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The personality of companies
When we think about other people, we do so in terms that can be boiled down to five discrete personality dimensions: extraversion, introversion, neuroticism, conscientiousness and agreeableness (known as the Big Five factors). A new study suggests that a similar process is at work in our perception of companies and corporations. Google and Apple have personalities too, it seems.
Philipp Otto, Nick Chater and Henry Stott quizzed thousands of people about their perception of hundreds of companies and they've found that our view of companies is encapsulated by four fundamental dimensions: honesty, prestige, innovation and power. These perceived characteristics correlate with traditional economic measures of company performance, but they offer something more.
Read the full report on our Research Digest.
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- Raising awareness of adult autism | <urn:uuid:6f56729e-f432-4cb8-b106-42bfdb72bb15> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.bps.org.uk/news/personality-companies | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00058-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.934766 | 204 | 2.296875 | 2 |
WASHINGTON (AP) - Passengers complained less about airlines last year, but there were also fewer people flying, than the peak year of 2007.
Research sponsored by Purdue University, in Indiana, and by Wichita State University, in Kansas shows planes were more likely to land on time and bags less likely to get lost.
The improvement came as cash-strapped airlines reduced flight schedules and charged for everything from bags and pillows to prime spots in boarding lines.
The findings are based on an analysis of government statistics.
One cloud in the otherwise friendly skies was a slight increase in denied boardings, mostly bumpings due to overbooking.
An overall ranking of the 18 airlines based on their combined performance in four categories -- on-time arrivals, mishandled baggage, denied boardings, complaints -- is being released Monday.
©2010 WLBT. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. | <urn:uuid:ae004181-0b37-40b3-8adb-3ea045a93693> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.msnewsnow.com/story/12294385/new-study-flying-went-smoother-for-passengers-in-2009 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00075-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.971309 | 193 | 1.648438 | 2 |
Or Should We Just Rely on Our Gothic Forebears? I recently wrote about the quincunx and its relationship to the traditional image of Christ in Majesty showing with symbolic representation of the four evangelists, here. Frenchman Emile Male described how the understanding of how these four figures related to the evangelists in the 13th century (his book is called, The Gothic Image). Male is drawing on a commentary on Ezekiel by Rabanus Maurus, the 9thcentury Benedictine monk and bishop of Mainz in Germany, which, he says became the authoritative text for the later gothic period. Reading this is helpful in understanding the roots of this symbolism, but rather like an earlier discussion of the pelican and the peacock, not without a few difficulties also.
Male recounts it as follows:
‘The emblem of St Matthew is the man, because his gospel begins with the genealogical table of the ancestors of Jesus according to the flesh. The lion designates St Mark, for in the opening verses of his gospel he speaks of the voice crying in the wilderness. The ox – the sacrificial animal – symbolizes St Luke whose gospel opens with the sacrifice offered by Zacharias. The eagle, who alone among birds was reputed to look straight into the sun, is a symbol of St John who from the very first transports men to the very heart of divinity.
‘Again these same creatures are symbols of Christ for in them may be seen four great mysteries of the life of the Saviour. The man recalls the Incarnation. The ox, victim of the old Law calls to remembrance the Passion. The lion which in fabled science sleeps with its eyes open is the symbol of the Resurrection for, [quoting Maurus] “in virtue of his humanity He appears to sink into the sleep of death, by virtue of His divinity He was living and watching”. The eagle is the figure of the Ascension because for Christ rose as the eagle soars to the clouds.
‘There is a third meaning relating to human virtue: each Christian on his way to perfection must be at once man, ox, lion and eagle. He must be man because man is a reasonable animal; he must be ox because ox is the sacrificial victim; he must be lion because the lion is the most courageous of animals and the good man having renounced worldly things has nothing to fear for it is written of him “the righteous are as bold as the lion”. And he must be eagle because the eagle flies into the heights looking straight into the sun, type of the Christian who with direct gaze contemplates the things of eternity.’
There is some confusion here on my part, in that I had always thought that the first symbol was an angel, and not a man. Reading Ezekiel again, he describes the appearance of the first figure as ‘human with wings’ rather than as an angel. The ox and the lion are described as having wings as well, and these are still described in the tradition as ox and lion, so I have taken it that the first figure is human, or at least as human as any ox with wings is bovine. Scripture scholars please help!
Male then remarks upon the fact that two thirds of the triple-layered symbolism fell away as early as the Renaissance, as man became less inclined to interpret nature symbolically. Is this something to be regretted, I wonder?
My personal opinion is that the symbolic reading of the book of nature is important. I feel it highlights for us that God’s dealings with his creatures have two aspects, one external and one internal: the natural and the supernatural; with the first pointing the second. Newman put it: ‘Of necessity, Providence is secretly concurring and co-operating with that system which meets the eye.’ (Nature and Supernature) The book of nature that can be read in the light of faith and understood as something that both emanates from and points to the Word. (A priest recently put it to me beautifully thus: ‘The Mass is a jewel in its setting, which is the liturgy of the hours; and the two together are a cluster of precious stones that themselves have a setting which is the cosmos.’)
The symbolism of which we speak in this particular example is firmly rooted in the tradition, and is biblically based and so we can happily use it. But if we accept the value of the richer, gothic interpretation – should we aim to restore it uncritically? Certainly, much of it we can adopt quite happily – and many of the observations of nature would be considered true today, or at least acceptable even if not literally true (even in today’s rationialist society people accept some ideas that might be difficult to establish scientifically (eg the courage of the lion).
However, what if some of the interpretation is based upon what was believed at the time to be scientific fact, and which is no longer held to be true or even accepted as myth? I am thinking here of the idea that the eagle looks directly into the sun, or that lions sleep with their eyes open. (My understanding is that neither is considered true today).
I would say that to include such aspects of the gothic symbolism in our picture would reduce the possibilities of it being broadly accepted, and so undermine the greater point we are trying to make. However, we don’t need to abandon the idea altogether. We should not be afraid to develop and adapt them based upon things that we do know to be true. If gothic man could read the book of nature, why can’t we learn to do it too? In fact once we accept the principle, modern science might even enrich our symbolic reading of nature. Who would have thought, for example, see here,that in particle physics, the ‘flavours’ of the sub-atomic ‘hadronic particles’ would follow the pattern of the Pythagorean tetractys, which symbolises musical harmony and was described in Boethius’s De Musica? To take another example, the four ‘elements’ of Aristotle – air, earth, fire, and water – do not correspond to the physical elements of modern physics and chemistry, but do symbolise very well what would be described today as the physical states of matter – solid, liquid, gas and energy (or perhaps plasma). The idea being communicated is the same.
Similarly, if indeed the eagle does not look directly into the sun, the symbolism of the eagle can easily be adapted into something that we do accept to be true today and is emphasizing the same point – it has extraordinary eyesight that operates in dim and bright light and could be seen as a symbol of one who is focused on the Light with an unerring and penetrating gaze.
Images: top, 9th century German ivory; second from top, tiles manufactured by the Pugin company in England in the 19th century; third from top, Christ in Majesty, illustration by David Clayton for Meet the Angels; and below the four evangelists by Rubens. | <urn:uuid:3c72dd6e-8a41-4dc8-b04a-1a72376a088b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://thewayofbeauty.org/2011/04/the-lion-the-eagle-the-ox-and-the-man-2/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697974692/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095254-00021-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.970044 | 1,466 | 2.65625 | 3 |
Thanks to incessant whining from the likes of Tom Harkin, the wonderful, arcane procedural mechanism unique to the Senate appears to be in the crosshairs of yet another group of political extremists.
Remember 2005? Senate Democrats (a minority party until 2006) threatened to filibuster the roughly dozen of President Bush's 140-plus judicial nominees who they believed were too far to the right. Senate Republicans -- including Majority Leader Bill Frist and Judiciary Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch -- threw a collective temper tantrum, accusing the Democrats of obstruction and political gamesmanship. Frist, et al. then threatened to change the Senate rules to effectively do away with the filibuster.
But for the "Gang of 14," led by this site's hero, John McCain, the filibuster would be resigned to the history books. Instead, McCain, Joe Lieberman, Ben Nelson, Lindsay Graham, Robert "Sheets" Byrd and 7 others struck a compromise -- the 7 Republicans would vote against the GOP's proposed rule change doing away with the filibuster, while the 7 Democrats would vote to invoke cloture on three of the eleven Bush appointees. Rumor has it that part of the agreement was that the rogue Democrats would also vote to invoke cloture on President Bush's yet-to-be-determined appointee to the Supreme Court. This compromise, ergo, led to the confirmation of Justice Samuel A. Alito.
To anyone who would listen, I said at the time that Republicans were making a grave mistake -- assuming that someday, perhaps even in 2009, the GOP would be faced with a Democratic Senate and a Democrat in the White House.
That day is here, and I'd ask you conservatives who stomped your feet and called McCain a traitor -- where would your party be without the filibuster today?
This was just one in a litany of instances, too numerous to count, where the Limbaugh/Hannity wing of the GOP missed the point entirely in the name of blind adherence to the party line.
In the House of Representatives, the filibuster was used until 1842, at which time a permanent rule limited the duration of debate. In 1806, the Senate codified its rules such that the potential for a filibuster was introduced. At that time, the Senate rules contained no alternative mechanism for terminating debate, so the filibuster was occasionally used to block up-or-down votes. The first Senate filibuster took place in 1837, and in 1841, none other than the famed Sen. Henry Clay threatened his Senate colleagues with a filibuster. However, Sen. William King announced that Clay "may make his arrangements at his boarding house for the winter," and Clay eventually backed down.
A rule providing for cloture -- ending a filibuster -- was not enacted until 1917, at the urging of President Wilson. In fact, from 1917 through 1975, invoking cloture required a two-thirds vote. In 1975, the Democratic-controlled Senate revised the cloture rule such that only three in five senators could vote to limit debate.
The bottom line is this: The filibuster is as American an institution as the Senate itself. Our republic -- miraculously, liberal Democrats and ultra-conservative Republicans would argue -- has survived more than two centuries of the filibuster. While the filibuster is not in the text of the Constitution, its legislative history demonstrates that its principle is equally as old.
Read the Federalist Papers. Read the text of the actual Constitution. The American system is one of divided government -- federalism, three branches of government, a bicameral federal legislature and yes, the 200-year-old filibuster -- putting a premium on the rights of the political minority. It seems that the only criticism of the filibuster comes from partisan hacks like Tom Harkin and Sean Hannity who are frustrated by their allies' inability to slam through their narrow, unpopular agendas.
Don't like the filibuster? I've got an idea.
Move to Iran. | <urn:uuid:be76f709-b6b9-4d35-949c-7443bc84483a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://bipartisanrules.blogspot.com/2009/12/case-for-filibuster.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00044-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.96281 | 796 | 1.523438 | 2 |
Good morning, Mr. Chairman and members of the Committee. My name is Daniel Gates, and I am a Managing Director of Moody’s Investors Service. I am pleased to be here today to discuss the credit ratings process, and the role of disclosure requirements in that process, particularly for the Tennessee Valley Authority. I hope that Moody’s views add to the Committee’s consideration of this issue, though I also appreciate that our opinions represent only one perspective on this matter.
Moody’s Role in the Financial Markets
To understand the relationship between financial disclosure requirements and our work at Moody’s, a summary of Moody’s role in the financial markets may be helpful. For over one hundred years, Moody’s has played an important part in providing independent credit analysis and opinion to investors. Moody’s assigns credit ratings to debt instruments and to other obligations to reflect the relative creditworthiness of those obligations. Moody’s is the oldest credit rating agency, founded by John Moody in 1900 to rate the creditworthiness of railroad bonds. As early as 1924, Moody’s was rating nearly every bond in the United States market, as well as many international bonds.
Today, Moody’s is a leading global credit rating and research firm with more than 800 analysts worldwide. Our credit ratings cover a broad range of debt instruments totaling over $30 trillion, and our analysts publish research that covers thousands of institutions. Moody’s ratings are valuable informational tools used by: (1) institutional investors to analyze the credit risks associated with fixed-income securities and other obligations; (2) issuers seeking access to the capital markets; (3) regulators, for such purposes as measuring the capital adequacy of banks, broker/dealers, and insurance companies; and (4) governments, economists, the media, academics, and other market observers.
Ratings contribute to efficiencies in financial markets by providing credible and independent opinion forecasts of credit risk. The predictive quality of our credit ratings is empirically verifiable, and is evaluated by Moody’s and by independent third parties. Our track record is published annually in our default studies. We make our historical ratings and default data available to subscribers, interested scholars and regulators. Although Moody’s rates a wide range of debt obligations, the heart of our service lies in rating long-term bonds, for which we have nine primary debt rating categories. Investment-grade ratings range from a high of Aaa, down to a low of Baa. Ratings from Ba to C are considered non-investment grade or speculative grade. Overall, Moody’s ratings are designed to provide a relative measure of risk, with the likelihood of credit loss increasing as the rating decreases. The lowest probability of default is expected at the Aaa level, with a higher expected default rate at the Aa level, a yet higher expected default rate at the single-A level, and so on down through the rating scale.
It is equally important to note what our work at Moody’s does not include. A rating of Aaa is neither a buy recommendation, nor is it a seal of approval; rather, the Aaa rating, like all of our ratings, reflects Moody’s opinion of the relative creditworthiness of a fixed income security. Furthermore, just as we do not insure the bonds we rate, we do not audit the financial information provided to us. Accordingly, our ratings rely heavily on the completeness and veracity of both the public financial statements and any proprietary information that may be provided to us by issuers.
The Moody’s Rating Process
Moody’s takes a number of steps to ensure the rigor of our ratings process. We assign ratings by committee. Rating committees vary in size, and generally include senior and junior analysts and one or more Managing Directors. A Credit Policy Committee (CPC) and credit standing committees under the control of the CPC review ratings practices and policies internally.
Moody’s takes active steps to maintain the integrity of our ratings process. Moody’s analysts are not evaluated or compensated based upon the revenues associated with their portfolios, nor are they permitted to hold or trade the securities of the issuers they rate except in diversified funds managed by professional managers. Moody’s also does not create investment products, or buy, sell, or recommend securities to users of our ratings, or invest in securities for its own account. Furthermore, although we derive ninety percent of our annual revenue from the issuers that we rate, we recognize that the long-term value of our franchise depends on our independence and objectivity, and ultimately on the predictive value of our ratings, an analysis of which we publish annually. The influence of individual issuers is further limited because Moody’s does business with over four thousand issuer groups.
The Role of Disclosure Requirements for Moody’s
In order to analyze a company’s ability to meet its debt obligations, Moody’s analysts rely on a variety of information sources, including publicly available information that is filed with regulatory authorities or is otherwise available, audited financial statements, third-party analyses of the company and the industry sector, and information provided by the company directly to our analysts. Moody’s ratings are based primarily upon the issuer’s published financial reporting, and we believe that SEC disclosure requirements are strong enough that, in the great majority of cases, we have sufficient public information to express an opinion. In addition, as a Nationally Recognized Statistical Rating Organization, companies are permitted to share material non-public information with Moody’s. Each Moody’s analyst and managing director has a portfolio of companies that he or she tracks. Moody’s analysts speak periodically with issuing companies to obtain additional information, and all of these data are incorporated into the ratings process.
In an ideal world, the rating agencies always would have access to complete and accurate financial and operational information. The disclosure requirements created by the Securities Act of 1933 and the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934 (“1933 and 1934 Acts”) contribute to the integrity of the financial information Moody’s receives by creating civil and criminal penalties for inaccurate or incomplete reporting. As a general matter, our preference is that all financial information provided to our analysts be complete and reliable. We strongly believe that in the United States, the federal securities laws add to the reliability of that information. Outside the United States, and for some classes of issuers within the U.S., however, Moody's conducts analysis without SEC-mandated disclosure by obtaining information directly from the companies and other sources. Moody’s and the other ratings agencies for many years have rated companies not subject to reporting requirements, such as foreign issuers and government agencies, including the Tennessee Valley Authority. For these entities, Moody’s relies on the completeness and veracity of issuers’ public and private disclosure of information, along with industry-specific knowledge and macroeconomic analysis.
While we prefer that all financial reporting be subject to the disclosure standards set forth in the 1933 and 1934 Acts, we believe that the TVA has operated in good faith in providing accurate and reliable financial information to facilitate our rating analysis of the Authority’s power bonds. Moody’s analysts have a constructive working relationship with multiple contacts at TVA, and Moody’s analysts regularly call on these contacts to provide, for example, additional background on operational developments, industry news, or government proposals. We receive annual and quarterly reports from TVA and regular briefing material.
As with any issuer, Moody’s analyzes multiple factors when rating TVA. To illustrate, we have considered TVA’s cash flow, balance sheet, capital structure, prospects for raising or lowering debt in the near future, protected service territory, power costs, ability to set electric rates, and at the macro level, the growth rate of the region it serves. We have obtained all of this information from the company directly or from third-party sources. Furthermore, as a general rating approach to Government-Sponsored Enterprises such as TVA, Moody’s uses an integrated analysis of both the fundamental creditworthiness of the enterprise as a business, and the enterprise’s relationship with the U.S. Government.
As I have stated, Moody’s supports steps to improve the quality and reliability of the information that market participants, including investors and our analysts, receive. This support for higher quality information, however, should not be interpreted as reflecting any particular concerns over the reliability of the financial information we have received from TVA. Rather, as a major consumer of financial data and SEC filings, Moody’s generally supports efforts to enhance financial disclosure, because they improve the overall reliability of financial information in the marketplace, and thus contribute to more efficient capital markets.
Home | Menu | Links | Info | Chairman's Page | <urn:uuid:8ea19222-76e4-4fe9-aa14-88fe1792c749> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.banking.senate.gov/02_09hrg/091702/gates.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00016-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.938368 | 1,822 | 1.820313 | 2 |
- Question from Cyn: How do you know which dips are the most fattening? For example, is spinach dip more fattening than hummus? What about guacamole?
- Answers - Larissa Korde It's going to depend on the ingredients in the dip, so if you're eating at a restaurant you might not know that necessarily.
- Diana Dyer, M.S., R.D. I consider all dips to be a source of extra calories, simply because people tend to eat them unthinkingly. So, there's nothing wrong with eating a couple tablespoons, which is probably 100% fat, as long as you stop at that and don't eat the whole bowl — which is easy to do because it's so good.
On Tuesday, October 13, 2009, our Ask-the-Expert Online Conference was called Nutrition Through the Holidays. Diana Dyer, M.S., R.D. and Larissa Korde, M.D., M.P.H. answered your questions about what and how much to eat when holiday treats abound.
The materials presented in these conferences do not necessarily reflect the views of Breastcancer.org. A qualified healthcare professional should be consulted before using any therapeutic product or regimen discussed. All readers should verify all information and data before employing any therapies described here.
A production of LiveWorld, Inc.
Copyright 2010. All rights reserved. | <urn:uuid:8569d484-d315-44ac-bfb3-0d0d8db47692> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.breastcancer.org/tips/nutrition/ask_expert/2009_10/question_29 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00051-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.94175 | 292 | 1.96875 | 2 |
Wolcott Historical Society History for May 2013
By Florence Goodman
Spindle Hill's historical connection to the Alcott family has intrigued me for many years. Old land records indicate the vast amount of property they owned in this section of town. In 1731 John Alcott purchased a117-acre tract of land on Spindle Hill and added to his holdings over 47 years until he had acquired over 1200 acres. He gave each of his twelve children large land parcels in the vicinity of his Spindle Hill farm. This month I'd like to discuss the influence this family and several other families had on the area and how Spindle Hill received its name.
Each time I drive past the small white house located at 370 Spindle Hill Road across from Rustic Acres, I think of the Spindle Hill/West School that was located there. In the late 1700s, Wolcott had a one-room schoolhouse in six of its districts throughout town. The Spindle Hill/West School was in the West School District and was located behind the Obed Alcott house at 339 Spindle Hill Road close to the intersection of Clinton Hill and Andrews Road.
Obed Alcott was the son of David and Abigail (Johnson) Alcott. He was born on Spindle Hill on September 8, 1776 and died August 5, 1847. He married Anna Andrews on July 13, 1797. Obed's father gave him thirteen acres of land at the corner of Spindle Hill and Andrews Road and in the fall of 1802 he built a house on that property. Obed worked on his farm making clock cords and clock pinions for the Terry, Thomas and Hoadley Clock Company. In 1824 Obed Alcott donated the use of part of his land east of his house for the West School (prior to this school was held in private homes). At some point in time, the West School was moved from behind the Obed Alcott house across Spindle Hill Road directly across from where Rustic Acres is located. This school served the region well for over 100 years providing an education for the children of not only Spindle Hill, but also down into Allentown. In 1946 this school was turned into a private residence and continues as such today.
Obed and Anna Alcott had four children; their oldest son, Dr. William A. Alcott was born August 6, 1798. He attended local schools in his early years and loved to read books, which was influenced by his mother and cousin, Amos Bronson. He began tutoring younger children and eventually taught in the West District School. He was interested in improving the standards in education and wrote volumes of books for schools, and teachers. He established Wolcott's first public library in the parish meeting house. His cousin, Amos Bronson Alcott also felt this need for reform in education in our country. In 1825-26 William attended Yale Medical School and received a Diploma to practice medicine and surgery. He moved to Boston in 1831 and became the editor of the first children's magazine published in the United States.
Amos Bronson Alcott was born on Spindle Hill on November 29, 1799 in a house that was located at the corner of Spindle Hill and Beach Roads. Amos Bronson's family moved into his grandfather's farmhouse situated on this property when he was very young. His father, Joseph Chatfield Alcott was a farmer. His mother, Anna Bronson Alcott, was well educated and instilled in him a love for learning and reading. As a boy, Amos Bronson worked on the Spindle Hill farm with his father and brothers and attended local schools. He eventually taught at the West District School. Amos Bronson Alcott was responsible for making a classroom more like home. He designed and built the first single desks that had the seats attached to them, he designed individual student slates, and classroom libraries. He encouraged his students to borrow books from school and read them at home. He did not believe in corporeal punishment for poorly behaved students and did away with such practices at his schools. Both of these Alcott men were influential in bringing much needed changes to education in those early years.
On December 5, 1834 the Obed Alcott house and one acre of land was sold to Martin L. Andrews who continued ownership of the house and land through the 1860s. Obed Alcott's wife was an Andrews and her family also owned a large amount of land in this section of town. The Andrews's name is remembered for their famous horseradish that was made in Wolcott on Spindle Hill. The horseradish is still produced today, but not in Wolcott.
In the late 1800s, ownership of the property changed to the Provost family. They maintained this fairly large farm through the early 1900s. It is uncertain who owned the house from the 1930s until the early 1980s, but for the past twenty-five years the same family has owned the Obed Alcott House.
Spindle Hill was also the section of town where the famous clockmaker, Seth Thomas was born, grew up and made his first clocks. Although he did not establish his large factory in our town many of our residents at the time earned an income by producing some of the parts for his clocks. Many women spun flax for the cords that held the weights in the clocks that he produced and the men cut Mountain Laurel and carved the gear mechanism for the clocks. The name Spindle Hill came from the "whirr" of the spindles that could be heard as they were spinning the flax for the cords on those hot summer evenings.
Amos Bronson Alcott wrote in his book, "New Connecticut" that he could see Long Island Sound from his Spindle Hill home, which boggles my mind. He traveled far and wide, but his first love was always Spindle Hill. So the next time you take a ride on the very long and winding Spindle Hill Road think about some of our ancestors that inhabited this land so long ago and how they affected the development of Spindle Hill.
(Information for this article was taken from, The 175th Anniversary 1796-1971 by John Washburne, History of the Town of Wolcott, Connecticut from 1731 to 1874 by Samuel Orcutt, A Salute To Two Centuries of Education in Wolcott, Connecticut from the Wolcott Historical Society, 1986 Historic Resources Inventory by Paul Loether.)
The Obed Alcott House, early 1900s.
The Spindle Hill/West School on Spindle Hill Road.
The Provost Farm in the early 1900s.
The Obed Alcott House at 339 Spindle Hill Road today.
Solomon Alcott House where Amos Bronson Alcott grew up.
The West School at 370 Spindle Hill Road.
To view past installments of the Wolcott Historical Society News, click here. | <urn:uuid:fc91dfff-70af-43a8-bade-efc2df382e60> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.tapr.org/~wa1lou/whs/news.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00057-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.988424 | 1,420 | 2.09375 | 2 |
Is Your Heart in It?
Ignoring depression might double your risk for a heart
IF YOU'RE WORRIED about having a heart
attack, you might want to take note of where your head is at. Your
psychological well-being, particularly having depression, and the
health of your heart have been shown to be linked. In 2011, a
Concordia University-led study revealed that individuals who suffer
from a mood disorder may be twice as likely to have a heart attack
compared with individuals who are not depressed.
"You can draw an arrow from one to the other, and back again,"
says Marc Gillinov, M.D., a cardiac surgeon and co-author of Heart
411. A combination of factors contributes to this mind-heart
relationship, Dr. Gillinov says. "Those with depression have an
increased risk for inflammation and releasing the stress hormone
cortisol, are less likely to exercise and are less likely to follow
a heart-healthy diet and pay attention to contributing symptoms,
such as shortness of breath." In addition, he adds, they often are
more likely to smoke and may not take their recommended heart
Depression may follow a heart attack, but the heightened
emotional state after one isn't necessarily
due to a damaged ticker. "It's a question of which came first, the
chicken or the egg," Dr. Gillinov says. Therefore, it's important
for patients and family members to recognize the signs of
depression as part of a hearthealthy regimen. "People tend to tune
in to the obvious risks for cardiac disease by watching their diet
and monitoring blood pressure, but you have to take note of
health to minimize risk, too," he adds.
You can evaluate yourself for depression using two simple
questions from the American Heart Association:
- During the past month, have you frequently felt down, depressed
- During the past month, have you felt little interest or
pleasure in doing things?
If the answer is "yes" to both questions, seek an evaluation
from a mental health professional. It could strengthen your mind
and your heart. -By Sally Clasen | <urn:uuid:78e156dc-8719-475a-b974-f1b84cf7d818> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.massageenvy.com/me-magazine/me-magazine-summer-2012-2/is-your-heart-in-it.aspx | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00063-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.948425 | 465 | 2.6875 | 3 |
President Barack Obama's support for gay marriage was not the beginning of reevaluating the public's perception of homosexuality, but it did re-spark a nationwide discussion that even led high-profile representatives of the hip-hop community, like Jay-Z, A$AP Rocky and T.I., to express their acceptance of all despite their sexual orientation. The world in general has grown into a more tolerant place yet hip-hop has been one facet of culture that has been rather passive in regards to this issue for many years. Yesterday, Frank Ocean shook the world by publishing a personal letter, in which he reveals his sexuality as encompassing romantic interests for the same sex. The singer is the second public figure within a short period of time to publicly divulge his sexuality, the other being high-profile CNN anchor Anderson Cooper.
It is worthwhile to draw a comparison between Ocean and Cooper and their respective decisions to come out of the closet. The latter's revelation has made headlines in countless U.S. publications, but interestingly enough, it did not cause a major uproar within the American society. This absence of controversy indicates that the U.S. society is likely to have reached a true milestone with this generally held indifference towards a public figure’s sexual orientation. Obviously, there is no obligation for anybody to share intimate details of their lives with the rest of the world, but for Cooper it was less his sexuality that drew attention but rather why he brought his privacy into the public sphere. He noted that his visibility takes precedence over preserving his profession's shield of privacy:
“It became clear to me that by remaining silent on certain aspects of my personal life for so long, I have given some the mistaken impression that I am trying to hide something - something that makes me uncomfortable, ashamed or even afraid. This is distressing because it is simply not true.”
Along with Cooper's announcement and President Barack Obama's recent support of gay marriage, Ocean's revelation clearly is a sign of times. For him, however, the setting is a different one. Being praised as the new big thing in the music game, expectations for his first studio full-length Channel Orange (Island Def Jam) have risen to a level that probably can only be fulfilled by a very few of today's artists. And as we all know, expectations bear pressure. Adding to this stress, rumors of his bisexuality arrived earlier this week after several pre-release reviews detected ambiguous lines in his lyrics. While Cooper's homosexuality was an open secret to many, the sudden discussion of Ocean's sexual orientation surprised the music industry. Not even 48 hours later, the singer decided to come out of the closet by publishing a letter on his personal Tumblr. Although it dates back to December 2011, the timing of its arrival could not be any better. Sure, the marketing power of this revelation cannot be denied, as there is and will be guaranteed media attention for Ocean and his music coinciding with Channel Orange's release. However, one also must take into account the potential risk of losing a significant part of his fanbase within the urban culture – a sphere which is still known for anti-gay sentiments than for applauding same sex pride.
This coming out has arrived at the right moment because it carries a great symbolic character. Despite hip-hop's largely homophobic attitudes, a slight shift within the culture has occurred during the last decade. This "development" has happened subtly/stealthily as acts like Lil B and Frank Ocean's Odd Future conquered the masses with new styles that respectively pertain positivity and nihilism. These refreshingly rebellious approaches in hip-hop have brought along an increased open-mindedness within the culture, that is likely to overturn any creative boundaries. Tolerance will inherit much needed creative ground to a culture which has often been accused of stalled and non-innovative styles and sounds. As a member of the progressive Odd Future family and its strong sense of union, Frank Ocean was given a perfect foundation to develop and master his craft in a genuine and authentic way, while also being exposed to a global audience. The burden of his secrecy has disappeared now. Stating in his letter, "I feel like a free man," Ocean understands as well that freedom takes precedence over his privacy, for the sake of his art. Placing this announcement a couple of weeks prior to his album's release probably would have signified the end of his promising career "four summers ago," but in 2012, it signifies its very beginning.
Photography: Ravi Sidhu for HYPETRAK | <urn:uuid:e238c027-8801-429e-b694-eb33c2522d24> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://hypetrak.com/2012/07/frank-ocean-the-freedom-of-choice/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00062-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.979756 | 924 | 1.75 | 2 |
Those who fail to learn the lessons of history are doomed to repeat its mistakes, or so the adage goes. Apply this thinking to recent events in Georgia, and the post-electoral slew of arrests of former government officials in the former Soviet state makes sense.
The once opposition, now newly-minted government Georgian Dream coalition campaigned against the abuses of the increasingly authoritarian rule of President Mikheil Saakashvili and were rewarded with a strong popular and parliamentary majority, rightfully putting them in charge of the country. But the ink on the ballots was scarcely dry before the newly-elected government ordered scores of arrests and investigations of the outgoing members of Saakashvili’s government, raising more than a few eyebrows in the West, home to some of Georgia’s best friends in recent decades. Is the government of the Dreamers going too far?
The experiences of neighboring states in the two decades following the Soviet Union’s collapse point to the risks of not properly addressing the crimes of the past. Russia’s failure to confront the atrocities of the Communist regime aided the resurgence of KGB-era figures like Vladimir Putin, whose regime not only extols the degree of control Moscow exercised during the Cold War—but also does all it can to stomp out civil society-oriented groups like Memorial, which struggle to educate the rising generation about Soviet-era sins. After the so-called Orange Revolution of 2004, the then-triumphant Viktor Yushchenko—like Saakashvili, an early darling of the West—failed to investigate and prosecute the crimes of his predecessors, including those who poisoned him.
The new Georgian government of Bidzina Ivanishvili considers it a top priority to adjudicate the alleged misdeeds of his predecessors, as his foreign minister explained to Washington audiences this week. But many were skeptical and consider the arrests that have taken place in the last six weeks to be little more than political retribution and an atavistic return to the Caucasian political model of winner take all. But while images of their friends and former counterparts hauled off for questioning may not sit well with some Georgia watchers in Washington and Brussels, it remains much too early to call the arrests politically motivated. Until the new government has a chance to prove its commitment to judicial transparency and due process, Western pundits would be better-served by holding off on their cautionary commentaries and editorials.
Finish Cleaning House
To understand what is happening in Georgia today, one must look beyond the well-spun but inaccurate binary comparison of pro-Russia revanchists versus embattled Western allies.
At the 2008 NATO summit in Bucharest, Georgia fell short of its aspiration to advance in its bid for accession to the Atlantic security alliance. One of the reasons for this—according to the French government, which opposed granting a Membership Action Plan to Georgia at the time—was the inadequacy of the Georgian judicial system. Since then, experimental jury trials have been conducted in a couple cities, but until the change in governments, Georgian state prosecutors continued to rack up conviction rates of nearly 99 percent, suggesting that the independence of Georgia’s judiciary remains quite weak. How such a system might fairly judge opponents of the current government is yet to be seen. But as foreign minister Maia Panjikidze asked this past week, “judge us not on what we say, but what we do.” Fair enough.
Most serious Georgia observers agree that at least a few members of the previous government may belong behind bars. Former head of the country’s prison system and minister of defense and the interior Bachana “Bacho” Akhalaia is one such figure. The culture of brutality he fostered in every department to which Saakashvili appointed him did much to repulse those who were originally charmed by the Rose Revolution team. In fact, it was the revelation of systematic prison rapes made known just before the election—abuses which most civil society groups attributed to Akhalaia, who was widely known in Georgia as the de facto head of the prison system—that may have helped tip the scales in Georgian Dream’s favor.
Ivane “Vano” Merabishvili, the powerful, longtime interior minister-cum-prime minister, was himself recently detained on charges of using a fake passport. The oddity of the passport issue aside, Merabishvili is best known internationally for his role reforming Georgia’s once hopelessly corrupt police force into a credible public institution. But in Georgia, he is also well-known for presiding over a range of alleged abuses, including an expansive surveillance apparatus, the frequent arrest of opposition members, and, most famously, supposed direct involvement in the death of Sandro Girgvliani, whose investigation the European Court of Human Rights ruled was deliberately ill-conducted. Merabishvili was the one man whose influence in power was thought to potentially rival Saakashvili’s own, and he is remains an important symbol of the powerful security forces of the previous government. | <urn:uuid:97a7e710-1aa3-42a6-8434-3cc198e4efc7> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://nationalinterest.org/commentary/victors-justice-georgia-7817 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00075-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.968059 | 1,044 | 1.851563 | 2 |
The Second Summit of CIS (Commonwealth of Independent States) Osteoporosis Societies met in St. Petersburg on September 23, 2012 to review the status of osteoporosis in the region since the landmark IOF Eastern European & Central Asian Regional Audit of 2010. The delegates’ signed Appeal outlines five clear areas in which action must be taken in order to reduce the enormous socio-economic burden of osteoporosis and related fractures.
The Meeting was held under the auspices of the International Osteoporosis Foundation (IOF) and with the participation of osteoporosis societies and medical doctors from the Russian Federation, Ukraine, Republic of Belarus, Republic of Moldova, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. Five of these societies– Russian Association on Osteoporosis, Ukraine Association on Osteoporosis, Armenian Osteoporosis Association, Belorussian Public Association “Overcome Osteoporosis Together” and Moldovan Anti-osteoporosis Association - are members of the IOF Committee of National Societies.
In 2010, representatives of these osteoporosis societies, together with colleagues from 11 other countries from the Eastern European and Central Asian Region, jointly prepared and issued the IOF Eastern European & Central Asian Regional Audit “Epidemiology, costs and burden of osteoporosis in 2010”. The document demonstrated that osteoporosis is one of the major health problems throughout the region. According to the data reported by the authors of the Audit, the situation might be called threatening. By 2050, the population of the majority of CIS countries will have substantially decreased while the proportion of patients with osteoporosis fractures will have increased among those who are 50 years and over.
A growing problem compounded by lack of awareness and scarcity of diagnostic facilities
At the Summit, Professor Olga Lesnyak, President of the Russian Osteoporosis Association, stated that even at that time every third woman and every fourth man over 50 years had osteoporosis. The problem of osteoporosis in the population is worsening steadily due to longer life spans. Professor Lesnyak stated that an estimated 34 million Russian people are at risk for fractures associated with osteoporosis. Meanwhile, in the Russian Federation a hip fracture occurs every five minutes. “We carried out research among people aged over 50 and came to the conclusion that vertebral fractures are very common. We diagnosed fractures even in those who didn’t suspect they had a problem,” said Lesnyak. “Overall, nearly 10% of the population of Russia had vertebral fractures with no awareness of the problem and registration in the statistics.”
The available data on osteoporosis points to an unfavorable prognosis: By 2035 the number of Russian people aged over 50 years suffering hip fracture will have increased almost two-fold, by 96% in women and 105% in men.
