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From Ohio History Central
Richard Morgan and OSU field school class at Fort Ancient in 1940. Morgan is in the middle of back row, wearing a hat
Richard G. Morgan was born in Middletown, Ohio in 1903. He attended the Ohio State University and earned a B.A. degree in 1926 followed by the M.A. degree in 1929. His field of study was geology, but he had a strong interest in archaeology as well. He wrote his Master's thesis on the geological aspects of Ohio archaeology in which he identified many of the sources of flint and other raw materials used by ancient Ohio Indians. In the introduction, he acknowledged the considerable aid he had received from Henry Shetrone.
Morgan studied anthropology at the University of Chicago beginning in 1929, but never earned his Ph.D. In 1936, Morgan replaced Emerson Greenman as the curator of archaeology of the Ohio Historical Society.
Morgan worked on a number of sites, including the Fairport Harbor village site, Florence Mound, the Fort Ancient Earthworks, and Dunlap Mound. During World War II, little fieldwork could be done, so Morgan, who was excused from military service due to a physical disability, focused his efforts on organizing the Society's collections, developing museum exhibits, writing pamphlets on several of the Society's sites, and co-authoring a bibliography of Ohio archaeology.
His major contributions to archaeology include the demonstration that people of the Hopewell culture had built the Fort Ancient earthworks, not the people the Fort Ancient culture. In addition, in a synthesis of Ohio archaeology published in 1952, Morgan established the correct sequence of prehistoric cultures in Ohio as Archaic, Early Woodland, Middle Woodland, and Mississippian. This achievement was particularly remarkable, as radiocarbon dating still had not been widely applied to archaeological problems.
In 1947, during the Second Red Scare, Richard Morgan was accused of being a Communist sympathizer and dismissed from his position with the Ohio Historical Society. He never again worked as an archaeologist and died in Mexico in 1968. | <urn:uuid:4334f8aa-0060-4ba3-b439-406f8d0b380f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.ohiohistorycentral.org/w/Morgan,_Richard_G.?rec=2847&nm=Richard-G-Morgan | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706890813/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516122130-00030-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.979403 | 430 | 2.890625 | 3 |
May 21, 2013,
Chromium in Diet
News & Features
Millions of people throw away good money and, sometimes, their good health, using over-the-counter weight-loss remedies that don’t work.
In coming months, Coca-Cola and PepsiCo will introduce carbonated drinks fortified with vitamins and minerals.
Now that ephedra is to be banned, the millions of people who have been taking the supplement to lose weight or control it may find themselves looking for an alternative. But weight-loss and nutrition experts nationwide say that no other over-the-counter supplements advertised as weight-loss aids are as effective as ephedra. ''I'm not pushing ephedra, and I wouldn't recommend it to anybody, but several very good studies have shown that ephedra combined with caffeine promotes weight loss,'' said Dr. Ken Fujioka, director of the Nutrition and Metabolic Research Center at the Scripps Clinic in San Diego. ''I don't know of any other over-the-counter preparation that has shown that kind of consistent effect.''
ADD the smoothie to the summer drink list. A kind of New Age milkshake of West Coast origin, the smoothie is a frosty pureed blend of fruit and, usually, juices, yogurt or sorbet. Compared with old-fashioned lemonade or ice tea, it's a meal, or at least dessert. ''Smoothie bars are a dime a dozen in California,'' said Nancy Zaro, the owner of Juice and Joe, a new drink bar at 357 Sixth Avenue (West Fourth Street), in Greenwich Village, which has a menu of more than two dozen smoothies. ''Smoothies are a way of mainstreaming something that is good for you.''
CHROMIUM PICOLINATE is the hottest dietary supplement on the market. The Federal Trade Commission says that at least nine million consumers spend $100 million a year on various forms of it. And no wonder. If half the claims made for it were true, it would probably be as important a discovery as aspirin or penicillin. Or sliced bread.
THE Federal Trade Commission announced a settlement last week with Abbott Laboratories for deceptive advertising of its nutritional supplement, Ensure. This came six weeks after the commission announced another important settlement, this one with three companies involved in the production and sale of the dietary supplement chromium picolinate. The two actions reflect the commission's recent rededication to enforcement. ''Clearly, nutrition advertising claims for both food products and supplement products have been a high priority for us'' in the last few years, said Lee Peeler, associate director for advertising practices in the commission's Bureau of Consumer Protection. ''We think nutritional advertising is important and we are taking a close look at it.''
DIET and fitness books have a new look: many now come with phone numbers offering products for sale that are supposed to help the dieter lose weight painlessly, whether it's by eating too few carbohydrates or too many, too little protein or too much, too little fat or too much. So now the authors are making money not only from book royalties but also from the sale of nutrition bars that can replace meals, supplements to increase athletic performance and even a face cream to reduce cancer-causing free radicals. After spending $20 or $30, readers put their faith in the programs, and many are eager to buy anything that may make it easier to lose weight.
A REPORT that chromium picolinate, a widely used dietary supplement, can damage chromosomes has touched off a sometimes furious debate between the authors of the paper and critics of their studies. The scientific study was published this week in The Faseb Journal, a scientific publication of the Federation of American Societies of Experimental Biology. But early news of the findings, including an article in The New York Times, prompted such a strong response from critics that the scientists published a response to critics along with their original paper.
CHROMIUM picolinate, a dietary supplement popular among fitness buffs and people trying to lose weight, has been shown in tests done on cells grown in the laboratory to cause severe damage to chromosomes. Although no animal studies of the supplement's cancer-causing potential have yet been done, the genetic changes observed in the laboratory suggest that this widely sold supplement could be carcinogenic. Chromium is being promoted as an aid to losing weight without having to exert willpower and to losing fat without losing lean body mass. It is said to curb the appetite and favor the buildup of muscle tissue, though neither of these claims has been tested in a systematic, scientific way.
LEAD: BABY BOOMERS brought up on a steady diet of children's cereals in the 1960's and 70's must be struck by the commercials for adult cereals over the last two or three years. Unlike the commercials of their youth, which emphasized fun and tie-ins with television characters, adult cereals trumpet their fiber and dried fruits.
LEAD: A healthful diet should include a smidgen of chromium a day, the Federal Agriculture Department reports.
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CNBC reported a uranium mining company in Virginia says public water supplies will not be threatened by the processing of the radioactive ore.
As quoted in the market news:
Virginia Uranium Inc. restated its commitment to store radioactive-laced rock from the so-called Coles Hill deposit in below-ground containment cells, which it said would “eliminate the risk” of tailings entering public water supplies.
A Virginia Beach study has warned that a catastrophic weather event at a Pittsylvania County milling facility could scatter waste known as tailings into Lake Gaston, which supplies water to the resort city and neighboring communities about 100 miles away. The study’s conclusions were based on above-ground containment cells. | <urn:uuid:c821dfd4-4aa1-445b-95b8-5418ab027e8a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://uraniuminvestingnews.com/12410/uranium-mining-wont-affect-water-supply.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00051-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.96614 | 149 | 1.976563 | 2 |
At eMDee Mountain Horses, we believe that the mare's contribution to a foal's genetics is as important as the stallion's contribution. In addition, the mare's disposition may be the most important influence on the foal's behavior from birth to weaning. With this in mind, our brood mares have been carefully chosen for their blood lines, disposition and abilities.
We have a small herd of mares, many have proven themselves to be champions in the show ring and all are delights in the pasture. We have selected these brood mares for their diverse genetic backgrounds. Whether breeding for show or trail horses, we want to preserve the traditional mountain horse characteristics that make them a pleasure to be around.
When we learned about the Rocky Mountain Horse, we were told they were "easy keepers". Our brood mares have taught us that they prefer being at pasture, rather than in a barn. They only take cover in a "walk-in" on the coldest, wettest winter days and the hottest summer days. We provide mineral blocks year round, but only feed anything other than hay or grass in the last 3 months of pregnancy and until weaning the foals. Foaling occurs at pasture, except in the worst weather.
We are amazed at what "easy keeper" really means.
Our mares form close bonds with each other, babysitting each others foals and grooming each other regularly. Foals learn herd rules early, under the close watch of their mothers and babysitters. I have been told "the best horseman is the one you find at the fence with his foot propped on the bottom board, just watching the horses interact with each other". Michael must be a great horseman, because that is where he most likes to be, watching brood mares and babies doing nothing other than being horses.
(click on mare and foal to see pedigrees of our brood mares)
Choco Docks Candy (Candy)
2002 RMHA Florida State Grand Champion
Dam to: FairWinds Cinder Ella, 2005 filly
eMDee's Sugar and Spice, 2006 filly (below)
eMDee's Rhythm and Blues, 2009 colt
Candy's color and presence make her a stand out in the pasture. At 14.3 she isn't very big, but under saddle she turned heads because of her big way of going. An unknown injury cut her show career short but she has gone on to prove herself as a great brood mare. Red chocolate with no red gene, she has given us gorgeous champion conformation horses.
2005 UMH World Champion 3 yo Park
2008 UMH World Champion 4 and older Mares Conformation
2008 UMH Reserve World Grand Champion 2+ Open Conformation
2008 UMH World Champion Open Ladies Classic
2008 UMH High Point Ladies Classic
2009 UMH 4 and older Conformation High Point
Misty May, one of the sweetest mares ever, is big and beautiful with a step as big as her heart. A wonderful Momma, she has easily proven herself as a brood mare with her first two foals. She teaches her foals to love people. She and her foal come running with a big and a little whinny just for a kiss on the nose.
Legendary Lady (Lady)
2006 RMHA Sam Tuttle Award
2007 UMH Amateur Western Champion
2007 RMHA Sam Tuttle Award 2007 RMHA Charles Kilburn Award
2007 RMHA International Trail Pleasure Grand Champion
2007 RMHA International Amateur Owned and Trained Trail Pleasure Grand Champion
2008 UMH Reserve World Champion Amateur Western
2008 UMH World Champion Amateur Trail Obstacle
2008 RMHA International Western Reserve Grand Champion
2009 3 Phase Event Beginner Novice Level Adult Champion
2009 3 Phase Event Novice Level Adult Reserve Champion
2009 AGMH 3 Phase Event High Point Horse
2009 UMH Reserve Country Trail World Grand Champion
2009 UMH Reserve Western World Grand Champion
2010 RMHA International Amateur Trail Pleasure Grand Champion
2010 RMHA International Western Grand Champion
2012 RMHA International Amateur Owned and Trained Country Trail Pleasure Grand Champion
Dam to: eMDee’s Black Gold, 2004 colt
LADY is LEGENDARY! She has won an RMHA Grand Championship in every division she has ever competed in. The ONLY Mountain Horse to have ever achieved this!
She is a "once in a lifetime" horse and she is everything a mountain horse is said to be!!!!!
See details of Lady's story on our "Bragging" page
Lady's 2007 RMHA
Trail Grand Championship Victory Pass
Fair Silk (Silky)
1998 International Grand Champion Under Saddle
Dam to: FairWinds Silk Warning, 2000 filly
Fair Blue Silk, 2002 filly Moses T Silk, 2003 gelding
Winsome Silk, 2004 filly Smooth as Silk, 2005 filly
eMDee's Silk Sensation, 2006 filly
I didn't get to see Silky show, but I have been told "she brought tears to your eyes". Red chocolate, she is now a fantastic brood mare with a Sam Tuttle winner and conformation World Grand Champions among her off-spring. We took Silky back to the ring this year for the RMHA International 25th Anniversary Parade of Champions. She was as regal as ever and ready to go. Not too shabby for "an old broodmare".
Dolene Marcum (Dolly)
Dam to: eMDee's Pre-fon-taine, 2009 colt
We went looking for a way to add new color to our herd and found Dolly. She has 2 creme genes, a silver gene, and a bay gene. We definitely got the color possibilities! She is one of the last grade mares registered by the RMHA and her AGMH papers show that she is from very old MPHA bloodlines. Maple's Squirrel, Choco, Moon and Denniston's Champ can be found on her pedigree. Dolly is calm and comes eagerly in the field for attention. Her first foal by Fury is gorgeous, sweet, and gaits effortlessly under saddle.
LS Stop the Music (Music)
Dam to: VBF Motown Motion (2003, colt)
VBF Stack the Deck (2004, colt) VBF Bluegrass Music (2005, colt)
eMDee's I Hope You Dance (2012, filly)
Music is "a horse of a different color". She is a Double silver smoky black, sometimes called bronze. She is very friendly, easy to catch, and gaits in the field. She has always been bred to black stallions for a beautiful chocolate or cream chocolate baby every time. We can hardly wait to see her foal.
Dam to: Flashy Feature (1997, colt) MidSummer's Night (1998, filly)
SRF's Political Attack (2002, colt) SRF's Santana (2004, colt)
Pacific Holiday (2005, colt) Silver Sienna (2007, filly)
Holiday's Silver Son (2008, colt) Silver Holiday (2009, colt)
Silver's Promise (2010, filly)
Holiday came home to live with her famous daughter, Legendary Lady. She is our first sorrel. With black, chocolate, and sorrel offspring, we are excited to see what she will produce when crossed with Fury.
eMDee's Sugar and Spice (Spice)
2006 UMH Breeders Cup Champion Weanling Fillies
2007 UMH High Point Yearling Filly
2007 UMH World Champion Yearling Fillies
2008 UMH Breeders' Cup Champion Open Trail/Conformation
2008 UMH Reserve World Champion 2-3 yo Mares Conformation
2008 UMH World Champion Open Am/NonPro 2+ Conformation
2008 KMSHA Int'l Champion 2 & 3 yo Mares Conformation
2008 KMSHA Int'l Champion Open 2 & 3 yo Conformation
2008 KMSHA Int'l Jr. Robinson Memorial Award
2009 UMH Reserve World Grand Champion 2 and older Conformation
2009 UMH World Champion Am/Non Pro 2 and Older Conformation
Spice is a 5 yo red chocolate maiden mare, out of our mare Candy (above).
Spice is beautiful, sweet, and will be a great cross with either Flash or Fury.
This will be a hard choice.
Fisher's Princess (Princess)
DAM to: Komtesse Roe 1997, filly Sam's Easy Rider 1998, colt
MGF's Phoenix 2002, colt
Princess is a wonderful, chocolate daughter of Blue Mountain Rumbo. We hope to carry on that line, crossing her with both Flash and Fury in the next few years. We can't wait to see what she will give us this spring. | <urn:uuid:85a6f5f2-f02f-474a-a6a8-6c7841167bfd> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.emdeemountainhorses.com/mares.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00022-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.915425 | 1,861 | 1.960938 | 2 |
Outside Naples, in the town of Caiazzo, a wood stove burns on the first floor of what Franco Pepe calls his laboratory. The stone house, which sits astride a hillside alley, is home to his latest restaurant, Pepe in Grani, which opened last month. Mr. Pepe is busy testing different flour combinations in a search for the perfect dough for the pizzas his new establishment and pizza maker training facility will serve.
"I research the products I use, and that's important," Mr. Pepe says. "But the most important element remains the impasto, the dough. With a mixture of inferior grains, you will never achieve the same results."
His kitchen reveals a blend of high-cuisine ambitions and pizza's peasant past. The wood-burning brick oven is newly crafted by Stefano Ferrara, one of the world's top artisanal manufacturers. A laser-guided thermometer helps Mr. Pepe track the temperature within the bricks. Wooden crates cradle flawlessly formed, hand-kneaded balls of dough—"little yeast, lots of time," Mr. Pepe says, echoing a key pizzaiuolo dictum. Clay pots house a local spicy pecorino, while the fragrance of hand-selected oregano spills forth from open glass containers. The stufa, a conical metal container used in the old days to keep pies warm while they were delivered door to door, draws the eye.
"The stufa is a reminder that making pizza should take you back out to people," he explains. "This type of product was made to meet the hunger of regular people. We are artisans."
Mr. Pepe isn't alone in his passion. From Naples's historic center to its surrounding region, Italian pizza makers are building on tradition to give this city's greatest culinary staple a push forward.
Local critics and pizza makers themselves agree that pizza is better in the city and region now than it has been in years, thanks to artisans like Mr. Pepe driving a search for quality and authenticity that had escaped the sector in the mid-1980s, when its popularity exploded.
Pizzerias excel by following a few strict and unalterable guidelines. "A wood-burning oven, production by hand, proper treatment of yeast," is how Massimo Di Porzio, vice president of the Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana describes it. "These are the three secrets."
The best way to tune your palate to the formula is to start your journey by visiting one of the pizzerie storiche in Naples's downtown and ordering a margherita. "These places are always holes in the wall," says Dino Buonaiuto, a local resident.
Blending history with recognized quality, a number of these places, such as the Materdei neighborhood's Starita, which Sophia Loren made famous in the 1954 film "L'oro di Napoli," or Da Attilio in the heart of the Pignasecca, help define the neighborhood around them.
Da Michele's, a short distance from the central train station in downtown Naples, serves only two pizzas—margherita and marinara. A set of plaques running from floor to ceiling and written in acerbic Neapolitan dialect explain why. All the explanation you really need, though, is in the first bite. The dough is light, but firm and a bit sweet. Dark spots dot the crust, but it never crosses the line to biscottato, a crunchiness traditionalists despise. Nothing more than a few euros is necessary to understand what sits at the root of the city's love affair with pizza. Every innovation, every step forward, relies on mastery of the most basic culinary skill: baking bread.
As pizza consultant Enzo Coccia puts it: "We are bakers above all. To know how to make pizza, you have to know how to make bread."
Mr. Coccia, who opened Pizzaria La Notizia in 1994 in Naples's uptown Vomero neighborhood, expanded in 2010 to open a more upscale, experimental branch of the restaurant. The newer restaurant serves up an array of "creative pizzas" conceived and tested in all-staff meetings and cooked using ingredients found in the surrounding countryside.
This approach stands out in a city that has come to believe that margherita and marinara are the only true pizzas, a notion Mr. Coccia passionately and scientifically opposes with creations in which succulent zucchini flowers meld with a nut oil and basil in a pesto-like burst of fresh flavor or, in another, sun-dried tomatoes and capers meet anchovies of an almost delicate flavor to create the Santa Lucia, which hearkens back to an old pizza recipe popular with the port city's sailors.
"When our staff gathers, everyone comes up with ideas," he says. "We try them out, see if it's OK. It's a group job."
Ask for a degustazione and Mr. Coccia's staff will make recommendations for each round of pizzas to try. The experience at Pizzaria La Notizia, paired with a bottle of Terre del Principe wine, will far outrank the €60 to €100 you will spend on dinner for two. Mr. Coccia and staff's creations are no flights of whimsy. As in any art, innovation must be grounded on a solid foundation, he explains. "If you don't know how to attain the right temperature to bake the dough, if you don't know how a tomato is grown, how can you talk about innovation?" he says.
“If you don't know how to attain the right temperature to bake the dough, don't know how a tomato is grown, how can you talk about innovation?”
Sometimes innovation is simply a change in coordinates. Naples residents have long held that the only true pizza comes out of the brick ovens strictly within the city limits—the closer to the center, the better. But to understand where pizza is going, you should eventually head to the Neapolitan hinterlands.
Reserve a bed-and-breakfast in Sant'Agata de' Goti, a postcard-perfect medieval burg about 45 kilometers away that is built atop a tuff mountain far off the tourist charts. From there, a short drive to Caiazzo takes you to the restaurant of the Pepe family, Antica Osteria Pizzeria Pepe, which has won over aficionados from throughout the region. The Pepe family serves up as good a margherita as can be found anywhere in the Spanish Quarter: The dough is tender and the crust rises thumb high. Steam dances off a thick but light mix of San Marzano tomatoes and fior di latte mozzarella, an impossibly green burst of basil crowning the creamy ensemble.
Mr. Pepe decided to diversify from the family tradition: In mid-October he christened his second location, Pepe in Grani, in an expertly renovated 18th-century building that will house a library, rooms for people following his courses, and several separate dining spaces. The students are already pizza makers themselves, but want to deepen their craft.
Back in Mr. Pepe's kitchen, the spicy pecorino from the clay pots is being set atop pepper, basil and strutto, a spread made from pork fat, which come together as his rendition of mastunicola, an ancient dish that predates the arrival of the tomato; its consumption has been traced back as far as the 16th century. Mr. Pepe's version of the dish will come to many diners as a completely new blend of scents and flavors. To give it a modern spin, he tops the ensemble with white fig preserves from the Cilento area. "This is about bringing pizza among people in a way that recalls the smells of long ago," he says.
As for the stufa in the corner: "I'll use it often, both for people who are waiting here and to deliver it to people's houses." | <urn:uuid:6fa91dca-b518-4ce2-82f4-c70327fe9acf> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204840504578086811735613862.html?mod=wsj_article_exploremore_2 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00033-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.955317 | 1,676 | 1.625 | 2 |
Meeting with the production team of a client this morning, we explored the implications of being a luxury brand, which this company is.
One of the points I made was that for luxury brands, the stories & the myths matter as much as the products themselves. The creative, labour-intensive process combined with the challenge of producing or sourcing extremely high-quality materials makes for a compelling story.
One of the team members commented that she was comfortable writing about the process on their blog, but felt that she needed to work hard to keep herself out of the story. “I don’t think it should be about me.” she said.
“Absolutely it should be about you!” I responded.
Stories drive great brands. Prima donna designers, components requiring hours of hand-finishing, parts and raw materials sourced from mysterious and exotic places… all fodder for stories that feed luxury brands. And stories about people connect most deeply of all.
All businesses can learn something from that.
In his article The 5 Types Of Small Business Backstories Rohit Bhargava provides an excellent introduction to the role of backstories in the promotion of a small business. As Rohit writes:
“Every small business has a story waiting to be told—and that story can be your most powerful ally in demonstrating how your business is different from all others.”
This is so true. Sometimes in seeking to differentiate a small business, we reach for the usual list of adjectives, abilities, and values. The trouble with that list is that it is the same one your competitors use. One of the things none of your competitors can duplicate is the story of how you got here.
Your backstory is only one source for stories that connect with your customers and truly help to differentiate you. Here are three more:
- Your team members. The unique stories that are the lives and experiences of your team members are a great connecting point for your customers. Larger organizations have known this for years, and have used images of their “everyman/woman” employees in their advertising to ‘humanize’ their corporate images.
- Your operations. Like my client, you may some intriguing stories about where you get your supplies and inputs from. This is an especially powerful tactic today with more and more people interested in the sources of the things they buy. Check out this link (ThisFish) as an example!
- Your community. Is your business located in a heritage building? Does your business contribute to community and not-for-profit events? More sources for stories… and pictures to feed the endless appetite of your social marketing!
Unlike claims about customer service, no two stories are truly alike. And humans are wired for stories; we tell them to connect. Telling your stories is one of the best ways to build those unique relationships with your customers.
Want to improve your communication with employees, partners,and customers? I help organizations improve communication through social media strategies and management-level workshops. Check out these opportunities to work with me online, from anywhere in the world: Effective Online Coaching Programs.
There’s more! Looking for success in your small business? Read my Small Business blog at Small Business Fundamentals (www.smbfundamentals.com). | <urn:uuid:a91c6176-370e-47f0-9f99-330e774f6ed6> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.clemensrettich.com/blog/communication/marketing/its-your-story-using-stories-to-market-your-business | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00008-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.953661 | 679 | 1.546875 | 2 |
NAVIGATION: You are presently looking at Part 20.2
Today's excerpt from Tom Lee's exploration of the origins of Christianity brings us to the emergence of Mary in the worship of the Church. He tells of the discovery of the first hymn to Mary and the role Arianism played in setting the intellectual structure for the growth of Mariology.
Arian Resurgence as the Sons Inherit. Part 20.2
The birth of Mariology...
It is from this time, and from Egypt, that we have the earliest known hymn to Mary, a papyrus manuscript written in Latin. The first pages of the document carry a speech by Cicero, and then follows the hymn. Headed Psalmus responsorius; each verse begins with a successive letter of the alphabet, followed by a refrain or response. The first verse deals with the descent of Christ from David. Then subsequent verses take up the story of Mary, her childhood and marriage to Joseph, as told in the Apocryphal Gospel of James (which was in circulation before 200).
The whole papyrus seems to have been a schoolbook. That would account for the Cicero passage, for Latin was not as common in Egypt as it was in the rest of North Africa. Schoolboys might learn it, if they were hoping for a civil service career in the Roman Empire as adults. The hymn with its jingle would have been an easy way of acquiring some idea of the life of Christ and of Mary's role. The concluding part of the manuscript contains in Greek a canon of the Mass.
After Arius a place remained open in the structure of heaven. The biblical texts pointed to a super-creature. It was the mother of Christ who filled the void. The Wisdom texts, which Arius had abused, were in the liturgy quite naturally applied to Christ's mother. Arianism prepared the intellectual structures that helped to develop Mariology. But, as the revisionist German theologian Uta Ranke-Heinemann has pointed out; the virgin birth as we find it in Christian orthodoxy, was intended as a metaphor for messianic rejuvenation. It was understood as such in the first century. Subsequently the early Church Fathers distorted New Testament innuendo, ignored the evidence of Jesus' blood relatives and created, for reasons of their own, a grotesque biological ethic in which the Virgin reigned supreme. But it would take another hundred years before she was proclaimed Mother of God.
The death of Bishop Eusebius at Constantinople in the winter of 341-2 led to crisis at the capital. Heated partisanship produced two rival bishops (Paul and Macedonius) who alternately ousted each other for several years. Constans, now sole ruler in the west and a supporter of Bishop Julius of Rome, exerted some muscle on Constantius to bring his bishops into line.
Council at Sofia in Bulgaria...
Jointly the emperors called a council of both East and West to meet at Sofia in Bulgaria, just west of the border between the two halves of the empire. The aged Ossius of Cordova was called on to preside. Julius of Rome did not attend.
Bolstered by a polemic by Firmicus Maternus, The Error of the Pagan Religions, the imperial brothers jointly decreed that "the laws must be armed with an avenging sword" to rid the land of passive homosexuals, "those men who marry men as if they were women". The co-emperors also continued suppression of the seemingly irrepressible male prostitutes, the exsoleti.
Firmicus was a Roman senator, who, after his own baptism, urged the imperial brothers to enforce conversions, and stamp out paganism by armed force, justifying such a policy by citing Deuteronomy 13. "If your brother ... or your son or daughter, or the wife you cherish, or the friend with whom you share your life, if one of these secretly tries to entice you, saying, 'Come, let us serve other gods' ... you must show him no pity, you must not spare him, you must not conceal his guilt. No, you must kill him; your hand is to be the first raised against him in putting him to death, the hand of all the people will come next."
A beaming crocodile, Firmicus evidently had not absorbed Christ's injunction to love your enemies. His book was a handbook of intolerance, repeatedly associating pagan cults with sexual immorality and especially with homosexuality. In the inflamed rhetoric of the time, sensational charges were made on both sides. Pagan attacks on Christianity included the accusation that Christians worshiped their priests' genitals.
Before the council could get to business, the eastern bishops with Arian sympathies, protested against the presence of both Athanasius and Marcellus, and withdrew, probably because they were obviously outnumbered. The two camps having roundly cursed each other got down to business in separate locations. Just like politicians they had all their quarrels in public and their agreements in secret.
The Greeks, in self-defense, produced a revised creed with an anti-Arian anathema. The Latins issued a set of canons designed to impose discipline on unconventional and over-ambitious bishops, including a rule that the bishop of Rome could appoint judges to hear appeals from any bishop under censure in his own province. It was the foot in the door for later Roman claims to supreme jurisdiction in the Church.
A sort of unity was achieved, more a truce than a peace accord, when the Western bishops agreed to quietly drop the cause of Marcellus, and the Eastern bishops agreed to accept Athanasius. In 346 a triumphant Athanasius returned to the see of Alexandria. But accord was short-lived. In 350 a usurper, Magnentius, overthrew and slew emperor Constans in Gaul. Constans' brother Constantius refused to acknowledge the victor and three years of bloody civil war ensued, till Constantine's surviving son won the decisive victory at Mursa. Believing the prayers of the Arian bishop, Valens of Mursa, had sustained him Constantius made him a close adviser in church matters. Valens loathed Athanasius, and Constantius was now sole emperor.
Constantius had more pressing worries than the Church. He was suffering military reverses in Asia at the hands of the Persians, and German tribes had taken advantage of the civil war in the West to wreak devastation throughout Gaul. Hard pressed, the emperor summoned his cousin Julian from philosophic studies at Athens, to command the legions in Gaul.
Ruthlessly loyal, Julian expelled the barbarians and held the frontier, despite the fact that he had grown up in protective custody, fearful for his life, and Constantius had appointed Julian's brother Gallus as Caesar of the East, then deposed, tried and executed him. Constantius was described as an ugly person, not as nice as he looked.
Rome was more and more a backwater. Foreign wars and difficulties of transport played havoc with food supply. Most Italian farmland was exhausted and turning to desert. There were expulsions of foreigners from the city of Rome by the natives, complaining that they had not enough to feed their own. People rioted because of a lack of wine. The news from other cities was just as bad. Carthage ran short of grain. In Antioch the starving masses burnt down a mansion and tore the owner limb from limb. Similar atrocities followed in Rome, the triumph of Christianity not withstanding.
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The Impact of Credit Easing So Far
Although credit market conditions have improved some in recent weeks, liquidity strains remain. Accordingly, monetary policy continues to focus on restoring financial stability. A recent Economic Trends article describe a framework for understanding the new policy tools that have been created and employed by the Federal Reserve to support credit markets and restore their functioning. These tools, as Chairman Bernanke has pointed out, enable the Fed to respond aggressively to the crisis even though the federal funds rate stands near zero.
One common feature of the new tools is that “They all make use of the asset side of the Federal Reserve’s balance sheet. That is, each involves the Fed’s authorities to extend credit or purchase securities.” In this way, the Fed can supplement its traditional monetary policy tools by changing the mix of the financial assets it holds, stimulating specific troubled markets in the process. Chairman Bernanke calls the approach “credit-easing.” (Our website provides data on each of the new tools.)
While many new, seemingly diverse credit-easing tools have been introduced, Bernanke divides them into three groups: lending to financial institutions, providing liquidity to key credit markets, and purchasing longer-term securities. Most of the tools are an extension of the Fed’s traditional role as lender of last resort, the purpose of which is to ensure that healthy financial institutions have access to sufficient short-term credit, particularly during times of financial stress. The use of each of the new lending facilities is monitored by analysts to assess whether conditions in the corresponding private markets are improving.
Lending to Financial Institutions
Lending to financial institutions represents the largest share of the credit-easing tools, accounting for 58 percent of the Federal Reserve’s portfolio as of March 2009. This class of tools is most closely related to the Federal Reserve’s lender-of-last-resort responsibility. The category includes repurchase agreements, primary credit, foreign currency swaps, the Term Auction Facility (TAF), the Primary Dealer Credit Facility (PDCF), securities lent to dealers (including the Term Securities Lending Facility or TSLF), and credit extended to AIG.
After peaking in late December, lending to financial institutions dropped substantially, largely as a consequence of a decline foreign currency swaps. Currency swap lines provide foreign central banks with dollars, which they can use to supply liquidity to credit markets in their jurisdictions that are based on dollars. The decline in currency swaps indicates that dollar liquidity conditions abroad have improved.
Providing Liquidity to Key Credit Markets
Providing liquidity to key credit markets, representing the second-largest share of the credit-easing policy tools, currently accounts for 17 percent of the Fed’s balance sheet. Of the different programs in this category, the Asset-Backed Commercial Paper/ Money Market Mutual Fund Facility (ABCP/MMF) is perhaps the furthest along in accomplishing the restoration of a key credit market. This facility was created to help restore confidence in money market funds at the peak of the financial crisis in September. The facility appears to be working well, as money funds are growing—a sign of increased confidence in this instrument.
The net portfolio holdings of the Commercial Paper Funding Facility (CPFF) continue to decline, leaving it well off its peak of $351 billion in late January. After the collapse of Lehman Brothers, the term commercial paper market essentially shut down. Creditworthy issuers could obtain funds only over very short terms and at extremely high rates of interest.
The CPFF was created to allow the Fed to acquire new, private issues of tier-1 (highest quality) commercial paper with maturities of 90 days. The facility thus provided some assurance to potential issuers of commercial paper that the market would remain a reliable source of funding over terms of several months, thereby reducing the risk that issuers would not be able to roll over their debt if funding needs persisted.
The issuance of very short-term paper dropped dramatically with the new source of longer-term funding and stayed low as the longer-term issues held began to roll over in late January. About 60 percent of the paper held by the CPFF was reissued by the CPFF, indicating some continued market impairment. Moreover, some of maturing paper was neither rolled over in the CPFF nor issued to the market. Issuers that did not reissue to the CPFF or place commercial paper in the market employed several alternative funding strategies, including prefunding earlier in the month, issuing Temporary Lending Guarantee Program (TLGP) debt, funding through intercompany loans, or retiring paper as firms reduced their short-term funding needs.
While issuers’ reduced reliance on the facility is a positive signal, money markets have not demonstrated sufficient risk tolerance to absorb a substantial quantity of paper. Numerous challenges to issuers in securing term financing in the commercial paper market indicate that the market remains unreliable. Only the most reputable issuers were able to place paper at desired rates and maturities, while most struggling institutions and the conduits for asset-backed commercial paper could only place in the overnight to two-week range, as investors were reluctant to take on additional credit risk.
Despite concerns of rate spikes due to an oversupply of paper in late January, average rates did not widen. Nevertheless, rate spreads over risk-free term rates like the overnight index swap rate (OIS) seem to indicate the continuing, though lessened, need for support from the CPFF.
Purchasing Longer-Term Securities
In addition to lending to financial institutions and providing liquidity directly to key financial markets, the Federal Reserve employed a third set of policy tools aimed at improving conditions in private credit markets. These tools involve the purchase of long-term securities in these markets.
In January 2009, the Federal Reserve began purchasing mortgage-backed securities. Purchases up to $100 billion in government-sponsored-enterprise (GSE) obligations and $500 billion in non-GSE mortgage-backed securities are expected to take place over several quarters. The mortgage market has responded favorably to the Federal Reserve’s program. Indeed, immediately after the announcement of the intended purchases, mortgage rates fell and have stayed low.
Over the past year or so, the Federal Reserve has introduced a number of new tools for dealing with the financial crisis. Increasing market attention has been given to these instruments, especially after the federal funds rate reached its lower bound. While it is too early to judge the overall effectiveness of credit easing, conditions in many financial markets have improved to near-normal levels. Given the great uncertainty surrounding the state of the economy, it is critical that credit markets be given the support necessary to continue to function. | <urn:uuid:87dde6f4-c25e-47be-a898-c898320b5655> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://clevelandfed.org/research/trends/2009/0309/02monpol.cfm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00020-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.957498 | 1,375 | 2.28125 | 2 |
I’m not a coin collector, I design jewelry, but I found a neat way to use rare Mercury dimes as a jewelry clasp for beaded necklaces and bracelets.
Mercury dimes were minted between 1916 and 1946 so they are hard to find. I have to buy them from coin collectors. They would cost a lot more if you were buying them in perfect condition for a coin collection, but I’m not picky about the condition since I bend them, and solder a sterling silver jump ring inside, so I can use them as a Mercury dime jewelry clasp.
The profile on the Mercury dime resembles the Roman god Mercury but, in reality, it is a Winged Liberty Head design. (Most coin collectors refer to it as the Mercury dime.)
I like to incorporate the symbolic reference to both the mythical god Mercury and the Winged Liberty, representing freedom, in my Mercury dime jewelry clasps.
The Mercury dime jewelry clasp fits well in these designs because of its smaller size and thin composition. After I solder a small sterling silver jump ring on the opposite side, I forge it into a domed shape like a button. The Mercury dime jewelry clasp polishes up well because of the high silver content. It also holds well when inserted into a looped end.
Sometimes I use Indian Head nickels in my Southwestern turquoise jewelry because of the reference to Indians, but only for chunkier necklaces. The Indian Head nickel jewelry clasp is larger and thicker than the Mercury dime jewelry clasp so it doesn’t work as well on smaller, more delicate designs.
The Mercury dime jewelry clasp is 90 percent silver and 10 percent copper. Did you know that dimes, nickels and quarters (minted after 1965) no longer contain silver? They are now made of 75 percent copper and 25 percent nickel.
When you own one-of-a-kind jewelry from Esprit Mystique, the value will continue to increase, especially since it incorporates a rare Mercury dime clasp in the design.
