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Yesterday I posted on Claude Williamson and two albums he recorded for Capitol in 1954 and '55, making mention of his interpretations of several Bud Powell compositions. Today we swing way east to Paris, where René Urtréger recorded his own tributes to Powell seven months later, in February 1955. The tracks first appeared on Urtréger's 10-inch album for the Barclay label entitled Joue Bud Powell ("Plays Bud Powell").
Before we dig in, a little big picture: Both Kenton Presents Claude Williamson and Joue Bud Powell feature two white pianists in two largely white jazz environments—Los Angeles and Paris—interpreting original works by a black New York artist they admired. Why does this matter? It doesn't really, but by understanding the social and artistic forces at work in both cities in the mid-'50s, we're able to hear nuances in the playing styles that were specific to Los Angeles and Paris of the period. The jazz language was the same but the accents were slightly different. And in both largely white cities, jazz was beginning to have a profound influence on all of the arts—from photography and poetry to painting and film.
In 1954 and '55, Los Angeles and Paris were rapidly evolving and thriving jazz centers. Both were culturally isolated from the other—5,588 miles apart—and nearly equidistant from New York. Remember, this is an era before jet travel, the domination of television, and proliferation of discount record stores. It's even before the start of our own Interstate Highway System. Music (and film, to some extent) are the most potent agents for rapid cultural change.
As a result, all three cities were distinct environments and culture capitals in their own right—Los Angeles as the center of film, New York as the center of music and art, and post-war Paris as the center of style and fashion. All of these activities left a mark on the musicians who lived there, and the musicans, in turn, were influenced by the jazz they heard on records and in club performances.
In the Paris of the mid-'50s, French jazz musicians were in awe of visiting American jazz artists. For a French jazz musician, New York held enormous appeal, with its nocturnal mystique, vast ethnic diversity and creative freedom. California, by contrast, was just too far away to know and impossible to imagine or even love. For a jazz pianist in Paris, Bud Powell [pictured] was a powerful force.
By '55, Powell was recognized as a pianist of extraordinary gifts, and he had become the very embodiment of a jazz artist—thanks largely to the import of his early '50s Clef and Blue Note recordings. To be taken seriously, a budding French jazz pianist needed to be able to play Powell's music without fear, complete with the unbroken ribbons of tumultuous bop improvisation.
On Joue Bud Powell, Urtréger combines his veneration of Powell with the colorful touch of a devout French Impressionist. Urtréger's bop a la Powell is flawless, but the joyous Parisian spirit manages to slip through from time to time during long improvisational runs. While Urtréger tries hard to imagine himself as a New Yorker, there's a Conservatory polish and flourish that can't help but bleed through to delightful effect.
You can hear Urtréger's graceful touch on nearly every track, from Budo to Celia. Though Urtréger is faithful to Powell's stylistic approach, this album isn't an artistic forgery as much as it is a tender rendering. Perhaps no track displays this perspective, complete with a touch of irony, more than Parisian Thoroughfare— Powell's rollicking love letter to the city's bustling boulevards. Though Urtréger holds fast to the original, he re-interprets the billet-doux with a distinct lightness—perhaps his own reimagined impression of New York's busy streets.
Or catch Urtréger's bounce on So Sorry Please and his gloss on Mercedes, a reworking of Darn That Dream. Like Williamson, Urtréger's approach is less percussive and rhythmic, and sparer, with an emphasis on the right hand's antics rather than a pounding left hand.
But it's this economy that makes Urtréger's Powellian renditions so appealing. Rather than applying thick layers of sound, he comes at the material with watercolors, and the result is pretty and distinctly French, no matter how hard he tries to disguise it.
JazzWax tracks: René Urtréger's Joue Bud Powell, with Benoit Quersin on bass and Jean-Louis Viale on drums, can be found as a download or CD on Jazz in Paris: Joue Bud Powell here.
JazzWax clip: Unfortunately, tracks from Joue Bud Powell aren't available on YouTube. Instead, here's Urtréger's Tune Up from 1957, also with a delicate Parisian touch...
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What do you mean by “usability”?
(This was originally posted on Matthew Paul Thomas' blog @ http://mpt.net.nz/archive/2008/08/11/usability but has since vanished from that location. This text was pulled from archive.org.)
The first rule of fight club is, you do not talk about fight club. Tyler Durden, Fight club
Every so often, in a software project’s mailing list, bug tracker, or wiki, I see someone suggest a change they claim will “improve usability”. This is an unhelpful choice of words.
It’s unhelpful because usability has multiple components:
- Learnability — how easily a beginner can use the system, and how easily they can become an expert.
- Efficiency — how quickly people can achieve what they want.
- Memorability — how easily people can remember how to use the system or feature, after not using it for a while.
- Safety — how rarely people experience errors, and how easy it is to fix any errors.
- Satisfaction — how pleased people are with the overall experience.
Sometimes a design change may be entirely beneficial. Other times, the change improves one or more of these usability components at the expense of others.
For example, introducing an assistant to guide people through a particular task would usually increase learnability and safety, but reduce efficiency, because even people who knew exactly what they wanted would still need to navigate through the assistant. (And if you tried to make the assistant optional, that option itself would be difficult to understand, reducing learnability.) That doesn’t mean it’s a bad idea, just that you should compare the costs and benefits.
As another example, adding more keyboard equivalents for menu commands may increase efficiency, but reduce memorability (because people try to remember too many) and reduce safety (because an accidental keypress is more likely to do something surprising).
So, when making a usability suggestion, don’t talk about “usability”. Instead describe which usability component it would improve, and for who. For example, “This would be more learnable for people who have previously used program X”. Or, “This would reduce errors for people using a pointing device”. Then if there is any component that would worsen, you can discuss that too, comparing the number of potential users and how much they’d be affected.
Being precise like this also helps avoid common misconceptions about usability.
For example, people who think that usability means “dumbing down” software think it’s all about improving learnability at the expense of efficiency. They are mistaken: learnability is important, but it’s only one of the components of usability.
Similarly, people who think that usability means making software “pretty” think it’s all about improving satisfaction by changing the visual appearance. They are mistaken too: satisfaction is important, but it’s only one of the components of usability.
Other software qualities overlap with usability, such as usefulness, accessibility, reliability, and performance. And there are techniques for improving usability, such as simplicity, consistency, metaphor, responsiveness, and commensurate effort. But those are topics for another day.
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Explore North India
as it was meant to be discovered. These itineraries are meticulously planned and facilitated so as to let our guests experience the very best that North India has to offer.
The North India Tours listed in the above table of this page are part of Our First Visit Collection, so they can be relished as part of our ultra small group departures (maximum of 12 guests) and they can also be enjoyed on your choice of dates as independent visits.
The itineraries include visits to North India's main tourist attractions, as well as many opportunities to observe local color and customs. You will explore the major monuments and also get to see everyday life. You will stay in North India's finest luxury and boutique hotels and get to mix with the locals.
You can add other destinations and attractions before and/or after the small group tours. South India offers some great coastal resorts (including a few amazing islands) as well as Ayurvedic centers. If you desire something different, please visit our build your own tour page and let us put together a custom proposal for you.
The geography, climate, and culture of Northern India is very different from the South. North India bore the brunt of countless invasions over thousands of years, as well as being the land where many of these invaders chose to settle and make their home. North India’s architecture, culture, and people reflect the absorption of all these influences.
It is home to the great Himalayas and other magnificent mountain ranges, the fabled deserts of Rajasthan, and includes the vast fertile plains of Central and Eastern India. The Northern parts of the country have seen the most change over the eons, and even today, tend to absorb and accept changes in beliefs and ideas a little easier than most of what we have termed as Southern (with the striking exception of Mumbai) India.
New Delhi is the capital of India and the home of the largest bureaucracy in the democratic world. It is also the nation’s primary center for fine arts and other cultural endeavors. Architecturally and socially, the city is a diverse mosaic, woven with the tapestries of the cultures that have ruled and/or inhabited Northern India over the last eight centuries. There is amazing art and architecture all over Delhi; from the awe inspiring 16th century Mosques, palaces, forts, & other monuments of the Mughal Empire, to the magnificence of countless other buildings and structures. These can range from structures many thousands of years old, to the numerous impressive bureaucratic buildings constructed during the "British Raj". Just a few examples are Mughal achievements like the massive Red Fort (and the city inside it) and the towering Qutab Minar; classic British era structures India Gate and Rashtrapathi Bhawan; modern edifices like the magnificent Bahai Temple; as well as numerous gardens designed and laid out many centuries ago.
Because it is the city of the incomparable Taj Mahal, Agra's many other historical and architectural monuments get far less attention than they deserve. There are magnificent palaces, forts, mausoleums, as well as various other similar structures. Spectacular historical reminders flourish all over this area, and you can choose how many of them you want to visit.
Located on the banks of the Hindu holy river Ganga, Varanasi (The Eternal City) is one of the most visited pilgrimage destinations in a land blessed with many. Near here (at Sarnath), about twenty five hundred years ago, the Lord Buddha preached his message of Enlightenment for the very first time. Two thousand years ago, it was a well planned city, famous for its universities and places of worship. It has survived onslaughts by India's Mughal Emperors, who destroyed some of the ancient Hindu temples and learning centers. The famous Ghats, Hindu Temples, Muslim Mosques, and various museums are almost all worth a visit.
Rajput culture considers pink to be the color of hospitality; hence the pink walls of the Old City in Jaipur. Constructed in the early 18th century, Rajasthan's capital has broad and open streets and is very well laid out. Maharaja Jai Singh II, after whom it is named, was a great astronomer who also had Jaipur's Jantar Mantar designed and constructed. The king and his architect built Jaipur using ancient Hindu principles of civic planning and design, and created a city full of magical color and beauty.
Udaipur was founded in the middle of the 16th Century. Known as the "City of Lakes" and also as "The Venice of the East", Udaipur is situated in picturesque surroundings with beautiful lakes and the Aravali mountain range surrounding it. It is home to more grand palaces and other architecture than any other city in Rajasthan, a land full of magnificent palaces and forts.
If you’d like to experience a land taken straight out of a fairytale and the Himalayas interest you, you should consider visiting Ladakh. The awe inspiring beauty of this high altitude region, though different from the lush valleys of Srinagar, has a charm not found anywhere else on the planet except for Tibet, where it is tragically changing very fast, and will soon be lost forever.
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Jane McGonigal is a game designer with an apparently simple idea: some of the billions of hours we spend playing games can be used to solve real world problems, and it can be done by playing games. Her new book, Reality Is Broken, explores the power of games to change people’s lives. It’s just out this week. The TED Blog caught up with her in the middle of the release to talk about games, saving the world, and the simple power of Angry Birds.
Since your TEDTalk, you’ve managed a full run of Evoke, you social entrepreneurship game.
It was really exciting! We were just formally announcing Evoke at TED. That was our first glimpse to see if people would be interested in it, excited about it. We were able to run the game a few months later, a ten-week crash course in changing the world. Our original goals were to try to enroll a thousand students in the game, and we wound up enrolling just under 20,000. We had them from over a 130 countries, all playing the same game and collaborating with each other, which was really amazing.
The most eye-opening outcomes were how many real-world businesses, real-world social enterprises were founded by players of the game over the course of the ten weeks, and then actually launched in the summer following the game. We have more than fifty social enterprises started by gamers. Companies that were designed to deal locally with issues like food security, clean water access, women’s education. That was pretty much a first; the idea that you could come play a game and ten weeks later wind up with a real social enterprise.
One example is this great project called Libraries Across Africa. The idea is basically, what if there were a McDonalds of libraries? What if you could have a franchise for libraries and that the people who would implement and start a library in a village, or anywhere, that it would be a money-making venture, a self-supporting venture, and that other enterprises could pop up around the act of lending books to people: selling them food, selling them phone service or internet access. What a super-creative, novel idea to try to franchise libraries. That came out of the game, and it’s actually in development now. They have their first library prototype in the field.
That’s fantastic. It sounds like you’ve gotten a great reception.
Yeah, when I talk to the media they really sink their teeth into these problem-solving games, but I want to say, the first half of the book is about the way that games integrate into our real life, to improve our health and happiness. What you would call ordinary video games. When I talk to readers that’s the part they’re interested about, but when I talk to media we almost never get to that.
The subtitle is “Why games make us better, and how they can change the world.” I’m really interested in not just these world-saving problem-solving games, but also in how games like Angry Birds, Farmville and World of Warcraft can actually make our lives better. So, the first half of the book is full of science, looking at things like the fact that people who play Rock Band and Guitar Hero are more likely to learn how to play a guitar. This is fascinating, to see that games, rather than distracting us from our real-life goals, seem to be a springboard to real-life goals. There’s science that shows that when we play cooperative games we’re more likely to help strangers, friends, family members in real life. Thirty minutes of playing a co-op game changes for an entire week how cooperative we are in real life. We’re more likely to see opportunities to help someone, and more likely to act on them.
Playing with avatars that are powerful in a game world, or avatars that we find attractive, makes us more confident and optimistic, so that we’re more likely to successfully flirt with strangers or negotiate in a workplace meeting. Just ninety seconds of playing with an avatar can change your odds for success in a real-world situation for 24 hours.
So, there’s all these ways we’re starting to see that the line between the games we play and the lives we lead is much more porous than we imagined. I think this is really great news. It shows that we don’t have to play fewer video games in order to lead the lives that we want to lead. There are all kinds of games that can actually support our real-life goals, strengthen our real-life relationships. That’s such a transformative way to look at games, to realize that they’re not distracting us from our lives. They’re filling our lives with more strength and better relationships. Even the tiniest game, like Angry Birds, can power us with optimism and resilience throughout the day. It’s really remarkable.
Why do you think the default assumption is the exact opposite?
I think it’s two things, one is very old and one is very new. There’s this old, old sense that there’s a divide between productivity and play, and that playing games is somehow not productive. In fact, my research shows that playing games literally produces some very good things. It produces positive emotion. It produces social bonds. It produces more ambitious goals. Yes, it doesn’t produce economic capital; it doesn’t produce consumer goods. But we should ask ourselves, why does “productive” mean producing economic or consumer things? Why isn’t productive producing things that really matter, like improving quality of life? But that’s an old thing, that goes back before video games — games were seen as not productive.
Then, for the last twenty years there’s the idea that the virtual is somehow removed from real life, that we have avatars that are “alternate identities,” and that’s not who we are really are, we get to be somebody else. Of course, we are the same person when we play games. It’s not like we dissociate and become somebody else; it is us. The games increasingly are real in physical ways. Like the X-Box 360 Connect, and how amazingly physical that is, and how real the dancing is. It’s not fake dancing, it’s real dancing. You look at how many people are playing games on Facebook with their real-life friends and families. I’m playing Cityville with people I know in real life, people I really like. it’s not like playing with “strangers on the internet.”
We have this misguided notion that somehow games are just totally virtual. At the very least, the feelings they produce in us are real. The science shows that it doesn’t matter where you get your positive emotions; if you feel a positive emotion it has the same impact on your health and happiness regardless of where it comes from. We need to stop thinking that just because something is digital that it doesn’t have a real impact on our minds and bodies and hearts.
You had a very personal experience with that, designing a game to help yourself recover from a severe concussion.
When I first decided to make this game, I had a very epic, important meeting with my doctor. It had been about a month, and I was having very slow recovery from the concussion, so they diagnosed post-concussion recovery syndrome. She said that if I was feeling stress and anxiety or depression or loneliness — that these emotions get in the way of the brain healing itself. They see in a lot of patients this vicious cycle. You get depressed because you’re not getting well, and then that depression slows you down even more. You have to break that cycle. If you miss the first month of recovery, then on average it’s three months, and if you miss that window then it’s six months, and if you miss that then it’s a year. I was looking forward to possibly a year of not being able to think straight, of not being able to be in public spaces. It made me so depressed and anxious and despairing that I thought there was no way I was going to break the cycle.
It just came to me, coming home from the doctor, I have to make this a game. If I don’t make this a game I will never get out of depression. I’d already written the first few chapters of the book, and those are largely about the idea that gameplay is the opposite of depression. Clinically speaking, depression is a pessimistic sense of your own capabilities, and despondent lack of energy. The opposite of that, an optimistic sense of your own capabilities and an invigorating rush of activity, is the perfect textbook definition of gameplay.
So if I could just make this a game, I could do it. I couldn’t play regular video games because it was aggravating my concussion symptoms. So I was still in this mental fog, and there are these crazy videos of me from that day online on YouTube where I’m trying to design the game out loud, and you can see how much of a fog I’m in, and how much joy.
It was interesting even in that state to be able to reach into game design and design my way out, but it wasn’t until after I’d been playing for quite a while and was better that I was able to redesign it for other people to play. I started having friends test it for things like asthma, diabetes, knee surgery, chemotherapy. I started to get a lot of anecdotal and subjective feedback about how it was working.
The main point is to take the despair out of a diagnosis. You can use the strength of positive emotions and social connectivity to make the process of trying to get better, much, much better and faster.
I’m actually developing a personal version of this game that will be available to the public this summer. And we’re working right now on clinical trials to demonstrate the scientific medical validity of this game. That’s very exciting because there aren’t many games that have been through clinical trials.
There’s a lot of research now on the placebo effect, and how to harness it. It sounds like this is a way.
It’s interesting, somebody was asking me, “Isn’t it just a delusion? In games, to fly, or have an avatar with magic powers coming out their fingers? It’s just a fantasy, it’s an illusion of power.” But what the science shows is something very similar to the placebo effect, that having this imaginative capacity, that you somehow have this power, activates in us that we feel the positive. When the placebo effect is working, people are looking for positive outcomes, and that’s what they see. I think games — hopefully they have real impact — but even if we are just tapping into the power of people’s imaginations to imagine themselves better, that seems like a really good way to go.
Well, even if you are worried about the social transformation part, getting people used to using games to do things is a first step.
Exactly. The social transformation is a 10- to 25-year project. So, in the meantime we’re building these competencies and these skills.
Back to Evoke, with twenty thousand players, thousands interested in mentoring, it sounds like there’s been a good reception.
The reception was great. That’s the thing. When people ask me, “What’s different about the gamer generation?” I say it’s a sense of wanting to rise to the occasion, a sense of heroic purpose: If there’s a heroic mission and I could be the one who’s destined to fill it, I want to do that; I want to be that person. I want to be on a journey; I want to be on an adventure, or part of an adventure. And when we reach out to people, particularly in that gamer generation, and give somebody an opportunity to do something heroic — and it’s something authentically challenging. We weren’t asking people to donate five dollars. There’s nothing challenging about that other than if you don’t have five dollars — but actually to do something, they do rise to the occasion. That’s where a lot of my optimism comes from. We’re still in very early days of trying to harness what’s amazing about games and gamers, and so there’s a lot we really haven’t figured out yet.
The thing that evokes the most skepticism in the comments on the talk is, how do you translate solutions in the game to solutions in the real world?
That’s a great question. I should really take a lot of responsibility for this misconception. I didn’t really talk about my games in the TEDTalk very much.
The great thing about these games is that you don’t have to translate the solutions in the game to solutions in the real world. The game is all about doing things in the real world. So, in World Without Oil, you’re living your life as if there were an oil shortage. You are doing the things that would be the solution; you’re changing the way you eat and cook food, you’re changing the way you get to work. In Evoke you’re going out and you’re actually starting a community garden. You’re transforming how your laptop is powered from regular electricity to solar, or your iPod is getting powered by riding on your bike. You’re actually doing stuff, and it feeds back into the game.
I’m not a fan of simulations. Where, ‘Oh, we’ll go play a simulation of world peace and figure out how to make peace’ and then somehow magically that will get translated into the real world. No, that’s not the kind of games that I make. The games that we make, if it’s going to be a game about world peace, it’s going to be a game in which people go out and actually make friends with people that they’ve had disagreements with; they’re going to go out and do something to actually make a difference.
So, it’s not about simulation, but more about attaching the things about gaming that give people this sense of accomplishment to real-world activities.
Right. Real-world activities needs to be at the core of it.
– Interview by Ben Lillie
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Business VoIP - The Smarter Way Of Communication
Communication reflects your image and in some extent helps you to increase your business clients.
Washington (I-Newswire) December 31, 2012 - To establish a business there are lots of things that matters. One of them is a good professional communication. Communication reflects your image and in some extent helps you to increase your business clients. Any business has lots of competitors in the market and you have to show yourself better among them to get success in the market.
Business VoIP is the best solution to show your professional image using this communication way. This gives you an advantage over your competitors. Using business VoIP phone system, you can conduct global conferences at very low cost or you can do business while staying at home without anyone or your clients knowing this is the case. Creating a podcast has never been the easy job but thanks to VoIP phone service. Collaborating is the next forwarded step by using this phone system. These are just a few things a business can do, there much more than this.
First thing to consider by a business is to determine whether a business VoIP is your right choice or not. For using VoIP, a high speed broadband connection is required along with the switches and the routers for those working from home or having some employees. Find out how much bandwidth is allowed by ISP and also monitor it to check whether the business comes closer to the limit. Analog telephone adaptor or SIP phones must be used to enable communication using VoIP phone system. Developed or developing businesses who can invest for this communication should definitely look forward to VoIP to gain benefits and value.
Major benefits of using business VoIP are as follows:
• Reduce communication cost by 80% on your regular phone bills.
• Reflects professional image and more appropriate communication
• Flexible in using
• Portability allows it to use while traveling
• Ability to create as many virtual numbers as required
• Single person owns an individual number using same line
• Easily manageable and recordable
• Can create digital records
• Can be used through computers, laptops, IP Phones or in mobile phones
• Advanced Features
Many businesses use business VoIP due to its portability nature as VoIP phone can also be used while you are in business tours without roaming charges. Also with the growth of the business, one can create many new numbers for their employees individually from the same line. Except this there are lots of advanced features available with the VoIP phones which are not available with the traditional landline phones.
Tags:reviews service providers customer reviews business services buyers guide VoIP service provider Business service providers free price quotes
Published On:December 31, 2012
Print Release:Print Release
If you have questions regarding information in this press release contact the company listed above. I-Newswire.com is a press release service and not the author of this press release.The information that is on or available through this site is for informational purposes only and speaks only as of the particular date or dates of that information. As some companies and PR Agencies submit their press releases once per week,month or quarter, make sure to check the official company website for accurate release dates as our site displays the I-Newswire.com press release distribution date only.We do not guarantee the accuracy or completeness of information on or available through this site, and we are not responsible for or omissions in that information or for actions taken in reliance on that information.
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Acquire Plenty Amount Of Mobile Accessories From SINOELE
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is betrayed by Judas, who was paid by Jewish chiefs to turn him
in to the Roman Guards.
being arrested, Pontius Pilot doesn't really know what to do with
his prisoner. Pilot sends Jesus to Herod for punishment, but Herod
declines to do so.
Pilot sends Jesus to be punished on the understanding that he is
not killed. However, those administering the whipping and cat-o-nine
tailing go too far, they are visibly enjoying it and laugh at his
suffering. This is all watched by the Jewish elders.
a riot, Pilot offers the crowd the opportunity to set Jesus or a
mad looking murderer, Barabbas, free. Pilot is clearly surprised
when the crowd, led again by the Jewish chiefs, call for Barabass'
is crucified, and God attacks those who attacked him. Jesus rises
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Romney still wishes policymakers had let Detroit go bankrupt.
Looking back over the last three years, there's arguably no better example of a policy Republicans got wrong than the rescue of the American auto industry.
When President Obama launched his ambitious policy in 2009, he was taking a major gamble -- not only with the backbone of American manufacturing, but with his presidency and its ability to use the power of government to repair a private industry facing collapse. As First Read noted at the time, "As the GM bailout goes, so goes the Obama presidency."
We now know the gamble paid off. Chrysler has posted its first profit in 15 years; GM is building new American facilities; and plants are operating at a capacity unseen in a long while. General Motors went from the brink of total failure to reclaiming its spot as the world's top automaker, and as the Wall Street Journal reported earlier this month, "The auto industry hasn't just turned the corner. It's starting to accelerate."
Had it not been for the Obama administration's policy, these heartening headlines would have been impossible. And yet, Mitt Romney still isn't happy.
In a new Detroit News op-ed, the former Massachusetts governor says he's glad the industry still exists, but proceeds to complain anyway about the way in which Obama rescued GM and Chrysler from an imminent collapse.
Three years ago, in the midst of an economic crisis, a newly elected President Barack Obama stepped in with a bailout for the auto industry. The indisputable good news is that Chrysler and General Motors are still in business. The equally indisputable bad news is that all the defects in President Obama's management of the American economy are evident in what he did.
Instead of doing the right thing and standing up to union bosses, Obama rewarded them.... By the spring of 2009, instead of the free market doing what it does best, we got a major taste of crony capitalism, Obama-style.
It takes a fair amount of chutzpah to face a crisis, get it wrong, then whine about the way in which the other guy got it right.
This is a subject Romney would be better off ignoring. After all, in 2009, he famously urged policymakers to "let Detroit go bankrupt." Romney was so certain Obama's policy would fail, he said Americans could "kiss the American automotive industry goodbye" if Obama's policy moved forward in 2009. Indeed, at the time, Romney called the administration's plan "tragic" and "a very sad circumstance for this country." He wrote an April 2009 piece in which he said Obama's plan "would make GM the living dead."
With the benefit of hindsight, we now know all of Romney's warnings were wrong. For him to double down today on the virtues of letting Detroit go bankrupt is just bizarre.
I'm reminded of this clip, which Democrats gleefully put together last summer.
Of particular interest is the last quote in the clip, in which a Chrysler executive responded to a Romney quote by saying, "Whoever told you that is smoking illegal material. That market had become absolutely dysfunctional in 2008 and 2009. There were attempts made by a variety of people to find strategic alliances with other car makers on a global scale and the government stepped in, as the actor of last resort. It had to do it because the consequences would have been just too large to deal with."
In other words, Romney wasn't just wrong; he was drug-addled wrong.
To be sure, the former governor wasn't the only Obama critic whose predictions now look foolish, but Romney is the one who still likes to pretend he was right.
Even the complaints themselves are strange. As Marcy Wheeler explained, Romney's "basically complaining that the bailout preserved the healthcare a bunch of 55+ year old blue collar workers were promised. He's pissed they got to keep their healthcare. He's also complaining that banks took a haircut."
I haven't talked to the White House about this, but I suspect if 2012 comes down to a debate over who was right about the auto-industry rescue, Obama likes his chances.
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Question: Are all gas logs created equal? I am thinking of converting my masonry fireplace to gas using vented logs. I understand that these logs are not that efficient and are more decorative then functional. My first question is do they give off any heat at all? We currently build a fire leave the doors open for better viewing and we get some heat. Would the gas logs radiate about like that or less? Which leads to my second question, does it make a difference if the logs are kiln fired ceramic, ceramic refractory, or refractory cement? I am confused and would like the log that would radiate the most heat into the room. Answer: You may get a small amount of heat into the room, but don't count on it. The embers of a wood fire are much hotter than a gas fire, so the radiant heat may not feel the same. The type of log construction should not make any difference. Maybe a "semi" vented log like the Monesson "Smartfire" , which provides some heat and is also vented might suit you. See if you can find a dealer for this or a similar brand.
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DUI Dismissed Due to Questionable Consent
Steve Padget gave police permission to take a blood sample from him after he was involved in, but not at fault, in a fatal accident with a motorcyclist in 2006. The blood was analyzed and the results indicated that Padget had been drinking prior to the accident and his blood alcohol content (BAC)
was almost twice the legal limit for driving, according to the Herald Tribune.
The night that the accident happened, Padget, 44, was driving to a hotel in Bradenton, Florida. He made a left turn while he was being followed by Roy Bowen, 37, who was on a motorcycle with a broken headlight and speeding. Bowen died in the crash and investigators determined that there was no way that Padget could have avoided the accident.
Although Padget was legally not at fault in the accident, the investigators asked for a blood sample because they wanted to know if he had been drinking. In Florida, police are not required to inform people that they may refuse to give a blood sample when their consent is required. If police have evidence that a person has committed a crime, consent is not necessary to collect evidence, including blood samples. In those cases the blood sample can be taken from a suspect by force if necessary.
Police did not suspect that Padget had been drinking at the time of the accident, but when the results of the blood test came back from the lab, he was arrested and charged with misdemeanor DUI. The family of the man who was killed in the accident pushed investigators to charge him with vehicular manslaughter.
Now a Manatee County judge has given Padget a huge break and ruled that the DUI charge against him must be dismissed because of a technicality. Since Padget did not cause the accident and police did not suspect that he was intoxicated, the judge found that he never should have been asked for a blood sample. Given that Padget should have never been asked to give blood, the judge decided that he did not give his consent. Therefore, without the blood alcohol content evidence that the blood test provided, there was no DUI case against Padget.
Although the police and investigators were not required to let Padget know that he could refuse the blood test, Manatee County Judge George K. Brown Jr. ruled that the Florida Highway Patrol had coerced him into providing them with a blood sample. Since Padget was not accused or even suspected of any crime at the time that the officers asked him for a blood sample, he could not be legally forced to give one. Padget was not at fault in the tragic accident, nor was he ever suspected of being at fault, so police had absolutely no reason to even ask him for the sample.
Judge Brown also found that Padget had not ever signed a Florida Highway Patrol consent form, which is standard procedure when blood is drawn. He believed that Padget felt pressured into giving the blood sample and did not willingly consent to the blood draw that was performed at the scene of the accident while Bowen lay dying nearby.
So while Padget may have gotten a lucky break in not being charged with DUI, the experience is not one to be envied. He is not likely to ever forget the fatal crash. Although he could not have prevented it from happening, given his blood alcohol content, the tables could have been turned in the blink of an eye.
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» Discovery -- UTSA Research
» Innovations -- College of Engineering
» Ovations -- College of Liberal and Fine Arts
» Spectrum -- College of Education
Internationally acclaimed author to present workshops March 1 at UTSA
(Feb. 21, 2013) -- The UTSA Teaching and Learning Center will host Thomas A. Angelo, Ph.D., an internationally acclaimed speaker and author, as this semester's featured presenter in the center's ongoing workshops for faculty.
Angelo's workshops, "Finding Out How Well Students Are Learning What We're Teaching: An Introduction to Formative Classroom Assessment" and "Seven Levers for Higher and Deeper Learning: Research-Based Guidelines and Strategies for Improving Teaching, Assessment and Learning," will be 9 a.m.-noon and 1-4 p.m. Friday, March 1 in the University Center Denman Room (2.01.28) on the Main Campus.
The workshops are free and open to faculty who register. Lunch will be provided.
Doing consulting work with more than 250 colleges worldwide, Angelo has been called an internationally renowned expert on assessment. His book, "Classroom Assessment Techniques: A Handbook for College Teachers," has sold more than 75,000 copies in print.
For more information, email Barbara Millis, director of the UTSA Teaching and Learning Center.
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A trip to Costco today brought up one of my pet peeves about our society: packaging. So many things that are sold these days come in massive amounts of packaging. For me, this not only seems a waste, but as a very lazy person it means more work for me, either dumping the rubbish, or going to the recycling center.
The biggest annoyance are plastic bags. If you've ever driven past the central Maui landfill you know what a problem throwing them out can be. I quit my Masters program in Environmental Policy and Management because I'm not enough of an environmental nut to care that much, but plastic bags seem excessively wasteful even to me.
Needless to say I was thrilled when reusable bags started popping up all over Maui. My favorites were from Star Market, because they folded up nicely:
Unfortunately the recycled material they were made wasn't exceptionally strong and the handles started ripping. So, I decided to use the bags I had as a pattern and made my own. Here's how!
What you'll need:
1/2 yard of heavy-weight fabric 60" width
1" of velcro
1 1/2 yards of 1/4" double fold bias tape*
Fold the fabric in half to cut the following:
1 Rectangle 33" x 16.5"
2 Strips 17" x 2.5"
1 Rectangle 7.5" x 11.5" (one end will be rounded off)
The handles are folded in half, right-sides together and sewn with 1/4" seam and turned right side out. I over-stitched the edge with the seam to help the handles keep their shape.
After rounding one end of the pocket as shown below, cover the edge of the pocket all the way around with the double fold bias tape (*I'll discuss an alternative at the end). Sew the velcro in place (the fuzzy side is sewn on the outside of the pocket, 2" from the top edge, the pokey side is sewn on the under side of the flap).
The rounded edge of the pocket will end up as a flap. When you sew the pocket to the bag, the bottom seam will be 8" from the top (the dashed line in the drawing), not along the curved edge. Sew the pocket to the bag 4 3/4" from the top edge of the bag and 3 3/4" from the fold that creates the bottom of the bag.
The handles are sewn at each end with each side of the handle 2 1/4" from the center. The edges of the handles will line up with the top edges of the bag. When the top is hemmed the handles will stand up.
Fold the bag in half, right sides together and sew edges together. Finish by hemming the top of the bag under by about 1". Topstitch as close as possible to the top edge of the bag to secure the handles. Finally, fold up, pressing as you go to establish the folds for future use.
*Some notes and suggestions.
Instead of using bias tape around the pocket you could line the pocket by cutting two of the pockets (there will be enough fabric in your 1/2 yard) and sewing them right sides together along the long sides and curved end and then turning right side out and folding under the top. When cutting, you'd need to add at least a 1/4 inch all around the pocket for seams.
Also, if you want you can line the bag. You'd need an additional 1/2 yard of lining fabric from which you'd cut an extra bag piece (you wouldn't need to do extra handles, and if you want to line the pocket, as above, you could do so from either the outer fabric or the lining fabric). You'd sew the two bags separately (the lining would be sewn with the right side in), and place the inner bag in the outer bag before hemming and hem the outer bag over the inner bag (the inner bag should be about 1" shorter than the outer bag).
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A proposal to create an artificial diving reef off Maria Island would remove a Tamar River eyesore and boost East Coast tourism, its proponents have claimed.
Planning consultant Chris Peterson has prepared a business plan for the Orford-Triabunna Chamber of Commerce that would purge the LD-Marine-owned Cotswold Prince of pollutants, tow it to Maria Island and scuttle it.
Mr Peterson said that such a diving attraction would bring more than $5 million into the East Coast economy in its first year of operation.
Chamber member Geoff Bull said the reef would be established by scuttling a ship south of Magistrates Bay in the 23m-deep water of Mercury Passage, 1300m offshore.
Mr Peterson and Mr Bull said their preference would be to use the Cotswold Prince because it would rid the Tamar River of the rusting hulk, moored in East Arm, at no cost to local or State Governments.
Mr Peterson said he believed the eyesore could be cleaned to a standard required by the 1985 International Convention on the Prevention of Marine Pollution by Dumping of Wastes and Other Matter for less than $180,000.
It is understood that Marine And Safety Tasmania is negotiating with the ship’s owners to ensure its removal.
"But if the Cotswold Prince is not available for any reason, we would approach the Australian Fishing Authority for a boat impounded for illegal fishing in Australian waters," Mr Peterson said.
"Six boats were apprehended for illegal fishing in 2001 alone and two have since been sunk off South Australia as dive wrecks.
"The former minesweeper Huon – or the sinking of a structure other than a ship – are other possibilities."
Mr Bull, one of the founders of the East Coast’s burgeoning wine industry, said a dive wreck like the Cotswold Prince had the potential to greatly enhance the region’s profile.
"And it would be there for dive enthusiasts with minimum maintenance for 100 years plus," he said.
Mr Peterson said the Australian recreational diving market was worth $1 billion from international divers visiting Australia and $547 million from Australian divers alone.
"The mainland has a recognised dive trail, and this project would give the East Coast the potential to establish a dive trail of its own," he said.
"The report prepared for us by marine scientist Sam Ibbott shows the proposed site to be one of the best available.
"It’s deep enough that there won’t be any navigational issues, and the site is sheltered enough that only strong westerly winds will impact on diving the Cotswold.
"The site is outside the Maria Island ferry route and any known recreational water-sport areas, and the island’s coloured cliffs will form a magnificent backdrop to the dive."
Chamber president John Barry said he believed the Tasmanian, mainland and overseas target markets could be greatly enlarged.
"And this proposal has the potential to establish a tourism icon in the Triabunna-Orford area," he said.
MAST operations manager Charles Weston said the organization would be "more than happy to help where it can" in bringing the proposal to fruition.
"That would be a fabulous way forward for the State," he said.
"This would be fully using a potential resource rather than just scrapping it, and would have great potential to boost tourism."
Source: The Examiner
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View Full Version : Herbal Teas? Can you have on Raw Diet
11-10-2008, 05:27 AM
i have a question that seems logical to me but might be silly to the raw foodists out there.
With herbal tea, is it frowned upon to have them if one is trying to follow the Raw Lifestyle as best as possible?
The thing is, doesnt the boiling water release the health benefits of tea?
I love herbal teas and think there is definately a place for them but i would love to hear what people out there think.