Ageing of the population and the low awareness of the problem of osteoporosis are distinguishing characteristics for other CIS countries as well. In Uzbekistan, it is predicted that by 2050, 40% (14 million) of the population will be 50 years and older, 12% (4.2 million) – 70 years and older along with increasing the population up to 35 million people. Given the population growth in the Republic, by 2020 the number of people suffering from osteoporosis is predicted to increase to up to 250,000 people. In Uzbekistan, the incidence of osteoporotic fractures is also growing. According to the Research Institute of Traumatology and Orthopedics of Uzbekistan, the main reason lies in lack of awareness of the problem among the population of the Republic. Furthermore, there are still difficulties in studying the problem of osteoporosis at a national level, including due to inadequate numbers of diagnostic equipment. In Uzbekistan, there are only 4 sonar and 5 DXA machines.
There is a lack of diagnostic equipment in many other countries throughout the region as well.
- Double X-ray absorptiometry is the most accurate modern method of diagnosis which is available only in big cities, although in one third of the reviewed countries 40% of the population lives in urban areas.
- In most of CIS, pharmacological treatment of people with high risk of fractures is not reimbursed, therefore citizens just can’t afford it themselves.
- Low levels of calcium and vitamin D intake pose a negative effect on bone health. Meanwhile, in almost all CIS countries the intakes for these nutrients fall far below FAO /WHO recommendations.
- The majority of the population suffer from obvious vitamin D deficiency. This not only increases fracture risk in seniors, but also leads to rickets. Over the last years the proportion of children affected with rickets has reached up to 54-66% in some Russian regions.
A few positive trends outweighed by inaction in most countries
The Summit participants reported that, since the publication of the 2010 Audit results, some positive changes had occurred in their countries.
- In Uzbekistan, the list of medications for treatment of osteoporosis was enlarged and diagnostics has been improved.
- In Kyrgyzstan, the Ministry of Health Care included an issue for the development and introduction of a National Programme on Osteoporosis in the order “of improvement of rheumatology service”, and bisphosphonates were included in the list of essential medications.
- • The Ministry of Health Care of Kazakhstan initiated a research programme “The development of integrated actions for osteoporosis prevention” which is being carried out from 2011-2013.
- • The Republic of Belarus is preparing normative documents to organize a Children Centre for Low Bone Density Prevention.
Unfortunately, despite these welcome, if modest, signs of progress, it is too early to declare that osteoporosis has been recognized as a priority for health care systems in CIS countries.
New epidemiological study underway
The governments of CIS and adjacent countries do not draw enough attention to the problem. Despite evidence that fractures resulting from osteoporosis pose a major public health burden, neither epidemiological nor health-economic studies that might encourage specialists to be engaged in prevention are being carried out.
In many countries there is still a complete lack of relevant statistics. That is why the Russian Association on Osteoporosis has initiated the multinational population-based study in the countries of the region “Epidemiological study of osteoporotic fractures in Eurasia (EVA)”. The goal is to obtain the data on incidence of main osteoporotic fractures.
Summit participants sign Appeal requesting action
Given the dire state of affairs, the participants of the Summit proposed that osteoporosis be recognized as a health priority at the state level, and that treatment and prevention strategies, as well as urgent surgical treatment for patients with hip fractures, be provided. An appeal with such proposals towards the governments and health ministries of CIS countries was signed by the summit participants presenting 10 countries.
The signed document calls for the following five measures to be taken:
- Recognize osteoporosis as a socially important disease due to high incidence, socio-economic burden and medical consequences;
- Organize the collection of official statistics on fragility fractures, including hip fractures;
- Increase the proportion of patients with hip fractures who can get surgical care within the first days after the trauma – this will reduce the high rate of mortality and disability;
- Provide the population with widely available DXA and modern methods of treatment of osteoporosis, free of charge for people at high risk of fractures;
- Provide government funding for widespread education and prevention programmes on bone health for the general public.
Speaking on behalf of IOF, CEO Judy Stenmark supported the CIS Summit call for action. “As representatives of osteoporosis medical and patient societies, the delegates of the CIS Summit on Osteoporosis have seen at first hand the devastating effect of osteoporotic fractures on the senior populations of their countries. IOF strongly supports their Appeal and asks that health authorities take concerted action to combat osteoporosis and thereby reduce the unnecessary loss of life and costly long-term disability caused by fractures.”
*Caption for image, from left to right:
Professor Alizade Chingiz, President of Azerbaijan Society of Traumatologists (Azerbaijan); Dr Umida Rustamova, Institute of Traumatology (Uzbekistan); Dr Gulzhan Gabdulina, President of Doctor’s Osteoporosis Association of Kazakhstan Republic (Kazakhstan); Professor Liliana Groppa, President of Moldovan Anti-osteoporosis Association (Republic of Moldova); Professor Emma Rudenka, President of Belorussian Public Association “Overcome Osteoporosis Together” (Republic of Belarus); Professor Olga Lesnyak, President of Russian Association on Osteoporosis (Russian Federation); Professor Vladislav Povoroznyuk, President of Ukrainian Association on Osteoporosis (Ukraine); Dr Olga Lobanchenko, President of Kyrgyz Association on Osteoporosis (Kyrgyz Republic); Dr Armine Haroyan, President of Armenian Osteoporosis Association (Armenia); Professor Abduvali Razzakov, Ministry of Health Care (Tajikistan) | <urn:uuid:c7b338e6-4e2f-4ec3-b13b-2723ca068fb0> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.osteofound.org/summit-osteoporosis-experts-cis-countries-issues-five-point-call-action | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706890813/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516122130-00044-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.924944 | 1,960 | 1.984375 | 2 |
Nasal gazing reveals why Rudolph's nose is so very red
Scientists in the Netherlands appear to have solved one of the mysteries of Christmas by confirming that Santa’s lead reindeer, Rudolph, did in fact, as the song says, have a redder than usual nose.
The research by a team from Erasmus University in Rotterdam, published in the British Medical Journal, compares the nasal structures of humans with those of reindeer – specifically two adult reindeer from Tromsø in Norway, near the North Pole – and reveals why Rudolph was chosen to guide Santa’s sleigh.
The paper, Why Rudolph’s nose is red: observational study, by physiologist Can Ince, shows that reindeer have 25 per cent more blood vessels in their noses than humans – allowing them to control their body temperatures more efficiently in the freezing Arctic climate.
The two reindeer and five human volunteers underwent vigorous treadmill tests to get their blood coursing – as it does invariably on Christmas Eve.
Infrared thermographic images taken during the intensive exercise showed definitively that the change in nose colour fondly imagined by children around the world every year is more than just a seasonal myth.
Infrared images of the reindeer’s heads after their treadmill exertions showed “the presence of a red nose”, says the paper, going on to enthuse: “As this effect cannot be properly justified in a static image, we produced a video recording.”
Red blood cells
“Using hand-held vital video microscopy used for imaging human nasal microcirculation in health, interventions and disease, we were able to solve an age-old mystery,” Prof Ince said. “Rudolph’s nose is red because it is richly supplied with red blood cells, comprises a highly dense microcirculation, and is anatomically and physiologically adapted for reindeer to carry out their strenuous annual flying duties for Santa Claus.”
Remember all that when you hear the hooves on the rooftops this Christmas. But shhh, not a word to the children! | <urn:uuid:e50baf42-0812-40be-8c91-68bff523beb6> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.irishtimes.com/news/nasal-gazing-reveals-why-rudolph-s-nose-is-so-very-red-1.4000?via=mr | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00018-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.95419 | 448 | 3.5625 | 4 |
Posts tagged with '14th ammendment'
by Catherine A. Traywick, Media Consortium blogger
After a long summer of name-calling and absurd attempts to deny birthright citizenship to children of immigrants, immigration hawks are now bullying immigrant children on their own turf: Public schools.
California, New York, Iowa and Colorado are among the states that have cracked down on immigrant students by hiring ICE agents to investigate residency statuses or unlawfully barring students from enrolling. Such blatant discrimination flies in the face of the 14th amendment and Supreme Court precedent, both of which guarantee all children the right to a public education regardless of immigration status.
The latest assault on immigrant students comes not from over-zealous school districts, however, but from state lawmakers adamant about stripping immigrants of the few rights they possess.
Kick ‘em out of school
As Matt Vasilogambros of the Iowa Independent reports, Iowa’s lieutenant gubernatorial candidate Kim Reynolds recently came out in support of denying public education to undocumented children, a sentiment she shares with her running mate, former Gov. Terry Branstad. Branstad’s position is even more extreme, however. He has argued that the Supreme Court decision in Plyer v. Doe—the 1982 case which guarantees immigrants the right to public education—should be overturned.
So far, only Colorado third party gubernatorial candidate Tom Tancredo has fully endorsed Branstad’s extreme opinion. Tancredo has even gone so far as to say that, if elected, he would ignore the Supreme Court ruling altogether.
Branstad and Tancredo may be on their own for the moment. But, if this summer’s birthright citizenship fiasco is any indication, anti-immigrant conservatives must be delighted to fall back on the age-old myth that immigrants are here to steal social services.
New York stands up
Last week, the New York Department of Education fired back at anti-immigrant activism in schools by issuing a memo that directs schools not to investigate the immigration status of their students.
According to Braden Goyette of Campus Progress, the memo came in response to a New York Civil Liberties Union report charging that 139 New York school districts were collecting information about prospective students’ immigration statuses—and barring or discouraging children from enrolling if they failed to provide proof of their citizenship.
Goyette notes that federal law only requires students to fulfill two simple requirements before enrolling: residency in the school district, and intent to remain in the school district. Immigration status is not a factor.
The memo is a victory for immigrant rights advocates, especially as it comes on the heels of reports that two California school districts are adopting even harsher anti-immigrant policies.
Negating Pyler v. Doe
As New America Media’s Jacob Simas and Elena Shore translate from a La Opinión, a daily Spanish-language newspaper based in Los Angeles. Both the Unified School District of Calexico and the Mountain Empire School District near San Diego have hired staff exclusively to investigate the immigration statuses of their students. The school districts are attempting to get around Pyler v. Doe by arguing that their proximity to the border necessitates stricter enforcement of federal residency requirements.
In other words, they’re worried that Mexican children are crossing the border to take advantage of our first-class, world-renowned public school offerings. The simple fact that student residency can be determined without revealing immigration status is obviously beside the point.
Cutting social services in New Jersey
Meanwhile, immigrants in New Jersey may be robbed of their own social services, as the state threatens to removes 12,000 non-citizens from it’s low-income family insurance plan.
As Change.org’s Prerna Lal reports, several legal immigrants have joined a class action lawsuit against New Jersey’s Department of Human Services, alleging that the state is violating “the equal protection guarantees of the United States and New Jersey Constitutions” by denying health care subsidies to legal permanent residents. Lal notes that legal permanent residents possess nearly all of the same rights as U.S. citizens, and pay taxes to both state and federal governments. They should, therefore, be safe from public policy discrimination.
But, while it’s well documented that both legal and undocumented immigrants pay into our social services system through income taxes, that fact is persistently overlooked by the anti-immigrant zealots who want to keep immigrants off Medicaid and out of public schools.
Even former President George W. Bush’s Council of Economic Advisors agreed that immigrants have a positive fiscal impact Social Security and Medicaid, contributing $80,000 more in taxes than they receive in public services. Other studies put that figure much higher.
Given their immense contribution to the social services net, guaranteeing immigrants’ access to those public services is more than a matter of justice—it’s a matter of fiscal responsibility.
This post features links to the best independent, progressive reporting about immigration by members of The Media Consortium. It is free to reprint. Visit the Diaspora for a complete list of articles on immigration issues, or follow us on Twitter. And for the best progressive reporting on critical economy, environment, and health care issues, check out The Audit, The Mulch, and The Pulse . This is a project of The Media Consortium, a network of leading independent media outlets. | <urn:uuid:e8057af5-3a8e-414a-b1a7-d14c23ec4d66> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.themediaconsortium.org/tag/14th-ammendment/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00039-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.948273 | 1,107 | 1.78125 | 2 |
|Location of Event :
||Defiant, DS9 and Earth1
|Stardate of Event :
|Nature of Event :
In 2372 the Bajoran wormhole underwent an inversion, a phenomenon which occurs only once every fifty years. Captain Sisko took the defiant to observe the event. During the trip an emergency situation arose when the Defiant's warp core went critical. Captain Sisko and his son Jake were hit by an energy discharge which resulted in the elder Sisko apparently being killed.
Jake was devastated by the loss of his father, and over the next year he drifted through life on Deep Space Nine. The political situation on the station gradually worsened; the Bajorans regarded the loss of the Emissary of the Prophets as a clear sign that the Federation would be unable to defend the station, and with the Klingons becoming more and more belligerent it seemed that their time on the station was limited.
Months after the accident, Jake saw his father appear briefly in his room before vanishing again. Jake thought he was having a dream, but some months later he again saw his father. This time he was able to talk to and touch him, and immediately called for the station crew. Captain Sisko was taken to the infirmary, where it was found that his temporal signature had been changed by the accident. Unfortunately, Sisko once again vanished despite all attempts to prevent it.
Despite months of effort, DS9's officers were completely unable to locate their Captain. With the political situation on DS9 now untenable, the Federation ceded the station to the Klingons. Jake returned to Earth where he became a writer and started a family of his own. Then, some twenty years after the original accident, his father appeared again. Overcome with guilt at not being able to help his father, Jake became totally obsessed with finding a way to recover him. He abandoned his writing to study subspace physics, determined to find out what was happening. In the process he became more distant from his wife, and they eventually separated. Jake spent decades working on his theories, and eventually determined that he might be able to recover his father at the next wormhole inversion. Gathering the original Defiant crew, Jake returned to the wormhole after Worf managed to gain permission from the Klingons. Unfortunately the attempt was unsuccessful and Jake was only able to spend a few minutes with his father. Captain Sisko was distraught that Jake had wasted so much time, and begged him to rebuild his life.
Decades later Jake - now an old man - was visited by a young woman in the night. She was an aspiring writer who had found his two books deeply moving, and wanted to ask him why he had never written more. Slowly Jake told her the sad story of his life, revealing that he had returned to his writing after failing to recover his father. He presented her with the original draft of the book, and revealed that he had finally found a way to save his father. The accident attached the two of them, and as they grew further apart in time the 'cord' between them would occasionally grow tight, yanking his father back to him again. Jake claimed that if he cut the cord whilst they were together, his father would be returned to the time and place of the original accident.
After the visitor had departed Captain Sisko arrived once more. Initially delighted to learn that Jake had taken up writing again, he was stunned to learn that the only way to cut the cord between them was for Jake to take his own life whilst they are together. Jake, already having poisoned himself, died in his fathers arm's.
Captain Sisko was instantly returned to the original accident, where he safely dodged the energy blast. With this act the alternate timeline created by his death was eliminated, and he once again began to live out his life with the son who needed him so very much.1 | <urn:uuid:cb6de736-9a2a-4f09-9667-a712a17424d2> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.ditl.org/pagtemporal.php?IncidentID=16&ListID=Scitech | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00041-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.99495 | 807 | 1.796875 | 2 |
A stunning 4-gigapixel panorama of Mars, compiled from images captured by two mast cameras aboard NASA's Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity rover, could be one of the most detailed views of our distant neighbor yet.
The panoramic picture of Gale Crater derives from 295 images that were digitally stitched together by Estonian photographer Andrew Bodrov. In its final form, the mosaic stretches out to an astounding 90,000 by 45,000-pixel resolution. … Read more
The sample contained traces of sulfur, nitrogen, hydrogen, oxygen, phosphorus, and carbon -- key chemical ingredients for life.
For astronomers, the news constitutes the latest clue in their pursuit of a scientific holy grail: Answering the big question about whether life ever existed on the Red Planet. Their challenge until now has been to confirm whether the Martian atmosphere could have supported a habitable environment. The preliminary evidence now suggests the answer is yes, with the rock samples pointing to evidence that conditions on Mars were once favorable for life. A couple of particularly intriguing clues: The presence of clay as well as the absence of "abundant salt" point to the likely existence of an ancient environment where there was fresh water, according to NASA.… Read more
Work to carry out what amounts to an electronic brain transplant aboard the Curiosity Mars rover -- a complex sequence of steps to switch operations to a backup flight computer -- is continuing this week amid ongoing analysis to figure out how to resolve memory corruption discovered last week in the rover's active computer.
The memory glitch interrupted science operations, forcing flight controllers to put the craft in a low-activity "safe mode" while the computer switch was implemented.
Richard Cook, the Mars Science Laboratory project manager at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., told CBS News … Read more
Space radiation may be to blame for corrupted memory used by the Curiosity Mars rover's flight computer, resulting in software glitches that interrupted the flow of science data Wednesday and prompting ground controllers to switch over to a back-up computer Thursday, NASA officials said.
Engineers are reviewing telemetry and diagnostic tests using ground systems to figure out what went wrong and how to restore the original computer system to normal operation.
"We were in a state where the software was partially working and partially not, and we wanted to switch from that state to a pristine version of … Read more
Mars has established a pretty pervasive image for itself. It's the big Red Planet. It's the Clifford the Dog of space. You don't confuse it with all those other, less glamorous, planets. Still, Mars isn't all that it seems. Scratch the surface and it appears to have more in common with the skin tone of an elephant than the ruddy glow of a tomato.
The Curiosity Rover recently broke new ground by drilling into a rock sample, the first time such an activity has been accomplished on a planet other than Earth. What lay beneath wasn't the familiar rust color of the surface, but a decidedly dull gray.… Read more
Earth's first space tourist won't be outdone by a few fancy NASA rovers with their cutesy names, sky cranes, and whatnot. So like the saying goes, if you can't beat 'em, make the unprecedented 500-day round-trip journey to Mars to join 'em.
That's the insanely ambitious plan that Dennis Tito, who was the first private space traveler a little less than 12 years ago, will announce in more detail next week.
A release from Tito's newly formed Inspiration Mars Foundation teases "plans to take advantage of a unique window of opportunity to launch an historic journey to Mars and back in 501 days, starting in January 2018."… Read more
The Curiosity rover's powerful impact drill has successfully collected its first subsurface sample, about a tablespoon of powdered rock that will be fed into the spacecraft's on-board laboratory instruments for detailed chemical analysis, project officials said Wednesday.
The drill is the last major system on the rover to be tested since landing in Gale Crater last August and the successful collection of subsurface material marks a major milestone in Curiosity's quest to find signs of past or present habitability.
"Curiosity's first drill hole at the John Klein site is a historic moment for the MSL (… Read more
NASA's Curiosity rover currently roaming the surface of Mars is developing a bit of a reputation for discovering groundbreaking false alarms.
Yet none of these have led us to the Martians' secret underground base. So it is with some hesitation that I present the above photo from Curiosity that seems to show an even larger and shinier chunk of something metallic. The image was taken by Curiosity's Mastcam late last … Read more
The Curiosity Mars rover has found intriguing veined rocks just below tilted cross-bedded layers that indicate water once flowed and "percolated" through fractured terrain near the landing site in Gale Crater, scientists said today. The discovery provides additional evidence of a watery past on the Red Planet.
Taking their time evaluating a surprising variety of scientific targets, mission scientists and engineers now are gearing up for the first tests of a powerful impact drill that will be used to collect samples from inside targeted rocks.
The drill tests are a final major milestone before the rover begins creeping … Read more | <urn:uuid:5ac86bff-fac1-41cb-866b-85c0191a48d5> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://news.cnet.com/8300-5_3-0.html?keyword=curiosity | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00017-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.937745 | 1,082 | 2.625 | 3 |
Cruising the Carian Coast
This gulet trip interweaves the magic of the Turkish coast with three awe inspiring Greek islands. We cruise on our beautiful 8-cabin boat west from Göcek, to Bodrum, ancient Halicarnassus, site of the Mausoleum, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world.
On this escorted tour we visit some of the greatest archaeological gems on Turkey’s southwest coast: Kaunos with its exquisite rock-cut temple tombs, and beautifully preserved Knidos, a monumental marbled city arranged around a double harbour. As well as these celebrated sites where excavations have been going on for decades, we visit ancient towns like Phoenix and Lydae, set in remote and beautiful locations, that remain completely untouched.
We’ll also travel to visit one of the best preserved medieval cities in the world, Rhodes, (a powerhouse in antiquity too) and the neighbouring Greek islands of Symi, decked out in the finest neo-classical style and Halki, with its pretty harbour and great medieval castle.
This archaeological tour weaves together a cornucopia of simple pleasures: magnificent sites, quiet coves, wondrous walks, breathtaking vistas and glorious swims. As with all our gulet cruises in Turkey, delicious Turkish food is a key component.
Taking a tour on a traditional Turkish gulet, our ever changing horizon is a wild, remote and mountainous landscape cut into long peninsulas, deep inlets, secluded coves and pine-fringed fjords. Exploring this unspoilt coast, we rediscover the ancient realm of Mausolus, ruler of Caria, 2400 years ago (whose tomb, the Mausoleum was considered one of the seven ancient wonders of the world). With such rich and strategically vital cities, the area was a crossroads of civilisations. Alexander the Great liberated it from Persia, Rhodes sought to carve it into an empire, and the legacy of Crusader castles still speaks of the epic battle between Christianity and Islam.
A tour in Turkey and Greece designed to inspire and relax in equal measure. | <urn:uuid:3382325c-1ede-4bdc-900a-ced6f1f86e91> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.petersommer.com/escorted-archaeological-tours/turkey/gulet-tour-caria/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705953421/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120553-00025-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.918465 | 445 | 1.5625 | 2 |
Childhood Leukemia Survival Rates Reach 90 Percent
MONDAY, March 12 (HealthDay News) -- Children with the most common type of leukemia now have a dramatically better chance of survival, a new study shows.
The researchers found five-year survival rates among children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) increased from about 84 percent to 90 percent from 1990 to 2005. Surviving for five years is considered a cure because so few deaths occur past that timeframe.
"We're talking about a disease that was incurable 50 years ago," said study author Dr. Stephen Hunger. "Now we see a 90 percent cure rate. That's pretty remarkable."
The study is published in the March 12 online issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
Hunger, a professor of pediatrics at the University of Colorado School of Medicine and director of the Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders at Children's Hospital Colorado, said the clinical trials have helped doctors refine their use and dosage of drugs, resulting in greater survival rates. For example, one type of corticosteroid was found to be more effective than another drug in the same class, he said.
ALL is a rare blood or bone-marrow cancer, but it still is the most common form of childhood leukemia. Between 2,800 and 3,000 new cases are diagnosed every year in the United States, Hunger said.
Leukemia, the most common childhood cancer, occurs when the body produces too many abnormal white blood cells, resulting in harm to the immune system and symptoms such as bruising, frequent infections and diarrhea. The acute form progresses quickly if not treated with chemotherapy.
The cause of ALL is not known, but risk factors include having a sibling with leukemia or having had chemotherapy or radiation treatment for some other condition.
The study, done at the University of Colorado, found that the increased survival rate held for all racial and ethnic groups, both sexes, and for all age groups except infants younger than 1 year old. Survival rates improved as the study proceeded.
Death rates fell between 30 percent and 50 percent during the study period, except for among infants, according to the research. Infant survival rates stayed about the same because improvements in drug usage were offset by more deaths from infections and side effects, the study found.
More than 21,000 children with ALL -- more than half of all cases in the United States -- from age 0 to 22, were included in the research. Participants came from the Children's Oncology Group clinical trials funded by the U.S. National Cancer Institute.
Another expert noted that the study shows just how much progress has been made.
"It's amazing, really, that even not knowing why the disease occurs, we can do so well at curing it," said Dr. Arlene Redner, associate chief of oncology in the division of pediatric hematology, oncology and stem-cell transplantation at Cohen Children's Medical Center in New Hyde Park, N.Y.
The study is also important because it shows that effective treatment is widely available, Redner said.
"One of the important things about this study is that it shows that children anywhere in the United States can get this therapy," she said. "It's not just at national treatment centers, but also at small centers."
The future for children with leukemia continues to brighten, Hunger said.
"It's fantastic that now 90 percent of patients can expect to be cured," he said. "However, if your child is part of the 10 percent that isn't cured, it is small consolation."
Efforts now need to focus on that 10 percent, he said, adding: "The goal is to cure everyone."
To learn more about childhood leukemia, visit the Nemours Foundation.
SOURCES: Stephen Hunger, M.D., professor, pediatrics, University of Colorado Medical School, Aurora; Arlene Redner, M.D., associate chief, oncology, division of pediatric hematology, oncology and stem cell transplantation, Cohen Children's Medical Center, New Hyde Park, N.Y.; March 12, 2012, Journal of Clinical OncologyRelated Articles
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Learn More About Sharp
Sharp HealthCare is San Diego's health care leader with seven hospitals, two medical groups and a health plan. Learn more about our San Diego hospitals, choose a Sharp-affiliated San Diego doctor or browse our comprehensive medical services.
Copyright ©2012 HealthDay. All rights reserved. | <urn:uuid:5c1bd65e-50af-45ea-b20c-3dd3d87ef5d5> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.sharp.com/news/health/newsArticle.cfm?articleID=33675&channelID=11 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00002-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.955865 | 953 | 2.8125 | 3 |
In addition, two additional important questions to ask are:
1. Is the Question Evolution! Campaign and its 15 questions for evolutionists helping Creation Ministries International reach more young people?
2. Are Question Evolution! Campaign activists taking steps to reach more young people? These are very important question since crushing Darwinism will require reaching more young people (see our blog post Inoculating young people against Darwinism).
Consider this information from the web traffic tracking company Quantcast concerning the web traffic Creation Ministries International's website Creation.com:
Is the outreach to young people progressing?
As you can see Creation Ministries International's website traffic percentage wise is very favorable among the 18-24 age group.
We believe this is due in part to our Question Evolution! Campaign group's recent outreach to young people. In addition, our Question Evolution! Campaign group is presently working on making outreach to young people even better. For example, we are in the midst of forming an alliance with a new grassroots Christian group that is already on over 50 college campuses and the numbers of campuses they are on is quickly growing. On March 2, 2012 we had a very productive conversation with this group and we expect to form a mutually beneficial working relationship with this group shortly.
In the second quarter of 2012, we want to make more inroads in doing outreaches to people of high school age. Incidentally, we hope to soon report on an excited Florida church youth group which is having a very positive experience with the Question Evolution Campaign (for some information on this church see our post Locked on evolutionary indoctrination. No evolutionary falsehood will be safe).
2020 a key year for American Christians, creationists, pro-lifers and the world
Our Question Evolution!Campaign group wants to promote the 15 questions for evolutionists for the long term as we want to pave the way for some very significant things we see happening in 2020 and beyond which are expected to be very positive and significant developments for Bible believing Christians, pro-lifers and religious conservatives.
Consider this key information relating to the United States:
The Birkbeck College, University of London professor Eric Kaufman wrote in his book Shall the Righteous Inherit the Earth? concerning America
Of course, we expect the above tipping point in America to positively affect the proliferation of biblical creationism as well - especially with the aide of the Question Evolution! Campaign.
In March of 2010, Eric Kaufmann wrote in Prospect Magazine:
In 2011, the Oxford University journal Sociology of Religion published an article by Eric Kaufmann, Anne Goujon and Vegard Skirbekk entitled The End of Secularization in Europe?: A Socio-Demographic Perspective which declared:
“Silent” demographic effects can be profound in the long term. For example, Rodney Stark shows how early Christians’ favorable fertility and mortality rates when compared with Hellenistic pagans may have helped fuel a 40 percent growth rate in the Christian population of the Roman Empire over
several centuries. This helped give rise to a population increase from 40 converts
in 30 AD to 6 million by the year 300 leading to a “tipping point” which
helped Christianity become institutionalized within the Empire (Stark 1996).
There has never been a better time than 2012 to attack Darwinism via a grassroots campaign
Never before has there been a worldwide grassroots campaign to attack Darwinism which has focused on a series of key and very powerful questions for Darwinists. I firmly believe that a grassroots approach is key to defeating Darwinism and the group of Christians that is willing to strongly advance an anti-evolution grassroots campaign will have a devastating impact on Darwinism. Such an approach can create a proliferation of creationist grassroots fires designed to burn down the forest of Darwinism. Evolutionists will be unable to stamp out these fires using their strong arm tactics which were documented in the movie Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed.
The timing is ripe for our grassroots campaign! Let us confidently press forward and achieve victory after victory for the biblical creation cause.
Question Evolution! Campaign
15 questions for evolutionists
Biblical worldview project for parents and grandparents
Raising godly children
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- Shopping Bag ( 0 items )
From the PublisherIt is a quantitative and highly practical volume. It provides practical methods for analyzing mechanical designs with respect to their capability and reliability. Practicing engineers who have to hit definite standards for design will find the book invaluable as it outlines methods which use physically significant data to quantify engineering risks at the early design stage. It appears to be a useful tool for postgraduate students as well as professional engineers. -Sampe Journal
All of the numerous examples, useful appendices and easy-to-read text, make this an excellent book on the subject. -Sampe Journal
'Well structured practical approach to robust product design., 7 August, 2001'
Reviewer: (firstname.lastname@example.org) from Bedfordshire, UK
'As a manufacturing engineer heavily involved in improving my company's product development process, this book presents not only the arguement that designers should work within manufacturing's capability, but also the methodology and techniques required to allow them to start doing so.
Very well structured and highly readable, this text will appeal to all managers, engineers and researchers involved in the process of designing more robust products. It will also be of interest to those attempting to implement Design for Six Sigma.'
Amazon customer review. | <urn:uuid:b76530d0-8de7-4236-b4b8-d29d0f45ed30> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/designing-capable-and-reliable-products-j-d-booker/1100665526?ean=9780750650762 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705953421/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120553-00067-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.937492 | 265 | 1.96875 | 2 |
By Naval Facilities Engineering Command Public Affairs
The U.S. Navy is currently testing a new and improved lighterage system that can be assembled into causeways, docks, or ferries, providing the Navy and Marine Corps with a safer, more versatile way to deliver vehicles and critical supplies from ship to shore during war or peacetime operations.
“The new system will enhance the Navy’s Logistics Over the Shore capabilities and replace the Navy’s existing lighterage system,” said Charlie Blum, an engineer with Naval Facilities Engineering Command’s (NAVFAC) Sealift Support Program Office, which manages the new lighterage program.
Expeditionary Warfare Training Group Pacific and Amphibious Construction Battalion One are currently testing the new lighterage at Naval Amphibious Base Coronado, Calif. The testing, through spring 2006, will demonstrate whether the system can operate in higher sea states, at faster speeds and with better maneuverability.
“Military equipment has gotten bigger and heavier,” said Blum. “The amount of time it takes to unload utilizing the current system has become longer, too. The Navy and Marine Corps want to get ashore in the minimum amount of time and that’s what this new [system] provides.”
The Improved Navy Lighterage System (INLS) is a redesign of the existing Navy Lighter (NL) system that has been around for almost 50 years, developed for use in World War II and used consistently throughout the years. Now, nearing the end of its useful life, the NL system with less cargo capacity and power needs to be more efficient and reliable especially in turbulent seas. INLS’s flexibility and stability make it more resilient under such conditions.
“The old system was limited to operating in a sea state two,” said Blum. “The current system is capable of operating in a sea state of three and is expected to be survivable at a sea state of five. It is also designed and built with enhanced technology and is truly a quantum leap over the previous system.”
The new lighterage system comes in sections that lock together like building blocks to create a variety of floating structures. These structures allow Navy ships to transport heavy equipment, such as tanks and trucks, to shore, and cargo, such as food, water and equipment parts, between ships and from ship to shore when moorings have been damaged or are unavailable. | <urn:uuid:81123f23-649b-4df4-8556-77666a728f0c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.marinelink.com/news/article/300337.aspx | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705953421/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120553-00011-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.949839 | 507 | 2.375 | 2 |
Believe it or not, this is accomplished with one projector / one setup. The only reason you would use more then one projector is to increase the brightness (but they would be overlapping projections) or to span a large wide area. I hope that makes sense. Right now I am working with my motion graphics artists to see what we can come up with price wise.
Your absolutely right that each clients needs and equipment will be different. For instance, if a client had an indoor space that they wanted to create a show in, a projector could be selected with a matching lens to fit that room perfectly. No need to overkill it with a Barco projector. We will be working on a more detailed scale model soon. We will stay away from cartoony effects and try for more realistic effects. I think it will ultimately find its place in doors, in pre-shows or queue areas.
Outside building projections would need a higher lumen projector (expense) and are always pointed head on (on plane) with the building, which will not always be feasible for each attraction.
The second example demonstrated is clearly in the tens of thousands to produce. The 3D animation, Barco projectors, sound system, and the media servers that deliver the content. Obviously out of budget for most haunts, so we hope to come up with effects and prices that can be customized for any size budget.
Thanks R&J for your insight!
Dark Tech Effects
Automated DMX Lighting
Show Control - Audio / Visual Effects | <urn:uuid:f5178c7d-8176-4c3d-b54a-8e666f22a8fa> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.hauntworld.com/haunted_house_forums/showthread.php?12005-Projection-Design-for-your-Facade-Attraction&p=93638 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00030-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.951565 | 312 | 1.554688 | 2 |
The U.S. Conference of Mayors is backing a mandatory "green" construction code that would slash the negative effects of commercial buildings on the natural environment.
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The International Green Construction Code, which is being developed by the International Code Council with input from the American Institute of Architects, ASTM International and other stakeholders, includes energy, water, air-quality and safety benchmarks that states and cities may adopt as mandatory provisions for commercial buildings. The code incorporates the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers' (ASHRAE) Standard 189.1 as an optional path to compliance.
The green code, which is amid a public-comment period and slated for release in November, would join the Washington, D.C.-based ICC's family of plumbing, mechanical and residential building codes, explained Jessyca Henderson, AIA's director of sustainability advocacy.
"It's really meant to create a green floor -- the base requirements that can be enforced and have the weight of the law behind them," added Henderson, a professional architect.
The U.S. Conference of Mayors passed a resolution (pdf) that endorses a draft of the green code, known as Version 1.0 (pdf), during the more than 1,200-member organization's annual meeting in Oklahoma City yesterday. The mayoral organization, along with the National Association of Governors and National Association of Counties, have endorsed AIA's goal that all new buildings be greenhouse gas-neutral by 2030.
Making buildings more energy efficient -- and ultimately zeroing out their consumption of fossil fuels -- could save the United States up to $140 billion annually, the mayors' resolution claims.
"The building sector contributes over one third of all global greenhouse gas emissions released into the atmosphere each year and represents the single largest opportunity for deep emission cuts," the resolution continues.
A handful of states and cities already require new public buildings to meet sustainable design benchmarks, such as the U.S. Green Building Council's LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design). Meeting such environmental benchmarks is voluntary for the vast majority of private buildings, however.
"This is evidence that this code is going to meet the needs of everybody -- not just the greenest of cities," Henderson said of the mayors' endorsement of the green commercial code.
Call for more natural gas vehicles
The mayors also called on the federal government to boost its support for natural gas vehicles by renewing tax credits and expanding federal research into natural gas engines.
Contending that an increase in natural gas infrastructure would lead to fewer harmful emissions, reduce dependence on foreign oil and could facilitate more investment in hydrogen vehicle technology, the mayors unanimously urged the White House and Congress to accelerate three separate initiatives.
They called on the House and Senate to pass the "New Alternative to Give Americans Solutions Act" (S. 1408 (pdf) and H.R. 1835 (pdf)) would renew tax credits for natural gas vehicles, including an increase on credits for passenger cars and light trucks that would offset 80 percent of the cost compared to a conventional vehicle.
The mayors also urged a renewal of the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act, which would include a 50-cent-per-gallon tax credit for compressed natural gas or liquefied natural gas as a vehicle fuel. Finally, they called for expanded federal research and development programs on natural gas applications in the transportation sector.
America's Natural Gas Alliance cheered the resolution, saying the mayors were "demonstrating they stand ready to help lead" the push for more natural gas vehicles.
"The mayors' emphasis on natural gas should serve as a model for federal and state policymakers," the group said in a release. "By taking a page from these local leaders' playbooks, we can take advantage of our nation's vast natural gas resources to advance clean power generation and transportation."
The American Clean Skies Foundation also applauded the action and noted that the mayors' resolution lined up nicely with its own set of proposals.