Coins as Clasps
6,980 clicks in 177 w
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The Velveteen Mishnah
Usually Mishnah is called the first code of Jewish law, but as my rabbi pointed out to me, it doesn't exactly match what we think of as a law code. (Imagine, if you will, a Massachusetts state law that began, "What do we do upon reaching a red light? Stop entirely; this is the opinion of Joe. Jane says that a rolling stop is acceptable. In the opinion of Sue, the answer depends on whether there are other cars on the road. Once, Joe's sons were coming home from a party in the middle of the night, and they admitted to their father that they had neglected to stop at a stop sign...") Mishnah is less a code of law, in the modern sense, than it is a collection of authorized tradition about how to do mitzvot. | <urn:uuid:f2e40d14-0ae7-41c3-9e1a-296d83733946> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://search-for-emes.blogspot.com/2007/03/velveteen-mishnah.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705953421/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120553-00034-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.977623 | 172 | 2.171875 | 2 |
Beachhead - Beneath the Surface
I was walking along the beach with one of the Pollywogs when I saw a small tidal pool. I stopped to wade through it and look at some of the life under the rocks.
Most people never look under the rocks in a tidal pool or in a freshwater stream, but there is a lot of very interesting and necessary life to be found—life forms that are necessary because they fill a very important part of the world. Most people see only the glossy surface of the ocean or the stream, simply because they never look any deeper.
The same is true with Linux. I have noticed that recently there has been a lot of work on graphical user interfaces, with translucent windows and different ways of displaying multiple desktops—all of this is good.
In my opinion, however, the real power of Linux comes from the command-line interface that resides below this glossy surface and allows people to write very powerful programs to manipulate huge amounts of data.
I do not expect that everyone will want to learn every type of command-line interface or small language, but if you do not learn at least one or two, you will never know how powerful your system can be.
Many years ago, the company where I was working needed to get a new piece of software out to its customers. However, the customers who were supposed to receive the software were represented by two different printouts from two different systems, and my company was planning on having a clerk evaluate the two reports to accomplish this task. Estimated time for the clerk to do this was nine months, which meant that the software would be almost a year old before the customers received it.
I asked if this process could somehow be automated, because the customers were waiting for the software. “No”, I was told, “it can't be done”, because the databases were incompatible and on different machines. There was no program that could reach across the systems to coordinate the data.
I had the managers put the printout into two files, and put both files on my (at that time) UNIX system. In less than a quarter of a day, using the stream editor sed(1), the pattern matching program grep(1) and the pattern matching, scanning and processing language awk(1), I was able not only to correlate the data but also to print out mailing labels for the shipping boxes along with an indication of the proper software to go in each one. The managers could not believe it.
Some people think that it takes a lot of study in order to “know” command-line programming. However, if you approach the task systematically, you can learn it over time, taking advantage of each learning cycle.
The first thing you probably should do is get a book on Linux commands. Linux In A Nutshell: A Desktop Quick Reference by Figgins, Weber and Siever (O'Reilly) is a good start. Another good one is Linux Pocket Guide by Barrett, also from O'Reilly. Finally, Linux For Dummies Quick Reference by Hughes and Navratilova (Wiley) also is a good reference.
Read the book you choose, but do not obsess with memorizing the capabilities of each command. After you have read the book, think about some task you have to do repeatedly and what it would take to automate that task. You probably will find some Linux command-line programs that would help make things easier.
When you log in to your Linux system, execute a terminal emulator program, such as xterm or one of the others. Stay away from superuser (root) mode for the present, as you are trying to learn and sometimes things go astray.
Practice with some commands, such as grep, sed, ls, cd and others, simply by typing them into the command line and feeding them data according to what the command requires. Or, create a file of ASCII characters that you would like to use the commands to search, sort, filter or otherwise change.
Then, start putting the commands together using the pipe symbol (|). Note that this is not either the lowercase l or uppercase i. It is typically found along with some of the other special characters on ASCII keyboards, usually above the Enter key.
For example, start by putting together the ls and grep commands:
ls | grep 'e'
This will show you every visible file in your directory with the letter e in its name.
Another area of study should be the concept of regular expressions—ways of describing strings of data that typically are used for searching or matching with other strings of characters. The aforementioned books also cover issues of regular expression creation, which can be quite tricky, but also quite powerful.
Although different programs may use different methods of regular expressions, they tend to follow the same principles, and generally you can use the same type of special characters with each command.
I was working for Bell Laboratories in 1977, trying to be a system administrator for this interesting system called “UNIX”. For several months I had been frustrated by trying to learn this operating system that had seemingly millions of tiny little commands, multiple directories holding them and “cryptic” names for them. One night I was trying to modify a text file with the interactive text editor, ed(1), and I could see that it would take me hours to modify the file using ed, if not all night.
I remember suddenly thinking, “I do not know that there is a command in UNIX for doing this easily, but I am willing to bet there is one.” So, I started going through the manual looking only at the description of each command given in the “Name” line for the command. Fairly soon, I came across cut and its partner program paste, which allowed me to do exactly what I needed to do in two commands. From that time on, I followed the philosophy of first looking for the right command, and although that philosophy was sometimes wrong, more times than not, the philosophy was right, and a suitable command did exist.
To start learning the command line with only on-line resources, make sure that you have loaded the on-line manual and info pages from your distribution. You can then type in man intro to read the introduction section of the man(1) command, then type man <command-name>—for example, man ls—to learn more about the ls(1) command. The (1) after the command name ls means that it is a user-level command, rather than a programming interface, system administrator command or other specialized function.
If you like a graphical, mouse-based reader, rather than a command-line reader, there is xman. Once you have invoked xman by typing xman, click Help in the little window and read the first section of the help page. You then can click manual page in the little control window, and when the text window pops up, select show both screens from the Options menu at the top. This lets you see both the index of all the manual commands in the top section and the actual manual page itself in the bottom section. Click on the program of interest in the top section, and the command will be formatted in the bottom section. An example of an interesting command is less(1).
I can't touch on all the issues and needs for learning the power of the command line in one column, but perhaps I've piqued your interest in discovering why a lot of Linux users do not use a graphical windowing system at all, preferring to use only the command line, while others (myself included) heavily use both the windowing system and the command line.
And, perhaps you will look beneath the surface to see the power of the underlying currents.
Jon “maddog” Hall is the Executive Director of Linux International (www.li.org), a nonprofit association of end users who wish to support and promote the Linux operating system. During his career in commercial computing, which started in 1969, Mr Hall has been a programmer, systems designer, systems administrator, product manager, technical marketing manager and educator. He has worked for such companies as Western Electric Corporation, Aetna Life and Casualty, Bell Laboratories, Digital Equipment Corporation, VA Linux Systems and SGI. He is now an independent consultant in Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) Business and Technical issues.
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Free Webinar: Hadoop
How to Build an Optimal Hadoop Cluster to Store and Maintain Unlimited Amounts of Data Using Microservers
Realizing the promise of Apache® Hadoop® requires the effective deployment of compute, memory, storage and networking to achieve optimal results. With its flexibility and multitude of options, it is easy to over or under provision the server infrastructure, resulting in poor performance and high TCO. Join us for an in depth, technical discussion with industry experts from leading Hadoop and server companies who will provide insights into the key considerations for designing and deploying an optimal Hadoop cluster.
Some of key questions to be discussed are:
- What is the “typical” Hadoop cluster and what should be installed on the different machine types?
- Why should you consider the typical workload patterns when making your hardware decisions?
- Are all microservers created equal for Hadoop deployments?
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What If a Parent Won't Stop Texting While Driving?
What can I do if I've asked my mom to stop texting and driving and made it clear that it makes my friends and me feel uncomfortable and that I worry about her even when I'm not in the car — and she insists it's no big deal and blows it off? - Giselle*
We're so sorry you're in this situation. But well done for thinking about your safety, your friends' safety — and your mom's. You're doing the right thing. Texting while driving is a big deal, no matter who does it (dads text and drive too!).
You've probably already made comments to your mom in the car about her texting (like, "C'mon, Mom, put that thing down. The light's green!"). Now it's time for a really serious, sit-down heart-to-heart. Pick a time when you know your mom isn't rushing off somewhere and will have time to talk — that way she can't wriggle out of the conversation by saying she needs to go do something!
Start by letting your mom know you need her full attention. Say: "Mom, I need to talk to you about something important to me, and I need you to hear me out without interrupting, OK?"
Deliver the message calmly and kindly. For example, you might say: "It's about your texting and driving. I've mentioned it to you in the car about five times now, and each time I feel like you blow me off. It makes me sad and scared that you still text and drive, even though I've told you how I feel. I am afraid in the car with you, and I am afraid for your safety when I'm not in the car. I love you too much to lose you."
Say that others have noticed it too. "My friends are uncomfortable riding with you. If their parents knew that you text and drive, they wouldn't let them in the car with you. Some of them already turn down rides with me because of it, and I think they're right. Just like with drinking and driving, we're all being told not to drive with friends who text while driving."
Say what you've learned about texting and driving. If you have articles or research about it, mention that. You could say: "I learn every day that texting and driving is risky, dangerous, and causes accidents, but it's like you don't think all the information about safety applies to you. I've also learned that distracted drivers never think they're distracted — everyone thinks they're able to multitask. But it just takes a second for something awful to happen. Not only can people get hurt, but we've learned how police will use texting records to see who is at fault, since texting while driving is against the law in most places. So I'm scared you could get fined or sued."
Mention that you look to her as a role model. Say: "Mom, how can you expect me not to do things you tell me are risky when you do them? I need you to set a good example. It hurts me that you won't stop texting in the car for me. What text is so important that it's worth risking your life or mine?"
Say what you want her to do: "I love you, Mom, so here's what I'm asking. I'm asking you to think about what I just said without getting mad and defending yourself, and without blowing me off and ignoring the problem. I'm asking that from now on, you zip your phone into your purse — or better yet, turn it off when you get in the car. A habit, just like buckling your seat belt. If you must keep your phone on, I want you to keep it out of reach. If you hear the tone that says you got a message or if your phone rings, I want you to ignore it. If I'm with you, you can give your phone to me — I'll do whatever I can to help. I want you to check your messages and voicemail only when you're parked. That's what I'm asking you to do. And I'm asking because I love you and I care about your safety and mine."
Give your mom time to think and get back to you.
A conversation like this isn't easy, and it will call on all your skills in being assertive and mature. You need to manage your emotions and stay calm if you want your mom to hear what you think, feel, and want.
But what if your mom doesn't hear you out or doesn't change her behavior? Try again, this time writing it in a letter. If she doesn't change her mind, ask a relative or adult friend to help you convince her. And, until she changes her habits, try to get rides with friends' parents (or other responsible drivers) whenever you can. | <urn:uuid:c967cefb-45f7-4d6f-921d-503950383a35> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://kidshealth.org/PageManager.jsp?dn=&lic=194&cat_id=20619&article_set=87974&ps=204 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00023-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.983735 | 1,016 | 1.523438 | 2 |
Often called the "Nature Island," Dominica, a 29-mile by 16-mile independent nation, in the Windward Islands, is less frequented than others, like Barbados and St. Lucia, that also form part of that group of islands, but nonetheless, Dominica is a veritable eco-paradise in the eastern edge of the Caribbean for nature lovers, Tropical forests cover about two-thirds of Dominica's mountainous territory, wonderful beaches and reefs, waterfalls, numerous rivers and a number of national parks that are home to 160 species of birds and 1,200 kinds of plants.
In other words, this island, where English is the official language (and which is often wrongly confused with the Dominican Republic due to the similarity of its name) extends an open invitation to travelers to enjoy such eco-tourism opportunities as hiking, river tubing, snorkeling, diving and more.
Woodbridge Bay, near Roseau. Points of interest in Roseau include the Old Market Square, the original slave market, in the old section of town. Nearby, the Dominica Museum faces the bay front in Roseau and features exhibits relating to the island's history, geology and culture. Also worth a visit is the Roseau Roman Catholic Cathedral of Our Lady of Fair Heaven in Gothic-Romanesque style on Virgin Lane. Construction of the cathedral with volcanic stones started in 1841 and it was completed in 1916. Trafalgar Falls, about five miles east of Roseau, is a must-see in a lush green setting the larger of the falls, to the left, is called "Father," the smaller one is dubbed "Mother." Garden lovers may wish to check out the Botanical Garden, with 40 acres on the site of an old sugar plantation on Bath Road on Morne Bruce.
The small village of Soufriere, south of Roseau, with its palm-fringed coast, fishing boats, waterside church with murals of island life, sulfur springs and hot pools was founded by early French settlers. Yet another point of interest is Massacre Village, four miles north of Roseau, has historic interest as the site of a massacre of Carib Indians by the English in the 17th century.
A visit to one of Dominica's national parks is rewarding. Parks include Morne Trois Pitons (named after a mountain with three peaks) with excellent hiking trails, and Cabrits National Park with the 18th century Fort Shirley and surrounding underwater park, the Cabrits Marine Reserve.
Popular excursions offered by cruise ships include whale watching tours during which sperm whales, humpbacks and other whales and dolphins are likely to be spotted (peak whale-watching times are from November to June). Land programs generally include tours to Trafalgar Falls and the Sulfur Springs, and excursions to the Carib Indian Territory (the Caribs were a fierce indigenous tribe), The latter tour usually makes at stop at one of the most-visited spots on the island: Emerald Lagoon and Falls, a lovely grotto and waterfall surrounded by tropical greenery midway between Canefield and Castle Bruce.
Other pastimes include canopy tours, river boat tours, hiking, diving and just relaxing at a beach with the best beaches for swimming being on the island's sheltered west coast. Purple Turtle Beach, near Portsmouth, is among the most popular beaches.
Dominica's cuisine is a blend of French and Creole. Local flavors not to be missed include traditional soups like callaloo (with callaloo leaves or spinach and okra), and main dishes like Caribbean souse (pickled pork). A good place in Roseau for lunch or dinner is Pearl's Cuisine, 50 King George V Street. Try the crawfish in garlic butter or stewed chicken and the fresh-squeezed tamarind juice.
Cruise lines that visit Dominica include Azamara, Carnival, Celebrity, Cunard, Holland America, Norwegian, Princess, Regent Seven Seas, Royal Caribbean, Silversea and Windstar.
IF YOU GO For additional information on Dominica, visit www.dominica.dm.
Cruise Port Spotlight: Roseau, Dominica | <urn:uuid:b693e4c3-b530-462a-ac20-ba5cd8e805b3> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.dailypress.com/travel/vs-cruise-port-spotlight-roseau-dominica-091911,0,3765707.story | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00020-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.945018 | 860 | 2.046875 | 2 |
- MARKET TRENDS
- WEB EXCLUSIVES
- BUYER'S GUIDE
Consumer interest in healthy eating, artisan foods and “localism” countered recessionary pressures and helped boost growth in U.S. fresh baked goods by 4% in 2009 to reach $16 billion, according to a study on fresh baked goods in the United States.
The study, titled Fresh Baked Goods in the U.S. and conducted by Rockville, Md.-based market research publisher Packaged Facts, a division of MarketResearch.com, showed that total fresh baked goods sales experienced slow but steady growth in the 2-4% range from 2005-2009, with the exception of 2008 when the market saw almost 6% growth. Fresh baked goods sales from in-store bakeries, including those of warehouse clubs also experienced steady growth in the 2-5% range, reaching $11 billion in 2010 and comprising nearly three quarters of the total retail market. Packaged Facts projects that the market for fresh baked goods will exceed $20 billion by 2014.
The report divides the fresh baked goods market into sweet baked goods and breads. The sweet baked goods classification encompasses cakes, cupcakes, cookies, pies, brownies and other baked dessert products, while the breads classification encompasses bread (including sliced and unsliced loaves), rolls, pitas and croissants. This study also discusses breakfast baked goods (which overlap both classifications), including donuts, muffins, breakfast breads, bagels/bialys and sweet rolls.
For more information, go to http://www.packagedfacts.com/Baked-Goods-2594746. | <urn:uuid:d0beec04-022a-4dcf-b866-d2635dd5013f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.snackandbakery.com/articles/83654-packaged-facts-study-shows-lower-consumer-interest-in-baked-goods | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00010-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.933274 | 346 | 1.8125 | 2 |
|Scientology Video Channel||
WHAT ARE SCIENTOLOGY CONTINENTAL LIAISON OFFICES?
Within the hierarchy of the Church of Scientology is a network of Continental Liaison Offices (CLOs) responsible for coordinating Scientology activities on regional and local levels. These offices serve to support the actions of local Churches, missions and groups in their respective areas and serve as a coordinating and rallying point for all Scientology activities associated with those Churches. They also see to the well-being of organizations and groups in their zones. In this way, the activities of Churches, missions, field auditors and other related groups integrate and ultimately result in spiritual advancement for all Scientologists in their continental region.
Ecclesiastical management liaison offices are maintained in Toronto for Canada; Copenhagen for Europe; New York City for the Eastern United States; Los Angeles for the Western United States; Sydney for Australia, New Zealand and Japan; Mexico City for Latin America; Johannesburg for South Africa and at Saint Hill Manor in Sussex, England, for the United Kingdom. | <urn:uuid:2ebc3fdf-c065-4742-9255-4d69a187dead> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.scientology.org/faq/church-management/what-are-scientology-continental-liason-offices.html?org=1 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00005-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.902351 | 208 | 1.523438 | 2 |
The Delta County Mosquito Control District #1 is one of the many public services provided by Delta County. This organization has a five-member governing Board, a mosquito control manager, and 12 fulltime workers during the spring and summer months.
The sole purpose of our organization is to control the mosquito populations within District #1. We strive to do that by using a variety of mosquito control methods that are effective for vector control yet provide minimal risk to residents and to the environment.
Mosquitoes are among the most common insect pests of people and livestock. The presence of large numbers will influence the physical and mental well being of people, and can reduce recreational activities that may result in a loss of tourist income. Large mosquito populations in rural areas affect the health of livestock, often resulting in severe economic impact. Perhaps the most important reason for effective mosquito control is to reduce the spread of mosquito-borne pathogens, including West Nile virus and various encephalitis viruses.
Because all mosquitoes require water in their first stages of development, the reduction or elimination of mosquito breeding sites is the most effective way to reduce mosquito populations because it permanently reduces or removes the source of mosquito production. Consequently, our primary focus is to identify and treat the areas where mosquito larvae thrive.
Homeowners can eliminate breeding sites on their properties by eliminating standing and stagnant water. The following practices have proven to be effective in reducing mosquito populations:
1. Empty, remove, cover or turn upside-down any receptacle that can hold water--particularly old bottles, tin cans, and old tires.
2. Empty small toddler-size wading pools weekly and make sure your swimming pool is cared for properly.
3. Change water in birdbaths weekly. Empty pets' water pans daily.
4. Clean clogged roof gutters.
Individuals can also use personal repellents or area repellents for limited areas, such as patios and gardens. Neither electric "zappers" (ultraviolet) nor "buzzers"? (sonic) have been found to significantly reduce biting to humans.
The Board meets on the second Monday of each month, and holds special meetings when necessary. Meetings are held at the Mosquito District Building located at 1558 H50 Road in Delta. The meetings start at 7 p.m. | <urn:uuid:cce1a94f-db10-4911-aa1b-5cedc3fe942f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.deltacounty.com/index.aspx?NID=389 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00065-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.947394 | 471 | 2.8125 | 3 |
'God Is Not Threatened by Our Scientific Adventures'
A genome researcher explains how he reconciles science with his deep Christian faith.
BY: Interview with Francis Collins
If God is real, and I believe he is, then he is outside of nature. He is, therefore, not limited by the laws of nature in the way that we are. He's not limited by time. In the very moment of that flash in which the universe was created, an unimaginable burst of energy, God also had the plan of how that would coalesce into stars and galaxies, planets, and how life would arrive on a small planet near the outer rim of a spiral galaxy. And ultimately, over hundreds of millions of years, give rise to creatures with intelligence and in whom he could infuse this search for him and this knowledge of good and evil. And all of that happened in his mind in the blink of an eye. While it may seem to us that this whole process has the risk of randomness and, therefore, an unpredictable outcome, that was not the case for God.
What is something else you've learned from all your work with DNA that you think reveals something about God or spirituality?
Well, as a scientist who's also a believer, the chance to uncover the incredible intricacies of God's creation is an occasion of worship. To be able to look, for the first time in human history, at all three billion letters of the human DNA--which I think of as God's language--it gives us just a tiny glimpse into the amazing creative power of his mind. Every discovery that we now make in science [is], for me, a chance to worship him in a broader sense, to appreciate just in a small bit the amazing grandeur of his creation. It also helps me appreciate though that as a scientist, there are limits to the kinds of questions that science can answer. And that's where I have to turn to God and seek his answers.
|The Limitations of Science|
You also touch on some of your fears related to DNA. You talk about the "Gattaca" scenario and designer babies--parents being able to pick and choose what genes they want for their kids. What are your moral concerns?
I do believe that we have been given the gift of the ability to understand aspects of our own mechanical structures and that includes our instruction book. I also argue, of course, that that's not the whole story. The knowledge that we get about human biology and human genetics is neither good nor evil. It's just knowledge. The application that we choose for that knowledge can take on moral character.
In that regard, applications that we develop to prevent or cure terrible diseases are generally things that people embrace. Certainly the mandate of virtually all of the great faiths of the world is to try to alleviate suffering and to try to help those who are sick, give them a chance to get well. And it seems to me the study of DNA of the human genome is a wonderful, unprecedented opportunity in that regard.
But what are the boundaries? Are we comfortable with the idea of going beyond the treatment of disease to try to enhance certain human traits? Part of those discussions are predicated on the kind of science that we don't know how to do. I don't think we will get to the point of being able to dial in the characteristics of future generations because so much of that is determined not by genes, but by upbringing, by free will, by all of those wonderful things about being a human that are not hard-wired into our DNA.
But I do think there are some serious questions there about how far down that path we want to go. None of those opportunities are imminent, but it would be useful for us as a society, and particularly for people who are believers, to come to the table in a rational, thoughtful, non-emotional way and try to decide where are the limits that we want this technology to not go beyond.
It seems in some ways, it's already happening; for example, sometimes when parents learn that their child has Down Syndrome, they terminate the pregnancy. What is your opinion of that sort of scenario?
I'm troubled that the applications of genetics that are currently possible are oftentimes in the prenatal arena. That is not the reason I went into this field. | <urn:uuid:e44fe87f-ec08-4c61-8df9-b136dac96313> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.beliefnet.com/News/Science-Religion/2006/08/God-Is-Not-Threatened-By-Our-Scientific-Adventures.aspx?p=2 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00006-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.975539 | 880 | 2.078125 | 2 |
* Estimated price converted from UK retail price
Catalogue No: 0571510299
Shop Product Code: 2417534
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Study Score of Jonathan Harvey's Bhakti (1982) for chamber ensemble of 15 players and quadraphonic tape (or CD-rom).
Published by Faber Music.
Instrumentation: fl(=picc).ob(=ca).cl(=Ebcl).bcl - hn.tpt(=ptpt).trbn -perc(1/2): tam-t/vib/2 wdbl/3 tom-t/2 susp.cym/crot/mar/gong/2 tpl.bl/t.bells/tgl - pno(=glsp) - harp - strings (3 vln.vla.vlc)
'Bhakti was written in 1982, to a commission from IRCAM, Paris. It is in twelve short movements totalling about fifty minutes. There are thirty-six subsections, each one defined by a certain number of instruments playing a certain pitch cell. As there are only twelve types of subsection, each one occurs (with variation) three times, thus making for repetitions over the course of the work. The musical syntax is symmetrical around a central axis. The ear is unconsciously attracted to hear the harmony not as dissonant over a fundamental bass but as floating free from bass functions and yet rigorously controlled. The tape is composed largely of sounds drawn from the instrumental ensemble transformed and mixed by computer. It has many functions: of dialogue, transformation, memory, anticipation, ‘simultaneous translation’ and of reaching beyond the instrumental scale to a more universal dimension. A quotation from the Rig Veda is appended at the end of each movement. These Sanskrit hymns were written some four thousand years ago. They are keys to a transcendent consciousness.'
~ Jonathan Harvey
Write a Review. The best reviewer each month wins 20% off their next order!
There are currently no reviews for this product. | <urn:uuid:41495bc8-f3a1-4a31-9baa-8b072e996b3a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.boosey.com/shop/prod/Harvey-Jonathan-Bhakti-Full-Score/609712 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00034-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.913539 | 430 | 1.53125 | 2 |
Since the U.S. Green Building Council launched LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) for Schools certification in 2007, building sustainable, eco-friendly facilities has become the norm for new construction and is statewide policy in 13 states. However, there is still much to be done with the approximately 99,000 existing public schools across the United States. According to “A National Action Plan for Greening America’s Schools” (Sundance, 2011), on average, green schools save $100,000 per year on operating costs. Over 10 years, America’s schools could save $20 billion.
According to the Green Schools Initiative, green schools strive to be toxic-free; to use resources sustainably; to create green, healthy spaces; and to teach students and staff about environmental education. Many of the products listed here may help districts retrofit their buildings to become more environmentally friendly and cut costs on energy.
Extensive Garden Roof, contact Hydrotech for pricing
Hydrotech’s Extensive Garden Roof is a cost-effective, eco-friendly and lightweight covering. The garden roof, made up of herbs, grasses and other vegetation that can endure harsh growing conditions, provides storm water management by retaining 50 to 90 percent of rainfall on the roof and improves energy efficiency by enhancing insulation of the building. This garden roof does not require any regular maintenance and can be installed on just about any existing flat or sloped roof.
Green STEM Academy: Student-Directed, contact Pitsco Education for pricing
Sustainability is moving into the classroom with Pitsco Education’s Green STEM Academy. This student-directed curriculum includes 10 standards-based topics for middle school students, including carbon footprint, changing oceans, eco-architecture and sustainable agriculture. Each lesson is hands-on and engaging for students. A teacher-led curriculum is also available.
GreenBuilt Solar Vert-I-Pack, starting at $18,000
The GreenBuilt Solar Vert-I-Pack is a solar-powered waste compactor with performance comparable to standard units. It can be placed anywhere there is regular sunlight, since it’s off the grid and features eco-friendly biodegradable hydraulic fluid. Schools also have the option to choose a hybrid model, which can connect to the power grid as a backup. These units may help schools qualify for grants and funding from state or federal sustainability programs.
EnergyReports, pricing varies
Automated Logic’s EnergyReports is a user-friendly reporting tool that allows facility managers to produce a variety of reports illustrating a building’s energy use. Users can compare energy consumption or demand over different periods of time with dynamic and animated color graphs.
Smart Thermostats, contact ecobee for pricing
The wireless ecobee Smart Thermostat enables schools to manage heating and cooling, service reminders and view reports from anywhere at any time through a Web portal or an iPhone, iPod or Android app. The ecobee Smart Thermostat is user-friendly and can save a school up to 30 percent on heating and cooling costs.
Johnson Controls Energy Efficiency Retrofits, pricing varies Energy efficiency retrofits optimize and modernize buildings by introducing effective solutions that reduce energy use and operating costs. Johnson Controls evaluates systems to identify energy and operational efficiency opportunities that will increase a building’s performance, cut costs and lower the carbon footprint.
Energi TriPak, contact Lutron for pricing
Lutron’s Energi TriPak manages light levels in the classroom as activities change throughout the day and dims or turns off the lights when they are not in use. Beyond saving energy, situation-specific lighting provided by Energi TriPak ensures that students can view a projected image, watch video presentations, and participate in classroom instruction with the best light quality. The Energi TriPak includes three components: a Pico wireless control, a PowPak dimming module that responds to wireless sensors and controls provided by the Radio Powr Savr sensor.
starting at $199.50
IdeaPaint is an environmentally responsible dry-erase paint that allows schools to turn any surface into a whiteboard where students can collaborate and explore. IdeaPaint’s two-part coating can be applied directly over any existing wall, blackboard or surface. It’s formaldehyde-free and does not produce any harmful gas once it’s dry.
EcoSmart Roof, contact Sika Sarnafil for pricing
Sika Sarnafil’s EcoSmart Roof is cost-effective and good for the environment. This long-lasting roof is made from a thermoplastic membrane, Styrofoam brand insulation and a gypsum roof board. The white reflective surface of the membrane minimizes solar heat gain into the building, saving energy. The thermoplastic membrane can be recycled when it reaches the end of its service life, which is typically 35 years. | <urn:uuid:19e9f708-b4f2-438c-a250-e3550052b660> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://districtadministration.com/article/sustainable-products-help-schools-save-money-and-conserve-energy | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00010-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.91548 | 1,022 | 2.890625 | 3 |
A resource for homeschool families in Middle Tennessee
The Middle Tennessee Home Education Association (MTHEA) is a ministry dedicated to serving home educators in
the Middle Tennessee area by providing a network of support. Our goal is to nurture, educate and motivate families
that home school. We are committed to help protect the right of the parent to "train up a child in the way
they should go."
MTHEA is a part of the Tennessee Home Education
- MEMBERS-ONLY - Get the May/June issue of JA online
to see a preview of all the great things planned for the fair! Click here to get your copy.
- The 2013 MTHEA Home Education Expo will be held on May
17-18, 2013 in Nashville at the Tennessee Expo Center (formerly Tennessee State Fairgrounds).
- Get the lastest Jonathan's Arrow! The latest issue
is available online. Check your mailboxes soon for your printed copy.
- MTHEA Teen Banquet - Will be held on April
19, 2013. Register by March 11th. Details can be found here.
- MTHEA 2013 Graduation Mandatory Meeting/Rehearsal:
April 10th. Graduation Day: May 25th. Find
- Got JA? - Jonathan's Arrow is our bi-monthly (every
2 months) newsletter. Printed copies are mailed to members and we also have electronic archives available
on this website going back several years. Download your copy today!
- New to Tennessee or new to homeschooling? We can help you find support groups in your
area or provide you with information to help you connect with other homeschoolers. Contact
Bonnie in our office for assistance.
- Have you renewed your MTHEA Membership? If not, you'll be missing out on the next edition
of Jonathan's Arrow. Join or renew today!
- Changing Your Address? Keep Us Informed! - In order to ensure that you continue to receive
your Jonathan’s Arrow, we need to have your updated contact information. If your e-mail address,
street address or phone number changes, please help us keep our records up to date and contact
Bonnie in the MTHEA office. Thanks!!
Friday, May 3, 2013
On April 19, 2013, Governor Bill Haslam signed into law Senate Bill 240, adding a new subsection to the homeschool statute for students’ participation in interscholastic athletic competition in public schools.
Monday, January 28, 2013
Truancy charges against a homeschooling family were dropped after HSLDA assisted them in their third court appearance.
Sunday, November 11, 2012
Astonished to find themselves being questioned by a juvenile court judge, the homeschooling parents of a 7th grader contacted HSLDA. We helped resolve the case.
Thursday, April 26, 2012
HSLDA intervened on behalf of a member family after they received a letter from a local public school official advising them that it was necessary for their 7th grade daughter to participate in state testing as a homeschool student.
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
HSLDA’s representation of a homeschooling family resulted in the dismissal of truancy charges and a legal lesson for the school district.
Thursday, January 5, 2012
HSLDA has thwarted a local education agency’s attempt to impose unauthorized state testing on homeschool students.
MTHEA members save
on HSLDA membership
MTHEA members click here
for more information
MTHEA serves the following Tennessee homeschool communities: Bedford County, Cannon County,
Cheatham County, Clay County, Coffee County, Davidson County, Dekalb County, Dickson County, Franklin County, Giles
County, Hickman County, Houston County, Humphreys County, Jackson County, Lawrence County, Lewis County, Lincoln County,
Macon County, Marshall County, Maury County, Montgomery County, Moore County, Overton County, Perry County, Putnam
County, Robertson County, Rutherford County, Smith County, Sumner County, Stewart County, Trousdale County, Wayne County,
White County, Williamson County and Wilson County | <urn:uuid:762ef570-c103-42ed-b256-4e9f710130b5> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.mthea.org/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00020-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.929346 | 872 | 1.585938 | 2 |
Several things happen when a prospective client views a piece of your advertising literature. On the surface there is a conscious and literal analysis of what is before them. Simply put, the prospect examines the details of your offer/statement. They examine the benefits of your product or service. On another, more sub-conscious level they examine the less apparent details of the presentation. These details include color, phrasing, layout, and the actual method of promotion. (i.e. flyer, brochure, postcard, newspaper ad, etc.,)
If the offer is appealing enough to spark interest the reader than uses the secondary, sub-conscious data they have collected to help form a decision. If this data helps to form a positive image about the business making the offer the next likely step is to make the purchase or investment.
What is a positive image and how can it be demonstrated? The basic elements of a positive image include the perception of competence, trustworthiness, and the command of authority. In other words, prospects want to know that you are an expert in your field and that you have the confidence to express it. These elements can be effectively demonstrated in a well written piece of copy that is integrated into your advertising medium.
A brochure is terrifically suited as an instrument to help convey this image for a host of reasons. First of all, a brochure, to the average reader, helps to instill a sense of confidence and professionalism just by virtue of the fact that you spent the time, effort and money to have it produced. This may seem a bit simplistic, but it holds true because it is a perception and perception does not necessarily mirror reality! Secondly, a brochure allows you to provide a great deal of information which you can’t always do with a magnet, postcard, or even a flyer. This ability to provide well written information and copy is your opportunity to instill the perception of a command of authority and confidence in your business that the customer seeks. Remember, if your offer is good, the prospective customer wants to believe that you are competent and trustworthy and brochures give you the best chance to prove it. Finally and most obviously, a brochure can be really sharp and impressive if put together by a skilled designer.
When contemplating a new addition to your advertising arsenal seriously consider having brochures made up. A well thought out brochure can be a self contained marketing campaign that provides the bait, hook and the muscle to reel in a new customer.
Eric Young is the President of PromotionLotion.com, a firm dedicated to helping businesses and organizations reach out to the public as creatively and inexpensively as possible. Please visit www.promotionlotion.com to learn more | <urn:uuid:156f93c4-5f9c-43c2-81a5-d3472c437305> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.netreal.net/articles/brochures/why-brochures-are-effective.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00051-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.950051 | 551 | 1.648438 | 2 |
While collecting pictures of such sites, an idea occurred to Gauri of making a documentary to capture the plight of the historically important sites. It took three years to make the 22 minute long documentary "Dhammashetra — The Lost Land of Buddha".
As he started researching on the ruins, he found too many of them across the country, mostly in Haryana.
Gauri was, however, shocked to know that nothing much was happening for conserving the heritage that is so important for world peace, tourism, diplomatic and economic ties of India.
Despite his film being shown on Doordarshan international, he launched a website "thebuddhistform.com" to attract attention of the world towards the plight of Buddhist heritage in India. The website is attracting one lakh visitors every month, mostly from America and Russia.
His efforts to draw attention of Indian government brought him disappointment as nothing has happened on the ground.
Gauri, however, started getting recognition from the international community as last month he had a meeting with Magsaysay award winner Sri Lankan Gandhian Dr A T Ariyaratne to save Buddhist heritage in north India. Barely managing funds from family and friends for his cause, the Yamunanagar youth is planning to visit all Buddhist countries to drum up support for his cause. First international screening of his film was done in Sri Lanka last month. He was invited to the celebrations of the 2600th year of Buddha`s enlightenment in the island nation.
"My name and my work on stupas have almost made me a Buddhist in the eyes of the world despite retaining my Hindu belief close to my heart," Gauri told The Times of India.
Gauri has already written letters to all 700 MPs to save Buddhist heritage in their areas and sent 21,000 signatures to the President for saving stupas.
Whether there is a controversy on Chaneti stupa being spoilt during the conservation or villagers demanding return of the Ashokan pillar from Delhi to Topra village, Gauri is in the forefront.
Talking to TOI, Gauri said, one of the biggest challenges for his campaign came when he found out that Jammu and Kashmir has a large number of Kushan period remains and it was from here that Buddhism went to Bamiyan in Afghanistan. But one courageous Kashmiri Muslim Siraj-ud-din Salam of Kashmir Humanity Foundation stood by him and launched a signature campaign in Kashmir to save the Buddha. | <urn:uuid:220265f4-f246-4790-a3f2-a73207f5f58d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=42,10150,0,0,1,0 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00030-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.965841 | 507 | 2.25 | 2 |
Inspiring by example the preservation of mountain landscapes and farmsteads.
