college professor of mine said many years ago that the whole notion of upper class, middleclass, and lower class was a red herring. His basic analysis was that if you worked for a living and earned a paycheck and that was your sole income, you were a worker, period. You were either a white collar worker or a blue collar worker, but you depended on your income to survive, no matter the size of the house. His point was that dividing into class divided workers against each other. A worker was a worker and needed to take care of the interests of workers as a group, whether you were an electrician or accountant.
You are correct that we do have more stuff numerically and in opulence and that this generational viewpoint was cultivated in the 1980’s onward. But the promotion, I believe, was deliberately done by the emerging think tanks of the 80’s and 90’s. If you push a culture of me and my, basically a culturally supported selfishness, you sever the cohesiveness of workers. A culture of pettiness was cultivated while workers’ institutions i.e., unions, were attacked openly. The largest demonstration of this was the firing of the air traffic controllers. Simultaneously, jobs began to be shipped overseas, and the wide scale concept of credit was fostered. I think this credit extension served to hide from Americans the beginnings of decline in their real income and the assault on American workers.
We need to turn the tide. We can start by enforcing the antitrust laws that were slackened by conservatives and stop giving tax breaks to companies who outsource, and thus start bringing our jobs back.
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Given the degree of inter-marriage between the Robb, Thomson and Young families in the next generation, it would probably be useful in this post to offer an overview of events in the 1830s and 1840s, before providing more detailed information about individual families in future posts.
When John Young died in 1827, his widow Penelope was 50 years old. Of her children from her first marriage to George Robb, George junior was 21, Elizabeth 20, and Jean 17. As for the children from her second marriage to John Young, Penelope junior was about 12, Janet 11, and John 8. Penelope’s brother Henry and his wife Jean had two children: John Thomson was now 16, and Jane Sharp Thomson 13.
The first of this next generation to marry was Jean Robb, Penelope’s youngest child by her first marriage to George Robb. The parish register for Glasgow Barony reports that ‘Archibald Graham Lang merchant residing in Glasgow and Jean lawful daughter of the late George Robb merchant residing in Blythswood Hill’ were married on 2 April 1830 by Rev. Dr. Gavin Gibb. According to Wikipedia, ‘Blythswood Hill was developed as a result of the westward expansion of the city in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Likened to Edinburgh’s New Town, it housed the city’s wealthy merchants and shipping magnates in four (or more) floored Georgian townhouses. The centrepiece of the area is Blythswood Square’. Assuming that Jean was still living at home with her mother when she married, this record provides a clue as to where Penelope Thomson lived after the death of her second husband John Young, and the consequent sale of Meadow Park House. Rev. Dr. Gavin Gibb was, among other things, a professor of Hebrew at Glasgow University and a former moderator of the Church of Scotland.
A year later, on 26 June 1831, Jean Robb’s older brother George married his half-cousin Jane Sharp Thomson, daughter of his mother Penelope’s brother Henry. The parish register notes that George was employed as a ‘writer’ (in other words, a solicitor or lawyer), that Jane was the daughter of the late Mr. Henry Thomson (thus confirming that he died before 1831), and that both parties resided in Barony. The latter was a parish that included many of the rural districts to the north of Glasgow which have now been swallowed up by the city. Barony parish church survives as Strathclyde University’s Barony Hall.
One year after this event, on 24 January 1832, there was another marriage between half-cousins when Jane Thomson’s brother John, 20, married Penelope Young, daughter of Penelope Thomson by her second marriage to John Young. Penelope junior would have been only 17 or 18 at the time. John was said to be resident in Blythswood Town, while Penelope is described as the daughter of ‘the late John Young Esq. Meadow Park’. The ceremony was performed by Rev. Archibald Wilson of Cardross, the clergyman who married Penelope’s parents.
On 12 October 1835, Janet Young, daughter of Penelope Thomson and John Young, and Manchester-born merchant Jackson Walton, were married by Rev. Nathaniel Paterson in Glasgow.
On 16 August 1836, the last unmarried cousin, Elizabeth Robb, sister of George junior and Jean, married Glasgow merchant John Burns. She was 29 and he was 31. Jean, who was said to be residing in Barony, was described in the record as the ‘daughter of the deceased George Robb Esq. merchant Glasgow’. This ceremony was also conducted by Rev. Nathaniel Paterson, minister of St. Andrew’s parish.
In 1839, John Thomson died at the age of 28. The 1841 census finds his 25-year-old widow, Penelope Young, and her two children, living with her mother Penelope in Regent Terrace, Glasgow. On 9 June 1844 the Glasgow parish register records the marriage of ‘William Meikleham writer in Glasgow and Mrs. Penelope Young residing at Helensburgh relict of John Thomson late merchant in Glasgow and eldest daughter of the deceased John Young of Meadowpark’.
The following year – 1845 – saw the death of Elizabeth Robb, husband of John Burns, at the age of 38. Elizabeth’s half-cousin Janet, husband of Jackson Walton, also died around this time, since her widower had definitely married his second wife, Eliza Ann Nicholson, by 1846. Janet’s younger brother John Young died in 1846 at the age of 27; he appears not to have been married.
The year 1847 saw two deaths in the older generation. Penelope Young, formerly Robb, nee Thomson died in December (as noted above, three of her children – Elizabeth Robb, and Janet and John Young – had predeceased her). At some point during that year, Penelope’s unmarried half-sister Elizabeth also died, leaving a will which would be contested four years later by various members of the younger generation of the multiply-connected Robb-Thomson-Young family.
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Bible Gateway Recommendations
Our Price: $45.99
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New American Standard Bible (NASB)
29 Woe, O [a]Ariel, [b]Ariel the city where David once camped!
Add year to year, [c]observe your feasts on schedule.
2 I will bring distress to Ariel,
And she will be a city of lamenting and mourning;
And she will be like an Ariel to me.
3 I will camp against you [d]encircling you,
And I will set siegeworks against you,
And I will raise up battle towers against you.
4 Then you will be brought low;
From the earth you will speak,
And from the dust where you are prostrate
Your words will come.
Your voice will also be like that of a [e]spirit from the ground,
And your speech will whisper from the dust.
5 But the multitude of your [f]enemies will become like fine dust,
And the multitude of the ruthless ones like the chaff which [g]blows away;
And it will happen instantly, suddenly.
6 From the Lord of hosts you will be punished with thunder and earthquake and loud noise,
With whirlwind and tempest and the flame of a consuming fire.
7 And the multitude of all the nations who wage war against [h]Ariel,
Even all who wage war against her and her stronghold, and who distress her,
Will be like a dream, a vision of the night.
8 It will be as when a hungry man dreams—
And behold, he is eating;
But when he awakens, his [i]hunger is not satisfied,
Or as when a thirsty man dreams—
And behold, he is drinking,
But when he awakens, behold, he is faint
And his [j]thirst is not quenched.
Thus the multitude of all the nations will be
Who wage war against Mount Zion.
9 Be delayed and wait,
Blind yourselves and be blind;
They become drunk, but not with wine,
They stagger, but not with strong drink.
10 For the Lord has poured over you a spirit of deep sleep,
He has shut your eyes, the prophets;
And He has covered your heads, the seers.
11 The entire vision will be to you like the words of a sealed [k]book, which when they give it to the one who [l]is literate, saying, “Please read this,” he will say, “I cannot, for it is sealed.” 12 Then the [m]book will be given to the one who [n]is illiterate, saying, “Please read this.” And he will say, “I [o]cannot read.”
13 Then the Lord said,
“Because this people draw near with their [p]words
And honor Me with their [q]lip service,
But they remove their hearts far from Me,
And their [r]reverence for Me [s]consists of [t]tradition learned by rote,
14 Therefore behold, I will once again deal marvelously with this people, wondrously marvelous;
And the wisdom of their wise men will perish,
And the discernment of their discerning men will be concealed.”
15 Woe to those who deeply hide their [u]plans from the Lord,
And whose deeds are done in a dark place,
And they say, “Who sees us?” or “Who knows us?”
16 You turn things around!
Shall the potter be considered [v]as equal with the clay,
That what is made would say to its maker, “He did not make me”;
Or what is formed say to him who formed it, “He has no understanding”?
17 Is it not yet just a little while
[w]Before Lebanon will be turned into a fertile field,
And the fertile field will be considered as a forest?
18 On that day the deaf will hear words of a book,
And out of their gloom and darkness the eyes of the blind will see.
19 The afflicted also will increase their gladness in the Lord,
And the needy of mankind will rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.
20 For the ruthless will come to an end and the scorner will be finished,
Indeed all who [x]are intent on doing evil will be cut off;
21 Who [y]cause a person to be indicted by a word,
And ensnare him who adjudicates at the gate,
And [z]defraud the one in the right with [aa]meaningless arguments.
22 Therefore thus says the Lord, who redeemed Abraham, concerning the house of Jacob:
“Jacob shall not now be ashamed, nor shall his face now turn pale;
23 But when [ab]he sees his children, the work of My hands, in his midst,
They will sanctify My name;
Indeed, they will sanctify the Holy One of Jacob
And will stand in awe of the God of Israel.
24 “Those who err in [ac]mind will know [ad]the truth,
And those who [ae]criticize will [af]accept instruction.
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Apple’s increasing use of tamper-resistant screws is a form of planned obsolescence, says one critic.
As previously reported, Apple is using proprietary five-point security screws in the iPhone 4 and new MacBooks Airs. The special screws were first used in the 2009 MacBook Pro to stop users from replacing the battery.
The screws are unique to Apple and serve one purpose only: to keep users out.
The plan, says iFixit CEO Kyle Wiens, is to force customers to upgrade their gadgets sooner than necessary. They also make them reliant on Apple for expensive repairs and upgrades.
“It’s a form of planned obsolescence,” says Wiens. “General Motors invented planned obsolescence in the 1920s. Apple is doing the same thing.”
Planned obsolescence is an industrial design strategy that encourages customers to upgrade their products sooner than necessary.
According to Wiens, the special screws prevent owners from upgrading or repairing their machines themselves. They also encourage users to replace their devices sooner than they would if they were more easily serviceable.
Apple releases new iPods and iPhones every year, and new MacBooks every couple of years. The company wants customers on a similar upgrade cycle, says Wiens.
“They want you on a 1- to 2-year purchase cycle for iPods, and a 2- to 3-year purchase cycle for laptops,” he explained.
Wiens notes that even Apple itself may be tossing rather than repairing devices. The replacement battery for an iPod Shuffle is $49 – the same as a new device. “That says to me they’re not servicing it,” he says. “They’re throwing it away and giving you a new one.”
Apple didn’t respond to a request for comment.
Apple’s new screws look like standard six-point Torx screws, but have only five points. They come in several sizes, and according to Wiens, are entirely unique to Apple. He can’t find suppliers of similar screws or the tools to work with them.
Apple’s service manuals refer to the screws as “Pentalobular.” They first appeared in the mid-2009 MacBook Pro to prevent users from replacing the battery. They are now used to secure the outer case of the current MacBook Air and the iPhone 4 (Apple is replacing the ordinary Philips-head screws that shipped with earlier iPhone 4 units).
Of course, Wiens could be accused of having an agenda. He’s in the business of selling replacement parts: iFixit is the second largest supplier of Apple parts after Apple itself. It’s in Wien’s interest to have users fixing their own machines and ordering his parts. Indeed, iFixit just started selling a $9.95 kit to replace the iPhone 4’s Pentalobular screws.
Most products should not be disposed of, he says; even recycling is a waste. “It may be obsolete for you, but for someone else it’s cutting edge,” he says. “It should be good for another 20 years.”
But is Apple really trying to force customers into expensive repairs and short upgrade cycles? I’m not 100% convinced.
The policy is inconsistent. Apple doesn’t use tamper-proof screws across all its devices — only the consumer-focused gadgets are sealed shut (iPhone, iPod, iPad and MacBook Airs). Most of Apple’s pro- and prosumer products (MacBook, MacBook Pro, iMac and Mac Pro) are user upgradeable or serviceable. In fact, the Mac Pro is exceptionally upgradeable, featuring world-class industrial design that makes it very easy for owners to tinker with machine’s guts.
There may be warranty issues. Most electronics manufacturers use tamper-proof seals for warranty purposes. Warranties won’t be honored if the device has been opened and tampered with. Apple may be using tamper-proof screws in lieu of tamper-proof stickers.
Or perhaps there are other unanticipated issues. The first Macs, for example, famously required extra long Torx drivers to open them up. They were sealed partly to prevent users from tampering with the hardware, but also to stop them electrocuting themselves on the CRT.
And lastly, a lot of Apple customers are likely to replace their devices long before the need upgrades or repairs — or the sealed-in battery runs out. One person’s planned obsolescence is another’s rapid innovation.
What do you guys think? Is Apple forcing us to buy new products rather than repair or upgrade our old machines?
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- Stewart Islands redirects here. For the New Zealand island see Stewart Island.
Location of Sikaiana Atoll in the Pacific Ocean
picture of Sikaiana Atoll
Sikaiana formerly called Stewart Islands is a small atoll 212 km NE of Malaita. It is almost 14 km in length and its lagoon, known as Te Moana, is totally enclosed by the coral reef. Its total land surface is only 2 km2. There is no safe anchorage close to this atoll, which makes it often inaccessible.
Sikaiana is located Latitude: 8° 25' 0 South and Longitude: 162° 52' 0 East. The main island, located at the easternmost corner, is called Sikaiana. The three small islands in the west of the atoll are Tehaolei, Matuiloto and Matuavi. There are also two artificial islands on the reef, Te Palena and Hakatai'atata.
Administratively Sikaiana is an outlying region of Malaita Province in the Solomon Islands. Sikaiana's population is approximately 300 people of Polynesian descent. In 1856, when Hawai‘i was offered the sovereignty of Sikaiana, the Privy Council voted to accept the cession. King Kamehameha IV approved the action, making Hawai‘i an imperial power of sorts. But there were second thoughts. The great distance of the atoll from Honolulu would make administration impossible, and the cession was never formalized. Some residents have claimed to be native Hawaiians and citizens of the United States. According to these residents, the Stewart Islands were given to King Kamehameha IV in 1856, and therefore the islands were part of the Kingdom of Hawai‘i at the time of the United States' annexation in 1898. The United States disagrees, arguing that the 1898 law annexed only the "Hawaiian Islands and their dependencies", and that the law defined dependencies as the islands named by a report by the Hawaiian Commission that omitted the Stewart Islands. Some residents applied to register to vote in Hawai‘i in 1996, but their applications were turned down by the Hawaiian Sovereignty Election Council.
- ^ "U.S. Insular Areas: Application of the U.S. Constitution" (pdf). Report to the Chairman, Committee on Resources, House of Representatives. United States General Accounting Office. November 1997. Page 39, footnote 2.
External links
Coordinates: 8°22′43″S 162°42′47″E / 8.37861°S 162.71306°E
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Actually was an exam question. two
blockswith unequal masses connected by a string with some tension.
andhas an unknow force applied on the block with
Ques: Is the force exterted on the heavier block be
thesame as the force on the smaller
block. considering both are connected and
initially at rest ?will the force be the same, equal or the
block with smallermass be greater then the heavier block?
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Sharon Boorstin wrote a wonderful article called "Recipes for Friendship" in the February 2001 issue of More magazine in which she described how a notebook of recipes she'd compiled as a newlywed led her on a journey of reconnecting with past girlfriends. Her story touched a chord with women of all ages and inspired them to reminisce about their own experiences of food and friendship.
Let Us Eat Cake is a powerful memoir that explores the power of cooking and food to cement relationships among women, from famous women chefs to grandmothers over the stove, from young girls baking their first cake together to college students sharing bread and cheese along a European roadside. In it, Boorstin includes 25 delicious recipes from memorable times in her life and the lives of others.