Thank you for your answer
11-10-2008, 06:35 AM
You're probably right but, once you put boiling water on them, they're not raw AND, we're not really sure they were raw in the first place depending on the means of drying. IF you've got enough sun, you can make sun tea; you can also just let the herbs steep for about 3 days...
Then again, if you want to drink hot herbal tea, have at it. I doubt the the raw police will come a-knockin'... maybe, um, I dunno.
11-10-2008, 06:47 AM
I am in the UK we never get Sun! :(
11-10-2008, 06:53 AM
... Move. :) <<<< see the lil sun? :D
I don't really want herbal tea too often these days, but when I want it, I have it. And even then, I will put it at the highest temp in the dehydrator rather than boiling the tea (this does bring out the flavor just as boiling it, but the taste is actually much nicer with many teas!). It's just what I currently desire.
I "went raw" about 20 months ago, and in that time I've had different phases of wanting hot tea. As long as it's caffeine free, I just go with it..
If you think about it logically, part of the reason many people say that eating raw food is ideal is because the enzymes in the food are still active and the body does not have to use its own enzymes.
Welp, I'm pretty sure that my body does not have to go into overdrive to "digest" a cup of peppermint tea!
So, the long and short of it, is that there has to be a line somewhere with what you "can have" and "can't have." And we all draw different lines with different foods (and drinks!).
11-10-2008, 08:27 AM
warm herbal chai tea with a little almond milk & agave is really good on cold days. Even with raw foods, don't you have to have warm drinks & food, I sure do.
11-10-2008, 08:35 AM
I drink herbal tea.
11-10-2008, 03:03 PM
I drink herbal tea and green tea. I ususally make the green tea in the sun and I blend with herbal tea for less caffiene. The tea will steep without the sun. You could speed the process by using warm water.
11-11-2008, 07:16 AM
If you feel like Tea, have Tea. It's YOUR Journey. IN JOY..
I believe (for my body) drinking herbal infusions are much healthier/wiser than not just because they may not be raw. I drink nettle, oatstraw, red raspberry, red clover, horsetail and alfalfa regularly-- and feel much more balanced than when I don't- especially in cold weather. One cup of nettle has as much calcium as a cup of raw milk- but they all have significant amounts of minerals- more bioavailable to the body than supplements. I sometimes will make my green smoothies with high mineral herbal infusions intead of water. I sit the infusions in the sun, and sometimes use boiling water- both seem to release the same amount of color.
Powered by vBulletin® Version 4.1.4 Copyright © 2013 vBulletin Solutions, Inc. All rights reserved.
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Veteran essayist Epstein (Envy, 2003, etc.) uses his own relationships to illustrate observations about American friendships.
The author wasn’t really sure what he thought about friendships, he admits, until he finally began writing about them. In his analysis of these “wildly complex things,” he quotes a wide range of writers and authorities, from Aristotle to F. Scott Fitzgerald (these eventually grow tiresome). He examines the meaning of the term “best friend”; he talks about ex-friends and how they got to be that way; he suggests qualities that friendships must have, such as reciprocity and loyalty; he wonders about friendships between the sexes and concludes that Freud had it wrong: There is not necessarily an erotic river flowing darkly beneath them. Epstein looks, as well, at unequal friendships, like that of Johnson and Boswell, and at relationships that exist primarily, or even exclusively, on the telephone or through e-mail. An eight-page “friendship diary” records his many (and not always illuminating) encounters with friends during a single week. He ends with a disquisition on the “art of friendship,” a segment that sometimes ventures toward the sort of self-help stuff he says he wished to avoid. He establishes a set of “rules” that includes such chestnuts as “take friends as they are.” Epstein names only a few of the folks he discusses. Saul Bellow, for example, dropped him, and Ralph Ellison, after a lovely lunch, did not reply to a couple of his overtures. There is an appealing sort of self-deprecation in much of this—at 67, Epstein knows himself pretty well—but also an off-putting abundance of self-regard.
As entertaining and illuminating as a leisurely lunch with a loquacious, literate friend.
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Most Active Stories
Syracuse gets money to revitalize old industrial zones
Syracuse will use money from a state program to take another step in the long process of redeveloping former industrial sites.
Syracuse is getting a $500,000 Brownfield Opportunity Area (BOA) grant for work on 113 acres just south of downtown and a 478 acre strip through the east side of the city.
The grant is for the development of a revitalization strategy, the second of three phases of the BOA program, according to Owen Kerney, the city's deputy director for planning and sustainability.
New York Secretary of State Cesar Perales was in Syracuse Wednesday to tour the two large zones the city is hoping to turn around.
"You can’t really encourage private investment, in fact any kind of investment, in a place where it looks devastated, where it looks polluted," says Perales. "So once we come up with a plan to clean it up, we think we’re going to be able to attract private investment."
Brownfields are lands contaminated with hazardous materials like oils and solvents, often from older industrial operations. They require environmental cleanup before new development can take place.
Phase three of the BOA program is cleaning up the sites. Syracuse is in the process of applying for that money, according to Kerney.
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RIO GRANDE — The Chemistry Department at the University of Rio Grande is preparing for a first — a graduating class of chemistry majors from a program created three years ago.
“Being part of the first graduating class didn’t mean much to me then. It does now,” Sheri Marcum, a senior said. “I really had a lot of doubt about whether or not I could do this.”
Like the experiments students must conduct in their classes, the process of creating and delivering a new major uncovered the unexpected.
“I think students underestimate the power they have to impact a program,” said Jacob White, Ph.D., associate professor of chemistry. “They’ve each contributed to the program in their own way. There is always that opportunity at Rio.”
An unexpected turn
Dr. White said when the Chemistry Department decided to offer a major, the plan was simple: sophomores use research templates; juniors meet in the middle in a “bridge” format; and seniors do original research.
The Provost’s Academic Excellence Initiative at Rio changed that plan. The grant affords student funding to work on special projects with their professors. In this case, the Chemistry Department leaders decided that the students would complete an experiment and present at the Ohio Academy of Science Annual Meeting. Nobody from the Rio Chemistry Department had ever presented at this prestigious meeting before.
“This peer review process is pretty intense,” John Means, Ph.D., assistant professor of chemistry, explained. “The students were put through the ringer.”
In order to present at the Ohio Academy of Science Annual Meeting, students must provide original research. One year ahead of schedule, the junior chemistry majors were challenged beyond their expectations and would have to deal with a change in plans.
“The students dove into the deep-end of the original research pool,” Dr. White said.
A calming force
Marcum is used to stress.
“My children are older than my classmates,” she said when talking about her age.
For years, Marcum worked as a lab technician and although she was doing higher-level work could not receive a promotion without a four-year degree.
“I like a good challenge, and if you want a good challenge, further your education,” she said.
So Marcum enrolled at Rio majoring in chemistry. At one point, Marcum worked overnight, took a nap in the morning and went to class in the middle of the day. White and Means both said Marcum’s professional experience helped guide the entire department through the research and experimentation phase of their proposals. But Marcum just saw this as another day’s work.
“In the lab, it’s feast or famine,” she said.
A thorough review
Marcum said each student created an individual presentation, but all of her classmates offered a helping hand. After a peer review, all four abstracts received an invitation to present at the Ohio Academy of Science Annual Meeting.
“Pushing yourself beyond your comfort zone and being equal to others from different universities, it was a great sense of pride that you met the challenge,” Marcum said.
Not only was this the first time anyone from the Rio Chemistry Program presented in front of this statewide audience, they had just seven weeks to prepare when other universities had the entire academic year.
“We are extremely proud of these students,” Means said. “Things changed on the fly for them and they adapted quickly.”
A bright future
Experiments don’t always go as planned and, as he looks to the future, White says his biggest challenge is trying to find a way to top last year’s success.
“It was even more of a transformative experience than we had hoped for,” he said. “We could see the students’ confidence levels increase tremendously. That’s a gratifying experience.”
So, too, will watching the four students who walked into class three years ago experience one final year together. In May 2013, they will become the first graduating class of the newly redesigned Chemistry Program at the University of Rio Grande.
“Many think chemistry is unattainable if you’re out of school for a certain time, but the main thing is you have to be willing to work hard,” Means said. “If you set your mind to it and have the desire to work hard, it’s quite attainable.”
“Furthering your education pays for itself in the long run,” Marcum agreed. “By far.”
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I’m asking because I’ve had some interesting conversations in this regard, with a colleague. How some companies (or people) make decisions based on their own sniffer. How others are very rational and go where the numbers and crowd (or mob) point.
The question isn’t just academic. When related to education I think it really has some significance.
Of course we have all the data driven, test score driven administrative tom follery. I’m not going to discuss this silly stuff. If you can’t see that emperor has no clothes, well, then dream on…..
No, I want to look at how teachers make decisions in their own classroom. Are we like Apple, generals and experts that know and with our charts, handouts, videos, textbooks – steering the ship of students? Or are we listening to students and letting them take hold of the wheel and allowing them to steer the ship?
Of course, most teachers will say that they are the later, they are googlites, they listen to their students. This is the mantra of modern education. However, me thinks this is only cosmetic. Look deeper and almost all teachers are governing their class as “experts”. We truly don’t go down to the level of students or listen to them. We all say that we “listen” and are “data informed” but when push comes to shove – I believe we teach as we were taught. We perpetuate a worn and bedraggled and very much irrelevant orthodoxy. All the while propping up and rationalizing our methods, our job, by saying we are listening to the students, we are listening to the data. However, the facts are out there for all to see. School is Kafkaesque, a nightmare we can’t wake up from.
When I’ve asked the teachers in my curriculum development courses – they’ve almost all said they do needs surveys, they ask students, make changes. But if I ask deeper questions, it gets complicated. They still keep to a regiment, they still dictate that all students use x, y and z and better get to this or that objective. They are still steering the bus and unfortunately, I think too many students are being run over by it – however good their intentions.
Even Dogme, the notion that students guide the learning and are the “material” is suspect. I’d even say, very “Apple” and “Steve Jobs”. At the end of the day, the dogme teacher is, well let’s be honest, “dogmatic” and espousing an approach. What about the students? What if they say, let’s use Touchstone? What then?
I’m just throwing this out there so we might waken Freire from his grave. Truly question the power relationship in our classrooms. Because that’s very much why the “Expert” approach reigns despite all the pretense. And that is truly why too much of education is flywheel and not enough sparkplug. People are doing it for “power” not for the sake of learning.
Something to think about – which side are you on?
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Alberta meteorite sparks battle for sacred rock
Posted: Aug 7, 2012 3:07 PM ET
Last Updated: Aug 7, 2012 10:49 PM ET
A 150-kilogram meteorite that fell to earth centuries ago is pitting First Nations people northeast of Edmonton against the Royal Alberta Museum.
To the Cree, "pahpamiyhaw asiniy," is a sacred rock containing the face of the creator, but to scientists, it's a 4.5 billion-year-old meteorite, one of the largest in Canada.
The reddish-brown pitted chunk of iron is on display at the Royal Alberta Museum in Edmonton, but descendants of the rock's finders want it back.
"It needs to be taken care of by our people once again," says Vincent Steinhauer, president of Blue Quill First Nations College in St. Paul, Alberta.The 150-kilogram meteorite is considered sacred by First Nations. (CBC)
"We'd like to repatriate the rock and welcome the rock back home where it should be," he said. "We have a way of worship. We were given that way of worship and we should be able to be allowed to do that."
The meteorite lit up the night sky hundreds of years ago, landing near where the town of Hardisty is today.
'Face of the creator'
When the aboriginal people dusted the rock, some thought they could see the face of the creator, said Steinhauer.
The meteorite was considered sacred, offering strength to those who asked.Vincent Steinhauer wants the sacred rock moved to the First Nations college in St. Paul, Alta. (CBC)
But in the 1800s, missionaries seeing the people worship the rock, moved it to a church in Lac St Anne, near Edmonton.
Steinhauer said his people saw that as a bad omen.
"The prophecy goes that if that rock was ever to disappear then we would experience famine, pestilence, diseases and basically death," he said. "Ever since that rock was taken in the late 1800s that's basically what has happened to our people."
War followed by small pox, famine
Steinhauer points to the war between the Cree and the Blackfoot which claimed hundreds of lives, only to be followed by the arrival of small pox and the end of the bison.
The meteorite was eventually moved to the University of Toronto where it remained until returning to Alberta 10 years ago.
The Royal Alberta Museum became the official caretaker in 2001, but First Nations people were keen to have their sacred rock back.
Consultations were held over where the meteorite should go, but community leaders couldn't agree, said Chris Robinson, executive director of the museum.
"The elders believed that it would be inappropriate to return it to just one First Nation because it's meant to be for all," he said.
Museum provides access, security
"Because we were unable to resolve that, the understanding was the museum would be an appropriate location for the stone's care, for its long-term stewardship, for its access, and security and to offer free admission to those who want to pay their respects to the stone."
The museum will be talking to the community once again before the museum moves to a new downtown location in the years ahead, said Robinson.
The museum is planning a special space for the meteorite in a First Nations culture gallery.
However Steinhauer wants the rock returned to his people and become part of a ceremonial lodge being built at the college.
Treaty 6 and Treaty 7 First Nations are agreed, he said, leaving only Treaty 8 chiefs to decide at a future assembly, he said.
The move can only be finalized, however, at the behest of the museum and the province's culture minister.
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How to Find Venus and a Crescent Moon Over Thanksgiving Weekend
An enhanced image of the moon taken with the NOAO Mosaic CCD camera at Kitt Peak National Observatory, and superimposed on a separate image of the sky.
While recovering from turkey and stuffing overload this Thanksgiving weekend, you might want to look for a pretty celestial sight on Saturday evening (Nov. 26).
About a half-hour after sunset, look low to the southwest sky. You'll need a view with no tall obstructions, such as buildings or trees, that might block the scene.
There, hanging just above the horizon, will be the slender sliver of a crescent moon, less than two days after it has passed new phase.
It will be only 4 percent illuminated, and in binoculars against the twilight sky, you might even obtain a glimpse of the phenomenon known as "Earthshine," which is light that has traveled from the sun to the Earth, reflected toward the moon and then back to Earth. The result is that you can dimly see the unilluminated part of the moon's disk glowing with a bluish-gray light.
And to the left of the moon and slightly above it, will be the most brilliant object in the night sky, save for the moon itself: the planet Venus. This eye-catching pair will be visible in the dusk for about 90 minutes after sunset before they too disappear beyond the southwest horizon.
During the coming days and weeks, Venus will show itself with increasing prominence and become dramatically more visible, shining brightly low in the southwestern sky soon after sunset. The interval between the time of sunset and when Venus sets will increase very respectively from about 1 1/2 hours now, to 2 1/2 hours by the end of December.
For those living at mid-northern latitudes (near +40 degrees), this dazzling planet is currently less than 15 degrees up at the time of sunset. To gauge how high this is, recall that your clenched fist held at arm's length measures roughly 10 degrees in width.
But when we get to New Year's Eve, Venus will be noticeably higher, shining at an altitude of about 23 degrees (more than "two fists" up from the horizon) at sundown.
And this is only the beginning, folks.
Admittedly a modest beginning at best right now, but ultimately this trend will evolve by early next spring into the loftiest variety of an evening apparition of Venus.
If you end up getting a telescope during the upcoming winter holidays, you'll likely be disappointed with your view of Venus; it still appears relatively small and roundish despite the allure of its dazzling naked-eye showing.
Be patient, however. The view will slowly get better in the coming months. Indeed, as far as Venus is concerned, the best is yet to come.
Joe Rao serves as an instructor and guest lecturer at New York's Hayden Planetarium. He writes about astronomy for The New York Times and other publications, and he is also an on-camera meteorologist for News 12 Westchester, N.Y.
MORE FROM SPACE.com
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Japanese culture dates as far back as 70,000 BC, but their architecture didnt start evolving until somewhere in between 300 BC and 300 ad. The first architecture of that period where small huts, nestled in the earth with thatch roofs covering them.
In the mid-sixth century ad, Buddhism came to Japan. With it, the art of pagoda building. Early pagodas where very small, but eventually they became very tall, usually around 5 stories, and brightly colored. They were usually made of wood, a plentiful local material.
In 710, when the capital of Nara was established, temple-monastery building was at its peak. The most impressive of the new temples is Todaiji, whose colossal Great Buddha, or Daibutsu, a cast bronze image more than 16 m (53 ft) high, was completed in a grand opening ceremony in 752.
Japanese houses are very unique. They prefer to have open spaces with walls that slide into place. Usually, they are donut shaped, and in the middle, there is a small garden or courtyard. Sometimes, they have creeks that run under the house and through the courtyard. Typically the roofs are turned up at the corners, and slightly longer than the handrail-less deck, which runs all the way around the house. For decorations, they place rocks under the decks, and flowers in the house.
Japanese castles are very pretty, and are somewhat rare. A very famous one is Matsumoto castle, built in 1503. It is very large and has features that represent other Japanese castles well. The upturned roofs are a good example, along with the roofs for every floor, the stone base, and the trees decorating the surrounding area.
Modern Japanese architecture is extremely contemporary. The buildings built now resemble western curtain-wall architecture. An architect who designs in this style is Kenzo Tange.
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Renowned Harvard scholar and New Yorker staff writer Jill Lepore has composed a strikingly original, ingeniously conceived, and beautifully crafted history of American ideas about life and death from before the cradle to beyond the grave.
How does life begin? What does it mean? What happens when we die? “All anyone can do is ask,” Lepore writes. “That's why any history of ideas about life and death has to be, like this book, a history of curiosity.” Lepore starts that history with the story of a seventeenth-century Englishman who had the idea that all life begins with an egg and ends it with an American who, in the 1970s, began freezing the dead. In between, life got longer, the stages of life multiplied, and matters of life and death moved from the library to the laboratory, from the humanities to the sciences. Lately, debates about life and death have determined the course of American politics. Each of these debates has a history. Investigating the surprising origins of the stuff of everyday life—from board games to breast pumps—Lepore argues that the age of discovery, Darwin, and the Space Age turned ideas about life on earth topsy-turvy. “New worlds were found,” she writes, and “old paradises were lost.” As much a meditation on the present as an excavation of the past, The Mansion of Happiness is delightful, learned, and altogether beguiling.
Jill Lepore is the David Woods Kemper '41 Professor of American History at Harvard University and a staff writer at The New Yorker. She lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
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Opportunities in derivatives exchanges in an inflationary environment
There is potential soaring demand for interest rate contracts on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME), once the Fed is forced to abandon its current zero rate policy
Many central banks around the globe had to take active and aggressive measures to protect their local financial markets and economy during the recent financial turmoil. Thus, interest rates were reduced and quantitative easing of monetary policy brought liquidity back to the market. Fiscal spending was also augmented to stimulate demand, adding more funds available to the market.
This abrupt expansion in the monetary base and government spending might ignite fears of inflation that could bring uncertainty and volatility to the market.
Exchanges that provide interest rate derivatives contracts will thrive in the aforementioned inflationary environment as market participants will need to hedge exposures.
This was the case of the Tokyo Futures Exchange (TFX) when expectations of inflation forced the Bank of Japan (BoJ) to abandon its zero rate policy that prevailed between 1995 and 2006.
Prior to Japan’s zero-rate policy, TFX experienced a 50% decline in Euroyen futures contracts as the market anticipated the BoJ’s policy making hedging redundant. It fell a further 66% once the zero-rate policy came into effect in February 1999.
Low realised inflation expectations coupled with a persistent zero rate policy rendered interest rate hedging unnecessary.
However, as soon as the BoJ abandoned the zero-rate policy, volume in Euroyen contracts quickly reached its previous peak levels. Moreover, volumes in Euroyen contracts started to increase as soon as expectations of inflation started to rise and a change in interest rate policy was apparent.
Conversely, demand for interest rate Eurodollar contracts on the CME halved before the Fed began its zero-rate policy on December 16th 2008, and could fall another 65% based on TFX’s case, if the US deflationary environment persists for several years.
The US case, however, would appear tobe somehow different from the Japanese one. The US has a much higher deficit than Japan did in those days, and decreases in current foreign funding are widening the fiscal gap. Thus, the US may see no option but to inflate its way out of recession, rendering the zero-rate policy unviable in the long term. Inflation will force the Fed at some point in time to abandon its zero rate policy and raise rates.
US money supply is currently growing at its fastest pace ever – in the last four months alone, the Fed doubled the monetary base (M0)
The Fed’s recent initiative to repurchase treasury securities and finance the stimulus package sent printing presses into overtime, fuelling inflation fears.This will ultimately force the Fed to abandon its zero-rate policy and raisethe cost of borrowing.
Recent events explain why monetary base has increased so drastically
Higher rates will boost demand for hedging, driving volumes in interest rate derivatives, just as was the case when Japan abandoned its zero-rate policy.
Graph 7: Expectation of inflation implied by the Euroyen price and volume
in ¥ million
Demand for inflation hedging will come from multiple participants around the globe that got used to a low US inflationary environment – e.g., US pension funds, where the future payouts to retirees are indexed to inflation; US endowment funds that pay for goods and services (salaries, premises, etc) that escalate with inflation; life insurance companies; consumers of commodities as the dollar weakens; and corporations around the globe with cross-border trading (as the dollar is the main trade currency of the world.)
This widespread global demand to hedge US inflation will eventually bring the volume levels of CME interest rate derivatives to levels higher than those seen before the crisis, and promising well for other exchange-traded instruments elsewhere, too.
About Bernardo Mariano
Bernardo is an analyst at ERDesk covering exchanges and trading technology firms in the cash, derivatives, energy, and FX markets in the US, Europe, Asia, and Latin America. He has also has an extensive experience structuring private deals for the acquisition of mutual exchanges. Prior to joining ERDesk Bernardo worked as a Director for Instinet and later, CEO of Reuters' Bondex. Bernardo has regularly been quoted in the media, including The Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, Traders Magazine, Brazil Economic, Traders Magazine and others. He holds an MS in Economics from The University of Illinois and a MIA in Finance from Columbia University.
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In a speech Thursday in Jerusalem to scores of university students, Obama says peace in the Middle East is necessary because it is the only true path to security. He says the only way for Israel to endure and thrive in the region as a Jewish and democratic state is through the realization of an independent and viable Palestine.
Given the frustration of the international community, the president says Israel "must reverse an undertow of isolation" to aid the process.
Obama is on his first visit to the close U.S. ally Israel as president. He spoke after a trip to the West Bank, where he met with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas (mahk-MOOD' ah-BAHS').
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"Art of the American Soldier" focuses on the duties, sacrifices, and everyday lives of troops, and covers every conflict from the World War One to Afghanistan. About 300 paintings by U.S. servicemen and women that will be unveiled to the public for the first time at Philadelphia's National Constitution Center in September.
The paintings have been selected from about 15,000 collected by the U.S. Army since the 1840s. Most have never been on public display.
Army unveils a trove of soldiers' war paintings - Entertainment - The Arts - TODAYshow.com
US soldiers' war paintings go on display for first time - Telegraph
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Open Education at MIT: Inside the Gallery of Educational Innovation
May 19, 2011
Though several institutions around the world have significant caches of OER (Open Educational Resources), few have embraced them as much as the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, or MIT. Among their many contributions to the OER world is the Office of Educational Innovation and Technology's Gallery of Educational Innovation (GoEI), which hosts open projects that aim to improve education worldwide. Here are a few of the projects you can find at the GoEI.
iLabs allows students to conduct remote experiments in fields like chemical engineering, signal processing and microelectronics. Via iLabs, experimenters use the Internet to access servers in various laboratories on the MIT campus. Those servers contain middleware that connects users with physical lab equipment they can operate from their home computers. MIT's currently working on developing iLabs into a tool that can be used worldwide.
Math CI Space
MIT's Math CI space was created jointly by mathematics and communications professors. It's an open-source tool that allows educators who teach communications-heavy math classes to share their practices, ideally developing them communally over time. It uses the popular Wordpress blogging platform in order to facilitate an ongoing conversation between interested instructors. It also archives class materials like lectures and assignments.
Speaking of math instruction, MIT's Mathlets program was developed to help students in challenging differential equations courses, which 85% of all freshmen and sophomores at MIT take. Mathlets contains applications and sample problems that allow students to connect the material they've learned in class with concrete examples. This archive of applications is used in lectures or as the basis of homework assignments.
NB PDF Annotation Tool
The NB PDF annotator is an open-source program that allows students and instructors in reading-intensive courses to share information directly through assigned texts. Those on either side of the classroom can make notes on digital documents that then appear for all to see, creating a collaborative discussion located on the text itself. The NB (or 'nota bene') tool has been especially helpful in eliciting participation from students who might not speak up in class.
Spoken Lecture / SpokenMedia
Spoken Lecture and SpokenMedia are two ways that MIT archives the content of their courses. They host full videos of campus lectures, as well as transcriptions of those lectures, thereby creating a searchable database of information. Spoken Lecture and SpokenMedia are but two aspects of MIT's massive selection of OCW (OpenCourseWare).
The Star Sciences
Finally, MIT's GoEI hosts a number of scientific applications prefaced with the word 'Star': StarBiochem, StarBiogene, StarGenetics, StarHydro and StarORF. These are pieces of open software designed to help students with common problems in various fields. For instance, StarGenetics simulates mating between two individuals in order to predict genetic traits, while StarBiochem software allows for in-depth analysis of molecules.
How are other institutions digitizing and archiving information?
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NEW YORK (Reuters) - New York City police did not have probable cause to justify mass arrests outside the 2004 Republican National Convention, lawyers for some of those detained told a U.S. judge on Thursday.
In a crowded courtroom in U.S. District Court in Manhattan, Judge Richard Sullivan heard oral arguments over cases that were filed over seven years ago and raised questions about police tactics well before the Occupy Wall Street movement.
More than 1,800 demonstrators were arrested over an eight-day period in August and September 2004 as the Republican Party met in New York to nominate George W. Bush as its candidate in the presidential election. Demonstrators marched in the streets to protest Bush's policies including the Iraq war.
The court hearing on Thursday centered on dozens of cases stemming from the mass arrests of almost 600 people at two locations in Manhattan. Almost all of those arrested filed lawsuits accusing the New York Police Department of indiscriminately and unlawfully detaining them.
"There is no way a reasonable officer could have concluded that everyone walking on that sidewalk had violated the law," New York Civil Liberties Union lawyer Christopher Dunn said.
The plaintiffs contest the so-called "group probable cause" theory advanced by New York City which holds that if a police officer believes that a group of people appears to be breaking the law in unison, they are authorized to arrest the group.
"The police made reasonable efforts to believe that the people who were placed under arrest had engaged in unlawful conduct," said New York City lawyer Peter Farrell.
The judge did not immediately rule on the motions by the plaintiffs and the City.
(Reporting by Basil Katz; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)
(This has been corrected to remove protesters from first paragraph)
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The Committee to Protect Journalists is deeply troubled by the apparently secret enactment of two new laws that threaten press freedom in the Gambia. Your Excellency signed these laws on December 28, 2004, but their promulgation was not made public until two months later, according to news reports and local sources. CPJ raised its concerns about these laws in a March 14, 2005, meeting with your ambassador to the United States, H.E. Dodou Bammy Jagne in Washington, D.C., attended by CPJ board member Clarence Page and CPJ Africa Program Coordinator Julia Crawford.
The first piece of legislation, an amendment to the Criminal Code, imposes mandatory prison sentences of six months to three years for media owners or journalists convicted of publishing defamatory or "seditious" material, without the option of a fine. The Criminal Code (Amendment) Act, 2004, also carries prison sentences of at least six months for those found guilty of publishing or broadcasting false news. In addition, the legislation allows the state to confiscate without judicial oversight any publication deemed "seditious."
The second piece of legislation is an amendment to the Gambia's Newspaper Act. The original law required all print media owners to register with the government, and to sign a statement--known as a bond--that they own enough money or assets to ensure payment of any court-imposed penalties for press offenses, including libel or sedition. The latest amendment raises this bond from 100,000 dalasis (US$3,578) to 500,000 (US$17,892). The legislation also extends this requirement to broadcast media owners and renders all existing registration null. Local journalists say that this bill will inhibit media development because the required sum is prohibitive.
Gambia's National Assembly passed the laws in December, provoking widespread protest from local and international press freedom organizations. CPJ had urged Your Excellency not to sign them.
The Gambia Press Union (GPU), which represents local journalists, says it was unable to obtain until recently the official gazette that confirms the laws' enactment despite repeated efforts.
The enactment of these laws follows a series of violent attacks against independent journalists and media outlets in the Gambia, and perpetrators have yet to be brought to justice. On the night of December 16, 2004, unidentified attackers shot dead veteran journalist and press freedom advocate Deyda Hydara while he drove home from his office in the capital, Banjul. Hydara had been an outspoken opponent of repressive media laws, including the latest amendments.
CPJ urges Your Excellency to repeal these draconian amendments to the Newspaper Act and the Criminal Code, which contravene international standards on freedom of expression and cast a further chill over the Gambia's independent press. We urge that you do all in your power to ensure that Hydara's assassins are brought to justice and that the current climate of impunity for attacks on the press is brought to an end.
Thank you for your attention to these urgent matters.
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Intel Corp.’s president Paul Otellini recently confirmed the company’s plans to bring the security and virtualization capabilities of platforms code-named LaGrande and Vanderpool in 2006, in-line with previous expectations. Both capabilities are likely to advance computers by a significant margin, as both ignite new usage models.
Lyndon, Bridge Creek, Averill – New Platforms from Intel
Adding of security and virtualization capabilities will be performed in the course of Intel’s forthcoming platform enhancements. In 2005 Intel plans to advance personal computing – now called digital home and office – platforms with dual-core
Intel usually does not indicate any core-clocks, frequencies or performance levels of its future products. Besides, Intel also did not confirm whether it plans to sell packages of its desktop components under single brand, like it does with notebook hardware branded Intel Centrino.
Vanderpool and LaGrande – Corner Stones of Next-Generation Computing
Intel has been discussing its plans to enable extended security features code-named LaGrande for years now. Previously it was anticipated that the technique was to be implemented into the currently shipping 90nm processors, such as Intel Pentium 4 “Prescott”, however, Intel officially did not confirm this during the launch of the chip.
Beside security capabilities, the Santa Clara, California-based Intel has also been planning to enable advanced parallelism for personal computers in order to increase reliability and add new usage models for end-users. Vanderpool is a hardware tech that splits system into several virtual parts that work independently and use the same resources of the PC. Servers’ central processing units and platforms are also likely to get a virtualization tech: Intel calls it Silvervale, but does not reveal any differences compared to Vanderpool.
Besides innovative Vanderpool and LaGrande technologies, Intel will also add certain features that are likely to be required by numerous professional systems – iAMT, a remote system management capability, and EM64T, 64-bit capability that enables more than 4GB of memory and boosts performance in certain applications.
Microsoft Longhorn – The Catalyst of the Next Computing Era
While all the technologies that are currently discussed are supported by hardware, the potential of revamped capabilities is only likely to be exposed when using Microsoft’s forthcoming Longhorn operating system.
Particularly Vanderpool and LaGrande, just like competing technologies from Advanced Micro Devices, Intel Corp.’s main rival, code-named Presidio and Silvervale, will require support by operating system and are unlikely to be fully functional when running on current generation of OSes.
Microsoft Longhorn is currently anticipated to blend the whole system’s feature-set, as not only processors and chipsets should support advantages like virtualization, but also graphics cards, hard disk drives, I/O controllers and other hardware is likely to require support for certain functionality to take advantage of the Longhorn.
Currently Microsoft Longhorn is expected for release during 2006 – 2007 timeframe.
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UAE. EPFL Middle East recently held the first in a series of workshops on the intelligent governance of large urban systems.
The Information and Communication Technology (ICT) workshop provided an overview of the management and governance of transportation systems across the greater Middle East region. In particular, the workshop explored the role ICTs already play and increasingly will play in urban transportation systems with specific examples from the GCC region.
Over 15 senior and high-profile participants from the across the GCC region, UAE, Portugal and Switzerland attended the workshop. They included policy-makers from the municipal and local governments, academics and private sector representatives from ICT, engineering, construction & transport companies.
The workshop's goal was to foster a community of regional experts in intelligent transport management and governance. "Further workshops of a similar format will be held in 2012 and will cover intelligent urban energy, water, and environmental systems," says Prof. Matthias Finger, the organizer of the workshops, Professor at EPFL Switzerland and Director of Executive Education at EPFL Middle East.
The participants from RTA, IBM and IBM Smart Cities, Stevens Institute of Technology, SAMTech, Technical University of Lisbon, Masdar Institute and EPFL Middle East, gathered to consider and to identify the role ICT's can play in making transportation systems more efficient and less congested.
They also explored how intelligence can be embedded into transportation systems, and looked at how ICT's can be leveraged to improve mobility. The group discussed ways in which ICT's can help improve the governance of transportation systems and analyzed how intelligent systems can be used so that users become more active participants in governance
Nikolas Geroliminis, Associated Professor from EPFL confirmed "We have been able to bring together colleagues from academia with diversity in background (Political Science, Computer Science, Civil Engineering) and location (Switzerland, Portugal, UAE), decision makers and public authorities plus ICT companies with strong reputation. The different transportation applications related to ICT were discussed under the same umbrella (Logistics, Shared transportation, Service on Demand, Traffic Management, Future Cities and so on.) The key outcomes of the workshop demonstrated that well-developed cities in the UAE that have excellent infrastructure and Smart Technologies can utilize ICT to provide better operations and less congestion, by centralizing the different sources of data (e.g. taxi data, public transport data, loop detector data). While smart traffic management strategies can decrease delays by at least 15% and keep pace with increase in travel demand without a need for more infrastructure."
Dr Franco Vigliotti, Dean of EPFL Middle East concurs and goes on to point out that "ICT will increasingly shape and enable the deployment of smart, sustainable transportation systems; from individual assisted mobility, to clustered and distributed intelligence enhancing collective flows in large urban environments. The implementation of the PRT demonstrator in Masdar City, or the metro in Dubai are great examples of the technologies available today. The workshop reflected on the new drivers that will shape tomorrow's transportation, such as those developed in the 37 laboratories of the Transportation Center of EPFL."
The two days where structured around the inputs of the participants with each participant required to make an active contribution by presenting their area of expertise and participating in discussions.
Dr Sgouris Sgouridis, Assistant Professor of Engineering Systems and Management Masdar Institute of Science and Technology attended the two day event and observed that "the EPFL ME organized workshop brought together key stakeholders on transportation ICT policy, industry and research in a unique way for the UAE. Such open exchange of ideas can lead to a coordination of approaches across the Emirates leading to a significantly more sustainable, integrated and user friendly transportation system."
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Teams from Muskegon Heights practically swept the competition at the annual Middle School Amusement Park Physics day competition at Michigan's Adventure last week.
One team from the Muskegon Heights Math & Science Academy placed first among 142 teams from 21 schools. Two other teams from the Muskegon Heights Academy tied for second place.
A team from the Muskegon Technical Academy placed third.
The 1,000 fifth- through eighth-graders competing in the physics challenge worked in teams to answer eight questions about the physics behind amusement park rides.
Students used handmade "accelerometers" to detect and measure the "g-forces." They used "altimeters" to measure angles, used trigonometry skills and solved height problems by using the length of their own pace.
The Muskegon Heights Math & Science Academy is an advanced school for highly motivated fourth- through seventh-graders housed in a wing of Muskegon Heights Public Schools' Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary School.
Other local middle schools participating in the May 14 competition were from Hesperia, Montague, Muskegon, Oakridge, Orchard View, Spring Lake and Whitehall public school districts and St. John's Lutheran School in Grand Haven. Students also came from schools in Bay City, Gaylord, Haslett, Hamilton, Manistee, Godwin Heights and Grand Rapids.
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There were two minor religious orders or congregations of this name: (1) a Benedictine congregation, more often known by the name of its chief house, Monte Vergine (2) the foundations named after St. William of Maleval.
(1) Besides Monte Vergine, St. William of Vercelli founded a considerable number of monasteries, especially in the Kingdom of Naples, including a double monastery for men and women at Guglieto (near Nusco). Celestine III confirmed the congregation by a Bull (4 Nov., 1197). In 1611 there were twenty-six larger and nineteen smaller Williamite houses. Benedict XIV confirmed new constitutions in 1741 to be added to the declarations on the Rule of St. Benedict prescribed by Clement VIII. The mother-house, the only surviving member of the congregation, was affiliated to the Cassinese Congregation of the Primitive Observance in 1879. The community at Monte Vergine retains the white colour of the habit, which is in other respects like that of the black Benedictines. There are said to have been some fifty Williamite nunneries, of which only two survived at the beginning of the eighteenth century. The habit was white with a black veil, and their rule very severe in the matter of fasting and abstinence.