"This resolution proves that mayors are keenly aware of the role natural gas can play in decarbonizing their cities and spurring the local economy," said CEO Gregory Staple. "The low-cost opportunities to run municipal fleets on natural gas would result in budget savings and cleaner air, especially compared to diesel."
Clean fuel was a major subject at the conference. Many mayors were picked up in CNG vehicles and a reception hosted by ANGA, the American Lung Association and three local gas companies rewarded 16 mayors that had taken steps to boost natural gas infrastructure. There was also a display of city and fleet vehicles, including school buses and taxis, that could run on natural gas.
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Carl Sagan (The American astronomer)
Carl Edward Sagan (pron.: /ˈseɪɡən/; November 9, 1934 – December 20, 1996) was an American astronomer, astrophysicist, cosmologist, author, science popularizer and science communicator in astronomy and natural sciences. He spent most of his career as a professor of astronomy at Cornell University where he directed the Laboratory for Planetary Studies. He published more than 600 scientific papers and articles and was author, co-author or editor of more than 20 books. He advocated scientific skeptical inquiry and the scientific method, pioneered exobiology and promoted the Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence (SETI).Continue reading at Wikipedia...
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Central Holidays has introduced a faith-based Italy program that celebrates the appointment of Pope Francis I. A papal audience in Rome highlights the 10-day/9-night “Discover Pope Francis I Italian Spiritual Ties” travel package.
Travelers will fly into Milan and be transferred to Biella in the country’s Piedmont region. Sights include the Sanctuary of Graglia, Oropa, the grandest sanctuary dedicated to the Black Madonna; Biella’s Roman Baptistery dating from early 1000s;...
Participants on this trip won’t be surprised when their Sabbath dinner includes challah and cannoli.
Rabbi Barbara Aiello, a first-generation Italian-American who became Italy’s first female rabbi and the founder of the first active synagogue in Calabria in over 500 years, is organizing a Jewish heritage tour focusing on Italy’s deep south.
The tour, ‘Southern Italy Through Jewish Eyes,’ is scheduled for October. Participants can choose either Part I − Calabria (Oct. 1-6), Part II...
The life of Junípero Serra (1713-1784)—and his impact on Indian life and California culture through his founding of missions—is the subject of a comprehensive, international loan exhibition this year at The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens in San Marino, Calif. The show runs from Aug. 17, 2013, to Jan. 6, 2014.
Junípero Serra and the Legacies of the California Missions examines Serra’s early life and career in Mallorca, Spain; his mission work in Mexico and...
Free Guide Helps Church Groups Plan an Unforgettable Spiritual Journey
With the election of a new pope, Catholic churches around the world are making plans to join the celebration. And while millions of travelers will descend on Rome in the next 18 months, planning a group trip is no easy task.
Thousands of churches rely on a free resource for planning a spiritual journey, Religious Travel Planning Guide. Now in its third edition, this how-to publication is designed for church leaders looking...
Faith-based travelers hold the key to Jordan’s growing tourism industry, Kevin Wright told 150 local travel professionals during a workshop in Amman, Jordan, on Saturday. Wright, NTA’s director of growth markets, was invited to speak by the USAID Jordan Tourism Development Project.
“As more people travel on faith-based trips than ever before, Jordan is well-positioned to capitalize on a bigger share of the North American religious market,” Wright said. “The reason for this is simple:...
EarthCam and the Jordan Tourism Board have teamed up to launch a collection of live streaming webcams, with views of some of the country’s most treasured and visited locations. This makes Jordan the first country in the Middle East to install tourism webcams.
EarthCam’s webcams act as a virtual passport. In Amman, the capital of Jordan, viewers can experience The Citadel, a hilltop site where excavations have uncovered Roman, Byzantine and early Islamic remains. A second webcam take... | <urn:uuid:e93ae1e9-4280-4dbf-a4e6-c1819098d7fc> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://insite.religioustraveldirectory.com/category/religious-travel-news-2/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00036-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.917206 | 668 | 1.546875 | 2 |
Established in 1853 and located in Mills County, Iowa is the Tabor Cemetery. As the final resting place of many of those associated with the Underground Railroad in Tabor, Iowa, the cemetery is perhaps the best place to commemorate the town‟s significance to this important history because in many cases it remains the only tangible site that can be associated with those who were involved.1 The Underground Railroad activity of the people of Tabor, Iowa is well documented in reminiscences, correspondence, books, and in the Wilbur H. Siebert collection. These sources underscore that the involvement of this small town in Western Iowa was not just the result of individual efforts, but the community as a whole. As a result of their ties with Oberlin, Ohio and the Congregationalist Church, the settlers of Tabor were adamant in their beliefs of equal rights for all people regardless of race and sex and their participation in the Underground Railroad was an extension of these beliefs.
Visitor Information: Currently open to public.
Location: 26502 Waubonsie Avenue, Tabor, Mills, 51653
National Park Unit: No
Ownership: City of Tabor
Location Type: Site
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Keep an Eye on Your Business
For a small or medium sized business owner, taking a holiday or travelling to a conference can be a stressful experience. Who will keep an eye on your business? Will your employees know what to do if something goes wrong? It can be hard to resist the urge to call the office every couple of hours to check in, and the nagging feeling that if something breaks, you’ll be the last to know, can turn a few days away into a seemingly never-ending nightmare.
It doesn’t have to be that way. The list of things that you can monitor remotely using SMS alerts, phone apps, or a web-based monitoring system is almost limitless. You can now let technology look after things for you, and relax safe in the knowledge that no news is good news.
Alerts and Updates Pushed to Your Phone
There are lots of phone apps that can be used to give you alerts and updates about the crucial systems that you choose to monitor remotely. As long as you’re somewhere with a data signal, you will get up-to-the minute alerts about all of those devices.
If a server slows down, a security alarm is triggered, or one of your refrigeration units starts to defrost, you will know about it just as quickly as the people that are physically present at the office.
With many remote monitoring apps, you can program the monitoring device so that different alerts are sent to different people. You can use this feature to set up levels of alerts – perhaps Yellow for information, Amber for warning, and Red for urgent. You probably don’t want to get informational or warning alerts while you’re on holiday, but an urgent message is likely to be a sign that something has gone wrong and your advice might be appreciated at the office.
Security alarms, and safety alerts such as hazardous material detection or fire alarms, could be configured to send messages to all senior managers as well as to the relevant emergency services.
In addition to monitoring things, some phone apps will also let you control basic systems remotely. You can use your phone to connect to web facing devices and issue basic controls or even open up an SSH session and perform more complex actions.
It’s also possible to control some devices via SMS. If one of your industrial printers appears to have locked up, you could power-cycle it remotely to see if that fixes the issue, before wasting an engineer’s time having them travel to the office to look at it.
While it’s mostly only modern devices that you can monitor remotely, you can add thermometers and sensors to older devices, and you can hook up an inexpensive SMS relay to any device that plugs in to the mains. This makes them an incredibly valuable piece of equipment.
The possibilities for remote monitoring and control are endless, and the peace of mind, flexibility and security that they offer should not be under-estimated.
This is a guest post written by Amy Fowler on behalf of Xibis, specialists in mobile applications development and remote monitoring solutions. To find out more about mobile applications, click here. For remote monitoring, click here. | <urn:uuid:13e825f0-8d44-40d2-9522-2657465dc620> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.livingeast.co.uk/2012/05/17/keep-an-eye-on-your-business/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00075-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.953306 | 649 | 1.507813 | 2 |
- Calle San Vicente 3.
- Tel: 985 21 54 05.
Plaza de la Constitución 4, Tel: 984 08 60 60 .
Thu, Sat & Sun.
San Mateo (14–21 Sep).
Oviedo, a university city and the cultural and commercial capital of Asturias, stands on a raised site on a fertile plain. The nearby coal mines have made it an important industrial centre since the 19th century. It retains some of the atmosphere of that time, as described by Leopoldo Alas (“Clarín”) in his great novel La Regenta .
In and around Oviedo are many Pre-Romanesque buildings. This style flourished in the 8th–10th centuries and was confined to a small area of the kingdom of Asturias, one of the few enclaves of Spain not invaded by the Moors.
The nucleus of the medieval city is the stately Plaza Alfonso II, bordered by a number of handsome old palaces. On this square is situated the Flamboyant Gothic cathedral with its high tower and asymmetrical west façade. Inside are tombs of Asturian kings and a majestic 16th-century gilded reredos. The cathedral’s supreme treasure is the Cámara Santa, a restored 9th-century chapel containing statues of Christ and the apostles. The chapel also houses many works of 9th-century Asturian art including two crosses and a reliquary – all made of gold, silver and precious stones.
Also situated in the Plaza Alfonso II is the Iglesia de San Tirso . This church was originally constructed in the 9th century, but subsequent restorations have left the east window as the only surviving Pre-Romanesque feature.
Sited behind the cathedral is the Museo Arqueológico , housed in the old Benedictine monastery of San Vicente, with its fine cloisters. It contains local prehistoric, Romanesque and Pre-Romanesque treasures.
The Museo de Bellas Artes , in Velarde Palace, has a good range of Asturian and Spanish paintings, such as Carreño’s portrait of Carlos II and others by Greco, Goya, Dalí, Miró and Picasso.
Two of the most magnificent Pre-Romanesque churches are on Mount Naranco, to the north. Santa María del Naranco has a large barrel-vaulted hall on the main floor and arcaded galleries at either end. Some of the intricate reliefs on the door jambs of the nearby San Miguel de Lillo show acrobats and animal tamers in a circus.
The early 9th-century church of San Julián de los Prados stands on the road leading northeast out of Oviedo. The largest of Spain’s surviving Pre-Romanesque churches, it is noted for the frescoes which cover all of its interior.
This church, on Mount Naranco, was originally built as a summer palace for Ramiro I in the 9th century. It is one of the finest examples of Pre-Romanesque or Asturian architecture, a style characterized by the slender proportions of its buildings and their original and graceful ornamentation.
The Hall has an unusually high ceiling.
Arcaded galleries at both ends of the building were designed to let in an enormous amount of light and were an architectural innovation.
Columns carved with soqueado or rope effect, were typical of the Pre-Romanesque style.
Vaultings of this size were a technical achievement and not adopted throughout Europe until the 11th century. | <urn:uuid:33b7c4cf-4cc0-4827-a028-2ebf76f4e91d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://thelmandlouise.com/dk-guides/EWTG_SPAIN106OVIEDO | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00059-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.953359 | 765 | 1.804688 | 2 |
Free Search (1498 videos)
The Concurrent Design Facility (CDF) - An Innovative Teamworking Method
- Title The Concurrent Design Facility (CDF) - An Innovative Teamworking Method
- Released 27/07/2012
- Length 00:05:29
- Language English
- Footage Type Documentary
- Copyright ESA
Traditionally, engineers faced with the task of designing a new, complex system or structure - a car, an aircraft or a satellite - work sequentially, one step at a time, passing the design from engineer to engineer. This is inefficient and consumes time and resources.
For more than a decade, many of ESA's sophisticated spacecraft have been designed with the help of the CDF, making use of very advanced iterative techniques - hence its title 'concurrent'.
Concurrent engineering puts all related engineers, with all their brain power and required tools together with the final user representative - or customer - in the same location at the same time. This allows for iterative design at a fast pace, with customer and designers agreeing requirements and taking decisions in real time to ensure the best design for the right cost and an acceptable risk.
This process has been developed and honed so it is now common to produce a risk assessed conceptual space mission design complete with various options and including scheduling, testing and operations in a matter of weeks. | <urn:uuid:f6d64f85-3359-4219-bc78-45fc4f4cc6ed> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://spaceinvideos.esa.int/Videos/2012/07/The_Concurrent_Design_Facility_CDF_-_An_Innovative_Teamworking_Method | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00017-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.92436 | 283 | 2.3125 | 2 |
Feb 20 to 24, 2012.
Ian’s mother updated me about his response to 27 hours of therapy. According to Ian’s mother, Ian’s father said he begins to see that Ian makes eye contact when they speak. When they call Ian, Ian is also able to respond to them by turning to look at them.
His mother also said Ian is able to focus when having meals. Before Ian was send to my centre for therapy, he was unable to sit down and have his meal. They had to put something on table for him to play with and at the same time have the meal. After attending therapy session, Ian is able to sit in a proper meal setting to finish the meal and then only get down to play. I cannot imagine how to feed a child when the child cannot focus. In our society, I have seen many adults following their toddlers while feeding them.
His mother also said Ian is more responsive, his basic speech is clearer. This week I have been working on his oral speech organ development and sensory issues in respect of his speech. Ian also has Rebound session with me. In Rebound, I keep saying “Ian Jump, jump higher, higher!”. I can hear he begins to say the word “higher”.
I also suggested his mother to put Ian’s favorite food in a screw cap container. Ian takes the container and tries to open. But he failed to open it and he shows frustration. I come to approach Ian: “Ian can I help you”? I told him to say “open”, he struggles, then I say again: “Ian say ‘open’”. He did try to say the word “open”. He was entitled to a piece of biscuit. He smiled when I gave him the biscuit.
Now when I address him/call him, he is able to respond to me. I even give some basic instructions for him to carry out the task. The most obvious is after using some equipments the child has to bring it back to the right place. So after playing I will require him to bring it to the right place.
Ian comes for a 9 hours holistic therapy programme per week. In a few weeks he has already made a remarkable progress. | <urn:uuid:cbc3394f-70ee-465d-8313-0252d977f884> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://reboundtherapy-malaysia.com/wp/?p=813 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00021-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.991657 | 478 | 1.710938 | 2 |
reply to post by TheProphetMark
Im sorry about that
Well thee might not have to wait too much longer...! It seems that the scientists are experimenting with stem cells for curing deafness too.
Deafness Cure Step Closer With Stem Cells
A cure for a common form of deafness known as auditory neuropathy is a step closer, after researchers from the University of Sheffield in the UK
used human embryonic stem cells to repair a similar type of hearing loss in gerbils.
Using gerbils and human embryonic stem cells, Rivolta and colleagues describe how they repaired an important part of that link: the auditory
"We have the proof of concept that we can use human embryonic stem cells to repair the damaged ear," Rivolta told Nature News.
As well as proving that stem cells can repair damaged hearing, the researchers hope the breakthrough will lead to new treatments.
"More work needs to be done, but now we know it's possible," said Rivolta.
And also it transpires that the scientists working on this are also in the same University as the scientists working on the natural cure for bad
eyes... Way to go Sheffield University...!
Hope this is useful for you, and i truly hope it wont be much longer till this is available for thee ... | <urn:uuid:19dd6c68-73d3-4fa9-a812-4ae1b8fa3fb6> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.abovetopsecret.com/forum/thread906441/pg1 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00025-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.954067 | 269 | 2.109375 | 2 |
In a recent end of the year poll by the New York Times, Colombia is voted as the number two choice behind Istanbul. Colombia has recently gained much notoriety as an up and coming tourist destination since 2004-2005 when the security situation began to improve dramatically across the country. The historic colonial beach-side town of Cartagena and the capital city of Bogota lead the pack with recent tourist influx followed by once notorious Medellin, Colombia.
Excerpt from related travel article about Colombia:
Unfairly or not, Colombia is still known for its cocaine cartels and street violence, but cool-hunting travelers are calling it Latin America’s next affordable hot spot. Bogotá, its capital, has emerged as a role model of urban reinvention. Starting in the late 1990s, the city underwent a breathtaking transformation. Sidewalks, once used mainly for parking, are now lined with bicycle paths and tree-shaded cafes. An innovative bus system zips residents across the traffic-congested city. And museums and restaurants have opened in its historic center, including the refurbished Museo del Oro, which houses pre-Columbian treasures.
For more travel information about Colombia, South America, visit DiscoverColombia.com | <urn:uuid:28d9d600-0468-49eb-8d09-2ea11c7e6306> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://discovercolombia.com/new-york-times-readers-rate-colombia-2-favorite-destination/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00008-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.944687 | 253 | 1.578125 | 2 |
Riversdale recognized as having 'most culturally diverse' population
Saskatoon's Riversdale community is being featured in enRoute, Air Canada's magazine.
"Riversdale has one of the most culturally diverse populations, it's only fitting that since we have people here from almost every country, that we're recognized internationally," said Randy Psheybylo, executive director of the Riversdale Business Improvement District.
The community has been growing a lot recently, with several properties starting to change hands.
"That leads to a little more vibrancy and attractiveness for people who want to walk in a culturally sensitive area that is growing and is nearby the downtown and very close to the river and the farmer's market," he said.
The community is not done growing, there's a lot more work to do.
"What we'd like to see is that more and more people know the secret that's been in Saskatoon and some of the things that our board and a lot of the business owners here are starting to work on and focus on," said Pshebylo.
Pshebylo is very excited the community is on the international stage and being talked about on airplanes around the world.
Follow on Twitter: @ChrisMangatal | <urn:uuid:879526e7-c166-4847-83bb-4f69f343bb89> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.newstalk650.com/story/riversdale-recognized-having-most-culturally-diverse-population/77914 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00048-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.984336 | 256 | 1.539063 | 2 |
With the market awash with popular cosmology books, how can Ken Wallace have missed the answer to his simple question about black holes versus the big bang (Letters, 29 July)? The laws of gravity are symmetric in time. If matter can collapse under gravity to a singularity of infinite density, it can also expand from a singularity, in the reverse sequence of states.
The Universe avoided imploding like a black hole in its early stages because it was expanding extremely fast - too fast for its gravitating power to pull it back and crush it. Because the rate of expansion of the Universe is steadily decelerating over time, however, it may one day cease expanding and start to collapse. If it does so, then it will indeed resemble the interior of a black hole.
The problem of what started the Universe on its expansionary path from a singular origin in ...
To continue reading this article, subscribe to receive access to all of newscientist.com, including 20 years of archive content. | <urn:uuid:7b87fd0c-1855-47bc-96f0-37ebb9bd101a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg14719967.200-inflated-argument.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00024-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.946689 | 205 | 2.875 | 3 |
Higher Standards for Clean
Good hygiene doesn’t happen without a little work—in any situation. In an industry where food safety is paramount, standards of cleanliness rise with each passing year. Fortunately, for meat and poultry producers, there’s good news: Intralox is doing the hard work so you won’t have to. Through research developments and innovative products, Intralox is setting the industry standard for clean.
Equipping your conveyor with belts, sprockets, and hinges designed for effective cleaning greatly assists in raising hygienic standards. Clearing debris is an essential starting point for any sanitation effort on food-related applications. When debris is allowed to build up on a carryway or on the interior components of a conveyor, problems arise such as production delays, shutdowns, or product recalls. In addition, labor time and water usage can be wasted as a result. Intralox products are used in many applications all over the world. Extensive studies of different plants have led Intralox to tailor its EZ Clean family of components to meet specific sanitation challenges faced by food manufacturers. The result is conveyor cleaning that is both thorough and cost-efficient (www.intralox.com/intraloxclean.htm).
Intralox’s latest sanitation innovation is the Series 1650 SeamFree™ Minimum Hinge Flat Top belt. The belt’s patent-pending flume design and drive bar mechanism channel water and debris to the belt’s edges and prevent debris from being pressed into the hinge area. The belt features 75% fewer hinges than other belts, providing greater rod exposure and increasing overall cleanability.
The Series 1650 SeamFree Minimum Hinge Flat Top belt has 18-inch (457 mm) modules and can be used in applications with transfers as tight as 1.5 inches (38 mm). As with all belts in the EZ Clean family, it is molded from non-porous, non-absorbent plastics that contain no pockets or recessed areas in the underside of the belt that can harbor debris or soils.
Wet lab tests by Intralox report significant savings in labor costs and water usage when using the Series 1650 SeamFree Minimum Hinge Flat Top belt. When used in conjunction with the Intralox EZ Clean In Place system and Angled EZ Clean Sprockets, food processors can expect to clean belts as consistently as manual methods using 65% less time and less water usage. By reducing the amount of heated water needed during each cleanup shift, processors will benefit from a reduction in total energy costs.
The Clean Belt Checklist
Not all modular plastic belts produce superior sanitation results. Gary Larsen, the Technical Support Director for Hygienic Services at Intralox, suggests using this checklist when reviewing potential suppliers to be sure their products are right for your operation:
1. Do the belt hinges open wide around the sprockets, but stay closed on the conveyor bed? Slotted open-hinge belt designs leave space for particles and scraps to accumulate. “Intralox’s Series 800 Open Hinge Flat Top belts feature special Cam-link hinges, which are the most open of any modular plastic flat top belt on the market,” Larsen says. “These hinges open wide around the sprockets to maximize cleaning access to the hinge area, but close on the conveyor bed to prevent debris from clogging the belt.”
2. Are the hinge openings large enough to allow spray to reach both the bottom and top surfaces? If not, water spray cannot reach all areas where soil or chemical residuals exist.
3. Do the belts allow catenary sag for better cleaning access, or must they be tensioned tightly against the conveyor surface? Catenary sag enables better cleaning because the extra space allows more water spray to reach and loosen soils and scraps in the hinge area inside the conveyor frame.
4. Do the belts include drive bars underneath to channel away water and debris? Underside drive bars provide for easy soil removal by detouring water and debris to the outside of the belt and away from the production line.
5. Have the belts been tested for sanitation and cleaning under realistic plant conditions? It is important for easy-clean belt designs to be thoroughly tested to validate or improve their sanitation-friendly features. Larsen says, “For example, Intralox has a wet test facility dedicated exclusively to the scientific testing of plastic belt cleaning procedures and comparative testing of plastic and other belt technologies. The lab measures a number of cleanability factors, including water flow, cleaning time needed and water usage required, in order to realistically project how Intralox belts will increase sanitation success in a working plant environment.”
6. Will the belt company provide group seminars on sanitation issues and best cleaning practices? Notes Larsen, “The expertise of the belt company can help the processor go beyond basic sanitation goals. The Intralox Clean Team offers guidelines and seminars that advise food processors about sanitation friendly conveyor design elements like low belt tension configurations for improved cleaning access and devices that facilitate debris removal.” | <urn:uuid:0eb15d83-766c-49d9-a8b1-0284e90b7cdd> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.foodsafetymagazine.com/magazine-archive1/februarymarch-2007/food-safety-insider-sanitation-solutions/higher-standards-for-clean/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00021-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.914299 | 1,063 | 1.84375 | 2 |
Multivitamin Intake Yields Mixed Results
November 15, 2012
Men who took a daily multivitamin had a reduced risk for cancer, according to a study published in this week's Journal of the American Medical Association. After an average 11-year follow-up, researchers from Harvard's Physicians' Health Study II found a modest reduction in risk for total cancer among 14,641 men who took a multivitamin. The benefit was seen both among men who were cancer survivors and men who had never had cancer.
When looking at the same group of men taking multivitamins, researchers found no benefit for heart health.
Gaziano JM, Sesso HD, Christen WG, et al. Multivitamins in the prevention of cancer in men: the Physicians' Health Study II randomized controlled trial. JAMA. 2012;308:1871-1880.
Sesso HD, Christen WG, Bubes V, et al. Multivitamins in the prevention of cardiovascular disease in men: the Physicians' Health Study II randomized controlled trial. JAMA. 2012;308:1751-1760.
Subscribe to PCRM's Breaking Medical News.
Breaking Medical News is a service of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, 5100 Wisconsin Ave., Ste. 400, Washington, DC 20016, 202-686-2210. Join PCRM and receive the quarterly magazine, Good Medicine. | <urn:uuid:a9f39c73-7c03-42b7-abc0-a203f64627e0> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.pcrm.org/health/medNews/multivitamin-intake-yields-mixed-results | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00018-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.930621 | 296 | 1.820313 | 2 |
Grigori Schwarz, Miroslaw Truszczynski
Several widely accepted modal nonmonotonic logics for reasoning about knowledge and beliefs of rational agents with introspection powers are based on strong modal logics such as KD45, S4.4, S4F and S5. In this paper we argue that weak modal logics, without even the axiom K and, therefore, below the range of normal modal logics, also give rise to useful nonmonotonic systems. We study two such logics: the logic N, containing propositional calculus and necessitation but no axiom schemata for manipulating the modality, and the logic NT - the extension of N by the schema T. For the nonmonotonic logics N and NT we develop minimal model semantics. We use it to show that the nonmonotonic logics N and NT are at least as expressive as autoepistemic logic, reflexive autoepistemic logic and default logic. In fact, each can be regarded as a common generalization of these classic nonmonotonic systems. We also show that the nonmonotonic logics N and NT have the property of being conservative with respect to adding new definitions, and prove that computationally they are equivalent to autoepistemic and default logics. | <urn:uuid:3f901f5e-78e4-4712-801d-02d8d77ed8b7> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://aaai.org/Library/AAAI/1993/aaai93-066.php | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00037-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.92365 | 273 | 1.632813 | 2 |
By Malcolm Ritter, Associated Press
NEW YORK Do you spend time with a lot of friends? That might mean a particular part of your brain is larger than usual.
It's the amygdala, which lies deep inside. Brain scans of 58 volunteers in a preliminary study indicated that the bigger the amygdala, the more friends and family the volunteers reported seeing regularly.
That makes sense because the amygdala is at the center of a brain network that's important for socializing, says Lisa Feldman Barrett, an author of the work published online Sunday by the journal Nature Neuroscience.
For example, the network helps us recognize whether somebody is a stranger or an acquaintance, and a friend or a foe, said Barrett, of Northeastern University in Boston.
But does having a bigger amygdala lead to more friends, or does socializing with a lot of friends create a bigger amygdala? The study can't sort that out. But Barrett said it might be a bit of both.
She said her study now must be replicated by further research.
The work, supported by the federal government, was aimed at uncovering basic knowledge rather than producing any immediate practical payoff, she said. But it might someday lead to ways to help people maintain active social lives, she said.
People have one amygdala in the left half of the brain and another in the right half. The findings of the new study held true for each one.
Arthur Toga, a brain-mapping expert at the University of California, Los Angeles, who didn't participate in the study, called the work well done and the statistical results strong. The idea of linking a brain structure to human behavior is "interesting and important," he said.
Amygdala research made headlines earlier this month when researchers reported on a woman without a working amygdala. The woman felt no fear in threatening situations.
Copyright 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. | <urn:uuid:d8d0a368-e1ed-4d1f-a07d-b3eb004ab6e2> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/tech/science/2010-12-27-social-brain_N.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00024-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.935853 | 394 | 2.765625 | 3 |
Wolves in the Wilderness
Instructors from the Wilderness Awareness School spent several days tracking wolves in the Frank Church Wilderness. They hope the data they collect will help scientists better manage the animals.
Learn more about wolves, their status and about the trackers who follow them.
(*) Indicates that link will open | <urn:uuid:cc54965f-3ba6-468c-9ebe-6d648f0468d7> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://idahoptv.org/outdoors/shows/frankchurch/wolves.cfm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00044-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.911127 | 64 | 1.703125 | 2 |
The Family is a three-year journey in pictures that came about in the wake of a project shot by Jocelyn Bain Hogg in 2008, documenting the disturbing gun and knife crime issues around Britain’s youth.
Bain Hogg's foray into the underworld of organised crime began with his seminal work The Firm, published as a book in 2003. Eight years on, The Family is an intimate look into the life of one underworld family, revealing a far more circumspect world than the vaudeville pageant of the old villains.
Joe Pyle senior and the Kray twins, the old-school Godfathers of British crime, have died since The Firm
was completed in 2001. And in 2008 Bain Hogg found a fractured society of British criminals with little or no organisation and leadership, vainly competing, as many businesses have to do, with international competition.
Russians, Albanians, Kosovans and Turks rule the UK underworld now but the indigenous villains, the scions of the Pyle family, still wear their heritage on their sleeves, talking business at unlicenced boxing matches and night clubs and working with their Jamaican brothers - the Yardies - for a slice of the criminal pie.
The 18th Century artist and reformer William Hogarth set the precedent for documenting this dark underbelly of society and in 21st Century Britain, little has changed. The guns and drugs still flourish on our estates but the empire that once controlled them is in decline and fall. These pictures show the lives of ‘The Family’ - the gangsters and players, writ large as the world changes irrevocably around them.The Family
, published by Foto8, is out December 2011. Copies of the book are available to purchase here
as well as the limited edition book
, complete with signed 16x20in print.
Jocely Bain Hogg
8 December 2011 - 14 January 2012
1 Honduras Street
London EC1Y 0TH
+44(0)20 7253 8801
For press images email lauren [at] foto8.com | <urn:uuid:36d6e573-70d2-4df9-87b8-8a1721b3c389> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.foto8.com/new/component/eventlist/details/123-jocelyn-bain-hogg--the-family?pop=1&tmpl=component | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00068-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.945768 | 433 | 1.796875 | 2 |
Dwave systems of vancouver is indicating that they are nearly ready to being offering the use of assisted adiabatic quantum computer. I have been tracking the recent research about quantum computers and superconducting quantum computers, trapped ion, electron spin and electron bubble quantum computers look very promising.
A Scalable Superconducting Architecture for Adiabatic Quantum Computation could scale to hundreds or even thousands of qubits
Ion trap quantum computers could scale to one thousand qubits
Electron bubble quantum computers could work up to 100 qubits or higher
78% of 700 IEEE fellow predicted that there would not be a commercial quantum computer within 50 years I am predicting a high degree of success within 5 years. My bet will probably require at least one of the leading quantum computer approaches to be highly successful. I understand that there is already a nuclear magnetic resonance quantum computer system being offered now for a about one million dollars. It has about 7 qubits. The 78% of IEEE fellows were already wrong when they made predictions which were published Sept 2006.
Successful Quantum computers will effect and accelerate the development of science at the nanoscale. Quantum computers will improve quantum simulation and various problems that rely upon the acceleration of fourier transforms.
I have made various other public technology predictions (at the nanotech-now.com site and newsletter from March 2006).
I describe supporting development, trends and analysis at my website advancednano.blogspot.com
I think it is important that people have a more accurate understanding of the development and trends in the improvement of technology. Having an inaccurate pessimistic view of what will happen can lead to the misallocation of public funds and misguided public policy and poor business decisions.
Having an incorrect understanding of how relatively difficult it will be to achieve research and development success also leads to slower development of potentially high impact technology.
Challenge brian wang to a bet on this prediction! | <urn:uuid:ac69b36a-9ed8-4f52-a18f-c5e53eec76ea> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://longbets.org/266/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00063-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.941973 | 389 | 2.34375 | 2 |
Turku is one of the most important historical centres of Finland and also one of its busiest seaports. The Archipelago is a unique travel destination situated in the island area. Here you have the chance to enjoy complete peace and relaxation or engaging yourself in many activities. There are several historical museums that display the city's medieval period, such as the Turku Castle, which has been a functional historical museum since 1881, and the Aboa Vetus museum, built in the late 1990s over the 14th century archaeological site. The Luostarinmaki handicrafts museum was the first Scandinavian venue to receive the "Golden Apple" tourism award. The Abo Akademi University hosts the Sibelius museum - the only music museum in Finland. Turku is also the official Christmas city of Finland. | <urn:uuid:7f2ec3e7-7348-4f9b-8707-ad143a567eba> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.europeandestinations.com/Turku_Vacations.aspx | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00030-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.953085 | 165 | 1.742188 | 2 |
Another part of the universal translator has fallen into place. Quest Visual recently released Word Lens, a killer iPhone app that lets you see the world around you translated into a new language. It’s a great example of augmented reality: images from the camera are screened for words; Word Lens then translates those words into a different language, and displays the translation on your screen replacing the original text. It’s like looking through a window into another world where everyone writes in the language you choose. The Word Lens App works for iPhone 4, iPhone 3Gs, iPod Touch 4 and is free to download. Language packets, however, will cost you $5, and currently Spanish to English and English to Spanish are the only ones available. Still, Word Lens is amazing to watch in action, as you can see in the announcement video from Quest Visual below. I recently downloaded Word Lens and tried out the free demo “languages” (text reversal and removal). The app is fairly limited right now, but it holds enormous promise.
Once you download the free demo onto your iPhone, it’s really simple to get Word Lens started. Just tap on the icon and you’re instantly in a window that is sampling from your camera and changing the letters you see. You can pause the video feed, select a region, even zoom in or turn on the light if you want (iPhone 4 only). Unlock the rotation icon and you can easily view things in landscape mode. With a little practice you can get Word Lens to find and change text all around. Billboards, gum wrappers, computer screens, you name it. When it works well this application is an absolute killer.
Quest Visual is the brainchild of Octavio Good and John DeWeese, who have been working on the Word Lens application for more than two years. Word Lens uses optical character recognition to find words in your smart phone’s video feed. OCR works best with clear legible fonts, and really can’t handle script or many words written by hand. It also can be hit or miss in even detecting which figure is a letter and which is part of a background design. Working with the free demo I constantly had to move the phone back and forth, or slightly rotate it in order to get Word Lens to find the words I wanted it to recognize. Octavio Good admits that this early form of the App has its limitations in the following video, but he promises that there will be more languages and improvements ahead.
When I see an idea like Word Lens I am both thrilled by the possibility and slightly disappointed by the reality. Word Lens absolutely is an amazing App when it works well. It crops out text, and replaces it with an easy to read font, and it does it all in real time. That’s awesome. But the OCR has its limits, as I just said, and the dictionaries they use are far from perfect as well. I’m not sure how I feel about Quest Visual deciding to use downloaded dictionaries rather than a Google API or other cloud-based service. Having all the necessary content on your phone probably makes things quicker, and it will definitely help in all those locations where AT&T reception is poor (pretty much everywhere). Still, I’d rather have a startup like Quest Visual focus on one task and perform it very well. The OCR based augmented reality is enough to deal with and needs lots of fine tuning. Does Quest Visual really need to split their focus by worrying about their incorporated translation software as well? I’m not sure how I feel about the $5 per translation packet either. Prices will go up to $10 on January 1st. That’s still a fairly good deal, but only if Quest Visual can continue to improve the quality of their product.
For now, Word Lens is fairly unique among iPhone Apps for what it can do. (There is a related feature in Google Goggles that let’s you translate a photo, but that’s not real time like Word Lens.) That means that Quest Visual is pioneering new ground. We should expect some more bumps along their journey even as they make more amazing progress. In the end great technology like this is bound for one of three destinies. It could get bought by a larger developer (as Google did with BlindType), it could continue to grow on its own like FourSquare, or it could be replaced by competitors who improve upon their design (MySpace). I wish Good, DeWeese, and the rest of the Quest Visual team the best, and I’m really impressed by their work. That being said, I’m not sure which of the potential destinies for Word Lens will actually be most beneficial for end users like you and I.
Over the last two years we’ve seen the parts of a universal translator slowly arrive. Audio translators let you speak in one language and have your smart phone speak in another. Automatic text translations are becoming more ubiquitous online. Apps like Word Lens would be the next piece in the puzzle. Some time soon we should have the means to make real time translations from any form of input. That’s very exciting. It would be wonderful if Quest Visual was part of that process. Even if they are not, now that they’ve shown us what their piece of the universal translator puzzle looks like we are sure to have it the linguistic arsenal of the future. We’re getting closer to a world without language borders. I can’t wait. | <urn:uuid:af2c1af3-9e0f-4717-a310-a629fff358cb> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://singularityhub.com/2010/12/18/word-lens-translates-the-text-you-see-in-real-time-amazing-to-behold-video/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00003-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.953434 | 1,139 | 1.703125 | 2 |
On Google, the ICC is open all the way to I-370
On Google World, the 41.9-mile trip from Baltimore to Gaithersburg takes all of 48 minutes along the brand new Intercounty Connector. Just take Interstate 95 south, hop on the ICC and you’re virtually there.
On Planet Earth, most of the ICC hasn’t opened yet. The 12 miles between I-95 and the Montgomery County high-tech hotbed is largely a muddy track where bulldozers are still doing what bulldozers do.
In a textbook illustration of the computer adage “garbage in, garbage out,” Google and another popular Web-based mapping service have jumped the gun on the opening of the longest segment of Maryland’s new toll road by about a year.
“Beware: Everything you read on the Internet may not be true,” Lon Anderson, spokesman for AAA-Mid-Atlantic, chortled when told about the error.
A 7-mile stretch of the $2.6 billion ICC, between Georgia Avenue and Interstate 370, opened late last month. But the segment between Georgia Avenue and I-95 is under construction and expected to open late this year or early in 2012.