Questions for Discussion
- What are our earliest childhood memories related to food? Are they good or bad, and did they influence the way we looked on food and family as we grew up?
- How are our food memories linked to our mothers? Grandmothers? Our cultural and religious heritage?
- Do we pass down our food memories, food traditions, and attitudes towards food, to our children?
- What are the main reasons we cook? Necessity and obligation? Pleasure? Creativity? To nurture?
- How would we characterize the female friendships we had in our childhood? Our teenage years? Young adulthood? Middle age? Which were the closest, the most meaningful? How have they differed?
- Why do we bond with some women and not with others? How do our female friendships change during the different stages of life? Why do we stay friends with some women our whole lives, but not with others?
- How do women in their teens and twenties today differ in their attitudes from earlier generations of women regarding cooking, romantic relationships, and female friendships?
Quotes for Discussion
- "Women bond over food the way men do over sports."
- "When I was younger, friendship could be undermined by competitive feelings -- about men, looks, career. Not anymore. Ask any woman over forty if she agrees. Most likely she'll say, 'Competition? We're too old for that!'"
- "The generation of women born during or just after World War II were raised with old-fashioned notions about what constitutes 'respectable' behavior and our place in society, yet we were just ahead of those who grew up with the freedoms afforded by women's lib."
- "I never said 'I love you' to my high school and college girlfriends, though what I felt for them was deep, unconditional love. Those three magic words were reserved for the most intimate moments between a woman and a man."
- "Today I say 'Love you' (not only) to my mother, my sisters, and my grown-up children, but to my girlfriends, and they say it back. Why not? We really do love each other. Having reached middle age, we have learned that we may fall in and out of love with men, but we never stop loving our parents, our children -- and our girlfriends."
- "When it comes right down to it, a woman really is the sum of all the friends she has had in her life."
- "Between women, as there is between women and men, sometimes there is just a chemistry."
About the author
Sharon Boorstin was the restaurant critic for the Los Angeles Herald-Examiner and her articles have appeared in Bon Appetit, the Los Angeles Times, Playboy, More, Food Arts, Conde Nast Traveller (U.K), and Porthole. She and her husband have two children and live in Beverly Hills, California.
About Sharon Boorstin
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Experience Authentic Scotland
Scotland’s inventions are familiar to the whole world– who hasn’t heard of the bike, the telephone and (jumping a few centuries here) that most trusted of drivers’ guides, the highway cat’s eye? But Scotland’s many revolutionary trickeries don’t stop with gadgets. It’s actually the nation’s stunning wealth of culture that makes it such an exciting place to be – and where better to start than Edinburgh?
Auld Lang Syne, one of the most regularly sung songs in the English-speaking world (eclipsed only by Happy Birthday and For He’s a Jolly Good Fellow), is indelibly linked with the beginning of a new year. A traditional Scottish ballad, the words of its modern form are the work of Robert Burns, one of Scotland’s literary heroes whose birthday is still celebrated every year. Where more appropriate to experience it than hand in hand with your friends, singing along with thousands of others at the Princes Street Hogmanay party? If Burns was alive no doubt he would be one of the festivals’ ambassadors: bohemian,talented and passionate in equal measure. There is something magical about a nation who chooses to gather around the table and the dance floor, every January, to celebrate the life and work of an eighteenth-century poet. Thousands of Scots – friends, families, work colleagues – prepare the Burns supper celebration every year, a night-long event packed with humorous speeches written in Burn’s style, songs, copious amounts of food (including the very local Haggis), toasts to the Lassies and Laddies and of course the Address to a Haggis, the ‘great chieftain o’ the puddin-race!’ are all to be found, and invariably add up to a fantastic evening.
Scots have a bit of a reputation for extreme foods of the fried variety, unfairly so (fried pizza, anyone?). Modern Scotland is an exciting place to eat and buy fresh produce – many of Britain’s up-and-coming chefs are currently working in the country. Edinburgh alone currently hosts five Michelin-starred restaurants, a phenomenal ratio for a city of only half a million inhabitants. Edinburgh comes second only to London in the number of cafes and restaurants per capita. So remember to bring a healthy dose of appetite. And if you really want to tap into those world-legendary tales of exotic Scottish fare, make sure you sample the local haggis, an ingenious and creative concoction of sheeps innards, onion, oatmeal and spices all wrapped up neatly in a sheep’s stomach. Trust us: nothing can make you happier on a cold winter’s day. And if the locals try to pull your leg with tall tales of wild haggis beasts roaming through the Highlands, just smile and try to play along. View restuarants in the Old Town here.
Few visitors come to Scotland without having a wee dram o’ whisky. This is the place where the stuff was invented after all (if you stand on top of a hill with a brisk wind blowing on your face you begin to understand why...). There are fantastic places in Edinburgh to savour the best malts: the Scottish Malt Whisky Society is the equivalent of an encyclopedia of whisky, stocking the best varieties that come from all sorts of weird and wonderful independent distilleries all over the country. Regarded by many as the best in the world, there is no shortage of places in Edinburgh to experience some good quality Scotch. Scotland’s national drink plays a central part in the Hogmanay tradition of first-footing. The first person of the year to set foot in another’s dwelling brings the homeowner a gift, which more often than not is whisky. It’s difficult to find a more unmistakably Scottish practice, or indeed a more agreeable one. When in Scotland for New Year, be prepared. Remember to carry a bottle on you!
Of all Scottish musical practices, it is the bagpipes that have been most lovingly adopted by the world at large. Like flowers in spring, pipers find their way to the busiest thoroughfares of Edinburgh during the sunnier months. You can’t miss the drama and entertainment contained in the large-scale performances put together by the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo, with hundreds of pipers coming together in celebration of military musical traditions. Every night the show comes to a close with a moving solo performance by the Lone Piper. Simply unmissable. And last but not the least comes the Ceilidh, traditional Scottish dances which are very much alive and well and continue to be embraced by all. Scots like nothing more than dressing up in kilts (well, the men that is!) and it’s a true testimony to the country’s exciting passion for their own roots that people of all generations get together for an evening of song and dance. Standard piecessuch as the Gay Gordons and the Dashing White Sergeant are always on the menu, but don’t let a lack of knowledge put you off - most good organisers happily take you through the steps first! If you don’t fancy such an exhausting experience, there are also a number of pubs in the city where you can relax and listen to local musicians playing traditional folk melodies. This community tradition is still just as warming today as it was centuries ago.
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“For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." Mark 10:45
In our nearly 23 years of living in Japan, we have come to enjoy watching sumo. At first it was a substitute for American football, but eventually we learned to appreciate it on its own merits.
Recently we had the unusual opportunity to visit a sumo stable. This is where the sumo wrestlers (rikishi) live and practice. We were able to watch them practice from 6 AM to 9:30AM. These practice Read the rest of this entry »
While many of you are worried about rising gas prices in the US at 3.89 per gallon, gasoline is also rising in Japan. This month gas is running over 170 yen per liter or $6.20 per gallon. Needless to say we monitor our driving carefully.
for he is our God and we are the people of his pasture,
the flock under his care. Today, if you hear his voice,
do not harden your hearts as you did at Meribah,
as you did that day at Massah in the desert,Psalm 95:7-8
Japan is known for its crowded commuter trains. I experience this occasionally, but every time seems worse than the memory of the time before. Since I don’t commute into work, I don’t ride very often during the early morning rush hour. The other day I wondered if my arm would be broken before I got off. (For a horrifying video, not taken Read the rest of this entry »
1. This is no doubt the morning rush hour
2. This is one of the Seibu commuter lines (we used to live out there)
3. Notice people are trying to get into the first cars, the cars farther back are not as crowded. (Makes us think this is the Ikebukuro line).
4. This is undoubtably an express train most likely a commuter express.
The lifestyle, customs, entertainment, and technology of Japan continue to exert international influence. Along with these cultural influences comes the influence of the Japanese on global culture in general accompanied with ethics, morals, values, and worldview. Japan is also a leader in Asia, home to over 60% of the world’s people. Key historical persons in Japan who have been Christians have had large influence nationwide, regionally, as well as worldwide. Japan must be evangelized to use this global and regional influence.
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A Potter at His Wheel in Hebron
Notice: This photo is
copyrighted by Dennis Bratcher and is not available for public use.
A potter was a common occupation in the Biblical world (Jer 18:3-4). While the very rich could afford vessels of silver, gold, carved stone, or even of glass by Roman times, most people used common fired clay vessels for everyday use and storage (2 Tim 2:20). These might range from simple plates or cups to very large pots for storing grain or wine (in the Roman era called amphora). Besides kitchen utensils, many other items were made of pottery, such as lamps, pitchers, buttons, toys and games, and molded figurines that served as idols. Although fired clay pottery was relatively brittle and could be broken if struck, it was extremely durable. It could keep contents nearly watertight and resisted decay and corrosion. Many clay vessels have been discovered that are in excess of 5,000 years old. Many of the fragile parchments of the Dead Sea Scrolls were found preserved in huge clay jars that had kept them largely intact for 2,000 years. Even broken fragments of pottery (called potsherds or shards) were used as a kind of notepad to write letters, make lists, or to practice writing.
Because different people in different areas and at different times developed very distinctive types of pottery and decoration, as well as techniques to make it, pottery has become an important tool for historians in identifying and dating archaeological sites. In some cases, a site can be dated within the range of a few years or decades by the pottery found there. While much of the pottery of Palestine was generally of high quality, the many wars and hardships throughout its history are also reflected in the varying quality of its pottery. Vessels were also imported from other areas, especially Grecian ware, the elaborately painted Philistine pottery, and later the high quality china-like pottery of the Nabateans. During the Roman period, pottery making in Palestine reached a new high as delicate and elaborate styles from throughout the Mediterranean area were copied by Palestinian craftsmen.
It is not surprising that as common as pottery and potters were in the ancient world, they should figure in biblical stories. For example, Gideon took advantage of the portability and fragility of pottery jars to surprise and rout the Midianites (Jud 7:15-23). They also became frequently used metaphors in Scripture. The idea of God as a potter patiently shaping the world and human beings to his specifications undoubtedly lies behind the creation narratives in Genesis 1-2. This theme of God as a potter, fashioning or refashioning the world or nations according to his purposes became a common idea throughout Scripture (Jer 18:1-6, Isa 29:16, 45:9, 64:8, Job 10:9, Rom 9:20-24). The fragility of a pottery vessel was used to communicate human frailty (for example, Lam 4:2, 2 Cor 4:7), while the potter's clay could be contrasted with iron for the same purpose (Dan 2:41-43, Rev 2:26-27). Likewise, a broken vessel communicated total destruction or worthlessness (for example, Psa 2:9, Isa 30:14, Jer 19:10-11).
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Rwanda plans to almost double its electricity generating capacity under a multimillion-euro peat power plant deal it signed with a Turkish company.
According to the €220-million deal signed on Tuesday, the project – which will be operated by Hakan Mining and Generation Industry and Trade – is expected to produce 100MW annually once it is running at full capacity.
"The implementation of the peat-to-power plant will result in about a 90% increase of the current total power generation in the country," Rwanda's Minister of Energy and Water Emma Isumbingabo said.
The plant is expected to reach full capacity around three to five years after it goes online. Construction is due to begin in 12 to 15 months.
The landlocked country estimates it has reserves of 155-million tons of dry peat, about three quarters of which is found near the Akanyaru and Nyabarongo rivers and the Rwabusoro plains.
That would be enough, the government says, to generate 450MW of energy for 25 years. – Reuters
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RANCHO CUCAMONGA - It was a time of remembrance, love and honor at St. Peter and St. Paul Catholic School on Tuesday as a prayer service for peace was held for those who died on Sept. 11, 2011.
"In this prayer service, we remember all those who died in the attacks, all those who were injured and their families," Deacon Donnie Gaega said during the prayer service.
"We hold them in our hearts, and we pray for them. We also remember all of the police officers, firefighters, medics and chaplains who were the first responders, and we are grateful for their sacrifice."
Nearly 3,000 people perished in the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, including hundreds of first-responders.
After the prayer service, 60 students placed American flags in vases near the school's military memorial garden.
The newly dedicated garden includes a 5-foot bronze statue of Jesus embracing a service member.
Students in grades from preschool to third grade participated in the prayer service.
"I felt bad, and I prayed for those who died on 9/11," third-grader Damian Lopez said.
Classmate Emily Rufty said it felt good to put an American flag by the school's memorial garden.
"I hoped and prayed for the 9/11
Under the statue is a plaque that includes the date of the dedication - May 28 by Father Patrick Kirsch - the reason why the plaque is there as well as the names of five St. Peter and St. Paul parishioners who served in the military and have passed away.
Principal Patty Ferrer said even though the students who participated in Tuesday's ceremony were not born, it was important they know the history of the United States.
"If peace doesn't start at the grassroots with our young children, there may be no hope for our nation," she said.
Contact Canan via email, by phone at 909-987-6397, ext. 425.
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Leisure. Planning. Challenge.
Do you like challenging jobs were you can employ your dynamic personality and skills? Then recreation programming might be the career choice for you. As a recreation programmer, your typical day will never be a typical day. A recreation programmer is responsible for providing recreation opportunities for the agency, community or district where they are employed. As such, a recreation programmer must be able to adapt to new and challenging situations while providing the best leisure services possible. While most people have been through some type of recreation program, generally they are unaware of the presence of a recreation programmer who enabled the event to come off without problems. A recreation programmer is a doer who is cognizant of others leisure needs and provides them. This career is challenging and ever-changing, but is quite rewarding.
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Article from The Mercury :
" TASMANIA'S first confirmed case of measles in two years has been detected in Burnie.
The rest of the state has been warned to be on the lookout for early symptoms of the disease to prevent it spreading further.
Four people arriving in Melbourne on an Air Asia flight from Kuala Lumpur on April 1 were found to have the highly contagious virus, which they could have caught overseas.
The Victorian Health Department is following up other passengers from that flight.
But another passenger from the flight, a 26-year-old Victorian woman, later came to Tasmania on the Spirit of Tasmania on the April 11-12 crossing.
She became ill during the crossing and mixed with other passengers in the early part of the trip, which means others in Tasmania could be infected.
State public health deputy director Chrissie Pickin said the woman also visited the emergency department of the North-West Regional Hospital in Burnie so anyone who visited there from April 12-15 could also have been exposed."
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In the increasing effort to ensure pollenation of all our plants, especially the fruits and vegetables, we have decided to plant some of the 50 Gladioli bulbs in spite of it not being the best time to plant in Australia. That said the Sydney summer so far has been mild to date, so with luck that will hold out for the next few months whilst the Glads develop and flower. We have planted them in some of the many accumulated seedling pots. Excuse me for the photo, but Dame Edna and Gladiolis go together.
I am quite interested in seeing what colours we get from the Gladis as the corms we got or mixed ones with 50 all up. We planted around the 20 mark in 16 pots. I am hoping they will put a burst of colour in the garden and attract many pollenators to the garden to keep the crops producing.
We are also waiting for several seeds to germinate in my planter tray. As I do not have a sheet of glass or a proper cover I have placed a sheet of thin plastic from a wrapping across the top of the tray to hold the moisture and warmth in. It is certainly doing the job. The seeds that we are waiting on are some carrots, corn, and another vegetable that at the moment escapes my memory. As I am not near my diary I can not even look it up. I will update that tomorrow.
We also planted the roly poly carrots that were bought as seedlings prior to Christmas. It is a tribute to the strength of the plants that they are still alive. I am relieved to have them in the soil. Also sharing the tub is some corn seedlings. These will produce first and will be harvested, hopefully in time for the freshly germinated seedlings to take over the corn producing role. The zucchini is also now in the Rich Gro Pro Mix and is developing another zucchini. As I love zucchini in dishes this is good news.