(2) This second congregation was founded by Albert, companion and biographer of St. William of Maleval, and Renaldus, a physician who had settled at Maleval shortly before the saint's death, and was called the Hermits of St. William. It followed the practice of that saint, and quickly spread over Italy, Germany, France, Flanders, and Hungary. The great austerity of the rule was mitigated by Gregory IX in 1229; at the same time many of the monasteries adopted the Benedictine Rule and others that of St. Augustine. When, in 1256, Alexander IV founded the Hermits of St. Augustine many of the Williamites refused to enter the union and were permitted to exist as a separate body under the Benedictine Rule. In 1435 the order, which about this time numbered fifty-four monasteries in three provinces of Tuscany, Germany, and France, received from the Council of Basle the confirmation of its privileges. The Italian monasteries suffered during the wars in Italy. The last two French houses at Cambrai and Ypres were suppressed by the Congregation of Regulars, while in Germany the greater number came to an end at the Revolution. The chief house at Grevenbroich (founded in 1281) was united to the Cistercians in 1628; the last German house ceased to exist in 1785. The habit was similar to that of the Cistercians.
I. HEIMBUCHER, Orden u. Kongregationen, I (Paderborn, 1907), 264, Regul= a SS. P. N. Benedicti cum antiquis. . .Declarationibus Cong. Montis Virginis a Cl= emente VIII praescriptis. Novae Constitutiones. . .a SS. D.N. Benedictio XIV conf= irmatae (Rome, 1741).
II. HEIMBUCHER, Orden u. Kongregationen, II (Paderborn, 1907), 180; HELYOT, Ordres religieux, VI (Paris, 1792), 142; HENSCHEN, De ordine eremitarum S. Guglielmi in Acta SS., Feb., II, 472-84. See also WILLIAM OF MALEVAL; HERMITS OF ST. AUGUSTINE.
APA citation. (1912). Williamites. In The Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company. http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/15644b.htm
MLA citation. "Williamites." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 15. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1912. <http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/15644b.htm>.
Transcription. This article was transcribed for New Advent by Michael T. Barrett. Dedicated to the religious of the Williamite congregations.
Ecclesiastical approbation. Nihil Obstat. October 1, 1912. Remy Lafort, S.T.D., Censor. Imprimatur. +John Cardinal 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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Summarised Sachar Report on Status of Indian Muslims
Report of the Prime Minister’s High Level Committee
(headed by Justice Rajindar Sachar)
on Social, Economic and Educational Status of the
Muslim Community of India
Summarised by Dr. Syed Zafar Mahmood
The Milli Gazette
13 December 2006
While issuing notification during March 2005 the Prime Minister’s Office had noted that there is lack of authentic information about the social, economic and educational status of the Muslim community of India. The PMO had observed that such lack of information comes in the way of planning, formulating and implementing specific interventions, policies and programmes to address the issues relating to the socio-economic backwardness of this community. Hence, the Prime Minister’s High Level Committee was mandated to obtain relevant information from departments / agencies of the Central and State Governments and also conduct an intensive literature survey to identify published data, articles and research on relevant status of Muslims in India. The Committee was to find out the asset base and income levels of Muslims relative to other groups across various states and regions. It had to find out the level of socio-economic development of Muslims in terms of relevant indicators such as religious rate, drop out rate, MMR, IMR etc. What is their relative share in public and private sector employment? Is this share in proportion to their population in various states? If not, what are the hurdles? The Committee was to find the proportion of OBCs from the Muslim community in the total OBC population. Are the Muslim OBCs listed in the comprehensive list of OBCs, prepared by the National and State Backward Classes Commissions. What is the share of Muslim OBCs in the total public sector employment for OBCs. The Committtee had also to find out whether the Muslim community has adequate access to the education and health services, municipal infrastructure, bank credit and other services provided by the Government and public sector entities. This was to be compared with the access enjoyed by the other communities. What is the level of social infrastructure (schools, health centres, ICDS centres etc.) located in areas of Muslim concentration in comparison to the general level of such infrastructure. The Committee was to identify areas of intervention by the Government to address the relevant issues relating to the social, economic and educational status of the Muslim community.
2. The Report which was presented to the Prime Minister on 17 November 2006 and was tabled in Parliament on 30 November 2006 has twelve chapters. Chapter I is introductory. Chapter II talks of Public Perceptions and Perspectives gathered by the Committee during its widespread interaction with the people and their representatives while it visited 13 most Muslim populous states and organized 5 Round Table Conferences in Delhi. Chapter III deals with the population size, distribution and health conditions of Muslims etc. In the subsequent chapters the Committee has analyzed the educational condition of Muslims, their economy and employment, their access to bank credits, their access to social and physical infrastructure, their poverty level and standard of living, their participation in government employment and programmes and empirical situation of Muslim OBCs. There is a separate chapter of Wakfs talking about economic potential of Wakf assets, constraints regarding the fulfillment of Wakf objectives and suggestions for overcoming such constraints. In the last chapter the Committee has given its recommendations.
3. The Committee noted that the public opinion in India was divided on reservation. Some argued that policies that promote equality must aim at a substantive equal outcome, not merely formal equal or identical treatment. Reservations or a separate quota for Muslims in employment and educational institutions was viewed as a means to achieve this. Others felt that reservations could become a thorny issue and have negative repercussions. Still others argued that good educational facilities combined with non-discriminatory practices are adequate for Muslims to compete. Those who argued for reservation policies often differed on who should be their beneficiary. Some argued that this facility should only be available to ‘dalit’ Muslims, while others suggested that the entire Community should benefit from it. For some an economic criterion was an ideal basis for reservations. They felt that this would fail to address the problem arising out of social discrimination. There were voices that questioned the non-availability of the Schedule Caste quota for Muslims while it was available to the followers of three religions.
4. A large cross section of the people was of the conviction that political participation and representation in governance structures are essential to achieve equity. Many alleged that participation is denied to Muslims through a variety of mechanisms. While it was pointed out that many names of Muslims were missing in the voter lists of a number of states, the Committee’s attention was also drawn to the issue of Muslim concentration constituencies of Assemblies and Parliament declared as reserved for Schedule Caste persons while constituencies with very low Muslim population but high SC concentration remain unreserved. Hence, it was argued that Muslims are being systematically denied political participation. The Committee collected data from all over the country in the light of which the second allegation regarding reservation of constituencies was found to be correct. For the first allegation the Committee did not collect any data.
5. In the field of literacy the Committee found that the rate among Muslims was far below the national average. The gap between Muslims and the general average is greater in urban areas and women. 25 per cent of Muslim children in the 6-14 year age group have either never attended school or have dropped out. Expansion of educational opportunities since Independence has not led to a convergence of attainment levels between Muslims and all others. Drop out rates among Muslims are higher at the level of primary, middle and higher secondary. The Committee observed that since artisanship is a dominant activity among Muslims technical training should be provided to even those who may not have completed schooling. The disparity in graduation attainment rates is widening since 1970s between Muslims and all other categories in both urban and rural areas. In premier colleges only one out of 25 under-graduate students and one out of 50 post-graduate students is a Muslim. Unemployment rate among Muslim graduates is the highest among all socio-religious communities. Only 3% of Muslim children among the school going age go to Madarsas. There is dearth of facilities for teaching Urdu. Lower enrolment in Urdu medium schools is due to limited availability of such schools at the elementary level.
6. The Committee found that Muslim parents are not averse to mainstream education or to send their children to affordable Government schools. But the access to government schools for Muslim children is limited. There is non-availability of schools within easy reach for girls at lower levels. Absence of girls hostels and female teachers are also impeding factors. The changes in the educational patterns across the various religious groups and communities suggests that the schedule castes and schedule tribes have definitely reaped the advantages of targeted government and private action supporting their educational progress. This reflects the importance of affirmative action. The sharper focus on school education combined with more opportunities in higher education for Muslims seems desirable. Moreover, skill development initiatives for those who have not completed school education may also be particularly relevant for some sections of Muslims given their occupational structure.
7. Bidi workers, tailors and mechanics need to be provided with social safety nets and social security. The participation of Muslims in the professional and managerial cadre is low. Muslim regular workers are the most vulnerable with no written contract and social security benefits. Muslim regular workers get lower daily earnings in both public and private jobs compared to other socio-religious communities. Since a large number of Muslim workers are engaged in self-employment, skill development and credit related initiatives need to be tailored for such groups.
8. The average amount of bank loan disbursed to the Muslims is 2/3 of the amount disbursed to other minorities. In some cases it is half. The Reserve Bank of India’s efforts to extend banking and credit facilities under the Prime Minister’s 15-point programme of 1983 has mainly benefited other minorities marginalizing Muslims. Muslim community is not averse to banking and more improvements can be brought about with specific measures. Inadequate targeting and geographical planning has resulted in a failure to address the economic problems of Muslims in rural areas. Some banks have identified a number of Muslim concentration areas as negative geographical zones where bank credit and other facilities are not easily provided. Steps should be introduced to specifically direct credit to Muslims, create awareness of various credit schemes and bring transparency in reporting of information.
9. There is a clear and significant inverse association between the proportion of the Muslim population and the availability of educational infrastructure in small villages. Muslim concentration villages are not well served with pucca approach roads and local bus stops. The concentration of Muslims in states lacking infrastructural facilities implies that a large proportion of the community is without access to basic services. In both urban and rural areas, the proportion of Muslim households living in pucca houses is lower than the total population. Compared to the Muslim majority areas, the areas inhabiting fewer Muslims had better roads, sewage and drainage and water supply facilities.
10. Substantially larger proportion of the Muslim households in urban areas are in the less than Rs.500 expenditure bracket.
11. The presence of Muslims has been found to be only 3% in the IAS, 1.8% in the IFS and 4% in the IPS. The share of Muslims in employment in various departments is abysmally low at all levels. Muslim community has a representation of only 4.5% in Indian Railways while 98.7% of them are positioned at lower levels. Representation of Muslims is very low in the Universities and in Banks. In no state does the representation of Muslims in the government departments match their population share. Their share in police constables is only 6%, in health 4.4%, in transport 6.5%. There is need to ensure a significant presence of Muslims especially in those departments that have mass contact on a day to day basis or are involved in sensitive tasks. Targeted programmes are required to be put in place. The coverage of Muslims in ICDS programme is poor in most states. For the Maulana Azad Education Foundation to be effective the corpus fund needs to be increased to 1000 crores. Total allocation in the four years 2002 to 2006 for Madarsa Modernization Scheme is 106 crores. The information regarding the Scheme has not adequately percolated down. Even if the share of Muslims in elected bodies is low they and other under represented segments can be involved in the decision making process through innovative mechanisms.
12. The Presidential Order of 1950 is inconsistent with Article 14, 15, 16 and 25 of the Constitution that guarantee equality of opportunity, freedom of conscience and protect the citizens from discrimination by the State on grounds of religion, caste or creed.
Most of the variables indicate that Muslim-OBCs are significantly deprived in comparison to Hindu-OBCs. The work participation rate (WPR) shows the presence of a sharp difference between Hindu-OBCs (67%) and the Muslims. The share of Muslim-OBCs in government/ PSU jobs is much lower than Hindu-OBCs. Out of every hundred workers about eleven are Hindu-OBCs, only three are Muslim-Gen and one is a Muslim-OBC. The monthly Per Capita Expenditure of Muslims is much lower than the national average. Benefits of entitlements meant for the backward classes are yet to reach Muslim OBCs. The condition of Muslims in general is also lower than the Hindu-OBCs who have the benefit of reservations.
13. There are about 5 lakh registered Wakfs with 6 lakh acre land and Rs 6,000 crore book value. But the gross income from all these properties is only 163 crores i.e. 2.7%. The management of Wakf Boards is unsatisfactorily due to inadequate empowerment of the State Wakf Boards and Centreal Wakf Council. Encroachment of Wakf properties by the State is a common practice. The attitude of the State Governments and their agencies has resulted in large scale abrogation of the cherished objectives of the Wakfs. Fresh institutional support is essential. A number of Wakf properties have been acquired although compensation was not paid. High legislative, administrative and judicial priority should be accorded to Wakf matters in order to improve the management of about five lakh properties across India. The Chairman and Members of the State Wakf Boards can be selected from a list of eminent persons in each state. The Government should create a new cadre of officers with knowledge of Islamic law to deal with the specific affairs of the Wakfs efficiently. A National Wakf Development Corporation and State Corporations should be established. The lease period of Wakf properties may be increased up to 30 years where the property is used for education, health care and other purposes consistent with the objects of the Wakf provided the lessee is a registered society or a registered trust doing charity work. Wakf properties should be exempted from Rent Control Act and Land Acquisition Act. Wakf Tribunal should be manned by full time presiding officers appointed exclusively for Wakf purposes. The Public Premises Eviction Act should be applied to remove encroachments from Wakf properties. Failure on the part of the state and statutory bodies entrusted with safeguarding Wakf properties has caused disquiet in the Muslim community.
14. The Muslim community exhibits deficits and deprivation in practically all dimensions of development. Mechanisms to ensure equity and equality of opportunity to bring about inclusion should be such that diversity is achieved and at the same time the perception of discrimination is eliminated. Creation of a National Data Bank (NDB) where all relevant data for various Socio Religious Communities are maintained has been recommended along with an autonomous Assessment and Monitoring Authority to evaluate the extent of development benefits which accrue to different Socio Religious Communities through various programmes. An Equal Opportunity Commission should be constituted to look into the grievances of the deprived groups. A carefully conceived nomination procedure should be worked out to increase inclusiveness in governance. The Committee has recommended elimination of the anomalies with respect to reserved constituencies under the delimitation scheme. The idea of providing certain incentives to a diversity index should be explored. Incentives can be related to this index so as to ensure equal opportunities to all socio religious communities in the fields of education, governance, private employment and housing. State functionaries should be sensitive to the need to have diversity and the problems associated with social exclusion. A process of evaluating the content of the school textbooks needs to be initiated and institutionalized. The UGC should evolve a system where part of the allocation to colleges and universities is linked to the diversity in the student population. To facilitate admissions to the most backward amongst all the socio religious communities in the regular universities and autonomous colleges, alternate admission criteria need to be evolved. Providing hostel facilities at reasonable costs for students from minorities must be taken up on a priority basis. Teacher training should be compulsory ensuring in its curriculum the components which introduce the importance of diversity and plurality. The teachers should be sensitized towards the needs and aspirations of Muslims and other marginalized communities. The states should run Urdu medium schools. Work out mechanisms whereby Madarsas can be linked with a higher secondary school board so that students wanting to shift to a regular mainstream education can do so after having passed from a Madarsa. Recognition of the Madarsa degrees for eligibility in competitive examinations is desirable. The Committee recommended promoting and enhancing access to Muslims in Priority Sector Bank Advances. The real need is of policy initiatives that improve the participation and share of the Minorities, particularly Muslims in the business of regular commercial banks. The community should be represented on interview panels and Boards. The underprivileged should be helped to utilize new opportunities in its high growth phase through skill development and education. Provide financial and other support to initiatives built around occupations where Muslims are concentrated and have growth potential.
See the link below to download the full report:
Read Sachar Committee Report on
Social, Economic and Educational Status of the Muslim Community of India
(6.5 MB / PDF file)
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South of Rome–West of Ellis Island
South of Rome–West of Ellis Island
Italian American culture is southern Italian/Sicilian culture filtered through Little Italies
Anthony Tamburii wrote: “We need to take our [Italian American] culture more seriously. We simply cannot continue to engage in a series of reminiscences that lead primarily to nostalgic recall. Instead, we need to revisit our past… and reconcile it with our present.”
The “nostalgic recall” he refers to, I believe, is an attempt by post ‘Little Italy’ Italian Americans to redefine their Italian identity. It seems to me, Italian Americans are struggling to find Italianita threads; i.e. objects, people, signs, and images that represent symbols of what it means to be Italian. They are seeking the cultural threads that connect the 19th century southern Italian /Sicily peasant culture with the early 20th century urban “Little Italy” culture with the present 21st century suburban culture. Italian Americans have a profound sense of being Italian, but cannot articulate what it means to be Italian; they are not Italian nationals (nor do they what to be) and they are no long residents of “Little Italy”(nor can they be).
Below, I suggest, the biographies and work of Italian American artisans Robert Venturi and Frankie Vallie’s “The Four Seasons” brings to light one such Italianita thread that connects today’s Italian Americans with their progenitors, and may help us define our Italianess in post “Little Italy” America.
Recently I happened upon some library books by and about the architect Robert Venturi. I explored the books and frankly I was not impressed with his work. I found it to be uninspiring, uncreative – dare I say – boring. As it turns out, I’m not the only one.
The renowned architect Philip Johnson wrote about the plans Venturi (et al) submitted for the 1967 Brooklyn Housing Project competition:
“To the majority [of judges], of which I was one, [the Venturi and Rauch-Kawasaki submission] seemed a pair of very ugly buildings. We felt…that the buildings looked like the most ordinary apartment construction built all over Queens and Brooklyn since the Depression, that the placing of the blocks was ordinary and dull” (LFL ‘72 p135)
Interestingly, such lack of beauty and inspiring form in Venturi’s work was not to his mind a failure, rather a manifestation of his design philosophy. He specifically rejects ‘beauty’ as an architectural criterion. He says:
“[I] use ‘ugly and ordinary’ (boring, if you will) elements in a building like Guild House –brick, sash window, the TV antenna – to give a realistic expression of the use of the building and a meaning familiar to the inhabitants. Actually the term ‘ugly and ordinary’ derived from a derisive description of our Transportation Square office-building project in Washington, D.C., which we adopted as a positive slogan.” (interview p147)
In short, Venturi’s goal as an architect is to achieve structures that are ‘ugly’, ‘boring’ and ‘ordinary.’ Respectfully, I think a survey of his work demonstrates that he is very successful in achieving those objectives.
When I think of 20th century Italian names in architecture; names like Pietro Belluschi and Aldo Rossi come to mind. Venturi doesn’t remotely approach their creativity. Compare, for example, the brickwork on Venturi’s much discussed Guild House with that of Belluschi’s St Philip Neri Catholic Church and you will understand what Ventrui means by ‘ugly and ordinary’ verses, what I would call, a quest for eloquence and beauty. More generally, perhaps because he rejects ‘beauty’, there is nothing about Venturi’s work that conjures in me a sense of Italianita, a sense of being Italian.
If any single characteristic permeates the culture of the Italian people it’s ‘beauty’. From per-Roman mosaics to Renaissance frescos and sculpture to contemporary Milan fashions to the vegetable and flower gardens of my Italian neighbors, the 2500-year history of Italian culture is differentiate and defined, to my mind, by a single concept - ‘fa bella figura’. Even our gangsters try to “show some class.” Venturi’s explicit rejection of beauty as a characteristic of architecture made me wondered if he was Italian in name only.
However, according to Sal Primeggia, who kindly responded to an H-ItAm inquire I posted; Robert Venturi's father had migrated in 1890 from the town of Attesa, Abruzzi. His mother’s parents came from Puglia. Venturi is absolutely Italian. The apparent contradiction of a hundred percent Italian American artisan rejecting beauty was perplexing and in turn lead me to reflect on the nature of Italian American culture.
Nature and Nurture
Psychologists say an individual’s behavior, ideology and indeed total Being is the product of ‘nature’ (genetics) and ‘nurture’ (environment). While, Mr. Venturi’s ‘nature’, per his parent’s nationality, was very much Italian, his biography indicates that his ‘nurture’ was very much not Italian American.
Young Robert Venturi attended school at the Episcopal Academy in Merion, Pennsylvania. “The Episcopal Academy, founded in 1785, is a private school for grades Pre-K through 12 and has been consistently ranked as a top private school in the nation by various media outlets, including the Wall Street Journal.”
Notable alumni include:
Lionel Barrymore - 1931 Academy Award winner for Best Actor
Richard Harding Davis - Managing Director of Harper's Weekly.
R.W.B. Lewis - professor of English at Yale, and winner of the Pulitzer Prize
John C. Bell, Jr. - Pennsylvania Governor and Pennsylvania Supreme Court Chief Justice
Significantly, in the much longer list of notable alumni, Venturi is the only Italian name. Venturi then went on to graduate summa cum laude from Princeton University; again, not a school where Italian Americans are generally found. In short, his education is not what one would call the ‘nurturing’ of ‘the typical Italian American boy’.
Further, he married far removed from Italian Americana: Denise Scott Brown, a Rhodesian born Jewish woman who went to a South African university and came to America via London. An architect, she became his colleague in teaching, business and design. Also, Venturi’s professional life was not characteristic of Italian Americans. Relatively few Italian Americans get teaching positions in Ivy League Universities. Venturi taught at three Ivy League Schools: University of Pennsylvania, Yale School of Architecture, and Harvard University's Graduate School of Design.
In sum, while he was very much Italian by ‘nature’, the life (nurturing) of Robert Ventrui was not remotely similar to Italian Americans generally. In statistical parlance, if one were to randomly sample the population of Italian American males, Venturi would be a very atypical “outlier” – indeed.
“The Four Seasons”
At the same time I was reading about Venturi and wondering about the absence of Italianita and the quest for beauty in his work, I went to see the fantastic stage musical production “Jersey Boys” about the lives of Frankie Valli’s group “The Four Seasons.” WOW! If you want an example of creativity, passion, and the pursuit of beauty, one would be hard pressed to do better than those four Italian American boys from Little Italy neighborhoods in New Jersey.
Tommy Devito, the founder of the group quit high school in the 8th grade. His family was so poor during the Depression that he would steal milk. The other members of the group came from similar backgrounds. In short, the “nurturing” of the Four Seasons’ singers was very different than Robert Venturi’s, and much more typical of Italian American males through the 1950’s. In statistical parlance: if one where to randomly sample Italian American males of Devito’s generation, the nurturing experiences of Four Season’s singers would be close to the mean.
Street Corner Society
Near to the last scene of “Jersey Boys”, the Frankie Valli character, reflecting on the phenomenal success of the group, waxes nostalgic and harkens back to his singing origins “under a street light”. Immediately what came to my mind were the two great anthropological studies of Italian Americana: W. F. Whyte’s “Street Corner Society” and H.J. Gans’ “The Urban Villagers”. The lives of the four Italian American boys who created the music of The Four Seasons were quintessential examples of the Italian Americans described in those great social scientific studies. They were ‘urban villages’ whose social life centered on ‘street corners.’
In sum, the present day culture of the Italian American people is the product of the 19th century peasant culture of southern Italy and Sicily modified by the early 20th century ‘urban village’ culture of American Little Italies. I’m wondering if the architecture of Robert Venturi does not speak to me of Italianita because, unlike the Four Seasons, he was insulated from and did not absorb the historic ‘bella figura’ culture of Italy as it was filtered through American Little Italies. Given his Italian bloodline and his masterful craftsmanship, I can’t help but wonder what ‘beautiful’ things he might have designed had he gone to public school, hung out on a street corner, and studied architecture at a Community College – just a thought.
Finally, Anthony Tamburii writes: “We need to be sure that our progeny is aware of our culture.” To my mind, the most important thing we can teach our children about Italian American culture: whatever endeavors private or public, humble or grand, cultivating a fig tree or carving marble – ‘make it beautiful.’ In our efforts to redefine what it means to be Italian Americans, ‘fa bella figura’ is a very good place to begin –indeed!
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Published in Telemedicine Law Weekly, December 1st, 2007
"Vecherin et al., J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 119, 2579 (2006)], a time-dependent stochastic inversion (TDSI) was developed for the reconstruction of these fields from travel times of sound propagation between sources and receivers in a tomography array. TDSI accounts for the correlation of temperature and wind velocity fluctuations both in space and time and therefore yields more accurate reconstruction of these fields in comparison with algebraic techniques and regular stochastic...
Want to see the full article?
Welcome to NewsRx!
Learn more about a six-week, no-risk free trial of Telemedicine Law Weekly
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Christians of many stripes are scrambling to distance themselves, their religion, or their God from Republican comments about rape. The latest furor is about Washington State congressional candidate John Koster, who opposes abortion even in cases of rape and incest and added for good measure that “incest is so rare, I mean it’s so rare.” Before that, it was Indiana candidate Richard Mourdock, who said, “I think even when life begins in that horrible situation of rape, that it is something that God intended to happen” backed up by Texas senator John Cornyn insisting that “life is a gift from God.” These men share the January sentiment of Rick Santorum: “the right approach is to accept this horribly created — in the sense of rape — but nevertheless a gift in a very broken way, the gift of human life, and accept what God has given to you.”
Those Christians who see the Bible as a human, historical document have the right to distance themselves. Those who see the Bible as the unique and perfect revelation of the Divine, essentially dictated by God to the writers, do not. The fact is, the perspective that God intends rape babies and that such pregnancies should be allowed to run their course is perfectly biblical.
I am not going to argue here that the Bible teaches that life begins at conception. It doesn’t. The Bible writers had no concept of conception, and no Bible writer values the life of a fetus on par with the life of an infant or an older child. One does say that God knows us while we are developing in the womb, but another says he knows us even before. Levitical law prescribes a fine for a man who accidentally triggers a miscarriage. It is not the same as the penalty for manslaughter. Therapeutic abortion is never mentioned, nor is the status of the fetus that spontaneously aborts. Under Jewish law, a newborn isn’t circumcised and blessed until he is eight days old, having clearly survived the high mortality peri-natal period. For centuries the Catholic Church believed that “ensoulment” occurred and a fetus became a person at the time of quickening or first movement, sometime during the second trimester.
However, if we take the viewpoint of biblical literalists and treat the Good Book as if it were authored by a single perfect, unchanging Deity, then a man is on solid ground thinking that rape babies are part of God’s intentions. Consider the following Bible teachings:
The Bible never teaches that women should have a choice about sex. The Bible makes a clear distinction between forcible stranger rape and other forms of nonconsensual sex, condemning the former while sanctioning the latter in many, many circumstances. The fact that conservative Christians – or politicians who are pandering to a Conservative Christian base–keep fumbling with these distinctions is no accident. According to the commands of Yahweh, a man can give his daughters in marriage, keep concubines, have sex with his wife’s servants, or claim a desirable war captive as his own sexual property after a series of rituals to purify her. In no case, including in the New Testament, is the woman’s consent required for sexual contact.
Male female relationships in the Bible are determined by a property ethic. The punishments for rape have to do not with compassion or trauma to the woman herself but with honor, tribal purity, and a sense that a used woman is damaged goods. A woman herself may be killed for voluntarily giving up her purity. A rapist can be forced, essentially, to buy her. In the Ten Commandments, the prohibition against coveting a neighbor’s wife is part of a broader prohibition against coveting property that belongs to another man: “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor” (Exodus 20:17NIV).
God’s purpose for women in the Bible is childbearing. Martin Luther, who brought us the concept of “sola scritura” meaning Christianity based solely on the authority of the Bible, had this to say: “Women should remain at home, sit still, keep house and bear and bring up children. If a woman grows weary and, at last, dies from childbearing, it matters not. Let her die from bearing; she is there to do it.” He drew his scripturally informed opinion from the biblical record broadly but most specifically from the words of Paul’s letter to Timothy: “Women will be saved through childbearing–if they continue in faith, love and holiness with propriety” (1 Tm. 2:15).
Virtually all Bible books, like almost all Hollywood movies fail to pass the Bechdel Test (Are there two named female characters who talk with each other about anything other than men?). In the Bible, as in Hollywood, women exist largely as props in plotlines about male protagonists. Biblical plotlines are even more homogenous than Hollywood, however, in that the vast preponderance of females exist simply for the purpose of producing male offspring. It all starts with Eve, who, after she defies Yahweh and eats from the Tree of Knowledge, is punished thus:“I will make your pains in childbearing very severe; with painful labor you will give birth to children. Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you” (Gen. 3:16). After Eve’s curse, we encounter Abraham’s wife Sarah and the slave girl Hagar who Sarah sends to “lie with” her husband when she herself cannot conceive. Then come the pathetic deflowered daughters of Lot who get him drunk and have sex with him so they can fulfill their purpose. Then come the archetypal bitch sisters Rachel and Leah who compete over Jacob’s bed and pump out the twelve tribes of Israel with the help of a few mandrake roots. The New Testament leads with the story of Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist who is barren in her old age until an angel promises her the best thing that can happen to a woman. Her unborn son leaps in her womb when the pregnant Mary comes into her house, prompting one of the most repeated songs of joy in the whole Bible, the Magnificat (Luke 1:40-55). And then, of course, there is the Virgin Mary herself. They are made to do it. It is as God intended.
In the Bible, children are counted as assets belonging to men. Children, like women, in the Bible are treated primarily according to a property ethic. In the Old Testament stories of Jepthah’s daughter and the sacrifice of Isaac, scholars glimpse a residual of child sacrifice in the early Hebrew religion. This in turn leads to the New Testament notion of God giving his only begotten son as a sacrifice—all of which make sense only when we think of children as property which a father can dispose of as he pleases. When Yahweh is pleased with men he multiplies their flocks and their offspring. When he is displeased, he may kill their firstborn sons, as he does to the Egyptians in the Moses story. When Yahweh and Satan agree to play out their cosmic competition in the life of Job, Satan tests Job’s loyalty to Yahweh by taking away is riches including his livestock, children and wives, and Yahweh later replaces them with new ones.
There is no sense, ever, in the Bible, that a woman might prefer a choice about having a child; that wise parents might think about when is best to bring another child into their family or how many children they can nurture; or even less that bringing a child into the world should be an matter of thoughtful and mutual decision making. The only Bible story in which someone declines to produce a child is the one about Onan refusing to father a son for his deceased brother. He spills his seed on the ground instead, and God kills him for it. Whether the widow wanted the seed inside her plays no part in the account whatsoever.
The Bible is loaded with divinely sanctioned rape babies. The Bible both depicts and scriptsa world in which women have no choice about who they are given to. Daughters can be given in marriage or sold outright, slaves can be sent by their mistresses to bear proxy babies, virgin war captives can be claimed as wives, widows can be forced to submit to humping by their brothers-in-law until they produce sons. Presumably any of these women can be laid at any time, at a man’s discretion, much as is the case in parts of Afghanistan or analogous Iron Age tribal cultures today. In such a world, a significant portion of babies conceived will be the product of non-consensual sex. In other words, rape.
Christians who like to retroactively sanitize the Biblical record because they insist that it is the literally perfect word of God often sanitize it quite literally. They want to think of these women as willing participants in sexual unions with benevolent, high status patriarchs. What slave girl wouldn’t want one? In reality we are talking about forced sex with primitive desert tribesmen whose cleansing rituals mostly focused on their hands and feet rather than their genitals, armpits or teeth. Airbrushing the Bible to the point that it doesn’t condone rape requires that we deny much of what we know about human history and biology.
If we are ever going to move on from Iron Age conflicts, it is imperative that people understand the Bible in its own context, not as a literally perfect prescription for how we should live today but as a record of our very imperfect ancestors struggling to live in community with each other, instinctively seeking patterns that worked within a given ecological and technological context to create a stable, functional society in which men, women, and children could thrive.
As we now know, many traditional gender scripts and sexual rules once served to ensure that men could invest their energy in their own genetic offspring. The saying, “mama’s baby, papa’s maybe” reflects the reality that humans are only partially monogamous, that both men and women have reason to cheat, and that at the level of evolutionary biology males gain advantage if they can control the sexual behavior of females in whose offspring they will then invest their time and energy. The Abrahamic virginity code, which evolved before the time of contraception and paternity tests, ensured a greater degree of confidence that men were in fact raising their own children. A woman who bled on her wedding night was unlikely to be carrying another man’s sperm or fetus or to have formed an emotional bond that would result in an ongoing extramarital liaison. By increasing male confidence that the offspring of their wives were their own, the virginity code may have increased the investment of men in pregnant women and dependent children, helping both to survive in a harsh desert environment where producing food was hard work.
The harshness of this environment and human frailty within it probably contributed to another aspect of the Mourdock mentality that so plagues many Abrahamic adherents. From the time we humans have first been able to understand our plight as suffering, mortal creatures we have struggled to transcend it. But much of life’s hardship cannot be transcended; it must simply be endured. In the time before modern science this was even more true than it is today. Consequently all of the world’s great religions cultivate acceptance or resignation as a virtue. Islam literally means submission. Buddhism centers itself on the absence of desire, on “living into” what is. Christianity teaches that God’s actions are not for us to question. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not unto your own understanding.” “The Lord works in mysterious ways.” Submit, accept, don’t question. In all cases, submission has a hierarchy: men are to submit themselves to the will of God or to the divine flow; women are to submit both to the will of God and to the will of men.
In a world where what’s done is done, accepting a rape pregnancy and falling in love with the resulting child is an unmitigated good. Seeing all pregnancy as God-intended and all childbirth as a blessing from a loving heavenly father helps to make this possible. But we live in a world where we have far more knowledge and choices than did our Iron Age ancestors. And with knowledge and choices comes responsibility. We now have the ability to stop a rape from developing into a pregnancy or an early pregnancy from developing into a person. Consequently, we also have a responsibility in this situation to activate such moral virtues ascompassion, forethought, discernment, and, where appropriate, action—just as our ancestors had a moral responsibility to employ these same virtues in situations where they were equally empowered. As the popular Serenity Prayer reminds us, what we should do depends in part on what we can do: Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference. As conditions change, our responsibilities change. The kind of resignation or submission that once enabled women and children to flourish may now be a barrier to flourishing; a virtue applied wrongly, out of time, can become a vice.
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Texturing in Photoshop
After unwrapping all the objects, I had to get the UVs into Photoshop. Because I was working with 3Dsmax 7 which doesn't support exporting the UVW template, I had to either use the texporter plug-in or just take the screenshot of the Edit UVW dialog with the print screen button. I decided for the less accurate but faster and easier PrtScr button method. So I had to resize the saved screenshot in Photoshop to the size of the base texture which usually meant a decrease in quality of the UVW screenshot image. But that didn't bother me as you can always adjust the UVs later on in max if the finished texture doesn't match perfectly.
The two most important objects in the scene that required most attention in terms of texturing were the walls and the floor. These two objects had the most impact on the general feel of the room. I wanted to create a nice and cozy atmosphere, so I chose mostly warm colors, orange for the walls and brown for the floor. I actually had the most problems with the floor texture and had to change it a couple of times, before I got it right. Eventually I got a fence texture made out of wooden boards and cut out the most straight boards (about 6 or 7 different ones) and multiplied them according to the UVW map, then painted some differences on each of them just to get rid of the repetition. On a new layer I filled some areas brown with the help of the paint bucket tool (playing with the tolerance option) and the option "Fill all layers" turned on (thanks to Jure Zagoričnik for that great tip). That way I got a nice layer of plaster and set it to 70 % opacity.
Picture 4: Wooden floor texture
The wall texture was a little easier and I made it a lot faster, although it consists of several layers and masks in PS. The scheme below tries to explain the basic steps of the process of creating it in Photoshop.
Picture 5: Process of making the walls texture
Picture 6: Final diffuse and bump maps for the walls
Texturing and Shaders
It is important that you know what you want to achieve, when it comes to textures and materials.
I will start with the wooden floor texture, because I think its creation best describes the basic principles I used at creating other textures for this scene as well.
The trick was to get the part of the floor where the plaster is a lot more reflective than the washed out part. To achieve that effect, I used the reflection map and also the reflection glossiness map. The reflection or specular map is used to define the area where the material reflects more and where it reflects less or doesn't reflect at all. The reflection glossiness map defines the areas where the reflection is more or less glossy and adds a lot to the realism. Both mentioned maps use the same color range as the bump map, from black to white. By the specular map, white means 100 % reflective and black means no reflection at all. Similar goes for the reflection glossiness map, but for the glossiness of the reflection of course. You may notice that at the wooden floor material the specular and reflection map are the same - this is because I wanted the parts that reflect less to also have less glossy reflections.
Picture 7: The floor shader and maps
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The Capacity to Care
Gender and Ethical Subjectivity
Series Editor: Jane Ussher
Published October 5th 2006 by Routledge – 168 pages
Series: Women and Psychology
Wendy Hollway explores a subject that is largely absent from the topical literature on care. Humans are not born with a capacity to care, and this volume explores how this capacity is achieved through the experiences of primary care, gender development and later, parenting.
In this book, the author addresses the assumption that the capacity to care is innate. She argues that key processes in the early development of babies and young children create the capability for individuals to care, with a focus on the role of intersubjective experience and parent-child relations. The Capacity to Care also explores the controversial belief that women are better at caring than men and questions whether this is likely to change with contemporary shifts in parenting and gender relations. Similarly, the sensitive domain of the quality of care and how to consider whether care has broken down are also debated, alongside a consideration of what constitutes a ‘good enough’ family.
The Capacity to Care provides a unique theorization of the nature of selfhood, drawing on developmental and object relations psychoanalysis, as well as philosophical and feminist literatures. It will be of relevance to social scientists studying gender development, gender relations and the family as well as those interested in the ethics of care debate.