“Clearly Google understands that many of our people who drive our roads also have all-terrain vehicles,” Anderson said. “Google’s just a little ahead of all of us.”
As funny as the mistake may be to a detached observer, it could be less than amusing to a motorist who was unfamiliar with the region and depending on the directions. A traveler from Baltimore to Montgomery County, for instance, could drive down I-95 expecting to get off on the ICC, only to get lost upon finding find no exit.
Doug Beizer, a communications manager for an engineering society, stumbled across the misleading directions Thursday when he was plotting a route between his office in Landover and Montgomery General Hospital in Olney.
Google Maps assured him that Route 200, as the ICC is also known, was the way to go. Beizer, who is married to a Sun reporter, knew that wasn’t so.
“I saw this map and it drew this line west on a road that doesn’t exist yet,” said Beizer, whose work travels have made him familiar with the I-95 corridor. “I knew it was one of those glitches.”
Beizer tipped off the newspaper. Another Sun reporter was able to reproduce that error and also determined that Google – as well as Yahoo! – were directing motorists onto the ICC on a trip from Baltimore to Gaithersburg and other theoretical journeys across the state.
Mapquest, a rival, provided directions more applicable to 2011. It guided drivers to the tedious but existent 58-minute slog along the Capital Beltway and up Interstate 270 that the ICC is intended to render obsolete.
Cheryl Sparks, a spokeswoman for the Maryland Transportation Authority, said the agency had received an email about the problem and was trying to track down the sender. She said the agency would work with geographic data providers to fix the problem.
“If you took a ride down there today, you’d see a very active construction zone,” she said.
Messages left for Google and Yahoo! have not yet been returned. | <urn:uuid:ebbe23b3-d324-4762-b98a-5e445399d5ea> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/news/traffic/2011/03/on_google_the_icc_is_open_all.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705195219/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115315-00004-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.963246 | 698 | 1.59375 | 2 |
Six Sigma, or LSS is a proven disciplined approach for improving
measurable results for any organization. Project success stories exist from organizations including
manufacturing, service, nonprofit, government, research and healthcare.
The key to 6 Sigma is the completion of leadership sponsored projects.
Certification requires completing an actual LSS project. SixSigma.us offers both live and online programs.
Lean Transformation ... whether you call it Lean, Lean Production, Lean Manufacturing, Kaizen, or Toyota Production Systems ... Lean is one of the most tangible and dramatic systems for achieving quick breakthrough improvements! If you want to want to reduce your product or service lead time by 50% - 90% or if you want to recover valuable floor space for Customer Value Added activities you should contact us for your Cost Effective Lean training and Project Consulting needs (read more about Lean and Lean Benefits here). SixSigma.us offers both Live and Online Lean training.
Green Process Management
Confused about Green? Don’t know what you need to know about Green for your business? No matter what your business, be it manufacturing or service, you need to understand the potential impact of what Green and environmental requirements will have on what you do. Attendance at one of our new Green Process Management courses will enable you to apply LSS methodologies as a roadmap with the tools needed to lead your company in its quest to take advantage of cost reductions, improve a public image and increase sales by becoming a truly "green" company.
Design for Six Sigma (DFSS)
DFSS ( Design For
Six Sigma) is about developing a new product or service that is
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Lean White Papers
Get a free copy of an excellent presentation: "Business Process Charting" - Directed
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e-mail a copy of the 6 Sigma presentation. "Your presentation breaks new ground in applying statistics to the financials. This is needed in today's climate of maximizing quarterly profits. Thank you for a wonderful presentation and a new paradigm."
- Robert Perez Dallas American Society of Quality | <urn:uuid:0d5cfbf4-9667-41d6-8098-3ed871e47973> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.6sigma.us/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00042-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.903116 | 500 | 1.539063 | 2 |
No standing water = nothing to freeze. Greywater is warm enough that it will
melt a film of ice in distribution plumbing each time it drains, without buildup.
Branched drain systems are a distribution system with continuous downhill slope.
At least six inches of fall from the greywater outlet to the surface the water lands on will prevent the outlet from plugging with ice. The ground should slope away steeply from the outlet at first, then may gradually flattentransitioning from say, 4% slope to 1-2% within the four feet of the outlet.
Continuously downhill sloping pipes may not require any insulation. However,
burying them in the soil and covering them with mulch will certainly provide
Mulch basins generally will stay unfrozen well above frost line, because of heat from applied greywater and composting, held in by insulating mulch and snow above.
The composting heat can be cranked up by adding plenty of carbonaceous yard waste in the fall (leaves, for example) then adding nitrogen throughout the winter via the greywater (by peeing in the shower, for example).
On the south and west side of a house, within a windbreak to the north, the climate will be significantly less frosty.
A passive solar greywater greenhouse is the ultimate in favorable microclimates.
The treatment capacity per square foot in a greenhouse can easily be many multiples
of the capacity outdoors. (Each 10 degree Celsius increase in temperature doubles
the rate of most biological reactions.)
www.oasisdesign.net Copyright © Art Ludwig 1997 -2013 | <urn:uuid:93d127b1-39f6-4dd9-8828-9b703b3e98d3> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.oasisdesign.net/faq/gwCold.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700958435/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104238-00071-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.920343 | 334 | 2.359375 | 2 |
AAA reminds motorists to watch for students As students across the state return to school, AAA South Dakota reminds motorists to slow down and watch out for school-age pedestrians.
"Children get caught up in the excitement of going back to school, seeing their friends and entering a new grade � and they forget to look out for cars," said Cheri Cihak, AAA South Dakota spokeswoman. "Plus, many youngsters have trouble making accurate judgments about traffic speed and distance, so drivers have to be particularly aware."
One-fifth of all children 14 years of age and younger who die in motor vehicle crashes nationwide are pedestrians, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. These pedestrian fatalities are more likely to happen in the afternoon when school is letting out, but mornings can be hectic, dangerous times, too.
School-age children are especially vulnerable in areas with heavy traffic volume, parked vehicles on the street, higher posted speed limits, and few pedestrian-control devices.
AAA's "School's Open � Drive Carefully" campaign offers drivers tips to help keep school children safe:
* Slow down in or near school and residential areas, and be sure to come to a complete stop at all intersections.
* Always stop for school buses that are loading and unloading students.
, regardless of which direction you are approaching the bus. | <urn:uuid:6aee999a-17d9-4145-b58e-4264797a1131> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://plaintalk.net/2004/09/aaa-reminds-motorists-to-watch-for-students/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00053-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.961698 | 271 | 2.484375 | 2 |
Boys & Girls, Ages 4 - 12
It is never too early to start forming healthy habits. Kids yoga class, lead by JCC Yoga Instructor Larisa Treskunova, is a great way to start! Yoga for 4 - 12 year olds is designed to help kids develop better body awareness, self control, flexibility and coordination. It teaches kids how to focus their plentiful amount of energy while building strength, flexibility and tranquility. It also helps instill calm, confidence and balance.
Wednesdays 5:30 - 6:00 p.m.
Instructor: Larisa. Classes are in Ballet Studio B. | <urn:uuid:d066032f-0a0b-4ebc-8229-89888edc02d8> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.jewishomaha.org/jcc/dance/view/kids-yoga/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706890813/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516122130-00033-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.903041 | 130 | 1.726563 | 2 |
Supap Kirtsaeng had tuition and living expenses to pay when he arrived in the United States from Thailand to attend college.
So he started a side business, asking family and friends back home to ship him foreign editions of textbooks that often can be bought more cheaply overseas. Kirtsaeng resold them online and made money, but he was sued for copyright infringement and lost.
That decision was appealed and the case is now before the Supreme Court, which will hear arguments on Monday in a dispute that has attracted interest from the Obama administration, media and publishing companies, and a range of consumer and retail groups.
Competing claims of intellectual property and owners rights in the electronic age have made Kirtsaeng's venture one of the most closely watched business cases at the high court this term.
"I have to say the Supreme Court is faced with a really difficult job here because the text of the [copyright] statute really seems to be hard to reconcile -- the two provisions at issue seem to say opposite things," said Michael Carroll, a professor at American University's law school and an intellectual property expert.
Corporate giants to yard sales
The legal issue is whether copyrighted works made and purchased abroad can then be bought and sold within the United States without the copyright owner's permission.
Yet the stakes could prove enormous for those who buy and sell books, movies, music, artwork, perhaps even furniture, electronics, automobiles, and clothing -- anything that may be considered "intellectual property."
Storefront and at-home secondary retailers, libraries, artistic venues, even the local garage sale could be implicated.
Kirtsaeng came to the United States to study mathematics in 1997 at Cornell University and later at the University of Southern California for doctoral studies. | <urn:uuid:99a0401a-179f-4d9f-9ee9-22cebf7e7d82> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.wyff4.com/news/national/Court-to-hear-student-bookseller-s-case/-/9324256/17147250/-/umxq20/-/index.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00029-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.969418 | 358 | 1.640625 | 2 |
8 Keys to Safe Trauma Recovery
Take-Charge Strategies to Empower Your Healing
Safe and effective principles and strategies for recovery from trauma.
Trauma recovery is tricky; however, there are several key principles that can help make the process safe and effective. This book gives self help readers, therapy clients, and therapists alike the skills to understand and implement eight keys to successful trauma healing: mindful identification of what is helpful, recognizing survival, having the option to not remember, creating a supportive inner dialogue, forgiving not being able to stop the trauma, understanding and sharing shame, finding your own recovery pace; mobilizing your body, and helping others.
This is not another book promoting a new method or type of treatment; rather, it is a necessary adjunct to self-help and professional recovery programs. After reading this book, readers will be able to recognize their own individual needs and evaluate whether those needs are being met. They will have the tools necessary to put themselves in the drivers seat, navigating their own safe road to recovery.
- January 2010
- 6.2 × 9.3 in
/ 192 pages
- Territory Rights: Worldwide
Endorsements & Reviews
“Readers who have experienced traumatic events will find this a helpful tool as they work with their professional therapist.” — Library Journal
“A succinct and easy read, founded predominantly on compassion-focused and mindfulness-based approaches, this book is certainly one I would recommend to my own trauma clients.... [S]traight-forward and enlightening to read.” — Journal of Mental Health
“Superbly written! Babette Rothschild has the rare ability to explain trauma's complexities in a way that makes sense. Brilliant in its clarity and simplicity, profound in its wisdom, and practical in its counsel, this book is a major contribution to the trauma literature which will greatly benefit survivors and therapists alike. Highly recommended.” — Glenn R. Schiraldi, PhD, University of Maryland School of Public Health, author The Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Sourcebook
Also by Babette Rothschild | <urn:uuid:ec152bf2-7053-4e3e-bf05-7134471e12c1> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://books.wwnorton.com/books/8-Keys-to-Safe-Trauma-Recovery/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700958435/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104238-00035-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.936389 | 424 | 1.789063 | 2 |
Published Wed, Sep 28, 2011 8:04 am Dateline
Labor unions in Ohio are grabbing the headlines right now, as they fight for a repeal of a bill that strips government employees of collective bargaining rights and historically southeast Ohio has a big connection to the fight for worker's rights.
The Executive Director of the Athens County Historical Society Museum says that the United Mine Workers of America may have be born in southeastern Ohio.
Ron Luce says if we look back at our history we could solve the political problems we currently face.
"So many of the issues we see going on right now today, right here in Ohio and in Wisconsin and in other places in the country dealing with labor problems, are things that have been dealt with before and they keep coming back around as if we haven't really learned from history," says Luce.
Luce says the Athens County Historical Society Museum has several pictures and artifacts that detail the early history of labor unions in the region.
To learn more about the exhibit and labor union history visit the Historical Society Museum on North Court Street or call 592-2280. | <urn:uuid:b2ba4227-5882-448d-913e-3611d3609c58> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://woub.org/2011/09/28/labor-movement-may-have-begun-southeast-ohio | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704392896/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113952-00003-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.963513 | 224 | 2.6875 | 3 |
The greatest problem we have in education today is that the system actually discourages, rather than encourages, innovation.
Recently we requested a page and word count on state and federal statutes and regulations that regulate education. The response we received from the lawyers who draft the education laws for Texas was: "Locating all of the applicable federal provisions that are scattered among the 50 titles of the U.S.C. would be nearly impossible. ... [I]t would be very difficult to locate the volume of public education law in the federal statutes. ... The Texas Education Code is comprised of five hard-bound volumes as published by West; the volume of federal education law is greater. ...”
If the lawyers cannot even find all the laws and regulations, how can we expect educators to even know what is required of them? The enormous volume of these laws and regulations greatly restrict innovation and creativity.
Each of these rules was initially put in place for good reason. But in total, they stifle creativity and innovation. Remember what former Texas Education Commissioner Skip Meno (an Ann Richards appointee) used to say: "Measure outputs rather than inputs. Set local educators free to make decisions, don’t tell them how to do their jobs, but put in place a strong accountability system and hold them accountable for results." He was right on target. In my opinion, one of the best decisions Richards made was the appointment of Meno. He had a great vision of where we needed to go and what we should do.
Speaking of vision, when George W. Bush was running for governor, he promoted the Home Rule Charter concept: Remove the rules and regulations from local school districts, other than health and safety issues, and set them free to make decisions locally — yet hold them accountable for results. Unfortunately, the legislation that passed did not reflect the Bush vision.
We could design a system whereby educators were encouraged, rather than discouraged, to be more entrepreneurial. But it would require sacrificing many sacred cows, and it would require that we make decisions based on the interest of students who do not vote rather than the many stakeholders who do vote. One of the gravest errors I made in politics one time was to tell a group of school principals I was trying to change the rules in order to modify the culture of the education community. Although it was the truth, I should have kept my mouth shut.
The interest of the millions of school children in this nation demands that someday we will have to make many very difficult choices. We have thousands of great educators. We should set them free, allow them to be more entrepreneurial and hold them accountable for results. Instead, we make decisions in Washington and Austin that unfortunately have the effect of discouraging innovation. For the most part we pay the worst the same as the best — thankfully, we are making some progress in this regard, but it is slow in coming. (It is great that even President Obama’s secretary of education agrees with the need for incentives for teachers.) In addition to rewarding success, we must then allow educators to do their jobs. That means getting unnecessary rules out of their way.
Meno and Bush had some good ideas for Texas. Unfortunately, we have failed to adequately implement and build on those concepts in Texas. Real change and improvement will require cultural change in our school system, and that change will only occur with structural change. Such change will be politically difficult. In hindsight, the worst decision Bush made as governor was probably the failure to reappoint Meno, as he was more supportive of the education concepts that Bush expressed during the campaign than the ultimate Bush appointee.
Another issue Bush campaigned on when he was running for governor was a pilot school choice/voucher program. Both Bush and then Lt. Gov. Bob Bullock, a Democrat, were supportive of the concept. Speaker Pete Laney, also a Democrat, was opposed. I believe that Laney basically told Bush, “Over my dead body,” and therefore Bush backed down. If it had been implemented, we would now have about 15 years of data on the pilot project, and we might know more about the impact of such a program. Additionally, we might know how such a concept might affect educator motivation, creativity and entrepreneurship.
School choice may or may not be one answer to the problem of greater creativity, efficiency and quality in education. However, what I have never been able to understand is why rank-and-file teachers seem to be so opposed to the implementation of even a pilot program. I can understand why teachers unions would be opposed — their power is derived from centralized decision-making, and that collective power would be jeopardized by the empowerment of local educators and parents. I can understand why some superintendents would oppose choice, since some of their power and control of funds would be lost to local campus based decisions. Yet the competition for good teachers and principals would drive up salaries for those professions, just as competition, not collective bargaining, has driven up pay for every other profession. I have never understood why rank-and-file teachers do not understand how competition might benefit them individually through better pay and better working conditions.
If Bush had stood up to Laney in 1994 and insisted on his pilot program, we might have better data to evaluate these questions in Texas today. Who knows?
Kent Grusendorf, who represented House District 94 in the Texas Legislature from 1987 to 2007, chaired the House Public Education Committee in the 2003 and 2005 sessions. Previously he served on the State Board of Education. This column originated as a response to an e-mail sent by former University of Texas System Regent Charles Miller to a group of education advocates.
Texas Tribune donors or members may be quoted or mentioned in our stories, or may be the subject of them. For a complete list of contributors, click here. | <urn:uuid:554a8880-35d6-4028-a3e6-d84aba26fd53> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.texastribune.org/texas-education/public-education/our-education-system-discourages-innovation/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697974692/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095254-00051-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.977015 | 1,189 | 2.3125 | 2 |
The Men of the Great Assembly -- in Hebrew, Anshei Knesset HaGedolah -- was an unusual group of Jewish personalities who assumed the reigns of Jewish leadership between 410 BCE and 310 BCE. This time period follows the destruction of the First Temple, and includes the early decades of the Second Temple, up until the invasion of the Greeks, led by Alexander the Great.
Realizing that the Jewish people were growing weaker spiritually, a group of wise leaders came together -- expanding the Sanhedrin, the Jewish Supreme Court, from 70 to 120 members -- with a special aim of strengthening Judaism. Initially gathered together by Ezra, they defined Judaism in this tumultuous time when prophecy and kingship were all but gone from the Jewish people.
(Today's Israeli Parliament, which is called "the Knesset," also has 120 members in imitation of the Great Assembly although the Knesset of today serves an entirely different function of the Great Assembly of 2,500 years ago.)
Among them we count the last of the prophets Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi, as well as the sages Mordechai, (of the Purim story), Yehoshua, (the High Priest), Nechemia (the chief architect of rebuilding of Jerusalem), Shimon HaTzaddik (also a High Priest).
Keep in mind that at this time the Talmud has not yet been compiled. Knowing how to live a Jewish life depends on knowing the commandments of the Torah and their interpretations and applications which have been passed down orally -- in short, knowing what is known as the Written Torah and the Oral Torah, both of which date back to Moses' teachings at Sinai.
It is impossible to understand the Written Torah without its Oral complement. For example, when the Written Torah states: "And these words which I command you today shall be upon your heart ... and you shall write them upon the door-posts of your house and upon your gateways," it is the Oral Torah that explains which "words" the Written Torah is referring to, and that these words should be penned on a small scroll and affixed to the door frame. Without the Oral Torah we wouldn't know about the mezuzah and countless other ways of day-to-day Judaism.
The destruction of the first Temple and ensuing exile were incredibly traumatic experiences for the Jewish people: The Temple and its daily service were gone as was the monarchy. The Jews found themselves in an alien land with none of the normative institutions fundamental to Judaism. (Ironically, the Jewish world is still in the same situation. The difference is that after 2,500 years the exile is so comfortable that what is really an abnormal situation is now accepted as totally normal) As the Jewish people struggle with the aftermath of exile, accurate transmission of this oral tradition becomes essential. And here is where the Men of the Great Assembly make the greatest contribution.(1)
As we see in history, to the extent that the Jews stop living according to Jewish law and tradition (i.e. that which makes them Jewish), to that extent they assimilate and disappear. Therefore, the contributions of these men can be said to account to a large measure for Jewish survival.
The Mishna pays them great homage:
Moses received the Torah from Sinai and conveyed to Joshua, Joshua to the Elders, the Elders to the Prophets, and the Prophets to the Men of the Great Assembly ... Shimon HaTzaddik was one of the remnants of the Great Assembly. He used to say, "The world stands on three things: on the Torah; on the service of God, and upon acts of loving-kindness..." (Ethics of the Fathers, 1:1)
THE CONTENTS OF THE BIBLE
In addition to insuring the accurate transmission of the Oral Torah, the Men of the Great Assembly decide which of the multitude of Jewish holy writings should be in the Bible. The Jewish people have produced hundreds of thousands of prophets (both men and women). Which of their writings should be preserved for future generations and which had limited applicability?
The Men of the Great Assembly make this decision and give us what is known as the Hebrew Bible today -- or the Tanach. (Tanach is a Hebrew acronym which stands for Torah, Prophets, Writings.)
This is what the Christians call the "Old Testament" but traditionally Jews never call it that. "Testament" is derived from the Latin word testari meaning "to be a witness." The Hebrew Bible was named the Old Testament by the Christians because of their belief that God cancelled the covenant he made with the Jews and made a new covenant, "New Testament," with the followers of Jesus. As Jews deny that God would ever "change His mind" after promising the Jews they would be His "eternal nation", they find that term insulting.
The Hebrew Bible consists of the five books of the Torah, eight books of the prophets (the last of which consists of twelve short books) and 11 books of various writings, which include the Psalms (largely attributed to King David), the writings of King Solomon (Song of Songs, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes), the books of Job, Ruth, Esther and Daniel etc.
The last thing that the Men of the Great Assembly do is formalize prayer. They actually begin a process which is not finished until the 2nd century CE, after the destruction of the Second Temple, but they lay down the key principles and basic structure of formalized prayer.(2)
During the First Temple period, there was no need for formalized Jewish prayer liturgy, because God's presence was more manifest. It was much easier for the individual to have a close, intense, personal relationship with God. Additionally, a great deal of what is now the object of prayer was formally accomplished through the offering of sacrifices and the Temple service. Of course, when the Second Temple was rebuilt, sacrifices resumed, but most of the Jews had not returned to the land of Israel and therefore had no access to this medium of connecting to God via the Temple. In addition, as mentioned previously, even with the Temple rebuilt, the connection during the Second temple period was much weaker.
Therefore, the times of the formalized prayer are designed to correspond to times when things were done in the Temple: the morning prayer is designed to correspond to the Shacharit Service in the Temple; the afternoon prayer corresponds to the Mincha Service; a the evening prayer, Ma'ariv, corresponds to the nightly duties (as there were no sacrifices as night).
The centerpiece of each selection of prayers (repeated three times a day) is the Shmonei Esrai, "The Eighteen Blessings." Each "blessing" is stated in the plural, to underscore the interdependency of the Jewish people, and each blessing is rooted in Torah and Kabbalah.
The mystical depth of this prayer -- a masterpiece of writing by the Great Assembly -- is astounding. For example, the blessing for healing is composed of 27 words, corresponding to the 27 words in the verse in the Torah (Exodus 15:26) where God promises to be the Healer of the Jewish people. It is said (Nefesh HaChaim 2:13) that the text of the Shmonei Esrai is so spiritually powerful that even when recited without intention, feeling or understanding, its words have a great impact on the world.
Through Divine inspiration and sheer genius the Men of the Great Assembly were able to create out of the ashes of a physically destroyed nation, a spiritually thriving people. Their work defined and anchored Jewish religious and national identity and created focus, unity and uniformity for the Jewish people, no matter where in the world they might be scattered.
The last surviving member of the Great Assembly was Shimon HaTzaddik. Under him, according to the ancient historian Josephus (Contra Apion 1:197), the Jews of Israel prospered and Jewish population in the land reached 350,000.
It helped the Jews physically (if not spiritually) that the Persians were such benevolent dictators. But the picture was about the change with the growing power of the Greek Empire looming on the horizon.
1) See Talmud-Nedarim 37b; Kiddushin 30a
2) See Talmud-Megillah 17b. The process was completed after the destruction of the Second Temple by the Sanhedrin in Yavne. In addition to prayer, the Men of the Great Assembly also instituted the blessings said before and after food and the performance of various commandments as well as Kiddush and Havdallah before and after the Sabbath. | <urn:uuid:5757710e-303c-4153-bd65-80373e6beb79> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.aish.com/jl/h/cc/48939022.html?s=rab | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00032-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.964294 | 1,782 | 3.28125 | 3 |
On 1 May 1965, Albert Louis Johanneson lined up for Leeds United against Liverpool at Wembley, the first black player to play in an FA Cup final. Some of his teammates – Billy Bremner, Jack Charlton, Norman Hunter and the rest – would become legends in the game, but the pacy South African left winger was hardly out of place. Bremner described him as "incredible … he would spin and leave defenders 10 yards behind in the blink of an eye." Sir Alf Ramsey, England's 1966 World Cup-winning manager, later said of him: "There was no comparable footballer of his type in Europe. Maybe George Best." However, 30 years after that cup final, the "Black Flash" was found dead in a tiny Leeds flat at the age of just 55, a lonely, forgotten, penniless alcoholic.
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Paul Harrison's attempts to find out why take him around the globe and into what he calls "the murky world of … Leeds's alcoholics, drug addicts and dangerous personalities". Along the way, he unearths a shocking story of racism in and around football, and of the hardships suffered by those who paved the way for the foreign players now gracing the English game.
Johanneson had it tougher than most. Growing up in South Africa's townships under apartheid in the 1940s and 50s meant segregation and police beatings. Being scouted for Leeds offered a better life, but it started to unravel as soon as he got off the plane, being called a "nigger" at Heathrow. In his youth, he'd found escape in sniffing benzine and running, reasoning that: "If you could run like the wind, you had more chance of escaping the oppressors." But apartheid left wounds that not even adoration by home fans and 200 appearances and 68 goals for one of Europe's bigger clubs could heal. "Sir, people will not want to read a book about Albert Johanneson," he told Harrison. "I am black. Sometimes people pat me on the back and tell me I'm a hero. I'm not a hero, I'm not very interesting at all."
On the contrary, Johanneson's unexpected eloquence – in interviews shortly before his death – informs the book's most powerful passages, along with some startling anecdotes: on one occasion the police had to escort Leeds's new midfield sensation out of an upmarket area of the city for his own safety after he was manhandled from a shop for being black.
That times have changed doesn't make this less uncomfortable reading, but the creeping bleakness is lightened by the author's clear affection for his subject and some humorous episodes. Bremner tells the African he can't play in his bare feet, and chucks him in the team bath with the rest of the players to demonstrate that he's one of them.
The late Scot is depicted as an inspirational captain who encouraged his teammate to answer abuse by playing even better; the "Black Flash" was a prodigiously gifted but sensitive individual who was simply overwhelmed by what was happening to him. By contrast, the club's revered manager Don Revie comes across as insensitive and unsympathetic. On that landmark cup final day, Johanneson is so upset by a journalist's reference to him as a "sambo" that he tells the manager he doesn't want to play. Revie is having none of it. Johanneson plays badly and feels he has let everybody down, and their relationship never recovers. As his appearances become rarer, he turns to the bottle, and his life begins to tailspin.
Harrison's book would have benefited from the testimony of surviving teammates and more details about his subject's 25 lost years beyond a marriage, two daughters, work washing dishes in a Chinese restaurant and ill-fated periods in rehab. However, the author's 1996 interview with Justin Fashanu – the game's first £1m black player and its only openly gay one, who killed himself in 1998 – provides telling insight into the game's lack of professional support for anyone seen as different. "I believe that … football let him down. They can all say that they tried, and subsidised him with financial support. But Albert wanted something that is free. Like me, he wanted to be treated as an equal." At last, this troubling but moving biography affords him that.
• Dave Simpson's The Last Champions is published by Bantam Press. | <urn:uuid:63fc7169-26b0-4d9f-8a71-51167e77759b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2012/dec/27/the-black-flash-paul-harrison-review?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+theguardian%2Ffootball%2Frss+%28Football%29 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00028-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.984997 | 920 | 1.835938 | 2 |
When you raise a glass to toast with some wine or champagne this Thanksgiving, you are doing your heart a favor, according to a new study.
The results of the study revealed how moderate alcohol consumption can help to prevent heart disease by blocking the signals of molecules linked to plaque build-up in arteries.
The molecules, called "Notch" proteins, are vital to embryonic development, and in adults, they help control the tiny, involuntary muscles that regulate blood flow though arteries. When Notch molecules are stimulated — by high levels of cholesterol, smoking or changes in blood flow — they spur these smooth muscle cells to multiply, which can lead to development of arterial plaques, said study researcher Eileen Redmond, an associate professor in the department of surgery at the University of Rochester Medical Center.
But when these smooth muscle cells are exposed to alcohol, the Notch signaling is blocked, and the cells in the arterial wall don't grow and thicken, Redmond said.
Drinking "small amounts, regularly, is how to get the best effect ," she told MyHealthNewsDaily. "It's the people who drink one to two drinks a day who have the best protection" from heart disease.
However, large amounts of alcohol and binge drinking can be harmful to the heart and can lead to stroke, according to the American Heart Association.
The study was published Nov. 18 in the journal Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology.
Testing the theory
Researchers grew cells from human coronary arteries in dishes, and exposed them to alcohol. They found that alcohol stopped growth of the arterial cells by putting the brakes on the signaling abilities of Notch, Redmond said.
Then, the researchers tested the effects of alcohol in mice. They gave one group of mice the equivalent of two alcohol drinks a day, and another group no alcohol. Mice given the alcohol had less Notch signaling, and their blood vessels walls were thinner than the mice that didn't drink, according to the study.
The finding demonstrates how alcohol works to benefit the heart — and paves the way for future research for a drug that can mimic alcohol, Redmond said.
"If we can understand the mechanisms mediating the beneficial effects of moderate alcohol consumption, we can develop therapy that can mimic good effects without the intoxicating and deleterious effects of alcohol," she said.
The finding supports evidence from other studies that modest alcohol consumption is good for heart health. A study presented at an American Heart Association meeting this month found that male heart bypass patients who drank lightly or moderately were less likely to need another heart procedure or suffer a heart attack or stroke than patients who didn't drink.
But what counts as a "healthy" dose of alcohol? The Mayo Clinic recommends healthy women drink no more than three drinks on one occasion, or seven drinks a week, and healthy men ages 65 and younger drink no more than four drinks per occasion, or 14 drinks a week. Healthy men ages 65 and older should drink no more than three drinks per occasion, or seven drinks a week.
A 12-ounce beer, 5-ounce glass of wine or 1.5 ounces of distilled spirits counts as one drink, according to the Mayo Clinic. | <urn:uuid:3f0bbb24-b817-41df-915b-e00898ce19ce> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.myhealthnewsdaily.com/564-moderate-alcohol-consumption-reduces-heart-disease.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00003-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.94989 | 656 | 2.984375 | 3 |
Sign Language Interpretation Program
American Sign Language interpreters work with deaf and hearing people, relaying signed messages into spoken languages and spoken messages into signed language. Professional interpreters work in a variety of settings including education, conferences, social services, health care, and law. Students enter the full-time two-year program each fall term; enrollment is limited. Prerequisite courses include successful completion of ASL 240, Deaf Studies, and Intermediate American Sign Language skills. See the webpage for more information and the application form at www.pcc.edu/programs/sign-language/
The class list for this term is not yet available. | <urn:uuid:7e5439c2-0c88-4da8-8b0c-657abc2a7916> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.pcc.edu/schedule/default.cfm?fa=dspTopicDetails&thisTerm=201301&topicid=ITP&type=Credit | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00069-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.922863 | 132 | 1.984375 | 2 |
When Waterfront Toronto was established, the three orders of government each committed $500 million in seed capital to enable the organization to begin the revitalization process. The vast majority of the land in the waterfront revitalization area is owned by the governments and they also gave the organization development control over their land.
To facilitate our revitalization program, Waterfront Toronto works with public and private partners who buy the land for development. Waterfront Toronto’s funding model leverages the public capital by working with private development partners who buy the land for development, and the money earned is used to further fund public infrastructure.
As a tri-government organization, Waterfront Toronto is fully accountable to the governments of Canada, Ontario and the City of Toronto. Waterfront Toronto’s priorities are set jointly, annually, with its government partners. Each government approves all of its funding to Waterfront Toronto through detailed and binding contribution agreements. Funding for each project and in many cases phases of projects is administered through contributions agreements, as is corporate annual spending. Contribution agreements are based on an annual tri-government negotiated long-term funding plan, which is approved by Toronto City Council, the Ontario Minister of Infrastructure and the Federal Minister of Finance.
The cost of revitalization of Toronto’s waterfront was originally estimated (in 2001) at $17 billion, of which $4.3 billion would be funded from the public sector and remaining $12.7 billion from the private sector. Due to escalation in construction costs, the cost of revitalization is now estimated to be $34 billion. Additional public sector funding was expected to be provided through public-private partnerships consistent with the Corporation’s mandate. Such partnerships require Waterfront Toronto to identify either a separate revenue stream and/or a separate project or service. The first of this type of partnership was completed in 2010/11 through the introduction of intelligent communities.
Investment in revitalization on Toronto's Waterfront is already delivering significant economic value. Since inception to March 31, 2011 Waterfront Toronto and its three government partners invested $769.5 million in projects that have unlocked $10 billion of potential private sector investment and created new public spaces, municipal infrastructure and tourism amenities.
Investments to date:
• $219.6 million in municipal infrastructure, utilities and flood protection primarily in East Bayfront and West Don Lands. By building this infrastructure, 26 hectares of land is serviced and unlocked for development.
• $113.6 million in land acquisition to assemble development blocks for future private sector investment.
• $161 million to create and/or improve 17 parks or public spaces including building Canada’s Sugar Beach, Sherbourne Common, the water’s edge promenade, wavedecks, sports fields, revitalized trails and waterfront parks in Scarborough and Etobicoke.
• $230.1 million for development approvals, master planning, and environmental approvals which has unlocked $10 billion in potential private sector investment in waterfront revitalization.
• $45.2 million has been invested in corporate overhead during the past 10 year, which is 4.7 percent of total spending to date. The majority of this has gone to salaries, rent and IT expense. Just over $4 million has gone towards consulting services.
• In addition to the $769.5 million, a further $195.4 million of waterfront revitalization funding has been utilized for government directed investments including $130 million for Go Transit expansion and $25 million for the Union Pearson rail link, and $9.3 million for waterfront secretariats staff salary costs (Federal and City) and other City staff resources.
To date Waterfront Toronto has concluded public and private sector development deals valued at $1.475 billion, far exceeding the $965 million of public funding spent to date.
Our investments provide the confidence and certainty that have drawn national and international developers to the waterfront.
• Bayside development, designed by Cesar Pelli and developed by Hines, is a $800 million private sector project;
• Parkside development (Monde), designed by Moshe Safdie and developed by Great Gulf Group, represent a $200 million in private sector investment;
• River City, designed Saucier & Perrott and developed by Urban Capital, represents $300 million in private sector investment
• George Brown Health Science campus which will bring 3,500 students to the waterfront in 2012 represents about $175 million in public/private sector investment.
Waterfront revitalization is already delivering significant economic returns. From 2001 through March 31, 2011, Waterfront Toronto and its government partners invested $769.5 million in redevelopment projects.
Toronto taxpayers have benefited greatly from the tri-government Waterfront Toronto initiative. As of March 31 2011, overall Waterfront Toronto has invested approximately $965 million dollars ($769.5 million + $195.4 million) of which $458.9 million (48 percent) of the money invested was contributed by the federal government, $330 million (34 percent) was contributed by the provincial government and $176 million (18 percent) was from the City of Toronto.
The returns on the investment in waterfront revitalization will dramatically increase over time. In addition to the long-term economic benefits from business development and tourism, upon full build out the City will receive approximately $136 million in annual property taxes from East Bayfront, West Don Lands and the Lower Don Lands. In East Bayfront the increased and incremental property tax assessment is estimated to be approximately $6 billion. In West Don Lands the increased and incremental property tax assessment is estimated at $3.7 billion
Investments as of March 31, 2010 have generated: 9,700 full-time years of employment, $1.9 billion of gross output for the Canadian economy, and government revenues of $207 million to the federal government, $143 million to the provincial government and $23 million to Toronto. | <urn:uuid:23f73b40-de83-41ca-b591-3f642df9455f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.waterfrontoronto.ca/governance/funding | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00074-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.949692 | 1,208 | 1.921875 | 2 |
Feel fitter, look better and boost your sporting performance with some star treatment tips on how to get into great shape.
If you're worried about getting back into shape or simply in need of some new advice when it comes to dropping flab or defining your abs, then take a few free tips from the trainers and sports men who would normally charge for such insight.
Grasp new technology, says Dan Roberts, certified strength and conditioning specialist and personal trainer to the stars.
"I'm using my iPad and iPhone a lot with clients these days and apps have become an essential part of my own personal training routine," says Roberts, who recommends guys upload the apps like Up from Jawbone.
"It's an app and wristband combination that measures the calorific burn of activities.
"Look out for Run Keeper too. I use this every day. It's the easiest and best app for seeing how far you've run. It uses GPS technology to track your run and it's synced to a runkeeper.com website that keeps all your running records and stats," adds Roberts.
Set your goals
"Ask yourself why you're doing this," advises Professor Greg Whyte, exercise scientist and trainer for Eddie Izzard, David Walliams and John Bishop for sportrelief.com events.