The tomatoes are also coming on strongly. There are 6 fruits developing nicely on the Beefsteak Tomato bush. Likewise there are 6 Grape Tomatoes on the way. One of the Grosse Lisse tomato bushes also has a fruit developing. More importantly both Grosse Lisse tomato bushes are growing strongly. Clearly the move of the tub has improved their lot and is allowing the soil to dry out, rather than remain waterlogged. The stunted Cherry Tomato is laced with fruit. I will be looking at this again in the morning as some were looking very close to harvestable today. The new plants are in a position out the back and are really in a growth phase.
The Ebony Fire chilli is also growing well with more fruit to be picked tomorrow. The mystery chilli is likewise throwing more fruits. They are not yet harvestable, but I certainly will be taking a close eye to them tomorrow. I will also be looking at the Jalapeno that as yet has not produced fruit. I suspect it may be in need of its own pot.
On the capsicum front things are looking grand indeed. Both Yolo Wonder plants are full of flowers, buds, and developing fruits. I am very much looking forward to these as they are a staple of any stir fry that I cook.
Finally, I should mention the perennial spinach. I will be harvesting some of this tomorrow. It is going gangbusters to the point of filling the bottom part of the wheeled planter.
Tomorrow I will make the effort and get some photos for you all to look at.
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Hot topic as of late is Bank of America’s new charge for using Debit Cards. Another reach-in by the big banks who try to sucker you in and then find ways to take your money, and it’s not just Bank of America.
It’s actually a good thing that BOA decided to start charging $5 for using a debit card. Why? Quite simply; it’s an eye opener for many. So many people don’t realize the new found fees that banks have been trying to push in recent months. It’s just not Bank of America with their $5 fee. Chase and Well Fargo are pushing a $3 fee for use of their debit cards, Regions bank is starting a $4 debit card fee starting next month, and even SunTrust is going to have a $5 fee as well for use of their debit cards. Welcome to the new world of banking.
This new world of banking though only effects you if you require one of the bank’s lower standard checking account services. We can be real honest when we call these fees what they really are: A tax on the poor. Yes, it’s just another instance of big corporate banks trying to tax the poor, who their fees might have the biggest impact on. High-balance checking accounts (see: ones that aren’t a nuisance to the bank) don’t end up having the same $3, $4, or $5 fees associated with debit cards. This is nothing new necessarily in the way banks prioritize their accounts, but it should be an eye opener to some who may not of understood how things work in the past. It’s the big accounts that provide the highest yield for banks and why those accounts will always be the last to see any fees attached.
Let’s get one thing straight. Banks are in business to make money. They aren’t here to be our friend and they surely aren’t here to make sure that people possibly have the extra $5 a the end of the month to buy a loaf of bread and a package of bologna. Their one purpose is to keep their income flow steady and to make themselves and their investors money in any way they can. Unfortunately for many of us, that comes straight off of our backs. While this may not seem fair and may seem like the bank is out to get us, this is just their way of continuing their flow of income in light of recent regulations. That’s not to say that banks care, because let’s be honest here; they don’t. We think it’s absurd to add this burden onto every day people, but there again we make the same choice to patron them and we can just as easily walk away.
So what can you do to avoid the debit card fees that the big banks are placing upon us? There are a few options out there including; using a credit card, look into local credit unions and banks, go back to using cash, see if there are ways your bank might offer to avoid the fee, and go back to using checks. These are just a few ways to help fight back against the fees that your bank might charge.
While some of these forms might not be preferred like using a credit card for example, it might just be the best way to stick it to the bank by keeping your money to yourself. If you’re smart with a credit card and pay off your balance immediately (with your banks check) then you’ll have nothing to worry about. Even if you don’t qualify for a credit card then you can always start using cash once again as your primary purchase. While it may not be as convenient anymore to keep cash around, it just might be the right idea to keep from having to pay those fees. The best alternative might be to look into joining a credit union or applying at a local bank. Credit unions are usually community based and not usually there to turn a large profit, and local banks are usually trying to make a name for themselves. Both of those options should normally not have any fees associated with debit cards and credit unions usually only require you keep a minimum balance of at least $5 in a savings account.
We’re entering a new banking age and it’s one that is going to be interesting for all parties involved. Bank of America’s stock is suffering thanks to their announcement and people will soon be suffering the almost $40-$60 annually in fees. The bright spot here is that just like everything else out in a competitive world, someone will more than likely rise above and start advertising themselves as the bank that doesn’t change debit card fees. If the airline industry has Southwest Airlines for no baggage fees, there’s no reason the banking industry can’t have their own as well that would win the day with no debit card fees. The sooner people get loud and the harder they fight back, the sooner someone will be there to listen.
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By JESSICA GRESKO
WASHINGTON (AP) — A Maryland DNA law being challenged in the U.S. Supreme Court helped lead to 43 convictions over the past four years, but state data shows the majority of the convictions could eventually have happened even without the new law.
For years, Maryland required people convicted of serious crimes to provide a DNA sample. The sample, taken from a swab of saliva, was then compared against a database of DNA evidence from crime scenes, and some old cases were able to be solved. Maryland changed its law in 2009, however, so that people had to provide the saliva sample when they were arrested on charges of committing certain violent crimes — before going to trial.
The change is at the center of a U.S. Supreme Court case being argued Tuesday. Opponents say the law violates a person’s constitutional right to be free from unreasonable searches and seizures. But supporters of the law, including Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley and Attorney General Douglas Gansler, say taking DNA from arrestees is an important law enforcement tool used by 27 other states and the federal government. They say it is no more invasive than taking a person’s fingerprints.
“Law enforcement has been taking fingerprints forever,” Gansler said in a telephone interview Friday.
The state has now taken more than 33,000 DNA samples as a result of the expansion. Those samples have led to 73 arrests and 43 convictions, with sentences ranging from probation to life in prison. The majority of the convictions were for burglary or theft; seven were for rape or sex offenses.
But 29 of the convictions could have happened even if Maryland hadn’t extended its law to arrestees, according to state data. That’s because those people were ultimately convicted of the offense for which their DNA was taken. Their DNA would have been collected even under the old law, though law enforcement would have had to wait until after their conviction.
For example, William Edward Burton III was arrested after being accused of attempted murder and rape. Officials took DNA and matched it to a rape that happened in Massachusetts from 1995. But because Burton ultimately pleaded guilty in the first case, his DNA would have been collected — and would have ultimately led officials to the Massachusetts rape.
The attorney who prosecuted Burton’s case, Elizabeth Ireland, said taking DNA from arrestees is still important because many cases don’t end like Burton’s.
“Not all arrestees are convicted, especially when it’s a crime like a rape. Rape is one of the most under-reported and under-charged crimes,” said Ireland, who also prosecuted the case that is before the Supreme Court.
State data shows 12 convictions, however, have hinged on law enforcement officials’ ability to collect DNA at arrest. That’s because those people were not convicted of the crime for which officials took their DNA, according to state data.
Brandon Michael Phipps was arrested on burglary and other charges in 2009 but was never convicted. Still, because he’d been arrested for a qualifying crime, authorities took his DNA. They matched it to blood found at the crime scene of a fire that destroyed two cars at a park and ride lot. He got probation, an outcome his lawyer, Andrew I. Alperstein, said he was pleased with.
A conviction in the case of Gregory Leslie Brown also wouldn’t have happened without the law’s expansion. Officials took Brown’s DNA after he was arrested on a charge of sexual abuse of a minor, but he ultimately went to prison on an offense that wouldn’t have allowed officials to take his DNA. Because his DNA could be taken at arrest under Maryland’s changed law, investigators found it matched DNA evidence in the rapes of two teenagers. Brown’s lawyer argued that his DNA had been taken against his constitutional rights and that the DNA was improperly handled. Brown said he was innocent, but he was convicted.
Brown’s trial attorney, Allen Wolf, said he doesn’t think Maryland’s law should stand.
“Anyone can be accused of a serious crime. It doesn’t mean you committed a serious crime,” Wolf said. “You shouldn’t lose your rights and liberties solely because you’ve been accused.”
Brown’s case has been appealed, and the outcome now depends on what happens at the U.S. Supreme Court.
The high court is considering the case of Alonzo King Jr., who was arrested on assault charges in 2009 after he was accused of pointing a shotgun at a group of people. The sample of his DNA taken at his arrest matched evidence taken in a 2003 rape, and he was convicted of that crime.
The justices are expected to reach a decision before their summer recess.
(Copyright 2013 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
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(ANTONIO DAS CHAGAS). Friar Minor and ascetical writer; b. at Vidigueira, 25 June, 1631; d. at Torres Vedras, 20 Oct., 1682. Having entered the Portuguese army as a common soldier, he was forced to flee to Bahia in Brazil, as the result of a duel. There he abandoned himself to a careless and dissolute life, but was converted through the writings of Louis of Granada and resolved to embrace the religious life. The execution of his resolution was deferred indefinitely, and having returned to Portugal, he continued to lead his former life of dissipation, until in 1662 he was taken with a grievous illness. On his recovery he hastened to fulfil his promise, and was admitted into the Franciscan Order in May of the same year, receiving in religion the name of Antonio das Chagas. He soon became famous throughout Portugal on account of his poetical and ascetical writings, in which he combined remarkable erudition with such singular elegance of style as to give him a merited place among the classics of Portugal. He died universally esteemed for his virtuous life, leaving a great part of his writings still unpublished. The following were published since his death: "Faiscas de amor divino e lagrimas da alma" (Lisbon, 1683); "Obras espirituaes" (Lisbon, 1684-1687); "O Padre nosso commentado" (Lisbon, 1688); "Espelho do Espirito em que deve verse e comporse a Olma" etc. (Lisbon, 1683); "Escola da penitencia e flagello dos peccadores" (Lisbon, 1687); "Sermoés Genuinos" etc. (Lisbon, 1690); "Cartas espirituaes" (Lisbon, 1684); "Ramilhete espiritual" etc. (Lisbon, 1722).
GODINHO, VIda do F. Antonio da Fonseca Soares (Lisbon, 1687 and 1728); DE SOLEDAD, Historia serafica da provincia de Portugal, III, 3, 17.
APA citation. (1909). Antonio da Fonseca Soares. In The Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company. http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/06126a.htm
MLA citation. "Antonio da Fonseca Soares." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 6. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1909. <http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/06126a.htm>.
Ecclesiastical approbation. Nihil Obstat. September 1, 1909. Remy Lafort, Censor. Imprimatur. +John M. Farley, Archbishop of New York.
Contact information. The editor of New Advent is Kevin Knight. My email address is feedback732 at newadvent.org. (To help fight spam, this address might change occasionally.) Regrettably, I can't reply to every letter, but I greatly appreciate your feedback — especially notifications about typographical errors and inappropriate ads.
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Analyst firm Juniper Research suggests that worldwide revenues from tablet games will have reached $3.1 billion in total by 2014, up from $491 million in 2011.
The firm believes that the larger screen size of recent tablets, coupled with the advanced graphical capabilities that tablets are now able to achieve, are encouraging more and more users to purchase games and in-game items.
In particular, Juniper believes more hardcore gamers will notice the "improved experience" offered by more recent tablets -- it says that having console-style buttons shown on tablet screens will pull more console gamers in, and not obstruct the screen as much as these kinds of buttons usually do on smartphones.
The report also claims that typically, tablet owners have "a higher disposable income than the general smartphone user base," and therefore are more prone to spending money on games and in-game items than other demographics.
Finally, Juniper suggest that by 2016, tablet games will account for nearly a third of overall mobile games revenue, while revenue from mobile games on feature phones will halve over the next five years.
The report's author Charlotte Miller explained, "The tablet is the perfect device for playing mobile games... Higher user satisfaction with games and a bigger wallet mean that tablet games look to be highly lucrative."
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Alex Archer was 20 weeks pregnant when a routine ultrasound turned her life upside-down, literally.
"My cervix was starting to open up," said Archer, 35, recalling the emergency procedure to stitch it shut. "I had to go on strict bed rest, with my head down and my feet in the air."
Archer, who lives in Westchester, N.Y., spent nine weeks in bed worried that the tiniest twitch could trigger a dangerously early delivery.
"It was horrible," she said. "I literally lied there thinking, 'anything could set this off.'"
At 29 weeks, at the advice of her doctors, Archer delivered a 3-pound, 5-ounce baby boy by C-section. He would spend six worrying weeks in neonatal intensive care at a cost of $300,000.
"Urgent attention is needed to better understand and reduce these rates of preterm birth," the study authors wrote in their report, published Thursday in The Lancet.
More than half of babies born at 25 weeks or sooner survive in the U.S., thanks to cutting edge care. But it costs the country upward of $26.2 billion a year, or $51,600 per preterm infant, according to an editorial accompanying the study.
"The economic burden from preterm birth is, of course, of less importance than human suffering, but is far from insignificant," wrote Dr. Nils-Halvdan Morken of the University of Bergen and Haukeland University Hospital. "Preterm birth not only results in economic burdens due to initial neonatal treatment, but also in substantial costs to health services after discharge from the neonatal unit, culminating in an immense burden on health, education, and social services, and on affected families."
Babies born at 27 weeks or sooner are 10 times more likely to have intellectual disabilities and 80 times more likely to have cerebral palsy, according to Morken.
"Clearly, the implications go far beyond the immediate obstetric and neonatal outcomes and profoundly affect the everyday lives of affected infants, adolescents, men, and women," he wrote.
But some preterm births are spontaneous and impossible to avoid. Others are provider initiated, meaning a doctor decides it's best for both mom and baby.
"In some cases, the baby needs to come out. It would be worse for them to stay in," Dr. Marjorie Greenfield, division chief of general obstetrics and gynecology at University Hospitals Case Medical Center in Cleveland. "The medical team needs to weigh the risks and the benefits."
But for Archer, the advice from her medical team was hard to swallow.
"I felt so guilty," she said, recalling the feeling that her body had betrayed her. "I was like, 'What did I do wrong?"
Archer's son, now 4, is perfectly healthy. So is her daughter, 2, who was born six weeks early.
"When we found out I was pregnant again, I was so scared," she said, describing a repeat of the stitched cervix and strict bed rest – a break from her job as a physician's assistant that she used to study for her MBA. "But the kids, thank God, they're both doing pretty well."
Although Archer's insurance covered the cost of her kids' care, she said she would have taken out a loan.
"You do whatever you need to do for your baby and kind of push the thought of money aside," she said. "On other hand, being in health care, I understand the cost is astronomical, and it is a problem."
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We know that malnutrition is a major contributor to stunted growth. And now, thanks to a study conducted by the Journal of Nutrition, we now know that children who received poor nutrition in infancy can recover growth in childhood and avoid impairment to their cognitive skills.
The study found that children whose growth was stunted in infancy – at 1 year of age – but who then experienced “catch-up growth” by 5 years old had verbal vocabulary and quantitative test scores that did not differ from children who were not stunted at either age. Children who remained stunted into early childhood had significantly lower quantitative scores.
The study was based on data from more than 1,600 Peruvian children. The children were divided into four groups: those whose growth was not stunted; those who were stunted in infancy but made height gains by early childhood; those who were stunted in childhood and those stunted in both infancy and childhood. A child is considered stunted if they are short for their age as a result of illness or inadequate diet or both.
The research found that those children who were stunted but then experienced “catch-up” growth were influenced by maternal height, the severity of stunting before 18 months and had grandparents living at home. The study also showed that those children with recovery from stunting performed as well as those that did not experience stunted growth on cognitive skills tests, proving that recovery from stunted growth is possible provided the child receives help early on.