'This book is significant for its scholarly exploration of psychological aspects of caring and compassion, marking an important development in the field.' - Dr Ann Weatherall, Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand
'Building on her ground-breaking earlier work on gender, subjectivity and method, Wendy Hollway's new book makes an exciting intervention in recent debates about care. It is a wonderful example of how psychoanalytic perspectives can transform social scientific, feminist and public understandings.' – Sasha Roseneil, University of Leeds, UK
'Wendy Hollway, one of the foremost psycho-social thinkers of our time, weaves psychic and social reality together in a fascinating account of the development and vicissitudes of the capacity to care.' - Lynne Layton, Harvard Medical School, USA
'The Capacity to Care provides a thought-provoking and complex analysis of a subject both long neglected and oversimplified. Hollway creates an urgency to take this topic seriously.' - Leanne R. Parker, PsycCRITIQUES
Chapter 1. Introducing the Capacity to Care. Approaches to Care. In Search of Subjectivity in the Literature. Meeting Needs, Attentiveness and Compassion. Psycho-Social Subjectivity in Care. Outline of the Book. Chapter 2. Care, Ethics and Relational Subjectivity. The Model of Self Behind the Ethic of Care. Women's Care as Mothers. Separation. Boys' and Girls' Oedipal Conflict. Reasoning, Thinking, Omnipotence and Care. Conclusions. Chapter 3. Intersubjectivity In Self Development. Infants Don't Care. An Early Gesture of Care. Three Modes of Organising Experiences. Intersubjectivity and the Learning of Care. Needing an Adult to Care for the Self to Develop. Beyond the Dyad in Developing the Capacity to Care. Conclusions. Chapter 4. Maternal Subjectivity and The Capacity to Care. The Uniqueness of Maternal Subjectivity. The Impact of Infantile Demands. The Infant in Adult Subjectivity. Images of the Maternal. Maternal Development. Being a Maternal Subject in One's Own Right. Conclusions. Chapter 5. The Gender of Parenting, The Gender of Care. The Shift to 'Parenting'. A Psycho-social Approach. Developmental Challenges to a Young Boy's Capacity to Care. Beyond the Parent-Child Dyad. Different Bodies and Their Significance. Identificatory Love. Fathers' Difference. Conclusions. Chapter 6. Difference, Ethics and The Capacity To Care. Does Difference Have to Mean Othering? Ethics, Self and Relationship. Identification and Difference. Individuality, Individualization and Friendship. Self Care and Other Care. Institutional Care. Distance, Othering and Care. Conclusions. Chapter 7. Conclusions. Self, Morality and Acquiring the Capacity to Care. Families, Good Enough Parenting and Changing Gender Relations. The Capacity to Care and Ethical Subjectivity. Caring Across Distance and Difference. The Capacity to Care and Why it Matters.
Wendy Hollway is a Professor in Psychology at the Open University. She has worked in several social science disciplines and has pursued a critical psychology perspective in many areas. She is especially interested in the development of subjectivity and the use of psychoanalysis in qualitative methodology.
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How will the next president deal with the terrorist crisis of 2010-11? No, not those terrorists. I mean the domestic extremists who, history suggests, are due for a resurgence.
Forecasting a wave of political extremism might sound like apocalyptic prophecy, but it has a sound basis in American political history. In November, it is possible that a liberal Democratic administration will be elected to replace the long-established conservative Republican leadership. Such a transition has occurred three times in the past 80 years, in 1932, 1960 and 1992. (For various reasons, the defeat of Gerald Ford in 1976 does not fit the model.) In each period, within two to three years, the nation had a frightening upsurge of radical right-wing, paramilitary movements.
In each case, these angry movements spun off terrorist cells that plotted assassinations and bombings. Significantly, these upsurges only characterize the shift from conservative to liberal administrations. Paramilitaries remain few in number and marginal under GOP administrations.
After Franklin D. Roosevelt took office in 1933, an array of far-right movements borrowed the styles and imagery of European fascism. The most influential group was the Silver Shirts, which mixed violent anti-Semitism with New Age-style occultism. By the end of the decade, the pro-Nazi Christian Front was arming for a coup d'etat in which it planned to assassinate New Deal politicians, bomb East Coast cities and massacre Jews.
Paramilitary movements again flourished after the election of John F. Kennedy, when the far right was convinced that the administration was under thorough communist influence and some militants formed an armed insurgent movement that pledged to overthrow a Red federal regime. These militants, who adopted the historic name "Minutemen," built up arsenals on a terrifying scale, and their propaganda sheets listed politicians whose heads were "in the cross-hairs" of a sniper's rifle. Some Minutemen funded their operations by bank robberies, others allied with a booming Ku Klux Klan that boasted tens of thousands of active members.
If these older movements never succeeded in putting their most extreme plans into action, the militia movement of the Clinton years left a stronger mark. By 1994, an estimated quarter of a million Americans were affiliated with "patriot" militias that armed and trained to resist a left-liberal "new world order." As before, some activists drifted into dangerous extremism. Some linked up with racist and anti-Jewish movements. When terrorists struck the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City in 1995, no doubt remained as to just how perilous such links could be. Some fanatics had even further-reaching ambitions, seeking to obtain biological weapons. "The Turner Diaries," the novel that became the era's manual of the ultra-right, ends with the hero piloting a nuclear-armed suicide flight against the Pentagon.
It's not mysterious historical cycles but perceived dangers, and government responses, that explain these recurrent upsurges of extremism. Over the last century, conservative administrations have presented themselves as standing firm against external threats. Incoming liberal governments may believe that such threats are exaggerated, or at least choose to focus on domestic priorities.
In the 1930s, as in the 1960s and 1990s, conservative critiques painted liberal administrations as not just naive or weak but actively treacherous, plotting to sell out the country to its enemies. Facing such a threat -- however imaginary -- radicals resorted to the age-old American tradition of taking up arms to resist tyranny. Witness the very name of the Minutemen.
Could it happen again? Imagine a scenario in which a Democratic administration withdrew from Iraq, and conservatives denounced the betrayal of sacrifices made by the armed forces. Then consider all the personnel who have cycled through private security firms in Iraq and elsewhere, whose knowledge of military organization and weaponry could make them an effective nucleus of a new militia movement. If a disintegrating economy were fueling popular fear and unrest, the elements would be in place.
Those are a lot of ifs. But anti-government activism may be less worrisome than the means that could be used to combat it. Democratic administrations repeatedly used the paramilitary threat to justify the expansion of law enforcement powers. And today, the government's long experience of intrusive surveillance powers and questionable interrogation techniques could easily be turned against domestic as well as foreign enemies. Who is prepared to criticize official excesses during a terrorism panic?
History may or may not repeat itself following the 2008 election. But we should not be surprised when debates over terrorism and civil liberties start, quite literally, to come home.
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http://articles.latimes.com/2008/mar/10/opinion/oe-jenkins10
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Corn is the most important agricultural crop in the New World. However, its amazing rise – from a common weed, to staple food and cultural icon of Native Americans, to modern hybrid cultivar, to versatile and ubiquitous component of processed food, to precursor of clothing and motor fuels, to pharmaceutical factory – is little known to students or the general public. Weed to Wonder tells the story of how human ingenuity transformed a common Mexican weed (teosinte) into a modern food wonder (maize).
The sequencing of the maize genome is a landmark in the history of plant biology and the largest single commitment to plant research in the history of the National Science Foundation. To commemorate the publication of the maize sequence we developed an interactive “e-book” that can be viewed as a website, an app, or a printable PDF.
Weed to Wonder shows the continuity of research on corn – from Native American agriculturalists to agricultural breeders, corn geneticists, plant physiologists, and molecular biologists – that culminated in the Maize Genome Sequencing Project. The interactive e-book uses over 150 animations, photographs, illustrations, interviews, and a time-lapse video to tell the story of the development of maize, from domestication, hybrid vigor, genome sequencing, and transposons, to genetic modification and biofortification of modern maize. The e-book revolves around footage from Mexico, interviews with prominent scientists, and animations of different approaches to sequencing the maize genome. The history of maize research is brought to life through reconstructions of George Shull and Barbara McClintock’s work at Cold Spring Harbor, rare photographs, and links to original publications and artifacts. The e-book also includes a time-lapse video of growing maize plants – from germination, through growth spurts, to pollination, senescence, and harvest.
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http://dnalc.org/websites/w2w.html
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This is a very simple program. It will print text to the screen, and then exit.
put "Hello, world!"
Pretty simple, eh? As you probably deduced,
put prints text. For now, we'll be using it to output to the screen.
Next, we'll learn how to gather input from the user using
get. We'll also declare two variables, name and age. The program will get the user's name and age, and repeat it back to them.
var name : string %A string is text var age : nat %Natural number put "What is your name?" get name put "" put "How old are you?" get age put "Hello, ", name, " you are ", age, " years old!"
First, we have to declare two variables. Turing lets you declare variables anywhere in the program, but it's usually a good idea to declare them at the top.
Now why was age a natural number? Why not an integer? Well, in Turing, natural numbers are all positive integers, including zero (0,1,2,3...). Integers, however, include negative numbers as well as positive numbers. The user's age shouldn't be a negative number, so it doesn't need to be an integer.
Second, did you notice the
% followed by some text? Those are called comments. They start at the percent-sign and continue until the end of the line. They are meant to be messages to you, the programmer, about your program. Turing doesn't care about them. They have no meaning except to the person reading the code, of which they may well be of great importance. It is important that you use meaningful comments. When you come back eight weeks later, or someone else reads your code, you may have no idea what that code you wrote meant.
After we have two variables set up, we proceed to ask the user their name...they have to know what to enter!
Then we say
get name. This means, "Let the user type in a string, and store it under the variable
name for later use. Same for age.
Finally, we regurgitate the information back to the user. Make sure you put spaces before closing the quotation marks, or else there won't be any spaces before and after their name and age!
One last thing: Turing uses token-oriented input. This means that when the user inputs a space, it is treated the same as a line break. But we don't want this in our program, because what if the user enters their first and last name? Therefore, we tell turing "only get the next variable when they press enter."
To do this, replace
get name with
get name : *
Last modified on 1 November 2010, at 14:47
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http://en.m.wikibooks.org/wiki/Turing/Hello_world
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en
| 0.947864
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What does prosperity look like? Many think in order to be truly prosperous, one needs a huge yard, mansion, and all the gold and diamond baubles that go with it, but that is not the only definition of prosperity.
The dictionary definition of prosperity is a state of health, happiness, and prospering.
That does not have to be on a large scale. There are many little gifts that can come your way in life to give you a general sense of well being that is prosperity.
One way to watch prosperity in action is to keep note of every bit of money that comes into your life and goes out of your life.
Of course you will have bills and other regular expenses on the going out column, and your paycheck and other expected monies on the coming in column. But before you think you’re done filling out the list, there are a lot of little gifts of prosperity you are likely not thinking of putting on the coming in column that should be there.
Did someone purchase lunch for you during the workweek? What was the savings to you? While they may not have handed you cash, that is money coming in to you, in the form of money you did not have to spend. That goes in the coming in column.
Were you looking to make a purchase, and found the item on sale? What was the savings? That is money that you were expecting to spend, but didn’t, so it should go on the money coming in column.
How about a refund from your tax returns that you were not expecting? Yet another little gift of prosperity.
While many people don’t consider these things a portion of their path to prosperity, all these little gifts of prosperity are pieces of a steady good fortune or financial security that is part of what prosperity is. By making a list of the small gifts that come in, you will see prosperity in action. That realization that things are happening will open you up to even more channels where small, and even large, gifts of prosperity may be waiting.
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http://richswitch.com/youre_surrounde
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Are you aware that the City of Ottawa may be planning to cut down hundreds of ash trees on your street, in your neighbourhood and in your parks, as is happening in other areas of the city?
Residents and community associations need to ask some hard questions about the City of Ottawa’s Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) Management Program. Why are trees being cut down when there is an alternative and why hasn’t the public been consulted about impacts, costs and alternatives?
EAB will not be eliminated through widespread ash tree removal. It hasn’t worked anywhere else in Ontario or theUnited States and it is clearly not working in Ottawa either. So what is behind the City’s determination to cut down thousands of ash trees? Tender documents just released by the City, showing it is seeking bidders to buy the wood for commercial purposes, should raise an alarm in the community.
Urge your Councillor to hold a meeting as soon as possible to review the City’s plan to remove trees in your Ward and to discuss alternatives for saving these trees.
The Immeasurable Value of Trees: Trees, particularly those in an urban setting, are a critical asset vital to the whole community. Whether beautifying our streets, shading our parks or enhancing our property, trees improve air quality and health, save us energy costs, add to the enjoyment of our home and increase the resale value of our property as well as the desirability of our neighbourhood. Trees add to the beauty, liveability and image of a city.
Given trees importance to all of us, why hasn’t the City made it a priority to consult with the community in developing a plan to save as many of our Ash trees, affected by emerald ash borer, as possible?
First observed in Ottawa in the summer of 2008, this insect presents a serious threat to 25 per cent of the city’s forest cover located on both public and private properties. It has already spread across this city, with hundreds of trees cut down and many more slated to be taken down by the city. If removing trees was first thought to prevent the spread of the disease, it clearly isn’t working. We need a better plan.
The Alternative to Tree Removal: Oakville Ontario launched an aggressive program in 2010 to save its Ash trees by treating them with Treeazin rather than cut them down. The treatment which costs $160 to $190 per tree and is good for two years is far less than the City of Ottawa is paying to remove and dispose of a tree, estimated to be anywhere from $1,200 to $1,800. Oakville’s best practices approach is outlined at: http://www.bioforest.ca/index.cfm?fuseaction=content&menuid=33&pageid=1063 These short videos are a must see.
Oakville identified early on that the most important element of the success of its EAB management project was its Communication Program and the input and participation of residents, something that is sadly lacking in Ottawa.
Cost to Ottawa Taxpayers: We have yet to learn what the overall cost of this program is to Ottawataxpayers but it will be very substantial considering that the cost of removing trees is significantly more than treating them. Furthermore, when you consider that it takes a tree almost 40 years to mature and you add the loss of the environmental and aesthetic services this tree would have provided to the community, it becomes painfully obvious that there must be a better way.
Disposal of Trees: Residents are expressing concern about the disposal of infected wood. Where is it going and how is it being treated to ensure that it does not increase the spread of EAB?
Negative Impact on Wildlife: The removal of trees, particularly during the spring birthing season, is having a very harmful impact on birds and mammals. Why have wildlife organizations not been consulted? When will the City of Ottawa finally release the long overdue Wildlife Strategy draft to the Wildlife Strategy Working Group as promised by Mayor Jim Watson?
Lack of Community Consultation: EAB surfaced in Ottawa in 2008; a presentation by staff to the City’s Environment Committee on October 18, 2011 identified a detailed Communications Plan that included Workshops, Educational Materials, Community Outreach and Stakeholder Awareness. None of this has taken place. Instead, the City has scheduled only two public information sessions and this is only occurring after hundreds of trees have already been cut down. These are not consultations in that they don’t provide a forum for open dialogue or for questions and answers to be heard by all. It is not, therefore, surprising that few people attended the first session.
Now is the time to speak out before more of our valuable trees are destroyed.
Ottawa Councillor Contact Information:
Ward Maps: http://www.ottawa.ca/cs/groups/content/@webottawa/documents/pdf/mdaw/mta1/~edisp/cap106603.pdf
Ottawa-Carleton Wildlife Centre
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<urn:uuid:dfd65ec6-981c-4134-97fe-8ab3ead943ae>
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http://www.southmarchhighlands.ca/featured/stop-the-unwarranted-destruction-of-ash-trees-in-ottawa/
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en
| 0.956491
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April 09, 2006
Research: Schizophrenia chemical flaw clue
The BBC news reports that a research team out of the UK's Institute of Psychiatry (IoP) carried out hi-tech brain scans and have reported that a failure in the chemical messaging system in the brain has been identified in people with schizophrenia.
The BBC reports that:
The IoP researchers, working with colleagues from University College London, used a scanning technique called single photon emission tomography (SPET).
They compared brains in 13 healthy people with five people with untreated schizophrenia and another 16 who were on medication for the condition.
When the communication system in the brain works properly, neurons talk to each other by sending out branches.
These branches connect at a junction where the chemical glutamate acts as a key to unlock a barrier - a chemical called NDMA receptor - and allow the message through.
A failure in this system leads to poor connections between areas of the brain that need to talk to each other. ...
The study showed people with schizophrenia had fewer successful "dockings" in the left hippocampus area in the brain - an area known to be involved in learning, perception and memory - than healthy people.
Read the full story
Posted by szadmin at April 9, 2006 08:20 PM
More Information on Schizophrenia Biology
Posted by: CopperKettle at April 10, 2006 08:09 AM
The idea that schizophrenia is 'much more than a brain disease' and birth trauma and poverty to be factors, is opinion and nothing more. This is often suggested on the same grounds that any disease is suggested to be 'multifactorial': because the rates of inheritance do not follow mendelian genetic pattersn. That is not proof that it is caused by poverty or birth trauma. When identical twins raised in separate homes get the illness at a startlingly similar rate, and when so much other research does not validate the idea that poverty and birth trauma are causal, it must remain an opinion and an opinion alone, until amply proven otherwise. Schizophrenics may be poor because the illness interferes with vocational training and schooling, not because poverty causes it - studies have even shown 'social drift' downward occurs in the schizophrenic person's generation, not before (the parents are usually in a different economic class than their adult schizophrenic child). Schizophrenics are not found in all studies to have more birth trauma, and I know plenty of people who had no obstetric problems and have this illness. To loudly say that this disease is caused by poverty and 'other factors' when the cause is still unknown - is irresponsible as well as dangerous...having been told this, a friend of mine decided to kill his father. How would that have turned out if he had been told, 'it's an illness, and we don't know the cause - but that doesn't matter to us, we love you all the same'. This focusing on the cause and claiming to know what causes it is irresponsible. We do NOT know what causes it.
Posted by: slc at April 10, 2006 09:23 AM
is there a place were we could read more about this research? This sounds very promissing. Is this the first time that SPET method was used to investigate causes of scz?
Posted by: kattie at April 11, 2006 11:51 PM
keep researching.i agree very intresting.
Posted by: becky at April 14, 2006 11:45 AM
Post a comment
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<urn:uuid:96dcd5cf-8f9e-4464-9459-c5ce5ab5c11a>
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http://www.schizophrenia.com/sznews/archives/003263.html
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On June 7th, 2012, Panama deposited its accession to the Patent Cooperation Treaty. The country will officially become the 146th PCT member state as of September 7th, 2012. Congratulations to Panama!
The Patent Cooperation Treaty was signed in 1970 and has since been amended and modified to best serve patent applicants across the globe. It creates several advantages to patent offices and the general public as well. The following is a shortlist of the major benefits the PCT offers:
- Delays (by up to 18 months) the need to make a firm decision on which countries to enter
- Reduces administrative burden on global filing offices by providing an international search report and written opinion
- Cost savings: it can be cheaper than direct filing for multiple countries
- Creates a more efficient and streamlined process for the world’s corporations, universities, and research institutes who are seeking international patent protection
Want more information on the PCT process? Download our e-kit, a handy how-to guide for those looking to pursue international patent protection. And for the most up-to-date information on foreign patent filing, be sure to subscribe to our blog!
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<urn:uuid:d6359423-d1d2-4aab-930f-7b0645f3f4fa>
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http://info.inovia.com/2012/06/panama-accedes-to-patent-cooperation-treaty/
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Why do engineering students love pieing for local charity and how did it get started in the first place? Pieing became popular in slapstick comedies where one can easily see the humour in pie fights: the absurdity of a harmless and delicious food being used, the victim' surprise, humiliation and the mess. People just love seeing other people being embarrassed. Also, a pieing is easy to clean up and far from disastrous, as long as one has a spare towel. How popular was the pieing gag with audiences? Over 3,000 pies were used in a 1927 Laurel & Hardy short film, The Battle of the Century. Several comedians and cartoon characters like Charlie Chaplin, Monty Python and Bugs Bunny counted pieing amongst their comedic tricks. Clowns still use them at circuses. People love seeing others pied, as long as they're not the victims.
Embarrassment and humiliation allowed pieing to move from comedy to political act. Several controversial politicians, celebrities and CEOs have been pied in the past, as Bill Gates, Jean Chretien and Ralph Klein can testify. Some critics feel pieing is only a silly stunt that hurts the credibility of protesters and their movement. For example when the British media focused on a protester pieing Britain's business minister, Lord Peter Mandelson last week, they covered the act instead of the protests against the expansion of Heathrow airport. Some victims don't have a sense of humour, like Stephane Dion, who pressed charges against two pie throwers in May 1999. But pieing can be important for getting attention: how many politicians actually read letters from their constituencies or even pay attention to causes on Facebook or other social networks? What about companies that ignore laws and governments like Microsoft? Environmental protesters argue that only drastic actions can draw attention to a problem like global warming, which otherwise gets ignored by politicians and corporations. Successes have been mixed so far regarding pieing, but it's an easy way to grab attention. All you have to do is buy or bake a pie.
Considering its slapstick and political effects, pieing can be useful to raise a charity's profile. Like the crazy engineering students on the University of Calgary campus, who pie other students and professors to raise money for the Calgary Urban Project Society. CUPS is a Christian organization which helps people move away from poverty by giving them healthcare and education and helping applicants find stable housing. Being pied directly helps fight homelessness. PI week can be controversial on campus, however, with some professors and students getting upset about disrupted classes. But they can get the pies redirected and the pie squads wait until the end of class. The pieing also helps combat student apathy: it's the only tradition that unifies people on a notorious apathetic campus apart from Bermuda Shorts Day. In the end, even if pieing is considered assault in some cases, it is a valuable tradition.
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http://www.thegauntlet.ca/story/13410/Tying+campus+together++one+lost+dignity+at+a+time/
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Photos and VideosMore Photos and Videos
Chris Stevens, U.S. ambassador to Libya, was killed in an attack on the American consulate Tuesday.
Chris Stevens, the U.S. ambassador killed during an attack on the American consulate in Benghazi, Libya, was praised by President Barack Obama as a man who gave his life trying to bring democracy to a turbulent country.
"It is especially tragic that he died in Benghazi because it is a city he helped to save at the height of the revolution," Obama said.
Stevens, 52, was killed when he and a group of embassy workers tried to help evacuate staff who came under attack by a mob. Three other American foreign service workers died, including an information management officer named Sean Smith, a married father of two young children.
The identities of the other two dead Americans—both employed by the State Department—were being withheld pending notification of next of kin.
Obama said the victims "represent the very best if the United States of America."
He added: "I have no doubt that their legacy will live on through the work that they did far from our shores, and in the hearts of those who love them back home."
Stevens was the first U.S. ambassador to die in an attack since 1979, when Ambassador Adolph Dubs was killed in Afghanistan.
Stevens, a native of the San Francisco area, was a 21-year State Department employee who spent most of his diplomatic career in the Middle East. He fell in love with the region while teaching English in Morocco as a Peace Corps volunteer, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said.
He joined the Peace Corps after graduating from the University of California at Berkeley. Prior to joining the foreign service in 1991, Stevens was an international trade lawyer in Washington, D.C.
His diplomatic assignments included Jerusalem, Damascus, Cairo and Riyadh.
Stevens first served in Libya from 2007 to 2009. He returned during the early 2011 uprising against Moammar Khaddafy, when Clinton asked him to act as an envoy to the rebel opposition. He started that posting in March 2011, arriving on a cargo ship in the port of Benghazi and immediately meeting with revolutionaries to plan a transitional government, Clinton said.
"Everywhere Chris and his team went in Libya, in a country scarred by war and tyranny, they were hailed as friends and partners," Clinton said.
Stevens was described in a March 2011 report in Bloomberg as "the quintessential diplomat," and as having "an unflappable, but not nerdy personality."
Steven McDonald, a former U.C. Berkeley roommate of Stevens', recalled receiving email dispatches from his friend, who was holed up in a hotel during the uprising. McDonald asked if people were firing at him, and he replied, "Well, not on purpose," McDonald told NBC Bay Area.
"That was sort of his mindset," McDonald said. "You never heard anything negative from Chris. He was always positive, moving forward."
Stevens left Libya last November, but returned in May after Clinton named him the ambassador to the new democratic government.
McDonald recalled attending a party in his honor just before his new job started.
"He was so upbeat and excited to take on the challenge of becoming the ambassador," McDonald said.
Fluent in Arabic and French, Stevens said in his State Department biography that he considered himself "fortunate to participate in this incredible period of change and hope for Libya." He said he enjoyed exploring Libya's archaeological sites and sampling local cuisine.
When the consulate resumed full operations a few weeks ago, Stevens said his top priorities included making it easier for Libyans to visit America on academic and professional exchange programs.
“Relationships between governments are important, but relationships between people are the real foundation of mutual understanding,” Stevens said.
A journalist friend of Stevens' wrote on Wednesday of the ambassador's email updates from Benghazi, in which he expressed hope that American-Libyan relations were improving. But Stevens also described a shaky security situation.
"We move around town in S.U.V.'s with security teams watching out for us," Stevens wrote.
After receiving word that he was dead, Clinton said she called Stevens' sister and told her he would be remembered as a hero.
"He risked his life to stop a tyrant, then gave his life trying to help build a better Libya," Clinton said.
Sen. John McCain, who considered Stevens a friend, made a speech on the Senate floor in which he seemed to get choked up, NBC News reported..
"Chris Stevens was not unaware of the danger that he faced. He was privy to intelligence information and others," McCain said. "But he went forward and did his job with a smile, with love of his country and love of the country where he was serving."
Sean Smith's formal posting was in the Hague, but was on a temporary assignment to Libya when he was killed, Clinton said. She described him as a veteran of the Air Force with 10 years as an information management officer. His prior postings included Pretoria, Baghdad and Montreal.
Smith was also a renowned player of the online science-fiction game "Eve," where he went by the handle "Vile Rat," according to friends' Web postings. They described having online conversations with him in which he said he was providing IT services to the consulate, and how during a tour in Baghdad he broke away from a gaming session when he heard gunfire.
Obama condemned Tuesday's attack as senseless and unjustified, but said it "won't break the bonds" between the United States and Libya, or stop America's work to bring peace and stability there.
The president noted that Libyan security forces helped to defend the consulate and carried Stevens' body to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
"He worked tirelessly to support this young democracy, and I think both Secretary Clinton and I relied deeply on his knowledge of the situation on the ground there," Obama said. "He was a role model to all who worked with him and to the young diplomats who aspire to walk in his footsteps."
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In the wake of the release of the Atlas Shrugged movie, Ayn Rand’s prominence in the culture has increased, and people who had previously not been aware of her are taking notice. Notably, Christian groups are now starting to point out the hypocrisy of Republicans who praise both Ayn Rand and Jesus. As Eric Sapp of the American Values Network puts it, “[The] GOP must choose: Ayn Rand or Jesus”.
[Rand] said religion was “evil,” called the message of John 3:16 “monstrous,” argued that the weak are beyond love and undeserving of it, that loving your neighbor was immoral and impossible and that she was out to undermine the idea that charity was a moral duty and virtue.
An ad developed by the American Values Network
on the topic of Ayn Rand vs. Christianity
Though Mr. Sapp’s characterization of Rand’s philosophy is inaccurate, we wholeheartedly agree that the Republican Party cannot consistently follow both Ayn Rand and Jesus, and have long been arguing so. The morality of Christ and the morality of rational selfishness are opposites. As we stated in 2009:
There is no way to reconcile an individualistic, self-interested morality and an altruistic morality of religious duties. Politically, this means there is no way to support both capitalist and religious policies. “The party of principle,” as the GOP often calls itself, is currently governed by two sets of principles that fundamentally contradict one another.
We hope there is more attention brought to this issue. Clarifying what Ayn Rand actually stood for, and how it is contrary to the prevailing philosophies of both the left and the right, can only be beneficial.For more on this topic, read our 2009 article, “The Republican Party’s Identity Crisis”.
The Undercurrent is a magazine distributed at college campuses and communities across the country. We release a print edition once per semester, and in the interim, regularly post additional articles, blog entries, and campus media responses reports to our website.
The Undercurrent's cultural commentary is based on Ayn Rand's philosophy, Objectivism. Objectivism, which animates Ayn Rand's fiction, is a systematic philosophy of life. It holds that the universe is orderly and comprehensible, that man survives by reason, that his life and happiness comprise his highest moral purpose, and that he flourishes only in a society that protects his individual rights.
Subscribe to TU
If you enjoy The Undercurrent, please consider giving a tax-deductible donation in support.
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Nestled deep in the postcard-perfect French Alps, the Grande Chartreuse is considered one of the world's most ascetic monasteries. In 1984, German filmmaker Philip Gröning wrote to the Carthusian order for permission to make a documentary about them. They said they would get back to him. Sixteen years later, they were ready. Gröning, sans crew or artificial lighting, lived in the monks' quarters for six months—filming their daily prayers, tasks, rituals and rare outdoor excursions. This transcendent, closely observed film seeks to embody a monastery, rather than simply depict one—it has no score, no voiceover and no archival footage. What remains is stunningly elemental: time, space and light. One of the most mesmerizing and poetic chronicles of spirituality ever created, INTO GREAT SILENCE dissolves the border between screen and audience with a total immersion into the hush of monastic life. More meditation than documentary, it's a rare, transformative theatrical experience for all.
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(Washington, D.C.) – A Government Accountability Office (GAO) report released today showed that the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has had difficulty in planning for and meeting the unique needs of a growing number of homeless women veterans. The study, which was requested by U.S. Senator Patty Murray, Chairman of the Senate Veterans Affairs’ Committee, is one of the first of its kind to examine the troubling rise in homelessness among women who have served.
Among the key findings in the report the GAO found that:
• VA has limited data on the number and needs of homeless women veterans, and therefore has difficulty planning to meet their unique needs;
• Homeless women veterans are not always aware of the services available to them;
• VA is unevenly implementing its process to refer homeless veterans to emergency shelter until they are admitted into transitional or permanent housing programs;
• Facilities have difficulty providing for the children of homeless veterans, and
• VA lacks minimum standards for the privacy, safety, and security of women veterans in mixed-gender housing facilities.
“While we have seen a decrease in the overall number of homeless veterans, the number and needs of homeless women veterans across the country are growing and the VA is struggling to keep up,” said Chairman Murray. “I’ve been sounding the alarm that these veterans, many of whom are also struggling to provide for their children, are going to need unique attention from the VA. But as this report shows, the VA has not properly planned for or met the unique needs of these veterans. I’m going to be working to ensure that the recommendations in this report, including increased collaboration between VA and HUD, are followed. I’ll also be working to make sure that as more women return from Iraq and Afghanistan, the VA is keeping pace with the need to track and provide the services that they need.”
Senator Murray has been a leader in calling for increased services for women veterans, including those who have become homeless. Last Congress, she enacted legislation to create an employment program for homeless women veterans, including those with children. This year, she passed legislation, which extends VA’s transitional housing programs for special populations, including women with children. She is also continuing to advocate for a legislative provision, included in S. 914, that authorizes VA to pay for the children of homeless veterans in the Grant and Per Diem program. Senator Murry intends to explore this issue, and others at a hearing on veteran homelessness shortly.
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Pitcairn Island under martial law and "selective prosecution" academic charges.
ANGWIN (Napa County) Calif., May 27, 2003With virtual martial law now imposed on Pitcairn
Island in the South
Pacific Ocean, the director of an American research center has suggested
that the island's inhabitants consider appealing to the United Nations
for relief from what some are calling oppressive British governance.
Herbert Ford, director of the Pitcairn Islands Study
Center located here, said that charges of sexual criminality against
some Pitcairn men have brought in their wake gag orders, restrictions of
civil liberties, and a thought control mentality.
According to Ford, there are currently four Ministry
of Defense police officers, a Pitcairn police officer and a
government-appointed representative keeping watch over every move of the
fewer than 30 permanent inhabitants of the island. Two additional
police officers arrived on May 23. Two New Zealand social workers, in
whom few if any of the Pitcairners have any confidence, are also on the
In addition, an avalanche of confusing, restrictive
ordinances has been issued by the island's New Zealand-based,
British-appointed governor. Some of the ordinances adversely affect the
cultural and traditional way of Pitcairn life, said Ford. "The disproportionally
large military police contingent amounts to nothing less than martial law
and a de facto military
occupation of Pitcairn," said Ford. "The Island Council has also been
de facto removed from power by the Governor."
Ford said he is suggesting that the Pitcairners consider
appointing a representative who will present credentials at the United
Nations in New York, and make a unilateral declaration of independence,
due to the intolerable nature of present conditions on the island. That
representative would ask other nations to recognize Pitcairn as a
sovereign state. "This done, treaties can be made with France, the
closest local 'power,' for military protection and health care," said
"The legal system and the governmental organs of
Pitcairn are compromised, and the most logical way to correct the
situation may be to declare unilateral independence from the oppressor.
The people of Pitcairn can no longer have any confidence in British
justice and government."
The present impasse has come after a three-years-long
investigation of possible sexual criminality on Pitcairn purporting
to have occurred from five to 40 years ago. Nine men, seven of whom
currently on Pitcairn, have been charged. Others, now living in
New Zealand, are expected to be charged.
It is unclear if the offences cited were illegal if
and when they were supposed to have been committed, due to changes
have been made to Pitcairn's laws through the years.
Pitcairn watchers also believe the charges constitute "selective
prosecution" since sexual activity similar to that for which
charges are being brought against the Pitcairners has also been
engaged in by British Royal Engineers, British Royal Navy personnel,
governmental personnel, a United Kingdom physician, a New Zealand
teacher, and an unknown number of persons from yachts that have
called at the island. None of these people have been charged as the
Stemming from the charges is a law enacted by New
Zealand, considered by many to be illegal, that Pitcairners
can be tried
in that country rather than on Pitcairn. Electronic equipment
has been installed on Pitcairn to handle possible needs related
to the charges.
A new, three-cell jail and other structures have been
built on Pitcairn by government order rather than at the request
of the Pitcairners, while requested infrastructure improvements have
ignored. All the construction is believed to be related to
the criminal charges. The jail and judiciary facilities have been
British government order by the same men (Pitcairners) who
are to be tried and perhaps held in them.
"Hundreds of thousands
of dollars have been spent by the British government to make ready
for 'the Pitcairn trials,' while
increasingly needed help for the Pitcairners remains unmet," said
There is now a feeling of "thought control" on Pitcairn,
according to Ford.
"Being the open and hospitable people they are, the
Pitcairners quite innocently recently invited the Ministry
of Defense police to attend their Council meetings," said Ford.
"But that invitation was not made with any thought
that from that moment on the police would not only attend but would
also sit at the table with the Council members, eye-balling anyone
and, on many occasions, monopolizing the discussions
themselves. This has contributed to the feeling that a police state
The laws of Pitcairn have been revised twice in the
past three years, and an avalanche of ordinances recently issued,
all bringing the force of law to areas that have not been
addressed, some of which aversely affect the traditions
and culture of
As but one example, Ford cited a new firearm
regulation, "Possessing firearm when a trespasser on land," which
carries a three month jail term and/or a fine of $900.
"Anywhere you go on tiny Pitcairn you are walking
across someone else's land," Ford said. "If you do
that and happen to have a rifle with you to shoot
a rogue goat, or to drop
a breadfruit from a
tree, and your neighbor has a mad at you at the
moment, he can declare you a "trespasser." You
may or may not have ammunition in your rifle
or on your person, but because you have the
rifle in your hand you could
well wind up in jail for three months, and also
be fined $900.
A $900 fine to a Pitcairner is an economically
"Pitcairners have carried .22 rifles for various
domestic uses for close to a hundred years,
never with criminal intent,"
according to Ford.
Also, Pitcairn men have always had knives at their
belts. When you need to cut a rope to release
an island longboat in an emergency while the boat is tied to a ship
in open ocean, you need that
knife immediately, and it needs to be very
sharp," said Ford.
"New Pitcairn laws are being written by people whose
concepts are based on the harsh streets of
metropolitan cities, not on little Pitcairn Island," Ford said. "Downtown
Londoners, or people in Wellington, Sydney or Auckland; those who have
written a whole family of
new and confusing Pitcairn laws, have no concept
of the practicalities of life on Pitcairn Island."
Pitcairn, located about midway between Panama and
New Zealand, became the hideout of British seamen
and their Polynesian companions in 1790. The seamen had earlier
Captain William Bligh on the British ship H.M.S.
One mile wide by two miles long, Pitcairn is the
smallest protectorate of the United
Kingdom. It is administered by a British-appointed governor headquartered
in Wellington, New Zealand.
Since 1977 the Pitcairn Islands Study Center, located
on the campus of Pacific Union College
California's Napa Valley, has
been a major source of information
for scholars, journalists, researchers, authors, students and others
mutiny on H.M.S. Bounty."
Pitcairn Islands Study Center, 1 Angwin
Ave., Angwin, CA, USA. Herbert Ford, 707-965-6625, 707-965-2047, Fax: 707-965-6504,
Email: email@example.com, Website: http://library.puc.edu/pitcairn
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The mission was undertaken by Commissioner B. Pityana
from 2 to 7 April 2001. The objective of the visit of the mission were:
- to encourage closer relations between Botswana and the Commission,
- to initiate a dialogue on issues of concern to the Commission, particularly the submission of periodic reports under section 62 of the Charter and the progress made in the context of the ratification of the Protocol to the African Charter on the creation of the African Court on Human and Peoples' Rights.