"Give yourself a tactile target to be fit enough to run a half marathon by the end of next month or losing a set amount of pounds by a set date," says Whyte. "Success is not a chance event you need to plan how to get into shape and the first step is defining what that ideal shape looks like."
In your rush to get into shape you risk 'overtraining', which in turn can lead to injuries and a major set-back in your progress. "Know the difference between fatigued and over-training, which in simple terms is about recovery," says Whyte. "If you're still feeling muscle aches after a two-day lay-off then you've overdone it."
Early runs can work for weight loss too. "Do your morning cardio when you rise," says Ricky Stevenson, a representative 1500m runner. "Exercising on an empty stomach helps to burn more fat."
It'll mean making sure you prepare your kit the night before to make that transition from pillow to pounding the streets easier but if you're looking for the simplest, least expensive way to get back in shape then hit the road.
"Try a bit of mountain biking to mix things up too," adds triathlete Jonathan Brownlee. "A challenging, different routine like this will also train your upper body muscles as well as your legs."
And when it comes to working on those leg muscles, Brownlee says it's crucial to avoid the big weights. "Focus instead on activating muscles like your glutes by doing lots of reps."
If you're coming back to training after a lay-off or injury, then patience is a virtue. "Don't rush back into full training," says Stevenson. "Gradually build back into your usual regime to prevent breaking down again and if you're working out at the gym then find a specific set of strength and conditioning exercises for any damaged muscles/tendons in order to stop these injuries reoccurring."
When it comes to great abs, you're going to have to watch your fuelling levels. "To work out how many calories to eat to drop fat and reveal your abs, add a zero to your current bodyweight in pounds," suggestions Christian Finn, personal trainer and exercise specialist. "For example, if you currently weigh 200 pounds, eat 2,000 calories per day."
"Lift weights two to three days each week," says Finn. "Base your routine on squats, dead lifts, rows, chin-ups (or pull-downs) and presses using heavy(ish) weights and low (five-to-eight) repetitions.
"To train your abs, pick two to three exercises and do two-to-three sets per exercise 10-15 repetitions per set (using extra resistance where necessary to make the load challenging) and take 45-60 seconds of rest between sets."
Combine the advice of these guys on how they get into great shape and use it as a springboard to getting fitter, faster for the new season.
Share on Facebook: Share | <urn:uuid:f1e519c6-4522-4c6d-af14-93dde59a2244> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://lifestyle.msn.co.nz/nzmenslifestyle/healthandfitness/8430418/ultimate-health-and-fitness-guide-for-men | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00002-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.959306 | 895 | 1.570313 | 2 |
The Senate on Tuesday approved the biggest overhaul to the nation’s food safety laws since the 1930s. The 73-to-25 vote gives vast new authorities to the Food and Drug Administration, places new responsibilities on farmers and food companies to prevent contamination, and — for the first time – sets safety standards for imported foods, a growing part of the American diet.
The legislation follows a spate of national outbreaks of food poisoning involving products as varied as eggs, peanuts and spinach in which thousands of people were sickened and more than a dozen died.
The measure passed with support from Democrats and Republicans, one of the few pieces of legislation to bridge differences in an otherwise sharply divided body. The House approved a more stringent version of the bill more than a year ago.
“It’s an unusual and shining example of how bipartisanship can work in Congress,” said Erik Olson, director of the Pew Health Group food programs, which led a coalition of consumer groups that backed the bill. “It is a major step forward protecting the food that everyone eats every day.”
House leaders have indicated that they would accept the Senate version of the bill to avoid the time-consuming conference process and quickly send the legislation to President Obama‘s desk. Proponents hope to have the legislation signed into law by the end of the lame-duck session.
For Jeff Almer, whose mother, Shirley, died in 2008 after eating peanut butter contaminated with Salmonella, the Senate vote came as a salve to a family still in mourning.
“I think about her every day,” said Almer, a Minnesota resident who has traveled to Washington six times to lobby for the passage of the bill. The legislation “is not perfect, but it’s very satisfying to see something of this magnitude has made its way through.”
Despite strong bipartisan support and backing from a diverse coalition of major business and consumer groups, the bill was buffeted by politics in recent weeks.
It drew fire from some tea party activists, who see it as government overreach. On his television program this month, talk show host Glenn Beck suggested that the measure was a government ruse to raise the price of meat and convert more consumers to vegetarianism.
The bill has also revealed a divide between the burgeoning local-food movement and major agriculture businesses. Small farmers concerned about the cost of new federal regulation were initially opposed to the bill and argued that since most cases of national food-borne illness are caused by large companies, small producers should not be required to meet the same standards.
Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.), a farmer, added an amendment before Thanksgiving that would exempt small farmers and those who sell directly to consumers at farmers markets and farm stands.
But the Tester amendment has angered large agriculture groups, which argue that no one should be exempted from producing safe food. The Produce Marketing Association and the United Fresh Produce Association withdrew their support for the bill in light of the Tester amendment.
Robert Guenther, senior vice president of public policy at United Fresh, said in a statement the exemptions amounted to “egregious loopholes” that will erode consumer confidence.
“Now, when going to a supermarket, restaurant, farmers market or roadside stand, consumers will be faced with the question of whether the fruits and vegetables offered for sale adhere to basic food safety standards or not,” Guenther said.
The most vocal opponent of the food safety bill, Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK), argued it would create new layers of bureaucracy without making food safer. He said a better solution would be to ensure that FDA and other federal agencies do their jobs more effectively.
“The problem with food safety is the agencies don’t do what they’re supposed to be doing now,” Coburn said. “They don’t need more regulations. They need less.”
Coburn also objected to the cost of the new regulations, estimated to total about $1.4 billion over four years. The Congressional Budget Office has said that will have a negligible effect on the federal deficit.
Food illnesses affect one in four Americans and kill 5,000 of them each year, according to government statistics. Tainted food has cost the industry billions of dollars in recalls, lost sales and legal expenses.
The bill places greater responsibility on manufacturers and farmers to prevent contamination – a departure from the current system, which relies on government inspectors to catch contamination after the fact.
The measure also gives the FDA authority to recall food; now, it must rely on food companies to voluntarily pull products off the shelves. And it gives the FDA access to internal records at farms and food production facilities.
The bill sets standards for imported foods, requiring importers to verify that products grown and processed overseas meet safety standards. Public health experts say this is urgently needed, given the increase in imported foods. The FDA has been inspecting only about one percent of imported food products.
The bill would also require the FDA to regularly inspect farms and food processing facilities, something it does not currently do. | <urn:uuid:f6e5292a-8cb9-4f7e-9a75-5ea917dc09e9> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://socialismisnottheanswer.wordpress.com/2010/11/30/senate-passes-sweeping-food-safety-bill/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00043-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.961729 | 1,057 | 2.171875 | 2 |
Jobs report buoys bruised Obama
After a brutal week, President Barack Obama desperately needed a piece of good news.
He got a big one on Friday with the drop in the unemployment rate below the politically deadly level of 8 percent.Continue Reading
Republicans seized on the fact that the decline was based in large measure on part-time workers who may vanish from the labor rolls in subsequent months. And they noted that manufacturing employment actually declined by 16,000 and that employers said they added a total of just 114,000 jobs for the month of September.
But the bottom line — and the dominant headline — is that the jobless rate is now at 7.8 percent, its lowest level since Obama took office in January 2009. And that will help shift a media narrative dominated this week by Republican nominee Mitt Romney’s strong debate performance and resurgence in some swing state and national polls.
The impact of the good news on candidate Obama was immediately apparent Friday at a campaign stop at George Mason University in Fairfax, Va., where he seemed far more energized than during his listless and widely panned debate performance in Denver on Wednesday night.
“After losing about 800,000 a month when I took office, our businesses have now added 5.2 million new jobs over the past two and a half years,” Obama said. “This morning, we found out that unemployment has fallen to its lowest level since I took office. More Americans entered the workforce, more people are getting jobs.”
Obama also took a shot at Republicans for criticizing the jobs report after being on the defensive for so many of the Fridays in recent months when the jobs report did not go his way.
“Every month reminds us that we have too many of our friends and neighbors looking for work,” he said. “But today’s news is certainly not an excuse to try and talk down the economy to score a few political points. It’s a reminder that this country has come too far to turn back now.”
But Romney and other Republicans stayed on the offensive, saying the jobs report was nowhere near good enough.
“There were fewer jobs created this month than last month,” Romney said at a rally at Carter Machinery in Abingdon, Va., referring to the revised August figure. “The unemployment rate has come down very, very slowly but it has come down nonetheless. And the reason it has come down this year is that more and more people have just stopped looking for work.”
That attack line, reliable in the past, felt a bit flat Friday.
The size of the labor force actually went up in September after having declined in other recent months. | <urn:uuid:cc65970e-2d27-43e9-be4f-9c6c022862ad> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1012/82083.html?hp=l6 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697974692/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095254-00014-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.980217 | 556 | 1.640625 | 2 |
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In 1994, Kevin Keith was convicted of murdering two adult women and a four-year-old girl and wounding a man and two children. Yet substantial evidence, raised at the trial and during appeals, suggested that Mr. Keith did not commit the crime. Four witnesses corroborated Mr. Keith’s alibi, while the photo lineup and subsequent statements in which surviving victims identified Mr. Keith were shown to be deeply flawed.
Yet for more than 16 years, Kevin Keith sat on death row awaiting execution. Keith’s supporters had for years done what they could to disseminate the evidence about Keith’s innocence, but they simply couldn’t reach enough people. A petition asking the governor of Ohio, the state where Keith was imprisoned, to grant him clemency had been created, but signatures were being added slowly and were in short supply.
How could activists working on Keith's behalf gather a critical mass of signatures? One successful tactic lay in targeting a Twitter user with a large and engaged audience, but could this have worked if Keith's advocates hadn't met the social media "whale" in person, at a conference? And how can we know if the growing number of signatures on the petition actually had anything to do with the governor's decision to grant Keith clemency? Read the case study to find out more.
Corruption in India has roots that are as deep and entrenched as they are wide-reaching. From governance and elections to the provision of basic services, they touch nearly all aspects of Indian society. So what if a platform, teamed with local NGOs, could successfully connect citizen reports of misconduct to people with the time and resources to address it?
Kiirti is a "technology platform to enable collection and aggregation of governance issues through phone, sms, email and the web. It provides tools to track the issues and, where applicable, forward them to the right authorities for resolution." The Indian organization is similar to SeeClickFix, founded on the East Coast of the U.S., which lets "citizens help themselves" by pointing to problems in their community and then communicating with public officials and other citizens to find solutions to these problems. While the SeeClickFix platform is technically global, try entering any city in India (let alone a rural town) and you won't find many reports. That's where Kiirti and the anti-corruption NGO 5th Pillar have a leg up.
Editor's Note: The U.S.State Department* has convened a two day long event as part of its Tech@State initiative and we'll be posting summaries of the individual talks at Movements.org. Are you at the event? Get in touch to share a blog post.
Today, the U.S. State Department* held its third Tech@State event focusing on a program that they call "Civil Society 2.0." The goal of this initiative is “to assist non-governmental (NGOs) and civil society organizations (CSOs) in using new digital tools and technologies to increase the reach and impact of their work.” Today’s event was the first in a series of convenings that State will be holding to bring together technologists, CSOs, and those who interface between the two groups. Participants hope to learn more about the challenges CSOs face and how the tech community can help. Here are some highlights of thoughts shared and points made by this morning's speakers, including Alec Ross of the Office of the Secretary of State, Brian Gallagher of United Way, Tim O'Reilly of O'Reilly Media, and Beth Kanter, co-author of The "Networked Nonprofit."
“There is very little trust in Latvia's institutions right now, so anyone who can expose the system is going to be a hero,” said Latvian political commentator Juris Kaza last spring. This was the case with the pseudonymous “Neo,” who uncovered a loophole in a government website that exposed the inflated salaries of bosses at state-run companies.
The climate was ripe for a public outcry. Latvia was hit hard by 2008’s global financial crisis. With unemployment rates increasing from 9 percent to 23 percent in one year, they were the highest in the European Union. As economist Paul Krugman wrote:
“The most acute problems are on Europe’s periphery, where many smaller economies are experiencing crises strongly reminiscent of past crises in Latin America and Asia: Latvia is the new Argentina; Ukraine is the new Indonesia.”
Enter Neo and the “Fourth Awakening Peoples’ army,” who uncovered proof that officials were harboring treasure troves padded by excessive bonuses instead of taking the salary cuts that they had promised the public they would. Neo made this data public by pulling it from the State Revenue Service website, re-presenting it so that it would be easy to read and understand what the information meant, and sending out links to his own presentations of the data via Twitter.
Neo quickly earned what the BBC called “cult status,” but a year since the information got out, are Latvians still mad? Has anyone been held accountable?
The digital activism daily is a round up of interesting stories related to technology, protest, activism and social entrepreneurship. In today's post, Turkey goes back on its decision to unban YouTube; another FailFare event is a success; and Facebook wants to be your "one true mobile platform." Want to point something out? Send a note to firstname.lastname@example.org or Tweet it to @aym.
The new HarassMap project that hopes to crowdsource reports of sexual harassment in Egypt has received much media attention lately. The idea for creating a platform to crowdsource reports of sexual harassment and the desire to bring sexual harassment to the forefront of conversations has, however, been in the works for a number of years.
A few weeks ago, I spoke with Rebecca Chiao, one of the lead organizers behind the HarassMap initiative, about the origins of the initiative, and her team's plans to ensure its success.
The digital activism daily is a round up of interesting stories related to technology, protest, activism and social entrepreneurship. In today's post, Foursquare generates a lot of buzz for melding online activities (checking in, commenting on other peoples' activities) to offline action (namely, voting); the Omidyar Network has partnered with Hivos to support the first African fund for technology and government accountability in Africa; and Alexis Madrigal on how a Ugandan rebel group uses tech. Want to point something out? Send a note to email@example.com or Tweet it to @aym.
How is social media influencing - and transforming - the election process today in the U.S.?
The obvious challenge of engaging a large amount of young people with a social issue lies in in grabbing their attentions.
That’s why Yo Propongo stands out. Their initiative to sweep the Mexican capital's universities for realistic solutions to social ills grew out of an online nightlife guide, into a platform for youth to propose real solutions to a series of social problems. Yo Propongo began 6 months ago when it announced that the first social problem at hand would be drunk driving, and today is the last day to suggest proposals. How succesful will they be in getting policymakers and experts in the capital to listen to, and act on, the large quantity of suggestions that have been offered up by Mexican university students?
The number of internet users in Vietnam grows daily as more individuals gain access to the web. At the same time, the Communist Party of Vietnam has stepped up its efforts to squash online dissent and suppress the voices of citizens sharing their views on hot button issues like bauxite mining and territorial disputes with China. Dozens of activists and bloggers have been harassed and arrested. In this report, learn more about how the state is trying to control online content, how netizens are reacting, and what the future holds for digital activists in Vietnam. | <urn:uuid:55fbd7f5-65cf-4794-9d28-7529b355a0b1> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.movements.org/blog/P610/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00014-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.960781 | 1,654 | 2.375 | 2 |
Cowden Syndrome: That's Not the Name My Doctor Gave Me
Cowden syndrome (CS)--first described in 1963--was named after Rachel Cowden, the young woman who had the features reported. However, Cowden syndrome is not the only name used for this condition. It is also known as the PTEN hamartoma syndrome (PHTS), or less commonly as the multiple hamartoma syndrome. Other related, but not identical, conditions include Bannayan- Ruvalcaba-Riley syndrome, Ruvalcaba-Myhre syndrome, Riley-Smith syndrome, or Bannayan-Zonana syndrome.
The use of different names can be confusing. The problem started when several different groups of physicians and researchers began describing collections of features they observed in their patients. Each group believed that they were describing a new condition. Because CS consists of various features that occur at different times, or not at all, different people will show different features even though they have the same genetic condition. That was enough to make researchers at the time believe they were describing different conditions.
In 1996, the overlap of features in CS and Bannayan-Ruvalcaba-Riley syndrome (BRRS) was recognized and shortly after it was shown that CS and BRRS were caused by harmful changes (called mutations) in the same gene. Since then, many names have been added to the list of related syndromes. Below are several other names that you may encounter as well.
- Ruvalcaba-Myhre-Smith syndrome
- Bannayan syndrome
- PTEN Hamartoma Tumor syndrome
- Autism disorders with macrocephaly
- Proteus-like syndrome
Source: Robert Pilarski, MS, CGC, MSW, LSW Ohio State University
Joy Larsen Haidle, MS, CGC, Humphrey Cancer Center
Heather Hampel, MS, CGC, Ohio State University
Revised: September 2010
Return to Cowden Syndrome Patient Guide index | <urn:uuid:b151eae0-5677-49c7-b62e-e28875853ca9> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.uihealthcare.org/2column.aspx?id=22924 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704392896/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113952-00068-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.959846 | 419 | 2.703125 | 3 |
Can You Skip Antibiotics for Urinary Tract Infection?
TUESDAY, June 4 (HealthDay News) -- Some women with symptoms of
a urinary tract infection may be able to skip the antibiotics
typically prescribed and have their symptoms improve or clear,
according to a new Dutch study.
New Drug May Help Immune System Fight Cancer
THURSDAY, May 16 (HealthDay News) -- An experimental drug that
taps the power of the body's immune system to fight cancer is
shrinking tumors in patients for whom other treatments have failed,
an early study shows.
CDC Guidelines Could Cut Bloodstream Infections From Dialysis
TUESDAY, May 14 (HealthDay News) -- Dialysis facilities could
cut bloodstream infection rates among their patients by up to half
by following a set of recommendations from the U.S. Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention, according to new research.
Could Adaptable Bacteria Cause Repeat Urinary Tract Infections?
WEDNESDAY, May 8 (HealthDay News) -- Women suffering from recurring urinary tract infections may carry a particularly hearty strain of E. coli bacteria that flourishes in both the gut and the bladder, and can migrate back and forth despite repeated treatments, a small new study finds.
Cholesterol Drugs Might Boost Kidney Cancer Survival
TUESDAY, May 7 (HealthDay News) -- Cholesterol-lowering statin drugs that are taken by millions of Americans might also improve survival from a type of kidney cancer called renal cell carcinoma, a new study suggests. | <urn:uuid:55a48a78-ab9f-4a96-b1d5-b8d2cc508e1b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.midstatemedical.org/HealthLibrary.aspx?chunkiid=269837 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.901992 | 327 | 2.15625 | 2 |
Supreme Court to tackle school vouchers
By The Associated Press
CLEVELAND A school voucher program that serves a fraction of this city's 77,000 students has become the Supreme Court's test case for deciding whether taxpayer dollars may be used for religious school tuition.
The Supreme Court, tackling a church-state issue dear to President Bush, agreed yesterday to decide whether the Constitution permits the use of public money to send children to religious schools. It will hear challenges to the Cleveland program, implemented six years ago as a way to let low-income families decide where their children go to school.
But it has been the subject of litigation ever since. It was upheld by the Ohio Supreme Court but twice found unconstitutional by federal courts.
Supporters hope the conservative-led high court will use the case to broaden its recent trend of approving limited uses of taxpayer money at religious schools. Opponents, too, say the court's ruling could be a landmark.
"This is probably the most important church-state case in the last half-century," said Barry Lynn, executive director of Americans United for the Separation of Church and State.
The case poses a direct query about the Constitution's position on government money and religion. Recent church-state cases, while important, have explored more peripheral matters, such as whether a prayer group may meet in a public school building.
The Supreme Court's decision to hear the case will "remove the constitutional cloud from school choice," said Clint Bolick, vice president of Washington, D.C.-based Institute for Justice, a libertarian law firm that represents Cleveland families in the program.
Supporters say the program is constitutional because the state isn't promoting a particular religion. Critics claim vouchers create an unconstitutional link between church and state and take funding away from public schools.
"Voucher programs force taxpayers to put money in the collection plate of churches," Lynn said. "The court should never permit this to happen. The justices should uphold church-state separation and slam the door on this reckless scheme."
Vouchers offer government subsidies to pay at least a portion of private or parochial school tuition. In Ohio, parents can get $800 to $2,250 a year in tuition help. All but a handful of the schools participating in the Ohio program are religious.
In Cleveland, 3,859 students at about 50 schools are enrolled in the program. Participation has grown from 1,994 in the 1996-97 school year.
Priority is given to families in poverty, but families with incomes up to twice the federal poverty level can qualify.
Many critics of the program argue that vouchers do little to provide school choice.
"What's happening in Cleveland is that the parents of these youngsters are being given up to $2,250 to attend the same private schools they probably would have attended even without the vouchers," said Joanne DeMarco, a public school teacher and vice president of the Cleveland Teachers Union.
"We think vouchers are not good public policy because all it does is take millions of dollars away from the schools we teach in," she added.
The Supreme Court will hear challenges to the voucher program early next year. A ruling is expected by summer.
School vouchers had been a centerpiece of Bush's education campaign platform, but he had difficulty gathering congressional support for a voucher plan. Vouchers were left out of a sweeping education reform package that Congress recently passed.
The Supreme Court last ruled on vouchers directly in 1973 in Committee for Public Education v. Nyquist, when it struck down a voucher program because public money went to "subsidize and advance the religious mission of sectarian schools."
The court has become more conservative since then and has allowed pro-voucher decisions from lower courts to stand. It also has allowed government aid to religious schools for remedial tutoring and the purchase of computers.
Still, critics say a ruling in favor of the Cleveland program would represent a dramatic shift in the court's interpretation of the Constitution.
"The Supreme Court has never approved such a massive program of public aid for religious instruction in its history," said Steven R. Shapiro, legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union. "And it could not do so now without dramatically reforming our modern understanding of the constitutional prohibition against government entanglement with religion."
The cases are Zelman v. Simmons-Harris, Hanna Perkins School v. Simmons-Harris and Taylor v. Simmons-Harris.
School voucher case offers test of church-state separation
Supreme Court will hear arguments this week on Cleveland's 6-year-old school-choice program.
School voucher debaters look to Supreme Court to decide issue
Analysis Voucher proponents vow to challenge federal appeal panel's ruling yesterday striking down Cleveland program.
House rejects efforts to restore vouchers to education bill
Representatives approve legislation after rebuffing plan to fund religious, private-school tuition.
O'Connor key to voucher decision
Analysis In past cases, justice’s hesitation determined how far Supreme Court would go in approving greater government support for religious activities.
Supreme Court to examine 5 First Amendment cases
Analysis School voucher controversy to take spotlight, but Internet pornography, adult bookstores and protest permits also will share stage.
Effectiveness of school vouchers still in question
By Charles Haynes On church-state issues, George W. Bush's honeymoon period may be over before it starts.
Court's ruling will add fuel to voucher debate
By Charles Haynes The Supreme Court poked a big hole in Mr. Jefferson's "wall of separation" last week when it ruled that federal dollars may be used to buy computers and other instructional materials for religious schools. | <urn:uuid:fd56818b-5c11-4d5e-ab07-efd31c77df10> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.freedomforum.org/templates/document.asp?documentID=14987 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00014-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.942966 | 1,153 | 2.046875 | 2 |
It's a good thing Patti Luchetti stands 5 feet tall and weighs about as much as a sack of potatoes. Her small stature -- and belly-dancing skills -- will make it easier to get around the galley when she spends the next seven weeks cooking aboard The Lois McClure. Luchetti is feeding the crew on the replica sailing canal boat during its multi-stop maiden voyage around Lake Champlain.
Authenticity has guided the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum's nautical reconstruction, from the rigging of its 50-foot mast to the marble blocks in the hold. That period focus is evident, too, in the cozy kitchen and adjoining "bedroom" at the stern of the boat -- if you overlook the 21st-century fire extinguisher and the Coast Guard-approved electric lantern. The 9-foot-square space is dominated by a 100-year-old cast-iron woodstove on which Luchetti is contracted to prepare three meals a day.
The crew won't be dining on pasta or stirfry. Cuisine is as much a part of The Lois McClure recreation as carpentry and costumes. The trip menu aims to recall foods that sustained canal-boat families as they plied aquatic trade routes between New York and the Canadian cities of Montreal, Quebec City and Ottawa.
"Traditional New England fare: We're going to eat a lot of potatoes and corn, blueberries and cheese -- and probably pork and beef," says Luchetti, a Maine resident who has cooked on historic and contemporary charters. "Lots of stews, corn chowder. I'm interested in finding out what kind of fish was used."
That's not as easy as you'd think. But researchers have found answers in the personal writings of several prolific canalers. Captain Theodore Bartley didn't detail what kind of fish he reeled in, but his canal-boat journals, published in book form by the Maritime Museum earlier this year, are full of culinary clues. During the course of his 28-year career on the water, Bartley kept meticulous shopping lists, several years of which are now preserved at the Ticonderoga Historical Society. References to meat, meat steaks, ham, soup bone and dried beef indicate the popular protein sources of the day. Also cod fish, sausage and cheese. Flour, butter, molasses, eggs, bread, potatoes and lard were all shipside staples.
"Plain and course but not unwholesome" is how writer Clifton Johnson described the food on his canal-boat journey in an 1898 article for The Outlook magazine. He was one of a number of journalists, writers and illustrators who produced travel narratives about the unique bohemian lifestyle for publications such as Harper's. "We had beans, meat, potato, bread and butter, crackers, and tea," Johnson wrote. He also remarked on the canal-boat people's manners, noting they were "inclined to neglect their forks as conveyances for food, and each reached his own knife to the butter plate from time to time."
The Bartleys indulged in pickles -- or "pickeles," as the captain spelled it -- and spiced things up with "nutmegs," cinnamon, vinegar, citron preserve and pepper sauce. Unlike ocean-going seamen, who had limited access to edibles, the canal boaters were always close to land. They came into contact with exotic items -- oranges, lemons and coconuts -- around New York, and, in their limited way, facilitated globalization. Raw materials went south. Manufactured goods went north. Food flowed in both directions.
"There were probably in the neighborhood of 30 grocers along the Champlain Canal" concentrated around locks and turning basins, according to Scott McLaughlin, the Maritime Museum's resident expert on canal-boat life and culture. An illustration of the Boatmen's Cafe in Whitehall suggests a larger range of services were available to the 4000 boats that "home-ported" on Lake Champlain between 1819 and 1940.
In the southern Hudson River and Erie Canal portions of the waterway, "bumboats" catered to canalers by offering ice, food, equipment and, yup, cold beer. Families fashioned freezers on deck using wooden boxes packed with sawdust. That allowed them to carry milk -- which was not pasteurized -- and butter. McLaughlin explains, "If someone had a lot of ice, and there was cream, they'd sit down and make ice cream. Food is one of the things that's easiest to share."
The bumboats did not venture as far north as the Champlain Canal, where farmers came to the water's edge to sell their produce to floating customers. "In many cases, the boat wouldn't actually stop. The farmer would follow along," McLaughlin says. "They'd throw a sack, he'd fill it, then the boaters would throw him the money stuffed in a potato, and he'd throw the sack back."
In June 1864, strawberries crop up in the Bartley journals. Three weeks later, they're buying 13 quarts of raspberries -- probably for pies. With the exception of tomatoes and peaches, however, McLaughlin claims there wasn't much canning on board. And he's not just speculating. An experienced diver with a Master's in underwater anthropology, he's had a look at the dirty dishes.
"We found grape seeds aboard a Sloop Island canal boat which probably sank in 1918. They were probably picked in early fall," McLaughlin deduces. "We also found pantry canning jars packed full of fish bones. That was probably pickled fish." Two charcoal briquettes discovered in the toolbox of the same sunken vessel led him to believe the boaters started barbecuing on deck in the early 20th century. That fact, he adds, "helped us date the boat."
The journal of 27-year-old Lucy Brown, who worked on the water with her father out of Whitehall, provides more human insight. Hers is a vivid account of how the boaters -- particularly the women -- actually spent their days. Where Bartley rarely referenced his wife or children, Brown details not just the weather, but the backbreaking daily chores and social isolation of canal-boat life.
Her December 25, 1871, entry reads: "Merry Christmas. Though not so very merry to me, have been in the cabin all day. And it has been a splendid day. Baked bread, biscuits & pies. Then roasted turkey for dinner. Had a good Christmas dinner as could be asked for. After the work was done finished a piece of sewing. That is a sign this weeks work will amount to something."
The familial aspect of these boats set them apart from other male-crewed transport vessels -- and put women in the hot seat, by the ever-cranking stove. It was the means by which "you heated all of your water for bathing, for doing laundry, for heating up the pitch to caulk seams, to get the dampness out of the cabin," McLaughlin explains. "If we are going to have a woman present" on The Lois McClure, he reasons, "she has to be engaged in working the stove."
Does Patti Luchetti know what she's in for?
"I don't think so," he says with a laugh.
Luchetti expects to be more liberated than Lucy Brown, who died in 1896 at 52. She's already talking about serving occasional cold meals -- "I'm inclined to bring out a hearty bread, sardines and mustard, and call it lunch" -- and requested a pressure cooker to supplement the cast-iron collection of pots and pans.
There are still details to work out, such as how to safely shepherd visitors through the galley when the stove is stoked. Generally speaking, Luchetti will either be cooking or telling true stories from the era, some of which are cautionary. A grislier one involves an accident with a kerosene lamp in which two children perished.
The more contemporary lesson is about appropriate technology, she says, and conserving resources. A promoter of local, in-season eating, Luchetti hopes her concoctions will get people to think about where their food comes from. The smells and tastes she creates on board will help the crew stay in character and the visitors suspend disbelief -- nothing ruins the illusion of 19th-century maritime life like a Doritos bag on deck or empty Coke cans rolling around in the hold. Luchetti hopes the simpler life, and menu, has a positive effect on her fellow mates. She's got one timeless truth working for her: "Everything tastes great on a boat." | <urn:uuid:c94a3f69-870a-4260-9c3c-1312a88e7b64> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.7dvt.com/2004/galley-ho | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00038-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.974529 | 1,793 | 1.65625 | 2 |
Posted by Gary Schwitzer in Health care journalism
The following is a guest post by Carol E. Torgan, PhD, FACSM, a member of our editorial team on HealthNewsReview.org. She is a health scientist and consultant based in Bethesda, Maryland. Dr. Torgan received her PhD in Kinesiology from The University of Texas and was a Research Associate and Assistant Research Professor in the Division of Cardiology at Duke University School of Medicine. While a Research Fellow at the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), she transitioned into health communication. Dr. Torgan’s research focus is the adaptability of skeletal muscle, spanning from human performance to cellular biology. Her interests include sports medicine, exercise physiology, and the role of technology in preventive medicine. She is a Fellow of the American College of Sports Medicine.
It happens almost every time a scientific study is published that shows a new substance appears to have a benefit similar to exercise. Some journalists seem unable to resist mention of an “exercise pill.” Most recently, an article in the journal Nature titled, “A PCG1-a-dependent myokine that drives brown-fat-like development of white fat and thermogenesis,” became “Discovery could lead to an exercise pill” in the MIT Technology Review.
Over the last several years we’ve had headlines such as Could a pill replace exercise? from Scientific American, Couch mouse to Mr. Mighty by pills alone from The New York Times, and Exercise pill hope for depression from BBC News.
In the model of HealthNewsReview.org’s 10 review criteria, I offer up this check list of 20+ criteria by which journalists can assess whether any product or substance should be considered to have benefits similar to exercise. These criteria represent the health benefits of physical activity for which there are strong or moderate evidence, as documented in the U.S. Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans.
Moderate to strong evidence
If you catch a journalist (or a scientist who is describing his or her research to reporters) mention “exercise pill,” tell him/her to take two aspirin, review this list, and then give us a call in the morning. | <urn:uuid:df0a37c6-864e-4365-b33f-4f9f2d8e26b7> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.healthnewsreview.org/2012/02/an-exercise-pill-take-two-and-call-us-in-the-morning/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00022-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.944923 | 467 | 2.703125 | 3 |
SENER has been hired by Murueta Shipyard for the creation of a global finite elements model of two sectional dredgers of 1,500 m3 and 2,600 m3 with shipyard number 293 and 294 respectively and both technologically advanced and innovative. SENER will also develop the basic engineering of the central body for the nº 294, with the close collaboration of the design office of Astilleros Murueta.
The study to be undertaken by SENER is the dredgers structural analysis in navigation with a wave with 120º out of phase and from the bow. The ship behavior will be study in sagging and hogging conditions and torsion stresses with waves from bulwark and quarter. The scope of the work includes the creation of a complete ship finite elements model for both dredgers from the basic engineering drawings developed by the shipyard, as well as local models for the cranes complying with ALM and ALS regulations and the shell opening for the suction pipe, providing solution for new operational challenges within the project.
SENER has also conducted a structural study of the supports of the bottom valves and the deck supports of its actuators, with the aim of analyze the stress concentration areas. These results are impossible to be obtained with a wire frame model.
About the main particulars of the dredgers, they have a load capacity of 1,500 m3 and 2,600 m3 respectively and class Hopper Dredger, Unrestricted Nav, AUT-UMS, AUT-PORT, ALP Provision Cranes, ALP, Forward Maintenance Crane, ALM middle Maintenance Crane, and Dredging 8 miles from shore for the 1,500 m3 dredge and Dredging 15 miles from shore for the 2,600 m3 one.
SENER has a highly qualified team for the development of structural analysis in vessels and other offshore units using the finite elements method.
Dredging Today Staff, December 21, 2011; Image: sener | <urn:uuid:7a130fec-d553-4188-91c7-4eb2b9261ecd> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.dredgingtoday.com/2011/12/21/spain-sener-develops-finite-element-model-of-two-dredgers-for-astilleros-murueta/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00031-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.923327 | 403 | 1.640625 | 2 |
Both color and proximity sensors have many medical device applications. But because of the negative effects on color sensing caused by infrared (IR) light, which is required for proximity sensing, the two features have not been combined in one sensor. As a result of advanced semiconductor process techniques and optoelectronics expertise, however, TAOS Inc. has introduced what it claims is the industry’s first color sensor with an on-chip IR blocking filter and proximity sensor.
When producing ambient light and color sensors, for example, the goal is often to match the human eye, which sees visible light, explains Todd Bishop, TAOS technical marketing manager, Europe. Able to respond to visible light, as well as to UV and near-infrared light, silicon sensors have typically been used for such functions. But to obtain an optimal, more-accurate color measurement, an IR filter is needed. In the past, Bishop notes, customers had to provide their own IR filters, which could be costly and mechanically difficult to incorporate. “But with the new technology, we can incorporate an IR filter onto the sensor itself, which lowers the system cost and size while offering improved accuracy,” Bishop says.
Proximity sensing, however, needs to use this blocked IR light, Bishop adds. Thus, TAOS’s new TCS3x72 sensor features IR sensors for proximity in addition to color sensors that block IR on the same chip’s integrated circuit. To solve this apparent conflict, the IR filter is localized only to the color-sensing photodiodes. It is also able to perform ambient light sensing (ALS), which is a technology offering brightness control on device screens to optimize viewing based on lighting conditions.
To simplify design options and minimize software development, TAOS has made the TCS3x72 series pin and register compatible. Software is provided as well to optimize the TCS3x72-series ALS, enabling light color temperature sensing. In addition, software driver support and evaluation modules help to accelerate product time to market.
The new technology could be employed in a number of medical device and diagnostic applications, according to Bishop. “Color sensors could be used to measure color for safety redundancy,” he says. “For example, an IV pump might need different flow rates, depending on the liquid. If the bags are color coded, a sensor can measure this and set the pump automatically.” Color sensors can also be employed in pulse oximeters to simultaneously measure the rate of change of blood flow and the oxygen level.
In the future, the proximity detection features of these sensors also have the potential to be used in virtual button applications, according to Bishop. Virtual buttons create a zone that a user can touch in lieu of a mechanical button or switch. “This could be beneficial in medical applications so that hands don’t have to touch a surface and spread germs on medical equipment, such as on an on/off or light switch,” Bishop says. | <urn:uuid:bfddac40-dd84-4578-a7b9-b8df3d55f873> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.qmed.com/mpmn/article/sensor-combines-color-and-proximity-capabilities | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00045-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.94772 | 614 | 2.328125 | 2 |
Banks in Europe are being called upon to accept a haircut on the loans they made to the region’s governments, as part of the effort to resolve the crisis in Europe. When the losses are accounted for, many of them could see a substantial erosion of their base capital. Even though there is an accompanying promise of “official” support for recapitalisation of the banks, that move is proving controversial and is likely to be delayed. This could result in bank failures and even a banking crisis in the near term. How far things would go once this process begins to unravel is not clear. But a substantial restructuring of European banking seems on the cards.