Appalachian Homestead Farm & Preserve is a historic hardscrabble farm established as a nonprofit 501(c)3 tax-exempt organization focused on education, advocacy and research. We have in our possession the original land grant documents dating to 1834 and 1856 when white settlers first came to the far western mountains of NC. Just as settlers found it necessary to work together across the steep mountain terrain to raise barns and cabins, clear newground, make quilts and molasses (and sometimes moonshine!), and to bury the dead and shepherd new babies into this little corner of God's world, Appalachian Homestead Farm & Preserve has found many wonderful community partners, including Catch the Spirit of Appalachia--our primary nonprofit partner, Western Carolina University, Jackson County 4-H, and North Carolina's many fine departments of agriculture and farming.
Over the years this 225 acre farmstead was divided and fell out of the Bennett family's hands, with the exception of about 15 acres. In 2005, a 52 acre parcel was purchased with a private foundation grant, and an additional 14 acre parcel was purchased in 2007 through private efforts with plans to add it to the nonprofit preserve. This historic farmstead has the original chimneys to the settlers cabins and part of the chestnut log barn still intact. Conservation easements with the Land Trust for the Little Tennessee ensure that the Farm will never be developed and that the headwater streams and plant and animal habitat will be protected in perpetuity. A recent biological survey counts 460 different plant species on the Farm and headwater streams measure at an unheard of 1.047 turbidity (purity) rating.
Currently the Farm is cleaning up 50+ years of neglect and making critical repairs to existing structures through volunteer and service-learning assistance from local citizens and student groups from Western Carolina University. Summer youth camp programs for the past three summers have provided rare opportunities for area youth to participate in heritage, culture and outdoor education programs. Long range plans for the Farm include:
* A living history farm, complete with replica cabins, outbuildings and methods of farming.
* A field farm school to help mountain families learn how to grow small-scale heirloom fruits, vegetables, herbs and native landscape plants as a means of increasing their capacity to hold onto their farmsteads in a rapidly developing region.
*A folk school with affordable and readily accessible workshops where mountain families and youth can learn the traditional craft and culture trade with which they can generate income in the new agri and heritage tourism economies.
* An expanded summer youth program that includes overnight camps and offers special programs for children of all ages with special challenges.
Eggs, native plants and shrubs, raspberries in season. We also hold summer youth camp program focused on heritage, culture and outdoor and farming education, and we hold annual farmland preservation forums for the general public.
Appalachian Homestead FArm & Preserve is located at the end of the gravel path at 4088 Tilley Creek Rd. Cullowhee, just 4.5 miles from Western Carolina University.
The Farm does not yet have staff, though two couples live in residential units on the farm and help with clean-up and improvements. Vera Guise, founding President of the Farm and a direct descendant of the Bennett clan who lived there from the early 1800's, can be reached by phone and for scheduled Farm tours between the hours of 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily.
We do not yet sell farm products to the public..........stay tuned for that! Summer youth programs are available each summer and registration forms are on the Farm website. | <urn:uuid:ade7b9f2-4bd7-44e9-b05e-b95b3ed857bd> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.ncagr.gov/ncproducts/ShowSite.asp?ID=100350 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697974692/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095254-00070-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.944006 | 760 | 2.140625 | 2 |
Journal of the New Zealand Medical Association, 20-April-2012, Vol 125 No 1353
Arcobacter species in diarrhoeal faeces from humans in New Zealand
Owen Mandisodza, Elizabeth Burrows, Mary Nulsen
Arcobacter species, formerly classified as aerotolerant Campylobacter species, are widely distributed in production animals, pets, wild animals, and the environment. Colonised animals, particularly poultry, frequently show no symptoms but, on occasions, Arcobacter spp. have been implicated in abortions, mastitis and diarrhoea.1,2 Arcobacter spp are also common in foods such as meats and shell fish, and fresh water.1,2
Three of the 12 species, A. butzleri, A. cryaerophilus and A. skirowii have been isolated from humans with diarrhoea or other gastrointestinal symptoms,1,3 in particular, watery or persistent diarrhoea.4–7 A. butzleri was the only pathogen detected in an outbreak of recurrent abdominal cramps in 10 children aged 3 to 7 years in an Italian school.8
Occasionally A. butzleri9-11 and A. cryaerophilus12,13 have been isolated from patients with bacteraemia but Arcobacter species have also been isolated from faecal samples from healthy humans.7,14-16
Arcobacter spp. have recently been detected in a high proportion of chicken meat samples purchased in Palmerston North, New Zealand17 so the aim of this study was to investigate their prevalence in the faeces of humans with diarrhoea in one region of New Zealand.
All faecal samples sent to a community laboratory in Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand, for diagnosis of gastrointestinal infection, between October, 2007 and June, 2008, were cultured for Arcobacter spp. after they had had been sampled for routine screening of pathogens.
For the initial enrichment, 1 g of faeces was emulsified in 9 mL of Arcobacter broth (Oxoid Ltd, UK) and incubated at 28°C for 48 hrs in a microaerobic atmosphere with gas packs (AnaeroPack SystemTM, Mitsubishi Gas Chemicals, Japan). This was then subcultured onto Arcobacter selective agar, containing Arcobacter broth (28g L-1), Oxoid No. 1 agar (12g L-1), plus the following antimicrobial agents supplied by Aldrich Sigma NZ: cefoperazone (16mg L-1), trimethoprim (64mg L-1), novobiocin (32mg L-1). amphotericin B (10mg L-1), 5-fluorouracil (100mg L-1).
Agar plates were incubated for 48 hrs in a microaerobic atmosphere. Preliminary identification was based on colony morphology and Gram reaction of the isolates from pure culture, by oxidase test using oxidase strips (Oxoid Ltd, UK), and by dark-field microscopy for darting motility. Presumptive isolates of Arcobacter spp, subcultured onto 5% sheep blood agar, were preserved on Microbank porous beads system (Pro-Lab Diagnostic) and stored at -80°C for later molecular characterization.
Routine faecal screening included culture for Salmonella, Shigella, Campylobacter, Yersinia and Aeromonas species. Selected stools were also examined for E. coli O157 and/or rotavirus. If requested, a Helicobacter pylori faecal antigen test, a Cryptosporidium plus Giardia species antigen test and microscopic examination for parasites were also done. Clinical data on positive samples was derived from laboratory records. Reference strains of A. butzleri (ATCC 49616) and A. cryaerophilus (ATCC 43158 and ATCC49942) were obtained from the Institute of Environmental Science and Research Limited (ESR), Wellington, New Zealand. Ethical approval was provided by the Central Ethical Committee (HDEC CEN/07/04/026).
The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of ampicillin, tetracycline, ciprofloxacin and erythromycin was determined for Arcobacter spp. grown for 48 hrs on blood agar and suspended in saline to a density equivalent to 1.0 McFarland standard. For each antibiotic-isolate combination, a Mueller Hinton agar plate enriched with 5% sheep blood (Fort Richard, NZ) was spread with 100µL of the suspension, overlaid with an MIC Evaluator strip (Oxoid, UK) and incubated at 28°C for 48 hrs in a microaerobic environment. The MICs were classified as susceptible, intermediate or resistant according to the criteria used in the 1997-2006 NARMS report for Campylobacter for tetracycline, erythromycin and ciprofloxacin and for Salmonella, Shigella and E. coli O157 for ampicillin.18
Multiplex polymerase chain reaction (m-PCR) was performed as described by Houf et al (2000),19 except that loading buffer was omitted, the MgCl2 concentration was increased from 1.3 to 1.5 mmol L-1 and one to two colonies of suspected Arcobacter, grown for 48 h on 5% sheep blood agar plates at 27±2°C microaerobically, were added directly to the reaction mix which was then heated to 94°C for 3 min prior to amplification in a GeneAmp PCR System 2400 (Biosystems, Singapore) Amplified products were separated by electrophoresis in 1.5% agarose. Gels were stained with ethidium bromide and inspected visually under UV light. DNA from A. butzleri (ATCC 49616), and A. cryaerophilus (ATCC 43158) type strains were included as positive controls.
For PFGE, frozen-stored isolates of Arcobacter were streaked onto 5% sheep blood agar plates and grown microaerobically for 48–72 hours at 27±2°C. Colonies were suspended in 2 mL of phosphate buffered saline (PBS) to a final optical density (OD) of 1.00 ± 0.20. Suspended cells (400 mcL) were mixed with 20 mcL of proteinase K (20 mg mL-1) (Amresco, USA) and equal volumes of 1% Seakem Gold agarose (Cambrex Bioscience, USA) prepared in 0.5× TBE buffer. The mixture was transferred to Chef disposable plug moulds (Bio-Rad, USA) and allowed to solidify at room temperature. Plugs were incubated at 55°C in 5 mL of lysis buffer (50 mM Tris, 50 mM EDTA and 1% Sarcosyl) and 25 mcL of proteinase K for 3 hours.
Treated plugs were washed once with 10-15 mL of MilliQ (MQ) water and four times with 10-15 mL of TE buffer (10 mM Tris and 1 mM EDTA) for 10-15 min at 55°C. About 2 mm of the plug was digested with EagI (New England Biolabs, USA) at 37°C for four hours. The restriction fragments were separated by electrophoresis in 1% of Seakem Gold agarose (Cambrex Bioscience, USA) using a CHEF Mapper (Bio-Rad, USA).
The gels were run using the following conditions: Initial switch time 0.1 seconds, final switch time 90 seconds, run time 20 hours, angle 120°, gradient 6V/cm, temperature 14°C and ramping factor linear. The gels were stained for 10 minutes in ethidium bromide solution, destained with sterile water and visualised using the Gel-DOC 2000 software (Bio-Rad, USA).
From 1380 diarrhoeal faecal samples, 16 isolates were presumptively identified as Arcobacter spp. but only 12 (0.9%) were positive by multiplex PCR.
Table 1. Details of patients whose faeces yielded Arcobacter spp
1NR: none recorded
A. butzleri was cultured mainly from males and A. cryaerophilus from females (Table 1) and the difference between the two sexes is statistically significant (p=0.015). Four patients had an additional pathogen detected, namely Helicobacter pylori (two), Blastocystis hominis and Aeromonas hydrophila. All except one of the patients were adults, with ages ranging from 31 to 78 years. Three patients had persistent diarrhoea but, information was not provided for another four.
PFGE indicated that the Arcobacter isolates from diarrhoeal faeces were different from each other (data not shown) and also from those from poultry meat previously isolated in Palmerston North.17
All of the Arcobacter isolates were susceptible to ciprofloxacin and all but one susceptible to erythromycin. That A. butzleri isolate was resistant to ampicillin and tetracycline with intermediate resistance to erythromycin (Table 2). Three additional Arcobacter isolates showed intermediate resistance to tetracycline. Only half the isolates were susceptible to ampicillin.
Table 2. Antimicrobial susceptibility of Arcobacter spp. isolated from the faeces of patients with diarrhoea
1 The resistance break points were ≥4 mg/L for ciprofloxacin, ≥32 mg/L for erythromycin, ≥16 mg/L for tetracycline and ≥32 mg/L for ampicillin.18
The isolation of A. butzleri and A. cryaerophilus from 0.9% of diarrhoeal faecal samples collected in Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand is consistent with the 1% isolation rate of A. butzleri reported for diarrhoeal stools in France11 but higher than the 0.14% reported for A. butzleri and A. cryaerophilus in both Belgium7 and Denmark.20
Culture-based methods yielded A. butzleri from 2.4% of faecal samples collected from Thai children with diarrhoea21 but the use of PCR to detect Arcobacter spp. directly from faeces has generally yielded a higher proportion of positive results, e.g. 7.5% for A. butzleri , 3.5% for A. cryaerophilus and 2% for Arcobacter skirowii for patients hospitalised with diarrhoea or other gastrointestinal disorders in South Africa15 and 8% for A. butzleri from patients with travellers’ diarrhoea who had visited Mexico, Guatemala or India.22 By contrast, A. butzleri was detected in only 1.2% of diarrhoeal stools by means of PCR in another study in France.23
However the real significance of Arcobacter isolation is difficult to determine since several pathogens have been detected in a number of these patients. In the present study, one third had a second pathogen detected (Table 1) which is comparable with the 20% of patients with A. butzleri plus another enteric pathogen reported by Vandenberg et al (2004).7 The latter group also found that 16% of patients with A. butzleri in their faeces had an underlying disease and 20% of the A. butzleri isolates were from asymptomatic patients. Of 16 patients with travellers’ diarrhoea with A. butzleri detected, 15 also harboured either enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) or Campylobacter sp.22
Likewise 20 of 33 patients with Arcobacter spp. hospitalised in South Africa had one to three other gastrointestinal pathogens detected.15 Arcobacter spp. have also been detected in faeces collected from asymptomatic patients, including 7 abattoir workers in Switzerland14 and 26% of healthy subjects in Italy.16 Interestingly the latter group found an increased carriage rate of Arcobacter spp. (79%) in older people with type 2 diabetes but no gastrointestinal disorders.
Other bacterial species isolated from the 1380 diarrhoeal faecal samples examined for Arcobacter spp. in the current study were: Campylobacter (15.1%), Salmonella (2.6%), Aeromonas (2.2%), Yersinia (1.9%) and Shigella (0.1%) (S. Wallace, personal communication). Thus Arcobacter spp. (0.9%) were more common than Shigella, much less common than Campylobacter spp and roughly similar in frequency to the other enteric bacterial pathogens.
Two studies found that A. butzleri was more common in the faeces of females than males7,8 and one found the opposite15 but the differences in all studies were small. Another group isolated A. cryaerophilus from the faeces of 1.4% of healthy men who worked in abattoirs.14 Thus it is likely that the unequal distribution of the two Arcobacter species across the sexes shown in Table 1, although statistically significant, is not biologically meaningful.
Based on results from single isolates, Arcobacter spp. have been described as antibiotic resistant.9,24 However, the observation that all the isolates in this study were susceptible to ciprofloxacin (Table 2) is consistent with reports that 89 to 100% are susceptible to ciprofloxacin.11,25–27 Likewise, erythromycin susceptibility (92%, Table 2) and 87 to 100%27-29 is common among Arcobacter spp. By contrast, the relatively low proportion of isolates susceptible to tetracycline in this study (67%, Table 2) differs from the 100% susceptibility reported for isolates from the USA,27 Japan,29 and Thailand26 but resistance to ampicillin is common worldwide.9,28,30
We conclude that A. butzleri and A. cryaerophilus do occasionally cause diarrhoea in New Zealanders which may be persistent or watery. However their real significance as emerging enteric pathogens, both in New Zealand and overseas,1 is unclear. Their ability to colonise healthy animals and survive on meats1,17 and in the environment does mean human exposure is likely to be common but further studies would be useful to better establish the virulence of Arcobacter spp. for humans before recommending that laboratories routinely test for these bacteria.
Competing interests: None declared.
Author information: Owen Mandisodza, Medical Laboratory Scientist, Hawke’s Bay Hospital Laboratory, Hastings; Elizabeth Burrows, Technician, Institute of Veterinary, Animal and Biomedical Sciences, Massey University, Palmerston North; Mary Nulsen, Associate Professor, Institute of Veterinary, Animal and Biomedical Sciences, Massey University, Palmerston North
Acknowledgement: Owen Mandisodza received funding from the Hawke’s Bay Medical Research Foundation Inc. and the Institute of Veterinary, Animal and Biomedical Sciences, Massey University Postgraduate Student Fund.
Correspondence: Mary Nulsen, Institute of Veterinary, Animal and Biomedical Sciences, Massey University, Private Bag 11222, Palmerston North 4442, New Zealand. Fax: +64 (0)6 3505714; email: M.F.Nulsen@massey.ac.nz
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The enlargement of the European Union's (EU) eastwards had called for partnership and enhanced cross-border co-operation between the Western Newly Independent States (NIS) and the EU. In early 2001, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the Swedish Migration Board (SMB) jointly launched a pro-active initiative to promote dialogue on asylum and irregular migration issues among the countries situated along the future EU eastern border. The initiative was named 'The Söderköping process' after the town of Söderköping in Sweden where the first meeting took place. The strategic objective of the Söderköping process is to facilitate cross-border co-operation between new EU Member States, candidate countries and the Western NIS on asylum, migration and border management issues.
Since 2001, the Söderköping process has grown to include now ten countries situated along the enlarged EU border: Belarus, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, and Ukraine. The process is supported by the EC, IOM, the SMB and UNHCR. Website: www.soderkoping.org.ua/ | <urn:uuid:27e07747-dde0-465f-b10c-fdcf308af2cb> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.refworld.org/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/rwmain?page=publisher&publisher=SCBCP&type=&coi=MDA&docid=&skip=0 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00023-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.936543 | 244 | 2.46875 | 2 |
The Riva Group has become the world's first steel producer to use the Siemens LiquiRob technology at an electric arc furnace. The robot system has been installed in its French plant in Neuves-Maisons where it handles sampling and temperature and Celox measurements. Operating personnel now no longer need to enter potentially dangerous areas, which has substantially increased industrial safety.
The system is designed for fully automatic operation and enables precise and reliable measurements to be made at frequent intervals. The acceptance certificate was issued mid-March.
The Neuves-Maisons works produces rebars and coils, and belongs to the SAM Division of the Riva Group, based in Milan, Italy. The plant produces steel in an electric arc furnace with a tapping weight of 150 tons and a ladle furnace. The steel is cast on a six-strand sequential billet casting plant, from which the billets pass to a rolling mill for further processing.
The Siemens LiquiRob robot system in action at the electric arc furnace of SAM Neuves-Maisons, Riva France.
Until recently, the operating personnel had to enter the dog house to take samples and measure the temperature and oxygen activity of the liquid steel using a manipulator. These dangerous and strenuous activities are now handled by the LiquiRob System which accesses the steel bath directly through a window in the slag door. The robot system is operated and monitored from a central control room. Siemens was responsible for integrating the LiquiRob System into the existing Dog house and the EAF automation system, as well as for commissioning, and training the operating personnel.
The solution implemented in Neuves-Maisons also includes installation of three automated magazines to store the sample and measuring, which can be safely filled by the operating personnel one time per day outside the dog house.The sampling and measuring procedures can be run completely automatically.
LiquiRob offers a number of advantages over the use of manipulators. It requires only a small window in the slag door and the cartridge reaches further into the furnace and dives deeper into the steel bath. This eliminates incorrect measurements and the measured data is considerably more accurate. Shorter measuring intervals can also be achieved thanks to the automated cartridge selection. This, in turn, provides a more precise picture of the temperature and composition of the steel.
Siemens developed LiquiRob specifically to improve industrial safety and the quality of measurements under the harsh operating conditions encountered in the iron and steel industry. The system was implemented for the first time in 2008 in the Gwangyang Steel Works of the Korean company Posco. There, LiquiRob is used for sample taking, temperature measurement within the distributor and for casting powder dosing on the casting platform of a two-strand Slab Caster. | <urn:uuid:1cf6adb8-0a6f-4664-ab01-77b0d764e41e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.azom.com/news.aspx?newsID=21507 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704392896/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113952-00029-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.939922 | 568 | 1.726563 | 2 |
This award is for suitable for learners of all ages, who wish to gain knowledge in diet and nutrition for their own use, as well as learners who wish to enhance the role they already have in the fitness industry.
Learners will cover:
- structure and function of the digestive system
- the glycaemic index
- the role of cholesterol, macro nutrients and micro nutrients
- guidelines for a healthy, balanced diet
- obesity and weight management | <urn:uuid:7b3ffe38-ee80-4b79-ac3d-e0aa538e0148> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.cyq.org.uk/qualifications/level-2-qcf/award-in-nutrition-for-healthy-living | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00060-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.94016 | 92 | 1.851563 | 2 |
Microsoft chairman Bill Gates found himself answering questions in a court of law today. The Associated Press (via Google) reports that Gates came to Salt Lake City, Utah to testify in the current case between Microsoft and Novell. As we have reported before, Novell has filed a lawsuit against Microsoft, claiming that Microsoft deliberately delayed the release of its Windows 95 operating system in the 1990s in order "to suppress the sales of WordPerfect and Novell's related office productivity applications."
In his testimony today, Gates said that Microsoft dumped an unnamed feature from Windows 95 because of fears that it would crash the operating system. This deleted feature would have allowed Novell's WordPerfect to operate in Windows 95. Gates said that the company had to make "trade-offs" in order for Windows 95 to work. Gates also said of Windows 95's development, "We worked super hard. It was the most challenging, trying project we had ever done." Gates also claimed that Microsoft's own Word program was ranked to be better than WordPerfect by 1994, calling it an "important win" for the company. Gates is expected to continue his testimony on Tuesday.
U.S. District Judge Frederick Motz also decided to deny Microsoft's motion on Friday to dismiss the case entirely, calling the claim groundless. Novell still maintains that Microsoft tried to muscle out WordPerfect and claim a monopoly on the word processor business with Microsoft Word. It is asking for between $500 million to $1.2 billion in its lawsuit against Microsoft. | <urn:uuid:827a7c76-aba1-4c6d-9eba-ec57c62f9b88> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.neowin.net/news/bill-gates-gives-first-day-of-testimony-in-novell-wordperfect-trial | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00032-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.970911 | 311 | 1.703125 | 2 |
Sepsis killing more people than AIDS: Experts
14 September, 2012
ISLAMABAD: Sepsis, a condition caused by infections leading to multiple organ failure, is among the leading causes of deaths - killing more people than AIDS or cancer, say experts.
Awareness to the fatal condition, however, remains low, say doctors.
Sepsis or septicaemia is "body`s reaction to infection", said Vivek Nangia, director, infectious diseases, at Delhi`s Fortis Hospital.
It is a condition in which bacteria make toxins that cause the body`s immune system to attack organs and tissues.
"Any infection in any part of body may cause sepsis," warned Nangia.
"Every hour, about 36 people die from sepsis. It causes more deaths than prostate cancer, breast cancer and HIV/AIDS combined. Globally, an estimated 18 million cases of sepsis occur each year," said Rajesh Chawla, vice-chancellor of the Indian Society of Critical Care Medicine (ISCCM), Delhi.
ISCCM, along with Global Sepsis Alliance, is organising a programme to spread awareness on Sepsis Thursday, marking the World Sepsis Day.
"Sepsis is quite a common cause of deaths. It is the third commonest cause resulting in death across the world, and in India it is probably the leading cause," observed Nangia.
Chawla said that although Sepsis was one of the most serious medical conditions, there was a tremendously low awareness among people, including medical professionals.
According to a recent Indian Intensive Care Case Mix and Practice Patterns study, one out of two patients who develop Sepsis die.
Nangia added that hospital picked infections which cause the disease might also be related to multi-drug resistant bacteria.
"When the infection is picked up in hospitals, it can be associated with the multi-drug resistant bacteria," he said, adding that there was a strict guideline on how to treat patients after detection of Sepsis.
"The patient has to be admitted and within first two hours, first shot of anti-biotic has to be given. After that detailed culture tests have to be done," he says. | <urn:uuid:935acf71-2e47-4369-800f-a21f8cf3ae49> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://paktribune.com/news/Sepsis-killing-more-people-than-AIDS-Experts-253291.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00036-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.959788 | 461 | 2.625 | 3 |
View Full Version : Size of Double Bedroom?
07-10-2011, 03:18 AM
Is it a myth that a room can be called a 'double bedroom' if a double bed can fit in it? I have searched on the internet to find out if our rooms are doubles or not and there seems to be no clear guidance on this matter. I looked at HMO rules (ours are not HMOs) to see if that would help but that includes sink, which we do not have in our properties.
We can fit double bed, wardrobe,work surface and seat with room for walk round in one room of 4mx2.3m and other room of 3mx2.5m. I just want to know for future advertising, so I do not mislead. Property presently rented etc no problem.
Thanks for your advice.
07-10-2011, 06:47 AM
I think you'll find that the terms "double bedroom" and "single bedroom" have dropped from estate agent's language: these days they just describe bedrooms according to size, ie they provide measurements of bedrooms and let the punter decide how many people can sleep in them. In other words there is no legal 'definition' of what minimum size constitutes a double.
07-10-2011, 08:14 AM
It depends what you want to do in the double bed.... & with what ages & what genders of punter...
I think the only legislation/regulation on the subject is to do with overcrowding, something no upright member of LLZ would ever be accused of....
So, depending on how many people in the bed see...
But the floor area of a room also determines how many people can sleep in it:
floor area 110 sq feet (10.2 sq metres approx) = 2 people
floor area 90 - 109 sq ft (8.4 - 10.2 sq m approx) = 1.5 people
floor area 70 - 89 sq ft (6.5 - 8.4 sq m approx) = 1 person
floor area 50 - 69 sq ft (4.6 - 6.5 sq m approx) = 0.5 people.
so in your 4mx2.3m room = 9.2 sq m, only 1.5 people....(that brings in other laws..).., 3x2.5m = 7.5 sw m, only 1 person.
Think you'll only get a visit from council on such matters if Tenants complain.. but clearly we all wish to stay within the law...
Housing Act 1985 S324..
IIRC there are also rules about what ages of which gender children can share...
Does one require a license from the secretary of state for an orgy one wonders...??? Only if they want to sleep, apparently...
Is this a candidate for TaB??
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Violent films, video games played role in Gabbie Giffords shooting, killings
Posted on Wednesday, January 12, 2011 at 07:25 PM
- President Obama’s visit to North comes at a critical time for peace process - Hopes that he can help stop slow slide into the dark side
- Boston Irish Immigration Center continues to lie about their role in turning woman in to State Department
- Why no effort to repair damage to Irish Famine memorial in New York nearly one year after? - Car slammed into memorial and ugly plywood and metal barricades still mark the site
- How sports helped defeat the 'No Irish Need Apply' racism in America - Top baseball exec Tim Brosnan tells Irish Sports 50 how Irish served as example
- Sandy scourged Rockaways is on the mend with a little help from community spirit and perseverance
Lost in all the hate mongering over the Gabbie Gifford shooting and killings are other factors that likely caused the crazed killer to go off.
I'm not talking about the political stands offs but rather what the youth of America are surrounding themselves with every day.
That is violent images.
When was the last time you saw a Hollywood movie without significant violence?
Just look at the box office at the moment, 'True Grit', 'Season of the Witch' 'The Fighter', 'Tron Legacy , all at or near the top are violence pocked movies which make a virtue out of killing and maiming.
Then don't even mention the video games kids play. The law of the games is to kill or be killed and if you haven't accumulated a hundred or so bodies by the end of the game, then you have been a waste of space.
Maybe it is as the ancient Romans believed that man is made to fight, first and foremost, over women, power, land whatever, hardwired for ever to seek combat and triumph
Maybe what we witnessed on Saturday last with the shooting was the natural outreach of that.
One thing for sure, we will find that the killer was desensitized to violence by movies and video games that proclaim it is cool and worth watching.
There are many Hollywood liberals who make movies that are exceedingly violent yet point the finger at Republicans for hate speech.
Their own creations are helping with the hate too.
Likewise, those major corporations who manufacture the video games and pretend, like the NRA they have nothing to do with the spread of violence in this country. They too need to look in the mirror if they dare to .
I won't hold my breath, but every time I think of that little nine year old girl killed in Arizona I ask myself if these games are just harmless fun as the movie makers and manufacturers would have us believe.
I think not. Like the NRA the makers know in their hearts that they too had a role in background to the deaths last weekend.
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- Massive outpouring of support as $65,000... | <urn:uuid:b91ae734-55ac-4834-b2f3-95c06b740dcf> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.irishcentral.com/story/news/periscope/violent-films-video-games-played-role--in-gabbie-giffords-shooting-killings-113422074.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00022-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.952874 | 714 | 1.546875 | 2 |
Programmable automationcontrollers and
standardized, high-speed networks have enabled
engineers to take a modular approach to designing
assembly machines. Photo courtesy LTW Inc.
This approach is not the easiest system to optimize, but it does have its advantages, particularly if the application requires synchronized motion between multiple axes. Such applications include six-axis robots, injection molding machines, milling machines and water-jet cutting machines.
For an automated assembly system, however, engineers would prefer to take a modular approach to machine design. A modular system is more flexible, faster to change over, and—for medical device assembly—easier to validate and simpler to clean.
“With a modular system, it’s easier to diagnose an issue,” says Chris Knudsen, product marketing supervisor at Yaskawa America Inc. “You can isolate a problem to a specific module instead of a whole line. And, if the module is critical to your process, you can have a spare ready to go in case of a problem or sudden bottleneck.”
For the machine builder, a modular approach means less development time, smaller component inventories, and the ability to integrate a wider range of machine functions. Machine builders can also rough out common modules, such as pick-and-place units, in advance of a project.
A modular system consists of a series of cells or modules. Each cell has its own control—a programmable automation controller (PAC). A PAC is a compact controller that combines the features and capabilities of a PC-based control system with that of a typical programmable logic controller (PLC). PACs are available from a number of companies, including Yaskawa, Beckhoff Automation, Opto 22 and Schneider Electric.
“A modular system has more of a distributed control system vs. a centralized control,” explains Knudsen. “PACs have become smaller, more connectable and less expensive, and you can now afford to just pop one of these controls into each module, as opposed to one big, fancy controller running the entire system. So you might have a line with five PACs and one PLC that’s just monitoring the whole line.”
“With a modular system, it’s easier to diagnose an issue.”—Chris Knudsen, Yaskawa America Inc.
High-speed networks, such as Ethernet/IP, Modbus and OPC, have supplanted point-to-point wiring in assembly systems and enabled engineers to take a modular approach to design. “Network speeds are now close to the speed of PC or PLC backplanes,” says Knudsen. “These open network standards also ensure interoperability.”
On the software side, standardized, object-oriented programming environments, such as IEC61131-3, are well-suited for modular machine design. IEC61131-3 has been adopted by numerous suppliers, including Yaskawa, Siemens, Bosch Rexroth, Schneider, Beckhoff, Omron, Mitsubishi Electric, and B&R Industrial Automation.
“Object-oriented programming means that the code is modularized,” says Knudsen “Think of an object as a subroutine. You feed it some variables and it spits out an answer, but you don’t necessarily need to know everything that’s going on inside the subroutine.”
Is a modular system faster than centralized control? “There’s a speed advantage within the module, because you have this controller that’s handling everything just for that module,” says Knudsen. “There may be a slight speed disadvantage when synchronizing the motion of each module. In a traditional system, if I want to synch, say, Axis 9 with Axis 1 and Axis 2, I would be doing it across the backplane of the controller, which is immune to noise and very fast. That’s why a milling machine will have a central controller, because it’s got to synchronize everything very tightly.
“On the other hand, a traditional system will eventually max out on axis count, I/O count and scan times.” | <urn:uuid:e9192308-0545-4d0f-9c7b-9f69e25c2742> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.assemblymag.com/articles/print/90258-the-benefits-of-a-modular-machine | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00059-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.907261 | 886 | 2.375 | 2 |
Posted: Jul 9, 2012 4:19 PM by Nicole Vandeputte
Flood waters washed out streets in Pueblo West.
Galileo Drive is usually a road that travels through a dry creek bed.
Workers with the Pueblo West Metropolitan District say heavy rains Sunday night and Monday morning over filled some retention ponds on Walker Ranch.
A dam broke sending a river of water washing through streets.
It was so deep they had to block off Galileo and Woodstock for awhile.
"We came from southeast Texas where we've been seeing hurricanes every year, and it's reminiscent of that except it's very isolated here fortunately," said Roy Rogers, a resident.
Everyone we spoke to said they hadn't seen flooding like this in years out there.
Those roads were shut down for about four hours, but they are now open. | <urn:uuid:3fbf8625-b203-42b9-b512-0fe03d333034> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.koaa.com/news/roads-open-again-in-pueblo-west-after-flooding/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00010-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.973064 | 176 | 1.523438 | 2 |
• The Power Smart Manitoba Games follow the Olympic cycle, taking place every two years, alternating between summer and winter events.
• The program is administered by Sport Manitoba and implemented by the Manitoba Games Council.
• Sport Manitoba, Manitoba's corporate community, participant registration fees and local fundraising efforts fund the program.
• 1200 volunteers are trained to operate a multi-sport event.
• The provincial host community benefits from in excess of $150,000 in sport facility capital upgrades.
• There is an opportunity for a monetary surplus at the completion of the Games. Previous financial legacies have ranged from $10,000 to $100,000.
• 1800 participants and a large number of family members contribute to an economic impact of over one million dollars on the host community. | <urn:uuid:9f225ddb-bd7b-4325-b27f-80ef3dc643b5> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.sportmanitoba.ca/page.php?id=49&event=318 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00026-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.918456 | 158 | 1.710938 | 2 |
as/which in attributive clauses
Dear teachers, when 'as' and 'which' are used in attributive clauses, are there any differences? Can 'which' substitute 'as' in attributive clauses all the time? Thanks very much.
1) The two brothers were satisfied with this decision, as/which was agreed beforehand.
2) He was a foreigner, as/which I knew from his accent.
3) Her attitude to him was quite the same as/which it had always been.
4) Chen says China has 500 missiles aimed at Taiwan as(which?) is adding one missile every six days.
5) I prefer asynchronous communications, as(which?) I believe forums and emails are termed. | <urn:uuid:079e67d2-8ce9-46c3-aba1-51357f4c365f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.usingenglish.com/forum/ask-teacher/5031-attributive-clauses-print.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00024-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.981124 | 150 | 3.015625 | 3 |
Do-It-Yourself Cat Door Recognizes Your Feline
The latest version of Aaron Forster's cat-recognizing cat door setup.
CREDIT: Aaron Forster
What does it take for a computer program to recognize your cat? In 2004, it took a specialized software company, running a program on a desktop personal computer. In 2012, a non-expert can write a similar program and run it on a smartphone. At least that's what Aaron Forster, an information technology consultant but not a programmer, wants to show.
Forster's cat, Timothy, is pretty cute, but Forster is tired of him bringing in dead or dying birds and mice and dropping them on the carpet. Eight years ago, an image-recognition software company solved the same problem with its company cat, Flo. Quantum Picture developed a cat door that let Flo in, but locked her out if it saw she was carrying something in her mouth. At the time, the door connected to a desktop computer that ran the program that snapped pictures of Flo and analyzed them as she approached the door. Now, Forster is determined to build Flo's door for Timothy on weekends, in between his usual consulting work in Simi Valley, Calif.
"From what I'd seen in the past, the power of computing had taken the difficulty of this way down," Forster told InnovationNewsDaily. "Part of the project was to prove you could do this sort of stuff without being a computer vision expert."
Computer vision researchers say several new tools have made the task doable for hobbyists. But because computer vision is still difficult, even for scientists, people who are looking for guaranteed results, rather than the fun of putting the door together, should probably stay away from a do-it-yourself door for now.
One of the most important recent advances in computer vision is a powerful, free, open-source library of computer vision code, called OpenCV. OpenCV has code that can detect something is there, track something as it moves and recognize what something is. "OpenCV has become the go-to package of tools for developing vision systems to a prototype stage and beyond," Patrick Flynn, a computer vision researcher at the University of Notre Dame, wrote to InnovationNewsDaily in an email.
Forster found a tutorial someone else had made for using OpenCV to recognize human faces. He's now feeding the program photos, to train it to recognize Timothy instead. That training step is the "key barrier" to a working door, Flynn wrote.
So far, the program works, but poorly. Forster will gather more photos to scan into the program to make it more accurate, he said. Meanwhile, he has built a plywood structure over his existing cat door, to hold a smartphone that captures pictures of Timothy as he passes by. Forster is also working on a mechanism for locking the cat door.
For now, Timothy goes in and out, unhindered, while the smartphone snaps his mug as training data for the program. When Forster is done with the door system, the phone will compare the pictures it takes to its understanding of when to let Timothy in. It should let the cat in most of the time, but lock the door when kitty is carrying prey or when another animal, such as a raccoon, approaches the door. The final program will need to make split-second decisions. Forster estimates it'll take another month to finish the project.
The door will always struggle with striking the right balance, either locking Timothy out even when he isn't carrying prey, or being too lenient, sometimes letting in some bloody mice. "It's a very difficult trade-off," Erik Learned-Miller, a computer vision researcher at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, wrote in an email. Publicly available programs are probably not advanced enough yet to make those decisions very accurately, he said.
Still, it should be a "fun and demanding" project, Flynn said. And it may be easier now than it would have been two years ago. As Forster read articles and tried out lines of code, trying to learn how to turn a facial-recognition program into a cat-recognizing one, he ran into previous OpenCV users' online posts about using the software library. "Reading a lot of the posts a couple years ago," he said, "there's a lot more of people struggling." He's grateful for how far OpenCV has come.