Outcome of the mission
- The Government of the Republic of Botswana has undertaken the preparation of its initial report for submission to the African Commission. Government authorities appreciated the offer by the Commission to assist in the preparation of this report.
- The Government of the Republic of Botswana will accelerate the procedure for ratification of the OAU Protocol establishing the African Court on Human and Peoples' Rights.
- The Government of the Republic of Botswana will work to improve its presence and participation in meetings and other activities of the Commission and urges the Commission to facilitate the participation of Botswana in seminars that it sponsors, including judicial training.
- The mission appreciates the commitment of the Government of the Republic of Botswana to consider the possibility to extend the powers of the Ombudsman so that it can monitor the evolution of the situation of human rights in the country instead of creating a national institution for human rights.
- The Government of the Republic of Botswana is ready to use the good offices of the Commission to participate in training programs, including those for police officers and the immigration service.
- The Commission welcomes the initiative of the University of Botswana to integrate education for human rights in the training programme for lawyers.
- The mission encourages the human rights NGOs of Botswana to seek observer status with the Commission and proposes that the Commission initiates a training programme for NGOs in Botswana on the procedures of the ACHPR for submitting communications and their consideration by the Commission.
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Introduction: Types of Switches
The switch is one of the most basic yet important electrical devise in the home. Although they almost all look the same once the face plate is on, they can function very differently. Their are a few key types of switches you need need to know about and I'll describe them in this tutorial.
Switches can come in a toggle style (like those shown in this tutorial), but can also come in a more design oriented "rocker" or "paddle" style such as those made popular by the Leviton "Decora".
Leviton Decora Paddle Switch
The style makes no difference to the function of the switch. But what does matter significantly is the switch type.
Switches come in four major types:
Let's take a look at each type, what makes them different and when you would use them.
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In the second part of our Faith & Religion Femisphere roundtable (see part one and meet the participants here), we tackled the upcoming election and abortion as well as the place of religion within feminism.
The Femisphere: What was your reaction to the way Martha Raddatz framed her question on abortion during the Vice-Presidential debates?
Nahida: The framing of the question seemed calculated to be as inoffensive as possible, which I find highly unfortunate. I’m not interested in hearing how each of these men’s “personal lives” and faith are incorporated into their decision on abortion policy. I practice a religion that allows me an abortion up to 120 days of the pregnancy, and in cases of rape and life endangerment. I am pro-choice irrespectively. That includes late-term abortions. Ryan wants to talk about infringing on religious rights–he doesn’t have the right to practice his religion on someone else’s body. Let’s talk about the right to religion. An inalienable right is inalienable because it does not require consent: The right to religious belief is an inalienable right. It does not require consent. But the right to religious practice is a civil right, derived from civil interactions, and when the practice of your civil right infringes on the inalienable right of another–and you need a woman’s consent in all matters of her body, rendering bodily autonomy inalienable–inalienable rights always trump civil rights. Likewise, a fetus, a baby, a human being, is entitled to life, but not to the sustenance of that life, and that means NOT to the body of the mother. At the point a woman is forced to provide sustenance to the fetus or baby or human being she is carrying is at the point upon which her inalienable right is infringed.
The framing of the question, and the subsequent answers, drew conclusions without clear definitions regarding bodily autonomy and civil and inalienable rights, and this is the very ambiguity that has allowed the War on Women to rage on. Religious patriarchs have seized the opportunity to throw around words like “this infringes on our religious right!” without any regard to what those words mean. The practice of religion is not an inalienable right–only the belief. And civil rights, like practicing religion, cannot override the inalienable rights of a woman’s bodily autonomy. A fetus is no more entitled to the sustenance of a woman to live under the guise of the right to life than is a grown man to a kidney. If a woman does not want to provide for the fetus, she has the right to expel it from herself and abort her provisions to it.
Libby Anne: To be honest, I thought Raddatz’ framing of the abortion issue in terms of individual religious beliefs was atrocious. As a secularist, I hold that individual religious beliefs should only influence one’s personal choices, and not be used as a basis to dictate policy to others. I very much agree with Obama’s 2006 statement that
Democracy demands that the religiously motivated translate their concerns into universal, rather than religion-specific, values. It requires that their proposals be subject to argument, and amenable to reason. I may be opposed to abortion for religious reasons, but if I seek to pass a law banning the practice, I cannot simply point to the teachings of my church or evoke God’s will. I have to explain why abortion violates some principle that is accessible to all faiths, including those with no faith at all.
I don’t think a candidate’s personal religious beliefs on abortion are relevant– what is relevant is what that person’s policies will be. And that, quite simply, is what I wanted to hear about, not personal beliefs. As for the answers, Biden’s answer was very much in step with the principle I just outlined, separating personal beliefs from political actions that affect the entire country and those with a whole spectrum of beliefs. Ryan, in contrast, came right out and said that secularism, the divide between personal religious beliefs and political policies that affect everyone, should not exist, and for him does not exist. In a country as religiously plural as the United States, that is not only an extremely frightening answer–and I think Ryan’s views on secularism help account for the hyper-partisanship we face today–but also out of step with historical precedent.
Danielle: While the question itself was beyond irritating, it was fascinating to hear the diversity in Biden’s and Ryan’s responses, since they both are practicing Catholics. However, their responses were inherently ironic because what do two white, middle-aged, incredibly privileged men really have to say from their “personal” experience on this issue? On one hand–and I can’t believe I’m going to say this–I agree with Ryan that who you are as a person of faith (“private” life) cannot be completely separated from who you are in your work (“public” life), even though I completely disagree with the next step he takes in using his faith as a justification for unraveling reproductive rights in our country. On the other hand, I agree with Biden that we live in a pluralistic society and therefore cannot impose our personal views on others who may not share our beliefs. Biden also mentions the “consistent ethic of life” and “Catholic social justice teaching”–something a lot of Protestants and Ryan himself don’t seem to grasp. As a Catholic woman and feminist, I am inherently skeptical of (mainly) men advocating against abortion while not promoting comprehensive sex education, prenatal care, birth care, postpartum care, child care, etc. Failing to promote these critical–and proven–ways to decrease abortions (while not curtailing rights) communicates that they are only pro-birth, not pro-woman or pro-children. And I can’t see that as anything other than an age-old strategy to keep women in their place, lacking in bodily agency and autonomy.
Erika: What bothered me was that [Raddatz] asked the candidates about their personal beliefs on abortion when it really shouldn’t matter. As Nahida said, I really don’t care how they personally feel about abortion when abortion has nothing to do with them. I found Ryan’s response to be patronizing and smug, and I appreciated Biden’s response and the fact that he understands that his personal religious beliefs shouldn’t inform his political stance.
Her second question, “Should people be worried about the legalization of abortion under a Romney/Ryan” question was more important–and I wish there was more time for the candidates to answer that question. Ryan skirts around the question, but basically says that judges should make the decision–which is bullshit! He’s saying (or not saying) that under a Romney/Ryan ticket they would appoint judges who could make that decision for women. Which is the problem.
Abortion shouldn’t be in the hands of politicians, it is up to the individual women. For lack of a better word, it stinks. Government doesn’t decide whether or not I can get cancer treatment or make it illegal for me to reject treatment to wait it out without medical care, but the government has a right to say what a woman can/cannot do with her own body?
There’s a lot of talk within feminism about intersectionality, yet the reality does not always live up to the ideal. Looking at religion/faith specifically, how can feminism and faith work together and find common ground to create progress in both spheres?
Danielle: Last weekend at my church, the pastor preached on the passage in 1 Timothy that outlines rules for caring widows in the church, most of whom were the most vulnerable in society. (Libby, I’m curious to hear what you learned about this growing up.) The pastor first discussed the cultural and historical context underpinning those verses that, at first glance, are quite confusing and even offensive (welcome to the Bible!). Then the pastor asked who would be our modern-day “widows”–the most destitute and marginalized in our society: widows, orphans, single mothers, the elderly, the disabled. The pastor especially explained the intersectionality of race, gender, socioeconomic status, immigration status, etc., with being a single mother. And then the pastor shared stories from the single mothers in our church for how they wanted to be helped and loved. There was no “othering.” There was no over-simplification á la Romney and the single mothers/gun violence parallelism. There was humanization and personalization of “the least of these.” Hearing that sermon solidified my disgust with so-called Christians who demonize, blame and shame single mothers. My faith doesn’t call me to condemn those in need; it calls me to help and to love.
Libby Anne: I’ll incorporate Danielle’s question to me in with my answer to this question. I grew up in a community that combined aspects of conservative evangelicalism and fundamentalism with right-wing politics. This was essentially preached from the pulpit. Passages like the one to which Danielle refers, regarding the care of widows, was used as proof that the church, not the government, should be involved in providing for the poor. Any government aid was seen as something to be eliminated. In other words, that passage was treated as a political point while at the same time the church never actually stepped in with any sort of concrete social justice plan. Instead, everything was focused on personal salvation, aka the need to pray the sinner’s prayer in order to avoid heaven and go to hell. Even efforts to give people aid–soup kitchens, etc.–were always aimed at winning a person’s soul for the afterlife. Only the future was seen as truly important. How does this relate back to the original question? When I lost faith in religion, I looked around for a comprehensive worldview with which to replace it, and I found Humanism. I found that there was comprehensive secular thought that combined the need for social justice, equality and care for the planet with a belief in inherent human dignity and worth, in the here and now. My Humanism has completely changed how I view those around me, and especially how I view those who are different from me. I am a much less judgmental and much more loving person today than I was as a conservative evangelical. Rather than dividing the world into saved versus unsaved, us versus them, I have expanded my circle and found the world a much more complex place than I had ever thought. And I have a lot of respect for those religious individuals, like Danielle’s pastor, who use their tradition’s teachings to work toward social justice, equality and the good of humanity in the present rather than, as I so often saw growing up, simply turning them into right-wing talking points.
Nahida: I really appreciate when feminists who don’t identify themselves as practitioners of any religion offer their alliance, even when they (simultaneously) struggle to understand why a feminist would maintain that particular faith. But the best way that feminism and faith can work together is through realizing that alleging a woman of faith can’t be a “true” feminist because of institutionalized religion is awfully selective, considering that no interpretation–whether of culture or law or religion–is free of patriarchal influence. Religion needs to be reclaimed, just like medicine or education, and we do that by recognizing that–like medicine or education–the power men wield in their interpretation of religion is an appropriation of the power given to women. The patriarchal base of Islam is an artificial one; it is the result of men confiscating influence that was never meant to be theirs. Acknowledging this contributes to a reclamation of institutionalized religion through a rightful shift of power, rather then continually reinforcing the assertion that exegesis is only “valid” if men have monopolized it. Attempting to convince someone that her faith is detrimental to her feminism is to take away something very integral to her person–and that’s anti-feminist. Feminism restores identity. Feminism doesn’t strip women of what they love the most, of the things that are most quiet and intimate to them.
Erika: I was lucky to go to high school in a rather diverse, all-girls Catholic school. Feminism wasn’t a dirty word at Notre Dame Academy. Unfortunately, for the vast majority of people, the notion of feminism conjures other scary words: lesbian, man-hating, etc.
Separately, when you look at religious texts–monotheistic, specifically–feminism is there, in our holy books. Yet, through translation to modern-day languages and the lack of female rabbis when the Talmud was codified, we lost much of that. But when you look at Torah, the women are there. Sometimes they don’t have names (bad translations, if you ask me), but many times they do. They make the prophets we honor today and they’ve sustained our people (Miriam’s well). It’s all there–it’s just a matter of using our most basic text as evidence to lift up women and honor them.
Having spent the majority of my time in more progressive and liberal Conservative and Reform synagogue communities, I can honestly say that there is a fabulous overlap happening within the movements. From rabbis who are women to honoring matriarchs in prayers, to women receiving aliyah–It’s refreshing, and one of the deciding factors in my choosing Judaism.
In addition to the bloggers that joined our roundtable, please check out these other feminist bloggers who write about religion and faith:
- A Sober Second Look
- Alise … Write!
- Are Women Human?
- Broken Daughters
- DRGT / Just Wondering …
- Faith and Feminism
- Jennifer Luitwieler
- Jewish Orthodox Feminist Alliance
- Halfway to Normal
- Metis’ Blog on Muslim Feminists
- No Longer Quivering
- Past Tense, Present Progressive
- Permission to Live
- The Phoenix and the Olive Branch
- Quivering Daughters
- Rachel Held Evans
- Sarah Bessey
- Sarah Over the Moon
- Two Women Blogging
- Under Much Grace
- Who I Am Without You
- Wordgazer’s Words
Infographic (top) designed by Lisa Huynh.
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ISSUE 20 - From community to technology ... and back again
Generating new connections for libraries and their users
OCLC recently took some important steps toward increasing the availability of the cooperative’s data for libraries and people around the world through linked data and data licensing recommendations.
Libraries are increasingly exploring linked data as a way to make their bibliographic records available, for free, on the Internet, so that they can be reused and more fully integrated into the broader Web environment. Linked data is meant for machine-to-machine consumption.
Continue Reading >
As a business librarian at a public library, I get the full range of questions from a huge variety of people.
How do learners engage with the Web? How can educational services and systems attract and sustain a possible new group of lifelong learners? What motivates individuals to use particular technologies or spaces when engaging with the information env.....
There are many ways to find a new book to read or movie to view.
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You may think that electric forklifts don't pollute since they don't put out emissions like gasoline-powered vehicles do. In fact there are several ways forklifts can damage the environment, but also at least one way that Multi-Shifter industrial wastewater treatment products can help you capture contaminants and dispose of them properly.
Terminal corrosion interferes with battery function, shortens battery life and can cause worker injury. Washing off this corrosion by hand is tedious and dangerous. Multi-Shifter battery wash cabinets automate the washing process, freeing up your workers for more important tasks. Our wash cabinets have one important feature in common: they collect the wash water for industrial wastewater treatment.
It may seem obvious that battery wash water contains acid, but that's not the real danger. The water also contains heavy metals such as lead and copper, and even a small amount of these metals can contaminate thousands of gallons of water. Multi-Shifter filtration systems provide industrial wastewater treatment that removes the heavy metals and returns the clean water back to the battery washer for reuse. The metals and other contaminants can be disposed of properly, plus the wash process uses less water. The result is a clean and efficient battery with no environmental contamination.
Batteries leak out small amounts of acid and this can cause corrosion of forklift parts over time. Forklifts used in outdoor environments can pick up a lot of mud and debris and this can foul wheels or other moving parts. When you wash your forklifts, you need to recover the water for industrial wastewater treatment. You want to avoid washing any strange chemicals from the forklifts down the drain and you also want to keep the detergent out of the environment. Even biodegradable detergents can still be toxic for months before they break down.
No, Multi-Shifter doesn't offer convenient forklift wash cabinets nor do we know of any company that does. We recommend using a commercial washing service since they will have the facilities to collect and treat the large amount of water used in vehicle washing.
Electric forklifts can leak oil, hydraulic fluid or any number of other dangerous chemicals. The leaks are often very slow, but every drop that spills on the ground is another drop that finds itself in the environment. Maintenance should check vehicle fluid levels routinely to keep the fleet in top shape and any vehicle that is losing fluids quickly should be taken into the shop so the leak can be repaired.
If you will be storing forklifts for a long time, put drip pans or absorbent mats beneath each vehicle. These collect any errant drips so the fluids can be disposed of in a safe and environmentally-responsible manner.
Multi-Shifter battery wash cabinets and filtration systems provide industrial wastewater treatment for the leading source of electric forklift pollution. They are an investment in a healthier fleet and a cleaner planet.
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|
We’re kicking off our thematic unit on digging up Dinosaurs by making fossils using recycled coffee grounds. Besides being fun to make, these will be going in the sensory tub for the next week or two!
Here’s what you’ll need to make your very own dinosaur fossils. I significantly tweaked the instructions I found here.
1 cup used coffee grounds
1/2 cup cold coffee
1/2 cup salt
1 cup flour
1. Have your little one help you mix the coffee grounds, coffee, salt, and flour together in a mixing bowl.
2. Take a small handful of the mixture and place it on a cookie sheet. Press down with the heel of your hand to make a flat, circular shape about 1/2″ thick. Continue until all the mixture is gone or you have no room left on your cookie sheet.
3. Use plastic dinosaurs to make footprints on the fossils. You can also use leaves and bones from a cooked chicken (scrubbed and clean, of course) to add to your fossils. (You might notice that in our pictures, he is making impressions on circles cut out from a large rolled out dough. I’m telling you to do it differently because that is eventually what we had to do after our first attempts. We couldn’t get the dough on the cookie sheet without it falling apart or stretching out, so we eventually did the method described above and it worked much better).
4. Once all the impressions have been made, put your cookie sheet in the oven on 200 degrees for 30 minutes.
5. Once 30 minutes is up, take the fossils out of the oven and carefully use a spatula to remove them from the cookie sheet. Once they are cooled, turn them over and let the bottoms dry out overnight.
There you have it! Enjoy making these with your little dinosaur lover!
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en
| 0.943502
| 388
| 3.140625
| 3
|
Experimenting with the Elimination of Traffic Lights
Today from the Streetsblog Network, Tom Vanderbilt writes on his How We Drive blog about an upcoming experiment in London. Traffic lights at seven intersections in the borough of Ealing will be covered with bags, and drivers will be expected to safely navigate by making eye contact with pedestrians, cyclists and other motorists. The move was inspired by an accidental signal failure that resulted in improved traffic flow, catching the eye of planners. Vanderbilt cautions:
Photo by Ed Lawes via Flickr.Of course, careful attention will have to paid to safety results, particularly with pedestrians (the piece refers to some new mid-block crossings but one has to entertain the idea that these treatments may reduce pedestrian’s perception of safety and thus, potentially, one’s inclination to walk). The one day of outage could have represented a novelty effect. But the interesting thing about these novel treatments is that they are often done with much more care and concern than the standard “out of the book” approach that is applied automatically.
Eliminating traffic lights is one element of the "shared spaces" planning approach advocated by the late Dutch traffic engineer Hans Monderman. However, without the other elements of Monderman-style design, for example the use of varied street surface texture and color, it remains to be seen if a street without signals serves pedestrians and cyclists as well as drivers.
Other food for thought from around the network: WashCycle enters the debate about what traffic laws merit the most vigorous enforcement; Fifty Car Pileup writes about the growing movement to eliminate urban highways; and Orphan Road argues that while $8 billion may not be much in the grand scheme of things, it does effectively change the national conversation on high-speed rail.
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http://www.streetsblog.org/2009/05/04/experimenting-with-the-elimination-of-traffic-lights/
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en
| 0.961427
| 361
| 2.40625
| 2
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I’ve noticed many 30-second elevator pitches indicate a company’s size and scope, such as “Expeditors International is a Fortune 500 global logistics provider” or “Pelago is an early stage company building Whrrl”.
When does a company go from being a startup to being “early stage”, or a ”small business”? Milestones for making the jump could be:
- X number of employees (30? 50?) and/or someone dedicated to HR full time
- Heavy funding, or no expectation of taking additional funding
- Existed longer than X period of time (4 years? 7 years?)
- Enough revenue to keep your business alive, or profitable (now or in the past)
- Publicly traded, or are part of a merger or acquisition
Keeping the “Feel” of a Startup
I can understand the desire to identify your business as a startup, even when you’re technically not one anymore. Maybe some companies call themselves startups for longer than they should because they want to project a particular company culture:
- Fast moving (running 100mph every day), with a sense of racing the clock
- Scrappy and frugal when it comes to spending money
- Open to new ideas, new directions, and able to seize opportunity quickly
- Innovative and inventive, nothing is set in stone yet, no bureaucracy
You Can’t Deny Reality
So why does this matter? It matters because saying, “It’s okay, we’re a startup” becomes a cop-out eventually. Saying this to potential employees, investors, or customers when it isn’t true comes off as disingenuous and smacks of enormous denial of reality. Denial of reality (think ostrich with its head in the sand) is my number one red flag when dealing with other people. I find the inability to see the world as it truly is, is rarely a one-time error. Usually, it can be found to be a systemic flaw in thinking that rarely results in success.
Some companies cling to the title of startup even when they are heavily funded businesses, hiding behind the label as an excuse for not having reached profitability. Being a startup is like being an entrepreneur, it’s a temporary state. You can be entrepreneurial but not an entrepreneur just as you can be scrappy and innovative without being a startup. In the best case scenario the entrepreneur becomes a successful businessman and the startup becomes a successful business.
Breakdown of Business Types
Startup: a new company, working on building proof of concept
Early Stage: has achieved proof of concept, working on building revenues
Business: a company with revenues, working on achieving profitability
Successful Business: a profitable company
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This new book on Confederate
currency has come to our attention. We have not read
it yet, but we have high hopes. We present the press
release supplied by the published for your information.
Counterfeit Currency of the Confederate States of America
George B. Tremmel
Since shortly after the end of the Civil War, genuine
Confederate paper money has been the subject of much
research. While a number of publications are available
today that describe and catalog the genuine currency,
the availability of published information on its counterfeit
counterpart is limited. What is available is somewhat
incomplete, inaccurate and general in scope. This
work is specifically concerned with the counterfeit
currency that was produced and passed with genuine
Confederate paper money during the Civil War years.
The first part of the book is an historical narrative
that discusses the events and people involved in
the production and passing of counterfeit currency,
and the countermeasures of the Confederate Treasury
Department to protect its already weak medium of
exchange from losing even more value.
The second part of
the book is an illustrated catalog that presents descriptions
of all known examples of counterfeit Confederate currency.
Over 180 illustrations are included and show most
of the counterfeit notes. The appendix provides a
brief, nontechnical explanation of the printing processes—relief
printing, intaglio printing, and lithography—used
in the mid-nineteenth century to manufacture counterfeit
Retired information technology director
George B. Tremmel has collected and studied Confederate
States paper money for over forty years and has written
a number of articles on the subject for Paper Money,
the Society of Paper Money Collectors journal. He
lives in Raleigh, North Carolina.
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|
In 1963, Lawrence Herbert, Pantone's founder, created an innovative system for identifying, matching and communicating colors to solve the problems associated with producing accurate color matches in the graphic arts community. His insight that the spectrum is seen and interpreted differently by each individual led to the innovation of the PANTONEŽ MATCHING SYSTEMŽ, a book of standardized color in fan format.
Did you know?
The color of royalty, purple connotes luxury, wealth, and sophistication. It is also feminine and romantic. However, because it is rare in nature, purple can appear artificial.
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http://www.color-swatches.com/pantone/blue-radiance/14-4816-tcx/swatch.html
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en
| 0.943544
| 120
| 2.359375
| 2
|
TO promote new movies, studios have sent out cans of spaghetti sauce (for the coming film ''Mambo Italiano''), pretended that made-up events really happened (''The Blair Witch Project''), even encouraged coverage of odd romantic couplings (Ashton and Demi).
But how often does a studio cross-promote a new film with self-help groups? Or a director set out to make parents and their teenage children cringe, as Catherine Hardwicke did with ''Thirteen,'' a film about girls gone bad? ''I wanted to spark a debate,'' Ms. Hardwicke said. ''I wanted something that could connect to kids and moms so they would realize they were not alone.'' She calls it ''cinematherapy.''
''Thirteen,'' a $1.5 million film that opened in New York, Los Angeles and Toronto last week, portrays 13-year-olds who steal, lie, shoplift, snort Dust-Off and have promiscuous sex. With no promotional budget to speak of, the film is trying a novel marketing ploy: it is being sold on its therapeutic benefits.
At a screening in Manhattan last Tuesday for parents and their teenage children, brochures were available from DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance Education). Family therapists and policy makers have been invited to other screenings. But will this film be salvation for troubled families, or merely shock therapy? Walter Baker had dragged his daughter, Amanda, to a screening in Manhattan, hoping for a good post-movie talk. By evening's end, he was ready for the couch. ''Any complaints I ever had, I put aside after watching this. I think I'll go home and have a drink.''
Amanda Baker, 16, fled after the movie ended -- before any talking could begin. The characters, she said the next day in a telephone interview, ''were just so bad, they didn't know what was right or wrong.''
''They were teenagers but they were so extreme that I just wanted to cry,'' she said. I don't know why. At the end of the movie I was so shocked.''
The term ''cinematherapy'' -- exploring feelings and social issues through films -- has been around for at least a decade, and is based on the idea of bibliotherapy, developed by the psychiatrist Karl Menninger. But suggesting a couple of gal pals sit down and shed a tear over ''Terms of Endearment,'' or that a classroom explore custody battles via ''Kramer vs. Kramer'' is a far cry from proposing that parents with teenagers in full crisis mode haul them to a movie theater.
''If you haven't had the good conversations with your kids already, don't take them to see this thing,'' said Sharon Lamb, author of ''The Secret Lives of Girls,'' an examination of teenage behavior. ''This shock and awe treatment is not the best way to go about it.''
Laura Fieber, the head of the screening committee for New York Women in Film and Television, pointed out the paradox of promoting this R-rated film (cited for ''drug use, self-destructive violence, language and sexuality all involving young teens''). ''The problem with the film is that the kids can't and the parents won't want to see it.''
NIKKI REED, who lived or saw much of what is portrayed in the film, and appears in it as the bad influence, has mixed feelings about being a model for dysfunctional youth. Last Tuesday night, sitting with Ms. Reed at a sushi restaurant in Greenwich Village, Ms. Hardwicke recalled how she had taken segments of ''Thirteen'' to a juvenile hall for teenage girls in California the previous weekend. Ms. Reed had stayed away.
''I couldn't do that,'' said Ms. Reed, now 15. ''They are locked up at 14, and I get up and say, 'Have you seen 'Thirteen'? I didn't want to be a spokesperson for troubled girls.''
Correction: August 31, 2003, Sunday An article last Sunday about parents' reactions to the film ''Thirteen'' misstated the given name of a father who attended a screening with his daughter. He is Warren Baker, not Walter.
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<urn:uuid:328eec41-1a38-4de6-9029-ed68606dc861>
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CC-MAIN-2013-20
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http://www.nytimes.com/2003/08/24/style/thirteen-as-therapy-with-an-upright-couch.html
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|
en
| 0.968693
| 863
| 1.507813
| 2
|
Dr. S. loves teaching young people with mathematics. Dr. S. believes that mathematics is another language like English and Spanish, but it is logical and has no emotion. Think how Mr. Spock in Star Trek keeps saying "that's logical or not logical". Mathematics is just like that!
Dr. S. has about 30 years of post-secondary experience, full of mathematics in both academic and industrial sectors. Dr. S.'s career role has been always to fill the gap between business and technology, practice and theory.
Dr. S.'s know-how in solving mathematics problems is so amazing that a hard-working student received 350 in the first trial of SAT2-Math level 2, and after beginning under Dr. S.'s training for 3 months, this student finally received 750 out of 800. See? If you have a strong willingness to conquer the world of mathematics, Dr. S. can certainly help you to achieve that!
Not only the techniques for solving problems, but Dr. S. is also emphasizing the concepts of mathematics for students not to forget the subject easily. If you know how to derive a formula, you are in good shape!
Dr. S. can teach mathematics either in English or in Korean.
So, it's ALL up to you!
back to top
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<urn:uuid:b373937a-f5e9-4996-bb01-25e37bf0b0ad>
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CC-MAIN-2013-20
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http://www.wyzant.com/Tutors/CA/San-Jose/7881272/?g=3JY
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en
| 0.961306
| 267
| 1.820313
| 2
|
Washington (CNN) -- A day before Secretary of State John Kerry and first lady Michelle Obama commended a select group of women from around the world for putting their lives at risk while defending women's rights, the State Department pulled the plug on one honoree after a number of tweets attributed to her came to light -- some anti-American and anti-Semitic.
In 2011, activist Samira Ibrahim, 26, was detained by Egyptian soldiers and subjected to a virginity test that she said made her feel as though she had been raped. She spoke out and sued the Egyptian military.
Last year, Time magazine named her to its list of the World's Most Influential People. On Friday, she was to have been one of 10 women to receive the International Women of Courage Award.
On Tuesday, the State Department was alerted by the Holocaust Museum to contentious tweets it said came from Ibrahim's account.
"Today is the anniversary of 9/11. May every day come with America burning," read one.
Another was offensive to Jews.
Why weren't the tweets discovered earlier?
When they were posted six months ago, some activists replied to them, pointing out the remarks were unacceptable and anti-Semitic.
The Weekly Standard first reported them.
CNN attempted to contact Ibrahim without success. But she tweeted that her Twitter account was hacked and that she did not post the tweets.
But subsequent tweets on her account said that "I refused to apologize to the Zionist lobby in America, under pressure from the U.S. government, for previous Anti-Zionist statements so that prize was withdrawn."
The State Department said it initially selected her due to the "incredible bravery and courage she displayed at the time of the Tahrir Square protests," agency spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said.
But on Thursday, the Obama administration changed course.
"We, as a department, became aware very late in the process about Samira Ibrahim's alleged public comments. After careful consideration, we've decided that we should defer presenting this award to Ms. Ibrahim this year so that we have a chance to look further into these statements."
The International Women of Courage Award annually recognizes women who have shown exceptional courage and leadership in advocating for women's rights and empowerment, the State Department said.
The nine award recipients on Friday included women from Afghanistan, Honduras, Nigeria, Russia, Somalia, China, Syria and Vietnam.
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en
| 0.975862
| 489
| 2.046875
| 2
|
17 June 2003 15:37 [Source: ICIS news]
PHILADELPHIA (CNI)--The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will take the lead in managing vulnerability assessments of US chemical facilities, a top-ranking DHS official said here Tuesday.
But DHS Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy Sally Canfield told the first annual Chemical Security Summit (CSS) here today that involvement in site vulnerability assessment by other federal agencies cannot be ruled out. She declined to say that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) would have no role.
The DHS "will lead in making vulnerability assessments," Canfield told some 350 chemical industry executives attending the CSS, "but we will be working with other federal agencies as well in this role." She said involvement by EPA in assessing the vulnerability of plant sites to terrorist attack cannot be ruled out.
Vulnerability assessments will in large part determine what additional anti-terrorism security measures a given chemical plant or other facility might need to make it a less tempting target for attack. Chemical industry officials have expressed preference for a DHS role in vulnerability assessments, arguing that EPA has little or no security role.
Canfield also revealed that DHS is undertaking a review of the national terrorism threat alert system, the colour-coded warning that federal officials adjust to reflect potential threat to US domestic interests based on day-to-day intelligence estimates.
There have been complaints that some local security and safety officials are reluctant to raise their level of activity every time the alert system is raised from, for example, yellow to orange. The occasional threat level increases cause a corresponding increase in operational costs for local fire and police departments.
Canfield noted that the colour-coded alert system is less than one year old and said DHS Secretary Tom Ridge "wants to take a look at it."
"With a system like this," Canfield said, "there is, as with any new program, a maturation process and it may be that this system needs refinement."
She said: "We recognise that there has been some frustration with the alert system and we are going to take a look at it, see how people react to it, how it is used."
Sponsored by the Synthetic Organic Chemical Manufacturers Association (SOCMA) and the American Chemistry Council (ACC), the three-day CSS meeting runs through Thursday.
For the latest chemical news, data and analysis that directly impacts your business sign up for a free trial to ICIS news - the breaking online news service for the global chemical industry.
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|
en
| 0.938084
| 601
| 1.664063
| 2
|
Two Italian gardeners were working in their backyard this spring when something caught their eye.
The shiny item coming up through dirt near Rome turned out to be the dog tag for an American soldier from World War II. It belonged to Army Sgt. Mike Baranek, an Akron South High School graduate who died at age 64 in 1980, when he was living in Cuyahoga Falls. Baranek, an Ohio Edison retiree, took part in several battles in Europe with the 509th Parachute Infantry Regiment. He fought in Italy and was wounded twice.
The dog tag is back in Cuyahoga Falls with his widow, Nellie Baranek, 95, sent to her by the Italian gardeners Olga Romagnolo and her friend, known only as Simone. Its next journey will take it to another battlefield of sorts. The dog tag will be sent to Canada, where the veteran’s granddaughter, Tammy Mahoney, 41, will clasp it as she receives chemotherapy and radiation treatment for breast cancer in Niagara Falls, Ontario.
“I was very close to him,” said Mahoney, a Stow-Munroe Falls High School graduate and mother of three children. “By having this near me, hopefully it will get me through this.” The Baranek family learned the dog tag had been found a few days before Mahoney officially was diagnosed with cancer, she said.
Barbara Lane of Munroe Falls, Baranek’s daughter, said her own daughter believes that finding the dog tag is a divine sign. “Here I am. I am watching over you,” is Mahoney’s interpretation of the discovery of the dog tag, Lane said. Baranek’s son, also named Mike and himself an Army veteran, said his father rarely spoke of his military experiences. Records show his father received a Purple Heart, Distinguished Service Cross, Bronze Stars and other medals for his service from about 1942 to 1944 with the 509th Parachute Infantry Battalion.
Posted on the website of the 509th Parachute Infantry Association, www.509thgeronimo.org, is an example of Baranek’s heroism.
“Sgt. Baranek, a communications sergeant, volunteered to accompany an officer and another enlisted man in the perilous task of clearing enemy land mines and booby traps from the route of advance,” the description reads. Coming upon heavy machine-gun fire on Mount Croce, they assaulted an enemy crew, then made a second attack. After the officer had “become a casualty,” the report said, Baranek and the other enlisted man captured and killed a gun crew and riflemen.
“Baranek’s coolness and disregard for enemy fire prevented many casualties among the members of the company and his heroic performance exemplifies the finest traditions of the armed forces,” the entry continues. The Italian gardeners, who live in a suburb of Rome, searched the Internet for clues about Baranek, whose dog tag listed his home address and hometown as Akron. Eventually they connected with Matt Anderson, the historian for the 509th.
Anderson said Baranek came ashore at Anzio on Jan. 22, 1944, and by Jan. 31, was about 12 miles inland at Carano, Italy. He said he believes Baranek might have lost his dog tag during June or July 1944, after the liberation of Rome, when the 509th had a liberal pass policy and troops often explored Rome.
“Your father was here and we are honored to give you back a little piece of him and a big piece of memory at the same time,” Romagnolo wrote by email to…
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|
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| 0.977209
| 782
| 1.914063
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|
Samuel J. Palmisano
Chairman, President, and Chief Executive Officer, IBM
I believe that innovation and global integration are two sides of the same
coin. Global integration is the new playing field, and innovation is how you win
The nature of that game today can be summed up in a very simple principle:
When everything is connected, work flows. It's like water finding its own level.
And success in getting work to flow to you—whether you're a business, a nation,
a region, a community, or an individual—increasingly depends on how you
differentiate yourself through innovation.
For large companies, this is taking the form of a new corporate
architecture—what we call the Globally Integrated Enterprise (GIE). This
business model is very different from the "multinational," which created
mini-versions of itself in markets around the world, driven to this by the
accretion of trade barriers. The GIE, in contrast, locates work, skills, and
operations wherever in the world it makes sense, based on expertise, economics,
But where does that leave the small business and the entrepreneur? Can they
be global players, too? In the past, if you were a small businessperson, you
were a local businessperson. You served a local market, had local suppliers, and
drew from a local workforce. Your unique asset was your local knowledge—of
customers, the regulatory environment, tax policies, and so on.
But this local-to-local model now is being augmented by something entirely
new. Thanks to the globally networked infrastructure that was built out during
the 1990s, entrepreneurs now can tap into global supply chains and global talent
pools, with skills available anytime, and deliverable anywhere. They are able to
adopt very new kinds of management systems—networked, real-time, and
collaborative. And they can reach out to huge new populations of consumers
rising around the world—hundreds of millions of people who are opening their
first bank accounts, getting their first cell phones, using their first credit
cards, and tens of millions who are buying their first automobiles.
According to the World Bank, by 2030 there will be 1.2 billion people in
developing countries—5 percent of the world population—in the "global middle
class." That's up from about 400 million today. This group will have a
purchasing power of between $4,000 and $17,000 per capita and will enjoy access
to international travel, cars, and other advanced consumer goods, as well as
international levels of education. They will play a major role in shaping
policies and institutions in their own countries and the world economy.
The new global small businesses, like the larger global enterprises, have
noticed. This is important because, as we know, small businesses and
entrepreneurs are the engines of job creation. And the issue of new job creation
is at the heart of both the economic and political debate over global
So the most important actor in the unfolding drama of global integration may
actually be the smallest and closest to home—not the large organization, but the
new global entrepreneur, the new global professional, the new global citizen.