As and when that restructuring occurs, India would be affected too. Ever since liberalisation began, foreign bank engagement with India has been on the increase. The ratio to India’s GDP of foreign claims on India reported by banks in all countries covered by data from the Bank of International Settlements (BIS) rose from 9.7 per cent in 2005 to 16 per cent in 2007. And even after the crisis that ratio declined only to 15.3 per cent by 2010. Thus, foreign banks matter for India, even if it is still a small contributor to the aggregate portfolio of these banks.
Among foreign banks, European ones have a special place. At the end of the second quarter of 2011 banks in European countries reporting to the BIS had foreign claims of close to $159 billion outstanding vis-a-vis India. Faced with increased competition at home these banks had been seeking out developing countries to expand their business and sustain profitability. India too successfully attracted such capital by liberalising its financial policies. In 2011, claims on India outstanding for banks in all reporting countries were $289 billion. Thus, around 55 per cent of these foreign claims of the global banking system was on account of European banks. This figure too was down from 65 per cent level prior to the crisis broke, which forced these banks to retrench some of their assets.
Thus, the concentration of India’s exposure to banks from a region that is in the throes of a crisis increases India’s vulnerability. The experience during the 2008-09 crisis showed that the vulnerability of developing countries on this score stems especially from one source. Crisis-hit banks have to cover losses at home, recapitalise themselves and improve the risk profile of their lending. One way they do this is by garnering surpluses from retrenching positions in profitable emerging markets. In the current context, European banks are likely to look to retrenching assets in their global operations. India would be affected by such moves.
The impact is likely to be greater because of a disconcerting feature of European bank claims in India. They seem to have been driven to a substantial degree by short-term, speculative supply side developments in these countries. Claims on India rose by $91 billion between the first quarter of 2005 and the first quarter of 2008. Subsequently, the impact of the crisis resulted in a net withdrawal of more than 20 billion dollars by the second quarter of 2009. And when the post-crisis liquidity infusion made available cheap capital in large quantities to the banking system, India was a location for an expansion of European bank claims to the tune of $46 billion in just two years. A capital surge of this kind makes the region even more vulnerable to a capital outflow or a mere cutback in lending by foreign entities.
This vulnerability needs to be assessed in the context of the collateral damage that a banking crisis in Europe can result in. It would worsen the recession in Europe, which is an important destination for exports from India. The recession in Europe would in turn worsen the second dip that can damage India’s foreign exchange earnings and growth even more. And finally, the European banking crisis could trigger a global crisis, not just in banking but in the financial sector generally, given the multiple institutions and instruments through which financial markets are interlinked today. If that occurs, what matters is the aggregate exposure of emerging markets to global capital: and that is indeed substantial.
In sum, we have at hand a problem that should worry the government and the central bank. They may do better addressing vulnerabilities such as this rather than just railing against Moody’s for its decision to downgrade Indian banks. Moody’s and the other credit rating agencies have been amply discredited by the crisis. It is only because official Indian policy still seeks to attract volatile capital from a financial sector in crisis that their opinion matters. | <urn:uuid:8e2c6388-feb3-454c-91a3-967f61b67242> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/columns/Chandrasekhar/article2632999.ece | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00057-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.96542 | 921 | 2 | 2 |
Choosing the Right Pressure Washer for Your Job
Depending on the type of job you are planning for the pressure washer will be the determining factor for which one you should choose. If you are planning on using it only for a small or a one time job, you might consider renting a pressure washer instead of buying one.
The smaller pressure washers that run off electric are normally not as powerful as the gas pressure washers. The PSI in an electrical unit is around 2000 or under, while gas powered pressure washer can go well above 5000 PSI in the personal units and have attachments such as sandblaster nozzles to give the extra power needed. You will find professional gas units reaching up to 40,000 PSI.
If you are planning on using it for cleaning a vehicle, an electrical one might be sufficient as well as safer to use. If you need to deal with a heavy project, then a gas powered commercial grade one will be more likely for you. The right pressure washer can make a large job simple; creating enough power to strip the dirt, stain, grime, or oil off the surface, adding a sandblaster nozzle will increase your power.
If you decide you have enough projects to keep your pressure washer employed for awhile, purchasing one will defiantly be a good investment. They are fairly inexpensive, depending on your needs and of course the ones that are of the highest power will cost you a bit more, but will cut down on your work time as well.
There are many different attachments you can purchase for your pressure washer, making the job at hand much easier. You can find sandblaster nozzles that will allow detergent to be mixed with the water flow to help with the dirtier jobs.
Where Can I Use My Pressure Washer?
You will be surprised to find that a pressure washer can be used in many home improvement projects. You can restore objects back to their original state with the high pressure water that scrubs the surface clean with ease. Some of the more popular places that home owners are using the pressure washer are:
- Garage Floor
- Garage Door
- Siding or Brick on Their Home
- Pool Areas
- Patio Covers
- Outdoor Furniture
Be aware that the settings on your power washer spray nozzle will need to be set for specific jobs. You want to ensure that you do not destroy what you are trying to clean. Zero degree tips are only recommended for jobs that are done form a distance, like two story homes that require more pressure to reach the area. The 15 and 25 degree tips are recommended for asphalt and other strong surfaces, the 45 degree tip is the most common for the smaller jobs like screens, vinyl siding, or wood surfaces, a sandblaster nozzle can be a great tool for the heavy jobs.
This article may only be re-published in complete form without editing.
Contact us for permission to re-publish this article at firstname.lastname@example.org. | <urn:uuid:05a3a803-2f76-4d9b-9183-2ed68d3ea254> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.pressure-power-washer.com/articles/sandblaster.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00074-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.937535 | 622 | 1.5625 | 2 |
One quarter of all people in the UK aged over 75 will develop cataracts and after the age of 50 your chances of having cataracts really begin to increase. A cataract causes damage to the eye lens and the only available treatment to restore vision damaged by cataracts is the removal of the cataract and the damaged eye lens. Cataract surgeons then replace the natural eye lens with an intraocular lens to restore vision.
What is a cataract and what causes cataracts?
A cataract damages the eye lens, distorting the way light enters the eye and causing vision to become cloudy.
The eye lens works like a camera: light enters the eye and is sent in a clean line backwards through the eye to the retina. From the retina, electrical images are sent to the brain and these images are what we see
When the eye lens becomes clouded by a cataract, light defracts as it enters the eye, sending fractured images towards the retina. The images we see become distorted or 'cloudy'.
Cataracts are caused by a build up of proteins in the eye. These proteins gradually clump together and damage the eye lens. The longer a cataract is left untreated the more proteins that cloud the lens and the more damaged vision becomes.
Cataracts area common problem for people over the age of 50 - with 1 in 4 UK patients developing a cataract in a lifetime. Cataracts develop gradually with age but can also be caused by damage to the eye or as the result of a genetic problem in the case of congenital cataracts.
Different types of cataract can damage different parts of the eye lens and more than one cataract can develop at once. Cataracts commonly occur in both eyes at the same time.
What are the symptoms of a cataract?
The most common symptoms of cataracts are blurred or cloudy vision, difficulty in seeing bright colours, seeing halos or glare around bright lights and poor night vision. Cataracts symptoms will vary according to the type of cataract. As the cataract develops, symptoms of blurred, cloudy vision will increase and vision deteriorates.
How do cataracts develop and progress?
Once a cataract starts to develop, the condition will get worse over time. The speed a cataract develops will vary between patients but the more advanced a cataract becomes the more damage is caused to eye sight. Learn more about the development of cataracts here.
How are cataracts diagnosed?
Cataracts must be diagnosed by a qualified opthalmologist. The symptoms of cataract may be similar to those of another eye condition and it is important patients have a consultation with an eye clinic before booking cataract operations online.
To diagnose a cataract the opthalmologist will perform a series of eye tests: a visual acuity test, pupil dilation test and a tonometry test. These tests can diagnose a cataract in the very early stages of cataract development which is why regular eye tests are strongly recommended, especially for people aged over 65.
To read more about the tests performed to diagnose a cataract, read this guide to cataract diagnosis.
What is recovery like after cataract surgery and what results can I expect?
Cataract surgery is performed as an outpatient operation. The surgery is complete within one hour and patients are able to return home the same day.
Immediately after cataract surgery, vision will be blurred due to the eye drops used to dilate and numb the eye for surgery. Patients are generally prescribed eye drops to protect the eye from infection as it heals and the new replacement lens settles in the eye. It is important that patients try to avoid irritating the eye until fully healed and waering an eye patch while sleeping can prevent rubbing the eye and causing a problem.
The recovery from cataract surgery is fast - most patients feel only a slight ache in the eye for one-two days post-surgery.
The results of cataract surgery are excellent with 95% of patients reporting an immediate improvement in their sight*. Patients can expect an end to blurred vision, annoying glare and halos from bright lights and an improvement in night vision.
What are the risks and complications of cataract surgery?
As one of the most commonly performed ophthalmology procedures, cataract surgery enjoys a very low complication rate and the surgical risks are low. However, as with all surgery it’s important to understand the risks and complications surrounding cataract surgery to help you make appropriate arrangements for the recovery period.
Frequently asked questions about cataracts
Will you be able to see or feel anything during cataract surgery? How long will the new lens last? You can find the answers to the most often asked questions about cataracts and cataract surgery by visiting our cataract FAQ page.
*statistics from NHS Choices
For more information, contact a clinic and get a free quote. | <urn:uuid:1e9e92c7-4f98-422d-99a2-761732519d47> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.cataracteyesurgery.co.uk/guides/cataracts | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00038-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.9365 | 1,046 | 3.03125 | 3 |
SCOTLAND's oldest university been accused of "misleading the nation" over research about the £1 billion Scottish salmon farming industry, the country's largest food exporter.
SCOTLAND's oldest university been accused of \"misleading the nation\" over research about the £1 billion Scottish salmon farming industry, the country's largest food exporter.
Custom byline text:
The row erupted between St Andrews University and the Scottish Salmon Producers' Organisation (SSPO), the body that represents salmon farmers, over the interpretation of research on the numbers of Atlantic salmon estimated to have been killed by parasites.
We moderate all comments on HeraldScotland on either a pre-moderated or post-moderated basis. If you're a relatively new user then your comments will be reviewed before publication and if we know you well then your comments will be subject to moderation only if other users or the moderators believe you've broken the rules, which are available here.
Moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours. Please be patient if your posts are not approved instantly. | <urn:uuid:3d6c4ff5-6019-4ba2-928f-59b33fb63927> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/home-news/university-under-fire-over-salmon-lice-death-claims.19374473 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697974692/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095254-00047-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.909827 | 237 | 1.53125 | 2 |
Through the use of leakage-free seated valves, two-way
pressure reducing valves and a higher efficiency radial piston pump,
Schwaebische Werkzeugmaschinen GmbH has been able to achieve energy savings of
73 percent on its BA 400 machining centers.
"One of the main ways to save energy with a machine tool is
to control the creation of heat, so you don't need to cool the tool down
again," says Ullrich Breuner, sales manager with Hawe Hydraulics, which worked
with Schwaebische Werkzeugmaschinen to increase the efficiency of its BA 400
machining centers. "Working with Schwaebische Werkzeugmaschinen, we started
developing seated valves that are leakage free, which is a very different
function compared to spool valves."
Breuner says the compact hydraulic power
packs used to revamp the BA 400 help save energy in three ways. The first, and
most obvious way, is by using the leak-free seated valves to eliminate
permanent leakage. A second way is the use of two-way pressure-reducing valves
to control the different pressures for different functions required by the
machine tool while also limiting the leakage rate. The third way involves use
of a radial piston pump, which is more efficient than a gear pump.
"A major benefit in developing these machines has been the
realization that if you reduce the leakage rate, the application can use a
smaller pump," says Breuner. "If you don't have the permanent leakage rate and
the need to re-fill, it's possible to use a 10-liter rather than a 15-liter
pump. You are still able to achieve the same clamping time but use a smaller
power unit because you have eliminated the leakage. And by using a submersible
motor, it helps create a compact system that limits the amount of oil needed."
Radial Piston Pump Efficiency
The BA 400 series machining center is
used for small to medium-sized workpieces, as well as ferrous metal machining.
The machining center is available with two or four spindles and provides torque
up to 200 Nm. It is designed for clamping blanks while workpieces are machined
on the opposite worktable; it can also be used for multiple workpiece clamping
on a double swivel table with three linear axes and two rotary axes. The
workpiece handling is done via robots or linear gantries.
Before implementation of the Hawe solution, the machine was
fitted with standard hydraulic controls, but Schwaebische Werkzeugmaschinen was
looking for a solution that would yield substantially more energy savings.
The Hawe system eliminates use of a gear pump to generate
hydraulic energy and replaces it with a radial piston pump, which offers a
higher efficiency than gear pumps or vane pumps. The choice of the pump's power pack (HK series) also comes with a
submerged motor for the drive.
One key advantage is that the
significantly smaller motor keeps the overall dimensions of the power pack
compact; and it loses less power in idle mode than a standard air-cooled motor.
Plus, at peak demand, submerged motors generate up to twice the rated output
where a standard motor would break down due to thermal reasons. In a submerged
motor, after approximately 30 min, the oil reaches a steady-state temperature,
which is considered an ideal condition for operating machining tools. And
because the HK power pack is built into an extruded aluminum casing with
cooling gills, it allows unhindered heat transfer, as the air flowing by can
easily dissipate the low thermal energy.
A key advantage of this design is its low oil volume which,
depending on the size of the power pack, can be kept between 0.8 to 4 gal. Lower oil demand brings down the costs of exchanging oil as well as the
strain on the environment. For the machining center, the power pack's selected
size holds 4 gal of oil. Using its radial piston pump, the power pack
supplies pressurized oil for operating pressures of up to 10,000 psi (700 bar).
Breuner says those pressures are unusual for machining tools
because the majority of applications operate at pressures between 2,200-4,400
psi (150-300 bar). But because Hawe manufactures all of its pressurized
components from steel, such high operating pressures are not problematic
because the components can withstand these loads over long periods. Seated valves made from steel wear less than slide
valves in cast housings.
A cooling wheel mounted at the top of the power pack cools
both the oil and motor, which means that an additional external cooling unit is
avoided by using Hawe's modular construction kit system. Due to the size of the
motor, low oil volume and compact dimensions, the power pack can be built into
the machine and integrated into the machining center.
Machine Operation with the New Pump
The machining center's working mode
varies depending on the workpiece. Many applications work with a mixture of
different workpieces, so that both the machine and hydraulics supply must be
able to handle everything from continuous operation to machine set-up time. At
standstill, the Hawe system operates in storage mode and saves additional
energy which can be used in the machining center.
A smooth switching accumulator charge valve recharges the
storage whenever the duty switch point is reached. Because storage is charged
when the machine is started, the machine control monitors this operation
constantly. Once the predefined pressure has been attained, the valve will
switch itself into depressor circulation. At the slightest pressure, oil is
re-fed into the tank.
Hawe's modular system provides options for the input block,
such as pressure and return filters or TÜV-certified valves. A variety of
filters and valves can be combined with the BA block to achieve highly
The BA 400 machining center comes with a combination of
sub-plates and a seated valve block (NBVP 16), which again increases the
machine's efficiency. Because the seated valves are pre-controlled, they work
with minimum switching capacity. The directional seated valve provides a maximum volume flow of 5.3 gal/min and
maximum operating pressure of 5,800 psi (400 bar).
The use of directional seated valves
saves considerable electric power during operation of the machining center. A
machine with 15 spool valves and/or 3-way pressure reducers accumulates a
leakage of approximately 0.4 gal/min at 2,200 psi (150 bar), and
the configuration requires an additional drive input of 375W compared to a
solution with seated valves.
In a two-shift operation, each with eight hours per day and
200 working days per year, this adds up to 1,200 kWh for each machine. Plus,
the heat generated by the additional energy input also needs to be lowered,
which means that the power saved doubles once more.
"The hydraulic power pack system has
been available for more than 10 years," says Breuner. "But, until recently, few
companies were thinking about energy savings. Now companies are thinking more
about the total lifecycle, not only the initial investment but also ongoing
operational costs. If you need 1,200 kilowatts less per year to run the machine
and there are 10 machines, the savings are significant." | <urn:uuid:4586c578-817b-40ea-b268-1820d23d7fee> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.designnews.com/document.asp?doc_id=229902 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00020-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.923313 | 1,605 | 1.914063 | 2 |
Both your parents are Holocaust survivors.
How has this influenced your views of
My parents were strong supporters of the Soviet Union because they believed – rightly – that it was the Red Army that defeated the Nazis. They looked at the world through the prism of the Nazi holocaust. When Israel aligned with the US early in the Cold War, my parents came to loathe Israel. But it did not figure in my upbringing.
You have been quoted as saying that
the 1982 war in Lebanon ended your
indifference to the Middle East’s troubles.
What was it about that particular event that
forced a reaction?
In the course of Israel’s 1982 attack on Lebanon, it killed 15-20,000 Lebanese and Palestinians, overwhelmingly civilians. The war climaxed in the Sabra-Shatila massacre, but that was only a small blip on the real screen. Once I got involved, I began to read a lot on the subject and wrote my doctoral thesis on Zionism. Unfortunately, the conflict never found a resolution, so I couldn’t in good conscience extricate myself from it.
The main thrust of your book is that the
era of ‘beautiful Israel’ has passed for
American Jews. What are the main drivers
of this alienation?
American Jews are liberal. They have consistently supported the Democratic Party since Franklin D Roosevelt’s New Deal. Because so much more is now known about the Israel-Palestine conflict, it has become impossible for American Jews to reconcile their liberal beliefs with Israeli conduct.
You contend that US support for Israel is
on a precipitous decline, but you also relate
how all US politicians, and the media,
vehemently opposed Palestinian President
Mahmoud Abbas’ statehood bid in 2011.
What proof do you have that American
Jews’ dissatisfaction with Israel is truly on
The polls overwhelmingly show that support for Israel among American Jews is on the decline. There have also been high-profile ‘defections’ in recent times, including the editor of the New Yorker (David Remnick), the former editor of the New Republic (Peter Beinart) and, in late April, a Nobel laureate in Economics (Paul Krugman).
Public opinion is not always registered in the political arena. One can cite a hundred examples of policies Americans in general support – such as on healthcare – that are never mentioned in public debate.
Explain your critique of the influential Israel Lobby. Did authors John Mearsheimer
and Stephen Walt overstate its power?
The debate on the Israel lobby tends to oscillate between two poles: some say it determines US foreign policy in the Middle East in favour of Israel and against American national interests, whereas others say that US élites determine American foreign policy and Israel subserves US interests. In my opinion, the Israel lobby does determine US policy in the Israel-Palestine conflict, because this is a secondary issue for US élites (an irritant, rather than a primary concern), whereas when it comes to fundamental regional concerns (Iraq, Iran), it is the US that calls the shots.
American Jews may not know every detail of the Israel-Palestine conflict but they know it ain’t a pretty picture
How will the ‘lobby’ of die-hard supporters
be affected by the shift in how liberal
American Jews view Israel?
They will lose some of their political clout, but still will retain some of it because a lot of wealthy rightwing Jews will still contribute to ‘the cause’. It also depends on whether disaffected American Jews fall silent or publicly criticize Israeli policy. This in turn will depend on whether a solution to the conflict that American Jews can embrace is on the table or whether the only alternative they are offered is the whole dissolution or liquidation of Israel. We need to be able to present to American Jews a reasonable resolution based on incontrovertible principles of law.
You praise the reports of human rights
groups in helping to distinguish facts from
‘Zionist fiction’. But, at the same time, you
criticize Human Rights Watch (HRW) for
its report on Lebanon. What mistakes did
HRW does not make ‘mistakes’. It makes political calculations. It relies heavily on liberal Jewish donors, so it occasionally trims its sails when it comes under heavy attack by the Israel lobby. Although Israel fired four million cluster submunitions on south Lebanon when the war was already over in August 2006, HRW could not find evidence that Israel had committed war crimes. It was very shameful, and cowardly.
You make a compelling case for how
academic literature has shown up the holes
in the dominant Israeli narrative. But how
do you see these hard facts filtering down
to the general public, or American Jews of a
less scholarly bent?
American Jews are tapped into the circuits of liberal culture; they attend the best colleges and universities in the US. They may not know every detail of the Israel-Palestine conflict but they know enough to know it ain’t a pretty picture.
If you could choose just one glaring
falsehood regarding Israeli history that you
would like the world to know, what would
Your readers would gain a lot from reading Zeev Maoz’s Defending the Holy Land. After an exhaustive review of the scholarly literature he concludes that, with the ‘possible exception’ of the 1948 war, Israel has never fought a war of self-defence.
You pull no punches in your writing. Books
that relay the Israeli version of events are
described as ‘sheer fraud’, ‘absurdities’,
‘shoddy’ and ‘rancid propaganda’. You also
take both sides – pro- and anti-Israel – to
task: critiquing the Boycott, Divestment
and Sanctions Movement, as well as old foes
like Harvard Professor Alan Dershowitz.
Do you ever tire of conflicts and clashes?
Yes, I do tire. But I don’t intend on being anyone’s useful idiot. Die Gedanken sind frei [Thoughts are free] – that’s my credo.
How do you think the revolts that swept the
Arab world in 2011 will affect US-Israeli
Too soon to tell, although clearly Israel can no longer depend on the lock-step obedience of its hitherto two major allies in the Muslim-Arab world: Turkey and Egypt.
You argue that the distancing of American
Jews from Israel will ultimately benefit
Israelis as much as Palestinians. Explain
Israel has become a crazy state, intoxicated by its power and self-righteousness, which can and does act with impunity because of the US veto. It desperately needs a sobering-up. Paul Krugman wrote the other day that it’s heading toward ‘national suicide’. I think he’s right.
What steps do you think need to be taken to
resolve the Israel-Palestine conflict? Do you
support a two-state solution, for example?
Personally, I would prefer no states, in the Middle East as elsewhere. But such a preference has no bearing on politics. I support the maximum that can be achieved now, which is the solution supported by the whole of the international community: two states on the June 1967 border and a ‘just resolution’ of the refugee question based on the right of return and compensation. | <urn:uuid:b6c2c381-6161-4555-b764-ce4ee65d98bb> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://newint.org/features/2012/06/01/american-jews-israel/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704713110/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516114513-00046-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.938317 | 1,571 | 1.835938 | 2 |
South Africa Raises Budget Gap Targets as Revenue Weakens
(Updates with comment from economist in ninth paragraph.)
Feb. 27 (Bloomberg) -- South African Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan will delay plans to narrow the budget deficit as mining strikes and a slow recovery in Africa’s biggest economy curb tax revenue.
The deficit target was raised to 5.2 percent of gross domestic product in the year through March from 4.8 percent estimated in October, Gordhan said in his budget speech in Cape Town today. The government will cut spending to help bring the shortfall down to 4.6 percent next year, compared with an earlier projection of 4.5 percent, and 3.9 percent in 2014/15.
“We do have a revenue squeeze,” the minister told reporters in Cape Town. “You have to cut your suit according to the cloth available.”
Gordhan, 63, is struggling to rein in the fiscal deficit and restore investor confidence after credit-rating downgrades from three companies since September. At the same time, he’s facing increasing pressure to step up spending as the ruling African National Congress pledges to cut joblessness ahead of elections next year.
The median estimate in a Bloomberg survey of 11 economists was for the deficit to reach 4.8 percent this year and 4.5 in 2013/14. As recently as 2012, Gordhan was targeting a 3 percent gap by 2014/15.
A former head of the nation’s tax agency, Gordhan was forced to cut revenue projections as a slump in export demand from Europe and strikes in the mining industry curtailed growth.
The rand extended its drop after the budget was released, falling 0.7 percent to 8.8829 per dollar at 2:28 p.m. in Johannesburg. The yield on the government bond due in December 2026 roses 6 basis points to 7.3 percent, the highest in a week.
South Africa will miss its revenue target by 16.3 billion rand ($1.8 billion) this year and reduce spending by 10.4 billion rand in the next three years, Gordhan said. The state will limit expenditure growth to an average of 2.3 percent a year from 2.9 percent previously.
“It will be quite difficult for them to cut back on their expenditures,” Michelle Pingo-de Abreu, an economist at Nedbank Group Ltd., said in a phone interview from Johannesburg. “The ratings agencies will be looking at that. It is something that will be factored into the market and will create a base for a weaker rand going forward.”
The economy will probably expand 2.7 percent this year, lower than the 3 percent estimated in October, Gordhan said. That’s less than half the pace the 7 percent pace the government says is necessary to slash the jobless rate to 14 percent by 2020 from 25 percent currently.
Growth is set to quicken to 3.5 percent next year and 3.8 percent in 2015, the finance minister said.
“South Africa’s economic outlook is improving, but it requires that we actively pursue a different trajectory if we are to address the challenges ahead,” Gordhan said.
The government will give companies a tax break for hiring young people entering the labor market, he said.
The worst mining strikes since the end of apartheid that shut gold and platinum mines last year cost the economy 15.3 billion rand in lost output, higher than a previous estimate of about 10 billion rand, the Treasury said. Mining companies will contribute 7.5 percent of corporate taxes in the year through March, down from 11 percent last year, it said.
The government plans to collect 985.7 billion rand in revenue in the coming fiscal year, down from 986.1 billion rand estimated in October. Spending will be little changed at 1.15 trillion rand.
“There are some nuggets in there,” Oupa Magashula, the head of the tax agency, said in an interview. “Under the circumstances when revenue is coming down, we are still giving some concessions.”
Rising debt is putting pressure on South Africa’s credit rating, which was lowered by one level by Standard & Poor’s, Moody’s Investors Service and Fitch Ratings. Net debt is set to climb to 40.3 percent of GDP in the year through March 2016, up from an earlier projection of 39.2 percent, according to the Treasury.
An increase in borrowing to plug the deficit may curb a rally in bonds. The yield on notes due December 2026 has dropped 37 basis points to 7.22 percent in the past six months. It fell to a six-week low of 7.21 percent on Feb. 20 after a report showed inflation slowed for the first time in five months to 5.4 percent in January.
With weak consumer spending and mounting job losses, Gordhan has little room to raise income taxes to help finance the budget deficit. While the government plans to impose a tax on carbon emissions and increase fuel levies, new policy programs will mainly be funded from the budget, he said.
“If we succeed in driving growth towards 5 percent a year and government revenue doubles in the next 20 years, major infrastructure projects and new policy initiatives such as national health insurance and expanded vocational education will be affordable with limited adjustments to tax policy,” Gordhan said.
--With assistance from Robert Brand in Cape Town. Editors: Nasreen Seria, Gordon Bell | <urn:uuid:a95e3c54-91b2-4601-97e6-f80e8f8030df> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://sfgate.bdc.bloomberg.wallst.com/SFChronicle/Story?docId=1376-MIVLEL0UQVI901-4VMM73BS18ET6FSFGRC88BOUSR | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704392896/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113952-00009-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.953548 | 1,148 | 1.6875 | 2 |
We will be showing a collection of films from 10th annual Wild and Scenic film festival held in Nevada City, CA every January. The films speak to the environmental concerns and celebrates nature and activists who have made a difference in our planet. “Films featured at Wild and Scenic give people a sense of place,” says Tour Manger, Lori Van Laanen. “In our busy lives, it’s easy to get disconnected from our role in the global ecosystem. When we realize that the change we need in this world begins with us, we can start making a difference. Come watch and see!”
The festival is a natural extension of VMF’s Mission Statement which is: to strive with intention to conserve and acquire land and practice respectful stewardship through education, public outreach, and resource management to preserve Volcan Mountain in its natural state for future generations. Working with conservancy partners, such as Anza-Borrego Foundation, California State Parks, Anza-Borrego & Cuyamaca Rancho State Parks, San Diego River Park Foundation and others, VMF strives for acquisition of land for preservation from willing sellers; Outdoor Education & Public Outreach to inform SD County residents and visitors about ecology and Volcan’s importance; respectful stewardship of the land by developing and modeling sustainable management practices and methods, including: management of non-native species; reintroduction of long-lost native species; restoring and reforestation of burned & disturbed habitat research and monitoring of post-fire plant and animal reestablishment
Below are a couple samples of what you will see:
“Connecting the Gems”
“Most Inspiring Adventure Film- Kadoma” Ben Stookesberry the film-maker will be here to discuss his film.
Second Nature: ‘The Biomimicry Evolution”
Films will be shown at various venues in Julian, including Town Hall, Julian Elementary School and Julian Junior High. The festival kick-off party will take place Friday, May 4 at Wynola Farms Marketplace and screenings of films will occur on Saturday and Sunday from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., with live music preceding the showing of films. Workshops on a variety of environmental educational topics will take place on both days and guided tours of Volcan Mountain will be given on both Saturday, May 5 and Sunday, May 6. A festival party will take place Saturday evening in Town Hall with food, drinks and live music. | <urn:uuid:7197c606-8474-4bd4-8909-f85db1ec71c0> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.julianfilmfestival.com/2012-julian-wild-scenic-film-festival/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00050-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.933223 | 520 | 1.679688 | 2 |
Aug. 16, 1929: Wyatt T. Walker was born in Brockton, MA, to Pastor John Wise—and Maude Pinn—Walker.
1946: Walker moves to Richmond to attend Virginia Union University (VUU);
1950: Walker graduated Magna Cum Laude from VUU with a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry and Physics. While in school, he often refused to ride in the back of streetcars. This often led to him being let off from the vehicles. Walker also becomes a member of the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity;
Dec. 24, 1950: Married Theresa Ann. They later had four children.
1953: Walker graduated Virginia Union’s Graduate School of Religion;
c. 1950’s: Rev. Walker became pastor of Gillfield Baptist Church in Petersburg, VA. The first of his 17 arrests occurred when he led a group of Blacks through “Whites only” doors of the local library;
Dr. Martin Luther King (MLK) learned of Walker’s efforts, causing the beginning of a working relationship for The Movement;
1960: Walker becomes the third—and first full-time—Executive Director of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) and became MLK’s Chief of Staff. In this role, Walker worked diligently behind the scenes to organize, plan and work the logistics and protest strategies for the civil rights marches;
May 25, 1961: Walker is arrested in Birmingham, AL during a Freedom Riders protest.
1963: Walker helped organize the famous March 1963 “March on Washington.”
1964: Walker resigns from SCLC after some SCLC staffers found his leadership style aggressive, arrogant and heavy-handed. He became the vice president of the Negro Heritage Library.
Dec. 1966—Aug. 1967: Walker serves as Interim Minister of Canaan Baptist Church.
Sept. 1, 1967: Walker becomes the official pastor of Canaan Baptist Church in NY.
March 24, 1968: Rev. Wyatt T. Walker’s installation service at Harlem’s Canaan Baptist Church in New York. Rev. Martin L. King was the guest preacher. Eleven days later, Dr. King was assassinated in Memphis, TN;
c. 1970’s: For ten years Walker served as Urban Affairs Specialist to New York’s Governor Nelson Rockefeller.
Walker was summoned to Attica Maximum Security Prison to help quell the riots;
Dr. Walker receives a Doctor of Honorary Letters;
Aug. 29, 1972: Walker finalizes the agreement with new Canaan musicians, Clinton Utterbach and Eugene Cooper. This began a new direction for the church’s music department, resulting in Canaan’s first choral albums. This is also the day Dr. Walker embarked upon a very private, personal journey that’s left huge imprints and footprints until this day.
1975: Walker completes his earned Doctor of Ministry (D.Min.) degree after studying in Africa, Rochester, NY (1974) and in NYC. Walker’s dissertation was “The Scaffold of Faith: The Music of the Black Religious Tradition,” [Colgate-Rochester Divinity School, 1974].
1975—1980’s: Canaan Baptist Church develops housing units in Harlem.
1979: Walker becomes a published author with the release of Somebody’s Calling My Name (Judson Press, 1979). He has penned 14 books total.
1980’s: Dr. Walker served on the National Committee on the American Committee on Africa (ACOA), later serving as its president. This led to Walker hosting many African leaders, including Nelson Mandela, at Canaan Baptist Church.
c.1991: Walker chairs the National Action Network’s Board of Directors.
June 20, 1991: Walker makes his second address to the Council for Better Corporate Citizenship of the Keidanren in Tokyo, Japan. Japanese tourists often visited Canaan’s services.
1992: Rev. Walker does a cameo appearance as himself in Spike Lee’s movie, “Malcolm X.” He announced Malcolm’s death.
1993: Ebony magazine declares Rev. Dr. Walker as one of “The 15 Greatest Black Preachers".
2002-2003: Walker suffers four cerebral strokes, resulting in some partial L-side paralysis.
2004: With much regret—but firm resolve—after 37 years at the helm, Dr. Walker retires from his post as Senior Pastor of Harlem’s Canaan Baptist Church of Christ. He now carries the title Pastor Emeritus of Canaan;
Walker returns to Virginia for permanent residence.
March 2005: The Sisulu Children’s Academy—Harlem Public Charter School is renamed the Sisulu-Walker Charter School of Harlem, in honor of Rev. Dr. Walker’s community leadership.
Oct. 2005: Walker begins speaking engagements, preaching at Corinth Chapel United Church in Virginia.
2006—2008: Walker occasionally appears/speaks at special events.
Jan. 12, 2008: Walker is inducted into the Civil Rights “Walk of Fame” in Atlanta, GA.
Jan. 18, 2009: Rev. Walker was a recipient of the "Keepers of the Flame" Award at the African-American Church Inaugural Ball in Washington, DC, during the inauguration events for Pres. Barack Obama.
May 2, 2013: On the 50th Anniversary of the Birmingham Freedom Struggle, the Schomberg Center for Black Culture will celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Letter from a Birmingham Jail and pay tribute to Dr. Wyatt Tee Walker, the architect of "Project C" the Birmingham Movement. Click here for more info | <urn:uuid:80019b73-c700-455e-8e0d-205fc7bb9e99> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.wyattteewalker.com/about_chrono.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00071-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.944357 | 1,178 | 2.625 | 3 |
In the first few years after the Poles occupied Krinki and the surrounding area, in the spring of 1919 it was considered as an occupied territory, within the so-called Curzon line, the fate of which was to be decided later by a plebiscite. As a number of Polish laws, for example compulsory military service, did not apply to this territory for the time being, the Poles were interested in winning public support for their state in the region. In Krinki where the majority of the inhabitants were Jews and most members of the town administration were also Jewish, the starosta (the governor of the district) convened a special meeting of the town council. He hoped that the population would express their wish to belong to Poland on this meeting.
Following the provisional decree of the Polish county administration the seat of which was in Vilnius, relates Sheyme Kaplan, each ethnic group of the area had the right to express themselves in their own language in official places. Therefore, we declared in Yiddish that we had received a mandate from the population to administer the municipal economy of the shtetl [although] we had no legal power to represent it in political matters. The 'solemn meeting' ended with this, and the starosta and his whole retinue, which had come to the meeting with pomp and circumstance, had to leave like mourners, with empty hands .
The Eastern counties were, by law, incorporated into Poland after the Polish-Soviet war in the summer of 1920. From that time until the destruction of the community the fate of the Jews of Krinki was tied to the fate of our brethren the sons of Israel in Poland.
Jews and Christians in Krinki
According to the Polish census of 1921, the Jewish population of Krinki numbered 3,495 souls, 67.1 percent of the 5,206 inhabitants of the shtetl. Of the rest 904 were Eastern Orthodox and 922 Catholic, many of them Catholicized Belorussians who had settled in the town when the territory was under Polish papal rule. The ethnographic structure of the Christian population of Krinki corresponded in fact to the ethnic-geographic position of the shtetl on the frontier of Polish and Belorussian territory.
The Gentiles usually lived in the outskirts of Krinki close to their agricultural or semi-agricultural property, while the Jews were concentrated in the center. The Jews lived in topographic compactness and made up the majority of the town council, so they considered themselves and to a certain extent rightly so the owners of the shtetl, and indeed it was a thoroughly Jewish settlement in its character and way of life.