Now seemed like the perfect time to show "regular folks could do computer vision," he said. He's documenting his progress and writing his own tutorials for others to follow on his website, the Visible Kitteh Project.
While no programmer, Forster has plenty of experience tinkering. In the past, he's made everything from a robot that was supposed to turn when it bumped into walls, to a jack-o'-lantern with lights made to resemble the robotic cylons in the TV show "Battlestar Galactica."
It's a good time to be tinkerer. A recent proliferation of tools for electronics hobbyists, plus a movement among people to share their tutorials online, form a powerful hook for motivated people to make things on their own, Flynn said.
The Forster clan has apparently been tinkering long before this, however. Growing up, Aaron Forster enjoyed watching his father, an electrical engineer, try to reproduce gadgets he saw in home improvement stores.
"So I grew up with a very strong do-it-yourself mentality," he said. "My wife jokes that she's going to put, 'I can make that,' on my tombstone." | <urn:uuid:4261ad09-e6c4-48d3-8e1f-564bf4164044> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.technewsdaily.com/5704-cat-door-recognizes-feline.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00011-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.966307 | 1,163 | 2.578125 | 3 |
Dream Act dies under threat of Pawlenty vetoby Art Hughes, Minnesota Public Radio
Members of a House and Senate conference committee are expected to agree on a higher education spending bill that adds $325 million to current spending on colleges and universities. Legislators are still working on the details of the $2.75 billion spending plan, but some major parts of the bill have been approved. The bill does not contain a provision to allow children of illegal residents to pay in-state tuition, a provision that Gov. Pawlenty said would lead him to veto the bill.
St. Paul, Minn. — The higher education bill falls well short of the money the University of Minnesota and the State Colleges and Universities System wanted.
In the bill, the U of M is awarded an additional $147 millions over the next two years. The U of M would get another $27 million in one-time money. Much of that goes to fund a partnership with the Mayo Clinic. MnSCU secures $142 million for the biennium along with $8 million in one-time funds.
The bill provides incentives to keep tuition hikes at the University of Minnesota to less than 3 percent a year. Legislators also urged MnSCU officials to hold tuition increases down. MnSCU Trustees have promised to keep any rise in tuition below a four percent average. If they stick to it, that would be the lowest increase in 10 years.
Senate Higher Education Budget Division Committee Chair Sandy Pappas says the spending plan focuses more on what the college systems are already doing, rather than new projects.
"The next priority needs to be holding down tuition," she said. "Although they had a lot of new and exciting initiatives... holding down tuition increases is a higher priority and they should fund those other things through reallocation or increased productivity."
Pappas says the higher education budget, which does not rely on tax increases, underfunds higher education.
One thing absent from the bill is a provision to allow children of illegal immigrants living in Minnesota to pay in-state tuition when they go on beyond high school. The House and Senate both passed the Minnesota Dream Act language. Pappas says the DFL-controlled committees bowed to the governor's opposition.
"We agreed to drop it in order to avoid the governor's veto. This is the third time he's threatened to veto the bill because of the Dream Act. We feel very sad for students. We hope to help them on an individual campus basis," she said.
The budget all but abandons Gov. Pawlenty's ACHIEVE Two plan to allow more high performing students to take college-credit courses while still in high school. Instead the conference committee gave a $4 million boost for existing advanced high school programs.
House Higher Education Finance Committee Chair Tom Rukavina says there's no room to add on the governor's program.
"For us to do the things we want to do, especially address tuition, to all of a sudden address a brand new program, we just can't do it," Rukavina said.
The committee's version also strips out Pawlenty's idea of performance pay for talented instructors.
Pawlenty called removing the Dream Act provision "progress," but was still holding out for word on key details of the plan before committing to signing it.
"There's still a lot of provisions up in the air in that bill including our ACHIEVE proposal, including the House's provision on tuition caps and many other things so it would be way premature to comment on the higher ed bill," he said.
The higher education bill is $71 million short of the total amount of operating money requested by the U of M and MnSCU. But it's overall spending is $102 million more than the governor proposed.
- All Things Considered, 05/07/2007, 5:54 p.m. | <urn:uuid:9394c984-3a1c-4857-aed1-36aef92f1a69> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2007/05/07/dream?refid=0 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00009-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.959518 | 804 | 1.539063 | 2 |
Yours is a valid question that is often asked of Latter-day Saints [Mormons].
I am assuming that you are a believer in the Holy Bible, that you have a living faith in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour, that it is to Jesus Christ that you look for your hope of salvation, and that because of his infinite atonement at Calvary. If that is so, then you hold these fundamental beliefs in common with members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
I make no assumptions regarding your familiarity with the Bible, its monographs, its historical, soteriological, eschatological, doctrinal, Christological, and theological content, so I hope you will receive my answer in that same spirit in which I frame it.
I will also leave to one side any discussion of either the inerrancy or infallibility of the Bible and its discrete books since these issues do not stand central to your question.
If I understand you properly, you came to know Jesus through reading the Bible, principally by the testimonies of Jesus that are recorded therein. That is a common introduction to Jesus, and is one of the reasons why scriptures are caused to be written, including:
As witnesses to the reality of God the Father
To the divinity of his only begotten son Jesus Christ
To attest to certain foundational historical events that are essential to faith in Jesus Christ.
You will appreciate that the first Christians that gathered to Jesus and his apostolic college were familiar with the Hebrew scriptures, and recognised that the teachings of Jesus marked a significant point of departure from the proto-judaism of that time. Proto-Judaism being the form of religious worship developed during the Babylonian Captivity of the people of Judah that had no access to the House of the Lord, but developed a form of non-temple religious tradition that laid the foundations of what would in time become fully fledged Judaism.
This transition was a necessary development during enforced absence from Palestine and when the Exiles returned after seventy years the new form and the old form of religious worship settled side by side without too much awkwardness until the destruction of the Temple in the Roman War of AD 70 and the dispersal of Judah by their conquerors terminated all forms of temple worship, a condition that has existed down to this very day. Judaism replaces the Temple with the dining table, and temple rituals have been reduced to symbolic representations.
The interim measure, Proto-Judaism, was a marked departure from complex Mosaic rituals centred on the several amphictionies of ancient Israel, all of which sacred sanctuaries of the yhvh cult with the exception of that at Jerusalem had been destroyed by reformers that cynically exercised political and religious power to deprive other centres and their operatives of influence.
To those that clung to the traditions of the past and could see no reason to change to the beliefs and teachings engendered in Jesus new gospel, Jesus explained his change of direction by referring them to their own scriptures:
"Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life, and they are they that testify of me."
At that time there was no 'Bible' in terms of what we understand by the word. But there were in most Israelite synagogues collections of sacred writings that equate with what Jews and Christians consider to be holy books that Divinity caused to be written for specific purposes.
The ‘writings’ to which Jesus directed doubters to turn and where he was confidant they would ‘find’ him, were not the common writings such as the wisdom literature of the Ancient Near East, but writings held sacred by religious Judeans that would eventually form the bulk of the Hebrew Scriptures.
'Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life, and they are they that testify of me!'
As far as is known, the Gospellers wrote nothing about Jesus until several decades after his death when it was evident that the Parousia was a delayed event that seemed unlikely to take place during the lifetimes of ‘this generation,’ as some believed Jesus had foretold.
29 So ye in like manner, when ye shall see these things come to pass, know that it is nigh, even at the doors. 30 Verily I say unto you, that this generation shall not pass, till all these things be done. 31 Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away. 32 But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father. [Luke 13:29-32]
Therefore, the evangelists wrote their books in order to maintain the momentum of the apostolic kerygma, for it was by their proclamation, according to Jesus, that non-believers would come faith in him, be drawn to obey him, submit to baptism at the hands of his authorised ministers, enter into mystical union with Christ through baptism [as explained at Romans 6], recognising in the inspired utterances of the Apostolate that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of the living God, and would verily come unto Christ, and own him their Saviour, sovereign, Lord, redeemer, and advocate with the Father.
It is the apostle Matthew that makes the fullest use of the Hebrew Scriptures to illuminate passages that point unerringly to the nature and mission of the Son of God, the long awaited Messiah, 'the Lamb of God that taketh away the sins of the world.’ [John 1:35-36]
Matthew had no difficulty in searching the Hebrew scriptures and finding those that testified of Jesus Christ. Matthew shows that from earliest times it was known that a Saviour would be furnished, commissioned, and sent by God to save humanity from physical and spiritual death, and it is not difficult to search the Hebrew scriptures for ourselves and find out who and what Christ is, and learn obedience that we might be partakers of the salvation or ‘healing’ ‘that he’ would bring ‘in his wings.’
We know from the Hebrew writings that the Saviour would be born of a virgin [Isaiah 7:14] 'Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.'
He would be a Nazarene, that he would be kind, loving, tender, and would, therefore, not ‘quench a smoking flax.’
From the Old Testament, we learn that he would be a servant, that he would suffer [Isaiah 53]:
'He endured the suffering that should have been ours.' (v. 4)
'Because of our sins he was wounded.' (v. 5)
All of us were like sheep that were lost, each of us going his own way. But the Lord made the punishment fall on him, the punishment all of us deserved. (v. 6) &c.
The whole chapter bears testimony that is ratified to us by the Holy Spirit if we read it devotionally, and we can know the Passion by testimonies dating from 600 BC, that he would be crucified, that he would be without sin, that he would take away the stains of sin from all that would come to him and be one with him and do the will of his Father that sent him, we read attestations in ‘the law and testimony’ that he is the Redeemer, that we will be stand again in our flesh and behold him when we, like him, are resurrected, we learn that he will visit those souls imprisoned in sin and darkness and that he will be a great light to them, we receive the testimony [Isaiah 40:3]
Isaiah prophesied that Messiah would be preceded by John the Baptist:
A voice of one calling: In the desert prepare the way for the Lord; make straight in the wilderness a highway for our God.
Zechariah 9:9 - Messiah will enter Jerusalem on a colt:
Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! Shout, O Daughter of Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
Zechariah 11:12 Jesus would be betrayed for the price of a slave: "If you think it best, give me my pay; but if not, keep it.” So they paid me thirty pieces of silver.
Some of the most common references made to the prophesies of the Old Testament are those related to the death of Jesus including his betrayal by Judas, revealed in Psalms 41:9:
Even my close friend, whom I trusted, he who shared my bread, has lifted up his heel against me. Dogs have surrounded me; a band of evil men has encircled me, they have pierced my hands and my feet. (Psalm 22:16)
Therefore I will give him a portion among the great, and he will divide the spoils with the strong, because he poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. (Isaiah 53:12)
Isaiah testifies to the Messiah's burial in a rich man’s tomb:
He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death, though he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth (Isaiah 53:9).
While the Israelites wandered in the Desert of Zin, ‘Then the LORD sent poisonous snakes among the people, and many Israelites were bitten and died. Then the LORD told Moses to make a metal snake and put it on a pole, so that anyone who was bitten could look at it and be healed. (Numbers 21: 6,8)
Jesus explained the significance of the snake on the pole.
As Moses lifted up the bronze snake on a pole in the desert, in the same way the Son of Man must be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.' (John 3: 14,15)
The Psalmist testifies that God said to the Redeemer to come, Jesus Christ,
Thou art my son; this day have I begotten thee.' (Psalm 2: 7)
Jesus’ resurrection is testified in Psalm 16:10, ‘You protect me from the power of death. You will not abandon me to the world of the dead.’
Psalm 22 vividly and in detail attests to the events of the crucifixion of Jesus. ‘My God, My God, why have you abandoned me? (v.1)
The scene is foretold thus,
All that look upon me shall have me in contempt; they stick out their tongues and shake their heads. ‘You relied on the Lord’ they say. ‘Why doesn’t he save you?’ (v. 7,8)
‘They gamble for my clothes.’ (v. 18)
Psalm 22 predicts the agony of Christ’s death on the cross.
‘All my bones are out of joint; my heart is like melted wax. My throat is as dry as dust, and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth.’ (v. 14,15)
‘An evil gang is around me; like a pack of dogs they close in on me; they tear at my hands and feet.’ (v. 16)
Job testifies to the resurrection of the Redeemer
Now, Pastor, I return to your question and ask you out of a good heart that since the Old Testament testifies so roundly and fulsomely to the divinity, person, character, missions, and accomplishments of the Messiah, Jesus Christ, what need do any of us have of the Greek Scriptures [New Testament]?
The answer to that question is the same as the answer to your original question.
May God bless you to trust God completely and accept whatever blessings he bestows that our testimonies and faith will continue to grow and strengthen, as it seems our Father in Heaven intends, that we might come through any trial, be strengthened, and that our faith fail not.
Shall the pot say to the potter, ‘Why hast thou done this?
Shall we question why Almighty God does anything?
I believe you know the answer.
Copyright 2012 - Ronnie Bray | <urn:uuid:c7a88377-5e24-4276-a0c0-8fac013566bf> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://yorkshiretales.com/allaboutmormonism/page_a_pastor_asks_a_fair_question.php | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00010-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.972235 | 2,598 | 1.804688 | 2 |
World’s oldest survivor of Auschwitz death camp dies at the age of 108
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WARSAW, POLAND—The oldest known survivor of the Auschwitz concentration camp — a teacher who gave lessons in defiance of his native Poland’s Nazi occupiers — has died at the age of 108, an official said Monday.
Antoni Dobrowolski died Sunday in the northwestern Polish town of Debno, according to Jaroslaw Mensfelt, a spokesman at the Auschwitz-Birkenau state museum.
After invading Poland in 1939, sparking World War II, the Germans banned anything beyond four years of elementary education in a bid to crush Polish culture and the country’s intelligentsia. The Germans considered the Poles inferior beings, and the education policy was part of a plan to use Poles as a “slave race.”
An underground effort by Poles to continue to teach children immediately emerged, with those caught punished by being sent to concentration camps or prisons. Dobrowolski was among the Poles engaged in the underground effort, and he was arrested by the Gestapo and sent to Auschwitz in June 1942.
“Auschwitz was worse than Dante’s hell,” he recalled in a video made when he was 103.
Dobrowolski, who was born Oct. 8, 1904 in Wolborz, Poland, was later moved to the concentration camps of Gross-Rosen and Sachsenhausen, according to the Auschwitz memorial museum in southern Poland.
After the war, he moved to Debno, where he worked as a Polish-language teacher and as principal at an elementary school and later at a high school for many years.
He will be buried in Debno on Wednesday.
At least 1.1 million people were killed by the Germans at the Auschwitz-Birkenau camp. Most of the victims were Jews, but many non-Jewish Poles, Roma and others were also killed there.
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- Brampton suffers identity crisis as newcomers swell city’s population | <urn:uuid:15467b3c-85d9-40d7-a361-d1beed5adecc> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.thestar.com/news/world/2012/10/22/worlds_oldest_survivor_of_auschwitz_death_camp_dies_at_the_age_of_108.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00026-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.969409 | 526 | 2.734375 | 3 |
Stone Age Could Complicate N.Sea Wind Farm Plans
Author: Alister Doyle, Environment Correspondent
An offshore wind farm stands in the water near the Danish island of Samso May 19, 2008.
Photo: Bob Strong
Energy firms taking part in a North Sea boom for offshore wind farms will have to watch out for remains of Stone Age villages submerged for thousands of years, an expert said on Tuesday.
A region dubbed "Doggerland" connected Britain to mainland Europe across what is now the southern North Sea until about 8,000 years ago, when seas rose after the last Ice Age.
It is now the site of a planned vast expansion of offshore wind power by 2020 to help combat climate change.
"We've begun to think about how we'd tackle any archaeological finds," Adrian Fox, supply chain manager of the Crown Estate which leases land off Britain, told Reuters during a conference in Oslo about offshore wind.
He said planners were trying to consider every challenge of offshore wind farming -- from upgrading port capacity to finding more specialized vessels to help install the turbines.
Discoveries of ancient Roman sites in London have sometimes held up construction projects for years. "We want to decide how to treat (archaeology) reasonably so we don't hold up projects for ever," Fox said.
Over the decades, North Sea trawlers have netted artifacts including a harpoon made of antler, and bones of mammoths and reindeer. Archaeologists' studies suggest Doggerland would have been a fertile region before it was swamped by ice melt.
Britain is leading a drive to exploit wind energy in the North Sea with licenses for a capacity of about 32 gigawatts, part of a European Union push to get 20 percent of energy from renewable sources by 2020.
The biggest will be on the Dogger Bank, where waters are between 18 meters and 63 meters (60-205 feet) deep, by the Forewind Consortium of Scottish and Southern Energy, RWE npower, Statoil and Statkraft.
Julian Brown, director of the British consultancy BVG Associates, said that turbine manufacturers around the world were showing interest in the North Sea.
"We have a list of 13 turbine manufacturers who'd like a role in the UK offshore," he said.
The companies include Siemens, Vestas, General Electric, China's Sinovel and Goldwind, he said, adding that there would probably not be space for all of them.
Forecasts for the growth of offshore wind farms in Europe imply investments of between 100 and 150 billion euros ($135-200 billion) over the next decade, said Erlend Broli of Norway's Statkraft. All experts said costs had to come down to make offshore wind more competitive.
The conference was organized by Norway's INTPOW group, which promotes renewable energies.
(Editing by Kevin Liffey) | <urn:uuid:1bab1c6e-b30f-4484-853e-f6336291bce0> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://planetark.org/enviro-news/item/57281 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00013-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.958376 | 591 | 2.703125 | 3 |
The Ohio Historical Society serves as the custodian of records from Ohio’s federal and state land offices, United States Military District, and Virginia Military District. The records consist of survey plats and notes, and entry, sale, and payment records. They were transferred from the Auditor of State of Ohio’s land office beginning in the 1960’s and ending in the fall of 1994 and encompass more than 400 linear feet of shelf space. These historical records, which date to the late 18th Century, document the western expansion of a young nation and illustrate some of the earliest exploration of the Ohio wilderness through plats, field notes, and tract and entry books from most of Ohio’s land districts, entry books and payment entry and receipt books, journals, and ledgers from six of Ohio’s oldest land offices, and entry and survey books from the Virginia Military District.
| ||Ohio lands were surveyed and sold by the federal government, private individuals, and two other states (Virginia and Connecticut). Since parts of the state were surveyed at different times, Ohio was divided into areas called survey districts or land grants. [need to add Tom's edits here]. |
What Materials are Held By the Ohio Historical Society?
Tract and Entry Books for Congress Lands in the 22 Ranges East of the Scioto River and North and South of the United States Military District, Miami River Survey, Between the Miami Rivers Survey, and 18 Ranges East of the Indiana Boundary and North and South of the Baseline contain entries that are arranged within each survey district by range, township, and section numbers. Information includes names of entrymen, numbers of acres purchased, and dates of purchase. A card index to the tract and entry books was prepared by the Auditor of State’s land office. Index card information includes names of entrymen, names of survey districts or tract and entry book titles, and volume and page numbers.
Receiver of Public Monies and Register of Federal Land Offices kept entry and receipt books, journals, ledgers, and forfeiture or relinquishment books. Entries are arranged chronologically; only the receivers’ and registers’ ledgers contain indexes. Typical entry information includes names of purchasers, dates of purchases or payments, receipt or certificate numbers, tract descriptions, and numbers of acres. First and final certificate numbers are important for tracking forfeiture or relinquishment information and receipt of a land patent. The Ohio Historical Society holds receivers’ and registers’ records from the Canton, Chillicothe, Cincinnati, Marietta, Steubenville, and Zanesville Land offices. Records from land offices north and west of Columbus were kept at the Defiance Land Office and were destroyed by fire in 1855.
Virginia Military District entry and survey books are arranged by entry number or survey number. Information includes names of Virginia military warrant recipients, heirs, or assignees, warrant numbers, names of persons for whom the surveys were done, numbers of acres in each survey, dates of entry or survey, and names of surveyors and chainmen. Survey books also include maps that show the dimensions of the surveys in chains and links and record the directions the surveyors walked, the objects or trees used as markers, and the survey numbers of bordering surveys. A card index to the entry books and a numerical list of surveys that shows survey book numbers and pages was prepared by the Auditor of State’s land office. | <urn:uuid:6d6bcf24-01e3-4ad8-a558-cf0c13d9fa9f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://ohiohistory.org/collections--archives/archives-library/about-the-collection/land-records | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706890813/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516122130-00015-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.946007 | 701 | 2.828125 | 3 |
This site will look much better in a browser that supports web standards, but it is accessible to any browser or Internet device.
|Today is August 16, 1998 and I'm here in downtown Dhaka, Bangladesh at the campus of Notre Dame University. I'm interviewing a young college student who would like to share with you his ideas on college life in Bangladesh and the culture of his country.|
Q: What's your name? And how old are you?
A: My name is Kazal Ribeiro. I'm 21 years old.
Q: What are you studying here at university?
A: Bangla, English, Social Welfare and History.
Q: After you complete your studies, what job or profession would you like to enter?
A: I wish to be a priest in future.
Q: Why do you want to become a priest?
A: I want to serve the people. You now that Bangladesh is poor. There are many poor people here. They are deprived of education and other things. And so I want to help them.
Q: Tell us about college life at the university.
A: At 8 a.m. we start classes. We study hard. The teachers always try to give us a good lesson.
Q: How do students spend their free time?
A: We spend our free time by different kinds of sports, sometimes teaching, singing songs, etc.
Q: What kinds of sports do you play?
A: Cricket, football, volleyball.
Q: Do students have part-time jobs?
A: Yes. They teach boys and girls, to earn money. They also work as a salesman in a shop.
Q: How old are your pupils? What do you teach them?
A: They are all primary level, 5-10 years old. We teach them English, Bangla, Math, etc.
Q: My students in Japan aren't familiar with Bangladesh. Could you tell them about your country?
A: Yes. Bangladesh is a young country. 26 years ago we got our freedom. There are about 120 million people. We are a poor developing country. Most people are farmers. They live in the village. We produce rice, jute, wheat and textiles.
Q: Recently you experienced some terrible flooding in the cities and the countryside. Could you tell about the floods and how they affected your country?
A: Many people lost their homes. Many people took shelter here in Notre Dame College. There were 2,000 people here. We gave them food, clothes and other necessary things. The water was about 1 meter deep. It flooded for 3 days.
Q: Besides the floods, what are some of the other problems that affect your society?
A: We have many problems like cyclones which destroy homes and kill people, and diseases like malaria, cholera. Many people don't have jobs, and many boys and girls can't go to school for poverty.
Q: If my students were to come to Bangladesh, what places should they visit?
A: They can visit many places. Cox's Bazar. It's a beautiful beach. They can visit Sundarbans. It's famous for its jungle with Royal Bengal tigers.
Q: Finally, Kazal, are there any questions about Japan which you would like to ask my students?
A: Yes. I have 3 questions. First, is there any politics in the universities? Are students interested in politics? My second question is "How is their love and social life?" And my final question, please tell me about the Japanese education system.
Q: Can you give a message to my students?
A: I am very glad to be able to give you some information about my country and I invite you to visit Bangladesh someday. I send you greetings and love.
You can search the site by using the above tabs or click on the links below. | <urn:uuid:2dbe0ae0-0ad1-4fee-a0f0-eaa1f6d722f2> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://gilesig.org/newsletter/33int.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00008-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.975204 | 811 | 2.03125 | 2 |
Why would you want to plot a mathematical function using a drawing package like Inkscape rather than a mathematical package like Mathematica or R? One reason is that you may want plot for its visual properties. For example, you might want to include a sine wave in a drawing.
Another reason is that you may want to have more control (or at least easier control) over your plot. Mathematical packages make it easy to produce a basic plot with default options. But I’ve found it difficult to change the aesthetics of a plot in every mathematical package I’ve used. The things I want to do are often possible but require arcane options that I have trouble remembering. In a drawing program, it’s obvious how to manipulate a plot as an image.
Inkscape provides a couple extensions to include function plots in a drawing. One is “Function Plotter” and the other is “Parametric Curves.” Both are found under Extensions -> Render. The following dialog shows the settings used to produce the graph above.
The first time I tried using these extensions nothing happened. Then I discovered you have to select a rectangle to contain the plot before creating a plot; the plotting tools do not create their own rectangles.
The Function Plotter supports rectangular and polar coordinates. You’re in for quite a surprise if you expect rectangular coordinates when the polar coordinates box is checked. | <urn:uuid:66266681-46a9-48bf-8017-70d56de8948c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.johndcook.com/blog/2009/12/21/function-plots-inkscape/ | 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 | 0.914448 | 292 | 3.078125 | 3 |
Congratulations to President Barack Obama on his Nobel Peace Prize. I hope he now can do something to earn it. He could begin by bringing peace to American streets, such as those in his hometown.
Less than nine months into his presidency, it obviously is early for Obama to be lauded for great achievements. Yet the Norwegian Nobel Committee seems to be saying, why wait? They’re giving him a big “E” for his efforts.
According to their declaration, the committee decided that the Nobel Peace Prize for 2009 should be awarded to Obama “for his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples.” The committee “attached special importance to Obama’s vision of and work for a world without nuclear weapons.”
Fine. I would like to attach as much importance to his vision and work for cities without kids killing each other for sport in senseless turf battles, if only I knew what his vision was.
He still appears to be searching. A week before the Nobel was announced, Obama was compelled by the fatal video-recorded beating of Derrion Albert, 15, by a mob of teens on Chicago’s South Side to take action. He dispatched two cabinet officers to address a youth violence problem that already has been exhaustively studied.
He sent Atty. Gen. Eric Holder and Education Secretary Arne Duncan to meet with local officials in Chicago. The problem is hardly new to Duncan. He was CEO of the city’s public schools before Obama brought him to Washington. He openly lamented in an April interview that, despite many achievements of which he was proud during his seven-year tenure as schools chief, he was a “total failure” at curbing violence. At least he’s honest.
Yet, everybody seems to think they have the answer to youth violence. Just ask them. If I had a dollar for every reader who has written to me, often in capital letters, “IT’S THE PARENTS, STUPID,” the windfall probably could pay my son’s college tuition.
They’re right, of course. Broken families lead to broken lives for kids. But what’s the prescription? For the black kids who disproportionately are victims and perpetrators of juvenile violence, for example, it is easy to blame black social problems on the absence of black fathers. It’s hard to argue with a black out-of-wedlock birth rate of almost 70 percent. But where are we going to find young marriageable men to marry those unwed mothers? How do we break the cycle of family dysfunctional before yet another generation of kids is lost?
More police are needed, but they’re not enough, says Phillip Jackson, founder of Chicago’s 13-year-old Black Star Project. “Derrion Albert and others are not getting jumped by organized street gangs,” Jackson told me. “These are just neighborhood kids who get together for what they call ‘mobbin,’ which usually means fighting. They’re not making money with their crime. They just don’t think they have anything better to do.”
Jackson didn’t expect much from the surge in programs, services and promises by city and federal officials that followed Derrion Albert’s death. “We need structural changes,” Jackson said, “not knee-jerk reactions.”
Like what? He referred me to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which appropriately treats youth violence like the disease that it is. Their four sensible prescriptions:
1. Teach parents to talk with their kids and solve problems in nonviolent ways.
2. Teach children to resolve tough social situations without using violence.
3. Pair adults with youngsters to mentor and serve as role models for good behavior.
4. Reduce social and economic causes of violence in the young person’s environment.
What doesn’t work is buck passing. Each of these strategies require time, money and concern.
Kids need more than cops. They need good mentors and role models. They need something better to do after school than the “mobbing” that leads to gang fights. They need people with whom they can provide early warnings of violence before it happens, without feeling stigmatized as “snitches.” We know these things from programs that have worked to measurably reduce violence in schools and neighborhoods around the country.
So, congratulations on your prize, Mr. President. I hope you can earn it now, not just overseas but also here at home, too. We’ve diagnosed the youth violence virus for decades. It’s time to give more attention to prescriptions that work to stop it.
E-mail Clarence Page at firstname.lastname@example.org, or write to him c/o Tribune Media Services, 2225 Kenmore Ave., Suite 114, Buffalo, NY 14207. | <urn:uuid:827061f2-9167-403d-b366-f57c497659b6> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2009/oct/11/clarence-page-congrats-mr-prez-now-earn-it/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00072-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.975635 | 1,029 | 1.867188 | 2 |
SC hacking: What's known, not known 3 weeks later
Nov 18, 2012 (The State (Columbia - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) --
Details remain sketchy more than three weeks after S.C. officials revealed hackers swiped state tax information belonging to as many as 4.45 million consumers and businesses.
With Gov. Nikki Haley expected to release an investigative report this week, here is what is known -- and not -- about the massive hacking attack and the latest on what is being done to prevent another cyber attack:
What do we know about what happened
Hackers duped an employee into opening a file with a program that allowed them to get log-in credentials to the department computers. The hackers probed the computers, starting in late August, before swiping the information in mid-September. The Secret Service told the state about the theft on Oct. 10.
Do we know what the thieves took
The state has not released information on what was stolen or from how many people. Haley said to be safe anyone who filed S.C. taxes since 1998 should assume anything on their tax return is in the hands of hackers. That encompasses 3.8 million consumers and 657,000 businesses. The hackers also snagged nearly 400,000 credit cards numbers.
What could the thieves do with the tax information
They could get credit cards and loans, receive medical care and empty bank accounts. They have information to identify the most lucrative targets, experts said. Hackers could net $360 million if they empty bank accounts belonging to only 1 percent of affected consumers and businesses, a former FBI agent said last week.
Has anyone's information been used
No one knows.
Thieves could wait a year or more to strike. And even if a crook uses some taxpayers' financial information, pinpointing it to this theft will be difficult.
What kind of computer protection did the Revenue Department have
The agency used some of common security measures -- two firewalls, email and website filters, and periodic virus scans. The department also hired Trustwave to check computer system security periodically to ensure the agency was in compliance with regulations on handling credit cards. Both measures failed to prevent or detect the theft.
Could the Revenue Department have taken other steps
It seems so.
The department just partially used the Division of State Information Technology's free network-monitoring service. While that would not have stopped the breach, the state might have learned about the large amount of uploaded data sooner. The revenue agency also did not encrypt tax information sitting in servers. Other state agencies encrypt that information. The S.C. Department of Motor Vehicles, for example, says it encrypts driver's license data. Revenue officials say most state tax agencies don't encrypt data in servers, but security experts insist South Carolina should have taken all measures to protect data.
Has anyone lost their job for the breach
Initially, Haley said no one was to blame. Now, says she will wait until she sees investigative reports.
What is being done
Now, a lot.
The Revenue Department is encrypting data and using a special program nicknamed "The Hand" that will shut down computers infected by viruses or malware or uploading an usually amount of data. The department also is reviewing whether to reduce the number of employees who have access to its records from its current 250. Meanwhile, all 16 state agencies that report directly to Haley will start using The Hand program and receive round-the-clock monitoring from the Division of State Information Technology. Haley said she would like other state agencies to follow suit.
Doesn't anyone coordinate computer security among state agencies
No, but look for that to change.
State agencies are allowed to handle their own computer systems. The Division of State Information Technology must market its services just like private-sector firms to state agencies. Last week, Haley ordered her 16 cabinet agencies to follow the state Information Technology division's security procedures. The state Inspector General is working with chief information officers at all state agencies on a plan to improve and coordinate computer security. The state Senate also has formed a committee to investigate the breech and lawmakers likely will introduce bills to centralize state agency computer technology.
How much is the breach costing the state
Nearly $14 million and counting.
South Carolina will pay Experian $12 million to provide a free year of credit monitoring to taxpayers. The state also is shelling out an estimated $741,000 to inform up to 1.5 million out-of-state residents who filed S.C. taxes since 1998; an estimated $500,000 for computer security firm Mandiant; $500,000 for five state agencies to program their computer systems to sync with the state Information Technology center; $160,000 for public relations firm Chernoff Newman to coordinate a news conference and place ads to consumers; and an estimated $100,000 for outside legal help from Columbia's Nelson Mullins law firm.
How can the state spend all this money
The Revenue Department can't pay the bills without severe cuts. The expenses represent about a third of the agency's annual budget of $41.7 million. No word yet how lawmakers will cover the tab, but they need to decide soon. Experian is scheduled to get two $6 million payments on Dec. 15 and Jan. 31.
Did the state seek bids for the credit-monitoring contract
To have a place for taxpayers to contact when the hacking was revealed, the Revenue Department said lawyers quickly sought bids from three companies -- Experian, Citreas and Identity Force. No details have been released about the bids. The department said: "Experian appeared to be the vendor best suited to the nature and size of the breach." Plus, Experian provided similar credit monitoring when information belonging to more than 228,000 S.C. Medicaid beneficiaries was exposed this spring. But the chief executives of Citreas and Identify Force told The Associated Press they never heard from South Carolina officials. (Note: Experian and Dun & Bradstreet Credibility Corp. are offering business' credit monitoring at no cost to the state.)
Why then were hotlines jammed in the first days after the breach was announced
The contract between the state and Experian was signed in the hour before a news conference announcing the breach. Experian was working to get operators ready before the contract was signed, the Revenue Department said. Still, phone lines were hammered with people trying to get a code needed to enroll for credit monitoring online. Experian doubled operators to about 300, and the state released the online access code to the public. Haley bizarrely blamed reporters for tying up the phone lines. In an email, Experian suggested people felt compelled to call immediately because the Jan. 31 enrollment deadline was not mentioned at Haley's initial news conference. Wait times have dropped since.
___ (c)2012 The State (Columbia, S.C.) Visit The State (Columbia, S.C.) at
www.thestate.com Distributed by MCT Information Services
[ InfoTech Spotlight's Homepage ] | <urn:uuid:02f7b8dc-719f-4a52-bfa0-549e77aa6316> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://it.tmcnet.com/news/2012/11/19/6735055.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706890813/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516122130-00041-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.957384 | 1,447 | 1.835938 | 2 |
English Language Arts and Reading (4–8)
The Bachelor of Arts in English Language Arts and Reading (4–8) at St. Edward’s prepares you for the critical role of strengthening the literacy skills of today’s middle-school students. We emphasize hands-on learning through teaching experiences in middle schools in Austin.
You’ll study a range of topics that give you the foundation to teach classic and contemporary works of great writers and essential literacy skills to young people. After completing a student teaching internship and the required certification exams, you'll be eligible to apply for your Grades 4–8 English Language Arts and Reading teacher certification in Texas. Once you're certified, you'll be well prepared to teach in elementary and middle school classrooms.
Bachelor of Arts in English Language Arts and Reading (4–8)
As a BA in English Language Arts and Reading major, you’ll explore different teaching models and develop methods for honing reading and writing proficiency among students. You’ll learn to design lesson plans rooted in well-known literature, create strategies for improving vocabulary and reading, and integrate technology into your teaching approach. You’ll gain skills in assessing student learning, managing classroom behavior and interacting with parents.
Students select this degree with the goal of teaching in elementary and middle schools. Close interaction with faculty at St. Edward’s — and time spent in classes, advising sessions and teaching fieldwork — fully prepares you for your student teaching internship and certification exams.
With a BA in English Language Arts and Reading, graduates may teach in fourth- to eighth-grade classrooms after successfully completing the specified certification requirements. Advanced degrees are required for teaching positions at the college level.
In addition to the general education courses required of all majors, and elective courses, BA in English Language Arts and Reading majors take courses from these groups:
Students who major in English language arts and reading complete core courses, which include British Literature, American Grammar, Introduction to English Linguistics, Content Area Literacy, and Research and Argumentation.
BA in English Language Arts and Reading majors complete required minor courses in Teacher Education, which include Foundations in Education, Learning Processes and Evaluation, and Educational Technology Integration.
You will have 80 to 120 hours of teaching experiences in the field, which include one-on-one, small-group and whole-class settings.
STUDENT TEACHING INTERNSHIP
After completing your field experience hours, you will undertake a 13-week student teaching internship in a culturally diverse school in Central Texas.
View the Degree Plan (PDF) for sample course information for the Bachelor of Arts in English Language Arts and Reading (4–8).
In addition to an internship that may be required for your degree, St. Edward’s University offers numerous opportunities for optional internships, professional-level research and hands-on creative experiences (writing, art, music, theater and more). These activities enhance your résumé, build your confidence and skills — and give you a distinct advantage in your career and for graduate school. | <urn:uuid:a1fd225b-70a8-4035-9d7f-5ad7ae916d2b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.stedwards.edu/academics/bachelors/teachenglishlanguagearts4-8 | 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 | 0.916276 | 634 | 1.898438 | 2 |
I believe it is safe to assume that all investors have a shared interest in maximizing their return on investments while minimizing risk (optimal portfolio). Most investors expect higher returns on investment for increased risk. There are theories associated with this investment behavior which compares different security (stock) portfolios to find the best investment choice. Being a successful investor is about a diversified portfolio where there is a balance with risk to achieve efficiency. Here is an overview on portfolio management and behavioral finance.