This is enormously exciting. Of all the issues surrounding global
integration, perhaps the most emotional and polarizing is the question of how
the individual competes and wins in a global economy. Nations and large
companies can look out for themselves, but when you think about yourself as an
individual on the vast ocean of a new global economy, it seems daunting. And the
anxiety that this engenders can have, as we know, major political
And yet, in truth, it is individuals who may be the chief beneficiaries of
global integration—if they understand their options, choose to seize their
opportunities, and are empowered and enabled to do so. This is true for
individual entrepreneurs—and I believe it is also true for individual employees
of large companies. We are at the dawn of a new kind of relationship between the
enterprise and the individual, based on the idea that the individual is in the
best position to make decisions about his or her work, learning, and career.
Companies—and the people who lead them—will need to move away from corporate
paternalism, which is as much about top-down control as it is about jobs, pay,
and benefits. And individuals will need to change, too. They are telling us they
want flexibility, more of a voice, more control over their destinies. But in
exchange for that, they will need to take on greater levels of responsibility,
accountability, and ownership of the consequences of their decisions.
The convergence of the digital network revolution, the reality of global
integration, and new kinds of innovation and integration open up vast new
possibilities, usher in an unprecedented complexity to societal and economic
life, and present us with enormous challenges. Hundreds of millions of "new
global citizens" seem eager to make this journey. Will we?
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Notable Calligraphy Scroll by Wu Zhaohuang Offered on Ebay
, Texas -- 08 February 2012
Scroll by Wu Zhaohuang
(Urban Art & Antiques)
DALLAS--A notable calligraphy scroll by Wu Zhaohuang is being offered on Ebay by Urban Art and Antiques. The mid 20th Century scroll featuring a poem by Tao Yuanming was deaccessioned from Harvard Art Museum in 2011 and was once owned by a notable collector.
The artwork is by Wu Zhaohuang吴兆璜 (1903-1963), who was a famous calligraphy artist in China. Wu Zhaohuang was born in Jiangxi Province. He studied after Wu Kaisheng吴闿生(1877 – 1950).
"Wu Zhaohuang he was a renaissance man in many classical fields such as Chinese classical literature, poetry, calligraphy, and seal making," said Lin Wang of Urban Art and Antiques. After 1949, he became the council member for Chinese Calligraphy Research Institute.
Wang says the scroll features a poem by Tao Yuanming (365-427). It is in regular script (Li Shu) and signed and dedicated to its original owner with two seals.
The scroll was directly obtained from the artist by Edmund Chi Chien Lin, and the artwork was dedicated to him. Lin was a former Chairman of Dept of Michrobiology and Molecular Genetics at Harvard University. He donated this work and others to the Harvard Art Museum in 2010.
About Urban Art & Antiques
Urban Art and Antiques is a popular online magazine about decorative art objects, museum exhibits and antiques shows. Some 15,000 individuals visit Urban Art & Antiques each month (server stats) accessing nearly 80,000 pages. More information is available at http://www.urbanartantiques.com
Urban Art & Antiques
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TOUCH RELIEF IN MECHANICAL ACTIONS
by Colin Pykett
Posted: 5 November 2001
Last revised: 18 December 2009
© Copyright C E Pykett 2001-2009
Abstract. This paper summarises a recent experimental and theoretical study which looked at pluck compensation and inertial effects in large mechanical action organs using high wind pressures. A novel yet simple form of compensator was devised which (as an example) reduced the pluck of a large pallet from 335 gm to 90 gm at a wind pressure of 115 mm w.g. while allowing the player to retain direct mechanical control over pallet movement. Theoretical studies are also reported which estimate the maximum allowable length of tracker runs for a given repetition performance (e.g. 6 notes per second).
(click on the headings below to access the desired section)
It seems from some examples of new organs with mechanical action that the requirement for a light and responsive touch is sometimes found to be incompatible with wind pressures high enough to generate adequate volume and presence in the building. Therefore a look at some of the problems was undertaken. The starting point was that no "cheating" was allowed; in other words, electrical assistance was definitely out, together with complex and expensive pneumatics such as floating levers. Only methods which maintained a direct connection between key and pallet were included, and the simpler the better. Two main problems were addressed: pluck compensation, and repetition capability.
Let us begin with the pallet for the bottom few notes of a medium to large organ. The maximum amount by which the pallet descends cannot realistically be more than about 9mm (i.e. about the same as the key dip). For the pallet to be efficient the width of the aperture it covers should not be greater than about twice this amount, say 18mm. If it is wider the pallet will only amplify pluck rather than deliver more wind. The pallet can be arbitrarily long in principle, but a reasonable practical value is a 300mm long aperture. Such a pallet has a windway of about 2800mm2 although large instruments may need two or more such pallets for each of the lowest notes. (For a detailed treatise on pallet design see reference ).
Let us assume a fairly high wind pressure of 115mm water gauge (w.g.). For the above pallet the pluck at the pull-down will be 337 gm, assuming this is in line with the end of the aperture remote from the hinge, and neglecting the spring tension. Because we are considering an action in which the mechanical advantage is unity (the pallet and key fall by the same amount), at least for this note, this is also the amount of pluck that the player would experience. It is obviously unacceptably large. What methods are available to reduce the playing weight of the action?
Because we have restricted ourselves to looking at purely mechanical systems for relieving the touch, there are many variations but on relatively few themes. The Victorians made a variety of relief pallets, summarised in reference , which relied on a small pallet opening first in an attempt to equalise the pressures in the wind chest and the groove before the main pallet opened. This thinking was largely frustrated because the flow resistance imposed by the small pallet prevented much equalisation occurring when many stops were drawn. Also the relief which was obtained was not enough in relation to the pluck from pallets which were often too wide.
There was also the idea of compensating the air pressure on the main pallet by a second contrivance such as a motor pulling in the opposite direction, as illustrated in Figure 1.
Consider first the case in which the dotted tubing connecting the motor to the groove is absent, thus it exhausts into the atmosphere. Clearly the motor exerts a pull in the opposite direction to that of the pallet in proportion to its surface area. Despite the claims made for it in certain literature (e.g. reference where its operation was completely misjudged), it would generally be unable to relieve the touch as much as might be desired because if the motor pulls with a force greater than the spring, the pallet will not close again once it has opened. Unfortunately, pluck will often be greater than spring tension. Because ideas such as this could not possibly have worked as described, it makes one wonder how many of them were actually tried before their inventors rushed to the Patent Office.
But if the tubing shown dotted is included, the device becomes the balancier (balancer) type of helper often used today. By allowing the motor to exhaust into the groove rather than the atmosphere, it experiences exactly the same varying pressure differences during key fall as does the pallet itself. Therefore there is no danger of over–compensation as with the previous scheme, and the helper motor can be made nearly as large as the pallet aperture in surface area so that the pluck can be almost completely cancelled if desired. One criticism sometimes voiced of this apparently admirable scheme is a degraded repetition capability (e.g. reference ), caused by an addition to the total inertia of the action owing to the mass of the motor components (comparable to an extra pallet) and the need to push air around. Although elaborations have been made, such as allowing the motor to re-inflate once the pallet has opened, the attractive simplicity of the technique then begins to be obscured by the additional complication.
There would also seem to be another downside to the pneumatic helper technique because it does not fail safe. If any leakage were to occur through the motor the pipes might whimper, and the necessary soundboard repairs could be expensive. However a virtue can be made of this potential problem by deliberately arranging things so that the helper not only relieves the touch, but also assists in delivering wind to the groove. This can be done by making the helper a second pallet rather than a motor, as in the balanced valve familiar in fluid engineering. Usually the realisation of such a valve is not straightforward because it is difficult to make it shut off completely when closed, but in organs the compliance of the valve seating materials makes things somewhat less critical. Balanced valves were first introduced into steam engines, and the idea was considered by some organ builders including Hill (see, for example, references and ). However it is not clear whether they were applied successfully. The difficulties are more of a practical nature than of the principle itself, such as realising a design which can be built and adjusted easily as well as ensuring the valve shuts off properly. This paper addresses these difficulties by describing an experimental investigation of the balanced valve principle.
A practical realisation of a balanced valve is illustrated in Figures 2 and 3 in which the second "pallet" is depicted as a disc valve rather than a copy of the ordinary pallet itself.
The area of the disc valve aperture is arranged to be somewhat smaller than that of the pallet, so that a reasonable amount of residual pluck is imparted to the touch. The disc-valve-plus-pallet unit must move as one with no lost motion, and the means to achieve this are of the utmost importance. Any "give" would result in ciphering, the classical problem of the balanced valve. Hence the suggestion of a disc valve rather than a conventional second pallet, as it is easier to gang the combination rigidly together. Another difficulty is that the final adjustment of the valve and pallet positions can only be done once the organ is in wind, as only then will the pallets and valves take up their fully closed positions against the compliance of the leather and felt. Thus means must be found to make this adjustment from outside the chest. But in theory a further advantage of the system is that a smaller main pallet can be used because the disc valve also supplies wind to the groove, provided that the connection is via tubing of substantial diameter. In turn, this means that the pluck to be compensated is also less to start with than in other systems. Also the system is extremely simple and implementations can be realised in which the valves can be readily adjusted without dismantling, as described below. Because the system was so beguilingly attractive in its simplicity, these issues were investigated experimentally.
A test rig was built, illustrated below. The arrangement illustrated in the diagrams was used, in which adjustment of the valve separations was done merely by rotating the pull-down wire from outside the chest by turning the hook which connected it to the action. At one extreme the main pallet begins to open, and at the other the disc valve. Between these lies the optimum adjustment.
The pallet test rig
The main pallet was of the size already discussed with a 300 mm by 18 mm aperture. The disc was not, in fact, rigidly locked to the wire; it was allowed to just float slightly between two buttons to improve its seating. The experiments verified that the technique worked as intended up to wind pressures as high as 300mm (the maximum that could be raised in my workshop), and the experience gained threw up several design issues, particularly concerning the precise form of the disc valve. After many trials it was concluded that a conical valve was probably more effective than a disc in view of the greater seating pressure it conferred. This meant that the cone was drawn further against the compliance of the leather than a disc for a given value of residual pluck, with consequential sealing benefits.
The criticality of the valve separations was investigated, as well as the practical effectiveness of the method of adjustment by rotating the pull-down. No particular problems due to wind leakage were encountered, because the compliance of the soft valve and pallet coverings was an advantage when adjusting for the optimum separation. Nevertheless to forestall doubt whether this would continue to be the case over long periods of time, a simple modification was also tried in which the conical valve exhausted into the atmosphere rather than into the groove. To reduce wind spillage to a low level this was done via a small hole. The diameter of the hole was not particularly critical because the absolute value of pressure on the conical valve becomes irrelevant once the pluck at the main pallet has been broken. It is only necessary that there is no pressure difference across it. The use of an exhaust hole leads to pressures on both sides of the valve equal to that in the chest while the pallet remains open. Note that this is different to the conventional balancier, which (as we have seen) will not work if it exhausts into the atmosphere rather than into the groove.
Perhaps the main practical disadvantage of the scheme is that the conical valve diameter might be inconveniently large compared to the bar separations – with the pallet used in the experiments, a 50mm diameter hole was required for the valve to give a net pluck of 90 gm with a wind pressure of 115mm. (Without compensation the pluck would have been 337 gm). However we are speaking here of the lowest notes of a large organ so this might not always be a problem, but in any case both the pallet and conical valve apertures will reduce above the bottom note. Above a certain point, of course, no pluck compensation will be required - typically only the lowest 24 notes or so will require compensation.
(An expanded discussion of these issues now appears in a review article elsewhere on this website )
Another problem of mechanical actions concerns inertia – critics say they are not sufficiently snappy because the force available to accelerate the action at key release is so small, an argument constructed forcefully by one concert organist in reference . Putting some figures into this argument, assume that a minimum repetition capability of 6 per second is required (i.e. 6 repetitions of the same key). This means that the key, when released, must return to its normal position in at least one twelfth of a second solely under the influence of a spring tension of, say, 75 gm measured at the key. For a given key travel, elementary mechanics enables the necessary acceleration of the action to be calculated. In turn this enables a value for the equivalent dynamic mass (EDM) of the action to be obtained, from the ratio of spring force divided by acceleration. EDM is not the same as the sum of the actual masses in the action, and it is useful to understand how it is made up because the means for achieving a rapid key response lies in minimising EDM intelligently. The components of the action usually fall into three categories which are, in increasing order of importance:
(This ranking applies to actions in which the key is balanced or centre-hung, actuating a sticker at the rear. For suspended actions where the keys are longer and back-hung, it may not be appropriate).
Therefore minimising EDM means, most importantly, achieving minimum tracker mass. To see how tracker mass affects repetition a mathematical model of the action is necessary, of which the details would be inappropriate here. Assuming typical values for the dimensions of key, backfall, roller and pallet, and assuming the usual materials, it can be shown that the maximum allowable total mass for the tracker runs is typically about 185 gm if a 6 note per second response is required. (The pallet dimensions inserted into the model were those used throughout this paper). With a typical hardwood tracker having a cross section 10 mm by 3 mm, this is equivalent to a total run of about 9 metres. This figure gives a reasonable degree of design flexibility even for large organs. However, increasing the repetition requirement to 8 per second results in the maximum tracker length decreasing to 3.5 metres, a reduction of over 60% for a decrease of only 25% in the repetition period. This example shows how strongly the tracker masses in the action influence its repetition capability.
An analysis of the demands set by organ music for repetition capability appears in reference . The need for an action to respond 8 times per second at the bottom end of the keyboard is probably excessive and the 6 per second criterion is therefore more reasonable, although higher in the compass it might be too slow. Consequently, except in the most difficult circumstances the figures above suggest that relatively large organs can remain responsive, but only if meticulously engineered and designed. For example, extreme attention needs to be paid to minimising tracker mass and consequently the use of hardwood and over-large cross-sections might be unwise where runs are long.
Note that the analysis above did not include the inertial effects of pluck compensation devices. A balancier would usually have an effect that could not be ignored, whereas the minimal additional mass of a balanced valve would be negligible.
1. "Calculating Pallet Size", C E Pykett 2001, currently on this website (read).
2. "The Making of the Victorian Organ", Nicholas Thistlethwaite, chapter 11, Cambridge 1990.
3. "The Art of Organ Building", G A Audsley, vol. II figure CLXXVI, Dover 1965.
4. "Manual Coupling in Larger Organs", K Jones, Organists' Review, November 1999, p. 322
5. G F & J Stidolph patent (1860), outlined by B B Edmonds in BIOS Reporter vol XXV (4), October 2001.
6. "Musical Instruments in the Great Exhibition of 1851", W Pole, p. 64 (reproduced in Thistlethwaite , p.512).
7. "In the Pipeline", Carlo Curley, chapter 12, Harper Collins 1998.
8. "Response Speed of Electric Actions", C E Pykett 2001, currently on this website (read).
9. "The Physics of Organ Actions", C E Pykett 2003, currently on this website (read).
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Outreach participants frequently mentioned the lack of information as a frustrating hurdle to fully utilizing our transportation system. Angelenos want information that will help them make efficient, reliable trips, including real-time transportation information, clear signage, and instructions. Many are discouraged from using public transportation because there is insufficient guidance and instruction, especially for first-time transit users. Participants suggested integrating more technology into our transportation system—mobile information, smart phone apps, GPS tracking, and social media—to communicate more effectively with Angelenos.
Some also commented that Los Angeles needs better transportation coordination—between the City and the public, across City departments and agencies, and with community groups and private businesses. A lack of coordination makes it harder for our transportation goals to be achieved and also more difficult for travelers to get the information they need.
What we’ve heard from Angelenos
“Smart phone apps to help find buses and bike routes would help the users, anonymous tracking data would help the planners”
“The local bus/streetcar service would be easy to negotiate and understand”
“Better instructions on how to traverse the public transportation system- at times the information is incomprehensible, web info is hard to follow…[my trip was] confusing to say the least—I give up, next time I am going by car”
“Coordination of service…coordination between LA Metro, Big Blue Bus, Culver City”
“Communicate vision to public”
To improve communication and information sharing, we are proposing a goal of “Informed Choices.” Information can be delivered on multiple levels to improve transportation within Los Angeles. At an individual level, the availability of information enables easier, more reliable journeys. This includes real-time transportation information and increasing use of technology and social media as user demand for digital resources increases. Metro already offers many mobile resources and uses its Twitter account to provide service alerts to riders. Similarly, the Los Angeles Department of Transportation (LADOT) is using Google Maps to provide detailed, interactive maps of bicycle projects and parking. In addition, the Department of City Planning has used online platforms to engage with more Angelenos than in the past, launching the online town hall, ideas.la2b.org, and this blog to reach those who are not able to attend traditional workshops and events.
Disseminating information at a user level also includes improving awareness through means that do not require technical savvy, internet connection, or a smart phone. This includes posting maps, schedules, and arrival times at transit stops and stations. LADOT is currently compiling a database of destinations in the city to create user-friendly wayfinding signs. Metro recently swapped out the information on their Civic Center Station platforms to include images of buildings in the vicinity. Visitors to the Civic Center area can use these visual cues on the subway platform to find their destinations.
The availability of information will enable Angelenos to plan trips more easily and reliably. This includes making real-time transportation information available, whether online, mobile, or displayed at stops and stations. We can facilitate coordination among different transportation service providers to give Angelenos well-integrated and consistent information.
We can also improve communications between the City and Angelenos to receive better feedback and reporting on street improvements and transportation services. By facilitating two-way communications, the City can gain direct information and also share information back to increase transparency of the planning and decision-making processes. In addition, we can develop a shared database for the many City and regional agencies involved in transportation to allow for better coordination.
As pointed out by one of our LA/2B participants, local and regional entities in the Los Angeles region have not had the best track record of coordinating and communicating with one another in the past. However, coordination and communication are at the heart of public agencies making informed choices. Now more than ever, partnerships among agencies and across disciplines are being cultivated to effectuate more informed decisions about our transportation and street infrastructure.
The Streets for People initiative brought together many City and County agencies to repurpose underutilized streets as vibrant public spaces. Sunset Triangle Plaza, its first pilot project, opened in March 2012 and has become a popular community space, hosting events such as movie nights and farmers markets. The Plaza was made possible by coordinating work among: the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health; Los Angeles City Planning Commission; Departments of Transportation, Planning, and Public Works; Green LA Coalition; Office of Councilmember Eric Garcetti; Silver Lake Improvement Association; Silver Lake Neighborhood Council; and many more groups and local businesses.
At a regional level, there has been a renewed commitment by the City, its neighboring municipalities, and Metro to plan our land uses side-by-side with our transportation investments. The Metro Board began the Transit Oriented Development Grant Program in 2011 to encourage transit-supportive land use planning around station areas. The Grant Program distributes funds to applicants in “rounds” for projects within ¼ mile of designated transit corridors or within ½ mile of Metrolink Stations. Recently, the City received a $3.1 million grant to plan for transit-compatible land uses and streetscape improvements along the future Expo (Phase 2) and Crenshaw Lines, and the Department of City Planning (DCP) has submitted applications covering additional transit lines for future phases of the program.
Planning and development of these transit-adjacent areas have involved extensive coordination among DCP, Metro, LADOT, Department of Public Works, Building and Safety, LAWA (the City’s airport oversight and operations department), local property owners, and neighboring jurisdictions such as the Cities of Culver City, Santa Monica, Inglewood, Hawthorne, and El Segundo. Although Metro operates the stations at a county level, the City agencies are responsible for the operations and development in the surrounding streets and public right-of-way. Furthermore, these land use and transportation plans and decisions must consider the potential impacts—economic, health, visual, to name a few—on the local businesses and residents.
Interagency coordination and informed decision-making occur at even larger scales as well. As a state project, California’s High Speed Rail will connect 800 miles of regions, cities, and municipalities, and the number of government agencies and landowners involved multiplies accordingly. The High Speed Rail Authority must also coordinate with the county transportation agency (Metro), as it has jurisdiction over the rights of way of former rail lines where new tracks would be built. Furthermore, many former rail lines run along the Los Angeles River, and development of this land necessitates federal participation on the parts of the US Environmental Protection Agency and US Army Corps of Engineers. In addition, there are impacts to consider in conflict with recent efforts to restore and transform the River into space for public recreation, described in the vision and policies of the Los Angeles River Revitalization Master Plan (LARRMP). At the local level, the City must consider land use impacts on the areas that will be developed and/or affected by the rail project. Visual, noise, blight, pedestrian, congestion, economic, and pollution impacts are just some of the potential effects to be considered in locating and routing the rail lines. In 2009, the Department of City Planning prepared a report of potential land use impacts and conflicts of high speed rail development in Los Angeles, and found that the project would specifically impact the: Framework and Transportation Elements of the General Plan; Central City North, Boyle Heights, and Northeast Los Angeles Community Plans; Alameda District Specific Plan; Adelante Eastside, Central Industrial, and Little Toyko Redevelopment Plans of the now-dissolved Community Redevelopment Agency; Los Angeles River Improvement Overlay; LARRMP; and Cornfield Arroyo Seco Specific Plan. The City’s efforts to coordinate among all of the different agencies and stakeholders involved can be seen in the alternative analyses and proposals for routes into Los Angeles, such as a tunnel connection rather than at-grade or aerial rail tracks to reduce potential negative impacts.
Coordinating our information and operations can benefit everyone who travels to and within Los Angeles. By increasing the availability of wayfinding tools and real-time travel data, trips can become easier and more reliable. In addition, better communication will facilitate projects and improvements at all scales, ensuring that we are making the best Informed Choices possible for transportation in our city.
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Denmark is setting up an innovation centre in Bangalore, extending the co-operation between the two countries to address the talent shortage and innovate frugally. This is expected to be operational by September. “India, with its ability to develop low-cost applications and technologies, can be the gateway to Africa. This is a just small step, but we hope for an extended collaboration with Indian corporates and institutions…,” said Danish Ambassador to India, Freddy Svane. It would recruit about eight people — six from India and two from Denmark — for the innovation centre. Denmark is also inviting Indian firms to set up operations in the country. At present, the Nordic country’s trade with India is just one per cent of its total trade and largely comprises pharmaceutical products.
At present, there are about 25 Indian companies in Denmark that has a population of just 5 million. Of the total 25 companies, 20 are IT companies, including Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), Cognizant Technologies, L&T Infotech and Mahindra Satyam among others.
TCS, with its Co-Innovation Network or COIN, has been present in the Danish market for more than 19 years, and the Nordic region for the past 22 years.
“All Nordiac countries have strong and stable economy, and are also wealthy and politically stable nations,” said Helge Pedersen, Global Chief Economist at the Scandinavian bank Nordea.
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Happy Spring Break everyone!
In honor of being done with work for a week, and returning to a semi-conscious Undead state, I thought I'd post my favorite "just for fun / relaxation" activities that we do in my classroom to channel our inner Zombies.
#1: PLANKING! Have you discovered it yet? Kids love it. Adults love it. A girl even planked on American Idol this year while her sister auditioned. And it's just plain fun. You lay down on your tummy, stretch your body out behind you, and lift your legs and head a few inches off the ground. You look straight down at the floor, and hold your hands out at your sides, palm side up. See how long you can balance. It's a good workout if you can keep it going.
We have tried it on desks, the floor, my table, lockers, and anywhere else that we don't mind laying down and getting a little grit on our cheeks.
#2: POWER NAP TIME! We have pajama day a few times a year, and there's nothing better than turning the lights off, putting your head down on the blankie you brought, turning on some quiet music, and attempting to doze for 5 minutes. It never fails that I actually have a few kids who are so tired, they fall asleep right away and squint crazily when I turn the lights back on.
Yup, that's me. The zombie math teacher. Napping AND planking. In blue snow flake jammie pants. Somehow my seventh graders still take me seriously!?!?
#3: Meditation Time. I use this at random times, such as before a test or during our prescribed learning periods (PLP is the kid version of the kind of a PLC a teacher would have). We work on deep breathing, stretching individual parts of our bodies, clearing our minds, and trying not to laugh. Several of my current and past students have anxiety and sleep issues and they claim that this has really helped them focus and feel less nervous all the time.
We talk about how meditation can help them calm a racing mind to the point that they are able to almost hypnotize themselves to sleep. It is also a very real issue for their growing teenage bodies that they don't stretch well or often enough; whether it be before gym class, sports, or just to ease growing pains. The benefits of stretching, and yoga related activities, are well documented, but not put into practice nearly enough.
#4: Stare at the crazy picture until you go cross-eyed. Guaranteed to be attention-grabbing. Whether it's an optical illusion, a "wrong" nature picture, or some other cheesy, picture from Google Images, your students will get the brain break they need, and be able to focus on something new more quickly.
This inverted flag is one of my favorites. Find a white space either on your computer monitor or the wall or a whiteboard, where you can look shortly. Don't forget that. Now stare at the center of this reverse flag, blinking as little as possible, for 1-2 minutes. Then look quickly at the white area you chose. You should see the real American flag colors super-imposed on the white space! It's the reverse image that has burned itself onto your retinas! Way cool. Click the flag to learn more about other neat color and image tricks.
#5: Crossing the Midline and other "get up and move" activities. Did you know that you can concentrate better if you have activated both sides of your brain? You can "unstick" the right and left brains by crossing over physically, like doing the "cross your arms, and then clasp your hands, and then pull them up through your middle" and back down. Or windmills. Or diagonal toe-touchers or bicycling. Just getting out of desks for a 2-minute talking break, can be really powerful.
How long can we grown-ups concentrate in a meeting before we zone out? Yet we expect students to do it for hours upon hours upon hours... with longer and longer core classes. Some of the block classes I've seen can last nearly two hours with no break for bathroom, or drink or anything. How inhumane.
#6: Embracing school dress-up days in the class room. So what, it's hat day. Let them have fun wearing their costume in class! Let them show off a little. The humor it engenders will make the lecture more memorable. If the costume gets distracting, they can always take it off later.
This was during a class pop quiz. Somehow, all the students managed to get A's and B's on the quiz, including Iron Man. And you can see just how many class mates are giggling in the background. Even super heroes need to pass math class.
In conclusion: Educational time is very important. But so is the ability to concentrate. Human beings can absorb maybe seven new pieces of information at a time, before taking a break to process. Everything after that is lost. So you can kid yourself all you want that you are "using your classroom time wisely". But ask yourself this... when was the last time you gave your classroom a brain break? A month? A week? Even yesterday?
Well guess what... they need it MULTIPLE times per day, 1-2 times per class period even in a 50-minute block of time. So get them out of their desks! Give them a break! Make them laugh and smile for a while. The gains in quality of learning will greatly offset any losses of class time.
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A Newsletter for Emergency Managers & Storm Spotters
Summer Edition, 1998
by Jonathan Blaes, Ken LaPenta and Warren Snyder
For the third time in the past four years major
tornadoes struck eastern New York and western New
England. On May 29, 1995 (Memorial Day) an F2
tornado raked Columbia County in New York with an
F3 tornado in Berkshire County in Massachusetts. On
July 3, 1997 several tornadoes (F1 and F2) struck the
same areas of New York and Massachusetts. Less than
a year later, on May 31, 1998, tornadoes again
devastated parts of the region. The worst, an F3,
struck southeastern Saratoga County. In all 68 people
were injured but there were no fatalities. There were
tens of millions of dollars in damage to homes,
businesses and forests. Power was out to over 130,000
customers at the storm's peak, while 12,000 were
without power for over three days.
During the morning of May 31, 1998 a warm
front moved northeast across the region. The air
rapidly destabilized during the afternoon as a cold front
pressed south toward the region. Lines of severe
thunderstorms formed and moved rapidly east across
New York and western New England at speeds of over
50 mph. Several storms became tornadic. The longest
lived tornadic thunderstorm produced a series of
tornadoes starting with an F3 in Stillwater and
Mechanicville in Saratoga County. The F2 tornado
then skipped east into Schaghticoke and Hoosic Falls in
Rensselear County, and eventually into Bennington
County, Vermont. Other tornadoes occurred in East
Schodack and Nassau in southern Rensselaer County
(F2), in Albany County near the International Airport,
and south of New Preston in Litchfield County
The tornadoes of May 31, 1998 were produced
by supercells along a squall line in a highly sheared
environment. Straight line wind damage occurred in
most counties of Albany's County Warning Area.
There were numerous reports of large hail. Cloud to
ground lightning rates over the region reached an
unprecedented 15,000 strokes per hour.
National Weather Service (NWS) warnings
and advance notice of severe weather potential were
recognized by the media and New York Governor
George Pataki as playing a major role in preventing
deaths. NWS forecasts began highlighting the severe
weather potential as early as Saturday afternoon. The
potential for tornadoes was highlighted early Sunday
morning in Special Weather Statements and the first
Tornado Watch was issued shortly after 800 am.
During the event a total of 48 county warnings were
issued by NWSFO Albany, (the most ever for a single
event) with damage occurring in 45 warned areas.
The warning for the Stillwater-Mechanicville tornado
in Saratoga county had a lead time of 42 minutes.
Average lead time for all warnings was 22 minutes.
Local media effectively used program break ins and
crawls for the numerous warnings further heightening
public awareness. NWS warnings were relayed via
Emergency Alert System (EAS) and NOAA Weather
Radio. Warnings were also relayed to Emergency
Operations Centers via HAM radio.
On June 1st and 2nd a total of 9 survey teams
from NWSFO Albany traveled across the affected
areas to assess damages. Aerial surveys were
performed with WNYT Television and the New York
State Police. A
by Hugh W. Johnson IV
The spring of 1998 (March-April-May)
followed the same pattern as the winter - warm and
wet. While the departures from normal of both
parameters were not as great as winter, there were
several anomalies that were memorable.
The mean spring temperature was 50.0 degrees
or 3.9 above normal making this the mildest overall
spring since 1991. Precipitation totaled 12.24 inches
or 2.91 above normal.
March came in like a lamb and went out like a
hot tamale. The monthly average temperature was
38.4 degrees or 4.1 above the thirty year mean.
Precipitation for the month was 2.88 inches, only .05
inches below normal. Snowfall for the month was 6.3
inches, versus the normal of 10.6. There were two
brief arctic outbreaks that interrupted the otherwise
mild weather. Strong gusty winds accompanied the
first blast with a peak gust of 41 mph on the 12th. But
the big story in March came at the end with an
exceptional heatwave. Temperatures soared into the
70s and even 80s to close out the month. On March
31st the high at the Albany International Airport
reached 89 degrees, an all-time record high for the
month. The old all-time record high had been 86 set
back in 1986.
Showers took place 10 days of April. The
rainfall was not evenly distributed with nearly a week
of no rain during mid month. However, the rain fell
heavily enough during the showers to bring the
monthly total to 3.49 inches, one half an inch above
normal. There was one thunderstorm noted on the 1st
day of the month. Temperatures averaged 48.8
degrees, 2.4 higher than normal. The temperature
anomaly this month was mainly due to very mild
overnight lows, as only six days saw temperatures fall
to or below freezing at the Albany International
Airport. Also, no snow whatsoever was measured
during the month, the first snowless April since 1991.
The snowfall total for the 1997-98 season
remained at 52.3 inches, more than 10 below the thirty
year mean of 62.8 inches.
For the seventh consecutive month, May was
warmer than normal. The first 10 days saw readings
stay at or higher than 50 degrees due to cloud cover.
The monthly average was 62.8 or 5.2 degrees above
normal. The majority of the month's 5.87 inches of
rain came the first 11 days of the month. In fact rain fell
10 out of the first 11 days, with some of it heavy
enough to produce localized flooding of streams and
even some rivers. Then, the rain suddenly stopped. For
the next 17 days the weather turned sunny, warm and
dry with only .09 inches of rain officially measured
during this time frame. By month's end, severe weather
which had been plaguing the southeast earlier in the
spring, roared into Eastern New York and Western
New England. A line of thunderstorms brought
significant wind damage to the region on the 29th.
However, it would only be a warmup to what followed
on the 31st. The 31st was definitely the wettest and
wildest day of Spring at the Albany Airport, with the
second highest wind gust ever officially recorded there
- 82 MPH, along with 1.67 inches of thunderstorm rain.
by John S. Quinlan
Staff at NWSFO Albany, NY trained over 400
hundred SKYWARN Spotters during the months of
April, May and June of 1998. By offering SKYWARN
Spotter Training Sessions for the 19 counties in our
CWA, we were able to continue our outreach program
to one of our most valuable resources.
Between April 8, 1998 and June 11, 1998
NWSFO Albany, NY staff (Dick Westergard, John
Quinlan, Hugh Johnson IV, and Jonathan Blaes)
conducted 19 SKYWARN Spotter Training Sessions
(joint sessions were held for Columbia and Greene
Counties, Fulton and Montgomery Counties and
Warren and Washington Counties) with a total
attendance of 487 spotters.
The following table lists the SKYWARN
Spotter Training Sessions which were held during
Spring 1998 and the staff member(s) who conducted
1998 SKYWARN SPOTTER TRAINING SESSIONS
DATE COUNTY LOCATION CITY STAFF
4/08/98 Herkimer BOCES East Herkimer John Q.
4/09/98 Washington County EMO Fort Edward John Q.
4/11/98 Dutchess Fire Hous East Fishkill Dick W.
4/14/98 Windham Chapel Brattleboro Hugh J. IV
4/15/98 Bennington Library Bennington Jonathan B.
4/18/98 Albany CESTM #1 Albany Hugh J. IV
4/21/98 Schoharie County EMO Schoharie Jonathan B.
4/25/98 Albany CESTM #2 Albany Hugh J. IV
4/27/98 Berkshire County EMO Pittsfield DickW. JohnQ.
4/28/98 Ulster CHE&G Kingston John Q.
4/29/98 Montgomery Fire Trng. Fonda Dick W..
5/04/98 Hamilton Town Hall Indian Lake John Q.
5/05/98 Litchfield City Hall Torrington Dick W.
5/09/98 Albany CESTM #3 Albany John Q.
5/11/98 Albany CESTM #4 Albany Dick W.
5/13/98 Albany CESTM #5 Albany John Q.
5/14/98 Berkshire Fire House Gt. Barrington John Q.
5/18/98 Columbia School Hudson Dick W.
6/11/98 Ulster NYCDEP Shokan John Q.
Remember, if you observe any of the following
weather conditions, please relay by the quickest means
possible (either 800 #, amateur radio or NYSPIN
LSR) to NWSFO Albany, NY:
1. Tornadoes / Water Spouts / Funnel Clouds / Wall
Clouds (Rotating or Non-Rotating).
2. Damaging Winds - Downed Trees, Large Limbs
and Power Lines as well as Structural Damage
3. Hail - Any Size (Do not report hail as marble-size,
best to measure the diameter with a ruler).
4. Lightning - Causing Property Damage / Personal
Injury or Death (Otherwise do not report)
5. Flooding - Bankfull or Near Bankfull Streams and
Rivers (Also report any Urban Flooding).
6. Measured Rainfall - Report When 1.5 Inches or
More Falls in a 4-Hour Period or Less.
by Bob Kilpatrick
Floods on the Rivers of upstate New York and
Western New England are a year-round fact of life.
Admittedly, it takes much more rain to cause flooding
in the summer time. But muggy Summer Air Masses
also can make lots of rain!! Consider the following
floods that have taken place in summertime:
- Hurricane Agnes in June 1972.
- The Grafton VT floods of June 1996.
- Floods in northern Vermont in 1996.
- Hurricanes Connie and Dianne in August 1955.
Hurricanes Belle and Chantel in August 1976.
Special Summer Needs to be aware of:
- Summer Storms are often unpredictable: We
forecast when thunderstorms are expected to
happen, and if we expect them to have heavy
downpours or damaging winds. But we can't
tell far ahead of time just where until we start
tracking them on radar.
- Summer Rainfall is uneven: Heavy rains falling
in an upstream area can cause flooding to
develop quickly even though little (or no) rain
has fallen where you are.
- Summer has special flood hazards - some
camps and parks are in flood plain areas -
some people try to "ride" the flood-swollen
rivers in rafts, inner tubes, or kayaks.
- Key emergency personnel may be unavailable
because they are away on vacation.
- Communication Facilities get damaged by
lightning or strong winds.
by Dick Westergard
May 20 marked the one year anniversary of
our move to the new office. Several of you visited us
during our May 2 open house. We hope you enjoyed
your visit - we did!
If you live in Berkshire County Massachusetts
or Litchfield County Connecticut you should now only
be getting mailings from the Albany office. Glenn
Field, my counterpart in the Taunton, MA office and
I have done some cross checking, and he has removed
the names of spotters in the Albany County Warning
Area from his mailing lists.
Check the mailing label on this issue of
StormBuster. It contains the date of your last training.
If that date is more than 2 years ago, you should plan
to attend another training session soon. Once that
date is more than 5 years in the past, your name will be
purged from our database.
If you attended a training session this Spring,
you should have a new spotter ID by the time you
receive this issue of StormBuster.
Please note: While we appreciate all reports of
damage from severe storms, we ask that SkyWarn
Spotters NOT go into disaster areas which have been
sealed off by law enforcement. The victims and
emergency crews need to begin the cleanup without
unnecessary interruptions. In any case, disasters of
that magnitude generally warrant investigation by a
Weather Service storm survey team.