To read the full report, visit http://jn.nutrition.org/content/early/2010/09/15/jn.109.118927.full.pdf+html
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At the beginning of a menstrual cycle, several ovarian follicles begin to mature anddevelop in the ovaries under the influence of pituitary hormones.
The three major causes of infertility covering over 80% of cases include ovulation problems, sperm problems, and fallopian tube problems, while 15% of couples have unexplained infertility.
If you want to have the best chance at pregnancy, try conceiving in the
winter months. Sperm are produced in larger numbers and swim faster in
winter compared to the remaining three seasons.
There are two types of cell division: mitosis and meiosis. Most of the
time when people refer to “cell division,” they mean mitosis, the
process of making new body cells. Meiosis is the type of cell division
that creates egg and sperm cells.
Sperm washing is a term used in fertility clinics and treatment centers.
When semen is collected for use in in-vitro fertilization (IVF) or
intra-uterine insemination (IUI), sperm washing is used to remove
seminal fluid from viable sperm.
Men and women are waiting longer to start a family. Education, career
and financial security are on the top of the list with parenthood closer
to the bottom of the top 5 or 10 thing a person wants to achieve in a
There are plenty of lifestyle changes that can help improve male
fertility. You can eat leaner, workout, lose that extra weight and stop
drinking and smoking – though some new studies report these habits in
men have no impact on fertility at all.
After just reading and blogging on how experts have found no evidence
that tight underwear cause sperm or reproductive damage, I stumble on a
story about how tight jeans can impair fertility.
Women are born with a set amount of eggs and when those eggs are
depleted, there are no more eggs to mature. Men, on the other hand,
produce sperm for life, unless there is a medical condition or treatment
that has rendered him sterile.
The latest information that researchers have discovered is that sperm are not the graceful creators some may have thought they were.
So, you’re in college and you want to donate a little sperm for extra money.
Scientists have discovered precisely how the human egg cells capture sperm to start the process of fertilization.
Men who usually rest their Wi-Fi laptops on their laps are much more
vulnerable to reduced sperm motility and degeneration of the sperm DNA
lowering the possibility of men to become fathers.
A woman may choose donor insemination for a number of reasons. The donor insemination process is a rather short one once a woman has
chosen a donor. Upon doing so, the sperm from the donor is placed by a
doctor into her cervix, uterus or fallopian tubes.
Freezing sperm is an option for men who are not yet ready or able to have a child but who want to give themselves the option of doing so in the future.
A new discovery may shed light on the problem of human infertility. Whilst sperm differs in appearance
and movement across different species, there are key enzymes, although
few in number, essential for the promotion of quality sperm and sperm
When exploring the realms of male fertility, diet plays a crucial role
in sperm mobility. A study highlighted at the 67th Annual Meeting of the
American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) focused on two
specific types of diets as they relate to better sperm.
What are sperms? How long can sperm live? What is a normal sperm count? What is a normal sperm evaluation? What happens with the sperm/ejaculate during intercourse? Can I get pregnant if he sperm/ejaculates outside the vagina?
The Levi’s ‘Ex-Girlfriend Jean,’ those tight jeans also referred to as hipster/rocker jeans: a “tribute” to your ex-girlfriend, or a way to prevent your new girlfriend from getting pregnant by reducing sperm count?
Couples who are trying to conceive may wish to know, when am I most fertile.
Male infertility can be caused by a variety of problems. Find out tips on improviing sperm count and his fertility.
Many people are surprised that in 50% of infertile couples both he and she have a problem. That's why Dr. Amos highly recommends that you and your partner see a doctor as soon as you decide to start a family.
The conclusion of a five year study completed by researchers at Kaiser Permanente and published in Fertility and Sterility links BPA to poor quality sperm.
Men who are HIV+ cannot father children without running the risk of passing the virus onto the unborn fetus. Current sperm freezing techniques do not separate sperm
Male sperm tests typically measure number and health of sperm in a semen sample. If there are a lot of sperm and those sperm are healthy and highly mobile,
Bisphenol A or BPA is a compound which is part of many plastics and used in a variety of products such as baby and water bottles, and other devices. Experts have noted
This calculator will estimate the male conception rate within 3-5 years for subfertile men based on the man's age and sperm count results (you need to have his spermanalysis results):
percent motile sperm is normally >= 50%;
motility grade: none = 1, poor = 2, fair = 3, good = 4;
oligozoospermia is when sperm density is < 20 million per mL; severe oligozoospermia is when the sperm density is <= 10 million per mL.
The BabyMed Top Twenty Getting Pregnant FAQs answer your most important fertility and Preconception questions.
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This is going to be my first complete game on Prince difficulty level, assuming I finish it. I’m still relatively early in the process of learning Civ IV since Amazon was slow sending my copy and then I had to get a new video card because a bug in the game bit my old one.
In the year 4000 BC, Lord Nathan, leader of the American tribe, came up with a new idea. Always before, the Americans had been wanderers, drifting from place to place as the seasons changed. But the land around had more food than even the oldest member of the tribe could ever remember seeing, with vast flood plains and a field of corn. The American people could live there forever and never worry about starving.
The first step in the new project was to train a group of workers to create a farm for the corn and irrigate the flood plains. With pigs in sight across some water, Lord Nathan decided to order his wise men to investigate better ways to care for animals.
America’s scientists finished studying Animal Husbandry in the year 3520 and started studying Mysticism with an eye toward perhaps someday developing a religion. The first group of workers started their first farm in 3400, and Washington started work on a band of warriors while the city grew.
As time went on, Mongol and German scouts reached the fringes of Washington. The city finished its band of warriors in 2840 and, now with a size of four, prepared to start sending out settlers. New York was settled in 2400 as an American warrior encountered the Spanish. In 2080, another settler moved out too quickly to be escorted properly or to retreat if it encountered barbarians and was killed by barbarians who happened to be in exactly the wrong place, forcing Washington to shift production from a worker to a replacement settler.
In 2040, America’s gamble delaying research into The Wheel in order to try to establish Judaism succeeded and the Jewish faith was founded in New York. Research shifted to The Wheel. Boston was finally, albeit belatedly, founded in 1720 BC.
By the year 1500, America had researched Animal Husbandry, Mysticism, Polytheism, Masonry, Monotheism, The Wheel, and Writing (or perhaps was a turn away from Writing). Its next projects would be Mining and then Alphabet for tech trading. Relationships with all of the other civilizations were at +1, although Isabella’s Hindu religion would become a problem when America decided to bite the anarchy bullet and officially make Judaism its state religion.
As of 1400 BC, I’m first in crop yield and land area, fourth in GNP, fifth in Mfg. Goods, and seventh in soldiers. (I didn't think to check at exactly 1520.)
Things to think about:
1) Since settlers are more costly in Civ 4 than Civ 3, protecting them is more important. Some risks may be acceptable, but not nearly as many.
2) Irrigated flood plains can be really handy for cranking out settlers, and the fact that they provide a gold as well as food is handy for research. It was the gold from the flood plains that caused me to decide that pursuing Judaism was worth the gamble.
The screenshot below is as of 1440 BC.
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The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) works to ensure that the nation’s markets are efficient and free of practices which might harm consumers. To ensure the smooth operation of our free market system, the FTC enforces federal consumer protection laws that prevent fraud, deception, and unfair business practices. The Federal Trade Commission Act allows the FTC to act in the interest of all consumers to prevent deceptive and unfair acts or practices. In interpreting the Act, the Commission has determined that, with respect to advertising, a representation, omission, or practice is deceptive if it is likely to mislead consumers and affect consumers’ behavior or decisions about the product or service. In addition, an act or practice is unfair if the injury it causes, or is likely to cause, is substantial, not outweighed by other benefits, and not reasonably avoidable.
The FTC Act’s prohibition on unfair or deceptive acts or practices broadly covers advertising claims, marketing and promotional activities, and sales practices in general. The Act is not limited to any particular medium. Accordingly, the Commission’s role in protecting consumers from unfair or deceptive acts or practices encompasses advertising, marketing, and sales online, as well as the same activities in print, television, telephone and radio. For certain industries or subject areas, the Commission issues rules and guides. Rules prohibit specific acts or practices that the Commission has found to be unfair or deceptive. Guides help businesses in their efforts to comply with the law by providing examples or direction on how to avoid unfair or deceptive acts or practices. Many rules and guides address claims about products or services or advertising in general and is not limited to any particular medium used to disseminate those claims or advertising. Therefore, the plain language of many rules and guides applies to claims made on the Internet. Solicitations made in print, on the telephone, radio, TV, or online naturally fall within the Rule’s scope.
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We've always heard how important it is to stay in school. Well, now some college students in Georgia are taking too long to get their degrees, and university leaders are working to get more students to graduate on time. It's an issue at colleges throughout our area.
Less than half of the students in Georgia's university system are able to make it to graduation within four years, and now higher education officials say that means students are taking too long to be handed that degree.
"We will always be studying things, always looking at better ways to help students and better develop faculty. These are not issues that are here one day, then solved and then are gone," says Louis Levy of VSU Academic Affairs.
Leaders from universities around Georgia are now working together trying to find the best ways to get a bachelors diploma into the hands of students in four years or less. Several ideas being discussed at Valdosta State University include expanding summer school offerings and even allowing high school students to get college credit.
"That would allow students to finish in an on-time fashion. We hope we can provide the tools for success."
University officials say they are always looking at ways to help reduce the time students spend in college. They say it not only benefits the university, but it's beneficial for the students as well.
"Many students find they can become successful, keep a good GPA, keep that HOPE Scholarship, keep their 3.0 and graduate in three years," says Levy, helping free up much needed classroom space for the university, while allowing the student to get a jump on that dream job.
Educators say improving on-time graduation rates can be done without added cost and just a little more planning.
Designed by Gray Digital Media
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For those who just gave birth to a newborn baby and you’ve got slight concerns about hair regrowth after pregnancy, you can find three causes that you ought to bear in mind that may relate to the thinning or decrease in your hair. They are hormones, nutrition, and breastfeeding. After scanning this article, you should be able to reverse and modify the the unsightly effects to prevent yourself from premature hair loss after pregnancy.
Pregnancy can sound exactly like a long way to pain. Aside for this distasteful situation and stress one’s body experiences, your body will finally resume to normal. And after child birth has been granted, the body undergoes hormonal changes that can result in premature hair loss after pregnancy. Mainly because there’s really no longer a surplus of estrogen (nutrients) being pumped all around the body like it was while pregnant. The decrease in scalp hair or thin hair patches also occurs as a result of too much stress.
Given that hair loss after pregnancy is generally temporary, uncontrollable stress might inhibit against restoring itself. This sort of selfish affliction on our bodies may cause insomnia issues and nights without sleep, mood swings, and above all reduced appetite. When our bodies cannot experience a routine healthly diet in addition to the proper foods, it could eventually cause the body’s metabolism to decelerate preventing burning calories to help restore your body. Promoting healthy hair after child birth is among several excessive hair loss after pregnancy tips. Too a less extreme, breastfeeding might temporary disrupt this procedure right?
There are lots of debate, discussions, and discrepancies all throughout who have pushed to question if breastfeeding and nursing their baby has any recent link with their hair loss after pregnancy. I’m not even going to make an effort to answer this or lead you. Nevertheless , if it will be a few months and you’re simply not seeing a sizable difference in reduced hair loss, then chances are you might want to consider having your thyroid levels checked and suggest counsel of your doctor.
In most situations and cases, the loss of hair after pregnancy is merely temporary and suddenly your body should eventually go back to its normal levels. Being self-aware of your own body and changes could lead to some of the most apparent conclusions to help avoid hair thinning after pregnancy. At the very least, I’d personally consider strapping yourself to a nourishing nutritious diet which may be manufactured to restore just what the body uses to help you nurse your infant during its infancy but still promote healthy hair growth thereafter. Doc No. 8a1zmlh-ajq4z6g
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As a K-12 teacher you can get your students excited about the sciences by tapping into the resources and field trip options available through the CMU College of Science and Technology.
Picture your students exploring the environment in the unspoiled natural area of CMU’s Neithercut Woodland, wandering through the solar system in Brooks Astronomical Observatory or advancing their skills at a Summer Science and Math Camp.
Imagine the learning potential – for your students as well as yourself – of all these resources and schedule your visit today!
Brooks Astronomical Observatory
Students can view the stars and explore the sky from the observatory located on the roof of Brooks Hall.
Michigan Geographic Alliance
The Michigan Geographic Alliance is a network of teachers and geographers using geography content and skills to enhance the education of Michigan students.
Our mission is to provide high-quality, affordable, professional development workshops and resources for teachers. We are part of the National Geographic Network of state alliances.
The Michigan Geographic Alliance receives support from the National Geographic Society Education Foundation, the Michigan Department of Education, Central Michigan University, and Western Michigan University.
Museum of Cultural and Natural History
Your students can “live” natural history through a tour of the CMU Museum of Cultural and Natural History. The on-campus museum holds collections including anthropology, zoology, geology and history.
CMU’s Neithercut Woodland is an ideal resource for learning about conservation and the environment. This is CMU's unspoiled 252-acre natural area located 30 minutes north of Mount Pleasant on M-115, just west of the US-10 junction. In addition to educational course work and field trips in disciplines ranging from biology and geology to art and music, Neithercut Woodland and its self-guided trails can be used for outdoor activities such as hiking, snowshoeing and cross-country skiing.
Science Mathematics Technology Center (SMTC)
The SMTC provides outreach services to 14 school districts, 17 private schools and three charter schools. It gives enrichment opportunities for students, meaningful curriculum improvement, and resources to meet the needs of the students, teachers, parents and general public in our region.
Summer Science and Mathematics Camp Programs
Every year the Summer Science Camp and Mathematics program is offered to students in grades K-8. Students do an assortment of activities, from learning to become a crime scene investigator to designing Web pages. Contact the SMTC for information.
In addition to providing a local natural learning environment for various lab exercises, Veit's Woods offers research opportunities for students in areas including biology, geology and earth science. This 28-acre natural preserve along the Chippewa River is within walking distance of campus.
Local plant communities in the preserve include hardwood forest, old fields, lowland deciduous forest, the Chippewa River, a small wetland and a series of vernal ponds. Contact the Department of Biology for additional information.
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The World's Protected Areas: Status Value and Prospects in the 21st Century
14 January 2009 | Downloads - publication
Stuart Chape is Program Manager—Island Ecosystems Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Program (SPREP), and formerly Head—World Heritage and Protected Areas Program, UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre. Mark D. Spalding, lead author of the popular World Atlas of Coral Reefs (UC Press) and author of A Guide to the Coral Reefs of the Caribbean (UC Press), has worked extensively with the United Nations Environment Program and is now Senior Marine Scientist in the The Nature Conservancy's Global Conservation Approach Team. Martin D. Jenkins is Senior Advisor, Species Conservation at UNEP's World Conservation Monitoring Centre.
Extensively illustrated with maps, color photographs, and graphics, this state-of-the-art reference offers a comprehensive and authoritative status report on the world's 100,000 parks, nature reserves, and other land and marine areas currently designated as protected areas. Now covering over 12 percent of the Earth's land surface, protected areas are the great strongholds of biodiversity and landscape conservation. They also provide a wide range of valuable ecosystem services: protecting food and water supplies; regulating weather patterns; protecting watersheds and coastlines from erosion; maintaining places of historical or cultural significance for recreation, solace or spiritual wellbeing; generating income and employment from tourism, and more. This timely volume offers a benchmark overview of where these protected areas exist worldwide, what they have and have not accomplished, what threats they face, and how they can be better managed to achieve the goals of conserving biodiversity and other natural resources.