In Krinki the relationship of the Jews and Christians, among them the Poles who were now the ruling and privileged state-forming ethnic group, was usually fair until the Nazi period, and it was not affected by the open and even official anti-Semitic agitation, which intensified especially during the 1930s.
Locally the Jews were a visible political force. In the elections to the Sejm in November 1930 the Jewish parties and blocks received 1,193 votes in Krinki, while the Christians collected only 940 votes. The Jews constituted a majority both in the town council and the town administration, although they elected a Christian as town president -- for an understandable reason. In the interwar period the vice-president, however, was always a Jew sometimes Bendet Nisht from the Tsairei Tsion, [Zionist Socialist] (the first from among our brethren, the sons of Israel, to fill such a post in Poland), sometimes Dovid Gotlib from the Bund or Meylekh Zalkin (in 1939) from the Poalei Tsion [Youths of Zion].
The Jewish councilors and aldermen were fairly active in the municipality and thanks to this they also managed to protect Jewish rights and interests, in particular the town subsidies to the Jewish school system and the institutions for social help.
The active Jewish community leaders (with the delegate from America, Lewis Sheyn-Leybke Noskes) Sitting row from right to left: Yisroel Stolarski, Yankl Levi, Lewis Sheyn, A. Eynshteyn, Barukh Stolarski, Avrom Rubinshteyn. Standing row from right to left: Dovid Gotlib, Danevitser, Nakhum Bliakher, Barkan, V. Veyner, Ephraim Afrimzon, B. Nisht, Yitzkhak Yosem, Moyshe Shmuelevits, unknown, Sh. Feyvl Nisht.
In terms of its economy, Krinki was cut off forever from its wide unlimited Russian market where it had sold its leather products, and this ruined the economic basis of the shtetl for many years.
In the first years of Polish rule a high inflation raged in the country and the masses of people who had already become impoverished in the world war became even poorer and this resulted in the shrinking of the internal market as well. The sources of the supply of raw skin became also very meager. The leather production which gave half the shtetl their living came to an almost complete halt, reported Giterman the representative of the Joint when he visited Krinki in 1926. He left 200 dollars, which were to be distributed to those who were left without a job.
Craft and trade and other branches of industry that lived off the factories and off the people who made their living in the factories were also affected. Moreover, the traditional Jewish occupations fell victim to serious state discrimination and destruction, which were continuously showered on the Jews.
Under the pretext of progress for example, compulsory rest was introduced on Sunday and on non-Jewish holidays, as well as on Polish national and public holidays. This meant that Jewish shopkeepers, craftsmen and even manufacturers had to be content with an average of four and a half working days per week. At the same time the government distributed various concessions on cigar stores (where cigarettes, soft drinks, chocolate, etc. could be sold on rest days as well) among all kinds of proper Christians (the widows of policemen for example).
At first a patent was imposed on the various trades and occupations in order to extract heavy fees from the pockets of the impoverished Jews. Then an evil decree was introduced according to which Jewish craftsmen had to get a special permit to own a workshop and employ apprentices and they could only get it if they passed an official exam in Polish for which they had to pay a high sum. Volf Ekshteyn, who was a member of the management of the Union of Jewish Craftsmen in Krinki until 1925, describes the situation as follows:
Our task was to fight as far as possible against all evil decrees that the anti-Semitic Polish government of the time showered on the Jews. We were in contact with the central committee of the Union of Jewish Craftsmen that was in Warsaw. But one day we received a letter that said that the Polish government would issue its new guild laws that aimed at completely stifling Jewish craftsmen. My father Khayim the carpenter, an elderly man, who had been working in his trade from the age of 15 had to defer to a Polish Gentile lad who was an apprentice in our workshop, to be recognized as a craftsman. My father was a good artisan and he could not endure this and he chose to leave Poland.
But the worst affliction were the heavy taxes and fees, like the poll tax, apartment tax, town tax, marriage tax, property tax, house tax, and all kinds of other taxes that the Polish anti-Semites could invent in order to shatter the last miserable opportunity of Jewish existence. And there was something worse than this system of pressure; it was the merciless method of admonition in practice which went as far as confiscating and selling out the last bag and baggage and bedding of the impoverished and hungry households.
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Updated 6 Dec 2003 by LA | <urn:uuid:70e06900-ddfe-458b-979f-a39d5b80b4eb> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.jewishgen.org/Yizkor/Krynki/kry146.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00019-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.976026 | 1,764 | 3.265625 | 3 |
We are marching in a compact group along a precipitous and difficult path, firmly holding each other by the hand. We are surrounded on all sides by enemies, and we have to advance almost constantly under their fire. We have combined, by a freely adopted decision, for the purpose of fighting the enemy, and not of retreating into the neighboring marsh, the inhabitants of which, from the very outset, have reproached us with having separated ourselves into an exclusive group and with having chosen the path of struggle instead of the path of conciliation. And now some among us begin to cry out: Let us go into the marsh! And when we begin to shame them, they retort: What backward people you are! Are you not ashamed to deny us the liberty to invite you to take a better road! Oh, yes, gentlemen! You are free not only to invite us, but to go yourselves wherever you will, even into the marsh. In fact, we think that the marsh is your proper place, and we are prepared to render you every assistance to get there. Only let go of our hands, don’t clutch at us and don’t besmirch the grand word freedom, for we too are “free” to go where we please, free to fight not only against the marsh, but also against those who are turning towards the marsh!
Lenin, What Is To Be Done?, “Dogmatism And ‘Freedom of Criticism’” (1901) | <urn:uuid:438daf65-aac5-46ac-a366-20725d835687> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://tenacraq.blogspot.com/2011_07_01_archive.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00052-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.964651 | 306 | 1.875 | 2 |
Calling the Berkeley High redesign plan “tough work in tough economic times,” Berkeley Unified School District Superintendent Bill Huyett discussed some of its challenges at a School Governance Council meeting at the Community Theater lobby on Tuesday, where Principal Jim Slemp introduced a revised plan to the public.
The redesign, approved by the Governance Council in December, would introduce changes to the high school, including advisory programs and an eight-period day to help low-achieving students, which district officials said are consistent with the 2020 Vision, a collaboration between Berkeley Unified and the City of Berkeley to address the achievement gap.
At Tuesday’s meeting, the district’s director of evaluation and assessment, Rebecca Cheung, presented four cost scenarios for the redesign. Under the one favored by Slemp, science labs would get folded into science classes, instead of being a separate class, an idea that adds to the list of concerns some parents have about the plan.
While those opposing the plan frown upon the loss of instructional minutes in the redesign, those in favor of it argue that extended periods and additional preparation minutes would help at-risk students.
“We have an achievement gap at the high school,” Slemp said. “Reducing that is the why to this proposal. This is not a radical high school change. We have been talking about it for years.”
The meeting came a day after Huyett sent out a letter to the Berkeley High School community, asking them to recognize the challenges involved in implementing change at a time when the state was making severe cuts to the district budget.
The letter identifies the advantages of the redesign and outlines the barriers in cost and implementation that the School Governance Committee and the Berkeley Board of Education will have to consider before making up their minds about the plan.
Huyett said that, although the plan’s four-year graduation requirement of advisory classes and Community Access Period have great potential to broaden a student’s high school experience, more work is required to support such a large change.
The superintendent said that providing time for advisory programs is an important way to get students more involved in school and to provide support for academic success. He explained that similar community access periods, such as the Advancement Through Individual Determination (AVID) program, have proved successful, which has placed them high on the list of high school reforms publicized by the state superintendent of schools.
He stressed that, before instituting new graduation requirements, it was important to develop thorough course syllabi and to give adequate time to the School Board for review and approval.
The plan, among other things, would also change the format of the school day by having classes meet for four periods every other day instead of six periods daily.
Students will have the advantage of taking eight classes under this plan.
Huyett pointed out that, although the proposed schedule meets the requirement that high schools to provide students with 360 minutes of instructional time on average for 180 days in a year, it does so by increasing class size or adding more teachers—at an additional cost—to cover all the classes offered at any time during the day.
The superintendent had no qualms in acknowledging that, given Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s proposed state budget, this initiative will be difficult, if not impossible to implement. The budget calls for about an 8 percent cut to the district’s funding next year—which translates to a loss of $5 million or more
“Last year we made cuts with a scalpel, this year we will be making cuts with a meat ax,” he told the audience Tuesday. “With increasing costs, it will cost us more to operate next year. But this is such important work, we need to consider this. There is a lot to do, and the board’s got to say we are going to let you go forward with that.”
Some options that district staff are currently considering as solutions include increasing class size or taking “0” and “7th” period classes and committing them to the core day.
Huyett said that, even if none of the redesign proposals ends up being implemented, some of these options may need to be considered in order to take care of the massive state budget cuts.
The School Board is scheduled to hear the redesign plan at a public meeting on Jan. 28 at the old City Hall Chambers at 2134 Martin Luther King Jr. Way. | <urn:uuid:6fbaefc6-e5d3-4747-9348-235a3cc5cc91> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.berkeleydailyplanet.com/issue/2009-01-15/article/32011?headline=Budget-Cuts-May-Pose-Challenge-for-Berkeley-High-Redesign-Plan--By-Riya-Bhattacharjee | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00071-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.956735 | 916 | 1.546875 | 2 |
GREENE COLUMN: Joining forces to lower infant mortality in South Carolina
Alison Cleveland can't wait to meet her sons, Braylin and Devin. Twins.
She has nearly two months to go, though. April 7 is the special day — her due date.
Until then, she will count every day and do what she must to keep them from leaving the womb too early — a major cause of the state's high infant mortality rate, doctors say.
Charleston pediatrician Henry Lemon said in a January report that premature deliveries are one reason 7.4 babies out of every 1,000 born in the state died before their first birthday, as reported by Lauren Sausser.
Minority infants died 2.5 times more often than white babies.
Cleveland, 29, of Summerville, is homebound and determined to give her boys the best chance at a healthy life.
Cleveland's doctor put her on bed rest Nov. 9 when she was threatening pre-term labor at 18 weeks.
It has been stressful and hard on her family. Her husband, Eric, leaves early for work, so her mother helps with her 5-year-old daughter. “I don't know what I would do without her,” Cleveland said of her mother.
Cleveland works as a financial investigator. While being homebound is “driving me crazy,” she said it is worth it. “I knew I had to be strict or lose my children.”
She is now 31 weeks trying to make it to 36. Her doctors believe she is out of danger but want her to remain homebound until she gives birth.
Cleveland is health conscious but the added pressure of twins put her at risk. She believes her complications would have been far worse without prenatal care.
She encourages other women to seek out prenatal care long before becoming pregnant. Take prenatal vitamins and eat lean protein, whole grains and fruits, she says.
And she suggests finding a doctor who listens to you and takes time with you.
A united front
Cleveland's personal battle is to fight for her boys.
Collectively, the complex problem of infant mortality is being tackled on many levels. As it should be. State leaders and health care experts have formed the South Carolina Birth Outcomes Initiative to help fight the problem.
On a community level, the Tri-County Black Nurses Association is doing its part.
From 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Feb. 23, the association is holding its Delma M. Woods and Aleta McLeod-Bryant Health & Wellness Fair at the Arthur W. Christopher City Gym, 265 Fishburne St.
Ida J. Spruill, an association member and assistant professor of nursing at the Medical University of South Carolina, said the state Department of Health and Environmental Control will talk about what women can do to keep their babies safe.
A variety of free screenings also will be available, such as blood pressure, diabetes, height/weight and body mass index. For more information, call Pat Mack at 577-6627 or Ida Spruill at 724-9731.
With these united efforts, Cleveland and other mothers have a better chance of saying hello to healthy babies.
Reach Assistant Features Editor Shirley A. Greene at 937-5555. | <urn:uuid:ecaf3935-ca32-4146-befa-8eba22f6eb31> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.postandcourier.com/article/20130211/PC16/130219867 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00068-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.970641 | 699 | 1.882813 | 2 |
We are present at the birth of bioengineering, biotechnology, genetic manipulation. Any profession that ignores these profound changes is destined to pay the price of extinction.
On a less dramatic note, if we are to provide the best possible service to the blind and visually impaired students we teach, then we have no choice except to stay abreast of technologies now, and as they develop. We have the added responsibility of mentally projecting into the future, so that we can anticipate change and be ready for it.
The electric fork test
Seven forces leading the revolution
Implications of future technological development
Implications for society
Implications for education
Presentation about the Future | <urn:uuid:5634f2f5-9a64-4e66-ad9c-a9a647cd05a5> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.wayfinding.net/futhome.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00061-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.901337 | 136 | 2.1875 | 2 |
Proper blending of bent tube and hose assemblies on hydraulic systems can optimize performance and longevity.
|Hybrid tube/hose assemblies combine the benefits of hose and of rigid tubing for optimum performance.|
|The interface between hose and rigid tubing is vulnerable to leakage caused by stress and strain induced by vibration, shock impulses, and differential expansion. To prevent leakage, hoses should be long enough to always remain slack, but be short enough to prevent rubbing against adjacent surfaces.|
|A 37° or 45° tube end connection consists of a threaded female swivel nut that slides onto the tube and the flared tube end itself.|
|Tightly wound plated-wire guards can be used as bend restrictors to ease stress on the hose.|
Components on many types of hydraulic equipment are connected by rigid tubing. Being rigid, however, tubing can transmit vibration from one component to another throughout an assembly. Increasingly, designers of hydraulic systems are integrating bent tubes and hoses into hybrid bent assemblies. These assemblies provide the weight and bend advantages of bent tube with the flexibility and vibration dampening characteristics of hose.
Metal tube is economical and exhibits a long service life. For equipment manufacturers, bent tubing has traditionally offered additional advantages over hose such as:
Tubing can take a great deal of punishment under tough service conditions. Seamless and welded steel tubing conforming to SAE standards is widely used in medium and high-pressure applications. Stainless steel tubing is used in very high-pressure applications or where corrosion of carbon steel presents a potential problem. (Copper tubing also can be found, but mainly on low-pressure applications.)
On the down side, tubing is subject to corrosion unless it is specially treated. In addition, it must be shaped using sophisticated bending equipment and may require special fittings and considerable labor to install.
Hose assemblies, on the other hand, are less likely to transmit vibration because they tend to dampen pressure surges and pulsations. This ability to absorb vibration not only reduces noise, but helps improve reliability and extend the life of the hydraulic system.
At one time, equipment manufacturers specified hose primarily when dynamic bending of hydraulic lines was necessary. If the hydraulic line didn't need to bend, metal tubing was almost always preferred. Today, designers of mobile equipment in particular are learning to optimize designs by specifying hybrid steel-tube/hose assemblies - especially in applications where vibration is severe. A feasible alternative to port-to-port steel tube assemblies is to connect steel tubing to a port, then run a length of hose to the other component. Some designers even replace steel tubing altogether with a single hose assembly when application parameters permit.
An example of how hybrid steel-tube/hose assemblies work together is exhibited on agricultural equipment that include 60-ft long boom attachments. In the past, manufacturers have preferred to use bent tube assemblies on these attachments in order to minimize weight and prolong the life of the tool bar. However, manufacturers today recognize that these attachments generate vibration, which is a major factor leading to system failure. Their solution to this problem has been to use primarily hose assemblies where the structure can tolerate the higher weight and a bent tube/hose combination where light weight is more critical.
With the development of newer and stronger thermoplastics for use in hydraulic hose, the decision between using steel tubing or hose has become less clear cut. This is because new generations of lighter-weight, high-pressure hydraulic hose have narrowed the gap between the lower weight and tighter bend radius advantages of steel tubing over hose. Many of the latest designs allow the hose to bent at half the standard SAE bend radius - even when pressure impulses are present. This construction makes the hose much more flexible and easier to route through tight spaces.
In critical routing situations, half-bend radius hoses allow considerable flexibility in bridging port-to-port routing. With steel tubing, the connecting section must match up exactly with component ports to avoid placing stress on the fittings, which often are brazed or welded to the tube. This makes the connection susceptible to damage and cracking at the joint - especially if vibration is present.
Specifying hose has also become easier because manufacturers have developed selection procedures based on working pressure ratings rather than dimensions and construction criteria standardized by SAE. This means that selecting hose from a broad range of styles and sizes no longer requires a knowledge of SAE dimensional specifications and performance parameters.
Although tubing is considered a better heat dissipator than hose, the increasing use of load-sensing hydraulics has resulted in cooler-running hydraulic systems, so heat dissipation has become less of a concern. The thinner walls in today's hydraulic hoses also reduce the insulation properties that can contribute to heat buildup under certain situations. In some applications, the use of hose can actually result in less heat buildup because of improved laminar flow through the more gradual bends created between hose connections.
Furthermore, the insulating effect of hose can be an advantage for equipment operated in cold environments. In this situation, the hose helps retain heat, which helps bring the hydraulic fluid to operating temperature more quickly.
And, finally, keep in mind that hose should not be used where it will contact or be in close proximity to an ignition or heat source, such as engine exhaust system components. Placing hose near a heat source not only can compromise safety, but degrade life of the hose as well. An increase of 18° F above the maximum ambient temperature rating of a hose may cut its life in half. However, many of today's hoses can tolerate higher temperatures with no degradation in performance.
Whenever a hydraulic hose and steel tube are connected, a leak-proof seal must be established that can stand up to vibration and shock impulses. A variety of connection methods have been developed to connect tubing to hydraulic hose, including flaring, brazing or the use of special tube fittings.
One of the most popular attachments is the comparatively simple 2-piece flared tube connection. SAE originated the 45° flare design, shown below, to connect hose and low-pressure copper tubing for trucks. Engineers found they could attach a piece of hose by putting a threaded female swivel on the tube and then flaring the end of the tube to a 45° angle. The flare on the end of the metal tube keeps the female fitting from sliding off the end of the tube and provides a seating surface for a leak-tight seal. The male end of a fitting with the same flare angle threads into the female fitting, and the angles of the two flared surfaces form a leak-proof seal.
The development of higher pressure hydraulic systems required stronger fluid lines than could be achieved with once-prevalent copper tubing. Consequently, steel tubing came into widespread use for hydraulics. A 37° seat angle was adopted for steel tubing because it could not be reliably flared to an angle greater than 37° without weakening it. Except for the seat angle, this design closely resembles the SAE 45° flare. Although 45° and 37° flare fittings appear identical, the two different seat angles are not compatible. If an SAE 45° flare and a 37° flare are threaded together, the male and the female seats will not mate properly.
Several flareless tube fittings also are available from various manufacturers. One design uses a tapered split ring in conjunction with an O-ring to form a leak-tight seal. Another type of O-ring design uses straight threads to form the connection, but the O-ring to make the seal. The O-ring fits into a groove around the opening of the female-threaded counter port in a component or valve. Straight thread fittings are not as likely to crack a port manifold as are tapered thread connectors. The O-ring, which normally is made from synthetic rubber, provides the seal and is compatible with various hydraulic fluids.
Some tube-end fittings are secured by brazing or welding. A fitting end socket slides onto the tube and is welded into position to form a tube-end connection. This method is economical, especially when special configurations are needed in mass production. Another technique uses a machine that cold-works the tube end into a mounting flange used in conjunction with a swivel body that fits around the tube.
SAE hose fittings often consist of a metal tube flared to 45° in a female cone into which the male fitting can be tightened and mated with the flared surface of the tube. The female cone acts as a swivel that can be detached and re-assembled many times without affecting the efficiency of the seal.
The convenience and routing advantages of hose means it is not uncommon for maintenance personnel to replace an unserviceable, hard-to-reach, bent tubing assembly with a hose assembly. When considering hose to replace a bent tube assembly, it is important to check the manufacturer's specifications for both pressure and temperature ratings, and determine the correct inside and outside hose diameters using a precision-engineered caliper. Hose outer diameter is especially important when hose routing clamps are used or when hoses are routed through bulkheads. Check individual hose specification tables for outer diameters in suppliers' catalogs.
The hose ID must, of course, be large enough to handle the required fluid flow rate without generating excessive backpressure. It is not uncommon for pumps to deliver more than 200 gpm of fluid to hydraulic cylinders and motors in various types of equipment, which is why it is important to know the type of hose and the working pressure in a system when making replacements. Computerized inventory and cross-reference support programs from hose manufacturers enable many distributors to identify and make replacement assemblies for end users in minutes.
In situations where hydraulic equipment has been modified to perform special operations, you should expect pressure spikes to occur that may affect life or performance of the hose, fitting, or both. This happens when equipment is modified to increase operating pressure or flow without upgrading fluid conductors. As a general rule, when choosing hose as a replacement for tubing, it's best to allow a generous margin of safety.
If the replacement hose is too short, pressure may cause the hose to contract and be stretched, leading to reduced service life. But if a hose is too long, it can be damaged, pinched, or even severed if it gets in the way of moving machine members.
Also avoid positioning hose next to metal edges or too close to other hose. Continuous rubbing against equipment components, other hose, or objects in the operating envelope can wear away the hose cover, exposing the hose reinforcement. Once a hose's protective cover has worn away, the exposed reinforcement wires become susceptible to corrosion, wear, and, ultimately, premature failure.
Prevent abrasion by bundling together hose assemblies that flex in the same direction. Clamps, bent tube elbows, nylon ties, spring guards, and sleeves can be used to keep hose away from abrasion sources. Hose sleeves can be used to provide extra protection from abrasion. Major hose manufacturers also produce hoses with extra-tough, abrasion-resistant covers that last hundreds of times longer than standard rubber-covered hoses in hose-to-hose and hose-to-metal abrasion testing.
Use elbows and adapters to prevent inducing strain on hose assemblies and to provide neater installations that are more accessible for inspection and maintenance. Elbows and adapters also can prevent having to orient fittings in a specific position during installation.
If an angle fitting is required on both ends of a hose assembly, use it on one end only, then use a straight fitting and an angle adapter on the other. In general, it is better to use a straight adapter and bent tube fitting instead of an angled adapter and straight hose end. This promotes laminar flow, which reduces pressure drop.
And, finally, adapters should be permanently installed on tapered pipe thread ports as a way to upgrade connections to modern designs that are more reliable and leak-free. | <urn:uuid:b0dfed3e-83cc-4361-88d1-a532fccfa841> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://hydraulicspneumatics.com/print/200/TechZone/HydraulicHoseTu/Article/False/6419/TechZone-HydraulicHoseTu | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00022-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.935444 | 2,454 | 2.109375 | 2 |
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Pullup ResistorsOften it is useful to steer an input pin to a known state if no input is present. This can be done by adding a pullup resistor (to +5V), or pulldown resistor (resistor to ground) on the input, with 10K being a common value.There are also convenient 20K pullup resistors built into the Atmega chip that can be accessed from software. These built-in pullup resistors are accessed in the following manner.pinMode(pin, INPUT); // set pin to inputdigitalWrite(pin, HIGH); // turn on pullup resistorsNote that the pullup resistors provide enough current to dimly light an LED connected to a pin that has been configured as an input. If LED's in a project seem to be working, but very dimly, this is likely what is going on, and the programmer has forgotten to use pinMode() to set the pins to outputs.Note also that the pullup resistors are controlled by the same registers (internal chip memory locations) that control whether a pin is HIGH or LOW. Consequently a pin that is configured to have pullup resistors turned on when the pin is an INPUT, will have the pin configured as HIGH if the pin is then swtiched to an OUTPUT with pinMode(). This works in the other direction as well, and an output pin that is left in a HIGH state will have the pullup resistors set if switched to an input with pinMode().
Started by annoyin_kid
Started by Art_guy
Mechanics and Construction
Started by Dscrimager
Started by Kelpy | <urn:uuid:e19f2110-1357-46c8-ae06-7191fde1f883> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.societyofrobots.com/robotforum/index.php?topic=9037.0 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00046-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.937748 | 389 | 3.25 | 3 |
The taste, flexibility of cooking, availability and the cost makes egg a universally popular food. Eggs can be consumed in different ways and is a favorite dish for bachelors and working couples. Eggs are basically from an animal origin but many vegetarians also eat egg.
Egg nutrition center (ENC) provides information on nutrition and health science. It also funds the health related researches which are mainly focused on egg intake, the areas of interest for research are protein intake, nutrient density of eggs and dietary cholesterol. Egg nutrition center also monitors the scientific findings and regulatory developments.
There are numerous health benefits of eggs such as:
Improves concentration – researchers says that eating breakfast that includes egg can improve concentration level, attendance, behavior and reading skills in children.
Maintains healthy weight – egg is the best source of proteins which contains all the essential amino acids required by the body. Egg is a good diet for those who are trying to loose weight.
Brain development – egg yolk contains choline which is essential for development and functioning of brain.
Improves eyesight – the antioxidants present in egg yolk are believed to be good for eyesight. It also reduces the risk of cataract.
Prevents blood clots – egg prevents the cardiovascular problems, heart attacks and strokes. An antioxidant called selenium present in egg resists the formation of clots.
Healthy pregnancy - choline is an essential nutrient which should be included in in the daily diet of pregnant women and lactating mothers. It contributes in fetal brain development and prevents the birth defects. Two eggs a day can provide the required amount of cholin.
Strengthen bones – egg is rich in vitamin D, which is important for bone strengthening and improving immunity.
Eggs are fantastic beauty products. There is no need to spend money on expensive cosmetics or beauty products because eggs are natural treatment for many skin and hair related problems. The beauty benefits of egg are:
To treat oily hair, apply egg white to your hair before washing your hair and leave for 20 minutes. After washing your hair apply lemon rinse to your hair and then simply wash it with luke warm water. For a natural shine to your hair, beat an egg and add lemon juice to it and mix it thoroughly. Apply this mixture to your hair and leave it for thirty minutes. Then shampoo your hair, you can see instant result.
Egg white tightens and tones the skin. Mixture of egg, honey and olive oil used as a facial mask, makes the skin glow. | <urn:uuid:7f7204ee-2f18-435b-a2cf-bc7a1f87bb3d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.merinews.com/article/an-egg-is-packed-with-nutrients-and-has-multiple-uses/15871949.shtml | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00068-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.946805 | 517 | 2.8125 | 3 |
Babies need a lot of gear, but none more important than the equipment needed to feed them. Baby bottles will be used by most parents, even if the mother is breastfeeding. Not having a bottle on hand when necessary can lead to a meltdown.
Breastfeeding mothers often need to return to work or spend more than two hours away from the baby. After the baby has become comfortable with latching on the mother can introduce a bottle of pumped breast milk. This not only gives Mom some freedom, but also allows other family members- like the father- time to bond with the baby.
Formula fed babies will become acquainted with the bottle right away and parents will quickly learn that babies definitely have preferences when it comes to baby bottles and nipples.
Purchasing baby bottles can be a little confusing. Today’s bottles have special features and are made from certain materials to ensure the child’s safety. While a basic glass bottle will do, they can be dangerous if broken. Plastic bottles have been a recent concern for many parents. There have been studies claiming that plastic can leech chemicals. To correct this problem manufacturers have begun making BPA free plastic bottles. Parents should always check to make sure any plastic bottles are BPA free.
The newest features for baby bottles are venting versions. These bottles use a venting system to help minimize the amount of air that the baby swallows. Excessive air swallowing can cause the baby discomfort and may make them spit up more. Venting nipples are also very common now and usually just consist of a small hole or two on the base of the nipple.
When first buying bottles resist the urge to stock up on one brand or kind of bottle before the baby has actually tried it. Just buy one or two of a bottle and make sure the child will take it before buying five more, otherwise you will be stuck with a bunch of bottles your baby simply won’t use.
Newborns and young babies can use the smaller four ounce bottles, but all children will grow so if money is tight invest in the larger bottles, they can be used throughout the first year. Small bottles will end up just filling up your cupboards, collecting dust at just four months.
Nipples used to be made from latex, but now they are most commonly made from silicone. Silicone doesn’t pick up smells and tastes the way latex can. Also latex is easier for babies to chew holes through.
A baby bottle is useless without the right nipple. Bottle nipples have different speeds for different ages of babies. Newborns need a slow flow nipple to prevent them from chugging their dinner and filling their little tummies up with air. As the child gets older he will need his food at a quicker and quicker rate. Parents can indentify if the nipple is too fast if the child is choking or gagging on the bottle.
From unique shapes to old fashioned glass, baby bottles come in a wide variety of styles today and the one that’s right for your baby may different from another. Experiment to find what best suits your family and make sure the bottle and nipple are both made from safe materials. Remember, feeding is supposed to be a relaxing, bonding time so don’t make it too stressful by using the wrong bottle or by being unprepared. Ask friends and family which brands they recommend and start from there! | <urn:uuid:b568ef5f-9690-4eb8-ba7b-8c42a0ae0bc0> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.parentalguide.org/babybottle.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00023-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.952247 | 689 | 2.453125 | 2 |
In Mycenean Greece (1600-1100 BC), as in Minoan Crete, athletic
contests formed an important part of the religious ceremonies and
fertility rites. The Myceneans differed from the Minoans in their
love for war and their natural inclination in hunting- occupation
that was considered as an athletic event. That explains why they
added running and chariot racing to somersault, bull-leaping and
boxing, events which they had borrowed from the Cretans.
Somersault did not become particularly popular in Mycenean Greece and bull leaping -as one can see in representations appearing on seals and finger-rings, wall-paintings as well as on the clay larnax from Tanagra -was considered as a funerary athletic contest. Boxing and wrestling, on the other hand, proved to be the most popular contests for the Myceneans who passed them over in Cyprus in the late Mycenean Period. A Mycenean vase from Cyprus shows boxing scenes together with the earliest representation of a running contest, during which the runners are naked bearing ornaments on their heads.
The chariot was introduced to the Myceneans from the East and was originally used as a means of communication among the members of the upper social classes. It was later used in the processions of various rites, in hunting, in transporting the warriors to the battlefield and finally in chariot races. It is very likely that during the Mycenean period chariot races were performed in the context of religious and mainly funerary rites. For example, the earliest representation of a chariot to be found in the Mycenean Art is the one existing on the funerary headstones of the funerary circle A in Mycenae, dating from the 16th century BC. Moreover, the larnax of Tanagra, an important funerary monument of the 13th century BC, bears a representation of a chariot race besides a representation of wrestling and bull-leaping. The belief that the Myceneans have established the contests, known as "funerary contests", in honor of a celebrated dead, was mainly based on the Homeric Iliad, where the contests appear as an important part of the funerary events. This is suggested in the description of the athletic contests that were organized in memory of the dead hero Patroclus. | <urn:uuid:a0998289-6a15-4170-a28e-080a6bcc73de> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.fhw.gr/olympics/ancient/en/103.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00058-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.97409 | 496 | 3.625 | 4 |
Members of the gathered with community leaders and politicians Saturday morning to break ground on the Shinnecock Substance Abuse Mobilization Project, a recovery home and "wellbriety" center.
Two Shinnecock spiritual leaders led more than a dozen family, friends and activists in a ceremony to bless the land next to the reservation's Family Preservation Center.
Among the crowd were several members of the board of directors of . Key organizers included board Co-Vice Chair Kenneth Wright, a Bridgehampton contractor who provided and set up construction materials for the groundbreaking, and board member the Rev. Michael Smith, the pastor of .
Smith reflected on a community with such an exposure to alcoholism and drug abuse that a long life was once uncommon.
"A lot of the men that were [buried] were my babysitters, and I thought they were old men," Smith said. "They died in their early 30s and 40s … all of that was a consequence of alcohol."
Smith said he will be sober 27 years this August.
U.S. Rep. Tim Bishop, D-Southampton, took part in the event, as did Judge Edward Burke and Benjamin Tucker, the deputy director of state, local and tribal affairs for the Office of National Drug Control Policy.
"I don't think you can name a family anywhere in the United States that doesn't have that struggle." Bishop said. "This is precisely what this community needs." He noted his family had its own battles with addiction and that a close family member has been sober for 13 years
This is the third time Smith has attempted to break ground for SAMP. In previous years dried funds had stalled the project, which relies mostly on private and local corporate donations, Smith said. Recently, SAMP secured a letter of intent for a large federal grant from Tucker's office. Local donors are expected to follow.
Former addicts stood alongside community leaders to smoke from the peace pipe, part of a Shinnecock spiritual tradition nearly 2,000 years old. SAMP offers treatment and recovery programs, but perhaps as important, offers hope for a community at a crossroads, elders said.
"Eventually they'll all be here like we said we would," Avery Dennis said. Dennis, a former tribal trustee, started a recovery group in the area 30 years ago. "It's a disease that destroys you. I think the reservation all has to get back to our foundations."
Tribe member Philip Brown IV noted cross-culture unity is necessary to divert the path of history. During the Colonial era, European settlers knew to introduce alcohol as a weapon to take the natives' land, he said, an institution that projects like SAMP are now battling.
"It's good to see we have pale faces here helping us back," Brown said. "[They are] giving us new renovation, new hope. We have to start helping our kids." | <urn:uuid:d3d1d25a-c0b9-4029-9570-de06cbd422d0> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://southampton.patch.com/groups/editors-picks/p/shinnecocks-break-ground-on-recovery-center | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700958435/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104238-00037-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.981828 | 588 | 1.648438 | 2 |
Breast Exams vs. Mammograms
Since I seem to be on a roll with information about the value of mammograms in screening, I thought I would share this article from the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. It compares the false positive rate of lumps found in clinical breast exam vs those identified by mammography. Here is a quote from the article:
Daniel B. Kopans, MD, director of the Breast Imaging Division at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, argued that only mammography has been proven to save lives, and that randomized trials are needed todetermine if breast examination does too.
"The only breast cancer screening test that has been shown to significantly decrease the death rate from breast cancer in randomized, controlled trials ... is mammography," Kopans said. "Those of us who developed the field of breast imaging recognized the importance of standardizing the technique, monitoring outcomes, and adjusting our approaches as we learned more and more about breast evaluation. I strongly< urge this approach be applied to [clinical breast examination]."
Freya Schnabel, MD, director of breast surgery at New York University, was more supportive of clinical exams. "I cannot imagine that anyone could advocate abandoning clinical breast exams, even in a screened population," she said. "It's clear that the pickup rate is low when patients are well screened, but superficial and central lesions are frequently missed on mammography, and young women with dense breasts represent a specific population where there is a substantial false negative rate for mammography, making clinical exam particularly important." She added, "As to the false positives on exam, many are resolved with simple, quick, relatively painless needle biopsies -- not such a big price to pay."
The bottom line continues to be that mammograms are our most valuable screening tool, but that clinical breast exams are important, too. Although the importance of self breast exams is controversial, I continue to advocate that we all do them--don't see any reason not to add this tool to our supply (especially since I discovered my first breast cancer that way). For some women at high risk for breast cancer, the addition of annual breast MRIs, staggered with yearly mammograms, is important.
If you want to read the whole article, here is the link: | <urn:uuid:9a8fd8d6-eb47-4b6b-b317-aefa1f831667> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://bidmc.org/YourHealth/BIDMCInteractive/Blogs/LivingwithBreastCancer/2009/September/Breast%20Exams%20vs%20Mammograms | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00074-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.952631 | 461 | 1.976563 | 2 |
Community Guide News
Collaborative Care Proven Effective for Managing Depressive Disorders
Recommended by Community Preventive Services Task Force
In these times of limited resources, it is critical to know of public health interventions that work to manage depressive disorders. After all, depression affects individuals, families, workplaces and communities. In the U.S., an estimated 14.8 million Americans experience major depression in a given year. Also, every year approximately 1.5% of the adult U.S. population experience dysthymic disorder —a chronic depressive illness that is less severe than major depressive disorder. Major depression and dysthymic disorder can also adversely affect the course and outcome of other chronic conditions such as asthma, arthritis, cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and obesity --- and can cause absenteeism from work, decreased productivity and short-term disability
Community-based Prevention that Works
The Task Force based its findings on a systematic review of all available scientific studies on collaborative care for managing depression. Led by scientists from the Guide to Community Preventive Services (Community Guide) at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the review team included internal and external partners with expertise in mental health.
Systematic reviews of the evidence and economics of collaborative care were published in the May 2012 issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine along with the Task Force finding and three additional commentaries. Full-text articles are available.
So what is collaborative care? Collaborative care is a multicomponent, healthcare system-level intervention that uses case managers to link primary care providers, patients, and mental health specialists. This team-based approach is designed to:
- Improve routine screening and diagnosis of depressive disorders
- Increase provider use of evidence-based protocols for active management of diagnosed depressive disorders
- Improve clinical and community support for active patient engagement in treatment goal setting and self-management
One example is Group Health Cooperative (GHC) , which uses collaborative care at primary care clinics to manage depression in patients with diabetes. GHC is a prepaid health plan that includes HMO and PPO models and serves 500,000 members in Washington and Idaho. A GHC nurse case manager coordinates a patient care team to work with each patient to help manage both diabetes and depression.