I. Portfolio Management Theory:
- States in order to achieve the highest possible return lower risk investments should be included (a diversified portfolio!!)
- Investors are risk averse. This means if they are assuming more risk they will require a higher potential for return (do you blame them??). Great example of this is car insurance. You would rather pay a premium then take on the full risk of paying for the entire car in an accident.
- Markowitz Portfolio Theory (modern portfolio theory)
- Investors should look at investing options based on their expected rate of return.
- Optimal Portfolio- Investors attempt to minimize risk while working to get the highest return possible. Rational behavior is used in deciding which investment to use based on their level of acceptable risk.
- A portfolio is considered efficient if no other option offers a higher return with the same or lower risk.
2. Efficient Frontier
- Takes the entire portfolio weighing the risk involved and the correlation between the securities. If you have stock “123” and stock “456”, how do these two work with each other considering their rate of risk and return? The efficient frontier is an illustration on how well the two would work with each other within a portfolio.
3. Capital Market Theory
- An addition to Markowitz’s portfolio theory. Has 8 assumptions including the fact that investors are striving for efficiency (optimal portfolio) and there are no fees or taxes added when buying or selling.
- Uses the capital asset pricing model which gives the expected rate of return of an asset (like a stock) if it is included in a diversified portfolio. It looks at its beta (non-diversifiable risk, systematic which involves the market return), and it looks at the expected risk free rate asset (a government issued asset- e.g. treasury bill).
- Capital Market Line- an illustration (a line…hence the name capital market LINE- hahaha!) which shows the expected rate of return when the risk-free asset is added. This differs from the efficient frontier in that it includes the risk free asset (people think this makes it a better model). Diversifiable risk (unsystematic): standard deviation.
- Security Market Line- an illustration which shows the expected return if a single risky asset (let’s use stock XYZ) is added to a portfolio. All original assets are plotted on a graph. If the risk (or the beta) and the expected return of XYZ is ABOVE the others already in the portfolio, then XYZ is considered UNDERVALUED and the investor should buy. BUT, if it is BELOW, then XYZ is OVERVALUED and the investor should NOT buy.
The items discussed above represents a rational investor. Behavioral finance states investors are actually not as rational (hmmmm…). There are miscellaneous theories based on the study of behavioral finance. Ones I find most interesting are:
Herd effect: not wanting to be left behind. Buying stock because everyone else is buying (Facebook going public comes to mind. Who doesn’t want a piece of that pie??)
Prospect theory: investors fear losses more than they value gain.
Escalation bias- investors will contribute more money into a failing stock than into investments that are outperforming. In other words, investors will see the decline as bargain or discount. So if you bought a stock for $50 and it declines to $40, you will buy into it because, hey, now it’s a bargain with a discount of $10.
This chapter had a lot of information on investor behavior and achieving an optimal portfolio. I hope this information was as beneficial for you as it was for me writing it. Please provide feedback! Thanks!! | <urn:uuid:f22ade8b-de17-4dd6-a1c1-e0645d8592fb> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://lendnotborrow.com/optimal-portfolio-minimum-risk-maximum-return/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00035-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.938113 | 874 | 2.578125 | 3 |
My friends and relatives on the West Coast used to send me e-mailed petitions. None is valid here in Texas. In fact, Texas is only one of nine states that does not have recall as part of the Constitution. Texas does not have initiative either.
Texas is one of a few states that does not have recall
Why? Texans have a long distrust of their elected officials. That feeling came out of the Reconstruction era. When Texans finally re-gained control of their state in 1870, they wrote the present Constitution. It is one of the wordiest documents in all the 50 states. practically noting can be done by the Legislature without a state-wide referendum.
Recall was not considered; but if it was known, this blogger is sure it would have been included. Of course, elected officials can be kicked out of office for misconduct. That is left up to impeachment. State officials have been impeached, too. This blogger recalls a Supreme Court Justice Donald Burt Yarbrough, who was indicted for malfeasance and run out of office in the 70′s before he was impeached. The Legislature impeached Gov. James E. Ferguson in 1916. No other governor has been impeached.
Initiative is what generates that annoying e-mails from the West Coast. Out there, they can get up a petition and make almost anything into a law. In fact, California’s state constitution has so many initiative-inspired changes that only about 40 percent of their budget can be changed with out a Constitutional amendment. That avenue was attempted a few years ago, but California voters turned it down.
Texas Republican Gov. William P. Clements proposed Initiative and recall when he was governor. The Democrat legislature rejected it.
Recall can get bad officials out of office. However, as we see in Wisconsin it was used to stop officials from making needed reforms. The United States and the 50 states run as republics. That means we the people choose our officials, and the elected officials conduct government. If they are honest, then they should get an opportunity to do for their terms.
Initiative and recall moves the state towards a democracy and the whims of the populace. That was what the founding fathers feared the most. | <urn:uuid:1095f2d6-1802-4880-80f4-876692d5d08c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://texasteapartyalliance.org/wordpress/?cat=146 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700958435/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104238-00019-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.97801 | 459 | 2.734375 | 3 |
A serious threat to utilities is theft of services. There is also a large liability potential if tampering remains undetected. This scenario describes the process by which the utility detects tamper/theft through communication with the meter. It includes the methods by which the communication equipment detects the tampering/theft. Tamper methods include, for example, comparison of the load profile data against historical records, or a spontaneous report of a tamper switch being triggered at the customer site. This scenario excludes the actual reading of data required to support a determination of theft/tamper detection. This is covered by scenario B1. It also excludes the actual algorithms used to determine whether theft is occurring. | <urn:uuid:1aebd79f-cb2a-4907-9085-a9bd9c0b4380> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.sgiclearinghouse.org/SmartGrid101?q=node/1628&lb=1 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00021-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.929434 | 137 | 2.28125 | 2 |
Tuesday, August 07, 2012
Sikhs and Muslims, Shootings and Burnings: Rescuing the American Experiment
This last Sunday morning the horrible news broke out of Oak Creek, Wisconsin and quickly spread through the media. As Sikhs gathered at the place of prayer and worship in a local gurdwara outside Milwaukee, a man walked through the parking lot and shot individuals before moving into the worship facility and shooting worshipers, including the community’s religious leader. At the end of the incident seven people were dead, including the suspect, who was killed by a police officer. Several others were wounded and three people remain in the hospital in critical condition.
In the initial hours after the shooting, the incident following just weeks after another mass shooting in a crowded Aurora, Colorado movie-theater, the media speculated as to the motives for the shooter. While little is known for certain as the investigation continues, some media outlets are reporting that the shooter had connections to ideology. If confirmed it would make this incident a hate crime.
Of course this is not the first case of hate crime directed at Sikhs. Sikhism has been the unfortunate recipient of and hatred since 9/11. In the days following the September 2001 terrorist attacks, Sikhs, identified by turbans and beards among males, were assumed to be Muslims by vengeance-minded and religiously illiterate Americans, and as a result, some were assaulted and killed in cases of mistaken religious identity. This unacceptable state of affairs continues to be a major problem for the Sikh community, so much so that some have considered violating their deeply held religious practices by cutting their long hair and removing their turbans. The incidents of violence have been so numerous that some members of have urged the FBI to begin collecting data on how the Sikh community has become the special focus of hate crimes paralleling that directed at Muslims. Understandably, the Sikh community nationwide now lives in a state of fear.
In addition to the shooting at the Sikh temple in Michigan, this week saw another incident of religiously inspired violence. This one was directed at Islam as a to the ground in Joplin, Missouri, just one month after it had previously been the target of arson.
It has been over a decade since 9/11, and the recent violence toward Sikhs and Muslims is a clear signal that America still bristles at its experiment with religious pluralism. Many times, perhaps not so violently, the melting pot is not mixing, and those who chaff at the presence of certain religions on the American landscape make their displeasure known through acts of violence.
Even so, there has been positive pushback from those opposed to hate crimes directed at religious groups. The communities in Wisconsin and Missouri are rallying around the Sikhs and Muslims as they come to grips with grief, fear, and how to overcome these challenges. In addition, religious groups are lending support and speaking out from diverse places. Recently The Hindu American Foundation issued a statement discussing their outrage at the attacks and their support with the victims. The earth-based religions making up the have also been supportive expressing interfaith condolences through Cherry Hill Seminary and other noted personalities within the pagan movement.
Although it has not often responded well to the realities of religiously plural America, Christians must also join this chorus of support for the Sikh and Muslim victims of hate crimes. Although not a scientific or exhaustive methodology, a recent Google search of mine on "Christian leaders + Sikh temple shooting" revealed precious little by way of public responses by Evangelical leaders, with the curious exception of one comment by Pat Robertson who attributed the violence to atheism, another Evangelical scapegoat. Although they were very visible in the culture wars over same-sex marriage and chicken, in regards to religious hatred and violence, Evangelical leaders and people in the pew seem embarrassingly absent. However, one organization within Evangelicalism, the Evangelical Chapter of the Foundation for Religious Diplomacy, offers its deepest sympathies to the Sikh community of Oak Creek, Michigan for their recent losses. It also extends the same to the Muslim community of Joplin, Missouri as they rebuild their place of worship.
How then might Evangelicals and others respond to this situation beyond the expression of sympathies, seemingly the least that can be offered in response to such tragedies? In this situation Evangelicals must exemplify the best from their religious tradition in the ethic of love for their neighbor. We must reach out to both the Sikh and Muslim communities in Michigan, Missouri, and beyond to contribute to a national climate that fosters understanding and the ability to not only tolerate, but also to embrace the other in civility despite our religious differences.
America’s Founding Fathers put together a form of government that enabled its citizens to maintain their religious differences and to express them in ways that avoided the religion-fueled wars of Europe. But episodes like those in Wisconsin and Missouri these important American ideals. Our grand experiment must continue but something new needs to be added to the mix. Yes, we need to counter religious illiteracy, but that leaves a huge chasm between the religiously informed individual but who remains one who harbors distaste if not hatred for religious others in their community. How then do we incorporate religious literacy programs but do so in ways that also overcome the perception of monstrous religious others? The prescription comes through peaceful contestation provided for a citizenry committed to a life lived in service to others through religious diplomacy. | <urn:uuid:5cda8f87-869f-4bc6-a8a8-16233c26738f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://johnwmorehead.blogspot.com/2012/08/sikhs-and-muslims-shootings-and.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00054-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.975528 | 1,099 | 2.09375 | 2 |
I have a question for you guys :) I’m interested in your thoughts on the size that Great Whites can reach. Do you think they max out at the size that has actually been documented - around 21ft for the largest ever caught - or are there much larger sharks down there? There have been reports of larger sharks being caught - a Great White was caught in 1997 in Taiwan, that was estimated to have been 23ft, but the exact size was unconfirmed.
Experts believe they max out at around 20ft - the majority being much less than that. The above are considered exceptional and extremely rare, and absolutely the biggest that a Great White would get. What do you think? How big can they get? Do you think the experts are right or are there bigger sharks down there? And how big? 25ft? 26ft? Bigger?!
Looking forward to reading your answers!
- side-oftheangels answered: I wouldn’t doubt that there are larger sharks somewhere living in great depths considering somewhere around 90% of the ocean is unexplored.
- dinodrifterdarsh answered: AWESOME FEET
- encyclopika answered: It depends if size is a genetic characteristic or one determined by food availability. It’d say they could get bigger - but not by much more.
- ocean-horse answered: i think honestly that the sharks just keep growing so the really old ones can reach like 30 ft
- bridgittejovovich answered: 27 feet id say maximum. just because we havent seen them doesnt mean a thing.
- bigsharks posted this | <urn:uuid:031824df-2fc4-4446-ab69-eb720925333c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://bigsharks.tumblr.com/post/28099200453/great-whites-how-big-can-they-get | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00014-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.970305 | 333 | 2.375 | 2 |
It’s a time when memories and experiences help shape our young people’s future. It’s a time when kids should be kids, and not be saddled with the financial pressures they will be faced with in their adult years. There is plenty of time for that later.
Studies are a large part of the experience, but there is so much more — athletics, extracurricular activities, part-time jobs, relationships and getting your first car, just to name a few.
Many schools even provide students with the “opportunity of a lifetime” to participate in a school-sanctioned trip, oftentimes costing thousands of dollars. For example, the Grand Haven High School Chamber Choir and Symphony Orchestra are planning an ambitious trip that would take them to Carnegie Hall in New York City, then across Europe.
The projected cost? More than $3,000 per student.
We agree that this would be the trip of a lifetime — but on the other hand, it puts an undue burden on students and their parents to raise the necessary funds to participate. You’re not going to raise that kind of money collecting pop cans and washing cars. Even the most ambitious of fundraising efforts are sure to leave families scrambling to cover half the cost of the trip.
For those who aren’t able to come up with the necessary funding, what impact does it have on them, and how is that perceived among their peers whose families do have the means to support such a trip?
We feel that the harm it can cause would be significant.
There is a tremendous amount of pressure on parents to provide for their children, and this just adds to it.
Every parent wants to give their child every opportunity possible. But at a time when providing the basic needs seems insurmountable for some, we feel the additional pressures caused by these activities is unnecessary.
We applaud the leaders of our youth for teaching our children the concept of reaching for the stars, but we also suggest that we keep things in perspective and operate within realistic means.
A trip to Europe is a tremendous goal. But if it turns out to be too pricy, and fundraising efforts come up short, then perhaps a scaled-down trip would be more appropriate.
We’re sure those who can’t afford a trip across the Atlantic would greatly appreciate a chance to join their classmates and friends on a trip to Carnegie Hall that would certainly be remembered for a lifetime, without having to break the bank to get there.
Our Views reflects the majority opinion of the members of the Grand Haven Tribune editorial board: Kevin Hook, Cheryl Welch, Matt DeYoung, Liz Stuck and Fred VandenBrand. What do you think? E-mail us a letter to the editor to email@example.com or log-in to our website and leave a comment below. | <urn:uuid:743adc7e-5d83-4781-a063-1ab81f8c74d6> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.grandhaventribune.com/opinion/opinion/228706?page=5 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00074-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.957704 | 591 | 2.140625 | 2 |
Transmitting and storing audio signals in the digital domain is well-established in the broadcast industry. Analog audio has given way to the AES3 and Sony/Phillips Digital Interface Format (SPDIF). AES3 datastreams are also embedded in SDI television signals.
Pat Shearer, chief engineer at KWBP in Beaverton, OR, monitors the quality of the station’s audio signals from the studio control room.
Handling audio in the digital domain offers many advantages over analog methods. An analog signal incurs progressive degradation as it passes through a chain of circuits. Converting the analog signal into digital and converting back to analog as late in the chain as possible overcomes this degradation.
But keeping audio in a digital format does not automatically guarantee perfection. The notion that a signal comprised only of ones and zeros is immune to degradation is seductive, but misleading. Digital signals are affected by crosstalk, noise, cable length, poor circuit design and other factors that can ultimately translate into audible problems.
Many of these mechanisms of degradation are not obvious. This article describes what can go wrong, what effects to look for and what you can do about it.
First, let’s take a look at the digital audio signal itself so we can better understand how problems can develop. The AES3 digital interface format was initially designed to simplify the transition from analog to digital in a studio environment. Its designers recognized that studios had a large investment in signal-transmission infrastructure, specifically in two-conductor, shielded cables interconnecting systems, equipment and studios. So the standard uses a self-clocking, polarity-insensitive technique to allow studios to transmit digital audio over these existing cables.
Conventional digital signals at the circuit level commonly define a logic “high” or “one” as a particular absolute voltage level, perhaps +5V, and a “low” or “zero” as 0V. Such an interface format is polarity-sensitive and would be difficult to use in a studio environment that might have occasional inadvertent polarity inversions in infrastructure wiring.
Figure 1. This breakdown of the AES serial data bitstream reveals the frames and subframes and their components.
To circumvent this problem, the AES3 interface relies on level transitions rather than absolute levels to define logic states. It defines a “unit interval” or UI as the smallest quantized time interval in the format. At the common 48kHz sample rate used in professional digital audio, this interval is 163ns long. The standard says that if the signal level remains unchanged for two UIs, the logic level is a zero; if it changes state from one UI to the next, the logic level is a one.
AES3 defines the actual protocol of the serial datastream representing the digitized audio signal. Figures 1 and 2 illustrate the sequence of the serial data bitstream. It starts with a preamble — a series of bits that identify the start of a frame, a subframe or a block. The next 24 bits are reserved to represent the audio signal.
Finally, at the end of the sequence are administrative bits that identify characteristics about the data itself, such as sample rate, consumer or professional format, linear or compressed audio, and other information.
What can go wrong?
Some common errors include incorrect sample rate, excessive jitter, insufficient amplitude, poor data integrity caused by incorrect termination, or the use of poor cable. There can be problems in the analog-to-digital conversion process itself, although the quality of converters has progressed substantially. The most common design implementation used for converters these days uses an over-sampling technology.
Figure 2. Each block of audio data contains a preamble, the audio information and administrative data.
This method can substantially reduce residual noise and distortion by using a noise-shaping technique that shifts the noise upwards in the spectrum beyond the audio band. But, in return, it does produce substantial “out-of-band noise” that can cause problems in some areas. Good practice suggests that these out-of-band components be filtered out at the source before they can pollute subsequent devices. Being aware of possible artifacts can help when troubleshooting obscure problems.
Sample rate shouldn’t be a problem — provided you use the correct rate. Two sample rates are in common use: 48kHz in the professional environment and 44.1kHz in the consumer world. One scenario that can cause problems is if a faulty transmitting device has a sample rate sufficiently different from what it should be. This could prevent a subsequent device from locking onto the signal. Or perhaps someone is using the incorrect sample rate, perhaps 44.1kHz instead of the required 48kHz. Sample-rate converters can correct the latter problem.
Jitter is perhaps the biggest problem in digital audio transmission. As mentioned earlier, the AES3 bitstream is self-clocking: The AES3 receiver derives its clock from the transitions of the datastream itself. If the interface pulses received were perfect rectangles, the time of the fast-rising vertical transitions would be clearly defined. But because the cable has capacitance and the AES3 transmitter has finite source impedance, the level transitions have a finite rise time. Since modulation of the datastream typically produces asymmetrical level states, the DC level of the interface waveform shifts with the data content.
Figure 3. This diagram shows how the cable’s capacitance and the transmitter’s finite source impedance affect the signal’s waveform, which in turn affects the zero-crossing detection time.
Figure 3 shows how these facts affect the zero-crossing detection time. As the DC value moves up and down with time, the transition time, and thus the embedded clock edges, vary. This variation from cycle to cycle results in a constantly varying phase shift called cable-induced clock jitter. This problem can be reduced by using a cable specifically designed for AES3 transmission, rather than standard microphone or analog audio cable. Most cable manufacturers make such a cable with the correct 110V impedance. It’s important to have the cable properly terminated at the far end. Data-pulse integrity, unlike analog-signal transmission, is affected by proper source, cable and termination impedances. Figure 4 shows an AES3 datastream with and without proper termination.
Jitter can also be caused by noise or crosstalk added to the datastream. The noise or crosstalk will cause ambiguity in the zero-cross transition of the data pulses, again causing jitter. In a broadcast facility, program synchronization is very important.
Figure 4. This diagram shows an AES3 datastream with proper source, cable and termination impedances (black) and without (blue).
To ensure a common time reference, “house sync” is typically distributed and used by all systems. If there is jitter on this clock signal, it can be transferred to any audio device that uses it in the process of trying to maintain audio/video synchronization. Another phenomenon, “jitter accumulation,” occurs when several digital devices are cascaded — a common situation in a broadcast facility. Each device can pass on the jitter it receives while adding its own accumulation of jitter.
So why do we care?
How can jitter affect audio performance? Jitter components, be they broadband noise, specific frequencies caused by crosstalk, or any of several other sources, can show up in the recovered analog audio signal. An FFT spectrum analysis of a recovered audio signal would reveal any crosstalk and noise components due to jitter accompanying the signal. The digital-to-analog converter usually uses the clock signal extracted from the digital datastream as its sampling clock. In such cases, the jitter will modulate the conversion process. This can raise the noise floor or add unwanted frequencies to the audio signal.
More seriously, if jitter reaches too high a level, some data receivers will begin to malfunction, eventually losing lock. Often, this situation may occur in a large facility due to a particular interconnection of several subsystems with the resulting jitter-accumulation effect. This makes after-the-fact maintenance difficult. The trouble report may describe an intermittent signal loss, but, when the troubleshooter assesses the final device in the chain, he can find no fault because the complete path is no longer intact.
What can be done?
It is not possible to see jitter by looking at a time-domain waveform; the sync circuits of a conventional oscilloscope are agile enough to follow the jitter in the signal and display a stationary waveform. Fortunately, there are several diagnostic and analytical tools available. Stand-alone AES3 data analyzers are available, as well as complete audio-measurement systems that include sophisticated data-integrity-measurement functions. Such instruments measure the level of jitter directly, usually expressing the result in UI or time. They also usually measure the more obvious, but nonetheless, important, parameters like data signal level and sample rate.
A particularly valuable test is an “eye pattern” display. This function averages multiple pulses and displays a statistical average. The measurement system extracts the clock from the datastream but regenerates it using a phase-locked loop to produce a “perfect” clock reference — free of jitter but of the same frequency and phase as the embedded clock. This reference synchronizes the display, but the actual datastream is displayed without correction and thereby shows its actual jitter. If the signal were perfect, the display would be a rectangle with thin traces. A real-world signal will show a rise time and the jitter, all of which result in a display with fat traces as several successive pulses are overlaid. The rise time gives a triangular appearance to the display, which is where the term “eye pattern” comes from. The size of the opening in the center of the eye directly measures the integrity of the signal. Slow rise times and high jitter make the opening smaller. The AES3 standard defines a minimal eye size for reliable performance. Figure 5 shows a typical eye pattern with an AES3 limit shown in red.
In addition to characterizing an AES3 datastream with such an analyzer, data impairment simulation allows you to evaluate how robust a device is when presented with a data signal that has noise, jitter and other problems. A sophisticated digital-domain audio analyzer usually includes the ability to add calibrated amounts of data-signal impairments to its AES3 output signal.
Figure 5. The blue pattern in this diagram is a typical eye pattern. The red box shows an AES3 jitter limit.
It provides controls for rise and fall time, signal level, sample frequency, jitter level, and perhaps cable simulation. By adding known amounts of degradation, you can determine when a device will begin to have difficulty decoding the datastream and where it will eventually lose lock.
We have talked about the integrity of the datastream itself — but what about traditional audio measurements? What errors do converters introduce? How can you characterize a cross-domain device? Again, a sophisticated dual-domain audio-measurement system can give you insight into the real audio performance of such devices.
To characterize a digital-to-analog device, such as you might find in a system that plays back a signal stored on a hard drive, you have to generate an AES3 digital test signal with an embedded audio signal. Generating such a signal completely in the digital domain can give it a dynamic range and residual distortion better than 140dB, far exceeding the performance of any converter and the best analog circuits. Measuring the resulting analog audio signal with a high-performance analog analyzer allows accurate characterization of the DAC.
For a more comprehensive analysis, add calibrated amounts of data impairments on the digital side and see the effect on the analog audio. Of course, the reverse is also true: characterize a recording device and its ADC by generating high-performance analog test signals and analyze them in the digital domain with an instrument capable of making such measurements. Some converter-specific measurements would include frequency response, with particular attention to the upper-band edge to characterize the anti-aliasing and reconstruction filters. Low-level linearity measurements, noise modulation, quantization distortion and truncation artifacts can help you evaluate the analog-to-digital conversion circuitry of a device. All of the graphs and test results shown in this article were produced with an Audio Precision ATS-2 audio-measurement system.
Digital audio signal transmission and storage offers the advantage of higher initial quality, more robust delivery, virtually no progressive degradation with successive generations of storage or transmission, and more predictable quality at the far end. But these advantages can only be realized if the AES3 digital data transmitters and receivers in the individual devices in the chain are well-designed and if the transmission techniques follow good digital-data practices. Knowledge of the mechanisms of degradations and how they play out with the equipment in your facility will prevent unpleasant surprises and ensure high-quality audio delivery. For more information on the subject of digital audio, including in-depth discussions on real-world problems, see the book Measurement Techniques for Digital Audio by Julian Dunn. This book is available from the Audio Precision Web site at: audioprecision.com/publications/apnotes/index.htm
Wayne Jones is vice president of applications support at Audio Precision. | <urn:uuid:04ba8cfa-76ff-486e-b2cd-e30e6f799f03> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://broadcastengineering.com/infrastructure/digital-audio-measurements-broadcast | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00018-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.907227 | 2,788 | 3.0625 | 3 |
Will-o’-the-wisp. The lambent flames seen at night hovering over bogs and marshes. A popular phenomenon in many cultures and cropping up in literature, history and even in Sir Isaac Newton’s 1704 opus, Optiks. Commonly explained as ignited marsh gases. These flickers of light do seem to move and do not emit heat so . . . it is still questionable as to their true source. Spirited from the color yellow. | <urn:uuid:938dc6fb-4355-4fbc-b2de-0c09b155ce12> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.bluemoonfiberarts.com/newmoon/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=19_289_299 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00072-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.937825 | 101 | 2.546875 | 3 |
Our overheated small-country nationalism helps us ignore the fact that we are, in fact, already extremely dependent on India—and we do not always fare badly from this.
I, like many Nepalis, saw this clearly in the aftermath of Gyanendra's February 2005 military coup. I was among the first Nepalis to leave Kathmandu for Delhi as a personal 'screw you' gesture to the executors of the coup. I figured I could embarrass them in the international media. I was confident I would not be alone; and indeed, Nepalis based in Delhi had already staged protests. And other Nepalis soon coalesced there to plot the restoration of democracy....
What none of us had anticipated was the support we would be shown by India. For the Indian government had, till then, helped to normalise Gyanendra's rise and supplied the military with weapons. After the coup, India promptly reversed both policies. South Block was willing to back democracy in Nepal!
Or was it?
For in the democracy movements of 1950 and 1990, India had ensured the survival of the Nepali monarchy, condemning us to despotism....
My own activism in Delhi was limited to writing, and so I was able to observe my compatriots. Their first Indian allies were in civil society: Nepali misgivings that South Block dictates the Indian media's editorial line on foreign policy proved false.
Centres of activism sprung up around ardent Nepal hand Bela Malik and PhD candidate Hari Roka at jnu. Both sought to make the most of the cpi(m)'s presence in the Indian government. Indeed, it is hard to imagine that India would have ever facilitated a Maoist-democratic alliance for Nepal without the involvement of Sitaram Yechury and the Indian Left.
Yet, Shyam Saran also proved key. South Block had always seemed a faceless bureaucracy to Nepalis, an impenetrable, unstoppable agent of Indian supremacy in South Asia. But Saran, who had served as a particularly impressive ambassador to Nepal, was serving as foreign secretary at the time of Gyanendra's coup. Nepalis knew he had a nuanced grasp of Nepali politics; and he must have known that the Nepalis knew so, and were watching him keenly. As Indian policy shifted against Gyanendra, Saran became Nepal's most important ally in India.
The Nepali political parties soon opened up offices in Delhi, and began to link with corresponding Indian parties. Soon the Indian government was heavily involved in facilitating the Maoist-democratic alliance, ferrying Maoist leaders to and fro from safe houses for meeting after meeting....
Within India, there were of course groups that opposed this alliance, most notably the Hindu fundamentalists.
Just as heartening was seeing the Indian military following civilian command. There was a real fear among Nepalis that India might resume aid to Nepal's military; and indeed some military lobbyists were vocally arguing that they should do so. For me, what impressed most about Indian democracy was seeing military lobbyists unable to skirt civilian command.
I do not think India's role in brokering the Maoist-democratic alliance diminished the April 2006 democracy movement that followed, though some Nepalis do say so. (They tend to be of royalist persuasion.) I do think that following the restoration of democracy, and the start of the peace process in Nepal, only the most interested Indians have followed developments here, and tracked their own government's involvement in Nepal. Nepalis, too, have been too distracted by internal pell-mell to pay close attention to India's actions.
Consequently, some of the transparency that India had for us in 2005 has been lost. Our own ability to read India has eroded. In its place, paranoia about India has started up again. People whisper darkly that India is behind some of the unrest in the Madhesh. They say India is trying to tarnish the good name of the United Nations mission in Nepal, to shoo it away. They say India is cutting hydro deals when no one is looking. They even say India is encroaching on the Nepal border....
My favourite rumour is that India is trying, once again, to save the Nepali monarchy. The rumour goes: with the help of the Indian secret services, Paras Shah, the unpopular crown prince, is going to suffer a staged 'heart attack', and be evacuated to Delhi for treatment. His father Gyanendra and mother Komal will then visit him, leaving his wife Himani and six-year-old son Hridayendra in Nepal. This will clear the way for the abdication of Gyanendra and Paras, and the crowning of Hridayendra as a 'baby king', with Himani as the regent. The monarchy will thus be saved....
I suppose there is no guaranteeing that India's involvement in Nepal will always be benign and enlightened, as it was in the lead-up to the April 2006 movement. It is up to Nepalis and Indians alike to decode diplo-speak and bureaucratese, and to see if they match India's actions.
It is unhelpful for Nepalis to give in to knee-jerk paranoia. Of course I know this. But the increasing difficulty of reading India—once again—is making me nostalgic for the days, back in 2005 and early 2006, when India was legible to Nepalis. When we would sit around in Delhi shooting the breeze, marvelling at how easy it was, after all, to make India see things our way.
Thapa is a Nepali writer/novelist, whose books include Forget Kathmandu:
An Elegy for Democracy
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The Top 10 Tips for Potty Training Your Childby Dr. Clare Albright
What parent feels knowledgeable and confident about potty training their child? Potty training is one of the greatest challenges that both children and their parents face in the first few years of a child's life.
1. Dress your child in underwear at about 28 months of age when the child is at home.Today's disposable diapers provide almost no feedback to the child about when they are wet. Your child will feel uncomfortable in their 'big kid' pants when they are wet and may therefore feel motivated to try the potty.
2. Allow your child to run around naked when you are at home. Having to deal with the urge to eliminate will be much more noticeable to your child when there is nothing to catch it in but the potty-chair.
3. Look for signs of potty training readiness in your child. These signs of readiness may include: telling you when they are peeing or pooping in their diaper, requesting that you change a poopy diaper, keeping their diaper dry for hours at a time, showing enthusiasm for their potty, etc.
4. Begin potty training at an appropriate age. Potty training becomes less difficult as your child gets older. Potty training prematurely can make a child feel misunderstood, alone, and rebellious. It is often best to wait until the child is three years old to focus on potty training.
5. Make potty training fun by giving your child little rewards for sitting on the potty with no diaper on. You could use stickers, crackers, small, inexpensive toys, etc. Using candy could produce sugar cravings and tooth decay.
6. Purchase a couple of potty training videos designed for toddler viewing. The research shows that the best way to teach any behavior is to have role models demonstrating the behavior. (Live models are more effective than video modeling.)
7. Pour cheerios or crackers into the toilet for little boys to take 'aim' at. This challenge taps into a little boy's natural interest in hitting targets.
8. Purchase several toddler-level books about children being potty trained. Potty training feels more natural and less stressful to a child who has been exposed to the process at "storybook time".
9. Consider allowing other trusted adults to help you to potty train your child. Many pre-schoolers respond more quickly to input from grandparents, aunts, and trusted babysitters than they do to input from their parents in the area of potty training. Some parents report that a grandparent was able to potty train their child in one weekend away.
10. Make potty training a top priority on a consistent basis when you have the emotional and physical energy to do it. Even if your child shows signs of potty training readiness, you may not be ready for it as a parent!.
The Top 10 Tips for Potty Training Your Child
Potty Training: Tips for Knowing When Your Child is Ready
When To Start Potty Training
Potty Training Methods That Work!
10 Steps to Successful Potty Training
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You are commenting as Guest. Please register or login if you would like to be notified by email of replies to your comment. | <urn:uuid:67c53569-d8df-47ed-b5d6-724d95aab018> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.thebabycorner.com/page/1320/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00071-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.955483 | 679 | 2.59375 | 3 |
I think I have that code already, but from what I can tell, it seems to be geared towards the Flora as the microcontroller, not another device. The Teensy++ 2.0 is a different Atmel chip (the at90usb1286), but it has all the plugins/library/samples for the Arduino IDE. I will try again to can do to make that work.
I also downloaded the Adafruit WS2801 library, which from my reading of the website and the various tutorial pages, is similar to what is needed to control the pixel, but there seems to be at least one major difference. The pixels in the WS2801 tutorial require 4 wires, whereas it seems that the FloraPixel only needs 3.
Just to start out, I am just trying to blink the pixel on and off, not even worried about color yet. I will keep searching around and trying the code until I get figure out what I need to do. Maybe it's the wrong pins...I don't know.
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More Than 1,100 Troops in Iraq to Re-enlist in Independence Day Ceremony
By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, July 3, 2008 More than 1,100 servicemembers stationed in Iraq will celebrate the nation’s birthday tomorrow by re-enlisting, the senior enlisted leader for Multinational Force Iraq said today.
Army Command Sgt. Maj. Marvin L. Hill said 1,157 soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines will re-enlist at the Al Faw Palace at Camp Victory, in Baghdad. This may be the largest re-enlistment ceremony since the all-volunteer force began in 1973, Hill said via phone from Baghdad.
This is becoming an annual blockbuster event for the command. Last year, 588 servicemembers re-enlisted.
“We are extremely proud of the accomplishments we have made in security on the ground as well as proud of all of our great warriors for the work they are doing since they arrived in theater,” Hill said. “We recognize the sacrifices they make and the sacrifices their families and communities make as they serve in Iraq.”
These servicemembers know the cost of war and they are still re-enlisting, Hill said. Some serve in “the most austere conditions -- meaning they are in patrol bases and combat outposts,” he noted. Some of the re-enlisting servicemembers are in places where the troops “hot-bunk it” -- that is, they take turns using limited sleeping space -- and burn human waste because they lack plumbing. Others are based in more comfortable surroundings.
The vast majority of the servicemembers tell Hill and others that they are re-enlisting because “they are doing what they joined the military to do,” he said.
“If they joined to be a rifleman, they’re doing it in combat,” the sergeant major said. “If they joined to fix helicopters, they’re doing it and doing it in combat.”
Often in years past, he said, some warriors probably felt they weren’t doing what they joined the military to do, he said.
“Now, since we’ve been fighting this global war on terrorism … these warriors are doing what they joined to do,” he explained. “They can see the fruit of their labor and see the fruit of the sacrifices of those who have gone before them. It makes them feel good about what they are doing.”
The ceremony will be broadcast on the Pentagon Channel, Hill said. Multinational Force Iraq Commander Army Gen. David H. Petraeus will preside. Hill and Petraeus will speak at the ceremony, then Petraeus will administer the oath of enlistment.
A 50-gun salute will honor of the nation’s birthday, and then all will sing “God Bless America.” The ceremony will end with a medley of service songs.