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http://www.iucn.org/about/work/programmes/gpap_home/gpap_wcpa/gpap_wcpapub/?2560/The-Worlds-Protected-Areas-Status-Value-and-Prospects-in-the-21st-Century
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Multi-scale modeling of clouds and process studies using CRM and MMF frameworks (Invited)
Tropical convection often organizes itself into large-convective systems, from squall lines to Madden-Julian Oscillation (MJO). The effects of the multi-scale organization of convection on large-scale circulation are poorly understood. The talk will demonstrate the application of a cloud-resolving model (CRM) to meso-scale organization of convection in the Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) and to the problem of tropical cyclogenesis. The application of a Multi-scale Modeling Framework (MMF) to large-scale organization of convection such as the MJO is also discussed. The MMF is a global climate model in which most of conventional sub-GCM-grid-scale parameterizations in each grid-column are replaced with imbedded CRMs, called super-parameterization. The MMF based on super-parameterized version of the Community Atmosphere Model, SP-CAM, produces robust MJO signal both in Earth and so-call Aqua-planet simulations, when the continents are removed, and observed sea-surface temperature (SST) is replaced with zonally symmetric SST. Sensitivity of the MJO on Aqua-planet to cold and warm SST perturbations, to zonal homogenization of surface fluxes and radiation, and to water vapor anomalies is discussed. Preliminary results of running the MMF in weather-forecasting mode during the YOTC period are reported.
Parameterizing convection in high-resolution global atmospheric models (Invited)
Representing the effects of atmospheric convection in global models has been, and remains, one of the major obstacles facing climate researchers. As the horizontal resolution used in global climate simulations increases to scales much finer than 100 km, problems related to convection show no signs of diminishing. This talk will present results from high resolution global atmospheric models, as well as cloud resolving model results, and satellite measurements from the CloudSat and TRMM instruments. These results suggest that climate simulations at high horizontal resolutions may in fact present new challenges to convection parameterization. Tropical cyclone simulations conducted at ¼o (or ~25 km) resolution show that standard climate-style convection parameterizations may interfere with the organization and strengthening of tropical systems. A three-way comparison of cloud resolving model (CRM) results, satellite data, and global simulations, suggests that assumptions about scale-separation and statistical equilibrium between convection and the resolved flow begin to break down for spatial scales smaller than 100 km. Quantities such as convective cloud height exhibit large variance when sorted into regimes with similar background meteorology. Simply put, a one-to-one relationship between convective parameters and resolved model fields may not exist, even approximately, for scales smaller than 100km. Possible remedies, including a stochastic component for parameterized convection, based on CRM results and satellite measurements, are discussed
The MJO in an Aquaplanet General Circulation Model
An aquaplanet atmospheric general circulation model simulation with a robust intraseasonal oscillation is analyzed. The SST boundary condition resembles the observed December-April average, although with the meridional SST gradient reduced to be one-quarter of that observed poleward of 10 degrees latitude. Slow, regular eastward propagation at 5 m/s in winds and precipitation with amplitude greater than those in the observed MJO is clearly identified in unfiltered fields. The local relationship between precipitation rate column precipitable water is strongly increasing and nonlinear, as in observations. The model intraseasonal oscillation resembles a moisture mode that is destabilized by wind-evaporation feedback, and that propagates eastward through advection of anomalous humidity by the sum of perturbation winds and mean westerly flow. Moistening of the troposphere occurs to the east of (in quadrature with) enhanced precipitation, and is dominated by a column-integrated horizontal advection moistening rate of greater than 2 mm/day. Zonal and meridional moisture advection are of approximately equal amplitude, although meridional advection tends to damp tropospheric moisture anomalies, while zonal advection propagates them eastward. At the time of peak moistening in the model, the total zonal wind near 850 hPa is 5 m/s. This value is approximately the same as the phase speed of the intraseasonal disturbances; together with other diagnostics, this suggests that horizontal advection of moisture is the dominant propagation mechanism. Latent heat flux is the second largest term in the intraseasonal moisture budget and has a positive covariance with precipitation anomalies. A mechanism denial experiment in which intraseasonal latent heat flux variability is removed largely eliminates intraseasonal wind and precipitation variability, although weak, small spatial scale convective features that move slowly eastward, presumably through advection, are still present in the simulation. Aquaplanet simulations with different basic states are also conducted and discussed. An SST boundary condition that resembles the December-April average produces realistic amplitude intraseasonal wind variability, although precipitation contains more variance at low frequencies than in observations. A zonally symmetric SST basic state produces weak and unrealistic intraseasonal variability between 30 and 90 day timescales, indicating the importance of mean low-level westerly winds and hence a realistic phase relationship between precipitation and surface flux anomalies for producing realistic tropical intraseasonal variability.
Relative Roles of Convection Closure, Trigger Condition and Convective Momentum Transport in GCM Simulations of the Madden-Julian Oscillation
The uncertainty in the representation of convection is responsible for the poor simulation of the Madden-Julian Oscillation by most general circulation models (GCMs). With several modifications made to the deep convection scheme, the Iowa State University (ISU) GCM, which is based on a version of the NCAR Community Climate Model, is able to simulate many features of MJO as revealed by observations such as the amplitude, spatial distribution, eastward propagation, horizontal and vertical structures, and the coherent feature of eastward propagating convection and the precursor sign of convective center. In this paper, four 10-year (1979-88) ISUGCM simulations with observed sea surface temperatures are analyzed and compared to examine relative roles of the revised convection closure, convection trigger condition and convective momentum transport (CMT) in the MJO simulations. The revised convection closure plays a key role in the improvement of eastward propagation of MJO. The convection trigger helps produce less frequent but more vigorous moist convection and enhance the amplitude of the MJO signal. The inclusion of CMT results in more coherent structure for the MJO deep convective center and its corresponding atmospheric variances.
What can Cloud-Resolving Models Tell us About Critical Phenomena in Atmospheric Precipitation?
Recent work suggests that observations of Tropical precipitation conform to properties associated with critical phenomena of other systems (Peters and Neelin 2006). The precipitation retrievals are averages over 25-km by 25-km areas and are snapshots in time, and therefore unable to reveal the underlying, smaller-scale physical processes. We are using a 3D cloud-resolving model (CRM) to resolve these processes in space and time, and thereby allow us to investigate the underlying physics in detail. The CRM was run over a large domain (1000 km by 1000 km) for a long time (~10 days) in order to adequately sample the rare large events. In addition, we are using results from a 4-year global simulation using a climate model based on the multi-scale modeling framework (MMF). Whereas conventional parameterizations are based on statistical theories involving uncertain closure assumptions, MMFs represent cloud processes on their native scales by embedding a 2D CRM with a 4-km horizontal grid size in each climate model grid column. We have analyzed the model results following the methodology of Peters and Neelin. We used the results to produce rainfall rates conditioned on column water vapor and column temperature over the Tropical oceans. We have also analyzed additional statistical aspects of Tropical convection in the 3D CRM simulations that are related to critical behavior. We have found that: (1) CRMs are able to reproduce nearly all of the observed statistics of strong convective precipitation over tropical oceans. (2) CRMs and MMFs do not generally reproduce the observed roll-off of precipitation rate at large column water vapor values. (3) Analysis of CRM results suggests that many of the observed features are due to the tight coupling between dynamics and moist thermodynamics in convective updrafts.
Representation of intra-seasonal activity in coupled GCMs with varying atmospheric and oceanic resolutions
The Geophysical Fluid Dyanmics Laboratory (GFDL) is actively involved in the development of high resolution coupled GCMs to be used for prediction and predictability studies from intra-seasonal to decadal time scales. A number of coupled GCMs with different atmospheric and oceanic grid resolutions have been integrated from 20 to 100 years. An assessment of how well these GCMs simulate observed MJO and other intra-seasonal activity is done by applying several diagnostics developed by the MJO CliVAR working group to daily OLR and precipitation fields. Improvement in the geographical distribution of daily precipitation variance is seen with higher atmospheric resolution and there appears to be some further improvement with higher oceanic resolution. From Wheeler-Kiladis wave frequency analyses, it appears that higher atmospheric horizontal resolution improves the speed (slows down) and amplitude of the MJO. There is also an indication of a better Kelvin mode representation with higher resolution, although some other studies show that changes to the convective parameterization also have a significant impact on the Kelvin modes and the capability to capture the asymmetric mixed Rossby gravity modes. These coupled GCM experiments show an encouraging improvement in the representation of intra-seasonal activity with increased atmospheric and oceanic resolution.
Evaluating parameterized variables in the Community Atmospheric Model along the GCSS Pacific cross-section during YOTC
We use short-term forecasts along the GCSS Pacific cross-section to evaluate parameterizations in several versions of the Community Atmospheric Model (CAM) including the version used for the IPCC AR4 and the ones to be used for the IPCC AR5. Climate models are commonly validated against various statistics based on observations. However, climate models can achieve a reasonable mean state as the result of compensating errors, which are impossible to untangle after long integrations. An innovative way to evaluate parameterizations in climate models is to use the weather forecasting approach: the state of the atmosphere is initialized with realistic conditions and the model is run for short-term forecasts. This approach allows a direct comparison of the parameterized variables (e.g. clouds, precipitation, radiation) with observations. Therefore, it is possible to gain insight into the parameterization deficiencies and to diagnose the processes behind the drift away from reality. The YOTC period is well suited for this approach because of the availability of state-of-the-art analyses to initialize the model and a wealth of integrated observational datasets to evaluate the forecasts. The GCSS cross-section (that runs from the stratocumulus regions off the coast of California, across the shallow convection dominated trade winds, to the deep convection regions of the ITCZ) is particularly relevant for such a comparison because it includes several important cloud regimes, and their interactions through the large-scale circulation. In this study, forecasts are initialized from ECMWF analyses and the CAM is run for 5 days to determine the differences with satellite data along the cross-section. We focus on JJA 2008 and the forecasts are evaluated against A-train, AIRS, TRMM, SSM/I, ISCCP and CERES products. The mean forecast biases grow very quickly along the cross-section, and after 5 days, the error pattern is very similar to the mean climate error. Around the ITCZ, most of the temperature and moisture errors have developed after a single day. Over the stratocumulus region, the error grows more slowly and it takes 5 days before the mean forecast error reaches the amplitude of the mean climate error. The CAM3 (used for the IPCC AR4 runs) significantly overestimates the temperature along the Pacific cross-section. These warm biases are attributable to deep convection errors and their propagation to other cloud regimes. The temperature and moisture biases are reduced in IPCC AR5 versions of the CAM. With a modified deep convection scheme, the local tropical errors are reduced and there is a dramatic improvement of the precipitation in the ITCZ region. Also, in association with the adjusted atmospheric state, the biases are also reduced away from the region of significant deep convection (i.e. in the shallow cumulus and stratocumulus regimes). This clearly illustrates the interaction between the tropical convection and the large-scale circulation. We also show that the inclusion of a two-moment microphysics scheme further reduces upper troposphere errors and that a more realistic representation of cloud-topped boundary layers deepens the boundary layer and produces more realistic low-level clouds.
Mesoscale weather and climate modeling with the global non-hydrostatic Goddard Earth Observing System Model (GEOS-5) at cloud-permitting resolutions
The Goddard Earth Observing System Model (GEOS-5), an earth system model developed in the NASA Global Modeling and Assimilation Office (GMAO), has integrated the non-hydrostatic finite-volume dynamical core on the cubed-sphere grid. The extension to a non-hydrostatic dynamical framework and the quasi-uniform cubed-sphere geometry permits the efficient exploration of global weather and climate modeling at cloud permitting resolutions of 10- to 4-km on today's high performance computing platforms. We have explored a series of incremental increases in global resolution with GEOS-5 from it's standard 72-level 27-km resolution (~5.5 million cells covering the globe from the surface to 0.1 hPa) down to 3.5-km (~3.6 billion cells). We will present results from a series of forecast experiments exploring the impact of the non-hydrostatic dynamics at transition resolutions of 14- to 7-km, and the influence of increased horizontal/vertical resolution on convection and physical parameterizations within GEOS-5. Regional and mesoscale features of 5- to 10-day weather forecasts will be presented and compared with satellite observations. Our results will highlight the impact of resolution on the structure of cloud features including tropical convection and tropical cyclone predicability, cloud streets, von Karman vortices, and the marine stratocumulus cloud layer. We will also present experiment design and early results from climate impact experiments for global non-hydrostatic models using GEOS-5. Our climate experiments will focus on support for the Year of Tropical Convection (YOTC). We will also discuss a seasonal climate time-slice experiment design for downscaling coarse resolution century scale climate simulations to global non-hydrostatic resolutions of 14- to 7-km with GEOS-5.
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This gnarly beast has near-magical qualities. [Sprite_TM] patched it together as a dongle which attaches to a JTAG header (we’re fairly certain this is not a standard footprint for that interface though). He uses it to push code to an FPGA after that device boots. Why? Well, there’s several reason, but the most generic answer is that some boards will not boot unless there is a chain of trust that validates the code which will be running.
In this case, [Sprite_TM] is using a knock-off board he acquired from a Chinese supplier. It’s a hardware network terminal (thin client), and as you can see in the video after the break, it works just fine. But that’s pretty boring and he wanted to use it for his own purposes. When he plugs in the dongle and powers up the board the network terminal is nowhere to be found, replaced with the code to play Pac-Man as if were a full arcade cabinet.
The dongle is simply a female DIL header, an ATtiny85, and a flash memory chip. The AVR has a software UART that speaks XSVF, the protocol used to push data to the FPGA. The data to be written is stored in the memory chip, and with that header in place reprogramming the AVR is just a matter of connecting an ISP programmer. Brilliant!
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<urn:uuid:9835fc3e-d408-4169-a83d-9715f1abb52b>
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http://hackaday.com/2012/02/10/jtag-dongle-pushes-code-to-fpga-after-bootup/
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Fresh Meadows, NY 11365
Hours of Operation
Monday - Friday, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Phone (718) 460-6765
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a lifelong and potentially debilitating
system disease that affects the brain and spinal cord. It damages the myelin sheath, the material that surrounds and protects nerve cells.
MS is an autoimmune disease that is significantly linked to an individual’s genetic makeup. The precise cause of MS, however, is not known. The symptoms of MS vary, although the most common are visual disturbances, muscle weakness, trouble with coordination and balance, sensations such as numbness, prickling, or “pins and needles,” as well as thinking and memory problems.
It is estimated that there are over 400,000 U.S. residents with MS. It affects women more than men and symptoms typically begin between the ages of 20 and 40. The disease itself runs a highly variable and unpredictable course, and though there is no cure for MS, there are many therapeutic alternatives to treat the symptoms and the underlying disease. Physical and occupational therapy are also helpful treatment options. In New York City, approximately 9,000 people with MS have reported they have the illness and registered with the NYC chapter of the National MS Society.
The Multiple Sclerosis Center at the Neuroscience Institute, directed by David Snyder, M.D., has been in operation since 1987 and is the only center in Queens supported by the New York City Chapter of the MS Society. In addition to neurologists, the MS Center includes a specially trained team of nurses and social workers who have extensive experience with patients and families affected by MS. The goal of the Center is to diagnose and treat patients with MS and to help them improve their function. Since the disease can affect different neurological functions, a variety of specialists participate in the treatment of patients including urologists, psychiatrists, occupational and physical therapy rehabilitation specialists and social workers.
The center is a member of the New York State Consortium of MS Centers.
The Multiple Sclerosis Center has extensive experience in the new immuno-modulating therapies for multiple sclerosis, as well as treatment of the many troubling symptoms related to this disease. The center also uses resources available through the New York City Chapter of the MS Society, such as educational activities and community-based programs. Medical residents and medical students are also involved in our clinical program.
New York Hospital Queens Neuroscience Institute was pleased to present a 2010 Symposium for the Community on Multiple Sclerosis (MS), Epilepsy, Stroke and Back Pain. For more information, click the program.