A primary care physician and mental health specialist complete the team. The latter, either a psychiatrist or psychologist, functions as supervisor and consultant. Patient care provided by the team includes: prescribing antidepressants as needed, providing psychotherapy, medical care for diabetes and ongoing patient follow up by the case manager to monitor progress and intervene when challenges to the treatment plan arise. A research trial of this GHC intervention in 9 clinics, the Pathways study, is among the studies included in the Community Guide systematic review.* While this is an example of successful use of collaborative care by a prepaid b health plan in a primary care setting for patients who have both diabetes and depression, the Community Guide systematic review showed that this model works in most settings and situations.
More on Depression and Mental Health from CDC and the Community Guide
Click on the following for more information about the Task Force recommendation on collaborative care, other Community Guide mental health reviews or depression in general:
- Collaborative care review, Task Force recommendation statement, and full-text articles
- Additional Community Guide mental health reviews and Task Force findings
- CDC information on depression
The Community Guide
The Community Guide is an essential resource for people who want to know what works in public health. It provides evidence-based recommendations and findings about public health interventions and policies to improve health and promote safety. The Community Preventive Services Task Force -- an independent, nonfederal group of public health and prevention experts -- makes these findings and recommendations based on systematic reviews of scientific literature conducted under the auspices of the Community Guide. CDC provides ongoing scientific, administrative and technical support for the Task Force.
The Community Guide conducts state-of-the-art systematic reviews that: analyze all available scientific evidence on what works to promote health and prevent disease, injury and disability; assess the economic benefits of the interventions found to be effective; and identify critical evidence gaps. Community Guide review teams are led or supported by Community Guide scientists, and include government, academic, policy and practice-based partners.
*Simon GE, Katon WJ, Lin EH, Rutter C, Manning WG, Von Korff M, Ciechanowski P, Ludman EJ, Young BA. Cost effectiveness of systematic depression treatment among people with diabetes mellitus. Archives of General Psychiatry 2007;64(1):65-72.
- Page last reviewed: April 18, 2012
- Page last updated: April 19, 2012
- Content source: The Guide to Community Preventive Services | <urn:uuid:d1406fdc-1b6b-4118-ab69-7db07b646702> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.thecommunityguide.org/news/2011/DepressiveDisorders.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00030-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.912935 | 959 | 2.734375 | 3 |
A Meditation for Palm Sunday 2010
"Now it came to pass, when the time had come for Him to be received up, that He STEADFASTLY set His face to go to Jerusalem..."
The Gospel portions that are read on Lazarus Saturday and Palm Sunday are from the Gospel of St. John. But today I turn to a scene in the Gospel according to St. Luke which occurred just a little earlier in our Lord's ministry. And in it I emphasize once again the words: "HE STEADFASTLY SET HIS FACE to go to Jerusalem."
A wise old archer was training two young warriors. Across the meadow was a small target hanging from a tree.
The first warrior took an arrow from his quiver, readied it in his bow, and took aim. The old archer asked him to describe everything he saw. "I see the sky, the clouds, the trees, and the leaves," he answered.
"Put down your bow," the old archer said. "You are not ready."
The second warrior stepped up and readied his bow with an arrow. The old man ordered him, "describe everything you see."
"There is only the target," the said second warrior.
"Then shoot!" was the command. The arrow flew straight and hit the target. "Very good," said the old archer. "When you see only the target, your aim will be true, and your arrows will fly according to your wish."
To focus our thinking does not come easily, but it is a skill that can be developed, a skill that is as valuable in life as in archery.
This is the manner in which our Lord approached His impending Passion. He had been teaching and preaching and healing for almost three full years, but now there came a turning point in His life and in His mission; St. Luke stressed, that - FROM THAT TIME FORWARD HE SET HIS FACE TO GO TO JERUSALEM!!! WHY? TO DIE ON THE CROSS in order to save us from our sins, to break down the middle wall of enmity between God and man, to heal all of mankind. From that time on, this was His focus, his aim; nothing would deter Him from seeing that this mission was accomplished. He was determined to bring this end to pass. Of course, as God, He knew what was to come -THE RIDICULE, THE REJECTION AND THE ISOLATION, THE MENTAL ANGUISH, THE CRUELEST PHYSICAL TORTURE, TORMENT, AND SUFFERING IMAGINABLE, A HIDEOUS AND SHAMEFUL DEATH, AND FINALLY, BURIAL IN A BORROWED TOMB. And still He did not shrink from His purpose; He did not waver in His resolve. He did not simply or accidently go up to Jerusalem. He steadfastly set His face toward it! The Greek word is even better translated "firmly." This is the attitude of our sweet Saviour, His mind-set, to do what He came to do!
Can you, can we, say the same in our spiritual lives? Are you firmly resolved to do what is expected, what is required of you? Do you have the same type of determination that the Christ had? What is your firm aim in life? Do you have a specific spiritual goal? It certainly ought to be that you desire to be a good, pious, devout, and dedicated disciple of our Lord Jesus Christ, against all odds, in spite of all that the devil and this world may throw at you, all of the enticements and temptations, the needs and desires of yourself, your body, and your families. Christ Himself says to us, "Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you." (Matthew 6:33)
To do this, YOU MUST FIRMLY SET YOUR FACE TOWARD THAT GOAL, SHUTTING OUT ALL OF THOSE VIEWS AND SIGHTS BEYOND YOUR FOCUS. YOU MUST CONCENTRATE ON WHAT IS TRULY IMPORTANT!
And most especially now, as we begin the GREAT AND HOLY PASSION WEEK, do we need to focus on our spiritual goals. There is so much to see and to be a part of this week, to share in some small way in our Lord's suffering, and to demonstrate our gratitude for all that He has done. Eight days out of three hundred and sixty-five is not too much to ask. Two or three hours out of each day is so small. Christ the Lord has always been by our sides, guarding, protecting, guiding , caring, loving, and supporting us. Ought we not return the favor? We need to spend time with Him as He prepares for, and then endures, His sacred passion. After all, He is doing it for you and me. If we do not stand at His side, then we are no better than those who rejected Him back then, those who slapped Him, spat upon Him, crowned him with thorns, mocked Him, and nailed His hands and feet to the Cross. Let us not be like the majority of His disciples who fled from Him before, during, and after the Crucifixion. There is no longer any need for us to fear for our lives as they did. Our sins, however, will be of a different nature if we do not accompany Him this week; they will be the sins of indifference, negligence, and sometimes, simple laziness, which are just as devastating upon our souls. If we are truly His followers, then let us follow Him to the bitter end, as the Holy Apostle Thomas declared with great love and devotion, "Let us also go, that we may die with Him," and then steadfastly carry out our intention!
(Palm Sunday 2010) | <urn:uuid:fb2c4fd9-b0d1-4b8e-8072-bb736f1e8ef7> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.acrod.org/diocese/formerbishops/metropolitan/own-words/homilies/aplm-sun-mn-reflection | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00005-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.970668 | 1,222 | 1.90625 | 2 |
epidermal growth factor receptor
(eh-pih-DER-mul grothe FAK-ter reh-SEP-ter)
The protein found on the surface of some cells and to which epidermal growth factor binds, causing the cells to divide. It is found at abnormally high levels on the surface of many types of cancer cells, so these cells may divide excessively in the presence of epidermal growth factor. Also called EGFR, ErbB1, and HER1. | <urn:uuid:13ab2f70-664b-48cc-8a40-a0e8c6f4e113> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.siteman.wustl.edu/GlossaryTerm.aspx?xml=CDR0000045680.xml | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00039-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.917817 | 105 | 2.890625 | 3 |
Manuel Martinez/Colorado Public News
Manuel Martinez/Colorado Public News
The notion of a kindly doctor at your doorstep, black bag in hand and ready to treat your sore throat, seems as old-fashioned as a Model T. But for patients who are too sick or frail to make it to the doctor’s office, patient house calls are making a comeback in Colorado.
Just 10 years ago, the notion of doctors doing home health visits was all but extinct.
“Almost all primary-care physicians saw patients only in their offices. They might make an occasional house call for a frail elderly patient on their way home or something, but that was about it,” said Constance Row, executive director of the American Academy of Home Care Physicians in Maryland.
Yet according to the academy, between 2000 and 2009 doctor house calls for Medicare patients jumped 53 percent.
Dr. Christopher Unrein of Lakewood is one of the 4,000 doctors now making house calls nationwide.
“I enjoy what I do so much because I get to connect with people,” he said.
Demand is growing. Only a quarter of America’s homebound patients are lucky enough to have a doctor willing to treat them.
Row says the remainder may go without care because they can’t make it to the doctor’s office, and that raises the cost of their care in the long run. They may end up being rushed to the emergency room, and an expensive stay in the hospital.
In Colorado, the shortage is even more critical. Stephanie Hales, practice manager with the Colorado group House Call Physicians, estimates that there are currently fewer than 100 doctors making house calls in the state.
The revival of medical professionals doing house calls started on the East and West coasts – and is just starting to come into play in Colorado.
“Two years ago, when we started our business, we had 40 patients,” Hales said. “Today, we have 800. And there are a number of physician groups now considering adding house calls.”
Increasingly, physician’s assistants and nurse practitioners are making house calls as well.
In January, the federal government launched a three-year test program called “Independence at Home Demonstration,” which will research the effectiveness of treating thousands of chronically ill people at home.
The test is focused on patients in hospice care, the frail elderly and young people whose conditions range from mental illness to arthritis.
The incentive for physicians? If they can prove they’re cutting hospital costs by treating patients at home, they would share in the savings.
For example, at today’s rates, Medicare pays $150 for an in-home hospice visit – which is far less than the government would pay for a lengthy hospital stay.
Still, for many students fresh out of medical school, house calls are neither lucrative nor convenient.
“Physicians in an office can see 25 to 30 patients a day,” said Row. “Doctors making house calls only make about eight calls a day. The total income that is generated is woefully insufficient.”
Additionally, doctors are not paid for the time they’re in their cars, which can sometimes be an hour between house calls.
“The reality is, it’s down time,” said Unrein. “It’s wasted time from a purely economic perspective.”
Unrein, who is also the medical director of the Hospice of St. John in Lakewood, is on a fixed salary and doesn’t worry about tallying a high number of home patient visits. His average house call is 45 minutes, compared to 15 minutes or less he would spend with a patient in his office. Some days, he logs 100 miles in his Smart Car, making his rounds.
One of his patients is 64-year old Robert “Pep” Pepping, a Lakewood resident diagnosed with prostate cancer 13 years ago. The cancer has spread to his bones and he’s decided to spend his remaining time living at home, receiving medical care from Unrein and from his best friend, Steve.
“If I’d stayed in the hospital, I’d be dead,” Pepping said. “Not getting the rest. People waking you up every half hour. To have the love that I have here; you can’t replace that.”
During a recent visit, Pepping and Unrein discussed medications at the kitchen table. The doctor checked Pepping’s heart and blood pressure. Unrein dispensed advice about dealing with the good days, and bad days. As he left, he told his patient he’d return soon. “Don’t make it too long,” Pepping said.
Unrein says his satisfaction comes from helping people such as Pepping end their lives they way that they want to.
“I think this is the wave of the future, but to do it, we’re going to have to have a shift in thinking,” he said. “I call my approach high-touch, low-tech.”
Colorado Public News, a nonprofit news organization, reports on issues of statewide interest. It partners with Colorado Public Television 12, Denver’s independent PBS station. | <urn:uuid:deddc804-15fa-4392-89c0-1ba7943e0bdc> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.durangoherald.com/article/20120625/LIFESTYLE04/706259987/0/LIFESTYLE01/href | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00005-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.966532 | 1,125 | 1.96875 | 2 |
Autism-friendly 'Spider-Man' planned for Broadway
- Photos (1)
NEW YORK — The first autism-friendly performance of the Broadway hit "Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark" will take off this spring..
The Theatre Development Fund, a nonprofit organization that provides access to live theater, said it bought all the tickets for the matinee on April 27 at the Foxwoods Theatre and will offer them at a discount for children and adults on the autism spectrum. Tickets range in price from $35-$80.
The Spider-Man musical will be the fifth show in the fund's autism-friendly program. The first was Disney's "The Lion King" in October 2011, followed last year with performances of "Mary Poppins," a second performance of "The Lion King" and one of "Elf: The Musical." Each time, the shows got enthusiastic feedback from grateful families.
Lisa Carling, the Fund's director of accessibility programs, said surveys taken after previous autism-friendly performances showed strong interest for one of "Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark."
"We're grateful to the show's producers, management and creative staff and crew for accommodating the Autism Theatre Initiative and uniting with us to make the show an unforgettable experience for all," she said in a statement.
Autism disorders strike one in 100 children, according to U.S. government estimates. Children with the diagnosis are often sensitive to loud noises and harsh lights and find it difficult to sit still or remain quiet. Autism spectrum disorders include both severe and relatively mild symptoms.
The Broadway shows have been slightly altered to make those with autism more comfortable, including cutting jarring sounds and strobe lights. Quiet areas with beanbag chairs and coloring books, staffed by autism experts, also will be created inside the theater for those who might feel overwhelmed.
The Fund, which has consulted an advisory panel of experts in the field of autism, has also made itself available to consult with other theaters attempting their own autism-friendly performances. It also publishes downloadable guides telling children with autism what to expect during the show, including the plot, what ushers do and what to do during a curtain call.
"We are delighted to have the opportunity to share our production with those affected by autism," said "Spider-Man" producers Michael Cohl and Jeremiah J. Harris in a statement.
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Brie is a soft cow's milk cheese named after Brie, the French province in which it originated (roughly corresponding to the modern département of Seine-et-Marne). It is pale in color with a slight grayish tinge under crusty white mold; it is very soft, buttery, creamy, and savory with a hint of ammonia (the white moldy rind is flavorless).
There are now many varieties of Brie made all over the world, including plain Brie, herbed varieties, and versions of Brie made with other types of milk. Brie is perhaps the most well-known French cheese, and is popular throughout the world. Despite the variety of Bries, the French government officially certifies only two types of Brie to be sold under that name: Brie de Meaux (right) and Brie de Melun.
Notes & Tips
- The rind is edible (and is usually eaten).
- Brie should be eaten at room temperature (or higher, if the dish requires it).
- The interior should be soft, with a satin like sheen. It should have a slight yellow-brown color; white Brie is under-ripe.
- A whole, uncut round can be frozen for up to six months.
- Brie plays very nicely with Gruyère on a cheese platter and combined with a little butter, hot sauce, and mustard you have yourself a very nice cheese spread. | <urn:uuid:2ecfe17d-2372-4c4d-bea0-9dedad1e2624> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://en.m.wikibooks.org/wiki/Cookbook:Brie_Cheese | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00072-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.947287 | 309 | 2.171875 | 2 |
Today an exchange with a fellow tweeter Diana Smith () introduced me to a remarkable video, Game's Over (:
Ironically, Diane is based in Stafford where we used to live. A shame our paths didn’t cross at that time. Still, at least our 140-character exchanges are making up for it now.
What frightened me most about the government that took power in Britain in 2010 was not so much its delusions, its mendaciousness or even its incompetence, but its indifference to the plight of others.
‘Lack of compassion can quickly slip into cruelty, and this is going to be a cruel government,’ I told a friend who’d voted Tory.
‘Oh, come on,’ she replied, ‘you’re not giving them a chance. And how can they be worse than Gordon Brown?’
That comparison with Brown was striking. In trying to understand politics, I find myself increasingly using two sets of polar oppositions based on terms which might at first glance not seem that opposed: politician and statesman on the one hand, empathy and charisma on the other.
The essential task of a politician is to win office, and charisma helps enormously. David Cameron had bags of it, as did Nicolas Sarkozy in France, and they won the highest offices in their respective countries.
Gordon Brown, on the other hand, was a hopeless politician and short on charisma. He came across as boorish, churlish, uncouth. His defeat came in large part because voters chose charm over unsmiling competence.
For competence is what Brown had in spades. And he made up in empathy for what he lacked in charisma. He could understand the pain felt by people whose suffering he didn’t necessarily share.
The effect was striking. Within eighteen months of the most serious economic crisis the world had seen for a century, the Brown government had Britain back to growth with unemployment falling.
Cameron’s crew have taken us back into recession and sent unemployment climbing towards record heights, and it isn’t just incompetence. As Game's Over shows, the fundamental problem is that they don’t care.
A politics that matters, a politics that leads to justice will set as its key goal to give such people their voice. To speak for them when that’s necessary, but far better, to help them speak for themselves. For that we need statesmen not politicians and, while charisma will do no harm, what matters far more is empathy.
That’s why next week’s election in France is important. Sarkozy has panache but no empathy and, as he’s shown over five years, precious little competence. His challenger, François Hollande, has made a virtue of his very ordinariness. What he has promised to do is to speak up for the powerless and he shows every sign of meaning it.
Of course, like all leaders of the Centre-Left, he can disappoint too. He’s started talking about the need to limit immigration, a subject he’d studiously avoided previously. But then, you do have to get elected to do any good and, with 18% of the electorate voting for the far right, he presumably feels he owes them some concession.
Still, he’s ordinary and empathetic, and he’s up against charismatic and remorseless. And at the moment the polls are showing him on 55% to the incumbent’s 45%, with nearly a quarter of even the far right voters coming over to his side.
Maybe, just maybe, the French are showing us that our celebrity-obsessed societies are beginning to see through charisma and understand that a good politician can’t hold a candle to a real statesman.
We in Britain also have a leader of the opposition who’s having trouble connecting with the electorate, a Gordon Brown rather than a Nicolas Sarkozy. Though his Labour party sits on a comfortable lead over Cameron’s Tories, Ed Milliband is simply not setting the electorate alight. On the other hand, every time he speaks out he does so with increasing authority and he shows his ability to empathise with the marginalised, the underprivileged, the suffering.
A government led by such a man won’t be perfect, any more than a government led by Hollande would be, but it will at least aspire to social justice and decency. There’s no such aspiration today, as Game’s Over shows. A society which at least sets out to ensure none are excluded, all have a voice, is a better and healthier place for everyone to live, whether we are among today’s victims or not.
Mr Ordinary may win in France next Sunday. And if he does he will set an example for us on this side of the Channel.
One I hope we shall emulate at the earliest opportunity. | <urn:uuid:4a909f2a-832b-456d-8d87-5492bced2840> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://davidbeesonrandomviews.blogspot.co.uk/2012_04_01_archive.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00071-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.97465 | 1,018 | 1.554688 | 2 |
Cost of Braces
Researchers have found a novel way to signal whether people are diabetic or predictable: Look at their teeth, according to a study in the Journal of Dental Research. An estimated 25% of diabetics currently go undiagnosed, increasing their risk for complications, including periodontal disease, a bacterial infection that can damage bone and teeth.
Of course, the best way to avoid having to have scary procedures done at the dentist is to practice prevention, Siegelman said. Research in mice, published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, suggests that the length of a person’s milometers may predispose them to developing emphysema.
Dental tourism has brought a lot of medical travel tourists from all around the world to Malaysia. If, on the other hand, you think you will hardly use it and only have it for emergencies, a higher deductible may be okay. Many plans provide and pay for the insured to go for regular dental check ups. Teeth problem can be of various types like Yellow staining Tooth break or chipping Loosing of the tooth because of age Tooth decay Improper shapes of teeth, etc.
Braces – Rising Prices
It is an entirely pain free process. People often want it because their teeth have become discolored through drinking, eating, smoking and with age.
The first 5 GB are free & then after that users will have to buy more storage which will cost $2.49/month for 25 GB of storage. When possible they are surgically removed, followed by radiation therapy or chemotherapy. K. It also helped prompt the inclusion of eight specific pediatric dental provisions in the law signed last February that reauthorizes the Children’s Insurance Health Program CHIP, which covers poor children whose family incomes are too great to qualify for Medicaid. In the worst case, there may be no educational requirement at all to become a member and the dentists need know nothing about placing dental implants. We know that availability has been the major concern for most of our clients.
The one currently shipping is the Developer Model which cost $699. Orthodontic treatments are some of the most expensive in this type of care. The findings need validation in a larger independent study, they said. This means that if you need bridge work done right now, a tooth extraction done right now, you need dentures immediately, or any other obvious dental problem, then you’ll have to pay out of pocket until the waiting period is over.
Cia Maritima brought out the big guns – Victoria’s Secret angel Izabel Goulart among other Brazilian-born supermodels – to show off its teeny-weeny bikinis. Jeff Slovin –for the full year, and it was a relatively weak fourth quarter the prior year. The procedure includes scaling and root planing, and is typically used to treat early-stage periodontal disease.
Average Cost of Braces
The overall expenses of all this medical travel or medical tourism trip may still be less costly than what it will cost in European country of USA. Other possible causes of a toothache include trauma to the mouth or jaw, sinusitis, and an earache. Caveat: Although the study found no correlation between total DNA levels and polyp size, it’s possible the size of polyps is relevant to circulating DNA, researchers said. Dental Flossing Of the 80 percent who brush their teeth regularly in the United States, as much as 90 percent do not use dental flossing during teeth cleaning.
The best approach is always a frank discussion with a pet’s personal veterinarian, and depending on many lifestyle factors such as a pet’s temperament, possible physical limitations of the owner, the size of the pet, and level of disease, a good preventive and treatment plan can be customized for each individual pet. The Tragedy of Demounted Driver The case of Deamonte Driver, illustrates the medical dangers of untreated dental problems.
They then charge an enormous amount for the other parts are needed to complete the procedure such as the abutment and crown.
B, we have markets where Omnicam won’t be available for the next year, so these people in those countries, dentists are buying Bluecam and will continue to buy Bluecam. Ages ranged from 65 to 100; two-thirds were women. Tooth Decay & Gum Disease Some studies suggest that dental decay is less frequent in children with Down Syndrome. If your teeth are too small, you might not be a appropriate applicant for this type of braces. S. A dog with something in its throat gags, paws anxiously at its mouth, and may drool or vomit. All the administrative, educational and regulatory practices need a complete revamp. clinics: 117 got ear drops and a bulb syringe for home use and 117 controls received only ear drops. This procedure improves your entire look and will give along-lasting benefit. A survey conducted by the GDC and exclusively revealed to 5 live Breakfast found more than 80% of the 1,021 adults polled thought teeth whitening should be carried out only by a registered, trained and qualified dental professional.
How to Pay for Braces
Referral to a specialist nerve clinic should take place immediately and the implants should be removed promptly, they said.
Circulating free DNA abnormal secretions associated with several cancers and inflammatory conditions was measured in 85 patients age 24 to 87. Here are two references if you need more information.
Encouraging the use of bulb syringes would save patients the time and cost of medical treatment, researchers said. S. But no to worry, as Dentists with their dentistry services in Las Vegas are all ready to resolve your any kind of teeth related problem. Back in the day, when safer sex was first being discussed, no one thought that oral sex could pass infections. Dental implant is a titanium implant that is placed into the jaw/gum to replace missing teeth. You cannot reach all of the food and bacteria with your toothbrush.
The following medical clinics may have dental and orthodontic departments. Some plans may offer sufficient coverage while others may offer none at all.
It is important to brush and floss the teeth in order to prevent any tooth decay. K. In 2004, 234 patients with blocked ears were recruited from seven U.
Types of Braces
They will have a good feeling knowing that they are in good hands and will get the first rate service they are paying for. There are a variety of teeth problems that the cosmetic dentist will take care of. So, do not delay your search for a dental insurance plan. There is also the matter of scientific proof.
Jon Wood Jefferies It’s been a while. We will gladly solve any of your concerns and supply necessity care if needed.
International patients come through medical tourism facilitators like,wellness visit web pages and others. If your pet is young or not in need of a cleaning, your vet should also be able to review techniques during the initial exam. If you opted for porcelain, then the dentist will determine the shade of your teeth to match the crown or bridges color to it. K.
There are various tools are available in the industry which will help all kinds of dental physicians. K. Why are teeth important? The Mtech College India understand this fact well and thus emphasizes on the understanding and practical application of basic principles of mathematics and applied sciences. The King’s College London research team found that these injuries could have a significant impact on people’s quality of life. The dentists will detect cavities by visually inspecting the tooth, using a dental instrument to feel decay, and by dental radiographs.
Jost Fischer Yeah, first of all absolutely this is something that’s a game-changer, and dentists understand that is a game-changer.
Does it matter what the degree is in? S. The short answer is no. If left untreated, gum disease can cause tooth loss, but it can also adversely affect your overall health. A study in the Annals of Family Medicine found that removing earwax with soft plastic bulb syringes is a safe and effective home treatment that significantly reduces patient discomfort and clinic visits. Presented by Ian Cline & Dentsply Academy Click here to register Free: CAMBRA Strategies – Successful Integration into Your Practice Upcoming Live CE Webinar Presenter: Mark Kleive, D. But the shift from Medicaid reimbursements to hospitals is still costly to states. S. I also traveled with my beloved black Video iPod. So from that perspective, we will be moving into the Omnicam deliveries as we ramp up our manufacturing, and as you know from our past experience, it usually takes something around six months to move up to full capacity for our production, which will be February 2013. The providers of these dental plans charge a discounted rate to the beneficiaries of these plans for any kind of services provided by them.
Prices of Braces for Children Increasing in 2013
I don’t want to make this a love-in or anything, but I can honestly tell you that your entrance at CEREC 27.5 a few months ago was probably one of my top memories that I have here doing this job for the last 10 years, so congrats on a great career. This is important to the success of the communication. The average costs of these procedures in Malaysia is half of this in USA and USA, some times even less than that. | <urn:uuid:d3c73a95-736d-49ab-ab18-10238a2e1178> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://best-dental-plans.net/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706890813/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516122130-00065-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.950992 | 1,961 | 2 | 2 |
Definition of yourself
pron. - An emphasized or reflexive form of the pronoun of the second person; -- used as a subject commonly with you; as, you yourself shall see it; also, alone in the predicate, either in the nominative or objective case; as, you have injured yourself. 2
The word "yourself" uses 8 letters: E F L O R S U Y.
No direct anagrams for yourself found in this word list.
Words formed by adding one letter before or after yourself (in bold), or to eflorsuy in any order:
p - profusely
All words formed from yourself by changing one letter
Browse words starting with yourself by next letter | <urn:uuid:dca5c7d9-6ff0-47f9-a0d3-35a900c71786> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.morewords.com/word/yourself/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00047-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.902285 | 148 | 2 | 2 |
The Power of Thanksgiving
By Kay Camenisch
It’s that season again, when we’re reminded to be thankful—and to express thankfulness. God has told us, “In everything give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus” (1 Th. 5:18). Even though we know it’s God’s will, for most of us, a reminder is a good thing, because in the midst of busyness and challenges of life, we often forget to be grateful for our many blessings.
I always think of a particular incident when I think of giving thanks. Many years ago, our friend Paul noticed that his young daughter Susannah had a ritual with her bedtime prayers. She always prayed, “God, bless Mommy, and Daddy, and . . ..” She went down her list, asking God for her all her wants.
At prayer time one night, he said, “Susannah, you have a lot to be thankful for. I’d like you to start your prayers with thanksgiving.” Susannah agreed, but Paul left on a trip the next morning and wasn’t able to reinforce his instruction.
When he returned, her prayers had not changed. He said, “Susannah, what did I ask you to do when you pray?”
She hesitated before answering. “Uhhh. Start my prayers with Halloween?”
She remembered the request—but didn’t understand what thanksgiving was and got mixed up with which holiday he had said.
Unlike Susannah, I understand what it means to give thanks and that it’s good to express appreciation, but I often get so busy that I don’t take note of what I’m grateful for, much less express it to others. I’ve resolved to do better after recently experiencing the blessing of being on the receiving end.
My husband is a pastor of a church of amazing people that regularly communicate their thanks. It makes it a joy to be part of them. However, we were recently showered with love and many expressions of appreciation. I must admit, it felt good. It deepened our love and our commitment to give more of ourselves. It also made me want to be more faithful in expressing my thanks.
But that was just the beginning of the day. After church and the dinner that followed, our home filled with out-of-town family that came to celebrate Dad’s 89th birthday. We visited, celebrated, and enjoyed being together. After the meal, while still around the table, I was once again struck with what an impact it makes to speak words of appreciation.
Robert’s youngest brother said, “Dad, at our house, we have a tradition that we do on birthdays, and we’d like to do it now.” He went on to explain that we wanted to each share something with Dad that we appreciated about him, starting with the youngest and moving up.
Seven-year-old Elena went first, and one at a time, each of ten people at the table shared something they were grateful for, something Dad had done that had blessed his or her life. Most shared two or three things that had made an impact—and all sounded sincere.
At least once, Dad’s eyes filled with tears. Others were touched too. It was a precious time, and a much bigger blessing than the simple gifts given earlier.
It was also powerful. Dad wasn’t the only one blessed. We all left the table encouraged, strengthened, and closer to one another because of words of gratefulness. All we did was say thanks—but we don’t make a point to do that often enough. I basked in the blessing and power of the time around the table for several days.
I wish we had practiced that tradition in our home as our children were growing up. In fact, I’m wondering how to stimulate more giving of thanks in other settings—of open, sincere, thoughtful expressions of appreciation. If you have ideas, I’m interested.
However, after some thought, I’ve decided that the best place to begin is with myself. I might not impact the whole community, but I could encourage some.
Meanwhile, I hope your Thanksgiving is blessed with gratefulness—and with thanks giving.
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Kay W. Camenisch is the author of Uprooting Anger: Destroying the Monster Within. She has been published in The Upper Room and The Lookout. Contemporary Drama has published one of her plays, and she regularly contributes to a newspaper column. Kay is also a pastor’s wife, mother, and grandmother. She has worked closely in ministry with her husband, including in local churches, as missionaries in Brazil, working with a church school, training young adults to mentor troubled youth, and establishing and directing a ranch for troubled young men. Send Kay your comments
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When it once more reached the point where its view of the world naturally sought expression in painting, as religious ideas had done before, the Renaissance found in Venice clearer utterance than elsewhere, and it is perhaps this fact which makes the most abiding interest of Venetian painting. It is at this point that we shall take it up.
The growing delight in life with the consequent love of health, beauty, and joy were felt more powerfully in Venice than anywhere else in Italy. The explanation of this may be found in the character of the Venetian government which was such that it gave little room for the satisfaction of the passion for personal glory, and kept its citizens so busy in duties of state that they had small leisure for learning. Some of the chief passions of the Renaissance thus finding no outlet in Venice, the other passions insisted all the more on being satisfied. Venice, moreover, was the only state in Italy which was enjoying, and for many generations had been enjoying, internal peace. This gave the Venetians a love of comfort, of ease, and of splendour, a refinement of manner, and humaneness of feeling, which made them the first modern people in Europe.
Since there was little room for personal glory in Venice, the perpetuators of glory, the Humanists, found at first scant encouragement there, and the Venetians were saved from that absorption in archaeology and pure science which overwhelmed Florence at an early date. This was not necessarily an advantage in itself, but it happened to suit Venice, where the conditions of life had for some time been such as to build up a love of beautiful things. As it was, the feeling for beauty was not hindered in its natural development. Archaeology would have tried to submit it to the good taste of the past, a proceeding which rarely promotes good taste in the present. Too much archaeology and too much science might have ended in making Venetian art academic, instead of letting it become what it did, the product of a natural ripening of interest in life and love of pleasure.
In Florence, it is true, painting had developed almost simultaneously with the other arts, and it may be due to this cause that the Florentine painters never quite realized what a different task from the architect's and sculptor's was theirs. At the time, therefore, when the Renaissance was beginning to find its best expression in painting, the Florentines were already too much attached to classical ideals of form and composition, in other words, too academic, to give embodiment to the throbbing feeling for life and pleasure.
Thus it came to pass that in the Venetian pictures of the end of the fifteenth century we find neither the contrition nor the devotion of those earlier years when the Church alone employed painting as the interpreter of emotion, nor the learning which characterized the Florentines. The Venetian masters of this time, although nominally continuing to paint the Madonna and saints, were in reality painting handsome, healthy, sane people like themselves, people who wore their splendid robes with dignity, who found life worth the mere living and sought no metaphysical basis for it. In short, the Venetian pictures of the last decade of the century seemed intended not for devotion, as they had been, nor for admiration, as they then were in Florence, but for enjoyment.
The Church itself, as has been said, had educated its children to understand painting as a language.
Now that the passions men dared to avow were no longer connected with happiness in some future state only, but mainly with life in the present, painting was expected to give voice to these more human aspirations and to desert the outgrown ideals of the Church. In Florence, the painters seemed unable or unwilling to make their art really popular. Nor was it so necessary there, for Poliziano, Pulci, and Lorenzo dei Medici supplied the need of self-expression by addressing the Florentines in the language which their early enthusiasm for antiquity and their natural gifts had made them understand better than any other -- the language of poetry.
In Venice alone painting remained what it had been all over Italy in earlier times, the common tongue of the whole mass of the people. Venetian artists thus had the strongest inducements to perfect the processes which painters must employ to make pictures look real to their own generation; and their generation had an altogether firmer hold on reality than any that had been known since the triumph of Christianity. Here again the comparison of the Renaissance to youth must be borne in mind. The grasp that youth has on reality is not to be compared to that brought by age, and we must not expect to find in the Renaissance a passion for on acquaintance with things as they are such as we ourselves have; but still its grasp of facts was far firmer than that of the Middle Ages.
Painting, in accommodating itself to the new ideas, found that it could not attain to satisfactory representation merely by form and colour, but that it required light and shadow and effects of space. Indeed, venial faults of drawing are perhaps the least disturbing, while faults of perspective, of spacing, and of colour completely spoil a picture for people who have an everyday acquaintance with painting such as the Venetians had. We find the Venetian painters, therefore, more and more intent upon giving the space they paint its real depth, upon giving solid objects the full effect of the round, upon keeping the different parts of a figure within the same plane, and upon compelling things to hold their proper places one behind the other.
As early as the beginning of the sixteenth century a few of the greater Venetian painters had succeeded in making distant objects less and less distinct, as well as smaller and smaller, and had succeeded also in giving some appearance of reality to the atmosphere. These are a few of the special problems of painting, as distinct from sculpture for instance, and they are problems which, among the Italians, only the Venetians and the painters closely connected with them solved with any success.
Renaissance Art, Renaissance Painting, Giorgione, Italian Art, Lotto, Giotto, The School of Leonardo, Raphael, Tintoretto, Paolo Veronese, Velasquez, Longhi, Massacchio, Verocchio, Naturalism, Duccio, Simone Martini, Renaissance Painters, Donatello, Pisanello, Liberale, Boticelli, Melozzo da Forli, Luca Signorelli, Michelangelo, Butinole, Zenalle, Bramante, Bramantino, Correggio, Leoardo da Vinci, Tactile Values, Humanism, The School of Verona, The Umbrian School, The School of Perugia, Domenico Brusasorci, Vincenzo Foppa, Milanese Art, Venetian Art, The School of Piedmont, Florence Art
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or Navy Tactical Data System
(NTDS), was designed as a more reliable replacement for the AN/USQ-17
, with the same instruction set
. The first batch of 17 computers were delivered to the Navy starting in early 1961
. A version of the AN/USQ-20 for use by the other military services and NASA
was designated the UNIVAC 1206
. Another version, designated the G-40
, replaced the vacuum tube UNIVAC 1104
in the BOMARC
The machine was the size and shape of an old fashioned double-door refrigerator, about six feet tall.
Instructions were represented as 30 bit words, in the following format:
f 6 bits function code
j 3 bits jump condition designator
k 3 bits partial word designator
b 3 bits which index register to use
y 15 bits operand address in memory
Numbers were represented as 30 bit words, this allowed for five 6 bit alphanumeric characters per word.
The main memory was 32,768 words of core memory.
The available registers were:
- one 30 bit arithmetic (A) register.
- a contiguous 30 bit Q register (total of 60 bits for the result of multiplication or the dividend in division).
- seven 15 bit index (B) registers. | <urn:uuid:3367eab7-1d52-49a8-b6ed-ae3421f055a9> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.fact-index.com/a/an/an_usq_20.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00074-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.934852 | 270 | 2.984375 | 3 |