All components of the military are represented in the ceremony. Officials said 738 active-duty soldiers, 188 National Guard soldiers, and 122 Army Reserve soldiers are re-enlisting, along with 54 Marines, 39 sailors and 16 airmen. | <urn:uuid:1cefc614-625a-4f06-9158-0bd90ed63967> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.defense.gov/News/NewsArticle.aspx?ID=50406 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00062-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.966994 | 682 | 1.53125 | 2 |
Location of death: Barnet, Hertfordshire, England
Cause of death: War
Religion: Roman Catholic
Race or Ethnicity: White
Sexual orientation: Straight
Executive summary: Earl of Warwick
Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick, called "the king-maker", was eldest son of Richard Neville, earl of Salisbury, by Alice, only daughter and heiress of Thomas, the last Montacute earl of Salisbury. He was born on the 22nd of November 1428, and while still a boy betrothed to Anne, daughter of Richard Beauchamp, earl of Warwick. When her brother's daughter died in 1449, Anne, as only sister of the whole blood, brought her husband the title and chief share of the Warwick estates. Richard Neville thus became the premier earl, and both in power and position excelled his father. Richard, duke of York, was his uncle, so when York became protector in 1453, and Salisbury was made chancellor, it was natural that Warwick should be one of the council. After the king's recovery in 1455 Warwick and his father took up arms in York's support. Their victory at St. Albans on the 22nd of May was due to the fierce energy with which Warwick assaulted and broke the Lancastrian center. He was rewarded with the important office of captain of Calais; to his position there he owed his strength during the next five years. Even when York was displaced at home, Warwick retained his post, and in 1457 was also made admiral. He was present in February 1458 at the professed reconciliation of the two parties in a loveday at St Paul's, London. During the previous year he had done some good fighting on the march of Calais by land, and kept the sea with vigor; now on his return he distinguished himself in a great fight with Spanish ships off Calais on the 28th of May, and in the autumn by capturing a German salt-fleet on its way to Lübeck. These exploits brought him a prestige and popularity that were distasteful to the home government. Moreover, England was at war neither with Castile nor with the Hanse. Warwick's action may possibly have formed part of some Yorkist design for frustrating the foreign policy of their rivals. At all events there was pretext enough for recalling him to make his defense. While he was at the court at Westminster a brawl occurred between his retainers and some of the royal household. Warwick himself escaped with difficulty, and went back to Calais, alleging that his life had been deliberately attempted. When in the following year a renewal of the war was imminent, Warwick crossed over to England with his trained soldiers from Calais under Sir Andrew Trollope. But at Ludlow on the 12th of October Trollope and his men deserted, and left the Yorkists helpless. Warwick, with his father, his cousin the young Edward of York, and only three followers, made his way to Barnstaple. There they hired a little fishing vessel. The master pleaded that he did not know the Channel, but Warwick resourcefully took command and himself steered a successful course to Calais. He arrived just in time to anticipate the duke of Somerset, whom the Lancastrians had sent to supersede him. During the winter Warwick held Calais against Somerset, and sent out a fleet which seized Sandwich and captured Lord Rivers. In the spring he went to Ireland to concert plans with Richard of York. On his return voyage he encountered a superior Lancastrian fleet in the Channel. But Exeter, the rival commander, could not trust his crews and dared not fight.
From Calais Warwick, Salisbury and Edward of York crossed to Sandwich on the 26th of June. A few days later they entered London, from which Warwick at once marched north. On the 10th of July he routed the Lancastrians at Northampton, and took the king prisoner. For the order to spare the commons and slay the lords Warwick was responsible, as also for some later executions at London. Yet when Richard of York was disposed to claim the crown, it was, according to Waurin, Warwick who decided the discussion in favor of a compromise, perhaps from loyalty to Henry, or perhaps from the wish not to change a weak sovereign for a strong. Warwick was in charge of London at the time when Richard and Salisbury were defeated and slain at Wakefield. The Lancastrians won a second victory at St. Albans on the 17th of February 1461, possibly through lack of generalship on Warwick's part. But in his plans to retrieve the disaster Warwick showed skill and decision. He met Edward of York in Oxfordshire, brought him in triumph to London, had him proclaimed king, and within a month of his defeat at St. Albans was marching north in pursuit of the Lancastrians. The good generalship which won the victory of Towton may have been due to Edward rather than to Warwick, but the new king was of the creation of the powerful earl, who now had his reward. For four years the government was centered undisputedly in the hands of Warwick and his friends. The energy of his brother John, Lord Montagu, frustrated the various attempts of the Lancastrians in the north. In another sphere Warwick himself was determining the lines of English policy on the basis of an alliance with France. The power of the Nevilles seemed to be completed by the promotion of George, the third brother, to be archbishop of York. The first check came with the announcement in September 1464 of the king's secret marriage to Elizabeth Woodville. This was particularly distasteful to Warwick, who had but just pledged Edward to a French match. For the time, however, there was no open breach. The trouble began in 1466, when Edward first made Rivers, the queen's father, treasurer, and afterwards threw obstacles in the way of an intended marriage between Warwick's daughter Isabel and George of Clarence, his own next brother. Still in May 1467 Warwick went again with the king's assent to conclude a treaty with France. He returned to find that in his
absence Edward, under Woodville's influence, had committed himself definitely to the Burgundian alliance. Warwick retired in dudgeon to his estates, and began to plot in secret for his revenge. In the summer of 1469 he went over to Calais, where Isabel and Clarence were married without the king's knowledge. Meantime he had stirred up the rebellion of Robin of Redesdale in Yorkshire; and when Edward was drawn north Warwick invaded England in arms. The king, outmarched and outnumbered, had to yield himself prisoner, whilst Rivers and his son John were executed. Warwick was apparently content with the overthrow of the Woodvilles, and believed that he had secured Edward's submission. In March 1470 a rebellion in Lincolnshire gave Edward an opportunity to gather an army of his own. When the king alleged that he had found proof of Warwick's complicity, the earl, taken by surprise, fled with Clarence to France. There, through the instrumentality of Louis XI, he was with some difficulty reconciled to Margaret of Anjou, and agreed to marry his second daughter to her son. In September Warwick and Clarence, with the Lancastrian lords, landed at Dartmouth. Edward in his turn had to fly oversea, and for six months Warwick ruled England as lieutenant for Henry VI, who was restored from his prison in the Tower of London to a nominal throne. But the Lancastrian restoration was unwelcome to Clarence, who began to intrigue with his brother. When in March 1471 Edward landed at Ravenspur, Clarence found an opportunity to join him. Warwick was completely outgeneralled, and at Barnet on the 14th of April was defeated and slain.
Warwick has been made famous by Lytton as "The Last of the Barons." The title suits him as a great feudal lord, who was a good fighter but a poor general, who had more sympathy with the old order than with the new culture. But he was more than this. He had some of the qualities of a strong ruler, and the power to command popularity. He was a skilled diplomat and an adroit politician. These qualities, with his position as the head of a great family, the chief representative of Beauchamp, Despenser, Montacute and Neville, made him during ten years "the king-maker."
Warwick's only children were his two daughters. Anne, the younger, was married after his death to Richard of Gloucester, the future Richard III. Their husbands shared his inheritance and quarrelled over its division.
Father: Richard Neville (Earl of Salisbury)
Wife: Anne Beauchamp (two daughters)
Daughter: Anne (m. Richard III)
Daughter: Isabel Neville
Brother: John, Lord Montagu
Assassination Attempt 1459
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In a move that Alan Dershowitz correctly calls “bigotry and censorship,” writer Alice Walker has said she would not allow the translation of her novel The Color Purple into Hebrew because “Israel is guilty of apartheid and persecution of the Palestinian people, both inside Israel and also in the Occupied Territories.” She also said that South Africans have assured her Israel’s policies are worse than apartheid.
Walker intends to bring this evil, repressive Israeli regime to its knees by denying Hebrew-only readers access to her 30-year-old novel about black women burdened by sexism, racism, and poverty. This is the same Israel that allows its Arab citizens full rights, the only country in the Middle East that respects women’s rights, gay rights, and human rights for that matter.
No word on whether Walker will also deny her book to Palestinians until 1) the Hamas leadership repudiates the goal stated in its charter of utterly destroying the Jewish state, 2) stops indoctrinating Palestinian children to become suicide bombers, and 3) stops honoring the murderers of Jewish children.
Walker, an editor for Ms. magazine in the 70s, is best-known for the 1982 book, which won the Pulitzer Prize and American Book Award, and which was made into an Oscar-winning film directed by Steven Spielberg and starring Whoopi Goldberg and Danny Glover. In publicity photos Walker perpetually displays a smug, beatific smile that seems to say, “I’m a wise, loving, multicultural womanist at Oneness with That Which is Beyond Understanding But Not Beyond Loving.” (I’m not kidding – she writes like that; check out her short preface to the 10th anniversary edition of The Color Purple).
How much moral authority does Walker have to chastise Israel? Less than zero, if I may allude to another 80s novel. Let us count the ways in which she de-legitimizes herself as a champion of good over evil:
Predictably, she is a longtime admirer of murderous dictator Fidel Castro and of “a teacher of mine,” radical historian Howard Zinn, who has turned the hearts and minds of at least a generation or two against America.
Also predictably, Walker is a very vocal opponent of war – or more precisely, she’s an opponent of America during wartime. She protested the bombing of Afghanistan in the wake of 9/11 and participated, in March 2003, in an anti-war demonstration organized by Code Pink, the rabid far-left activists who never met an American enemy they didn’t embrace.
She had planned to challenge Israel’s Gaza blockade with the (aborted) Freedom Flotilla last year in a boat that would have been called “The Audacity of Hope,” after Barack Obama’s book. Naturally, Walker is an Obama supporter. In her pretentious literary voice full of faux-poetic stylings that border on the hilarious, she once described candidate Obama as
a remarkable human being, not perfect but humanly stunning, like [Martin Luther] King was and like Mandela is. We look at him, as we looked at them, and are glad to be of our species. He is the change America has been trying desperately and for centuries to hide, ignore, kill. The change America must have if we are to convince the rest of the world that we care about people other than our (white) selves.
Obama makes us “glad to be of our species”? So until he came along, were we humans envious of crustaceans or fungi instead? As for the notion that America cares about no one other than our “white selves,” that is a ludicrous but typical fantasy of racist womanists (her neologism) like Walker, who see the warmongering white male patriarchy – especially the American and Christian variety – as the fount of all evil throughout history, destroying the innocence of pure, peaceful, matriarchal indigenous peoples with such brutal methods as the “missionary” sexual position. (As usual with Western feminists, she is silent about Islamic misogyny.)
Pages: 1 2 | <urn:uuid:f4d53965-7ab7-4191-acca-a0fd48bd5f7b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://frontpagemag.com/2012/mark-tapson/color-purple-author-censors-herself-to-punish-israel/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705953421/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120553-00070-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.962112 | 863 | 2.15625 | 2 |
Far from creating a Western-oriented regional anchor that would help spread democracy and curb terrorism throughout the Middle East and the Islamic world, as the president hopes, the United States finds itself battling increasingly sophisticated attacks from what analysts suspect is a combination of Iraqi and foreign militants.
With the view spreading that the current force of nearly 150,000 U.S. troops is not enough, pressure is building on Washington to "internationalize" the occupation of Iraq and share the burden with major Western countries such as France and Germany. This would likely require a new U.N. Security Council resolution that would dilute American power in Iraq, an idea opposed by Bush administration hard-liners.
The Baghdad bombing coincided with setbacks to American policy in Afghanistan, where suspected Taliban fighters or their supporters have mounted a series of deadly attacks in recent days, and in the Israeli-Palestinian arena, where a bus bombing in Jerusalem on Tuesday killed 20 people and imperiled U.S.-led peace efforts.
Bruce Hoffman, an expert on terrorism who heads the Washington office of the RAND Corp., a security-oriented think tank, said the Jerusalem suicide attack may have been timed by Palestinian militants to capture some of the limelight on the day of the truck bombing at the U.N. complex in Baghdad.
Beyond the timing, however, most experts see little connection. The Israeli-Palestinian conflict, they say, operates on its own momentum regardless of wider regional developments.
There may be an indirect link between the violence in Iraq and that in Afghanistan, in that both have roots in the U.S.-backed jihad fought throughout the 1980s to expel Soviet forces from Afghanistan.
Osama bin Laden, a veteran of that holy war, later adopted Afghanistan as a base for training camps for his al-Qaida terror network. Al-Qaida has encouraged Islamic holy warriors to confront U.S. forces in Iraq.
Hoffman, noting estimates that 70,000 to 120,000 holy warriors have passed through al-Qaida camps in Afghanistan, Sudan and Yemen, said they formed an "enormously amorphous," yet lethal, pool of recruits.
"It's clear that in the same way that Afghanistan became a rallying point [during the 1980s], we're in danger of Iraq assuming the same type of focus and the same type of rallying call to resist U.S. imperialism," Hoffman said.
Islamic militants crossing the Iraqi border from Saudi Arabia, Syria and other countries are among the possible suspects in Tuesday's bombing in Baghdad, a U.S. official said. Others are remnants of Saddam Hussein's Baathist regime and the radical Kurdish group Ansar al-Islam, which U.S. officials say has links to al-Qaida.
"It's also possible there are other groups. At this point we don't know," a U.S. official said.
What is clear, however, is that the violence in Iraq is taking on more varied aspects and becoming a more tactically sophisticated challenge to U.S. forces trying to stabilize the country.
"In my view, the resistance is acquiring more texture than it had a few months ago," said Kenneth Katzman, a terrorism expert at the Congressional Research Service. "There are substantially more dimensions to the resistance."
As recently as the first week of August, the Bush administration tended to describe the attacks as coming from hostile leftovers of a toppled regime out to target U.S. successes in Iraq. Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld referred to them repeatedly as "dead-enders."
In doing so, the administration underestimated the continuing danger in Iraq, Hoffman said, much as other nations after earlier wars failed to pay sufficient heed to threats posed by hostile local forces.
"Historically, no matter what country has been confronted by this threat, it has dismissed and denigrated it as sporadic and uncoordinated - dead-enders - only to see it fulminate and explode into something far more serious," he said.
Amid finger-pointing over who is to blame for the failure to secure the U.N. mission in Baghdad, the chief U.S. administrator for Iraq, L. Paul Bremer III, insisted yesterday that Iraq was not in chaos.
The Pentagon, meanwhile, resisted calls from members of Congress for an expansion of the U.S. troop presence in Iraq.
"The conclusion of the responsible military officials is that the force levels are where they should be," Rumsfeld told reporters during a visit to Honduras. "The effort should be on developing additional Iraqi capability rather than additional coalition capability."
But Sen. John McCain, an Arizona Republican on a congressional mission in Iraq, told reporters in Baghdad, "After an event like this [the U.N. bombing], we have to evaluate whether we have enough people, whether we have the right kind of people and whether we are spending enough money, and I think it's appropriate to make that evaluation."
Britain, America's strongest ally, is renewing its push for broader international participation in Iraq. Headed for meetings at the United Nations, Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said yesterday that he had spoken to Secretary of State Colin L. Powell about securing a broader Security Council mandate that would give the world body a stronger role in Iraq.
In an interview with the British Broadcasting Corp., Straw acknowledged that Britain and the United States had failed to anticipate the security vacuum that developed in Iraq after the fall of Hussein's government.
Anthony Cordesman, a Middle East specialist at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, warned yesterday of the risk of "an unstable, unworkable nation-building process in central Iraq well into next spring, plus the constant risk of Shiite Islamists coming in."
Costs of the U.S. occupation, he said in an e-mail essay, "can easily rise from roughly $4 billion a month to at least $6 billion."
In a letter to Bush, Senate Foreign Relations Committee members Joseph R. Biden Jr., a Delaware Democrat, and Chuck Hagel, a Nebraska Republican, wrote: "Many foreign leaders whose people opposed the war need the political cover of a new U.N. resolution and a broader U.N. role to justify greater involvement in Iraq. It is worth enhancing the role of the United Nations because it will allow us to share the huge risk and expense of securing, policing, and reconstructing Iraq - tasks that will take tens of thousands of troops and tens of billions of dollars over many years." | <urn:uuid:f6aa1d0e-c34b-4a48-a907-2b0efaa56d9c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/bal-te.diplomacy21aug21,0,4188479.story?coll=bal-home-headlines | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00066-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.956252 | 1,323 | 2.015625 | 2 |
Tell us what YOU think about African food security policies and your essay submission could be published in a leading international relations publication.
Africa Rural Connect, a program of the National Peace Corps Association, in conjunction with World Policy Journal, wants to hear your insights on how to approach the larger issue of food security in rural Africa. The contest runs from June 1, 2010 to July 31, 2010 and the winner will be announced on August 31, 2010.
The winning essay will be published in the Fall 2010 issue of World Policy Journal, one of the top foreign policy publications in the U.S. Africa Rural Connect participants are encouraged to enter the contest following the submission criteria below:
Submit an 800 to 1,200 word essay in English that follows Associated Press style and describes a unique initiative that African governments, private organizations, or others in the international community can implement to improve food security in the rural regions of Africa. Send all submissions as a Word document attachment by email to [email protected] by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Standard Time on July 31, 2010.
Who can enter?
The contest is open to all individuals and co-writing partners who have profiles on the Africa Rural Connect website. The competition is open to anyone around the world. Current or former staffers of World Policy Journal and the National Peace Corps Association are not eligible to enter the contest.
What do I win?
The winner will have their essay published in an upcoming issue of World Policy Journal, one of the top foreign policy publications in the U.S., published by the World Policy Institute.
Who will judge the essay contest?
A distinguished panel of academics and media professionals with a shared background in policy and food security will select the winning essay. The judges include:
David A. Andelman- David is editor of World Policy Journal and author of three books, most recently A Shattered Peace: Versailles 1919 and The Price We Pay Today (John Wiley & Sons, 2007). Previously he served as the Executive Editor of Forbes.com and earlier on in his career he was a domestic and foreign correspondent for The New York Times in various posts in New York and Washington, the Southeast Asia bureau chief based in Bangkok, and the East European bureau chief based in Belgrade. David was also the Paris correspondent for CBS News.
Ferial Haffajee- Ferial is the editor-in-chief of City Press, South Africa's leading national Sunday newspaper and is a member of the Africa Leadership Initiative, a collaborative effort of seven partner organizations in Africa and the United States. Her interests lie in developmental journalism and finding new ways of writing about Africa's potential and greatest challenges. She was among a select group of reporters to first interview Nelson Mandela upon his release from 26 years of imprisonment. A native of the Johannesburg suburb of Bosmont, before working at City Press, Ferial was former editor-in-chief of the Mail & Guardian newspaper in South Africa where she earned the title of South Africa's first female editor of a major newspaper.
Dr. Hans Herren- Hans is an internationally recognized scientist with 27 years of experience working in Africa with a keen interest in the area of integrated and sustainable development. He is president and CEO of Millennium Institute (MI) USA, an independent and non-partisan nonprofit organization committed to sustainable development worldwide. Prior to joining MI, he was director-general of the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture in Benin. He was the recipient of the 1995 World Food Prize for advancing human development by improving the quality, quantity and availability of the world's food supply.
Emmy Simmons- Emmy served as assistant administrator for Economic Growth, Agriculture, and Trade at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). She has worked in the Ministry of Planning and Economic Affairs in Monrovia, Liberia and taught and conducted research at Ahmadu Bello University in Zaria, Nigeria. A former Peace Corps Volunteer who served in the Philippines from 1962-64, Emmy currently serves on the boards of two international research centers supported by the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR): the International Livestock Research Institute headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya and the International Institute for Tropical Agriculture headquartered in Ibadan, Nigeria.
Roger Thurow- Roger was a foreign correspondent for twenty years with the Wall Street Journal where he reported on Europe and Africa. Currently, he is senior fellow for global agriculture and food policy at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs and is editor and principal contributor to the Council’s Global Food for Thought blog, part of the Global Agricultural Development Initiative. In 2003, Roger co-wrote a series of stories on famine in Africa that was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in International Reporting and his reporting on humanitarian and development issues was honored by the United Nations. Roger is also co-author of ENOUGH: Why the World’s Poorest Starve in an Age of Plenty.
How should the essay be written?
Submissions must be typed and be between 800- to 1,200- word, double-spaced, and sent as a Word document attachment by email. Footnotes, bibliographic material and the cover page are not included in the word count. Only submissions written in English will be eligible. The name and contact information should only be printed on the cover page; the name of the contestant should not be printed on any interior page.
Can I submit multiple essays?
Yes, you are welcome to submit as many essays as you want. A contestant may not enter an essay under another person’s username.
How can I submit my essay?
All submissions must be sent electronically to [email protected] as a Word document attachment and must include “ARC Essay Contest” in the subject line.
When is the deadline for the contest?
All submissions must be received by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Standard Time on July 31, 2010. An email will be sent to confirm the receipt of an entry.
When will the winner be notified?
The winner of the competition will be notified by August 30, 2010. The winning essay will be published in the Fall 2010 issue of World Policy Journal.
Will my essay be published or used in any other way?
All essays submitted will become property of the National Peace Corps Association and will not be returned to the author(s).The National Peace Corps Association may reprint a portion or the entirety of the essays in National Peace Corps Association publications or on our website. The winning contestant(s) will be credited as the author when their work is published.
What is the criteria for a winning essay?
There are three main criteria by which the judges will select the winning essay:
- The essay should fully answer all parts of the question.
- The essay should be creative.
- The essay should display real-world impact.
Please try to follow these standards when composing your essay.
Can an essay submission be disqualified?
An essay may be disqualified if:
- It is incomplete or does not directly address the essay question.
- If the person who submits the essay does not have a profile by the date that the essay is received.
- It does not follow the format, e.g. exceeding the word limit.
- The essay submitted presents statements or ideas that are not the intellectual property of the author, without proper citation.
- It is sent after the deadline.
- The essay has been previously published in print or online.
To read more about the Essay Contest, read the Press Release.
Win a prize for your idea!
Win a prize for your idea!
Collaborate with others to turn your best idea into a practical, creative, sustainable plan with real world impact. Don’t Delay! | <urn:uuid:5767e73a-7043-4d29-9c03-dea269405fe8> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://arc.peacecorpsconnect.org/essay-contest%3Fsource%3Dworldview | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00035-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.941039 | 1,587 | 1.507813 | 2 |
Darlene Jones-Bey knew that she had to change her way of life.
Inspired by her boss, she decided to adopt a strict vegan diet, which means she would eat absolutely no animal products. She traded burgers for leafy greens and started losing weight and feeling better. And after several frustrating years of trying to conceive, Jones-Bey finally became pregnant. Now she calls her 9-month-old son, Eleon, a "vegan baby" because he drinks breast milk and gobbles up spoonfuls of tofu-scramble with pureed vegetables.
"He eats everything I give him," says Jones-Bey, a stay-at-home mother. "He even ate okra, which is something people don't like, and he ate it steamed."
Jones-Bey, a former pediatric phlebotomist, is studying to become a naturopathic physician and is dedicated to reading medical research because raising vegan children requires vital knowledge.
"I do think it's tricky," says Claire Dalidowitz, manager of clinical nutrition at Connecticut Children's Medical Center, who warns that vegan youngsters are more at risk for serious deficiencies than vegetarians because of the omission of milk and eggs. She advises parents to seek guidance: "I personally feel that they need some professional support to do it well."
The concern is the fast, critical brain development that occurs in an infant's first year of life, especially at the age of 6 months.
"At that point, we begin to worry about some of the minerals — iron, zinc and some of the vitamins," says Dalidowitz, referring to a potential lack of B12, DHA or choline. "We would run a nutritional analysis so that we could look at all of the vitamins and minerals and make sure that this child had what they need."
Fat-intake is also an incredibly important issue. To achieve optimal brain growth, toddlers need 50 percent of their calories from fat, most often consumed through milk and meat. Dalidowitz says some parents with vegan beliefs "negotiate" and supplement a low-fat soy milk with a complete soy formula, but she notes that testing of this bean product is controversial: "Look for 'GMO-free' labeling on these foods."
"I tell people [that] with veganism, you just learn to cook again," says Jones-Bey, who doesn't have trouble finding Eleon's favorite almond milk, mock-meat substitutes and nutritional yeast in many area grocery stores. While these foods are expensive, she's willing to spend the money because she blames her 10-year-old daughter's asthma and early puberty on their former habit of eating fast food. She says Eleon is different: "I notice with him, I have no health complications. He's just a healthy and happy baby."
But she is clear that this diet works for her family because she is informed: a crucial requirement for a vegan parent.
>>To learn more about parents raising vegan children, tune into today's Fox CT Morning News. To contribute your own adventures in motherhood, or to read more from Fox CT reporter Sarah Cody and freelancer Teresa Pelham, go to http://www.ctnow.com/mommyminute. | <urn:uuid:c7691835-6aa8-44fe-aad1-db9f243752d0> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.southbendtribune.com/topic/hc-mommy-minute-20130211,0,6580135.story | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00027-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.976233 | 667 | 2.328125 | 2 |
Thomas Davenport (Harvard Business School, Deloitte) and DJ Patil (Greylock Partners) co-authored a piece for Harvard Business Review titled "Data Scientist: The Sexiest Job of the 21st Century," about the explosion of data science professionals onto the business scene. As businesses move to capture the value of data to drive innovation and decision-making, the role of the data scientist becomes essential to business strategy. In the piece, Davenport and Patil provide a profile of the data scientist:
Data scientists’ most basic, universal skill is the ability to write code. This may be less true in five years’ time, when many more people will have the title “data scientist” on their business cards. More enduring will be the need for data scientists to communicate in language that all their stakeholders understand—and to demonstrate the special skills involved in storytelling with data, whether verbally, visually, or—ideally—both.
But we would say the dominant trait among data scientists is an intense curiosity—a desire to go beneath the surface of a problem, find the questions at its heart, and distill them into a very clear set of hypotheses that can be tested. This often entails the associative thinking that characterizes the most creative scientists in any field. For example, we know of a data scientist studying a fraud problem who realized that it was analogous to a type of DNA sequencing problem. By bringing together those disparate worlds, he and his team were able to craft a solution that dramatically reduced fraud losses.
Perhaps it’s becoming clear why the word “scientist” fits this emerging role. Experimental physicists, for example, also have to design equipment, gather data, conduct multiple experiments, and communicate their results. Thus, companies looking for people who can work with complex data have had good luck recruiting among those with educational and work backgrounds in the physical or social sciences. Some of the best and brightest data scientists are PhDs in esoteric fields like ecology and systems biology. George Roumeliotis, the head of a data science team at Intuit in Silicon Valley, holds a doctorate in astrophysics. A little less surprisingly, many of the data scientists working in business today were formally trained in computer science, math, or economics. They can emerge from any field that has a strong data and computational focus.
It’s important to keep that image of the scientist in mind—because the word “data” might easily send a search for talent down the wrong path. As Portillo told us, “The traditional backgrounds of people you saw 10 to 15 years ago just don’t cut it these days.” A quantitative analyst can be great at analyzing data but not at subduing a mass of unstructured data and getting it into a form in which it can be analyzed. A data management expert might be great at generating and organizing data in structured form but not at turning unstructured data into structured data—and also not at actually analyzing the data. And while people without strong social skills might thrive in traditional data professions, data scientists must have such skills to be effective.
The article goes on to discuss recruitment strategies, including how to attract and maintain data scientists, and close with a summary of the extraordinarily lucrative future of the evolving role. | <urn:uuid:d38a594f-d672-4138-a033-e8680b14b604> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://policybythenumbers.blogspot.com/2012/09/data-scientist-sexiest-job-of-21st.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700958435/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104238-00074-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.945434 | 678 | 2.265625 | 2 |
A former New Hampshire hospital technician faces new federal charges for allegedly infecting more than 30 patients with hepatitis C using virus-tainted syringe needles he had previously used on himself.
David Kwiatkowski, 33, a traveling medical technician who had most recently worked at Exeter Hospital in southern New Hampshire, was charged with seven counts of tampering with a consumer product and seven counts of obtaining controlled substances by fraud, U.S. Attorney for the District of New Hampshire John Kacavas said on Thursday.
The charges replace a two-count indictment filed in June.
Prosecutors allege that Kwiatkowski, who has hepatitis C, stole syringes of the drug fentanyl intended for patients and injected himself with the anesthetic. He then refilled the syringes with saline solution, leaving the needles for the hospital to re-use on patients, they say.
Hepatitis C can cause serious liver damage and is responsible for more deaths in the United States annually than HIV.
The Justice Department says that Kwiatkowski learned he had the disease in June 2010 but patients continued to be injected with infected needles long afterward.
If convicted, he faces up to 10 years in prison for each product tampering charge and up to four years for each fraud count.
Kwiatkowski had also worked in states including Georgia, New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Arizona and Kansas since 2007. Patients from hospitals where Kwiatkowski formerly worked in Kansas, Maryland and New Hampshire have tested positive for the disease. | <urn:uuid:e2f36dcd-dc27-4fdc-80d6-1e1baac18d1a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.foxnews.com/health/2012/11/30/new-charges-for-new-hampshire-man-accused-spreading-hepatitis-c/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+foxnews%2Fhealth+%28Internal+-+Health+-+Text%29 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00022-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.96638 | 306 | 1.6875 | 2 |
TRUCKEE, Calif. and#8212; The results of the preliminary Health Impact Assessment for the proposed two-megawatt biomass facility for the region are in.
Seven points of interest were studied to assess the potential health risks and benefits of the proposed biomass facility: air quality; wildfire risks; greenhouse emissions; traffic and safety; noise; water quality; and energy security and economic impacts.
and#8220;This really is essentially where rubber meets the road,and#8221; said Max Richardson, an HIA program manager from the Sequoia Foundation, to a room of approximately 30 people in the Tahoe Truckee Unified School District offices Monday evening. and#8220;Weand#8217;re trying to synthesize findings to some communicable risk or communicable benefit that is understood.and#8221;
The Sequoia Foundation, an environmental public health research group, in partnership with Placer County, was awarded a grant by PEW Charitable Trusts and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to fund the assessment.
In terms of air quality, irritation from construction dust and health impacts from vehicles going in and out of the facility would be and#8220;unlikely,and#8221; according to the assessment, and if people were to be negatively impacted, it would be very few.
Traffic in the area is expected to increase, with an estimated additional 66 vehicles a day on the road during the heaviest period of construction, and once the facility is running, 11 to 23 additional vehicles are expected on the road per day.
Currently, Highway 89 has between 10,600 to 18,400 vehicles traveling on it a day, according to the assessment; based on those figures, itand#8217;s and#8220;unlikelyand#8221; there would be an increase in injuries and deaths or a reduction in physical activity due to the addition of facility traffic.
Reductions in physical injuries and home displacement due to wildfires, along with positive impacts on community fire anxiety, is and#8220;possible,and#8221; according to the assessment, since the facility will convert woody debris from forestlands and#8212; which can increase the risk of wildfire and#8212; and convert it to sustainable energy.
A negative health impact from biomass emissions is and#8220;possible,and#8221; but the number of those who could be impacted would be small. Another and#8220;possibleand#8221; health effect, according to the assessment, is an increase in income and access to medical treatment, considering as many as 23 jobs during construction of the facility could be created.
Noise annoyance caused by construction and operation both day and night, as well as health effects from stormwater contamination, is thought to be and#8220;unlikely.and#8221;
and#8220;I have to stress that this is preliminary draft assessment,and#8221; said Bindi Gandhi, an HIA program manager from the Sequoia Foundation. and#8220;This isnand#8217;t final by any means. Weand#8217;re really looking for community feedback on this assessment. and#8230; Thatand#8217;s what really this meeting is about; weand#8217;re really looking to hear from you.and#8221;
Several meeting attendants asked questions about the project and the assessmentand#8217;s findings, and brought up additional concerns about the facility.
and#8220;When I think of noise, I also think of light pollution, and Iand#8217;m wondering if light and#8212; I heard that itand#8217;s going to be open 24/7, 365 (days a year), and I know from Donner Lake when Squaw Valley is lit up on Friday and Saturday nights, it impacts our night sky,and#8221; said Anne Grogan, who lives near Donner Lake.
To which Brett Storey, biomass project manager for Placer County, replied: and#8220;This is a pretty small building tucked up in an industrial site where you wonand#8217;t be able to see any of the light unless youand#8217;re standing next to it, but we are required to do the same lighting as all shopping centers; itand#8217;s downward-facing, itand#8217;s at a certain level at certain times.and#8221;
A final HIA report will incorporate comments from the public and survey results and should be complete by mid-to-end October, Gandhi said.
and#8220;We have yet to schedule this, but we will schedule another meeting where weand#8217;ll present the final report and our final findings to you all,and#8221; she said.
Another public meeting related to the biomass project, this time discussing the draft environmental impact report, will be at 1 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 30, at the Granlibakken Resort in Tahoe City. | <urn:uuid:24b9a0b9-a9d3-4cd1-9e71-c5d4221581e4> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.tahoedailytribune.com/article/20120822/NEWS/120829982 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00043-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.953802 | 1,069 | 2.5625 | 3 |
When Malcolm Coley was diagnosed with HIV, he began preparing to die.
"I figured the end was near," he says.
That was 1988. More than two decades later, Coley, 54, is, in his words, "still hanging around." He traded drugs long ago for a healthful diet, owns his own home, works for a Baltimore nonprofit and volunteers as an AIDS educator, talking to students and adults about living with HIV.
As advances in treatment have turned what was once a virtual death sentence into a livable condition, the HIV/AIDS population is aging.
Nationwide, people older than 50 are the fastest-growing segment of that population. By 2015, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates, they will make up more than half of the total number of people who are infected.
In the Baltimore area, the numbers are even more striking: Two-thirds of the region's HIV/AIDS population is between ages 45 and 64, according to a recent survey by the Greater Baltimore HIV Health Services Planning Council. Seven years ago, when the council conducted its last survey, the majority was between the ages of 25 and 44.
"It's become like a chronic disease," said Dorcas Baker, nurse site director for a Johns Hopkins AIDS education and training center. "People are living long and healthier lives with HIV."
While their survival amounts to a public health victory, it's also posing new medical and social challenges.
There are signs that the disease might cause premature aging and depression. Older patients might not have the support network to cope with the disease.
And some seniors who remain sexually active, but have no more need for birth control, are having unprotected sex, risking the further spread of the disease. People older than age 50 accounted for 17 percent of new diagnoses in 2009, according to the CDC.
"We definitely have to prepare ourselves for people living with HIV who are getting older and living longer," said Angela Wakhweya, deputy director of the Maryland Infectious Disease and Environmental Health Administration. "There is a need for us to prepare for the baby boomers who have HIV."
As understanding of HIV/AIDS has evolved, treatments have become more effective.
Patients once were required to take several pills a day on a complicated schedule; the treatment caused side effects that included violent nausea.
Those who couldn't or wouldn't keep up with the regime stopped treatment, health officials say, endangering their lives.
Now patients can take as few as one pill a day, they say, and the side effects are comparatively mild.
"It is much easier to take," said Lori Fantry, medical director of the Evelyn Jordan Center, the University of Maryland's main cancer center.
"The side effects are not as bad." Fantry added. "We can treat people without harming the rest of the body."
But as treatment allows people to live longer with the disease, it also opens the door for them to pass it along to others. | <urn:uuid:b75a6396-5995-4798-a602-59e70c0f806c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.courant.com/health/bs-hs-aging-aids-20110924,0,4297617.story | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00022-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.978432 | 612 | 2.46875 | 2 |
Snow Falling on Cedars Topic Tracking: Love
Love 1: In Chapter 1, the reader sees Ishmael's feelings for Hatsue, and her response to them, for the first time. He simply asks her if she is all right, and she refuses to answer, telling him to go away. Though he is deeply in love with her, when she turns from him, she leaves all his emotions unfulfilled, and there is nothing he can do.
Love 2: Susan Marie Heine's love for her husband is made clear when she is told about his death. She becomes inert, unable to speak, and says aloud that she always knew this would happen. The moment is especially poignant since Carl had named his boat after her.
Love 3: Fourteen year old Ishmael is in love with Hatsue in the desperate way of a young teenager, but he seems to know that he will never outgrow this type of love for her. He thinks she feels the same way about him, but this is unclear to the reader. She worries that her family will be angry.
Love 4: Though Carl and Etta Heine are married, they do not appear to love each other. At one point Carl even tells Etta they are not "right" together (because she is vehemently anti-Japanese and he wants to support his neighbors during their internment.)
Love 5: Ishmael is so in love with Hatsue that he does not see how she feels about him. Meanwhile, she has begun to see their love as a product of their youth and the attachment she feels to where she lives: he reminds her of clams and cedars and the quiet woods. She realizes, suddenly, that she does not want to be with him and has never wanted it. She cannot quite tell him this, however.
Love 6: Susan Marie thinks about Carl constantly now that he is gone from her life. Susan Marie and Carl Heine loved each other in a way that was largely about sex. Susan Marie knows that much of their marriage centered on their sex life—they had had sex just a few hours before he left, never to be seen alive again—and she wonders what would have happened if their sex life had gone bad.
Love 7: Ishmael has begun to hate Hatsue in some way, and to him a mutual distrust and conflict is better than no interaction at all. He has never stopped loving her, but his loneliness and anger has forced him to reach out to her in strange ways. During the trial, he is somewhat cruel to her, telling her she cannot expect fairness for Kabuo because life is not fair.
Love 8: Ishmael is still so obsessively in love with Hatsue that he tries to manipulate her into coming to his mother's house to talk about the case. He wants to have something to hold over her, something to make her care about him, even if it is not really about him. He will do anything for her attention.