Are you a camera buff? The National Weather
Service in Albany is continually seeking pictures or
video of severe storms in our region. We are
interested in large hail, downbursts, wall clouds, funnel
clouds and tornadoes. We would use the pictures
and/or video in our spotter training, and possibly in
severe weather research projects.
StormBuster is a publication for
Emergency Management Officials and Skywarn
Spotters in the National Weather Service Forecast
Office Albany's County Warning Area.
They Make StormBuster Happen!
Hugh W. Johnson IV.
Address comments to:
C/O NWS Albany NY
251 Fuller Road
CESTM Suite B-300
Albany, NY 12203
Internet & World Wide Web:
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|hope college > greek life > centurian|
In the spring of 1966, many campus conditions pointed to the need for a sixth fraternity at Hope. March 9th of that year marked the end of spring rush for the five existing fraternities, with 111 men initiated into Greek Life. However, many men were turned down due to lack of openings, such as each fraternity was able to bid only one third of its rushees. The lack of all-campus events and a student union increased the importance of the Greek societies on Hope’s campus. The picture revealed a socially fragmented student body with independent men and women taking the position as outcasts.
On March 16th Paul Verdin, a junior, observing the disappointment of the rushees who failed to receive bids, was determined to do something about it. On the same day he had a conference with the Dean of Men, Corey. He asked him how the administration would view the establishment of a new fraternity. The dean approved providing that the men could be organized and that a constitution could be drafted with the approval of the Student Life Committee.
Then on May 5th, the Fraternity chose the Greek letters Phi Delta Chi. These letters represented the main goals, which were Brotherhood, Service and Character. Later on the 20th of the same month, the student Life committee unanimously recognized Phi Delta Chi as an official social fraternity. On September 30th the Fraternity voted to adopt Centurian as its campus name. The name was chosen because of its reference to Roman soldiers (one place in charge of one hundred men) and due to the fact that the Fraternity was founded in 1966, the year marking the centennial of Hope College. Phi Delta Chi was soon disappointed to learn that the Phi Delta Chi was a national fraternity and that the Greek letters were protected against use by other organizations. In January of 1967, the Fraternity voted to adopt the Greek letters Alpha Theta Chi.
Flash forward a few years to the 1980-1981 school year. With the Fraternity diminishing in size, and only one active member remaining for this school year the organization could no longer continue. But the Centurian Fraternity saw its formal rebirth in 1986. That year under the leadership of President Greg Keith and Vice President Keith Cowell the Fraternity took its current form. In the spring of 1992 the Kappa Beta Phi sorority and the Centurians were united as brothers and sisters.
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As Cloud Atlas the movie hits Thai cinemas, Cloud Atlas the book has been brought back under the spotlight. David Mitchell's 2004 novel is a virtuoso work of six loosely intertwining episodes, spanning from the 18th century Pacific voyages to the futuristic megalopolis of Neo-Seoul.
Tom Hanks and Halle Berry are among a large cast of actors in the film adaptation of the book.
Each episode, which forms a palimpsest as well as a parabolic arc of time and themes when put together, is written in different literary styles, with references to various writing genres and devices, and Mitchell wires up the English language to jolt our cerebral perception by inventing words and twisting existing ones to expand their connotations and implications (for instance, Neo-Seoul is meant to evoke "neo-soul", or new soul, while in one chapter, "sony" is a generic word used to refer to all electrical appliances).
This article is older than 60 days, which we reserve for our premium members only.You can subscribe to our premium member subscription, here.
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Eggs are a really versatile ingredient for both savoury and sweet dishes. They provide meals in minutes either on their own (boiled, poached, scrambled) or added to other ingredients (quiche, pancakes, omelette). For a range of dinner recipes including eggs visit www.eggs.ie.
Many people do not realise what a wonderful source of nutrition Eggs are! Not only are they quick and easy to cook and can be prepared for a wide range of tasty meals, they are also a concentrated source of good quality protein with a wide range of vitamins and minerals.
Bord Bia has compiled a breakdown of the nutritional elements and nutritonal functions of eggs so that you know exactly what benefits you are getting from including eggs in your dinner recipes!
An adequate protein intake is vital for the day to day working of the body. Eggs are an excellent source of protein. A standard portion of eggs (two eggs) provides nearly one third of the daily protein required by an average woman and almost one quarter of an average man’s requirement.
Eggs contain substantial amounts of vitamins A, B, D and E.
Vitamin A Maintains healthy immune system, skin and eyes.
Vitamin B2 Involved in energy production.
Vitamin B 12 Involved in cell replication, and healthy blood and nerves.
Vitamin D Important for the development and maintenance of healthy bones.
Vitamin E Acts as a powerful antioxidant – keeps cell membranes healthy.
Eggs are a good source of the following minerals:
Iron Transport of oxygen around body. Also important for normal growth and development and good immune function.
Phosphorous Important for energy metabolism and healthy bones.
Zinc Involved in over 200 roles in the body including wound healing, healthy hair and skin.
Selenium An important antioxidant.
Like meat, eggs are produced under the Bord Bia Quality Assurance Scheme. Make sure to look for the Quality Mark on packets of eggs when you’re shopping to ensure that they have been produced to the highest Bord Bia standards.
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|
WINE filesystem idea
aricart at rochester.rr.com
Fri May 21 17:54:38 CDT 2004
On Friday 21 May 2004 06:26, Jonathan Wilson wrote:
> Basicly, when emulated windows version is set to NT4, 2000, XP or 2003,
> WINE should pretend to apps that its running on NTFS.
Why? Other than implementing those horrid ACLs, of what use would that be?
NT4, 2000, and XP applications run just as well under FAT32. Applications
that require a specific filesystem to be present probably aren't the kind of
applications WINE is targeting.
By the way, Wine Is Not an Emulator :)
More information about the wine-devel
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Officials have been warning Canadians to cut back on borrowing as consumer debt levels rose but a report issued by TransUnion today (August 23) shows debt is at record levels.
The report shows average non-mortgage debt of Canadians is $26,221 in the second quarter of 2012. This is an increase of 192 dollars from the first quarter. The Credit Bureau began tracking average consumer debt levels only in 2004. The present level is the highest yet.
This is the second consecutive quarter of growth in the average. The growth in debt is happening across Canada except for a slight dip this quarter in Saskatchewan and Alberta has a decreased annual growth.
Mark Carney has consistently warned that the increasing consumer debt levels are a threat to the economy and that levels are too high. However, in the short term this spending will keep the economy afloat. Thomas Higgins of Transunion said:“When I look at the recent comments from the Bank of Canada, that they don’t foresee there will be a change in interest rates for 12 to 18 months, and now that some of the media attention on Europe’s issues has died down, I would not be surprised to see the latest rise [in debt levels] continue...Maybe people are thinking that they don’t need to tighten their borrowing too much, that they have a bit of leeway.”
The data used to analyse the data includes credit card debt and car loans, installment loans and lines of credit. Although lines of credit are the largest source of non-mortgage debt, in the most recent quarter the largest increase in debt was for car loans. Higgins suggested that during the recession people put off buying big ticket items. Now the the economy is recovering somewhat they are beginning to buy them again.
In spite of the high levels of debt Canadians are repaying debt. Bankruptcies are at historic lows! However if the economy should take a turn for the worse or interest rates rise many Canadians could fall behind in payments as debt payments became much more burdensome. On the other hand if Canadians all suddenly started paying off their debt warns analyst Ben Rabidoux economic growth could slow.
Jeffrey Schwart of Consolidated Credit Counseling Services warned that Canadians need to include debt repayment and savings in their budget and must learn to live within their means. A Bank of Montreal poll showed that 27% of Canadians between 18 to 34 have not started any savings for retirement. Many Canadians also have no money set aside for emergencies.
Given the constant advertising that produces desires for the latest goods and given often readily available credit with low interest rates it should not be too surprising that many Canadians find themselves unable to save any money from one paycheck to the next. Often each month they may find themselves sliding further into debt.
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PORTSMOUTH -- Two years after undertaking major structural overhauls on their 1804 Federal style office, Portsmouth’s Petersen Engineering put its impressive energy efficiency improvements on full display Northeast Sustainable Energy Association (NESEA) Green Buildings Open House Sept. 13.
Owner James Petersen conducted tours of his 335 Maplewood office during the Open House, which showcased both residential and commercial spaces that have adopted significant green measures.
While a number of the space’s improvements will be showcased, Petersen says he’ll place particular emphasis on two years of data detailing the building’s marked improvements, as well as the company’s new condensing gas boiler.
Largely due to the improvements to the building enclosure – the walls, windows and roof were all overhauled in 2010 – the architectural engineering firm’s headquarters currently uses half the energy per square foot as the typical office, according to data put forth by the U.S. Department of Energy.
According to Petersen, the building’s new boiler should help push down energy use even farther.
“You wouldn’t think of a gas boiler as being particularly exciting, but this new system is going to help us go above and beyond the progress we’ve already made,” says Petersen, who began his work in mechanical engineering in 1986 and launched Petersen Engineering six years later. “Boilers don’t make a splash like an array of solar panels or a geothermal system, but a high quality boiler is still a good choice in many instances. I think once people get a sense of how significantly this kind of system can be to a building’s performance, they’ll have more context for making their own building improvement decisions.”
Unlike the two-decade old atmospheric gas boiler, the new system continuously adjusts the heating water temperature based on the outdoor conditions, optimizing the gas-air mixture in a manner akin to a car engine.
Additionally, because the system takes its own air supply from outside rather than from the basement, the building can be completely sealed from unintended air leakage, while reducing heat lost up the chimney.
“With the old system, we used to have to crack open a basement window all winter in order to feed the boiler fresh air for combustion,” explains Petersen. “Now a dedicated 2” pipe brings in air directly from the outside only when the boiler needs it, which makes a big difference.”
Still, getting the building to it present level of performance has been no small accomplishment – particularly given its state just two short years ago.
Extensive water damage and rot – both inside and out – posted immediate challenges for Petersen and his crew when they purchased the one-time bed and breakfast in October 2009. Meanwhile, an even closer inspection of the home revealed a litany of other problems. Specifically, the crew found that the sills, foundation, roof, walls, windows and insulation – all crucial to a building’s energy performance – were in dire need of repair, and in some cases outright replacement.
The resulting fixes amounted to the equivalent of architectural surgery, with nearly four months spent on jacking the building up to reinforce the foundation and replace the sills, wrapping the walls with three-inch-thick continuous exterior insulation, installing new double-glazed windows, and completing a roof replacement that included an additional six-inches of insulation.
Starting in late winter of 2010 and continuing into the summer, the office underwent a near complete transformation – one made all the more impressive by its adherence to standards set forth by the Portsmouth Historic District Commission, which tasked Petersen with assuring that the outward architectural appearance of the home be faithfully maintained. All the while, the engineering office remained open for business, an impressive feat unto itself.
After all was said and done, Petersen had a building that not only looked exactly as it did before the overhaul, but could tout a green mettle as impressive as any modern stock.
“I’m confident that our office could compete with any new building as far as energy efficiency and environmental stewardship is concerned,” Petersen says. “Which goes to show that you can recycle these older buildings – make them greener while maintaining that architectural integrity.”
Now, with the new boiler running at full tilt, Petersen says he’s excited by the opportunity to share his experiences with business and homeowners alike on how they can transform their existing buildings into beacons of what’s possible.
“This is our third year of being apart of the Green Homes Open House, and every year we’ve been lucky to have more and more accomplishments to talk about,” says Petersen. “It’s about showing people that, while the technologies and decision processes themselves might be complicated, meeting the preservations goals as well as the environmental goals makes it all worthwhile.”
For more information visit www.petersenengineering.com.
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Maslow’s Pyramid has finally been given a good remodeling. And it’s about time, that’s all I can say. Maslow’s long been a hero of mine, but the builder in me has been thinking about rebuilding his pyramid for awhile now using a number of recent social neuroscience’s findings as more up-to-date blueprints.
For those of you who may have forgotten Maslow’s contribution, he basically wrested psychology away from the Freudians and the behaviorists in the 1950s and 60s and put a human face it. He made the blasphemous claim that psychological and spiritual growth and development didn’t simply stop once the human body stopped growing, but rather, Maslow proclaimed that we humans have the potential to develop throughout our whole lives. This dovetails nicely with recent research confirming that our brains, well-cared for, hold the potential to remain plastic and resilient throughout the lifespan.
Self-Actualization Makes it Happen
The highest level of development for Maslow showed up in “self-actualized” people like Einstein, people who are “reality centered” and easily able to differentiate true from false. Self-actualized people are also “problem centered” – meaning they have integrated neural networks with good Executive Function that they can deploy in the service of identifying problems and working over whatever span of time is necessary to solve them. Maslow suggested such people were comfortable being alone – rather than having 50,000 friends on Facebook, they had a handful of healthy personal, face-to-face relationships.
Another person Maslow drew the qualities of self-actualization from was Lao Tzu, the father of Taoism. Based on the teachings of the Tao, Maslow suggested that the ways in which people fulfilled their essential needs are just as important as the needs themselves. Taking care of survival needs by selling home loans to people who can’t afford them, and who will be majorly stressed trying to make the payments, Maslow didn’t feel was necessarily the best path to self-actualization. Rather, by establishing meaningful, authentic, helpful connections to people places and causes outside ourselves – essential components of self-actualization – we become spontaneous and creative, loosen the binds of strict social convention, and begin do the work of making the world a truly better place for all. Were he alive today, I have little doubt Maslow would be a contemplative neuroscientist!
Peak-a Boo, I Feel You
Central to Maslow’s psychology were moments of extraordinary self-encounters known as Peak Experiences. He described these as profound moments of love, understanding, happiness, or rapture. Such moments elevate us above the day-to-day suffering of the world, while at the same time making us more aware of truth, justice, harmony, goodness, and compassion. Aren’t these things we would immediately sign ourselves and our kids up for if we only knew where, when or how?
Well parents are beginning to learn how, and according to Doug Kenrick and his colleagues at Arizona State University, this is one of many things that qualifies parenting for the new top spot on Maslow’s pyramid. Might this mean that parenting will begin to warrant increasing respect across the wider culture? It means precisely that in my book, literally. Because what happens in the early years reverberates profoundly all through the lifespan, I’ve long considered it to be the most important job on the planet. (To order, click here. )
Parenting Isn’t Brain Surgery
“Parenting is much more complex than brain surgery,” says San Francisco State professor Ruth Cox, herself a Maslow scholar and a parent. “It requires parents to be flexible, adaptive, coherent, energized and stable virtually 24/7, in perpetuity (borrowing freely from Dan Siegel here). But when the brain operation’s done, brain surgeons get to go home or go play golf. Parents get to keep working on their own and their children’s brains – not to mention hearts, minds, bodies and souls. And they have to shepherd and spur growth and development that doesn’t stress or overwhelm all while the patient is awake and often resisting!”
A Late Change of Heart
I never wanted to be a parent. Based upon my own early experiences as a kid, I didn’t see much upside in it. The costs of raising children and sending them to college ranges from a quarter to half a million dollars, and the financial return on that investment is generally a negative number. Nevertheless, at the age of 36 I found myself somewhat ambivalently embarking on the journey. But no one told me that becoming a parent would profoundly change my neurophysiology not to mention my hormone composition. Giving birth doesn’t only change mom’s hormone levels. The two gallons of testosterone I’d been producing daily immediately dropped by a third and my prolactin levels increased by as much as 20%, changes that began to radically alter my world view. As a father I could actually feel more neural resources suddenly become available to me, making me better able to manage anxiety, think more creatively, while becoming much less self-centered. Becoming a parent also expanded my awareness and desire for truthfulness, justice, harmony, goodness, and compassion. All truly Maslow-ian in the grand hierarchy of things.
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Autism Heroes is a 218-page hardcover book that provides glimpses into the lives of 38 families with children on the autism spectrum. All book royalties are being donated to The Help Group, an organization that works with children with autism spectrum disorders and their families.
This book would be good for anyone interested in understanding real-life families who deal with autism on a daily basis. The book is divided into four sections: Dignity, Hope, Opportunity, and Love. Nine or ten families are represented within each section, and the photography provides a well-rounded representation of the many family types, lifestyles, and economic levels affected by the autism spectrum. The book is visually appealing, and it might even offer inspiration for budding photographers who hope to capture a bit of personality from their subjects.
One of my children is on the autism spectrum. I consider this an ideal book to have on our coffee table, as it dispels some of the misconceptions that people have about children living with autism. Many of these children are affectionate; they do show emotion and joy. "Dignity" is a major concern for most families, and this section discusses such issues as the self-sufficiency of their children as adults, the fear of labels, and how to offer the most opportunities. The section on "Hope" includes a great deal of encouragement, and it discusses the waiting game that results when doctors overlook signs and wait too long to begin life-changing therapies. "Opportunity" calls for parents to be vigilant in searching for and requesting services for their children. Building a network with others who are going through similar circumstances is essential for creating support. And the importance of early intervention is repeatedly stressed, as it can make a huge difference. The writings on "Love" are very heartfelt. Physical expressions of love can be different for families with a child on the spectrum. We can be utterly thrilled when a previously nonverbal child simply says "Mommy" or "Daddy." And we can be brought to tears if and when the child is able to say "I love you."
Our family would have appreciated more direct information about specific therapies or pointers in working with autistic children, but this book is more of an overview of families rather than a technical manual. The "About The Help Group" page at the end of the book does list the various schools currently within the group. This is not an inexpensive book, but for the opportunity to show guests in our home pictures of other families joyfully interacting with their autistic child, we consider it to be worth the investment.
Although homeschooling is not widely represented in the book, one mother did comment that homeschooling their son for two years gave him a calm, safe place to be all day and is what made the biggest change in him. We have found this true for our family as well; homeschooling has made an incredible difference for our son. Families living with autism spectrum disorders face many challenges most people will never encounter. Autism Heroes is a tremendous resource for those who want to better understand what these families are going through. The fantastic photography and the family profiles give the reader a glimpse of the many faces of autism.
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Home > News > Press Releases & Media Advisories > Press Release
Prominent stem cell researcher joins UCI faculty
Peter Donovanís hire important step in expansion of Stem Cell Research Center
Irvine, Calif., January 4, 2006
Peter J. Donovan, a developmental biologist renowned for pioneering research into the basic properties of stem cells, has been appointed to the UC Irvine faculty.
Donovan’s recruitment marks the continued growth of the UCI Stem Cell Research Center, the university’s center of excellence for stem cell approaches to basic science and therapy development. He will hold a joint appointment in the School of Biological Sciences and the School of Medicine as a professor of developmental and cell biology and biological chemistry. He also will become interim co-director of the Stem Cell Research Center, joining current interim co-director Hans Keirstead, an associate professor at UCI’s Reeve-Irvine Research Center.
“Peter Donovan and his laboratory bring significant knowledge of the genetic and environmental signals controlling stem cell behavior,” said Susan V. Bryant, dean of the School of Biological Sciences. “These are issues that all stem cell biologists wrestle with, and we are excited to see a researcher of his caliber join our team.”
Donovan comes to UCI from Johns Hopkins University, where he was co-director of the Stem Cell Biology Program in the Institute for Cell Engineering. He was among the first to discover that primordial germ cells – the embryonic-stage cells that give rise to the reproductive tissue of the adult – have the potential to differentiate into any of the specialized cells of the body. This characteristic, called pluripotency and often referred to as the “stemness” of these cells, is functionally similar to that seen with embryonic stem cells. He is expected to bolster the efforts of other UCI scientists focused on disease-specific applications of stem cell biology.
“By studying how stem cells maintain their pluripotency, Peter’s scientific efforts pinpoint a critical early step in the development of cell-replacement therapies,” commented Dr. Thomas C. Cesario, dean of the School of Medicine. “Medical researchers at UCI and elsewhere will need to know how to maintain stem cells in an unspecialized state in order to use them as a large-scale source of transplantable cells for diseases affecting thousands, if not millions, of patients.”
Donovan, who brings nearly $3 million in extramural funding to UCI, has served at Johns Hopkins since 2003. From 1998 to 2003, he worked at the Kimmel Cancer Center at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, and earlier spent 10 years at the National Cancer Institute’s Cancer Research and Development Center in Frederick, Md. He received his doctorate in cell biology from University College, London.
Donovan is regarded as a key new appointment for the UCI Stem Cell Research Center, which provides campus and visiting scientists an infrastructure to capitalize on recent stem cell breakthroughs, particularly in the areas of nerve repair and regeneration. He also arrives as UCI is seeking support to construct a $60 million Stem Cell Research Institute facility aimed at propelling stem cell technology from the research lab to the clinic.
Joining Donovan at UCI will be Leslie Lock, another researcher from the Stem Cell Biology Program at Johns Hopkins University, who has been appointed an assistant adjunct professor in developmental and cell biology and biological chemistry. Lock was among the pioneers in stem cell research working with Gail Martin at UC San Francisco who demonstrated two decades ago that stem cell lines could be made from pluripotent cells of the mouse embryo. Donovan also arrives shortly after the appointment of UCI’s Michele Musacchio as stem cell core resource director, with whom Donovan will establish a facility aimed at providing stem cell culture equipment, diagnostic tools and training space for researchers throughout Southern California.
About the University of California, Irvine: Celebrating 40 years of innovation, the University of California, Irvine is a top-ranked university dedicated to research, scholarship and community service. Founded in 1965, UCI is among the fastest-growing University of California campuses, with more than 24,000 undergraduate and graduate students and about 1,400 faculty members. The second-largest employer in dynamic Orange County, UCI contributes an annual economic impact of $3 billion. For more UCI news, visit www.today.uci.edu.
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Peter J. Donovan
Larger image of Donovan
UCI Stem Cell Research
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Sago palms from pups
The sago palm plant is one of the most primitive living seed plants around today. You can recognize it by its rough trunk, topped with feathered rugged leaves. Although nicknamed sago palm, it is actually related to conifers and the ginkgo tree. According to Lynn McKamey of Rhapis Gardens, all cone bearing plants trace their origins back to the ancient flora of the early Mesozoic era. They are called “living fossils.” Cycads have changed little in the last 200 million years.
You can have your own “living fossil” because this plant is one of the easiest plants to grow indoors or out. They can tolerate temperatures from 15 to 110 degrees. They accept bright interior light or full sun. They also will tolerate some neglect. Sagos live a long time. A beautiful 220-year-old specimen is on display at the Royal Botanic Garden in England.
To propagate, you can plant from seed, but better to plant a SAGO offset called a “pup.” Cycads have both male and female plants. In our area, female sagos begin to flower and male sagos produce cones in May when it is time to pollinate. The offsets or “pups” growing at the base or along the sides of mature sagos are an excellent source of new plants. Remove them in early spring, late fall or winter by using a hand trowel to pop small ones free. A shovel or crow bar may be necessary to remove the larger offshoots. Set the pups aside to dry for a week or so after removing all the leaves and roots from them.
Plant in well-drained soil or a sandy mixture so that half the ball or trunk is below soil level. Water thoroughly. Let the soil become fairly dry before watering again. Lynn suggests starting the new pups in a shady area or bright indoor area as the roots slowly begin to form. The leaves will begin to appear several months later. Then you can add a weak application of fertilizer. When the plant has developed a good root system, you can replant into your yard or into a larger container.
Don’t bother your new sago much. Their new leaves are very tender then they harden. Low light will produce long leaves, while bright light will produce shorter leaves. If you are growing your plant in a window, a one quarter turn every day will give you a more balanced plant. Your sago will grow slowly but it could be here for a long time.Mark your calendar
More details soon on the March 20-21 Flower Show of the Magnolia Garden Club at the Phelan Mansion. Also, details to follow on the Annual Master Gardener Plant Sale on March 31 at the airport. Call Peggy at (409) 835-8461 if you are interested in a vendor booth at the plant sale.
Joette is an avid gardener and prides herself on staying up-to-date on the latest gardening activities and tips. To share your gardening news with Joette, call (409) 832-1400 or fax her at (409) 832-6222. Her e-mail is joreger [at] msn [dot] com.
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The Best Kind Of News
I last left you guys with news that I am cancer-free. Probably the best news a person who previously had cancer could ever get. However, I was still uneasy as I had yet to meet with my radiologist and hear if she wanted to continue treatment with several weeks of radiation. It would involve me going to the hospital 5 days a week and getting zapped in the chest. Apart from being inconvenient, radiation also carries a high risk of causing a secondary cancers down the road. For some people the side effects can also be worse than chemo.
Well the good news just keeps on coming, because the radiologist said she did not want to do radiation!! She said even though I have a residual mass in my chest, there is no sense in radiating it because they know from the PET scan it is not active cancer. Thank goodness for PET scans! She also expressed concern about the radiation field, which would have to go through both breast and lung tissue, putting me and a very high risk for breast cancer and more lung issues in the future.
The radiologist printed out a copy of my PET scans to compare “before and after.” The images are of my chest with my arms above my head. Top was done on June 30, 2011 before my diagnosis, and the bottom image is from last week, January 30, 2012.
On first glance, there’s a clear difference between the two! On the computer, PET scans are in colour and show a better distinction between tumours and organs. You can kind of see on the top image where the radiologist circled to show me where the original mass was. The lighter bits inside of it are the parts that “light up” as being actively cancerous. The other white bits are just bone. It’s a 2D snapshot of a 3D image.
Below is another angle, showing a snapshot as if you were looking through my torso from my feet. Again, consider it a 2D slide in a 3D image.
You can see in the bottom image where the radiologist circled as being the residual mass, which is 2cm. That’s down from a 14cm mass! She said I shouldn’t spend too much time worrying about the residual mass becoming cancer again, and that it will take my body a couple years to absorb the dead cells it’s made up of.
I’m going in for another PET scan in about 3-4 months just to make sure there’s no new growth since ending treatment. After my radiology appointment, my mom and I immediately went to extramural to get my PICC line taken out!
I had this purple tube inside my arm for over four months. It’s inserted into a vein in my arm and goes all the way to my heart. It protected my veins while getting harsh chemo treatments through IV and also made it so I had less needles for my weekly blood draws. However, it also had to be cleaned every week, taped to my arm 24/7, and I could never get it wet. The PICC was a constant reminder that I was a sick person with ties to the hospital. Getting it taken out was like being unchained from cancer!
Getting the PICC inserted was the most traumatic experience, apart from my bone marrow biopsy. It took 90 minutes to shove in, and under 30 seconds to pull out. Go figure.
By chance, a few of my friends planned a get together for Friday night so we turned into a cancer-free/end-of-treatment celebration. They made me cupcakes!
And bought me beer!
As promised, I indulged in many drinks, went out to a bar, and stumbled home close to 3am.
It is SO incredibly weird to think that I am completely finished with treatment. I still feel the effects of chemo every day. I sleep a good 9-10 hours every night and my brain is still pretty foggy. I still wear a wig as my hair is only half an inch long.
You could probably tell from my last post that I was having a hard time grasping with the idea that I am cancer-free. I think that’s because I was still struggling with knowing I even have cancer in the first place. But treatment? That affects me immediately in a very real and tangible way. Finding out that I’m finished was the best moment of my life. I am tearing up now just thinking that I can start to put some space between me and this cancer debacle.
As for the for the immediate future, I am going back to work in two weeks. My bosses and coworkers have been amazing throughout all of this and my desk is still there waiting for me. I’m definitely nervous about getting tired being in the office for eight hours (and being there for 8am!). But, I’m lucky it’s a pretty non-physical, non-stressful job. I’m confident that even if it’s rough in the beginning, I’ll get the hang of it quickly.
I also have long-term plans of leaving the nest and getting a place of my own. I have had to give up A LOT of independence while getting treated for cancer, and I am really looking forward to getting some of it back.
Again, thank you so much for the continued support from each and every one of you throughout this entire experience. Being able to connect with people through my blog kept me from feeling isolated when I was too sick to leave bed. You were all a constant source of strength and hope. It takes a village to raise a child, and apparently it takes an army of friends via the internet to get rid of cancer!
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You use a mouse. Even if you have a laptop, you’ve USED a mouse, and when you go to the Apple store, I bet you use one of those giant computers with mice to check your emails. I mean I do that, right? Yes I do. And when I do, I think about how plastic the mouse is. What do I want instead? This lovely piece of design right here: the “AlestRukov” wooden mouse! Plug-n-play!
First let me tell you this: five year warrantee. A wooden mouse with a warrantee – finally! Then, look at this: made from types of wood cultivated specifically for industrial use, safe for the environment to manufacture and to use. The parts that aren’t wooden are made of the least amount of material possible, the wood itself covered with natural linseed oil and carnauba wax for protection from wear.
All wooden components made from a single piece of solid wood.
Mouse works in any* computer without new software or drivers. *unless you’ve got one of those custom-made, everything needs a new line of code and a hundred dollars to work kind of computers. You nerd.
BONUS: Also take note of the unique mouse cord. It’s a sort of “stay” cord that allows you the space you need in the situation you’re in.
Designer: Alest Rukov
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Posting by Kirstin Bourne
Mushroom season has only just started and already ROM mycologists have been out in the field conducting research and searching for new specimens to add to the museum collection. Last week I got the chance to join Jean-Marc Moncalvo, the ROM’s Senior Curator of Mycology, along with Ph.D. Candidate Santiago Sanchez and Josie Carding, a summer intern in the Schad Gallery of Biodiversity for a few days of foraging and camping in Ontario’s Awenda Provincial Park.
Posting by Brendt Hyde, Mineralogy Technician
The discovery of diamonds in the 1990’s marked a beginning for Canada’s first diamond mine, the Ekati Diamond Mine, located in the Northwest Territories. It also marked the beginning of the, still relatively young, diamond mining industry in Canada.
By Ka Bo Tsang, Assistant Curator – Chinese Paintings & Textiles
Most people think of Chinese painting as artwork created by artists using special brushes in combination with ink and colour pigments to give shape to ideas on paper or silk through the adroit manipulation of lines, dots, and spots. While this general impression is true, there are exceptions.
Paul Sereno, one of my FAVOURITE palaeontologists, is coming to @ROMToronto this Sunday and I could not be be MORE excited. Except for maybe those times when I was a kid…
(cue time travel sound effect- swosh swish swash)
When I was a kid I had a pretty strict bed time. For grades 3 through 5, bed time was somewhere around 8-9PM. Very rarely were exceptions made. About the only time I ever remember my mom letting me stay up was for one of my favourite tv shows, Paleoworld.
When ROM Ichthyologist Dr. Hernan Lopez-Fernandez was unable to attend a 2011 expedition to the Cuyuni River in Guyana, he found other creative ways to collaborate with fellow scientists. Dr. Lopez-Fernandez enabled Devin Bloom, a U of T graduate student with extensive experience in Guyana through previous joint expeditions, to attend in his place and share the specimen collections and tissue samples with the ROM.
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Get Our Mobile App
Monday, April 23, 2012
Meghan Soptich Pembroke, WSDOT communications, 206-440-4704 (Seattle)
Janice Fahning, WSDOT project engineer, 425-225-8725 (Everett)
Crews to remove trees near the highway, rock blasting begins in May
MONROE – Drivers on State Route 522 near Monroe should plan for full closures of the highway Wednesday and Thursday morning. Crews widening SR 522 between the Snohomish River Bridge and US 2 are removing trees in preparation for rock blasting in May.
“We’re gearing up for blasting and drivers should too,” said Janice Fahning, project engineer for the Washington State Department of Transportation. “This week’s closures are a reminder for drivers to tune in and make sure they have a plan in place for when rock blasting begins.”
Crews for WSDOT’s contractor, Scarsella Brothers, will close both directions of SR 522 between Fales/Echo Lake roads and 164th Street Southeast from 10:15-11:15 a.m. Wednesday, April 25, and Thursday, April 26. During the closures, crews will remove about 100 trees on two rock faces next to the highway.
“We need to take down all of the trees and vegetation on the slopes before we can start blasting,” said Fahning. “Many of these trees will fall onto the roadway when they’re cut down, so we’re closing the highway to keep drivers safe during the work.”
Drivers can choose alternate routes or follow a signed detour using SR 9 and US 2. The detour will add about ten miles and 20 minutes to trips, depending on destination and traffic.
Rock blasting begins in late May
Rock blasting is part of a larger project to add a new lane in each direction of more than four miles of SR 522. To make space to widen the highway, crews must remove 300,000 cubic yards of rock along the westbound lanes – about 25,000 truckloads.
Blasting is expected to start as early as the week of May 21. Drivers can expect up to 150 weekday closures of SR 522 through mid-2013.
“We need people to stay engaged for the long haul,” said Fahning. “We’ll have signs in the field to alert drivers to upcoming closures, but they can also use our hotline and online tools to plan their trips.”
In addition to widening the highway, crews are building four new bridges, including a 1,700-foot-long bridge over the Snohomish River, a roundabout at 164th Street Southeast and a noise wall near 171st Avenue Southeast. They also will install median barrier to reduce the risk of head-on collisions.
The $128.8 million project is one of the final projects in Snohomish County funded by the 2003 gas tax. Crews expect to finish construction in late 2014. For more information, visit www.wsdot.wa.gov/Projects/SR522/Widen/SnoRiver_US2.
< Go Back
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Managing the spectrum for electronic warfare
EDITOR'S NOTE: This article was updated Dec. 15, 2011, to correct the name of the Communication Electronic Attack with Surveillance and Reconnaissance (CAESAR) program.
Col. Rod Mentzer is the project manager for Electronic Warfare at the Army’s Program Executive Office for Intelligence, Electronic Warfare and Surveillance (IEW&S).
In this interview with Defense Systems Editor-in-Chief Barry Rosenberg, Mentzer was joined by Michael Ryan, deputy program manager for EW. They discussed combining Army and Navy counter-improvised explosive device (IED) technology and managing the spectrum for all defensive and offensive electronic warfare technologies and capabilities.
DS: What’s at the top of your to do list?
Mentzer: There are two things at the top of both Mike and my to do list. First one is we have a ground counter-IED system for the Army called Duke, and the Navy has a current and future program called Joint Counter Radio Controlled Improvised Explosive Device Electronic Warfare [JCREW] 3.3. The rumors on the street are JCREW 3.3 is going to transition to the Army, so we have to figure out what that means fiscally and programmatically. It is not fact yet, but that is something that is on our plate. What is fact is that our current CREW system, Duke, has finite legs into the future because they have been in the force for several years now and some of the electrical components in them need to be replaced.
So as the Army comes out of Afghanistan and Iraq, we’re establishing a global reaction force under which we are going to preposition stocks of equipment to meet wheels-up emergencies on a global scale. We have a requirement for our systems in those fleets. So one of the things we are doing Monday in the Pentagon [the first business day after the Thanksgiving holiday, Nov. 28] is meeting with the G-3 and the G-8 to figure out how we best provision and procure equipment to meet that global reaction force requirement.
Army wants more efficiency out of quick-reaction capabilities
DS: Is anything particularly unique or worthy within the Navy JCREW system that you would like to incorporate into the Army system?
Ryan: I am sure somewhere on your list of questions you want to talk about Integrated EW Systems [IEWS]. [We have] new start programs that are going to kick off this year or next depending on the budget. This is a family of systems for defensive electronic attack, which is the force protection CREW mission; and offensive electronic attack, which is a ground family of systems — mounted, dismounted, fixed site and airborne components — that go after enemy communication, and command and control. We also have an EW planning and management tool to support the electronic warfare officers [EWOs] that we have out there today. So we do view the technology and architecture work that went into the JCREW 3.3 family system design as something that we could leverage.
DS: Is there anything like DCGS [Distributed Common Ground System] to integrate all these EW products?
Ryan: There are three lines of effort. There is the multifunctional EW effort, which is focused on the near-term offensive. There is the defensive electronic attack, DEA, which is essentially the CREW family of systems. Right now we only have Duke, which is our mounted solution; everything else is a quick reaction capability, not a program of record.
The third is EW planning and management tools. That is where we would give the EWO the ability to do mission rehearsal, pre-mission planning, modeling and simulation of the environment and the EW assets during the fight, and command and control of those assets, dynamic re-tasking of those assets. There is also some information to collect because these are sensors. So this suite of tools that we are going to provide the EWO will be applications riding on some existing server somewhere in an effects cell, and that is where we would control the EW fight. So that would be [near] equivalent to DCGS on the intelligence side.
DS: Colonel, you were going to mention a second priority that you were working on.
Mentzer: That would be exactly what you guys were just talking about. Monday morning we have a briefing on the future of Army CREW, Duke systems and potentially JCREW merging into the Army. So we have to get a clear validated requirement of exactly what they want us to do, and then how do we fund and procure that solution set.
Tuesday’s discussion is the program objective memorandum brief where we are going to layout requirements and budget and support to get to the integrated electronic warfare system that Mike was describing to you.
DS: What are the primary EW needs in Afghanistan today? How would you characterize what it is that you need to deploy to theater to address that threat?