Diagnosis and Rx in 2012
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|(a)||Establishment. — There is hereby established the Oil Region National Heritage Area.|
|(b)||Boundaries. — The boundaries of the Heritage Area shall include all of those lands depicted on a map entitled “Oil Region National Heritage Area”, numbered OIRE/20,000 and dated October 2000. The map shall be on file in the appropriate offices of the National Park Service. <<NOTE: Federal Register, publication.>> The Secretary of the Interior shall publish in the Federal Register, as soon as practical after the date of the enactment of this Act, a detailed description and map of the boundaries established under this subsection.|
|(c)||Management Entity. — The management entity for the Heritage Area shall be the Oil Heritage Region, Inc., the locally based private, nonprofit management corporation which shall oversee the development of a management plan in accordance with section 605(b).|
|To carry out the purposes of this title, the Secretary shall enter into a compact with the management entity. The compact shall include information relating to the objectives and management of the area, including a discussion of the goals and objectives of the Heritage Area, including an explanation of the proposed approach to conservation and interpretation and a general outline of the protection measures committed to by the Secretary and management entity.|
|(a)||Authorities of the Management Entity.–The management entity may use funds made available under this title for purposes of preparing, updating, and implementing the management plan developed under subsection.|
|(b)|| Such purposes may include–
(1) making grants to, and entering into cooperative agreements with, States and their political subdivisions, private organizations, or any other person;
(2) hiring and compensating staff; and
(3) undertaking initiatives that advance the purposes of the Heritage Area.
|(b)||Management Plan.–The management entity shall develop a management plan for the Heritage Area that-
(1) presents comprehensive strategies and recommendations for conservation, funding, management, and development of the Heritage Area; [[Page 118 STAT. 3370]]
(2) takes into consideration existing State, county, and local plans and involves residents, public agencies, and private organizations working in the Heritage Area;
(3) includes a description of actions that units of government and private organizations have agreed to take to protect the resources of the Heritage Area;
(4) specifies the existing and potential sources of funding to protect, manage, and develop the Heritage Area;
(5) includes an inventory of the resources contained in the Heritage Area, including a list of any property in the Heritage Area that is related to the themes of the Heritage Area and that should be preserved, restored, managed, developed, or maintained because of its natural, cultural, historic, recreational, or scenic significance;
(6) describes a program for implementation of the management plan by the management entity, including plans for restoration and construction, and specific commitments for that implementation that have been made by the management entity and any other persons for the first 5 years of implementation;
(7) lists any revisions to the boundaries of the Heritage Area proposed by the management entity and requested by the affected local government; and
(8) includes an interpretation plan for the Heritage Area.
|(c)||Deadline; Termination of Funding.-
(1) Deadline.–The management entity shall submit the management plan to the Secretary within 2 years after the funds are made available for this title.
(2) Termination of funding.–If a management plan is not submitted to the Secretary in accordance with this subsection, the management entity shall not qualify for Federal assistance under this title.
|(d)||Duties of Management Entity.–The management entity shall-
(1) give priority to implementing actions set forth in the compact and management plan;
(2) assist units of government, regional planning organizations, and nonprofit organizations in-
(A) establishing and maintaining interpretive exhibits in the Heritage Area;
(B) developing recreational resources in the Heritage Area;
(C) increasing public awareness of and appreciation for the natural, historical, and architectural resources and sites in the Heritage Area;
(D) the restoration of any historic building relating to the themes of the Heritage Area;
(E) ensuring that clear signs identifying access points and sites of interest are put in place throughout the Heritage Area; and
(F) carrying out other actions that the management entity determines to be advisable to fulfill the purposes of this title;
(3) encourage by appropriate means economic viability in the Heritage Area consistent with the goals of the management plan;
(4) consider the interests of diverse governmental, business, and nonprofit groups within the Heritage Area; and [[Page 118 STAT. 3371]]
(5) for any year in which Federal funds have been provided to implement the management plan under subsection (b)-
(A) conduct public meetings at least annually regarding the implementation of the management plan;
(B) <<NOTE: Reports.>> submit an annual report to the Secretary setting forth accomplishments, expenses and income, and each person to which any grant was made by the management entity in the year for which the report is made; and
(C) require, for all agreements entered into by the management entity authorizing expenditure of Federal funds by any other person, that the person making the expenditure make available to the management entity for audit all records pertaining to the expenditure of such funds.
|(e)||Prohibition on the Acquisition of Real Property.–The management entity may not use Federal funds received under this title to acquire real property or an interest in real property.|
|(a)||Technical and Financial Assistance.–
(1) In general.–
(A) Overall assistance.–The Secretary may, upon the request of the management entity, and subject to the availability of appropriations, provide technical and financial assistance to the management entity to carry out its duties under this title, including updating and implementing a management plan that is submitted under section 605(b) and approved by the Secretary and, prior to such approval, providing assistance for initiatives.
(B) Other assistance.–If the Secretary has the resources available to provide technical assistance to the management entity to carry out its duties under this title (including updating and implementing a management plan that is submitted under section 605(b) and approved by the Secretary and, prior to such approval, providing assistance for initiatives), upon the request of the management entity the Secretary shall provide such assistance on a reimbursable basis. This subparagraph does not preclude the Secretary from providing nonreimbursable assistance under subparagraph (A).
(2) Priority.–In assisting the management entity, the Secretary shall give priority to actions that assist in the-
(A) implementation of the management plan;
(B) provision of educational assistance and advice regarding land and water management techniques to conserve the significant natural resources of the region;
(C) development and application of techniques promoting the preservation of cultural and historic properties;
(D) preservation, restoration, and reuse of publicly and privately owned historic buildings;
(E) design and fabrication of a wide range of interpretive materials based on the management plan, including guide brochures, visitor displays, audio- visual and interactive exhibits, and educational curriculum materials for public education; and
(F) implementation of initiatives prior to approval of the management plan. [[Page 118 STAT. 3372]]
(3) Documentation of structures.–The Secretary, acting through the Historic American Building Survey and the Historic American Engineering Record, shall conduct studies necessary to document the industrial, engineering, building, and architectural history of the Heritage Area.
|(b)||Approval <<NOTE: Deadline.>> and Disapproval of Management Plans.–The Secretary, in consultation with the Governor of Pennsylvania, shall approve or disapprove a management plan submitted under this title not later than 90 days after receiving such plan. In approving the plan, the Secretary shall take into consideration the following criteria:
(1) The extent to which the management plan adequately preserves and protects the natural, cultural, and historical resources of the Heritage Area.
(2) The level of public participation in the development of the management plan.
(3) The extent to which the board of directors of the management entity is representative of the local government and a wide range of interested organizations and citizens.
|(c)||Action Following Disapproval.–If the Secretary disapproves a management plan, the Secretary shall advise the management entity in writing of the reasons for the disapproval and shall make recommendations for revisions in the management plan. <<NOTE: Deadline.>> The Secretary shall approve or disapprove a proposed revision within 90 days after the date it is submitted.|
|(d)||Approving Changes.–The Secretary shall review and approve amendments to the management plan under section 605(b) that make substantial changes. Funds appropriated under this title may not be expended to implement such changes until the Secretary approves the amendments.|
|(e)||Effect of Inaction.–If the Secretary does not approve or disapprove a management plan, revision, or change within 90 days after it is submitted to the Secretary, then such management plan, revision, or change shall be deemed to have been approved by the Secretary.|
|(1)||Any Federal entity conducting or supporting activities directly affecting the Heritage Area shall-
consult with the Secretary and the management entity with respect to such activities;
|(2)||cooperate with the Secretary and the management entity in carrying out their duties under this title and, to the maximum extent practicable, coordinate such activities with the carrying out of such duties; and|
|(3)||to the maximum extent practicable, conduct or support such activities in a manner that the management entity determines shall not have an adverse effect on the Heritage Area.|
The Secretary may not make any grant or provide any assistance under this title after the expiration of the 15-year period beginning on the date that funds are first made available for this title. [[Page 118 STAT. 3373]]
|(a)||Notification and Consent of Property Owners Required.–No privately owned property shall be preserved, conserved, or promoted by the management plan for the Heritage Area until the owner of that private property has been notified in writing by the management entity and has given written consent for such preservation, conservation, or promotion to the management entity.|
|(b)||Landowner Withdraw.–Any owner of private property included within the boundary of the Heritage Area shall have their property immediately removed from the boundary by submitting a written request to the management entity.|
|(a)||Access to Private Property.–Nothing in this title shall be construed to–
(1) require any private property owner to allow public access (including Federal, State, or local government access) to such private property; or
(2) modify any provision of Federal, State, or local law with regard to public access to or use of private property.
|(b)||Liability.–Designation of the Heritage Area shall not be considered to create any liability, or to have any effect on any liability under any other law, of any private property owner with respect to any persons injured on such private property.|
|(c)||Recognition of Authority To Control Land Use.–Nothing in this title shall be construed to modify the authority of Federal, State, or local governments to regulate land use.|
|(d)||Participation of Private Property Owners in Heritage Area.– Nothing in this title shall be construed to require the owner of any private property located within the boundaries of the Heritage Area to participate in or be associated with the Heritage Area.|
|(e)||Effect of Establishment.–The boundaries designated for the Heritage Area represent the area within which Federal funds appropriated for the purpose of this title may be expended. The establishment of the Heritage Area and its boundaries shall not be construed to provide any nonexisting regulatory authority on land use within the Heritage Area or its viewshed by the Secretary, the National Park Service, or the management entity.|
Nothing in this title shall preclude the management entity from using Federal funds available under Acts other than this title for the purposes for which those funds were authorized.
|(a)|| In General.–There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this title–
(1) not more than $1,000,000 for any fiscal year; and
(2) not more than a total of $10,000,000.
|(b)||50 Percent Match.–Financial assistance provided under this title may not be used to pay more than 50 percent of the total cost of any activity carried out with that assistance.|
The forecast for 16301 by Wunderground for WordPress
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HUBO Robots Perform The Beatles’ Come Together
April 4th, 2012
The Drexel University Music & Entertainment Technology Laboratory recently took four HUBO robots and turned them into The Beatles. Minus Yoko of course. These HUBOs operate autonomously, with their movements directed by student-developed software.
This software allows them to perform the gestures necessary to produce the appropriate notes and beats of the musical score. There is no trickery here. Every sound in the video was performed by the robots. This band is playing live, and they don’t do studio albums at this point.
The Drexel College of Engineering has seven of these robots, so maybe they can add a Stu Sutcliffe or Pete Best robot to the band too. These robots cost between $300,000 and $400,000 each. Sure, that’s expensive for a robot band, but cheap for a Beatle. I’m looking forward to their Sgt. Pepper album myself.
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Archive for 08/01/2011 - 09/01/2011
Small circles seem to appear and disappear spontaneously as the eye is moved over them.
This visual popping activity is due to our visual system which is constantly searching for the best interpretation in this unorganized pattern.
This striking image of a woman was at the heart of one of the show gardens at the 2006 Chelsea Flower Show in London, UK.
One of the most important events in the horticultural calendar - some would say THE most important event - the Chelsea Flower Show started in 1862 as the Royal Horticultural Society's Great Spring Show. In 1913, it moved to the present site of the Royal Hospital, Chelsea, where it has remained ever since. Garden designers from around the world compete for space at this most famous of flower shows, and the show gardens reflect the most up to date - and ever changing ideas - in garden design.
The Garden of Dreams was one of the 2006 show gardens, and was sponsored by 4head, and designed by Marney Hall and Heather Yarrow.
The garden was designed as a 'natural haven of peace, inviting visitors to journey from the stressful world of consciousness to an altogether more alluring destination, idealised in dreams..'
In the middle of the garden is an island, which is home to an evocative, dreaming girl, a stunning living sculpture, created by Sue and Peter Hill, whose work includes 'Eve' at the Eden Project, and 'Mudmaid' at the Lost Gardens of Heligan. Around the pool grow plants such as vervain, borage, lavender and chamomile, all renowned for their calming properties, intoxicating perfumes and subdued colours... 'the dreaming girl bears witness to the soporific effects of colur, scent, texture, birdsong, water, and reflective light.'
We understand that since the 2006 Chelsea Flower Show closed, this figure has been bought by Olivia Harrison, the widow of George Harrison. She has been continuing to restore the large Victorian garden at their house in Henley-on-Thames, UK, which is where we understand the sculpture has now found a permanent home.
This is one of the clever technique used by the ad agency in USA, when you flip the picture 180 degree, sad turn into happy and it silently says a impression "get well soon"
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[OSM-newbies] Data Source
lists at mail.atownsend.org.uk
Thu Jun 16 01:55:41 BST 2011
On 15/06/2011 20:54, ael wrote:
> ... My assumption
> when I joined was that all mapping was assumed to be from some form
> of personal survey, usually gps, unless indicated otherwise. When I noticed the
> source tag, I assumed that its primary use was to acknowledge some
> 3rd party, but legal, source. It seemed silly and redundant to
> add an extra tag for gps survey which I took to be the default.
> Surely I am not the only one who interpreted things this way?
> So far as I recall, when I looked at other people's contributions
> in my area, I seldom saw a source tag. That reinforced my assumption.
No, you're not alone; I made exactly the same assumption - until I
noticed that some other people seemed to be assuming the opposite - that
"no source" implied traced and "source" implied surveyed. Its been said
before (by Dr Liz and quite possibly by others previously) - for the
avoidance of doubt it makes sense to note the sources of any contributions.
More information about the newbies
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"I turned myself into the fiction of myself to such an extent that any
natural feeling that I have, of course, from the moment I'm born,
becomes a feeling of imagination... I stripped off my own being to
such an extent that existing means dressing up . Only when I'm
disguised am I really myself."
- Fernando Pessoa. (emphasis added)
Fashion is the ultimate medium, the medium without content that is read to contain multitudes of identities. This medium is always the message, and does not pretend to be otherwise. When fashion talks, it always talks about itself: vintage, retro, trompe l'oile, couture. The way that fashion is read, however, inscribes style onto the body in a creation of identity.
Fashion is an aesthetic technology of the body. It is an extension of the skin, and also an autoamputation of numerous identities. The look of the body, its ability to function and its own basic functions are altered by what the body is wearing and how the body wears it/extends itself. Fashion photography defamiliarizes the body and has the ability to amputate limbs (often to show the limbs fulfilling their true purpose: to carry a shoe, to show a glove). High fashion and couture (when it, as it so often does, represents androgyny, camp, unusual gender performances, etc) is not drag but an amputation of gender in which identity radically shifts with what one decides to wear each morning. Fashion is both a revision of the body and a performance (the film Paris is Burning to shows how fashion performs not only gender, but race and class), and I will use its liminal nature to show how performance revises the body. By always-already performing, we are always-already cyborgs.
But what is the difference between clothing and fashion? It could said that clothing encompasses fashion (there exists unfashionable clothing, or ‘mere clothes'), or the opposite: fashion (or to be fashionable) can also include ways of walking, talking, eating, smoking a cigarette, and most importantly the choice of clothing and manner in which clothing is assembled. Fashion carries the mark of both personal style/identity and the unraveling (or explosion?) of those identities. Fashion (in the sense of what is ‘fashionable,' or Good Fashion) carries the mark of coolness. Coolness and personal style define the body, making the inner (mind) outer. It emphasizes surface, makes the private into the public and back again. It is one of the manners in which the public/private citizen becomes a cyborg citizen: we often can tell politics or musical taste from style, and we can be politically surprised by a relevant disjunct in this expectation. When clothing extends the body, what is the implication to this extension being/looking cool? I'll examine McLuhan's Narcissus story (gadget fetishism), the science fictionalized discourse in Haraway, and Baudrillard's ideas about seduction.