Love 9: Ishmael realizes that he loves his mother, despite their fundamental disagreements about such things as the existence of God. He knows he will miss her when she is dead. He feels this largely because her love for him is so dependable: she will never give up on him the way he feels Hatsue did.
Love 10: Though Hatsue does not love Ishmael, she respects him again, and this seems to begin to heal him. She shows her warmth for him by kissing him gently, exactly the way he has wanted for so many years. Although he is helping her get her husband back—something he is loathe to do, it satisfies him simply to be helping her at all. | <urn:uuid:285e7920-6ece-49b7-9a43-56393e633fb5> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.bookrags.com/notes/sno/TOP1.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00028-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.992047 | 759 | 3.078125 | 3 |
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Director of Publications
Anne Arundel 100
Admissions Answers your Questions
Written by Admissions staff
Below, staff from the St. Mary's College of Maryland Admissions Office tackle some of the more common questions high school students and their parents ask about the college application process:
Question: Is applying the earlier the better generally good advice?
Students should apply early decision only if they feel like that school is the only school they want to attend. When students apply early decision, they are bound to that school if they are accepted, meaning they must withdraw their applications from other institutions. If a student applies early decision, and he or she is not accepted at that time, then we put them in the regular decision pool. The nice thing about early decision is that if you are accepted, you know where you are going months before most people! St. Mary's has two early decision dates, November 1 and December 1. Students are informed within a month if they have been accepted or denied. Regular decision applications are due January 1 and we inform those students of our decision on or before April 1st. - Tricia Realbuto, assistant admissions director
Q: What is the most important part of the application process? What do you look for?
The best predictor of student success is taking a broad look at the high school years. If students challenge themselves by taking progressively tougher classes as they go through high school and are successful in them, then they should have a successful academic experience wherever they go. Colleges like to see students increasing their coursework rigor, such as taking honors, gifted and talented, advance placement, scholars-level classes, etc. Most high schools will send a school profi le that will show admissions counselors the level of coursework that is available to students at a particular high school. Then, through the high school transcript, we can see how much students challenged themselves at that school. - Ben Toll '07, assistant admissions director
Q: What is the parents' role in the application process? Why is it stressful for them?
Parents wear several hats in the application process, so it can be a bit stressful at times. They are guidance counselors, chauffeurs, secretaries, and financiers. Some parents are college graduates, others are not. Working with vibrant, active young people, who have very full schedules these days, in and of itself is challenging. Several things can help parents minimize the stress and make the process more relaxing and enjoyable: One is to utilize all resources, such as web sites, career center staff in your high school, and friends and family. Second is to be proactive, encouraging your kids to sign up for college visits in advance. A visit is the most important thing a parent can make happen in the process. It determines whether a school will remain on the radar or not, and saves a lot of time later on. A list of questions to be answered at each visit will help provide uniformity and fairness to the selection. Thirdly, aim for organization, even if this is not one of your child's strong points. Part of the stress comes from fear of missed deadlines. Every college is different and when your child is applying to four to six schools, the paperwork flow must be organized. Lastly, it is hard to de-stress the entire process, but parents should stick to encouraging, motivating, and providing input. Don't take over the process. Yes, then the main brunt of the pressure will fall on the students' shoulders, but by this time in their lives they can handle the consequences of their action or inaction. They need to have responsibility for the outcome; it also gives the parents some space to stand back and watch as their kids navigate the path to their next new "home." - Loretta Cook '84, assistant admissions director
Q: How important is the admissions essay in the application process?
The essay is an essential piece of the admissions process. We place as much importance on it as we do the transcript or co-curricular résumé. There are plenty of students who have good grades and SAT/ACT scores; however, no two essays are the same. Diversity is very important to us and all these pieces come into play when we carefully develop our first-year class. The essay serves as the applicant's opportunity to differentiate him or herself. Our essay questions are unique. My favorite one this year is "The director of admissions is coming to dinner! Whom would you invite, past or present? What topics would you discuss over dinner? What would you serve your guests?" This question gives students the chance to show us what is really important to them, who has influenced them in their lives, and even what kinds of foods they enjoy. The best advice I can give students when they are doing their essay is to put a signifi cant amount of effort towards it and to be yourself. - Calvin Wise '09, | <urn:uuid:7204cdbf-c8fa-441e-8f7e-0d88b15640fa> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.smcm.edu/rivergazette/archives/Spring2010/admissionsanswers.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00065-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.970172 | 1,000 | 2.03125 | 2 |
Topic: CAM, Complementary & Alternative Treatments
Brochure, Fact Sheet: The Neurobiology Basis of Mind Body MedicineNEU
How do the mind and body interact with each other and the environment . . . and in this process actively maintain health and prevent disease? This accessable publication describes the basis for a growing awareness of an evolving convergence of many "alternative" concepts of health and disease with cutting edge concepts proposed by science. This is information that can be helpful to anyone with a chronic digestive disorder. A summary of a 1998 conference involving internationally recognized scientific leaders, and a group of prominent and unique practitioners of mind-body medicine.
Also available offline as a 22 page soft-cover color booklet (8.5" x 11"). Contact IFFGD for details.Topics: Brain-Gut, CAM, Complementary & Alternative Treatments, IFFGD, General Interest, Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), Stress
Fact Sheet: Chlorophyllin: Is it Effective Odor Control?107
Odor is what informs those around you that you have a problem with your bowel or bladder control. It causes a great deal of distress. This was also the case with patients with colostomies before good stoma appliances became available, which was about thirty to thirty-five years ago. Since the output could not be directly controlled, attention was turned to control of the odor. There were several ways in which odor was addressed – changes in diet and medication. The medications used were charcoal in various forms, which is still used commonly today, and a product that is seldom seen today, chlorophyllin.
The gut and the brain develop from the same part of the human embryo. So it is not surprising that the intestinal tract has such a rich nerve supply that it is sometimes referred to as “the little brain.” The gut shares many of the same kinds of nerve endings and chemical transmitters as the brain to which it remains linked through a large nucleus (the locus ceruleus). This collection of nerve cells is partly responsible for controlling anxiety and fear, which explains why these emotions can sometimes be associated with bowel function.
Biofeedback is a neuromuscular reeducation tool we can use to tell if certain processes in our bodies are working correctly. It is a painless process that uses a computer and a video monitor to display bodily functions that we usually are not aware of. Special sensors measure these functions, which are displayed as sounds we can hear, or as linegraphs we can see on a computer screen. A therapist helps us use this displayed information to modify or change abnormal responses to more normal patterns such as increasing a response, decreasing a response, or learning to coordinate two responses more effectively.Topics: Bowel urgency, CAM, Complementary & Alternative Treatments, Constipation, difficult to pass stools, Diarrhea, loose stools, Incontinence, Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), Lower Abdominal Pain, Pelvic Pain, Pelvic floor disorders
Fact Sheet: Understanding and Managing Chronic Pain140
Most of the time pain serves as a critical part of our sensory system, and is therefore a necessary though unpleasant function of a healthy body. However, it is becoming increasingly clear that chronic pain may be more like a disease or pathology of the nervous system associated with abnormal responses in the brain and spinal cord. Chronic pain has an impact on every facet of patients' lives. If you have chronic pain it is important to develop a pain management plan that works for you.Topics: CAM, Complementary & Alternative Treatments, Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), Lower Abdominal Pain, Pelvic Pain, Pain Management
Fact Sheet: Chronic Functional Abdominal Pain141
People with functional gastrointestinal (GI) disorders can have a variety of symptoms that range from painless diarrhea or constipation, to pain associated with diarrhea and/or constipation (usually called irritable bowel syndrome). There is another, less common condition of abdominal pain that is chronic or frequently recurring; it is not associated with changes in bowel pattern. This condition is called chronic functional abdominal pain (CFAP). Cause and treatment is discussed.Topics: CAM, Complementary & Alternative Treatments, Lower Abdominal Pain, Pelvic Pain, Pain Management
Fact Sheet: Gastrointestinal Motility Disorders of the Small Intestine, Large Intestine, Rectum, and Pelvic Floor162
The gastrointestinal tract is divided into four distinct parts that are separated by sphincter muscles; these four regions have distinctly different functions to perform and different patterns of motility (contractions). Abnormal motility or abnormal sensitivity in any part of the gastrointestinal tract can cause characteristic symptoms: food sticking, pain, or heartburn in the esophagus; nausea and vomiting in the stomach; pain and bloating in the small intestine; and pain, constipation, diarrhea, and incontinence in the colon and rectum.Topics: Bowel urgency, CAM, Complementary & Alternative Treatments, Colonic motility, inertia, pseudo-obstruction, Constipation, difficult to pass stools, Diarrhea, loose stools, Incontinence, Motility, Pelvic floor disorders
Relaxation training is an integral component of behavioral therapies for managing chronic pain, promoting health, and helping patients cope with life-threatening illness. Relaxation can also assist in managing functional GI disorders. How relaxation works and methods are described. Reviewed 2009.Topics: Brain-Gut, CAM, Complementary & Alternative Treatments, Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), relaxation, Stress
Fact Sheet: Hypnosis Treatment of Irritable Bowel Syndrome171
The standard medical methods currently used to treat irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) are of some help to the majority of people with the disorder. However, up to half of IBS sufferers are dissatisfied with the results of standard medical management, and many continue to have frequent symptoms after seeing doctors about them. In recent years, other alternatives have been sought to help these individuals. There has been growing interest in the possibility of using the mind to soothe the symptoms of IBS. This article includes a description of hypnosis for IBS and how to select a hypnotherapist.Topics: Brain-Gut, CAM, Complementary & Alternative Treatments, Hypnosis, Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)
If conventional medical therapies prove unsuccessful or have unwanted side effects, many people choose to pursue complementary or alternative therapies (CAM). Complementary therapies are done in addition to traditional medical treatments, and alternative therapies are done instead of medical treatments. Many CAM modalities exist and they can be roughly grouped into several categories including herbal/dietary, somatic therapies (such as acupuncture or massage), mind-body therapies (such as hypnosis or meditation), and movement or breathing exercises (such as yoga or tai chi). In this review we will discuss each of these categories, focusing on those that have been studied most rigorously.Topics: CAM, Complementary & Alternative Treatments, Diet, Foods, Dyspepsia, pain in upper abdomen or chest, Hypnosis, Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)
Documents listed on this page are available for download in Adobe’s PDF format. If you don’t have Adobe Reader, please visit Adobe’s site to download it. It’s free! | <urn:uuid:550ff1ce-6616-4d74-b5f3-bcd0931686aa> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.iffgd.org/library/?adultTopicGroup=6&topicGroup=adultTopicGroup | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00052-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.921862 | 1,539 | 2.59375 | 3 |
A. Summary notes on preparation
The following are some important factors to look at and bear in mind.
1. The site for the preparation of compost manure should be flat and near a water source.
2. All the items to be used in the preparation of compost manure should be available at the site. Whenever possible, legumes should form part of the items to be decomposed.
3. If affordable and where possible, sulphate of ammonia should be mixed with the items to be decomposed so as to effect the process of decomposition. If this is not possible, follow the ways outlined in the previous chapters.
4. Temperature and moisture are very important requirements in the compost heap. These should not exceed or fall below the limits:
(a) The heap should not be too low since the temperature will be low and decomposition will take longer.
(b) A heap that is too deep has too much heat, resulting in unsatisfactory decomposition.
(c) If the peg erected in the middle of the heap has adequate feel of warmth and moisture, it is a sign that the decomposition process is progressing well. On the other hand, if the peg has a lot of heat but the heap is dry, the heap should be turned over and water sprinkled on it.
5. The heap should be shuffled every few weeks as explained in the previous chapter. This will facilitate adequate air circulation, reduce excess moisture and enable the refuse to decompose well. However, if the heap is saturated with water, it gives out a bad odour and has little heat, turn it over and over again until it ceases to emit the bad smell.
6. Normally, in dry weather water is sprinkled on the heap after every four or five days. During the rainy season, sprinkle water onto the heap depending on its actual state and the climatic conditions.
7. Cover the heap to stop loss of water and plant nutrients from the manure. It is important to remember that an uncovered heap does not decompose well and that the amount of water sprinkled should be only enough to wet the manure. During the rainy season, the heap should be covered with banana leaves, plastic paper, mats and old blankets.
8. In order to be able to make this fertilizer frequently, the farmer should do the following:
(a) The walls of the sites for mixing and shuffling the compost manure should be constructed using bricks, timber or wire.
(b) The floor of the heap sites should be made of concrete to prevent the loss of water through absorption into the earth as well as the exhaustion of nutrients. However, a concrete floor presents the problem of hindering the escape of excess water.
(c) If there is tap water at the site, it is advisable to have a hose pipe and a sprinkling can. These make work easier.
9. If all these steps are closely followed, in 12 weeks, or even less time, the compost manure is ready for application, depending on the method used in the preparation and on climatic conditions.
B. The importance of humus in compost manure
After the proper shuffling of the heap, the dead weight of the heap reduces by half and the work of the micro-organisms is complete. Then comes the maturation period which may last 2 to 4 weeks. During this stage, particles of the decomposed items slowly turn into humus, which is the most important part of the compost manure. Without it, there would be no such thing as compost manure and all preparatory efforts would be useless.
It is important to bear in mind that an immature fertilizer will badly affect the growth of seedlings due to its ammonia content. Therefore, farmers need to ensure the application of mature fertilizer on their farms.
C. Characteristics of good compost manure
The humus in the compost manure gives the manure its coloration and other characteristics. A good compost manure is:
(a) fully decomposed,
(b) darkish-brown in colour,
(c) without too much heat,
(d) of pleasant odour,
(e) smooth to touch,
(f) of good structure,
(g) one that has nearly all component parts (refuse) decomposed except for a few parts that are naturally difficult to decompose or those that never do,
(h) of average moisture content. This shows that the manure preserves adequate water for every period,
(i) one that consists of plant nutrients which it slowly releases to the soil for use by plants,
(j) one that does not have weeds, disease viruses or live seeds of any kind.
Good compost manure has the following benefits:
(a) It is easy and cheap to make and can be made on the farm.
(b) It slowly releases plant nutrients into the soil.
(c) The carbon compounds in the manure make excellent nutrients for microorganisms and other living things in the soil. This makes the soil to which compost manure has been applied an excellent habitat for the organisms in the soil.
(d) It gives the soil a dark-brown colour.
(e) It regulates soil structure and softens hard soil; it also brings together sandy soil. This facilitates:
(i) adequate air circulation in the soil;
(ii) easy absorption of excess water by the soil;
(iii) enhanced water retention by the soil;
(iv) increase of the soil's ability to withstand erosion by wind and running water:
(v) easy sprouting and growth of roots in the soil by providing them with sufficient spaces and preventing stiffness of the soil when it is dry, not to mention prevention of its saturation and lack of aeration in the event of it getting wet.
(f) It improves the environment and the economy by giving rise to better utilisation of rubbish which would otherwise have caused diseases and by reducing the need to buy artificial fertilizers.
(g) It reduces the use of artificial fertilizers and chemicals, thus preventing negative effects to the soil, plants, farms, human life (those people who apply them to the farms) and the consumers of the plant produce.
(h) The crops grown on soils having compost manure are:
(i) plenty and healthy,
(ii) not easily attacked by diseases,
(iii) not easily attacked by pests.
Fig. 16: Maize grown using compost manure
E. How to use compost manure
1. Before using compost manure, it should be sifted so that those bits that are not fully decomposed are isolated and re-used in preparing another lot of compost manure or spread over the farm. All items that did not decompose and cannot do so should be removed and thrown out of the farm.
Spreading compost manure does not in itself result in satisfactory results. The manure has to be mixed with the soil.
2. Compost manure should be spread over the soil at the time of the preparation of the farm. Normally, it should be applied about one month before planting. The manure should be thoroughly mixed with the soil and not casually heaped on the farm.
3. For perennial crops such as coffee, bananas and fruit trees such as mangoes and oranges, apply approximately a tinful or two of manure per hole. A similar amount should be applied yearly at the bases of the plants.
4. For annual plants, such as grains and legumes, compost manure should be spread over the entire planting area. It could be put either in furrows or rows where crops will be planted.
5. At times, the manure is placed in the holes for planting annual crops. This is a tedious exercise but a very helpful one, especially when the amount of manure is inadequate.
6. One bucket of compost manure is adequate for one square metre of soil. Loosen the soil with a hoe and mix it with the manure. Plant the seeds thereafter. | <urn:uuid:60f8a903-4b3a-43dd-a60e-c3c2b462cfa0> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.fastonline.org/CD3WD_40/CD3WD/WATSAN/H1078E/EN/B1057_8.HTM | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00047-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.943851 | 1,628 | 3.0625 | 3 |
gay (gā) 1. there once was a time when all “gay” meant was “happy.” then it meant “homosexual.” now, people are saying “that’s so gay” to mean dumb and stupid. which is pretty insulting to gay people (and we don’t mean the “happy” people). 2. so please, knock it off.
It’s time to start calling people out.
On Facebook, Twitter and in everyday conversations, people still throw around “gay” as a derogatory term. I see it among my friends and colleagues, among people who should know better. It makes me angry. It makes me ashamed. It makes me question my friendships.
Paris Hilton was recently blasted for her derogatory comments about gay men, recorded by a New York cab driver. I don’t condone that invasion of privacy, but I also don’t condone Hilton’s statements. She later apologized, calling herself a huge supporter of the gay community.”
It is the last thing that I would ever want to do and I cannot put into words how much I wish I could take back every word. HIV/AIDS can hurt anyone, gay and straight, men and women. It’s something I take very seriously and should not have been thrown around in conversation.
But that’s the whole point of it all, isn’t it? Once the words are out there, you can’t take them back. Someone will remember. Someone was hurt. It doesn’t matter how funny you thought it was, how may people laughed, how trivial it seemed, how overly sensitive the other person seems.
That’s bullying mentality. But the problem isn’t yours. It’s theirs. No one should be made to feel less-than because of another person’s ignorance or insecurity. I don’t want Emerson growing up to feel that way or to make anyone feel that way.
There are still too many people being targeted, particularly in Texas, just because of who they are. Clarendon couple Joshua Harrison and Jeremy Jeffers had a gay slur and a death threat painted on their front porch earlier this month — and it included a word that’s thrown around regularly by people I know. A word that should never be OK, even if you’re talking about sports or rapping or gossiping with your BFF.
The Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network’s (GLSEN) National School Climate Survey found that, while things are slowly improving in schools, we still have a long way to go:
- 81.9% of LGBT students reported being verbally harassed, 38.3% reported being physically harassed and 18.3% reported being physically assaulted at school in the past year because of their sexual orientation.
- 63.9% of LGBT students reported being verbally harassed, 27.1% reported being physically harassed and 12.4% reported being physically assaulted at school in the past year because of their gender expression.
- 6 in 10 LGBT students (63.5%) reported feeling unsafe at school because of their sexual orientation; and 4 in 10 (43.9%) felt unsafe because of their gender expression.
- Nearly one third of LGBT students (29.8%) reported skipping a class at least once and 31.8% missed at least one entire day of school in the past month because of safety concerns.
Why can’t they all just be like Honey Boo Boo?
A friend recently posed this question on Facebook: “Is it possible to be too gay?” The maturity level of the responses, some from gay men, amazed me.
We have to stop berating and belittling each other, making light of things that might profoundly affect others.
And, no, I don’t think that’s being overly sensitive. It’s respect and empathy and love for someone who might be dealing with something far beyond what you can comprehend. I was bullied for years. And whether or not it “made me the person I am,” I would never wish that on anyone. When kids are killing themselves over verbal and physical attacks from others, something is wrong.
Not everyone is strong. Not everyone can “get over it.” People sometimes need help, whether it’s a kind word or a smile or full-on support.
Next time someone throws around “so gay” — or something worse — direct them here. It’s a bit sobering to see the scroll of ignorant, insensitive tweets on a daily basis.
Or maybe just stand up and tell them to shut up. I will from now on.
(October is Bullying Prevention Month, and Friday is Spirit Day. People are encouraged to wear purple to speak out against bullying and to show their support for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender youth. Also, the NOH8 photo campaign is in town Thursday at the University of Houston and expects a record-breaking turnout.) | <urn:uuid:17cb5944-82e4-4d38-8d3e-a746ed776c0f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://blog.chron.com/heandhim/2012/10/don%E2%80%99t-say-gay-unless-you-mean-it/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00067-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.966149 | 1,060 | 1.890625 | 2 |
Sorry, no definitions found.
“I spent time giving it Anton's particular spit-shine.”
“We change oil in our scooters, compound and wax the finish of our cars, tighten loose bolts, snug up belts, check fluids, run Q-tips through vents, spit-shine leather, put air -- and sometimes even nitrogen -- in tires, and pay our local dealer or mechanic to do those more complex tasks that are beyond our ken.”
“Washer must be willing to thoroughly wipe his balls and not afraid to put a little elbow grease or some spit-shine should the occasion call for it.”
“Denying the long-standing link between white tribalism and conservatism may be "politically correct" within the DC bubble where press and politicians mingle and spit-shine each others 'images, but denial is the opposite of truth.”
“Is there anyone at the New Yorker who doesn't spit-shine their prose with the inconsolable tears of the unworthy?”
“Sometimes it's best to know your role; I know for a fact that I could never spit-shine my Italian loafers as good as our servant, what's his name ... maybe Jose, so I don't try.”
“We were left in our barracks to spit-shine boots and polish the lacquer off brass belt buckles.”
“All spit-shine and ‘ten-hut!’ and efficiency to the smallest detail.”
“I also need to be able to spit-shine them to within an inch of their lives - yes, to the military standard "see your reflection in them".”
“Going to spit-shine the old Springwater Station and make one of them fancy little hotels out of it.”
These user-created lists contain the word ‘spit-shine’.
Looking for tweets for spit-shine. | <urn:uuid:38e45b51-a64a-46b3-8f2d-d7cd06b81047> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.wordnik.com/words/spit-shine | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697974692/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095254-00042-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.943052 | 411 | 1.953125 | 2 |
Titanic 1912 sinking: the tragedy
Titanic 1912 Sinking
On April 2, 1912, the Titanic left Belfast, Northern Ireland, for Southampton, England. The 480 nautical mile trip (552 normal miles or 883 km) would have taken more than a full day. Once in Southampton, the Titanic prepared for her fateful voyage. Abundant supplies were loaded. The numbers are staggering: 60 tons of meat and fish products; 5 tons of cereals; 50 tons of fruits and vegetables; 40,000 eggs and nearly 40,000 bottles of drinks including bottled water. Passengers came on board too. First class passengers had to pay $4350 per person; second class passengers $1,750; third class passengers only $30.
Brief Piece of Drama
With supplies and passengers loaded the Titanic sailed at noon, Wednesday, April 10, 1912. Close by two other large ships were docked, the Oceanic and the New York. As the Titanic began to move the large amounts of water displaced came upon the two ships, the New York rose on then dropped with force snapping her moorings. She then began to swing towards the Titanic coming to within 4 feet (just over a meter) of the massive liner! An accident was averted when a tug boat threw a rope and pulled the New York.
The Voyage Begins
With that incident out of the way the Titanic headed south for Cherbourg, France, 84 nautical miles away, arriving approximately 7:00 in the evening. There it stopped for two hours to pick more passengers and departed at 9:00 in the evening for Ireland and the port of Queenstown (currently known as Cobh).near the city of Cork, 306 nautical miles north west from Cherbourg. It arrived at Queenstown about fifteen hours later, around noon on Thursday, April 11 and stopped for less then two hours to pick more passengers. Given that the harbour of Queenstown was too small for the Titanic to dock, she anchored two miles out. Little boats known as tenders, ferried the last passengers and their luggage to the Titanic. By now she had well over 2200 persons on board, crew and passengers, as many as 2240. At 2:00 pm the Titanic set sail never to be in touch with land again.
Three Uneventful Days
As the land of Ireland began to fade on the horizon crew and passengers began to settle into their routines. The last passengers who had boarded at Queenstown were making themselves comfortable in their rooms. Those who had boarded in England and France were, no doubt, in the process of exploring this magnificent piece of maritime engineering with its maze of corridors, multiple decks, imposing figure and luxurious fittings. The first class passengers where certainly planning their social and business meetings given that the Titanic had ample salons for entertainment and plenty of important people on board to facilitate business transactions and meetings. The crew began to settle into their routines, busy but certainly proud and with a sense of history filling their minds knowing that they had the privilege to work on what was then the world’s largest and most luxurious ship on her maiden voyage. Captain Edward Smith, a man of extensive experience at sea must surely have felt at ease in his new job. As he himself had stated, in his 40 years at sea he had never been involved in a serious accident neither had he witnessed any maritime disasters. He believed that the technology of ship building had reached such an advanced level that ships would simply not sink unless sunk by human activity.
For three days the journey progressed without incident. During these three days the Titanic covered more than 1,500 miles. Throughout there were reports coming in from other ships about sightings of icebergs. How seriously would the captain and crew take them?
Other Pages About the Titanic
Now that you have read Part 1 of the Sinking of the Titanic read the following:
Titanic 1912 Sinking Part 2
Titanic 1912 Sinking Part 3
The Mystery Ship that could have saved more people
Titanic 1912 Sinking: The Passengers
The Titanic Band that played music to the end
Quick Titanic Facts
Return from Titanic 1912 Sinking to Northern Ireland Travel Homepage | <urn:uuid:1806c57a-7da5-4e67-8364-b6dee8ffce0e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.my-secret-northern-ireland.com/titanic-1912-sinking.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00053-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.975335 | 858 | 3.171875 | 3 |
Radhanath Swami Answers: By developing gratitude we can re-connect with God. Gratitude is a divine virtue and it leads to developing other saintly qualities. Spirituality grows like a seed in the field of our heart. By balancing our life style we protect that seed and we water it with our spiritual practises like chanting God’s names, reading scriptures, and rendering service to God and its people. It is gratitude that makes our hearts more fertile and allowing other virtues like sincerity and honesty to develop.
Gratitude is to be grateful and seek an opportunity to grow beyond the immediate circumstances that we come across. We should be grateful for our successes or failures, honour or dishonour, happiness or distress, health or disease, victory or defeat, heat or cold, pleasure or pain. In all these situations, not only we should see an opportunity to learn something but ultimately search for prospects to take shelter of the higher power of God. When we take shelter of God we find that life has inconceivable treasures in every moment. Then we will see hand of God in every situation and will feel connected with him. | <urn:uuid:e3c7ba98-bb98-4038-b153-b3ab83c06961> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.radhanathswamionline.com/insights/attitude-gratitude-bridge-god/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704713110/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516114513-00003-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.940038 | 229 | 2.234375 | 2 |
The absence of race in democratic politics: The case of the Dominican Republic
This dissertation explores the relationship between race and democratization. Through the examination of the case of the Dominican Republic, this study challenges mainstream explanations of democratic transitions. At its core, this dissertation aims at calling attention to the absence of race and ethnic allegiances as explanatory variables of the democratic processes and debates in the region.^ By focusing on structural variables, the analysis shies away from elite and actor-centered explanations that fall short in predicting the developments and outcomes of transitions. The central research questions of this study are: Why is there an absence of the treatment of race and ethnic allegiances during the democratic transitions in Latin America and the Caribbean? How has the absence of ethnic identities affected the nature and depth of democratic transitions?^ Unlike previous explanations of democratic transitions, this dissertation argues that the absence of race in democratic transitions has been a deliberate attempt to perpetuate limited citizenship by political and economic elites. Findings reveal a difficulty to overcome nationalist discourses where limited citizenship has affected the quality of democracy. Original field research data for the study has been gathered through semi-structured interviews and focus groups conducted from October 2008 to December 2009 in the Dominican Republic.^
Caribbean Studies|Latin American Studies|Political Science, General|Sociology, Social Structure and Development
"The absence of race in democratic politics: The case of the Dominican Republic"
(January 1, 2010).
ProQuest ETD Collection for FIU. | <urn:uuid:8b1edd50-8e57-428d-b63c-b8fe5136a5e1> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://digitalcommons.fiu.edu/dissertations/AAI3470221/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700958435/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104238-00068-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.91439 | 302 | 1.882813 | 2 |
A learning system that demonstrates academic achievement through customizable badges.
Easily create mobile app/e-book hybrids which can replace classroom textbooks or course packs.
A social web experience catered to extending a student's connections beyond the classroom.
Developed to assist students with question and answer in a classroom setting. Can be seen in large classrooms across Purdue’s campuses.
Detects early warning signs and provides intervention to students who may not be performing to the best of their abilities before they reach a critical point.
September, 11 2012 - Purdue.edu
Purdue University has developed a pair of apps that make creating, awarding and displaying badges much easier.
October 13, 2010 - Educause.com
Despite their flaws as teaching and learning environments, large lectures remain a standard teaching approach because of their relatively low cost, ease of preparation, and long tradition in education.
October 13, 2010 - Purdue.edu
A pilot study of a new technology that lets students use Twitter and text messages during and after class has found that it increases student engagement and is used more often by higher-performing students.
October 11, 2010 - Purdue.edu
An academic technology developed and piloted at Purdue that warns students who are at risk of poor grades and facilitates intervention and support is being released nationally.
September 28, 2010 - Purdue.edu
A new application lets university students create online study groups within Facebook, and lets the participants synch and share documents via Dropbox.
December 2, 2009 - USAToday.com
Allisson Perconti doesn't raise her hand when she has a question in her personal finance class at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Ind. She taps out a text message on her cellphone.
November 11, 2009 - Mashable.com
Students at Purdue University are experimenting with a new application developed at the school called Hotseat that integrates Facebook, Twitter, and text messaging to help students "backchannel" during class.
November 2, 2009 - Purdue.edu
College students have always talked about their classes, and lately the conversations have moved to Facebook, Twitter and text messages, often during the class lecture itself. Now, in a clever bit of educational jujitsu, an application developed at Purdue University uses those backchannel conversations to improve the students' learning.
September 1, 2009 - Purdue.edu
This fall Purdue University has launched a first-of-its-kind computerized system that will track student academic progress and warn students in real-time if they need work in certain areas.
August 27, 2009 - MSNBC.com
Digital engagement, student success
Mobility matters—especially at Purdue University. Purdue has developed and deployed a large suite of digital technologies designed to improve student success. Whether it is delivered though a mobile device, Facebook application, or web browser, these technologies are designed to connect the classroom with the class using the connections and devices common to students.
Professor Charles Calahan discussing Hotseat on the Big Ten Network. | <urn:uuid:d95c198a-a139-4f7e-93a9-93325616373f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.itap.purdue.edu/studio/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00073-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.936287 | 609 | 2.578125 | 3 |
Archive for 'Oxfam'
Results from Oxfam's Humankind Index for Scotland project - aiming to assess Scotland’s prosperity through a multi-dimensional measure of prosperity - reveal that local measures are more important to people than the economy.
The SDRN highlights new research publications in sustainable development, with a focus on food: Oxfam on the global food system; the 2011 food issues census; food security, nutrition and sustainability; school meal procurement.
Fashion is often blamed for the ethical and environmental impacts of our throwaway clothes culture and obsession with the latest trends. Yet this year’s London Fashion Week celebrated how our love for clothes could be making a positive difference to the future of the planet and its people. | <urn:uuid:ae53f99b-c30c-43e0-8c4f-231da4214235> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://sd.defra.gov.uk/tag/oxfam/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00030-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.925017 | 151 | 1.875 | 2 |
Social networking giant Facebook on Tuesday rolled out its new Messenger app, allowing mobile phone users without Facebook account to sign up the service with a phone number.
With no Facebook account and email address required, app with the new feature will be first available to users of phones running on Google's Android platform in India, Indonesia, Australia, Venezuela and South Africa, according to the company.
The sign up option using phone number will be rolled out globally and its version for users of Apple's iPhone as well as other smartphone platforms are also under way, said Facebook.
Facebook Messenger is an instant messaging service and software application which provides text and video communication.
Its mobile version was released last year for major smartphone platforms, but users need to sign up with a Facebook account.
The latest move is expected to help Facebook reach a larger audience, attracting smartphone users with no Facebook account to gradually use more Facebook services.
Meanwhile, Facebook's updated app is also seen as another challenge against phone carriers' Short Message Service (SMS) as text messaging turned 20 on Monday.
On Dec. 3, 1992, a British engineer sent the text message " Merry Christmas" from his personal computer to a phone via the Vodafone network. Since then, SMS has turned into a high-margin business for phone carriers and is expected to bring 150 billion U. S. dollars to the industry in 2013.
However, technology companies like Apple and Blackberry-maker Research In Motion have been developing their messaging services over years, offering users to send messages via Wi-Fi or cellular network with no further fees.
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- Why So Many Top 'Car Guys' Are Actually Women | <urn:uuid:23dfbff7-3e50-48bf-b383-1fc379ba0942> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.hispanicbusiness.com/2012/12/5/facebook_updates_messenger_app_to_attract.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00053-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.905064 | 467 | 1.578125 | 2 |
|Exhibition: Preserving Chicago, Making History|
|Tuesday, 29 January 2008 01:31|
February 7– May 9, 2008
The exhibition and accompanying programs will focus on preservationists’ motivations—and evaluate the consequences of their actions. A new, free exhibition, runs February 7 through May 9 at the Chicago Architecture Foundation, 224 S. Michigan Avenue. A protest sign carried by photographer and preservationist Richard Nickel inspired the exhibition’s title.
Nickel’s 1960 fight to save Adler & Sullivan’s Garrick Theater sparked the modern preservation movement. The exhibition focuses on three motivations behind the desire to preserve the built environment: to celebrate design, to foster identity, and to revitalize city life.
|Last Updated on Wednesday, 04 March 2009 07:19|
The document has moved here. | <urn:uuid:2dbdcafc-bca3-4b4e-ba1d-8da45d2335fd> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.archinnovations.com/events/exhibitions/preserving-chicago-making-history/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00007-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.935252 | 173 | 2.5625 | 3 |
I was re-listening to the final show of Theme Time Radio Hour a few days ago, thinking to transcribe it as a bookend piece to my commentary on the "Weather" episode
. As it turned out, I decided not to. As the 100 episodes of TTRH go, the script for "Goodbye" is one of the weaker ones. The music is good, but the writing is flat and forced, with Eddie G. doing his best to connect improbable segues and still hold to the theme. In fact, much of Dylan’s commentary seems to have been taken from unused pieces left over from earlier shows. If you listen to "Goodbye" wearing headphones as I did, you can distinctly hear Tex Carbone's editing work in several sections.
Having said that. there are still nuggets to find in "Goodbye," and a few sections that bring the show full circle back to the "Weather" show. Mr. D's opening remarks on Chandler's "The Long Goodbye," for instance...Our Host:
...I’ve always been a big fan of “The Long Goodbye.” “The Long Goodbye” is a novel, written in 19 and 53 by Raymond Chandler. Chandler’s detective, Philip Marlowe, was involved in two cases that seemed unconnected. But by the end of the book, they are connected. And Philip Marlowe’s notion of brotherhood and morality is challenged. There’s a sense of fruitlessness and disgust at the misery of the world and at the depravity of modern culture. As you can imagine, it’s my kind of book.
... are reminiscent of his "Weather" commentary on Chandler's "Red Wind." And just as with that quote, Eddie G. pulls the colorful "...sense of fruitlessness and disgust at the misery of the world and at the depravity of modern culture."
line from an online source
, in this case a 2002 review of Robert Altman's deconstructionist 19 and 73 movie version of "The Long Goodbye." One could probably safely assume that Mr. D. is also a "big fan" of that movie too, given that Elliot Gould does an improvised blackface routine in one scene.
The use of Woody Guthrie’s “So Long, It’s Been Good to Know Ya” not only resonates because it’s so appropriate for a Bob Dylan “Goodbye” show, but also because “So Long…” was also the centerpiece of Guthrie’s first episode of his
“Back Where I Come From” radio series, which was focused on the theme… “Weather.”“All these things tie together,”
as Mr D. would say.