Mentzer: Of course, the counter RCIED [Remote Control IED] mission is probably forever. That’s just going to be a part of our life from now on and that’s what the CREW systems were designed to do. There are also requirements coming out of Afghanistan that are driving us towards developing this IEWS with the ability to do offensive electronic attack so as to deny the enemy freedom of maneuver within the spectrum.
So we have that need [that] is being met near term in Afghanistan by quick reaction capabilities that we are working [on] with our scientists at Aberdeen Proving Ground specifically out of CERDEC [Communications-Electronics Research, Development and Engineering Center]. Some of the programmatic pieces of that are being done within our office here, primarily by our chief engineer, Fran Orzech, who is running those programs for us to make sure that we get systems into the fight that they are looking right now to helpful eliminate some of the enemies capabilities.
DS: What are some of those specific quick-reaction programs?
Mentzer: There are three. One is recapitalizing on existing Duke systems, which we call Duke V2 Electronic Attack. For this, we took our Duke systems and re-provisioned with different amplifiers and antennas to give them a different mission set. One coming out of the laboratories over here is called GATOR [Ground Auto Targeting Observation Reactive Jammer]. The third one is more of an experimental program coming out of the Rapid Equipment Force, and we worked with them, as well as some sister-brother PMs down on Huntsville, and that is putting a jammer system onto an aircraft. That is called CAESAR [Communication Electronic Attack with Surveillance and Reconnaissance].
Those are the three primary offensive capabilities that are going in. And along with those is the need for some a planning tool to configure how we are going to manage the spectrum when we have CREW systems jamming the spectrum, Blue Force capabilities trying to talk in the spectrum, and now we are actually jamming other communication spectrum from the enemy so as to deny them. So there is a lot happening in that spectrum, and it is not being really well managed today.
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The mission of the Office of Solid Waste Management & Recycling is to encourage and expand recycling, waste diversion and reuse programs and promote efforts to decrease the amount of waste produced on the Georgia Tech campus in order to ultimately reduce the amount of waste Georgia Tech landfills. To meet this goal, recycling programs have been initiated in the academic buildings, general campus and residential housing.
The Georgia Tech Office of Solid Waste Management & Recycling is located at 947 Atlantic Drive. More information is provided at OSWM&R Location / Driving Directions. Our office hours are Monday - Friday from 7:55 am to 4:25 pm.
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Join us on campus during March Break for the three-day March Math & Engineering program!
The University of Toronto's Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering and the Department of Mathematics in the Faculty of Arts & Science are proud to offer this math-intensive program for students in Grades 7 through 12. While introducing students to the exciting scope and application of engineering and mathematics in relevant contexts, this program also aims to increase numeracy, enhance important academic skills and inspire confidence.
Led by passionate instructors who are studying math and engineering at the undergraduate and graduate levels, interactive lectures and fun activities will showcase mathematics and engineering as attractive programs of study, introduce students to meaningful research and allow participants to explore exciting future careers.
To receive notification of when registration opens for March Math & Engineering, please click here.
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Transcript for the Piece Audio version of The Mark of a Blacksmith
-- scene 1: in the shop --
0:09:16.0 [blower starts]
A blowtorch gets things started -
0:09:35.6 [blowtorch – sparks and ignites]
but that’s not enough heat.
0:09:46.2 [forge starts, torch off]
Bob Jordan’s forge has a glowing rectangular opening on one end – like a mail-slot to hell.
0:16:14.1 – [do you ever burn yourself?]
Every day – I keep a bottle of aloe vera over there – I used to have aloe plants – but it’s easier to keep a bottle than it is a plant.
Bob’s garage is a great place to get some serious work done. It’s bright and tidy. And best of all – dangerous tools line the walls.
0:02:13.6 - I have a 75lb power hammer, which is like a 75lb sledge hammer that will beat 3 times a second if you really wind it up…. I have a TIG welders, MIG welders, and a plasma cutter – which is what we use today to be competitive in this game – because we can’t do everything in the traditional sense…
Some things never change though. A massive anvil sits by the forge. Bob pulls a red-hot iron rod from the fire and starts hammering.
[hammering sounds throughout the shop scence]
0:08:48.2 – I’m making legs for that fireplace screen that’s on the table – which has a ringneck pheasant on it and a scene on the bottom.
Bob says he’s spent over 80 hours working on the screen so far. Half of that went into the bird. The feathers are individually formed from silicon bronze, copper, and steel. He knows how each metal will oxidize and change colour over time – so the plumage actually evolves as it ages. And you want that level of detail in a five thousand dollar fireplace screen.
0:18:37.5 – [this is labour intensive] it is – that’s why it’s so expensive
0:19:56.0 [it’s beautiful]
-- scene 2: challenges --
There’s nothing practical or efficient about blacksmithing. We have faster and cheaper methods now. But Bob loves creating things slowly, one at a time. And he loves the results. He can’t really imagine stopping. Even now – at age 67 – as a lifetime of hammering catches up with him.
1:10:52.9 I’ve been doing it for 40 years and I’ve had three knee scope surgeries on my right leg for torn meniscus tissue, I had my right shoulder rotator cuff rebuilt five years ago, just this past year I had my left shoulder rotator cuff rebuilt
…and other than that I’m doing alright, hahah. My feet hurt sometimes.
So if blacksmithing is the career equivalent of getting hit by a bus - It’s not surprising his kids aren’t interested.
1:12:11.9 No – heheh.… Basically kids today don’t wanna work too hard. They can be radio DJs and stuff like that.
-- scene 3: the creative spark --
Bob grew up in Chatham, back when kids loved hard work. He found metalwork early - building an all-season go-kart when he was 10.
1:29:22.5 … in the winter time, when I took it out on the ice, couldn’t steer it. So I had a pair of ice skates, I welded a piece of pipe on them – put ‘em on where the wheels were, and I went out cruising around, I wrapped a chain around the rear wheels so that they’d get traction – so that was my gokart.
Cape Cod’s inspired a lot of Bob’s work. One of his most impressive pieces is another fireplace screen. Two large brass lighthouses form the base.
0:37:50.9 – Chatham used to have two lighthouses and in the early 1900s when they moved one of them to Eastham. I had a client that wanted to have a motif on the front of his fireplace screen that was the twin lights of Chatham with the house. And inside each on the top where the lights would be I hung a crystal – so that when there’s a fire behind them it flickers.
Bob sculpts every piece by hand. He could make his life a lot easier – and reduce the wear on his body – by cranking out duplicates from off-the-shelf parts. That’s what some of his competition does, but not Bob.
1:22:11.4 - Boring, hahaha.. … I don’t wanna get into production work, it stifles the imagination and cuts down on the creativity – if I can go along and keep making individual pieces, it makes me much happier- you know it makes me wanna go to work every day, instead of saying oh god I have to make 10 more of those things…
-- scene 4: conclusion --
[shop ambi comes back in]
Bob’s done making the foot for the fireplace screen. A bead of sweat runs down his face.
He says he’s going to teach a weekend blacksmithing class soon. He gives them regularly to keep the dying art alive. But on this rainy day – by the warmth of the forge – it seems like it has a pretty strong pulse.
And now there’s just one thing left to do.
0:22:20.5 – it’s called a touchmark – it’s my stamp that I’ve been using for probably 25 years, 30 years – and I’ll put this on flat of the foot so that it shows.
0:22:51.4 - it’s RSJ for Robert S. Jordan [bang]
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SLO Program Assessment
Program Assessment - The Pathways Model
LA Valley College has defined an instructional program as a major education pathway that a student takes through the institution. We have three such pathways:
- Foundational Program
- Career-Technical Education (CTE) Program
- General Education (GE)/Transfer Program
The three programs have a few common goals, such as Communication Skills and Reasoning Skills, and a few that are unique to the program (e.g., Technical Skills for the CTE Program and Global Awareness for the GE/Transfer Program).
Foundational Program Outcomes
The Foundational Program includes those courses coded as being at the basic skills, precollegiate level. The goals focus on the improvement of communication skills, reasoning skills, and academic habits of mind. Students in this program may be seeking personal enrichment, the strengthening of skills relative to employment, or to progress to collegiate-level courses.
The outcomes are: 1) Communication Skills, 2) Reasoning Skills, and 3) Academic Habits of Mind.
Career-Technical Education Outcomes
The CTE program includes disciplines that have a CTE TOP code. The primary emphasis of the program is for students to achieve their goals relative to employment and includes general skills in communication and reasoning , specific technical skills appropriate to the field of study, and an emphasis on demonstrating professional behavior.
The outcomes are: 1) Communication Skills, 2) Reasoning Skills, 3) Professional Behavior, and 4) Technical Skills.
General Education/Transfer Program Outcomes
General Education/Transfer outcomes represent skills and concepts students will learn upon completion of the general education requirements for a degree or transfer to a 4-year institution. These outcomes are broad based and cut across the curriculum bringing coherence and connection to the learning experience. Imbedded in these are the greater goals of critical thinking and life-long learning.
The outcomes are 1) Reasoning Skills, 2) Communication Skills, 3) Global Awareness, and 4) Social Responsibility and Personal Development.
Assessment Report: tba
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The 1950s: “Marry the Man Today”
This chapter examines the female duet in the formally integrated musical that was typical in the 1950s: West Side Story, Guys and Dolls, and Wonderful Town. In the 1950s, most musicals used the format of a “book musical,” where the story, which typically followed a heterosexual romance (or two) to marriage, organized the musical. The songs essentially mapped the emotional journey of the musical, introduced characters, developed relationships, and conveyed the place, time, and tone of the show. This chapter argues that two women singing together, which occurs in most classic musicals, undermines the powerful heterosexual romance that propels traditional Broadway musicals. In a decade that was extremely conservative about gender roles, where marriage then motherhood was the unquestioned route for most white and middle-class women, the female duet offers a different form of intimacy and connection and alternative, proto-feminist roles for the singers.
Oxford Scholarship Online requires a subscription or purchase to access the full text of books within the service. Public users can however freely search the site and view the abstracts and keywords for each book and chapter.
If you think you should have access to this title, please contact your librarian.
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WASHINGTON — Dozens of secret documents justifying the Bush administration's spying and interrogation programs could see the light of day because of a new presidential directive.
The American Civil Liberties Union asked the Obama administration on Wednesday to release Justice Department memos that provided the legal underpinning for harsh interrogations, eavesdropping and secret prisons.
For years, the Bush administration refused to release them, citing national security, attorney-client privilege and the need to protect the government's deliberative process.
The ACLU's request, however, comes after President Barack Obama last week rescinded a 2001 Justice Department memo that gave agencies broad legal cover to reject public disclosure requests. Obama also urged agencies to be more transparent when deciding what documents to release under the Freedom of Information Act.
The ACLU now sees a new opening.
"The president has made a very visible and clear commitment to transparency," said Jameel Jaffer, the director of the ACLU's National Security Project. "We're eager to see that put into practice."
The collection of memos, written by the Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel, are viewed as the missing puzzle pieces that could help explain the Bush administration's antiterrorism policies.
Critics of the prior administration also see the release of the documents as necessary to determine whether former administration officials should be held accountable for legal opinions that justified various antiterrorism measures, including the use of waterboarding, an interrogation technique that simulates drowning.
Attorney General nominee Eric Holder recently denounced waterboarding as torture, but details about how the method was used have remained secret.
"We don't have anything resembling a full picture of what happened over the last eight years and on what grounds the Bush administration believed it could order such methods," Jaffer said. "We think the OLC memos are really central to that narrative."
Even though some key memos have been released or leaked to the media, at least 50 memos remain secret, Jaffer said, including a dozen memos related to the warrantless wiretapping program.
In one case, the ACLU found out about a memo because it was cited in a footnote. The government has refused to elaborate on the 2002 document, other than to describe it as a discussion of the Fourth Amendment's application to domestic military operations.
Jaffer said that it could reveal whether the Justice Department was advising the National Security Agency that the Fourth Amendment didn't apply to its eavesdropping program, but he's not certain. The amendment guards against unreasonable search and seizure.
"There are about a dozen memos where we just have one or two lines about the subject matter and that's it," he said. "When you put it all together you realize how much is still being held secret."
Dean Boyd, a Justice Department spokesman, said he had no immediate comment on memos "issued by the prior administration."
The ACLU originally sought the documents by filing a series of lawsuits under FOIA.
Federal judges have ordered the release of some records, including thousands of pages documenting the FBI's concerns about the interrogation program.
The Bush administration, however, fought the release of most of the records.
In September 2007, U.S. District Judge Henry Kennedy rejected the government's claim of secrecy and ordered the Justice Department to submit surveillance documents for his review.
The ACLU has asked another judge to find CIA officials in contempt after revelations that videotapes of CIA interrogations had been destroyed. A criminal investigation is ongoing.
Since Obama's directive on disclosure, Melanie Ann Pustay, the director of Justice's Office of Information and Privacy, instructed federal officials that they should process requests for records with a "clear presumption in favor of disclosure, to resolve doubts in favor of openness, and to not withhold information based on 'speculative or abstract fears.'"
In another indication that the ACLU may get its way, the nominee to head the OLC, Dawn Johnsen, has previously indicated she thinks that such memos should generally be released.
Before her nomination, Johnsen wrote in an article for Slate, the Internet magazine, that the central question in the debate was whether OLC could issue "binding legal opinions that in essence tell the president and the executive branch that they need not comply with existing laws — and then not share those opinions and that legal reasoning with Congress or the American people? I would submit that clearly the answer to that question must be no."
ON THE WEB
MORE FROM MCCLATCHY
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Forwarded by email from Robert White. --Gale
Frequently Asked Questions 1.What is PTSD? Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, or PTSD, is a psychiatric disorder that can occur following the experience or witnessing of life-threatening events such as military combat, natural disasters, terrorist incidents, serious accidents, abuse (sexual, physical, emotional, ritual), and violent personal assaults like rape. People who suffer from PTSD often relive the experience through nightmares and flashbacks, have difficulty sleeping, and feel detached or estranged, and these symptoms can be severe enough and last long enough to significantly impair the personís daily life.
PTSD is marked by clear biological changes as well as psychological symptoms. PTSD is complicated by the fact that it frequently occurs in conjunction with related disorders such as depression, substance abuse, problems of memory and cognition, and other problems of physical and mental health. The disorder is also associated with impairment of the personís ability to function in social or family life, including occupational instability, marital problems and divorces, family discord, and difficulties in parenting.
For a further definition, please go to What Is Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.
2.What treatments are available for PTSD? Elements common to many treatment modalities for PTSD include education, exposure, exploration of feelings and beliefs, and coping skills training. Additionally, the most common treatment modalities include cognitive-behavioral treatment, pharmacotherapy, EMDR, group treatment, and psychodynamic treatment.
For a further discussion, please go to Treatment of PTSD
3.How do I locate specialists or support groups for PTSD? You can contact any of the following organizations. They all have referral capabilities: the Sidran Foundation 410-825-8888, Anxiety Disorders Association of America 240-485-1001; American Psychological Association 800-964-2000; NAMI 800-950-6264
Also, your local Mental Health Services office (found in the Yellow Pages of your telephone book) should be able to assist you.
To locate help online, please click on Seeking Help for PTSD.
4. I am an American Veteran. Who do I contact for help with PTSD? You can contact your local VA Hospital or Veterans Center or call the VA Health Benefits Service Center toll free at 1-877-222-VETS!
For online help, please go to Specialized PTSD Treatment Programs in the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
5. As an American Veteran, how do I file a claim for disability due to PTSD? A determination of "service-connected" disability for PTSD is made by the Compensation and Pension Service -- an arm of VA's Veterans Benefits Administration. The clinicians who provide care for veterans in VA's specialized PTSD clinics and Vet Centers do not make this decision. A formal request ("claim") must be filed by the veteran using forms provided by the VA's Veterans Benefits Administration. After the forms are completely submitted, the veteran must complete interviews concerning her or his "social history" (a review of family, work, and educational experiences before, during, and after military service) and "psychiatric status" (a review of past and current psychological symptoms, and of traumatic experiences during military service). The forms and information about the application process can be obtained by Benefits Officers at any VA Medical Center, Outpatient Clinic, or Regional Office.
The process of applying for a VA disability for PTSD can take several months, and can be both complicated and quite stressful. The Veteran's Service Organizations provide "Service Officers" at no cost to help veterans and family members pursue VA disability claims. Service Officers are familiar with every step in the application and interview process, and can provide both technical guidance and moral support. In addition, some Service Officers particularly specialize in assisting veterans with PTSD disability claims. Even if a veteran has not been a member of a specific Veterans Service Organization, the veteran still can request the assistance of a Service Officer working for that organization. In order to get representation by a qualified and helpful Service Officer, you can directly contact the local office of any Veterans Service Organization -- or ask for recommendations from other veterans who have applied for VA disability, or from a PTSD specialist at a VA PTSD clinic or a Vet Center.
For online information, please click on Help for Veterans and Their Families.
6. Do you have brochures/handouts/videos available? Anything on our website is in the Public Domain and is free for you to use, reproduce, and distribute as needed. Especially useful are Facts about PTSD where general facts, facts about treatment, information for veterans, and specific topics related to trauma are located.
Brochures are and videos are currently under development, and will be posted on the website as soon as they are made available for distribution.
7. Does the National Center for PTSD publish any journals? How do I subscribe? Yes, the National Center publishes two journals.
The PTSD Research Quarterly contains review articles on specific topics related to PTSD, written by guest experts. Each article contains a selective bibliography with abstracts and a supplementary list of annotated citations. The Research Quarterly is sent free of charge to qualified readers, and is available to others by subscription from the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office. It is received by many government documents depository libraries. Or you may obtain a copy of any issue from this Web site. Each issue of the PTSD Research Quarterly is available in Portable Document Format (PDF), which reproduces the exact format of the paper edition. You may read the issue on your computer monitor, or print it on your PostScript printer. In order to read or print PDF documents, you will need the Adobe Acrobat Reader. The appropriate version for your computer may be obtained free of charge from the Adobe Web site.
The NCPTSD Clinical Quarterly is published by the Clinical Laboratory and Education Division of the National Center for PTSD. It is addressed to the needs of practicing PTSD clinicians and program administrators, providing them with an overview of the major clinical, theoretical, and programmatic developments in the field.
To be placed on the mailing list for either subscription, please contact Michele Scelza at Michele.A.Scelza@Dartmouth.edu or tel. 802-296-5132 ext. 5132.
8.How do I locate books on PTSD? You can contact your local library for books, articles, etc. on PTSD and related subjects. Information on the National Center for PTSD's resource center is available, including books recommended for clinicians, librarians, and a search engine for locating specific books.
Recommended Books on PTSD for the Non-Specialist Reader provides more information for nonspecialists and laypublic interested in PTSD.
9. I am a professional who would like to know what training is available from the National Center for PTSD. Clinical Training Program
The Clinical Laboratory and Education offers an on-site clinical training program in the treatment of Post Traumatic Stress. The training program is 35 hours long, and is approved for category 1 continuing medical education credit.
For more information, see Training Opportunities at NCPTSD.
10. As a professional, I need to locate a specific assessment instrument for PTSD. How do I do that? Assessment instruments created by National Center for PTSD staff, such as: CAPS, CAPS-CA, and TESI-C, can be requested online through the National Center for PTSD website. For more information, see Assessment.
-------------------- HONOR OUR VETERANS WITH BETTER CARE AND BENEFITS Posts: 3482 | Registered: Jul 2005
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Jay's excellent post, Jay's PTSD Claims FAQ (FROM A TO Z), is the best general post on PTSD which I have had the pleasure to read on this board. It answers many questions that members have on PTSD and disability.
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By Polly Keary, Editor
About 100 people turned out in near-freezing temperatures at Lake Tye Park Friday night for a hastily-organized candlelight vigil in support of the victims and survivors of the school shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary school that had taken place earlier that day.
Three pastors offered words of sorrow and prayer as others huddled, hands cupping flickering flames, before a small cluster of candles and a sign of support for the residents of Newtown, Conn., where the shootings occurred.
“You have to say something,” said Michael Smith, pastor of the Monroe United Methodist Church. “You can’t let this go by without objecting. I think we all came to say, ‘No, never again.’”
Holly Tiege, a member of the Snohomish County Human Rights Commission, quoted the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights, which states that all humans have the right to live in freedom and safety.
“We stand together with all those supporting those affected, and hope tonight’s show of support will encourage everyone to take the principles of the Declaration of Human Rights to heart as we move forward toward healing,” she said.
Tiege was a major organizer of the quickly-arranged vigil.
At about noon, she began posting notices about the vigil on Facebook group pages and reaching out to local media. The notices were reposted on other social media sites, and word spread quickly.
Organizers invited clergy members to speak, solicited donations of posters, candles, hot drinks and snacks from Roundabout Espresso, Ben Franklin, Staples, Safeway and Sweet Indulgence.
“I’m not sure how vigils go; I’ve never done one,” Tiege said to the assembled crowd. “But in the space of five hours, you pulled all this together. You found candles and called your friends and said as a community that we are not going to stand down. Words don’t describe how proud I am.”
Mayor Robert Zimmerman was unable to attend, but sent a message to be read.
“Our hearts go out to the folks in Connecticut,” he wrote. “A tragedy like this is hard to comprehend but we trust the community will come together. Our vigil tonight is a way of sharing in their grief and supporting them at this terrible time.”
“What we do might seem like a small thing, but I hope that what we do and what is being done all over the country by people like us will be one thing that helps them feel our love and prayers and best wishes on what must be the worst night of their lives,” said Nancy Franke, a Monroe resident who spoke during the vigil.
After the brief service, the crowd was joined by about a dozen uniformed firefighters who came after their shift change was complete. They gathered with the mourners already there and shared their shock and horror about the events that morning.
Nef Anton, a mother of five, said that she brought her children to mourn.
Helping children understand such an event, and to feel safe in the wake of it, is not easy, said Rosemary O’Neil, spokesperson for the Monroe School District.
The school district sent out an email to parents with tips from the National Association of School Psychologists on how to help children cope (See below).
She also said that the Monroe School District will try, as more is learned of what transpired in Connecticut, to review school safety plans and adjust if there are improvements that could be made.
She also said that everyone in the community has a role to play in safety in schools.
“The mistake some people make is they make the assumption that this could never happen here,” she said. “It can happen anywhere. Humans are an unpredictable group. That’s why we all need to be attentive. It’s important that we all work together to keep everyone safe.”
The National Association of School Psychologists has issued the following recommendations for helping children deal with the news of the shooting in Connecticut.
Turn off or closely monitor the television – endless news programs are likely to heighten anxiety, and young children cannot distinguish between images on television and their personal reality.
Children under seven are least able to understand what happened and should be as shielded as much as possible from the news. Children in elementary school should be reassured of their safety. Older children may need to express opinions or ask questions.
Answer questions factually.
Be optimistic and remind children that their school regularly practices drills so are prepared in case of an emergency.
Listen and observe – pay attention to changes in behavior that show your child needs to talk more or needs an extra hug. If a child has suffered another previous or recent trauma, consulting with a mental health professional could be a good idea.
Offer other outlets for expression for kids besides talking; some kids process emotion best by drawing, writing, reading or playing music.
Draw children’s attention to the outpouring of support from the community of Newtown, and that many good people are trying to help.
Take care of yourself. You are better able to help your children if you are coping well. Experts tell us if adults are anxious or upset, then children are more likely to be so, as well.
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- For a topical guide to this subject, see Outline of the metric system.
||This article needs additional citations for verification. (October 2009)
The MKS system of units is a physical system of units that expresses any given measurement using fundamental units of the metre, kilogram, and/or second (MKS).
Historically the MKS system of units succeeded the cgs system of units and laid the blueprint for the International System of Units, which now serves as the international standard. Therefore the exact composition of the MKS system is a historical issue. As a matter of historical record the MKS system incorporated fundamental units other than the metre, kilogram, and second in addition to derived units. An incomplete list of the fundamental and derived units appears below. Since the MKS system of units never had a governing body to rule on a standard definition, the list of units depended on different conventions at different times.
- Cycle. (This dimensionless quantity became synonymous with the term "cycle per second" as an abbreviation. This circumstance confused the exact definition of the term cycle. Therefore the phrase "cycle per metre" became ill-defined. The cycle did not become an SI unit.)
- Cycle per second.
- Cycle per metre. (This measure of wavenumber became ill-defined due to the abbreviation of "cycle per second" as "cycle".)
External links
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Why EC=BC: Emergency Contraception is a Form of Birth Control
This article is published as part of our 2012 Back Up Your Birth Control series.
The claim started out on the lips of the Catholic bishops and anti-choice activists: Obamacare will mandate coverage for abortion-causing drugs – by which they meant emergency contraception (EC), a form of birth control (BC) that does not actually terminate a pregnancy. But that little detail didn’t seem to matter. Soon anti-choice politicians jumped on the bandwagon. Before long the mainstream media was uncritically repeating the mantra. In a moment of directorial carelessness or simple misunderstanding, a popular television show even got in on propagating the lie that emergency contraception is an abortifacient.
Today is the 11th Annual Back Up Your Birth Control (BUYBC) Day of Action. For 11 years, this campaign has served a dual purpose: increasing consumer knowledge about EC and advocating that it be available and accessible for anyone who needs a second chance to prevent pregnancy.
For more than a decade, the campaign has spread the word that EC is a safe and effective method of birth control that can prevent pregnancy when taken up to five days after sex, while also providing a forum for increased activism around making EC available over-the-counter for people of all ages. In a serious battle for women’s reproductive freedom, the Back Up Your Birth Control campaign has been a vehicle to infuse a little levity into the debate, reach new and diverse audiences, and keep ourselves sane. Using iconic pop cultural images, at-times irreverent messages, and guerilla-style tactics, thousands of people have engaged in street action, online activism, and good old-fashioned public education about this important birth control method.
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Last Updated: March 12, 2012
Term insurance is a relatively straight forward form of life insurance. An individual or business pays a specified premium to an insurance carrier, and the insurance carrier agrees to pay a specified death benefit to the stated beneficiary as long as the policy is in force when the insured dies. The concept is simple, but all term insurance is not created equal. This checklist will help you evaluate your existing term insurance and term insurance you may purchase in the future.
Know Your Carrier
Reviewing a carrier’s financial metrics is an important part of a policy evaluation. Ask these important questions.
- What are the insurance carrier’s financial ratings?
- How do those ratings compare to other carriers?
- What is average policy size for the carrier and how does that compare to your current policy or a policy you may purchase?
Learning about the carrier’s customer service philosophy is also important. Ask your friends and neighbors about experiences they may have had with a particular insurance carrier. Also consider asking the following questions.
- Will the carrier alert your insurance adviser when you move, change the beneficiary, or when your premium is past due?
- Will the carrier allow you to reduce the amount of insurance in the future or are you “locked in” to the amount of coverage purchased?
- Are you purchasing coverage from a mutual carrier, which is a carrier owned by its policyholders, or a stock company owned by shareholders?
Your insurance adviser should be able to provide you with answers to all of these questions.
Know Your Product
Many people buy term life insurance to cover specific need such as paying off a mortgage or establishing a college fund at the death of a spouse or parent. Oftentimes however people need insurance for a longer period of time than was anticipated when the term was purchased. If your term policy has run its course and you remain in good health, perhaps you can purchase additional term insurance albeit at a more expensive rate. But what about those whose medical history has changed since they purchased their term insurance?
Having a term policy that is convertible to a permanent form of insurance without medical underwriting is an important feature. Having such a policy provides an uninsurable person the opportunity to keep their coverage in place. There are a few important questions to ask when evaluating term conversion options.
- What products are available should you decided to convert your term insurance?
- When does the option to convert term to permanent insurance cease?
- Is conversion available until a particular age?
- Is conversion available for a certain number of years?
- Does the carrier provide a conversion credit, a concept whereby part of the term life premium is credited towards the policy to which the term would be converted?
Another major factor for consideration is the waiver of premium provision. When this rider is added to a policy, the insurance carrier will pay the premium on your behalf if you are totally disabled. It is important to know the cost of the rider as this varies greatly from carrier to carrier. Also be sure you understand the definition of disability as this too varies from carrier to carrier.
Know Your Pricing
Price is a major factor for consideration when purchasing term insurance. The fewer the number of premium payments in a given year, the less expensive the coverage. Identify the surcharge for paying premiums semi-annually, quarterly, and monthly as compared to an annual payment. Confirm if the premium estimate you are reviewing is reflective of the frequency for which you intend to pay premiums.
Term life insurance pricing is not always linear. Insurance companies have price bands, or break points, for different quantities of coverage. For example, the cost per $1,000 of coverage for a policy between $100,000 and $500,000 may be $10 while the cost per $1,000 for a policy above $500,000 may be $9. If the amount of insurance you may purchase is near a break point, consider purchasing more coverage to get the lower price per $1,000.
Finally, ask you adviser to research carriers that favorably underwrite policies for your medical ailments, avocations, and tobacco use. Many carriers have niches. Some will offer favorable pricing to those who have families with significant medical histories and others will not. Some carriers offer very good pricing to SCUBA divers and others will offer coverage to cigar smokers at nontobacco rates.
While the concept of term insurance is very straight forward, selecting the right carrier and product may not be as easy as you may think. Work with a knowledgeable adviser who can provide guidance relative your particular situation.
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Sad state of affairs when it takes the Boston Public Library (4,811 km away from the GPO) to digitize such a historically valuable document. Read the 308 page booklet here.
The Rebellion Handbook was published by the Irish Times in 1917, and is based on articles carried in the Irish Times in May 1916. The handbook provides a fascinating insight into the Easter rising. It is one of the key sources and contains a wealth of information, including an official list of casualties, names of prisoners, photographs and a map showing the key locations in Dublin.
The handbook contains 308 pages of information. It includes:
* facsimiles of documents
* articles from the Irish Times
* photographs of principal rebels and government & security personnel
* a detailed account of the events in Dublin and around the country
* detailed list of buildings destroyed
* official and rebel documents
* names and personal details of 1,306 casualties (including 300 deaths) from army, navy, RIC, DMP, civilians and rebels.
* full account of court martial hearings and execution of 15 rebels
* names, addresses and occupations of over 3,000 rebels arrested and interned.
* a detailed Whos Who of the people of the time.
* full court details of the Casement trial.
It remains one of the most detailed accounts of the rising, and is an essential resource for those studying the people and events of this tumultuous event.
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“God didn’t put us here for that pat on the back. He created us so he could be here himself. So he could exist in the lives of those he created, in his image.” Chaplain (Captain) Fr Francis Mulcahy M*A*S*H
The past week has been difficult at Camp LeJeune. We lost a sailor, a hospital corpsman who died by his own hand last Monday. He was a veteran of Afghanistan and his death came as a surprise to his friends, family and shipmates. Today we conducted his memorial service. It was a full house. His family travelled to be here and his friends, those that served with him while he was assigned to the Marines as well as his current shipmates were there in abundance.
It was a time to grieve. The young man was beloved by his friends, respected and cared for. However something that none of us will ever know or understand overwhelmed him. It may have been the trauma of war, maybe something else, but he maintained a facade that kept his friends, family and shipmates away from whatever despair drove him to take his life.
It was a time for all of us to grieve. It was as William Shakespeare wrote in McBeth a time to “Give sorrow words; the grief that does not speak knits up the o’er wrought heart and bids it break.”
But even as we grieved the news filtered to the base that 7 Marines assigned to the Second Marine Division were killed, and a number of others injured when a mishap occurred where they were training in Nevada. Evidently either a mortar round either exploded in the tube or as it was being handled during a live fire exercise. They join the thousands of men and women who have died or been wounded in preparation for, the conduct of or the aftermath of their service in Iraq or Afghanistan. The death of each one leaves a void in the heart of a loved one, friend or shipmate.
Staff Sergeant Ergin Osman KIA Afghanistan
I have lost friends and shipmates in all phases of both wars and their aftermath. Some have died in combat, others while supporting combat operations of natural causes or accidents, some have committed suicide, including a Priest and Chaplain who served in both Vietnam and Iraq. Still countless others endure injuries or illnesses that will eventually kill them.
Likewise there are far too many more who have sustained terrible injuries to their minds, bodies and spirits that time will never heal. The young men and women that I see every day, those with the physical wounds of war and those with the unseen but sometimes even more disabling injuries such as PTSD, Traumatic Brain Injury or Moral Injury remain in the fight, sometimes with the sole mission of recover or remaining alive.
Ten years after the war in Iraq began and twelve and a half years after 9-11 and the invasion of Afghanistan the costs continue to build in lives and treasure. In Iraq almost 4500 American and over 300 other coalition casualties, more than 500 contractors and nearly 10,000 Iraqi Soldiers and Police and countless thousands of Iraqi civilians have died. US wounded alone number almost 35,000 in Iraq. In Afghanistan there are over 2100 US dead and about 1100 NATO and Coalition dead, hundreds of contractors, and thousands of Afghans with over 17,000 more American military wounded. Every day nearly 20 veterans take their lives while thousands of others struggle with physical, psychological and spiritual wounds of war, wounds that don’t heal even as they find that they no longer fit in the country that went shopping when they went to war. The costs of both wars now are building into trillions of dollars, costs that will continue to grow even after the wars wind down.
Two time Congressional Medal of Honor Winner Major General Smedley Butler, US Marine Corps wrote:
“What is the cost of war? what is the bill? Major General Smedley Butler wrote: “This bill renders a horrible accounting. Newly placed gravestones. Mangled bodies. Shattered minds. Broken hearts and homes. Economic instability. Depression and all of its attendant miseries. Back -breaking taxation for generations and generations. For a great many years as a soldier I had a suspicion that war was a racket; not only until I retired to civilian life did I fully realize it….” (See War is a Racket: Remembering Major General Smedley Butler USMC and Why He Matters )
Likewise Lieutenant General (US Army Retired) Hal Moore, who is immortalized in the film We Were Soldiers and book We Were Soldiers Once…and Young told West Point Cadets in 2005:
“The war in Iraq, I said, is not worth the life of even one American soldier. As for Secretary Rumsfeld, I told them, I never thought I would live long enough to see someone chosen to preside over the Pentagon who made Vietnam-era Defense Secretary Robert McNamara look good by comparison. The cadets sat in stunned silence; their professors were astonished. Some of these cadets would be leading young soldiers in combat in a matter of a few months. They deserved a straight answer.
The expensive lessons learned in Vietnam have been forgotten and a new generation of young American soldiers and Marines are paying the price today, following the orders of civilian political leaders as they are sworn to do. The soldiers and those who lead them will never fail to do their duty. They never have in our history. This is their burden. But there is another duty, another burden, that rests squarely on the shoulders of the American people. They should, by their vote, always choose a commander in chief who is wise, well read in history, thoughtful, and slow-exceedingly slow-to draw the sword and send young men and women out to fight and die for their country. We should not choose for so powerful an office someone who merely looks good on a television screen, speaks and thinks in sixty-second sound bites, and is adept at raising money for a campaign.
If we can’t get that part right then there will never be an end to the insanity that is war and the unending suffering that follows in war’s wake-and we must get it right if we are to survive and prosper as free Americans in this land a million Americans gave their lives to protect and defend.”
Needless to say, Moore, a West Point graduate has not been asked back.
Thousands of young Americans, as well as NATO or other Allied nation soldiers, including Iraqi soldiers that I knew and Afghans that I have not worked with have died or been mangled by these wars. Yet too many Americans, Europeans and others that have sent young men and women to these wars have no stake in the game. Most people continue with the mundane aspects of peacetime life while their political, religious and business leaders plot even more war. Syria, Mali, North Korea, Iran…where will it end?
Today we mourned a shipmate and friend at Camp LeJeune even as we wait to see who else that we know have been killed or injured in this latest training accident. I was honored to be a part of the memorial and happy to be of help to the families and friends of my sailor. At the same time I too grieve and wonder just how many more will have to die before the madness ends.
I left the base after the ceremony, and saw the massed trucks of the local and national news networks parked outside the gate like vultures. When I got home I hugged my dog Molly, I love that little dog, she has helped save my life after my time in Iraq. I then went for a four mile run on the beach and then had a couple of beers with my dinner while at the bar with my friends at my local watering hole.
The old regulars there have nicknamed me “Father Mulcahy” a name that some people at the hospital have also given me. Maybe it is that I ear round steel rimmed glasses. Maybe it is because I will join in the occasional poker game , football, basketball or NASCAR pool, which by the way I won the NASCAR pool this week. Or maybe it is just because they didn’t know I was a Chaplain or Priest until a mutual friend and co-worker told one of them. Until then I was just Steve, the guy that wore the Orioles and Giants baseball gear. Now I have become their Priest and Chaplain, funny how that works. Regardless, it is a nickname that I cherish, because when I was growing up Fr Mulcahy symbolized so much of what I thought was good in a Priest and Chaplain. The writers of M*A*S*H made him very human. But I digress…
As we mourned today I was reminded of something that Helen Keller said, something that I think no matter what any of us grieve is true. “We bereaved are not alone. We belong to the largest company in all the world–the company of those who have known suffering.”
Pray for me a sinner.
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