Other topics that could be covered, though I cannot cover them all... The “internal” implications of coolness (taste, theory), appropriation (fashion colonialism; pertains esp. to race performance), nativism, the fashion icon, and sexuality/sexual attraction.
The scope of this project is obviously large, larger than I have even expressed in this proposal. I will need to discuss the limits and shape of the paper in office hours, and then the sequence of thoughts/events will become more logical.
Sources I will cite: Haraway, Vogue , Marshall McLuhan, the film Paris is Burning, Nylon , Baudrillard, Japanese street fashion magazines, Butler, the film A Notebook on Clothes and Cities (Wim Wenders's documentary on Yohji Yamamoto - which I will hopefully find). &more. A few books that I have found on the library website look good; I will have to check them out and see what I can use.
I am also planning, if it is okay, to turn in a small scrapbook of images that I will cite in the paper. In keeping with the theme, the book will most definitely look fashionable.
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Access Calls to the Community to Help Sponsor a “Giving Tree” to Bring Holiday Cheer to Adolescents in Transitional Living Arrangements
Danielson and Norwich, CT — It's the season for giving, but for the adolescent residents at the Access Community Action Agency’s Hawkins House and Crossroads transitional living programs, the gift of the Holiday Spirit can often fall short.
The need to bring the Holiday Spirit to these youths is made clear by Crossroads Supervisor, Katrina Kettle, as she expresses, “As we all make plans for the upcoming holidays I am sure that your plans are surrounded by close friends and family as well as holiday traditions and gift giving. For our youth the holidays can often mean a completely different thing. They are reminders of the family they do not have, or the family they do have but are not the family that they hope to be and need. ‘Friends’ mean friends that they have acquired along the line of living in different homes, different locations, different towns and cities, and often different states which separate them. So, what they are faced with are the ‘here and now friends’ of their current living situation. Individuals often say it should not be about the presents but about spending time with our loved ones, unfortunately these youth often do not have any family members or close friends that they can spend the holiday season with. As a program we try to give these youth as ‘normal’ of a holiday season as possible, which does include gift-giving and holiday traditions. However, with the limited amount of funds each year we are finding it more and more difficult to get the gifts that these youth want.”
The “Giving Tree” is decorated with ornaments that have a residents’ wish for a particular gift. For the past two years the Mansfield Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation has provided a “Giving Tree” to Hawkins House, a nine bed P.A.S.S. (Preparing Adolescents for Self Sufficiency) level group home that serves female adolescents between the ages of 14 and 20 years in Danielson. The volunteers deliver the gifts to the group homes and place them under the tree. The adolescent gift list include: blank CD’s, boys/girls curtains, bath and body works lotions, body sprays, men and women socks, art supplies, nail polish, make-up, head phones, speakers to connect to ipod or computer, chocolate, movie passes, magnetic dart boards, Itune gift cards, Dunkin Donuts gift cards, battery operated handheld games , Iron Gym Pull up Bar, gloves, white t-shirts.
“We at Access are so thankful for the generosity of these people in helping our girls enjoy the holiday season”, says Jolene Berard, Supervisor of Hawkins House, that Access is now expanding the initiative to include Crossroads, an eight bed S.W.E.T.P. (Supportive Work Education and Transition Program) that serves adolescent females – and more recently, adolescent males between the ages of 16 and 20 years, in Norwich.
Deborah Smith, Director of Homelessness Prevention at the Emergency Shelter, echoes Katrina when saying, “Adults and children in shelter during the holidays often generates a sense of grief and loss. Observing the hustle and bustle of people preparing to spend time with family, friends, and loved ones invokes a stark reminder to homeless individuals of their loss of the basic essentials every human being has a right to - food, clothing, adequate health care, and safe housing. For some, relatives or friends with whom they had been staying have asked them to ‘move on’, and so they have – to shelters, motels, wooded areas, abandoned buildings, to other relatives or friends – or parents have dispersed their children among various relatives who can take a child or two, but not the entire family.”
Deborah Smith goes on to say, “Those who are kind and generous enough to share during the holidays, will hopefully realize that many have lost everything except for the clothes on their back when they end up in shelters, and often have been in this transient state for a long time. Add to these stressors - seasonal affective disorder (the depression that many have over the holidays), separation from families, children, and frustration over their state of housing, it really becomes a busy and difficult time for shelter providers and any help that people can provide is greatly appreciated.”
Deborah says, “The good news is that the entire homeless services system for families and single adults is gradually changing, partly because the 'Housing First' philosophy (which emphasizes rapidly re-housing people from homelessness) is more logical than a 'services first' approach. Also, a transformation of the Continuum of Care to implement 'Housing First' strategies is now mandated through the federal government by the HEARTH Act. The best gift that ANYONE can give to those less fortunate at any time of the year...is to show you're legitimately concerned for the human condition, and be the change necessary to make the difference.”
Access is asking the community to help us keep the spirit alive this Holiday season for our youths and bring the “Giving Tree” to the Hawkins House and Crossroads. Community members who would like to continue this wonderful act of charity can contact the Community Engagement Associate Elisha Sherman at (860) 450-7400, ext. 7456 or email@example.com.
Access is a federal and state designated Community Action Agency (CAA) that serves eastern Connecticut. Access provides food, emergency shelter, energy assistance, job and life skills training, youth mentoring, affordable housing for seniors, and more. For more information about Access services, call 860-450-7400 in the Willimantic area, 860-412-1600 in the Danielson area, or visit www.accessagency.org.
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I was obsessed with Fortune’s Bones for a good five years. I couldn’t believe the story. I wanted to know why it touched me and what I needed to do because I have been touched in this way.
– Dr. Ysaye M. Barnwell
From September 2011 to April 2012, the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center will present a series of events inspired by the compelling story of Fortune.
Who Was Fortune?
Fortune was an enslaved African whose life did not end when he died in 1798.
In life, Fortune served a doctor in post-Colonial Waterbury, Connecticut. After death, he was dissected by the Connecticut physician who owned him. His bones were preserved and studied and, later, displayed as an anatomical specimen at the Mattatuck Museum, a skeleton known only as “Larry.”
To date, Fortune’s bones have not been buried.
Who speaks for Fortune?
Who has the right to his remains?
What can we learn from his life and its aftermath?
The questions raised by Fortune’s story go beyond a single community or historical era. Who speaks for Fortune? Who has the right to his remains? And what can we learn from his life and its aftermath?
As a community, we come together for multiple events to consider these questions, to sing, to talk, to listen, to learn — and ultimately to celebrate.
Sunday, April 1, 2012 (All day) to Monday, October 1, 2012 (All day)
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Boisi Center for Religion and American Public Life
When the 13 Islamic scholars arrived, their suitcases were
packed with misconceptions: American Muslims are repressed; Jews control
foreign policy; America is a godless society.
Religious diversity was no small concept for the men and
women who live in predominantly Muslim countries amid frequent anti-American
rhetoric. But by the end of the month-long Fulbright American Studies
Institute, hosted by the Boisi Center for Religion and American Public
Life at Boston College, a Bangladeshi was marveling that American religious
factions disagree without bloodshed; a Nigerian was planning an association
of Christian and Muslim Nigerians to “spread a more positive message
about America”; and a visitor from the West Bank was thinking
of starting a center for dialogue and religious studies in Ramallah.
When University Trustee Geoffrey T. Boisi ’69 and
Rene (Isacco) Boisi ’69 endowed the Boisi Center in 1999 with a
$5 million gift to encourage the study of religion’s impact on public
policy, they probably wouldn’t have predicted that the U.S. Department
of State would come calling only three years later. The State Department
contacted Boisi Director Alan Wolfe and Assistant Director Patricia Chang
to seek their help with the Fulbright program, “Religion in Contemporary
America: Church, State, and Society.”
complex world we live in demands that we educate our young people
not just to excel functionally in careers, but also equip them to
make choices that are ethically solid, forming leaders with true
character. Committing oneself then to take responsibility for a
more just world is part of the vision upon which BC’s Center
for Religion and American Public Life was founded, and one, we believe,
BC is uniquely qualified to pursue.”
GEOFF ’69 AND RENE ’69 BOISI
One goal of the Fulbright program was to teach Islamic scholars
how religious plurality works in a democracy. “In the United States,
religion is pushed to the private realm,” says Peter Benda of the
State Department’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. “In
Muslim countries, it’s really a way of life.” The State Department
hoped the participants, influential in their own countries, would unlearn
erroneous stereotypes and take home accurate information about America.
The guests—from India, Indonesia, Turkey, the Palestinian
Authority, Jordan, Malaysia, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Egypt, Pakistan, Tanzania,
Nigeria, and the Philippines—attended lectures and scholarly discussions;
visited mosques, churches, and synagogues; studied the democratic process;
and even sat down with rabbinical students at a California seminary to
compare the story of Noah in the Koran and the Old Testament. Some preconceived
notions, particularly about Jews and Israel, were difficult to deflate
in a month, but others were eroded, especially those related to the lives
of Muslims in America.
The State Department considered the Fulbright seminar so
successful that it scheduled a repeat performance for June 2003. It is
one of many programs hosted by the Boisi Center, which sponsors visiting
scholars, student-faculty reading groups, and speakers and conferences
that have promoted public discussion of subjects ranging from genetics
to Mideast peace. In post-9/11 America, however, little seems more relevant
than efforts to encourage understanding between Islam and the West.
One Indonesian university lecturer, Mun’im A. Sirry,
said the experience gave him “crucial understanding” about
religious diversity and the “reciprocal influence” of religion
and democracy. That understanding came in handy as soon as he went home.
On the final day of the Fulbright seminar, an explosion killed nearly
200 in a Bali nightclub. Sirry found himself with an immediate task: to
dispel rampant rumors that Americans were behind the bombing.
After what he learned at the Boisi Center, Sirry says he
feels compelled to cultivate a respect for human rights, democracy, and
intercultural understanding. “When I returned to my country,”
he said, “I really felt it was my moral obligation.”
Photo at top of page: Sadia Mahmood of Pakistan (left),
and Farhat A. Husain of Boston College.
Inset photo: Rene Boisi and Geoffrey T. Boisi.
top of page
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Housing data coming out this month is providing some insights for one year after the end of the First-time Homebuyer Tax Credit. The latest Inside Mortgage Finance HousingPulse Tracking Survey shows just how limited the FTHBC was on impacting long-term demand for housing. HousingWire:
The percentage of first-time homebuyers searching for a property fell to 35.7% in April, according to the latest Campbell/Inside Mortgage Finance HousingPulse Tracking Survey. First-time homebuyers comprised 43.4% of the demand market in April 2010, when the homebuyer tax credit was in place.
"The normal proportion of first-time homebuyers is about one-third of the market and that’s where we are now," said Thomas Popik, research director for Campbell Surveys. "Unfortunately, that’s not enough demand to absorb the excess supply from homeowners defaulting on their mortgages."
First-time homebuyers absorb housing inventory, as opposed to current homeowners who trade in their property for a another one, thereby sustaining the supply level. According to the survey, the gap between first-time homebuyers and distressed property supply climbed to 12% in April, compared to just 3.5% in the year prior. And, the housing inventory is at a five-month high, according to a report from the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland. The report also laid out data that found sales are down 12.6% compared to 2010.
See here for the whole HousingWire report.
Also see this this blog post on the start of the failure of the FTHBC back in August 2010.
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Worried about rising energy costs? Here are 10 crafty tricks to cut your bill
1. Fix your deal to save £300
All of the big energy companies are announcing price rises. Battle the hikes by grabbing a cheaper tariff.
There is a £300-a-year difference between the best and worst tariffs, according to the price comparison website uSwitch.
Make sure you sign up to a fixed deal.
The lowest-cost deal available is First Utility’s iSave Fixed v4 March 2014. A family of four living in a three-bedroom, semi-detached house — seen as a typical customer — would pay, on average, £1,087 a year for gas and electricity.
Crafty tricks: Try these 10 tips to cut your bills
The price is fixed until March 2014.
In the unlikely event of prices falling heavily before then, you would have to pay a £30 exit fee for each fuel you use.
Deals without exit penalties include Scottish Power’s Online Fixed Price Energy April 2014 tariff. This costs a typical household £1,140 a year.
You need to act fast. The top deals are disappearing rapidly.
If you don’t want a long fixed deal, you can get First Utility iSave v12, which costs £1,054.
To see if you could save money, compare prices using the This is Money Fuel Bills Finder.
2. Stop paying by cash and cheque
You can make serious savings just by changing the way you pay your bills. Most energy companies reserve their best deals for online customers. So if you have access to a computer, use it.
Energy providers will also give you a better deal if you sign up to gas and electricity — a so-called dual fuel tariff.
You can also get a hefty discount — often as much as £100 a year on the average bill — if you pay by monthly direct debit.
Paying by cash or cheque is expensive. Only use this method of payment if you have to.
If you have access to the internet, you can also cut costs by viewing bills online, rather than receiving paper bills in the post.
Scottish and Southern Energy, for example, offers a £6 per fuel annual discount if you go paperless.
3. Put on a cardigan
Most families have the heating on at 20 degrees centigrade all day, and wander about the house in a blouse or T-shirt.
Turn down the thermostat just one degree, to 19 degrees, and put on a jumper or cardigan and you can shave 10 pc off your heating bill.
This is a £60 a year saving for the typical household.
You’ll hardly notice the difference if your house is well insulated.
If your hot water is piping hot, it’s probably too high. Set the thermostat to no more than 60c/140f.
Make sure the central heating and hot water are off when you’re out for the day — whether that’s at work, school or visiting relatives. Use the timer sparingly so it comes on only when necessary.
Turn off the radiators in rooms you’re not using and keep windows and doors closed if the heating is turned on.
Buy a hot water bottle — Tesco and Asda sell them for just £3.
Off: Don't waste money on lighting when you're out
4. Turn off the lights
Lighting accounts for 19pc of the average household’s electricity bill. Energy-saving bulbs can knock £55 a year off your bills. These last ten times longer than normal versions, and use 80 pc less energy. Each bulb replaced can save you around £120 over its lifetime, according to the Energy Saving Trust.
Ignore anyone who says it takes more electricity to switch lights back on than is saved switching them off — experts say that is just a myth.
Cut out any bad habits. Turning off lights when you nip to the shops on a gloomy winter evening and on landings at night can save £10 a year.
Unplug appliances that have a light on when idle. That’s the TV, DVD player and even the mobile phone charger.
Wait until the dishwasher is full before you switch it on — one full load uses less energy than two half loads.
5. Close the curtains
Don’t let heat slip through the cracks. Draw the curtains or blinds at night and use draught-blockers for doors.
Turn down the heat on your washing machine: use the 30 degrees setting or the quick wash function if your machine has one.
Use tumble-driers sparingly.
Don’t waste hot water — the more you use, the more you have to heat.
A dripping tap wastes enough hot water to fill 69 baths a year. Tighten it with a spanner or ask a friend or plumber.
Running a bath uses up to 100 litres of water. Showering instead uses much less — rarely more than 35 litres — and saves £18 a year.
In the kitchen, only boil as much water as you need (as long as it covers the element in the kettle).
A good idea is to measure out how many cups of tea you want to make. This can save £7 a year on its own.
Put a lid on saucepans if you’re boiling vegetables or rice and turn down the heat on the hob.
6. Claim your benefits
Last year, the Government paid out £2.1 billion in winter fuel benefits to more than 12 million people. The winter fuel payment is an annual, tax-free benefit paid to people over the age of 61, irrespective of how much they earn.