Given that the final theme is “Goodbye,” the name of TTRH’s last call-in listener is also interesting. Here’s Mr. D taking the call:Our Host:
Let’s go to the phones. Love taking phone calls, reminds me of how many people are out there. Well, Line 2’s ringing. Hello caller, you’re on the air. Morgan:
Hey, Bob. How you doing? Our Host:
I’m good, thanks. What’s your name and where you calling from?Morgan:
My name’s Morgan Treat and I’m calling from Montreal, Canada. Our Host:
What can I do for you, Morgan?Morgan:
Well Bob, I’ve been listening to the “Goodbye” show…Our Host:
Are you enjoying it?Morgan:
Well, not really.Our Host:
What’s the matter?Morgan:
I really don’t like goodbyes. In every relationship I’ve had seems like I’m the one that leaves. I just can’t stand someone saying goodbye to me. And I don’t like to say goodbye either. I’d rather sleep before the sun goes down. Always go before the sun comes up. Don’t like to see the end of a movie, I usually walk out about halfway through. Won’t read the end of a book. I’ve never even had dessert. I just hate goodbyes.Our Host (laughs):
Well, Morgan, you got a serious problem. What are you running from, buddy? Morgan:
I’m not running, Bob, I just hate goodbyes.Our Host:
Well, listen to me. You gotta learn how to say goodbye. You gotta have closure. You gotta shut the doors! Otherwise, you’re gonna be haunted by ghosts. You’re going to have that half-finished feeling all of your life. You’re never going to feel you’re on solid ground. And you’re never going to have a worthwhile relationship. Take my advice, Morgan, learn how to say goodbye. Morgan? Hello? Hello, Morgan? Oh, Morgan. Our Host:
There’s no helping some people.
“Morgan” hates goodbyes so much that he leaves Mr. D. dangling before the end of the call, but his first name interests me more than his rude departure.
It's bye-bye, buddy, have to say it once again,
I appreciate your velvet helping hand.
Even though you never gave it,
I am sure you had to save it
for the gestures of the friends you understand. ~ “Morgan the Pirate,” Richard Fariña.
“Morgan the Pirate” was written by Fariña probably in response to Dylan’s own “Goodbye” song, “Positively Fourth Street,” which many people felt was aimed squarely at Richard. By the time “4th Street” was released Fariña and Dylan – who, if never the best of friends had spent a good amount of time together in the early `60s – were on the outs. The reasons ranged from Dylan’s treatment of Fariña’s sister-in-law, Joan Baez, to Fariña’s unconcealed jealousy about the younger Dylan “making it” not only in music but in Fariña’s first love, writing. While Fariña struggled to find a publisher for his first book, Albert Grossman had succeeded in selling Dylan’s book before he had written a word of it. In fact, “Tarantula” probably would have infuriated Fariña even more if he had lived to see it published, incoherent stream-of-consciousness meanderings that it was, with even Dylan embarrassed by it.
Theme Time Radio Hour associate producer Nina Fitzgerald-Washington once told me that starting with Season 2 and especially into Season 3, everything in the show
was designed to relate to the theme, from the most obscure bed music to the celebrity guest appearances. With Theme Time Radio Hour, as with anything in connection with Bob Dylan, there’s always the danger of reading too much into what he says, from off-handed remark to Biblical quote. But whether introduced by Eddie G., Fitzgerald-Washington or by Dylan himself, you have to wonder whether the name “Morgan” was deliberate, especially in the context of a “Goodbye” show. | <urn:uuid:702c23a4-b91f-4596-bf56-b0380bb73ee6> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.expectingrain.com/discussions/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=60048&start=0 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704713110/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516114513-00027-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.955888 | 1,571 | 1.632813 | 2 |
When two declarations in the same scope describe the same object or function, the two declarations must specify compatible types. These two types are then combined into a single composite type that is compatible with the first two. More about composite types later.
The compatible types are defined recursively. At the bottom are type specifier keywords. These are the rules that say that unsigned short is the same as unsigned short int, and that a type without type specifiers is the same as one with int. All other types are compatible only if the types from which they are derived are compatible. For example, two qualified types are compatible if the qualifiers, const and volatile, are identical, and the unqualified base types are compatible. | <urn:uuid:9c2223f5-6614-4c73-9814-2eafabe7e1d3> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://docs.oracle.com/cd/E19205-01/819-5265/bjamc/index.html | 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 | 0.934244 | 144 | 3.09375 | 3 |
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The National Park Service says its low-lying monuments and memorials along the National Mall came through superstorm Sandy largely unscathed.
Spokeswoman Carol Johnson says there's a slight possibility that the World War II Memorial could have some minor flooding, but it's designed to withstand it and would not be damaged.
The Potomac River has been forecast to crest at around 9 feet early Thursday morning in Georgetown. Johnson says the Mall's flood-protection system can protect it from crests of 17 feet or higher.
Johnson says there was some minor flooding on Hains Point, the tip of a manmade island that includes a park and a golf course. The park was closed Tuesday. | <urn:uuid:68461ce0-9067-4312-989b-d4155e375fa2> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.crescent-news.com/ap%20travel/2012/10/30/dc-s-national-mall-largely-unaffected-by-sandy | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704392896/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113952-00040-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.977579 | 145 | 1.679688 | 2 |
Like shiitake and maitake, chaga is a medicinal mushroom often used to rev up the immune system and fend off illness. Many proponents even suggest that taking chaga supplements--or drinking chaga tea--can increase the body's defense against cancer.
Although there is currently a lack of scientific support for the claim that chaga can help prevent cancer, some preliminary research shows that chaga can slow up the growth of cancer cells. What's more, a number of studies indicate that chaga can combat oxidative stress (a destructive biological process thought to be linked to the development of cancer).
To protect against cancer, it's crucial to avoid smoking, follow a balanced diet rich in antioxidant-packed vegetables and fruits, exercise regularly, and keep your weight in check. Some studies have found that people who drink tea and maintain optimal levels of vitamin D may be less likely to develop certain types of cancer. Read the article: Chaga - What You Need to Know. | <urn:uuid:7ea4b2d1-2f36-4b07-b685-412b37b90877> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://altmedicine.about.com/b/2012/01/30/can-chaga-fight-cancer.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00056-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.938481 | 198 | 2.484375 | 2 |
Jornal de Pediatria
Print version ISSN 0021-7557
VIEIRA, Alan A. et al. Assessment of the energy content of human milk administered to very low birth weight infants. J. Pediatr. (Rio J.) [online]. 2004, vol.80, n.6, pp. 490-494. ISSN 0021-7557. http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S0021-75572004000800011.
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate and compare the energy content in fresh and processed human milk administered to very low birth weight infants born in the Institute Fernandes Figueira. METHODS: Samples of 0.5 ml of fresh and processed human milk were evaluated as for the fat percentile and energy content, which was calculated by mathematical formulas. Four hundred and sixty two human milk samples were analyzed, 401 of processed human milk and 61 of fresh human milk. RESULTS: The median and the standard deviation of the fat percentile checked was 2.9±1.2% in the processed samples and 8.9±4.6% in the fresh samples (p < 0.001). The median and the standard deviation of the energy content calculated was 53.6±7.2 kcal/100 ml in processed samples and 85.9±27.9 kcal/100 ml in fresh samples (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: The processed human milk samples had less energy content and less fat than fresh human milk samples suggesting that the complex processes of the human milk manipulation and administration can determine losses in energy content.
Keywords : Low birth weight; human milk; calories. | <urn:uuid:94261866-cabd-4ea7-a7c0-7f2817ff3e49> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_abstract&pid=S0021-75572004000800011&lng=en&nrm=iso&tlng=en | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00002-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.903545 | 348 | 2.234375 | 2 |
The Facts About
"Smoking kills almost six
many people as road and
overdoses and HIV all put
Smoking is a greater cause of death
and disability than
any other single
disease, says the
According to their figures,
it is responsible
five million deaths
Heart attack and stroke
UK studies show that smokers in
their 30s and 40s
are five times
more likely to have
a heart attack
Tobacco contributes to the hardening of the arteries, which can then become blocked and starve the heart of
bloodflow, causing the attack. Often, smokers who develop this will require complex and risky heart bypass
If you smoke for a lifetime, there is a 50% chance that your eventual death will be smoking-related - half of all
these deaths will be in middle age. Smoking also increases the risk of having a stroke.
Another primary health risk associated with smoking are lung cancer, which kills more than 20,000 people in the UK
US studies have shown that men who smoke increase their chances of dying from the disease by more than 22
Women who smoke increase this risk by nearly 12 times.
Lung cancer is a difficult cancer to treat - long term survival rates are poor.
Smoking also increases the risk of oral, uterine, liver, kidney, bladder, stomach, and cervical cancers, and
Another health problem associated with tobacco is emphysema, which, when combined with chronic bronchitis, produces
chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
The lung damage which causes emphysema is irreversible, and makes it extremely difficult to breathe.
Harm to children
Smoking in pregnancy greatly increases the risk of miscarriage, is associated with lower
birthweight babies, and inhibited child development.
Smoking by parents following the birth is linked to sudden infant death syndrome, or cot death, and higher rates of
infant respiratory illness, such as bronchitis, colds, and pneumonia.
Nicotine, an ingredient of tobacco, is listed as an addictive substance by the US authorities.
Although the health risks of smoking are culmulative, giving up can yield health benefits regardless of the age of
the patient, or the length of time they have been smoking.
By 2020, the World Health organisation expects the worldwide death toll to reach 10 million,
causing 17.7% of all deaths in developed countries. There are believed to be 1.1 billion smokers in the world,
800,000 of them in developing countries. | <urn:uuid:5facba35-073b-4454-99ee-a7b053e705cf> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://sydneyquitcigarettes.com/The-facts-about-cigarettes.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00075-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.940089 | 524 | 3 | 3 |
The U.S. Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration awarded TCU a $243,982 Garrett Lee Smith Memorial Campus Suicide Prevention Grant. The grant will support and extend the Counseling Center’s suicide prevention project, the TCU HOPE Initiative. The purpose of the HOPE Initiative is to establish a comprehensive, university-wide approach to preventing suicides and suicidal behavior on campus.
Suicide is the second leading cause of death among college students. The HOPE Initiative seeks to generate a campus climate of caring through trainings, collaborative networks, mental health screenings, outreach, integrated clinical care and social marketing.
“The grant will enhance the HOPE Initiative’s goals by providing funding and technical support for more programming and outreach to the University community,” said Linda Wolszon, the director of TCU’s Counseling, Testing and Mental Health Center. “We envision a campus where students are willing and know how to seek help for themselves and others and where everyone knows how to reach out to someone in distress.” The grant will fund a full-time outreach coordinator and a part-time graduate assistant to support suicide prevention programming.
In honor of National Depression Awareness Month in October, the HOPE Initiative will host free and confidential depression screenings in classrooms, academic departments and residential halls. The HOPE Initiative also launched a website as part of a social media campaign to raise awareness of suicide prevention.
The grant will help TCU HOPE Initiative reach its goal to have all members of TCU’s campus go through suicide awareness and prevention training. Question, Persuade and Refer (QPR) is a training program designed to teach attendees how to identify a student in distress, how to ask if the student is thinking about suicide and where to go for help. Last year, TCU HOPE Initiative trained more than 700 individuals on campus to use QPR prevention training.
The TCU Council on Mental Health and Suicide is another suicide prevention initiative on TCU’s campus. TCU Chancellor Victor J. Boschini, Jr., commissioned the council in 2011 to bring broad-based and sustained attention to the mental health of students after TCU lost several student to suicide in a short period of time. Concerned about the health and well-being of students, Chancellor Boschini appointed the members of the council, which is composed of faculty, staff and students. The Council on Mental Health and Suicide is responsible for studying the campus environment to determine opportunities to reduce risks and increase support for TCU students facing mental health challenges. The Council will make recommendations for strategies to support student mental health and prevent student suicide.
For more information about the TCU HOPE Initiative, visit www.counseling.tcu.edu/hope_initiative.asp
To access the HOPE Initiative’s social media website, visit www.ruok.tcu.edu
For information about the TCU Counseling Center, visit www.counseling.tcu.edu | <urn:uuid:adcf574b-07e9-41f2-9ee8-03cf46b59eff> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.newsevents.tcu.edu/2628.asp | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00065-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.923979 | 607 | 1.726563 | 2 |
I was referring Electron microscopes and read that the electrons have wavelength way less than that of visible light. But, the question I can't find an answer was that, If gamma radiation has the ...
is it possible to either demonstrate the principle or make a SEM ( electron microscope ) at home or lab as an enthusiast?? and how can i start?
Scaling an electron microscope to fit within 1 cubic cm when running multiple parallel scans [closed]
Yes, I'm serious. What components correspond to an individual scan vrs what components can be cascaded across all objects? Ex: The vacuum chamber can be cascaded ( colocate the sample chambers ... | <urn:uuid:ba9d21b6-a038-49c6-b086-4bc24fc2d186> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/tagged/microscopy+electron | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00025-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.922215 | 134 | 2.96875 | 3 |
American jihadis: Where are they coming from, where are they going?
Jytte Klausen has DOJ funding to look at the role of social networking
Jytte Klausen, the Lawrence A. Wien Professor of International Cooperation, has received a $459,969 grant from the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) to research the role of social networks in the evolution of Al Qaeda-inspired violence in the United States.
The grant is one of seven made by the National Institute of Justice for study of domestic radicalization.
Klausen’s research will build on the work of the Western Jihadism Project, which she and post-doctoral fellow Eliane Tschaen Barbieri, Ph.D. ’10, started in 2006 to improve available data on Al Qaeda and counter-terrorism activities. She has received funding previously from the Home Office in the United Kingdom.
The project so far has amassed and analyzed information on 2,850 people involved in jihadi networks in the West. The new work will create a database of an estimated 500 American citizens and residents who are associated with jihadist terrorism domestically or abroad. A control group will be constructed of Americans apprehended and convicted in connection with offenses related to Hamas and Hezbollah.
A key question to be explored in the new research, which will examine the last 20 years, is whether domestic recruitment to violent Islamist extremism occurs primarily in identifiable immigrant, ethnic or national groups or is random.
While high-profile attacks such as 9/11 and the London subway bombings have led many to conclude that Islamist extremists come from certain ethnicities, Klausen said, “over the last 10 years, we have seen a high number of converts with no immigrant background, no Muslim background, who were middle-class, suburban kids growing up.”
Such a trend is of vital importance to local and national intelligence and police agencies that must put in place counter-terrorism strategies.
“If the [jihadi] movement is related to immigration of people with grievances, then you can reasonably predict who will join up,” explains Klausen, who specializes in Muslim communities in Europe and America. But if recruitment is more socially random, such predictions won’t work and tactics such as profiling will be a waste of time and money.
There are two extremely different ideas about terrorism committed in the name of Islam. One holds that it is ordered from abroad and that al Qaeda is really like an international corporation. The other is that most domestic terrorists aspire to Qaeda-like actions, but have no direct connection to the organization.
Klausen’s DOJ grant will support two researchers and two graduate students for 27 months, beginning Jan. 1.
They will work on four principal questions:
- Is domestic recruitment to violent Islamist extremism socially random or segmented?
- How integrated are domestic networks with the global Islamist extremist movement and with the leadership of Al Qaeda and other organizations abroad?
- Is Internet-based recruitment and proselytizing driven by jihadist organizations, self-radicalized cells or individuals?
- Is there a predictable individual trajectory toward violent radicalization?
Al Qaeda demands continued attention, Klausen said, because “it is the most lethal terrorist organization we have ever had, and it is already way beyond the expected lifecycle of terrorist organizations. It is intergenerational; it has been able to replicate itself to a surprising degree.”
Answers to the questions she and her team will be exploring will assist governments in “figuring out where the weight of our [preventive] effort should be – transnational enforcement structures or domestic deradicalization,” she said.
Several Brandeisians will be on Klausen’s team, including Tschaen Barbieri, her original collaborator; Zachary Herman ’12 and Adrianne Roach, who is currently studying for her master’s degree in international and global studies.
The team will use a highly sophisticated software platform provided free by Palantir Technologies to analyze its mass of data on associations among thousands of individuals in and around major jihadi networks. Klausen says the project already has 20,000 data points and estimates there will be 40,000 by the conclusion of the work.
“This is an extraordinary gift,” Klausen said. “We couldn’t do this work without it.”
When completed, the data will be uploaded to Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Research computers at the University of Michigan. | <urn:uuid:9fdc3888-009c-4654-a53e-19f89a6b3d7f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.brandeis.edu/now/2012/december/klausengrant.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704713110/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516114513-00074-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.93933 | 929 | 1.726563 | 2 |
Nightly News | September 02, 2010
PETER ALEXANDER reporting: I'm Peter Alexander on Long Island . Already Earl's pounding surf and dangerous rip currents extend to the shores of New Jersey and New York . The approaching storm has forced beach closures in places where extreme weather can actually attract a crowd.
Mr. BILL WILKINSON (Town of East Hampton, New York, Supervisor): I don't want to see people endangering themselves, so caution's the word.
ALEXANDER: At this marina, Henry Uihlein has protectively hauled more than 100 boats to safety in the last two days.
Mr. HENRY UIHLEIN (Marina Owner): The tidal surge is going to be tremendous.
The......maybe even 10, 11, 12. That'll be above all the pilings.
ALEXANDER: A catastrophic hurricane has slammed the tip of Long Island before.
Offscreen Voice: Cutting a wide pathway of ruin in with it from the sea.
ALEXANDER: Back in September 1938 , wind gusts reaching 180 miles per hour hammered this coastline. The storm surge even split Montauk in two. More than 600 people died in what's remembered as the Long Island Express .
Ms. EMILY CULLUM (Montauk, New York, Resident): We still talk about it to this day.
ALEXANDER: First cousins Emily Cullum and Francis Ecker were just fifth graders then. In the days before satellite imagery, few here knew what a hurricane was.
Ms. CULLUM: Everybody's house was in your backyard. I mean, there was cottages. They were floating all over. Took three days for that water to recede.
ALEXANDER: On Long Island , they're anticipating coastal flooding again.
Ms. CULLUM: I don't mind the ocean as long as I know it's way out there.
ALEXANDER: Less than 24 hours until Earl's arrival, most agree this looming storm couldn't come and go soon enough. Peter Alexander , NBC News, Montauk, New York. | <urn:uuid:1ef9402f-fd1a-4c82-8998-289d04b36df9> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.nbcnews.com/video/nightly-news/38981563 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00075-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.941302 | 448 | 2.03125 | 2 |
Washington — Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton told South African students that their country and the United States share a joint calling to strengthen human rights and other values in Africa and elsewhere.
"We have a deep and abiding connection," Clinton said at the University of the Western Cape in Cape Town, South Africa, August 8. "Like you, we are compelled by the arc of our nation's history to stand up around the world for the values we ascribe to and advance at home. ... We have to look beyond our borders."
Clinton said Africa will not reach its full potential until African countries break down trade barriers with their neighbors.
"That's why the Obama administration remains committed to renewing the African Growth and Opportunity Act [AGOA] with South Africa included before the act expires in 2015. We're pleased that Congress acted last week to extend the Third-Country Fabric Provision through 2015, which will have enormous benefits for entrepreneurs, especially women, in many of South Africa's neighbors," Clinton said. AGOA widens access to the U.S. market for African countries that bring their economic practices into line with international standards.
Clinton praised South African President Jacob Zuma for "championing" an African initiative for governments, the private sector and regional organizations to build a highway from Cape Town to Cairo. "With South Africa in the lead, perhaps I will be able to come back in a few years and actually drive it," she said.
Clinton said South Africa made a huge contribution to global security by becoming the first country to voluntarily renounce nuclear weapons. "This means South Africa can play an even greater role on issues like curbing Iran's pursuit of nuclear weapons," she said.
Highlighting another facet of the broad partnership, the secretary noted that U.S. agricultural scientists are collaborating with colleagues at the University of Pretoria to develop food strategies for the continent. Farmers in Malawi notably are benefiting from the partnership by learning to use their land more efficiently and raise their incomes, she said.
"This is the kind of partnership we want to see more of, not just with South Africa but with other African countries that are becoming donors as well as recipients of assistance. Tanzania and Ghana, for example, are improving food security throughout East and West Africa. Nigeria has released supplies to help its neighbors in the Sahel," she said.
In the realm of human rights, South Africa is providing guidance to Egypt, Tunisia, Libya and Kyrgyzstan on making a democratic transition. In South Africa, "you can point to independent trade unions that stood up for workers' rights and the civil society groups that provided legal counsel and other essential support. You can point to the courageous journalists who insisted on telling the truth even when it invited the government's wrath," Clinton said. In South Sudan, the United States and South Africa are partnering to train judges and strengthen the judicial system there.
Clinton told the Western Cape students that South African youth will play a key role in shaping the future.
"This world demands the qualities of youth - not a time of life but a state of mind, a quality of the imagination, a predominance of courage over timidity," she said, quoting Robert F. Kennedy, a former U.S. senator and attorney general. She urged the students to carry forward the legacy of Nelson Mandela, who used truth and reconciliation to lead South Africa to a new era.
"It's a burden being an American or a South African, because people expect you to really live up to those standards," Clinton said. "Let us work together so that the values that shaped both our nations may also shape a world that is more peaceful, more prosperous and more just." | <urn:uuid:23cefdc8-5af7-4260-bdbe-efa167fb72bf> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://allafrica.com/stories/201208100813.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00023-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.963531 | 750 | 2.296875 | 2 |
Twenty-six work days remain before we face the consequences of the “fiscal cliff.” President Obama and congressional leaders should be in a room 10 hours a day, led by Obama (who now has “more flexibility”), delivering the economic certainty needed.
Where’s Obama? He’s busy with more important things, walking around barefoot and dumping water on people in Myanmar.
This uncertainty affects many Americans, businesses and financial institutions among them. They cannot make decisions they need to because Obama is not engaged, making this Priority One!
Don’t worry, his sycophants say, staffers are handling the details.
Sorry, but sometimes the boss actually has to show up to get the job done.
We saw this side of Obama as he prepared for his first debate, the one he lost. Like the Big Man on Campus frat boy he is, Obama then crammed (he admitted so), probably thinking Candy Crowley would have his back, which she did.
That’s pretty much how it is for Obama, isn’t it? Exit polls indicated he did a great job handling Hurricane Sandy when all he had time to do was say, “Return calls within 15 minutes.”
Remember his winning the Nobel Peace Prize for doing … nothing? That affects a man, being rewarded like that throughout his life.
I submit that Obama is president because he’s a hard-core redistributive liberal, he’s good-looking and likable (to some), and he’s able to read with panache what’s put in front of him.
I’m gonna be sick.
— WILLIAM J. ROBERTS
Fort Walton Beach | <urn:uuid:1cf1b2fc-1a72-47b0-9259-d73d768f2be1> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.nwfdailynews.com/opinion/letters-to-the-editor/letter-where-s-obama-1.53267 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.965555 | 363 | 1.578125 | 2 |
Students are getting a chance to escape the urban jungle of New York and learn about the forests of North America at The Museum of Natural History.
The students are becoming junior forest rangers as they travel from the Jeffrey Pine Forests of central California to the Bald Cypress Swamps of South Carolina and the Giant Cactus Forest near Tucson.
They're learning how the forest ecosystem works and its importance in making our planet healthy.
"Before I know that trees gave us oxygen, I was like, 'Yeah, whatever, trees,'" said Renie Dilernto, 10. "Then, when I learned oxygen, I'm like, 'Oh my gosh! We couldn't survive without trees!'"
"We learned that there's veins in a leaf, and the veins can hold water, energy, the food," said Zachary Greatmark, 9.
The American Museum of Natural History has educational workshops like this throughout the month of February. Visit amnh.org/adventures for more information.
To find more science, technology, engineering and math opportunities for youngsters, visit connectamillionminds.com. | <urn:uuid:29a93f9b-9373-4272-8e82-6e6790825c0f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.ny1.com/printarticle.aspx?ArID=176751 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00046-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.946578 | 230 | 3.625 | 4 |
Here are the Blogs in the Role-Model
Children will often “steal the show” at weddings and other ceremonial events. The picture of a young John Kennedy saluting his father’s funeral cortege is an indelible part of history. This week, during the funeral of Britain’s Margaret Thatcher, another child was able ...Read More...
Posted on 04/18/2013 10:31 AM by David O Jones
For the celebration of Presidents' Day, I have decided to give a more lengthy space to a man whose life is most worthy of study.
George Washington was born at Wakefield Plantation in Westmoreland County, Virginia, on February 22, 1732. George’s father was an established member of the Virginia ...Read More...
Posted on 02/15/2010 3:00 AM by David O Jones
Happy Lee-Jackson Day!
I serve as Headmaster of a church-related school. Unlike most of my counter-parts across Tennessee and the rest of America, I refuse to utilize the third Monday of January to celebrate the life of a whore-mongering socialist even though popular opinion says that he contributed ...Read More...
Posted on 01/18/2010 3:00 AM by David O Jones
/* ...Read More...
Posted on 12/23/2009 3:00 AM by David O Jones
There was a time, before the advent of political correctness, when the history of the South was honoured. Men and women told their children and grandchildren stories about their ancestors. The history of those men and women, who fought for liberty first in 1776 and again in 1861 was also taught in public ...Read More...
Posted on 12/04/2009 3:00 AM by David O Jones
Happy Columbus Day!
On 12 October 1492, Christopher Columbus and the crews of the Niña, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria came ashore on a Caribbean island which Columbus christened Sal Salvador – “Holy Saviour.” Together the men knelt and prayed with thankful hearts, “O ...Read More...
Posted on 10/12/2009 3:00 AM by David O Jones | <urn:uuid:50470dd1-9ddb-461e-89c4-6d10175122e6> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.freetennessee.org/blog_category.cfm/cat_id/415 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00006-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.954474 | 451 | 2.15625 | 2 |
Previous studies have revealed a wide-spread occurence of the partial and complete genomes of the reverse-transcribing pararetroviruses in the nuclear genomes of herbaceous plants. Although the absence of the virus-encoded integrases attests to the random and incidental incorporation of the viral sequences, their presence could have functional implications for the virus-host interactions.
Analyses of two nuclear genomes of grapevine revealed multiple events of horizontal gene transfer from pararetroviruses. The ~200–800 bp inserts that corresponded to partial ORFs encoding reverse transcriptase apparently derived from unknown or extinct caulimoviruses and tungroviruses, were found in 11 grapevine chromosomes. In contrast to the previous reports, no reliable cases of the inserts derived from the positive-strand RNA viruses were found. Because grapevine is known to be infected by the diverse positive-strand RNA viruses, but not pararetroviruses, we hypothesize that pararetroviral inserts have conferred host resistance to these viruses. Furthermore, we propose that such resistance involves RNA interference-related mechanisms acting via small RNA-mediated methylation of pararetroviral DNAs and/or via degradation of the viral mRNAs.
The pararetroviral sequences in plant genomes may be maintained due to the benefits of virus resistance to this class of viruses conferred by their presence. Such resistance could be particularly significant for the woody plants that must withstand years- to centuries-long virus assault. Experimental research into the RNA interference pathways involving the integrated pararetroviral inserts is required to test this hypothesis.
This article was reviewed by Arcady R. Mushegian, I. King Jordan, and Eugene V. Koonin. | <urn:uuid:7045a31a-cc49-4cab-a577-8903cef4d42a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://pubmedcentralcanada.ca/pmcc/solr/reg?pageSize=25&term=author%3A(%22Dolja%2C+Valerian+V.%22)&sortby=score+desc&filterAuthor=author%3A(%22Wirth%2C+Marion%22) | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00046-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.921768 | 354 | 2.75 | 3 |
There’s “Hope” for Reducing the Federal Debt
By William Shughart • Thursday December 2, 2010 5:36 AM PDT • 3 Comments
A Fox News report broadcast on November 28 supplies means of stanching the unprecedented effusion of budgetary red ink overseen by presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama.
In that report, talking-head Chris Wallace interviewed Jeffrey Post, curator of the gem and mineral collection at the Smithsonian Institution’s Museum of Natural History. The story focused on the very rare and stunningly blue Hope Diamond, which after a long and fascinating history of intrigue, including a legendary (or maybe not) “curse” falling on its possessor, was donated to the Smithsonian by Henry Winston in 1958.
Near the end of the video, after Mr. Post had waxed lyrical about the gem’s unparalleled size, color and clarity (and having allowed his interviewer actually to hold it in his hands), Wallace’s natural question was, “And if you wanted to sell it?”
Post responded that, “If there’s anything in the world that one could point to and say, ‘it’s priceless’, you know, take the U.S. Treasury – or, even bigger, the U.S. debt – and try to take that money and go out and buy another diamond like this one, you literally could not to it. There’s not one out there anywhere.”
To an economist, of course, nothing – not even human life, which recent studies based on the compensation necessary for the average worker to be willing to expose him or herself to greater risks of injury or death on the job generate estimates of about $7 million – is “priceless.”
The market value of the Hope Diamond, while undoubtedly sizeable, is far from infinite. Selling it to a willing buyer or consortium of buyers, which may be Hugo Chavez or a country in the Middle East, would generate enough cash to at least make a major dent in the federal budget deficit and, perhaps, the accumulated national debt.
There is no public interest in “owning” the Hope Diamond or many other assets, such as millions of acres of federal land, thousands of government buildings, drilling rights on the outer continental shelf, and so on. Even if Mr. Winston imposed conditions on his donation to the Smithsonian, many precedents exist allowing the beneficiaries of gifts to abrogate donors’ intent, although such actions sadly are inconsistent with the law of contract.
Ever since the Smithsonian Institution acquired the Hope Diamond in 1958, the federal government rarely has run a budget surplus. Perhaps that is the modern version of the gem’s romantic curse. If so, we can transfer the curse to its new owner and, at the same time, raise funds to pay off some of the debt without saddling taxpayers with the out-of-control credit-card tab now being run by Washington’s politicians.
Tags: Budget and Tax Policy | <urn:uuid:d9ebcd70-3527-402e-a8f2-250fa1805258> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://blog.independent.org/2010/12/02/there%E2%80%99s-%E2%80%9Chope%E2%80%9D-for-reducing-the-federal-debt/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697974692/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095254-00007-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.943529 | 631 | 2 | 2 |
The information contained in the Organizational Database (ODB) is provided for informational purposes only. There is no implied endorsement by NORD. NORD does not promote or endorse participation in any specific organization. The information is subject to change without notice. Every effort is made to ensure that the details for each entry are as current as possible.
Alternating Hemiplegia of Childhood Foundation
31250 Plymouth Rd.
Livonia, MI 48150
The Alternating Hemiplegia of Childhood Foundation (AHCF) is a non-profit, tax exempt organization run by parents of children with Alternating Hemiplegia of Childhood (AHC). Their mission is to find the cause(s) of AHC, develop effective treatments and ultimately find a cure, while providing support to the families and children with AHC by funding research to accomplish these goals. Secondarily, they strive to promote proper diagnosis, educate health care professionals, the public and related organizations, encourage the worldwide exchange of information and advance the development of an international database of all AHC patients. AHC is a rare neurological disorder in which repeated, transient attacks of hemiplegia occur, usually affecting one side of the body or the other, or both sides of the body at once. The attacks may last for minutes, hours or even days and are normally relieved by sleep. Typically the onset of symptoms begins prior to 18 months of age. AHC episodes are often associated with triggers that precede or induce the attack. Triggers for AHC episodes may include - but are not limited to - environmental conditions (such as temperature extremes or odors), water exposure, physical activities (exercise, swinging), lights (sunlight, fluorescent bulbs), foods (chocolate, food dye), emotional response (anxiety, stress, fright), odors (foods, fragrances), fatigue, and medications. Recently, the discovery of the mutation in the gene ATP1A3 has been identified as one cause of AHC and is found in two-thirds of those affected while ongoing research is close to identifying the remaining genetic mutations. Once the causes have been identified, AHCF will shift their focus to developing much needed treatment options.
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NORD's Rare Disease Information Database is copyrighted and may not be published without the written consent of NORD. | <urn:uuid:6eb4ed79-0b3c-4f13-9cf7-5b52fa812f0c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.rarediseases.org/rare-disease-information/organizations/byID/948/viewDetail | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00075-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.918749 | 624 | 1.53125 | 2 |
Chr. Hansen has initiated a CSR (corporate social responsibility) project to explore how camel cheese may make a difference in rural Kenya and Somalia.
Thousands of camel owners in arid regions of Northern Africa, where two thirds of the world’s camels live, could benefit from products that can help them increase the use-value of their humpback livestock.
Chr. Hansen and the Kenyan company Oleleshwa Enterprises have initiated the project aiming to improve the living conditions of small-scale camel owners. The project focuses on the development of basic knowledge about camel cheese production, to enable camel owners in rural Kenya and Somalia to produce camel cheese for both sales and own consumption.
The collaboration has three main deliverables:
Develop the world’s first rural and industrial camel cheese recipes to be given away pro bono to the camel community in Africa and the Middle East;
Conduct a consumer preference survey evaluating the cheeses to ensure that the project will develop tasty, marketable products;
Develop pedagogical production manuals for the two cheese products.
According to Chr. Hansen, camel milk is low in fat, high in calcium, a rich source of protein and a potent source for delicious and durable cheese, and cheese is a means to preserve the nutritious milk. The “secret ingredient” that will enable the camel owners to effectively turn their camel milk into delicious and shelf stable cheese, says the company, is a patented enzyme solution from Chr. Hansen called FAR-M.
“Due to the different composition of camel milk compared to cow milk, use of traditional cheese coagulants results in weak curd formation or complete absence of clotting when producing camel cheese,” said product manager Rolando Saltini, manager of the project at Chr. Hansen. “As a result, previous attempts to produce viable camel cheese have failed. Using FAR-M, our camel chymosin produced by fermentation, camel owners will be able to produce tasty camel cheese with good curd firmness and superior yield compared to that of cheese made with bovine chymosin.”
“When we were given trial samples with the newly developed FAR-M camel milk rennet, not only did the cheese taste better and had a better consistency, the actual cheese making process was also easier to manage,” said Anne Bruntse, director of Oleleshwa Enterprises. “My staff and I look forward to taking part in this new initiative and hopefully come up with exciting new products for the benefit of camel owners in the Arid African and Middle East countries.”
“If successful, this project could potentially improve the livelihood of thousands of rural inhabitants in Northern and Eastern Africa,” said Henriette Oellgaard, CSR manager, Chr. Hansen. “Moreover, the project will help Chr. Hansen establish more knowledge about industrial production of camel cheese and, possibly, pave the way for future commercialization of FAR-M in Africa, the Middle East and Asia.” | <urn:uuid:a73eb1ad-074c-4d51-8a4b-e58b530358b5> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.ingredientsnetwork.com/news-content/full/chr-hansen-bets-the-far-m-on-camels | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00012-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.930904 | 621 | 2.109375 | 2 |
Our favorite climate de-crocker, Peter Sinclair has a terrific new video on the basic facts of climate science (with links to the literature):
Sinclair makes good use of my video interview with Dr. Christopher Field (for full interview, see “Videos: How we know humans are changing the climate and Why climate change is a clear and present danger“).
In recommending the video, Skeptical Science notes:
A common skeptic argument is that there is no empirical evidence for man-made global warming. People who make this claim can’t have looked very hard. As most don’t have the time to scour through the peer-reviewed scientific literature, the multiple lines of independent evidence for global warming are given here….
Also be sure to check out the (more info) link in the right margin where links to all the peer-reviewed papers are provided. This is a powerfully visual way of communicating the science of climate change — I strongly recommend you all view the video, pass it onto your friends (and if you’re feeling really energetic, follow the paper links to learn more about the science).
Note: You need to actually watch the video in YouTube to see the small “more info” link off the right-hand corner of the video. | <urn:uuid:5d9c8d42-7493-419c-9945-63ad1e11aefd> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2010/03/01/205575/climate-science-video-empirical-evidence-for-human-caused-global-warming/?mobile=nc | 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 | 0.910254 | 268 | 2.140625 | 2 |
Czech with Russian, French, German, English Summaries
20.5 x 20.5 cm | 8.07 x 8.07 inch
This monograph represents the work of David Babaian, better known as Erevantzi, an Armenian artist from Paris. David Erevantzi bases his work on ancient traditions of Armenian arts and crafts using modern European techniques accented by his feelings for monumentality and tectonics. He transforms the symbolism of ancient paintings and legends into his own mythological world. In Yerevan, along with other projects, David decorated the Puppet Theatre and the House of Chess.
Nice to find an Armenian book
To say you the truth, this is the first book about Armenia in my native language I have ever seen. Although my grandmother is Armenian, but being born and living in Chezh Republic, unfortunately, I can’t read in Armenian. I was surprised and surely ordered this book about David Erevantsi. | <urn:uuid:314d9e09-3694-473f-b46a-3a4b2139d175> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.armenianbooksclub.com/book_details.asp?book_id=180&category=Art&subcategory=&which_field=year_pub&sort=ASC&per_page=20 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00032-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.931273 | 200 | 1.773438 | 2 |