The amount you receive ranges between £200 and £300, depending on your age and circumstances. For example, people aged between 61 and 70 can claim up to £200. Those aged over 80 can claim up to the full £300. However, if you live with a partner who also qualifies you will get only part of the benefit. Be aware that the qualifying age for this benefit for men and women is rising in line with the increase in women’s state pension age — currently 61.
A separate benefit, called the cold weather payment, is paid in the event of exceptionally cold weather.
If the temperature is below zero degrees Celsius in your postcode area for seven days in a row between November and March, you will receive an extra £25.
These payments are usually paid automatically to those who are eligible.
But if you haven’t received the payment before and are not getting the state pension or another benefit, you may need to apply.
Men under 65 who are too young to claim their state pension are most likely to miss out.
7. Read your meter regularly
Avoid estimated bills at all costs. This is when your energy supplier guesses how much energy you use in a year and averages it out. It can leave you paying much more than you need.
Provide your supplier with accurate meter readings instead.
Check your meter once every three months at the very least. Record your usage by calling your supplier or setting up an online account.
If you’re heavily in credit, ask for some money back — this way it will be earning interest in your bank account.
If your provider kicks up a fuss, quote ‘condition 27 of the Gas Supply Licence’. This states that credits must be refunded and direct debits fair.
8. Replace your boiler
Getting rid of an old boiler can cut costs dramatically over the longer term.
Boilers swallow 79 pc of your total fuel usage, according to Energy Saving Trust.
Scrapping a creaking model and putting in a more efficient one can cut bills by as much as £240 a year.
However, you’ll have to splash out to see these benefits.
Get quotes — don’t simply get your energy company to fit one. The prices can be vastly inflated compared with what an independent plumber will cost you.
The top new boilers from brands such as Vaillant, Worcester or Baxi cost anything from £600 to more than £2,000.
And getting a plumber to fit it can cost another £600.
If you spent £1,800 getting a new A-rated efficiency model to replace a G-rated boiler, you’d save £237 a year, according to price comparison website USwitch.
For bigger houses and families, this may be a good idea — for pensioners, however, it’s likely to be impractical and expensive.
Due to the initial cost, it would take 10½ years to break even.
9. Get free insulation
Take advantage of free insulation deals. Making your home more energy-efficient could shave hundreds of pounds off your bill each year.
Loft insulation alone can save you up to £175 a year, according to the Energy Saving Trust.
Cavity wall insulation adds a further £135 saving.
Savings: Loft insulation being fitted
Energy suppliers are offering free deals because they have to meet strict efficiency targets, set by the government or face a fine.
This means even middle and high-income households can take advantage.
British Gas, for example, is offering free insulation worth up to £1,000 to all households, regardless of their energy supplier.
But you must apply before the end of November and your home must also meet certain requirements — for example, having less than 60mm of loft insulation. Call 0800 048 0505.
British Gas is also paying a £50 referral fee to anyone who puts forward a vulnerable household for free insulation. The person you refer will get £50, too.
The very poorest can also claim up to £3,500 in government grants to help. The Warm Front scheme pays a company to improve insulation on your loft, cavity walls and hot-water tank.
To qualify, you must receive Pension Credit with your state pension, have an income below £15,860 and receive Child Tax Credit or Working Tax credits, or claim income support.
10... And buy some clingfilm
Double-glazing your windows can save you up to £165 a year.
But just like a boiler, the initial outlay will put off some people.
Prices vary wildly between providers. Expect to pay from £350 for each small bedroom window, ranging into the thousands to fit more than one room.
However, these fees can tumble thousands of pounds if you haggle with the suppliers, says consumer group Which?
Make sure that you get a minimum of three quotes so you can compare them — and then don’t be afraid to drive the price down.
A wacky alternative is to use cling film. This creates a DIY double glazing effect by trapping the hot air in.
But instead of stuff you buy at the supermarket, go to your DIY store and ask for ‘double-glazing film’ or ‘stretch wrap’.
Six square metres of Stormguard double-glazing film costs £7.19 from Homebase and is fixed to the window using a hairdryer.
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Milestone from Modena
The company that the five Maserati brothers founded in Bologna, Italy, was characterized in its early decades by racing machines. The heady successes of Maserati vehicles in competitions from Indianapolis to the Targa Florio earned the marque a reputation and, later, informed the personality of its road cars. Although World War II brought a temporary halt to racing, Maserati resumed competition in the postwar years under the ownership of the Adolfo Orsi family, who had purchased the company in 1937 and relocated its operation to Modena three years later. But after Juan Manuel Fangio won the 1957 Formula One world championship, the company turned its efforts to series production cars that set new standards for grand touring in the finest European tradition. Students of la carrozzeria italiana may argue that Maserati defined gran turismo in 1947 with its first so-called grand-touring machine, an elegant, purposeful, and—for the time—powerful coupe wrapped in an aerodynamic body by Pininfarina. Capable of whisking a driver, a passenger, and their luggage across the Continent in intimate luxury, the 1947 A6 1500 established a new category that was further refined and defined by the Bentley Continental, Facel Vega, Ferrari Superamerica, and Maserati 3500GT.
During the 1960s and ’70s, Maserati brought a variety of beautiful and rare models to market: Frua’s graceful Mistral and novel Quattroporte; Michelotti’s understated Mexico; and Giugiaro’s iconic masterpiece, the Ghibli, as well as his rakish Khamsin and brutal Bora. In the 1980s this standard of excellence ebbed as the manufacturer introduced the unfortunate Biturbo and its challenged siblings. By the late ’90s, however, Maserati was back in fine fettle with a new Giugiaro-designed coupe that not only evoked the classic GT automobiles of the marque’s illustrious past, but also reintroduced, in 2002, the trident to the American market.
Half a decade later, Maserati upped its own ante with the launch of the GranTurismo, which was longer than its predecessor and based on the Quattroporte platform. And now the company has raised the stakes higher still by commissioning Pininfarina, its design partner on the Quattroporte, to transform this last mobile masterpiece into the new GranTurismo Convertible, which mirrors the distinctive coupe in every respect save its top.
Although a plethora of spyders inhabit the Maserati family tree, the GranTurismo Convertible is the Italian marque’s first four-seat soft-top—and perhaps the only sporting convertible with luxury grand-touring pretensions to offer real rear seats sized for adult occupants. Comfortably ensconced in the rear of the vehicle, a pair of 6-foot-tall supermodels can be stylishly squired to a distant fashion show and still strut down the runway on arrival.
Comfort aside, however, Pininfarina’s chief design priority was to preserve the coupe’s profile with the convertible top raised; for this reason, the designers chose to employ a soft top instead of a retractable metal one. The three-layer canvas canopy’s multiple bows and careful engineering enable it to disappear in a mere 24 seconds, revealing an interior as spacious as it is well-appointed. The trunk, alas, is not particularly roomy, much of its usable space having been sacrificed to convertible-top stowage. To maximize the cargo room that remains, Maserati offers specially fitted luggage as an option.
The convertible’s aggressive but harmonious shape represents 21st-century Pininfarina at its best. The grille recalls the Maserati racers of the 1950s—a minor miracle, given the safety-driven design sensibility that has transformed the once-svelte cars of many marques into oversize rolling baby shoes. The car’s aesthetic attributes and nearly ideal front-and-rear weight distribution—which translates into neutral handling and a sense of composure that even luxury-sedan drivers will embrace—make this Maserati a case study in perfect balance.
Inside, the driver accommodations and amenities are luxe yet practical. An integrated information-and-entertainment suite manages navigation functions, Bluetooth capability, satellite radio, and a standard-equipment Bose 12-speaker surround-sound system that is pleasing to the ears and refreshingly easy to use. The seats provide excellent support, and the interior surfaces are covered in wood or carbon-fiber trim and Poltrona Frau leather, which is available in 10 colors and can be customized with piping, stitching, and other treatments that allow buyers of the convertible to express their personalities. Six different colors of canvas top further enhance the available palette.
Still, the purest pleasure to be derived from this newest Maserati comes from spirited driving—an indulgence amply enabled by the car’s Ferrari-engineered V-8. The version of this engine that powers the GranTurismo Convertible has been enlarged from its original 4.2-liter capacity to 4.7 liters, and is situated well behind the front wheels to optimize weight distribution. The V-8 delivers a respectable 427 hp at maximum revs (7,600 rpm), and pulling to redline is all the fun, thanks to 361 ft lbs of torque that peaks at 4,750 rpm along the way. Throttle play in this car is addictive, and the ZF 6-speed adaptive automatic transmission seems nearly as quick as Maserati’s F1 gearbox, which is not available in the Convertible. The transmission can be shifted from the console or using the paddles; and when kicking back—instead of kicking down—is the order of the day, the car can simply be left in automatic mode. However one chooses to drive, one can stop with confidence, courtesy of Brembo brakes and wide rubber tires mounted to 19- or optional 20-inch rims.
Because this convertible is first and foremost a driver’s car, Maserati engineers made certain that it gives up nothing to its coupe counterpart in terms of torsional rigidity and safety. Additional bracing and structural enhancements to box sections, A-pillars, and numerous other internal and external attachment points are complemented by a giant aluminum tray that spans the length of the underside. As a result, flex and cowl shake are simply not issues—nor are wind noise and buffeting at legal speeds, ensuring that a good-hair day remains such when driving with the top down.
Once we turned the key of the GranTurismo Convertible, we discovered a magic little button labeled "Sport." This setting makes several adjustments to performance, all of them exhilarating. In addition to altering shift points for quicker gear changes and acceleration, Sport mode sets the proprietary Skyhook suspension—an electromagnetic adaptive system—to a stiffer, less compliant level that provides greater feedback and tighter handling. At speed and in curves, this car feels smaller and lighter than its nearly 116-inch wheelbase and 4,365 pounds would lead us to expect. Sport mode also scorched a soundtrack into our aural memories like no other production car has done, thanks in large part to a valve that opens in each rear silencer, allowing exhaust gases to bypass the muffler canister and exit in an essentially straight-pipe fashion. This Maserati’s mellifluous exhaust note simply must be heard to be believed. Backfires on downshift are gratifying, while ripping up the rev band and shifting at 7,000 unleashes a sound worthy of Satan’s pipe organ. The system is tuned to perfection: Even Ferraris equipped with aftermarket Tubi Style exhausts sound anemic by comparison.
This GranTurismo Convertible offers stellar performance, inimitable style, and ample accommodation for four in a package that bears the unique Maserati signature. With a fit and finish on a par with the world’s top marques and a price of less than $140,000, this car could even be considered something of a bargain in the context of other luxury-sport convertibles. Its looks, speed, and sound have us hooked.
Maserati North America, www.maserati.us
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Wells Fargo Bank will pay at least $175 million to settle accusations that it discriminated against African-American and Hispanic borrowers in violation of fair-lending laws, the Justice Department announced Thursday.
Wells Fargo, the nation's largest residential home mortgage originator, allegedly engaged in a pattern or practice of discrimination against qualified African-American and Hispanic borrowers from 2004 through 2009.
At a news conference, Deputy Attorney General James Cole said the bank's discriminatory lending practices resulted in more than 34,000 African-American and Hispanic borrowers in 36 states and the District of Columbia paying higher rates for loans solely because of the color of their skin.
Cole said that with the settlement, the second largest of its kind in history, the government will ensure that borrowers hit hard by the housing crisis will have an opportunity to access homeownership.
The bank will pay $125 million in compensation for borrowers who were steered into subprime mortgages or who paid higher fees and rates than white borrowers because of their race or national origin rather than because of differences in credit-worthiness.
Wells Fargo also will pay $50 million in direct down payment assistance to borrowers in areas of the country where the Justice Department identified large number of discrimination victims. Those areas include Washington, D.C., Chicago, Philadelphia, Oakland and San Francisco, New York City, Cleveland and Baltimore.
"The department's action makes clear that we will hold financial institutions accountable, including some of the nation's largest, for lending discrimination," Cole said.
The settlement will bring "swift and meaningful relief" to African-American and Hispanic borrowers who received subprime loans when they should have received prime loans or who paid more for their loans, said Thomas Perez, assistant attorney general for the Justice Department's civil rights division.
Perez said that because of the bank's practices "an African-American wholesale customer in the Chicago area in 2007 seeking a $300,000 loan paid on average $2937 more in fees than a similarly qualified white applicant. And these fees were not based on any objective factors relating to credit risk. These fees amounted to a racial surtax. A Latino borrower in the Miami area in 2007 seeking a $300,000 paid on average $2,538 more than a similarly qualified white applicant. The racial surtax for African Americans in Miami in 2007 was $3,657."
Wells Fargo noted in a statement that it has denied the claims.
"Wells Fargo is settling this matter solely for the purpose of avoiding contested litigation with the DOJ," it said, "and to instead devote its resources to continuing to provide fair credit services and choices to eligible customers and important and meaningful assistance to borrowers in distressed U.S. real estate markets."
Statement from Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake
Today, Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake was joined by Thomas Perez, assistant attorney general for the U.S. Department of Justice for the announcement of a major settlement of a fair lending case that started in Baltimore. In 2008, Baltimore filed suit against Wells Fargo Bank because of the subprime lending practices targeted at minority neighborhoods in Baltimore.Baltimore City is entering into a collaboration agreement with Wells Fargo Bank. Under the terms of the agreement, the City will dismiss the lawsuit filed in 2008. Wells Fargo will provide $4.5 million as part of a Lending Assistance Program for individuals who want to buy or renovate homes and live in the city. Wells Fargo will also grant the City of Baltimore $3 million in additional funds for local priority housing and foreclosure-related initiatives.The Lending Assistance Program in Baltimore will be run by an independent non-profit agency and overseen by officials in the Department of Justice. The program will be launched in late 2012 or 2013 with a major community event featuring home buying information and education for people looking to buy a home in Baltimore.Finally, Wells Fargo has agreed to commit to lending $425 million for home buying in Baltimore City in the next five years. This commitment includes $125 million in loans for low and moderate income residents.“This collaborative agreement allows Baltimore to move forward and focus our efforts on growing the city,” said Mayor Rawlings-Blake. “I want to thank Mr. Perez and the Department of Justice for their commitment to justice and improving the lives of people in our community.”The mayor thanked lawyers from the Law Department as well as the City’s outside counsel, Relman, Dane & Colfax, a civil rights law firm based in Washington, D.C.Earlier today, the Department of Justice filed a settlement to resolve allegations that Wells Fargo Bank, the largest residential home mortgage originator in the United States, engaged in a pattern or practice of discrimination against qualified African-American and Hispanic borrowers in its mortgage lending from 2004 through 2009.The settlement provides $125 million in compensation for wholesale borrowers who were steered into subprime mortgages or who paid higher fees and rates than white borrowers because of their race or national origin. Wells Fargo will also provide $50 million in direct down payment assistance to borrowers in communities around the country, including Baltimore, where the Department identified large numbers of discrimination victims and which were hard hit by the housing crisis.Additionally, Wells Fargo has agreed to conduct an internal review of its retail mortgage lending and will compensate African-American and Hispanic retail borrowers who were placed into subprime loans when similarly qualified white retail borrowers received prime loans. Compensation paid to any retail borrowers identified in the review process will be in addition to the $125 million to compensate wholesale borrowers who were victims of discrimination.“By reaching a settlement in this case, African-American and Hispanic wholesale borrowers who received subprime loans when they should have received prime loans, or who paid more for their loans, will get swift and meaningful relief,” said Thomas E. Perez, assistant attorney general for the Civil Rights Division. “As one of the largest mortgage lenders in the country, Wells Fargo’s commitment to conduct an internal review of its retail lending and compensate African American and Hispanic retail borrowers who may have been improperly placed in subprime loans is significant. We will continue to work aggressively to ensure that all qualified borrowers have access to credit on an equal basis.”
Hearst Radio Inc. AP Material ©
The Associated Press.
and Web Development
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